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honey-dewey · 3 years ago

Text

A Room at the End of the World

Pairing: Max Phillips/GN! Reader

Word Count: 3,253

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, so much blood, mentions of broken bones, depictions of moderate injuries, hurt/comfort,

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

The prompt for this week’s Writer Wednesday was given, as always, by the lovely @autumnleaves1991-blog, and the masterlists are created by @clydesducktape.

It was a very cliché dark and stormy night.

You huddled in your tent, listening to rain slam onto the ground. You had checked the forecast literally an hour before coming out to go camping, but somehow, the unexpected storm had trapped you in your tent, unable to go anywhere until the rain subsided. All you’d wanted was one last trip out before it got too cold to camp, but no, it just had to pour on your one weekend off.

Sighing and rolling over, you looked at your soaked boots and coat, illuminated by the tiny lantern you’d brought. Well, at least this would make a good story to tell your coworkers. A crack of thunder split the air just as a bolt of lightning lit your entire tent up. The storm had to be right on top of you, and you quickly shot a text out, telling your friends that if they didn’t hear from you in a half an hour, to send emergency services out to the campsite.

And then you heard the howling.

At first, you assumed it was the wind whistling through the mostly bare tree branches, creating those mournful screams, but then they got closer, breaking into overlapping and individual voices.

“Wolves?” you asked yourself, turning your light out and slowly gathering your things in the dark. If you had to outrun a pack of wolves, you’d rather have your shit on you so that you could survive if you got lost. You quickly checked over your stuff, making sure it was all there. Then you shoved your feet into your boots, quickly pulling the laces tight, suddenly glad you’d spent the extra money on the waterproof ones. Next went your coat, zipped to your throat, and then the backpack overtop that. You clipped all the safety straps on the backpack, keeping it as secure as possible. It had no waterproof covering, but you didn’t care. Everything that could possibly be ruined by the rain was secure in your inner jacket pockets.

All that was left to do was wait. You sat in the center of your tent, leaning your head ever so slightly back, looking up at the roof of your tent. Your lantern was sitting beside you, ready to be scooped up and used if you had to run.

“I’m never going camping again,” you decided softly, voice dying as you realized you weren’t alone anymore. The wolves were around you, the sound of their snuffling suddenly horrendously audible over the rain. Low growls accompanied the sniffing sounds, occasional teeth snapping joining the din of sound that kept you petrified in your tent. You found it in you to stand, going as slow as you dared as you moved to a crouch, ready to run. Lightning flashed again, and as the thunder rippled through the air, you felt the breath leave your chest as you saw the silhouettes of the wolves outside your tent. At least five, each one double the size of any wolf you’d ever seen. They were directly next to your tent, and you were sure if the storm wasn’t drowning noise out, you’d be able to hear their breathing.

Another giant bolt of lightning split the sky, and you could see the raised paw of one of the wolves. You only had one choice now. Fight and run. Grabbing the small swiss army knife you kept on you, you flipped the horribly inadequate knife out and in one swift move, slashed a hole in the tent right as the wolf’s claws came down on the nylon.

Just like that, everything was a rush. Your knife in one hand and your lantern in the other, you jumped out the hole and barreled through the crowd of wolves, pushing them aside with your shoulder in a desperate effort to keep going. Crashing through the woods with only your dim lantern to guide you, you ran as fast as possible down the trail, taking several confusing turns, never quite losing the sound of pounding feet on your tail.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, you had to give up. You couldn’t do this anymore. Your legs ached and your chest burned and the rain was coming down in sheets, soaking you to the bone. The wolves were right behind you, and you’d run yourself into a corner. Nowhere to hide, nowhere to go. You were done.

Turning, you finally saw what was chasing you and you felt your breath stop. Standing there, actually standing on two legs, was a group of seven enormous wolves, each one bipedal and snarling, their faces twisted into sick grins. They looked as if they were enjoying every second of this. You whimpered, backing yourself against a tree as the wolves fanned out, surrounding the tree in a crude semi-circle, making sure you didn’t escape. The lantern night shone off their eyes, illuminating the strange humanness of their expressions. You held out the knife, hoping it would at least protect you for a few minutes. The lantern swung wildly, highlighting the blood dripping from each and every muzzle around you.

Finally, after an agonizing wait, the first wolf leapt at you. You swung out of the way, slashing wildly with your knife, but the rain made your vision blurry and unreliable, and before you knew it, the unharmed wolf was turning on you, claws moving wildly. You saw them hit you before the pain began to flow, thick and viscous from your torn up right forearm. The knife fell to the forest floor in shock, and you screamed, knees buckling and sending you toppling down right after it.

You looked up, vision fogged by the pain and by the downpour. The wolves had formed a tighter circle around you, and when you turned your face upwards, all you could see were the muzzles of the wolves, their fangs glistening in the lantern light. Closing your eyes, you could only pray your death was swift.

Whether it be fortunate or unfortunate, no pain struck you. You heard something, muffled by a beat of deafening thunder. When your ears recovered, you heard a horrible, screeching howl, and then the rain began to worsen, only for a minute, before the deluge became no more than a downpour again, accompanied by a terrifying silence. No wolves could be heard. In fact, you heard nothing aside from the thud of rain on the ground.

Cracking open an eye, you saw something you couldn’t even begin to explain. A man, no more extraordinary looking than you, was standing above the mangled bodies of the wolves. He seemed almost bored, his features unknown in the dark, but you could tell, even with nothing more than your meager lantern light, that he was drenched in blood.

“Are you okay?” His voice called above the din of the rain. He took a step towards you, and you scrambled back, watching him with wide eyes. The man held a hand out to you, coming no closer. Rain began to wash the blood away, leaving nothing more than streaks of watered down crimson on his skin. “C’mon,” he urged. “You’ll catch your death out here in this storm.”

You shook your head violently, finding yourself unable to form words, but you had no doubt this man scared you. Even though his features, now outlined ever so slightly by the lantern, were kind and warm, despite being washed in splatters of blood.

He sighed, sitting on the wet earth, staying the same distance from you. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he murmured, his voice sliding over you like a warm blanket. “I just want to help.”

Somehow, despite every red flag, you stood, and so did he. He carefully took your left arm, giving you support and guiding you through the woods, encouraging you despite your stumbling feet. One of your ankles was messed up for sure, although whether it was a sprain or a break, you couldn’t tell. All you knew was that you were using your savior as a crutch, and he was letting you. Your right arm hung uselessly by your side, blood dripping down your limp fingers and creating a temporary trail behind you before the rain removed any trace you’d ever been on the path.

“Home sweet home,” the man said, nudging your side lightly. You looked up, seeing a beacon of warm light spilling from a small cabin window. You sighed in relief, collapsing when you realized you couldn’t stand anymore. The man grunted in surprise, but immediately scooped you up, holding you close. He was cold and wet, but you didn’t mind as you rested your cheek against his soggy shirt arm and felt your eyes slip closed.

You opened them a minute later, unable to keep them closed out of worry. The man had opened his door and rested you on the couch, facing the kitchen where he was standing. He must not have assumed you were awake, because he was taking a once white washcloth to his skin, wiping away the blood staining his body.

Struggling to sit up, you realized you must’ve been asleep longer than a minute, because your coat and boots were by the door, and your backpack was next to the coffee table, the contents taken out and placed on towels to dry. You immediately went for your phone, finding no texts. Damn, you hadn’t realized you had no service out here.

Looking down, you felt a bolt of shock hit you. You weren’t in your own clothes. Instead, you were wearing old sweatpants and a slightly stained football jersey displaying a high school team you didn’t know. The tag in the corner had ‘Phillips’ written on it in scratchy handwriting, faded by time.

You put your phone down, and the man turned, surprised. “You’re up!” He said, moving towards you. “Are you feeling okay?”

You shrugged, shying away from the man. He sat on the opposite end of the couch, looking nervous, rolling the washcloth over and over in his hands.

He broke the tense silence first. “I’m Max.”

Shrugging, you held out your hand, surprised to find there was next to no pain when you extended your right arm. It was wrapped in thick white bandages, and when you looked down at your foot, you saw it had been treated in a similar way, all patched up and tightly wrapped.

“Oh, yeah,” Max said, letting you drop your hand to your side. “Your ankle. It was fractured. Nothing serious, but I wrapped it as tightly as I could without hurting you. Might want to elevate it.”

You nodded, propping your foot up on the coffee table. Max smiled, and you felt your heart roll in your chest. “You have,” you said slowly, gesturing to your own cheek. Max paused, raising his hand and wiping away a smear of blood. Then, to your utter shock, he put his hand in his mouth, washing away the blood. He must’ve seen your horrified face, because he stopped, pulling his hand from his mouth and finishing the job with the washcloth.

“Sorry,” he said softly, almost sheepish. “I haven’t eaten in a while.”

“Eaten?”

Max nodded, preemptively moving away from you. “I’m a vampire.”

You were quiet. Half of you wanted to call him out on his joke, but the other half reasoned that he was telling the god’s honest truth, because if he was a vampire, then the things outside had to be werewolves. There was no other physical explanation.

You decided to play along, even though you still didn’t truly believe him. “Okay,” you said slowly. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Max asked. “Usually I get much more screaming and disbelief.”

“I was attacked by werewolves,” you reminded him. “This is nothing.”

Max chuckled, standing. “Seems valid,” he said. “Want tea?” I can’t guarantee it’ll be good, but it’ll be tea.”

You smiled, nodding. Max shuffled into the kitchen to make tea, putting his washcloth in the sink as he went. Meanwhile, you began to organize your things, starting with the small pile of stuff pulled from your coat pockets. Your phone was okay, as was your map, spare flashlight, and pocket charger. Next, your small stockpile of food and water that had been in your backpack. After that, it was just a soggy pile of clothes, a ruined old book, and your lantern. You scooped the lantern up, running your finger along the spiderweb of cracks that now decorated the lantern’s glass surface. You carefully flicked the dial on the side, happy to find that despite the cracks, the lantern worked just fine. Fire filled the small chamber, and you waited a minute, watching the gentle flames before lifting the lid and blowing the fire out.

Max came back with your tea, the mug a regular slightly faded black. “It’s green tea,” he said, setting the mug down on a coaster. “With a bit of lemon and honey.”

You cradled the mug in your hands, glad for the warmth. “Thank you.”

Max sat back, watching you take a sip. “It’s good?” he asked nervously, and you nodded. The tea was the perfect combination of tea flavor and lemon, with just a touch of honey to help it all go down smooth.

“Good,” Max said, smiling. “I’m going to go look for a few things for you. I used to come out here a lot with my friends from high school, and we stashed some shit that could be useful. Including a boot and crutches for your ankle.”

While Max rummaged through the closets and cabinets, you drank your tea, turning and watching the rain slide in heavy sheets down the window. Lightning flashed, but it was no longer immediately followed by thunder. Instead, the storm grew further and further until it was no more than a gentle drizzle outside, the full moon peeking through the thick clouds at last.

“Aha!” Max resurfaced, triumphant, from a closet, holding a black medical boot and a pair of crutches. “Here they are!” He came back to the couch just as you put your empty mug down, turning back to him. He sat on the couch beside you, holding the boot out to you. “Do you mind if I?” The end of the question hung unsaid in the air, but you shrugged, propping your foot up on the couch cushion.

“Go ahead,” you said without hesitation. “Better you than me.”

Max grinned, nodding. “True,” he said, taking your ankle gently and guiding it to his lap. He slowly unwrapped the bandages, leaving a lone layer on. “You scraped your ankle,” he explained, unbuckling the boot. “Gonna leave on those bandages until tomorrow. But for now,” he said slowly, his tongue poking between his teeth as he slipped your foot into the boot and began to pull the buckles tight. “This should help you get around.”

You tested it out, hobbling around on the crutches and boot. It was surprisingly more mobile than you’d expected, and by the time you’d made a lap around the kitchen, you felt sturdy on your feet. “Does this place have service?” you asked, sitting back beside Max. “I want to tell my friends I’m going to be late coming home.”

“Yeah,” Max said, looking out the window. “It was probably killed by the storm, but usually, yeah, it does.”

You and him decided to just wait it out, going your separate ways for the rest of the night. He showed you to your room, which was a plain room with hardly any décor, but as soon as your head hit the pillow, you were out like a light.

The next morning, you woke to birds singing and Max shuffling through the kitchen, muttering to himself. Sliding out of bed and grabbing the crutches off the wall, you made your way to the kitchen table, smiling when you saw Max making breakfast. It was eggs and bacon, and you waited for almost five minutes before finally standing to help him.

“Bacon first,” you said, handing him the package of bacon. “Then eggs.”

Max smiled sheepishly, looking at you. “Haven’t made breakfast in a while,” he admitted. “It’s weird.”

You shrugged, watching the bacon so you didn’t have to look into Max’s eyes. “It’ll come back to you,” you promised. “Where’d the ingredients come from though?”

“Convenience store,” Max said. “Half an hour drive, by the way. But they said that the power and phone lines got fixed, so go ahead and make your call or text or whatever.” He noticed you nervously eyeing the pan and chuckled. “I’ve got this.”

Turns out, he did, in fact, have this. When you looked up from your phone, you saw Max humming to himself, standing over the stove with a watchful eye, nodding his head back and forth to the hummed Star Wars theme. In his pyjama pants and old t-shirt, Max seemed oddly normal, so unlike the bloody menace who’d saved your life last night.

“Voila!” Max said happily, putting a plate down in front of you. “Eggs and bacon!”

You smiled, looking down. The breakfast looked amazing, everything oddly to your taste. Max sat across from you, the spot in front of him empty.

“What about you?” you asked. “Don’t you get breakfast?”

Max shrugged. “Yeah, but I figured I’d eat later.”

You shook your head. “Go get your food,” you said sternly. “Don’t starve yourself on my behalf.”

“Okay,” Max said, standing and opening the fridge. He pulled out a raw chunk of meat, putting it on a plate and grabbing a knife as well before he sat back in front of you. “Bon appétit,” he said, cutting off a piece of his meat and sinking his fangs into it.

You nodded, eating your own food. As much as you wanted to stare, you decided that you’d do your best to make Max comfortable. So instead of gawking, you simply enjoyed a meal with him.

“So when are you going home?”

You looked up at the question. Max was looking down, almost nervous as he shoved a few more bites of food around his plate. “I don’t know,” you said. “When I’m well enough to walk, I guess.”

Max seemed shocked. “But that’ll be weeks!” he said.

“And?” you were confused. “I told my friends I was staying with an old friend from out of town who lived close to the campsite while I recovered, and that I’d be back when I could walk again. You’ll let me stay, right?”

“You actually want to stay?”

You nodded, smiling. “Yeah I want to stay!” you said. “Provided you won’t like, eat me in my sleep or anything. You’ve helped me Max. I trust you.”

Max seemed shocked as you spoke, but finally, he sat back, smiling. “Okay,” he said. “Yeah, you can stay.”

“Great!” you said happily. “After breakfast, what do you want to do? The storm let up, we could go outside.”

“On that foot?” Max asked, nudging your boot under the table. “No. I have a PlayStation and a bunch of games. It’s all old though.”

You shrugged. “How old?”

“Three years,” Max said. “And most of the games are horror. No one ever comes around anymore, so I just kinda kept the stuff I used.”

You perked up. “Got Resident Evil?”

Max smiled. “Yeah.”

“Seven?”

“Yup.”

You stood, already moving towards the couch. “I bet I can die less times than you can!”

“Oh you’re on!”

#bloodsucking bastards #max phillips #max phillips x reader #max phillips x you #Pedro Pascal #My writing #writer wednesday

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frenchpuppycormier · 4 years ago

Text

Prom Night!

(ao3)

word count: 2k

rating: T

Shoutout to @krdnvrs for being my number one fan and cheerleader on all of my random ideas, and for listening to me complain. Another thanks to @red-cape-morgana for being my glorified cheerleader ;)

They were in Midvale, working a case, when it happened.

Somehow Lex managed to lace the water supply with kryptonite, the team got wind of it, and so they went to investigate.

Lena, now an integral part of the team, tagged along.

Alex, J’onn, Brainy, and Nia went first to make sure everyone was safe and that the kryptonite wouldn’t harm anyone, while also checking to see what kind of kryptonite it was and how it would affect Kara.

Kara and Lena are staying back at the town line. Waiting patiently. Some more than others.

“Will you please stop pacing? You’re stressing me out,” Lena rubs at her temples.

Kara stops mid-step, skidding on the loose gravel, and sighs. “I’m sorry. I’m just really anxious right now, and I’m scared of what they might find. I mean, what if—Eliza lives here! I can’t just—

“Hey,” Lena interrupts by placing both hands on Kara’s forearms. “It’ll be fine. Eliza isn’t even here. She’s out of town, remember?”

Kara lets out a deep breath and nods.

“Can I—Kara, can I give you a hug?” she asks, timidly. Lena won’t openly admit it, but Kara’s the only one she openly and freely gives hugs to. Anyone else and it’s touch and go.

Kara smiles, “Duh! You don’t even have to ask, you know that.” She wrangles her arms out from Lena’s hands and wraps her own around the CEO’s shoulders, burying her face in raven hair.

Lena grips her hands tightly around the hero’s back and inhales deeply, the sweet smell of honey and lavender from the blonde's shampoo, and the hint of earth which makes Kara, Kara.

The moment was quickly disrupted by a chirping in Kara’s ear. She steps back slightly so one arm is still resting on Lena’s shoulders while the other presses the comm. “Alex?”

Lena is moderately perturbed at Alex in this moment, but doesn’t let it show. Instead, she loosens her grip and slides her hands to rest on Kara’s hips, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“You guys should head into town,” Alex supplies.

“What is it?” Kara asks while absentmindedly playing with Lena’s hair.

“Everything’s fine, but you’re gonna wanna see this for yourself.”

Kara frowns. “Okay, we’ll be there shortly.” She clears her throat and Lena eyes her warily.

“So?” Lena steps back and crosses her arms in front of her chest.

“Alex says she has something to show us,” Kara replies. “So,” she moved her arms in a swooping gesture, “Ready to go?”

Lena shakes her head. “No. We are not flying there.”

“Suit yourself,” Kara laughs and begins to take off. Lena stops her with a hand on the wrist before she can. “Change your mind?”

