#This game is so camp and stylistic I love it

[thisfuckingdork]

“Space Invader~ Lookin’ cute in a human suit”

Finished Night Springs, was a lot of fun (:

[buecketsnbueckets]

pretty on camera | P.B

summary: you, an upcoming actress, admit to your little crush on the rising in popularity basketball star, paige bueckers, in an interview. what you didn’t expect was for people to care that much about your confession but it might just work in your favor.

pairing: actress!reader x paige bueckers

contains: sweetheart!reader, reader’s sexuality is not mentioned so open to all wlw, rachel zegler is reader’s bestfriend (she’s not the fc this is open to EVERYONE! i just love that woman to death), fluff & flirting!

a/n: hi! this is my first post about paige so if you guys like this and want more of actress reader lmk :), ALSO my inbox is open for different suggestions for oneshots as well <3 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

“Okay, everything’s all set up. We’re ready when you are.”

Your manager, Bella, instructs as you situate yourself in the chair that was given to you. Bright lights shone on your neatly pampered face, a boom mic right above the big camera lens that was aimed to your upper half. You nod with a kind smile, clearing your throat and trying not to ruin the position your hair was in that your wonderful hair stylist had done. Once you get the okay that the camera was rolling, you relax a bit.

You introduce yourself to the camera, motioning to the Teen Vogue box right next to you.

“I’m here with Teen Vogue answering your guys’ nosy questions that you sent in about my life and my roles.”

You beam as you reach into the red box, humming a tune to yourself before pulling out the first question on the strip of paper.

“First question; what has been your favorite role since you started your journey in acting?” You read off the ink on the paper, thinking to yourself with a small smile. “I think my favorite so far has been playing Brittany in Bottoms last year. Camp-y, stupid, fun movies are so entertaining to me and I was so excited when I got the call from Emma telling me I got it. Everyone was so incredibly nice and welcoming.”

You reach for another question, unfolding the piece of paper to reveal the next question for you. Your eyes widen at the first question, looking up at the camera with a chuckle.

“Okay so the next question is who is your current or past celebrity crush. Hm.”

You think to yourself for a moment before glancing over at Bella with raised eyebrows. The crew seems to chuckle at your stuck position already. You weren’t sure if you were allowed to say who you were first thinking of. Bella mouthed her name to you and you nod, heat already flooding your cheeks. Bella, seeming reluctant, nodded as permission to say the blonde’s name.

You cover your mouth with a hand and shake your head, letting out a long sigh.

“I don’t know if she’s considered a celebrity but,” you pause to purse your lips, puffing out a breath of hair. “Paige Bueckers. I also don’t want to hear shit in my comments or dm’s about it. I will block all of you.”

And oh, did you hear shit about it.

After that little exposing question on Teen Vogue, you were flooded with edits already of the two of you with clips from your few films you’ve been in and Paige’s games and TikToks. It had not even been a whole week since that interview was posted. Your best friend, Rachel, started spamming you nonstop with these edits with taunts and teasing.

You scoured through the comments, shocked at what people were saying.

‘pls never her get media training.’

‘wait lowk they’d be cute😝’

‘she’s gonna block us ALL guys omfg😭😭😭’

You really didn’t think you shared a fan base with a rising basketball player from a college in Connecticut but here you were. Rachel begged you to come over to hers so you could gossip about it the second your last interview was over. You, missing the comfort of normalcy, agreed immediately.

So after bidding the interviewer, crew, and Bella farewell, you got picked up by Rachel at the studio who was in sweats and a hoodie. She already had a cup of your favorite smoothie with a cheeky grin.

“Hey lover girl,” she leaned against her car, hand over her chest with an exasperated sigh as she handed you the smoothie.

“Shut up. Stop.” You already feel your face heating up at her words.

She laughed softly as she lightly kicked your ankle, brows raising at you.

“What? I’m sorry, is Mrs.Bueckers better?”

“Seriously, it's not funny.”

Rachel merely laughed louder some more at your flushed state, shaking her head. She unlocks her car as you hurriedly tug open the door. You settle into the seat as you take a long sip of the smoothie with a huff.

“I can’t believe you actually said that she was your celebrity crush,” your best friend hopped in the car as her laughter died down. “I don’t know how you didn’t see this coming.”

Truth be told, she was 100% right. You don’t know what the hell you were thinking.

“I didn’t think her fans would care about me of all people, you know?”

Rachel scoffs and shakes her head as she turns on the engine. “Whatever. You’re hot, gay and her age. I would’ve been more surprised if her fans didn’t freak out.”

You nod as you take a long sip from your smoothie, sighing out when your phone dings. You ignore it for now as you relax in Rachel’s front seat, asking her to please wake you up when you get to her place. You two talk about how Rachel’s birthday was coming up in a week and how you both wanted to go out just with your friends.

When you finally arrive at Rachel’s apartment, you finally check your cellphone to see a familiar name on your screen. Your heart drops at the sight, a wave of mortification falling over you.

paigebueckers | You have a crush on me?

paigebueckers followed yourusername

“Wait, no, Rach,” you reach for her arm as she's tossing her keys in a bowl by the front door. “She messaged me and followed me. I’ll kill myself right now.”

Rachel covers her mouth, words muffled but clear to you. “No. You’re kidding.”

“What the actual fuck? What do I say to that? This is so humiliating,” you groan as you cover your tired eyes with your free palm that wasn’t holding your phone.

In the blink of an eye, Rachel snatched your phone at lightning speed from your grasp, giggling as she ran more into her apartment. You took off after her, shouting ‘no’ as you knew exactly what she was planning on doing.

“You said you don’t know what to say so I’ll do it for you,” your best friend stated simply, shrugging her shoulders once she was able to flop onto her cozy couch.

She held her phone up in the air as her fingers hovered over the keyboard on your screen. You climb over her body to try and snatch it from her but she keeps moving out of the way.

“I’m gonna kick you,” you threaten her as you huff, pausing your attempts at fighting against her.

“Come on. Seriously. There’s no harm in texting her.”

As you settle back into the couch, you think about it for a moment. What is the harm? You reach over Rachel’s body to grab your phone back, huffing as you think about how to respond to that.

yourusername | oh god i am so sorry. this is so embarrassing.

paigebueckers | Nah there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m honored to be your ‘celebrity’ crush 😎

yourusername | i seriously never thought you would see that video but i guess our both of our supporters desperately wanted you to see it

paigebueckers | So what is it about me hmm?

yourusername | that crush just evaporated im ngl to you ‼️

paigebueckers | Alr Alr I’ll stop, pretty girl

yourusername | thank u. spare me pls ://

paigebueckers hearted your message

paigebueckers | Yk I’ve seen a few of your movies. I just didn’t realize it was you. You’re insanely talented btw

yourusername hearted paigebueckers message

yourusername | stop omg which ones? and thank you so much! <3

paigebueckers | Uhh the new Suicide Squad movie and Bodies Bodies Bodies. No problem!

yourusername | those are some of my favorites so i’m so glad you enjoyed them :)

“Okay when I said to text her back I didn’t mean only text her right now,” Rachel’s voice interrupted your furious typing.

You blush at her confrontation, clicking off your phone and setting it on the cushion next to you. “Sorry, Rach. She’s actually pretty chill. She seems…nice.”

“Next thing you’ll know she’ll be flying out to L.A to come and see you,” Rachel kids as she turns on her living room TV.

You didn’t say anything to that as you wouldn’t be completely opposed to it. You still had that lingering crush; that doesn’t just disappear overnight or within the first ten minutes you’ve been talking to her. Before you go lock in and focus on spending your downtime with your best friend, you check your phone one more time.

paigebueckers | Oh, I fs did. I was pretty focused everytime you were on screen, gorgeous

paigebueckers | I got practice rn but I’ll text you in a bit? 💗

yourusername | flirt but i believe you :)

yourusername | have fun at practice! get those gains in 💪

paigebueckers hearted your message

yourusername | happy birthday to my insanely talented best friend. you’re 23 now. i remember when we were both 13 year olds talking about becoming actresses and how cool it would be. now look at how far you’ve come, juliet on mf broadway :,) i love you, rach ♥︎

view all comments

rachelzegler | i’m gonna cry im literally sitting right next to you but i love you so much! 💜💜

↳ yourusername | i love you more 🤕💔

kit.connor | happy birthday to the icon herself!

↳ yourusername | iktr!!😩

randomuser | their friendship >>>>>

havanaroseliu | look at that angel ♡ ♡ happiest of birthdays!!!

