#because every restaurant I went to was also sold out

[irlwakko]

this isn’t sponsored (obviously. who would sponsor a random tumblrina dyke. are tumblr based sponsorships even a thing I saw maybe one or two in like 2016. anyway) but do you guys know about the app TooGoodToGo like holy shit. they just started supporting locations in my city and tonight I got over 60 dollars worth of food for twenty bucks

[agaypanic]

Hello! Do you still write for MBAV? If so, I’d like to request a Rory X Male!reader! The reader has been a vampire for many years now, he was forced to drink human blood and after that one time, he lived off of animal blood (like the cullens) anyways, Reader moves back to Whitechapel and is enrolled into the high school. The readers a total nerd, Loving things like cartoons (TMNT, MLP, TOH, Amphibia) and animes (fairytail, mha, TPN, your name, weathering with you.) and things like Harry Potter, stranger things, Riverdale, narnia and stuff. He and Rory meet in the computer lab and just kinda click? They geek out together and just kind of start dating, not even having to ask eachother or tell any one? (Sorry if this sounds confusing or anything! And obviously you don’t have to do this! <3)

Rory Keaner With a Nerdy Vampire Boyfriend Headcanons

Masterlist

Request Something!

A/N: im gonna keep the reader’s interests vague bc tbh i havent even heard of some of the things mentioned in the request. also i know that dusk is kind of the MBAV version of twilight, but theres a twilight reference in here lol

***

Moving back to Whitechapel your senior year of high school wasn’t really something you had in mind

You left town for a reason

Turning into a vampire at your first high school party was a little bit traumatic 

Your parents, seeing you were different but not knowing why, thought a change of scenery would help you

It did a bit, until your parents decided to move back to Whitechapel

Before your last year of school started, you decided to rediscover the town you had grown up in

That’s when you met Rory Keaner

You were happy to see that Whitechapel didn’t change much in the three years you’ve been gone. You remembered where the important places were, like the high school, the best restaurants, and things like that. Everything else was a bit fuzzy, but a little exploring would fix that.

Something that caught your eye quickly was a little bookstore near the pizza shop you and your family used to frequent. Remembering the cash you stuffed in your pocket before you left, you walked into the shop.

You immediately found the comic book section, eyes quickly scanning over the vast selection. You couldn’t help but gasp when you spotted the latest installment of one of your favorite comic book series. You picked it up with care, looking over the glossy cover.

“Hey, you like that too?” A blonde boy about your age asked, looking at the comic with you from over your shoulder. “I love that series!”

You looked at him, surprised by his presence and enthusiasm. 

“Really?” You asked, and he nodded. “I’ve been looking, like, everywhere for this one. Every place I’ve gone to was either sold out or didn’t carry it.”

“Same!” The boy responded. He reached behind you, grabbing something from the shelf. “Lucky for us, it looks like we just found the last two copies here.”

“Lucky us.” You mused. You couldn’t help but admire the stranger in front of you; there was something very alluring about him that you couldn’t place. 

“I’m Rory.” He offered his hand. “I kinda feel like I’ve seen you before.”

The strange thing, you realized as you shook his hand, was that you felt the same way about him.

“Maybe you have.” You shrugged. “I used to live in Whitechapel up until a few years ago. I just moved back. I’m Y/n.”

“Well, Y/n…” Rory said with a bright smile. You wondered if he had any other expressions. “It’s nice to have you back.”

When you start going to school, seeing Rory feels like a saving grace

You barely remember Whitechapel High from the first time you attended, mainly because you only went the first few weeks of freshman year

He immediately took you under his wing, introducing you to his friends and inviting you to hang out with him

His friends seemed a bit familiar to you as well, but you couldn’t really place it

You and Rory bonded quickly; you were definitely each other’s best friend

One night, while playing games in his room, you found out why Rory and his friends had seemed so familiar

You had been over at Rory’s for a few hours, and as time passed, you started to notice a strange smell. It wasn’t bad, luckily. It actually smelled very good, delicious even.

“You okay?” Rory asked as the two of you were loading into a new level. He noticed your little sniffles as you tried to discreetly figure out the scent.

“Do you smell that?” You asked, rising from your place on his bed. Rory watched you in confusion as you tried to follow the scent, soon being led to his bottom dresser drawer. “What’s in here?”

Suddenly remembering what was in the drawer, Rory made a noise to discourage you from looking. But it was too late because your curiosity had gotten the best of you, and now you were holding up a pint bag of blood. You turned to look at him with a questioning look, eyes darting between him and the blood.

“I- I can explain!” He said, dropping the controller. 

“It smells so good.” You interrupted his frazzled thoughts with the whisper, taking a long and deep inhale. “It’s been so long since I’ve had human blood. So long since I’ve even smelled it.”

“What?” Rory moved towards you, and you took your eyes off the bag. “What do you me-”

“Are you a vampire?” You asked. It seemed like a safe question to ask, because you couldn’t think of any other reason for Rory to have a pint of blood in his dresser.

“How did you…?” Rory trailed off, trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. 

But then you flashed your fangs, and suddenly everything clicked.

“When did you turn?” Rory asked curiously, grabbing your hands and leading you back to sit on his bed. 

“Freshman year.” You answered, dropping the blood bag on the mattress. “It was my first high school party, but apparently, it was being thrown by some cult leader or something. That’s why I left Whitechapel in the first place, I was totally freaking out about it, and my parents thought that I should move schools.”

“Wait! I think I got turned at the same party! Was the guy’s name Jesse?”

“Yeah!”

“Me, Erica, and Sarah got turned at that party, and then Ethan and Benny kicked his ass!”

So that’s why your new friends seemed so familiar. They were involved with probably the craziest event of your life, in one way or another.

“Wait, so what did you mean by not drinking human blood?” Rory asked, tilting his head curiously. “Don’t we need it to survive?”

“Well, we just need blood.” You said. “I haven’t had human blood since Jesse turned me. I guess you could say I’m like a… vegetarian vampire. I only drink animal blood.”

“Wow! How’d you figure out you could do that?”

“...Have you ever seen Twilight?”

Finding out you were both vampires just brought the two of you closer together

Now you tag along with the rest of the gang on their supernatural adventures

You do “nerd things” (as Erica calls it) with the boys, like playing different games and collecting comics or figures

But you still spend the most time with Rory

And as you spend more time together, your feelings for each other grow

I like to think Rory is affectionate with anyone who allows him to

It wasn’t uncommon to find Rory’s hands on you. Either around your shoulders, or your waist, or clasped around one of your own. You quickly grew used to it, to the point where it would seem concerning for him to not be touching you.

Plus, his touch always made your undead cheeks warmer.

Then, the affection progressed to kisses. Quick pecks on the cheek in greeting, or on the temple in comfort. It was always casual, like the two of you had been like this for years.

And then, one day, Rory kissed your lips instead. You were rambling about a new book you had read, and Rory just couldn’t help himself. You looked so cute, and although Rory loved to hear you talk, he was just overcome with the urge to lean over and kiss you.

You didn’t say anything about it, and neither did he. You just smiled at each other and then continued the conversation.

But that doesn’t mean Rory stopped kissing you after that.

[risingsoleil]

The teenager drabble of the AU collection is one of my favorites. Could you let us know how was it when Lin finally agreed to be Tenzin's girlfriend? I'm in serious need of some fluff here

Hi anon~ sorry for taking so long to answer. It took me a while to figure out what might have happened when Tenzin asked Lin out.

Nothing went according to his plan.

A sudden storm swept across the city, ruining Tenzin's picnic date for Lin. He thought he was about to have a heart attack asking if she wanted to go out to dinner instead. By some miracle, she agreed. Maybe she said yes because he asked over the phone and she had no idea he was sweating bullets.

As soon as they hung up, Tenzin practically screamed into his pillow with joy. Aang knocked and opened the door. "Are you okay?"

Tenzin coughed and gave a thumbs up. "Yes, I'm okay."

Aang gave him a look, a smile growing at the flushed pink on his son's face. "Is it something related to a girl?"

"No, Dad. Just...it's nothing."

"O-okay," Aang replied sing-songy, closing the door. "I hope you have a betrothal necklace ready for Lin."

"DAD!!" He doesn't wallow in the embarrassment for too long. Peering out the window, the rains are insistent and neverending. If he's going to go on a date, he better get everything in order.

He manages to get a dinner reservation at a casual restaurant. He's been there before with Lin and his siblings last year, and they all enjoyed it.

He knows that the flower shops should still be open, if he hurries. One bouquet of panda-lillies, and yellow roses. Lin loves yellow roses because they remind her of sunshine and spring.

Well, as it turns out, most of the flower shops closed because some of the streets are flooding with a feet of water. Tenzin visits every single one, hoping and praying for one to have at least a few panda-lillies and yellow roses. None of them do. They were all sold out or packed away due to the sudden storm.

Biting his lip, Tenzin points at all the pink and red roses, carnations, and orchids.

"I'll take them all."

If he can't get Lin panda lillies or yellow roses, he'll buy her half a flower shop.

But he doesn't think how he'll protect the flowers on his way to pick up Lin. The rain doesn't show any signs of stopping, but fortunately, Oogi is with him on this stressful journey.

