#and so i used the ticket for train 2 to get on Yet Another One (train 3)

[scrumptiouskoalahottub]

🔞Platform Roulette | George Clarke

[Arthur has invited you to join in platform roulette after asking him for months, you've been living in London for around 4 months now and share a flat with George & Arthur so it made sense for you to tag along at some point, although the night doesn't end the way you planned it to end]

You arrive at King's Cross at 8am, you George and Arthur waiting on Arthur tv as usual as you're waiting you open your phone out to take a picture for instagram to show to your followers you go places other than your flat and the gym, you caption the photo with "platform roulette shenanigans 😛" and add it to your story, the boys fans base know you live with them so it was only a matter of time before you popped up in a video. Finally Arthur turns up in a hurry as usual as you film the intro for the first part of the video

"Hey guys and welcome back to another episode of platform roulette, today we're joined by someone else aswell as Arthur tv, she's been yet to make an appearance despite the nagging of her asking, it's y/n" he points towards you as you stand there and wave "hi guys and for the record I haven't nagger I asked once, Arthur just wants people to think everyone wants in on the game" you laugh and nudge him as George and Arthur tv laugh in unison "in that case why don't you pick the platform for todays adventure then any between 1-16" He looks towards you "erm, 4, my lucky number" you smile, he looks to the board to see what you've picked out "looks like we're off to Edinburgh" he turns back to the camera "right let's go get our tickets and a train bev" you all make your way over to the WHSmith to grab a drink, it's a 4hr journey so you decide to opt for 2 bottles of wine. "Jesus you're gonna be drunk before we get there" George laughs at you "unfortunately Mr Clarke I'm not a lightweight like you boys" you shoot him a wink as you pay for your wine, the boys opt for Cans of madri for the trip.

You get seated on the train and realise you've bought wine with no cups, "right guys I don't want no judgment here" everyone looks at you as you say this "but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to neck it out the bottle, I don't have a cup" you look at them as you let out a giggle, Arthur shakes his head as he looks at you "this is why you've never been allowed on before" he laughs as you pop open the bottle of wine. You manage to finish the last drop of your second bottle just as you pull into Edinburgh, the boys said you were going out into the town so you opted for casual wear, flared jeans, a corset top and one of George's flannel shirts you borrowed off him. Arthur starts to film again as he explains the rules and you head to rhetorical first pub, Arthur goes to the toilet so you all decide to sneak a quick "secret shot" in, you George and Arthur tv shot a sambuca as you wait for your drinks order, shortly after you all sit down Arthur reappears "just to let you know, you owe us all £50" you chuckle "how do you work that one out" Arthur looks confused "because we've all just done a secret shot at the bar" Arthur looks at the cameraman in shock as you've literally been at the pub 5 minutes and George and Arthur wouldn't of done this off their own backs "you're never coming again" he laughs as he takes his Guinness.

"Split the G?" You challenge him, although you've never drank Guinness in your life let alone know how to properly split the G. "You're on, but don't cry if you lose" he looks up at you with menace in his eyes "same goes for you" you retort. You both start to sip as you plant the glasses down at the same time, the camera man pans the camera to the glasses and pure shock stretches across his face "no way" he says as he looks at Arthur, George and Arthur tv rise out of their seats to see not only has Arthur missed the split line, you've managed to perfectly split the G on your first attempt.

"She's had your pants down mate good and proper" George laughs as his head jolts back, Arthur looks at you with an open jaw "you're never coming on this again, I'm off home" he buries his head in his hands as George and Arthur cheer you on, you catch George's hand slightly graze your thigh as they do so, was that an accident?

After plodding around the streets of Edinburgh you're all slightly tipsy and head the the last pub the score markers at the end show

[George: 11|Hill: 10| Y/N: 12|Tv: 12]

You sit down at the final pub and you decide to opt for a fishbowl cocktail for you all to share, Hill and tv make their way to the dance floor as you and George hang back for a second, your feet start to ache a little. "Have you enjoyed today?" George asks scooching closer "yeah I have, it's a lot of fun but I doubt he'd want me to do it again after showing him up" you laugh "honestly you being here has made the day better, there's something about you that lights up the room and it's nice to see, it's nice to see you have fun" George smiles at you "thanks George, I appreciate that" you lean in to give him a hug, you both pull away and just start at eachother for a hot second, "you look gorgeous by the way" he says "George you're drunk and you don't mean that" you say as you pull away and take a sip of the cocktail, he says nothing in return as you make your way over to the dance floor to join the boys

"Everything okay?" Tv asks "yeah I'm good, now show me some good dance moves" you giggle as you all dance, you turn to George who's buried in his phone, "George!" You shout, he looks up and ignores you, your eyebrows furrow as you walk over to him "ignoring me are we?" You laugh "I did mean what I said" he retorts "I've felt like this for a while, I just couldn't muster up the courage to tell you" you make your way over to sit with him again, you were left speechless. You wouldn't know how you'd be able to acknowledge George's feelings without it causing a stir in the friendship group "I'm not sure how we'd go about this if it was something serious George" you grab one of his hands and look at him with soft eyes "I like you too, but the friendship sort of made me step back" just then Tv and hill walk over and you slip your hand away from George's "you okay mate?" Hill asks, "yeah he's just feeling it abit now, he's a lightweight" you chuckle trying to hide the conversation you've just had "well out trains nearly due so why don't we head out?" Hill says, you all finish the last drops of the fishbowl and make your way to the station, George stumbling slightly so you interlink your arm with his "I'm definitely not coming again if I'm the one who has to babysit" you look at them all, letting a playful scoff "hey! I don't need babysitting!" George protests as you approach your train.

You sit down and hand everyone a bottle of water you stashed in your bag, "don't say I don't look after you all" you smile as you take a bobble out of your bag and tie your hair up, hill walks to the bathroom as tv is fast asleep, George plants his hand on your thigh sending shivers up your back, you turn to him, "if you're not too tired we can sort this out at home" you look at him with fire in your eyes, his eyes widen at your words "really?" He says "mmhm" you nod as Hill returns to his seat

You arrive back into King's Cross as you wake TV up from his sleep, you all stumble off the train and Hill opts to get tv back to his flat as you offer to take George back to his, awaiting Arthur's return. You get into the Uber and make your way to the flat, you exchange no words throughout the journey. The silence kills you as you open the door to the flat and toss your keys on the counter, "so where were we-" you turn as your words are interrupted by George smashing a kiss onto your lips, your move with his motions as sparks fly between you, you both manoeuvre your way to George's bedroom, still locked in by the passionate kiss. You decide to take control and spin him around, pushing him onto his bed, you look at him with menace as you unbutton your jeans leaving no time for conversation, you straddle him, planting your ass on the outline of his shaft, you flick your hair to the side as you slip your corset top off leaving nothing but a thong on your body, George places his hands on either side of your hips "fuck you're so gorgeous" his breath hitches as he says this, seeing you in a new light. You lean down to his level and relock your lips in a fiery kiss, tension rising between you both

You slowly slip your fingers into the seam of his joggers still straddling him, looking at him for permission to remove them, you lift yourself up onto your knees as George slides his joggers and boxers down, revealing his hard shaft beneath you, conscious of time you slowly tease George by grinding yourself on top of him before sliding him inside yourself, you let out a small gasp as you adjust to his length, letting out a slight whimper "fuck you're so big" you exclaim as you begin to ride him, you dig your nails into his chest as he grips your hips, assisting you "you're so tight" he looks at you with desire as he bites his lip

George decides to take action as he flips you onto your back, asserting his dominance. He teases your entrance, repaying the suspension you caused for him before slipping his tip inside you, your breath hitches as you cup one of your tits, "how bad do you want me?" He exclaims sending a slight smirk across his face "I want you to do everything possible to me George" his expression lights up at the thought of no boundaries, he locks his hand around your neck as he places a thumb on your pussy making figure 8 motions, your head jolts back in pleasure "fuck" you let out, George then starts thrusting into you, still playing with you sending your body into overdrive, his grip becomes more tightening round your neck, leaving small air to make its way in, your eyes start to water from the pain.

You feel yourself becoming close but didn't want it to end just yet "bend me over your desk George" you look up at him with doe eyes, you smirk at him "holy fuck you're insane" he pants as you walk over to his desk he uses for filming, you lay yourself on the corner of it as you signal for George to include the ponytail you recently tied up "fuck me with my hair wrapped around your hand" making george lost for words, he wraps your pony around his hand and grips it hard, you dig your nails into the desk as he takes a hold on your ass, he slowly teases you once again before thrusting into you one last time, your mind goes into over drive at all the feelings you're experiencing, you feel your legs turn into jelly as you're close to climax "fuck George I'm so close" you scream out, he picks up the pace as his grip on your hair slips, taking both hands on the top of your ass to gain control, you whimper as your legs fall from underneath you and you reach your limit "oh fuck George" you climax as George still continues to thrust into you, nearly reaching his limit "oh fuck y/n" he mutters as he climaxes also, both out of breath you emerge from his desk all sweaty

"Fuck that was amazing" George says out of breath, "yeah you could say that" you laugh as you quickly collect your clothes and run to your room to get changed into something quick before Arthur comes back George does the same, you wander back into George's room and plant a kiss on his lips.

"Maybe we could develop on this?" You say with a smile

"I definitely want to" he says rubbing your check

Just then the door handle clicks and Arthur's home.

-

🫶🏻

[awarmcupofmilk]

Satosugu x Reader "The Most Twisted Curse of All"

summary: the three of you were undoubtedly entertwined from the moment you met. your bond was holy. until everything fell apart. what is love when it can’t save any of you?

content warnings: sad, language, major character death, violence (fight scenes), angst, substance use (smoking/drinking), spoilers/deviations from hidden inventory/cursed child/Shibuya arc

word count: 1.7k

note: hidden inventory arc! everything will be in chronological order now I think, no more time skips :)

pt 1 pt 2 pt 3

© 2024 awarmcupofmilk

please don’t repost, edit, translate, use, or copy my works on any platforms (if you’d really like to please reach out – reblogs are welcome)

There were few things that eased the perpetual guilt within you, and Jujutsu High was no exception to that rarity. Still, daily training, meals, and days off with Satoru, Suguru, and Shoko made you almost forget what you owed. Almost. 