“Just promise to go slow,” Lena huffs, giving Kara permission to scoop her up bridal style.

“Yes, ma’am,” she smirks.

___

“Blue kryptonite?”

Alex nods.

“What is his endgame?”

Alex puffs her cheeks up and releases hot air. “It seems he wants to get rid of your powers. And apparently he thought starting here would be the best course of action, knowing you grew up here and you’d come this way. Fool proof plan, really.” A sudden serious look clouds over her. "And I have a feeling this is only the first step in his nefarious plans."

Kara groans, "Well, is everyone okay at least?" She puts her hands on her hips, in the classic hero pose.

"As far as we know, it doesn't have any negative effects on humans. In fact, we think it does the opposite."

"Of course!" Lena interjects from her spot. She's stayed quiet and let the sisters discuss things, until now she remembers information that could help.

"Lena?" Kara raises her eyebrows in question.

"When Lex was researching ways to hurt Superman, he discovered blue kryptonite," she rolls her eyes. "Blue kryptonite can drastically improve the health of any non-Kryptonian organism, such as livestock, crops, and humans. Continual consumption of blue kryptonite-irradiated water puts humans in a perfect state of health. I'm almost positive he's been drinking the stuff for years."

"Well, fuck," Alex huffs.

Lena shakes her head. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. It doesn't make him super-powered or anything. Actually, now that I think about it, the blue rock makes humans more prone to mental irregularities. If that's the case, it would explain a lot."

"Is there a way to counteract it?" Kara asks.

Lena sighs. "If I'm hypothesizing correctly, I'd bet my life on lead getting the job done."

Kara nods and looks to Alex. "Okay. You got all the rock bagged up then?" Alex nods. "How long until the water supply is back to normal?"

"A week? Maybe two. Just don't go drinking the water at mom's house, got it?"

"I'll stick to bottled," Kara smirks.

___

As they’re flying to Eliza's later that night, Kara notices her old high school is bustling with people and everyone is gussied up. She gasps loudly in Lena’s ear. “Lena, look!”

“What?”

“It’s prom night!” she slows down and finds a spot behind some bushes for cover. Once grounded she practically beams. “Let’s break in!"

Lena guffaws.

Kara stares at her with a gleaming twinkle in her eyes.

“Are you serious?” She asks incredulously.

Kara nods furiously like a bobble head. “Yeah, totally! I remember you telling me once how you never went to prom, and then I promised you if the opportunity ever arises I’d take you myself. And I'd dance with you.”

“You said no such thing,” Lena states, highly amused.

“Okay, well," Kara visibly flusters, "Maybe I never said that part out loud, but I still thought it in my head. And...I mean it.”

“Kara, that’s very sweet, but look at us,” she gestures between them, “I’m dressed like I’m ready for a board meeting, and you,” she glances around to make sure no one can see or hear them and whispers, “You’re Supergirl.”

Kara looks down and pouts, “Oh. Right.” It doesn’t keep her down for long though, because she speeds away and comes back in a dress before Lena can even blink.

“Wow. Don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” Lena chuckles. “You didn’t think to grab anything for me?”

The hero frowns while looking Lena up and down with an intense gaze, causing Lena to feel immensely self-conscious. With a finger to her chin Kara says, “I think you look perfect. You’re basically wearing a suit, anyway, just one that probably costs more than anyone in that building can afford.”

Lena raises her eyebrows haughtily.

“Shall we?” Kara holds out her arm.

Lena rolls her eyes fondly, before relaxing, and hooks her arm through the blonde’s. “Alright, MacGyver, how are we doing this?”

“Easy,” Kara shrugs. “I’ll just open the door to the gym with my super strength, and sneak in the back. Piece of cake.”

“Famous last words.”

___

“Ha! Told you we could do it!” Kara exclaims as they make their way through the gym, where fairy lights are strewn about everywhere, and the ceiling is decorated with cheesy cotton drapes. Surprisingly, no one even notices the two women, and if they do they don’t care.

“The night is still young,” Lena points out.

“Oh quit being a downer,” Kara teases. As they find a secluded spot in the corner, a slow song starts to play. The lights cast a glow on Lena making her seem ethereal, and Kara gapes in awe.

"You look beautiful, Lena."

"I could say the same for you," she blushes.

“May I have this dance?” Kara playfully bends forward with one hand outstretched.

“You’re such a goober,” Lena laughs and takes her hand.

They slow dance for a while, the heat between them hanging in the air. As soon as Kara thinks about asking Lena the question that's been niggling her for the past few months, she notices a man poking around in the corner of her eye. He makes eye contact with her and begins making his way toward them. Kara panics.

“There’s a man coming our way. What do we do? He’s probably gonna kick us out!”

“Shit, I don’t know! This was your idea!” Lena hisses.

Kara thinks fast and makes a decision. A decision she never thought would happen, here in Midvale, in her high school gymnasium of all places. A decision that will inevitably change their lives forever.

“Do you trust me?”

“With my life,” Lena answers immediately, with a wistful smile plastered on her face.

Kara nods and takes a moment to compose herself. Just a tiny moment. Because they’re kind of running out of time here. Before she can second-guess herself, she takes Lena’s face in her hands and kisses her.

She kisses her like her life depends on it. She’s waited for this moment for so long and it’s finally here. At a high school prom she wasn't even invited to. The thought makes her want to laugh. But she can't, because she's kissing Lena. And Lena is kissing her back with just as much ferocity! It’s funny, she never imagined she’d be back here, years later, with the prettiest woman in the universe at her side, yet that’s what was in the cards for her.

When what feels like minutes of absolute heaven go by, Kara pulls back slightly, breathing heavy. She slowly opens her eyes and whispers, “Do you think it worked?”

“Excuse me?”

The voice startles them from their little bubble and makes the women jump apart in surprise.

"Gosh, you scared the crap outta me," Kara shudders, clutching at her heart. She gathers her wits and when she sees the man, realization slowly dawns on her. "Kenny?"

The man, presumably Kenny, frowns. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"

"It's Kara. Kara Danvers!" she smiles with hesitancy. The gears in Kenny's head start turning and he puts his hands on his head in utter bewilderment.

"Kara!"

Being the tactile person she is, Kara envelops him in a bone crushing hug. When they pull back she asks, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the principal," he replies bashfully. Kenny smirks and tilts his head. "What are you doing here?"

Kara blushes a deep red and clears her throat. "Um, well...I'm just visiting, actually." She adjusts her glasses awkwardly. "You know, see how everyone's doing since I left..."

"And who's this?" Kenny asks, peering behind her, effectively cutting off the inevitable ramble about to happen.

The blonde swallows. "Oh geez, where are my manners?" she bonks herself on the head and turns to Lena. Kara gently pushes her forward by the small of her back, and rests her hand there. "Lena, this is my friend Kenny from high school. Kenny, this is my....Lena..."

Lena chuckles and holds out her hand. “Lena Luthor. Nice to meet you.” His grip is firm when they shake hands.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” he replies.

Kara grins after seeing her former (dead?) best friend meet her current best friend (maybe more?) chat with one another.

She explains why they’re there and that they essentially snuck in.

“I won’t tell a soul. You have my word,” Kenny winks at them. “Keep in touch, yeah?” Kara nods enthusiastically, and gives him one last hug before departing to the other end of the gym, where he sees a student spiking the punch bowl.

"So..." Lena starts, "That's the Kenny you told me about?"

Lena notices Kara's eyes crinkle and one corner of her mouth lifts up, in that cute way it does when she's thinking deeply about something. "Yeah. He died though, in my timeline." She frowns, and her eyes dart around the floor like the cracks and scratches have all the answers. "This whole universe...reset...thing is mind-boggling."

Lena reaches up and rubs softly at Kara's little crinkle with the pad of her thumb. When it disappears, she drops her hand and plays with the blonde's fingers instead. "Nothing's ever easy in our lives, is it?"

Kara hums an affirmation in response.

"You can tell me about it, if you'd like," Lena offers.

"That'd be nice," Kara smiles, then like a flip of a switch she's throwing her a flirty smirk. "But not right now," she joins their other hands together and pushes them forward and back, as if they're on the cusp of telling each other exciting news.

"No?" Lena plays along.

"Nope," she raises their hands up so Lena's rest on her shoulders, and Kara pulls her forward by the waist. "I was kinda hoping we could talk about that kiss."

"Mhmm, I was wondering if you were gonna bring that up," she inches closer so her forehead touches Kara's, and she encircles her arms around her neck, the distance between them practically nonexistent.

"I should've asked," she connects her hands on the other woman's back.

Lena shakes her head, the action causing their noses to bump. "You never have to ask to kiss me." Before Kara can properly respond, Lena connects their lips together again, shutting her up in the best way possible.

They still have a lot of things to figure out, a lot of demons to fight-both literally and figuratively-but Lena relishes in the thought that at least she has Kara.

At least they're doing it together.

After all, it is their life motto: stronger together.

#supercorp #supercorp fic rec #supercorp fic #my work #kara danvers #lena luthor #supergirl season 6

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seiin-translations · 4 years ago

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2.43 S1 Chapter 4.2 - Drifting Yunichika

2. BOYS’ NIGHT

I’m back...for real this time

Translation Notes

1. Japanese rooms are often measured by tatami mat. A tatami mat is about 1.65 square meters.

2. Vabo-chan is a mascot character created by Fuji TV that shows up during volleyball game broadcasts. It’s basically a white ball with hands and feet and creepy looking eyes

3. The “itoko”/Itoko pun is back! Itoko is the Japanese word for cousin and also Kuroba’s cousin’s name

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Seiin High School was built on a slope at the foot of a mountain. It took fifteen minutes to climb up the hill from the school building, and the training camp was located in a place where you had to push through the woods of the mountain behind the school. It was a one-story wooden house that was in all probability haunted, rumored to have existed before the school was founded. The mountain was also owned by the school, and at the end of the first semester, all the first-year students were sent to collect firewood for the school festival campfire. The memory of being eaten alive by mosquitoes was fresh in his mind. Even though he wasn’t stung, just walking into the woods brought back the itchiness he had felt all over his body.

From July 26 to 30, this would be the lodging house for the boys’ volleyball team’s summer training camp. Two days after training camp was over, the Fall Tournament would be coming up from August 1 to 3. It was a one-off tournament that wasn’t connected to Nationals, but it was a chance for them to check well their team was doing as well as to gauge the strength of the other schools so that they could make final adjustments for the Spring Tournament prefectural preliminaries at the end of September.

The house was a minimalist structure, with a twenty-mat (1) Japanese-style room, kitchen, canteen, and communal washrooms for men and women, and the facilities were also very simple. It of course didn’t have luxury items like air conditioners installed, just an old-fashioned electric fan in the canteen.

“I wish there’s a fan in this room too…”

After the study session in the canteen had finished, he was lying on his stomach at the edge of the Japanese-style room to cool off when Okuma stepped on his back and he let out a “Gueh” like a crushed frog. “Wait, it’s coming out, the food I ate.”

“Hey, where did Haijima go?”

“Please don’t treat us as a set. Didn’t he get caught by Aoki-senpai and is still in the canteen? Aoki-senpai doesn’t seem like he’d be satisfied he can’t do something about his modern lit.”

When they got their results back from their end-of-term tests for the first semester, the academic abilities of the new recruits had become joke material for their seniors. Kuroba was good at Japanese overall, but in most other subjects he just barely avoided failing. Haijima, on the other hand, was…

After the seniors exclaimed “Whoa…” in astonishment at his amazingly high marks in subjects that had to do with calculation and memorization, the eye-avertingly awfulness of his writing subjects made them fall down and say, “Never mind…”

“Haijima seems uncomfortable with Aoki-senpai. He looks like he hates him.”

Futons were already laid out in the Japanese-style room. It was four futons in two rows, with the pillow side facing each other. They had laid them out themselves, so it was quite messy. Hokao and Uchimura, who had already taken up positions on the middle two futons that formed a second-year island and were fully ready to sleep, lifted their heads off their pillows and said, “Oh, that—”

“Haijima got kicked by Aoki-senpai because he pissed him off, right? In April.”

“Has Aoki-senpai ever gotten angry?”

“He’s scary when he’s angry. No, it’s more harsh rather than scary.”

“Aoki-senpai gets harsh when he’s angry, and it’s Kanno who’s scary when he’s angry.”

Hokao and Uchimura looked at each other and stifled laughter. The various sounds of summer insects continually fell like a gentle drizzle, constantly beating against the awning of the porch. When the storm shutters were fully slid open, they felt a moderately comfortable breeze. However, mosquitoes also flew in, so mosquito repelling incense stood in the four corners of the room making thin plumes of smoke.

The mixture of incense smoke and the remaining scent of the yakiniku was already thickly staining the T-shirts they had changed into after practice. I might have eaten too much meat…my stomach hurts… Well, the excess calories could be easily consumed in tomorrow’s practice, and in any case, Kuroba didn’t have such a delicate body that a weight change of one kilogram or around that could affect his jumping power. By the way, Okuma was the only member of the team who was required to lose weight. He had too much muscle mass.

“It’d be boring if Haijima wasn’t here.”

“Is there something interesting?”

When he tried to get up, Okuma sat astride his back. “Heavy…I really am too full…” And that’s why you’re so irritating… Moreover, he chose the right person. It was detestable that he thought he could get away with this kind of messing around with Kuroba, but didn’t do it with Haijima.

Okuma thrust his cell phone into his face from behind. His phone was the latest model with a big screen. The moment his eyes landed on the screen, Kuroba stopped his complaints with an “Oh? …” and gulped. It was a video of a woman with a lot of exposed skin, so to speak, squirming and moaning on white sheets, with one thing or another being done to her. “Senpai, turn up the volume a little bit. I can’t hear.” He attached himself to the screen in spite of himself and strained his ears.

“Huh, you reacted normally. I thought you’d be more embarrassed since you seem so innocent.”

“I have an older cousin, so he shows me a lot of this stuff. Hey, the volume. How do you turn up the volume on this thing?’

“Idiot, the third-years will hear it. You got a voice fetish or something? Boring, I knew I should wait for Haijima’s reaction.”

“Ah…so mean.”

He was about to grab his phone away, but Okuma snatched it away from him.

“Oh, speak of the devil.”

Kanno and Haijima appeared at the door of the room while talking about something. Judging from Haijima’s gestures, it seemed that they were talking about the duo they had been playing as all day. Or rather, that was the only thing Haijima could talk about in such an assertive way.

“Hey, hey, come over here, you two.”

Okuma was beckoning them over with a scheming look on his face, and the two looked at each other dubiously before coming over.

“What is it?” Kanno said politely, even though they were in the same school year.

“The curry recipe. You two are in charge tomorrow.”

As soon as Kanno peered into the phone screen Okuma pushed into their faces, he let out a “Wah” and turned his face away. While holding the edge of the phone between his fingertips and passing it off to Haijima, he pulled his hood down over his eyes. “I’m not too good with this kind of thing.”

“Oh. I see, I see. So you’re used to seeing it with Suemori-san.”

“Haa!?”

He suddenly snapped. It was the first time they heard Kanno’s angry voice, so Kuroba and Okuma unconsciously bent themselves back. Even Hokao and Uchimura, who had known him for a long time, started on their futons.

“Aren’t you going out with Suemori-san?”

“Absolutely not, and if you ever try to bring that sort of topic up with Ibara-cha…Suemori-san…”

His voice went a tone lower, and there was even bloodlust rising up from his shoulders. The aura of Kanno, who was usually quiet, and if anything, had practically no presence, suddenly swelled, frightening Okuma, who was fifty percent wider. Kuroba took that opportunity to crawl out from under Okuma’s buttocks. Hokao and Uchimura looked at each other under their pillows, whispering to each other, “We warned him that he’d be scary when he gets pissed off…” “Right?”

“S-sorry, sorry. I won’t say it again…” Ibara-chan, Okuma mouthed, looking like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t seem to have the courage to make fun of him to his face anymore.

“As long as you understand.”

Kanno said, then easily retracted his harsh look and reverted to his usual low-key presence. He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his hoodie, walked with sliding steps to the wall where his things were, looking like a ghost floating a few centimeters off the floor.

“Haa… So which one of us has a girlfriend?”

Okuma sat crossed-legged on the porch, facing the room, and ended up tossing out a blunt question without having learned anything at all. Hokao, Uchimura, and Kuroba all looked away vaguely. If he had one, the most exciting event during the summer vacation of his first year in high school would not have been a boring thing like a team training camp.

“This is so sad. You’re young, so you should be hungrier. The captain doesn’t look like he has a girl at all, and the only one who might be popular is the vice-captain?”

Okuma played innocent and judged others with his own arbitrary impressions.

“So, how about you, Haijima?”

When he finally brought up the subject to Haijima, Kuroba secretly felt something like a sense of superiority, thinking, This guy still has no idea at all.

Volleyball was his lover. Or rather, if volleyball was one of the opposite sex, Haijima would no doubt become her obstinate stalker. If he had a girlfriend, that would definitely be a cataclysm. Haijima, who was watching the video with his fingers pressing the earpieces of his glasses and looking like he was seriously trying to decipher a curry recipe, answered bluntly, “I don’t, and I never had one.” Just when he thought, There you go,

“Well, that’s what I thought. You seem to have completely matured from kind of stuff.”

“I did have a girl I liked.”

He doubted his ears because Haijima had reluctantly answered back to Okuma.

“Se…seriously!?”

Without thinking, he got up from lying on his stomach and crawled over to Haijima. “She’s an actual human being, right!? She’s got proper arms and legs, right!? Ah, Vabo-chan (2) does has arms and legs, but they’re not human, so wake up!” “What are you talking about…Why Vabo-chan?” Haijima screwed his face up. Okuma was doubled over laughing on the porch.

“Vabo-chan! That’s hilarious, Kuroba!”

Hokao and Uchimura had collapsed onto their futons, making strange laughing noises. Even Kanno was crouching in front of his bag with his shoulders shaking furtively. “…What does it mean?” Haijima was looking more and more reluctant. “No, I didn’t say that to make you laugh, senpai. It’s a problem that seriously needs to be examined.” “What do you mean?”

“What are you are getting noisy about? I’m turning off the lights.”

