#that's the thing when those teams become dependents of a single player...

[golden-eye-ramblings]

Moore Tomato Headcanon Dump Part 1

Yea ok so I caved this was an inevitably, I need to join in on this. Mashle gives me crumbs so I make bread with it(also sorry no cool gif of Moore he shows up like 3-4 times but you can still admire his handsome face)

----

Moore Tomato

Height: 6ft/184cm

Age: 18

Birthdate: August 9th

Sign: Leo

Gender: Uhhhh??(Agender he hates labels)

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Demiromantic Pansexual(<- he doesn't know the name of these he's purely going off of vibes)

• Likes rock music. Has a record player in his dorm and one at home so he can play his favorite bands

• He is also in a band! It's your typical 4-person garage rock band he started with his friends. He's not entirely committed, but he still shows up for practice(he is actually really good at playing guitar but he downplays his music skills hard)

• Favorite food is tomatoes... Yes he is aware of the very obvious joke.

• He also often prefers being called by his first name than his surname. For obvious reasons. Mr. Tomato isn't a name to be taken seriously...

• Often teased as House Lang's mascot(wolf wulfes joke here). Hates it. Because they don't know how true they actually hit the mark(put a pin in this and stick it in ur brain we're coming back to this later)

• Son of Mr and Mrs Tomato and is the eldest of 5 siblings. The Tomato Family Tree is extensive...

• Moore's family is quite the rowdy bunch, well known beast tamers with their unique summoning bloodline magic Wulfes. Well known for using "pack tactics" in order to subjugate magical creatures.

• Each Wulf is unique to each corresponding member of the family, size varies as well depending on magic aptitude and hierarchy status within the family. With Mama Tomato's Wulf being the largest and strongest with Moore's coming in second.

• The Wulf Bloodline Magic originally was a curse. Though with each generation, that curse eventually was twisted and evolved into the wulfes magic known within the family today. Unfortunately, for Moore, that curse eventually circled back to him.(aha see it circles back)

• Moore is cursed with lycanthropy. During every full moon, he will transform into a werewolf. It is an incredibly painful and terrifying process, as his body will actually physically change. Aching joints and bones growing and breaking and healing, muscles tearing and mending, fur and hair growing. Actually feeling his intelligence and awareness dwindle. Worst yet, he will not remember a single thing he does whenever he transforms.

• He often treats this condition of his as a form of chronic illness. There's not much he can do about it, no known cure as far as he's aware of. So he kinda has to deal with it every time it happens. He becomes irritable and moody whenever a full moon is coming up, so he often pays a visit to the nurse so they can help deal with his transformations. On the days he cannot make it to the nurse however, he often just fucks off to the woods and prays he doesn't get lost when the following morning comes.

• Very few people know of his condition. That being select members of staff, his family and those he considers to be extremely close friends.

• Comparatively to most other known Lang students, Moore is known to be the most... Approachable, despite his rather blasé disposition. While not nearly as ambitious, he still very much prides himself in his abilities. when it comes to succeeding his goals all on his own without the use of underhanded tricks or a sense of crude superiority over others(or whatever the fuck was happening in the Magia Lupus he doesn't wanna be associated at all with that mess). He is extremely independent and rarely asks for help, making him a bit of the odd one out given how tight knit/close his family is(insert wolf pack joke here).

• After the events of the Divine Visonary Exams, Moore found himself spending more time with that Adler student he teamed up with during the trials... Hmm...

[stereax]

hey!! i kinda wanna get into fantasy hockey but it seems . extremely intimidating ! i was wondering if u know of any primers / yt vids / anything that u found helpful when u were getting into it that might b helpful! :3

Hiya nonnie!

Honestly, to be blunt: it very much, uh, depends how much tolerance for White Cishet Men Who Think They're THE Shit Talking Puck Semi Accurately you have. I'm unfortunately not kidding.

Now, to answer more fully, let's go under the cut!

First off, it's important to keep in mind that everything is, to some extent, random. You can draft Connor McDavo with your first overall pick and he can become Collarbone McBroken for half the season. That's part of the fun, unexpected stuff happening. Fantasy hockey can be intimidating and overwhelming sometimes, but if you ask around, I (and possibly others) am totally willing to listen to your thoughts and help point you on the right track.

Secondly, though, there is a lot you can control. You don't draft Brendan Smith expecting him to put up McDavid-like numbers. That doesn't make sense. If a fourth-liner just scored a hat trick, it doesn't mean he'll do that every game.

Some people say that a good draft is key to winning a fantasy hockey league, or even doing well. This is only partially true. You can win with an autodraft team, but it's much more of an uphill climb.

That's why my first big tip is to try mock drafts. Do several, on Yahoo and ESPN and wherever you want. Learn who's available at generally what rounds. This can help you identify possible steals in the draft. Additionally, be very aware of the rules of your league. Is it points or categories? Are the points "standard" or are some stats more heavily weighed? As an anecdote, one of my leagues has a strange point distribution that gives massive weight to penalty minutes. This lends itself heavily to the playstyles of, for instance, the Tkachuks, Tom Wilson, and Evander Kane.

My second big tip is to watch hockey news. Familiarize yourself with players slated for a breakout year or players that are good at certain stats (Alec Martinez, Blocks Georg, comes to mind here). Especially get cozy with teams you and your group of opponents don't follow much. Another anecdote, my friends are mostly Devils and Pens fans. This allows me to capitalize on (somewhat) under-the-radar players like Sam Reinhart on the Panthers, Drew Doughty on the Kings, and Sean Durzi on the Coyotes.

My third big tip, depending on your league, is learning to stream. Not hockey games, but players. Generally, there are fewer hockey games on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This means that usually, your lineup will have spots open those days, and will be full Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, with mostly-full Sundays. If you drop and add players strategically, you can get five, six, or even seven "man-games" out of a single slot, increasing the amount of points you can earn. DataDrivenHockey on Instagram runs awesome fantasy help data sheets, along with streaming advice to maximize man-games.

As for resources... Yahoo and ESPN for mock drafts. Do your mock drafts. I cannot underscore how important this is. ESPN publishes good articles as well, about player stocks weekly and more general ones in the preseason. Yahoo seems to too. Here's a good "fantasy hockey 101" article I just pulled up from Yahoo, actually. (Be aware that some of the things it mentions, like separating forwards into C, LW, and RW, as well as salary cap drafts, generally don't exist in ESPN leagues.) DDH, as mentioned, for streaming stuff; posts there go up usually every Friday. There are also sites like DobberHockey and RotoWire that are good for fantasy hockey stuff, but I don't personally use them, so I can't vouch for their effectiveness. Places like the Athletic do draft cheat sheets. Once you get into the season, you're mostly adding and dropping based on average points per game anyway, especially over the last 15 (sometimes 7 or 30) days.

And then, if you're beginning to get hyperfixated, you can start looking for your low-view-count YouTube videos.

But honestly, it's probably better if you just drop a line with a friend to ask at that point. Or me. I'm totally down to talk fantasy hockey and give my tips and advice!!!

[brittleshade]

Brittleshade, a city nestled in myth and legend. Magic and science walk hand in hand in a city unlike any other. Once ruled by dragons, the capital of a great nation, but now it was a conquered city in the Alfar Nation. It had become home to all manner of creatures from the friendly Golbry to the ingenious Tibareni.

But everyone knows there is more to Brittleshade than meets the eye. Technology offers convenience but the true lifeblood of Brittleshade is magic. Possess the right kind and you could carve out your place in the brightest jewel in the land. But beneath the shiny veneer of a city that never sleeps lies secrets that many would keep buried. One such secret is that of your sister.

A single life hardly matters in the grand scheme of the five million that live in Brittleshade. Will you find the answer or will you too end up as just another foolish tourist who got lost in the dark.

Choice of Games Forum Post

Demo on DashingDon

Main character Descriptions

Sunday Snippets

Game contains depictions of violence, murder, foul language, corpses/zombies and mentions of animal cruelty and nudity.

FaQ under the cut

Why does the MC start off so weak in their power?

Plot has gotta plot. But outside that, I wanted it to feel more like the player is developing the character the way they see fit. It’s why things like age or exactly when the MC left the family (if that route is chosen). 

Will the MC get more powerful?

Yes, the more the power is used, the stronger the character will get.

How powerful can the MC become?

Powerful enough to be a threat. Pyrokinetics for example, with a very specific chain of events, will be able to create fire instead of just controlling it.

Why only those three powers?

I wanted the powers to be mostly mental-based but nothing too revealing (like clairvoyance and telepathy) and are not already a power belonging to an NPC. If I can think of other powers that fit, I will add those in.

Will the MC’s powers affect the story?

Depending on power choice, there will be different story bits to reflect that power. Empathy is the exception as this will provide additional information at certain times about other people’s emotions.

Will the MC’s power affect the ending?

Yes and no. It depends on how the game gets played. The narrative will differ depending on player choices which means a different ending for someone who embraced their powers and someone who avoided them.

What is MC's age?

The MC is at least 1 year older than their younger sister who is considered an adult. Otherwise, this is up to the player.

What profession did they do when they leave the family?

This was left vague as I want to leave it up to a player's imagination and it might end up with too many options if I programmed in all the potential options for professions. There will be an opportunity for the MC to discuss what they did after they left the family (or what happened in the time between Catherine leaving and going missing) and their age if they did leave the family.

Will we see more of Brittleshade?

Yes. There will be options to venture into different parts of the city.

Will we see more of the world outside Brittleshade?

Not really. It might be referenced or seen in flashbacks/memories but the game is set in Brittleshade. 

One of the options is to go to the police station. How does that work in a world of magic and abilities? 

For the most part like it does in the real world. Specialty units deal specifically with powers and magic. Think magic SWAT team. There are also bounty hunters that specialize in hunting magic users.

Will we see more of the MC’s family?

Currently, the MC is the only one who came to Brittleshade. However, I don’t have the individual scenes plotted out in my head (just the main story points) so it may be possible if my story ends up going that way. Most likely it’ll be a no as the MC is persona non grata with the family and baby sis is now considered part of the Goldmans.

Who are the MC’s siblings?

Currently, they're non-entities and are only mentioned in passing. The only other sibling that has anything defined besides MC and Catherine is the oldest child if MC is not the oldest. In that case, it's an older brother who's a Telekinetic.

Will we learn/see more about other powered human families?

They may be mentioned later but there won’t be any main characters from the other families. 

The game mentions Golbry, Tibareni and Alfar. What are those?

Golbry and Alfar are two of the races you’ll encounter in the story. Tibareni are a race that is responsible for most of the modern technology in Brittleshade. Find out more about races here.

