#they are me fe awakening style ship

[frostwork]

Superconduct

Using the pose from The Kiss by Francesco Hayez. Hello 4 other people in kaeqing nation.

[childofaura]

Do you ship characters in FE? If so, what are your top 10?

Oh GOSH I honestly don't know if I can boil it down to a top 10, given how Awakening and Fates are practically structured around shipping, it'll be hard to narrow it down. But I'll try, and I'll add some honorable mentions at the end (including my crackship 3Hopes shipping of F!Shez and Miklan).

Ryoma and Orochi. This support was honestly so endearing to me, as Orochi had a genuine desire to see Ryoma smiling and being happy. And Ryoma found solace in spending his time with Orochi, plus their S-Support is just so goofy and cute. The fact that they both bond over Mikoto too is just what makes the support. Also funny enough, I definitely see Shiro's physical design having both traits of Ryoma and Orochi, like how his hair is spiky in the back like Ryoma's, but has that bang curve like Orochi's.

Kellam and Olivia. These two were MADE for each other, the woman who hates to be seen and the man who can't be seen by anyone. I think it's sweet how Kellam slips things into her belongings and when it comes to the S-rank, it's all the more adorable. And the SIZE DIFFERENCE, she's tiny and dainty and he's just armored out the wazoo.

Manuela and Seteth. The support starts off funny enough, but there's just something about their dynamic that really ignites the chemistry these two seem to have, moreso than Hanneman and Manuela (in my opinion). Seteth is strict and more distant while Manuela is carefree and comfortable, and I think it brings out interesting sides in both (such as Seteth offering to go drinking with her and Manuela sharing her story about hearing Rhea singing). Also because Manuela and Flayn's support is also incredibly adorable, Manuela would make a great step-mother for Flayn with how well she treats her.

Leo and Charlotte. Everybody likes pairing Xander and Charlotte more most of the time, but I think what's wonderful about Leo's support with Charlotte is how he validates her feelings and praises her power while knowing how unfair it is that people would treat her lesser for being strong. Plus I like the dynamic of smaller, slender Leo being carried by his powerhouse of a wife Charlotte. And I also think that it makes Charlotte's support with Forrest very sweet because she knows what it's like to be seen by others as abnormal.

Hortensia and Fogado. I've explained it numerous times before, but this one I see as more a friendship set while they're both teens that ends up turning into feelings when they're adults and meet each other again. Basically the story idea (that I WILL write someday, I swear!) I have is that Hortensia, at 19 or 20 years old, is an advisor and a diplomat to Ivy during the recovery of Elyos and its nations, but feels unfulfilled by all the bureaucratic work as she feels it's not making as much of a difference to the smaller towns and villages of Elusia; she discloses a lot of this to Rosado. Rosado in turn writes to Fogado detailing some of these laments, in a request for him to come to Elusia in a surprise visit to take Hortensia out on some Sentinel-style missions for the Elusians. They do, in which not only does Hortensia feel like she's finally doing some direct worthwhile good for the Elusians, but also starts catching serious feelings for Fogado as they're working together and when she finally admits this, it actually shocks Fogado because he'd NEVER think someone would seriously fall for him like that with all his playful flirting. Romance happens, blah blah blah, they get married, and they alternate Sentinel work in both Solm and Elusia. The end.

Panne and Lon'qu. This one is definitely one of those ships that just fits like a puzzle piece for me; both have some serious trauma that they carry around, to the point where both of them are afraid of being near each other. But then they both open up and share their vulnerability, to which I think makes it an extra sweet ship. Plus I like Lon'qu's "Taguel or not, you're just the woman I love." And also, as someone once pointed out, it's hilarious when Yarne has two of Awakening's biggest hard-asses as parents.

Sylvain and Mercedes. Holy SHIT these two are perfect for each other. It was super hard for me to really click with shipping some of the students, but Sylvain and Mercie are set up so perfectly for each other. Sylvain talks to Mercie very honestly, without the usual overabundance of flirting, and Mercie treats him very sweetly, which I think kind of nurses the wounds of his trauma with Crests since she knows that pain as well. Plus their joking about "crest babies" always makes me laugh.

Gregor and Cordelia. Finding Cordelia a support where she DOESN'T keep fawning over Chrom is super rare, and pairing her with Gregor is, to me, one of the actually fulfilling ships she has. Especially after Gregor admits to himself that he fell in love with Cordelia, but knows (at least he thinks he does) that she's not interested in him. So when she DOES come back to him and admit her feelings, it's so satisfying watching him getting flustered and watching Cordelia explain that she lost her feelings for Chrom when she realized that Gregor was supporting her this whole time. And I feel like Gregor makes the best father for Severa.

Elise and Laslow. HRNNNGH THE SWEETNESS OF THIS SHIP. Elise is so bouncy and happy and warm, and the way that she pulls Laslow into making the dance game is adorable. But I think the biggest (and also kind of saddest) part of the ship that makes it for me is when Elise asks why Laslow would fall in love with her, because she's not curvy or busty like Camilla is. And Laslow just replies that she's her own woman and it's the qualities about HER that he loves, not someone else. These two would be happy with each other for a LONG time.

Camilla and Odin. I know I complain about Camilla, but that's mostly from a FEH perspective. I actually really like her character, and her support with Odin is one of the good reasons why. She's not rude or derogatory or put-off by Odin's eccentricities, but rather she's patient and kind and even encouraging to him. In their A-Support where she talks about her identity, I think that's a big thing for both of them because she, as an illegitimate princess, doesn't really fully grasp her place in the Nohrian noble hierarchy, but the identity of her armor helps solidify HER identity. And identity is a huge thing for Odin, he has to keep his a secret from everyone. Also it's sad because Odin himself knows how annoying he comes off as, and even tells Camilla that he's ready to hear her rejection and is shocked when she reciprocates his feelings. Oh and you CAN'T tell me that Camilla isn't a perfect mother for Ophelia. I adore their mother-daughter relationship.

