#and by sources i mean pretty gifs and set pics

[karlachismylife]

Spotted || The Queen of the Clan pt.1

I absolutely do think about werewolf/dog shapeshifter Johnny every day, because I am a weak little gorilla and want to cuddle a big doggo, but

What if Soap as a hyena shapeshifter. Cuz their manes look like mohawks and he can keep his precious fluffy hairstyle. He's trotting around with his spots and long black socks on those strong legs, round ears twitching when he hears someone - prey, perhaps? But prey doesn't sound so pretty and cute, doesn't laugh and chirp so sweetly. So he keeps his tail high and hurries to the sound source, to find reader there chatting with other people - all with photocameras and other familiar equipment. You're neither prey, nor threat: just a documentary crew here, probably mainly for the lions.

You spot him immediately, his wary stance catching everyone's attention.

"The tail up so high can mean different things, but it might be a sign of agression. Careful, everybody," one of the specialists warns you, and you nod - you're not stupid, that's clear, but the smile you have on your face is so blissfully ecstatic, almost as if every thought left your brain at the sight of a chonky, bulky hyena investigating your filming sight (to be fair, it's probably his everything else sight). But you're just happy to see your first big animal on this trip, and so close!

"Hi, beautiful," you coo softly, brely a whisper, as you pull your camera up and start taking pictures of him - it takes the hyena only a few moments before it suddenly changes his stance to a more imposing one, puffing out its chest, legs wide apart, mane fuffed up. "Aw, are you posing for me, pretty boy? That's right, you're gonna be a star. I can already picture everyone going crazy for these cute pics..."

You tear your eyes away from him to take a look at what you're getting, not sure if the exposition and other settings are right, but when you adjust them and look back up to try and take another picture, the hyena isn't there. You almost let out a disappointed sigh, when you realize that no one of the crew is moving and their eyes are all glued to you - and then something big, fluffy and warm bumps your hip.

"Oh god," you try not to get startled by the hyena so close. It's even bigger that it seemed from afar, probably will be as tall as you if it stands up on its hind legs. Actually, it might be a girl - those tend to be bigger among spotted hyenas, after all. A formiddable force of nature, a deadly predator - not to be fooled by the public perception.

And it's sniffing at you very loudly, fluttering its round ears and bumping your hip again, like a needy cat with its huge wet eyes, before you finally lower your camera - and it shoves its muzzle into the little screen immediately!

"What, you like these? Give me permission to make you famous?" you chuckle when the hyena lets out somewhat of an approving whine. It bumps its head against your palm, but, glancing at your crew, you decide to withhold from petting the wild animal, after all.

The hyena doesn't look pleased with it. It whines again, paws at you, and then huffs, clearly irritated. Leaving you alone and shaking its head to fluff up its mane again, it sniffs around, trotting around your temporary camp, and heads straight to your backpack - your food inside, sleeping bag rolled neatly and resting against its side. While you try to remember if you have anything there that could cause danger to the curious animal, the hyena sniffs around it, making sure it's definitely yours, and then...

"No, no-no-no, please, don't-" it's too late. Turning around with the smuggest smirk you ever saw on an animal's face, the hyena lines up and sprayes your stuff generously. The smell of boiling cheap soap and something else hits you almost immediately on that short distance. No amount of washing will save you. You stand there, absolutely speechless and bemused, as the hyena bursts out into loud cackling, almost rolling on the ground and the sight of you.

And then a response cuts through the air - one, two, three other voices, interrupting that little spotted shit's fit. It immediately stops giggling, casts you one last look with a grin and then bolts away, to its family pack.

What a start to your filming trip. You'll just have to hope that hyena doesn't bring all its friends to your camp to cause chaos...

Another important thing about spotted hyenas? Their packs are matriarchal :)

Part 1.5 | Part 2

Series masterlist | Main masterlist

[okiecookie20]

EXO Obsession theory - pt 2

Part 1 | Have a Xiumiñ first❣️

• Let's analyze the EXODEUX Trailer (I'll point out clues and try to decipher them!)

We see the phases of the moon. In some way this represents how half side is bright and the other dark (that could mean that EXO has to endure the fight since both parts are their own):

Crudely we understand that they have to remain in a state of balance to be the legends but RF has somehow disturbed this balance.

The trailer was released on 8 Nov '19. What if X-EXO came alive on the blood moon (total lunar eclipse)? The phenomenon had been observed sometime in Nov 1909, 1928, 2022. A solar eclipse is shown and then we see destruction. I'm confident that EXO regain powers from this as seen in Power, What is Love. And since X-EXO are their halves or smth they get powers too.

Exo Planet #4 - The EℓyXiOn vcr shows us how the exos were being chased by some unknown beings who had the same powers as them. Kai opened the portal doors and rescued them just in time. Now we know these beings were X-EXO.

Okay so first they show us what is the result of X-EXO's actions. We find that from 0:11 some member's dna turns black (at first I thought it faded and crumbled) and then Kāi is shown — it could be a hint that it's him who is corrupted as he also fades.

Then appears THE TREE OF LIFE?!! And a fire which renders it dry 😦(the mv seems to be set on exoplanet). We can see how the eye of the RF coveted the heart of the tree as was prophesied in MAMA intro.

Since we see Chanyeol's power directly harming it, I'm convinced what I discussed about him here might be true... Next we see a sandstorm and then booming thunder (Respective x-exo members shown in reverse order then)

I'm sure u must have noticed all this but from 0:32, something very interesting happens: a red drop is shown to separate from a source of water and it shines as it ascends. Suhø's (abs gjjdjd) shot is briefly interrupted by Baëkhyun - hmm.

Even in the photobooks, they have pics next to each other. This could mean that they're together in on smth. (Notice Suhø's hand on his throat, I'll discuss about this later in this post)

In the EXplOration Dot vcr, we find Baëkhyun looking at a screen. I'm pretty sure he is monitoring the other members. This leads to another theory of a binary between him and Suhø.

Back to EXODEUX, exo's powers prove to be very destructive since they've fallen into wrong hands. At 0:56 we see them facing a red celestial ball very much like our sun but creepy. Is this the eye of the RF? Another possibility is that it could be one of the two suns created as shown in Power intro because the legends separated into M & K. Once again we see Suhø and Baëkhyun facing each other:

We get a closer look at their eyes and all seem to have blue eyes:

Hold it! Chën has one blue eye and one dark brown!!! (he has red and white lashes too)

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The conclusion I make from these clues is that jongdae has learnt how to regain that balance we talked about. So my earlier assumption as discussed in part i might not be correct and it is Chen who has won the fight. At first Chën looks confident but slowly as the game progresses, it is Chen who becomes more confident - he put his feet on the table.

• Let's analyze the mv now. The first fight shown is of Baek and his evil counterpart in a match of fencing. We see that the audience is dark hooded figures with red eyes:

One thing I noticed is that when Baekhyun is shown alone, there are white lights turned on and the stands for the audience are empty. But when Baëkhyun is alone, the lights are off and some red lights glow overhead (cctv cams?).

Baëkhyun looked like he hurt himself in the fight (some people theorize he wears a face-chain to cover his wound):

I would safely assume that nobody won or lost the match. This is because both are seen facing each other even in the final shot of this set.

• Moving on to Sehun; he tries to aim arrows at his evil double Sehůn. We see how many times he has tried but missed his target. There is a similar blue target behind Sehun too:

In EXODEUX we look closely at the aesthetic of X-EXO's eyes and all of them have dark makeup or scars - all but Sehůn! His eyes are clean and pure from the influence of the RF.

In the teaser poster below, Sehůn (case 94) is the only one on whom the target is not locked!

He is never seen with his double and is trying to fake it and trick the RF!! While the other X-EXO mems look sinister/appear expressive, Sehůn seems unbothered.

He is the only member who has concept pics with a blue background. Furthermore, his nails are almost clean and not like the other X-EXO ppl.

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Sehun is also the only Exo member to appear in the EXODEUX Trailer at the end. All of this is too much of a coincidence and I believe he already fought his counterpart, won and has come to save EXO as we see in his mv remake (2014):

• Now let's talk about Suho's scenes. Suho is looking around in an art gallery full of pictures based on water and waves. He is suspended mid-air in the place but a new shot shows it is much more deeper than that both literally and figuratively: he is trapped underwater and his evil counterpart is the one trying to drown him.

