#remembering when this game first dropped and i found out about it shortly after and i just lost my mind for a whole day

[chrismcshell]

last night i watched someone play through the first couple hours of hi-fi rush again, and this might have been a bad idea because now i am once again HAUNTED by how good this game looks and how good its soundtrack is and how much i want to play it. help

[sunnys-out]

What Rivalry? | Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo x Reader

A/N: Sorry this is a wee later than I thought, but I played soccer all day Saturday for charity and took Sunday to recover. Also, I'm a bit sad because the English defender I was talking to went back to England to renew her visa and I miss her lol so please enjoy this would make my day.

Based on this request

Warnings: Alcohol, implied smut, MDNI

Word Count: 2087

I had a thing for Arsenal players…Something about not only beating Arsenal in a game but then bedding one of the star English players as a Chelsea player, was something I loved. 

I was a Blue through and through, pops and my older brother played for the Chelsea men and my mum was one of the physical therapists at Chelsea. Being a Blue did not stop me from eyeing Miss Leah Williamson after each and every game we had against Arsenal.

“There she goes again, money on Leah rejecting her this time.” Kerr would elbow Millie as she saw me saunter over and see me place an arm around an already smiling Leah. 

Millie only blew out a breath, “yeah Sammy you already lost before ya even started, look at her…(y/n) got her wrapped around her finger”.

Sam only looked on and saw that my arm had now traveled to hold Leah’s waist as I stood whispering softly in her ear, earning a giggle from the normally stern faced captain.

“Ohhh yeah she’s a goner” Sam said with a laugh as both started back towards the tunnel. 

______________________________________________________________

Leah and I had an arrangement, obviously, and well the first time that I was able to have a taste of Miss Leah Williamson it was after a particularly hard game for Arsenal…made her keep the game jersey on for our first night together. 

Leah Williamson tastes like a good bourbon out with friends, a warm cinnamon candy during the fall, like a sunset, like the colors of autumn…She was addicting and tasted like the colors of the jersey she wore all bunched up above her chest as I took my time with her every single derby game. 

She never stayed, always leaving once I had finished and never returned the favor. Leah wanted some time to just let go of control and I was the one to allow that for her…that was months ago, see it was just an arrangement…that’s all it ever was going to be. It was always going to be something physical and nothing more…the way that I had intended but I found myself falling for Leah…ironically…shortly after I had shut her down when she had confessed to me. 

I remember when I tried to rectify whatever we had after I fucked it up when I had pulled her aside after a USWNT vs. England match.

______________________________________________________________

“Didn’t realize this was an Arsenal/Chelsea match? And bold of you to want to do something in the hallway…didn’t take that as your thing” Leah whispered the last part as she pulled me closer.

I put my hands on hers gently removing them from my jersey.

“No, Leah, I actually wanted to see if you were willing to go get a drink with me and you know actually talk?” Leah’s smile immediately drops at the realization and she takes a step back.

Her raised hand immediately stops me before I could continue,  “You don’t get to do this. I was heartbroken when you shut me down and I was like, "Fine, something physical as long as I can get to keep her around in some way”

She pauses to collect her thoughts and uses her next breath as her eyes grow stern, “But you can’t just shut me down and then realize you felt the same way. I don’t even think you actually have feelings for me…what about me do you like?” 

I shuffle my feet, the sound of my cleats on the hard floors of the hallway. 

“I still remember the first time…I still remember how you tast-” the English captain rolled her eyes and got close.

“You're really going to use what you said to me when you shut me down…it worked when you wanted to keep it physical..you being all poetic about the sex…but to use it when you actually want to prove that you want a relationship with me?” the space between us grew as I frowned.

The words now escaping me and a small, “You’re right, we shouldn’t keep doing this” escaped my mouth…Leah lifted my chin gently with her hand.

“Hey we both wanted it like this initially…so I can’t be mad at you…but you need someone who will want to stay with you even after the fact, take care of you, I don’t know…make you breakfast in bed or whatever… but that can’t be me…I’m sorry”. And with that Leah left the narrative…leaving me to not only sit with the 2-0 loss against England but also losing her completely

______________________________________________________________

Months and Months would pass and continue on…just like Leah did. She found herself with Jordan and well I was happy for her. There was a bit of bitterness in my mouth because I hadn’t found anyone who wanted to stick around in the morning.

Jessie Fleming, being my closest friend on the team, would always be there for my frustrated rants and she’d constantly reassure that there was definitely someone out there that “would put up with me and more”.

Jess’ way of getting me out of a funk was to prevent me from immediately going home after a Derby game. Of course, she would elicit the help of Sammy and Millie in convincing me that a drink with the Arsenal girls would not be such a bad idea.

“Come on, (y/n), ya can’t stay cooped up in your apartment all the time” Millie grabs me by the elbow after I had tried to return to my room.

I huffed as I sat on my couch crossing my arms, “I look ridiculous”.

“I think you look hot, come on, there were some new Arsenal signings so ya got options.” Sam winked as she finished up her pre-game drink.

I roll my eyes “weren’t y’all the ones giving me shit about getting with an Arsenal girl?” my hands going up and shaking “No, (y/n) come on keep the sanctity of the rivalry!” I mocked what had previously been said.

It was their turn to roll their eyes, “What rivalry? All I see is that you need to find someone” Jessie smacks my shoulder.

“Now come on, and don’t worry Leah won’t be there since her whole ACL thing” Millie says now picking me up from the couch  and pushing me out of the door.

______________________________________________________________

Alessia’s POV:

The bar was lively and we all had our own little booth away from the public so that we could all enjoy our time together. This was my first outing with the Arsenal girls since joining the team.

Lotte and Steph had reassured me that it was just a fun time with the girls and that the Chelsea girls didn’t bite. 

“So, who’s coming?” I yelled to McCabe as she downed the last of her first beer of the night.

She looked at me with a cocked eyebrow, “Why? Hoping for someone in particular, Russo?”

“No, just curious” I say while taking a sip of the beer in front of me. Thankfully, the darkness of the bar hid the obvious blush now creeping on my cheeks. I was waiting for someone in particular, (y/n) (l/n)...I’ve had a crush on her even when I was at Manchester United. 

I tried to swap jerseys with her and maybe swapped numbers but she was pretty to herself after games.

Katie seemed to read my thoughts, as a smirk played on her lips.

“Oh I know who…that girl is a tough one and that’s coming from me but she’s a sweet gal” 

Caitlin looked to the entrance of the bar and with a laugh “speaking of sweet gals, look at the who finally arrived. The Blues late as usual”

I look over and see Sam, Millie, Jessie and trailing behind them (y/n). 

“Sorry! Sorry, we had to drag this one out of her apartment” Sam said pushing (y/n) to the front. I, immediately, hid my face in my beer ignoring the dig from McCabe’s elbow into my side. 

I glance up and catch (y/n)’s eye. She had a curious look in her eye that then shifted to annoyance as Sam pushed her in my direction as she sat down next to me. 

(y/n) took her time to say hi to the rest of the girls and I suddenly felt McCabe’s elbow again. 

I realized that (y/n) was looking at me, “Oh sorry was a bit in my own world there”

She laughs a little and shakes her head, “No worries, I don’t mind it…I’m (y/n),  congrats on signing to Arsenal, you played well in your debut by the way, Alessia” 

The way my name sounded in her mouth made me melt into a puddle right then and there and I only snapped out of it once she got closer so as to not yell is what I told myself.

“I’m going to go get something stronger, want to come with or are you going to be nursing that beer the rest of the night?” she said just enough for me to hear.

I honestly think she felt the heat from the blush on my cheeks because a smile appeared on her lips before I even said “yes”.

______________________________________________________________

Alessia followed me and we both remained at the bar and had just a cocktail before she pulled me to the dance floor. 

“Come on it’ll be fun” she said, pulling me towards her as we had a space to ourselves.

I looked at her slightly amused as she hadn’t realized that her hands had found their place at my waist.

“Bold, Russo…you trying to pull me?” I say not trying to break eye contact.

Must have been the alcohol in her system because a laugh escaped her.

“Well yeah hoping to pull the cute girl in front of me?” 

I return the laugh and lean into her, “well I'm not going to stop anything that you may be planning, Russo” 

Alessia, empowered, grabbed me by the chin and kissed me deeply totally forgetting that our respective teammates were watching from the booth across the bar.

Millie patted Sam’s shoulder, “guess, who won the bet Sammy, you owe me dinner” which earned an exaggerated roll of Sam’s eyes as she also slid a bill towards Millie. 

______________________________________________________________

Alessia and I both found ourselves at my apartment later that night, clothes strewn about, both of our phones lighting up with notifications but us ignoring everything and focusing only on the other. 

The taste of Alessia, I knew I would become addicted to, but I didn’t hold my breath because the other side of my bed would be empty come morning…like always. 

I savored the moment and the sounds that she made as she came undone. Like a nice coconut rum, the sunrise in a forest, like a honey candy and as intense as the sun. Leah was right, I’m too poetic for my own good.

The light from my curtains hit my eyes as I lifted myself up…surprising myself when I felt a weight holding down the rest of my sheets. 

There lay Alessia, sleeping soundly, with the sun hitting her hair in a way that created a light shine around her features. A small scrunch on her nose as she felt the movement from me and a light flutter of lashes allowed for her gentle blue eyes to greet me.

“Morning’” she whispered with a slight giggle.

I only nod, not knowing what to say.

“Sorry, I knocked out right after…I did want to return the favor you know” she said shifting closer to me.

I shake my head “nah, it’s ok…” Alessia stops me as she now finds herself on top of me, now filled with an energy in her eyes even though she had just woken up moments ago.

“No, I want to and then I can make you breakfast too…” She said gently lowering herself, taking my lips slowly as she did as she promised. 

______________________________________________________________

Alessia stayed more than that morning, she made an effort to visit me and make me laugh many times after that night. At our first derby game together, she prompted a swapping of jerseys where with her jersey was a crumpled piece of paper neatly written.

“What rivalry? Just want to be able to take you on a proper date. :) Text me when you get home xxx-xxx-xxxx”

Jessie was right, I did find someone, who would put up with me and more and I'm glad it’s Alessia.

[writingwithfolklore]

Writing Fictional News

              Eee this is one of my biggest pet peeves in movies, games, stories, anything… As someone who reads and edits a lot of news articles for my job, I can tell soo instantly when fictional news articles or broadcasts were written by someone who has never written news before. I’m constantly saying, “hmm, they’d never publish that.”

              So here’s what you gotta know about writing (fictional) news stories.

1. They’re to the point… but not like that

This is the biggest thing I see in fiction that has news in it. People tend to write headlines that have the worst, gory details. For example,

“Student Sadie Walker murdered by 50 stabbings last night.”

While dramatic (and informative), I don’t see this as a news headline. The same situation (Sorry Sadie) may actually be reported as,

“Young woman passed away after involvement in stabbing late last night.”

              While news articles are to the point and informative, remember that they’re written for the general public. We often don’t get the super gory details (at least, not in the headline).

