#I'm both very happy and very much horizontal

[changingplumbob]

Day fifteen - Chloe group part 2/2

@belsasim, @igglemouse, @invisiblequeen, @paracosmic-sims, @perolesims, @simscici

Apolline: *Satisfied smile* Oh, maybe I do have some talent for it, no?

Hana: *very happy* The solo date is going to be great!

Apolline: *flicking her hair* Of course it will. I cannot fail

Hana: Not that I want anyone to but I mean you could... accidents happen

Apolline: *giggles* So funny. I will not fail. You will see Hana

Solo dates were two hours long. Deanna arranged for a beach trip and made some ice cream as a snack. She then did one friendly and one romantic interaction. The rest of the date was whatever happened autonomously.

Hana is happy to be at the beach and enjoys the views. Choosing alternative music she settles down by Deanna to have some ice cream.

Deanna: When you were a kid did you enjoy school?

Hana: Yes, I loved school; I always worked hard to be an A+ student, and it was still fun!

Deanna: I worked super hard for my grades to

Hana: *smiles* It's a nice thing to have in common, work ethic

Deanna: Did you have a dream job as a kid?

Hana: My dream has always been to be a painter

Deanna: I admire that so much. It took me ages to figure out what I should do post high school

Hana: Any memorable ideas?

Deanna: I sort of wanted to be a pirate

Hana: *smiles* You are free to be whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy

Deanna and Hana exchange cooking stories that happened as they learned their heritage cuisines.

Hana: I remember spending some afternoons with my Halmeoni in the kitchen, helping her prepare mandu (Korean dumplings). My Halmeoni patiently showed me how to fold the dough, and we would always laugh when the shapes came out awkward. It was nice, the sound of her laughter.

Some bees crashed the date causing Apolline to flee! Luckily Deanna doesn't fear bugs and managed to get the situation under control for a grateful Apolline.

Apolline (voiceover): Bees! The thick horizontal stripes are a crime towards fashion *scoffs* Obviously one of my siblings is allergic. I don't need to chance death for pistachio gelato

Okay back to the date!

Apolline is happy to be at the beach, once the bugs were cleared off set. She chooses to listen to classical music, a like she and Deanna have in common.

Deanna: When you were a kid did you enjoy school?

Apolline: Certainly. I mean… I tried every extracurricular available in collège, had incredible tutors and was overall pretty respected

Watchers note: collège is middle school in french

Deanna: Did you have a dream job as a kid?

Apolline: I've always wanted to be a fashionista. Personally, I blame Barbie dolls and movies

Deanna: *laughs* There were so many Barbie movies

Apolline: Et toi? What did kid Deanna dream of?

Deanna: I may have wanted to be a pirate

Apolline: It's… Certainly a choice *Polite smile* I suppose viability isn't something very regarded by children, yes?

Deanna: *smiles* definitely a short term plan

Apolline: I believe my first lost tooth was in a recital? I remember being in the middle of a maternelle Jazz routine when I was accidentally pushed to the ground by this other girl, and I hit my mouth. *She smiles, fondly* I never finished the presentation, they had to take me backstage to soothe me. I hated that girl for so long after that. And somehow she… Became my best friend

Deanna: That's sweet. Are you still in touch?

Apolline becomes flustered and her accent gets thicker.

Apolline: We do talk, still. I'm her baby's… Godmother

When everyone was back at the villa contestants had three hours of skill gaining time. Room doors were locked and autonomy turned off to give everyone a fair go.

Elise and Callie decided it was smart to look in to rock climbing while Billie and Hana felt like sharpening their comedy skills online. Lara and Apolline both picked to work on their logic skill.

Devin: Last two solo dates from party frenzy completed. How are you feeling about them?

Deanna: Pretty good. No gold level or anything but bonding happened for sure. And they both flirted back which was lovely

Devin: And how are you feeling about all ten dates if you look back on them?

Deanna: It was great to spend some solo time with contestants. I'm hoping that some of the others will win other challenges though. There's so many I'd love to know more about

When skill time was over room doors were unlocked, autonomy was put back to full, and contestants were instructed to eat dinner. Needs decay had been on the whole day. Deanna was not instructed to talk to anyone so interactions happened autonomously, she was also locked out of rooms so she would be available for contestants to interact with.

Things were calm over dinner, it seemed like playing games together had helped them all become closer friends. Hana didn't seem to mind Lara now (but perhaps that's because Hana had won two challenges in a row?), and most had gotten used to Apolline being... herself. Callie was lovely and did the dishes for everyone.

Surprising me all contestants chose to sit at the table and talk until 10 (Billie did make herself some coffee though). Some bonded with Deanna but it also allowed them to bond with each other, several times someone would say something and the +friendship icon would appear over most sims heads. Working together may be a good strategy to help these contestants long term.

[firenati0n]

thank you to everyone for reading / subscribing / commenting on / supporting the full spectrum of human emotion. i am spinning through the comments feeling very warm and mushy and grateful. 💛

i was honestly super afraid to write my first longfic, and y'all made the whole experience worth the many doc-induced freakouts. thank you for sticking with me since december when i first entered the writing space, nervous and sweaty and hopeful...i am so thankful for my little community of friends and readers and lurkers. i am also proud of myself for trying something new!! every fic has been an exercise in experimentation with genres, and that won't stop anytime soon. 😏🥰

anyway. as always, much love. 💛💛💛

[deaddovedecadence]

It's me again. I also forgot to ask about the first sex of polyamorous bacest. I mean, if it's not part of a first date or a first official date, maybe they were in a polyamores relationship before doing it in a more classic way/showing themselves to the world or something. I remember you wrote that Cassandra is not very interested in sex (on the spectrum of asexuality). Was she the last person to perform a horizontal tango with anyone?

I don't really think that there is this big first moment when it comes to sex, like i think that it slowly evolves differently with everyone else. Jason and Cass are both demisexual so there is something to be said there.

It sort of starts with Dick and Damian. Like maybe you find them fucking or one of them is fucking you and the other walks in. Dick and Damian are so close that to them it is just makes sense to fuck you together, Dick's crooning voice in your ear like he's never done anything wrong even though he's the most manipulative of all of them.

He's so sweet to you as Damian fucks you, tells you how pretty you look, eyes rolled back in your head, nearly crying from how good it feels. Damian wants you to feel good, wants it to be enjoyable for you so he pays special attention to see what gives you pleasure. \

I want to say tim is next but honestly I think that the bats try and keep you two seperated until they can get a list of your kinks and preferences because Tim can go hard sometimes so I'll come back to him.

I want say that Duke is next honestly. I'm a big believer that because of all the hell that Duke goes through during the day, they like sex to be gentle. Duke wants darling to feel good at all times and is extra careful not to manipulate them during sex because to them, sex is sacred.

They might manipulate darling in the aftermath or use sex as a bargaining technique but during sex itself, Duke is always gentle and kind to darling. Duke is also a switch so they're happy for darling to be in charge as long as they don't get too big for their britches.

Cassandra isn't really that interested in sex generally but she does like chasing things down. For her it's just fun and to watch Darling run for her is one of the few things that really turns her on. Cassandra is definitely a stone top so she doesn't really want anything in return (if you're wondering how this works with her brothers, she pegs all of them except Damian who's almost always a top)

Jason is the most vanilla of all the siblings and really just wants darling to be happy. He's not interested in really anything but Shibari and that's only because it soothes his mind to tie the knots and be in charge. He's so strong that there's not really a need to restrain darling and tbh I feel like his first time was with Dick during his red hood days.

Tim is the kinkiest out of the polycule. He's into so much different stuff that it only makes sense for someone (probably duke) to watch and make sure that everyone is having a good time. Honestly I'm certain that Tim wants darling to have a good time but he's just really intense as a person tbh .

[shatcey]

LINE Campaign (Victor)

Thoughts after reading translation of @.reccyls There is also translation of @.cosmowgyral. And @.cheshireliam also made a translation. I can't say that this will be a theory post… just thoughts that came to mind during or after reading this short story. And again… I will use screenshots from the translation of @.reccyls (just because I found it earlier).

