#Final de League of Legends

[sonsofks]

Duelo de Reyes: Saprissa Esports vs. Primate en la Final de League of Legends

Duelo de Reyes: Saprissa Esports vs. Primate en la Final de League of Legends

El Campeón de LRN se Enfrenta al Campeón de LRS Flow en AGS 2023 El emocionante duelo de Reyes se acerca, ya que el próximo 15 de octubre, los campeones de las Ligas Regionales Norte (LRN) y Sur (LRS Flow) de League of Legends se enfrentarán en una final presencial. Saprissa Esports, representando a LRN, se medirá contra Primate, representando a LRS Flow, en un enfrentamiento épico. La gran…

[kakagowork]

[ninthhousedyke]

Arcane Season 2 Final Thoughts (Spoilers)

I adore this series. This series has single handedly filled a hole in my life for media that does everything I have ever wanted: hot women, complex villains, morally grey characters, dynamic and powerful worldbuilding, emotional moments that sit in my chest, animation too powerful to comprehend. I have loved and obsessed over this series for years and I am so sad to see it go. I have been introduced to the world of Runeterra and have fallen down the rabbit hole of League of Legends lore and I am so grateful to the series for introducing me to this new fandom.

That being said, I was let down by episodes 8 and 9 of season two. Episode 9 primarily. These are some thoughts I have based on my watch, but I want to make it clear that I have not rewatched in-depth just yet. These are all preliminary feelings that I had. Overall, I do not find that two poorly executed episodes tarnish the overall quality of this show, which did so much so well, but I do think that dropping the ball on these final episodes will leave a displeasing taste in my mouth about the series going forward. I know the writers were excited to move on to new areas in the world, and I’m excited to see what they do next as I am manifesting Riven in an upcoming Noxus show, but I think they lost sight of how best to wrap up what they were doing in Arcane.

Episode 7 was fantastic, no notes.

Episode 8 had many incredible moments and for the most part was fine. The ending scene with Viktor as the Twenty-One Pilots song plays was jaw-dropping!!! I have opinions on the CaitVi sex scene because I think it could have been done better, but I will write fanfiction about it and everything will be fine. No one wants my whole thesis on that skdhsgd.

I think when Jayce rallies Piltover and Zaun to fight against Viktor and Ambessa, there should have been more discussion on what Zaun gets in return for helping. I think this would have been a good moment for Sevika to get actual fucking lines and negotiate for independence as the price of Zaun’s aid. This would have made her becoming the de facto head of Zaun more explicitly understood, and would have paralleled when Jayce made the initial deal for independence with Silco in season 1.

Episode 9 was just weird. Viktor as the mage that saved Jayce as a kid? No. No that’s not what happened actually. Ekko using time travel but the time travel really not doing anything for the plot? How could you do that to my boy?? Viktor not being evil anymore by the power of homoerotic friendship? I’m sure the JayVik shippers are happy but that’s definitely not it. Maddie as a Noxus spy? Guys you killed her a second later, what was the point of that? We don’t even get an explanation as to what the fuck was up there.

In my opinion, Ambessa and Caitlyn should have had the chance to fight for real. Not when Caitlyn is injured and not with Mel assisting. A genuine duel between these two women in front of the crowd with stakes on the line (maybe Ambessa uses Vi’s life as a bargaining chip?). When Ambessa gets the upper hand and everything is about to go to shit, then Mel steps in and we get mage duel and the death of Ambessa. Followed by the realization Viktor has used this as the distraction to get inside the hex gates. Jayce and Viktor get their epic battle and Jayce kills him, with or without his own sacrifice. I think either option would have been good.

(Side note: full Machine Herald Viktor was jaw-dropping. They ate that shit up for real.)

Rather than Jinx “sacrificing herself” she could simply save Vi from Warwick and they both can mourn together the true loss of Vander. Jinx tells Vi she knows that together all they do is cause each other pain and maybe its best if they go their separate ways. They get a final sister hug and a promise to be there if the other ever needs it. Jinx leaves with Ekko (Timebomb shippers can be happy) and Vi returns to Caitlyn. We end with that beautiful speech from Caitlyn about the stories not being over and the image of everyone’s papers burning off into the sky.

Am I….gonna write an entire fix-it for the last two episodes? Oh God….I’m gonna write an entire fix-it for the last two episodes.

Alright yeah, those are my thoughts. I want to reiterate that this show means the world to me. My current WIP is shamelessly inspired by Arcane and I cannot thank this show enough for everything it has done for me. I think this is a solid 4.5/5 star series, and you can’t get everything right. I don’t blame the writer’s too much; they’re human too.

At the end of the day, this fandom will come together to do exactly what Arcane has told us to do: tell our own stories and make better futures for everyone.

[midgardian-witch]

La Plus Belle Des Malédictions

You're of House Harkonnen, arch nemesis to House Atreides. Your mission was simple: get close to Duke Leto Atreides and end his life.

Your mission was not simple.

This is my Secret Santa gift to the amazing and lovely @winniethewife 🎁

Inspired by the song Ma Meilleure Ennemie by Stromae & Pomme

AO3

tags: Harkonnen!Reader | female Reader | enemies to lovers (kinda) | enemies and lovers | star-crossed lovers | slight angst | knife kink (if you squint) | hopeful ending

ships: Leto Atreides/Reader

word count: 1k

She can't do it.

Maybe her parents were right. Maybe she was too weak. Who in their right mind couldn't find the power to strike down their sworn nemesis?

She was a disgrace to House Harkonnen.

Everything had been planned meticulously. Every gesture, every longing look, every curious tilt of her head. Everything had been choreographed to perfection.

Months of work ruined by her treacherous heart.

What proud child of House Harkonnen would fall in love with an Atreides?

Her hands grip the railing of the balcony, knuckles turning white with fury. How could she be so weak? Love was not part of her vocabulary. Feelings like this were supposed to be locked up or stomped out like a spark that could turn into a wildfire.

And yet.

Realization had hit her when she saw him across the room. He had stood tall amongst the other members of his house, his uniform hugging him in a way that should be indecent. His hair was meticulously combed back, his beard trimmed to perfection and his eyes.

His eyes are her favorite part of him. Such a deep, beautiful color. And the way he commands a room with just a look. She's sure any person would feel weak under that glare.

But the way his eyes lit up when he saw her across the room - that's what plunged a dagger into her heart. That sudden ache of realization. To finally be able to put a word to the feeling that had been haunting her since the beginning of her assignment:

She's in love with Duke Leto Atreides.

A death sentence to a Harkonnen tasked with ending the life of said duke. Unless she went through with it, thrust the dagger hidden under her skirts between his ribs, slash his throat and make her house proud.

The thought alone makes bile rise in her throat. She can't do it. She can't.

So she averted her gaze and hurried away to her current hiding place. The balcony is empty save for her thanks to the strict adherence to decorum of the Houses Major. It’s a beautiful evening, the pale moons of this planet giving everything its light touches an eerie lilac glow - so different from her home.

She lets herself have this one moment to dream, to fantasize about running away with Leto to a planet just like this. Without the uniform, without the shine and shimmer of jewelry and medals, nobody would know who they were. They would simply be two lovers. Nothing more and nothing less.

Tears gather in the corners of her eyes as she weeps silently, grieving a future that would never be hers. Her heart skips a beat when she hears a familiar voice speak her name.

She doesn't dare to turn around.

Duke Leto in all his glory steps behind her, one hand resting on her hip, the other on her hand gripping the railing of the balcony.

“What has you so terrified to flee from the ball, my darling?”

She takes a shuddering breath, desperately trying to compose herself but with him so close the weight of inevitability drags her down.

“You, my love,” she replies, her voice raw with tears.

“Me?” Leto asks, his brow furrowing, “What have I done to make you run from me? I will remedy whatever I have done to scare you so.”

He sounds so earnest, like nothing else matters to him but to be pleasing to her. Like he was not the head of one of the Houses Major but simply a man in love, desperate for her affection.

It makes her heart ache even more.

“It's not what you did. It's what you are, what you…mean…to me. What I must do.”

His hand on her hip explores her body slowly, his touch like fire on her skin as it slips underneath her skirts. “Surely no fault lies with you. Let me repent, my dearest.”

She shakes her head, torn between the promise behind his words and touch and the truth of her purpose. “Leto, please,” she whispers, her words a contradiction to the way her body melts into his touch, “We can't-”

“Nobody will see us here. Let me show you the depth of my affection, my love.”

Her hand reaches down to his, grabbing his wrist softly. “Please, Leto. You don't know what is happening. We can't keep going along this path.”

“Why? Because of this?“

Suddenly she feels a sharpness against her neck, a thin blade pressed softly to her skin, her blade. Her breath is stuck in her throat, her body frozen between the dagger kissing her neck and his lips brushing against her ear.

“I know why you approached me that first time we met. I know what they want you to do,” with one quick movement Leto has turned her around to face him, the hilt of the dagger pressed into her palm, “If that is your will then I will gladly find my end by your hand, my love.”

His eyes burn into hers, determination set into his brows and she believes him. “I can't,” she whispers, tears now streaming down her face.

“What has you so scared then?”

“They will kill me and you. There is no future in this and I-”

“Do you love me?“

His question has her heart racing. She swallows hard and nods.

“Then we will find a way. I am an Atreides. There is no call I do not answer; there is not faith that I betray,” his hands cup her face, the dagger clanging to the ground, “I love you and no House Major, no Emperor is going to take that away.”

She breathes out his name like a blessing and rests her forehead against his. With all his confidence they both know it is not that easy. A union between House Atreides and House Harkonnen would surely anger the Emperor. Two targets on both their backs.

And yet, as he pulls her close, their bodies pressed together like they wanted to be one, she knows in her heart that there is no other path she can walk.

