#I even love the va from my country as well!

[sgt-tombstone]

If Graves hadn’t betrayed the 141, he and Simon “I love Kentucky” Riley would get along really well

And now I want a roadtrip fic where Soap, Ghost, and Graves go on a month-long quest to find the best Bourbon in America

Graves drives, because it’s his classic rust red Ford Bronco and because both Soap and Ghost refuse to drive on the right side of the road

Ghost gets passenger seat and tortures them all with the aux, playing nothing but country and rock music. He plays Sweet Home Alabama so many times that even Graves threatens to run over his phone

Soap has a blast in the backseat, complaining about the lack of quality Scotch, perfecting the fine art of road rage, and sticking his head out the window like a dog

The two UK boys pick up Graves’ opinions on most things they encounter, including the best barbecue, his thoughts on drivers from other states, and what artists are considered “real” country

For maximum fun and shenanigans, throw Alex in the car and watch it explode. I originally headcanoned Alex being from upstate New York like his voice actor, but then I found out that his VA spent a lot of time in Hollywood and now I can’t get the idea of Californian Alex Keller out of my head. Graves’ VA is from San Antonio and while he spent most of his childhood in Washington DC, Graves is a Texan through and through and no one can convince me otherwise. I love the idea of both of them trapped in the same car, opining about all things America, and disagreeing about absolutely everything because there’s nothing a Californian hates more than a Texan and nothing a Texan hates more than a Californian

Meanwhile, Price, Gaz, and Farah spend the month at a fishing cabin, having father/daughter/son bonding time and attempting not to think about what the boys are getting up to. Price watches the news every night just in case. He doesn’t care if the boys make the local news wherever they are, but as soon as he catches a single glimpse of them on national news, he’s going to slap with a disciplinary write-up so fast it’ll make their heads spin

[sgdlr-asdfghjkl]

Link Click Musical update 180 🌟🌟🌟

(LC-mu postcard project🎉 + summary of BilibiliWorld videos: musical actors meeting VAs trio and Wang Minhui's vlog ✨)

Hello! This will be quite unusual update, since I want to report about our fan project. But also, to make up for my inactivity, I bring lots of tasty treats for you >:3

Links in replies: meeting of LC donghua voice actors trio and LC musical trio at BilibiliWorld event, Wang Minhui's vlog from there, 1h+ livestream from the entire LC musical segment + google drive link where you can download the postcard illustrations and print it for yourself 😘

OKAY 🏃‍♂️✨

LC-mu postcard project summary

A fellow lc musical enjoyer friend, Vale (@/_Setsuna_iro_ on twt & @/setsuna_cos on ig, follow her for great cosplays!) reached out, said she'll be visiting China and considers going to see the play. So OF COURSE I got hyped up about it 😤

I wanted to arrange a postcard for her to give away after the performance (like we did with Elara for 100th performance). To let the actors and Chinese audience know we appreciate the musical ^^ There was no better person to ask for help than a legend, an icon, a master of musical-inspired LC fanarts @wrathyforest 🙇‍♂️💖

🤲BEHOLD🤲

So Forest drew this amazing✨ illustration 🙇‍♂️ (and yes, you can download it and print it too!). I only suggested some details like adding XiaoJuan pig squishie and Zhang Jiahao eating a chicken leg (from 100th special encore).

As for my contribution I did the design on a back (based on the official lyrics book style) and the lil actor doodles. I collected the 42 names of countries from the international LC musical fans. And handled the communication and logistics between all of us ><

Props to Vale for translating the note to Chinese 🙏 the actors and audience got it in Chinese, but you can read it and print in in English ^^ And thanks to @elaraqwqfor all the practical advice about the theatre etiquette and navigation haha 🙏

When time agent Vale rests (and no longer struggles with Chinese firewall ><") I'll try to share more info from her about the musical itself. For now have photos our spy took >:3

That's the Shanghai Great World, an amusement centre building where the Time Theatre is located. We rarely think outside the 'microvawe oven' of lc musical set, so I think it's interesting to see ;>

A photo wall with the cast behind the scenes and guests (can you spot director Haolin? ehee). And a fascinating (to me at least) corner where the audience can leave all the fanmade freebies. Like merch celebrating actor's birthdays or performance milestones. The fans go out of their way and make all sorts of things to share, like badges, facemasks with prints, keychains, acrylic stands, prints, stickers, I even saw cookies with chibi actors printed on them ><

I personally find this part of fan culture around the Chinese musical theatre really heartwarming and inspiring ^^ Maybe bc culture around theatre in my country feels very posh and stuck up, snobbish even. So I have lots of love and respect to Chinese theatre fans for making their passion feel welcoming and simply fun 🌟

Again, huge thanks to all my lovely LC friends, Forest, Vale and Elara for making this project possible 😘💙💛

MOVING ON 🏃‍♂️✨

Link Click Musical panel on BilibiliWorld 2024 convention

For context, this convention is huge (esp when you remember Bilibili is like Chinese ver of youtube, twitch, netflix, crunchyroll and webtoon at once). Li Haolin had his panel there, as well as donghua VAs (that's how they managed to meet, VAs had their panel on same day musical actors came for rehearsal).

So there is an entire 1h+ video from the panel with LC-mu 'representative lineup' Deng Xianling, Cai Qi and Wang Minhui. I'll link it, you can watch it. It's all in Chinese ofc but it's still fun, bc they do lots of games focused on singing songs that you should be able to recognise by now ;>

A summary of the panel:

1st game: they each get the first lines their characters sing in the play and have to fill out the blank lyrics

then they do slightly extended ver of 'You can forget about it' ('sofa song')

2nd game: they get a line from a lc musical song to sing, each actor with different twist; dxl has to do a dialect version, cq does the singing to a different melody, and wmh does the 'translation accent' (not sure what it is, I'm guessing it's changing the accentuation on words?)

3rd game: is blindfold basketball with third person directing the one that's shooting, so a cooperation game ^^'

4th game: they listen to the music and when it stops they have to sing the next lines (this part was GREAT bc we get crumbs from main plot songs AND we get to hear actors sing a capella AND there is a banger part where wmh and cq sing in unison 😔👌)

5th game: doing 'Dive back in time' tutting at varied speed (it's funny & impressive how they switch from 2x speed to 0.5x without an issue)

and I lost a count (this video is long and in chinese, forgive me) but by the end, there is also a part where each actor has to say something in character, they chose from categories: A) Exclusive video for waking up - cq, B) Exclusive video to put you to sleep -wmh, C) 'Mood Tips' Video - dxl :> (Lu Guang got very in character, short line, don't get excited)

OKAY NEXT 🏃‍♂️✨✨

Voice Actors encounter (Li Shimeng, Su Shangqing, Yang Tianxiang) summary

All credit goes to my Chinese friend Yksim (@/treeshu3426 on twt) for translating and summarising the entire video to me 🙏🙇‍♂️💖

Video has 2 main parts: voice actors giving tips about delivering lines and musical actors teaching them to sing songs. Yang Tianxiang first suggest that musical actors teach vocal actors how to sing. He asks how to sing "我只能预测十二个小时" ('I can only predict 12 hours...', a part from M01 'Time Travel', the first song). Wmh and cq sing it but ytx finds it too hard to follow, gives up and says sth like 'aigh maybe we should start from voice acting' ><. So they first give wmh and cq some tips about how to say lines.

Wang Minhui shares that the producer of LC musical (I'm guessing it was Chen Xiaoyi 🙏) sent him a video compilation of canon Lu Guang calling cxs idiot, childish etc. (as learning material). And he asked ytx to say some for him XDD which the other delivers 👌

Li Shimeng gives Qiao Ling performance. She first acted how to scold cxs and then how to comfort him 🥺 Everyone compliments her, she's great orz

After that ytx seems to be answering wmh's question how to say lines. He said: 'We have to relax our throats. It is also like singing. You have to make yourself comfortable. You don't have to pursue to make your voice very like my voice. I think we are two different Lu Guangs. ' (meaning the range, because wmh's voice is very high pitch comparing to ytx's voice)

Yang Tianxiang asks Su Shangqing for his input and ssq says: 'You can make it natural and like in daily life. Actually voice acting allows you to express a variety of precise emotions within a very limited range of ups and downs. It will be harder than no limits. 其实会比你可以完全释放手脚难 (this sentence translates weirdly so have a transcript) After you get hold of the character's main characteristics, you can relax and do what you want to express.'

Then is time for a singing part. Cai Qi sings a bit from 'Words can't convey the love' for ssq. Which ssq says is too hard >< ytx says 'But this song fits you.'

Wang Minhui sings a crumb of main plot song called 'Broken time' (fully translated by Micha here 💙) It's a very hard and high pitch big song full of emotions that happens after a quarrel with cxs. Yang Tianxiang is impressed ><

VA's strongest soldier enters the ring after ytx says: 'I think Li Shimeng is the best singer among three of us.' So Cai Qi teaches lsm some QL's lines from the beginning of 'You can forget about it' (QL starts it in main plot ver). She repeats after him and sounds wonderful ✨💅

And finally, Deng Xianling arrives from the other musical's rehearsal (on weibo she 'cries' she had to buy wmh a drink as an apology for being late ><'). Her voice is beautiful nevertheless. She sings the same part that cq started teaching ;>

Then they take photos together and say goodbyes 🥰

WHICH IS A PERFECT SEGWAY 🏃‍♂️✨✨✨

This one I deciphered myself by google translating subtitles. But please watch it yourself! It's adorable even if you don't speak Chinese

Wang Minhui's vlog from BilibiliWorld

You may think he'd do sth short, similar to Cai Qi's vlog from the event, but no. Not the yapperton3000, Kamen Rider enjoyer, mister I-watch-more-anime-than-Niebo (I just adore this guy, ok? and you will too. Now.)

