#...but then that's really just converging onto the youtubers...

[raisengen]

Contlingency Contrat cleared... perhaps forever, since afaik they haven't run another one on CN yet. I think this strategy ends at 830, since even a little less Atk ruin's Virtuosa's timing. After that... well, the youtubers already have it covered.

I feel Yuhsia is a bit too good this CC. She hands you a bundle of points essentially for free, so that the difficulty feels like I've got 10 contracts unpicked even though there's only 2—which means there's nothing left to scale up into. And not using Lin would mean rebuilding the entire everything, which I just don't have time for.

At least she's paying for it by having to handle shift change with these two:

[mononijikayu]

toothbrush — nanami kento.

At times, Kento thought that you should just sleep here, rest here until you had enough rest. The idea of waking up next to you, of starting his day with your presence beside him, filled him with a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. He wanted to cook you breakfast, to share a leisurely morning with you as the sun rose, painting the room in soft hues of gold and pink. The simple pleasure of a shared meal, of casual conversation over coffee, seemed incredibly precious.

GENRE: alternate universe - modern au!

WARNING/S: alternate universe - canon convergence, ceo! nanami, rated 18 and above, explicit content, strangers to lovers, one night stand, p to v sex, lirting, seduction, romance, humor, fluff, comfort/no hurt, mention of alchohol, mention of sexual euphemisms, depiction of explicit sexual content, depiction of drinking and alcoholic drinks;

LISTEN: toothbrush by dnce

NOTE: i chose the youtube lyric video of the song because that's how i imagine reader leaving nanami and the thoughts of the song is just nanami waking up to you leaving. the ending of in bed together, that's how the ending is. anyway, just one mroe and side 700 is going to be complete and i can write ashes of love again. thank you for being patient with me!!! i love you~

masterlist

kayu's playlist — side 700;

HE REALLY DIDN’T DO THIS MUCH. Nanami Kento sat at the corner of the dimly lit bar, nursing a glass of whiskey. He untied the knots of his tie, loosening it slightly as he savored the quiet moments, the noise of the world fading into the background, replaced by the soft hum of conversation and the clinking of glasses. It was a rare evening where he allowed himself to unwind, to escape the relentless demands of being a CEO.

He sighed, taking another sip of his drink, feeling the warmth spread through his chest. The bar was a sanctuary of sorts, a place where he could forget about the spreadsheets, board meetings, and the constant pressure of making decisions. Here, he could just be Kento, not Nanami Kento, the powerful executive.

You slid onto the barstool beside him, your presence drawing his attention. He glanced at you, his gaze lingering for a moment longer than usual. There was something about you that intrigued him, something that made him want to know more. Your eyes met, and a smile played on your lips as you introduced yourself.

"Hi, it’s nice to meet you," you said, extending your hand with a warm smile.

Kento looked up from his drink, his eyes locking onto yours. There was a brief moment of hesitation before he took your hand, his grip firm yet gentle. "Kento," he replied, his voice smooth and deep. "Nice to meet you."

The simple exchange seemed to spark an immediate connection, a current of electricity passing between you. His eyes lingered on yours, and you noticed the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. You slid onto the barstool next to him, feeling an inexplicable ease in his presence.

"I haven't seen you here before," you remarked, trying to ease into the conversation. "Do you come here often?"

Kento chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, not really. Just needed a break from the usual routine. How about you?"

You nodded, swirling the drink in your glass. "It's one of my favorite spots. There's something comforting about the atmosphere here. It's a nice escape."

He nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "I can see that. Sometimes, it's good to step away from everything, find a place where you can just... breathe."

You smiled, appreciating his sentiment. "Exactly. So, what do you do when you're not finding solace in dimly lit bars?"

He leaned back slightly, a small sigh escaping his lips. "I run a company. CEO life isn't exactly a walk in the park."

Your eyebrows raised in surprise. "A CEO, huh? That's impressive. Must be pretty demanding."

"It is," he admitted, his eyes meeting yours again. "But tonight, I'm just Kento. No titles, no responsibilities. Just... me."

There was a vulnerability in his words that caught you off guard, making you see him in a new light. "Well, Kento, it's just nice to know we feel the same."

The conversation flowed effortlessly from that point, each of you peeling back layers of your lives. You talked about your passions, your dreams, and the little things that made life worth living. He listened intently, his eyes never straying from yours, as if he was genuinely interested in every word you said.

As the night wore on, the bar around you seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of you in your own little world. The flirtation became more pronounced, the touches more lingering. When your fingers brushed against his while reaching for your glass, a spark ignited, sending a thrill down your spine.

"It's nice, drinking here beside you," Nanami confessed, his voice low and sincere. 

“It was nice to have you with me too.” You leaned in closer, your breath warm against his ear as you whispered something that made him smile—a rare and genuine smile. 

“I should say the same thing.” He smiles at you, holding the rim of his own glass. “You make me feel like something nice after a long day.”

"Oh, you have no idea how good it is, to know you.." you said, your voice a little softer, "I didn't expect to have such a good time tonight. It is…rare. To find someone interesting.”

"Neither did I." Kento replied, his gaze intense. "But I'm glad I came. Meeting you... it feels like a breath of fresh air."

The sincerity in his words touched you deeply, and you found yourself leaning closer, drawn to him in a way that felt both exciting and inevitable. "Do you want to get out of here?" you asked, your heart racing.

His eyes darkened with desire, a smile tugging at his lips. "I thought you'd never ask."

The walk to his place was filled with anticipation, your fingers brushing against each other as you navigated the quiet streets. When you finally reached his apartment, he opened the door and led you inside, the atmosphere charged with unspoken promise.

The rest of your time sober was blurred into a haze of shared stories, laughter, and fleeting touches. Eventually, he brought out some wine. And another one. And it was all tipsy from then. The decision was made in a heartbeat, a shared understanding passing between you. You wanted to experience ecstasy. You could see it in each other’s eyes, trembling with want. With relief. With desire.

The things that followed was a whirlwind of passion and intimacy, a connection that felt both new and familiar. You let him take you to bed, one kiss pulling you harder than gravity in itself. You found yourselves lost in each other’s magnetic pull, exploring every inch of skin, every whispered word. When you finally fell asleep, it was in his arms, feeling a sense of belonging that was as unexpected as it was welcome.

The heat burned off your skin, as flesh echoed on flesh with passionate warmth. You didn’t notice it but you couldn’t help but let your heels dig into the center of his lower back, moaning against him. He liked it a lot, that you were doing all you could to pull him closer, deeper — more of him into you. It was a greedy little desire, but he couldn’t help but let his throat rumble with approval, feeling your tender hands press harshly against the depths of his own hot skin. You were such a little thing, fitting in the confines of his body’s wholeness. 

You couldn’t help it, but you were a wanton little thing. It was just what Kento needed. It was the way you were pushing and pulling —- arching your back at the perfect angles, ripping his back apart with your sharp bright, colorful nails with his own flesh and blood. He wanted to drown in each harmony of pleasure from your lips. It felt like the song of heaven to him, calling out to him as he dug deeper and deeper towards the crevices of your pleasures. 

But Kento thinks it still isn't enough for him. But somehow, it was all he wanted. At times it was just right. And all at once, it's too much to bear. It was a semblance of emotions, of pleasures that he had never explored before. There was so much depth to fucking you. Layers and layers to how you suck him in, to how you take him in. To how your cunt just lets him make a home inside of you. To mold your womb to his shape. And you egg him on, over and over with your delicious incoherent pleasure–ridden screams. 

Your pretty doe eyes are dangling across the space as he switches position, pulling your legs just right up the small of his back. You yelp as he enters you deeper. He settled himself, kneeling on the bed, and leaned forward. You whimper, your eye rolling back further as you become more fucked out.  He couldn’t help but be pleased with himself. There was nothing that you can think about. Nothing else mattered, other than him and this pleasure.

The weight of him was crushing you whole, as though there was nothing but that pleasurable oblivion. He was quite a muscular man, after all. Yet you couldn’t care much, despite the fact that he was heavy on top of you. Or the fact that it feels as though he's going to spur you out of air, suffocating you with pleasure. You were a masochist in a sense. You told him that. You want him to crush you. And each moan begging him to go faster, to push deeper over and over —- it confirms it all.

Kento allows his lips to thank you with tender blossoms against your flesh. But in that moment, he buries his head against your jaw, his ragged raspy moans rapidly marking every inch of skin with his brutal, hot kisses. One after another, it was an experience. Your neck with his brutal kiss of his teeth, leaving metallic essence against his lips as you wail against him. You feel a trail of sweat pouring out with your sweet tears, his hot breath making your skin burn harder than ever before. 

You couldn’t see straight anymore. But you didn’t care. Not even when your eyes roll back inside your head, as he pistons into you harder and harder. His grip on you gets tighter and tighter as your toes slowly curl against the small of his back. Drool falls against the side of your lips as you let Kento’s hands rest against the small of your ass, gripping as tightly as he could. Your breath gets stuck in your already dry throat. You were close again. You don’t know how many times this man has made you cum. But you know that he was too good. It was all too good.

The sensation is overwhelming, a perfect blend of pleasure and intensity that leaves you gasping for air. Every thrust, every movement pushes you closer to the edge, and you cling to him as if he's the only thing grounding you. The world outside ceases to exist; it's just you and him, lost in this moment of raw passion 

Your nails dig into his back once more, leaving traced marks that he doesn't seem to mind. In fact, the way his breath hitches over and over again and his grip tightens on you tells you he likes it, to keep doing it. He liked being marked by you. And he hopes there’s more times like this. He hopes he can keep getting marked by you like this. His rhythm never falters, each roll of his hips sending waves of pleasure through your body, making you shudder and moan his name.

"Kento," you gasp, your voice a mix of desperation and ecstasy. He responds with a low growl, his lips finding your ear, whispering words that send shivers down your spine. “‘bout to c-come…oh! oh! m-more….more! Please!”

His eyes looked at you, dark with pleasure. “Then come, honey. Let me feel you sweeten my cock like that.”

You're teetering on the brink, the intensity building until it feels like you might burst. His pace quickens, and you feel the tension coil inside you, ready to snap. With one final, powerful thrust, you come undone, your body convulsing in his arms as you cry out in pleasure.

He follows soon after, his body tensing before he collapses on top of you, both of you spent and breathless.  You could feel the heat of his cum overflow inside of you. There was too much. And he doesn’t yet pull out. And you didn’t want him to, still locking your legs against the edge of his back. For a moment, you lie there in a tangled mess of limbs, the only sound in the room your ragged breaths and the pounding of your hearts.

Finally, he lifts his head, his brown eyes meeting yours. There's a softness there, a look that tells you this was more than just a physical connection. You smiled exhaustedly, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead, and he returned the gesture, his fingers gently caressing your cheek with all the tenderness in the world.

"You're incredible." he murmurs, pressing a tender kiss to your lips. You smile against his mouth, feeling a warmth spread through your chest that has nothing to do with the heat of the moment and everything to do with the man holding you. “Truly.”

As you both drift off to sleep, still wrapped in each other's arms, you know this is just the beginning of something extraordinary.

He didn’t think he’d wake up alone. The morning sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a soft glow on the room. He groaned quietly, shifting slightly as his eyes adjusted to the bright echo of the sun against him. Nanami Kento thought it was quite a spectacle to wake up alone, with the bed beside him empty.

He sat up, the events of the night before slowly flooding back. His clothes, usually primly put away, were scattered and tattered across the room. He looked at them for a moment before sighing, his head slightly pounding from the drinks. Usually, it was Kento who left before the sun came up. When he took his pleasure, it was transactional, devoid of any emotional connection.

Last night was different. It was only one night, but he couldn’t help but feel as though he wanted more of you. The way your touch had ignited a fire in him, the way your laughter had filled the room with warmth—those memories clung to him now, in the stillness of the morning.

He ran a hand through his tousled hair, glancing around the room. The sight of your note on the nightstand caught his attention. He reached for it, his fingers trembling slightly. The simple message, " Call me up, sweetie ;) " brought a faint smile to his lips. He traced the words with his thumb, feeling a strange mix of hope and uncertainty.

Nanami wasn't used to this feeling, this longing for something more than a fleeting connection. The thought of you lingered in his mind, your touch, your smile, the way you had made him feel alive and vulnerable all at once. It was intoxicating, and he wanted more of it, more of you.

He stood up, gathering his scattered clothes, the remnants of a night that had left a profound impact on him. As he dressed, he couldn't shake the memory of your heels digging into his back, your breathless moans in his ear, the way you had looked at him with such intensity. It was imprinted on his mind, an indelible mark that he couldn't ignore.

Fully dressed, he picked up his phone, staring at your number. He hesitated, his thumb hovering over the call button. For a moment, doubt crept in. Was he foolish to think that this could be something more? But then he remembered the way you had pulled him closer, the way you had whispered his name with such need and desire.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. For a moment, the loneliness of his existence seemed to lift. He folded the note and slipped it into his wallet, a spark of anticipation igniting within him. The day ahead seemed a little brighter, the promise of your next encounter lingering in his thoughts.

He couldn’t wait to save your phone number.

He’d have to find a way to charge his phone.

Besides, looking at the clock, he’s pretty late.

And a CEO shouldn’t be late for his own meetings.

WHEN HE MEETS YOU AGAIN, KENTO IS ENAMOURED. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about you since that morning, the memory of your touch and the warmth of your laughter haunting him in the best way possible. The days had stretched on, filled with his usual routine, yet every moment seemed tinged with a new sense of anticipation. And now, standing here, seeing you again, he felt a surge of emotion he hadn't expected.

The bar was a cozy haven tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city, its warm, dim lighting casting a golden glow over the polished wooden surfaces and vintage decor. The air was filled with the soft hum of jazz music, creating an intimate ambiance that made it feel like a world apart from the chaos outside. The scent of aged whiskey and fresh citrus mingled in the air, adding to the inviting atmosphere.

You sat at the bar, your presence effortlessly captivating. The dress you wore was stunning—a sleek, deep emerald green that clung to your curves in all the right places, shimmering subtly under the soft lights. The neckline was modest yet alluring, and the fabric seemed to flow like liquid as you moved. Your hair frames your face perfectly, and a touch of red lipstick highlights your smile, adding a hint of classic glamor.

Kento's heart pounded in his chest as he made his way toward you, each step bringing him closer to the person who had so unexpectedly turned his world upside down. The usual confident air he carried felt slightly shaken, replaced by a nervous excitement that he hadn't felt in years. As he approached, his eyes were glued to you, everything else in the bar fading into a blur. The clinking glasses, the muted conversations, the soft jazz—all of it became mere background noise.

You spotted him, and a slight smile played on your lips. It was a smile that held both warmth and a hint of mischief, a smile that made his pulse quicken. He could barely tear his gaze away from you as he slid onto the stool next to you.

"Hi," he greeted, his voice betraying a hint of the nerves he felt.

"Hi, Kento," you replied, your eyes sparkling with recognition and something more—something that made his breath catch.

For a moment, he simply drank in the sight of you. The way you held yourself, the way the dress accentuated your figure, the way your eyes seemed to see right through him—it was all he could do to remember to breathe.

The bartender approached, breaking the spell momentarily as Kento ordered a drink. But even as he spoke, his attention never wavered from you. He couldn't help but notice the way the bar's golden light played on your skin, giving you an almost ethereal glow.

"You look incredible," he said, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

"Thank you," you replied, a pleased flush coloring your cheeks. "You clean up pretty well yourself."

The conversation flowed as easily as it had the first night, but there was an added layer of familiarity now, a deeper connection that had been forged in the time since. The flirtation was more pronounced, the touches more deliberate. When your fingers brushed against his, he felt a jolt of electricity, the same spark that had ignited between you before.

Kento couldn't focus on anything but you. The way you laughed, the way you tilted your head when you were thinking, the way your eyes lit up when you talked about something you were passionate about—it was all mesmerizing. He found himself hanging on to every word, every gesture, completely lost in

"Kento," you greeted him warmly, your eyes sparkling with a mix of surprise and delight. "I was hoping you'd call."

"I couldn't stop thinking about you,if I’m being honest." he admitted, his voice softer than usual. "I just had to see you again."

You smiled, and the sight of it sent a rush of warmth through him. "I'm glad you did."

As you talked, the conversation flowed effortlessly, just as it had that first night. There was a connection between you that felt almost tangible, an invisible thread drawing you closer with every word. Kento found himself captivated by the way you spoke, the way you laughed, the way your eyes lit up when you shared stories about your life. He felt a deep sense of admiration and curiosity, wanting to know everything about you.

The evening passed in a blur of conversation and laughter, the bar around you fading into the background as you became lost in each other. Kento couldn't remember the last time he had felt so at ease, so completely himself. With you, there were no pretenses, no need for the carefully constructed walls he usually kept up. You saw him for who he truly was, and that was both exhilarating and terrifying.

When the night began to wind down, he found himself reluctant to say goodbye. The thought of returning to his empty apartment, to the solitude that had once been his comfort, now felt unbearably lonely. As if sensing his hesitation, you reached out, your hand gently brushing against his.

"Would you like to come over for a drink?" you asked, your voice filled with a hopeful note.

He nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'd like that."

The walk to your place was filled with a comfortable silence, the kind that speaks volumes without needing words. Once inside, you poured two glasses of wine, and the conversation continued, growing deeper and more intimate as the night went on. Kento found himself sharing things he had never told anyone, opening up in a way that felt both terrifying and liberating.

As the night turned into early morning, he realized just how much he had fallen for you. It was more than just physical attraction; it was a genuine connection, a bond that felt rare and precious. You had seen past the façade he presented to the world and embraced the man underneath, flaws and all.

When it was finally time to say goodnight, you stood close to him, your eyes searching for him. "Kento," you whispered, your voice filled with sincerity, "I'm really glad you called."

As the conversation continued, the air between you grew charged with anticipation, a palpable energy that seemed to crackle with every passing moment. Kento found himself drawn to you like a moth to a flame, unable to resist the magnetic pull you exerted over him.

Leaning in closer, he could feel the heat radiating from your body, the warmth of your presence enveloping him in a comforting embrace. His heart raced in his chest as he closed the distance between you, his lips brushing against yours in a tender, almost hesitant kiss.

There was a softness to the touch, a delicate intimacy that spoke volumes without a single word being uttered. In that fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still, the world around them fading into insignificance as they became lost in each other.

The kiss was gentle yet charged with an underlying passion, a silent acknowledgment of the undeniable connection that had blossomed between them. And as Kento pulled back, a faint smile gracing his lips, he knew that this was only the beginning of something extraordinary. And seeing your face, how wonderstruck you were — he knew you knew it too.

 "So am I." he murmured against your mouth, feeling a sense of contentment he hadn't known he was missing.

You smiled, blush echoing across your face. “You’re a good kisser, you know that?”

Your compliment sent a warm flush creeping up Kento's neck, a rare display of bashfulness from the typically composed CEO. He chuckled softly, the sound tinged with genuine appreciation as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to regain his composure.

"Thank you," he murmured, his voice tinged with a hint of self-consciousness. "I suppose practice makes perfect."

There was a hint of amusement in his tone, a subtle acknowledgment of the unexpected turn their conversation had taken. Despite his usually reserved demeanor, he found himself enjoying the playful banter, relishing in the easy rapport that had developed between them.

“I’ll see you soon, then. I, uh…..have to go home.”

“Have a safe trip home, lover.”

As he walked home, the memory of your kiss lingering on his lips, he knew that this was just the beginning. Meeting you again had changed something within him, opened up a part of his heart he had long kept locked away. Kento was enamored, and for the first time in a long while, he felt truly hopeful about the future.

He dreams of you all through the night.

Your smiles are ever so warm only for him.

And your bright eyes are full of love for him.

When he woke up, he realized what it meant.

Nanami Kento was truly captured by you.

THE NEXT TIME, YOU STAY WITH HIM IN HIS BED TILL MORNING. He didn't want you to leave just yet, didn't want you to rush and slip away from his fingers before sunlight. You had finished a fiery session of lovemaking, one of the many rounds of passionate obsession with each other. The intensity of your connection was almost overwhelming, each encounter leaving both of you breathless and yearning for more. You had done this over and over, whenever you saw each other — and more regularly these past few weeks.