So yeah, I'd say those are mostly my top 10 that I can think of. I know for a fact that I'll be crying later over some big ones I probably forgot, but for now these ones are the big ones. Some special mentions are Hinoka and Silas (because I think their ship potential is vast but their actual support was kind of disappointing. Both of them became knights to find Corrin again, and all they talk about is... Nohrian/Hoshidan relationships), Vaike and Sully, Azura and Subaki, Chrom and Sumia, and Frederick and Miriel. Oh, and also every one of my self-ship/Avatar ships, which is Priam, Shura, Dedue, and Zelkov. Also in FEH, it's a little weird but I ship Ross from Sacred Stones with Flayn, I have my reasons. And finally, as I mentioned above, my F!Shez and Miklan ship.

[milfishing]

i...attempted drawing morgan in the fe fates style :0  i feel like he would be a strategist! it’d be cute if he were elise’s retainer; i feel like their personalities would go well together!  he’d prolly go by marc lol 

also!! bonus doodle lol 

even after years i’m still weak for morgan/severa lol  i feel guilty about pairing with anyone else in fates, so i ended up doing this skdfjkdf

[veebs-hates-video-games]

I finally finished Fire Emblem: Awakening, and it was completely ridiculous and a lot of fun for the most part. I think it's the first time I've played a FE game since the GC/Wii era and also probably the first time I've actually finished one.

I know the Gamers™ and other traditionalists probably hate it, but I'm a big fan of the addition of casual mode. I only had anyone die a handful of times anyway, but not feeling like I have to reload my save and redo levels because of permadeath makes it a lot more approachable for me. Not having to be perfect all the time means I can play more easily when my brain isn't having a great day, and it already takes way more than long enough to finish the game as is.

I knew the story was supposed to be fairly ridiculous, but I wasn't prepared for just how much or in what ways. There are so many time travel shenanigans, and they just keep piling on more as you get toward the end. So many of the characters are very silly and very entertaining too, and they represent a wide variety of ways to be a complete disaster. I'd start talking about which ones I had the most fun with, but we'd still be here 17 paragraphs from now...

The tactics-style gameplay isn't really my favorite, but I like it enough and adjusted to it quickly enough that it wasn't a problem. I appreciate that FE still sticks with mostly 1-2 digit numbers. There aren't very many RPGs that still feel like tabletop games in that way these days.

My biggest complaint is that even though a lot of the support conversations are great, grinding them out takes forever if you want to see more of them than you'd just unlock through normal play...and when what you'd see without grinding is probably like 10% of the total, that's kind of a problem. The items that raise support levels are extremely rare, and doing it through combat is extremely tedious even with all animations disabled and holding the fast forward button the whole time. I would love to see more of the support conversations, but I already spent way more time than I'd like holding the A button to fast forward while looking at stuff on my computer at the same time...

A side effect of that was some of my characters getting super overleveled about halfway through the game and nothing ever really taking any effort after that point...until I wanted to do the Future Past DLC maps, which were enough of a jump up from what I'd been doing that I just couldn't be bothered after like 55 hours of the base game.

It was a slightly disappointing way to end my time with it, but the main game itself was still a lot of fun. It's also the first game in a while that I actually finished without getting distracted and bouncing around between several others before eventually coming back to finish it. Just next time let me ship my characters with each other a bit more easily...

(I will get to Fates and Three Houses eventually, but "next time" probably won't be for a while because I'm a little burned out on Fire Emblem right now...)

[r0tten-rainbow]

🌈💝Hello lovelies! 💝🌈

I made this blog for kidcore/nostalgic stuff, artwork, decora/pastel/kidcore fashion, my special interests. Everything here is 100% SFW and discourse free. Everyone is welcome unless you fall under the categories listed below in the DNI.

Serious personal content will be very rare but block the tag "#serious tw" just in case if you don't want to see it!

⚠️Please be warned that this blog will ocassionally contain harsh colors, eyestrain inducing images, and animated gifs that may contain flashing, stroving, or overstimulating effects ⚠️

◇DNI IF...◇

-You are a kink, NSFW blog

-You are exclusionary of ace, pan, trans, or microlabels

-You are a bigot of any kind

-You're colorist, anti-blm, or fetishize POC

-You support autism speaks

-You police trans identities

-You are are a map/nomap/map supporter/map apologist

-You support, engage in, or tolerate cringe culture

☆SPECIAL INTERESTS AND SHIPS☆

Video Games

☆Persona 2 and 4

☆Watchdogs 2

☆ Fire Emblem Three Houses

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

☆ The Sims 4

☆Final Fantasy XV

☆Yakuza

☆Stardew Valley

☆Rune Factory (all of 'em)

Anime and Manga

☆ Nanbaka

☆ Gintama

☆ Tiger and Bunny

●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

Comfort Ships

☆ Marcus x Wrench (Watchdogs 2)

☆ Yu x Yusuke (Persona 4)

☆ Ignatz x Marianne (FE:3H)

☆ Linhardt x Caspar (FE:3H)

☆ Ashe x Cyril (FE:3H)

☆ Chrom x M/F Robin (FE: Awakening)

☆ Vaike x Miriel (FE: Awakening)

☆ Eikichi x Lisa (Persona 2: Innocent Sin)

☆ Jyugo x Uno (Nanbaka)

☆ Rock x Liang (Nanbaka)

☆ Upa x Nico (Nanbaka)

☆ Tama x Yamazaki (Gintama)

☆ Gintoki x Hasegawa (Gintama)

☆ Otae x Kyuubei (Gintama)

☆ Ikumatsu x Katsura x Saito (Gintama)

☆ Sougo x Hijikata (Gintama)

☆ Komatsu x Barnaby (Tiger and Bunny)

☆ Kaito x Gakupo (Vocaloid)

□F.A.Q.□

What is kidcore?

