#It was really nice to get info about upcoming events

[mellonyheart]

He's sooooo pretty! Look at his eyelashes!

I need him! But I don't have enough resources for a memory card I likely won't use and demon cards I don't want/need.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I asked my mom not to invite my sister on vacation with us?

(submitted 5/26/24)

I (22X) have a lot of anxiety about politics (namely the upcoming presidential election and its potential consequences regarding my access to healthcare, among many other things). It started in 2016 and then just kept getting worse and worse as the years went on. I know that if I try to go about my day as normal on election night, I’ll most likely end up obsessively refreshing polling results and worrying myself into a panic attack (or several). So, I did a lot of research and planned a week-long vacation on and a bit after election day. It’s at a nice cabin a short drive away that’s all about disconnecting from phones and technology and reconnecting with nature. I figured because everyone in my family votes absentee already, me and my mom (56F) could go up together while my dad and my oldest sister (63M and 25F) would stay home because of work obligations and take care of our pets. My mom was really enthusiastic about the idea (especially because I went on a vacation with my dad last year, and it’s been a long time since her and I have had a parent child bonding trip), and she helped me finalize the dates and pay for the cabin. I’m in college and haven’t been able to find a summer job, but I’m still trying to save money to help cover the cost of food/entertainment/gas for the trip.

When we were booking, she talked about potentially inviting my sister (24F) on vacation too, as a family bonding thing. She moved out a year and a bit ago and is living with a friend, so my mom doesn’t get to see her all that often. But I really don’t want my sister to come along. Me and her haven’t gotten along since elementary school, and now whenever she visits I’m on edge the whole time. Plus, she has a very old special needs dog that she would have to bring with her that needs constant supervision, and his energy wildly varies between “sleeps in a ball all day” and “blindly runs around screaming and peeing everywhere and getting stuck like a roomba all day”. Which again, that’s very stressful to me. In addition, whenever my sister is over at our house, she always finds a way to bring up politics and wants to talk about current events (never the good ones, only the bad ones). Thankfully we agree on the important things (even if she leans a tad more towards the center than I do), but still. The whole point of this trip is to avoid having to worry about politics, and she always finds a way to bring it up. Plus, I just genuinely think she’d go stir crazy being cooped up in a cabin with me and my mom and poor cell service. There’s not a lot to do in the surrounding area besides hiking (she’s got a heart condition), a small Main Street with some shops that’s a 15 minute drive away, and a diner. It’ll probably just be reading, board games, and cards for a week straight.

Why I think I’d be TA: my mom and her don’t spend a lot of time together, and my mom is the one paying for the vacation. Even though I think she wouldn’t like glamping with us, my sister could still want to be invited and want to come along.

Why I think I wouldn’t be TA: I don’t think my sister would like being in a cabin with me and my mom for a week straight with no TV and poor cell service. My oldest sister is also not going on vacation with us due to work obligations, so they could have some sisterly bonding time while we’re away. Plus, the entire point of the vacation is to have a few days where I don’t have to dread election results, and I know my sister is going to want to talk about election results as soon as they start coming in.

So, would I be the asshole if I asked my mom not to invite my sister on vacation with us?

[pastelvelvett-2nd]

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Post info

♡ Word count: (aprox) 2,299

♡ Post type: x reader

♡ Taste: In Between

♡ Yandere: Harper

! Please read the tags for tws!

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[♡] Next chapter

♡ Plot summary: Harper is assigned to tutor some fellow students for the upcoming exam, and you just happen to be one of them. By the time your first tutoring session ends, her mild interest in you grew to a degree she didn't expect.

♡ Beginning of post note: This is how I imagine Harper's voice to sound like in case you wanted to know lol anyway, I hope you enjoy the fic!

Yandere!Honor Student x Shy!Reader

Days seemed to blur together for Harper, and this day was no different. Reptition wasn't something that inherantly bothered her, she didn't think, but as she glanced outside her classroom window before the bell got the chance to ring for the first time of the day, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of wrongness in her chest. It wasn't even the first time she felt that, really, and she amounted it down to realizing she wasn't doing as much as she could. Harper assumed it was just a sign she should try harder that day, and that she would.

The classroom was almost completely empty, since she'd usually come to class unusually early. A few fellow students chattered amongst themselves in the background, and she'd normally join in, but for whatever reason, she didn't feel prepared to today. A few confused glances showed that they noticed. Maybe they were upset with her? Harper's stomach bubbled in anxiety at the prospect, but apparently, that wasn't enough to motivate her to turn her charismatic self on.

Maybe she felt... Bored? She honestly couldn't tell for sure, but she thought she did. Maybe even empty. Harper loved them, though. Her classmates. The people she'd help every time she'd get the chance to, and feel proud of whenever they would do well on tests or anything else they'd achieve. The elements in her life somehow didn't seem like they were enough for her in that moment. This caused her to feel a mind numbing amount of guilt, because none of them deserved to have their friend think about them like they're a toy that grew to be boring.

Something different would happen today, though. Maybe this something would give Harper enough satisfaction to feel happier. Because of her great track record in academics, she (and a few other students, of course) was given the opportunity to tutor some students for the upcoming exam. She usually helps her classmates with homework and tests, but this could also give Harper some extra credits, too. Now feeling a bit excited at the image of her telling her parents about what she accomplished, she also felt brighter generally. Almost like a switch being turned on, Harper changed from looking melancholic and unattentive to acting like her usual warm, friendly self, and with this new attitude, she went up to talk to her classmates like she usually would.

~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~

She didn't understand it. She really didn't. Harper just finished her first tutoring session with one particular enigmatic student, and her head was filled with thoughts she'd call confusing. She sat herself at the bus stop, looking back at how the whole event went.

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"Hello! Y/N, right? I'm Harper, I'm here for the tutoring thing! Nice to meet you!" Her tone and expression were almost unbelievably sweet, like they usually were. Although you never really talked to the girl much, it was clear she'd always make an effort to make you feel more comfortable whenever you did speak. It never really seemed to work, unfortunately. As warm as Harper was, you could never get yourself to feel anything but anxious talking to strangers. Them being friendly only gave you the slightest feeling they would murder you if given the chance, but you realized that you were just being paranoid. If it's an actually nice person that wouldn't murder people, it would be rather unfair to assume such a thing of them. You could feel her lavender eyes staring you down for a second, making you shift uncomfortably in your seat. Chances were that she probably noticed, considering her smile threatened to fall in that moment. Not wanting to seem rude, you tried relaxing your tense body and nodded your head. "Y-Yeah, that's me. It's... Nice to meet you, too."

While it seemed like Harper had no issues keeping eye contact (maybe overly-prolonged eye contact, if you were to be honest) for you it was the complete opposite. As she sat herself at the empty desk to your right, you couldn't help but dart your e/c eyes all around the empty classroom you met up in, anywhere and everywhere but the girl next to you. She was... Intimidating, you supposed. Harper Martinez always seemed like the perfect person, which was concerning, because you knew there was no such thing. So, you had to assume she put up some sort of front. It was like seeing someone wearing a mask. Just because someone is wearing one doesn't necessarily mean that they're hiding a nefarious expression underneath it, of course. But the fact that the person decides to hide their honest feelings their face portray is enough to make someone feel suspicious. You noticed you weren't really the only one who seemed to think Harper was off for this very reason, but it seemed like she still remained fairly popular and well-liked. ...Maybe you were just overthinking things, afterall? She never did anything remotely mean, or anything, so your suspicions felt a bit unjustified.

Just as you were stuck in your own little thought loop, you heard the sound of scraping to your right, and upon glancing you realized that Harper just slid the wooden surface right against yours. Next came the chair, obviously with her on it, and suddenly you felt even more cornered than before. You had no clue if she realized how nervewrecking what she was doing was. She wasn't easy to read, not like how easily she seemed to be able to read those around her.

"So, I heard you transferred to this school a year ago, right?" She asked, inciting a bit of confusion from you. Ah, right. She must be making casual conversation so you felt less pressure. For some reason, you were assuming she'd go straight into the tutoring, but you supposed she thought it would help the learning proccess along. Or maybe she felt pity for you, you did seem really nervous. You simply nodded your head, not knowing what else to add than a simple confirmation. "Right! Knew it, hehe. Are you used to it here by now?" She inquired with a tilt of the head, seeming to take your lack of involvement in the conversation in stride.

You thought for a moment about your answer, not noticing how she slid herself closer to the edge of her seat so she could be closer to you without making a loud sound like before. If her knee was even a tincy bit closer to yours they would touch, and you surely would've realized then. "I... I think so. It was a bit hard to get used to, though, honestly." Harper seemed to take in your words for a second, brows knitting together in concern.

"I see... May I ask what you were struggling with?" Even though Harper seemed to act casual most of the time, some of the things she said sounded polite in an almost stiff sort of way.

"It was just that... I don't know, I just don't think I fit in great with the people around me. Nobody seemed to like me much." You paused for a second, realizing you should probably clarify something. "I-I mean, that's not really to say I'm popular right now or anything, I think I'm pretty much still in the same situation, only difference is I'm used to it now..." Just as you finished speaking, you realized how pathetic you sounded. Harper didn't seem to look at you with amusement or scorn or anything though, she kept a patient, empathetic expression.

"I see... I hope nobody's bothering you?" Harper asked, to which you pursed your lips in discomfort.

"U-Uh... Not really, no." Your response was given with as much confidence as you could muster, but something about Harper's demeanor clued you in that she didn't buy it.

She was silent for a moment.

"Well... That's good!" Just like that, her expression brightened yet again. "If you ever need help with anything, not just studying, let me know, okay?" You could only stare at her smiling face for a few seconds, blinking in confusion. From someone who you never talked to much before, this was a strangely kind thing to say. As much as you didn't want to be suspicious of her, it still rang alarm bells. But you supposed it was just her being nice by saying it, responding with anything but gratitude would be impolite.

