#Customize yourself like your favourite video game character or OC

[nuntialaetificant]

Now that I've slept on it some more I feel like I can be more coherent then just screaming in the tags. I shall now incoherently scream into the void. I'm basically talking to mhaelf and allowing other to look. I feel the need to state the obvious and express how important I think the underlying message is in Youn's variant of Al-Haitham. This Al-Haitham does something all of us should aspire to also do: He takes care of himself.

And its fucking increadible. What he does is simple, but simple doesn't mean easy, but that doesn't mean it doesn't become easier. Just like drawing, or sculpting or playing music, taking care of yourself is a skill that you need to always be working on until it becomes second nature.

Al-Haitham has something many of us desperately need and that is self respect and genuine self care. As in, he cares about himself and takes care of himself as best he can. This means he feeds himself good food, he gives himself plenty of exercise, he gives himself mental enrichment and he puts himself to bed on time. He feeds, he plays and he rests.

In the theme of muscle building/building your body so it looks how you want it to be, you will need to do 3 simple but for most of us very hard things:

1. Eat well. When it comes to muscle building this is not simply a matter of calories in and calories out. Instead one needs to focus on cutting out simple carbs and replacing them with complex carbs as well, combined with consuming plenty of protein. The complex carbs breakdown slowely, making it so you feel full for longer while proviidng you with a steady supply of glucose that can be used for energy. Proteins on the other hand aid your body with building muscles by repairing the muscle fibers after exercising.

2. Exercise frequently. While for body "building" or sculpting most people imagine going to the gym would be the only form of exercise one can engage in this is fundamentally untrue. With exercise I also mean play. Exercising is a form of play and its both mentally and physically stimulating. You build muscle by overloading the muscles you already have, which then repair themselves when you are at rest. This brings us to

3. Sleep well. Seriously, sleep. You need to sleep. You need sleep. You're not building muscles unless you're sleeping so sleep damn it. You need to sleep at least 7 hours but preferably 9. That said the quality of your sleep is equally if not more important. Luckily enough a good feeding pattern and plenty of exercise helps with increasing sleep quality.

All these factors combined create a positive, self reinforcing cycle that will increase your quality of life in general. Eating better will eventually make you feel good. Exercising more will make you eventually feel good. Sleeping well will make you eventually feel good. Eventually being the keyword here because gettingnyour body to adjust to these habits if they're not already ingrained is so, so hard. But depending on how you feed and exercise, you will be able to craft your body into your desired image. This requires a realistic understanding of your limitations as well as a drive and desire to commit to these things. Succeeding in this however will significantly increase ones quality of life.

None of these things come for free, but they are not impossible. If you strive for it you can most definately make it. Do know that these points are increadibly simplified to their bare basics but I'm not gonna ramble on about the technicalities and studies for why these things work the way they do.

Youn's Al-Haitham is a darling but also inspirational. He has grit, determination and drive. Once again he genuinely cares about himself and is grounded. These are basically the things he embodies, to me, as a character and I hope that I'm reading that characterization right XD.

I hope that you too, whomever you are who is reading this, will also find the grit, determination and dedication to better your life. To build yourself up in whatever way you want. Customize your irl avatar however you deem fit. Take care of yourself. K gonna stop rambling now bye

and he did

[yousadclownofaman]

1, 2, 3, 21, 18, 10, 8!

1. What’s your V/OC’s name?

His full name is Paxon Vdovenko, but he goes by Pax primarily.

2. 3 facts about your V/OC?

He’s got a secret fascination with westerns & old cowboy media, which stemmed from staying up late with his maternal Grandfather watching reruns of old spaghetti westerns. He’s even got a pair of cowboy boots, and when he’s got to dress up inconspicuous-like for a job in a nicer district, Pax also has a whole cowpoke-chíc getup. He does get a little bashful about it though, so don’t make fun of him too much. Pax was blessed with a cast-iron stomach that can withstand the horrors of modern synthesized foodstuffs in 2077, and an immune system to match. He’s been known to swipe drinks off the sidewalk, sample pizzas found in the course of completing side gigs, and keep vending machine burritos within a 5 foot radius of him almost at all times. Some of his favorite vended goods are the Holobites Peach Pie squeezeable paste-bag, the Synthsnack squeeze-bag (imagining it tastes like artificial fruit flavors), the Dairing Dairy “Milkshake”, any kind of coffee so long as it’s sweetened, and Cirrus Corn & Lemon. He mixes that last one with rum on off-days. As an up-and-coming young booster & eventual mid-tier freelancer, Pax got his start running the Watson gig circuit with other kids from his apartment bloc. Pax came to Night City from the Ukraine with his parents to live with his grandparents, so he got exposed to a lot of the other Eastern European immigrants that his grandparents (programmers back in the 2040′s, living off the last pittlings of their pension checks). Unfortunately that also meant that he was getting a lot of shady, dangerous jobs from Scav fixers taking advantage of his lack of connections by tempting him with cyberware. He’s far beyond that now, but he’s also a pair of synth-lungs, a couple pounds of reinforced bone & several feet of synth-skin better for it.

3. In what ways do you see yourself in your V/OC? 

Oh, yeesh. I dunno, not much to be honest. I’m not as outgoing as Pax, for sure, but I think we have the same sensibilities in music for the most part. He listens to a lot of hard metal, since he tends to like being on-edge when he’s out in the concrete undergrowth. We both are also always down to try some weird food we’ve never heard of before.

8. If you could have anyone as a companion in 2077, who would it be?

I didn’t even need to think about this. Dum-Dum. Please. Please! I would shell out $25 if I could have Dum-Dum as a companion throughout the game, and have an ““““evil karma”“““ path where the player could ally with the gangs instead. Ofc I know CDPR couldn’t do that for marketing reasons but I can dream. But yeah, Dum-Dum backing up V throughout all of those social interaction missions would be a helluva lot of fun to hear. And honestly it’d be sort of interesting to hear what Johnny would have to say about Dum-Dums various philosophies. Could be cool and Dum-Dum is yum-yum

10. Favourite love interest questline?

Eaeuh...man...this is tough bc tbh I didn’t really like any of them. I’m not huge into romances in games bc I’m never going to get a story that I really enjoy from a video game romance bc my tastes aren’t all that represented. Interactions come off really herky-jerky and the like..flirty writing is really awkward & clumsy I feel. Which is fine! I don’t care that much. That being said I like how Judy gets together a crack-team of misfits to take back Clouds, I thought that was a satisfying way to take her character forward beyond her connection to Evelyn. I guess I appreciate the love interest questlines more for the worldbuilding that they employ rather than the interactions with the love interests themselves. And the Aldecaldos! Love those mud-caked bastards

18. What’s a mission or side gig you loved?

I was really very impressed by the Sinnerman questline tbh. It really came out of nowhere for me, and reminded me of some of William Gibson’s ideas in his book Idoru, which was very cool to see in a videogame. I was very pleasantly surprised by how much the developers chose to focus on spirituality in a far-flung (or not so far-flung) future like this, seeing as how they could have totally ignored it. sometimes I find myself thinking about that quest at totally random times, which for me, is the mark of good sidequest writing. Personally I had a bit of an issue with some of the Main Quest story writing early-on in the game where I think the storywriters made some less-than-intelligent decisions that could have very easily been re-routed into something more interesting; that being said, the character writing for the most part is really solid and side-quests are where that shines the most.

21. Are you a “Jackie’s arch only” person or are you open to driving V’s car and other vehicles?

Me personally as a player, I tend towards motorcycles bc they handle a bit better across the board on consoles (I play on Xbone), barring a couple different cars that I feel handle nicely like the Thrax & the Archer Hela. Pax on the other hand; he only technically owns one vehicle, a custom older model Yaiba Yamagata with an extended Bosozoku-stye back seat for a secondary rider. He used to be part of a small-time juvie-cyclegang, and by the rules of the gang he was required to both learn how to drive while supporting a fighting secondary rider, and to fight around the driver so he didn’t injure either them or himself.

(Imagine this but 2077′ed, I’ll have to sketch it out at some point properly but here’s this for the gist of it)

[devil-kindred]

Get to Know Me - raisinghellinotherworlds

Saw @pd3 do this and though I’d give it a go!

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1. Name : Siren (it’s a pseudonym!)

