#not a great first impression but aight

[baekuras]

i also did more applying (and got 2 no's already which....hello autmated email after automated scan through website answers only looking at my school...certificate instead of current grades but whatever)

this means i am now awaiting 21 answers and gotta do at least 6 more letters and search for more

[karasukarei]

Wind Breaker Special Stage Event - Tonpuu-machi Halloween Matsuri Afternoon Show Special Reading Drama (part 2)

Part 1 here!

You can check out the rest of my translations here!

Kaji: To the east, right now, it’s all clear.

💙Umemiya 💙: Aight, good work Kaji!

Hiiragi: Thanks for patrolling.

Kaji: Is there anything else I can help with?

💙Umemiya 💙: Nope, thanks! It’s all good for now.

Suo: Thanks for waiting!

Nirei: Kaji-san! Thanks for the hard work!

Kaji: Oh. (t/n: this is more like a nod of acknowledgement)

Nirei: That costume is really cool! Um, is that a… kabocha dracula? (t/n: see the next t/n for explanation)

Kaji: Pumpkin hakushaku. (t/n: Nirei says kabocha (Japanese for pumpkin) dracula (in English), but Kaji says pumpkin (in English) hakushaku (Japanese for count). These two phrases essentially mean the same thing, Kaji is just being pedantic www. It’s the equivalent of me saying “I’m drinking boba” and someone correcting me that it should be “tapioca milk tea”.)

Nirei: Eh?

Kaji: Pumpkin hakushaku. That’s what my class told me.

Nirei: Pumpkin hakushaku?

Suo: It’s probably a jack o’ lantern?

Hiiragi: Nirei looks good too, doesn’t he.

Nirei: Thank you very much! It’s a bit of a tall order to be cool like everyone else…

Suo: If it suits Nirei-kun, I think it’s great.

Nirei: Hehe, I’m actually digging it myself!

💙Umemiya 💙: Speaking of, Suo’s costume really suits him!

Hiiragi: Or rather, isn’t it too creepy?

Suo: Is that so?

Nirei: Suo’s costume is…?

Suo: It’s a jiangshi! Put simply, it’s a Chinese zombie.

Kaji: The yellow talisman is controlling it, isn’t it?

Suo: Yes! But rather than being controlled, I’m better at controlling people. (t/n: at this point, Zakki gives a shrug and looks at the audience. It is very scary that he is channeling he Suo energy so much (･_･;)) Ahaha!

Hiiragi: That smile is super scary.

Suo: It’s just a joke!

💙Umemiya 💙: Yahahaha! How reliable!

Nirei: Eh? By the way, where’s Sakura-san?

Hiiragi: Oh yeah, he’s not back yet.

Suo: Ahaha! If we’re talking about Sakura-kun, he’s over there.

Hiiragi: That guy, what’s he doing while wearing that?

Sakura: Shit… why am I the one wearing this costume… (blushing very hard)

💙Umemiya 💙: Oiiii Sakura!!! If you’ve changed, come over!

Sakura: *Gasps of shock and surprise*

Suo: Sakura-kun! Don’t be shy and just come out!

Sakura: N-n-no way I’m shy or anything! (t/n: yes you are)

Nirei: Sakura-san, are you a werewolf?! It’s so cool!

Hiiragi: You’ve even slicked your hair back, huh?

Sakura: T-t-this?! The guys in the shopping street just did it! Speaking of, what’s with these ears?! And tail too?!

Suo: Wah, it’s so fluffy!

Sakura: Don’t touch me! Don’t pet me! (very blushily) Anyway, you can’t get excited with this costume! (t/n: this might be wrong, but there’s a couple of contractions here and I didn’t manage to catch the full thing x_x)

💙Umemiya 💙: I think it’s plenty to get excited over!

Suo: Hmm, Sakura-kun, I’ll teach you a simple way to hype things up. Sakura-kun, could you do it for me?

Sakura: Eh? Me?

Suo: Don’t worry don’t worry! Sakura-kun just needs to follow my actions!

Sakura: Ahh… If it’s just that… I can do it…

Suo: It’s a deal! Alright, Sakura-kun, I’m going to do the action, and you’ll follow, alright?

Sakura: Ok.

Suo: First, hold your right hand like this! (Zakki holds his right hand open with fingers slightly curved, palm side facing the audience)

Sakura: Like this?

Suo: Yes yes! Next, hold your left hand like this! (mirroring his right hand)

Sakura: Like this…

Suo: Well done! Finally, tilt your head…

Sakura: Tilt my head…

Suo: Alright, and you say, “Gaooooo”! (t/n: this is the onomatopoeia for a cute wolf howling. Emphasis on “cute”)

Sakura: Gao… – AAAAH (much blushy sputtering)

Hiiragi: Isn’t the sound “Aroooooooo” (really REALLY good wolf impression) for a wolf? (t/n: I broke this sentence up on purpose cos Hiiragi just goes back to his usual stoic self after the very impressive howl, the character gap is THE BEST)

💙Umemiya 💙: Hiiragi, you’re really good…!

Nirei: I don’t think that’s the problem…

Sakura: Stop messing around with me! I can’t do that!

Suo: You can do it! Because Sakura-kun, you’re a werewolf now!

Sakura: I didn’t say anything like that!

Suo: Sakura-kun, look around you! Everyone (he looks at the audience here) is looking at you with such anticipation. (t/n: you sly fox www) (edit: I just watched some of the commentary after the drama, Zakki was the culprit who started ad-libbing, and I believe it started from here wwww)

Sakura: Eh… (the audience starts clapping for him a lot at this point) Who is “everyone”?!

Suo: Of course, it’s everyone who has gathered here for the party! (Zakki spreads his arms out to the audience as he says this) (there is a lot of clapping at this blackmail)

💙Umemiya 💙: There’s a lot of ghosts here, you know? (t/n: I think this is where the ad-libbing starts wwww)

Sakura: (Many many grunts of pain and anguish) What is this… If you want me to do it I’ll do it!!! (takes a deep breath) (takes another deep breath) (Yuuma raises his arms wide) G… Gao. (in a very deep and manly voice)

Suo: (Laughs a lot with the audience)

💙Umemiya 💙: Hmmmmm, I’d like you to do it with a little more energy! Sakura!

Sakura: Tch…! C-Can someone give me an example?!

💙Umemiya 💙: Who’s good at this? Hiiragi? (t/n: I think most of this section is ad-libbed LMAO this is what happens when you let a chaos demon like NakaYuu run free)

Hiiragi: Eh, me?

Nirei: Hiiragi-san? Can you really do it?

Hiiragi: I’ll be doing it like the real thing. (He broke character slightly here www)

💙Umemiya 💙: Hiiragi, you’re doing it like the real thing?

Hiiragi: Yup.

💙Umemiya 💙: That’s different.

Hiiragi: Yeah, that’s different.

Choji (from off-stage LMAO): I want Ume-chan.

💙Umemiya 💙: Ume-chan- Ume-chan? You’re referring to me? (t/n: cos Togame’s seiyuu is also Ume-chan (Umehara Yuuichiro) - this was the butt of many jokes during the event wwww) Then I guess, Ume-chan is gonna do it right?

Nirei: Really??

Hiiragi: Oi Umemiya, show us.

💙Umemiya 💙: Alright, I’m gonna do it. (Takes a deep breath) GAOOOOOOUEH (very very manly howl) HHHUUUEEEE. (Stares very intently like he’s going to bite someone’s throat)

Nirei: Ohh!!! As expected!

💙Umemiya 💙: I took notice of the cameras too.

Suo: Alright next, (trying very hard to not laugh) it’s Sakura’s turn right?

Sakura: How did it turn out like this… (also starts laughing; I think he started ad-libbing when asking for an example, and now it has come back to bite him ^_^)

💙Umemiya 💙: Sakura, if you don’t do it quickly, you’re gonna get more embarrassed! (t/n: the second part might be wrong, feel free to correct me!)

Sakura: Yosh I’m gonna do it, you guys better be watching!!! Rnaaghhg, GAOOOO!!! (Very manly and not cute at all, with a lot of echoing) 

💙Umemiya 💙: Ohhh, everyone’s so excited now!

Suo: As expected of Sakura-kun!

Sakura: Hyaaaaaaaaaa (very very high-pitched)

Suo: Alright Sakura-kun, next can you do a “nyan nyan”?

Sakura: DAAAAA!!! I’M NOT GONNA DO THAT!

Nirei: Sakura-san! (t/n: he says “どうどう” here which means “how how”, but I don’t think this is correct in context. If anyone knows what he’s saying, feel free to let me know!)

💙Umemiya 💙: Ahahaha, the first years are so interesting!

[nahimjustfeelingit-writes]

HBCU CONFESSIONS.

Part Two

The Great Conversation: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy sat on a circular table within the study hall of the dorm building. Erik was dressed down in a red graphic hoodie that read Lost Tribe in black letters with the map of Africa on the back. He paired it with grey joggers and Jordan retro 11’s. He checked his I-watch for the fifth time. It was going on 5:20 pm and Valencia hadn’t shown up yet. Erik wished he’d gotten her number.

Two minutes later, Valencia came rushing over, carrying her books in the crook of her arm and a flustered expression on her face. Erik sat up straighter in his seat and his eyes couldn’t help but scan her body. She was still wearing the same curve-hugging dress she’d worn earlier that day. Her braids were now up in a ponytail with a few hanging in front of her face.

She sat her bag down beside the table and before she could even pull out her own seat, Erik was behind her in a flash. Valencia’s back stiffened and she gasped. Erik gripped the back of the chair and slid it out across the carpet. Valencia couldn’t help but notice how Erik towered over her. He was standing at 6’3. She looked up at him with a faint smile and bashful eyes.

“Thank you, Erik.” She says with a light voice.

“You’re welcome.”

They each took their respective seats. Valencia opened her bag to retrieve her book and her notes. Erik waited patiently, staring at her with a slight, dimpled smirk.

“I’m so sorry, I’m all over the place.”

“No worries, Valencia.”

She finally had everything in order. Valencia exhaled and sat her palms down on the table to calm herself. She giggled and Erik couldn’t help but to laugh himself.

“I’m not always late, you know.” Valencia said to her defense.

“Can’t always expect to be on time every single time.” Erik replied with a smirk.

“I knowww,” Valencia tucked a braid behind her ear, “But you’re a TA. This isn’t a great first impression.”

Erik folded his arms against the table and leaned in. He quirked a brow up at Valencia, staring her down through his gold-rimmed glasses.

“You have a point,” Erik swiped the bottom of his lip with his tongue, “Prove to me that you know your shit, and I won’t hold it against you.”

Valencia turned away because she couldn’t stare him in the eyes.

“You have a deal,” her eyes darted towards his face then down towards her lap.

Erik’s eyes burned with mischief. He loved that she was shy and he wanted to push her limits. See how far Miss Valencia could go.

“Aight, let’s get started.”

Erik opened his textbook.

“Where exactly are you in class?” Erik asked.

“Free will,” Valencia sorted out her notes, “Yes, Free will.”

“Okay…”

Erik combed through the textbook until he found where he needed to be.

“What do Philosophers believe about free will?”

“Uhm—”

“Don’t look at your notes, tell me.”

Valencia was startled by Erik’s command. She cleared her throat and started playing in her hair.

“Uh—well I know that it’s a requirement for agency, rationality, creativity…”

“Okay, that’s good. So, as far as accounts of Free Will, what exactly is the Faculties Model of Will?”

Erik glanced over at Valencia. She was pondering his question.

“…It’s the dominant view of the will for much of medieval and modern philosophy…their possession of certain powers or capacities…”

“Very good. They also possess the capacities for intellection and volition. Another way of saying this is that free agents alone have the faculties of intellect and will.”

Valencia clicked her pin and scribbled down what Erik said like a good pupil. Erik continued to throw questions and topics at her, challenging Valencia. It was the way he did it that helped her retain the information.

“I’m so used to just…reading from my notes over and over.” Valencia said.

“It’s the active recall. Don’t get me wrong, using notecards is okay, but all that time you spend creating fifty cards, you can use this study technique by asking questions about the subject you want to learn after reading the subject, which will help you retrieve information deeper. You want it to go deeper, right?”

Valencia stared at Erik with a dazed look.

“Valencia? Did you hear me?”

“Ye–Yes—”

“I said, deeper, right?”

Valencia chewed on her bottom lip. Erik wanted to chew on it himself…

“I do. I want to remember the information better. The method helps me out a lot.”

Erik smiles at Valencia and she glanced up at the ceiling with a blush. He couldn’t visibly see the heat creeping up her face, but her cheekbones and half-smile was enough to tell. They went on to cover one last topic, Epistemology. After another thirty minutes, their study session was complete.

“You got it, just a little more practice and you’ll be set.” Erik encouraged.

“I hope so. How did you get so good at everything?”

Erik laughed, “Everything?”

Valencia giggled into her hand. She couldn’t stop smiling. It was the most adorable thing Erik had ever seen. Her giggling and smiling was infectious. This is probably the most Erik has ever smiled and laughed in one sitting.

“I mean—what I’m saying is—I saw your achievements and you’re pretty impressive. I aspire to be like that.”

“…Thank you. What are you studying again?”

“Psychology. I want to branch off into Neuropsychology. I plan to go back to school for my PhD.”

“There’s so much you can do in psychology. Believe it or not, I wanted to major in psychology at one point but engineering just stuck to me.”

“Why engineering?”

Erik gave Valencia a lopsided grin that showed off a glint of confidence. She focused on his plump lips, porcelain teeth, and gold slugs.

“There’s so much you can do. You can choose to work on projects that benefit society, help clean the environment, develop prosthetic aids, create clean and efficient transportation systems, find new sources of energy, alleviate the world's hunger problems, and increase the standard of living in underdeveloped countries. The possibilities are endless. And on top of all that, you make a lot of money…”

Valencia couldn’t tell you everything he was saying honestly. This man was too fine. The way his voice sounded to her ears felt like asmr.

“…job security and excellent job prospects—”

“You’re like, very attractive.”

Erik rested his hands in his lap and cocked his head. Valencia jerked her head in the direction of the window and shook her head.

