#Hawk Snow White icons

[buttl0rd]

I'm watching like a hawk for that new kid 🤲 THE BABY

ALRIGHT HERE HE IS!! lemme introduce you to the new kid 👉👉

this is carroway - he's the best 😎👽

this is gonna be a long post cause i have so much art and content to gush about. i love this kid 👇

Some fun character details:

he was originally supposed to be like the 90's movie tough bully kid but he's ended up just being a stupid asshole. he probably likes to think he's really cool and tough 💪

has 3 younger sisters, hates being outnumbered by girls

huge foodie and finishes whatever you don't eat. not fussy at all

always leaving his mittens outside. they get all wet and gross in the snow

affectionately ripping on everyone he loves. he's a total asshole but most people know he doesn't mean half the shit he says. the real ones tolerate him 😔🤙

he doesn’t know he’s bisexual (don’t tell him, he’ll find out on his own)

Hobbies & Interests

Aliens. Carroway is a firm believer in alien life and has an immense interest in UFO sightings, alien communication and all things outer-space. He often brags to his classmates that he has been abducted and probed, and is friends with the Martians that visit South Park sometimes (do any of them believe him?). He has a telescope that he set up in his friend Dante’s treehouse which he uses to spot UFOs in the night.

FUN FACT: His probe is linked with Cartman's. It's the connection that makes it possible for OCs to exist in the same universe as canon characters.

Drums. He has a drum set in his garage on which he practices every day after school. He has exceptional rhythm and is very talented. He keeps drumsticks in his backpack just in case he encounters a drumset or anything he can make a beat with (tables, benches, trashcans, etc.) Neighbors complain to his parents about the noise, so his garage is sound-proofed to the best of Mr. Carroway’s ability. 

Snowboarding. Carroway goes snowboarding every few weeks. His family do snowboarding trips and he LOVES it. He also skateboards and rides his bike when he’s not up in the mountains, kid just likes to go fast. He dreams of being a professional snowboarder when he’s older.

TFBW: Boarderline

Boarder is a special flying support unit, part of Coon & Friends. He delivers high-impact quick attacks with his hoverboard and can heal/cure status conditions with his awesome space beams. As a speedster he utilizes the whole battlefield and is constantly moving, making him difficult to hit.

Origins:

He was a human that got abducted and genetically modified by Martians to serve and protect the alien race. After battling in many galactic wars he returned to his home in Colorado. His abilities were noticed by the superhero organization, Coon & Friends and Boarder was recruited to join their alliance. He provides support to Coon & Friends in battle.

Design:

Inspired by the gear he wears when he goes snowboarding.

His superhero costume consists of a white bodysuit with black tape accents and a big old metal zip. There's reflective blue strips on the gloves, boots and around the edge of his signature spaceboard. He's got these iconic space goggles that protect his face when he’s flying at the speed of light.

His name is a play on words - board (from his hoverboard) and borderline (being only just good enough for Coon & Friends). Allies call him Boarder for short.

SOT: Skullrogue

Skullrogue is Carroway’s Stick of Truth character.

He is a rogue-class unit and is quick and sneaky on the battlefield. He has a long black hooded cloak and a skull mask. His main weapon is a pair of daggers that are enchanted with flame magic. He cannot use magic himself but he is proficient with weapons, especially the daggers. He throws them and uses them to stab enemies in the back.

Skullrogue has an undisclosed edgy backstory, like any rogue player. He is mysterious and broody and so cool. He is loyal to the Wizard King and thinks Princess Kenny is hot.

Post-COVID

As a young adult, Carroway becomes a professional snowboarder and competes nationally in competitions. He becomes famous and earns a lot of money from his career, travelling the world for competitions. He makes it all the way to the Winter Olympics, representing the USA in the snowboarding category

After a career-ending injury in his mid-30's, he had to retire from snowboarding early and now lives off his sponsors and used-to-be-a-big-shot money. Despite being wealthy, he moved back to South Park and lives in a trailer (it’s easier than having a huge house). 

He sometimes needs a walking aid to get around and is medicated for chronic back pain.

He was too busy with his career to find love when he was younger, so he stays single and lonely in his 40s. He still goes out and does sport events, commentaries and sponsorships - he remains famous even though he cannot compete anymore. He’s like a living legend in the winter sports community. 

I'm still working on a PCOV design for him so stay tuned for that...

Anyway that's it for now!! I hope you love him 😘

[datcloudboi]

List of Films Turning 10 Years Old in 2024

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

American Sniper

Annie (the remake starring Jamie Foxx)

As Above, So Below

The Babadook (we stan a gay icon)

Batman: Assault on Arkham (a direct continuation of the Batman: Arkham games)

Big Eyes

Big Hero 6

Birdman (won the Best Picture Oscar for this year)

The Book of Life

The Boxtrolls

Boyhood (filmed over the course of 12 years)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Chef

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead

Dear White People (the basis for the TV series on Netflix, and made by the same guy)

Dracula Untold (this was Universal’s second attempt at launching the Dark Universe)

The Drop (a crime drama starring Tom Hardy)

Edge of Tomorrow/Live Die Repeat

The Equalizer

Exodus: Gods and Kings (a biblical epic directed by Ridley Scott)

The Expendables 3

The Fault in Our Stars

Foxcatcher

Fury (the war movie with Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf)

Get on Up (the James Brown biopic starring Chadwick Boseman)

Godzilla (the 1st film in the MonsterVerse)

Gone Girl

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1

The Guest

Hercules (the one starring The Rock)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (did you guys know the working title for this movie was “The Hobbit: There and Back Again”?)

How to Train Your Dragon 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

If I Stay

The Imitation Game (the movie where Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing)

Inherent Vice

Interstellar

The Interview (the movie that almost caused World War 3)

Into the Woods

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Jodorowsky's Dune (a documentary about the Dune movie that we never got)

Joe (one of Nic Cage's best movies)

John Wick (the 1st one)

Kill the Messenger

Left Behind (one of Nic Cage's worst movies)

The Lego Movie

Life After Beth

Lucy ((the “humans only use 10% of their brain” movie. Which has since been proven false. Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/ )

Maleficent

The Maze Runner

A Million Ways to Die in the Weset

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Muppets Most Wanted

Need for Speed (Aaron Paul's first project after "Breaking Bad" ended)

Neighbors

Night of the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (the third one. Also one of Robin Williams’ last movies)

Nightcrawler

Noah (a biblical epic directed by Darren Aronofsky)

Non-Stop

The Nut Job

Obvious Child

Oculus (one of the 1st projects from Mike Flanagan)

Ouija

Paddington

Penguins of Madagascar

The Purge: Anarchy

The Raid 2

RoboCop (the reboot that was actually decent)

Selma

Sharknado 2

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Son of Batman

St. Vincent

The Taking of Deborah Logan

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the one produced by Michael Bay. It’s also the one where the Turtles look like aliens)

The Theory of Everything (the movie where Eddie Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking)

Third Person

300: Rise of an Empire

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Tusk

22 Jump Street

Veronica Mars (the film continuation of the TV show)

A Walk Among the Tombstones

What If? (a rom-com starring Daniel Radcliffe)

What We Do in the Shadows (the film that was the basis for the TV show)

When Marnie Was There

Whiplash

X-Men: Days of Future Past

[flags-planes-and-fire]

i was watching that documentary of the making of Alive 1993 again and i was listening to the director talking about how the actors complained of the cold (at which point we see Josh Hamilton looking disheveled and Vincent Spano trying to keep himself warm) and it just made me think of this image

like

Actors: It's fucking freezing

Eduardo, Pancho and Gustavo, unprompted: Ah lads it's boilin'

Nando explains it's because the white snow would reflect the sun, making it pretty warm (this is how they melted snow for water utilizing the metal sheets in the seats)

Also seeing Ethan Hawke and Nando just??? Vibin??? Icons

ALSO LOOK AT CARLITOS, AND HOW BRUCE RAMSEY IS JUST LISTENING TO HIM, I LOVE THEM

"It's not a happy experience but it was an experience... it's good."

[rawiswhore]

Christian x Fem Reader- "Moral Oral"

The World Wrestling Federation's Attitude era was outrageous; truly, truly, truly outrageous.

Mick Foley being pushed off of the top of a steel cage and breaking a table in half after his fall, the Big Bossman getting hung with a noose, Al Snow forced to eat his dead pet dog (although his dog wasn't really dead and he wasn't really eating a dog), an elderly woman giving birth to a hand (and flashing her breasts in a bikini contest), Road Warrior Hawk falling off of a titantron and implied to be dead, Val Venis almost getting his penis cut off (and it was implied), Mark Henry admitting he lost his virginity to his sister, and Stone Cold Steve Austin getting embalmed while still alive.

The list is endless.

But you were arguably the most outrageous woman of the Attitude era, though that can be debated since there was Mae Young and even the Kat.

Why were you the most outrageous woman of the Attitude era?

For moments like this.

During a "Monday Night Raw" episode in 1999, there was a wrestling match where your opponents were the Brood---a trio of vampires.

You didn't wrestle against the Brood, but you did valet the Brood's opponents.

Christian had an erection pointing and sticking outwards underneath his tights, like this:

But he was hiding his erection with his white loose fitting button down shirt that covered and hid over his boner, as well as his hands blocking and hiding his erection sticking out when he arrived in the arena and stood inside the ring.

Christian wore his long sleeved white button down shirt all throughout the match, although he usually wears that button down shirt all throughout his matches during his Brood days anyway.

Could some fans see Christian's erection under his tights?

He was trying to hide it at first.

There's a specific reason why Christian has an erection in this match.

Throughout this match, Christian had his long silky platinum locks hanging down as usual.

During the middle of the match, you walked up the set of stairs leading up to the ring, where the camera was filming you from your side as you walked up those stairs.

When you walked up those stairs, the audience was eager and awaiting what you were going to do, thinking you were going to do your classic, iconic distraction.

Jerry Lawler was getting excited and perking up on television, not being able to shut up about you.

You carefully and gingerly walked across the corner of the ring outside of the ropes until you stopped walking at the middle.

Christian was near the ropes you were standing by, and you invited Christian to come to you by looking at him with a playful smirk on your face and your index finger motioning to come to you.

Christian couldn't help but be entranced by you, and so he approached you, and once he stood close enough in front of you, you crouched down on the ring until your face was in front of his crotch.

The audience knew what you were going to do: your iconic distraction.

While your face was in front of his crotch, your hands brushed off and lifted up the bottom of his shirt until his erection sticking out was exposed.

The camera was filming Christian's crotch and his boner on the side sticking out, and the audience could clearly see his erection.

The audience was roaring in a mixture of laugher and cheers, many of them pointing at his boner, some chanting "Christian's got a woody!".

Some parents were covering their kids' eyes and some parents were getting out of their seats while grabbing their prepubescent kids' wrists because this moment was too inappropriate.

"Has he sucked any blood tonight to get that going?" Jerry Lawler asked on commentary, referring to Christian's boner.

