#7/10 ⭐ but I enjoyed it

[natolesims]

⭐📚 READING LIST | 2025 📚⭐

1. The Pumpkin Spice Café - Laurie Gilmore

[bloomzone]

Summer Fitness Challenge: Your Guide to a Stronger, Healthier body

Show them what you’re made of your endless nights deserve a loud ovation shine bright and prove them wrong cause we can feel our progress

-straykids (song : blind spot)

Hi Sparkles! ⭐ This is the last blog in our first important blog series! I hope the previous six blogs were helpful and informative. Let's dive into a quick and effective summer workout routine to keep you fit and energized during the sunny months

Summer Workout Routine

Summer is the perfect time to revitalize your fitness routine and enjoy the great outdoors. Whether you’re looking to get in shape or maintain your current fitness level, this quick and effective workout plan will help you stay active and energized all summer long Here’s a routine you can follow (6 days in a week) :

by: 𖧷´ bloomzone 𝅄 ׂׅ

Day 1: Full Body Workout

Start your week strong with a full-body workout.

- Warm-up: 5 minutes of light cardio (jogging, jumping jacks)

- Squats: 3 sets of 12 reps

- Push-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps

- Plank: 3 sets of 30 seconds

Day 2: Cardio and Core

Burn calories and strengthen your core.

- Warm-up:5 minutes of dynamic stretches

- HIIT: 20 minutes (alternate 30 seconds of sprinting with 30 seconds of walking)

Day 3: Active Rest

Give your muscles a break while staying active.

- Activity: Light walking, swimming, or yoga for 30 minutes (don't overwork yourself)

Day 4: Lower Body Focus

Focus on building strength in your lower body.

- Warm-up: 5 minutes of light cardio

- Lunges: 3 sets of 12 reps per leg

- Glute Bridges: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 5: Upper Body Focus

Target your upper body for a balanced physique.

- Warm-up: 5 minutes of light cardio

- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 sets of 12 reps

- Bicep Curls: 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 6: Cardio and Stretching

End your week with cardio and flexibility work.

- Warm-up: 5 minutes of dynamic stretches

- Steady-State Cardio: 30 minutes (running, cycling, or brisk walking)

- Stretching: 10 minutes of full-body stretches

Day 7: Rest Day

Allow your body to recover:Complete rest or light activity like a leisurely walk and give yourself a self care day !!

Tips for Success

1. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, especially during and after workouts.

2. Eat Well: Focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains (or if u are programming to follow a diet click here ! )

3. Be Consistent: Stick to the routine and adjust as needed based on your fitness level.

4. Listen to Your Body: Rest if you feel overly fatigued or experience any pain.

ıllı ⠀ : As you continue on your fitness journey, keep setting new goals and challenging yourself. Adjust the intensity of your workouts as needed and explore different activities to keep your routine enjoyable and engaging. Fitness is a journey, and each step you take brings you closer to ur body goal .⠀♡ ⠀ !!

[st4rymoon]

🕷️𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭🕷️

This will be my first time writing for kinktober, hope you all enjoy <3

⭐︎ List created by me <3 I’ll be adding onto the list if I think of others! By the way new character will be in the works!

1. Best-friend - Poe Dameron x reader (published)

2. Gamer bf/on call - Miguel O’Hara x reader

3. Halloween party - Jake Lockley x reader

4. Edging - Marc Spector x reader

5. Cock warming - Loki x reader

6. Choking - Blue Jones x reader

7. Predator x pray game - Miguel O’Hara x reader

8. Dads best friend - Joel Miller x reader

9. Corruption kink - Raymond Leon x reader

10. Breeding kink - Steven Grant x reader

11. Fingering/Sub - Jake Lockley x reader

12. Size kink - Bucky Barns x reader

13. Creampie - Steven Grant x reader

14. Temp play (ice cubes) - Miguel O’Hara x reader

15. Bondage - Santiago Garcia x reader

16. Praise kink - Joel Miller x Reader

17. Impact play - Poe Dameron x reader

18. Overstimulation - Jonathan Levy x reader

19. Dumbification - Miguel O’Hara x reader

20. Mile high club - Poe Dameron x reader

21. Tutor - Miguel O’Hara x reader

22. Phone sex! - Steven Grant x reader

23. Pussy! Fiend - Bucky Barns x reader

24. Sex! Toys - Poe Dameron x reader

25. Academic rivals - Miguel O’Hara x reader

26. Touched starved - Poe Dameron x reader

27. Cam girl - Steven grant x Reader

28. Car sex! - Jonathan Levy x reader

29. Riding! - Steven grant x reader

30. Brat tamer - Loki x reader

31. Rough sex - Joel Miller x reader

[withahappyrefrain]

⭐ 60 Fun Meet Cutes ⭐

1) A and B’s coffee orders are identical. Confusion (and promised calls) occur.

2) A always steals B’s parking spot and normally they wouldn't say anything but not today asshole!

3) A and B are seated next to each other at the singles table for a wedding.

4) B owns a bookshop and A really needs this book because their book club meeting is in two days.

5) A is a doctor/nurse treating B for an injury, but B won't stop flirting.

6) A pretends to be B’s significant other because they can tell that creep is bothering B.

7) They meet at the dog park and their dogs won't stop playing with one another.

8) They meet at the dog park and B’s dog won't stop following A’s!

9) They're both at a party and notice the other is sitting alone on the couch so we join.

10) They get volun-told to do a karaoke duet by their respective friend groups.

12) A and B’s families have been trying to set them up for years. They meet by accident.

13) A runs a stand at the local farmers market that B loves (the owner being cute and sweet is a major plus too).

14) They grab the same book at the library.

15) “You have the wrong number, but stay on!”

16) A and B have been set up on a blind date together. Neither one of them expect it to go well, given their mutual friend's track record.

17) A and B both want the last pack of cigarettes. It's not even for themselves, but they'll certainly argue about it.

18) "Hi, I'm pretty sure I saw you on a dating app and while I swiped right, you did not and wow you're beautiful in person."

19) A’s a tour guide for B, who is currently supervising a field trip of twenty seven-year olds.

20) A is B’s least favorite author but they don't realize until halfway through their rant.

21) "Hey, my friend is into your friend. But they're too scared to make a move, can you help me get them together?"

22) They're at the grocery store and A can't reach the item on the top shelf, so B helps them.

23) “Hey, so I helped your grandparent cross the street and they insisted that I meet you, their grandchild.”

24) It's their high school reunion and A is like eighty percent sure B was their lab partner, unfortunately B has no idea what they're talking about.

25) A’s friends insisted on going to a strip club for a bachelor/bachelorette party and A is really enjoying their time talking to B, the hostess.

26) An unexpected torrential downpour happens and they end up taking shelter at the same place.

27) “I'm your neighbor and I swear to God, if you don't turn that music down-"

28) They’re both PhD students and their dissertations contradict each other's and boy, are they going to have some intense eye contact about it.

29) B is A’s child's new teacher and their kid won't stop mentioning that their parent is single.

30 “I'm so sorry, but my friends won't stop bothering me until I get someone's number tonight, it doesn't have to be your real one, I'm just so tired of their shenanigans.”

31) A is the hot firefighter who visits B’s classroom to talk about safety.

32) A and B are paired up for a roller coaster and one of them needs to hold the other's hand to get through the ride.

33) “Look, your date may not want to dance with you, but I certainly will!”

34) They're both celebrities and their fans ship them so A and B do an interview together for their respective press tours.

35) They're both on the bus and A is reading the book B’s been wanting so badly and they gotta know if it's good or not because the waitlist at the library is ridiculous.

36) They're at an art museum and have wildly different interpretations of the same portrait.

37) It's been arranged by their families for A and B to marry as a peace treaty. When they meet for the first time, they bond over their families fighting

38) "Do you mind if I sit here? There are no other seats available."

39) A doesn’t know why their friend's girlfriend invited them to their coworker's nephew's bar mitzvah but they have a stain from the chocolate fountain and B is an angel with their Tide to go stick.

40) “If you don't fix your collar/tie/hat, I will do it myself!”

41) “The food in your grocery store cart looks so good, what are you making?"

42) A sees B at the Renaissance Fair and is determined to give B a rose.

43) They're both at the eye doctor and can't figure out which glasses to buy.

44) They end up sitting next to each other in a movie theater during a horror movie, and cling to each other for moral support

45) A owns a flower shop and B just needs the courage to go inside and say hello.

46) B’s dog somehow got out and A find it. Yes, it's late at night but from B’s voice over the phone, A knows they need to return this dog STAT.

47) A has always signed up to bring the dessert for their work's potluck. Who does B think they are taking their slot?

48) A’s friends signed them up for a dating app and set them up on a date with B without A’s knowledge.

49) B’s running an adoption event and A doesn’t even like animals but my God, is B so damn cute with them.

50) They're spies who have to pretend to be a couple for an assignment.

51) They’re professors who teach the same course but disagree over teaching methods.

52) A is B’s friend's asshole boss and B is just trying to drop off C’s lunch without strangling A.

53) A’s a witch who run a shop. B barges in, asking about the best curse to give someone (without killing them of course).

54) A is a hairdresser at a fancy salon and B shouldn't be spending $150 on a haircut but they need to talk to A.

55) A is a personal trainer and B is their client and A knows they need to keep it professional but it's really hard!

56) A is the photographer and B’s the caterer for the worst wedding ever.

57) It's the county Fair and A has lost their niece/nephew, so they ask B for help.