What other kinds of races are there?

There are shapeshifters, Northmen and Helfar. If I continue past Catalyst, these would come into play in a second story. 

How many love interests are there?

Currently 6. If I have the time (and interest) I will program in additional ones. The background stats will be there already in the game in case development goes that way. 

Will the love interests be non-human? 

Yes. Only two are fully human, three are non-human and the last one depends on player choices.

Are the human love interests Zachariah and Rebecca?

Yes, they’re the human love interests. There can be a third depending on player choices.

What are the genders of the love interests?

Currently 2 male, 2 female, 1 non-binary and 1 genderfluid.

[snowddeong]

Ryeji Mashle AU hcs (1/?)

For anyone who doesn't know what Mashle is the basic gist is it's a Harry Potter parody shounen battle and comedy manga where the mc Mashle has no magic. Here magic is a gift from the gods and certain characters can unlock crazy awesome powers based of a specific god (usually greek gods). The fights are immaculate and the world is fun I highly reccomend reading it if you love action and dumbass shounen comedy. It's set in highschool but for the purposes of my au, Easton will be a college and all major characters are 18+

This au will (probably) focus on Yeji trying (and failing) to convince Ryujin to join her team for the Divine Visionary Candidate Exams

Easton

College for magic users to specialise into the different fields of magical society

Holds the divine visionary candidate exam every year. Any student with 7 gold coins can enter it doesn't matter which year they're in. Depending on the trails more than one student can be that year's divine visionary candidate but usually there's no more than three in a year

Coins are earned through uni related activities and there are 3 types of coins (gold, silver, bronze) awarded depending on on the type of accomplishment made

Dorm system dependant on which field of magic you've chosen to specialise in

Adler - combat oriented (practical application of magic, creature hunting and the like), members more likely to try for divine visionary positions

Orca - arts oriented (magical history, magical art, magical literature and the like)

Yeji

Lang - science oriented (magic deconstruction, medicine, magic technology and the like)

Divine Visionaries

The best of the best in the magic world

The examination is to be considered a candidate but to actually become a visionary you must be a triple liner (the number of line marks on a magic user's face increases based on their absolute magic power and three lines is the maximum) and know how to effectively use your thirds (the highest peak of someone's magic potential signified by triple lines)

Must effectively use their god wand (unlocked when using thirds, the true form a wand that calls upon a god's strength and embodies their ability)

Adler dorm

Captain of the Duelo team (basically mashle's version of quidditch without seekers) plays essentially the chaser position

Specialises in magical creature hunting

Yeji already took the exam early last year but stepped down to let Jisu win in their singles round. No one but those two knows why

Yeji has an advanced from of healing magic she can use defensively in battle by healing the second she's hit and offensively by "over-healing" to essentially give herself superhuman strength, speed, etc. Since it's not obvious that it's healing most people don't actually know the true nature of her magic which usually gives her an advantage in battle

Yeji can also heal others though it takes longer and requires some form of physical contact. If she's healing someone else she can't heal herself, she can only heal or buff one target at a time

Using her "overheal" buff on others can also do damadge as her healing can also be interpreted as essentially altering the state of the body which means she can dismantle most things she can repair, though this is way harder than plain healing and takes a large physical toll on her since it's so complex. This also still needs contact to work effectively

Healing only works on living creatures

Triple liner but only has one line visible at all times is across her nose where her mole is. The other two lines appear under each eye running up to her chin when she activates her Thirds

Her thirds call upon Asclepius god of healing. Her god wand form is a long serpent entertwined staff

Ryujin

Lang dorm

Duelo player, plays essentially the chaser position

Specialises in rune manipulation and magical tech

No interest in the exam tbh girlie just wants to graduate and get a job

Ryujin uses teleportation magic. The distance of teleportation is dependent on the size of the object. The bigger/heavier the object the more difficult it is more Ryujin to teleport. As such teleporting herself takes a toll and she can only do it a certain number of times a day

With Yeji's healing buff though that number increases depending on how effective Yeji's heal is

Impliments teleportation with runes and magical objects during battle

With her triple line her magic evolves to lowkey omnipresence, she can make objects alternate between states of existence and nonexistent. She can apply it to herself but it takes an even larger physical toll than just teleportation

Originally a double liner, with one line on each of her cheeks that accentuate her whisker dimples

but eventually discovers her third line which runs through her two moles

Her thirds calls upon Chaos god of void. Her god wand form is basically that the wand disappears

[coffee-at-annies]

In your opinion realistically would Hextall and Burke still be here even if we has made playoffs but lose in rd 1? why or why not?

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: Its complicated but probably.

So the short answer is yes because the end of last season was a perfect storm of everything going wrong and we could in fact lay the blame at the feet of one single person. Does it get murkier if Sid, Geno, Tanger, and Sully manage to do the impossible and drag this team to the playoffs only to lose in the first round for what the 5th straight year? Yes it does. At that point I think we lose Hextall, Burke, and then have to look seriously about replacing Sullivan as well. His post season record would been he won 9 straight playoff series and then lost 6 in a row.

I call it a perfect storm because there’s just so many factors to everything wrong with the team last season.

There’s the new management that inherited Hextall and we don’t know their opinion on that inheritance. It could be that they were fine with him until the fans started chanting or they could have been looking for ways to fire him since the start of the year.

There’s the clear lack of communication between Sullivan and Hextall. The fact that Sullivan used reporters to say “hey Chychrun is who I want us to target at the trade deadline” is a clear indicator that whatever behind closed doors conversations were happening they were not on the same page. I mean look at last years 3rd line, one of the worst lines in hockey that Sully started night after night like he was trying to prove a point that it was unfixable.

There’s the bungling of the trade deadline: losing Kappy to waivers, putting McGinn on waivers and then trading him — both of whom were people Hextall brought in and championed, not getting Chychrun, trading Bluegar away for nothing, and then bringing in Granlund, a player that straight up did not work. The people who’s job it is to assess trades, gave us failing grades for the trade deadline and we did not prove them wrong. If you include trading Matheson for Petry and bringing in Rutta last offseason, how many Hextall acquisitions outside of Rak have actually panned out in the long run?

There’s the fans booing and chanting “fire [gm]” multiple times last season, especially on fan appreciate night. If you want to know how the fanbase feels about the team that is a red flag and lightning in a bottle. It was not just the paying fans who were critical, it was the pundits, the reporters, the analysts, and everyone one twitter. You can ignore one or more of those groups but when all of them are saying the same thing? Someone has to listen.

All of this is aimed specifically at Hextall but point one also applies to Burke. In addition to that, the sheer fact that no one in the media could say with certainty what Burke did for the organization is confusing and worrying. I’m not surprised new management fired him when I don’t know what he did.

Things get murky if we keep the playoff streak alive because it means in spite of the bungling the players managed to get us there. Maybe not though. It depends on how the team performs in the playoffs. If we get swept in 4 games to Boston like everyone thought we would then I don’t see much difference despite the fact that we clawed our way limping and whimpering into the post season. Worse, who knows who would have gotten injured. Would Jarry and Jake aggravate what we now know to have been existing injuries at the end of last season?

Every piece of news that I heard from the post season last year was injuries. I hate that the playoffs have become a concussion tournament but until the nhl takes head hits seriously it’s gonna be the team that throws the most elbows makes it to the next round. Now don’t take this as an accusation at the cats. I didn’t watch any of their games I have no idea what happened re: them making it to the final. We lost the rags series in 2022 because they threw more elbows than we did and we (understandably) forget how to play hockey when Sid goes down. So the fact that the only news making it out were wins/losses and injuries, does not paint a pretty picture, though I admit I don’t have the full stories since I’ve always been narrow in my consumption of hockey.

I think the deeper we go into the post season the more it’s in question whether Hextall or Burke deserve to lose their jobs. At the same time however, if our production stays only in our top six, if we can’t handle the injuries, if the roster moves Hextall makes continue to not contribute, then that’s it’s own signal. I was willing to let Granny prove me wrong and he didn’t. I think we continue to have him prove us right even if we manage to make it to round 2. I think we continue to see the issues with our bottom six and our defense and our goalies compound even if we squeak past Boston in 7. Just because we could have found success doesn’t mean there isn’t something broken at the base of the team. I don’t know if that’s fixed yet, but Dubas is trying and I’m excited to see how this season pans out.

There’s also some of the intangibles. If we don’t lose to team racial slur and let the cats into the playoffs where they beat both Boston and Toronto, does Dubas get fired? No idea. I don’t know anything about the current state of the team now that we’re in preseason but the vibes are better having missed, we are healthier having missed, and while I would have loved to keep the streak alive, I value the boys not getting concussed and being able to play a full 82 games of the 23-24 season more than I do getting to watch us get swept in Boston. Also Dubas is the only person I’ve seen who could make the “we give you all our bad players and you give us your good players” trade work. Hextall couldn’t get Chychrun when the Yotes were offering him up on a silver platter to anyone interested. There’s no way he could have gotten Karlsson. I’m excited for our shiny new boy.

We can’t change the core. We haven’t changed the coaching - tho that was up in the air at the end of last season. There’s only so many things you can change and I think turning over the front office was always going to happen in some way shape or form.

