#it's fun imagining how my favourites would do in a completely different environment

[drowsie341]

@gontagokuhara-week Day 7 - crossover / (fusion?) au / free day

I'm a Persona 5 fan, and I also love putting my favourite characters into other settings... especially if they're a bit less despair-inducing than Danganronpa lmao.

So, Gonta as a Phantom Thief (because why the hell not)!! I've had this in mind for a while, and it's definitely not a final design or anything, but I like how it's turning out so far.

Warning, lots of AU infodumping below the cut :')

His Phantom Thief codename is Beetle :)

I wanted him to look classy, but also a bit intimidating and warrior-like

As for why his Phantom Thief outfit has some intimidating vibes when Gonta hates looking scary... I think he would eventually realise (maybe through an awakening scene?) that he can still do good by using that "intimidating” side of himself, and that he should embrace his whole self to help more and more people

Thinking about it, in a final design I want to make his undervest? Underjacket? thing more armoured, and give him more insect motifs and armour overall

Designing a Persona for him... that's gonna be a challenge if or when I get to it lol

Gonta’s very protection-oriented, not only with the armor on his outfit, but with his Persona abilities. Group defense buffs and group heal skills are a must for him. Is there a move in P5 where a character is 100% guaranteed to tank attacks aimed at others? If there is, he has that for sure. Also his element would be wind and his weakness would be fire

The shield-spear combo was inspired by this quote which pops into my head occasionally:

The Phantom Thieves in P5 all have one gun and one weapon each, so an idea I had for Gonta was that his “shield” would actually be a large beetle-shaped armoured gun, that’s strapped onto his arm like a shield because using it as a gun feels dishonorable. ...But I completely forgot about that when drawing this orz I’ll get it right next time

I also have some ideas for a Kokichi P5 design... we going court jester with this one

[querulousmegapode]

Hello. Please, tell me what do you think about Angua. I'm personally struggling to like her after her words to Carrot, something about "why you are so supportive!?", when he didn't start a fuss about her being the werewolf.

It would be nice to see another point of view for the character. I hope it helps me to understand her better.

Thank you

Hi!! Firstly thank you so much for this ask! It’s a really fun one and I’ve been thinking over how best to answer it and figuring out what exactly I like about Angua so much, so I appreciate it a lot!

There are a few different reasons why I like her. Some of them are pretty superficial, so I think I’ll get those out of the way first.

In general I just think that she’s pretty cool! From a purely superficial standpoint she’s pretty and gets to be badass and a werewolf and that’s just kind of fun. The whole circumstances around people finding out she’s a werewolf are also just pretty funny to me.

I also really like her in terms of the way that she’s written.

I really like how Pterry writes women in general because he manages to write them in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s fitting into stereotypes about women? They’re all real people with nuances and I feel like Angua is a good example of that. Yes, she does get to be badass, but also she’s a person and has a lot going on internally. She’s got a constant struggle with trying to fit in around people and trying to be human which is something that I haven’t often seen around werewolf characters and I think Pterry explores it well.

Werewolves in media seem to go in a couple of pretty predictable ways. You get the general horror of someone turning into a werewolf and then it either seems to go in the direction of oh no the werewolf is a monster!1!1! Or oh, the werewolf has a pack and learns to live that way. For me Angua is interesting because Pterry goes okay, but what if a werewolf doesn’t have a pack?? Angua is pretty much estranged from her family; she doesn’t have anyone to help her with the experience and is generally met with fear and hostility when people find out that she’s a werewolf. She has to deal with a LOT, even people who mean well and actively like her (Cheery) inadvertently hurt her with comments about werewolves and that’s someone who doesn’t know she’s a werewolf!! I can’t imagine that other Ankh Morpork citizens are somehow kinder or more understanding. And in amongst that you get to see the inner conflict that Angua has. She comes to this environment and she doesn’t just magically adjust - she struggles with trying to maintain control when she turns and she struggles with maintaining humanity and seeming human, because that’s what people around her will accept.

I think that, for the most part, is why I can understand the way she reacts to Carrot, as it’s pretty unusual for someone to be completely supportive. I’m segueing slightly, but I do really like how her relationship with Carrot develops because it’s nice that she has someone there who accepts her without question. Carrot is just *nice*, with no ulterior motives or strings attached and that’s something she doesn’t seem to encounter too often.

The other main reason that I like Angua is how comedic her perspective is. She’s quite a funny character and consistently plays the straight man to the rest of the watch’s insanity and that’s really fun.

Her internal monologue is great for this because despite being a werewolf she’s somehow the most normal person in the watch.

I love those watch guys but Dear God none of them are normal about their job. I love Vimes’ POV very much and he’s one of my all time favourite characters, but sometimes it feels nice to just take a step back and view the watch through the eyes of someone who isn’t used to it. Angua is pretty great for this.

I also quite like seeing her go from incredulous to understanding about Carrot - she’s quite perceptive and figures out pretty quickly that he’s deceptively simple. She can also be quite dry in terms of humour, which I personally really like.

Overall I just think that she’s pretty neat! I hope that this has been helpful!

Ultimately though, if you still don’t really like her then that’s fine too!! Discworld is full of wonderful characters and the best part is that there’s no right answers about which ones resonate, even if one is particularly popular or well liked.

[hauntingcryptids]

Soaked Through To The Bone

Whittaker!Doctor x Reader

Summary - The Doctor becomes flustered after seeing the though The Reader’s soaked shirt.

Based On This Request -

Warnings - The Reader not knowing that their shirt is see through, suggestive themes, so 18 plus please

Word Count - 1082

A/n - Female Reader. Requested by this lovely anon from my old Tumblr account. I hope you enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------

You rushed to open the door to your flat and finally get out of the rain. The Doctor offered you a cheerful hello and you tried to give her the same energy back but weren’t able. You were too cold and wet from being drenched by the evening English rain to respond cheerfully.

The Doctor had asked to stay with you for a couple of days at your apartment. You allowed her to but questioned why she would want to do that. The Doctor explained that she needed to do some maintenance on The TARDIS, and she needed a stable environment to do so. Apparently, the last time she tried to clean some of her TARDIS’s core coils while floating through space, she almost crashed into the moon of a neighbouring planet, and she wasn’t keen on repeating that experience.

“Ugh! Why do I always forget my umbrella on rainy days?” You shifted your soaking coat off of your body and hung the object upon the hall coat rack, a rung away from The Doctor’s silvery-light blue coat.

“Coincidences! The universe was just having a bit of fun …” The Doctor’s sentence trailed off into silence once she got a good look at you.

“Well, I’m not having fun!” You huffed while trying to untie your wet and grimy shoes.

The Doctor saw the colour of your bra through your now sheer, wet blouse. It was a light blue with dark blue lace accentuating it. It was probably unnoticeable when your blouse was dry, but now the light blue of the bra was staring The Doctor down. The Doctor had to turn around with a groan and a quiet “Oh, brilliant” when she saw the tiny dark blue bow in the middle of the bra, right between your breasts. She couldn’t help but imagine that you were wearing a matching pair of panties with a little dark blue bow in the centre. Like a little bow on top of a present that she desperately wanted to unwrap.

“Are you alright, Doc?” You questioned The Doctor’s distant attitude as you drudged toward your bedroom in order to change out of your wet clothes.

“What?! Yes. No? What are we talking about?” The Doctor’s eyes were wide and looking around everywhere and her hands were flailing around more than usual.

“I was just asking if you were okay, Doctor. You seem a bit … distracted.”

“Everything’s fine! I swear. Absolutely brilliant!” The Doctor then began shifting from foot to foot while hiding her mouth with her fist shaped hand.

“Well, I’m going to go change into some dry clothes, okay? Then we can order in and watch a movie or something.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” The Doctor held up a thumbs up, ran out of the conversation. You watched as she jumped over the back of your couch and landed on the seat before being to scroll through your television for movies.

When you got to your room and finally saw yourself in the mirror you groaned in embarrassment when you saw that your chest and bra were completely visible through your shirt. No wonder The Doctor was acting weird! You paced around your room for a moment, cursing yourself, before finally drying off and changing. However, even though you changed clothes, your mind wouldn’t stop racing. You slowly walked out of your room, scared of how The Doctor would be acting.

“I already ordered your favourite! That one thing from that one place that you introduced me to my first day I stayed over. And I picked some movies.” The Doctor mainly looked at the floor, only occasionally looking up to you but she would quickly look back down. You could tell that her eyes never ventured up to your face, they would always stop around your chest. Her face was also permanently tined red with a deep blush. Under different circumstances, you would have loved knowing that The Doctor couldn’t stop staring at your chest. However, right now, you were just worried that you made her incredibly uncomfortable. 

You and The Doctor ate in worrying silence, apart from the movie that you were barely paying attention to. It was a children’s movie, though. That you gathered. And thankfully, it did lighten the mood and clear your head a bit regarding the soaked through shirt incident. After the movie ended, you prepared to ask The Doctor about what had happened earlier.

“Doctor, can I talk to you about something?”

“Yes, you can always come to me for anything.” The Doctor seemed to be in good spirits under all the franticness, so that was a good sign.

“Did you see my bra through my shirt earlier?” The Doctor took a deep breath and turned away for a moment. When she turned back, she was staring a hole in the floor of your flat.

“Yes, I happened to see it.” The Doctor responded with trepidation, causing you to groan again in embarrassment. The Doctor wanted to reassure you, but you beat The Doctor in speaking.

“Doctor, I am so sorry! I never want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Y/n, why are you apologising? I am the one that should be apologising to you.” You shook your head and tried to argue against The Doctor, but she wanted to set the record straight.

“You never made me uncomfortable. I should apologise to you because I couldn’t stop staring at how beautiful you looked. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” You sighed in relief and collapsed into The Doctor’s body. You were so relieved that you hadn’t made her uncomfortable, that was the last thing that you wished to ever do. Because of your stress, it took you a moment to realise what The Doctor had just confessed. You popped back up from The Doctor’s arms to look The Doctor in the eye.

“So, you think I look beautiful, Doctor?” You smirked with sudden confidence.

“I - Well, of course, I do. Of course, I think that you are beautiful. You are the most beautiful person in the world, Y/n.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“I’ll forgive you for ogling my chest, then.” You kissed The Doctor’s cheek then jumped up from your couch in order to get a drink of water from your kitchen. With the eyeful The Doctor received earlier in the evening, she could handle some teasing now. Maybe a bit of teasing would cause something more adult to occur tonight.

[aglassmenagerieofallergies]

Rant about Mystreet Season 6

Now I love Aphmau’s channel and series, have since I was 10, but this last season of Mystreet and parts of season 5 could have been so much better. This is meant to be no “attack” or “jab” at Jess and Jason’s writing, these are merely opinions from a long-time fan. I am gonna go on a bit of a rant about the parts I personally feel could have been MUCH improved on. I would like to preface this with saying that I really do not enjoy this season and therefore do not re watch it a lot. Its also 4:40 am my time so this might turn into a sleep deprived ramble but anyways, here we go...

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 5/6 OF APHMAUS MYSTREET 

Kawaii Chan/ Nana

I adore Nana. She has consistently been my favourite female character for all 6 seasons of the show and in diaries but holy she has done wrong this past season. Getting almost killed and then not having any involvement what so ever. The majority of her screen time, especially near the fight with the demon warlock, just felt like the writers forgot she was there and wanted to give Moeka lines. Her involvement with Zane was the only moments she seemed to have. Speaking of her and Zane... While I love them as a couple, I also despise the fact that Nana only ever got development or a backstory when it came time to ship her with Zane. I wish she could have been more explored earlier on aside from being the “annoying, shippy, meifwa girl”. She got the short end of the stick recently and I hate it.

Aaron 

I have really never liked Aaron. From him being a high school senior dating a freshman to him literally murdering people, I never liked him. This season really didn't help that. Aaron ended lives, we see him kill Blaze and is he punished at all for it ? No. Yes, he was blinded and lost his memory but that wasn't as a reprimand for his crime of I don’t know MURDER. Aaron and Irene’s constant interactions make zero sense to me. One man cant be brought back to life by God twice. I get a bad sense that through-out season 6, we are meant to be supporting or sympathising with Aaron but I just cant. We are treated to numerous flashbacks to Aaron’s past, inter-cut with scenes of him committing various horrid actions. His father raised and treated him horribly but that is no excuse for murder. The ending of season 6 seemed almost hopeful for Aaron with the “hope” of him and Aphmau reuniting and I honestly don’t feel it is 100% earned. 

Ultima/ Werewolf 

This point isn't so much a critique on season 6 specifically but on the series as a whole. Aaron and his family being werewolves, being descendants of the ultima werewolf no less, came out of no where. Werewolves being introduced into the main plot could have been cool but instead the majority of it came off being rather cringey, specially in Phoenix Drop High. Anytime a werewolf would call Aphmau or Aaron “Alpha”, I could feel my skin crawl. The dealing of almost species based discrimination in season 6 was down right awful and Im not even talking about Aphmau wanting to be turned. The whole ordeal with the restaurant denying the werewolf pack service was over and dealt with as soon as it happened, The werewolves being hunted in season 6 because of the possibility they were an ultima and Katelyns reaction to Aaron being a werewolf seemed to come out of no-where. The idea of discrimination based on something someone can not control in a minecraft story could have been a way to teach younger kids a great life lesson but the majority of story lines involving werewolves were so half-assed, you cant even make a successful anecdote out of them. 

MCD/MS Connection

In the last season of MS, they really tried to shoe-horn in this connection with MCD which honestly creates nothing but plot-holes. A MS/MCD connection could have been a really cool concept and piece to see but its so rushed and forced, it just comes across as awkward and last minute. If the writers really did want to merge the two series or at least have them canonically exist in the same universe, they should have been setting it up from the first season. Overall, the two series are so vastly different from their environment to the characters that a complete mash up of the two would be so jarring. Just imagine Zane from MS meeting Zane from MCD or all of the MCD characters in a world without Wyvern, common use of ships, lords, and being introduced to the technology. A series combining the two would be fun and it would be fun seeing the characters interact and meet each other but it would need to be well thought out instead of just saying “and now here’s Irene and the demon warlock” which is what season 6 did. 

Dante/ Laurence

The Laurence curse strikes again but this time, its not just him. Since season 2, there has been a “tendency” to forget Laurence in the shows events. He was absent throughout Season 2 and again for Seasons 4,5 and 6. Dante, however, was very present in the first 3 straight seasons of the show. No one expected for him to disappear out of the blue ;) like that. Laurence disappearing could make sense, maybe Sebastian was booked up at the time or other personal reasons but Kestin voiced Zane and Eric throughout the show. Season 5 of the show I will cut some slack for forgetting them, It already barely made sense for how characters like Kai or Nate were there, but forgetting Laurence in Season 2 seemed odd. Dante and Laurence not only could have helped the “gang” but they could’ve provided some great entertainment and story lines but instead we got Ein ... again.

Ein

Eins rant will be shorter as while his character in season 4 did not leave much of an impact on me, his story could have been written leagues better. Eins story line and subsequent death was insanely fast. We got the spotting at the end of season 5 and a poorly done B plot throughout season 6. Ein is a fairly good villain with some decent potential, he could have been much more utilised. Ein served only to kill Aphmau then die. His character got walked all over. Literally. He caused such shit in season 4 and his death was a simple *stomp*. Are you kidding ? Everything could have been just ... better. Not only in regards to Ein but for the entire season. 