58) A is having a horrendous case of writer’s block, B works at the cafe A has been staying in for the past few days and is very concerned.

59) Hades and Persephone AU bc why not

60) A is a tattoo artist and it's B's first time getting a tattoo.

[sweetchimera-art]

NEOVEMBER IS HERE

A fanmade* artistic challenge in celebration of Neopets!

This was made for a [Neopets OC server] I run in collaboration with some of the other members but I was told people on Tumblr might enjoy this too! *Not associated with Neopets or TNT. This is unofficial stuff.

For Neovember, enjoy 30 prompts to inspire you to draw something Neopets related daily through the month of November.

There's a mix of prompts and adjectives to choose from to balance options for people who like more or less guidance for challenges like this. You can choose to do one, do both, do neither, or combine 'em. Engage with this art challenge on your own terms and at your own pace. These prompts are intentionally open ended.

See the Read More for all the prompts! Happy Neopetting!

NEOVEMBER PROMPTS

⭐ Week 1

Day 1

Prompt: Your favorite Neopet species and color Adjective: Sleeping

Day 2

Prompt: Redesign your least favorite Neopet species Adjective: Omelette

Day 3

Prompt: Your favorite Petpet or Petpetpet Adjective: Awakening

Day 4

Prompt: Your Neopet as their Petpet or Petpetpet equivalent Adjective: Carnival

Day 5

Prompt: Design a new cursed Chia color Adjective: Wheel

Day 6

Prompt: Design a Paintbrush idea that you would love for TNT to implement Adjective: Running

Day 7

Prompt: An underrated pet color Adjective: Hunting

⭐⭐ Week 2

Day 8

Prompt: Your favorite site or gallery collection item(s) Adjective: Plushie

Day 9

Prompt: An item you wish was wearable Adjective: Fashion

Day 10

Prompt: Your favorite game trophy Adjective: Castle

Day 11

Prompt: Highlight a favorite Customization wearable Adjective: Relaxing

Day 12

Prompt: Your pet's favorite food and drink items or those chosen as monthly freebies Adjective: Eating

Day 13

Prompt: Fashion Fever: What outfit would your pet choose from this Flash game? Adjective: Woods

Day 14

Prompt: Your OC as a shopkeeper. What do they sell? Adjective: Jelly

⭐⭐⭐ Week 3

Day 15

Prompt: Your favorite site NPC Adjective: 8-Bit

Day 16

Prompt: Your favorite Altador Cup team (or player) OR Draw a site NPC you have a rivalry with Adjective: Swimming

Day 17

Prompt: A character from any plot (Ex: Tale of Woe, The Void Within, Faerie's Ruin etc.) Adjective: Faerie

Day 18

Prompt: A character from any site event (Ex: Charity Corner, Festival of Neggs, Daily Dare, etc.) Adjective: Mutant

Day 19

Prompt: Your favorite Faerie Adjective: Hiding

Day 20

Prompt: Your favorite site villain Adjective: Gross

Day 21

Prompt: Your favorite Cheat! player or a character from any Flash game Adjective: Gathering

⭐⭐ Week 4⭐⭐

Day 22

Prompt: Your average experience in the Battledome Adjective: Fuzzle

Day 23

Prompt: Your pet's average stay in the Neolodge Adjective: Stamp

Day 24

Prompt: Your favorite Flash Game Adjective: Space

Day 25

Prompt: Your pet's means of celebrating their (or your) favorite site holiday or event (Ex: Advent Calendar, Charity Corner, Festival of Neggs, etc.) Adjective: Collecting

Day 26

Prompt: Your favorite Neopets Land Adjective: Potion

Day 27

Prompt: Your last random event Adjective: Storing

Day 28

Prompt: SCRUNT. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Adjective: Battle

⭐⭐ Home Stretch ⭐⭐⭐

Day 29

Prompt: Use a style or medium you don't usually attempt Adjective: Pirate

Day 30

Prompt: Your pet or OC in the Neopets Style Adjective: Celebrating

[ageless-aislynn]

Title: “15 Minutes” (9/?) Author:  @ageless-aislynn​ Characters/fandom: Master Chief John-117/Reader, Halo the series Summary: You're in peril but don't be afraid, help is near. Series: How to date a Spartan (without even trying) Rating:  T (PG13) Length: 2,568 (this chapter, 22,261 total so far) Spoilers: Set in the Silver Timeline of Halo the series, not the games or novels. Though we began with the events of Halo 1x06, there will be no more show spoilers. We are still firmly seated in the AU Warthog, merrily driving out to places where there’s only a passing nod to canon. 😉 Trigger warning: claustrophobia Disclaimer: Definitely not mine but I do enjoy borrowing them just for a bit! 😉 A/N:  Text is both here in this post or available at AO3, however you like to read. Halo season 2 has finally arrived! However, this fic continues to zip along in the AU Party Warthog, so, while we began with season 1 way back when (and you’ll see a few more things from s1 along the way 😉), we’ll not be venturing into s2 territory at all. Unless s2 is going to take some verrrrry interesting twists, lol! Chapter 10 is in progress by hand but I hope to have it ready soon. 🤞😣🤞 The tags have been updated for hurt/comfort starting with this chapter. If you read, I hope you enjoy! ⭐💖⭐

Taglist: @pinheadbanger​ @mysardencut​ @laurenstacy610​ @sporadicbelievernightmare​ @ultrablackwidower​ @bxmxtx​ @jellotherelol

If you would like to be tagged in my John/Reader fics, just let me know! I also write John/Kai, John/Cortana and Kai/male Reader, so I’m glad to tag you for whatever you’d like. If you would like to be removed from the taglist, also feel free to let me know, no harm, no foul. 😉 💖

Halo fic masterlist ⭐

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8

Trigger warning again: claustrophobia If you need to avoid the actual scene, skip the entire first section but there will be a lot of mentions of it again through the rest of the chapter, just so you're aware. I don't want to cause any distress to anyone so if you'd like a recap of what happens in this chapter, feel free to contact me here and I'm happy to oblige so you can stay in-the-know without reading something that could trigger a bad reaction. Stay safe, my friends! 🤗

You tried to gasp in a breath but there was a weight pinning you down. Smoke burned your lungs and your eyes. Your left arm couldn't move but you were able to bring your right hand up to wipe your face, trying to clear your vision. The only light in the rubble came from a shower of sparks a few feet away, emitting from a panel half-ripped from the wall. There was very little to orientate yourself by.

"Hello?" you tried to call but you couldn't take a deep enough breath to yell. The muffled ring in your ears told you that at least one of your eardrums had ruptured.

Evaluate, you thought in the tone you used when triaging patients, shoving down a wave of panic. You tried to squeeze out from under whatever was pressed across your back. No good, too much weight.

There wasn't a tremendous amount of pain but you worried at the numbness from your waist down, behind whatever was restraining you.

Evaluate.

You tested moving your legs, your feet, your toes. It felt strange but yes, you had movement.

Spinal cord potentially compromised but not severed, you diagnosed as clinically as possible.

Something overhead gave an alarming groan.

Alert help. Report your position.

"Hello? I'm by the crane operator booth. Can anyone hear me?"

You couldn't get the volume you wanted and you automatically tried to inhale deeper. You couldn't and had to fight another wave of panic. The animal part of your brain wanted to claw the twisted metal of the deck, trying to squirm free, but when you twitched, something above you groaned again.

You had no way to know how perilous the collapsed structure was. A wrong move could bring it all down.

A fresh wave of smoke irritated your nose and you coughed weakly. From far away, you heard the muffled sound of a woman saying your rank and last name.

"Here," you choked out. "I'm here."

A blue light shimmered a few feet away, the lower half of a blue-tinted woman, her upper body phased through the rubble. Then she shrank until she fit the space, adjusting like a camera lens. A hologram.

She repeated your rank and last name. "We have your location," she said, your damaged hearing distorting her voice. "Sit tight, a rescue crew is on their way."

You tried to respond but the smoke triggered more coughing, so you nodded.

"I'll stay with you for as long as the holo-emiter holds," she said, gesturing towards the ruined wall panel that continued to spark.

"Thank you," you managed to say. "Casualties?"

She glanced up and away as if receiving new information. "Reports coming in of injuries but no fatalities. Your alert gave enough time for almost everyone to get clear."

"Good." You made yourself slow your breathing down, taking shallow breaths since you couldn't take deeper ones. For a moment, your head swam and it felt like the floor tipped. Your fingers scratched for a hold on the crumpled metal.

The sound of your rank and name cut through the terror. "You're all right," the woman assured you. "You're not falling. Try to stay still. Silver Team will be back on site in a few more minutes. John will be here soon."

It gave you something to focus on other than bring trapped. The way she knew that the mention of John would comfort you, that she didn't call him Master Chief like most people did, even the mannerism of how she'd looked away, like someone was speaking in her ear...

"Your name wouldn't be Ms. Classified, would it?" you asked haltingly and tried to smile.

"That's... not inaccurate," she said and maybe it was your blurry vision but you could've sworn she gave you a fond smile, like she knew you. "I'm not supposed to tell my name."

You tried to say it was all right but couldn't draw enough breath.

"Ah, screw it," she said. "What are they going to do, fire me? My name is Cortana."

You must've blacked out because the next thing you knew, she was kneeling next to you, her small holographic hand resting atop your outstretched arm as she repeated your rank and name.

