#anyways the DDR and karting parts are still so good

[potahun]

Some more Qin Shen Shen moment translations (part 5/?)

Link to other translations so far

-Pretty much all the cuts in Ep. 10 (including some non-QSS because Ep. 10 is funny in general)

a. The order of performances for ep.10 was decided via Kart race + DDR. I.e. the team with the highest compiled scored at kart racing + DDR get to choose in which order they want to perform first, and so on. The MC explains that some tried kart racing for the very 1st time (Zhou Shen), and some tried DDR for the 1st time (Fei Yuqing). 

MC: Even though it was Xiao Ge’s first time at DDR, he made a new record that is likely to be unbroken from now on. Indeed, Xiao Ge’s score at DDR was 1600. (the crowd cheers) Right, that is a big number, huh? Because...normally, when ordinary people play, their score is around 8000. (FYQ: ;;;;;;;;;)

b. During the “flashback” to the kart racing: Zhou Shen represents Qin Shen Shen, and is racing against Zhou Hua Jian, Liu Yuning, Ayanga and Xiao Zhan. The scene speaks for itself but basically Zhou Shen’s “speed” is such that he gets his own personalised BGM. 

LKQ, watching from afar with the rest of the cast: This, Zhou Shen can keep driving leisurely like that, it’ll be fine. Huh. (i.e. he has zero expectations, just wants ZS to drive safely)

(Later, when Zhou Shen finishes 1 loop at last) LKQ, happily: Hey! Zhou Shen finally completed one loop!

c. When it is revealed that Fei Yuqing and Ayanga are singing 2nd. 

AYG: The two of us actually ranked 5th (for kart racing + DDR). Normally, we wouldn’t even have to think about it, huh? (FYQ: Right) We should have been the ones performing first (because no one wants to perform first usually).

MC: Hold, hold, hold, hold on. You two ranked 5th?

AYG: We ranked 5th honorably. (FYQ: Mm)

MC: I think, Xiao Ge playing DDR for the first time, we can totally understand (that he’d rank last), but is there any problem with you and kart racing? 

AYG, smiling and pointing around him: But really. There were strong people. (ZHJ: No, no, no) Really, big brother Hua Jian was too strong. Zhan Zhan? Too strong. Yuning...I couldn’t even see those 3 people at the front, and I was already driving fast enough.

MC: Eh? Wait a second. Zhou Shen is the only one you haven’t mentioned.

AYG: Shen Shen was in the same lane as me. He was following me.

ZS: He’s being polite, I was playing in a completely different playground from them. 

ZHJ, who can’t keep it in: Can I say this?

AYG: Yes? (ZS: H-h-huh?) 

ZHJ (to the MC): Zhou Shen started to drive in the wrong direction.  (MC: Hah?? AYG: Right, right!)

The flashback shows Zhou Shen during the practice race, driving onto the grass and then going the wrong way until he’s driving in the opposite direction from everyone else. 

LYN and ZHJ, when ZS crosses them and wheezes past: ??????

The Karting staff, when ZS gets stuck on the side of the road: Don’t drive in the opposite direction! It’s dangerous!

ZS: I don’t know how...! I don’t know....

Later, when they’re at the starting line, ZS (to LYN): What’s the course like? *draws with his finger* Like this?

LYN: Yeah!  (...) There’s only one way!

ZS, confused: There’s only one?

LYN: Just don’t go where there’s grass and it’ll be fine. There’s just one road.

ZS, shouting: Everyone please be careful! If you see me, please make way! *laughs*

Back to the “present”, Ayanga explains that you’d sometimes see a car seemingly driving without a driver, and Zhou Shen rectifies “You’d sometimes see just a helmet”. 

LKQ (to ZS): Hey, in the future, better not drive onto the road, huh? 

ZS: I definitely won’t. I definitely won’t drive. *laughs*

d. When Fei Yuqing and Ayanga set up their stage, and Ren Xianqi notices that there is a Gu Qin (an instrument) onstage. Zhou Shen and Liu Yuning comment on how the stage visual looks like going to be big. 

ZS (to LYN): We have nothing.

LKQ: I have dry ice.

LYN, smiling: Dry ice will already be dazzling.

e. After Xiao Zhan and Angela Chang finished their performance of “Shout” (3rd performance). The MC asks why Zhou Shen was singing along:

ZS, trying not to make AC seem old: This song is also one I listened to a lot when I was somewhat more...uh...

AC: Just say it, you!  (XZ, helping ZS: Teens. In your teens) 

ZS: Right, in my teens. So I was immediately brought back to that environment. Moreover, these 3 first songs, after hearing them, I feel like this stage is becoming increasingly more serious. And the scent of competition is getting increasingly thicker. 

LKQ: Yeah, seeing that the first 3 groups are all so good...There are a few lyrics in this song that fit pretty closely with my current feeling, and those are “My heart is very dark”. (ZS loses it)

f.  After the 4th performance, by Ren Xianqi and Liu Yuning. 

MC: Teacher Keqin, after hearing them sing, did your heart light up? 

Li Keqin shakes his head, looks down, and Zhou Shen picks up the mic after laughing silently at him:

ZS, singing about LKQ: “His heart is the color black~” (T/N: the melody and lyrics are derived from one of the songs they sang in the past)

Zhou Hua Jian loses it. 

ZS, still singing while LKQ hides his face: “Today it’s finally my turn to pull the ladder under his feet~”

Someone in the audience shouts for Li Keqin to respond to Zhou Shen, but Li Keqin is too busy laughing and hiding his face.

g. Announcing Li Keqin and Zhou Shen’s turn to perform. 

MC: Everyone knows it already. There’s nothing more to wait for *designates LKQ and ZS, who starts stretching* 

LKQ: To be honest, after having seen the 4 groups before us, I’m feeling a little scared..... Because aside from the fact that they’re all really skilled, really good at singing...the packaging was also ... (ZS, completing for him: Impressive. Beautiful) Even the dancer at the front (during the previous performance) was really pretty. (RXQ cracks up) 

MC: You’re not telling me that you weren’t listening to them singing and were just looking at that dancer, are you?

LKQ: No, no, no, no! I’m just looking at everything in detail.......Our song....aside from dry ice, will have nothing. (ZS laughs silently next to him) *holds ZS’s arm* But we have chosen a very good song. *lets ZS speak*

ZS: Right, actually it’s me who’s been pleading for this song since Episode 1. I’ve said “I really love this song”. 

MC: But I think you guys really have some guts. (ZS laughs) Because half of the original singers of this song is currently sitting in this room.

ZS: He’s not only the original singer. He is also the one who (LKQ finishes with him: composed it.)

MC: Yeah...aren’t you guys really too gutsy? 

(...)

h. Preparation of Lovers in the World. Li Keqin and Zhou Shen sitting next to each other in the backstage room.

ZS, fist against palm (to LKQ): Thank you so much to teacher Keqin!

LKQ, looking away: It’s nothing~OK lah~ OK lah~ 

ZS: Because, I think this song actually doesn’t have that many advantages in a competition. It’s not the kind of song that goes “aaaaaa” *mimics high notes with hand movements* That kind...