Closing Thoughts 

Overall the season was not good, in my opinion. Mystreet works much better as a episodic show like a slice of life anime, as a story driven series like a shounen it does not. If the rumours about a season 7 are true, I really hope it is at least a bit better than this one. It as a whole was a mess. To reiterate, this is meant as no attack on the writers or BluJay Studios but as a critique on this particular season. I love Aphmau and the Mystreet series but this was its low point. Thank you for sitting through my incoherent rantings about a minecraft show. :) have a great day/night !!

[podcastlimbo]

My honest honest opinion on second citadel season 3

Uhhhh... short answer? I didn’t like it much.

Okay wait before I go on to my long answer I need to say that this is all just my opinion and it’s all subjective. If you liked sc season 3 that’s awesome! I get why you do and I’m glad you enjoyed it!

But I really wasn’t a fan of where they went with it (even from episode 1), and I’m gonna go on a long rambly and repetitive rant about it.

I’m not gonna talk about the way the season ended and the setup for s4 because I haven’t fully formed my opinion about that - to form my opinion means to relisten to the season and i don’t really feel like doing that.

Anyways, these are my unfiltered 2am thoughts about the Rest Of It - maybe I’ll neaten it up later to make it more palatable but for now it’s wordy n messy and you can just. Not read it bc it’ll probably make you mad, or feel free to pick it apart and tell me I’m wrong, or unfollow me (and at least one person has already done so lmao) but like that won’t change the fact that I just wasn’t feeling s3 so uh. That said.

Long answer? I love the second citadel... at least the first two seasons

I love the world building, how the setting is such a unique, deliberate step away from eurocentric fantasy, how refreshing all that is! The Second Citadel (the place) is rich with culture and history from the brief glimpses we get of it (mostly in knight of the crown). Not to mention the monster society, with its own rules (or lack thereof) and environments and personalities.

I love the storytelling, how different mediums are woven into the way each episode is formatted. Rilla has her tape recorder, Damien his prayers, Caroline her letters, and each medium is so well suited to each character, and it truly lets us get a glimpse of what’s going on in their minds, and I find it utterly fascinating how a protagonist of one story could just as easily become an antagonist (or at least, an annoyance) in another

And the characters! Each one so compelling, with their own goals and motivations, their own intriguing backstories and potential.

Most importantly, the way these characters play off of each other is what makes second citadel amazing. Getting to see people with similar experiences but different world views clash (Caroline and Mira), people with fundamentally different beliefs reconcile and meet in the middle (rilla and arum), just, Kabert created so many interesting characters, and watching them bounce off one another is a joy.

And that’s what made season 2 so great for me. The exploration of each character, getting to see their good sides and bad, through either a medium tailored for them, or through interactions with others, as they explored a fascinating world.

The end of season 2 left me so satisfied, but still with so many questions and excitement about what was to come. I wanted to see Talfryn come into his own and step out of his brothers shadow. I wanted to see Damien, Arum and Rilla navigating their new relationship. I wanted to know more of the fate of Rilla’s parents, Damien’s past, the consequences Arum would surely face after defying the monster court. I wanted Marc to finally be recognized by his fellow knights, to watch as Caroline lead the journeymen knights, while learning to trust in others as she was beginning to do. I wanted Angelo continuing to unlearn the implicit biases that had been instilled in him as a result of his upbringing, or more details on Caroline and Quanyii’s relationship. I was also curious!! How would human and monster relations change after the events of the finale? And would we learn more of the past, when humans and monsters lived together in peace?

I was buzzing with excitement for season 3, and then.. it came, it aired, and then it went.

And I felt... meh?

Don’t get me wrong. There were moments that I liked. Some of what I hoped to see did happen (see the above paragraph lmao), getting a glimpse of the western wastes with its own culture a joy. The dynamics between Olala and some of the characters were really fun! And the direction the story took at the end was one I didn’t expect, but left me open to more.

That said,,, everything else about the season just. Didnt gel with me.

Everything I loved about second citadel pretty much wasn’t there??? Aside from Caroline, Angelo and Quanyii, all the characters they spent so much time introducing to us and fleshing out over 2 seasons were just relegated to the side??

I think my main problem with season 3 was that it felt like a completely different show. Characters introduced as part of an ensemble became side characters in (what was supposed to be) their own stories. Character arcs that got set up were dropped, and mysteries/backstories teased were forgotten. Heck, the monster court and senate wasn’t even brought up! The aftermath of the fear bugs attack ont the citadel went unexplored! It’s like nothing in the past season even happened!

And I’m sorry I gotta say this, but the problem is Olala.

I mean. Okay I don’t wanna be super mean- she’s perfectly fine as a character. We root for her, we cry when she cries, and we cheer when she wins the day.

But since all the episodes were centered around her, we didn’t get to see anyone else’s inner worlds. And like okay, yes, they did it for this season of Juno Steel too, where Juno, the previous POV a character for 2 seasons, became a part of an ensemble, and was a side character for many episodes. But this choice worked for Juno and not Second Citadel, because it was a natural progression for his story! We spent 2 seasons exploring Juno’s character, his backstory, his motivations, we saw him come to terms with his family history, grow and change as a person, and by the time he joined the Carte Blanche, we’d gotten to a point with Junos story where we’re okay to step away for a while, and see events through the lens of others.

But that just?? Doesn’t work in second citadel? Because unlike Juno, the characters introduced in s1-2 are virtually unexplored! There’s still so much about their stories we don’t know, and so many ways for them to progress.

But we didn’t get any of that! Stuff established in s1-2 barely got payoff in this season. Characters stagnated, and when previously it was amazing to watch them interact with each other? Having each episode throw different combinations of characters together and seeing how they clashed and came together? Yeah we didn’t get that, it was all the same characters bouncing off of Olala, which is fine at first, but honestly? After the first couple episodes, it got stale.

And remember how before, we would get to see the characters tell their story through a medium suited for them? Well I noticed that the format of this season was a lot moreee audio drama-y (basically a TV show but with no visuals) and while there’s nothing wrong with that, one of SC’s strengths was in using the medium in unique ways, presenting the episodes in unique formats depending on the POV character. And with the exception of a few moments, the season really lacked that!

I know there were episodes in s1-2, like caves of discord and the Janus beast which didnt follow that format, but I think it’s a fan consensus that the episodes that do (moonlit hermit, KOTC lots, lady of the lake) are favourites, because they fully embraced the advantages and limitations those framing devices offered, and were truly perfect for character exploration.

It’s like. Idk. Imagine wolf 359 s3 where the si5 were introduced, and there was like 1-2 episodes of them interacting with the rest of our cast, but then after that the rest of the season just completely focuses on Eiffel and the new characters, and everyone else just disappears n twiddles their thumbs and doesn’t even do anything during the finale. That’s what happened this season, and that’s the kinda weird vibe I’m talking about.

Since I’m already rambling, I might as well just say some more stuff. I was disappointed with the music this season. I can tell Ryan Vibert was trying to figure a way to make SC sound different from Juno, and he was getting there in s1-2! The pieces that stand out now are the soft, acoustic guitar pieces, like Rillas song, or the lone melody line of the guitar in the SC theme. I thought he was getting it with s3e1, when Marc fought the dinosaur while traditional Japanese instruments were playing!! But then for the rest of the season, it was just samey echoey ambient electric guitar, like how it is for Juno. There could’ve been so much potential to give this world its own musical identity, but in the end, that attempt was dropped (at least that’s how it come off to me), just like so many other elements introduced in s1-2!

I’ve gotten this far in my rant, and I haven’t even talked about the story. And the story is. Hmmmmm

Like. It’s completely serviceable? Kabert are good at what they do so the story is a okay I guess? But to be completely honest, the characters and story were so tied together in previous seasons, so much so that in this season, even though the plot was just fine, it stayed just that. Fine. it always felt like there was something missing because the characters were the story, and to have just. So many holes in that department meant that the story itself was fundamentally empty.

Anyways uh. All of this is to say that this all boils down to character. I had my nits to pick with other elements but the fact that Rilla, Arum, Damien, Marc and Talfryn got completely sidelined (Tal most of all) when so much of the previous seasons were spent setting them up- in favour of a completely new storyline featuring new characters and settings when there was still so! Much! Left! Unfinished! From unfulfilled arcs to dynamics left untapped, and creative potential lost, the essence of the show was watered down and it left me with the intense feeling of

:/

Idk. Season 3 felt like a completely different show. I liked s1, I loved a2, but s3 just. isnt second citadel for me. I’ll probably still listen to the next season out of loyalty, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel as passionately about the shows future as I do it’s precious seasons, especially if they continue this way.

Sorry.

[spaced-out-imagines]

The Mentor’s Child (a multi-chapter Shinsou x reader fic): Chapter 6

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Warnings: none!

If you like my stuff you can buy me a ko-fi here!

Taglist: @universal-imagines​, @lucio-the-beautiful-goat​, @lostgirlheart​, @katsheen​, @estrellitaaart​, @complexhouseplant​, @vinaios​, @ale-the-jedi​, @ewwis​

A/n: hey guys sorry for the late update. I was just hit by a really bad slump and I couldn’t write at all for a couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy this chapter anyways!

“Oh god I hope this wasn’t a big mistake,” was the only thing running through your head. You and Shinsou were walking down the sidewalk, making your way to the cafe. Shinsou matched your pace which made the trek a little less awkward thankfully. However, you were still panicking slightly on the inside.

Shinsou hadn’t said anything since you left the school and the only time you spoke was to give directions. The air was a bit tense but both of you chose to ignore it. You hoped that when the two of you arrived at your destination then a conversation would naturally occur. But, you also had a sinking feeling that you would have to carry said conversation, simply because Shinsou wasn’t the social type. 

Luckily the cafe wasn’t too far away from the school and soon enough the building came into sight. You let out a sigh of relief and you pointed at the sign out front. “There it is,” you told Shinsou. He simply nodded and you walked up to the door. You opened it, a bell chiming as you did, and held the door open for Shinsou behind you. 

You were about to walk up to the counter, already knowing what you wanted as you had been there before, but stopped when you remembered Shinsou had to check the menu. Glancing at him, you said, “I’ll wait until you know what you want before I order, I’ve been here several times so I already know what I want.”

Shinsou met your gaze and he shrugged. “I’m just going to get a black coffee so we can just go up now if you want.”

“Oh um okay,” you muttered. You went up to the counter and placed an order for your favourite pastry and drink. The cashier swiftly inputted it and you handed him the money before giving your name. He gave you a smile as he passed you your receipt. Shooting him a small grin back, you stepped aside to let Shinsou place his order. You went to stand by the pick-up counter and Shinsou joined you after a minute or two. 

The two of you waited there for a little while before both your names were called back-to-back. You went up and grabbed your pastry bag along with your drink in one hand. After a quick internal debate, you also took Shinsou’s cup and turned around to hand it to him. He nodded in thanks and began to walk towards a free table by the windows. The two of you sat down and settled in, putting down your bags and cups. Shinsou wrapped his hands around his mug while you took out your pastry. As you took a bite of the sweet treat you couldn’t help the hum of delight that came from your vocal cords before quickly covering up the sound by clearing your throat. Shinsou simply looked at you in amusement as he took a sip of his coffee.

Silence filled the air as both of you drank your beverages. As the minutes passed, you felt the tenseness leave your shoulders and you allowed yourself to lean back in the comfy armchair. Drumming your fingers on the round wooden table, your eyes moved up to look at Shinsou. He was looking out the window, watching as people walked around. The sun shone through the window and onto his face. It turned his indigo hair a shade lighter, making it almost a violet colour, and it caused his eyes to shine. However, it also made those dark eye bags stand out more on his pale skin and you couldn’t help but frown in concern.

‘“So how do you like the training so far?” you asked, breaking the silence, “is it tiring along with all your other schoolwork?”

Shinsou turned to face you and he hummed, thinking for a moment. “It’s not that bad. I’ve gotten used to a certain routine at this point. The training itself is difficult for sure but I have a lot to catch up on if I want to get into the hero course so I’m prepared to work hard,” he replied.

You nodded in understanding. “I was just wondering because you always look so tired. Those are some heavy eye bags after all,” you said and touched the skin under your own eyes.

He snorted and smirked slightly. “I’ve had these long before high school, the training with Aizawa-sensei has nothing to do with it. At this point, I think they’re going to stay for the rest of my life.” This statement caused a chuckle to escape and you took a sip of your drink. Shinsou then asked, “are you planning on trying to get into the hero course?”

This question caught you off guard and you almost choked on the liquid going down your throat. You roughly swallowed and coughed slightly. Shinsou looked at you, a little concerned, but you waved your hand to signal you were fine. After taking a moment to compose yourself, you replied, “...no I’m not planning to.”

“Why not? I thought since you’re Aizawa-sensei’s kid you would want to follow in his footsteps,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ve honestly considered it many times before but the hero life just isn’t for me,” you said with a bitter smile, “I would have to use my quirk a lot and I’m just not comfortable with that… as you could already tell. Even if it would be cool to follow my parents’ footsteps I just can’t see myself doing it.”

Shinsou stared at you for a moment before nodding. The two of you then sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, not knowing what to say to each other. You timidly nibbled at your pastry and stared at the table, avoiding his gaze. Just as you were about to say sorry for making things tense Shinsou spoke up again.

 “You know I meant what I said during that training session,” he said. You raised an eyebrow at him which he took as a signal to continue, “I’m referring to when I said your quirk is useful. If you catch your opponents off guard with it, as you did with me, it really gives you an advantage. In a more furnished or full environment, you could also use it so they couldn’t hear you. It’s a good quirk for stealth missions.”

You couldn’t help but stare at him in surprise. “I didn’t expect you to think about my quirk that much. I’m a little shocked,” you told him.

He sipped at his drink and looked out the window, almost like he was trying to hide his face. “Well I felt bad that I made you upset and I’m just telling the truth,” he replied, “I might not know what happened to you in your past but I just want you to know that I don’t think you should be ashamed of your quirk.”

A smile crept onto your face. Even if you couldn’t bring yourself to believe his words quite yet it was nice of him to try and console you. From what you saw in class, you had seen Shinsou as a blunt and cold person. However, it seems as though you were wrong in that assessment. “Thanks, Shinsou,” you said. You then paused for a second but decided to say what was on your mind. “You shouldn’t let what others say about your quirk get you down either.”

His eyes widened slightly but before he could say anything you continued. “I’ve heard about what you’ve gone through in the past and I know how you view your quirk. But your quirk can honestly be really heroic in its own way. You can stop a fight almost instantly, and you could prevent a lot of collateral damage since you wouldn’t have to physically fight the villains. It’s powerful in a different way and it’s really useful. You almost beat Midoriya at the sports festival for crying out loud. Sure your quirk could be used for evil actions but I don’t think you would use it for that. You’re too determined to be a hero, there’s no way you could be a villain.”

It was his turn to look at you in shock and you couldn’t but look away slightly, a small blush on your face. You hadn’t meant to go on a tangent like that but you wanted to make sure he knew you were being completely honest. After a few seconds, he muttered a quiet “thanks” and then cleared his throat before changing the subject. “So are you Aizawa-sensei’s biological kid? Did he have you before marrying Mic-sensei or something?” he asked.

Involuntarily, you felt your body tense up a bit at the mention of your family life. “No he and papa adopted me when I was younger. I was probably about nine when I began to live with them,” you said stiffly.

Shinsou watched as you drummed your fingers nervously. He seemed to pick up on your sudden shift in demeanor because he didn’t push further and instead asked, “I see. What’s it like being his kid anyway?”