Suhø is standing in water with 7 unknown hands reaching out to him - this could be a biblical reference to the seven deadly sins. Since the album was released in 2019, this is a nod to my fav group's 7th anniversary. Come to think of it he has red hair styled as devil's horns (junmyeon looks so perfect oml):

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A lot of us noticed that in the beginning, he is shown trying to control the members as if they are puppets (yeah well I've watched this mv in slow-mo many times)

At 1:55 we notice a choking Suhø (junmyeon confirmed this) - the imagery is very creepy. This is because if Suho drowns, his double would choke too.

Sehun shoots arrows at his evil counterpart and gets hurt himself.

The recurrent theme is that whichever side - the good or the evil one tries to harm the other, both suffer the same fate. Why? because they are halves of each other as we discussed in the beginning of this post.

Getting back to the mv, the planets start to align as this happens.

This is just like the narration in MAMA intro: ...The day the grounds beget a singe file before one sky...

The teaser posters have this "Warning" on them:

A messy world order Anomalies due to twisted orbits

Moving on, we find out how the X-EXO are nothing but agents and creation of the RF. Notice how the screen inside Suhø's head is very similar to the ones in and outside Chen's room.

•I'd like to talk about the red glowing marks on some of X-EXO ppl. Only Sehun's and Chanyeol's evil doubles do not glow. This could be another clue that Sehůn is good. The other X-EXO mems are corrupted. Instead Yeøl appears in inverted and oversaturated colors looking demonic.

• Another thing I noticed at around 3:06 of mv Jongdae and Suho sing this for the first time:

"The turned-on exit light" instead of "The turned-off exit light" as in chorus.

The ending shows a burning planet (initially I thought it was Earth but then I noticed it looked a bit different). SM confirmed it is "half of" exo Planet. Additionally it has a deep red glow ofc hinting this is because of the RF. There is still hope for exo to recover and defeat their enemies.

Thanks for reading!🍒 I'll probably make some compilation post for these theories.

[titleleaf]

An Early Victorian Hair Care Special: Trying Out Marrow Oil

I had fun Jirving-larping for a bit today and trying out the beef marrow oil I made a few days ago. It was already my hair-washing day and I hated having the bottles sitting around accusingly in my workspace so I gussied up a bottle I'd set aside (containing basically the dregs of what I'd mixed up, with a few remaining flecks of marrow down at the bottom) with lavender oil to counteract the lingering beefiness. (Suddenly understanding why so many pomatum recipes involve multi-step washing of your tallow and lard in floral waters.) Then, with comb and brush in hand, I went to try this shit out.

My hair is pretty short, very straight, very fine, and distinctly thinning, so I figured all of that made me a good test case. (Hodgson sun, Irving moon, if you will.)

Before pics -- I briefly entertained wearing my 1840s waistcoat for these pics but the thought of getting it oily did not appeal to me. My hair does not like lying flat.

And after! This shit is so excited to lie completely flat! The marrow oil mix went on with a heavier, richer consistency than plain almond oil -- zero surprises there -- but it kept my hair where I'd laid it through both combing and animal-bristle brushing. Even when I tried to muss it, it resisted. The smell was perfectly pleasant, if a little more warm and animalic than I was used to, but more significantly this shit was super fucking shiny. The camera doesn't really capture it here thanks to piss-poor lighting but as soon as I started brushing, Bluntly, I think the look would be more dramatic on someone with thicker hair than me -- it doesn't take much for my hair to look pretty stringy, but I can imagine this but the glossiness made it worth it. The richness and heaviness of this oil must have been a comparative boon in an era where gentle sulfate-free shampoos were not really a thing.

(Lads, let's make Eli Sunday-core happen.)

So... verdict, idk if this is going to replace all my cupcake-scented sprays and pastes and shit day to day, but it didn't make my hair fall out and it gave me that authentic "plastered down in the wardroom" look. I'd love to try a bear's grease recipe, but since actual bear's grease is in fairly limited supply and has legitimate health uses in North American Native traditions sourcing it in a way that's both ethical and local (especially out of hunting season) would be a challenge. Most bear's grease retailed in Georgian and Early Victorian Britain hadn't been any nearer to a bear than the label on its jar; extensive adulteration with other cheaper animal fats was the norm, including rancid fats in a bluffing attempt to mimic actual bear fat's pungency. ("It stinks, so it must be legitimate" was the precursor to "it tingles, that means it's working".) So I could certainly do a bogus "bear's grease" recipe, if I didn't mind subbing out a whole lot of lard. What are your thoughts? Has your polar expedition-LARPing or historical costume work extended to historical haircare?

(image: bear's grease labels, Wellcome Collection)

[muthaz-rapapa]

Let’s talk TroPreCure! (^∀^ 🌺)

i’m so stupidly proud of this dumb pun “tropurikyua~”, hahahahaha

Last post of the year and wow is there are lot to be excited for!

I even had to make a list for the stuff I want to talk about and I’m sure I already forgot one or two things but we’ll get to them as we continue to float~ along the wave to February 28th, mmkay? :)

Now for what has peaked my interest so far. And yes, we have to talk about the following first:

1) HealPre the shortest Precure season??

Unless they plan for double features in February (which I doubt but you never know), HealPre is likely going to reach only 45 episodes long instead of the usual 48~50 before TroPre I’m using this shortening of the title for now so if there’s a better alternative, tell me and I’ll switch out begins its broadcast.

Understandable because the producers probably want to get back to their normal scheduling as soon as possible (toy sales, y’know) and I suspect pushing the start of the new season back by a month is the most they’re willing to compromise.

As for me, I’m quite happy about this since HealPre’s lost its hold on my attention a while ago so the sooner TroPre gets here, the better. Though the downside might be a scrambled climax and a rushed, underwhelming ending for HealPre (I dunno if it’s January’s titles that feel a bit messy or if the hiatus is still throwing me off) but whatever. We’ll refresh ourselves with the new blood Cures so it’s all good.

2) Tropical movie announced for Autumn 2021, no All Stars??

(source)

First saw this mentioned on Youtube somewhere but it’s all over the fandom forums by now. I mean, HealPre’s movie is set for March, the usual time slot for All Stars release. If Toei intended for there to be an All Stars in 2021, there’s no way they would announce the seasonal movie before it so speculations of them skipping it this year are probably true.

To squeeze it somewhere between March and October-ish would force them to readjust their budgets as well and I don’t think even Toei wants to go through that extra hassle after all the trouble the pandemic’s caused for everyone already. It’s just easier to resume All Stars in 2022.

That, and I think Laura being a major character in TroPre despite not having a Cure title (yet) would make for an awkward situation when the three latest teams gather so perhaps that’s also one of the reasons. But I’ll get back to Laura in a bit.

3) Cure Summer is a RAINBOW Cure

So god help me if I see anyone calling her a Pink Cure.

Yes, she’s the lead Cure for this season. NO, she is not a Pink Cure.

Look, even the official website has a rainbow overlay for her profile pic and text font while everyone else’s respective theme colors are a solid hue:

Therefore, RAINBOW.

In promotional material and merchandising, they’re probably going to advertise her primarily with pink bah and at worst, she might occasionally be labeled as a White Cure with multiple subcolors (her outfit is not pink-dominant) but definitely NOT. PINK.

...also, this goes without saying but f***yea, we finally got a lead Cure practically and unabashedly wearing the LGBTQ flag and you cannot tell me otherwise, Toei!

Own up to it! Declare Manatsu/Cure Summer as the Precure queer icon!

I’m not gonna stop yellin’ until you do! 😠

4) Laura = obvious midseason Cure is obvious

First of all, Laura is a babe. I already love her the best and she’s not even Precure yet. <3

Anyways, the set-up is pretty much in the description. Important main character who’s not a mascot, stated to have a self-confident personality and just speaks her mind (oooh, I like~ :D), magical/foreign being from another world looking for Precure to save her home, possesses her own special item(s), has aspirations to become the next Queen (so she’s a princess-candidate or something to that effect, I suppose).

We’ve seen various combinations of these traits in past midseason (and a few starter) Cures so nobody should be surprised when we all guessed that one of the Cures would be a real live mermaid.

The only question is why not just make Laura a Cure from the get-go if she’s introduced to us at the beginning (like Hime or Lala) and having a team of five with no unnecessary extra add-ons later on (like Smile).

Well, there’s a simple answer for that: formula.

Toei is afraid that if they don’t spit out some new animation sequence at the halfway and third quarter points of the show, the kids will lose interest and abandon the series altogether. Which means failed toy sales. Oh nooo... [/sarcasm]

...Yea. 