LKQ: It does! You have the parts that go *mimics ZS’s ‘aaaah’ parts in Lovers in the World, but very exaggeratedly* 

ZS: I think our high notes in this song are all for the purpose of the mood, though...So I think this song is not that competitive. 

LKQ: Actually, it’s pretty difficult. Because it’s got harmonisation from beginning to the end. (ZS: Yes, and all the lyrics are very crisp *makes a guilty face, likely because he knows it’s hard for LKQ to pronounce*) And also, for other songs, they don’t take too long to remember. This one, for someone who speaks Cantonese, it’s pretty.........hard. (ZS laughs silently while looking at him) It requires that both people have good chemistry. 

ZS: Right. 

LKQ: And after that, we’ll.....do our best *looks at ZS, while ZS makes another guilty face*

(the next part I’ve already translated. Basically, ZS praises LKQ who says no need for praise since he’s already agreed to sing this song with him)

ZS, very loudly: Right, so let everyone have a good listen at our teacher Keqin’s Mandarin, it’s first class level of awesome! *both thumbs up* (LKQ: ......;;; Ok)

i. After they finished performing “Lovers in the World”.

LKQ doing a playful salute: Teacher Hua Jian. (since it’s ZHJ’s song) (...)

MC: Elder brother Keqin, are you still nervous? 

LKQ: Uhhh...*huffs* I’ve let... let out a breath. Right. Mm. *looks at ZS* Are you satisfied? You’ve always been hoping to sing this song.

ZS: I’m really happy I could sing this song. But what I didn’t expect is that while singing this song, we’d have teacher Hua Jian present. I think that’s an unexpected gift. Thank you, thank you.

(...)

RXQ, commenting on the performance: I keep thinking that, in my heart, Zhou Shen is like Peter Pan.

LKQ: Is it his outer appearance that’s like Peter Pan? (ZS laughs)

RXQ: No, no, I’m just saying, it’s because he has a pure heart towards music, like a child. (LKQ happily pats ZS on the back) There’s a positive energy in his voice. And their two voices, when they’re together, it’s just....It’s still that phrase for me: a Match Made in Heaven. So great. (LKQ is busy happily and playfully kicking ZS)

ZS: Thank you Xiao Qi Ge, thank you.

j. Easter Egg: DDR cut. One person per team, with Li Keqin representing Qin Shen Shen. Fei Yuqing and Angela went first, then Ren Xianqi and Yi Qiao, and Li Keqin went last, so he’s spent each of the other turns learning and practicing the steps. 

ZS, teasingly, when RXQ and YQ are done:  Teacher Keqin, it’s up to you!

Staff: Is there anyone who wants to do it together with Teacher Keqin? (since there are 2 spots on the machine)

LYN: Zhou Shen, go, Zhou Shen!

ZS: ???

LYN: Go, it’s time to show your strong suit!

AYG (to ZS): You just ranked 5th (in kart racing), you have to pull out some of your self-respect.

ZS, asking for cheers: What did I rank?

AYG: ......First! First.

ZS, turning to LKQ now that they’re both on the machine: Teacher Keqin. Now that you’ve already learned it twice.....

LKQ: 

LYN (to LKQ and ZS): You have to remember you’re people who have danced to “Ye Lang Disco”.

ZS: Will we turn out to be the two with the highest scores out of everyone? *laughs cheekily*

(Half way through their DDR run, Zhou Shen starts holding Li Keqin’s hand and shouting directions like “Jump!” “Up! Right! Left!” until eventually Li Keqin gets distracted and messes up)

LKQ, protesting: HEY.

ZHJ and LYN, laughing at them: He’s distracting him. 

AYG: Let me tell you, if you give Zhou Shen two more inches of legs, he won’t miss a single one. (ZS laughs)

In the end, Li Keqin gets a really high score, even higher than Zhou Shen. 

ZS, happily staring at LKQ who has his hands in the air: Whoa! You scored higher than me!! (the two continue to stare at each other before eventually going for a celebratory hug)

[strangesmallbard]

part 2 of my ideal s13 episode concepts, assuming yaz is the sole companion:

(they’re getting Very Long, so i may go back and fill out the original concepts!)

13.6 - The Angels Take Los Angeles: the vibe is very stylized, kitschy hollywood meets the ominous high stakes of the weeping angels. ep begins with yaz tardis skyping ryan, saying thirteen has been weirdly distant again. thirteen overhears, decides that they need some FUN. they wind up in roughly 1998. montage w/ music of: selfie at the hollywood sign, buying souvenirs at the big farmer’s market, the star walk (and thirteen listing every celebrity she’s met,) and finally, the griffith observatory, where they see a planetarium show. thirteen laments that they came before the samuel oschin planetarium was built, yaz leans in & whispers that’s alright, i’ve got the real thing anyway.

the day winds down, yaz decides to broach the doctor’s Mardy Mood when suddenly, thirteen sees a sculpture that definitely wasn’t built by sculptors during the depression era. they discover the angels want something stored in the observatory—a power source. thirteen is caught in grief and manages to explain more about the ponds than just “the angels are very dangerous, trust me.” yaz devises the plan that traps the angels. with help from an interning grad student who knows the building, they save the day together.

back in the tardis, thirteen apologizes for being cagey. they have a good conversation about friendship, support, and boundaries. when yaz goes to sleep, thirteen nearly calls the shadow proclamation to turn in the power source, but hesitates. she takes out her mysterious device.

final shot: a familiar figure watches the parked tardis from a distance, wistful & contemplative. she taps the vortex manipulator on her wrist and vanishes.

13.7 - Ice Age........2! yaz and thirteen on an alien planet experiencing an extinction event. the tone is contemplative, not too heavy. bright blue tones. icy landscapes. yaz brings up the possibility of global warming, but thirteen isn’t sure that’s happening this time. it’s important to note: they’re wearing giant parkas & thirteen has a backpack in the shape of a smiley face.

they wind up on a science base run by humanoid aliens. one of the scientists, a stern older woman, is a famous guest star. she advises them to move on: the scientists have exhausted all options. they’re having an “end of the world party” before the last transport arrives to them to a spaceport colony. the scientists invite yaz & thirteen to join; both are incredulous that the team is just giving up.

yaz joins the party to get more info while thirteen snoops around the base. they play card games; something similar to DDR, play music, eat dehydrated food. she offers them a new pair of eyes, and they vehemently turn her down. she learns about how a red giant stole their first planet and how this one will become uninhabitable despite their efforts. she also learns about this team-turned-family; old and young, with diverse backgrounds. when they talk excitedly about their spaceport plans, yaz is taken aback.

meanwhile, thirteen is searching for answers. we can hear the party in the other room. she tests (eats) the soil, she tests the ice. she finds an anomaly and the shot cuts to the tardis; thirteen in front of her mysterious device, carefully siphoning from the power source the angels wanted in 13x6. she shows yaz her plan excitedly. the sun, yaz, it’s too far away. if we use this to nudge the planet’s coordinates just a bit to the left, that’ll buy them time.

yaz is thrilled at first, but then hesitates halfway through planning. do they have that time? i mean, how will that affect their timelines?

