#and lives indoors where the monsters won't get her

[marlynnofmany]

My poor cat is Distressed and Upset because she saw a raccoon for the first time last night. It was on the other side of the sliding glass door, and not only did it startle her by being there without permission, but it didn't even have the good manners to act afraid when she yelled at it, in her most terrifying yowls and hisses.

It pawed at the seam of the door to see if it could come inside and bother her without glass in the way (that's a hard no), then it ambled off into the darkness again.

Now it's a bright and sunny afternoon, and the cat is pacing in front of the door with suspicion in her every move.

As far as she's concerned, there was a monster in her territory, and it could come back at any time.

[saturnsmocha]

READ MY RULES BEFORE LIKING, COMMENTING, AND REBLOGGING!!!

Hey y'all! Remember when I said I had a Lucky Contestant FC of my very own? Well, here they are! They mainly appear wearing the mask, but I wanted to show off their face for this bio so y'all can get a taste of what they look like.

Onto my Contestant...

Leni Sorensen had it all. They were the star athlete/gymnast at their high school, found the perfect man and moved in with him in a nice house after graduating. But then, something crashed and burned in their mental state and now they've turned into a bitter adult who lives in a crappy rundown apartment, has gone through a breakup, dealing with a smoking addiction, and is struggling to find a job. Desperate to get their life back together, upon hearing that if you managed to find a VHS tape in one of the Frankie's Fruit Flake boxes, you'll be granted to participate in a private indoor gameshow with the promise of 5 million dollars, they obsessively remuage through every box for the to be signed up and luckily for them, they finally found it after 769 boxes. They even toke rehab to get rid of their addiction and train really hard so that they can regain their parkour skills in time for the game. Under the impression that it was a simple and harmless yet goofy gameshow like Wipeout, they quickly realize upon being accepted that this "gameshow" is actually a streaming podcast located in the dark web AKA a "red room", where sick fucks pay money to watch people get sliced up by saws, have their skins melted by toxic slime, and be hunted down and killed by monstrous versions of the mascots. With Leni being the only surviving "contestant" able to outwit the monsters with her athletic gift and win the prize, they ended up making the red room more money and is now forced to remain imprisoned at the Parkour Palace until the next season arrives, rather they accept the offer or not.

Extended Bio:

Full name: Magdalena Sorensen Nickname: Leni and Maggie (but if you value your life, don't call them that. Just don't) Age: 24 Gender: Nonbinary (goes by any pronouns) AFAB Nationality: Dutch-American Orientation: Bisexual Family: Mother and father, older sister named Amelia (26) and younger brother James (20) Personality: Leni is as confident and boisterous as they are arrogant. They often act rude, dismissive, and sarcastic. They have an ego the size of Jupiter, they know that they are a gifted athlete and won't let others forget. They believe in "survival of the fittest" and looks down at the more weaker ones, blaming them for their shortcomings and willing to leave them behind if they were in a survival setting.

Leni in general isn't the most pleasant person to be around, which was why they don't really have friends, not that they wanted any to begin with (or do they?). But… They are not without a few redeeming qualities… Right? Yes, their negatives do outway their positives, but Leni's not evil. The whole reason they wanted to enter the gameshow was not just because they want a better living space, but to also have a better living space and makes things right with their ex Brett, so they are capable of feeling remorse. Deep down, Leni does long for companionship, but they don't know how, and because of their crass attitude, no one's willing to tolerate them. Needless to say, they are one tough nut to crack.

Fun facts:

🐇Leni has near vision so she wears glasses, but she does sometimes wears contacts. They wore contacts during the gameshow. They hated wearing the mask and if they have an opportunity to take it off they will. 🐇Leni didn't have the best homelife. Their parents (although they love all three of their kids squally) have jobs that require them to work for long hours, so they're rarely at home and when they are, they are exhausted. But that is not the worst part, they often leave her at home with her older sister who makes it her goal to make Leni's life a living nightmare. James however, is the only one who sees the good in them (and still does) and has looked to them his life, but has unfortunately inherit some their boasting which they nowadays try to discourage. 🐇Before moving out, Leni was the one who does all the chores around the house and prepare food. Amelia is more concerned with being on the phone and James was little at the time, but as he grew up he tried to help their older sibling out. 🐇Outside of a boyfriend, Leni did have a small group of friends at one point, although they all got fed up with their prideful nature. 🐇When they're not training for season 58, Leni would try to come up with plans to escape, lay in bed all day, thinking back on their time with Brett and their friends in guilt or trying (and failing) to avoid conversing with Frankie. 🐇James refers to Leni as his "brother". Amelia and their parents refer to Leni as their "sister" and daughter. Brett referred to them by they/them pronouns. Frankie and Henry also refers to them by they/them pronouns. 🐇Leni sleeps in a fetal position and always hugs onto their pillow or blanket. 🐇Leni has a soft spot for animals, although she has a fear of rats, or atleast used to. It helps that every animal she comes across like her, or atleast don't mind her presence. 🐇During their imprisonment, they noticed an injured rat. Despite their phobia of rats, pity overcomes fear within them (and because they were desperate for a companion to stay sane) and they toke it upon themselves to try and nurse it to health. The rat started to imprint on them and they ended basically adopting it. They haven't thought up a name for it. 🐇Leni does become a amicable person in the future. The gameshow shattered their pride and made them question their motto especially regarding the Noob Noobs and eventually Henry. There are still a few bumps in the road, but they are trying their best to be nicer. Leni isn't fond of children. 🐇They hates anime and sees them as overrated and stupid. 🐇Leni thinks that vegans are pathetic. Leni is a big eater. 🐇Their favorite food are ramen noodles and their favorite drink is strawberry and cream soda. 🐇It's possible that her rudeness and sarcasm is also a defensive mechanism. 🐇They haven't been to college.