So long answer and short answer. Hope this helps :)

[jewishrose]

okay sorry ive been mia but those of you who follow me on my main know i’ve been very busy lately with career stuff! anyways i’ve been rewatching yellowjackets and i think i have a more concrete idea of how i’d classpect the team.

shauna shipman - maid of breath

breath is the aspect of choices, independence, freedom, and change, and the maid’s journey is all about learning to accept and rely on their aspect instead of seeking it out in other people. in both 1996 and the present day, shauna feels trapped - literally, trapped in the wilderness, but also trapped in jackie’s shadow and trapped by the web of secrets she’s been keeping, and in the present day she’s trapped in the role of a suburban housewife with a daughter she hates and a husband she only married because of jackie. before the plane crash, shauna feels like her whole life revolves around jackie, and is happy to let jackie make choices for her. shauna’s arc is about stepping into her own personal freedom and relying on herself, for better and for worse. shauna’s arc challenges her to break out of the shell of apathy she hides beneath and accept her personal freedom.

jackie taylor - knight of blood

HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE. karkat is an example of a fully realized knight of blood. but jackie never realizes the true potential of her title because… you know. blood is the aspect of bonds, connection, influence and leadership, and before the crash we see jackie fully in her element as team captain. she’s able to stop the team arguing with a single “ENOUGH!”, she commands the field and scores the winning goal at states, and coach martinez reminds her that the reason she’s captain is because of her ability to influence people. she resolves arguments and keeps the team united. she works hard to maintain a facade - like all knights - of a person who has her shit together. and then the plane crashes, and her knightly facade cracks wide open. the wilderness operates on totally different rules, and jackie finds herself totally unfit to survive in this new world. she loses her authority as leader pretty early on, her bonds become distant before everything crumbles in the season finale and jackie dies. jackie was the glue holding the team together - it is only after her death that the team fully submits to the savagery of the wilderness and devolves into ritualistic cannibal cult shit. like all knights, despite her natural knack for connecting with/exploiting her aspect, she’s deeply insecure at her core. at her worst, she’s clingy and dependent. note also that blood and breath are opposite aspects. i won’t get too into inversion theory but i definitely think shauna and jackie ghost each other’s aspects at times.

misty quigley - witch of light

witches are notorious for being quirky/rebellious/unhinged. witches are manipulators - unconcerned with rules and use their aspect to break/change the rules. misty is obsessed with relevance. she destroys the team’s only chance at being rescued because people are finally paying attention to her. she’s excellent at manipulating people and things to suit her own ends and improve her social standing/relevance/importance. light players are also freakishly devoted to the pursuit of knowledge/collection of data and boy howdy is our favorite ~citizen detective~ good at obtaining data and manipulating it. she’s a bit of a know-it-all and i don’t need to say any more about the size of her ego. additionally, misty manipulates other people’s perception of her. who would think the poodle-haired, bespectacled geek who wears crocs and loves phantom of the opera is a threat?misty herself says, “i know when you look at me you don’t see someone you should be afraid of. but you should.”

lottie matthews - seer of doom

this one’s pretty easy. as a seer, lottie is uniquely aware of what horrors the wilderness has in store, and knows what the team must sacrifice in order to survive. even in the first few days after the crash, lottie tries to warn the team that something bad is following them. she’s perceptive of the doom that awaits them all, and no one believes her at first. of course, the team eventually becomes reliant on her prophecies as the antler queen, and lottie uses her abilities as a seer of doom to lead the team to the necessary course of action.

taissa turner - prince of mind

taissa can be downright machiavellian at times, and people tend to hate her for it. i don’t. i think she’s pretty much the poster child for the mind aspect. as a lawyer, she’s deeply concerned with justice. as a politician, she’s keenly aware of the fake persona she’s expected to perform in order to get the votes she wants (and, just like how dirk ghosts the mind aspect, tai ghosts heart). like any good prince, taissa is deeply stubborn and ambitious and willing to do whatever it takes to reach her goals. her challenge is to not destroy her own mind in the process (failed step one). eventually tai needs to find out why she’s been eating dirt, climbing trees, and murdering family dogs without any inkling of remembrance and return to stability in order to attain her goals.

laura lee - heir of hope

dear, sweet, precious laura lee. heirs tend to naturally gravitate/attach to their aspects, and laura lee’s undying faith is a pretty good example of that. throughout her time in the wilderness, laura lee never loses faith that jesus will protect her, and that her purpose lies in helping to save the team. she’s optimistic to the point of naivety, which is why she walks right into the face of danger by flying the plane. she truly believes her faith will protect her. she’s firmly devoted to her belief and convinced of her purpose right up until she explodes. rip queen ily

natalie scartorccio - rogue of rage

rage isn’t just about being angry. the aspect of rage encompasses all strong emotions, positive and negative. as a rogue, nat struggles to cope with her emotions. like her fellow rogue, roxy, she turns to substance use in order to drown her feelings out. nat’s challenge is to allow herself to feel all the messy things inside her heart - grief, frustration, depression, and aimlessness - and use them to help not only herself but those around her. for example, nat channels her grief over travis’ death into action, and devotes herself to figuring out how he really died.

the only person i’m still not sure about is van palmer! i’m tempted to say she’s a life player because… i mean. she’s cheated death like three times now. im convinced she’ll never die. but i also feel like she could be a space player because she’s always concerned with the big picture. i’m not sure!

[loveforalexzverev]

🎤 R3 press conference after Alexander's win over Griekspoor:

Transcript:

Q1: Sascha, well done. How did you turn it around in the 5th set, down two breaks?

Sascha: I broke him twice back (smiles). Look, I don't know. I mean, when you're down 4-1, double break, especially against such a big server like him in the 5th set, you don't always win. So [I'm] obviously extremely happy that I did.

Q2: Well done. Did it cross your mind that you were gonna lose? Because it seemed like you were -

Sascha: (Smiling) Oh my God, I already had a full speech for every single team member of my team ready. I already knew what I was gonna tell my coach, I already knew what I was gonna tell my hitting partner, I already knew what I was gonna tell my physical trainer. I already had it all prepared. I was gonna give them so much shit, you can't imagine (laughs). (Sarcastic) Of course, it's never the player's fault. We're perfect, I don't know if you've noticed. (Laughs) No, I'm kidding.

I mean, look, of course, as I said, when you're down 4-1, double break, against him, there's a very small chance you're gonna come back. And I felt like I played a really, really good game at 4-1 down. 4-3, I think he started to think. And then, yeah, obviously in the tie-break, I feel like the tie-break was my best tennis throughout the entire match. So obviously extremely happy that I won and that I'm still in the tournament.

Q3: Hi, congratulations on the magnificent win. I just want to find out, you're a bit, yeah, a different player than, say, about two years ago. You have this calmness about you, especially, yeah, maybe from the outside. But especially in those difficult, you know, crunch moments, clutch moments. Like today as well, you seem calmer, more focused than, yeah, like I said, about two, three years ago.

Sascha: Yeah. Well, I think it comes, maybe, with age, comes with maturity and also I told myself - I think I answered that after the last match - I told myself I wanna become a different type of player and different type of role model as well, in a way. I don't break racquets anymore, I barely get warnings.

But it's something that, you know, I, kind of, had this conversation with myself, and I realised that, you know, I don't do any good to myself, and especially to people and kids watching. So I'm glad it's working out, I mean, I worked on myself quite a lot in that department, because, you know, obviously tennis is a very mental game. And I'm happy that, you know, the improvements are, kind of, shown on the court.

Q4: Hi there. At 1-4 down, I guess different players would approach a situation like that differently depending on what their game style is, what their mentality is. What was yours at 1-4, what are you trying to do at that point?

Sascha: The first thing I did: I changed my return position. From very far back, I stepped in closer to the line because he was killing me with the serve and volley for a set and a half of, you know, fourth set and fifth set. So I, you know, my first mindset was, "okay, right, I'm down 4-1, but how do I give myself the best chance to come back?" And the number one thing I had to take away was his serve and volley game, which was working out very today for him.

So I did that. I mean, I thought I was incredibly well down 4-1. And as I said, I played a very good game at 4-1 down, and then, look, he started to think. He started to think at 4-3, and he did do the two double faults, he did, maybe, miss one or two backhands that he shouldn't have missed. But I feel like I put myself in that position in the fifth set.

Q5: Sascha, first, congratulations on a great win. Besides the tennis, what do you do in your spare time? What's, you know, other activities to relax? You know, these days, what do you like? Where's your happy place here in Paris or happy activities? I don't know.

Sascha: I play a lot of Mario Kart, so, on the Nintendo Switch (smiles). [I] played about four hours yesterday and about three hours the day before. So (laughs) that's what I do in my spare time. Yeah.

[appventureinsights]

What is fantasy sports app development strategy for ensuring smooth performance and a seamless user experience even in peak period as your user base grows?

Imagine Your Fantasy App Crushing It on Draft Day: A Game Plan for Peak Performance Fantasy sports are hotter than ever! Millions of fans are building virtual teams, battling it out for bragging rights (and maybe some real-world prizes) based on their favourite athletes. But here's the deal – your fantasy sports app development needs to be a champion, especially during the most intense moments like draft days and jam-packed game weekends. Think about it: if your app crashes when everyone's scrambling to pick their superstar players, it's a major fumble. No one wants that!

So, how do you make sure your app stays smooth and frustration-free, even when things get crazy? Here's a game plan to keep your fantasy sports app in the winner's circle:

Building Like a Pro: A Foundation for Success

Imagine draft day as the Super Bowl for your app. Everyone's online, making picks, checking stats, and trash-talking their friends. To avoid a total meltdown, you need a strong foundation. This means using a fancy tech term called a "microservices architecture." Basically, it's like having a team of specialists – some handle player updates, some manage leagues, and some power the draft. This way, if one area gets overloaded (like everyone checking stats at halftime), the others can keep chugging along, ensuring a smooth ride for everyone.

Another MVP is cloud computing. Picture a stadium that magically expands when it's packed and shrinks back down when the crowds clear. That's what cloud computing does for your app. It lets your app scale up or down depending on how many users are playing. This ensures your app stays responsive, no matter how many fantasy enthusiasts are battling it out.

Keeping it Speedy: Making Sure Your App Flies

Even with a great foundation, your app needs to be fast. Here are some tech tweaks to keep things moving smoothly:

Think "Speedy Code": Imagine sleek, efficient code. That's what you need! It minimizes processing time and keeps things running smoothly. Think of it like training your app to be an athletic machine. Lightweight Images: Those fancy player pictures can slow things down. Optimizing them (like using smaller file sizes) ensures they load quickly, keeping users from getting stuck in a loading screen. Spread the Love: A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is like having servers all over the world. It delivers static content (like images) to users from the closest server, making things load faster, no matter where someone is located. Testing, Monitoring, and Continuous Improvement: Your Fantasy All-Stars

The best way to prepare for draft day is to practice! Load testing simulates a massive user surge, helping you identify any weak spots in your app before real users encounter them. Imagine a test draft day – you can fix any issues before the real one arrives, ensuring a smooth and successful experience for everyone.

Monitoring tools are like your assistant coaches. They keep an eye on your app's performance, server health, and resource usage. This way, you can catch any problems before they become major issues, keeping your app running smoothly throughout the season.

Caching: Keeping Users Informed, Not Waiting

Caching is like remembering things so you don't have to look them up every time. Your app can store frequently accessed data like player stats or league rules temporarily. This way, users can see the information they need instantly, without waiting for it to download every single time.

Communication is Key: Keeping Everyone in the Loop

Even the best apps might experience temporary slowdowns during peak periods. Transparency is key here. Use push notifications to inform users about important updates, game-time changes, or any maintenance happening behind the scenes. But remember, don't bombard them with messages! Keep it clear, concise, and manage expectations.

Proactive Maintenance: Staying Ahead of the Curve

Regular maintenance is like taking care of your star player – essential for peak performance. Schedule updates, hardware upgrades, and database optimizations to keep your app running smoothly and prevent any unexpected glitches.