2. Nationality: American

3. Age: 27

4. Birthday: January 29th

5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign): Aquarius

6. Gender: Female

7. Sexuality: Heterosexual

More below the cut

[[MORE]]

8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself)

For the record this is the only recent picture of myself I like and this is about as much of my face as you’ll ever see bc I know my angles.

9. What do you/did you study?: I went to school for a Bachelors in Arts with and emphasis on Sciences but never finished it bc 1) college is expensive and 2) I don’t know what I want to do career-wise so there’s not a point in going back anymore.

10. What’s your current job like?/What job would you like to have?: I’m a service desk associate at a department store. Something where I could deal with less people bc boy does this job push my patience sometimes.

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11. What is your birth order?: Firstborn/Oldest.

12. How many siblings do you have?: Technically four, but only two living.

13. Do you have good relations with your family?: My immediate family. My siblings are closer to each other (but they’re only two years apart) but we get along. I also have a good relationship with my parents though I’m not as close to my mom as I could be it’s hard to forget the not nice things your parent say to you as a kid.

14. How many friends do you have?: Lots though only a few I see/talk to on a regular basis.

15. Your relationship status: Single.

16. What do you look for in a SO?: Intelligent, kind, has a sense of humor.

17. Do you have a crush?: I guess.

18. When was your first kiss?: WHY *sighs* I was... 25.

19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands?: I’ve... never been in an actual relationship? I’d like to say serious.

20. What are your deal breakers? Being rude, cheating, and treating me like a child/you know what’s best for me/someone in need of saving (new flash, i am not your princess peach/some damsel in distress. If you need to rescue someone I am not your girl).

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21. How was your day?: It’s still early into the day and I go to work in about an hour and a half and I get to close so we’ll see!

22. Favourite food & drink: French Fries. Or anything with potatoes. I’m a fiend. And Dr. Pepper or Coffee.

23. What position do you sleep in?: On my side/stomach on the part of the bed that’s against the wall.

24. What was your last dream about?: It was... highly NSFT and no, I will not go into detail.

25. Your fears: I’m not a fan of spiders or bugs of any kind really, I hate clowns, and I don’t like thunderstorms. Or tornados.

26. Your dreams: Move, either out of state or out of the country.

27. Your goals: See above.

28. Any pets?: A bird, Momo.

29. What are your hobbies?: Writing, playing video games, and reading (fanfic or books)

30. Any cool places in your area?: I’m sure there are but I live in a town surrounded by corn and other farmland so... it’s anyone’s best guess.

31. What was your last awkward situation?: The other day when a customer stared at me for a solid three minutes when I explained that due to the pandemic we’re no longer offering one of our services in an effort to reduce contact.

32. What is your last regret?: That I didn’t realize the true nature of some people who I no longer speak to sooner.

33. Language/s you can speak: English, Spanish (I’m so rusty though), a little bit of French, and a teeny tiny bit of Japanese.

34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.): I believe in my many things so yes.

35. Have any quirks?: Uh... I mess with my hair when I’m nervous? & the more nervous I get my (already high) voice gets higher and will go up several octaves the more nervous I get?

36. Your pet peeves: People in my apartment building slamming the front door all the damn time.

37. Ideal vacation: Somewhere with nice scenery and where it’s calm.

38. Any scars?: Quite a few small ones on my head from a car accident when I was just a baby (I went through a window- got a few scrapes but other than that was unharmed) and one on my hand (it’s on both sides of my hand too) from when I was toddler and got bit by a dog.

39. What does your last text message say?: “I’ll let you know when I get some gameplay posted!” I have a sideblog for casual TS4 gameplay. Was telling a friend that I was going to post new stuff soon.

40. Last 5 things from your search history: No thanks! It’s all just checking if a word is really a word and spelling anyways.

41. What’s your [Device] background?: Lockscreen is a wallpaper from FFXV ft. The Chocobros; Hope Screen is Sam & Evie.

42. What do you daydream about?: Writing mostly.

43. Describe your dream home: Decent amount of space, a library room to hold all my books... good lighting, comfy.... preferably NOT in the middle of nowhere.

44. What’s your religion/Your thought about religion: I am not a fan. Particularly of Christianity but everyone has their own beliefs and in that regard, to each their own. Just don’t try to convert me bc the answer is f*ck no.

45. Your personality type: INFP.

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done?: Climbed onto the roof of the shed when I was little because I got something stuck up there.

47. Are you happy with your current life?: For the most part!

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life: Gymnastics, Ballet, etc.

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49. What does your wardrobe consist of?: Lots of t-shirts, jeans, shorts, flats, boots, etc.

50. Favourite colour to wear?: Black or Blue.

51. How would you describe your style?: Extremely casual.

52. Are you happy with your current looks?: Kinda? I really need to cut my hair because it’s gotten so long it’s annoying. But I can put up with it until it’s safe again bc pandemic. My hair is not that important I assure you.

53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be?: Oh God, could I be taller? Like at least 5’3”? Which is still teeny but better than my 4’9” ass.

Do you have any piercings or tattoos?: I have 3 piercings and three tattoos (two finished, one in progress)

55. Do you get complimented often?: Maybe? I’m oblivious to the point that you could have a flashing neon sign with the compliment written on it and it would probably still go over my head.

56. Favourite aesthetic?: Biker Chic!

57. A popular trend that you dislike: Neon.

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58. Songs you’re currently obsessed with?: Blessed Be - Spiritbox.

59. Song you normally wouldn’t admit you like: If I like a song, I like it. But if I have to pick one, I know everyone hates Despacitio. I know, ok but I really like the original version bc I like the sound. Latin music always has a fun groove to it.

60. Favourite genre?: Rock & Metal.

61. Favourite artist/band/genre?: Type O Negative, Pallbearer, Ice Nine Kills. Give me all the goth rock/metal and just fun metal in general.

62. Hated popular songs/artists?: Oh boy... don’t hate me but I um... don’t care too much for T Swift? And I’m not a fan of country.

63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5: Devil’s // Door - VCTMS, Karasu - The GazettE, Path - Apocalyptica, I Walk the Line - Halsey, Drumming Song - Florence + the Machine

64. Can you sing or play any instruments?: I can kinda play bass but I’m still learning so it’s just like... the very bare basics.

65. Do you like karaoke?: I’m very self-conscious so no.

66. Own any albums?: Yes, though majority are digital.

67. Do you listen to radio? What stations?: Yes. I have it on for background noise in my room in which case I don’t pay attention to it, but I have XM radio in my car where I listen to Octane/Liquid Metal/Turbo.

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68. Favourite movie/series?: The Dark Knight trilogy or Hellraiser or Nightbreed.

69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc: Horror, Sci-fi, and fantasy.

70. Your fictional crush/es: Too many. Look at my OCs and their SO’s and you’ll find a bunch of them.

71. Which fictional character is you?: My friends would say Mira Jane from Fairy Tail. My bestie says Mercedes from Fire Emblem Three Houses (minus the devout part bc... I do not have nice feelings re-religion. You do you though!).

72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so: Yes, and once again you’ll be reading for eternity. So I’ll sum it up as too many to list.

73. Favourite greek god?: Apollo.

74. A legend from where you live that you like: It’s said that before big disasters happen in the town I live in + the surrounding areas, that you’ll see a panther. Supposedly one has been seen before at least 4 different bad things that have happened over the years. I’m in the midwest though so take that as you will.

75. Do you like art?: I do but I don’t really have a favorite. ... I am kinda partial to Van Gogh though.

76. Can you share your other social media?: I have a Pinterest but since my other social media has my name (which I also share with an OC whoops. That’s what I get for being indecisive and going the first name the name generator gave me) I’d rather not. If you ask and we’re friends I’ll probably give it to you but...

77. Favourite youtubers?: I don’t really watch too many anymore but I’ve been watching a lot of jacksepticeye’s gameplay. Aside that I tend to just watch channels like PlayStation Access or Outsidexbox.

78. Favourite platform?: Instagram

79. How much time do you spend on the internet?: More than I should, I’m sure.

80. What video games have you played? Which one’s your favourite? Uh, if I had to list them all you’d literally be reading this for eternity. To sum it up, I mostly play RPGs/JRPGs, open-world, survival horror (my fave), and a few (emphasis on few) FPS. Favorites are (once again with a limit): Bioshock, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Until Dawn, Silent Hill 2, and Fatal Frame.