The first… I'm SOOOOOO not happy about this.

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Are they kidding? Why a cat again??? Are they suggesting that a child won't cry over a dog? Or that dogs aren't as loved as cats? This is kind of assaulting!!! Maybe Japan has the same problem as Korea? The cat is a symbol of bad luck, and the developers are trying to change this prejudice… In that case… no, I'm still don't like it.

And in the second episode, they used the wrong Victor sprite. If she already works as a letter carrier… He should have long hair. She couldn't have worked there 10 years ago, right?… Right?…

Now I doubt...

And now something that I am extremely happy about…

His new (old) outfit and his age

That outfit of his… sooooo good! It's so pretty…

I'm sorry, Vivi, I'm going to cut off your head to make it clearer what I'm talking about.

Look at this ornament on his sleeves.

Yes, there are buttons here…

But... next part...

…Isn't it looks like tightened lacing? If it's true… it looks like his hands tied… It's a pretty strong symbol.

And the belt on him is very similar to his current outfit. Not a belt, but an ornament of his coat. The design is very similar… The blue scales and horizontal cords resemble bones. Why didn't I notice this before. They really look like bones.

And this is how Kate describes him.

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A young man. I'm not the only one who sees him young…

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He really looks like a prince who came from far away. It's a nice thought. But I don't think he's a prince.

The Church

So… It was a church. In the first scene, she came to the church to pray for her cat (I'm still unhappy), in the second episode…

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She feels nostalgic. But… It feels like she hasn't thought about this place in years. So… I don't think it's anywhere near her house. Maybe she moved? Maybe back then she was wandering around crying and accidentally (or by fate) found this place… But the name of the church… I do not know the names of the churches… I don't visit churches often enough to know their names. So… Is she religious? Or does she just have a good memory? Why am I thinking about Kate now?

And this is not the same church (as @.reccyls supposed here) that was at the wedding event translated by @.judesmoonbeauty. This is the church from this event...

And this is from the past...

They have a very different design.

Maybe they just changed the design as part of the renovation or something…

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...it was destroyed…

Maybe this is the same chirch but devs forgot... the original sprite. I agree the new one looks much more interesting. Or it really is the same one, only… renovated.

The Fate

I don't remember Vivi talking about fate very often. He did, but it was always quite a bit. Compared to Willy, who talks about it all the time, it's seems nothing at all.

But I got the impression that Vivi might be even more fatalistic. Surprisingly.

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Both "what happened" and "what did not happen" are determined by fate. Drawn by fate… like she followed some signs or… was literally dragged to this point. A person has no control over this. Something that will happen no matter what. This is what pessimistic fatalism looks like. I'm a positive one. I look at it from a different perspective. More in the next part.

Options

I'm thrilled with this concept. Let's think about life as a game with options. Not Ikemen where your choice doesn't mean much. A game in which every choice leads you somewhere… One will lead you to death, the other will not change anything, and only one will lead you to where you need to go. Destined path.

So… that's exactly what we see here in this story. Yes, yes, it's just a style. But what if… not…

In the first episode, Kate might not have met Victor at all. I mean, he was right next to her, but she might not have talked to him.

In the second episode, she might not have met him AGAIN. And this time it was more complicated. First, she had to go to an orphanage, and… not save herself, but… pretend to be a damsel in distress.

In the last one… there were even more options… She could find the Dark IF World. I got goosebumps. Literally, the developers say the DARK IF indeed a parallel world. If Kate had choose differently… She would have ended up in this fairy tale.

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But the fact remains. She would have met him anyway.

I'm literally screaming. They are MEANT TO BE TOGETHER. This part is already from the story 95k of the second part of DARK IF (translated by @.reccyls)

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I LOVE THIS CONCEPT!!!!

And finally, the most interesting part

I'll combine most of his lines (which I haven't mentioned before)

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The first thing that came to mind… he's really stalking her… her whole life. He's Gilly-bee!!! It must be creepy, right? But… he's doing this to protect her. It's strangely attractive. There was a time when I thought Toma was creepy (Amnesia memories). Now I'm not so sure…

And it's not like he's some kind of magical creature looking down at her… I had that thought at first, but now that I've reread the story, I don't think so.

It feels like he is… just happened to be by her side when she could have died… or she was in the most vulnerable state. So… It's like he has a bell that tells him about it or something.

But on the other hand… It feels like he hears her thoughts… So he's kind of a magical creature…

I sensed very similar vibes from other projects

There was a movie with a very young Brad Pitt, "Meet Joe Black" (1998). This is a story about a Death that falls in love with a human. And he took over a man's body… to made contact with her. Just to be closer to her… It's not the same thing, but the fact that Vivi often talks about death makes me think of this movie.

Another project that came to mind is Cheritz's game called Dandelion. There was a magician in this game who seemed to have fallen in love with MC. But he was in another dimension of sort. Only she could come to him if she desperately wanted something. So he made her suffer… to get her to come to him. A very strange and twisted love. But a theme of how far humans (or even magical creatures) can go… for the sake of the one and only is very strong.

And maybe because of these associations, I'm starting to think that maybe… Vivi tied himself up because of her. Because he wanted to keep her safe, to help her, to have more opportunities for that… And it's very reminiscent of the Little mermaid… Most likely, I'm imagining.

Another sudden thought. He doesn't save her over and over again because she is destined to die. If so, it would be creepy. I wrote a reverse story a long time ago.

But just to think… he had been looking after her for so long… but stayed away… And suddenly she's so close that he can reach her. And he… just keep staying away. Damn it, this man has a hell of control!!! But there must be a fire burning inside!!! I don't remember it in the 1st anniversary, but I only read one ending, maybe it was (will be) in another one. In any case… I'm very curious to hear his thoughts… I wish I had more keys in the JP game… But I'll spend everything I have on him for sure.

The design of the spikelet on the dividers I took from Designed by Freepik

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🔝 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 🔝

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[heartofbusan]

Is this right? As long as it's with you, it is.

This great blog post got me thinking 🤔...

It got me thinking about timelines.

I'll be extremely curious to see if, at any point in the show, we get to see them react to the news of their buddy enlistment. That might honestly break the internet.

I wonder if the enlistment played any part in the way the trip is framed at the start, middle and end of it. Because, that news could be like a sword of damocles hanging over their heads for 2/3's of it...

*queue dramatic music*

KM started their travel show in NY in July of 2023.

They went to Jejju, either in August or the end of September.

October is allegedly when they found out they got approved for the buddy program.

We got a happy JK TikTok around this time. I'd insert the gif, but it's hella distracting 😔 he's naked, it's bouncing..and well, I'm only human.

OK FOCUS.

They went Japan, Tokyo and Sapporo in November.

If the first two trips are possible 'last time we get to spend free time together' trips, and the Japan trip is a celebratory one, wouldn't that make the experience that much more loaded?? It would be a different vibe in Japan compared to NY, for sure! But will we see that?? Is that part of the dramatic arc of the story..or is that part of what gets censured to spare the guys their real human feelings for the sake of a friendly buddy travel cop show?

I'm fine either way, but it would feel like a lost opportunity in storytelling. The again, IS STORYTELLING EVEN PART OF THE REASON THEY WENT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Was the 'spontaneous' nature of the trip, as per Disney really what happened? A curious turn of phrase for bangtan. When have they EVER able to be spontaneous when it comes to work? When it comes down to official content we often joke that BPD has been planning things since 1756.

What do we know, aside from the Disney press blurb? JK himself said on Suchwita that the plans for the trip were formulated rather out of the blue.

I wonder if this 'f*ck it, I guess it's now or never' kind of plan was born out of a real fear of missing out on the other for nearly 2 years. After a year in which the two had both been busy AF, and missing eo AF, they pinned one last hope on togetherness on the buddy program, but if that plan failed to materialize, then they would face a challenge unlike any Jikook have had to face before. Living apart for a year was also new, sure. But being able to beg and plead (while nakey in bed) for the other to come over for drinks, chicken or horizontal tango is quite impossible once you're enlisted.