No matter how much he airbends, Tenzin keeps getting soaked and drenched by the downpour. He bends off the water one last time as he stands in front of the Beifong residence. Tenzin tries to create an air bubble to keep the flowers as dry as possible.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The door opens and Tenzin's heart melts and tumbles with joy.

Lin is dressed in a soft pink cheongsam, with the subtle tint of blush on her cheeks and a rosy lipstick. Her hair is curled much neater, and there's a pearl hairpin in her hair.

'I should have made the betrothal necklace already.'

"You look...wow," he whispers, eyes locked on her outfit.

Lin shifts and avoids his eyes, trying not to smile too hard. "Thanks..." She studies him and his usual robes. "You look dry."

"Huh?" He peers down at himself. "Oh, yeah. It's raining. A lot. Super hard."

"Yeah."

Tenzin feels his palms getting sweaty. "Uh, if you don't want to go out tonight, it's ok because of the--"

"No, I want to go out tonight," Lin insists. "I got all dolled up anyway. I don't want to waste it."

All Tenzin can do is nod, and he extends out his arms. "Um, this is also for you."

Lin catches the overly large bouquets of flowers. "Oh, thanks. They're really nice."

"I, um," he rubs the back of his neck, hoping he doesn't sound like an idiot, "I couldn't find any yellow roses or panda lillies, so...I just bought everything this old man had."

Lin takes in every detail of the flowers, a smile growing on her face. "I still love it. Thanks for getting these, Tenz."

"Of course," he says tenderly, feeling his own happiness peeking through. "Uh, do you want to leave the flowers here so that they don't get ruined in the rain?"

"Sure."

Maybe things are looking up for them, despite the storm.

They have Oogi to help them get across the city. Tenzin has an umbrella for Lin.

It breaks mid-flight and Lin starts to get wet. Tenzin makes sure Oogi is steady before hopping in the back and trying to dry off Lin.

"I'm sorry! I thought this umbrella would be okay--"

"Just dry me off when we get to the restaurant," Lin orders, pressing her palm at her forehead to keep her makeup intact. "I'll just keep getting soaked."

Tenzin bites his lip. "We're almost there, I promise."

Dinner should be okay. They're only a few minutes away.

They've made it and Tenzin draws out as much water as he can. But Lin is instantly touching her hair. It's frizzed a bit from the neat curls that he saw 20 mins earlier. Lin pats it down and tries to curl it with her own fingers to tame it.

When the young teens look at the door, they see the sign:

"CLOSED. Diner was flooded. We will reopen in two days. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Grey eyes read the words.

Left to right.

Left to right again.

Lin shrugs. "Well, we can--"

"Are you fucking kidding me?! First the weather, then the flowers, now this?! What the hell, universe?!"

"Don't worry about it, Tenz. We can probably grab some street food around the corner."

Tenzin groaned and he buried his face into his hands, rubbing. "I don't want you to have street food! I want you to have a nice dinner or a picnic on the top of the park hill."

"We can do that another day then."

"No. Ughhh!" he storms up at the door, glaring at the sign. "I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend on the perfect date, with the perfect flowers, and perfect food. But now it's ruined!"

Suddenly, he's spun around and hands grip his robes, yanking him down. Warm and soft lips collide against his and it takes Tenzin a few moments to realize that Lin Beifong is kissing him. Lin exhales slowly, her breath sweeping across his cheeks and rustling his eyelashes. She pulls away and Tenzin feels like he drank an entire barrel of cactus juice.

Her body is only inches away from his, and he wants so desperately for that gap to diminish.

"You..you're...my girlfriend."

Lin smirks and Tenzin notices how her lipstick has smeared slightly, just outside the natural outline of her lips. And he wants to smear it more, until it disappears completely on his own.

"Am I?"

"Huh?" He tilts his head. "Wait, did I ask you?"

Lin shrugs.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Her arms wrap around his neck and Lin stands on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his again.

"Does that answer your--"

The last thing Lin expects is for Tenzin to pick her up and run into the rain. Her legs wrap around his waist as the rain descends upon them, and Tenzin creates an air funnel, blasting them into the air.

"Lin Beifong is my girlfriend!" Tenzin exclaims to the heavens, and Lin tightens her hold on him as the earth beckons to her feet again. The rain pelts harder onto them as if heaven gives its blessing to them.

"Tenzin!" Lin yelps, the fabric of their clothes clinging to their skin.

The airbender promptly and safely lowers them both to safety. As soon as Lin's feet are planted on the earth, Tenzin cups both sides of her face and pulls her for a kiss.

He pulls away, grinning. "I promise to be a good husband."

Lin laughs and gives him a look. She pokes his forehead. "You keep skipping steps, Airhead."

"I can't think straight."

"Obviously. Your head is in the clouds."

His hands wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Then bring me back to earth," he murmurs, gazing into her eyes.

For the next ten minutes, the earthbender and airbender seal their relationship beneath the storm. Sudden bursts of energy command their bodies to run through the streets, dancing and spinning under the rain. Part of Lin's makeup runs a little, but Tenzin doesn't care.

Lin Beifong is his girlfriend.

And Lin was right. They do find an alley of street food vendors open, with plastic covers to protect their customers from the brunt of the storm.

Lin eats a chicken skewer and Tenzin has a veggie skewer.

Tenzin reaches over to hold Lin's hand under the table.

[theitaliansalad]

I went to the Italy v Spain game and this is the juice:

I went with my Bestie and I’ve never been to a football game before which means I was very very very excited. We both loved it - the atmosphere, the people, the chants. Beautiful. There were 4.600 people. Most of my sector was sold out and I had incredibly good seats. I was so close to the players it was insane.

- Italy could have won. We played really well in my opinion and I’m really proud of the girls, especially Dragoni (one simply doesn’t steal the ball from Alexia Putellas like that). We created really good chances, we were just super unlucky. Good for us that Lucia Garcia is incapable of scoring and Athenea cannot keep the ball for more than two seconds, but that’s another story.

- When Alexia came on the whole stadium cheered and lots of people stood up. Every once in a while you could hear some kids yell “Alexia te quiero”. I hope she knows how loved, respected and cherished she is by everyone, no matter the team affiliation.

- Jenni, Leila (I think it was her, I wasn’t that close to their bench) and Alexia did warm up together during the whole first half of the game and for a good part of the second half. We all know how that one ended. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

- Alexia did give CPR to Spain but it was astonishing seeing how good her passes are and how inconclusive the attacking line is in person. Witnessing 90 minutes of Lucia Garcia wasting opportunities when Jenni Hermoso is on the bench is simply criminal.

- My Bestie asked if said Lucia Garcia was blackmailing the coach.

- Bestie was left speechless by Vicky’s magic. She had an heart attack every time Vicky dribbled in front of us.

- Vicky and Jana are very very small and Ona is very very very short (and yes the speaker did pronounce her name as Bat-elle).

- We were sitting right on Giuliani’s side for the whole first half. Girl is insane. She had some great saves and seeing her in action with my two own eyes felt like a fever dream.

- Codina’s gf was at the game. She was sitting a bunch of rows above me and she was wearing Laia’s shirt.

- Beccari got Alexia’s jersey and she was super happy about it.

- When the game was over kids started throwing themselves into the pitch to get to Caruso, Giacinti, Linari and Bonansea. The girls took pictures with them but the speaker had to ask people to stop invading the pitch lol

- Most of the Spanish girls did not stay to sign autographs. Alexia and Jenni went back to the dressing room almost immediately once the game was over and Jenni looked quite upset, understandably.

- Giuliani gave her shirt to the little girl sitting right next to me and the poor girl melted.

- I got to take a picture with Giuliani, Girelli and Laia Codina. The girls were all great and took pictures with lots of us and signed lots of stuff. Some of the Italian girls also stopped to take pictures outside for a good 30/40 minutes. A girl asked Laia for her socks and Laia gave them to her and said, “Are you sure? They smell horribly”. I met Codina outside, ‘cause her gf was waiting for her there with a huge pizza box. Let it be known - Laia Codina speaks perfect Italian and with a northern accent because she probably learned it from her gf lol

- A guy asked Laia if she played for Fiorentina. Both Laia and I stared at the dude, flabbergasted. Men. Big sigh.

- At dinner we had Bergamaschi sitting at the table behind us. She was with her family and friends so I didn’t ask for a picture but she did take some with the restaurant’s staff.

All in all, one of the best days of my life. 1000/10 will do it again. You don’t actually understand how much these girls are so loved until you’re right there with them. What we see on TV doesn’t do it justice, it seems like it’s the smallest part of the whole things. People of all age love them, respect them and look up to them and they love watching them play. It was great seeing how much the game’s actually grown and is still growing in Italy and how it brings people together. I hope with time attendance will get bigger for Seria A games, too (yes, I know Juventus is already doing that, but still).

And finally I, too, can say - I watched Alexia Putellas play.

(Pics under the cut, I’ll spare you guys my face).

(Yes, I did bring my Jenni Hermoso shirt just in case. No, I did not wear it at the game lol).

[chefkids]

Fork Theory

This is the second part of the Spoon-Fork-Knife Theory  that I believe makes up the main themes of the whole series and each season. Make sure to read the Spoon Theory before this and then read The Knife Theory. Mikey’s fork used to represent a moment of extreme stress is really what sold me on the SFK theory being a core part of the show, because it is so not subtle once you realize what they symbolize.