🐇They have a secret Tumblr blog, you can talk to them if you like... 🐇They are suffering from nicotine withdrawals.

[sinfulforrest]

🚨🥊🍄 for Pillow, Miki, and Nathaniel? 👀

eee thank you for these! this is a bit lengthy so I do apologise 😅

🚨 (siren) - What’s your character’s relationship with the law? Have they ever been arrested? What for? What are their opinions on law enforcement?

Pillow has a rocky relationship with the law, having almost been caught a few times trespassing on abandoned property whilst she's been filming content for her streaming channel and youtube page and she finds them to be an annoyance, especially when they unknowingly drive away the inhuman beings that Pillow desperately seeks. She hasn't been arrested (yet) for her crimes, and she always keeps a wary ear and eye out for cops when out and about- if they found the true extent of some of her crimes, she'd be locked away for good.

Miki is another one that hates coppers, they're always trying to uncover the organ trading that's been going on around town and that simply won't do! The organ trading business is how Miki gets their meals- he's way too lazy to hunt for his own food...they've worked out an agreement with the gang though which involves Miki isolating and killing police officers who get too close to finding the ringleaders, and the gang provides Miki with good, fresh organs as payment! They suppose law enforcement isn't so bad, after all...

Nathaniel doesn't really care about the law- he's a deity above all on Earth, a devourer of countless planetary systems and galaxies. He's law abiding though and causes little to no trouble when roaming the earth. He finds them amusing, especially when he hears about officers who think themselves above the law and who appoint themselves as higher beings by mistreating weaker beings. If only they realised how small they were in the grand scheme of the universe...

🥊 (boxing glove) - Has your character ever been in a fight? Did they win? Do they fight often? Are they professionally trained or self taught? Do they enjoy fighting or only do so when necessary?

Pillow has been in a lot of fights as a child and as an adult and is entirely self taught. As a kid she'd get into fights with other kids that lived on her estate that thought that they could tread on her turf and her friends. Once she got into a really bad fight protecting a new kid who'd moved to her school from older kids, and she got battered pretty badly, but her friends were able to drive the older kids away. That kid would later become her best friend, Trace!

As an adult she's a lot more viscious, and enjoys the thrill of fighting for her life against the inhuman. She has killed people that have jumped her whilst she's been exploring, choosing to bludgeon them to death with her crowbar.

Miki has been in fights and dislikes them, they end up becoming exhausted after them and they're too much work sometimes. He picks his fights wisely, choosing to pick off people weaker than himself so he doesn't have to make so much of an effort- he's not the strongest demon in the world and he knows it. They just wanna head back home and laze around...

Nathaniel doesn't enjoy the idea conflict, especially in his human form. For Nathan, if he were to have a conflict with some other higher being, that would mean that whatever it is would have to match his own world ending prowess, which he's confident that there's no other being more powerful than himself. Still, the thought that there's something like that out there is frightening to him, so he'd be absolutely brutal in getting rid of competition in his true form.

🍄 (mushroom) - Does your character like being in nature or do they prefer the indoors? Do they have any outdoor hobbies like camping or fishing? If they prefer the indoors, why?

Pillow loves the outdoors! The outdoors is where she can explore and gather her thoughts if there's a lot going on in her life, and she finds comfort in the endlessness of nature. She'll often drive down to the forest outside of town to research monster leads, or to just take a walk in the outskirts to chill out. Every now and again she'll join Trace for a run through the local park as well- it's important that she keeps in tip-top form if she has to outrun an adorable monstie!

Miki likes viewing the outdoors from indoors, and just staying inside in general. They like to keep a low cover from humans, and they like to stay away from the noises and smells that are much more sensitive to them. Still, they find beauty in human life, and he loves to peoplewatch from his dingy apartment and to watch the weather and seasons change from the comfort of his lair.

Nathaniel has learnt to love the nature of this planet since descending from the coldest reaches of space to observe you. The life of plants and creatures around him are fleeting, yet there's so much beauty that each little life has, he can't help but allow himself to open up to more knowledge, and with that knowledge, that horrible feeling of fondness when observing life around him. He enjoys watching animals and learning how to identify species that he sees, with each new discovery further cementing his desire to protect this strange little planet that you call home.

[newyorkerinsanfran]

The Skin I Live In - Pedro Almodóvar

I jus re-watched "The Skin I Live In," Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's 2011 masterpiece starring Antonio Banderas as Robert, a wrathful plastic surgeon with a traumatic past, and Jan Cornet and Elena Anaya as Vicente and Vera, the objects of his vengeance. This is your warning there are spoiler alerts ahead, so please stop reading if you haven't seen the movie, because it's the twist at the film's core that makes it an incredible experience!

The day after seeing the movie again, I can't stop thinking about how six years before the #MeToo movement kicked off, Almodóvar created an incredibly nuanced portrayal of sexual assault that holds a mirror to the viewer when it comes to how we view and interpret rape, and what we consider just punishment for sex crimes.

There are many other core themes and ideas in the film, including bringing to vivid life why living with gender dysphoria is akin to torture, and suggesting that holding on to one's own identity - creating some kind of space where you can stay true to yourself - is the only way to survive.