2. They have a pretty specific voice

While most journalism is meant to be free of bias, news is the most importantly objective. This tends to result in articles written in a more formal tone. They also follow a structure: the most specific details to the most general.

              Imagine you’re writing a piece that you’re expecting the reader to drop out at any moment. The headline is the attention grabber so your first line has the most important details of the story, so that someone can read it and know the jist.

Following our example, the first paragraph might be,

“Last night in June County a young woman was found unconscious, having suffered severe injuries. The woman was identified as Sadie Walker, a 21-year-old student attending June County University nearby. According to police reports, Walker had been walking between campus and the student dorms around midnight when she was struck and stabbed 30-50 times in the chest and back. Walker was found by a peer returning home an estimated hour after the attack and taken straight to Red Mill General hospital, where she passed away shortly after. The perpetrator is still unknown at this time.”

       Remember the 5 W’s and 1 H. Your first few lines should inform the reader of Who, What happened, Where did it happen, When did it happen, how it happened, and maybe why if you know—though since news is so timely, often the answer isn’t known right away.

3. Where the article is found in the news is telling

While a story like our example might make the front page of the paper (especially if nothing else is really going on in June County), only one story can make this top spot. Some papers are divided between the top and bottom of the page, known as “above the fold” and “below the fold”. It’s a bit more traditional format, but the ‘above the fold’ spot is the best one, because that’s the story people see when they’re passing by the newsstand, while ‘below the fold’ is another important story making the front page, but one would have to pick up the paper and unfold it to read it.

Not to mention all the stories found inside the paper. Consider how important your article is--not to your characters/plot, but to the general society your fictional newspaper is serving. Would your MC’s win at the local dog competition make the front page of big city news?

Any other news writers on here? What did I miss?

[dominos-palast]

Not as useless as I seem

Fandom: Alice in Borderland

Pairing: (platonic) Chishiya x adhd!reader, (platonic) Kuina x adhd!reader

Characters: Shuntaro Chishiya, Hikari Kuina

Used Pronouns: They/Them

Warnings: gn!reader, fluff, platonic

A/N: No spoilers of the series, also it’s my first time writing something like this. The reader has or had a grandmother with a weird nose. Don’t ask me why.

P.S.: If you have advice on how to represent ADHD better, feel free to tell me!

Summary: It’s said you are a straight-up good-for-nothing and useless during games. But after observing you for a while, Chishiya finds some interesting things about you. You are finally paired together for a game along with Kuina and some others and Chishiya is ready to prove the rumors wrong.

Word Count: 1.7k

you arrived at the beach shortly after Chishiya and Kuina did

you were known for not doing anything but wandering around during games, not paying attention when someone’s talking and basically just leeching off others to win the game

you hadn’t had a game with either Chishiya or Kuina up until now, but they noticed you a long time ago

every time your team arrived at the beach after a game, the most charismatic ones in the group were the centre of attention, claiming they were the reason you all were save and sound now

Chishiya was observing the group

his eyes fell to you and he caught you rolling your eyes with a scoff while you sipped off your glass

it was nothing new for some people to exaggerate things a bit, he thought.

but after that he found himself observing you more often and in doing so he found some interesting things about you

for example, you seemed to get distracted easily when engaging with other people, diverting from the topic and coming up with a completely different topic

“I still can’t believe they are all dead now when hours ago we were drinking and laughing together”, one of the girls said, the mood of the group dropping once again. “It’s so sad we can’t even mourn them properly“ “The only thing we can do now is to remember their sacrifice for us”, and the group went quiet. “I once had a butterfly friend named Victoria.”, you were sitting there, enjoying your fruity drink.The group looked at you dumb-founded until a middle-aged man spoke up, “does their death mean nothing to you?”, to what a girl chimed in, “how heartless can you be?”. You just shrugged, taking their comments light-heartedly, “Well you were talking about remembering people, which reminded me of red poppies. You know, the flowers that symbolise remembrance and all that. And then I thought of the garden at my grandmother’s house which was full of red poppies because her father had died during a war. And once, when I was visiting my grandma, I saw a beautiful monarch butterfly flying above the poppies and I named her Victoria.” The group stared at you silently. You sipped on your drink happily. Somewhere further away sat Chishiya with a grin on his face.

you had the tendency to wander off when you got uninterested in the conversation or something else had caught your attention

you seemed to pay attention to details no one else had noticed or cared about before, like the fact that one of the hanging lights in the room had some screws loose, which you noticed while looking at the lights and ignoring Aguni’s threat speech directed to the newcomers

some time after you pointed this out to the group (who mostly wasn’t paying attention or just ignored the warning) the light fell to the ground

Chishiya also noticed how you seemed to talk faster when something excited you, and how you swallowed words or even whole sentences by doing so:

Chishiya and Kuina were enjoying their drinks at the bar when suddenly Kuina diverted Chishiyas attention to you. You stood far away with your arms folded, surrounded by some people, them chattering and laughing out loud. The unusual thing was how your gaze seemed to be fixed on the duo now staring back at you. Before Kuina could question your behaviour out loud, your head turned violently back to the group, engaging with the conversation with pure excitement, words running off your mouth like a waterfall. Kuina couldn’t help but chuckle, amused but also confused by your sudden change of mood. Chishiya figured out you had heard something you were interested in in the conversation.

it’s also worth mentioning, that you always seemed to be in a good mood, chattering with people, dancing around on your own, vibing at some tunes in your head and so on

your energy seemed to have no end but at random times where all that energy disappeared out of nowhere and you were sitting in the corner looking like a wet puppy

sometimes he even found you sleeping in weird places like under Ann’s working table

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

Finally, the day came when you, Kuina and Chishiya were partnered up along with some others for a game

you were the first one to take a place in the car, Kuina sitting in between you and Chishiya

Kuina and you soon started to chatter during the drive, Kuina laughing her butt off at your jokes and weird thoughts

Chishiya only listened to them in silence, hiding the grin on his face behind the hood of his jacket

after arriving at the spot, you enter the designated room and a female voice explains the mission, this being to open the exit door of the escape room before the time runs out

You were all standing around, looking around the furnished room. “How are we supposed to exit a room without a door?”, someone had asked. The only way in or out of the room disappeared as soon as everyone stepped out of it. Chishiya quickly took over the leadership role. About what he was talking about? You have no clue, your eyes were fixed on the colourful fish swimming happily in the aquarium, forgetting the people around you. It was only when Kuina snapped with her fingers in front of your face that you came back to reality, a big question mark drawn on your face. “We need a key that fits in the box. There’s also some sort of puzzle on the wall there and we need a code. We have one hour to do this”, she explained to you. You were impressed she took her time to explain whatever they discussed to you. Someone else would have shouted at you to do something. “Yes, ma’am!”, you turned on your heels and started sniffing around the room. The attention was directed to one of the guys who had found a trap door underneath the carpet which needed a bigger key to be unlocked. In the meantime, you approached Chishiya, who was just about to finish a puzzle inside the drawer of a table. He felt your presence rest beside him, so he took the chance to test you. “What do you think?”, he said, putting the last piece in its place. “Fish” He raised an eyebrow and looked at you, then at the fish in the aquarium behind you two. He soon noticed the connection, but you were faster, “4351. That’s the code. The colours on the solved puzzle show the order in which we have to put the numbers-” “-and the amount of fish of the same colour mark the numbers we are searching for, so the code must be” “4351.” A grin spread across both of your faces after finishing the thought process together. You’re eyes met. Whatever had happened between you two was worth repeating. Chishiya broke eye contact first by turning around and sharing their discovery with the team. The lock opened and a minor key was retrieved from the previously locked compartment. Kuina took the key and attempted to open the box. But the lock wouldn't open. Kuina looked up with a frown on her face, “It doesn’t work.” “But there is no other lock that could fit such a small key”, a girl commented. Fifteen minutes were left on the clock and the group was getting desperate. There was nowhere to put the smaller key and they had already inspected every single furniture piece in the room. That’s when Chishiya heard a chuckle. He noticed the grin on your face. “The statue there looks so weird. Like, you see the nose? Reminds me of my grandma.” Chishiya looked in that direction. He was about to disregard the observation when he noticed how the statue’s finger pointed at another statue on the other side of the room, which pointed at another one. The last statue held a shield high above his head and held a knife in its right hand and a cloak fell over his shoulder, falling on the pedestal holding the statue. You seemed to have noticed as well, “There might be something on the heel. You know, Achilles Heel.”, you shrugged. Kuina appeared beside you, “How do you know it’s an Achilles statue?”. “I had this mild obsession with greek mythology when I was younger” Kuina nodded slowly and worded a soundless ‘oh’. Chishiya approached said statue, obeying your directions without a second thought. There it was. A keyhole, this one meant for a smaller key. Just then the female voice announced the last ten minutes left. Chishiya calmly asked Kuina to use the key on the hole. As soon as she did, a small panel on the wall opened and in it lay a wooden, minor key. Kuina took it and tried turning it to one side, having no effect on the trapdoor. She turned it on the other, but the same result. Eight Minutes were left. “This key doesn’t work, search for another” “But we have no other clues!” “Find another puzzle or something” The group grew more anxious and the clock was ticking. You crouched beside the trapdoor and took the key in your hands. “It’s broken,” you mumbled. Chishiya stood behind you, observing your actions in silence. You noticed him and held the key above your head to show him what you meant. The key seemed to be missing something, “What do you think?” Two minutes left. Chishiya grabbed the key, took the two you had used before and laid one on the other, trying to fit them in each other. And there it was. A satisfying click. You went out of the way to let Chishiya open the trapdoor, now finally letting itself be lifted. “Chishiya opened the trapdoor!”, the girl shouted, “Quick, get out!”, one after the other jumped out of the room and before the last minute could end, everyone had escaped the room.

During the trip back your group started praising Chishiya’s intelligence, all cheering happily and looking forward to the celebration that awaited on the beach

Kuina was MAD and was about to complain when you stopped her

“Let them be. At the end what matters is that we made it out, right?”

She could have strangled the life out of you right there and then, but she just accepted it and laid back

Since then you three stuck to each other like glue, them enjoying the lively conversations with you and your bad jokes and you feeling safe and understood with them

[motherfactorin-pi-face]

In which I describe the maths of how to attack and dethrone God (per Minamimoto)

So in my evergrowing post thread (which I know I'm already gonna have to add to that essay fml) I did make ref to...well, a thing that literally has made my jaw drop since when I played TWEWY the first time (and keeping in mind this was a game friends forcefully insisted I play because "there's a char Sho Minamimoto who's just like you fr", and after I'd nodded "yup" re the SI unit obsessions and the compsci refs to Heaps and Crunching (and later, as I found out, "crashing" in JP), and the aesthetic, and, and...)

Namely: Sho Minamimoto literally uses (or tries to use) a very famous maths formula called Euler's Identity to take out the Composer as an example of Forcefully Applied Mathematics. :D (This may have also been the moment when I was like "Yup, he just like me FR")

So. First off. Euler's Identity.