thirteen is teetering on the edge of timelord victorious; this time, however, there’s no explosions or loud background music. just muffled party chatter and thirteen, tense at the shoulders. she goes: she’s run through the diagnostics, of course she has! yaz couldn’t possibly understand, this will buy time and won’t impact the timeline significantly. this will work.

yaz looks right at thirteen, asks if this is about gallifrey, what happened when she left the fam. i was there, doctor. i saw it burning. thirteen is still tense, her hands are fidgeting. it’s not the same, yaz. when we can help, we do.

yaz paces. she looks out the window. shot cuts outside to the still, icy cold planet. it’s silent. back inside: yaz sits next to her. i know it’s not, but. i’ve saved earth plenty with you. and i know these kinds of endings. i used to...not care if my own world ended before.

thirteen is startled out of timelord victorious mode. she’s awkward again, but her hands are still. her eyes are deep-set, serious. there’s no universe without yaz. she squeezes her hand and softly says i didn’t know. i’m sorry.

yaz squeezes her hand back, accepting her apology. they talk about her past a bit; the urge to keep moving forward despite overwhelming emptiness. it’s hard to celebrate something like that, she thinks aloud. maybe this is what they need to move on. maybe this is why we’re here this time, so someone else remembers.

in thirteen’s responding stare: this isn’t gallifrey. this isn’t the timeless child, sacrificed to build the timelords. quieter than usual but definitive, almost stern, thirteen says this time, everybody lives. she powers down the lab, pockets the power source, and lets yaz lead her back into the party.

montage of the party: raucous & weighty, a wake. thirteen is subdued at first, until someone challenges her to DDR. yaz challenges her next. they listen to stories about the planet, about their families. someone challenges thirteen to shots until they realize alcohol doesn’t really affect her. montage winds down into thirteen by the open sun roof, talking to guest star about the sun anomaly. 

guest star laughs, not unhappy at all. of course we found it! can’t do too much about bloody gravity, can we, traveler?

lasts shot of the party scene: thirteen watching yaz—curious, a bit affectionate, now that the lights are dim and no one can bear witness—before turning her head up to the stars. we see a flash of timelord victorious before her expression becomes oddly serene. that’s us. a couple of travelers. 

as the scene ends, the camera pans out; beautiful shot of the tardis on a sheet of ice, underneath double moons.

the next morning; yaz rushes into the tardis with an idea. the transport vehicle arrives for the team; yaz exchanges goodbyes. the doctor bounces around the console, finishing the idea: a digital time capsule that will survive nearly anything the universe throws at it. they give it to the Stern Lady Guest Star, who is bemused; she asks where they’ll bury it. yaz suggests they carry it with them.

second-to-last shot: thirteen and yaz helping the transport leave. buttons to push, etc. they wave. they watch the transport leave the atmosphere; low, but hopeful music playing. huddled together in their parkas, thirteen takes a deep breath. after a few seconds, yaz gestures with her head to leave.

last shot: wide view of the landscape, music still playing; we see two figures following their own footsteps back home to the tardis. 

we hear slightly muffled voices: think i could go for some good weather, how about space florida?

you know, i’m sort of feeling sheffield, 2021. tea at mine? dad isn’t cooking, i promise.

oi, i like your dad’s cooking. it...

fade-out.

13.8 - “Yasmin” - found footage style, we follow yaz making video diaries ostensibly for her sister to watch later. the tone starts out light: first shot is her bedroom, and we follow her all the way to the games’ room. she points to a wii remote. i beat her at mario kart yesterday, don’t let her say otherwise. (today it’s Yaz’ TARDIS.)

she enters the console room where thirteen is tinkering, goggles on and a bit greasy. there’s banter. for a moment we see thirteen as yaz sees her: hair askew, bright smile, glowing in the light of the tardis, engine grease on her cheekbone. there’s a “you’ve got something on your nose” moment.

then, of course, someone in need of help pings the tardis. well, the doctor. she gets a text that says “help us, doctor,” which is all sorts of curious. yaz flips the camera to herself and says: “alright sonya, you ready for this?” while the doctor gives a cocky grin to the camera. the tardis leaves the time vortex with a great jolt, the opening credits run.

they land in front of a rickety farm house. the gate swings, ominously. a cow moos. the camera takes the scene in; thirteen pops up to give trivia about the era, which is.....earth, approximately 2014. britain.

yaz makes a face at the camera before they open the door.

the house seems regular, aside from abandoned; there’s a plate of molding food on the table. an outfit laid out on a bed, covered in cobwebs. scans turn up a “particle curiosity” in the air, but no one who could have sent a text message.

they decide to spend the night in the house, just in case. thirteen puts up sensors. they sit next to each other on the couch; yaz sets the camera on the table and there’s some planning before the camera abruptly goes dead.

we pick up later into the night—yaz is asleep. thirteen pulls a blanket over yaz; the footage starts skipping strangely, lines and shadows and distortions. she offers apologies to sonya; the censor picked up something and she’s modified the camera.

just as thirteen starts to awkwardly smalltalk about dimensional fragmentation camera censors, there’s a piercing shriek, more distortions. yaz wakes up; there’s scrambling and then: a face, screaming, glowing blue eyes.

the genre abruptly careens into found footage-style horror. yaz gets the figure to chase her around the house, nearly taunts it, until thirteen can hold it off with a Barrier that won’t last. yaz and thirteen argue about their mutual appetite for recklessness, thirteen’s duty of care, yaz’s protectiveness. the camera is abandoned, viewing them from an odd angle. it catches thirteen’s hand reaching for yaz, pulling back before yaz notices.

through clues in the house & rebooting an abandoned iphone, they discover what happened in this house. a young woman, a teacher—vivacious and funny if her texts are anything to go by—moved into this house ten years ago. then, she vanishes without a trace.

thirteen recognizes the date she disappears but doesn’t know why. the figure breaks in, forcing them down into the basement. there, they happen upon a gruesome sight that shocks thirteen: a powered down toclafane from the simm!master arc in s4.

she realizes that the date corresponds to the original paradox—and realizes that the creature is the vestiges of the young teacher, trapped by dark matter in a paradox that shouldn’t exist anymore. yaz mentions she used to have a nightmare about the orbs as a young kid every night for a week.

there’s Plot Stuff as they figure out how to fix the paradox for good. turns out, the creature is mad at the doctor, but thirteen won’t shoulder this burden for the master. he orchestrated that and thirteen did the best she could. she’s too angry to connect; it’s yaz who connects to the young woman left in the creature. who wanted her own adventures. she’s afraid of dying for good. yaz says she’s sorry, and the creature believes her.

the camera is abandoned on the table. the distortions have stopped. the sun rises. there’s a fast forward and yaz & thirteen are at the kitchen table, drinking “coffee.” (it still tastes good, anyway.) the aftermath of an argument. they mention the master. before the camera dies again, thirteen asks yaz if she has any new nightmares. she’s soft.

the last scene: yaz and sonya curled up together on the bed. sonya is shook. yaz is like, yeah i told you it was a lot. but sonya is shook because she had the same nightmare as a kid too. she asks if the doctor meddles too much, if they’d all be safer if she weren’t around. 

yaz contemplates. she says: nothing in the universe is safe. she can’t save everyone, neither can i. but we try. and i feel safe with her. in more ways than one.

sonya teases yaz about a crush. yaz goes “no way!” but looks briefly devastated.

before they fall asleep, yaz remembers something. she asks sonya if she can borrow her phone. 

ending credits: found footage of thirteen singing taylor swift on the tardis, doing some repairs with her greasy goggles on. yaz laughs.