The Pygmalion, Frankenstein-esque relationship between Robert, the artist-surgeon, and Vicente/Vera, his work of art or monster, depending on your perspective, is also fascinating ... and this movie definitely brought to mind Hitchcock's "Vertigo," which also features a man transforming someone into his idealized dead lover. There are other ways the film feels Hitchcockian, which I won't dive into here. It's also worth noting Frankenstein's monster in the film (Vera) in turn becomes an artist themselves, establishing their own creative power, an act of defiance that seems essential to their survival. This creativity, Almodóvar suggests, is something different than what drives Robert's insane biogenetic and surgical experiment (or is it?).

But on the subject of sexual assault, some thoughts:

It's important that in the film's sequencing, the first rape we see is Vera's. We don't yet know she's actually a man, Vicente. We just know she's a prisoner of Robert's, but we don't know how or why this came to be.

It's in this context that we meet Zeca, the son of Robert's maid, as he gets into the house where Vera is being held, eventually binding and gagging his own mother and then entering Vera's room. Vera says no multiple times as he assaults her, though at the same time she's also clearly trying to use Zeca to negotiate her own escape, suggesting for example they have sex in the garden and not her room. Zeca ultimately rapes her. Vera tells him, "You're hurting me," but he doesn't stop.

This rape feels very "clear cut." Zeca violently assaults Vera (though we do later learn Zeca likely believed he was having sex with his former lover ... that notwithstanding, he ignores Vera's no's and pleas).

Then, just a bit later in the film, we see the second critical rape scene of the movie, and we see it twice, from two distinct perspectives. First Robert's, then Vicente's. This rape is the film's foundational moment which sets everything else in motion, and it involves Robert's troubled daughter Norma.

From Robert's perspective, we see him at a wedding with his daughter. She's recently been released from some kind of psychiatric care. Eventually, she disappears and he goes looking for her.

Robert leaves the party happening indoors and walks outside. It's nighttime on a grand estate. He hears the sounds of people having sex and encounters an orgy happening in the garden. Then, a man on a motorcyle races by him. Robert continues walking and sees a shoe, which he realizes is Norma's. We sense his mounting panic as he finds her other shoe, then her sweater. The audience, not knowing what's happened, is in the same position as Robert: we assume there was some kind of violent struggle between Norma and an assailant, that her shoes and sweater were torn off. Then Robert sees Norma, lying by a tree, dressed and unconscious, possibly even dead. He rushes to her and she wakes up in his arms, screaming, "No!"

Like Robert, we can only imagine a rape has happened and we're primed for this interpretation by the orgy we've seen previously, and the fact that unbeknownst to Robert, a young man had been making eyes with Nora inside the wedding.

Next, we see the scene from that man's perspective, Vicente's. Here Almodóvar troubles our understanding of what's transpired. And crucially, Robert will never learn what we're about to.

As we experience the scene through Vicente's eyes, we see that Norma actually threw her own high heels off, then her sweater. This is the first indication all may not be as it initially seemed.

The rape actually begins with Norma seemingly consenting to Vicente's sexual advances, or at least, not protesting. Vicente kisses Norma after she laughingly falls in his arms. We also know at this point that Vicente is extremely high (Almodóvar makes a point of having Vicente exclaim he's on drugs earlier).

After lying on the ground near a tree and more kissing, when Vicente enters Norma, she says nothing. They exchange light conversation, with him inside her, and Norma seems OK. There's a cut to a musician singing inside the wedding, and when we return to Vicente and Norma on the ground, she now looks terrified. Something has changed and she's clearly not enjoying what's happening, but Vicente isn't even looking at her face and is unaware anything's wrong.

At this point, Norma clearly says, "No," and starts screaming. Vicente puts his hand over Norma's mouth and she bites his hand. He slaps her so hard he renders her unconscious. Vicente pulls out, puts her bra and dress back on, and runs away.

I've noticed that reviews online sometimes characterize Vicente's assault as something other than rape, underscoring the seeming lack of societal consensus around these issues, despite how far we've come in openly discussing sexual assault. But the fact is, a consensual scenario can become a non-consensual one. When Norma clearly says "no" and tries to push Vicente off her, and he doesn't stop, the sex becomes rape. One could even argue that because Vicente never gets Norma's verbal consent to have sex, the entire encounter is suspect, or that Norma isn't even able to give her consent, given the state of her mental health (it's also not clear how old she is). Regardless, when Norma says no, Vicente should stop immediately. But rather than do that, he tries to silence her out of fear of being caught, then hits her. He's guilty of rape and assault.

However, the point of seeing the scene first from Robert's and then Vicente's perspectives seems to be that Robert is missing crucial context. Yes, his daughter was raped, but is Vicente truly a complete monster? Vicente, high and likely drunk, didn't seem to register signs that Norma might not be mentally well. And when she said no and bit his hand, he panicked. He's definitely a rapist, but his actions feel more understandable than those of Zeca's, for example, a violent criminal who is so unhinged he was willing to harm his own mother to get what he wanted. Vicente did something wrong, but does he deserve the punishment that gets meted out to him? (And could anyone ever deserve what ultimately gets done to Vicente?)

When Vera is raped by Zeca, the audience feels sympathy for her. When we see Vicente rape Norma, we don't yet know Vicente IS Vera. Once we learn the rape victim (Vera) is the rapist himself (Vicente), there's enough sympathy for Vera, and enough nuance around what Vicente did, that I don't think anyone would argue she/he deserved to be raped in turn. These are the issues the film raises in a rapid-fire, nuanced way - packaged in a suspense-horror thriller with a good dose of melodrama - that's absolutely fascinating to experience.