↳ yourusername | that’s my mf bestfriend

randomuser | i always forget she was in bottoms and the cast is just in her comments LMAOSKSK

paigebueckers | Okay broadway legend! Period!! Happy birthday!

↳ yourusername | put some respect on her name!

↳ rachelzegler | oh hello paige😁 thank youuu!

randomuser | PAIGE?!!!

randomuser | wait omg they know each other???

randomuser | Did we bring them together?🙂‍↕️

TAG-LIST: @jnkbueckers @ch-3-rry

[reddamselette]

was thinking about that valgrace drabble i wrote for valgrace week because i miss them and its time to start speculating on that au.

so the image i kind of had for that drabble, like about the arena, was basically daedalus’ labyrinth in mind. because of the constant dead ends and the monsters around the corner, the fighting ring where ethan nakamura was introduced, etc. except it wouldn’t be underground nor would the walls be made out of whatever material the labyrinth was (i forgot).

but rather a maze made out of sand. so there’d be scorpions, they’d have to constantly move because the maze shifts and the walls would dissolve and open up new paths. along with pools of lava, of course. and not to kill off our tributes so quickly with exhaustion, heatstrokes and lack of water, there’s obviously little bits of water here and there. basically they’re fighting for their lives out in a desert and just, you know, have to gamble on whether or not the ponds or cacti they find aren’t poisonous.

at least that’s how it is for valgrace’s arena.

for percy’s arena, its centered around water because duh, i can’t ever let go references or symbolism. reyna’s arena would be similar to the roman colosseums. just to name a couple. i don’t think annabeth would’ve been reaped but i do think she is a stylist alongside pollux (castor died in his arena).

for the rest of the seven and co (i have a mutual’s tags in mind as i write this, love u to the moon and back for ranting away), thalia would indeed be a victor and nico would indeed have been taken in by the grace siblings after bianca’s death.

that goes without saying, reyna would have been frank’s mentor. grover, i think, would have been a mentor as well. i just have no idea who would he have mentored because i’m not assigning districts at the moment. (not yet at least aside from the grace siblings and our children of war from new rome)

anyway

so the arenas. definitely inspired from ancient greek and rome along with the books. like the labyrinth for example. bianca’s arena most likely would’ve been related to the underworld. so getting through the fields of punishment yada yada. since we’re being practical, another arena would be similar to tartarus so completely underground with no sun, just nothing but the rivers and caves and whatnot in sight (this would be lee’s arena and if so, he probably dies to save micheal. if its micheal’s arena then he would die to save will). then there’s places like olympus with the columns and since in mythology, its in the sky, the floors would probably be chipped away as in, some of the tributes might either die from the rubble OR you know, sink holes. joyful, isn’t it? atlantis, an actual death match battlefield probably, volcanoes, the ice palace with khione (i don’t remember what exactly it was or which book that’s from bare with me), the wolf house (that would be fun), the forest from camp half-blood with killer vultures.

ummmm i feel like i’m missing a few but you basically get the idea.

a lot to pick and who actually on who’s arena it could be, who would’ve won, etc etc. that also goes without saying, luke castellan is still a traitor unfortunately. so is silena. isn’t it fun that there’s twelve districts with twelve cabins (at least when we aren’t counting the rest but even then there’s about 24 cabins in total i think. i haven’t been caught up with pjo in a while my bad guys) so all the half siblings are still together and still have to watch each other die? oh the angst, its fantastic. (i’m no better than a game master i fear)

i like to think the children of war—ares/mars, athena, aphrodite/venus, bellona, etc—are most likely victors whether its on their own or they come from a long line of victors. so reyna and hylla, frank and his mother, annabeth, the aphrodite and ares kids, etc etc.

this came out way longer than i thought BUT its very fun to think about. i don’t know if i’ll ever turn this into a fic, i have my hands full as is but as always, i’ll let you know anyway

[kittyflufi123]

Human arcane order AU!!

I finally present to you my human AU of the arcane order!! after so much time planning their designs and everything... I made this little graphic with information about them!!

I'll leave some bonuses for you to be curious about!! and maybe I'll do short stories on ao3.. but nothing so relevant just short stories hihi

information:

skrael:

• is 27 years old

•works as a stylist at a fashion agency and in his spare time works in a cafe.

•likes fighting games and stories (god of war, red dead redemption, dark deception, etc.)

•lives in the united states in las vegas with bellroc.

• loves cold foods, especially iced coffee and vanilla and mint ice cream

• married to bellroc for 3 years and has 10 years of friendship with nari and bellroc

bellroc:

• is 29 years old

•works as an architect in a very old construction company.

•likes boxing in his spare time and karate on the weekends

•lives in the United States in Las Vegas with Skrael (but has lived in China and Japan)

•fluent in English, Japanese, Chinese and knows a little Russian and Brazilian Portuguese (thanks to Nari is Skrael)

•likes hot and sweet foods (hot chocolate, cappuccino, cake, chicken and cheese snacks)

•He likes to sleep cuddled up in Skrael on hot nights and travels to Australia on summer holidays to see his country.

nari:

• is 25 years old

•works as a biologist for a TV show and takes care of a sanctuary in Canada.

•likes gardening in his spare time and hiking in the mountains for camping.

•lives in the united states in new york with douxie and archier.

•He likes to visit Bellroc and Skrael during the summer holidays and always prepares his famous feijoada (a typical Brazilian dish) with lots of pepper, because he knows that Bellroc likes it.

•fluent in English, Russian and a little Japanese.

•nari likes any type of food, but prefers less industrialized things as some can give her allergies.

•She goes to Brazil with Douxie and Archier almost every Christmas so she can be with her family.

Well!!! This was a little information about them!! I hope you like it and I'll see you later!! :3

[vesteneris]

I love your Annie design soo much and the hc that her stylist dyed her hair red to match the capitol fashion more, I was wondering if you have any more Annie hcs? I would love to hear them ^^

ofc i have more hc, and sketches! >my Annie was a confident career >if it comes to her look she was latina with dark curly hair, and freackles all over her body

>from kinda rich family, her father had few fishing boats and she was going to take over the buisness after him, she was working with 16 yo old boy, who was later in the games with her (he was not a career and she didn’t know he would be in the games before volounteering)

>her bodycount in the games was 2 (bloodbath and the last standing opponent) on her own and next 3 when she was working with her District partner, so 5 in totall, and it was Annie's idea to cause an avalanche of rocks that crushed their camp, my girlie was determined to win

>my arena for 70th games is inspired by the Green Canyon in Turkey, mostly bc there is a dam right there

>when everyone was thinking about her as a confident career she mostly wear bright solid colours

(Everyday working clothes, Reaping outfit, 2 in-between-the-trainings outfits, and dress for the interview with ceasar)

>shes pretty tall (about 178cm)

>after her victory when everyone thought that she win because of her luck not her skills, her stylist starts to dress her in pastel colours that washed her out, to make her look more pale and innocent

>they also dyied her hair red and straighten it, get rid of most of her freackles, starts to just in general making her more white, just everything to make her look more Capitol

>when they finally become a couple with finnick i imagine theyre dynamic kinda like this

Like, c’mon, theyre both teenagers basicly, ofc they’ll be stupid together

>more than 1 year after her games annie could function pretty well (like, for her, not totally at her own, still with nightmares and with screaming crying throwing up, losing in her own thoughts etc) but whenever she would be put in public the capitol would put her on so many calming drugs to make sure she wouldn’t make a scene that she couldn’t even speak and wasn’t mentally present at all

>the whole crown for a Victor from president Snow? Don’t remember a thing. Learn that she was crowned from posters and tv

>thats kinda how her friendship with Johanna started, the new Victor was asked to hang out with previous games winner to make it look like Annie was cool and normal

>theyre trio of besties, Annie, Finnick and Johanna, No one can change my mind

thank you very much for the question anon, I’m just so happy that someone asked me this, I love talking about my version of Annie

[hlficlibrary]

✤ Coming Out Fics ✤

A series of posts with the top five fics of each category by kudos plus five more hidden gems from that category! Remember to leave kudos and a comment on the fics you enjoyed to show your appreciation! You can find the library's other recs here.

