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fireemblems24 · 3 years

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hey if you uh 👀 wanna share that essay on dimitri 👀 i'm sure more than one of us will be happy to read it... 👀👀👀 (dont mean to pressure you or anything! just joking around but in all seriousness your metas are 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼)

This feels a bit like someone asking me to indulge in my favorite food.

I’m a bit stuck right now with no new content for Dimitri, and with that shocking personality turn, I’m dying to know where this all goes, and you bet there will be some massive Dimitri analysis coming.

But for a “short” breakdown of why he’s my favorite so far:

He’s that kind, empathetic, diplomatic lord I always go for, but avoids being too vanilla because he’s allowed to have faults. It’s also so nice to see a character who goes through trauma and see it realistically affect them, and not just in a romantic tool kind of way either. You see it in literally everything Dimitri does and how he interacts with everyone. It’s an excellent case of “tragic backstory” done right.

It’s almost unfair how many complex relationships Dimitri has on the other main characters. It takes the Byleth pandering edge off a lot when he’s got these deep, rich connections to Felix, Dedue, Ingrid, Rodrigue, Sylvain, Gilbert, and even Annette and Catherine. It’s such a leg up on the other main characters that he gets to skip over awkward intro C-Supports and jump right into the drama.

He surprises you. I fully expected Dimitri to be kind of boring, but instead he just made me . . . fall in love with him? Like, I’m closer to 30 than 20. I have not done this over a character since high school. Like what is this?

The trauma is interesting and well-done and all, but even without it Dimitri’s a character who I would’ve gone for. He’s so awkwardly adorable and gets so easily excited when you talk about his favorite sword or whatever. But then he’s also so composed and confident at times.

I also love how traditionally “feminine” his strengths are. He’s kind, empathetic, wants to compromise rather than punch his way through his problems, and he’s still totally a guy. Many times these “softer” male characters are written super feminine, but it’s nice to see these traits in a character who is still traditionally masculine. It’s refreshing because it shows these things don’t have to be one or the other. You can be a guy’s guy and still be emotional, considerate, and caring. Like his hobbies are swordplay and sowing, and he’s allowed to just like both and no one makes a big deal of it one way or the other.

Dimitri embraces his leadership role. You can tell it takes a toll on him, and that he’d probably really rather not have to take on all this burden. But he does. I’m so sick of entitled leader characters play the “but I never ASKED to be XXXX!!!” Dimitri just embraces it and wants to use it to help others. For all of Dimitri’s trauma and how center-stage it takes, you literally never hear this guy complain about anything. The headaches? You know know because of Felix and Dedue. Same with the sleeplessness. Dimitri never says a word because he’s just so ingrained to take on all the burdens and lead everyone else. It’s to an unhealthy level, but oh my God it’s so refreshing after dealing with so many heirs and chosen ones that come across like spoiled brats.

There’s a few key moments in the story that Dimtiri really stuck out to me too.

Post-Lonato - This was the scene where his character really caught my attention. So often fantasy glorifies war. Kings and chosen ones fight for their ideals against some dark overlord and it’s all rah, rah!!! And it’s all good and fun, but I can’t ever help but wonder what any of these stories look like from the common man’s POV. Dimitri gets that. He’s not about some high and might cause. He’s always focused on how the common man is getting hurt by their leaders. He does this with Miklain too. Of all the lords, he’s the only one who noticed how Miklain mistreated all the nearby commoners. That was what he talked about. It’s what he’s always talked about. And it really resonates with me. Leader characters with admirable ordeals are a dime a dozen when you read as much fantasy and historical fiction as I do, but ones who set that all aside and their ultimate goal is to serve the people - now that’s interesting.

Post-Jeralt - This was one of the few times I felt kind of self-inserted in the game. I don’t care too much for Byleth or Jeralt. But after Jeralt did his thing, I got Edelgard’s harsh treatment, than Claude’s complete disregard, and I was honestly feeling so put out. I really expected the game to play this up given how much they love to pander to Byleth. I was especially shocked to see Edelgard be so dismissive of Byleth’s feelings when she’s so hung up on Byleth. It’s like Claude and Edelgard ask so much from Byleth - both openly wanting to use Byleth to achieve their own goals - and the single time Byleth shows weakness, is faltering, neither care enough to bother. By the time I got to Dimitri, I expected nothing. But when he showed up instead of Alois (sooner than the other two), I was a bit taken off guard. And then I finally got to see someone really care about Byleth for Byleth’s sake, and not only what they thought Byleth could end up doing for them later. He was so kind and considerate. He didn’t belittle Byleth for grieving, he offered to cover for anything Byleth needed. And it really got to me, because we’ve all been there. We have people we think we’re good friends with, but when you need them they’re just . . . not there. And then that one person who is there just really ends up sticking out so much more.

I really expect this list to get so much longer after seeing the time skip. He’s clearly going to get some massive character development, and I’m so excited to see all the sides of Dimitri explored - even - especially - the not so good ones. So it’s slightly torturous that I’m stuck replaying the route I saved over and not seeing anything new and smarts even worse because Dimitri’s (and Dedue who coincidentally is another favorite) are literally the only characters I’ve seen 0 final supports for and I’m just . . . really dying over here.

#dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #dimitri fire emblem #fire emblem #fire emblem 3 houses #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fe16 #fe3h

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ryttu3k · 3 years

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Finishing up SoNY, ‘bad’ end and final thoughts!

But first, the early game over.

Wow, she just gets shot. Not even slurped? That’s rude as hell XD;;

And on to the ‘bad’ end!

Beginning is much the same, ofc.

“You’re too in love with weaving a good story and establishing a seductive narrative to let facts get in the way.” Foreshadowing for the ‘good’ end, maybe?

God that Embrace scene gives me literal goosebumps.

Alright! Last time I did Danse Macabre and Retributive Justice, let’s try The Risks of Swiping Right!

lmao god I’d eat this guy too. Back to the ghost club! That legitimately is a really neat scene. ...Ooh yes so that’s where the girl was from.

Panhard just lowkey dying at the mental image of Katherine Weise in a fast food restaurant is so good.

The sweet scene between Julia and Dakota hits a bit different after the ‘good’ end XD;;

Went to the park, reminisced, and helped out the guy. That was sweet ;_; High-humanity Julia, this time!

‘Fairy God Mother?’ is great but ‘Vin Diesel?’ is objectively the funnier response.

“Shining even more brightly than usual, Aisling.” Samira got a cru-ush~

Poor Julie. It’s probably been tough without Sophie around :(

Huh. Interestingly, refusing to lie to Mia results in Julia actually feeling genuine loyalty to the Cammies (for now, at least).

Believing Agathon is still alive = more optimistic = different dialogue! See, this is how you make choices have consequences, game!

Oooh boy time to meet Adelaide XD;;

“She uncrosses her legs in a strangely seductive motion. In her mind’s eye, it probably looked like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, but in reality, it had all the grace of a tracksuit Slav squatting.” *snickering*

Fight me, Adelaide >:(

‘sup Nastya. Went with the slightly less disruptive routine here XD Huh, she’s an aspiring DJ! Julia is deeply confused as to how being a DJ and being head of security works together.

lmao Julia referring to Hope as a girlboss. That phrase has lost all meaning to me...

The conversation between Julia and Father Leonard is still really interesting. Man, you know who I want Julia to talk to? Anatole. Interesting insights into balancing being queer Catholic vampires there for sure.

lmao oh my god I want to fight this street reporter.

‘I can almost feel my brain losing its wrinkles.’ *snort*

Yeaghhhh the Abyss bit is still so creepy...

Oops. Being honest regarding Tamika and Torque’s relationships gets a fail :(

Oh, or not XD That works! Also, uh, apparently the giant albino ghoul alligator is real, according to New York by Night. He’s Calebros’ pet.

“Because I think I have a pretty good nose for people’s auras. And when I take a good look at you... ...somehow, I have a feeling you’re a surprisingly decent person. Whatever way of unlife you choose, I hope you don’t change it. And that you remember my advice.” :)

“I know.” Oof.

“Hi.” “WAAAH!” lmao sorry Princess XD;; Just trying to imagine Qadir’s face as he tells Julia to find a 1990 glass statue of Scrooge McDuck... dying...

Oh she’s so a Toreador XD Low art options are a fantasy book, an anime DVD, or a video game... those can all be arty, though! And went with the anime DVD called ‘Ririsu no Daibouken’... that translates to ‘Adventures of Lilith’. How on the nose XD “The cover says ‘Lilith’s Carnal Carnival’.” Oh. Yeah, that’d do it XD

“This 90s original video anime presents us with a tale of five big-bosomed samurai warriors travelling through America in search of General Hastavista, The Incubus King. Don’t let all the titillation misguide you: the main draws here are peerless direction, a nearly avant-garde editing rhythm and dialogue that coyly comments on traditional gender roles in anime. Once you see the animation in the final battle, you’ll understand why it never fails to set a sakuga fan’s heart ablaze!”

She’s my new favourite.

“So can I know your name now?”

“Hmmm... Let me think...

No. <3″

I need to stress that the heart appears in the dialogue box. Like. The actual less-than-three heart.

Didn’t investigate the rat this time, so Qadir did and I die. “Glad you’re alright, little guy.” Qadir...

Still not over the drunk blood doll rats.

Kaiser’s still a goddamn creep and this time Julia is not going too far. She still has her humanity, dammit. Final set of traits:

Loyal to the end

Glass half-full

Not into a bad cop schtick

Honesty is the best policy

No more human, still humane

Onwards to the ‘bad’ end! Oops, and Dakota still did the Single White Female thing XD;;

Man I’m still really curious who the ‘good friend’ is!!

Okay! Time for end game!!

So that’s the good friend, huh? “Let me phrase it differently, then. You’re not Ecaterina the Wise, the Agitator of Prague, a Brujah elder causing turbulences all over the world... are you?”

Mention of Christof! Mention of Christof doing shady shit :| Poor Hana.

“An immigrant from Eastern Europe comes to New York City, takes the position she always expected to find herself in, is molded into someone who is no longer herself.”

Julia and Dakota representing Carthage is kind of neat.

I want to say the mention of St Jude is a reference, but I’m not sure what to XD;; Is that from Redemption? Christof could have been the one to tell Hana that.

“Like a two-person human centipede loop or something. An Ouroburos? Or an, uhh, Mobius strip?” No, that’s the other traditionally Sabbat clan XD

That‘s. That’s a hell of a reconciliation XD “Yeah, let’s give it a try. By the way I’m on the run for my unlife, want to go to California and try to find utopia?”

Julia, wear a fucking mask XD

“Hey.”

“Yeah?“

“Do you love me?”

“... Of course I do. For now, at least.”

I still don’t know if I love her. Or even if I can love anyone, for that matter. I’m a fucking monster, after all. I don’t even know if we’ll exist next month. The prospects are not looking good. But although I can’t see myself in the rearview mirror right now...

...I will remember this image of us leaving the city, somewhat melancholic, and somewhat hopeful, forever. And maybe the meaning of this image will be clarified with time. Or maybe I will just force a more positive description on it, and that is what I’ll believe.

No matter what happens... even if oceans of blood lie before us, I will make this a cherished memory.

