#they should feature me on my strange addiction

[dealerhand]

Haha imagine having all your tabs taken up by fanfics couldn’t be me.

[idyllcy]

from one admirer to another : how do you like your eggs?

pairing: leon kennedy x reader || masterpost: from one admirer to another

synopsis: from one admirer to another, an online penpal service, allows for two people with common interests to write to each other without ever revealing their actual address! Luckily for both you and Leon, you get matched up! What do eggs and Christmas even have in common anyway? sure hope it's that modeling business and NOT that Ada Wong addiction.

featuring: reader as scrambled eggs // leon as christmas

Dear scrambled eggs:

it feels strange to write to someone in such a format, but I suppose I should get used to it. We got paired up via from one admirer to another because of our shared passion for Ada Wong. I find it a little amusing that someone else just straight-up put a model's name instead of modeling on its own, but I'm glad you did.

As an ada stan, I feel the need to ask this immediately. How did you feel about her helicopter shoot? I'm hoping you aren't some weird stan like those... yeah. Also, while on that topic, if you're really as die-hard as me when I have free time, you should read glhf <3 by okaokra on ao3. It's gender-neutral, it's a great fic, unless, of course, you're too normal for reading fanfiction. In that case, maybe we can find another middle ground aside from Ada Wong.

Right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm user Christmas, a weird translation + twisting of my real name. I live in Raccoon City, and I model as a part-time job because of ... you guessed it, Ada. My dream role is to model with her, but considering that I'm only a local model, this is truly out of my reach. Maybe some strike of luck will help me?

I used to dream of being a cop until I got scouted off the street by some guy for modeling. Do you think I suit it? Who am I kidding, you have no idea what I even look like. Maybe you pass me on the covers of local magazines all the time if you live nearby. I'm not nearly as famous as Ada Wong, though, so I suppose I can never truly call myself a big model until I become someone like her. Even then, she's not a supermodel.

Tell me more about yourself, maybe? What's your favorite holiday? How do you like your eggs in the morning? Do you even eat eggs? Why the name "scrambled eggs" over anything else? What do you do in your free time— oh, I should answer that question.

I seldom have free time lately, but I feel like all I've been doing late is reading the fic that I mentioned earlier. Oh, right, hopefully you enjoy the sticker I got from a fan gathering. I did a little bit of research, and it seems pretty normal to send your penpal small trinkets in the letters, so we'll start with a sticker.

I thought the mail would be digital, and then I was notified that you would prefer physical mail — which, to be fair, I'm not complaining about. I think it would be funny to open a box of letters exchanged between a penpal and I 10 years down the line. Who knows, maybe you'll even be at my wedding.

Right, my apologies for a long first letter, but I'm excited to be starting this.

signing off, Christmas

Leon sends the mail the next morning, rubbing his eyes slowly as he rides the public transport to his next shoot, waving good morning to his manager as he sips on his coffee, hair blushed back and gelled, formal clothes handed to him. Leon finds that he doesn't really suit clothes like this, but for the camera, he puts up with just about everything. He finds it interesting that he would be modeling in clothes he hadn't liked wearing all that much.

"You have another shoot later today, and then you're off for the rest of the weekdays. You have another shoot over the weekend."

Leon nods, blinking slowly as the coffee shoots through his system and he's revived magically. It feels unreal. He's working as a model despite finishing the police academy at the top of his class. Is this what delusion and some sweet talking from a random agent can do to a person? It feels a little wasteful to let his training turn into this, but he's not complaining all that much. Yet. he meets eyes with the model he's supposed to be posing with, blinking in surprise. Wow. That appearance is lethal.

He waves at you, giving you a small smile as you wave back, smiling back.

"New?"

"Mm... moreso someone who doesn't like booking. My manager booked this months in advance, so I'm here." You stay still as the makeup artist finishes with you, Leon raising a brow as you give him a cheeky grin.

"Did you leave before your makeup was finished?"

"I wanted to meet you. I heard I was modeling with someone pretty well-known." You grin. "Leon Kennedy, was it?"

"Yes. Am I that big now?"

"Mm... you're quite a name amongst us local models." You tap your chin. "It's quite an honor modeling with you. I heard you have deadly biceps."

"Well, you can't see them through the suit."

"It comes off, no? I'll just fix it." You tilt your head.

"And how do I know you won't jump my bones?"

"Oh, please. I'm your coworker right now. I'm not someone sketchy." You roll your eyes, helping him free an arm as he flexes for you. You blink at his arms, raising a brow as you stare up at him. "Can I squeeze?"

"As long are you're not weird about it."

You grab his bicep, giving it a squeeze as you nod slowly. "God, I need your arm routine. You got a trainer? I'd like to get that contact."

Leon rolls his eyes, fighting the blush that threatens to creep up his neck from your skin contact. God, what is he? fourteen? Get a grip, Leon. "Gotta get that from my manager, then."

"Shame." You sigh, helping him put the suit jacket back. "Maybe the next time I bump into you, I'll have biceps of a greek god too."

"Leon, model two! You two are up!"

"Wow, they don't even name you?"

"Maybe I just like being mysterious."

start : masterlist : next letter

[help-itrappedmyself]

Clone!Izuku Part 2

I should be pacing myself and not giving you guys expectations by putting these out so close together. But Guys I am having the best time. I can already tell this is going to be my longest fic yet, it's over 1/3 of the way there already. So, take this because I found it hilarious.

Featuring Erasermic!

Aizawa Shouta is a sensible man. He is a realist, logical and steady. Very rarely can things truly surprise him, but as he arrives home after patrol he finds himself deeply confused and almost overwhelmingly uncertain. 

“Welcome home Sho!” He hears his husband call as he toes off his shoes. It’s early, his husband is making breakfast when Shouta comes in and slumps himself onto a stool in front of the kitchen counter. Zashi turns to look at him as he lays with his head on the counter. “Sho, is everything okay? Did something happen on patrol?”

“Zashi.” Shouta sits up, facing him. “I’m gay.”

Hizashi nods at him slowly. “At this point in our relationship I’d be concerned if you weren’t.” He tries to joke, but something in Shouta’s demeanor is tense and Hizashi knows better than to think he’s overreacting. Wherever this is going, Shouta has a point. 

“I have always been gay. And I’ve only ever been with you.” Shouta states evenly, mind working through the problem. “You are my husband, and I’ve never cheated on you.”

“That’s good to know, Shouta.” Hizashi smiles at him, getting the food off of the burner so he can focus on his husband. 

“I ran into a child today.” Shouta is speaking slowly, confusion now noticeable in his tone. “He was short, probably homeless, and looked exhausted. He was using his quirk on some addicts in an alley. And me by nature of proximity, I would guess. His quirk that suppresses other quirks.” Hizashi raises his eyebrows at this. “His eyes were red when his quirk was active. They turned green when he stopped. His hair… It wasn’t floating like mine, but it definitely had some lift to it that disappeared when he stopped using his quirk. And he called me ‘dad’ when he first saw me.” 

Shouta stared at his husband, but it didn’t seem like he knew what to make of this situation either. 

“There is a child out there that thinks you’re his father?” Hizashi asks for clarification. Shouta nods. “And he seems to have your quirk, and shares at least some resemblance to you?” Another nod. “Where is he?”

“He ran when one of the addicts started having a seizure. I went to help them and I couldn't find him afterwards.” Shouta takes a deep breath. “This is crazy right? There’s no way he’s actually my son. He probably just doesn’t know who his parents are, and knows what my quirk is somehow and assumed since they seem similar.”

“Does it matter?” Hizashi asks softly, laying his hand on Shouta’s arm.

“Of course it matters.” 

“Sho…” Hizashi comes around the counter and sits on the stool next to Shouta, taking both of Sho’s hands in his and holding them in his lap. “Sho, there is a kid out there, probably homeless. His quirk is similar to yours, he already thinks of you as his dad, and he needs help.”

Shouta takes a few more deep breaths, waiting for his thoughts to reorder themselves. “I’ll try and find him Zashi. We’ll see what we can do after that.”

Hizashi’s smile grows on his face, beautiful and kind. And Shouta knows that he wants a kid. Has for a while. And as strange as this situation is, Shouta knows that Zashi usually gets what he wants. After all, Shouta can never say no to that smile.

[ewanmitchelll]

Imagine you are the good girl Aemond Targaryen needs.(V-final part).

Warnings: *explicit smut*/fluff.

***

When he unlaces your gown at long last, when his fingers start to slowly caress your neck, slipping to your shoulders so he finally removes the weight of the fabric, leaving your y/c skin exposed to his eyes, you feel instantly shy.

Aemond stands right behind you, eyeing you with a mix of devotion that outreaches the limits of lust. He wants to take his time with you, he wants to make love to you, making this a sweet memory for you both.

He then pulls you against him, moving his eyes from your beautiful features, contemplating your rosy cheeks, your lips painted in red; admiring the y/c that colors your irises, he places his index under your chin, turning your face to meet him.