-Kidcore is an aesthetic based around bright colors and 90s/early 2000s nastolgia.

What is decora?

-Decora is a fashion style originating in Japan that consists of bright, bold colors, many layers, childlike motifs, and many accessories.

Is this a kidcore/decora/etc. a k!nk thing?

Why do you type so much/give to many details?

-NO!🙅🏿🚫 Kidcore is about embracing nastolgia, self expression, and enjoying colorful and innocent things. Some people (myself included) also use it to cope with bad feelings and childhood trauma. There will be absolutely no NSFW content on this blog and all NSFW/K!nk accounts will be blocked to keep myself and my followers safe. K!NK BLOGS DON'T INTERACT!!!🚨

This is unfortunately something I can't really help. Due to being autistic and my secluded upbringing I have a variety of communication and expression issues. I struggle to know how to make things concise while still expressing myself properly and it helps to ensure I'm more likely to be able to say what I mean and avoid miss communications.

Why do you use so many emojis?

-For two reasons:

1.) They are colorful and cute!🌈

2.) I am autistic so communication and tone is hard, especially online! Using lots of emojis helps me to express myself and my intentions better. I also use lots of exclamations and capital letters when I'm happy or excited as well I promise I'm not yelling at you!😊

What are your favorite nostalgic toys?

I love barbies, beanie babies, littlest petshop, tamagotchi, and furbies!!💖

What kind of dolls do you have? Where do you get them?

My dolls are called BJDs which stands for "Ball Jointed Dolls". They are resindolls that are handmade by artists. They are collectors items, not children's toys you can get in a store.

Please check out Resinsoul, Alice's Collections, and Denver Doll Emporium if you are looking for one of your own!😊

[professor-tammi]

okay I've been playing Three Houses almost non-stop since release and. oh my god I love this game so much it’s SO GOOD!! Fire Emblem is back for real... I actually shed tears of joy over how much I’m enjoying FE3H thank you IntSys :D

some non-spoilery impressions (I’ll make a longer post with spoilery ones after this):

I went with the Blue Lions and don’t regret my choice one bit, the cast feels like the most down-to-earth one out of the bunch and all of the characters are fairly lovable (whereas eg Golden Deer have some rather one-note or just plain boring characters like Raphael and Ignatz, and Black Eagles have uhhh Bernadetta, who is too gimmicky for my tastes, although still certainly way better than the gimmicky characters Awakening/Fates were)

the “Persona”-style stuff is fun imo and I like walking around and seeing what all of the characters have to say about recent story events after every chapter, I’ve always wanted FE games to let even the more minor characters contribute to or comment on the story (outside of supports, that is!) and this accomplishes that

full voice acting is actually pretty nice and the dub is stellar (outside of some one-off NPCs who show up to say one line in a random support and have pretty poor voice acting, but all the named characters are good, which is what matters)

there’s so much in this game that reminds me of Tellius and I love it!! even beyond the obvious stuff like “you play as the child of the leader of a mercenary company”, “there’s a timeskip at some point”, “former allies end up fighting against each other”, “there’s a massive empire that controls half the region”, and “the church is really important”, the overall pacing of the story feels rather similar as well. I’m so glad

as far as characters go my absolute favorites so far are Dimitri (wow hmm it’s almost as if I have a thing for normally kind characters with a so-called “darker side”, almost as if, my avatar is one as well!!), Felix (he’s kind of like a non-racist Shinon. how can one man be so rude. how does he do it. oh my god), aaand Edelgard but I’ll leave that for the spoilers post

I feel I have to note Sylvain caught me totally off-guard bc I was expecting to hate him as I’m normally not fond of womanizer characters but he has a lot going on beyond that and is actually really well-written. I’m shocked

also thank you IntSys for giving me another cute lord/vassal relationship with Dimitri/Dedue even if the game makes it pretty explicitly familial... that said my favorite supports for Dimitri are probably with Felix (yeah I don’t normally like rival ships... buuut...) and Marianne (still need to get their A rank, though!)

the worldbuilding and lore for this game is fantastic, and presumably draws some inspiration from Jugdral, but unlike Jugdral all of the concepts are actually there in the game instead of in random interviews and supplementary material. so good :D!

[sugarbubbleslove]

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

One thing I love about this game (For spoilers, well not really but I’m putting it under as a safe measure)

Don’t want this showing up on your dash - blacklist - Fire Emblem: Three Houses, FE:TH Spoilers, FE: Three Houses

- I’m restricted in my romances per house. Thank the fucking lord for that. It means I spend less time grinding and more time loving (once you figure out what the hell is going on).

I actually like it this way. Don’t get me wrong, I love Awakening and all my characters, but sometimes I felt there was too many of them at the same time and it was a mad dash to try and get everyone paired up.

In this - because the only one who actually gets the ‘s’ support is Byleth, it makes it more fun. Plus I have so much fun shipping everyone because everyone is so shippable.

Right now - I’m currently playing the Black Eagle Route. And I got so confused with Sylvain because I swore he was a Blue Lion but there he was - yet he wasn’t showing in up in cutscenes. Turns out he swaps houses if you are playing as a female.

There goes the love. But that just makes it really awkward because I really like him but I don’t want him in all of my houses otherwise I’ll probably end up romancing him the most. Meh.

Slowly working on getting the rest of the ‘s’ support for those who are in my group. And I like I can give gifts and lost items (but seriously - how many things can you possibly lose? I keep expecting Byleth to inform them all to keep their stuff safe or expect a bonfire one night).

So it looks like Blue Lions will be next. You know, once I take a breather from this game (probably when we have a blue moon).

But holy shit - Rhea is such a nutty basketcase. God, I was so glad that I listened to Jeralt and kept my distance. Plus it doesn’t help that I am not an actual fan of the church in real life so it helps me to be suspicious.

Wish me luck! I’ll get back to it later on tomorrow.