“That came out unexpectedly,” Valencia laughed with embarrassment, “But you are—”

“Thank you.” He drew in a long breath, “Coming from someone as beautiful as you…”

Valencia held her breath. She hung her head and smiled. Internally, she was jumping up and down.

“Thanks,” Valencia fidgeted.

“Anytime, beautiful,” Erik continued to stare at her while his fingers tapped on the table.

“Are you from Houston?” Valencia questioned with a timid voice.

“Nah. I’m from California. That’s where I live currently but I decided to come back here for my doctorate.”

Valencia nodded her head. She crossed her right leg over her left thigh and leaned in with her elbow on the desk. That gesture showed that she was warming up to him.

“I love California. I have an aunt and a few cousins that live there currently. They’re in San Francisco.”

“That’s where I’m from. Oakland. I’m staying in LA right now though. Are you from here?”

“Yes. Born and raised in Houston.” Valencia replied.

Erik stretched his arms above his head.

“Tired?” Valencia asked.

“A little. I worked out really early this morning and I had to deal with that party.”

Valencia giggled, “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. I didn’t see you there.” Erik said.

“Rochelle used to let us get away with a lot…”

Valencia looked over at Erik.

“I know. Which is why she’s no longer your RA…”

Her body shivered slightly. The air was too cold in the building. She thrust her chest out unknowingly and Erik could see the outlines of her erect nipples through her dress. He leaned back in his chair to admire her fully.

“I’m not an uptight motherfucker but I’m not gonna let these students walk all over me. I have a great rep here at TSU and I wanna keep it that way.”

“Oh, no, I totally understand,” Valencia reassured him, “I love that you follow the rules. Rochelle acted as more of a friend and she really didn’t know how to discipline…”

Hm,” Erik licked his lips, “I’m really good with discipline.”

“Oh?” Valencia says. She felt her body tremble.

“I’m very assertive. I tend to…take the lead in situations. It can come off as aggressive…sometimes I have to work on that.”

“Okay…”

Valencia rubbed her arms.

“Cold?”

“A little—”

“Here…”

Erik stood up and proceeded to take off his hoodie. Valencia paused, staring at Erik’s torso. He had on a white T-shirt underneath that clung to his biceps and chest. The muscles put her in a daze. He handed her his hoodie from across the table. Valencia accepted it and pulled it over her. It fit her like a dress. She fixed her braids and smoothed down the wrinkles in the hoodie. It smelled like him. She fought to press her nose into it.

“It looks good on you.”

“You think so?” Valencia wasn’t so sure.

“Yeah. So Valencia, do you mind if I have your number?”

She was not expecting that. Her eyes went wide with surprise.

“Is that okay?” Erik asked with furrowed brows.

“YES!”

She covered her mouth with her hand. She didn’t expect to scream it. Erik was cracking up.

“Yes, it’s okay. I’m sorry I don’t know why I yelled like that.” Valencia toyed with one of her braids, “Yes you can.”

She retrieved her phone and unlocked it. Erik did the same. They exchanged numbers and switched back.

“That way, you know how to get in touch with me if you have any questions about philosophy or just…anything in general really.”

“Definitely. Thanks so much, Erik. I really appreciate you.”

“Anytime. And you know you can always knock on my door…”

Oh, yes. He does have a dorm on the same floor as hers. She beamed at him and he smiled back.

“Sure…I can do that.”

They both stood up and gathered their things.

“Well, this is goodbye for now. I have to get ready to meet some friends tonight.”

“I hope I didn’t hold you up,” Erik tucked his textbook inside his bag.

“No, no.”

They stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Valencia broke eye contact first and turned away to leave. She glanced back at Erik, giving him a final wave goodbye before heading towards the elevators. Erik returned the wave with a smirk, his eyes never leaving Valencia.

—————-

Cindy, Skai, and Brielle were sitting in a booth nursing mixed tequila cocktails. Skai was sitting next to Brielle and Cindy was third-wheeling. She rolled her eyes every time Skai and Brielle would eye-fuck each other. Valencia texted Cindy’s phone that she just parked and is on her way in.

The Poetry Party Live is a college hotspot. They’re known for playing great music, having tasty food, and drinks that sneak up on you. It was definitely a more romantic vibe that Friday evening. So many couples were on dates. Cindy spotted two professors in the booth in front of them. Professor Boyd and Professor Parham.

Valencia came in and she searched the throng of people until she recognized Brielle’s ginger coils. She changed into an orange dress that compliments her mocha skin. Cindy looked up and over her shoulder, waving Valencia over with pleading eyes.

“What took you so long?! I’m dying over here!”

“My bad. I had a tutoring session that ran a little late.”

“They’ve been torturing me,” Cindy cringed, “And Dior isn’t here yet.”

Valencia frowned.

“Who invited Dior?”

Cindy pointed to Skai. Skai sipped her drink with a guilty look.

“I’m sorry! She really wanted to come. You still don’t like her?”

“No, I don’t, Skai. She’s weird.”

Skai rolled her eyes. Brielle laughed.

“Is she drunk already?” Valencia asked.

“You know she is. This is her third one.”

“Brielle!”

“It’s a Friday night and I passed my lab practical!”

“WOOHOO!!

Skai bounced up and down in her seat. Valencia squealed, reaching over to shake her friend excitedly.

“YES BITCH!—oh shit, I’m loud as fuck.”

Andrea looked up from her seat in the booth over and noticed Valencia. They locked eyes and waved to each other. Brielle glanced over her shoulder at Andrea. James turned around with a smirk on his face and a glass in his hand with dark liquor.

“Oooh! Ya’ll on a date?!” Cindy teases.

“Yes, we are,” James replied with a chuckle, “Hope you’re ready for that test on Monday, Cindy.”

Cindy shot James a playful glare that had everyone laughing.

“I’m kidding! Enjoy!”

James turned back to his date and the girls snickered.

A waiter brushed past Valencia and Brielle shouted to get her attention. She halted her footsteps, long ombré braids swaying against her back. She smiled and made her way over to them.

“Need anything else ladies?”

“Our friend just showed up! Can you get her a—”

“Long Island Iced Tea please.”

“Okay! Can I see your ID?”

Valencia opened her small white Telfar bag and plucked her license from her wallet. She showed the waiter and she put a thumbs up.

“Almost your birthday!” The waiter said.

“Yeah! Twenty-two.”

The waiter sauntered off and then a round of applause erupted around them. A full-figured woman with sister locs made her way on stage. She stopped in front of the mic, testing it to make sure it was on. She scanned the crowd with a warm smile before introducing herself. The instrumental to Floetry Say Yes started playing. She was blanketed in spotlights and the rest of the club was shrouded in low ambience.

“This one is called Enticing Night…”

whisper light, a sigh so deep,

In tangled sheets, secrets keep.

Your touch ignites a fevered glow,

As fingertips trace paths below.

On velvet skin, my hands explore,

Each curve, each line, I yearn for

more.

She paused, appreciative hums making her words all the more real.

Breath mingles in the heated air,

A rhythm builds, we're lost in where.

Our pulses race, in sync they beat,

In this embrace, our worlds complete.

“Thank you…”

Snaps filled the room.

“That was good,” Valencia accepted her drink.

“Dior!”

Skai stood up to get her attention.

Valencia looked up at Dior fighting the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t understand what Dior didn’t like about her, maybe it was because of Isaiah? As far as Valencia knew they weren’t together. And she didn’t want him anyway. Dior scooted next to Skai, directly across from Valencia.

“Brie, Cindy, Val…”

“Hello,” Valencia waved.

“Why ya’ll chose this place? Ya’ll don’t wanna shake some ass?”

“Girl, we did that last weekend. It’s okay to switch it up,” Skai argued.

“I feel like I need whatever Brie sippin’ on because she is lit!”

“Peach Tequila!” Brielle shouted.

“Okurrrr. I’ll have that then…who the waiter?”

Cindy pointed at the young girl who was currently clearing off a booth.

“She got a phat ass butt,” Dior bit down on a long acrylic french nail, “She can have all my monies…”

“You’re such a whore for some booty, Dior.” Skai jokes.

Valencia giggled. She swirled her straw around her drink before taking another sip. Cindy rocked back and forth in her seat, singing along to Beyoncé Check Up On It.

“Hi! I’m Chanel…”

“Hi, Chanel, I’m Dior. I wanted to order what she had.”

“Okay, ID?”

Dior flashed her ID at Chanel while giving her a seductive look. Valencia and Cindy share a look before laughing into their drinks.

“you fine. You like girls?”

Skai slapped Dior on her arm. Chanel laughed at Dior.

“I have a man, but thank you.”

It was so cringe.

Chanel walked away and Dior’s eyes were glued to her ass like flies on shit.

“You need to chill. What’s up with you and Brooke?”

“That bitch? Girl…”

Dior and Skai talked about her drama while Valencia excused herself to the restroom. Brielle ended up following her. They entered the bathroom and Valencia let Brielle go first since she was on the verge of pissing herself.

“You never told me who you tutored with!!!!” Brielle yelled.

“My crush,” Valencia smiled.

“For real?! What does he even tutor?”

“A lot of shit but it was for philosophy. He asked for my number.”

Brielle flushed and damn near shoved the door open. She gawked at Valencia before they switched places. Meanwhile, Andrea exited the stall next to theirs and she walked over to the sink to wash her hands.

“So basically that means he’s into you? So the HBCU blog was the right thing to do, huh?”

“Yep! If it wasn’t for the advice the owner of the blog gave me, I wouldn’t have made it this far!”

Andrea slowly dried her hands while hanging onto their every word. Valencia flushed and left the stall. Andrea tossed her paper towel and stood within the mirror to fix her ponytail. Valencia caught her eye in the mirror and smiled.

“How’s everything going this semester, Valencia?”

“It’s going good. A little harder than last semester but I’m close to graduating so that’s good.”

Andrea nodded her head with a bright smile.

“You got this girl. And good luck with your crush…”

Valencia giggled. Andrea left the restroom, holding the door open for a woman to enter.

Back at the table, Andrea scooted into the booth to find another drink. She gave James a look and he chuckled.

“You know I have a lot of work to do tomorrow, James.”

“That’s why you need this drink. Take a damn break.”

Andrea rolled her eyes sassily before grabbing her drink. She toasted with James before taking a sip.

“What took you so long to ask me out?”

Andrea peeked at James from the top of her glass.

“I didn’t want to cross any boundaries. I didn’t wanna look like that guy friend who only wants one thing. That’s not what it is with you.”

“I get it,” Andrea sat her drink down, “I’ve crushed on you hard since undergrad…”

“Same. I always thought you had a thing for Daka though.”

“Seriously?” Andre laughs, “Everyone says that.”

“I see now it’s like a brother and sister thing.” James said.

“I used to sit back and watch you run after all these chicks…Thinking back to that Kappa party, my Delta sistas kept hassling me to tell you how I felt…”

Andrea traced the rim of her glass with her finger. James watched her intently.

“I’m just happy both of us get to sit here and express how we really feel.” James said.

“Me too.”

James cracked a smile before reaching over to grip Andrea’s soft hand. He stroked the top of her hand with his thumb.

Valencia and Brielle walked past their booth and settled into theirs.

“…That D9 party is gonna be lit tomorrow night!”

“I’m tryna go. Took y’all long enough!”

Brielle slipped past Dior and Skai to take her seat. Valencia sat down and pulled out her phone.

“You still talking to Isaiah?”

Valencia looked up at Dior.

“No. I’m over him.”

“Oh wow, what happened?”

“He wasted my time and he’s annoying as hell.”

Dior let out an obnoxious laugh, “YEAH. I could have told you that.”

Valencia looked towards the ceiling.

————

-I know it’s late, you’re probably not up. I just wanted to thank you again for your help 🥰 he asked for my number today! I don’t think it was because he’s interested but it’s a step, right?

Valencia sat alone in her dorm room wearing Erik’s hoodie and some panties with her braids tied down with a satin scarf. She sat at their desk with the television on in the background.

-I’m here ☺️ I’m happy I could help. If he asked for your number, I’d think it’s because he’s interested. It’s a big step actually.

Valencia typed a reply.

-You think so? I mean, he did flirt a little today. I just get so nervous around him.

Erik was in the middle of sprucing up his gold boots. He’s wearing a pair of red briefs with no shirt. It felt weird staying in the dorms when he has his own room at the Omega Psi Phi house. He picked up his phone to see the message that Valencia sent him.

-Don’t be. Try to be more open with him. See where it goes 😏 did you do anything special tonight?

-I went to this poetry club with some friends. Had two drinks and I’m a little tipsy now. It was an okay experience.

-...Is there anything that could have made it even better?

-yes 😭 if I was spending it with Erik. I wonder what he’s doing right now.

-you should text him. See what happens.

Valencia looked over at her phone next to her.

Fuck it. She had a little liquid courage.

Valencia: Hi ☺️

She made her way back to the blog

-I did it! 😭

Erik fell back against his bed. He typed a reply.

Erik: Hello 😌

Valencia: I hope I didn’t wake you.

Erik: I’m up. How was your night?

Valencia: it was alright. You?

Valencia nibbled on her nails anxiously.

Erik: Hazy. Had a little smoke session.

Valencia returned to the blog.

-Is it too late for a dare?

-Definitely not lol. This is fun. What’s the dare?

-I dare you to send a risky text. However you want to.

-How risky though?

-😈

Erik waited to see what she would do. He wanted to see how far she would go. The fact that she would have preferred to spend the evening with him made him wonder what they would have gotten into.

Erik: Did you crash on me?

Valencia:

She couldn’t believe she sent that picture. She tossed her phone on the bed and stood up from the desk. Valencia paced back and forth. Hands covering her face, heart racing, stomach in knots. Did she do the right thing?

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…

That picture was meant for Isaiah and boy was she happy she sent it to Erik instead. She’d heard her phone vibrate minutes ago but she was too scared to see what he said. Valencia walked over to the bed and picked up her phone. She pressed it against her chest, scared out of her mind. Overthinking per usual. Finally, she looked at his text and boy was she glad that she did.