Whatever possible salvation still remains for me... ...it probably lies in the eyes of another.

Oh dang I have chills.

So the ‘bad’ ending is about the subverted compromise. Julia resigns herself to letting the compromise about the truth of Callihan’s death go ahead. ‘Catherine’ is a walking compromise to hide the Ecaterina’s real deeds. But while Hana is still stuck in her role for now, Julia refuses to accept the compromise she’s made, both the one relating to the investigation and the compromise she made of her own views and morals. It might blow up in her face, yeah. But damn, she’s going to try.

So, final thoughts! For the sake of completion, this is what I said about Coteries:

And of course this is the part where the game all falls apart :-\

Just… god. This is probably the biggest problem with CoNY, and the reason I didn’t bother getting it until it was like… 60% off. The bulk of the game is great - the writing is intriguing, the design is stunning. But the choices themselves are so limited it’s barely worth even getting it at 60% off!

You have three choices of characters, with their own opening chapters and own individual scenes with their touchstones. You have four choices of coterie members, and three sidequests. You can probably get in at least three full story arcs and a sidequest or two, but you’re only ever limited to two of your coterie members showing up at the not-yet-endgame.

So let’s say you decide to play all three protags, which, indeed, is encouraged (there’s an achievement for it). You are going to repeat coterie arcs and side quests, because there simply aren’t enough for three unique playthroughs.

And then you get to the end and literally everything is scripted. You get attacked by the SI. You get rescued by your two coterie members (and then never see them again, despite the game being called Coteries of New York). You meet Torque, you escape the SI, Sophie reveals her plan to Torque, you go to Ellis Island, Adelaide kills Sophie (and despite the fact that you’re given multiple options there, none of them work), Arturo does his spiel, end of game. You don’t even get to choose between ending up blood bound or going “no fuck you” and at least dying with a bit of dignity!

I just. I really want to like it, and there genuinely is a lot there to like! But uuuugh the ending. Like damn at least give the poor protag the option to choose what happens to them!

Anyway. Not sure what’s next. To get all the achievements, you have to finish with all three protags, so that’s three full runs and a lot of repetitiveness (compare to, say, Bloodlines or Night Road. I have eighty-five hours on Night Road and there’s still stuff I haven’t seen!), so I can’t even just… rush it through up to the meeting with the touchstones on the third play. Nope. Gotta finish it :-\

Final rating: 6/10

8/10 characters, 9/10 atmosphere, 8/10 story aside from ending, 3/10 story ending, 2/10 replayability. Final consensus: get it on major sale if you can, otherwise, you might as well just watch an LP. I might do that instead of doing a third run, although I at least want to do a second.

I ended up revising that 6/10 to 5.5/10 after finishing all runs and getting the achievements just out of how goddamn repetitive it was. So, how does Shadows measure up?

Absolutely continued with all the things I enjoyed about CoNY (characters, atmosphere, and writing), and of the bits I hated (cookie cutter protagonists, lack of real choice, repetitiveness, the godawful ending), every single part has been completely improved.

Instead of three fledglings so similar they even have the same internal thoughts, we have Julia, who’s got such a distinct voice that she becomes the most memorable game protag I’ve seen in years, and I’m including non-VtM games in this. This is absolutely her game, and it’s just... absolutely fascinating to read and watch.

Related - actual real choices. There are five key choices that determine the ending, and every single one has actual consequence in-game. You get different dialogue. Different introspection. Different philosophies. And this carries across - if Julia believes Agathon is alive, she’s more optimistic about her relationship with Dakota, too. And of course, both endings are completely distinct and incredibly written - the ‘good’ ending where Julia gives in to her most Lasombra instincts, plays the game, wins it, gets power and respect at the expense of her humanity and avoiding all those wraiths... or the ‘bad’ ending when she listens to her morals, reconciles with Dakota, and leaves for California, uncertain, but hopeful.

Not a lot of repetitiveness. Yes, by design, you’ll probably do two playthroughs. The main plot is much the same, but there are enough options there to get multiple dialogue options and stuff. And for the little sidequests, you can actually get all in with just the two playthroughs, only repeating like... two, I think. Still, I wasn’t feeling actively bored like I was midway through my second run of CoNY!

Loved seeing more in-depth backstory and development for the coterie members. Agathon’s section was particularly fascinating, literally getting into his head.

And just. Atmosphere and music is so, so good.

Final rating: 9/10. Thank you, Draw Distance, you hit it out of the park.

#vampire the masquerade #vtm shadows of new york #ry plays sony

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tamarindfever · 3 years

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I'm trying to pinpoint exactly what makes the Lady Molly stories so disappointing, when compared to Baroness Orczy's other detective fiction series, The Old Man in the Corner.

I think The Old Man stories are just as good as Sherlock Holmes, albeit for completely different reasons: Unlike Sherlock, who runs around the countryside sniffing tobacco ash and proclaiming that the murderer was five-foot-ten and an avid golfer, the old man merely sits in his corner, telling a young journalist named Polly Burton about the crimes he's figured out from reading the paper and attending public trials.

Without the context of a patriarchal society, gender-based oppression, etc., this dynamic is one between a cantankerous, experienced problem-solver elucidating their methods of reasoning to a cocky young rookie. With that context, however, it becomes the classic "male character who has all the answers" trope. (When that character is a man, he's a genius; when it's a woman, she's an unlikable know-it-all. But I digress.)

But the Old Man stories are all 5/5, in terms of sheer entertainment value: the crimes may not be as strange as they are in Sherlock Holmes, but they're definitely captivating. And the old man himself is quite likable- he's so confident when it comes to crime-solving, but when the waitresses at the restaurant are snickering about his ugly coat, he gets nervous and fidgety. Polly, of course, is a stand-in for the reader- she's the one we're supposed to be able to relate to- so she never has any moments of sparkling insight. But Orczy could've easily made him narrate to a male journalist, and she didn't. I quite enjoy how Polly has a profession, and she comes to the ABC cafe (where she meets the old man) on her own.

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, however. She seems almost too perfect. The Lady Molly stories are all narrated by Mary Granard, who plays the typical John Watson role of being completely average, so that we can all appreciate how marvelous and clever the main detective is, in contrast.

But Mary takes it a step further: she's irritatingly obsequious. At first, it seems like she's got an unrequited crush, but it soon becomes clear that her devotion to Molly is bordering on the religious. It's all, "Lady Molly is so beautiful, so graceful, so shrewd, blah blah blah." The sort of fixation that only somebody with very low self-esteem is capable of developing. The above passage is one of the few places where it seems like Mary just wants to date Molly, and not perform ritual sacrifices in her honour.

These stories also heavily emphasize that Lady Molly is a WOMAN, that she has got FEMININE INTUITION, and that some cases simply cannot be resolved by the "more approved methods of the sterner sex." One thing I really enjoyed about Catherine Pirkis's Loveday Brooke is that Loveday just went about her business being a detective, and though her gender obviously affected how she was perceived and what sorts of disguises she employed, she was mostly just a detective. Whereas our Lady Molly seems to have been posited as some kind of feminine ideal: we hear incessantly how tiny her hands are, how graceful her figure is, and so on, ad nauseam.

As a narrator, Mary Granard is also over-the-top passionate. ("I'd do anything for my lady, blah blah.") If only Mary had a personality trait that wasn't being obsessed with Lady Molly, these stories would be a lot better. That's it, I think: Lady Molly is Gaston, and Mary G. is the little man running behind her and telling her how great she is.

Nobody likes those two. It doesn't matter how good they are at solving crimes, or anything else.

#lady molly of scotland yard #loveday brooke #catherine pirkis #detective fiction #female detective #baroness orczy #sherlock holmes #arthur conan doyle #old man in the corner

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ratsoh-writes · 3 years

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My curiosity got me, so here is my submission for a match up. Sorry it’s so long! I look forward to seeing your reasoning.

PERSONALITY TRAITS:

MOM FRIEND: I’m the friend that is almost over prepared for any situation and is protective, usually keeping others out of too much trouble or danger, but not stopping them from doing that stupid thing. Some people will only learn from doing it and so long as it won’t seriously injure or kill them, go for it. And I mean I am seriously prepared for most situations: I have fluffy throw blankets and pillows in my car for those who get cold, extra towels just in case we somehow get wet, umbrellas/ponchos for those who need one, snacks/water just in case someone gets hungry/thirsty, first aid kit for small injuries, etc. Ironically, I am the only one without a kid so far.

Extension of this would be my habit to act as the friend “nurse.” Willing to spend hours taking care of a friend who isn’t feeling well and give platonic cuddles if needed.

Another extension of this is my need to feed anyone who comes over. I think my love language is acts of service after typing all this.

I’M LISTENING: Always willing to offer an ear, even if I don’t believe I can council you. Plus, for some reason, people just end up splurging life stories or something that is bothering them to me. My life is mostly spent as that Naruto meme: “I have no clue what is going on, but I’ll pretend that I do.” But I’m responsible about it, I won’t offer advice I’m not sure about and will usually refer you to someone else I feel is up to the task.

PATIENT: Earned after years in customer service dealing with toddlers disguised as customers and also with friends who far exceed my energy levels. It takes a good bit to anger me or very specific things to set me off, such as when I have asked you to please stop bringing up that stressful memory of mine again and again.

I am told I am terrifying when I’m actually pissed. Most times I don’t remember much when I actually snap, just that it happened, but details are fuzzy.

CHILL: My counselor once told me if I “Was any more laid back, I’d be on her floor.” And to a point, she is correct. My house was on fire and my reaction wasn’t panic at the time, it was this odd calm that even when I reported the fire to my sister and authorities, they didn’t believe me until I showed them said fire. I am reserved with those I don’t know well or are not comfortable around. Once I trust you or you get me on a topic I love, I’m surprisingly passionate and animated.

I feel this fits under here, but I also tend to do things at my own pace. And not much can change that pace, but I will get what I set out to do done.

WHY ME?: Too many people tell me I’m a natural leader, even got awards for it, but I never volunteer or want to be the leader in anything. Usually, I just end up in that role somehow, some way. Most times because I hate disorganized messes and those times the people I am with have trouble making concrete decisions and need some guidance to work out what they really want to do or the pressure to actually make a decision. I may be an unwilling leader, but I will step up if needed.

WHIMSICAL: Sarcasm, dry and sometimes cheesy humour, and an attitude to boot, but it’s rarely to be mean. Most times it is me being playful and if I’m teasing you, that usually is a sign I like you and enjoy your company. Plus, sometimes people need a little laugh or a spark of different emotion to get them out of a funk.

INTEGRITY: I could absolutely despise someone, but like hell I’m going watch them suffer. In the same sense, if I take a job, I will do it right and not half ass it. And far too many times I’ve had to step in and explain certain concepts in order to disperse negativity or help others see from another perspective to avoid adversity.

CUDDLE BUG: With people I am comfortable with, I am a cuddly person and do not mind a lot of skinship. I am used to friends hanging all over me. Plus, sometimes I just want to curl up someone as well.

STRENGTHS:

Observant

Good communication skills & honest

Responsible & reliable

Full Size Human Heater. I am ridiculously warm and always putting off heat. Friends and coworkers alike use me as a portable heater.