Nah, he will give us a tour 😎✨

It starts with him saying he's going on a rehearsal, then a short compilation from that day where they practiced and met VAs. As you can see he and ytx exchanged contact info :>

After teasing dxl for being late it's fast forward to next day, the day of their performance. He beelines straight to the artist/merch area 🙇‍♂️ He points at almost every alley and says stuff like:

'Take a look at the Honkai Star Railway theme area! Sorry but I don't play hehe' 'Jian Wang 3 theme area, I used to play. I remember when I got into the trap, brought in at my university, my college friends were playing.' *points at a fancy dress at some sort of haute couture cosplay booth* 'Guo Hongxu would look good in this' (ghx commented the vid with a photo of himself swinging an axe with 'Where are you? I brought you a gift 🙂')

Then he comes home 😌 The Link Click themed alley 💙💛

He looks at Lu Guang merch which is-😭💗 *clenches my heart* and talks how he's excited to wear lg's wig already.

⬆ Interesting thing about these shiguang cutouts, that cn friends Bō🐼 and Yksim pointed out, is that they are a signposts promoting a Chengguang/程光 ship specific event. Recently there was a separate exhibition/fan event focused on uh, you know, top!cxs x bottom!lg, (not necessarily explicit but very much about the romantic coupling) and they had a booth LC alley in BilibiliWorld too.

And no, it's impossible he's clueless about it. You'll see he knows his donghua&anime + they had huge signs with ship name and friends tell me he must've walked past all the doujins. And he goes there twice 🙇‍♂️ Like, do with this knowlegde whatever you want, I'm just describing what happened (personally I'd say: BASEDBASEDBASED-)

*performance time* he gets his makeup and hair done and goes on stage, it's a short compilation from backstage.

HE GOES BACK TO THE CUTOUTS orz... the stylist fixes his hair sprout when he's standing between lg and cxs ;w; while wmh praises his producer for agreeing to work overtime to help him film the vlog 🙏

it cuts to him riding to the different area, he says:

'Now I am going to this one from "Link Click", the booth of the original work. Although today in fact, strictly speaking, I'm not a cosplayer.' 'Because I think we should respect how everyone just generates electricity for love to this level of detail' (I think he means cosplayers, but not sure, it translates wack) 'I think I am still wearing a makeup look for a musical stage actor who (just) came here.' 'This experience is very unforgettable for me, so I hope to use the last bit of time, the moment before hitting the board, to go get one for myself. Including myself, Wang Minhui as a stage actor. I can take two sets of photos. I think it's also a good memory, so I set off!' (it may be confusing, but I think he's talking about using the opportunity of being on a convention in the stage makeup, to take some phots for himself, while humbly acknowledging it's not a cosplay)

(we're halfway in the video, save me, I love him but he talks so much ಥ_ಥ)

He enters the official LC venue (that earlier, was more fanmade stuff/merch alley) and talks about how exciting it is that he can blend in ;w; so he walks around, saying:

'I am so happy!' but then catches himself and says 'Ah, but I shouldn't laugh' (to stay in LG's character 😭) *points at Neo Aurora LG cutout (one with harness)* 'Can you make me a set of clothes like this next time at our theater?' (caption tags the Encore Musicals theatre) *points at a writing board and reads one of fan messages* 'Li Haolin, no more knives!' 💀 and 'No matter the past, don't question the future' motto *proudly high-fives himself* *points at Li twins cutouts* 'Last time I drew a blind box I got Li Tianchen, I have both (?or two idk) of them.' 'So happy. The kind of faint (faint feeling? or faintness? idk) It just came out of here *points at his chest* Happy but I don’t know why I’m so happy! (pls he's so sweet)

Then he points towards the Bilibili Comics venue and namedrops lots of shows he's watching/reading:

'There's a Bilibili comics app, the app that accompanies me on many nights, I recently finished reading Demon Slayer', he also mentions watching Blue Lock and Wind Breaker.

Moving on to individual anime series booths:

*points at Kaitou from Detective Conan* 'I especially liked that character as a kid, so cool/handsome' He sees Solo Leveling booth from a distance and is proud of himself for remembering the name of the show, so much so he takes a picture :'> ''Dungeon Meshi', I've been following for past 2 days (?). At first I thought it was a gourmet show, at that time I liked to order takeout. I feel like it still has quite a story to it.' *sees a mecha animatronic* 'Wow it's moving!' (everybody stfu, he's experiencing a childlike wonder) 'I usually open Bilibili when I have nothing to do', then he mentions watching Freiren, Kaiju no.8 and says that after reading all the Demon Slayer he wants to watch it now.

Post-credits scene: He looks on a stage, says 'Give me a mask and I'll sign up' and then the camera zooms out to show what I think is a group of men doing an otome-themed performance dance (like Tears of Themis/Love and Deepspace type of game idk which exactly ><) 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️ that's all

To accompany you on this overwhelming wall of text, I give you Cai Qi overwhelmed by the wonders of BilibiliWorld 😇 he was going through it, but had the audacity to later say 'I was a little nervous, Wang Minhui is nearly drowning the mic (from sweating nervously)' under the video with VAs. Brat.

Housekeeping notes: I hope this update makes up for the long inactivity and I hope it lasts you for a while 🙏 I still struggle with my workload and it sucks, so I won't be coming back here any time soon (for 1,5 months at least) sorry ><

But I am still active on twt and discord and I check tumblr inbox regularly if you ever need help with research 💪

There is an increase of LC fans interested in the play (after the zhb and tcp almost-kiss ><') So I am currently gathering questions from newbies to later create the LC Musical FAQs 🌟 If you have ANY questions regarding LC musical, specific actors, the general Chinese musical fandom culture, navigating Chinese social media, anything I could help with, PLEASE reach out to me via inbox, DMs, curiouscat (I linked it on my twt @/niebo_sgdlr), twt DMs or discord. It will help tremendously to create a beginner friendly guide, bc at this point I'm too deep in the rabbit hole and too busy to explain everything to everyone individually🙏💖

Look at this historical event of Wang Minhui getting the postcard and telling Vale she looks better than Cai Qi 😇 Please give love to all the friends I mentioned in the post and have a lovely day, bye bye!

Niebo out 🏃‍♂️✨✨✨✨

[thatdeadaquarius]

OKAY BUT I HAVE MORE IDEA FOR BLUNT READER CUZ I LOVE THAT AU SO MUCHANDMDJFKSLDKF

So you know how french people's insult are always outta pocket (from a person who's first language is french I can tell you that no other language compares in insult -apart for African languages)

Like,, some "bad" insult here would be : bitch, fuck off, whore,..

Which we can all agree is boring...

BUT THEN IN FRENCH!!!

We be getting creative with it

Eg.

"mange tes mort" wich translates to "eat your dead (relatives)"

"vas te fair enculer" means "go get yourself pegged in the ass"

(yes, we have a specific word for being fucked in the ass 💀)

AND THOSE WOULD BE THE COMMON ONES AS WELL

English could never compare ✨

BUT ANYWAYS

how would the characters react if reader was from france/ belgium/ canada(or any other french speaking country) and started cursing people out like they eould do in their home countrie !?!?

The eay their face would drop

We would make a couple of people cry

AND GOD(us haha) FORBID A KID OVER-HEAR US AND STARTS REPEATING US

Trying to un-teach them would be hell *cries*

Your thoughts?

Love yaaaa~

ABSOLUTE TOP TIER ORAH MY BELOVED!!

Nobody has any idea how much I HATE ENGLISH both for its rules/pronounciation BS/etc. But also, most importantly, THERES LIKE NO GOOD CUSS WORDS- OR LIKE CUSS PHRASES??

I HAD TO PUT THIS GIF BC THAT WAS LITERALLY ME WHEN I HAD THE REALIZATION TO LOOK UP OTHER LANGUAGE CUSS WORDS AND I WAS JUST BLOWN AWAY BY HOW GOOD THEY WERE- HOW CREATIVE- 😫😭🥲 ENGLISH WHY R U SO SHITY IN EVERY POSSIBLE LANGUAGE SITUATION-

like idk we got "eat shit and die / fuck off / go fuck yourself" ???? Like- thats pathetic 😟.