Ps - Female Byleth is so H.O.T. Seriously, I’m digging her outfit and her style. Plus I really like the new style after a certain scene. She rocks. Can’t wait to see how I play as a male one (Which will be after I’ve completed all three with a female because I love her...too much)

It really doesn’t help I don’t know who to complete the playthrough with. I love everyone so far. Thankfully ‘S’ support happens near the end so I don’t need to worry too much about triggering it earlier and getting myself locked.

[fe-cipher-secret-shop]

FE Item Sale

Hi all~

As promised to some people, I’m selling the spare notebooks from my FE Cipher special event as standalone items. I’ll also be selling my spare sticker sheets from the special event part 2. (Sticker sheets are now sold out). No card purchase required. The notebooks will cost $10 each and the stickers will cost $5 per sheet. The notebooks come with 3 available styles while the stickers have 2 styles.

Notebooks: SOLD OUT

Ephraim/Eirika sold out

Caeda/Lissa sold out

Faye/Delthea SOLD OUT

Sticker sheets: SOLD OUT

Style 1 sold out

Style 2 sold out

Since international shipping is quite expensive, I’ll have to limit this sale to the US only unfortunately. Apologies for anyone interested living in other countries.

Shipping on the notebooks will start at $7 while shipping on the stickers will start at $4.

No card purchase is required but if you want cards you CAN combine shipping of these items with cards. Would be smarter and cheaper to send them together versus two separate packages.

Send me a message if anything interests you! Thanks for all of your continued patronage.

(*Also set 12 will be out soon which includes cards from Tellius, Awakening, and Genealogy! Hope you are all looking forward to it!)

[orbemnews]