“Do you trust me?” he whispers into her ear, his arms wrapped around her tightly.

“Always.”

“Then stay with me. Stay by my side and I will make sure nobody can tear us apart.”

Her tears stain his uniform, her heart hammering in her chest as she answers: “I will.”

[neozhelps]

ㅤㅤㅤ✧ﾠ—ﾠ⋆ﾠCOMO FAZER UM PERSONAGEM GOSTOSO SEM FALAR SACANAGEM.

para aqueles personagens que acabam indo parar na friendzone, que sofrem para serem vistos como gostosos e conseguir pelo menos um beijinho, tio mira veio ao resgate! minhas credenciais? eu que criei o filho de hades mais gostoso, o emo mais transudo, ash ichinose. ee eu consegui fazer um suicida que só falava de sofrer e morrer conquistar corações e pepekas, qualquer um consegue.

para dar exemplos para vocês, criei um personagem só para isso. conheçam byun jonghyun, 23 anos, gamer e nerd fedido. atrapalhado, lerdo, só sabe falar de quadrinhos e jogos e é visto pelas pessoas como um grande bebê. as meninas lhe tratam como um irmãozinho, os meninos acham ele fofo demais, mas depois desse guia a vida do pobre jonghyun vai mudar totalmente e ele vai se tornar o que todos temem: um come quieto.

— DEIXE SUAS AÇÕES MAIS GOSTOSAS

o grande segredo para deixar de ser apenas mais um personagem bobinho está nos detalhes de um turno. muita gente pode até achar que é cringe falar sobre como a camisa deixa os músculos do personagem mais marcados, sobre o suor escorrendo pela testa, morder os lábios carnudos, etc. mas, sinceramente, não existe isso de “nossa isso é tão cringe” em rpg. não tenha medo de ser cringe! basta criar toda uma atmosfera, que tenho certeza que o turno mais simples do mundo vai deixar calcinhas e cuecas molhadas rapidinho. exemplos:

estava um dia terrivelmente quente. o suor escorria pela testa, seus cabelos azuis estavam bagunçados e úmidos, e parecia que a regata que jonghyun usava já estava pingando suor, ficando quase transparente e grudando em seu abdomen [...] quando finalmente terminou tudo o que tinha para fazer, aproveitou para passar em uma sorveteria no caminho de casa [...] jonghyun apoiou o peso do corpo em uma perna enquanto levava a casquinha até a boca, dando uma grande lambida no sorvete de chocolate [...] justo no final da delícia geladinha, jonghyun fez uma verdadeira bagunça, mas ele preferia culpar o calor por isso. foi ele dar uma mordida na casquinha que todo o sorvete derretido que estava acumulado ali escorreu por sua mão e braço, e sua reação foi lamber o rastro melado de chocolate, esquecendo-se de que estava em público e suado.

o som do teclado semi-mecânico e do mouse gamer de jonghyun ecoava pelo quarto de iluminação fraca. dedos longos apertavam as teclas com vontade repetidamente, uma perna sacudindo violentamente sob a mesa enquanto o rapaz estava totalmente concentrado na partida de league of legends.

deu para entender um pouco? colocar pequenos detalhes assim nos turnos, de pouquinho em pouquinho, faz uma diferença e tanta. vai chamar a atenção de sue partner para o físico do personagem, brincar com a imaginação alheia.

— DÊ TODA A SUA ATENÇÃO PARA O PERSONAGEM COM QUEM ESTÁ INTERAGINDO.

mas como assim, tio mira? simples, só ver o próximo exemplo:

conforme fulano contava sobre seu dia, jonghyun aproveitou para admirar o rosto do amigo. a forma como o pomo de adão de fulano mexia sempre que ele bebia mais um gole do café gelado, ou como seus olhos castanhos brilhavam e os lábios fartos formavam um sorriso adorável sempre que ele citava seu gatinho de estimação. fulano era lindo de morrer, e jonghyun não via a hora de lhe roubar um beijo.

só que cuidado! faça isso quando estiver turnando com algum personagem por quem o seu esteja interessado. demonstre esse interesse, entendeu? sue partner não tem bola de cristal, e ajuda muito mostrar que seu personagem nota os mínimos detalhes do outro, que está atraído.

— INSPIRE-SE NOS SEUS IDOLS FAVORITOS.

quem é seu bias? o meu é o gostoso do yuta, o maior, mais gostoso, dono de todos os cus. o que te atrai nelu? a confiança com que ele se move, o sorriso cafajeste, a forma como os olhos dele brilham durante as apresentações. agora, incorpore tudo isso no seu personagem na hora de turnar! até mesmo os mínimos detalhes, como a forma que ele passa a língua nos lábios ou olha de soslaio para alguém. isso conta muito no gostosômetro de alguém, então tente detalhar isso nos turnos.

e isso serve para personagens mulheres e não bináries também. analise a forma como os atores demonstram atração física em uma série ou filme, até mesmo aquelas edits sexy do tiktok ajudam a perceber isso! e, mesmo que pareça algo bobo, tudo isso são coisas que influenciam a forma que as outras pessoas, personagens e players, vão olhar para o seu personagem.

[ufonaut]

"a disaster beyond description" - the parallax view on parallax (& coast city's destruction)

i've often talked about the importance of pre-parallax retcon hal jordan, what a radical move his downfall had been for an art medium so uniquely focused on status quo and how much walking that back in post-2005 continuity damaged the character & his development. however, something i've become increasingly interested in lately is the outsider point of view on the magnitude of coast city's destruction and hal's descent into madness -- the reverberations of one of the darkest days in the dcu were far and wide for a good long while there but rarely acknowledged outside of nostalgia pieces nowadays and even more rarely understood as a thoroughly visceral, well-written, well-planned arc that intentionally portrayed the superhero world as largely unsympathetic to the trauma of one of their own but the average civilian as grappling with that loss nearly on the same scale that hal did.

to that effect, i thought i would show a highlights reel of this outsider POV and how much it adds to the weight of the pre-2005 story. while i've accepted some tie-ins to major events (ie zero hour 1994, final night 1996), this will feature titles entirely unrelated to green lantern presented in real life chronological order by publication date in order to showcase the impact that's compelled me so (that's no convergence: green lantern, no legends of the dcu #33-36, etc).

"every office, every home, every school and hospital is atomized. the west coast and its entire ecosystem is instantaneously shattered-- and more than seven million men, women and children that once called the coast city area home-- die."

to set the scene, the explosion that destroys coast city actually appears in superman 1987 #80 (cover date: aug 1993) as part of hank henshaw and mongul's plan.

the destruction had spread as far as santa barbara & the los padres national forest. getting closer to ground zero, hank henshaw also proceeds to resolutely take care of a handful of the sole survivors:

(adventures of superman 1987 #503, cover date: aug 1993)

you all know the reading order here. past the return of superman and the events of emerald twilight, the first outsiders to have gotten the news are the darkstars

whose immediate course of action is to brand hal jordan a criminal (darkstars #23, cover date: aug 1994)

and as zero hour-induced temporal anomalies keep coming up, the darkstars start seriously considering further tampering with time in order to prevent "the creation of a power-mad monster" (darkstars #24, cover date: sept 1994).

it's a sentiment that the majority of hal's justice league colleagues share, as zero hour: crisis in time and the final night both tell us, but a more sympathetic view comes two years later in the spectre 1992 #47 (cover date: nov 1996)

and a more neutral one from waverider in superman: the doomsday wars #2 (cover date: dec 1998)

interestingly enough, more details of the in-universe perception of hal's actions comes from deadman: dead again

where we learn that "sources close to the JLA" have actually issued a press statement naming hal as wholly responsible for the green lantern corps massacre, with no hint that they've been equally forthcoming about the motive behind his actions (deadman: dead again #4, cover date: oct 2001)

the last pre-retcon word goes to superman: day of doom #3 (cover date: jan 2003), a sobering portrayal of the immense horror of coast city's annihilation and subsequently a look into the reality that had made hal snap:

post-retcon, nostalgia pieces like dcu: legacies #8 (feb 2011) and dc retroactive: superman - the 80s (oct 2011) both treat the mad-with-grief version of the story as the truth -- as does the 2015 convergence event --but outside of these few instances, the tour de force of storytelling that is this years-long arc has been cast aside in favor of an unnecessary retcon. as the zero hour: crisis in time 30th anniversary approaches, i'd say it's just the right time to remember that hal (unrepentant hal, power-hungry hal, hell-bent on making everything right hal) had had a perfectly proportional reaction to the tragedy he'd endured, if not outright a justified one.

[upismediacenter]

FEATURE: Welcome to Mobile Legends: UP Fighting Maroons debriefs inaugural UAAP stint

The UP Esports Varsity Team (UPEVT) recently concluded its campaign in the very first season of UAAP esports, where the school proudly sent its 6-player roster for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (ML:BB). With the national ML:BB phenomenon fostering a continuously growing and thriving community, it’s no surprise that some iskolars ng bayan have found enjoyment and even competitive prowess in the game! I spoke with Aerol Dwayne Balayon, their team manager, and David Lawrrenz Sañejo, their team captain—and here’s what they have to say about it.

The roots of the UP Esports Varsity Team

The UPEVT is a new development created due to the recent introduction of esports in the UAAP. But before it was established, there was already an existing ML:BB team operating within UP Diliman: UPD Oblation Esports, the esports arm of the UP Gaming Guild. “When we were representing UPD Oblation Esports, we weren’t the official representative of UP for anything—any collegiate tournament, or any tournament for that matter. Now that we’re a varsity team, we’re the officially recognized team to represent UP,” Balayon explained. 