It's kind of difficult to explain why this particular equation is considered one of the true Chef's Kisses of Mathematics to non-mathematicians, but part of it is elegance, and part of it is that it includes five of the foundational variables that show up in mathematics all the time (and really even more functions if you break it apart): a) the natural logarithm e or Euler's number which is roughly 2.71828182845... and which is zetta important in a lot of fields including finance, biology, medicine, and calculus functions, and (as we'll get into) antennas and field strength measurements and pretty much a Shitload of functions related to growth b) the imaginary unit i or the square root of -1 (which turns out to be extremely useful in a lot of contexts, including electronics (seriously; AC electricity and functions relating to that are *heavily* dependent on the imaginary unit) and graphing and arguably how Cartesian graphs work especially once you get into calculus c) Pi (π), everyone's favourite circle ratio of 3.141592653589793238462643393279 (is pulled away from keyboard before I can draw a Taboo Noise Refinery Sigil in Paint) and which is Important in many, many contexts d) 1 (yes, 1 is considered a constant! Specifically "A quantity exists") , and

e) 0 (yes, 0 is considered a constant too, specifically "a quantity does not exist", and reducing Euler's Identity results in e^(i*pi)+1=0) To make it even more Minamimoto-esque, you can technically also express Euler's Identity as a reduction of "e^(i*x) = cos(pi) + (i * (sin(pi)) (aka Euler's Formula), and cos(pi) =-1 and sin(pi)=0.

And really it's kind of a beautiful way of how things all fit together in a lovely function that is almost a kiss from the Math Gods and if plotted traces a lovely circle.

So after that little tangent, here's how this all relates to W2D7 of TWEWY, and Minamimoto's forcefully applied mathematics. * * * So, first we end up at Pork City (Mark City if you're watching the anime; Tokyu Group liked the TWEWY tourism and by the time the anime and NEO came around decided to take advantage of the advertising), and...Joshua and Neku start having a very interesting conversation on why there's So Much Damn Noise at Pork City anyways:

Neku asks if this is the work of Pi-Face, Joshua notes "Probably" and then goes on to note that it might not all be JUST Minamimoto:

In other words: Pork City is effectively acting as an amplifier or at least an antenna for Noise. (I am not the only one to have noticed it and not even the only one on Tunglr, for that matter; Voice From The Corner also picked up on this as well though I'll freely admit I'm diving a bit more into the STEM portions of this.) TWEWY:tA is even more blatant about this imagery in ep 6, where Joshua explicitly notes that all the emotion in Shibuya collects at Mark City (remember, the animation uses the RL name) and then "crashes into Mark City and shoots up into the sky. That emotion flows back down and keeps building up here." (Shortly afterwards, Joshua also mentions the Imaginary Noise Plane as the inside of Mark City warps, similarly to a sine wave flow--or the flow of energy into, or out of, an antenna. (You do not know how loudly I screamed seeing this, as an aside) So, this is where we get into piece one, e (and where a healthy interest in radio and electronics hobbies helps!)

So antennas, interestingly, have how well they pick up a frequency measured in a logarithmic scale, and basic field strength measurements (and a lot of other "wavey" things, including earthquakes, including, well, literal background noise) get measured on logarithmic scales too. It's rather more common with antennas and earthquakes for this to be measured on log-10 scales (hence the Richter scale for quakes, or decibels for antennas and sound). There's a particular group of measurements (physical field and power measurements), however, that actually uses log-e, aka the natural logarithm, and especially for voltage or current and "root power quantities"--the neper. And, in Euler's Identity, e is taken to powers...and Pork City is basically acting as a huge antenna. Also in info engineering aspects, there's another aspect--the nat, which is considered a unit of information or info entropy...also based on e. (I told you Euler's number comes up a lot of places!)

Let's continue... So now we come to i, the imaginary unit, and that's called out blatantly by Joshua:

This, too, is based on math--from Final Fantasy II, specifically, and how the Flare spell worked. Flare is an area-effect spell and it hit based on (Enemy's HP/Flare level), i.e. enemies that had HP divisible by 2 could be hit by a Flare level 2 spell and could deliver damage based on that spell's level, etc. So a level i Flare, based on how complex numbers work, could hit just about anything (assuming, of course, that the Composer is not a Fractal Bastard and promptly yeets himself into a PokeYugiBeyBladeVerse). But...that's not the ONLY part where things imaginary come into play. So, one of the interesting bits of lore that came out in (of all things) the NEO:TWEWY Field Walk RPG (alas, JP only, but a delightful source of lore, and thankfully the fan community preserved almost all of it) is actual canon on how Tin Pins and Psychs work including the actual formula on how they work in a convo between Minamimoto and Fret:

Fret: Soooo, these psychs and pins and stuff… how does it all work? Minamimoto: The pin is charged by the Imagination of the user. Fret: Uh huuuh. Minamimoto: The pin itself is just a medium. Fret: Mm-hmm. Minamimoto: “Power” is calculated from the numerical limit of the pin, using your will as a coefficient. Fret: Yeah. Minamimoto: But that formula alone means nothing to me!

(Emphasis mine: props to Pavaal on the Dead Bird App for initial translation, and to multiple others for confirmation from the FWRPG script.) So basically how Psychs work is functionally as an athame, using formula Psych=Limit^Imaginatio. (Secret Report 1 in TWEWY also confirms Imagination is important in making a Psych work to begin with; the formula) Of note, Minamimoto also has a canonically high Imagination, as detailed in the Secret Reports. To even become a Reaper to begin with (as noted in SR7) those who survive the week who have enough Imagination become Reapers, and even among Reapers Minamimoto tends to stand out (he is canonically the youngest Reaper Officer ever, and apparently had quite the rapid rise to power). SR15 in TWEWY notes (even keeping in mind that in this instance Hanekoma is being a bit of an Unreliable Narrator in covering his own butt regarding the Taboo Thing):

The sigil Minamimoto drew was one of the undecodable types. Was that a mistake on the Fallen Angel's part? Or was it a transcription error by Minamimoto? Either way, with that design, he stands little chance of reviving himself. However, Minamimoto is driven, and his Imagination strong. Perhaps strong enough to make a Taboo sigil work, even in the Underground... If so, the specific result would be impossible to predict.

And in SR19 (again, covering up just a bit for his own helping hand):

I've detected an energy spike here. It would seem Minamimoto has returned. I judged his revival unlikely after spotting his Taboo refinery sigil on the first day, but it appears Minamimoto's Imagination is much stronger than I'd anticipated. The Fallen Angel must have completed the array for him. A troubling thought. Who can say what impact this will have on the Composer and Conductor's Game?

And even in the NEO Secret Reports it's noted his second trip through Coco's version of the Sigil actually ramped up his Imagination even more (in NEO SR 7):

Minamimoto, on the other hand has all but vanished from the proxy’s side. His Noise refinery sigil drastically heightens his Imagination, which may be why he can clearly recognize the proxy’s abilities. I have an idea of what he’s planning. It’s dangerous, but I have no way of stopping him.

And again, TWEWY:tA also makes it more blunt that Minamimoto was selected explicitly because of his Imagination and his connections to Shibuya as Hanekoma's Plan B. So there's imaginary units (in the sense of literal level i flare), and imaginary units (in a Reaper whose Imagination is already in the stratosphere). And in regards to pi? Well, Pi-Face, he has very much a rep of being....numbers- and math-obsessed even BEFORE he throws 156 digits of pi in the Composer's face:

But pi (as a number) is actually meaningful as HELL to Minamimoto, he engages in saying pi to himself drawing the Taboo Noise Refinery Sigil (goroawase in Japanese which relates to literally an obstetrician going to a foreign country and a woman giving birth at night as insects make a lot of noise which can almost be seen as a minor ritual to Make It Work, a little happy pi rhythmic thing in English in the game, actual spoopy sounding pimetry in the anime that sounds very sorcery-y). Looking (for far too long) at the Taboo Noise Refinery Sigil, pi is encoded in it in at least four or five places (multiple times as functionally a magic binding circle, at least once where he draws the symbol for pi in such a way that when it's turned upside down it literally spells "pi"). It's important. It's meaningful. It's His Number and transcedential and irrational and beautiful and unrestrained :D So now y'all are wondering, "OK, smartass, where's the -1 at?" As I noted, another way you can write Euler's Identity is specifically as "e^(i*pi)+1=0", so that can be expressed as a way to null the Composer (who is probably the 1 in question). Euler's Identity would be used to subtract 1 from the equation, in other words (as Minamimoto was intending to come back from Erasure by literally integrating himself via Taboo Noise Refinery Sigil). There's one other interesting bit of symbolism, one that's deep enough that I'm not even sure the writers of TWEWY intended, but if so...it's such a chef's kiss that I have deepest admiration.

So Euler's Identity can be expressed in terms of a formula, and as a reduction of sine and cosines involving pi and i, but it can also be mapped as motion--specifically as how a function evolves. (I tend to be a pretty visual thinker, and there's an extremely good discussion on Euler's Identity here that goes into the whole "mapping the function" aspect to show how Euler's Identity works in practice.)

So typically when you're doing a non-negative function or a zero function, generally there's an assumption of "right-hand" rotation or movement. Complex functions, you get into fun things like circles, and curves, and even some very beautiful fractals (like with the Mandelbrot set) with the right iterative formulas. Euler's Identity...is literally a left-hand-path function:

(And those of you who were writing about the Cyclic Nature of Minamimoto are probably all screaming right now) Anyways, wanted to share in full one of the things that was a jawdropper for me in TWEWY back when I found the game at a glorified skateshop that sold games in 2011. Thank you for coming to my TED talk, zeptograms :3

[leighsartworks216]

We’ll Be Okay

Phoenix Wright (disbarred) x gn!reader (can possibly be read as platonic)

I wrote this out on my phone really quickly with like no proofreading or editing. I don’t think it’s great, but I like the idea I was trying to get across

Also this may not align with the timeline or actual canon events of the games. Spoilers for AA4

Warnings: living paycheck to paycheck, depression, references to alcoholism, hurt/comfort, fluff, light angst

Word Count: 950

Masterlist

AO3

Ever since you were little, you and Phoenix were thick as thieves. You joined his little friend group, earning a limited-edition green Signal Samurai for yourself in the process. And even though you all got older, drifted apart, and built lives for yourselves, the bond you shared never really died out.

In the end, Larry was the only one who didn't get a job in law (not that he could carry a job for longer than a week). Miles drifted apart the most and earned the title of Demon Prosecutor, with nasty rumors to follow. Phoenix was determined to close that distance, and became an attorney, willing to face Miles in court, no matter what. And you found yourself stuck in the middle, working as a detective for Criminal Affairs.

Things came back together, after so long. Phoenix saved Miles, Miles learned how to stop pushing everyone away, Larry, well, was still Larry. The Signal Samurai were reunited!

But it was short lived. Everything, all the hard work put in, came crashing down. Phoenix lost his badge. He lost his hope. He lost everything.

He pushed you all away. Even Larry couldn't get near enough.

You could still vividly remember one day, shortly after it happened, when you stopped by Miles' office to drop off information about a case. It was silent. You just looked at each other, forlorn. It felt like there was nothing you could do.