Surprisingly good at being sly and collecting information if needed, like getting a shoe or ring size without tipping the person off it’s for a gift. If they manage to call it, I always fess up and playfully make a fuss they ruined the surprise.

WEAKNESSES:

Terrible at lying, so I tend to simply keep my mouth shut instead

Willfully oblivious to flirting and absolute flustered mess once I am forced to recognize said flirting

Vast open waters terrify me

Tendency to keep my troubles to myself and try to solve problems on my own (don’t want to be a burden)

Can become despondent if I feel useless at times

HOBBIES:

ART: I’ve dabbled in several different medias, but my favorite is just a pencil or pen and any paper I can get my hands on. I love drawing figures in dynamic poses. Second favorite is sculptures built from wire.

COSTUMES: I love Halloween, since it is the perfect excuse to make and wear my homemade costumes. It also lets me challenge myself by making more complicated pieces like hooves, horns, and even chain mail.

BAKING/COOKING/CANDY MAKING: I’m the cook in the house and I love it. Seeing people enjoy my food is my favorite part. Just don’t ask me for a recipe, I literally don’t have any and I won’t remember what I did.

ORGANIZING/CLEANING: I love puzzle games like Tetris and Catherine, and I love a challenge. Combine the two by having me organize and rearrange a space to make it work and I am in heaven.

STORYTELLING: When a story needs to be told, I am the one asked to tell it. Specifically I have such an entertaining way of telling it according to others. Animated and colorful language, plus a few pit stops along the way with some side stories.

PET PEEVES:

CONTRARY: Do not tell me to do something while I am doing it. That will kill any motivation I had to do it.

BACKHANDED COMPLIMENTS: It is possible to compliment someone without insulting them or others at the same time. It just makes the compliment feel empty and negative. And I tend to just hum and not reward that behaviour.

TOO MUCH ATTENTION: I don’t mind attention… from people I trust and are comfortable with. Feel free to cuddle and coddle away. But vast amounts of attention from those I feel are strangers or acquaintances will unnerve me (I have literally left functions immediately where I walked in and was bombarded with shouts and attention aimed at me-sensory overload I guess).

ODD HABITS:

NESTING: No, I don’t think I have enough blankets and pillows. Yes, the giant stuffed animal is needed and his name is Snuffie.

CRUSH ME: I’m serious, some days I need one of my friends or my bf to just lay all their dead weight on top of me. It’s just oddly therapeutic.

NO, I’M NOT PREGNANT: Just cause I ate that jar of olives in one sitting or suddenly was craving jalapeno juice and crushed ramen noodles. There are never enough pickles and yes, I am determined to try every kind–I may have a vinegar addiction.

IRONY: I bake some of the tastiest, sweetest desserts and make pralines and caramels, YET I myself do not favor sweet things.

HANDS: One thing I tended to do with nearly every boyfriend and guy friend I had was play with their hands and put their hands on my face/head. I lived for being pet and having people play with my hair.

NONVERBAL MOMENTS: Sometimes words are just too much, so I instead make sounds. Can be anywhere from a growl to a cat like noise, or the reliable “Nyeh.”

NO NOs:

I think I listed a few as I went through everything else, but ignoring boundaries is the main one. If I tell you I’m not comfortable with something, do not make me repeat myself. And usually that something is given a pass the first few times it is done before I say something and explain why I’m not comfortable with it.

Example: I have thick, curly hair, a product of my mixed heritage. Well, sometimes I like to straighten it and I did just that one day. Well, a coworker decided to make a backhanded compliment, stating I should stick to what works: straight hair over my natural hair. I had gotten on him about it, but I decided to vent to a friend about what happened as well. She proceeded to constantly repeat those hurtful words and while I knew she meant it playfully during those times, I had to stop her and sit her down, explain I don’t find it funny cause the words are linked to a hurtful, possibly racist memory that I didn’t want brought up again and again. Thankfully she understood and stopped. So, I don’t snap immediately and I understand sometimes a sit down needs to be done.

Ok first of all I gotta say that I absolutely loved reading your matchup!!! It’s so well organized, detailed, and the descriptions are pretty creative!!! Do you do any writing yourself, because you should!!! alright, geek out moment over.

i’ve got three guys you’re perfect for, but let’s go for the obvious one. HONEY!!

You’ve checked off everything on honey’s list: caring, organized, laid back, and good for cuddling. Now here’s what he has to offer to the table: he will cuddle you back. This guy is the ultimate cuddle slut. You’ll never feel unloved with him. Honey is also a very thoughtful and appreciative guy. He likes caring for his partners. You may be the mom friend, but he’ll do his best to return that love as well.

Honey is a little awkward, but he’s also sensitive and empathetic to how others feel. If he puts his foot in his mouth, just tell him and he’ll never bring it up again. Plus this guy is just so honest and genuine that backhanded compliments aren't really a thing with him.

Also you like costumes!!! He’s always wanted to try cosplay or theatre. You just might be the person to give him the courage to finally stick to one.

dating honey includes:

cuddles upon heaps of soft things. He has his own collections of ridiculously soft blankets and pillows that he’ll happily add to your collection. Honey is also a master at pillow forts.

honey is a good listener. He’ll be happy to just sit back and enjoy the stories you tell. There is start though, who is also the storyteller of the underswap home. Any funny story you give about your time together will be rewarded by star with a funny story from his and honey’s childhood, much to honey’s embarrassment

if you don't really like sweet things but love baking them, then honey and star will happily finish them for you. People are usually surprised about how just how much skeleton monsters can pack away.

he’s a picky eater and will give you the wtf face when you fufil your weird cravings though lol

Oh! Also if you’re wondering, the other two would’ve been either oak or coffee

#undertale imagines #underswap #matchups #submission

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chicagocityfclanspromoblog · 3 years

Photo

Maya ‘Flower’ Hanes → Nicole Peltz → Witch

→ Basic Information

Age: 253

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

Powers: Chlorokinesis

Birthday: January 31st

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Religion: Jewish

Mark: Wilhelm

Generation: 5th

→ Her Personality

(one to two paragraphs)

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: Mentee and Owner of Hanes Florist

Scars: None

Tattoos: Up to Player

Two Likes: Being Vegan and Charmed Jewelry

Two Dislikes: False Advertising and Gray Days

Two Fears: Having her freedom taken and the Wilhelm Family

Two Hobbies: Floral Design and Sun Bathing

Three Positive Traits: Innovative, Individualistic, Humanistic

Three Negative Traits: Selfish, Unpunctual, Contrary

→ Her Connections

Parent Names:

Gustav Hanes (Father): Flower adored Gustav. They shared the same power, and he was her main mentor throughout her beginning level. She regrets the loss of their relationship the most. He’s now begun to call on her birthday, but she is aware whatever relationship they may have, will not be the same as it was when she was young.

Pearl Hanes (Mother): Pearl and Maya were never very close. Maya resented most of the dog-and-pony show her mother made them go through in order to meet and socialize with the other European witches and warlocks. Their relationship did not improve after Maya came out to her.

Sibling Names:

Oliver Hanes (Brother): Oliver lives 5 blocks from Maya. She hasn’t spoken to him in 10 years.

Cornelia Wilhelm nee Hanes (Sister): Cornelia and Maya used to be very close. When she came out, her sister no longer wished to speak to her. She married her betrothed in 2010, and Maya was not invited.

Beatriz Hanes (Sister): Beatriz is her most accepting sibling. Unfortunately, they disagree about almost everything else and don’t speak frequently.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Audo Wilhelm (Former Betrothed): Audo and Flower were betrothed to one another at the beginning of the 20th century. Neither one particularly likes the other and more crucially Flower was a lesbian. They dodged getting married for almost 50 years, and it was only put to a stop when she finally confessed that she was gay. It took a lot of finagling on Audo, Flower, and Emmett’s parts to get them out of the arrangement. They’re still friendly with one another, and she likes to poke fun at him and his disaster of a love life. She’s judging him a bit for dating someone so young, but is playing it cool until she finds out more about their relationship.

Belle Cunningham (Girlfriend): Belle and Flower had to overcome a lot at the beginning of their relationship, between both of them being closeted, Flower being engaged and terrified of commitment, and the ever evolving issues with Belle’s powers. Flower truthfully didn’t think everything would work out for her and Belle. She’s always had wild dreams and expectations, but even they couldn’t compare to coming home and having a happy, public relationship with Belle. She cherishes that feeling every time she’s with her, especially since she’s not sure it won’t end. Flower has some issues regarding abandonment, especially with what happened with her family, but is willing to fight through those feelings to be with Belle.

Platonic Connections:

Chai Gates (Best Friend): Flower and Chai have been best friends for centuries. Though they initially got into many fights, the two eventually became inseparable. Chai is the person whom Flower tells everything to, and she was the first person whom Flower came out to. Chai let her crash with her in Chicago, when she first arrived, and eventually introduced her to Belle. They see each other daily still and Chai has keys to her apartment and green house.

Sid Velancia (Friend): Sid is always fun to hang around. He never takes himself too seriously and is always willing to go out. Belle very quickly felt comfortable around him, and she’s glad that he’s there for her when Chai, Sada, and Flower want to go off for a bit.

Sada Warren (Friend): Flower and Sada used to hook up several decades ago, before she was out to many people. Sada and Sid have an arrangement, and despite Flower’s initial concerns, it has always been very normal between the three of them. Sada and Flower both have more aggressive personalities and are definitely the loudest in their immediate friend group.

Jace Cicero (Mentor): Flower likes Jace. He pushes her enough to allow her to keep progressing with her powers, but leaves her alone after that. Which she appreciates; she had enough babying as a child and certainly doesn’t need it in her 200s. He expects them to meet them a certain amount of time per week and afterwards they’re free. She can’t imagine having an overbearing mentor like Eric, and has mentioned it multiple times to Chai.

Ashley Malone (Acquaintance): Ashley is a fellow mentee to both Chai and Belle. She’s come with them to the Undergrounds a few times, but hasn’t really become a member of their group. She’s a little snobbish (which says a lot coming from Flower) and is way too into her college and human stuff.

Eric Lasiter (Acquaintance): Flower would suffocate under Eric’s teaching style, but she knows he’s a great mentor. Chai and Belle both really like him and trust him entirely. She thinks he may be a little wary of her, but he’s never said anything directly.

Emmett Wilhelm (Friendly): Emmett is Flower’s cousin, some amount of times removed. He’d always been willing to step in between her and any Wilhelms that came to inquire about Flower and Audo’s “betrothment”. She knows he did it for Audo, but is appreciative of it regardless.

Bryce Holt (Customer): Bryce Holt came in looking for an almost obscene amount of flowers on rush notice. She was able to deliver in time and impressed Bryce and her boss. She’s had a regular contract with them for events and weekly arrangements to place around the hotel ever since then. Recently, Bryce asked if she would be willing to teach her how to arrange flowers herself, and Flower has been teaching her every Saturday for a few months now.

Fallon Draga (Fellow Mentee/Friend): Much to Flower’s surprise, she hit it off well with Fallon. They hang out after practices with Jace, and have even been sent to train against one another during combat days. Flower hates using her Chloro-weaponry powers, so they typically blow off practice and hang out.