It seemed that the clamor could be heard all the way in the canteen, as Oda looked in from the door with a severe look on his face.

“Good grief, save your strength or you’ll regret it to the point of vomiting tomorrow. And I mean that literally.”

From behind Oda, who lowered his voice and gave off a sense of danger, Aoki also appeared, bowing his head to avoid scraping his head against the lintel.

“You remember me saying that those who can’t sleep will do dashes on the slope, right? Okuma, you seem to be the most energetic one here.”

“Not at all. I can fall asleep in a second.”

Okuma shoved his phone under the stomach of his T-shirt and dived into his futon. Hokao and Uchimura were now pretending to be dead, and Kanno, who was at the bags until just a while ago, was quickly tucking himself into his futon before they knew it. Somehow, the beds were arranged by seniority, with the two third-years on the innermost territory, the four second-years in the middle territory, and the first-years Kuroba and Haijima in the territory near the door.

As soon as the ceiling lights were turned off and darkness fell, the room that had been full of clamor and noise suddenly became strangely quiet. Immediately after, they began to hear someone snoring. Ten to one, that deep and throaty snoring belonged to Okuma. He was jealous that he really could sleep in a second.

Even when he laid down and closed his eyes, Kuroba couldn’t go to sleep easily. It was true that his body was exhausted from the first day of training camp, but his head was strangely clear.

He opened up his futon, turned over, and then stared into the darkness. A blue light, slightly brighter than the indoor lights, shined in from the porch, and the jagged shadows of the trees pierced into the night sky. Mosquitoes buzzed in his ears, and he waved them away in irritation.

…Mmm. Can’t sleep. I feel too excited for some reason.

He turned over again, and this time he was lying on his stomach and hugging his pillow. “Hey,” he whispered, leaning forward. “You up?”

He saw the head moving slightly on the pillow that was lined up face-to-face with his.

“Go to sleep.”

A curt voice responded to him in the darkness.

“I can’t, though.”

“Then go run outside.”

“Hey, when did you like that girl? It wasn’t when we were at Monshiro Middle, was it?”

“I told you to go to sleep. You think this is a school trip or something?”

“It’s definitely not Itoko, right?” (3)

There was the rustling of clothing, and the hair that had been hanging down on the pillow rose up. Haijima also lied on his stomach and stretched his neck towards him over his pillow. His brow was wrinkled and his eyes were narrowed so much that he looked positively villainous.

“Why are you talking about ‘itoko’?”

“Ah, did you just call her by her first name!?”

He was so shocked that his voice became louder. Haijima’s expression became even more grim, and he abruptly swept his hand off to the side of his pillow. When he was wondering what was going on, he grabbed his glasses that were caught on his fingers in a careless but familiar manner, put them on, and then thrusted his face at him again.

“Are you still seeing that cousin of yours?”

“Seeing…wh-what are you talking about, we’re not seeing each other at all! We go to different schools, I don’t really have any feelings for her, and she’s like a sister-in-law.”

As he was listing that off in a shrill and excited voice, …Hmm? Something doesn’t seem to be meshing… When he really thought about it, he didn’t remember Haijima and Itoko having any interaction with each other, and since it was Haijima, he might not even recognize Itoko’s name.

“…By cousin, do you mean Yori-chan?”

Haijima frowned and tilted his head as though to say, What are you talking about?

Yorimichi, his cousin who was three years older than him (but third-rate) had left town in spring to go to university. Kuroba also had the feeling that he was let go because his relatives found him unmanageable.

“I have nothing to do with Yori-chan anymore. We haven’t even been in touch.”

“If that’s the case, then you wouldn’t be getting so worked up.”

“I’m not getting worked up about this…”

The light from the window that was shining in from the balcony was suddenly blocked. He shut his mouth with a start and jerked his neck around, and saw a long and skinny shadow crouched beside his futon, as though one of the creepy trees he had seen outside had snuck in.

“Aoki-senpa…i…”

Two long arms reached out and grabbed the two’s heads firmly. The two drew in their necks with an “Ugu” as their heads were lifted up like in a crane game. “Idiots…” they heard one of the second-years mutter with a mixture of exasperation and sympathy.

“Since you two seem so eager to go running, I’ll grant your wish. Twenty hillside dashes.”

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#2.43 #2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu #2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club #2.43 translation #2.43 book 1

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benisasoftboi · 4 years ago

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Unorganised thoughts on Trails of Cold Steel III:

...I’m gonna need like a week to process that

I guess I know why people hate George now!

Could really use a good old reset from KeA right now

This is the best game in the Cold Steel series so far. Easily

I... there’s no way they’re all really dead, right? This series has been completely toothless about killing anyone who isn’t a villain until now, no way they’re permanently killing someone who’s been here since practically day 1, no way. Show me a body

And even then I’ll doubt it with all these revivals happening all over the place

‘He’s HIDING’ I sob as I apply clown make-up

Ben Diskin did not need to go so hard on the voice acting at Millium’s death he did not need to do that to me

My god when Angie drove into the graveyard and my PS4 popped up a little notification telling me it was a blocked scene, the tension in me... and I never saw that coming, I’ll have to see if it was foreshadowed at all by replaying CS1 and 2 some time

I saw Lughman being a baddie a mile away (a mysterious professor turning out to be evil in a Trails game? UNPRECEDENTED!) but he’s Alisa’s dad!?

Neat writing trick actually, since they probably knew we’d guess the former, they blindside us with the latter

I can’t express how happy it made me that the Rufus battle was Machias Jusis Elliot. My dream team!

Estelle and Joshua got mentioned so much I figured they’d make a surprise appearance at the end and save the day

So. Characters:

Rean: Rean is once again moderately more interesting than he was before, but still the least interesting person in the game. I guess he’s got some guilt that’s actually justified now, that’s cool?

I ship him with Crow, not because the pairing really appeals to me that much, but because being shipped with Crow would totally piss Rean off and I find that extremely funny

His relationship with Altina is the best relationship he’s ever had with a female character and it is 100% because she’s the only girl he’s never ship teased with

(I don’t have an issue with the concept of ship tease itself, I have an issue with Rean-ship tease because 1. I still truly do not understand why so many girls like him so much and 2. None of it will ever canonically go anywhere)

(Seriously I’m so tempted to write a breakdown of why every other guy in Erebonia is more desirable than Rean)

Juna: I like Juna. I realised early on that she and Kurt remind me of Estelle and Joshua, without being carbon copies, and that’s good. I also think her relationship with Rean was really interesting - ‘I don’t know how to feel about you because you saved my life, but it also wouldn’t have needed saving if it weren’t for your country’s actions, which you’ve played a major role in - but now I’m being forced to confront that you’re a human being too’ is a really complicated situation for her. It’s a lot more interesting than ‘I don’t like you because you accidentally got a face full of chest’, Alisa

I also really liked using her, I ended up loading her with the Platinum Pecky Medal and defensive stuff, and she was a wall, she took an S-craft from Arianrhod in her stride! My buff girl!

She should’ve just been the new protagonist ngl

Kurt: Kurt had a lot to live up to, seeing as his brother is my favourite minor character. And oh does he succeed, Kurt is my favourite of New VII, he’s a good straight man, he’s great in battle, I like his arc, I like his friendship with Juna, I like Kurt

Altina: I was not sure about Altina just... being a student now. But damn if she didn’t have the best character arc in the game. I only did her final bonding event on a whim, but it’s the best one I saw. My girl Allie deserves the damn world

I really, truly believe those three have a bond as well, they’re very well written as a group. This was a problem I had with Old VII, the fact that so many of them just... didn’t have relationships with each other. How do, say, Fie and Machias feel about each other? I have no idea. But this group has a fantastic dynamic and it makes that ending so much more effective

It’s like I praised Crossbell for, really - having a small core group is much more manageable in terms of giving them all equal screen time and getting me to care about them

Musse: Uh, kind of one-note and annoying, honestly. I don’t hate her or anything, but like... she’s either Being Mysterious or Hitting On Her Teacher (I hate it I hate it so much). It’s just hard to care about someone who’s clearly so fake, I guess? I’m definitely interested in her, but like... I don’t really like her

Ash: Poor boy. I thought Ash was such an interesting character (and man do I love having someone around who does not like Rean, and never really changes his mind about it). Ash is very well done imo

Alisa: Alisa is good when the issue is her family drama, and is so goddamn boring when it comes to Rean. Nothing new there

Elliot: I love his little ponytail I love it he’s so cute I want to hug him so bad

Laura: Winner of the ‘best new outfit’ award (was never that fond of her war outfit, but this one is perfect). Still good, but not notably so. I feel so bad for Laura, she tries so hard to matter, but she’s by far the character you’d have the easiest time lifting out of the game

And while I love Elliot... same situation really. You could go back to the start and have one character named Elliaura who likes swords and music and has two big-shot dads, and you wouldn’t lose much

Machias: Took down Rufus, yeah, destroy your best friend (boyfriend)’s evil family! Winner of the ‘worst new outfit’ award, AGAIN. Also winner of ‘dorkiest S-craft’. I did his final bonding event first, and according to Playstation trophies it’s the least popular one! Stop sleeping on my boy Machias guys, I know he was annoying in the first game but I love him :(

Gaius: Special award to Gaius for finally being interesting! Boy’s a Gralsritter now, did not see that coming!

And of course it happened off screen. Because god forbid interesting stuff happen to Gaius when we’re actually around

Oh also goddamn, that is a beautiful man

Emma: Don’t really like the new outfit. It’s kind of remarkable that she’s so important but I keep forgetting she exists. Exposition witch who sometimes just doesn’t deliver the exposition I guess

Fie: Still my fav girl. Wish there had been more focus on her feelings about her dad coming back to life. Like that she’s a bracer

Jusis: Wasn’t sure how to feel about his newly close friendship with Millium because I was concerned that I was meant to ship it (by far my least favourite thing about this franchise is that that was not an unreasonable concern, as it wouldn’t even be the most inappropriate relationship in this game alone). Very, very glad it was confirmed sibling-y (not that it’s stopped them before). He didn’t really get to do anything else, sadly, but he’s good as always

I did the Purebread contest with him, and he made bread from coffee beans Machias gave him, the Ferdibert Fire Emblem energy-

“What are you doing underneath this scarlet Pleroma Grass?”

Milliam: :(

Sara: Doesn’t get much to do because this cast is bloated but like, I still really like her :)

Towa: Someone needs to check on Towa all her friends are dead or evil the poor poor girl (or uh. I guess Crow isn’t... hmm.)

Angie :(

My kids Tita and Agate are back and completely overshadowed by people teasing this almost 30-year old man about being in love with a 17 year old that he’s only ever claimed to see as a sister, I swear to god

The orbal gear looks so goofy lol

Stop mentioning Schera as just being ‘totally here, just off screen, ha ha’ give her a model! Have her be here!

Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing Josette again, I just don’t get... why? Why is she here?

Tio is back! And so is Randy, as a major character! I’m very very happy, I love them both

Michael’s fine, I guess? He’s kind of bland but I guess that’s kind of the point and I like him just fine. He serves his purpose well

I’ve never really liked Claire all that much, but she’s fine in this one again I suppose. A bit disappointed by the Lechter reveals really, I had expected more, to be honest

Aurelia is a fun character and I enjoy her as the principal. Want to see her fight Cassius

Want to see Cassius

I love my girl Annabelle, but she’s the only reason I didn’t get all the character profiles (how was I meant to know I could even go to the highway at that point hmmm Falcom!?)

They picked a good selection of returning Thors students. Even Dorothee isn’t as annoying as she used to be. Hilarious that she’s the only one who didn’t get a profile

Juna gave a great big speech about how awesome the SSS are and namedrops everyone EXCEPT WAZY! My FAVOURITE Crossbell character! So offensive!

Oh speaking of offensive I took Machias to the Mishy show and was told he and Rean did a Mishy dance but they didn’t show it, what the hell-

Playable Olivier! Olivier back story! I could write a goddamn essay on why Olivier is such a great character. Glaring at you Falcom

I miss Mueller :(

Ada Grant is wonderful and I want better things for her

Rufus is a damn great villain just because of how much sense his actions suddenly make when you know that one little detail of him not actually being Jusis’s brother

I hate Cedric but like, in a way where I’m having fun hating him. That little bitch

Literally what do you even actually want Osbourne

I still cannot stand Elise. Something I realised playing this game is that one of the things that stops the Estelle and Joshua relationship from being as weird as it could be is that they don’t look at all alike, it’s very clear they’re not related in the slightest. Elise and Rean look like they really could be siblings, and come to think, so do Lloyd and Cecile. Which is also teased, to a lesser extent. It would be so much less uncomfortable if they just swapped Elise and Alfin’s models ngl (though still not good)

inb4 the final plot twist of the whole series is that Estelle and Joshua actually were biological siblings all along

This game looks so much better than its predecessors. Having the models being a little rounder and softer looking makes it look much more like an updated version of the original style than the complete departure that was CS1 and 2. Every time there was a flashback, Rean would be like ‘back then...’ and I’d feel compelled to say out loud ‘when we were shiny, and looked bad!’

‘Evil ancient magic corrupts people into making them do bad things!’ is... honestly a bit of a cop out that I did not expect from this series

I found Rean telling Patrick ‘leave room for Aidios when dancing with my sister’ extremely funny. Rean would totally be a Christian summer camp counsellor in the real world

I honestly would have enjoyed it a lot more if Alfin decided to cause a scandal and have her first dance with Elise, but we can’t have such luxuries I suppose

When you get that book on dystopias, very clever to put the author on the last page. Seeing the name Gideon gave me such a start

Racquel was easily my fav new location

Leeves > Trista no doubt, maybe I’m just biased because it looks a lot like the village I grew up in but it’s just such a nicer design

Also the branch campus > main campus purely for being smaller, making the filler segments between field trips more bearable

I prefer the longer but fewer chapters set-up, I think

There’s so many sad faces in this write up :(

Back when I played Sky SC, I said something about how one of the themes is ‘you are not defined by your trauma’. I now think it would be more accurate to say that the theme of all the games (but especially the Sky arc) is ‘don’t let your worst experiences define you’

Because there are characters who define themselves by their traumas and worst experiences - and those characters are all villains, or miserable, or both. Like, they don’t phrase it as such, but the requirement to be an Ouroboros enforcer is ‘have trauma and define yourself by it’

And both Joshua and Renne’s arcs are about learning not to do that

Equally, the idea that ‘it’s much easier to not to define yourself by your trauma when you have a good support system that wants the best for you’ is a big theme as well

I just think that’s a really interesting idea for a JRPG series to tackle, idk

I can’t believe I’m at the last game! This series has been my life for the past near-half a year, what do I do when I finish it?

...go back and play Sky FC, maybe?

#trails of cold steel 3 #trails of cold steel #trails series #kiseki series #erebonia arc

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thetriggeredhappy · 4 years ago

Note

scout likes sniper but can't help but blush and go awkward when he sees it

me, who saw a very pretty girl with bitchin’ tattoos and temporarily forgot how to speak english for about five minutes today: ha check out this fuckin loser having’ crushes and stuff..... ha what a fuckin goobus

(no warnings)

He really did legitimately hate the fact that he always made such an idiot out of himself in front of people he liked.

Like, he had literally no problem just hooking up with people. Absolutely no shame. See someone good-looking, walk up, ask them if they wanna bang, either get slapped or get in a car. He didn’t feel even a little bit bad about it, he was just being really honest about exactly what it was he wanted. And plenty of people respected that he wasn’t one to play stupid games.

The issue was that as soon as he got like, more than moderately invested before he could cut to the chase, he was absolutely fucked.

Miss Pauling was a great example. The situation surrounding him first meeting her was such a whirlwind and so weird that he didn’t really get a chance to ask her out, and so he’d just sorta been left to stew on it, and then he got cheesy. Started thinking about all kinds of romantic shit. And that was a complete fuckin’ mess for like, literally years until he found out she was seeing some girl and promptly stepped off because he was a hopeless romantic, not an animal.

And that had like, sucked, but at least he was functional. He only saw Miss P like, on the monthly maybe, and usually just over the phone or whatever and not in person. At least he could spend the vast majority of his time being exactly as much of a doofus as he usually was and not just a hoppy sappy mess.

But then. Oh, but fucking then.

He glanced in his periphery as subtly as he could, popping his gum to try and just for a second act natural, so frustrated with himself over how warm his face had gotten all of a sudden.

It was especially frustrating because like, it had kinda snuck up on him, all the gross heart-fluttery crap that always came along for the ride whenever he got a thing for someone. And he hadn’t really pieced it together for such a long time, but then one thing happened and everything cracked wide open all at once and now he couldn’t even just sit through the team meeting without—

Sniper moved to tug on his own hat idly, nudging his shades up his nose the millimeter or two they’d slid down since he last adjusted them maybe a minute and a half previously, and Scout had to force himself to stop looking at the guy for like ten seconds. And ten seconds was exactly how long he lasted before he was looking over again.

It sucked. Like, he’d gone years and years just kinda letting Sniper do his thing—the guy clearly just wanted to be left alone, didn’t want to be bothered with their shenanigans, so he really didn’t ever see Sniper around much. Barely knew the guy beyond like, some very basic stuff. And he kinda got the impression at first that Sniper was actually just way too cool for him to talk to, a hired assassin from fuckin’ Australia of all places, beyond skilled and into intimidating in his particular practice, maybe a little scary in the few interactions Scout caught him in during battle.

And he was like, more an idea of a person than an actual person, for those reasons. Scout didn’t really think much about what he had to actually be like.

Then one night Scout woke up around 3 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep and he decided to just go grab a snack from the kitchen to try and maybe squeeze a nap in before he was meant to be awake at 6:30, and he’d walked in and seen Sniper standing there.

Sniper was pretty professional in all interactions Scout ever had with him. Only ever showed up in the base proper in full uniform, and while he wasn’t like, Medic or Spy levels of crisp clean-cut, he still always at least looked put-together. But now Scout was confronted with the concept of what Sniper wore for pajamas, something he’d only ever thought about once or twice before, and was now suddenly witnessing.

Sweatpants, apparently, and a sweater. Green and grey, knitted. Socks. No hat or sunglasses, which was weird enough that it actually kind of took Scout a second to understand who he was looking at.

