#but they are screened by default because I don't want to wake up to a flood of bots someday

[ach-sss-no]

Finally!

I don't have to ever watch a movie ever again!

(Negativity warning: I mentioned the other movies by comparison in this post, & I'm still mad at those movies. You know how sometimes your feelings on something change after watching it? Well, I'm only getting angrier. Hooray!)

[danieyells]

@mayoigotokurousagi also asked for Sho, so here are my favorite of Sho's voicelines! He's a lil more chill--most of the excitement for him is because Leo's causing him trouble, so maybe there won't be as many since it's just him? (Spoiler: i still put nearly all of them, or it feels that way. . . .)

Also sorry this one took way longer haha i had to do some irl stuff and i was pretty tired too lol. . .may not get to the next ones for a few days since i have to wake up early tomorrow and i work double shifts all weekend. But i'll try and find time for it.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Hey,  good timing. You got a second?" お、センパイ。いいとこに来たわ。ちょっと付き合ってくんね？



You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"You got a message. Gonna check it or what?" おい、なんか通知来てっけど。見なくていいのか？　それ



Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"Here you go, Bonnie. Barbecue sandwiches, your favorite." ほら、食えよボニー。お前の好きなＢＢＱサンドだぜ



"Huh? Was that your stomach? You hungry?" ……？　なんだよ。もしかしてあんた、腹減ってんの？



"Pit's on again? I'm done with that already. They're all normies—what's the point?" あ？　また地下で騒いでんのか？ 俺はもうやんねぇよ……パンピー相手にしても仕方ねぇだろ

the word he uses for 'normie' here means 'commoner' lmao

"Yeah I got it, you want to train. You go ahead, I'll catch up." はいはい、トレーニングっすよね。もうちょいしたら行くんで



"Did you just see a creep in a black mask over there? ...Nah, never mind. I'm hallucinating." ……今、あそこに黒マスクした胡散臭ぇやつ歩いてなかったか？ ……いや、なんでもねぇ。幻覚だわ

SO THIS LINE CONFUSED ME AT FIRST because it's always referred to as a blindfold by everyone else? HE'S TALKING ABOUT HYDE HYDE IS JUST STALKING HIM LMAO

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"Too early... What's Leo doing today? Guess I'll text him." ねっみ……玲音のやつ、今日はどうすんだ？ 一応Ｄチャしとくか……

if it's too early for you it's too early for Leo. But also I'm sure he's got something exciting or interesting planned. I like that we're immediately shown he wants to spend time with Leo even when he's tired haha

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Freakin' sasquatch... Would it kill him to approve an R&R permit every once in a while?" ったく、あのデカブツ……外出許可くらい出せっつの

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Class? What's the point? It's all written in the textbooks—all you gotta do is memorize it." 授業？　あんなん出なくても全部教科書に書いてんだからよ。そのまま覚えりゃいいだけだろ？

Doesn't go to class because he's smart enough to memorize the contents of the textbook I guess! Plus he doesn't care as much about Real Missions so knowing how to do the hard stuff doesn't matter to him haha. . .plus first years probably don't learn as much that's not in the textbook too.

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"All right, time to go for a spin. C'mon, Bonnie." うし、軽く流してくっか。行こうぜ、ボニー

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"(yawn) What time is it? Seriously? Damn, overslept." ふぁあ…… 今何時だ……？ マジかよ、寝すぎたわ

Neither he nor Leo sleep at night lmao

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Huh, haven't ridden a skateboard since middle school but I guess I still have the muscle memory. Watch this, I'm gonna do a trick." 中坊ぶりにスケボー乗ったけど、意外と体が覚えてんだな。 トリック決めてやるよ、見ててみ？

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Nice, got an order. More demand than I thought. Getting Leo to make this app was a good call." お、出前の予約が入ったわ……思ったより需要あってよ。 玲音に予約アプリ作らせたの正解だったな

Leo has a line that references this one!

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"What's Mido texting me for? come tot hr epuit... Pfft. What the hell is this, some kinda secret code?" あ？　御堂センパイからＤチャ？『血か二個い』って…… ぷっ……なんだこれ、暗号かよ

Ksvdhdisn Alan is adorable. . .i love technologically incompetent characters. Poor bby can't even text. . . . .

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Shit, my whole body's killing me... Sparring five sets of fifteen rounds, are you kidding me? Mido's insane..." クソ、筋肉痛がやべぇ…… 御堂センパイ、スパー１５ラウンド５セットとか正気じゃねぇよ……

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"What am I gonna do tomorrow... Got nothing on, guess I could go to class... That asshole's on the schedule. Pass." 明日どうすっかな……暇だし、たまには授業出とくか？ ……あいつのコマあるわ。やめとこ

Lmao 'i guess i could go to class--wait my brother's teaching one of them tomorrow? Fuck that then.'

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"All right, that's the morning prep done. Guess I'll shower and go back to bed." うし、朝の仕込みはこんなもんか。後は……シャワー浴びて二度寝だな

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"This? It's a fishing rod. Sometimes I catch and filet the fish myself. It's pretty easy, and it saves cash." あ？　これか？　釣り竿だよ。たまに自分で魚釣ってさばくわけ。 簡単だし、コスパ良いだろ？

Fishing with Sho. . .sounds nice and chill. Also did the pc not recognize a fuckin fishing rod. . . .

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"{PC}, there you are. I'm headed to the diner, could you come with and help me carry some stuff?" お、センパイ見っけた。俺、今からダイナー行くんだけどよ。ちょっと荷物持ち手伝ってくんね？

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"You think I look grumpy? The stream for the finals started at 3 AM, what do you want me to do about that? (yawn)" ……あ？　機嫌が悪ぃって？ しょうがねぇだろ……決勝の中継、夜中の３時開始だぜ？ ふぁあ……

Staying up late to watch a basketball game, much like Leo he does not go to bed until the sun's up ordinarily lmao

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Hey... Pfft. What are you panicking for? You need to be somewhere? Hop on—I'll give you a ride." お、センパイじゃん。ぷっ……なんだよその余裕ねぇ顔。 急いでんなら、乗っけてってやろうか？

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You hungry, {PC}? I made lunch, but Leo bailed on me, so I was just gonna eat it myself." センパイ、腹減ってねぇ？ 昼飯作ったんだけどよ。玲音のやつ来ねぇし、食っちまおうと思って

Sho: hey our boyfriend ditched me wanna have lunch with me

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Last year I would've been in a club around this time. Leo was always getting in fights though, so we got banned from almost every joint in Shibuya." 昔はこの時間、毎日クラブいてよ。玲音がすぐ喧嘩すっから、渋谷の箱ほとんど出禁になっちまったけどな

Menace boyfriend Leo lmao

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"{PC}, black or white? I'm trying to choose some packaging for the food truck, what'd you think I meant? ...I'll keep it in mind, anyway." センパイさ、白と黒どっちが好き？ ……出前の容器の話なんだけどな。ま、一応覚えといてやるよ

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Geez, it's pretty late. Wait there—I'll give you a ride back." もうこんな時間かよ…… 送ってくわ。そこで待ってろ

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Seriously, it's way too early for this... What? I'm going to class. You're the one who wouldn't shut up about it." はぁ……マジねみぃ…… あ？　今から授業行くんだよ。あんたが行けってうるせぇからだろ

Ordinarily doesn't go to class(a lot of them don't tbh, and Luca says the classes are elective so the ghouls probably don't have to) but will go if you want him to I guess! Leo's gonna call him whipped but Leo already knows he's whipped because he's the one who's been whipping him--

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I've finally got the hang of running this food truck. I want to thank you for helping me out—think of something you want." キッチンカー��大分慣れてきたわ。手伝ってもらった礼もしてぇし、何か欲しいもの、考えといて

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Huh? No, I don't really need any help today... You don't have to make excuses to hang out with me, you know. Just ask." 手伝い？　今日は特にねぇけど…… センパイ、俺と一緒にいたいって、素直に言えば？

"senpai, why don't you just tell me honestly if you wanna be with me?" Is the Japanese here I think and. idk i love that. He's catching on and teasing you a little.