- Top 5 H/L Fics -

1️⃣ And Then a Bit by @infinitelymint (E, 158k)

“We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”

Or, take a parallel universe where Louis and Harry were never together, mix in a two year hiatus and an impending comeback, pour in a dash of lost fans, two tablespoons of strong friendship and a Modest! employee with a good idea. Add a squeeze of pretending to be a couple, lots of kisses and a tattoo or two. Stir. Serve: the mother of all publicity stunts.

(aka Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.)

2️⃣ led by your beating heart by @missandrogyny (E, 33k)

Nick leans over. "Oh," he says, his voice smug. "Who is that?"

Harry just blinks at his phone. "Um," he manages to stammer out.

"Who's that, Harry?" Nick asks again, but this time he raises his eyebrows and smirks. Harry knows Nick is just teasing, and that he's not really looking for new Harry Styles gossip, but, um. He might have found something. Accidentally.

Harry opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is another 'um'. He really needs to work on translating his thoughts into words. But then it probably wouldn't be any help right now, would it? His mind is as blank as a newly erased etch-a-sketch.

"Oh," Nick says again, this time gleefully, seemingly having picked up on Harry's distress. "Looks like we've got a story here! Are you going to call or delete her number?"

Her number. So Nick thinks it's a girl. Well, Harry can't blame him: 'Lou' is kind of an androgynous nickname. His stylist's name is Lou.

But this Lou, well, Louis, he's kind of, really, really not a girl. He's really pretty though, which, is something.

(Or: AU where Harry's in One Direction, Louis isn't, and they reconnect over a game of 'Call or Delete'.)

3️⃣ California Sold by @isthatyoularry (M, 123k)

Notoriously closeted boyband member Harry Styles is famous on a global scale, meanwhile Louis, as his best friend, is back home in Manchester, living the typical life of a 24 year old. When Harry needs Louis with him in LA, a publicity stunt gone wrong changes their friendship forever.

A fake-relationship AU between two lifelong best friends.

4️⃣ Shake Me Down by @agreatperhaps12 (NR, 208k)

Harry's new to college, fresh out of Catholic school and conversion therapy camp, and Louis runs the campus LGBTQIA organization.

5️⃣ Time Bomb by ThisSentimentalHeart (M, 291k)

“Why exactly are you here?” Louis asked, feigning annoyance and failing pathetically at it. “My publicist told me I can't go anywhere near you.” Harry said, eyes still smudged with last night's eye liner. “That makes you my favorite person in the world.”

Or the one where Louis has everything: a lead role in a giant Hollywood franchise, a glittering new house with an entertaining Irish neighbor, and a steady, normal boyfriend who he probably loves. Louis never expected to become a household name among young Hollywood overnight. He also never expected to find something endearing about the enigmatic rockstar who keeps showing up on his back porch.

HIDDEN GEMS:

💎 Caught In Your Gravity by @lululawrence (NR, 62k)

It felt like the blood froze in Harry’s veins even as he got a bit lightheaded. He hadn’t even made it two practices, only one of which he was remotely in charge of, without giving it all away and now he and Liam were both absolutely fucked.

“Shit,” Harry breathed out. “Who all have you told? Does everyone know? I thought I covered it better than that…”

“No, no,” Louis said quickly. "They’ll figure it out soon enough, though, because they’ll get used to you changing things up, but you’re only going to trip over your so called Americanisms for so long before they realize it’s because you don’t actually know fuck all about football.”

Harry sighed. “Yeah. I figured. I just need to bullshit for long enough to allow Liam to get the situation figured out from his end.”

“Right, which brings me to my entire point. I think we can find a mutually beneficial arrangement with all of this.” Louis leaned forward. “You need to learn the ins and outs of the sport incredibly fast. I can help you with that.”

“What do you want in exchange?”

Or, an AU inspired by a 30 second trailer of Ted Lasso that doesn't actually have much in common with the show at all.

💎 That Smile and That Midnight Laugh by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright (T, 50k)

Harry’s never noticed how lovely Louis really is. Maybe it’s just that she’s usually so guarded – a little tense, a little irritated, a little put out. At least when she’s at school, and also usually when she’s around Nick, which are the only times Harry has really seen her. Until tonight. Tonight Harry’s seen her with her guard completely down. Too busy laughing and enjoying herself to remember to be prickly, maybe. She seems different.

It feels different.

A Ferris Bueller's Day Off AU that picks up right where the movie leaves off, and imagines what might happen if Ferris' girlfriend and sister become friends. And maybe something more, too.

💎 some evening in springtime by delsicle / @eeveedel (M, 20k)

Fresh out of veterinary school, Louis moves to a sleepy small town in Texas to take over the local animal clinic. But his new life is quickly interrupted by a middle aged rancher with a bad leg and a mysterious past, who really needs Louis's yoga skills.

💎 still feel the same around you by momentofclarity / @gaycousinlarry (E, 13k)

Twenty-five years is a long time to fall in love with someone, to learn all the ways a person can fit into one's heart. It’s also an awful long time to lie to one of the most important people in your life.

The Act My Age Girl Direction AU.

💎 Glass Heart by @musketrois (G, 7k)

“26-year-old West Ham footballer Louis Tomlinson was seen getting acquainted with 24-year-old pop sensation Harry Styles and others. Although it is not unordinary for these two professions to be social, we can’t wait to see what this budding relationship will bring to London’s social scene.”

-Celebrity Blurb 25 March, 2017

[daisygirlwrites]

Task Force 141 + Hunger Games AU

Note: Headcanons for Price, Gaz, Soap and Ghost. Crash is only mentioned at the very end.

Warnings: Death, Violence, Animal Death (mentioned)

a/n: holy cow, hello hello everyone, it has been a minute! finals kicked my ass and work has been hectic but i finally had some time to write something! been rewatching (and rereading) the Hunger Games series and it got me thinking. Like, which districts would the 141 members be in, their Panem outfits, the arena they played, how they won their games and such.

i might make a part two, a version with Konig, Horangi, Alejandro, Rudy and maybe even Graves, let me know if y’all want that

still figuring out my new schedule, hopefully should have another work out soon! thanks for reading :)

taglist: @bobfloydsgf , @warenai , @devilsfoodcake22 , @itsscromp , @dilfsaremyfavourite

gif credit: @tawneybel

Price:

This comes with no surprise, but Price would come from District 4. Not just because of his love for fishing, this district would have prepared him for the Games.

Since this district makes the children start working at a younger age, he’ll know his way around a blade. He’d be fit too, given that his job would be physically demanding. 

In the books it’s mentioned that District 4 is a Career District. With his training and other skills, he is one of many ‘perfect’ tributes to be picked for the Reapings

Price wouldn’t be the type of volunteer, but given the culture around the Games and also being in a Career District, he wouldn’t be as terrified if he was picked. And when he was chosen as a tribute, he'd be on the older side, at around seventeen, almost eighteen years old. There was a round of cheers when his name was called out. But like every tribute, he felt the pit of dread growing bigger as he gave a fake smile to the crowd before him.

Without a doubt, Price was one of the more popular tributes in the lineup. Yes he had the skills but there’s no denying that he was attractive. Even more so in his parade and interview outfit; his stylist basically made him look like a sea god, dressing him in dark greens, blue and accented with gold. He’s also polite during his conversation with Cesar, making him out to be a gentleman that people swoon over. In other words, he did not have a problem getting sponsors.

He’s basically an older Finnick Odair 

The arena for his games is kind of a mix between the 74th and 75th games. Like, the Oregon coast. Mountains on one side, the ocean on the other. (Now that I’m writing this, I took a look on the official map of Panem and District 4 is basically the West Coast, AKA the environment he grew up in)

On the first day,  Price manages to snag a spear. He participates in the bloodbath, taking out two tributes. He also makes a temporary alliance with the Career pack, only so he can pick out the supplies in the Cornucopia. 

Got out of the alliance as soon as he could and made his way to the beach side of the arena. Finds a small cave on one end and makes it his base camp. Price stays there for a few days, avoiding other tributes. However, as the number of tributes got smaller, a huge wave pushed him back towards the mountain side. 

The arena itself slowly floods, bringing the remaining tributes closer together. This isn’t much of an issue with Price but it is for the others. Half of them drowned and the rest of the Careers were picking each other off. And in the end, Price was the last one standing.

Came out of his games very traumatized, like everyone else. He starts smoking as a way to keep the edge off him. When he starts as a mentor, he basically becomes a chainsmoker in the weeks leading up and during the games.

Gaz:

Also from District 4. Like Price and everyone else in that district, he began working at a young age. He watched Price’s, Soap’s and Ghost’s games as he grew up, closely taking notes of each victor while also praying that he won’t get picked. 