This is a joke that because Christian played a vampire in the Brood, and vampires suck blood, and blood is what fills a penis up to give it an erection.

The camera was filming you on the side of your head and the side of Christian's legs as well as his crotch and his erection pointing and poking out.

With his penis sticking out (but still being covered by his tights), you leaned your head and face closer to his genitals with your mouth open until the tip of his penis was inside your mouth.

Now that his dick was in your mouth, you began sucking it, your tongue tasting the dry, nasty fabric of his tights while you sucked his cock.

The camera was filming you on the side of your head sucking his covered penis, and the audience---especially the male fans---got out of their seats and cheered when you sucked his covered penis.

Some grown men were whistling at you sucking his dick.

A few male fans were chanting "suck it!" while their hands and arms crotch chopped a la D Generation X and the NWO.

"Will she turn into a vampire?" Jerry Lawler asked.

Jerry would ask other questions related to cum, but this show you're on is TV-14 rated.

The audience knew about your iconic distraction, where you squat on the ring and suck (sometimes even lick) your male wrestler opponent's penis that's still covered by their tights, singlet, wrestling trunks or even jeans.

But this distraction has the opponents' penis sticking and pointing straight out.

Meanwhile, the Brood saw what was happening to Christian, and Christian was busy staring at you with the most serious, blank expression on his face.

Edge and Gangrel marched up to Brood, however, the Brood's opponents attacked Edge and Gangrel and eventually Christian.

It was all a trick and a distraction.

When erections are under tights (or even in underwear), they're usually slung sideways, they're not pointing and sticking directly out like stereotypical erections in pop culture, like in that "Robot Chicken" gif.

But not during this moment with you and Christian.

Some people---especially some young kids who still think wrestling is real---really did think Christian was having an erection sticking and pointing out when you sucked his dick.

[zane-helps-otherkin]

☄️ To do 🌬️

[ID: A picture of Zane from LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu holding his hawk next to his father. Zane has a white full body suit. His father is wearing the same robe with pens in the pockets. /END ID]

🌀 Ask box

Tips for a Roa Kassidy from Yu-Gi-Oh

Masculine names for scaramouche (genshin impact, pre irminsul) starting with an A or that have As in them that have a dark feeling to them, any names of demons work too

Name suggestions for an irish setter-golden retriever mix

Tips for an irkenkin

Subtle wallpaper of a winged fox

Shufflemancy for Dr. Nick Riviera

Tips for a Phantom of the Opera/Erik fictive looking to connect with its source more

Shufflemancy of general life for 🦊

Card readings for questioning mythological otherkin (faunkin or cherubkin)

Borzoi therian tips

Masc or neutral name suggestions for faekin with fairy grunge themes

Shufflemancy for sig (relationship with klug)

Tips for a seraph

Name suggestions for an ii tea kettle, cabby or dr fizz fictionkin

Tips for a bard achetrope who's connection to music is spiritual

General tips for a Skykid from Sky: Children of the Light

Moodboard for a fjord and baked goods obsessed australian shephard therian

Moodboard for Robin (teen titans 2003) with themes of birds and metal

Surprise request for a norwegian forest cat therian

Moodboard for an enderman from Minecraft

Name suggestions based around Inky Rose from MLP with themes of flowers and/or darkness (excluding the name Rose)

Dingo moodboard with themes of summer and freedom with more outback and desert type environments (no mountains or rainforests)

Elaborate icon for a norwegian forest cat, lynx or snow leopard therian

Moodboard for Lloyd (The Lego Ninjago Movie) with gardening/plants, books + other themes

Tips for a belgian malinois police dog, red panda, and raven kin

🌀 WIPs

@/faeriepoetica's complete Furina (Genshin Impact) kit

🌀 Queued

[biglisbonnews]

Inside Kim Petras' Big 'Saturday Night Live' Debut Kim Petras is wiping away tears, careful as to not smudge her snow-white eyeshadow. Hours prior, she performed her No. 1 hit “Unholy” on Saturday Night Live with fellow queer musician Sam Smith — and now, she’s coming off the immediate high of an intimate moment with the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna. These two back-to-back experiences would be overwhelming for anyone, but they hold special significance to Petras, who’s had her sights set on mainstream success since releasing her first single “I Don’t Want It At All” back in 2017. Clearly, she’s doing something right.Related | Madonna Is the Wildest Party FavorThat day, Petras shared her latest track, “Brrr,” a darker electronic follow-up to “If Jesus Was a Rockstar,” which she dropped at the tail end of 2022. With pounding, icy production that many fans are comparing to Petras’ late friend and former collaborator SOPHIE, “Brrr” is relentless and ominous, as she sings about “knowing what you want and finding someone who isn’t intimidated by you that will come closer and show you how cool they are,” she tells PAPER.At the SNL after party, show guests and their plus-ones crowd into the back of Manhattan’s Rosa Mexicano, sipping margaritas and gushing over Sharon Stone’s iconic surprise cameo during a dramatic performance of Smith’s song “Gloria.” Smith towers over the crowd in a pair of impossibly high platforms and asks how late Flaming Saddles Saloon is open until (4 AM), joined by their new boyfriend, fashion designer Christian Cowan. Elsewhere, there’s skate legend Tony Hawk and host Aubrey Plaza, wearing a Megadeth t-shirt and bottle-blonde hair.Suddenly, Petras and her cohort — creative director, glam team, managers — all excitedly make their way toward the front of the restaurant, moving as one pack. What’s going on? “Madonna’s here,” sitting casually in a booth with photographer Ricardo Gomes, fresh off the announcement of her global tour. Petras’ interaction with Madonna appropriately draws a small crowd, as radio’s newest disruptor chats with the woman who made it possible for something like the Slut Pop EP to exist. Petras references Confessions on a Dancefloor and divulges that it made her feel less alone listening to it at home in Germany as a teenager.With a solo spot on Late Night With Seth Meyers lined up for Monday night, Petras decides to end things early and piles into a Sprinter van after signing a few autographs and posing for paparazzi outside the venue. The ride home is a Madonna singalong with everyone shouting lyrics of “Back That Up to the Beat,” the 2015 Rebel Heart demo that’s been rereleased after going viral on TikTok. “I’ve been drinking Krug Rosé and sometimes lemon drops,” Petras repeats, carrying that one soundbite from the van to her hotel room before removing her wig and saying “goodnight.” As quickly as she appeared underneath Smith’s gown earlier on SNL, Petras disappears, pet Pomeranian in-hand.Tune into Late Night With Seth Meyers at 12:35/11:35 C.Photos courtesy of Kim Petras https://www.papermag.com/kim-petras-saturday-night-live-2659297625.html

[nocartoon]

Reblog/like ♡

[undeadchestnut]

A Stricklake Playlist

Thought I'd share my personal Stricklake Playlist, aka What I listen to while I draw. (I apologize in advance for how cheesy some of these songs are. Although, if you know my Stricklake art, I guess it's not much of a surprise. And since this is my personal playlist I'll likely add/remove/reorder songs on a whim - so best save it for yourself if you like it in its current state!)

A complete list of songs is further down behind the cut, if Spotify isn't your thing. Hope you'll find something you like! <3

(Since this playlist is so long, I've bolded some of my personal favorites... Highly subjective, of course!)

Stray Italian Greyhound | Vienna Teng

Dear Fellow Traveller | Sea Wolf

I hear a Symphony | Cody Fry

Dreamin' Again | Jim Croce

Someone to You - Acoustic | BANNERS

Bizarre Love Triangle | New Order

To Lose My Life | White Lies

Not What I Meant | dodie, Lewis Watson

You Know Where to Find Me | Imogen Heap

Butterflies | Gabbie Hanna

Bloodbuzz Ohio | The National

The Rising Tide | The Killers

Liar | The Arcadian Wild

Curses | The Crane Wives

We Have It All | Pim Stones

Blood On My Name | The Brothers Bright

Beekeeper | Keaton Henson

Honestly | Gabbie Hanna

Man Or Monster | Sam Tinnesz, Zayde Wølf

My Body Is A Cage | Arcade Fire

Love Bites | Ice Nine Kills, Chelsea Talmadge

Make This Go On Forever | Snow Patrol

Personal | Stars

Holy | PVRIS

Honestly - Encore | Gabbie Hanna

Losing Your Memory | Ryan Star

I Of The Storm | Of Monsters and Men

A Monster Like Me | Mørland, Debrah Scarlett

All For A Woman | The Airborne Toxic Event

Time Lapse Lifeline | Maria Taylor

That's Okay | The Hush Sound

Loose Change for the Boatman | King Charles

Dancing After Death - Stripped | Matt Maeson

I Wasted You | flora cash

My Love Took Me Down To The River… | Little Green Cars

Save It for the Living | Smash Into Pieces

Blame | Air Traffic Controller

Cairo | San Fermin

Monster | dodie

To Be Human | MARINA

Ship in a Bottle | fin

Dancing After Death | Matt Maeson

Ghost | Halsey

So Tied Up | Cold War Kids, Bishop Briggs

Far Away | Stéphanie De Corby

Pieces | Icon For Hire

Change | The Night Flight Orchestra

The Reason | Hoobastank

Who Are You, Really? | Mikky Ekko

Only Love Can Save Me Now | The Pretty Reckless

It’s Alright | Mother Mother

The Heart Is a Muscle | Gang of Youths

I Wanna Get Better | Bleachers

Changeling | The Riptide Movement

Boats & Birds | Gregory and the Hawk

Great Big Storm | Nate Ruess

What Makes a Good Man? | Nate Ruess

Factories | Autoheart

Love Runs Out | One Republic

Love Is Stronger Than Pride | Sade

No Matter Where You Are (Wedding Ver.) | Us The Duo

Mercy Mirror | Within Temptation

World on Fire | Les Friction

Dangerous Man | Little Dume

Where The Lonely Ones Roam (Piano V.) | Digital Daggers

I Still Have Faith In You | Abba

Wide Eyed | Cold Weather Company

Come Back | Us The Duo

Simple Song | The Shins

Sinners | Lauren Aquilina

Will I Find My Home - Acoustic Version | Juniper Vale, Vian Izak

Paint The World - Acoustic Version | Temperance

Someone To You | Banners

Aeromantic | The Night Flight Orchestra

We’re on Our Way | Radical Face

Brave | The Shires

Where the Lonely Ones Roam | Digital Daggers

From the Wreckage Build a Home | The Wind and The Wave

No Matter Where You Are | Us The Duo

Come With Me | Chxrlotte

Battle Cry | The Family Crest

[samplingmoonsters]

Imagine Dream bring the mega simp he is and Techno just bring completely oblivious

Then just imagine, they are just hanging out together, it's winter so they have scarfs and thick jackets. Dream's face is just blushing, Techno realizes and goes "hey are you alright, are you sick?" And Dream internally is having a gay panic and hides his face in his scarf as he just stammers out "o-oh yeah I'm fine", Techno doesn't believe him so he grabs his face to get a better look and Dream is just dying

Winter in the Antarctic was harsh and unforgiving. Besides the occasional snowstorms wrecking chaos over the icy lands, the temperature also dropped to an almost unbearable level. At least in the eyes of Dream, who despite his thick winter coat and scarf still feels the ruthless cold on his skin. Yet another shudder travels down his back while he rubs his gloveless hands together, trying to warm them up without success. Not for the first time, since stepping out of Technoblade’s warm hoot, he regrets not wearing gloves. He should have really thought ahead before following the hybrid outside to spend more time with him, only to end up watching the man chop firewood while he stood behind freezing his ass off.