That same day, you refused to give up.

At first, all you did was drop by and slip an envelope of cash through the mail slot. You didn't know if he ever used it, but he had no income, no way of supporting himself. It felt like the best thing to do at the time.

Then, through some less-than-legal means, you got into his apartment. He was laying on his bed, surrounded by too-many bottles of grape juice, and basting in his own stench. He was too tired to yell, or cuss you out. He was basically a rag doll in your arms as you forced him into a bath and washed all his sheets.

He cried when he came out of the bathroom. You held him. Nothing was said. A week later, you moved in.

After that, for the past seven years, you worked alongside Trucy to keep Phoenix and his daughter afloat. Your paycheck went toward rent, mostly, while Trucy's went toward food. It wasn't glamorous. There were days you would wake up next to Phoenix, and the world felt so heavy. The sheets suffocated you, the sun burned you, and all you could do was drown under the weight of life.

On those days, Phoenix refused to give up on you. He forced you into a bath, made sure you ate something, drank something with some water content that wasn't alcohol, sat by you and provided a shoulder to lean on. If you still hadn't given up on him after seven long years of turmoil, he wouldn't abandon you either.

Once Apollo joined the "Wright Anything Agency", things felt easier. Maybe nothing changed. Maybe you were all still living paycheck to paycheck. But it felt better, somehow. It felt like things were beginning to actually be okay again.

Apollo and Trucy were out, investigating a crime scene and interviewing witnesses. You should have been out there, too, helping Ema catalog evidence or being pelted with Snackoos. But when you woke up that morning, and the world felt too heavy to bear, Phoenix called you in sick and stayed with you.

Admittedly, you felt guilty. You knew he was working on something big (he wouldn't tell you what), but whenever you told him he could leave and get back to his "secret mission", he just smirked in that all-knowing way.

"I'm not allowed to take a day off with my partner?" he asked. It had a subtle lilt to it that gave away that he was teasing.

You were laying along the couch, head in his lap, with some sort of Steel Samurai spinoff episode playing on the tv, buried under all of Trucy's magic items. Light from the window lit up the room, casting beams of warmth along his stubbly chin. You reached up and playfully pushed his head away. He chuckled.

"No," you retorted, "you're not. Not when we live like we do."

Grey eyes settled back on you, filled with affection and mirth. He didn't say anything for a minute. Even so, you could tell he was studying you, trying to decide what he should say.

One of his arms that had been resting along the back of the couch fell in favor of running a hand through your hair. His fingers scratched lightly at your scalp, massaging at the base of your neck. You couldn't help it; you melted into his touch immediately. Your eyes fell closed, breaths evening out, anxieties melting away with each second.

"We'll be okay," he finally said, voice quiet, like it was a secret only you could know about. Warm air brushed across your cheeks and rough, picked-at lips pressed against your forehead. The sun's rays were blocked momentarily. “We’ll be okay.”

You turned, pressing your face into his stomach. The teeth of the zipper were cold against your nose, providing no softness, but you ignored it. Laying like this was too comfortable, and comforting. He tugged a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it haphazardly over your body, tucking it in around your shoulders before returning to petting your hair.

"I know." Your shoulders relaxed with the admission, as if saying it out loud had lifted some of the burden. "I know we will be."

[mysterybooks-world]

Hello guys

I have another one of the reincarnated storys

it's from the Hazbin Hotel series

warning: To watch the series, you must be of age 18 or above

but there is a twist.

y/n reborn as Alastor's father

I've seen many fan art & comic dubs & animatic about Alastor's father being a terrible person.

But some others make him such a good father in the aus.

I read this about Alastor's mother

But not much information about his father

Just this information: Around the late 1800s, she became involved with a Caucasian man and would go on to have a son who became known as Alastor. Shortly after Alastor's birth, her partner abandoned both her and Alastor to avoid possible persecution for being involved with a woman of Creole descent, leaving her to raise Alastor on her own.

So listen

y/n is big fan of (hazbin hotel)&(helluvaboss)

y/n 've read or Watch everything about them Such as theories & fan stories & they songs & y/n even read the comic Origin of hazbin hotel

you can say y/n they are a nerd

One day, y/n are now dead Then you became Alastor's dad

When y/n died they woke up they found themselves In another body,

At first they understand what is happening And when they looked in a mirror It was a reflection of a young man.

y/n when they touch the mirror Suddenly images of memories the owner if this body

(Important note: I couldn't find Alastor's father's name So choose a name for him. else I found on that Alastor fall name is Alastor Hartfelt)

So your name :(Oliver Hartfelt)

y/n they jaw dropped Out of shock. Then y/n took a deep breath Until they nerves calm they down And you understand the situation.

y/n: Okay, I'm in a stranger's body and his name is Oliver Hartfelt

mmm Why the name of Hartfelt sound Familiar

What kind of world am I in.

Usually When I read about This is a kind of storys I may be in a novel or game.

Is there any kind of guide or user guide

They were answered by A blue screen in front of them

and there is Info about me

y/n: Well, this is useful and I have read the writin.

and here my second time my jaw dropped From what they read

y/n:Okay, The bright side I'm in a world of hazbin hotel

OMG I do not believe this. This is like a dream come true But there is one problem

I AM THE FATHER OF AlASTOR

What a disaster

I know very well from the fandom that Alastor did not mention anything about his father

Because he was a bad person and There is also a theory that Alastor kill him

Of all the characters why me. No need to panic

As it seems Oliver have not met Alastor's mother

Then the screen changed Written on a screen say

I must get married to Alastor's mother and of If I fails to do it, then Alastor will no longer exist in the world

y/n panic again: WHAT.

Get a hold of yourself, y/n. You can do it

Although if I fails, I will destroy the future

without Alastor Things will change for the worse.

TO Make it a short

Oliver Try to win a Alastor's mother heart And there was a lot of drama

But in the end they succeeded Marry to her.

Oliver thinking about a work career to Radio host Because they knows that Alastor was a radio star host When he was alive

So you make things easier for Alastor when he grows up

This is exactly what happened

Oliver have a radio station building And Oliver became famous And learn some information about radio and he buy books about radio information or how to repair the radio for Alastor when he grows up

And when Alastor was born, He didn't realize he was crying tears of joy When he was holding Alastor in his hands And in is mind Curse The owner of the body, he knew, he would leave them in this part

But he is not him, he is someone else So he will care his family

Oliver skill set level up When he learns a new skill

Oliver hobbies

1-Playing musical instruments. 2-Hunting gun 3-Taking pictures of Alastor. (Oliver has a whole collection of books about pictures of Alastor and the stages of his life) 4-drawing 5-Making handmade things such as

Alastor is amazed at the things dad creates.

Alastor When he was young thinks his father was Kind of is a magician.

when Alastor grows up he became a Radu star like his father

And when Alastor began his career in notorious and elusive serial killer in secret After his mother died from an illness

There was a detective who caught Alastor while he was hiding the body

But suddenly Someone stabbed him behind the back in the heart

And this person is Oliver is dad

Alastor stood shocked While his father carries the investigator's body

Oliver: son Don't stand like this, quickly, let's hide the bodies

And after they returned home

The next day

Alastor asked his father How long did he knew he was the killer?

Oliver: From the beginning But I won't ask why you're doing this

Oliver: I'm not a person to judge people

Oliver: Sometimes the best people are the ones who are not perfect

Alastor hugs his father and says: thanked dad

Oliver: No problem. I think you are the most handsome killer, he added

Alastor Embarrassed: Dad no

Oliver: Dad yes

Oliver continues to tease Alastor

His father would help him kill people sometimes

Oliver told Alastor about a strange story he had with an old man

The old man tells him About hell When he was a child

Oliver lied about an old man. He wanted to tell Alastor about hell when he fell and Alastor would be prepared in hell

Of course Oliver can't tell Alastor directly

Alastor will ask him how he knows all this

So he made up a fake story about a mysterious old man who told him about how hell works when he was a child

One day

But someone tried to kill Alastor With bullets But his father protected him

And that's how Oliver died

Anyway

This is the form of a demonic Oliver.

Oliver tried to make it a coincidence to meet Lucifer And he succeeded

Lucifer like Oliver handmade things Especially the duck part

You can say Oliver became like his advisor

But after some time Lucifer started to see Oliver as father figure Not only him

Mammon Queen Bee-lzebub Asmodeus Belphegor Stolas Goetia

I've read some fan stories & fan comic that The rulers of hell are Lucifer's siblings

I imagine Asmodeus asks for love advice from Oliver And he talks about how he love Fizzarolli

You could say he became like a royal father to them

LOL

Do you guys remember (episode 5 Dad Beat Dad)

In a song

Hell's Greatest Dad Sing-Along | Hazbin Hotel

Alastor tried to annoy Lucifer by taking his daughter's attention away from him

however, Later Lucifer found the perfect revenge

Lucifer sent some pictures of him and Oliver to Alastor With a message says Your dad is my dad now

Nene Nene Nene Nene.

Alastor went crazy with anger and jealousy

Alastor Knew his dad was in hell With him Because his dad always visited him at his home

however, Oliver didn't tell Alastor With his relationships with the most powerful demons

Because he knows that his son will use him for more power

(note: y/n as Oliver is loves and adore his son Alastor. So if Alastor is sad or frustrated because of him.

Oliver will give very little power and information Until he sees him smile)

Here's the funny part of my story

In the past

Alastor with Vox talk about work

When Oliver suddenly came

Alastor: Hello, Dad how are you

Oliver: hello, son So who is your friend?

Alastor: Dad meet Vox, vox Meet my dad

Vox: Nice To meet you

They shake hands

In the middle of the conversation

Oliver said to Vox What do you think of my son

Vox: He is a good friend, even though he is Trickster

Alastor: Thanks for complimenting me

Vox rolls his eyes:

Oliver: you know Alastor

Oliver: I think you and Vox will be very wonderful couple

Alastor spat out his Coffee while Vox choke on a biscuit

Oliver smiles a devilish smile And continue by saying It's good that you found someone for you son

Alastor: DAD

Vox: Blushing with embarrassment

Oliver: so vox Let me show you some pictures of Alastor when he was a child

Alastor took the photo book and burned it

Oliver Take out another Copy photo book

Alastor did the same thing a hundred times

Alastor:How many copies do you have?

Oliver: Plenty Because I know you'll burn the pictures

Oliver show vox pictures while telling stories about pictures while Alastor hits his head on a table from embarrassment.