Erik: Shit girl 😍

Erik: 😍😍😍😍

Erik: I can’t stop staring 😩

He didn’t expect that at all. That was the furthest thing from what he expected. He sat up in bed and drooled over that picture. That ass up and that beautiful arch. He wondered what other pictures she was hiding. He loved her body so much. He knew exactly what to do with all of that. Play into his size kink. His dick was brick hard. No pussy in almost a year. The longest he’d ever gone without sex. He could have easily linked with his ex girlfriend on campus but he pictured himself digging Valencia’s guts out whenever the fuck he pleased.

Valencia: 😛

Erik: You tryna tell me something? 👀

Erik: I see you do like it deep…That tutoring session was necessary after all 😍

Valencia was over the moon thrilled at Erik’s reaction to her pic. So much that she was jittery. Back on the blog, Valencia quickly typed.

-I can’t believe I sent him a risky photo. I thought he wouldn’t have liked it but I was wrong 😂

Ping.

Erik went back to the blog messages. Wouldn’t like them? Was she crazy! He loved them! Boy was he happy that he found out about Valencia when he did. He wanted to put her in that position. Arch that pretty back over the edge of his bed, slip her panties to the side, and slide his dick in deep and slow. He wanted her to feel his length. He had a big toy dangling between his legs. Girls with that type of body can take dick. Girls who arch their backs like that need the dick.

-No. if the feeling is mutual, why would you think that?

-IDK. I’m always overthinking shit. 😭

Valencia had to take a second to rethink what she was doing. Sure, she wanted to do unspeakable things with Erik. Nasty things. But she felt she was coming on too strong. Maybe she should dial it back a little…make him …yearn for more? Tease him. He’s older and definitely has more experience. He’s probably used to woman throwing themselves at him. No. Valencia was going to do the opposite. Who said she couldn’t be shy and purposely excite and sexually arouse while withholding gratification?

She left him on read.

Valencia logged out of the blog and shut off the light for bed. She pulled her duvet back and just then, Brielle came in. She had her curly, ginger hair up in a puff. Her pleated skirt was situated higher around her waist, showing some of her ass. Her cropped shirt was dangling from her shoulder and she looked freshly fucked.

Brielle noticed Valencia was still awake and she gave her an enigmatic smile.

“I’m surprised you’re still awake.” Brielle whispered.

“I’m surprised you’re still walking,” Valencia laughs.

————

It was 6 am and Erik stood on the race track and stretched his quadriceps. Flexing his toes in his green Nike running shoes, he took off running. He liked to go for a run around the track before he did any strength training. AirPod Max Pro’s over his ears, shirtless, and black running shorts on, Erik was a mission. In the zone, the heavy bass from the rap song he was listening to fueled him.

Erik made it around the track once before stopping to take a sip of water he’d left at the bleachers. He jogged over to grab a drink and when he looked up he saw his ex girlfriend from undergrad, Jeanette, stretching her hip flexors. She glanced up at Erik and waved to him. Erik returned the gesture. She stood tall and made her way towards him. She’s wearing a track and field outfit, similar to what she wore back then when she ran.

“Stevens. It’s been a while. How are you?”

“Good. You?”

“Great. Have you been avoiding me?”

Erik arched a brow.

“Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know…you’ve been back for a minute now and I haven’t had the chance to catch up with you. It feels like you’re dodging me.”

“Nah, Jeanette. I’ve been busy. What happened to that dude? The one that keep running his mouth?”

Jeanette broke out in a fit of laughter. Erik was dead serious. That nigga better be lucky he don’t go to TSU. That nigga better be lucky Erik didn’t find him yet.

“Erik, relax okay?”

Jeanette caressed Erik’s sweaty bicep. Erik eyed her down with a stony expression.

“What do you really want, Jeanette?”

“Whatchu think?”

Erik carefully moved Jeanette’s hand away from his arm. She kissed her teeth at him.

“I haven’t seen you in years. You look good…real good.”

“I know,” Erik smirked cockily.

“Still got that big ass ego…”

Erik glanced down at his I-watch. He needed to finish his run.

“Well, it was nice seeing you, Jeanette. I gotta finish my run…”

“Mhm, am I gonna see you at the D9 party tonight?”

“Of course I’ll be there.”

Erik backed away towards the track. Jeanette placed her hands on her hips, eye-fucking Erik while continuing her stretches.

“Ima put this AKA ass on you tonight, Daka!”

Erik sprinted off with a shake of his head.

Some time later, Valencia had finished swimming laps and doing a bit of water aerobics with weights. Her body was sore and drenched. After taking a shower, she gathered her things and walked out of the gymnasium. On her way back to her dorm, Valencia wasn’t paying attention and she almost collided with someone as she was leaving.

She didn’t have the best workout today because her mind continued to wander. She still hadn’t replied to Erik. The thought made her smile to herself. She shouldered her gym bag and took sips from her water bottle. As she approached her dorms, the man that distracted her was busy texting on his phone while listening to music. His head popped up and he paused in his tracks, staring Valencia down hard.

Valencia spotted Erik opening the door for her and she automatically grew timid. She tucked her chin and gave him a shy wave. Seeing him in person was completely different from texting him last night. The recollection of what she sent him hit her like a freight train. Her heart was practically rattling around in her chest cavity. The closer she got, the more his penetrating stare commanded her.

“After you.”

“Thank you…”

Valencia felt so exposed in her little gym shorts. He was directly behind her. She could smell his natural musk and it sent shivers throughout her body.

“Mm…mm…mm…”

She couldn’t contain her shaky exhale. He was probably picturing himself bending her over right there…

“Sleep well?”

Valencia blinked her eyes up at Erik.

“H–Huh?”

“…sleep? Did you get some rest?”

“Yeah! Sorry…”

“I figured you went to sleep since you left me on read and shit…”

Erik pressed the button for them to get on the elevator. Valencia avoided his gaze, her eyes looking around her.

“Valencia?”

She snapped her head in his direction. He was already on the elevator. She could tell he was fighting a laugh. Embarrassed, she walked in.

“You’re hella distracted…I’m the one that should be acting like that after what you sent me last night, girl...”

Valencia took in a breath. He did things to her body she couldn’t control. The trembling, the uneven breathing, the wetness that drenched her panties. She was in lust for this man and she needed him to fuck her. She wouldn’t say that to his face though.

“I…I have a lot of work to catch up on…and I’m really hungry…”

They left the elevator and Erik walked slowly so Valencia could catch up with him. She spotted Skai and Cindy sitting in the lounge studying and when they noticed her they gave her a weird look. Erik looked down at Valencia, biting his bottom lip openly so she knew that he was feeling her. Valencia slowed down her footsteps in front of her dorm room door. Her eyes discreetly roamed Erik’s body. His russet skin glistened with sweat and his muscles looked defined and sculpted. His locs were messy and resting against his forehead. He looked so fucking edible.

“This is me,” Valencia pointed to her door, giving Erik a quick glance with a smile, “I guess I’ll see you later…”

“You guess?” Erik cocked his head back.

“I—I didn’t mean it like that.” She spoke with a barely audible tone.

Erik startled her by reaching out to caress her arm. His hand stroked from the back of her upper arm, past her elbow, and down her forearm until he was holding her hand in his firm grip.

“You know you have a lot of explaining to do, girl.” Erik whispered.

He smelled so fucking amazing. His natural scent crowded her. She wanted to press her nose against whatever area that had exposed flesh. Lick his skin to see what his sweat tasted like—

“Do you know about the D9 party tonight?”

Valencia twisted her lips to fight a smile.

“I do. Are you asking me to go?”

Her eyes dropped down to her hand in his. She swayed from side to side.

“I am. I wanna see you there.” Erik said.

Valencia’s cheeks hurt from how hard she was smiling. She tried to hide her face so Erik took it upon himself to lift her chin.

“You gonna be there, Valencia. I want to see you there.”

She blinked at Erik slowly. His eyes dropped down to her juicy lips. He wanted to taste them…

“I’ll be there….”

“You better.”

Erik stroked her chin with his thumb. It sent shockwaves throughout her body. Straight to her pussy. It was such a small gesture that held so much dominance. Erik finally let go and backed away, his eyes dancing up and down her frame while he drew his plump bottom lip into his mouth. His eyes were low and almost sleepy-like and it made him look dreamy. Valencia giggled and looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

“We should get lunch later.” Erik said raising his brows.

“I’d like that.” Valencia replied.

“Aight, I’ll see you then, beautiful.”

He turned and strolled down the hall with a gait.

[ofcowardiceandkings]

companion piece of young Zelda

AAHH i finally finished something :'D

it actually took more thought to trawl through my feelings about Link as a child than Zelda but we got there idk man i just knew he exudes gremlin energy as a 17 to 20-something year old so he must have been a little demon as a kid gfkdjfkd

we're sort of looking at roughly 4, 7 and 10 years old here feeding sum pigeons, playing soldiers, and doing some baking !!!

more detailed Thoughts under the cut 💙

iiitssss customary ranting about my BotW/TotK opinions tiiiimeeee welcome my darlingsss jfkdjfkd 💙

like i said, this took more thought than Zelda, but we also dont know as much about Link's upbringing so thats fair

having said that, we know his father was a knight - a prominent one - and its hinted at that his family may have owned the Hateno house you can buy from Bolson. im not sure if i land on it being the family / childhood home or belonging to like a grandparent but i like to think Link spent time in Hateno as a kid (im a great fan of bumpkin Link with a country accent aight im a simple man). no mention of any OTHER family members, but imo i think his mother was still around and he probably had younger siblings !! he DID probably spend a fair amount of time in Castle Town just due to his father's job though, to be fair he probably travelled a little as a youngster a-la army posting yknow ... moving on tldr that explains why i've got a bunch of Hateno-esque clothing here aside from us sort of not knowing what the average joe Castle Town citizen from back in the day would have worn idk man its cute also

SO, pigeons !!! i'll definitely expand on this later when i go over more livestock now ive finished TotK but listen i wouldnt be in the least bit surprised if pre-Calamity Hylians had domestic pigeons for sending messages or just for hobby, so here's a first look at the Castle Town Carrier, the Hylian army's best flying friends. Link's just out here feeding his fathers' cohort's messenger birbs :3

stimky boy plays soldiers with a stick and a pot lid and a tub, classic and good, he was probably like ... actually tactically aware at this age though lets be real lol i bet it was annoyingly impressive

C A R R O T C A K E its a bit wonky, but i bet it tastes great :') id imagine Link probably spent a fair amount of time helping around the house and boy loves his food !! some people develop those skills early !!! i bet he was one of those people !!! any chance to get involved and learn how to make his faves and make them for other people yknow, food as a love language everyone HEYO (bowl there is chickaloo tree nuts, hazelnut analog eyo)

ghfjkdjfkd i said i didnt have much to say about this but oops

[mrboogerlip]

Nah you couldn't scare me away.

Your ocs are so silly (In a good way). I have the same piercings as rolando! That's pretty silly. When did he get his piercings? How many does he have? (I have three in each ear).

How would your ocs react if they met the people from TDDUP?

Wat do you think would happen is Jason found out about Jack's hobbies? How do you think Jack would react?

Also, at 11 pm last night I had a joyous idea for a story or drawing: Jason and Marcus getting a call because some dead bodies were found mutilated in a basement.

The close they get:

Jason: Hey my dad lives around here! I hope he's okay.

5 min later.

Jason: Damn they even live on the same street how wild.

That would be so weird. To go in and be like: Aight pops. I know you had nothing to do with this but we gotta check anyw- WHAT THE FUCK.

Or alternatively if Jason was told to always stay out of the basement and then on some holiday or other Jack left the basement unlocked and he walked down there.

Anyways that made me giggle at ungodly hours of the night.

I hope you have a great December and it doesn't get to cold for you (I personally love cold weather but I'm cold anyways. Stupid iron deficit).

See ya!

- 🐠

Aww thank you!!! XD They are very silly, aren’t they?

Rolando got his first piercings when he was a teenager!

Around when he was 18, he had met his best friend, or right hand man as they would say, Autumn! Autumn kiiind of influenced a lot of how Rolando acts today. And that included the piercings. XD He has 2 in his left ear, and 4 in his right ear!

Ooooh, now that’s an interesting question!! …Honestly, I can’t even imagine under what circumstances they would meet! I wish I could make up a whole entire scene, because that’d be more fun… but I’ll just give their impressions!

Estevan would really admire Marcus and Jack, both being older men who take their work quite seriously and have a good reputation in the community! Estevan really admires that kind of thing! Not to mention Marcus is in law enforcement, just like Estevan!! I think Estevan would see how meek and hesitant Chris seems and immediately take a guess that his personal life isn’t so great. Estevan is a major people pleaser and he just cannot help himself but feel the need to get in someone’s business and try to help them get better XDD (He won’t do so for himself though XD)

Rolando somehow thinks he can outmatch Marcus when the guy has like 85 more pounds than him LOL Really, Rolando just likes a good challenge. Which is why... Rolando gets pissed at people who are clearly holding back on him, so that’s why he’s angry at Chris for seemingly no reason! He sees it as that person thinking he’s weak XD Rolando would kind of be able to “sense” the stench of death all over Jack. It’s not something he always consciously acknowledges or cares to acknowledge. It’s something that he can pick up on in the back of his mind, so he probably wouldn’t mention his discovery to anyone.

I know I didn’t draw any of the other characters, because, honestly, I just had no idea what to say XD

If Jason found out about Jack’s hobbies… That’s a good question! Oh man, I have no idea. XD Jack says he would never kill Alice and Jason… But if it came down to that… would it still be true? I’d say maybe… I think Jack would be horrified. Maybe it wouldn’t set in immediately… But I think Jack would just knock Jason out and immediately escape, cutting off all contact with everyone. Of course Jack doesn’t want anyone to find out about it… But I imagine it’d kill him if his family ever got involved in what he does…

Oh my god!! XDD That would be hilarious!!

If the mood ever strikes, I might just… do it… XD (If you aren’t planning to make it yourself anyway!)

