#whatever we're walking into its gonna be FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS

[xxlady-lunaxx]

The sun and its shine | {YoriiUta}

Theme: Fluff

Note: READ THE SCREENSHOT IF YOU WANT INFO OF THIS BC I AIN'T EXPLAINING SO DON'T BE SURPRISED. /j

MODERN AU

slight KokuZan ofc 💀

procrastination>>> 

/j

also this is kinda rlly fast moving along bc it's a oneshot so... sorry bout that

"Yoriichi, do we have a project?" Michikatsu asked, looking tired as hell as he trudged down the stairs alongside his twin brother.

"Yes, why?" Yoriichi said. This time it was a History project. They were supposed to make an artistic representation of one of the World Wars for a reason nobody understood since they'd just been on the topic of something completely different. 

"Wait, we do? When is it due?" Michikatsu said, suddenly looking wide awake.

His brother laughed. "In a week. Do you even know who you're working with?"

"Uhm... Sumi'?" he asked uncertainly. 

"Yes, Sumiyoshi already started it for you I think."

"Oh. Great! Who's your partner?" Michikatsu asked, grabbing a bowl from the kitchen and searching the fridge for some food.

"Uhm... the girl who sits next to me always? I don't know if you know her. Her name is Uta." Yoriichi paused. "Ah, I need her contact number."

"Why, you gonna ask her out?" his brother teased, plopping down on a chair.

"No!" Yoriichi said, flushing. "I need to be able to speak to her about the project. I forgot we still didn't have each other's number's though we often work together."

"Yeah, how the hell do you do that then?"

"We just do it at school, like staying a bit later or going there early?" he said, chomping his bread rather aggressively in attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"Boringgg, how could you go to—... Wait is that why sometimes I wake up an hour late for school and you're not there??" Michikatsu said, a sudden thought striking him. "You dump me for detention to go on a book date with your girlfriend?!"

"We're not dating!! And I did wake you up but you always go back to sleep later!!" Yoriichi said, huffing. "Are Muichiro and Yuichiro awake yet? We need to drop them off to their school before we go." 

Michikatsu rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, whatever." He left his bowl on the table and traipsed up the stairs shouting, "MUI AND YUI GET YOUR ASSES UP IT'S TIME FOR SCHOOL!!"

×××

"Good morning," Yoriichi said, nodding towards Uta who gave him her usual cheery smile as they sat down, waiting for the class to start.

"Good morning! How are you today?" she asked, lifting her bag and placing it on her lap, rummaging through it. 

"I'm well, and you?" he said, turning his gaze to the front of the room which was full of students filing inside. 

"I'm okay. Can we work on the project at lunch, maybe? I have something after school," Uta said, taking out her notebook and giving him another bright smile. 

"Of course. Oh! And about that, I wanted to ask if we... could exchange numbers? We could more easily contact each other then," Yoriichi said nervously, unsure what she would say.

"Oh, sure! Ah, let me find my phone," she said, laughing and going back to searching through her bag.

"Alright," he said, taking out his own and waiting.

×××

Lunch period and everyone was filing into the cafeteria, lively chatter filling the air. (y'all guess what idk how middle school or high school is like irl except from books i've read ;-;)

Yoriichi stayed behind in class, waiting for Uta to finish packing her things.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Mhm!" She stood and the two walked to the library.

On their way there, they bumped into Muzan, who was Michikatsu's boyfriend. 

"Oh, hello," Yoriichi said, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Hi." Muzan turned to Uta and stage-whispered, "Who is that? Your boyfriend?"

Yoriichi flushed. Why was it that people kept saying that?? 

Uta only laughed though. "No, he's not. We're only going to do a project in the library."

"But it's lunch time?" Muzan whined. 

"You go eat with your boyfriend!" Uta said, sighing. "Where is he anywho?"

Muzan pointed to behind them were Michikatsu was walking down the hall.

The two turned. 

"Oh, there you are," Michikatsu said, directing this to Muzan. "Let's go eat lunch. We can leave these two to their book party now."

Yoriichi sighed. "Don't cause any trouble." 

"No promises!" Michikatsu said, saluting the two and dragging Muzan away with a wink.

"...Okay, let's go to the library now," Yoriichi said, rolling his eyes at his brother.

"Alright!" Uta said cheerfully, not seeming bothered at all by this.

"You know Muzan then?" he asked as they made their way down the hall. 

"Yep! We've known each other for, like... since we were little," Uta said, turning a corner.

"Oh? Have you met my brother before?" Yoriichi inquired, tilting his head curiously in her direction.

"I've heard of him from Muzan here and there. We never really 'met', only just seen each other or spoken when he goes to steal Muzan," she said, laughing. "Have you got the part of the project you've done so far?"

"Yes, it's in my bag," he said, patting his bag.

"Mkay! Well, we're here now. Hmm... Do you suppose we should look at more of the books?"

×××

It was getting late and Yoriichi trudged through the halls of the school, having stayed back to wait for Michikatsu who was in detention—who wouldn't say why he got it. 

Finally—finally—Michikatsu met his brother in the hall, an annoyed look written all over his face.

"I'm finally out!" he whined. 

"Yeah, you wouldn't be in there if you hadn't gotten yourself in trouble again," Yoriichi said, sighing. 

"Not my fault you're such a goody-two-shoes," Michikatsu huffed. 

"You're the one who insists on making a lot of trouble... Shall we go now?"

"Yeah, okay."

As they walked home, Michikatsu recounted his day. At one point they'd decided to tell each other how their days went as they went home and it became a sort of tradition between the two.

"And... then I had detention and Prof. Urokodaki was being real strict again. What about you?" Michikatsu concluded, turning to his brother with a grin.

"Me? I mostly went to my classes and did my project with Uta," Yoriichi said. "Nothing quite so eventful about my day."

"Oh, Uta? Right. She and Muzan are friends," Michikatsu noted, walking backwards to look at his brother while he spoke. "Yorii'?"

"Hm?"

"Do you like Uta?"

Yoriichi spluttered and nearly tripped onto Michikatsu. "What? She's my friend! So, no, not like how you're implying," he said, flushed. 

"But your face is literally redder than Muzan's eyes right now," Michikatsu said, poising his hands on his hips. "You do like her!"

"I do not!" He didn't, did he?

"Yes you do! You always look so happy when you talk about her," he said, jabbing a finger at Yoriichi's chest. "Just admit it!"

"I... I do not like her like that," Yoriichi mumbled. "Let's go home now. We're only a few blocks away," he said, moving quickly around his brother and dashing off. 

×××

"Muzan!! I have something to tell you," Michikatsu hissed into his phone, glancing at his door. 

"Hm? What is it, my love?" Muzan asked curiously.