Skylar Beckham (Fellow Mentee): They haven’t had much time to train with one another, but Flower is shocked at how fast she seemed to move with Audo. She got a bit of the dirt from Lyla, and overall hopes that Skylar knows what she’s getting herself involved in. She hasn’t mentioned anything about their past betrothal to her yet.

Amberlynn Chase (Fellow Mentee): Amber will occasionally come hang around with her, Belle, and Chai in the Underground. They used to train more frequently before Jace took on Fallon, but their friendship from that time remains strong. She’s always been really friendly towards Belle, and they all go to Lollapalooza together.

Nathan Cleirigh (Possible Therapist): Flower is considering going to Nathan’s practice. She knows Ashley is his receptionist and has asked if he is taking new patients. Flower knows she is avoiding unpleasant memories and feelings and wants to move past them.

Hostile Connections:

Catherine Barr (Dislike): Cat’s an asshole.

Pets:

Prue (Flemish Giant Rabbit): Prue, Piper and Phoebe are a group of three flemish rabbits that Flower got to live in her greenhouse. They nibble on the plants frequently, but Flower enjoys seeing them hopping around and can fix any damage done to the plants.

Piper (Flemish Giant Rabbit): Prue, Piper and Phoebe are a group of three flemish rabbits that Flower got to live in her greenhouse. They nibble on the plants frequently, but Flower enjoys seeing them hopping around and can fix any damage done to the plants.

Phoebe (Flemish Giant Rabbit): Prue, Piper and Phoebe are a group of three flemish rabbits that Flower got to live in her greenhouse. They nibble on the plants frequently, but Flower enjoys seeing them hopping around and can fix any damage done to the plants.

→ History (paragraph(s) on background) → The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Nicola Peltz [1][2][3]

#nicola peltz #witch rpg #warlock rp #magic rpg #supernatural rpg

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chicagocityofclans · 4 years

Photo

Maya ‘Flower’ Hanes → Nicole Peltz → Witch

→ Basic Information

Age: 253

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

Powers: Chlorokinesis

Birthday: January 31st

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Religion: Jewish

Mark: Wilhelm

Generation: 5th

→ Her Personality

(one to two paragraphs)

→ Her Personal Facts

Occupation: Mentee and Owner of Hanes Florist

Scars: None

Tattoos: Up to Player

Two Likes: Being Vegan and Charmed Jewelry

Two Dislikes: False Advertising and Gray Days

Two Fears: Having her freedom taken and the Wilhelm Family

Two Hobbies: Floral Design and Sun Bathing

Three Positive Traits: Innovative, Individualistic, Humanistic

Three Negative Traits: Selfish, Unpunctual, Contrary

→ Her Connections

Parent Names:

Sibling Names:

Oliver Hanes (Brother): Oliver lives 5 blocks from Maya. She hasn’t spoken to him in 10 years.

Beatriz Hanes (Sister): Beatriz is her most accepting sibling. Unfortunately, they disagree about almost everything else and don’t speak frequently.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Platonic Connections:

Jace Cicero (Mentor): Flower likes Jace. He pushes her enough to allow her to keep progressing with her powers, but leaves her alone after that. Which she appreciates; she had enough babying as a child and certainly doesn’t need it in her 200s. He expects them to meet them a certain amount of time per week and afterwards they're free. She can’t imagine having an overbearing mentor like Eric, and has mentioned it multiple times to Chai.

Hostile Connections:

Catherine Barr (Dislike): Cat’s an asshole.

Pets:

→ History (paragraph(s) on background) → The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Nicola Peltz [1][2][3]

#Maya Hanes #Maya Flower Hanes #Flower Hanes #Nicola Peltz #Open #OF #OFWI #OWI

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laughingpinecone · 4 years

Text

Trick or Treat 2020 letter!

I am laughingpineapple on AO3

Hello dear author! I hope you’ll have fun with our match. Feel free to draw from general or fandom-specific likes, past letters, and/or follow your heart.

All requests are art or fic - for art, the stuff I like is the kind that depicts the characters doing something. I’ll always be happier with a very simple drawing of two characters walking together or sharing a cup of coffee than with an ambitious composition that looks like an Avengers poster. I also enjoy seeing them wear different clothes, getting a feel of what their fashion sense is like beyond their canon outfit(s).

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played straight, sensory details, sickfic, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships), emphasis on inhuman traits of characters who were human once and have sort of shed it all behind

Cool with: any tense, any pov, any rating, plotty, not plotty, IF, nerdy canon references, unrequested characters popping up.

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay!), canon retellings, consent issues

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Hurdy

I love the game’s world and all the little stories and legends that fill it. Great atmosphere, great lore, so if you feel like getting a little worldbuildy and indulging in the scenery and its story, please do! A focus on the sense of camaraderie in a caravan would also be great (like people could do on Gamecube.....). Hurdy’s a bit of an odd duck for that theme, but maybe he hitched a ride at some point? With whom? Amidatty or De Nam maybe, among the nominated characters? I love the whole cast so anyone goes. Do they travel together enough for them to cotton onto the weirdness of the whole Gurdy situation? Got any run-in with Lady Mio? Or what’s his status after the miasma is lifted, can he go back to Tipa, can he/they begin to heal? What does healing even look like for him and Gurdy?

Ghost Trick: Cabanela

You know.. him. Dazzlingly OTT, untiring, rock-solid self-esteem, loyal to a fault, following a rhythm of his own, flawless intuition until it fails and it all burns down... him. I just want to see more of him doing stuff! The way he’s chill and open toward new people (like Sissel and Missile in ch15) makes him perfect to throw at most other characters and see how they react to the sparkles... I’d love some focus on how ridiculous his aesthetic is, half Saturday Night Fever half hardboiled detective half bubbly preteen (for a total of 150%) and yet he makes it work. Or how ruthless he can be, possibly for the sake of the people he cares for. The quote “The intimacy of big parties”. Him and Alma in the new timeline bonding over knowing (once Jowd has spilled the beans) but not remembering that terrible timeline. Some tropey scenario on the job. Snark-offs with Pigeon Man, by which I mean PM snarks and it bounces off him like water off a spotless white goose’s back. Dreaming Sissel but he’s strange... and wrong?

Ship-wise it’s only Cabanela/Jowd whenever it’s not infidelity, Cabanela/Alma in what-ifs and Cabanela/Alma/Jowd for me (and Lynne/Memry and Yomiel/fianSissel on the side). There are a bunch of shippy prompts in all my past letters - I would however reiterate here that Jowd. is. the worst tease. always.

Conversely, Cabanela/Lynne and Cabanela/Yomiel are NOTPs especially from Cabanela’s side. So while I appreciate the thick tension of a good Yomiel VS Cabanela confrontation like everyone and their cat, and also really appreciate a roughed-up Cabanela, and I do love Yomiel in his own right... I don’t want Cabanela being into it. Adrenaline junkie he may be but this hurts and his coat’s a mess and there’s no perfect winning scenario so he hates every second of it. (JOWD being into it is another matter altogether and he should probably mind his own business)

Kentucky Route Zero: Carrington, Cate

Act after act, intermission after intermission, I somehow didn’t see the arts rising to such a dominant theme in KRZ and it’s stuck with me since the ending finally hit. It’s great and moving. So! Who better than good ol’ antler man to linger in those feels! Carrington’s playwright adventures or Carrington&anyone you fancy, either way I’d listen to him ramble for a week and I would like to know more about his big dramatic plans. Or maybe him helping someone, more or less accidentally, by offering his unique takes? Overriding my “no canon retellings” DNW for a hot second, did he ever figure out what was going down in the Death of the Hired Man (or Nap of the Hired Man as the case may be) interlude?

For Cate, I’m mostly interested in two things: life on the river and mushrooms. Maybe both! The Echo river ecosystem is intensely fascinating to me as opposed to life on the surface and life on the Zero, and yet all these environments are permeable. So what’s a moment in her daily life that encapsulates the river? Someone they picked up on the Mammoth, a strange island that popped up at some point? Cate&Will bonding extremely welcome, I’m love Will. And then there’s the mushroom hunting. I don’t know much about mushrooms, but I do know that they’re cool. Cate seems to agree, so if you’ve got a story or pic in you about her and them mushrooms, I’d love to see it.

Pyre: Volfred Sandalwood

This is a Volfred solo, Volfred&literally anyone or Volfred/Tariq, /Oralech or /Tariq/Oralech request. If &Manley or &Brighton, I am not interested in more lenient takes on their characters than canon’s. fwiw I also enjoy Jodi/Celeste and Bertrude/Pamitha a lot!

I feel deeply for all of Pyre’s main themes - literacy, degrees of freedom, the fragile time that is the end of a historical cycle, nobodies rising up to the occasion, building a better society, and of course found family, “distance cannot separate our spirits” and all that jazz, and Volfred is squarely rooted at the center of all of them. Just please tell me things about my fave. His relationship to the Scribes (as a historian, a some kind of vision, via *ae or once he’s a star himself)? A ‘forced vacay’ Downside ending where he looks at the Union from afar and keeps living in this strange transformational place? Life in a cramped Blackwagon that was meant for like 5 people tops and is currently eight Nightwings, a herald and an orb? Since he picked him for the job to begin with, does he respect and cherish Hedwyn as he dang well should? What does it feel like to try and Read a herald? Was he ever in danger, in the Commonwealth or in the Downside? Does he puff up as prime minister because he’s nervous, and who can see past his hyper-professionalism and lend a hand? Please roast him big time about the votes he assigns to the various Nightwings in his planner? What’s his attitude toward the flame’s purification (what with being a tree but mostly like, as a general concept. He did nothing wrong!) (well he definitely said some things wrong and sometimes oftentimes the ego jumps out, but his intentions did nothing wrong)? When did his calculating approach fail him? Something with Pamitha along the lines of that edit that goes “Can we talk, one ten to another?"/"I am an eleven, my girl, but continue."? btw that ‘emphatically yes xeno’ from my general likes is only applicable here I guess so: emphatically yes xeno to both shippy interactions at all ratings and to gen explorations of what a Sap is like...

Shenmue: Qiu Hsu, Xianzi Bei

Cormorants... kung fu... cormorant kung fu. They turned out to be my faves in a very likeable cast and I’d love to see either or both of them slice-of-life-ing it up in Niaowu, or anywhere up or down the river. The rest of the cast is welcome to join! Did Ren end up at Liu He Hall for whatever reason, or did Shenhua chat up a cormorant, as she does? Id love to see a spookier mood too! Ghost story time in Liu Jiao shrine maybe?

The Silver Case: Catherine, Kodai Sumio, Kuroyanagi Shinko, Kusabi Tetsugorou, Macalister Edo, Morishima Tokio

I‘m all for the surrealism, big things being introduced and never picked up again, Rashomon’ing it up with six explanations for the same thing where no single one can be true, people dying and then popping up again like nbd... maybe the thing I like the most is characters transcending their humanity and looming over the dystopian world like ominous avatars. Correctness’ first ending had me swooning, that kind of mood is unparalleled. I have played TSC, FSR and 25W so far and have vague memories of K7. I’m aware of the “everything’s connected” readings but that’s not my main interest in these games. Mainly I see Lospass as a real island but also a metaphysical place of transformation first and foremost, where strange things happen that don’t make sense elsewhere, but I’m good with anything that works for your story! There are a few & prompts for these fine folks in my Press Start letter [here].