And this way they can also have Laura available in the Cure lineup for the next All Stars in 2022 instead of making her sit the fight out if we were going to have one in 2021. I’m convinced that’s gotta be one of the reasons. *shrug*

But ok, whatever. Her debut is gonna be later, that’s all. She’s a delayed Cure.  Midseason Cure, same difference.

Moving along to the more important stuff now like what’s her Cure name gonna be, y/y?

Well, knowing Toei, a translation of the term “mermaid” into another language is the most predictable route even though we already have a Cure Mermaid. Not like that ever stopped them from repeating words before (ex. Cure Happy vs Cure Felice). Though if they do go down that road, I hope they opt for the Spanish/Italian “sirena” and not the French “sirène” because the latter sounds too close to how Cure Selene is pronounced in Japanese. And, putting it nicely, we all know Japanese pronunciation of foreign words is as off kilter as can be.

Hell, even the the Portuguese “sereia” sounds aesthetic as hell so it’d be nice if they can just remember there are other languages that exist out there besides Japanese, English and French when making the final decision at the writing table! *stomps foot* >:/

Alternatively, “nereid” or “naiad” are good choices too but they remind me too much of Greek myths and Laura’s from the Grand Ocean which covers more than just a couple of seas (Greece is surrounded by three, btw) so...

I dunno. But whatever it’s gonna be, she’s definitely got a strong association with water and her powers will probably be based on that.

As for theme color, since there’s noticeably no blue or green Cure in the starter lineup, it’s likely she will take up that spot when she debuts around ep 20.

Pink is also open since Cure Summer, again, is technically not a Pink Cure and Laura’s hair and tail fin are hot and light pink respectively but looking at Laura’s design and concept, does anyone seriously believe that?

Her upper torso consists of aquamarine while the body of her tail is definitely some shade of cyan, implying they’re aiming for somewhere around the middle of green and blue on the lighter spectrum.

And yea, I’m aware that green and blue are considered exchangeable in some perspectives with how close some of their shades are to each other but officially, I think Laura’s gonna be grouped with the Green Cures.

Cuz of the hair. If Laura’s gonna keep it the same or a similar shade after transforming, that is. The Blues have always had cool-colored hair so putting Laura in with them might disrupt that harmony whereas if you put her with the few Greens there are (including Parfait), she’d fit right in.

I mean, we’ll see but that makes the most sense, doesn’t it?

On another note, I just want to say that I love how they added frills to her arms instead of letting her elbows go bare naked. It definitely makes her look more like a genuine mermaid than if she didn’t have them (remember, half fish doesn’t mean half the body :P).

5) Magical Items

Frankly, I’m tired of seeing the transformation device being a compact again even though one of the main motifs is make-up this season. But at least, as far as Precure compacts goes, the Tropical one is my favorite cuz of how cute and delightfully colorful its toy version looks! So I guess I’m okay with it.

The Heart Rouge Rod, though? ...I dunno. I think it would’ve been fine without that...straw (?) jutting out at the top. It looks weird, doesn’t it look weird? :S

As for the collectible clip-ons, I can live without those for the rest of my life. Yeesh.

Laura’s items, the Aqua Pot and the Ocean Prism Mirror.

Again with the portable, travel-size housing. *sigh* 😩

Alright, I can let this year slide cuz Laura (I’m so soft for her, omg) probably won’t be getting legs for 20 weeks so she’s got to move about on land somehow. But unless they’re really thinking about turning this idea of carrying your apartment around in your bag/pocket/purse into a reality (cuz that would be effin’ awesome), please be more creative with your toys.

On the other hand, I’m much more interested in the Ocean Prism Mirror but from what Kusyami (the Precure merchandise reviews I follow on Youtube) said in his latest vid, this is the ED dance item so don’t know if it’ll actually have an relevance to the story or not. But I did hear him mention it having something to do with the Queen as well and since Laura wishes to become Queen, maybe it’ll be important after all? Maybe it’s her transformation device?

That’d be super cool. Let’s continue the trend of the midseason Cure having a different transformation item than the starters. Honestly, we should alternate every other year or two but we’ve gone three seasons with all of them using the same henshin gimmicks up till HealPre and I just want a break from that.

6) Fin sleeves??

These look so impractical for combat so maybe it’s exclusive to group attacks.

And/or a sort of precursor to the super forms?

*GASP* Does that mean they all eventually turn into mermaids? 🤩

7) Yui finally became Precure!! 😭

lol, it’s all crack from this point on so don’t take it too seriously but man, after Yuni’s deceptive braids, I thought I wasn’t gonna see anything that reminded me of Yui for a while and lo behold, Sango.

kehehehehehe xD;

Though Yui might be closer to Minori in terms of personal interests (fairytales and storybooks).

8) Akira, the actual Onee-chan version

I didn’t think this when I first saw her but once I read “Onee-san” in her profile, there’s no saving you now. Sorry, Asuka. 😅

Also, damn, do her sandals make her feet look big! Compare them to the heels she wears as Flamingo. Are they even the same?! lololol

9) ...this sounds awfully familiar...

Translation:

Tokimeku Tokonatsu! [Exciting/Thrilling Everlasting Summer!] Cure Summer! Kirameku Hoseki! [Sparkling Jewel!] Cure Coral!  Hirameku Fuurutsu! [Flashing Fruit!] Cure Papaya!

Japanese reiteration:

Mallow/Mao: Pink no tokimeki! Lillie: Blue no kirameki! Lana/Suiren: Yellow no kagayaki!

….........

@Toei 

Care to explain yourselves, punks?! 

୧(ʘ ∀ ʘ ╬)

[katherinewilliams221b]

For A Greater Good Fun Facts and Self Assesment (spoilers)

Long Post

What worked and what didn’t:

I think the overall structure worked pretty well. The most difficult part was, with the plot and subplot already created, scattering all those ideas throughout the text in such a way that at least made some sense. I regret not writing more about Mer Yankelevich, I feel like the crumbs I left on the way were not enough; in my attempt to make it subtle it lacked information about her. The key piece was of course her sister, and I should have introduced her sooner.

MC’s evolution. I feel like Kate’s learnt a lot with this experience (I’m not only referring to the Deathly Hallows or Grindelwald) When it started, she was very discreet and kept a low profile, not knowing what to do really, not taking more risks than necessary. And then she ended poisoned and splinching just to protect a document she thought was important. I hope her evolution is noticeable for the reader.

Worldbuilding. Grabbing HP concepts that were forgotten and full of potential, plus a dash of original ideas from me and blending them with muggle features was my absolute favourite part of the process.

On that note, I dont own these concepts: Durmstrang, Igor Karkarov, Nerida Vulchanova, umbrella flowers, fanged geraniums, billywigs, Appare Vestigium, glow-worms, trick wand, chamaleon ghouls, 

If you’ve read the fic and thought: “everything happened so fast” or got a general odd feeling about the timeline it's because I made a series of  monumental mistakes: setting a chapter limit, telling you about it and then tried to stick to it.  At first the idea sounded nice: this is my first “big” story  with complicated components. I should (and I did) do an outline of what I want to happen in each chapter and stick to it methodically so I don't forget what's happening or lose track of the plot. Well...it kind of backfired. So I wrote the first 3 chapters and at that point I thought “okay everything is going as planned, I’m going to put it out there”, bam, instantly cursed. After that it got ridiculously difficult to make the story that I wanted. Why? I needed chapter space that I convinced myself I couldn’t add. Dumb.

The major consequence of this was the lack of character backgrounds. It started out good, but as I kept writing and publishing I realised that I missed some great opportunities to make amazing ocs. That’s Corentin’s fault in a way: he wasn't going to be a major character, really, just a piece to help Kate a bit. But we all fell in love with him so what was I supposed to do? Also, Sheyi Mawut owns my heart and he got just a bit of spotlight. A shame.

I wish I had written more about them, but I think I wasn’t ready just yet to make it even more complicated.I just wanted to prove I could concoct a mystery plot and now that I know I can manage a fair amount of information I think I can take it a step further and deepen new ocs a little bit more.

I’m thinking about the datura series and I know why I got blocked and tired of writing it; it wasnt going anywhere because I wasnt prepared, and I didn’t do the months of outlines and planning that I did with this one. I’ll come back to the datura story one day, subjecting it to a sever rewrite. The ideas are there, I just need to be organised.