"Yoriichi likes Uta!! It's so obvious but he keeps denying it. Anyways, you know Uta, do you know if she likes anyone?" Michikatsu said quickly, lowering his voice. 

There was silence for a second before Muzan burst into laughter. 

"What??"

"Uta was just telling me she had a crush," Muzan explained. "She said he asked for her number so they could work on their school project together or something and she went on gushing about how happy she was."

"...Yeah that's probably Yorii' then," Michikatsu said. He flopped down on his bed, his eyes still keeping a close watch on the door. He and Yoriichi shared a room, as did Muichiro and Yuichiro, so he had to be careful. Yoriichi was currently helping their younger brothers with their homework, though, so they had a little time.

"Mhm. Want to do something about it?" 

"What do you mean?" he asked, hearing the smirk in Muzan's voice.

"Let's set them up. Ooh! We could invite them to go on a walk and coincidentally run into each other and then I'll steal you and we'll spy on them," Muzan said.

"Alrighty. When do we go? It's literally the middle of the week," Michikatsu pointed out. 

"Yeah, uhm, how about tomorrow? Wednesdays we have less class time, so we can go in the evening?" Muzan suggested.

"Great! Text me the place and I'll tell Yoriichi to go with me there for a bit."

×××

"We rarely go on walks now, it's so nice to be out just... like this!" Uta commented, smiling as she skipped along the path.

"Yeah," Muzan said, his mind on the fact that they had to be at the park in less than two minutes and they were still fifteen minutes away from it. "I'll race you there!!" he said, dashing off.

"Hey!!" Uta whined, running after him.

They got to the park, tired as hell, but they were there. A bit late, though.

Muzan spotted Michikatsu looking confused at the tree they'd said they would meet at and pointed there. 

"Uta, look! It's Michi and Yoriichi," he said, pulling her there.

"I'm still tireddd," Uta pouted, but followed him. 

"Oh! Funny to see you here," Michikatsu said, looking relieved. 

I'm sorry we're late, Muzan mouthed.

Michikatsu shrugged. 

"Yeah!!" Uta agreed to Michikatsu's previous statement. "What're you two doing here?"

"Walking. Muichiro and Yuichiro wanted to come here," Michikatsu lied, pointing to his two youngest brothers who were climbing on top of the swing structure... 

"Oh! They're so grown up," Uta said, her eyes sparkling.

Yoriichi agreed.

Michikatsu and Muzan's eyes met and the two seemed to be trying to tel each other the same thing before they made loud excuses to go check on Yuichiro and Muichiro to make sure they didn't fall and break their heads.

"Hmm, hello, Yoriichi!" Uta said cheerfully.

"Hello," he said, nodding at her with a nervous smile. 

"It's really pretty this evening, right?" she said, moving her hands in a wide motion in front of her as if she were displaying a work of art.

"Yes, the sunset is beautiful," Yoriichi murmured. Like Uta. She was beautiful too. 

"Do you like walking outside?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"It's nice. I like the air when it's a little colder, makes you feel... alive," he commented, nodding. 

"Ohh, yeah!! It's nice for a little breeze anyways. When it's warmer I get drowsier," Uta said, tapping her chin. "Your brother is very lively, you know. He's always getting into trouble."

"Mhm." Yoriichi averted his eyes. Did she like livelier people? He had never been like Michikatsu, able to jump from one person to another. He'd always been quiet and on the shyer side, afraid to speak up unless it was important or amongst people he knew and trusted.

"You seem to be a lot better at keeping calmer though!" Uta said, smiling. "You're also lots more relaxed, I think."

Yoriichi looked up. "Oh..! Thank you?" he said quietly.

She nodded. "Mhm! I can never keep too quiet and I'm too energetic. Someone told me they would tape my mouth shut if I kept talking but then Muzan told them that he would tape them to an electricity pole in the middle of a tornado and they shut up," she said, laughing. "He's too harsh but he means well."

Yoriichi raised an eyebrow. People didn't like her energy? "I... I admire your energeticness. I never know how to be that social so... I keep quieter. You have a friendly quality to yourself that I find comforting," he said, offering her a smile.

Uta stared at him for a long moment and he felt like he'd said something wrong before she tilted her head and gave him a shy smile. "I... Thank you. No one really tells me that. I only konw that they like talking to me if they don't leave," she said, laughing nervously. 

"Really? I would've expected more people to compliment you..." he said, trailing off when he realized what he just said. He flushed and turned away. "Uhm... Let's go check on my brothers and Muzan. Make sure they're not causing chaos?"

Uta nodded, her smile growing and her cheeks tinted pink. 

×××

Over the course of the next few weeks, Michikatsu and Muzan continued finding excuses (to not make this so detailed/j) bring Yoriichi and Uta closer together, making up random things so they have to leave them alone together or inviting them over only for Yoriichi and Uta to third-wheel them, eventually going to a different room to talk. 

Somehow, neither Yoriichi nor Uta caught on with these antics no matter how obvious they were. It couldn't be more conspicious and yet Michikatsu and Muzan still managed to get by all of this with everyone but the two victim's noticing.

And finally, their work paid off.

Because they were seriously running out of ideas.

"Alright, we'll leave a note to them asking to meet at the café, right? Then... pretend Yoriichi and Uta sent them to each other, I guess?" Michikatsu said, listing it out in his head.

"Right. There's another place across the street from it we can go to to watch them," Muzan said. 

"Okay! It's settled."

×××

"Uta?" Yoriichi said, surprised to actually see her there. He'd recognised her handwriting—although it looked a bit messier than usual—and had come here to meet her.

"Hi! You... wanted to meet me?" Uta said, smiling.

"Oh! I thought you wanted to see me."

They stared at each other for a second then glanced at the café they stood in front of.

×××

Inside the café, it was very noisy and they struggled to find a place to sit after ordering their drinks.

"Soo, how're you?" Yoriichi asked, tapping the table mindlessly, unsure what to say.

"I'm fine! It's such a nice day out, no?" Uta commented, her voice ringing much clearer through the noisy din. 

"Mhm."

They waited a bit, their minds both on the fact that this might as well be a date.

Then, quite simutaneously, they said, "Can I tell you something?"

They started at each other for a second and then Uta laughed, causing a smile to spread on Yoriichi's face. 

"You can go first," he said gently.

"We can say it at the same time?" she suggested.

Yoriichi didn't know how they would hear each other then, but he agreed. 

"On the count of three," Uta said. "One, two three."

"I think I like you," Yoriichi said at the same time Uta said, "I like you."

They blinked.

Flushed, Uta said quickly, "Y...You do?"

"Yes..." Yoriichi mumbled. "V...Very much so." His cheeks were a blotchy pink and both of them averted their eyes, unsure what to say.

"Uhm... Do you want to go out?" Uta asked nervously.