81. Your favourite books (manga also counts): do you know how f*cking hard this question is as someone who’s a bookworm? Ok, ok um... Gotta have a limit or I’ll never shut up... um... Three favorites: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Horns by Joe Hill, and American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

82. Do you play board/card games?: On occasion! They’re best with bigger groups but alas, my apartment is rather small and I don’t have a lot of space for multiple people so I don’t play them often.

83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema? No, but it sounds fun.

84. Favourite holiday: Halloween!

85. Are you into dramas?: As in, tv dramas? Kinda? I have a friend on lived in SK for a time and got into K-dramas so I watch them with her from time-to-time when she visits.

Would you use a Death Note if you had one?: No.

87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to?: Oh boy... make everyone get along, ensure everyone could live their life to the best possible, etc.

88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse?: Possibly.

89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be?: I’m going with mythical instead of strictly paranormal but... a vampire!

90. What would you want to happen to you after your death?: As in to my body? Cremate me. To my stuff, give my books to a good home and take care of my bird.

91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick?: Most people call me by my middle name already since I got tired of people calling me the wrong name (& I like my middle name better) and insisting my first name was actually a nickname (it’s not, it’s the same as the musician I’m named after) so if I were to eventually be bothered enough, I’d have it legally changed to my middle name.

92. Who would you switch your life with for a week?: I don’t know to be honest. I’m fairly happy with my life so I think I’d just not switch.

93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo: 🌊

94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true: I took karate classes for several years, I’ve never dyed my hair, I’ve had two jobs thus far.

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95. Cold or hot?: Cold I guess? If we’re talking in reference to seasons give me cool (aka Fall).

96. Be a hero or be a villain?: Hero because being a villain would mean I’d have to be mean to people and I can’t even pick the mean options in video games without feeling guilty so...

97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme?: um... no? I’m not quite certain what this means but I’m going to go with no?

98. Shapeshifting or controlling time?: Shapeshifting!

99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?: Immortal.

[jawbreakers2015]

Player Profile: Hang

avid modder, occasional TO and montage video producer from Germany top 12 in the Jawbreakers Stunfest Qualifier (artwork of Drop by Kagu)

What names do you go by?

I used to go by Troke for the entirety of April. Which was based on a dumb coincidence where I talked to Neer and had one of my usual mobile spelling errors and I wrote "I'm having ha troke" instead of "having a stroke".

I wanted to go away from "Hang Boy" since quite some time as I specifically wanted to get rid of the "Boy" and just "Hang" felt wrong and was still associated to Hang Boy anyway. But I guess I'm back to that now.

Reason to why I wanted to rid myself of "Boy" was as simple as me linking my online persona to my OC (By choosing her for profile pictures on basically any platform) which then of course lead people to believe she is a male based on the thought "Hey this is Hang Boy. So the profile picture must also be Hang Boy".

The name Hang Boy btw occurred just as I started my first step into the internet, when I was a big fan of the Binding of Isaac. So i needed an online name and I ventured through Isaac related things. Which was when I came across the Tarot card "Hanged Man". So I just took that and adjusted a bit.

How do you feel about your performance in this tournament?

Was pretty okay. I didn't expect to get far into it. Although I'm a bit sad I didn't make the Top 8 picture. Only needed one win more as well.

However I would have been disappointed in everyone else, if they allowed for me to reach Top 3. So good that didn't happen.

What was your strategy preparing for and competing in the tournament?

I haven't played Blaze in weeks. The only times I played recently was to get some recordings for a Toxic montage. Right before the tournament I was more worried to finish my Isaac run. Which I did win!

And during the tournament was pretty much just "Turn some nice music on, jam to it, play some Nitro, do some silly cuff shenanigans, do dumb parry grab down throws so the viewers can laugh over something".

I did "fly" with Nitro in one match but sadly it wasn't streamed so only Hellraiser was able to see the glory of Flying Cuff™.

Which was your hardest match of the tournament?

Hellraiser I suppose. He did kick me out of it. I never really played him or saw him play and he didn't fall for my aggressive playstyle, so it was a tough time.

What surprised you most about the tournament?

Cherry's second place finish. I know he's good, I think he's underrated even.

But second place is a really good finish. Even more so beating JawDrop since, in my opinion, he has some of the craziest tech and can be really really confusing to play against.

(Yea he also has weird lag even tho he lives in France but whatever :p)

Is there anyone you didn’t face that you wish you did?

I would have wanted to play Defur if possible. To some degree I see his entrance as a sort of meme entry. But jokes aside and game aside, I can only take my hat off to this man and his effort for the tournament scene.

Sadly didn't get to play Daio. It feels like a tradition to face off against him in FellowsTV hosted tournaments. Which always goes the same way tbf. He counters my playstyle hard, I'm annoyed to play against him, don't bother changing my playstyle in order to win, get demolished. But the tradition counts!

I'd put Neer in the same boat. Hate playing against him but it just kinda has to be.

How did you get into Lethal League?

A friend bought it for me. We played a couple of games, he had to leave. I went into QM, found Garu, got absolutely demolished, he friended me and pulled me into it.

I specifically remember seeing his Latch corpse juggles and thinking "Man this is so cool, I want to be able to do this too". So right of the bat I started to play for the style, which is what I still go by.

Style > Efficiency

It feels bad not having paid for LL nor Blaze but I bought LL for a bunch of friends so guess that checks out.

What's your current Lethal League experience?

450+ hours in LL 340 hours in Blaze (As of now. 26.4.2019) And a giant bunch of hours of community interaction and modding.

I was very excited when asked to be beta testing and it fulfilled a childhood dream of being in video game credits.

Despite only getting into Beta a month before release, I stacked up 90 hours before the game came out. Lots of 9 hour playtime days. It was massive fun.

I bought almost all of the merch...got most signed by Tim & Dion too. I went to the Netherlands twice to meet TR. It was fun, they are cool people. Watching Dion doing a live dance off was pretty rad ngl.

I brought self made cheesecake the second time, but Tim had to get it into the building since they check your bags for normal visitors and it wasn't allowed to bring food.

I'll never forget the sight of Tim with his big bag looking like he's smuggling a bomb into a convention.

Who are your main/side/counter character picks?

Everything. So yes random, it's random.

However I most enjoy playing Nitro because of all the dumb things he can do. Especially flying, cuff storage (specifically for down angle on the ground, to just pull a little bit forward) and half pull.

Doombox is also very fun. Special>bunt>smash>parry>special>repeat can chain pretty often on some opponents and is hilarious.

The only characters I "despise" playing are Toxic and Sonata. But only because I'm really bad with them.

What are your favourite character outfits?

Dust and Ashes. Just their whole design.

For real tho. There's not really skins that stick out to me since I use my own modded ones.

Can you share your favourite/most used custom outfit?

Hm I missed that that's not "outfits"...well take a load of skins! In order

Mothyman Jeviman Spacetor Golden Switch Drop Palette Sonata Supercharged Latch PaDice-a the Rapper Skull Grunt Supercharged Grid Supercharged Doombox Dropbox FYouBox Nitro with a blue, white and mint color scheme I made for every character and lastly my Toxic skin with that same color scheme

What are your stage preferences?

Idc. I play random so who really cares. I guess insert the usual "Paradise field eclipse succs!!!"

What input method do you use?

PS4 Controller Dpad for movement L1 Bunt R1 Swing R2 Grab

I used to play LL on a cheap SNES controller using only face buttons. When I was over at Dutch Comic Con with Serchiot I played a couple games of Blaze with his PS4 controller and really liked his layout and the feel of the controller. So I just sneakily stole his layout and got myself a PS4 controller.

Coming from all face buttons, I needed some time to get used to it. But in my opinion it's just superior this way.

How do you make your character montage videos?

I have two ways of recording clips. Just consciously recording with OBS or putting Shadowplay on and saving every time something cool happens. I usually just boot up Blaze and jump into ranked to get some games in. With the Toxic montage it was a bit different since I now have a 4K monitor but 4K can hardly be recorded at 60fps and setting the output resolution in OBS to 1080p got me weird screen effects. So every time I went to record, I put the resolution of my monitor to 1080p in order to at least get that in good quality. Then I just cut all the good clips out of the recordings and mix ‘n’ match ‘em. What's usually the hardest decision is what music to use. There's been a couple of songs that I'd like to use, but they either don't fit over Blaze gameplay, don't fit my playstyle or were just the wrong length.