✧✧✧

The four of you had gotten quite comfortable with one another. You hadn’t felt the need to use your technique to monitor their emotions for months. Sitting on a park bench, you leaned over Satoru’s shoulder as he opened the convenience store bag full of popsicles. Shoko reached for one first, then Suguru, taking the flavor you had wanted. Satoru, eyes flicking over to you so quickly you didn’t even notice, snatched it from Suguru. Irritated, Suguru glares at Satoru. He just sticks his tongue out. Satoru unwrapped the popsicle triumphantly, humming a little, as Suguru shook his head to pick another. You watched Satoru as he beckoned you to take the popsicle, but as you gripped the stick, he smirked and bit off a huge piece. His eyes were just dripping with amusement at the tease. You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t hide the blush creeping on your cheeks.

“Quit flirting,” Shoko joked, chewing on her popsicle. 

Satoru only laughed, not denying her comment. It only made you more flushed. 

✧✧✧

“Y/N, you’re with me,” Satoru beamed as he slung an arm around you. You noted how easily he touched you. You had preferred to keep physical distance whenever possible, but Satoru’s easygoing contact eased you into it yourself. Still, why were you stuck with him? 

“Suguru, how could you not choose me?” You whined.  “Because he couldn’t beat me in rock paper scissors,” Satoru gloated. “Now get over here and help me win,” he said, pulling you over to the arcade console. 

He definitely didn’t need your help; Satoru was a beast at first person shooters. You watched the tickets sputter out of the machine, overflowing your basket. 

When Satoru went to redeem them, he came back with a bug-eyed rabbit. It was the ugliest stuffed animal you had ever seen. “It looks just like you!” Satoru said, cackling. 

You punched him in the gut. He let you. 

✧✧✧

Fighting curses together was fun, as much as it made you sad. Satoru’s confidence, enjoyment of the fight, wit, it all reminded you of Akemi. Though you never dwelled on it. He was so strong, and you were there beside him, in control of your technique now. The past may never stop haunting you, but it was not the same as the present. 

“Suguru, you take that building,” Satoru led. “Y/N, come with me, there’s a big one here,” he motioned to the building in front of you two. 

Satoru rushes into battle. For good reason, he’s strong. Still, he was irresponsible. He hadn’t even mastered his technique’s reversal yet, nor could he expand a domain. 

✧✧✧

You had no idea what was happening. Satoru’s hand was in your hair, gripping a little too hard, lips on yours, heart thumping so loudly you couldn’t just hear it, you could feel it too. You could smell his shampoo, his detergent, his skin. If you weren’t already tipsy, the scent made you fully intoxicated.

Shoko had snuck in alcohol for the four of you. You were second years now, dabbling in things too mature for your age yet attempting nonchalance. Still, with the beers in your systems, you’d all thought to indulge in a childish game of truth or dare. You had no idea Satoru would be such a lightweight, he didn’t seem like the type. 

“I dared Suguru,” Shoko laughed. Satoru ignored her. 

His lips, pressing against yours, were incredibly soft, slightly wet, creating a sensation that left you lightheaded. You pressed a hand to his chest. He leaned in closer. “I love you,” he told you, deepening the kiss. Love. Love has always left you for dead. Your love was no different than the worst malice, the most ingratiating greed. It kills. You froze, panicking. Before you knew it, you pushed him off. 

His eyes widened, embarrassed, confused, and apologetic all at once. 

“I-, I’m so sorry,” you gasped, tears welling, turning towards Shoko and Suguru, equally shocked at the scene. You gathered yourself and bolted out of Suguru’s dorm room. 

✧✧✧

Suguru followed you out after a few minutes. “Y/N, what happened?”

You turned back, tears now freely streaming down your face out of worry for Satoru and regret for the situation. You didn't mean to, you didn't hate it at all, and most of all, you were selfish to not dwell on his feelings for you, always writing them off. All the blame flooded you. “I’m so stupid,” you said, roughly wiping your face. “It’s…just… I… it’s a lot to explain.”

Suguru didn’t press. He never did. “You want to go get some ice cream to help them sober up?” 

You nodded. 

You made sure to pick up Satoru and Shoko’s favorite flavors, wondering what to say to Satoru when you got back. 

On the way, Suguru handed you a popsicle. Your favorite flavor. You hadn’t even thought to get one for yourself. 

✧✧✧

You weren’t sure if Satoru remembered what happened. He had already passed out when you and Suguru had gotten back, having cried himself to sleep. The next morning, he seemed perfectly fine. Still, he hasn’t made another move since, and the teasing toned down. Still, he was so his usual chipper self you weren’t sure if you were imagining it. Things had been jolted out of balance that night, but everything fell back into equilibrium so quickly you were left wondering if you were the only one tipped over after all.

✧✧✧ 

“Survival of the weakest,” Suguru began. “That’s how a society should be.”

You and Shoko listened, sitting on the benches as Satoru and Suguru debated. They passed the basketball like a mic. 

“Listen, Satoru, jujutsu exists to protect non-jujutsu sorcerers,” Suguru said as he attempted a basket. 

“Is that your moral argument?” Satoru smirked. “I hate moral arguments.”

The air in the room tensed. 

“Assigning reasons and responsibility to strength is what those who are weak do,” Satoru continued, throwing the ball. As soon as it leaves his hand you know it will be a goal. 

“Quit making yourself feel better by spouting bullshit,” Satoru leered, mocking a gag. 

“Hah?” Suguru began. 

“Strength is a curse,” you said, stepping onto the court. Suguru, who was just about to pick a fight, stepped back to listen to you. Shoko left the gym, muttering something about a smoke break. “It isolates you,” you said. “It’s dangerous.”

You grabbed the ball from Satoru, dribbling it slightly. “We save others with our strength so it becomes a blessing,”

Satoru rolled his eyes. “Quit ganging up on me,” he said. “Didn’t cha hear what I just said? Strength isn’t something that needs to be justified, it just exists.”

“Not in a vacuum,” you countered. 

Satoru and you glared at one another.  Suddenly, his gaze shifts. “You seem to feel awfully strong about this, Y/N,”

Taken aback, your eyes widen. You open your mouth, but before you can respond, Yaga walks in, eyeing the atmosphere suspiciously. 

“Suguru, Satoru, come with me.”

✧✧✧

Before leaving for Tengen’s merger, Satoru stopped by your room. “Hey,” he said, knocking. “You alright? The conversation got a little heated earlier.”

“Do you really believe that?” You said, not moving from your bed.  

Satoru furrows his brows, head tilting in confusion. 

“Do you really think there’s no reason for strength?”

“I don’t like being assigned the responsibility,” Satoru said, staring at you matter-of-factly. 

“But you take it on regardless,” you respond, more a statement to yourself than anything else.

Satoru shrugged. 

“You’re kind,” you said, eyes softening. 

And just like that, something in his eyes melted, and you knew he hadn’t forgotten anything about that night, and that it had hurt him, and that as intense as that declaration of love was, he meant it. 

“Satoru,” you breathe, walking up to him. His eyes widen, he stops breathing. 

You lift a hand gingerly to stroke his cheek. But before you can speak, Suguru walks down the hall, oblivious. “Satoru,” he calls. “We gotta go,”

He presses his lips to the palm of your hand quickly, eyes so intense they seem defiant, challenging you to pull away. You don’t. The two of you hold each other’s gaze for a moment. Reluctantly, he turns away. 

✧✧✧

You had mentioned sending the three of you together was overkill. You wished you didn’t have such a fat mouth. 

“Tengen wanted all three of you, but we unfortunately need you and Shoko on a rescue mission,” Yaga explained for you to relay to Shoko. “There have been a series of disappearances, and we just lost contact with a grade 1 sorcerer. Sources say Sukuna’s finger is involved.” You had been caught up earlier on the King of Curses. The spirits his finger would attract wouldn’t be easy to handle, but the sorcerer before you likely took care of most of them. Your main job was to find him and any other people caught in the mix before any remaining curses got there. “Of course, if Sukuna’s finger is there, you’ll need to retrieve it,” Yaga said. 

“Satoru and Suguru will be fine on their own,” you said, nodding. “When do we leave?”

✧✧✧

You liked that Shoko was so indifferent. It wasn’t that she felt nothing, but she understood the reality of things. It grounded her. 

“What’s your take on it all?” You said as the two of you walked. “The strong versus weak thing,”

Shoko smiled slightly; gaze downcast. “I don’t see it any one way,” she said, pulling out a cigarette. “I think you’d have to be pretty crazy to stand alone though,” 

You smiled too. “Off the walls,” you agreed. 

Shoko offered you a cigarette. You took it. 

✧✧✧

The mission wasn’t easy, but it went smoothly enough. Sukuna’s finger had been absorbed by a curse, making the fight difficult. Still, you managed to exorcise it with no major issues. You weren’t able to find one of the missing people, and two others were significantly injured. The sorcerer, too, sustained heavy injuries. You brought them to Shoko as you put up the veil. 

It was in the car of one of the assistant directors that you got the news. The star-plasma vessel died. Satoru and Suguru were both heavily injured. They needed Shoko back immediately. Color drained from you. You took shallow breaths so quickly it soon became hyperventilation. You should’ve been there. Why were you never there to save anyone you loved? 

<- Previous ✧⭐︎☆⭐︎✧  Next ->

✧ Masterlist ✧

[goddess-of-all-creation]

Chapter 2: Crossing paths

(Chapter list / Read on ao3)

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●

He wasn’t a creep, he knew he wasn’t trying to be, he was just too enthusiastic. He kept looking at her, watching her order coffee, not pay and sit to drink it. That girl, she was one of the special ones. After quickly getting his own ticket, he searched for her. He just had this impulse, to be near her, to get to know more about what she could do. He couldn’t help it. He followed and sat right in front of her, startling her in the process.