If you could get a breath, you needed a good, solid breath. Your chest instinctively fought to expand but couldn't beneath the pressure bearing down on your back. Something above you slid and the pressure abruptly worsened. You clawed, you fought, you struggled to breathe. To live.

"John, get here now! The support beam is failing!"

"Not his fault," you tried to say. "Tell him. Not his--"

Metal screamed and everything went dark.

You woke, grasping at nothing. You still couldn't get a deep breath but this time you were on your back and it felt like someone had laced a corset brutally tight around you.

"Easy there. You're all right," said a deep voice.

Your vision swam and then Spartan Vannak-134 appeared out from the dim lighting. You were still clawing at the air, trying to sit up, and he caught your hand a little awkwardly in his much larger ones.

"Where?" you gasped.

"You're back on Reach, in medical."

Once he said it, details emerged like a black and white picture filling in with color: the beeps of the monitors, the distinctive antiseptic smell. Your hearing was still deadened but not as much as before, meaning they had already begun healing therapies on your eardrums.

Anything you might've wanted to say dissolved like sugar on your tongue before the words could be spoken. Your head seemed too full. I'm drugged, you thought and that was the last thing you knew for a while.

Voices drew you from the murky depths and you tried to open your eyes but couldn't.

"Hold her hand," Vannak said in a quiet rumble. "She likes that."

A new hand gently folded around yours and your fingers instinctively gripped hold.

You woke, feeling the phantom press of metal bearing down on you, forcing the air from your lungs. You tried to sit up, your limbs flailed, uncoordinated and leaden. A second hand closed around yours and a feminine voice began to softly sing, a lullaby in a language you didn't recognize.

The room was blurry but you caught a glimpse of red hair -- Spartan Riz-028. You went under once more, dreaming of music that soothed your fears.

Later, there was a new voice to lure you up from the sticky darkness.

"Poor little thing. She looks so small."

"She'll heal. Hold her hand, it helps."

At some point, you jolted awake to find your hand cradled carefully within Kai's.

"Hey," she said, sitting up straighter in the chair next to the bed. "You need anything?"

Your head felt less stuffed with cotton than before but now that cotton seemed to have been transferred to your mouth. "Water?" you croaked.

She jumped up and returned shortly, carrying a cup with a straw in it. You intended to sit up but a searing pain in your ribs immediately convinced you that was a bad idea and you let her help you by holding the straw to your lips.

"Slowly," she advised.

Once you'd taken a couple of sips, you mumbled your thanks then promptly passed out.

You thought you'd closed your eyes for a brief moment but when they fluttered open, it wasn't Kai sitting in the chair, holding your hand.

As soon as John knew you were awake, he was on his feet, carefully brushing the fingertips of his free hand along the curve of your cheek.

You mouthed his name.

"Rest," he said. "I'm here. You're safe."

For the first time in what seemed like forever, you truly felt as if you were. Your mind let go.

"And how's our favorite mech, the Hero of the Pit?"

"That's not a very heroic name," you confessed, smiling as Maria and then Jamie entered medical.

You were sitting on the side of the bed in generic gray scrubs, waiting for Dr. Savannah to give you final instructions before your release. It had been two days since the explosion. Your hearing had, thankfully, returned to normal. The rest of you... not so much but you were on the mend.

They both gave you careful hugs.

"You look a lot less like you were squashed by a building," Jamie said sincerely and Maria punched his arm. "Hey, that was a compliment!"

"Don't make me laugh," you begged, holding your left side. They'd fused your broken ribs back together but the tissue damage would take longer to resolve. Still, aches, pains, limited motion and all, you knew you were very lucky.

"I hope they're giving you a nice vacation, at least," Maria went on.

"I should be ready for light duty in a week."

"Technically, I said we'd evaluate you for light duty in a week," Dr. Savannah corrected as she entered. "Afraid your friends will have to catch up with you later."

They said their goodbyes and, as they left, you started to stand. The doctor quickly said, "No, you don't. I don't want you walking on that leg."

"It's not broken," you argued.

"Not anymore," she countered. "Stay put. I got you a ride."

"I don't need to be wheeled back to the barracks." You tried to keep your tone confident but the truth was even that little bit of exertion had left you feeling twinges all along your left leg. Your left shoulder throbbed with each heartbeat.

"Well, good thing you're wrong on both counts," she said, winking. "And here he is now."

John came through the door, dressed in his undersuit as if either about to head to the Brokkr stations to have his Mjolnir mounted up or returning from having it removed. You didn't even realize you'd moved to rise again until Dr. Savannah put a practiced hand on your good shoulder to keep you down.

"I'll be sending PT to you twice a day, starting tomorrow," she said. "They'll help you to get your strength and mobility back. Around that, rest. Catch up on your reading, watch some thoroughly trashy movies, and keep your feet up. Not too far up, though. Nothing too strenuous. Make him do all of the work."

That got you to look at her and she waggled her eyebrows.

John cleared his throat slightly, a faint but definite flush creeping up from his collar. "Yes, ma'am."

"All right, see you back in a few days, sooner if anything else develops. You know what to watch for."

It wasn't until she stepped back and John approached that it clicked.

"You're going to carry me?"

"Yes, ma'am," he repeated in a murmur that shivered straight down your spine.

Since your left side had taken the brunt of the damage, he put your right to his chest and cautiously picked you up in a bridal carry. Despite the care, being moved set a thousand things to hurting and your breath hitched as he straightened.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," you said, your tone tighter than you would've liked. You thought, I hope nobody sees me being toted around like this, but, as soon as you left medical, you realized that no one was actually looking at you.

I think if Master Chief offered to drop me and pick up any marine, ODST or officer in this hall, they'd be hopping into his arms before I even hit the floor!

At the first turn he made, you realized the rest of it. "This isn't the way to the barracks."

"Nope," he said and you knew him well enough now to see the hint of a smile in his eyes.

You didn't have to wait for further clues, there was only one place, then, that he could be taking you. "How many strings did you have to pull for this?"

"Not as many as you might think," he demurred. "Your actions saved lives."

And they could've blamed you for failing to make sure a bomb hadn't been sent to the Pit in the first place. The curly tailed Warthog had been your responsibility, after all. You'd been curtly informed of all that when they'd debriefed you the first day you'd had your eyes open for more than 15 minutes.

You doubted they'd told that to John, though.

When you reached his room, he maneuvered so to get his thumb on the panel without jostling you too much. The lights came on as he took you through the doorway and then he paused.

"Kai," he rumbled, shaking his head. "She said studies show people heal better with color. I should've known she'd overdo it. Say the word and I'll have her in here clearing this out."

"It's your room," you said, "but personally, I love it."

The duvet on the bed and the pillows on the couch were now a rainbow of jewel tones. A tapestry with a field of sunflowers dominated the wall at the foot of the bed and you could've sworn there was a dusting of diamond glitter shimmering on every wall, sending tiny holographic rainbows through the air in all directions. But the main thing that caught your attention was overhead.

"She put up stars," you said, brightening.

"Ah, that one was actually me," he confessed. "You seemed to really like those in her room so I thought..."

You stretched up in his arms, inhaling a little sharply at the stab of pain in your left side, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I love them, John. Thank you."

A short time later, you found yourself lying on the bed in the darkened room, looking up at those stars. John had profusely apologized for not being able to stay after getting you settled in. He'd turned down the bed so you wouldn't have to, had put your padd close at hand on the nightstand to the right along with a bottle of water and a couple of emergency ration packs in case you got hungry before someone bought you a meal. He'd even procured you a set of unthinkably soft civvies to change into, exactly your size and in your favorite color.

You couldn't imagine that a Spartan had ever taken care of a sick or wounded person before, other than in a battlefield triage situation, so he'd probably found a checklist from somewhere to guide him. His earnestness to make sure he'd done everything right sent warmth flooding through you.

Before he left, he'd paused to kiss the top of your head.

"You know," you said, lifting your chin, "my lips aren't broken."

He hesitated. "The last time I did that, an entire base fell on you."

"Only the warehouse part," you said dismissively, "and there was absolutely no correlation, I promise."

He tried to smile at that but his eyes still showed concern.

"I promise," you repeated more seriously and he exhaled as if about to make a tremendous leap. His kiss was so soft and gentle, it was barely more than a whisper against your mouth.

Once he had left, you'd considered taking Dr. Savannah's advice and watching a holo, reading something on your padd, or doing any number of things to pass the time but ultimately, you'd wanted to appreciate his handiwork.

After all, it wasn't just anybody who could say a Spartan had literally hung the stars for them.

[magicalgirlsandcerulean]

Boueibu VA comments (Happy Kiss vers.)

Original comments here. Also see the student council, Defence Club VAs' and Goura/VEPPer's comments.

Naoyuki Shimozuru [1] (Kyotaro's VA):

This is Naoyuki Shimozuru, who plays Kyotaro Shuzenji.

Congratulations on the 10th anniversary since the broadcast of the anime series and the announcement of the movie Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu ETERNAL LOVE!, Chikyuu Boueibu series! Also, this time I'm very honoured to play my role alongside my LOVE! upperclassmen in this new work.

HAPPY KISS!, the anime which began airing in April 2018, has always been close to me from the beginning of my voice actor life and has also made people feel love for 10 years. I'm happy to be related to this kind of amazing work!!!

I want to support the Chikyuu Boueibu series, which has continued to give and spread love, forever and ever, even though my help may not be much.

Everyone, let's bask in Boueibu at the theatre!!!!!!!!!! [2]

Ryoga Komata (Ryoma's VA):

Are You HAPPY???