When Technoblade said ‘he had something important to do outside’ Dream thought he meant taking care of his million dogs or maybe visiting Philza or something, not chopping wood!

Not that the sight in front of him isn’t appealing… To be honest, Technoblade looks rather hot with his ax in hand and sweat dripping down his face. The way the man pulls the weapon down, the muscles in his arms constricting with the movement and red eyes sparkling in the early morning light is one of the hottest sights Dream has the honour and pleasure to witness. Once again, Dream’s eyes wander up Technmoblade’s shoulders, forest green eyes watch the broad shoulders move under the thin white shirt, analyzing every movement like a hawk hunting their prey. While it’s kind of strange to see Technoblade so unbothered by the cold, Dream is thankful to finally have an opportunity to watch Technoblade’s impressive muscles in action without looking like a creep. It’s not like he could stare at the man while they’re dueling, he would just end up with a sword in his chest… or worse.

It’s not often that the man doesn’t wear his iconic red cloak, so Dream takes the rare opportunity to remember every detail of the usually hidden parts of Technoblade’s beautiful body.

He is so distracted by Technoblade’s broad shoulders that he doesn’t even realize when said man stops moving. An awkward cough catches his attention and without thinking Dream looks up, eyes finding blood red ones. He stares into the red pools like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Guilt and embarrassment overtaking his body from being caught checking out his rival like a slice of steak.

For several seconds no one says anything while the rivals stare at each other. Their warm breath evaporates in the cold air, it’s a stark contrast to the ever-building tension slowly wrapping around them like a thick blanket.

Dream’s sure that his face must resemble a tomato at this point. Not able to bear one more second of the awkward staring contest, Dream looks away, green dots now staring at Techno’s chest instead of his face. “…what?” Dream breathes out, his voice muffled from the scarf wrapped around him.

Instead of answering, Techno tilts his head to the side, red eyes squinting at him, “Hey, be real with me for a moment,” Techno begins, another long breath escaping icy lips, “are you...sick or something?”

Dream’s brain short circuit, every one of his synapses snapping from the pure panic overtaking his body. His thoughts are an ongoing stream of omgomgomgomgomg--- while he slowly falls into the early stages of a panic attack. He can feel his blush intensify, if that is even possible, freckles standing out against the bright red cheeks like stars in a midnight sky. For the first time since stepping outside, Dream feels warm, body almost catching on fire from the pure embarrassment. The break from the bitter cold would be a relieving sensation in any other situation. How could he possibly explain to Technoblade that he isn’t actually sick but simply flushed from watching the hybrid chop wood without sounding like a total creep and freak!?

Simply Impossible!

Taking Dream’s silence has a bad sight, Techno continues, a worried frown overtaking his usually stoic expression, “Your face is all red.” he waves a hand over his own face, “Dream,” Techno sounds so disappointed Dream could cry, “if you are sick you shouldn’t have followed me outside.”

Hiding his face into his scarf from sheer embarrassment, he shakes his head, “I’m- uhm- I-I’m not sick…” he mumbles, unsure if the hybrid could even understand him with how he is burying his face into the soft fabric.

Dream would really appreciate a sudden zombie attack right now. Anything to distract the pigman.

Not satisfied with the blond’s unsure answer, Techno steps forward, large, warm hands curling around Dream’s face. The blond let out a surprised breath at the unexpected touch, eyes widening when his face is lifted out of the soft fabric. No way to escape the strong hold on his cheeks, Dream has no other choice but to meet blood-red eyes once more. He feels like a small bunny under the Blood God’s wandering gaze.

Like a sacrifice ready to meet their demise.

Technoblade eyes pierce into him, sharp like a sword and just as dangerous. Dream shudders under the intense gaze and he couldn’t help but lean into the large hands cradling his face, oh so carefully. Rough hands that usually only know cruelty and the lust for blood, are caressing his face like he’s something precious, something to be loved. And Dream falls under the soft touch like a man meeting the sharp end of a sword in a sweet death. A shaky breath escapes frozen pink lips and Dream closes his eyes, at last surrendering to the man he loved.

Silence fell over them.

Dream wouldn’t mind staying like this forever. Feeling Technoblade’s loving touch for all eternity.

Of course nothing lasts forever and the serene silence is broken by the hybrid once more, “Hmm… you’re certainly burning up and your face is all red too.”

All of the sudden the warm hands disappear and Dream has to bite his lip to swallow down the whine that wants to escape his throat. Green eyes fly open and look up at the piglin, “Wait--- what?” Dream has totally forgotten about Technoblade’s allegation, too lost in their sweet moment to remember anything that happened shortly before Technoblade’s hands found his face.

“Memory problems too?” Techno half-teases, a grin forming around pearly-white tusks, “Now you really need to lie down. Let’s better go inside before your condition worsens.” Techno turns around to lift up his ax which lays forgotten in the snow next to the chopped firewood. He turns back around and takes Dream’s wrist with his free hand, slowly steering the other male towards the small house a few feet away.

Still somewhat lost from the sudden turn of events, Dream lets himself be dragged through the snow without complaint, the ice crystals crunching under their feet with each step. Green eyes fall to the large hand curled around his wrist, and he hopes Techno can’t feel the way his pulse is racing under his skin.

Feeling brave, he pushes his hand down far enough to curl their fingers together. Techno reciprocates the simple touch, a low hum escaping his lips as he tightens his hold around Dream’s hand.

Feeling pleasantly warm in the freezing cold, Dream buries his face into his green scarf and smiles softly, heart soaring in his chest like the sun slowly rising in the distance.

Spring is coming.

(I write this at 2am after coming back from a night out with my friends! I hope you like it anon! <3 Yes I was a little tipsy while writing this.)

[vs-redemption]

Hi, its me! Im sorry for bothering you! How would Bakugou, Aizawa, and Iida react if some random kid, who had their eyes but different hair, who looks homeless and IS homeless, knockef on their door and said 'hey, do you know *insert womans name*? Youre my dad apparently' and it turns iut it was a woman they had a flimg with, who left them, and went on to abusr their kid? Like severely? Its just me projecting lol. Im so sorry have a great day!

A/N: I noticed that @madkaleidoscope got almost the same request while going through the my hero tags, so please check out their post HERE for another take on the same idea.

A Surprise Meeting (Bakugo, Iida, and Aizawa meet their abused child)

You can read the same scenario for Todoroki and Dabi HERE You can read the same scenario for Hawks, Fatgum, and Shigaraki Here

Warning:⚠️Mentions of child abuse and homelessness. Also, swearing for Bakugo!⚠️

Bakugo

“What the hell do you mean they were offended?” Bakugo growls at his manager through the phone propped up on his shoulder as he aggressively chops up vegetables for the stew he was making. “Instead of being grateful that I saved their asses, they decided to file a complaint against me huh?”

The underpaid person on the other end launches into an explanation about why a top ranked pro hero should avoid yelling out expletives while fighting villains in front of a crowd of civilians. Apparently it wasn’t an appropriate way to behave in front of impressionable children and elderly folks. Bakugo rolled his eyes as he continued cooking. He’d heard this spiel a hundred times before. He’d honestly worked hard over the years to improve the way he directly interacted with the innocent people he fought to protect every day, but he couldn’t help but get a little overzealous in the moment when taking down bad guys.

Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance when his doorbell suddenly rang. He wiped his hands off on a towel before going to tell off whoever it was that was interrupting his very limited free time. It was bad enough he was already getting an earful from his manger while he was trying to relax. He ripped open the door and felt a hint of surprise when he had to lower his angry red eyes to find the unexpected visitor. It was a little girl.

“What the hell?” Bakugo leaned out of the doorway a bit to look for an adult that might be accompanying the child but she seemed to be all alone. His manager paused their lecture to ask if he was all right. “Yeah, but I’m going to have to call you back,” Bakugo hangs up the phone and looks back at the little girl who was glaring up at him with familiar red eyes. Her long dark hair was dirty and matted. She had scrapes and bruises all over her arms and face.

“Do you need help or something?” Bakugo asks awkwardly as he tries to slip into his comforting hero voice. “Where are your parents?”

“Mommy left and didn’t come back,” the little girl scowls and crosses her arms. She then tells Bakugo her mother’s name, causing the man to freeze up in shock at the implication. “She said you were my daddy.” Bakugo just stands speechless for a few moments as his brain tries to catch up with what he’d just heard. He knew the girl’s mom, but he hadn’t seen her in about four years. They’d had a bit of a summer romance right at the beginning of his hero career before she’d suddenly disappeared, never to be heard from again.

Bakugo lets his eyes scan over the little girl once more. He couldn’t deny she had his eyes and his scowl. He felt irritated that his summer fling hadn’t even had the decency to tell him she’d gotten pregnant. He squats down to look more closely at the dirt and injuries all over the girl’s body.

“Who did this to you?” he asks, trying to keep the gruffness from his voice. Some emotion cracks through the little girl’s false bravado then and she looks down at her bare feet shyly.

“Mommy…” she whispers. Bakugo takes a deep breath to calm the rage that boiled up inside him and offers a hand to the little girl.

“Mommy left me too,” he confesses. “But she’s not going to hurt either of us ever again, okay?” The little girl looks up at her dad, a tentative hope blossoming in her eyes. Bakugo knew this was going to impact his life in a huge way, but at the moment he only cared about getting to know his daughter and making up for lost time. “Are you hungry?” The little girl nods her head eagerly and he leads her into his apartment. He would get her cleaned up and fed before getting started on all the legal stuff he’d undoubtedly have to endure before she could really be his daughter completely. His mind was already coming up with ways to fit parenting into his work schedule though, and he found himself looking forward to spending as much time with his little girl as possible.

Iida

Iida assumed he was going to have another normal morning as he sat at his desk, looking over his patrol route for the day. He’d taken over his family’s hero agency not too long ago, but he was already used to the daily routine. All the experiences he’d lived through during high school, not to mention growing up in a family of heroes, had prepared him for most scenarios he would encounter as a pro. He had no reason to suspect that anything out of the ordinary would happen, even as he heard the knock on his office door.

“Come in,” he calls out while standing up to start putting on his hero costume. The door blasts open and a young girl runs into the room.

“Daddy!” she shouts as she runs right up to him and throws her arms around his waist. Iida looks down at the girl in shock before glancing towards the door where one of his sidekicks stood looking as confused as he felt.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” the sidekick says a bit awkwardly. “One of the interns found her wandering outside. She was asking people to help her find you, her dad.”