“My wife. My gorgeous wife”, Aemond sighs in deep content.

“Aemond, my sweet and generous husband”, you speak with such love in your voice that he softens completely before you.

His eyes swiftly part from yours and it is right when your face goes into a deep shade of red: he makes you wet just with his lilac irises staring into your nudity: observing first your full chest, going to your belly and your feminine parts.

“Good grief. You are a goddess, woman. Let me adore you.”

He turns you so he kisses you better. This time, you have gained more confidence in how to kiss him. Your tongue slides into his mouth, following his subtle commands.

It is so addictive how he kisses you—and it’s never about the kiss itself. As his arms wrap around your waist, it is as if his body transmits some heat to yours to the point it becomes unbearable. And it is frustrating to feel this unnamed fire, for falling victim to it—and in a very good way—you find in yourself no resistance against it.

And there is no need to repress it either. When Aemond breaks the kiss, he is surprised to find something different in your usual self composed angelical face.

“My lady wife… What has taken you?”

“I fear to say I have no knowledge to what is about to break my senses. I suppose the fault in this lies in you, husband.”

Aemond’s eye twinkles with mischief as he smirks slyly at you.

“Oh. Is the fault being placed on me for what reason, dearest?”

Moved by a strange forwardness that is atypical of you, your hands seem to follow instinctually to his shoulders, hesitantly working to remove it—which he is ready to help you.

And when you see his chest, the hair there is in it and how strong he is, your legs go weak and this is not even hyperbolical.

“Lord, I am not naming the confusion you put my brain to it nor will give you the satisfaction to know the mess you make me”, you protest.

Aemond laughs not at you, but at how this circumstance is completely new for you. He forgot about it—having been with experienced woman, he was once in your place, although not so disastrous…only because he was too proud to let his shield down.

“Love, come here. There should be no shame to admit that I make you feel…things.” Aemond takes your blushing face with his face and peppers it with soft kisses. “We are married now. It gladdens me to know I affect you somehow. Let me tend your needs, will you?”

As you finally calm your nerves, you unwind yourself under his guidance. Once in bed, he moves to where you are—and now he is completely bare. Your eyes stare at his manhood and you barely can keep it to yourself anymore. Aemond side smirks, pleased to see you are positively impressed by him.

“I should say”, he tells you right as he is on top of you, his face centimeters close to yours, and now he is serious so you pay an effort in concentrating to what he has to say and not how deliciously handsome your prince is. “…that I am a jealous, possessive husband. I shall not tolerate my wife to be around any other male companion that is not me.”

“Not even my father?”

Aemond rolls his eyes, but a small smirk is seen on his lips.

“You understand my point.”

His possessiveness towards you actually arouses you. And when he takes notice of how instantly your nipples go hard after his words, he raises an eyebrow.

“I am yours”, you tell him. “As long as you are mine too.”

“So we have a deal”, Aemond leans to peck your lips.

“We do. It is called a marriage after all”, you kiss his lips slowly at first.

***

When he takes his time in each breast, it is better than he ever dreamed it would be. How you sing his name, how you arch your back, how you react to every teasing… it awakes the dragon there is in him.

At what cost doesn’t he hold back? The more naughtiness Aemond does to you, the more you comply to him, the louder you surprisingly get. When his fingers work wonderfulness in you, when his sapphire eye stares into your y/c ones, you go erratic.

You want more. He gives you. Corrupting you never before was so blissful. And when doing so, Aemond’s dragon comes in, leaving bruises in your neck and chest.

“Please”, you beg him. “H-Husband!”

His hair is a mess, his face is a completely chaos. Aemond is pure devil when looking at you the way he does. A hunter devouring its prey.

“Yes? Tell me your needs, wife. Should I stop?”

You let a cry out.

“No!”

Aemond smirks. Oh how he likes when you beg him.

“Then what do you want?”

You gasp for air.

“Slow…it…down….”

Aemond makes a face, but you know he is only pretending. He already knows how to please you, but when you beg… It turns him on. He likes to dominate you, and when you soon know it, you will enjoy be under his dominion.

And right as you reach your climax, he slowly slides into you. It feels so good to feel his manhood into you, but painful at the same time. You roll your eyes the moment he adjusts his hips so it does not hurt you.

“My princess”, Aemond gently holds your face, concerned. “How’s it for you?”

“It’s good”, you tell him, still breathless. “Oh what have you done, my husband?”

“I waged a war against the seven heavens to have you with me”, says Aemond, kissing your lips in between words. “I bought your innocence so I could use it as I saw fit.”

You throw your head back as he starts to kiss your lips, locking hands with you as he begins to move with you. And this is so much better than both of you have imagined…

***

Dragonstone.

You are at first scared when Aemond offers you the opportunity to ride Vhagar.

“What if she doesn’t like me?”, you ask, not minding how you might sound at his ears.

Much to your dismay, Aemond is roaring in laughters.

“What are you laughing? Is my fear amusing to you?”, you pout.

“No, my sweet dove. On the contrary: what amuses me is that, after all the things I told you about Vhagar, what worries you is not whether she might set you on fire or eat you alive, but if she will like you.”

You heavily sigh.

“If you used your brain, dear husband, you’d see all is connected.”

He pulls you against him, love in his eyes melting your heart—as he’s been doing each time since he comes back for your arms after fighting his own wars.

“I do use my brain”, Aemond scoffs playfully. “Come, my dear. Do you think I’d let anything harm to happen to you?”

“No”, but then you hesitate. “You might simply see me as a coward. I am not like Mistress Rivers. I am no bold woman. I was raised to be somebody’s wife and…”

Aemond shushes you by kissing your lips. You giggle softly, not minding when he does it. You melt every single time.

“First of all, you are not somebody’s wife”, he corrects you. “Y/N, you are *mine*. My wife. Methinks this makes you bold enough, if you ask my opinion. Second: what’s wrong in being raised as wife and mother? I do not love you for filling your duty. We are continuing our lineage, love, this is why we married—besides the affection one feels for the other.”

“So you don’t judge me as weak?”

Aemond smiles openly at you, caressing your face affectionately.

“I pray you are not suggesting I took you as my consort for the sole purpose of procreating.”

You blush.

“Well, considering whom you’ve been with…”

“None had possessed my heart like you do, my love. I will tell you this many times if it’s necessary”, so Aemond assures you again. “And it’s not as if I invited them for a ride to Vhagar each time. Who do you take me for? My brother Aegon?”

He snorts at the implication and you laugh at it. Once he defeats your insecurities, the lord of Dragonstone finally takes his sweet wife to ride on Vhagar.

It is far too wild for your taste, but you enjoy it nonetheless. Aemond is there to hold you, to protect you. Like many other times, the prince succeeds in fighting away your fears, helping growing your self confidence.

But even so you still prefer the comfort of your household. There, you know where and how to rule—though in bed, he is the one to boss you. Not that you care about that.

But only three months after your marriage, you find out you conceived. A new delight comes to your lives. Six months later, a boy is born: named Aegon after the king and the Conqueror. But Aemond finds out that marital activities get your preferences quite fast, so soon you conceive again.

In short years, you and Aemond are the parents of Aegon, Maegor, Aenys, Alyssa, Visenya and Viserra. And more might come when war eventually ends and the greens are the victors.

Aemond remains very possessive to you, having nearly killed a man for his looks at you. But you don’t mind—however, you do manage to make your husband use less of violence as time goes by, succeeding in going as far as making him less imprudent.

You and Aemond share a good life against all odds. Your children, once they grow, follow the Targaryen tradition. But because Rhaenyra died, two of her sons were betrothed with you and Aemond’s daughters—in spite of his protests. Aegon is betrothed to Visenya whilst Viserys is expected to marry Alyssa. Viserra, however, might marry her older brother, Aenys. As for you and Aemond’s oldest sons, one might take as wife a daughter of Hightower and the other, a daughter of Tyrell.

No matter how hard you try, politics are in your lives. But you and Aemond are the winners of it and it’s enough for you two.

~The End~

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

4. "He smells good. Why on earth does he smell so good?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "He *smells* good..." The lieutenant squints his eyes, trying to hold back laughter.

"That's weird, right?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "He smells good and that's weird."

"..."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He's barely holding it together. It's all he can do to keep from bursting out in laughter.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Come on, detective. Let's go -- we've got a potential witness to interview -- his 'Sunday friend', remember?" He nods at the apartment door before you.

Our Thought Cabinet is full. I'm electing to replace Rigorous Self-Critique, since I realized that it only heals you when you fail a red check, and that doesn't happen often enough to be worth keeping.

"Governmental issues take me all over Revachol, as you can see."

A quarterly business magazine.

"If *stabilité* is ensured, progress will naturally follow.

An old photo of the same apartment, dated year '01.

Expensive men's perfume lingers in the air.

"*Transparence* has always been our highest priority."

Buckets of paint on a layer of old newspapers.

An exquisite canopy bed made of metal.