Thanks, you too! :D Luckily, I don’t live somewhere that’s too cold. Otherwise, I’d die XD I swear I remember liking cold weather when I was young though… I don’t know what happened

Make sure ya stay warm fishy anon~ (and everyone else reading this! :D)

[the-himawari]

A3! Izumida Azami - Translation [SR] Hyper Work Time (2/2)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Azami: (I’ve never started cleanin’ this early in the morning before. Eh, it’s part of my role study so I’ll take my time with it…) …Is it just me or is it messier than usual? Don’t tell me the guys were playing ‘til late last night…? (Well, it’s fine. It’ll be worth cleanin’ as part of my role study…)

*door opens*

Muku: Ah. Good morning, Azami-kun. Did you come to tidy up?

Azami: Yeah.

Muku: Oh. I think it's so messy since everyone was up late last night playing games…

Azami: Ahh. So that confirms it. Ah well, at least it’s worth cleanin’. Wait, did you come to clean the kitchen?

Muku: Yes, that’s right. I figured I’d go ahead and finish my chores early. That being said, Omi-san and the others always keep the kitchen clean so there’s not much for me to do. I’ll give you a hand here after I’m done.

Azami: Thanks. That’d help.

Muku: Okay, I’ll head to the kitchen then.

Azami: Sure. See ya later. (Aight. I guess it’d be better to start from the taller spots since dust will fall down to the bottom.) ‘Kay, I’ll start dustin’ that shelf and the TV then. I’ll pat it with a wiper, wipe it with water, and then dry it. I bet it’s gonna get dusty in here, so I’ll pick up the things on the floor and table first.

-pause-

Azami: (I’ve wiped down the table and sofa, and I’ve also cleaned the windows and window screens which I basically never do…) It’s tirin’, but it feels good when you give everything a thorough cleaning.

Muku: Sorry for the wait, Azami-kun. I’ve finished with the kitchen so I’m here to help you out.

Azami: Great. Thanks.

Muku: I say that, but it’s all sparkly clean in here! Is there a reason you’re doing such a thorough job…?

Azami: Yeah. Actually, I’m doing the cleanin’ this time as part of my role study for a maid.

Muku: I see. So that’s why you’ve organized everything so neatly. Ah, in this case, would it be better if I left you to it? Seeing as I’m clumsy and all.

Azami: Nah, everyone’s gonna wake up soon so it’d help if you pitched in.

Muku: Are you sure? I’d be happy to! What’s there left to clean?

Azami: Just the floor.

Muku: Oh, that’s it? You’re fast…!

Azami: Since it’s part of my role study, I guess I was able to concentrate on it more than usual.

Muku: I see. Well, I’m also going to act as a maid. I’ll make the floor sparkly clean as role study too.

-pause-

Sakuya: I was really surprised when I saw the lounge was neater than usual…!

Itaru: As one of the ones who left a mess and went to bed, I feel bad seeing how clean it is…

Taichi: Yeahh. We shoulda took more time to put things away before we went to sleep. Sorry about that, A-chan.

Azami: ‘S fine. It’s part of my role study.

Izumi: It’s really impressive though.

Option 1: “You even cleaned the furniture.”

Izumi: You made all the furniture like the shelves, table, and sofa all shiny and spiffy.

Azami: Yeah. I cleaned the shelves by takin’ everything out and putting them back again.

Izumi: Woah. That’s like the level of our big year-end clean up…!

Azami: Sure, it was part of my role study. But it also felt surprisingly nice cleaning and seein’ everything all neat ‘n tidy. I cleaned down to the smallest detail. The next time it’s my turn, I might do this much again if I feel like it.

Izumi: Really? I’d appreciate that…!

Option 2: “You even cleaned the windows.”

Izumi: Did you also clean the windows…!?

Azami: Yeah. I cleaned the windows and even the screens.

Izumi: I thought so…! That’s amazing. It feels like the room looks brighter than usual.

Azami: …Are you sayin’ that more sunlight’s getting in than when the window was dirty?

Izumi: Yeah? That would make sense.

Azami: Then that means we needa take even greater precautions against UV rays than before.

Izumi: (Whoopsies, everyone. Because of me, we might have to step up our countermeasures against UV rays inside the dorm…!)

Azami: By the way, I asked Muku-san to help me clean up this time.

Muku: Eh!? All I did was help you wipe the floor at the very end!

Kumon: AH!? Crap, I spilled the soy sauce…!

Azami: ‘Scuse me!? I just cleaned that. Don’t make it dirty. …There. All clean.

Kumon: Sorry and thanks!

Homare: Splendid! Azami-kun is just like a maid from our home!

Izumi: Yeah, his quick response right now was just like a maid.

Kumon: Azami’s already a pro maid, huh!

Azami: That just now was like a maid, huh… (I didn’t like how the table I just cleaned got dirty, that's all…) (I wonder if real maids feel the same way when they wipe the tables. I think I kinda get how they feel…)

-pause-

Kumon: Alright, all neat and tidy! I’m done with my cleaning duties today!

Azami: Huh? You’re done…?

Kumon: Yep. It’s all clean! I organized, vacuumed, and wiped down the table and TV.

Azami: Clean…? Bruh, here. There’s still dust on the TV’s back corner.

Kumon: Huh?

Azami: Look. With just a quick swipe of your finger, you’ll clearly see the particles—.

Kumon: EHH!? Rather than a pro maid, Azami’s turned into a mother-in-law…!

---

previous |

[stairset]

Aight now that I've slept a bit and am less tired and have had some time to think about it, here is my hopefully coherent enough attempt to get my thoughts across on the Degenerate video, because I'm The Starset Guy and this is like the first major controversy they've ever had and even I have concerns about it and thus feel the need to get my thoughts out there. Cut-off for those who don't wanna scroll past all this cause it ended up being kinda long:

So first off just to get it out of the way: the song itself is great, as is to be expected with Starset. Vocals great, lyrics great, etc. No surprises there. Now to the actually controversial part, the music video. If you even wanna call it a music video, the video title calls it a visualizer instead but whatever. Semantics. Not the point.

So yeah, to start, I'm not exactly a fan of AI "art" for well, all the reasons everyone else has already brought up about it. But as other people have pointed out, in the case of this video there ARE some nuances to its usage that are worth discussing before jumping the gun and canceling the band. So first I'm actually gonna defend it a bit by going over the artistic intention behind it, then also point out the reasonable concerns that people have with it in spite of that intention.

So, I know this band. I know the lore and the narrative and the central themes and all that. The band's story centers around how technology shouldn't be abused by greedy corporate shitheads lest it ruin our society. Literally just a few months ago they released a book where the main antagonist was an AI that gained sentience and tried to enslave humanity. I'm not parasocial enough to pretend that I Know Dustin, but I know what he's about. And he's smart enough that I have to believe he didn't just make a move like this for no reason with no self-awareness. So yeah, I 100% get what the intent is here. As Dustin has said and others have repeated, the AI usage is clearly meant to be "ironic" and satirical, which becomes pretty clear when you actually watch the full video. Essentially it's using AI imagery to make fun of AI images. Real "I used the stones to destroy the stones" moment I guess. Lyrically, the song itself isn't SPECIFICALLY about AI, but it definitely is a big criticism of modern consumerism and commercialism in general, essentially talking about how we feel the need to stuff our faces with corporate-produced shit while our society is slowly falling apart around us. And while AI certainly isn't the sole problem there, it has certainly become a notable aspect of that larger problem, so it makes sense to satirize it to get the larger point across. The visualizer is gross and uncanny to look at on purpose. And it's clearly not trying to trick you into thinking it's NOT AI or anything, not trying to pass as something an actual human made with their own hands. It doesn't want you to be impressed by the visuals, it wants you to be disturbed by them. I compared it to the video for Linkin Park's "Lost" from last year since that was also made with AI visuals and as much as I also love that band and that song I'm still not exactly a fan of that particular choice. But the reason I bring it up is because I do think there's an interesting contrast in how it's being used in these two videos, as with the video for Lost it really did feel like it was using AI just for the sake of using it, riding the current trend, whereas here with Degenerate there's at least an actual reason for it, a reason that one can at least understand even if they don't like or agree with it.

Apparently Dustin's also said that they did pay artists to make the images for the specific purpose of running them through the AI for the video, though didn't really elaborate beyond that. But just based on what we know it does sound like these were consenting artists who knew what they were getting into here and were compensated for it. So it's not like it's a case of just stealing art or trying to replace actual humans to save a few bucks or anything, which is good since that's obviously one of the main concerns with AI in general.

There's also the fact that, as much as I don't like AI shit, the harsh reality is it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Personally if I had a magic button that could indefinitely halt all development on AI stuff until I can be sure that everyone will use it ethically and not abuse it then I would definitely hit that button, but the fact of the matter is that, for better or worse, it's here, it exists, and it will continue to evolve and be used. We can't just un-invent what's already been invented. And I'd argue that specific, limited, one-off uses like this are probably just about the most ethical way to implement it. Though of course I personally would rather this STAY a one-off thing, I absolutely do not want this kind of thing to become like, a regular thing for them. Or a regular thing in general.

But of course this video doesn't exist in a vacuum, there are other nuances here. Because as still more people have pointed out, using AI to make fun of AI is still using it. It's not like the video is in a completely neutral position, just commentating on the situation from afar. Even if it's making fun of AI, the fact that it's using it to do so means it's still feeding that AI, it is now another step forward in the evolution and proliferation of the thing that it's criticizing. One could argue that they maybe could have found a way to poke fun at it without actually using it. There's definitely a certain irony to be discussed in Making Fun Of The Thing By Doing The Thing. Is it being clever and meta? Or is it lacking forethought? Or maybe it's a bit of both. I don't know. Either way it's not exactly the best look, regardless of the intention and thought process behind it. Insert Torment Nexus joke here.

And although I SAID earlier that the satirical intent is pretty clear, it might not be clear to everyone. Even if the video isn't MEANT to set a precedent, it could unintentionally set a precedent anyway by inspiring copycats. Because unfortunately some people are simply too stupid to get obvious satire, especially if they're the ones the satire is aimed at. So it's entirely possible certain people will just see the trippy weird AI visuals and either won't realize or won't care what the the purpose behind them is and will just want to do it themselves because they think it's cool. And then THAT raises the whole question of "how much should you blame the person who made the satire for people being too dumb to get it, especially in cases like this where the satire is incredibly unsubtle and on the nose?" But then that's getting into a whole 'nother topic entirely so I'm not gonna dive into that.

And then of course there's other concerns like how research has shown that AI has a negative effect on the environment. As far as I know THAT particular concern hasn't been addressed so I don't know if they even considered that, but if they didn't then yeah, that's pretty irresponsible and lacking forethought.

There's also just the matter of personal preference, like even if you get that it's satire you might just think that it's not very good satire which is a fair opinion to have. Like personally I just didn't even really enjoy watching the video despite knowing full-well what The Point of it was.

So, in summation, taking all these points into account, I don't think that this particular usage of AI tools is THAT bad. I might even go as far as to say that it's like, fine I guess, at least in isolation. I think many assumed the worst before it came out but I don't think it's worth suddenly denouncing the band or going all "well actually they sucked the whole time and I totally never liked them anyway" or anything like that. Though I'm sure some people will start doing that. I'd say this is a somewhat questionable but not-too-egregious move, that there are legitimate concerns to be had and that I do share those concerns, and as I said I don't want this kind of thing to become the norm for them or for any other band, but I also don't think we should immediately conclude that the band has been Ruined Forever or anything. This kind of thing is a slippery slope, so I guess all we can really do is hope that Dustin doesn't end up falling down it. But that's my take on the whole thing. Maybe I'm being fair and nuanced and unbiased. Or maybe I'm just a hypocrite who's bending over backwards to give my fav the benefit of a doubt. I don't know. All I know is I just wanted to get all this off my chest at once so I can hopefully stop thinking about it and just enjoy the song on its own.

[knizuu]

When 2 ain’t enough ya gotta have // PT 3 OF LOOKING AT FANG’S STORY // SPOILERS BTW

Wawa first of all, hi!!! If you don’t get what I’m talking about:

This is my original rant with Superstars included! [Check out the other reblogs too if ya want =w=]

And This should be about the start of the Fang miniseries!!

OK OK NOW LETS GET INTO IT

There’s some things I said on discord already related :]

Sooooo….you might’ve noticed the fact Team Hooligan is kindaaaaa not a thing anymore :’]

CRIESSS AS A HOOLIGAN FAN SORRY-

Anyways efkjwghrj, my main point is that he got left because Fang was IGNORANT

Now I don’t wanna say he’s thinking he has more power, because Fang knows DARN WELL he doesn’t have the skill compared to Bean or Bark. He isn’t strong enough, he isn’t crazy enough, he’s defined by what he NEAR to, like his Marvelous Queen. “Ignorance is bliss” and I think he embodies this idea to the extent of how awful it can be in the long run.

Oh ye the Marvelous Queen? Da she?

Fang ABSOLUTELY is caring of Marvelous Queen, heck, even more publicly shown rather than Bean or Bark. Now ye he could just not CARE about Bean or Bark but that’s just a lie. Even at the worst, he NEEDED fighters near him to help his journey. That’s just how it is to me :]

But I think what makes Marvelous Queen so much more valuable is the point I already shared: It’s what defines him. It’s what brings the power to HIM ONLY. With Bean and Bark, it makes TEAM HOOLIGAN look good. With the Marvelous Queen, FANG’s impressive. Because it’s such a great device Fang uses perfectly. So it means SO MUCH to him if he had the Marvelous Queen by his side.

…Which is sad, if you know the fact the Marvelous Queen EXPLODED IN HIS DUCKING FACE [Trip I love you but ARHGHHGHJG-

Oooh so if you know me, there’s been two other pictures like this. One being of him thinking “WHERE’S BEAN AND BARK?” and the other more so “I cannot be a failure AGAIN.” This one is…a lil new to me for some reason but I’ll still use it!

Ok well the first one was the “WHERE’S BEAN AND BARK?” Which goes great with dis one! Both are worried about WHERE Bark and Bean are because they’re supposed to be there for Fang. Like always.

In the last one, he’s just…alone, with no one he’s really thinking about probably BECAUSE he doesn’t want to think about Team Hooligan.

Yknow cuz if I was in his raggedy shoes, I’d ALSO feel pretty put down from two hooligans who now seem to be judging me! It’s understandable! What he’s so ignorant about is the fact he CARES about these goobers. Yes he uses them to get paid and shiz but he’d also had GREAT chemistry with them!! They were a solid team who just had FUN for darn sakes!