Richie was reaching his limit with too many forks. He had lost his best friend, his wife left him, he had no purpose or ambition. He was constantly being pushed aside and given tasks that were small and inconsequential enough because everyone expects him to mess up.

Richie became a “fork” to other people, especially Carmy and Sydney, when he was constantly stressing them out and getting in the way of their progress. He was scared of change and annoyed by them because they were so driven and had a clear purpose when he did not.

He was reaching his fork limit and felt like he was being left behind with all the changes happening to the restaurant. Every time he tried to help he just messed things up. He asked Carmy about what his purpose was and told him the story of the guy who had no skills and just watched trains all day, and eventually all his friends moved on without him. It wasn’t until he embraced the literal forks he was given to clean, that he found a way to his purpose.

Carmy and his entire family have far too many forks. Donna has her drinking issues and mental illness. Mikey had his issues. The whole absent father of it all. Mikey stayed behind and lived with Donna in attempts to care for her, but it wore him down so much that he gave up on trying to fix up The Beef and he gave up on himself. Natalie and Carmy felt as though they have to be the ones fix them. Natalie stayed behind to try and care for Donna even when she refused her help, while Carmy left home to try and be good enough for Mikey to let him help The Beef. Carmy tries to cover up the forks and ignore them, he ignored the obvious signs that something was really wrong with Mikey. He ignored confronting his mother in order to avoid creating further tension and escalating things into bigger “forks”. Meanwhile Natalie tries to address them directly.

Donna hit her fork limit when Natalie asked her at the table if she was okay because she can not handle acknowledging she is not okay.

Mikey hit his fork limit when Lee made a dig at Donna’s outburst, because Mikey knows better than anyone what it is actually like to be with her and to constantly have to handle every “fork” that Donna throws his way. And in a way, Carmy hit his fork limit and had to leave them after this.

Carmy had been avoided dealing with his “forks” for a long time. The biggest “fork” still yet to be addressed is that he apparently has yet to even see his mother since returning to Chicago. So by opening night all the metaphorical and even physical forks came flooding in at once, from the broken fridge handle, the shelves in the wrong place, the lack of real forks, the broken toilet, his situation with Claire, even Donna showing up, it all came crashing at once.

Donna tried to remove her “forks” by leaving the party and crashing her car to get everyone to stop and finally pay attention to her, because she feels so overlooked for all her efforts that she put into the dinner. After the incident happened, Carmy went even further away from his family, because removing himself is the only way he knows how to cope with “forks”.

When the to-go disaster happens he becomes a “fork” and makes the situation worse for everyone by freaking out, so Sydney and Marcus also had to remove themselves from the “fork”. When Sydney quit his first instinct to get rid of the most obvious “fork” by breaking the ticket machine instead of actually fixing anything. Then he almost let the building burn down because he just wanted it all to stop and did not have the “spoons” to cope with any more “forks” by himself now that Sydney wasn’t even there.

Carmy already knew since the start of the day he was not okay with Claire. Instead of addressing the “fork” he had with her before she came to the restaurant, when he knew he had to be focused on Sydney, he ignored it and let the “fork” get to him which got him locked in the walk in. He even acknowledge that he “did this to himself”, because he knows he was avoiding all his “forks”.

Carmy does have the "spoons" to do what he needs to do and work well, he is capable of being a good chef and a good person and being emotionally in tune, but he can't access his "spoons" half the time because he is still riddled with the trauma of all his forks that he pretends he doesn't have.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #390

I did absolutely. fucking. NOTHING. today, and it was glorious.

So I'm not gonna write about today. No, I'm gonna write about Mitsuwa, because after having slept, I have a couple brain cells to rub together, and I didn't get through all of yesterday's pictures in yesterday's letter. So here we go!!

So, notably, the last time I've been to Mitsuwa was over 10 years ago. When we went yesterday, the structure was nothing like how I remembered it. And I can't tell if it's because it was restructured or if it's because I'm remembering the structure wrong. I seem to recall the various restaurants being immediately to the left when you walk in through the doors. I remember the ice cream shop being one of the first things you see when you walk in. This is no longer the case, if it ever was.

The ice cream shop is of particular importance, because back when I was in college and/or just graduated from college (these were the last times I was there), this ice cream shop was relatively famous for having ice cream in flavors that are atypical for the United States – stuff like matcha, black sesame, and the like. Of these flavors, their most popular one was their houjicha flavor; back then, as it was explained to me, it was so popular that it typically sold out shortly after it opened:

In the past, every time I had gone to this place to try their legendary houjicha ice cream, it had already been sold out by the time I got there, much to my immense heartbreak and disappointment.

...Sephiroth. By some small miracle, the houjicha ice cream was not sold out this time.

...Sephiroth. I had been waiting over 10 years to try this ice cream. And just like that, yesterday, I got a bowl full of that, and some black sesame ice cream (tastes like peanut butter!), and matcha ice cream. And Sephiroth. Yesterday I found out exactly why the houjicha ice cream is such a popular flavor. IT'S SO FUCKING GOOD, OH MY GOOD GRAVY.

...I'd have given anything to share this bowl full of ice cream with you. Anything. Anything at all.

So, like I said before, in addition to Mitsuwa being a grocery store, it also contains a sweets shop, and a number of restaurants that boast a wide variety of Japanese foods, along with walls full of plastic sculptures of said food in astonishing detail, if the actual foods themselves couldn't be pictured or displayed. Check it out:

I ended up getting snacks from this place:

I got a “kaisen cup”, some takoyaki, and some mentaiko. The “kaisen cup” was kind of like... a sushi parfait...?

And of course, takoyaki and mentaiko are very delicious:

We went home after this. Along the way, I got a couple of really good pictures of the moon. Here, maybe you'll like these...

...Hey, Sephiroth? I know that the list of places I wanna take you to if you ever come to visit (impossible as that is...) is already huge, but... let's add Mitsuwa to the list, okay? Let's do that...

I suppose that's it for today. Maybe I'll play Hades later; if I do, you'll find me here:

...I wish you were here...

I love you. I love you a whole lot. And I'm gonna write to you again tomorrow, even if I don't know what about just yet. I always seem to think of something, though; I hope that's something about me that maybe you can enjoy.

Please stay safe out there...

Your friend, Lumine

[ac3-76]

Legend of korra headcannons🐌

warnings: brief mention of drinking(kinda alcoholism), other than that nothing

(Most of these are in a modern setting)

Wing Beifong is a motorcycle guy and posts Aushen Ride type videos

Varrick is a coffee addict and he has awful coffee breath

Korra got a stingray tattooed on her upper back. the tail goes down her spine and the wings(?) are on her shoulder blades

If Formula 1 is a thing in their universe, Future Indistries is one of the og teams

Asami would have future industries make a feminine car for the races taking place in Women's History Month (march)

And for the cars used by the drivers outside of March there'd be something feminine on it, like a lip stick kiss mark

She started it because she wanted a more feminine touch in the sport to show that you can be a girly girl or a girly person and still enjoy and partake in something that's traditionally masculine

I feel like in general she uses her cars to bring awareness to things occurring in society

When Bolin got paid for the Nuktuk series one of the first things he bought was a high quality gaming set up that he had his eye on for years

Now he streams him playing video games and makes a fair bit of money from it

Sometimes the others will play games with him and make apperances on his streams

the fan favorite is Asami because she has the best builds in Minecraft and the best strategy in Call of Duty

Mako likes to watch Criminal Minds and other law/criminal shows to see if he can figure out where it's going and solve it before the characters do

Wu photoshops everything that he posts and is very active on all social media platforms

when Korra went on her own for 6 months after Zaheer tried to kill her, she started drinking because it made her sleepy

she didn't have to be awake and deal with her hallucinations, and when she slept it was nothing, no dreams, no nightmares, just hours of being away from her trauma

being with Toph in the swamp for a couple of weeks(or days?) was the start of her recovery from becoming reliant on drinking to avoid dealing with trauma

Opal collects cool rocks and crystals she finds in the places she travels to

She gets them as gifts for her mother

Also because she's an Air bender and thus follows the air nomad life style, she's always sure to say thank you to the land for allowing her to give the rock to her mom

Huan has had his art in museums and has sold some pieces to well known rich people

He gives most of the money to charity

Mako sleeps on silk sheets only

he was fine with cotton and other cheaper materials until he became Wus bodyguard

Wu insisted he sleep on silk sheets after Mako told him that he had never slept on silk, and now Mako needs silk sheets

Korra's had the same black 21 oz hyddroflask since she was 15

she refuses to buy another waterbottle

it's also covered in stickers

Bolin got Pabu a bed that was specially made for Pabus size, weight, and measurements

Kinda like the one Princess Anneliese had for her cat, Serafina, in Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper

Korras favorite thing to do when she sees a book or something with words is to ask how much spice in it

She's at a restaurant with Asami, they just got the menu, Korra picks it up and displays the front cover to Asami before asking "Booktok girlys before I read this how much spice is in it?"