This is Ryoga Komata, who plays Ryoma Kirishima.

Congratulations on the 10 year anniversary, Chikyuu Boueibu series!!

Boueibu is a work which I have a lot of memories of at the start [of my voice acting career].

Boueibu, which was the first audition I received as a voice actor.

Boueibu, which gave me ma---ny first experiences.

And! My first! Movie [role]!! Is also Boueibu!!

I'm very happy to be involved in this work.

Even now, you've given me love and happiness, everybody.

Everyone who has given me love and happiness from the beginning, I hope you enjoy this work!! [3]

Takahide Ishii (Nanao's VA):

Are you happy? This is Takahide Ishii, who plays Nanao Wakura. Congratulations on the 10 year anniversary, Chikyuu Boueibu series!

To me, Boueibu is a work which I have a very deep emotional attachment to because it was a big step forward in my voice actor life. I'm very honoured to also appear as Happy Kiss in the movie that's meant to be commemorating this work's 10 year anniversary. Thank you. Also, I'm happy to portray Nanao again...!

This is also the first time I've played a character for so long. It's to the point that it's an indispensable work for me!

How will [the Happy Kiss characters] interact with their LOVE! upperclassmen...?! Please look forward to the movie's release! Thank you in advance!

Rikuya Yasuda (Taishi's VA):

I would like to formally congratulate Boueibu for the 10 years.

I was happy to be involved with Boueibu again and that I could be recording with the same cast from 6 years ago. Please look forward to watching this work, which is crammed with more than enough love.

Because it's a rare opportunity, also watch Happy Kiss or rewatch it and then please be sure to go to the theatre! If you watch 4 minutes a day, you'll make it in time for winter 2025. [4] Let's start today.

Shota Hayama (Ichiro's VA):

Congratulations on the 10 years, Boueibu!!

I'm very honoured I could participate as one of the lowerclassmen who is continuing the series, which is connected by the staff and upperclassmen's [5] love. Like the movie title literally says, this is a tale spun from eternal love [6]. When the movie is released, dash! dash! dash! to the theatre [7], then please watch Chikyuu Boueibu on the big screen and receive the big love. ⭐︎

Make no mistake - everyone will be happy by the last scene.

Takuya Eguchi (Karurusu's VA):

Congratulations on the 10 year anniversary! The days of recording Boueibu were irreplaceably fun times. I was happy I could play Karurusu for the first time in a long time!

Hikaru Midorikawa (Ata's VA):

The Chikyuu Boueibu series, which agitated the world back then - it's already been 10 years since it was broadcast????? That was already a long time ago, huh? (sarcastic laugh)

Making a movie to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the series is an expert move!! (LOL) Also, I'm happy I can participate in it. m(_ _)m What scenes have been prepared for us to be in? Look forward to it♪.

Personally, I'm looking forward to a big screen transformation scene!!!!! Even seeing it in TV size, it's cool, but if it's a movie, it's cool on cool! Right? (LOL)

Everyone, look forward to it too, right? (LOL)

By all means!! If you understand that, please enjoy it to the fullest♪.

Kosuke Toriumi (Taiju's VA):

This is Kosuke Toriumi, who plays Taiju Unazuki.

This unexpected movie! A considerable amount of time has passed since the anime's airing, so it was really unexpected to have a movie. While I'm thankful I could be part of this unexpected movie, everyone, by all means! I think you're waiting expectantly for it. No~, nevertheless, this unexpected-[The rest is omitted.]

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Maasa's VA):

First off, congratulations on the 10 years! It was interesting to be able to play a role I really hadn't played in a long time. Also, please look forward to the surprising contrivances in the content!

The no. 1 problem is if my voice will come out perfectly. Until the day [of release] arrives, I'll be nervous, alright? (LOL) However, everyone, I think we've made an interesting work which you can support, as you always have. Until the day [of release], please await it in anticipation!

[T/N 1: Over the years, I've gone backwards and forwards on the exact spelling of Shimozuru's name, but the page from his talent agency Rush Style says "Shimozuru", so that's what I'm using now.]

[T/N 2: This might not be clear in a translation, but the Japanese word for "bask in" is also the verb used for taking a bath or shower. Also, that's 10 exclamation marks.]

[T/N 3: 1) Not sure if it was intentional, but Komata's comments were left justified to a slightly unnatural degree, so I've tried to replicate that in the formatting by having each sentence on its own line. 2) This last part was a bit of a double-up in the Japanese, so I had to replicate that in the English.]

[T/N 4: For those coming from the future, these comments were made on Binanshi in October 2024, so if you watched 4 minutes of a Happy Kiss episode a day from that day, you'd take 72 days to complete the series or until January 7th 2025.]

[T/N 5: As you may have gathered from the comments before this one, "upperclassmen" (senpai) in this particular case refers to the LOVE! generation and thus "lowerclassmen" (kouhai) are the Happy Kiss generation.]

[T/N 6: "ETERNAL LOVE!" is in English in the movie's name, but Hayama says it in katakana to explain it to the Japanese audience.]

[T/N 7: Reference to Ichiro's character song.]

Update: Missed a music note.

[softpascalito]

Full List of my Pedro Pascal Advent Calendar 2023

note: i figured it would make sense to make a lil list of the advent calender pieces. whether you read along each day or if you discover this after christmas, i hope you enjoy 💜

total wc: 23k

rating: explicit/18+ (with a few exceptions)

warnings: smut, hurt/comfort, check individual pieces :)

extras: my personal faves - ⭐

mb - moodboard / fic - fanfiction / hcs - headcanons

dec 1 - joel miller - [FIC] snowy surprise// ao3 & tumblr ⭐ dec 2 - javier peña - [MB] peluda // tumblr dec 3 - javier peña - [FIC] peluda // ao3 & tumblr ⭐ dec 4 - several chars - [HCs] traditions // tumblr dec 5 - joel miller - [FIC] here cums santa claus // ao3 & tumblr

dec 6 - din djarin - [MB] tie a string of lights // tumblr dec 7 - din djarin - [FIC] tie a string of lights // ao3 & tumblr dec 8 - pedro pascal - [MB] worth crossing a blizzard for // tumblr dec 9 - pedro pascal - [FIC] worth crossing a blizzard for // ao3 & tumblr dec 10 - joel miller - [MB] doves and lights // tumblr

dec 11 - several chars - [HCs] presents // tumblr dec 12 - joel miller - [MB] christmas baking // tumblr dec 13 - joel miller - [FIC] christmas baking // ao3 & tumblr dec 14 - javier peña - [MB] christmas party // tumblr ⭐ dec 15 - javier peña - [FIC] christmas party // ao3 & tumblr

dec 16 - several chars - [HCs] christmas tree // tumblr dec 17 - 2003!joel miller - [MB] double shift // tumblr ⭐ dec 18 - 2003!joel miler - [FIC] double shift // ao3 & tumblr dec 19 - 2003!joel miller - [MB] raised on little light // tumblr dec 20 - several chars - [HCs] christmas eve // tumblr

dec 21 - javier peña - [MB] christmas eve // tumblr dec 22 - 2003!joel miller - [FIC] doves and lights // ao3 & tumblr dec 23 - 2003!joel miller - [FIC] raised on little light // ao3 & tumblr ⭐ dec 24 - javier peña - [FIC] christmas eve // ao3 & tumblr ⭐ dec 25 - joel miller - [FIC] all joel miller wants for christmas (is to be tied up) // ao3 & tumblr

[german-enthusiast]

@strengthisyellow, I absolutely understand your frustration and of course you're right and I'll come back to why later, but first I want to use this as a jumping off point about

⭐German Vowels⭐

⭐Number of German Vowels

German has a LOT of them. Out of 564 languages surveyed by WALS, 93 had 2-4 vowels (16%), 287 had 5-6 vowels (51%) and 184 had 7-14 vowels (33%) German has 8 vowels letters (a, e, i, o, u, ä, ö, ü <- graphemes). Yet we have 16 vowel sounds (phonemes)! (not counting diphthongs here)

The number 16 comes about, because most vowel can be realized long/shortly (gespannt vs. ungespannt). Minimal pairs (two different words that only differ in exactly one sound) are a great way to show this:

These minimal pairs can also give you an idea of how the phonologial differences are marked in the spelling!

⭐Vowel-amounts in various languages

Here's a comparison of different languages and their vowels (without diphthongs, because those are the combination of two adjacent vowel sounds).

⭐L1-phoneme inventory

Now what's super interesting about learning a first language, is that shortly after birth, babies can hear and distinguish all possible sounds (across the world, there are around 600 consonant sounds and 200 vowel sounds; in sum, 800 different phones), yet at 10-12 months old, they can only distinguish those sounds present in their first language (aka their language's phonemes)! A japanese child, for example, would hear no difference betwen "radio" and "ladio", because /l/ and /r/ are not phonemes in Japanese.

I get to encounter this first hand with German-learners who struggle to produce, but most importantly even hear the difference between [ˈmʊtɐ ] (Mutter; mother) and [ˈmʏtɐ] (Mütter, mothers). (So far, I've specifically asked beginner/intermediate students with en-US and es-MX as their L1 about this - both US-English and (Mexican) Spanish do not have [ʏ] as a phoneme, so they get generalized and instead perceived as [ʊ].

Put simply, within its first year, a baby builds up a "phoneme inventory" made up of all the sounds that make a difference in its language, and loses the ability to distinguish between the ones that don't because those simply don't matter.