But perhaps he’s getting too stuck in the comfort. Bean doesn’t have the calm social skills and Bark is practically ignored. They’re a strong unit but not mentally!! You have a good soul being pushed aside, an emotional help who’s getting mad, and an insecure leader who’s getting pissy.

This isn’t who they USED to be, heck the reasons as to what changed kinda boggled me. But I DO understand how

Fang felt like he was going through more trouble with Bean and Bark, hence he didn’t even BOTHER to ask them to come back

He cares about his self worth more than his team, because he doesn’t want to be a failure. He wants to gain money and power so he’s strong.

Because of 2, he’s forgetting he truly loves his team. That they actually help him throughout his journeys but he’s taking them for granted. I guess he sees the Marvelous Queen as ALL. HE. NEEDS.

aight so we all getting this?? Ok ok

Ok ok just a lil note before a bigger notice-he DOESS say his team mates’ names for alert. But in one of my older posts, I still do believe when Fang’s first confused where his team is, that he’s saying their names out of fear. Because now he’s scared. [in that past moment]

ANYWAYYYY

Ahme kewhbfe this was from the new sonic channel art!! [it might not be too new now ASHFVGWR]

Ya see how the first image tells their relationship? How Fang is…[gasp/silly] INSIGHTFUL??? This may not mean much but the fact I brung up him being ignorant for so long-this is new

Because I thought Fang didn’t care for Trip AT ALL when Superstars first came out-then I saw the pancake image and went “Oh ok so he does like Trip in the sense she is caring and loyal” and this…OH WOWHW HWOH OHWIDWH THIS

It’s only the English translation, but “I wonder what Fang thinks when he sees Trip, who obeys without giving up…” IS SUCH A STRONG MYSTERY

Like ye, what *DEOS* HE THIJNK?? [what does he think pft]

Personally, I think he’s reminding himself of his team and Marvelous Queen

But what’s so special about her is that she isn’t doubtful to Fang as much as Bean and Bark. Yknow cus Bean and Bark has more of their own identity and sternness. And with the Marvelous Queen, heck she can’t speak a word! She’s just the product of what Fang needs to win a battle or win some cash. Trip is like the cheap Walmart version of a Marvelous Queen. But instead of being perfectly one noted as Fang’s helper, she’s clumsy. Though it seems Fang is not TRULY mad about that. Because he’s being respected, saluted, and seen for the wonder he is-/lyrics sorry I love the lion king sm

So…I think he’s gaining more control! I think with a newbie gal such as Trip, he’s getting more insightful on how he acted or acts now. From Superstars/Trio of Trouble, he’s anxious and passionate for being a successful man. But in here, which is supposed to be before Superstars, he’s extremely cocky and forgetting social queues. And for Fang’s Big Break, well I say it does seem like a break! From just…being Fang and not Team Hooligan, Fang’s a lot less crazy or extreme. He’s more calm and collected. Maybe it’s the fact he got too comfortable with being the leader in Team Hooligan. Got too ignorant and was left with no one at the end. Now he’s learning. All anew! With Superstars, he’s grown to a new light. Trip seems to have left a mark! She made Fang more insightful but of course at the expense of Fang losing himself. [As in, the Marvelous Queen]

So I wonder where Fang will go now!! Will he get with Bean and Bark again?? Will he learn to be a better jerboa?? If Trip and Fang really get their new adventures…could we learn more? Ig we’ll never know until there’s more content. At least it’s exciting!

I just hope wherever Bean and Bark are, that they aren’t too mad at Fang. Maybe the separation is what heals them? Because at the core, they’ll ALL unstable. Darn it, Sega, give us more Hooligan content!!/silly but yeh!

[anotherwvba]

Learning on the Job, pt. 13

Mika sat on the stool in her corner as Alexandra put it in place, the crowd’s cheers and buzz being obscured slightly by music that played during the intervals. Still, the energy of the fans was a pulsating backdrop, one that Mika lived for.

“Aight, kiddo,” Doc Louis leaned in, eyes focusing on Mika’s as he wiped the sweat from her forehead and removed her mouthpiece, “You’re doing great, good work, but ya took ya foot off the gas.”

Mika winced as Doc put a cotton swab in her nose and pinched tight, trying to stop her nose bleed as Alex wiped down her face. Referee Saltamico stopped by the corner for a moment, “How’s the nose, Doc?”

“Nothin’ broke, Luigi,” Doc never looked at the ref, but just continued his work, “She just got popped by a lucky punch. That’s all.”

The ref nodded and moved on as Alex sprayed water in Mika’s mouth, then held the bucket for Mika to spit the water out. After another deep breath, Mika looked across the ring to Gemma’s corner, “I’m proud of her, Doc. She’s better than ever imagined.”

“She’s got heart, yeah,” Doc released Mika’s nose and disposed of the blood-soaked swab, “but this is a fight and ya gotta keep the pressure on.”

“I know, Doc,” Mika started to answer.

“Shouldn’t have lasted a round.” Alexandra had spoken up, “You’re holding back.”

Mika was shocked. Alexandra’s bluntness was cold and chilling, but Mika met her gaze, “Alexandra, I…”

“No.” Alexandra’s eyes were intense, “Stop being impressed and finish it.”

The hurt was all over Mika’s face, but Doc put a hand on Mika’s shoulder, “Ya holding back, kid. Not on purpose. I know it ain’t on purpose. But, you can hang with Mac, and she,” Doc pointed across the ring, “ain’t Mac.”

Across the ring, Dudley was holding an enswell to Gemma’s cheek as Skye sprayed water for Gemma, “Girl! Awesome! You got this stuff down, ‘specially for your first fight.”

Gemma’s heart raced and she grinned as she tried to calm herself, “I get it, Skye.” Then, she looked to her choreographer and trainer, “Dudley, I understand why you insisted on this. It’s… so… exhilarating.”

“True, Miss Golden,” Dudley moved the enswell back to its bucket and placed an ice pack to her ribs. “But, steady on. Focus now.”

“Yes, coach.” Gemma’s expression shifted as she gave Dudley her undivided attention.

“Coach…” Dudley muttered. The hint of a smile formed and his posture changed. “She’s a better boxer than you, full stop. But, you are more agile and have a better reach. Use them and stay outside. Counter as she comes in, then move away. You mustn't become a stationary target.”

Gemma nodded as Skye shook her head, “Man, can’t you just say stick and move like a normal coach?”

A laugh escaped from Gemma, “I understood him quite well, Skye.” Her composure quickly returned, “I can do this, coach.”

Dudley’s chest swelled, pride in his eyes, “I have no doubts. She will come at you harder now. Guard up, eyes open.”

Gemma nodded as the referee yelled, “SECOND’S OUT!”

In the opposite corner, Mika received her mouthpiece from Doc Louis and he grabbed the sides of her head, looking into her eyes, “Alex was harsh, but not wrong. This girl ya up against, is she still some actress to you or is she a boxer?”

Mika felt the weight of that question, but answered with pride in her friend and no hesitation. "She’s a fighter, Doc"

Doc nodded. "Then ya go out there and treat her like one."

Mika’s expression hardened, her demeanor shifting as her corner left the ring and she started bouncing with anticipation. Her eyes locked onto her opponent, her target.

Gemma felt that gaze, her eyes drawn to Mika’s as Dudley and Skye, too, stepped out of the ring. Her nerves riled with a realization. “She was holding back, wasn’t she?”

Dudley stopped on the apron and looked across at Mika, as well. He squeezed his fighter’s shoulder— My fighter? When did— and drew her attention to him, “Yes, but no longer. That look is respect. The respect one fighter shows another. She sees you as a true opponent now.”

Looking back to Mika, Gemma’s nerves turned into determination. “High praise. I’ll be sure it’s not misplaced.”

Mika watched as Dudley dropped off the apron and Gemma’s eyes returned to her. She studied Gemma’s face for a moment. Reddened. Slick with Vaseline and sweat. A slight swelling from Mika’s hard punches. You’re not playing the part now. You are a fighter and you’ve earned a real fight.

Gemma watched the blood start to trickle down from Mika’s nose as she loosened up. It was blood Gemma drew. Before today, she’d never punched anyone, much less drawn blood. But this… this was different. You’re ready to take my head off, but you know I can take it, don’t you? You’ve seen my heart and you’ve shown it to me. Now, I’ll thank you properly. As the two fighters readied themselves and the fans buzzed in anticipation, an authoritative voice broke the tension.

“Round two, BOX!”

Star Mika is an OC belonging to @cyrah-is-cool101 and is used with permission.

Alexandra Rosal Archangle is an OC belonging to a friend of @cyrah-is-cool101 and is used with permission.

[bloomboxygo]

I'm curious to see how you feel about Yuya given, uh, everything. But I know that might be a bit frightening so feel free to do either Sora or Serena instead!

Well, first question and I already have a slammer on my hands. Can't say I didn't ask for this one, so it's best I get these thoughts out on Yuya. Later on I might do the other two. Get ready. Also spoiler warning.

General opinion/How much I care about them: Yuya's a character I found frustrating as the show went on, but it's not his fault. Amongst all the characters with missed potential, Yuya's one of the very few ones who felt complete, with the initial shut-ins, insecurities, and bullying building him up to life his own life and make his mark on the world how he knows best: making people smile with his Entertainment Dueling. And in the Miami Championship, he really started to come on its own and actually impressed me. Another thing that impressed me was the Z-ARC foreshadowing: regardless of execution, you cannot say they didn't have that idea at the start, or at least the core of it. Sure, the road was bumpy (learning the same lesson over and over? Common and overused complaint, but I can't disagree with it) but it did lead to a complete character at least, which I do find endearing at the core. It's the world around him later on that becomes the frustrating part. Especially the post Z-ARC part, it felt like the world itself bent to Yuya's goals, like the whole world will be destroyed if Yuya doesn't get his girl, like... Ugh. AGAIN, he's not entirely at fault for that. I do care for him and wish him very well (despite the frustrations) and proper, thorough therapy. Also for his mindmates. Also... I don't have a strong opinion on Berserk Yuya. It's... A berserk form that always wins. I already know what's the outcome.

A ship I love: Eh... Not much of a shipper myself, but... Fruitshipping is fine, valid and canon, but frustrating because of reasons above which I also explained in my "Yuzu's Exhaustive, Exhausting Elegy". Again, not Yuya's fault here but Yuzu kind of destroying her own self for him just in a writing sense doesn't sit well for me. Even still, they have a fun dynamic and the support they show each other (even while separated by plot) is very much welcome.

A non-romantic relationship that I love: Aight, no complaints with this one YUYA | GONGENZAKA (sorry, don't remember the shipping name). What a fun dynamic the two have together, it's more than clear that they're besties and Gongenzaka's had a huge hand in supporting Yuya as well. There isn't much depth, but it's wholesome and solid the whole way through. I also really like the concept of two best friends having totally opposite Dueling styles, and in some way or another, approaching and learning more about each other's style (though Yuya learning the Heavystrong style was entirely out of my mind, and perhaps someone else's in a fanfic. The opposite happened though.)

The NOTP: Once again, no strong opinions on that one. If I find it weird enough, I'm simply not going to bother with it. I don't really have one that sticks out to me.

An idea for a fanfiction I would like to write/read about them: If I ever get the willpower and knowledge to properly write such a concept, a Spirit World fic when Yuya and Gongenzaka end up being Superheavy Samurai Prodigy Wakaushi and Brave Masurawo respectively would be great. Already shared an idea, IIRC, of these two things being statues that the Superheavies built in honor of their Master and his best friend.

Something that makes me think of them:

You weirdos.

More specifically, the people in the ARC-V fandom. Whenever I see all these super excited posts about the world and characters that the show offered, I can't help but feel your love for Yuya. Like... It seems everyone loves Yuya in this fandom and I can't help but feel like a bit of an outcast sometimes, considering how conflicted I am on him. I don't want to deny you of any fun. I know you're having the time of your lives with a show that gave me headaches, and while I still get shivers from time to time regarding my own experience... Thanks to you, I learned to bear it and make something positive out of it all. Perhaps not letting anyone hinder you, and encouraging yourself to make your own mark and make people happy, is what makes me think of Yuya, so you guys are a part of that.

I know I've mostly shifted to Radiant Dawn these days (Micaiah has claimed my mind with all her woes, and Tibarn with his Stone Cold entrances, and I just want to understand it all), but thanks for making me having a wonderful time here.

[empressawesomecoolness]

Doctor Who: The Ultimate Speedrun Marathon - Series 3 (2007)

The semester’s keeping me busy but trust me I’m still trying to keep this speedrun going and get caught up on everything before May, so I’m glad to say I finally finished Series 3 yaaaaayyy! It was a lot of fun, especially in how it carried over from Series 2 into 10’s adventures with a new companion after Rose. Aight let’s get into it…

General Thoughts

Right off the bat, I loved Martha as a companion. Similar to Sylvester McCoy, I was familiar with Freema Agyeman from her stellar work on Sense8, so I was already a fan of her’s as soon as she popped up on screen. She’s got her own brand of intelligence and spunk that bounces off of 10 really well. Don’t get me wrong, I love that Rose was carried over from Eccleston’s tenure into Tennant’s, but I believe that Martha meeting 10 as he is for the first time in this series was beneficial to them building a better chemistry. Also, it’s great and refreshing to see the Doctor get his first black female companion in the show’s history. Overall, probably one of my fav companions so far, if not my favorite.

Not much to add in regards to David Tennant’s performance as the 10th Doctor, but I’ll heap praise anyways. He’s just as charismatic as he was last season, never phoning it in for even a second. All of 10’s big emotional and personality quirks can really be chalked up to Tennant’s clear love of the material, which was also apparent in the previous two Doctor actors I’ve covered thus far.