I'd be very curious to see if this conversation, this fear is talked about during their trip. Because applying for the buddy system was a gamble. Traveling together was a wild plan. It's a type of content we've never seen any of the tannies do before. And once they knew they had it in the bag, that's when they get to breathe easy. That's when it goes from being an excuse, to becoming a statement.

[halloween4life]

Sanders Sides Animal headcanons because I'm bored

I've been having a lot of thoughts about how Janus and Patton canonically have like, animal traits/feature. While Virgil and Remus only really have animals they're associated with as opposed to canon traits (as far as I'm aware/remember). And how Logan and Roman have no animal associations (again as far as I'm aware/remember). So I'm making headcanons for them organized from most to least 'canon' (in terms of the characters)

(also these are all with the intent of the sides being "humans with animal traits" as opposed to them like, animorphing)

Patton

Can jump the highest out of all the sides it's actually kinda scary

He can turn his legs into frog legs to jump even higher like my guy you do NOT need to be doing all that

He will eat bugs and he hates that fact about himself. One time while cooking dinner there was a fly in the room and he just, grabbed it and ate it without a second thought. He then proceeded to completely give up on life for the next 5 hours.

Virgil tried to bond with him over this and it only made things worse for both of them I think.

On a lighter note I think he makes ribbits and chirping sounds when he's happy or excited

but he will start croaking when he's in any kind of distress

He does have spots on his body, mostly on his back

Janus

I dont care what anyone says this I'm giving this man a rattlesnake tail

The tail isn't always visible like his scales, it's something he retract so he doesn't have to constantly deal with it. Honestly most of his traits that aren't his scales he can chose whether to present them or not

Definitely venomous but he doesn't really know why it does. (Logan was studying the sides' animal features and once he found out bout this, asked for a sample of his venom and proceeded to down it like a shot for research purposes. Neither of them had a good time that day)

Anyway his venom is basically an anesthetic, it will knock you out. (or in Logan's case make you horribly sick for the next 3 hours) (these headcanons were thought of before the latest incorrect quotes video I'm just that good)

Remus

He gives me blue ring octopus vibes

His body is definitely covered in ring patterns, generally they're kinda faded and look like old scares but he can make them more prominent and colorful

Also venomous, I think it would be a paralytic because something something sleep paralysis

Only has 6 tentacles 😔

His tentacles protrude from his back in basically the same way/places as Janus' arms

He can and will fit through any gap imaginable because no bones. He once forced his way through the gap under Virgil's door and he(Virgil) still has nightmares about it

he can regenerate his tentacles, this is often a result of his chopping them off for sushi jokes

Virgil

I feel like he's kinda a tarantula but I'm scared of spiders so I'm not very picky about the specifics

He also only has 6 spider legs (arms?)

They ALSO come out of his back in the same way as Remus and Janus' limbs

Can climb walls

CAN produce webs, but the come out of his fingers (sorry Remus), and they're a very light purple and kinda shimmery

He has sharp teeth, sorry I take no criticism

He does actually have fangs and chelicerae but he tries not to present those as much as it's definitely kinda freaky

Also willing to eat bugs 😔

oh oh oh he has stripes on his arms (horizontal)

HE HAS MULTIPLE EYES

Logan

He's definitely a bird

I know a lot of people make him either a crow or raven (which I totally understand), but I feel like he would be an owl, specifically a barn owl but that may just be the Mexican in me talking

Because of that, this man is dead silent when he moves, and has accidently given everyone heart attacks on multiple occasions

His wings are massive like you would not believe

I don't think he particularly cares for his wings much (i.e. grooming and preening), both because it's a really long and tedious process but also he kinda doesn't see the value in having animal traits, because of this he also doesn't really present his traits as much

He does grow feathers on different parts of his body, most notably on his chest/neck area, he's very self conscious about it

he can fully black out his eyes but it's not actually black it's just a really dark blue

Not really an animal traits hc, but Logan has absolutely gone to each of the sides like "I would like to study you 👁👁"

He does sometimes have very odd body language vecause of this, like he just kinda moves around weird (honestly just watch a video with a barn owl moving around and you'll see what I mean

OH he can turn his head around 270°, usually he uses this to scare the shit out of one of the sides if they are standing behind him

Roman

I'm gonna need yall to hear me out on this one but I feel like if Roman was gonna be associated with any animal it would be a deer

I'm specifically thinking a white tailed deer (not initially conceived as a Bambi reference)

He has bright red antlers and loooves presenting them once their freshly shed (fun fact deers shed their antlers)

That being said, he is actually super self conscious when he's shedding the velvet of his antlers (if you are squeamish about blood don't look it up) because it is 'gross and scary.' For a while Remus was the only one who knew about this.

He has a deer tail sorry I take no criticism

The fastest runner of the sides

he really enjoys just running around, like bro is actually the frolicer

He actually has a very faint darker patch of skin running up from the tip of his nose to his whole forehead (it sounds weird to explain in words but yall are just gonna have to trust me on this)

He has light spots on his back like how baby white tailed deer do

[body-face-words]

"How does it feel to be dating someone who is only five years older than your daughter?"

Below will be the analysis for this question! This is NOT the interview so don't click on it.

Here are just random timestamp for this segment: 3:59 - 5:23

Something to keep in mind for any interview: Michael and David are actors. They know how to act when need be, but they also let many things slip through. It's close to impossible to control and be aware of your body language and facial expressions 100% of the time.

"How does it feel to be dating someone who is only five years older than your daughter?"

Surprised at the question, then thinks about it (you can see it in the video). Because of how his head is positioned, chin tucked, eyes up, the look of surprised isn't all that noticeable, but if his head was positioned normally, then the upper sclera (white part of the eye) would be exposed.

Before he says 'um' there's a flash of a smile. This could mean nervousness, he found the question amusing, or he found the reaction of the people around amusing. Probably the third option.

"Because of the age difference, I think both of us were quite surprised when we got together."

Nods meaning he agrees with the statement. Throughout the interview (and in this statement as well), you'll see Michael raise his brows and open his eyes while staring firmly at the person. This means he's trying to get his point across "I'm telling the truth/This is true."

"I don't think either of us -" shakes head 'no' meaning that his head is being congruent with what he is saying "-were kind of looking for that - it's not like it was the easiest thing to do."

He shrugs ONLY his right shoulder, widens his eyes, blinks multiple times, and looks away; the first incongruency. When only ONE shoulder is raised/shrugged it means the person is lying. To Michael, one of them or both, were looking for the age difference or could be one of them were looking for something else.

The wide eyes, blinks, and loss of eye contact could mean nervousness/fast thinking/ or a mixture of the both with the stuttering he does.

"It's not like I've dated lots of people who were much younger than me."

Shakes his head no multiple time with brows raised and wide eyes - Michael believes he hasn't dated people much younger than him and tries to get his point across ('I'm telling the truth/I'm not hiding anything').

"We were very aware of - you know - what difference there might be and also how people might respond to that."

Frantically nods his head (raised brows & wide eyes) trying to show/prove that they were aware.

"So it's not like it was the easiest thing to do."

Fake smile at the end. The smile stretches horizontally not curving up. As he continues to speak, the smile looks frozen/tense when you look at his lips. The lower eyelids do barely come up, but it doesn't make his eyes noticeably smaller like when he genuinely smiles. There also isn't that softness in his eyes. The 'do' at the end also falls in tone.

"Ultimately (nods) we felt it was worth it because of how we felt about each other-" blinks "and now we have two beautiful children together."

That 'blink' during the pause between sentences, wasn't a blink. They are fast and not very noticeable. What Michal did was noticeable and a lot slower than a blink.

Shutting your eyes, obscuring your vision, or for a 'blink' to last too long mean several things: wanting to disconnect from what is being said/seen, distancing/putting a barrier between ourselves and whatever is causing is discomfort, or waning to disconnect and think about someone else.

Michael doesn't want to see or wants to disconnect from what he's saying and takes a split second to collect himself, then pivots the conversation to his children.