Yes, I know, I'm evil

[pavardscherie]

Hi can I request something angsty with Benji where he used to date a player from Bayern’s women’s team but they broke up after she transferred teams and he sees her for the first time at a fancy event but she’s already moved on with someone else

if we ever meet again, benjamin pavard

summary benji & you used to date before you transferred to the women's team of borussia dortmund for a better chance to play. at the glorious bayern munich event, the two of you meet again. pairing benjamin pavard & female reader

izzy's talk. here we go again & again. i've literally watched benji videos the entire weekend, and i don't know, he's not leaving me. haha. pushing through requests now as long as we haven't moved apartments yet. the very detailed requests take much longer, cause i'm really trying to keep in the requested stuff, so they're still going to be written, no worries.

he did not remember how many weeks, certainly months, have passed since the last heartwarming conversation. excluding the heated arguments shortly before and while breaking up, the image of your bright smile radiating comfort off in waves stayed deeply burned in the back of his head. it was impossible to push it away since the night, you left the apartment with tears staining your cheeks.

it was his fault. he knew that. he blamed himself for each little drop that blemished your face with sadness and hurt. but staring at you, swaying and laughing from across the room didn't bandage the broken pieces of his heart. it was done, finished since you moved cities and had another man by your side.

by the way, your eyes twinkled in the bright, yellow light from the lamps above, and you pressed your fingertips to your chest while giggling about his words, benjamin knew, you moved on and he was certainly screwed for still believing.

haunted by the demons of his past, the regret from decisions he made, and they all had your face. a couple of teammates, who became like extended family, already informed benjamin about how much he has changed since the breakup. quieter, less laughter, and aggressive in too many innocent situations on the pitch.

badly cut fingernails scratched over his forehead, letting the long fingers brush through the curls afterward. being his old self again after the breakup wasn't possible. anything connected with you.

it was beautiful, certainly a rare relationship. and yet, ruined. and he had to act like it did not bother him anymore when your beautiful eyes found his figure on the other side of the room. glued to the ground, shifting slightly from the left to the right foot while forcing himself to smile at least mildly.

you moved on over the past weeks, it took you long to forget about benjamin pavard. the night it ended, broke more than just your heart, and it was difficult to puzzle the pieces back together until a new man appeared in your life. showing you a glimpse of happiness again. nothing compared to the relationship with benjamin, but yet enough to feel alive again.

brushing a thick strand carefully out of your face, you excused yourself from the man by your side and crossed the room toward the football player. you did not hate him, nor despise him for his decision. after all, benjamin wasn't made for long-distance relationships. seeing each other would have been almost impossible with the busy schedules of both. stuffed with games, events, meetings, and somewhere between time to sleep.

watching you intensely while walking through the crowds of people, associated with bayern munich, his eyes stayed glued to the movements of your body. along the way, the other guests disappeared and the loud conversations vanished into thin air. for merely a couple of seconds, it was just you and him. again.

"benjamin pavard," you cheered, stretching out the arms to offer him a warm hug and pulling him out o the trance-like state. a reminder that he wasn't alone with you anymore. "i did not expect to see you. you've always hated those events and the tight suits." shaking his head with a chuckle about how good you knew him, especially remembering the little details about him, he reached forward and pulled you tightly against his chest.

and if you moved on, with another man, who was waiting across the room for you, then why did benjamin's loamy scent smell like coming home again.

"will you believe me if i tell you that lucas and choupo dragged me to the venue, and then left me alone?" benjamin's question was genuine, because it was actually what happened, hours prior the start of the event. begging and long explanations about how he had to leave the house once in a while for other things in life than training sessions and games. impossible to decline them.

but the warmth of your embrace made him feel like he belonged in your arms. it immediately found a way into his veins, igniting a small spark of hope. the one, he had carried with him since the breakup. but when you slowly let go, taking a step back to increase the personal bubble, it felt like the day you left.

"i believe that. they are really convincing." you giggled, remembering how lucas talked you into telling benjamin how you felt about him. hernandez noticed the small glances of jealousy when another girl caught the french player's attention, or the envy twinkling in the corners of your eyes, when women touched him. without lucas, the relationship would have never been a thing.

"my parents are still asking about you." benjamin confessed, changing the topic to the break up once again. somehow, when he wanted to talk about something else, his mind always reminded him about the day, you left.

a warm summer day. you just received the news about the great transfer and wanted to share them with benji. but instead of being happy for you, or with you, he questioned the entire relationship, based on one change. no matter how bright the sun shone outside, or the chirping of the birds, which turned into a comforting melody, inside of the apartment, tears rolled and screams were exchanged.

"you haven't told them about.." you trailed off, not daring to say the word us after it has been destroyed. pointing a slender finger between your body and his towering figure, was all you could do to reference to the loss of words.

shaking his head, the quiet chuckle and following smile surprised you. but it wasn't happiness. sarcasm tugged on the corners of his mouth, the disbelief about the past decision. "no, i couldn't disappoint them after already breaking two hearts."

"oh benji.." you muttered, feeling the tears on your waterline. meeting him again after being together for almost two years, and sharing such an intimate bond, made it difficult to act like it did not bother you. the way he fought with the tears himself, attempting to hide the sadness and regret.

benjamin's heart broke for a second time, slowly and painfully as he realised once again, what he lost the night. instead of accepting the distance and trying to figure out how to handle it, he decided against your love, and being with you.

and he regretted nothing more than that one night.

[blasphemousxo]

For as long as I could remember I had a companion named Baby. She was a teddy bear I got a baby from Osh Kosh B’Gosh. She was white and baby blue pinstriped with a baby blue bow around her neck and on her chest was an embroidered heart that was also baby blue. She was my best friend, I didn’t have very many friends growing up. Probably about 2 or 3 friends. But I had Baby. She went with me everywhere, grandmas house, my dad’s house on the weekends, all the trips my grandparents would take me on. I even would sneak her to school in my backpack. I remember every detail about her. I remember the small tear under one of her arms, the hole in her throat that I believe my grandma patched up for me, and the small glue spot on top of her head. No other toy I connected with so much.

Then one day in July when I was 11, she went missing. We figured I must have dropped her leaving our apartment to go to my grandmas one night. I made missing posters that I hung around my grandmas. My grandma even went dumpster diving at our apartment complex to try and find her. But she was never found. We moved shortly after too. The hope of finding her tucked in a box eventually faded and I accepted she wasn’t coming back. To this day I get misty eyed talking about her.

I spent many, many years searching for a companion like her again. I carried a bear named Buttons that my great grandma gave me. Then it was a Jack Skellington plush doll I got at Disney world. Then a panda my high school girlfriend gave me. But none of them clicked like Baby. When I eventually started making my own money, I really began searching. Buying bears, a lot of the time from Build a Bear, hoping to find the one.

When I was 24 I had that desire came up while I was at work. So in desperation, I went to my local build a bear after work, just to see if I could find someone. They didn’t have anything new, it was December so no real good releases. I spotted the Timeless Teddy, I never liked how they looked on the website but seeing it in person stuffed I thought, I’ll give it a chance. So I picked up my skin and picked out the birthday cake scent and built the bear.

I named him Boris after the line in The Monster Mash, “when you get to my door tell them Boris sent you,” a reference of course to Boris Karloff the original actor for Frankenstein’s monster. I didn’t dress him at first until I ordered a custom Good Guy doll outfit for build a bears. After that, I loved dressing him up in different outfits. Usually he’s in a hoodie or sweater and jeans though. And something just clicked inside me with Boris. After I got him I’d still have the yearning for my companion and buy bears but I always came back to Boris. Even with the new friends I’d get, Boris was still with me. Eventually that desire faded because I realized I found what I was looking for.

He was there for me through some very tough times. He was there while I lived with my abusive ex boyfriend. He was there during my many “grippy sock vacations.” I even sobbed and called my mom when a nurse took him away from me during one of those hospital stays. He knows more about me than anyone. I love everything about him; his matted fur that shows how much love I’ve poured into him, his crooked eyes that I didn’t notice until his fur matted, the comforting way he smells that I can’t tell is from the love I’ve given him or the birthday cake scent still hanging in there or a mix of the two. Even the matted Sherpa fur feels comforting when I rub his little ears or hands.

I still buy bears not in an effort to find a companion though, but because I want them. But most of them I would be fine if I sold or game away or ended up losing somehow. Except Boris. I would be devastated if I lost him. He’s my soul-bear.

I still think of Baby a lot. I know I can never get her back or get back what I had with her. But I can’t help but think maybe she came back to me in a way with Boris. That maybe she led me to him that day. Which I’m sure sounds very silly because these are stuffed animals I’m talking about. But I do believe there’s nothing more powerful than a well loved stuffed animal. Simply from all the love that gets put into them, you bring them to life with that love.

I’m not sure how to end this, I just wanted to share my little story about the bears I love. I hope this resonated with someone at least.

[a-bucket-full-of-feels]

Thoughts after watching BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! as a former Bandori fan

I used to be a rather active Bandori fan back in the day, actively playing Girls' Band Party (Garupa), listening to their original music and covers, and I even watched all 3 seasons of the anime. However, I eventually stopped playing the game, because I no longer felt compelled to keep up with the events, and following that I eventually lost interest in the music they've put out, both old and new. That was shortly after Morfonica was added to the game, so when MyGO!!!! was announced, I was already quite far removed from the fandom, though I did see promotional materials and briefly thought it was an interesting band concept at first. The reason I decided to give the MyGO anime a shot was because I had seen discussions mostly on Reddit on how good the anime was, and also how MyGO interestingly became extremely popular in China, which is fascinating because usually newer bands or members would never reach the same level of popularity as the OGs (take the Love Live franchise and AKB group for example). And after watching the anime, I could totally understand why it's so highly raved about.

Having read several band and event stories in Garupa (I played on the JP server so the only way to understand the stories was to rely on dedicated fan translations), I have seen how the Bandori writing team is able to craft great character development arcs and drama through the in-game stories, and these band and event stories are integral parts to each character's development, since a 13-episode anime can't possibly do justice to their massive cast. In contrast, the anime plots I have always found to be mediocre at best, mostly focusing on light drama and finding ways to showcase performances (though I remember the season with RAS as one of the main bands did flesh out the drama in RAS' backstory pretty well). In a sense, the anime was more of a companion piece to the game stories. So when I watched the MyGO anime, I was surprised at how well written the anime was, sufficient to be a standalone piece, and how gritty and realistic the drama was.

The first 2 episodes kind of started off slow at first, setting up the premise for the formation of the band - the breakup of a previous band which wasn't a completely original idea, given that Saaya also had a similar backstory in the Popipa anime. But what made this plot point shine in MyGO is how tangible it made the trauma of CRYCHIC's breakup feel through the lens of different characters. Episode 3 was an excellent demonstration of this storytelling through the lens of Tomori, from how she used to be an awkward kid who was detached from her emotions, till Sakiko brought the band together which gave her something to love, and then abruptly taking it away from her by disbanding CRYCHIC. Likewise, we're given equal opportunities to step into the emotional turmoil of the different characters, like how Taki struggles with her inferiority complex when she faces the task of composing music for the band (which Sakiko used to handle); or how Anon struggles with running away from challenges that are too daunting for her; or how Raana has been drifting around, unable to find a band or place she wants to stay put in; and then there's Soyo.