"Haha, t-thank you...! I appreciate that a lot." You smiled as brightly as you could, though surely, it could not rival Harper's.

Not long afterwards, you began studying the subject you had the toughest time with. She was so patient despite how much you struggled through the whole thing, you could swear she was a saint. By the end of the session, you realized just how curious you were about the honor student, and you would lie if you were to say that you weren't starting to feel a bit more fond of her. There was a reason she was so well-liked. She radiated a positivity that was contagious, and she seemed to genuinely be invested in seeing you improve. But there had to be something more to her. You could swear she was a saint, but she definitely isn't. She's a normal human just like you, but she seemed to also be invested in appearing to be perfect.

You were somewhat excited to learn more about this mysterious student, having absolutely no clue how excited she was to learn more about you, just the same. ♡

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Although Harper didn't think about you much before having this first tutoring session, she always felt you were... Somewhat alluring. Unlike the sociable, open Harper, you always kept to yourself, never really speaking to anyone unless it was necessary. She wanted to know more about you out of curiousity, true, but she also felt worried about you. What if you felt lonely, and you just didn't know how to approach people? Although, it was still very possible you wanted to be left alone. You didn't seem to make any efforts to talk to people, afterall, so Harper could just be bothering you if she began hanging by your side. She tried talking to you a few times, but you didn't seem terribly comfortable around her, so she assumed this proved her theory.

Once Harper saw you today, though, she seemed to have quite a bit of a change of heart. There was something about your mannerisms that were just so... Enticing to her, for a lack of a better word. Despite you not sharing that much about yourself, just sitting down next to you for an hour helped Harper get to know you a lot better than she could from short small talk whenever you'd bump into eachother in the halls.

As she stared blankly at the concrete sidewalk, she could list each one of your little habits that she found adorable without any bit of trouble. The way you'd stutter over your words every so often, the softness your tone always carried, even just your posture, a small detail that Harper would never make special note of for anyone else, seemed incredibly cute to her. You always held your arms close to your center, often slouching, almost as if you were trying to make yourself smaller and more difficult to spot (despite the fact there was no one there that could spot your except for your tutor).

In you she saw herself, but not the her that everyone else saw, no, the person she truly was behind a confident exterior. For someone who always put herself in the middle of it, Harper had an intense fear of the world that she could also sense in you. Normally, she'd act much the same, if helping people didn't obviously require you to come up and talk to them.

Although still not knowing very much about you, Harper was sure of it, that the two of you must be kindred spirits. This was someone that could surely wholeheartedly understand her if she were to ever shed any of that perfect exterior of hers. Maybe... Maybe if it could be with you, she could finally act a bit like herself. Her teeth clenched together the second the thought passed her mind. No... Could she really do that? By the end of the hour, you actually seemed more fond of her than when you started. Your tone was naturally warmer, and you actually didn't seem to be afraid to look in her direction anymore. You seemed to already warm up to her.

If you'd like this her she projected... Then she wouldn't be able to change it.

Her daze was broken by the sound of a bus stopping in front of her, followed by numerous footsteps mixing with the voices of some of the individuals those footsteps belong to. Harper instantly got up, and with an empty expression boarded. As she sat herself down at the nearest empty seat, she internally marvelled at how much more she cared about your opinion than anyone elses, all so suddenly.

You, who she never spoke to more than a few words every now and again before today.

You, who she never even thought about too much before today.

You, who seemed so much more special than anyone else in her life. She felt mind numbing guilt thinking this again, because there were friends she spoke to every single day since the beginning of freshmen year and she still doesn't feel a bigger attachment to them than you.

Was she a bad person? She musn't pick favorites, she must give every person in her life equal attention, equal help, equal kindness, or else she would be treating someone unfairly. And suddenly, someone comes around and occupies her mind more than anyone else? It just wasn't right.

And yet, she felt a tug in her chest, telling her, no, yelling, that it was right.

...

Tomorrow she'll see you again.

She smiled.

[putschki1969]

2024/09/02 Instagram post by Wakana

There's finally a new issue for my FC newsletter "Botanical Tsushin" 🤗I think it should have arrived at your place by now 🧚✨ The cover photo features me wearing pants, quite a rare style! I can't believe it's already been six months since this photo was taken…(Source)

2024/08/23 Blog post by Wakana ラップ事件と早寝早起き〜物持ちは良い方です〜

❗This is Fan Club EXCLUSIVE content❗ ❗PERSONAL USE ONLY❗ ❗Do NOT SHARE on other sites❗ ❗Join her FAN CLUB! Check out my detailed TUTORIAL ❗

The Plastic Wrap Incident, Early to Bed, Early to Rise ~ Taking Good Care of Things ~

The other day, I noticed that I was running out of plastic wrap at home. I always keep plastic wrap on the left side of the large drawer under the sink. I could tell I was only a few rolls away from the last one and since I had no stock left in the drawer, I decided to buy some before I forgot. Since plastic wrap is an essential item for me, I bought a bit more to stock up properly. This time, I bought a set of four online and immediately felt a sense of relief ♪ I was excited as I waited for Plastic Wrap babies to arrive. The next day, the plastic wrap was delivered to my house safely. I used up the last one and opened a new package. I felt at ease and happy knowing that I still had three rolls in stock on the left side of my drawer. All of a sudden, I looked to the right side of my storage drawer. There were two rolls just lying there. How did you get there??? What a surprise…I had no idea you existed (maybe because I bought them in the store and not online). Can't believe there have always been two extra rolls in stock. But why are they on the right side? It's really confusing. With five in stock, I feel like I don't need to buy plastic wraps for about a year. I feel like I should do a give-away for my fans. (I won't do it though.)

Hello, this is Wakana (0￣▽￣0)／

With five in stock, I won't have to worry about plastic wraps for a very long time (But I'm sure I'll end up buying even more rolls)

Well, it seems we've overcome the intense heat of August, and it's finally starting to cool down a little bit. At least in Tokyo.

Recently, in addition to stretching in the morning and evening, I've been trying to go to bed early and get up early. Ideally, I want to go to bed at 11pm and get up at 7am. Surprisingly, it's become a habit quite easily, and sometimes I even go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 6am 😂 I'm already sleepy by 9pm…😴I feel that doing a lot of different things in the morning really helps me finish the day efficiently and refreshed. In the evening, after getting out of the bath and finishing my skincare routine, I do whatever I like depending on how I feel that day. I do some thorough stretching, watch a movie, have a little wine, read a book, etc. I'm going to keep doing this in order to find the best schedule for me😊💕

Yesterday, I went to the hairdresser and got bangs again. This time, I got full-on bangs (￣^￣). My previous bangs couldn't even be called bangs because they were so thin. But now, they are proper thick bangs. With bangs like this, I can choose to wear them down, part them, or put them all up. I'm not used to it so I will try my best to arrange them nicely from now on. Of course, as before, I will be pulling them up frequqntly to let my forehead breathe (It's my go-to hair-style after all) I'll post some photos next time😊

Finally, I have an announcement and a reminder. First of all, here are some more infos about my upcoming FC exclusive event “Join Wakana! Houseboat Full-Course Tour” 🚣🎶

《Event Overview》 Title “Join Wakana! Houseboat Full-Course Tour” September 22 (Sun), evening session from 18:00 September 23 (Mon), day session from 12:00 Let's all enjoy a great meal on the boat! ! ! ＼＼\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ For more information, please check this link😊 https://wakana-fc.jp/contents/773952

And once again, I would like to post a reminder for everyone to submit their messages for my next "Wakana's Talk Garden" podcast episode before the deadline. These are the topics: - Everyone's mysterious experiences - Anything you want to ask me!

Stories that can't be explained by science. Stories that make you question your own perception. Stories of miraculous experiences. Really anything weird you can think of! I look forward to your strange experiences 🤗(In a way, the wrap incident was also a strange experience.) Click here to apply ♡ https://wakana-fc.jp/answers/botanical_oshaberi_13/new

By the way, some of you asked about the floral sheets that could be seen on some of the pillow pictures in my last blog post. (Actually, it is a duvet cover) I had to think about it for a while but I must have bought it somewhere in the Sangenjaya area when I first moved to Tokyo 🤔I saw it and liked it so much that I bought it on a whim. It's been almost 20 years since then. I've been taking good care of it, haven't I? *laughs* I'm quite surprised it is still in such a good condition.

Well, that's all for today, until next time~☆( '▽')/ Lately, I've been obsessed with Mini Bolo snacks.

＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊ (Source)

[valenfield-inspo]

Just basically theorizing here a bit to kill some time before we get more info on the upcoming cgi film, "Resident Evil: Death Island". It's nothing to be taken remotely seriously as we haven't been given much as to what the movie will exactly entail (just a synopsis and summed up bios of the characters).

I'm assuming in this scene, Chris walks in on Jill at a shooting range (presumably at a BSAA compound?) to inform her about his investigation of the outbreak happening in San Francisco. I wonder if he's going to ask her to join in on the investigation. I mean they've known each other a long time going back to the days of STARS Alpha team, to the Spencer Mansion Incident, reuniting after the events of Code Veronica to join a private task force to take down Umbrella, to being part of the formation of the BSAA and up until Jill's sacrifice to save Chris from being killed by Albert Wesker in Lost in Nightmares. They have had a long history of working together and completely trust each other and with Jill's determination for justice (which we really saw that up close in RE3, both OG and Remake) and responsibility, no doubt Chris would want her on the mission.