Sniper looked up at him when he walked in, and Scout knew he probably looked like hell, but Sniper didn’t look all that much better. He seemed pretty tired, and Scout watched as he visibly tried to sort himself out, standing up straight and squaring his shoulders a little, leaning less heavily on the counter.

“Uh, sup,” Scout said, and walked over to the fridge, deciding to just kinda play it cool and like he was totally anticipating that someone might be in the kitchen at 3 AM, and also that it wasn’t weird that he was in the kitchen at 3 AM.

“...‘llo,” Sniper mumbled, and glanced back down at what he’d been doing before Scout showed up.

Eating cereal, apparently, the bland wheat garbage that about half the team usually put up with, he and Pyro being the ones who tended to go for the more sugary brands. Scout occupied himself with trying to sift through the over-stuffed fridge for something he could feasibly eat, deciding not to stare.

But the silence was pretty painful. He didn’t like silence, it always felt almost itchy to stand there and not say anything when there was someone like five feet away, so he broke it after a few seconds. “Doesn’t it get hot in that?” he asked, not looking over at Sniper.

A pause long enough that Scout was half convinced Sniper was just going to ignore him, but he did end up speaking. “Gets cold at night. ‘Specially out there, it’s... warmer in the base,” Sniper murmured. “Used to it being warm, besides.”

“Fair,” Scout shrugged, pulled out a container, glanced at it, put it back. “Probably hotter in—“

“Australia, yeah,” Sniper agreed, in a tone that implied he’d heard that a hundred times before.

“It’s summer there right now, right?” Scout asked, pulling out a different container and scowling when he saw Engie’s name on it, begrudgingly putting it back.

“...Yeah.”

Scout finally found a leftover Chinese takeout box that he was at least reasonably sure was his own, and moved over to the microwave, dropping the leftovers on a plate and putting in some random amount of time, aware he’d just be stopping the microwave when noises started happening anyways. He glanced back over at Sniper. Sniper wasn’t looking at him. “That’s a cool sweater, though,” Scout finally said.

“Thanks,” Sniper said into his bowl. “It’s, er...”

There was a very long silence as Scout waited for Sniper to finish his sentence and he didn’t. He popped the microwave open to check on his leftovers. Not warm enough. He closed it again, turned back around. Kept waiting.

Apparently Sniper did decide to finish his sentence eventually. “It’s wool. From... back home,” he said, voice still quiet.

“Huh?” Scout asked, a little confused.

Sniper finished his bowl, put it on the counter next to him. Scratched at the back of his neck. Without the hat it was much more obvious how Sniper’s hair just kinda flipped up in the back, and how unruly the rest of his hair was as well, even deliberately brushed back out of the way. “Family’s sheep farmers,” he finally said.

Scout’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah?”

Sniper nodded. “We don’t... spin the wool, some other bloke does that, but we get to sell the yarn at least. Usually m’parents keep at least a little bit. Mum knits. Gives... gloves and the like to any kids in town.”

“She made that too?” Scout asked, glancing the sweater up and down again. “Jesus, how long did that take?”

Sniper shrugged. “Week, maybe two.”

“That’s pretty cool.” Scout scratched at his arm as a memory occurred to him. “Only sweaters I ever had were hand-me-downs from my brothers, itchy as all fuck. They never wanted to pass down the softer ones.”

Sniper nodded at that. “Makes sense.”

There was a long silence then, in which Scout finally noticed his food was starting to make popping noises and he pulled it out. Mostly hot, some cold bits in the middle, but he grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the drawer of assorted utensils and stirred it around so it was more even. It was just noodles, so it didn’t matter much.

“Late dinner,” Sniper said, almost managing to make it sound like a joke.

“Early breakfast,” Scout shot back, nodding at the cereal bowl and stirring his food around a bit more.

Sniper tilted his head in a vague sort of agreement, going quiet again. Scout started eating, and winced a little at how some noodles were weirdly dry and others were goopy, but hey, beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Silence again, but at least Scout could keep himself occupied with eating instead of thinking about it.

“You know how to use chopsticks?” Sniper finally asked, surprising Scout a little bit. He glanced up.

“Yeah, duh, who doesn’t?” Scout scoffed.

Silence for a second. “I don’t,” Sniper said.

Scout looked up again, befuddled. “Man, are you serious? I learned that when I was like, five,” he prodded.

Sniper shrugged, looking away again. “Just never learnt. Never really had to, didn’t come up.”

“Fuckin’, learn how to use chopsticks, man. What’re you waiting for, a written invitation?” Scout joked.

“Eh. I’ll get to it,” Sniper shrugged again, and rubbed at his eye, and suddenly it hit Scout how much of a human being Sniper was. Standing there in a sweater his mom knit for him, eating cereal at three in the morning, admitting that he just never learned how to use chopsticks.

What the fuck, Sniper was just a regular dude who happened to be in their line of work.

What the fuck.

(He did look pretty good out of uniform, huh—?)

And that was it for him, a series of back-to-back realizations compounding until he realized how good-looking Sniper was, even rumbled at three in the morning under the shitty fluorescents of the kitchen—especially like that. And he felt his face go burning hot, and he dug into his noodles to try and cover it, and he almost choked on his food.

Absolute fucking mess.

And like—now Scout was noticing all kinds of tiny little things. Sniper always crossed his legs at the ankle, left-over right, and his arms right-over-left. He had a bruise on his thumb from jamming it on his rifle, and his shades were crooked a little tiny bit to the left, and his hair was all flippy-uppy in the back but there was this one lock of hair that was especially flippy-uppy. He didn’t put anything in his coffee like an absolute monster but did put just a little bit of sugar on his cereal, apparently. He kept nodding off during meetings but nobody else seemed to notice since he had the shades on and you had to be looking pretty closely and from roughly Scout’s angle at the table to see his eyes were closed, and he didn’t have any other tells besides his jaw being a little tight.

Twice so far he’d been asked by Medic if he had a fever, he was blushing so hard. At once point Demo had dunked on him a little bit about “zoning out” and “thinkin’ about someone special, probably”, and he’d only barely escaped by rolling his eyes and rolling with the joke instead of getting defensive. He’d gotten mysteriously more clumsy in front of the team at large, fumbling and tripping over his words and even stammering sometimes. He was such a goddamn sappy mess.

God. He was so fucked.

#sniperscout #speeding bullet #tf2 #team fortress 2 #shut up me #everybody talks #my fanfiction #yes its 3am as i post this dont worry abt it

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gravityfallsgarbagecan · 4 years ago

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Waiting in the Shadows AU

In summary, Bill bides his time and waits to activate the portal, after all, what's a few decades to an immortal being? (this is kinda long so be prepared)

Everything that happened in Stan and Fords childhood is the same, Stan accidentally breaks Ford's project and he is kicked out. Ford goes to Backupsmore and meets Fiddleford and goes to Gravity Falls to study anomalies. He writes the journals and summons Bill honestly just to see if it was real. Ford still works with Bill but doesn't let him take over his body, he wants to be the one to make it, pride and stuff. After Fiddleford falls in, Ford decides the portal is (a bit) dangerous, puts it on pause, and calls Stan to help hide the journals.

When Stan comes he and Ford talk it out and Stan talks some sense into him. Not wanting the years of work to go to waste, Ford doesn't destroy the portal, but he does shut it down and hides his journals*. Stan and Ford repair their relationship for the most part, and it takes a while, close to 30 years (wow, would you look at that). The twins come and Ford lets Dipper look through his journal. Dipper wants to go on adventures so he uses the copier to have his own journal to go on monster hunts with (and add his own things). Him and Mabel hid it from their Grunkles and went on adventures themselves. The show mostly follows canon,(Gideon doesn't have a journal though, so no dreamscapers, but he does still try to steal the shack instead by working with Mcgucket to build a giant robot (to “promote the Tent O’ Telepathy”) and the twins stop him.

*He rewrites just the anomalies from all 3 books into one and destroys the original ones, most of his research is safe and the notes and blueprints of the portal are gone, win-win situation.. Mostly.

Dipper and Mabel decide to tell Stan and Ford about the copy of the journal after the zombie incident (BAMF Stan, Ford is still a lil nerd since he was never in the multiverse). Stan understands (he would have done the same thing, let's be honest) and Ford is a bit upset, but he saw how well the kids handled everything and let them hang onto it.

It's around here that Bill decides he’s waited long enough and wants to get Ford to complete the portal and turn it on. (at this point Ford doesn't think Bill is /evil/ but he is a little wary of trusting him, unlike at the beginning). Bill goes to Ford in the mindscape and tells him that after 30 years he still isn't famous, and that he knows it's his dream. Bill is SUPER manipulative and convinces Ford to make the deal to take over his body and complete the portal. Ford doesn't tell any of this to Stan, and instead sneaks down to the basement at night to work on it. After a few days of this, Ford is sleep deprived enough that Bill takes over at night to work on the portal.

Bill is less careful than Ford, and Stan figures out something is up, but doesn't know exactly what. He looked through the journal but all the pages about Bill were not added so he can't figure out what is happening, but he will still figure out how to stop… whatever it is.

Stan confronts Ford about it and Ford denies anything happening, he just has interesting research that's been keeping him up and Stan is worried about pushing Ford too much, especially in his sleep deprived state, so he tells Ford to just go sleep some. Bill knows he’s gotta hurry up before Stan puts a stop to him, so when Ford goes to nap Bill takes over and hurrys to start up the portal.

Later when Stan goes to check on Ford (to make sure he's actually sleeping) he finds Bill in the basement working on starting up the portal Stan thought had been destroyed. He gets upset at “Ford” for not destroying it earlier and trying to figure out wtf is going on. Bill tells him he is Ford's muse he summoned to help him become famous because Stan was “holding him back from greatness” and all the mean things Ford was thinking when Stan was kicked out. Stan gets pissed but doesn't want to hurt his brother. Bill chooses this moment to bounce, so Stan has to deal with an unconscious brother and a demon trying to start up the portal. (at this point Stan doesn't know why the portal is dangerous, just that it is, especially if that creep is trying to start it.)

When Ford wakes up Stan tries to talk to him but just ends in a huge fight between them. Ford goes to sulk in the basement, and Bill uses their fight to get Ford to finish starting the portal. The kids know something is wrong after the fight and try to get them to hug it out. Stan is stubborn and doesn't want to talk to Ford, at least for a bit, so they decided to try and talk to Ford themselves. Stan is a responsible grunkle and goes with them, not trusting Fo Bill. They find Ford starting the portal, and a scene very similar to NWHS happens. Stan is at the button and Ford is pleading with him to keep it on. Stan doesn't want to, but he still trusts his brother.

The portal causes weirdmageddon and everyone is too shocked to be pissed at first, but Stan is pissed that his trust resulted in this, and Ford is pissed that Bill lied to him (who'da thunk!) The younger twins have to deal with both the apocalypse and their grunkles fighting. There is no unicorn barrier around the shack, so it is no longer a safe place. Dipper and Mabel get Ford and Stan to stop fighting long enough to figure out how to stop Bill. He tells them of the zodiac so they have to work together to get everyone together. They split up into two teams, Mabel with Stan and Ford with Dipper. They go to find everyone in the zodiac, surviving in the throws of the apocalypse (similar to Dipper in canon). As soon as everyone from the zodiac are together Bill figures out he cannot leave Gravity Falls, and goes to kidnap Ford. He tries to just get the equation himself but since hsi deal was “Now till the end of time” and in weirdmageddon “time is dead” the deal is no longer in place and Bill can't get it.

Everyone else (zodiac members and survivors) are trying to come up with a plan and Mcgucket's idea is a giant robot. Gideon suggests using the Gideon Bot since it's only moderately destroyed rather than starting from scratch. Stan is very unenthusiastic to help (his brother kinda betrayed him and he's salty and stubborn) but he doesn't get in the way or anything, he knows he still cares, even if he doesn't want to.

The rescue mission goes well, they arrive faster than canon and see Ford being tortured for the equation. Stan feels a bit guilty at this point, the relization that if he pressed that stupid button none of this would have happened hit him and now he hates himself more (he could never hate Ford, no matter what he does). The Gideon Bot distracts Bill enough to free Ford and get the zodiac set up. Without a barrier protecting the robot it is defeated much quicker and Bill stops the zodiac before they can get Stan to join (he’s really salty at Ford, and Ford isn't exactly happy with Stan either. Ford doesn't want to blame himself so he blames Stan just a bit).

Bill captures them like in canon and the twins distract him while the grunkles come up with a plan to stop him. Since Ford doesn't have a plate in his head they don't switch, Stan just has to effectively kill his brother after he starts the apocalypse. Logically both of them know this is the only way to save the kids- and the world- but it doesn't make it any easier. Stan still suggests they switch, “Your mind is useful, Sixer, mine's never been good for nothing”. Ford pauses for a sec and actually considers it, everything Bill said, everything that happened, but Ford still cares about his brother, and will not let him take the fall for his mistakes. No matter what happens, Ford can't hate his brother, and he still cares about him regardless.

Ford makes the deal and Stan erases him, the pyramid falls and weirdmageddon is over. Stan feels even more guilty now, he enabled the apocalypse and then killed his brother to end it. They find Ford and he doesn't know who they are (this follows canon). Mabel and Dipper drag them back to the shack (which has been repaired since Weirdmageddon) and try to get his memories back. (“Remember when we played DD&D? Or going on monster hunts?” “Or when I showed you how to knit? The time I made your hand into a hand turkey?”) Stan is in the corner hating himself, but he doesn't want to show it to the kids.

Ford gets his memory back and offers to sail with Stan (I love sea grunks, okay? I want them to live out their childhood dreams like the sappy old men they are) and Stan of course says yes (it's the least he can do after erasing his brother).

On the boat Stan still feels bad about everything that happened, but he and Ford actually talk like functioning humans and Ford explains his deal with Bill better so Stan can better understand what happened. They get to live their dreams and get a happy end cause it's what they deserve!

#long post #gravity falls au #waiting in the shadows au #Stanley Pines #stanford pines #gravity falls #stangst #angst

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orihime00sama · 5 years ago

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Tobitate! Hanafuda - Fate/Prototype Route

Hello!

This is a translation of the Prototype route of the Toraburu Hanafuda Travel Journal game included in the PS Vita version of Realta Nua, Team “Miss Ayaka and her Three Knights” AKA the Otome route.

This is my first time translating something like this and I’m far from being good at Japanese, so there’s a bunch of lines I’m not sure about. If you have any suggestion or correction, please let me know. I’ll also be linking the translations to the videos in case you want to check out the original (or just hear the voices).

——————

Sajou Residence - Part 1

Ayaka: Hello, everyone. To those of you who are new, nice to meet you. I’m Ayaka Sajou. It’s a long story, but I’m a Master in the Holy Grail War. My Master’s Degree is the Seventh. It’s the lowest, the weakest. Honestly, I want to quit right now, but the circumstances won’t let me. By the way, I don’t have any relatives. I lost my Dad in the previous Holy Grail War, and my elder sister who was one of the previous Masters is… well.

Saber: Ayaka, you didn’t check the mailbox yet, right? I’ll go do it. After that, let’s have some tea.

Ayaka: This is Saber. The first Servant I summoned and made a contract with. He’s the ideal good young man any girl thinks of, in other words, someone like Prince Charming[1]. He’s so perfect that it makes me feel uncomfortable. Also, he’s a bit of an airhead.

Lancer: Osu, good morning~. Oh, the fridge’s got a lotta ham, ain’t it. And there’s sliced bread and eggs and… All that kinda stuff, huh.

Ayaka: That’s Lancer. In the past, he was our enemy but now he’s a barbarian who lodges in our house and raids our fridge without permission. He may be a borderline trespasser, but he’s helped us out many times, so I’ve got no choice but to let him do it. Give and take, give and take. Besides… if you ignore his crude side, he’s the easiest to understand.

Lancer: Oh, you’ve got a serious face early in the morning, Missy. Back to your usual criticisms? Keep your self-hatred in moderation, ‘kay?

Ayaka: I don’t want to hear that from someone who rummages through our fridge with no warnings. Leave me alone. Lancer, are you off today?

Lancer: Ah, I’ve got no plans for today. I’ll tend to the Missy’s garden, or maybe play with the dogs.

Saber: Unfortunately, tending to the garden is my job. It is not your turn to act. Why don’t you get back to your original sheath, Lancer?

Lancer: I’ve been free from the start. But since the Missy asked me to guard[2] her, I gotta do my job. There’s still some unscrupulous bunch left around. Like, for example, a wolf[3] in prince’s clothing.

Saber: Bold of you to say that. Now then, is it an honour or an insult to be treated as a wolf by a wild dog? What do you think, Ayaka?

Ayaka: I don’t know! More importantly, what’s that envelope? There’s two of them.

Saber: Ah, it looks like they were delivered this morning. Here you go.

Ayaka: Err, let me see… “Are you familiar with the hot spring that can make any wish come true? Here is the oldest and best hot spot in Fuyuki City －However, only the wishes of the first group will come true. Please be ready.” … So it says. What is this, are they joking?

Lancer: Incredible… Is it an invitation to a Holy Grail War from another place? What, Holy Grail Wars can happen anywhere?

Saber: Doesn’t it have different rules from ours? Here, Ayaka, another one.

Ayaka: … This is a memo and … a ticket for the bullet train? Let’s see… “I’ll be waiting for you at the Fuyuki Holy Grail Hot Spring ♥" … They’re totally looking down on us.

Saber: So, the Fuyuki Holy Grail is actually a hot spring. Ours was a hellish cauldron, so I guess they’re not similar.

Lancer: A hot spring, huh, not bad at all. But well, this is up to you, Missy. What will you do? The other side even sent an invitation to make sure you’d go. Will you jump in?

Ayaka: … That… going by my life plans, I don’t want to go but… (Going by my feelings, it made me mad… Besides, if that hot spring that makes wishes come true is real, then…)

Archer: I have heard the whole story!

Ayaka: Archer!? Where did you get in from?

Archer: Obviously, from the window! Don’t worry about the little details, Ayaka! Else your cheek lines, lovely and beautiful as a flamingo, will fall.

Lancer: Is that a compliment? That’s a compliment, right?