Not Your Pre-Pandemic Las Vegas A decade ago, after a rained-out Thanksgiving desert camping trip with our five kids, my wife, Kristin, and I headed to the nearest available lodging, the now-shuttered Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Watching our brood eat their Thanksgiving meal as cigarette smoke and slot-machine clamor wafted over their cheeseburgers, Kristin and I locked eyes with an unspoken message: We ar­­e the world’s worst parents. We have avoided Las Vegas with the kids since then, but an aborted drive to slushy Aspen this April with three of our heirs caused us to pause in Vegas. At the time, the city was just awakening from its Covid slumber, with mandatory masks and limited capacity in most indoor spaces, traffic so light that cars were drag-racing down the normally packed Strip, and a lingering, troubling question over the whole place: Will this reopening really be safe? But extraordinary things have been happening during this slumber, and while we were only going to spend one night there, we had so much fun that we ended up staying four. At first we spent most of our time in the relative safety of the outdoors, but then we started to relax along with the rest of the city, drowning our hands beneath the ubiquitous liquid sanitizer dispensers, masking up and heading indoors. I knew things had shifted in Sin City when, while maneuvering the minivan through some seemingly dicey neighborhood between Downtown and the Strip, I noted on the back alley wall of a hair salon a striking mural depicting the cult outsider artist Henry Darger’s seven Vivian Girl warriors in their trademark yellow dresses. What were the Vivian Girls doing here? Farther along, Vegas’s ghost-town adult stores, shuttered warehouses and other buildings were also sporting increasingly elaborate murals: a blood-squirting horned lizard spanning half a city block; a dog with an impressively slobbering tongue piloting an open cockpit plane; a colorful phoenix and dragon rising like fireworks from an empty parking lot — all producing collective surprised “Wows!” from inside our minivan. Las Vegas, it seems, is emerging from the Covid crisis as a place of spectacle and creativity, especially outside the air-conditioned gambling ghettos of the Strip. Over the next four days we did a lot of walking, crawling, flying and even railroading, all of it away from the casinos. We explored the Arts District, an area that has gone into hyper drive — so much so that we waited 30 minutes to get into my once “secret” Colombian breakfast joint, Makers & Finders — and wandered along Spring Mountain Road, the hub of the city’s Chinatown, rapidly expanding westward. In the midcentury mecca of East Fremont Street, a $350 million investment by the tech titan Tony Hsieh, who died last year, has produced a boulevard of fantastical art installations, restored buildings and a sculptural playground surrounded by stacked shipping containers converted to boutiques and cafes, all guarded by a giant, fire-spewing, steel praying mantis. “Vegas is going through a cultural renaissance,” a former member of the city’s Arts Commission, Brian “Paco” Alvarez, told me in a recent telephone interview. “A lot of the local culture that comes out of a city with two million unusually creative people didn’t stop during the pandemic.” A mysterious, windowless building The most striking newcomer is Area15, which opened in February in a mysterious, airport-hanger-size, windowless building two miles west of the Strip. Imagine an urban Burning Man mall (indeed, many of the sculptures and installations came from the annual arts festival held in northern Nevada), with some dozen tenants providing everything from virtual reality trips to nonvirtual ax throwing, accompanied by Day-Glo color schemes, electronic music, giant interactive art installations and guests flying overhead on seats attached to ceiling rails. Face masks are currently only mandatory in Area15 for self-identified unvaccinated people, though some of the attractions within still require face masks for everyone. Everywhere, we encountered the constant presence of cleaning attendants spraying and wiping surfaces. On the second floor of Area15’s art riot I met an old acquaintance from New York, Chris Wink, one of the co-founders of the joyously weird Blue Man Group, who was bringing his creative magic to Area15 in the form of a “Psychedelic Art House Meets Carnival Funhouse” called Wink World (adult tickets start at $18). Wink World is centered around six rooms with infinity mirror boxes reflecting Slinkys, plasma balls, fan spinners, Hoberman Spheres and ribbons dancing to an ethereal soundtrack of electronic music, rhythmic chanting and heavy breathing. “I worked on these installations for six years in my living room in New York,” Mr. Wink told me. “I was trying to evoke psychedelic experiences without medicine.” My unmedicated children were transfixed, as if these familiar toys frolicking into eternity were totems to their own personal nirvanas. I’ve never seen them stand so still in front of an art exhibit. Lava-filled caves and artificial lawns Omega Mart (adult admissions start at $45, face mask and temperature check mandatory), the biggest attraction in the complex, lines one side of the complex’s atrium and seemed — at first — to provide a banal respite from Area15’s sensory overload. Along the sale aisles I found Nut Free Salted Peanuts, Gut Monkey Ginger Ale and cans of Camels Implied Chicken Sop. My kids, good campers, immediately ducked into a small demonstration tent erected in the back of the store. They never came out again. A hidden entry brought them through the wall and into a world of artificial lawns, lava-filled caves, drab offices, a desert canyon, locker rooms, a secret bar and other divergent spaces often linked by hidden entrances. “Pull every knob and open every closet you see, Dad,” my daughter, Vivian, breathlessly advised as she whizzed by me for the fourth time in this 52,000-square-foot maze. Created by the renowned Santa Fe artist collective Meow Wolf (the name derived from pulling two random words from a hat during their first meeting), Omega Mart is an amalgamation of some 325 artists’ creations tied together by disparate overlapping story lines which one can follow — or not. For a short time, I tracked the story of the takeover of Omega Mart’s corporate headquarters by a hilariously manipulative New Agey daughter, and then got sidelined into the tale of a teen herbalist leading a rebellion to something else. I have no idea what I experienced other than that Brian Eno composed the music to one of the installations. None of my kids could explain what they experienced either, other than something mind-expanding. If it wasn’t for dinner, we might still be in there. Feasting in Chinatown Dinner! The choices are dizzying and there are now 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in the city. We weren’t going to any of them. Leaving Area15, even the distant lights of the Strip seemed relatively calming. But we were driving the opposite direction, to Chinatown. A decade ago, Chinatown was mainly a small enclave of restaurants and shops behind an ornate red gate overlooking a strip mall called Chinatown Plaza, catering to Vegas’s growing wave of Asian immigrants. Chinatown has now expanded to the far reaches of Spring Mountain Road, a desert Hong Kong of neon signs in Mandarin, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean, advertising restaurants, coffee houses, foot-massage salons and lots of stuff I couldn’t read. Our goal was an unlikely corner of a strip mall, where hides, in the Jones family’s collective opinion, the best Japanese restaurant in North America, Raku. Step behind an understated white backlit sign and you enter an aged wood interior of an intimate restaurant that you might find off a Kyoto alley. We slid into the family-style tables behind the main dining room and commenced to feast. There’s a $100 tasting menu if you are feeling adult, but my tribe ordered cream-like tofu with dried fish, foie gras skewers and a dozen other items. Chinatown became our go-to-spot for snacks and boba tea between adventures. A favorite spot became Pho 90, a low-key Vietnamese cafe with outstanding noodle dishes and exquisitely layered banh mi sandwiches for picnics in the wild. Beyond the city Las Vegas’s expanding grid abruptly surrenders to the desert, which might be the most overlooked part of Vegas family vacations. Red Rock Canyon, 17 miles west of the Strip, is like walking into a Road Runner cartoon with a Technicolor ballet of clashing tectonic formations. We grabbed our admittedly reluctant brood on a 2.4-mile, round-trip hike on the Keystone Thrust Trail through a series of gullies until we emerged above epic white limestone cliffs jutting through the ocher-colored mountains. Here we had our Vietnamese picnic overlooking the monolithic casinos in the distance. Our last night’s excursion into nature didn’t take any persuasion: Half an hour’s drive south to Boulder City, a company called Rail Explorers has set up rail bike tours on the abandoned tracks leading to the Hoover Dam construction site. We booked a sunset tour (from $85 to $150 for a tandem quad bike). After some quick instruction, we, along with three dozen other visitors, climbed into an 800-pound, four-person Korean-made bike rig and, giving the group ahead of us a three-minute head start for some space, started peddling. Our route was along four miles of desert track gently sloping into a narrowing canyon pass. As we effortlessly peddled at 10 miles per hour, we noticed that the spikes holding down the railroad ties were often crooked or missing. “I bet these were all driven in by hand,” my teenage son, Cody, a history buff, noted. In the enveloping dusk, we glimpsed shadows moving along the sagebrush: bighorn sheep, goats and other critters emerging for their nocturnal wanderings. But the most surreal sight was at the end of the ride, where a giant backlit sign for a truck stop casino appeared over a desert butte — Vegas was beckoning us back, but now we welcomed the summons. Here we were, peddling into the sunset, feeling more athletic, cool and (gasp!) enlightened than when we first rolled into Vegas four days ago. Oh what good parents we were! “The moniker of ‘Sin City’ is totally wrong,” Mr. Alvarez told me, “if you know where to look.” Source link Orbem News #Las #prepandemic #Vegas

[blazing-emblem]

So... what are your FE rarepairs?

Hoho! OHOHOHOHO~ Someone asked again :D I answered an ask like this before, so I’ll answer with other pairings.

Like before, I will only say some of my rare pairs (since most of them are rare pairs) from the games I played, which are Awakening, Fates, Echoes, and Heroes.

Awakening

Henry/Cherche (Chenry): I really love this pair ;v; Their supports just occur naturally into romance, and I really love it. And while spending time together on patrols, Cherche brings out Henry’s real smile and makes him more comfortable to be around humans, and Henry knows more about Cherche and what she does and will do. What is also great about this pairing is that Henry likes Minerva! And actually talks with her and bonds with her! Minerva is really close to Cherche, so I thought that whoever her spouse is, should be accepted by Minerva too. And Henry was the guy!

Also, they both like weird things that others dont. Henry likes blood and murder, and Cherche likes bugs (dead or alive). I think that they’d have fun together, fangirling over the things they like with each other.