Unfortunately, he was about fifteen when he was reaped. Unlike Price though, it was evident that Gaz was terrified. He didn’t listen to anything as he slowly made his way up to the stage. The previous victors gave him a look of empathy. 

Price has been an on and off mentor during the last ten years, so he’s seen his fair share of frightened children, but it broke his heart seeing Kyle put on a brave face as they made their introductions to each other.

In the past games that Price has mentored, he had two victors, which is pretty good compared to the other districts and even mentors. Knowing that Gaz was trained like him, Price was determined to keep him alive

Gaz had the same skills Price had when he was growing up. However, Price went into his games a little older than most, therefore he had more experience. During the tribute training, Gaz was advised to go into more blade work

During the parade and interviews, Gaz was decked out in blue, white and a lot of gold. It was a way for sponsors to take notice of him. He was also nicknamed “The Protege” with how similar he is to Price, with their training scores, skill sets and attitude.  

It also seems like the arena was in favor for the District 4 tributes, a huge forest surrounding a large lake with a mini island in the middle. Since he was one of the only tributes who could swim a distance, he basically camps on that island for the time being, kind of doing the same thing in Price’s games.

Many have tried and failed to get to him. However, with the remaining five tributes, he was led back towards the cornucopia for the Feast. Unfortunately, Gaz had a couple close calls with how often he got tangled in the other tributes’ traps. Was fending one off while he was hanging upside down at some point

Final fight was between him and a Career boy. Gaz leads him into the lake and books it to the island. Unlike the Career, he knows he has the stamina to fight after he swims back. Had the upper hand for being faster than his opponent, winning the games

When he got back to the Capitol, he was greeted with a hug by Price.

Soap:

So, I’m torn between which district to put Johnny in. I can see him as a Career, especially with how he’s built. However, I feel like he’d win his games by blowing people up and someone from District 3 would have that knowledge. I also thought about putting him in District 12 but kids under 18 aren’t allowed to be in the mines. 

I think overall, he would probably fit in District 1. Even with their close relationship with the Capitol, they were one of the first to rebel. So with that in mind, everyone in the district understood that the Games are overall a reality show. He was trained in the district academy but was probably coached by his parents to not come off as ‘bloodthirsty’, a common stereotype for the Career tributes

As the oldest son of the family (16 years old) he personally wouldn’t volunteer. If he were picked, then that’s that but there’s also the high chance of having someone take his place. However, if his younger brother gets picked, he’s gonna pull a Katniss. 

Either way, he’s in the games. He and his district partner were decked out in blue silk with white rhinestones as accents for the parade. Made his tribute personality as the “bad boy with the heart of gold”. Worked very well, especially with his stylist giving him a mohawk and dressing him in dark blue leather. Was charming as hell during interviews, easily making him a crowd favorite. 

Since his family works with chemicals to make luxury bath products, he has some knowledge of what goes together to make something blow up. He makes an off hand comment about it to his mentor. Before the start of the game, his stylist quietly informs him that he’ll get everything he needs for an explosive event. 

The arena consists of large hills and old castle-like ruins on some of them. There are some trees and a field of tall grass. Has an unusual game plan for a Career. Once the gong rang, he books it to the Cornucopia, grabbing a supply bag and a weapon. Expecting to be involved with the blood bath, most tributes avoided him, even when he just ran off to the direction of an empty ruin. 

Basically camps for the majority of the games. Watching and avoiding other tributes, also getting the proper chemicals via scavenging and sponsors. There are six of them left, including him, half of the Career pack and others from different districts. He needed one last thing for the bomb and the Feast had it. 

Was the first to get to the Cornucopia, quickly taking his item. However, he wasn’t alone for long. The Careers figured out what he was doing with a large supply of chemicals and they convinced the others to form an alliance to stop him. But by complete accident, somehow everything got mixed together in the bag. Having no other choice, Johnny chucks the bag in the group's direction before running off. Next thing he knows is that he’s flying through the air and then blacking out

Wakes up in the Capitol as a winner and is known for being one of few victors to simultaneously kill multiple tributes

Ghost:

Hear me out on this, Simon can fit in a lot of districts. Hell, he can be a Career. However, I feel like District 10, aka Livestock, makes sense. There isn’t a lot of information about the district on the official wiki, however, reddit has some good ideas about it.

Like the rest of the guys, Simon was most likely trained to work at a somewhat young age. Working at a ranch includes a lot of physical labor, so at least he’ll be physically fit. Also in the CoD comics, it was shown that before he joined the military, he was training to be a butcher. And with that being said, he wouldn’t mind the blood and even killing. Yeah, it’s a terrible thing but in order to survive the games, you gotta win it and he knows that very well.

He’d probably start his work training when he turned twelve, which is also the same age for a child to get tesserae. With his father out of the picture, it was just him, Tommy and his mom. So once he started working and getting tesserae, his family’s lives slightly improved. Much to his mother’s sadness, he also understands that by getting more tesserae, his name would be added into the reaping bills. 

He knew the risk and unfortunately, he paid the price. He was 17 when his name was pulled. Simon heard a woman scream in the background and he already knew it was his mother. Tommy was next to him, already on the verge of tears as he watched his older brother walk towards the stage. 

There were only two victors in the last twenty years for District 10 but honestly, they were both in rough shape to be mentors. However, his district was assigned a new Capitol escort, a young woman named Kathrine Laswell. She was in her mid-twenties, always dressed in elegant gray dresses. She wasn’t flashy like the other Capitol citizens and was the only person that treated him and his district partner like human beings. Kate became their unofficial mentor, guiding them throughout the week and helping them get sponsors

During the Tribute Parade, he and his district partner also got new stylists. While District Ten tributes were often dressed as cowboys or put in a crude animal costume, this year they were dressed in all black with white metal panels, resembling skeleton bones. They were also given a mask, being the top half of a skeleton head. This new costume caught the attention of a few sponsors. Keeping with the skeleton motif, his suit for the interview had black stones stitched into his jacket, creating the outline of bones. 

He was calm but serious during his interview, creating a mysterious air around him

Simon’s arena resembles an abandoned downtown city. It’s a couple city blocks long all around. The tributes start off in what looks like an overgrown football field, the Cornucopia being right in the middle. He was lucky enough to get a supply bag and a machete as he ran out of the field. 

His training scores were higher than average but he wasn’t hunted by the Career pack just yet. Even with his large frame, he was good at keeping his movements quick and quiet. He avoided the other tributes, most of them running around the tall, decaying skyscrapers. 

By complete accident, he found the edge of the arena and the force field around it. He throws rocks at it, all of them bouncing back at high speeds. Eventually, he throws one hard enough that instead of coming back instantly, there were brief sparks of electricity.

Simon uses this information when the male tribute from District 2 chased after him. Both of them were running at full speed and Ghost was leading. When they were close to the edge, he jumped to the side at the last second. He looks back, watching the tribute slam into the force field and briefly electrocute him. This caused a small blackout in that area of the arena. 

And as a familiar pattern in the games, all of the remaining tributes were forced to move towards the center of the arena. Up until this point, Simon has only killed one person but during this time, he had to kill or be killed. For him, he was terrified with the fact of how killing others was almost as easy as butchering animals back in his home district. He was silent and quick, always telling himself that he’s giving others an easy and almost painless death. 

In the end, he didn’t win by having a big all out battle. He won by stalking behind his opponent and slicing their neck, as if they were easy prey. 

Becomes a mentor after he turns 18. He actually likes the role but the toll of seeing his tributes killed slowly eats at him. A couple years goes by and he mentors the younger sister of his former district partner. And that was the year where District 10 got another victor.

[pazzibueckets]

yeah that was be super hard launchy so I HIGHLY doubt it but you never know with them😭Also azzi is in Virginia right now so… but again you never know what they have in mind. But even Paige’s stylist post made it seem like she’s going to be going with nika, sadly😓

Azzi being at that camp in Virginia and P being in Oregon actually made me more hopeful lowkey because that would I explain why Azzi hasn’t left yet and she still has tomorrow and even Thursday morning to fly in. They both have a track record of popping out on the other side of the country within hours so it wouldn’t surprise me. I did see the post from her stylist but I didn’t necessarily take it as that just because I know Nika has a game the day before and the day after so that seems to kinda be pushing it for her but who knows? Nika has had it rough so I’m definitely not against P taking her. I love seeing the twins together.