"I... I would!" Yoriichi said, his eyes shining much like hers did quite often. 

She laughed. "I'm so happy!"

"Me too," he said. "Me too."

{Word count: 2475}

WAHHAHSHA THEY'RE SO CUTE I'M GONNA CRY 😭

SHIT ENDING BUT YAYAYAYAY!!!

i forgot i was gonna say smth else but my stupid ass mind forgot what it was

Oh also

the title used to be "shy" bc i didn't know what to do BUT!!

i like this one better

like Yoriichi is always the sun but Uta literally is a ball of sunshine like-

[richardsphere]

Leverage Redemption Log: The Walk In the Woods Job

Army guy is with his doctor (shoulder/arm injury is healing). Doctor is trying to convince Armydude to go to a support group for people who have been through similar.

Come to Therapy, We Have Cookies! Army guy left, other doctor has bills and a message from a Kurt Lander (frumples note). We're really going out of our way to make the Boss Doctor seem likeable with how much he cares about other peoples mental health.

Camera follows second doctor on way out, lingers on picture of elliot on the wall. Throw a hand-egg, bomb. PAUL!!! --- Panama, 4 years ago (so during the timeskip) Elliot and Dr. Paul are having a drink. Austin Kurt Lander (why does this guy get three names? Im gonna stick to Kurt) is footing the bill for the clinic. I think the "He" that Austin wants Elliot to make peace with is his father? But im shit at context clues and also sick of getting faked out there. --- Dr Guy recognises Elliot at the funeral. "highly decorated veteran", Translation: Warcriminal.

Ok lets not double-book our acronyms please? I get there are only so many 3-letter combinations (17.576) so there is bound to be overlap but lets not open our communications up to potential future confusion. I'll refer to the Bomb type as "Thermite bomb" (TB) and the other oen as "Warcrimes Incorporated". (WI) if this becomes a running gag for the episode. getting to the stuff that even US Propagandists think is "bad stuff", corruption scandals, friendly fire in Kabul, and bodyguarding for Saudi Princes.

Something definitly happened on that bridge (and Elliot was definitly there to see it happen) --- Parker Breanna and Sophie are trying to get into Silverguard HQ, Elliot and Harry are looking at Doctor's stuff.

They bombed Elliots Picture. (which opens a secret room, he was preparing to killl Kurt) --- Target is on the move, to a place called "Orpheus Grove" (ominous name)

And Breanna just hit Sophie with the truck. Which... well it's certainly a good distraction.

Well we knew he was a warcriminal, now we know he's an asshole. --- He killed some miners, (not a shock) Orpheus grove is apparently a secret conspiracy located on a confederate generals old plantation. Its a fratclub for racists and wealthy clansmen basically.

there are no satelites images at the plantation, no cell reception and presumeably no wifi. (we're going in blind, But Kurt will be blind as well) little heart-to-heart between Elliot and Harry. (he's stealing the shuriken) --- Meanwhile in Millwater (or whatever the place is called) Breanna sees a sign about endangered frogs. (protected species, shut down the plantation by making it a wildlife preserve.) Local historian is about to give us a history lesson on the frogs and their habitats (presumably including the plantation)

Coms are live for people in the grove but cant reach Breanna until the cloak is down.

Ok when i said it was a "fratclub for racists and Klansmen" i meant it as a joke. Turns out its an actual fratclub for racists and Klansmen. Oh they're peeing in the river. But thats where the frogs live! (the piss is Fricking up the PH of the water, its why they're dying).

Little contest: Who can steal the phone! Guy is spinning his two things lie again.

Guy-with-a-harp-round-his-neck is "in charge". I find the goat-horn to be a bit cult-y. Parker has the Phone. (or at least the Walky Talky) Ok so the "un-pickable safe" is just a ban on phones. Three keys. Phone is in the vault and Parker just spotted a sniper. (Kurt is "doing an audition", he's staging an assasination so he can rescue Frick from the assasin and be welcomed into the Cult) --- Back from commercial: Doctor was the sniper HE ISNT DEAD. Thought that lying about what happened on the bridge would be a lesser evil to justify his office. "im Harry, im with him. Glad you're not dead, what do we do now" 9/10.

Huh, the frogs might have legitimate national security value. ("the secret to curing bacterial infections") A potential cure for a biowarfare threat. The woman wasnt even entirely exagerating.

Also Breanna has put the flyers on the internet. Make a niche topic, post on a few specific forums. They're taking soil and water samples. They'll find beer-urine is messing with the PH and they'll shut the grove down. I just unpaused and the local historian just said the PH levels are rising form unknown reasons? Am I actually right?

Imagine a powerfull mystic cult of senators and private armies getting shut down by a local historian and her pet frog.

Breanna wants to have a froggy hat. (its a good hat.) --- Parker snips the wire on a keychain while the drunken wearer is pissing against a tree. Sophie distracts Kurt by getting him to brag about his 2 things line some more. Harry falls from a tree, Parker elbow-drops a guy getting a massage. Harry vanishes with the ghilly, Parker steals the final key dressed as a dancer. Sophie has been spotted. --- Sophie is going for "venezualan government agent" here for the mine collapse, begins priming Kurt for Elliot. Meanwhile Harry pretends to be Elliot as a distraction. Parker suffers a minor complication in needing to turn 3 keys simultaniously. Harry steals some of Elliots lines so Elliot can call this guy out by proxy. A bad Rocky monologue stalls for enough time for Paul and Elliot to show up. --- Paul is here to confess to the lies on a wire. Harry here to unionise the guards and tell them of their legal rights. Ok good use of the bridge.

The frogs. I was right about the Piss and the frogs. I wrote that so i had an excuse to make a joke about Frick's name. And i was right.

call-back to the MIC joke (thank frick that wasnt a running gag) Final toast between Elliot and Paul

[frankmillerturnonyourlocation]

oh dammit i also need to build two more pages. Sigh okay as a reminder to myself and also because i want to talk about them messily here's my two wills that ive been procrastinating on giving tags:

Will Stanton!

From The Dark Is Rising (book series). Wildly dense British fantasy from the 70s that's gonna require more nuanced understanding of western European history to fully analyze and appraise than I have in me to give. With what I've got: it's, uh, definitely a British fantasy series from the 70s, with pieces of all the flaws you'd expect and possibly some exciting new ones, but it's good-hearted overall, and damn if it isn't beautiful.

I picked up a really old copy of the second book in the series from an elementary school that was giving them away during possibly the coldest, darkest, most socially hostile period of my college experience. Real leaving in the dark and coming home after dark vibes. I ended up finishing the book in the following semester, on a bench in town right before a beautiful spring storm. So, like, of course it's tattooed onto my heart.