[bearpillowmonster]

KH: MOM Review (Gameplay)

Every Kingdom Hearts game feels different. It's always innovating and always adding new types of gameplay. This is no exception. Rhythm minigames are no stranger to the Kingdom Hearts series but a whole game based on it is new.

I don't play a lot of rhythm games but I have played the infamous Atlantica section in Kingdom Hearts 2 as well as the Symphony of Sorcery in Dream Drop Distance and the Ice Cream Beat of Birth By Sleep, Guitar Hero and I'll even throw in the Honeybee Inn rhythm game in FFVII Remake. Out of all of those, Atlantica has been my favorite, that's right, I actually didn't mind it.

Now this system is entirely different than any of those, at least to me. It's definitely the most complex though but just hold on because I know how the word 'complex' can be triggering for a game, I just mean in comparison to the others is all. It's not a DDR right, left, up or down. So without further ado...(Nonspoiler for this part, it’s just gameplay)

This game begins with a stage. You're thrown into it without any notice, there were things that I didn't grasp until near the end of the stage, luckily it doesn't count towards a score yet, and after it is the tutorial but that's just the opening so if you're clueless and want to be prepared, I would say to try out the demo, I didn't even realize how much it helped me until I played the actual game. 

I wanted to say at just how friendly this game is to newcomers, it's literally all laid out for you. Nomura came out with HD remasters and collections of the previous games then a recap of the franchise on YouTube then put it IN Kingdom Hearts 3 and people still complained because they don't know the story and are too lazy to play the other games. Now Nomura's packed it all into one whole game to sum it up, explained from the perspective of Kairi herself so that you're still entertained while catching up. If there was ever an easy path to get into Kingdom Hearts, this is the answer. If I hear complaining about it from this point forward, I will be pissed. Now, as you can see, I didn't make it to story yet but that's not entirely what I'm talking about. All the buttons and functions are the same as a regular game, you basically have it all but the different keyblades (well you can collect them but not use them because they're cards). You can play as casually as you want, a song here and there. There are even options for a shuffle and sort function if you want to just jump to track selection but you'll need to unlock them individually in World Tour first. This may sound complicated but that's where the clean and accessible the menu comes in, I have to give props for that.

You're on a set track, it runs on its own, does its own thing except when you're gliding which is just moving left and right to collect notes. You use the normal KH abilities to your advantage because some enemies will be high in the air so you need to jump and slash at the same time but you can't just button mash any more, there's timing involved now. Once you get used to the gameplay, it's quite enjoyable, you may even get a song that you hit every note, my first one was 'Another Side', the first try too, I didn't hit all excellent though.

How do party members work? Well let's say you have Sora, Donald, and Goofy in a party. You have 3 buttons you can press to attack, Sora's the only one that can jump and the only one that can use the reaction commands so you need to pay attention to all three because there could be enemies on the floor and in the sky at the same time. The one thing I will say is a little bit of a complaint and that's that it doesn't tell you which buttons to press except on specific stages, it just has the symbols, I guess that's what makes it more combat oriented but it's definitely different and a little bit harder. But I guess it gets to be muscle memory, after a while. If you already know the themes, it gets easier for you to manage because you focus more on what you hear and less on what you see, that's how I started getting better with timing. I experimented with pretty much everything I could think of so I tried it with low volume and found that I missed a whole lot more because I couldn't hear it, which might be obvious because it's a rhythm game, but it just goes to show how important sound is. I even tried using headphones, I suppose that's up to you, it definitely made the music clearer but my performance was about the same. 

What do songs net you other than progress? Well you get materials. Also similar to KHUX, you get crafting materials except these ones you can use for potions and stuff, I did a potionless run because I didn’t feel the need (but I also didn’t do it all proud either) but I used a few summons and item boosts just for fun. You can also craft cards, which are really just for looks to see in the Museum after you finish one of the memory dives (which I'll get into) but the way you get the cards, grinds my gears because it's gacha, you craft them and it's a surprise what you're going to get...so it's essentially a loot box that you don't pay money for?? What the-

(notice how it says KH2 or Days at the bottom, you don’t even know. Of course I have Writhing Shards rn but that’s because I beat the game and didn’t open a whole lot of keyblade cards but the memory and scene ones are the annoying ones for me)

You don't even have to "finish" the song, just get it most of the way before you die then you'll still get credit and still get a ranking, just no exp. Now, there are also stars, stars are from 'missions' for each stage, if you play KHUX, it’s kind of like how it says “get this amount of Lux” or “use this type of medal” or “don’t use continue” so most stars are just “get this many points” and you need to collect enough stars to get to the next area. With that, so long as you have enough stars, you don’t “have” to play every stage, just like regular Kingdom Hearts and skipping worlds, I did though, just for sport, except Let it Go, just for spite. I could see plenty of fans going after those A+++ Proud Performer 3-Star rankings, I can't wait to see the hype it generates, same with the co-op.  

They went all out when they didn't have to. The Museum is where everything is collected, so all the cards you collect and craft. You can also just play the song on its own without gameplay through the Museum, so if you want headphones to just chill, it's really nice. You can also play the cutscenes and memory dives on their own without the gameplay. There are "feats" or missions such as finishing a certain number of songs, like Nook Miles or the ones they had in Re:Mind. You can collect profile pictures for your co-op or versus account, mine is Simba (even though I don’t really use it). But the co-op can get pretty intense as you can “sabotage” each other, which seems similar to a Smash or Mario Kart match, adding that much more to the gameplay.

A few more complaints, one is that certain enemies from a stage, (say, the Wyverns) won't have the same attacks as the other stages, sometimes they'll have it so that you jump to hit them and sometimes they'll just have them take a normal hit without the jump so you can't memorize what each enemy requires (there are too many to really do that anyway). The other thing is more just opinion based, particular enemies such as Large Bodies tend to carry a weight so you need to hit them more than once even if its just one enemy. How it does this is that you hit it and then the enemy gets knocked back as your next note so you hit them again. There were definitely times where I struggled because I knew I was hitting the buttons but nothing was happening, I would guess timing was the problem in some of those cases but the indicators can be difficult to keep track of because it has to be “just right”. I think even just a line on the floor to tell when you’re supposed to hit would be a major help but in a way, I feel like that’s on purpose. Also, in the Museum, you can view all the cards EXCEPT the Keyblades which is pretty shotty if you ask me, what's the point in grinding to get my favorite Rumbling Rose, if I can't even look at it properly?