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Future Career Headcannons for the Characters from Revolutionary Girl Utena, after they escape Ohtori

Anthy Himemiya: Work in/ own a flower shop. Utena suggests this to Anthy herself in the show after Anthy tells her that she only wishes for a future where she can keep tending to her flowers. Anthy smiles at the suggestion.... IF not that... well I got the idea for this after reading a fanfic where Anthy is a veterinary. That would make a good second option for Anthy since animals, like flowers, where her comforts during her imprisonment as the Rose Bride. Also of course she would find Utena, and they could be together without Akio and the games getting in their way,

Utena Tenjô: A Securtiy Gaurd. So in the show Utena is very Chivalrous and wants to protect people "to be like a Noble Prince". Her intentions come from a good place and are not necessarily bad in of themselves. An active job, where she could protect/help people would be good for her. But she also has difficulty sometimes understanding the complexity of others problems, and is prone to being manipulated. I decided against suggesting "Police Officer" because then she could be manipulated again, by a more corrupted Chief/Head of Squadron. I think a security guard would be a better job for her because there is more structure and a clearer (necessary) objective. Observing a surrounding putting a stop to any fight/trouble that break out suits Utena more than investigative questioning or arresting bad guys does.

Touga Kiryuu: I believe Touga is alive in the Anime and head cannon that he grew up into a: Hairstylist. He was a bit of a hard one because I could only really think of one time in the show where he seemed like he genuinely liked or was happy doing something; and that was when he was playing with the kitten. Now he can foster stray cats on the side as a hobby/volunteer work (probably the only volunteer work he would ever do) but it won't pay his bills. So I had to think harder. Now apparently his abusive relationship with his adoptive father is cannon across the board (shudders because no one deserves that). That man is the one who made Touga grow his hair long, and one thing the fandom seems to universally agree Touga should do for himself if/when he is finally able to get away from the bad people in his life is to cut his hair short. Well I actually think that once he is free learning about all different ways to cut and style hair would be something he would really enjoy. It might also be theraputic to be in an enviroment where he gets to exsursize this knowledge/activity regualrly. Lastly hair stylists at shops can sometimes be flirty and chatty to customers, and some will act flamboyant too. I imagine Touga's chair would be pretty popular. Don't date your customers Touga

Kyouichi Saionji: A cook. Saionji might be the most unstable character in the duels. He actually got kicked out of the duels and the school,saw the world outside...came back to Ohtori on his own. Met a girl he could have a happy and healthy relationship with. Decided that was wrong/to much for him, and left her to rejoin a system he knew just wanted to abuse and manipulate him. He is both the dumbest character show and the most aware: From the upside down castle, to the more dangerous parts of loving someone, to Touga's BS, to Akio... Saionji knows it is all fake but always clings to it... except for one breif episode where he took a break and did some pretty positive things for himself... In episode 27 "Nanami's egg" Saionji decides the moon and weather are "beautiful" tonight and that he will leave school grounds on his own and go camping. He also decided to cook (a traditionally feminine role... made all the more feminine by him dawning a frilly apron) his own food. He is out of school, he unconcerned with appearing all powerful and completely masculine. He is relaxed and smiling. Nanami came up to him and tried to instigate a fight, which Saionji responded to by remaing calm and trying to gently talk her down. You have this one moment where Saionji is being completely non-toxic and its peaceful. He is still far from perfect (At least one, and possibly all, of his eggs he found on the forest floor. Not very hygienic). But still, teach the man what a grocery store is and let him cook more meals (and wear more frilly aprons). Maybe he can camp more when he has time off

.... On that note I do ship TougaxSaionji in season 3, and post show. So if they go camping together they will need a pet-sitter for Touga's foster cats. Maybe Nanami can do it? That would be a nice way for her to make up for and show growth after killing Touga's kitten from their childhood.

Nanami Kiryuu: I just mentioned Nanami so I might as well do her next. This girl is gonna want to be a T.V. Reporter. Possibly a weather girl at first, but most likely her goal would be to be a event "gossip" reporter. She is one of the most difficult ones to for groups/people to impress. and many of her questions an comments are super random and outlandish and their is no way to be prepared for what she might say/do. Her viewers though it eat it all up and consider her to be the funniest personnel on T.V. Working as the shows Lead Producer Nanami's long time, platonic, childhood friend: Mitsuru Tsuwabuki. Yeah I don't really ship these two as anything more than good friends..Their show ages aside, I notice that their relationship mostly becomes unhealthy when one tries to make it romantic. But do show genuine care for each other in a platonic sense and are kind enough that you hope their friendship lasts. So yeah instead of them becoming husband and wife with 2.5 kids, make them partners in "crime" (a.k.a buisness) with Nanami being the face and Tsuwabuki being the brains, just as it was between them in the show (as opposed to Nanami's relationship with her cronies where it was flipped).

Miki Kaoru: A math teacher/professor. I very much do not want Miki to grow up to become a concert pianist. The piano is a beautiful instrument and playing it is a wonderful skill. Since teachers do not make that much, Miki can always have a secondary side job tutoring kids in playing it on the weekends. But do not let the piano continue to be the center of his life when it is also such a symbol of his own nativity, and how he has been manipulated into serving others. Both Touga and Akio use the Piano to get Miki to do what they want in the duels. But we also learn that his father used to exploit him and Kozue as publicity tools (which sadly broke them apart). Notice that "The Sunlight Garden" is such a famous piece that even Utena has heard of it, but no one has heard that Miki is the one who originally composed it. He got no credit. He also admits that he kept playign as he started to grow up mostly out of nostalgia for when he and Kozue were younger and had an easier time getting along. Miki's academic success has always felt "just his" in a way that the piano did not, and it has more to do with his present and future than his past. Math seems like it's his best subject, and he is able to be both an effective teacher and develop a positive relationship with Utena and Anthy, when he agree's to tutor them in it. (Up until Anthy has to go and start playing that piano song.) So in adulthood I hope Miki can, not necessarily give up the piano (forget his early childhood), but give his other talents (other stages of his life) some more focus. Math Teacher/Professor Miki, who maybe tutors in music on the side.

Juri Arisugawa: Own a bowling Ally. Juri's three main extra curricular in the anime are fencing, modeling, and bowling. Fencing is her main one. She is acting head of the fencing team. My reasons for not making "Champion Fencer" her career are similar to the ones I gave for not making "Concert Pianist" Miki's. It was an talent and hobby of Juri's that was exploited by both the games and others, and is surround by so much negativity. She took up her sword to prove that miracles do not exist, even though she wishes she believed in them. Also Miki was her only friendly relationship on that Team. All her other subordinates feared her, and she was terrified of Ruka, who was known to be stronger than her. I also rejected Modeling because then Juri would work for an agent and model products that a designer or company wants to make money selling. I definitely think Juri should be her own boss, just in a less hostile environment than Ohrito's fencing team. I like what she said about bowling in "Nanami's Egg": how she does it just because she "thinks it feels good". In what I think was episode 37 Juri states "I used to only think about myself... now I cannot stop think about myself". To me her statment implies that she wants to start thinking more about things that make her happy rather than sad. Juri has got to have some money saved from modeling gigs and Fencing tournaments. Let Juri use that as Seed money to open up a bowling ally, that she can make into a play where she and other can go, and play, and just feel good/happy doing so. Make that Juri's miracle to believe in.

Kozue Kaoru: A School Guidance Counselor. For her I am going the route of "be the person you needed growing up". Kozue is protective of people. You see that in her pushing down the teacher she thought was groping Miki.... except that the teacher was not groping Miki, they were just talking. He had his arm around Miki elbow, not his backside like Kozue thought; and Miki was laughing because of a joke, not because he was being flirted with. (Has Kozue ever seen her brother try to flirt/react to flirting? Miki is a panicked, shaking, mess). Both Miki and Kozue were used in a way by adults when they kids, and then again in the duels as teens. Kozue seems to understand that they were used where Miki did not. But, she also continuously seeks out relationships where she will still be used and craves, yet rejects, more emotional ones. Examples being how she is mentioned to have several boyfriends that she is physical with but does not have any kind of emotion attachment to them. She yells that she does not need her parents, and then goes out with an adult man, the night she learns her dad is getting married again. Lastly she refuses the homemade milkshake her brother makes her saying "I cannot have anything that sweet", does she mean the milkshake or the gesture? Since she does ask for one later on I am going to wager that Kozue does not have any special dietary needs. The PoBaW line "We accept the love we think we deserve" really fits Kozue and how she allows other to love her. But she has moments of stepping away from this "I only deserve to be loved as a tool" mindset, Like when she let Miki take care of her at home after "fainting from anemia". Or the couple times she goofs off at the piano; when it is just her and trusted friends, who do not care if she is plays the key sloppy. She is making baby steps towards a healthier mindset on relationships in the show. If she can build on that, post Akio and Anthy, then maybe, like Utena, she could use what she went through to keep protecting the "Inocent children" she relates her past too.