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"What time you planning on heading home, {PC}? Anytime's fine for me. You can stay over if you want." センパイ、今日何時に帰る予定？俺は別に、何時でも…… なんなら、泊まってってもいいぜ？

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Can't sleep? Come over here—I'll warm you up. Pfft... I was kidding, don't get mad." なんだよ……寝れねぇのか？あっためてやるから、こっち来い。 ぷっ……冗談だって。怒んなよ

WERE YOU KIDDING THO. WERE YOU? KINDA HIGH AFFINITY TO JOKE LIKE THAT. AND YOU JUST SAID THEY COULD STAY OVER IF THEY WANTED. . .CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY SHOHEI

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"Here, this helmet's for you. I got some time today, so I'll take you somewhere. Anywhere you wanna go." はい、あんたのメット。今日は時間あっから、センパイの行きたいとこ連れてってやるよ

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"Forget it, I can't keep my eyes open. Wake me when it's noon." 駄目だ。ねみぃ。昼んなったら起こして

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Pretty warm out lately, huh? Bet it's already snorkeling season in Okinawa. I used to go pretty often." もう大分あったかくなってきたな。沖縄じゃ、シュノーケリングできる時期だぜ？　昔はよく行ってたわ

He plays basketball, he skateboards, he fishes, he snorkels, this bitch loves sports lol

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"This? It's chirashizushi. Cuts are pretty chic, right? The idea came to me when I was over in Hotarubi." これか？　ちらし寿司作ってんの、飾り切り渋ぃだろ。 ホタルビ行ったら、こんなイメージが湧いたからよ

Chirashizushi is sushi ingredients cut into small pieces and scattered over sushi rice! It comes in a lot of variation and isn't always made with raw fish like you might expect sushi to be.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"If I can get an R&R permit granted, I want to go for a solo ride. Haven't been for ages, and riding through the cherry blossoms this time of year feels awesome." 外出許可出たらよ、久々にひとりで走りてぇわ。この時期の桜坂辺り、最高に気持ちいんだよな……



Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Damn, I'm melting here... I need a haircut. Nah I don't need a barber, I just do it myself. 'Course I'm serious." クソ暑ぃ……そろそろ髪切んねぇとな…… 美容院？　めんどくせぇから自分で切ってっけど。マジだぜ？

Sho really knows a little about everything huh. He cuts his own hair, he memorizes textbooks, he plays every sport, he can cook. . .is there anything Sho can't do? In his character story he even says he played guitar for a little while but hasn't done it lately, so music is probably within his wheelhouse too.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Sweating my ass off over here... It's been like a year since I last played basketball. Mido's core's gotta be made of steel... Oh, is that water for me? Thanks." 暑ぃ！　バスケしたの１年ぶりか？御堂センパイ、体幹強すぎだろ…… お、水くれんの？　サンキュ

actually i'd like to see alan playing basketball too. . .it's nice to know he doesn't just work out by sparring and running, he'll play sports too.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Summer homework? Nah, haven't done it yet. Only takes a day, right? Pfft... You want me to help you?" 夏の課題？　まだやってねぇけど。あんなもん一日で終わるだろ？ ぷっ……センパイ手伝ってやろうか

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Leo won't shut up about wanting to let off fireworks, but no way am I doing that shit with him again. I'm sure you can guess why." 玲音が花火してぇってうるせぇんだけどよ、俺は二度とあいつとはやんねぇって決めてんの。わかんだろ？

wtf was Leo doing with the fireworks that Sho decided he's never settijng off fireworks with him again. . .was he just pointing them at him lmao. Leo also has a line referencing this!



Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Yesterday when I was fishing in the river I saw this guy who looked like one of the Frostheim ghouls out there. Can't have been though, right?" 昨日川釣り行ってきたんだけどよ、フロストハイムの奴に似てんのがいた気がすんだよな……人違いか？

which one. . .i mean if it was Luca he was probably training, but if it was Kaito. . .idk what Kaito would be doing out in the river by himself. . .I know it wasn't Jin but if it was Tohma maybe it was some official business. . .? Or, y'know, spy stuff. . . .

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Geez, don't pipe up outta the blue like that. ...What? You gotta a problem with me reading a book?" ビビった。いきなり声かけんなよ。 ……なんだよ、その顔。俺が本読んでちゃ悪ぃのか？　あ？

sho has been saying like this entire time 'yeah i read and memorize the textbooks instead of going to class' how is the pc so shocked to see him ACTUALLY READING. Then again, i also wouldn't think he's a hobby reader. . .on the other hand he's got like every hobby he can get his hands on, so it makes sense.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Pfft... Hey, {PC}. Come over here. Geez, what're you doing walking around with a leaf in your hair?" ぷっ……【名★前】センパイ、ちょっとこっち来い。 ったく、なんで髪に葉っぱ付けてんだよ……

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Scariest Ghost Videos to Fuel Your Nightmares... I asked a buddy for some good videos to kill the time, and he sent me this..." 『最恐の怨霊ビデオ集』…… ダチに暇つぶしになる動画教えろっつったら、これ送られてきたんだよ

it's hard to tell based on his expression how he feels about this lol

i wonder if he's not really into horror stuff or it makes him feel uneasy after the PC got attacked by Takeru?



Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"I get more delivery orders on cold days... It's a pain in the ass, but I guess I'll just wear an extra layer..." 寒ぃ日ってさ、出前の注文やたら増えんだよな…… めんどくせぇけど今日は１枚多めに着とくか……

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Damn, I really wanna go snowboarding. I used to go every year before I ended up here... Think they got a good slope in Frostheim?" マジでスノボ行きてぇ……ここ来る前は、毎年必ず行ってたのによぉ。 フロストハイムで滑れねぇの？

I bet they do I mean rich people would wanna go skiing now and then right? It's just a matter of would they let a vagastromer use them. . .then again what're they gonna do, stop him?

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Huh? I'm looking at a catalog. I could serve hot food if I had an electric pot. I'm thinking about it." ……あぁ？　カタログ見てんだよ。保温ジャーがありゃ、あったけぇメニュー出せんだろ？ 考え中

this makes it sound like his food isn't served hot lol to my understanding he does make everything in advance, not on the spot but i assume he means like. hot-hot. like soups for the winter kind of thing. he should do it! serve up some new england clam chowder.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I'm freezing my ass off... I just saw Mido walk past in a T-shirt. Are his nerve endings dead?" クソ寒ぃ……さっき御堂センパイ、Ｔシャツ１枚で出てったんだけど。自律神経狂ってんじゃねぇ？

Apparently I'm Alan lmao i too experience less cold than other people



His birthday: (August 19th)

"What, you're gonna celebrate my birthday? What do I want for a present? Hmm... I'll take you. Just kidding." へぇ、俺の誕生日祝ってくれんの？プレゼント…… じゃあさ、あんたのことくれよ。 なんてな

Y'KNOW I'M SURE THEY WOULDN'T MIND IF YOU WEREN'T KIDDING THO YOU ARE VERY POPULAR then again based on his valentine's day dialogue he knows that lol



Your birthday:

"Know what this is, {PC}? Yep—an R&R permit. Today's your birthday, right? So, where are we going?" センパイ、これ何だと思う？　そ、外出許可書。 今日、誕生日だろ？どこ行きたいか考えとけよ

I'm beginning to suspect that he heavily values freedom and being able to go where he wants and do what he wants. That includes taking you wherever you wanna go. Even at max affinity he has the same response--'we're going somewhere, anywhere you want.' At max affinity he doesn't mention an R&R permit--which suggests he doesn't care if you get in trouble going out, as long as you actually get to go out. One of the first things we see him talking about relating to Darkwick is asking Leo if he regrets going--I think Sho regrets it. He can't leave whenever he wants, even though he's one of the top students as far as grades, he's more restricted in what he's allowed to do and when. . .so I think these offers to drive you anywhere in total freedom are his ways of showing you what means the most to him. Just. . .being able to do whatever, whenever. I think that's also part of why he likes Leo so much. Leo doesn't let himself be restricted either. Leo gets into fights and into trouble and Sho complains about it but he understands the liberation. Sho wants to see that unrestricted you, I think. Even if it isn't anything extreme, even if it isn't anything exciting. He wants to see what you're like out of Darkwick's cage. So he'll take you on little joyrides into freedom. Show him where you go and what you do when no one's there to stop you.