Grateful for the change in topic, you allowed your body to relax again. You let out a snort at his question. “In general he’s a pretty normal dad I guess. He’s caring and loving in his own slightly gruff way. You could say papa and I have long learned how to understand what dad truly means when he says stuff,” you replied, “although there are times where he does some interesting things. Like how he brings stray or injured cats back home all the time. I’ve basically grown up nursing cats back to health and a lot of the time we visit certain spots to leave food for the ones who need it. It makes me happy to help them though since we can’t exactly take all of them in.”

“That definitely sounds like something Sensei would do. Before meeting him I never would have thought Eraserhead’s weakness was cats,” Shinsou said.

You giggled, “right? He can be so intimidating at times but really he’s a softie. Another thing that’s a bit strange I guess is that I constantly have to make sure I don’t trip over him when he’s in his sleeping bag. Dad can honestly sleep anywhere and I have tripped over him while going into the living room more times than I can count.”

Shinsou chuckled at this, “sounds fun. How do you not notice a big yellow caterpillar bag on the floor in the first place?”

“Sometimes I’m distracted okay? I swear I’m not that oblivious to my surroundings,” you replied with a slight pout.

He simply smirked at you before hiding it behind his cup. The two of you continued to make idle conversation even after you long finished your drinks. It was actually quite nice to talk to Shinsou and while he was blunt and honest he wasn’t an unpleasant person to be around. You came to the conclusion that he simply had some walls up, and with what he had gone through as a kid it was understandable. Everyone had their fair share of demons and you weren’t one to judge.

About forty-five minutes had passed by the time you checked your phone again. Your eyes widened as you saw the time and you began to stand up. “I’m sorry to cut this conversation short but I have to get going. My dads might worry and I have some school work I need to finish,” you said.

Shinsou glanced at his own phone and nodded. “I have to get going as well honestly, so don’t worry about it.”

“Okay cool,” you replied. Both of you grabbed your bags and any garbage that sat on the table. On your way to the exit, you tossed out your trash with Shinsou following suit. As you walked out, you shot a grin at Shinsou. “Thanks for coming with me. It was probably really weird when I just suddenly invited you out,” you said with a sheepish laugh.

“No problem. It was nice getting to know you anyways. Plus the coffee here is actually pretty good,” Shinsou replied.

“Right? I found it when hanging out with some friends one day and now it’s my go-to spot,” you told him, “also I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I think it was nice getting to know you as well.” You were right about to take your leave when you realized something, “oh we should exchange numbers! That way we can contact each other outside of school. If that’s cool with you of course.”

Shinsou hesitated for a moment, thinking about it, before he said, “sure why not.” You grinned as you took out your phone. After you opened a new contact page, you handed it to him and he quickly inputted his information before giving it back. 

“Awesome thanks,” you said, “let me just send you a quick text so you have my number too.” Fiddling with the device, you sent him a simple greeting text and a ping was heard from his own phone when he received it. He checked the screen and gave you a thumbs up, signalling it went through properly. “Thanks again Shinsou, I had a lot of fun talking. I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” you said.

“See you tomorrow Yamada,” he replied with a wave. The two of you then began to walk in two different directions, away from each other. As you began to make your way home the smile on your face never faded.

“Well that went better than I expected,” you couldn’t help but mutter to yourself, as you walked down the streets to get to your house.

[crusherthedoctor]

Crusher Elaborations #1: Thoughts on the Aesthetic of Sonic’s World

If someone came up to me and asked “Which do you prefer, Classic Sonic or Modern Sonic?”, my answer would start off with “Well, technically Classic Sonic because...”, and then I'd get cut off by the other person immediately lecturing me on why I'm wrong and why I'm the worst kind of fan imaginable. Should they finish their rant, I would then explain to them in the midst of them basking in their flock of easy Twitter likes that I didn't necessarily mean it in the way they predicted.

If we were talking about the games, the characters, or the character design, I'd be fairly neutral, since I like both halves equally for the most part. In fact, when it comes to characters, Modern might actually have the edge believe it or not, since the sheer number of characters introduced from SA1 onwards naturally means a lot of my favourites were introduced from that point on, such as Tikal, Rouge, Gamma, Omega, Blaze... But then again, Classic introduced Eggman and Tails, and the Hard-Boiled Heavies are technically Classic as well despite being relatively new...

Anyway, the point is, I'm not talking about any of that today. I'm talking about the world that Sonic and his multicolored chums live in. Or rather, the aesthetic of it.

NOTE: This is purely about the game universe. While I do have my thoughts on Sonic’s world as presented in other continuities, that won’t be the focus here.

If you're familiar with my blog, you'll know that as a general rule of thumb, I much prefer colorful and creative worlds in my Sonic universe, and that rings true for my reasoning here. And I know what you're gonna say: “But Crusher, isn't there plenty of that in the Modern games as well?” Yes, there is, and I appreciate them very much. But this is why I feel the need to make a post of this sort to begin with, because I'm NOT saying “Classic cool, Modern boring” and calling it a day. There's a little more nuance to my tastes here.

When I say I prefer the Classic aesthetic for Sonic's world, I don't mean it in the literal sense of disregarding everything about the Modern aesthetic. Let's put it like this: when you're asked to paint a picture of these two sides of Sonic's universe in your head, a specific image will likely come to mind. When you think of Classic, you'll probably think of Green Hill first and foremost, whereas with Modern, you'll probably think of something like City Escape or Rooftop Run before anything else. In other words, when you think Modern Sonic, you're probably imagining the more realistic kind of locations first. And between the two mental images that come to mind, I personally prefer the Classic image. Shock, horror.

I wish I could swim in a sea that’s probably radioactive.

Now keep in mind, I'm not saying that City Escape, Rooftop Run, and all similar environments in the series look bad, because they don't. Unless they're painted with the '06 brush, they generally look fine, and the locations in Unleashed in particular are undeniably beautiful from an graphical standpoint. The problem is that although I can picture this as a world that Sonic could be in, I can't necessarily picture it as Sonic's world specifically. Because when it comes to the more realistic environments, I feel there's not much of an attempt to let it branch out as its own thing.

I know that might seem harsh, especially for Unleashed, since the real world angle was the deliberate theme of that game. And Sonic taking cues from real places is a fine concept, there's no issue there. I'm not gonna complain if there's a France Zone with an Eiffel Tower in the background. In fact, Sandopolis Act 1 has one of my favourite aesthetics in a Classic zone (mainly because the background is really pleasant to look at), and that zone is essentially Egypt Zone. But if you're making a Real World Zone, there needs to be more to it than that, otherwise you don't truly get a Sonic interpretation of our world... you instead have our world as it is with Sonic characters awkwardly stapled on.

When I look at City Escape, it may not be completely unfitting for Sonic (the posters and billboards in particular are actually a really nice touch), but when I look at it, I don't see Sonic's interpretation of San Francisco. I see San Francisco with Sonic shoved in. When they morph these places to Sonic's liking, they'll add rings, loops... and that's it. They rarely take the concept any further, which is a huge shame, particularly in the case of Rooftop Run, where I otherwise do like its visuals a lot, but it just doesn't go far enough with the concept for my liking.

At least you get to murder car owners, and give G.U.N. a legitimate reason to arrest you.

So which Modern games do I feel did the best job at making Sonic's world... er, Sonic's world? Well the truth is, most of them actually do a decent job in this area, regardless of the level design quality or the game’s quality period. SA2 has Pumpkin Hill, Eggman's Pyramid Base, and... SOME levels aboard the A.R.K (mainly the “outside” ones, like Final Rush). Shadow the Hedgehog, a game that reveled in how brown and gritty it was, still had highlights like Circus Park and Digital Circuit. Even '06 of all games had Aquatic Base, which was pretty cool from a conceptual standpoint. And although Unleashed as a whole might be a touch too vanilla in the creativity scale, it still had the glorious Eggmanland at the very end. But if I had to say which of the Modern installments did the best job overall...

- For starters, I'm gonna give a shoutout to SA1, because even though it was the first Modern game, and thus it was technically responsible for the more focused angle of realism in Sonic's world in the first place, it didn't take it quite as far as later games would, and although it may not be a perfect 1-to-1 representation of the world we saw in the Classic games, it does well enough with what it brings to the table that I can still accept it without any issue at all. Some of that has to do with the fact that you still have wilder areas like Windy Valley and Red Mountain to balance things out, but even with the other half, the game's use of colour is enough for it to go a long way, oddly enough. Take the At Dawn section of Speed Highway for instance:

From innocent times, when the radar wasn’t a piece of shit.

Technically, it's really not that different to the urban environments you see in SA2 or Unleashed. But something about the sleepy morning approach gives it a subtle, almost dream-like edge to it that I really dig, and despite it being pretty similar to the likes of City Escape, somehow I have an easier time buying into the idea of this place being part of the same world as zones like Sky Sanctuary.

And seeing how I already mentioned Red Mountain, let me compare it to Flame Core:

Yes, I know bringing '06 into this discussion at all is inherently and hilariously unfair, but let's put aside the game that Flame Core comes from for a moment. Aside from maybe the purple crystal caves indoors (and that's assuming you can even see where the fuck you're going in there), Flame Core is pretty boring to look at as far as Sonic levels go. Red Mountain is vastly more interesting, even though it's basically the exact same concept, and a lot of that has to do with - you guessed it - colour. Sure, it's day time, that's one thing, but you'll also notice that for a lava/mountain stage, it surprisingly has a few grassier sections, sort of like Hill Top in that regard. A little bit of green among the brown and red, and a great contrast to the volcanic nightmare you'll experience when you head inside.

Now this might seem like a fairly minor detail... and yeah, it is, but the thing that SA1 does so well is that it combines so many of those small details to make a complete, well-rounded package. This is why SA1 meshes well with the Classic style despite not being an exact replica, because just as the Classics excelled at, it wasn't afraid to use colour in interesting ways. It understood that a fire level could have more than just red and orange, in the same way that a grassy level could have more than just green and blue.

But of course, as I mentioned, SA1 is not an exception. There are other Modern games that did a great job on the whole...

- Heroes is an obvious answer, since it's translation of Genesis-style environments to 3D is probably one of the most recurring praises the game receives, and rightly so. Not much to say here, except that Hang Castle is still cool as hell.

And plenty of opportunity to admire the not-broken-in-half moon.

- Colours is another obvious one, though something of an ironic one given that the premise of the game involved going to other worlds, and those worlds were all converted against their will by Eggman. Yet, they did an equally superb job at creating fun, unique locales, and Aquarium Park in particular remains a favourite of mine.

Gotta love that red/blue contrast.

- The Riders series has a more futuristic bend compared to the rest of the series, but even when it's not all high-tech, it's got some pretty cool environments of its own, and I feel they even do well at mixing the real world side of things on top of that. Gigan Rocks comes to mind, as does Aquatic Capital.

Reminds me of when Perfect Chaos peacefully protested against Station Square.

- Regardless of my thoughts on the game itself, Secret Rings had some undeniable winners in this depertment. You tell me with a straight face that Night Palace doesn't look amazing.

A wonderful palace for a domestic abuser.

- And lastly, they might have had an early advantage since they're already 2D, but the Advance trilogy and Rush duology deserve a mention. They had some fantastic ideas for zones, like Planet Sonata Music Plant, and they did great with the colours as well. Hell, throughout these five games, the sky was practically every shade of the rainbow at one point or another.

Oh look, another completely whole moon.

Also, quick shoutout to another minor detail akin to the grassy sections of Red Mountain: these pink tunnel sections in Ice Mountain. No elaborate point to make here, just another perfect example of how much I adore these games' use of colour and contrast.

Seriously, I could go on for hours about good contrast.

Although I do bring up these small details for another reason, and in turn, another layer to my more nuanced take on Sonic aesthetics. By this point, we get the basic jist: Crusher likey when Sonic levels unique and pretty. But this can - and has - lead to a couple of misconceptions, so I'd like to address those and then laugh at them.

“So you want Sonic's world to be exactly like Mario?”

A common complaint that Lost World received was that it was too much like Mario, in more ways than one, and part of this was to do with the game's visual style. The zones may have been upbeat, but they often consisted of a bunch of things floating in the air and not much else, ala 2D Mario. While I didn't outright hate it, it’s definitely not what I have in mind for Sonic.

Of course, all complaints about being too much like Mario suddenly turn into praise when Eggette gets brought up...

And why is that? Because yes, I like my Sonic locations to be fun and lively... but I also want them to be firmly established within the context of this universe. The Lost World approach is fine with Special Stages and the sort, but outside of that... well, Studiopolis is a perfect example of what I'm talking about:

On one hand, it's very unique when compared to other cities in this franchise, and it's full of quirkiness, great use of colour, and all that good stuff I've went on about. But at the same time, it's grounded just enough so that it still feels like an actual city that the people of Sonic's world could feasibly live in, rather than a basic and empty video game level with a tacked on city background. Studiopolis may be a level from a video game, but you can totally believe it's a fully fleshed out place from its own perspective.

Naturally, this praise also rings true with the Modern games I listed earlier, and is yet another reason for why I approve of their settings.

“So you think Sonic can't have darker locations?”

It might be easy to take my compliments at face value, and assume that I'm immediately opposed to a zone that's not brightly colored. This is... very obviously false, as even the Classic games have their share of less-than-cheery areas, such as Scrap Brain and the Bad Futures in Sonic CD.

However, when you're making a grittier location in Sonic's world, regardless of the context, it still needs to be interesting. The problem with a lot of them in Modern installments is that they're boring. Crisis City is a generic city on fire. Westopolis is a generic city with aliens firing lasers from above. The prison levels in SA2 - and the indoor ARK levels not named Cannon's Core - are just grey hallways for the most part. That shit isn't exciting, and it doesn't get my mind speculating. It just makes me want to move on.

Let the eggsperts take care of this.

By contrast, Eggmanland is a prime example of how to do it right. Eggmanland is a magnificent theme park as envisioned by the good doctor, but it's also, at its core, a giant metal hellscape fueled by the energy of a dark entity, and it only gets more ominous the further you go through it or try to before you give up because it’s too fucking long and you died at the end. So it sets the mood to be sure, but it's still visually compelling to look at, and interesting to think about.

And since Eggman is apparently the only one who can show us how it's done, here's a shoutout to Titanic Monarch as well:

Like Heavy King, but Heavier and Kingier.

When comparing the final zones in Sonic games, I especially love this zone's visual approach, because it manages to be dark and colorful at the same time, and in a strangly organic way. It's got a spooky atmosphere, with a moody moonlight backdrop to match, and the titular robot is foreboding as hell as you climb up it and traverse through it... all the while having red floors, green and yellow wires, blue and pink buildings, and stained glass windows of Eggman and the Heavies for you to marvel at. So even putting aside the unique scenario of climbing up and then through a Kaiju-sized mech, the mood of the zone alone manages to be extremely memorable.

So what have we learned from all this? Aside from the fact that I’m way too interested in this subject? We now know that when I say I prefer the Classic “style” over Modern when it comes to the way that Sonic's world is presented:

- I don't mean that literally.

- There are certain qualities that although both of them possess, they tend to be more immediately associated with Classic in the collective consciousness, even within the fandom.

- The environments that I love the most in Modern games are often the ones that would also fit perfectly in the Classic style.

So whenever I express the basic nature of this opinion in the future... just imagine a small asterisk at the end of my sentence.

[snowfianna]

Fable IV rant:

I'm so pumped up for the 23rd because everything has led me to believe that Fable 4 will be announced this year and the game's existence has been confirmed for a while anyway it's just a matter of time of when will Fable 4 show itself. It's a badly kept secret tbh.

So to those who don't mind a big rant or wish to add on to my rant- here we go!