“That’s an amazing gift you have.”

“Excuse me?” She looked up from her coffee mug and stared at him with a raised eyebrow before taking another sip.

“I saw what you did there, it was quite impressive.”

“I don’t know what you think you saw” She said after choking on the liquid a little, provoking a drop to fall down her chin. She reached her hand to grab a napkin, but the metal napkin holder flew to the man’s hand instead. He took one and offered it to her. Her eyes went wide as she took it. “You… you can do what I do?”

“Oh no, not at all.” The napkin holder flew back to the table. “My abilities are a little bit different. It is nice to meet a fellow mutant, though.”

“Mutant? Is that what you call us?”

“Yes, what would you call us?”

“I don’t know, I never really put a name to it.” She seemed lost in thought for a second, before returning to sit comfortably. “Can I put a name to you?”

He chuckled. Making sure to check if no one was around him to hear, he said his name in almost a whisper. “Erik, Erik Lensherr.”

“I’m Kay, just Kay.”

She extended her gloved hand expecting him to shake it, but he took it and brought it to his lips instead, making her smile at the gest.

“Pleased to meet you. Looks like we’re both heading to Poland”

“Oh, is that so? Looks like I might have a stalker.”

“Pardon miss” He recovered his posture. Making the woman uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted, and it suddenly hit him how blunt he had been. “I didn’t mean to come off that way, I was simply impressed with what you could do, that’s all. But I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you’d prefer.” He started to get up until she stopped him.

“No, I was kidding. I think… I wouldn’t mind having you as a stalker.” She said with a smirk. “Tell me, Erik, would you like an upgrade on your seat?”

The two mutants sat on the most comfortable plane seats Erik had ever been on. He had never cared much for first class before, in all the traveling he had done -and it had been quite a lot. Excessive luxury felt…well, excessive for him. Yet, the taste wasn’t lost to him, and he enjoyed the good things in life. Plus, the comfort made sense being in such good company as Kay was proving to be.

“And what is in Poland for you, if I may...?” He felt compelled to ask.

“Actually, it’s just a first stop. I’m heading to my home country, but I need to make a stop there. What’s in there for you?”

“A new start, you could say.” He was about to ask about her home country, but before he could have the chance to speak she interrupted his train of thought to ask if he liked champagne. Not a second after the words left her mouth a flight attendant was next to him, purple sparks on her eyes, handing him a champagne flute before filling another one for her.

“To new starts.”

“To new starts.” He repeated, raising his hand for the toast. Such a showoff she was. Deep in his mind, he couldn’t not think of Charles. His old friend, who always strived for anonymity. He would have never approved of this sort of thing, let alone do it himself. He very well could, but he wouldn’t. Not in public, not like this. “So, you just use it on people? Whenever you like?” It wasn’t a judgment, he was genuinely intrigued, fascinated even. And she saw it.

“What are they gonna do about it?” she shrugged and finished her glass. And again, all he could do was smile.

As he relaxed in his seat, his drowsiness mixing with the alcohol, he drifted off to sleep. Only several hours later he felt the strange warmth on his arm and opened his eyes to find the dark hair of the girl next to him all over his chest, her head laying on his shoulder. The bed-sized seats were big enough for them to sleep comfortably, and yet she had managed to sprawl on it so much that she ended up using him as a pillow. He tried to feel bothered by it but failed. Soon after, though, she was the one waking up. Blinking and stretching she said “Sorry.” And the warmth she left on him spread.

●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●・○・●

When they arrived at the Warsaw Chopin Airport Erik didn’t feel any different than he did in the United States, or anywhere else for that matter. But to be fair, what had he expected? Peace? A sense of belonging? He knew such things weren’t meant to be for him. Kay was beside him taking in the sights as they went to get the luggage -it was then that he found out she didn’t have any.

“Is it your first time here?” Her looking around had prompted him to ask.

“No, it’s just… not how I remembered. Uhm, so where are you heading from here?”

“I was thinking about getting a hotel room for now, how about you?” She opened her mouth to speak, but something seemed to catch her eye in the distance. She walked to it, completely ignoring him for a moment. A map located on a nearby wall showed the flight connections with the neighboring countries. She placed her hand on it, right in the middle of the border line. “Is there something wrong?” He asked when he reached her.

“Erik, can you tell me what's between Poland and Ukraine?”

“There isn’t anything between…”

“Exactly.” She removed her hand but didn’t turn to look at him, fixated on the wall. “Would you believe me if I told you I was from the future?”

Erik rolled his eyes. “Surprisingly it’s not the first time I hear that.”

“What if I told you I was from another world?.”

[twilightmalachite]

Jun Sazanami Mini Talk - Audition VS GLADIATOR -Fourth piece-

Translator: Mika Enstars

"I had heard that some of my fav characters would be appearing in it, so I had figured my only choice was to get the physical copy!"

Interesting Manga

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Spring

Location: Shopping Mall

Jun: Oh, if it isn't Anzu-san! What a coincidence to see you here~.

I bet for you, you run into other idols all the time. Still, I never figured I'd run into you, Anzu-san~.

You here to shop? Or are you here for something else?

💬 To shop

Jun: Well, that is typically one's reason for coming to a shopping mall, huh~.

By the way, did you see the lottery wheels over at the entrance?

It seems you can get tickets for it depending on how much you spend. Don't forget to pull them out if you're interested in giving them a go~!

💬 I thought to maybe stop for a meal

Jun: I see. Well it's not a cafeteria, but there are a couple places to eat, aren't there~?

Actually… Since you're looking to grab a bite, does that mean you haven't eaten yet?

This is you we're talking about, so I guess that means you've been too busy to eat. You need to at least be sure to eat properly, okay~?

Jun: Me? I'm here for the bookstore.

I had stopped by another bookstore on the way back from work, but they didn't have the volume I wanted. So I ended up coming all the way here looking for it~.

Thankfully, I managed to get my hands on it! I had really wanted the physical copy this time, not the e-book version…

💬 Oh, I see

Jun: I didn't know where it was at first, and ended up wandering around the store, though.

But I got super excited when I found only a couple copies left in the new releases section~!

I can't wait to get to go home and read it…♪

💬 Is there a reason why you wanted the physical version?

Jun: I'd accidentally misread that a newly drawn manga wouldn't get published in the e-book release…

I had heard that some of my fav characters would be appearing in it, so I had figured my only choice was to get the physical copy!

But, I did get a card as a bonus, so I do feel like I got somethin' outta it~! ♪

Jun: Oh right, when I was looking for the new release, I found another manga that looked interesting.

I had never heard of the work before… But something about it really drew it to me, and I ended up just buying it based off the cover.

There was only one volume that was on the store's display for the time being. But if it's interesting, I think I'll buy the next volume too~!

💬 Let me know if it's interesting

Jun: Oh, are you interested?

I dunno what your taste is, but at least based on my preferences, I think it's gonna be interesting.

I'll let you know once I read it. I hope it turns out to be good~! ♪

💬 I wonder if the first volume just came out?

Jun: I wonder. I couldn't find any volume 2 or volume 3 around the first one…

But well, if the first only just came out, that's fine. I'll just consider myself lucky for stumbling upon the work so early on!

Not to sound full of myself, but if it turns out to be a work I can support, I'll be happy~.

[ ☆ ]

More Enthusiastic Than Usual

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Spring

Location: Training Room

Jun: Haah… Hah, phew…

That should be good for today's training… No, maybe I can keep on going…?

The auditions coming up soon, so now's the time to give it my all, isn't it~?

💬 Good work today

Jun: Thanks, good work today too~… Wait, Anzu-san? What're you doing somewhere like this?

Are you here to train? Well, this is the training room, I'd be surprised if it had some other purpose, but…

Ohh, so there's a machine you wanna use, huh? That's good, might as well make use of ES facilities~!

💬 Are you talking to yourself?

Jun: Huh?! Whoa, what the! If it isn't Anzu-san…!

I didn't even notice you were here in the same room as me~! I mean, if you're here, could ya let me know?

Yeah, I was talking to myself. I thought nobody was here, so I was just muttering to myself~.

Jun: Well, as you can see, I'm here to train.

But I just finished up, so I'm just taking a little break.

I had thought to head home, but… Since I was here, I felt to might as well do a little training.

💬 Aren't you tired?

Jun: I'm feeling pleasantly fatigued. When I'm this degree of tired, it feels like I've done well exercising my body.

How much training I've been doing? I first start with three sets at the machines over there, and then I—

…Come on, please don't look so surprised. You're the one who asked, you know~!

💬 But it's already so late

Jun: Haha, couldn't I say the same back to you? Are you sure you don't wanna head back home, Anzu-san?

I see, so you're only planning to be here for thirty minutes, so it shouldn't get too late…

Well, be careful not to get too enthusiastic about strength training! I feel time passes in the blink of an eye when you really get into something!

Jun: How come I'm working so hard on strength training? …Hmm. Well, for one, it's a hobby of mine, but…

But I've been putting more effort into it lately, keeping in mind that there's the audition right around the corner.

I'm sure you know about it, right? The audition organized by THUNDERBOLT, a large overseas company.

💬 I see...

Jun: Well, there's not all too many days until the audition, so even if I start training now, it's not like it'll make all too much a difference, but…

I'd rather go at it than not, you know? This is my own way of preparing for it too, getting hyped for it and all.

Since I'm gonna participate, I gotta do what I can to give it everything I've got so there's no regrets~!

💬 So you'll be participating, huh?

Jun: Huh, I figured someone like you would've already known that~.

Or, wait, is it because since THUNDERBOLT's hosting it, it's no wonder you're not privy to those details, Anzu-san…?

Though, you're a freelancer now, so… Ugh, the harder I think about, the more complicated I realize it to be, huh~?