New Years: (January 1st)

"What'd I wish for at midnight? For this year to be peaceful... Not that any gods are listening out for us." 新年の願い事ねぇ……今年こそ、平穏無事に過ごせますように…… って、神様叶える気ねぇだろな

Well when you've been chosen by demons. . .yeah, you're probably not on the good side of many gods.



Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Yeah, these are all the chocolates I got. No idea how I'm gonna get through them all... So? You didn't get me anything?" ああ、これ全部もらったチョコ。これ食いきんのきちぃんだよな…… で、センパイは俺にくれねぇの？

I'm surprised Leo's wasn't similar to this tbh. Like, Leo's an influencer, why didn't he mention getting a metric fuckton of valentine's day chocolate? I'm happy Sho's loved by the students tho haha.



White Day: (March 13th)

"Baking sweets and cooking are totally different. It's not really in my wheelhouse, but... here. My firsts. Thanks for the chocolates." 菓子作りと料理は別もんだからよ、普段はやんねぇんだけど…… はい。俺の初焼き菓子、お返しにどうぞ

THE FIRST TIME HE EVER BAKED AND IT'S FOR YOU what a sweetheart. considering how good he is at just about everything i'm sure they came out just fine



April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Hey, it's snowing outside. Wait, guess that's not so unlikely in this place... I used to get duped by that one all the time when I was a kid." おい、外、雪降ってんぞ？ って、この学園じゃ嘘になんねぇか。ガキの頃、これ何回やられたことか……

we found the one thing he's not good at! pulling pranks!

Halloween: (October 31st)

"You really need an explanation? Leo made me wear it! Shit, why am I always the girl..." ああ？　言わなくてもわかんだろ。玲音に着せられたんだっつの！ クソ、なんで毎年女装なんだよ……

Your boyfriend best friend makes you crossdress for him on Halloween on a yearly basis. . .and you do it!!!



Christmas: (December 25th)

"Sorry for making you help me prep all these roast chicken orders... Wanna do something Christmassy together once we're done?" センパイ、チキンの注文さばくの手伝わせて悪ぃ…… 今日の分片付いたら、俺らもクリスマス楽しもうぜ

Christmas is often considered a holiday spent with a lover in Japan to my understanding. . .what are you suggesting Sho. . . .



Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"What're you looking at?" あぁ？　見てんじゃねぇよ

little peek at the delinquent thug vibe lol

(13 affinity and above)

"C'mon. Hurry up, or I'm gonna leave you behind." センパイ、そろそろ行くぞ。早くしねぇと置いてっちまうぜ？

Always on the go, always doing something, he doesn't wanna leave you behind but he won't wait too long so. . .come back already?

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"What took you so long? Your food's cold. Go wash up." 遅ぇよ……あんたの飯、冷めちまっただろ。 さっさと手ぇ洗ってこい

Alright, mom.

I STILL FEEL LIKE I CHOSE A BUNCH THIS ONE IS ALSO ALL OF THEM NOW . . .Sho is pretty lowkey. But after rereading them all and giving it some thought, you can definitely get a feel for his character. He seems like he keeps busy a lot--he's always doing something. Cooking, playing sports, reading, memorizing his textbooks. . .he's confident and comfortable and sometimes he's a bit rough around the edges. And sometimes he's a little flirty too, if he likes you. But that's all part of how confident and self-assured he is--and he has plenty of reason to be when he's so smart and skilled at damn near everything he touches. He acts more like the senpai character here. He's a lot like Haku, except where Haku is a bit lazier and less motivated(although he still works hard) Sho is always on the go. Always up to something, always trying something. He likes to keep busy and doesn't like to sit still--to the point that he even considers going to class when he's got nothing to do during the day. He wakes up and has nothing to do? Let's call Leo, he's usually got something going on. He complains about Alan making him work out so much or go to the pit or play basketball real hard? He still goes and does it anyway. But it seems like he just. . .always wants to be busy. I can't really think of many points he just kinda had downtime. Yeah, he goes fishing and reads and watches basketball(?) but like. . .he's still occupied even then. Then again maybe that's because he's stuck in Darkwick. He'd rather be driving around somewhere or doing some sport but he can't do so much unless he can leave. . .he feels a little restless to me. But maybe that's just me haha.

[dipplinduo]

If there's anything you could change about your writing setup what would it be?

Probably not at ALL what you're expecting me to answer with but I'd want better air circulation and more humidity in my current room LOL. I have dry eye syndrome and it gets bad sometimes. Literally my biggest obstacle to writing if not my regular life schedule, which is often obstacle #2.

I already do a bunch of things to protect my eyes and I'd honestly advise anyone to do the same if they notice any issues with their own/these are just good things to do for your eyes in general, as needed:

- Sleep enough. No like really, try to get 8 - 8 1/2 hours as often as you can. Sleep is no joke.

- Adjust the night light on your screen so it filters out a good chunk of the blue light.

- Lower the brightness and use dark modes on literally everything. Get extensions for things that don't have them, especially if you're using them a lot (e.g. I use google docs for fic writing)

- Use a humidifier (in drier environments; this literally ensures that I don't wake up with reddened eyes)

- Use a warm compress on your eyes for 5 mins or so (emphasis on warm, not hot. Be verryyyyy careful not to burn yourself, the skin around your eyes is sensitive).

- Eye gellllllll & eyedrops omg. I'd be dead without them.

- Oh and since I decided to unsolicitedly run in this direction with the ask pls wear sunglasses and sunscreen!!! Even in the winter!!

All of the above is legit a godsent for me and it's been my default for everything since before fic writing because yes I do need all that maintenance for my sensitive lil blue orbs. And they still give me problems anyways. 🙄

The orb part was a joke btw

[maigo-san]

hi zig!! can i ask ❤️💭 and 💣 for the ask game? (((o(*°▽°*)o)))

hi leafie!!! Sorry for the late reply, I just got on my tumblr tonight since my touch screen is a bit of a mess lol

I've answered ❤️ and 💣 here, so I'm gonna repost the answers here, answer 💭 and one that I haven't answered which is ☀️!

❤️ - what are your favorite kind of RenTan stories? (Canon, Rengoku lives, modern… etc)

definitely, Rengoku Lives stories since it's just the default. It's so fun to fiddle with it. Maybe it's because of the time period or the fact that it's directly from gtg's ideas, it just hits harder. But I've been really liking stories where one or both of them are mystical beings, whether it's the konpon au, dragon tan, fox scholar kyou~ I can't choose, they're all so gooood

💣 - share your most controversial RenTan take. Set your thoughts ablaze!!

BHAHAHA WHYYYYY

Kyoujurou has a fat ass!

jk.

I honestly don't know~ maybe one of the reasons I'm die-hard for rntn out of all of my ships is because I tolerate most headcanon lmfao even the darkest or dead dovey... idk. I wrote and made some questionable stuff myself so usually, if there's an au or trope I can't get behind, it's just how the author/artist executes it and if I have the energy, I'll try it with my own version. I get to make something I like and rntn gets more content

Like for example, I think Kyoujurou is not as experienced as Tanjirou just because he's older. There's barely anything he accomplished romantically or sexually around those five years gap. He's as young and awkward as Tan. But I can see why people would think that. He's adored by so many people. But so was Tanjirou and I feel, if Tanjirou becomes a charcoal burner for a bit longer, it could be the other way around since Kyoujurou is a bit intimidating.