We know Jill rejoins the team but I wonder if she'll still experience any of the mental side effects from re5. If those feelings of guilt might surface some while on the mission in Alcatraz. Since Alcatraz was once a prison, maybe it would trigger memories of Jill being imprisoned by Wesker for 3 years. 3 years must of felt like a lifetime with being tortured and forced to participate in inflicting acts of bioterrorism. It just would be nice to see her overcome those "mental demons" and get to display some badassery that we know she's capable of doing. She's already got a great supporter in Chris (can't wait to see them working together again!). So I think she would do amazing. Chris certainly knows she can hold her own! I know the series doesn't tend dive too deep with the characters prioritizing game play over story. And even the cgi films are more like fan service action vehicles, especially with Vendetta. So not getting my hopes up too high but it is fun to come up with ideas. I just wish they would take the opportunity to use these animated film series to explore the protagonists more. Go deeper. After all, since the films are not video games, they wouldn't have to worry about balancing game play over story, etc... They could just focus more on the story. Just some thoughts for now anyway until we know more.

[trislosherfan25]

yo, comp question if you don't mind

my friend and i are both like S rank but pretty much only have experience with solo queue

we thought SendouQ could be a nice change of pace but we, uh, got absolutely curbstomped. our level of coordination compared to our opponents was mediocre at best

do you have any tips on building comp knowledge so the two of us can climb the ranks and do better in more competitive environments?

Yeah sendouq can be pretty rough for people starting out - I think a good place to start is a tournament called It's Dangerous to Go Alone. It's a draft tournament (meaning you sign up by yourself and are assigned a team) and it will pair you up with other players close to your skill level in ranked and X battles and you can play against players of similar skill level as well.

You'll get to meet other players in the competitive scene who can share more info with you as well! I don't currently have the discord link but if you want it just lmk and I'll dig for it later

To find out about more tournaments you should get a sendou-feed channel in your discord which will share upcoming tournaments and their descriptions (you can find out how to do this on the sendou website) if you find these only go for low level events and especially entry level if you can find them.

Also learn from creators on YouTube! There's tons of great ones

Prochara - makes tons of videos, he created his channel to get people interested in competitive and grow the scene. A lot of his videos discuss how good certain weapons are in the game or showcase fun stuff - but he's a good place to start

Squid School - really good videos to watch as someone trying to learn how competitive works and actually strategies to know when starting out. A lot if good basic info

Reborn NA - a bit more advanced advice but literally has the best advice beyond just basics that I've seen. Good for learning how to improve as an individual player. Kind of dry sometimes but the information is always good.

Also learn about weapon roles!!! Really good video on the subject

Hope this helps! Lmk if you have any more questions

[tsunflowers]

I need to tell you how upside down the Idolmaster world is right now

a couple years ago, sideM's game, the only series with guy idols (and really, primarily older idols) shut down, extremely quickly. It was short lived, the announcement came ominously and they managed the situation really weirdly

then they made a second game, sideM growing stars.

growing stars is shutting down now after only about a year of service

same sudden EOS announcement where they left everyone hanging for a few days and also announced it the day after april fool's day. announced a live stream to discuss sideM's future, set for a few days later, gave no further info, then the livestream was extremely short and was basically just like yeah...sideM closing now. lol

this was just after they had a huge concert, Masters of idol world, with all the branches. it was this really unifying event that felt like it brought everyone together as a family, there were these contest winning banner designs of characters from all branches including sideM, who always gets the short end of the stick compared to the girls branches, so it really felt like a good change

then that stuff happened with the sudden eos for growing stars

now, they announced a new arcade game a few months ago, showing a few promotional material/what the cabinet is supposed to look like. the lead girl/guy from every branch is on the front

the night that growing stars eos was announced. the very night, like, 2 HOURS AFTER, they previewed photocards for that arcade game without sideM's lead guy, he's just gone

so after all that bs about being united they just outed him from the family practically, along with the rest of sideM

sideM was beautiful by the way. a lot of ssrs had the unidolized side reversed, where they're already on stage performing, and the evolced side would be them, just living life, a candid moment with their unitmates. it was so heartwarming and a really nice look into their lives, I miss it

shiny colors, which has set a precedent for high standards in ssr design/animation features, is doing really really well. but not well enough for bandai I guess, who just announced another shiny colors game, their first rhythm game

the animation is entirely cg but it looks better than the upcoming shiny colors anime, which is also in cg, it looks like the pripara 3d artists did it practically. it looks expensive. it looks like we may be seeing another very early EOS in the upcoming year for the first shiny colors..

bandai also, days after the eos announcement for sidem, announce a new joseimuke game for another idol franchise.

so.

aaaaaa

anyways they also just introduced a really fucking weird vtuber branch, I feel like bandai just wanted it to succeed so they slapped the imas kabel on it because it's nothing like any imas series ever

the three vtubers have one year of activities and if they don't succeed, they'll lose their position in the branch (their seiyuu will lose her job.) and they say it will be the viewers fault.,?

they also say everyone in the audience is a "producer" which is weird... because producer isn't just a name if you're a fan of someone.. I know other game fandoms use it that way sometimes, but in imas itself (where the P thing originated in idol games) it has always had a clear purpose, you are producing the girls, you are helping them with careers and fan gain

also. just a little nitpick but. the vtuber girls have no expressions other than base open mouth smile. they have a breathing look/head movement/blinking/mouth movement, but I think the blinking is even automated?? and with no other expressions its so weird....

ok sorry

this is just so. cinderella girls and mirishita are the only ones thriving

i also know you dont even play any imas things but idk there ya go

I had heard about some of this but not all... I feel so bad for imas fans. some of this stuff genuinely just comes off as mean! like releasing promos for an arcade game and then rereleasing them without any sidem characters

I've heard about the vtubers bc everyone seems to hate them and agree they're not like idolmaster but I didn't know they were also just bad at being vtubers? I'm looking at a video of letora now to see what you mean and she's just swaying loosely. I don't think her movements are rigged to a person beyond maybe open/close mouth. so why are they even vtubers....

[takeustochurch]

'*•.¸♡DEBUT CHURCH !!!♡¸.•*'

Chapel of Christ the Redeemer

location: Tampines (St Hilda's Sec there) service timings: 0830 & 1015 on Sundays for English services, 1015 on Sundays for Children Sunday School, 1530 on Saturdays for Youth Service here's their website for more info!

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

'*•.¸♡overall impressions (rated by 🌘, 🍳, and 💀!)♡¸.•*'

1. friendliness

🌘: 8/10 - ushers were open and took initiative to help us

🍳: 7/10 - ushers were nice but felt a tiny bit intimidated by them

💀: RIP

2. openness

(we didn't get to ask qns bcs SOMEONE (🍳) WAS TOO COWARDLY)

3. service

🌘: 5/10 - p basic - songs, prayers, slides

🍳: 5/10 - idk what's considered normal but yes seems cool enough!!

💀: RIP

4. programs

🌘: 9/10 - they have a brochure of the events they have upcoming and its rlly clear. from what I see they have a variety of events and stuffs for all ages so I'd say it's pretty enriching. I've never gone to their events before though so...

🍳: 8/10 - programmes look fun, they were talking about a church camp so thats COOL

💀: RIP

5. cult tendency

🌘: 1/10 - not really a cult vibe for me, but maybe that's cause we didn't raise our hands when they asked newcomers to do so, so we didn't get indoctrinated lmao

🍳: 3/10 - real

💀: RIP

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

'*•.¸♡REVIEWS♡¸.•*'

🌘: Pretty cool vibes, the interior is not particularly dim and their stained glass cross and the table with candles they had set up was what got me thinking it looked cool.

The pastor is funny and has a friendly demeanour, no complaints on that end.

The service songs are acceptable. Its the usual stuff praisng God and Jesus, but they had these 3 singers on stage and it sounded good.

It can be abit hard to find since you have to navigate through the entrance of St Hilda's Secondary School, but as long as you're not blur (IM LOOKING AT U 🍳 HOW THE BLOODY HELL DID U END UP IN ANOTHER CHURCH???) it's pretty accessible.

Not very cult like (not anymore than a normal church, anyways). 🍳 was a coward so we didn't get to ask the pastor questions or anything, but they did ask if there were any newcomers (and they asked newcomers to fill up a form that wanted our contact no. and email and address but...yk...from what ik thats pretty standard for churches) and the ushers were generally helpful and friendly.

The service itself was fairly basic, nothing that particularly stood out. They seemed really bonded as a community and they had plenty of events for youth and families both. They had an online brochure of their ongoing and upcoming events and everything so I'd say their events game is strong.

Overall it's not something I particularly want to spend time at, but I'd probably go more if there was less singing and more exploring the text of the bible, because I find the way they interpret it interesting.

🍳: DEBUT CHURCH!!! (i got lost twice otw) Stained glass was COOL but other than that interior was pretty basic. THEY HAVE A LIVE BAND THAT IS VERY EPIC and the singers voices were so angelic??? Apparently there was an event that day but I wasn't really listening but I think the singers were from another church.

Pastor was funny af tbh love that!!! Has a very community gathering kinda vibe, very bonded and friendly and someone that helped guide me there cos i was LOST ! Meditation parts were lowkey therapeutic felt like asmr.

Overall good experience? Probably just not used to going to church though cos I nearly fell asleep halfway the sermons.

RIP 💀

we will remember you always 😔😔😔 - 🌘 and 🍳

'*•.¸♡ THE END♡¸.•*'

[sweetandsoursaws]

Dear Lark,

The Monroe Artist Collective cordially invites you to participate in the upcoming Artists' Gallery at Monroe Manor in Inner City. You have been assigned Booth D4 to decorate and showcase your art to critics and investors. If you have any questions, please contact Irma Tempest, our Event Manager.

Sincerely,

Alphonse Monroe.

Monroe Artist Collective

Oh god. Oh fuck. Showcase? Critics???? Investors- How has he given this man the impression he has any interest in being PERCEIVED. Or that he has nearly the skill level for all this. Nope, big nope. Fear. F e a r.

He's going to write a very carefully worded response letter.

Dear Alphonse, No thank you Here's Lake's contact info though, he'd be super into this! Sincerely, Lark Wren I'm just a dude who does chainsaw art and it's really not that good thank you for the offer though unless it was a joke then hahah nice one or fuck you depending on how you meant it

Of course, he was told to contact Irma Tempest. But he doesn't know her. So he's not going to, and he's going to hope Al gets the message and just stew in anxiety about it either way.