Will is a twelve-year-old boy who lives on a farm and is also the last of a group of ancient, magic, impossibly wise guardians of all things ontologically good or whatever and he's no longer counted among humans as one of them and he's a little shit to his big sisters and he sings soprano. He walked into the woods with a teenager who wanted to hurt him and he never again acted entirely like a child. He tried to tell his favorite brother about it once. His brother didn't understand. He is the only one of the series' many child heroes who will remember any of it, and he will remember it forever, because he will not die. and im his weird time-lost best friend babysitter he shares a soul bond with and we have small companion dragons that are manifestations of our souls and its rad as fuck okay dont worry about it istg this is as far outside of canon compliance i have gotten with a self ship thus far

and thennnn.

William Shakespeare! (THE CHARARCTER FROM SOMETHING ROTTEN!)

Musicals are so fucking fun. It's like, cool, this thing rewired my brain, and I'm never gonna see it again. And we just do this to ourselves on purpose because live theater is so special and powerful like that. We do this on purpose.

And THEN it's like cool, cool, I'm researching contraceptive methods from the renaissance now, awesome. I'm spending my one wild and precious life thinking about meetcutes with Literal Playwright William Shakespeare. Nobody unfollow me for this. It's barely even rpf.

He's a little BITCH and a PLAGIARIST and a ROCK STAR and a CYNICAL ROMANTIC. I am CROSSDRESSING as a TEENAGE BOY to safely and legally CROSSDRESS AS A WOMAN to play BIT PARTS and get HECKLED onstage. And we slowburn until we develop a deep reliance on each other as two people with few healthy and reciprocal relationships with anyone else.

At some point, he lets me write some scripts and have them performed under his name. We all fucking hear me right now, right? Jesus Christ. It's not historical rpf. But I am saying that I would allow fictionalized, slutty William Shakespeare plagiarize my writing if he let me direct a little bit and also we were in love about it. I am saying that. And we're all still here.

[docholligay]

As someone who read a LOT as a kid but as an adult, I am kind of burnt out from reading even though it has been a good amount of time since i graduated, (Gifted Child Program so I was going through several books a week) I want to start reading again but I have no idea where to start without having burnout.

So we're familiar with my work, before I answer this. I am a very straightforward person and I don't often mince words. I can't be sitting across from you, and so you can't read my body language. So you'll have to trust that while I'm gonna be a little hard on you, it's done with a smile and the understanding that you wouldn't ask me if you didn't want an honest answer.

First off, we're all a little old to be blaming being a gifted kid. I was also in Gifted and Talented. I am, realistically, neither. That is not me dogging on myself. I don't think I'm a useless or whatever person. I just think, I'm just as gifted and behind, in a patchwork as anyone. I think some people trip on discovering, when they get older, that they were never ever special, they could just read well or do math good or whatever, and it didn't spin out to success in life.

That's...actually not the G&T program's fault. We can argue if the G&T program is a good thing--I think it's mixed bag--and we can argue that one's parent's made you think it meant something, but: We're all adults now, and the statute of limitations on blaming a program that told us we were SMART when we were, what eight to twelve? For our lack of motivation now, is pretty much over. We gotta own our own bullshit, friend. That's the start.

I graduated with a whole-ass double major in literature and history, despite being an ADHD sack of shit I cannot TELL you how many books I read in a week, and how often I read a book in a DAY sometimes because I put it off. I still love to read.

Having read a lot of books when you were ten is not the problem. I say this with my hand on your knee and a kind eye, but its the truth.

You probably loved to read when you were a kid because it was your form of escapism, and as we've gotten older, forms of escapism have gotten incredibly sophisticated and made specifically to encourage addiction/addiction-style behaviors in us. It's your phone. I'm talking about your phone. Flash games, social media, etc, its all designed to fuck with us. And whenever I say this, its ASTOUNDING how many people are like, "well fuck can't do anything about it then" instead of getting pissed off. I got pissed off ahaha. I don't like to be taken in!

So let's take the word "burnout" off the table. I don't find it helpful. I guess if you find it in some way a useful tool, more power to you, but let's refocus our way of thinking about our behaviors as things we control rather than things that happen to us. Just try it on for size for me.

I think reading is a fantastic tool to reteach us how to focus our attentions, and help us regain things that technology intentionally seeks for us to lose. You can absolutely sit and do something for an hour or two, I know this because I would be willing to lay every dollar of money in my bank account on the fact that you can sit and play on your phone for an hour. This isn't me saying you suck, or you're stupid, or anything like that. I can also get caught up in bullshit.

You have to set up specific time to allow reading to work for you, and that means renegotiating your relationship with technology, often. For me, it is reading in the bathtub and putting my phone in another room. I'm not going to get out of the tub, walk into another room, just to see if someone hearted my comment*. I read in bed at night, and at night? My phone gets turned all the way the fuck off. This has helped my sleep immensely, for starters. After 10 pm, or so, I am dead to the world. If there's an emergency, I trust the pony express. The odds are low.

Before I had the baby, Shabbat was specifically set up as a time where I didn't have my phone at all, it got shut up and put in a drawer, and I HAVE to get back to that, it was such an incredible reshaping of my mind and my relationship with myself.

So, like so many things in life, it's SIMPLE, even if it isn't EASY. Pick up a book you know you like--I'm a big believer in pushing ourselves with our media but first things first**. And make time to read it. Start with a half hour three times a week. The phone is not allowed to be around. Let yourself dip back into WHY you liked reading. Let your imagination run wild, let yourself live another person's life, learn to see things in your mind again! Anyone can do it, if they want to. And it's okay...not to want to. If you genuinely would rather play video games and watch anime, that's actually fine. Just be straight up. "I don't like reading. I like to play video games and watch anime." Honesty is the best policy. Don't just say "I love to read but I can't but" just because you wish you were the kind of person who loved to read.

It's like I often say to myself, 'The shitty thing about calling myself a distance runner is it means I have to run distances' as I trod off to run another ten miles ahaha. Like, I think it would be easy to say, 'Oh I love to clean and organize, but I can't because I have a baby" Bitch I love to clean and organize, except for the fact that I fucking hate every minute of it, and my behavior bears that out. I clean! But because I have to, to be a partner and family member. I will NEVER EVER take my spare time to do it outside of my chore cahrt that I force myself into. NEVERRRRRRR. Even with all the time and label makers in the world.

This is because I don't like it. Same with other shit I wish I liked doing: strength training, sewing, drawing.

But I believe I could learn to like those things, if I made it a part of my life. I believe that thoughts often follow actions. Whe I started running, I did not like it, and sometimes I still don't, but overall I love being the person who runs, and I love how I feel after a run.

You can be the person who reads!

*Again, I am human! I also desperately want the validation and connection of these things. But I ALSO know I need to be wary of such.