(also new names for some keyblades (this is a zoom-in))

There will be a lot of things happening at once which can be daunting, I do appreciate that they included the easy, standard, and proud modes though. Keep in mind, each of those are used for individual songs, not playthroughs so if you want to change, go ahead, at least as far as World Tour goes. On top of that, there are different modes that also gauge at how good you are (to use on the track selection). There's the basic mode which I already explained, then there's the one button mode which should be self explanatory, and then there's the performer mode which is quite a lot to put on your plate all at once because on top of normal gameplay, you're adding new buttons and things in the middle of your attacks, I would probably only recommend that after you've got a decent amount of experience because I tried it day 1 and it seems like you would need a good understanding of the game and to be on the same wavelength before even attempting it. You can view a playthrough of each stage called a "demo" which is the little play symbol button next to the "play" button, it shows you how you should be playing to get an A+++ rank and giving you a heads up of what's to come, all excellent all the time. On top of that, when I was playing Xenoblade, one thing I proposed was flicking the analog stick in a certain direction for each move, that’s present here in the form of bosses and memory dives but if you want it to, you can go into the menu to enable it for regular gameplay. You'll find out if you want it on the very first stage, again, I would only recommend it after a lot of experience.

Your characters level up but it mainly just has to do with HP so you don’t die so easily but at the same time, you have potions so I don’t see much of a point for normal gameplay. All three of the party members only have one health bar, so leveling does come in handy for the bosses. However, I don't understand how each party member has a different level, maybe it's just based on the amount of notes you hit with that character but it's kind of weird because I don't think it matters. Even on the team selection part of the play screen, it has one compilitive level so why would they be different on the menu?

For bosses, you only encounter a few. If it were me, I would've made one per game but it is what it is. You don't worry about jumping anymore, it's just holding the attack button down instead and the amount of "dodge" notes that you hit will work in your defense whenever the boss attacks. Once the dodge section is over, it actually tells you how you did with the dodging section. The first time I ever did it, it said "Oh No." it has a sense of humor, it took me a while to nail those ones you hold down which is odd because I rock the gliding sections most of the time. 

There's only one more type of gameplay type I can think of, memory dives. It's similar to a boss but you're flying and there's a scene playing in the background, also some of the directional notes will have doubles, so you need to point the analog stick in different directions which is as difficult as can be because you have to use BOTH analog sticks (took me forever just to figure that out). You 'mainly' gain the memory dives from crafting which is a bit odd but you unlock the recipes and items as you go through World Tour and then play them separately in Track Selection, until you get to KH3 at least. 

Keep in mind that I played the demo on both PS4 and Switch and compared the two, my performance was about the same, though I will say this. With Switch, you can take it on the go and just do a few levels here and there as well as remove the joy-cons. The thing about that is that I feel the need to shake the joy-cons but there's no function that uses that in the game, I really wish there was though. And those directional ‘slide’ notes have to be way easier on PlayStation because the analog sticks are right next to each other.

[hellomygf]

when my own words aren’t enough

okay so you know that one direction song that’s made of other song titles, “Better Than Words”. same concept here except not really and you just listen to the lyrics of the songs LMAO. anyways sometimes the words of others can convey better what im trying to say to you so enjoy 19 songs that do so. i highlighted some of the lyrics that really made me think of you/us. click on links on then click on togepi

Love Like This - Ben Rector

“Never used to get excited to sit here in the silence Holdin' on to somethin' the way I'm holdin' you Didn't used to know how fast time walks and runs and flies by I never thought I'd feel so deeply, but damn, I do

i never knew i could feel so happy just doing the mundane things with you. walking and talking, going out for drives, sitting and eating food. time goes by so fast when im with you. i always wish time would slow down and let it stop for awhile just so i can have a couple moments of just us yeno? you make me want to spend more time with you even when we just finished spending a whole evening together. there’s so many new feelings that ive experienced since ive been with you and i cant wait to keep feeling new ones 

All I’ve Ever Known - Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney (Hadestown)

All I've ever known is how to hold my own But now I wanna hold you, too

for the past couple years i learned how to love myself again and how to be okay with being alone. alone doesnt mean im lonely but it did mean that i had built up my walls again and letting someone in new again was so scary. you made it seem okay though. you made sure that when i was opening up to you and being vulnerable that it was okay to do so. that i wouldnt be hurt and that i was safe. i learned how to love romantically again and learned what it feels like when you arms wrap around me and hold me. it’s currently my favourite feeling and i dont think i ever want it to end

roses & sunflowers - Timmy Albert

You're a flower that's blooming every season with spring I fell in love with your roots, the whole you, everything

i mentioned before that falling in love with you was like how the seasons changed. like you know it comes but it’s always different. this isnt my first time in love but it’s most definitely something very different. a good different. im in love with every part of you. from the way you make your puns to the way you buy me things that show you care (my favourite foods, my ddr adapter, and most recently itch cream) to the way you sing in the car to me to how you tell me about your good and bad days. i love it all!

Favourite Girl - Jesse Barrera and Tori Kelly

My baby, She still drives me crazy After all this time, You better believe that Nothings greater, She still makes me better After all this time You're still my Favorite Girl

BONUS:  I remember when, You didn't know how to kiss  (hehehhe) Now you know me well, And nothing compares to this 

best girl. favourite girl! is maxbean hehe jkjk.. maybe. we both do some whack ass stuff but there’s no one else i would rather be having fun with than you! you make me better in every way. you encourage me to keep going even when days are rough. you support me on my good and bad days so im here to remind you too that im here for you always okie?

No Matter Where You Are - Us the Duo

I will stand by you Even when we fall I will be the rock, that holds you up and lifts you high so you stand tall

whatever the world throws at us, whether that be a pandemic or people who dont support us, im going to uplift you and us in every way that i can. i want to be a pillar of strength for you and show that even though am baby and that i am smol that i am a girlfriend that you can count on to show up by your side. i got your back from now till however long

Tattooed Heart - Ariana Grande

You don't need to worry about making me crazy 'Cause I'm way past that So just call me, if you want me 'Cause you got me, and I'll show you, how much I wanna be On your tattooed heart

honestly this is just one of my favourite love songs ever so i just wanted to add it into the playlist lmao

Lemonade - Jeremy Passion 

She's so beautiful, sometimes I stop to close my eyes She's exactly what I need She's my smile when I'm feeling blue She's my good night sleep when my day is through yeah

i say this all the time but i love looking at you oh my god skjskjs like YOU. ARE. LITERALLY. MY. TYPE. lmaooOOSKSKJkj. other than physically being my type you really do embody everything that i need in a partner. kind, compassionate, genuine, good communicator and listener. you make sure that i dont fall asleep sad and you make sure that im okay on my not so good days. i love you so much

I Was Made For Loving You - Tori Kelly ft. Ed Sheeran 

A stranger's hand clutched in mine I'll take this chance, so call me blind I've been waiting all my life

i took a chance on someone i really didnt know anything about but my god i think it’s the best thing that ive done 

Ger Here - Sam Smith 

I don't care how you get here, just get here if you can

this reminds me of the time you bused through a snow storm just to study with me at utsc. also just in general whenever you make the effort to come all the way here to my house just to spend time with me and even then you end up driving us downtown or to different places too. you are truly the definition of “if there’s a will, there’s a way”

goodnight n go - Ariana Grande 

Oh, why'd you have to be so cute? It's impossible to ignore you Why must you make me laugh so much? It's bad enough we get along so well Just say goodnight and go

“why do you make it so hard to say good bye” something we both always say haha. one of these days we’ll have a night together and we’ll fall asleep together and wake up together too. one day! very excited for that day where we can say good night and stay

While We’re Young - Jhene Aiko

I'm tellin' everybody you're mine and I like it And I really hope you don't mind, I can't fight it

[...]