[hoghtastic]

You all blame her for doing everything to get attention and then you give it to her. The last blog was her hatepage and this one looks like her fanpage. I don't know which option is funnier. Has Alex really become such a boring person that even his fans prefer to give their full attention to his girlfriend or his ex instead of him and his work? The name of the blog and the pinned post contradict the content

While I don't think Alex has become such a boring person, the truth is that the past few months his online presence has mostly been reduced to his relationship with Johanne (and vice-versa). So what is there about him and his work to discuss at the moment, that hasn't been discussed already? Should we keep talking about Vikings forever? Or some Danish series very few people were able to watch? Or about his upcoming projects that have no release date yet and no new info? I understand you, I'd love to be sharing and commenting new pictures of him from some new photoshoot, or videos of him at some charity events, or gif sets from a new series, but there's none unfortunately. And he also doesn't share as much content as he used to in the past.

So of course people are going to talk about the only available topics. And because this is intended to be a free, safe space for everyone to share their opinions, it's obvious that we won't always agree with each other, and that's perfectly fine. And this is exactly what is stated in the pinned post — "everyone is welcome and discussions are encouraged". This blog doesn't intend to be neither a hate page nor a fan page about her, but expect her to be discussed, since she's a part of Alex's (public!) life, and people are free to like or dislike her.

And if what bothered you was the last post, note that we were just talking about a dress (designed by one of Alex's friends), which happened to be worn by her. It would still be a pretty dress (in my opinion, of course), had it been worn by a totally random model or the Queen of Denmark herself. 😆 Liking something a person wears or the way they sing, for example, doesn't mean to actually like them as a person, or to approve of the shady things they'd done in the past. Two things can co-exist.

But if after all of this you're still bothered about seeing content about her here, there are a few options: ● Notice that the posts that are more specifically about her and her projects have been tagged #johanne milland, so you can easily block/filter this tag and you won't be seeing them anymore; ● You can send in asks about things you'd actually like to discuss here and actively contribute to the debate; ● You can find other blogs with content that's more to your liking.

Nevertheless, thank you for your input and have a nice day. 😊

[thewheepingwillow]

Lovesick

Hello. My name's Willow. I've had a crush since... I have no idea. We met at school.

His classroom is just next to mine. He is a year older but that doesn't change anything. The thing here is that... I'm in love with this guy.

He has a band! It's called heartstroke. He knows how to play a couple of instruments and let's just say.. I've always had this thing for "musicians".

So far my previous crushes either have a talent relating to music, or they know how to play instruments or be in a band. I don't know but I guess I've just got a thing for "music guys". Let's start talking about what kind of guy he is.

He is very friendly! He is extroverted. He has an older brother who is 2-3 years older. He is pretty funny. HE IS SO CUTEE!!!

So I first met him by the stairs. I wanted to say hi but instead my introverted self just stared at him nervously. I really wanted to get closer to him and be his friend.

My best friend's older sister is classmates with his brother. She is very nice. She helped me by giving me some info about him (not in a weird way I swear). As I got to know more stuff about him, I gained more interest in asking to be friends with him.

My shy self couldn't do it alone. My friend gave me his contact (since I asked). And so far we have gotten pretty close. We even decided to meetup at lunch! I kept asking if I would be a burden and if he was sure about it.

Why would he want to hangout with a random girl who wants to be his friend? He could just hangout with his other friends as always. But he really reassured me that it was no problem and that he wanted to get to know me too.

He really is a gentleman! He really tries to make people happy. When it was time for our meet, I went out of the classroom and braced myself. I am not social at all. I kept getting second thoughts. It took me ATLEAST 14 minutes before I went outside the doorway.

He was literally in front of the door at the other side. The only thing between us was the doorway. He was holding a guitar and playing a fun melody. "He must be practicing for his band to play at the upcoming event" I thought.

Some of his classmates were surrounding him and watching him play. His smile was adorable. When he saw me. He looked amused and excited.

He then stood up and brought his guitar with him. He was tall for his age. My height is literally until his shoulder. We went to a much more private and not so crowded spot. My friends really did follow me.

I think it weirded him out but in the same time he looked so joyful I'm not sure what to think. We talked and talked and got to know each other pretty well. He's adorable (I'm not sure how many times I said this).

After that day, We've gotten so much closer. Since it's periodical exams week, and our chairs are outside of the classroom since there's no more space since they had to separate them, we get to see each other. Don't forget that our classrooms are just beside each other. Once I finished answering my test, I glanced at him and he hadn't finished his yet.

The way he reacts is just... Amazing. Everything he does is amazing. When I finished the last exam for today, I looked over at him.

We made eye contact. I then looked away as fast as I can, it can be normal right? Just a little glance... After a moment, I looked at him again. And he was still looking.

Every school day, we don't really talk since I don't do the first step ad he talks with his other friends. All we have is eye contact and he greets me too.

Why does he keep staring at me? I usually catch him staring. My classmates catch him staring at me too. They keep teasing me about it.

What could it mean? I have no idea

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

okay so there is a massive fucking dilemma about when the play that goes wrong is set. (obviously, for the sake of just going and watching the show, it really does not matter. but it matters a lot to me personally, as someone who enjoys creating a cornley timeline in their spare time, so i will be overanalysing everything to the ends of the earth. godbless).

SO. here's my breakdown of all the things we know about when tptgw is. my goal is to make as many different pieces of lore fit as possible, but if in the end i get really desperately stuck, i am willing to say "hey this just messes eveything up" and get rid of it. also worth saying that all of this is literally just a direct stream of consciousness of me trying to figure it out for myself, so really, you're just coming along for the journey. therefore, if all of this is complete gibberish, apologies, i tried my best.

in the bbc peter pan goes wrong, trevor says that he's been the stage manager for cornley for about 5 years

this means it has to have been about 5 years since tptgw, since trevor wasn't the stage manager in this show. he only became stage manager when annie quit after tptgw. bbc ppgw aired on 31st december 2016. this means that tptgw has to be late 2011/early 2012. what qualifies as this depends on how relaxed you believe trevor's definition of "about 5 years" is.

in the tptgw program, the next item in the list of "upcoming cornley productions and events" is stated to be 13-17 january

this places tptgw as late one year or very early the next. this could support the above theory of being late 2011/early 2012, probably december or january.

in the tptgw script, chris welcomes the audience to the cornley polytechnic drama society's spring production of the murder at haversham manor.

this line is often omitted in stage performances given that tptgw is now performed throughout the entire year, but in both the 2nd and 3rd editions of the script, chris states that the production is taking place in spring — aka march, april or may. this obviously does not support the previous ideas about december/january. HOWEVER, if you're really willing to push it, here's an idea to make it work. this is just purely based off of my research of the british education system, so if i'm incorrect on any of this, i can only apologise and tell you that i've literally done my absolute best. also some of this info may seem basic to my british mutuals, but it was a lot to learn for me and therefore i will talk about it as if none of you know this.

so in england, the school year is broken into three terms — autumn, spring and summer. these are approximately broken up as so:

now as you may notice, the spring term actually starts in early january. when specifically in early january? i'm so glad you asked. in the 2011/2012 school year, aka our current hypothesis about when tptgw takes place, this is an overview of when the terms start and finish:

(this calendar, as stated, is specific to central bedfordshire, but i checked multiple different sources from multiple different universities and governments, and they're all about the exact same dates as this one. i've just chosen this particular one because it's easier for me to visualise it in this nice calendar form, rather than just being told the dates.)

so, the spring term in 2012 starts approximately on the 4th of january. this means that, potentially, tptgw could take place very early january, before the 13th when waiting for godot starts, while still being part of the spring academic term, and therefore, technically, a "spring production". while this does work on a technical level, i'm not a huge fan of this, purely because by "spring production" i envision it being a production they developed over the spring term, and then actually performed later in the term (eg march). it feels a bit weird for their "spring production" to kick off in the first of second week of the term. there ARE explanations for this. my best one is that after receiving max's donation later the previous year, chris managed to get them into the west end, and then worked the society throughout the holidays to get it ready by the very start of the next term. but then the phrasing of "spring production" feels weird, because it's not really a spring production anymore, because it's on the west end and now outside of the academic calendar.

the other way to get rid of this issue is to just discount either the spring production information or the upcoming events information. if you get rid of the spring production lore, you can easily just go back to having it in december 2011/january 2012 without the stress of trying to justify why chris calls it that. if you write off the upcoming events as some sort of mistake someone makes while creating the program (eg. copying and pasting the information, like i originally suggested), then you could easily say that tptgw was later in the spring term, like around march (which also just officially puts it in spring anyway), while still being early enough in the year for it to have been "almost 5 years" since trevor became the stage manager.

so that's that then? issue solved? unfortunately, no, because only today, i looked into a piece of lore i had overlooked.

in the tptgw program, cornley stole a review from the evening standard about the donmar warehouse's all female production of julius caesar, and pretended it was about their (presumably recent) production of hamlet.

now, for this to make sense, tptgw has to have taken place after this particular production ran and this review was written. wanna know when this is?

fucking 2013. immediate spanner in the works.

so then. how do we reconcile this. the biggest issue is obviously trevor's five year line, as if tptgw is in 2013, that leads to being about four years, at the most. so that's obviously a problem. but then, i got thinking. is it canon anywhere that tptgw is trevor's first show with the society? i think the "just doing it to get his electronics module" idea made me (and everyone else) automatically assume that it's his first show, but there's a possibility that he could have been involved in previous productions. obviously he wasn't the stage manager until after tptgw, but the possibilities are that:

he did some sort as an asm and therefore can claim he's been stage managing cornley for 5 years

he was still doing lighting and sound previously, but as we see in tptgw, he gets quite involved in stage stuff anyway, so maybe he just considered himself a stage manager there anyway.