Dishes soaked up in a pot.

"I don't z'ink conclusions should be rushed at z'is point."

An empty ashtray.

Flyers for underground parties.

Dates for open lectures at a local university.

SAMARAN CONICAL HAT

+1 Logic: Super logical for a cop to wear this -1 Suggestion: Insensitive bachelor party vibes

This tawny cone-shaped hat looks like a beacon of Samaran wisdom, its straws sticking up like antennas. Thank god you can't really see people's reactions when they see you strolling around in this incredibly insensitive headpiece.

Statswise, this isn't better or worse than the Auditor glasses.

PARTY DRAGON'S SILK ROBE

+1 Drama: Become the dragon +1 Electrochemistry: Become an addict... in a strange bathing robe

This sleazy-silky bathing robe in vibrant blues features a roaring dragon on its front, ready to take off into the night. A red belt has been provided for fastening. It's culturally insensitive, but only for people who are not from Seol. The real Seolites probably don't care.

Well, that's a straight increase to our stats, so...

SUNDAY FRIEND - "You have acquired the robe." The man assesses the situation. "Keep it, officer, it looks good on you."

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - You shouldn't be seeing him in an intimate setting. For some reason you feel this man is your... *superior*.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Trivial: Success] - Superior? But he's not in the command chain...

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - His hands are clean and well-manicured. This is a man who knows the importance of appearances.

SUNDAY FRIEND - "My name is Charles Villedrouin and I'm an official with the Coalition Government. I work for the Institute of Price Stabilité, on assignment from Sur-la-Clef."

"I heard you talking to my friend outside… Very good. Super. I am here to assist you in any way possible. Ask me about the hanging."

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - No, first ask an innocuous personal question to get the interview off on the right foot.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - Yes. Make it clear you're the one setting the terms here...

(Point at the bed.) "Before we go on, I absolutely *have* to inquire about this wonderful canopy."

(Point to the silk robe.) "Before we get to that, tell me where you got this *beautiful* silk robe from?"

(Show him the Samaran hat.) "We'll get to that. Right after you tell me the story behind the black Samaran hat."

(Get down to business.) "Hello, Mr. Villedrouin. Let's get started."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Oh, we got it from an atelier in the East Delta Commerce Centre. Personally I think it's a little culturally insensitive, but the material is great. Sadly the shop is now out of business..."

"That's really all I can tell you about it." He forms a little rooftop with his fingers. Cold air sweeps in from the balcony.

AUTHORITY - That didn't work at all.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant takes out his notebook and nods to you to proceed.

"You actually *witnessed* the lynching?"

"What's an official like you doing in Martinaise?"

"Can you tell me about your friend?"

"Thanks, I've got all I need." [Leave.]

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I'm sorry to say I did, officer." The man gives a solemn nod.

(Turn to the lieutenant.) "This is just the break we've been looking for!"

"Is it because you did it, Mr. Villedrouin?"

"Start from the beginning, if you don't mind."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Easy, detective. No need to jump to conclusions." He eyes the spectacled man near the window, who smiles and spreads his hands.

2. "Is it because you did it, Mr. Villedrouin?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Because I *did it*?" the man scoffs.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He's clearly not a man accustomed to being spoken to in that manner, let alone to being accused of *murder*.

"My apologies, I misspoke. I mean, what did you see?"

"Don't jerk my chain, paper-jockey. You did it, didn't you?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Officer, it's very difficult to describe what I saw that night. It was so surreal to me, like in a play."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - He holds out his hands and blossoms his fingers, like a drama teacher setting the scene.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant is already scribbling down notes. "What do you mean, 'like in a play'?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It was just so strange. I could barely comprehend what was happening..."

"I was on the balcony when it happened, getting some fresh air. I remember that first they came in, carrying what looked like a body, and then I saw all the surrounding windows go dead one-by-one…"

"That's when I understood -- I should not be seeing this."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Sounds like the victim *was* unconscious. Or at least incapacitated. Interesting."

"Who were 'they'? Can you describe them?"

"How many of them were there?"

"What happened next?" (Proceed.)

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I couldn't see their faces well, and there were quite a few of them. But they were very loud and very... Martinaise..." He pauses, looking for the right wording.

"Let's just say that the labouring classes can get rather expressive with their profanities."

2. "How many of them were there?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I couldn't tell you exactly. Less than ten. Maybe eight?"

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant sends you a sharp look at the mention of that number.

"Were any of them the Giant of Koko Nur?"

"What happened next?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "No, there were no *mythological giants*, I'm afraid. They were all *quite* human, so far as I could tell."

"What happened next?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I went back inside."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Were you able to see anything from inside?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Officer, the yard was pitch black. There was nothing to see. But I could still hear their voices. They were threatening to kill that poor man."

"Were they men, women?"

"What ethnicity were they?"

"What happened next?" (Proceed.)

SUNDAY FRIEND - "All men, I presume. But again, I couldn't see very clearly."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Hmmm. But we're fairly certain the lady driver was present..." The lieutenant flips through his notes.

"Are you sure at least *one* of them wasn't a woman?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It's possible, officer, but I cannot say with certainty. It was very dark, you must remember."

2. "What ethnicity were they?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "I believe they were mostly white, though I believe I saw two Areopagites among them. And I am quite certain that one spoke with a Mesque accent."

3. "What happened next?" (Proceed.)

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Well, that's the strangest part, officer. *Nothing* happened. It was oddly quiet for a public lynching."

"What do you mean 'nothing happened'? They lynched a guy!"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Eventually their shouts died down, and that was all. There were no gunshots, no celebratory shouts, no anything."

"Why didn't you call the RCM?"

"You're right, that does seem strange."

SUNDAY FRIEND - The man wipes his glasses. "You're right, of course. That is what one is supposed to do in such circumstances. I was simply in shock..."

"I'm afraid I don't have anything else to add."

KIM KITSURAGI - "About what time was all this happening, approximately?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "All I can say is that it was late."

"So let me get this straight. You didn't actually witness the hanging itself, did you?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "No, I didn't see the corpse until the following day."

KIM KITSURAGI - "It seems this wasn't the 'break' you were hoping for..."

"I think we have everything we need," the lieutenant says, closing his notebook. "Thank you for talking to us, Mr. Villedrouin."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Of course, anything I can do to assist the RCM."

Task complete: Interview the Sunday friend

+10 XP

2. "What's an official like you doing in Martinaise?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "The Coalition is only looking out for *ze price stabilité*." He raises an index finger. "Inflation is a killer, like a heart disease blocking the normal circulation of the economy -- It must be controlled..."

"The economy impacts the entire *international community*, which is why it requires international oversight."

"Okay, but what are you doing *here* in this apartment?"

"So you're some kind of bureaucrat?"

"What is this *international community*?"

"What is *ze price stabilité*?"

"Enough business, let's talk about something else."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Ah, well, I'm renovating it. It is an interesting project. The building used to be a twelve-story skyscraper before the cannons took the top four stories off. This of course happened when the Coalition forces landed here..."

He smiles. "You could say I'm undoing some of the *material* damage the international community caused when we arrived here."

2. "So you're some kind of bureaucrat?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Yes. As I said before, I'm a commissioner from Sur-la-Clef working for the Institute of Price Stabilité." He glances at his watch. "This is one of the main projects of the Moralintern."

3. "What is this *international community*?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "La communauté internationale is what Revacholians colloquially call *the Coalition*. In other words, the nations that stopped the disaster of the Revolution."

And our employers, technically.

4. "What is *ze price stabilité*?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It is ze most important thing."

"That doesn't tell me anything."

"Ah, that clears everything up."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It's the central goal of any sound monetary policy. Maintaining ze price stabilité is essential to maintaining high levels of economic activity, which is essential for maintaining high levels of employment..."

"Which is essential for maintaining *ze social stabilité*…"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Basically it makes sure the price of bread doesn't change."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "*Précisément*! Too much inflation, bread becomes too expensive; too much deflation, it becomes too cheap for bakers to produce..."

"That's why the Institute of Price Stabilité works to keep inflation just below 2%..."

"Below 2% of what?"

"This is *fascinating*, but I wanted to ask you something else."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "But not *too* far below, no. Too below is also bad -- below, *but close to* 2%."

"You're not answering my questions at all."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "The Coalition believes in the importance of informing the public about the benefits of ze price stabilité. Transparency is one of our principles. Would you like an informational pamphlet?"

"No, I'm good."

"Okay, sure, give me a leaflet."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "A sound monetary policy is *essential* for addressing *uncertainty*. Stability is the *raison d'être* of the Moralintern. It's the reason why I identify as a moralist."

He pats his pockets. "But, oh! I don't have my leaflets on me today. That's too bad. You can always call our information line. Making information available is part of the Moralintern's commitment to transparency."

5. "I've heard about this Moralintern before, but I want to know more."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "It's the international organization for moralists. Hence 'Moralist International.' The Institute of Price Stability is just one of its many *mind babies* -- as is the Coalition."