I love hearing someone just cuss smbody out their native language/non-english, it’s so badass and cool to see

Anyway u already know i love non-native english speakers from the bottom of my heart✨️

GOD I FUCKING LOVE BLUNT LANGUAGE AU ITS LIKE ONE OF TOP FAV AS U CAN PROBABLY GUESS I COULD WRITE A LITERAL FANFIC ENTIRELY OFF THIS SIMPLE PREMISE 💖💓💗💞❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

omg so i HAVE SPECIFICALLY HEARD ABT FRENCH BEING RLLY CREATIVEEE

and i researched french cusswords/phrases,,,

😭 BRO IM CRYING

“bête comme ses pieds!” IM ROLLING ON THE FLOOR-

(trans: you’re as stupid AS YOUR FEEEEEETT)

idk what’s funnier, you translating urself in real time and saying all these phrases to ppl,

OR just scaring the ever-loving shit out of every teyvat citizen within a mile radius bc oh wow- you look pissed, so yeah somebody’s about to lose all their self-esteem for the rest of their life bc ur insults are known to be extra cutting bc ur so blunt-

OH CREATOR ABOVE (…oh creator, present??)- you changed to your holy language FOR THIS???

everybody just giving the npc the most bombastic side-eye for pushing you to do this,

or even just you stubbing ur toe/ate food when it was too hot

or my favorite, getting onto ppl like Wanderer when they do smth silly lmao

STOP I HAD A FOUL THOUGHT OF GETTING ONTO Ei AND WANDERER (like ei for not keeping him/at least giving him to someone else to raise, then all the shit he did as Scaramouche lol)

AND THIS CUSSWORD COMES OUT UNDER UR BREATH OR SMTH- DOES THIS FIT BC THIS KILLS ME:

“Putain de salope…” (whore of whore, I LIED IT MEANS FUCKING BITCH LMAO😭)

JUST GETTING THE MOM AND THE SON IN ONE FULL BREATH CRYINGGGG

STOPPP wanderer using it against other ppl ever since u used it lol

oh no stop dont bring the kids into thisss 😭😭

Klee would deffo be the first one to pick up ur words and use them, omg she just uses them as catchphrases like when throwing her bombs 💀

“Mange tes mort!” JUST WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE AS SHE THROWS HER HUGE SKILL BOMB INTO A FISH POND

Venti would definitely make sure the winds “pass along phrases of the sacred All-God language!”

which just means anyone who UNDERSTANDS YOU JUST GETS GENTLY CREATIVELY CUSSED OUT BY THE WIND IM SOBBINGGG

☆

i hope u guys are having a great summer! its basically too hot to go outside where I am, not unless ur going straight into the water or smth

which hey, ill be doing that this weekend, floating down the river about an hour away from my house with friends! :]

which,,, if anyone sees this, U GOTTA HELP ME THINK OF A 1000 FOLLOWERS MILESTONE THING TO DO IDK WHAT TO DO BUT I WANNA CELEBRATE IT BC I NEVER THOUGHT THATD HAPPEN!! lmk what u think in the comments if u read this!

☆

Safe Travels 0rah,

💀♒

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist / @thedevioussmirk / @the-dumber-scaramouche / @chocogi

[barblaz-arts]

Hi its me again! Do you know some songs that remind you of Chaggie? I urgently need recommendations

There's a ton of songs I associate with them! Thank you so much for asking because I was already planning to make a post about it anyways lol

First of all is Curses, just because this Hazbin Hotel/ft. Chaggie animatic was what introduced me to my current favorite band, The Crane Wives

This one I've already featured in my Chaggie fic and had Vaggie and Charlie sing it to each other, but let me still include it here for the gay version.

I know this song has basically become a meme, but I grew up to amv's that feature this song and I unironically still love it. It's too perfect for Vaggie

I can see this song being sung by Charlie as she's trying to show Vaggie the beauty of hell shortly after they met. Conveniently enough, there's already a version out there sung by Charlie's VA!

This song partially inspired an AU fic I'm working on where they meet before Charlie got to working on the Hotel. It's about Vaggie being a guardian angel for the rest of the year on Earth when it isn't Extermination Day, and she keeps running into Charlie who comes up to Earth to try to prevent humans from permanently damning their souls to Hell. Charlie would be singing this to Vaggie, as the decades of seeing each other has them falling in love despite everything. This version is sung by Lucifer's VA and can also fit Lucilith, but that just gives it another reason why it would be perfect for Chaggie.

This fits Chaggie so well that I've been seriously considering learning how to make animatics with this song for Chaggie. Though i think in the end I'd probably just make it a comic, tho it wouldn't have the same awesome effect in that medium. The exchange--

"Do you like me in the dress?" "I like you very best!" "Even if I were just a mess?" "I'd still think I was blessed"

--and--

"Do you like me in a suit?" "I always think you're cute" "Out in the country where I'm farming?" "You'll always be prince charming"

-- is something I especially wanna draw with them

This song is so Chaggie it's kinda insane. The lyrics fit Vaggie's PoV so well, but especially the line "The world may disapprove but my world is only you"

This one was written by the OP about a novel apparently, but the lyrics fit really well for Charlie's PoV

[rallamajoop]

Neil Newbon's Heisenberg Playlist

So I watched this great interview with Neil Newbon ‒ the VA and motion actor for Heisenberg, terrifically talented guy. With encouragement from the text chat, he shared a few of the tracks on the playlist he created for Heisenberg ‒ something he apparently likes to do for a lot of the characters he plays.

One track, called simply "John", was by a band called the Cold Stares (in Neil's words: hard fucking rock, very gritty, very dirty, with a country edge).

John won’t you dig that grave, John won’t you dig that grave, John won’t you dig that grave, Gonna bury you in that hole someday.      

On paper, it's a song about a man tracking down the grave digger (John) that his wife is having an affair with, but just taking the sound and that chorus line? Oh boy, can I hear it!

But the other song Neil singled out from his playlist? "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt.

'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't You can't make your heart feel something it won't Here in the dark, in these final hours I will lay down my heart and I'll feel the power But you won't, no you won't 'Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't      

And I mean... damn. I guess you could maybe find a way to spin it as about parental love (or lack thereof) between Heisenberg and Miranda, but that sure ain't where my mind went... XD

There's plenty more great stuff in that full interview ‒ a lot about how much he loves doing performance capture, as a medium where he gets to play so many different characters he'd never be cast as in live action. When cast as Heisenberg, he was apparently told only mid-Atlantic accent, which is a hell of a feature to emphasise.

He talks a bit about his work as Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 too (because, y'know, it's not enough that this guy is Heisenberg, he's also the whole damn Internet's new elf-vampire-boyfriend too), as the game was already in early access by then, even if it was still years short of release. The full interview is a two-hour stream, but well worth a listen.

But the one last related detail I'd like to share here is one other track by the Cold Stares which I found in their discography while looking for "John", and which I have to say strikes me as another terrific Heisenberg track ‒ Dig my grave with a silver spade... Six foot in the ground and I can't get away.

Neil doesn't mention it himself, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's in his playlist somewhere. It's called "Headstone Blues".

I woke up this morning, with the headstone blues She's gonna kill me, gonna cut me loose Tied my tie in a pretty noose I can't win, she can't lose

I ain't the first, no, I ain't the first to leave you Oh but I know, I may be the last

Dig my grave with a silver spade Find a weeping willow to give me shade Bring me flowers on a summer day Six foot in the ground and I can't get away

I ain't the first, no, I ain't the first to leave you Oh but I know, I may be the last

[blazingblorbos]

It’s.. fascinating in a brand new way (a terribly disappointing way) to see HoYo fumble the bag this fast.

I was contemplating making a post about this a day or 2 ago, mostly about the Natlan explosion, but then Moze’s drip marketing happened… and suffice to say I think there’s a bit more substance for me to comment on 🫠

I’ll start with Natlan and try to articulate the thoughts properly, since both my own thoughts and my intake of others’ views has had a couple days to settle in my mind:

I wanna preface with the fact that I love Hoyoverse. I really, really do (I desperately wanna work for them, actually, lol. It’s a dream of mine). And I think that’s obvious to people who have seen a couple of my posts.

But it’s precisely because I love them so much, hold them in such a high regard, and respect mostly everything about them, that their recent performance has just left me deeply…. Disappointed.

Sheer, RAW disappoinment makes up the bulk of my feelings and attitude towards what they’ve been doing recently: which is not listening to their community where it REALLY matters. I was present when the uproar over Sumeru happened. I was disappointed then too, but at that time I more-so existed as a confused outsider observing what was going on (I am a poc but not SWANA). Everything about it — from the large-scale disrespectful mix of many cultures, to the 💀 TERRIBLE idea to not pronounce Tighnari’s name correctly AT ALL, to the abhorent lack of melanin in characters (that are DIRECTLY inspired by figures hailing from African countries) — was… bad. REALLLYYY bad. But I’ll be honest when I say: the way I rationalized it in my brain was “Well, they did add more dark-skinned characters to the roster! I guess this is just their version of ‘darker skin’ ” (which, by itself is already a terrible thing BECAUSE they take care to try and represent real world cultures faithfully).

So the fact that it’s happened again. And worse (SOMEHOW⁉️⁉️) is something that’s making me realize how lackluster it was before. And I am desperately rooting for a change. Fool me once, shame on me type shit genuinely.

Now.. in regards to Moze (Star Rail)’s EN VA 🫠. Everything I know about that man I learned in the past 24 hours. So all I will say is that EVEN if he’s worked to better himself, having been BLACKLISTED from the industry (BECAUSE THE CRIMES WENT ON FOR A DECADE!! MIND YOU) means it is way too fuckin soon to hire someone like that again 💀. They took action against Tighnari’s original VA, so that they’ve done this now is… weird…??? I’m just really confused, yo.

Edit, as of July 25, 2024: Chris made a post on his twitter claiming he has chosen to step down as the VA. 🫡 Step 1 is a W, congratulations everyone 🎉

[crying-fantasies]

Do not grief

Masterlist

Just watching Transformers the Movie once again.

I reverted back to that girl whose nails were piercing her hands, thinking "no es cierto, no es cierto", watching as Brawl falled, thinking "ya ya, Ratchet lo va a arreglar, Ratchet puede arreglarlo todo", just in cue for him to fall, Ironhide behind him, Prowl, god-damned, in that moment I literally screamed out: "¡No! ¡NO PROWL!", since he was so funny in G1 and one of my favorites at the time, the way smoke was coming from inside of him, screaming "Ratchet, ¡Ratchet haz algo por favor!" as my uncle was just like "Okay, te juro que esto no es así, es una película para niños, no hay manera que esto vaya así, solo han sido 30 minutos de película".

My uncle wasn't aware of the toy sellers' idea of erasing the older models (Brawl, Ratchet, Ironhide, Prowl and so much others) and bring up brand new ones, and he was also surprised when Ratchet didn't move.

And just got to the part of:

"Do not grief" as my tears start to appear, "soon... I shall be one with the Matrix".