Saber: What have you come here for, Archer? As you can see, we’re in the middle of a morning reunion. If you’ve come here to settle things, come back through the front door one hour later.

Archer: Hah, you fools. Are you even Heroic Spirits, those proclaimed to have no match on the earth? From the very beginning, we are those who bloomed on the battlefield. We respond to challenges, trample down our enemies, and gather treasures.

Archer: I don’t know about a war someplace else, but if it is a Holy Grail War, then it’s a given that Heroic Spirits would assemble. How can I call myself the original Heroic Spirit, the Senpai of Holy Grail Wars, if I don’t respond to this challenge!?

Ayaka: ………………

Saber: Hmph. As usual, you are a very hot-blooded man. If you want to fight, feel free to do it on your own. I’m against exposing Ayaka to danger.

Lancer: But being overprotective is also something to think about. The Missy these days isn’t as frail as you think, Saber. Or what? Are you holing up at home so you can keep her to yourself?

Saber: Wha－ I, I don’t have such impure thoughts often.

Ayaka: Let’s go! Saber, I’m going to this Holy Grail Hot Spring. Get prepared.

Saber: Ayaka!? Hah, it was already too late the moment you decided it. It can’t be helped, I’m not on board with this but I’ll accompany you.

Lancer: Missy, do you need your long weapon? If you need it, I’ll lend it to you.

Ayaka: Of course, come with us, Lancer. And you too, Archer. The four of us will conquer Fuyuki City.

Archer: Now you’re talking! As expected from my princess, you know the time to fight.

Ayaka: We’ll depart in 20 minutes. I have to go gather the bird feathers in the yard, so wait until then.

(She runs off)

Saber: Now you’ve done it, Archer. You’re always leading Ayaka down the bad path.

Archer: Good or bad is for Ayaka to judge. You cannot blame me. More importantly… Hey, lend me your ears. I have an idea.

Saber: ?

Lancer: Hn?

Archer: Hot springs are this land’s highest form of leisure. I’ve heard that they are summer resorts where lovers and married couples stay in. How about it? The one who does best in this expedition will get to be in the same room as Ayaka.

Archer: If it is a reward for the battle, even Ayaka who always has her guard up cannot oppose to it. And after your minds and bodies relax in a famous hot spring, the flower of romance will bloom.

Saber: …

Lancer: Incredible… Wait, this is all in your head, right? Didn’t you fail with terrible women?

Archer: It is unavoidable. To debauch is a king’s duty. I have the obligation of consuming fruit and flesh.

Archer: However, what I truly cherish is the one single flower. I’ve gotten tired of rotten meat and juice. Now, what will you do, Saber, Lancer? Will you take a knight’s oath?

Lancer: No, so we’re keeping it a secret from the Missy?

Saber: Okay, I will take it. The one who does best will share a room with Ayaka, right?

Lancer: You’re on board with this!?

Saber: Archer’s proposal makes sense. This is something I never imagined even in my dreams, but now I’ll work together with this man.

Lancer: Good grief… It can’t be helped, I’m on board. It’s a principle to have the feast in front of you, after all.

Archer: HAHAHAHA, how bold, wild dog! Now then, let us duel fair and square, with sharing Ayaka’s room as stake!

Ayaka: Sorry to keep you waiting. What are you four doing? Did you always get along like this?

Saber: N-no, we were just discussing something. Don’t worry about. Once the battle is over, I’ll tell you everything.

Ayaka: In that case, it’s fine, I guess… Well then, let’s go. I don’t know about the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, but let’s show them a difference in history!

(Stage 1 – Vs Team Tokiomi)

Victory Quote:

Archer (Prototype): You fools! You mediocre Heroic Spirits shouldn’t stand before me! Especially you, that golden one over there. Wearing a full body golden armour, there are limits to how inelegant you can be! In that case, I shall take it.

[1] Prince on a white horse

[2] Likely referring to how Lancer becomes her Servant after she lost Saber (and he lost Misaya)

[3] the actual word used was “Okuriōkami” (送り狼) which apparently is a term for “a ‘gentleman’ who escorts a woman home, only to make a pass at her”.

—————–

Fuyuki – Emiya Residence - Part 2

Saber: Ayaka, how about we have lunch here? This mansion is well-maintained, and perfect for resting. Besides, I feel a strange affinity to it. Especially to that storehouse. It must be a renown work of architecture, there’s no mistaking it.

Lancer: I’m more interested on the inside of the house. Like, a surprise attack from the ceiling of the living room. I wonder why Japanese-style houses are so full of openings.

Archer: I am interested in that wall. It may be inferior to skyscrapers, but it has quite the charm to it. Well now, let’s go climb it.

Ayaka: It’s embarrassing, so please don’t wander around too much. What are you, middle schoolers on a field trip!?

Saber: My apologies, that was rude. Indeed, it’s as you say. Even if they are our enemies, we should act in moderation. It’s unfortunate but let’s refrain from lunching. But you’re not taking a break, right? Are you tired, Ayaka?

Ayaka: U-Uh-huh. I’m getting used to the Hanafuda duels but… Isn’t this city weird? Everyone walking around has empty eyes like a dead fish. Could it be a characteristic of this provincial city? Look, there’s a harbour nearby, right? Like an octopus monster came from the sea and turned all humans into its familiars.

Saber: That’s “something like a summon “. You still have that hobby of reading gloomy books like always, Ayaka. Haha.

Ayaka: Don’t call them gloomy! Who cares about my hobbies? We are talking about the dead fish eyes! Look, right there!

Kiritsugu: *chewing*

Saber: …. T-that… His eyes really are empty…

Ayaka: Looks like he didn’t notice us… He’s just been there in a hiding spot, eating from a plastic piece.

Kiritsugu: *chewing* … This is Iri’s homemade cooking. I can eat it. Of course I’ll eat it. Even if it’s onigiri that changed like depleted uranium. *chewing* Ah, I’m happy… Shit, I’m so happy that I even started crying.

Ayaka: It’s better if we leave him alone. He’s gross.

Saber, I know you made this lunch, but let’s leave. I’m sorry, but let’s have it later… Saber!?

Artoria: *chewing* It has a nostalgic, wild taste from somewhere but it’s not bad. Ah, could you give me some tea, lady over there? I’m holding the turkey with both hands, so my hands are busy.

Ayaka: S-S-Saber turned into a girl!? W-what’s going on!?

Saber: Ouch… To suddenly strike my head from behind, that’s unbecoming of the chivalry code… Wait, who are you!?

Artoria: Hmph, from what I see, you are a naïve man, Pendragon. While you collapsed, I took your delicious lunch!

Ayaka: Even if you play it cool, you already ruined it! Saber, who is this? Could she be your younger sister?

Saber: That’s what I want to know! Who on earth are you!? If you are a knight even in the slightest, then name yourself!

Artoria: Hmph, you say “even in the slightest” after I got you, you make me laugh. I am both your shadow and a possibility of your future. *chewing* Draw your sword, Holy Sword Wielder. Show me how much power the original wields.

Saber: … I wonder what’s this feeling of disappointment I never felt before… However, as you can see, we are both of the Saber Class. As an opponent, there is nothing lacking about you. Lancer, Archer, don’t interfe—re!?

Lancer: Oouaahh, what’s up with this hawk!? Don’t pull my feather accessory! It’s not from your nest!

Archer: Aaargh, step back, Animose! Why are there gorillas around the wall!? And you, Roland, don’t swing me around! Don’t swing me around!

Irisviel: Ufufufufu, go get them, wire animals! Flying Guillotine (Hawk’s Name) on the tights-less Lancer! Gattling Brothers (Gorillas’ Name) on the nudist Archer!

Irisviel: If you’re going to make them, gorillas really are the way to go! Primitive power is really different!

Kiritsugu: Iri… What on earth happened? … No, I have to observe this place. I’ve got to find out the reason why the two of us were in a hole!

Irisviel: Ufufu, hahahahaha! Anyone who invades my Sweet Home with Kiritsugu won’t be forgiven! Prepare yourselves, I’ll whip you to the skin of the butt and then throw you out penniless!

Ayaka: And over here, an incredible beauty is getting drunk! What on earth is going on in this city!?

(Stage 2 – Vs Team Kiritsugu)

Victory Quote:

Ayaka: We went a bit overboard… but no matter how you put it, those guys were weird… What’s going on with this city’s Holy Grail?

—————–

Part 3

Fuyuki/Prototype Grail Pit - Part 3

Ayaka: Is this… Fuyuki’s Holy Grail Hot Springs? Rather than a hot spring, this…

Lancer: It looks exactly like our Greater Grail. Did we get tricked?

Archer: No, we probably just took the wrong path. My intuition tells me that if we had gone up on that last crossroad, we’d get to the hot spring.

Ayaka: Is that so? Archer’s got an amazing nose for money and treasures, so I think it might be true… but the ticket says that it should be around here.

Archer: Let me see that… Hoh, I see, so that’s what’s going on. The way is indeed correct. However, it is not meant for us! Saber, this concerns only you!

Saber: What? Why only me?

Archer: FUHAHAHAHA, you still don’t understand, you oaf? This ticket wasn’t sent to Ayaka! It is a love letter overflowing with love that pinpointed you!

Saber: Wha-what!? Don’t tell me… Then, the one waiting for me here is…!

Manaka: SABER!! You’ve finally arrived!

Saber: !!!

Manaka: Jeez, your face turned so pale. You’re so happy that your face went stiff…Saber really is my prince! I love you! I love you so much to the point I’d sacrifice every life in this planet, Saber!

Lancer: Well, we’re off then. Hang in there, ladykiller.

Archer: Fu, so you’re dropping out alone. Time to pay the piper[1], Saber.

Ayaka: ………

Manaka Sajou. My sister, six years my elder. She’s Saber’s former Master who, in the previous Holy Grail War, advanced through almost invincible. I don’t like to talk about her so I’ll spare you the details, but if I had to describe her, I’d say she’s a super devilish genius who wouldn’t die even if you killed her.

Manaka: Now, come over here, Saber. I prepared a special bath just for you. Oh, unless you’d rather have dinner first? Or just like last time in front of the Holy Grail, YOU’LL • HAVE • ME?

Ayaka: Huh, this is the first time I’ve heard about this, Saber. So something happened between you and my Big Sister. In front of the Greater Grail, too?

Saber: T-this is a misunderstanding! What happened was that I impaled (with the Holy Sword) a mad Manaka from behind with a thud!

Ayaka: From behind… with a thud… for real!?

Manaka: Uh-huh, that’s right♥! That passionate way, it felt like the world froze for a moment… That’s why… I’ll do the same to you, Saber. Goes without saying, I’ll do it from behind. Leaving no gaps, every nook and cranny of your body. Just like a large-flowered flower. No, like the stars of the shinning sky. Receive my tentacles until you’re all shiny and slippery♥!

Saber: That’s no good, Manaka. It’s true that I betrayed you twice. The first time when I backstabbed you. The second time when I made a contract with Ayaka. So, I’m prepared to have you seek revenge.

Ayaka: Saber…

Saber: But, now let’s remember words of love that are more heroine-like. A girl your age shouldn’t say things like “receive my tentacles"⋆.

Lancer & Ayaka: Urk…!

Manaka: Saber…! Yes, from now on I’ll be more careful! How about the lovely “Manaka Slaughter Whips”?

Ayaka: I’ve been thinking about it since back then, but could it be that you actually are a perfect match for Big Sister, Saber?

Lancer: Well, they’re both airheads, after all. Maybe they could work out as lovebirds[2].

Manaka: That’s right, you people I don’t know. Saber and I are fated lovers. I won’t forgive you if you get in our way. Or rather, I don’t need you. I’ll burn you all on the Greater Grail later.

Ayaka: ….! Don’t tell me, the townspeople looking dead inside was your doing, Big Sister?

Manaka: Yes. Since I had spare time waiting for Saber to come, I went and took over Fuyuki City. After all, in a wedding ceremony, the more the merrier, right? Of course, right after that, I’ll turn everyone into zombies.

Ayaka: … I really can’t let her do as she pleases… I feel bad for her, but just by being here she’s evil. Saber, Lancer, Archer, let’s go! This time for sure, I’ll seal my relative’s disgrace!

Manaka: Fufufu, very well. Welcome, Miss Obstruction. I’ll play with you to kill my bore— Eh? Relative? You? Such a plain character?

Ayaka: Oh geez, you really couldn’t tell…! Just how self-centered are you, Big Sister?

(Stage 3 – Vs Manaka)

Defeat Quote:

Manaka: Ahh, you finally came back to my hands, Saber! First, let’s have some tea, then an afternoon nap. I have so much I want to talk about with you!

Victory Quote:

Ayaka: Thanks for helping me, everyone. I couldn’t have won alon— eh? The Hot Spring as the reward? Right after this? Well, it can’t be helped if it’s a reward but… I have a bad feeling about this…

[1] Just adding this here because this was actually my first time hearing this idiom:

to pay expenses for something, and thus be in a position to be in control;

to pay a monetary or other debt or experience unfavourable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable or a result of something one has enjoyed.

[2] Baka couple

—————-

Fuyuki Holy Grail Hot Springs - Part 4 - Ending

Ayaka: And so, after we safely defeated Big Sister, put her to sleep with a sleeping pill, coffin-packed and delivered her to the Church… we finally arrived at the Hot Spring, but…

Ayaka: No way, mixed bathing!?

Lancer: Oh, this is something you don’t see often these days. The guy who made this was really smart.

Saber: Yes, this is what they call gender equality. By the way, Lancer, how about taking at least a towel? It’s minimal manners to wrap it around your waist.

Lancer: My bad. It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten. What about you, swimsuits are forbidden, y’know? We’re both men, so there’s nothing to hide, right?

Saber: Of course, I didn’t bring such a boorish thing. Having a swimsuit is desecrating the hot springs. Isn’t that right, Ayaka?

Ayaka: Argh, you guys— No, Lancer is one thing, but Saber! This is a mixed bath, are you okay with this!? Could it be you don’t understand the meaning of mixed bath?

Saber: I do. It’s a public bath without a men’s bath and a women’s bath. I’ve heard that this culture has been familiar to Japan since the Edo period.

Lancer: Yeah. Well then, I’m going ahead to the dressing room. You should hurry too, Missy. You promised that the reward would be the hot springs. Don’t tell me you’re going to take that back?

Ayaka: I-it’s true that I said that, but…

Saber: Ayaka, a lord must always go through with their servants’ rewards. It goes without saying, but that’s a condition to becoming a first-rate Master.

Ayaka: Wha-wha-wha—

Saber: Well, it’s my turn. Come, let us take off our clothes and enter the hot spring.

Ayaka: Guh, Saber you idiot———! I can’t believe that only at times like this you guys get along…! (But this is bad, this development is bad…! Think, me! I can’t avoid the mixed bathing no matter what… In that case… That’s right!)

Ayaka: Wait, you two. A little timeout! I’m going in first, so until then, don’t go in!

Lancer: Uh? Well, I don’t mind.

Saber: Neither do I. Both getting in first or getting in later are good.

Ayaka: Geez, those animals! Heh, but that became fatal. Just you watch, this is my counterattack.

(That huge wall behind her is the result)

Saber & Lancer: Y-you had that move!?

Ayaka: Uff, I’m saved… “Make a wall to separate the genders in the hot spring.” I ended up using it for such a stupid wish but it’s a story that sprang up from the start. I guess a wish like this is something within my means.

Lancer: How could this be? The Missy’s Eleventh-Hour strength is the real deal… What will we do, Mr. Knight? Even though the treasure is right in front of us, we’ve been left in limbo.

Saber: …. Lancer, no matter how you put it, we are weapons of mass destruction. The Noble Phantasms we wield are not for saving people.

Lancer: Right. Fine, let’s destroy it.

Saber: Yes, let’s destroy it.

Ayaka: Wh— I can hear you clearly from here! What are those two thinking!?

Saber: Let’s do it on 3. Even if it’s a wall created by the Holy Grail, if it gets hit by a direct hit of our Noble Phantasms—

Archer: Hold it! And you still call yourselves renowned Heroic Spirits? How can you not understand a bashful girl’s feelings!?

Archer: You fools! Cool down your heads and reflect on your actions! If you fool around in the bedroom, that’s your secret, but this is a hot spring! A place for decent relationships!

Lancer: What…

Saber: … on earth?

Archer: In the first place, seeing the bride’s nakedness is only after marrying properly! I, the King of Heroes, will not allow you to destroy this wall without Ayaka’s permission! Now, correct yourselves, you idiots! Listen well! I won’t let you disgrace Ayaka’s purity while I’m alive!

Saber: S-such seriousness! I can’t believe it, are you Ayaka’s mother?

Archer: At least call me her Big Brother! I have the “reliable university student senpai” position, after all!

Lancer: Oh, in that case, I’m the unpopular host of the neighbourhood. I’m one of the Missy’s senpai in senior high school.

Saber: Wha… Then, what about me? Rider is the classmate, so what other positions are there?

Archer: Hm… How about the blond exchange student who homestays at the Sajou house?

Lancer: Oh, that sounds nice. How about one who speaks Japanese in a funny way but is actually the prince of a certain country? It’s a pretty fitting role, right?

Saber: Guh… It’s frustrating but I can’t deny it.

Saber: It looks fun, so let’s think about the setting a little more. In the meantime, what does Ayaka do in the first place?

Ayaka: Like I said, I can hear you clearly. They’re getting all excited… Don’t they actually get along really well? Geez, and I’m the only one here… Oh well, I don’t mind. It’s a nice bath, and it’s a refreshing travel mood. I’m glad I came.

Ayaka: In reality, these are just alternate versions of ourselves, but doing something like this once in a while isn’t bad. Right, Dad?

Saber: By the way, Ayaka. Why did you, who hates fighting, decide to do it this time? Were you attracted by the hot spring?

Ayaka: Hn? It’s not that I hate fighting, it’s just that I don’t like going through scary experiences.

Saber: What?

Ayaka: This time it was full of opponents we’d obviously beat. It’s just like Archer said, we’re their senpais. That’s why I didn’t think we’d lose to anyone except Big Sister. After all, they were all within our range, right?

Lancer: …

Archer: …

Saber: I understand what you want to say. Yes. It’s hard to explain but the one I fear the most is Ayaka.