Beyond Performance: A User-Friendly Game Plan

Performance is crucial, but it's not the whole game. Here are some tips for a user-friendly experience:

Simple Yet Powerful: Cater to both casual and hardcore players. Offer a clean interface that's easy to navigate, but also have advanced features for those who want to dig deeper. Think of it like having adjustable difficulty levels in a video game. Make it Personal: Allow users to customize their experience with team logos, avatars, and even personalized dashboards showing their favourite info. This way, their app feels unique to them. Inclusive for All: Don't forget about accessibility! Use clear labels, consistent terms, and offer features like adjustable font sizes for users with disabilities. Everyone deserves to enjoy the fun

[jurassic-world-evolution-p3]

jurassic world evolution cheats trainer OXPD!

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Seeing as the only way to add cheats to Jurassic World Evolution is via a cheat trainer, you unfortunately cannot add Jurassic World Evolution. Our Jurassic World Evolution trainer has over 10 cheats and supports Steam and Epic Games. Cheat in this game and more with the WeMod app! Seeing as the only way to add cheats to Jurassic World Evolution is via a cheat trainer, you unfortunately cannot add Jurassic World Evolution Xbox One PS4. Plitch Cheat-codes for Jurassic World Evolution · Jurassic World Evolution: Create your own Jurassic Park! · Free Cheats · Activate First · Money/. 9 Jurassic World Evolution is a fun simulation game that allows players to create a massive theme park and populate it with dinosaurs they bioengineer into existence. However, even in a video game, it can be tough to run a business. Some players may wish to be able to focus their attention on that which interests them the most without getting distracted by other things. Take note that the following cheats are only possible on the PC for those who download the Cheat Happens trainer pack. Updated December 3, , by William Quick: Jurassic Park has been a sensation since the first film, and even still, writers and designers continue to explore the idea of bringing dinosaurs into the modern world. This was transformed into the idea of giving people the experience of running their own Dinosaur park with Jurassic World Evolution and its more recent sequel. As seen in the films, running a dinosaur park safely and efficiently is not easy, so it's worth it to consider some new shortcuts now and then. Your dinosaurs have a health bar that needs to be maintained for their survival. Things like starvation, thirst, and damage can drain that health bar until your dinosaur is lying in a cold heap in its pen. In that case, you can use the Keep Health Full cheat to replenish their health bar back to percent. Both your guests and your dinosaurs will need to be fed and have access to water, otherwise, your guests will leave or your dinosaurs will snack on your guests. Each type of dinosaur has its own food needs which require some micromanagement and money to sustain. Simultaneously, your guests will need numerous food and drink buildings throughout the park to keep them nourished and satisfied. If attending to these voracious dinosaurs and cranky guests isn't your idea of a good time, you can use the cheat No Hunger Or Thirst to remove the need to eat or drink and make your job as manager of the park much easier. The game has a lot of things for the player to research and unlock, which take a lot of time and money. It completely finishes out all the research at no cost and essentially turns the game into a sandbox mode on an island. In order to construct the various dinosaurs in the game, players must engage in the tedious process of sending expedition teams to locate fossils. Once the fossil is located, the player can extract DNA which allows them to begin the creation process. Unfortunately, the fossils can also be sold for cash, which often needs to happen to keep the park solvent, and it takes multiple fossils and multiple extractions to get the 50 percent of DNA required to begin incubation. After obtaining the requisite DNA samples to create a dinosaur the player must begin the incubation process which can take quite some time depending on the dinosaur. Considering there is no breeding mechanic in the game as all the dinosaurs are female every single dinosaur in your park will have to go through the incubation process. With all the buildings and security features, your power requirements can become enormous. Alternatively, you can use the Unlimited Power cheat to provide your park with as much power as it needs without any power stations. When you want to produce a new dinosaur in the lab you have to send out teams on an expedition to a dig site to retrieve fossils that can either be sold or processed for DNA samples to create dinosaurs. If you find yourself getting sick of waiting on the expedition team to finish their work, you can use the Finish Dig Timer cheat to wrap things up and bring them back from the site with their goodies instantaneously. To aid you in your efforts you have three advisors representing different departments namely Science, Entertainment, and Security. Each advisor provides you with missions or contracts that once completed raise your reputation with that advisor and yields nice perks and bonuses. However, it can be difficult to keep all three pleased enough to yield the rewards without the others sabotaging your efforts. This cheat comes in handy because it gives you max reputation with all advisors and grants all the bonuses and perks they have to offer. Now you can focus on park building without having to worry about mission runs and disgruntled advisors. Money makes Jurassic World go round. It is your main concern and priority while playing the game. To keep your park running and growing you must be creating new revenue streams and sticking to a budget to avoid going in the red. Getting a perfect rating naturally requires a variety of healthy and happy dinosaurs, satisfied guests, good safety facilities, and minimal deaths. Even though dinosaurs are frequently represented are resilient and powerful, they are still living creatures. And, like all life, dinosaurs prefer to seek out comfortable circumstances so that they can have a better quality of life. By running the park, becomes one of your main priorities. Each species of dinosaur has different needs that have to be fulfilled in order to make them comfortable and this can be tricky the more species you have to manage. It's a good thing this cheat has come along to ensure that all your dinosaurs remain comfortable in all situations. As it was depicted in both the original book and films, dinosaur parks are not impenetrable. They are still at the mercy of Mother Nature who can whip up a destructive storm to damage your infrastructure while criminal employees will try to bring down your facilities from the inside. It can be very time-consuming and expensive to have to repeatedly get things up and running while spending some extra cash on any upgrades you can. You can avoid this recurring headache by entering this cheat that eliminates all threats of storms and sabotage attempts. In order for your park to draw the attention of guests, you need to place the dinosaurs in structures that will allow visitors to clearly see them. Fences are a clear choice and can be altered to make dinosaurs more reluctant to interact with them, but that doesn't mean they won't try. All it takes is one determined dino to take down a fence which can lead to a PR nightmare as dinosaurs start to run rampant. To keep things running smoothly and your guests safe, you can enter this cheat which will make your fences indestructible to dinos and the elements. Dinosaurs are some of the strongest creatures that have ever walked the earth, but they're not invulnerable. Even the largest dinosaur can be brought down by repeated fights with others, environmental hazards, illness, and simply time. You want the best for your dinos so they can live full lives. However, it's not easy managing every single dinosaur's condition around your park, and accidents are bound to happen. You can remove any chance of that happening by using this cheat which will make your dinos immune to anything that might cause them harm. All animals, including dinosaurs, are not protected from the possibility of illness. You can spend your whole life living cleanly and healthily but still contract something from a wayward germ floating through the air. Being from a different era, dinosaurs are more vulnerable to modern-day sicknesses than any other organism. Because of this, you need to adapt your parks to the dinosaurs' sensitive immune systems to keep them healthy and this can be challenging. If you would prefer not to worry about this at all, simply enter this cheat and your dinos will never be sick a day in their lives.

[coldweatherhater]

south korea nt really died since yeonkoung's retirement

[stopeatingwhales]

football hysteria x damon albarn

I LOVED THIS SM LMAO !!!!!!!! football obsessed damon is so cute

Pairing: 90s damon albarn x reader

Warnings: noneeee

Word count: 2.281

Requested by anon <3

༉‧₊˚✧

"Who you supporting?" Graham asked me, handing me a beer as he sat himself beside me on the couch next to me in the middle, Damon sat on the opposing side. Damon had dragged me over to Graham's house to watch the Man City and Chelsea game tonight, and knowing just how competitive Damon came to football, I knew it was better that I simply went along with things rather than moan about how much I really didn't want to spend two hours watching two teams pass around a ball for entertainment.

"Erm, Man City." I replied, quickly flicking the can open to taste the bittersweet barley flavouring of the heineken beer as it embellished the walls of my mouth.

"You don't support Chelsea?" Damon questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.

A small chuckle left my mouth. “Of course I don't, they're shit." I sneered, aware of the havoc that my statement was going to cause. Immediately, Damon's mouth fell agape; stunned by my malevolence, as well as partial shock from the new-found information surrounding my opinions on football.

Graham's laughter rang through the room and my ears as my eyes continued to burn into Damon's piercing gaze, him just as amused as I was. Nobody was as big a football fan as Damon had become. "They're anything but shit," he continued, eyebrows now raised as he scoffed. "You're telling me that you support Man City? Gallagher-brother-Man-City?"

"Okay I'm going to sit between you both,'' Graham announced, swiftly standing up, shoving my body to the side he had just accompanied, placing his body between me and Damon, a blockade to prevent either of us going at each other's throats. "Just so we can all be alive by the end of it."

“Well I wouldn't have fucking invited her over if I knew she supported those manic twats, Graham."

"Piss right off Damon, we're in Graham's flat, not yours." I bit back, completely unphased by his childlike behaviour. It had been made quite apparent to the media that Chelsea were indeed the band dominated by the south, as well as Blur, and Man City were celebrated in the north by Oasis. However, it was quite comical noticing the immediate flush of anger that filled Damon's face after my sly comment. Leaning back into the loveseat, my back adorned the soft feel of the cushion behind me. "Graham, who do you support?" I asked, curiosity laced in my words as the football pitch came into view on the television screen - initiating the beginning of the match.

My eyes were focused on Graham as I watched him toss his glasses onto the coffee table in front of us, which had been cascading with countless bags of crisps and other treats to keep us stuffed as the ninety-minute match played through. "In all honesty, I'm not that phased with football," he began, reaching over to open a bag of crisps. "It's Damon here who's completely obsessed with it."

As the match began, tensions were already built to a high degree between the three of us. Small but meaningless comments had been thrown into the atmosphere of the apartment, merely portraying our silliness and how neither of us had seemingly outgrown the competitive side of our personalities, something that would be more apparent during teenage years. Unfortunately however, very early into the game, Damon's supporting team had decided to skillfully snatch the ball from one of the players, eventually managing to get it into the goal - portraying the first goal scored subsequent to the game's start.

Damon instantaneously rose at the goal, shouting loud enough for the neighbours to hear every single word that rumbled out of his throat. "Told you we were bett-" he said, smugness intertwined between his words so effortlessly, though shamefully his words had been cut off by the sound of the cushion, once placed behind me, now hitting his face. I couldn't help but allow a tiny smirk to illustrate itself on my facial features as I admired his face dripping in absolute bewilderment towards my actions. “What the fuck was that for?” he scoffed, falling back into his side of the sofa, as I sustained the grin on my face, watching him. The atmosphere that was once overflowing with hostility was now completely serenaded with Damon's egocentric giggles, forcing my body to hunch into a sulk at how quickly my team had been warranting for a loss so early into the match.