Hey, maybe he learned everything just from three volumes of shunga and erotic novels!

💭 - In a world where the train ride lasted longer, what do Rengoku and Tanjiro dream of?

this is a very interesting question tbh. To make the train longer, that means Nezuko had to get out of her box way later so she didn't knock Tanjirou's forehead and cried when it bled. As for Kyoujurou, his dream did last the longest out of all of them and I know it was for the kamabokos' screen time, but I still love to speculate on what takes him so long to wake up.

I like the idea of Tanjirou noticing the uncanniness of the dream. Maybe Nezuko finally came down from picking veggies and he asked things like, "where are your nozzles?" or wondered why Nezuko's eyes looked weird (since he got used to her demon eyes). I imagine he had to live till the next day and had to go down to sell charcoal and heard whispers of villagers about a missing person and started sniffing the air for a trace of something he didn't know but he had a bad feeling about. I wanted to see him realize that he had been living with demons all his life and that slow and damning realization is enough to wake him up.

But as for Kyoujurou, I like to think that he succumbs further and deeper into his dream instead. And I feel he'll just dream about waiting.

Like somehow time stretches and no crow called him for a mission until the sky turns dark and he had to eat dinner with his family which is just filled with silence and awkwardness with Kyoujurou occasionally trying to strike up a conversation with Senjurou about school or something. His father don't usually eat with them but maybe in that particular day, Shinjurou got out of his room to join them and when Kyoujurou tried to strike up a conversation, which sadly only revolves around demon slaying, it pissed Shinjurou off and he went on ranting about Kyoujurou taking this too seriously or wondering why Kyoujurou didn't have anything else to talk about.

Someone told me Kyoujurou is the only one who has a shitty dream lol and I get it but it's more like it purposely mimics his real life not only because Enmnu won't blow his cover but aEnmu's blood demon art probably also deems it the life he "wanted". Like, to Kyoujurou it's impossible to accept a different reality. It'll be too uncanny for him and he'll wake up sooner.

But then, I'm gonna twist canon a bit, during the last scene of Mugen Train he said he remembered to tell Tanjirou to visit his family home. So as the dream continues, he started to daydream. How he wished he had a tsuguko. He wished in his bleak world, he met someone new that could maybe give a bit of color. He's grateful for his family but he said so himself, he's constantly worried about Senjurou and that he had it worse than Kyou, he really felt the family fell apart after Ruka died, and he never smiled whenever talking to Shinjurou.

Somehow he saw flashes of checkered haori like when Tan saw flashes of Nezuko's box. After dinner, he chased after that mysterious back around the very quiet and maze-like neighborhood and he still didn't see it coming. Like he still didn't realize he was under BDA attack. Cuz I think, in Enmu's logic, Tanjirou could be the "dream that he wanted". Like, maybe at first it seemed he wanted life to be the way it is, but apparently, he also has his own desire which is to meet someone new.

He might not remember Tanjirou's name or face but he had this strong feeling when he saw dream-Tanjirou and it pushes him further and further away from reality.

Maybe by the time he catches Tanjirou's shadow, the whole world crumbles because the girl finally pierced his spiritual core OR when he catches Tanjirou's shadow, he could hear Tanjirou's voice around him but not from dream Tanjirou, but from real Tanjirou who was trying to wake him up, screaming his name.

☀️ - How did you watch Mugen train for the first time? (In theaters, at home…)

Watched it at home on some illegal streaming site (I haven't installed netflix at that time yet), I don't remember much but I think I watched Mugen Train first before finishing season 1 LMAO like I literally didn't know Tanjirou that well but I respect him for the down-badness.

Anyway, that's all! Thank you for the ask, leafie!!

[simmonsized]

Aww, is princess Beatrice always so angy looking? Also the truly sacrilegious question, which cat do you dislike the most or annoys you the most at least

yes, tragically she always looks like that it is her default expression

ALSO i don't dislike any of them, though any cat owner will tell you (and you may well know yourself) the answer to which of them annoys me the most is ALL of them at various points for various reasons LOL

Currently Murphy and Thurston tie for Most Annoying

due to Thurston being 7 months old and going through his terrible toddler stage where he just does everything to see what will get a reaction, including but not limited to climbing up the screen 100 times a day, screaming for food at 4:30 in the morning, and jumping up onto the counters when he is not allowed up there (for safety reasons, not because we don't love him, no matter what he thinks)

Murphy is the Most Annoying because he wants to be on your face while you're sleeping, and this would be fine except he specifically wants to KNEAD your FACE with his CLAWS OUT, and if you lay on your back he will full on stick his entire nose up YOUR nose and try to lick and it's gross. He also wakes us up in the middle of the night just so he can cuddle which is extremely uncool because he can just lay down anywhere on the bed but he wants to knead your face so. you know.

Anyway they all suck but I still love them.

[scribbleagain]

2/22/24

It is nearing the end of the work week of my latest attempt at consistency. This is my first journal to commend an attempt to change for the better. I bought a planner. the word "planner" seems strange and old. I can feel the sweater vest, smell the steam coming from a hot iron, and hear the crisp creases on a button down on it. an agenda book. that's what it is. like the good old days with the holographic covers that bobbed and weaved when you would tilt it to and fro. Anyway I love it. I like taking a pencil and scratching off every item. (I will soon do so again after finishing this newest addition to my agenda book). I haven't journaled in years. I don't know when I last did so in a serious way. It'll probably be better today because of the time that has passed since my last one.

or maybe worse.

the phone could have kept an agenda. I've actually done it before. but crossing something off with my pencil is a different feeling of accomplishment than tip tapping away on a screen. it's not the simple action. the phone is conflated. I do too many other things on it. Life used to be more sectioned off. one thing - one responsibility. I think when the phone started doing one more thing it was the beginning of the end. colors on my screen. it would blink from the default green to an orange and a red and a blue and whatever other colors. why. why did it need to take another step forward. because after that and texting with a full keyboard. and then taking pictures. we all fell apart in some way didn't we? people i mean. I think I did. it was all just too much happening in the palm of your hand. that eventually you couldn't remember anymore what it is you really wanted to do in the first place.

but this agenda book. silly little book. only has one job. to remember what i said i needed to do. and to do it and it rewards me the satisfaction of crossing it out. like homework in gradeschool.

I wake up in the morning, groggy as all hell but at a particular time now. because I wrote down that i said I would. and dare i let my day start by being unable to cross out an item on my agenda! the horror, what would that mean for the rest of my day. It let's me take my dog for a walk. do a few arm curls and shoulder presses. such a silly simple thing. writing and crossing things out.

I was watching a show "this is us" for the first time these past few weeks. ah it started in a really uncomfortable place for me for some reason. I figured out it was because I wasn't watching this show to relax or have fun. I was watching it to get mentorship. as soon as i came to terms with that the discomfort faded.

I was watching my role models in these fictional characters. living in ways that I wanted to live. but never saw before.

no one's perfect. but i think most of us try to be our best. but sometimes we need to have role models show us how.

I guess I never had that. and I guess it's a weird and new feeling to finally learn.

If I'm a dad one day, I want to be a good dad. I know I won't be perfect. Same with being a husband. a friend. a brother. but i'll try and it's good to have some ideas and examples of what that looks like.

I've also started reading godel escher bach. What a fun and challenging read. but even before talking about the book. What a discipline it is to sit down and read a book every day. to be present for each word. and to allow yourself to be taken down a path in your mind. for me a skill that is regrettably quite rusty. So far the book is pushing my understanding of what it means to think. and how that pertains to ai. I have some ideas that have spawned from shower thoughts and transformed to full on mini essays. It feels like passion. and it makes me feel fortunate to be alive in such an exciting time in history such as this.