Besides the Doctor and Martha, Series 3 also had a really big moment that I was pleasantly surprised to see be built up so well: the return of The Master. Last time I saw that character in this speedrun watch-through, he was ‘90s Eric Roberts doing his best impression of an effeminate man. I was wondering how he’d inevitably return after his fate in the TV movie, so I genuinely felt the rug pulled out from under me when he was revealed to have been hiding right under my nose as Professor Yana in Utopia. Derek Jacobi played both the unassuming professor and the menacing Master really well, so props to him. As for his almost immediate successor, John Simm as the 7th Master, I must admit…. not really my thing. I will admit he had some great moments that made me truly hate him (which in turn made me like him more cuz well y’know he’s the villain duhh), but the over the top flamboyance just gave me major BBC Sherlock Moriarty vibes. idk, again I still haven’t seen the classic series in its entirety yet, so maybe that’s just how the Master is, but I’m inclined to believe Stephen Moffat is the common denominator in this specific characterization. Despite my criticisms tho, Simm’s chemistry with Tennant was really fun. Much more dynamic than the complete diva Paul McGann had to act off of.

Favorite Episodes

• Blink

• The Shakespeare Code

• The Lazarus Experiment

• Human Nature

• The Family of Blood

• Daleks in Manhattan

• Evolution of the Daleks

• Utopia

Favorite Moments

• The entirety of Blink was a really clever well done treat for me. It felt a lot like an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it just played with Doctor Who’s version of time travel so well and to such great effect. The Weeping Angels are now some of the Doctor’s most iconic foes, which is well deserved because they are super memorable and scary as fuck. Also it was funny to see baby Carey Mulligan here lol

• The moment Professor Yana reveals himself to be The Master was so crazy cool. Like just a few seconds earlier when he started acting weird and jaded I was thinking “holy shit is he the Master he’s gotta be the Master” and I was right 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

• I appreciate that Martha mentions how William Shakespeare doesn’t look exactly like he does in the famous portraits we have of him. It’s still kind of a topic of speculation as to what exactly he looked like in his youth, so I liked that she’d pick up on that.

• “Come on. We can all have a good flirt later!” “Is that a promise, Doctor?” “Oh, 57 academics just punched the air.” I love this show

• They should induct Blink into the National Film Registry for preservation just for the introduction of the phrase “wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff” alone

• Captain Jack Harkness (great to see him back btw) is THE FACE OF BOE????????????????? not sure how to feel about that. points for creativity tho

• tryna just chill and watch The Lazarus Experiment then BOOM!!!!! MARK GATIS JUMPSCARE AHHHHHHHHH

• The sound of a militaristic drumbeat constantly playing in the Master’s head is a great motif. One of the things I did like about Simm’s portrayal was how well he got across the maddening effect of the drumbeat’s sound in his head.

• The series finale was soooo crazy. I loved how the consequences of the Master’s plan were shown to have been so hard to crack that it took a whole year for them to even get close to him. It really built up the Master as a new kind of villain for this revamped version of the show. Also, fucking good on Martha for busting her ass to travel the globe and gather the support of millions. She’s such a badass

• “Good old J.K.!” *thousand yard stare*

Alright, that about wraps it up for Series 3! I had a great time with this series, even if it took me a bit to get through. Time to crack on, though. Gotta keep this speedrun train going. Onto Series 4, which (for the most part) marks David Tennant’s final tenure as the 10th Doctor.

[splashink-games]

5 Strategy RPGs I Think You Should Play

Turn-based tactics, my love.

I play a lot of games, but some of my favourites include games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem. As a kid, those games gave me a lot of freedom in creating my fictional team of supernatural-power-wielding friends. And enough strategic importance that big number isn't always better (though it does plays a part).

Here are 5 strategy RPGs (I don't know how else to categorize them. Tactical RPG? Turn-based tactics?) that I played in the last year that I think y'all should play.

this one's a long one, folks.

Battletech

Played exactly a year ago today, I had a blast playing Battletech. enough to almost make it into my top 5 of 2023.

This game was my first interaction with lore from this universe and it felt like a pretty good jumping on point. It certainly helped when I played MechWarrior 5 at the end of last year. Narratively, this game kinda rocks. You've got a well-introduced main character and their nemesis and a long hill to push your rock up until you fulfill your goals.

strategically, the game is great. the main campaign quests it throws at you are pretty rad and sometimes does require knowing exactly what to do and with which units (and making sure you've got those units with you on drop).

What I really love about Battletech, and subsequently MechWarrior as a whole, is the mech customization. Unit optimization? Whatever you wanna call it. I liked scavenging for parts to make a mech, then equipping it with my most deadly weapons only to lose those weapons in combat. great times.

Wasteland 3

I didn't know what to think when I started played Wasteland 3. For me (I'm heavy into fantasy than sci-fi), it was pretty out of genre, setting-wise. it's post-apocalyptic modern and set in America (I really think it's important to point out that it's set in America). and it's not typically what I'm out to read.

what I did read was an incredibly written experience and really awesome narrative decision making along with solid mechanics. it was kinda cool to see my actions have consequences (which I looked up constantly because I knew what kind of game I was playing), like helping out a guy in Act 1 only for them to come back in halfway through Act 2.

and the skill tree was most impressive. for most of the game, it gives your team members well-defined roles, which I appreciated. and having narrative options tied to those, while I think is standard, was pretty nice considering I had to talk to NPCs with multiple characters to get what I wanted.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos

If you're more into Dungeons and Dragons rather than guns and mechs (like I am), here be the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk.

This one is more a classic one-to-one to Dungeons and Dragons and functions as a big dungeon crawl with an inn in it. meaning the combat mechanics were fleshed out and familiar for me! so it was pretty simple but the rooms do a bit to keep players on their toes with environmental hazards.

the story is straightfoward: get to the Dungeon Master so they can leave. oh but wait! the stairs aren't working! guess we'll take the long way around~! overall, the dialogue was pretty hit-or-miss (more misses with the comedy for me though).

Fae Tactics

Fae Tactics was a pretty big surprise in a lot of ways.

as another one of my honourable mentions for games I played last year, Fae Tactics has solid gameplay and story.

I actually really liked how the story plays itself out. you get bits of non-linear progression with every main quest you complete, meaning you can do most of the game in any order you want. I did do everything in my first playthrough, so it was cool to see different parts of the story connect, and the epilogues that I got in the end. and how the story evolves from one goal to another and how it resolves conflicts is pretty interesting!

moreover, I thought the dialogue for this game was pretty aight. it matched the mood of the game as well as the characters. it knew when to be serious and when to try to be funny.

mechanically, this game is less about customizing your team and more about completing combat with what you have, until you reach maximum upgrades (where you've got pretty obvious choices). capturing your own fae during battle is actually really important since it gives you more options moving forward.

Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga

This was one I've wanted to play but only recently got the chance! One of this year's first games for me, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga felt pretty good to play.

outright, the narrative I think needs some work. it's not the best, but it gets the job done. it's easy enough to follow and enough characters to like to get you through the game. surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, I didn't like the main character's arc, though it does make a little sense in hindsight.

the best part about this game was the gameplay, for sure. creating an army and commanding it was so fun. there's so much you can do because of the freedom the game allows you in your units. there are items to change affinities, upgrade stats, give your squads more capacity (that's a big one), and so on. additionally, having a maximum 9 units (on average it's more like 6-8 units) per squad was creatively engaging.

one of the biggest things is the fact you can class promote/demote at will. the resources are only allocated and never go away, and you really notice it when you get the tech upgrades that reduces resource costs. and I think the game made the right choice in setting the strongest unit type (dragons) aside for in-combat stores only.

in battle, the strategy was pretty straightforward. the game often relies on sending reinforcements for increased difficulty. but otherwise, the maps provided pretty interesting problems for players to solve. and by the end game, you're commanding up to 20 squads per turn, which is kind of insane.

to recap!

Battletech is a great starting point into MechWarrior lore while being an awesome tactical game.

with a wildly different setting from the rest, Wasteland 3 provides the most dynamic narrative of the bunch with solid strategic gameplay to pair along with it!

for D&D lovers, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos is pretty aight, especially if you don't have the funds for newer titles.

Fae Tactics was a surprise hit that strategy/tactical RPG fans will love!

and lastly, Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is robust in tactics and will get you thinking about the best army composition.

Here's to more tactical games in the future! in fact I already have more lined up-

As always,

Enjoy gaming!

[billerak]

RWTC 2

Time for the sequel! My volume 1 post did great, a grandiose 3 notes. I can already smell the internet fame. Clearly, the fans want what I have to offer (That being: incredibly random thoughts and my always correct opinions), and I am here to give it to them.

Anyways when we last left off: We'd just stopped a grand robbery of dust in the docks! Well, Penny did most of the work, but it's the thought that counts. The ending was kind of abrupt! What wonders will V2 have to offer? How much of a mess will it make of things? I wonder!

Ep 1: We start the volume and the first thing Mercury does is… flirt? The way the line is read is so fucking awkward tho, lmao. I know the tukson scene was meant to be tense and menacing but, and I know I said I wouldn't do this much, but it's important here: The voice acting doesn't really sell the scene. It's not laughably awful or anything, it's just not very strong. Wow, Blake and Yang actually get an interaction where Blake actively replies to her! How wonderful. Thank you Ruby, that IS the current circumstances in which you find yourselves! The audience appreciates you for the explanation. Wow Neptune look at you I'm sure you'll be a super important character moving forward, relevant, always in the depths of the plot. No comments about the food fight. 10/10. Still my favourite secene from RWBY. Now Glynda I understand your frustration but everyone else ran away, these eight stuck to the food fight and wrecked each other's shit, I'd be impressed if I was the teacher of a combat school. I love Roman. He's a little shit. I'd bash his head in if I could, but that's why I love him. He's underutilized but his VA is clearly having a lot of fun and it seeps into the character. Do you think cinder uses her powers to make her eyes glow for effect at all times or only when she's tryning to be menacing?

On the Bees: Wow look an interaction! Clearly this has convinced me the writers had planned for it all along.

Ep 2: I do like Ironwood's always had that subtle tension to him. He's a man with good intentions but too much goddamn power for his own good. Leaving aside te absolute stupidity of a 'semblance' they gave him which was of course never mentioned in the show because it makes no goddamn sense. This is a general complaint I have, not only with RWBY but with pretty much all shows I've ever watched: JUST USE REAL BOARD GAMES. PLEASE. CALL THEM SOMETHING ELSE BUT MAKE THEM THINGS THAT ALREADY FUCKING EXIST. The only person I've ever seen who makes 'fake board/card games' funny is ProZD and dude literally makes a living out of playing and reviewing those. Anyways that's a me thing, otherwise it's a fine scene. Better than fine, really, because WHITE ROSE BABEEE THAT'S 2 EPISODES IN A ROW WHERE THEY'VE HELD EACH OTHER LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO "But Neptun-" Nepwho? Ah, blue haired guy. Right. He exists. Aight I'll just say my piece here because I don't wanna be saying the same through the whole volume: The whole Weiss/Neptune thing is just horribly heterosexual people writting terrible heterosexuality. Neptune's entire personality is being heterosexual. Literally. If a gay character acted the same as him, he'd be criticized for having 'gay' be his personality, or he'd be considered a token gay, or smth. Seen it a million times. Comes out of nowhere, any time Weiss does or say anything involving Neptune I wanna unalive myself, the two have the chemistry of water, and I consider this fanbase got off lucky that Neptune ended up being only a plot device to get Jaune to move along his own arc. So yeah any time anything happens with Neptune, unless I state otherwise, assume I'm vomiting loudly. … Honestly Blake and Weiss are kinda shippable here. 'Nooo blake why won't you talk to me- I mean us you promised' gay ass. Anyways while I understand Ruby and Yang going with the stupid plan and Blake has personal reasons for it… It does feel a bit OOC for Weiss to agree because, well, she's fucking right. These four are just students and they only managed to deal with Roman and the White Fang last time because Penny came in clutch. They're fucked if they do this alone. How… old is cinder? I'd say she couldn't pass herself for a student due to credentials but we know salem has Lionhart by the balls so… ???

On the Bees: Weiss and Blake had a nice moment.

Ep 3: You know, I never understood what Jaune saw in Weiss. Like, ok, she's probably cute at first sight. But she's fucking insufferable otherwise. Her team can deal with her but I'd fucking despise her v1-3 self if I went to the same school as her. I prefer the other outfits tbh. Where… Where was Sun hanging from? He was like, some ways away from the window, but there was nothing there to hang to. I guess his semblance could help but would he really- Yeah he would. Ruby here know's what's up and she wants none of it. NONE. It may look like Ruby is making fun of Weiss, but she doesn't understand that's just flirting. But her heart pulls her two ways, OH NO. By the end of this story, she must choose- Well, no, not really, since one of the options is literally twice dead. (yes I ship Nuts n' Dolts too, sue me) Weird that Weiss didn't ask to see Winter when the woman said she was around, given that later it seems like she'd give an arm and a leg to speak to her. Ok, the reveal that Penny is a robot rings a bit… hollow, since, uh, we already knew that. Her back literally opens into blades, the weird thing really is Ruby not knowing.

On the Bees: Nuts.

Ep 4: OOOOH that's why it's called Nuts n Dolts, innit. Normally I'd say the Ruby/Penny friendship feels forced, but this is probably the only two people in this show where something like this works. Penny has no real frame of reference for friendship and Ruby is just like that. Once again Blake and Sun out here exploring Blake's past together, nothing narratively important going on! Roman is so charismatic. Honestly I'd like to pound his- Oh hi Neo didn't see you there. Ok, see what I mean with "Adam could've made the jump"? Look at Blake and Sun here. Jumping gaps way larger here. I guess he was too stunned for too long or smth idk. Cool fight scene. Gonna be honest, I fucking hate that the fandom took these combo attacks for ship names. Like the concept is cool and all but at least back in the day following ship discourse could be so fucking annoying. Anyways here we have our first canonical explanation of how Yang's semblance works. "With each hit she gets stronger, and she uses that energy to fight back". Which implies she needs to take the damage to get a boost, something something equivalent exchange, but it wasn't something that was happening first volume. Unless we count 'getting a hair cut' to be taking a hit. That being said, I still wonder what's stopping her from, idk, hitting herself or asking someone else to hit her before a battle (assuming she can predict a battle is coming, ofc) to at least have some energy stored up in a safe environment instead of having to risk tanking hits from her enemies. Never quite understood how Neo's semblance works. It's illusions but they leave behind a physical glass form. But how exactly does it make her vanish? In most cases it doesn't feel like she's creating a flat screen surface but just a second body and… teleporting away. Feels like Blake's semblance but more overpowered, but also she can make anything out of it as shown later… Ah, whatever, I don't think the writers think about it too hard, making sense of it is impossible.