On the subject of Robert: he never learns what happened to Norma from Vicente's perspective, so he never gets the context we as the audience have. We also don't know what, if anything, Norma was able to articulate to anyone about what happened to her. Robert's lack of knowledge is clear: when Robert confronts Vicente about raping his daughter, revealing himself to be her father, Vicente says he doesn't actually remember what happened because he was on drugs. So we know Robert doesn't know the full story.

To me, this allows Robert to remain morally ambiguous. From his perspective, his daughter was violently raped and then killed herself. While he could interrogate what he actually knows further, based on the actual evidence he has (which is slim, assuming Norma wasn't able to say much), do we blame him for not doing so? For a father, would knowing that Vicente didn't plan to rape Norma, or that Vicente didn't realize she was mentally unwell, change anything? Would knowing that Norma initially seemed open to Vicente's advances make any difference?

Either way, since Robert doesn't know any of this, and Vicente tragically doesn't either (or decides to lie rather than defend himself), Robert doesn't have all the information at hand. He sadistically tortures Vicente for raping his daughter, and Vicente has to live with the consequences of a rape he might not entirely remember. Neither is a good person, but both are sympathetic at times, though Robert's actions are obviously so extreme that the audience's sympathy tips toward Vicente/Vera.

When Robert sees Vicente/Vera get raped, his sympathy for her is seemingly triggered, and the rape leads him not only to kill Zeca, but to let his guard down completely and succumb to his sexual desire for Vera.

All of this began with Robert's reaction to one rape (Norma's) and his fate is sealed by his reaction to the second rape (Vera's). How does Robert see himself? An avenger of wronged women? A genius? Robert doesn't seem to doubt that Vera could love and desire him ... should we chalk that up to male hubris or has he fully succumbed to madness? Is Vera's rape in some twisted way the final vengeance for Norma's, and therefore Robert can finally let go of his hatred toward Vicente/Vera once he sees her assault and fall for her?

Did I still feel kind of sad for Robert when he dies in the end? Yes. Did I very much want Vera to escape? Yes. And that's the brilliance of this film, not to mention Antonio Banderas's incredible performance. Nothing is at it seems, the main characters' are morally ambiguous, and their actions - no matter how dark and reprehensible - have context. It's a great movie.

[sylphid187]

Coming Home, Taking Flight ‐ Chapter 1: Touchdown, Japan

A look into Hinata's return to Japan, his interactions with his friends, and how he makes it into the MSBY Black Jackals.

Reposting Chap 1 in text format.

His plane lands on an early morning, the sun just about to rise, as if it's rays were greeting him and welcoming him back.

Hinata Shouyou steps into Sendai Airport with a big smile and a feeling of euphoria. After two years navigating through the sands of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Shouyou was finally home. Two grueling years of trying his best to master the sands, to stand on his own two feet, for the chance to compete with the monsters that were waiting for him here. He was finally confident enough to say that he knew how to stand on his own on the court. He no longer needed to be branded as anyone's accessory, and he's finally found a way to fight his own battles.

He was ready to show the world that Ninja Shouyou was finally home where he belongs, and the first thing he has to do to make that happen...is to head to baggage claim.

Hinata navigates the airport with ease, as he successfully locates his things, and makes sure to double check that nothing is missing. He didn't want a repeat of when his money got stolen in Rio, so he takes ample time to check that he has everything, before making his way to the arrivals bay.

It feels odd to Shouyou. The sensation of finally being home, but also the feeling of starting something new once again. Here he is back in familiar territory, and after two years of making a name for himself on the beach, he is once again a complete stranger to those in the world of professional indoor volleyball. But that's okay. Shouyou's used to not being in the spotlight, being the decoy, the odd one out. He'd just have to find a way to make sure he makes an impression on the court.

He's just exited through the arrivals gate, baggage in tow, and about to grab his phone from his pocket to send a message to his mom regarding his arrival. Suddenly, another body barrels into him and envelopes him into a big, tight hug.

"Nii-chan! Welcome Home!" Shouyou doesn't even need to look to know who it is, and he immediately hugs back. For two years he's missed this. Two years of missing his little sister's birthday, her entrance to Niiyama Girl's High School, her volleyball tryouts and her overall presence. It feels like ages since Hinata has seen Natsu, feeling as if he's already missed so much in the short two years he's been gone. The thought of missing all of her newest milestones, and of not being able to see her whenever he came home at the end of the day, just makes Shouyou tighten his hold on her.

"Natsu. I missed you." He tells her, while eagerly lifting her up with ease. She's gotten much taller, her smile still bright and her eyes still sparkling like they used to.

"I missed you too Nii-chan." Natsu pushes away a bit, still being held up by her brother, and smiles wide. "Nii-chan you got a tan!"

Shouyou grins and lets out a laugh. "And you got taller! Unfair! You're probably going to end up taller than me!" He puts her back down, waits for her feet to properly touch the floor, and ruffles her hair with his other hand, full of affection. He notes in relief that Natsu still loved the attention from her big brother. He won't mention it out loud, but he's happy that, at least, hasn't changed.

He breaks their little moment together, when he notices that Natsu is alone. "Wait, I thought mom said she couldn't come to pick me up today? Because of work?" he asks her confused, he was already ready to book a taxi to make his way home. Shouyou didn't want to burden his family knowing that his flight would arrive extremely early.

"She couldn't." Natsu says with the grin never leaving her face. "Someone else is here to pick you up Nii-chan, I just got mom's permission to tag along."

As if on cue, not one, but multiple footsteps could be heard rushing towards them. "Hinata!!" Shouyou looks up and can't help his smile from widening even more.

"Yamaguchi! Yachi! Saltyshima!" He hears Natsu laugh at this.