Holy shit, I know I'm not the first person to recognise it but Soyo's arc really was something else and I really loved how they executed it. She seemed to be a nice, friendly girl at first (as compared to Taki's brash attitude to the "outsider" Anon, owing to her over-protectiveness towards Tomori), but here and there little hints are dropped, like how she repeatedly approaches Mutsumi about joining the new band and contacting Sakiko, to the scenes where she constantly looks at her old CRYCHIC photos. And then she snaps at the end of episode 7 and we find out her true intentions - she wants to re-form CRYCHIC all over again and is willing to abandon the "new" members Anon and Raana so that the original members will be together again. Beneath that well-mannered mask of hers is a possessive, manipulative girl, and also a desperate and lonely girl who cannot let go of her memories of CRYCHIC - that scene when she literally goes onto her knees to beg Sakiko felt so raw, I was impressed that Bandori was willing to write such a morally complex character for their series, I literally thought she was just the rich girl version of Imai Lisa at first. And what's interesting is at the end, Soyo doesn't completely "get over" this - she still holds on to the trauma and memories from CRYCHIC'S breakup, but still moves on with her activities in MyGO.

And speaking of morally questionable girls, I also want to talk about arguably the antagonist of the series, the one who caused all the trauma, Sakiko. In the final episode, we're given a plausible explanation to why Sakiko abruptly quit the band and joined Haneoka High instead of staying in rich girl's Tsukinomori - due to her family's sudden financial downturn and her father turning to alocholism to cope (that would explain the latter, but it may not be the only reason for the former). And similar to Soyo's arc, there were also little hints dropped like how in the present day she is always seen outside her former home rather than indoors, and how she only plays Haneoka's music room piano instead of her own, and Nyamu's comment about coming to an expensive place which could be beyond her budget. Though, it seems like the full development of Sakiko's story would occur in the Ave Mujica anime, but nonetheless, I really appreciated this touch of realism in Sakiko's character - because in "idol" series and Bandori included, most of the time the character drama is developed around less heavy topics, like maybe their lack of confidence or failing at something once and not wanting to try it again for fear of failure. It seems like the Ave Mujica anime will be even grittier so I'm quite interested in how it will play out.

In terms of things I think could have been improved, definitely one thing is that they could have developed Raana's story a bit more. Given that she's the granddaughter of the old lady who ran SPACE in S1 before it closed, it would've been interesting to learn about her relationship with her grandmother and why she clings on so dearly to her old guitar, and why she spent all this time wandering around by herself without forming a band despite her technical prowess. Though she does serve her purpose to lighten the mood in an otherwise heavy show, so perhaps her character will shine more in the Garupa stories.

Overall, I really enjoyed It's MyGO!!!! and can see why it fared excellently as a standalone anime, while also working as a piece part of the larger Bandori universe (especially with all the cameos and references). Will I play Garupa again just for them? No, it's too much time commitment to restart Garupa at this point. But will I listen to their music? Hell yeah I will - I really like their style of music, which to me is reminiscent of artists/bands like Atarayo and Minami, so I'll definitely follow the music they release. (IMO, they're the aesthetic I was hoping Afterglow was supposed to have but somehow I never really got into their original songs that much...)

[nossbean]

For the WIPs, would love to know more about #7, we held our breath 👀

Okay so this one is back from where I was doing a pandemic watch of New Girl and was Very Taken with the scene when Jess and Nick finally kiss, around the same time I wanted to practice writing makeouts and sexual tension, AND the whole thing earlier in the episode with Nick going out the window to avoid Jess struck me as a Jaime mood (if with something of a different vibe) so I played around with some dynamics. It's been mostly written for Some Time (which is why it actually has a title!) and I've been toying with posting it for literal months, whether to do it as its own thing or as part of a collection of snippet fics since I'm not likely to do much more in this AU. I think eventually it will probably be part of the latter, but for now, here's a bit of it!

Brienne and Jaime have been shoved in a room together in the midst of a game, banished until they provide evidence they've kissed. They've tried arguing their way out, lying their way out and forcing their way out to no avail:

“Look,” she said, and Jaime cut an incredulous look at her. She was distracted for a beat, looking at him closely for the first time since they had been trapped here. The line of his jaw was particularly sharp at this angle, his neck long and accentuating his shoulders clearly defined by his tailored t-shirt. His arms crossed drew attention to his biceps, to sculpted forearms, the veins leading down across the nobbles of his wrists, to his strong hands. They were feet away from one another, and it was ridiculous, but she imagined she could feel the heat from his skin. She swallowed, met his gaze and found his eyes narrowed, watching her closely. Her words lodged in her throat: anger flashed in his eyes and something else. Hurt? Nothing about his expression made any sense to her. 

She cleared her throat, tried again. “Look. I-I’ve kissed people.” Jaime’s lips curled at this, and her cheeks heated.

She remembered, suddenly, that night when he’d encouraged her to have a one-night stand shortly after she’d moved in and when she was still nursing her broken heart, and she had rhapsodized to him about how whatever other people did safely was their business but she would never kiss anyone she didn’t want to see again. 

It was partly self-defensive. If she made herself out to be a serial monogamist, her friends were less likely to push her to use dating apps or try to pick up men at bars or set her up on blind-dates. They meant well; Brienne knew how those tunes would go. But mainly, in her heart of hearts, she was a romantic. She wanted to be swept off her feet. She wasn’t made for such things, she had learned that well enough by now. It just meant she kept those romantic aspirations secret. And now stayed safely ensconced in her admittedly somewhat mediocre relationship with Hyle, where she knew exactly what to expect and never got her hopes up for anything else.

But Jaime wouldn’t believe she was so cavalier about this. And that… That was part of the problem. The other problem was.

The main problem was.

The problem was Jaime. And things she had thought about even when she told herself she shouldn’t. 

But she’d agreed to play this godsforsaken game — never again with ‘Red Viper’ rules — and she’d be damned if she didn’t follow through. 

So she ignored her flush, tipped her chin up, looked down her nose at him, still watching her, incredulous. “I’ve kissed people,” she said again forcefully. “You’ve kissed people. It’s not a big deal to just...”

He scoffed, his frown deepening as he looked ceiling-wards, but after a beat, he dropped his head and searched her face. She tried to look certain, tried to keep her other feelings hidden. She didn’t understand the gathering heat behind his expression, how his frown was loosening by the time his gaze fell to her arms wrapped around herself, and when he looked up, something soft now around his mouth, his eyes a shade darker, her stomach swooped. He pushed away from the wall and took a step towards her and her heart was the sea at its most playful, scampering up the shore to dance back, and absurdly she felt herself straightening, her hands tightening where they clutched her biceps.

“It’s. We’re not getting out of here until...” She trailed off, took a breath and tried again. “We should just do it. Just… Kiss.”

He took another step, tilted his head, eyes shining in the low light, and a lock of his hair fell across his forehead and she wanted to reach out, brush it back —

His voice was low, seemed to skim across her skin, when he said, “Is that what you want?”

Yes.

Her cheeks burned, and she fumed at herself, but it also wasn’t a lie, her breath catching and a tug of want from her core at the very thought, but there was Hyle, godsdamnit, but still she couldn’t stop looking at Jaime, watching him take another step. Jaime could be — he could be cruel, with his jokes, and a chill passed across her shoulders that maybe that’s all this was — 

Jaime didn’t lie. Not to her. And she couldn’t actually remember when last he’d needed to apologise to her — except about Hyle — he’d learned where her lines were, and surely he would know a joke about this would be a line too far. Which meant.

Which meant she should stop this. Whatever this was. They were friends. Best friends. She should stop this.

Jaime was so close now. She had imagined earlier that she could felt his heat when he was feet away from her, she knew it now. Their friends — Hyle — were still chanting kiss! kiss! kiss! from the other side of the door as if this were a game, as if she wasn’t thinking — for the hundredth, thousandth time, guiltily — about how his lips might feel on hers, about licking into his mouth and learning how he tasted — she had always guessed whiskey this time of night, though more likely beer tonight thanks to the game — and about how hot he would be under her hands if she slid them across the firm planes of his chest, down, around his ribs, flat to his back to pull him flush against her, run her palms down the muscular lines of him to grasp —

“What’s taking so long?” Margaery complained loudly from the other side. Brienne was going to kill her, she could hear the mischief lacing her voice. “We’ve got a godsdamned game to finish!”

There was a chorus of yeah!s and then someone’s fist hit the door, then many hands started slapping it in time with kiss! kiss! kiss! kiss!

“No,” she finally answered, defiant. Jaime’s eyes flashed, her face and chest were hot and her heart would not stop — she cleared her throat, said more forcefully, “No, I don’t want that. It’s just — the game.”

He raised an eyebrow at her as if to say liar. Brienne opened her mouth to snap at him, but there was a tension in his face that stopped her. From the corner of her eyes, she saw as his hands flexed, and as he shook them loose. She knew what that meant. Jaime could usually school his expression when he wanted to, so his tells were elsewhere. In his hands, she had watched him, nervous with Melara, flexing his hands and forcing them loose, all while looking otherwise easy and relaxed. When finally he’d stretched his arm around her back, and Melara had sunk into his hold, his fingers twitched, settling on her shoulder. 

His hands flexed again, and Brienne swallowed thickly. Then his tongue darted out, wetting his lips, which then stayed parted, his teeth a flash of white in the soft overhead lighting, and she swallowed back a whimper, caught between wanting to step forward and wanting to step back — Forward and everything changed. Back… she didn’t know what back might mean, and — Jaime tossed his head, another tell, no matter how casual it looked, and gods, but he wanted her looking at him, and she always wanted to be looking at him, oh this was a disaster, but forward seemed the more appealing and he was so close now, it would be one step — 

“Just pretend he’s me, Brienne!” Hyle shouted, accompanied by wolf whistles and catcalls, and the heat fizzled like water tossed on a fire. The moment gone, left only with smoke, inexplicably acrid between them.

Jaime’s lips thinned, then he muttered, “Not like this,” and stepped away. He looked around the room, before striding to the window.

Brienne watched disconcerted, feeling dizzy and disappointed and guilty, and it took her too long to realize he was wrestling with the window catch. “What the hells are you doing?”

“You want to return to your precious Hyle,” he grunted, finally getting the catch open. “And I don’t want to be in here with you for another minute.” He shoved the pane so the window popped open, and hoisted himself up. “So. I’m going.”

Before she could do more than shout his name, he was up and out, onto the ledge that was four-fucking-storeys above ground, pressed flat against the glass and shuffling towards the living room.

Endless WIP meme

[lazulian-devil]

The bells of winter

I found another prompt I fucked around with and Im sure whoever wrote it meant something entirely different by it, but I dont care :p Enjoy!

Part 1 about a retiring pirate

(3K characters)

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It had been an incredibly cold winter that left the wood half frozen when you brought it in the house. The ice crawled onto the windows, the snow sat in front of the doors and your breath was like cigarette smoke, hurting all the same in your throat and lungs. I didnt quite like it, but then again, nobody did.

It was a slow kind of terror that came with the wind, but decided to stay and wander our village. We hadnt invited it but none of us knew how to make it leave. And it was followed by all its children: Fear of hunger. Of freezing. Of pain. Of being unable to repair what would inevitably break under the ice pressure. Fear of loosing someone. Of loosing everyone. No amount of mittens, coats, hats, lined trousers and shoes could safe you from a cold that would freeze your beard if you didnt cover it. Or snowblind your eyes if you went out for too long. As I said. I didnt quite like it.