My two favourite Montages are definitely for Candyman and Nitro. Candyman took a long way to develop, because I just wanted to show off so much. It's one of the few montages where I actually asked higher skill players for games instead of jumping into ranked. Picking the song was really hard, I was only sure I wanted a Klaus Veen track, but OD V2 was too mainstream and most others were too short. So in the end I opted for two songs with a break in between the montage. Splitting the clips into two sets, each song one. With the second part containing what I considered the more hype bursts.

And for Nitro I actually had the montage pretty much done, but I wasn't too happy with it. Still planned to just upload it like that tho. However when I saw the Nitro voice actor interact with a community member in a way that could only be described as "incredibly wholesome", I was inspired to redo most, if not all, of the clips and do the best I could. For the first time actually going into training mode to lab some combos (mostly corpse juggles tbf) and eventually learning Flying Cuff™ too. Watching JawDrops Blazin' Combo video and taking a slice off the Nitro plays there. Which resulted in a montage I am very happy with.

What other games do you play?

It differs from time to time.

The only games I always come back to are retro games like SMW, CTR or something like Mario Kart 8D. Which I always enjoy playing at local tournaments and pretty successfully so even. People just can't handle it when someone plays with one hand.

Atm I also like playing TBoI Rebirth.

Will you come to Stunfest?

Probably not. Driving/Flying over to France is just very expensive. I would love to meet all my Baguettes (Lusked, Jawdrop, Aru and Lalou, who stated he can't make it due to exams, yes I know). But exams and the neer-ing end of my apprenticeship is leaving a lot of work to be done.

So it probably won't fit into my schedule. However never say no! Trips to Blaze events aren't uncommon for me.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to the community?

Play the game for fun, not for glory.

Stop rubbing yourself for an imaginary title that doesn't mean anything as there's not even any competition for it.

I can't stress enough how great Soda City Funk by Tim Legend is. Go listen to it right now.

And for my last words. Be more like Kota. And remember, We love Ramkat <3

[snickertoodles]

8 Character Creators for Writers/OCs

Update: Added Picrew, and image examples.

One of my favourite ways of wasting time while getting to call it “worldbuilding” is spending hours toying with online character creators and making my OCs with them.

Jokes aside, it’s a good way to figure out what they look like, especially if you’re not an artist (and even if you are it can help you with creating an initial outline of their appearance. It’s a lot easier to pick the hairstyle that looks “right” than to draw it yourself sometimes).

So here’s a few of my favourites. These are all free and online unless otherwise stated.

(Fair warning, most of these are either cutesy, cartoony, or anime-styled because that’s what I like.)

Picrew - User-submitted, usually anime character makers of wildly varying style and quality. The whole site is in Japanese, but you can navigate fine if you translate it. There’s animal, male, and all other kinds of makers too.

Wonder ☆ Meka

Character Creator

Girl Maker

Rinmaru Games - Various anime-styled character makers that suit both modern and fantasy human OCs.

Video Game Avatar Creator & Ascension Couple Creator - Fullbody, male and female (male in Ascension only), fantasy creators with a range of colours and options for clothes, hair, etc. In Ascension you can make humans, moon elves, and have two at the same time.

Mega Anime Avatar Creator - As it says on the tin, anime bust suitable for male, female, and androgynous characters. There’s a lot of stuff here.

Mega Fantasy Avatar Creator - MAAC but with more fantasy-based options and a less 2D cartoony style.

I’ve also found the newer Manga Creators helpful.

Missangest Games - Fantasy-based, fullbody, usually female characters like mermaids, knights, angels, etc. in cartoon/anime-like style. These have more original concepts suited for humanoid fantasy/RPG characters.

Mermaid Dollmaker

Dark Warrior Creator

Cursed Fairy

DollDivine and Azalea’s Dolls - Generally female, modern and fantasy makers, some animals too. Both of these are just pretty good resources for high-quality character makers from across the web, though some are hit or miss. Make sure you look at the “exclusive” games that are made by the site creators.

X-Girl - Pretty in-depth maker for mutants, fantasy and sci-fi, girls with magical powers, etc.

Dragon Maker - For your Western-styled dergs. You’re stuck with the one body type and pose, but this is good if you need a canvas for figuring out your dragon’s horns, frills, coloring, etc.

Azalea Scene Makers - Various fantasy races, multiple characters and customization options.

Candybar Dolls (Boys version) - Cutesy pixel art “dolls” with hundreds of different pieces. The UI is kind of difficult to navigate, and the clothes are mostly suited to modern humans, but there’s a lot of options. There are other versions of this game here.

Gaia Online Avi Builder (Requires Sign-Up) - Cutesy, chibi-style pixel art for male, female, and some animal characters. There are thousands of items, but they’re organized atrociously. If you have the patience to deal with the slowness and total chaos you could make pretty much anything. Use the search bar to find items based on keywords.

Hero Forge - Fantasy/D&D characters, multiple races. Create your character as a Dungeons and Dragons mini. Lots of poses, objects, clothing and options. However it’s all entirely greyscale; you’ll need to use GIMP or something to colour these yourself.

Black Desert Online ($10 on Steam) - 3D character maker, male and female warriors, fantasy. If you’d love to spend 5 hours screwing with your characters’ exact facial shapes, this might be worth the money even if you don’t want to play the game. You can also pose them once you’re done.

The downside is the lack of hairstyles and outfits. Plus you’re essentially locked to the body type/general appearance of the class you pick (and all the female classes are pretty much “cutesy anime girl”, so not a lot of variety there).

Also, the game is fairly intensive, and like 30+GB big. So you have to have a good computer and some space, just for a character creator with an MMO attached to it.

Other paid/downloadable character creators to check out:

EVE Online - I haven’t checked this one out yet but it looks to have a similar depth to BDO, and it’s free. And takes up less space.

SoulCalibur V and VI

The Sims 3 and 4 (and maybe 2 with mods)

Sims 4 Create-a-Sim Demo

Elder Scrolls Online

Skyrim with RaceMenu (and other eyes/hair/etc mods)

That’s it, have fun. I might do in-depth looks at character creators in video games someday.

[spindashed]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1dV4YriZVM)

Over time, if you follow my blog, you will see me write “counter articles�� in response to the fandom, and non-fandom videos, reviews... etc.

Lets begin!

1.) “Have an actual story this time.” I can partially agree with this.  I do agree that having a in-depth story per console game adds to the value of the experience. More so than stories that are short and simplistic. Sonic Unleashed had an amazing story, and it’s gameplay was great!  I loved the daytime stages, and I personally LOVED the nighttime stages too!(The werehog was a nice touch, it gave flavour to the story, and it had a very “God of War” vibe to it, both the game mechanics and the fact that you had to solve puzzles.. Huge points from myself especially since I love the God of war series.) That said! phrasing your first rant with: “Have an actual story this time.” Is quite an ignorant statement.. 

I strongly feel you’re grasping at straws with this one, because I could easily sit here and list the “actual stories” from each game. Sure some games had shorter plots, or plots that weren’t seriously in-depth like Unleashed, but there are stories there. Saying otherwise is just straight up ignorant.  Besides! Sometimes simplicity is best.

2.) “Only put fan favourite characters in the game’s story if it’s for a legitimate purpose, however, no more of the ‘The adventures of Sonic and Tails’.” This one is a funny subject. When Sega had Sonic’s friends in game as playable’s, there came a point where   people were LITERALLY bitching and complaining about how they’re so sick and tired of Sonic’s friends!!!! That all they wanted was “SONIC” as a playable..

Now that Sonic has been the only playable in most games, fans are now complaining about how they want Sonic’s friends back.. Smh.

For some fans, having certain characters as playable’s (I.e. Shadow.), would bring a lot of joy... Fortunately with myself, I’ve been a Sonic fan since 1991, and usually have a preference to only use Sonic, so I’m personally happy with Sonic only games. But my personal preference aside; I think it’s safe to say fans of specific characters would be far happier to see their favourites appear even if they are NPC’s (Non playable characters) oppose to them not appearing whatsoever..  In my personal opinion, I’d say if Sega/Sonic Team decide to have a NPC appear, they should have them doing something, even if it’s an Easter egg kind of thing in the background for fans to catch.