"Yeah I'm really happy." - nods and continues to talk about his children and continues to try and show he's being honest.

"If you find someone who brings you happiness and you make then happy-"

Right shoulder goes up, head turns/leans to the right - he's lying. Because he's indirectly talking about himself and AL, this means Michael doesn't feel that AL alone brings him happiness.

This might just be me so let me know what you see and think: when Michael says "& you make them happy" I see a little head shake (meaning no). He feels/thinks that he doesn't make AL happy.

"-you gotta go - you gotta go for that I think and so that's what we decided to do."

In between these two statements, he licks his lips by curling his lower lip in. Brows are up, eye lids relaxed, and starring off - in this case he's thinking and concentrating.

"That's what we decided to do and I'm so happy we did (said with a dead tone) because we have this wonderful family now."

Shakes head no two times - he's not happy they went for it and doesn't believe they have a wonderful family.

The smile at the end - to me - what caused it was Michael seeing the person smile. They sort of giggled and smile widely. Michael was already looking at them so to me, his smile is a reaction to seeing the other smile.

In conclusion; Michael felt like he was lying a lot. He doesn't think him nor AL make each other happy. He doesn't feel like they have a wonderful family. He does think/feel one or both of them were looking for something when it came to being in a relationship.

Let me know if I missed anything!

[dead-rabbit-comics]

i have found the problems i was anticipating or maybe they have found me.

sidenote: was hoping this colour would be a little more olive and a little less military, i'll see what i can do about that. that'll be interesting.

anyways since everything was going very well i decided to change the tie-up to a satin - because i can weave that now!! exciting!!

as you can maybe tell from the photo, it works. but i have trouble with the last shaft, which wants to have its neutral position lower than everyone else. it's pulling down. i suspected this might be correlated with the cords of the last shaft/last treadle holes being taught, while all others have progressively more slack towards the front. so in rest position, these last cords are what hold the treadles up from the floor, the treadles rest on these cords, ergo the last shaft pulling down.

my non-weaving friend suggested yesterday that this might be an issue of me being perfectionistic and having reached a workable shed, to work with what i have achieved. that this tie-up may in fact be impossible to improve. however, i strongly feel it is not good enough to have a solution that: has a single treadle sticking up too high (making it difficult to operate) as well as a shed that is just barely workable. countermarch looms became widely used because they could do the exact thing i'm trying to do here (says allen fannin)

He also describes the issue i'm having quite nicely when talking about the balance required for the countermarch system and then he says this:

"[...] the weight of the treadles equalizes the pull on the ties to both the riser and sinker lamms, thereby canceling the resultant movement of a differential force between risers and sinkers."

when talking about how the treadles need be ≥ the weight of the harness.

overall i still don't feel like i quite understand. i suppose i can try taking out all the connections to the last shaft and see what happens. ok have tried that, 1 is still hanging low, 2 has joined it. uhm. conclusion?

the way i understand the countermarch system now, or try to picture it, is as a scale. the sinking and rising of each shaft is related to a piece of wood with a hole in the middle: when at rest, it should be horizontal. when you pull down on one end, the other rises and vice versa. to control this, both ends are attached to an upper and a lower lamm - one will raise the shed, one will lower it. which is pretty cool! because now you can make connections between these lamms and the treadles to store any combination of rising and sinking shafts. once i have done that tie-up, i can now step on the treadle, which will pull down the combination i have selected, which in turn brings up the remainder of the unconnected combination of lamms. yay, shed!

so anyways, i'm spending a lot of time sitting and staring and contemplating pivot points and feeling how much force it takes to lift pieces at different points and sighing a lot and generally feeling a little like the worlds dumbest creature. but we'll see.

in a way i am also happy to run into this issue, because if it just works, there's nothing to fix and i always feel like i don't really understand what's going on when that happens? i genuinely do prefer trying to work through issues rather than gliding along seamlessly (because that's where the learning happens yes, but also) because that is concrete, then the things i don't know take form and i can prod at their edges and try to get an idea of the shape of what i don't know. whereas if i'm unaware of not knowing something i certainly won't be able to do anything about it.

[inmate62763]

Thanks for answering some questions about your prison time! I've seen photos of what some British prisons look like and the older ones look really interesting and quite old fashioned!

From within your cell could you see much going on outside? Was there much of a view out of your window?

Hey no problem. Always happy to answer questions and thanks for the message.

Yes apart from when I was on remand, I did most of my full prison sentence in one of the much older built British prisons and was a very old fashioned building. Yes it had been modernised inside to some degree but the fabric and look of the building was still very old. I do actually read quite a bit of the history of UK prisons including the one I was in (HMP Liverpool prison but years ago was also known as HMP Walton prison). Reading up on prison history can be quite interesting.

Regarding the view from my cell window, no couldn't see much really. I moved cells a couple of times whilst I was there but the layout was the same. My cell window was a fairly standard type for older British prisons (I will include some photo examples of the type of window I had if I can find any). My cell window was covered with horizontal barred slats which were original I guess then also vertical steel bars on top of those. During my time there in 2015 and 2016 they also added a extra wire mesh cover to the outside of the cell windows. So no couldn't see that much out. Also I'm quite short and my window was just above head height and my cell window faced onto a closed yard area where the refuse bins were so there wouldn't be much to see anyway. The only other window of sorts in my cell was the little observation window slot in my cell door which officers can open up to look inside but normally when I was in my cell i couldn't see through that because it was closed and locked up shut most of the time.

You did get a reasonable amount of natural light in through the cell window but it could have been better because as I mentioned earlier, over the years they obviously had added extra bars or wire mesh to the windows which impedes natural light a bit more. I will include some photos of what my cell window looked like from both inside and out. These aren't the actual photos of my cell window but are the closest I can find and are virtually the same as what I had so will give you some idea.

[tesseractrave]

The Happy Mask Salesman's design makes me wonderfully crazy, and I have to talk about the way my brain processes it because it's a big part of why I love him so much.

[Analysis is under the cut]

——————————————————————–——

The first detail I'd like to point out would be the color theory.

He has the bluer purple on both his tunic and trousers, or the whole piece if you consider it a jumpsuit (I personally don't draw it as a jumpsuit, but I do admit that it might be the most game-accurate interpretation), and it gives him a very direct foundation and center for the outfit's base.

The vest and shoes are a darker magenta, however, which adds hue variation while staying analogous with his tradmeark purple shades, and the light grey is a value used to balance the more saturated purples as an accent.

The golden accessories are a complimentary (opposite) color to purple, which Nintendo seems to be very adept at in general (cough, Splatoon, cough).

Of course, we can't forget his hair. Whichever specific shade you see it, it's always agreed that the color is at least somewhere along the ginger spectrum. The red, orange, auburn, etc. hues are analogous between the contrasting gold and purple, adding a transitional color to link them.

His skin serves the same purpose with the varied addition of having a lowered saturation and a lighter tone to aid the grey in balancing the depth of the color of his clothes and hair.

Though we unfortunately have no canon answer to what his eye color is, Ember Lab's creative decision to make them green may have been the best choice from a design standpoint because it balances out the purple in his clothing and makes his face stand out more.

The distribution of color in this design as a whole is pretty genius to me, as well.

His hair, being the only part of him that's that ginger color, directs the eyes upward to his face, while the main, deep purple is focused on the direct center.

The gold is arranged widthwise across the center, most heavily on the neck once again to direct the eyes upward while also distributing down to both of his wrists for balance on either side, almost like a scale.

The magenta and grey both run lengthwise down (and wrap around) the center and sit in mostly horizontal detailing at the bottom of his legs like the base of a pillar.

It's not something I added to the example image or spoke about before, but his white teeth in his smile are another aspect that is, of course, very eye-catching for his face and important for his design.

There's also the topic of the geometry.

I'm using my own art as an example because this is the way I interpret it, but the first image is just a breakup of how the edges of each section line up with one another in a way that fans out from the center, and the second image is the addition of marks measuring the estimated centers of each section.

Looking closely, you quickly realize how his gorget makes everything line up geometrically, and as a whole, the design is entirely symmetrical apart from the way his hair is parted, which adds all the asymmetry needed to make him feel natural, albeit incredibly well-groomed and organized.