But I remember vividly the small green something that had broken through the snow in february. Everything was still so white, every step making that distinct crunching noise I never quite knew to put in words, my mittens more hole than cloth. But there it was, like a wound in the snow. Vivid. Green. Alive. Surrounded on all sides by slumbering trees and bushes. And the endless, all swallowing white of the world. The small blade of green had pushed away the snow around it, piercing through the blanket with more vigor and hope than I had felt in the last weeks. I didnt want to believe it yet. I didnt want to be hopeful. I had been, a few times before. When the elders told of the feelings in their bones, when a few birds came looking for seeds in our barn, when Maria finished spinning her threads of wool and started knitting me the itchiest and yet warmest sweater yet, so I could finally make the journey to Rivan without freezing to death. But all that hope had died on me not shortly after. The bones of the elders didnt mean anything when the storm hit. The birds were eaten. And Rivan was just as barren as our village. Nobody wanted to trade except for the children. They needed new knucklebones for their games. Something I at least could provide them with.

So, looking at that green wonder growing next to my trampled paths in the snow, I closed the door again and tried to forget about it. There were always outliers. It wasnt warm enough yet. How could it be.

By the next day, there were seven of them. Tiny knives, stabbing the snow. Soon enough, the first one I had found grew another blade and another, until a small blossom stretched itself towards the sun, its head opening up to a beautiful white bell, hanging and swaying in the wind. "Snowdrops." Maria said at the door and I agreed, a stack of firewood in my hand. Then she hushered me inside. The wind shouldnt get in after all.

And then, by the day, there were more. First a handful. Then a few dozen. Then hundreds. They grew wherever we hadnt trampled the snow down, always in bundles of four or five, as if they were holding on to one another when the winds came to shake the white bells they had for heads. I wondered if the other plants could hear them chime. "Look." They were saying to all the slumbering seeds under ground. "It will be over soon."

I agreed, reluctantly. Cautiously. My trust in the sun had been shaken a little too much. But I continued on regardless. And soon, when the snow started melting, leaving a patchwork of dirt and white and grass behind, things changed again. By the time the last snow drops blossomed in March, they were accompanied by others that had followed their call.

I wish I could have preserved them. But then again, I wouldnt need to look at them in summer, when everything is still green or in autumn, when everything is color. They are, all things concidered, quite boring little flowers. But when the timing is just right, they are the most beautiful thing you have ever seen.

[sepyana]

Revolutionary Girl Utena (Sega Saturn) Playthrough: Part 2

The adventure continues! Sanjouin Chigusa sure is mysterious huh?

Note: I didn't add screenshots of the shower scenes. They should be on ohtori.nu gallery though. You can also look at their forum archive for the english patch.

The student council has a meeting about the whole duel challenge situation. They have us join too.

Utena mentions how having a meeting outside at night is a dumb idea. Touga admits this is for the aesthetic, so gotta stay in the cold Utena. Sanjouin is a new student so I guess it makes sense that they can't recognize her. I'm gonna assume she had a differen't outfit and haircut.

Saionji is suspicious of us. It would be understandable if it weren't for everyone seeing Sanjouin running away. Utena (and chu-chu) comes in to defend us, that's in character for her.

After the meeting we go back home. We don't have a bed yet sadly. When we mention that to Utena she allows us to sleep next to her. I checked out the other option (sleeping on the floor) and Chu-chu ends up sleeping next you for the night so you don't feel lonely. He gets all red once we give him a smooch on the cheek. What an adorable lil guy honestly.

In the morning we get to talk with Wakaba again. She asks who is in our radar currently. I'm definitely picking Utena. Wakaba is her wife though, so we'll just have to be a mistress along with Anthy. The game allows us to pick one other person. I'm not really interested in the boys, I like them as characters but they do seem annoying to talk to. I might do their routes once I finish this though. So yeah I gave my vote to Juri.

I wasn't expecting to see her at my class, there is no way she is 14. Well, as it turns out, she isn't. She has missed 3 years of school because of an illness. I don't buy it personally.

Poor girl has to mention she is a woman. That doesn't stop every girl in class falling in love with her though.

During class we have to answer a question. We're not sure so Sanjouin whispers the answer to us. I don't trust her so I go with mine, which is the right one. I later went back here to see if I can get relationship points from her. Turns out we can. Her roses are black, It goes great with her colors I won't lie.

Also she says she doesn't remember us? Even tho she xalled us by our name? Asks who named us too. She said "So she is still alive?" when I told her it was my mother. Weird.

For some reason, I got my points lowered for every council member after this. I have no idea why? Is she spreading bad rumors about me or something? If you get closer to her you lose even more points. The game disincentivizes you from interacting with her.

"What the heck?"

We get to have a picnic with Utena and friends after class. Unfortunately, Anthy has made the food. We end up puking our guts out a few hours later.

We have an opportunity to go to one of the school clubs. I went to the fencing hall to talk to Juri. When the protag goes to the chalk white building she ends up finding ruins instead. We ask around to find the actual fencing hall. Juri make us join the practice. Best way to learn is to go for it, she says.

We get her to smile, too! This sweet moment is shortly broken by, of course, Sanjouin. Who challenges Juri to a duel and immediately shows her the locket she stole when Juri refuses. Pretty cruel.

We get to shower with Juri after this. We can either ask about her reason for dueling or about her locket. I feel like it's too early to talck about the locket. I pick the first option and she starts rambling about miracles again. I've always found that to be annoying early on. That plot point gets mostly dropped later in the show, thankfully.

We go to check around the square for gym clothes. We bump into who else but Sanjouin. We get the chance to talk to her a bit more.

I don't wanna ask about a girlfriend to avoid another fiasco. She gets a bit surprised when we ask her about a boyfriend. Apparently, she is really popular with girls but never got a love letter from a boy, not one. She really emphasizes that last part. I do feel bad for her.

There are several places here we can visit. Cafe is for Utena, Japanese Teahouse is definitely for Saionji. Classical cafe is for Touga probably. I couldn't guess the last two. It would make more sense for Juri to be the gamer but It still feels a bit weird for her. I go the "Magnolia Cafe" Utena has mentioned before. They serve rose tea. I like rose flavored Turkish delight so rose tea sounds nice.

We come across Sanjouin again. This time she is waiting for her date. Her date being Kozue. Sanjouin really is like Mikage. Huh.

There are so many gay people on Ohtori yet everyone is homophobic. Internalized homophobia strong enough to melt glass.

We also have a shadow play. Nothing much of note outside of this delightful image. Theater kids.

Now, going back to the East dorm. School's cafereria hasmade too much food today so get to have extra. We can't eat this much, even with Chu-chu. You know what that means. We can invite someone over. I go with Juri.

Topic of Juri losing Utena comes up. Utena denies being actually stronger than her but Juri quickly shuts her down. I mean, they're both right. Juri is definitely the better duelist, but skill doesn't dictate the winner at all. Since the duels are suppose to be metaphors.

It's late but our protag can't sleep (me neither, I'm writing this at 4 am). We go outside to get some fresh air. Utena also couldn't sleep it seems. We get to play volleyball with her (I don't remember which sport). And then shower scene. Utena saying "no I'm normal" when accused of being gay is the funniest shit to me.

A shower always makes me sleepy. We fall asleep pretty much immediately.

Here comes Sanjouin with her date. She has been talking shit about us behind our back to her date. So that's cool. This doesn't go anywhere. I thought we would get more of Kozue because of what happens later (gonna have to put that in part 3) but no. They've just added this for the funsies. I respect it.

There is gym class today. We are in Utena's team. The other team is Sanjouin's. I thought Utena would win for sure but she loses the ball.

I'm gonna see this in my nightmares.

We manage to take the ball from her. Victory doesn't last long as we get hit in the chest pretty hard. Utena is just in the corner of our vision before we faint.

and... Scene!

I'll be rambling a lil bit before finishing this post. I have not talked about my theories at all during this. I didn't know where to put them. If you wanna form your opinions you should stop here ("^^)

.

.

.

I think this is suppose to be a Mikage situation. As you guys know, Mikage being Nemuro's ghost is a popular theory. I never liked it that much but it looks like that's what the show intended. Y'know, since he is an imaginary living body. Sanjouin is probably a similar case to him.

The old fencing hall reminded me of Nemuro memorial hall. That place turned back to ruins after Mikage left the place. The chalk building looked like it's old self when Sanjouin was in it. This would also explain the calendar from 15 years ago. It's possible she was in a love triangle with the protag's mother and father.

I think she loved the protag's father. She gets upset when we mention our mom. She also emphasizes how she never got a love letter from a boy. This would also explain why she hates us.

This also means this was Akio and Anthy's doing most likely. They're the only two with enough magic to do that. This game is just before the black rose arc. I guess she is a test run?

[guardianreadersofthegalaxy]

If I were on the Films To Be Buried With podcast:

What was the first-ever film you saw, or remember seeing? Mulan. I remember the screen being really big, but I think maybe I was just small. I got a happy-meal toy of the fat bloke that would trundle along on wheels if you pulled a string (unlike the character in the film who didn't actually have wheels). And I got the CD-ROM tie-in game, my favourite bit being the level when you pick Mulan's outfit to meet the matchmaker. Then I got older, the toxic masculinity set in, and I felt retrospectively embarrassed for liking something girly.

What was the film that scared you the most? We watched The Mummy one Christmas Eve when I was in primary school as my parents had heard it was a fun family romp. The opening 5 minutes were so fucked up I didn't sleep for a week. I like being scared now though. I love the first part of Ghost Stories, the one with Paul Whitehouse in an asylum at night with his torch flickering out. I remember thinking "I've peaked! I can't physically be more scared than this!"

What was the film that made you cry the most, and are you a cryer? I'm not usually a crier but I like it when it happens. I know it's a cliche but I always cry at Up. Bereavement's my trigger. I always get a bit choked up at Tiny Tim's death in The Muppets' Christmas Carol but last year my wife and watched it shortly after the death of a close friend and we wept buckets.

What is the film that’s made you laugh out loud the most? I recently watched The Man With Two Brains for the first time. I love that kind of silly comedy where ridiculous things happen but the characters take it seriously, no one's rolling their eyes or saying "that just happened". Also RRR is unintentionally hilarious and I love it for that.

What film is underrated but you love it? A Knight's Tale never gets the praise it deserves. It's a fun, sincere, exciting, historical-romantic-comedy about jousting. Everyone in the cast gives it their all, especially Paul Bettany, and the needle drops are sick.

What is the film you once loved but watching it recently you realise it’s not great? I watched Donnie Darko in primary school as a sort of entry-level horror film (in that it had a creepy bunny-man and a few jump-scares) and thought it was really deep all through my teens. It was my favourite film for a long time. But I watched it recently and it's just kind of pretentious, with nothing going for it but great music and good ensemble cast and a lot of teen angst.