(Turn to Kim.) "So when I said I was a lackey of capital, what I should have said is that I'm a Moralintern bitch?"

"Oooh…" (Turn to Kim.) "So we're actually working for the Moralintern? That doesn't seem so bad."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Doing one's job doesn't automatically make one anyone's *bitch*. Besides, there are more nefarious powers to work for than the Moralintern."

Are there?

(Turn back to Sunday Friend.) "Are you a moralist?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "But of course!"

"But why?"

"Am *I* a moralist?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Because moralists believe in a normal, stable world governed by democratic values."

(Turn to Kim.) "Lieutenant, are *you* a moralist?"

"But what is a normal, stable world?"

"Martinaise doesn't seem very normal, or stable, to me."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Hmm, me? I... uh..."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - You've managed to catch the lieutenant off guard, but only for a moment. He quickly recomposes himself.

KIM KITSURAGI - "I'm a lieutenant of the RCM, dedicated to maintaining law and order in Revachol."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "A very moralist answer," the man nods.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - The lieutenant is practised in the art of putting on a show for one's superiors.

"But what is a normal, stable world?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "The Occident is part of the normal world. Oranje, Sur-la-Clef..."

"Martinaise doesn't seem very normal, or stable, to me."

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Martinaise? No, Martinaise is... something else."

"What about the rest of Revachol? Is it part of the normal world?"

SUNDAY FRIEND - "Revachol is generally... difficult. It's led by an interim government, which means it hasn't yet achieved *full* democracy..."

"But they are working towards it! You're all doing very well here, relatively speaking." He gives you an approving nod.

[mistytpednaem]

as promised, a Different sort of corpsefriend therapy liveblog post. will this even be entertaining?? i don't know but i am Committed to it

there shall be NO serious discussion of vampire lore here. unless there is. who knows, I still have a few hours of game left

whoa that's a bold statement--

oh right nvm we're learning CBT again

as a bat or on a horse...

BUT WHO TAUGHT THAT TO SAM

this is just how people in europe talk about football tbqh

i wonder how andromachos would feel about hetalia...

I can't recall if Andy outright confirmed he was from Greece before or if I was just getting it from his name but a) it's nice to see it reconfirmed and b) this made me go on a brief tangent @ Alex about how it makes sense u see because Andromachos is an ancient vampire, and some of the oldest legends on record that feature creatures somewhat similar to vampires come from Greece, and--

me when I'm enjoying this game and it makes me point out something that seems frankly unnecessary to point out

you know sometimes I'm like "yeah I was raised Catholic but it's not really part of my IDENTITY like sure I had some very particular experiences and I struggle with guilt but I'm functionally agnostic now" but when andromachos came out swinging with this i was unable to progress for a solid 5 minutes

no one talks about jesus christ's career 😔

ANOTHER strong line for a social media bio tbqh

see I feel like this is a strong case for giving this distortion a funny vampire name too, but then again i feel like they should all have funny names, so

sam said "ok boomer" and i was so stunned i didn't even think to screenshot it

PREACH IT ANDROMACHOS!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh right i grabbed this with like a note to myself to look up this guy. let's see

oh. oh there is immediately so much to reflect on here

huh. i mean it kind of sounds like he didn't get what he WANTED-- right ok vampires

don't let him hear you say that, you'll make him WORSE

looks like there's still room to learn a couple more distortions... strangely comforting. despite all my reservations i have been enjoying myself for the most part

man's still BEGGING us to cure his drug addiction even though he literally won't sleep without it

just because i'm avoiding posting overt spoilers doesn't mean i can't feature poetry out of context

STEREOTYPE??

BANNED! THIS GAME IS BANNED!!! I NO LONGER ACCEPT THIS PORTRAYAL OF VAMPIRES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

stares at the camera. sure thing buddy

ONLY 30 IMAGES ALLOWED PER POST SO. PART 2 INCOMING??? wait i can save this as a draft and post one right after the other. hohoho. delightfully devilish, naem

[dre6ming]

The delicate beginning rush

Upcoming series ~ introducing the reader

chapter I ~Meeting him ~ out now

Masterlist

To be added to the tag list click here

Pairing: Austin Butler x fem singer/actress reader

❣︎ You are a 19 year old actress on the road to success with an upcoming secret album.

❣︎ Your first job was at 11 when you got casted to play the daughter of Ana and Christian Grey, Phoebe Grey, in a series called “Fifty shades after” which follows the events of the “Fifty shades of Grey” trilogy. On the set you met Timothee Chalamet, who played your older brother Theodore Grey, it’s safe to say the two of you became like real brother and sister. The show had 3 seasons and ended when you were 14.

❣︎ You then got casted in a few other small roles as well as a music video for Billie Eilish’s music video for her song “Strange Addiction” in which the two of you play girlfriends running away from home.

❣︎ In 2018 Timothee begged you to be his plus one at the golden globes and you were sat next to Taylor Swift who was there with her boyfriend Joe. You and Taylor started talking and in 2020 when she started her re-recording process she asked you to do the background vocals for some of the songs, since you both lived in New York and it was convenient, with the pandemic going on.

❣︎ Taylor asked you to come help with the background vocals for her re-recording of “Red” as well and one day you find her struggling to finish writing one of the vault tracks called “Nothing new” so you propose that she let you try to write the second verse and finish the bridge. She loves what you come up with and you do a full feature on the song, officially starting your music career.

❣︎ When you were 17 you auditioned for the role of Amelia Baron in the screening of the book “Reconstructing Amelia”. The movie is a mystery story that is meant to bring awareness about mental health, bullying and so many more important topics. When the movie comes out a year later after you got casted, it’s a complete success and you get an Oscar nomination, for best lead actress.

❣︎ As your career is rising, your life at home is completely falling apart, when you finally manage to convince your mom to divorce your abusive father, but unfortunately it comes to bite you right back in the ass, as they both end up moving away and cutting all contact with you. Your relationship with your parents was always a difficult one, since they didn’t really approve of you acting, when you started the classes they thought it was only going to be just a hobby, not a real job, so they resent you for not going to college and becoming a doctor or something “real”, as they would say.

❣︎ This a short introduction into our reader for the Austin Bulter x singer/actress reader, the projects in which the reader performs are completely fictional, but both based on great reads. “Fifty shades after” is a Wattpad fanfic, you have the link for it here and “Reconstructing Amelia” is a real book that I highly recommend if you like a good mystery.

❣︎ The first chapter should come sometime this weekend and I can’t wait, to share it with you, but brace yourselfs cause the second year of college has me overwhelmed already and it’s only been 2 days :))

Tags: @kittenlittle24 @amorx @cryingabtab @lexicox044 @lrissa @feral4austinbutler @sageskywalker @jesssssicaa @rainydayz101 @flwersgarden @bobthefishiesworld @captured-memory @homebodybirkin2003 @galaxygirl453 @butlerslut @chrisevansgirl34 @myradiaz @pennyroyalcreep @macey234 @im-lame-irl @lordandmistress @the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf @poppet05 @gabbywontlose @4shbug @0-thegoodwitch-0 @hauntedarchivesx @chewiethecatus @sunnyx07 @francesbloomer @jessaroni19 @finelineskies @stargirlbytheweekend @cerenaydins-blog @girlblogger2002 @gigisworldsstuff @my-baexht-Is @xmusselisims @denised916

[putschki1969]

Snippet of Wakana「標/Shirushi」from「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」

M3. 標(Shirushi) Lyrics/Composition: Yoshiko Hanzaki Arrangement: Satoshi Takebe The full version of this live performance will be included as bonus feature on Type A of Wakana’s 3rd album “Sono Saki e”. 

Thoughts: It’s really interesting how different my reactions to these new songs are compared to when I first heard them live back in December. While I wasn’t particularly impressed with “明日を夢見て歌う/Asu wo Yume Mite Utau”, it rapidly grew on me once we got the live footage. Now I can’t even wait to hear the full version. It’s almost the opposite for 標/Shirushi. I remember being incredibly touched during the Christmas concert (almost to the point of tears) but this snippet doesn’t affect me quite as much. I feel like I might need to be in the right mood or frame of mind for it, it’s really the emotional backstory combined with the lyrics which carry this song for me.

「Butterfly Dream」Assigned as May’s「ABC PICK UP! MUSIC」

The first track of Wakana’s 3rd original album “Sono Saki e” has been picked up as one of the main theme songs for the May run of 「ABC PICK UP! MUSIC」. As such it will air for the entirety of May during a variety of TV programs on the channel ABC TV.