**Another good way to do this, initially, is to allow yourself comfort with books but not tv/movies. If you watch tv or a movie it has to be something challenging instead of comforting, but in books it can be ca comfort read. Just to start changing associations.

[jamestrmtx]

Fairytale Complex - [Undertale | Sans x Reader]

[Gender Neutral, Frisk's Parent Reader | Slow Burn]

Summary:

The dichotomy between black and white is your constant when it's time for you to meet the whole new civilization Frisk brought along with them to the Surface. As a parent, it's not easy to trust others when they've hurt your child. So when that new civilization decides they owe Frisk both for saving their kind and for still hurting them during that process, you've got plenty to say to them.

Forgive the monsters as easily as you once did with others during a stage of naivety?

Oh, hell no.

They better have a good reason for hurting your child and an even better one for wanting to be a part of their family.

Prologue | Once Upon a Time

[Next]

Finished with a hectic work day, you throw yourself on the couch and beg for it not to give in when you hear it creak. Just as the rest of your home, it's old, worn, and needs replacing. You let out a sigh and bask under what little calm you can find between the worries of a dead-end job and your child recently going missing. 

Many accused the disappearance on your lack of care and overall irresponsibility as their parent, while others blamed it on the myth of monsters existing near the place you suspected they last went to. The first of these assumptions you accepted and blamed yourself constantly for, yet the second of the two was near impossible to even be an option to begin with. Monsters were far away from your village; they were told to be sealed inside the Underground close to Mt. Ebott, and nobody had heard of them in centuries. It was highly unlikely for them to exist there and much less on the Surface, yet there were still some who believed in that myth nonetheless.

Alone in your home, you can only stare at the blank wall before you and think back on the last day you saw Frisk. 

...

"I'm home!" you hear them call, followed by their footsteps thumping against the floorboards.

They make it to the kitchen and throw themselves at you; their arms wrap around your neck and pull you into a hug. Smiling, you return the embrace, pull back to look down, and meet with their eyes. "Did you say goodbye to Auntie Brenda before leaving?" you ask, tucking a stray lock of hair behind their ear. Their bob and bangs had grown longer and many neighbours said it made them look like a girl, but Frisk never minded over those comments and always insisted on keeping their hair that way.

"Yup!" they reply, taking a seat next to yours. "We're… We're gonna spend the whole weekend together, right?" 

"Of course we are, honey." You chuckle upon seeing the worry in their eyes, these holding hope over a positive response on your part. "But first, we've got to study up on History," you add, "Remember you've got a test the day after tomorrow." You pinch their cheek and kiss it better, making them grin and burst into giggles. 

Then, you stand up and head to the living room, where you stop by the bookshelf already covered in a thin layer of dust despite its frequent use. Your eyes scan for the book you'd been recently reading with them, only to find it hidden at a corner, most likely an idea on their part in hopes of delaying their studies for a while. "We'll go over the last chapter. And after that, we can plan what we'll do for the weekend." You turn to them and smile, bumping the book against the top of their head. "But only if you don't try to hide your books away anymore. I know you like school and pay attention all the time, but that still doesn't excuse you from studying up at home."

You walk to the couch, sit down, and see their smile fade away when you open the book to one of its later chapters. It was far away from the one you were currently on, yet based on the look on their face, they seem to know what it's about, an assumption that grows stronger when you remember how one-sided the book in your hands is. Frisk was never fond of the stories it told, yet they never had the courage to go against its written words, either. Now, however, you have a hunch over them about to confront that when you see them frown and later open their mouth to speak up.

"Why do you believe what this book says? It… It says mean things about monsters! Haven't you ever been curious to know what they're all really like?"

You look down at the open book and give some thought to their words. Its borders are worn out and the pages are turning a soft shade of yellow, most likely due to the centuries that'd gone by since it was first published. 'The War Between Us' was its title, yet even though it said 'us', the author was biased at times; in more ways than one. It seemed that the more you analyzed it, the more you regretted having believed these stories when you were younger and having thrashed the possibility of beings like them ever existing. The question you've been given adds to your regret, so you pause and take a quick moment to reconsider.

Deciding it's best to think of a proper response, you flip the pages back to the first chapter and gesture for Frisk to join you. You push your glasses up to the brim of your nose and begin to read the first page.

>> Long ago, two races ruled over the Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell...

You flip past the introduction page, having already memorized it ever since you were seven.

>> Those undergrounds, located near Mt. Ebott, are said to be a dangerous place. It is said that those who climb the mountain never return. Many have taken this warning as a joke, yet none have actually dared to step foot on those grounds. Due to this fear of the unknown, many began to form theories as to what happens to those who travel to those lands. These have varied from such a simple thing as being unable or unwilling to leave, to something as dark and fearsome as death.

>> It is said the monsters residing in this place were not only strange in appearance, but in their actions and customs, as well. Likewise, it is said their way of reproduction is also odd, as it is through their SOULS that they may create another life, and that the way of ending their lives is through the same means. Besides showing their vulnerability through their SOULS, they show it through their words. They advise others to show 'MERCY', as well as to 'SPARE' their enemies whenever possible. 

>> However, many experts on the topic have agreed these are only myths; bedtime stories meant to dull and straighten up a child's behaviour, to frighten them over what is black and what is white, and to keep them strictly in the latter. It is impossible to believe such narrow-minded and saint-like creatures ever existed, unless it is to dumb down our mindsets and persuade us to be kind to a fault, without ever even questioning why it is said that those who fell into their world never came back. After all, it is without a doubt unrealistic and near impossible for people to cohabit in one same world without causing some form of hurt between each other. It is the same reason why these creatures were said to lose a war with our kind, and why we must avoid being weak and preachy like them; to prevent the same from ever happening to us.

You close the book with one swift move, deciding you already have the answer to your child's question.

"Y'know, I… I guess you're right, honey." You sigh, face your lap, and close your eyes, already having a taboo thought at the tip of your tongue. "I've only ever read this book regarding their history. If only I knew more about them, or maybe had another book from a new, different perspective... Then, maybe... Maybe I could know if both sides had their reasons for war, and why we still study them through this book only."

Just as they're about to reply, an unintelligible shout erupts from one of the nearby houses. The sound of porcelain hitting the ground and of people arguing with one another can be heard, and soon after, an eerie, yet recognizable silence takes over. Already expecting the worst, you let out a shaky sigh, stand up, and finally gather up courage to inspect what's going on outside the safety of your home.

"Stay here, Frisk. I'll be back soon."

…

You never saw them again after that day, and that was almost a full month ago. Your eyes have turned irredeemably red and puffy from how much you've cried and mourned over their loss, though you've tried to keep it to yourself as much as possible. Even so, a few things had been leaked regarding your situation. Nosy and loud neighbours meant trouble, and you already had enough with Social Services and Frisk's school constantly breathing down your neck.