Also Maybe she and Miki could work in the same school (NOT Ohtori, but a good school) ,and that way they could still have time together, while also doing their own thing.

Shiori Takatsuki: Well the first thing I want her to be is as far away from Juri as possible. Sorry to people who ship them, but give me one healthy or not toxic moment between them? One moment after their early childhood where one makes the other happy? One moment were being around the other doesn't make them remember just how miserable and angry they are? Pretty much every relationship in the show has some kind of skill/wealth/power imbalance between them, and some kind of love and hate balance too. Utena and Anthy are the main ones, but all the secondary characters were meant to have relationships that mirror certain aspects of UtenaxAnthy. If Touga and Saionji (who at least have some moments of working through their issues together) are a parallel to Utena and Anthy, than I always saw Juri and Shori as a warning sign to them... that if you are not careful and do not work on things then hate, jealousy, and toxicity can destroy once loving relationships. So for these reasons I do not want her to be Juri's business partner, or even run a similar business as Juri's Bowling Ally. Shori would always see Juri's establishment as better, because she saw everything Juri did as better than her, and would never be able to enjoy her own work. Instead maybe she could find some enjoyment in a completely different field. One that maybe doesn't really suit Juri in the long run. Shori is just as pretty as Juri, a little more girly, very social, and she likes being part of a team and relying on others. I think she would be a good model period, not just in comparison to her old rivial.

Wakaba Shinohara: A Nurse. Do I really need to explain this one? Wakaba is like the most caring soul imaginable. She has wonderful optimism, great bedside manner, and is not afraid to call people out on not taking proper care of themselves. Plus I could see her having romantic fantasy's about some rich and successful man coming to stay at the hospital while he was sick, and falling in love with her due to the excellent care she took of him. Let her have her day dreams. The girl would be a fantastic nurse either way.

Keiko Sonoda: It is late and I so not want to pretend Keiko was that deep or complex of of a character. She was a lackey to the queen bee. She hated being a lackey but liked being a bully, because she kept doing that even after Nanami lost her crown. Underneath all that she falls really hard for her crushes, and likes to dress up... So either she can be a housewife to a (hopefully) nice man, or maybe she can go into clothing design.

Tatsuya Kazami: A therapist/Life Coach. The Blackrose tried to manipulate his unresolved feelings for another into making him duel. Something they have sucessfully done to more than 100 others before. But despite Tatsuya's pain over learing his crush loved someone else, and Mikage (a.k.a Akio and Anthy) doing everything that has worked numerous times before, Tatsuya is able to calm himself down. He changes his persepctive and decides "You know what? I don't need to be this upset. My crush liking someone else right now isn't the worst thing in the world. They probably will not date forever. I care about her enough to stay friends and wait for her to decide to give me a chance." Tatsuya did not need a sword. He beat Mikage, depression, despair, and anger all down, with just a few minutes and a handful of sentences.

Mamiya, Mikage, Kanae, and Ruka:.... Well they all die, so they will not grow up to be anything. Very tragic. I suppose not everyone was going to be able to leave that school alive.

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Die Hard With a Vengeance (McTiernan, 1995)

The first two movies I rewatch most years for Christmas so I've seen them a ton of times. This one I've seen less, in part because it's not tied to any specific holiday, but also because I always felt it loses a little once Gruber's motives are revealed (that he loves gold and isn't just a psycho out for revenge) and fizzles out at the end. I probably still feel that way but this time around I definitely appreciated more how much it plays like a video game. Gruber's diabolical puzzles are like minigames, and the heroes drive like maniacs across town, stealing one shitty car after another when they've managed to wreck the one they're currently using, like a Grand Theft Auto game.

Given Bruce Willis' retirement last year, it's been nice to go back and see him in his prime. One great discovery has been his guest role in the "No Exit" episode of Miami Vice, a show I will never, ever stop talking about, where his charisma clashes with his vileness. McClane in this one isn't peak magnetism Bruce Willis like the first two movies, but more the hungover asshole Bruce Willis like in The Last Boy Scout (another great discovery for me last year). He looks like shit, everyone keeps telling him he smells bad, he's working through a brutal hangover, and he wields profanities like a blunt weapon. ("Hey, fuckhead. Yeah, you, fuckhead.")

The racial stuff has definitely aged awkwardly, but what can I say, Willis and Samuel Jackson play off each other terrifically. I also appreciate that it's in the context of New York as a living, breathing city. And on that note, I like that this movie shows the city apparatus working in concert and reasonably effectively in the face of such unprecedented challenges. It's a nice contrast to the incompetence of the authorities in the first movie. I don't think the supporting characters are fleshed out with as much personality as in the first two movies, but I liked seeing people like Colleen Camp and Graham Greene and even little Aldis Hodge. And while Kevin Chamberlin seems like he's being set up for comic relief, he gets a nice moment of genuine courage.

The second movie gets knocked for following the original's template as slavishly as it does (one of the reasons I like it so much is that it's pretty much the best Die Hard clone there is and just happens to be a sequel), but this definitely has its share of overt callbacks. McClane slamming the door into the guy, McClane taking out a taller, stronger opponent using a chain, McClane (and Zeus) jumping away from the explosion, the last of which looks quite a bit choppier than in the original. I don't think this has as many exclamatory moments as the previous films, and the emphasis on expansive, open air action doesn't really play to John McTiernan's strengths as a visual stylist, but there are plenty of the classic glossy, lens-flare-heavy McTiernan widescreen frames if you look for them.

One last note: When McClane calls his wife, he refers to somebody named Carmine. True Die Hard fans know that this is the first name of the Dennis Franz character in the second movie. Is the implication that McClane's wife left him for Dennis Franz when he moved back to New York and she stayed in L.A.? To my knowledge, none of the sequels proved otherwise.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Candy Puff - Happy Camp Pink Powder

Today is the third set of these adorable Candy Puff Junzhe pairs! And there's no better way to round it out than with some pink powder fun.

The joint Happy Camp appearance is a perennial fig favorite. It's also a perennial Four Seasons Figthusiast favorite, since few things have made me laugh harder than watching Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan chase each other around in a circle!

If you haven't had a chance to watch this, please please do, it's worth every second, I promise. If you can't watch the entire thing, here's a few highlights for your viewing enjoyment!

If you don't have time right now, no worries... I have some favorite pics!

I love this episode SO MUCH. This and the concert is what I watch if I'm ever having a tough day, it never fails to cheer me up.

In yesterday's post, we had animal ears and little fangs - today we have cute little teeth in their laughing mouths.

This is a nice angle on their Happy Camp blue jumpsuits. Unlike in the show, these have managed to escape unscathed from the extreme powdering.

These figs are clearly from the end of the game, when their hair is half pink powder! It's an interesting stylistic choice the fig maker made to make Zhehan's shorter buzzed hair a lighter pink. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it, but it does distinguish him from Gong Jun's tousled mop!

You can see more of the detail here. The cute pointing fingers are not from the pink powder game, but a nice callback to the dancing challenge.

The other dancing hands are super cute too. I always like this pose, I find it especially charming.

Back around the other way! Sometimes I feel this exact 3/4 view is always the one that is the least interesting, because I consistently run out of things to say on this angle! And you know me, when do I ever run out of things to say? 😅

Wow, we get some height difference here! Haha, this is probably accurate to scale!

There we go! Back to some cute faces. This is also a great view of Junjun's hair. I don't recall it being quite this boisterous in the show, but I like it! It goes well with his laughing eyes.

We've come back around to the front and I've swapped sides! They're so cute.

We've got some pink hair, all right! Junjun's swoopy hair here never fails to amuse!

These figs, like most of the Candy Puff ones, stand up ok. Their feet are a little bit on the bigger side (of very small), which helps offset the weight of their larger-than-regular heads + the very stylized hair with this series.

And that's it for these series of Junzhe figs! I'm waiting on the final Wenzhou set to arrive before I do the remaining two other fig sets in that series.