Iida wanted to deny the claim immediately. He would definitely know if he had a child, especially one who looked to be around eight years old. The idea became a lot less preposterous as he looked back down at the girl. Her hair color was as white as snow, a complete contrast to his dark blue. The thing that gave him pause were the two legs sticking out from under the dirty skirt the girl was wearing. Her legs looked skinny, too skinny, aside from her calves which had tiny exhaust pipes sticking out of them. The girl looks up at him after a moment to meet his gaze. His breathe catches in his throat at her blue eyes and checkmark shaped eyebrows that were iconic to the Iida family.

“Uh, thank you,” Iida felt flustered as he looks back at his sidekick who was blatantly starting at him in shock. “I’ll handle this from here. Do you mind asking someone to take over my patrol?” The sidekick accepts the job and hurries off, leaving Iida alone with the girl. Part of him felt really embarrassed that this had happened in front of his coworkers. He couldn’t imagine what they must think of him now. He definitely didn’t seem like the type to be involved with something that could be perceived as scandalous.

“What is your mother’s name?” Iida asks, even though he was sure he already knew. The list of possibilities was very small. The little girl goes up on her tiptoes and Iida bends down to meet her so she can whisper in his ear. He sighs heavily at the name that falls from her lips. It was just further confirmation that this wasn’t some crazy misunderstanding. The information settles into his mind. He was a father.

“Please don’t make me go back to her though,” the girl’s eyes brim with tears as she searches Iida’s face for comfort. “She’s scary.” Iida understood how the girl felt. If given the option, he would choose never to see that woman again either. She had only dated him for a brief time, pretending to be in love with him in order to take advantage of his fame until she found someone higher up in the ranks to seduce. He had been so shocked and heart broken when she’d left him so suddenly, but now there was no way to hide from that mistake of his past.

“Why do you say she’s scary?” Iida asks while putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She winces and flinches away from his touch. He narrows his eyes in concern and asks her to roll up her sleeves. His heart fills with sadness at the welts marring her frail arms. “I see,” he frowns. “I promise you won’t have to see her again if you don’t want to, but can you tell me where she lives?”

“I don’t know. We always have to sleep outside,” the girl explains warily, painting a rather sad image of her life.

“Well that just won’t do,” he pats her on the head. “I’m going to make sure you have a comfy, warm bed to sleep in from now on.” The girl’s face lights up happily and she hugs Iida even tighter. The shame he’d felt initially was gone now, replaced by a determination to provide his daughter with the best life possible.

Aizawa

Between all his hero work and being a full time teacher, Aizawa’s opportunities to simply sleep for a couple consecutive hours were few and far between. He took any chance he could to just shut his eyes and rest for a while. Tonight he’d hoped to get a decent amount of sleep in before having to wake up at the crack of dawn to attend a UA staff meeting. However, it seemed fate had other plans for him.

It was around one in the morning when a knock on his front door pulled him from the depths of his much needed slumber. He rubbed the exhaustion from his eyes as he rolled out of bed, not even having the energy to be annoyed. “Who is it?” He asks while putting on his slippers and shuffling over to the door. There was no answer, so he pressed his face up to the peep hole. He let out a groan when he saw a random kid standing outside. If this was some kind of prank, he wasn’t sure he had the strength of mind to deal with it at this hour. He already put up with a whole class of teenagers every day who drained him of every drop of patience he had.

“Can I help you?” Aizawa mumbles after opening the door. The young boy in front of him looked to be about thirteen years old. The ends of his dark burgundy hair were frayed and had been cut sloppily as if he’d done it himself. He had outgrown his clothes a while ago, and they appeared uncomfortably small on his skinny frame. The poor kid looked extremely dirty and smelled even worse.

“Do you know this woman?” the haggard boy holds out an old photograph of a person Aizawa recognized immediately. It had been a very long time, but he’d never forget the face of the first woman he’d ever been with. He’d been so young and naïve at the time, and he still felt bitter toward the friend who’d set him up with a woman with such an atrocious personality. Aizawa knew right then and there that he wasn’t going to be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

“This is my mother,” the boy states the obvious fact. “And apparently you’re my dad.” Aizawa had no reason not to believe him as he looked into the boy’s tired eyes that matched his own. It was clear that life had not been kind to the kid so far.

“Come on in,” Aizawa invites his son inside, deciding to wait to involve the proper authorities until morning. “You can take a hot shower, and I think I have some leftovers we can heat up.”

“A shower?” the boy looked overwhelmed, as if the promise of a shower was more than he’d ever dared to hope for. Aizawa was growing more concerned with each passing second.

“Where is your mother now?” He asks and the boy shrugs.

“I haven’t seen her in a couple weeks,” he states as if that were normal. “I think she met some new guy.” That was enough to put Aizawa’s teeth on edge.

“Where have you been staying then?” he asks.

“Wherever I can,” the boy replies, sounding embarrassed. “Park benches, bus stops, train stations…” Aizawa was horrified. What kind of person left their child to survive in those conditions? Why hadn’t she ever reached out to him for help?

“What are these?” Aizawa reaches out to snatch up the boys arm. Now that he was inside where the lighting was better, he could see strange scars and scabs covering his skin.

“Cigarette burns,” the boy pulls his arm away and averts his eyes. “Mom thought it would make people more willing to help when I had to beg for money.” Aizawa felt his eyes fill with tears at the words, and he doesn’t think twice before pulling his son into his arms. The boy returns the embrace, clinging to Aizawa as if he feared the man might disappear if he didn’t hold on tight enough.

“What’s going to happen now?” the boy asks fearfully after he calms down a bit.

“You’re more than welcome to stay with me,” Aizawa finds himself accepting the role of father rather quickly. He was already responsible for so many kids already, he didn’t see the harm in adding one more to the list. “If that’s something you’re comfortable with.”

“Yes, please!” The boy nods his head, looking ecstatic as he wiped away his tears. Aizawa nods his head and pats his son on the shoulder.

“Well then kid,” he says with a small smile. “Welcome home.”

------

Aizawa Tag List:  @clovertitan  @raine-needs-help @lucacangettathisass @lea2107-foxsin @tiaraowens

[weirwoodking]

what do you think sansa's endgame is? and i'm not talking ships. like what do you think she'll be doing by the time the books end.

Anon, you accidentally made me write an essay.

So, to try and guess where Sansa could be at the end of the story, we have to look at where she’s heading currently.

She’s currently in the Vale, stuck under the control of Littlefinger. I think Sansa’s arc in TWOW will revolve around breaking free of his manipulation. There’s a line in Bran’s first ASOS chapter that seems to foreshadow this:

Sometimes he could sense them, though, as if they were still with him, only hidden from his sight by a boulder or a stand of trees. He could not smell them, nor hear their howls by night, yet he felt their presence at his back . . . all but the sister they had lost. His tail drooped when he remembered her. Four now, not five. Four and one more, the white who has no voice.

These woods belonged to them, the snowy slopes and stony hills, the great green pines and the golden leaf oaks, the rushing streams and blue lakes fringed with fingers of white frost. But his sister had left the wilds, to walk in the halls of man-rock where other hunters ruled, and once within those halls it was hard to find the path back out. The wolf prince remembered.

—Bran I, A Storm of Swords

It’s hard to find the path back out, but not impossible. I do believe Sansa will return to “the wilds” that belong to her and her siblings.

George was asked once if Sansa still has skinchanging powers even though Lady is gone, and he said she does. We’ll probably see that aspect of her character start to make an appearance in Winds, especially since the presence of magic ramps up with each book. I think it would make sense if she bonded with a bird (such as a falcon or a hawk), seeing as she has quite a lot of bird imagery (particularly caged bird imagery) in her story. Sansa “flying free”, both literally and figuratively, seems like a logical step for her arc.

I do wonder how her connection with the “pack” will be handled. All of the Stark kids except for Sansa have the telepathic bond through their wolves, so I wonder what GRRM will do with Sansa there. It’s heartbreaking, that she doesn’t have that mental connection that the others do. I don’t know if that could somehow be reformed without Lady? There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Stark kids skinchanging powers (and the telepathic bond). Why did their powers only show up when the wolves did? How far do their powers go? How powerful could they become once they’re properly trained? How does the telepathic bond work? Is that a thing that other skinchangers can do? Is it there because of the wolves or is it through the kids themselves? Is it forever broken with Sansa because Lady is gone, or could Sansa reform that connection through another wolf that joins the Stark warg pack? Would it make sense narratively and thematically for GRRM to give Sansa another wolf?

Anyway, no idea what he’ll do with that. (Some sort of scene where Sansa is like “I don’t have a wolf anymore”, and then all the other Starklings crowd around her for a giant group hug and say “that’s okay, you’re still a part of the pack no matter what” is something I could see happening. It’s not like the other kids would treat her any less for not having a direwolf, she’s still their sister.)

A common speculation I see for Sansa’s endgame is that she could become the new head of House Arryn. And, well, the aesthetic of Sansa being Lady of the Eyrie/Lord Protector of the Vale/Warden of the East is definitely cool. The Queen of Birds up in a mountain palace with her flock all around her like a winged army? That’s some gorgeous imagery.

But...

I don’t think Sansa would ever willingly choose to stay in the Vale if she had the option to go home to Winterfell:

She awoke all at once, every nerve atingle. For a moment she did not remember where she was. She had dreamt that she was little, still sharing a bedchamber with her sister Arya. But it was her maid she heard tossing in sleep, not her sister, and this was not Winterfell, but the Eyrie. And I am Alayne Stone, a bastard girl. The room was cold and black, though she was warm beneath the blankets. Dawn had not yet come. Sometimes she dreamed of Ser Ilyn Payne and woke with her heart thumping, but this dream had not been like that. Home. It was a dream of home.

The Eyrie was no home.

—Sansa VII, A Storm of Swords

One of the largest themes in the stories of the younger POV characters (Theon, Jon, Dany, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon (even though he’s not a POV character)) is that of home. Just go on A Search of Ice and Fire and search for the word “home” in each of those characters’ chapters. I think Sansa will end up at her home, with her pack. We know she must return at Winterfell at some point, as she has the final part of this prophecy to fulfill:

"I dreamt a wolf howling in the rain, but no one heard his grief," the dwarf woman was saying. "I dreamt such a clangor I thought my head might burst, drums and horns and pipes and screams, but the saddest sound was the little bells. I dreamt of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs. And later I dreamt that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow."

—Arya VIII, A Storm of Swords

The wolf howling in the rain is Grey Wind (or Shaggydog/Rickon, since it’s raining on Skagos when Jon dreams of his “black brother”), the clangor is the Red Wedding and the bells are the ones on Jinglebell’s hat when Catelyn sawed at his throat, and the maid at the feast is Sansa. And Sansa will “slay a savage giant in a castle built of snow.” That castle is obviously Winterfell, although the fandom has yet to concretely agree on who the “savage giant” is.

Evidently, Sansa will return to Winterfell, and she probably has to get there before winter really starts setting in, or else the journey would be nearly impossible in the deadly weather. So, probably at some point in the next book.