so my running theory is that trevor was involved in the cpds during 2012, but then maybe left for a bit (maybe after a falling out with chris or something like that). then, he rejoined in tptgw to get the credits for his module in early 2013, and then stuck with them (obviously). as i said, i don't think there's much that could contradict trevor previously working in shows. the only one i can think of is this from the ppgw program:

which implies that tptgw was his first. however, i was already not particularly keen on accepting this as canon, just because, based on the amount of time between tptgw and ppgw, and based on the five years line, it would be weird for him NOT to be in shows in between. i haven't figured out exactly how to justify this, but it's one of those things that i just cannot accept as true. so we're ignoring it or finding an explanation for it (but later) and moving on!

so then. tptgw has to be after 11th january 2013 (when the evening standard review came out). this makes it hard to believe that tptgw took place before waiting for godot (13-17th january) because that leaves a two day gap for that program to be made. so i think we can safely decide that that particular piece of lore will have to be justified as a mistake that cornley themselves made in the program.

the spring production information actually fits very well with this new timeline, as it's a decent enough time apart that realistically, cornley could have found the review, pretended it was for hamlet, and then put it in the tptgw program. and then also, as i said, makes the timeline of the school term more realistic. they could have worked on tptgw all term as one of their spring productions (because with the number of shows we have listed as them doing, there must be several shows per term) before making it onto the west end. so, if we look at the 2012/2013 academic year calendar:

(this one is from brighton & hove city council, but once again, i checked multiple sources and this is the same as most others).

the spring term starts 7th january and goes until 28th march. therefore, i think it's reasonable to place tptgw as early march, since that puts in late in the term (giving them time to actually prepare the show, while also placing it in an actual month of spring).

SO, to sum up: i am placing tptgw as march 2013. the "upcoming cornley events" thing was an outdated copy of it that was placed in the program accidentally. trevor, while only officially gaining the position of "stage manager" after tptgw, previously worked with the cpds in roles that he considers to be enough to make him a "cornley stage manager" for about five years.

if you've made it this far, you're either as insane as i am (🤝) or you're a very loyal mutual (ily mwah). if anyone has any alternative ideas, theories, or suggestions, or you just want to tell me to get a life, my askbox and comments are open. remember, this is just my personal interpretation, and you do not have to agree with a single thing i said if you don't want to. canon is a construct. time is a construct. you can do whatever you want all the time. peace and love <3

me, literally only 8 hours ago: oh yeah cornley lore is flexible, you can make whatever work.

me right this second, trying to decipher this fucking timeline: if i don't make all of this make sense together i will literally combust.

[imdoingsortagay]

During Business Hours-Chapter one

Series: Overtime Au 

Characters: Ceo!Pepper Potts, Bodyguard!Maria Hill, Assistant!Reader 

Pairings: Pepper Potts x Reader, Maria Hill x Reader, Maria Hill x Pepper Potts ( as friends, maybe), Pepper Potts x Maria Hill x Reader. 

Warnings: None rn, smut in later chapters, 

Summary: When you started off as Peppers assistant, you never assumed that you would get the interest of the your boss and her bodyguard.

a/n: i think i talked about this with @urdollygf on discord, was gonna write it and did, lost the chapter for a hot minute, rewrote it and found it again today! I am very dumb but omg the ideas i have for this besties, you are in for a treat i promise you

Happy reading besties !!!

Maria was the first one to notice you 2 months after Miss Potts had hired you as her assistant, needing someone to help her around the office after Tony had left the company in pursuit of a new passion. Pepper was a bit mad at the man for leaving without notice but one could understand that if they were given an opportunity to fight with the best of the best to be in a group who would defend earth. To avoid stressing out with all her new responsibilities, she made sure to get an assistant of her own. 

Compared to the other assistants she had employed weeks before she even chose you, Maria had somehow felt you were different. A very quiet person, always doing what’s told and not giving an attitude in high-stress situations. Just something about your presence really gave her some ideas. 

Naughty ideas to be exact. 

Pepper generally liked you when she had first hired you to be her assistant, you were the best one so far but at the 2-month mark of your time in the company, she noticed something happening between you and her personal bodyguard. Pepper had known Maria was a big player and was used to her talking about the countless ladies she would sleep with when she would take her to and from the office. When Maria had told Pepper about her weekend going in the morning she was a bit confused, usually, this woman didn’t care who knew how good she was in bed.

After a week of observing you and Maria, Pepper was able to find out that her bodyguard had some interest in you or some sort of crush or something similar on you and it was honestly weird. Pepper didn’t think you were ugly, you had some very nice features if she had to be honest with herself. 

You were a very quiet person, only talking to 2 other employees who worked for Pepper, always doing your work and going beyond what Pepper had hired you for. Making sure you were always working to the best of your ability and so on. Pepper had the perfect opportunity to have you as her submissive little assistant, having her trusted bodyguard on her side to keep you on track. It was a dream come true, an opportunity just left on her lap and it’s not like she’s gonna let it go away. 

And thus, she forms a plan. 

“ You called Miss Potts?” Maria says as she enters Pepper’s office while she looks through the many emails in her inbox. She had no idea what she was called into her bosses office for, assuming it would have been related to her job or upcoming events. 

“ Have you been eyeing my assistant Miss Hill? And don’t try to lie about it either, I trust you’ll tell me the truth and nothing but the truth” she says to her employee standing in the middle of her office with a surprised face. Well, this wasn’t what she thought her boss would want to talk to her about today.

“ How did you know ?” 

“Your shit at hiding stuff Miss Hill and plus you are usually very open about your sex life and you haven’t been info-dumping on me about it” 

“ Wow um okay good to know, “ she says, “ why are you asking me this ? “ she asks her boss and they both form a plan to try to have you as theirs.

Their plan is to have Maria take you home each night to try to get to know you better and get more info about you, what you like, what makes you tick, and so on. A great opportunity for Maria to spend time with you and for Pepper to choose in what direction she would want to go with you. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ Miss Hill here is gonna take you home for the night dear,” Pepper says as she’s reading one of the monthly earning reports, too occupied with the papers to notice how much you blush at the realization of being in the same space as her bodyguard. From the quietness of her office and the only noise coming from the classical music she’s playing on her computer, you don’t want to say anything to make her mad. 

It’s not like you need someone to give you a ride to your apartment, sure you don’t have a car and have to take the subway late at night but you still manage to make it home without getting robbed. Plus, there is always some pepper spray and a knife in your bag in case a person does try to mug you. 

“ I don’t think that’s needed Miss Potts, I can make it to my apartment on my own,” you say to pepper who places the papers on her desk to look up at you. 

“ No “ 

“ Miss Potts, doesn’t she need to guard you ?” 

“ miss y/l/n, I’m fine for now and I’d rather have my best employee get home safely “ 

“ Again Miss Potts, no need to worry about me “ 

“ Are you really gonna go against my orders y/n?” pepper says firmly to you. 

“ no miss Potts, I’ll take the offer actually “ 

 “Good girl, I was beginning to think you couldn’t follow simple orders, “ she says and you can’t help but blush at the praise. Pepper immediately notices your mood change at the praise she gives you and makes sure to take that down in her notebook. 

“ Are you forgetting to say something, Miss, y/l/n” She questions and waits for your answer while you think of what to say. Maybe she does have a point about Maria giving you a ride home since you’ve had a long day.

“ Thank you, Miss Potts,” you say in a quiet voice, loud enough for the blonde to hear you, and smile when she gets thanks. Pepper just wants to make sure her best employee get’s home safe without being in danger. Especially with the busy day you had, having to run errands for her while she was in meetings back to back. Pepper isn’t gonna risk you having something happen to you on the bus in a dangerous city like new York while Maria is here, of course.

“ You’re very welcome y/n,” she says with a smile,” Maria can take you home in the next ten minutes to your apartment, you can wait by her desk while I take a minute to talk to her about important business,” she says and you nod, you leave the office to make her way to her desk while Maria enters the office moments later. 

“Miss Potts” 

“ Miss Hill, please repeat to me the plan for the ride to their apartment,” she says to the brunette across from her desk. 

“ Open the door for them, make sure to take the long route to their apartment, ask them questions about themselves and try to get more information” she states to her boss and gets a nod of approval for her so she knows the plan. 

“ Good job Miss Hill, now go take them to their home and make sure we get the information we need to move on to the next steps of the plan” 

“ Yes ma’am, yes Miss Potts,” Maria says with a little salute before making her way out of the Ceo’s office. 

Let part one of the plan commence. 

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (February 26/2021) - ...What?

DreamXD helped George build a McDonald’s, Quackity’s double joined, Jack and Andrea went on a date with Sam and Foolish joining in as wingmen, Andrea was lured to the Egg, Wilbur (non-canonically) had a heart attack during a horse/footrace and died...

Just an average day in the Dream SMP, I suppose?

---

VOD LINKS:

Ranboo

Captain Puffy

Georgenotfound

Jack Manifold

[Andrea’s VOD was deleted due to leaked info, nothing to worry about though!]

---

- Puffy and Foolish work on their fast food restaurant

- After attempting to solve the mystery behind why George was banned on TikTok, Quackity decides that George should build a McDonald’s in Minecraft.

- DreamXD, the god of the server himself, appears to help them. As the owner of the land, he suggests that they renovate the Deal or No Deal house into a McDonalds. He happens to have some very convenient stacks of supplies. 

- They burn down the old house and begin to build. Wendy’s replies on Twitter and Dream ratios them.

- Quackity starts chasing George so he calls for Dream’s help and DreamXD attacks him as Quackity repents for his sins. Quackity logs out and DreamXD builds a pit and they fill it with lava.

- George shouts for Quackity to log in while dramatic music plays. 

Quackity: “Then so be it. So be it! I don’t care! So be it, George! If this is the destiny that I have to face, then I’ll face it with honor, George!”