Material: PVC (and a ton of pink powder)

Fig Count: 250

Scene Count: 18

Rating: Pure pink chaos!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[cloverskentwells]

headcanons about clove & glimmer & d4 female tribute (i named her cecaelia):

clove & cecaelia are bonded by the fact that they're both much less social and cheery compared to glimmer; glimmer thinks this is cute and calls them "c squared" or "grumpy twins"

clove isn't one to make forced conversation and pretend a friendship/camaraderie exists where it doesn't. but glimmer loves conversation and even temporary friendships. and despite their circumstances she does want to get to know her fellow career girls. cecaelia is more obliging than clove despite being herself reserved and in her own shell, and is more responsive to glimmer's icebreakers. clove remains sullen and quiet when glimmer asks her a question, only bothering with one word responses and a pointed flash of her knife

on the first night, hours after the bloodbath when they set up camp and get ready to sleep, glimmer chatters away and cecaelia listens, indulgently polite. glimmer wears clove down in the dark, and after a lot of tireless efforts at questioning finally gets clove to open up just a crack.

they all discuss what they'll do/how they'll live as a victor. cecaelia will own her own seafood restaurant either in d4 or the capitol if she's lucky enough to be permitted to live there. glimmer will spend money on shiny things and be a glamorous fashion model. clove's plans are less ambitious, and she'll retire to a lone mountainside cabin in the recesses of two.

glimmer, being the girls' girl that she is, immediately starts with the nicknames, calling cecaelia cece and clove... her own damn name, because clove's a lot less agreeable/conflict averse than cece and will pull out a knife if someone is too familiar with her. but even clove slips up and calls them each cece and glim once.

glimmer fixes cecaelia's hair - practically demands to, because according to her how the d4 stylists butchered it is atrocious. she also waxes poetic about what a lovely district cece comes from, with their pretty sea theme and gorgeous eyed-people and the wonderful weather there.

glimmer also admires her fellow career girlies' tokens. very loudly and excitedly, with so much enthusiasm that cecaelia and clove send each other bemused looks over glimmer's head. clove brought with her into the games a gorgeous beaded bracelet - mostly white pearl-like beads with some artfully painted blood red as if it had been dipped into a corpse. cecaelia brought a similar bracelet but it's black string through a simple teal ball. they both - even clove, much to her own surprise - let glimmer grab their arms to admire the bracelets, and snicker when she tells them about losing her own token, a pink diamond ring that had contained an allegedly poisoned spike.

clove loses them both to tracker-jackers, and she wasn't particularly attached to them - they all knew how the games worked and how this would end - and couldn't act like it was a great loss to her. but she still, on some level, misses them afterwards, especially having to deal with a mercurial unstable district partner and a boy who told too many jokes... it was nicer, clove thinks sometimes, when there were girls around.

[jellogram]

Five Nights at Freddy's film review and general opinions

Spoiler free.

To preface, I've never played the games at all. I know the main lore but I am mostly coming from a horror film fan perspective and not a franchise fan perspective.

So from that perspective, it's.... fine. It's not great. It's not terrible. It's a bit bland.

There was so much that the filmmakers could have dug their teeth into. You've got the whole arcade nostalgia thing, you've got the straight-up camp of the premise, the tragedy, just a lot to explore thematically and stylistically, and it doesn't dig into any of it.

I liked the first act and I think Josh Hutcherson is well cast, but his character's development is mostly shown and not told. Vanessa really doesn't get any dimension at all.

I can live with flat characters if the campiness of the film is fun enough, but every time they could have gone batshit off-the-wall bonkers, they reigned it in and tried to play serious. And they don't pull off the serious elements at all. The story is simply not well-written enough for the emotional beats to land properly, some of the "twists" are completely pointless, and too many loose ends and plotholes are never explored.

So I think it's kind of caught between two worlds. The serious notes don't work well enough to ground the film, and the batshit parts aren't batshit enough to be fun.

I do think it could potentially be a good middle grade horror for kids. The violence is mostly implied and the contents are explained clearly enough for the age 10-14 group. If they were aiming for kiddie horror in the same vein as stuff like Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, I think they were fairly successful. But existing in that category of horror doesn't mean the film has to be mediocre.

In conclusion, I would have liked to see the film lean way harder into the crazy premise and do something really campy and absurd, but the moment I saw Blumhouse in the opening credits I kind of knew that wouldn't happen.

If you're a big fan of the games, I think you will likely leave satisfied. From what I remember, it hits the major story beats and the animatronics are accurate and sorta neat. Fans so far seem to be loving it, so that's cool.

But if you're a big horror movie fan just looking for some fun thrills, you can probably skip this one.

[alexjohn1122]

Plays That Pay Does the Legwork for Bettors Looking to Generate Sizable Profits

Sports betting is a massive industry in the United States and globally. Watching your favorite sport is always enjoyable, but propping a few bets on specific plays or particular players increases the excitement tenfold. In addition, betting is an excellent way to engage in friendly competition with friends because the bet winner gets bragging rights. Sports betting also increases the thrill and adrenaline for sports enthusiasts, especially in high-profile, nail-biting games like the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, sports betting sounds easier than it is. Most sports enthusiasts think they can accurately bet because they know about the sport, but it takes more than just knowledge to succeed. High-performing bettors often make tapes and have detailed notes about teams or individual players because they’ve analyzed them under intense scrutiny. Moreover, sports can also be unpredictable. For instance, an NFL team could throw and successfully pull off a hail-mary attempt during the dying embers of a game, allowing them to come from behind and secure a win over their rivals. Similarly, betting on sports is also difficult because sometimes teams run into stylistic challenges, or their form falters, and they don’t perform as well as they should on paper.

That’s where Plays That Pay proves beneficial for sports enthusiasts and bettors. The company is the brainchild of Alex Parlay, an MBA graduate from Miami, FL. Like most people, Alex grew up loving sports. He particularly enjoyed the competitive aspect of it, leading him to play basketball, football, and baseball daily when he was young. His mother also encouraged him to participate in sports camps or leagues.

It’s also worth noting that Alex was always a competitive child. This drive carried over into sports, where he would do whatever he could to beat his opponents. As a result, he would spend hours studying his opponents’ weaknesses before his team was scheduled to play them, hoping to unlock the keys to victory. Thus, it’s also unsurprising that he fell in love with sports betting when he discovered it. He liked how he had to carefully analyze both teams before betting to ensure his bets paid off. 

Alex Parlay knew he was the perfect fit for the sports betting industry when he discovered it because he always enjoyed and was good at predicting games. His time in business school was pivotal because it prepped him for the industry. After all, he learned to study analytics and develop models that could successfully predict outcomes based on multiple factors. However, he also has another secret ingredient to his success. He reveals, “Most people are too focused on statistics and data. As a result, they ignore something more obvious. For example, I always look at a player’s facial expression before the game, their body language, the pace at which they walked onto the pitch, etc. These can be considered intangible aspects, but they’re important because players are also human beings. Thus, they’re not averse to feeling pressure or nerves.”

Though he started off more than fifteen years ago in the sports betting and handicapping industry, it was in 2020 that he decided to start his own sports consulting company, Plays That Pay. He hopes his venture will attract clients that trust and buy into the organization in the long run. Plays That Pay studies sports religiously to predict game outcomes and player performance accurately. The organization has done a phenomenal job and maintained an excellent winning percentage. However, Alex Parlay notes that their strategy isn’t infallible. He states, “Our strategy has provided excellent yields so far. However, we’re not perfect. Regardless, that doesn’t mean we’re getting complacent with our capabilities. On the contrary, we want to continue increasing our winning percentage to allow clients to win as much as possible!”

The company’s strategy involves looking at statistics and watching tapes of both teams playing against each other. Then, analysts examine other crucial factors, such as the number of rest days, injuries, venue, weather, starting lineups, and motivation. Alex Parlay’s company then runs simulations in Python to accurately predict each team’s odds of winning. Finally, they wait until it’s nearly game time to send predictions to clients because they also factor in last-minute changes. In short, Play That Pays is a godsend for sports enthusiasts and bettors because it does the legwork, so they don’t have to go through the trouble!