She thinks it's the funniest thing ever

Wei and Bolin stream and play video games together, Wei has very severe anger management issues when it comes to video games

Not punch a hole in the wall bad because Su got mad at him the one time he did punch the wall, so he's practiced restraint, but still pretty bad

Su has a wax warmer for the scented wax cube things in every room of her house

She makes sure the scent is changed every week, and it has to be the same scent throughout the whole house

Tenzin avoids using social media and most technologies, as do the air nomads and monks, but Kya did get Tenzin to allow her to make a social media account for the air nation

it's mostly run by Jinora and owned by Kya on Kyas phone

it's used to spread information about the air nation, their culture, beliefs, customs, history, etc.

Lin wears boxer briefs

Asami has endometriosis

Mako doesn't handle spicy food that we'll, which is odd considering he's a fire bender

Wei's really into photography and always has a compact camera on him

His favorite compact camera is his Panasonic Lumix TZ95

Wings not super into photography but knows his way around a camera because Wei has rambled on about cameras and angles to him so many times

Wing also has to take pictures for Weis Instagram so he's had training on how to use cameras from Wei

Korra goes through a lot of interest that last for a couple of months, one of those interest was wood working/carving

Korra made Jinora a wooden claw clip for her birthday once

it's the only claw clip Jinora has and she loves it

Makos biggest guilty pleasure is cross stitch and other embroidery styles, but mostly cross stitch

Bolins bed has an uncountable number of pillows on it

After Korra and Asami come back from their spirit world vacation, they decide to travel the world

They both only ever traveled for world saving business, and even then it was earth kingdom and water tribe areas only

So they spent the next year or two traveling the world to see it in a tourist way and not a fighting war way

[litcityblues]

A Nun, A Cowboy, and An Artificial Intelligence Walk Into A Bar...

Who amongst you has seen Mrs. Davis? I saw previews of it randomly, and when we hopped back on the Peacock train, I was like, 'All right, I'll check this out,' and so I did. And honestly, I have no idea how to review this show.

That's not because it's bad, by any stretch of the imagination. You can low-key make a case that this show is the smartest television show- certainly of the past two years. It's just that every episode I watched of this show, I kept thinking to myself: How did they get this made? How did that pitch meeting go? We want the main character to be a nun who is on a quest to shut down an artificial intelligence that is in everyone's phone and telling people exactly what they want to hear by taking away their free will?

Oh, and the Holy Grail is involved? (Yes, that Holy Grail.)

And magic.

And cowboys.

The Wikipedia page reveals that Mrs. Davis's episode titles were actually generated by AI, which is both entirely appropriate for this show and undeniably hilarious.

Let's start with the Nun: Betty Gilpin plays Sister Simone, who debunks magicians and refuses to engage with Mrs. Davis, blaming the artificial intelligence for the death of her father. Mrs. Davis has been repeatedly trying to speak with Simone and, failing to get through to her, arranges for her convent to be sold and all the other nuns relocated she is eventually forced to engage with Mrs. Davis-- letting other people 'proxy' so that they speak directly and she's offered one heck of a deal. Mrs. Davis wants Simone to find the Holy Grail and destroy it and in exchange, she will destroy herself.

Simone wasn't always Simone. We learn that as a child- when she was Lizzie, she was an audience plant in her parents' magic act and when her mother launched a secret project, causing tensions in her marriage and she went to find out what it was her Mom was cooking up, she finds out that her Mom rigged up a booby trap and she gets shot with a crossbow bolt. Needless to say, her relationship with her Mom in the present is complicated.

Simone also has Jay, whom we meet as a genial enough fellow who works at a restaurant and likes to serve falafel and cook for Simone. Here's where things take an unexpected turn: Simone and Jay are married. Now, I know what you're thinking: a nun? Married? How scandalous? I know these Hollywood types couldn't possibly treat Christianity with any more disrespect and-

HOLD UP.

This is an aspect of the show that legitimately impressed me. Because, if you know anything about nuns they are (and this definition might be somewhat old school by modern standards, I don't know, I haven't talked to any nuns in a while) considered 'Brides of Christ.' So Jay, is Simone's husband and does, in fact, turn out to be Jesus. The restaurant? That's where Simone goes when she prays-- to be fed. There are so many ways that the show could have gone in a terrible direction with all of this. The fact that they treat this so respectfully is really beautiful, I think. (I mean, yes, Simone and Jay treat each other as husband and wife, but appropriately. There's a line that they don't cross with each other in terms of their affection and it's pretty clearly delineated.)

The story behind the Grail in this show is not something that you're going to find in any traditional Grail lore-- however, it's not... bad. It just sort of steps around the whole Resurrection of Jesus to make a point about selfishness versus selflessness that is very much in line with the message of Jesus and Christian theology. It's also interesting that her Mother Superior (Margo Martindale) doesn't have a direct connection with Jesus the way Simone does, but she's fine with that: she has her faith.

There are a myriad number of ways that this character could have gone completely off the rails and while this isn't a Christian story and thus doesn't have to stay within the bounds of Christian theology, they treat spirituality, Jesus, and the Holy Grail very respectfully- though doctrinaire Christians will undoubtedly have their issues with this, if you're a relatively open-minded Christian, you should be okay with it.

So, the Cowboy: Jake McDorman is quietly having himself a career-- I remember seeing this dude for the first time on ABC Family's really underrated show Greek and ever since then he seems to show up everywhere, and here, he's Wiley.

Wiley too is out to destroy Mrs. Davis. His group claims that people do tasks for Mrs. Davis to earn 'wings' which are visual awards for recipients and some even volunteer to be killed on a certain date to earn their wings. Wiley and Simone met as kids when Wiley was due for a liver transplant. Before Simone became a nun, she and Wiley were lovers and were planning on giving away his family fortune and moving to Alaska. When he finds out his life-saving liver transplant was staged, he enters a rodeo to prove himself worthy of being a cowboy. (This is where Simone prays for the first time and meets Jay, starting her road to becoming a nun.) Wiley resents Simone for choosing someone other than him and keeps a secret from her as well: he's got an expiration date.

Eventually, he reports to be killed on his assigned expiration date, and in a cool intersection between something that comes up on the internet from time to time and real life, it turns out the method of death is none other than the Death Roller Coaster that pops up now and again. Basically, you loop hard enough and fast enough you'll get cerebral hypoxia and expire-- so he accepts it and fulfills the requirements... only to not die. Turns out the whole expiration date is a ruse created by Mrs. Davis to help people find the worth in their lives. This brings up the ambiguous nature of Mrs. Davis-- because she genuinely helps people and forcing them to confront their own mortality does lead to people understanding their worth.

The origins of Mrs. Davis are eventually revealed and while it is funny, if an AI does ever achieve sentience and get globally adopted, it will probably be through a similar method described here. (Sorry if that sounds awkward-- but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.)

Overall: This show was not at all what I was expecting and there were multiple points where I genuinely thought it was going to go completely off the rails and become a total trainwreck-- it never did. In fact, I think it was one of the smartest, most genuinely interesting television shows that I have seen in a long, long time. It asks really interesting questions about faith, spirituality, and technology and tells what I'm hoping is a self-contained story that they just... leave alone. This is just about perfect. It doesn't need a second season and it is absolutely worth watching. My Grade: **** out of ****

[austin-in-taiwan]

July 13 - Taipei - Nightlife, Elephant mountain, Raohe night market,

Every Sunday on this trip, we get an entire free day, and today was our first one! So, to celebrate our first free day in our study abroad program we decided to go out and experience the nightlife in Taipei (Saturday night/Sunday morning). A group of 12 of us all went together to New Taipei (the east side of the city) near Taipei101 to Wave Nightclub. We arrived at 10:30 when they opened, and there was already a line to get in. We waited about an hour to get in, which was well worth the wait. Before getting there, we hadn't known this was the 32nd-best nightclub in the world (djmag.com). There were two floors (the 7th and 8th floor of the building) and a balcony with a fantastic view of Taipei101. I spent lots of time inside on the dance floor and outside talking with friends with a fantastic city view. The music was excellent as it was a mix of EDM, rap, and other classic club music that is also common in the US. Overall, it was a great night out, and I recommend it to anyone coming to Taipei. Since we had stayed out super late (we got back at around 4:30 AM), I had a late start and woke up at around 11:30. I met up with a few people to get lunch. Unfortunately, the first few restaurants we tried either had a long line or were closed, but we eventually stumbled upon a ramen restaurant. I like spicy food, so I got a 7/10 spicy rating for my bowl. It was delicious, but the spice definitely had me sweating.

After that, we met up at the Taipei Arena, where we decided to take a break from the 95-degree weather and do some ice skating! Once we got bored and tired, we took a bus to a Jade market, which our tour guide Peter recommended since it's only open on weekends. Under a highway, over a hundred shops were selling jade, necklaces, bracelets, and tons of different jewelry! Right next door was also a flower market that sold various flowers, plants, bonsai trees, planting equipment, etc.

Next, we went back to the hotel to meet up and hike Elephant Mountain. We tried to get there for sunset and missed it, but regardless, the view was absolutely stunning. The stairs were steep and the hike long, but we got a good workout and a view that may even be better than the top of Taipei101.