[ ☆ ]

[pupika-samika]

Hyrule Vs. Trains

Hyrule went to visit Dawn and Aurora and is now coming home. It's not going as expected

A modern retelling of my own journey complete with Hyrule getting lost, Legend losing his goddamn marbles, and Warrior being as helpful as he can while finding the situation ridiculous as possible

CW: Legend, Hyrule and Warriors mouths

Words 1.4k

GroupChat: Wars lost boys

11:12 AM Hyrule: Leaving the airport now, will text when I get off the train

11:12 AM Legend: Have fun

11:32 AM Hyrule: I lied

11:32 AM Hyrule: Didn't know I couldn't get out the train station without a ticket 🧍

11:33 AM Hyrule: Had to go back to the airport to steal their wifi to unlock my card then ride back to the station to get the ticket

11:33 AM Hyrule: Next trains at 12:21 so you'll see me sometime today

11:33 AM Legend: Have fun I guess

11:33 AM Legend: Not like you've been gone for a week and I miss you or anything

11:34 AM Hyrule: I'm trying 😭

~~~

GroupChat: Wars lost boys

12:44 PM Hyrule: Hey uh

12:44 PM Hyrule: Akkala is on the way to Castle Town right

12:44 PM Warrior: Oh hylia

12:44 PM Warrior: Let me ask Time

12:45 PM Legend: Twilight said it was but it's a very roundabout way of going since you came from Labrynna and are trying to go to Castle Town

12:48 PM Hyrule: Just wanted to ask

~~~

DM: Hyrule and Legend

1:31 PM Hyrule: [Link to Life360 circle join)

1:31 PM Hyrule: Wait Legend I think I fucked up

1:31 PM Legend: That's so random

1:31 PM Legend: What

1:31 PM Legend: Hyrule???

1:38 PM Hyrule: I fucked up

1:38 PM Hyrule: I'm in Termina

1:38 PM Legend: Hyrule

1:38 PM Legend: Respectfully

1:38 PM Legend: How

1:38 PM Legend: Give me a second

1:38 PM Legend: Ok I talked to Time, he said if you catch a train at Termina and take it to Ordon, you should be able to catch a train from Ordon to Castle Town

1:39 PM Legend: Wars bought you a ticket and he's gonna send it now

1:40 PM Legend: Hyrule???

~~~

DM: Hyrule and Warrior

1:39 PM Warrior: [ticket.png]

1:39 PM Warrior: Hyrule please

1:39 PM Warrior: If you don't get on that train there won't be another one till 3 or 4

1:39 PM Warrior: Keep us updated please

1:54 PM Hyrule: :-)

~~~

DM: Hyrule and Dawn

1:37 PM Dawn: You should've landed by now, on your way home yet?

1:55 PM Hyrule: Had a little issue where I got on the wrong train

1:55 PM Hyrule: Leg and War are finding the right one now

1:56 PM Dawn: Oh Hylia

1:55 PM Dawn: You'll get home soon though right?

1:58 PM Hyrule: I hope

~~~

DM: Hyrule and Aurora

1:56 PM Hyrule: So uh

1:56 PM Aurora: I don't wanna know

1:56 PM Aurora: Do you need me to send you rupees

1:57 PM Hyrule: No I just wanted to say that the only reason I'm lost is because you made me stay up late watching anime and we didn't go to bed till almost 1

1:57 PM Hyrule: So I may or may not had accidentally fell asleep on the train and didn't notice

1:57 PM Aurora: Just text me when you get home

~~~

GroupChat: Wars lost boys

1:58 PM Hyrule: I have no fucking clue where tf I am rn :-)

1:58 PM Hyrule: See you tomorrow

1:58 PM Legend: You better not get fucking lost I swear

~~~

GroupChat: Wars lost boys

2:39 PM Hyrule: I keep getting on the wrong train

2:39 PM Hyrule: So at this point fuck it

2:39 PM Hyrule: I'll see you guys when I see you guys

2:39 PM Hyrule: Fuck the Hyrule way, I'm doing this the Traveler way

2:40 PM Warrior: Please tell me the traveler way doesn't include train hopping until you find the right train

2:44 PM Warrior: Hyrule why haven't you answered yet

2:50 PM Legend: Hyrule where tf are you going??? I can't tell what your location is

2:51 PM Warrior: [Missed Call]

2:54 PM Warrior: [Missed Call]

2:56 PM Warrior: [Missed Call]

2:57 PM Legend: [Missed Call]

2:58 PM Legend: [Missed Call]

3:04 PM Warrior: [Missed Call]

3:08 PM Legend: [Missed Call]

3:10 PM Warrior: Hyrule I swear to fucking Hylia when you get home I'm beating the shit out of you

3:10 PM Warrior: Please tell me you got on the right train

3:10 PM Hyrule: Almost accidentally went to Labrynna and Hytopia lmao

3:11 PM Hyrule: Luckily the conductors noticed I had a Hyrulian pass so they told me right away but wow

3:11 PM Legend: Hyurle I swear to Hylia

3:11 PM Legend: Please tell me you got on the right train

3:11 PM Warrior: Where are you???

3:11 PM Hyrule: I'm in uh

3:11 PM Hyrule: I'm in Gerudo Desert

3:11 PM Hyrule: I'm not on a train right now

3:11 PM Hyrule: I'm still at the station trying to figure out which train to get on

3:12 PM Warrior: Ok don't get on a train yet, I'm going to find which train you have to get on

3:18 PM Warrior: Ok you have to get on a train to the great platue then from there you should be able to transfer and get another to Castle Town

3:20 PM Warrior: Hello?

3:20 PM Legend: Oh my fucking Hylia Hyrule please

3:48 PM Legend: [Missed Call]

4:01 PM Warrior: [Missed Call]

4:28 PM Legend: I swear to Hylia we're getting that kid a phone with data next time

4:28 PM Warrior: You think he's going by himself next time?

4:29 PM Legend: Hylia no

4:37 PM Hyrule: I WENT TO FUCKING HYTOPIA

4:37 PM Legend: HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GO TO HYTOPIA

4:37 PM Legend: UNLESS YOU TOOK THE EPONA EXPRESS IT SHOULD'VE STOPPED RIGHT BEFORE YOU LEFT HYRULE

4:37 PM Hyrule: Well you see

4:37 PM Hyrule: About that

4:37 PM Warrior: Oh my Hylia

4:38 PM Legend: Where the fuck are you Hyrule

4:40 PM Warrior: We're never going to see him again

4:40 PM Warrior: I'll prepare his funeral

~~~

Wars lost boys

5:35 PM Hyrule: Can someone call a ride I'm at Castle Town and don't wanna walk

5:35 PM Warrior: Oh my Hylia you're alive

5:35 PM Warrior: I'll do that now

5:35 PM Warrior: Don't get on anymore fucking trains

5:35 PM Hyrule: I'm cold :(

5:36 PM Legend: I could genuinely not care any less

5:36 PM Legend: Stay where you are I'm coming to get you

5:37 PM Warrior: Guess I'm not calling a cab

5:38 PM Warrior: Wait how many trains did you get on without a ticket???

5:38 PM Hyrule: Idk

5:38 PM Hyrule: Like 5 or 6?

5:38 PM Warrior: And they just

4:38 PM Warrior: Didn't question you?

5:38 PM Hyrule: No lmao

5:38 PM Hyrule: The second ticket you bought expired halfway through the train from Lanayru to Hateno

5:39 PM Hyrule: And from there the conductors either didn't check, told me it was expired and I had to get off at the next stop (I didn't) or told me the train didn't go to Castle Town