[be-with-me-so-happily]

This is the main list of all of my own writings, centered around Harry Styles

**includes sexual content of some sort

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If you like what I post, and want to just send some extra support, I have a ko-fi account. Even the smallest amount is greatly appreciated. There is no obligation or expectation to donate, because I am honestly just so grateful that you're here! 🩷 Bee xx

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Laceleaf **

ON HOLD

Cassidy James feels lucky to have grown up as Gemma's best friend, but not about knowing the smug and self-centered Harry Styles. Her life is messy enough.

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My Way Back Home

[ COMPLETED ]

YN is left to figure out what to do when the love of her life, Harry, does not remember loving her.

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Don't Worry Darling **

[ COMPLETED ]

Y/N lands the leading role in 'Don't Worry Darling', opposite Harry Styles, but they just don't seem to have any chemistry at first.

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Even When the Night Changes **

[ COMPLETED ]

Y/N (stylist!yn) applies to be a styling intern for the One Direction crew during the Where We Are & OTRA tours.

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Wet, Drip, Dry **

YN takes a spontaneous late-night dip in the lake, something she feels she needs to do to clear her head. But a stranger comes along and gives her something even better.

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il gran finale **

As photography apprentice to Lloyd, you've seen all sides of Harry, but with the look he's giving you after the Reggio Emilia show, you might end up seeing a lot more.

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Getting Yourself Wet For Me **

Harry is out, but you want to play, so the two of you find an alternative way to still get what you want.

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Could We Not?

Harry Styles tries to not let it bother him when things get thrown his way. That is, until his new band member YN is in the line of fire.

Not Another Time (Pt. 2)

Harry Styles is used to things being crazy on tour, but in Rio, he needs to expect the unexpected.

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Winner, Winner, Pasta Dinner

Singer YN wants to work up the nerve to congratulate ex-boyfriend Harry's Grammy wins, but what will she even say? And what will he?

There At The Box (Pt. 2)

Singer YN tries to make it on time to The Brits to support Harry, but things get in the way, and Harry gets weird

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Friendly Favor **

YN's best friend Harry asks for a favor, she knows it'll be difficult, but she loves him too much to say no.

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Not What We Bargained For ** / Part 2**

Coworkers Harry and YN don't get along, so an unexpected work trip and an awkward night only causes more tensions between the two.

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The Kindling From A Kiss

An annual camping trip with friends, and a game of 'truth or dare', could change everything for best friends Harry and YN.

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Should We Just Keep Driving? **

Harry and his girl take a road trip, and the sun on her face isn't the only heating up in the car.

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To Make A Girl Blush **

Harry Styles is performing at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, where y/n works as a studio assistant and he sings a hot cover song.

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One Night Only in New York

Y/N won the contest of a lifetime, leading to an unbelievable experience attending the One Night Only in NY concert with Harry Styles.

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Mediation

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Pouting for Attention

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If I Was a Worm

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Finally Free

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1D Water Fight

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Found Some Photos

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CBeebies Bedtime Stories

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My Fave Fics Masterlist

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[kybee1497]

Julie likes to borrow people’s clothes as a comfort thing. A visual, sensory, physical reminder that she’s loved and she has a little piece of that person with her sometimes. It helps her feel more grounded and present and it helps when she has bad days.

Before her mom died, it was less about comfort and a little more about being one of her love languages.

She was only friends with Flynn for four months before she ‘stole’ Flynn’s monster slippers for a few days. Now it’s a standard part of their Christmas presents to each other. They get a new pair of slippers and wear them once or twice before swapping for the new year.

Before things went down with Carrie, the three of them had clothes stashed at each other’s houses and weren’t shy about wearing whatever they grabbed first. Julie came to school once when she was 12 wearing Flynn’s cheetah print hat, Carries pink sweatshirt, and her own jeans she’d doodled on.

She borrowed her dads shirts for playing pirate queen when she was little.

But after her mom died it became a little more about keeping the people she loved closer to her. A reminder that they were there and loved her and everything was okay. And she wears her moms clothes sometimes to help her feel a bit closer. Her mom was gone but sometimes, when julie pulled a sweater out from the back of the closet, it still smelled like her moms perfume, and when she wrapped herself up in the warm, soft material it almost felt like being wrapped in her moms arms when she was small. For just a minute, it’s like having her back again. Then the feeling fades and Julies left with a time worn sweater with its fading scent, and it’s still enough, for now. It’s not the same, not at all, but it makes it a little bit easier to get through the day when all she wants to do is crawl back into bed with her head under the pillow and forget the world for the day.

She wears one of Carlos’s hats the entire week he’s gone at baseball camp the first summer after her mom died, reminding herself that it’s fine, and Carlos is fine, and he’ll be home in a week, and everything will be fine.

We already see in canon that she wears a lot of her moms clothes for performances because it helps her to feel closer to her mom. You can’t tell me julie wouldn’t have her own. Eventually she stops wearing her moms clothes for everyday activities, but even years down the road, Julie still incorporates something of her moms into each performance outfit. A dahlia pin, a necklace, a belt, etc.

Slowly as Julie heals and grows, borrowing clothes slowly regains some of the playfullness and affection it had before. It’s still got some of the needing an anchor bit that it had before but it’s not the only thing keeping her afloat anymore.

The first summer after Julie and the Phantoms was formed. Julies summer wardrobe consisted half of her own clothes and half Luke’s cut off shirts because “It’s really fucking hot outside Luke and these are more comfortable than anything else I own.” Luke just about dies a second time the first time he pops into Julie’s room while she’s laying across the foot of her bed, scribbling in her song book, and he sees that she’s wearing a pair of cut offs and his Rush shirt. You would think after the first few times he would be used to it but the boys brain glitches every time. Flynn thinks it’s hilarious.

She falls asleep in the studio one night and walks up warm and content with Reggie’s leather jacket draped over her. The boys are out for the morning and she’s running late so she slips her hands in the sleeves and wears it to school for the day. Luke trips over the air when she walks in that afternoon wearing it because Julie and leather jacket and pretty and adorable. He doesn’t even clock that it’s Reggie’s until Julie is handing it back at the end of the night with a soft smile and a thank you.

Julie wouldn’t dare to borrow Alex’s fanny pack, it’s sacred. No ones really sure exactly what he keeps in there but he always has exactly what they need. Reggie’s convinced it’s magic and Julie almost agrees, but Alex’s pink sweatshirt on the other hand, that’s fair game. It’s softer and cozier than it looks and it becomes julies new favorite thing. Alex is fine with it. Sometimes he grumbles about being cold but he just curls into Willie instead and always cuts her off when she offers it back.

Flynn won’t say it out loud but sometimes she buys clothes that are more Julies style than her own because Julie hates buying new clothes but she loves borrowing (and keeping) them and Julie needs some new, cute clothes in her wardrobe because while her boys may be cute, none of them have good fashion sense. Except for maybe Alex, but his style is more 90’s gay icon which is incredible but not really Julies thing. So flynn gets a new sweater or a dress and wears it a few times, maybe leaves it out when julie comes over or throws an extra jacket in her backpack on days that she knows julie was up late writing with Luke and would likely forget her lunch, a text book and at least a jacket on her mad dash out the door. It’s what Flynn called working the system. Julie got to show her affection and cute clothes, and Flynn got to play stylist. It was the best of both worlds.

A year later, when Carrie wants to talk and apologizes, when they slowly work their way back into a friendship. Julie fishes one of the triple threat shirts she had stashed in the back of her closet that she liked to forget she kept and pulls it on under a hoodie before school that day. Thankfully they’d messed up when they were ordering the shirts and ordered adult sizing instead of youth. So it fit perfectly at 17 where they’d been night shirts at 8. Interestingly enough, Carries also wearing a sweatshirt that day and Julie catches a glimpse the familiar lettering of -antoms on the back of the shirt underneath when they’re changing for PE. The day they both wore something that reminded them of the other without talking about it or showing it off, was the day the tentative part of tentative friendship was finally removed. There’s still some days where old hurts ache a bit more than usual because even small wounds leave scars, and some of the wounds were far from small. Sometimes Carrie starts to mention rose and Julie flinches. Just a bit, it wouldn’t even be super noticeable if they hadn’t known each other that well, if carrie hadn’t spent a year watching Julie flinch every time she opened her mouth. Carrie hates a lot of things about herself, but that one, that one was by far the worst. Not everything can be forgiven, but they can move forward and sometimes that’s enough.

Idk this got super long and idk if it makes sense anymore and I’m too lazy to edit it but JULIE MOLINA IS A CLOTHES THIEF and I love that for her. Also I might fuck around and flesh this out into a fic later when I’m not so slammed with wips.