As you lay there, bodies entwined and hearts beating in sync, Kento's thoughts wandered. He watched you as you drifted off to sleep, your face serene and content. There was something profoundly beautiful about these quiet moments, a sense of peace that contrasted sharply with the fervent passion of the night. He gently brushed a strand of hair from your face, his fingers lingering on your cheek.

At times, Kento thought that you should just sleep here, rest here until you had enough rest. The idea of waking up next to you, of starting his day with your presence beside him, filled him with a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. He wanted to cook you breakfast, to share a leisurely morning with you as the sun rose, painting the room in soft hues of gold and pink. The simple pleasure of a shared meal, of casual conversation over coffee, seemed incredibly precious.

Kento's mind drifted to the little things that signify a deeper connection, a merging of lives. He imagined you leaving a toothbrush here, a small but significant symbol of permanence. It was a step towards belonging, towards fitting into each other's lives in a tangible way. He pictured you having a drawer in his apartment, a space carved out for you in his world. These thoughts were filled with longing, a desire for something more profound and enduring.

He wanted that with you. He wanted you to start leaving your things here, to make his place feel like a shared home rather than just a temporary haven. The idea of your belongings scattered around his apartment — a hairbrush on the vanity, your favorite mug in the kitchen, your scent lingering in the air — filled him with a deep sense of contentment. It was more than just physical intimacy; it was about creating a life together, about building something that went beyond the confines of the bedroom.

As he lay there, holding you close, Kento realized how much he wanted to make you his. He wanted to be the person you came home to, the one who shared your joys and your sorrows, your everyday moments and your grand adventures. He wanted to be the anchor in your life, just as you had become in his. The thought of you being a permanent part of his world was both exhilarating and terrifying, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

He gently kissed your forehead, his heart swelling with affection. More than you probably could ever know, he wanted you to be his, to share a future together. As the first light of dawn began to filter through the curtains, he held you a little tighter, hoping that this moment would be the start of something lasting and beautiful.

In the quiet stillness of the morning, with you nestled in his arms, Kento felt a profound sense of hope. For the first time in a long while, the future seemed bright and full of promise. And he knew that, whatever happened, he wanted you by his side.

Kento held you close, savoring the warmth of your body against his. He had never felt this kind of connection before, this blend of deep affection and raw desire. As the first light of dawn began to filter through the curtains, he made a silent promise to himself: he would make sure you knew how much you meant to him, how deeply he cared for you.

Kento's gaze softened as he watched you stir from your slumber, the gentle rise and fall of your chest accompanied by the faintest flutter of your eyelashes. It was a moment of quiet intimacy, one that he cherished more than he dared to admit.

As your eyes fluttered open, a sleepy smile graced your lips, and Kento felt his heart swell with affection. There was a warmth in your gaze, a softness that melted away the lingering traces of the night's passion, leaving behind a sense of tranquility and contentment.

Returning your smile, Kento reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from your face, his touch gentle against your skin. In that fleeting moment, surrounded by the hazy glow of morning light, he felt a profound connection to you, a bond that transcended the physical realm and delved into the depths of his soul.

"You're beautiful," he murmured softly, his voice barely above a whisper. It was a simple statement, spoken from the heart, yet it held a world of meaning behind it. In your eyes, he found solace, a refuge from the chaos of the outside world, and he knew that he never wanted to let you go.

With a tender smile, you leaned into his touch, your eyes locking with his in a silent exchange of love and understanding. In that moment, Kento realized that he had found something truly special in you, something worth holding onto for a lifetime. And as he gazed into your eyes, he knew that he was ready to embark on this journey with you, wherever it may lead.

"Good morning," he whispered, brushing a gentle kiss against your lips. 

"Good morning," you replied, your voice soft and warm. 

As the warmth of the morning sun filtered through the curtains, bathing the room in a soft golden glow, the two of you remained entwined in a cocoon of shared affection. Each breath seemed to synchronize, a silent symphony of contentment that enveloped you both in its comforting embrace.

Reluctantly, Kento stirred from the languid embrace, his movements slow and deliberate as if he were hesitant to break the spell of intimacy that hung between you. With a soft sigh, he shifted his weight, gently extricating himself from your embrace and sitting up, his muscles protesting the sudden movement after the night's passionate exertions.

Stretching his arms above his head, Kento let out a low groan of satisfaction, the tension of the previous night's activities melting away with each satisfying stretch. Despite the physical exertion, there was a sense of peace that settled over him, a tranquility that he hadn't felt in far too long.

Glancing back at you, still nestled in the rumpled sheets, Kento felt a surge of affection wash over him. Your tousled hair frames your face like a halo, and the soft curve of your lips tugged at his heartstrings in a way that he couldn't quite explain. It was moments like these, when the world seemed to stand still, that he felt truly alive.

"I could stay like this forever," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as he reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from your face. There was a tenderness in his touch, a silent promise of his unwavering devotion, as he allowed himself to be drawn back into your embrace, savoring every precious moment that the morning had to offer.

You smiled at him with the most beautiful smiles he’d ever seen. It was that sort of smile that had the power to light up the darkest corners of his soul, to chase away the shadows of doubt and insecurity that had plagued him for so long. It was a smile that spoke volumes without uttering a single word, conveying warmth, understanding, and an unspoken connection that transcended mere words.

As you gazed at him with those radiant eyes, filled with a mixture of tenderness and affection, Kento felt a sense of wonder wash over him. In that moment, everything seemed to fall into place, as if the universe had conspired to bring the two of you together in perfect harmony.

Your smile was like a beacon of hope, guiding him through the labyrinth of his own emotions and leading him towards a future filled with promise and possibility. It was a reminder that amidst the chaos of life, there existed moments of pure joy and unadulterated happiness, waiting to be embraced and cherished.

Unable to resist the pull of your magnetic presence, Kento found himself drawn closer to you, his heart swelling with a sense of gratitude for the serendipitous twist of fate that had brought you into his life. In that moment, surrounded by the warmth of your smile, he knew that he was exactly where he was meant to be.

"Me too." you whisper back to him, causing his heart to beat as he listened to your words reverberate in the morning quiet. "Being here with you? it's nice."

Kento's soul felt tender at those words, it was like he could live forever in that moment. He could feel that warmth spreading through his chest as he soaked in the sweetness of your sentiment. It was a simple statement, yet it held a profound meaning, resonating deeply within him.

"I'm glad you feel that way," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, tinged with a hint of vulnerability. "Being with you... it feels different, in the best possible way."

There was a sincerity in his tone, a raw honesty that he seldom allowed himself to reveal to others. But with you, it felt natural, effortless even, to let down his guard and bare his soul.

As you lay there together, basking in the quiet intimacy of the moment, Kento felt a sense of contentment wash over him. In your presence, he found solace, a refuge from the stormy seas of life, where he could simply be himself without fear of judgment or expectation.

With a soft smile, he reached out to gently brush a stray lock of hair from your face, his touch light and tender against your skin. "Thank you for being here," he whispered, his gaze locked with yours, silently conveying a depth of emotion that words alone could not express. “Truly.”

"Of course," you replied, a smile gracing your lips as you looked up at him. "You make it easy."

His eyes softened at your words, a warmth spreading through him. "I was thinking," he began, glancing back at you, "how about I make us some breakfast? We can take our time, enjoy the morning."

Your smile widened at the suggestion, a spark of anticipation in your eyes. "That sounds perfect," you said, nodding in agreement. "I'd love that."

Kento felt a surge of happiness as he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen. He prepared breakfast with care, wanting everything to be perfect. As he worked, he thought about the future, about the possibility of you becoming a permanent part of his life. 

When the meal was ready, he brought it to the table, where you were already seated, wrapped in one of his shirts. The sight of you in his clothes filled him with a possessive satisfaction, a sense of rightness.

"Here you go," he said, setting the plates down. "I hope you like it."

You took a bite, your eyes lighting up. "It's delicious, Kento. Thank you."

He sat down across from you, watching as you ate. The conversation flowed easily, punctuated by laughter and shared smiles. It was a glimpse of what life could be like if you were together, a tantalizing promise of happiness.

After breakfast, you both lounged on the couch, talking about everything and nothing. Kento felt a sense of peace he hadn't experienced in a long time. He wanted this, all of it. The mundane, the extraordinary, the quiet moments and the passionate ones.

As the morning wore on, Kento's thoughts kept returning to the idea of you leaving your things at his place. He wanted to ask you, but he didn't want to rush anything. Instead, he decided to show you how he felt through his actions.

"You know," he said casually, "I was thinking maybe you could leave a few things here. A toothbrush, some clothes. It might make things easier, you know, since you're here so often."

You looked at him, surprise and something else flickering in your eyes. "You want me to leave things here?"

He nodded, trying to keep his tone light. "Yeah. I like having you around. It feels... right."

You smiled, and Kento felt his heart swell with hope. "I'd like that too, Kento."

From that moment on, things began to change. You started leaving little things at his place: a toothbrush, a hairbrush, a few clothes. Each item was a small but significant step towards building a life together.

Kento cherished every moment with you, every sign that you were becoming a part of his world. He cooked for you, took care of you, and made sure you knew how much he valued you. And as the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, he realized that his feelings for you had only grown stronger.

One night, as you lay in his arms, Kento looked at you, his heart full of love. "I want you to know," he said softly, "that you mean everything to me. I want you in my life, permanently. Will you stay with me, not just for tonight, but for always?"

You looked up at him, your eyes shining with emotion. "Yes, Kento. I want that too."

At that moment, Kento knew that he had found something truly special. With you by his side, the future was bright and full of promise. And he was ready to face it, hand in hand with the person he loved.

A few days later, he sees that bright purple toothbrush.

Right next to his blue–green that had been lonesome.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them together.

It looks like you won’t be rushing out his door anymore.

[mysticdragon3md3]

I find it endlessly amusing how after 10 years, my OTPs have circled back onto the same type. lol

I realize the Blue Lions have Dedue, and Ashe used to be a commoner. But Ashe got adopted into a higher class. Meanwhile, the Golden Deer has 3 commoners who stay commoners.

And Yukimura probably had commoners serving under him, but Sengoku Basara (2009) takes a lot of time to emphasize that Masamune's commoner associates are named, get screentime, voice his effect on them, and spent time closely serving under him. Meanwhile, Yukimura's only named subordinates seem to also be lords or ninja, more than basic commoners.

When referring to "self-doubt & a phase of failing as a commander", I'm specifally referring to Sengoku Basara (2009) season 2 for Yukimura. That's pretty much most of what he does that season. And he made a critical decision error as a commander that got one of his major subordinates killed and probably also unnecessarily killed some of his other soldiers. Though I am vaguely aware that in one of the videogames, Yukimura similary spent most of the story in self-doubt, after thinking Takeda was dying, and I think he ran his army around doing actions without enough thought.

And of course, with Dimitri, I'm referring to his post-time-skip phase wherein he went full "boar" and refused to properly lead his army. Though after regaining more mental stability and becoming a proper general, he still gets haunted by self-doubts for the rest of his life.

When I spell "Strength" with a capital "S", I'm usually shortening my term "True Strength" and referring to both a mental and emotional fortitude, resilience, and frequently an iron resolve in Compassion. That's just my personal philosophy in defining "True Strength". Personally, I see 2 definitions of "strength" that both converge at Compassion, to define "True Strength". 1) In an amoral sense, strength is resilience in maintaining one's own "soul pattern"/emotions/resolve, without being swayed or influenced by outside forces to change. 2) In terms of defining strength as the ability to do what is most difficult, in my opinion, Compassion is the most difficult. Not only do acts of Compassion often cost a range of efforts from some to exorbitant, but it can also require the enacter to put themselves into a vulnerable position. So it is often something only the strong can afford, or survive, or disregard fears of being vulnerable or taken advantage of. Therefore, in my personal opinion, converging the 2 definitions into an unwavering resolve in Compassion, is my personal definition of "True Strength".

So when I categorize Date Masamune as having Strength, I mean he is unwavering in his resolve towards Compassion. Sengoku Basara 2009 takes a lot of instances to reiterate that Masamune cannot be swayed, his Resolve is unquestioning, no one can stop him, slow him, or change his mind. His catch phase is "pressing onward" (translated as "full speed ahead"). One of his first scenes is charging ahead, disregarding Katakura's warnings for caution. (Notice that in Judge End, this is framed as foolish brashness, but in Sengoku Basara 2009, Katakura smiles and continues following without worry, because he completely trusts Masamune's instincts and decision-making. Because everyone trusts Masamune 2009 to always make decisions based in the best ideals/Compassion.) This is reiterated throughout season 2, when Masamune makes allies and each of them ask him to change directions, but the most they can do is temporarily slow him down, because he doesn't stop moving forward. This Strength directed in outward Compassion towards others is almost unexpected after considering Masamune's historical backstory. One would think that someone betrayed by his mother would become disillusioned and spiteful towards the world. It's a basic supervillain backstory to be betrayed by a trusted figure, especially during fundamental development. But instead, Masamune seems to want only to protect others and bring the whole country under his command, so that the whole country of people can be under his umbrella of protection. The 2009 series only mentions his regret from one of his early battles where lots of his soldiers died, being his major motivation in protecting others, specifically his soldiers. But I've headcanon'ed a lot that can be extrapolated from his historical backstory, that when in conjunction to his actions in Sengoku Basara 2009, portrays a Masamune who has dedicated himself towards Compassion, despite his tragic backstory.

Similarly, Claude's backstory is tragic, yet he emerges with True Strength. I've heard criticisms within the fandom that Claude growing up experiencing so much bullying and discrimination against his being biracial, could not believably yield a person dedicated towards Compassion. But I think that's just brainwashing from too many supervillain tropes telling us that traumatized and mentally ill people invariably become villains. I've heard it's more realistic that people who have experienced trauma, tragedy, or some kind of pain, actually are more likely to increase their ability to empathize/sympathize with others, consequently becoming more compassionate. (Mentioned in https://youtu.be/bHe2seINnE0 at 2:03/9:09; https://youtu.be/zaZYDK1RcEU) Claude experienced descrimination and bullying; he explicitly explains in FE3H canon that he wants to create a world where no one else has to experience that same pain. I really don't see why this can be an unbelievable characterization to some people, when most of the world admires Batman for literally that same reason. And I think that characters, like Claude, who react to trauma and hardship with altruism, demonstrate a True Strength in their characters. They haven't been broken by their trauma. They not only survive, but survive as people who still want to care for others. (Also why I love Natsume Takashi.)

I was tempted to include Dimitri in the category of "Emerged from tragic backstory with Strength and vowing to make world where no one will experience same pain". But he didn't emerge with the same level of flawless Strength that Masamune and Claude did. Dimitri certainly did resolve to protect others from ever experiencing the pain that he felt, after the Tragedy of Duscur. But he was also not as mentally stable. He was so repressed and internally conflicted (concerning his feelings of vengence, or sadness that didn't know how to be expressed as anything but anger, lest he break), that he didn't integrate his "boar" impulses/emotions until much later in his post-time-skip. I didn't feel that Dimitri was a fully reconcilled version of himself, until after he had accepted his "boar" emotions, stopped repressing his unresolved anger, and learned to express them more appropriately or at more appropriate times. After he became more mentally/emotionally stable, I have no doubt that he still can have episodes of rage, anti-social moods, or crippling survivor's guilt, but I think he no longer allows those feelings/episodes to push away the people he cares about or disregard his true personal desires to be kind/protective towards others. He knows how to deal with those feelings now. But he spent a long time not yet at that stable level, until much later. Until then, he was frankly wavering, conflicting with his personal resolve, denying his own ideals, and allowing his survivor's guilt manifesting as ghosts to sway him away from his true desires/motivations/values of Compassion. Dimitri was Weak for a time. So I can't say that he was in the same category of Strength as Masamune and Claude.

Dimitri's backstory of his father's death and idolizing Rodrigue, after he took him in, is information he canonically tells the player.

But I realize that Sengoku Basara 2009 never actually mentions a backstory like this for Yukimura. I'm actually referencing the takarazuka version of Sengoku Basara. In that play, they include a childhood backstory scene, where Yukimura's father was a subordinate of Takeda and died while protecting him. Young Yukimura blamed Takeda for his father's death and went to punch him out. Because Takeda understood that Yukimura needed catharsis and was trying to reconcile with his grief, Takeda allowed himself to be punched. But he also punched back. I think maybe to encourage Yukimura to keep going? I can't remember. But eventually, Yukimura punched out all his anger and only had energy left to finally cry, and Takeda said something that comforted him. From then on, he called Takeda "Oyakata-sama" and became completely devoted to him. This explained the origin of the running gag from the 2009 anime, wherein Takeda and Yukimura engage in fist fights as a form a bonding. (It's a shame that the video of these scenes was taken off YouTube. ;_; ) I don't know if "Sengoku Basara Sanada Yukimura-den" mentions how Yukimura's father dies, since he finally appeared in that game. So I'm referencing the takarazuka version.

There isn't really mention of Masamune's mother in the 2009 Sengoku Basara anime. The closest, was Masamune's maternal uncle appearing in the movie "The Last Party" that ended that anime series. But historically, after the real life Date Masamune survived smallpox at a young age, and lost sight in his right eye, there was a lot of dissent among the other high ranking people within his clan, concerning his continued position as the Date clan's head. A lot of this dissent was lead by his mother, who insisted that Masamune's younger brother should become the new clan leader instead. Some accounts say that to shut up accusations that Masamune was weak and that his faulty eye was just an advertised weakness that enemies would take advantage of on the battlefield, Masamune either pulled out his own right eye or ordered Katakura to do it. Apparently, that shut up everyone except his mother, who still continued to try undermining his position. I don't know if there was one instance of several, but she also tried to kill him through poisoning, to replace him with his brother. Because of this, Masamune's only choice was to kill his own little brother, which forced his mother to run back to her original clan. (I can only assume that Masamune didn't just kill his mother, because it's possible she indoctrinated his brother to ursurp him. So Masamune might have ended up eventually needing to kill his brother anyway.) Lots of us in the Sengoku Basara fandom like to headcanon that all of this happened for the Basara version of Masamune too.

It's my understanding that Cornelia implicated Dimitri's stepmother in the murder of his father and friends at the Tragedy of Duscur, but that things were still left canonically vague. Personally, the fact that Patricia was always kind to Dimitri, combined with the fact that Cornelia is proven duplicitous, I find it difficult to believe that Patricia intentionally betrayed Dimitri. The way Cornelia described it, she offered Patricia a chance to be reunited with her daughter Edelgard, Patricia confirmed that desire, then the Tragedy of Duscur happened. Given that Cornelia was already doing terrible things behind Patricia's back, like experimenting on Hapi, and Patricia being angry at Cornelia when she discovered Hapi, I doubt that Cornelia would have been fully truthful with Patricia. I imagine Cornelia tricked Patricia into opening a path or lowering some defenses to "allow a clandestine meeting with Edelgard", but then Cornelia would probably use it to sneak in enemies to kill Dimitri's father and friends. That's my headcanon theory on the Tragedy of Duscur anyway. So Dimitri was only *possibly* betrayed by his mother figure.

And that's my comparison between DateSana and DimiClaude/DMCL/ClauDimi. It continuously amazes me how similar these ships are and how my shipping has come full circle. lol

[fieryfantasybooklover]

Coffee Cups And Poetry - A Logicality fic

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Logan started, awoken from his trance by Patton’s voice. Turning red, Logan realized that he was still sitting on Patton’s lap. Logan had lost track of time, so there was no way to know how long he’d been sitting there. “Are you going to be sitting on my lap all day? I mean, it’s fine if you do.” Patton inquired, smiling widely and happily, looked up at Logan earnestly. Logan, turning steadily redder under Patton’s gaze, fumbled for the words to answer as Virgil and Roman smirked from aways away.

--Several hours earlier--

Logan picked up his coffee cup and moved into the living room, all the while browsing the newspaper. There wasn’t much of interest - a few reports about new constructions, and something about a new president of the local agriculture club. Dropping down onto the couch with a sigh, Logan drained the last dregs of the drink in his hand and opened his computer for his latest work project. It was quiet in the room, but a comfortable type of quiet. The type that never seemed empty or loaded. Patton was curled up on the couch beside Logan, nose-deep in some abstract book. Roman was working furiously on the desk nearby, the scratch of his pencils and coloring supplies more than sufficient for background noise. Virgil was sitting at the kitchen table, browsing through Tumblr while he devoured a bowl of cornflakes. Remus was nowhere to be found, a fact that was completely unsurprising. And finally, Janus was scrolling through what appeared to be YouTube while he lounged back in the armchair.