Good news is that you can and likely will train yourself to hear and distinguish sounds outside your current phoneme inventory (depending on your phoneme inventory and your TL's phonemes, this might be harder or easier).

⭐German Vowels and Spoonerisms

Back to the schulkrank-tags: The issue lies not as much in the letters as in the sounds, but OP continues to be right. "kühl" and "kuhl" are NOT the same, because they differ in a phoneme, which (by definition) changes the meaning of the word. What's additionally interesting, is that spoonerisms (switching of sounds or morphemes between two words of a phrase, like "blushing crow" instead of "crushing blow") are much more likely to occur if the words that come out of it are real words again! ("The Lord is a shoving leopard." (instead of "a loving shepherd") is more likely than "The shord is a loving leopard" because "shord" isn't a real word)

The US-American coworker (who probably speaks a little German if he enjoys German spoonerisms) made "schulkrank" out of "Kühlschrank". That is something a native would never do because instead of merely switching sounds, he switched and changed one, thus it's not a real spoonerism anymore. Yet to him it was probably entirely correct because he literally doesn't hear a difference.

[terapsina]

Okay, it's been a while so here's an additional list of fantasy and sci-fi books with little to no romance in them that I've read recently and really loved.

---

First post with books not heavy on the romantic subplots HERE.

---

Once There Was ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Kiyash Monsef.

An Iranian American girl discovers that her recently dead father was a veterinary for magical animals and that she - like him - has inherited the ability to help these animals because of a family line reaching back for hundreds of generations.

The story deals with grief, rage, neglect and how it all intersects.

But it's also an incredibly magical story that wakes up all the wonder and love for animals that most children have and some never lose.

Interspersed through the book are also short fables and legends that Marjan's father used to tell her when she was young and are now gaining new meaning as she understands that they were more than stories.

(totally also recommend the audiobook version for those who enjoy good narration. Nikki Massoud does a freaking excellent job)

(Marjan does develop subtly budding feelings for someone in the story but it's kept very, very background. On a scale from 0 to 10 the romance reaches barely a 2).

---

Vespertine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Margaret Rogerson.

A story about a girl named Artemisia who is training to become a Gray Sister. A nun who cleanses the bodies of the dead so that their souls would not return as ravenous spirits that would then threaten the lives of the living.

But then her convent gets attacked by possessed soldiers and she's forced to pick up a sword holding the spirit of a very powerful revenant - a malevolent spirit of mass destruction that could possess her and kill everyone around her indiscriminately - despite not having the training of a Vespertine. So the only one who can teach her what she needs to know is the Revenant itself.

(The main character is autistic, antisocial and extremely introverted. And as for the romance, there is someone who develops feelings for her and we as the reader kinda notice it, but Artemisia the character notices nothing (also, the someone in question is not the Revenant, just thought I should clarify that). Amounts of romance in the book, like 1/10)

---

A House With Good Bones ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by T. Kingfisher.

A Southern Gothic light horror with a bit of humor thrown in.

Sam Montgomery is worried about her mother so when her Paleoentomology dig falls through after she's already sublet her apartment for the next few months, she temporarily moves back in with her mother.

The mother who seems to be very stressed out while saying she's fine, and also seems to have acquired a sudden personality transplant. More specifically, she seems to have changed the house from the bright and colorful place it's been for decades, into the cookie cutter, bland (and slightly racist) fifties commercial kinda place it once was under the iron thumb of Sam's dead grandmother.

Is this some kind of weird delayed grief? Early onset alzheimers?

And why isn't there a single bug or insect in the entirety of the back yard's rose garden? Or why does she wake up to thousand's of ladybugs crawling all over each other - and Sam - one night in her childhood bedroom? And what's up with all these vultures staring at their house 24/7?

(Sam's POV is hilarious, her relationship with her mother one of the most genuinely emotional aspects of the book, and the story creepy enough to be exciting without reaching the point that would have made me throw the book down a hole for my own peace of mind. The romance... eh, there's a very nice dude Sam wouldn't mind going out with but it's not all that relevant to anything so amounts of romance don't reach past 2 out of 10).

---

And finally some special shout outs to some other recently read books that I also enjoyed and that don't really have a lot of focus on the romance but that I don't feel like getting into rn.

Thornhedge ⭐⭐⭐⭐ by T. Kingfisher, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Heather Fawcett (okay this one's a bit heavier on the amount of romance but it gets points for not being annoying and still doesn't reach past 4 out of 10 in its amount, would recommend this book for people who enjoyed The Memoirs of Lady Trent), Translation Slate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐by Ann Leckie, The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter ⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Theodora Goss (the daughters of classical book scientists like Frankenstein, Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde, Moreau and others come together to solve some White Chapel murders and maybe uncover a society that has been doing human experiments on women. 0.5 out of 10 on amounts of romance).

[sayitalianolearns]

본 드라마 목록:

Soundtrack #1 [사운드트랙 #1]: ⭐⭐⭐ watched it looong ago but not sure if in korean, english or both. don't remember much but i'd say it was nice

Descendants Of The Sun [태양의 후예]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🎵 fav, first drama i watched in korean and despite the "overkill" of the protagonists i really enjoyed it

Love In Contract [월수금화목토]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ good; thought it was a little different from the plot but good nonetheless

Noble, My Love [고결한 그대]: ⭐⭐ didn't like it much, lotsa red flags in the story made me annoyed (7 eps x 45')

Oh My Ghost [오 나의 귀신님]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🐶 fav, i could have written it some time ago lol

The K2 [더 케이투]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ good, had to take a break towards the end as it gets a little distressing so not fav

Military Prosecutor Doberman [군검사 도베르만]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐🐶🎵 v good despite ep1 didn't catch my attention at first but given another chance it's v good

Something In The Rain [밥 잘 사주는 예쁜 누나]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐📝 good; could have been fav but v frustrating halfway through lol

Kill It [킬잇]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐🐶 good esp. after first eps; sad ending warning, losta tearing... i tend to cry easily but this is A LOT

Search [써치]: ⭐⭐⭐🐶🐶 great for halloween time, enjoyable nonetheless; tw blood; DOGGOSSS!

Kiss Goblin [키스요괴]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ v short and cute (12 eps x 10')

Touch Your Heart [진심이 닿다]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ favfav; v funny, so many actors i saw in other dramas, felt like family meeting lol; loved the DOTS' recalls

My Dear Guardian [C-DRAMA*]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐😺 only skipped a couple of eps in which nothing much seemed to happen, good overall despite it becomes bit random towards the latest eps

Rich Man, Poor Woman [리치맨]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ fav; nice characters development and... leadernim!! lol

How Are You Bread [하와유브레드]: ⭐⭐ v short and v random web thing, cannot feel intrigued by the plot... mianhada leadernim (5 eps x 40')

Eye Love You [J-DRAMA*]: ⭐⭐⭐📝 nice especially for the korean character/s speaking korean here and there, keeping me interested; took me a while to finish though, kinda didn't want to but there's more spoken korean in the end (10 eps x 60')

Embrace In The Dark Night [C-DRAMA*]: ⭐⭐🎵 kinda absurd, almost becomes a different (better?) drama after 3-4 eps; everyone's so aroused the whole time y'all chill (24 eps x 15')

Melting Me Softly [날 녹여주오]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐📝 v v good; not fav bc of the frustrating and fast -for me- ending, some things abandoned halfway and some excesses in the first eps (btw 더 케이투's occasionally joining the chat lol)

Their Wonderful Time [C-DRAMA*]: ⭐⭐🎵 once you get over the weirdness and some cringe it's funny and cute, then confusing and absurd… wanted to give up around ep. 18 after a spoiler about the ending and boredom but kinda glad i hadn't (26 eps x 30')

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim [김비서가 왜 그럴까]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ good; there's a bit of weirdness here and there but it's mostly cute and funny despite the sad bg story; towards the latest eps got more involved into secondary characters stories lol wanted more about them

Beauty Inside [뷰티 인사이드]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐📝 good; loved the story despite the sad sides... it carries nice lessons too; warning: lotsa tearing in the latest eps

Tale Of The Nine-Tailed [구미호뎐]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ v good; starts funny gets darker towards the end; blood tw; heavy tearing in the last 2 eps; don't get too attached to the "wrong" character like I did; love the lead actors<3

The Bride of Habaek [하백의 신부 2017]: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🎵📝 it started as nice but i slowly grew fonder and fonder of it so yeah so very good... okay fav also for the quotes

Level Up [레벨업]: ⭐⭐⭐ at first i didn't like it much but gets better halfway; not a huge fan anyway; a bit of cringe here and there

완료되지 않음:

Forecasting Love And Weather [기상청 사람들: 사내연애 잔혹사 편]: ⭐⭐⭐ don't remember much as i watched a couple of eps long ago but it was nice. i think i stopped watching for an unrelated issue

My Military Valentine [피타는 연애]: ⭐⭐⭐ watched 2 free eps only seemed good tho

Wok Of Love [기름진 멜로]: ⭐⭐⭐😺 watched a couple of eps, seemed good but can't watch anymore for now (triggers)

Something Just Like This [C-DRAMA*]: ⭐⭐ watched 1-2 eps, a bit too cringy for me

Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life [사랑은 뷰티풀 인생은 원더풀]: ⭐⭐⭐ watched 2-3 eps v nice but for now i can't keep watching bc it feels a bit heavy and... 100 eps seem a lot? (100 eps x 30')