2023/04/25 Instagram post by Wakana

I climbed Mt. Takao the other day😆I climbed it for the first time 😳✨First of all, I have almost no mountain climbing experience, so I had to think a lot about how to actually do this and then I had to somehow repurpose my training wear and simple sneakers into suitable climbing attire😂I decided to take Route 1 all on foot👟At first, I was going to use the cable car halfway up, but when I got to the start of the route, I was very to just walk so that’s what I decided to do. I was able to see a lot of different mountain scenery and felt the joy of being in nature✨In the second picture, the mountain in the middle is Mt.Fuji🗻!! Can you see it? Then I came across a rock that looked like a heart♡😍 After this experience, I started to think that I should get some proper outdoor equipment with excellent waterproof and cold protection functions for the future. Strangely enough, I DID have a really good pair of compression tights [Note: from CW-X I guess], they were a great choice. You know, my legs didn't get tired at all...✨It was amazing to be supported like this up to my waist 😳✨ Now I'm really interested in the different functionalities of outdoor goods and mountain climbing wear 🤣I might let this get too far and become addicted so I better be careful😇 Source

[thicc-fiction]

The comfort food addiction

Chapter 1: A strange similarity

Joe sighed rubbing the back of his neck going a little red. "Honestly Miss, it was no trouble, Jay is my best friend and I would do anything for him" he says smiling. Jay, his best friend had just jetted off to uni on the other side of the country and his mom was visibly sad about it, blubbering and sobbing, large salty tears dropping onto her dark green dress staining it darker for aa fre moments. Helen was a tall woman, standing at 5,9, now usually this kind of height meant skinny.and boney, but she had just the right amount of fat in all the right places. Abnormally large breasts were her stand out feature but she also had some killer thighs Joe couldn't help but salivate over. Joe opened his toned arms and hugged Helen gently his body almost melting into hers. Helen wiped the tears then hugged him back smiling warmly with a nurturing look in her eyes. Joe was 20 so loved alone but he also spent alot of time in Jays house where Helen would cook for him while they played video games or spoke about girls. Helen smiled "want to come back with me and grab some grub" she smiles. Joe couldn't only smile and nod "of course Helen" he says letting go.

20 minutes later Joe was sat at Helens dining table the smell of pasta wafting through the air. "10 minutes or so" Helen could be heard shouting her voice very much still fragile. "OK thank you" he shouted back. After a few minutes Joe thought he heard crying and burping, or a mixture of both. He stood up to investigate and walked into the kitchen seeing Helen. As she turned around he couldn't help but notice her dress looked a little tight around her midriff. "You ok Helen?" Joe asks noticing the 2L tub of ice cream in her hand and around her mouth. "I miss Jay so much" she says sobbing eating some more ice cream her belly seeming to absorb the fat from it instantly. Joe felt a tingle in his crotch but ignored it. "It's ok, you have me only a few streets away, but you really must stop comfort eating you will ruin your waistline" he says rubbing his stomach to get her to look down. She craned her neck doen past her large chest and shrugged "maybe I should put on some weight, I don't care anymore" she says jiggling the little chub she had, her large boobs bouncing rhythmically. Joe bit his lip gently "well why not" he says looking away. Helen looked at the tall toned guy and smirked "you want me to don't you" she says tilting her head placing down the tub on the counter, stepping toward him. She grips his face and turns it to her own forcing eye contact "you want me to get fat don't you" she growls her large chest pushing into Joe's. He simply nodded blushing wildly his eyes locked onto hers. Before he could speak she gently pressed her lips to his "then make me your pig" she smirks...

If you would like chapter 2 to this then show it some love! Happy belated new year and I think I will say I'm back!

[vulpiano]

From the Video Hook-Ups Archive:

Music Videos as “Low” Filmmaking?

Over the past couple of years I received a question from two different academics in regards to my focus on making music videos. Both of them asked me the same thing:

“Do you plan on moving on from music videos?”

I found the question a bit strange. Why should one “move on” from music videos? Is there something arrested in filmic development about the music video? Some people like to make shorts. They may continue to make shorts while also making feature films, or perhaps they’ll stick with shorts. Music videos are a kind of short film, so what’s going on here? What’s wrong with continuing to make music videos? I was most vexed.

I told both of them that I intended to explore different types of film in time, such as fictional narrative and documentary. In fact, I had already made a couple of works that were not music videos (though they had music in them). Nonetheless, I said I would probably always be interested in making music videos due to the central importance of music in my life, the influence of music videography on my filmmaking style, and the visual images that listening to certain music evokes for me; I have always had an automatic link between sound and color or shape in my mind. I saw at that time no reason to justify it further, but the comments have continued to trouble me to the extent that I must explore this question further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrwjiO1MCVs

One of my earliest memories in life, for whatever baffling reason, is watching Jane’s Addiction’s “Been Caught Stealing” on MTV. According to my parents, I’d toddle right up to the TV when I was very little whenever Siouxsie Sioux or Kurt Cobain was on the screen. Two of my favorite VHS tapes to put on when I was a kid were Fantasia and Pee-Wee’s Christmas Special, both rather music-heavy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98JrWm9IMMA

Due to being between 1 to 3 years old for all of these incidents, unpacking just why music is so important to me has been an immense challenge. When something has swirled around you your whole life, how do you figure out why it is important to you or what it really means?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpcNaqkrPm8

Certain music has become a kind of shorthand for identity for myself. My partner Dan and I realizing that we had both grown up hearing Soft Cell — thanks to our parents — made us both joke that this must explain our sexual orientation. When I find out that someone likes the Manic Street Preachers, the likelihood that we’ll be in the same neighborhood politically or in terms of literature increases dramatically. Sorting out which men in rock I was attracted to and who I wanted to be like in terms of gender — or both — was integral to sorting out my identity. The list goes on: music underpins my very sense of selfhood in a way that no other medium does and stands in for all kinds of other bits and bobs of who I am and how I view others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQS1czT0Egg

I fell into filmmaking quite by accident. Compared to listening to music, reading books, or playing video games, my film education was quite weak. I grew restless when I was taken to the theater and was easily bored or disappointed. Even at home, I was frustrated at how I couldn’t listen to music while watching a film, as one could with books or even video games on occasion; there’s only so many times you can hear a looping dungeon theme or battle music. It took me some time to break out of the notion that any time spent not hearing beloved or new music is time I must surely be wasting. You only live once and there’s a lot of musical treasure to hunt for — what if I missed something important because I spent 2 hours and 30 minutes watching some dreadful film I desperately wanted to escape from the whole time it was on?

At age 21, I started to go through queer film lists. Perhaps threading film in with identity — as I’d done subconsciously with music — would enable me to more fully enjoy film. I began to watch Derek Jarman’s films and music videos and felt as though a switch had been flipped. I become engrossed in tracking down and watching as many as I could, even watching some more than once (!), something I’d almost never done with film before unless I hadn’t seen the movie in ages. There was a lyrical quality that felt familiar to my own way of thinking, of pairing images with sound, and all kinds of other colorful textures and poetic meanderings. Jarman’s books too filled me with inspiration and admiration, Chroma: A Book of Colour being my favorite.

Emboldened by my Jarman appreciation, I steadily found other films that appealed to me and also turned a more critical eye to music videos. As a teenager, I had previously neglected to look into music videos for the majority of bands that I had been a fan of, unless I had found one or more members attractive. Now I could confidently branch out and find more to enjoy and think on, though male aesthetics is still very much a topic of critical interest for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vajUGdZe1EI

During my education at San Francisco State University, I enrolled in a digital video course. I had previously done very little with video and didn’t know it come to anything more than fulfilling a credit requirement. What I found was that the video editing process was incredibly relaxing and that I’d completely lose track of the passage of time once I really got going. My final project was a music video for my partner Dan. I knew then that this is the medium I wanted to keep going with above all others. I made music videos for other artists on my netlabel Vulpiano Records, as much as gifts to them as creative exercises for myself. I approached artists I value like Pictureplane and Momus to present them with music videos I made in tribute to their work. Everything was going so smoothly as I learned new techniques, incorporated virtual worlds like Second Life into my work, collaged in public domain and Creative Commons resources, and so on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-idB3AQtCk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aC6_C0JPXo

Up until I was suddenly asked if I planned to “move on” from music video.

I first tried to see whether there was any point in this suggestion. I was thinking of fan video edits such as anime music videos, video slideshows set to music of dead or beloved rock stars, and amateur music video work that uses music as a base to cut footage too obviously or simplistically (these colors will flash to the beat, these shots will be cut to the guitar riff, a soaring vocal or synth will be accompanied by a fade to another scene, etc.). I thought of the entanglement of the music video with pop culture, the nostalgia of what MTV used to be at its outset.

Hand-waving away the possibility of the music video is part and parcel of the denigration and oversimplification of pop culture as an inherently stupid wasteland where the intellect is cast off into the dustbin. Accomplished filmmakers must cast-off this embarrassing relic of their past, when they were still learning, surely! Much like the dim view of comic books and video games, and (longer ago) photography and film in general, I think this is another erroneous assumption of the lowbrow or juvenile, viewing the music video as an ephemeral promotional tool and nothing much beyond that. This is nothing to do with what can be achieved with the format itself or whether the music video in question bears any resemblance to the mainstream notion of what a music video is.