Although the chapter limit was problematic it was also a good exercise of managing space and deciding which things were unnecessary for the story. I dont think there’s any filler chapters, perhaps the last ones, but there is important information there too so... However this sentence  from the blog  wordsandstuff reassured me (and I think I did a good job at that?)

If you set out to write 10 parts and you write a fantastic story in 8, you haven’t failed and it’s not too rushed. Concise writing is an underrated talent. Focus on how effectively you engage the reader, not for how long.

I spent more than year writing this! When I started, I had a lot of ideas, I wrote the last two chapters then the first 3 and I really thought it was going to be that way with the rest of the story... okay... lesson learnt. #humbled

Other thoughts:

I received a couple of comments on ao3 that said that they were pleasantly surprised. Maybe I should change the tags because they are misleading? Clearly this wasnt what people were looking for lol.

One particular comment stood out to me and quoting it said:  “You did not choose the easy way with a fiction with so few characters from the fandom.”  And I’ve been thinking about this since I read it. It didn’t occur to me that there were few mystery fics (maybe I should write more things like that? Maybe throwing some power couple detective work 👀 ) In any case, I’m glad  I contributed with something different to the fandom, and the fact that the Charlie bits are very scarce but people who read it still liked it is really flattering.

I wanted to make sure that all the characters had strengths and flaws, I didnt want to severus-snape them so maybe I overdid it with that bit of introspection kate does at the end...

Also, I did the kiss and fade thing twice to mention sex. I know some people dont like that but since it wasnt the point of the story and I havent done research on how to write sex scenes I didnt include them. I have that on my “to learn” list.

Conclusions:

Writing the whole thing was incredible. It's my first ‘big’ project and its not a great work (there are some things I wish I did better, thats what you get when you are an agatha christie wannabe) and not writing more character backgrounds will haunt me to this day,  but I think it's at least good for a first series and I’m proud of it. I loved spending hours doing research and trying to piece together this puzzle. And of course I’m not an expert and I dont want to sound pretentious (like this is my first story) but if you are planning to write this type of genre I can be another source of tips and tricks for you.

If I read the story after a while and I dont cringe, I would call that a success.

FUN? FACTS!

Bakunawa really belongs to Filippines mythology

Snapdragons have different meanings, one of them being: “grace under pressure or inner strength in trying circumstances”

The entrance to Grindelwald’s room was going to be in the duelling classroom, strangely shaped as a triangle. I had this system where one of the round candle lamps descended and lined up with a line on the floor (serving as separation for duels) it created the Deathly Hallows symbol. I couldn’t make that work because it wouldn't make any sense for Nerida Vulchanova to shape a room like that.  Here are some sketches:

Lucius Malfoy was going to appear as the Ministry employee that goes to Durmstrang, but after revising the events of the OoP I realised it was impossible.

Kent Jorgensen was going to be around Kate’s age and the charms teacher and he would have a small crush on her. After seeing some pics of Pen Medina, I rewrote the character completely.

The series was going to be 6 chapters long (I’m glad I decided not to) one for each month. The chapter names were ridiculous: January of Beginnings, February of reputation, March of Students, April of Discoveries, May I? and June of Endings. #tragic

The Dolohov family was going to be a part of the plot but I had to erase that part because it was unlocking another layer of complexity that I just couldnt handle.

I dont remember exactly the chapter but I got really confused with the names Rhode and Hodges and there’s one chapter where I accidentally mixed them (I corrected it I think), but for a while I could stop calling Rhode, Hodges, and vice versa lmao

Here are some sketches that helped me describe and imagine things

Thank you for accompany me in this journey, especially if you endured the process with me lmao. You’ve been here for over A YEAR! <3 Mindblowing

Also I’d love to know your opinions about the way you read the story, I mean, I know some people read it as I published, and some other readers found the story already finished, what are the differences? Should I stop the updating system and drop a story all at once? I know it is difficult to keep up with a complex story if there’s a lot of weekly or monthly gaps between the chapters, so I wanted to know.

Sending you a virtual hug 💜💜

[ladyadalicialove]

MLB Dupain-Cheng Wedding and Marinette’s Birthday theory!!

An updated version of this theory can be found here. Some new info was revealed and I decided to talk about it.

Here I have developed two theories; when Sabine and Tom got married and Marinette’s Birthday. I have finalised two dates as to when they got married and when Marinette was born. This is pure speculation by the way, so take what I say with a grain of salt!!! 

The Dupain-Chengs Wedding Date THEORY:

To figure out when they were married I gathered clues from all available episodes.

Lets start with “Timebreaker”! In this episode Sabine says they are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary with a special dinner. And since “Timebreaker” was in season 1, this episode is speculated to have occurred sometime sometime in February-April.

I have theorised that “Backwarder” is set in either April of 2011 or May of 2018 This is because Adrien, Gabriel, Kagami and her mother are going to attend a Royal Wedding in England. And Thomas Astruc must have been inspired by a royal wedding and since this episode aired in 2016, Astruc would not have known about Harry and Meghan meaning that Kate and William was probably his source of inspiration.

So if Tom and Sabine are celebrating their twentieth wedding anniversary in February-April 2011 or 2018, that means they were married in 1991 or 1998.

However in consideration to the style of Sabine’s dress, it is more likely to be in 1998. 1991 Wedding dresses were extremely puffy, most likely due to the after effects of the 80s fashion. Sabine’s wedding dress actually closely resembles the wedding dresses of the 2000s. Meaning that it is highly likely the wedding happened in 1998, here’s a photo comparison.

(Credit: Me, I googled some pics of both 1991 and 1998 wedding dresses and created this collage.)

Basically since Sabine doesn’t look like any of the snow beast brides of 1991 and closer to 1998 wedding dresses, I think it’s a safe bet that it was set in 1998. FYI: I did loads of wedding dress research and her dress is closest to the 2002 bridal styles, especially with the BOHO-chic fashion trend. 

Now fun fact, this means we actually know when the exact date they were married because of Marinette’s calendar (which is basically Adrien’s Schedule) back in “Timebreaker”. The episode as we know starts off with Sabine talking about their 20th wedding anniversary. However in this episode, Alix and Kim have their rollerblade race, This is the only episode we know of to have rollerskating in it, and in Marinette’s calendar April 6th is marked as “Roller Time”.

(Credit: https://amour-chasse-croise.tumblr.com/post/142955283453/miraculous-ladybug-timeline-complete )

This means that April 6th is the day that Tom and Sabine were married!! (And Alix’s birthday lol)

So this concludes that…

Tom and Sabine were married on April 6th of 1998.

Also this means that Tom married Sabine when he was twenty!!! Because he turned 40 in Bakerix which is set in 2018, we knows this because the events in “Bakerix” happen before "Backwarder", as the inauguration of Startrain is shown. And we know “Backwarder” is set in May of 2018, meaniNG BAKERIX IS HAPPENING IN EARLY 2018!!!!

Our bakery boi snatched his wife with that broom-stache at 20 holy moly. I wondered how old Sabine was, I think she might have been 19, making her 39 in “Bakerix”. Love to hear anyone’s theory on Sabine’s age.

This means that Tom and Sabine totally dated in high school. oMG SO CUTE!! Can’t wait to draw the art for that one!

The Date of Marinette’s birthday THEORY:

This theory isn’t as concrete as the previous but I had to do some hard core predications and assumptions!! So don’t take my word for it!

It took Tom and Sabine a couple of years before they had Marinette. Because we know she is 14 in “Befana”, that means she was born in 2003 or 2004 if this episode took place in 2017 or 2018. And according to the MLB wiki timeline, Befana takes place in July, meaning Marinette is born in July. No joke the wiki has a timeline. 

If we look at her personality we can actually determine what part of July her birthday is on with zodiac signs!! July 1st to July 22nd are members of the Cancer zodiac sign, and July 22nd to July 31st, are a part of the Leo zodiac sign.

I did a little research for Cancer because as a Leo myself, I know that sign pretty well. And guys, “Cancers are born people-pleasers and emotional caretakers.” and not just that but “You’ll often see Cancer women busting their butts behind the scenes building props on theatre or movie sets, or as head chefs making magic in the kitchens of busy restaurants. These women prefer to work with their hands, and do work that they feel emotionally connected to, rather than spending hours staring at spreadsheets or mathematical abstractions.” (source:https://www.astrology.com/cancer-woman.html)

MARINETTE IS A MEMBER OF THE CANCER ZODIAC SIGN CONFIRMED SHE IS A CRAB!!!!! CAN YOU IMAGINE HER LIKE THAT I CAN 

So we can confidently say her birthday is between July 1st and 22nd, we just gotta find the specific date!! Here’s another clue I found thanks to another birthday theory on Amino; In the Webisode "My Birthday Party", Marinette's voice over says "It's my birthday on Saturday". (In the English Dub)

Now the webisode was released in 2016, while “Befana” was released in 2017. In 2016 would have been 12 if Marinette was born in 2004, which is inaccurate as she was 13 when she received the miraculous. Meaning she is born in 2003 making her thirteen in 2016 the year of the webisode aired!!