Now, I believe that there’s a big moment coming for Sansa in TWOW: the moment where she unrepresses/uncovers her memories. Sansa knows a lot of important things. She knows the truth about Jon Arryn, she knows that her hair net was used to poison Joffrey, she knows that Littlefinger was involved in the disappearance of Jeyne Poole. Sansa’s memory swapping/adjusting/erasing/repressing (whatever you wanna call it) is important to her character. It’s her brain’s way of coping with the trauma she’s been through.

I think that one of these memories coming to the forefront is going to trigger something big: Littlefinger’s downfall. I speculate that what will most likely come out in the open first is what happened to Jeyne Poole. Sansa finding out what Baelish did to her closest childhood friend could definitely be what turns her against him.

Warning, I’m going to mention the sh*w here for a second. George has said that he wrote Sansa and Jeyne’s interactions into season 1, and that he tried to build Jeyne as a character, but her scenes were cut by the showrunners. Clearly, George cares about her, her friendship with Sansa, and her value in the story, he was very upset about the deletion of her character and of Sansa’s friendship with her.* I believe the reveal of what happened to Jeyne will be a major part of Sansa’s story in Winds. She’s repressed her memories of Jeyne and her disappearance because it is, understandably, too much for her mind to handle thinking about.

The reveal of this memory could be a catalyst to the other memories coming forward, especially since they involve Littlefinger. I think Sansa will be a key part in wrapping up the political aspect of the story, she can reveal the truth of why the Stark-Lannister conflict began all the way back in book 1. She can expose Littlefinger’s lies and schemes. That’s where I think her narrative is heading, at least in TWOW.

I’m not sure what Sansa’s story arc will be in ADOS (I’m not sure what anyone’s story will be in ADOS, but Sansa’s is a bit more of a blank page than others). If the Littlefinger conflict gets wrapped up in TWOW, I don’t know where her story will go from there. Supposedly, she could be in Winterfell at that point. What will happen then… well, then it’s Long Night time. Sansa is not one of the “key five players” (Tyrion, Dany, Arya, Bran, and Jon), but I still think she’ll have an important role in the book. I think Sansa and Arya’s relationship is something that will be focused on a lot through both of their chapters in the final novel. We’re going to see Ned’s quote, “you need her, as she needs you”, really matter.

No matter where her arc goes over the next two books, though, I do think she’ll end up at Winterfell. And like I said, I don’t think Sansa would choose to leave her home again after returning. I think that her story will end with her staying at Winterfell with the other kids. The Stark children would never willingly leave each other after reuniting. Jon literally describes the separation from his siblings as “a deep ache of emptiness, a sense of incompleteness.” And, of course, the iconic line Ned delivers to Arya: “The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.” I don’t see any of their endings being them as “lone wolves” again.

So, to answer your question, I think the endgame for Sansa will be her back in Winterfell with her family, where she belongs, where she is strongest. I do suspect, however, that there will be some sort of epilogue at the end of ADOS, possibly a “10 years later” or somewhere along those lines. Where she’ll be then, I have no idea. She’ll probably be involved with something politically by then, like ruling or advising.

*Based on what George himself has said about the show’s post-season 4 portrayal of Sansa, I don’t think her story will be similar in any way to the show’s very different version of her character (same goes for everyone). George is typically very mild when talking about the show, saying stuff like “they chose to go down a different path with the story”, but this is one of the only times he flat out criticized the show for how wrong it is. He was very upset the show cut out her storyline. He has also said that “every character has a different end” in the books. So take from that what you will.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: The Anime Stars of Genshin Impact

Image via miHoYo

  Genshin Impact has lived up to its name in that it has indeed made an impact upon the gaming world. Launched on September 26, the free-to-play open-world game has amassed $245 million in only its first month, and that's from Android and iOS alone. I'm not ashamed to say that I have sunk an unholy number of hours into this game. Why do I like this game so much? Perhaps the biggest reason Genshin Impact is so appealing to me is that I am an anime fan.

  Voices from all over the world of anime can be heard in Genshin Impact, from Naruto to My Hero Academia to currently airing seasonal anime. Being able to "hear" your favorite anime character in-game is part of what makes this game so great. Let's take a look at some of the talented people from the anime industry whose voices bring the characters of Genshin Impact to life.

  Paimon (Aoi Koga)

    Paimon is the face of Genshin Impact. No, literally, her face is on the launcher icon. Imagine my shock when I found out she is voiced by Aoi Koga, the voice of Kaguya Shinomiya from Kaguya-sama: Love is War. The intimidatingly smart rich girl Kaguya and the squeaky and energetic (and kinda stupid) Paimon couldn't be more different. Props to Koga for making both work. Koga has also voiced Elulu from Cautious Hero, Yuri Miyata from TWOCAR, and Sora Kaneshiro from Angel's 3Piece.

Male Traveler (Shun Horie) 

  One of the first actions you take in the game (in most games, for that matter) is to choose your character. In Genshin Impact, you choose between two world-traveling twins, who the other characters simply refer to as "Traveler." The male Traveler (whose official name is Aether) is voiced by Shun Horie. I personally recognize him as Enta from Sarazanmai, but most would know him as Kazuya ("Kazuya-kuuuuun!") from Rent-a-Girlfriend. Some of his other roles include Ichiro Suzuki aka Satou Pendragon from Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Rat from Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, and Hacker from this season's Akudama Drive.

Female Traveler (Aoi Yuuki)

    What about the female Traveler (whose official name is Lumine)? Turns out she's voiced by Aoi Yuuki, who voices ... Mami from the same show. The irony of this coincidence is not lost on me. Yuuki is probably best known for voicing Madoka Kaname, the protagonist of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. To me, however, her most memorable role was as the titular Boogiepop in 2019's Boogiepop and Others; an unforgettable performance. She's voiced a number of other notable roles, including Tamaki from Fire Force, Tsuyu Asui (Froppy) from My Hero Academia, Tanya from Saga of Tanya the Evil, Tornado from One-Punch Man, Kayo from ERASED, Yuuki Konno from Sword Art Online II, and Hachiman's sister Komachi from My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. 

Amber (Manaka Iwami)

  Image via Madman Entertainment

  Amber is one of the game's most popular characters, owing to her cheerful and optimistic personality. She is voiced by Manaka Iwami, the voice of Teresa Wagner in Tada Never Falls in Love, Lykos in Children of the Whales, Mizuho in Wave, Listen to Me!, and Maquia in Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms.

Kaeya (Kohsuke Toriumi)

    The cool and charismatic Kaeya is, surprisingly enough, voiced by Kohsuke Toriumi, known as the voice of the hotheaded Kiba from Naruto. He has also voiced Shunsuke Imaizumi from Yowamushi Pedal, Mista from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, and Cecil from the Uta no Prince-sama franchise.

Lisa (Rie Tanaka)

    A lazy and flirtatious scholar with electrical powers, Lisa is voiced by the experienced Rie Tanaka, who one might easily recognize as Lacus Clyne from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. The gentle, "sisterly" voice of Lacus suits Lisa's personality to a T. Tanaka has also voiced Yomi from Azumanga Daioh, Chii from Chobits, Sammy from Time of Eve, Maria from Hayate the Combat Butler, Chizuru from Squid Girl, and Suiginto from Rozen Maiden.

Barbara (Akari Kito)

    The first Akari Kito role that catches the eye is her performance as Kotoko Iwanaga in In/Spectre; both she and Barbara have a near-identical dressing sense, with their frilly white frock and cap. Kito has also voiced Nezuko in Demon Slayer, Nene Yashiro in Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Kaho Hinata in BLEND-S, and Suzune Horikita in Classroom of the Elite. You can also look forward to hearing her as Tsukasa in TONIKAWA and Adachi in Adachi and Shimamura this season.

Beidou (Ami Koshimizu)

    Beidou is voiced by Ami Koshimizu, voice of Ryuko from Kill la Kill and Kallen from Code Geass — two popular characters from two of the biggest shows of our times. Some of her other roles include Holo from Spice and Wolf, Tenma from School Rumble, Nodoka from Saki, and Shizuri from A Certain Scientific Railgun.

Bennett (Ryota Osaka)

    Bennett's design coupled with his "passionate" and "righteous" personality screams "protagonist" to me. And that's exactly what his voice actor Ryota Osaka delivers, being the voice of Eijun Sawamura from Ace of the Diamond, Nariyuki Yuiga from We Never Learn: BOKUBEN, and Ryu Yamada from Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. His other roles include Zen Wistalia in Snow White with the Red Hair, Keiji Akaashi in Haikyu!!, Yuki Sanada in Tsuritama, Nagate in Knights of Sidonia, Ikki Kurogane in Chivalry of a Failed Knight, and Sadao Mao in The Devil is a Part-Timer!.

Chongyun (Soma Saito)

    Chongyun is voiced by Soma Saito, perhaps best known as Yamaguchi from Haikyu!!. However, his breakout performance was as young Twelve in Terror in Resonance. Other notable roles include Tatsumi from Akame ga Kill, Adlet Mayer from Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers, Doppio from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, and William James Moriarty from the currently-airing Moriarty the Patriot.

Diluc (Kensho Ono)

    Diluc is widely considered to be the best character in the game from a gameplay perspective. He is voiced by Kensho Ono, whose most famous voice performance is undoubtedly Giorno Giovanna, the protagonist of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. Ono is also known for his performance as the titular Kuroko from Kuroko's Basketball. Other roles include Canute from Vinland Saga, Arata from ReLIFE, Mikazuki from My Roommate is a Cat, Slaine Troyard from Aldnoah.Zero, Tanaka from Tanaka-kun is Always Listless, and Akutagawa from Bungo Stray Dogs. 

Fischl (Maaya Uchida)

    In what has to be the most on-point casting in this game, Maaya Uchida — best known as the voice of delusional eyepatch-wearing chunibyo (middle-schooler) Rikka from Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions — voices a delusional eyepatch-wearing chunibyo in Fischl. Well done, miHoYo, well done. She also voices Hiyori from Noragami, Norman from The Promised Neverland, Catarina Claes from My Next Life as a Villainess, Yoshioka from Blue Spring Ride, and Rui from Domestic Girlfriend. 

Jean (Chiwa Saito)

    Chiwa Saito (the voice of Jean) went on to become one of my favorite voice actors after I heard her as Hitagi in Bakemonogatari, Yona in Yona of the Dawn, and Homura in Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Some of her other performances include Aika in Aria the Animation, Chloe von Einzbern in Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei, and Schierke in 2016's Berserk.

Keqing (Eri Kitamura)

    The energetic and hardworking Keqing is played by Eri Kitamura, known for voicing such energetic characters as Mina Ashido in My Hero Academia, Yui in Angel Beats, and Sayaka in Puella Magi Madoka Magica. She also voices Ami in Toradora!, "Chief" Yachiyo in Wagnaria!!, and Bea in Pokemon: Twilight Wings.