3.) “Don’t reply too much on nostalgia.” Alright! Green Hill Zone crybabies need to get over themselves. Wahhh, Green Hill Zone is back... Why! Wahhhh.. Are you sure you’re even a Sonic fan? The Green Hill Zone was LITERALLY the FIRST stage in the series!  It was brought back, because it’s timeless it’s iconic just like Sonic himself. The Green Hill Zone is like Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom, like Cloud Strife’s Midgard, like Link’s Hyrule... I can go on..  Not to mention: It has COMPLETE justification to reappear in Sonic Forces, considering it’s where Classic Sonic spends a lot of his time. (This has been verified by direct source: “Sonic revisit GHZ often, because he really likes that Zone.”)

If Classic Sonic is brought back to the present time, where else would you expect him to be found? Gtfo.

(Green Hill Zone) “A lot of us are getting sick of it..”

Speak for yourself. I should also note, the most vocal fans in our fandom, often also tend to be the haters.. The same crybabies that whine about everything.(Wahhh Sonic’s eyes are green. Wahhh Sonic’s arms are blue...)

4.) “Stage to stage is fine, but if you’re gonna have a hub don’t be lazy with it.”

a.) I loved Sonic Unleashed too. I give you that.

b.) If you actually played the game in full, and paid attention to the concept of the story, you’d understand that the hub world stages being completely “white” was justified, and even when you bring life back into it, the background stays white because Time Eater FUCKING ATE TIME!

If there is nothing left in existence other than pocket zones (a.k.a the hub worlds.), it’s either going to be white space, or black space. Deal with it.

c.) Sonic Generations was one of the best games of the modern era... I think based on what the game was in it’s overall entirety, we can cut the hub world’s details some slack. Besides, what glorious games have you made? Talk is cheap, remember this.

5.) “No stupid cringe worthy jokes.” Alrighty, I can agree with this one.  Knowing how to blend good humour in with the right action and seriousness is key for greatness.

I feel that because Sega has begun aiming the games at a younger audience, despite the fact that the younger audience of today actually play the same “serious” games that we adults play..  The jokes can come off a bit much sometimes.  I’ve been a long time reader of the Archie comics (Which I’m sad to see it’s probably been canceled.) That said, I’d enjoy seeing Ian Flynn write for Sonic games, I think he’d be a wicked asset to the games.

6.) “If you’re going to have Wisps be more creative and actually make them fun.” I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again! For people who ACTUALLY play the games.. They obviously served a purpose in “Sonic Colours” storyline.

It was literally explained in “Sonic Runners”, why the Wisps were still in Sonic’s world. (After the events of Sonic Colours, some Wisps liked Sonic’s world so much, they decided to stay on earth/mobius.)

In Sonic Lost World, they were completely optional to use or not. Plus Wisps are basically items/power ups. KEY WORDS: “Optional to use.”

I don’t see anyone complaining about it when Mario uses his reoccurring power ups, so why must Sonic fans be so cringe.. And lastly, I’m starting to think people in our fandom are headass af..  This time around, in Sonic Forces, the Wisps aren’t there like they have been in the past. They are now “Wispons” as in they power up “Avatar’s” gadgets. (Maybe spend less time complaining, and pay a little more attention to the content revealed.. smh.) 

The fact that people are actually complaining about basically an item/power up, which the Wisps literally are; is as headass beyond words as can be..

7.) “Make sure the custom character feature lives up to the hype.”

a.) Sega literally stated “Avatar” (Which is what Sega calls him/her.) plays a heavy role in the events/story of Sonic Forces. Again you would know this if you actually paid attention over flapping lips.

b.) Sega/Aaron Webber also literally stated that the Avatar character doesn’t actually talk, voice actors have been hired, and they do grunt and have voicing to some extent. This may or may not be something that will change. But as far as things go at the moment, they won’t have any real lines.

c.) Avatar is each person’s PERSONAL OC, which literally means, if Avatar doesn't live up to the hype, you as a player failed. Sega is simply giving fans a tool, it’s up to the fans on how to use it.

8.) “Have a Super Sonic final boss fight.” I agree having Super Sonic in the games is fun, mostly because I love Sonic including each of his forms..  But I find this one ironic, because you were literally just complaining about how Green Hill Zone has been back too many times, and how the Wisps were back again.. And yet you want “Super Sonic” to be just that. (Perfect example of the crybaby logic at it’s best.)  Thank you for proving my point. *Thumb up!*

9.) “Try as hard as you possibly can to not make the game short.” I think you should go try to make your own game.  It’s easy to talk, but if you have no experience in the industry that’s quite the ignorant statement man..  But don’t get me entirely wrong. I understand where you’re coming from. Games are not cheap these days, and feeling like we have some good content to really dig deep into goes a long way.

10.) “No stupid power up that spawns when you die too much so you can skip ahead to the next checkpoint. Not only does activating it happen on accident, but it’s like the game is holding my hand.” It’s funny, because Mario games have an option where if you die around 3 times, you have the option to let Luigi complete the stage for you. (I.e. skip the stage.)  And no one complains about that. The only catch from what I understand is skipping a stage in a Mario game will keep you from unlocking everything in-game.  I think it’s a pretty fair, or good optional thing to have.

11.) “Either change Sonic’s Voice or Roger Craig Smith Improves.” Jason Griffin was one of my favourite voice actors, no doubt! But Roger isn’t all that bad. Not to mention the voice actors do actively try to improve, but they’re also doing what Sega directs them to do. As far as I’m concern, this is a complaint based on bias, and is not worthy of the “my opinion” title.

12.) “Have a moment in the story that somewhat shocks the player.” Plot twist are great, but when you have fans that wear the “expect card” right on their forehead, even if Sega comes up with a pretty good plot twist, I’m sure the fans will find something to complain about. (Notice 99% of your video is a big complaint?) 

13.) ”Have Unleashed-esque presentation.” I can agree with you on how epic Sonic Unleashed was all day. And I would love a “Unleashed-esque” presentation/depth to all the games. But lets be real, you and I both know the loud people in our fandom will find something to complain about regardless.

14.) “Don’t be kiddy.” I’ve been saying this one for a long time now. Sonic should always be catered to us long time old fans. The younger fans will come into the fandom on their own.

One of the hottest games for people was the “Call of Duty” games. Despite being rated for the older crowd, I cannot begin to tell you how many underaged kids were playing these.

My point is, kids like what we older fans like.  (I should also note, I have never cared for the COD games.)

15.) “Make the gameplay more open than in previous games.” “Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric” was an open world game.

It was also meant to be a much fuller and in-depth game, but due to being rushed, and having to have massive game content cuts, it ended up being what it was. (Check out Sonic Synergy. What Sonic Boom RoL was meant to be, and it looks amazing.)

16.) “Fix the Ranking System.” This is the first time I’ve heard anyone complain about the rank system...

This one is also a ironic one, because if you check out the Mario games, those games are some of the easiest brain dead games you can play..... People eat them up, and yet when Sonic is time to time easier going, it’s a bad thing? Smh.

17.) “Fix the Ranking system animations.”  This one is a bit better of an opinion.  I did enjoy how Sonic would react to the rank in Unleashed, and how the music was dictated based on your play quality.

(I feel this one was an actual constructive criticism. Thus I accept this one.)

18.) “Have Crush 40.” There have been a few games without Crush 40 that had some real great OSTs. “Sonic Unleashed” was one of them. What I will say with this one is: I’d love more rock and even metal tracks in future games.. 

19.) “Have actual boss fights this time.” I’m pretty sure we’ll get a good serving of decent boss fights with Sonic Forces. 

20.) “Fix the Classic Sonic Physics.” a.) Plenty of people wanted Classic Sonic back. And when Sega brought him back, being true to the cringe our fandom is judged on, the crybabies haters started pushing the bandwagon for all who wanted a ride...

b.) Classic Sonic had pretty damn well the play style he had in the classic games, I think you’ve lost your damn mind.

(*Note: I should add, anyone who dislikes Classic Sonic is headass.  Without Classic Sonic, there would be no Modern Sonic. Respect the roots.)

21.) “Don’t make the final boss Eggman.” I’m not sure if I want to slap you or strangle you for this one.

Eggman is Sonic’s fucking nemesis. Get over yourself. Mario has Bowser, Cloud has Sephiroth, Ryu has Bison, Megaman has Dr.Wily, Blah blah blah blah.. The list goes on forever.

Every Super hero has his main villain. And it’s not ALWAYS Eggman. Sonic has fought other main bosses just as equally as everyone else in their own respective games.

22.) “Eliminate the lives system.” SMFH! That’s all I can do for this one.