Can you imagine how good the graphics would be for this game, we've all seen modern games, surely, and they're all bloody fantastic looking. Fable Legends is technically the most recent Fable game despite it being a free to play online game

and that it's cancelled

but it also had a gorgeous look to it all! And the character models did great justice to the concept art and honestly that has my hopes real high because I love the concept art of Fable, specifically from Mike McCarthy, so exaggerated and recognisable- yet in all the games I can confidently say they did not do justice to his character design, specifically for Reaver. Sure, he looks stunning in the third game, but not quite what he looks like in his concept art sadly.

But also, since Fable was made in Unreal Engine (I'm pretty sure at least) we've seen examples of what can be done in Unreal Engine now and it's absolutely breath taking!

If you haven't seen here are some examples and they're so life-like.

Moving on from graphics!

Since Playground Games is behind the development of Fable 4, they would be spectacular at an open spaced world, judging from the Forza games.

I always loved the open world feature added to Fable, it made things more adventurous and you could do so many things that weren't at all related to the main quest to progress the story and it was just thrilling to see there were other things going on! I'd love to just have my dog companion running through fields, fighting enemies left and right and finding buried treasure or forgotten chests.

Run into strangers who request aid in something silly or rather serious and it would be up to you with how you go about the quest or if you even accept it to get renown or gold. Cause a massacre in towns and villages, running off with low morality and plentiful loot- oh one could fantasise of this all day.

Story, characters, writing and voices.

Fable has always had a fun environment of fantasy and a rather good story (despite the curse of mundane or pathetic boss fights in which I hope Fable 4 breaks this cycle) but the one thing that's always kept me on my feet in the games is the writing and the characters. It always just tried not to take itself too seriously, throwing in absurd quests that probably requires cheese or a really weird-looking outfit. It always kept my attention rather than just pure edge and seriousness of life or death.

The characters are a given, the writing done for them all is perfect in my eyes, I love hearing the variations of how characters of NPCs interacted (enough so that I even bought two of the Fable books written by Peter David). Despite Fable 3 not being the greatest at it's time, I found myself absolutely enjoy the characters for how they were- I even cried over Walter's death because it genuinely felt like I lost somebody pretty close (RIP Walter🙏). The writing and the chosen voice actors were superb and I'd love more of it.

I hope this time we can receive a full story instead of how Fable 2 and 3 were where plenty of plot points and such were cut out due to time constraints- thanks Microsoft, very cool. I'm still in anguish when listening to the Developer's Diary 3 of Fable 3 hearing lines that were just never said in the final product and it was definitely not just additional lines that weren't required as it seemed to mention entirely different things that weren't in the game; i.e. Reaver talks about his pirates in Bloodstone and how he misses them- in the final product he never mentions it and it's even shown that he's tried to completely bury his pirate past for whatever reason.

The pacing in Fable 3 was rather strange too, it felt like the revolution should've lasted longer.

Another hope of mine is to have choices that aren't so painfully black-and-white because it's very obvious which is the good or bad option to a scenario- personally for me I'd like to be morally grey rather than pure good or pure evil.

They better have kept the mechanic of your actions affecting your appearance too to the point where you grow horns and get cracked magma-like skin or this slight glow and aura around you and this flawless skin. It kind of died down in Fable 3, only looking more tired or have completely black eyes and the good- eh yeah not much I can say for when you're good. Purity and corruption seemed to also vanish in Fable 3 (at least I think) since you couldn't really change prices of the homes you were renting out, unless I've been a big goof who didn't arrange the rent prices in the game because I didn't know how.

Combat

Combat in all the games was rather straight forward, especially in Fable 2 and 3 where everything was just easy to beat or you could get overpowered around the start of the game. I'd hope the combat improves greatly this time and even bring back real consequences to dying instead of immediate revival with some lost experience and a scar. We need more serious consequences to your actions (this can be applied to all decisions rather than just if you die in a battle) even if it's just having to reload the last checkpoint. Makes things more challenging this way.

Another thing is to make boss fights less repetitive and simple- sure I can forgive it if the boss is from around the start but if they had phases you had to keep ontop of and didn't rely on summoning a bajillion other enemies to strike you, I'd be ever so grateful.

And if there's other characters fighting along side you, I'd hope they'd genuinely be helpful and keep up to speed with the player. I'm sure the AI in the past was the problem for this as AI wasn't at its best during that time so characters fighting by you didn't do too much or just did whatever that wasn't helpful. Now though, AI has improved immensely (I mean look at The Last Of Us 2, the AI is👌) and due to this, I'm sure characters would make battles more fun and the characters be more involved with the fight and even story.

Mana should be brought back as well, in Fable 2 and 3 mana just ceased to exist so you could just endlessly and repeatedly use the same spells and it just gave you too much power and the enemies barely stood a chance.

We need challenges people- CHALLENGES!

Medieval times? Yes.

I love Medieval fantasy and as much as I like the Victorian era too, I didn't think it quite suited Fable, as fascinating as it was to see fantasy turn industrial, it kind of took away from the Fable feel that I so crave. If they have indeed brought the game back to medieval times it means more creatures and enemies are back rather than driven away or limited to the same handful of enemies.

We can all also agree the guns were overpowered, though I did like receiving the Red Dragon late in Fable 2 to absolutely mow down enemies, it was satisfying to say the least. However, guns were far too powerful for the game, so I demand the bows and crossbows back thank you very much- or even throwing knives- I'll take what I'm given.

I'd love to see more of the natural landscape rather than towns or buildings that took over once entirely natural areas (Millfields/Bowerlake). However, I won't object to ruins of old buildings taken over by nature.

Skeptical with Playground Games? Don't be.

Are you worried that Playground Games wouldn't do justice to Fable since it's not Lionhead Studios? Don't be, it's been noted that Playground Games has hired several ex-lionhead workers and plenty other skillful workers to ensure we get the best product. I have high hopes and expectations for Fable 4 even if it's developed under a different studio, I've seen great things from them and I will believe they'll deliver us only the best.

Side note to all this

I will crash and burn if I don't see a crumb of Reaver or Jack of Blades in Fable 4- I don't know how true any rumours are of Fable 4 with time travelling and Jack returning, but we'll just have to see. Reaver still remains as my absolute favourite character of all time and I'd love to see more of him, even see him before he was 'Reaver'.

Jack too, more of his lore is stated elsewhere rather than in the game itself and I'd love to see it all be brought into light and really expand on his lore and make it known- rather than have ever-loving Fable fans like me dig around for these rather delicious bits of canon information.

That's my big rant, feel free to share your thoughts and what you'd look forward to!

Have some accidental art leaks from a Playground Game concept artist- believed to be for Fable 4👀

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

🥺 for each of you current vibing with oc?

Aurora — oh god I seriously can’t choose like I love absolutely everything about her she’s so precious but okay one thing I really love is how completely unapologetic she is about her feelings!  She doesn’t apologize for getting mad if someone treats her badly, she’s willing to say “I can’t forgive you yet”, like... she struggles a lot with her mental health but she knows that her feelings are valid and she won’t let anyone else make her feel bad for having emotions

Bianca — I love how easily Bianca gets along with people!  She’s super friendly and just genuinely likes being around people and makes friends quickly and it’s really fun for me!

Stevie — I love how much Stevie wants to take care of the people around her!  She ends up getting her own apartment in Riverdale, not because of her own issues with her parents (which are a lot, it’s a very emotionally abusive environment) but because she wants Betty and Polly to have a safe place away from them, and over the course of her story she just keeps giving keys to like every teen in Riverdale because god she was so lucky to have people who were there for her (Sasha, Becca, Keegan, Kevin, and later the other teens in Riverdale) that she just looks at these kids who are barely a year younger than her and she wants to give them that too!  Even when she moves back to school, she keeps paying for the apartment just so that they have somewhere that they can go if they need it!  

Cassia — I love how hard Cassia fights to protect the people she loves!  For a girl who spent most of her life thinking her only family was an abusive shithead, she ends up with honestly the best (and biggest) found family you could imagine and there’s nothing that she wouldn’t do to protect them! 

Verona — I love how smart she is!  She’s not just academically inclined (though like, she is) but she’s really good at reading people and has life-smarts not just book smarts!  She knows when to fight and when to surrender and she always has a plan up her sleeve

Nikki — I... I can’t even narrow it down to just one thing, Nikki is everything to me!  But I think that maybe my favourite thing is that Nikki just wants to love people!  She fights because she has people to protect, she’s nice even when her own life is falling apart because she doesn’t want other people to suffer, and even when she wants to just curl up in bed forever, she always gets back up because she’s absolutely determined to leave the world better than she found it

Sophie — I really love that, even though she doesn’t see it (and granted she also ruins lives without hesitation), Sophie has the biggest heart!  She cares so much about everyone around her and is always tyring to make everyone happy!

Ilsa — I love the way that Ilsa just loves to do things because they make the people around her happy!  Like she got into reading and writing because Rory wanted to talk about the books she was reading, her love of movies came from watching movies with Lorelai all the time, she’s actually pretty outdoorsy (especially hiking, but generally she likes doing things outside) because of Luke, she gets into just driving around because that’s what Jess likes to do... quality time is very much her love language but she also discovers a lot of her passions that way!

Kris — I love that Kris tries to give people a chance!  She might not give many second chances (and never third chances), but aside from a few extreme exceptions, she tries to give people the benefit of the doubt!  Despite all the stories she hears about the Southside, she gives every Serpent a chance (and doesn’t blame the rest of them for the Toni shit), she gives Veronica a chance despite her reputation, like, she tries really hard not to let rumours cloud her own judgement of people!

Arianne — I love how much Ari grows over the seasons!  She starts off as sort of this vapid bitch with no real personality but grows into this fiercely loving, highly protective badass who would do anything for the people she loves, and I’m always proud of her for it!

Stacey — I love how much Stacey loves her brothers!  After everything she’s been through, it would be so easy to just completely shut them out, but she doesn’t!  She might not tell them everything, but she makes a deliberate effort to spend time with them and to get to know them again, and it just makes my heart happy!

Paige — I love how happy she is!  Like don’t get me wrong, she has some angst in her life, but she’s just like bright and happy and living in the moment which is really different from almost any of my other ocs

Allie — I love that Allie tries to trust people!  It’s not always easy for her, especially when it comes to adults, but she’s determined not to let her parents ruin everything for her so she tries!  It’s slow going, and sometimes it never really happens (eg she never really trusts Lorelai after her fight with Luke about Jess), but she works really hard to ignore the voice that tells her that every adult is going to screw her over like her parents did

Holland — I love that Holland always wants to learn more!  She’s endlessly curious and wants to know everything about everything, all the time!  And she especially loves to listen to people talk about the things they’re passionate about!

Kirsty — oh my god literally everything god I love her!  But one of my favourite things is how unapologetic she is about her feelings!  Even when people (cough lorelai, christopher, and her grandparents) get mad at her for them, she refuses to apologize for calling people out for hurting her, or anyone around her.  She may struggle to express her emotions, but she’s not going to apologize for having them

Ivy — I love how resilient she is!  She doesn’t always see it in herself but the tragedy of Ivy Knight is that she’s always the one who survives, and she always has to find a way to get up and keep going even as her world is falling apart!  

Send me a 🥺 + one of my ocs and I’ll tell you my favourite thing about them

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Fluffabet! - Tulula

@dat-silvers-girl you tagged me in this I don’t even know how long ago. You probably don’t even remember, that’s how late I am. Nonetheless, nonetheless! I recently got an anon asking me about Tulula as well, and so I shall heal two birds with one veterinarian! (What, what do you mean that’s not the phrase? I like it better this way.) Let’s go ahead and tag @weirdcursedvaultkid @carewyncromwell and @carmilla-the-bird if you’ve already done it and want to do it again you could totally do a different ship? Or anything you like. Let’s go!

A= Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

Merula is attracted to Tulip’s outlook, her tendency toward chaos and ability to plan such chaos so meticulously. That smirk is a killer as well. Tulip, meanwhile, is attracted to Merula’s unwavering ambition and her dominant personality. Her eyes are pretty captivating, too. I think Tulip’s passion for mayhem rubbed off on Merula, and I think her taste for glory rubbed off on Tulip. So they became a little bit like each other.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not)

I feel like Tulip would love the idea of having a youngin’ that was theirs, that she and Merula could train as their apprentice in the ways of trouble - and with how Tulip was raised, you know that’s exactly what she would do.  Merula is a tricky case...I feel like she’d be conflicted about having children. I think having a family environment would definitely help her mental health thrive, but I also think she wouldn’t know what to do with a child. She hasn’t exactly had the best examples to go on with motherhood. 

C= Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

Merula reads to me as someone who would hide her face while cuddling, like in Tulip’s hair, neck, or chest. I also definitely see Merula being shorter, so I can just picture Tulip pulling her into her lap all of the time. It reminds me of that meme. Tulip cuddling Merula and gushing about how cute she is, and Merula sleepily muttering that she could kick her ass. 

D= Dates (What are dates with them)

They’re adventures, for sure! These two little delinquents are going to go off to explore the Forbidden Forest, check out all of the abandoned corridors and rooms in the castle, probably searching for a Cursed Vault. Or else just planning a big prank on someone they want to get back at. Competing with others and (playfully) with each other, they’ve definitely got a scoreboard.

E= Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…))

“Merula, you are the one who makes it worth it. The chaos in the world is a wonderful thing, but I can’t imagine experiencing it without you. It all seems so dull and pointless. You invigorate me, you motivate me.” 

“Blimey, you really are mad for me, aren’t you? Hehe. Well, I suppose...you mean a lot to me too, you know? I know I don’t normally say it, talking about this kind of thing is awkward. But even if I’m the most powerful date in Hogwarts...you could give me a run for my money.”

“Do you really mean that?” 

“Of course I do. And I’m not saying it a second time, so savor it.” 

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

I so firmly and sincerely believe that Tulip knew as soon as she betrayed Merula. I feel like they would have been somewhat open with each other about having more-than-friendly feelings, but it wouldn’t have been anything official, since, y’know, they’re preteens at this point. But when Tulip leaves Merula, it truly sinks in just what she’s lost. Merula would shrug it off and try to tell herself she’s over Tulip - but seeing her working with MC and being friends with them...yeah, that would be the moment Merula realized and probably skulked off to hex a training dummy and cry. Mutual pining and mutual pain, be still my heart. 

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

As much as we all snort at the idea of Merula being gentle, I think she can be, given the right context. It’s not a side of her that anyone would see very often, so even Tulip would normally get her default personality. But when they’re alone and at peace, I could see Merula softening. For Tulip, I think it would be far easier. I think she actually adapts herself to be less gentle for Merula’s sake, since Merula tends to respond more to power.  One of Tulip’s greatest strengths as a partner is the ability to adapt.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

I feel like Tulip does this thing where she embraces Merula from behind and grabs her hand. Not to mention grabbing her hand when they’re running from Filch. And it just becomes a habit for her, so that even when Merula is hugging her, Tulip holds her hands. But it would be a much bigger moment the first time that Merula actually reached for Tulip’s hand of her own accord. Whatever you do, don’t imagine Tulip tearing up when it happens.

 I = Impression (What was their first impression?)

I think Tulip made it her mission to prank everyone in her class before the first year was over. If you want to get into head-canons, that could mean that any number of hijinks from Year 1 were actually caused by Tulip, including the “You are a [House]” schemes. But Merula was the one person that she failed to prank, Merula caught the act before it was complete. Which probably led to them developing a mutual admiration for each other, after the initial conflict. 

J= Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

Merula does. Boy oh boy, does she get jealous. I feel like Tulip wouldn’t necessarily, but it could depend. Merula is highly insecure and I think she very much was jealous when MC and Tulip started hanging out. Likewise, I also think that Tulip was jealous of Merula and MC in Year 5, and Merula even taunted her about it during that scene in Jacob’s Room. But I think Merula wants Tulip all to herself. Tulip, I think, wouldn’t be that strict...but she would hate the idea of Merula just completely moving on to someone else and having no room left in her heart for the rebellious ravenclaw. Which is probably what’s happened by Year 6...

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

Not really sure. All I know is that Merula really wants to snog Tulip but is awkward about it. So either because it’s her nature or because she knows Merula is insecure, Tulip is probably the one to pull her in. I’d imagine that Tulip initiated the first kiss as well, or it might have been a same/time thing. If we want to have more heartbreaking fun, just picture Tulip wishing Merula luck before the Portrait Vault and asking her to be careful. And then blindsiding her with the first kiss. What if Merula wasn’t just being all shy and sheepish early on in that chapter because she was connecting with MC, but because of that too? 

L= Love (Who says ‘I love you first?)

With how emotionally guarded and repressed Merula is, it was definitely Tulip. I also feel like neither of them would really have verbal expression as a way of expressing their feelings, because they’re both awkward as all hell. Merula shows her affection through expressions of power, and Tulip with her pranks. They’re in a constant effort to prove themselves to each other when there’s no need, always missing the point ironically at least until they're older. 

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)

Going off the idea that they became partners in crime after Tulip tried and failed to prank Merula, I feel like they became similar to the Marauders and explored the Castle for Cursed Vaults. I have this headcanon that they discovered the Room of Requirement at this time and initially investigated it just in case it was a Cursed Vault. It wasn’t, but it became like their sanctuary for a while before they moved to Jacob’s  Room. In my head-canons, when they eventually reconcile (they will, damn it!) they’ll return to the “sanctuary” room as neither has ever been able to open the Room without each other.

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

No idea if either of them is particularly wealthy, but I like to imagine that when it comes to love languages, Tulip is more of an “acts of service” sort of person. She’d pull off all kinds of schemes in the hope of making Merula smile or laugh. Merula strikes me as a physical touch sort of person, and I feel like she wouldn’t be much of a gift giver either, but they could definitely go all out given the right circumstances. I feel like Tulip, post-graduation, would engineer a scheme to try and break Merula’s parents out of Azkaban. She would of course, fail, but imagine Merula trying not to cry as she realizes how lucky she is. 

O=  Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

This one is rather simple, but I feel like the colors that remind Tulip of Merula is either emerald green, or violet. To match either her House, or her eyes. The colors that remind Merula of Tulip are crimson red (for her hair) and midnight blue, because she’s a Ravenclaw and also because it would resemble her Celestial Ball dress. Did these two go to the Celestial Ball together? Unlikely, given that they were at odds, but still possible. Otherwise, one of them could have looked on forlorn as the other danced with MC. 

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?

Merula has a tendency to refer to people by surname, and only use their first name if it’s a serious moment or if she’s grown to care about them. I feel like the opposite would come into play with Tulip. Most of the time she just calls her by her first name, but in more serious moments, she playfully calls her “Karasu.” Likewise...ever notice how Tulip, notorious for referring to people by first and last names every time...has only ever called Merula by her first name? Just saying. Other than that, I’d imagine she tried to use some nicknames for Merula playfully, stuff like “Meru” or “Ruru” or “Rula” and promptly dodged the incoming hex at the idea.

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)

I mean, they’re witches, so most of the hobbies and everyday things they come across aren’t going to be modern, especially in Merula’s case. But Merula appears to be a Quidditch fan, even if she doesn’t always let on. I feel as though Tulip doesn’t care about that, but could gladly get on board with playing alongside her. Meanwhile, Tulip strikes me as the kind of person to enjoy Wizard’s Chess. (EDIT: Apparently, this is straight up canon. Yay!) She would pull out victory in unexpected ways, make different plays that her opponents question as cheating or risque, but never be able to prove anything.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

I think this is where Tulip being more well adjusted than Merula would come into play. A rainy day would be the perfect chance to write some letters to folks they know and care about, that they could catch up with. Merula would scoff at the thought, wanting such people to contact them first. Tulip would talk her into helping or, if nothing else, sign the letters from both of them, bless her heart.

S = Sad (How do they cheer each other up?)

Merula only knows how to measure things in terms of power and success. She would learn to translate that for Tulip, who is constantly insecure, I think, about who she is. I feel like the lack of love Tulip got from her parents affects her, and that she sees far too much of herself in Rakepick. Merula attempts to comfort her by reassuring Tulip that she is her own person. Unique and better than any of them. Likewise, I think Tulip very much imbibes negative energy from those around her, so Merula working on herself also helps, and just generally being nicer. Tulip, meanwhile, is good at adapting, like I said earlier. She learns quickly how to console Merula and feed her ego, understands when to be blunt and when to just let her win. 

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

I feel like Tulip always has a funny story to share, but winds up telling it in a way that the joke doesn’t land. I think Merula likes to boast about her adventures, but her self-praise rings hollow since no one else was there. In both cases, it’s an example of “you had to be there.” hence these two always prefer to stick together when they can, but are always willing to listen when the other needs to vent, and they often trade clever quips and one-liners, just overall a lot of fun banter.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

Merula almost never relaxes. I think having Tulip around in general would help with that. I can imagine the two of them kicking back after a long day of adventures, sharing a pot of tea and chatting about the different antics they shared, as well as bringing one another up to speed on what the other missed. Bonus points if they’re cuddling on the couch. Again, I’m a sucker for that whole setup? Is Merula a big spoon or a little spoon? She’s obviously a knife. Just kidding, she’s a little spoon.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

This is Merula we’re talking about. She is constantly showing off and enjoys the attention because Tulip will inevitably get heart-eyes, every time. Whether it’s mastering a new spell, bullying and/or “standing up to” someone she had a quarrel with, or even just a new style for her hair, Merula would always want Tulip’s attention. I feel like Tulip is mostly proud of her schemes and ability to plan big events, usually ones that cause mayhem, and those are her proudest accomplishments. 

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?

So, my vision is that Tulip’s initial prank that she planned on Merula, who she saved for last, involved knocking her into the fountain of the Hogwarts Courtyard. Merula saw this coming and dodged at the last second, instead pushing Tulip into the fountain. To her immense surprise, Tulip was not angry, she was delighted at having been outsmarted. My belief is that some time after Hogwarts, maybe after the second war ends, maybe before it starts...Tulip takes Merula to some garden where there’s a fountain, and abruptly knocks both of them into the water. Once they’re in there, Tulip pulls out the ring. Obviously, Merula says yes, before security chases them off. 

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?)

Oh I’m so glad you asked, my friend. Their song, in-universe, is the Celestina Warbeck song called “You Charmed The Heart Right Out Of Me.” This is something that I believe they shared, a love of Celestina Warbeck and of singing in general - though Merula was the only one who was good at it, of course. Seriously, this one would have been in the songbook, and circled with a bunch of hearts. Don’t @ me. It just would have. Additionally, if we’re talking about out-of-universe, this song reminds me a lot of the storm that Tulula would be.

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

Yup! The fountain incident is the proposal, and I think Tulip knew she wanted to marry Merula for years, even before they left Hogwarts. Likewise, I think that Tulip’s attempt to free Merula’s parents clued Merula in to how she was really feeling as well, which previously she wasn’t able to access. So she would have secretly wanted to marry Tulip as well, but not had the guts to propose.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

They already have a pet and he is the magnificent Dennis. He is their son, and always watches over them, being just as much of a trickster as Tulip. Likewise, my interpretation is that Merula has a black cat called Bitten who is just as much of a grumpy ass as Merula. Bitten and Dennis have a close friendship, even if it’s unconventional and Bitten refuses to let on that he cares, he will allow Dennis to sleep in his bed without biting him.

[daphnefangirling]

tag game! get to know me

tagged by: the wonderful @thetaoofbetty 💖

1. what is the color of your hairbrush? My regular one is grey, but I have a purple one in my purse that i use a lot.

2. name a food you never eat- i’ll try anything at least once. Foods i’d rather NOT eat again? Hmmm probably sea urchin

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? too cold, especially my arms for some reason

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? feeding my 11 days old baby

5. what’s your favorite candy bar? ok so this changes quite often, right now i’d say Aero. Ask me in a month or two and it might be something completely different (i’m very partial to After Eight chocolates around the holidays)

6. have you ever been to a professional sports game? yes, many times! i live in the hockey mecca of the Montreal Canadiens and have been to many, many games. i’ve also attended soccer games of the Montreal Impact and Lisbon’s Benfica. Oh and the Women’s Cup that was held in Montreal a few years back, that was fun! Back when Montreal still had a baseball team (RIP the Expos), i went to a few as well. I’ve also attended matches of the Rogers Cup (tennis).

7. what is the last thing you said out loud?  “love you” to my husband who just took over with the baby so i could have a bit to myself and answer this! haha

8. what is your favorite ice cream? i’m a simple gal: i like vanilla because it can be matched with so many flavours. i also really love Ben & Jerry’s The Tonight Dough (created by Jimmy Fallon)

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? water. i drink a lot of water because breastfeeding

10. do you like your wallet? i love my wallet! Ever since 2005, all my purses and wallets are from this Portuguese company called Cavalinho and they’re all gorgeous!

11. what is the last thing you ate? eggs over easy and crispy bacon 

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? nope! 

13. what’s the last sporting event you watched? probably the NHL Stanley Cup final

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Chicago Mix baby! That thing is like crack: i will eat the whole bag if no one stops me!

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? my mom

16. ever been camping? in a camper, does that count? In 2005, i went on a 2-weeks roadtrip with a camper across Spain and the South of France.

17. do you take vitamins? i’m still taking my prenatal vitamins because the Dr said to keep taking them until i stop breastfeeding. Normally, i don’t though.

18. do you regularly attend a place of worship? i do not.

19. do you have a tan? i actually laughed out loud at this one because i’m so ridiculously pale, it’s laughable to imagine myself with a tan

20. do you prefer chinese or pizza?  pizza. i’ve answered this many times, but pizza is that food that even when it’s bad, it’s still good.

21. do you drink your soda through a straw? not if i can help it, straws are not good for the environment peeps!

22. what color socks do you usually wear? i like fun socks, i have this Harry Potter set from Hot Topic that i’ve been wearing a lot (currently the ones that say: ‘Mischief Managed’)

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit?  yes... uh i mean no! Wait, where’s my lawyer?

24. what terrifies you? that something bad happens to my kids or my family

25. look to your left, what do you see?  a poster of Sandeman’s Port wine

26. what chore do you hate most? cleaning the bathrooms, no contest

27. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? i’m a lover of pretty much all accents so i’d think it’s sexy

28. what’s your favorite soda? Orange Crush or Mountain Dew

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? drive thru, i’m a mom of three: drive thru ftw

30. what’s your favorite number? 9 because i was born on the 9th day of the 9th month 

31. who’s the last person you talked to? i talk to myself in my head a lot, but out loud it was my husband (see answer to question #7)

32. favorite meat? uhhhh chicken? i dunno, i’ve never given this any thought whatsoever

33. last song you listened to? Tina Turner’s 'Simply the Best’ covered by Noah Reid on Schitt’s Creek when Patrick serenades David and yes i was all up in my emotions

34. last book you read? Lili Reinhart’s ‘Swimming Lessons’

35. favorite day of the week? we’re in a pandemic, what is time anymore? also, as a mom of 2 toddlers and a baby, there is no such thing as a favourite day of the week anymore. 

36. can you say the alphabet backwards? probably... but really slowly

37. how do you like your coffee? just with milk, nothing else

38. favorite pair of shoes? i have a pair of lace-covered flats that i really love

39. time you normally get up? at whatever time my kids wake up

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? sunsets, always.

41. how many blankets are on your bed? i sleep with bed sheets and one comforter (is a comforter a blanket? do the sheets count? i’m making this question is harder than it needs to be, aren’t i?)

42. describe your kitchen plates? they’re white and round (i used to have a set that was square, but we keep breaking them and there are only 2-3 left now)

43. describe your kitchen at the moment: there’s stuff everywhere no matter how many times we clean it and put away everything. Did i mention i have 3 young children?

44. do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? probably gin & tonic

45. do you play cards? i play solitaire on my phone when i’m bored

46. what color is your car? my car is blue, the family car is silver grey

47. can you change a tire? most definitely NOT

48. your favorite state or province? i live in Quebec and it’s pretty gorgeous over here. Can’t complain, 10/10 would recommend. Come visit me when this pandemic is over, I have a Bughead room and everything! Ask @cheryllclayton!

49. favorite job you’ve had? the one i have now: full time mom (i’m on mat leave). But also, the one i have now: coordinator of the CBC Literary Prizes for CBC Books.

tagging: @cheryllclayton @jandjsalmon @anchor-bird-94 @crowns-and-milkshakes @lizzybuggie @darknessaroundus @bluevelvetvideo 

[curiousstrawberry]

otp tag

i was tagged by @bitterotter and i think @impossible-rat-babies thank you <33

I’m gonna tag @dep-yo-tee @moon-sugar @atomirotta @dorkousloris and anyone else who wants to do this consider yourself tagged (also feel no oblagation to do this) 

Also otp of choice is Adam and Desideria because why not 

DISAGREEMENTS.

Who is more likely to raise their voice?

·         Ah that’s difficult... both of them are short tempered and equally likely to raise their voice but it’s very short lived and they will apologize, or at least try to. This also comes from both of them being stubborn and not realizing their feelings. I think deeper in relationship this is not an issue at all and only fights would be more related and likely without raised voices.  

Who threatens to leave but never actually does?

·         No threatening of leaving, just leaving for a moment if it gets too much.

who actually keeps their word and leaves?

·         Again, if it gets too much either leaves to cool down for a moment. Usually it’s Adam who needs more cool down time, but they are pretty on par with that.

who trashes the house?

·         Nope, if you don’t count accidentally smashing some furniture due to emotional constipation

Rest is bellow cut because it’s very long and contains adult stuff 

do either of them get physical?

·         NOPE

how often do they argue/disagree?

·         Ah well, it’s not really disagreements or arguments more like different opinions on things and challenging each other, which does happen quite often especially when it’s work related. But they respect each other’s options, even if they disagree with it.

who is the first to apologize?

·         Neither is really good at apologizing, both of them are really stubborn but they do always apologize. I think Des is likely to apologize first but not by much

SEX.

who is on top? Who is on bottom?

·         Depends on mood I guess? Neither mind switching.

any kinks?

·         Not sure about Adam but Des is lot into praising and hair pulling.

who has the strangest desires?

·         I mean I wouldn’t say either of them do? I think Des is likely to try new stuff though

who’s dominant in bed?

·         Adam is, it’s likely difficult to leave someone else the reigns even in the bed. Des is mostly fine with it, but they do switch things around.

is head ever in the equation?

·         Yup, Des is more for giving than receiving but yeah.

if so, who is better at performing it?

·         Likely Adam? He’s likely more experienced so let’s go with that.

ever had sex in public?

·         Ah I don’t think either would be very comfortable with that.

who moans the most?

·         I think both of them are kinda same level of noisy or well not as noisy. I do entertain the idea of Adam being louder though.

who leaves the most marks?

·         Des, or well she’d love to

who is the more experienced of the two?

·         Adam? This one is difficult. I’d say that with Adam not being with anyone since he was turned makes them about equal way experienced?

do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’?

·         make love duh

how long do they usually last?

·         Average?

rough or soft?

·         Hmmm, soft. I mean rough too sometimes too but usually it’s all about intimate touches and kisses and just being able to explore each other and be near each other than the actual sex itself.

is protection used?