Just like that, I was out of the living room, out of my house, running, screaming and crying like a crazy bitch in the park, leaving behind my uncle saying "ay no molestes sí se murió" un front of my grandparents' old TV.

He tried to make me watch the rest, that there was another Prime and because of Blurr, whom I really liked because he talked fast like me, well, way faster.

But there was no way, my heart was shattered to pieces (no pun intended) and due to the VHS being old, crusty and overall about to give up, I had to see it from the beginning if we didn't want to lose it completely, going "Oh no, no lo haré", it hurt so bad that I stayed away from it and not watching the rest of it, stayed away from all the transformers things for a very long while, my friends asked "¿Qué no sabías que se moría?" and me shouting "¡No, pedazo de animal!"

It was sad, and maybe I was exaggerating a little, feeling bad when I remembered those words "Do not grief" when all I did was cry and mop about it.

Years later I almost forgot about it, and just catched a glimpse of Beast Wars.

And got back at it, falling for that sassy leader "It's just Prime, isn't it?", I think I only got to see the first season as my uncle got into university, him being my main source of content now more worried with other things, well, I didn't get to watch the rest (which some tell was the best, since, well, those are like we don't talk about Bruno kind of deal).

And yeah, that was it, even when I was a little girl most of the transformers media that came years ago was new for me and my uncle since it took time to reach my country, everything we had was secondhand things and not exactly legal VHS, and all of that went with him in his new apartment.

That was it, except for when I finally could watch the live action movies (years after the first two one) in a time I was really down the weather, and remember those words once again when things do get hard.

"Do not grief" he said, not wishing to be remembered with sadness, wishing his friends and loved ones would keep going even when he was gone.

"Do not grief", at least not for long, crying is fine, but please have a smile at the end of it all, if things get hard then you can let go and express that sadness and anger, but then please be happy.

"Do not grief", back to the game I guess (now fueled with lots of angst).

[tonberrykins]

So, I'ma toss this out here bc this is MY tumblr and I can yell about whatever tf I want. Also, this is about Dawntrail so BEWARE OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS (in the text AND tags)--THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING!

Anyway, DT was going to have some issues coming on the heels of EW. We all knew it, I know we did. EW is the culmination of TEN WHOLE YEARS worth of story; so many loose threads tied off while others are still left dangling a bit. Too, it was more or less said that EW is THE STRONGEST our WoL will ever be.

So, we reached the top and now what? Well, there's still plenty more places to explore, we gotta get Shtola back to her boy Runar (ymmv depending on your brand of shipping goggles), and various other things. But the universe? Safe (for now). Our home star? Good as it's gonna get from external threats. Welp, now it's time to go do what we signed up for: Adventuring!

I get why some people don't like the shift we've been given, though. We go from Big Billy Badass, Literal Main Protagonist of the Universe, to Shounen Protagonist Chaperone for Wuk Lamat. Kinda underwhelming when you think about it in those exact terms, huh? But, like, why would the WoL NOT be stoked for what literally amounts to a vacation?

We're going from being NEEDED by damn near every known (to us) country on the planet to being needed by ONE person who just wants to be our friend. Holy shit, forreal? This whole political thing DOESN'T hinge on MY DIRECT INVOLVEMENT? I'm not FORCED to play colonizer simulator to aid my friends? I'm just here to lend support and give advice AND I get to drink fruity umbrella drinks if I want? Fuck. YES! Helps that that singular person is a giant goober, genuinely gives a shit about her country and people, and is also definitely trying to improve as a person.

That's where a lot more people break down. Wuk Lamat is a divisive character, and I feel it's bc a lot of people are doing her a disservice by labeling her as the "genki girl" trope when they SHOULD be labeling her as "shounen protagonist." And for those who DO recognize that the breakdown then becomes, "Ew, a GIRL can't be a shounen protagonist!" (Maka Albarn has called; if you don't pick up she will break into your house and her bestie/bf will kill you with himself.) That then circles back into the, "But I'M the main character!" narrative and it's a feedback loop of shitty Kotaku articles.

Last thing we have are TERFs. Yes, they are still loud af and their target is, of course, Wuk Lamat; specifically her VA. Now, I do not know much of her VA or her credentials, but I do know TERFs don't give a shit about that. I'm also not saying a person should 100% love and cherish (even if I do) the character just bc of her VA. What I AM saying though is it's often a good thing to take a step back and look at WHY you don't like certain parts of media.

Anyway, the tl'dr ultimately boils down to this:

-The WoL isn't the main character for this expansion, and that's fine. Our legacy has been established and it's time for us to make the world able to move on without us; that's been the lesson since ShB.

-Wuk Lamat is a shounen protagonist. Not everyone likes shounen protagonists. But it's kinda funny that a female lead is largely disliked for the very same traits so many male characters are lauded for and sometimes even expected to have.

-TERFs suck. Nothing else to add.

[borisbubbles]

Eurovision 2024: #20

20. LUXEMBOURG Tali - "Fighter" 13th place

Decade Ranking: 73/153 [Above Electric Fields, below Emma Muscat]

For a grand, greatly anticipated return, "Fighter" has always been just there for me. It's summery, upbeat, lightweight and frivolous. Not a shabby, nor a moneymaker. This entry is an FFF (Fun Finale Filler) and it knows it.

How do I know that it knows itself? Well,

BADLY ANIMATED CGI LEOPARDS 😍 😍. You know how I feel about staging tricks like that. They're tacky and ugly and stupid and transparently try to cover up a middling composition.😍 idk, I love Leopards and I love the colour purple, so maybe it was just tacky ENOUGH to be funny, but I stan the decision-making because Tali > Ochman.

It was quite amusing 2 me that Luxembourg made their grand return after 31 years, only to try to throw vast swaths of cash at unnessecary embellishments because they KNEW it wasn't a high flier and needed to throw in SOMETHING, ANYTHING to make it work. Shirtless sexy dancers, badly animated VR, all the pyrotechnics in the world. It feels... very emblematic to them as a country even though this was their first ever modern era contest? "Money fixes everything", no wonder the EBU wanted their opulent arses back.

And it is funny they staged "Fighter" like that because "Fighter" always kind of worked, anyway? It was a plucky power-up song, and a clear qualifier in semi 1 no matter from which position it performed.

It didn't NEED the leopards

it didn't NEED the gratuituous sexual tension lmao

The way to go with a song such as "Fighter" is by finding a balance between tough and cute. The balance swung a bit too heavily in favour of "tough", because "Fighter" just isn't that kind of song, despite the reworks Lux tried to force. It's whimsically French foremost and while "France was historically a militaristic powerhouse,"toughness" suits France historically, nearly everyone associates it with cultural sophostication and romance. (hence why France is always culture focused in Civ, and never the feudal, chivalry-themed warmongering menace it actually was for most of its history ♥)

As ridiculous Fighter's staging got (and how lowkey BAD Tali'Golergant vas Eshkoli's styling was), it still vibed as a fun time. It might just be my latent alcoholic ass imprinting on the tequila sunrise colous scheme, but still. Tali took command of her dancers, showed her inner strength by fistpumping the air and thickened her braids so they no longer resembled antennae.

And she kinda ate those lives, yo.

In semi 1 Lux made for an excellent palate cleanser, a burst of energy after the period of inaneness Rim Tim Tagi Dim left in its wake. I love Raiven dearly and I really like Iolanda, but excitement was not their game. Tali came to the rescue when needed.

In the finale it was less necessary, though it did make Israel stand out as even more miserable to me, so there is that.

Sigh, I have to address the Israeli thing, don't I?

Look, I don't fucking CARE that Tali is proud of her Israeli-Jewish heritage. Nor that she visits the fake country twice a year. Nor that her song was produced by that other israeli Tali. I think her views on the matters are misguided and warped, but I get it. She's going to stick up for her OG country and her people, and we'd be foolish to expect her to do a 180° turn just because we believe she should. She has her stance, I disagree with it, but I can respect it. Civilians aren't responsible for whatever bloodthirsty maniac rules the roost or their actions, regardless of whether they elected them directly or not.

(though I will say that her transparent and overtly cheerful agreement with Joost's DQ all "YAY! HE BROKE THE RULES AFTER ALL ^_^ :claps:" made me ALOL. That DQ is still a grim affair, but lmfao what a scrump cheerleading bitch ♥).

But in a sense I wish Tali had been Israel's entrant himself. The only thing that erases Israel's controversy is their withdrawal, true, and Tali would have beenthe perfect horcrux, but if we WERE to have that country at Eurovision, I'd rather have them with Plucky Apolitical Filler (ft. Three Giant Leopards) rather than Teary Propaganda Ballad (Eurovision Reskin), y'know?

Also note, dear Israeli's, that -by my knowledge- Tali was NOT shunned by the other acts or the fan community, nor by the media and the professional juries, despite being half-Israeli and Jewish and zionistic. The few strays that she did end up catching were by the usual dumbfuck bigots on social media and amounted to nothing. So much for antisemitism, huh?

It's difficult to end the write-up after that rant that had little to do with the performance, so I will just say this: Tali's placement, while a tad high, proved that there's always a place for positivity and acceptance at Eurovision, no matter your background or your political colour.

With retrospection on our side, it makes sense juries would vote for "Fighter" as everyone agreed Nemo should win anyway, allowing them to siphon away twelves like a vacuum on amphetamine. With Croatia, Italy and France picking up the scraps, anyone with a modicum of inoffensiveness would be favoured to do well, (since this finale was HIGHLY jury unfriendly) which also favoured Lux because of the novelty coming with their return.

Ultimately it's our choices in life that define us, and Tali's were to give us a fun time unburdened by shackles of war, and that, in THIS FUCKING YEAR, was worth a lot to me.