The more days passed since their disappearance, the more rumours began to revolve around you. A silent argument over the hints left behind of Frisk going missing had begun to form, and it shows itself through the tense state of those around you, these split into two groups. Tension's risen between those who blame you and those who blame Mt. Ebott, yet you don't want to favour either side. Simply solving the situation and having Frisk in your arms again was enough for you, even if they were taken away from you by Social Services the day or even the hour after.

Hearing your stomach growl, you shake your head, finally realizing you're becoming too immersed in your own thoughts.

Dinner wouldn't make itself, and though you hated cooking only for yourself almost as much as you loathed the absence of your child and the silence of your home, you have to stand up, dust off, and keep on going.

Fairy tales weren't real; monsters weren't, either. In other words, Frisk's all alone in the world now and nobody's gonna help besides you. Whatever happened to your child, they were most likely suffering or in great danger, and for once, you can't help but wish over the Underground to be real in spite of the myths told about it. Perhaps then, you could have some sense of direction and an idea over just where Frisk could be; and perhaps then, they wouldn't be alone at the knowledge of monsters providing them with shelter and company until your arrival.

Perhaps then, you could rest a bit easy without crying yourself to sleep every weekend with the reminder and the remnants of a broken promise, one you feared would never be fulfilled.

[Next]

[shiro-0197]

Oh I'm so glad you've had a productive day!! Quadratic equations do not spark joy I have to refrain from crying everytime I see alphabets in maths 😭😭 but I'm glad you did some today, you genius ;) the igekai way!! I read of that a while ago. obsessing over anime and my kpop guy are probably not gonna do me good either, but they also do bring me loads of comfort, so I guess it isn't all that bad :(

I see, that sounds very beautiful. It's almost like you guys are different parts of the same person. AHH, I totally understand that, I find kids a regular nuisance too, but I'm glad you're able to find comfort in Kuro. I'm thankful to have my friend too, and although it's hard to stay close since he's in college now, we video call once a week so I'd say we're not giving up.

YES YES OH MY GOSH, EXCEPTIONALLY ADORABLE. (//Û//) my new favourite kaomoji <3

me? Cute? I suggest you look in the mirror 😼 I'm glad you liked it, cookie 😳💖 it really sounded good in my head, so I'm glad you thought so too. But honestly, that's just what I think of you👉👈

I was braiding my hair when I read that and I— yes that would hurt so much omg, twisting it?? CUTTING IT?? Drowning it in peroxide?? 😳

PLEASE THAT JUST FILLED ME WITH SO MUCH SEROTONIN?? I'm blushing God help my heart 😔 though I'd honestly love that 🥺🥺

Whatever you say, sir 😾(//û//) I think I love you more tho but uh—

ahhh physics sucks the life out of everything 🙀 (my least favourite science subject) but it's over now :] glad that you did! Here's a little fun fact about Malaysians (tho I'm not sure if it's the same in other countries). We all bring one litre bottles to school every day, and it's considered unusual if you don't have a water bottle with you at all times. It's hot here, so we'd get instantly dehydrated if that wasn't a practice.

—Ari

Hihi!! Sorry for not answering yesterday, went out for a long walk (I spelled it as wolk at first...) and got dead tired afterwards sjjdjsjdj I hope you slept well last night<3

Sometimes I feel special cuz I'm like one of those bitches who dont mind letters in math😭😭but that came witha price, because I literally cannot understand a SINGLE word in my history book. I literally cant stand history, because I can barely remember any of the events I read (yet somehow I clearly remember my ex friend's email from 4 years ago)

I totally get it, the comfort they bring is definitely not something to get rid of, but to be honest I want something that makes me happy but also makes enough money? Might sound kinda greedy, but we're struggling with money a lot, and it's been one of my insecurities (since most of the money went on me, my school and etc.) and I feel really bad hearing mom say that I cant buy milk because we dont have enough cash. Oops I kinda went overboard on that one, my apologies xD But I do agree, they're the easiest option when you need comfort🥺

Ahhh I totally get it, me and my buddies also barely got in touch after I moved, its hard to keep up:( I'm really glad to hear that you guys keep in touch!! He seems cool:D

Ohh, braiding is hard, I cant imagine doing it on my own😔😔 also, if you'd dye you're hair, would it be considered tattooing it instead? So many questions...

ALSO I did a small doodle of us, the anatomy is kind of messy so I apologize for that!!

I hope you like it hehe♡

That's funny, cuz physics is my most favorite subject, haha!! It's mostly just formulas, that's why I like it xD also unrelated, but I like quantum physics and theories as well~

Ohh I see!! It's usually pretty cold for us, and we have a 3 month holiday in summer, so most of us dont carry bottles. Plus it's really expensive, for us at least, and plastic bottles make the water taste like plastic, so yeah</3

Well, I'm really hoping you have a wonderful day!! I love you a lot, shortcake (//Û//)♡♡

[bloodgulchblog]

One of the things that Kilo Five did RIGHT (because I've been destroying the furniture about Kilo Five again this morning) is that everything that matters about it really is just the interplay of people in the wreckage of what came before. Fucking hate those books, but that's the part that's interesting. The conflict in there isn't about some new super alien mega weapon, it's just... everyone is fucking traumatized and tearing each other up and the UNSC is trying to go back to its old ways.

Envoy (which is actually good) features a ridiculously deadly new threat, but the story that matters inside Envoy is, once again, about groups of traumatized people trying to make a way forward somehow while their trauma and mistrust hold them back from progress. The function of the big threat is that it's the push that drives them to have to confront some of this. It's not actually the heart of the story.

The Gravemind was a cool villain and we didn't know the Gravemind's backstory until years after it was gone. The Gravemind and the Flood's job was to catalyze the conflict that would rip open the Covenant, create a reason for alliance between two groups with a long history of conflict, and give humanity a chance to win.

Meanwhile like.... Cortana? Whatever the Endless are?

Part of why Halo 5 was so bad, imo, is that you have pretty much no connective tissue between the characters we're supposed to be rooting for. Blue Team is there but not allowed to have any real emotional stakes/sense of connection except for like, one cutscene. Fireteam Osiris have all known one another for like five minutes.

There's nothing like the Arbiter, a marked failure, having to soldier on with the people who now resent him and then having to confront his whole assumption of how the world works falling apart. There isn't the weight of the human characters making humanity's last stand. There isn't the strength of the Master Chief, a character who has so long been valued as a weapon more than a person, trying to protect one of his only friends.

Halo 5 is a long walk full of shooting to reveal that there is a New Villain.

Halo Infinite is also a long walk full of shooting to reveal that there is a New Villain, but it does do more things right. The Banished are much more pressing and there's at least an effort to make them feel personal by having them destroy the Infinity, but that's not the main thing.