I'm giving you my heart, please don't break it Take it and lock it up and put me in your pocket, love

i tell everyone youre my girlfriend because haha im so happy to be dating you and telling everyone you make me so happy so yeno just a subtle flex. it’s also so scary fully giving myself to someone physically, mentally, and emotionally. to trust that you will safeguard my feelings and that you wont hurt me but i know youre scared of the same thing too, i guess even more so since im your first girlfriend. i promise i’ll protect your heart too. water it, nourish it, and let it grow into something even greater

Blessed - Daniel Caesar 

And yes, I'm a mess but I'm blessed to be stuck with you

ive told you since the beginning that i didnt want to bring you into this until i could fix and improve my mental health. i think that way of thinking was me associating my ability to love with how healthy i am. that’s not fair because i am capable of loving others even when im not at my 100% best. im so very grateful that you are there with me when im dealing with my mean/negative thoughts and that you can help ground me and be there to let me ride out my sad days. 

Runnin’ Home to You (cover) - Jake Spencer 

Can't say how the days will unfold Can't change what the future may hold But, I want you in it Every hour, every minute

i can see you in my future for a long time my love. i hope you can see the same as well 

Please Keep Loving Me - James TW 

For all the mistakes I'm making, I don't mean (I don't mean them, I don't mean them) For all the little things That I fail to see

please be patient because sometimes i wont be able to get things right the first time around. i tend to be a little slow when doing things and i come quite late to events. so even on days when i may be difficult to be around, please do your best to keep loving me and i’ll do my best to make it easier again.

Nothing - Bruno Major

There's not many people I'd honestly say I don't mind losing to But there's nothing Like doing nothing With you

no need for an explanation.. -_- 3rd date. d&b. mario kart. fan... hhh but i mean guess this also applies just in general whenever we play games and i lose lmao. honestly though doing nothing with you is still so fun for me. from making puns in a grocery store, to watching movies on my couch, to watching the sunset together by the water. nothing is better than doing nothing with you :)

Teenage Dream (cover) - Boyce Avenue 

Before you met me I was alright, but things Were kinda heavy You brought me to life Now every February You'll be my Valentine, Valentine

i think this applies to both of us in a sense that we were (and still are) both dealing with some not fun stuff when we first met each other, but we have each other now to get through it together. at the time, it had already been a few months since my falling out with you-know-who and just a couple months since i had decided to get help for my mental health stuff. i remember feeling so touched when i first told you about everything because you had made the conscious effort to reassure me and soothe me by holding my hand and looking at me when i got anxious talking about it. that was the moment i knew that you would be someone special in my life and someone i wanted to keep for a long time as well.  so im hoping that next year (and for the next foreseeable years) you can be my valentine haha

Only Us - Lauren Dreyfuss and Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen)

I never thought there'd be someone like you who would want me So I give you ten thousand reasons to not let me go But if you really see me If you like me for me and nothing else Well, that's all that I've wanted for longer that you could possibly know

while i have grown up with some great and amazing people who have made me feel so loved. ive also grown up and have come across some not nice people as well. they made me feel like i wasn’t worth it or made me feel small and not wanted. it’s not a nice feeling being shut down when youre just trying your best to get to know others or when you talk about the things you like and people become uninterested. i guess you can say that’s what contributed to why i dont want to show my whole self yet to new people at first. im scared that i will scare them away and they wont like me. so when you, a total stranger at the time, wanted to get to know me more, genuinely enjoyed my company, and wanted to spend more time with me, i was like “wow someone new actually LIKES me for ME?”. you dont understand how much it means to me that you made the effort to get to really know me and to still make the effort now to make me feel comfortable so i can be my whole self around you. i cant thank you enough. you make me WANT to talk about what i like and share my joy with you. thank you for letting me be me.

Take on the World - You Me at Six

I can see, see the pain in your eyes Oh, believe, believe me and I have tried No I won't, I won't pretend to know what you've been through You should've known, I wish it was me, not you 

i know there’s things you dont want to talk about and things you really cant talk about. knowing all the pain and hurt youve gone through has made you tough and strong but it sucks thinking of everything that youve had to face on your own. i wish i could take that pain away from you if i could. take it, ball it up, and throw it so far away that it never hurts you again. it is so very unfortunate that the saying goes “why do bad things happen to good people”. you dont deserve any of that. a good person like you deserves a life filled with unwavering support from those around you and days filled with boundless joy. i cant change the past or what other people think of you but what i can do is to do my best to make sure that even when you are hurt that you still feel loved and you still want to fight another day. you can do it, and i’ll be with you now for every new challenge that you face. your’re not alone

She Keeps Me Warm - Miranda Lambert 

She says I smell like safety and home I named both of her eyes forever and please don't go

[...]

And I can't change, even if I tried Even if I wanted to My love, my love, my love, my love

those first two lines are just so very nice to listen to. 

you and i both know that we cant change who we are and who we love. i think we’ve both had countless nights and thoughts of wanting to be straight so we wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of loving the same gender. i know this past month has been especially hard for you though. im here to remind you that there’s nothing you need to change about you my love. i love you just how you are. your family may not understand it yet but i hope they will. i hope they understand that you make others around you feel so welcomed and loved. that you are the most selfless person that a lot of us have met. that you stick up for those who are mistreated and that you care for them. i wish they could see just how deeply you love and i feel like ive only scratched the surface of what your love is and can be. i want them to see how much i love you too and how you have made me a better person in all aspects. my parents, my cousins, and friends have all said that they have seen me change and become a softer person. my cousins say that you compliment me in the best ways and sand down my rough edges. i hope one day soon that they see all the love that emanates from you and that they can support you at least even a little bit. i hope they can see that love is love is love and that they learn to love all aspects of you too.

[thessalian]

♦: Slow dancing !

For the Templars, Yule was pageantry and pomp in the form of a fairly significant banquet-ball. Chris Qiin-White, newly wed to an Illuminati defector, attended, mostly because his pupils - Addie and Jallira - seemed to need the support. Jallira had been to a few of these too many, and was having a difficult time guiding her boyfriend through the ins and outs of high society gatherings. The reverse was true in the case of Addie and her boyfriend; Vincent kept trying to discreetly nudge the right fork to the tall Texan Templar who could not wear her formal gown with anything like conviction.

This was part of why Chris was, at least throughout the banquet portion of the proceedings, without an escort. His wife - a fairly off-the-wall American born in a small, not-overly-affluent town in Washington but transplanted to New York before the ink was even dry on her high school diploma - had barely looked up from her workbench the few times he’d brought up the invitation. “It’s an oversight,” she’d said when he pointed out that she was named on an invitation. “I’d piss people off if I showed up for banquety goodness. They expect conversation and while I could talk to you for some of it, the minute the table turned or whatever they to to make sure no one monopolises conversation–”

“Wait; you know about the table-turning thing?”