A few hours passed, filled with occasional idle chatter and laughter, coming and receding like waves. Sometimes somebody would complain about their work, earning severe amusement from everyone else and several attempted hug attacks from Patton, all in attempts to cheer them up. When the time for lunch rolled around, everyone converged around the table to consume the salad and pizza Janus had prepared. Sitting down at the table, the daily lunch chatter commenced. Logan talked very earnestly to Patton about the statistics of his latest report - “No, but really! Look, it’s fascinating! If you look very closely, you can see how the numbers change and how the variables influence the data-”, with Patton listening intently, doing his very best to understand. After all, Patton loved his boyfriend and wanted him to be happy.

Roman complained to Virgil about his creative woes and his new inability to come up with anything satisfactory. “But honestly! I am supposed to be the creative side! The one with all the good ideas and the amazing final projects! I simply do not know what is happening.” While Virgil knew very well how dramatic Roman was and often tired of it, he still swallowed the snarky response and steadfastly replied with “Don’t worry Princey. I’m sure your creative brain will wake up from its shutdown anytime soon.” This earned a relieved smile that made Virgil feel better about the wasted opportunity for sarcasm.

Remus had dragged himself out from the depths of the mindscape for lunch, and was currently sandwiched between Janus and Remus. Those two talked quietly to each other, even as Janus effortlessly slid from conversation to conversation. He paused only to laugh at Virgil’s sarcastic quip at Logan, reassure Roman that everything would be ok, and offer a warm smile to Patton. Remus also participated in the talk, and he gave everyone a generous laugh. Even a few weeks ago, the laughing would have been aimed at him. But now, they laughed with him. So, everyone was happy and content at that lunch, surrounded by their closest friends.

When Virgil finally finished eating, the dishes were swept to the sink by Patton and everyone dispersed to go back to their work. Roman returned to his desk, Remus vanished again, Janus returned to the armchair, and Virgil stretched out flat on the floor, scrolling through YouTube this time. Patton returned to the couch, and Logan, not paying much attention sat down on Patton’s lap. He realized it, blushed, and made an attempt to stand. But was held in place by Patton, who insisted that it was ok, all the while turning steadily pink. Logan, who knew very well that arguing with Patton was pointless and never worked, sighed, and resigned himself to sit on Patton’s lap. “It’s not weird, it is fine. We are dating, after all. It is just me making this weird. Now, Logan, start working!” Logan soon forgot where he was sitting, and the room settled back into the comfortable quiet from earlier.

--Present Time--

“Oh my gosh Patton, I am very sorry. I should have moved sooner. This cannot be good for your circulation-” Logan stood up quickly, fixing his glasses and moving to sit down next to Patton. He stopped however, when Patton’s hand shot out and gripped his arm. “Logi. It’s ok. I have no issue with you sitting on my lap. Truly, I don’t care. And I wish there was some way to convey this to you.” Patton smiled softly, and in that instant almost all of Logan’s worries melted away. “Thank you so much Pat. I don’t think I could stand Mr. Mopey Dopey Logan today.” Virgil smiled, alerting Logan to the mild nature of the tease. Turning to the computer, Virgil faded from the conversation. “Well, I am very glad that we have avoided conflict.” Janus smirked as he stood. “But as much as I would like to stay, I think I should go check on Remus. You know, make sure he hasn’t caused some sort of explosion.” With that, Janus vanished down the hall. This left Virgil, and Roman. The creative side had not stopped scribbling away or even batted an eyelash during the entire exchange, but he was barely concealing a giant smile.

Logan, sighing, sat down on the couch next to Patton. “You know, I think work can wait for a little. It is after all healthy to take small breaks in between difficult work.” And with that, Logan shut his laptop and curled up against Patton, his face on the other’s shoulder. Patton, smiling the biggest grin, closed his book and pulled Logan closer to him. “I love him so much.” Patton thought to himself, all the while pulling out a separate book. Turning to the first page of classic poems, Patton began to read to Logan. In that moment, Logan raised his shining eyes to Patton and silently conveyed everything he could not say. “I love you. I can’t believe you’re real. I would be lost without you.” Patton continued to read, the only sign he understood was the quiver of emotion in his voice as he read. Logan drifted off to sleep soon after, safe in the arms of the one he loved and would give the world for.

[enasallavellan]

Enasal Lavellan Pt: 41

Strap in guys.

Before I let you y'all dive in, I want to explain a little about this scene. I have been thinking about this scene from the beginning of it all, and I hope it lives up to expectations.

Now, y'all know I use music while writing and while browsing YouTube when I should have been writing, I stumbled on the outro to "Good To Be Alive."  

I loved it. Mostly the little girl at the beginning.

So I found a video with just her, and it fit well, but I really didn't like how suddenly it cuts before she can finish her note.

Then I had to go a little crazier.  

I added some of that ambiance noises.

Then opened another version of Good To Be Alive because why the hell not?

So I created this weird thing that may sound God-awful to everyone else, but sounded perfect to me (for the scene anyway).

I totally don't rock out to it by myself.

Or made my fiance listen to it.

Or put it on my iPod.

Anyway, if you're one of my readers that listens to the provided music, the first link has lyrics, so if that bothers you, you can just click the second ambient track.

The third?

My insanity.

Good To Be Alive (Outro Lyrics)

Cold Survival Music

Frozen Despair

.

.

.

Enasal woke up in pure darkness, in horrible, gasping, agony.

She moved one hand to wipe the blood from her mouth and tried to move her body with the other, but had forgotten her dislocated shoulder and crumbled on her attempt.  

The pain was enough to warrant tears from anyone.

Switching arms, Enasal managed to ease herself up, stumbling onto her left foot when she was startled by the pain in her right. She tested it - it hurt, but she could probably walk on it.

Enasal stood in the darkness panting out her injuries aloud to break the terrible silence.

"Left arm isn't working, the mark is flaring up. Right arm has cuts, pieces of fabric are ripped off. Chest hurts and hard to breathe - probably broke some ribs again." She reached up to feel her hair, stiff and gunky from blood. "Head wound, can't tell if it's bleeding." She felt around her face and neck, "Some cuts, but nothing bad."  

What now?

The mark was growing, and with no way of moving her arm, Enasal had to guess at walls and focus on the floor. 

It was so cold.

Enasal gritted her teeth 

Hugging one of the walls, Enasal managed to find a path that led to a hallway. The longer she walked, the heavier the sulfur smell became.

Not here.

Not now.

Please.

Sure enough, a crackling rift came into view. It shifted and fractured as Enasal got close. Something pulled her arm up to it, spilling light over the room. Enasal couldn't scream. It hurt far too much to scream. 

When she managed to let out a scream, it wasn't over pain - it was over the demons littering the room she was in. Her hand jerked, and she felt something in her arm stir. Another jerk, and another stir.

Enasal held her breath and willed the stirring in her arm out through her hand.

Everything seemed to shake as she was entombed by the green light of the anchor. Enasal let out a hissing breath, and the demons converged on her.

But before they could attack, they were pulled into the air, where they were torn to shreds and sent back into the fade. 

Enasal fell to the floor, gasping out in pain. She took a few deep breaths before standing and continuing following the light. Snow began to fleck on her cheek, melting on contact and rolling down her face. She reached up to wipe the water on her face, but it had begun to freeze. Enasal shook her head, throwing the icy mix off.

There was nothing but snow.

For as far as she could see, there was nothing but white and gray. Ahead, wind swept the snow into hateful arcs that left any concept of visibility laughable.

She was going to die.

This is how it would end. Not destroying the demon who controlled a dragon as a final act… He got away and was sure to return somewhere else. 

It was all in vain.

She would die injured and in pain, all alone in the dark.

Enasal trudged forward, shivering and clumsy. Why hadn't she listened to Varric when he told her to keep her boots tucked into her belt? He had even offered to make loops and buttons for her shoes and belt. 

She stumbled into the snow, taking a few deep breaths before she managed to draw herself back up.

If she was going to die, she'd leave a trail, so nobody would think she just laid down and died. They'd know she'd at least tried to find someone.

Anyone.

She wished for her Grandmother, for Shiral, for-

She smelled cinders.

It cut through the snow, and she managed to find a smoldering campfire.

That meant someone was close. But with raging wind and snow in all directions, Enasal had no clues as to where that close person might be.

They might as well be on the other side of Thedas.

She tried to get up and stumbled again. She lay still, no longer shivering.  

Was there any shame in crying over your own death?

She hoped not.

In a final attempt to stand, she managed to balance upward. Her vision was doubled, and it was hard to balance.

A voice?

Enasal fell again, this time unable to move. She tried, testing every muscle imaginable, but there was nothing she could do. She wanted to roll over, to die looking at the sky, but she had fallen on her side and saw nothing but white snow. Her vision slowly faded into black.

[notmoreflippingelves]

💔💚💢

Ship that makes you sad: 💔

Nearly all of my ships do, as  I tend to be drawn more to ships with heavy doses of angst--and rare pair non-canon ships. I’m gonna say Hathaway/Innocent right now, because I just...it used to bring me so much joy and focus. even though I was incredibly lonely as like almost the only shipper. But now with switching special interests and Lozza being like that and everything converging, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to really ship or like it again. It’s been ruined by fandom, by myself, by an asshole actor, by feelings of guilt for liking, and it *hurts* both to know that I wants loved the thing and that I no longer love the thing but still don’t hate the thing.

Ship that you secretly like: 💚

I kind of do have one ship that’s sort of half-way an actual RPS and halfway like--” I ship the versions of these real life persons that exist in my head even though I recognize these  versions of themselves they present are possibly not the “real them” and that they probably aren’t actually in love.”  Not gonna mention any names but suffice it to say that they are cohosts of a semi-popular youtube series that involves current or former Buzzfeed employees and that they are often the background pairing/beta ship w in works focusing  another much more popular youtube series that involves current or former Buzzfeed employees. 

Ship that is most misunderstood: 💢

I’m not going to chose a specific ship or go into detail in them. Because holy mother of God, even mentioning some of these are “not as bad as people think they are,” is bound to get me anon hate that my little fragile heart isn’t  strong enough to deal with. 

So we’re instead going to focus on the type of ship that is most misunderstood. Enemies-to-lovers. Hero(ine)/Villain or Antihero. “Toxic” person/ “cinnamon roll.” The “normal” person / the “monster.” 

I don’t personally ship many of the BIG examples, the ones that people have definitely been exposed to very intense, heated rhetoric about.  But honestly, that’s more because I find them  less personally interesting than because I think they are “dangerously and inherently problematic.” 

Anyway back to the point, people are very quick to judge ships with this dynamic and to make assumptions about the people who ship them. That these very ships existing are “normalizing or romanticizing abuse.” That people who ship them are just “stupid, brainwashed, shallow, etc” who are too “ young or naive or ignorant to know better.” That we need to “protect” these dumb idiots for thinking that “twu luv can actually change minds and hearts; and save the day.”

But here’s the thing about these assumptions... People may not ship a pairing  for the reasons often-assumed. People may not be projecting on the character others might/most people would. The pairing may be “comfort”/wish-fulfillment in a way totally different from the expected way.

A lot of people are inclined to think of themselves as the “hero”/ the “good one” so there’s an assumption that this is how everyone views the world/projects onto fictional characters.  Personally, I find it very very hard to relate to the “hero.” The person who is always good, brave, strong in the face of adversity. It makes me feel pathetic and guilty and like a bad person when I do things like get angry or emotional. So in some ways it can be easier for me to connect to  sidekicks, the villains, the antiheroes, the troubled souls waiting for a redemption arc that may never come for them.  And when I am drawn to the “hero,” it tends to be the flawed, damaged ones--the “Elsa”s instead of the “Anna”s if you will. 

So when it comes to ships like Phoenix/Kristoph or Theon/Jeyne or Draco/Luna, I am projecting onto the “bad one”--or at least, the “less pure, less normal” one. The comfort--the fantasy even--is NOT “saving someone through the power of luv”; it’s being saved.  It’s pretending--even if only for a minute--that if someone good, pure, sane, normal can see something worthy of time, effort, love  even in someone “evil,” “crazy,” “monstrous”--the way that I often feel even I know that this is objectively not true. 

It  gives me hope that maybe I’m not as damaged as my brain is constantly telling I am. 

[inmyarmswrappedin]

Isak season rankings (so far)

I’ve seen people doing this, and while we wait for SKAM Austin to get renewed 🤞 I thought I’d rank the Isak seasons that are out so far, according to my personal preference. People who wanted to read my Matteo and Cris meta, this is the very short version of it. 

Warning: I am super critical in this ranking. If you’d rather read only compliments, don’t click the Read More. 

SKAM s3 – Isak: I don’t consider myself a Skam supremacist or whatever the term in vogue is these days. There are many things about Skam that I’m not happy with. I wasn’t really into the idea of the remakes at first, but when they started coming out I hoped that some of the stuff I had issues with in Skam was handled better in the remakes. That said… I never had issues with season 3. I think it’s as perfect a TV season as it can get. The writing, the acting, the music, the cinematography… Everything has a reason for being there and nothing got unresolved. I don’t feel Isak’s season needs “fixing.” A good remake of Isak’s season, for me, is one that takes what Skam did and flips it and does entirely different things with it, not one that aims to tell the same story with cosmetic changes here and there.

DRUCK s3 – Matteo: I’m not sure if Matteo’s season would be as high for me personally if it weren’t for David, tbh! I fell in love with David before I even knew his name was David. My main issues with Druck s3 are these: Druck put a lot of effort in adapting the original storyline to David and Matteo’s personalities, but I don’t see the same effort with the internalized homophobia storyline. I don’t think the writing is consistent there. I also didn’t like the way they hinted at Matteo having a MI, but never committed to it. In fact, I’m not even sure the writers think Matteo has a MI? When the writers have done interviews they’ve talked of Matteo as a “slacker-type” character, not a character with mental health issues. I also have really mixed emotions about the way David’s outing clip was scripted and shot. But overall I had so much fun watching the season, I love David, I love David and Matteo together, and I love a lot of the musical moments. And honestly, it’s amazing that the writers decided David’s movie was going to be Only Lovers Left Alive, built the whole character around that idea, and that single trait explains so much about how David views himself, Matteo and the world.

SKAM España s2 – Cris: If it weren’t for David’s existence, Cris’ season would have the second spot. My issues with Cris’ season are that I feel like the writers had a much firmer hand when adapting Eva’s season. With Eva, they seemed more confident about getting rid of iconic moments or putting their own spin on them. With Cris, I felt like the criticisms they got in Eva’s season about getting rid of iconic moments made them try and include them even when they didn’t make sense for Cris and Joana. I’m thinking specifically of using 21:21and the pool scene, which had no significance for Cris or Joana’s characters. I also thoroughly hate Lucas getting hate crimed, and yes, it was handled better than in other remakes, but still. I’m from Spain, so yes, I’m aware of the cultural reasons for doing it, and I still think it was unnecessary on every level. (I’ll probably write something longer on this, because I do want to get into the ~cultural reasons,~ but not right now.) The music isn’t amazing because the music licensing costs in Spain are more expensive, but it does affect my overall enjoyment when the use of music was one of the things I loved about Skam. I also think Skam España tried to keep every fandom satisfied, which led to a more scattered season. (That said, compared to Skam’s Sana season, the POV was tight as fuck.) I don’t like that Cris and Joana didn’t have a sex scene. I understand that Irene was a minor at the time, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that Skam and Druck delivered extremely beautiful, non objectified sex scenes, and Skam España didn’t. Now, for the good: aside from the moments I mentioned, Cris and Joana were fully their own characters, Cris isn’t Isak and had her own struggles and character flaws she had to overcome, same for Joana. Cris and Amira’s friendship is everything, and considering how other remakes have handled friendships between a LGBTI character and a character of color, it’s almost enough to declare Skam España the holy grail of remakes. Also, one of the reasons it’s sad that the focus on the girl squad moves to the boy squad for Isak’s season is that the squad is at its most supportive and loving of the main in Isak’s season. By contrast, Eva, Noora and Sana’s seasons are full of betrayal and infighting. It was really so gratifying to get to see the girl squad support and love Cris. I also really liked that it was almost two queer seasons in one, with Cris and Lucas having their own journeys on Youtube and the episodes, which sometimes converged. I also loved the exploration of Viri’s character. Loved the borderline PD awareness content on instagram, for me the only valid use of Minutt for Minutt by a remake. I’m aware of the elephant in the room I’m not mentioning, but I feel like if it hadn’t been for the actors going wild on social media, that scene would have been a non event. Which brings me to…

SKAM Italia s2 – Martino: I really liked Eva Brighi’s season and I was really looking forward to Skam Italia’s take on Isak’s season. I really liked Martino in season 1. Martino’s season opened with a very powerful, factual voiceover of queer Italian people calling into a helpline to set the tableau of what it means to be queer in Italy. And then… it just got off the rails, man. Now, I did finish season 2 (racial slur and all), but I’m not sure I would have if it hadn’t been the first remake of Isak’s season. First off, they switched the order of the seasons, but instead of doing their due diligence and keep developing the Eleonora and Edoardo relationship (like Skam España did), they simply sent Eleonora to the cornfield to avoid having to deal with it. Second, the Skam España writers forced a few Isak and Even elements on Cris and Joana that didn’t fit them… Bessegato forced plenty more elements that didn’t have any relevance to Martino and Niccoló onto them. The obvious network interference when it came to Martino and Niccolò’s intimate scenes. And when I say intimate, I don’t mean sexy sex sex scenes, I mean the scenes that in Skam were Isak and Even existing in their own bubble. In Skam Italia, these scenes were intruded upon by the boy squad again and again. I’m not sure whether the Skam Italia fandom realizes that the reason the Italian boy squad is so loved is because they had a much larger role in Martino’s season that infringed on Martino and Niccolò’s dynamic. Anyway, I thought the boy squad was gross, honestly. The way the volleyball scene was shot was less about Martino’s discomfort and more about close up shots of a 14-year old actress’ sweaty butt and crotch. And for my money, I can’t understand why keeping Francesco Centorame meant they absolutely couldn’t cast an actor of color to play Luca. People talk about wtFOCK using certain tropes for shock value, but can we talk about the way Skam Italia had Niccolò literally run around Milan naked and giggling for the viewer to see? It appears that Skam was too tactful only giving us a glimpse of Even’s bare ass leaving the hotel room. We really needed to sensationalize the whole event, or otherwise it would fly over our heads how serious Niccolò’s crisis was. And Bessegato’s instagram tantrum when called out on Niccolò randomly dropping a racial slur mid-conversation was just the cherry on top. Oh, and I also hated the inclusion of Martino’s mom, but that’s more personal, so I’ll leave it at me having an issue with that decision because of hugely personal reasons I won’t go into. (Edit: I forgot to say that Filippo’s Pride speech is one of the best remakes of that scene, if not the best so far.)