Now if her birthday in that webisode was set in 2016, the Saturday’s between between July 1st and 22nd land on three dates. The 2nd, 9th and the 16th of July.

How do we narrow the three dates down to one I hear you ask? Well Kung Food is set sometime after July 14th according to this tumblr user, meaning we can eliminate the 16th because her Great Uncle would have mentioned her birthday but he didn’t.

(Credit: https://ladybug-x-chatnoir.tumblr.com/post/138842131342/here-is-a-visual-timeline-based-off-of )

Now that means it’s either the 2nd or the 9th. I think if we look at the school dates when the year “Befana” takes place we may determine her birthday.

So if Marinette is turning 14 in “Befana” and if she is born in 2003, that means “Befana” occurs in 2017. In the episode she talked about being at school that week, and “yesterday” she caught Nino listening to her fav song at school , however she did not mention being at school on her actual birthday. Which in 2017, Mari’s birthday is on a Sunday and I had to check but France does have Middle and High schools that choose to have courses on Saturdays. So we are deficiently in the right timeframe!

It occurred to me that July is when Summer Holidays begin for France. And according to this website, France’s summer holidays begun on July 8th in 2017.

(Credit: https://www.renestance.com/blog/2017-school-holidays-in-france/ )

Now if we rewatch “Befana”, we can see that the classroom is bare of any school work or posters. Now everyone who has been to middle or high school knows there are big clean ups that happen the day Summer Holidays begin. And that’s what I think we are seeing here. A completely clean classroom ready for a new year.

(Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTz8SC39s24)

I can conclude then that Marinette’s Birthday is on the 9th of July, and she was born in 2003!! THE PROOF IS IN DA PUDDIN THAT IS ADRIEN LOL!

So to quickly resummarise this double theory of mine:

Tom and Sabine were married on April 6th of 1998.

and

Marinette’s Birthday is on the 9th of July, and she was born in 2003.

Wow I spent six hours researching all this and now I’m super tired, I’m posting these theories because I will be MIA during May and possibly June because of Exams and Assignments for Uni. Enjoy reading this and I hope to hear your opinions and thoughts!!

REMEMBER THIS IS JUST A THEORY

Posted on 5th of July in 2019, sometime after Bakerix aired.

[pedroscurls]

Title: Coach Negan (Part 2.)

CHAPTER TITLE: Tryouts

Character(s): Negan and Reader (pre-apocalypse/AU) Summary: The day of tryouts, you and Negan become a bit more familiar with one another through texts. Word Count: 4,341 Warning: SEXUAL TENSION, age difference, and obviously Negan’s language. Author’s Note: This was fun to write. It has a different structure in the beginning, but regardless, I enjoyed it! Also, can y’all feel the attraction between these two? My god. I can’t wait for this story to develop even more ;-)

(GIF Source: @justnegan)

Taylor hounded you all night with the details about open gym. She was expecting to see you come into the apartment with a sullen look, but was surprised to see that you were actually smiling and biting your lower lip which was something that you did when men were involved.

“All right. Spill,” she said, grabbing a slice of pizza.

“Nothing happened. It went great.”

“You’re lying. You met someone. It’s written all over your face!”

You blushed which didn’t help cover up your lie. “The coach… He’s hot. We exchanged numbers.”

“Okay, but how hot?”

“Does it matter? You like women,” you scoffed.

“Hey, I will appreciate any damn good looking person that I see. Man or woman. Now, how hot?”

You cleared your throat. You had gotten close with Taylor since moving in with her and neither of you had boundaries. In fact, you both were much more open with one another than you were with your long-time best friends. You and Taylor could talk about sex and your experiences without her having to judge you and vice versa.

It was a very trusting and open friendship.

“Like… Bend me over your knee and spank me kind of hot,” you blushed.

“Oh my god. I’ve got to see how he looks like. When are tryouts?”

“Taylor, no. You can’t come!”

“Why not? I can check out your potential boyfriend while I look for someone I can take home with me too,” she winked.

“Taylor… Seriously. No.”

“How about I go for support?” she nudged.

“Nope.”

“Well, I’m going regardless. I figured I’d be nice and ask first.”

You rolled your eyes, hearing your phone begin to ring. As you glanced at the number, it wasn’t familiar but you knew it had to be Negan.

“That’s him, isn’t it? Very persistent. I told you. You looked hot,” Taylor laughed.

You stood from the couch and grabbed the plush pillow, tossing it at her head which she easily dodged. “I’m going to go to my room.”

“You going to have some phone sex with him?” she winked.

“Taylor!”

“Okay, okay. I’m done. For now.”

You walked into your room and closed the door, thankful that the walls were sound proof. You entered your bathroom and answered the phone, putting it on speaker as you ran yourself a bath.

“Hello?” you answered.

“Well, fuck. You actually gave me your real number.” It was Negan and you couldn’t help but smile at the sound of his voice filtering your small bathroom.

“What do you take me as? A liar?” you teased.

“No, I just thought you were pullin’ my leg and shit saying that you were just as interested as I am. I mean, we do have a significant age gap and --”

“That doesn’t mean anything to me. I can guarantee you that I am very much into you, age gap or not.”

Negan smirked, “That so?”

“Very much.”

“Well, I just wanted to see if you actually gave me your number. I’m glad you did, doll. I better let you get some sleep,” he said.

“Oh, going so soon?”

He chuckled. “Going to miss me, is that it?”

“That depends. Are you going to miss me?” you smiled, stripping from your clothes and entering the water-filled tub. You set your phone on the ground near the tub and shut your eyes, imagining Negan.

“Oh, doll, I’m already fucking missing you.”

You grinned, sighing contentedly. “That was sweet.”

“Is that surprising?”

“Kind of.”

“I don’t know if I should take that as a fucking insult or not,” he laughed.

“Maybe you should,” you giggled.

“I’ll call you tomorrow or something. I’m sure open gym kicked your ass today,” Negan teased.

“Uh huh. You did say you were going to work us day in and day out.”

“Oh, doll, you don’t even know the half of it.”

You smiled, “Okay, Negan. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Tryouts are tomorrow night. I’ll see you then as well.”

Once the call ended, you settled back into the tub and relaxed. You didn’t expect that attending open gym was also going to be another way for you to meet someone that you couldn’t take your mind off. You had just met Negan and yet, he was occupying all of your thoughts. It was going to be difficult to have him as a coach if you made the team.

The following morning, you were waken up with a few unread messages from Negan. Having a day off from work and school, you decided that it was best to clean around the apartment before you had to try out for the basketball team this evening. However, it was taking a lot in you to be a “good girl” and maintain a neutral conversation with Negan through text.

Negan: Hey. Morning.

Negan: Ready for tonight?

You: That sounds very inappropriate and very wrong. Oh, and good morning.

Negan: You just woke up and your mind is already in the fucking gutter? Shit, girl. What were you dreaming about? ;-)

You: I bet you’d like to know…

Negan: As a matter of fact, I do. Now, go on. Tell me.

You: Maybe after breakfast. I’ve got some chores to do around the apartment before tonight and I can’t have any distractions.

Negan: You callin’ me a distraction? I think that’s a good fucking thing. Must mean that you’ve got me on your mind. Now, why don’t you tell me what it is that’s on your mind, doll?

You: Nope. I’m getting up right now. I probably won’t reply for a while.

Negan: Send me a pic? ;-)

You: That depends. Will you send me one too?

Negan: Of course. It’s only fair, right?

You bit your lower lip as you climbed out of bed. You were clad in a white tank-top and black boyshorts. The tank-top was almost sheer with just the right amount of light, so you walked into the bathroom and faced the camera to the mirror as you stood in front of it. Snapping a photo, you quickly sent it to Negan. You were sure he could see everything from your diaphanous top.

Not a minute later, Negan sent another text.

Negan: Okay. Fuck. I wasn’t actually expecting a picture.