Klee (Misaki Kuno)

    Klee has quickly become a fan favorite, partly due to her short stature and childlike demeanor. She is quite appropriately voiced by Misaki Kuno, known for voicing "childlike" characters such as Hawk from The Seven Deadly Sins, Momo Kawamoto from March Comes in Like a Lion, Shio from Happy Sugar Life, Serara from Log Horizon, Niko from Kiznaiver, and Akane from Durarara!! x2.

Mona (Konomi Kohara)

    Is it a coincidence that this game has both Aoi Koga AND Konomi Kohara (who voice Kaguya and Chika in Kaguya-sama: Love is War)? I think not. Kohara's other notable roles include Akane from Tsukigakirei, Kasumi from Asobi Asobase - workshop of fun -, Mina Hibino from Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san, Shamiko from The Demon Girl Next Door, and Tsukasa's sister Chitose from TONIKAWA.

Ningguang (Sayaka Ohara)

    Sayaka Ohara is known for her deep, "mature" voice — an apt fit for Ningguang. While Ohara's best-known voice role is probably as Erza Scarlet in the Fairy Tail series, she has also delivered iconic performances as Beatrice from the Umineko When They Cry visual novels and Yuuko in xxxHolic. Other well-known roles include Irisviel from Fate/Zero, Alice from Aria the Animation, Milly Ashford from Code Geass, and Mrs. Yuigahama (Gaha-mama) in My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU.

Noelle (Kanon Takao)

    Kanon Takao has not done a whole lot of voice roles but there are still some recognizable titles on their resume, such as Hina Tsurugi from the recently-aired Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater, Latina from If It's for My Daughter, I'd Even Defeat a Demon Lord, Aku from Demon Lord, Retry!, and Linnea from The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar.  

Qiqi (Yukari Tamura)

    Qiqi is voiced by Yukari Tamura, who shot to fame as the voice of protagonist Nanoha Takamachi from the influential magical girl franchise Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. Her other significant voice roles are as Togame in Katanagatari, Tenten in Naruto, Rika Furude in When They Cry, Io Euclase in GRANBLUE FANTASY: The Animation, Mai Kawasumi in Kanon, Yamada in B Gata H Kei, and Jibril in No Game No Life. 

Razor (Kouki Uchiyama)

    Kouki Uchiyama is known for his soft-spoken roles, especially villainous ones like Meruem from Hunter x Hunter, Shigaraki from My Hero Academia, and Rui from Demon Slayer. Even his non-villainous roles have that serious, soft-spoken nature to them — Tsukishima from Haikyu!!, Smile from Ping Pong the Animation, Natsuno from Shiki, Yu Otosaka from Charlotte, and Toi from Sarazanmai. He is a perfect fit for Razor, a menacing wolf-boy of few words.

Sucrose (Akane Fujita)

    Akane Fujita (the voice actor for curious bio-alchemist Sucrose) had her breakout year in 2017 when she played Sagiri Izumi in Eromanga Sensei and Sistine Fibel in Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor.

Venti (Ayumu Murase)

    Venti's naive and mischievous personality makes him the perfect fit for Ayumu Murase, best known as the voice of the cheerful and simpleminded Shoyo Hinata of Haikyu!! fame. What interests me most, however, is the fact that Murase also voiced protagonist Kazuki from Sarazanmai — between Venti, Razor, and the male Traveler, it looks like we have the entire Sarazanmai main trio assembled! Murase has also voiced Shun in From the New World, Iruma in Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, and Ryo Asuka in Devilman Crybaby.

Xiangling (Ari Ozawa)

    I was very excited to hear that Xiangling would be voiced by Ari Ozawa, whose performance as Chiyo Sakura in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun (her first major role) is one of the finest I have ever seen. Ozawa has also voiced Hina Hikawa in BanG Dream! S2, Kirin Todo in The Asterisk War, Mao in Hinamatsuri, Papi in Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls, Benitoite in Land of the Lustrous, Lynn May in Plunderer, and Conny in The Promised Neverland. 

Xingqiu (Junko Minagawa)

    It is quite common in the voice acting industry for male characters, especially younger ones, to be voiced by female VAs. Such is the case with refined bookworm Xingqiu. This is not the first time Junko Minagawa has voiced a male character — her first role came as Ryoma Echizen from the long-running The Prince of Tennis. Her other roles include Oz Vessalius in PandoraHearts, Cornelia in Code Geass, Sailor Uranus in Sailor Moon Crystal, and Jeanne d'Arc in Drifters. 

  As more characters are added to the game, we can expect more talented voice work from the people behind the scenes. Further updates have teased us with the possibility of such giants as Saori Hayami and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka joining the cast. Can't wait!

Who is your favorite Genshin Impact character? Let us know in the comments below!  

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[ash-is-poly]

Heya, here's a master list...

Romantic F/Os

Saeyoung (Mystic Messenger)(#Seveny💖)💍

Subaru (Diabolik Lovers)(#Tsunbaru💖)💍

Ritsu (Enstars)(#Ritsun💤)

Rei (Enstars)(#Rei🥀)

Denki (My Hero Academia)(#Pika💖)

Rantaro (Danganronpa)(#rantaro💖)

Nishinoya (Haikyuu)(#Nishi💖)

Kenma (Haikyuu)(#ken💖)

Sugawara (Haikyuu)(#Suga💖)

Satan (Obey Me!)(#Satan💖)

Alfonse (Wizardess Heart)(#Al💖)

Old

Fuyuhiko (Danganronpa)(#fuyu💖)

Kuroo (Haikyuu)(#kuro💖)

Sonia (Danganronpa)(#Queen💖)

Belphegor (Obey Me!)(#Belphie💖)

Leviathan (Obey Me!)(#Levi💖)

Yoosung (Mystic Messenger)(#Yoosungy🎮)

Obi (Snow White With The Red Hair)(#Monkie🗡️)

Neo (RWBY)(#Neo💖)💍

Monoma (My Hero Academia)(#Noma💖)

Kiyoko (Haikyuu)(#yoko💖)

Canada (Hetalia)(#Canada💖)

Matsuri (Citrus)(#Suri🎧)

Coco (RWBY)(#Bean💖)

Yang (RWBY)(#yang💖)💍

Dabi (My Hero Academia)(#Dabi🔥)

Akaashi (Haikyuu)(#Kashi💖)

Oikawa (Haikyuu)(#toru💖)

Kruel Tepes (Owari No Seraph)(#Kruel💋)

Tsukishima (Haikyuu)(#Tsukki💖)

Goshiki (Haikyuu)(#Shiki💜)

Yaku (Haikyuu)(#Yaku💖)

Levy (Fairy tail)(Levy📘)

Poly Relationships

Kenma x Kuroo x Ash (Haikyuu)(#Kekuras💞)

Yamaguchi x Tsukishima x Ash (Haikyuu)(#Yatsas💞)

Akaashi x Ash x Bokuto (Haikyuu)(#Akutash💫)

Old

Yang x Coco x Neo x Ash (RWBY)(#Yacona💞)

Saeyoung x Ash x Yoosung (Mystic Messenger)(#yoosash🎮)

Yaku x Nishinoya x Ash (Haikyuu)(#Niyash💞)

Nishinoya x Kiyoko x Ash (Haikyuu)(#Nikias💞)

Platonic F/Os

Tana, Nishi, & Me (Haikyuu)(#Tananoyash🤡)

Tendou (Haikyuu)(#Tash💔)

Arashi (Enstars)(#Icon💅)

Tana, Nishi, Tora, & Me (Haikyuu)(#Toratananoyash🤡)

Bokuto (Haikyuu)(#Owlboi🦉)

Tanaka (Haikyuu)(#tana💕)

Hawks (My Hero Academia)(#Hawks🐤)

Yamaguchi (Haikyuu)(#gucci❤️)

Bakugo (My Hero Academia)(#baku💕)

Old

Taketora (Haikyuu)(#tora💕)

Lev (Haikyuu)(#Tol💕)

Kazuichi (Danganronpa)(#kazoo💕)

Yachi (Haikyuu)(#yachi❤️)

Familial F/Os

Aira (Enstars)(#Aira✨)

Saeran (Mystic Messenger)(#saeran❤️)

Chiaki (Enstars)(#Chiaki🎀)

Atsumu (Haikyuu)(#Dumbass1😡)

Osamu (Haikyuu)(#Dumbass2🍙)

Old

Ruki (Diabolik Lovers)(#ruki❤️)

Beelzebub (Obey Me!)(#beel❤️)

Hinata (Haikyuu)(#hina❤️)

Yui (Diabolik Lovers)(#yui❤️)

Asahi (Haikyuu)(#Jesus✝️)

Kageyama (Haikyuu)(#Kageyama🥛)

Daichi (Haikyuu)(#dadchi❤️)

Kins

Ennoshita(Haikyuu)(#Enno😶)

Mikan (Danganronpa)(#Mikan💉)

Canada (Hetalia)(#Canada💖)

Denki (My Hero Academia)(#Pika💖)

Asahi (Haikyuu)(#Jesus✝️)

Saeran (Mystic Messenger)(#Saeran❤️)

Yachi (Haikyuu)(#Yachi❤️)

Oikawa (Haikyuu)(#Toru💖)

Kenma (Haikyuu)(#Ken💖)

Kunimi (Haikyuu)(#Nimi💤)

Yamaguchi (Haikyuu)(#Gucci💖)

Saeyoung (Mystic Messenger)(#Seveny💖)

Sugawara (Haikyuu)(#Suga💖)

Old

Yoosung (Mystic Messenger)(#Yoosungy🎮)

Levi (Obey Me)(#Levi💖)

[emeraldwaves]

Title: What Happens at Frat Parties Chapter 3 Pairing:  Huwumi Rating: E Word Count:  2,351 Read on Ao3 Summary:  

For Hawks, getting the girl has always been easy. He’s popular, attractive and part of the frat house that throws the best parties. When Dabi’s sister shows up one night, Hawks realizes not everything comes as easy to him as he thought. And while Fuyumi thinks Hawks isn’t her type, as time goes on, she finds his advances harder to resist. Maybe there’s more to him than she realizes.

Fic under the cut!

Though the temperature was starting to heat up outside, the library was air conditioned and Hawks let the cool breeze brush over his face when he stepped inside. Apparently this was the place to be if you were into staying cool and studying.

He didn't care about either of those things.

He lifted his sunglasses up, pushing his hair back and headed further in. The smell of old books permeated the air, and Hawks couldn't remember the last time he had touched one of those.

The problem with a place like this was it just was so damn big, and shockingly crowded.

Who knew people actually used this place to study?

Finding Dabi's sister was going to be more difficult than anticipated.

Was he ridiculous for chasing after her in the library?

Probably.

Was it better than helping Tensei clean up the house?

Most definitely.

He followed the path through the back of the library, winding through the various shelves and peering at the tables. There was no sign of a white-haired girl with streaks of red. He wondered where the hell she was.

He made his way up the round spiral staircase, heading to the second floor.

Pausing, he scuffed his boot against the ground. Was this creepy? He really didn’t mean to be... in fact, this was probably the most genuine he'd ever been about a girl.