I've started to teach coding to a small group of people for free. I don't really think I know why I started this. Maybe a mix between loneliness and looking for purpose. But it's going well some people are taking it quite seriously and learning. People relying on me, in small quantities, always brings out the best in me. And along the way I've learned a lot about myself as well.

I'm excited to approach some of my biggest weaknesses. accept some. and work on others. I've learned that I'm not necessarily a person you want to hang out with every week. I'm a little cynical, a little off putting, a bad drunk. these believe or not are things i'm just accepting about myself (though the drinking will be done less frequently, though probably with vengeful vigor). And then there's speaking. the way I talk, the cadence, the pace, the pauses, the way i talk over people or explain too much, my lack of brevity or pithiness. and that is something I want to work on. To listen to others more, to think more and use fewer words. To learn not to come on too strong. but still show excitement and joy. I think I'm ready for that to be the new me.

which reminds me.

off to my next item. "find youtube speech lessons"

the last agenda item after the "journal" I am finishing now.

[urfavmercurial444]

Technology's Role in Self-Growth Pt.1

That's the goal for this post: Change the way you interact with technology to gain more positivity and mindfulness in your life!

My most prominent sources of technology is my computer, my tv, and my iPhone. Though I am grateful for these devices, I am still prone to overindulgence and need to step back from screens. I'll be writing this article surrounding these devices.

Phone:

We carry our phones with us 24/7. They go to school with us, to work, to the toilet, and even to bed. Everywhere, all the time. So why wouldn't they reflect our goals and aspirations? These little mini-minds carry our deepest secrets (texts and notes app), our entire social world (every communication platform, like, ever), and has the ability to keep us on track with our lives (timers, calendars, reminder apps.). And we pay dang good money for them, too. So why shouldn't we make the most out of them? It's time we use our phones to their fullest potentials, and here's how you can do that:

Limit your screen time - you won't experience life if you're always looking down at a screen.

Delete the photos of your old ex that you can't get over/Give your phone a makeover - Stop holding onto the past before it strips you completely of your future.

Delete your social media apps - minimize the reasons you have to go on your phone.

Apple Calendar is a great way to organize your life! You can customize your calendar: what day your week starts with, the number of days in a week, which calendar is your default (you can have multiple calendars), and you can even change the colors of your calendars.

Reminders is an app I hold near and dear to my heart. I've used it for everything, from vitamins to school payment alerts. I like to categorize the reminders based on 'personal' and 'school' usage.

Clock app is pretty self-explanatory. I like to use the focus setting on my phone with this app to help me wake up in a peaceful manner! The alarm I have is so calming and brings me to consciousness in a gentle, and less shocking way than the typical alarm sound.

Organize your apps into groups of related topics - school, finance, health, etc.

Remove your social media apps or anything else that's distracting from your home-screen. There's a way to put it in your app storage, so you can still use it and reach the app easily but without it being in a quick to reach area.

Organize your apps into groups labeled with affirmations! So social media platforms would be "I am connected" and school would be "I am educated," etc.

Clear out all the tabs in your browser. Keep this area of your phone clean as it can take room out of storage and make you feel more cluttered/overwhelmed.

Only keep the necessary apps on your phone - or on your home-screen. Apps that keep you functional, not entertained.

Follow the same creators on every app and keep your following count down. This will clear up your feed and prevent you from being overloaded with information.

Wattpad, Books, Audible, Goodreads, and Scribd - All of these are different apps for reading books, except for Goodreads which is a book review platform! Find one that works for you (Books on iPhones are free if you use Anna's Archive.com) and get to reading! Check out my recommend reads!

Headway - Book summaries! For us busy gals who still want to get a daily lesson in.

Shit You Should Care About Newsletter - This is a newsletter you can get in your email daily by signing up on their Instagram (under the same name), or you can follow their Tiktok. I recommend email because it will ease you into your use of email!

TED - This is the app for Ted Talks! I recently discovered it and I am so motivated to listen to them all!

Vision-board Wallpaper - Having a vision board can be really inspiring and motivating because it's a constant visual reminder that's in-your-face so you can't ignore it. I'd recommend making it yourself, however you don't have to. Pinterest, Canva, Shuffles by Pinterest, and Picsart are great platforms to create this on!

Affirmation Wallpaper - I'd recommend this for your home-screen and the vision-board for your lock screen! You can create this the same way as the vision-board wallpaper.

Morning Meditation Alarms - Growing as a person and becoming more successful both require you to be grounded and mindful of your life. The best way to accomplish this? Meditation. To start this habit, you should make your morning alarm a meditation recording!

[totori9]

Electronics Intermittent Fasting

Y'all know what intermittent fasting is. You set a time block for when you eat, when you're not in that time block you fast.

Try the same thing with electronics!!!

What to do?

The technique:

Allot an 8 hour time slot during which you're allowed to use electronics.

Also:

1) Work is not excluded. If you work 8 hours a day on a screen, you'll either have to set your time block for those eight hours or use the screen less.

2) Electronics like a kettle, the oven, lamps,... are obviously always allowed.

3) Adapt to your needs. You'll likely still want to use messenger apps or music (in the background, e.g. while reading a book -> what matters is spending time on the screen directly).

That was all you need to know! For whatever reason, you can skip the example and jump straight to the conclusion.

Example

We use ipads in school, i. e. I need to use electronics by default. I can't use paper instead because that's very impractical!

So my time slot is from 8 am to 4 pm. Technically, school starts at 7:40 but for simplicity's sake I use 8. Most days, I'm not even home by 4 pm. Which means that I have zero phone/gaming time left!

I don't want that!! So what'd I do? First, let's look at my experience after roughly 3 weeks:

Checked on my phone games in school. Because I don't have much time and would rather socialize than spend time on my phone, I very quickly do what I need to do and then stop.

Stopped opening apps for no reason.

Downloaded interesting videos/articles to watch during commute.

Soooo bored!!!

Soooo much time!!!

Because of the above, I started picking up hobbies. When you're bored, you just have to do something. I read, drew, meditated, cleaned, baked, gardened, walked, jogged, worked out, thought, studied, ...

When I did get to spend time on my phone, which was like once a weekday and on the weekend, I somehow didn't want to. Even though I could've binged 8 hours straight, I spend majority of that time productively. Learned something, watched a documentary, or, when playing games, played with more awareness - no doing things just for the instant gratification, I actually thought about what I wanted to do and did just that. I didn't waste my time, I used it. Stopping also became easier.

One thing I allowed myself was one (1) YouTube video a day after having completed all tasks. BUT with a catch! I could only choose from my Watch Later (which is mostly really educational vids) and I had one minute to choose. Didn't even do this every day!

I want to say at this point: It was HARD. But I pulled through. I am so so so proud of myself!!!!! Before, I was on my phone literally the entire day, not kidding, every waking moment. Had to give my phone and laptop to my parents and hid the TV remote.

I was just super determined. I know exactly what I want in life, and I'm gonna get it, even through all my tears and fears and anxiety and problems. The thought of having had the chance of living my dream life and having thrown it away because of a stupid fucking fear scares me more than anything. I've been addicted before, I know that it's hard, and it's okay to fail. You just have to get back up and keep improving ever so slightly, always keeping in mind that you can and will get better.

Sheesh, 'twas heavy!

What would've definitely helped would've been a routine and set hobbies. BUT I'm still working on implementing those, so yeah, too bad I guess!

Conclusion

(Probable) Pros

More time

More mindful

More productive

More disciplined

Probably also happier

Cons

Less flexible in your usage (Not less flexible with emails/text messages)

Bored (Not really a con)

Thank you so much for reading!!! Bless you!!! Hope this helped, please try it out - what are your thoughts?