—————–

Random Duel Quotes:

Ayaka

“All right, all right♪!”

“Uwaah… What a careless mistake…”

“Too bad for you!”

“Yay!”

Saber

“I won’t give you any openings.”

“I’ll be taking that.”

Lancer

“You shouldn’t look somewhere else.”

“Guess this is what they call ‘killing two birds with one stone’.”

“I’m not done going wild yet.”

Archer

“Praise this unfaltering procedure!”

“Something like this isn’t enough!”

Ayaka & Saber

A: “Please, come to me! Saber!”

S: Yes, here I go, Ayaka!“

S: "You’re doing well, Ayaka.”

A: “T-thanks… This is just the usual, though.”

S: “What, this is just a scratch.”

A: “Are you alright, Saber?”

Ayaka & Lancer

L: “Let’s start, Missy?”

A: “Right, this time it’s a speed match, Lancer!”

A: “Good job, Lancer.”

L: “Not yet, there’s still more to come, Missy.”

L: “Ouch…!”

A: “Lancer, here, have some ointment!”

Ayaka & Archer

A: “Are you alright, Ayaka?”

A: “Y-yes, thank you very much.”

Tokiomi & Kotomine

T: “Impossible! I refuse to accept such an ending!”

K: “Hoh? Are you that frustrated, my teacher?”

Gilgamesh:

“Rather than the nonsense of victory or defeat, what truly is an eyesore is that conceited, prideful face of yours! Let us continue. I won’t allow you to refuse!”

Artoria & Iri:

A: “I’ll stave them off here. You have to retreat!”

I: “It’s alright, Saber! Believe in your Master!”

Irisviel:

“Hanafuda duels sure are fun, Saber!”

“Whatever it takes, right?”

Artoria:

“If you still will not give me your name, then stand up and come at me!”

Kerry & Iri:

K: “It’s enough, Iri. We have to retreat for now.”

I: “Y-yes… I’m sorry, dear.”

Manaka:

“For a mere toy to try to defy me.”

“Come forth, city of decadence. The night is long, sweet and cruel.”

“You do really cruel things to a lady.”

“Save me, Saber!"

—————— Character art

Ending CG in high quality

————–

My Final Thoughts

#fate prototype #ayaka sajyou #proto saber #Fate Grand Order

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paleorecipecookbook · 6 years ago

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Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change

Whatever your objective, kudos for planning to improve your health and well-being. But do you know how to set yourself up for success? When it comes to making changes, should you think big or start small?

The answer may surprise you in our aim-high culture, yet decades of research have made it clear: you’re more likely to achieve your goals when they’re small and attainable. It’s humble, incremental shifts that truly help you alter long-held habits. Read on to learn how to “shrink the change” you hope to make in the coming months.

Want to keep your New Year’s resolutions? Try shrinking the change! Find out how to shrink big changes into manageable steps and get a free activity handout to help. #healthylifestyle #changeagent #chriskresser

Forget Willpower—Here’s a Better Method for Changing Your Habits

If you believe that the key to changing an unhealthy habit is to grit your teeth and tap into an elusive thing called willpower, then you’re falling into an age-old trap—one that trips up even the most determined individuals.

When asked, many people regularly cite lack of self-control as the number-one reason they don’t follow through on lifestyle changes like eating right and exercising. (1) And yet the science shows that when it comes to changing your behavior, willpower isn’t as important as you might think—and it can even sabotage your efforts.

For example, past studies have found that people who say they have excellent self-discipline hardly use the skill: they simply don’t put themselves in positions in which they need to call on self-control in the first place. For example, they don’t white-knuckle their way into resisting candy bars or bags of chips. They just don’t keep this stuff around to tempt them. (2, 3)

Piggybacking on these findings, recent research adds that those who do actually exert willpower aren’t necessarily more likely to accomplish their goals compared to those who don’t use willpower. Once again, it’s people who experience fewer temptations overall (who strive not to be tempted, versus not to act on temptation) who are more successful. (4, 5, 6) And here’s another strike against willpower: in this particular study, participants who exercised more self-control reported feeling exhausted from doing so.

This latter finding hits on a growing body of research into “willpower depletion,” the idea that willpower is a limited resource, one that becomes weaker and less reliable the more you tap into it. Think of self-control like a cell phone battery that charges while you rest; it’s full when you wake up, but runs down over the day. Willpower appears to literally drain your brain, negatively impacting cognition and functioning and thus your chances of meeting your goals. (And unlike a battery, you can’t just “recharge” your willpower overnight.) (7)

Your Strategy Instead? Think Small—Really, Really Small

As I see it, then, the best way to address the challenge of any big behavior change is to shrink the change down into small goals. That way, when it comes time to take action, willpower doesn’t even enter the equation.

How small am I talking? Ridiculously small. You want your goal to be entirely doable.

Take this example. Say your overall aim is to reduce stress through a meditation practice. Instead of thinking, “Starting now I’m going to devote one hour a day to meditation practice,” start much (much) smaller. Your small steps for getting there might look something like this:

Find a space in my house conducive to meditation. (If needed, the next goal could be to spruce up or reorganize the space.)

Buy a meditation cushion.

Download a meditation app, such as Headspace.

Use the app one day this week to meditate for one minute at a time.

Use the app two days next week to meditate for two minutes each time.

Keep going until you’ve worked your way up to regular, longer meditation sessions. Eventually, you’ll no longer need any guided help, and you’ll have built a new habit.

Here are some other ideas.

Big change: Be less sedentary and more physically active. (Hint: “Go to the gym five days a week” is likely too big)

Small goals:

Buy a pedometer or fitness tracker this week

Take 2,000 steps a day next week by taking the stairs, taking walking breaks at work, and parking farther away

Call a friend and schedule a 30-minute walk in the next three days

Take that 30-minute walk

Big change: Get more sleep. (Hint: “Get to bed an hour earlier every night” is perhaps too big)

Small goals:

Start turning off electronics and dimming the lights half an hour to an hour before bedtime

Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal this week

Go to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal next week

Big change: Eat better. (Hint: “Cut out all fried foods and sweets” may be too big for you)

Small goals:

Drink black coffee one day this week

Swap one fast-food breakfast this week for a homemade omelet

Try one new vegetable in the next two days

Notice something about these examples? They’re distinct and measurable. (Note the specific amounts, distances, time frames, and so on.) That’s because this strategy for behavior-change success isn’t only about making small goals—it’s also about tracking those goals and celebrating every incremental win.

As humans, we tend to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. Making your progress visible and recognizing your victories fuels hope that you will accomplish what you’ve set out to.

Try This: Shrink the Change for Your Next Big Goal

Before you read any further, I want you to try this out for yourself. Get out a pen and piece of paper and take a moment to practice shrinking the change while it’s fresh in your mind.

First, select one behavior change you’d like to make for yourself within the next 30 days. List the small, concrete, and doable steps you can take to achieve this change. Try to limit yourself to just a few steps; don’t get bogged down listing everything at once.

Finally, for the steps you’ve outlined, list how you will track and celebrate each goal you accomplish.

Ready to practice? Enter your email to join my newsletter and download your free handout to help you shrink the change!

[gravityform id="16" title="false" description="false" ajax="true"]

Why Shrinking the Change Produces Lasting Results

When you set small goals, track them, and honor your achievements, you build the momentum and confidence needed to fulfill your larger mission. And checking off accomplishments just feels good, doesn’t it? Ever wondered why?

When you deliver on a promise to yourself, your brain essentially rewards you by releasing the “feel good” neurotransmitter dopamine, which is responsible for pleasure, learning, and motivation. You experience greater concentration and the desire to re-experience the activity that triggered the dopamine release. (8, 9)

This is precisely why shrinking the change works: with each win, dopamine rewires your brain for continued success. Conversely, each time you fail, you deplete your brain of dopamine. Put another way, the brain learns from success, not failure.

Science bears this out. In an MIT study involving monkeys who were trained to view and then choose certain images from a computer screen and get a reward when they picked the “correct” answer, when the animals—whose brain activity was being monitored—were right, they received a positive brain signal that was the equivalent of a “great job!” high five, along with the reward.

Furthermore, the neural stimulation from choosing the correct image spurred the monkeys on, and with their focus sharpened, they were likely to get the next answer right. After an error, however, there was little change in their brain activity. The monkeys—like us—learned from their successes, and not their failures. (10)

The Big Picture: Better Habits Make for Better Health

The small goals that lead to a successful reversal of unwise habits have far from a modest impact on your health. In fact, behavior change may be the single-most important way you can prevent and reverse chronic disease.

As I’ve written before, we now know that our genes are not our destiny and that environment—including the lifestyle choices we make—is the primary driver of health and longevity. The five most important behaviors for preventing chronic illness are:

Not smoking

Exercising regularly

Drinking moderately, or not at all

Maintaining a healthy body weight

Getting enough sleep

Shockingly, according to the CDC, only 6.5 percent of Americans practice all five habits, which could explain the meteoric rise in chronic disease. (11)

A recent Harvard study looked at these habits’ impact on longevity (with healthy diet substituted for enough sleep). Researchers found that men who followed all five habits could add an average of 12 years to their life; for women who did the same, that number jumped to 14. Participants experienced a decrease in mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease, in particular. (12)

Making It Stick: Get the Help of a Health Coach

Even when you set small, manageable goals, meeting them—and sticking with the resulting changes for the long haul—won’t always be easy. I encourage you to seek the support of a health coach as part of your Functional Medicine care team. A health coach will walk with you through the process of behavior change and encourage you every step of the way.

Health coaches are uniquely qualified for this supportive role. They are highly trained in human behavior, motivation, and health, and they embrace a variety of strategies—like shrinking the change—to help guide you while you’re changing your habits. They don’t follow the typical “expert” model that’s so common in healthcare. Instead, they partner with you to understand your current condition, flesh out your goals, create doable objectives, and hold you accountable.

And because of their approach, you get results. In one of many studies on the impressive success rates attributable to health coaching, coached obese individuals were more likely to have lost at least 5 percent of their body weight up to 24 months after completing a coaching program than those who did not have intervention. (13)

Working with a health coach can help you achieve lasting change here. (And if you’re interested in becoming a health coach yourself, check out my ADAPT Health Coach Training Program.)

The take-home message: Society may tell you to shoot for the stars, but it’s perfectly okay—and actually advisable when it comes to changing your habits—to aim for what’s within reach. Small goals will help you achieve seemingly small behavioral changes that add up to big benefits for your health.

Now, I’d like to hear what you think. What habits are you trying to change, and what small steps can you take to help you reach your goals? Comment below and share your story!

The post Changing Habits? You Need to Shrink the Change appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Source: http://chriskresser.com January 01, 2019 at 02:02PM

#paleo #recipe #food #delicious #healthy #yum #diet

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digimedial · 6 years ago

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Teamwork in music and culture / 20th of November

Sandra shortly introduced the location OMAs Café - one of the last uncommercial places in Mitte - as well as the DigiMediaL project including the now officially launched SKILLFRIED platform and some ideas about how it could go on in 2019 if the project gets another funding.

Larissa Krause and Stefan Schneider were the guests for this evening and it already promised to be an interesting mix of having Larissa with a ‚hands on‘ perspective and Stefan who gave input from a more theoretical point of view. Larissa Krause is part of „Bucht der Träumer*-Festival“, cofounder of the collective „Reclaim Club Culture!“ involved into the initiative „Schön, dass ihr da seid!“ and since 2016 also occupying herself with the association ‚Karma Kultur‘, a community garden project. Stefan Schneider was actually working in Business Administration being a project manager for NGOs, but now focussing a lot on Leadership hoch 3 e.V. which is helping individuals and organizations towards collective leadership and self-responsibility.

Elementaries

The talk did open with the question of what the first steps should look like once a new cooperation is started. Before actually starting with the content of the project, try to first give space only for the ‚human connection‘ itself and exchanging your purposes (why am I in this project/collective/…). No matter if this is only three hours or a whole day/week, it is all about getting together and make a proper connection right from the beginning, when starting the whole process.

It is elementary get to know each other to create some kind of psychological safety for the process and any conflicts that could come up.

The second issue mostly coming up pretty soon after getting into the process ist how to communicate with each other. To avoid misunderstandings as much as possible, it also makes sense to tackle these in (one of ) the first meetings. This is not only about aiming for common values but also technically when it comes to communication channels on –and offline. In general it makes sense to reduce communication channels to as few as possible and rather try to get all people involved on board for one or two platforms.

Third important point is talking about structures and creating your own structures once you already dealt with connection and communication in your group. In case there is no talking about structures like e.g. how do we feedback each other, meeting rhythms etc., they will happen anyway and maybe have destructive effects.

Try to create a rhythm for your group where you reflect on the internal group process and on a meta-level about your interactions. Regarding this, at one point also the question will come up how to find working-groups inside the collective. It strongly depends on the type of cooperation, the ‚product‘, which workfields exist, what the timeframe is, what milestones are to be reached when and what tasks maybe have to be sourced out.

One of the main structures to decide about is the decision making process. For taking decisions first you have to decide in which way you want to take decisions, otherwise you will repeat them over and over or frustrations arise due to unclear conditions.

Stefan mentioned the Holacracy as a model of self-organization which has partly tension and partly role – focussed meetings. It has many similarities to taking decisions in a consent-procedure. Konsent-decisions are, in comparison to consens, much faster to take: 1. prepare a very concrete and ‚small‘ decision with precise wording 2. Ask for understanding problems and solve them 3. Ask for heavy doubts (+ solution to solve them) 4. Modify the decision/implement the addition 5. Do a final decision round where everybody confirms by saying the word ‚consent‘

Teambuilding

One of the concrete methods for each meeting is the so called ‚Check In‘ that helps getting to know what the individuals feel like at the current situation of any day. Stefan added, that maybe it is good to set a time limit to every individual Check In as many people like to talk about themselves. Spontaneously we decided to all check in with the people attending this Berliner Musiker*innen Treff. Larissa mentioned that often you feel that there is no time to do stuff like a Check In, so you also have to keep the discipline to make it happen during the whole working process. Same goes for ‚Check out‘. She also told that in all of the three projects –garden, music festival, political clubculture- the internal structures are very different. This also shows that you have to find out your very own structures once you start a new project and cooperation.

We also exchanged a while about all different kinds of project management tools like trello, slack, loomio, owncloud, and frab, of course also still many people use google drive or classic emails. Again it makes sense to check those tools within the group and see what fits the collective goals.

What to do once problems and conflicts arise during the actual working and team process? Sandra threw the example that often there is a list with to-dos and deadlines and many of them are not solved to that deadline until you meet again in the group. Larissa mentioned that in her experience many of these conflicts happen because people are not sure about their roles and felt insecure, not supported or think somebody else ‚is doing it‘. So if the case happens, it can be helpful to try and find out whether the person (still) likes his/her role or not. It is helpful to define each role by purpose and responsibilities. If there seems to be a bigger structural problem it can make sense to call for an emergency meeting and evaluate inside the group whether the goal of the group is still the same and if it is reachable at all. Probably you will also have to skip some tasks/ideas and source out some of these. The challenge is to figure out whether the problems arising are a personal orproject-related issue. Hereby it is crucial to not make a project-related thing into a personal problem by trying to stay away from ego-related argumentation strategies. In case it really is a personal problem often a four-eye talk can help. But what to do when talking about problems doesn’t really help anymore? As you can only start by reflecting yourself, try to change perspectives, calm down, try to get rid of the tension you feel towards that person. In case two people still have tension inside themselves while trying to solve a problem, it makes no sense trying to connect.

Moderation and Documentation

In case it is really not working out, sometimes it can help to have an external person moderating the conflict inside a mediation to bring those two (or more) parties at the table again. In general many times tensions come up due to a lack of appreciation, trust, commitment and openness.

One more focus during a progressive process should be also to reflect on other –maybe unwanted- social roles like gender roles for example. Reflect on who is talking how much and how loud and how often. One method to avoid dominant speaking behaviour is a moderated or even quoted speaking list. A digital moderating list can help as an effective tool to keep speakers’ times balanced, the names are written in a list online and the software creates a fair list out of that which is openly shown to the group via beamer. A quoted list can help to give speaking time to underrepresented people in a group, this methods contains self-determined rules like e.g. after every tenth male contribution, the word is given to a female speaker if wanted. Tasks that need to be done, like writing the protocol, moderating the session and being the time keeper, can also be solved by a rotating system. Before starting each meeting, these roles should be distributed in a fair way.

At the end of this Berliner Musiker*innen Treff, Sandra gave a literature recommendation for people who want to get deeper into alternative organizational structures: “Reinventing organizations” by Frederic Laloux. We all did a Check Out together to close the evening.

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dccomicsnews · 6 years ago

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This weekend marks the official launch of the highly anticipated DC Universe digital steaming service, and earlier this week they decided to run their beta version for those who have already pre-ordered the service. The beta is limited, so those of us who have it haven’t gotten the chance to see everything, but it did give us a great look at what to expect from the full version.

There are so many great reasons to sign up for this service, and below I list the TOP 10 Reasons to Subscribe to DC Universe. So sit back and enjoy the ride into the wonderful world of all things DC.

10. EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE

Not only will you get all sorts of great content to watch and read (as you’ll see below), there’s also a new DC Universe Shop within the app where fans can purchase some awesome merchandise, like t-shirts, statues, mugs, phone cases, and more, with some items being exclusively sold through the app. One of these exclusives is a new line of animated-style Justice League action figures, to complement the popular 6-inch Batman: The Animated Series figures the company has been making lately.

The first wave includes the full initial team line-up – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern John Stewart, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter – plus Aquaman, who was not a member of the team before they became Justice League Unlimited, but who did appear in several memorable episodes during the first two Justice League seasons.

9. DC COMMUNITY

In the all new DC Community section, fans can join other fans on a plethora of message boards covering all kinds of topics like comics, movies, TV, news, and more. There’s even a section called “Creators Corner” where fans can connect with DC talent.

DC Community shows trending discussions, popular tags, and even gives you the chance to create your own thread covering any topic that’s rattling around in your brain. Do you want to talk about the best Robin? You can make a thread about it. Do you want to discuss your love of the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series? Go ahead! The sky’s the limit!