5:39 PM Warrior: They probably thought you were a lost child

5:39 PM Hyrule: I was

~~~

6:13 PM Legend: I'm outside the train station where the fuck are you

6:13 PM Legend: Hyrule I swear to Hylia where are you

6:20 PM Warrior: ?????

6:20 PM Legend: I didn't see his car so I was still in the station waiting

6:20 PM Legend: Hyrule btw

6:20 PM Legend: On the way home now :-)

5:21 PM Warrior: I told Time what happened and I've never seen the old man look so disappointed yet laugh so hard

6:21 PM Warrior: I told him how lost you got and how you were supposed to be home around 1 and he fell to the floor laughing

6:21 PM Warrior: It was kinda scary

6:21 PM Legend: 😔

6:22 PM Legend: We'll be home soon 😗✌️

6:22 PM Warrior: Alright lmao

6:22 PM Warrior: See you when you get here

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Sebek Zigvolt New Year's Attire Personal Story: Part 2

"I'll fight strongly and beautifully!"

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[Beside Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Sebek: Wh-

Sebek: WHY IS MY HAIR SO OUT OF PLACE!?

Vil: HUH!?

Sebek: THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! I MUST FIX THIS IMMEDIATELY…!!

Vil: You seem quite panicked… That surprised me. Were you really the type to worry so much about your appearance?

Vil: I completely thought you weren't concerned in the slightest towards your hair or clothes.

Sebek: What are you saying!? I am always striving to be worthy of being the Young Master's attendant!

Sebek: In order to be of any assistance to their master, an attendance must always strive for perfection. It would be out of the question to present to him a disheveled appearance!

Sebek: This hair of mine tends to fall into disarray, so I always take care to keep it set perfectly with the proper hair products.

Sebek: Of course, I do this even when Malleus-sama is not nearby. He may show up at the shop at any time…

Sebek: If word spreads that I was in a state of disarray, then it will tarnish Malleus-sama's reputation!!

Vil: Is… Is that so. Well, good looking out.

Vil: I suppose now that you mention it, you certainly are always dressed very properly.

Vil: I also believe that it is important to choose your appearance depending on the time and place. I didn't expect us to have this in common, of all things.

Sebek: Urk, these strands that have fallen out of place just won't go back at all. Normally I would be able to set it again with a comb like this.

Vil: You must have sweated a bit too much from moving at a different pace than you're used to. It won't fix itself just by pawing at it like that.

Sebek: How vexing. It takes me so much time in the morning to set it, and yet this hair…

Sebek: …Hm?

Vil: Why are you staring at me so intently?

Sebek: Why is your hair not out of place at all, Vil-senpai? Even if you weren't moving as much as me during that battle, it's still strange.

Vil: Nothing is strange about it. I have simply taken the proper precautions.

Sebek: Precautions…?

Sebek: …I see. So that is what you meant by your comment earlier that I was "making too many unnecessary movements."

Vil: Huh?

Sebek: So, you… You were moving in a way so as to not throw your hair into disarray!

Sebek: How practical of you. And learning such special movements would no doubt be good training.

Sebek: TEACH ME YOUR WAYS!

Vil: That's nowhere near the right attitude to ask me to teach you.

Vil: But… Perhaps. If you vow to listen to everything I say from here on out, I don't mind teaching you.

Vil: For starters, you should learn how to ask others for favors properly.

Vil: As one of Malleus's followers, you of course know how to request help from others properly, yes?

Sebek: Y… Yes, of course.

Sebek: …Please, Vil-senpai. Would you teach me the method to set my hair so it does not become disheveled?

Vil: Well, I suppose that is 100 times better than before. Good on you for being so forthcoming.

Vil: And I suppose I can acknowledge your high-standards in your personal upkeep…

Vil: Right, I've decided I like it. I'll look the other way on your former attitude just this once.

Sebek: The deal is struck, then. So, what is your secret?

Vil: The secret to keeping your hair set perfectly is… this.

Sebek: Hm…?

Sebek: TH-THAT IS…!

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Vil: Alright, that was 5,100 madol. Thank you for your purchase.

Heartslabyul Student A: That cost hurts my wallet, but with this, I can have another ＨＡＧＯＩＴＡ battle.

Heartslabyul Student B: We'll take our revenge for our loss this morning, and get our hands on Sam's Golden Ticket!

Vil: Sebek, we have a challenger. Go get ready.

Sebek: Oh, you're the Heartslabyul students we obliterated this morning. Didn't think you would come back so soon.

Heartslabyul Student A: Ugh, the way you speak gets on my nerves. This time we'll definitely win and make you pay!

Heartslabyul Student B: Sebek should totally be exhausted from all those consecutive matches. We'll be able to mop this up easily with him that tired.

Sebek: Humph, say what you want. But let me tell you this as well.

Sebek: THE ME THAT STANDS BEFORE YOU NOW… IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON FROM BEFORE!!

Heartslabyul Student A: Wh-what? The mood just shifted…

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[mejomonster]

By the way I'm not even done reading Kamikaze Girls by Novala Takemoto yet and I can already say: it's a delight to read

If you have the chance to preview like 2 pages or get it in a library and see if you'll like it, you'll know within a page or a few. If you want to buy the book, I found it on thriftbooks.com for like $18 but I imagine it would also be on ebay and other resell sites

How do I describe it? Well, a movie was made after it. The main character is a teen girl who's super into Lolita fashion and a rococo lifestyle, and that interest of hers makes the movie a bit of a Thing for people into Lolita fashion. Cause some of us were girls like her at some point, or knew a person like her once, or just like seeing a peak into what a person into the fashion might have been who'd go into Baby The Stars Shine Bright store and wear her frilly over the top dresses in public in a rural town where you have to walk or bike everywhere for ages, where you stand out in a world expecting you not to. And even if one isn't into Lolita fashion, if into fashion trends more generally or as hobbies it looks into yanki fashion and culture too, and so many little interesting details about clothes and style and subcultures and how we form our niches ans see the world through our lenses and that may diverge wildly even from another person the same age and background as us roughly, because people can vary widely. How people different can connect.

And maybe my favorite part of it. Is just it 1. Is translated Amazing (I haven't seen the Japanese version but the English reads So Fluid and with such a clear voice I'm beyond impressed). 2. It feels just like reading some edgy teen girls journal. It takes you back to high school and the punk you were or still are or knew and talked to and you hear that voice again, those rambling thoughts and simple biases and also the ways of looking at the world in that interesting period of losing the assumption the world is perfect and simple but still defiantly Expecting It to be the way you want and Fighting it to bend. It is such a nice novel to get lost in, to see Momoko's life and join her in it. (Theres also a sort of wonderful in the mundane element to it, her life isn't great or fancy or even good but she is firm in her choices and the way she describes both the good and bad she encounters makes them seem like Grand Interestign things, like the way a teenager can think someone complimenting them or their parent getting a ticket or their acquaintance saying something stupid about their drawing felt like Big dramatic things when you lived them). It's just. Well if you read you'll know. It's also just in the mulling train of rambling thoughts. Of Momoko still being proud and pleased with her own roasts of other people, her own unique hobby, her own contemplations on life.

[ultimateaclrecovery]

Japan Day 2!

Today was traveling to Kyoto and exploring temples in their northern mountain region

We got to do a lot of hiking in gorgeous fall weather and I loved seeing all of the temples and shrines just fully mixed in with the woods around them.

We got to through a famous maple tunnel on our way there and back and see gorgeous fall colors. The rural streets were also full of beautiful colors and we go to walk along side a pretty river. The river had eating spots in, and in the summer there’s way more including a restaurant that puts up long plans spanning the river so you have dinner above it like a bridge, in addition to the little picnic tables we saw still up.

After we got back to Kyoto and our hotel we got drinks at a craft brewery and udon for dinner

The craft brewery had no face from ghiblis spirited away as their tip jar and I loved it.

Travel diary

Day 2 11/11

Day 2 11/11

Train to Kyoto then mountains. The train we get on is the panoramic train with extra big windows to see all the pretty leaves. On the way there we pass thru the maple tunnel. It’s really pretty even if only some of the leaves have turned yet. I try but am mostly unsuccessful at taking good pictures of it.

We get to the end of the line and walk to the kibune temple. All the shrines in the woods and many many stairs. Anthony paid the temple entrance fee of. We take another trains and a cable car to rope way to the next temple.

At the top of the ropeway we can see over outskirts of Kyoto and the mountains in the distance. We go through a hike in the woods and see more good views. I talk my boyfriend into a selfie in the view. The trees are starting to change color and we enjoy how pretty it is. We walk probably a mile until we hit the entrance to eikan-todo the main temple on the mountain. The ticket gate is closed so we’ll have to find another. The temples are red and brightly painted and there’s a fair number of people around. It’s a weird balance at the temples between tourists and people actually come to use them. I want to get a good look at all of them but also want to be respectful to the people praying and not intrude or gawk at them. Most of the signage is in Japanese with only a couple critical designations in English. We have to look at the map like three times but finally find the entrance with a manned ticket agent to pay our tickets. I pay in cash for mine 1000 yen. We continue to explore the temple and try to find a soba restaurant for lunch that is supposedly up here. We can’t find it and settle for some mochi dumplings as a snack. It’s not very filling but we’ll get more snacks. This proves to be a mistake. After we explore this temple complex we start the hike back to the cable car where we will stop at another site eikan-saito on the way back.

eikan-saito is even more remote and very peaceful. The first building we come to has a beautiful rock garden where the pebbles have been raked in a beautiful pattern. As we continue on the path through the different temples we see a monk sweeping all the little leaves off of the rock path.

We decide to do the big loop through the temples which includes a path along the side of the road. It’s wild to me how many of the places you have to walk are just narrow shoulders along side narrow roads. At least all of the leaves are pretty. We then hike back up to the ropeway and cable car. Somehow in the course of coming down the rope way and cable car I loose my ICCOA card. I had put it in my pocket when I got out my cable car ticket and then it must’ve fallen out. I’m so confused because they were such tight leggings pockets and I’ve never had things fall out of them before. It’s annoying because I had like 2700 yen left and now I’ll have to get a new one and now the bus back ticket will be annoying, but luckily my bf has coins that he lends me for the fare.

The bus ride back is pretty miserable. I really should’ve insisted on more snacks and taken more ibuprofen before we left, but the bus only comes every 30 minutes so we had wanted to catch that one. The bus takes like an hour and a half and I’m cramping and hungry and nauseous the whole time and the bus is crowded we are standing like squished sardines the whole time. And I’m still annoyed at myself for loosing my ic card.