He was fascinated, for lack of a better word. First off, she had rejected him, and second off, despite being his sister, she was so damn different from his idiot roommate, who never talked about her.

Rolling his eyes, he twirled around on his heel, ready to scour the floor when he almost immediately ran into the person he had been looking for.

"I'm surprised you knew where the library was," Fuyumi said, clutching a few books to her chest.

"Wha-... Why does everyone think this!? I obviously know where the library is. I obviously know what it is!"

There was a small part of him that was shocked she was actually here. Apparently he should trust his instincts more. Fuyumi popped out her hip, resting the books against her side. "Who asked if you knew what it was?"

Damn, why the hell was she so nerdy and cute?

"Shig," he said, waving off the comment. "Look, I can't help it if those assholes never come here."

"Did you just call my brother an asshole?" she smirked, leaning towards him.

He paused, swallowing. "Well-"

"Don't worry, he is," she said, walking past him as she headed for a table.

"Hey!" he said, and received a few glares and one person hushed him angrily. "Hey," he whispered, taking his tone down. "Care to share a table?"

She paused, placing her books down at the empty table by the stairs. Her gray eyes looked him up and down. "What exactly are you planning to study? You don't have any books with you."

Fuck. He knew he forgot something.

He opened his mouth, a slew of excuses rushing through his brain, none of them plausible.

She rolled her eyes and took a seat. "It oddly makes sense you're friends with Touya."

"Now, now. Your brother is proudly maintaining his 2.5 average and I'm-"

"Maintaining a 2.6?" Fuyumi asked, blinking as if she was innocent.

Ouch. Did she really think that poorly of him?

He supposed she didn't have much to go off of. He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

"4.0," he said.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You've never been to the library and you have a 4.0."

With a smile, Hawks leaned his head against his hand, watching her brain try to process how he could possibly be maintaining a perfect average.

"Yup," he said.

"So you just... get As? Without studying?"

He leaned back in the chair, letting out an elongated sigh.

"You caught me."

"Caught you?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. She began to pull out her various stacks of notebooks, placing them on the desk. She had far too many to be normal.

"Mhm," he sighed, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I haven't been to the library, but it's only because I haven't needed to go."

Frowning, she brushed her fingers over the textbook. "Well some people do study better in their rooms."

"Nah. No studying required," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes and flipped open a textbook, ignoring him. He waited a moment, the silence falling over the table, and he twisted his lips, scooting the chair forward. "I thought you'd be impressed."

"What? Impressed you don't put any effort into the things you do?" she asked, slamming her book shut. She grabbed the giant pile and stood up, clutching them tight to her chest. "That's not impressive, it's just... frustrating to hear!"

"Eh?" he blinked, surprised by her outburst.

"I need to get work done today. I can't mess around like some people!" she huffed, yanking her backpack up to sling over her shoulder.

"No, wait, that's-"

"What?"

He froze, unsure of how to respond, caught in a predicament he didn't quite know how to navigate. Talking to girls was easy, simple... a path he traveled down often and with ease.

Talking to Fuyumi was like trudging through snow in a winter storm. It was like he was blind, with no direction. Everything he said seemed to be wrong.

He couldn't let her walk away now; coming to the damn library would've been totally useless.

"A date," he said, blurting out the words.

What?

Her eyes blinked behind her glasses, staring at him as if he had spoken a different language.

Could he rewind time? Start over. Start last night over too maybe, if this magical time traveling would let him go back that far.

"A... date?" she repeated.

"No. I mean..."

What the hell? Had someone possessed him? Who the hell even was he right now? Stumbling over his words, his palms sweating and not sure what the hell he was saying?! This wasn't him at all, especially not around women.

But usually those women weren't constantly rejecting him.

Because once was okay, but two times was definitely unheard of.

"What exactly did you mean then?" Fuyumi asked.

Okay. Deep breath. It was fine. He was fine, (hell yeah he was).

"Look," he said, pushing himself out of the chair to stand up with her. "I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"You do?" She tilted her head. "Or are you just saying that because our interactions haven't gone well and you haven't gotten me in your bed yet."

Damn. Savage.

He swallowed. "No, that's not what I meant."

Not really.

She sighed. "Hawks, you, uhm, you don't seem like a bad person or anything," she began softly, "but I have a lot of exams I need to study for this week and I don't think I'm the type of girl you normally talk to and there are plenty others you can find who would probably die to go on a date with you, okay? So I'll see you later," she said, carrying her backpack and books clutched to her chest.

He opened his mouth to say goodbye, but for some reason that felt so... lame. Instead he swallowed and looked at the empty table, thinking that she was wrong; he really wanted to go out with her.

~~

Unfortunately for Fuyumi, the weekend flew by and exams were upon her by Monday, ending as quickly as they arrived on Friday. She tried her best to focus all week, but even with how much she had studied, she had no way of gauging how well she did on her exams.

"You probably aced them," Nejire snorted while the two ate breakfast on Saturday. "You always do."

"I-I just... there were a lot of distractions this week."

"Distractions? You practically lived in the library!"

"I-I know..." she sighed.

"So did it magically get loud in the library... I don't understand," Nejire asked.

No, in fact, she had peace and quiet for the week, minus her initial run-in with Hawks. The problem was, she couldn't stop thinking about him. No. Not him. It. The whole situation.

Had he really come to the library to see her? She kept wondering if she was going to see him there again (not because she wanted to).

"I don't know," she sighed, knowing that if she even mentioned Hawks, Nejire would take it wrong and try and play matchmaker.

That was the last thing Fuyumi needed.

"It's out of my hands. I guess I should stop worrying about it."

"Exactly," Nejire said. "Right now you should be worrying about what you're going to wear to your brother's pool party."

Clicking her tongue, Fuyumi rolled her eyes. "Neji, I'm not going. I'm sorry but... I just can't."

"But you can Nejire said. "You have that cute vintage bathing suit and it's hot. I know how much you hate the heat and this will cool you down," she hummed, leaning in towards her friend. "I don't wanna go alone."

"You're going to see Mirio and Tamaki right?" Fuyumi said.

"Well, yeah, but it'd be even more fun if you came," Nejire hummed, rocking back and forth on her feet.

"No," Fuyumi repeated. "You should've seen me last weekend. I was so out of place. I never go to these things so I don't know why you would think I would want to go now."

"I just think it would be good for you. We don't have classes for a week and last semester you spent the whole break studying. You're coming!" Nejire said, placing her hands on Fuyumi's shoulders as she began to walk her back to her room.

"I really don't want to see my brother or his friend."

"Hawks? The one you rejected?"

Well, she purposefully hadn't said his name.

"Twice," she said. "S-So really, it would just be awkward now." Plus, she had no desire to see her brother high or drunk or both.

"Twice?!" Nejire blinked. "You rejected him twice!? Iconic."

Fuyumi sighed. "He came to the library and kinda... asked me out, but I said no because before that he was bragging about being so amazing at his classes."

"Is that... bad?" Nejire asked.

"No, it's just obnoxious," Fuyumi muttered, leaning against the door to her room.

Nejire snorted, giggling so hard she wrapped an arm around her stomach. "I can't... believe Hawks asked someone on an actual date and then got rejected!"

Fuyumi raised her eyebrow. "Is it really so horrible of me to say no?"

"W-What?! No!" Nejire said. "It's just funny cause normally he sleeps with girls and then tosses them out. I've never heard Miri or Tama mention him going on dates."

"Exactly my problem with him. I mean he's attractive, but I know the second I do anything further than kiss him, he'll be done with me. That, and I don't really have time to date anyone anyway," she shrugged.

"But you areattracted to him?" Nejire asked, leaning forward towards her friend. Why did the blue haired girl have to latch on to the one thing Fuyumi hadn't wanted her to?

"That's... not the point," she said.

"Get on your suit, you're going to the party!" Nejire cheered, cutting Fuyumi off.

"Neji-"

"Please 'Yumi!" she begged. "I promise you won't even have to talk to Hawks okay?!"

Fuyumi rolled her eyes. "If I come with you, I'm only staying to swim for a little bit and then leaving."

"Okay, okay," Nejire said, reaching forward to open Fuyumi's door. "Go get ready! You should wear the vintage suit with the cute bow between your cleavage. That one makes your boobs look great."

"Ugh..."

"What? I just wanna see Hawks' face when he realizes he can't have you," she said. "I missed out the other two times."

"Well, I'm hoping to avoid him completely," Fuyumi muttered. "Anyway, I'll be out in a minute."

With a sigh she flopped against the door for a moment. She wasn't in the mood to see her brother making a disaster of himself yet again, and she hoped she wouldn't have to reject Hawks again. She didn't take pride in it like Nejire thought she did... but it made her feel sad, especially when he seemed so shocked by it.

Really, she didn't enjoy being mean to people, despite sass that happened to slip from her lips from time to time.

Still, she knew she was making the right choice. Hawks wasn't her type of boy and she wasn't his type of girl. He would've figured that out very quickly and moved on and it would've been embarrassing. Quite frankly she was happy to have saved both of them the humiliation.

She grabbed her bathing suit from the closet and held it up to her body. It was a really cute suit and she practically never wore it. Maybe the party wouldn't be so bad. It was going to be outside, so hopefully people wouldn't be so concentrated in the house. She wouldn't be trapped surrounded by smoke and loud music.

There would probably still be a good amount of people there, so if she wanted to avoid seeing her brother she could.

Slowly rolling her clothes down, she sighed. It was frustrating, to even consider having to avoid her brother, something she never thought she would do. Touya had always been frail but as they grew older he apparently stopped caring about anything; it was why he smoked all the time and had gotten tattoos over most of his body.

Fuyumi wondered if she was really any better, spending all her time diving into her studies...

She pulled the bathing suit on and reached for one of her large summer hats. Nejire was right, this would be good for her.

[breadknight-likes-things]

Game Journal 05/12/20: Through The Realms Of Oblivion: The Jerall Mountains

You know, my overwhelming inclination for the opening line to this post was “Hope y’all like snow”, but how many times have we all bought Skyrim?  I think at this point it’s pretty clear that we as Elder Scrolls fans, do indeed like snow.  I don’t really like snow, I was raised next to the ocean, snow doesn’t make sense to me, at least not in video games, but there is something nice about it in the context of Oblivion's Jerall mountains!  It helps that it’s a relatively small portion of the map, and snow is a unique enough feature among the other biomes of Cyrodiil that it doesn’t wear out it’s welcome in any of the ways it could.

So other than “Snow” what is there to say about the Jerall mountains?  Well, not a lot, but that’s also part of it’s charm I think!  Quite a lot like The Colovian Highlands, there’s not very many signs of civilization up in these snow capped hills.  Sure there’s the notable farm of Applewatch, and presuming you have the DLC (again, do they even sell this game without DLC now?) there’s the wizards tower high up in the mountaintops (a personal favorite location in the game for me), but as far as populated areas go, once you leave Bruma there’s really nobody to be found. That, I think, is it’s own charm though.  I wouldn’t exactly call Jerall a dangerous land, or at least no more dangerous than the other parts of this game where wolves randomly attack you, but it is desolate and at least feels harsh while playing.  It isn’t actually harsh, of course, it snows often and there’s the requisite monsters, but much like in Skyrim you’re character is extremely resilient to the cold and ice, so you’ll have no real problems exploring this place without so much as a torch if you don’t feel you need it.  The vibe, however, is one of danger and mystery.  My description may make it sound like there’s nothing interesting to experience up in this place, but there’s plenty!