For Catherine, I’d love to see something along the lines of her YAMI appearance, on Lospass on her own or hanging out with another character of your choice (or Tokio again). Sumio leaves me at a loss for words... if you’ve played 25W, maybe an expansion of his [intense ethereal whooshing] moment? He’s a gust away from vanishing from existence altogether... &Sakura and/or &/Tetsu if you want. Or his time in prison or a return to Lospass or whatever’s going on with that one, really. For Shinko I’m itching for different team-ups! Throw her at anyone you like and see what happens! FSR-era Tetsu could be cool, or off-the-grid Tetsu, or Tetsu&anyone... as for Edo, I’d be curious to see his pov on anyone and anything! WAS the Flower Sun and Rain the friends we met along the way? And Tokio... oh Tokio. Something about older Tokio and his gaggle of tulpas (Slash and whatshisface from YUKI who looks suspiciously like YAMI Tokio himself?)? Any...thing...about any part of his life from Lifecut onwards? Any portentous encounters?

#here we go again!#letter

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libraryofmegharoni · 3 years

Text

The Heart's Invisible Furies [John Boyne]

started: March 21, 2021 finished: March 24, 2021 rating: 5/5

review:

its now been 2 weeks since i finished The Heart's Invisible Furies and tbh i still dont have the words to describe it.

first of all i've apparently wanted to read this book for at least 3 years. after i got it i found it on a random list of books in my notes of books i wanted that i made couple years ago. i have absolutely no idea where i heard about it the first time. i actually dont remember where i heard of it or why i put it on my list a couple months ago but evidently i did.

this was one of the (many) books that i intentionally didn't read the synopsis of and didn't want to know anything about it before reading. i knew bits going into it. i had the general info that it was about a boy born in Ireland who was adopted, it's set during The Troubles, and its gay enough to have the 'LGBT' tag on goodreads.

after a day of reading it my only comment i wrote down was: i think i cried 6 times reading the first 100ish pages.

which honestly sums up my entire experience reading the entire book.

the novel is organized so that each section is every seven years. there's a total of 11 sections so it covers 77 years all about Cyril Avery's life. the first section is about his mother dealing with being an unwed 16 year old pregnant woman in mid-1940s Ireland. and let me say: the actions of most of the 'adults' are absolutely horrific. the first chapter is Cyril's mother, Catherine, being kicked out of her village at Sunday Mass. her entire family and the rest of the village are against her and back the priest who tells her she has like an hour to leave the village and never come back.

when she gets on a bus to Dublin, she meets Seán who is also escaping his village to Dublin. they arrive and are greeted by Seán's 'friend' Jack who reluctantly agrees to let Catherine stay with them until she can support herself. its pretty obvious that Seán and Jack are a little more than friends but Catherine doesnt think anything of it until the end of the section. before the end tho, we meet the only valid adult / person of a previous generation, Mrs. Hennessy. i absolutely loved that she makes an appearance the the following section and gets name dropped throughout the rest of the novel. this first section is where we learn her general backstory and god fucking damn it i was appalled. at this point its less than 50 pages into the book and i was nearly full on sobbing. and the tears dont let up from there either! right after finding out what Mrs. Hennessy has gone through, Catherine returns back to the apartment she shares with Seán and Jack and once again there's adult and parent who is absolutely horrendous. this is finally when Catherine learns that the two boys are actually in a relationship because, who we later learn is Seán's father, who Seán was escaping from when he left his village, forces himself into the apartment. within the next few minutes, there is a filicide , someone left on the brink of death, and a birth.

this is literally all 50 pages into a nearly 600 page book. it sets the tone for the rest of it and gives a solid understanding of the mindset of Ireland in this time.

7 years later, we finally meet Cyril as as not just the concept that is causing issues for Catherine. we're introduced to the couple that adopted Cyril, who are odd to say the least. they are the type of parents that didn't really want a child because they were ready but instead as a show piece. the Avery's also constantly remind Cyril (and others) that he is 'not a real Avery'. hmm i wonder if this will have an impact on Cyril's future relationships?????

his relationship with Julian Woodbead is one of the most important to Cyril's life. i think its talked about later in the novel how their friendship is built on a lie. from the start Cyril is obsessed with Julian and Julian doesnt acknowledge it really. the perception of their friendship is so biased since we are viewing the world from Cyril's point of view and how he is effected. because of this perceptive, its so hard to believe that Julian didn't know that Cyril was in love with him. but i think Julian was such a product of the environment his was raised in and living by the acceptable ideas of the time. from an early age one of his defining traits is essentially being a womanizer. its hard to tell how much of him is just for show and how different him, and Cyril, would be free of a society with such strict exceptions and definitions of right and wrong. was Julian truly completely straight? or was he lying to everyone and himself to fit in with society?

Cyril deals with his repression of being gay in such a detrimental way the entire time he lives in Ireland. he constantly lies to everyone in his life and forces himself to live a lie. his inability to confide in anyone leads him to getting engaged to, sleeping with, and ultimately marrying Julian's sister, Alice.

oh my god the lead up to the marriage ceremony and the events after hurt so many people and i didn't know who's side i was on for them. Cyril ends up in a relationship with Alice and somehow engaged to her. he almost breaks it off with her but every time he cant say the words. its heartbreaking thinking about Cyril was just so fearful to tell the truth to people who loved him.

its finally on the wedding day that Cyril confesses to Julian that he doesnt love Alice in any romantic way because he's gay and is actually in love with Julian. Cyril wants to Julian to allow him to not go forward with the marriage but with Alice's past (she had a previous fiance that left her at the alter) Julian tells Cyril that he's going to marry his sister and be a perfect husband to her.

Cyril does it. partially. he marries Alice then flees the entire country. coming from Cyril's point of view, i was relived that he was free from lying to everyone. but on the other side -- he just left everyone hurt and unhappy in the wake of his actions. its so easy to see how Cyril feels forced into his decisions but understanding how those decisions affect the people around him make it hard to support Cyril.

7 years later we meet the most important man in Cyril's life, Bastiaan. after leaving Ireland, Cyril ends up in Amsterdam, where it is so much more acceptable to be gay holy shit. he meets and starts dating Bastiaan there. Bastiaan helps Cyril unlearn a lot of what he was forced to live by and accept who he is as a person.

he also meets Jack who opened an Irish pub in Amsterdam with the name of Seán's last name. when i realized it was Jack from before and Jack named his pub after Seán made me weep like a fucking baby.

i could list all the times i started crying but i would end up crying all over again and have to add more to the list.

anyway in Amsterdam Cyril and Bastiaan acquire a foster son, Ignac, who just like everyone else in this novel, has a tragic past. after some events (another murder, this time the dick head is the one killed instead of the one doing the killing) and the three of them end up in New York.

they are in America during the beginning of the AIDS crisis and holy shit. yeah more balling. thats the main takeaway.

in New York, Cyril volunteers to talk to AIDS patients who are dying but have no family visiting them. one of the patients is Julian. once again i turn into a fucking baby. Julian reveals to Cyril that he has a son back in Ireland from the one time he slept with Alice. im gonna cry if i think about Julian and Cyril talking anymore i stg. but uhh Julian makes Cyril promise that he'd be the one to call Alice when he died and once Julian does pass, Cyril has every intention on doing just that. but before he can, him and Bastiaan are jumped by a group of thugs who end up seriously injuring Cyril and killing Bastiaan.

7 years later, Cyril is back in Ireland with Ignac. this time he is in Ireland as an openly gay man and is attempting to build a relationship with his son.

there's so much more that happens that i can't even convey. but holy fuck was it so god damn fucking good.

finally when Cyril is in his 60s he figures out that he is the son of Mrs. Goggins, who has never really left the story. Cyril and Julian run in to her when they are 14 in boarding school, Cyril runs into her multiple times when he works almost with her, the morning of his wedding at a cafe, and when he returns he works in the same building that she does. so throughout his life his birth mother was right there but neither of them knew it.

after 7 years, they go together back to the village that Catherine was born, raised, and kicked out of. its finally here where we learn the identity of Cyril's birth father (Catherine's aunt's husband).

bro i gotta be done now. like there's much more that i want to talk about regarding The Heart's Invisible Furies but i just cant think of them rn.

tl;dr - ballin like a baby the whole way through. also society sucks.pls read its worth it

#megharoni book log #megharoni 2021 reads #the heart's invisible furies #john boyne

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empathetic-cowboy · 4 years

Note

I honestly want to read all of your answer for those asks. 1-40? Or those you like the most c:

UHM HONESTLY THIS IS MY FAVOURITE ASK EVER !!!!!

Because I don’t have time to answer all 40, I’m going to give you TEN randomly picked questions from the list and answer below ~!

(thank you random number picker!!!!)

AND BE WARNED – THIS WILL PROBABLY GET LENGTHY.

40. Do you think the movies did the books justice?

Yes and no. I will stand forever and die on the Catherine-Hardwicke-Did-It-Best hill. Above them all, I’d say that Catherine captured the essence of the books the most accurately. Maybe it’s the blue filter, I don’t know, but she got that creepy/sad/romantic Forks vibe that drew me into the series in the first place. She really got the perfect balance of romance, action, fantasy, high school, the whole thing. So yeah, I think she did a great job with the books. Chris Weitz did alright with New Moon – I love the brownish, jacob-y vibe, I think they adapted the script well and did a fan-fucking-tastic job on the soundtrack too, so that one would be my second favourite book-to-movie. The other two? Eh. I think they lost something that the books had. Eclipse WAS my favourite when it first came out but watching them now, I feel like the last three movies are just missing something wonderful that the first two movies and the first three books (sorry bd) had.

28. How would you personally rewrite Twilight?

For those of you who haven’t seen it, I have a bit up on my personal twilight rewrite idea up here! It’s a little bare bones in terms of what I’d do with breaking dawn, but I can elaborate on that here!

Going with the rest of my switch-new-moon-and-eclipse-au, I’d have Bella changed and conflicted starting in BD. I think it would be SUPER interesting to have the main conflict be something to do with the volturi and the shape shifters. Maybe the clan and the pack finally join forces bc Bella is changed but still loves her Jake, but out in the world shapeshifters are showing up dead at the volturi’s hand or something ??????? and they need to band together to save the wolves and Jake before the volturi eliminate the species altogether.

Could be interesting, IDK. There’s a lot less renesmess and an opportunity still for Jake to meet Benjamin so I’m all for it.