THE RANKING:

[dragonologist-phd]

pallegina for the asks :-)

thank you!!

How I feel about this character

oh i love her so much. as soon as i met her in the game i knew i'd love her- she's got such a cool design and such a good VA, and she was one of my favorite characters to get to know.

and she's such an interesting flavor of paladin- fueled by loyalty to her order and her country, when it's clear that her order and country don't really appreciate her or treat her how she deserves, and she even knows that but still holds fast to her values...she's got a lot of layers, and i just love her!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

i really like her vibes with Maneha- i'm a sucker for 'opposite attract' relationships, and they hit that well! i do see it as more of a short-lived fling than a long-term relationship, especially if Pallegina stays in her order, but it's still a great dyamic!

My non-romantic OTP for this character

i feel like saying Desta is kinda cheating, but i do love their friendship- they bond over being paladins who hate the gods, especially their godly 'parents', and in my dream world where her Kind Wayfarer ending was treated like real canon, Desta is the one who introduced her to the order

she also has some cute banters with Kana, iirc? it's been too long since i've played through the whole first game, but i remember liking having them in the party together

My unpopular opinion about this character

i am...not a fan of the Deadfire character writing in general, and i think her writing in that game was weak. i actually appreciate her personal quest, but all her stuff with the Vailian republics felt...off. i mean, her personal quest in PoE1 was all about whether to go against her country's orders based on her own beliefs, and that never comes up again? i'm not even saying i want her to be less loyal (like i said, i like the layers!) it's just weird that such a big character moment never comes up when she's once again getting shady orders from her superiors

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

acknowledge that she was a Kind Wayfarer in my worldstate, deadfire! acknowledge it!!

(seriously though. i'm still so disappointed that her ending in PoE 1 had pretty much no effect on her character in Deadfire despite how vastly different her endings could be.)

GIVE ME A CHARACTER and I’ll break their ass down!

[growling]

For all the (mostly american) mutuals that were curious about the realm of Poland and its strange and unusual inhabitants:

Polish soldiers/armed forces etc salute with two fingers instead of the whole hand. Apparently some cub scouts also do that??

Mushroom picking season is like REALLY big here. Like. It's big. Poles love mushroom picking. When I was a young boy my mother, aunt and grandparents would drop me off into the wilderness to pick boletes for 4 hours straight then get lost and have to navigate back into the car via utilizing the earth's magnetic field to determine our position which took like 1 more hour and then once we got back I had to physically recover from that shit for like an entire week. We got like at least 4 huge baskets mushrooms after that that lasted for at least a few months if they're preserved well however I do not like mushrooms so I never even ate them. Except for cultivated mushrooms these are fine the soup bangs actually

I thought this was normal in most countries but turns out it's just us and a few others in eastern/middle Europe: most movies in Poland use voice-over translation/lektor filmowy instead of dubbing/subtitles. Multiple va dubbing is reserved mostly for children's movies and those real popular but mostly younger audience marvel type movies or something, while the subtitle type of translation is pretty rare and I honestly never even seen it on tv.

A FUCKTON of roadside/wayside shrines just being there, especially in smaller towns. Sometimes theres also a single shrine in the middle of nowhere in some woods with no civilization in sight and you just don't question it

those fuckibg white storks

We still got blasphemy laws ("offending religious feelings"/"obraza uczuć religijnych") by the way. Yes you can actually get arrested and fined and get sentenced to months of restriction of freedom for being mean to jesus

Not removing your shoes upon entering someone's place is considered rude. I feel physical pain whenever someone doesn't do that. Take them off kurwa jebana jego mać stop staining my beautiful surfaces I am going to kill you

Unlike the horror stories I've been hearing about the USA in Poland you're allowed to be rude to customers at your job🥰🥰 You can just not smile if you want🥰🥰🥰🥰 its so funny seeing tourists get so confused and offended over that and half the time we're not even being mean just. Literally servicing you with a neutral facial expression and minimal required effort sfdysrsfjewdggs

Yeah uhh related to above point kind of, there still seems to be a few remnants of a culture of distrust. 30-40 years ago neighbors snitched on each other for subversion and people sometimes just disappeared (PRL times). Fun fact during PRL my dipshit mega absent dead paternal grandfather used to beat people on the street with sticks as a job or perhaps a recreational activity in order to get goodboy points from the police. or the secret police. No idea all we know is that he didn't do that for free. Growling family lore drop

National eating donuts/pączki day. National water fight day

As far as I know, USAmericans (and honestly other english-speaking countries too?) really like to regard people they know only a little as a "friend" like I noticed its really really easy to get called a friend in there. Poles on the other hand are very scared of the word "friend" they really avoid saying it nearly all the time you won't hear a pole just say that. Most people are not our friends. That title is special sacred and reserved for only the worthy ones who you actually genuinely know and trust for a minimum of 10 years. In order to be considered someone's friend in Poland you have to max out all their meters complete all of their quests and defeat their father at the end. Most poles only have like 2-3 true "friends" lmao we really don't throw around that term lightly

Carpet hanger jumpscare

The "polish cow song" people love to meme not knowing the language/lyrics is actually about drug addiction lmao. Sorry. Lol

We also got raccoon dogs here👍👍👍

[digitalgate02]

I'm impressed how watching this movie has given me a whole new favorite, because when Rui was first shown, I had a ton of questions about him and Ukkomon -- even though their names weren't revealed.

You know… Something about Watanabe-sensei's art made me wonder a ton of things like "how old is he? "What kind of role will they have in the OG Adventure branch?" and I was definitely excited and happy to see a brand new story of something prior to Taichi and Daisuke's groups. You know, I have to admit that I felt robbed when ▽ put that cold opening invoking the Adv'99 novel short passage talking about the previous group going to the Digital World and the awakening of the Holy Beasts that I would have loved if this whole series was more about Meiko, Maki & Daigo.

Anyway, Rui and Ukkomon were thrown into this world with the premise that they were the first ones. If you know me well enough, this is something I wanted to know from day one, since I learned about the math lore and stuff. I wanted to see who came before Taichi and Daisuke. Kizuna definitely introduced us to Menoa, but her role in the movie… No spoilers here.

I wanted to know more about these new characters with a deep curiosity. Then, in late July 2022 at DigiFes, they just revealed their names and JP's voice actors. And they were two of my favorite VAs. And I was SO DEEP IN SPECULATION that I ended up making a lot of people possibly associate Rui with me when they see him (sorry), especially how for some reason I got one of my grumpy speculated Rui art on the icon for the 大和田ルイ tag on pixiv (sorry again).

I've been so aggressive about wanting to watch this movie and such, believing that my country wouldn't get it because we don't get anything new unless subbed on Crunchyroll yeah, that I was just expecting to watch it via a copy of the movie from my friends with either fansubs or EN subs ripped from the official release. But then… They actually released the movie here. And a lot of people were like "NI YOU HAVE TO GO WATCH THIS MOVIE, YOU'RE LITERALLY PROMOTING IT NONSTOP IF YOU DON'T WATCH THIS WE'LL BE UPSET!" yeah.

The fact that the BR dub was scary in that PV made me afraid that people would make fun of it and turn this movie into a joke. But then they released the dub cast and most of the VAs were back. And the surprise was that one of my favorite BR dub VAs was voicing Rui in it. I watched the movie and really had a different opinion about it. I don't think it was a miscast or inappropriate -- it's just that you can't compare him to a legend like Ogata, man. But I loved the BR dub of that movie SO MUCH.

Anyway… I didn't expect to go full Rui-Ukkomon brainrot before. But now… And watching it again with some friends… I think they just clicked with me so much that I feel like I understand them on an emotional level.

A kid with no friends? A kid and mon who are terrible at communicating and just accidentally mess things up while trying to express how much they love each other? A kid who made friends with the 02 kids and learned that perfection does not exist and that you have to speak with your heart?

Yeah. Those hit me hard. I feel them a lot.

I would say I'm sorry for being so obnoxious and insufferable about them. But I'm not sorry for falling in love with them to the extent that I draw a TON of them nonstop and want to talk about them more, do headcanons, fanfics, and so many other things.

I'm always open to Rui-Ukko gushing and chatting.

And I hope my love for them is positive, encouraging you to find the characters that connect with you on an emotional level.

[aneurinallday]

Gibson and the Shivering Soldier

Chapter 5: Armistice

It was the evening of Saturday, June 22 1940 - eighteen days since Dunkirk - when Gibson’s world ended. The music on the radio was interrupted by the breaking news that they had all feared: France had fallen. At a few minutes past half-six, an armistice had been signed, indicating the nation’s surrender. It was over.

Until then, Gibson had held onto a sliver of hope that his people might endure - that the tides might turn against the invaders, and France might emerge from the chaos victorious. But now, that hope was gone.

Gibson didn’t sleep that night - William could tell by the dark bags under his eyes the next morning. William tried his best to carry on as normal - hoping that by projecting an air of serenity, he might soothe Gibson. It didn’t work.

The cosy little flat they shared together had been their refuge. Now it had become terribly claustrophobic - so much so that William took any opportunity to go outside. He went for walks, went to the park, went browsing the shops with no intention of buying anything - simply to get away from Gibson and his stifling aura of sadness.

Gibson showed no interest in accompanying him, preferring to spend his hours sitting by the radio, listening to words he didn’t understand, jumping from channel to channel as if searching for some hidden message. He didn’t speak, didn’t wash, and picked at his food with no appetite.

His frustration and resentment were palpable. He couldn’t understand the people around him, nor could he make himself understood. He was a literate man - he could read and write perfectly well in his own language - but here, he had nobody to talk to, nobody to share his thoughts with, nobody to answer his many questions. He was alone in a country he’d never been to before, stranded among people he could not communicate with.