Eventually we make it to the station I want to get food at the first convience store we see but my by wants to go to one lower that will be less crowded and I almost start to cry. But then we go down there and I get a sandwich and pocky. I stray in on the pocky and immediately start to feel better. I get a new ic card putting 5000 yen on it (500 of which is a deposit). We retrieve our luggage and go to our hotel where we eat our sandwiches.

We then grab a drink at a nearby bar called gion that has an Instagram with singing birds. The bar is playing Christmas music already. I get a fun peach ale for 1200 yen. I also tip in the ghibli tip toy which is very fun. Mr no face has teeth which he shows off when his whole head opens up to eat your tip. On the way out a take a video of the singing birds.

We then head out for dinner and get udon. The place has no English and no one there speaks English but between google translate, pointing and my bfs limited Japanese we make through and get delicious udon with pork and green onions. We’re at the bar top so we can watch him cook and the green onions are so massive it’s pretty cool.

After dinner I want to go straight to bed but my boyfriend convinced me to walk around a bit and see the streets. I do love seeing all the narrow streets and all their different store fronts and lanterns about. It is very crowded but fun to way to see the city. And I’m still sound alseep by 9.

[sand-lily]

I JUST GOT MY CoE!!!

(like just now now)

they still didn't tell me when my training date is, where my hotel is, when i can check in to the hotel, or APPARENTLY how long I'll be staying

(my contract says 1 year, but the CoE says 3years,, so idk what to put on the application , if they dont answer by Friday I'll just put 3years, then i wont get in trouble if i do renew the contract but it wont be an issue if i only stay 1 year)

im NOT buying another hotel if i can help it, SO i do wanna know when i can check into the training hotel so i can buy my plane ticket for that day and put that as the arrival date on the application, according to maps and reddit the shinkansen is only a few hours to the city i need to be in from the airport, so im taking that instead of doing a layover in japan,,

so i need to know WHEN i can check in so i can do the math to know WHAT flight to take, and since im technically losing a day across time zones, thats going to be hard for me since normal time math is ALREADY hard for me

i already have the passport photos, i already have the envelopes, i already made the shipping labels (just gotta print them), i already signed the disclaimer (gotta print), I already filled out the application minus those 2 things im not sure about (and gotta print),,

so my plan is to go to the library and print all the stuff at once, and sign it at the library, then go from there to the post office to drop it off, and then from there back home (shit has to be planned when you don't have a car and public transit only comes once every 2hrs)

the CoE is valid for 3 months from tonight, so im HOPING they want me there the last week of june or mid july so i can pack up my apartment, call my bank, get an esim card for my phone company (this is the only phone number I had my WHOLE LIFE and I don't wanna lose it so i MIGHT pay for international data to keep it), take care of my pets, break my lease unfortunately, get a transit card (apparently you can buy them online BEFORE going to Japan and have it shipped to you),

and quit my new job i JUST started last week unfortunately,, ive only done training so i dont even think i can put it on my resume, HOWEVER, i did pass CPR + baby CPR so i can put that on my resume if they have the certificate on file (idk if they filed it yet)...but if i have another month, I'll be able to have childcare IN A SCHOOL experience (asst teaching)

ig i WONT be able to save up to pay off my credit card, or get my hair braided, and i WONT be able to afford business class like i wanted,, i just hope i get a window seat, i WILL NOT sit in the middle if i can avoid it, i also dont want an isle seat just in case i sit next to somebody who doesn't speak English and they feel nervous about asking me to move so they can use the toilet... i really dont wanna talk to ppl like that

i also also need to look for headphones with a type c connector, because i heard those exist,, my Bluetooth headphones dont work very well on airplanes and i MISS wired headphones severely (i WILL NOT take them out of the box until im at the airport tho, i WILL NOT risk losing them before the flight, as i tend to do)

i also also also need to go through my music library and delete the songs i always skip and add in the new ones ive been playing on repeat via YouTube, im NOT paying for plane wifi , i also x3 need to figure out how to download Libby books like PDFs since i cant use libby outside of America and i want to keep reading books on the flight

ig im un-makeovering my apt tomorrow, time to put doors back on hinges and remove contact paper and fill in nail holes and everything,, it took me like 3days to do everything up and i did it with a butter knife instead of a screwdriver, so it should take less time to undo it with my new electric screwdriver ,, i think my sister is going to try and steal my bedframe, shes already laid dibs on the couch

they BETTER NOT charge me ANY fees considering i paid a TRIPLE deposit to move in here without a cosigner and thats the whole point of a deposit

anyways i got a lot to do tomorrow, so i gotta go to bed at a REASONABLE HOUR, NOT 2AM

and if anybody wants to help me pay off my $1400 credit card bill (ive been using it to pay rent and buy groceries since nobody wants to hire me, unemployment is only enough to pay the minimum + my phone bill so i dont get late fees)

here are my PayPal and cashapp,, im not good at art AT ALL, but if yall want commissions for something so that i can earn the money (i can only do traditional art), I'll do that too,, or i can proofread something? creative writing is actually my forte believe it or not

anyways

cashapp: https://cash.app/$firellily

(the pfp is a pic of my cat)

[automicbaseball]

A wonderful evening of baseball here at the Mariners' ballpark! Today we have the second game of the Mariners vs. Atlanta Braves 3-game series, with the Ms up 1-0. Considering the tough gantlet of WS Champions (Texas Rangers, Ms won 2-1), WS Runners Up (Arizona D-Backs, Ms won 2-1), and Atlanta (19-7 coming into this series), spirits are high! We've won 4 series' in a row at this point, how can baseball not feel romantic? I consider the great American pastime to be an art (I'll be writing about this later).

I got dressed up in my softball uniform as I refuse to not be colorful and exceptionally queer when I go to the ballpark now! We're the Puget Sound Pronouns, and we are a gender-welcoming club playing here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We are also a non-profit organization that seeks to bring softball to more people of all kinds of backgrounds, as well as helping kids to feel safe in the pursuit of athletics.

While we're rapidly approaching summer, spring in the PNW can still come with a bite of chill, even if it's sunny as all get out. Today was no exception, reasonably warm if you sit in the sun, however, if you still up in the upper deck, you'll get some of the wind rolling off of Puget Sound, so dress warm (at one point I had an undershirt, my Pronouns jersey, my hoodie, then my Hello Kitty appreciation night jersey on, still chilly uffda!)

The sky was clear except for a few fluffy clouds, and we were treated to brilliant neon colors as the sun set.

As an aside, I am exceptionally grateful for @warriorbeeofthesea for their love and excitement of baseball. I never thought I'd have a partner who enjoys the things I do (and in fact, they have loved the Ms for a lot longer than I have!)

We went today specifically for Hello Kitty Jersey night (you can buy promotional tickets that often come with neat stuff, I cannot wait for pride night coming up!) and while we had to wait in line for a long while, we eventually got our two jerseys.

They are still made of the flimsy material that promos are made of, but the Hello Kitty styling was actually sewn on, which is pretty cool, what with the jersey problems in ball right now, ugh.

As for the actual game itself, one of our whoops all aces, Luis Castillo went 6 or so innings I believe, keeping the Atlanta offense to tidy 0 runs with 7 strikeouts, continuing a streak of excellence among the Mariners Starters.

A 2-run Jorge Polanco home run opened up the scoring in the bottom of the 3rd, and a Dylan Moore double out to Jarred Kelenic in the bottom of the 4th brought Mitch Haniger home for our 3rd run of the day.

Atlanta fought back with a pair of runs in the top of the 8th, on a single with an RBI and a run scored on an error from Andres Munoz.

Considering Munoz came in with the objective of getting a 5-out save, we can easily overlook his errant throw to 1st, as he ended up with the win for the evening (I am unsure how we attribute wins and saves to pitchers, but he ended the game with a win for us!)

One train ride home later (I continue to love our light rail, so easy to get to the game from a free park and ride), two tired hotties rest from a lovely day of ball, on the back of yet another Mariners series win!

Until next time!

[ask-healthy-light]

From 8 o'clock in the morning on Friday to 8 o'clock in the evening on Monday, I was away from home for the longest time yet, as this weekend was GalaCon at a new venue in Waiblingen, Germany, a long distance away from home; but almost exactly 2 months to the day since I left the hospital, I headed to my second ever Pony Convention, which was simultaneously the biggest Pony Con I had visited yet!

Though I managed to keep my mind focused and my heart calm, and I did not let the rapidly shrinking frame of time I had to board get me down, it is rather surprising how many little things can add up so quickly, and leave me with only a few minutes to run to the other side of the train station; but I made it onto the train, and found a seat, until shortly before I arrived at the transfer station.

Quick thinking saved me a load of heartache, for although the escalators to the platform were bust, one flight was blocked, and, for some reason, there were no stairs to make it there, I made it down to another part of the platform, and ran into the train with moments to spare; and after reassuring friends and family, I met my friend at the very next station, and from here, we travelled together.

There were a number of connections we had to make, about which I kept informed at all times, though when we arrived in Venlo after finding that our desired train was delayed, we leapt aboard another, which had also been delayed, and made it to Mönchengladbach on time for the right train to Cologne; and since we had time to spare, we chatted, and ate, and stood, and waited until the train arrived.

It took some time to board, but finally, after a close call with supervisors telling screaming kids to alight, we sat down in our cabin, where I could rest my mind, and we waited for the long journey to Stuttgart; and on our journey, Bas and I spoke of books we had read, and beings beyond knowledge in tales of Lovecraftian origin, a genre in which I have actually written short tales, a few times.

Riding over hills decorated with castles and through tunnels past rivers and steep orchards, we had made it to Stuttgart at long last, where it took me some time to figure out German public transport in this part of the country; but I managed to create an account, and purchased day tickets for both of us, before we set out to the centre of the city, as Bas had requested we stop by the Lego Store.

After a terribly long walk to the S-Bahn, a very short trip to the city centre, and but a couple of minutes of walking further, we made it to the Lego Store, where I could see Bas' eyes light up with joy as he carefully dashed around the displays and shelves; but I spent some time to let folks know where we were, and where we were headed after this, as neither of us had yet arrived at our hotels.

Fortunately, Bas had found what he sought, our trip to and in the S-Bahn was but brief, and we were on our way towards Fellbach and Waiblingen, where both of our respective hotels were; and after two short bus trips to and from Bas' hotel, we headed to Waiblingen one stop further, and to my hotel a stone's throw across the road from the station, where we found ourselves in good, familiar company.

Since we had chosen to head to the Biergarten Schwaneninsel to meet up with other, we headed to the bus stop, where the greatest moment of the day took place, as we met my friends, Joel and Ember, by surprise, and we just ran to each other for such deep embraces; but they went towards the venue for pizza, whereas Bas and I went to Swan Island, where we ate, and drank, and met many familiar faces.