What is the film that means the most to you, not because of the film itself, but because of the memories, you have of it? I've got two films I associate with break-ups. I saw 500 Days Of Summer at a time when I was listening to a lot of Los Campesinos and thought it was cool to be cynical about romance. My girlfriend and I broke up the next day. Two years later, I came home after breaking up with my second girlfriend. My dad poured me a whiskey and we watched the 2005 Pride And Prejudice, just cos it was on TV. It's not a great film but it took my mind off the break up.

What is the sexiest film? I never really found films sexy until I saw Steven Soderbergh's Out Of Sight. George Clooney's a fugitive and Jennifer Lopez is an FBI agent trying to catch him, but they fancy each other so much that they meet up in a hotel to have sex anyway. The music is so frigging good.

What’s a film that isn’t probably supposed to be sexy but you found yourself turned on by? Mind your own business!

[EDIT] There's something about Mrs Tweedy from Chicken Run...

Which film do you most relate to? Eighth Grade. Like Kayla, I was a social pariah for some of my teenage years and it felt like that was just the way it was, I would never have friends. But, like a lot of problems it turned out to just be temporary. If you keep putting yourself out there, stay patient, and don't lose hope, you'll get there in the end.

Which film is the one you’ve watched the most? Probably The Fellowship Of The Ring. I remember my mum walking in on me watching the video going "really Dom?! That's the second time this week!" I'd have friends over and we'd reenact the council of Elrond: "So I'll say 'You have my sword' and then you be Legolas and say 'and you have my bow'..."

What’s the worst film you’ve ever seen? If there's a genre I can't get behind, it's biopics. They often assume you already like the subject so don't bother making them likeable as a character. The worst of all is Good Vibrations. It makes out Terri Hooley to be a smug, cocky prick who everyone's in awe of despite him treating them all like shit. I've rarely wanted to punch a character so hard.

Which film is objectively the greatest ever? It's tough, but I'm gonna go for O Brother Where Art Thou? Great performances, incredible music, hilarious comedy. The use of colour grading revolutionised the post production process. I love how it makes fun of its characters, except when they're singing - that it takes seriously. Even the villainous KKK leader gets a song and, weird as it is to say, that guy can really croon.

[flowerymoments]

My horror manga readings pt. 4

(part 1; part 2; part 3)

Baptism, Kazuo Umezz: My first long-form horror manga by Kazuo Umezz! I was very skeptical that such a long horror story could keep me interested for its entirety but I was proven wrong. I found myself binge reading it. It was one of the most surreal, unsettling and thrilling reads of the past year for sure but! nothing is perfect. I almost considered dropping it lmao.

[SPOILERS!!!]

The edition I’ve got consists of 3 volumes. The first volume introduces Izumi Wakakusa, a highly successful actress obsessed with her beauty, however,  something torments her, an eczema that covers her face. After many failed attempts with the help of her trusted doctor to get rid of it, she retires from the scene and gives birth to a girl, Sakura. She then starts a new life with a new identity away from the spotlight.

Izumi becomes an overbearing mother, very protective of Sakura’s beauty.

Later on, Sakura discovers her mother’s evil plan, a medical experiment that will strip her of her being forever. Once Sakura’s head is the same size as her mother’s, Izumi’s brain will be transplanted into Sakura's skull so she can fulfil her dream - a new chance at life with the perfect face and to marry. Her victim? Sakura’s teacher.

The trusted doctor performs the procedure and it is successful! Sakura no longer exists as her brain is smashed and Izumi’s body is buried.

Now, everything is set for the upcoming events to unfold. Volume 2 is just sequences after sequences of the most unsettling scenes. Some are very graphic in its violence, others are more into being gross or just distressing mind games.

Kazuo Umezu nailed it in creating the most devilishly protagonist ever. She really started to get on my nerves with the way she got away with everything and I just wanted to see her get taken down! Her expressions, that damned smile when she knew she won, or acting all innocent... please, someone take her down! This was my mood throughout this whole nightmare.

I don’t remember exactly when the reporter character was introduced, if at the end of the second volume or already in the third one, but I was not feeling it. I felt it was too late to add a new character so why bother, but then, when the twist came it was clear that it was for the purpose of adding clues to lead up to said twist.

The twist, honestly, I did not see it coming. The brain transplant did not happen!! It was all in Sakura’s mind! She was the one doing all the horrible things, not her mother! The trusted doctor was long dead!!

My initial reaction was “you’re fucking kidding me, everything we were made to believe, everything we saw, we just throw it out the window??” But once I finished and let it sit with me, it was kind of genius, dare I say? Only because it changed my perception of Sakura as a character. All I took from the very first few pages before she was “killed” was that she’s fond of her mother, she’s a good friend and student and that her mother’s words regarding beauty didn’t seem to affect her, but it did and adding to that her shock from the reveal of her mother’s plan it was enough to fuck with her mind. So the gist of the story turned out to be about a mother and daughter relationship from a toxic and twisted perspective, to put it shortly.

Although, I think the ending was wrapped up too fast. Izumi was buried, that really happened, but it turns out that she survived lmao!!

I want to highlight two other characters, first Ryouko. She’s best friends with Sakura and I found her scenes amusing. She was loyal to Sakura and was ready to do anything for her, no questions asked. Poor girl, she was horrified by Sakura’s confession so she felt she had no other choice but to say yes. You could feel her despair. And the second character is one of the schoolmates who is suspicious of Sakura and decides to investigate on her own. But poor girl, she had no idea who she was up against. That was amusing as well.

What made me almost drop this manga >>> There was a bathroom scene between the teacher and Sakura, because remember, Izumi/Sakura plan was to marry him, and that was too uncomfortable to read/see due to being kind of graphic. I think there could be another way to convey the length Sakura was willing to go to make her plan work but honestly miss me with this shit. If my memory serves me right, another scene later came up, but the art was more symbolic so it’s up to interpretation to what the hell may have happened there... I don’t understand why teacher didn’t put a stop to that, anyway... at the end I ended up continuing my read.

[systemadministratorclu]

Sonic the Hedgehog

Tag: His RP posts will be tagged "muse: sonic"

*This version is my own, based on the movies and maybe a little on the Sonic X anime (background is movie based). Do not expect it to align with the games, comics, or other shows.

Name: His legal name is Sonic Wachowski.

Height: 3' 3"

Eye color: Green

Fur/quill color: Blue, with markings

Gender: Male

Species: Mobian, Hedgehog.

Age: About 14, though this can change for memes, M!As, or just asks.

*I will do threads as Baby/Toddler Sonic, too, and these will have "muse: baby sonic" as a tag.

Powers/Abilities:

Super speed

Accelerated thought process

Chaos energy manipulation

Ergokinetic combat

Acrobatic skills and reflexes

Durability

Strength

Stamina

Enhanced agility

Enhanced jump

Hand-to-hand combat skills

Expert air pilot **In crossovers with my Rovarians universe, he's also an expert fighter/starship pilot and captain of the Mobius One**

Survival skills

Skilled baseball player

Driving skills

Leadership skills

Super Sonic transformation

Verses: My version is primarily movie based, at least as far as his background goes. However, I can also play him from the Sonic X anime. His personality just might seem a little more like the movie version. I will also do crossovers with other fandoms, but please DM me about them first, as I may need to research the other fandom.

*I also have an AU that crosses over with my Rovarians universe, in which Mobius and Rovaria are allies against the newly discovered Metarex threat, as well as any other alien threat. In this one, Sonic, knowing the Blue Typhoon isn't really built for combat, asks to borrow a Rovarian ship. Instead, the Rovarians build an entirety new ship, with all the equipment designed to be easily accessed and used by Mobians (most of whom are half the size of the average Rovarian). It's a Saturn-class heavy cruiser, with more defenses and armaments than a standard Saturn-class. Sonic leaves the Typhoon for a time to go to Rovaria (Mars) and pick up the vessel, which he names Mobius One. At a time when the Typhoon had sustained heavy damage in battle, and the others were concerned that it wouldn't last much longer (despite Tails' best efforts) Sonic drops out of warp with Mobius One to turn the fight in their favor (unbeknownst to their enemies, the Artax has also tagged along, remaining cloaked in order to collect data on the enemy and lend emergency aid. The Typhoon is able to land inside a docking bay aboard Mobius One and the journey of Sonic X would continue from there. Threads for this would probably start during or after that battle (or this AU might happen completely differently if we muns decide it should. I'm just putting the ideas i had out here.

Bio: Sonic's parents died when he was very little, so he doesn't really remember them. He was found crying beside them by the Owl warrior Longclaw, who took him in and cared for him as her own child and loved him very much. He was four when Longclaw sent him to Earth (with her bag of Rings and a map of safe worlds) to protect the secret of his powers, shortly before she was killed by the Echidna. For ten years, he lived in the forests around the town of Green Hills, Montana, until the events of the Sonic the Hedgehog films occurred (not going to detail those, in case someone hasn't seen the films. I don't want to spoil them). He now lives with his family in Green Hills. (unless we're doing Sonic X, then it's Station Square or Mobius)

Personality: He's very energetic and optimistic, and can even be a little cocky and overconfident at times. He's got an attitude (what teenager doesn't?) but he's really a sass basket with a heart of gold, a very caring person. Despite his overconfidence, he can be a little insecure at times, especially when it comes to serious matters, where he sometimes feels inadequate compared to Knuckles and Tails, and he'll often try to cover up his lack of confidence (in himself, only ever himself) with a stupid joke or some other attempt at humor. He's actually a pretty selfless person who loves his family and would do anything for them, even put himself in danger to protect them. When he messes things up, he's not always so quick to admit that HE was the one who messed up, but he does try to make it right. Really, he's making up for the childhood he never got to have, since he's lived alone for ten years. Because of this, he may act younger than his actual age at times. If he catches this, he may act embarrassed by it or ashamed of it, such as the fact he sleeps with a stuffed animal (an owl that looks kind of like Longclaw) or that he sometimes wants to sleep with his adoptive parents after he has a nightmare. He doesn't really get angry unless his family or someone he cares about is threatened or hurt. He's dependable, always there when you need him, and if he says he'll do something you can be assured it'll get done. He does suffer from nightmares of various battles, close calls, or the attack that took Longclaw from him. Sometimes he wakes up on his own (usually screaming and/or crying) but sometimes he may need someone to wake him up. He may deny it verbally, but he actually does like being held and hugged, and is happy to do so for his siblings if they need it. He's especially protective of Tails, knowing how much the fox admires him and looks up to him.

Interests/Likes: Action movies, especially those starring Keanu Reeves, The Flash comics (and others, but Flash is his favorite), music and dancing, playing baseball (especially when the town's team, the Green Hills Bluedevils, let him play with them. He even has his own uniform). He also enjoys doing things with his family. His favorite food is chili dogs.

Fears: Water. He cannot swim, and he's afraid of drowning (he can take showers and baths, but he cannot do pools, unless it's a kiddie pool, or lakes/rivers/the ocean. He's also afraid of losing his family to his enemies (usually Dr. Robotnik, a.k.a Dr. Eggman, but could be someone else depending on whatever us muns want)