And DC has vowed to work hard on moderating these boards in order to make it the best possible experience for fans everywhere!

8. ENCYCLOPEDIA

This comprehensive encyclopedia breaks down your favorite characters (like Batman and Superman), as well as some you may have never heard of (like Chaselon and Ferro Lad), with great detail, giving an introduction and history to the character, their origin, powers, essential storylines, team affiliations, and appearances in other media. Some characters are more thorough than others, but this encyclopedia will be always growing and expanding, so if there’s some info you think is missing, you’ll be able to submit it to be added.

There’s also a tab labeled “Related Content” that brings up movies and TV shows, comics, and even trending discussions about that character within the app. This is a great part of DC Universe as it will help to educate DC fans, new and returning, on the characters that live within it.

7. LIVE-ACTION FILMS

As someone who loves films (I even run my own film review site), the fact that the DC Universe app will include live-action films is something I was very happy to hear. Now, from what we’ve been told, there doesn’t seem to be very many live-action films available, at least not yet. We’ll have access to Superman 1-4, Batman (1989), Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Batman Begins, and The Dark Knight.

Now, this is a great, albeit small, selection of films, but I’m really hoping they will put more than just Batman and Superman movies up here. Let’s get films like V for Vendetta, Watchmen, A History of Violence, The Losers, Road to Perdition, RED, RED 2, Swamp Thing, Constantine, etc. This would truly add some great value to the film library. And who knows, maybe they already have plans to add some of these. That would definitely push this farther up on my list.

6. ANIMATED FILMS

The catalogue of animated films based on DC properties is huge, with dozens of quality entries, from the 30+ DCUA (DC Universe Animated Original) films, to films like Subzero and Mystery of the Batwoman, and even the LEGO DC Super Hero films.

The DC Universe app will offer a large array of them, including some of my favorites like Justice League: War, Batman: Under The Red Hood, and even Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. But what shocked me the most was that their newest animated film, The Death of Superman, is actually available to watch on the app, even though it’s only been out for less than two months. And with a 3-4 films release schedule every year just for the DCUA films, this library will continue to grow.

5. DC DAILY

Within the “News” tab is a section for the upcoming daily news show, DC Daily. They recently did a live-stream (of which the video is available to watch on the app) breaking down what you can expect from DC Universe, while also introducing DC Daily and the hosts who will be bringing all the news to the fans. The live stream was hosted by Kevin Smith.

There will be several great and knowledgeable hosts including Tiffany Smith (DC All Access), John Barrowman (Arrow, Doctor Who), Samm Levine (Freaks & Geeks, Inglourious Basterds), Harley Quinn Smith (Yoga Hosers), Sam Humphries (DC Comics Writer – Green Lanterns), Hector Navarro (DC All Access), Clarke Wolfe (Collider Movie Talk, Film HQ), Brian Tong, Markeia McCarty (DC Movie News), and John Kourounis.

DC Daily cast (L to R): Samm Levine, Sam Humphries, Tiffany Smith, John Barrowman (in front), Harley Quinn Smith, Clarke Wolfe, Brian Tong, John Kourounis, Hector Navarro

DC Daily will be replacing DC All Access and will offer news related to the original series on DC Universe and other content that “ties back” to DC Comics and the DC Universe community. The program is scheduled to have the following segments: “Headlines”, for daily news briefs; “Reports”, for an in-depth interview or look at an upcoming book, film, or television series; and “Talk”, for panel discussions.

4. LIVE-ACTION TV SERIES

DC has some of the best live-action comic book TV shows out there, and a lot of them will be available to watch right through the app. We’ll get to see such shows as Wonder Woman, The Flash (1990), Birds of Prey, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and even more obscure titles like Human Target.

This would be a spot or two higher on the list if the current DC shows were included, like Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Gotham, and all of the others. Hopefully, they’ll eventually make their way to the app once their contracts with the other streaming services expire.

3. ANIMATED TV SERIES

I’ve got four words for you: BATMAN. THE. ANIMATED. SERIES!!!!

When it was announced that the greatest comic book TV series of all time was heading to DC Universe, I was ecstatic. And to make it even better, it’ll be released in fully remastered HD, and I have to say, it looks fantastic!

And if that’s not enough for you, we’ll also be getting a plethora of other great animated shows from the world of DC including Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman: Brave and the Bold, Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Teen Titans, Young Justice, and even the old Max Fleischer cartoons from the 1940’s. This is an amazing line up that will keep people busy binging for quite a while.

2. LARGE SELECTION OF COMICS

Unlike other streaming services, DC Universe will also offer a reading component through a large curated selection of some of DC’s best comics. You’ll get to read classic stories like Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, and The Dark Knight Returns, as well as getting the chance to check out some more obscure stuff like Doom Patrol and New Gods.

And the built-in comic book reader is fantastic, particularly the panel-by-panel option, which allows you to become fully immersed in what you’re reading, bringing these comics to life.

1. BRAND NEW EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

For me, the biggest reason I chose to commit to this service wasn’t the past DC content, but instead all the future content that’s on the way. There’s only so much previous content, so the fact that they’re developing several new projects exclusive to DC Universe will keep me coming back for more.

Right now, there are four live-action shows and two animated shows in production, with many more to come. I’m also hoping they will dive into original films for the app as well. The shows announced so far are Titans (which will premiere at NYCC, and then hits the streaming service on October 12th, with new episodes each Friday), Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, Stargirl, the Harley Quinn animated series, and the one many have been waiting for… Young Justice season 3 (titled Young Justice: Outsiders).

Titans follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging. This gritty take on the classic Titans franchise finds Dick Grayson and a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness named Rachel Roth as they get embroiled in a conspiracy. They’re joined by Starfire and Beast Boy to become a surrogate family and team.

Doom Patrol is a reimagining of one of DC’s strangest group of outcasts: Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman and Crazy Jane. Led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder they’re called into action by none other than the ultimate hero for the digital age, Cyborg. These rejects band together on a mission that will take them to the weirdest and most unexpected corners of the DC universe.

Swamp Thing is a scary love story following Abby Arcane as she investigates what seems to be a deadly swamp-born virus in a small town in Louisiana but soon discovers that the swamp holds mystical and terrifying secrets.

Stargirl follows High School sophomore Courtney Whitmore who inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to stop the villains of the past. This new DC Universe series reimagines Stargirl and the very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, in a fun, exciting and unpredictable series.

Harley Quinn tracks the lovable, raucous villain with a fractured psyche after she breaks up with The Joker and tries to make it on her own to become Gotham’s main queen-pin.

Young Justice: Outsiders features the return of the fan favorite animated series with a huge cast of DC’s most iconic young superheroes – plus brand-new characters, many of whom are just discovering their unique meta-powers and special abilities. Set against the backdrop of a rich, deep world that touches all corners of the DC universe, the season focuses on meta–trafficking, and an intergalactic arms race for control of these super–powered youths.

And there you have it folks, the Top 10 Reasons To Subscribe To DC Universe. If you haven’t already done so, be sure sign up and enjoy all of this wonderful content at your fingertips. Head on over to the DC Universe site and sign up right now. You can do the monthly subscription for $7.99/month or you can save some money and do the annual plan for only $74.99/year.

And be sure to share your experiences with the service in our comments section below or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.

Top 10 Reasons To Subscribe To DC Universe #DCUniverse @TheDCUniverse @DCComics #BatmanDay #DCComics #DCComicsNews This weekend marks the official launch of the highly anticipated DC Universe digital steaming service, and earlier this week they decided to run their beta version for those who have already pre-ordered the service.

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micahdawolf · 6 years ago

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This is Tumblr going? And has Facebook already gone?

" Can you see this stuff? This is actually going to take away about 70% of the artists I follow on Tumblr. Because when they say they are banning content, its not just obvious stuff like porn. Its any content they deem "too mature" wont be allowed. This is because the app store decided that tumblr is too risque to be allowed and banned them from the app store. Tumblr is desperate to keep their download rate, so they are going too extremes that will cause far more people to leave tumblr than they realize. I've been on Tumblr for five or six years, and I feel like I need to move content else ware. - Furthermore, I like what Facebook looks like more and more. I am thinking about leaving it as well, and then finding another service where I can make multiple accounts that are mostly like Tumblr's feed, but with Facebook's storage abilities, but not as many adds or political ads and such. Instagram has been one suggestion made to me, but I am open to hear of any others. I need to make a list of my current contacts so if anyone who follows me or wants me to keep following them, needs to PM me any other messaging services they would like to have me on, that way I can make the best judgment on which accounts I should migrate too. ~ seyz me ---------------------------------------------------------A better, more positive TumblrSince its founding in 2007, Tumblr has always been a place for wide open, creative self-expression at the heart of community and culture. To borrow from our founder David Karp, we’re proud to have inspired a generation of artists, writers, creators, curators, and crusaders to redefine our culture and to help empower individuality. Over the past several months, and inspired by our storied past, we’ve given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving forward and have been hard at work laying the foundation for a better Tumblr. We’ve realized that in order to continue to fulfill our promise and place in culture, especially as it evolves, we must change. Some of that change began with fostering more constructive dialogue among our community members. Today, we’re taking another step by no longer allowing adult content, including explicit sexual content and nudity (with some exceptions). Let’s first be unequivocal about something that should not be confused with today’s policy change: posting anything that is harmful to minors, including child pornography, is abhorrent and has no place in our community. We’ve always had and always will have a zero tolerance policy for this type of content. To this end, we continuously invest in the enforcement of this policy, including industry-standard machine monitoring, a growing team of human moderators, and user tools that make it easy to report abuse. We also closely partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Watch Foundation, two invaluable organizations at the forefront of protecting our children from abuse, and through these partnerships we report violations of this policy to law enforcement authorities. We can never prevent all bad actors from attempting to abuse our platform, but we make it our highest priority to keep the community as safe as possible. So what is changing?Posts that contain adult content will no longer be allowed on Tumblr, and we’ve updated our Community Guidelines to reflect this policy change. We recognize Tumblr is also a place to speak freely about topics like art, sex positivity, your relationships, your sexuality, and your personal journey. We want to make sure that we continue to foster this type of diversity of expression in the community, so our new policy strives to strike a balance. Why are we doing this?It is our continued, humble aspiration that Tumblr be a safe place for creative expression, self-discovery, and a deep sense of community. As Tumblr continues to grow and evolve, and our understanding of our impact on our world becomes clearer, we have a responsibility to consider that impact across different age groups, demographics, cultures, and mindsets. We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content. In doing so, it became clear that without this content we have the opportunity to create a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves. Bottom line: There are no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content. We will leave it to them and focus our efforts on creating the most welcoming environment possible for our community. So what’s next?Starting December 17, 2018, we will begin enforcing this new policy. Community members with content that is no longer permitted on Tumblr will get a heads up from us in advance and steps they can take to appeal or preserve their content outside the community if they so choose. All changes won’t happen overnight as something of this complexity takes time. Another thing, filtering this type of content versus say, a political protest with nudity or the statue of David, is not simple at scale. We’re relying on automated tools to identify adult content and humans to help train and keep our systems in check. We know there will be mistakes, but we’ve done our best to create and enforce a policy that acknowledges the breadth of expression we see in the community. Most importantly, we’re going to be as transparent as possible with you about the decisions we’re making and resources available to you, including more detailed information, product enhancements, and more content moderators to interface directly with the community and content. Like you, we love Tumblr and what it’s come to mean for millions of people around the world. Our actions are out of love and hope for our community. We won’t always get this right, especially in the beginning, but we are determined to make your experience a positive one. Jeff D’OnofrioCEO #news180,383 notesKeeping our promise to be transparent about state-sponsored disinformation campaignsHey Tumblr, This past March, we made you aware of steps we took to take down an Internet Research Agency (IRA) disinformation campaign operating on Tumblr in the lead up to the 2016 U.S. elections. The IRA is a Russian state-sponsored group that attempts to influence global political sentiment using Tumblr and other platforms. Our efforts helped indict 13 people who worked for the IRA. We said at the time that we would be on the lookout for additional evidence of fake Tumblr accounts affiliated with state-sponsored disinformation campaigns. In the days leading up to November 6, 2018, we were provided information by law enforcement authorities, including a list of Tumblr accounts allegedly tied to the IRA. We immediately initiated our own independent investigation and we have now identified a total of 112 accounts that we believe to be IRA-affiliated. These accounts appear to be relics of past IRA activity. None of the blogs contained any content related to the 2018 midterm elections, and all of the blogs were dormant since the 2016 election cycle. Although these blogs posed no threat to the 2018 elections, consistent with our promise in March, we: Immediately terminated these accounts and removed the original posts;Left reblogs of posts from these accounts in place for transparency purposes;Are notifying you if you liked, reblogged, replied to, or followed one of the accounts; andHave added the accounts to our public record of usernames linked to state-sponsored disinformation campaigns.U.S. intelligence officials and law enforcement continue to warn that we will see attempts at foreign influence in the future. We remain committed to closely monitoring for signs of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and will continue to review any information made available to us. There are also things you can do to help stop the spread of disinformation and propaganda. Be aware that people want to manipulate the conversation. Knowing that disinformation and propaganda accounts are out there makes it harder for them to operate. The News Literacy Project has this handy checklist (hosted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice ) for spotting their tricks.Be skeptical of things you read. Disinformation campaigns work because they know people don’t fact check. Look for reliable sources, and double-check that the source really says the same thing as the post. You can also check Snopes and Politifact. Both are award-winning resources and usually have the latest viral claim fact-checked on the front page. Correct the record. When you see people spreading misinformation—even unintentionally—politely say something in a reblog or reply. If it’s your friend, send them a message to let them know.Most importantly, we’ll continue to keep our promise to be transparent with you. #news----------------------------------------------------------

#Tumblr #Facebook #Dec 17 #artists on tumblr #facebook exodus #tumblr exodus #A better more positive tumblr #community guidelines

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shima-draws · 7 years ago

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★ SIMULATOR AU MASTERPOST ★

Well, here it is! You all have been asking for it--the ultimate Sim AU guide!! Below is everything that you need to know about the AU. Thanks for all of your amazing support ^^

So what exactly is the Sim AU? The Simulator AU, shortened to just the Sim AU, (sometimes also referred to as the AI AU) is a canon divergence to the end of season 2 of Voltron. However unlike the last episode Team Voltron actually defeats Zarkon in battle definitively, managing to destroy his empire and free the universe from his reign. Prior to the final battle, for unknown reasons Lance asks Pidge to create a very complex simulator installed with all of their memories and tons of other data. He also has her create a simulated version of himself, a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence program containing all of his memories, personality, appearance and abilities. This AI version of Lance is given one task, programmed into his very core and is his sole reason for existence—protect Lance’s most important person. Later on this person is revealed to be Keith, and during the final fight Keith is gravely injured and put into the simulator (which also serves as a healing and escape pod) and is shot out into space to protect him from further injury while the other Paladins finish up the final fight. Keith awakens inside the simulator, thinking that he’s still in the real world with Lance, and back on Earth after having won over the Galra empire. However this is all a ruse to protect him from the truth, as he is being kept company by the AI version of Lance while the real one and the rest of Team Voltron have mysteriously disappeared. Soon after the simulator begins to malfunction and Keith crash lands into a planet, he is thrown into a crazy battle against the Galra uprising, the remains of the Galra empire, and is accompanied by lookalike versions of all of his friends and a now-physical embodiment of AI!Lance. The AU is basically a tale of all of his adventures falling in love with the AI and getting into crazy shenanigans with his new but familiar comrades along with the Galra Resistance.

The rest is under the read more to save space!

What’s the background on AI Lance? AI Lance, as previously stated, was created to protect Keith and serve as a moderator over the simulator. After Keith wakes up on an alien planet and encounters the lookalikes of Pidge and Hunk, the two of them work to make a physical body (a highly advanced robot, basically, think Westworld) for Lance’s consciousness to be put into. Once Lance gains a physical body, he has the same appearance of the original Lance but with a few minor quirks. Exposed wires poke out of the back of his neck and when referring to himself and his actions he often relates them back to his internal systems, all machinery and mechanical parts. He frequently gets checkups by Katy and Hunk so that they can update his systems and check his inner circuits to make sure everything’s running okay. Due to this the three of them become quite close, similar to how the original Hunk, Pidge and Lance were all friends back at the Garrison. Throughout the AU Lance struggles immensely with his identity, not wanting to be labeled as a copy of the original Lance and wanting to form his own identity outside of that. He constantly battles within himself, asking “Am I Lance or am I just me? I don’t know” and that struggle is one of the main conflicts of the story!

What is Keith wearing around his neck? That is an AI cube! It serves as a storage system for all of an AI’s data and programming. Lance’s core is an AI cube, which serves as his “heart” and is basically what keeps him functioning. The one that Keith has is a gift from Lance and contains all of his backup data. Katy fashioned it into a necklace for him for safekeeping. So not only is it a sort of accessory (I mean, it’s really pretty to look at), but it’s something for Keith to protect since a lot of Lance’s extra data is in that cube.

Who are the lookalikes, exactly? The lookalikes are all similar to the original Paladins but with minor differences! It’s still a mystery why they’ve shown up and where the original Paladins have gone. On the roster, we have Katy, a Pidge lookalike but not disguised as a boy, Hunk, who isn’t even human but looks just like one, being of a mysterious alien race, Allura and Coran, both humans and the leaders of the Galra Resistance Army, and Shiro, an Altean with a tragic past. It’s difficult for Keith to meet these people, who so resemble his teammates, and have to completely reforge his bonds with them since they obviously aren’t the same Paladins he knew before. (But, well, at least he has Lance.)

Why can’t you reveal the secrets of the Paladins’ whereabouts and why Lance had Pidge make the simulator? Because I don’t want to give everything away! All of that information will soon be revealed in the story, so please be patient! Once that stuff is written out and explained I’ll update this post about those secrets I’m keeping.

Is there a fanfiction for this AU? Yes, there is! It’s called A World of Zeroes and Ones (the title is based off of a Vocaloid song of the same name) and starts out with Keith waking up in the simulator. Everything else about the background and Lance’s identity as an AI has yet to be revealed to Keith but he’ll figure it out soon! You can read it here over on Archive! It’s still in progress, updates are slow but I’m chugging away at them :’) Thanks for all the support so far! And yes, if it wasn’t obvious already I do have an actual storyline in mind for this AU, from start to finish I have the entire plot written out, it’s just a matter of getting down and actually writing the entire thing...!