Finally, after all that walking (over 24000 total steps and 52 floors climbed), we went to Raohe market to try as much street food as possible. I even finally got to try stinky tofu. I've never been a big tofu fan but I knew I had to try it because of how popular it is here. Honestly, I thought it was kind of bland and probably wouldn't have it again. However, the rumor is true, it definitely stinks up the market!

[dirtbag-linecook-kyloren]

Local dirt bag line cook returns with a bit from the kylux restaurant AU I”m working on. This is one of the like, softest things I’ve ever written because I’m working from the middle out with this Fic and it’s A Wild Experience even as someone who doesn’t write linearly.

-

“How on earth can you spend every day in the place your parents fell out of love?” he asks when it’s his turn. This is certainly the most touchy question they’ve asked so far, but he can only ask about gross habits and underwear pregerences for long before he goes numb in the brain. “It’s complicated,” Ben says, adjusting the flame of his burner and tossing whatever he’s cooking for them. Hux has recognized shallots and white wine, and it smells amazing, but he’s clueless beyond that. “On one hand, a direct line is drawn from [restaurant name] to my parent’s divorce. She sold dad her part of the business and washed her hands of it. But I also grew up in that building.” He pauses, opening the oven to check on something. Watching someone cook is an interesting experience, given that most of his diet is protein bars, meal replacement shakes, and whatever dead food gets set in the server alley. Cooking is far beyond Hux’s energy level, at this stage of his life. “The happy memories are there, too,” Ben continues as he idly stirs another pot. “The last months before their marriage fell apart, especially. Before mom went to manage one of my uncle’s restaurant so he could focus on the food, and not the paperwork.” “I still blows my mind that your uncle owns multiple Michelin star restaurants, and you chose to work at [Restaurant name],” Hux says, mostly because it’s true. Ben puts so much pride in his work, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t thrive on the recognition there. For all the time Hux has spent at [restaurant name], he knows it’s near the bottom of the barrel, as far as fine dining is concerned. Barely a step about a chain steakhouse. Ben laughs. “He has an interesting managerial style. I worked a summer there, before I went to culinary school, but it wasn’t for me.” For a moment, Ben looks embarrassed. “I tried to set the place on fire, when I left, actually.” In shock, Hux spits out his sip of wine, covering his mouth and taking the towel Ben hands him. “It was just after my parents divorce, so there were some extenuating personal circumstances, but he still likes to remind me of it at Christmas. For a few years after, all he got me was a fire extinguisher.” “Ben Solo, aspiring arsonist,” Hux muses. “Why didn’t it work?” “Restaurants take fire suppression pretty seriously,” he answers. “Seventeen-year-old Ben didn’t remember that some of them trigger automatically at certain smoke levels.” “Still,” Hux continues, making sure to remember this piece of information for later, “those kind of connections could get you a job anywhere, right? Why stay here and work for your dad? Especially with how much you two argue?” With a shrug, Ben covers one pan and turns the heat off on another, grabbing his own glass of wine as he leans against the counter. As strange as this all is, from seeing the art on Ben’s walls to sitting at his island, sipping a glass of wine, it’s nice. There’s no fear settling into Hux’s shoulders, no tension in his spine. All of the anxiety he normally feels in social situations didn’t walk through the door with him, almost. It helps that outside the walls of [restaurant name], Ben seems more relaxed. His hair curls slightly from its place tucked behind his ear, and Hux wonders what it would feel like running through his fingers, brushing across his skin. “I could work at some place like that,” Ben agrees. “I would get too little pay for too much work, but it would be challenging. A creative exercise, I’m sure those sorts of cooks would say. “Or I could work in the same kitchen my mom taught me how to make cookies. When I was really little, I took naps in the office. After close, I would run around the dining room and one of the hosts would play hide-and-seek with me. At some point, I’ll have to do something else, but for now? How could I go anywhere else?” The timer Ben set starts beeping, then, and he moves a few deli containers of ingredients so he can set a trivet on the counter. “Are you sure you don’t want any help?” Hux asks one last time, and Ben gives him an entirely unimpressed look. “What do you think I’m making, right now?” With a blush rising along his cheek, Hux realizes that while he’s been watching Ben cook, he’s spent all that time looking at Ben, not the cooking. “I’m pretty sure there were shrimp, at some point,” he says, “and I watched you pour some of the wine in there, which seems like a waste.” “The real waste is that we’re drinking it,” Ben admits. “I don’t know anything about wine, I just found the Sauv Blanc with the coolest label.” They both look to the bottle on the counter, then, which features a strange logo and a flaming sword. “And no, I’ll pass on the help. I’m not prepared for all the things I’d need, to start from scratch on cooking knowledge.” He pauses. “I’ll need to change the batteries on my fire alarm, for one. Wouldn’t want you to try and emulate me.” Ben keeps talking, but Hux is staring at his hands. One is cupping his wine glass, and the other is resting on the counter, fingers splayed over the butcher block. The veins in his forearms flex as he gestures, and Hux thinks back to that girl on a date. Remembers Ben’s words, about how the time passed differently, when it was the right person on the other side of the table. Feels Ben’s kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Did I lose you?” Ben asks, moving to lean on the island. Hux can smell his shampoo from here, could reach out and grab Ben’s hand. For a moment, he considers being weak. Every change in their relationship, Ben initiated and Hux responded in turn. Even now, he’s following Ben’s lead, sitting where he’s told, waiting to be shown what the boundaries are and following them to perfection. He could keep following, let Ben lead in this dance and take direction. He reaches his hand across the cold surface of the island, lets his fingers brush Ben’s closed hands. They open as he does, and Hux slides their hands together, holds loosely so Ben has the chance to pull away. Ben stays right where he is, rubbing idle circles on the back of Hux’s hand with his thumb.

--

all of this is of course unedited and subject to change but I’m having so much fun writing this au. I think about it while I’m at work, at it’s been great for my morale. Nothing like portioning broccoli while trying to flesh out a scene. The playlist for this AU is also going to be massive I’ll post that out of the main ship tag but under the AU tag I’ve created for this blog, which is just the working title for the fic in scrivener. It’ll be #hands off hands out

since you stuck around here’s another little bit that ripped my heart out writing.

-

Hux is smoking the last cigarette of his break up pack when Ben comes outside. For a moment, he thinks Ben will just turn around and go back inside, that the awkwardness of the situation will stop him from staying. Instead, he lets the door close and lock behind them and stands in front of the bell. “I thought you quit,” Ben says, and Hux sighs. He’s only half way through this cigarette, but he puts it out anyway, throwing it into the sand bucket and cursing himself for his own pity purchase. “Times of stress can bring back bad habits. I’m sure I don’t have to explain that to you.” “If changing jobs is that stressful for you, maybe you should just stay here.” So that’s what this is about. Hux should have known Ben was too earnest, too open, to just let him disappear into the city and try to pretend he didn’t ruin this. Be couldn’t let him fall with grace, he had to push Hux on the way down. “I’ve had an open offer at the First Order for a few months, now. I just never had a reason to take it.” “And now you do?” A small, bitter laugh claws its way from his lips. Desperately, he wishes there was still a cigarette between his fingers, smoke filling his lungs. Anything to pull him out of this conversation for a moment. “Now I do,” Hux agrees. “The hours won’t be as good, with school, but I should only have to graduate a semester late. Nothing, in the grand scheme of my life.” “Or you could stay here,” Ben says, and there’s something in his voice, an emotion Hux can’t quite place. He would call it hopeful, but what would he have to hope? That he can stay here and continue to watch Ben fall apart? Watch the person he fell in love with continue to ignore him, treat the people around him like punching bags, fall into a pit of grief so deep that light won’t reach him at the bottom? “I can’t be here, be in love with you, and not have you. I’m changing the only one I have any control over, Ben. I can’t seem to stop loving you and you seemed pretty firm in your dismissal. So I can’t be here.” And like the coward he is, Hux stands, pushing his way past Ben and into the restaurant. He washes the nicotine off his hands like it’s evidence of a crime and reminds himself that there’s only three more shifts between himself and freedom. Ben isn’t even scheduled on his last shift. Two more days of the consequences of his fuck ups, and he can try to forget that he met the love of his life and absolutely fumbled his chance at happiness. He’ll graduate from school, wait different tables, and wonder for the rest of his life what might have been, if he’d just said yes the first time. If he’d let his feelings be more important than a job.

-

I’m really glad people seem to like this AU because it’s 100% part passion project and part that I’m so tired of restaurant AUs by people who’ve obviously never worked in a restaurant and are just enamored with the idea of them. I don’t want to hear about the food, that’s the least important part. I want to hear about the conversations between servers and cooks that have to pause every time food needs to be run and the hidden complaining in the walk in about whatever dumb change management has made and the heart breaking moment when you hear an 18 top walked in with no reservation. I want awkwardly placed burns and broken equipment but also the satisfaction of a smoothly run busy shift and the feeling of a new oven on the line.

(I have another AU in my head inspired by recent events where ben is a restaurant repair tech, following in hans footsteps, and hux is a tired GM who just wants his things to stop breaking. We’ve had lots of repair people in lately and one of them worked on my table two days in a row and it was so annoying I went from pantry one day to saute the next and he was there both days with my table torn apart and in my way as I’m trying to carrying a pot of boiling water to and from my range while it’s filled with also ten pounds of cavatappi.)

((This AU will have to wait until the first one is finished though.))