The color of the inner edge of his vest and the the soles of his shoes is the same as the two rows of stitches running down the front of his torso, which gives the otherwise separately-coloured pieces of the outfit a common detail to link them as a set.

(At one point, I think I had an exact estimation for the number of stitches in each row, but I think I started ignoring it in my art to save my sanity. I know it's on my cosplay, though.)

His gorget and bracers also have a matching scallop pattern (though it seems to be debated on whether the scallops of the bracers face up or down), which adds an additional sense of uniformity.

The majority of details follow the lengthwise median, and everything suggests an overall polished feel and a balanced center of gravity. All in all, it's a fantastic design. I've seen so many wonderful takes and artistic adjustments on it, and I've even made my own, but the character designers at Nintendo really popped off with this one.

[stepswordsen]

【KagePro】 KuroEne Coffin YCH Commission by Mire 🖤💙🐍🐇

Kuroha (Saeru) and Ene Coffin YCH Commission by Mire (@/miremiremire)

Mire's Instagram: (X)

Mire's VGen: (X)

Intro

Inside the Coffin ⚰️✨

If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.

I commissioned KuroEne wearing formal wear with a Snake and Bunny theme, surrounded by Red Higanbana (Cluster Amaryllis), the flower that Saeru is associated with 🖤��🐍🐇💐

I asked for Kuroha to be drawn in his Design Poll outfit, and for Ene to be drawn in her Seek at Mekakucity outfit 🥰

I chose their formal outfits because I feel like they fit very well with the Royal theme and Coffin aesthetic.

I asked for Higanbana to be scattered around the coffin, and to have a snake wrapping around an Ene-themed bunny plushie (with her digital facial structures) and a blue ribbon 💝🎀

Once again, thank you to Feila for helping me discuss and come up with ideas 💗 I'm glad you were able to share your thoughts with me!

This comm has 1 main flower type, so at first I considered Forget me nots, the flower I associate with Ene, but I decided to go with Higanbana.

I chose Higanbana as Kuroha's flower based on its Hanakotoba meaning, since it fits him aesthetically (colours wise) and symbolism wise. It's also the flower that he's associated with in the Kagerou Daze -from the darkness- art by Sidu.

Kuroha: Higanbana (Cluster Amaryllis) - The Flower of Death, Death and the Cycle of Rebirth

Ene: Wasurenagusa (Forget me nots) - True Love, Memories, Don't Forget Me

Thoughts

After the gorgeous KuroEne Ticket Comm that Mire did for me, I was very excited to commission them again.

This time too, I first got the message when I woke up in the morning, so I was pleasantly surprised... My forever beloved childhood OTP~ BREATHTAKINGLY GORGEOUS 🥹💗💞💘

My commission came out absolutely stunning! 🥰💞 I'm so happy with how it turned out! KuroEne look so beautiful in Mire's style 🖤💙

Mire perfectly captured their theme-ing and motifs. The art style, colours, rendering, and graphic design are all so pretty… I'm amazed by the attention to detail. Everything is so gorgeous 😭💗

I love the geometric rendering style Mire has that makes their hair look so fluffy. The colours harmonize so well together, omg. Mire always delivers 😭💞

Mire puts SO much effort into the colouring, rendering, details, and graphic design. The design of the frame is so good 🤯💥I'm utterly blown away... Everything is so gorgeous 😭 💗

Their art style is really pretty... They're so attentive to details and included all the requests I asked for: Kuroha's smug expression, the red Higanbana (Cluster Amaryllis), and the snake wrapping around an Ene-themed bunny plushie.

They were super nice and accommodating with minor changes as well, such as with Kuroha's headphones.

The vertical and horizontal versions are both so good! I would love to print this out for personal use and hang it on my wall as prints 💗

I was wondering if VGen had any way to tip artists, and it does, with the Boost feature.

So I boosted the commissions on VGen for both the Ticket and Coffin YCH comms to show my appreciation for the gorgeous artworks Mire made me. So I sent roughly a 25% and 35% tip :)

Misc Rambles

OH MY GOD THEY'RE SO PRETTY PLEASE ASDFFGHJKL 😭💗💞💘 I'M GONNA SCREAM

I really wanna gush about this art, because Mire captured KuroEne's theme-ing and motifs perfectly 🥺🙏 They drew their design details and outfits so well, and the colours and rendering are so amazing…

They have such great attention to detail, like with the snake wrapping around an Ene themed bunny plushie... The bunny plush is SOOO cute. I love the design of the border frames used for this YCH comm too. The quality is seriously outstanding…

I requested KuroEne with Mire's Inside the Coffin YCH comm after my previous KuroEne Ticket Surprise Me (Omakase) comm, since I really wanted to see KuroEne in Mire's adorable chibi style.

Ene's feet scatter into pixels in canon, so I like how Mire made Ene wear boots with cross-laced XXX shaped straps since it makes things easier to draw with the YCH base.

Ene with her XXX straps on her dress and boots, and Mr. XXX peering over the coffin ❌😌 Not visible, but he has little X's on the back of his Design Poll outfit.

I asked for a bunny plushie with Ene's digital facial structures on it with a snake wrapping around it to represent KuroEne thematically, since I thought it'd fit them very well.

Kuroha/Saeru is associated with Higanbana (Red Cluster Amaryllis), the Flower of Death, by Sidu.

The dark evil cunning and malicious entity who is the cause and center of death, is the one lovingly (menacingly) peering at Ene lying in a coffin while putting his hands on the sides, as a kind of ominous foreshadowing for what comes at the end of a Route…

If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.

I've always thought of this quote in terms of confronting your own death and mortality. He's not ready to come to terms with it, either, hence feeding the cycle (with all the time loop resets)

The higanbana is so pretty and detailed… They're so good at drawing flowers. The scale textures on the snake look hand drawn too.

My Message

This was the message I left for Mire!

Thank you so much again for the wonderful commission! KuroEne look so adorable in your chibi style! You drew their design details, expressions, and outfits very well.

You have such amazing attention to detail. The colours and rendering are amazing~ I love the colours you chose!

Your art style is gorgeous, and you have such pretty colours and rendering... The way you drew their expressions, outfits, and the flowers are so pretty and detailed!

Your commission formats have such amazing graphic design and compositions! The art quality is seriously outstanding... 💖💗

Thank you for including the details I asked for (ie. Kuroha's expression, and the snake curling around a bunny plushie). You drew them perfectly 🖤💙

Commission Rambles

I sent these as refs. Feila and I discussed ideas on what poses, expressions, flowers, and items would fit best based on their symbolisms and in terms of visual contrast.

He owns this :} expression with the insane smug smirk and eyebrows

If I wanted them as marketable animal plushies, I'd pick these. The snake and bunny plushie are SOOOOO cute.

The bunny plushie with the headband is just so cute, I'm obsessed with it 😭💗 It's just SO Ene-core 💙🐇

I love their Design poll outfits and Ene's Seek at Mekakucity outfit sm… They look so elegant. Takane/Ene, my princess 💙

閃光の舞姫 (Senkou no Maihime) has also been translated as "Dancing Princess of the Spotlight" in older fan-TLs 😌💗

...

I initially had the idea of a snake wrapping around a bunny plushie or a golden apple (that Saeru is associated with in the Joker art by Sidu because it symbolizes immortality)

Added with how Fujimori (most likely) depicts Saeru in the chibi MekaDan Playing Cards as a Shinigami (死神, lit. "Kami of Death") or a Grim Reaper, with the scythe (which are closely associated with shinigami and grim reapers), and a Jester/Clown aesthetic with the Jester hat, to play up to the Joker card motif 🃏♦️

Feila said the depiction of him as a Shinigami or Grim Reaper feels fitting for him since he brings death to other people.

And that the Jester/Clown look is to represent the eternal looping of the Tragedy (August 15th incident) is a grand show/play that's been rehearsed many times

Snake wrapping around a bunny -> Saeru trapping Ene

Snake wrapping around a golden apple -> Saeru is the embodiment of knowledge

Went with the 1st cuz it represents his S/O falling for his trap (seductions). Since snakes trap their prey by wrapping themselves around their prey.