You: Don’t tell me you aren’t going to send me one? :-(

Negan: I’ll send you one right now. When you get it, let me know what the fuck you’re thinking, doll.

You felt your heart beat against your chest at the anticipation of this photo. You kept your finger pressed on the screen to keep it lit and when Negan’s photo finally delivered to your phone, you almost dropped it on the floor.

He was clad in a towel that was hanging low around his hips, revealing the trail of hair that disappeared underneath it. Your eyes drifted to his broad chest, taking note of the hair that littered his beautiful body. You noticed the tattoos that painted his skin and lastly, you saw his dimpled grin with his hair dampened and slicked back.

He was fucking hot.

Negan: Doll? You still there?

You: What? Yeah. Sorry.

Negan: Like what you see?

You: ...Yes. I really do.

Negan: How about you let me come over and I’ll help you clean? ;-)

You: If you come over, we aren’t cleaning.

Negan: Then what is it that we’re going to do, doll?

You: Fuck.

Negan: Shit. Straight to the fucking point. I like that.

You: But sadly, you aren’t coming over.

Negan: And why the fuck not?

You: Well, one: I’m not that type of girl, and two: you’re a coach at the university, Negan. We can’t do that.

Negan: I’m pretty damn good at keeping secrets. As for being that type of girl, who says I think of you that way?

You: We just met. You don’t know me.

Negan: I’d like to.

You: You just want to get in my pants.

Negan: Well, you aren’t lying there, but I’d also like to get to fucking know you, doll.

You: How about you tell me something about you and then I’ll do the same?

Negan: You’re serious?

You: All right then, bye.

Negan: Okay, okay. Fuck. I used to be married.

You: Wow. Pulling out all the stops. What happened?

Negan: She died. Of cancer. Your turn.

You looked at his message. You hadn’t meant to bring up some bad memories. So, instead, you decided to invite him over.

You: I’ve got a thing for older men. Now, come over.

Negan quickly changed into his usual black pants, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket. Slipping into his boots, Negan grabbed his helmet, keys, wallet and phone and headed to your apartment. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he did put some condoms into his wallet just in case.

The ride to your apartment didn’t last more than fifteen minutes. When he pulled up, he glanced at his phone to see if the number matched the one he was directly standing in front of. As he made sure of it, Negan brought a hand up to knock on the door and ring the doorbell twice.

He cleared his throat when you opened the door. You were wearing the same exact thing you were wearing when you sent the photo this morning, except you had put a bra on and your hair was tied into a messy ponytail.

“Hi,” he smiled.

“Come in,” you said, opening the door for him.

Negan removed his helmet and stepped inside, glancing around the apartment for a moment. He turned his attention back to you and allowed his eyes to rake over your body, licking his lips slowly.

“I’m home alone until tonight. Do you want some coffee?”

Negan nodded, “I’d love some.”

He allowed you to walk into the kitchen, deciding to sit at the couch and wait for you. He was being a complete gentleman which wasn’t likely for him. Maybe he thought he was being pitied because you found out about his dead wife; he just hoped that you didn’t bring up the conversation. That wound was still fresh.

After five minutes, you walked back into the living room and handed him a cup of coffee. You set yours down onto the small table nearby and sat next to him, bringing your legs up onto the couch.

“So, you like older men?” he asked, grinning mischievously.

“Maybe,” you teased.

Negan rolled his eyes, sipping carefully at the coffee. He glanced at you and hesitantly reached over. His hand grazed your leg and you cleared your throat, wondering what he was going to do next. However, he pulled back and flashed you the remote, turning his attention onto the television in front of him to power on.

You sighed, grabbing your mug and watching him carefully. When he settled on the news channel, Negan turned his head to look over at you.

“Something on your mind?” he asked.

“Your wife died of cancer… I’m sorry.”

Negan cleared his throat. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”

You nodded in understanding and reached out to place a hand on his forearm. “I just want to apologize for bringing it up. I didn’t mean to. If I had known --”

“But you didn’t, so it isn’t your fault.”

You bit your lower lip, deciding to drop the conversation and remove your hand from Negan’s arm. Though, he inched closer to you and draped his own arm around your shoulders, glancing down at you to see if it was all right. As you scooted closer, he grinned and relaxed. He didn’t know what was to come about this spontaneous visit, but he enjoyed your presence regardless.

“You said you were going to help me clean,” you began.

“And you said if I did visit, we wouldn’t be cleaning. We would be fucking and since I’m not balls deep inside of you yet, I think we have to change it. Don’t you?” he smirked.

You licked your lower lip, looking up at him with an innocent bat of your eyes. “Hm…”

“Oh, don’t give me that look. It’s just going to make me harder than I already am,” Negan chuckled.

“Y - You’re hard? Already?”

He smirked, “With you dressed like that, doll, it wasn’t that difficult. I mean, why don’t you sit on my lap and have a feel?”

You cleared your throat, dropping your eyes to his pants and noticing the growing bulge beneath the fabric. You weren’t used to this. You didn’t participate in one night stands and you were more of a woman who liked commitment with meaningful sex, but Negan was different. You found yourself wanting to pounce him without a thought of the consequences that may happen afterwards.

Negan had sex appeal and for a woman who liked older men, he was the epitome of what you wanted in a partner. He was confident, even ridiculously so, but he was also humble to an extent. You had just met him, yet you felt like you knew him your entire life.

He was watching you carefully, setting his mug down next to yours. When he sat back down, Negan reached out and placed you onto his lap, straddling him with your legs apart and your throbbing heat dangerously placed above his bulge.

“Feel that?” he asked.

You nodded, licking your lips as you moved your hands to rest on his shoulders. “I do…”

Negan smiled, noticing how your eyes drifted from his face down to his lap. He knew that you were a bit hesitant, but that didn’t mean that you didn’t want this. As he felt the roll of your hips, Negan’s hands on your hips tightened and a small groan escaped his lips.

“You’re going to make me feel like a horny teenage boy and make me cream in my fucking pants if you keep doing that,” he growled.

You giggled, leaning forward to press your lips against his. He hummed in approval, slowly lifting his hands underneath your tank-top to feel your soft skin against his fingertips. Your hips, however, continued to roll against his own. You were grinding against the large bulge that created just the right amount of friction for a moan to escape your lips.

With the unexpected noise, Negan took this opportunity to slide his tongue into your opened mouth. You whimpered, parting your lips even further as your tongues began a passionate tango with one another. Negan cupped a breast, squeezing it into the pit of his palm as you ground your hips against him once more before pulling away.

You both were panting heavily, staring at each other with lust-filled eyes.

“What do you want, doll?”

“I don’t know…” you answered honestly.

Negan nodded in understanding, removing his hand from underneath your tank-top and set you back down next to him. He adjusted himself and tried to think of various things that would make his throbbing erection disappear.

“Not ready yet?” he asked.

You shrugged, “I just -- I meant it when I said I don’t usually do this. I don’t meet a guy and then hook up with them. It’s different. This is different to me.”

“Then I’ll wait,” he replied immediately. “I’ll wait until you’re ready or until you pounce me yourself. It’ll happen.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Well, you keep glancing down at my fucking dick for one… You feel how big it was?”

You widened your eyes, feeling the wetness rush down to your sex, staining your panties. You gently smacked his chest, rolling your eyes nonchalantly. “I’ve had bigger,” you teased.

Negan narrowed his eyes, “Not until you’ve had me, baby.”

You licked your lips slowly, watching as Negan’s eyes drifted to watch. Slowly, he leaned forward and gently nipped at your lower lip, moving his lips across your jawline and down to the side of your neck. His beard grazed your soft skin, causing a quiet moan to leave your lips. Negan was right. You were going to pounce him one way or another.

“Negan…” you moaned, gently resting your hands on his chest and pushing him away slowly.

Negan chuckled, pulling back. “Well fuck, doll. I think I want to hear you moan my name all the goddamn time.”

You looked into his eyes and smiled, leaning forward to hover your lips against his. “And I want your hands all over me, but we’ll have to wait.” You stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen to set your coffee in the fridge to save for later. Negan, however, decided to follow you.

Your back was turned to him and he took this chance to allow his eyes to run over your backside. The boyshorts were riding up and giving him a perfect view of your toned legs and plump backside. With a few strides, he wrapped his arms around your waist and pressed himself against you from behind.

“You’ve got a nice fucking ass,” he whispered into your ear.

You shivered, pushing back against him which only made him groan in return. His slender fingers pointed downwards and he decided to splay his hands against your front as the tips of his fingers grazed your sex.