Plenty of snow amirite?  Ha ha, if you’re reading this I don’t understand how you don’t massively dislike me.

It really does feel like you’re trecking through a dangerous snowy mountain range.  When you put the landscape here in comparison to any other part of Cyrodiil it sort of has to feel that way.  For the most part Oblivion was a picturesque game when it released.  Bright green, clear blue and soft amber were really the only colors that landscapes worked with, so to find this cold, snow covered white tundra was something of a surprise to me when I first played this game. Hell, it blew my mind to think there could be so many unique areas in a game like this to begin with!

I’ve mentioned before that the mountainous regions of Cyrodiil tend to interest me the least, but playing this game to get screenshots for this is really turning my opinion around on them.  I’m finding a new appreciation for these more remote and less “interesting” areas that I didn’t really have before.  This is why I love writing things like this, I’ve been playing Oblivion almost weekly since 2006 and somehow, in 2020, I’m still finding something new to appreciate in a game I’ve poured over a thousand hours in.

Random Screenshot Of The Day:

I didn’t even touch on The Wizard tower!  I may do an entire post on this place one day, but for now just know that this crazy ass tower on a tall peak is something truly iconic to me in the world of video games.

Stray Notes:

- Still skating my way through Tony Hawks Underground 2, and then today they announce Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2!  Extremely hyped for that!  Vicarious Visions did a wonderful job with the Crash Bandicoot remakes so I have a lot of faith in them getting this classic series right!

- I thought it was weird that they were doing remakes of Tony Hawk 1 and 2 again so soon after Tony Hawks HD, then it hit me that game came out 8 years ago for the Xbox 360 and the march of time is unbelievably cruel.

[pcttrailsidereader]

Snowstorm - Sierra City to Bucks Lake

 By Dave Baugher

With a heavy heart, I hung up my phone in cabin #1 at the River Resort in Sierra City, CA.  My wife, Luann, had called that quiet morning to let me know that her mom, Marylyn, had passed away.  I had taken a nero in Sierra City and was planning to return to the PCT that spring morning. The resort owner, Jim said, "No Problem," to my request to spend another night considering the circumstances.  So finding a comfortable chair on his expansive deck overlooking the Feather River, and I began to ponder.

Marylyn, diagnosed in 2003 and, like so many we know, descended into a faint picture of the person we knew before. Alzheimer's is a terrible disease.  In 1905, German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer performed an autopsy on a woman who passed from and early cognitive failure.  Alois discovered that one-third of the woman's brain had disintegrated, leaving a plaque and tangled cell fragments. More than 100 years later, Alzheimer's disease is still poorly understood and generally regarded as incurable.

In the morning light, sitting on Jim's deck with the river below, I thought back to my own experience with cognitive failures.  Regrettably, it was only 15 years before that my own father, Hank, had been diagnosed with the neurological disease of frontal lobe dementia. Like the sun setting down below the Sierra Mountains, my father faded away before our eyes in less than 18 months.  Hank was only 61 years old when his light permanently faded, and it was his death the prodded me to change my life and ultimately begin hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. 

It was 2013 when I was asked, "How long did your father live?" I was 51 that day, and the question hit me like a sack of stones, that in 11 years, I would be the same age as when Hank passed. What was I going to do over the upcoming eleven years?  Work?  Not an exciting thought.  A quote from Steve Jobs came to my mind "If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I'm about to do today?" My answer that morning was no, prompting a change of life for me. 

I spent the remainder of that day on the deck, talking with my wife and kids.  Things settled down after a while, so I borrowed a book from the resort's small library, then in the quiet of the afternoon, read on the peaceful deck.  By the following morning, things within the family had resolved themselves and settled down. Marilyn's passing had been expected, and there was nothing I could do here or back at home, so with Luann's endorsement, I returned to the trail.  Jim gave me a ride to the trailhead, where I could continue my journey northwards.

The Pacific Crest Trail crosses Highway 49 above the town at an elevation of 4,100'.  Here the trail aggressively climbs toward the jagged Sierra Buttes, ascending a total of 4,000' to skirt the iconic landmark, a landmark in the section of California.  Later I discovered that in the winter of 1852, the town of Sierra City was a village of tents, shacks log houses, and a few frame buildings.   Deep winter snow smothered the settlement, and the residents struggled to reach the San Joaquin Valley below, leaving the stricken hamlet abandoned.  Yet, five diehards stayed to work their gold mine, preoccupied with the business of survival, not watching when the Buttes suddenly discarded their top layer of snow.  The snow came down in a smothering avalanche to wipe out the last vestiges of the village.  Only three of the five survived.

The PCT lead upwards and the new Sierra City lay below me in the distant valley.  Several hours passed when I spied a couple of hikers walking toward me down the trail  Exchanging greetings, and they explained that up ahead, there was a solid wall of snow at the 7,000 foot and they were unprepared to cross into the upper snowbound elevations.  My preparations included extra clothes, crampons, an ice ax, so I felt confident to continue on the trail.  These two were planning on hitching around this section to return to this PCT section at a later time. 

Now at this point in the trip, these two guys were the first PCT hikers I had met since leaving Donner Pass 4 days before.  Yes, there had been lots of snow, but nothing that stopped my progress northwards.  My thoughts wandered as the trail passed under my feet.  Indeed, at the 7,500' elevation, I did hit snow, but the crampons did their job, and I continued.  That day I covered 15 miles before finding a dry campsite that had an excellent supply of firewood.  Soon my tent was up, hot soup in my pot and a roaring campfire warming the oncoming evening chill.

Morning broke cold and gray.  At this point in the trip, I had become a master at camp procrastination, when attempting to get out of the tent into the frigid mounting air, in the serenity of a chilly quiet morning I packed up camp.  Last night's fire was a faint warm remembrance, and the ivory banks of snow surrounding my dry patch of campsite looked foreboding.  It was 9 a.m. when I shouldered my pack, then noticed with faint humor, the first soft snowflakes drifting down from the now grey smoldering sky.  For all the serenity, majestic repose, and granite permanency, the Sierra's can be as temperamental as an adolescent, and I was about to experience this first hand.

Returning to the trail, I followed the PCT upwards across rolling ridge after ridge where the trail played peek-a-boo with my navigation skills.  Occasionally, the path was exposed, usually along the southerly exposed sections, while on the northern exposures, the trail was nowhere.  The spring snow depth in these sections was 10-20 feet deep, obliterating signs, blazes, and any indication a hiker had been through the area.  The family following my course remotely via a Spot satellite transponder reported my path zigzagged haphazardly in these sections, and they could only guess what I was encountering. 

My mind echoed, "Dave, you better watch out," as the snowflakes began falling in earnest.  I want you to visualize the scene, as the snow fell viciously.  Not "Frosty the Snowman," snowflakes, this was a mean, spring snowstorm with driving winds, and the cold-pressed straight into my bones. After a couple of hours, thick swirling clouds of the white stuff were whirling around me in ever-rising cold howling mountain winds.  I started climbing a tall frozen ridge with wind thundering across the trees, and rain pelted my backpack and tattered ghostly clouds whipped over the rocks and forest.  Reaching the summit at noon, I thought, "You better start thinking about taking a break and getting into some shelter." 

Breaking the ridgeline, I made for a stand of trees on a southern facing slope.  Within the grove, I found bare patches of ground, set up my tent while the wind screamed through the trees like a banshee.  One last look around, my pack and I dove inside like a ground squirrel escaping a red tail hawk: It was high noon, Thursday, June 18.  For the next three days and two nights, the storm raged outside my tent. This was a real humdinger of a mountain storm, roaring out of the west-rain, hail, sleet, and wind.  Wow, did the wind blow. When the Sierra goes on a rampage, there is not much a hiker can do but stand by and watch with awe.  Lulls were brief; then, a high pitched scream would start in the treetops, the grove and my tent would be slammed by the roaring winds, over and over again.

It was two mornings later, I woke up at sunup and crawled from the warmth of my sleeping bag, the storm had broken.  Hiking the ridgeline, a grey mist enveloped is and cut off visibility to 25'.  “Dave,” I thought, “you better watch where you are walking,” as I looked over my map.  The map indicated the PCT followed this ridge for a half-mile before dropping to a lower elevation.  Here the trail was viable under my feet; the path was worn by many feet over the years, however ahead, the trail disappeared into another snowbank.  I was unsure of my exact location with no horizon to see, so I took a 90-degree turn and walked 50' to check out the terrain; the ground disappeared and a grey abyss, I was standing on a cliff.  Carefully, returning to the trail, I went the opposite direction, only to encounter a crumbling cornice of snow that fell off in the same grey abyss.

Somberly, returning to the trail, I brought out my GPS, turned it on, and then followed the path exactly as indicated on the screen, step by step.  There was not much room for error, but I hiked down from the ridgeline safely heading for lower elevations.  My camp that night was nestled in the sunshine along an old logging road.  Dinner and relaxation ensued in the fading light.  That evening was quiet, and the night was too quiet.

When morning broke, I came out of my tent to discover another snow-covered landscape.  Oh man, not again, but I continued onwards.  The trail continued to lose elevation as it dropped into the Feather River Canyon. Later that day, I crossed the bridge over the Feather River and made camp along Bear Creek.

A dry, moist morning greeted me the next day, and I hit the trail once again, my goal was Bucks Lake, Climbing the North Fork of the Feather River Canyon ridge, I made my way along the northern ridge where a faint cell signal allowed me to call home.  Perhaps it was not seeing me move via my Spot, or maybe the grief of losing Marylyn, but Luann was extremely happy to hear my voice and know that I was ok.  I asked her to contact lodging in the Bucks Lake area and find me a room for the night.  A return call let me know I had accommodations for the night at the Haskins Valley Inn, so I continued onwards.

Doug and Dixie welcomed me into their establishment, informing me that I was the first PCT hiker they had seen the spring.  Doug also let me know that the upcoming section between Bucks Lake and Chester were perhaps even more snowbound and dangerous that the trail I had just covered.  Now that did not sound too welcoming, so another call home as made and arrangements were made for Luann to pick me up in Quincy the ensuing day.

The following morning, Doug, Dixie, and I drove down the mountain to Quincy. Lost in thought; this had been a most extraordinary spring backpacking trip, unique since I had begun this PCT adventure in 2014, and ever since.  My mother-in-law had passed, Alzheimer's and the passing of my father, and in a round-about way,  those events led me to Pacific Crest Trail.  Spending two nights in a spring sierra snowstorm, contemplating life gave me a new outlook on my own experience and family – Becoming "snowed in" actually was not that bad of an experience.