Didn’t finish:

SKAM France s3 – Lucas: Okay, so here’s my Skam France story. Unlike a not small part of the fandom, I did watch s1 shortly after it came out. Now, I love Eva and Isak on Skam, they are two of my very favorites. I didn’t like Emma or Lucas. However, I love Jonas Vasquez and I felt like Yann was the only phase 1 remake Jonas that really did Jonas V justice. Not Jonas A, not Giovanni G, not Marlon F. Yann. So I came into s3 not very interested in Lucas (or Eliott to be completely honest), but fully pumped to see my boy Yann be the supportive friend Jonas had been in Skam and Yann had been in s1 and s2. Folks… I ragequit Skam France the moment Yann abandoned Lucas in that bench. And yeah, it can be argued that, while they used that moment for shock value, they stuck the landing. I personally disagree, the damage was done there, but it can be argued. Anyway, that was the end of episode 6, and by then I knew I didn’t vibe with Lucas (hadn’t liked him since s1 as aforementioned), Eliott had done nothing to get me onboard, couldn’t care less about the girl squad being forced into the season through network mandate, hated Basile and the Daphné/Basile storyline, and was bored as hell of people fawning over Arthur when the character was as lacking in substance as Mahdi, but fandom never went crazy over Mahdi in the same way (fun fact! Despite Skam fandom being much larger than any remake fandom, there were never essays about how great Sacha’s acting was, how carefully constructed his character, there weren’t people fighting for Mahdi-related usernames… I could go on). I simply can’t understand how the writers came up with the whole Polaris thing and then dropped it entirely after episode 4, and didn’t bother coming up with a twist on that motif. (You know, like the R+J and Pretty Woman twist, or how Druck used the vampire motif, or how Skam España used the Dangerous Liaisons motif throughout the season.) Like… Instead of using an existing piece of media, they created one tailored to what they wanted to do, but they didn’t follow through with it? Almost completely wasted the potential of the Lucas/light/darkness symbolism/motif. And, as I’ve mentioned with Skam España, I realize that the music licensing costs for France are astronomical, but again it does affect my overall enjoyment of the show, and the piano music didn’t make up for it.

wtFOCK s3 — Robbe: I gave Skam France six episodes before I quit. By the middle of week 2 of wtfock I was already checked out. The decision to delay Sander’s intro just completely ruined the pacing and anticipation for me. The lack of a tight POV was another nail in the coffin. How utterly loathsome Moyo and Jens were in that first week and a half was another factor. The way they resolved the issue of Milan leaning in for the kiss with Robbe was yet another. The wtfock characters having no nuance (most of them have one character trait, the most any of them have is three) was another. Initially I quit watching because I thought I’d write episode by episode posts, and I wanted to keep my reactions fresh. So I just read the transcripts. And every single thing I read in those transcripts only served to prove I was right in dropping it.  But here’s one thing I liked! I liked the blurring of the fourth wall with the spray painting of the garbage truck and the garbage truck servicing Antwerp at the time the season aired. (I could draw a parallel between the garbage truck being the first motif the season deployed, and how the rest of the season turned out, and... well, I guess I just did.)

[commentaryvorg]

Danganronpa V3 Commentary: Bonus 1 - Back Routes

My usual spoiler warning for the main commentary doesn’t really apply here since the back routes are content that most people would usually only see after finishing the main game. But on the extremely unlikely off-chance that someone was going for all the back routes in their first-time playthrough and for some reason wanted to read commentary on them as they went along, this commentary is still not recommended, as I do sometimes mention things from later on in some of the trials.

So, the back routes. For those who don’t know, because the game is pretty vague about them so I imagine a lot of people might not: these are alternative routes you can take in trials by using specific lies in certain debates where you’re canonically supposed to just use the truth. There’s two in almost every trial, except for only one in trial 1, and none at all in trial 6, making nine in total for me to go over here. The alternative events always re-converge with the canon stream of events pretty quickly, so they don’t affect that much, and most of them are pretty silly and pointless, as we’ll see.

I personally first saw the back routes just by finding a Youtube video with all of them in, so I never had to go through the no-doubt frustrating process of trying to figure out where they are. The one indication there is, which is ridiculously subtle unless someone tells you about it, is that the music for the debates in which you can lie is a different piece called “Discussion – PERJURY”, a title you wouldn’t know about on your own without checking the soundtrack. This piece happens to be exactly the same as the usual “Discussion – BREAK” piece, except it also has the vocal bits that go something like “break down the door o’clock” (that’s always what it sounded like to me, anyway), whereas the regular one doesn’t have that. Since those vocals were always in the debate BGM from the first two DR games, it’s quite easy to not even notice there’s anything significant about them being there in this game. And, of course, even if you are listening out for that and have pinpointed which debates you need to lie in, there’s still no hint as to what the possible lie is. I do not envy anyone who’s attempted to find these back routes entirely on their own.

Trial 1, Back Route 1

This first back route is in the second half of the trial, after Shuichi has become the protagonist, in the debate in which everyone’s trying to figure out how the shot put ball could have got all the way from the opening of the vent onto Rantaro’s head. You’re supposed to point out that it could have rolled along the books that Kaede stacked up, but also…

Kaede:  “Hey, Shuichi… Don’t lose sight of the truth.”

…Kaede says this, right at the end of the debate, and there’s a weak spot on it. If you turn the “Library Vent” bullet into a lie, it becomes “Blocked Vent”, and you can fire it at this.

Shuichi:  (Kaede… I’m sorry. I’m not strong enough for this! I can’t make you the culprit!)

It’s almost strange to see this, having recently been in chapters 5 and 6 with a strong heroic Shuichi who could bravely face any kind of painful truth. But here we are back at the beginning, and it is quite believable that the Shuichi in chapter 1 might just have lost his nerve and not been able to do this.

Shuichi:  “W-Well, actually… Maybe the shot didn’t pass through the vent…”

Kiyo:  “Did you not just tell us that the shot traveled through the vent?”

Shuichi:  “That’s true, but… I just remembered, the library’s vent was closed.”

Ryoma:  “The vent… was closed?”

Shuichi:  “… So I think… my deduction might be wrong.”

Shuichi’s voice sounds awkward and nervous as he tells his lie here, but it’s fairly plausible that that nervousness comes from his realisation that his deduction was wrong (because of his lack of confidence in his abilities), rather than from the knowledge that he’s running away from the truth.

Kaede:  “Shuichi?”

Shuichi:  “…”

Kaede:  “I see…”

Kaede immediately sees through him and realises what he’s doing, of course, and she’s not going to let him do that.

Kaede:  “Shuichi, we both investigated the vent. But you misunderstood something.”

Shuichi:  “…What?”

Kaede:  “I closed the vent grate while we were investigating, but it was open before.”

But, adorably, the way Kaede clears this up is not by informing the whole class that Shuichi just lied to protect her because he can’t face the truth. Instead, she tells her own lie that makes it seem like Shuichi was simply misinformed, so she can get things back on track without discrediting Shuichi or hurting him any more than necessary. 

Shuichi:  “No… That’s a lie!”

Kaede:  “It’s not a lie. But depending on your deduction… it could become a lie.”

Shuichi:  “…Ah!”

What Kaede says is a bit odd, since any statement is either a lie or it isn’t and it’s not going to suddenly change. But I suppose what she’s really saying is that the class’s perception of whether or not she’s lying will change depending on whether Shuichi admits that he just lied. She’s making it clear to Shuichi that she knows he just lied and he knows she just lied, without the rest of the class ever having to be aware that either of them did.

Kaede:  “Shuichi, please, answer the question. How did the shot reach Rantaro? You know the answer. You just heard it during the debate.”

And then, like all back routes do, things start to reconverge with how the trial should have gone. It’s lovely though that in this instance it comes from Kaede’s continued efforts to encourage Shuichi to face the truth and use his detective skills that she believes in.

Shuichi:  (Why am I hesitating…? Am I really going to turn back now? At a time like this? I’m sure Kaede wants to run away… But she’s still here… she trusts me to do this! I need to answer. I need to grant her wish. I need to solve this mystery!)

And Shuichi manages to find his strength again, thanks to Kaede’s encouragement and seeing how brave she’s being. After these lines, he explains exactly what he should have done after the debate and things reconverge completely.

I also enjoy that here’s another little moment of Shuichi being perfectly aware that Kaede’s scared but then using that to inspire him to be strong in the face of his own fear. Heroes that are struggling can be more inspiring than otherwise!

This is my favourite of all of the back routes! It makes a lot of in-character sense at this point that Shuichi might do this, because it’s all about his issues of wanting to run away from the truth causing him to momentarily falter even after having decided to accuse Kaede. This is the one back route that I can actually see potentially having canonically happened.

I say this about this one because, uh, most of the rest of them aren’t going to be nearly this good at all. Oh boy.

Trial 2, Back Route 1

This one’s right at the very beginning, in the first debate. They’re talking about Himiko’s magic trick, but this debate isn’t even supposed to be about figuring out the trick, it’s supposed to be about telling Kokichi he’s wrong when he pretends to believe Ryoma was eaten alive. However…

Himiko:  “The Underwater Escape was no trick! It was magic!”

…there is also an agree spot here, and if you turn “Water Tank Trick” into a lie, it becomes “Magic Water Tank”, and you can agree with Himiko that it totally was magic.

Shuichi:  “Maybe Himiko is right… The Underwater Escape might be real magic. Because from what I’ve seen, there is no trick or gimmick in that tank!”

Why, Shuichi. Why on earth do you think this is a worthwhile thing to lie about. Nothing in this entire back route gives any indication as to why Shuichi would think this is necessary.

Himiko:  “Nyeh!?”

The best part of this one, in a very silly way, has to be how utterly fucking surprised Himiko is to hear him say this. If nothing else does, this proves that she’s not actually deluded and knows full well her magic isn’t really magic.

Himiko:  “Y-Yeah, see? Shuichi agrees… There’s no trick. It’s magic…”

Yes, definitely, if the Ultimate Detective agrees then that’s even more proof that she’s a real mage!!! (she is so confused why is he doing this)

Tenko:  “Wait up, Shuichi! Why are you trying to white-knight your way into Himiko’s heart!?”

Like that’s not what you’re doing all the time, Tenko.

Shuichi:  (That… certainly was not my intention…)

Then what the fuck was, Shuichi!?

A couple of people suggest that if Himiko’s trick really was magic then doesn’t that make it more likely that she did kill Ryoma?

Himiko:  “N-No, wait… Ryoma couldn’t have been killed by the piranhas… Cuz the piranhas I used in my show were special. They only eat dead flesh.”

This reads every bit like a desperate lie she’s trying to tell to get the suspicion off her. Apparently she didn’t even bother reading the Monokuma File to find a much simpler way to prove Ryoma wasn’t killed by the piranhas.

Tenko:  “Are you just pretending to be nice to Himiko so she’ll tell us the truth!?”

Shuichi:  “Ah, no, that’s not it…” (But… Himiko’s information was useful. Ryoma was not killed by the piranhas.)

Something you already knew, Shuichi, because you read the Monokuma File and are not an idiot, so Himiko’s “information”, if it was even true, wasn’t actually useful at all. If Shuichi really did tell this lie in an attempt to get some kind of information out of Himiko, then it was the most ridiculously pointless endeavour ever. Maybe he was actually trying to surprise her into admitting it wasn’t magic and explaining the trick? I don’t know.

Things shortly reconverge back to Shuichi explaining why Ryoma wasn’t eaten alive… and funnily enough, when we get to the next debate in which we actually discuss Himiko’s trick, everybody’s going to have conveniently forgotten the fact that Shuichi previously claimed the tank had no gimmick to it at all.

Trial 2, Back Route 2

This next one’s in the second half of the trial, just after Shuichi has accused Kirumi of being the culprit and needs to explain why. You’re supposed to point out that she had the chance to set things up in the gym in the five minutes she spent in there alone. And you’d think that Shuichi would already be aware of this, since this should be why he chose to accuse her in the first place.

Kirumi:  “An alibi for nighttime? I believe most of us do not have one.”

But if you turn “Alibis for Yesterday” into a lie, it becomes, for some reason, “My Alibi For Nighttime”. Upon firing it at this statement, Shuichi is about to tell a ridiculously elaborate lie. Hold tight.

He claims that after the training he totally did with Kaito that night (remember his other, canonical lie), he went back to his dorm but couldn’t sleep and was awake for the whole night. And during the night, he heard the sound of someone leaving their dorm, and then later returning.

Shuichi:  “But… I didn’t hear the sound of someone going down the stairs. Which must mean that whoever left has a room on the 1st floor.”

…

Shuichi:  “Because preparing the ropeway required time to be spent in the gym… it’s extremely likely that the culprit helped set up the magic show. In short… Himiko, Angie, Kaito, or Kirumi.”

Maki:  “I see… So among those four, the only one with a room on the 1st floor of the dorms is…”

Shuichi:  “Yes. Only Kirumi.”

What the actual fuck. This is admittedly very clever, but it’s a huge stretch to think that Shuichi was able to come up with this on the spot. For one thing, I’m amazed he’s actually managed to memorise everyone’s dorm room placements (and apparently so has Maki) when they’ve only been there a few days. I’d certainly only pay attention to my own room and probably my immediate neighbours. Ultimate Detective super-memory, maybe, I guess. But then there’s the part where, while trying to think of a way to incriminate Kirumi, it somehow comes to Shuichi’s mind that she’s the only one of the possible suspects with a dorm room on the first floor, and therefore that he can use that in a lie? Why on earth would he think of that, of all things?

And if the actual reason to accuse Kirumi isn’t something he’s realised, then Shuichi should not even be sure she did it at this point, in which case telling a huge elaborate lie to incriminate her is incredibly risky, because what if she really didn’t do it?

Shuichi’s also missing a few potential suspects. Keebo also helped set up the magic show; Maki did not but has no alibi between 9 and 10 and could have done it then; and Miu also has a weak enough alibi that she could potentially have snuck into the gym for the five minutes necessary to set it up between 9 and 10. Keebo and Maki are on the second floor of the dorms. Miu is not. It still could technically be Miu, if we’re believing Shuichi’s lie here!

It is quite something to realise that the placement of all the characters’ rooms in the dorms were apparently decided almost entirely for the sake of this one non-canon alternative route. (I should also point out that despite more than a year of obsessing over this game, I still had to check these dorm placements that I just mentioned. It’s ridiculous that Shuichi knew these off the top of his head after only a few days.)

And I’ve no idea how a player is supposed to be able to figure out this back route through anything but wild trial-and-error. You can check what Lie Bullet is made from each Truth Bullet, although to do so you then have to fire it, which you lose health for doing (unless you have Kokichi’s skill equipped). I suppose firing “My Alibi For Nighttime” at the claim that most people don’t have an alibi for nighttime kind of makes sense, but Shuichi supposedly proving his own alibi is not necessary and not even what actually happens here. Players must be very confused when he suddenly goes off on this tangent which is nothing like what they would have been expecting from this.

Kokichi:  “Hmm, you heard a sound, huh? Well, I hear a load of BS.”

Kokichi’s not wrong to call out Shuichi’s bullshit… but honestly, this was quite a plausible lie, simply because it’s so implausible to think that Shuichi could have come up with this as a lie. If he actually heard Kirumi leave and re-enter her room, then it makes sense he’d have then been able to narrow down that it could only be her based on her room being on the first floor. But the idea that he somehow managed to figure this concept out backwards without having actually heard anything is far harder to believe.

Kokichi:  “But unfortunately for you, Kirumi… Your time’s up. We already know you’re the only one capable of setting all this up. Riiiight, Shuichi?”

Shuichi:  (…Well, that was an unexpected assist.)

And this is how we reconverge. So apparently Shuichi did already know to point out that Kirumi is the only one who had the five minutes alone in the gym to make the preparations (so much for his claim that it could have been anyone who was in the gym even though the rest of them were never alone in there). In which case, whyyyyy on earth do this ridiculously elaborate detour instead???

Plus, here’s Kokichi making it clear that he knew that just as well himself, but of course he didn’t point it out any earlier than this because lol what is being helpful, that’s boring.

Trial 3, Back Route 1

This one’s in the first half, in the debate where it’s being argued that Keebo could have snuck in under the seance room’s floor using his flashlight function to see. You’re supposed to refute Kiyo’s claim that the culprit used a light at all because any light would have been seen through the hole in the floor. But doing that is honestly a little bit confusing and unintuitive, because the rest of the debate is more about specifically Keebo's flashlight and it seems more like you should be focusing on that in particular. Because of this, I’ve actually seen one blind LPer trigger this back route by accident because they were so confused about what to do here.

Miu:  “Keebo could’ve used that function to get under the floor…”

Turning the “Keebo’s Flashlight Function” bullet into a lie gets you “Flashlight Drawbacks”. The LPer I mentioned thought this simply meant the fact that it’s really bright and would have been seen through the gaps, so they fired it here and were very confused by the notion that this was even supposed to be a lie in the first place. But oh boy, it is. Here we go.

Shuichi:  (It’s hard to believe that Keebo is the culprit in this case. It’s even harder to believe that this trial isn’t being manipulated by someone… So even if I have to lie… I need to defend Keebo!)

It’s pretty ridiculous that Shuichi hasn’t figured out the obvious way to prove Keebo’s innocence without lying. And then it’s also odd that despite having no proof, he still believes Keebo isn’t the culprit. It comes across like the kind of belief he has in Kaito, but he’s not particularly close friends with Keebo in that same way, so it’s just very out of nowhere. This is the flimsiest justification for this silly detour.

Shuichi:  “It’s so bright, even Keebo can’t see when it’s turned on!”

And so this is his lie, because apparently “it’s so bright that people would have seen it through the goddamn hole in the floor” did not occur to him first.

Miu:  “…Wait, what!? There’s no way a genius like me would make that kinda rookie mistake!”

It’s honestly pretty remarkable that Keebo’s flashlight doesn’t have that drawback, since it’s in his eyes, which are indeed what he sees out of as trial 6 confirms for us. One would expect that to just massively overload the light sensors that they’d be right next to.

Gonta:  “But… you make mistakes a lot… A whole lot…”

Oh, Gonta. You and your straightforward honesty.

(And then Miu is terrible and the less said about that the better.)

Shuichi:  (Come on, Keebo… Please, play along!)

Keebo:  “Um…”

Shuichi:  (Keebo!)

Keebo:  “Uh, um… Well, uh…”

It is pretty cute how Keebo doesn’t want to call out Shuichi’s lie but is also super uncomfortable about going along with it. Keebo is one of very few characters in this game who never lies about anything.

Keebo:  “I’m so sorry! I just don’t remember! Really, I’m sorry!” [he shines his flashlight]

…I say that, but this here has to be a lie, because he was standing with his flashlight on for the whole second half of the investigation and would definitely have remembered not being able to see for all that time. Still, he’d rather tell an inconsequential lie about not remembering than either call out Shuichi for lying to protect him or go along with Shuichi’s much bigger lie that it really does blind him.

Kaito:  “Aagh! We get it already! Just turn it off! We’re gonna go blind!”

Remember me noting during the trial itself that it’s Kaito in particular who complains about Keebo’s flashlight, suggesting he’s extra light-sensitive right now due to his illness? Still a thing here.

And a few lines later…

Keebo:  “Shuichi, I’m so sorry!” [he shines his flashlight again]

Kaito:  “Damn! That is seriously bright!”

It is still Kaito who reacts. He does this all four times Keebo shines his flashlight in this trial, if you count this back route along with the canon parts. Yep, I’m certain that’s a thing.

Maki:  “Wouldn’t the light have shined through the gaps of the floorboard if it had been that bright?”

And then Maki is the one to save us from this dumbness that we’ve ended up on. Thank you, Maki.

Trial 3, Back Route 2

This one’s just after the intermission, when they’ve figured out that the seesaw trick required cutting the crosspiece beforehand, and so Kiyo is arguing that Himiko did it because she’s the one who picked the room. You’re supposed to prove that the other rooms were trapped too, but instead…

Tsumugi:  “What if someone steered her into picking that room?”

…you can turn “The Caged Child” into “Caged Dog Village” and fire it at the agree spot in this statement. This is an odd one; “Caged Dog Village” is simply the name of the book that describes the Caged Child seance and therefore basically refers to the same information. This is not actually a lie.

Shuichi:  (If implicating Himiko was the plan, then disrupting that plan might teach us something. For that reason… I have to lie!)

Do you, Shuichi? The game is trying to insist that this totally counts as a regular back route which arbitrarily must involve lying, but he’s not about to lie here.

Shuichi:  “I believe Himiko was being set up. Himiko only picked that room because Kiyo wanted it as dark as possible.”

This a perfectly valid point which doesn’t get made in the canon trial. Before picking specifically the middle room, Himiko was also the one to suggest using one of the empty rooms in the first place – but she did so after Kiyo said it needed to be dark. Obviously Kiyo knew that those rooms were the only rooms available that fit the criteria for the seance and deliberately let her suggest it instead of himself.

None of this is a lie, and it didn’t even really need the “lie” bullet of “Caged Dog Village” for this, when The Caged Child truth bullet also mentions how it needs to be dark. Alternative routes to debates shouldn’t necessarily need to involve lying! (This is also another one which must have required some frustrating trial-and-error for players to find on their own.)

Keebo:  “The culprit gambled on the middle room being picked through coincidence? That seems highly improbable.”

Shuichi:  (Ah, that is true… The culprit wouldn’t have left that to chance.)

And now we’re back right where we started this debate, because even if it can be explained why Himiko picked one of the three empty rooms, this doesn’t prove that the culprit steered her into picking specifically the middle one (because he didn’t).

Himiko:  “… No more… I told you… it’s too much of a pain. Just do the voting or whatever.”

There’s also a little more of Himiko having given up here, since Shuichi is not doing a good enough job of defending her with this to inspire her out of this mindset.