Cinderella At 2AM [새벽 2시의 신데렐라]: ⭐⭐ got to ep.5, the story is okay but i don't feel called to keep watching for now?? also i cannot anymore lol it's no more free (10 eps x 60')

My Girlfriend [C-DRAMA*]: ⭐⭐ i said i wouldn't have watched another chinese drama then i did bc i wanted to watch something easy... first 3 eps are cringy but it got a lil better so i endured until halfway ep 20 then korean called me again... honestly it feels like it's taking so long to get to a point (28 eps x 40')

현재 시청 중:

Rented in Finland

봐야 할:

The Moon Embracing The Sun [해를 품은 달]

Healer [힐러]

Temperature of Love [사랑의 온도]

100 Day My Prince [백일의 낭군님]

The Veil [검은 태양]

Men To Men [맨투맨]

That Winter, The Wind Blows [그 겨울, 바람이 분다]

Remember - War Of The Son [리멤버 – 아들의 전쟁]

Tong: Memories [통: 메모리즈]

Search: WWW [검색어를 입력하세요 WWW]

Why Her? [왜 오수재인가]

Love Crossed [C-DRAMA*]

The Best Hit [최고의 한방]

Warm Meet You [C-DRAMA*]

My Lethal Man [C-DRAMA*]

Bubblegum [풍선껌]

Who Are You: School 2015 [후아유: 학교 2015]

Suspicious Partner [수상한 파트너]

He Is Psychometric [사이코메트리 그녀석]

When My Love Blooms [화양연화 – 삶이 꽃이 되는 순간]

Serendipity's Embrace [우연일까?]: (8 eps x 60')

Uncontrollably Fond [함부로 애틋하게]: (triggers?)

True Beauty [여신강림]

So I Married The Anti-Fan [그래서 나는 안티팬과 결혼했다]

Hotel Del Luna [호텔 델루나]

Radiant/The Light In Your Eyes [눈이 부시게]

Semantic Error: The Movie [시맨틱 에러]

Do You Like Brahms? [브람스를 좋아하세요?]

Are You Human? [너도 인간이니?]: (36 eps x 30')

Where Stars Land [여우각시별]

Memorist [메모리스트]

My Strange Hero [복수가 돌아왔다]

Sell Your Haunted House [대박부동산]

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho [내 여자친구는 구미호]

Can We Love [우리가 사랑할 수 있을까]

You're All Surrounded [너희들은 포위됐다]

Love With Flaws [하자있는 인간들]

My Princess [마이 프린세스]

Fight My Way [쌈 마이웨이]

All dramas found on viki.com (no access) and youtube

⭐: overall story, lenght, fun, understandability, comfort 🐶: dog presence bonus lol 😺: cats or other animals (didn't want to mention but... whatevs) 🎵: soundtrack bonus 📝: quotes/something to think about bonus

[cloudsspoke]

¿La Scaloneta? Una poesía muy buena ~

Some heated, hilarious, and heartwarming moments when the boys meet each other as a rival ⚔️

↳ Previously on “¿La Scaloneta? Una familia (part 1)”

Nico: No estaría mal que Leo se coma una patadita Caro: NOOOO

Le dije que no se tenía que enojar porque fue todo pelota. Después se reía porque sabe que se tiró al pedo. Tenemos una gran relación con Ale, son cosas del Partido y quedan ahí - Cuti Romero's interview with Sofi Martinez

↳ Context: Mac was actually upset that Brighton lost because he felt injustice from the Ref’s decision

🔴 Enzo (Benfica) vs Messi (PSG): two legs UCL game all draw, vs Di Maria-Paredes (Juventus): two legs UCL game all won

🔵 Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Enzo vs Cuti – Licha-Garnacho – Julian – Mac Allister – Dibu: all LOSE 😭

Sad to know we don’t get to see Cuti vs Licha during the Spurs clash against United because of Licha’s injury, but at least we get to see Juli-Enzo together once again 💕

FROM THIS >>>> TO THIS

I'm not crying, you are :')

🟥 El Huevo got a red card that prevented him from playing in the Final match

The hard pill from having “The All-Argentinian Final” 😔

The more (Muchachos play in the same team), the better 💕

⚽ Molina dedicated his goal to Angelito Correa (who missed the game due to the death of his beloved Mother)

Is this even legal to have 5 Argentines in 1 club 😭😭

Lisandro Martinez es como mi padre - Garnacho on MUTV

In September, if all is well and Ten Haag is nice to us, let’s hope to see these two together play for Argentina, as what a stroke of bad luck that we had when in March it was Garnacho who couldn’t join the squad during the 1st FMD, and last month we missed Licha when Garnacho made his debut 😩

⚫⚪ Being Juventini for 20 years I’m happy both of them left the club, especially after Juventus’ point deduction that made them couldn’t participate in any Europe competition. And although to me they playing there is like a failed project aka wrong decision, at least I got to see Di Maria scored a hattrick (Sofascore rating solid perfect 10) and Paredes also got MOTM with his superb free kick goal (against Lecce) ⚽

⭐⭐⭐

2022/2023 Season wrap-up:

CONGRATULATIONS:

Lautaro & Tucu for winning Super Coppa and Coppa Italia 2022-23 (Lautaro scored in both final matches) 🏆🏆

Licha & Garnacho for winning Carabao Cup 2022-23 🏆

Messi for winning Ligue1 2022-23 🏆

Gio Simone for winning Serie A 2022-23 🏆

Otamendi for winning La Primeira Liga 2022-23 🏆

Montiel, Acuña, Papu, Lamela, & Ocampos for Winning UEL 2022-23 🏆

Manu Lanzini for winning UECL 2022-23 🏆

↳ Not to mention Brighton & Hove Albion who finished #6 which makes them qualified for UEL Group Stage 👏 and Aston Villa (#7) who for the 1st time in 12 years have qualified for European competition (UECL Qualifier) 👏

Finally and above all, triple applause for ‘La Araña que pica’ Julian for winning the Treble [EPL-FA Cup-UCL] with City 🏆🏆🏆

🕸️

📌 Honorable mention from me goes to Facu Medina:

MAN IS ON A MISSION 🤭

We were talking, you know what Leo is as a person and as a player. To be honest, I congratulated him and thanked him for the World Cup - Facu Medina on his chat with Messi after the game @ SC_ESPN

⭐⭐⭐

👋 if you enjoy reading this post you can also click here to similar posts I have already made:

(1) Little Things I Love from La Scaloneta

(2) Hilarious & Heartwarming stories about La Scaloneta

(3) Crackhead Muchachos

(4) Full thread about AFA's Tournament de Truco

(5) Full thread about Players' room arrangement (¿Quién duerme con quién?) + more gifs about Messi and the gang

Coming up next: Argentina FMD + Holiday picts, stay tuned 😉

[karafina]

7, 10, 11 and 19 ⭐

Hi dear anon

7. A manga you reread

I reread part 2 of Chainsaw Man and Gohou Drug/Drug and Drop (I think that was this year). And I enjoyed both even more ! OH I also reread kieta hatsukoi, I remember because I was bored at work

10. A story you related to

X Gender by Asuka Miyazaki sjdjsdshd i mean it's a memoir so it's more a matter of identity and personal beliefs. It's really great, i have a collection of screenshots from every time i went 'exactlyyyyy'

11. Your favorite covers.

I liked these from my ongoing manga of the year<3

19. Your highlights of the year !

Well I've read short stories like crazy! Ever since I read Hagio's Hanshin I've become interested in stories that can move your heart with few pages. I read a bunch of shoujo short stories, then I kept finding interesting things. I read a lot from Hagio, Takemiya, Oshima, Wayama and Fujimoto ig, i should branch out a bit. I feel like there's a lot of horror short stories. Ah, and bl. I'm actually a fake bl reader, the less blish the better, but I'm always looking for good ones.

[littledeadpotato]

Dracula rant:)

1st post! This'll be a book review (not very professional, cuz im not a book critic, I'll probably just write down what I liked) of the 1897's novel Dracula by Bram Stoker which I finished last night (running on 3 hours of sleep). I had a Czech translation from the library (because money) and that was Omega version from 2017 (it has a nice cover, Go check it out). This one took me a while to read, mainly because last few months im really tired and go to bed at like 23.00(??), so I read like 15 pages a day. Now to the review ;D

Started: 25/11

Finished: 30/12

Rating: 4.25/5⭐

Fun-ness: 7/10

Lovable characters: 6.5/10

Amount-of-times-I-spaces-out-because-Van Helsing-was-talking-pages-and-pages-and pages: 100000/10

When I started this I had no idea what I was getting myself into (plot wise, I knew there'd be Vampires), but I really enjoyed this book. For a 19th century novel, the characters were really fun (most of them, I couldn't bring myself to be genuinely interested in Van Helsing), I really liked Dr. Seward, Reinfield and Lucy (I liked the rest too but these just stood out to me).

I wasn't a huge fan of the way the Czechs (and other similiar groups) were depicted, it was very "us, english men, Are educated and know science! Those guys, stupid, they believe in Vampires and are crude", very not cool. The way this book describes women is also very funny, Im not saying Bram had some hate towards woman (the opposite, I think he also wrote strong female characters in his other books), but it really shows when this was written, on one page, both the men and the women are like: ,,Oh men are so strong and brave, women are so soft and delicate, they can never be as brave as men", and on the next one, everyone is worshipping Mina (which - fair).