Mid-way through the game, Graham had decided to go to the corner shop by his apartment to get more beers for us to share, due to us having run out to share between the three of us. I dreaded being alone in the room with the game ongoing with Damon present, full-well knowing that his upbeat jolliness would attempt to torment me upon the fact that he was winning, which, to my demise, was exactly what had occured. The air fell still in the room once the sound of the door slamming etched through the flat walls, my gaze focused entirely on the match following on the screen, attempting to focus my mind on anything but the room that I was currently occupied in - though my peripheral noticed Damon's head almost instantly turned to look in my direction once it was made evident that Graham wasn’t inside the flat anymore. As if reading my mind, he decided to shift his body weight, which was once adorned to the other armrest of the burgundy couch, right next to me, where he attempted to wrap his arm around my shoulders, warming me into an embrace. In spite of this, I could feel his intense stare on my features. Using all my strength to avoid connecting eyes with him, I wasn’t going to admit defeat so easily, my stubbornness proving a point.

Once Damon realised, he carried on watching the game, however his body had continued it's embrace with mine. At one point, I was thinking that the match was going to be a lost cause from the performance shown by Chelsea, However, things began to turn around, and Man City managed to score a goal, to Damon's consternation. The sudden win resulted in me lunging from my seat, swiftly detaching myself from Damon, my whole body cheering towards the goal as it replayed on the screen. What was amusing was that, after I had finished my applause, I noticed that Damon had moved back into his seat by the side of the couch, distancing himself from me. "Aw, you don't want to sit with me anymore?" I sarcastically questioned, not waiting for an answer as a small smile crept on my lips. It was very amusing, pissing Damon off. I must say, watching his ego deflate into nothing but a simple sulk at the corner of a room was really the sight.

"What did I miss?" The sound of graham's voice sounded through the room, paired with the clank of multiple beer bottles as he reached into the plastic carrier bag to place them on the table. Each and every one had an individual water-streak pattern, indicating that they had just been chilled - when they taste best.

"Man City scored!" I exclaimed, reaching out for one of the glass bottles as I got the bottle opener to unfasten it from its metal clasp, promptly taking a swig from the beverage. The intent was, of course, to provide Graham with the extra knowledge upon the events that occurred during the match whilst he was absent, however knowing myself, I had also wanted to remind Damon of said occurrences, to surge him to the edge of his frustration. Exclaiming it at the top of my lungs held just enough power to do just that.

A chuckle immediately left Graham's mouth from my enthusiasm. "Need me to sit between you both again?" He jokingly asked, yet an element of seriousness was laced between his words.

“Depends if Damon's gonna stop sulking or not.” I replied, focusing my view on the game playing on the screen.

"You're the one who was fucking throwing the cushions!" Damon shouted, reaching over to grab himself a beer.

"Because you were pissing me off!" I answered, shifting my gaze onto Damon, who was, to my surprise, staring directly at me. There was a certain look of annoyance glazed on his features, though the agitation seemed to subside as soon as we locked stares, as if he was longing for my eyes to bear their sight toward him, as if it was an examination, an analysation to confirm whether we were still on good terms or not; of course we were, while conflicting preferences drew evident tears between us during that moment in particular. After a few seconds had passed, Damon leaned back into the cushion, carrying on watching the game unfold, satisfied with his response from my eyes. Switching my gaze over to Graham, I took notice of a look of question illustrated on his features, to which I decided to mime that it was alright, in order to move myself next to Damon once again. It would've been a lie, and a mere understatement, to say that I hadn't missed his arms around me.

Bunching up next to him, enough space was made to allow graham to sit himself down next to me, though that thought was the last passing my mind; my body was shivering from nervousness, the close proximity between us, regardless of our romantic acquaintance, never failed to bloom butterflies at the pit of my stomach. Due to my body's weight pressing down onto the cushion next to him, it was obvious that he was aware that I moved to sit next to him - but at a cause of his stubbornness, him averting all his attention onto me, admiring me as if I was the only living being in the apartment, a home that hadn't even belonged to me, would never happen - it would take much more to result in his feign of irritation to melt away. Placing my arm around his shoulder, I granted my hand to reach up to his beautiful head of hair, my fingers caressing his strands gently as I brushed any parts that were sticking out on the sides of his head. His arms were wrapped around one another, like a child encompassed in an angry stupor at their parent due to them not allowing them a packet of sweets from the grocery store, though I was playing at his heartstrings, aware of just how much he adored me playing with his dirty blonde locks.

For a short sum of time, we both sat there, my hands never halting their actions. The next few minutes of the game played out of continuous dribbling and passing to other teammates, oftentimes resulting in the other team taking hold of the ball and running around with it for a while until their attempt to score. Randomly, Damon's arm had released itself from its shared embrace with the other, engulfing my body with his as he encased his left arm around my shoulders. We were in a sense of comfort with one another, though from Damon's avoidance of my stare it was made obvious that he was still in the least carrying a small element of annoyance, nevertheless, as I allowed my eyes to linger onto his delicate, paradisiacal features, holding back a grin was seen much easier said than done, a small curvature sneaking itself on his lips.

"Look who's won." Graham mumbled, his voice detaching me out of my trance that I was enamoured in.

A laugh rang itself out of my throat as I admired the lengthy team cheering as they enveloped one another in a massive embrace. "Told you they were better!" I grinned as I diverted my gaze onto Damon, the same look of frustration painted on his demeanour, still avoiding his eyes on me. "You want a kiss?" I asked, tilting my head in order to make sure I was the main thing in his sight, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up his facade so easily. "Kiss kiss?"

I continued until his eyes met mine. It was as if, for a short segment of time we were frozen in place, momentary seconds passing of us merely marvelling at the view illustrated forth one another, my hands snaking their way around his neck as I leaned in slightly, noticing his blue orbs fall onto my lips, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as his mind wandered through fields of appraisal. It was then where I couldn’t hold resistance for any longer, and I doubted that Damon could, bringing my head forward as I let my lips latch onto his, allowing time to flow as they lingered still before he kissed me back with gentle force, enough to notify me of his desire that encompassed him just as much as me. The kiss held innocence, portrayed adoration in its true beauty, nevertheless, also embodying eagerness, a yearning of lust.

"I'm going to be honest," I mumbled, removing my lips away from his, panting as I attempted to recollect my breath. "I don't actually support Man City."

"Of course you fucking don't." Damon laughed, our lips connecting once again as he perched his head forward, intoxicating me with the very thing that I desired most in that significant moment.

"If you're gonna shag, please go home." Graham groaned, causing our bodies to jolt at the sudden awareness that we weren’t alone together. Pulling away instantly, a wave of embarrassment covered my cheeks as we looked at one another, infatuation the single thing flowing out of our eyes.

“Sorry Graham.”

[softprincesso]

✨ HOW TO BECOME A WEALTHY MIDDLE AGED MAN✨

PT.2: Overview to understanding different saving/retirement methods, investments, and forms of income

Pt. 2.2 Overview of Investments

Welcome lovelies to (what I hope will be) a helpful series on gaining wealth and becoming financially literate and independent!

Disclaimer: Check other posts. It's too long to keep typing out.

Now comes (what I believe) is the fun part of money. Making it grow.

Investments are defined as “an asset or item acquired with the goal of generating income or appreciation.” Essentially, anything you purchase with the belief that in time it will be worth more. This includes the entire stock market, cryptocurrencies, art, real estate, jewelry, vintage coins, designer bags, etc. Of course, some of these take more time and each comes with some amount of risk. These variables change according to your strategy as an investor.

✨THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND✨

Begin as a Beginner

Do not overwhelm yourself during your financial literacy journey by trying to learn everything, all at once, while also trying it all out. The thing that creates the most confusion when learning is believing the lie that you can multitask well. Yes, start with a brief overview of the systems and institutions (what we are currently doing in the series) but literally all you need to start is definitions and a gist so that you can comprehend how they connect later on. Learning an entire world that has never been taught to you is going to take time, and I’m talking years. And then, when you think you have something down your going to mess up or read an article about how the stock you saw yesterday for $6 is now $1000 and you’re going to be frustrated (this happens a lot). But, If you want to learn about the stock market, focus on the stock market. Retirement still scares you, focus on that until you master it and have a plan. And for Christ’s (or whatever deity/person/universe you believe in) if you do not have a steady stream of income do not put your last pennies trying to get into crypto (or any investing truly). This is something to start after you have income, a savings, a retirement, and have paid off at least most debts.

Recommended sources to learn more:

Netflix has a great series called “Explained” where (you guessed it) they explain things. While I recommend every episode because you can never learn too much, there are ones specifically dedicated to the stock market, cryptocurrencies, and billionaires each that helps to uncomplicate the history and purpose of each of these things.

✨Let’s get started✨

The Stock Market

“Stock markets are real and electronic exchanges that enable the buying and selling of securities. The most popular include the NYSE, Nasdaq MarketSite, and Tokyo Stock Exchange.” Let me, let you, in on a little secret-the stock market is essentially fantasy football (sorry, my American is showing) but with companies. When you buy a security, you are betting that (in the long run or short run, depending on your strategy) that a certain company will perform well and gain profits, which in turn will gain you money on what you bet. There are two categories of players in the market which include the assets (the football players) and the investors (the betting public). Of the assets you can categorize further by what position they play on the field…

Stocks

Most well-known, but the riskiest. The “star” player that everyone hypes up and takes all the credit. Stocks are fractional pieces of publicly traded companies, and by buying a stock you own a relative size of that company. They are either “paying you” through growth (when their stock price rises) or through dividends (when they send you a piece of their profits directly).

Mutual Funds

Less known but a safer bet than single stocks. Popular among those in middle age. “Mutual funds are baskets of stocks or bonds. They come in all different shapes and sizes, from covering broad stock market indexes to focusing on specific sectors.” When you buy a mutual fund, you are saying that you believe on average that pile of stocks/bonds are going to do well, instead of betting on a single player. Usually they are actively managed by people who are trying to “beat” the market for you. Statistically good for the short term, long term are less effective than ETFs.

Index Funds: a subset of mutual funds that are passively managed and track indexes like an ETF but trade like a mutual fund (once at the end of the day and without reliance of supply and demand)

ETFs

Exchange traded funds. The up-and-coming underdog that’s gaining popularity. These are passively managed baskets of stocks and bonds that track over a specific index like the S&P 500. They work like stocks, being traded throughout the day, relying on supply and demand, while giving a lot of the advantages that mutual funds do. They also come with their own set of disadvantages but are still a great way to diversify a portfolio inexpensively.