Kokichi:  “I’m pretty sure it didn’t matter which room Himiko chose…”

Shuichi:  “What do you mean?”

Kokichi:  “It’s getting kinda boring, so I’ll explain. She didn’t choose the middle by coincidence. Each room was the same to begin with.”

It makes sense that Kokichi’s the one to get us back on track, because he’s the one who discovered the other rooms were trapped. Of course, he could have told everyone that in the first place, but nope, he’s only pointing it out here because Shuichi’s being slow on the uptake and it’s looking possible that they might actually vote for Himiko and get everyone killed if he doesn’t step in. It is quite amusing how frustrated he sounds by this. Ugh, what do you mean he’s got no choice but to be helpful for once. The least helpful person even when he is actually being helpful, as always.

Trial 4, Back Route 1

This one’s in the very first debate, in which Kokichi’s arguing that Kaito poisoned Miu.

Kokichi:  “That’s when you poisoned her, right, Kaito?”

You’re supposed to fire the “Small Bottle of Poison” at this statement to prove that Miu couldn’t have been killed with that poison. But you can also lie with that bullet to turn it into “Small Antidote Bottle” and fire it here.

Shuichi:  “And it’s much too early to decide that Kaito is the culprit.”

Kokichi:  “But whyyyyyyy? I think it’s already too late. You guys are taking so long to realise that people can kill others in a snap…”

Oh my god, Kokichi, you are the most broken record ever even in non-canon alternative scenarios.

Shuichi:  (I know Kokichi hasn’t forgotten about that. He’s just pretending. Alright, Kokichi, I’ll play your game. If you’re going to lie, I will too.)

At least for this back route, Shuichi isn’t being inexplicably stupid and failing to realise the correct way forward. He knows it, but he’s just trying to give Kokichi a taste of his own medicine.

Shuichi:  “Have you forgotten? The bottle we found at the scene was an antidote, not a poison. It’s not like Miu could have been killed by an antidote.”

This is a pretty pathetically obvious lie, but the point isn’t to have anyone believe it, it’s to (attempt to) push Kokichi into admitting the truth about the poison and that he already knows the culprit isn’t Kaito. Which can sometimes be the point behind some of Kokichi’s pathetically obvious lies. The ones that aren’t just for the hell of it, at least.

Shuichi:  “…Is this *fun* for you, messing with the trial?”

Kokichi:  “Hm? Well, I mean, this is where it gets fun for both me and the culprit.”

Of course he’s doing it just for fun, Shuichi, you barely need to ask that.

Also, please recall that Kokichi believes right now that Gonta remembers being the culprit, and yet he has the gall to imply in earshot of Gonta that he’d ever be having fun with this. What a dick.

Kokichi:  “…So, what’s this talk about an antidote? We’ll just say you misunderstood the whole thing, Shuichi. We all know you wouldn’t lie.”

Shuichi:  “O-Of course. I’m sorry, I was just misremembering.”

It’s pretty disappointing and anticlimactic that Shuichi just backs down on this. Him telling this lie in the first place was supposed to be to show Kokichi how frustrating his own obvious lies are and try to get him to reveal his hand. Kokichi would never suddenly back down with an “oops sorry I was just mistaken” (Kokichi is never wrong about anything, after all), so if Shuichi really wants to commit to this bit, he shouldn’t either!

I suppose the fact that he does just goes to show that Shuichi doesn’t have it in him to be as much of an asshole liar as Kokichi, funnily enough. Which is why I’m still not super fond of this back route, even though it’s less stupid than the ones in trials 2 and 3 – while it’s neat that Shuichi tries to use Kokichi’s tactics against him, it’s not really in his character to do that when it’s not necessary. That’s too underhanded for Shuichi.

Shuichi:  (I can’t let Kokichi continue this line of questioning. It will implicate Kaito.)

Kokichi already has implicated Kaito. Wasn’t the point of this whole lie supposed to be to get him to reveal the truth of the poison and unimplicate Kaito? But even then, it’s very unclear how Shuichi thought lying that the poison bottle was an antidote bottle would do that – Kokichi’s just going to retort “no, it was poison, duh” and never need to explain the part where it was a type of poison that couldn’t have killed Miu. This whole escapade of Shuichi’s was a pretty silly idea on many levels.

Shuichi:  “But Kokichi, you’re misremembering as well. You were the one who told us about the warnings on the label. If you remember what was on that label, you’ll see that your argument is flawed.”

Kokichi:  “What warnings? Was there something like that on the label?”

Shuichi:  (Is he still pretending not to know…?)

And ultimately, he never gets Kokichi to admit he was lying about it. He even actively claimed that Kokichi just misremembered, despite knowing that’s not the case! If revealing that Kokichi was lying was your goal, Shuichi, why would you not at least try to point that out to everyone, even if he’d inevitably deny it.

Trial 4, Back Route 2

This one’s just after the intermission, in the debate where they’re discussing what was used to slide Miu’s body off the roof, featuring what would normally be Kaito Refutation #3.

Kaito:  “There was nothing like that around, though!”

But instead of refuting Kaito with the actual truth, you can also turn “Signboard Used as a Bridge” into “Signboard Used as a Sign” and fire it here.

Shuichi:  “There was something the culprit could have used to slide the body! The signboard!”

Kaito:  “The signboard!?”

While the purpose of this lie is, again, about Kokichi, it makes me uncomfortable that this one involves Shuichi lying to Kaito. Kaito’s having enough inferiority issues at this point in this trial already without Shuichi just using him as a springboard to play some pointless game of liar chess with Kokichi.

Maki points out that the signboard was already being used as a bridge and therefore couldn’t have been a sled.

Shuichi:  (Maki is right, it couldn’t have been that exact signboard. However… He knows exactly how it was done. That’s why I need to bait him out with this lie!)

Again, Shuichi is attempting to get Kokichi to reveal that he already knows all the answers to this case by pushing him into it with his own lie. So he goes on to claim that there was actually a second signboard lying next to where he found the first one to use as a bridge. (During the Virtual World trip, the game made a point of how Shuichi went alone to fetch that signboard in the first place, which it turns out was entirely for the purpose of this back route, so that nobody else would be able to prove this is a lie.)

Himiko:  “But then why did Miu say there was only one signboard?”

Shuichi: “Uh… To mislead us; she was planning a crime, after all.”

This is rather flimsy and indicative that he’s lying. She would still need a reason related to her planned crime to want to lie about this. In fact, there being a second signboard there would have ruined Miu’s plan of throwing away the bridge, so really she should have deleted any extra potential bridges beforehand and that proves Shuichi’s lying about this.

Kokichi:  “Puhu… Puhuhuhuhu…!”

This, of all things, is Kokichi’s initial reaction. I guess since we’re in the second half of trial 4, it’s approaching the point where he’s going to be pretending he’s super evil for the purpose of convincing them all he’s the mastermind, and that’s why he’s acting like Monokuma here?

Kokichi:  “Ah-hahahaha! Oh my god! That lie was sooo cringy! Stop, my stomach hurts! Wooow! Shuichi is lying on purpose! Are you trying to spice up the class trial, too?”

And this time, Kokichi explicitly calls Shuichi out on the lie. This is the first time he’s done that for any of Shuichi’s lies, back route or canon, since this is just a little before Shuichi’s actual canon lie in this trial which Kokichi will also call him out on.

It’s a little strange that he reacts to this lie of Shuichi’s so differently than how he reacts to the upcoming one, just finding it hilariously pathetic rather than being furious about it. Perhaps that’s just because the upcoming one gets used much more directly against him, to prove that he went to the crime scene, whereas this one doesn’t “ruin his fun” and in fact makes things more entertaining for him.

Shuichi:  “Kokichi… I was the only one who went and got the signboard. Only I saw them. So why do you think I’m lying?”

Kokichi:  “Because I know. I know the culprit… and the whole trick.”

And, I guess props to Shuichi, because this time he actually succeeded in getting Kokichi to admit this. This is possibly because Kokichi is so close to the point where he’s planning to reveal the culprit anyway that he doesn’t see the harm in giving everyone a little teaser of that. (I should also point out that, were Kokichi really going for the mercy kill, it would be better for him to not admit to knowing anything at all here.)

Kaito:  “Wh-What!?”

I like how Kaito is the first one to react to that. At this point in the trial it’s pretty clear that he’s noticed Kokichi already knows a bunch of stuff he’s infuriatingly not telling anyone, so this is probably less him being surprised at that and more just being bewildered that Kokichi is suddenly admitting it.

Kokichi:  “Nee-heehee… I couuuld tell you, but I think we should save the best for last.”

He still wants to draw it out, just like he’s been doing this entire trial, to make it as ~fun~ as possible, because he is still twistedly desperately trying to have fun with his murderous assholery. And he’s trying to make it as cruel as possible too, so that they’ll all believe he’s totally evil and therefore totally the mastermind.

Kokichi:  “Even if I told you, would you guys really believe a liar like me?”

Yeah, he knows that people are going to put up resistance to the idea once he does accuse Gonta, just because it’s him saying it. But he also knows that Shuichi will face things objectively and prove it for him anyway once he gets to that point.

Kokichi:  “That doesn’t mean *all* of Shuichi’s deductions are lies, y’know.”

Oh, really, Kokichi? But I thought that if one person lies about one thing then they’re instantly a horrible backstabber and you can’t trust them about anything, and so everything they say might as well be considered a lie? Yeah, too bad for Kokichi that narrative doesn’t work here where he still needs Shuichi to be credible in order for him to prove to everyone that Gonta did it.

So admittedly, these two back routes for trial 4 are much less ridiculous and more pointed than the ones from trials 2 and 3, and while the first one awkwardly doesn’t go anywhere, this one actually does. But I’m still not hugely fond of them and don’t like to think they’d be canon, simply because it’s not like Shuichi to use underhanded tactics like this unless he really feels it’s necessary.

These lies are also more underhanded than the canon lie later in this trial, because that one straightforwardly “proves” that Kokichi went to the roof, whereas these two are all about trying to manipulate Kokichi into admitting something that Shuichi’s lie itself doesn’t actually prove (which might also be why Kokichi is so amused by this lie when that’s not at all how he reacts to the upcoming one). That’s worse than anything Shuichi does canonically. This is Shuichi stooping to Kokichi’s level even more than he does in canon, not because he has to but just because he can. He’s better than that.

Trial 5, Back Route 1

This back route is almost my favourite one. Almost. And then it isn’t.

This is the first debate after Exisal Kokichi appears and shows everyone the video, in which you’re supposed to argue that Kaito’s cause of death couldn’t have been the hydraulic press because of the safety function.

Himiko:  “Kaito got crushed to death.”

But instead of firing the safety function at this, you can turn the “Murder Video” bullet into “Survival Video” and fire it here.

Shuichi:  “I still… don’t believe it. Is that video real?”

Because Shuichi doesn’t want to accept Kaito’s death, even when it’s staring him in the face, of course!

Shuichi:  “It could have been edited to make it *look* like Kaito was killed by the press.”

Exisal Kaito:  “Damn right!”

[the Exisal leaps over into Kaito’s spot]

Exisal Kaito:  “There’s no way this Luminary of the Stars would die that easily!”

I love that this makes Kaito be himself again for a moment. Of course he’s too invincible and too luminary and too Kaito to die that easily! That’s exactly what Shuichi’s believing right now!

(And it’s exactly what Kaito hasn’t truly believed about himself in a while. But since he’s playing an overexaggerated version of himself that Kokichi might act out, and since he’s talking about how he totally wouldn’t ever die, that’s a reason to pretend like he’s the Luminary of the Stars, even though he doesn’t truly feel he deserves that title any more.)

Tsumugi:  “K-Kaito again!?”

[the Exisal leaps back to Kokichi’s spot]

Exisal Kokichi:  “Would you have liked it better if it turned out like that? Ah-haha, you wish!”

But Kaito can’t actually stick with that for more than a brief second, no matter how much he must have liked the excuse to pretend he really is invincible, because he’s here to convince Shuichi that he’s dead. I don’t think this brief switch to his own voice was actually scripted, for the same reasons I argued back in the main commentary that Kaito starting out as himself at first wasn’t scripted. Kokichi would have preferred it if they never heard both voices and therefore never even considered the possibility that the Kokichi voice could be faked.

Nonetheless, Kaito’s doing a good job of ad-libbing Kokichi’s behaviour after he switches back, because of course Kokichi would enjoy rubbing Shuichi’s denial and irrational belief in Kaito’s invincibility in his face. The delivery of the “you wish” is especially dickish, and I am forever impressed at Kaito being able to do this kind of thing.

Shuichi:  (Ah!)

Shuichi is not happy at being toyed with like this.

Exisal Kokichi:  “Like I said, that footage isn’t edited at all. It recorded the event completely as is. Kaito was crushed! His bones went crunch, and his organs went squish!”

Yikes. This part at least is very definitely scripted, and, again, it is incredible that Kaito can act this out and make himself say these words. He manages to sound genuinely gleeful about the gruesome part, even though that is actually what he did to Kokichi while he was still alive. Aaaaaa, Kaito. I bet he was very, very glad in the canon version of events that he never had to recite this bit of the script.

Himiko:  *huuurp*… “I remembered the video… And all my bittersweet memories of him…”

Himiko still seems to be reasonably upset about Kaito’s death!

Tsumugi:  “Hold those memories within you… or they’ll just escape as sour vomit.”

Meanwhile Tsumugi sure seems to give absolutely no fucks that Kaito was horribly killed, does she.

Shuichi:  “But we all know Kokichi loves to lie. And that he’s a Remnant of Despair. That leads me to believe there’s something he’s not telling us about that video. I don’t think that video showed the murder at all! All we saw was a living body!”

Questioning the validity of the video is quite a reasonable thing to do at this point, even despite all of Exisal Kokichi’s insistence that it couldn’t have been edited. But it’s still very unlikely that this’d ever actually cut the trial short, because without knowing why Kokichi would fake the video, which we don’t figure out until we learn that Monokuma doesn’t know what happened, there’s no reason to be certain that it even was faked at all. Trying to figure out how it could have been faked at that point is just trying to solve a puzzle that might not even have a solution.

Exisal Kokichi:  “Nee-heehee… I don’t blame you for not believing it. It’s hard to believe a smug idiot like Kaito got squished like a bug, right?”

Says Kaito. Still very scripted, still delightful that Kaito is forcing himself to say all these things designed to taunt and hurt Shuichi and make himself sound pathetic and worthless. He is doing whatever it takes to get Shuichi to drop this.

Exisal Kokichi:  “But your lie won’t work here, Shuichi. No, what you said isn’t even a lie! It’s just wishful thinking!”

And of course Kokichi in the script, having predicted the possibility of Shuichi desperately trying to deny Kaito’s death even after seeing the video, would still want to make it seem all about lies despite knowing full well that Shuichi reacting like this wouldn’t (shouldn’t) have anything to do with lying at all. Kaito can’t enjoy dismissing Shuichi’s wishful thinking like it’s meaningless to hope for something better, especially when he knows that Shuichi’s right to. Wishful thinking is believing that the impossible is possible!

Shuichi:  “…” (You’re wrong, Kokichi. My emotional reaction is the lie. I put on this act to get what I want from you. I know that these class trials demand that someone dies. I’m prepared for that.)

And then, this back route, which was being really delightful, just goes and shoots itself in the foot and completely invalidates itself. What the fuck do you mean Shuichi was only pretending to desperately want Kaito to be alive?

If Shuichi has accepted the fact that someone’s dead, and is also sure that he’s talking to Kokichi, that means he’s already accepted that Kaito is dead. This is straight-up contradicted by canon, in which Shuichi only properly accepts that Kaito is dead just before the Debate Scrum, which is still a while from now. Acting like he’s totally already accepted it here completely compromises Shuichi’s emotional progression for the first part of this trial, which is one of the most fun parts!

(There was even that one bit right here where Shuichi went (Ah!) in his inner monologue, which is an internal reaction that wouldn’t be part of this hypothetical lie and sure implies that his emotional reaction really was genuine, but nah, that was never a thing, right.)

And the only reason they did this, probably? Because back routes must totally always involve lies of some kind. As if you couldn’t possibly have an interesting alternate route in a debate that doesn’t require lying (even though the second back route in trial 3 actually did not contain a lie at all). I bet the writers came up with this fun idea of Shuichi trying to deny the video, and then went “wait, shit, that’s not actually a lie; we need to make it a lie somehow otherwise it can’t be a back route”. No, you don’t!!! This is, again, making Shuichi far too underhanded and manipulative for his character, especially given the desperate state of mind he is canonically supposed to be in at this point in the trial. Gah. This is so disappointing.

Honestly, I’d have been tempted to actually include this back route in my main coverage of trial 5 if it hadn’t been for this. If they’d actually made this about more of Shuichi’s desperate denial like it should have been, with bonus Kaito briefly being his totally-invincible self and then reciting some painfully cruel scripted lines that he must have hated to say, it’d have been a delightful addition and there’d have been very little reason for me not to include it!

Also, if they’d made this back route be actually about Shuichi’s denial, it would also have been amusingly similar to the hypothetical alternate route I proposed in the main commentary, in which Shuichi could have picked up on Exisal Kokichi’s comment about his singular wound to desperately try and tell himself it was Kaito in there after all. That one wouldn’t have involved lying either, and wouldn’t have needed to to still be interesting! (That part came later on, just after the Debate Scrum in which he accepted Kaito’s death, but then it’d have been a brief lapse in Shuichi’s resolve to accept the truth, kind of like trial 1’s back route.)

Shuichi:  (My intuition is telling me there’s something wrong with that video. It was shot for a reason.)

Shuichi should be perfectly allowed to have his detective’s intuition tell him this while also having his Shuichi Saihara side desperately want to deny the video just because he can’t bear the thought of losing Kaito. They shouldn’t have to randomly erase Shuichi’s emotional side here to justify this alternative route.

Shuichi:  (Is there a hint in what Kokichi has said? Some key to the mystery?)

There is not, because nearly everything Exisal Kokichi said in response to this was very clearly scripted, and Kokichi would have carefully made sure that none of it would give any hints as to what’s really going on in the video or why he shot it. All he did was reiterate that the footage wasn’t edited, and then distract from the topic with lots of taunting about Kaito’s death and Shuichi’s denial.

Maki:  “Isn’t this enough? Kokichi is the culprit. He brought the evidence and even confessed to the murder.”

But Shuichi doesn’t get more time to think about this, because Maki is very quick to insist that Kokichi did it, so that she can get him killed.

Shuichi:  “That doesn’t make sense! Not even Kokichi would do something that stupid!”

I am amused by how Shuichi’s wording implies that he thinks Kokichi is usually rather stupid, even if not this much so. That’s not quite what he really means… but Kokichi was rather stupid about this plan in multiple ways.

Tsumugi:  “Is common sense going to work here? On the Remnants of Despair, I mean.”

Tsumugi is still trying to remind everyone that this is definitely all about Remnants of Despair, even though them writing off Kokichi’s strange actions because of that would likely lead to them not finding the real truth and getting her game into trouble. (Kaito must be already getting very confused about what these Remnants of Despair are in this turn of events.)

Then Keebo is the one to get us back on track, because apparently when Shuichi mentioned earlier that the video could have just showed a living body, Keebo ran a mental search on the word “living” and got a “hit” of the press’s safety function. Which is an odd way to recall a relevant fact like that. This is Keebo being less human-seeming than usual, if he had to consciously run a search instead of just remembering it like a regular person would. Especially since he himself had such a personal beef with the safety function earlier.

Trial 5, Back Route 2

This is a little later on but still before the intermission, after Shuichi has figured out that a third party entered the hangar using an Exisal and is trying to prove how that was possible. You’re supposed to point out that someone used an Electrohammer to hijack one, but instead…

Maki:  “…so getting inside one would’ve been impossible.”

…you can turn “Hatch’s Electronic Lock” (which refers to the locks on the Exisals’ cockpits) into “Unlocked Hatch” and fire it here.

Shuichi:  “While investigating the Exisals, I noticed that they have no locks on their cockpit hatches.”

But Shuichi, if you really did notice that while investigating them, then why didn’t you try opening the red one that was there in the hangar? In fact, why doesn’t Maki just leap over there right now to open the cockpit and murder Kokichi to death like she’s been wanting to this whole time?

Shuichi:  “It should have been possible to get into the cockpit, providing they could reach it.”