- He’s known it all along...Quackity is the one who got him banned. Quackity’s the one who got them all banned! Quackity begins to chuckle. George finally put together the pieces.

Quackity: “You have no idea how much power I have, George...and guess what, I have no issues doing it over, and over, and over again.”

- Quackity decides that he’s not going to log in so that he won’t give George the satisfaction of watching him die. DreamXD types a suggestion to ban Quackity in chat.

George: “I have Dream on my side! DreamXD, he is the god of the Dream SMP server! He will RUIN you! He will delete you from the lore!”

Quackity: “DreamXD...you think gods scare me, George? Gods don’t scare me, George, they don’t.”

- Bad falls into the pit and has to get out.

George: “He’s quacked!”

Quackity: “I’m gonna walk out the door with honor, George, and I’m never giving you the satisfaction of watching me die.”

- Suddenly, DreamXD hits George into the pit of fire, revealing that he’s been with Wendy’s this entire time! George perishes in the fire as Quackity taunts him. 

Quackity: “LOOK AT YOU! Look at you fall into despair and death, thinking you’re one step above, but you have no one on your side, George. Nobody...nobody is on your side. Nobody has ever been on your side, George. That’s the funny part! That’s the funny part. Your little moments, your little moments where you think you have any sort of power...they’re just amusing, George. They’re so amusing to me. Have you realized it yet? Have you realized how you hold no power, ever, at all? Take this to the grave, George...you’re nobody.”

- DreamXD tells Quackity it’s clear to log on, but Quackity still doesn’t die. DreamXD then says that it was all an attempt to trick Quackity into logging in and calls for George to log back on.

DreamXD: “I was never with him, George...I’ve been by your side since the beginning, George...I promise.”

- They walk back to McDonald’s. DreamXD assures George that Quackity will pay for this. He murders Bad to cheer George up. DreamXD also makes George a server operator for a short moment.

- George runs back, shouting at Quackity to log in. Quackity replies that as long as he’s outside of George’s realm, they have no power over him. The instant he logs in, they have control. He won’t give them that satisfaction.

- George threatens to canonically ban Quackity for eternity. Bad warns him of the mark this might make on his soul. George presses enter...and it doesn’t work. 

Quackity: (laughing) “George...you really thought you had the power! You really thought you could do anything to me! George, you can’t! You can’t do anything to me! Not now, not ever, not as long as I live, George.”

“Long live Quackity, George...I never die.”

- Quackity announces that he will be building a salad store right across the street from George’s store, and there’s nothing George can do about it!

- quackitynumber2 joins the game. George tells him that if he sacrifices himself to the lava, he’ll forgive him. Quackitynumber2 does just that. They rescue real Quackity from the lava.

- DreamXD takes George to the Oogway Shrine to “pray.” 

- Sapnap comes on, very confused. They continue to ratio Wendy’s.

- Jack preps for his date. Foolish gives him a pep talk, then Wilbur briefly joins to ask if Andrea’s there yet. Antfrost arrives in a maid outfit.

- Andrea eventually comes onto the server. She dies once and Sam declares it canon. Sam gives Jack gifts for the date at Spawn.

- Jack and Andrea ride around in a boat a bit. The date continues as Antfrost and Sam work as diligent wingmen.

- Sam turns Jack into the waterman and shouts about Dreamons as he attacks. Jack runs away and waits for the invisibility to wear off while Sam, Punz and the others show Andrea Egg propaganda.

- Sam says they can see the Egg soon! Punz remarks that the Egg is nice. Jack freaks out when he hears about this and runs over, eager to stop Andrea from being mind-controlled.

- Jack makes it to Puffy’s McDonald’s and reunites with Andrea. 

- They continue to walk around, near the Eggpire meeting room. Sam greets them there, leads the two into the egg building and tells Andrea to stand in the center. Jack and Andrea jump down into the Egg Room.

Sam: Break it Andrea. Save the server. Do it.

- Jack warns her against breaking the blocks. Andrea jumps down from the Egg and looks at it.

Sam: DO YOU WANT TO BE A HERO??

Andrea: SIR

Andrea: MR AWESOME DUDE

Sam: Yes?

Andrea: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN AN EGG

Andrea: THAT IS NOT AN EGG

- She says this reminds her of health education classes. A fun way to teach people about the reproductive system. Sam tells her to break the Egg again.

- Sam tells her they need to break the Egg to leave, but Andrea dies by lava instead. Jack warns her that she only has one canon life left.

- Jack struggles to swim back up to the surface through the chute. Sam tells Andrea that he doesn’t see her surviving the night.

- Jack makes it to the surface and tries to get back to Andrea. Meanwhile, Sam tells Andrea that he’s way richer than Jack is. 

- Jack meets Andrea and Sam at Lemon City. Sam gets Andrea a horse. They decide to do a race. Andrea proposes that they sacrifice the loser. Foolish accuses Sam of cheating on Ponk.

- Ponk comes online.

Jack: Hi Fonk

Sam: LETS RACE

Ponk: Shut up home wrecker

WilburSoot joined the game.

- They make a call for all the racers. Wilbur joins and asks Jack for a few words in private.

- Once alone, Wilbur urges Jack to get out of there. This is not going well, he says. Jack insists that everything’s going fine! Wilbur tells Jack that Andrea asked him to serenade her.

- Jack points out that Wilbur did this last time. Wilbur tells him that was just him being a silly quirky goofster. This is him being real.Wilbur tells Jack to trust him.

Wilbur: “I have a plan...basically, you’re doing a race, right? What’s the worst thing that can happen during a race, you may be asking? I’ll tell you what:

“Wilbur Soot has a heart attack and dies.”

- The plan goes as follows: they start the race, Wilbur has a heart attack and dies, and in his last dying breath, he asks Andrea to tell the truth.

- The two rejoin the call with the plan in mind and meet at the Community House with Sam to begin the race.

Wilbur: “I sure hope my arteries will hold up!”

- The race begins! Jack, Andrea and Sam all start running, Andrea still on horseback. Wilbur calls out that his chest is hurting and Jack turns around to run back to him.

- With his last dying breath, Wilbur says to Andrea that she should tell Jack what she said to Wilbur. He then dies before they can perform CPR. Sam points out that Wilbur Soot is not the type to waste his last words. Andrea replies that they were going to sacrifice him anyway.

- Jack has the messages from Wilbur.

Sam: “Can you read those to us please? I wanna imagine that he wrote them about me.”

Jack: “Okay, he said -- you’re gonna struggle, it has my name in it.”

Sam: “Well, just, when you read your name, just say ‘Sam’ instead.

Jack: “Okay, he says, ‘I want to date Sam. That sounds fucking brilliant.’”

Sam: “Wilbur said that about me?! Oh my god, I have chills. I literally have chills right now. I got ghost bumpies.”

- Andrea asks what’s going on between Jack and Wilbur, and questions whether Jack is really in love with her. She decides to run away.

- Sam shows her the prison he built and brags that he’s the warden. Andrea’s horse explodes. Sam asks if they should lock Jack up, and Andrea says they should.

- After Andrea sings “My Humps,” Sam rapidly comes to the conclusion that he no longer wants anything to do with this date. 

- Jack and Andrea’s date continues as he leads her to the restaurant he made. 

- Afterwards, they go back to the mainland and Andrea sees L’manhole. Jack explains that this is where L’manberg was destroyed, and he fell into Hell. Andrea remarks that there used to be a sign here that said “I <3 Andrea” that now says “You </3 Little Penis” instead.

- They sail out into the ocean together. 

- Afterwards, Jack brings her to Foolish’s Temple of Undying. Jack says he’ll see her on their next date, if he’s still alive by then.

- Andrea leaves, and Sam speaks with Jack alone.

---

Upcoming events remain the same.

[thebrochtuarachs]

Something in the Rain - “Finding Solid Ground”

A/N:  Hi all! This chapter has been in the drafts for quite sometime now but I only had the time to pick up the writing. Thank you so much for your patience with my slow updates but rest assured, I absolutely love this story and daydream about the chapters ahead. As always, your comment and suggestions help a lot moving this story forward. Hope you all are keeping safe and healthy! Till the next one!

AO3  / C1: A Day In June : C2: Definitely, Maybe : C3: So We Meet Again : C4: Friday Lunch

XXXXX

She was 45 minutes late.

Claire was running as fast as she could, catching some curious eyes on her as she raced towards Mrs. Kim’s Korean Street Food Hub to hopefully, still catch Jamie for their lunch.

She got off from her morning surgery quite late due to some complications but she still went as courtesy and because, in all honesty, she still wanted to see him. Their last encounter kind of left them in an awkward place and she was hoping that this meeting could help clarify some things. She has been waiting for this all week but alas, life (and medicine) had other plans.

Claire entered the store and knew instantly that he wasn’t there. The place was empty after the lunch rush and she sighed in disappointment.

“Claire!” Mrs. Kim suddenly called out. “This is for you, left by your friend”, she said while handing her a piece of paper.

“Thank you” Claire replied, opening it on spot.

Hi Claire,

Sorry, I left before you arrived but I have to get back to the office. Don’t worry about the wait, I really don’t mind but I just have a packed schedule today.

Forgive me if this is too forward but here’s my number. No pressure! Just figured we can text or call whenever is a better time to catch up. Just hit me up when you feel like it and I’ll be on the other line.

I do hope to hear from you soon. If not, I’ll be here next Friday, same time :)

Jamie

Claire did not waste any more time and punched in Jamie’s mobile number to call. After three rings, he answered.

“Hello?”

“Jamie? It’s me, Claire.”

“Claire, hi! I see you got my note.”

“I did. I am so sorry. My surgery ran a little bit long and…”

“Don’t worry, I figured that must be it.” he said cheerfully, cutting her off before she went into a long explanation. “I mean, you save lives and all, couldn’t be angry about that.”