He was desperately lonely, but his loneliness was rapidly turning into bitterness. He hated the situation he was trapped in. He hated the unintelligible voices and the unfamiliar food. He was homesick for a home that no longer existed - a home he would never return to. As far as he knew, he would never set foot on French soil again. Everyone and everything he’d ever known and loved was gone forever.

Early in the morning on Tuesday, June 25 - just past midnight, in fact - the armistice officially came into effect, marking the end of the hostilities and the beginning of a military occupation. Gibson couldn’t read the headlines, but he could see the pictures in the newspapers and the expression on William’s face. He could feel the atmosphere of stress and anxiety that had descended over the city, and his own mood darkened with it. William could see him drifting further and further away, sinking deeper and deeper into himself.

Supper that night was William’s favourite: bangers and mash. He ate hungrily, savouring the slightly caramelised taste of pork-and-apple sausages, gravy-covered mashed potatoes, and fried onions. Gibson simply sat and stared at his plate.

“Eat,” William said, miming the act of putting food in his mouth. “Eat before it gets cold.”

Reluctantly, Gibson took a sip of water, but still didn’t touch his meal.

“Something wrong with the food? You don’t like it?”

Gibson glared at him.

“Va te faire foutre,” he muttered under his breath.

“Alright then,” William sighed. “Would you prefer to eat by yourself? One of us can sit on the sofa.”

“Ma patrie…ma maison…ma famille. Tous partis.”

“Listen.” William set down his knife and fork. “I don’t know what you’re saying, but I gather you’re having a bad day. I wish I could make you feel better. I really do. But don’t take your anger out on me. I certainly don’t deserve it.”

Gibson didn’t understand the words, but he understood William’s tone, which - to his ears - was patronising and hostile. Moving with sudden speed, the Frenchman snatched his glass of water and hurled it full-force at the wall, where it shattered.

“Fils de pute!” he spat.

“My God. Just calm down, will you?” William’s own exasperation finally bubbled to the surface. “You’re serving nobody by lashing out - and especially not by lashing out at me. All I’ve done is help you.”

Gibson's face flushed with anger. Grabbing his plate of food, he threw it on the kitchen floor, the ceramic breaking with a loud smash. Leaping up, he summoned what little knowledge of English he had at his disposal.

“Fuck you!” he shouted. “Fuck you!”

“Oh, so you can understand my language now? Fine. Understand this: you’re acting like a child. Act like a damn man instead! I let you live under my roof, I take care of you, I share my clothes with you, I feed you. I show you nothing but kindness, and you repay me by breaking my things!”

“Fuck you,” Gibson repeated, and lunged for him.

William saw his fist coming and managed to dodge, his chair clattering to the floor as he jumped to his feet. Gibson let out a rapid-fire string of what sounded like obscenities, and swung again. William grabbed his arm and tried to restrain it. He was surprised to find that Gibson was stronger than him.

Broken glass crunched under their shoes as they wrestled across the kitchen. It was a clumsy, embarrassing struggle - two angry men, neither one stronger than the other, trying to avoid stepping in the mess on the floor while exchanging blows.

“Stop!” William commanded. “Stop! Don’t you fucking dare act this way!”

He shoved Gibson against the counter and attempted to pin him there. Gibson reached for the dish-drainer, seeking another plate to smash over William’s head, but it was out of reach. William grabbed a fistful of Gibson’s short, dark curls and wrenched his head back.

“I said stop!”

For a second, Gibson hesitated. He looked into the Englishman’s blue eyes as if seeking something - some signal, some confirmation. Then he pressed his lips hard against William’s. The kiss was brief, more of a suggestion than an overture.

It took a moment for William’s brain to catch up with the unfolding events. Gibson was scanning his face for a reaction, trying to gauge if they were about to fight or fuck.

“Oh, we’re doing this, are we?” said William. He spun Gibson around and bent him over the counter-top, their bodies pressing together. Cursing, he yanked down Gibson’s trousers. “Is this what you want?”

Gibson squirmed around to face him, and kissed him frantically. His fingers fumbled at William’s shirt, trying to undo the buttons, then gave up and ripped them open instead. William tried unsuccessfully to remove his belt, struggling with the buckle. He broke off the kiss to look down, but Gibson pulled him back in with a jerk. A sharp pain shot through his mouth as Gibson bit his lip.

“Ah, fuck!” William recoiled, pushing Gibson away, checking his lip for blood. As he did so, the ridiculous reality of what they were doing finally struck. “What is wrong with you?”

Anger returned to Gibson’s face, but this time, it was mixed with hurt. He pulled his trousers back up in embarrassment.

“Va te faire foutre!” he snapped, and stormed out of the kitchen.

William was left alone by the sink, dishevelled, his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

He realised the mess they’d made - the mess Gibson had made - and dealt with it as best he could, sweeping away the broken shards, mopping up the stains, collecting the fallen shirt-buttons. As he threw the spilled food in the bin, he seethed at the waste of precious rations. By the time he’d finished cleaning, his own food had grown cold.

He slumped down in his chair and put his head in his hands.

“This was a mistake,” he muttered. “I should never have let him come with me. Let alone brought him into my damn home.”

The last three days had been unbearable - he’d felt like he was walking on eggshells in his own home. Now a line had been crossed which couldn’t be uncrossed. They couldn’t continue like this.

Something had to change. Gibson had to go.

Sighing, William rose to his feet.

“Gibson!” he said wearily, “Or whoever the hell you are. We need to talk, and you need to listen.”

He walked into the living room, and found it deserted. The sofa was empty, and Gibson’s stolen green jacket - which he kept hung on the wall next to William’s - was missing. Gibson was gone.

Chapter 6: Respirer

[redwineconversation]

Ada Hegerberg OLPLay Interview: "Lyon is my home" (April 17, 2024)

It was this or the OL Night Systems interview and unlike others I have a full time job that I'd really like to keep, so I chose to do the shorter one first.

Blah blah standard disclaimers apply; @OL Comms Dept what would I not do for an Earl Grey with soy milk? Not much; I'd say I hope the deranged lunatic who thinks I would EVER post on the godforsaken website that is the L Chat gets hit by a bus but that would require them to step outside so instead I just hope they drink expired milk so we can be on equal levels of disgust; banning stans from stadiums would solve so many problems; y'all know the speech by now.

♫ It's you and me, there's nothing like this, Miss Americana Olympique Lyonnais and the Heartbreak Prince ♫

I love how you can have a legitimate debate about this: did Ada Hegerberg mold Olympique Lyonnais into her own image? Or did Lyon recruit her because they saw themselves in her? Like yeah you can totally say I romanticize this team and you're not wrong, you're really not. But holy shit do I love a good love story, especially if it started in the rain.

For the sake of aesthetics, if a Hegerberg quote is in italics, that means it's a flashback quote. Present day quotes are in normal font. Brackets is my own commentary. Y'all can just deal.

ADA HEGERBERG OLPLAY INTERVIEW

[OLD FOOTAGE - SUMMER 2014 - HEGERBERG SIGNS WITH OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS]

Hegerberg: I have learnt some French words. "ça vas, ça vas bien" (it's good, it's going well).

Hegerberg: I think it's an amazing chance to play with some amazing players. The club has high ambitions and I think it's my personal ambitions as well.

[PRESENT DAY]

[HEGERBERG LAUGHS]

Hegerberg: Oh, I was so young. Just a young girl, really. I remember so well when I came to Lyon. It was a magical summer, first of all. I landed at the airport, there was Isabelle Dias who came to get me, she was in high heels, super fashionable. She looked so French. No, it's magical to see this footage because I had this innocence but you could see I was also starstruck but had a lot of ambition. Honestly, I had such high hopes. I felt at home from the very first day. And - [Hegerberg laughs] I was so young. I was a little girl, and I became a woman.

[2014 - 2015 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: It was my first trophy with the club. From the very first season, I think I was so well integrated within the team. There are really some real characters within the team. I would say wee had a game plan which was so well prepared. From that point I was already developing as a player at a level that I wanted. That team was magical. There were some really good players.

Hegerberg: The first year at Lyon, it was considered a failure because we didn't go all the way in the UWCL. But we still were perfect in the [French] league. I think that since the first day, I've really worked hard to be a part of the team and it's worked out really well since then.

Hegerberg: Honestly I think it was a pleasure to come into this team because I remember I came with my little book of French words. So I really wanted to learn French pretty quickly because I knew the importance of integrating well within a team in order to perform well, in order to get along well with the team, the town, the country. I think you learn things when you talk about your country. I went to Germany when I was very young, and then I came to Olympique Lyonnais and France. You need to know how to keep the balance between adapting but also keep your own culture, your own [moral] values. But you still have to adapt. So it's a really great experience. But it's true that Camille [Abily], she came to get me. I was in a tiny, tiny apartment when I first came to Lyon. Even if I was in a really, really tiny apartment, I was living my best life. I had great players like Camille, she came to get me every day to take me to the training grounds. I was starstruck. So they were a really, really good group who knew how to put in place an integration which was really top, I think.

[2015 - 2016 UWCL FINAL FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: It's true that the first final that you win, it's special because it's the first one. So many things happened in that game. First of all I think we played at a really high level throughout the season. The first goal was really magnificent. It was started with a great move from Pauline Bremer. And it's true that I missed my first penalty. That was also my mentality when I was young, I didn't doubt myself. So when it was time for the penalty shootout, of course I was like "obviously I want to take the first one!" That was classic me at the time. No fear of consequences. And I think that's what allowed me to not have any limits, to achieve great things in my career. But it's true you're quite innocent, you're a bit naive in a way when you're younger. I remember those sensations. The players were telling me "don't worry, Ada. We're going to do it. Even if your penalty was saved, we're going to do it." I felt that mentality around me. And we did it. And I remember Lotta, Lotta Schelin, she was telling me "don't worry. Don't worry, we're going to do it." And she was right.