Maki:  “But that’s reckless, absurd, and useless… Jump inside a moving Exisal? That’s not really possible.”

Shuichi:  “No, I think it is. You would need to be quick, agile, athletic and stealthy… I can think of at least one person who fits that description.”

Shuichi is presumably making a point of how only Maki could be capable of jumping into a moving Exisal to try and make her defend herself by saying they were locked, which would be admitting she knew about the locks and therefore incriminating herself.

Maki:  “…What? Are you implying that it’s m—”

Exisal Kokichi:  “Oooh, I see! And since he’s a robot, he could have some robo-communication function!”

Aaa, Kaito! We’re entirely in ad-lib territory here, so this is him defending Maki by changing the subject to Kokichi’s usual robophobic dickery! The real Kokichi would be much happier using this opportunity to be more of a dick to Maki, not Keebo, and rub in how much of an evil stealthy murderous assassin she is.

…Of course, Kaito knows Maki did this and wants Shuichi to figure it out. So perhaps this is because he’s not particularly thrilled at the underhanded way Shuichi is going about this, because of course he knows Shuichi’s lying about the lock on the Exisal.

Keebo:  “As I’ve said, my speed, agility, and strength are equal to that of a human, if not weaker!” […]

Tsumugi:  “The selling point of being a robot is being good in combat, but… poor Keebo…”

Insert some of my usual grumbling about Keebo never using his goddamn weapons until chapter 6 for no adequately-justified reason here.

Maki:  “Stop this pointless conversation, Shuichi. If you want to say something, say it already.”

Maki can clearly tell Shuichi is up to something and is quite understandably annoyed at him beating around the bush like this.

Shuichi:  “As the Ultimate Assassin, you would be able to jump into that Exisal, correct?”

Maki:  “…Impossible. If I could do that, I would’ve turned the Exisal into scrap on the first day.”

Shuichi:  “Maybe. Unless you were hiding your true potential, in which case…”

Heh, the image of Maki using her badass assassin powers to even assassinate the Exisals and singlehandedly save everyone at once is a fun image. And she may well have been deliberately hiding her true potential to begin with since she didn’t want anyone to know she was an assassin at first – but she’d have had no reason not to come chapter 3.

Maki:  “…Do you really suspect me that much?”

Shuichi:  “No, actually. I’m trying to find a way to prove that you *couldn’t* be the intruder.”

What Shuichi is saying sounds like something that could be true because he doesn’t want to suspect his friend… but he’s lying. He’s saying this to try and make Maki admit that she knew about the lock and prove she’s the intruder, because he does suspect her the most. This is very uncomfortably underhanded and manipulative of him

And this works – Maki goes on to explain that there’s a lock on the cockpits, meaning she couldn’t have got inside.

Shuichi:  (…You just made something very clear to me, Maki. You do know something after all, and you’re hiding it from me!)

And you’re hiding your intentions for this conversation and lying to her, so really right now you’re both being as bad as each other, Shuichi! This back route is in a similar vein to the ones in trial 4, in which Shuichi lies to try and coax information out of someone whom he knows is hiding something from him. It was one thing when that person was Kokichi and Shuichi was essentially just turning his own tactics against him. But this is Shuichi being deceptive and manipulative towards his friend, even if it is a friend who’s hiding something from him, and that makes me even more uncomfortable.

Shuichi:  “How do you know there’s an electronic lock on the Exisal’s hatch?”

Maki:  “… …Because I checked it during the investigation.”

Shuichi:  “That can’t be true. I’m the only person Monokuma told about those locks.”

Maki:  “…Just you? I see. If that’s the case… Then you lied just to confirm if I knew about the electronic lock.”

I’m glad that Maki realises he did that and calls him out on that.

Shuichi:  “…Yes, I did, and I’m sorry.”

If you’re sorry then you should have just not done it in the first place, Shuichi! It’s perfectly possible to force her to admit the truth just by proving she had to have done it by talking about her used Electrohammer – which gets her to pretty quickly concede that she’s the third party – so why would you bother using this underhanded manipulative method on your friend when you don’t have to!?

Maki:  “When Monokuma explained it to you, I just happened to overhear it. That’s all.”

Shuichi:  “You’re lying, Maki. You know about the locks because you’ve been inside one of the cockpits.”

Maki:  “So annoying… Do you want to die? You’re the one who’s lying!”

Both of you have been lying and being dicks to each other right now! But only one of you is doing it because you’re broken and manipulated into feeling like it’s necessary, and that one is not Shuichi!

I’m also quite sad that Kaito does not try and step in at any point to break this up, like he did that one time in canon for a similar argument between Shuichi and Maki. Kaito must hate seeing the two of them lashing out at each other like this, Shuichi using unnecessarily dickish tactics and Maki hiding the fact that she thinks she killed him for reasons he still doesn’t understand. Exisal Kokichi only gets that one earlier line about Keebo in this whole back route, and it’s another thing that’s disappointing to me about this one.

Shuichi:  (It looks like… she’s never going to admit it on her own. There’s something important that she’s protecting by keeping her mouth shut.)

At least Shuichi believes that if Maki is being so stubborn about this, it must be because she’s protecting something. The actual truth is a lot more painful than that.

Shuichi:  (In that case, I have to keep pushing.)

You could try doing that by using the truth and actually proving she did it instead of this manipulative bullshit, Shuichi. If she’s stubborn enough that she’s never going to admit it without proof, then just prove it already.

Himiko is the one to save us and get us back on track this time, with a brief surprising interlude in which she seems like she’s not going to say her magic could have unlocked an Exisal… but then she says her magic would have been an option alongside an Electrohammer after all.

Once it reconverges, Shuichi is suddenly talking again about a mysterious “third party”, like he wasn’t just making a huge point about how Maki in particular knew more about the Exisals than she should and is already very clearly the third party in question. These back routes don’t always reconverge very smoothly.

So, yes. It’s interesting to see some alternative possibilities, but almost all of these back routes do not deserve to be considered canon or even ambiguously canon. Either they involve Shuichi being way dumber than normal and overlooking the correct option for no particular reason, or they involve Shuichi being far more dickishly underhanded and manipulative than he should be. The only potentially worthwhile ones are the ones about Shuichi running away from the truth, which is only one and a half of them. That first one in trial five frustrates me so much – it was this close to being absolutely delightful, and then they ruined it! Aaargh.

[emotionalteaspoon22]

So here's my Election Day story:

I got out of bed at almost 1pm, threw some clothes in the washing machine and started heating some leftover pizza up.

Get my pizza out of the oven, and then take a shot of vodka. Coronavirus cases are REALLY bad here, and it's election day and I hate all of it and pizza and vodka were my incentive for getting out of bed.

I debated taking that shot, but it actually came in handy.

So I sit down with my pizza and while it's cooling down I start looking for something to watch on YouTube. And then I hear this weird buzzing sound. I had a podcast playing, and I was like "is that on the podcast?" But then it starts to sound like a fly at the window, which doesn't happen often in the apartment but does happen sometimes.

So I look behind me at the window and see stuck behind the blinds... a BEE!!!

If it was a wasp, I would have died. But it was just a bee, but we have never had a bee get in the apartment. I have NO IDEA how it got in. No doors or windows have been opened.

I'm not super afraid of bees, even though I was stung by one as a kid, but my husband is. He hates bees and any kind of insect really.

So I'm like ".... How do I get this thing out??!" The patio door is right by this window, so I opened it and the screen and then tried to get up the nerve to raise up the blinds and hope it flies out.

I grab my phone to try and call my husband, turn around, and the bee is like right by my head and lands on the wall. So I'm like "Ok, go out the door!!! Go out!!" But then... I see the first bee still at the window. I look out the patio door and see three more bees flying around. I SLAMMED the patio door shut.

There's now a SECOND BEE IN THE APARTMENT!!!

My husband didn't answer the phone, so I just texted him: "There are bees in the apartment."

Now I'm freaking out a little. BUT.. the vodka is actually helping me deal with it a lot better haha.

So I wait for the other bees to go away outside and open the patio door again. Pull up the blinds and get a paper towel. I hold it up to the first bee and it crawls on it, and I throw it out onto the patio and slam the door shut.

My husband calls just as I'm getting another towel for the other bee. He's having a crazy day at work and is like "Are you serious? Do we need to call someone?" And I'm like "I got one out!! I just have to get this one now!"

So I got the second bee onto the towel and it starts crawling toward my hand. I scream into the phone, throw it out the door, slam it shut and tell my husband "I GOT IT! IT'S GONE! I GOT IT!"

He goes "It's a good thing you're there, I would have killed it and then all the other bees would converge and find their way in." I told him you're not supposed to kill bees!!

Anyway.... *sigh* That's my election day story.

[pastelbatfandoms]

The Beginning of The End

Part 2- The Marine

Present Day

I was snapped out of My trip down memory lane when the closet doors flung open and there stood My Rugged Old Man,Blood stuck to him that I hoped was The Undead’s as disgusting as that sounded. Despite that he stood there,chest heaving,but proud and honestly sexier than ever with that ShotGun in his hands. 

Now was definitely not the time to be fantasizing or acting on it when there was a Zombie Hoard outside our Door. As I stared up at him,I could tell by the Lavious grin he gave me that Merle was thinking the same thing. 

With one motion Merle grabbed me up,I stared at him for a moment before locking my lips with his in a deep slow kiss. Merle broke apart first with a low groan. “Later Sweetness. We got shit to kill.” 

“Aw such a sweet talker.” i quipped in a low tone. But pulled apart from him and held up my knife. “I’m ready.” 

“I think you’ll need a spare. I’ve been saving this but now is definitely a good time.” Merle remarked as he a pulled out a shiny new knife from his shirt pocket. 

I took it as he handed it to me,in awe. It was a beautiful oil slick color. “I love it.” I said happily as I kissed his cheek. 

Merle smiled down at me. “I know how you like pretty thangs,despite being with me.” 

I looked up at him with a grin. “You know you’re the only dirty thang I need.” I flirted putting a hand on his chest,as he gave me a devilish look. 

We broke apart when Daryl appeared at the door. “You guys can be dirty later we have a problem.”

Before we could ask Daryl what he meant,Zombies or Walkers as Merle called them,began to converge not only onto our land but the house as well. 

“Well fuck me.” Merle muttered under his breath.

“Later babe.” I replied as he grabbed My hand and we stepped out into the hallway. 

I flipped the blade loving how the new one swung out easily,but threw the other one into a Walkers skull. 

“How are you getting that back?” Merle questioned,already knowing the answer when I smirked back at him and ran into the throng. 

Merle sighed but nodded. “Welp guess we’re going in.” 

“Christ She’s crazier then you.” Daryl muttered to Merle. 

Merle just grinned,staring at me as I wrenched My knife free of The Walker’s head and proceeded to stab another one with My new one. “Yeah but she’s My kind of crazy.”

Daryl just shook his head and let out a short chuckle. As they got out there own knives and followed me, every once in a while stabbing Walkers with arrows or smashing them with the butt of a rifle. 

“Speaking of,where’s yours?” Merle asked 

“My Crazy is at the safe house.” Daryl replied crushing a Walker with his boot. 

Merle seemed to know what he meant but I didn’t as I turned to them in confusion. “Safe house? what safe house?”

“He means Bunker, Sugar Lips.” Merle answered.

“You have a bunker? And Carol’s there? Why am I not surprised.” I retorted as we finally made our way out the back.

“Yeah. And I think we should get going.” Daryl commented as we backed away from the growing hoard.

Even Merle and I weren’t stupid or Cocky enough to think we could took them all on. 

But as we ran to follow Daryl,I tripped over a hole in the ground,I cursed that I had worn heels that day as a walker slowly descended on me. I raised My knives but another Walker I hadn’t seen grabbed my hands,I screamed as it’s gnarly teeth were inches from My face. I tried to kick the other one but to know avail. 

“Suze!” I heard Merle cry out,then The Zombie above me stopped moving as an Arrow stuck out of it’s head and the other one fell to the side,letting go of me a knife stuck into its skull.

As Both Merle and Daryl looked down at me. Merle picked me up and let out a chuckle when I told him, “This is what I get for dressing up for you.” 

“Still better then our first date.” Merle grinned at me,carrying me in his arms as I put My own around his neck.

“My Heroes.” I commented giving Merle a light kiss.

Daryl just let out a small smile,as he shrugged his crossbow over one shoulder. “C’mon,let’s git.” He told us walking on ahead,as Merle still carrying me followed,to where Daryl had two Motorcycles waiting in the bushes.  

2 years earlier...

“He’s Different now.” Daryl told me when I showed up at his house,after hearing Merle had come back after getting dishonorably discharged from The Marines. 

“How is he? What happened?” I asked a bit more frantically then intended,walking into the house past Daryl. 

“Why don’t you ask him?” Daryl replied geasturing to the living room where Merle lay on the couch,a Beer in his hand,staring at the TV but not actually watching it,he looked far away,depressed. 

I also noticed he was still in his military fatigues. I approached him a bit more cautiously then I normally would,wondering how different he really was. 

Merle didn’t look up when I sat down but he did sit up,planting his feet on the floor and resting his elbows on his knees. 

Guessing we needed some space,Daryl looked at us and said as he made his way out the front door. “I’m going to meet Carol at The Bar,I’ll be back.”

“That Biker Bar?” I asked,looking over at him “Have fun.” I winked.

Carol Lynn was 18 now,Daryl 20. They had been going strong for at least 3 years now. Good for them,at least someone was. 

Daryl gave a small smile. ‘We will.” and with that he grabbed his Motorcycle Keys and headed out. 

Merle didn’t reply,still staring off into space. He finally spoke up when I asked. “Merle are you ok? What happened with The Marines?”

“They kicked me out. Because I punched The General.” Merle told me,trying to act like it was no big deal.

“You punched A General?!” I said shocked even though I shouldn’t have been.

“Damn near knocked his teeth out.” Merle answered,sounding almost proud of himself.

“Why?” 

Merle finally looked at me then. “The guy was a prick. Besides I wanted out,you don’t know what’s it’s like,what I’ve seen...” He trailed off no longer wanting to discuss it further.

“I can imagine.” I put my hand on his arm,expecting Merle to pull away but he didn’t. “As long as you’re okay now.” 

Merle gave a nod and smiled,though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll manage. The one thing that got me through it all was my brother and you...I missed ya.” 

That was the closest he had ever gotten to saying he liked me. Surprised I didn’t know what to say so I tried to change the subject. 

“You grew a beard.And Shaved your head.” I remarked.

“Had to. it’ll grow back.” Merle stared at me as I went to touch the hairs on his chin,then suddenly stood up. “Anyway it’s no big deal. Listen I got stuff to do so-” Merle turned away hands on his hips. 

I stood up as well,not going to let him make another excuse not now,when he was seemingly sober,even if he had more demons then ever now. “Don’t do that.” 

Merle turned slowly back around to face me. “Do what huh?”

Merle looked down at me,a hard look in his eyes,but I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me. 

I looked up at him,serious. “You know what. Like you don’t have feelings for me,hell Daryl told me Merle!” 

Merle looked away then a glimmer of the old him returning as he let out a scoff and shook his head. “My little Brother don’t know when to keep his damn mouth shut. Listen Sugar he’s wrong,I missed yer company is all.”

I stared up at him,chin raised,he wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn. “Ok. Then prove it.”

Merle looked me right in the eyes then,jaw set. “I don’t....” Then he trailed off unable to finish as his voice seemed to almost break. “I can’t.”

Now I was starting to get angry. This was ridiculous. “It’s been 3 years since we’ve done this Dance Merle,and I’m getting sick of it. I’m 20 years old now for Gods sake!” I shouted.

“See that,that’s why! “ Merle shouted back,at my confused look he said,”The whole God thang. Your Pops would have My head,don’t matter how old you are,I’m still older!”

“So this is about My Family,Hershal?! Merle I may still live with them but they don’t make decisions for me anymore.They don’t decide who I can be with,I do. And I still want it to be you.” I go to touch his face but Merle pulls away,eyes closed. 

“We Can’t,Sue,I’m not the same person. Even if I was,what makes you think I’d be serious about you? I’m not that type.You should know better then that,if not then you’re a fool.” 

Merle saw the hurt in my eyes at his words but he only said. “You should go.” 

“Merle I-” I tried to reach for him again but he stopped me,turning away and shouted. “Now Dammit!”

“Fine.” I start to walk out but before I do,I turn one last time and say, “You might think your just like your old man,Merle. But you are better than that,you can be,i hope one day you see it.” At that I walk out the door,leaving Merle Dixon alone with his Demons. 

A/N: Trust me this is not the end between them,they'll figure it out! Gotta get to The Zombie Apocalypse together somehow,after Merle stops being so stubborn!

Michael Rooker Gifs are From The Driving Dead Ad on YouTube.

Tagging @spockprimeftw​ since they liked part 1!

[thebandcampdiaries]

Trouble’s Afoot - Looking For Parking

A combination of various alternative and indie influences, converging in a very special way.

Trouble’s Afoot is a music project that was conceived by Jordan Cooper, a musician based in Queens, NY. Jordan has a special fondness for indie rock, folk, and other styles, making for an incredibly diverse attitude. Now, the project is actually a 3-piece band, which means there is more room for different sounds and textures! The line-up consists of Jordan Cooper (lead vocals, guitars, and multiple other instruments), as well as Dave Fox (Bass, backing vocals, some guitar) and Christopher Roberts (Drums). The group has a really unique sense of chemistry, and together, these 3 guys are able to combine many different styles. From alt-rock to indie, to pop-rock, anything goes!

“Looking For Parking” features 12 tracks, each blurring the lines between various genres and definitions. In fact, one of the most notable aspects of this particular release is definitely the sheer sonic variety that you will encounter on this here record. The opening song, “A Boy My Age” is a short track (clocking in at under two minutes). After a quirky acoustic intro, the band chimes in at full blast!

“You Say But You Don’t Know” follows with a really infectious guitar riff. This song makes me think of some of the best early British Invasion bands, including The Kinks and The Who (well, before they turned into 70s stadium rock gods!)

The third song on the album is named “Sarah Made A Serenade”, and it has a really cool alt-rock / post-punk vibe, with catchy guitar melodies and great vocal lines. This one precedes “Every Right Hand,” another song under 2 minutes, which packs a lot of energy, in spite of the small footprint! The song leads to “Don’t Be An Idiot.” The attitude of this song is just as upfront as its title, with memorable melodies and great hooks that won’t get out of your mind so easily. This has a cool punk-garage attitude that makes me think of early Cloud Nothings or Wavves!

“And I’m Gone” has a really cool 60s vibe - this song really makes me think of some early Rolling Stones or The Byrds, with a really organic sound and cool vocal arrangements that match the music to perfection.

Coming next is “All I Ever Wanted,” a song with a personal set of lyrics. This is a song about looking for a change - about wanting to overcome one’s backgrounds and “get out,” hopefully somewhere better. “Cellar” is a song that sort of makes me think of Nirvana, not much so for the sound, but for the intriguing lyrics - I like the child-like energy of the wordplay, and somehow the receptiveness of the later motif really works on favor of this track!

“I Care About You” is the classic boy-meets-girl song. This is a very earnest love song, which reminds me of the way I felt when I was a teenager, struggling to really share my feelings and go talk to the girl I had a crush on! Ultimately, this is a very sweet song, with a really cool arrangement and a nice vocal performance to liven it up.

“The Usual Way” is a really edgy track, which immediately strikes for the catchy melodies and a great intro that makes the main chunk of the song even more enticing!

“Everyone Believes Me” is one of the most poignant tracks on the record, and perhaps one of my favorite ones. I love the combination of quality music and good lyrics, and I can definitely relate to the sense of inevitability of life’s end in loneliness, really exposed in the last two lines of this track: “Like all of you, I’m Lined up to die / No one’s ever on my side.”

Last, but decidedly not least, “Dust Town” is a perfect curtain closer for this release. It brings the record full circle, and it really goes a long way, with a poignant and direct arrangement. This song could almost be a lyrical “Cousin” to “All I Ever Wanted” because the themes definitely intersect!

All in all, I’ve really enjoyed the sound and feel of this release! This album has a fresh, young sound, yet it has a tone that reminds me of some of my best records from the 60s, and from the early punk bands of the late 70s as well! In addition to that, this album also makes me think about some of my favorite modern indie groups, such as Cloud Nothings, Courtney Barnett and legends like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys.