37. What’s your perspective on Twilight now compared to when you first read it?

I think about this all the fucking time.When I first read Twilight, it was just before the first movie came out in 2008. I was almost twelve years old, and dumber than most twelve year olds, lbr. I didn’t see any issues in the book. I thought it was novel (pun intended), and romantic, and Hell, come Breaking Dawn I was even all aboard the Nessie train. I was SM brainwashed, kind of. I trusted our author. Coming back to Twilight in 2019 was a literal fucking shock to the system. I watched the movies for the first time in like five years, and was utterly shocked by the ample fucking problematic shit I noticed in every fucking scene. What hurt the most? Realizing my favourite character was the worst fucking show of racist propaganda in the entire goddamn series. I got angry when I watched the series again for the first time. I didn’t want anything to do with it. I felt ashamed, honestly. I felt bad looking at the piece of media, and seeing how twisted and disgusting and wrong so many parts of it were. But then I went online. I knew Twilight was becoming a thing again, and I didnt understand how such problematic media worked in this day in age, so I was curious to see what the discourse was like. Guys, I’m so fucking glad I did. There’s something so nice about being able to clearly see and discuss issues in this saga, while still appreciating that it digs into your nostalgia and has the opportunity to be so much bigger and better than SM ever intended. I love signing on here and seeing someone discuss our HCs – seeing how people take these characters and stretch and shift and mold them to embody what the world looks like today. I love coming here to read about favourites portrayed as characters of colour, or how said characters could be portrayed as trans, or nb, or gay, or how this character could be better shown as A, B, C – you catch my drift. It’s not just that, either. It’s not just the changes that I appreciate, either.

There’s something about acknowledging the things that can’t be changed within the original text – starting conversations about the treatment of native characters, discussing the portrayal of females presenting characters, working through SM’s religious biases – that not only helps me appreciate what this text should have been / can be now, but seriously, has helped me learn a lot along the way. I’m a very faulty white girl. Coming here and learning new perspectives from people who are impacted by specific biases / choices made in this series has been one of the most eye opening experiences I’ve had online. And that’s another thing – I’ve never once been criticized for still having so much to learn, un-learn, or understand from a different perspective. The people in this fandom (so far – I feel very lucky) have been more than open in discussing their criticisms, concerns, and understandings in a way that makes me feel welcome, and encouraged to learn/understand more. It’s a super inclusive fandom – freakin’ rare to see – but it’s also the kind of fandom that isn’t afraid to see its own faults – that’s even more rare. We’re all aware of our fandom’s problems, and we aren’t afraid to talk about them, or acknowledge the fact that SM’s beliefs aren’t a reflection of US. It’s special. It’s amazing. It’s why I’ve stuck around for almost a year now.

3. Fave headcanon brotps?

Oh, dude. Seth / Edward Jake / Emmett Emmett / Paul Charlie / Billy Bella / Emmett Rose / Leah Carlisle / Sam Alice / Jake

30. Which characters do you wish had their own spinoffs?

Oof. I think it would be SUPER interesting to have a whole spin-off series just on the wolves, actually! Not one in particular, but I think the whole world of shapeshifters could and SHOULD be explored more deeply!!!!!In terms of specific characters: Alice (duh), Carlisle (take me back to the 1800s or some shit show me his life in the volturi!!!!!), Leah Clearwater (she’d be my wolf-pack-spin-off main character).

15. Top 5 fave vampires?

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

Alice, Jasper, Esme, Emmett, Rose.Yeah, they’re all Cullens. Suck my Olympic-sized dick.

9. Astrology sign headcanons for the Cullens?

YEEEEEEEES. I am very stuck in my opinions for these, and I’m not sure why. It’s pointless, but I care VERY DEEPLY. Carlisle: Capricorn Esme: Pisces Edward: Gemini / Cancer cusp is perfect for this S.O.B.Bella: VirgoRosalie: ScorpioEmmett: Sagittarius Alice: Aries Jasper: Taurus (but I go back and forth on Jasper daily so ask me again tomorrow)

13. Hogwarts house sorting headcanons for the wolf pack?

I’ve never considered this before, so this is first-instinct. Sam: Slytherin Paul: SlytherinEmbry: Gryffindor Quil: GryffindorJake: Gryffinpuff?? the man is brave, but he’s loyal to a GD fault. I think that might just be the wolfy traits comin’ through though. Leah: RavenclawSeth: Hufflepuff(just doin’ these guys to keep it simple)

20. Pick a character you wish deserved a better fate (that wasn’t death).

Bree. Fucking. Tanner.

Any chance I get to write something, I add in a redemptive arc for Bree Tanner because I can’t for the life of me understand out of all the characters why fucking SM decided to kill the one that DEFINITELY deserved a fucking soft and perfect life.

Fuck you SM, Bree is alive and well.

1. Fave wlw ships?

!!! YAY !!! Leah / Angela Bella / Rosalie Carmen / Esme AND THEN JUST BECAUSE I CAN: Edythe / Bella Jessamine / Alice Carmine / Esme Julie / Leah Julie / Bella

#holy shit anon this was SOMETHING #honestly I love you ????/#please strangers come read and comment on my personal opinions tell me I'm right #bETTER TELL ME I'm WRONG LET'S DISCUSS IT #answered #twi asks #Anonymous

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mewatchingstuff · 7 years

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When it first came out, I never got past the pilot episode but last week I decided to finally sit down and watch Syfy’s Van Helsing.

I basically loved everyone. Except for John and that Catherine chick from the resistance.

And Sheema and Dimitri.

The weakest parts of the show, imo, were the main villains Dimitri and Rebekah. They were supposed to be menacing and dangerous but honestly, they were both just cumbersome half the time they were on. Julius and his random assortment of vampires were a better vampire antagonist than the other two.

I also felt Vanessa was halfway useless for a lot of the season. I know she’s supposed to be a “normal” human but she spent so much time getting taken out or bit every time there was a fight I wanted her to change her name to Kate Austin. There’s also this weird sense of moral hypocrisy that she displays with a lot of the characters that kinda irks me. The show wants to set her up as “right” in certain situations but they also show her doing the same things she’s scolding others for doing. It’s unappealing and unfortunately, I think it’s going to be an even bigger problem in season 2. But other than that I genuinely enjoyed her as the lead character and I think Kelly Overton was the perfect person to play Vanessa. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Vanessa will do next after that shocker at the end of season 1.

The supporting characters definitely made up for Vanessa’s weak points in the beginning. Axel, the marine sent to guard Vanessa, was my favorite throughout the season. He’s a selfish asshole, honestly but he was never really wrong in his judgment calls, I felt. He provided unexpected comic relief with his assholishness and it really helped to elevate the tense atmosphere of the show at times. I have no idea what they’ll do with him now after *that* happened and then *that other thing* happened.

Sam & Mohamad, were my next two favorite characters. The dynamic duo who were the MVP’s of the entire season, imo. Mohamad especially because he’s a kid/teen and a black one at that. By now, we all know the pitfalls of POC, especially black ppl in horror/sci-fi stories. But Mohamad was actually allowed to be a fleshed out character with an individual story arc and goal that leads him to further character development.Sure, he stepped in it towards the end but I think he’ll continue to be one of the show’s best characters. Sam is played by Christopher heyerdahl which should honestly tell you everything if you’re already familiar with his work & characters.

Flesh/Phil deserves so much more love & respect than he gets. This dude is really trying his best to be better and to learn how to live with himself again but therapists are a little sparse in the show so he’s dealing with his shit alone. I have a feeling things are going to ultimately end terribly for him but for now, he just keeps getting better and more rootable.

Doc. What do I say about Doc. I have no idea other than she’s certainly the most frustratingly “human” character of the bunch. Which is pretty rare in the post-apocalyptic genre. Sure, we get characters that seem to share her traits but they’re always portrayed as the “villain” of the group or some rando who’ll die by the episode’s end. Yet, here she remains.It’s not even the vampire uprising to blame, because this was an inherent personality trait of hers. So what do you do with a character who’s a horrible coward at the very center of their being? I don’t think they’ll make her character sink any lower but building her up is no small task either. I guess it just depends on which direction the writers will have her immense guilt take her.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this series to anymore who’s interested in horror/action-adventure genre

#van helsing syfy #Van Helsing #SyFy

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bookspoils · 7 years

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This month I went back to rediscover some more favorites in the nonfiction genre. From feminist collections to essays and short stories, I tried my hand at a handful of them. In total I read 19 books in April:

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/review-bad-girls-throughout-history-by-ann-shen/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/review-note-to-self-by-connor-franta/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/review-the-best-we-could-do-by-thi-bui/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/review-ivy-and-the-lonely-raincloud-by-katie-harnett/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/review-the-beauty-queen-of-jerusalem-by-sarit-yishai-levi/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/05/review-the-sound-of-the-world-by-heart-by-giacomo-bevilacqua/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/review-the-good-immigrant-by-nikesh-shukla/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/review-this-is-really-happening-by-erin-chack/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/review-giant-days-vol-5-by-john-allison/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/review-does-my-head-look-big-in-thisby-randa-abdel-fattah/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/review-america-2-by-gabby-rivera/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/22/review-good-night-stories-for-rebel-girls-by-elena-favilli-francesca-cavallo/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/review-the-moth-presents-all-these-wonders-by-catherine-burns/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/review-leaf-by-sandra-dieckmann/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/review-the-refugees-by-viet-thanh-nguyen/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/review-stolen-words-by-melanie-florence/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/review-what-it-means-when-a-man-falls-from-the-sky-by-lesley-nneka-arimah/

https://bookspoils.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/review-dancers-among-us-by-jordan-matter/

Favorite current listen:I’d been looking for the perfect podcast for awhile now when I gratefully stumbled upon Rookie’s announcement of launching their first ever podcast at the start of this month. It premiered on April 4th, and I’ve been hooked and tuning in every week since.

Description: On the Rookie Podcast, hosted by Tavi Gevinson, we’ll interview people we admire: artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, activists. We’ll also have teenagers ask semi-qualified grownups for advice, feature work by our readers and listeners, share some life skills and pop culture recommendations, and discuss the human experience through the teenage lens. Then, we’ll all know how to be people! Or at least not know, together.

Not only is Gevinson’s voice eerily soothing and relaxing, the wide range of evergreen issues and topics discussed ring true than ever for me. I also cherished the addition of the interviews in here. We get to hear people from all walks of life talk about those aforementioned subjects and add in their own point of views. From Lorde and Hilton Als to Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton of Another Round, Rowan Blanchard, Winona Ryder, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, and so many more influential individuals that graciously imparted their wisdom.

New episodes release on Tuesdays via iTunes and the Panoply platform. You can subscribe to the podcast and listen to it here!

Honorable Mention: The one thing I’ve been anticipating for months and months has come back into my life: Skam with its brand new season.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159520073773/skamdaily-401-squads

This newly released (and sadly last) season revolves around one of my all-time favorites: Sana Bakkoush. And I truly couldn’t have been more grateful and joyful. I hold a special place in my heart just for her, because she was the one that made me initially interested in watching this phenomenal series, as I mentioned in my December Wrap Up.

To give you some context on the atmosphere and themes being explored in this new season I’d like to voice this on-point post: up until now, sana has been painted as this incredibly fierce, strong, unapologetic girl who doesn’t tolerate any kind of ignorance. she’s consistently portrayed as confident and outspoken throughout the past three seasons. then BAM. s4 airs, we’re seeing things from her perspective, and there’s this dramatic shift, almost instantly.

she’s still the same sana. she stares down the woman on the bus. she snaps at vilde when vilde won’t shut up about how much sex she’s having and corrects her when vilde says “you can’t have sex”. she tells the girls that she thinks it’s their responsibility to tell noora about william’s new girlfriend considering william won’t tell her himself. these are all very sana-like traits.

but now, we see just how much she has to put up with, too. it’s the more subtle things. the rushing to silence her phone when she was on the bus because shit shit shit, it’ll freak some people out. the fact that yes, her friends ordered another pizza without any pork on it, but the meat was still haram. but it was a kind gesture of them to think of it in the first place, right? so she doesn’t complain, she just silently picks the meat off, not wanting to seem ungrateful despite the fact that really, don’t they know by now?