(Spoilers ahead)

I would divide the book in few parts:

Jonathan's stay with Dracula

Lucy

Vampire hunting

Jonathan's stay with Dracula

This part I really liked, I'm part of the problem, because im aware Jonathan was going thru his worst, but cmon, it was a little funny to see Dracula climb down a wall like a lizard and Jonathan describing it in sheer horror. There were few very fun moments, but sometimes when Dracula was talking for too long, I sort of spaced out (-> my fault). I also enjoyed that one time the 3 ladies tried to drink Jonathan's blood and Dracula was just like: ,Get tf out👊'.But it was fun.

2. Lucy

This is the part where Lucy becomes the first vampire our friends have to deal with! This was my favourite part. I just really liked Mina's and Lucy's friendship (or more, I wouldn't mind lesbian vampire rep ;P). The whole events around it were at some point very frustrating, because you know whats happening and what they should do, but Van Helsing is just waiting and then is like "source: trust me bro💪", (speaking of Van Helsing, since my head is still full of Arcane, I kept imagining his voice sounding like Heimerdinger's, im sorry lol) which I understand but it results in things like one of the maids opening the window when Lucy was dead (or removing the wreath, I don't remember). Also all the stuff around the ship and the dog!!! Oh those are my fave parts of the book!!! I'm also pretty sure there were some chapters with John and Reinfield, which I also really liked. I was really dissapointed when Reinfield died cuz I enjoyed him as a character so much and was excited where his character gets (spoiler: to grave) and how his research continues (spoiler: it doesn't), that was my main moment of being pissed at Dracula and also when he started fucking with Mina which was a dick move honestly.

3. Vampire hunting

I'm pretty sure this was the longest part, which makes sense. I found it a bit funny, since Dracula keeps escaping and making his mischevious plans and spending money on shit and then Van Helsing, Arthur, John, Jonathan, Quincey and in certain parts Mina trying to catch him. It was a bit silly when I actually realised those babes are playing mouse and cat and also that Arthur spends shit ton money on this stuff. I dont even wanna know how it would go if neither of them was rich. How I said, wasn't a fan of Dracula being a bitch and making it Mina's problem, that sweet sweet woman didn't deserve it (I'm so glad Mina gets the recognision she should get in the book). ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT JONATHAN??? My poor man has been through the worst stuff possible through the book, he's in his late 20's and got grey hair and wrinkles just from Dracula. Also PTSD and some illness he had after getting out of the castle. Shout out to Jonathan for being the first wife guy and also LIVING THROUGH LITERAL HELL???? We dont talk about this enough T_T. Also here's my favourite fanart (idk if im just bad at looking for fanart, but this book doesn't have that much of it, like Dracula does but the side guys and Mina - Mina has few but most are with Dracula which is ickyyy - and Lucy.)

Credits to @hauntingyourself (I think)

The ending wasn't any revolutionary, it was good tho, also Quincey's death was so out my pocket, but im not complaining.

I'd also say why I liked and enjoyed this book was partially because I didn't take it as seriously, I mean I'll watch some analyses about it and all, but while reading, I was just having fun, and memes and silly fanart also helped with that.

It was a fun book, shout out to Mrs. Librarian who borrowed this book for me from another library 💋

Edit: also if you plan on reading/are reading Dracula I recommend listening to the album Empire of the vampire by Paralysed age :3

30/12/2024

[ageless-aislynn]

Title: “15 Minutes” (10/15) Author:  @ageless-aislynn​ Characters/fandom: Master Chief John-117/Reader, Halo the series Summary: As you heal, you're not alone. Series: How to date a Spartan (without even trying) Rating:  T (PG13) Length: 2,604 (this chapter, 24,863 total so far) Spoilers: Set in the Silver Timeline of Halo the series, not the games or novels. Though we began with the events of Halo 1x06, there will be no more show spoilers. We are still firmly seated in the AU Warthog, merrily driving out to places where there’s only a passing nod to canon. 😉 Disclaimer: Definitely not mine but I do enjoy borrowing them just for a bit! 😉 A/N:  Text is both here in this post or available at AO3, however you like to read. Apologies for the break we took for a few weeks here. 😳This chapter turned out a little longer than I expected, (please enter "that's what she said" joke of your choice here), so I hope that makes up a bit for the delay. If you read, I hope you enjoy! ⭐💖⭐

Taglist: @pinheadbanger​ @mysardencut​ @laurenstacy610​ @sporadicbelievernightmare​ @ultrablackwidower​ @bxmxtx​ @jellotherelol @mirandastuckinthe80s

If you would like to be tagged in my John/Reader fics, just let me know! I also write John/Kai, John/Cortana and Kai/male Reader, so I’m glad to tag you for whatever you’d like. If you would like to be removed from the taglist, also feel free to let me know, no harm, no foul. 😉 💖

Halo fic masterlist ⭐

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9

Pressure on your chest brought you startling awake, flinging your left arm up as if to try and break free of a restraint. White hot pain burst from your shoulder down your bicep like a cord of fire trying to amputate your arm. You gave a strangled cry, managing to sit up and clutch at the various points of hurt as the agony gradually faded.

Out of the darkness, a now-familiar woman's voice said your rank and last name. "Are you all right? Do you need me to dispatch medical assistance?"

"No," you quickly said, automatically straightening your sleep-rumpled shirt. "I moved my arm wrong. Thanks, though."

"Of course," she returned, her tone kind.

"Are you, um, monitoring me?"

"Just for sounds of distress or pain. John was adamant that your privacy be respected as much as possible."

That made you smile slightly under the cover of the lack of light. "I hope they've given you something else to do other than to listen for me to say ouch."

"Not to worry, I keep busy."

You nodded even though she couldn't see it. Or maybe she could? Was she holed up in some ONI office, watching you with thermal signatures or some other sort of tech? "I appreciate it, Ms. Classified. Though I believe you gave me your name, didn't you? I'm sorry, I can't remember what it was."

"You were a little busy at the time," she demurred. "It's Cortana but I rather like 'Ms. Classified,' I have to say. It's like a nickname between friends, isn't it?"

"It is," you said. "And please feel free to use my first name. No need for friends to stand on formality."

"Thank you," she said and, after a slight pause, added your name as if it were an honor to do so.

Was she a Spartan, perhaps? Something about her careful manner reminded you of how John sometimes reacted to interpersonal things as if he hadn't ever dealt with them before and wanted desperately to be right in his response.

You wasn't sure if you should ask and while you were still wondering, she said goodbye with a sound like pixels vanishing, though there had been no hologram of her to see this time.

Your day was a lot more mundane after that. PT came by as Dr. Savannah had said they would, and you dutifully did the exercises with minimal grumbling and complaining. The ancient saying about medics being terrible patients was still said for a reason, after all, but you didn't want to be One Of Those if you could help it.

The therapist had brought you breakfast from the mess for after your session: the cold cereal MRE, typically called mush rarely edible, along with plain black coffee. She also told you that the next session would be tomorrow instead of later today, due to a scheduling conflict.

So that left you with a whole lot of day and very little to fill it.

You were scrolling through your padd, looking through old documents and messages, intending to clean up and organize things but, more often than not, ended up reminiscing on the past, on friends once part of your every day life now long gone, either transferred away or worse.

You discovered a folder full of sketches of various Mjolnir designs you'd done back before you'd decided for certain to begin training to be a Brokkr tech. Your interest in the Spartans and their armor had been a mere hobby, then.

You were far from a gifted artist but trying to capture the different iterations, the bulkier but classic shapes of the Mark V, the more streamlined Mark VI, had made for fun practice. You'd also tried out a few ideas of your own, such as "floating" pieces of armor to try and better protect the Spartans' joints without sacrificing mobility. The final image, though, had been a purely fanciful one: a fusion of Mjolnir and medieval, a literal Spartan in shining armor.

You couldn't help but chuckle. There was no number on the chest plate but it was clearly Master Chief to anybody who was familiar with his armor configuration. The patterning on his visor had a texture reminiscent of a knight's helm and the flare of his shield had a shape like the plume of a feather at the crest of his head. One arm was extended but incomplete: you hadn't decided whether to give him a BR or DMR or go for something like a broadsword or lance. Then you'd simply never come back to finish it and it had been forgotten in your drafts for all this time.

Tapping a fingertip contemplatively against your lip, you thought for a moment, then impulsively picked up your stylus and began to draw.

Gentle fingertips brushed against your hair and you woke to find John next to the bed.

"Sorry to bother you," he murmured, "but you looked uncomfortable."

The moment he said that, your neck began protesting the odd angle your head had slumped into.

"Well, that was a bad idea," you said plaintively, straightening up very slowly. Your entire body ached like you'd been moonlighting as a punching bag. Your padd slipped off your lap to the mattress, then bounced towards the edge, and John easily caught it on the fly.

You suddenly remembered what had been on it. The screen was dark but all it would take was a brush of a finger to activate it again and he'd see--

"What's this?" he said, orientating the padd right side up.

"That's... my poor attempt at artistry," you said, feeling heat blooming up your neck. You resisted the urge to snatch it from his hand and throw it to the floor yourself.

"It's not poor," he countered, studying it even more intently. "Not at all. I like it a lot, especially the detail here."

He tapped the image and the SPNKr rocket launcher you'd placed casually in the Spartan's hand, resting on the armored shoulder, expanded to better reveal the intricate filigree you'd spent a considerable amount of time adding to the large missile chamber.