[harper-dearest]

Here's another vid with voice headcanons, except it's just Edge, another oc of mine named Jake and Taylor. This was before I decided Edge needed a sister

Slight info on Edge, Cliff and Jake below the cut

So, first I made Edge. He started off as a drabble design in PLP, and I decided to make his name and surname common nouns, hence the name Edge Price.

I then realized how much he looked like Simon Petrikov. I then later realized he could pass for a Petrigrof fankid, so that became his gag and what his design was based off (he gets a hair color change to look more like Betty's, since his hair here and in the previous video is much too pink-ish)

So yeah, more than Simon, I based him a lot on Betty design and slightly personality-wise.

Enough about his design tho, let's get to a bit more of his lore.

To summarize it, he's the Larry Needlemeyer/Miss Rabbit of the Papa Louie restaurants (i.e. he works at every damn one alongside the other two canon chefs who he lets keep most of the money out of pity). Because of his financial issues, he eventually sold his heart in return for a sum of money large enough to keep him sustained and indulge a tiny bit. He has a "two sizes too small"-esque tattoo on his chest where his heart used to be. He has a robot heart now.

Cliff Price became a thing after I decided that it'd be nice for Edge to have a sister that looked opposite to him but still resembled their fanon parents. (Edge has Simon's skin, Simon's hair cut, Betty's eyes and Betty's hair color, Cliff has Betty's skin, Betty's hair cut, Simon's eyes and Simon's hair color)

Edge's shifts at every restaurant are split into weeks, and Cliff likes to tag along with him to jog around the town they're in and saying hi to the locals. Unlike Edge, who's a bit more on the shy and quiet side, Cliff is very sociable.

I don't have a lot of lore for her yet, so have a few funny things abt her.

Cliff once ran up to Duke Gotcha while he was live on the news, hugged (i.e. nearly strangled) him while waving at the camera and ruffling Duke's hair.

Cliff is an athlete, and her favourite things to do are jogging and hand-to-hand combat. Regarded as one of the strongest people in the Flipverse for her addiction to working out, Edge changed her contact name to "Donkey Kong," in part because of how extroverted, loud and unhinged she can be. She has no idea about this.

And last, but not least, Phineas Jacob "Jake" Cody.

Jake is an art major in college and a big heavy metal and rock fan. They're Edge's roommate in Tastyville, they also occasionally tag along whenever Edge travels and whenever they do go with him, they bring their electric guitar.

Some of their favourite bands are Los Prisioneros, Nirvana, Café Tacvba, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Los Tres and Depeche Mode. They also listen to Scarlett and the Shakers (hc these guys sound like Led Zeppelin)

Another random headcanon is that they gets along with Chuck. One time, they went with Edge to his shift at Starlight City for the Wingeria and they saw Chuck wearing a shirt that said "fome" (fome is a chilean synonym for boring, also the name of a Los Tres album), so they were like "holy shit u listen to los tres??" and Chuck was like "holy shit yes" (chuck, among others like treble and rudy, looks like the kinda guy to like chilean rock bands leave me and my silly headcanons alone–)

Yeah anyways that's it yippiee

[smallerplaces]

It's the most wonderful time of the Playmobil Christkindlesmarkt

When Dad said "oh, we have to keep and use the Playmobil Christmas figures," he probably believed the box contained a Santa's house, a sleigh, and maybe a couple other things.

He was so, so wrong. Last year's diorama required three shelves in the dining room. This year, I found the 1980s medieval houses and decided to go for the gusto with an entire Christmas fair, which takes four shelves.

Santa's house is alone on the upper top shelf because he lives at the North Pole.

Digging through Playmobil boxes as I was sorting to sell or give away excess found me an extra rocker, so now both Clauses can sit by the fire. It also yielded a red desk, so the Clauses have somewhere to work on the naughty-nice list. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mrs. Claus is stress-baking.

On the main level, at far left, is the ski and sledding slope and enchanted forest. Get up too much momentum on your sled, and you may end up stolen by the fae!

The elves clearly have the day off. Judging from how the guy in the green vest and red tuke is being treated by his elf, he's Tamlin.

New this year are non-white characters! Playmobil is a German brand, so they were slow-ish to expand characters into other skin tones, plus my parents' collection went back to the 1980s, so it reflects eras that were stingy with non-white rep. We had Native Americans in my original collection, but I sold that 20 years ago (if I hadn't, there'd probably be a buffalo menacing the reindeer).

During the big clean-out, I discovered Black adults and kids. I moved winter gear to every single one of them (except one, who you'll meet later), so that the Christmas Market is less out of line with modern Germany.

But what is Rufus, the Black parent in the white sweater and red cap, looking at so warily?

It's Russian Orthodox Santa! He's being pulled by a magical small horse, which the foxes in the background have chosen not to pursue.

Beyond St. Nicholas, something pagan appears to be afoot. I'm honestly not sure what, or even why the dead tree with the animals is kept with Christmas items.

The center section of shelves is one side of the town green, where a brass band of Santas is performing.

Santa has sprung for rent on a garage and workshop. Mrs. Claus is relieved to have this part of the home business out of the home. (That's his sports sleigh parked in the garage, while the big family sleigh is upstairs by the house. Santa had a bit of a midlife crisis a few years back.)

The Santa Band plays swing.

The right-hand Tudor house is a vet's office, convenient for when Santa's reindeer get a cough.

The final section of shelf is the rest of the town square and Christmas market.

Some of the vendors and shoppers are a little weird.

The porta-potty is the entire reason why the town square scene expanded this year. I found it in a box and had to use it.

The pizza restaurant equipment was also a must-use. Poor Santa has nobody to take his order! Meanwhile, small angels are panhandling outside.

The toy shop is delightful for those who don't want to wait for Santa.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the pizzeria's eating area, an indie band does sound check. (Or at least we hope it's sound check, since no one is upstairs to listen.)

[sauntering-down]

i was fuckin Tired last night thanks to spending like six hours at the dentist so i had some weirdass dreams... the first wasn't THAT exciting but for some reason i was reading RPF about two players on the Edmonton Oilers. i don't watch hockey but everyone else here does so i have to assume i absorbed the knowledge by osmosis because the television is right outside my bedroom.

second dream was the most detailed - attending high school, but minus almost all the usual School Dream staples. for some reason, this place was big on gangs, but not the serious kind. basically just groups of friends or students with shared interests, i guess? apparently the school originally had a sort of house system but it was ended for provoking way too much competition, and as a result the kids formed gangs (which the faculty was desperately trying to rebrand as 'clans' lol). i was in the 'Rippers', which had nothing to do with violence - we were, iirc, a bunch of glass artists - and i think we just took our name from the leader, who was ofc called Jack. he was a rather aggressive type, really neurotic, and at one point freaked out and escaped the school via jumping down the shelves in this three-story library. wild. anyway, there was also the 'Headhunters', who were pretty well known as bullies at one point but had mostly left that reputation behind now. every gang had a meeting place - the Headhunters were in a storage closet (where i sent one of our younger members to play chess with one of their freshmen lol), the Rippers were in the glassblowing facility (jealous of this school), there were the Leafcutters in the greenhouse, the Eagles in the 'Tower' which was actually just the room atop the building for roof access... i don't remember much happening, but there was a lot of worldbuilding haha.

third and final dream was just. weird. i was performing in a musical, one of the leading roles alongside a guy named David i used to know. he was two years older than me, in my brother's grade from elementary through high school. our characters were in love and i guess we'd kinda fallen for one another over the course of rehearsals and whatnot, but hadn't done anything about it until this first performance. afterwards i offered to drive him home, we went to his house (which may have been some kind of group or foster home as there were so many random children there), up to his room... and i think there was like. a fade-to-black sex scene but all i can remember of it is being curled up in bed with him afterwards and going to sleep. this is Weird for two reasons - one, i am a sex-repulsed ace, so no. and two, David was gay and i was still a woman in this dream, so... no? despite this, the next morning i woke up and went outside and he was sitting by the road with a couple of siblings; i went over and snuggled up in his lap and woke up right about then.

it's not anything i would want irl, but i won't lie... it was nice to not be desperately alone for a change.

(also, previous dream pulled from discord: "had a dream last night about a restaurant (sort of a fast food place maybe) called 'Knockoff' which sold, as stated, knockoff versions of other places' foods... but only like, the international offerings that were never available in the US. so you could get all the cool Japanese McDonald's stuff and whatnot. it was gr8.")

[discoursedeity]

Disappointed, bored & hurt, the worst trifecta:

I don't care what anyone else thought if the movie, if you liked it, good for you, I am happy you were able to enjoy it. I am not going to argue with you and tell you you're wrong for liking it and just being happy it actually got made because I don't want to ruin it for you. But I am going to say my piece regardless because I have been thinking about it all week and it is really bothering me and I want there to be helpful criticism out there for Scott Cawthon to pull from the fan base.