…

and it’s so subtle. things that we would only get from seeing life through her eyes. but it’s chipping away at her, bit by bit, these little instances of being excluded, of her friends not quite getting it. and it’s so heartbreaking to see, but so, so clever, too. because suddenly i just feel like we – like the characters on the show – have misjudged sana completely. she’s still strong, she’s still fierce. but she swallows a lot down, too. she’s hurting more than we originally thought. she feels more misunderstood than we originally thought. and i am so impressed that in a clip that was less than 8 minutes long, we have already seen a completely different side to sana than we got throughout the last 3 seasons.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159637343273/aminyard-insp-x

Getting to see things from Sana’s perspective profoundly changed my outlook on so many things. I started to become aware of all the cracks and the constant little hurts that she has to put up with almost daily, especially those from the girl squad. Also, now that I got to see it all play out from Sana’s pov, I quickly started picking up on how inconsiderate and at times even ignorant people – strangers, classmates, etc.- came to be around her. Sana Bakkoush deserves the whole wide world, so it continually crushed my heart to see her being under appreciated.

But I was interested to see how the show – a known barrier breaker – would handle said situation with the utmost care and expertise, as it has done with significant topics in the past three seasons.

Which leads me to the next point that I want to talk about: Skam portraying their Muslim main lead. Religion is such a crucial part of my everyday life as a practicing Jew, so I was beyond ecstatic to have a young Muslim woman of colour represented in this season. And it defied my exceptions in all aspects, to say the least. The utter respect and admiration I have for Sana Bakkoush – played by the effervescent Iman Meskini – is difficult to articulate, so I think it’s best if I let this next post sum it up:

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159590440178/imansmeskinis-because-this-right-here-needs

It made my heart soar to see this on television.

And just a few more things I’d like to vent about:

I adore the fact that I became smitten with Sana and Yousef before they’d even spoken more than one sentence to each other. Their eye contact alone was reason enough to give me butterflies.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159883830118/aleolightwood-i-dont-want-to-be-rude-now-but

So you can only imagine how utterly alive I felt when those two finally had some dialogue. I was living vicariously through them, to be quite frank.

I also feel compelled to share this next gifset because there’s no going back with my love for Sana and Yousef:

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159966591298/yousanas-sanas-crush-on-yousef-is

thumbs up while choking back tears This is how I like my flirting.

Also, Sana’s season had barely even started and it was already the most iconic Skam season for me. That first episode alone covered so many vitally important topics, which consequently reminded me exactly why this remains to be my favorite tv series. Nothing quite compares to it.

The soundtrack is as always eerily on point with the characters.

An uplifting and healthy mother-daughter relationship represented between Sana and her mom had me all that more enraptured.

Sana Bakkoush is an incredible positive influence in my life. Just seeing her be herself genuinely inspires me. And if I am half the person she is, I’ll consider myself to be fortunate.

The balloon squad (called by that name because the first time we saw them was in a behind the scenes photo and they were holding a bundle of balloons) are the ultimate #squadgoals.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/159590843938/skamedits-fy-faen-fy-fy-faen

They come off like a bunch of funny, loving, handsome, wholesome, complex characters. And I was won over one line at a time. Also, I high-key cherish the fact that they have a Youtube channel where they post videos throughout the week.

I love the intricate attention paid to details in Skam. Absolutely everything is there for a reason; things are never as simple as they first seem. But then this also leads to me overanalyzing each episode. Oh, and the fact that this was the first season where I kept up with the release of each clip and episode only added to the immense thrill and excitement.

Honestly, I could go on and on about how season four has quite quickly become my favorite Skam season, but I think you get my point. Plus, I’m still in denial that it’s the last one… I can’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that they’re ending it on such a good season.

http://bookspoils.tumblr.com/post/160053775603/nalle-cishet-drama-bonus

P.S. since we’re less than a handful episodes into season four, I wasn’t anticipating to write so much but hey, what can I say? I love this show with all my heart. And I imagine I’ll have a lot more to say about the remaining episodes left, so if you’re interested in keeping up with my fangirling you’re more than welcome to follow my Tumblr here or my Twitter here.

That was my April wrap-up, thank you for reading!

April 2017 Reading Wrap Up

#2017 #april #reviews #skam #Wrap Up #Sana Bakkoush #yousef acar #yousef #the balloon squad #elias bakkoush #noora sætre #eva mohn #Chris Berg #vilde lien #skam season 4

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fact2know-com · 4 years

Text

How international locations are rising from lockdown

Image copyright AFP

Image caption A merchandising gadget for mask in a Berlin U-Bahn (underground) station

Across the arena, international locations are embarking on monumental experiments in finishing coronavirus lockdown measures – and others are having a look on nervously, asking themselves what is the absolute best as far back as normality.

There’s no world consensus over how absolute best to do it – yet we have regarded on the key traits which might be rising, and one of the vital leading edge pondering main the best way.

Easy does it – yet provided that it really works

The giant development all over the world is to ease of lockdown steadily. Many can be carefully observing what occurs in hard-hit Italy. Rome has set out a phased means about how the entirety from retail outlets to museums could possibly open with essentially the most vital opening up but due on 4 May.

All Italians – specifically the ones within the spaces with best an infection charges – know they won’t see anything approaching normal life earlier than September.

How travel may look in the future

Dr Michael Tildesley, knowledgeable in infectious illnesses at Warwick University, says the arena simply does not know what’s going to occur to the velocity of coronavirus transmission as lockdowns ease.

“It’s really difficult to untangle the relative effectiveness of all the lockdown measures to work out what effect each of them has,” he instructed BBC Radio Four’s The Briefing Room.

“It may be that the only way we can do that – and get a real understanding – is when we start to relax them. We may have to lift a certain measure and monitor what that does to the epidemic.”

Image copyright CATHERINE LAI

Image caption Singapore app: Low take-up which different international locations hope to beef up on

Technology to trace, hint and check

The 2d extra major step seems to be the roll-out of smartphone apps to trace infections. More and extra international locations – or a minimum of the ones that may have the funds for it – are designing apps for his or her inhabitants.

Some – akin to Australia’s operational app, and proposed answers in Italy, France and the United Kingdom – will see telephones collect anonymised data of alternative telephones the consumer has been as regards to. If anyone develops signs, every telephone in that log of doable contacts will obtain an alert.

In Israel, the federal government went instantly to certainly one of its secret services and products and requested it to trace telephones to, in flip, monitor most likely transmissions.

South Korea used telephones from the outset, the usage of them to touch someone who was once almost about anyone who examined certain. The executive there relied in this competitive process of trying out and alerting to steer clear of an entire lockdown.

Coronavirus and South Korea: How lives changed

Track and Trace explained

Image caption Thermal cameras: First utilized in Hong Kong throughout the 2003 Sars outbreak

Watch for the temperature

Thermal cameras may just quickly have a an important function, explicit in shipping hubs. During the 2003 Sars outbreak, someone who travelled via Hong Kong airport needed to stand in a queue whilst an legit pointed a warmth gun at their head to find if that they had the tell-tale temperature of a fever.

A wiser, fashionable thermal digicam is now being tested at Bournemouth Airport in the United Kingdom to peer how temporarily it might spot doable coronavirus carriers.

Find out extra

Listen to The Briefing Room – available now on BBC Sounds.

Experts provide an explanation for how lockdowns may well be lifted all over the world – and why we do not know what’s going to occur subsequent.

Virtual private exclusion zones

Some international locations checked out wristbands to put into effect lockdown – however the Belgian port of Antwerp is trying out whether or not this generation can lend a hand let other people pass about their industry.

Workers there put on wristbands that intention to scale back injuries. They vibrate as a car approaches and lift the alarm if anyone falls into water. Romware, the company behind this safety system, has changed the sportswatch-like wristband in order that it buzzes if employees who could also be too busy to note every different inadvertently grow to be too shut.

Social bubbles

New Zealand is rising from probably the most hardest and maximum a success lockdowns on the earth with a national “social bubble” plan.

Each family is a bubble. Citizens can now increase their bubble by way of inviting as much as two particular further other people into it who, preferably, are living shut by way of. In different phrases, two bubbles bump in combination and grow to be one. Social touch will increase in a managed means: grandparents see circle of relatives, singletons can join up as a substitute of being house on my own.

If any of them need a espresso, Kiwis have get a hold of leading edge non-contact tactics of shopping for their flat whites:

Vending machines vs virus

As lockdown eases, probably the most worst imaginable results may well be lengthy queues in pharmacies for face mask – more and more the chance of unintentional spreading whilst other people wait to shop for them. Germany, Taiwan and Poland are amongst international locations that experience noticed face masks merchandising machines pop up in towns to lend a hand ease the force.

Image copyright Sean Gallup

Image caption Vilnius: Open areas being passed to companies (image taken earlier than release of the initiative)

Taking a town al fresco

In Lithuania, cafes and bars have reopened – yet provided that they are able to serve consumers sitting out of doors and make sure social distancing.

That’s an enormous drawback within the capital, Vilnius, the place slender ancient streets make distancing unimaginable.

So the mayor is handing 18 of the town’s ancient public areas to these hardest-hit companies. Large portions of the town are going al fresco.

There’s a public enchantment to consumers to lend a hand venues to find furnishings to make the sociable-but-social-distancing plan paintings.

“Buy, borrow, invite your loyal customers to help,” says the mayor’s place of work. “The municipality asks only one thing – maintain a high-quality visual appearance, don’t build cheap with poor-looking plastic furniture.”

Image copyright HEIKO JUNGE

Image caption Distanced pupils: A re-opened faculty in Oslo

Staggered faculty days

Lots of academics say social distancing cannot be achieved in faculties. But Norway is giving it a take a look at. Children are actually arriving for varsity at staggered instances to forestall overcrowding on the gates. Parents cannot come inside of and mill round for a talk with pals.

Teachers then take the scholars and position them in small teams which, crucially, they should stay in – each for classes and playtime – with out variation.

Colour-coding communities

Iran is experimenting with a versatile means that permits extra freedom in spaces which might be the least affected. Towns and towns around the nation are being graded white, yellow or crimson – and every of the ones designations signifies the extent of infections and deaths – and what stage of easing every group must be expecting.

The extra puts which might be coded white in line with the native well being knowledge, the extra freedom there can be.

While Italy is not the usage of a colour-code gadget, citizens in essentially the most critically affected communities in northern Italy expect their lockdown to proceed longer than others within the country.

These ways hyperlink to the all-important “R” quantity – the mathematical fashion of the way rapid of sluggish the virus is spreading.

Passport to freedom?

China, however, has determined to colour-code other people relatively than puts – the primary country to successfully licence other people to move about freely.

A month in the past it rolled out a well being standing smartphone app. In the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan, citizens should display their standing to make use of public shipping. If they are inexperienced, they are wholesome and excellent to move. If they are crimson, they must be in isolation as a identified victim of Covid-19.

Aside from privateness problems that will be a significant component in Europe, critics say there is not any ensure the well being standing can be correct when it is checked by way of an legit.