I liked the idea of Saeru having a smug smile while holding onto the coffin's edges, and Ene having an annoyed pout :< like in a "Damn it, stop killing us" kinda way

Higanbana

Forget Me Nots and Cluster Amaryllis

Wanted to ramble about how Saeru is associated with Higanbana.

I thought that picking Forget Me Nots (Wasurenagusa) could have interesting and yummy angst fuel, like how Ene won't remember their past memories together in previous Routes since he's the only one that remembers (aside from Ayaki), and how she wouldn't want him to ever forget the crimes he did and his past karma.

Even if he's the only one that remembers and has zero remorse about his deeds (lol), his karma still follows him like a shadow :)

Even if he's the only one that remembers and has zero regrets about his deeds, his karma still follows him like a shadow :)

Using Higanbana, the Flower of Death, Saeru's flower, would represent him always being with her while also being her cause of death. Its symbolism is perfect for Saeru, which is why I chose it.

Black Higanbana doesn't exist IRL (similar to Blue Higanbana too), but they tend to be used in creative works. Red higanbana sometimes turns black when they wilt.

However, there is "Black-flower Higanbana" (Kurobana higanbana) that's a variant of Higanbana. It's a deeper red colour and has a darker black gradient on the reds.

When I first saw the LN 7 art of Kuroha, I HC'ed that it was Higanbana because of how similar the shape (how it looked like the spindles of Higanbana), so I associated it to him as one of his flowers due to its Hanakotoba meanings (flower symbolism) as the Flower of Death.

Also cuz the MekaDan are associated with various symbolisms (ie. Shintaro and Ayano with paper cranes, Ayano with Chrysanthemums (Kiku) in Sidu's Hanafuda Calendar Art (2016) and in Additional Memory)

So I expected that Sidu making Saeru's Awakening Eyes manifest as black snakes or a black aura that resembles Higanbana, to be very intentional on her part.

I'm very happy to see my HC was confirmed cuz Sidu writes Higanbana (彼岸花) next to him on the rough sketch version 😌❤️

Higanbana fits his character perfectly with how he's at the center of death. It's the Flower of Death/Hell and grows in hell (the side of the dead), Higan (彼岸, lit. "The other side"), the far side of the Sanzu River.

They're usually grown around cemeteries and grave sites. They're usually red, the colour of blood, somewhat toxic, and are often associated with an unlucky/bad omen symbolism, which fits him.

Though Higanbana also has good omens too, like symbolizing that happy things will come, since it is also called the "Heavenly Flower"

I'm in the process of writing a more detailed post on KuroEne and Flower Symbolisms, based on my own picks, but I haven't finished writing it yet since I want to talk about all the flowers I chose for them in depth.

I put the ideas that Feila and I came up with for the comm under the cut.

So the YCH form has a couple different poses and expressions and flower suggestions listed.

When Feila and I discussed ideas, we figured that Ene fits more as the one in the coffin. I was wondering whether to have him holding onto the coffin or resting his elbows on the coffin while his hands press against his face. One is reminiscing, the other is mocking.

But then I went with the 1st cuz his Design Poll outfit has larger sleeves and I wouldn't want it cover too much of his design, since his arms would be raised in that pose.

Total coincidence and the shoes definitely a stylistic choice, but it fits since she's occupying an android body in the context of my KuroEne AU, so she would have shoes.

Commission Rambles

I sent this commission form!

I also included a quick sketch as a visual ref guide when I sent the form :) Figured it'd make Saeru's expression easier to draw

The comm has mainly 1 core item inside the coffin, so the details of the bunny plushie are simplified (which is perfectly fine with me 👍)

[kimberly-stocks]

I have a literati prompt! 😁 Jess and Rory’s movie dates or the distillers concert date. We never got to see or hear much about their dates so this would be so cute to read (damn you Amy!)

The Distillers concert is gonna be in the next chapter of Thing I'd never say, so I'm not gonna write that as a prompt. But their movie dates is a fair game 😎 so here it is, a little vignette or whatever it is, about their movie date from season 3, when Lane said they were a cute agoraphobic couple.

Movie date

They were watching Almost famous, again. After the third time Rory lost count how many times they've seen this movie. But Jess loved it, it made him happy, so she didn't mind, even though she put on a show of being annoyed with it. She suspected he could see right through her act, but it was just a game they played, a little ritual of theirs both of them enjoyed. And really, how can you not enjoy a movie date with Jess? Rory was snuggling against his side on the couch in her living room, full on delicious indian food, warm and content. His sweater soft against her cheek, her arms wrapped around his middle. She wasn't paying attention to the screen, but to the boy in her arms. Her ear was pressed against his chest listening to the steady beat of his heart. They were well into the second half of the movie, so their postures slacked, he was slouching, and she was on her way to horizontal. This moment in their movie dates was her favorite, because he was fully relaxed, comfortable, and she felt really close to him, and very warm and cozy, and it felt like she could spend forever just wrapped around him like this. It was this lazy post-dinner sluggishness where they could just relax against each other and just be. No witnesses, no crazy townies, just them, Rory and Jess.

She felt him kiss the top of her head, and smiled to herself. This tender side of Jess that rarely came out was something she cherished dearly. She entwined her fingers with his, and he immediately went to stroke her palm and thumb softly, sending goosebumps up her arms. As much as she loved these tender moments with Jess she couldn't deny the physical reaction her body had to his touch. Maybe one day one of these movie nights will turn into something different entirely. One day when he's not working so much, and she doesn't have a lot of homework, one day she'll be ready for more. And it will be amazing. She was sure of that.

[fizzingwizard]

Played the Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley demo

teehee will the real Snufkin please stand up??

First of all the art and music are so gorgeous. The watercolor effect and paper texture are enchanting. I felt soothed just watching the intro. It's very moomin-y and made me remember how I felt when I first discovered the books. When you walk through puddles, there's the sound of splashing water, and when you cross a log bridge, it sounds like hollow wood. Ideal vibe.

I did try *cough* to jump off the cliffs and stuff... but no, you can't kill yourself in this game, bahahaha. Unsurprising but Idk I've played Sims too long and "how can I kill everyone" has become my modus operandi. Not even Moomins are safe.

You pretty much just use space bar, S, and A, so playing was easy. I encountered some trouble when jumping at times, but Idk if that was jumps being glitchy or just me still getting the hang of it.

Snufkin in this is freakishly strong. Able to carry rocks while jumping across a rushing river and push a giant boulder around. Superstrength!! But it is a lot of fun, really, running and jumping everywhere, climbing things... I got stuck at one point where you have to climb behind a waterfall, because I didn't think you could climb horizontally!

Now this game stars Snufkin, but don't be fooled, it's really a Snufkin roast. You watch Teety-woo (who is leading the tutorial basically) follow Snufkin around getting ignored for ages x'D and he's so complimentary the whole time that it morphs into an insult. The rest of the time, in the name of helping, he does a lot of nothing and you stop feeling bad about ignoring him bahahahaha.

Your "mighty" harmonica x'D has the ability to calm and charm other creatures and make them fall in love with you. I don't care what anyone says, I love this whole music therapy angle. I also like finding inspiration in random bushes. It WAS a bit weird to use the harmonica on this Creep only so he could give me a boost up the cliff lol what was wrong with stacking rocks?

But the harmonica's best use is DEFINITELY hypnotizing birds and then launching them at a target. Who need guns when you have birds?? Seriously this was way too much fun, who knew Looney Tunes humor would be this amusing to me as a full grown adult :P

You get quests, like "rescue all the baby birds." But whenever you feel like it you can fuck off and go fishing for a while. Sorry mama! I didn't notice any game-related effect from it, like catching actual fish. So idk if that's the way it's meant to be, for relaxing, or if I'm just stupid.