"Seriously? I show up here for you and that's the first thing you say to me? I should have stayed home. Tsk." Tsukishima crosses his arms but a smirk is definitely etched on his face.

"Aw don't say that Tsukki!" Shouyou grins back. How he's missed this, bantering with Tsukishima.

"Don't call me that."

"Saltyshima it is then!"

The other two Karasuno alumni then immediately rush in between the them to give Hinata each big hugs. Yachi hugs him first, complete with the tears of joy in her eyes as she revels in seeing her friend again after two years. Yamaguchi hugs him next, laughing and joking at his height and new tanned look. "I can't believe how tall you've gotten Hinata! You're not so small anymore!"

"Yama-yama! I missed you! I hope you kept Slatyshima in line while I was away." Shouyou sees Tsukishima's eyebrows raise, and he just grins. Yachi and Natsu are chatting in the sidelines, while noting how Shouyou has changed so much in two years.

"Where do you even get these nicknames." Tsukishima sighs.

"Don't worry Saltyshima! I made sure to buy a special souvenir just for you." Shouyou grins.

"Oh god." Tsukishima sighs.

He hears Yamaguchi laugh again at their playful exchange, before they each begin to help him carry some of his belongings. "Now come on you two, I know you missed each other" Yachi starts "but we have to get going now, we have to drive the Hinatas' back home!"

"Awww you guys are driving me?" Shouyou exclaims, and then his smile softens. "You guys didn't have to. I didn't want anyone to go through the trouble, really."

"We wanted to." Yachi assures him softly. "Did you really think we would let you travel all the way back home by yourself?"

"Well..."

"Besides, we had to fight Kenma-san for this chance so..." she says with a grin.

"Wait what?" Shouyou asks, confused. He looks over at Natsu to ask for answers, but she shakes her head and replies. "Don't worry about it too much Nii-chan. They were able to reach a pretty good compromise."

"Compromise for what?" he asks again, but no one seems to want to answer him.

"Don't worry about it." Yachi tells him again with a wink. "That's something for you to look forward to."

Yamaguchi grins and chooses now to butt in. "Think about it this way, Tsukki loves you enough to drive for you, Hinata."

Shouyou looks over to the side and he's pretty sure he sees Tsukishima twitch. "Awwwwww Saltyshima!! I knew you loved me!" Yachi and Natsu giggle in the background as Tsukishima lets out a huff.

"First off, Yamaguchi shut up." a small, practiced 'sorry Tsukki' could be heard in the background. "Second, I only agreed to do this because everyone else was worried you'd get lost somewhere if we left you to find your way home on your own."

"Alright Tsukki, whatever you say. Whatever gets you to sleep better at night." Shouyou grins. 

"Let's just go before I leave you here, you shrimp."

Yachi laughs as she pats Tsukishima on the back, and tells him in a singsong voice. "He's not a shrimp anymore."

Soon enough, they eventually get to moving and continue to walk and talk. Once they make it to the car, with Tsukishima driving, Yamaguchi in the passengers seat and the two females and himself at the back, Shouyou can't help but look around the scenery outside. It's finally hitting him that he's back in Japan for real.

Japan's scenery passes by them in a blur as they drive past, and Shouyou begins to ask his sister about how she's been in school. Natsu is ecstatic to tell her brother all about her volleyball games in Niiyama. "You should have seen me Nii-chan! We're going to make our way to Nationals just like you guys did!"

"We should play together some time Natsu! I can toss for you!" He exclaims in excitement. The idea of playing the sport he loved with the sister he loved made Shouyou extremely happy. Getting to share his love of the sport with Natsu was something he was very much looking forward to. 

"I can't wait to see that. Think you can toss better than the king now?" And even when he's driving, Tsukishima could still look smug through the rearview mirror.

Shouyou laughs. "I don't think so, but I've been getting some practice in, these past two years. That, and the Grand King taught me." The thrill of playing with Oikawa-san in the beaches of Brazil will never truly wear off. And Shouyou will happily boast about that fact that Argentina's very own Oikawa Tooru had been one of the people who'd taught him the basics of setting. That, and Oikawa-san's image of his face hitting the sands mid-dive, will also be forever imbedded in Shouyou's memory. 

The conversation eventually drifts away from volleyball and Shouyou begins to ask his friends how other members of their old Karasuno team have been. He briefly wonders if he'd have the time to properly visit everyone during his short stay in Miyagi before his tryouts, but knows this might be best postponed at a latter time, when he is better settled in. The last thing he would want is to rush a reunion just because he had no time available at the moment.  

"Suga-senpai is a teacher now, and Daichi-san works for the Miyagi Police Force. They're living together now, I think?." starts Yamaguchi. It's no surprise to all of them that their captain and vice-captain eventually ended up together. Even during high school, the two were already considered as the pseudo parents of the team. 

Yachi then claps her hands together before continuing "Asahi-san's new line is supposed to be out soon too! And Nishinoya-san is still travelling I think. I've seen most of his photos on social media!"

"Am I the only one surprised about Tanaka-san and Kiyoko-san?" Tsukishima states. "Is no one going to mention that?"

Shouyou can't help but laugh at that "Now you're just being mean."

"So are you telling me that it didn't surprise you when you found out?" Tsukishima looks at him from the mirror and raises an eyebrow.

"Well...." It's true that the mentioned couple was definitely one of the most surprising, but Shouyou likes to think that Kiyoko-san would definitely balance out Tanaka-senpai pretty well. 

"It definitely surprised me! Can't believe he actually did it." says Yamaguchi with a grin. 

"I can't believe she said yes."

"Tsukki!"

"Again, weren't you guys just as surprised?"