“Negan…”

“Fuck, I love the way you say my name.” he smirked, pulling away and running his hands down your butt, squeezing it gently. “And I can’t wait until I can fuck you on all fours so I can see this ass bounce against my dick.”

“Damn it, your choice of words…” you whimpered.

“You like it,” he grinned.

“I do… I really do.”

Negan made it obvious that he was undressing you with his eyes, but he forced himself to abide by your wishes and wait until you were ready. “I better get going. I’ve got a lot to do back at the school before tryouts tonight. I’m seeing you there, right?”

You nodded, “Of course. I’ll be there.”

“Wear something skimpy.”

You laughed, “Maybe in the bedroom.”

“You’re teasin’ me, doll.”

“I know. It’s fun,” you giggled.

“I’d bend you over that counter and slap your ass until it turns pink, so I’d be careful if I were you.”

“That doesn’t sound like a punishment whatsoever, Negan.”

He growled, “You minx. I’m going to leave before I fucking take you where you stand.���

You smiled, blushing deeply. “I’ll see you later.”

Negan walked to the front door with his helmet in hand, turning around to wrap a free arm around your waist. He pulled you roughly against his chest and leaned down to kiss you slowly, yet passionately. When he heard you whimper, he pulled away and winked.

“See you tonight.”

Later that night, Taylor accompanied you to your tryouts. You had told her what transpired while she was at work and was disappointed that she missed the show. Now, she couldn’t wait to see what Negan looked like if it was causing you to break your own rule about having meaningless, amazing sex.

“He must be really hot if you don’t mind not being in a relationship to have sex with him,” Taylor said, driving to the school.

“He is. His mouth too… My god, Taylor. He’s older, much older, but he’s sexy.”

Taylor grinned, “I can’t wait to see how this stud looks. He needs my approval first.”

“Of course,” you laughed.

Once she parked the gar in the parking lot of the gym, you climbed out and draped your sports bag over your shoulder. You could hear the dribbling of balls from outside and loud chatter, but you tried to calm your nerves.

As you walked in, your eyes immediately searched for Negan. He wasn’t there. You sighed disappointingly and sat at the bleachers with Taylor, pulling on your basketball shoes.

“Okay. One girl’s checking me out and I am certainly doing the same,” Taylor grinned.

“Taylor, stop,” you rolled your eyes and smiled.

“What? I can’t help that I’m just so irresistible,” she winked.

“All right, all right. I’ll let you work your magic, but only after tryouts, okay?”

She smiled, “You’re the best.”

Suddenly, Negan entered the gym wearing a white t-shirt and black sweatpants with tennis shoes. He looked much more laid back than he did back at your apartment, but the only thing you were imagining was his naked form and the feel of his bulge from earlier.

“Holy fuck,” Taylor said. “I think I just became straight,” she teased.

You rolled your eyes, gently punching her arm. “Hey, he’s mine.”

“I’m only joking, but he is sexy. He’s got this rugged look going on and he’s totally eye-fucking you right now,” Taylor commented. “He’s checking your ass out.”

You bit your lower lip, glancing over your shoulder to see Negan’s eyes trained on you. He winked before turning his attention elsewhere.

“I think he found his MVP,” Taylor joked.

“I can’t believe I actually let you come with me,” you sighed, stretching your limbs.

“Oh come on. You know you feel a bit better with me here.”

“You’re right,” you smiled.

Once you heard the blow of the whistle, you waved to Taylor and joined the group that surrounded Negan. His eyes swept the different faces, but he always made sure to pay extra attention to you.

Throughout the tryouts, you put your all into every drill. You didn’t only want to impress Negan, but you also wanted to show your future teammates that you were just as good and able to play alongside them. By the third water break, you were dripping from sweat and you decided to pull off your tank-top to remain clad in a sports bra, shorts, and basketball shoes.

Taylor, however, winked at you. “Taking that off because you’re hot or because you’re trying to get someone’s attention?”

“Taylor…”

“Okay, trying to get someone’s attention. Got it,” she laughed.

“I’m going to kill you when we get home.”

“Sounds exciting,” she teased.

With the latter half of tryouts in tow, you managed to make a few new friends. They were nice and very humble about their skill which made it easy to get along with them. You didn’t like when people were cocky about their ability to play sports. After the last scrimmage, Negan called the tryouts to an end and notified each and every one of them that the results would be up within the next few days, if not tomorrow.

As the girls dispersed, you exchanged numbers with a few of them and even brought the same girl that was ogling Taylor back to the bleachers where she was sitting. They quickly hit it off and you smiled; you never understood how easily it was for Taylor to act normal in front of someone that thought she was attractive.

“I’m grabbing dinner with her. Do you mind driving back home?” Taylor winked.

“Sure, yeah. Be safe, okay?”

“Always. Oh, and good job out there. You were kicking ass,” she smiled, giving you a tight hug before following the girl out of the gym.

You sighed, looking around the empty court and placing Taylor’s keys in your bag. Now that you were alone, you grabbed a basketball and dribbled it expertly, walking to the hoop and taking a shot. When it made a quiet swish, you heard the sound of clapping. Quickly turning your head, you noticed Negan with an amused grin on his lips.

“Good job tonight,” he said. “I think you’re in.”

“I hope you’re saying that because I really am good and not because you want me,” you sighed.

Negan rolled his eyes, walking towards you. “Believe me. You’re going to be our secret weapon. No one in the league will know who you are, doll. Once we put you in, you’re going to beat the holy hell out of each team. You’re the reason why we may make it to the fucking championships this year,” he answered honestly.

You blushed, biting your lower lip. “You mean that?”

“Whole-fucking-heartedly. I wouldn’t lie to you, even if I wanted to get into your pants. I told you I’d wait and I will do just that,” he smiled. “You heading home?”

“Yeah. I’m in need of a shower.”

Negan smirked, taking in your features. “Do you know how difficult it was for me to keep it cool while you were wearing just that? I mean, watching you remove your tank-top was one thing, but seeing you play so fucking well in that get-up? I’m practically suffering from a case of fucking blue balls.”

You laughed quietly, shaking your head. “You and your colorful language…”

“It’s true. Help me with my problem?” he winked.

“And how do you propose I do that?”

“Just because we can’t have sex, doll, doesn’t mean that there aren’t other ways to come,” he smirked.

“Good point, but still, I’m not ready.”

He sighed, nodding in understanding. “Well, I can’t control what I feel around you, so maybe you’ll have to deal with my vulgarity and my dick that is so eager to meet you.”

“Fine with me. You headin’ home?”

Negan nodded. “Yeah. My dick is currently throbbing at the sight of you, so I’ve got to reacquaint myself with my hand.”

You laughed quietly, following him out of the gym. “Well, I hope you have fun with that, Negan.”

“It’d be better if someone helped,” he winked.

“All in due time… I promise.”

At Taylor’s car, you unlocked it and placed your bag inside. Negan looked down at you and tucked a few strands of hair behind your ear, kissing your forehead lightly.

“Drive safe,” he said softly.

“You too…”

“Call me later, all right?”

You nodded, hugging him tightly. “I’ll talk to you later, Negan.”

“In all seriousness, doll, you did a really good fucking job tonight. You impressed me more so than you did the other night. I’m sure the other girls feel the same way,” he nodded.

“Thank you, Coach Negan.”

He growled, “Tease.”

You laughed, “I’ll call you.”

“I’ll be waiting, doll.”