Sañejo, before he entered UP in 2022 as a BS Computer Science student, was a former player for Ateneo de Manila University’s Loyola Gaming Esports. “When I knew that there were talks of esports being in the UAAP, at first I couldn’t believe it. We’d been expecting this for the longest time because I was one of the first to hear rumors about this way back in 2022 when I was still playing for LG Esports,” he claimed. “We were probably the ones who suggested, ‘what if UAAP had ML?’ That’s where it all started, and it’s been a long time coming.”

In an interview during an ML:BB Professional League (MPL) Philippines match on August 31, UAAP Esports Commissioner Monique Monasterio said, “Since it was the first time having esports in the UAAP, we want it to be really inclusive, so we looked at having multiple platforms. Mobile was one of the platforms we wanted to include, and of course, we decided on the most popular mobile game in the country. So it was definitely a given that MLBB would be a part of UAAP Esports.”

On the other hand, Balayon would attribute the talks about UAAP Esports with the largest collegiate leagues such as AcadArena Alliance Games, Estudyante Esports, and the Collegiate Center for Esports. “Those are the previous organizations that spearheaded the movement with collegiate esports in general. And I think that it’s just natural that since esports is kind of popular with college students nowadays, it’s going to trickle down eventually to UAAP.”

It certainly took a while for the idea of UAAP Esports to catch on, as the plans for the tournament were only put into action shortly before the opening of UAAP Season 87.

“I think the talks about it started last year, around October,” Balayon recalled. “Of course, we got excited. Eventually, it was announced; originally it was announced to start in May, but then it got moved again and again until such time that the official and final date happened last August.”

When asked about any given reasons as to why it was being moved, he replied, “They didn’t give an explicit answer but we can assume that it was because of logistical reasons. I think they couldn’t find a venue that could handle esports production. They were struggling to find a place that could cater to all those esports needs for production.”

Despite UP being the host for UAAP Season 87, UAAP Esports was held on August 13-21 in Areté, an art center located in the Ateneo de Manila University campus.

Prepping and planning for UAAP Esports

Before the UPEVT could play for the UAAP, they first had to gather the best ML:BB players among the UP community to form the team. But one roadblock they didn’t expect to face was how they couldn’t just handpick from the existing UPD Oblation Esports lineup, where there was no shortage of talent and potential. “When we originally pitched to the UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development, they didn’t agree to the arrangement that we’re just going to send our best team,” Balayon said. “They wanted a fair and open tryouts for everyone, so we had to announce to the entire UPD community that we’re opening tryouts for UAAP Esports.” After the announcement was posted on the UPD Oblation Esports Facebook page, aspiring varsity players signed up and underwent a week of tryouts.

Aside from forming a new roster, the team also needed to find ways to support their lineup. They were faced with the challenge of providing for all the team’s needs and expenses. “We had to start from scratch, essentially with zero money. We had to make sure we had a lot of sponsors. The only allowance that was given to us by UP was for our uniforms. We can’t really allocate that for anything else, because that was the particular for that money,” Balayon revealed. In addition to uniforms, the players also needed a place where they could practice together. “We had to ask one of our players to house the team for a while for their practice.”

“We went to an almost two week bootcamp,” Sañejo added. “We lived together—we woke up together, we ate together, and we then played together. It went down for around 10 days where we just trained for the whole day.” 

The two further discussed the training process the team underwent. Sañejo briefly described what scrimming is, which is what the usual ML:BB team does to practice. “We had to take scrims, which is scheduling a training or match against other schools. To sum it all up, our training consisted of just spamming our playing, a lot of rank games, and also scrimming at the same time. That was the core of what we were doing to prepare for the UAAP.” 

“We already have a pipeline of getting scrims; we’re already in group chats with other collegiate teams, international teams, local teams, [and] amateur teams. It was just a matter of scheduling those scrims,” Balayon supplied. “Right after those scrims, we would usually have a VOD (video on demand) review as well; the scrims that we have would be recorded, and after that, regardless of the result of the scrim, we’d review the videos so that we take note of the points we can improve on not only in-game but also [with] communication between the players. If there are days that we can’t secure scrims, if no one is available, then we’d let the players do rank games instead.”

“That goes to show how much passion we were showing and how much hunger we showed to just win and represent our school, because UAAP… it’s a big thing,” Sañejo concluded.

Roster revealed, all troops deployed

On August 12, 2024, the six-member lineup was revealed: Diego Aguila, Joseph Brylle Geronimo, Kin Calvin Martinez, John Lloyd Ramirez, Ralph Laurence Silva, and Sañejo were announced as the representatives of the UP Fighting Maroons for UAAP ML:BB.

According to Balayon, it was a joint decision between the players and the management to assign Sañejo as the captain of the team. “We pretty much saw David as the most stable one emotionally, and that’s what the team really needed at the time. He’s a good player, but also the most level-headed out of all the players. If for example, the team is losing, he doesn’t let that get to him. He doesn’t change his playstyle or communication style.” His consistency and stability led him to become the team’s anchor throughout the tournament.

However, Sañejo confessed that he didn’t expect to be put in a leadership role. “At first I was nervous, I was scared, because I wasn’t the team captain type; I’m shy and introverted, and it really took me out of my comfort zone. What drove me to just do my best and become the best team captain that I could be is the fact that I really love playing this game. My passion for it is overflowing and that’s what motivated me to go all out and lead my team to the championship.”

Disappointing defeat for the Fighting Maroons

Due to the pandemic, many ML:BB tournaments are now being held remotely, with teams playing their matches while in their respective bootcamps. Only the major leagues such as the MPL Philippines have held regular onsite matches since then. This made the first season of UAAP Esports a truly significant event when it was held onsite with a live audience. “We became really excited and motivated to play. When we got to the tournament dates, it was so surreal because our team was so well-planned and the production was just amazing,” Sañejo marveled.

He also talked about the impact of the UAAP on the public awareness and acceptance of the esports scene. “UAAP is a whole other league, even if it’s in the same collegiate level as opposed to the amateur and pro scenes, because it’s more known to the public. Let’s say you’re an aspiring esports player and you’re scared to say that you want to be an esports player because there’s this stigma that it’s not worth it, like “computer-computer lang ‘yan.” But then, in my case, my family and friends became more supportive because they know what UAAP is,” he stated. 

During the matches, there were a lot of interesting strategies that came from the team, such as the Zhask pick in the gold lane which the casters and the audience couldn’t get enough of. Based on the game meta at the time, this mage hero would usually be played in the mid lane, but the Fighting Maroons unexpectedly went down a different path to try and give the hero an early equipment advantage. 

Sañejo attributed the team’s thought process behind the drafts and the gameplay to “the great mind of our coach, Coach Link.” He admitted that they underwent a difficult journey of building trust in their coach and their teammates, but this made them able to cooperate and stick to the team-oriented gameplay, planning, or drafting that worked for them. “It took a while, but eventually, our synergy and chemistry were built not just in the gameplay itself but also when it comes to the pregame, which is the drafting and shotcalling of the playstyle we’re going to go with.”

Within the game itself, the coach no longer had control over the team’s gameplay execution, and all the decision-making had to be done based on the team’s in-game comms. “We don’t have a specific in-game leader that gives all the shotcalling, which is something that you might hear from other esports teams. Think of it as some sort of hivemind, where we give inputs and we all collectively decide on what to do with those. The team’s rotations and execution relies on everyone’s comms, which will make or break the victory that we wanted to get.”

But despite the Fighting Maroons’ thirst for victory, the team ended the tournament with a 1-5 game win-loss record, which were from one match draw against UE and two match losses against Adamson and UST. Sañejo remembered how those losses were devastating for the team, especially after their first match against Adamson. “We couldn’t accept it. There were a few issues, which all boiled down to having a hard time adjusting to the phones they provided, and we weren’t really prepared for that. We stomached that loss.” 

He went on to express that the players dealt with the losses differently. “Some of us got really emotional immediately, but some of us kept our cool and stayed strong. They showed their grit and became the bigger person; they helped cheer up their teammates who were down. They reminded us that ‘May ibang match pa tayo, kaya bakit tayo malulugmok ngayon? Hindi pa naman tapos ang laban.’ We then doubled our effort to get back on track with the motivation and the drive to do better.”

After their devastating loss, the team still had two challenging matches against UE and UST remaining, so they needed a hard reset to be able to give a good fight against those two teams. “We put ourselves in a precarious situation that would be dangerous if we depended our fate on the other teams. We made it a goal to sweep our next two remaining matches, which was a tall task. We expected that we would lose to UST, and we were banking on getting our points from the other two teams, which were Adamson and UE.” After their matches against UP, the UE Zenith Esports and UST Teletigers Esports both qualified for the playoffs and went on to finish first and second in the tournament, respectively. 

“Our next match was supposedly going to be UE, but then the problems that we had in the first match persisted for the second day. We refused to play under those conditions, which resulted in the broadcast delay in the tournament leading up to the postponement of the match.” It is worth noting that the stream was held up for hours past the match’s 2:30 schedule. On August 19, the announcement was made on the Facebook page of The UAAP that UP’s match against UE was to be rescheduled and held off-stream on August 21 due to technical issues. When asked further about those issues, Sañejo clarified: “The device was so faulty, but we just took it for the first match and we still put up a fight. It just so happened that we were punished because the draft our opponents chose was favored for heroes that didn’t really need a fast device.” He mentioned that the UAAP’s provided iPhone 13 Pro Max units were operating very slowly, even slower than the players’ personal devices.

“We chose the playstyle that we practiced and showed our identity. We were still able to decently execute what we were taught and what we trained. It just so happened that we lost in the micro department,” he lamented, referring to how the players were unable to perform highly skilled mechanical movements due to the devices’ latency.