“I research! Anyway, I’d end up with some stuffy dude gabbling at me about some stuffy conservative bullshit and I’d be me at them and it’d be a mess. Absolute mess. Besides, I refuse to sit down to a meal where the forks I’m expected to use - just the forks, right? - outnumber the fingers on my right hand.”

Chris had desperately tried to come up with an argument to that, and couldn’t manage it. He couldn’t even claim she was indulging in hyperbole about the forks. Chris was a stubborn cuss most of the time, but he knew when he was on to a losing argument … and more to the point, given it was to do with his angel’s happiness, he was willing to concede.

But his pupils needed him. So he went, and used each of the six forks, and resisted the urge to bring a touch of Mychae-silly to the proceedings by pulling a Charlie Chaplin with two of his six forks and the roast potatoes. Instead, he got through the dinner with only a couple of glasses of overly busy wine to fortify him and ended up at the edge of the ballroom floor, watching Addie try to learn basic ballroom dance on the fly and debating on how soon he could leave the younger girls he’d all but adopted to their own devices and go home, to comfy slippers and Mario Kart and watching Chewie freak out every time the Gojira-shaped Christmas tree belched steam–

Suddenly, the sound of a fanfare - tinny, a little distorted, clearly being played by a smartphone speaker - rose over the music. Chris turned, almost half-sure what he would find…

And it still surprised him.

As he’d about expected, Mychae stood on the threshold of the ballroom, looking at the stares she was getting and grinning. However, Chris had somehow thought she’d turn up in jeans, or possibly one of her cosplay get-ups. Instead, his Mychae - his angel, his new wife - stood in a truly stunning red high-necked strapless ball gown. Chiffon inlays in the skirt, yellow and orange and gold to give a flame effect, allowed it to bell out as she did a little twirl to show off both dress and shoes, which shone in reds and golds like carnival glass lampshades.

She’d even brushed her hair.

Chris stepped forward and offered Mychae a hand, and she took it with a grin, spinning into his arms as they took the floor. She surprised him again by being a surprisingly adept dancer in places other than a mosh pit or a DDR platform. “I thought you weren’t coming,” he said when he could finally manage actual coherent sentences that would not devolve into ‘gnarp’.

That got another grin, this one as kind as it was mischievous. “I said I wasn’t doing the meal. The forks, y’know? But c’mon. You know I love to dance. And besides, I always wanted to know what it was like to be the Cinderella.”

Chris chuckled and snuggled her a bit as they danced. “If that means we disappear at midnight for less stuffy, I’m all for it.”

The mischief that was her trademark took over her grin. “I even painted up the car for the occasion.”

Chris gave her a look that clearly said ‘wut’ as she danced them in the direction of one of the windows of Temple Hall’s grand ballroom. There, parked out front with two parking valets giving it a wide berth and some very suspicious looks, was her vintage VW Beetle. Usually it was painted TARDIS-blue. Today, it was pumpkin-orange. She’d even pasted a jack-o’lantern decal on the bonnet. “DAH!”

“Too Jack?”

“WAY TOO JACK!”

[whatiwillnevertell-blog]

Exposism 01.