The important thing to me that Infinite did was give us central characters with emotional weight on the Chief (our viewpoint character) again. I don't care about the Endless at all, the Banished are just, like, guys you shoot at. But I care a lot about what's going on with the Weapon and the Pilot.

After they killed Cortana they kind of bled us dry of central characters the Chief has a bond with, because they won't do anything with Blue Team and they won't let other characters we already have in close with him. But these new guys? Shit, now we have a core again?

Infinite is so bare bones but we finally got another human story because it was trying.

That's not nothing.

Anyway hi it's morning before work and I guess I am yelling about Halo again. It's gonna suck when I move and have to leave an hour earlier in order to commute, fingers crossed it doesn't kill the blog.

So basically I will never stop complaining about the post-war era in Halo but also what it could be if it were better is so compelling to me.

[wackiekebab]

Japanese teacher: so, how much do you guys know about the history of japan

Majority of the class: not much

Those special few: well........................japan is an island by the sea filled with volcanoes and it's "beautiful"

(ominus low E5 maybe?)in the year negative 1,000,000,000 (drop music, dead)japan might not have been here.

(resume music, mybe) in the year -40,000, it was here, and you could walk to it

and some people walked to it.

then it got warmer, some icebergs melted, (slosh sound) it became an island ,and now there's lots of "trees!" (brisk, short, up beat. airy.like maybe with a light high reverby string triad)because it's warmer.

so now there's people on the island, they're basically sort of hanging out (in between the mountains) eating nuts off trees and using the latest technology, like stones! and bowls! (groovy! they put like shoelaces on them or something)

[actually their technology was super sick. they had bows, and they knew how to fish, and there was plenty of food growing on trees all the time, it was great, but then it got colder and there was less food and less people and it was pretty sad.] cut

(ding, dong) (bell sound) it's the outside world, and they have technology from the future (flash "bronze age" on the screen in the corner somewhere).

like really good metal, and Crazy Rice Farms (exaggerate this visually, but not with vocal effects). now you can make a lot of rice, really really quickly.

(side note: (like, tint the screen and caption it as a side note) that means if you own the farm, you own a lot of food. (red)

which is something everybody needs tosurvive (epic reverb and matching graphic huge dramatic effect or whatever)

so that makes you king.

rice farming and rice kingdoms spread across the land, all the way to here, with these main kingdoms. eventually, This became the main main kingdom (yamato), in control of the entire land.

knock knock, get the door, it's religion.

it's buddhism, and Baekje wants you very badly to try it.

"please try this religion" said Soga. (baeklje was paying him to say this, i think) NO, said everybody.

"TRY IT" said soga.

NO said everybody, again. quieter this time.

and so the religion was put into place, and all the rules that came with it. (show 17 article constitution.)

eventually someone else took control of the government.(Prince Naka no Ōe and Nakatomi no Kamatari) and made some reforms. (taiko reforms). Like making the Government govern More (ritsuryo) and making the government more like china's government, which is a government thay governs more.

"Hi china," they said.

"Hi dipshit," said china

"Can you call us something other than dipshit?" Said japan

"Like what"

"How about sunrise land" said japan

And they stole some of China's alphabet to write a book about thmself. then write lots of poetry and art and another book about themself

then they stopped moving the capital every time the emperor died, and kept it in one place for a while . right here  (heia?? kyo) so they could make it bigger and stronger with like more offices and departments.

and they conquered the north, finally.  (show checking off checklist) (just) get that squared away

& they generally stopped talking to china, because the Chinese government was kind of falling apart at this point.

japan changed their writing system (kana) a little bit.

then they did more art, and poetry start to show examples)

(then clarify)

the rich people in the palace did art and poetry the poor people probably had to work

the art and poetry and writing got better and better, and the imperial palace was so busy doing art and fighting over the throne that they didn't really care about the rest of the country.

rich people in the suburbs had to hire Thugs to protect their shit

the thugs got more organized and became as powerful as the government. (right here, say where the headquarters is, and introduce terms "shogun" and/or "shogunate")

they let the emperor still be "emperor"  but the warriors were actually in control

Breaking news,  the mongols have invaded china.

"we've invaded china" said the mongols.  "please respect us, or else we might invade you as well."

"okay"  said japan (swords drawing, with sheath noise)

so the mongols came over, and tried to fight the Japanese.

on the first day, the Japanese did pretty well, and on the second day, the Mongols army was randomly destroyed by a tornado

the mongols said what the fuck and tried again.

this time, after 7 weeks of fighting, the mongols were randomly destroyed by another tornado.

the warriors were very excited, but very tired ......

then the Emperor overthrows the Shogunate, then the the shogunate overthrows him back and installs a different emperor, who makes the shogun shogun again,

now in Kyoto.

[so how's the economy right now?]

It's Great, actually! there's a lot of trade with Korea and China, things are going really great, thanks for asking.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF NEW ART, here are some of the types:

(list types)

it's time for Who's Going to be the Next Shogun?

usually it's the shoguns kid. but the shogun doesn't have a kid. so he tries to get his brother to quit being a monk and be the next shogun. he says 'ok' but then the shogun has a kid.

SO NOW WHO IS IT GOING TO BE?

vote now on your phones.

and everyone voted so hard that the palace caught on fire and burned down.

the shogun actually didn't care, he was off somewhere doing poetry.

and the whole country began fighting for control of the country.

["FREE FOR ALL!" (sound clip from smashbros64) everyone is fighting. EVERYONE is fighting.] cut, replac with above line.

(can you show a map?)

(boat crash landing sound)

knock knock, it's europe. no, they're not here to Take Over (yet), they just want to sell some shit, like clocks. and GUNS (pan hard right with rev/delay jingle: and "jesus"

meanwhile, this clan is ready to win the free for all, but they are INTERCEPTED by somebody younger, crazier, and more talented (oda nobunaga)

he builds a castle Close to the city, but just far enough so that it won't catch on fire from drama. he is about halfway through conquering japan when

someone who works for him kills him. and then someone else who works for him kills them . and That guy finishes conquering japan.

and then he confiscated everybody's swords!

"and now i'm going to invade korea, and then hopefully China!" he said, and failed. and also died.

so ANOTHER GUY (tokugowa Ieyasu) took over (after fighting everyone else who wanted to take over)

and moved the capital to Edo, which seemed like a good strategy at the time, and he still let the "Emperor" in kyoto dress like an "Emperor"

the Tokugowa family continued to rule japan for a long time, and they were VERY strict. so strict they closed the country. no one can leave, and no one can come in. (sidenote)EXCEPT for the dutch, if they want to buy and sell shit, but they have to do it right here (circle Dejima)

now that the entire country was not at war with itself, the population increased a LOT. business increased. schools were built. roads were built. everyone learned to read. books were published. there was art, poetry, plays, fashion,

and Dutch Studies.

people started to study european science from books they bought from the dutch. we're talkin geography, medicine, astronomy, languages, physics, and maybe even electricity (emphasize this with graphic swell and touch of audio. and full screen something .)

over time, the economic and cultural prosperity began to gradually slow d-

(interrupt the narration.)