In Music Video and the Politics of Representation, Diane Railton And Paul Watson write:

Music video is a significant and interesting form of contemporary popular culture, one which is widely circulated, complex and important. This claim is, however, a potentially controversial one. For it is easy, as many critics have done, to either dismiss music video as a worthless by-product of capitalist business practice or, worse, to ignore it all together. Graham Fuller spells out this situation in ‘A Good Music Video is Hard to Find’ in claiming that ‘the search for the art and artistry of the music video goes on but the consensus is that El Dorado or Santa Claus will turn up first’. He goes on to say that, since the inception of MTV in 1981, ‘what critical evaluation of music video there is relegates it to the trash can of popular culture’.

…while reviews of albums, singles and live performances now regularly occupy a significant number of column inches in both dedicated music magazines and the review sections of the press more generally, reviews of the latest video releases are notable only by their absence. And in many ways this is understandable if we think of music videos only as advertisements. You wouldn’t expect a review of the latest perfume or mobile phone to make reference to the television commercial which was used to advertise it. However, when we consider that music videos have a life of their own – with television channels and websites dedicated to screening them – which other commercials do not, this critical neglect becomes difficult to understand. For music videos are not simply advertisements; they are, rather, as Thomas Doherty suggests, both ‘promo and product’ and, as such, have ‘revised the nature of contemporary music’.

I would go one step further to suggest that, while perhaps not to the extent of music videos, commercials for products have also occasionally attained a life of their own. Sometimes this is through the inclusion of external music that recontextualizes the original content, highlighting or exaggerating the capitalistic fantasy world they embody. Vaporwave is particularly rich with such examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygAY6IAfpL8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrR1TGQY20Y

At other times, this is sheerly through the merit of their own artistry or weirdness. The ‘product’ in question is secondary or forgotten in the wake of the surreality of what we’re seeing on screen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq97QAYDDoI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r7yKaDxGvc

Assuming that a whiff of the advertisement is enough to make something no longer art (or, at the very least, less than fine art) is falling into the trap of assuming  the value of art is lowered or annihilated as soon as moneybags — even the assumption of their presence — are looming overhead.

How many times have you groaned at the strangely pervasive notion of the “starving artist” or the shocked takes on artists who work on commission?

Association with commercial interests or pop culture should not be enough to bar the music video from artistic creativity among videographers and a critical, careful eye and scholarship among viewers. Unquestioned elitism doesn’t do filmmakers or fellow academics any favors.

[idyllcy]

from one admirer to another : baked?

pairing: leon kennedy x reader || masterpost: from one admirer to another

synopsis: from one admirer to another, an online penpal service, allows for two people with common interests to write to each other without ever revealing their actual address! Luckily for both you and Leon, you get matched up! What do eggs and Christmas even have in common anyway? sure hope it's that modeling business and NOT that Ada Wong addiction.

featuring: reader as model number two // leon as christmas

Dearest model number two,

That mid-autumn festival dinner with you was delightful. I found it especially funny when you absolutely lost every ounce of cool when Ada had casually pointed at me with her chopsticks and deadpanned that I was Christmas himself. I wish I got a photo of the absolute embarrassment that was written on your face and how you probably would have jumped out the window had you not sunk to the floor out of embarrassment.

I think you know by now that I have an awful crush on you. From the second you first met me, the second I first locked eyes with you, from the moment your hand was placed on my bicep, I have been weak to you. I know you said you prefer to date face to face, which I have nothing against, but I just think it's wonderful to have love letters to look back to. My parents had them as well, so I hope we can continue this. I understand if you don't want to, though. It's a little creepy to think that your penpal all this time had been your long-time admirer, huh?

The mooncakes were heavenly. Ashley told me back in Spain that she always looked forward to the mid-autumn festival because someone would go around the office and give people mooncakes, so to be able to taste them myself is wonderful to me. I hope you never stop making them despite your rant about how you've grown sick of eating them yourself. Since you're sick of it, I'll eat all of the filling and leave the yolks for you until you're ready to share the sugar with me again. (Oh, god. I'm embarrassed at those words please erase them from your brain)

You asked me why I quit the academy at dinner but I couldn't answer. I gave it a little more thought, and honestly, I do not know. For the vast majority of my life, I had been enamored with the idea that one day, I would become someone just as admirable as the man who saved me. After the academy, my dreams had dimmed a little, and after a very short time in the Raccoon City department, the corruption ultimately drove me away when I was scouted after saving a guy from a robbery. Most of my muscle has just been from the time that I was in the academy. I just keep to the same routine, so I'm sorry for lying and telling you to ask my trainer. I panicked. Please forgive me.

I'm getting ready for the beach shoot you had complained about before dinner that night. Honestly, I found it strange as well, but I honestly think the company is clinging on for dear life, so the chances of this happening again are most likely rather slim. I keep pieces of you in my day-to-day, a different egg dish each morning because you love them so much. (I wonder if you'll let me make breakfast for you one day? With eggs, of course. You can even have mine)

The letter's much longer than the ones before, but I just felt that it would only be fair to let my heart speak this time. Of course, if you do not like it, I can stick with updates in life only next time. Just, I thought it would be cute. God, the romcoms I binged after I left dinner with you are seeping into my writing, huh? Biggest apologies.

Seeing you soon, Leon

p.s. thank you for taking care of Sunshine while I was away. I think he recognized you from the faint smell of your perfume on your letters. He misses you (I do too)

Leon wonders if he should just hand the letter to you, but there's a part of him that argues that it would be unromantic of him to do so. You're a romantic at heart, he finds. From complaining about never receiving flowers to handing nearly everyone in the office a couple of mooncakes for a holiday that isn't even widely celebrated here, you're romantic to the heart.

You look at flower meanings rather than color, write as a hobby and own a cat you call Sesame Bun, and just everything around you is covered in a slight pink hue. Rose-tinted life. You choose to ignore all of your problems in favor of the good, affection seeping through even your letters, unabashedly reserved for everyone. You support to the best of your ability, so Leon wonders if it's finally time to support you back. Well, who knows if you need support. You seem fine by yourself, but he'd like to join you nonetheless. It doesn't hurt to have one more companion in your life.

"Scrambled eggs." He hums.

"Noël." You hum. "Sorry about dinner. Ada gets a little honest... while drunk."

"It was funny. You were the star of the show."

You grimace, glancing at the waves and the reflection of the sun.

Leon laughs, glancing over at the workers. "You didn't know?"

"I was drunk out of my mind when I kissed you on New Year's. I'm not smart, contrary to what I might give off." You stretch your arms above your head. "I won't avoid you asking for my number, if that's what you're wondering."

"I'm glad." He smiles. "I mailed out the letter earlier today. You should be getting it soon."

"I look forward to it." You nod. "Is it a love letter?"

"No promises."

You stick your tongue out in disgust.

"Doing anything on Halloween?"

"Luis' masquerade." You smile. "I hope you can find me."

"I always will." He mumbles. "Always."

"Oh, what a sap." You mumble, expression flustered nonetheless.

You trust that he will.

prev post : masterlist : next letter

[lunarmote]

Why you should watch “extreme” films

(image from Enter the Void, Gaspar Noé)

I would consider myself a pretty open person when it comes to viewing art. I try to be aware of the expectations and lenses through which I view pieces and let go of what a good piece of art “should” be like. This does not mean I like everything I see. It does mean that I usually do not turn down a chance to watch a movie because it has a strange premise/storytelling method/genre.

In discussions with people about films, I find quite often that I will suggest a piece of media which has gore, nudity, or a controversial theme as a component, and have it immediately be rejected or dismissed on the basis of that. I have never really understood this attitude since the moment I decided to acclimate myself to film culture because of the idea that I can’t know my true preferences unless I give the vast majority of films a try.

This holds for nudity, overt sexual content, gore, violence, and “dark themes” including: themes of mental health, films depicting depravity and paraphilia, rape, suicide, ambiguous endings where nobody wins, etc.

Nudity

Let’s start with nudity because it’s the lowest-hanging fruit. It’s old news that films that offend typical American sensibilities are a bit different from films that offend (e.g. French) sensibilities. For some reason a lot of international films with uncensored body parts appearing on screen, make the fact that they show on screen the one talking point. (Ironically, in the 3 months that I had Netflix I couldn’t help but notice almost every episode of some popular show, including Black Mirror, had to have a heavily implied sex scene.)

What’s stranger is that nude is associated with erotic. If the director is not particularly well-liked, the film is charged as “exploitative,” e.g. exploiting the female body for the male gaze. I think the degree to which a film is exploitative is highly depend on context and execution, not on whether it has unclothed bodies per se.

The response is often some kind of squeamish arousal.

Gore and violence

Not much to say about violence for now; there are a ton of debates already on whether anti-war films can truly be anti-war films.

Dark themes

For this section I do have a director in mind and that’s Darren Aronofsky, the director of Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. I was asking myself why Aronofsky is so successful (other than him being a masterful storyteller), and thought it was because of his mastery of visual storytelling. Horror seems to be excusable when it is accompanied by brilliant cinematography, when the sound-mixing is top notch, when there is enough exposition to make you sympathize with the character’s moral failings.