Claire sighed relief on the other line and couldn’t believe just how understanding he is. So understanding that she’s starting to wonder if he’s even real. She hasn't really met anyone that chivalrous and it captures her.

“Oh, wow. Thank you - and thank you for the note and your number. My guilt would’ve eaten me alive if I couldn’t apologize to you.”

“You don’t think it was too forward?”

“No, not at all. To be honest, I was going to ask it last week before we got, erm, interrupted.”

“Well, that’s good to know. And in any case, I would’ve given it.” Jamie said.

She could hear his smile from the other line and she couldn’t help but smile too.

“Anyhow,” Claire followed. “I am so sorry I missed you today. To make up for it, would you happen to be doing anything tomorrow?”

“Hmm, let me check." Jamie checked his board calendar. "Nope, my weekend is free. Anything you had in mind?”

“Well, if you’re up for it, I’d like to invite you to the center tomorrow, see what we’re doing with the kids. Fair warning though, they get a little rowdy sometimes.”

“I’m game! Text me the details and what time to meet you.”

“Really? Great! Sure, I’ll text you the details in a bit”

“Will wait for it. Claire, sorry to cut this short but I have to run to a meeting. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Oh no, please. Go ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow, Alright, bye!”

-

It was a Saturday, two weeks since their encounter by the crossing, and now she’s waiting for him to arrive and bring him to one of the most special places for her.

Claire hadn’t absolutely thought through what inviting Jamie to the center would mean. Reflecting on yesterday, a part of Claire thought she may have panicked and this invite might’ve been a mistake. On another end was a part of her that was excited to see him and if she was really being honest, spend time with him, and show her the work they have been doing.

She had told her their meeting story and the extended invite to her friends and staff but left out the part about their lunches. She messaged the team on WhatsApp about their upcoming guest and her inbox has blown with messages asking her for more details about the man himself. She messaged that they’ll be able to find out for themselves tomorrow when they meet him and turned off her phone.

“Claire?” Deep in thought she hadn’t seen or hear Jamie arrive. “You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Spaced out there for a bit” she embarrassingly admitted.

“A penny for your thoughts?” Jamie asked as Claire pointed the way in.

“Erm, nothing much. Just thinking about giving you fair warning about everyone upstairs. They’re quite curious about you, Jamie Fraser.” she said jokingly the half truth.

Jamie got a bit nervous suddenly and Claire felt it. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll save you if they get too rowdy. Be ready to answer questions though." She said, smiling, hoping to ease his thoughts.

“Is any topic off limits? Should I not mention anything to them?”

“I leave it to you. But if you ask me, just be yourself and charm everyone away”

Jamie chuckled and Claire turned to him. “What?”

“You think I’m charming?”

Claire laughed and smacked him in the arm. “Oh, bug off!”

“I’ll take that as a yes”

“Anyway!” Claire interrupted. “Today’s event is just art and crafts and a story session. The rest, the kids can do and play how ever they like. I usually just play with any kid who asks me to and time just flies and suddenly, the afternoon is done.”

“Got it. I honestly hope I can help more than distract or whatever”

“Pssh, you’ll be fine, Jamie. You’ll be fine”

--

The moment the elevator doors opened, a line of people greeted Jamie and Claire at the entrance.

“Hello, everyone” Claire greeted but to her surprise, no one spoke or moved. Everyone was just looking at Jamie. “This is Jamie. Jamie Fraser, our guest for today”

She ushered them closer to the stunned group and began to introduce them one by one.

Mary, the receptionist and admin assistant.

Mrs. Graham, the secretariat and head of operations.

Joe, also a surgeon from Claire’s hospital.

Frank, the history professor he’d met a week earlier.

Geilis, a botanist and herbalist.

“It’s nice to meet you all. Thank you for having me this afternoon.” Jamie said and it was only then that the ice was broken.

“Hi, Jamie was it? Can I call you Jamie?” Mrs. Graham prodded.

“Yes, Mam”

“Alright, this way. Let me show you around”

As Mrs. Graham swept Jamie away for a short tour, the rest of the group crowded Claire with questions.

“Okay, he is even more handsome than in the pictures!” Geilis excitedly said.

“Pictures?” Claire asked.

“Ugh, I sometimes forget you’re a doctor who needs to catch up to the times” Geilis pinched her nose jokingly. “Jamie was named one of Scotland’s most eligible bachelors in a tatler magazine last year. There’s pretty striking photos of him in a tux and in casual clothes.”

“I remember that issue. Gail had one lying in the house and I happen to peruse it one time. You’re right, the pictures don’t do him justice.” Joe chimed in.

“I had no idea. I mean, I just literally bumped into the guy on the street!” Claire said, a curiosity pooling in her mind. She had to look for that magazine later.

“Such a meet-cute story. Ugh, Claire! It’s like something out of the books or movies” Geilis added.

“Psh, he seems too manly for me. I mean, who is that fit and that put together.” Frank mused.

“I think he’s quite charming” Joe added.

“If you ask me, Claire, I don’t know what’s going on between you two but keep it going” Geilis added.

“Aish, nothing is going on. I just extended a polite invite to make up for - “ Claire stopped as Jamie and Mrs. Graham arrived back, thankful for the Interruption.

“Make up for what?” Geilis asked, not missing that info.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Mhm” Geilis hummed raising an eyebrow to Claire. She’ll pull it out of her later.

---

It was a long but fun afternoon for everyone.

Afterwards, one by one, the space cleared out, the kids were picked up, saying goodbye to the staff with some even approaching and waving at Jamie as they left, leaving him with a heartwarming feeling.

“Well, another successful weekend, folks!” Frank called out and the team gave themselves applause.

“Great job to Joe and Mary for taking on the storytelling and painting sessions this afternoon and I would also like to thank our guest, Jamie, for being patient and helpful with the kids” Mrs. Graham added, earning another group applause.

“Thank ye, I hope I helped at all today but otherwise, I enjoyed today and thank ye for inviting me.” Jamie shared.

“Come join us anytime” Joe patted him on the back. “Alright, everyone, have a goodnight. See you all next week, I’ll bring Gail and Lenny along.” With that he made a way for the elevator and it was everyone’s cue to leave.

Claire approached Jamie just as he was going to her. “Well, how are you and how was it?” she asked. If she expected to spend time with Jamie, well, it didn’t happen. First, he was whisked away by Mrs. Graham. Afterwards, it was Joe asking help to build his set. Next up was Mary who got him assisting on getting and serving the food, and the rest of the time, it was kids calling out on Jamie here and there and he was more than happy to oblige.

“Fun and a little bit tiring” he replied and Claire gave a small laugh. “But in all honesty, thank ye for inviting me to come here. Made me miss my niece and nephew”

“I’m glad you had fun and I’m glad you got to see what we’re doing here.”

Jamie might be overthinking things but he knew that Claire sharing this part of her to him seems like a big thing and he intends to cherish that.

“Anyway, I’d like to offer to drive ye home...or to the nearest bus stop” he added, panicking he put her in a tight spot.

Claire paused, eyed him jokingly, intentionally making him more flush and nervous.

“I’d take that offer but” she began and Jamie swallowed the lump on his throat, “I actually live nearby so we don’t need to drive”

“Okay,” Jamie sighed in relief which Claire found very cute. “Lead the way, then”

[shihalyfie]

Kizuna drama CD: Detail spotting and nuance analysis

02 involved displaying its group dynamic through mundane interactions and wacky hijinks, and the circumstances of an eight-year block of time between Kizuna and 02, plus the fact that Hikari and Takeru operate separately from the others due to the movie’s circumstances, mean that the drama CD centering around the group is actually our most reliable source of info regarding how they’re doing at this time and how their group dynamic is going. Much like 02 itself, getting a lot of this nuance requires reading between the lines, so let’s take a closer look!

Since this is a drama CD and not animated material, I’ll be going through this in bullet points instead of screenshots.

The fact that the drama CD itself deliberately uses the same format as a 02 episode carries a very strong implication that, unlike their seniors who are going through an existential crisis about how much of their childhood experiences they can bring with them into adulthood, the 02 group is still roughly able to recreate the same atmosphere they had eight years ago. Noticeably, the ending song chosen for this is the first ED (Tomorrow My Wind Will Blow), the more lighthearted one used for the first half, before a lot of really emotionally vicious things started happening to them.

The phrase “it’s been a while” and variants thereof come up between this group a lot within this drama CD (and once in the movie itself, from Hawkmon to the others). Look closely at the circumstances of this drama CD and how everyone seems to be very intimately aware of each other’s situations, and the fact that this story obviously takes place only a short time before the movie itself -- so it really hasn’t been a very long time at all, but apparently even that much is considered a “long time” for them. (It also seems like they’re going out of their way to make sure they’re still keeping in regular contact even when they can’t actually meet up.)

Daisuke says, very clearly, that Iori was the one he intended to approach “first” because he was so busy -- but he’s shown walking in with Takeru, meaning that the two of them are on very good terms now and seem to have been hanging out independently.

Daisuke wanted his plan to be a “surprise” reveal to the others, and the actual practical purpose of his plan (it being a career study trip for him) seems to have been very low on the priority list to the point it takes the CD’s entire half-hour runtime for him to finally bring it up. Before then, he’d been cheerfully fantasizing about all the fun things he’d get to do with them, and it even says a lot that he’d also wanted to discuss this at a karaoke bar of all things, so, really, in his head, “hanging out with friends and having fun with them” is the actual priority (especially since there’s basically no reason he needs to have the others on his ramen research trip, he just wants them there because he does).

The fact that the boys have to sneak in the Digimon to avoid getting extra charges means that society will now recognize them as patrons to be regularly charged.

Daisuke is asked by Iori which people he intends to bring to his trip, which implies that the 02 group isn’t technically an exclusive club or anything...but then Daisuke proceeds to list off the 02 group by name, implying that this group does indeed have a particularly elevated level of importance to him.