Hegerberg: It was a dream. I knew it would be hard to win. And it was really hard. The feeling of winning - first of all winning the UWCL, I couldn't even begin to imagine what we would go on to do. But it's an exceptional feeling. You start to understand the importance with time, because when you're young, you have a lot of hunger, you want to quickly throw yourself into the next one. So you think differently. But as the years went by I learnt the importance of having a trophy like that, know the work which goes into it. Winning the UWCL five years in a row, you need something exceptional. But winning the first one, that's something I'll never forget because it really set the basis for all the work behind the scenes. I've never stopped since. I remember that it gave me an enormous desire to continue. And I think you can say it's also the image of the team, because I think it would have been impossible to win so many years in a row if there wasn't that collective desire to win.

Hegerberg: I understood pretty quickly that it was an exceptional team with world class players. You had different cultures from different nationalities which gave an advantage with a French core, you could say. Having all those different cultures, I think that's what really shaped the team. I'm also proud to have come when I was so young and to have been part of a such a grandiose history, and to feel that my contributions were on par with our success.

[2018 BALLON D'OR CEREMONY FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: A big moment, a big moment for me personally but also for the club, the team. It rewards the work of a whole team. It's impossible to win the Ballon d'Or without having a team which shines. I think we had fantastic seasons which allowed me to win a Ballon d'Or. I think that the players know as well that it's thanks to the work of a whole team which allowed me to win the first Ballon d'Or.

Hegerberg: I remember at the time that I knew a few weeks beforehand. I was asking myself a ton of questions, "what do you even say on stage when you win the Ballon d'Or?" But it's true that even being a female athlete today, to be a woman in sports, it poses different challenges on several levels. [Female] football players are faced with challenges which aren't only on the field. And it requires a lot of courage to overcome those challenges as I call them so that the sport always goes in the right direction. You need to always be there to say "hey, hey, hey. Are the right decisions being made so that the next generation has their place in sports, in football?" I would say fortunately and unfortunately it's also our responsibility today to do in sort that we leave the sport in better conditions than when we found it in. You need women, you need girls who start to take up space and who believe in themselves even, who want to succeed, who really want to work hard to take our place one day, because we're not going to be here [in sports] our whole lives, even if I would like that to be the case. So it was for them, it was for the new generation, for everyone who was watching. It was for everyone.

Hegerberg: It's impossible to succeed without knowing your own qualities and to get better. Confidence in yourself is fundamental to succeed in life. To find that [self] confidence you also have to know what you do well, what your qualities are. And do the work. Before anything else put in the work. Success doesn't happen by itself.

[2019 UWCL FINAL FOOTAGE]

Hegerberg: I'm getting goosebumps. To score a hat trick in a UWCL final, honestly, it's one of the craziest moments in my life, in my career. It's something - It's - I can't describe it because it's - it's such an important game. You see the first goal, it's something that I have worked with with my father since I was very young. We did it over and over and over again. Sprint, maintain your speed at the same time as you control the ball well, which stays close to your feet so you can quickly get the shot off. We did that over and over again for years. So to manage to do that in a UWCL final and score a hat trick, it's, it's something incredible.

Hegerberg: In fact, in that period where we were dominating the Champions League, we were winning year after year after year. All the work we had to put into it, all the talent, team spirit, it's very, very rare, very special. I would almost say it's not talked about enough. [Hegerberg laughs] But that's sports as well. We quickly move on to the next thing. But what was done there, it was historical. From time to time, when we're in the off-season or in season, I watch those games because it brings something out in me, it gives me something for the future.

Hegerberg: I think my father was exceptional in the manner he observed the technical side. As time went by we got to understand each other. We always had one-hour sessions because we knew you needed an hour to really maintain your highest standards. If we went above one hour we would really work on the technical details but the quality would drop a little. So we stuck with that one hour session working on technique. And we repeated that all the time, even when I had Christmas break or summer break. Even when I came to Lyon, we still continued to work on it. And it's those small details that have allowed me to develop [as a player], and always see what the areas of improvement are in my game. And when I look back today at the goals I've scored, there are details that I've been working on with my dad since I was super young. He really gave me an advantage in my career. It's incredible.

[HEGERBERG'S FIRST LONGTERM INJURY -DEC 2019 - SEPT 2021]

[Rehab footage]

Hegerberg: I think that everyone goes through a difficult period in their career. You always hear the phrase "it's part of being a professional athlete, getting injured." Unfortunately. For me, I pretty much had an entire career with no injuries. So then I had a serious knee injury and then a stress fracture in the tibia, which was very difficult to manage. There was absolutely no knowledge of women's bodies in female sports. I came to the realization there was very little competence around women's health in general, in their bodies, especially in sports. I look back on that period with a lot of pride because I had to dig so, so deep to come back. I really proved that I was still a top player. You needed to have a lot of courage, good people around you. It never would have been possible without my family, without my husband. My husband was exceptional. My agents. My friends. Without them it wouldn't have been possible.

Hegerberg: I always believed that I would come back. It's pretty crazy, because there were so many low moments. But I knew how to bounce back, with a lot of hard work and determination. I'm not a really patient person. I'm very impatient. But I learnt things about my mentality and my body that I definitely use today. It's a period I would have liked to avoid but at the time it taught me things I never would have learnt otherwise.

Hegerberg: First of all injuries aren't easy. But first I was unlucky with the injury that I had. But I was very, very fortunate to have met the right medical staff at the right time, who you could say pulled me out of that hell. What I'm capable of doing today, I'm really proud because I know how far I've come. To have the courage and discipline to return to the top level, it's almost better than a trophy. Almost. Because it's behind me now. Mentally I'm in a really good place. I want to play my best football in the years to come. And I hope that will be the case.

[HEGERBERG'S FIRST GAME BACK FROM INJURY - OCT 5, 2021]

[Game footage]

[HEGERBERG'S FIRST GOAL SINCE RETURNING FROM INJURY - NOVEMBER 2021]

[Game footage against PSG, Lyon 6-1 PSG]

[Hegerberg thinks about smiling]

Hegerberg: It's nice. You could say I spent a lot of time visualizing it while I was out [injured] to be prepared for those moments. And you could say I had been waiting for that moment for a long time. I love everyone's reaction. I love Griedge [MBock]'s reaction as well because it's true that we came back - the two of us came back from serious injuries. And we showed everyone we were able to return to the top level even if - even if you had something serious. So it's really nice.

[OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS - BARCELONA 2022 UWCL FINAL]

[Game footage]

Hegerberg: Yes, it's incredible. It's difficult for me to describe tonight.

[present day: Hegerberg laughs hysterically]

Hegerberg: I have to give a shoutout to Griedge [MBock] as well. What we went through was every athlete's nightmare.

[present day: Hegerberg is still losing it]

Hegerberg: Don't you realize it? It's the eight Champions League trophy for the club. I keep saying this, but the president, what he's done for us, for football in general, I don't have any words. I have so much respect [for him]. [The trophy] is coming home, it's deserved.

[Present day: is Hegerberg still losing it? Answer: yes]

[2021 - 2022 LEAGUE TROPHY CEREMONY]

[Trophy ceremony footage]

Hegerberg: [into a microphone] Where is the Champagne? Where is it? Where is the Champagne?? We need the Champagne.

[Present day: Hegerberg loses it]

Hegerberg: And it's true that that night [of the UWCL final], it was total euphoria. I think it was one of the biggest nights in women's football because it was such a good final, the intensity, I've never experienced intensity like that. There was a sold-out stadium with a lot of fans, a lot of Barcelona supporters. There was a lot of - you can say there some misspoken statements before the final [cf: Caroline Graham Hansen, cf: general WoSo media] but us as players we're focused on what happens on the pitch. That's not a problem. But I think there were a lot of people who, before this game, forgot everything this club has accomplished. And what was nice was that were prepared for it. We knew what our qualities were before the game. But I think a reminder of who we are was necessary. Coming back in my first season post-injury and winning the UWCL, it's really touching. I had forgotten, it was almost psychological, and to have been rewarded with that trophy, it's - it's magical. It's one of the best experiences I've ever had.

Hegerberg: What we showed that day, it's unforgettable. It's an exceptional team. And [Hegerberg laughs] what a game. Honestly, what a final. I feel those emotions all over again when I rewatch the game. I think - Wendie [Renard] won't like this - I think I've watched the game 12 times. It's a really high level game. I think - when I say the intensity, the technical level, the quality you have on the field, the stakes which were at play. The stakes were - wow. And also to come back and prove that we were the best team in Europe. That's not done singlehandedly. There's a lot of work which goes into it. When I watch the film, I also see all the suffering behind the scenes and what we had to go through to get there.

Hegerberg: I was really emotional as well because at one point I saw Jean-Michel Aulas in the stands, our president for so many years. I wouldn't be where I am today without him. Thanks to him we were able to build a team which was without a doubt the best team in the world for so long. Personally I will never forget the chance he took on me, to have me play here for so long. He was a big, big figure in my career. I will never forget him. [Hegerberg tears up a little] I'd like to thank him because it was an unforgettable period. So I'd like to say a big thank you to Jean-Michel Aulas for my adventures, which has been going on for 10 years now.