Who is Error Lance? Error Lance is basically what I’ve dubbed an “evil” version of AI!Lance where he has completely malfunctioned and been corrupted beyond saving, his entire systems being reduced to an error code. In this mode he loses all sentience and thought, only being driven to destroy and cannot tell friend from foe. Error Lance is basically just a lost confused child who doesn’t know what he’s doing or who he is or why he exists—he only knows how to kill. This mode is usually triggered if something contradicts with his core programming and his reason for existence—Keith. If Keith is somehow injured horribly or even killed this will set Lance off and totally wipe out his systems; it reduces him to the errors that are caused by his reason for existence being compromised. The only thing that can successfully snap him out of this mode and restore him to his previous “version” before he was corrupted is Keith—therefore proving his reason to exist is still there. Hopefully that makes sense? It’s sort of hard to explain haha

Who is Zero? Zero is AI!Lance’s prototype, the original original first AI that Pidge created. (Hoh, you thought that our regular AI!Lance was the first? Nope!) Due to a whole bunch of malfunctions and bugs, Pidge scrapped the prototype and created a better version, which is the Lance we all know and love now. (I mean she can’t get it perfect on the first try it was her first time creating an Artificial Intelligence, especially one of this caliber!) She meant to delete the prototype permanently, but…a whole bunch of crazy stuff happened and interrupted the process so Zero was never actually fully deleted. He sleeps deep, deep within the simulator’s core data, only longing to meet Keith at least once, since that was the reason he was created. This poor kid. He’s really scary since he’s…a huge mess and just broken. Broken. But he honestly loves Keith and sincerely hopes for his happiness, even going so far as to use all of his power to help Keith and Lance when they get into sticky situations. Like original Lance, Zero is dismayed that Keith is in love with AI!Lance, considering Zero was supposed to be the one made for Keith, but was scrapped. Maybe one day he’ll get a happy ending...

What inspired this AU? The song Shelter by Madeon and Porter Robinson! The whole idea for the simulator originated from the animated video for that song. You could say it’s become sort of the themesong for this AU haha

Can I repost the art of this AU? Nope, sorry! This AU is very very important and special and personal to me so I’m not comfortable with other people using the art from it or reposting on other sites. I appreciate your enthusiasm and support but I won’t be changing my mind about this;; Please don’t go against my wishes and repost it anyway, because if you do I’ll report you without any hesitation. Let me repeat: DO NOT REPOST ANYTHING REGARDING THIS AU ON OTHER SITES. This AU has only been shared on tumblr, so if you see any of the art for it on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. please let me know right away!

Can I make fanart of this AU? YES!! Yes, please, please do! There is nothing I would like more! Please, if you do end up making fanart, tag this blog or submit it here, my submission box is always open! Either way I’m gonna want to show it off to everyone else and shout about it, so yes, it’s highly encouraged and greatly appreciated!

The AU so far:

The overall tag/The tag in chronological order

Introductory post Crashlanding Arm sword Lance Concept sketches and doodles No, my circuits are humming You can’t spell AI without Mcclain! System overheating. Love you! Katy doodles *Chirr* Valentine’s Day Dorks Pixel animations He’s glitching out of happiness! Happy birthday, Lance! The master of sarcasm Embarrassed kisses When will I be seen as myself? Laughing smooches Human Error Happy boy! Take your boyfriend and make a run for it Soulmate AU to the AU (this doesn’t have art, but a cute mini fic I wrote if the AU also involved soulmates as well!) Kisses kisses KISSES Lance, you’re sparking! Floorplan/layout of Lance and Keith’s room Error Lance appears! Smol Error boy (and Eruba) Happy birthday, Keith! (This also has a short fic attached to it too! It’s very very fluffy and sweet) Error boy Lance flirts with a mysterious boy?! Zero’s Introduction Would you kiss this sweet broken Zero boy? Zero dabs My sensors can’t handle this! Klance kisses Klance kisses KLANCE KISSES ,,˙͡ɥ͢ʇ̴ᴉ͘ǝʞ̡˙˙˙͞ƃu͡ᴉʇ̛ᴉ҉ɐ͟ʍ ͠ǝ͟q̵ ͢l̨l,I˙˙˙u̶oos̢ ̕n҉oʎ ɥʇᴉ̨ʍ ͟ʇ̡ǝǝɯ͟ ̧ǫʇ̶˙̵˙˙ʇ͞uɐ͘ʍ I ¿́no̕ʎ ̡ǝ̶ɹɐ˙˙̶˙͢ǝɹǝɥ͟M,̡, 100% Form In love in love in despair Favorite place with you (This one’s animated!)

I’ll update this post with any additional art I make as we go along!

And if you have any other questions, please, don’t hesitate to ask! I love talking about this AU, it’s my heart and soul ❤️

#Klance #Voltron #VLD #Keith Kogane #Lance Mcclain #Voltron Legendary Defender #Sim AU #Shima's AUs #HERE IT IS!! THE BIG OL MASTERPOST #Sim AU Masterpost #Thanks to all of you for your support?? Just. The fact that I've had to go and make a masterpost is really amazing I think #YA'LL ARE COOL...I LOVE YA #Shima arts #shima-draws #Long post

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cartoonhangover · 7 years ago

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Meet Brett Jubinville

Brett Jubinville is the Creative Director at Tinman Creative Studios and creator of Super Science Friends, an animated series about a team of superpowered scientists (Freud, Einstein, Tesla, Darwin & Tapputi) who travel through time fighting nazis, renegade soviet cosmonauts and their own scientific rivals. The latest episode, “Freudian Sleep” is available now on Cartoon Hangover Select on VRV.

We got to talk with the creator himself about the ins and outs, and all abouts of the series!

What's the story behind the creation of Super Science Friends?

Since I’m less of a writer and more of a drawer, the way I typically come up with ideas is by drawing. In the case of Super Science Friends I was home by myself for a weekend, my girlfriend was out of town, and I stayed up really late playing Fallout New Vegas and drawing. At some point I drew a sketch of a soviet zombie astronaut.

Later that night I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about that drawing, so I got up and spent the rest of the night coming up with a show idea where that character could exist. I still have those drawings, and they’re more-or-less what the designs for the show ended up looking like.

What other historic geniuses might be part of the Super Science Friends? Who didn’t make the cut?

Because we went for the lowest hanging fruit possible, there weren’t many characters who didn’t make the cut. Everyone we chose needed to be more-or-less a household name, have a power that was easily identifiable as a superpower (for example, Tesla = Electricity Powers) and also they had to have been dead for a certain amount of time to get us out of any sticky likeness rights trouble. Aside from Tapputi, they all hit each of those marks.

I’ve got a lot of characters I’d like to get onto the show. One of them who played a major role in the comic book was Ada Lovelace, and I’d like to find a reason to have her join the cast for an episode.

Other than that we’ve got ideas for James Prescott Joule, Lord Kelvin, Robert Oppenheimer and Pythagoras.

What made you think, “Man, we need a young Einstein, let’s do a clone!”?

I really made him a clone in order to justify the design choice I had made during that all-nighter where I came up with all the characters. I happened to draw him as a teenager, but gave him white hair so he would be recognizable (since I couldn’t give him the moustache). So in order for that to all make sense he couldn’t be the original Einstein, and so I wrote that the original Einstein was dead and Churchill had ordered himself up a clone. Then we decided that he was a clone created by the US Government in order to justify casting Fred Kennedy who has a North American accent.

What modern day evil-doers would the Super Science Friends have beef with?

Assuming they arrived in 2017 coming from 1941 I’m pretty sure they would think that the entire human race has been brainwashed by our phones, computers and televisions. My guess is they would dedicating themselves to “freeing” us and in the process set the science and technology back decades. Oh man, we just wrote a sweet episode of Super Science Friends!

Is it okay to punch a Nazi?

Well … I was ready to punch the person in front of me at Starbucks this morning for returning her drink because she asked for half-sweet and not full-sweet and felt that it was still just too sweet, so I’m probably not the most moderate person to decide on who’s punchable. But I figure, hey if you can’t punch a Nazi then who CAN you punch?

Will you ever do another segment like you did for Episode 1 with the nerds fact-checking the show?

Those nerds (as you so callously put it) were actually our biggest Kickstarter backers for the first episode. They donated enough that they were able to get killed in the show. The main nerd actually went on to play the voice of Edison in episode 2.

But while they don’t get apple’d, we do have people who donate to our Patreon as extras in the show all the time. So if anyone wants to be in the show they can become a patron and then email us some photos and we’ll put them in.

Can we expect more episodes of Super Science Friends?

You sure as heck can! Episode 4: “Freudian Sleep” is out now on Cartoon Hangover and our Patreon, and on YouTube December 14th. After that we’ve got three more episodes planned to round out season 1. So there’s still lots more on the horizon.

What artists and animators inspire you?

That’s such a big question! I’m just going to spout off some Instagrams that I think people should follow if they want to look at the same cool stuff I look at on a regular basis.

ashleywoodart

crom_cristianortiz

heikala

jbnda

loiclocatelli

merghimself

nuriatamarit

shaneglines

taryndraws

thasenkamm

Also, follow an artist named Xulm wherever you can. He does background designs for Super Science Friends and they’re literally the least cool thing he does, which is saying something because the backgrounds he does for us are amazing.

What are your favorite cartoons?

As a kid I was all about Looney Tunes, Batman the Animated Series and X-Men. Lately I’ve actually been on a bit of self-enforced cartoon embargo until I finish Super Science Friends. There are a lot of cartoons I know I’d love but haven’t seen yet because I don’t want them to subconsciously affect how we write our show. Those include Adventure Time, Rick & Morty, Steven Universe and Gravity Falls to name a few.

“Ermagerd you haven’t seen Rick & Morty!!!!!!!1” Yep. Haven’t seen it. I really want to, but I gotta wait until our show is done so it doesn’t inadvertently become Super Rick & Morty Friends.

What's the last thing you took a picture of on your phone?

This checklist of scenes that were completed for the next episode of Super Science Friends. We’ve gotten a few more done since then.

What else are you working on?

We’re in development on a couple other series that we’re really getting excited about. You should be hearing about those sometime in 2018.

Anything else you'd like to share with the world?

Yeah, actually one of Super Science Friends’ background designers has a book coming out soon. If you’re into cats and large, naked men, you should check out Manfried the Man.

Thanks to Brett for taking the time to talk with us!

Super Science Friends Episode 4 : “Freudian Sleep” is out now on Cartoon Hangover Select on VRV. Watch here.

#super science friends #tinman creative studios #brett jubinville #Sigmund Freud #Albert Einstein #winston churchill #nikola tesla #charles darwin #taputti #marie curie #time travel #rick and morty #adventure time #steven universe #vrv #cartoon hangover #cartoonhangover #cartoons #animation

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thetiredbiwrites · 7 years ago

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Prompt List

1. Apparently, I’m going to have a baby

2. What’s in your hand/mouth?

3. What are you eating?!

4. I lost the baby

5. Where’s the ___? [insert pet]

6. I…I think I may be pregnant

7. Why is it staring at me?

8. Who’s a good boy/girl?

9. “Who’s my favourite little boy/girl?” “I thought I was”

10. *Makes noise* mm hmm, I agree

11. I can’t do it. I have been chosen *points to sleeping pet/baby on lap*

12. I’m pregnant

13. Stop kicking mommy please

14. Is that a baby?

15. You have a pet what?!

16. Is that my shirt?

17. You like me? You actually like me? Have you met me?

18. Could you repeat that? One more time

19. Just how much trouble are we in?

20. Where do you think you’re going?

21. Don’t walk away from me!

22. I’m not great at the advice, can I offer you a sarcastic comment?

23. How is my wife more badass than me?

24. Don’t you trust me?

25. Are you trying to get yourself killed?!

26. Why are you crying?

27. Oh, my God, what are you? Five?

28. Yes, I’m crying. What about it?!

29. Did I stutter?!

30. Are you drunk?

31. Why can’t you ever let me all the way in?

32. What did you do?

33. What now?

34. Are you hurt?

35. Are you insane?!

36. What are friends for?

37. What could go wrong?

38. You’re taking their side?

39. Are you jealous?

40. Why are you pushing me away?

41. You-you like me?

42. Why didn’t you tell me?

43. Do you trust me?

44. Did you just throw popcorn at me?

45. Am I dreaming?

46. How did I get so lucky?

47. Are you done checking me out?

48. What did I do?

49. It’s like you’re involving me in crime and I let you. Why do I let you?

50. Did I do something wrong?

51. Don’t you know how to answer a phone?!

52. Why does everyone have to die on me?

53. Movie night

54. Why are people so judgemental?

55. Am I not good enough for you anymore?

56. You’re really brave, you know that, right?

57. Everyone has somebody and I’m over here still alone. What is wrong with me?

58. Don’t tell me what to do and don’t tell me what to say

59. You’re the reason I’m in this mess so you owe me

60. I’m moderately functional

61. I thought it was funny

62. I di… that wasn’t me

63. Sorry, I didn’t hear any of that. I was too busy watching your lips.

64. Shut up and listen

65. It’s called sarcasm, dumbass

66. I am not nearly drunk enough for this

67. Would you stop biting/licking your lip, it’s so distracting and hot!

68. This is a whole new level of stupid, even for you!

69. I can’t believe you shot me!

70. Listen up, you little shits

71. If there’s no food, I’m leaving

72. I really don’t give a shit

73. I look cute in a tiara

74. Way to go(!)

75. I’m probably fine, but I also might be dead

76. You underestimate how much I like challenges

77. I have no idea how I’m still alive

78. I’m a little drunk

79. Don’t even look at me

80. If you die, I will bring you back and kill you again

81. If I die, I will haunt your ass

82. You kick their ass

83. I may be small, but I can kick your ass

84. Sorry, I wasn’t listening

85. I was distracted by your face

86. Five more minutes

87. Stop smirking

88. Stop laughing

89. If I was doing something stupid, you’d be involved

90. I want to hug you and slap you

91. I have to see some penguins like right now

92. You’re giving me a headache

93. I gotta get new friends

94. I’ll make the popcorn

95. Idiot. They’re all gonna die

96. Your plans suck

97. “Don’t worry” “Do you even know me?! It’s all I do!”

98. You’re overreacting. That’s my job

99. Please put a shirt on, it’s distracting

100. I told you so

101. You’re making a mistake

102. Oh, my God, stop with the overprotectiveness, it’s suffocating me!

103. Crap. We could be trapped in here a while

104. That’s a crap apology. That wasn’t even an apology. It was just excuses

105. I’m scared

106. I’m terrified

107. I’m broken

108. It’s my fault

109. I’m human, I make mistakes

110. I just never feel useful

111. Please make it stop

112. I just want to crawl under the covers and cry

113. I feel awful

114. I feel like I can’t breathe

115. All I wanna do is help. I just wanna help because, I don’t want people to suffer

116. I wanted to feel useful

117. I wish I was an only child

118. They’re [like] my brother/sister

119. You never give up on family

120. You guys are like my family

121. Don’t leave

122. I’m not going to stop

123. I hate you

124. I should hate you

125. Go away

126. Please don’t say it

127. I can’t do this anymore

128. We need to talk

129. Actions speak louder than words

130. Promise me

131. I’m here

132. Don’t cry, please

133. I’ll always be here for you

134. I cannot lose you

135. I don’t deserve you

136. Stop. Please, stop

137. I woke up and you were gone

138. I was so scared I lost you

139. I’ve been such a jerk

140. I hate that I love you

141. I’m terrified every time you walk out the door

142. I thought you were dead!

143. I don’t want to lose you

144. People leave, people die

145. I lost it

146. All that matters is that you’re alive

147. You’re going to have to forgive yourself sometime

148. I’m not gonna leave you. It’s just never going to happen

149. You’re not alone anymore and you never will be again

150. “I don’t want you to hate me” “I could never hate you”

151. It’s over. You’re ok. They can’t hurt you anymore

152. I thought you were asleep

153. Trust is fragile

154. I never said I hate you. I’m just pissed at you. I can still love you while being mad at you

155. He’s/She’s/They’re missing, not dead

156. I have to find them

157. They took him/her

158. We can do this. Together

159. You’re lucky you’re cute

160. You don’t need to be “the hero”. You’re my hero

161. Come with me

162. Your face makes me so happy

163. I’m coming to get you

164. You’re safe now

165. Let me help

166. We make a good team

167. It’s just a scratch

168. God, you’re hot

169. I miss you

170. You’re sick

171. I hate the hospital

172. I’m not scared of you

173. Let me take care of you

174. If you get sick, I’m giving you no sympathy

175. I’m gonna puke

176. They kicked me

177. I need a hug

178. So oblivious

179. I just wanted to see you smile

180. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you

181. Please say something, you’re scaring me

182. I’m not going anywhere

183. I just wanted to see you

184. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere

185. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you

186. You don’t have to pretend with me

187. I got you

188. I wanted to see you smile

189. That’s my girl/guy

190. I love you

191. Because I love you, you moron!

192. Shut up and kiss me

193. Oh, you love me

194. You’re stuck with me

195. I want to marry you

196. Will you shut up a moment and let me kiss you

197. We’ve been married 5 years and you still make my heart race

198. I love you more than I even realised was possible

199. *panic attack*

200. *nightmares*

Most comfortable writing Teen Wolf but I want to try other shows/ films. I will write pretty much anything BUT smut. No smut/NSFW. I haven’t a problem with it, I just can’t write it. I may imply it, but I can’t do the detailed stuff. There are amazing writers out there who can. (Reader Insert: Romantic relationships, family/sibling relationships, friends relationships…)

Teen Wolf

- Stiles Stilinski

- Scott McCall

- Derek Hale

- Isaac Lahey

- Liam Dunbar

- Allison Argent

- Lydia Martin

- Kira Yukimura

- Malia Tate

- Jackson Whittemore

- Peter Hale

- Cora Hale

- Erica Reyes

- Jordan Parrish

Star Wars

- Poe Dameron

Supernatural

- Sam Winchester

- Dean Winchester

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