But despite the losses the team incurred, they gained a different kind of success by cultivating a strong and supportive community. “Even though there were some that were doubting us, we used those doubts as fuel to prove them wrong and to prove ourselves,” Sañejo professed. “It was a big help, because it wasn’t just our friends and family and those closest to us we were getting support from; there was also support from the school, support from schoolmates. It was a big community, and they were all so ecstatic and excited to know that, ‘Oh, may ML na pala sa UAAP!’ They were so amazed that it was possible, and we didn’t want to let them down, so that’s what drove us to give our all and give a good show in our matches.”

Looking to the future of UAAP ML:BB

As this was the team’s very first season, it was inevitable that they would commit errors and encounter drawbacks during their campaign. After their stint in the tournament ended, the UPEVT met and discussed the takeaways that they would be taking for future seasons of the UAAP and in other tournaments. Now, they’re looking to make the improvements necessary to become better players and a better team.

“First is that there’s no one to help us other than ourselves. Hindi kami pwedeng umasa sa iba; kami-kami lang yung maaasahan namin. We needed to put extra effort because no one’s going to spoon feed us. If we really want to win, then we have to be willing to make a lot more sacrifices and be more aware of the sacrifices that we have to make. Hindi na rin talaga siya laro-laro lang; varsity team na ang tawag sa amin,” Sañejo remarked.

“There were so many learnings that we took during UAAP because we went through so much and we also had to face issues of our own. It all stemmed from the fact that we had to be taking this more seriously; sometimes we can’t control the outcome, but what we can control is our training leading up to that point. Moving forward, we’ll be taking our training more seriously—just making everything more streamlined, and being ready to make sacrifices and make everything count.”

Meanwhile, when asked about what they saw in the future of the UPEVT and UAAP esports as a whole competitive ecosystem, Balayon and Sañejo both gave their optimistic perspectives with its growth.

Balayon, aside from being a core member of the UPEVT’s staff, is also a national admin of Moonton Student Leaders (MSL) Philippines. With his experience working with Moonton, he lauded the game developer’s expression of support for the ML:BB community. “Thankfully, Moonton is very supportive of grassroots tournaments and activations. There’s something we call the MSL Network; right now, UPEVT is under that network. With that partnership, we’re given a set amount of diamonds so that we can have the activations that I mentioned. With that in mind, I think there’s a lot of activities that we can do, especially on the community side. I honestly think that the ML:BB scene in UPD in general will turn out to be bigger.” These activations aim to cultivate a stronger support system for the team as well as a passionate community within the campus.

Yet despite Moonton’s support, Sañejo expressed his worry about the league’s longevity, as esports was only included in this season of UAAP as a demonstration sport. “[I’m not] sure if it [will] go on for a very long time as opposed to those traditional sports that are already integrated in our culture. Those sports, they’ve been here for a while and they stood the test of time. I was wondering the same for esports—if the community of the game and the support the game is getting will last. What if the game dies down, the community and all, or they’re choosing to shut down, what happens then to the UAAP Esports side of things? Will they choose to include a new other game, or will UAAP Esports not happen anymore?” These are only some of the concerns that both esports professionals and enthusiasts have when it comes to the long-term continuance of the games they support.

Still, Sañejo remains hopeful that UAAP Esports will be here to stay until the foreseeable future. “This is what we’ve all been working towards, really: to have esports to get the attention, engagement, and exposure it needs to thrive as a real sport.”

UPIS has also had its fair share of small-scale ML:BB tournaments since before the pandemic, namely the Clash tournaments organized by the Applied Science and Engineering track for UPIS Days 2019 and 2020. From watching these, the UPIS community witnessed that there is no lack of homegrown talents from elementary to high school. Thus, there is potential for UAAP Esports to have a juniors division, where UAAP’s member high schools can send their own varsity teams to play competitive ML:BB. 

When posed with the possibility, Balayon responded, “There’s definitely a chance for that.”

“We’re now heading into a digital age, so more and more kids will be familiar with games and everything that concerns anything online. I definitely think that, especially with Moonton’s plans right now, there’s definitely a place for a junior team in the future, pretty soon,” he further added.

With this, we can say that the future is definitely bright for Iskos in the Land of Dawn; it’s now up to the rest of us to watch out for the UP Esports Varsity Team and support them in the tournaments to come!

//by Rache Bueno

[its-to-the-death]

Songs that made it through preliminaries (minus the MLP songs)

Rogues Are We (Holy Musical B@man)

Kick It Up a Notch (Starship)

Nerdy Prudes Must Die (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

Join Us (and Die) (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)

No One Remembers Achmed (Twisted)

Feed Me (Little Shop of Horrors)

Dentist (Little Shop of Horrors)

Mean Green Mother From Outerspace (Little Shop of Horrors)

Old King Cole (Once Upon a Time in Space by The Mechanisms)

Favoured Son (Ulysses Dies at Dawn by The Mechanisms)

Odin (The Bifrost Incident by The Mechanisms)

There's a Platypus Controlling Me (Phineas and Ferb)

Evil for Extra Credit (Phineas and Ferb)

All the Convoluted Reasons We Pretend To Be Divorced (Phineas and Ferb)

I Love You (As Much As Someone Like Me Can Love Anyone) (Galavant)

No One But You (Galavant)

She'll Be Mine (Galavant)

Mother Knows Best (Tangled)

Ready As I'll Ever Be (Tangled the Series)

Nothing Left to Lose (Tangled the Series)

Pretty Women (Sweeney Todd)

Dancing Mad (Final Fantasy VI)

When the Chips are Down (Hadestown)

Master of Masters (Kingdom Hearts)

U.N. Owen Was Her? (Touhou 6: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil)

The Old Man of the Mountain/You Gotta Ho-De-Ho/The Scat Song Medley (Betty Boop)

Our Love is God (Heathers)

Biskit Family Business (Littlest Pet Shop)

We Both Reached For the Gun (Chicago)

Heaven on Their Minds (Jesus Christ Superstar)

Good to Be King (Journey to Bethlehem)

Jester (Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return)

Sympathy for the Devil (song by The Rolling Stones)

Dressed to Oppress (Play It By Ear - The Muck of Merkmere)

One Step Ahead (Spies Are Forever)

Let the Pun Fit the Crime (Wander Over Yonder)

Necrostar (The Vice Quadrant by Steam Powered Giraffe)

Lost in Thoughts All Alone (Fire Emblem: Fates)

The Ring motif (Lord of the Rings)

I'm Alive (Next to Normal)

Where There's a Whip, There's a Way (Return of the King 1980)

There Ain't Nothin' But Bad Days Ahead (The Swan Princess: Mystery of the Enchanted Treasure)

Les Poissons (The Little Mermaid)

It's Our House Now (The House of Mouse - Halloween special)

Grandpa's Gonna Sue the Pants Off Santa (Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer)

Master of the House (Les Miserables)

Peaches (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)

The Boys Are Back In Town (To Kill You) (The Boys)

Dark Riders (Star Stable Online)

Grand Ceremony (Pyre)

Coraline (Coraline)

Better Than You (Camp Camp)

In the Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt)

Get in the Water (Epic: The Musical)

Descole's theme live version (Professor Layton)

Isabella's Lullaby (The Promised Neverland)

Get Jinxed (League of Legends)

Pieces of You/Hologram Professor Song (Puppet History)

Great at Crime (Epithet Erased)

Davy Jones' theme (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest)

Herbert Style (Club Penguin)

No One's Gonna Make a Monkey Out of Me (The Donkey Kong Country cartoon)

Diddy Drop Rap (The Donkey Kong Country cartoon)

Attack at the Wall (Mulan)

No More Toymakers to the King (Santa Claus is Comin' to Town)

What's Up Duloc? (Shrek musical)

If I'm Gonna Eat Somebody (It Might As Well Be You) (Ferngully)

The Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom of the Opera)

Prowler's theme (Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse)

How Can I Refuse? Reprise (Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper)

Friends in Low Places (Bigtop Burger)

That's Not How the Story Goes (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

The World Revolving (Deltarune)

Heffalumps and Woozles (Winnie the Pooh)

Waikyou Shenshoujin (Senki Zesshou Symphogear G)

No Good Deed (Wicked)

Fabulous (High School Musical 2)

Kidnap the Sandy Claws (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Between Two Worlds (Limbus Company)

Your Best Nightmare (Undertale)

We Don't Talk About Bruno (Encanto)

Jaws theme (Jaws)

The Executioner (Umineko no naku koro ni)

[di-daynamic]

@hinnymicrofic May Day 21: Drunk

“Alright, Weasley?” Potter smirked at her. “Not too despairing, I hope? I won’t catch you if you faint.”

“Ha fucking ha, Potter,” Ginny snarled. “Just because your team got this shot doesn’t mean you’ll win. Wait and watch. We’ll be winning today.”

Potter smiled that absolutely infuriating smug smile of his. “You go on dreaming,” he said in a faux soothing voice. “But I have to go fly. And win.”

He flew seemingly erratically and dismantled her teammates’ formation with next to no effort.

Ginny gritted her teeth.

Harry Potter was a legend in quidditch. He’d been selected for his house team in his first year, led Ravenclaw to a victory several times, missed a catch only a handful of times and had been picked as reserve seeker straight out of school by the Pride of Portree before starting for the Ballycastle Bats.

The first time, Ginny had been excited to play him.

That had been before she’d realized what a Merlin damned asshole he was.

Well. Famous prodigy or not, she and her team would beat him and his.

Ginny seized the quaffle mid switch of the Bats’ Chasers. She passed it to Val who passed it back to her right in time and position to score. Fans roared and booed. She turned to Potter and made a violently rude gesture at him.

He only smirked back at her.

For some reason, that sent a shiver down her spine.

The next forty minutes were a deadly dance of taunting and dodging and scoring and flying. Ginny’s blood sang in the air. Flying brought a thrill to her she never got anywhere else, except for from Harry Potter’s scorching glares and mocking.