·         Yup, better be safe than sorry.

does it ever get boring?

·         Not likely no. I think neither of them really essentially needs to have sex so this is not an issue.

where is the strangest place they’d have sex?

·         Hah nothing very extreme I’d say. Really no idea. Likely Des’s room at the warehouse? Really nothing that strange

FAMILY.

Do they plan on having children/or have children?

·         Des isn’t very into the idea of having children. Like she won’t say no, she would have to think about it very hard and it would be far in the future but for now it’s very strong no. It has lot to do with her childhood and with her mental health she doesn’t want anyone else to be introduced to that, especially not child.

If so, how many children do they want/have?

AFFECTION.

who likes to cuddle?

·         Well, Des is touch averse but once she gets comfortable with someone (she cares about) she’s cuddle monster

who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places?

·         Neither? They are boring like that.

who struggles to keep their hands to themself?

·         I think Adam later in relationship will have trouble with keeping hands to himself in terms of I’ve been touch starved for 900 years and now I met my soulmate.

how long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable?

·         Depends, likely if they watch some movie or something they do keep close

what is their favourite non-sexual activity?

·         Believe it or not but combat training. They both have a lot of fun with that, well Des does later when she knows what’s up more. Also quiet night watching some old movies or reading a book and just being near each other is something they really do enjoy.

where is their favourite place to cuddle?

·         Bed or couch

SLEEPING.

who snores?

·         Neither. Though idea of Adam snoring is hilarious

if both do, who snores the loudest?

do they share a bed or sleep separately?

·         When Des is in warehouse or Adam visiting her they do share bed, but they do not live together at the moment (who knows if they will)

if they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart?

·         Likely fall asleep being close to each other but not really like entangled limbs or anything,

what do they wear to bed?

·         Hah literally no idea what would Adam wear hmmm, I could imagine him in some pajama pants? Des is likely to wear some large shirt (she will absolutely steal Adam’s shirt)

are either of them insomniacs?

·         Don’t think so? Adam just doesn’t need much sleep and Des has bad sleeping habits.

can sleeping pills be found by the bedside?

·         Nope, no pills at all for Des unless she absolutely has to.

do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side?

·         Side by side, holding hands, Des curled to Adam’s side but nothing that would invade each other’s space too much.

who wakes up with bed hair?

·         Des

who wakes up first?

·         Adam, I mean he doesn’t need as much sleep so there’s that.

who prepares breakfast in bed for the other?

·         Adam doesn’t really eat so there’s not much preparing stuff for him but he does make Des coffee or tea.

what is their favourite sleeping position?

·         When Des is alone she sleeps on her stomach, head buried in too many pillows. When she’s with Adam she’s usually curled to his side, hand thrown over his stomach, him wrapping arm around her.

do they set an alarm each night?

·         Lol Des has like six of them neither works.

who has nightmares?

·         I guess both but Des does more. And no she would not like to talk about it she’s fine.

can a television be found in their bedroom?

·         Nope.

who has ridiculous dreams?

·         Neither? For Des it’s usually realistic flashes rather than something completely ridiculous.

who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed?

·         Des

who makes the bed?

·         Adam

what time is bed time?

·         Hmmmmmm I mean after work is done? When Des feels like she’s tired? Usually around midnight and later

any routines/rituals before bed?

·         The usual brushing teeth etc. Des pulls her hair into a bun or braids it because there’s lot of hair and it’s not fun when someone lies on it.

who’s the grumpiest when they wake up?

·         Des, she really is top grump in morning. Adam thinks it’s cute but won’t admit it.

WORK.

who is the busiest?

·         I’d say Adam, not that Des isn’t but you know he’s more workaholic type

who rakes in the highest income?

·         Likely Adam

are any of them unemployed?

·         Nope

who takes the most sick days?

·         Des does. Some days are just too much you know.

what are their jobs?

·         Des is a detective. Adam works for the Agency

who sucks up to their boss?

·         Hahaha Adam would I think? Or well is more candidate anyway. Des doesn’t know what respect for authority is. She’s not an outright dick but you gotta earn the respect she won’t suck up to anyone.

·         who is more likely to turn up late to work?

Des, even with the amount of alarms she has set, she’s not a morning person.

who stresses the most?

·         Des does, but she won’t let it show

do they enjoy or despise their careers/occupations?

·         I think Adam enjoys what he’s doing. As for Des.. it works?

are they financially stable?

·         Yes

HOME.

who does the washing?

·         Both

who takes out the trash?

·         both

who does the ironing?

·         Des does iron her own clothes... or well folds it well so she doesn’t have to iron it later.

who does the cooking

·         Des does but she hates cooking even if she’s not bad at it. She’d rather order take out.

who is more likely to burn the house down just trying?

·         Neither, but I can’t imagine Adam cooking.

who is messier?

·         Des by default since Adam seems like neat freak

who leaves the toilet roll empty?

·         Neither

who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor?

·         Des

who forgets to flush the toilet?

·         Gross neither

who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere?

·         Des does, she puts them somewhere and then forgets. Actually happens quite often.

who answers the telephone?

·         They use cell phones only and each has their own.

who mows the lawn?

·         No lawn.

who does the vacuuming?

·         I mean if they would live together then both.

who does the groceries?

·         Des, though she would drag Adam along to carry bags

who takes the longest to shower?

·         Des does

who spends the most time in the bathroom?

·         Again Des,  with the amount of hair she’s bound to.

MISCELLANEOUS.

is money a problem?

·         Nope

how many cars do they own?

·         Des’ very old seems to be falling apart car

what’s their song?

·         Hah I return to this later no idea for now

do they live in the city or in the country?

·         Wayhaven strikes me like smaller town?

do they own their home or do they rent?

·         Des’ rents her apartment, Adam lives in the Agency’s warehouse

do they enjoy their surroundings?

·         Des is very fine with the small town environment, not lot of people. Adam doesn’t seem to be enjoying it as much.

what do they do when they’re away from each other?

·         Work, think about each other, Des might even text Adam, but yeah work is usually at the first place

where did they first meet?

·         At work, introduced by Des’ mom, best and worst day of Adam’s life likely lol

who spends the most money when out shopping?

·         Des would

who’s more likely to flash their assets?

·         Neither

any mental issues?

·         Hah, Des has problems with depression and anxiety, is generally touch averse (though not sure that counts here), and now adding trauma with kidnapping and being experimented on... so that’s fun

who finds it amusing when the other trips over?

·         Neither. I mean in theory Des would but I cant see Adam trip over

who’s terrified of bugs?

·         Not terrified but Des isn’t a fan

who kills the spiders around the house?

·         Not kill but Des will ask Adam to relocate them, she would do so herself but if Adam is there well less anxiety.

do they have any fears for their future?

·         Hahaha well there’s the whole mortality thing that I think Adam thinks constantly about. Des is generally anxious about future but again won’t let it show.

their favourite place?

·         Hmmm no idea? But it could be the way from the station to Des’ apartment since I imagine Adam often walks her home.

who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner?

·         Eh no fancy.

who pays the bills?

·         Each pays their own bills, if they’d live together they’d split

who’s the tallest

·         Adam is, but actually not by lot as Des is relatively tall

who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other?

·         Hmmm Des? But she would ask before

who wanders around in their underwear?

·         Des does, especially in summer, might give Adam a stroke

who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio?

·         Neither, Des does occasionally hums along

what do they tease each other about?

·         They don’t really? like Des knows how touch and emotions are difficult for Adam so she won’t tease him about that. Maybe when he tries to show off she would.

who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times?

·         I mean cargo pants so....

who crushed first?

·         Hah Adam does. Des is more like ?????!!!!

any alcohol or substance related problems?

·         Nope, unless you count candy and sweets addiction

who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am?

·         Des doesn’t drink and Adam likely cannot get drunk

who swears the most?

·         Des does swear a lot once she’s outside station.

[weight-sled]

13 Best Cross Training Shoes: Don't Miss Training Shoes

You never want to think about your feet while you're smashing your new challenging WOD into your CrossFit package. Since the body takes a lot of physical workout preparation for its different modalities, from heavyweight cleansing to box jumps to rope climbs, it can be a struggle to find the best shoes. You can't lace up a pair of Chuck Taylors exactly like a powerlifter or, god forbid, like a complete gym newb, plain running shoes, and expect optimum results.

You'll need a bit extra boots for yourself. For your simple lifts and hard deadlift days, Chucks might do fine, but if you're faced with either hiking, jumping, or climbing, you'll find yourself in trouble. And it's not a smart idea to carry out workouts, cleanses, and other weight-centric activities wearing running shoes, since the plush, cushioned midsoles in most running shoes find it more challenging to lift off the ground and produce power. Any CrossFitters might invest in a pair of lifting shoes for clean and snatch-heavy WODs who like to throw around pretty heavy loads, but those would only be beneficial for particular occasions. If you want just one pair, you're going to need a jack of all trades.

To help you keep upright, the perfect CrossFit shoe would have a small reduction in heel-to-toe-the change in height from the shoe's heel to its toe. Often helpful: a versatile, firm sole that will allow you to push off the ground in all directions to generate strength and travel well. Durability and toughness is also a huge requirement; you would need more support than fancy mesh trainers because of the often erratic nature of CrossFit exercises, which might challenge you to practice explosive weightlifting movements one minute, then clamber up a rope the next.

 Have you got a pair of shoes just for the box?

For your next CrossFit workout, here are 13 of the best footwear choices. Your feet would be well-positioned to break your PRs and look amazing as you are doing so if you wear these to the box.

The signature training shoe from Nike is more breathable than ever, which is helpful because the flexible kicks help you to move smoothly from lifting to running. They do well in just about every major category of CrossFit, taking the word of our fitness director for it.

 The low-profile training shoes from Puma have a distinctive lockdown fit to go along with a slick build. When you are under high weight, an extra large toe box gives the toes plenty of room to splay, and the rugged upper material can handle any exercise you want to do.

 Using Mizuno's C.O.B. technology, which is intended to help improve balance and foot sensitivity, these incredibly comfortable trainers were developed. In theory, that implies better control and stability, while the one-piece bootie construction enables a perfect fit.

 In one box, the new version of the long-running, mega popular "Official Shoe of Fitness" has it all. The toe box was redesigned along with the usual considerations for weightlifting, and reebok Crossfit nano Floatride energy return midsole content was used to make it more running friendly.

 These cross training shoes feature one of our favourites for hard work in the gym, Under Armour's TriBase structure. To help you get a decent grip, rubber covers the outer sole and under the toe box.

If you are sick of the low-profile styles that other cross training shoes sell, go for the high-top variant of the respected trainers from No Bull. This low-drop shoe features a SuperFabric upper, a robust, abrasion-resistant and breathable material that gives a distinctive look to these kicks (a look that works well outside the box, too, especially given the amazing colorway options of NOBULL).

 In CrossFit boxes everywhere, the Nike Metcon line has long been a favorite, but the Swoosh stepped up the game by mashing its stable, robust construction concepts with the more compact and light Free line, which offers a more flexible forefoot for running and agility exercises. The outcome is a flexible trainer that is just as strong as it is with sprints for your range of thrusters.

 Grinder Lalo Maximus

Tactical outfitter Lalo partnered to create this beast of a trainer with one of our favorite power trainers, Bobby Maximus. Although the shoes are sturdy enough to take on any task of weightlifting and agile enough to run well, be careful when reaching the rope for climbing exercises.

 F-LITE G 300 Inov8 300

The super-tough training shoes of Inov-8 are a cult favorite, and the newest update takes all of the advances of the company to the fore. Inov-8 claims that the sneakers, made of graphene, "the world's toughest material" are so strong that the company promises a 30-day trial period, with refunds for any unsatisfied buyers.

 Primeblue Trainer FitBoost

These Adidas sneakers are designed with an explosive competitor in mind, someone who needs to leap without skipping a breath from one station to the next. These kicks would be especially well suited for weightlifting, running, and jumping.

 Prevail Minimus

This silhouette in New Equilibrium is intended to fill the gap between barefoot fitness and the super-cushioned runners of the brand. Padding in the upper engineered knit gives way to a sole from Vibram that promises to accommodate the hardest workouts.

 SOLSTICE XT MEN'S XT

These trainers are, like Altra's other kicks, designed to imitate the shape of the feet. That means there is an extra-wide toe box and other features to facilitate versatility and movement (great for heavyweight lifts). For extra durability, there's also a lined cage and a complete rubber outsole.

 AD 1 teacher

Such multipurpose trainers from Lane-Eight are not generally designed for the box, but with a utilitarian style with an eye to high fashion, they can work almost anywhere. In your more general WODs, put them to the test, and you might like how they are feeling. Best of all: they are made from products that are renewable.

 Top Ratings Best Cross Training Shoes

Shoe Hints and Guides for Cross Training

If you are a cross-training shoe beginner, then this section is for you. We have assembled a lot of cross-training shoe details in general.

 Here you can discuss the past of cross trainer styles and features and some fun similarities of cross training trainers and other cross training shoes. Quite importantly, for you, we have planned the definitive purchasing guides.

If you are genuinely serious about the next cross trainer, don't skip these posts.

  Why opt for shoes for cross training?

Cross training shoes, engineered especially for elliptical training, are similarly great for low-impact workouts. This shoes are designed to provide the balls of the feet with cushion and padding so that you are not easily weighed down by physical exercise. Cross running trainers, lightweight, offering adequate security and tailored to endure shocks, are a must for those who are regulars at the local gym, go for a run every day, etc. In comparison, the fact that they are very versatile and light ensures that they end up offering a very pleasant environment for the customer.

cross training shoes tend to be flexible and compatible, unlike most coaches. You should keep in mind, though, that a cross-fit training shoe is not going to be a perfect long-distance running choice.

You should select a cross training shoe from a variety of choices, based on the steps and the width of your foot. These shoes will leave you with the sort of happiness that will make your training experience much better than you ever imagined it to be, as the best economic option.

  Day of Buy or Shop Review: Best Training Shoes For Men

A running shoe just doesn't cut it. Many men do certain things outside of running. That's when it comes to cross trainers. Unlike cross training shoes, cross trainers are important because they have lateral support, which is a necessity when conducting some kind of court action. To be honest, choosing the vip cross trainers for men can be challenging. If you're looking for the perfect cross training shoe, don't skip the tools below. You'll be able to discover which cross training shoe you need by integrating our best lists, independent scores, and feedback.

  For ladies, Cross Training Shoes Buy Reviews

It is important for all women, but particularly for those who like various sports activities, to find the right cross training shoe. It can decrease stress injuries to the muscles by providing a safe and durable cross training foot. But it takes some time to find the right cross training shoe for your needs and budget, but I have put together my best picks that cover everything from "Top 10" to women with different arch styles and different budget suggestions.

Benefits of Shop athletes or best cross training shoes 

Running shoes vs shoes for walking

Shoes for running benefits

Running shoes are the only kind of sports cross training shoes on the market to have "Stability & Cushioning" incorporated into the foot, meaning that inside the shoe they have dual-density padding to control any collapse of the feet or overpronation.

This applies to how the foot hits the ground when running. Flex at the arch.

For extra stability, running training shoes usually have flared heels.

Shoes for Walking

Walking requires rolling movement from the heel in the forward direction and stopping with toes as the foot rests on the pavement, so walking shoes are built to flex at the forefoot for this purpose.

Pace is not a major factor in walking, so walking shoes are usually heavier than running shoes.

 Shoes for exercise vs. running shoes review

Shoes preparation

Training shoes are meant for multi-directional movements, especially lateral ones.