Anything else, which includes:

Movies with a shitty character

Movies where a character’s backstory apparently doesn’t justify their actions

Movies in which a “bad” character does not receive their expected comeuppance

Movies where you don’t know enough about the characters to revel in their payoff or their victimization or revenge (see Michael Haneke’s Funny Games for a deconstruction of this)

...are not seen as redeeming themselves of their dark subject matter. Quotidian grittiness is not appreciated and is seen as null, pointless, exploitative (violence must serve an end, otherwise it is exploitative — I actually agree with this, but probably not for the most obvious reason).

Bizarre, “weird” stuff

The strangest category for me to write about. My two examples are Jumbo and Titane, which both contain objectophilia. The same thing about these movies is that the fact that they contain something is distinct grounds for their rejection as unserious or too weird to be worth watching. You go into My Strange Addiction with the preconceived notion that everything featured on the show is a strange addiction; same for these movies. I think this kind of thinking can lock us in. Maybe I’m different in that I’m curious about everything and my immediate thought on something like Jumbo is “How would that even work? I want to find out.”

The expectations we have for films

Here’s the thing I find confusing about our attitudes towards films. It’s absurd to me that we have certain subject matters and content we deem as “extreme” simply because of a tradition of not seeing them on the big screen, while in real life they are incredibly common and justified without effort.

Nudity. Changing into and out of your pajamas every day. Not erotic. When nudity is shown on-film, it automatically attracts either positive or negative attention; rarely is nudity allowed to just be.

Long takes where a character sits in an environment and does nothing. (I wrote about this in my post on Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere). Incredibly common. Charged to death of “pacing issues” when put in films.

Senseless violence and death. Michael Haneke’s oeuvre centers around this, setting up a fake hostage thriller which the viewer expects to go one way and make it completely frustrating and anti-thriller-like to watch. It’s frustrating because the killers never receive their comeuppance. And you never even learn anything about the killers anyway so you don’t get the thrill you expect.

What does this say about our relationship with media if it’s supposed to be a creative, escapist force, when in fact, a lot of us expect it to conform. To a series of beats?

[miloscat]

[Review] Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (PS5)

All new, all different.

After co-developing the first NASB, Fair Play Labs took over as lead developer for the sequel, with Ludosity (and several other studios) handling more minor contributions to the project. Fair Play have put a firm hand on the rudder, retooling the game in a major way while adding a substantial single player mode. But is it the better game? Well... yeah, but there's some nuance.

Load into a match and you should notice immediately that the zippy pace of NASB1 has been pulled back to more closely resemble the platform fighter that all others crib from, Smash Bros. Then examine the movesets and mechanics, and you’ll see that many of the quirks and tweaks that Ludosity had implemented have also been stripped away. We still have separate fast and strong attack buttons and aerials, but in other details, and in the game feel, NASB2 clings almost desperately to Papa Sakurai’s blueprints.

There are some innovations. A new slime meter builds up from your actions and can be spent to power up moves, arrest your launch, or other technical tricks in addition to a Final Smash-esque super move. Hmm, actually this is a lot like Brawlout’s rage meter now that I think about it… but I think they make better use of it here, with more options available from its use.

Other big changes come in the roster. Fun choices from the first game like Toph, Sandy Cheeks, or Powdered Toast Man are gone, as well as CatDog and Oblina along with representation of their shows entirely. Unfortunately many of the new choices that replace them aren’t too exciting for me personally, apart from the excellent Angry Beavers, while Azula as a new Avatar brawler is one of a few much-needed villainous additions. Upcoming DLC will also add Zuko and Iroh, making for an oddly imbalanced preponderance of firebenders.

It’s not just a handful of new fighters though; basically all the returning characters (of the ones I tried) feel new due to sweeping revamps to their movesets. The three that feel most similar are Garfield, Jenny, and Rocko, who were added to the original game post-launch, which points to Fair Play implementing them as part of a “lead takeover” as indicated on their website. The returning stages too have been redesigned with new layouts.

One addition that’s an unequivocal improvement is the story mode, a roguelite campaign that sees you build up perks to take into expanded “classic mode” style runs. In these, you choose paths that may have you 1v1 other fighters (unlocking them for use in this mode), bash a mob of enemy mooks drawn from the various cartoons, play minigames like break the targets pop the balloons, get powerups from shops or handouts, and finally face a boss (then repeat this three times for a complete run). There’s some variety, an addictive little loop, and a bit of fun voiced dialogue along the way, as well as more fanservice by way of NPC characters, including some of the first game’s cut fighters. It’s exactly what I wanted out of this sequel (although the actual plot is a bit Danny Phantom-heavy for my taste).

Some of the strengths of the first game remain, of course. It still looks great, although I did notice the occasional animation error or too-frequent bit of jank. The voices are at the same high standard, with either “returning veteran” or “spot-on soundalike”, including a recast of Korra to actor of colour Jacqueline Grace Lopez, at Janet Varney’s request. Oh, they also recast Aang but that’s nothing new, this is like the tenth time it’s happened.

NASB2 leaves me with mixed feelings. It’s an extremely playable game that’s still a grand tribute to Nicktoons past, with some essential new features like the story mode… but at what cost? Fun content and a whole lot of design from the first game have been wiped away. These big shifts are interesting, in that it makes the sequel stand out significantly from its predecessor… while also validating it in a strange way. Ultimately NASB2 isn’t really replacing NASB1; by way of 2 deciding to be different, 1 stays unique and special. I think I can live with that.

[deuterosapiens]

It is 12:46 in the morning. I should be asleep; I have work in a few hours. I've just finished Philip K. Dick's Valis.

It's been a bit since I've done one of these long-form novel posts. Mainly because the books I've read this year have been good, but not strictly things I want to talk about in depth.

Scratch that, I had strong opinions about Children of Dune, which I neglected to post about, but that's not relevant here.

I'm not sure what the best way to talk about Valis is. It's such a strange book. To be clear, I did sort of seek it out deliberately as a matter of academic curiosity. Having obviously read a bit of PKD's other works (A Scanner Darkly which, as I've posted about previously, depressed the hell out of me; and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which was entertainingly weird), I had a faint idea of what to expect when you combine psych-trips with Gnostic imagery.

I want to touch on that statement, as it relates a bit to why I went for this Dick novel specifically, rather than Ubik, or any of his other works. Basically, if you do a quick search for "Gnostic fiction," this tiny little thing (my edition clocks in at a whopping 270 pages) is one of the top results, next to The Matrix and Evangelion. TVTropes refers to it as "practically a novelization" under the Gnosticism heading.

I have no desire to discuss my own personal beliefs, however, it is worth noting that purely from the perspective of a media consumer, I find works which feature the core tropes of traditional Gnostic belief (I am aware of the inherent falsity of that statement) interesting.

Dick does a thorough job of explaining his interpretations of Gnostic Christianity here. That's under-selling it a bit. I should write that word properly.

Thorough

There, much better.

Let's remove the in-depth discussion about the nature of the Universe, God, and the human condition. The resulting fifteen-page short-story is as follows: Horselover Fat is depressed because the women he falls in love with have this distressingly rude tendency to be dying, or suicidal. Fat attaches himself to these woman out of an addictive need to help troubled people, though their deaths tend to lead him towards self-destructive habits. After an encounter that's very much like John Travolta in Phenomenon (busting out the odd references, aren't I?), he becomes obsessed with making sense of reality and spends his nights writing an extended rambling codification of his thoughts.

Coincidentally, there's a new sci-fi film playing which lines up quite heavily with Horselover Fat's experience, and explores themes remarkably in line with Fat's research. The film is called VALIS, and it's freaking weird. Fat meets up with film's director, who seems completely crazy, but surprisingly, they've just sort of got Christ's reincarnated (sort-of, not really, kind-of) form in their commune (you see, Fat had this notion, before becoming obsessed with the VALIS-film, that he was going to go out into the world i.s.o the new Savior).

Fleeing the director's commune, Fat acquires news that the Savior he'd found has died due to a freak laser accident. It happens, what can you do? Instead of going crazy again, Horselover Fat goes off on a quest to seek out all Pokémon find the fifth Savior. Roll credits.

What I've politely omitted from this summary is how incredibly insane everyone and everything is. First, I lied when I described Horselover Fat because he just so happens to be the Narrator and a third person character removed from the Narrator. As in, he is referred to from both an internal first-person perspective, and from a third-person bring observed by himself. Himself who is Philip, who is obviously Philip K Dick himself. The two are both the same person, and not. No, Fat is not a dissociative alter; other characters interact with him separate from Narrator-Phil who, towards the end, engages in experiences which physically must occur as simultaneous events to events Fat experiences.

This is never cleared up. It simply is.