1. What are three Netflix shows that they’ve rated five stars? Why do they like them? What do they watch when they’re sad? Relaxed? Intoxicated? The 3%, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage; he loves the 3% mostly because it's the only show he's gotten into from John, he loves Jessica Jones because of Jessica's toughness and general bitchy attitude, he loves Luke Cage for a number of reasons starting with the excellent cast and ending with the actual plot. When Oliver is sad, he will watch animated films like Finding Dory or Home, something fun and bubbly but also slightly emotional. When he's relaxed, he'll watch one of his favourite films, like The Labyrinth or any Studio Ghibli film. When he's intoxicated he generally listened to music, but he'll put on cheesy action movies or bad "horror" movies that he knows wouldn't bother John. 2. Where do they prefer to read? On the sofa, in bed, at a table, on the porch, in a cafe? What kind of material do they read? Books? Magazines? Comics? Oliver will read just about anywhere; on a soft surface is preferable because he needs to change positions often while reading, even on his meds. He mainly reads eBooks and sometimes comics and, less often, magazines though he can't escape them as a part-time model. Oli likes actual physical books but they're hard to travel with multiple books at once. He tends to jump around in his reading material, working slowly on several books at once, though sometimes can throw himself into one story with gusto. 3. Do they like to play games? What kind of games: video, card, board? What are some of their favorites? Are they competitive? Do they usually win? Oliver *loves* his PlayStation 5 with the VR Goggles he received from Sony for his birthday. He doesn't play much with the VR goggles but he does enjoy playing first person shooters and regularly plays against his friends back in London. He likes playing Mario Kart (he is excellent at it) and Super Smash. He usually wins, and he is competitive. 4. What’s their food weakness? What food can they never turn down? What foods will they never willingly touch? Oliver's food weakness is dessert, any dessert that he can eat (sweets that are gluten and dairy free); he cannot turn down shrimp tacos, whenever they are on the table. He has an eating disorder so there are many foods that he finds hard to touch, mostly calorie-laden foods and anything that is fried. 5. Do they prefer movies or TV shows? Why? What are some of their favorites? Oliver certainly prefers movies over shows, because he doesn't have the sustained attention to watch most television programs all the way through; the only ones he has finished are Stranger Things (which he is looking forward to the second series of quite enthusiastically), Skins (only the first two series), The 3%, and most of Criminal Minds. Some of his favourite movies include The Labyrinth, Anastasia, Aladdin, The Road to El Dorado, and other movies aimed at children because he is a child at heart. 6. What holiday is their favorite? Which is their least favorite? What do they do during the major holidays? Oliver's favourite holiday is either Christmas or New Years, because they hold the best memories in his opinion. He hates Father's Day and religious holidays like Easter. Since meeting John, Oliver has been spending his major holidays with the singer and creating traditions with him while spending time with John's family. He and John like to split time between Phoenix and London for holidays even though they live in Phoenix full time. 7. What’s their diet like? Are they vegetarian, vegan? Do they have any food allergies that make them have a special diet? Do they like spicy food? Homecooked or takeout? Do they cook? Oliver has an eating disorder and after years of bad eating during his addiction, he developed intolerances to gluten and dairy. He is a pescatarian where he eats seafood but has a vegetarian diet otherwise, which is in part due to his intolerance to dairy but also in part due to his eating disorder. By cutting out meat entirely, he avoids a mess of calories. He loves spicy food, and he prefers home cooked meals but does enjoy ordering food and having nights out at nice restaurants. Oli loves to cook and he and John often cook for each other. 8. What sort of toys did they play with as a child? What shows did they watch? Did they have a lot of friends growing up? When Oli was younger, he could have any toy he wanted, but mostly he just wanted pets. He's had cats, lizards, fish, and dogs, but he'd love to expand that list. He also liked to play outside on the jungle gym and swing set that was in his backyard, and as he grew he began to play video games; later on he developed a love for computer games. He didn't watch much television growing up simply because his mother thought most of it was rubbish anyway, but he did watch some classic movies with her and his stepfather, like James Bond and Star Wars. Oliver's friends growing up were mainly dictated by his parents' social circle, and those kids were older than him until he met Molly when they were 13. 9. How often do they go grocery shopping? Do they tend to do one large trip, or smaller ones throughout the week? What are 5 items on their grocery list? One large trip every two weeks or so with John, preferably, when they're both home. Oliver loves grocery shopping. Every time he goes, he needs to buy almond milk, gluten free bread, something sweet but low-calorie, bananas, and strawberries if they're in season. 10. Do they eat breakfast? What’s a typical breakfast look like for them? Do they eat breakfast foods for dinner? He doesn't eat much for breakfast and used to not eat it at all before he got his eating in order, with John's help and support. A typical breakfast usually consists of a lot of fruit and sometimes gluten free toast or granola. Oliver doesn't usually eat breakfast foods for dinner but he doesn't say no when it happens. He's become a lot less picky of an eater. 11. Do they like going to museums? What type of museums do they like to go to? Art, science, historical; interactive, quiet, a mix? They're not his favourite ever, but Oli does enjoy art and historical museums when he does go. Modern art isn't exactly pleasing to him, but he does love art galleries with photography prints on display. Quiet, please. He likes to enjoy himself with minimal distraction though he will make a comment here and there if he is with someone. 12. How do they organize their books? Alphabetical by author, by title? By size, color, date published? Is there any rhyme or reason? His bookshelf in John's room is completely unorganised, though it's kind of grouped by size of the book. He just doesn't have the patience to organise it properly. Back in the flat in London, he generally groups them by type/subject of book (his manga in one section, Shakespeare in another, etc). 13. Have they ever been do Disney World/Land, or any other amusement park? What do they prefer to do at them: go on the rides, play the games, eat the food? What is a memory they have of an amusement park? He has been to three Disney parks (California, Orlando, and Paris), and is currently in Orlando with John and went to Disney World before they were due in Brazil. He hasn't been to many amusement parks but he loves rides of all kinds, he loves playing games (DDR, fighting, racing, and claw machine games he's great at), and he generally doesn't like the food because it has been difficult to find decent food to eat without upsetting his stomach or digestive track. Oli will never forget the time he and John went to Disneyland during the early stages of seeing each other. 14. How do they eat their popcorn? What do they put on it? Do they like to share snacks? When presented with popcorn, Oli tends to pick at it one piece at a time, which is how he eats most things. He likes low calorie popcorn, no butter or cheese. He loves to share his snacks and will give them away to others if they ask. 15. When do they pay their bills? As soon as the bill comes in? At the last moment? Or are most of their bills automatically taken out of their account? ...Most of Oliver's bills are paid by his personal accountant, or by his mother who still has most of the control on his finances. They're usually on time, and most of it has been automated at this point. Any bills that Oliver takes care of personally (such as helping pay towards the house he and John live in) are usually on time but he has to be promoted beforehand to do it. He is not very good at remembering when things are supposed to happen. 16. What time do they normally go to bed? How many hours of sleep do they usually need to function in the morning? Oliver had a sleep disorder up until he started seeing a doctor about it early this year. He had severe difficulty in sleeping normally; he suffered from night terrors, sleep paralysis, and combined with his depression and anxiety, would have many dissociative moments in which he confused being asleep and being awake. Since seeing a doctor, he got on medication and has a pretty regulated sleeping routine in which he sleeps about 6 hours straight before waking up sluggishly and slowly. He will go to bed fairly early, usually before or by midnight though that can change depending on what is happening. Oliver more recently has been sleeping a lot more than usual and has been very tired. 17. Do they have cable, or do they rely mostly on Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services? Do they use Apple Music, Spotify, or illegal downloads? Oli and John have satellite television but they also watch a lot of Netflix, and John has all the streaming services because of his addiction to television. Oliver personally uses iTunes and Google Play. 18. What is their preferred weather? What would be a perfect weather day? Even though he's from England and used to the cold weather, Oliver loves hot, sunny days, which makes Phoenix amazing (and perfect) for him. He does miss the rain and the infamous London fog and the snow up north, but in general living in Phoenix has been excellent. The perfect day weather-wise would be a 70-80 F degree day, sunny, or otherwise 80-90 F day with rain. 19. Are they more of a snacker throughout the day, or they eat three meals and call it a day? Oliver still struggles with his eating disorder so John tries to make sure that he eats 3 meals a day. Oli sometimes skips meals accidentally because he doesn't respond to being hungry the way he should from conditioning himself not to. That being said, he does tend to snack a lot which skews his hunger as well. For Oliver, eating normally has never been a thing until he started seeing John, because John was the only one who ever cared and saw it as a problem. 20. Have they ever had an imaginary friend? Describe them. When he was younger, Oliver had an imaginary puppy (something tiny like him, a mess of fur in black and white) that he tied up with ribbon in his room and locked the door so he wouldn't get out, but locked himself out of his room. His mother had to call a handyman to take the knob off because she didn't have a screwdriver much less a power drill, something that changed right after that incident. 21. What were they a part of in high school/college, if they went? Were they a part of any clubs, did they play any sports? What clique would they have been considered a part of? Oliver barely made it through his secondary education because he was so fucked up on drugs at the time. If he were given a label/clique, he would be in the druggies, or the rich kids who paid their way through the prep school he went to. He took photography classes at a nearby university and got a basic degree in photography because it was the one interest he had when he came out of the haze of drugs. He never played sports in school. 22. Do they have a favorite restaurant? How often do they go to it, and what’s their usual order? How about takeout place? His favourite restaurant is an upscale restaurant in London that requires formal dress, serves 3-5 course meals, and needs a reservation weeks in advance. He tries to go twice a year but hasn't been in months mostly due to being busy and having moved to Phoenix. He orders with the only restrictions being his dietary needs and boundaries. For takeout, there is a good pasta place that serves actually decent gluten-free pasta near their house in Phoenix that Oliver absolutely loves. 23. How do they prefer to watch movies? In the theater, on a streaming site, from an owned DVD/digital download, rented from somewhere? Oliver will honestly watch movies however and from wherever. He tends to prefer watching from the comfort of his own home, but a trip to the cinema every now and again is quite refreshing. John tends to download or stream his television shows, but as for movies they will generally purchase them to watch, either from their television provider or via DVD. He doesn't need to rent movies simply because he has the money to buy them. 24. Do they watch any sports? What are they a fan of, and what teams do they root for? Do they watch the games/matches on TV or do they try to be there for some in person? Do they just catch the highlights on their phone later on? Oliver only cares about, hilariously enough, Phoenix baseball (go Diamondbacks). This has been influenced entirely by John. The only other sport he enjoys is tennis, but he doesn't have a particular player he follows or roots for. Oliver will watch the games with John when they're broadcasted, though they will try to make it to some of the games during the season. 25. What do they prefer to do in the summertime? Do they like going to the beach, do they prefer camping, staying in the city? Do they like to stay indoors and away from the heat? In the summer, Oliver loves to be outside. He absolutely adores the beach, but anything outdoors is excellent. He enjoys hiking and long walks in nature, and his favourite summer activity is swimming. Oliver has never really been camping properly, as his mother and stepfather generally rented a cabin or an RV when they made treks to the woods. Having never experienced a Phoenix summer, however, Oliver predicts that he'll be indoors for the most part because it will probably be too hot for him.