Look carefully at the nuances surrounding whom Daisuke wants to invite to his trip: he wanted to invite the seniors as well, but resigned himself to the fact it’d probably be impossible because they were too busy...only for the others to point out that the rest of the 02 group is also busy, but everyone is confident that they’ll make it work, and Daisuke wants them there to the point of listing them by name. So in other words, Daisuke likes everyone and would like everyone around in the ideal situation, but when push comes to shove, the rest of the 02 group is whom he really wants to have around, and said group can be reliably counted on to do whatever it takes to make it work.

The way everyone casually describes each other's circumstances (and in specific detail, not just generally describing what they're up to) says a lot; Armadimon's still talking with Hawkmon about Miyako (meaning Miyako and Iori are still regularly in contact), Takeru's up-to-date with Ken's life to the point of knowing his upcoming schedule, Daisuke's fully aware of how busy Iori is, and, later, the one to affectionately greet Hawkmon is none other than Wormmon, who, back in 02, used to only really be close with Ken himself and V-mon. You can see that everyone’s still constantly involved in each other’s lives, including their own partners being up-to-date on each other (compare the more distant relationship their seniors are portrayed with in the movie itself, both with each other and with their partners), and you can also see that Ken and Wormmon have fully integrated themselves into the group to the point it’s a completely casual affair (Iori, the one who infamously had the longest and most drawn-out process in accepting Ken, is the one to personally ask him about his preferences).

That said, note that Takeru and Iori still seem to be on surname basis with Ken, even despite obviously being much closer with him than they were before; unfortunately, it seems that having been on surname basis with him so long in 02 became a habit, leaving Daisuke and Miyako as the only ones currently known to have switched to given name basis with him.

It’s interesting that Ken, not Daisuke, is the one explicitly stated to be keeping up with soccer to the point of having schedule commitments, whereas no mention of this whatsoever is made with Daisuke, and it’s entirely possible that Daisuke actually quit playing it in an organized fashion. This is, however, consistent with their personalities, in that Ken would likely want to keep up with organized extracurricular hobbies, whereas Daisuke may enjoy soccer as a hobby, but not enough to continue committing to a high-level team. (Remember that Daisuke took a while to get a regular position even back in elementary school; as much as he liked the sport, he also wasn’t particularly outstanding at it, and especially not in comparison to Taichi, Sora, or Ken.)

Miyako leaving for Spain seems to have been a recent thing, since it has to actively be brought up in conversation as a reminder (and Daisuke seemed to initially have not taken into account that she wouldn’t be easily able to join the trip in that case, since the issue of the D-3 hadn’t come up yet). When she shows up later in person, everyone’s shocked, as if it’s unnerving for her to be back in Japan already.

Daisuke still seems to have a thing for Hikari, but note that this doesn’t really go beyond “wanting to hang out with Hikari a lot”. Also, he says this in plain view of Takeru without bringing him up at all, and Takeru himself has nothing to say about it (not even awkward laughter), meaning that he really has no object in this whatsoever.

It’s interesting to see that Armadimon, who used to have to ask about how human society works quite often in 02, is now well-versed enough in Japanese culture to be really passionate about it.

As usual, Iori does not mince words (when it's about Nagoya specialty food, at least).

Also as usual, Ken is surprisingly academic about his interests and a huge nerd.

Note Takeru's awkward "I don't really want to insult you, but also, that's weird" reaction to Ken’s speech about the hot springs -- very classic Takeru, not quite being honest for the sake of keeping the peace and awkwardly trying to be nice about it -- in contrast to Daisuke, who just honestly goes straight for the commentary. That said, regardless of how unusual of a hobby everyone around him clearly finds it, note how they all still decide to accommodate it anyway and support his interest in it.

Hypocritically, V-mon calls Daisuke out for being “embarrassing” regarding his fixation on Hikari, only to suddenly get caught off-guard by Tailmon shortly after...

Hikari's behavior has the most clear-cut contrast from herself in 02, consisting of her very assertively stating what she wants, for herself -- very important because her problems in 02 revolved around her compulsively being unable to voice her own thoughts if it meant putting a burden on others. Here, Hikari gets argumentative about what she, personally, wants to do. Given that she doesn’t quite act like this in front of her seniors in the course of the movie, and is depicted as being particularly in-sync with Miyako here -- and given how Miyako was instrumental in reaching out to her during the events of 02 -- it’s pretty easy to see how Hikari became able to assert herself like this.

Similarly, much like how Tailmon was portrayed as lightening up a bit between Adventure and 02 thanks to her new, happier life, here, she seems to be exactly on the same page as Hikari in terms of wanting to fight people for something materialistic.

Hawkmon says that it's "only natural" for them to show up whenever this group is getting together, and, indeed, Miyako was technically uninvited because everyone thought she was busy in Spain -- but was clearly in contact with them (or at least Hikari) to know that this meeting was happening. (There’s probably a group chat.)

This is implied to be the first time the 02 group has seriously considered using D-3 gate exploitation to visit each other and to travel. The group had already made use of this exploitation during 02 itself (to have Palmon delivered to New York back in 02 episode 38 and to meet up in the Digital World), but it is true that they hadn’t been necessarily using it even when it arguably would be more convenient than Tokyo transportation and Imperialdramon. So in other words, for the last eight years, through all the meetups they seem to have been having with each other (and remember, Ken lived in Tamachi, not Odaiba, at the time of 02, and there’s no guarantee that nobody in the Odaiba neighborhood didn’t move at some point), they were perfectly fine with using the inconvenience of Tokyo transportation to meet each other, or to meet up in the Digital World instead -- but then Miyako found herself in another country, and decided that she wasn't going to stand for being separated from the others for too long.

As usual, Hawkmon still has to be Miyako’s concerned minder when she’s on the verge of going out of control.

Miyako had already been implied to be in Barcelona thanks to the scenery outside her window and the movie end credits, but her speech about Spain drives it in even further with the Gaudí references.

Despite Spain being possibly the one of the worst possible options for what's later revealed to be Daisuke's motive for this trip (ramen research), it seems that Miyako baiting him with mention of the soccer league was enough to get him momentarily distracted (and also indicates that Daisuke still clearly has an active interest in soccer even if he may not be regularly playing anymore).

Speaking of which, it’s pretty obvious that Miyako knew exactly what to bait Daisuke with in order to do this.

Takeru, the group's resident moderator, is of course the one to step in and prevent Tailmon and Armadimon from wreaking too much havoc (Daisuke is mostly just slightly intimidated) -- but you might also notice that he's otherwise not saying anything about the group's chaotic antics, and in fact is guilty of enabling them even further...

Daisuke continues to have his penchant for pointing out the elephant in the room -- he's exactly right, how is Wormmon supposed to put on skis?

It is, of course, only natural that Miyako would be sensitive to knowing about currency exchange and the use of American dollars in the Digital World, given that she presumably hasn't forgotten the Digitamamon incident from 02 episode 14.

For the first time in 19 real-life years, we finally learn what Daisuke’s original motive for wanting to get into ramen making was: in true Daisuke fashion, he himself has no idea (but he just really likes ramen).

Daisuke "credits" his friends for giving him insightful advice and helpful resources in thinking about his career and future plans, but, as it turns out, everyone else wasn't thinking nearly as much of it -- either they hardly remember it, or it wasn't actually supposed to mean anything insightful. It's obviously not to say that they're not fully supportive of him (the events of this drama CD blatantly indicate otherwise), but rather that Daisuke attributes everything important and helpful in his life to his friends to ridiculous degrees, even when it's something completely ordinary like a train ticket that anyone should know about.

As always, Daisuke is very realistically aware of his own limitations, admitting freely that he was actually lacking in experience and insight to follow his dream (especially since he took the "advice" from his friends very, very seriously).

Note how quickly everyone changes their tune and immediately decides to unequivocally support Daisuke the moment they realize there's actually a very important reason to him that he wants to go on this trip.

Also note that when Hikari compliments Daisuke, Daisuke is completely at a loss -- yet again, Daisuke's been so busy rolling around for Hikari's approval that he hasn't accounted for what to do when he actually gets it.

Daisuke picking New York, of all locations, as his stop to research ramen certainly explains why Ken has to ask "why ramen?" during the movie itself -- as this drama CD indicates, and as per the events of 02 episode 50, he absolutely knows why Daisuke would want to get ramen, but ramen in New York, which isn't exactly the cultural center of ramen making, is a different story.

The fact that this was a planned multi-day trip also explains why the group changes clothes and is in New York for multiple days over the course of the movie (because they probably had a hotel, too). It also further contextualizes the likely reason Miyako felt like dealing with Menoa’s request was too much work -- she wanted to be on this trip instead -- and says a lot about how she’ll dump a request on her seniors when it’s too much hassle for her, but accept that same request back if it’s something she gets to do with her friends.

Takeru and Hikari are explicitly stated to be scheduled to join the trip on the second day, meaning that them operating separately from the quartet during the events of the movie was sheer scheduling circumstance -- and since we find out in the movie that Takeru was the one to inform Yamato about Daisuke's whereabouts, this CD here clarifies that Takeru has this knowledge because he himself was set to be on this trip (and would have been, if the events of the movie hadn't gotten in the way).

Probably the most interesting take-home from this narrative is how absurdly close the 02 group is portrayed as, and in very, very stark contrast to their seniors in the movie itself -- who are said to be drifting apart as they all find their individual paths. Here, the 02 group is the opposite; while they do seem to have their own goals (Hikari and Daisuke are outright identified as having some of the clearest ones), it’s obvious that those goals are secondary to being able to hang out with and support each other (in other words, they still have those goals, but they’re much lower priorities for them). This is consistent with how these dynamics were portrayed back in 02, since the Adventure group had been portrayed as being prone to drifting apart as early as Our War Game!, whereas the 02 group was built from the ground up as needing each other’s mutual support much more deeply -- it’s just that, now that they’re all much older, this distinction in group dynamic is much more prominent.