Stahl/Tharja (Stahrja): I don’t know…what drew me to this pairing exactly…but I thought that their supports were cute! XD Stahl notices how Tharja is not eating properly, is worried about her, then goes to give her food. And she takes it! With skepticism, yeah, but at least she took it. And…she hexed him, too.

But come cute things came because of that hex. Have you read what Stahl said how he made her feel!? “My heart bounds like a thousand fluffy kittens” and “I hunger for you with the passion of ten thousand dying suns! I can’t breathe around you.” (he said that last part without the hex, but he thought he still had it, so it counts) ISN’T THAT THE MOST CHEESIEST THING!!! BUT IT’S SO CUTE!

Also, I think he and Noire are very close. He grew up in an apothecary, so I’d like to think that when Noire was young, since she has anemia, Stahl tended to her and made her feel better. And they both have bad bed heads (as mentioned in the Future Past DLC), so he’ll spend a lot of time combing out her hair in the morning. Dads combing (and styling) their daughter’s hair is just so goooooddd 👌 👌 👌

Fates

Takumi/Rinkah (Rinkumi): In Fates, some of my pairings turned out to have themes, and Rinkumi is one of them. I call them the Hunting Family. Because they like to hunt together. Having a similar pastime with your pair is nice! They’d get to plan together, work together, and eat together. That experience would naturally bring people closer.

It also makes sense for Rinkah to make sure that Kiragi studies well because she’s a royal too (considering how she’s the chief’s daughter, she’s basically a royal). She wants to make sure that her son knows things other than hunting.

Jakob/Hana (Jakana): This is one of my dorky pairings. Hana’s like, We’re the same, pal” and Jakob’s like “No, we’re not.” And then he eventually agrees. I find their bickering amusing. And then they spar and become closer that way. Becauuuseee BONDING TIME~

And their S-Support is really cute and funny too!

Hana: “So, who’s the lucky person?”Jakob: “You, actually.”Hana: “Who’s Yew? Did they join our group recently?”

At that moment, I’m pretty sure Jakob had a deadpanned face. “Why did I fall in love with her again?” But I loved is and that was what made me consider them as one of my favorite pairings XD Because I like dorks.

Echoes

Kliff/Faye (Klifaye): For Echoes, there’s really not much shipping going on besides the canon pairs, and I pretty much see everyone as friends. BUT after I saw Yuruya draw a short, angsty comic between them, I was hooked XD ANGST??? 👀 👀 👀  SIGN ME UP

And also, in my playthrough, I made them both horse riders (Faye as a Gold Knight and Kliff as an archer), so I’d like to think that when training how to ride their horses, they had to be taught together by Clive and Mathilda.

Heroes

Fjorm/Laevatein (Fjorvatein): I know eeeeeveryone is just crazy about Fjorena, but I personally…can’t see a romance growing between them. It’s more like a sister bond for me. (pleasedontattackmeit’sjustanopinion) What drew me instead was the dynamic between the fire and ice princesses.

Fjorm is soft spoken, kind, and has a warm demeanor. Laevatein on the other hand, is the total opposite. And even their appearances are opposites (I know it was an intentional design, but it’s a nice touch to someone who likes dynamic in pairings ok? ;w;). But even with their differences in personalities, they do have similarities. They’re both the younger princesses, both are good fighters, and they both are dedicated to their kingdoms. *snaps fingers* They’re foils! No wonder I like them. They complement each other.

I talked about this with @fortheloveofreya​, and she mentioned that if Fjorm canonically has an ice-cold touch, then Laevatein must have a burning touch. AND (as she quoted) TOGETHER THEY MAKE A NORMAL PERSON! XD I thought it was just cute. They can touch the other without worrying about their body temperatures :’)

[bsinoranges]

Tagged

I was tagged by @lethesomething, so heyy.

10 Random Facts about myself:

I play the violin. But I’m a beginner that’s still stuck on scales and twinkle twinkle little star.

Way back in the fifth grade, I once won an award for being Most Industrious, and I still don’t know how and why I was given this.

I got my phobia of spiders from when a kid placed a rubber spider on top of my head as a prank. It got tangled in my hair and i was never the same since.

There are a pack of morning glory seeds I have yet to plant lying somewhere at home.

The first language I learned was English, as opposed to my country’s national language, which I learned when I was five or six. (Shocking but not really, since I live in a bilingual country. But still.)

My first phone lived for a week before it died because I accidentally dropped a cow-shaped sharpener on the screen.

My friends tell me that one of my special skills is my uncanny ability to trip over anything and nothing at random times.

When I was still a first year in college (which is to say, last school year) I bought one whole rotisserie chicken and ate it by myself. Worst choice ever. But my favorite food story to tell. Strangely enough, this experience hasn’t stopped me from wanting to eat a bucket of chicken on my own.

I have kept a writing/drawing/creative journal for the past four years, I’m on my fourth journal I think?

The first story I ever wrote was Barbie Princess and the Pauper fan fiction. I think it was about the magical power of friendship embodied in a magical staff. There were royal sleepovers, singing, kidnapping, self-sacrifice, and great magical defense type moves. I never finished it.

5 OTPS/SHIPS:

(in no particular order, also Mustang/Hawkeye for life)

YachixEveryone except the Karasuno third years. (HQ!!). Shocking.

Alice/Oz/Gilbert (Pandora Hearts)

Lissa/Lon’qu (FE: Awakening)

Yato/Hiyori (Noragami)

Mitsuhide/Kiki (Akagami no Shirayukihime)

Lethey’s Eleven Questions:

Which piece of fiction do you wish you’d written, and why? Hmmm. Mine? Because no amount of love for any series will make me wish I created it myself.

Coffee or tea? Tea. I like coffee too, but tea.