So I will start by saying that yes, I have been a fan since 2014 when Markiplier first uploaded his first video, and I have been watching countless YouTubers since then for it. Ranging from gamers who play the games, to theorists who disect them, and I cant even begin to count how many hours I have sunk into this franchise to watch all of those videos, so this isn't just someone coming in later and not getting it or something. Of course I caught things like Sparky the dog, and the Ella spring lock suit and thought "Oh my God, what a deep cut, how nice." But that in itself does not make a movie. Nor do the YouTuber appearances like MatPat being a waiter named Ness (as much as that moment was the highlight of the film) A movie needs to be written to make the audience CARE about it, it's world, it's characters. And this movie sadly just did not do that for any of the characters, be they human, ghost or animatronic.

Vanessa info dumping is a quick way to get the lore across, and yes fans already know the lore so I understand WHY things were done that way, but you should always SHOW not TELL. We fans would have loved to see it all unfold before our eyes, rather than just have some cop hang around for some reason to just spew lore out her mouth at us. We want to SEE the restaurant being established and built up, we want to see William spiral and finally decide to kill the kids, we want to see each conversation he had with each kid to get them to follow him, we want to see him kill them and put them in the suits, we want to see the kids ghosts adjusting to the suits and begin their rampage of killing guards.

That's Fnaf, that's what we are here for, the lore of the restaurant franchise, its history, its animatronics, that is all important for getting us invested, that and the mystery of it all since we like trying to solve things. So of course you don't have to show every single little thing lore wise, we do like to try to theorize and figure things out for ourselves when we are given enough pieces of the puzzle to do so, like if you are going to carry over that William also had 2 sons but you're planning to have them both be dead (one to Fredbear and one to Circus Baby) then you don't need to show us explicitly which one died first, but some things you really do need to layout for the audience to be able to feel invested in the movie. Again, like the characters, we have no reason to feel attached to Vanessa.

We don't know enough about her to care about whether or not she comes out of her coma. We have vague implications that William wasn't the best dad and that she has lasting trauma from that experience as his daughter, but we don't know what the trauma is or how severe her suffering was, so we can't truly empathize with her. Was she beaten by him? Or just yelled at or neglected? We don't know. And when building a character those sorts of things need to stated or at least hinted at more clearly to build intrigue and investment in the character. But they must be likeable as well, and non of the characters in the movie were relatable or likable enough. Mike was relatable, but his likability factor went out the window when he sold out his sister for a long dead brother that we also knew nothing about so we could care about him. The ghost kids weren't established enough as characters either, and while that may be because they have been there so long that they are not fully themselves anymore and you wanted to emphasize that it isn't really them just the negative emotions like anger and such that were left behind, it made it impossible for us to care about them beyond going "Oh dang, dead kids, poor things...Oh well, hey look at that animatronic." The only one who speaks is Golden Freddy's kid, and he was a brat.

On the topic of the animatronics, they were perhaps the biggest disappointment in the entire movie. It seemed like they were left as silent vessels for the kids both to try to make them scarier and fit the first game since they never talked in Fnaf 1, as well as to try to further emphasize the fact that this was about the ghost kids from the MCI situation. But it didn't work in either of those favors. The bots weren't scary, like the only time they had any level of intimidation factor was when Freddy stomped over to Mike when they were first introduced, and that was purely because of their size difference. The animatronics just came across as goofy. Like, how could they be threatening when they are so weak and slow that Bonnie and Freddy have to work together to lift one single little table? What makes them scary in the games is what they are capable of, how we see them move fast, how they are capable of intricate thought and planning, how they hide behind a friendly and calming facade but they are truly sinister and can outmatched any human in speed, strength and durability. But seeing the bots in the movie move so slow, barely be able to lift, go down so easily from one shot of a stun gun, it just takes any chance of them being perceived as an actual thing to fear away immediately. Not to mention the red and orange glowing eyes. It's like they are playing red light green light with their eyes and I could only laugh whenever I saw them. Where was was the iconic and chilling black with white pin pricks we all know and love? Those would have sent chills down any player's spine seeing them. The animtronics just looked so silly, and didn't have anything to backup their danger factor aside from killing some random break in thugs, 2 of which walked right into their own Demise so the bots didn't even have to work for it to show what they are capable of, (Freddy and Bonnie). And I get it, I know they were staged this way because the people in the suits probably can't see or move that well in them, and those physical limitations inhibit what can be done for the movie. But if that is the case, then why even bother making real suits and animatronics for this? If it is going to negatively impact the movie by posing such limitations, then don't waste the time or money on them, just use CGI. I would have preferred that even, since it would have allowed the animatronics to be as close as possible both look wise and feel wise to the game. As it is, Chica is the only one who perfectly matches how she looks in Fnaf 1. The boys all have slight color issues that keep them from being accurate adaptations. Really getting the creature shop to make them real was a mistake in every way except for the fact that it gives a chance for people to meet them irl at exhibits and stuff. But that isn't worth it if it requires shooting the movie in the foot. The animatronics should have been present more, they should have DONE more, they ARE Five Nights at Freddy's. We need them to be more involved, otherwise it feels less like a FNAF movie and more like the Fnaf bots making a cameo in some family drama movie.

Also, let's talk more about Mike and his whole dream thing. We got it the first time, we didn't need to see it over and over and over again. That was boring. Heck, the whole first 1/3 of the movie was just tedious and dull with all the setup and family drama, it felt like I was left waiting for the movie to actually start, like I was watching a required video before I could actually watch the movie. Yes, it was important to establish how down on his luck Mike was and why he needed a job and how this was his only option for work so he had to take it, even if it wasn't ideal. But the bots didn't even attack him until around night 3 or 4. So it was less about Mike coming back to the job despite the danger, and more about Mike just coming back despite it not working great with his schedule. And his backstop could have been established far faster and with less monotony. It took up so much of the run time that we could have spent better elsewhere, such as fleshing out William some more or on the animatronic side of things like I said earlier.

And God, William, oh William...He is just never going to be an actual threat again, is he? Like, odd enough to shift him from being British to just being American, but he was portrayed as so goofy as well in this movie. As Steve Raglan, I understand him being an upbeat and lighthearted guy, but when we are shown him in the suit, he should have had more buildup, there should have been more suspension and hype to make him FEEL like more of a threat. Him controlling the other animatronics should have also been shown, I don't care if it was him disguising himself as a friend via sound illusion disc's or some stereotypical remote control or what. But leaving it vague for anyone to see there to theorize about (or forcing them to read the books to understand) just takes any tension out of it by making it feel like a rushed cop out. His whole little speech about him creating disobedient monsters just felt sad and weird and out of place. And his delivery of his iconic line felt shoehorned in to be able to point at it and say "look, look, ah ha he said the thing" and was really just pathetically given, rather than it being more of a menacing and knowing promise. Plus, when we only know of 6 kills under his belt and all of them were children who couldn't fight back and we didn't even see how creepy and cunningly he lured those kids in to their deaths, we really have no frame of reference for what he is capable of and why we should fear him. Like, sure maybe he wasn't actually aiming to kill his own daughter, but if he shoved a big knife through her gut and she didn't even die and he actually WAS trying to kill her, then that's pretty sad. Makes him come across like a failure of a killer and more of a joke than anything. He couldn't even kill Mike for crying out loud, and Mike didn't have a gun like Vanessa did.

(Also, I suppose this is a nitpick, but why was he able to kick Mike in the suit without the spring locks going off? That was a hard jarring movement, and the foot meeting Mike was applying resistance, don't you normally have to be careful how you move and breathe in those things so as not to set them off? How can you harshly kick someone AND get tazed without it tripping the spring locks?)

I don't know, the whole thing just felt like it was relying on fans to just be satisfied with seeing Easter eggs, cameos, and feeling what superior or something for already knowing everything? I mean, the whole movie was so predictable, every single plot point of it, even Vanessa being his daughter wasn't a surprise to me or my friends that just went and saw it with. I've seen people say they went in with a Bingo sheet, and that is not a good thing at all. The run time was poorly allocated to the wrong points, and such important things like building the world of the Freddy's restaurant chains and its characters kind of got the screwed over. I watched this thing twice and hesitate to ever watch it again because my opinion of it already started out not so good with the first watch and fell to bad with the 2nd. I might actually cry if I try to watch it again. I don't like knowing I've waited years for this and hoped and prayed for the best, only to see red flags popping up when the trailers were released and then going in with low expectations telling nyself to ignore the warning bells in my head and actually seeing it, it's just so disappointing.

I love this franchise dearly, it's done so much good for so many good people. It gave so many people jobs as YouTubers who are a joy to see spread positivity and light in the world. Heck, the games also got some people to look at Chuck E Cheese in a new light and give it a visit. It's brought so many people together and inspired the next generation of game designers and story tellers. Nothing will ever shake me from its clutch, even back when Fnaf 3 came out and I felt disappointed I didn't give up on it, and that was back when it was still new enough that it didn't have a strangle hold on me yet. So of course I'm not going anywhere even if the Ruin DLC and movie were kind of a flops. I will still be here ready to go to the theater to give the 2nd movie a try when it comes out, I just hope that Scott and the crew learn from this and make better choices for the next one. Because I really want this series to be treated with the love and respect that it deserves.

Regardless of any complaints though, thanks to my fellow fans for being so devoted to the series as well and getting it past the Mario movie in terms of views for streaming, (the Mario movie was bad in its own way, mostly with Peach's...everything, and the voices of all the characters and stuff) so I'm glad to see it surpassed that shamless cash grab of a movie at something. And I am happy that the movie wasn't just abandoned after being in development purgatory for so long.