He seemed to delight in frustrating her. He was edging her, blocking her, ruining her plays ever other second. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was unnervingly concentrated on her, despite him always being an active seeker in all his matches.

A Bat scored again, and Potter did a loop-de-loop in celebration before shooting in a slanted line towards the centre of the pitch.

Ginny’s heart skipped a beat. The Snitch!

Potter was widely regarded as the best Seeker in the League. Melissa was good, but Ginny wasn’t being cruel when she thought she was no match for him. Their only hope was the score: which was currently two-ten to sixty in the Harpies’ favour.

If Potter caught the Snitch, they would lose.

Ginny dove down, and her stomach dropped and rose all at once at the terror and thrill and joy of the act. She buzzed the opposing chaser, nearly Blatched another, grabbed the quaffle and threw it at the hoops.

It was a long shot – but the keeper had been distracted by the Snitch chase and the quaffle sailed through the left hoop right as Potter’s fist closed around the Snitch.

The spectators roared. There was a great deal of confusion. But finally, the referee declared the Holyhead Harpies to be the winners.

Ginny whooped as she took her victory lap. Her eyes met Potter’s, and she tilted her head towards him cockily. His gaze was burning. Hate and, somehow, admiration. Ginny’s heart flipped unnaturally, and she ignored it as she sped towards her celebrating teammates.

She spent the next few hours at the Holyhead unofficial pub, getting congratulated and mobbed by fans and drunk with her teammates. Vision blurring a little – she’d perhaps had one drink too many – she flooed to the nearest public floo point to her apartment.

Her head spun as she walked back home, dazed and drunk on joy and alcohol.

“Weasley,” came a slurred voice. “If it isn’t the bloody heroine of the hour.”

Ginny turned. If she was drunk, Harry Potter was completely plastered. His hair was more of a rat’s nest than usual, his features were slack, but his green eyes were as blazing as ever.

“Potter. Why, here to expend your Loser’s Lurgy?” She instantly regretted referring to one of Luna’s wild stories. To her surprise, Potter just barked a laugh.

“You’re friends with Luna too, huh?” She stared. Why the hell had she never told Ginny Luna was friends with Quidditch Star Harry Potter? “Nothing like that. Mates an’ me got drunk, and Dad and Mum and Sirius will never let me hear the end of it if I go to them, and Hermione would kill me for drinking dangerously. And Nev’s out of town. So just. . . Wandering ‘round.”

In one sentence Potter had told her more than she ever wanted to know about his life.

“Like I wanted to know, Potter,” she jeered. She turned to go.

“You asked, Weasley.” Came his teasing voice. Ginny pressed her eyes shut furiously. She supposed she had. “Not going to bitch or gloat about your win?”

“Me, gloat?” Ginny’s voice was taut as she went and pressed her finger to his chest. He just smiled at her, giving her that damned smugly superior look she hated. “Says Harry Potter, the sorest winner in the whole world!”

Potter laughed incredulously. “Coming from Ginevra Weasley, the most morally superior too good for everyone player?”

“The worst—”

“Bloody crazy and arrogant—”

“Infuriating asshole—”

“Self-righteous shrew with attitude problems—”

“Smirking like the bloody devil himself, why are you so—” Ginny breathed heavily. “So incredibly good at quidditch—”

“And why are you so. . . .” Potter’s voice dropped to a ragged whisper. “So. . . so fucking pretty?”

Their eyes met. And the next moment, they were kissing.

Potter kissed like a storm. He kissed her like she was the last thing left on earth. He kissed her like she was water in a desert.

Gasping, they tore away from each other as someone called at them to get a room.

This was a terrible idea.

Her brothers would encourage it, which was a warning all in itself. Her parents would be very sternly horrified. They were on opposite teams, facing in the league.

She didn’t care.

He was a drug she wanted to get high, delirious, drunk on.

This was a terrible idea.

“My apartment’s that way,” she said.

[paperandsong]

Les Laveuses de nuit

From Légendes rustiques, illustrated by Maurice Sand, written by George Sand, 1858

Original French at Project Gutenberg

English translation:

At the full moon, we see on the path of the Spring of Springs (Fountain of Fountains) strange washerwomen, the ghosts of bad mothers who have been condemned to wash the swaddling clothes and corpses of their victims, until their final judgement.

Maurice SAND

In our opinion, this is the most sinister vision of fear. It is also the most widespread; I believe it is found in all countries.

Around stagnant pools and limpid springs, in the heather as at the edge of shaded fountains along sunken lanes, under the old willows as on the sun-scorched plain, one hears during the night the hurried pounding and furious plashing of otherworldly washerwomen. In some provinces, they are believed to evoke rain and to bait thunderstorms by sending water from springs and swamps flying into the skies with their vigorous clothes-beating. But there is confusion here. The evocation of storms is the sole privilege of sorcerers known as cloud leaders (meneux de nuées). True washerwomen are the souls of infanticidal mothers. They incessantly beat and twist something that looks like wet laundry but which, when viewed up close, is nothing but a child's corpse. Each has her own bundle, or several if she has committed her crime more than once. Care must be taken not to observe or disturb them because even if you were six feet tall and proportionally strong they would seize you, beat you in the water and twist you like nothing more than a pair of socks.

We often hear the beating of the night washers echoing in the silence around deserted ponds. This is a trick. It is only a kind of frog that makes this formidable noise. It’s so sad to make this childish discovery and to lose hope that those terrible sorceresses might appear, twisting their filthy rags in the misty November night, in the pale light of a crescent moon reflected on the water.

Yet, I was excited by a sincere and rather frightening account of this subject.

A friend of mine, a man of more wit than sense I must admit, and yet, of an enlightened and cultivated mind, but I must still confess, inclined to leave his reason in the jar; he is very brave in the face of real things, but easy to impress and nurtured from childhood on country legends, had two encounters with the washerwomen which he only recounted with reluctance and with an expression on his face that sent a chill through his audience.

One evening, around eleven o'clock, on an enchanting trail that snakes around and bounds forth, so to speak, on the rippled side of the Urmont ravine, he saw an old woman washing and twisting clothes in silence at the edge of a spring.

Although this pretty spring is infamous, he saw nothing supernatural there and said to this old woman: "You are doing the washing very late, mother!" 

She did not answer. He thought she was deaf and approached her. The moon was bright and the spring shone like a mirror. He then saw the features of the old woman more distinctly: she was a total stranger to him and he was astonished because, in his life as a farmer, hunter and loafer about the countryside, there was no face unknown to him for several leagues around. Here is what he told me of his impressions of this singularly strange washerwoman:

“I didn't think of the legend until I’d lost sight of the woman. I didn't even think about it until I came across her. I didn't believe it and didn’t feel any suspicion when approaching her. But as soon as I was near her, her silence, her indifference to the approach of a passer-by, gave her the appearance of a being absolutely foreign to our kind. If old age deprived her of hearing and sight, how had she come from afar all alone, at this unusual hour, to do the wash at this frozen spring where she worked with so much strength and energy? It was at least noteworthy; but what surprised me even more was what I felt within myself. I had no feeling of fear, rather, I felt loathing, an invincible disgust. I went on my way without so much as turning her head. It wasn’t until I got home that I thought of the washhouse witches, and I honestly admit that then I was very scared. Nothing in the world could have made me decide to retrace my steps.”

Another time, the same friend passed by the Thevet ponds around two in the morning. He came from Linières, where he assures us that he had neither eaten nor drunk anything, a circumstance that I cannot guarantee. He was alone in his horse cart, followed by his dog. His horse was tired so he dismounted as they went uphill and he found himself at the side of the road, near a ditch where three women were washing, beating, and twisting something vigorously, without saying a word. His dog suddenly pressed close to him without barking. He passed by without looking too closely. But no sooner had he taken a few steps than he heard someone walking behind him and the moon cast a very long shadow at his feet. He turned and saw one of the women following him. The other two came at some distance, as if to support the first.

“This time,” he said, “I thought of the cursed washerwomen, but I felt differently than the first time. These women were so tall, and the one who followed me closely had the proportions, the face and the gait of a man, that I did not doubt for a moment that I was dealing with malicious village jokers, ill-intentioned perhaps. I had a good stick in my hand. I turned around and said: ‘What do you want?’

I didn’t get an answer and, as I was not being attacked and had no reason to attack them myself, I was forced to return to my cart, which was quite far in front of me, with this disagreeable being at my heels. It didn't say anything to me and seemed to take pleasure in keeping me under suspense. I was still holding my stick, ready to break its jaw at the slightest touch. And so I arrived at my cart with my cowardly dog, ​​who didn't say a word and jumped in with me. I then turned and - although until then I had heard footsteps over mine and seen a shadow walking beside me - I saw no one. About thirty paces behind I could just make out - in the place where I had seen them washing - the three great devils jumping, dancing and writhing around like mad on the edge of the ditch. Their silence, contrasted with this distorted leaping, made them even more strange and distressing to see.”

If one tried, after this tale, to ask the narrator for more details or to make him understand that he had been the plaything of a hallucination, he would shake his head and say: “Let us talk about something else. I just like to think I am not crazy.” And these words, uttered with sadness, imposed silence on everyone.

There is no pond or spring that is not haunted, either by night washerwomen or by other more or less unfortunate spirits. A few of these ghosts are quite bizarre. In my childhood, I was always afraid to walk past a certain ditch where you saw white feet. Those fantastic stories which cannot explain the nature of the beings which they depict, which remain vague and incomplete, are those that strike the imagination hardest. It was said these white feet walked along the ditch at certain hours of the night; they were women's feet, lean and bare, with a bit of a white dress or long shirt that ceaselessly floated and fluttered. It moved fast in a zigzag and if we said, “I see you! Don’t you want to save yourself?” it would run so fast we didn't know where it had gone. When no one said anything, it moved in front of you; but no matter how hard one tried to see above the ankle, it was impossible. It had no legs, no body, no head, nothing but feet. I could not say what it was about these feet that made them terrifying; but I would not have wanted to see them. Not for anything in the world.