Find out more about Trouble’s Afoot and do not miss out on this project. You can listen to “Looking For Parking” directly through Bandcamp at the following link:

https://troublesafoot.bandcamp.com

We also had the chance to ask the band a few questions: keep reading to learn more!

I love how you manage to render your tracks so personal and organic. Does the melody come first, or do you focus on the lyrics the most?

I’m a songwriter and my songs were written on keyboard and guitar. Sometimes I write lyrics and the melody kind of forms in my head as I sing them to myself, sometimes I find an interesting chord progression and then work a melody onto that, that’s how You Say But You Don’t Know was written.

My drummer took care of the beat. I could not even tell you what he’s doing!

Do you perform live? If so, do you feel more comfortable on a stage or within the walls of the recording studio?

Answer: I stopped performing live regularly around 5 years ago; I find it a stressful endeavor, though I still like to do it once in a while. Being on stage is incredibly uncomfortable, and being in the walls of a recording studio is also uncomfortable. Being on stage is exciting though, sometimes euphorically so, and being in a recording studio is artistically fulfilling (you feel like you’re working on something special, at least when things are going well.) That being said, the hourly cost of a recording studio assures that you can’t feel too comfortable in one.

I’m probably most comfortable in my bedroom studio, but that environment leads to a lot of laziness and procrastination, whereas recordings from a recording studio have a certain urgency and focus to them.

If you could only pick one song to make a “first impression” on a new listener, which song would you pick and why?

Answer: I Care About You. I struggle to find a flaw in it. It rocks my brains. I love my vocal performance (a rare thing for me to admit to), I love how revved up and energetic the band is, I think the mix holds together the most, and I’m really proud of the lyrics. I also love that I put in a recording of my bass player yelling “YYYEAAAHHH!” at the very end. Easy to miss, though.

What does it take to be “innovative” in music?

Answer: I think more about this in a lyrical sense than on the music side of things. It still amazes me to hear songs on the radio with lyrics YOU’VE HEARD 1,000 TIMES BEFORE. I will not let a song out into the world until I’m reasonably sure no one has heard these words sung before. And to do that, I think of specific things from my life that no one else could possibly know about (see: A Boy My Age) or have said already, and hint at them in the lyrics. I do wonder, however, if the general public is concerned with this stuff, considering who the popular artists are these days.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

Answer: I’d love to go on tour but I don’t know how to do it! And I can’t afford it! It’s 2018, how can anybody? But I do have exciting new releases coming out very soon. My musical project with my girlfriend, Kristen Gudsnuk, which is called “Sally,” has a three-song EP finished up, which will be released shortly on our Bandcamp page and streaming everywhere. It was made in fancy, fancy studios and sounds like a million bucks!

The next Trouble’s Afoot release is already being worked on, it’s a sort of sequel to Looking For Parking, culled from the same drums and bass sessions of that album (12 more songs.) A little darker, a little more focused too. After that, the 3rd Trouble’s Afoot album, made mostly in my bedroom, is called Party Guy, and is a concept album about having a bad time at parties. It’s the most ambitious, exciting music I’ve ever done. It’s actually almost complete, but my gut tells me it’s a perfect “3rd album” instead of a 2nd one.

Anywhere online where curious fans can listen to your music and find out more about you?

Answer: Oh, you bet. My two Trouble’s Afoot home-bases are Bandcamp and Soundcloud. My Bandcamp has all of my official complete albums (including a children’s album I made a long time ago!), but my Soundcloud is full of live songs, demos, instrumentals, etc. It’s exciting!

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/troubles-afoot

Bandcamp: https://troublesafoot.bandcamp.com/music

My main website is www.jordancoopermusic.com, if you are in need of songwriting or composer services. I’ve done music for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, and countless Youtube shows, podcasts, etc.!

[whereintheworldisfreckles]

Back to the Travel Grind

Day 1, September 15 – Sofia, Bulgaria (8 hours in the city)

Dear reader, I’ve outlined 5 things that you must know before skipping to the juicy travel part:

I was asked to be a Texas Exes Tour Host for the “Grand Danube Cruise” with the Flying Longhorns and AHI (Group Travel Group established in 1962).

There were 28 Flying Longhorns (not including myself and guest). I was tasked with hanging out with them and making sure that they had a great time on their trip.

The official trip was from September 18 – October 3.

Travelers arrived in Sofia on September 19 and stayed at the Hotel Balkan. We then boarded the river cruise ship on September 21. After disembarkation, the group and tour directors stayed in a beautiful Art Deco style hotel named the Imperial Hotel in Prague for 3 days and 3 nights.

The trip started in Sofia, Bulgaria. We took a cruise ship from Vidin, Bulgaria and traversed the Danube River through 6 other countries: Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. After Germany, we were shuttled to Prague. In total, the Flying Longhorns trip took us through 8 countries!

For those who want to know how the Flying Longhorns trips work, I get 1 day to catch up on sleep. I returned to the office to get readjusted to the real world starting October 5.

I did not research much on Bulgaria before arrival. During the first two weeks of September, the Texas Exes Chapters & Networks team was very busy with our annual chapter and network leadership conference! We had about 100 volunteer leaders for our different chapters and networks converge on the Alumni Center for a day of learning, conversation, and fun!

My guest on the trip was Tyler Draker, professional boyfriend and photographer.

Tyler and I made the decision to arrive in Sofia 4 days before the travelers to go explore Istanbul for 3 days.

Months before the trip, I discovered that there is an overnight express train from Sofia to Istanbul. The website said it would take about 10 hours to get to Istanbul. There wasn’t much information from what I could find… maybe the key words I used weren’t the most helpful. Regardless, I found YouTube Vlogs of people taking the train and giving a very quick tour of the small sleeper cabin on the overnight express. Travelers made sure to emphasize that there would be no food served on the train. I also read blogs and used the Girls Who Travel Facebook Group to determine that the overnight train stops in Halkali Station (a suburb) and then there’s a shuttle bus that takes passengers to the central station, free of charge.

We touched down in Sofia, Bulgaria about 1:30 pm on Saturday. The first hour and a half was spent getting our bags, changing into things that didn’t smell like other people’s (ok… admittedly ours too…) pungent body odor, orienting ourselves to the metro and how to get to the central train station, and discerning how many Bulgarian Lev equal the American Dollar. For those interested, on September 15, it was 1.68 Lev to 1 Dollar. Five days later, we learned from our local tour guide, Boris (aka Bobby), that Bulgaria has until 2024 to switch to the Euro. As of now, Bobby says the country will most likely transition around 2021. When Bulgaria entered the European Union in 2004, they agreed that the country would transition to the Euro within 20 years.

Now back to the story: our first mission was to get to the Central Train Station to buy our tickets to Istanbul. There was no online purchase portal which is pretty normal. We took the metro at the airport to the train station. Here’s Sofia’s metro map. (Please note that Bulgarians use the Syrillic alphabet, but forturnately English is right below it! And with the August and September I had, I didn’t have too much time to take a Bulgarian language course). 

We arrived at the train station about 30 minutes after leaving the airport. The first thing I noticed was that the station is big. There are 3 above ground and 2 underground levels. According to Wikipedia, an average 10,910 people pass through the station daily, as well as an average 166 trains (84 arriving and 82 departing). The station has 30 ticket offices and 5 electronic timetable displays. This Wikipedia article details more about the station.

When we arrived at the station, the first thing that captured my attention was the large statue that spanned the length of the 5 stories. It looked like something that was built during the Cold War. I tried to find as much information on the statue after the trip on the internet, and didn’t find much. So I’ll discuss what I felt - similar to a tall, gothic cathedral, it made you feel small. Was it built during the Cold War? Not sure.

Tyler and I dropped our bags at storage on the basement floor of the train station. There was a very kind woman working behind the counter. She held our bags for 4 hours for 2 lev each. Behind the counter, we saw her daughter and then her daughter’s daughter who wore a t-shirt and fairy wings. We then walked 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) where we crossed the Lion’s Bridge and proceeded to a 2 story market to get some dinner. 

We ate a smorgasbord in the plaza square across the street from the market. We dined on a flank of fish, cucumber and tomato salad, and some heavily sautéed and soggy root veggies. At the edge of the plaza, we saw the Regional History Museum (check this 360 View of it!) and an active mosque named Banya Bashi that was built in the 16th Century during the Ottoman Empire. People walked around the square while enjoying the mid-September cool air.  We walked around the area aimlessly, knowing we had to be back at the train station at 8:15 pm to buy the 2 person sleeper car to Istanbul.

We putzed around the train station between 8:15 and 9:13 pm. Around 9:05 pm, Tyler said that he was surprised that the express train was not at the platform. So he walked back about 200 yards to the departure monitors to look over the schedule again. Turns out... we had gone to the wrong platform. Stub 4 is not the same as Platform 4. About 9:09, I saw him walking back very quickly. I knew to grab my 70 liter backpack and get ready to walk quickly. With heavy bags in tow, we ran down a flight of stairs and then up a flight to the right platform and hopped on the train around 9:13.

Once we got our bearings on the train, we were pleasantly surprised. There were nice Turkish cabin attendants (all men) who brought us clean sheets, juice boxes, two packs of crackers, and some soap. The sleeper room had two single beds (one that was behind the couch and one that you pulled from the ceiling), sink, fridge, and a big window. The most defining feature was the track toilet. I can’t say that I have had this experience before, but let’s just say that I got a good, little quad workout. ;-)

The old train started firing up and moving down the tracks promptly at 9:16 pm. I knew that we would go through a passport check at the Bulgarian/Turkish border so I didn’t sleep too soundly between then and 2 am because I wanted to make sure I was coherent enough for the check. Around 2 am, Bulgarian border agents came onto the train to conduct their passport check. They took our passports, and then we waited about 30 minutes on the train. They then came back to our cabins to return the passports. Phase 2 of the border crossing was a passport check/face check in Kapikule, Turkey. This time, all passengers got off of the train to walk into a customs office about 2:45 am. 

Per the suggestion of the Bulgarian Ticket Representative, we bought a one way ticket to Istanbul because buying a one way from Istanbul is slightly cheaper than buying a round trip from Sofia. The Turkish border agent reviewed our tickets, asked Tyler and me to take off our glasses, and then asked Tyler if he was going to stay in Istanbul (for an indeterminate amount of time). Tyler said “Yes.” The agent repeated himself. Tyler did too. That’s when I started to piece together that the agent was asking if Tyler was going to stay past the 90 day tourist period. I then said “No.” And then explained to Tyler that he was asking if we were going to be there for more than a month and a half. Talk about lost in translation. The entire border crossing took about 1.5 hours

We arrived at Halkali Train Station around 8 am and took a shuttle with two Turkish young men and all of the Turkish train attendants (the other shuttle was full) and arrived in the center of Istanbul an hour later. It was fun to listen to the Turkish chatter rather than listen to the silence of the tourists on the other, larger bus. 

Don’t hold me to it, but I think I would take the overnight express again. A one way train ride to Istanbul cost approximately $40. We got a place to sleep, some tasty crackers, and a really nice view. 8.5/10 would do it again. 

We departed from Austin Bergstrom International Airport at 10:50 am on Friday morning. After traveling a total of 39 hours, we arrived at Istanbul’s Central Train Station at 9:15 on Sunday morning. 

[clouthub]

Informally, an algorithm is any well-defined computational procedure that takes some value, or set of values, as input and produces some value, or set of values, as output. An algorithm is thus a sequence of computational steps that transform the input into the output. In simple terms, it is possible to say that an algorithm is a sequence of steps which allow to solve a certain task. The algorithm should solve the problem it was designed to solve. And it should be possible to demonstrate that the algorithm converges with just a paper and pencil. Also it is important to point out that algorithms are not just used in Computing Sciences but are a mathematical entity. In fact the first recorded mathematical algorithms that we have date from 1600 BC — Babylonians develop earliest known algorithms for factorization and finding square roots.

Our entire digital world uses these simple but really powerful algorithms, which transform signals from their time domain into their frequency domain and vice versa. In fact, you are seeing this post thanks to these algorithms.

Can you run a complex algorithm for me that will save me time and make my company more money? Could the automation of more complex tasks be on the horizon? These algorithms are a big improvement over other approaches previously used like bubble sort, in fact, it is thanks to them that today we have Data mining, artificial intelligence, link analysis and most of the computing tools in the world including the web. The internet, your WiFi, smartphone, phone, computer, router, satellites, almost everything that has a computer inside uses these algorithms in one way or another to function. In the era of internet, the analysis of relationships between different entities is crucial. From search engines and social networks to marketing analysis tools, everybody is trying to find the real structure of the Internet through time.

Google in its Page Rank, Facebook when it shows you your news feed (this is the reason why Facebook news feed is not an algorithm but the result of one), Google+ and Facebook friend suggestion, LinkedIn suggestions for jobs and contacts, Netflix and Hulu for movies, YouTube for videos, etc. Each one has a different objective and different parameters, but the math behind each remains the same. Finally, I’d like to say that even thought it seems like Google was the first company to work with this type of algorithms, in 1996 (two years before Google) a little search engine called “RankDex” , founded by Robin Li, was already using this idea for page ranking. Finally Massimo Marchiori, the founder of “HyperSearch”, used an algorithm of page rank based on the relations between single pages. (The two founders are mentioned in the patents of Google).

Yes, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is likely spying on your web browsing. Your ISP is the company that gets you onto the Internet – your home Internet or mobile data provider. If your ISP is spying on you, it means they can use or sell your browsing history to others for things like creepy ads that follow you around the Internet or to junk mail providers.

Now the computers are getting beat by quantum mechanics which can revolutionize computing and the internet! Basically algorithm business hijack by more experienced references.

Not only can quantum physics speed up computing, but it could also redefine how computers communicate and ensure that no one could ever hack them. That’s partly why the pace of quantum innovations has achieved a new urgency. But many experts can’t see the finish line, let alone know when we’ll get there. A computer made up of quantum bits (qubits, for short) is really a collection of circuits. As in a classical computer made up of bits, the input values proceed through a series of logic gates in the circuit, each of which modifies the value to produce an output. The most important difference between quantum computing and classical computing is that bits are binary. They are either up or down, open or closed, zero or one. Qubits, on the other hand, can be entangled—present in multiple states at once, a so-called superposition. If you’re trying to solve a complex algorithm, say, as part of a software application to run on a classical computer, you’ll need to string together multiple bits of zeros and ones. But if you’re running an algorithm using qubits, you might need only a single qubit in a superposition to replace all those classical bits. String multiple qubits together into a quantum circuit, and the possibilities are staggering. Theoretically, you could run an algorithm so complex that there’s no analog to classical computing as we know it.

[everymovie2020]

Into the Storm (2014)

Date watched:  24 February 2018

Hold onto your butts, it’s about to get ranty up in this bitch!

This is the best bad movie of all time, and I say that with love.  Because I’m gonna rant about it, and I’m going to complain, but I want you to understand that this movie makes me laugh SO MUCH and therefore I LOVE IT.

They’ve taken certain things from Twister - the tornado outbreak, the storm chasers - and things from the Discovery Channel TV show Storm Chasers - the armored car - and mishmashed them together in a hodgepodge of bullshittery so beautiful that I want everyone to appreciate it.

Because it’s the worst, but it’s also the best, and I. AM. LIVING.

First of all, this is the armored car “Titus” from the film Into the Storm:

And this is the TIV, the real life armored vehicle designed to intercept tornadoes:

Are we seeing any distinct similarities here?

Oh, how about the fact that Matt Walsh plays a filmmaker trying to intercept a tornado:

Which is exactly what Imax filmmaker and real-life badass Sean Casey does with his TIV?

I MEAN.

Guys, it’s lazy to watch the Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers and steal a bunch of ideas from it, okay?

Like the radar truck, for example.  That’s something you’ve blatantly stolen from Storm Chasers.

And I don’t really know how the real life storm chasers feel, because I cannot find any opinion about this movie on the internet anywhere at all - so maybe Sean Casey okayed it, I DON’T KNOW.  All I’m saying is that it’s FISHY.

God, I don’t even know where to start, it’s all so bad. So I’m just going to list it:

So tornado season starts in late March and goes through to the end of May/early June - it’s June 16th, and they haven’t seen a tornado in that whole time?  Guys, what are you doing wrong?

Lori from the Walking Dead is the meteorologist - is she bad at it because she’s - GASP - a WOMAN?

Or maybe they’re all just bad at storm chasing?  Who can say?

There are a few plot lines in this movie - the first is Matt Walsh in his TIV - I’m sorry, TITUS - the second is the vice principal of the school and his two sons and the third is the two crazy rednecks who follow them around trying to get killed.

And Matt Walsh’s whole deal (I’m just going to call him Matt Walsh because it’s the famous Matt Walsh from Veep and other such comedy shows) is that he wants to drive his TIV - I’m sorry, I did it again! - TITUS into a tornado to capture footage inside the funnel, which is literally the premise of at least four seasons of Storm Chasers.

And the vice principal and his two sons have the usual father-sons issue, because he’s an uptight asshole, his wife died, blah blah blah - honestly this whole plotline is not interesting but also central to the story, but I’m just going to omit it because it’s the worst, most boring part of this movie.

Anyway, there’s this massive unprecedented storm system bearing down on the tiny little Oklahoman (I think?) hamlet of Silverton, a predominantly white town with pretty houses and trees and such, that’s about to be THROWN INTO THE BOWELS OF HELL BY MANY, MANY TORNADOES

And surprise surprise, Lori and Matt Walsh are the only storm chasers there!  They finally got a forecast correct!  Way to go team!

They also have three other members of their team - unknown white cameraman no. 1 who has no lines and survives, black cameraman who has lines but inexplicably disappears halfway through the film (we’ll get to that), and Jacob.  Oh, Jacob, you poor dead bastard.  We’re going to run down the list of bad choices that led you to getting sucked up into a fire tornado one by one.  Jacob just wanted to go on spring break, guys, but he was talked into making money storm chasing (hahaha making money storm chasing?  That’s a good one) by his friend, black cameraman, who talks him into staying even though Matt Walsh is so mean to him.  Oh, poor dead Jacob, you unlucky bastard.

So there’s a massive storm warning and they decide to hold the graduation ceremony outside?  These people live in Oklahoma, are they insane?

Or maybe because they live in Oklahoma they’re flippant about storm safety

And like the whole town is there?  But the school is a storm shelter so they all survive the first tornado that hits.

The special effects are pretty good but they still don’t get the look of the tornadoes right.  There are millions of tornado videos on YouTube, it really shouldn’t be that hard to make them look real.

The two redneck assholes hellbent on killing themselves decide to follow the Storm Chasers, and they call themselves the “TWISTA HUNTERZ” which is brilliant

All the characters converge in the lovely (soon to be destroyed) downtown centre of Silverton, because the vice principal is trying to locate his other son who got trapped in an industrial park that collapsed - don’t ask, it’s boring, he’s trapped, who cares.

And then all of a sudden - despite the BLUE SKIES - BAM TORNADO ATTACK

And this tornado is so strong that all it has to do is appear from the sky and briefly touch this huge cement building to make it crumble

Fun fact about tornadoes, they gain strength the longer they’re on land, not when they suddenly appear from the sky

But whatever what do I know I’ve only watched FIVE SEASONS OF STORM CHASERS WHICH THIS MOVIE RIPPED OFF

Anyway then there’s like a bunch of tornadoes all touching down in this one area of the town (it’s funny how the tornadoes go wherever our protagonists are, that would certainly make storm chasing a hell of a lot easier in real life if the tornadoes had a personal vendetta against the storm chasers and actively hunted them down - oh my fucking GOD DID I JUST COME UP WITH A MOVIE IDEA?  Coming to theatres soon!)... what was I even talking about before I came up with the world’s best movie idea... I’m thinking of optioning it to Pixar?

Oh right, the tornadoes are touching down, they’re all hiding in this bank except for Lori from the Walking Dead and the Vice Principal (probably just going to call him the VP from here on out because he’s so bland that I literally do not remember his character’s name or really what he looks like), and then Lori and the VP get like... lifted off the ground and are floating there as the tornado tries to pull them in, because apparently these storms are so strong that gravity no longer exists?

Oh man there’s so much more to complain about, strap in

They survive that and head off in search of the trapped son, and for some reason it’s going to take them like 40 minutes to get to him even though they live in this small town?  Small town with a huge airport though, we’ll get to that, we’ll get to it

I’M JUST SAYING THE LAYOUT OF THIS TOWN MAKES NO SENSE.