Those types of issues have performed right into a World Health Organisation advice to all governments not to issue “immunity passports”.

Chile has however stated it’s going to introduce a “certificate” gadget. Ministers stated the file would verify whether or not or now not anyone have been inflamed and recovered after a length of isolation.

The larger image

All those novel schemes, and plenty of extra, would possibly lend a hand a go back to a couple type of normality. But Ngaire Woods, Professor of Global Economic Governance at Oxford University, says easing lockdown calls for us all to reconsider our lives.

“We have got to get testing tracing and isolating up and running fantastically well,” she instructed BBC Radio Four’s Briefing Room.

“We have to start thinking about preventative measures in public spaces and schools, we have got to manage the import of cases – so think about travel restrictions. That’s a clear checklist in order to safely start lifting the lockdown.”

Prof Woods says pondering must pass a ways past simply reopening closed-down companies. We would possibly wish to break up workforces by way of age staff – an instance may well be that older academics should take their categories by way of video hyperlink.

“Those are the questions we have to ask – they are not insurmountable problems,” she stated.

“The alternative is to stay in a total lockdown.”

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#International

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chicagocityfclanspromoblog · 3 years

Photo

Trevon Anderson → Sinqua Walls → Hunter

→ Basic Information

Age: 33

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight

Birthday: November 11th

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Religion: Catholic

→ His Personality (one to two paragraphs)

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: Hunter

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Large Breed Dogs and Control

Two Dislikes: Being Sidelined and Losing

Two Fears: Being Crushed and Meaningless Death

Two Hobbies: Competitive Laser Tag and Skinning Supernaturals

Three Positive Traits: Badass, Magnetic, Tough-Minded

Three Negative Traits: Opinionated, Combative, Egotistical

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Alexus Anderson (Mother): Alexus and Trevon have been at odds with one another since he realized that no matter what he did, Alexus would only ever see him in Nia’s shadow. Their relationship truly imploded after Alexus confronted him over his closeness with Grant and Blaine, and they haven’t been the same since.

Samson Anderson (Father): Samson was never there when Trevon was growing up. He was constantly on business trips that took him as far away from Chicago as he could get. Trevon had originally turned to Samson after he realized Alexus was preoccupied with Nia, and was let down again by his other parent. Trevon speaks to his father only a few times per year.

Sibling Names:

Nia Anderson (Sister): Nia got everything for nothing. She’s the worst hunter of Alexus’s children and has had to strive for nothing. She wouldn’t know hard work if it bit her in the ass. He can’t stand how high and mighty she is, and just avoids her if he doesn’t want to get into it.

Marquis Anderson (Brother): Trevon is closer with Marquis, but he’s turning out just like Raven. They both go off on their own for hours. He knows what Raven bags, but Marquis appears to come home empty handed. When they’re together on a hunt, Marquis does fine for himself. He’s been trying to get him to hang out more with him and Grant, recently.

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Alexa Santiago (Ex-Girlfriend): Alexa was his first truly serious girlfriend. They started dating when they were 20, and spent 12 years together. Trevon thought she was it, but out of nowhere she told him she was being transferred. He offered to go with, work for the Santiagos instead but she shut him down. It tore Trevon apart inside and he spent months wondering what he could have done to have gotten her to stay.

Hailey Colt (Interested): Hailey is the first girl he’s even considered flirting with since Alexa broke up with him. She seems like she was a fighter before her injury, and it’s obvious she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to hunting. He’s tentative about opening up again, but feels like it may be worth it for her.

Platonic Connections:

Grant Anderson (Favorite Uncle): Grant was like a father figure to Trevon. When Samson ran off for whatever and Alexus was too busy with Nia; Grant would come and take him and Marquis. They’d go on adventures and “hunts” though nothing dangerous, and it inspired Trevon’s passion. He loves his uncle, and has often wished he was Grant’s kid instead.

Imani Anderson (Favorite Cousin): They get along the best out of all the other Anderson. He doesn’t feel like Imani will stab him in the back since they share a lot of the same views and are willing to go above and beyond on hunt. Imani gave Trevon the thumbs up when he expressed his interest in Hailey Colt.

Ebony Anderson (Cousin): Ebony and Trevon are on good terms which is rare between cousins and siblings of the Anderson family. Ebony doesn’t treat him differently because he is Alexus’ son nor does she let him get away with any bullshit. He considers her a friend and ally.

Raven Jenkins (Cousin): He and Raven are generally on good terms, but she seems mad that he’s going after her Compass “friend”. He’s not sure if she wants the bag for herself or if he’s ruining her intel, but it’s nothing personal and he’s pushing through with it.

Blaine Colt (Friend): Trevon respects Blaine’s views about different supernaturals and has taken to following the Colt ways of hunting. Trevon has been on a few hunts with Blaine and prefers to hunt with Blaine and/or Colin. Blaine is a major inspiration and has opened his eyes to the possibility of being his own person. .

Colin Colt (Friend): Trevon is now a regular invite to the Colt family get togethers. Colin hosts them regularly, and it’s the most fun he’s had at a BBQ, probably due to the fact the rest of his family isn’t there. Colin and Trevon have begun to go on week long hunts and he’s given him tips on bagging a compass.

Iris Colt (Friendly): Trevon met Iris when she did the tracking for a joint hunt. The whole group grabbed a drink at Lilly’s afterwards and she introduced him to her sister. Iris and Trevon have become friendlier and she’s encouraged him to go after her sister.

Churchill Darling (Acquaintance): Trevon has been trying to understand the human shifters better. They’re a large blindspot in their knowledge and it’s all due to the deal Alexus struck up with them. Churchill is one of the most accessible human shifters and he’s taken to following him at night to see where he goes..

Winston Dukes (Acquaintance): Trevon has been trying to understand the human shifters better. They’re a large blindspot in their knowledge and it’s all due to the deal Alexus struck up with them. Winston has been a main consultant for them and one of the most accessible human shifters. Trevon has tried to research his alias to see if anything pulls up online.

Hostile Connections:

Jazmine Anderson (Aunt): Trevon knows she’s the one who keyed his mom into him spending time with Grant and Blaine. Now Alexus is constantly pulling him away from good hunts in order to “keep him out of trouble” like he’s a kid.

Catherine Barr (Target): He saw Catherine teleport Raven one night, and when he interrogated his cousin he found out she was a compass. Trevon wants to start getting into bigger and badder hunts and a compass is exactly that. Raven seemed pissed when he offered to split the hunt with her, but he doesn’t care.

Nina Stone (Strong Dislike): He hates the Stones and their little games. Nina epitomizes that, and he hates that she threw Colin under the rug.

James Stone (Hate): He’s a stuck up asshole who’s too focused on one thing. His style of hunting is going away, and the Stone family may be going with it under his rule.

Pets:

Bandit (Goldfish): Trevon won Bandit at the fair 6 years ago and to everyone’s surprise it is still alive. Bandit is alone in a 50 gallon fish tank but Trevon has been thinking of adding another fish.

Apollo (Great Dane): Tevon has trained Apollo to scent different species of supernatural. He seems to have a good handle on animal shifters, but Trevon is more interested in his reaction to Winston and Churchill. His normally calm dog goes nuts, barking and pulling against his lead. It’s given Trevon some ideas about detecting Human Shifters easier.

→ History (paragraph(s) on background)

→ The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Sinqua Walls [1][2][3][4]

#Sinqua Walls #Hunter RPG #City RP #Mumu RP #Supernatural RP

0 notes

chicagocityofclans · 4 years

Photo

Trevon Anderson → Sinqua Walls → Hunter

→ Basic Information

Age: 33

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight

Birthday: November 11th

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Religion: Catholic

→ His Personality (one to two paragraphs)

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: Hunter

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Large Breed Dogs and Control

Two Dislikes: Being Sidelined and Losing

Two Fears: Being Crushed and Meaningless Death

Two Hobbies: Competitive Laser Tag and Skinning Supernaturals

Three Positive Traits: Badass, Magnetic, Tough-Minded

Three Negative Traits: Opinionated, Combative, Egotistical

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Sibling Names:

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Platonic Connections:

Imani Anderson (Favorite Cousin): They get along the best out of all the other Anderson. He doesn't feel like Imani will stab him in the back since they share a lot of the same views and are willing to go above and beyond on hunt. Imani gave Trevon the thumbs up when he expressed his interest in Hailey Colt.

Ebony Anderson (Cousin): Ebony and Trevon are on good terms which is rare between cousins and siblings of the Anderson family. Ebony doesn’t treat him differently because he is Alexus' son nor does she let him get away with any bullshit. He considers her a friend and ally.

Colin Colt (Friend): Trevon is now a regular invite to the Colt family get togethers. Colin hosts them regularly, and it’s the most fun he's had at a BBQ, probably due to the fact the rest of his family isn’t there. Colin and Trevon have begun to go on week long hunts and he’s given him tips on bagging a compass.

Hostile Connections:

Nina Stone (Strong Dislike): He hates the Stones and their little games. Nina epitomizes that, and he hates that she threw Colin under the rug.

James Stone (Hate): He’s a stuck up asshole who’s too focused on one thing. His style of hunting is going away, and the Stone family may be going with it under his rule.

Pets:

Bandit (Goldfish): Trevon won Bandit at the fair 6 years ago and to everyone's surprise it is still alive. Bandit is alone in a 50 gallon fish tank but Trevon has been thinking of adding another fish.

→ History (paragraph(s) on background)

→ The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Sinqua Walls [1][2][3][4]

#Trevon Anderson #Open #Sinqua Walls #OM #OMHU #OMHUA #OHU

0 notes

chicagocityfclanspromoblog · 3 years

Photo

Trevon Anderson → Sinqua Walls → Hunter

→ Basic Information

Age: 33

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Straight

Birthday: November 11th

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Religion: Catholic

Like Trevon? Consider taking him in our Hunter Giveaway Event! We will be waiving applications para samples, personalities and histories requirements for all canon hunters. Just send in the first and last name of the hunter(s) you would like to the main.

→ His Personality (one to two paragraphs)

→ His Personal Facts

Occupation: Hunter

Scars: None

Tattoos: None

Two Likes: Large Breed Dogs and Control

Two Dislikes: Being Sidelined and Losing

Two Fears: Being Crushed and Meaningless Death

Two Hobbies: Competitive Laser Tag and Skinning Supernaturals

Three Positive Traits: Badass, Magnetic, Tough-Minded

Three Negative Traits: Opinionated, Combative, Egotistical

→ His Connections

Parent Names:

Sibling Names:

Children Names:

None

Romantic Connections:

Platonic Connections:

Hostile Connections:

Nina Stone (Strong Dislike): He hates the Stones and their little games. Nina epitomizes that, and he hates that she threw Colin under the rug.

James Stone (Hate): He’s a stuck up asshole who’s too focused on one thing. His style of hunting is going away, and the Stone family may be going with it under his rule.

Pets:

→ History (paragraph(s) on background)

→ The Present (paragraph(s) on how the character connects to the plot)

→ Available Gif Hunts (we do not own these)

Sinqua Walls [1][2][3][4]

#Sinqua Walls #New RPG #open roleplay #City RPG #Hunter RPG

0 notes