"Oh yeah, definitely." agrees Yachi with a small laugh of her own.

"I rest my case."

The drive home continues as they laugh and reminisce, and soon enough Shouyou feels himself drifting off. The tiredness suddenly overcoming him as he slowly begins to fall into slumber, and let out a yawn. He faintly hears teasing coming from Tsukishima, while Yachi and Yamaguchi are telling the latter to let him get his rest. As he continues to lose consciousness and let sleep overtake him, he feels a head rest on his shoulder and forces his eyes open for a few more minutes, only to see Natsu looking up at him.

"Welcome home Nii-chan." she tells him softly.

"Glad to be home Natsu. I missed you tons." He tells her, as he slowly reaches up, with his other arm, and pats her head. "I'm proud of you, and I hope you're ready to have me back. Because I have two years worth of memories to make up for."

Natsu smiles wide. "Of course Nii-chan. I missed you tons too. Things weren't the same without you." she leans into his side a little more before speaking again. "I can't wait to watch you play in the league." she tells him softly. Seems like Natsu was also starting to drift to sleep. Shouyou is unsure if any of the others are still talking at this point, but he figures they're probably also giving the siblings some time to catch up on their own, even if it was just for a little while. 

Shouyou chuckles. "I have to show up to tryouts and make it into a team first Natsu."

"You will. You'll make it, I know you will." Natsu says with certainty.

"If I do, you'll be the first to know, I promise." He tells her. His eyes are beginning to close now. It's feels like it's been ages since he's had a moment like this with Natsu. Shouyou wants to revel in it, just a little longer.

"You mean WHEN you do."  Natsu tells him again, firmly. "Believe in yourself more Nii-chan. You're Hinata Shouyou, and people are about to see just what you're made of."

Shouyou already knows the team he wants to be in, knows the capabilities of the players in the Black Jackal's roster, and knows the names and faces to some of those greats. Shouyou knows within himself that he is good enough, he just has to find a way to get others to see how high he can fly.

He smiles as he lets Natsu's words of encouragement and comfort wash over him. How lucky he is, Shouyou thinks, to have the best people surrounding him in this life. Natsu is right. He's trained hard to compete with the monsters of today, the last thing he has room for is self-doubt.

As Shouyou fully lets his thoughts drift, and his body give in to the lull of sleep, he feels his sister already drifting beside him with her head still on his shoulders. In the background, he thinks he hears what sounds like a camera clicking, and is sure that either Yachi or Yamaguchi has taken a photo of himself and Natsu while drifting. 'I should ask to see that photo later'

This warmth and comfort he surrounds himself with, and the excitement of the days to come are Shouyou's continuous reminders that:

It really was great, to be back home.

[robbyrobinson]

OTHERSIDE PICNIC REVIEW

Otherside Picnic, based on a light novel series, it is about a college student named Sorawo Kamikoshi, someone who loves to frequent abandoned buildings and Japanese urban legends, discovers a door to a place known as the Otherside where urban legends and creepypasta become real. While there, she is saved from nearly dying by a Canadian-Japanese girl, Toriko. She explains to her that she was trying to find her friend Satsuki who disappeared during one of her expeditions months ago. While in the Otherside, they also collect artifacts to then sell them to a researcher of the other world named Kozakura.

The show is not the best, but it has its moments. For one, I feel that the Otherside is not fully realized. They do provide exposition of what the Otherside is, but the way that the anime presents in, we are already launched skin deep into the story without fully explaining how these characters discovered the Otherside, nor how the dimension works as there are many ways that someone could accidentally wind up in the Otherside.

While the Otherside is a very interesting concept, it felt more like a backdrop to establish the setting of the series. Because of this, there isn't much investment that one can take in the story due to it barely scratching below the surface of the inner mechanisms of the world.

Animation. It is serviceable, that I can guarantee, and some shots of the Otherside do look adequate. When it comes to representing the monsters, however, a lot of the action/intense scenes are blatantly CGI-animated that it takes you out of the scene if you think too much about it. With having an intriguing plot such as going to another world, it doesn't live up to its full potential and is barely creative with how the world functions.

But with an uninteresting story, are the characters at least good? Sorawo and Toriko are the lead characters and they do have great chemistry with each other I won't deny that. Sorawo is someone who starts off introverted and would rather be by her lonesome. This does make her hard to like at first because she really isn't much of a "hero" at the beginning. She was someone who could come across as cowardly and would have to be pushed by Toriko to save people. This came as the result of past trauma that is reflected on, but whether the show does a good job at depicting her PTSD is another question. She does get better towards the end of the series, however.

Toriko was a little more interesting. She was trained by her JTF2 mother in arms and is motivated by her goal of finding her "friend." She tends to be more optimistic and energetic which does serve as a good contrast to Sorawo. There are also some inclinations that she is drifting away from her in favor of Sorawo.

Kozakura is a good supporting character. As mentioned, she collects strange artifacts from the Otherside and mainly does indoor research due to her fear of going out in the field. She is a cute character and is often deadpan in her behavior

There were two others introduced in the middle of the show's run, childhood friends Natsumi and Akari. Akari was taught karate and is involved in two supernatural cases; Natsumi works with cars and other vehicles and is obvious that she is crushing hard on her friend. But they are...kind of there. They don't really contribute much to the overall story and are slightly bland. I had to look up their names again because of how forgettable they were.

The show has that kind of effect on me: aside from interesting character traits and flaws, at the end of the day, are they characters that I would remember long after the show is over?

It isn't a must-see masterpiece, but I do like it for its concept.