I was a little confused when I got like three quests and didn't see how I'd made any progress on any of them. Then all of a sudden the mama bird, who says "woo" when she's sad and "teety" when she's happy, led to the completion of the "Find a name" quest. And I love Teety-woo praising the existential beauty of his own name, and then fucking off to pay some bills. The great Snufkin who?? I've got responsibilities!

Oh no... signs! Oh no... a park! Being asked to look after it is pretty funny! But the ensuing complete and total property destruction is even funnier!

Not even kidding, Snufkin demolishes this park. It was really fun! This game isn't hard, but for someone who doesn't play games, it wasn't too mindlessly simple for me either. I enjoyed dodging the park keepers, launching birds at their heads, and yeeting signs into oblivion.

And we end with the discovery that Moominvalley has dried up and Moomintroll is nowhere to be found! An excellent prologue. I'm definitely looking forward to this game. I like the idea of a game that has both relaxing elements and more energetic ones without being too terribly kiddie (of course it's perfect for kids, I'm just saying, as an adult, I wasn't bored), as well as one that is whimsical and silly without losing emotional depth, with manageable, personal stakes. The demo definitely didn't take me very long to get through and I have no idea how long the full game will be. But long or short, the story seems promising.

[pbandjesse]

We really got a lot out of our Saturday. We lived so many lives. And I am so excited to be horizontal. We both have blisters on our feet and are way to much at dinner. But it was such a wonderful day.

I struggled to fall asleep last night. But it wasn't terrible sleep. I woke up a few times. But Jess let me sleep while she got up and got dressed. I appreciated that.

When I woke up at 8 I would take a quick shower and got dressed. I felt cute. My hair looked great this morning but would get wild from the humidity and fog outside. That's alright. I was feeling pretty good. Not terribly nauseous. I was in a good mood.

We went for breakfast at Uncle Bill's pancake house. And it was a nice walk over there. We got sat right away and the food was very good. But man did my stomach hurt. I seem to be back to only being able to eat half of meals. But I enjoyed people watching and seeing the fog outside and talking to Jess.

We made a plan for the day. After breakfast we would go get Jess a coffee and then walk through the Octoberfest market for a preview for later. Then we would go back to the car to drive out to the farm. And then when we got back we would go to the beach.

And this ended up being such a lovely morning. Breakfast was good. The walk back was a little tough. But it was fine. My thighs hurt so we would pop into the hotel to put Jess's leftovers in the fridge and I could throw some shorts on under my dress. It was 100% the correct choice and made me way more comfortable.

The farm was barely 10 minutes away. And it was so precious. We would park and there were chickens running around everywhere. We would look through the farm market. Jess and me would pick up a few things before we left. Jams and things. But first we went to feed some pigs some turnips and radishes. They were so cute. Stinky but cute.

On the walk out of there I found a snake sticking out of a log! A grey rat snake. It was such a good find.

We walked around the gardens and it was so pretty. They were getting ready for a wedding to do there was some set up for that happening and it was so cute.

We went back to the farm store. Where I found an adorable green tree frog. I wanted so much to share him with others and I stopped an older couple to show them and they were so excited and it made me feel so good. Such a cute little froggie.

After we got our little treats we went to feed the chickens. They had quarter machines for feed and so Jess got her little handful of feed and let the chickens eat out of her hand. They only picked her a little. She was so happy and it was so cute.

We left there and headed back to the hotel to get changed for the beach. And it was still foggy and grey but warmer. And it was perfect for most of the first hour we were on the beach. I would go run in the water up to my knees. The storm last night made the current really strong so it was a bit to dangerous to actually go in it but this was fun.

I read a couple chapters of my book. Jess had her book too. And eventually I would lay out a towel and lay down. But the sun came out!! And it was so hot.

Jess went back to the hotel to get sunscreen. And I'm glad she did because the sun was a bit intense. It was also a little hot. So around noon we packed up and decided to go sit in the pool back at the hotel.

This was awesome. I'm so glad we got a hotel with a pool. No one else was there. And it was really cold but we got used to it pretty quick and just enjoyed sitting on the steps and talking and it was great. One of the owners of the place came over and chatted with us about Octoberfest. We said we were going to go over there after the pool. And that's just what we did.

I noticed that Jess was starting to get a little red. And we both ended up with some sunburn. Her on her arms and chest and me on my back. But it's not to bad. Just a little uncomfortable.

We got back inside and showered and got dressed to go over to the market. And it was great.

We would walk straight through the festival first so we could go to the fancy ice cream shop Jess liked last time we were there. And on the walk there I saw someone eating a soft pretzel with mustard and a diet coke and I was like. That's what I want. I need that.

So after ice cream (Jess got honey lavender) we went to find the pretzels and I was so happy. It was everything I wanted.

And we went to buy my teddy bear a new dress. And it turned out it was from the same lady I bought his other dress from like 8 years ago. So cool. And she was a really nice guy.

It was pretty busy and hot. But it was really fun. I really enjoyed my time there and looking around. But we would both get pretty worn down in the sun. So after I got a sticky bun parfait, we headed back to the hotel.

When we got back here we would strip down and put the AC on and we were both so overheated and exhausted. We had enjoyed walking around and looking at the houses but I ended up with a blister on the top of my foot and I had to take my sandals out to walk back for most of the walk. And when we got back here I just felt really bad. I tried my best to cool off. Braided my wild hair to get it off my neck and out of my face. And we would lay down.

I fell asleep for a bit. And we would watch TikToks and chill for a few hours.

And then around 6 we got ready to go to dinner.

We would go to the fancy marina place we went to last time we were here. Where Jess had gotten oysters. And it was just so ridiculously pretty as the sun went down. Everything around us smelled so good. The only real issue I had was our waiter sucked. He just never checked on us.

Jess's margarita was incredibly weak but he never came back so she walked herself to the bar. Our appetizers were great. I got a whipped feta and pita and she got oysters. Including their fall blueberry ones which were very fancy. But then there was a full half an hour before our mains came out. And they were not amazing.

My salad was super wet. Jess's muscles were small and sandy. But at least the fries were good. But he never came back to check on us. And when he finally dropped the check it took almost ten minutes for him to come back to get it. It was just so weird.

But I still had fun. We were just both overly stuffed and ready to go back to the hotel and lay down.

And that's just what we are doing. My stomach hurts still but I will sip some water and hopefully it'll calm down soon.

Tomorrow we are going to an antique store and then the zoo. I'm excited. I haven't been to this zoo since I was a kid and I had really positive memories of it so I hope it holds up. I also just hope it's a fun day. And then we will go home.

I miss James a lot. And I'm really glad this has been such a lovely trip but I'm glad it's short. I miss my husband to much.

Now though it is time for rest. I hope you all have a great night. Sleep good.

[cometomecosette]

Review: Les Misérables, US National Tour, Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco (July 15, 2023) (long)

This review is very late, but better late than never.

This was my first time seeing Les Mis live onstage since 2018. While YouTube has kept me well supplied with performances in the meantime, I was overjoyed to finally see it live again.

The production, of course, is still Laurence Connor and James Powell's "25th Anniversary" production that premiered in 2009, and which is now the official "replica" production all over the world. My views on it are still the same: it can't hold a candle (or a silver candlestick) to the original Trevor Nunn/John Caird production, but it's still effective, still handsome and atmospheric, and still a good, solid way to experience the musical.

I did notice some changes from when I last saw the show, however:

*Once again, I noticed that a few costumes have been redesigned. The convicts' uniforms now feature historically accurate red smocks. Fantine's factory dress has been redesigned yet again (not to my liking – I preferred the solid turquoise dress from the previous tour). Mme. Thénardier now wears a red bodice at the inn. Éponine no longer wears her overcoat before Act II. Both Thénardiers' "Beggars at the Feast" costumes have also been slightly altered: her skirt is now trimmed with a pattern of ruffles instead of feathers, and his trousers are slightly less poofy (both improvements, IMHO – the costumes are still gaudy, but not cartoonish anymore). And in the final scene, Éponine's spirit now wears a floor-length version of her overcoat, giving her a subtly more "angelic" look, much like the train added to Fantine's nightgown.