In other places, there are night spinners whose spinning wheels can be heard in whatever room you are in. Sometimes you can even see their hands. In our home, I heard about a night grinder, who pounded hemp outside the doors of certain houses, making rhythmic pounding noises but in an unnatural way. She had to be left alone, and if she persisted in coming back several nights in a row, you had to put an old scythe blade across the tool that she used to make all that noise. She would amuse herself for a while, trying to crush the blade, then she would be disgusted by it, throw it at the door and never come back.

And then there were the peillerouse (the ragged ones) of the night, who stood under the guenillière. Peille is an old French word meaning ragged; this is why the church porch, where the beggars stand in rags during services, is called by a similar name.

This one peillerouse accosted passers-by and asked them for alms. We had to be careful not to give her anything, otherwise she would grow tall and strong. As weak as she seemed, she would beat you up. A man named Simon Richard, who lived in the old priest’s house and who suspected some mischief towards him on the part of the village girls, tried to flirt with her. He was left for dead. I saw him on his side the next day, all battered and scratched up, indeed. He swore he had only dealt with a little old woman “who looked a hundred years old, but who had the fist of three and a half men.”

We tried in vain to make him believe that he had been dealing with a fellow stronger than himself, who, in disguise, took revenge for some bad trick in his own way. He was strong and bold, even quarrelsome and vindictive. Yet he left the parish as soon as he was up and never returned, saying he feared neither man nor woman. But he did fear people who are not of this world and who do not have Christian-made bodies.

George SAND

[hesitantvampirealien]

explaining random shit and a few not so commonly translated cuss words we say here in brazil

foi de base - death, to die

example: fulano foi de base (the guy went to base) - meaning the guy died

slang that originally came from brazilian League Of Legends players that refers to when you die and return to the base. Literal translation of "foi de base" would be like "went to base" or something but it's kinda complicated to translate because the "foi de" part means like "went as (something)" or "did the (something)"

foi de base can also be derived into different versions in which you can switch the word "base" for literally any word of your preference. Popular example: fulano foi de arrasta pra cima (john doe went to swipe up. Yeah i know, it's just not as funny in english but it's funny in portuguese, i promise)

tankar - to tolerate

intankavel ("untankable") - intolerable, insufferable

examples: não da pra tankar os carro feio do elon (i can't tank elon's ugly cars), o carro feio do elon é intankavel (elon's ugly car is untankable) - meaning you can't tolerate elon's ugly cars

slang that comes from the term "tank" from *i believe* World of Warcraft (please correct me if i'm wrong about the origin of the term) and also used in Final Fantasy, meaning a character that has a high HP count or a high resistance to attacks, usually a character meant to lure in enemies during multiplayer sessions so other players can attack the enemies that are too focused on trying to take down the tank character (i feel very represented by this term as a Final Fantasy player who has a tank miqo'te /j)

bostil + intankavel o bostil

bostil - fusion of "bosta" (shit) and "brasil" (brazil). Slang used specifically to refer to brazilian hardships that are strictly related to the country itself and its issues.

intankavel o bostil - (see "tankar", "intankavel") Slang used to criticize anything if you're brazilian, can be used both to criticize specifically brazil issues or if you're just a brazilian person complaining about anything in general. Does not require to be anything strictly related to brazilian struggles and can be used ironically but is commonly used that way. Still considered appropriate to be only used by brazilians.

vai chupar um canavial de rola - go suck a sugarcane field of cocks

you basically just tell someone this if you're pissed off, it's self explanatory

olavo, olavo de carvalho, olavo de caralho - skull, skeleton, death, dead person (this one has a bigger context)

example 1: foi de olavo (see "foi de base") - means the person died

example 2: olha o olavo aí *aponta pra uma caveira ou esqueleto* (look at the olavo *points at a skull or skeleton*) - means you're, well, looking at a skull or a skeleton.

"olavo" refers to a brazilian """philosopher""" (my ass) named Olavo de Carvalho who passed away 2 years ago (almost 3 years now! happy deathday olavo!) and he was just not a good person so that's why we make fun of his death here. Olavo was not only a flat earth believer but also a covid denier (he literally died from covid) and, well, he was basically a fascist. Good riddance

Olavo de Caralho is a pun with his last name "Carvalho" (oak), but "caralho" means a whole variety of cuss words (fuck, cock, etc. It can mean a lot of stuff)

broxa - a type of brush, person with erectile dysfunction (PLEASE don't ever call someone this because it's super degrading unless they're an asshole)

broxa was originally a type of brush, a short and more tougher brush.

broxa is a derogatory term used to refer to a person with erectile dysfunction and can be a verb like "broxou" which refers to a dick going soft too early

broxa can also be used if you're disappointed at something.

example: eu fiquei broxado com o final desse filme (my dick went soft at the end of this movie) - means you were disappointed at the end of the movie you watched

viado, bicha - faggot

here we actually use "viado" and "bicha" the same way english speakers use "bro" for example, but it's much more appropriate to use this slang when you're queer yourself, otherwise it's seen as inappropriate or even homophobic

prikito, priquito - pussy

comes from the word "periquito" (parakeet)

você pinta como eu pinto? (pun)

the translation to this one won't make sense at first, but basically it's like a little joke with the sentence "você pinta como eu pinto" and "você pinta com meu pinto" which are pronounced the same way. the first one means "do you paint like i paint" and the second means "do you paint with my dick" and it's like a little thing you trick people into saying "yes" or anything like that

se eu cozinho todo mundo come (pun)

same type of joke as the previous one. "se eu cozinho todo mundo come" (if i cook everyone eats) has the same pronunciation as "seu cuzinho todo mundo come" (everyone eats/fucks your ass)

list might grow in the future lol

edit to add one that i absolutely love:

nem fudendo - no fucking way

used when you can't believe something someone said

used as a more aggressive replacement to "no"

[dramatichronicles]

Review: Arcane 2

Como buena lolera que soy, voy a empezar la sección de las reviews con la segunda temporada de la 'supuesta' adaptación de las historias de Piltover y Zaun de League of Legends (también conocido como adicción tóxica).

Recuerdo haber visto la primera temporada como 3 veces entera, porque ver la animación de la serie es algo que activa cosas bonitas en mi cerebro, y la segunda temporada ha hecho exactamente lo mismo. Creo que todos los que hemos visto la serie o las personas que han visto capturas de los capítulos, sabemos que lo mejor que tiene la serie es la animación y los efectos visuales, haciendo también mención, a los escenarios y la creación de todos los entornos que podemos ver tanto en la primera temporada como en esta. Personalmente, prefiero el estilo de esta segunda, porque han experimentado con escenarios algo más apocalípticos y psicodélicos, todos ellos me han encantado.

Ahora bien, si nos ponemos a hablar de la historia y desarrollo de los personajes, tengo sentimientos encontrados. Partiendo de la base que soy una persona que conoce el lore inicial de todos los personajes que aparecieron en la serie, tenía unas ideas y expectativas que, inconscientemente, quería ver. Y no ha sido así. Es cierto que han introducido nuevos personajes como Leblanc, Janna e incluso Orianna, pero hay tantas cosas que supuestamente son canónicas (como por ejemplo Renata, Blitzcrank, Seraphine, Zac, Twitch, Ezreal, Urgot...) que también estaban en ese arco histórico. Al no haber habido ningún tipo de guiño o referencia, me ha decepcionado mucho, llegando al punto de que estaba cansada de las historias de Caitlyn, Vi y compañía.

Sabiendo que quieren hacer canon la historia que han escrito con Arcane, todavía hunde más los transfondos ya existentes de todos estos personajes, y sinceramente, siento que se ha hecho más por puro marketing que por cohesión con todo el universo que ya había.

Es por eso que, el final de la serie me ha dejado un sabor agridulce, además de recalcar que el último capítulo ha sido horrible. No me malinterpretéis, lo que ocurre está bien, pero está presentado de una manera tan apresurada y caótica que te deja una sensación de que 'no ha pasado nada', y que todo lo que has visto no ha servido para nada. Dejan entrever que la siguiente región va a ser Noxus, lo cual está bien, dado que ya han presentado un poquito dicha nueva historia con guiños como la Rosa Negra y el cuervo de Swain al final (si no sabes mínimamente sobre habilidades o personajes, obviamente no entiendes nada de esto, lo cual está, de nuevo, mal planteado).

Quiero hacer una mención especial al capítulo 7, porque me parece el más bonito de todos los de la temporada. Ya no solo porque se centran en un multiverso que 'técnicamente' no existe, sino porque me ha recordado muchísimo a la película de 'Spiderverse'. Ekko la verdad es que me ha gustado mucho en toda la serie, al igual que esta Powder que nos han enseñado. Me arrancaron algunas lágrimas con la elección de la canción en este capítulo, sobretodo en la escena del baile entre ellos dos. Todo muy bonito y te deja el corazón calentito al igual que roto cuando termina dicho capítulo.

Debo decir que nunca me ha gustado la relación o el shippeo entre Ekko y Jinx, pero eso da para otro post explicando mis múltiples motivos (Lux existe).

Terminada la serie, es como si no hubiera visto nada relevante o impresionante y probablemente se me olvidará de aquí a unos meses. Dudo mucho que haga rewatch de la segunda temporada por muy bonita que haya sido, así que quedará en el baúl de los recuerdos hasta que Riot decida hacer otra obra maestra audiovisual, lo cual sí que tengo ganas de ver.