What’s your favourite game of all time and why? It’s a tie between Harvest Moon and Fire Emblem. I would say Zelda, but I watched my brother play it more than I’ve played it. Harvest Moon because it’s aesthetic, and I love how I can bounce between really relaxed to I-really-needed-to-buy-some-turnip-seeds stressed. Fire Emblem, because trying to be a badass strategist is awesome. Also turn-based games are my jam. (I can’t decide, so uh, have 2-3 of my favorite games of all time)

If you could have any kind of hairdo, what would it be? It’d be like Kill La Kill’s Ryuko’s hair when transformed, except less blown away, less flashy and longer. Also, I’d dye my hair grey, and blue in the inside (probably).

Your de-stress method of choice? Lying in bed and thinking of everything and nothing (or food and the various methods of preparation, presentation, and taste). Also listening to EDM or Classical Music.

Favourite guilty pleasure? That book, film of album that you really love but kinda have to hide when the cool people come over? I immensely enjoyed the first arc of Sword Art Online, because of all the things that could have happened. Also, I played Hakuoki and loved the hell out of it.

Biggest anime crush? Do I even. Eliot Nightray from Pandora Hearts. I love him so much.

Which dish or recipe do you wish you knew how to prepare flawlessly? Macaroni Soup. Or any kind of soup for that matter.

Chinese or western horoscope? Western. Only because I’m not really exposed to the Chinese one. I’m a scorpio? I was probably a sheep.

Is there a song that inspired you in life? If so which one? You Raise Me Up from Romeo X Juliet. The Japanese and the English Versions. Also I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You just sets  off millions of feels in me.

Is there a historic figure you’d like to have coffee with? Who? I’d drink coffee with uh, Shakespeare. I can ask what made him write them grim plays. And whether or not he liked Romeo and Juliet. 

My 11 Questions

Do you have any morbid or weird fascinations? For example, I have this weird fascination with the idea of human sacrifices, vessels, and stuff like that.

Favorite flower, and why?

Do you like puns? Why or why not?

How do you describe stuff/ what’s your favorite descriptive style in writing? (e.g. very detailed, with light, color, etc.)

Swords, lances, or axes?

Which do you prefer: soup, sauce, or a soup of sauce?

*eyebrow wiggle*, *finger guns*, or *winks*?

That color you say you hate but actually like.

What’s a hobby that not many people know you dabble in?

If you were going to be executed, would you rather face a firing squad or drink poison?

If you were given a chance to live again what would you want to be? (e.g. athlete, musician, ballerina, etc.)

I’m tagging @haruhi02 @smeboo1004 just because. Also, I like bothering you guys. So eh. @allthefujoshiunite if you don’t mind. @24-7-drunk-bangtan, heyyy. @usualcassey, hi jags. Do this if you want to. Happy answering!!

[ssteezyy]

9th Anniversary Celebration and BIG Giveaway

This giveaway is sponsored by participating brands and contains affiliate links*

Today is our 9th anniversary! I can’t believe it’s been nine years since I started this blog, inspired by Amber, the original Conscious Cat. And while this is a huge milestone for Allegra, Ruby and me, this day really belongs to you, our readers. Without you, we wouldn’t be here, and we appreciate you so much for reading, commenting, and sharing every day.

9 years – 3,291 posts – 82,477 comments – 12.5 million page views

Since March 1, 2009, we have brought you 3,291 new posts. 82,477 comments are a testament to the strength of our Conscious Cat community. And with more than 12.5 million page views, our site is reaching an ever growing audience of cat lovers who want the best for their feline family members.

The Conscious Cat has become the “go to” site for cat guardians looking for reliable information about cat health, behavior and nutrition, as well as new cat products, book reviews, and more. Our Conscious Cat Sunday feature provides feline wisdom and inspurr-ation each week.

223,670 Facebook Fans

Our community extends to our Facebook page, which, at 223,670 and counting, attracts new cat lovers who enjoy sharing their love for cats with a group of like minded people every day. It’s truly a joy to curate this page. We post unique content and lots and lots of cat photos and videos several times each day, and we love seeing your photos and contributions on the page. We’re also represented on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. The internet is truly a wonderful place when it creates thriving communities like ours.

Happy, Healthy Cats and Humans

But the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Behind these numbers are countless cats who live happier and healthier lives thanks to the information their humans have found on this site. There’s nothing that makes me happier than receiving messages from readers whose cats have been helped by the information found here.

To celebrate all of this bounty, and to thank all of you for reading, commenting and sharing, we have a BIG giveaway for you!

9th Anniversary Giveaway: 9 Grand Prizes, 9 Winners

We’re giving away a KIT-TY Tree Deluxe from Pet Tree Houses, a Sleepypod Air Carrier, a Neko Flies prize package, a $100 gift certificate from Triple T Studios, a prize package from Cats Rule, a Primetime Petz Lounge from Hauspanther, an Assisi Loop, a Jackson Galaxy prize package, and a Meowfia felted wool cat cave.

For instructions on how to enter to win, see the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post.

KIT-TY Tree Deluxe with Topper

This fabulous cat tree is a DIY (Do It Yourself) re-assembly Tree Kit. It has the same great quality materials and craftsmanship as Pet Tree Houses’ other trees, featuring real trees and silk foliage to bring the outside in for your cats. Providing 4 levels of pure fun, this tree stands nearly 72″ high. The real bark acts as a natural scratching post. The natural scent of the real trees is used to focus on the heightened sense of smell that all cats have. The sound of the leaves as the cats jump and play awakens their heightened sense of hearing. The carpets and leaves are removable for easy maintenance. Retail value: $495 plus $75 shipping.

Exclusive offer for Conscious Cat readers: Free shipping on the KIT-TY Tree Deluxe or KIT-TY Tree Standard (a $75.00 value!). Shipping in the Continental USA only. Enter Code CC9FS. Offer good through 4/30/2017.

Visit http://www.PetTreeHouses.com for more information and to purchase.