This is by far one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. I guess every other game best get rid of the lives system too right? Get the fuck outta here.

24.) “Put the Chaos Emeralds in the story.” Adding the Chaos Emeralds for the sake of adding them for what tiny fan service addition they give to the story, just like throwing in Super Sonic for the mere fan service would be literally no different from just throwing random Sonic friends into the story for mere fan service, your arguments are literally contradictory as fuck. Smh.

25.) “No false Advertising.” As mentioned earlier: Sonic Boom was what it was strictly because the game was rushed, and “Big Red Button” literally got a last minute notice that it was for the weaker system compared to what they had been making it for. Thus the game had significant content cuts, and was released incomplete.

Hence why Sega literally gave a public apology.

26.) “Bring back humans to raise the stakes.” Humans have both appeared and been absent across games. This will not make a difference to overall game quality so once again, this is a ridiculous complaint.

27.) Just make a good Sonic game please, is that too much to ask?” a.) Sonic fan’s expressing their opinions makes the game better ONLY if it’s constructive criticism! The games will not ever be better when the bitching and complaining is void of a positive point to improve said game. (i.e. “the constructive” part.).

b.) “I call it actually caring.” *See 27a. If you still cannot comprehend that, might I suggest getting a cat scan? 

28.) “I’m in grade school.” Why is it, school kids always seem to think they know it all. lmao.

29.) “This is not a Sonic hate video.” Than how about making a video with a overall positive tone. This entire video was nothing but the same tired bs.. Complain, complain, complain.

Try talking about what you love, and if you’re going to give constructive criticism, back it up with a positive fix. 

This fandom is already far too full of haters, and bandwagon riders that can’t think for themselves, we don’t need any more of that cringe.

“Sonic is my SECOND favourite game franchises.” Of course it is. 

*Closing Note: The Sonic hate, complaining for the sake of complaining, and constant negative tone with out purposeful point is tired af guys. It’s also far from cool. Don’t be a bandwagon baby.

If you are in this fandom, and all you think of is negativity when Sonic comes to mind, it’s time to leave the fandom and never come back.

[sleeplesswritersaito]

Be Mine (J-Hope, OC)

because we need more Hoseok with a bucket hat

Prompt #22: Hunter Hayes - Somebody’s Heartbreak

Word count: probably real close the 4k word limit (3.630 to be exact)

Genre: romance

Main characters: of course Jung Hoseok and Katrina Ricarte

A/N: Hey guys! This is an entry for Switch It Up Week: Love Song Series edition, which is an event happening over at @exoticarmy127​ aka Kaye’s blog! Yes, I’m back at it again with another #Kobi scenario for you, nothing out of the usual haha For more information about SIUW, click here! Try participating before it’s too late!! Kaye decided to extend the time frame until the end of this weekend so you better get started fast! If not, fear not, she’s going to be holding another event later this year :) I hope everyone who participates has fun with the prompts! Without further ado, let’s get to the main story~

"Are you going out there again?" Matt asked as he sat on the first few steps of the houses' main staircase, watching his sister put her shoes on.

"You know me," she replied, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Where else would I go?"

"To the library maybe," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "You know mom doesn't like it when you do this."

"I'll be fine," she replied. "You know mom always gets over this," she threw back.

"Still," he insisted. "If you land yourself another YouTube video, you'll be grounded for two weeks instead of one. Unlike last time."

"That was once like three months ago, alright?" She said offended when he replied by waving her off.

"Alright, it’s noted. All social media but YouTube," she said jokingly as she ruffled his hair. "Now go do your homework and pretend you never saw me leave. If not you're the one who's going to be in trouble. Tell Pam not to say anything either, if ever she asks."

"She said she'd be home late because she wanted to stay in the art room for a bit but sure, I'll pass the message on to her whenever she comes home. Stay safe," he said as he climbed the stairs, heading back towards his unfinished homework.

"Always," she replied as she closed the door behind her.

She walked down the few steps that led to the street and breathed in a lungful of fresh air. Being outside and giving your pores fresh air after a day of class sure felt good.

The walk to the Nothing But Treble shop wasn't long, and in fifteen minutes, the bell over the door rang, announcing her presence.

"I'll be there in a minute," she heard from the back of the store. "Feel free to look around while waiting!"

She took her usual place on the stool in front of the counter, taking in the familiar interior. Guitars and keyboards lined the poster-filled walls and rows of CDs and vinyls formed six alleyways. On a few scattered shelves stood a few signed pictures of celebrities, but she knew the owner's most prized pictures were tucked away safely under the counter's glass display, near the cash register.

"Why hello there miss Ricarte," Mr. Gerald greeted with a little curtsy as he walked out into the main store. "How have you been?"

"I've been well, but my days are always better when I get to see you," she replied with a curtsy of her own and a smile he mirrored, his eyes turning into crescents and his smile lines appearing.

"School is ending in a few weeks and I'm hoping to snatch a job across the street when I'll be off," she said, fiddling with the small metallic treble by the register. She wasn't sure when it had gained its place on the counter, but it somehow added to the charm of the shop.

"I'll make sure to slip Mrs. Choi a word about you," he said with a wink.

Yoona Choi was the one who owned the bookstore two streets behind Nothing But Treble and was a good friend of Mr. Gerald's. Katrina thought she remembered hearing something about them having been to the same high school, but she wasn't sure.

"I'd appreciate it," she replied sincerely."But how about you? Have you been feeling better? Does your back still hurt?"

"Slipped discs are quite the pain, but my back is feeling much better, thank you," he said with a kind smile that translated to: I'm okay. "My children have been real angels and have been dropping by home to help my wife around the house a lot, so you don't need to worry too much about this old man's health, dear."

"That's great to hear," she said, her heart becoming lighter after hearing the news.

She had grown fond of the owner of this little music store at the intersection of the two crowded streets in front of Spring park the first time she had set foot in his shop. She had grown fond of the way he talked with his hands, of the way his eyes sparkled every time he greeted a customer, of the way he smiled like the sun every time she passed by the counter, of the way he talked so passionately about the instruments of his shop.

Gerald Lee, no older than her father, had owned this store for decades and she hoped he still would in the many years to come. He had been the one to sell (and make) her her first guitar and teach her her first chords. He had been her first audience and her pillar ever since she had gotten into music (her parents, although praising her voice, thought she should spend less time on the streets and more in her books), so she held his health at heart as if she was his daughter and was eternally grateful to his actual children for being so helpful when she couldn't be. She had only seen them in pictures under the glass display seeing as they didn't live at their parents' house anymore, but she had heard a whole lot about them: about their childhood, about the presents they had made for him (that he had showed off), about the pictures they sent home when they could, about the stories they had relayed from work.

His daughter was currently undergoing her second year of residency and fellowship training as part of the general hospital's surgery branch. She had sped through undergraduate and medical school with flying colors and Mr. Gerald took great pride in that. From what her father was saying about her, she was aiming to specialize in critical care surgery and be part of the ICU unit.

His son, on the other hand, had been to art school in graphic design and had graduated with a hefty portfolio that had garnered him the attention of many companies. He was currently creating character designs he hoped would make the cut for the next game release. She had a hunch he would.

"I'll go get the real reason you're here," Mr. Gerald said with a smile as he turned around and headed for the storage room, leaving her seated at the counter.

---

"She's here," Jungkook said, nudging him as he got up from stretching, almost sending him tumbling on the asphalt. "Just like she is every Friday at 3:26 on the dot."

"Who?" Hoseok replied dumbly, looking around as he put on his bucket hat.

"Your angel," Jimin said, grinning as he saw her greet the florist and the baker as she passed them, making her way to her usual spot under her usual tree.

"Oh," Hoseok said as he looked at her take out her guitar and sit on its case, plucking a few strings and strumming a few chords to make sure it was tuned.

She had tied her favourite flannel shirt around her waist, the elder noticed. It was red and white and he knew it was her favourite, because she wore it almost every time he saw her. Today, she had coupled it with a white blouse and short jeans dungarees. That meant she would be performing new songs today and tomorrow.

Somehow, over the few months of seeing her perform a few feet away from him, he had learned to decipher her subconscious dress code.

As her voice rang out over the noise of shoes slapping the pavement, the trio, along with a few curious pedestrians, made their way to where she stood.

flashback

She stood under the shade of the blooming king cherry tree, the setting sun behind her making her look like an angel.