[seoulitehq]

Não é novidade alguma que a RIOT, empresa responsável pelo jogo League of Legends, lança músicas em cada nova temporada do jogo, além de também criarem grupos virtuais com os personagens da franquia. Em 2023 isso não seria diferente, e logo começaram os rumores de que estavam em busca de idols para dar voz aos novos hits de LoL.

Ao mesmo tempo, a RIOT fez uma parceria com as maiores empresas da Coreia do Sul para promover um campeonato de League of Legends entre os idols. O prêmio final? O título de embaixador do jogo.

Esse evento tem duas etapas, então vamos às explicações:

Esse ano a RIOT lançou as músicas Gods e Paranoia, e no nosso universo isso não vai ser diferente. Só que aqui vocês vão dar voz a esses hits!

Para a música Gods, será escolhido 5 artistas femininas através de um sorteio. Para participar, comenta Bad girl woke up and chose violence aqui nesse post mesmo.

Para a música Paranoia, do HEARTSTEEL, novo grupo virtual do jogo, vão ser escolhidos 5 artistas masculinos, sendo eles 2 rappers, para dar voz aos personagens através de um sorteio também. Para participar, basta comentar Imma show you how to crash a party.

Os ganhadores dos sorteios, além de serem creditados na gravação das duas músicas e poderem apresentar elas na final do Campeonato Mundial de LoL, vão ganhar 100 pontos. Os demais que se inscreverem irão ganhar 75 pontos.

Já o campeonato de idols vai formar equipes misturando os artistas de cada uma das grandes empresas.

As equipes são totalmente aleatórias e rotatórias. O seu parceiro de hoje poderá ser seu inimigo amanhã.

O campeonato irá durar do dia 17/11 ao dia 26/11, tanto IC quanto OOC.

Para participar, basta usar a tag slt:league nas interações e posts envolvendo o campeonato.

Através dessa tag, o verdadeiro vencedor do campeonato vai ser escolhido através de um sorteio.

IC, o ganhador será escolhido através de uma votação feita pelos fãs, independentemente do desempenho no jogo.

O prêmio IC para o vencedor será o título de embaixador do LoL, já o OOC será 100 pontos.

Modelos e atores atuarão como os MCs do evento, enquanto a STAFF ficará responsável pelo backstage.

[danhang]

#DANHANG  : independent, literate & highly selective multi - muse roleplay blog ; features canon & oirignal characters from various media. canon + headcanon based. mature themes will be present & properly tagged.

as adored by cherry ( 25+, she / her, gmt + 1 ).  i only use the beta editor, so please do not use the legacy editor when writing with me. DNI : minors & personal blogs

a gentle study on : the obstacles & beauty of adolescence, betrayal & trust, the    power of will & the desire to do good, heroic tendencies  /  heroic    foolishness, beautiful girls have sharp claws too, the desire of  self - indentification &  the perpetual need for validation.

lovingly affiliated with : @kazekamis

rules, muses & mains under the cut ( temporarily )

RULES.

this blog is private meaning i will only interact with mutuals. and while i'm open to all fandoms and crossovers, i reserve the right to not follow back if i 1.) either don't see our muses interacting, 2.) your blog is full of picture posts, 3.) you don't tag your triggers. proper roleplay etiquette and human being sense is required when following me, aka don't be a douche, ableist, racist, homophobe, or proshipper.

i'm not affiliated with any of the fandoms i write.

regarding triggers, they will be appearing on this blog in form, but not limited to, angst, violence, depression, mentions of war, mental health and ilnessess. everything will be tagged accordingly. smut content will be found on this blog only with muses off age and rather scarcely.

i'm not a fast writer, nor do i have the time to reply daily. please don't rush me when it comes to writing because the more you rush me, the less i'm likely to actually reply to you. this is a hobby and i'll always treat it as such.

my portrayal is primarily based on canon material from shows, games, mangas and visual novels, mixed with headcanons i've created for my muses. if you ever have any questions about my muses, feel free to approach me!

muses are multi-ship unless stated otherwise. i do accept mains and wish to be granted the same privilege if i were to accept you as mine. if we ship, i give and expect ship exclusivity. let's have fun. :')

credit icon border, post & blog banners @poetryrph

MUSES.

CARD CAPTOR SAKURA. kinomoto sakura EIGHTY-SIX. shinei nouzen FINAL FANTASY. aymeric de borel, noctis lucis caelum, serah farron, snow villiers, yuffie kisaragi, yuna GENSHIN IMPACT. navia caspar, yae miko HAIKYUU. kageyama tobio, oikawa tooru HONKAI: STAR RAIL. gepard, kafka, robin JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE. higashikata josuke KINGDOM HEARTS. sora LEAGUE OF LEGENDS. alune, luxanna crownguard, zoe MORIARTY THE PATRIOT. sherlock holmes MYSTIC MESSENGER. choi saeyoung PERSONA. kujikawa rise, takamaki ann SAILOR MOON. aino minako TEARS OF THEMIS. marius von hagen

MAINS.

ann: @halchron ( ryuji ; ship exclusive ) marius: @cauterisen ( ship exclusive ) noctis: @halchron ( prompto ; ship exclusive ) oikawa tooru: @kazekamis ( kuroo & sugawara ; ship exclusive ), @violevin, @cauterisen ( ship exclusive ) rise: @halchron ( yu ) sherlock holmes: @violevin snow villiers: @halchron ( hope ), @violevin, @kazekamis ( lightning ) sora: @kazekamis ( kairi ) yuna: @halchron ( tidus ; ship exclusive )

[kiiwy]

No, currently no one scares me at the top. I am someone who has a lot of basic self-confidence. - BDS Adam in L'Equipe

[simplegenius042]

Ask meme!

Thank you @lulu2992 for tagging me! I quite enjoyed how you worded yours, as well as @glowwormsmith (to do so twice for the funsies) and am curious to see how well I do on mine.

Rules: Spell out your URL using song titles that can describe your muse/OC/pairings, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL!

Tagging @cassietrn @chazz-anova @voidika @thewanderer-000 @titiagls and @onehornedbeast + anyone else who'd like to join. Also you don't have to do what I did. You can read my best attempt at this Ask meme below the cut:

"Some Nights" [Fun.] I just stay up, staring at my roof thinking about the characters, the fics I wrote, and the thing is, "I Can't Decide" [Scissor Sisters] on who to talk about first, because there is so many options, each imbued with "My Kind Of Love" [Leon Else - 13 Reasons Why] in various forms. There's the protagonist of The UnTitledverse, Joaquin Cobalt, who's personally a "Part Of Me" [Katy Perry] in some ways but very different in others, especially for his search of identity as he grows up. Silva Omar is the de-facto "main protagonist" of Far Cry The Silver Chronicles, especially with her motivation for living in Hope County, which is to move on from the past and her repetitive status as being the "Last One Standing" [Skylar Grey ft. Polo G, Mozzy, & Eminem - Venom: Let There Be Carnage]. Haoyu Anabuki is someone I find as an interesting protagonist in Life, Despair & Monsters, as unlike Joaquin and Silva, who do have good intentions but often times go to the extreme with those values (Joaquin's methods are more merciless while Silva's is brutal), Haoyu would rather hold onto their selfish intentions than help anyone, but actively learns to care about others and works as a significant foil against his "Enemy" [Imagine Dragons ft. J.I.D - Arcane League of Legends], Sir Enigma Malvolio, who's good intentions are condescending at best and severely warped at worse causing his methods to be unethical, uncaring and selfish.

There's also other series I've developed such as Wings And Horns and it's spin-off trilogy that develops, as well as the Fallout series A Radioactive Calamity of Love, Bombs & Gore, all a "Glorious" [Macklemore ft. Skylar Grey] exploration of the past that happened before The UnTitled Ventures saga, which is the kickstart of the other three series plots. "Everywhere You Look" [Carly Rae Jepsen - Fuller House] is a strange and fantastic journey, which both original and canon characters have to endure and overcome through because what we (and I) get seems to be "Never Enough" [Loren Allred - The Greatest Showman] for our passionate hearts, so we write our own stories and build upon it. "I Gotta Feeling" [The Black Eyed Peas] that The UnTitledverse, Far Cry The Silver Chronicles, Life, Despair & Monsters and the other series and the characters in them, are going to be phenomenal, which is a very bold statement but hey, I've had these building up in my head like an "Unstoppable" [The Score] force for years and I really, really want to finally write them all down so at least they are out there, somewhere, and who knows maybe it might "Shine Through" [The Stupendium] someone else's vision and inspire them to write or make their day a brighter.

One can hope it lasts "4ever" [The Veronicas], and I'll do my best to be along for the ride. And will still be writing even "28 Days Later" [John Murphy - 28 Days Later] after this.

(I have no songs I like or know that start with 0)

And mixing things up, here's how I worded my URL from Wattpad and a little bit from fanfiction.net based on gloworm's style.

Meant To Be - Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line

"Maybe we do / Maybe we don't / Maybe we will / Maybe we won't / But if it's meant to, it'll be, it'll be / Baby just let it be (Sing it baby) / If it's meant to be, it'll be, it'll be (C'mon) / Baby, just let it be (Let's Go) / So won't you ride with me, ride with me? / See where this thing goes" for my ship of my shapeshifting, meat-eating alien Mario Emmet and Charlie Emily, the android who didn't realize she was an android for years from the FNAF novels.