Okay, so this novel is very much a character study in madness (from a Philip K Dick novel? Surely, I jest!). It also looks in-depth into theological conundra from this same maddened perspective. Everyone who's anyone has a background in history, language, anthropology and theology. Hell, Fat is released from his time in a psych-ward by discussing religion with his doctor. His therapist exists almost entirely to give Fat a chance to explain the concept of Yaldabaoth (ha-ha, Persona 5 fans, weep you must at learning that the Holy Grail of Human Desire, Yaldabaoth, existed in literary form long before SMT became popular; I play, I'm aware that the concept is a hell of a lot older than this novel).

I'm unsure of precisely what the take-away from this novel should be, which is very much for the best. I think of it as containing the sort of insight a theologian might have after trying LSD for the first time. You cannot take a single thing at face value here: to say the Narrator is unreliable would be like saying the Sun is a bit hot. True, but that so under-values the reality.

On one hand, I want to read it as a sci-fi narrative, but it's so steeped in reality (every single fictional, or at least, non-realistic, element can be explained as the direct result of following a character who's been so drugged-up, and emotionally screwed-up, that you could reasonably interpret it as being hallucination, or other brain-fuckery), that there's not much science fiction actually happening. I want to read it as biographical, but very little of Dick's life here lines-up with any actual events in the real-world. I guess you could call it a biographical fiction of a hypothetical Philip K Dick, from a universe where he's more cracked-out than he truly was. I'll coin the term "meta-biographical fiction," as a way to cope with how much thinking about the Narrator stresses my brain.

There's a very popular Dishwalla song "Counting Blue Cars". There's a chorus line which goes: "Tell me all your thoughts on God". Dick has done that quite extensively here. I can imagine it would have been extraordinarily interesting to hear him speak about these interests in person.

For today's lucky Ten Thousand.

This novel will definitely require a second read to get the full picture, I suspect. But that's later me's problem. The now-self is a bit too exhausted to have any thoughts on this novel.

I think I should sleep. Hopefully I don't dream of pink light.

[scuderlia]

hi i love your blog, i was wondering if you have any fic recs???

(i got a few asks about this so i'm just gonna put all of my recommendations here)

i've been really into non-fiction as of late and haven't been consuming as much fanfic as i typically do as a result, but here's a few i loved and read semi-recently:

lemniscate by weiwuxian (BreathOfDream) | E, 28k, lestappen | College/University AU

~ for fans of the complexities of young friendships, relationships, and the grey-areas in between... who also like to have their hearts stomped on (chussy featured god bless)

here in procession by fromnowhere (concalma) | T, 2k, piarles | canonverse

~ catholic imagery, 'miracles', and charles' weird relationship to religion. what more could a girl want... (this gutted me bad)

floatin' but i'm heavy by quietrumblings (whisperedwords) | E, 5k, piarles | canonverse

~ if you fuck with dog motifs and are horny you're gonna love this (also... chussy... for those with taste)

be your temporary fix by steviethenarwhal | M, 5k, lando/george | girl!George AU

~ lando could never work at a suicide hotline and george has given up on self-care... a post-Singapore 2023 hookup story

strange new worlds by Anonymous | E, 14k (chapters/ongoing), lestappen | Venom AU

~ required reading. literally just read this idc. xoxo, monsterfuckers.

give me that fire by Lady_Something | E, 40k (chapters), lestappen | Chef/Restaurant AU

~ everyone lied... you should fuck your coworkers. featuring lots of love and grief and deliciously flawed characters.

Braised by Anonymous | E, 18k (chapters/ongoing), maxiel | The Bear AU

~ i could gush about this all day but the writing is just addictive... the pacing's fantastic, simulates how working in a restaurant can feel like one long panic attack.

not f1-related, but this fic literally changed my life. it’s a haikyuu rare pair and so insanely good. i go crazy whenever I read it. would highly recommend.

the contest between by batman | E, 75k (chapters), osaaka | Chef's Table AU

~ akaashi makes documentaries and osamu is a chef ten years older than him... [crying heard off-screen]

[masontalo]

«Addict»

«I can’t take it anymore. Why… what's happening? I…»

- Do you think we should bring him to the hospital? What if he's just a regular addict?

Vayt tried to open his eyes. Whose voice is that? Clearly male and quite rough. It's so hard to open eyes.

- He even reeks of weed. He can be dangerous

The man clearly treated Vayt badly, well, or at least for now.

- What if he's not? What if it's deeper than you think?

It was another person's voice. Also male, but more... gentle? He sounded very concerned. Oh shit... time to open eyes.

Vayt opened his eyes hard and slowly. It was a cafe of some kind, but it was empty. Vayt realized he was lying on chairs. The two men who were talking were literally a couple of meters away.

One had swarthy skin, blond colored hair, and brown eyes. He thought he was colored because his beard and eyebrows were brown. Vayt also noticed he had piercings on his right eyebrow, nose and lower lip. He was wearing a red shirt and a black tie.

Vayt couldn't see the second man, because his back was to him, but he had light skin and blond hair, too. Vayt thought he had a rather unusual haircut. His hair was shoulder-length, but shaved at 4/6, and the tips were colored a soft blue.

Vayt slowly sat up. The brown-eyed man noticed this and said:

- He woke up.

The second man stepped closer to Vayt.

- Are you okay? You passed out in the street. - he said to Vayt.

He could now get a good look at the man's face. His features were not as rough as the first man's, and he had sky blue eyes. He also had a yellow hairpin in the shape of a star.

Vayt was a little taken aback by the question, but he did his usual thing:

- Yeah, yeah, it's okay. It happens, I'm fine.

Vayt spoke with a tortured smile and a slightly shaky voice, and his eyes open enough to even see the whites.

The blue-eyed man understood that coaxing Vayt was useless, but he couldn't leave completely without help.

- Okay, in that case, why don't I give you my number? If you need any help, you call me. - he said, clasping his hands together out of worry for the stranger.

Vayt took a deep breath. It was probably the quickest and easiest way to get away without embarrassing himself with his odor, appearance, and talk.

- All right, dictate. - Vayt said, pulling out his cell phone, which looked about... 100 years old?

The blond dictated his number, and Vayt wrote it down in turn, then began to speak:

- Thank you, Mr....

- Just call me Anthony.

Vayt nodded and called the contact "Anthony." The guy hid his phone and put his backpack on one shoulder.

- Well, thanks for your help, - Vayt said, stumbling back. -but I've got to go.

Vayt's back bumped lightly against the door.

- Are you sure you're okay? - Anthony asked. His eyebrows arched, creating a worried expression.

-  Yeah, yeah, thank you so much for giving me the number. I'm sorry for interrupting work. - Vayt gibbered, trying to fumble for the doorknob behind his back.

Once he had that, he opened the door and before closing it said one last thing:

- Thank you and sorry again. - Vayt gave one last fake smile and disappeared out the door.

Anthony sighed.

- He's a strange guy. - said the other man.

- We don't know anything about him. - Anthony replied to this statement.

The man sighed.

- Think he'll call?

- I'm not sure. – Anthony drooped his eyes to the floor and clasped his hands tightly together.

- Okay, we already wasted enough time on this guy, we should get back to work.

Anthony nodded, and they got back to work.

At this time, Vayt was sitting on a random stairway. He wanted to scream from the shame he felt. To pass out in the street, even like this. His thoughts went from one extreme to the other.

«I won’t do it, it’s too embarrassingly.» - the only coherent thoughts that broke through the rest of the stream of random experiences.

Vayt held his head and tried to calm down, bowing his head almost at knee level.

He doesn't know how much time had passed, but looking up finally Vayt saw the orange sky. Was it sunset already?

The boy threw back his head and took a deep breath.

- Calm down, it's okay. Tomorrow, they won't even remember you, it's all right. – Vayt calmed himself, finally taking a deep breath.

But his chest still hurt like hell from the nerves. But as soon as the pain subsided, Vayt went wandering around the neighborhood until late at night, as usual.

Usually at three a.m. all kinds of evil things show up, but the only evil thing that showed up in this house was Vayt. Although he wasn't much worse than the others.

As usual, a smoke-filled apartment. Why haven't the neighbors called the cops if this has been going on for over six months? Maybe they're just so tolerant as Vayt.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, he immediately wanted to just disappear just to not see them.

After stepping over two sleeping bodies in the hallway, Vayt reached the window and opened it wide. After another obstacle course, consisting of the same two people and a pile of bottles, he reached the balcony. After repeating the same operation as with the window, he began to look for some quiet corner, so that he would not be touched while he slept.

Walking beside the couch, Vayt saw his "friend" was carefully tucked in and covered with a blanket, his long hair tucked behind his ear.

"It's surprising someone wasn't stoned enough to pick HIM up. And lay him down so gently." - Vayt thought as he left the room.

Pressing himself against the farthest wall, he held his backpack tightly against him. It wasn't the best place to sleep, but for now it was better than outside. Or in HIS house. Vayt slowly closed his eyes, falling into sleep and another nightmare.