He waited for her as she finished bowing to her diminishing audience, thanking them for listening, her hair swaying every time she bowed.

He waited for her as she told passersby to come listen to her again if they had the time to spare, the sun rays blazing around her figure.

He waited for her as she asked them to please leave money in the school bag if they could afford to or if they had liked her performance, her eyes shining every time somebody dropped something in her bag.

He waited for her when she said, once again, that she was very thankful to all of them for listening to her performances, a smile gracing her lips.

"Hi," he said tentatively, approaching her once everyone had left.

"Hi," she echoed as she closed her guitar case, stood up and shouldered her bagpack. "What's up?" She asked, used to having small-talk with curious onlookers.

"What song was that?" He asked awkwardly, almost as if he had rehearsed it a few times before saying it.

"Which one," she said with soft laugh. "I played quite a few today."

"The last one," he said, uselessly gesturing to the space around them. "The newest one."

"Lost Stars by Adam Levine," she said with a small smile, flattered someone had pointed out the newest addition to her repertoire. It felt good to know someone had noticed.

"It sounded really good," he said. "Not that your other songs weren't good," he hurried to add. "Your songs are aways good."

She laughed at that and he couldn't suppress the smile that made its way to his lips. Who wouldn't smile after hearing angels sing?

"Don't worry, I know what you meant," she said, a grin now plastered on her face, though she didn't know whether it was there because of his clumsiness with words or because of how contagious he smile was.

"You're the dancer, right?" She asked when he made no move to leave or ask further questions.

He looked at her, eyes as big as saucers, clearly caught off guard. He pointed a finger at his chest. "Me?"

"No, the ghost behind you," she joked. "Yes you. You're one of the guys who dances in front of the pastry shop, aren't you? The one who occasionally beat-boxes."

"Uh, yeah, that's me," he said, still looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"I won't bite your head off you know," she said chuckling at the frightened look he sported. "I just wanted to tell you your hoodie friend is a really talented dancer. I liked today's dance break. It's a new choreography, right?"

"Yes," he said eagerly, this topic definitely in his comfort zone. "It's a new dance routine Jungkook has been practicing He's really passionate about learning different genres. He didn't choreograph that one, but he's really passionate about making dance routines too. He’s really talented when it comes to dancing."

"It was different from the style you and your snapback friend usually dance," she said. "It was refreshing. He flowed with the song and merged with the rhythm. It was a sight to see. You and your snapback friend are really good dancers too though, don't take it personal."

"It's a compliment for a compliment, alright?" She said when he remained in a daze, absentmindedly nodding in agreement. She wondered what was weighing on his mind.

"Well, I'll be off," she said as she checked the watch on her wrist.

She had performed until pretty late today and, if she stayed out any longer than this, she would probably get scolded by her mom, not that she wouldn't be scolded by the latter if ever she found out her daughter was performing on the streets again.

The sun hadn't set yet considering it was the beginning of March, but she knew her mom would be getting dinner ready soon and that she absolutely had to get home before that happened, unless she wanted to come up with an excuse as to why she was late.

"Burgers," he said suddenly, as if only now realising she had started walking away. "How does getting hamburgers sound?"

She turned around with a raised eyebrow, amused by his invitation. "Right now?"

"Now is as good as any other time," he replied, eyes shining.

"I know a really good burger shop down Central Avenue," he said, pointing to a street behind him. "Want to go with me?"

"My treat," he said when he saw her weighing her options. "For being such a good singer."

"Fine," she said, caving in, her stomach grumbling. "Not because you're paying but because of the compliment, alright?" Pointing a finger at him before he could say anything. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Does that mean I can exchange compliments for lunch tickets?" He asked cheekily.

"Who knows," she said, the ghost of a smile on her lips, forgetting all about the fact she'd have to come up with yet another pretext for not being home on time.

"I guess that means I'll have to start complimenting you more then," he replied as they started walking to Mr. Gerald's shop to drop off her guitar before heading out to eat burgers.

end of flashback

---

"Ice cream delivery!"

Hoseok looked up to see Katrina standing in front of him, holding four ice cream cones, two in each hand.

"Cookie dough for Jungkook, strawberry for Jimin, double Dutch for me, and vanilla for you," she said as they each grabbed their cones.

"Thank you," they chorused as they all started eating. The cold treat was greatly welcomed in the blazing heat of late spring. Summer was just around the corner and the weather definitely reflected that.

"You're not staying?" Jimin asked as he took a bite of his ice cream, noticing she was making a move to leave.

"I gotta bounce," she said, hooking a thumb over her shoulder. "It's my sister's birthday today, so I don't want to stay out too long. I need to buy her acrylics and a new notebook on the way home and I need to help prepare the house while she's out with friends."

"Alright then," Jungkook said, a mouthful of ice cream stuffed in his cheeks. "Family first. We'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course," she replied with a smile.

"Wish her happy birthday from us," Hoseok said as she waved them goodbye and nodded, meaning she'd relay the message.

---

Katrina stuck her head past the door frame of her room, checking no one was in her vicinity before soundlessly heading towards the stairs.

"Be home before dinner," her younger sister very loudly reminded her from their shared her room. She rushed back, hurriedly hushing her sister, hoping their mother hadn't heard that.

"I'll be back before mom even sets the table," Kat replied. "So don't get me busted before I even get to leave. Use the gifts I bought you yesterday and pretend I never left."

"Sometimes I really wonder who's the youngest between you and me," her sister told her, shaking her head as her older sister left their room once again.

Katrina quietly tip-toed down the stairs, shoes in hand, sneaking a peek at the living room in which her mother was before heading for the door. The latter was talking on the phone, sometimes glancing at the kitchen for what Kat assumed was lunch being made. She swiftly left, silently closing the door behind her.

She reached Mr. Gerald's shop a little after 10, passing by to greet him and pick up her guitar.

What's going on, she thought as the open road in front of the park came to view. A crowd had already built up under her usual pink-flowered tree, but she wasn't the cause of it. Yet she was sure that was her usual performing spot.

She walked towards the source of music, intent on discovering who had stolen her spot. When she saw two familiar heads bobbing their heads to a familiar song, she cocked her head, confused.

"What's going on?" She asked a boy on her left as she merged with the back of the crowd.

"They passed out flyers yesterday afternoon saying they'd do a special performance today," he replied over the beat, his eyes not once leaving the two dancing figures. She spotted Hoseok near the audio system. "I've seen them perform a few times with my friends before so I came to check it out. Their moves are sick."

She agreed with a nod that went unnoticed and squeezed her way to the sidelines, watching as the boys finished a choreography she recognized as Own It. They took a quick water break, pushing their hair under snapbacks before a new beat made its way to her ears. The change of beat from calm to heavy made the crowd go wild as Jimin took the center, Jungkook and Hoseok hurrying to put on masks before joining in, the screams getting louder as Jimin flipped (she herself letting out exclamations in awe) and reaching their peak as the beat dropped.

It was when the music came to a stop and applause rang out into the morning air that Jungkook finally noticed her. He nudged Hoseok. The latter cleared his throat.

"Hello everyone," he said, clapping his hands as the the two youngest busied themselves preparing the stage. She noticed them grabbing some guitar cases leaning against the wall. "As promised yesterday, we'll be holding a special performance today."

He waited for the cheers to quiet down before speaking again. "As some of you may have noticed, that last dance was a new choreography. It is part of the special performance, but that isn't the main event. Actually, we'll be showing you a different kind of performance today. Jungkook?"

"I know you guys are used to seeing us dance," the younger said, guitar slung around his neck and plugged into the amplifier as he took Hoseok's place, the older getting ready behind him. "But our performance isn't going to be about dancing. As you may have guessed from our props, we'll actually be covering a song."

"This is a song for a special someone," Jimin followed up. "You know who you are, so please step up."

He had made eye contact with her so she knew. She knew she was the one Jimin was walking about. She knew yet she couldn’t move.

"Come on," he said, reaching into the crowd for her hand, pulling her towards the middle of the front row.

"We've been preparing this for quite a while now, so please enjoy," Jungkook said as they started strumming the first chords, a sweet melody making it's way to her ears.

flashback

"What are you thinking about like that?" Hoseok asked as they sat on the bench overlooking the river.

"Nothing much," she replied. Just you.

"Liar," he said. "You don't even know what you're reading right now."

"I do to," she said, looking at him.