Impossible Geometry - The Stupendium ft. Chi-chi

"Never in all of history before / Has cardio been such bliss to perform / But beware of the risks / As you twist and deform / Or you might just put / Your fist through a wall / The Earth is a stave / And you're surfing the waves / As the sound of the blades / Lay waste to the shapes / Stay braces for the pace / Get a taste for the race / There's grace to embrace / When space is your playlist / I feel the music moving through every part of me / I see the beauty blooming out of every passing beat / I'm flying straight towards the light and there's no stopping me / I live my life through impossible geometry / I found a place where my playlist lays a rhapsody / Where my heartbeat and the bass can weave a tapestry / I'm flying straight towards the light and there's no stopping me / I live my life inside impossible geometry" for Silva Omar and Paul Yellowjack, at the highest peak of Third Eye activation and use. In a way, it describes the kind of environment one sees in this state of mind.

Slide Into The Void - The Stupendium ft. Cami-Cat

"Breaking the first / The second / The third / The fourth wall / Fifth wall / No floor / You fall / Earworm humming in a dream / Baby, baby, baby yeah / Just plastic / You want to listen / You want to dream / You want to smile / You want to hurt / You don't want to be / You want to listen / You want to dream / You want to smile / You want to hurt / You don't want to be / If you can't place the pin / Where patterns end and you begin / Follow the Director / Else you're gonna slide into the void / But should your towers fall / Free your mind and heed the call / Go to the projector / Load another slide into the void" for the Ruins of the Midnight Rise (a science organization/cult that includes the Director, Sir Enigma Malvolio, a collection of the worlds greatest Third Eye users called "The Unity" or "Uni" for short, Malvolio's sopping wet bodyguard Denise Redwood, their primary enforcer Inviticus, his mecha-hound Impulse, a deranged Eden "Evie" Jackson Bloodleech (hint, hint), and Frederick Rosemary who shouldn't be anywhere near children).

The House Always Wins - The Stupendium

"You can hit them, you can fold them / Stack the deck and weight the dice / All that glitters isn't golden / Cash that check, you'll pay the price / Might be safer in the desert / Only dust to judge your sins / But those who wager aren't so clever / 'Cause in heaven / Well, the house always wins" for Mr. Robert Edwin House's condescending hatred towards one Marissa "Ress" Bishop... who returns the feeling 100% tenfold.

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush

"And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God / And I'd get him to swap out places / Be running up that road, be running up that hill / Be running up that building (He-oh) / Say, if I only could, oh-ooh / You / It's you and me / It's you and me / It's you and me / You won't be unhappy / Oh come on, baby / Oh come on, darlin' / Let me steal this moment from you now / Oh come on, angel / Come on, come on, darlin' / Let's exchange the experience / Oh-ooh-ooh" for Silva's survivor's guilt and grief over not being able to save her daughter Persephone.

Epoch - The Living Tombstone

"Everyone makes mistakes / I've had more than my share / But it's OK 'cause O'm gonna repair it / They say there are no retakes / But I just don't agree, no / This show / Is of my own making / Take it back to the start / I've had a change of heart / I know we can make it better than it ever was / I know we can make it better / I know we can make it better than it ever was / I know we can make it better" for an unlikely duo between Stranger Things Jim's older brother, Alfred "Jeff" Hopper, and Joaquin's older adopted sister Lisa Cobalt, both have nothing in common except for the fact both are repentant of their past mistakes and actions enough that they are willing to put a stop the world-ending Occult to save the people they want to keep alive.

Set Those Sinners Free - Dan Romer (Far Cry 5)

"Well, the Devil's friends hide in the dark / They've laid their plans and they'll make their mark / We pity the souls that they have claimed / They won't be saved when they're up in flames / The sinner's world is full of hate / There's so many lies that you can't keep straight / But when they finally meet their fate / There's no wait and see, there's see and wait / Well, you can sing all through the night / Preach till the mornin' light / But some cannot tell wrong from right / Jacob's gonna come and set those sinners free" for Alexander Khaos pretending to buy into the prophecy/religious aspect but going all in for the survival aspect that Jacob's set up.

Shameless - Camila Cabello

"So many mornings I woke up confused / In my dreams I do anything I want to you / My emotions are naked / They're taking me out of my mind / Right now I'm shameless / Screaming my lungs out for you / Not afraid to face it / I need you more than I want to / Need you more than I want to / Show me you're shameless / Write it on my neck, why don't ya? / And I won't erase it / I need you more than I want to / Need you more than I want to" for Silva Omar and the Apostles of Zachariah (human incarnations). Hates them but they're so traumatically impactful that she can't erase them from her mind and body (the scars and Persephone's absence being a reminder) which allows their memory to be constantly alive and haunting her. And compared to most people she fought and fights, she's subconsciously established them on this pedestal of what she wants out in a fight (as Paul taught her that "to fight is to prove you're alive").

Spotlight - CG5

"You really think I want to kill? The ink you see can't be distilled / I can tell it's not your day / Well, too bad! / I'm here to stay! / Our surprise is your demise / Close your lying eyes / Play that old song / In the night / Right under the spotlight!" for Calvin Dearing and his Narrator who hates his guts in A Blast In The Past and The Dark Awakening.

Pompeii - Bastille

"Eh, eheu, eheu / Eh, eheu, eheu / Eh, eheu, eheu / I was left to my own devices / Many days fell away with nothing to show / And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love / Grey clouds roll over the hills, bringing darkness from above / But if you close your eyes / Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? / And if you closed your eyes / Does it almost feel like you've been here before? / How am I gonna be an optimist about this? / How am I gonna be an optimist about this?" for the duo Isiah Popov and Gemini Teal as they prepare their "finest" heist in an adapted Ketterdam in the present-ish modern-ish day but still stuck in its crooked ways.

Lost In Paradise - ALI ft. AKLO (Jujutsu Kaisen)

"Tokyo prison / I'm going to relight your feeling / Night and day are fading / I'm going to relight your feeling / Light up every last one of them / Ooh-ooh-oho, give me your love / Ooh-ooh-oho, access to your love / Ooh-ooh-oho, oh yeah! / Lost in paradise / Night and day are fading out / When time gets rough / Access to your love / Lost in paradise / Night and day are fading out / Keep on dancing now / Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey" for Hoayu Anabuki's journey in a Japanese high school trying to make a connection with their half-sister Monika without letting her know they're her sibling and a half-interdimensional being.

I'm So Sorry - Imagine Dragons

"No lies and no deceiving / Man is what he loves / I keep trying to conceive that / Death is from above (No time) / I get mine and make no excuses / Waste of precious breath (No time) / The sun shines on everyone / Everyone, love yourself to death / So you gotta fire up, you gotta let go / You'll never be loved till you've made your own / You gotta face up, you gotta make yours / You never know the top till you get too low / A son of a stepfather / A son of a, I'm so sorry / A son of a stepfather / A son of a, I'm so sorry" for the first major antagonist of The UnTitledverse, Edward Carmine, a 45-year-old Robotics Industrialist who doesn't take the hint to stay dead and tries to become God because of his superiority/god-complex much to everyone else's chagrin.

NEATH! A Fallen London Musical - The Stupendium

"See them scurry as the rat within the maze / Puzzulary and yet how they fascitate / Insignifiportant, if cacophocordant / Hunting for a heart to cherishisffectionate / Could they only see serendestiny / Death and broken dreams, hellish chemistries / Their apocacylsm spawns a clockanism / Requessary beyond their fathometry / Every infatuation, each glance of gladoration / Toothsome cogs upon our grand enmachinations / Each soul impassioned, heart's stole or lacerated / Each tale impaled by the quill tip to the pages / As the ink bleeds, how I drink these / Narratary little sips of histories / Every skipped beat now to drip feed / Something buried deep in enigmystery / All ends / Swords, pens / Foretent / Phenomonition / Court then / Torment / Love's bent / Definition / Cold and unprepared, wholly unawares / Chronologging their enhidden love affairs / There's a currency more poitiont underneath / And darker yet beyond that missing sun of theirs" for Evermond Scowlzka... going on about some poor lads he kidnapped picked up to run some unethical science upon.

They'll Find You - Griffinilia/Fandroid

"Find the mascots / Check your blind spots / Put the mask on / Turn the lights off / Wind the toy box / Check the game clock / Shun the dark thoughts / It's a long shot / They'll find you / They'll find you / We will find you / Terrorize you / And ensnare you / In a bear suit" for the animatronics against Lillian "Lena" Elliot as she tries to survive against them with a flashlight and baseball bat without damaging them too badly.

East of Eden - Zella Day

"Pink toes pressed against the carpet / Show your face and finish what you started / The record spins down the alley, late night / Be my friend, surround me like a satellite / Tiger on the prowl / East of Eden / Comin' for you now / Keep me from the cages under the control / Runnin' in the dark to find east of Eden / Keep me from the cages under the control / Runnin' in the dark to find east of Eden / To find east of Eden (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)" for Silva, and maybe Ezekiel (given the "tiger" reference), against both her bio father and adopted father, Adam Omar and Paul Yellowjack in Silva's Hope and Old Dusk respectively.

Royalty - Egzod & Maestro Chives ft. Neoni

"Say I'm cold hearted / But I'm just getting started / Got my eyes on the target / Now, now / Till the battle's won / Till kingdom come / I'll never run / Best to give me your loyalty / Cause I'm taking the world you'll see / They'll be calling me, calling me / They'll be calling me royalty / Best to give me your loyalty / Cause I'm taking the world you'll see / They'll be calling me, calling me / They'll be calling me royalty / They'll be calling me royalty" for the Court King, a third-generation reality bender thought have perished in the Exterminator Purge War trillions of years ago. Only for him to find a puppet in Corvus Targaryen, adopted son of King Viserys the First.

1950 - King Princess

"I like it when we play 1950 / So bold, make them know you're with me / Stone cold, will you miss me? / So tell me why my Gods look like you / And tell me why it's wrong / So I'll wait for you, I'll pray / I will keep on waiting for your love / For you, I'll wait / I will keep on waiting for your" for Silva Omar and Faith Seed.