Overall score: 5.2/10

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

I'm sorry but, "I want a cat but I don't want to have to let it outside or take it for walks or exercise it very much (so what the fuck are you doing with it then?), and also I want it to be okay with being left alone for longer periods of time (how long? Will there be other cats with it? Or are you just going on holiday for a few days and assuming it will be fine so long as you leave food out because 'cats don'y have feelings') and also never bark (more acceptable, but still watch what breed you get— some can be very vocal when they want something)".

Cats need exercise and enrichment, just like any other animal. If you can't let them outdoors— and I fully accept that that's not possible for a lot of people— then you need to provide a catio, take them for walks on a harness, or at the very least ensure that they've got a large indoor area to run around in and lots of toys to play with.

(And if you live in a tiny flat with no garden, then you might have to just accept that a cat is not the pet for you. You wouldn't get a dog if you only had a pocket handkerchief lawn and nowhere nearby to walk it, would you? So why would you get a cat— which is about the size of a small dog— if you didn't have enough room for it to run around?)

And while it's true that cats are better left alone than dogs are— because dogs are needy (literal) bitches and sons of bitches— they do still need looking after. Overnight? You're fine. Over the weekend? You're pushing it and it shouldn't be a regular thing, but if it's once in a blue moon and only in situations where you genuinely can't find anyone to look after them then, yeah, most cats will be okay. Anything more than a couple of days, however, and you need to get a catsitter.

Also, with younger, more energetic cats, it's worth getting them in pairs if you know you're not going to be there to hang out with them all day, so that they can have a similarly aged friend to play with while you're at work or wherever.

The 'never bark' thing is the only reasonable thing in this, and even then it's worth considering that, while your cat probably won't wake up the neighbours, they don't have a regular day/night sleep schedule like we do, which means that they are going to be awake for a lot of the time you're asleep.

Depending on breed and individual, cats can make anything from a deep yowling noise that sounds like somebody has taken a very old woman, who has smoked a pack a day for the past sixty years, and is now slowly and inefficiently strangling her in your living room— to a piercingly high meow that will feel like somebody is stabbing knives into your skull when you hear it from your bed at 3am and know that you now have to choose between having it continue for the next however many hours, or getting up and going downstairs to open a door.

Other things cats can and often will do include:

Peeing and pooing all over your house, particularly if they are a) a highly neurotic and/or very stupid breed, b) a kitten who has yet to be housetrained, or c) an elderly cat who might not always be able to make it to the litter tray in time.

Filling your house with dead animals. (Indoor cat owners are not entirely safe from this. Our cat Marmie caught his first mouse in our kitchen, weeks before we let him outside for the first time.)

Scratching all the furniture. Unless you get them declawed, but then that is a complicated operation that involves amputating the whole front part of your cat's toes, and also at least part of your immortal soul, you fucking monster.

Knocking things over.

Sleeping on piles of laundry, which is fucking adorable but also means that your clothes all now have cat hair on them.

Trying to eat any food that is left out, even if it isn't good for cats, and then acting all pissed off when you, the mean human, step in to stop them consuming what is in some cases literal cat poison.

Draping themselves across the floor directly in front of your feet, and then acting like you're a monster when you accidentally step on their tails.

Practically maiming you whenever you try to take them to the vet or give them pills, because they can't tell the difference between 'potentially life saving medical treatment' and 'attempted murder'.

Occasionally just scratching and biting you for fun, because they also can't tell the difference between 'playing with other cats, and their thick layers of fur' and 'playing with humans, who have naught but their soft, tearable skin to protect them'.

Nibbling on books, walking across keyboards and sitting in front of the telly, because anything that takes away the humans' attention for even a moment is automatically competition and "honestly, wouldn't we all be happier if everyone was looking at me instead?"

Look, I love cats, I really do, but they are hard work. Destroy the idea that cats are just low-maintenance dogs.

Someone: “I want a cat/rabbit/other animal that will be super openly affectionate, go for walks, play fetch, not mind being handled rough, never be shy, and also I don’t want it to claw me or the furniture(so I’ll probably get it declawed) and I don’t want to ever clean a litter box or cage.”

Me: “Hey there’s this great new type of animal you might be interested in:”

Someone: “I want a dog but I don’t ever want to take it for walks or exercise it very much or let it outside and I want it to be fine with being left alone for longer periods of time and also never bark.”

Me:

Someone: “I want a cat or dog but I want to only feed it a vegan diet.”

Me:

Someone: “I want to have a pet but I basically never want to interact with it.”

Me:

Someone: “I want to get my kid a cute pet for Easter/Christmas!”

Me:

Get a pet that fits your needs. Don’t get a pet then try to force it to fit your lifestyle. Just because you saw a person walking a rabbit once doesn’t mean you can expect a rabbit to just be a dog. Just get a dog!

[blyanten]

Catching up on the MCU!

:readmore:

Black Widow:

I think I'd be more into this movie if Natasha wasn't super fucking dead.

Yelena is great.

The family thing stretches suspension of disbelief, but since none of them had anything even close to stability after that, I'll buy it.

Quit torturing the pigs!

After Red Guardian being a joke I expected the fight with Taskmaster to be either a joke or a damn, he can fight moment, and it was turned out to be a more realistic, even fight. That's cool.

There's an potential army of maybe superpowered, definitely top trained BWs out there. Sure, they probably want different lives, but judging by the end of the movie they won't be against a team up. That's very cool.

Natasha could have leveraged all this into a pardon (and maybe did, since she apparently met up with Ross?) and still she immediately goes "prison break time, baby".

Rewatch: Maybe for Yelena.

Shang-Chi:

The rings go back and forth between looking cool and looking really dumb.