"I mean, it's not practical, of course," you mumbled but his sincere appreciation lessened your embarrassment. "I wanted a medieval feel to a modern weapon."

"Do you have others?" he asked, handing the padd back to you.

You appreciated that he didn't just start flipping through the images. You swiped back to show him your other Mjolnir studies.

The very corner of his mouth twitched. "These are all mine, aren't they?"

"Hm, I suppose they are," you said in mock surprise. "It looks like I've had a favorite Spartan for a while now."

"Good," he said decisively, then glanced at you with a soft smile. "Could I send a copy of this to R&D?"

"Which one?" you asked, alarmed.

"The floating armor," he said, the smile growing a bit.

"Yeah, if you want," you said and forwarded the study to him. "I doubt I've thought of anything they haven't by now but I guess you never know."

"And could I have a copy of the other one, just for me?"

"Really?"

"Really," he confirmed.

You switched back to the medieval drawing, adding your signature with a flourish in the corner before forwarding that one as well.

The door chimed and he went to open it as if it were expected.

"Master Chief, sir!" the young private said, making a motion no doubt intended to be a salute that he couldn't complete because of the large and apparently heavy covered tray he was carrying.

"At ease," he said, taking the tray from him.

The private snapped a salute as crisp as if he were in the presence of Lord Hood himself, then kept standing in the open doorway, staring rather starstruck.

"Thank you, you're dismissed," John told him.

"If you or the Hero of the Pit need anything, let me know, sir," the marine said earnestly before backing away.

Once the door closed, you said, "That really is a terrible nickname."

"The Covenant call me 'Demon,'" John said, bringing the tray to the bed and setting it on the foot.

"'Demon' is badass," you countered. "Mine sounds like I fell in a hole and somehow managed to crawl back out."

"Crawling out of that hole wasn't a given," he said, "and you made sure nobody else was in there with you."

He lifted the cover on the tray, revealing two sizzling plates of food. The smell that hit you was divine.

Your voice dropped an entire octave. "Is that eggplant parmigiana?"

"I... think so? It's whatever was being served in the Spartan mess for lunch." His expression darkened. "You were supposed to get breakfast from there, too, but there was apparently some sort of mix-up. It's been dealt with."

You felt momentarily sorry for whoever had been on the receiving end of being dealt with. "I can't eat Spartan portions."

"You actually can because it so happens that I can calculate how many calories a Brokkr mechanic-slash-medic needs in order to heal properly." He held that with a serious expression for a moment, then winked. "And I also asked Dr. Savannah about it. She said, and I quote, 'Tell her it's fine to live a little.'"

"Oh, well, if it's doctor's orders..." you trailed off with a grin.

He left to get a small table and chair for himself since there was only the one lap tray and you took the opportunity to hit the head, thinking you'd be settled back in before he returned. As it turned out, you either greatly underestimated how far he had to go to find what he was looking for or, more likely, had greatly overestimated how quickly you could move.

Your left arm wanted to draw up to your torso from the way your damaged shoulder muscle was currently being foreshortened. Raising it even close to 45 degrees made it feel like it was being ripped off of your body. You took a couple of deep breaths, forcing it straight down to your side, and gritted your teeth though the pain as you returned to the main room.

John had already finished setting up the portable table and turned, his expression going almost comically aghast. "Should I call somebody? What can I do? I can carry you or--"

"No, it's fine," you told him. "I just have to work through it."

He hovered next to you as you made the few, torturous step back to the bed, his worry a palpable thing. Your bad knee buckled and he caught your arm -- fortunately, the right one -- to keep you from going down. His fingers hit a bruise hidden under your sleeve but you managed to not react.

The stricken look he gave you meant he'd seen the reaction anyway.

"There we go," you said, trying to sound breezy but the result was more winded than anything as you propped up against the headboard. "I'm ready for lunch. Are you? Lunch sounds great right about now."

He seemed at a loss as to what to do. You gingerly reached out and wrapped your fingers around his.

"I'm okay," you said softly. "I'm healing on schedule and it could've been much worse."

He nodded shortly, very, very carefully folding his other hand over yours. With a brief glance away, he nodded a final time as if agreeing to something you couldn't hear and then exhaled purposefully, affecting a lighter tone. "Well, let's see how that eggplant parmigiana is, then, hm?"

Even though physical therapy wasn't scheduled again until tomorrow, you went ahead and did the exercises anyway. Not only did it give you something to do after John left, but you were even more inspired to try to regain your strength as soon as possible.

Since you were alone, you felt free to swear your way more and more creatively through the entire session and only after the fact did you worry that maybe you had accidentally taught Cortana some new words and phrases.

Nah, you thought. Surely, she's not stuck sitting at some console all day and night, listening for me to need something, right?

You almost asked it out loud, just to see if she was listening, but decided against it. You didn't want to imagine she'd been instructed to keep her earpiece in to monitor you even when she took a meal or bathroom break. Or that maybe she never even actually got to go off-duty at all. It hadn't escaped your attention that John apparently didn't trust anybody else to provide your erstwhile overwatch.

You ate your dinner when it arrived, a very delicious chicken gumbo, then turned in early, since sleep was also an important factor in healing.

But your sleep was restless, the aches in your body keeping you from getting comfortable, and then when you did doze off, your mind kept taking you back to those moments when you were trapped. A couple of times, you found yourself jolting awake, John's name on your lips. You wondered if he was on base, asleep in the Spartan quarters. You'd assumed he would come back if he were here but you hadn't actually asked him to. It was his room, though, so wouldn't he...?

Try to get some sleep, that's the best thing right now. You'll feel stronger tomorrow, you silently instructed yourself, trying to find a comfortable position.

The next time you woke, your heart was thundering in your ears and you made a small panicked noise.

The lights abruptly came up to a quarter and you looked around wildly.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

John sat up from where he was stretched out over on the couch and you instinctively reached for him. He was there almost as if appearing by magic, letting you grip his hand as he leaned over you.

You were tangled in the covers and struggled to free yourself. He carefully extricated you with his free hand.

"Were you having a nightmare?" he asked and you nodded.

"I- I didn't know you were here," you said, stumbling over the words. "Why are you on the couch? You could share. I'd- I'd like you to."

He got that slightly stricken look again. "I'm heavy. I'll hurt you by moving around. I can't... I can't cause you more pain. I'm right here, though."

You understood what he meant but it still stung a bit like rejection. You normally would've let him go, would've tried to accept it gracefully, but the phantom weight on your chest changed the words on your tongue.

Your voice emerged small and compressed. "I need you, John."

The words clearly hit him like a plasma bolt to the chest and his fingers closed gently around yours.

"All right," he finally said. "I'll be careful."

It took a few minutes but eventually you were in his arms, turned on your right side with your injured left arm resting on his chest, your head tucked into the curve of his neck. All of the movement did hurt but you absolutely didn't care; all that was important was that he was here, you could hear his heart beneath your ear, could feel his warmth seeping into all of your pains and soothing them.

"Thank you," you murmured into the softness of his shirt.

"You don't have to thank me," he said, kissing the top of your head and lightly brushing his fingers across the hand you had on his sternum.

You were almost asleep when you thought, but weren't completely sure, that he also quietly said, "I need you, too."

[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #273

Brain Curds are lightly edited daily writing - usually flash fiction and sometimes terrible on purpose.

Meta Corporation Non-Specific Holiday Special - Review

Confusing…

I’ll be honest with you folks - when I was asked to review this special, I was mostly convinced someone was pulling my leg. Meta - previously known as Facebook (which remains the company running said decaying social media platform) - has unleashed upon this poor, poor, world and star-studded half-hour of ‘entertainment’ meant to promote its brands.

It begins with an opening number by obscure Euro-pop group Gleeful Habit, which this reviewer was entirely unfamiliar with, and now yearns for that time. The hook is weak and the lyrics indecipherable, but one gets the idea that Mark Zuckerberg is personally a fan of the group and pushed for their inclusion.

Not to worry though, next is an AI-generated hologram recreation of Dolly Parton singing All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth cross cut with an uncomfortably long extended version of I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. She repeatedly mugs the camera, winking and raising one eyebrow as if to suggest there is some connection between these two songs. Thematically, there really is not. And I can’t be bothered to check if they’re written by the same person, I just can’t.

Following this, she jumps into Zuck’s HTC First smartphone (a deep cut even for tech nerds, a failed ‘Facebook Phone’ from a decade ago) to explore the For You page of Instagram. And yes, it really is just five minutes of scrolling through popular short-form videos. There’s no cohesion, they’re not even all holiday-related - in fact, one of the Reels is just a still image of that really sad Spongebob. Cyber-Dolly smiles blankly all the same.

It pans out to show the real Dolly Parton in a recording booth with about fifty other celebs, including Tom Cruise, Mariah Carey, Gal Godot, and Chrises Pratt, Hemsworth, Pine, Evans, Brown, Lloyd, and Walken. The lopsided group sings Do They Know It’s Christmas before being played off by another performance from Gleeful Habit of the first song they played. Which is apparently called, Breaking the Axe of the Santa Klaus.

Given the prominence of Christmas in the special, one considers a possibility that it is “Non-Specific” for not targeting any audience at all. It’s hard to imagine that with all the options available, people will find this charming enough to come back to it in a year’s time. My time will be better spent with Home Alone 7, The Star Wars Holiday Special, and Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.

4 / 10

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Please comment, reblog, like, and follow if you enjoyed - I'd love to know what you think! See you again tomorrow.