Bonds

The reliable bench players you know you can put in to save a game. Great safe bets that can generate a steady income. Bonds work like a loan for a regular person, except for a company. You can loan your money to a company which will pay you a principal plus a fixed interest back every specified period. There are different types which come with different advantages and strategies, so make sure to read the fine print.

Commodities

Tangible goods that go into manufacturing-Gold, oil, metals, corn, soybeans, etc. A good defensive team to have in the game for a hedge against inflation or economic troubles. They trade in a commodity exchange. You can still access them through most brokers.

Source to look into for deeper understanding and questions: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/investment.asp

Easy way to get started quickly:

1. Create a brokerage account: There are lots of accounts to choose from, but I would go for accounts that have zero fees and no minimum, this is starting to become the norm but once upon a time you had to give a minimum investment of $5000 to get started. I personally use Charles Schwab and Robinhood. I love all of the tools and accounts Schwab has and Robinhood is just easy to use.

2. Sign up: this may take a day or two to finalize, especially with banks but it shouldn’t be a big deal

3. Connect a card or account to transfer funds

4. Buy your first security: I would start off with simply looking up beginner investments on google. I recommend either an ETF, index fund, or choose a company that you have an interest in because you will be more likely to keep up on their news

5. Tip: think long term as a beginner. Sure, once you start learning and understanding you can change your strategy to gain more in a shorter time, but this comes with much more risk. Do not be an idiot and sell all of your stock when you see your investment plummet nor sell as soon as you see it go up a little. The best advice for a beginner: Buy a stock and leave it alone (for YEARS)

Property/Real Estate

There are many ways to invest in real estate-you can buy a property, you can invest in a property fund, you can become a landlord,or you can flip a property. Again, depending on the strategy, will change the risk and reward you have taken on. All of these options are usually on the more cash heavy side but can reap a lot of rewards if done right.

Source to look into:

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/5-ways-to-invest-in-real-estate

Easy way to get started quickly:

1. Buy a real estate ETF or fund, you can just look this up on google or through your brokerage

2. OR you could look into buying a property near you and renting it out if you have that much cash (Make sure to do your research, this can get pretty complicated)

Art

Also considered property but until recently it was incredibly hard to invest in art without significant cash and contacts available. Now, there are platforms like Masterworks where you can buy a fraction of a piece like a stock of Monet and you get the rise in appreciation. However, it still is for those with money already available, I believe you have to invest a minimum of $2500 to get started on MW.

Sources to look into: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/fine-art.asp

Crypto

Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies that are not backed by real or tangible assets or goods, but on the trust and value of the people that use them, and supply and demand. They can be traded like stocks on an exchange and are tracked with a digital ledger on the blockchain. The first cryptocurrency was Bitcoin and the rest that have followed are categorized as altcoins (alternative coins).

The stage of cryptocurrencies we are in is likened to the early 90s with the internet. Not a lot people truly understand the blockchain (the vast ledger space which contains every transaction made securely in encrypted “blocks” that are then “chained” together so that if one block is compromised the whole chain shuts it down.) It is decentralized and written simultaneously on thousands of super computers. The beauty of it is that if one ledger on one computer is somehow hacked or wrong the rest of the computers storing the ledger interrupt and either fix it or shut it down. A way to understand it is blockchain is to the internet as bitcoin is to a website, but the internet runs off people trusting the system, blockchain runs off trusting no one.

The currencies that run on blockchain can have a multitude of purposes, but bitcoin was really just the starting solution to fix the problem of trust on the internet. People wanted a secure, anonymous, untraceable way to spend money online, like cash is in the real world. And while for the most part it is just that, it isn’t completely anonymous. Like in the real world if you buy something from Mcd*nalds with cash that transaction is still recorded in their system and through a receipt. Your crypto transactions are recorded in the blockchain, but most people don’t even know how to access the ledger so for now any ill*cit purchases you make are pretty safe.

I HIGHLY recommend looking into a cryptocurrency course or training just because there is so much that goes into it and lots of details that can help you. This investment is incredibly risky and volatile! I only would suggest investing an amount you are completely comfortable to lose ALL of.

Sources to learn more:

https://www.investopedia.com/cryptocurrency-4427699

Easy to get started quickly (Please dear lord do your research first):

1. Sign up on a crypto exchange like Coinbase or Binance, some brokers (like Robinhood) also allow you to trade crypto but it’s a very limited selection

2. Do lots of research!! (I’m going to say it until you get it, and I don’t think you get it yet)

3. Think of it like stocks, if you read up on the coin and its purpose, and think that it’s going to be useful soon or in the future, then invest

4. Tip: the crypto market moves MUCH faster than the stock market and is much more sensitive. In just these last few days (literally hours) bitcoin was trading at $40,000+, the following day, for whatever reason (people got scared, people wanted to sell to get profits, etc.) it will barely hold $33,000. So, invest wisely!

This is very brief list of the main investments. There is still a lot of depth each of these goes into and especially with things like crypto, information changes 24/7. I hope you have learned by now that you should be continually learning as well. Instead of spending your morning looking at your Instagram feed of bum friends, dusty men, and “models” spend it reading the paper and catching up on the market. Follow investors and billionaires like you follow celebrities and see how much smarter you become. At the end of the day winners focus on winning, losers focus on winners.

With love,

O

[d-criss-news]

20 Questions With Darren Criss: How Acting Has Helped Him Make New Music

While Darren Criss has graced our TV screens with a range of characters, from high schooler Blaine Anderson on Glee to serial killer Andrew Cunanan on The Assassination of Gianni Versace, he was last spotted just being himself, on our For You Page on TikTok. “I’m walking to rehearsal with a guitar on my back with a Trader Joe’s bag ... I did not bring an umbrella because I forgot that it was raining. I’m rocking that NYC musician life,” the Glee alum explained in the hilarious clip posted three days ago.

While Criss’ acting work has earned him acclaim and stardom, he leaned into making music during the pandemic. On Aug. 20, he dropped a new EP, Masquerade, featuring five new tracks that Criss says were inspired by the different characters Criss has embraced throughout his career. After Criss wrote songs for his musical comedy web series Royalties and Apple TV+’s animated sitcom Central Park before the pandemic struck the United States, he then used those experiences as a precursor to his new EP. As Criss continues to promote his new music, he answered 20 of Billboard's questions – giving us a peek into how his new EP came together, and how growing up in San Fransisco shaped him as an actor, singer and all-around artist.

1. What inspired your latest project, Masquerade?

Although I would have preferred that it come at a far less grim cost, I finally had the time. Before the pandemic, I had written 10 new songs for my show Royalties -- along with an original song for Disney and another for Apple’s Central Park. These were all assignments in which I was writing for a certain scenario and character. Go figure. It was the most music I had ever written in a calendar year. This really emboldened me to rethink how I made my own music— to start putting a focus on “character creation” in my songs, rather than personal reflection. The latter was not proving to be as productive. The alchemy of having this time and having set a new intention with my own songwriting and producing made me put on a few of my favorite masques and throw myself a Masquerade.

2. How do you think your background as an actor complements your music?

They are one and the same to me. I treat acting roles like musical pieces— dialogue is like scoring a melody; there’s pace, dynamics, cadence, tone. Physical characterization is like producing -- zeroing in on the bass line, deciding on the kick pattern. Vocal characterization is like choosing the right sonic experience, choosing the most effective snare sound, and mixing the high end or low end. It goes without saying that it works in the complete opposite direction. Making each song is taking on a different role literally and employing the use of different masques to maximize the effectiveness of the particular story being told.

3. On Instagram  you wrote that “Masquerade is a small collection of the variety of musical masques that have always inspired me.” Which track do you identify with most in your real life?

Everybody absorbs songs differently. Some key into the lyrics, some into the melody, some the production, some into vocal performance. When I listen to songs, I consider all of their value on totally different scales. So it’s hard to say if there’s any track I “identify” with more than any others, since I -- by nature -- identify with all of them. I think I just identify with certain aspects more than others. If it helps for a more interesting answer, I will say I enjoy the slightly more classical, playful -- dare I say -- more Broadway-leaning wordplay of “Walk of Shame,” but that’s just talking about lyricism. I enjoy the attitude of “F*kn Around,” the batsh--t musicality of “I Can’t Dance,” the relentless grooves of “Let’s” and “For A Night Like This.” All have different ingredients I really enjoy having an excuse to dive into.

4. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

Beatles audio cassettes: “Help” and “Hard Day’s Night.” I just listened on repeat on a tape-playing Walkman until my brother and I got a stereo for our room with a CD player in it, which was  when I just bought the same two albums again, but this time as compact discs.

5. What was the first concert you saw?It’s hard to say, because my parents took us to a lot of classical concerts when we were small. But I guess this question usually refers to what was the first concert you went to on your own volition, and that my friend, was definitely Warped Tour ’01. My brother and I went on our own— two teenagers going to their first music festival, in the golden age of that particular genre and culture. It was f--king incredible.

6. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?

My dad was in private banking and advised really, really wealthy people on how to handle their money. My mom was, by choice, a stay-at-home mom, but in reality, she was my dad’s consigliere. They discussed absolutely everything together. They were a real team, and I saw that every single day in the house. They both had a background in finance (That’s how they met in the first place.) and were incredibly skilled at all the hardcore adulting things that I absolutely suck at. They were total finance wizards together. So of course, instead of becoming an accountant, I picked up playing the guitar and ran as far I could with it. Luckily, they were all about it.

7. What was your favorite homecooked meal growing up?

My dad was an incredible chef. For special occasions, I’d request his crab cakes. They were unreal. I’ve never had a crab cake anywhere in the world that was good as my dad’s.

8. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

I don’t know if I’ve actually realized that yet.

9. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

The specifics change every day, but the core idea at the top is to continue being consistently inconsistent with my choices, and to keep getting audiences to constantly reconsider their consideration of me. But I mean, sure, what performer doesn’t want to play Coachella? What songwriter doesn’t want to have Adele sing one of their songs? What actor doesn’t want to be in a Wes Anderson film?

10.  How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

San Francisco. I mean, come on. I was really lucky. The older I get, the more grateful I am for just being born and raised there. It’s an incredibly diverse, culturally rich, colorful, inclusive, vibrant city. By the time I was born, it had served as a beacon for millions of creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to gather and thrive. I grew up around that. The combination of that with having parents, who were unbelievably supportive of the arts themselves, laid an incredibly fortunate foundation to consider the life of an artist as a legitimately viable option. It’s a foundation that I am supremely aware is not the case for millions of young artists around the world. I was absurdly lucky.