It took us some time to leave, as we frequently stopped for or were stopped by friends over a short distance, but the night was growing old, and we had to return to our hotels; and back at the S-bahn station, I wished Bas a good night, told him to stay safe, and returned to my room, where I finally met Michael, Railway Dash, my roommate for the weekend, and gushed about the great journey thither.

And to think, the event had not even started yet…

(Thanks for reading this bonus! I'll be writing more about GalaCon over the next few days, so keep an eye out if you're interested!)

Part 1/8

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

[sinosauropteryx--prima]

Hey tumblr, I need your input for a moment.

So in two weeks on Tuesday I have a very important work meeting at 9:30 am that I've been dreading for weeks.

I've concert tickets for a band I only vaguely care about (but i LOVE concerts in general) for the day before in a city about 2-3 hours away.

So basically my question is

Details/more info below in case anyone cares

I work in research at a university. In the meeting we present the work of the last couple months to industry people/people that give us money.

I/our department is not the only one working on the project. If I actually have to talk during the presentation, it will only be a minor part (not sure if I have to speak yet; also I‘m the only women in a group of around 15-20 people so it‘s not like anyone will listen to me anyways. Speaking from experience on that part)

The meeting is online. So if everything fails I could probably just set up my laptop somewhere with a wlan connection and attend the meeting from there. Would rather not though.

The day of the concert I also have another appointment in the afternoon (supervising students), but I think I could reschedule that one

I already bought the ticket (35€) and booked a hotel room (55€). It‘s not that much of a problem if I don‘t get my money back - that‘s what I get for buying stupid shit.

The band is PVRIS, I don‘t really listen to them much, but I saw them open for Fall Out Boy and that was fun

I would have to drive back at around 5:20 am to be at uni at 8 am, because I‘m traveling by train (can‘t drive) and the german train system is notoriously unreliable. So I want to have some buffer

I‘ve done shit like this before although back then I was just a student with much less responsibility and the health/body of a 22 y/o who doesn‘t give a fuck about only sleeping 4 hours

Most importantly, as unhinged as it seems, going to the concert is my piss poor attempt at self care. The last time we had a meeting like that I handled it terribly: The meeting went well, but it completely exhausted me and fucked up my ability to function like a human for almost a week. I‘m not good at situations that involve socializing/presenting myself to people (thanks autism). So after the meeting I isolated myself, basically didn’t work for the rest of the week, struggled to even speak (got extreme stutter/just could not talk), and just overall felt extremely “off“. I drank excessively trying to numb my brain, self harmed (burned myself), and only somewhat got myself together again after a week when a friend told me i looked like shit and gave me some weed. So yeah… Concerts are one of my favorite things ever (number 4 on the list of reasons why I won‘t off myself) and one of the only reasons I ever feel normal/not stressed.

[kyndaris]

Train to Busan

Unlike the movie of the same title as this post, my train ride down to Busan was uneventful. After a late night out in Myeongdong, bleachpanda and I arranged for a slightly later start to the day for our transit down to the famous port city. After enjoying a breakfast at Starbucks (there appear to be hundreds of them in the heart of Seoul, although there are also a ton of other coffee shops as well), we made our way towards Seoul Station and the KTX station within.

Let me tell you of the hassle it all was once we stepped out of the metro! Stairs everywhere the eye could see. And not a single escalator. Yes, there was a conveyor belt for luggage but it was limited to those who would be taking the airport line.

Thankfully, bleachpanda and I hadn't bought too many souvenirs just yet and could still manage to lug our bags up and down the many flights of stairs taking us from the metro station to the KTX station.

As we waited for our designated train (bleachpanda and I had pre-purchased our Korail tickets online), we took a gander at the shops for those looking to take a high-speed cross-country train. Unlike Central Station in Sydney, there were numerous places to eat AND the entrance to a local department store. More importantly, there was a Kakao Friends store. It was here that bleachpanda went and bought Apeach (her constant companion for the rest of the trip and whom I said looked ugly). Given we couldn't open up our luggage right there at the station with everyone watching, bleachpanda managed to cram her Apeach into her already bulging backpack.

On the train, bleachpanda slept through most of the ride, citing a headache which I doubted was authentic. I, on the other hand, eagerly looked out at the passing scenery before reading a few pages of I Am A Cat by Natsume Soseki.

While I would like to sing the praises of this Japanese author, the truth is...I found the writing tedious. In fact, by page ten, I could barely keep my eyes open. So, I fiddled with my phone and looked out at the scenery. I may have even fell asleep myself although I couldn't say for how long.

We pulled into Busan at around 2 PM and went for a quick bite to eat as we hadn't had lunch (we did buy a few snacks at a convenience store but I needed something heavier). Once we were functioning human beings again, we braved the rain and headed to our hotel nearby: Asti Hotel Busan to check-in. After we offloaded our luggage in our room, we decided to cross off a few key tourist attractions close by despite the weather.

So, off we trotted back towards Busan Station and Texas Street right opposite it. Then it was down into the Busan metro system as we headed to Busan Tower, which is also commonly known as Diamond Tower. Due to the poor weather, it felt like we were the only ones there as we bought a ticket up to the observation deck.

But while I would have loved just seeing the city from on high, Busan Tower also had a lot of interactive activities inside. They even had a QR game (our end prize turned out to be a couple of pens), one needed to locate within and outside the Tower. This made our time there much more worthwhile after trekking to Yongdusan Park.

And despite the overcast day, bleachpanda and I were still able to see quite a bit of the city and get in our required bird's eye view. I even bought a fridge magnet and another postcard to send to my friend. However, unlike N Seoul Tower, Busan Tower didn't have the facility to mail off my postcard.

After we had drunk our view of the aerial view, we descended down into the bowels of Diamond Tower, hunting down QR codes and engaging in the game that had been organised. Once we had claimed our prize, bleachpanda and I headed to to Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street, which was just on the other side of the Yongdusan Park and down into BIFF (Busan International Film Festival) Square where there was a ton of street food.

Google tells me there are apparently handprints of famous Korean actors lining the streets but I didn't notice. Alas, perhaps another visit is in order.

We did, however, stop at a sushi restaurant called Manatsu for dinner. Bleachpanda even got to enjoy her share of tuna while I revelled in eating something that didn't have kimchi served on the side (something which I can't eat because it's gosh darn spicy)! Our appetites sated, we returned to our hotel to prepare for a busy day on the morrow as we would be heading to several destinations given we were only staying in Busan for only two nights.

Looking back, I can honestly say we should have stayed in Busan longer but alas, Japan was calling.

[suomeen]

Chapter 1: Discomfort zone

As the war started, the world opened up to embrace Ukrainians. But I didn’t go. The second day of war, when things looked pretty bad, I went to my sister who lives in a village in the heart of Ukraine. There we stayed in a small house with 8 people for a month and a half, until it felt safe enough to return to Kyiv.

Back then I got several concerned messages from foreign friends, offering help. One person offered to help me relocate to Germany, another even offered to stay at their house in England. I turned them down. I wasn’t desperate. I still had a home and didn’t feel eligible to go. I was also feeling excessively optimistic about the future. A few months ago, I looked back on those offers and seriously thought if I should have left back then. There was so much more support. And, as pragmatic as it may be, it was a window of opportunity. But the truth is, I was not ready.

After nearly 2 years of war, people grew weary of supporting us. And frankly, it was partly our fault. I heard lots of stories of our people acting entitled and rude, getting into fights for handouts, seemingly indifferent to the real suffering back home. And then there are a lot of us. By some estimates, 9 million people left Ukraine to go mostly for Europe. Over time, counties began to close up, the payouts and privileges got cut down. So, by the time we contemplated leaving, there weren’t many good options. The only countries who were still truly welcoming were the Baltic and Nordic countries. One of the most supportive ones was Finland. Sure, not as it used to be. At the start of war, Ukrainians could enjoy free trains and public transport and even things like zoo tickets. Little by little, it got cut down. Still, Finland was accepting Ukrainians and granting temporary protection almost to anyone with a UA passport. But the main reason for choosing it was that Mum had a friend in Finland who recently married to a local man. She had been telling us to come for a long time, offered her help, but we didn’t listen. 

For a long time, I resisted the idea of going abroad. It was too scary, too uncertain. Moving to a richer country out of convenience seemed wrong, even if a lot of people did it. And yet, things at home have only kept getting harder. There were more and more air attacks and explosions and the Winter was only beginning. The thought of leaving began to resurface.

I was desperately trying to cling to my comfort zone – my room, my PC, my things… Until there was no more comfort left. There’s no peace of mind when you sit in your corridor listening to killer drones fly in the skies above. Still, I had to ask myself “Do I deserve protection? Have I suffered enough? Sure, I heard explosions and sirens all day, had drones and missiles flying over my head, but the chances of me being actually killed are low. Surely, this isn’t for me. There are so many people who need this more.”

And then there was the guilt of leaving your country in crisis. But I realized that there was nothing I could do to help it. I admire the soldiers, the medics, the volunteers and everyone dedicating their lives to protect and help others. But I couldn’t be one of them. I don’t have it in me. I would be broken by trying. I was already broken by these two years. And I have battled depression and anxiety for most of my life. Things were hard for me and, just as I was starting to feel like maybe they might actually get better for once, it all broke down. 

Sidenote: I was the happiest I ever was in my life just before the war started. And it’s not like I won a lottery. I just got a job that I loved, that paid modestly but fairly and my health was alright. Of course, the war wasn’t a complete surprise. We have been anticipating and dreading it for months. We have joked about it at work just days before. One of our team members was Russian and I remember I made a joke about the invasion. Another colleague told me it was too much. Yeah… I was the closest to that Russian boy. He seemed very nice. Talked about wanting to work for Red Cross. Funny that, since I am now living under the protection of Red Cross here in Finland. When the war did start, all the guys from work wrote to me, asking if I was ok and if I needed help. Except the Russian boy.

It was even harder coming down from that high. But perhaps, it gave me a little reserve of resilience, a little joy I collected, like an extra life to spend. So, when shit went down, I was strangely calm and collected. I still was the first year. We were riding the high of our initial success. But hope is a volatile resource. After two years, there was nothing but burnout.