[CONTRACT EXTENSION]

[Contract extension footage]

Hegerberg: Lyon is my home. I had to stay. It was in my head since the beginning. I said to my husband "I don't see myself anywhere else." It's true that it was the first time since I've been at Lyon that it took - it took a bit longer. But since the beginning I've always seen myself at Lyon. It's my town, it's my home.

Hegerberg: It's a new era with a real bad-ass woman, I would say. Michele Kang is very ambitious. I'd like to thank her as well for believing in me. You can feel that she's a very ambitious woman who wants to bring something more, who wants to change the dynamic a little bit in football in general, and who really wants to be at the top with this team. You need someone who is ambitious, who projects discipline, ambitions, investment - especially investment - in the ranks, and that that transmits to the team as well.

Hegerberg: I think there are things we have to go get. We still have some nice trophies to go win. We have a lot of potential. I want to continue playing my best football here.

Hegerberg: I came here as a young girl and I became a woman here. Lyon will always be my home even after my career ends. And here I am very, very happy to stay here another three years and to work hard to win several more trophies, UWCL, league. All the trophies possible. Because we have to go get them now. You have to give everything, and I'm ready to give everything for another three years for my club.

[mneiai]

Which established characters are you hoping to see in Dreadwolf?

Obviously I think Dorian will be at least appearing and I'm hoping Maeveris ends up in an advisory role or something like that. I'd also really like that for Fenris, where he advises us and we have some sidequests with him, but his own work and ours maybe diverges a bit, to give it the feel of there being just so much going on and so many moving pieces.

I would also really like Feynriel as a companion, I think it would be a great nod to DA2 and be an interesting way to work in some great moral conundrums for us (like having the option to influence someone's mind through their dreams or the like).

From Absolution, I'm hoping either Qwydion or Tassia become companions (though Roland and Lacklon as a pre-built set would be pretty fun). Qwydion would be like a less annoying Sera sort of role, playful and silly, but very good at what she does and with a heart of gold. Tassia would also work I think in an advisory role, but I could see her as a companion (and them both as love interests). She could be a more conservative Tevinter viewpoint, but very anti-blood magic and with a Dorian-esque desire to "save" her country from itself.

Prior to the VA's bullshit, I had actually really hoped Cullen might be a companion, simply because it would get him in basically every role he could have taken in the games and because he's one of the only characters to appear in all three prior games without DLCs, so I want those parallels. Since his epilogues never actually count, he could have been in Tevinter for a year or two before starting the game--he'd fascinate the Tevinters while also having Templar abilities they wouldn't at all be ready for.

Dagna is another "older" character who would be great as a companion and give some interesting insight. I'd love to see them go deeper into lyrium/Titan lore and having someone like Dagna around (as well as Fenris and even to some extent Cullen) could add to that. There are a ton of dwarves in Minrathous, after all, who live under the city so they don't get exiled as "surface dwarves."

Krem could also be a great companion (and finally a love interest??), perhaps under an assumed name or something like that, with a side quest involving searching out his family or having to deal with being recognized, considering he's basically a fugitive.

If they're using Tevinter Nights characters, there's soooo many options. Perhaps Myrion or Strife for their Qunari invasion experiences (and Strife as a contact to the Dalish), Hollix or Mizzy already are connected to Dorian of course, Neve has great contacts in the Templars, Lucanis could give us a connection to the Crows (would absolutely love to see my fav pair from the book, Viago and Teia, appear, and through Viago we could also get a connect to the Antivan king). Philliam, a Bard! could be the comic relief character if we don't already have one, Vadis and Irian are a great all around pair with a ton of connections to different possible plotlines.

As for repeat companions from DAI...I don't know. I've seen people say Varric, but I think they're reallllly close to overdoing Varric, and also his usage in so much other material implies he may have been "released" from tight control they normally like to keep over major NPCs. Dorian would obviously be relevant, but kind of falls into the same category of being used in a decent amount of other media now. I think Cole has some great insight, but apparently he was fairly controversial, and obviously a lot of the others from player choices.

As for DAO...I'd absolutely love to have Shale back, but most of the other characters are either dead or too affected by player choices. Though Zevran could also be interesting, I'd prefer one of the newer Crow characters.

[alexin-wonderlust]

Day 1 - Japan Blog - 7 February 2024

Day One: Adelaide to Tokyo Virgin Airlines via Melbourne and Cairns

Let's begin our departure to Japan. My sixth time visiting Nippon, and this time I hope to see and experience new things I havent been able to before.

My previous trips have been more to the cities to shop and to Disneyland but as I become more infatuated with this country, I am drawn to more meaningful experiences. It used to be about the video games, the collectables, the cute accessories and conveniences I couldnt get at home -- but now I am intrigued with the history, culture and nature of Japan. Hopefully I can manage to do everything I want to do and all the things, I wasnt expecting. (Because, theyre always the best!)

Leaving our house at 4am this morning was always a challenge; especially when I finished packing at 2am. So, we jumped in the uber which was driven by a super eccentric female driver who made me want to drop everying and start uber driving -- how is this even a thing I would want to do? She was so funny and chirpy and smart. It made the ride memorable and we made it to the airport with the rest of our holiday to look forward to.

Second up, checking in at Virgin Airlines in Adelaide Airport was also a huge highlight. The person helped us with our check in -- not that we needed it, but she upgraded our domestic flights to extra legroom which made my travel partner very happy.

I'm travelling with my partner of 4 years; Ben. He is 6"3 and loves an extra legroom seat! You'll probably learn a lot about him through my posts. He likes good food and music!

Well, after discovering that our VA fare is NOT a full service fare (I am NOT happy about this, shook, stricken, SLANDER!) as I would NEVER... but apparently; flying trans-tasman with VA doesn't mean you get a meal or a blanket or a pillow or a nice piece of metal. We are on a Boeing 737-800 Max for 9 hours with NO SNACKS. I think, because I booked this hastily, on their website (opposed to through a GDS with the option to see ancillaries) without the complete details -- I assumed it was a short haul international flight, and compared it with Qantas' service. I was wrong. The inflight entertainment is BYO device (which I didnt...) and the 737800 isnt fitted with Wifi onboard so I couldnt even download anything to watch. Their WiFi was working, so you could use their Free Entertainment, however I found it lagged and I couldn't even watch it through the buffering. So I just stuck to my knitting -- without music though because my Spotify decided I didnt need my downloaded music either.

It was a very long and semi-uncomfortable flight.

After the gruelling hours of trying to sleep, trying to finish my knitting and also doing some work... we landed in Haneda! HOORAY! Now time to do customs, and head to our hotel. Almost there.

For those playing at home; here is a quick breakdown of how to enter Japan.

-Grab an entry card and declaration card from your air host/ess. They will provide the physical card for you to fill in to give when you go through customs.

  or

-Alternatively; visit Japanweb.gov.jp (I dont have a photo of it, because you cant use cameras in customs, and I used the physical card option -- I love filling out these things!!) and you can do it all online and scan your QR at the gate.

The entry card tells the Japanese Government what your intentions on visiting Japan. IE: Tourism, visiting a relative, Business, etc -- and how long you intend to stay, where you're going to be staying -- all that jazz.

The declarations card is about what you are BRINGING in to JAPAN. So please dont bring things like fruit, meat, dangerous goods, illegal substances (this can be some medications like Codeine and Pseudoephedrine so please check with your doctor -- and get a note if you take medication regularly that might not be "legal" in Japan). If you dont bring any of this with you; you dont need to declare anything and you can walk straight through once you've shown your passport.

-Line up and have your passport at the ready. Keep your entry cards with your passport.

-They will scan your finger prints and take your photo first. (We had to do this twice...)

-Line up again to go through the gates.

-This is where they will stamp your passport and grant your access.

Once youve gone through this part; you're almost there!!

-Pick up your bags.

-Find the carosel with the flight you just arrived on. (IE: VA77 is on carosel 6) Your bags will come out here.

-Collect your bags and take them to the gates on the other side.

-Show your passport and declaration card and you *should* be good to enter.

Here we go! We are in JAPAN -- the first port of call is to get our mascot for the trip. This is something Ive done since my 2018 trip and it's fun and cute and it makes me happy to share my experience through a silly icon's eyes. Walk towards the "Keihan" Train Line which will get you to Tokyo. This is a trainline that goes direct from Haneda airport to Tokyo and connects to any of the main train networks in Tokyo. It really doesn't matter what neighbourhood you are staying in; 90% of the time this will be the train you need to get you to where you want to go. On the LEFT there is a 7/11 (get money from the ATM in the left corner, and then grab some snacks and a drink so you've got some coins..) because on the RIGHT there are a bunch of Gacha Machines where I like to find my mascot.

This time; NOTHING. No lil dudes. So, we will keep looking. 

Take the Escalators down to the train platform and board the train to TOKYO/SHINAGAWA and you're on your way.

Back to my blog; Ben and I had our heart set on this ramen place we found by accident last time we were in Akihabara. We call it "Midnight Ramen" because he wanted ramen at midnight and it came through with the GOODS... alas. We dropped our bags at our hotel in Shinagawa and did a quick change into something warm. (It was 36degrees when we left Adelaide and now we are facing 2degrees and SNOW!) Slammed on a beanie and caught the Yamanote to Akiba; to find that our ramen place was closed for renovations. The SADDEST TIME! Akiba isn't known for its ramen so we had to find something else... how devastating.

We found a Hakata style ramen place. It was a 6/10. It got a point for being open. Also, it was okay. The Nori (seaweed) had cute printed sayings on it which I thought was cute (gross, but cute). Then I found out that another branch of the other ramen place was open in Shinagawa, only a 6 minute walk from our hotel. Let's pretend like that didnt happen.

After we ate, we became acquainted with our new local Kombini (7/11, convenience store) attached to our hotel, and purchased some necessities.