[danieyells]

hai again :3 idk if youve already done him but can you do tohmas voicelines? he is sooo interesting i, once again, want to study him

Tohma is one of the I think two characters I haven't been asked to do yet!! I think he wouldn't appreciate you studying him either, anon, but I think he'd be willing to let you studying him becuase he didn't think you could actually succeed. . .but if you did, he'd have other uses for you lol

ANYWAY VOICELINES his are. Pretty expected in their nature lol he's like ritsu in that you will never see this man sweat.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Well, hello there—I've been expecting you. May I ask for your assistance with something?"

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Seems you have some mail. There could be some helpful information in there."

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"What do you mean? I lend a sympathetic ear to those in need—that's all."

"Honestly. This academy has far more than its fair share of loose cannons, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm no more than a servant. Frostheim is ruled by a king, you see."

"I hope you'll join us for a party some time."

"No need to be nervous. I've nothing but the noblest of intentions."

normal people don't need to say things like this. you see why i feel like it's too obvious that he's shady! he comes out the gate with this shit!

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"An orderly life and a well-managed schedule are the key to keeping one's self fit and healthy."

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"How delightful... It seems our king's peaceful slumber has yet to be disturbed."

look at how annoyed he looks lmao He'd love to slam Jin's door open and yell WAKE THE FUCK UP BITCH

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Is that everything? I'm afraid there are several matters I must attend to."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Please excuse me. There's a small matter I must attend to. No, it's nothing serious. Of course I'm being honest—whatever do you mean?"

yeah your affinity is too low for me to think you're honest. LET US IN.

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Look at you, you're trembling. You must have had quite a frightening encounter. You poor thing."

considering what time this can happen maybe some anomaly was lurking in the darkness and scared you?

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Providing this level of assistance goes without saying. Only once you can do so without instruction can you call yourself qualified."

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"So this is where you've been idling your time away. Our captain is waiting for you."

stop trying to hide you are a servant and your king demands your services.

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Honestly. If he'd just take action, everything would be resolved instantaneously."

(In case there's any doubt, "he" is specifically referring to Jin--in Japanese he says "Dorm Leader". I wonder if this relates to the spy situation or the Institute. . .or something else entirely--)

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"This conversation never happened. Understand?"

Either he needs someone to believe he wasn't here or he told you something ~Secret~

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"An appropriate amount of sleep is essential to maintaining your physical and mental health, you know."

he's very worried about your health. . .as has been pointed out, perhaps because his own isn't stable. . . .

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"Honestly. The second years have been making quite the racket this morning."

KAITO AND LUCA ARE HAVING FUN LET THEM HAVE FUN

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I tend to eat lightly at lunch time. Would you like some? Don't worry—I assure you, it's not poisoned."

WHO SAYS THAT IF IT ISN'T POISONED. IT'S YOUR FOOD WE KNOW YOU WEREN'T POISONING YOURSELF. . .PROBABLY. . .COULD BE MICRODOSING POISON TO YOURSELF FOR IMMUNITY REASONS.

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Seems you've become involved in a difficult situation. How do I know? I just happened to overhear, that's all."

WHICH DIFFICULT SITUATION. THERE ARE SEVERAL. IT FEELS LIKE THERE ARE MORE EVERY DAY.

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"It appears we're in for another full day."

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Good morning. Would you like to start the day with a cup of tea?"

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"How about a game of chess to aid with digestion? I'm a patient teacher. I can show you how to win—against opponents other than myself, of course."

how would that help with. . .don't you usually have to exercise for. . .well I'm glad he's a patient teacher even if he won't teach you to beat him lol good strategy, make you a powerful ally.

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Good health is the greatest treasure. You shouldn't push yourself too hard. Good night—I'll finish up here."

He wants you to take care of yourself. . .so he'll do the hard work when it's time for you to rest. He wouldn't want something bad to happen to you because you were unwell.

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I always achieve my goals—using any means necessary. That goes without saying, don't you think?"

why restrict your means if you truly wish to fulfill your goal? Others use you for their means, so why not do the same yourself? If your ends are truly good perhaps the means aught not to matter so much.

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Please don't overexert yourself. There are many people here who need you."

that may sound like a reason to overexert yourself, but if you overdo it you won't be able to help anybody. You have to help yourself if you want to help anybody else. There's no shame in that.

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Take care not to overdo it today. You may insist you're fine—perhaps you even believe it—but I can tell at a glance that you're fatigued."

he's worried about you. Maybe it doesn't sound that way, but he wants to make sure you're well. He can tell you're wearing down before you can. He has an eye for others, that's all. Also maybe it's just me but he mentions health and wellness so much I can't help but wonder if he's had some sort of health problem in the past, or maybe Jin or someone else he knows and cares for. Also, hilarious that speaks to highly of caring for one's health when he smokes.

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Inexperience is not a crime. The important thing is choosing not to remain ignorant when you don't know something."

knowledge is in fact power

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Errant and Fuji lack polish, but they've got potential. They're sincere, and that's what counts."

he really looks at them and says "those're my boys. my loud annoying sons."

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Welcome to high society. That outfit suits you well. With that poise, you'll have no trouble fitting in here."

he dressed you up and brought you to a party because he likes and trusts you and wants to be seen with you. . .get used to the high life, he'd like to keep you in it as long as possible.

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Forgetting about everything I've got to do and be, just for a night every once in a while... It's not a bad feeling."

no titles, no images, no fronts, and no lies. no manipulation. no doing somebody else's job--no doing any job. Just. . .time for himself. And, presumably, someone he loves very much. I think he's earned that kind of break. Does this sound like you're about to fuck to anybody else--

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"In times of difficulty, I hope you'll turn to those around you for help. I will be there to keep you safe."

Don't be like him and take so much upon yourself. . .rely on others. Ask for help! Find your people. Support each other. Don't try and go at it alone. It's okay to be united with your community. He is one of your people too, of course. Rely on him and he will keep you from harm. He's quite sweet, isn't he?

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"That was quite the yawn. No need to apologize. Who wouldn't want to take a nap in this pleasant spring weather?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I once heard a poem that went, "In spring, one sleeps a sleep that knows no dawn." I'm sorry to inform you dawn must come eventually, Captain."

translation: 'WAKE THE FUCK UP JIN. IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY BITCH.'

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"With every advent of spring comes a wealth of gleaming new foliage and a pleasant breeze. I still find it moving each year."

reminds me of that if you ask Tohma what his hobbies are in his character story chat he says he likes being out in nature and taking walks. . .which also reminds me that Alan likes camping. I bet they used to go camping together all the time.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"The blossoms of spring fall so quickly. Though beautiful, there is something almost brutal in their brevity."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Ha ha. My apologies. Your face is so flushed I couldn't help myself."

'lol you're so sweaty you look like a wet rat'

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Sweltering days like this make me sincerely grateful to be in Frostheim."

i wonder how hot it was in the vagastrom garage in the summer. probably sucked ass in there. and smelt like big sweaty dudes.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Would you care to enjoy the evening cool here with me?"

(between 8pm and 5am)

"If the heat becomes to much for you, please feel free to come visit us in Frostheim any time."

inviting them to frostheim late at night? how scandalous. . . .

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Pleasant days like this make me want to go on a trip somewhere far away."

i mean if anyone could get away with it it's definitely you. darkwick trusts you enough.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Tea enjoyed while appreciating the colors of the fall leaves has a unique charm."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"The early dusks in the fall can take one by surprise. Be sure to stay alert when walking in the dark."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"There is nothing better than a book to while away the long fall nights. My eyes are rather tired though... Perhaps some exercise will be a good change of pace."

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"I thought Frostheim had gotten me used to cold weather, but I suppose this is what they mean when they say "chilled to the bone.""

my god he's admitting weakness. someone call the papers.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Even the cold weather doesn't seem to deter the second years from gallivanting about... Rather charming, isn't it? In the way barnyard animals are."

my noisy sons who play in the snow like puppies

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'll take my leave earlier this evening. The nights are getting colder, after all. And there's a small matter I'd like to look into."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Haven't you had your fill of winter scenery after frequenting Frostheim? Ha ha. You truly are a strange one."