Initially, I rejected the though once again. It was too drastic and it felt like I’d just be swapping one type of stress to another. And, in a way, that was true. Though in the end, hearing sirens all day is not the same as asking strangers for directions.

But the last straw fell when I was trying to find a job. I got completely burnt out at my last job the previous year. Not to get too into it, but it paid very little and required me to write Economist-grade texts in a few hours. I remember sitting in the corridor, listening to explosions and worrying I had a text about Taylor Swift’s dogs to finish. Then came the blackouts. I was physically falling ill from the stress. So I quit. But there was nothing part-time and I couldn’t even get jobs I was ridiculously overqualified for. I tried to find something reasonable for months, but it was just no use. Finally, I passed a test for the country’s major TV channel, 1+1. They offered me a translation job. Except it wasn’t official in any way and the pay would only come some 2 months later. Also, the project was some MTV trash. I came up to my mum then and she said it wasn’t worth it. So I went “You know what? Fuck it! Maybe we should just go. It can’t be worse than this.”

So I catapulted myself out of my comfort zone way across 4 countries.

Finland threw a lifebuoy and I grabbed it.

[ayliamc]

Italia

Day 2 - Lemon Frenzy 🍋

Steps walked: 23,862

Flights climbed: 7

Vehicles ridden: 1

Points of interest visited: 1

Lemons spotted: all of them.

Drugs are great. We took some to sleep and it enabled us to get thru the night and wake up comfortable in the morning, ready to face the day.

Our B&B host, Dino, chided us for not telling him ahead of time that we are both vegano, that he could have plant milks for us, and that his wife is vegan. (Of course not as strict now they have a kid because kids make everything harder, he says. “Wait til you have kids,” to which I got to reply with delight “Oh no I’m sterile.”) He was hilariously Italian as he went on and on about mozzarella, erculano, and how we’re going too fast and we go to bed too early.

We escaped long enough to trek thru Pompei to get to a cafe that allegedly had vegan-as-is croissants (unlabeled). If you know anything about me, you know I can’t resist a vegan croissant. We booked it thru town with a minor detour due to some big church thing for Madonna (I can’t believe she tours in Pompei!) to get our croissants where Google translate helped mediate the exchange. We got two citrus croissants that were not labeled anywhere as vegan but the guy didn’t correct us when we asked “vegano?” three or four times.

We checked out and leisurely made our way to the train station - another long walk - only to arrive at the platform at the same time as the train to Sorrento. How perfect! Except we don’t have tickets yet… so we buy our tickets, the train leaves, and we’re forced to wait forty minutes for the next train, only to discover no one ever asked for our tickets and no entry required them. We could have totally gotten on the first train without paying and we wouldn’t have had to wait. Crime does pay, as it turns out.

‘Twas a crowded train ride to the end of the line, where we then had to trudge for nearly half an hour with our bags on cobbled streets and unreliable sidewalks to get to our hotel. (Side note: i wonder why no one ever talks about all the vespas and scooters in Italy. There are so many! I just figured I would have heard about it before this.*)

We checked in to our hotel around lunchtime, ate our croissants illicitly on the balcony (no food allowed in our hotel room), and headed back out. Naturally, all the stuff we wanted to visit was back in the direction of the train station, but a 25 minute walk goes much easier without two backpacks and a roll-y bag with dysfunctional wheels.

To paint the scene, all these walks are lined with more citrus trees than you’ve ever seen in your life and drivers who might not actually run you down but you probably shouldn’t test that theory.

We grabbed a quick lunch at a family owned Italian restaurant and had some tasty food including “the best tomato pie [Dan has] ever had” then continued on my lemon quest.

Walking on our way to a limoncello Lemon grove we passed another one that we were able to walk around in. It was so pretty. A lovely garden with lemon trees, orange trees, olive trees, squash plants, tomato plants, and peppers. They also had a restaurant but we were so full we decided we’d come back for dinner.

On to I Giardini di Cataldo where we had hoped to have a tour and a limoncello workshop but they didn’t have any available for the day. Womp womp. We tasted some limoncello and got lemon sorbet and ate it in their lemon garden before continuing to meander in the direction of shops.

Fortunately I had set a limit as to how many Lemon things I could get for myself and I immediately met that limit so I guess I’m done shopping for the… trip. Except I still need a Leonardo souvenir, I mean let’s not get crazy.

Here I am casually showing off all my lemons.

Another 25 minute walk to the hotel to drop off our stuff. By this point, I can confirm we had already exceeded yesterdays step count.

Just before sunset we walked to a dock overlooking the coast and watched the last rays of orange sunlight disappear behind the horizon. The coast is a steep cliff face that drops off into the ocean, but in the distance you can actually see Napoli looking like an island, in reality just more of the Italian coast. Then Dan’s eagle eyes spotted a bat. Then another. And sure enough within a nook of the cliff, at least half a dozen bats had roused and were feasting. It was awesome. We watched them for a little bit. I think a few more even joined them as we watched. It certainly felt like there were more bats there when we left.

And the days recurring themes of walking and lemons continued as we headed back to La Limonaia, the lovely lemon grove where we had decided to dine. Our wonderful server was very confident about our “vegano” requests and he had the chef prepare dishes for us. For Dan, a lemon vegan cream sauce on linguini and for me, a salad made with fresh veggies from their garden. Those same veggies we had seen in the afternoon as we wandered around the grove. So fresh! And I could totally tell. I slathered my tomatoes in balsamic glaze and enjoyed some of the best tomatoes I’ve ever had. (Also a hilarious thing we’ve noticed here is when they bring you bread it comes in a little paper bag as opposed to a bowl or a plate. It’s so funny.) We drank, we ate, we were merry, all under the lemon trees. ‘Twas in general a near perfect dinner experience and we happened upon it by happenstance. Not only a great way to celebrate Jimmy Carter’s birthday but our 12 year anniversary. Six years of marriage. I can’t believe I’m old enough for that but there it is.

After dinner we met Carol at her hotel which was thankfully in the same direction as our hotel so we wouldn’t have to backtrack anymore. She got us drinks, gave us a lemon souvenir she’d gotten in Capri that day, and she and her group regaled us with stories from their trip. As ours is still near the beginning, theirs is coming to an end. We chatted until we noticed the bartender was waiting for us to be done to leave so we wrapped it up and Dan and I walked back to our hotel to gratefully rest.

*Sarcasm

[agentnico]

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part One (2023) Review

Tom Cruise - what a guy! I mean yes he’s a Scientologist, has a constant death wish by breaking his ankles on film sets and also guilty of jumping on Oprah’s sofa like a monkey, but my my is he a charmer! Gotta love that Cruise ship!

Plot: Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission... not even the lives of those he cares about most.

The two of the most consistently successful and critically acclaimed action franchises of the past decade have to be the John Wick and Mission Impossible movies! Ironically both are lead by actors who are around 60 years old, showing us that age should never be a reason to stop kicking butt. Well, maybe if you’re pushing 81 then maybe just maybe you may consider that putting that fedora back on and swinging that lasso might be a bit too much (looking at you Indy), but for Keanu and Tom this is full cruise control! That being said, the most recent John Wick entry Chapter 4 I enjoyed, yet did not love. There were some impressive combat sequences and Bill Skarsgard made for a memorable a-hole, but it was the first movie in the Wick series that began to show signs of wear, with the action being very repetitive and mentally I thought that they should end it here and now. Not that they will, I mean honestly it’s not as if Lionsgate are going to read this review from a nobody like me and use my word against....how much did the last John Wick make at the box office?? *Consults some search engines* Wow - $432.2 million!! Yeah, keep them coming, I haven’t got a leg to stand on! Next though is the return of the MI franchise which is taking a page from the Spider-Verse by splitting this story into two parts, with Dead Reckoning - Part One out now. And how does it stack up to the previous Mission Impossible films? Can these missions get anymore impossible??

You guys know the drill with these Mission Impossible movies - Tom Cruise throws his body around like a tomato fearing not for his life nor broken limbs, but you have to respect the man for wanting to give the audience their tickets’ worth of entertainment, and Dead Reckoning does not disappoint! The action is exhilarating, yet unlike the recent John Wick, the set pieces and Ethan Hunt’s various exploits never felt repetitive. Every sequence, whether it be the car chase sequence through the streets of Rome to the spy espionage antics through the halls of an airport to the Uncharted 2 inspired survival on a train falling off a bridge, this movie was a constant adrenaline rush, all the while managing to also tell an engaging story with a threat that genuinely felt like a force to be dead-reckoned with, pardon the pun. The threat is no nuclear bomb or some war-hero, but in fact an AI system that is growing a consciousness, and the threat being the fearful idea of allowing this system to come into the hands of any government or third party and how they can use it for malicious purposes to take full control of the world. So Ethan and his crew, instead of fighting for a particular side, simply seek to find the key to this system and stop it from coming into anyone’s hands, as no one deserves to have such power of destruction. There’s an interesting moral question to the proceedings, which I felt added an element of gravitas and drama to what really is primarily a collection of ridiculously mad stunts.

The cast is also great. Tom Cruise is a charisma machine, and he’s joined here by franchise newcomer Hayley Atwell, and them two together make for an excellent pairing. The chemistry between Cruise and Atwell was superb with them riffing and bouncing off one another so naturally that honestly I’m gonna say it - I ship the Hayley-Cruise! Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg are Hunt’s reliable team, and are as entertaining as usual. Pom Klementieff gives a stand-out turn as a silent killer, and the likes of Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny and Shea Whigham round up a very watchable array of actors. The only weak link of the bunch is Esai Morales who plays the villainous Gabriel. It felt like the writers desperately wanted to have a physical villainous presence in the movie in addition to the AI, and such we get this Gabriel character which, I mean, I guess Tom Cruise needs a punching bag, but this guy felt so wooden. Instead of saying his lines in a menacing way, he just kind of said them blandly. It’s a small gripe as this character is rarely a major focus, but whenever he was on-screen I couldn’t be any less engaged with him.

Overall Dead Reckoning - Part One is the perfect summer blockbuster, offering excitement, laughs, charm and entertainment. There’s never a dull moment, the spy techy stuff is cool (yep, the face-changing masks are back!), the signature music theme is as bombastic as ever and somehow they manage to keep making these sequels more and more ridiculous yet still feeling fresh and awesome. If you love the Mission Impossible movies this one is an easy buy, and for any action fans this is a must-watch. Summer movie season is in full swing, baby!!

Overall score: 8/10