(boom. big huge low drone note/drum hit. just show a huge freakin ship. and possibly an overlay of the united states flag at the time.

narrate a little more solemly this time)

knock knock. it's the united states. with Huge boats, with guns. gunboats.

"open .. the country. stop .. having it be closed." said the United States.

there was really nothing they could do. so they signed a contract that lets United Stats, Britain and Russia visit japan any time they want.

Choshu and Satsuma hated this. "that sucks." they said. "this SUCKS."

and they overthrew the shogunate, and somehow, made the Emperor the Emperor again, and moved him to Edo, which they renamed 'Eastern Capital' (Tokyo). they made a new government... which was a Lot More Western. (maybe show 'privy council' compared to british privy council?) in fact they hired hundreds of Westerners to help make the government more Western. they made a new constitution, that was .. pretty Western. (show a diagram of govt if you can, showing house of representatives, etc)

and a military that was pretty western. (show visually LARGE)

and do you know what else is western?

that's right, it's CONQUERING STUFF (visually large, but not so much in audio)

so what can we conquer? (map showing japan and surroundings)

(quick zoom to korea) Korea! they conquer korea, taking it from its previous owner, China, ... and then go "a little bit further" (liaodung peninsula) but Russia rushes in, out of nowhere, and says "stop, no, you can't take that. we were gonna .. build a railroad thru here, to .. try and get some warm water, ..

and Russia builds their railroad ... supervised by a shit-ton of soldiers, and then when the railroad was done, they downgraded to, (fake out decrease graphic, then immediately increase) a FUCKTON. did i say downgrade, i meant upgrade.

and Japan says "can you maybe chill". and russia says "how about maybe you chill." (maybe pointing finger appears on that word?)

(silent, black background.) japan is kind of scared of russia. you'll never guess who is also kind of scared of Russia. quick crossfade into spin around the world.) Great Britain

so Japan and Great Britain make an alliance together, so they can be A Little Less Scared Of Russia.

feeling confident, japan goes to war with russia, just for a moment (show actual time),

jingle: "it's time for world war 1" see movie 65

the World is about to Have A War. because, it's the 1900s, and Weapons are getting crazy, and all these Empires are excited to try them out on each other. (you can show diagram if you want)

meanwhile, japan has been enjoying conquering stuff, and wants MORE (huge, voracious emphasis.) and the next thing on their list is (show "to be conquered" checklist)

this part of China, (tsingdao) and lots of tiny islands .

All that stuff belongs to Germany.

which just had war declared on it by Britain, because Britain was friends with Belgium, which was being tresspassed by Germany in order to get to France to kick France's ass because France is friends with Russia, who was getting ready to kick Austria/(hungary)'s ass, because Austria was getting ready to kick Serbia's ass, because someone in serbia shot the leader of Austria's ass. er, actually he shot him in the head.

and Britain is currently friends with Japan. so you know what that means. (silent pause.) Duh, japan should invade all up in Germany's shit! which they wanted to do anyway.

so they call britain on the Tele(gram) to sort of ... Let Them Know .

and then they did it! and they also helped Britain a little, here and there, with some errands and stuff.

(classic ringing bell sound)

now the war is over, and Congratulations Japan! you technically fought in the war, which means you get to sit at the Negotiating Table! with the big dudes, where they decided who owns what. and Yes, japan gets to keep all that shit they stole from germany.

you also get to join the post war Mega Alliance: the League Of Nations !!! jingle see movie 66

(spoken quicker, like fine print) who's mission statement is to Try Not To Take Over the World

The Great Depression (big low ominous slam, title screen, slowly growing multiple layer thing a la pineapple or mountain of regret)

(narated still over that ominous thing) the great depression is bad. and japan's economy is now crappy.

(break from ominous) but the military is is doing just fine, and it invades Manchuria.

and the League of Nations is like

"no, don't do that, if you're in the league of nations your'e not supposed to take over the world!" (almost like Eric Wareheim 'i cant waeeaeit' sort of voice)

and japan said, "how bout i do anyway" jingle , see movie 71.mov

and japan invaded more and more and more and more of china, and was planning to invade the entire East. (show proposed map of greater east asia co prosperity sphere)

you've got mail" it's from Germany, the new leader of Germany. he has a cool mustache, and he's trying to take over the world and needs friends. (show text, quick letter type / crop reveal of the contents of email: "i am interested in taking over the world, and i was wondering if you could be my friend." this also got forwarded to Italy.

they all decided to be friends, because they had so much in common. (immediately fill table with 'trying to take over the world' and 'needs friends')

"it's time for world war 2" jingle movie 72.

Germany is invading the neighbors. then they invade the neighbors' neighbors. then the neighbors' neighbors' neighbors , who happened to be britain said 'holy shit' and the united states started helping britain, because they are "good friends" see movie 77.

and

started Not Helping japan (clearly indicate or caption somewhere on the screen that that means they stopped "selling oil"), because 'they're "friends and our friends are not friends" (tiny gap) "plus they're planning on invading the entire ocean" same mel. see movie 79.

the United States is also working on a large, very huge bomb. bigger than any other bomb, ever.

Just In Case (maybe like, real silent, plain text, full screen, background dimmed. real dead voc.) ( if you can really subtlely indicate Germany .... in the background. )

but they still haven't joined the war. war looks bad on TV, and united states is really starting to care about their image.

But then, japan spits on them ! in Hawaii, and challenges them to war. and they say Yes! and then Germany, as a symbol of friendship, declares war on the United States also.

so the United States goes to war in Europe (scale tip, germany flies off) and they help the gang chase germany back into germany, and then when they are done, they chase japan back into japan.

and they haven't used the bomb yet, and are curious to see if it works, so they drop it on japan. (devastating explosion which stops all music.) (then after a medium pause , like 3 sec?) "they actually drop 2"

(longer pause, overwhelming silence / mushroom cloud, etc.)

(silent.)

(white flag appears, which says "ok, you win" no vocal here.)

United States installed a new government (show like install wizard or something, maybe even include process details like constitution, blah blah blah, etc) inspired by the United States government, with just the right ingredients for big international businesses to do big international business, such as sell lots of cars, and electronics.

then the economy got worse and staed kinda bad, (show line graph of econ) but they continued to make great video games and cartoons.

Everyone: ....what the fu-???