This again, was in no way meant to deter fans from enjoying it if they found something in it for them, keep enjoying it. If all you wanted was a cheesy movie that wasn't taken seriously and was intentionally bad, then all the power to you. But it truly is not for everyone. Hard core fans, casual fans, it doesn't matter, it truly comes down to what you were looking for in a movie. And I love Scott Cawthon and his dedication to the fans, but this really wasn't it and I know he can do better, so I darn sure will be voicing any complaints I have with the film to push him to push the movie crew to do better.

[ayliamc]

Italia

Day 5 - The Smell of the Ocean

Steps walked: 16,283

Flights climbed: 13

Vehicles ridden: 3 (two by land, one by water)

Points of interest visited: 3

Leonardos spotted: only bastardizations in tourist swag

We took our time having breakfast and checking out of the hotel, opting for comfort and taking a taxi to the train station rather than the metro. We got to marvel at the skill and audacity of Italian drivers as he cut through solid walls of traffic to get us to the station with plenty of time to spare. We strolled directly onto the train for the nearly three hour ride to Venezia. ‘Twas a relatively uneventful train ride, mostly pleasant, aside from the little boy who sat next to me for 30% of the ride who watched stuff on his phone with the volume on.

We arrived in Venezia, a sinking city, hungry. We tried two cafes at the train station who reportedly sometimes had vegan croissants but no such luck. Dan was noticeably worried because as my hunger grows, my moods become more mercurial. I insisted I’d be ok and that we could head to our hotel and maybe we’ll find something on the way. I was determined not to be the problem, as I usually am.

It was a half hour walk through Venezia to our hotel and along the way we passed a Chinese restaurant listed on Happy Cow (our vegan restaurant finder app, a necessity for every traveling vegan). I was not about to resist another break from Italian food so we had a very satisfying lunch there and I have no regrets about our first stop in Venezia being to a Chinese restaurant.

The rest of our walk to the hotel was uneventful, providing us a nice walking tour of the city, encumbered only by our luggage.

Some observations/thoughts about Venezia:

* For all intents and purposes, there are no roads. No cars. No vehicles. We walked exclusively through alleys, for lack of a better word. Ranging from wide to impossibly narrow, weaving with no apparent rhyme or reason thru the multi-story ancient buildings housing apartments, hotels, restaurants, and shops. Modern kitsch sold from crumbling brick store fronts and tourist traps next to local markets.

* How could anyone live here? It’s just fine to visit. Kind of surreal to experience. But people live their lives in this city where Amazon deliveries are brought by rolly cart and courier and emergency services take a boat to the nearest canal. Their day-to-day is spent navigating through a sea of tourists who seemingly outnumber them.

* It feels less like a real place where people live as it does a run down amusement park where there’s only one ride: a 30 minute gondola ride that costs €80. It’s all in need of a good scrubbing to get rid of that algae/fish/sea salt smell.

* You pay for water at restaurants here. They don’t do tap water.

Our hotel was directly next to a canal and gondola “start point”, of which there are many. The gentleman who ran the hotel greeted us at the door and was outrageously friendly and nice and Italian. “Buongiorno! Ciao! Welcome! You have-a my favorite room-a!”

‘Twas indeed a very nice room with windows that overlooked a canal. We unloaded our bags and went for a walk to the Piazza San Marco and the Doge’s Palace and meandered around, taking in the sights and sounds. Without having much interest in actually paying for admission to any of the museums or historic landmarks, there wasn’t a whole lot for us to do.

And here we are sighing at the bridge of sighs.

We eventually found ourselves in a gondola not far from our hotel (but not the one right next to the hotel entrance). I’d noticed that all the gondoliers were male and I did a bit of googling to confirm that in Venezia’s history, only one “female” gondolier has ever existed, and even then not really. Alex Hai became the “first female gondolier” a few years before he came out as trans. As far as I can tell, he still works as an occasional gondolier but by appointment only. He also works as a filmmaker. So we couldn’t support any women or trans-men, and were left with a traditional gondolier. He was still great and pointed out a few things on our half hour tour. My initial thought that 30 minutes was too short a ride was replaced after about 20 minutes when I decided “yeah, 30 minutes is plenty.”

Many of the gondoliers chat with each other as they pass, their long oars on the right of the boat while they use their left leg to kick off the building walls on either end of the narrow canals. It seems like an exhausting job. I don’t know how they do it. But it’s fun to watch.

We had some time to kill before our reservations. (Too late we discovered there’s exactly one vegan restaurant in all of Venezia and it was far and required reservations which we had not made. An email revealed to us that they were fully booked for the night. Our next best option was a very expensive restaurant that had a vegan menu.) We wandered aimlessly through our little corner of the city while I marveled at some of my aforementioned observations and went to our reservations a half hour early. They seated us immediately on their patio* and we immediately became aware that we were much too poor for this restaurant. We ordered two dishes each, aware that one dish would not be enough food despite the cost. Anyway it was all good. Not as good as the best meal I’ve had, and not good enough to justify the cost. But quite tasty. We had a nice leisurely dinner, hampered only by the French woman sitting next to us who lit up a cigarette right after we had our appetizers. Europeans, amiright?

I’ve also been starting to respond to every dog sighting with an ever increasing yearning for our babies back home. The best part of a vacation is knowing you’ll be ready to finish it at the end. We’re about halfway there, and that feels right.

Our hotel had given us a complimentary bottle of wine which was a sweet, mild Chardonnay which we happily enjoyed before bed, falling asleep to the sounds of splashing water and boats passing by in the canal below our window.

*the alley behind the restaurant

[katelyn-scstudyabroad]

Life in Hanoi

Hanoi is different from any other city I have ever been to, and it is even distinct compared to other places I have been in Vietnam. I could post many photos and write many paragraphs but one truly cannot understand what it is like to be here without experiencing it firsthand. You have to experience the feeling of a motorbike grazing within an inch of you as you walk along the side of the road because the sidewalk has too many restaurant setups, vendors, parking, and other obstacles to navigate. To hear the sound of aunties singing karaoke in the middle of a park at night (karaoke is very popular, especially among older women who will gather in groups to sing their hearts out). To have a random dog come up and beg for your banh mi as you sit and eat on a plastic stool in an alley. To inhale smoke from a random bush that is on fire while on the way to class (true story, there are many controlled fires for cooking and trash burning but this particular unattended bush fire on my morning commute stood out). To drink Vietnamese coffee in a cafe decked out with communist decor (there’s actually a cafe chain here, Cộng Cà Phê, that’s famous for being communist-themed and it is not uncommon to see communist decor and flags in general, which can seem a little weird for Americans). To look across the street and see a goat grazing in the middle of the city. I could go on for ages listing random experiences I have had however, as I mentioned, you really have to come here and experience things for yourself to get the full picture.

Some things aren’t that different. I have found that the human tendency to forget how to drive when it rains is universal; it happens in every city in the world. Another universal human trait is sharing love and bonding through food. I have to gotten to know some of my Vietnamese classmates recently by joining them for meals where they ensure that I am well-fed. I previously raved about some bún chả I had in a restaurant, but the best bún chả I have had so far was from a stall tucked away in an alley with seating underneath a tarp that some of my classmates took me to. Befriending locals is 100% the way to the best food in Hanoi.

While I love Vietnamese food, sometimes I do miss home and seek out western food. There are a decent amount of western food options around the city. Pizza is actually fairly popular in Vietnam. Children like to come up to me to practice English and many have told me that pizza is their favorite food. This may be due to pizza and other western food being special for them. My friend who lives here said that McDonald’s is for special occasions, as it is more expensive than local restaurants. Eating locally is definitely more economical; a banh mi for breakfast usually costs around $1USD while an “American” breakfast I had the other day was about $6USD.

Another random thing that reminded me of home was Valentine’s Day, which was celebrated the same as in the US. Last week stores sold roses, chocolates, heart balloons, and gifts, and couples went out on dates. I do not have a Valentine so the only thing that I had was a restaurant serving me a cucumber heart on that day.

While I love Hanoi, there are some downsides that I cannot neglect to mention. The streets are very dirty and waste management is lacking so there is trash everywhere, leading to many areas smelling pretty bad. This coupled with generally poor air quality means, while masks are no longer required for COVID, it is sometimes nice to wear a mask outside. The skies are gray and foggy most of the time, especially since it has been winter. Since I am used to sunny South Carolina, it is sometimes sad to go an entire week without seeing the sun. Public transportation is lacking and infrastructure is very motorbike-centric. Owning a motorbike is necessary for anyone living here long-term, but since I am here temporarily I get by on foot or using Grab (Uber for Southeast Asia). Also, being a foreigner is a little hard. While I think the people on my street are getting used to me being around, I generally get stared at a lot. Touristy areas like the Old Quarter are the only places that are accustom to foreigners, but because of that there are many people around aggressively selling. I much prefer a quiet walk with stares over getting harassed. Although most places have fixed prices listed, there are still many places that will try to up-charge or scam foreigners. This is mostly an issue in the touristy areas as well, I have found the businesses around FTU and where I live to be honest.

Overall I have had a great experience so far and I have learned to appreciate things like seeing the sun when it does make an appearance.