His birthday: (May 31st)

"Thank you for putting together such a wonderful celebration for me. Oh? You've even gotten me a gift..."

Your birthday:

"Happy birthday. Perhaps it was a little presumptuous of me, but I've prepared a gift for you... Come now. There's no need to be so formal."

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year, {PC}. I expect you will help bring Frostheim to even greater heights this year."

why? are they being promoted to fuckin captain of frostheim or something now? tf?

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Oh my, is this for me? How kind of you. I very much look forward to finding out what's inside."

White Day: (March 13th)

"I ordered you these sweets from a famous confectionery in Asakusa. Hopefully they suit your tastes."

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"What I wouldn't give to knock that bastard Jin's head off... Oh come now, what's that face? I'm joking, of course."

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Trick or treat. Oh? So you prefer tricks... Interesting."

what do you think he's dressed as? Oh no you didn't have any treats for him. . .be worried about what's coming i guess

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Merry Christmas. We'll be holding a party in Frostheim later. Would you care to join us?"

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Ignoring me, are you? You've certainly got guts."

(13 affinity and above)

"If something is concerning you, perhaps I could lend an ear. There may be something I can do to help."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"I've no interest in hearing your excuses. I suppose I'll need to be stricter with you going forward—I hope you've come prepared."

much like Jin. . .he believes you'll need to be retrained. Bad servant. Time to be reminded of your place.

IT FEELS LIKE HIS ARE VERY LOW KEY. He's secretive about his interests and so very busy as Jin's servant, it feels like they don't share much about him. . .hopefully we'll get more study opportunities, anon. I wonder if this makes his intentions seem more or less clear/honest for some? It could really go either way lol. WHAT REALLY GETS ME IS THE "just one night to not have to think about who i am and what i have to do is nice" ONE TBH. . .like he really works so hard trying to play every side for the outcome he wants. he works so hard keeping frostheim in order. no real hints to what his goals are, just that he acknowledges that he will do whatever it takes to reach them. Makes you wonder, but we probably won't learn anything for a long while haha

[sadowlswriting]

I remember when I was younger, the most asked question that I was asked was: what do you imagine your future to be?

I had two default answers that I would use which were: "I don't know" or "I don't really think about the future that much".

Back then I had no idea what I wanted my future to look like, somehow I had lost the idea that there would be a future that I would still exist in.

Even now I still use the previous answers to respond to that question because my ideal future is strange to other people and I can understand why.

What do you imagine your future to look like?

I imagine coming home from work to a lonely house, the only notifications on my phone screen are marketing emails I was to lazy to unsubcribe from that I signed up to about 10 years ago, opening the fridge and eating leftovers from yesterday's dinner or takeaway, then putting the empty dishes next to the pile of the already overflowing sink, getting into bed and staying up longer than I should, only to wake up in the morning and regret it while eating breakfast and still regretting it while locking the door.

I fear to tell people what I think of my future to be, only because I know they'll say "that sounds sad." or " that sounds boring, don't you want to do something fun? Something to look forward to?".

The idea of only having to worrying about the dishes that have become an imitation of the leaning tower of pisa, and when I'll have the time to cook food for the next day or whether or not I locked the door on my way out, is soothing.

Yes I know it's sad, I know it's boring and yes it may be lonely but it's peaceful.

..Comfortable.

......So, what do you imagine your future to be?

-Owl.

[whyarewecalledtheshipname]

a messy sora ramble that isnt as focused as i wanted it to be. brought on by seeing one of my old kairi posts, (but also i read a post about this too somewhere, i hope i remember sorry):

Sora is definitely facing the same problem as kairi. His stagnancy is just written/done much better, or in a more interesting way, than kairi's.

​as in— he technically doesn't 'grow'. he always loses his power and starts at base level. The best counter example or whatever we have to this trend is riku. Riku from ddd to kh3, retained his power. Remained strong. Was not explicitly stated to have lost his power or strength. And we know why. Because he's always been focused on gaining strength to protect what matters, and now he knows it's sora. And it pushes him to work through his struggles with darkness, which helps him grow.

Sora keeps avoiding dealing with his trauma and internal struggles. And so he doesn't actually grow. And bc this is a game, it's best represented by sora starting every game back at square one.

Not to mention, he is explicitly stated to be actually losing his power every time. It's not just a game-playability thing, or a power-creep thing. In game, sora starts all over every time bc of some shortcoming or other in his prior actions, behavior, or character.

Kh2, for example. Sora starts all over even after aging a whole year bc he chose to forget all the bs from castle oblivion, instead of working through them as well as his resulting trauma. "Make me like i was." It could not be more blatant.

Riku actively chose to remember all his struggles in castle oblivion, instead of forgetting them. Throughout the 358 days, he is working and fighting to wake sora up. And the results of his growth are plain to see in the kh2 ending.

Now sora is left constantly susceptible to darkness, both from external forces as well as his own, bc he constantly refuses to /deal/ with it. You get shit like ddd, where he falls to darkness from the get go, and you get riku, who again, fights to protect sora, pushes through the darkness with all his previous experiences with it. Uses that experience, and comes out stronger, and grows.

I wrote a kairi ramble a million years ago about how her story isn't interesting on paper, and that thats why she seems and basically /is/ a lackluster character.

But sora is living practically the same story, but like i also said in that kairi post:

"Trauma doesn’t always have to be packaged as some action-packed superhero story that’s fun to consume."

But for sora, it is. Just, by default bc hes the mc of a game series, ig, or a more "sophisticated" reason that my monkey brain isn't processing rn lol.

But it's like /because/ sora goes on adventures on screen, it means he's moving forward on his journey of personal growth. And like. Thats not the case at all.

And it took me five ever to begin to process this. I love sora for who he is and what he brings to the kh world. Actually. You can have heavy scenes and darker, more depressing concepts, but sora comes in and you actually feel lighter. Like you can breathe more easily. Legit, for me at least. And again! I didn't even appreciate that about him until recently, i don't remember what scene(s) caused this tho.

But esp as a basic riku bitch, i used to feel a bit indifferent towards sora's character. Like "he's another happy-go-lucky mc. lowkey boring". But! When i started seeing people explain this, that sora's character is like an embodiment of repressed trauma, i was like oh! I see! That's /amazing/, actually. (And that made soriku feel more uh "deep" lol, bc it's not surface level light/dark, but actually rooted in their character and journey)

But the reason im rambling about it now, much more messily than other people have talked about this, is bc i came across my old kairi posts and was like "oh i was wrong. It's not just her."

i think sora is luckier in that, he trusts so much in his heart, and in his connections to others. he trusts his heart to guide him through struggle, even when he doesn't understand it, or chooses not to.

(the words at the beginning of kh3, that are sora's mindset at the end of that game, reflect that same trend i feel like. Sora is due for some introspection in kh4, hopefully, but even now, dead, he's still relying solely on his heart to guide him. Which isn't inherently bad, but the trouble comes when he depends on his heart alone to do that, when it'll take more than that to light his way through his darkness)

[palidoozy-art]

@interstellardragon

haha there's still some stuff left to resolve with Kasimir in our group. Patrina is actually roaming free (she is actually the one who tattled, resulting in the rakshasa that's currently hunting the group down) and one of Kasimir's flaws in our group is that he refuses to do anything about her, even when it's clear she's in the wrong.

More Kasimir/Rahadin rambling below cut.

He is so burdened by his own guilt in the involvement of her death that he can't say no to her, even when it's clear that she does not give a shit and means harm. He will make up every excuse in the book for her. Part of his arc, if the players choose to pursue it, will be slowly overcoming his guilt and realizing the abuse he faced from her (more on that here).