Sleepypod Air Carrier

If you’ve ever had to research traveling by plane with your cat, you have most likely run into confusing size restrictions, depending on which airline you check with. The Sleepypod Air’s innovative design addresses this issue by providing size versatility through flexibility. The unique design allows the carrier to contract to fit under the seat during takeoff and landing. Once the plane is in the air, the carrier can easily be expanded so that your cat can have the largest possible space underneath the seat. And of course, the Sleepypod Air also maintains the same strict safety standards as all of Sleepypod’s carriers and was put through the same safety testing that continues to position Sleepypod among one of the safest pet product manufacturers on the market.

For more information and to purchase, visit Sleepypod.com.

Neko Flies Prize Pack

Neko Flies are award winning interchangeable cat toys, sure to drive your fe-lion wild! This prize pack includes the Neko Flies Birbug and Foxifur Kittenator toys. Neko Flies toys are designed to entice cats with unique materials, in colors they can actually see, and by mimicking natural movements. With seven different toy options, you’re sure to find your cat’s favorite. Combined with the Ultimate Rod, your cats won’t be able to resist Neko Flies toys. The Ultimate Rod is a uniquely designed ‘fishing pole’ style rod, extendable to three different lengths; 17”, 25” and 32”. The string length of toys can be easily adjusted by attaching it to any of the four stainless steel guide rings, giving you even more ways to play.

Exclusive offer for Conscious Cat readers: Free shipping on orders over $30, US shipping addresses only. Use code CCSPR2018 at checkout. Offer valid through March 15, 2018.

See Neko Flies in action at nekoflies.com.

Cats Rule Prize Pack

Cats Rule salutes The Conscious Cat and the great work they do on their 9th Anniversary! Cats Rule provides smart solutions for cats and cat owners. They’ve put together a full suite of products including a Charlie’s Closed Box & Scoop Set, 2 Layer Litter Capture Mat, Stand Up & Scoop Extending Scoop (never bend to scoop again,) Watering Hole Automatic Water Fish Fountain and Shell Pad. This is a $115 value!

For more information, and to purchase, visit http://www.CatsRule.com.

Primetime Petz Pet Lounge from Hauspanther

The Primetime Petz Pet Lounge comes in two versions, one in white with a teal cover,  and one in natural wood with a taupe and off white cover. The covers are double-sided and reversible. Your cats won’t care about that, but it gives you the option to flip the cover for a different look. Assembly is super easy and doesn’t require any tools: simply snap the four pieces for the frame into place, and attach the cover by joining the clips together. The cover is easily removed for cleaning.

The Primetime Petz Lounge is available from Amazon in white/teal and natural/taupe with free shipping. You can also purchase the Pet Lounge from Hauspanther.

$100 Gift Certificate from Triple T Studios

Triple T Studios creates and curates uniquely designed handbags and accessories with feline finesse. Shop their cat inspired handbags, jewelry, scarves, and cat toys. Triple T Studios donates to global conservation projects including Lion Guardians Project, The Cheetah Conservation Fund, Panthera, and select domestic cat non-profit organizations. Triple T Studios motto is Fashion with a Passion™.

Exclusive 20% discount for Conscious Cat readers: use code ConsciousCat20. Code never expires.

For more information and to purchase, visit http://www.triple-t-studios.com.

Assisi Loop

The Assisi Loop provides safe and effective pain relief without adverse effects. The Assisi Loop features targeted pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (tPEMF™). This modality was first studied in the 1970s and is FDA-cleared for use in humans. It uses low-level pulses of electromagnetic energy to stimulate the body’s own healing mechanisms to help relieve pain, inflammation and swelling. You can find multiple accounts of how the Assisi Loop helped cats with varying conditions ranging from arthritis to post surgical pain to lymphoma here. Please note that the Assisi Loop requires a prescription from a veterinarian. Winner will need to provide a prescription in order to claim their prize.

For more information about how the Loop could help your cat, visit http://www.assisianimalhealth.com or contact Assisi Animal Health at info@assisianimalhealth.com, 866-830-7342.

Jackson Galaxy Prize Pack

This prize pack contains an assortment of toys and supplies from the Jackson Galaxy Collection by Petmate. All of the items are designed by the Cat Daddy himself, so you know your kitties will love everything in this prize pack. Actual prize pack may vary from the image shown above.

For more information about all of Jackson’s fantastic products for happier, healthier cats, visit JacksonGalaxy.com.

Meowfia Felted Wool Cat Cave

Meowfia Felted Wool Cat Caves are handmade from 100% Merino wool, a soft, lightweight natural fiber. Merino wool is breathable, keeping your cat warm in the winter or cool in warmer weather. The beds are safe and eco-friendly. There are no plastic or other man-made materials used. Merino wool naturally repels odor, dirt and stains. The caves can be hand washed in cold water with a mild detergent designed for wool, and should be air dried. Machine washing is not recommended.

Meowfia Felted Wool Cat Caves are available from Amazon in a variety of colors.

Enter to win one of 9 Grand Prizes – 9 Winners

For up to 13 ways to enter, see the Rafflecopter widget below. This giveaway is open to readers in the United States only, and ends Friday, March 31. Winners and prize will be chosen by random drawing.**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*FTC Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by the brands providing the prizes, which means that I was paid to feature this content. Regardless of payment received, you will only see products featured on this site that I believe are of interest to my readers. The Conscious Cat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon and affiliated sites. The Conscious Cat is an affiliate partner of Jackson Galaxy and Triple T Studios. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission.

**No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook. By entering this giveaway, you understand that you are providing your information to The Conscious Cat, and not to Facebook. We will never sell, rent or share your information with third parties. Winners will be notified via e-mail. Prize winner must provide The Conscious Cat with a physical address to which the prize will be mailed within 72 hours. If this information is not received, an alternate winner will be chosen by random drawing. Winners will be announced in a separate post following the drawing.

The post 9th Anniversary Celebration and BIG Giveaway appeared first on The Conscious Cat.