11.  What’s the last song you listened to?

I mean probably one of mine, but not by choice. I know, lame. But I’m promoting a new EP, what’d you expect? But if you wanna know what I’ve been listening to, as far as new s--t is concerned: a lot of Lizzy McAlpine, Remi Wolf, and Charlie Burg.

12.  If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

The Beatles is an obvious "yeah, duh." Sammy Davis, Mel Tormé, or of course, Nat King Cole. I would’ve loved to see Howard Ashman give a lecture on his creative process and his body of work.

13. What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your sets?

I feel like just having a crowd at all, at any one of my sets, is pretty wild enough.

14. What’s your karaoke go-to?

The real answer to this I’ll write into a book one day, because I have a lot to say about karaoke etiquette. I have two options here: I can either name a song that I like to sing for me, for fun, or I can name a song that really gets the group going. The answer depends on what kind of karaoke night we’re dealing with here. So I will say, after I’ve selected a ton of songs that services a decent enough party vibe for everyone else, then I would do one for me, and that would be the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

15. What’s one thing your most devoted fans don’t know about you?

What I have up my sleeve.

16. What TV show did you binge-watch over the past year?

Dave is a stroke of genius. There are episodes that I believe are bona fide masterpieces. Also, My Brilliant Friend is a masterclass in cinematic television.

17. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

It’s A Wonderful Life.

18. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Get used to sharing everything about yourself and your life now, or more astutely, to the idea that you don’t necessarily get to control how your life is shared. I know it’s not really your thing, but you’re gonna have to get used to it, so start building up those calluses now. And don’t worry, all the stuff you love now will be cool again in your mid-thirties, so keep some of those clothes because you’ll be a full-blown fashion icon if you just keep wearing exactly what you’re wearing. Oh nd also, put money into Apple and Facebook.

19.  What new hobby did you take on in the last year?

I’ve always been a linguaphile. My idea of leisure time is getting to study or review other languages. This past year, I took the time to finally dive into learning how to read, write, and speak Japanese. Other than making music, it was one of the biggest components of my 2020-2021.

20. What do you hope to accomplish or experience by the end of 2021?

I hope I get to play live shows again.

[cc-tinslebee]

Okay, so, about a month ago, my brain just conjured up probably the most random au possible: Legally Blonde Adam Banks/banksway au.

Believe me, it's as chaotic as it sounds, but lowkey, I'm kind of in love with it.

Adam never joins the Ducks because there aren't any Ducks to join. Bombay never had to do community service with District Five so there was no one to realise that Adam was on the wrong team all along. He continues to play for the Hawks and, eventually, the Eden Hall Warriors, never getting the chance to become the well-rounded individual we know him as because he's never known anything other than his rich privilege and the "win at all costs" mentality. He ends up going to college on a hockey scholarship and not straight to the NHL or the AHL (shocking, I know). While he's unsure of his major and where his life is heading, he finds solace in the fraternity he joins, which, by some sheer twist of fate, Jesse and Guy have also miraculously joined.

And his life is perfect for a while. He's the star player on yet another school's hockey team, all of his fraternity brothers adore him (though, it took a bit for Jesse to warm up to him), and his secret, not-really-official thing with his former teammate is going swimmingly. (Not to slander my boy, but I was picturing Larson for the role of Warner, purely because the alternative seems to be Rick Riley and that's kind of an unsettling image-- though, maybe that's the point?)

But then his secret boyfriend breaks up with him because, with his high aspirations in life, he needs to be "more serious." And dating Adam Banks, a guy in a stereotypical fraternity who only really knows hockey, in 2001 isn't exactly the white-picket-fence life he's looking for if he's going to be a politician.

And since this non-Duck Adam clearly doesn't have the braincells that canon Adam does, in his devastation, he decides it's a brilliant idea to prove that he is serious by applying to Harvard Law. His parents try to talk him out of it, since they want him to pursue his dreams of hockey, but being a lawyer is a respectable career so they can't exactly argue with him.

He gets accepted thanks to Jesse, Guy, and the rest of his fraternity helping him study for the LSAT and keeping him on track. He's trying his darndest when he gets to Harvard, but (despite his struggle not being as significant as Elle Woods'), not a lot of people take him seriously as an aspiring lawyer, considering him a meathead jock who only got in because of daddy's money.

And that's about the time he meets Linda, who he vaguely remembers from his time at Eden Hall. What he doesn't remember is her being so competitive, because she's deliberately beating him at every turn, just trying (and kind of succeeding) at making him look like a fool. To make matters worse, all of the sudden, she's engaged to his ex-boyfriend, who is very adamant about never telling anyone that he and Adam were more than friends (because, you know, early 2000s homophobia and such).

But things get a little brighter for Adam when he meets Charlie, an undergrad teacher's assistant who gives him all sorts of advice about surviving the school. He introduces him to Professor Bombay, who Charlie claims is the only reason he survived his first year and quickly becomes Adam's favourite teacher, and Charlie's childhood friend Connie, who aspires to be a state senator one day. Charlie's charismatic and even if he's not the most well-liked person at Harvard, Adam feels a weight lifted off his shoulders once he becomes friends with him and Connie. Things become a little easier.

Just before he and Charlie start getting really close, Adam meets Casey at a local diner on a day he's feeling particularly upset and alone, and the two start bonding almost immediately. (He bullshits his way into scaring an ex-husband of hers with legal repercussions he has no idea about and she basically adopts him in return.) It takes him an embarrassing amount of time to realise that it's not just a coincidence that Casey and Charlie share the same last name, which results in poor Adam feeling extremely embarrassed for not connecting the dots sooner while Charlie's having the time of his life teasing him for it. Eventually, when the dust of that settles, Charlie and Adam join forces to set Casey and Bombay up, their schemes borderline ridiculous at times, but they'rere not exactly failing.

And after realising he isn't the Warriors moron she thought he was for going on five years, Linda starts warming up to Adam, which is surprisingly nice? She figures out on her own that there used to be something between him and her fiancé, and is more understanding of Adam than she is mad. Linda actually spills to him the lengths Adam's ex had to go through to actually get into Harvard, aligning more with the rumours about Adam's acceptance being bought than having the aptitude for the law that Linda and Adam share. (This may be me saying Linda and Adam friendship rights, what of it-- /lh)

To make things all the better, Bombay chooses Adam, Linda, Connie, Charlie, and Adam's ex to be on his legal team for a murder case he's responsible for (and while he knows about Adam and Charlie's ploys to hook him up with Charlie's mom, they're his favourites, so he doesn't say anything).

And this is just so much better than anything he had before. After all the initial unpleasantness, Linda and Connie become some of the most genuine friends he's ever had. He misses Guy and Jesse, of course, and he'd never take them for granted, but back when he was with them at the fraternity, a part of him was still being as superficial as he had been in middle and high school. Being authentic for once in his life is liberating.

And Charlie's just about the most considerate person Adam's ever met. Adam doesn't even mind when Charlie teases him over his absurd and juvenile insults because he's just this source of light for Adam, supporting him and always pushing him to be the best version of himself. His ex hardly even exists when Charlie's around because his energy is just so contagious that Adam starts falling for him long before he even realises it. (And when Jesse and Guy come to visit, there's a moment where it all clicks and the four of them realise their history together, however brief. I strongly maintain that they'd be that Starkid meme: "Fucking Hawks? We hated you guys!" "We hated ourselves!" But it does make Adam realise how much better off he would've been if he had Charlie and his team when he was little instead of the Hawks, and it just further makes him understand that people like Larson and Rick Riley just aren't worth it.)

But there's also another revelation Adam goes through. Between helping Casey, his rigorous studies, and his position working with/for Bombay, something just clicks for Adam. He likes being able to help people, fighting for the good guys who may not have the resources they need to be properly defended. Practicing law calls to him in the same way hockey did; it's the feeling of knowing this is what he's meant to do. He still loves hockey, he always will, but it helps him finally grasp that there's a world for him outside of it; when hockey ends for him, there's something equally as rewarding that he can pursue, which was something he never thought he would have.

I haven't a single coherent thought about this au past that point except for these little inklings of an ending--

There's absolutely no SA scene like the movie had; Bombay's just Adam and Charlie's favourite teacher and those are his boys, so he's going to make sure they succeed as if his life depends on it.

With that said, Bombay believes in them both enough to let them finish the case because with their joined determination/stubbornness (and Adam's in with the defendant), Adam and Charlie are a force to be reckoned with and he knows it.

After a handful of comedic failures, they do end up succeeding at their attempts to set Casey and Bombay up, and they start living together sometime during the kids' Junior year :) (All I'm asking is for one (1) story with a Casey/Gordon endgame-- I just think they're neat--)

Linda dumps her fiancé (as she should) and goes on to live her best wlw life as a successful lawyer. (If I'm not mistaken, Linda's actress actually is a lawyer, which is a pretty cool fun fact!!)

Adam and Linda's ex gets the Warner ending because, man, screw that guy /lh (rip to Larson if this is him, I'm sure you'll get a nice endgame in some other universe, king)

Honorary mention for Connie, who was going long distance with Guy this entire time to everyone but Jesse's shock, and they get their Game Changers endgame of State Senator Connie Moreau and stay-at-home dad Guy Germaine with their seven -- sorry, three -- children :)

Adam's an absolute bundle of nerves after graduation, which definitely concerns Charlie. So, when he asks if he's okay, Adam starts nervously monologuing about their time together until he runs out of breath. He ends it by proposing to him, and Charlie smiles so surely at him when he says yes. They both become damn good public defenders and stay engaged until the point they can legally get married, but they're practically husbands long before that happens.

Also, if I did my math right (which I should’ve, it’s my entire basis for my Share Your Address series), the Ducks’ would have the same graduating class year as Elle Woods anyway (2004), which is pretty neat!

Thank you once again for listening to me ramble :)

[codename-adler]

...dance 'til you find someone to die for...

What if instead of Seth, Riko tried to get rid of Aaron?

Chapter 7 ♟️ [table of contents]

(CW: anxiety, mentioned/implied drug addiction, alcoholism, scars, self-hate, implied death threat)

As the miles between the Foxes and Blackwell University diminish, Kevin’s breathing becomes erratic. Aaron can see from the corner of his eyes that Kevin clenches his fist, as if around a bottle, especially the right hand, scarred and stiff and dangerously fascinating.

Aaron can see all of that, because he hasn’t moved back to his seat. God knows where Kevin could have hidden alcohol on this bus.

Strangely enough, when the Foxes start to notice the unusual pair in the back of the bus, they don’t push it, don’t ask about it, don’t make a fuss about it. Even Andrew is content burning two holes in the back of their heads with his blank yet serious stare.