I actually like the idea that he and Rahadin are exes tbh. In our game I actually floated the idea to my players of Barov and Rahadin having been nebulously involved. My players rejected this because they felt like Barov doting over Rahadin as a beloved son with no other problematic ulterior motives* was actually a weird good spot in a monstrous character, and they wanted to keep that intact.

As Kasimir and Rahadin's relationship stands currently: it is tenuous. Kasimir was the deciding vote in the choice between the group choosing to execute Rahadin after his capture. The party felt it best to leave to the leader of the dusk elves, and Kasimir made a vow to end what he views as the cycle of violence his people keep living through (Kings torture Rahadin -> Rahadin betrays dusk elves to Barov -> Dusk elves stone Patrina for smoochin' Barov's son -> Barov's son orders a genocide that Rahadin assists him with, and mutilates the instigator).

HOWEVER, it is hard to forgive someone for taking part in that. Even for Kasimir. It is a test of patience to be able to wake up every day and watch the man who stared you in the eyes as he mutilated you find happiness while you still feel broken, even if it is morally a "good" thing to do. I don't think there's a world in which Kasimir will ever fully forgive Rahadin, and I don't think any of the players will ever ask him to.

On Rahadin's end -- Kasimir confuses him. Rahadin's entire worldview is built around the premise that everyone in the world, especially dusk elves, are monsters that will be cruel to you by default. And in spite of Kasimir and the party being given every opportunity to do so, they haven't. Kasimir made a choice to spare him in spite of being justified in killing him. Ireena gave him food in spite of being justified in giving him nothing. And the party returned two of his most precious belongings, in spite of being fully justified in burning them. He is at the point where he is willing to admit that Kasimir did not deserve what happened to him. He is still convinced that his actions against the dusk elves was just him enacting "justice," rather than calling it what it is. I don't know whether or not that's something the party is going to confront him on, or Ireena will do it off-screen/in a comic, but in order to grow as a character I think he will eventually have to address it.

*Note: To be completely clear by 'problematic ulterior motives' I mean the quasi-incest, the power imbalance, and the manipulation, not the fact that they'd be two dudes.

[rwood2477]

By Jeff Foxworthy:

If plastic water bottles are okay, but plastic bags are banned, — you might live in a nation (state) that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for entering and remaining in the country illegally — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you have to get your parents' permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who runs the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If, in the nation's largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If an 80-year-old woman who is confined to a wheelchair or a three-year-old girl can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is "cute" but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation and intrusion while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more "safe" according to the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

THINK BEFORE YOU VOTE IN ALL UPCOMING ELECTIONS. MOST OF THE IDIOTS RUNNING THIS COUNTRY SAY ONE THING AND DO THE OPPOSITE KNOWING THAT THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED THEM IN DO NOT PAY ATTENTION

LET'S SEE IF I GOT THIS RIGHT!!!

IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER

ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR.

IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER

ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY.

IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER

ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.

IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER

ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED.

IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER

ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.

IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER

ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.

IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY

YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO POLITICAL PRISON TO ROT.

IF YOU CROSS THE U.S. BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET ……. !!!

A JOB, A DRIVERS LICENSE,

SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, WELFARE,

FOOD STAMPS, CREDIT CARDS,

SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE,

FREE EDUCATION, FREE HEALTH CARE,

A LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR LANGUAGE

THE RIGHT TO CARRY YOUR COUNTRY'S FLAG WHILE YOU

PROTEST THAT YOU DON'T GET ENOUGH RESPECT

AND, IN MANY INSTANCES, YOU CAN VOTE.

I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD A FIRM GRASP ON THE SITUATION !!!

PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING!!! ...... FORWARD TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP AMERICA !!!!!!!!!!!!

[scientific-tricorder]

"If Wishes Were Horses" through an aromantic/a-spec Bashir lens because it works out surprisingly well for an episode for which Bashir's legacy is having his sexual fantasy come to life for everyone to see.

So this is the one where everyone's imaginations come to life by aliens essentially playacting (to explore the concept of imagination and make first contact or something). Bashir's imagination-turned-to-life is a version of Dax utterly besotted with him. Which sure sounds like he is very romantically/sexually interested in Dax, if this version of her is being pulled from straight from his imagination. But I argue that that isn't what's actually happening.

One key point for this is the idea that the manifestations don't come straight from our character's imagination, but rather what they say/other things outside of the characters' minds that the aliens can access (namely computer records; Sisko even explicitly says that's where the aliens' info might have come from). O'Brien summons Rumplestiltskin - when he is explicitly telling Molly a story about Rumplestiltskin, so the alien playing the role just goes off of the story. Jake Sisko summons Buck Bokai, a long dead baseball player, who starts as a character on the holodeck and has memories and knowledge programmed into the hologram character. The thoron emissions and corresponding scientific catastrophe seems to start from Dax theorizing about ship traffic and then everyone building on with theories. We don't know who the Promenade ones that Odo tries herding come from. Quark summons a pair of scantily-clad ladies (who at one point disappear only to reappear once he describes them), Odo summons Quark in a security cell, and Kira summons a horrifying vision of someone burning to death in a fire (one of these things is not like the others, but that's a different discussion). We don't explicitly see these characters talking about what they summon before they appear, but it's still possible that it happened off screen or that it comes from accessing computer files.

With that concept as background, let's look at Bashir's interactions with his summoned fantasy.

The teaser features Bashir trying to flirt with Dax and initiate a romantic relationship over dinner, with her politely refusing and pointing out his recent pursuit of two other women. So here we have Bashir speaking aloud what he ends up summoning: a Dax interested in him as a romantic partner. As well as this going after any woman thing, which under this reading is the usual over-exaggerated playacting of romantic interests.

When this imaginary Dax (Dax #2) does appear, it's while Bashir is sleeping (looks like he just fell asleep when studying given the padd and him being in full uniform). The moment he wakes up, he is, well, not at all interested, and pointedly constantly leaning away from her advances. She keeps trying to kiss him, and instead of reciprocating, he talks to avoid it (can't reach lips if they're constantly moving) and pulls out his tricorder as an excuse to completely pull away, sometimes physically pushing Dax #2 away from him. He only reciprocates after she asks why he's fighting this, he asks himself the same question twice, and can't come up with a good answer. And as soon as Kira calls senior officers to ops, he immediately breaks it off and deflects the whole thing by calling it a joke.

Once they're in ops, Bashir appears distinctly uninterested in and uncomfortable around Dax #2. And when she says that she must have come out of his imagination? A confused look, almost as if a Dax besotted with him isn't anything he had been imagining.

[Image description: Screenshot from the episode, showing Dax and Bashir in profile from the shoulders up, looking at each other, with ops in the background. Dax, who is on the left, has a hand on Bashir's shoulder and is smiling at him. Bashir, on the right, has his mouth slightly open and eyebrows down, as if confused.]

(That screenshot is immediately followed by a shocked Bashir when Dax #2 goes in for a kiss)

And this discomfort and disinterest continues throughout almost the entire rest of the episode. The one time he isn't? At the end when Dax #2 is injured and becomes a patient, and he goes into Doctor Mode.

Admittedly, most of Bashir's avoidance behavior could be explained by him not wanting to play out sexual fantasies in front of his coworkers, embarrassment and humiliation that that is what his imagination conjured, and not wanting to take advantage of a Dax clearly behaving abnormally, but wouldn't someone genuinely interested in pursuing a romantic relationship have a bit more positive of a reaction? At some point, other than the one time when he tries to come up with a reason why not and can't? I mean, if one wants something, why would they be starting from a default position of refusing it and need to think and convince themselves that they don't have a good enough reason to refuse? And at that point he believes her to be Dax, supposedly a literal dream come true, and since it occurs right after waking up, for all he knows, it is an actual dream.

Now, this is definitely not the intended reading because the writers absolutely meant this to be direct imagination coming to life story and show a Bashir obsessed with Dax. But since when do we have to limit ourselves to the intended reading.