On the Bees: Well, they had their ship name called out.

Ep 5: While I love Pyrrha winning against team Cardinal, I have to wonder… why was she even fighting all four? Were the teachers like "Cardin your team is so shit all four of you against Pyrrha seems fair, go fight" or what. See what I mean? Mercury clearly thinks of his discovery of Pyrrha's semblance as something interesting, but Ozpin himself says they make extensive tests to the people entering Beacon. Even if semblances aren't a matter of 'public' record, Cinder later gets into the systems, so couldn't she just have just… checked then? I understand the 'blake needs to relax' bit but also, trying to force her into the dance? Sun clearly has a crush on her so him asking makes sense but the rest of team RWBY probably should've been more like "you need to fucking sleep" rather than trying to get her into a dance. I really like Pyrrha and I am really sad the crux of her character is "crush on Jaune." She has a lot of interesting shit to explore WHY IS THIS HER FOCUS. Like it's RIGHT THERE. A girl prodigy with an amazing semblance that everyone places on a pedestal. But instead of being about her it's about fucking Jaune.

On the Bees: Well Weiss continues to be the one pressing Blake to be more open. Is their ship name Checkmate? No, doesn't sound right. Uh… Black and White? No. Grey… Monochrome? That one sounds familiar. May be it (Yes, I wrote this as I thought about it. No. I'm not cutting it down). Anyways whatever the ship name is, so far I kinda dig it more than bumblebee. It's amazing really.

Ep 6: Here it is bois the big chapter for bumblebee oh boi let's gooooo Aight Yang attracting Blake with a laser is pretty hilarious. The Jaune/Ren moment did make me chuckle too. Comedy seems to be on point (for my tastes) this episode. Nora/Ren not being 'together together' is a point they make many times and I only ask… why? Nora isn't subtle about her crush on Ren. I guess Ren is quiet and timid but it's clear- Hey wait why is their ship name 'renora'. Don't they get a combo name? I know I complain about them but like. Feels unfair anyways. Other ships involving them get the stupid combo names. Why not them? What was I saying? Oh right it's clear they have a thing going on and like, they've known each other all their lives. This isn't made a point of until like, 7 volumes in. Eh, idk. Honestly, very impressive Pyrrha can just walk and talk normally with that knife—well, more of a fucking sword—on her back. Bla bla Bees conversation comments at the end let's move on. Oh hey that's Qrow's emblem isn't it? Who designs the emblems anyways. The owners of them? Some are unique, some are inherited. They're kinda like Cutie Marks tbh. Jaune offering a White Rose to Weiss, clearly a reference to THE BEST SHIP. MAYBE 2ND BEST SHIP IDK I'M TORN HERE. ENDGAME CONFIRMED BOIS. Blake's first dance is asked for but she still goes to the dance explicitly with Sun. Of course that is meaningless, nothing here ever built them up to have a thing and it is clear Blake never had absolutely any interest in him whatsoever. Anyways look at those background characters. All heterosexual, not a single w/w m/m pairing dancing, other than the 5 seconds of Blake and Yang. The pinnacle of queer representation right here, folks! Ozpin is a little lying shit but I guess experience does let him give good advice.

On the Bees: Ok. I want you to understand something. This? This is the F I R S T time Blake and Yang have a long, one to one conversation. In the show. Volume and a half in. They're not only teammates, they're partners. Ruby and Yang had a couple of conversations. Weiss and Ruby have had many. Even Ruby and Blake, famously interacting very little, had that conversation about books and fairy tales when first meeting. I don't care about the fact that they've spent months together at this time. That's not the point. The point is this conversation? It's the first actually shippable moment between them. Anything prior is /nothing/. You couldn't fucking write a developing relationship out of them with the interactions they've had before this point. From here on out at least there's a base to work with. That established, it's not the best base. Blake isn't her 'usual self' here. She's exhausted and in a terrible mood. The scene is mostly taken over by Yang's backstory. The conversation is Yang trying to make a point. It's a good conversation, and it finally establishes an interaction between them that doesn't feel loose. It's just a conversation I think would've been far more effective if we'd first seen them have more interactions under normal circumstances. Yang does wink at Blake and 'saves her first dance'. I believe this is the only time in this show where she's flirtatious towards a girl. Wonder why they didn't go togehter to the dance, instead of, well, I already said it above.

Ep 7: What was Jaune gonna do here? Beat up Neptune? Don't get me wrong I find him vomitive, as stated before, but the guy doesn't really deserve a beating for not agreeing to a dance, you know? Or was he heading towards Weiss? Kind of unclear, but he did look kinda angry so I assume he was going after Neptune. Like I get Pyrrha being drawn to Jaune for his ignorance of her and I do think that now it makes some sense she may be into him but I still don't buy how into Jaune she originally was. I do like this conversation between Pyrrha and Jaune, though. And, despite everything, this may be the only moment with Neptune that's genuinely funny. The 'I can't dance' part I mean. Usual applies to everything else. Nora and Ren are dancing, and Blake and Sun are… /still/ dancing? I can only assume they took a break, or they just really like dancing. Still not a single background gay! Dress moment is another Top 10 scenes of the show tbh. Throwaway gag turned funny/wholesome moment. Normally I'd call out the synchronized dance but these are hunters I can assume they have the reflexes to pull it off… assuming Jaune leads, anyways. Ah, yes, the legendary terrible running across rooftops scene. Here it is. It's legendary and terrible and funny. For real though I think I've seen worse animation moments before. I think it's just that this one likes like 5 whole ass seconds and gets full focus. Really? Karate chop? I know it's probably for the memes but girl, you can summon crystal blades at a distance. I reckon using those would be more effective. So… who picks the lockers and brings them back to the school after they hit, anyways? Is tehre a fine related to misuse of the feature? It can't be cheap, between reparations to the ground of wherever the locker hits, the damage to the locker itself, and the fuel used to launch it. RWBY giving pursuit and not immediately throwing away the shoes is the most unbelievable thing that has happened yet in this show. I… what? I don't understand teh architecture here. Did Cinder run all the way back to beacon? is the tower connected to beacon? That cut was real strange. Still no background gays! No but guys RT was really forward thinking they were totally queer-minded and had planned bumblebee from the beginning, clearly caring about rep and all that! They just coudln't be bothered to spend a single minute making two men or two women dance.

On the Bees: WAIT IT'S CALLED BUMBLEBY? NOT BUMBLEBEE? WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME, I MUST HAVE LOOKED STUPID! I'm gonna keep calling it bumblebee, idgaf. anyways I think this may be the only time we see Jaune's knees? I'll keep you posted.

Ep 8: APOLLO JUSTICE TRILOGY WAS CRACKED! I WAITED FOR SO LONG!!!! What has that to do with RWBY? Uh, nothing. What was I doing? Oh right rewatching. Anyways- Never fully understood why Ruby wouldn't go to Ozpin about the info before. Sure they were breaking rules but sis this is a lot bigger than you four. The dog. Right. Forgot he existed. I will forget it again. How… how does war work in Remnant, anyways? If you take to a battlefield, Grimm would eventually overrun both forces. It'd be a three-way fight constantly. You'd think kingdoms in general wouldn't ever bother with war. Right? Ozpin giving the job to RWBY instead of a more experienced team could be considered as the reason it all fell apart really.

On the bees: I actually just finished ep 10 and thought this chapter's notes looked weird and that's cuz this episode had literally nothing despite ample chance and I forgot to add this section.

Ep 9: I like Ooblek or however that's written. He's never relevant again aftert his arc but this is how you make secondary characters memorable. "By giving them a gimmick?" Yes! That's actually exactly how you do it! Ace Attorney is an expert at this! Still don't like the dog. Also no huntsman we've ever seen has a dog, right? Weird. See, this seems to imply the Goliaths here are like, the same as Beowulfs or whatever that just lived that long. but… This is later retconned. As far as we know, Salem just creates whatever the hell she needs, and Grimm don't change forms over time. It does appear like they gain more armor over time… sometimes anyways. Like, they probably do grow within a single 'species', but these goliaths aren't any different than the newborns we see later. I also do like Ooblek's motivation. That is a valid reason to be a teacher in this shitty nonsensical world.

On the bees: They, uh. Talk. For like one minute. Weiss is also there.

Ep 10: I appreciate this conversation but here's the thing: Blake speaking of her semblance this way implies they're aware semblances are, well, tied to their characters. This isn't necessarily a problem, if maybe a bit on the nose, but then… wouldn't it also imply everyone should consider what their semblance means? What does Sun's semblance say about himself? That he's always willing to lend a hand? What about, idk, Pyrrha? How does metalbending (And yes, it's metalbending, not polarity, she makes shit levitate not just attract or repel from herself) tie to her personality? Is it just a reflection of her prodigious skill? You'd think it was the other way around. Yang's is obvious (She prefers rolling with the blows), Weiss's too (it's a hereditary semblance), and Ruby's… well, depending on whether we consider the V7/8 development a retcon or not it could change meaning, but let's say it's meant to represent how she's always rushing ahead. So, this being said, woudln't character development change one's semblance? It would be interesting, in fact. Maybe Ruby's semblance wasn't always what it later is, but her experiences changed it. Maybe the inconsistency in Yang's semblance is a reflection of this. I know I'm thinking too hard and nobody ever thought about it, but it's sort of a Jojo's stands situation. In Jojo, your stand is a manifestation of your soul and can develop alongside you. Ruby, girl, NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY. Ruby, girl, you have SUPER SPEED. HOW HAVE YOU NOT TRAINED YOURSELF TO ACTIVATE IT WHEN SHIT LIKE THAT HAPPENS TO YOU. Ruby, girl: you. have. SUPER. SPEED. RUN AWAY. I know he says he's stupid but he really kind of is. Wouldn't 'underground city' be the first place you look at when looking for crime organizations?

On the Bees: Uh… yang calls out to Blake first? Sure, let's go with that.

Ep 11: RUBY GIRL YOU HAVE S U P E R S P E E D RUN AWAY FUCKING HELL YOU'RE NOT EVEN TIED YOU JUST WOKE UP SO YOU CAN'T BE SPENT Jesus, FUCKING FINALLY WHY EVEN TRY TO FIGHT IF YOU'RE THIS USELESS. Which makes no sense, tbw. Crescent Rose, even if it was built with ultralight metals, would still require strenght to use just based on the recoil those shots have and the balance of the whole thing. Ruby should pack a punch. Anyways giving your MC super speed in any capacity is a problem because of shit like this. Superspeed is the most powerful of the 'basic' superpowers (That is: Strenght, Flight, Speed and Endurance. Most stories with superpowers include these 4 in some capacity and speed tends to be the most limited one). I like the bombs moment. It's pretty funny. See what I mean? Ruby shooting herself like that means her arms must take the recoil! Even if we take Aura into account this girl should be at least decently strong. I… could do without the dog moment. Like… it's just more offputting than anything else. Ooblek does take another paladin by himself, which is nice to see, in the 'oh yeah he's a step above the MCs' way. Why does Weiss suddenly give Blake the dust bullets? Why not before? Why not… idk, talk to her about it? Why even make them? Did Weiss ask for them? If so, again, why not give them to her before? I mean I know the answer is probably 'Monty fight scene had this thing and writers had to scramble to fill in the gap' but still. Why does Yang have that moment with Neo? They've only had that one 'interaction' which wasn't particularly personal before. See? The WF leader(?) here makes some sense. We know the Schnees have beef with the Faunus and the White Fang (That being, they're slaver pieces of shit and all that). And, uh, Blake against Roman is… I get what they're going for, but… Idk, I feel Ruby and Roman would've felt more natural. Given they do have that in V3 so I'll let it pass. Man, I love Roman so much. Have I said that before? The biggest crime in early RWBY is not giving him enough screentime, really. I love the theory that he doesn't even have Aura unlocked, since he's clearly not the best fighter out there, man's just very skilled at doing his job. Which doesn't often involve fighting wannabe hunter teenagers. It's why he's basically knocked out after so few blows. Weiss should do the 'haste' glyph thing a lot more often really. Action economy, girl! Everyone knows it's the key to win! I wish Neo had more of a… thing. Like, in general. Her fight against Yang is great, but how the hell did she get that skilled? Why's she working for Roman? Why does she care for Roman so much that she later becomes obsessed with killing Ruby so hard that when she thinks she's done she loses all purpose in life? Not really sure how to feel abotu Raven here. At least we got the Yang backstory to even explain there's something going on there but it feels so… random. And why is Neo so scared? What does she know? Why would she know it? SHE HAS NO BACKSTORY And THIS is why you want your general population with their fucking Aura unlocked!

On the Bees: Man the second Dual Destinies turnabout is kind of a chore so far. Like, I figured pretty much everything by the middle of the first day and I still got another day of investigation and trial to go through? I think the case could be improved considerably by just not showing the face of the killer. I know it's ace attorney tradition to show you the first couple of killers, but still. I like Simon well enough I guess. What happened to Gavin? I don't remember him being fired at the end of AJ.

Ep 12: Jaune taking command, nice. Was that foreshadowing for Ren's backstory? Honestly, not a huge fan of this fight. It's supposed to be super big in scale but I guess the budget didn't allow it? It also feels like it kinda lacks momentum. Also didn't we just spend like 3 episodes exploring Ruby doesn't have physical strength? Why's she kicking the Grimm like that? Don't get me wrong, this makes more sense, I'm just confused. I know it's a common complaint that team Coffee shows up here to steal the show for a bit, since they barely get any screentime ever. It's a fine complaint, understandable. I… actually kinda like it. Also ONE OF THE GUYS IS HOLDING OATHBRINGER. WHAT'S HIS NAME. GREEN GUY. Based. I feel like we should have seen a few adult hunters showing up, though. Non-teachers I mean. Huh. Ironwood did always have his sinister authoritarian vibes. I like that. I still love roman. And that ending dream thing huh. I'm sure the eventual meeting of these two will be totally worth it.