Me: "The monsters sounds Cthulu-ish."

Also me: *no reaction to the name Dweller-in-Darkness.*

Katy's cool, and having her be useful by practicing the bow and arrow, and then hitting a giant target that's standing still is a good way of making her useful, without making it too much.

I think Trevor survives because people let him talk and then realize he's basically living in a different reality and can't be blamed for his actions.

Morris is adorable.

Wish there'd been more of the forest, that was a great bit of horror.

Really like how Shang is just rolling with the plot. Man is delightfully chill about it, all things considered.

Also like how it, despite the world-ending threat, feels more like a very dramatic, fighty family drama. Dad was a great tragic, villain. Not to mention must have been very good with horses.

So sis is not shutting down anything, huh.

Wong is always cool.

Rewatch: Definitely.

Eternals:

Too long. Can we put a two-hour limit on these.

Constantly mind-wiping people, making them fight to protect people and then expecting them to step aside and let everyone die. Yeah, that was going to end badly at some point.

That said, "Humanity is special" got taken a bit too far, I think. After millions of years, this is where you get cold feet? Not entirely buying it.

How many people were the deviants eating anyway, if they were slowing down the emergence?

Normal boyfriend (Dane?) was surprisingly likeable.

Bollywood guy is kinda funny. I don't like him, but I'd keep him around.

Nooo, Gilgamesh! Too likeable to live. Thena is somehow supercool and forgettable at the same time.

Ikarus or whatever had obviously evil written aaall over him, and the indoor eyebeam scene was still a good way to show how little he cares about people. Shame he's also boring. Why is it always the powerful one that decides to go full asshole? To have a big fight, I know, I know. And then the fucker just flies into the sun.

Tinkerbell girl is the worst, though the rock to the head was hilarious. Quit whining and learn to style yourself as an adult. Half your problems solved, right there.

Absolutely love the deviant design. A bit rubbery-looking, but the vaguely skinned look with tentacles is working for me.

Sersi is not... a very good leader. Maybe next movie. Her costume just makes me think of a Green Lantern.

Druig is on the ball throughout the entire movie, and he doesn't even know how much. More of that guy.

Makkai is likable, but seems to be mostly around for moving people out of the way. Wouldn't mind seeing more of her though.

Phastos rules. Sure, dickhead broke free, but that trap was way more effective than I thought it would be.

So the dead baby Celestial is just hanging out in the ocean now. Neat. Will in no way be a problem in the future.

Wonder how many people is digging into old family legends these days.

Rewatch: Nah. Stopped caring as soon as the movie was over.

Multiverse of Madness:

I had hoped the "you break rules, you're a hero, I break rules, I'm a villain" would be more than standard villain bullshit, but I'm not sure it would have been as fun as watching Wanda go full villain all over the place. Because it is extremely fun.

I appreciate the speed of plot here. Straight to the point, no holding back the reveal.

Love the visuals.

Lol at Strange casually burying himself.

Love the implication that Strange is kicking Mordo's ass on the regular.

So the Illuminati are clearly supposed to be great heroes, but aside from Xavier they all seem like... well, kinda dickish. Also, lol at Black Bolt's death. That just looked dumb. Reed, this is why we don't tell the bad guy what powers people have, even if you're trying for a peaceful talk-down.

That's a hard no the the 616 stuff.

Fuck yeah, self-possessed zombie Stephen and multiplying rotten hands!

Wong seems to have hit a "this might as well happen" point. No wonder, really. Shame about his... assistant?, she seemed cool, and she did manage to wreck the Darkhold.

Feel like they could have done more with America, but at least she's introduced now, and her crystal star portals look great.

Ever word Wanda says just hammers home how badly she's lost it, especially the "every mom makes her kids by magic" line, but the "I wouldn't hurt anyone" line takes it to a whole new level. Lady, you're half a minute away from throwing the kids through a wall, and you're definitely fucking them up emotionally. True A+ MCU parenting.

Just ending it like that, huh. From dramatic screaming to everything is fine, next adventure.

Rewatch: Don't know. Plot's fine, but a lot of the fun was tied into the spectacle and not knowing what happened next.

Love & Thunder:

I wanted actual adventures with Thor and the GotG, so that was a disappointing start. Well, the actual beginning of the movie was good.

I'm amazed there are asgardians left at this point.

I fucking hate Korg. How dare the movie hopespot me with his death and then not follow through on it.

This Thor is the worst Thor.

The new armor was nice tough. The black one, the other one looked like plastic.

The humour in this movie does not work for me. How is it possible to be even worse than the rest of the MCU when it comes to letting emotional moments stand?

Except for the "half our warriors are always dead" joke, that was hilarious.

Mjolnir in pieces was awesome.

I wish Valkyrie had feelings.

The Shadow realm was really creepy. Gorr appearing during story time was very dad-ish, like a monster version of a dad telling dumb jokes.

The kids fighting was half cool, half ridiculous, but I dig the Princess cutting a monster in two and the one with the rabbit.

Boo, don't be a quitter, Gorr. But lol at Gorr's kid actually being named Love. Go for a namechange, kid, it's a bit much. At least she's with the Asgardians, they've got "everyone I love died" down to an art by now.

Sif dying of actual battlewounds won't get her to Valhalla, but Jane dying of cancer, a disease, does get there. Not very consistent, these rules. Did Thor accidentally wish her there or something.

Unless it's less dying in battle, and more heroic sacrifice they're going for. Not very heroic to lie there and die when you can get up and get help.

Ending was cute. Tiny girl with giant weapon is always cute.

Rewatch: No.