"Oh yeah? Since when have you started reading your books upside down?" He replied with a cocked eyebrow, pointing to the book in her hands.

She hurriedly shut it closed, embarrassed. "Since when have you been so observant?"

"Since when have you been so distracted?" He replied.

"Since when have you been so distracting?" She shot back before realizing what she had just said.

By the time she noticed, she had also noticed how close they were, leaning towards each other. She cleared her throat and straightened her back, putting distance between them.

"You think I'm distracting?" Hoseok replied and, although his voice sounded confident, she could see the blush rising under his cheekbones.

"Will Herondale is more distracting than you are," she said, trying to control her urges of taking a glance at his lips.

"Oh yeah?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest. "What's so great about the guy? His ego?"

"Well, for starters, his looks are deadly," Katrina said as she threw herself into a detailed reasoning as to why the perfectly skilled fighter with deep blue eyes you could drown in and an intellect that made your knees weak was oh so perfect.

Over the course of the few weeks that had followed the hamburger encounter, she and Hoseok had grown closer. Now on an official name basis (which was better than knowing each other a Guitar Girl and Beatbox Boy), they often chatted each other up to discuss movies or celebrity gossip and how class had been, even occasionally going on walks with Shammy, her dog, together.

The day after burger night, she had noticed he and his friends, Jimin (his snapback friend) and Jungkook (his hoodie friend), came to see her perform every time they took dance breaks and their crowd dissolved, so she had started heading to their performance spot during her own breaks.

When they had common breaks they would talk over lunch she got the habit to make for them, and on the occasions when they both wrapped up at the same time, they'd either go their separate ways or they'd raid a corner store for food and either crash at someone's place.

Katrina found herself going over to Hoseok's place often, having even become good friends with his older sister, Dawon. His parents were happy to see her every time they dropped by, eager to hold conversations she would add English literature knowledge to, or eager to hear a snippet of a song they were sure Jungkook knew the chords to.

But most of all, they were eager to observe the shy glances that passed between Hoseok and her, the unnoticed looks of longing, the peach blush that settled on their cheeks.

end of flashback

If you're gonna be somebody's heartbreak If you're gonna be somebody's mistake If you're gonna be somebody's last time, or their first time Baby be mine

As Katrina stood there, watching this Gwangju boy sing his heart out in the soft daylight of late spring, she knew exactly what three lettered word she would answer to his question.

-The End-

And it’s a wrap! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this far! Please go read the other submissions for SIUW if you have the time to: I’m sure everyone’s stories are great! I’ll also try to make it in time for the next SIUW, so hopefully see you soon~

Jungkook’s dance break I mentioned was his Save Your Goodbye dance cover (which I absolutely love)

Do you know how rude he looks with a guitar??

Also Jimin’s “usual solo dance” that I mentioned would be his Bait dance cover throwback to fetus snapback Jimin which I chose over his krump practice, but go check it out too!

Also, their group choreography would refer to their really cool dance break practice video I still can’t over Jimin’s acrobatics

I also debated whether to put Jimin and Jungkook’s Brian Pupos’ Own It cover video and I ended up caving in so there you have it.

(hmu if you can know where that GIF came from. I want to give credit where it’s due but I can’t find the source to this GIF I had saved)

Can we also talk about how Brian Puspos actually acknowledged their dance cover and that he’s a dancer Jungkook really looks up to?? I was so proud when I saw this tweet

originally posted by semhope

Throwback to the fetus trio from their Graduation Song omg (found this while looking through OT3 pictures to put with this story)

Okay but imagine, after you guys have been dating for a while, Hoseok seeing you in the crowd and beckoning you over so he can dance to you singing watch that tongue boy

Also, can we talk about Hoseok in sleeveless shirts??

I mean?? Look how good he looks in them??

also hmu if you know who originally posted those GIFs of Hoseok

Okay, this A/N is getting long enough as it is, so I’ll stop here haha I really hope you guys enjoyed reading through this! Although the deadline kind of stressed me out (barely made it to the original deadline: I insist on posting it for the original deadline okay even if I’m like 5 minutes before midnight in my timezone it still counts as being before the deadline alright) I’m glad I was able to post this on time! Please go read my other works on my blog @sleeplesswritersaito . It would mean a lot to me!! I know I’m not the most frequent updater out there, but please give me a chance. I do my best to write when I can with the workload I have OTL Also, when I wrote “another Kobi scenario”, for those of you that don’t know, I wrote a Kobi scenario for Kaye as a one-month-early birthday present, so you can go read it here if you want to! Anyways, thank you for reading this far!

[actualasparagus]

Tagged by @theishtarindividual​, ily buddy

1) Do you have a favorite OC?

Emala (Destiny OC, a Blade Barrage Hunter) is definitely my favourite, she’s the one I tend to spend the most time working on and building a story around. Her main goal in life is to keep her friends safe and alive, especially now that real shit is going down and guardians are dying left and right, she feels it’s her duty to protect them. Ever since Cayde died, she’s felt the need to take care of any newbie hunters that arrive until a proper vanguard is found for the hunters. Hunters are like a pack tbh, they need a leader, someone to look to.

I’m also pretty fond of my ARK Survivor and her Rock Drake, Aberr. I love exploring their friendship, and how their bond was put to the test, especially on Earth, when the fate of Earth is literally in their hands. I often simply refer to my survivor as “Human” because I write a lot of my stuff from Aberr’s POV and he doesn’t quite understand names lmao. 

2) Which WIP has changed the most? Why?

Probably the story surrounding Aberr and his Human. ARK’s story is evolving rapidly, so I’m having to adjust accordingly. I still haven't pondered how they’re gonna cope post-Extinction going into Genesis because the Human is a Homo Deus herself now, she’s incredibly powerful and it’s gonna take Aberr a bit of getting used to. I don’t even know if existing tames will be allowed to go into the Genesis simulation, but if they are, their ability as a team is definitely gonna be put to the test, and I'm excited to figure out how it's gonna work.

3) Do you enjoy worldbuilding? Do you consider yourself good at it?

I love world building, but I’m not good at it. I usually build my tales around a custom character in an existing game, and even then I tend to recycle my characters from time to time. Take Emala, she’s primarily my Destiny OC, but I also use her as my GTA Online OC. Idk if it’s because I like thinking about my characters in alternate settings? Who knows. Don't think my Survivor will appear anywhere else, she’s pretty much applicable to ARK only. I think I subconsciously made my Captain in The Outer Worlds look like Emala so she’s probably gonna be recycled again for that... 

4) Have you ever made a conlang/fictional language for a WIP?

Nope, I could never figure out how to create an original language omg... 

5) Do you like to keep faceclaims of your OCs? Do you find them online or draw them yourself?

Usually I just imagine them as how they look in the game they first appeared in, I don’t have any real life face claims for them. I don't think I’ll bother with it either because knowing me, I’ll spend so long browsing faces, never finding one that satisfies me.

6) Has anyone ever made any fanfic or fan art for you?

Only as a commission, I paid a friend to draw Emala for me, and he once did a doodle of her when we were first talking about our Gorls [tm] as a crew and best of friends and I really appreciated and loved both! Just feel guilty that I can’t do anything in return for my friends because I can’t draw and I’m not very confident in my writing.

7) Who is your writing buddy/confidant you always come to about your work?

I’m really nervous so I don’t really approach anyone... my shitty headcanons and writing are stuff I’ll take to my grave lmao

8) Big or small cast?

Small, I personally can’t manage loads of different characters, I’d definitely forget about some and yeah... I’d rather focus on a small handful that I can definitely pour all my love into.

9) Were any of your characters inspired by others you saw or read about?

Not really? Sometimes I’ll crossover ideas between OCs, or consider them in each other’s setting, but that’s as much inspiration as I get. Could you imagine Emala with a survivor’s implant? She’d be too damn powerful omg... 

10) Favorite trope(s)?

Found Family!!!!!! I finished The Outer Worlds a few days ago, and the whole found family deal you had going on with your companions downright killed me, I was a weak mess, especially during Felix’s personal quest when Max said he was family now and I was just YES!! MAX GETS IT!! WE’RE A FAMILY!! So yeah... I’m a sucker for that stuff

11) How do you waste time not writing?

Either watching comedy panel shows or playing video games. I always fixate on one of each, so right now I’ve been watching a lot of 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown, and I’ve been super hooked on The Outer Worlds.

I can’t be arsed to tag anyone lmao