On the bees: Did you know I have written more Ami/Minori (from toradora) than the rest of the internet combined? Irrelevant to RWBY I just wanted to let you know.

For an extra this volume: I watched some of the shorts! I think these were the ones around by V2? Or maybe up to V3? Idk.

WoR "Dust": I assume V6 retroactively kind of explains Dust as the literal dust old humanity was turned into? Which is why it can interact with Aura? Very fucked up, but I like it. I'm on the fence on whether I think they had the creation myth figured by this point or not, but I do think they probably had the rough draft for it. Anyways this short doesn't really add much? It explains the 4 basic types and that you can mix them to make new ones, but everything else we probably could've figured ourselves.

WoR "Kingdoms": Ok so, Vacuo and Vale share a continent, while the other two are in split continets. Just taking note for later, not sure how relevant it becomes. In a worldbuilding sense, I don't think it's very reasonable to actually believe small towns could ever be built outside of big cities protected by natural barriers. Most people are clearly useless in a fight against Grimm, and honestly, just leaving the city shoudl be more than enough nervousness and doubt to attract hordes of them.

WoR "Grimm": Not much to say here, other than just generally wondering why Salem wouldn't just wipe out humanity herself sans a small amount of people who she could pin as Oz and the maidens. And don't say she couldn't have: If she can create that giant whale thing she could've done so a couple thousand years ago when technology wasn't so advanced. If you told me she was purposefully playing this game with Ozma, trying to keep it somewhat fair, I'd understand, but she clearly isn't. Oh well.

Anyways, I think I enjoyed this volume more than the last! Which is weird, I think people consider this to be the weakest of the first three. Idk, despite everything, I found the overall pacing to be slightly better, and we get some deeper info on our characters which is always appreciated. Not much else to say in general, but hey. Also yes, it's still a mess.

Also I'm fairly certain Pyrrha still not passing the bechdel test.

Also, if by any chance you're reading this, Crimson: 1) Why. Why do that to yourself. 2) Last volume you kept flipping your shit at me shipping whiterose and such (and other stuff but idrc about that). You seem to be unaware of the concept of chemistry. Ruby and Weiss are shippable because they have chemistry. Ruby and Penny are shippable because they have chemistry. Actually, all the characters I mentioned as potentially shippable displayed fair amounts of chemistry. And that's always my main concern with bumblebee. Sorry, but "vibing" while not interacting is very much NOT chemistry. It's kind of the opposite. Right now, with the information these two volumes have offered, I could write a lot of dynamics with a certain amount of ease. Bumblebee… not so much, because their interactions are still blank fucking slates. And I'm sorry to say this, but no, emptiness isn't 'complexity' or 'depth'. The only complex thing here is the fucking mental gymnastics you're doing to justify not only every bumblebee moment but also the show's writing as if it was flawless and perfect lmao.

V3 be done!

[maribel-bat]

Aight

1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 23, 24, 25 for bruno

...And ichise, since u so kindly mentioned him when I went to send this :3 (sans 8 for. Obvious reasons)

once more i put this under a readmore!!

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Bruno: He's just like soft! He's soft and sweet and very smart and it's just. It's so good.

Ichise: I like how determined he is. I think that its very admirable even if its pretty self destructive.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Bruno: Okay there's so many favorite things about him but I'll pick a silly one and say the fact that he owns the teeny shitty yellow bike. Why did he do that.

Ichise: That he spends like 3 eps just eating shit repeatedly.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Bruno: ...Okay listen I had like four other things in my brain but i just thought "Sailor Scout Bruno" so uh. Sailor Moon because that was too funny not to say. My perfect magical girl boy!

Ichise: Pokemon

5. What’s the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Bruno: Reflections by We Are In The Crowd

Ichise: Oleander by Mother Mother

6. What’s something you have in common with this character?

Both of them is that they're really autistic just like me. Bruno specifically is that he's super interested in technical aspects of things and I also really like machinery and stuff.

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Bruno: They act like he stole Yusei from the rest of the cast.

(hilarious that Ichise doesn't apply because there's no real fandom)

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Bruno: YEAH

Ichise: he's so sad and pathetic I'd feel bad if I turned him down but idk if we would vibe.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

Bruno: Yeah absolutely.

Ichise: Not really? But like nothing against him or anything.

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

Bruno: I like to think he's really warm because he's an android like he runs super hot. Space heater.

Ichise: My personal headcanon is that I don't think he's ever really actively participated in a conversation before the beginning of the series he's just kinda there.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Bruno: I really want to see him wear skater girl (specifically skater girl, not boy) style outfits idk what else to call it. The jacket stays though.

Ichise: I think he'd look cool with some biker aesthetic type shit.

15. What’s your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn’t matter if it’s canon or not.)

Bruno: Toolshipping! Bruno/Yusei is great.

Ichise: him and Haruhiku Toyama

16. What’s your least favorite ship for this character?

Bruno: I've seen him and Primo before and I really can't see it at all

Ichise: There's...literally nothing else there's not really a fandom to have other ships in.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

Bruno: Okay listen at this point my Bruno and Yusei agenda is really clear.

Ichise: Him and Onishi is really really good, I think his devotion to Onishi is amazing.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn’t matter?

Bruno: as not to put Yusei on here again (my first point) I think he'd vibe with post Crash Town Kalin.

Ichise: Toyama again, but also I think him and Doc are pretty good.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

(Don't really have a good pic of Ichise so have multiple Brunos)

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Bruno: Harley. For the pathetic factor.

Ichise: I said it in the other post but Yusei again.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Bruno: I didn't really get why like people liked him? Now tho like straight up he's my boy my discord status is literally "#1 Bruno Borrelli Appreciator" and has been for a while

Ichise: I thought he was kinda like. Not really much of a character honestly. Now I genuinely love his pathetic autistic ass (completely positive, he's wonderful)

[paradiselost-monte]

Before I even first watched those Films I’ve heard that both of them are in one way or another pretty, disturbing, hard to swallow, hard to watch, and amongst the best and most accurate portrayals of Drug use and Addiction in Movies. Both of them are in their own separate ways generally great Films and especially Iconic but somewhat niche-ish Cult Classics.

Well in my opinion Trainspotting is by far less gruesome/disturbing and "hard to watch" than Requiem for a Dream. I find it rather Fun to watch honestly. I mean I enjoyed both of those Films actually- but in different ways.

Trainspotting has more of a cynical/satire, dark comedy kind of approach and more- natural? Like cinematography wise. The characters are fun, the character dynamics are cool, the fashion choices of the costumes are just iconic and perfectly visualizes the different characters, making them all feel very unique through their different styles of fashion. I really had a blast, watching this one it’s really funny (with of course a few more gruesome kinda scenes, but in my opinion not that many and not really that much in a hard to swallow, showstopper and loss for words way.) also it’s much more character and story focused in general other than Requiem for a Dream. ALSO THE DIALOGUE IN THIS FILM… It’s so iconic and again- very funny and comedic for the most part. It also made me Fall in love with this kind of Scottish accent, not because I love making fun of it, I actually just really like hearing it (even tho it’s in some cases kinda unintelligible but idc, I actually understand it quite well for the biggest part (unless it’s in written instead of verbal form, but that’s a whole another story-) Anyways, I can already quote much of this movie since the first fucking time I watched it, because it’s very memorable.

In general I’d call Trainspotting more lighthearted (but without losing sight of the actually pretty serious matter that Heroin addiction brings to a story) and actually really comedic for the biggest part of the runtime.

Requiem for a Dream on the other hand- Is really quite a lot when you first watch it. Many had the reaction to be Impressed by the movie, but to definitely NEVER want to watch it again. It’s probably understandable for most people and technically I kinda get way buuuut- Yeah no, can’t really relate to that at all. Sure after I first watched it i was in a loss of words for a moment but also hella impressed by literally everything about this Film. It definitely is quite disturbing and uncanny/ discomforting at first watch in a way I find hard to put in words. Technically it’s also all in all more in the depressing, Tragic and suffering-in your face kinda category other than Trainspotting. Requiem for a Dream is also more narrative and Cinematography focused, I would say.

In general Requiem for a Dream is more of an- let’s just say intense experience and addresses actually quite a few different serious topics (for example, Addictions that seem more harmless/are often overlooked, like TV and Sugar, Class Issues, the absurd Myth of the "American Dream", elder abuse, medical negligence… etc.) and the film’s structure makes it actually feel a bit like a Drug trip (Specifically an upper trip like Speed or Coke I’d say) and no I won’t elaborate this further, just take my word on it lmfao

In conclusion: Both Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream are 100% amongst my top 5 Favorite Films of all time and I love both of them equally but in sorta different ways.

This is already a whole lot longer than I had intended it to be- Aight, byeee!

[the-himawari]

A3! Promotion Event Translation - Haunted Western-style House (4/9)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

---

Photoshoot staff: Without further ado, let’s start with Minagi-san!  

Tsuzuru: O-okay! I’m starting… Magazine shoots feel nerve wracking no matter how many times I do them…  

Masumi: Just act like usual.  

Tsuzuru: Masumi…  

Tsumugi: Exactly. You’ll be fine, Tsuzuru-kun.  

Tsuzuru: Right, thank you. I’ll just do my best! Thanks too, Masumi!  

Photographer: Alright, relax now. You’re a stableboy, so I think your expression should be a bit stiff?  

Tsuzuru: L-like this…?  

*click*

Kumon: Ooh, he nailed it!  

Kazunari: Tsuzurun, you looked cool just now~!  

Tsuzuru: R-really…? Thanks.  

Izumi: (It looks like Tsuzuru-kun has relaxed thanks to those two. Thank goodness…!)  

-pause-

Juza: I’m up next.  

Photographer: Hm, for you… that’s right, you were the gardener. Then please give us a smile where you’re admiring the flowers!  

Juza: Admirin’ flowers… like Tsumugi-san? How ‘bout this…?  

*click*

Tsumugi: E-erm…?  

Izumi: (Juza-kun, that smile looks a bit awkward…!)  

Masumi: He’s trying too hard to be Tsumugi.  

Kumon: But he’s a ghost, so that kinda scary smile works, doesn’t it!?  

Photographer: You have point. It’s not bad if you put it that way. Alright, does the next person want to come up?  

Juza: No, I’d like to take some more shots. Next, I’ll try a natural smile… Aight… …How does this look?  

Photographer: Oh, that’s a nice expression you have there~! That gentle smile admiring the flowers works wonders!  

*click*

Tsuzuru: That was a nice smile just now.  

Kumon: Yeah! Totally amazing!  

-pause-

Kazunari: M’kay, I guess I’ll go up next! Hm, I’m a ghost and the owner of the mansion, so… …  

Izumi: A blank look…! That gap between his usual self is nothing to scoff at.  

Tsumugi: All he did was erase his smile, but there's a sense of horror showing through.  

*click*

Photographer: Great work. Can you show us a sneering version next?  

Kazunari: Coming right up! …  

*click*

Photographer: Okay, perfect! Can I get a few more shots?  

Kazunari: Leave it to me!

-pause-

 

Izumi: Let’s see, next is…  

Masumi: I’ll go. I’ll be a perfect butler, so watch me, Director.  

Horror house staff: By the way, Usui-san’s costume has a hidden setting that he’s the chief butler who serves the master of the mansion.  

Izumi: Oh, is that so!  

Kumon: So that’s why his costume is a little bit cooler than me and Tsumugi-san’s!  

Masumi: She’s watching me, so I’ll show her I’ve become the chief butler who serves my ghost master perfectly… …  

*click*

Photographer: Nice! That eerie and suspicious smile is spot on!  

Juza: …Impressive.  

Kazunari: He’s killing it!  

Kumon: Masumi-san doesn’t smile all that often, so even this smile is valuable, right!  

Tsuzuru: Well, that’s true.  

Photographer: Alright! Can you do any other expressions?  

Masumi: Then…  

*click*

Photographer: Ah, a blank look is great too!  

Kazunari: Massu with no expression gives off a creepy feel!  

-pause-

Tsumugi: I’m next. I’ll do my best.  

Photographer: Now then… can you switch between an eerie smile and a regular smile? There’s not much difference so it might be tricky.  

Tsumugi: I will give it a shot. First, from the eerie one…

*click*

Tsumugi: And then…  

*click*

Izumi: (Perfect, Tsumugi-san…! He’s great at subtlety.)  

-pause-

Kumon: I’m last, huh! Err, I’m a butler and it’s horror, so… maybe like this?  

*click*

Photographer: Oh! That expression is great! Let’s go with that!  

*click*

Izumi: Kumon-kun reigned his usual smile in. It’s nice.  

Tsuzuru: He’s usually bursting with energy, so you can really see the difference in this kind of photoshoot.  

Juza: He must’ve put a lotta thought into it in his own way.  

-pause-

Photographer: And that’s a wrap. We’re finished with the photoshoot we planned today! Thank you for your hard work, everyone!  

All members: Thank you very much!  

VELUDO editor: Thank you so much again for the fantastic pictures today. I’m already looking forward to choosing which ones to post.  

Izumi: Thank you!  

VELUDO editor: Next time, we’ll have the photoshoot at the Horror House. We’ll be in your care then as well.  

Izumi: Same here. We can’t wait.  

-pause-  

Masumi: (Tomorrow is the day we’re going to the Horror House…) (! Director and Kazunari are talking in the courtyard. Director is smiling happily…) She’s cute as usual today…  

Tsuzuru: Masumi, what are you looking at over here? Ah, could it be…  

Masumi: …  

Tsuzuru: Were you looking at Director? …Hmm.  

Masumi: What?  

Tsuzuru: Nothing. I was just thinking you’ve grown up being able to sit back and watch Director talking alone with another troupe member.  

Masumi: I’m not sitting back and watching. I’m going to head over right now. Anyways, do you need something?  

Tsuzuru: No, I don’t need anything from you. I just came here to do my homework for a change of environment.  

Masumi: I see… I’ll get going then.  

Tsuzuru: …You’re not distracting me. You can stay here, you know?  

Masumi: It’s fine. I’m curious about what they’re talking about, so I’ll head to Director.

---

previous | next