Training shoe soles are flatter than running shoes, making them more comfortable for a wide variety of weight training and movements.

Versatile for different forms of fitness, such as high-intensity gym athletes courses, programs for weightlifting, strength, and endurance training.

Shoes for running accessories  Running shoes are designed for unidirectional heel-to-toe movement, and in running shoes, greater heel drop results from additional protection and cushioning to withstand shocks. Not suitable for workouts of weight lifting. Not made for gestures that are multi-directional or side to side. Good for tracks and long-running marathons.

Running shoes Vs Hiking shoes Hiking shoes Shoes for running It takes relatively little break-in time. Have strong help if you bear less than 25 pounds of weight. Healthy tail traction and also terrain traction. They are not waterproof, but swiftly dry. Wear out easily and there is little protection for the ankle, but particularly with backpacking, there are risks of injury on uneven ground. If soaked, retain water and it takes a lot of time to dry out.

Shoes for camping Hiking shoes are often waterproof, even though they are sunk to ankle height, leaving them dry. They are made with a thick and sturdy sole that protects the feet from uneven terrain. When holding bulky backpacks, hiking shoes are designed for excellent ankle protection. Hard equipment helps stop snake bites.

Running Shoes from Vs Cross Trainers Shoes for running Running shoes are designed and built for heel-to-toe movement, so whether you go for a jog or 5K sprint, always go for running shoes. Three times the weight of your body as you run, your feet touch the ground and running shoes are built to be strong shock absorbers. Flat feet are covered by dense cushion material in the arch section. Not ideal for gym or cross fitness, as while doing weightlifting, the cushioning can compress.

Store of Buying: Shoes from Cross Trainers Activities include aerobics, Zumba, weight lifting or other workout requiring lateral movements on uneven surfaces. Cross trainers in the forefoot area are more cushioned, so they can shield you from toe damage if you fall on your toes. The material used by cross-trainers is new and typically heavier than running shoes, which makes them durable since it would be tough for your shoes to practice cross-training.

Reebok crossfit nano nike or nike metcon 

The best cross kids sandals, athletic outlet, construction

Issue Often Asked - FAQ Q: Does high quality guarantee me an expensive pair of shoes? Ans. ANS. If you wear exactly the same pair of shoes each day, then yes. Your feet can get hurt from running or walking in cheap trainers, so don't gamble on durability. It's worth saving a few extra bucks on a durable, stylish and durable pair of sneakers. However, bear in mind that most retail items last one to two seasons, so investing in shoes with durable design and high-quality materials is advised.

Q: If my circumstances (flat feet, overpronation, etc.) do not encourage me to wear regular shoes, what should I do? Ans. ANS. AKA overpronation of flat feet causes more complications than you can know and can be really uncomfortable actually. If you suffer from flat feet, you must wear shoes that give the arch area support and cushioning, and regulate pronation. It is important to check the technical requirements when shopping for the correct shoe to ensure that they have the necessary control, protection and cushioning for the arches.

Q: Are cross-training shoes confined to CrossFit only? Ans. ANS. No, cross-training shoes are primarily designed for aerobic workouts, calisthenics (body weight exercises), and weightlifting in an intensive workout regime. They can be used for sports such as racing, tennis or walking. If you run more than 3 miles, it is not advisable to wear cross-training shoes because they do not have the same amount of cushioning and treading as running shoes.

Q: While racing, how do I breathe? Ans. ANS. With less effort, breathing properly while running will make you run quicker and longer. You ought to: When running,

With the diaphragm, relax. Take deeper breaths and breathe using your lips. Using a respiration pattern, e.g. Inhale for three steps and exhale for two. To see what suits you vip, you may play with multiple breathing habits.

Try to speak to check whether you are adequately breathing. When running without huffing, you should be able to form full sentences.

Q: When investing in cross training shoes, what do I consider? Ans. ANS. Supporting and maintaining the feet is necessary for an intensive cross-training regime. In order to find the vip cross-trainers for your feet, consider the following rules.

ARCH If, during exercise, you experience pressure in your feet, you may have the wrong shoe for the shape of your foot. To decide whether you have high arches or flat feet, have your feet tested. Look for comfort or a neutral foot if you have flat feet. It will preserve the normal location of your foot. And you can adhere to more cushioned soles whether you have regular or more angled arches.

Uppers Of The Shoe A secure, comfortable cover over your feet is an essential feature of cross-training shoes. Look for a pair that has breathable mesh on top when purchasing cross-training shoes and is comfortable throughout. And if you need more grip, consider a leather pair on top.

Brand Brand There are so many choices on the market, that finding out what cross-training shoes to purchase can be a daunting experience. Your own personal brand can not suit your feet perfectly and each brand suits a little differently. When committing to a new pair of cross-trainers, consider more than four to five brands.

Adjustment You run the risk of pain in your toes and feet when your cross-trainers are too short. If they are too wide, during any exercise, the feet may move within the shoe, since there will be no traction and you will suffer from painful blisters. So, anytime you buy sneakers, try them on right away without having your socks on. If your feet aren't happy, just don't buy them or give them back if you buy them online.

Q: What is the meaning of proper shoes being worn? Ans. ANS. Shoes play a very vital role. Our feet are covered, our body weight is cushioned and we feel relaxed and trendy. It is important to find a decent pair of shoes to make sure that they fit. Poorly fitted shoes, including flat feet, corns and more, can cause fractures and different foot issues. People have multiple kinds of sizes of feet, so shoes that may fit for someone else may not work for you. When you find the perfect pair of sneakers, make sure they are in the right place.

They are meant for the tasks you want to do. Have strong houses. Properly suit the foot. They're relaxed. Stand up to make sure the longest toe (usually the second toe) and the end of the shoe are 3/8" or 1/2" between them.

Q: What foot injuries can be related to wearing unsafe shoes? Ans. ANS. Wearing poor shoes can lead to numerous foot issues which can result in serious accidents, even serious injuries.

Maize. Corns. Damaged nails and plates of nails. Fungal questions. The foot of an athlete. Extreme scratching. With inflammation. Arches that collapsed. With back pain. Pressure in the joint.

Q: How much do I replace my shoes for cross training? Ans. ANS. Cross-training shoes have a lifespan of about 6-7 months of daily use. As every other shoe, on the upper, heel and below the shoe, cross-trainers will exhibit signs of wearing. A lot of lateral movement is involved with CrossFit, so you can watch for fraying and ripping. It's time to get rid of them if you see the inner stuff.

Q: How do I make my shoes stretch at home? Ans. ANS. There are various ways to stretch your new shoes at home and they don't normally take a lot of work. Any of the approaches you can use are below.

At home, wear sneakers. Put on a dense sock and put on a shoe. Now, blow dry the area for 20 to 30 seconds where the shoe feels heavy. Remove the sock now and wear the shoe to ensure that it is still secure. If the shoe somehow does not suit, repeat.

Freeze the shoe with a water bag. Place the water bag in your shoe and put the shoe in the freezer for one night. Peel and put the potato in the shoe. The shoe will retain potato moisture and it will stretch. Invest in a stretcher for a foot.

Visit Our Official Website

Additional Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/51292147

[laughingpinecone]

Yuletide letter

I am laughingpineapple on AO3  

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

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

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

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

Les Cités Obscures: any

This is a very general “please, anything in the style of canon, just maybe with less thoughtless sexism” request. I want to lose myself in these cities again, and in the strange lands that connect them. I’d be happy to follow any of the known characters and/or OCs, or eschew characters altogether and write about the cities themselves. What caught your imagination in Brüsel, Xhystos, Taxandria, Alaxis...? The history of some cool building that was only marginally featured in one of the stories? Or an OC city! If you’ve got a favourite European city that doesn’t already have its obscure counterpart, please tell me all about it! Go big, go wild! What strange and classically surrealist happenings take place within its walls? Or even... outside Europe... Nerding out about architecture is of course very welcome. I would also love to read a story based on any Schuiten illustration, contextualizing it as if it were part of this ‘verse. Here’s a bunch of them, for example!

Ghost Trick: Cabanela

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

Ship-wise it’s only Cabanela/Jowd whenever it’s not infidelity, Cabanela/Alma in what-ifs also if it’s not infidelity and Cabanela/Alma/Jowd for me (and Lynne/Memry and Yomiel/fianSissel on the side). There are a bunch of shippy prompts in all my past letters - I would however reiterate here that Jowd. is. the worst tease. always. Like, just saying, but assume he’s pining big time and Jowd and Alma figure it out - they’d make a national sport out of excruciatingly protracted teasing.

Conversely, Cabanela/Lynne and Cabanela/Yomiel are NOTPs especially from Cabanela’s side. So while I appreciate the thick tension of a good Yomiel VS Cabanela confrontation like everyone and their cat, and also really appreciate a roughed-up Cabanela, and I do love Yomiel in his own right… I don’t want Cabanela being into it. Adrenaline junkie he may be but this hurts and his coat’s a mess and there’s no perfect winning scenario so he hates every second of it. (JOWD being super into Cabanela being roughed up is another matter altogether and he should probably mind his own business. ...incompatible kinks, truly tragic. they’ll have to find some other common ground. they’re smart, resourceful, playful fellows, I’m sure they’ll manage)

Kentucky Route Zero: Donald kentuckyroutezero

I love everyone in the cast, all acts and interludes, and I am extremely into all the themes this incredible work of art ended up exploring. Agreeing with the overall doom and gloom up to Act IV, I was blown away by Act V’s strong affirmation of the importance of the arts and of the bonds we make and of carving up spaces for ourselves in capitalism’s wake. Donald was, indeed, not a part of any of that. Even the final interlude updates us on Lula and mentions Joseph, but the big guy is nowhere to be seen. So, you know, there’s fanfiction! He’s so static, defeated. I am fascinated by the chain of metaphysical spaces that goes surface -> Zero -> Echo -> Dogwood and even within that framework, the hall of the mountain king is like a hopeless dead end. Dude’s terminally stuck. So - once again, in the spirit of transformative works, how could he get... you know... unstuck? Did Lula’s momentous appearance in Act III shake him? Having a functioning Xanadu again, perhaps? How could he interrogate that oracle, what recursive wonders would it show him? If he decides to leave, what does it feel to be on the surface again after so long, or on the river perhaps? Maybe he is forced to leave by the flood, if not this one, the next... Having him meet any other character would be amazing. Past or future time spent with Weaver... seeing Conway again, changed... programmer guy chatting up musician androids... did he know Carrington from his college days or was Carrington only a friend of Lula’s?

As for Lula herself and Joseph too: “Flipping through the pages, Conway is able to gather that it’s a story about three characters: Joseph, Donald, and Lula. It’s something like a tragic love triangle, but much more complex. Some kind of tangled, painfully concave love polygon.” 😔 I ship them as a full triad, if you can nudge them in that direction, good. But I’m very open to non-romantic resolutions as well, going past their messy feelings to find each other as friends after so many years maybe. Or... a start. idk.

I’d be interested in fic that leans on the game’s adjacent genres: wanna go full-on American Gothic? Dip into surrealism? Take a leaf from Twin Peaks with tulpa / split narratives to explore the characters’ issues? I’m also open to AUs, real or through Xanadu. This also feels like a good place to stress that I really, really like caves.

And now for something completely different: FAQ:  The “Snake Fight” Portion of Your Thesis Defense is in the tagset this year. I’d say that the crossover with the snake portion of Here and there along the Echo writes itself, but it would not be correct, as in fact I would like you to write it for me. Feel free to not feature Donald if you focus on this crossover instead!

Uru would be a fun crossover too, for Donald specifically. He’s very DRC-shaped in how he tilts at doomed projects which just so happen to be deep underground.

Pyre: Volfred Sandalwood

This is a Volfred solo, Volfred&literally anyone or Volfred/Tariq, /Oralech or /Tariq/Oralech request. I adore everyone in that Blackwagon+Dalbert+Celeste, so if you want to add a Nightwing or two to any prompt, please do! I also love all the Scribes and find Erisa a compelling tragic figure, while out of the other triumvirates, I’m “love to hate them” for Manley, Brighton, Udmildhe and Deluge and would not like to see them featured in sympathetic roles. fwiw I also enjoy Jodi/Celeste and Bertrude/Pamitha a lot!

I feel deeply for all of Pyre’s main themes - literacy, degrees of freedom, the fragile time that is the end of a historical cycle, nobodies rising up to the occasion, building a better society, and of course found family, “distance cannot separate our spirits” and all that jazz, and Volfred is squarely rooted at the center of all of them. I really really love everything he stands for, even if he’s overbearingly smug in standing for it. Just please tell me things about my fave. His relationship to the Scribes (as a historian, a some kind of vision, via *ae or once he’s a star himself)? A ‘forced vacay’ Downside ending where he looks at the Union from afar and keeps living in this strange transformational place? Life in a cramped Blackwagon that was meant for like 5 people tops and is currently eight Nightwings, a herald and an orb? Since he picked him for the job to begin with, does he respect and cherish Hedwyn as he dang well should? What does it feel like to try and Read a herald? Was he ever in danger, in the Commonwealth or in the Downside? What daring act of resistance did he and Bertrude pull off at some point in their past? It’d be cool if one of his old pamphlets came up at some point. Does he puff up as prime minister because he’s nervous, and who can see past his hyper-professionalism and lend a hand? Please roast him big time about the votes he assigns to the various Nightwings in his planner? What’s his attitude toward the flame’s purification (what with being a tree but mostly like, as a general concept. He did nothing wrong!) (well he definitely said some things wrong and sometimes oftentimes the ego jumps out, but his intentions did nothing wrong)? When did his calculating approach fail him? Something with Pamitha along the lines of that edit that goes “Can we talk, one ten to another?“/"I am an eleven, my girl, but continue”? Dude could easily be voted sexiest voice in the Downside - how much is he aware of it? Does he sing? I love how he bears his ‘reader’ brand proudly. And speaking of scars, I have to wonder, looking at Manley for comparison, if the shape of his head, with that massive crack, isn’t also due to injuries.

As a refrain from my general likes: emphatically yes xeno to both shippy interactions at all ratings and to gen explorations of what a Sap is like… I’d love to read all your headcanons.

Ship-wise, I enjoy him with Tariq as this kind of esoteric connection of minds, guarded words full of secret meanings, long contemplative walks together (is any external pov watching...?), Volfred’s Reader powers brushing against Tariq’s mind and getting weak in the knees at the starlit expanse he finds there, so unlike mortal thoughts. Tariq finds his individuality learning from him; Volfred presumably gets a transcendent glimpse of the Scribes. And I enjoy him with Oralech as pretty much the opposite of that, Oralech is so very mortal compared to him, such a precious, fleeting, burning life especially after his fall. Oralech’s idealism is very dear to me, it was their plan, their shared revolutionary spirit, I find it deeply moving. And I am very interested in seeing them rebuild their connection now that Oralech is back, changed, and in some ways he can learn to let go of his misconceptions and slowly open himself to Volfred’s love again, but in other ways that’s who he is now, with this deep-set anger, and what does it even feel to realize that you’re the symbol of the end of an era (the end of the Rites, the fading of the Scribes). I’m interested in both topside and downside endings for all of them, as long as they end up on the same side, the revolution was peaceful and they don’t angst too much about the side they ended in. Tariq can ‘find his way home’ in the near post-canon somehow or even be summoned again, as a different aspect of the same ‘moonlit vision’ that once inspired Soliam Murr.