*There seemed to be more spoken ad-libs from the cast than I remember from past performances. Not to the extent of, say, the 2014 North Shore Music Theatre production, but notable. For example, this exchange between the Thénardiers just before "Master of the House": Thénardier – What time is it? Mme. T. – Time to get to work! Thénardier – There she is! My daily reminder that you can be happy, or you can be married!

*The "Waltz of Treachery" gave comic business to Young Cosette, of all people! On "That would quite fit the bill..." the Thénardiers picked her up and held her horizontally, stiff as a board, and then on "...if she hadn't so often been ill," she dramatically went limp. It seemed as if they had trained her to play sick in this way, presumably to earn charity from rich travelers. I didn't care for it, though: Young Cosette isn't a character who lends herself to slapstick comedy.

*Grantaire didn't scream "No!" when Gavroche was killed. Instead the whole barricade went deathly silent, as they used to in the old days of the classic Nunn/Caird production. I'm not sure if this was a change in direction or just an acting choice, but I'm assuming the former, because every past Grantaire I've seen or heard in the Connor/Powell production has done the "No!"

*The gag from the previous tour of Mme. Thénardier stuffing her face with cake in the wedding scene is gone. Just as well: it was goofy slapstick at best and fatphobic at worst.

*In "Beggars at the Feast," instead of "This one's a queer, but what can you do?" Thénardier sang "This one's a queer. I might try it too!" then grabbed the man and "romantically" dipped him.

One thing I definitely like about the current tour is the commitment to diverse casting, which wasn't seen nearly as much in the classic Nunn/Caird production until its last few years. In this particular performance, Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, Éponine, Cosette (both older and young), and Gavroche were all people of color.

But of course, diverse casting would mean little if the performers didn't give good quality performances. Fortunately they all did. Some performances I liked better than others, but there was no denying how talented the whole cast was.

Randy Jeter (Jean Valjean u/s)

How ridiculous it is that in the musical's 37 years of existence, this man is only the third black actor to play Jean Valjean in an official Cameron Mackintosh production! While I was a little disappointed at first not to see Nick Cartell again, I'm very glad now that I saw Randy. His voice was rich, clear, and alternately powerful and sweet: excellently suited to the music. And he did full justice to Valjean's journey, with all its transformations and wide range of emotions, making every one of the believable. My only reservation about his performance was that physically, he was a little bit youthful and slight for the role. I hope that either in this tour or in future productions, more people get a chance to see his Valjean.

Preston Truman Boyd (Javert)

One of the best of the last several Javerts I've seen live. He was a solid, imposing stage presence, who sang with a rich, handsome baritone voice with a bite to it that almost recalled Philip Quast, and was an appropriately inexorable force of the law until he was ultimately broken. I was relieved that he wasn't too aggressive or neurotic, but gave a traditional, hard and stolid characterization.

Haley Dortch (Fantine)

A lovely and passionate Fantine, with a beautiful, powerful voice. Past Fantines whom I've seen in the Connor/Powell production have tended to be slightly too delicate and passive for my taste, so I was glad to see her bring a good amount of fire to the role.

Matt Crowle (Thénardier)

A talented, enthusiastic performer, but not quite ideal for this role. Besides seeming slightly youthful for the part (not uncommon), he was a flamboyant comic Thénardier, without the edge of nastiness or realism that other actors bring. Still, as I discovered from an interview, he's read the novel, and he did do a good job of creating a ferret-like stage presence and a "scratchy, vermin-like voice" (in his own words). I've seen better, but he was fine.

Christina Rose Hall (Madame Thénardier)

A decent Mme. T., but like her onstage husband, she wasn't as nasty as she could have been. This might have been intentional on her part, though: she often seemed as if she was trying to play a more sympathetic, comically put-upon Thénardiess. But to make that portrayal fully work, I think her husband should have been more of a domineering emotional bully than Matt's Thénardier was. Overall she was good, but both Thénardiers needed more of an edge.

Christine Heesun Hwang (Éponine)

A good Éponine whom I'd like to see again sometime. Her voice was rich and powerful, and while she wasn't particularly wild or gritty, she brought good, solid toughness to the role that I like to see, as well as plenty of feeling. Her "On My Own" went beyond mere pining into desperation, as if she were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and "A Little Fall of Rain" was beautifully gentle and tender.

Christopher James Tamayo (Marius u/s)

I liked him very much. His voice was a warm, rich baritenor, which I prefer to the thin, high tenors of so many recent Marii. His characterization was excellent too: gentlemanly and dignified, yet youthful, innocent, and tender, and believable in all his many emotions. He deserves to be the regular Marius, not just an understudy, either in this tour someday or in a future production.

Devin Archer (Enjolras)

Until after the show, I had forgotten that I saw him as Marius in a regional production back in 2015. He's definitely grown up nicely from a Marius into an Enjolras. While too "human" and "manly" to be Hugo's "marble lover of liberty," he was an appropriately strong, dignified, courageous leader, staunchly dedicated to the cause, yet a caring friend too, with a reserved yet commanding stage presence and a handsome, powerful voice to match.

Addie Morales (Cosette)

Good, but not a favorite. Her voice was light, pure, and slightly thin, but pretty. Acting-wise, she was a very lively, bubbly Cosette, often giggly in Act I, and an angry "rebellious teen" toward Valjean (though still with all-important moments of affection). I used to favor that characterization because it made Cosette "stronger," but now I have mixed feelings about it, because it's not really true to her upbringing or to the novel. Still, as a whole, she was good.

Ciaran Bowling (Grantaire u/s)

In a US tour performance, I wasn't expecting to see a British veteran of the London production who also had a minor role in the 2012 film! But he was a welcome presence: appropriately funny and boisterous in "Red and Black," angry and despairing in "Drink With Me," and touching in his reconciliation with Enjolras and his death.

(Though I must admit, I'm not the biggest fan of the current staging of Grantaire's "Drink With Me" solo, where he goes to center stage, sings the solo angrily and aggressively, and then pushes Enjolras away when the latter tries to talk to him. It annoys me that every replica-production Grantaire now performs it that way. I miss the variety from the old days, when individual actors and resident directors were allowed to do what they liked with that moment and bring all sorts of different emotions and nuances to it.)

Milo Maharlika (Gavroche)

An excellent, lively, likable young presence.

(I do like the fact that in the current staging, Gavroche is everyone's emotional support at the barricade, comforting both Marius after Éponine's death and Grantaire in "Drink With Me.")

Vivian Atencio (Young Cosette)

An appropriately sweet little girl.

The ensemble was excellent all around.

Going to see this performance was such a wonderful experience. It would have been a thrill no matter what, because I've been waiting five years to see the show in person again, but the good performance quality made it truly shine. I hope that within the next few months, while the show is still in California – most likely when it comes to San José in October – I can see it again.

[paperstorm]

I'm skipping this missing moment because I don't like d/s stuff, but I just want to say thank you for always giving the fandom nice things with your fic and your kind words, they make the difficult days so much brighter for everyone 💜

Very fair! I will say it’s very light d/s, but totally respect if you want to skip. I will include the last few lines below a cut because the set up at the end of this fic is all you really need to know for the plot going forward

“Hey.”

Carlos looks up, moves further back up the bed when he finds TK’s eyes a little shiny.

Softly, TK blinks at him and whispers, “I just … really, really love you.”

“Oh.” Emotion blooms in Carlos and he strokes TK’s face, lowering his hips again so they can kiss. “Yeah. I really, really love you, too.”

“It’s good, right? Lately?” TK asks.

“The best,” Carlos confirms.

“You’re happy?”

Swallowing, Carlos takes one of TK’s hands gently and moves it. TK wraps both arms around his neck, pulling Carlos into a tight, horizontal hug. Carlos inhales him, nose tucked into TK’s neck where his familiar scent is the strongest.

With so much honesty it nearly chokes him, Carlos answers, “I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my whole life.”

“You are?” TK’s eyes glitter like it’s the best news he’s ever heard, and that has thunderous applause exploding in Carlos’s heart.

“Yeah. I am.”