Anyway, on the way to get the son they pass by this car lot right next to a church - because after I’ve been for a good pray, I like to stop by the used car lot to pick up my next vehicle - and BAM TORNADO ATTACK!

These tornadoes are MAD and they are coming for these guys (seriously I’m going to write a script, I think it should have a heartwarming ending where they decide to be friends, it’s Pixar after all)

And then the radar truck gets flipped over, so they have to abandon ship, but there’s tornadoes EVERYWHERE and then OH NO!  A fuel leak!  BAM!  FIRE TORNADO, THE WORST KIND OF TORNADO!

Now we get to the saga of poor dead Jacob.  You see, poor dead Jacob wanted to quit, but black cameraman told him to suck it up, and that he would be on spring break the next week, and he would get to see that lovely girlfriend of his.  What black cameraman didn’t realise is that he sealed Jacob’s fate - we knew at that point that Jacob was a goner.

And indeed he was, when he decided to film a close up of the fire tornado - seriously, I know Twister makes it look like you can just stroll up to a tornado and it will be fine, the winds are contained, but there is NO FUCKING WAY IN HELL HE WOULD’VE BEEN ABLE TO GET THAT CLOSE

And also I’m not sure that the fire tornado could have happened the way it did - I feel like the winds would extinguish the flames?  But I am not a scientist

And neither is poor dead Jacob, because the tornado is whirling away, and suddenly it sucks the camera out of his hands, and they’re screaming JACOB NO but he has TO GET THE CAMERA OR MATT WALSH WILL YELL AT HIM and then gravity, once again, is turned off and he is SUCKED INTO THE FIRE TORNADO AND RIGHT UP THE FUNNEL TO HIS DOOM

Again, I’m not a scientist, but I do feel as though that probably wouldn’t happen exactly the same way IRL, but this is an unprecedented tornado outbreak and who is to say that they’re going to behave in a normal way?

Poor black cameraman is SHOOK now, and they’re in the church, and Jacob is DEAD, and he decides to leave?  I missed that part but he’s not in the rest of the movie

So they save the son - seriously don’t care - and then it turns out that ANOTHER TORNADO IS HEADED RIGHT FOR THE SCHOOL

But gasp, that’s where the whole town is!

What will our heroes do?  I’ll tell you what they do - they strap into the TIV - I’m sorry, TITUS - and head on over to the school.  The earlier tornado thankfully didn’t hit the huge amount of cars and school buses parked outside - what a considerate tornado - so they herd everyone into them and set out to flee from the world’s biggest tornado that is DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH

And it’s a monster. It makes the one at the end of Twister looks like a wee lil baby

Because they were like, “you know what we’re going to do?  We’re going to take the tornado from the end of Twister and turn it all the way up to 11 MOTHERFUCKERS”

This thing is so big it creates its own gravity

This thing is so big that when it crosses over the enormous international airport in the middle of nowhere but in the vicinity of this small town named Silverton - seriously what the fuck are they doing with an airport that big? - it sucks the planes up into its vortex where they fly around

Actually this reminds me of a cool tornado video; I’m going to try to find it and post it at the end, stay tuned

Anyway all of the buses except the one with our heroes and the TIV - I’m sorry, TITUS - manage to escape, but they get trapped because of fallen power-lines and such.  So they decide to ride it out in a storm drain.

Let me tell you something.  A storm drain would be the exact WORST PLACE EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD TO RIDE OUT THIS TORNADO

Because you know what a storm drain is, in addition to being a DRAIN THAT WATER COMES OUT OF?  IT’S A FUCKING WIND TUNNEL

I MEAN I CAN’T EVEN WITH THIS IDEA TO HIDE IN A FUCKING STORM DRAIN IT IS THE WORST IDEA EVER

AND ONE END OF IT IS A FUCKING STEEL GRATE SO LIKE, IT’S THE WORST PLACE EVER

And then they get down there and Matt Walsh says to Lori, “Take care of this camera footage for me,” (or something like that) and she’s like “NO MATT NO” but he heads up to shelter in his TIV TITUS, and you think it’s because he wants to film the tornado - which he totally does - but it’s also to SAVE THEM and to wedge the TIV TITUS up against the steel grid of the storm drain so they won’t all get sucked out to their horrible deaths.

So they anchor it using the steel cable from the winch at the front of the car, and it’s like, now you’re in a storm drain, there’s a steel grate at one end and a fucking steel cable running through and you’re all holding onto it? You’re literally ALL GOING TO BE RIPPED APART

It’s like that scene at the start of Ghost Ship where the cable snaps and cuts all the passengers in half - the only scene I remember from that movie tbh - only in a storm drain

Anyway the tornado hits and Matt Walsh is in the car and it’s trying to fly but it’s held in place by the cable, and then suddenly things go calm - what can this be?  Has the tornado lifted?  Has it dissipated?  No... it’s the EYE

THE TORNADO IS SO BIG IT HAS AN EYE

LIKE IT’S A FUCKING HURRICANE OR SOMETHING

I MEAN FIRST OF ALL NO.

And second of all NO!  NO!  THAT’S NOT HOW THEY WORK!

But it gets even more PREPOSTEROUS - I know, at this point you’re thinking how could it possibly get more preposterous, but it does - because the winds hit again, the manhole cover flies off and VP is almost sucked out - IRL he would’ve been snapped in half and sucked right out of that motherfucker, you best believe it

And then the cable snaps and off floats the TIV - TITUS - because once again, to nobody’s surprise, they turned off the MOTHERFUCKING GRAVITY AGAIN

And Matt Walsh rides the tornado right to the top - yes, that’s right - where he sees the fucking SUN BECAUSE HE’S ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS

I MEAN IN WHAT UNIVERSE

IN WHAT WORLD COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAPPEN

HE IS AN ARMORED TANK WEIGHING LITERALLY TONS

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE

And of course he then plummets to his death but STILL

And they all survive because of course they do.

OH MY GOD ACTUALLY I FORGOT ONE OF THE BEST PARTS - The Twista Hunterz get sucked up into a tornado but in the end they survive!  And they all lived happily ever after

And what did we learn from this?

DON’T STAND NEAR FIRE TORNADOES YOU STUPID FUCKING IDIOT

ahahaahahahaahahahahaaha

Seriously the best worst movie ever and I highly recommend it if you want to die laughing like I did

Also can Sean Casey sue over this?  I think he should.

For some reason it won’t let me embed it, but this is the link to the cool tornado video mentioned above (see about 2 minutes in for truck flipping):

https://youtu.be/WABqwKjQM_c

[aurelliocheek]

What comes next after Facebook’s VO campaign strategy?

In June 2017, Facebook launched the value optimization campaign strategy to allow advertisers to target high-value audience segments without needing to constantly create and update custom and lookalike audiences. The value optimization campaign strategy differs from the app event optimization campaign strategy, which was launched roughly one year earlier, in that it optimizes for magnitude of revenue (“value”) versus merely the incidence of some event: with VO, an advertiser seeks to reach users that are expected to not just make purchases but to make some combination of purchases that produce the greatest extent of overall value. For this reason, VO campaigns can’t be cost constrained in the same way as MAI and AEO campaigns; they can merely be constrained in terms of ROAS with the min-ROAS setting.

In this article, I provided a list of key innovations that Facebook has brought to its ad platform over the past five years. In taking note of the chronology of these product features (which could also include Dynamic Language Optimization and min-ROAS bidding), it’s easy to spot a trend: Facebook has consistently shifted targeting, creative variant production, and campaign and ad set optimization away from the purview of the advertiser and onto its own tool suite. With the launch of min-ROAS bidding for VO campaigns, Facebook has reached something of a logical limit to the way in which it can present three individual, separate levers (campaign management, creative management, and targeting) to advertisers to utilize in operating their campaigns: at some point, future product release are going to force those levers to converge. The question is, how?

It’s likely that Facebook will take its product cues from Google in this respect and attempt to make its platform look more like UAC, Google’s Universal App Campaign system. To understand why this is the case, it’s first important to understand what exactly UAC is.

A brief history of Google UAC

Google launched UAC in 2015 as a means of helping advertisers to automatically target audiences across Google’s portfolio of placements. Anecdotally, it wasn’t very popular: most advertisers preferred to manage campaign budget allocation themselves, principally because of substantial, fundamental differences in quality between YouTube, Google Display Network, and Search inventory. In October 2017, Google announced that it would fold its AdWords inventory on mobile into UAC, meaning that advertisers would cede almost all control over creative design, placement optimization, and audience targeting to Google. Predictably, something of an advertiser revolt transpired, although ultimately mobile advertisers acquiesced to the change: what choice did they have when Facebook and Google dominate digital advertising?

Google explained the benefit of UAC as a shift away from “one-dimensional proxies” to “multi-dimensional signals” in terms of audience targeting. What Google meant by this is that Google has the ability — because of its superior machine learning technology and its massive proprietary data set — to combine vast numbers of features together in evaluating potential traffic in a way that is more specific and thus efficient than what almost any advertiser can do. When an advertiser buys traffic on the basis of a quality proxy derived from some small set of dimensions, such as “US iPhone users” being “worth” $5, they are using broad averages that inherently overstate the value of much of the traffic they’ll ultimately receive (more background on this idea in this article and this article). Google’s point was that it has more data, and it is better at utilizing that data, than almost every mobile advertiser — so why not let it handle all aspects of campaign management?

What advertisers bristled at with UAC was its lack of transparency, particularly around creative and placement performance. UAC is an asset-centric system, meaning that advertisers don’t provide it with complete ad creatives but rather “components” that might serve as standalone ads or might get combined with other components into synthetic creatives. The benefit of operating the platform this way is that an advertiser only needs to produce the atomic units of ad creatives, and Google can use those to create every possible creative variant needed across all of its placements.

The downside of this, combined with opacity around placement performance, is that an advertiser can’t really know what worked in their campaigns, or why: they can merely feed Google’s machine as many components as possible and trust that the machine is benevolent. Some advertisers try to game this dynamic by using high bids in conjunction with limited component types to try to force Google to only serve to specific placements, but at some point the tide always turns: Google operates the dominant advertising platform in the world, so it’s perhaps best to use it as intended.

Another issue with Google UAC is that the placements identified above all vary quite drastically in terms of visual fidelity / information density. A well-targeted, well-crafted YouTube ad should convey more information about a product than a text ad; it is logical that YouTube inventory should, on average, be more expensive than eg. search ad inventory. But because Google operates across a very long lookback window in calculating campaign performance metrics (“its algorithm moves slowly”) and because it creates so many different variants of ads via component combination, updates to campaigns tend to not create visible performance changes quickly unless those changes are dramatic (ie. they revert the campaign back to the learning phase).

Because of this, advertisers may have to make very large changes to bids or budgets in order to break out of a type of advertising purgatory: poor performance because the advertiser’s assets have been relegated to the lowest-value inventory. This situation is not only frustrating to an advertiser, but “bidding up” a campaign to force experimentation with higher-quality inventory is also risky: if the better inventory doesn’t actually deliver better performance, the advertiser just conducted a very expensive experiment.

Facebook UAC

Given the thread that runs through Facebook’s contemporary ad product releases — automated creative variation, automated value targeting, automated budget allocation — it is hard to believe that these systems won’t be combined into a UAC-like black box at some point. The UAC approach is simply so much more lucrative for an ad platform: it controls where and how budget is allocated and thus could, potentially (and cynically) provide advertisers with just enough performance to justify continued spend, but no more.

The VO campaign strategy combined with min-ROAS bid strategy is an excellent example of this dynamic at work. Because VO campaigns are “greedy,” meaning they need to experiment on as large of an audience as possible, constraining VO campaigns with very specific audience definitions will either handicap the advertiser in the auction or result in quickly-deteriorating performance as the audience gets saturated. Every advertiser knows who the obviously high-value users are; the point of VO is to allow Facebook to find new ones for an advertiser. So with minROAS, because the advertiser can’t set a cap on cost, Facebook simply delivers traffic that meets the minimum threshold for ad spend recoup, without any guidance as to who was targeted, or why. Facebook owns that insight — maybe it could have targeted users better, or maybe not, but the advertiser will never know.

It’s obvious why the black box, totally automated ad platform paradigm is beneficial to platform owners: it virtually guarantees maximized profits as the platform strives to deliver minimally to a goal, and it also helps small advertisers get onboarded very seamlessly. And it seems almost inevitable that Facebook would evolve its platform in this direction — because where else can it go? The “Facebook UAC” is just a combination of dynamic creative, automatic placements, dynamic budget optimization, and AEO with a cost cap or VO with a min-ROAS setting. It’s fairly easy to make the leap from a campaign with these settings explicitly selected to merely “a campaign.”

The post What comes next after Facebook’s VO campaign strategy? appeared first on Mobile Dev Memo.

What comes next after Facebook’s VO campaign strategy? published first on https://leolarsonblog.tumblr.com/

[discursivities]

From Baudrillard we’ve inherited a number of terms, the one relevant to this post being ‘hyper-real’ (sometimes ‘hyper-reality’). By ‘hyper-real’ what we mean to denote is a resemblance to The Real—unmediated reality—that is, for some very basic reasons, ‘better’ or ‘preferable’, but ultimately gives the impression of being ‘more real than The Real’. A hyper-real experience of some x is an experience of x that is preferable—given its increased vivacity, sharpness etc.—to an experience of that same x in actual ‘The Real’ reality.

An example will make the distinction clear. Our ‘post-modern’ father, who finds himself absurdly competing everyday for the affections of his son against the most impossible alternatives—video games, television, the internet, etc.—decides to disconnect the boy for a few hours and take him to a baseball game. The boy, who actually knows quite a bit about baseball and even claims to be a fan of the game, quickly grows bored and even slightly annoyed with his father for bringing him outside. His annoyance is the product of a very telling insight—that is: the boy realizes that, had he been left to his own devices (note the lack of idiom), he could have stimulated himself much more effectively and with greater enjoyment. This knowledge, almost over-whelming in its force, prompts the boy to finally proclaim to his father (not half-way through the third inning, we might imagine): ‘This has been fun and all, but you should play MLB2K13 if you really like baseball.’ The absurdity of this statement is all the more difficult to bear because we understand exactly what he means. If he was in a more ironic mood, then he might say: ‘This has been fun and all, but it doesn’t come close to the real thing.’ This wording brings out sharpest the consequences of hyper-reality. The actual game of baseball being played out on the field, under the sun, with bats, balls, and sponsors—this constitutes, for our purposes, The Real. The video-game, which began as a mere simulation of reality, has transcended its status of being a simple ‘resemblance’. The hyper-focused, beautiful, lush visuals; the ease and comfort with which the game is played; the total engagement and over-stimulation—these factors conspire in bringing the game to the position of ‘hyper-reality’. It is the trademark of hyper-reality that it seems ‘more real than real’—and this is a matter of perfection. Where an actual game of baseball may be sloppy, start-and-stop, and uncomfortable to watch (heat, lack of shade, inability to hit pause and go grab a snack, etc.), the hyper-real experience on the other hand has none of these deficiencies.

Hyper-reality is present in those movies ‘based on a true story’, especially if the events depicted happened in your lifetime and—at the time they were happening—you couldn’t be bothered to watch the news. The eagerness with which we line up outside the theater on opening night is an irony lost on just about everyone.

A very standard ‘post-modern’ critique of the hyper-real concerns the spectator’s propensity to reproduce inauthentic experience. If the hyper-real is so compelling, then our construction of experience (day-to-day) will inevitably converge upon trying to re-create the hyper-real. The two obvious problems to arise from this treatment of experience are: first, it is very seldom that the hyper-real can be recreated spontaneously; the almost inevitable failure to do so leads to disappointment and depression. Second, all experience will be mediated by a host of ‘ideal’ versions of that experience which, if allowed to mediate, will provide for the same outputs every time. What you eventually get is repetition and an inability to see yourself out of that repetition. So we become trapped in a cycle of creating inauthentic experiences that will never be enough to satisfy. You can guess what many will find to be the solution: rejection of experience in total—authentic or inauthentic (which is the only type they have any inkling of how to create)—and a return to the solitude of hyper-reality.

I think, by this point, the direction I’m taking is fairly obvious with regards to social media (and Tumblr in particular). Whereas with such media as movies, video games, books (to a diminished degree), etc. we are given a pretty well structured set of parameters to reproduce, the same cannot be said of social media. Let’s say that I’m a fan of sit-coms that revolve around some setting like, for example, a café. Now, when I visit cafes, I have these shows in mind—their general plots, dialogue and the types of characters typically involved—so that I begin to reproduce what I’ve seen. (It must be noted that this isn’t an explicitly conscious project, although it can be, however commonly operating as if by reflex). While it is impossible to perfectly mimic the hyper-real experience of watching the show, I may come close. This is because the dimensions of a ‘café-centered sit-com’ are finite and rather easily recognizable. So much so, in fact, that I could reasonably become annoyed if my friend—who I’ve arranged to meet at some café—‘drops the ball’, so to speak, and does something out of line with the re-creation. (A situation of this sort was humorously depicted in Sartre’s Nausea, when the protagonist’s lover complained that he was always ruining her cinematic moments, usually by saying something banal).

Social media (now: SM) either doesn’t have—or doesn’t have very clear—parameters of this sort. It would appear that SM is the hyper-real replica of reality’s social aspect itself. It is no wonder, then, that we cannot enumerate all of its dimensions, because doing so would be to list everything that is of and in society. I hope the horror of the situation is becoming clear. This is what we are faced with: if SM takes the place of ‘the hyper-real version of ‘social interaction’/’society’’, then all future social interactions (happening in good old capital-R Reality) will be mediated by the glowing ideal of the Internet. And I do believe SM is hyper-real. It provides for all of the benefits of social interaction—communication, solidarity, friendship, etc.—without any of the hairy details involved in actually going outside and maybe being stood-up or bored. If you’re not convinced SM is hyper-real, then consider the following examples that would be impossible in an unmediated interaction.

You’re talking to your best friend online. Knowing each other as well as you two do is great, the conversations are funny and everyone’s always on the same page, but naturally things become formulaic and after a bit of interaction you need a break. No problem. Open a new tab, watch a video, listen to music, read an article, play a game, etc. They’re still there in the chat-window for whenever you want to resume the conversation (in fact, they’re probably doing the same thing on their end). Further, Internet etiquette has evolved to the point where we don’t even have to say ‘bye’ or ‘I’ll be back in a second’ or anything. You can drop a conversation at any time, and pick it back up at any time, and no one cares.

Another example. If you really wanted (and if you had a bit of an inferiority complex) you could easily appear as a very smart, hip, well-informed person. You can see where I’m going with this. If there is ever, in the course of your conversation, a term you’re unfamiliar with you can look it up and appear an expert within seconds. Ditto re ‘have you seen/heard/read the new ____’

Imagine trying to import these examples into a real, unmediated, social experience. It can’t be done. So what happens? The two consequences of hyper-reality still take effect, but more destructively since our attempts are from the outset more futile. We are condemned to a reality where all of our attempts at unmediated social interaction fall utterly flat. What we put in place of authentic social interaction is the creation of semblances. I’m sure you’ve seen this, or perhaps you’ve done it, where you go to some social event (not online) and see people consumed with creating the semblance of a good time for their profiles. This horror reaches, for me, a nasty pitch at concerts where the crowd is more interested in producing a quality youtube video than enjoy the performance. The youtube video becomes more real than the real.  

What was the pessimistic solution again? Reject ‘The Real’ altogether and retreat into the solitude of hyper-reality. In other words, log back onto Tumblr. I pick on Tumblr because, I think, it has the most diverse functions—especially when compared to Facebook or Twitter—and so also has the greatest potential to do damage. One fairly easy to spot consequence of this retreat back to the Internet is the complex of memes, in-jokes, codes-of-conduct, and what might be called the new ‘net dialect’ that has sprung up through SM. What has happened is an utter rejection of The Real by deciding to live and flourish in the hyper-real (what we might think of, not without some hesitation, as the ‘cyber-real’). The anxiety and disappointment common to all experiences with The Real, especially after prolonged exposure to the hyper-real, can only grow disproportionally more hideous as social media expands its influence. I’m worried and feel that more solutions are in order. It is my intuition that the most elegant solution won’t be one that does away with social media, but one that can fit it most succinctly into our delegations of various types of ‘reals’.