Strandbeest: any

https://www.strandbeest.com/

I would just like words to go with these, please and thank you so very much. Worldbuild to your heart’s content! Specifically: I’m fascinated by the premise that the strandbeest are living creatures that evolve and adapt to their ecosystem. A world where life is just wind stomachs and sandy joints, and the tide that can catch you unaware. I would like a story that feels distinctly inorganic. The wonder that is the existence of these creatures. Their unique struggles. Weird and experimental if you like. With a mechanical focus, maybe?

I nominated four critters as a selection of the different cool things they can do - Percipiere Excelsus is huge and has the hammer mechanism, Suspendisse’s tail senses the hardness of the sand, Uminami is my fave caterpillar and the caterpillars overall feel like a new paradigm after a mass extinction event, Ader straight-up flies... but they’re all wonderful. If you want to focus on different strandbeest, please do!

Twin Peaks: Lucy Moran

Case fic but they don’t find out jack shit, someone disappears, David Bowie was there, it’s complicated. Fragmented, shifted, mirrored identities. New Lodge spaces. The risks of staring into the void for too long. Gentle illusions. Transcendence. The moon. Static buzzing. Any title from the s3 ethereal whooshing compilation used as a prompt, actually. Whatever goes on on Blue Pine mountain or the even more mysterious things that go on on White Tail mountain where exactly zero canon locations are found. Twin Peaks is all about the mystery to me, the awe of mystery and unknowability and the human drive to look beyond and the risks of getting a peek, and about shared consciousness and trauma taking physical form in an uncaring world. Go wild with the ethereal whooshing! But I also love the human warmth at the heart of it all, and sometimes it’s enough to anchor these characters and let them have a nice day. A fic entirely focused on some instance of coziness against the cold chaotic background of canon would be great too.

For Lucy specifically, a big draw for me is how canon (...s2 need not apply) empathizes with her way of processing the world. Not just Peaks, but On the Air’s protag who is basically a Lucy expy also gets the narrative completely on her side and that’s great. And I love how in s3, her focus on the small things around her is always echoed by bigger, climactic events beyond her horizon (bunnies / Jack Rabbit’s palace, chair order / Garland’s chair, her first scene talking about the two sheriffs / doubles everywhere...). It feels to me like some kind of off-kilter mindfulness and I love it. She’s also got a loving husband and an amazing son, which, in this economy and also this canon? Damn. The one functional family, imagine that. I am not interested in focus on family dynamics, but singularly, either Lucy/Andy or Lucy&Wally are great - in particular, I’m interested in how strange they are and yet they make it work. With the ruthless critique of traditional family structure that’s all over canon, maybe they make it work specifically because they’re not doing any of that. A bit like the Addams family... but... not goth...? Anyway. I’d love to see Lucy interact with and maybe strike a friendship with any character she’s never shared a scene with in canon! In the tagset, there’s Diane for some secretaries bonding, Audrey because??? why not?, Albert because it’d be an epic enemies to friends slowburn, some version of Laura in the future, if we’re feeling really daring maybe even some version of Coop in the future, still fragmented... or anyone you want! Outside the tagset I’d be curious about Hawk, Margaret and maybe Doris in particular, I think, and Phil, and Nadine and the Invitation to Love fandom in general (Frost says it still airs - did it get as weird as TP s3 did?), but if you have an idea with someone else, absolutely go for it!

Canon-specific DNWs: any singular Dreamer being the ‘source’ of canon, BOB (let alone Judy) being forever defeated in the finale, Judy being an active malevolent presence in the characters’ lives, clear explanations for canonical ambiguities, ‘Odessaverse’ being the reality layer, the Fireman’s House by the Sea being the White Lodge, whatever Twin Perfect’s on about, Cooper/Audrey, Cooper/Laura

[t100ficrecsblog]

an interview with sapphictomaz (they/them) what are you working on right now? Right now I’m working on finishing a fic called “toward eternity,” a canon divergence fic that features an immortal Murphy. There’s only one more chapter that I need to write and post, which feels weird, since I’ve been working on this one fic for the past three months or so. It’s been a long process consisting of obsessing over immortality lore and reading old wiki pages to refresh my memory of plotlines from seasons ago, but it’s also been really fun to completely immerse myself in one project. In that sense, I almost don’t want it to end - once the full fic is out there, and it’s all finished, it’s going to be hard to let it go. I’m going to miss it, but I’m also excited for people to read it in all its glory.

what’s something you’d like to write one day? This is tough - I don’t have a well of ideas to draw on. When I get a good idea for a fic, I generally plan and write it right away, rather than dwell on it. I tend to obsess over my ideas, too, so while I’m writing one fic it’s very difficult to think of a plot for another one. Still, I have been toying with the bare bones outline of a mythology au fic, where Murphy would be an exiled & fallen god and Bellamy is an unsuspecting mortal that gets dragged along on his quest to save the universe. This may or may not ever get written, but the idea and universe that goes along with it makes me smile.

what is the fanwork you’re most proud of? Definitely a fic I wrote called “i’d still choose you.” It’s a mythology au where a mortal Bellamy goes on a quest to save his best friend from the Underworld, only to fall in love with cursed demigod named Murphy and save several people’s lives along the way, mostly by accident. I normally write from Murphy’s perspective, but for this fic I wrote from Bellamy’s point of view, which was challenging because I feel less in touch with his character, but I’m really proud of the way he, and the whole universe, turned out. Greek mythology has been something I've loved for years, so it was a lot of fun melding the world of those myths with the world of t100. At the time, it had also been my longest fic I’d ever written, and I got really great feedback on it, so it’s something that makes me smile whenever I think about it.

why did you first start writing fic? Honestly, I think because I daydream a lot. I started writing fic back in 2012 or so, originally for a book series I was reading at the time called “House of Night.” A character was killed off in the series, and I wanted to ‘fix’ that plotline. I originally imagined lots of scenarios in which that character could have lived, and then one day, I sat down and just wrote out one of these scenarios. Literally the definition of “if the author isn’t going to do it right, then I will.” Only after writing that first fic did I realize that this was something other people did, too, and after I read a lot more fic, it gave me the courage and inspiration to post my own. Luckily for me, I’ve gotten a lot of good comments over the years, which makes it easier to keep going.

what frustrates you most about fic writing? I think the expectations around it. I love feedback and interaction with readers, of course, but there have been times when I feel pressured to update and post in a certain time frame, or if updates aren't long enough I feel bad about that, too. That's my own fault, more than anything. I have to remind myself that fic writing is done for free, and the only expectations I have to rise to are my own. If I'm happy, then it works - but often this is easy to forget.

what are your top five songs right now?     Capable - the Wild Reeds

Famy - Ava

There’s Still a Light in the House - Valley

Give Yourself a Try - the 1975

First - Cold War Kids

what are your inspirations (books, songs, other fic)? Songs are definitely my biggest inspirations for fics. Almost every single fic I write has its own soundtrack that I listen to while writing. Poetry is also a big inspiration for me. I think a lot of the time, a mixture of both song lyrics and poetry lines inspire me the most. For instance, in my current project "toward eternity," I was heavily inspired by the song "When The Angels Sing," by Social Distortion. I also was heavily inspired by Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death." The very last line of that poem ("I first surmised the Horses' Heads / Were toward Eternity") inspired the title and general themes. So, it's a combination of listening to songs and reading poems at the same time.

what attracts you to Murphamy? what first attracted you? I think I was attracted to Murphamy because I love Murphy, and I think a lot of Murphamy fans would feel similarly. Murphy's been my favourite character throughout the entire series. When looking at his character arc and journey throughout the show, it's impossible to study it without seeing the impact Bellamy has had on him. Especially during earlier seasons, they've had such a fascinating push-pull dynamic with each other that I love to explore in fic. It was during the cliff scene in 2x04 that I really noticed this - that scene is so ripe with symbolism that I still watch it to get inspired. And, I mean, who doesn't like a good, well-developed enemies-to-lovers?

Besides Murphamy, what’s your favorite ship in t100? Clexa, for sure. I loved Lexa even before Clexa happened, and then when it did, I was so invested in their relationship and dynamic that, five years later, I'm still obsessed with them. Since I mostly write Murphamy, I do my best to include at least a crumb of Clexa in all my fics because I love them so much. Another t100 ship I really love that I wish got more attention is Remori! I think they're really fun together and bring out the best in each other, and most of all, they support and encourage each other to be better. They're a really interesting pair I wish we saw interact more.

how did you first decide you wanted to write for the Chopped challenge? My friend Elle (hopskipaway) introduced me to it, actually! She'd been an active participant before I had ever heard of it, so I started following it through her. I first wrote for the Holiday Exchange challenge, which was really cool. I'd been in fic exchanges before, but I liked that the Chopped element made it so the fics were specifically tailored to what the participants wanted to see. The environment was really encouraging and supportive, which influenced me to sign up for the Chopped March Madness, too, which was lots of fun!

what’s your Chopped! process like? or is it different every round? This is going to sound weird, but honestly, my Chopped process is...not having a process. I read the list of tropes & ships that have to be included, and then I leave it completely alone for at least a day. Generally I form a base idea just looking at the trope list, but even if I don't, I let them ruminate in my head and then after a while, a plot idea comes to me. I think taking a step back from the pressures of a challenge like that allows me to be fully creative, which in the end, results in a better end product.

what are some things you’d like to recommend? There are so many lovely other fic authors out there I couldn't name them all if I tried. Still, some of my all time favourite authors on ao3 are: blueparacosm, hopskipaway, oogaboogu, sadie18, & maunwocha. They've all got lots of lovely writing that I thoroughly enjoy, and I've had the pleasure to get to know them all, and they're lovely people, too. They all deserve the most love and support possible.

as always, I am delighted to interview another member of the popular Murphy-centric fic-writing conglomerate. they all have such different styles and are so excellent in their own way! “toward eternity” is on my weekend reading list to re-read and comment on every chapter, but “you can bloom again” was the first sapphictomaz fic I ever read and remains my favorite. It’s Harper/Clarke and was written for Chopped!, and at the risk of sounding cliched, it’s a very fresh take on both of these characters. Also, a road trip at the end of the world. you can find them on Twitter here, or find them here on Tumblr @lexasheart. 

[ashiiknees]

Writer Questions

This was created by @sandydragon1​

50 Writing Asks!

What made you start writing? English class in grade 6. I always liked telling stories, but I that cemented the love for me. I started taking it seriously a year later when I started writing fan fiction for multiple fandoms.

How old were you when you started writing? 11 (so 7 years!)

What was the first story you ever wrote about? I have no idea, but I can safely say it was not good.

What’s your favorite genre? Fantasy

What’s your least favorite genre? Sci-Fi (it’s not exactly my least favourite genre, but I barely read it)

What’s your biggest strength as a writer? Dialogue

What’s your biggest weakness as a writer? Character descriptions (I know what they look like and wished everyone would read my mind to figure it out)

What writing projects are you currently working on? Random fan fictions and an original fantasy adventure book (also some one shots that are completely dependent on my mood that day)

Who’s your favorite author? I don’t think I have one.

Who’s your least favorite author? I don’t have one.

What’s your favorite book? Six of Crows

What’s your least favorite book? I typically stay away from books that I know I won’t like, so I have none.

What’s your favorite trope? Enemies to lovers is superior to all, Friends to lovers is a close second. Oh, and the Found Family.

What’s your least favorite trope? Anything abusive (kill it in a vat of acid)

Have you ever gotten anything published? Nope

Do you prefer to type or write by hand? Type

What’s your favorite literary magazine? You will find that I have no favourites with anything

Are their any topics you don’t feel comfortable writing about? Yes: sexual assault, some forms of mental illnesses (it really depends on the story)

Where do you get your inspiration from? I find inspiration all around me, my brain is always turning things into stories. The problem is trying to turn the inspiration into something I would care to read. If it’s not, then I won’t write it.

Do you prefer to write fiction or poetry? Fiction. 

How long is the stuff you usually write? It really depends. I do imagines, one shots, multi fic stories, and novel length type stories (again, depends on my mood and the story. Some stories can be flushed out to 50k words, while others can only be 5k)

How do you deal with writer’s block? I don’t, but if you want some ideas, click here!

Have you ever taken any creative writing classes? If English class counts, then yes. 

Which of your characters has the most in common with you? My characters are all me to some extent in different situations, but definitely Ophelia from Isle of the Damned! Project info and Cast

Who is your favorite character you’ve written about? Liliel from Isle of the Damned!!

Who is your favorite fictional character in general? Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows, The Winchester brothers, The entire Batfam (I can literally go on forever)

What time of day do you usually write? It depends on the day, but my window is normally from 7 pm to 10 am. After that, my brain is mush.

How much planning and/or research do you do before you start writing? For fan fiction I normally have a premise that I expand on. I find that it’s a lot easier to go into fanfic without planning as the characters and world already exists and all I’m doing is adding onto it or inserting a new character. For an original work, I like to know the characters, beginning, midpoint and have some idea of the ending. For my latest work, Isle of The Damned, I knew my characters, a basic aesthetic for the world, and a basic outline that was basically just a line of what I want to happen. I’m definitely a planster where I have a skeleton but then I have to write to add the flesh to the body :)

What writing related accomplishment are you the most proud of? A Wattpad book I wrote many, many, many years ago (I think I was 13) got to #34 in stories featuring Orphanages. It was awful, and had only 6 parts and I want to kill it in fire, but I always refer to it in a joking way with my friends.

Have you ever dreamt about your characters? Yes. They haunt me constantly. 

What is your ideal writing environment? I’m still trying to figure this out. What works today may not work tomorrow.

Which published book do you wish you had written? None. If I wrote it, I would probably hate it.

Which themes do you like to write about the most? I... have no idea. I just write what I feel like writing in the moment, 

What is the best advice you have for a beginning writer? Write for yourself. We can get into the topic of being a perfectionist or a masochistic writer (I am both) but for now, enjoy your art. And be selfish with it. Write to make yourself laugh, smile, cry, and scream. You’re your main audience first, and if you’re not able have fun, you will be miserable. Contrary to popular beliefs, art is not suffering. 

What is the worst writing advice you’ve ever heard? "Just write.” I understand why it’s there, but I think it’s ridiculous. There are days when you need to take a break, and you deserve it. Honestly, you deserve a break. Take it.

Do you prefer pens or pencils? Both.

What traits do your protagonists usually have? I normally have way too many, but just know they’re gonna be snarky, sarcastic bitches (which is my entire brand).

What is your ultimate writing goal? To finish a story that I’m really proud of (again, masochistic writer. I find it hard to give myself compliments when I write, and I need to fix that)

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever written about? I wrote smut between a character and her mentor figure for my friends before and it still gives me nightmare. Jail!

What is the most random fact you’ve ever learned while doing research for a story? Blue lightning is the hottest.

What would you do if you were suddenly teleported into your WIP? Die.

How many drafts do you usually go through before you finish a piece? I don’t think I’m a messy drafter, so about 1 and a few edits. 

Has your writing ever made you cry? I’m not exactly an emotional writer. I can make myself chuckle, or full out laugh, but no cry.

Would you rather have your WIP adapted into a movie or TV show? TV show. 

Where do you share your writing? I share fanfic on A03, but I haven’t shared any original writing online yet. Only with my friends. AO3 account

What’s your favorite line of your current WIP? It’s a line of dialogue that I cannot share because of spoilers, but yeah... it’s a line of dialogue.

What’s the first sentence of your WIP? “Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.” It sounds very sexual. It isn’t.

What’s the last sentence you wrote? “She wanted to go back and check if he was dead, but even if he wasn’t, she got to see him on the ground, helpless. A smile crept on her face as Ollivier pulled her body towards the door.”

What inspired you to write your WIP? A pandemic :)

What’s your favorite thing about your WIP? The characters