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[siodium]

visited zeelandia (a company that produces and innovates bakery products) and it was probably one of the more anticipated company visits for me bc bread

it’s almost the end of the week and i’d be leaving for singapore soon so i decided to lighten my luggage by eating what i brought over to the netherlands

thanks to the daily dinner cooking sessions with my friends i haven’t had any chance to consume said foods

bUT LUNCH WON’T BE PROVIDED THIS WEEK which means i have opportunities now

sooo i woke up early to make porridge with the rice and preserved vegetables i packed (also threw in some baby carrots that expired the day before)

the bus journey was super long and we had to sidetrack at some garage to get the bus fixed (heard the bus driver say something about how the bus couldn’t keep up with the speed?? not exactly sure what that means but ok sounds dangerous)

wHICH WAS A REAL PITY bc we had set out an hour earlier than planned so that we could explore the area (since the weather was good) and have lunch before heading to the company itself

oh well too bad but i guess the highlight was that i managed to check out the toilet on the bus

it was how i imagined a space toilet to look like (tiny and really high-tech)

anyway just look at how scenic this place is!! upon arrival we were greeted by this traditional-looking windmill

had to take a short walk to the company from where the bus dropped us but nobody’s complaining

i wonder if anyone lives in those little houses... the street was so empty and quiet except for the occasional cars passing through

we were on to a great start when the zeelandia ppl brought out DUTCH STICKY CINNAMON ROLLS!!! they were incredibly good!!! i didn’t take any pics bc i gobbled them up instantly (also maybe bc i was very hungry bUT)

i was about to write ‘trust me they’re really good’ but most (?) of my course mates disagreed and said they were too sweet which sounds like an old ppl taste bud problem to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

anyway they were tasty and i helped myself to another one towards the end of the visit

zeelandia was also the only company to ask for student presentations and tbh i’m glad they did bc presentations can be really boring but??? a presentation about singapore bakery products??? i’m listening

i learned a lot about bread mm hm

THE LOOK ON THE EMPLOYEES’ FACES EVERY TIME SALTED EGG WAS MENTIONED WAS PRICELESS also it seemed like ‘instagrammable’ was not a term used there so they learned a new word

we then toured some of their labs and they showed us some innovative bread things that idk if i should mention bc ~company secrets~

wish we would... taste some of those... lab breads... but we couldn’t

and they were going to be thrown out after we leave so i smushed chi on one of the loaves in hopes of making chi insta-famous like that one lady who smushed her face on bread (source: some book in kinokuniya)

this is cold gel btw and it is poured over products to give it that nice glossy finish (and the gel itself tastes like nothing so it wouldn’t affect the taste of the product) cool

did we get to try it? unfortunately not

chances are it looks pretty but tastes like crap since it’s a product meant for research?? in other words the researchers are not going to waste good ingredients on this thing that is only going to be used for show-and-tell

[attract-mode-collective]

Dat Genesis Aesthetic

Welcome to the next level of the Attract Mode blog! As explained last time, every Monday or Tuesday (or Wednesday) I’ll be sharing all the wacky game culture goodness that crossed my path the previous week (mixed with bits and pieces that I’ve long wanted to share, but haven’t, cuz I didn’t think it worked as a stand alone post or some other reason).

And kicking things off is Studio SUPER’s “Lives & Times”, in which they created eight different animated scenes, all running in tandem on a CRT monitor (i actually discovered this in a post in a CRT enthusiasts group I belong to on Facebook, which is a private, so I’ll say no more), and all of which screams dat Genesis aesthetic. Each of the ten monitors displays a letter, spelling out “Lives & Time”; the above are actually animated gifs, but due to Tumblr’s technical constraints, they’re simply still images, hence why I’m not going to bother to share the individual monitors (so please check out the source to see everything in action).

But yeah, it once again warms this old school fan of Sega’s 16-bitter that the kids today are embracing the look and feel of the platform, whereas those used to be punching bags, primarily among Super Nintendo devotees. Though, to be honest, the above actually reminds me of 32X’s aesthetic; the other night was my yearly attempt at giving Knuckles Chaotix another shot, and dear God does it ever look like someone attempt at making a game based upon found internet art and vaporwave album art that’s all been inspired by the Genesis, which means I absolutely adore AV, but dear God is it unplayable or what.

Back to the Genesis/Mega Drive real quick; here’s your new desktop wallpaper, courtesy of @SEGAotaku; you’re welcome…

With the new way of doing things around here, bits of randomness that had been the basis of semi-regular gags will be folded into the new weekly format. Like the Please Enjoy entries. So, please enjoy this wonderful mash-up of Sonic and Totoro, with a dash of the Iron Maiden font… on a t-shirt (courtesy of twosatans)…

It’s that time again, in which I really wish I had a PC. And GDC has barely gotten under way! By the end, I’ll no doubt see some new game that I’m dying to play, but cannot, unless it gets ported to the PS4. Though in this instance, I’m talking about DESCENT, which Prosthetic Knowledge describes as “Part music video, part demoscene production, part art history remix”. At least I can enjoy this video in the meanwhile…

Sorry, can’t say I agree with this statement. As for my choice for top FF, you’ll have to see what I wrote on the wall of the men’s room at Grassroots Tavern (located on the sound side of St. Mark’s between 2nd and 3rd Ave) in person….

Yet another “feature” of this blog, one that was only recently proposed, are semi-arbitrary comparisons. And they too will be part of the package every week, starting with; which do you prefer, this old photo of a young boy, proudly showing off his newly unwrapped Galaxian tabletop arcade cab, courtesy of ausretrogamer…

Or this somewhat more recent pic of young girl, one who is to ecstatic to have gotten a Game Boy Advance SP, courtesy of 2000ish…

Classic Gaming Quarterly just posted another Let’s Read, its in-depth, page at a time analysis of a classic gaming mag. In this instance, it’s Electronic Gaming Monthly #6 from early 1990…

Among the more interesting questions asked and observations made…

- Yeah, what exactly was the deal behind Fester’s Quest? Why in the heck was there an Addams Family game in the year 1989 (and not 1990 as stated in the video) for the NES? Then again, the same could be asked of Midnight Mutants, which was based upon the Munsters for the Atari 7800 in 1990. Is there a connection between the two?

- Not only did I have no idea that there was an arcade board based upon the PC Engine, I also never made the assumption myself that the SuperGrafx was perhaps originally destined for the US, given that the name of the PC Engine follow-up is more closely tied to the name of the US version, the TurboGrafx!

- Though I do recall people not being all that impressed with Super Mario World’s visuals upon release, as well as how the original Game Boy was considered a disappointment for a long while there. In fact, in EGM’s end of the year assessment for gaming hardware, for many years there, the GB was constantly scoring super low numbers.

One can never understate how important Pokemon’s arrival was for the platform in the US, which is actually 21 years ago today BTW/FYI!

Speaking of Game Boys, yet again, I really wanna play Kimutaku vs Predator; according to obscurevideogames, Takuya Kimura is from the J-pop boy band SMAP, but I bet most of you knew that already…

And back to the subject of video games rags; which cover featuring a shmup do you prefer, the one with Xevious…

Or Radiant Silvergun? BTW, both were found over at the shmups Tumblr, naturally…

Remember my round up of classic video game music on vinyl? Well here’s a clip that I wanted to include but couldn’t cuz I hit the limit of YouTube embeds in a single Tumblr post, plus it’s of a re-release on CD; it’s the third disc of a trilogy box set, of classic Namco tunes, and perhaps the best of the bunch (since I realize straight up Xevious audio ain’t for everyone)…

Sticking with the subject of music, Kotaku actually posted a real oldie but goodie, and since it was on a Sunday, there’s a good chance many may have missed it, so…

And back to shmups, as well as something else that one of the major outlets recently posted that’s definitely worth a look for anyone who may have missed it, is The Verge pointing out a rather intriguing part of a Fast Company write-up on Atari head honcho Nolan Bushnell’s early 80s high-tech incubator. Which is how the triangle in virtually every GPS system out there is actually the ship from Asteroids!

Which do you prefer, this old pic of Mexican wrestlers from Lucha Underground playing Mortal Kombat X on the PS4….

Or this recently release image of the WWE’s John Cena playing... I dunno actually... on the Nintendo Switch….

Speaking of the Switch, my aforementioned personal fave angry video game nerd recently shared his thoughts on Nintendo’s forthcoming hybrid home console/handheld. The title pretty much says it all: “NINTENDO SWITCH CAN SUCK IT!!!” is pretty much all you need to know. Still worth watching though! As is his recent follow up…

Said it before, and I’ll say it again; I don’t have to agree with BitHead1000 to find him hilarious.

As you may have heard, a Dreamcast signed by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst was recently up for grabs on eBay. The original auction ended without a winner, which means everyone out there still has a chance to be one! One of six; I want to know the circumstances that led to Durst signing a Dreamcast, let alone several. Though I have to wonder if the seller will actually go through them all, let alone the first…

This animated gif by mazeon really makes me wish that there was a video game based upon The Black Hole. Actually, it’s ripe for a LucasArts/Double Fine-esque adventure! What do you fellow fans of the movie think? All six of you…

And finally, one last comparison; which do you all prefer; this Virtual Girl, who I found via posthumanwanderings…

Or this Virtual Boy wearing and Mountain Graphics’s STAR SOLDIUS shirt, which you can nab in the Super Attractive Club shop, along other things…

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.