Meanwhile Aaron thinks about the deal he just brokered with the Son of Exy.

How utterly fucked he is.

Because while everybody agreed that Andrew was the one who hated Exy and Aaron the one who didn’t give a flying fuck…

Aaron knew that, at least on some level, Andrew experienced a sort of thrill to excel at something he supposedly hated, especially when there was a certain controlled violence to it. 

Aaron… Aaron just hated it, full stop.

There wasn’t… There wasn’t a single area of Aaron’s life where he didn’t need to perform. He had to be the tame twin, the boring one, the unproblematic one, the sane one (when he wanted to be none of those things). He had to be the perfect student, the best doctor in-making, at the top of his classes, the most likely to succeed (when he wanted to be every one of those things). He once had to be the silent son, the invisible child, this independent little being (and he was, for a while, but it was never enough).

And then there was Exy.

Exy was a means to an end. A deal between him and PSU’s Medical Program. A deal between him and Andrew. A deal between him and Coach Wymack. As long as he played well enough, as long as he fulfilled his job as backliner, he could stay. He could stay in Med School, he could stay with his blood family, he could stay away from drugs.

Aaron had never had a deal with Kevin Day. 

Aaron kept his aggressivity low enough not to be a red-card problem on the court, he kept his hatred for the game low enough not to make the team lose, and he kept his hatred for himself for doing all that bullshit low enough not to pick a deadly fight with the biggest enemy players.

Now, though… Putting his game in the too-capable hands of the best Exy player there ever was, Aaron was about to become something else entirely. He would have to become the best apprentice, the best backliner, the best tactician… the best, period (and he could try, he could be, for a while, but it would always be too much).

Aaron couldn’t be all of those things at the same time

He already couldn’t keep up with things as they were.

He couldn’t, he couldn’t do more.

Because if Aaron went back on his word, Kevin would hate him even more than he already did in the past, he would go back to drinking himself to death, thus nagging Aaron’s itch to use. Yet if Aaron saw his promise through, Kevin would push him to the brink of death, thus nagging, once more, Aaron’s itch to use.

There was no escape from a relapse.

Aaron could feel it in his skin, in his blood, in his very bones.

The worst was, he didn’t even know when his survival became dependent on Kevin’s.

Nobody had ever helped him with anything. He refused to call Andrew’s methods “help”.

And now Kevin was willing to waste time on him as much as Aaron was willing to waste time on his stupid little game.

Why?

Why was Kevin getting through to him?

Why was he getting through to Kevin?

Why was he willing to risk his sobriety for a man so much further down into alcoholism?

What was it about him?

Why was Kevin’s lack of expectation towards Aaron felt different than Andrew’s, Nicky’s, Coach’s, the Foxes’, or even fucking Josten’s?

Why did it feel almost… comforting?

Why was there no pressure when it came to Kevin himself?

As the bus pulled in the BWU, a hurricane raged inside Aaron’s mind. His stoic expression never once broke, however, never once reflected the helplessness behind his eyes.

The Foxes arrived a bit before the other teams, which allowed everyone to take a little longer than their allotted time to change into their gala outfits. Aaron’s suit was in a blue the shade of midnight, lined with black silk, paired with slacks the same blue color, a crisp white shirt and a black tie. He’d picked it out the week before when Andrew had dragged him shopping for fucking Josten’s outfit, because that dude was not to be trusted with a fashion taste, even Aaron could see that. Andrew had paid for everything, probably with his their mom’s leftover insurance money.

While Matt, Nicky, Seth, Andrew and the other one had already filed out of the boys bathroom, Kevin still hadn’t come out. Aaron started tapping his foot, faintly, to signify his presence and urge Kevin to 'get on with it so this hell of a night could finish already.’ He heard him retch a bit, flush the toilet for the third time, and shakily unlock the bathroom stall he was hiding in.

Kevin looked like shit.

And still, at the same time… he didn’t.

Hi suit was green, a green so dark it could almost be black; but it wasn’t black. Kevin didn’t have to wear black anymore, especially not in public, especially not tonight. His suit was green, and it wasn’t black, and it was everything. His white shirt looked a bit damp, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. His tie was gray, a gray so dark it could, too, be perceived as black, but it wasn’t, it was gray. The button of his jacket was undone, leaving it open, and near the end of his tie, there it was…

An orange fox paw, on a pin.

An orange Palmetto State Foxes pin.

Because Kevin didn’t wear black anymore. Because Kevin didn’t live in the Nest anymore. Because Kevin wasn’t a Raven anymore.

He was a Fox, he was theirs, and he was beautiful just as he was, scarred and breaking at the seams and sweaty and scared and theirs.

Aaron was overwhelmed by the wave of pride he felt when looking at Kevin.

It was strong enough to make him forget where they were, what was waiting for them outside, strong enough to make him forget everything he was, everything they were.

Aaron moved closer to Kevin and clapped him on the shoulder, before sliding his hand down to grab his elbow, all the while catching Kevin’s eyes in the mirror.

“C'mon, cowboy. Let’s give 'em a show,” Aaron said.

They looked at each other in the mirror a few seconds more, before Kevin nodded, straightening his shoulders, his jacket, his spine.

They walked out together, oblivious to the cold and threatening tension among their teammates.

Then they heard.

the sound of shoes marching in sync, loud, too loud

The Ravens were there.

Riko was right there.

Because of course, they would be sharing a table.

Of course, this couldn’t be easy.

Color left Kevin’s face.

Color flushed Josten’s.

Riko overlooked the Foxes until his eyes caught what he was looking for. He looked at Andrew first and frowned; then he looked at Josten and frowned deeper. When his gaze finally settled on Kevin, he raised his eyebrow, defiant, before rearranging his expression into a vicious sneer.

But then.

Then he looked at Aaron.

Really looked.

Recognition flashed across his face.

Riko’s sneer deepened, turning downright devilish.

And Aaron knew, then.

He wasn’t coming out of this banquet alive.

(read on Ao3 here !)

[magiamemoriareview]

Little Summer Vacation

Obtainability: Limited for the “Rainbow Colored Summer” event. This is an event reward memoria.

MLB Effect: Blast Damage Up [35%] & Damage Up [15%] (Self / 1 Turn)

Effect Definitions:

Blast Damage Up is a straightforward buff that means Blast Discs will deal more damage. Blast Damage Up has a capped percentage at 100%.

Damage Up will increase the damage done by the equipped character’s attacks and its effect takes place after the buffs and debuffs are calculated. Damage Increase and Damage Up are essentially the same effect, however Damage Up has a 100% cap while Damage Increase doesn’t. Both collectively cap at 300%.

TLDR: “Little Summer Vacation” is a decent freebie event reward memoria. It’s useful for Blast damage teams and the fact that the damage is spread out across Damage Up and Blast Damage Up means it’ll be harder to cap on both, which is very helpful considering how easy it is to cap on those two effects. There are much better memoria to use in the game, but still-- this one comes max awakened.

Whales and long-term players who have amassed a large wealth of memoria will find this one to become Enhancement Fodder.

Review: “Little Summer Vacation” is a decent event reward memoria. It’s nothing too amazing, but it’s not Enhancement Fodder either. The Blast Damage Up is slightly on the low side, but this is made up for by the Damage Up effect (which is also slightly low). Altogether the two effects will make for about 50% Damage Up on an attack that uses Blasts, which is pretty good all things considered.

Let’s take a look at other Blast Damage Up active memoria in the game for comparison’s sake:

(4*) “Unwavering Belief” Blast Damage Up [60%] (Self / 1 Turn)

(Limited 4*) “Christmas Night Magic” Blast Damage Up [50%] (Self / 1 Turn) & Status Ailment Resistance Down [15%] (All / 1 Turn)

(3*) “Begin a Hunt” Blast Damage Up [50%] (Self / 1 Turn)

(Limited 4*) “Consult the Closet” Blast Damage Up [45%] (Self / 1 Turn) & Defense Down [45%] (All / 1 Turn)

(Limited 3*) “Twin Shadows Sneaking Up” Blast Damage Up [45%] & Anti-Evade [100%] (Self / 1 Turn)

(Limited 4*) “Fuuuusion” Blast Damage Up [40%] & Accele MP Gain Up [22.5%] (Self / 1 Turn)

(4*) “Latent Strength of the Tokime” Blast Damage Up [40%] & Accele MP Gain Up [22.5%] (Self / 1 Turn)

(4*) “Behind the Scene Performance” Blast Damage Up [40%] & Damage Up [20%] (Self / 1 turn)

(Limited 3*) “Dive into Summer (Alina/Mifuyu)” Blast Damage Up [40%] & Critical Hit [30%] (Self / 1 turn)

(2*) “I'll Never Regret It” Blast Damage Up [40%] (Self / 1 Turn)

(Limited 4*) “Little Summer Vacation” Blast Damage Up [35%] & Damage Up [15%] (Self / 1 Turn)

(Limited 4*) “Greetings from the Tokime Clan” Blast Damage Up [35%] & Attack Up [40%] (Self / 1 Turn)

You might be able to notice that “Little Summer Vacation” is the free version of the unlimited four-star memoria “Behind the Scene Performance,” which gives 40% Blast Damage Up and 20% Damage Increase when max awaked. Strictly speaking, “Behind the Scene Performance” is better to use when it’s Max Awakened because of its better percentages, stats, and cooldown. But what if you only have one copy of “Behind the Scene Performance?” Funny enough, a single copy of “Behind the Scene Performance” and the already max-awakened “Little Summer Vacation” give the same percentages for Blast Damage Up (35%) and Damage Up (15%).

That means a single copy of “Behind the Scene Performance” is the same as “Little Summer Vacation;” however there are still small differences that might lead you to choose one over the other. “Little Summer Vacation” will have better passive DEF stats as it’s fully awakened, while “Behind the Scene Performance” still manages to have a better cooldown as a single copy (7 turns versus 8 turns). So which one you use depends on your needs-- do you want more protection on your character? Then “Little Summer Vacation” is better. Do you want a slightly shorter cooldown? Then “Behind the Scene Performance” is better.

Overall though, “Little Summer Vacation” is still pretty nice for free-to-play players. It should be very useful on Blast Damage teams-- spreading out the damage buff over Damage Up and Blast Damage Up means it’ll be harder to cap on either of them, particularly helpful for Blast Damage Up when it’s so easy to do so.

You can equip this on your Supports if you wish; just make sure they have two or more blast discs and can reasonably expect to use them.

Whales, Dolphins, and long-term players can expect this memoria to be Enhancement Fodder. There are better memoria to use-- “Consult the Closet” and “Greetings from the Tokime Clan” are both better memoria to consider.