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notasapleasure · 11 months ago

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The world turning at his pace

aka that time in the back of the van

Cassian Andor/Brasso (Andor TV series), Explicit, modern AU, friends with benefits, idiots in love, plot what plot/porn without plot. i.e. the same fic I write every time, Pinky. Title inspired by lyrics from Elbow - An Audience with the Pope. 6,988 words. *julia dreyfus haha what the fuck.gif* CW a smidge of setting typical homophobia, but don't worry there's also gratuitous insulting of Rupert Murdoch.

I was tired from van driving and demanding Brassian smut, or prompts for it, and @distressednoise obliged in the most ingenious way. THANK YOU FOR ENABLING ME, FRIEND.

Not on ao3 yet, this is a special treat(??) for my tumblr sickos until I can be bothered uploading it properly.

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It should have been a simple job. Brasso picked up the van - full - and drove it to all the addresses on the list he was given until it was no longer full. Then, in the darkness, he turned back towards the depot, which lay a straightforward few hundred miles down the motorway, and anticipated being back in his own bed by dawn.

He was somewhere around Penrith when a ringtone interrupted the Shipping Forecast on the van radio. He'd forgotten his damned mobile phone was still charged; no matter how long he left it in the depths of his jacket pocket it never seemed to die. And when it rang, it was only ever one person calling - the same person who had set the ringtone to a tinny electronic version of Auld Lang Syne in honour of Brasso's rum-fuelled rendition last December.

With the phone beeping incessantly, Brasso cursing, and the ubiquitous Border rain lashing down on the windscreen, the van pulled into the hard shoulder of the M6 with its hazards flashing. For a moment, Brasso sighed at the percussive beat of the wipers and the indicators, then the ringtone started up again, grinding out its stately rendition of the Scottish ballad with the kind of patience - the kind of necessity - that didn't hang up early.

After a swift rummage in the hi-vis jacket lying on the passenger seat, Brasso raised the little device to his ear. "Yes? What's up?"

A lorry steamed past in the outside lane and Brasso felt his teeth rattle as the road shook beneath it.

On the other end of the line a familiar voice smirked directly into his ear: sweet, sharp and vicious as tequila with all the chasers. "Heard you were on a job up north?"

"How did you hear that?" Brasso shook his head, figuring Cassian would pick up the gesture well enough by his tone.

"Word travels," came the cryptic answer.

"What word? I only left this - yesterday morning."

"And you've been busy, lots to deliver, I know..."

"What is it you want, Cass...?"

"I thought if you were in the area..."

"What area?"

"If you were in the area I could really use a lift. I'm out of cash and I've got to get back to London..."

"What area, Cassian?"

The answer, sheepish, was mumbled so Brasso had to think hard to work it out.

"Stockton? On Tees? What the fuck, Cassian..."

"I mean, I'm near there. Trying to get a lift to - " as another lorry rumbled past Brasso's van he heard a horn honk down the line and Cassian unleashed a barrage of colourful curses in English and Spanish. "Yeah well fuck you too! I'm already in the ditch! Hello? Yeah, Brasso, I'm heading to Darlington. On the main road. How long will you be?"

Brasso mentally totted up the extra miles, the slow roads over the Pennines to the other side of the country. At least there'd be fewer rude freight vehicles that way, he supposed, as another one buzzed him with an indignant honk of its own.

"An hour and a half?"

"An hour?! I thought you were in the area!"

"Cass, 'the North' is a pretty big area. I'll come as quick as I can."

"Well do," Cassian pouted down the line. "It's wet, my socks are soaked already. You should break the speed limit or I might die of hypothermia."

Brasso let out a sigh. "If you get there first, wait at the petrol station on the bypass, ok?"

"If I'm not killed in a hit and run before then..."

"All right, Cass. See you soon."

"Yeah. Yeah, fine. Thanks..." there was warmth and genuine gratitude in that last word, at least.

Brasso flung the phone aside and rubbed his face. It never did to ask why with Cassian - it was best just to pick up the pieces and see what could be salvaged afterwards. He flicked the dial of the radio along until some sort of cheesy commercial station replaced the sober tones of the BBC. Penrith to Darlington, in a storm, as fast as he could go - this required power ballads.

Humming along to the closing bars of Total Eclipse of the Heart, he switched off the hazards and pulled out into the dark, momentarily quiet lane of the motorway. He cycled through the van's gears with ruthless efficiency until the engine sounded like a Formula One racer and the chassis began to rattle. Empty, the van sure could move, but the faster he went the more he expected to take off at the slightest bump.

Ten songs and one cursory news bulletin later, with the same handful of adverts repeated time and again between them, and Brasso was bringing the van in a loop around Darlington's centre, slipping beneath the sulphur-orange street lights as the fuel light glowed sadly up at him. He was running on fumes, but he'd said to meet at a garage, and his employers had given him a cash bonus to cover the cost of fuel.

There was no sign of Cassian there, however, and Brasso worried Cass had found a completely different place to wait. He checked the time again and filled the tank. He bought an assortment of foodstuffs and drinks from the kiosk when paying for the fuel and looked around as though all it would take to summon Cassian was a tube of Pringles, an energy drink, and a packet of gummy sweets.

Under normal circumstances, Brasso wasn't convinced it wouldn't have worked, but Cassian evidently hadn't reached the garage yet and remained stubbornly absent. Brasso got back in the van, peered into the drizzly night, and slowly continued onwards towards Stockton.

Trust Cassian to be walking along a duel carriageway on a night heavy with fog and rain. Would he be wearing hi-vis? Would he hell. Brasso switched the radio off and leaned over the steering wheel to stare at the edge of the road. He slowed to a speed that would really annoy his fellow road-users, only there were so few about at this hour of the morning.

He was starting to wonder if he'd missed Cass in all the spray and the spume when something caught his eye on the other side of the road - a bedraggled scarecrow loitering at a bin in a layby. Frowning, Brasso pulled into the inside lane to try to get a better look - and got undertaken by a furious white Audi for his troubles.

He took the next exit and followed the convoluted directions that would lead him back onto the road going in the other direction, and was soon approaching the layby.

Cassian fell upon the door to the passenger seat and was inside, dripping on all Brasso's stuff, before the van had even stopped.

"Jesus what took you so long?"

"What were you doing over here?!"

"What?"

"I was coming from the west, why were you on this side of the road?"

"I told you, I was trying to get a lift!"

"But you knew I was coming, and I'd be on the other side!"

Cassian was rummaging in the glove compartment and finally found what he'd been looking for: Brasso's tobacco, papers and filters. "Oh my god, I need this..."

The instant turbulence inside the cabin when Cass arrived meant Brasso hadn't noticed the van's grumpy beeping until they were up to 80, heading back towards the dull orange glow of Darlington and its corona of light pollution. "Cass - seat belt."

Cassian made a sound - acknowledgement, oral eye roll, impatient sigh all rolled up together - and fidgeted, speedily rolled fag hanging from his lips as he sought the end of the seat belt.

Brasso swore he could hear Cass's clothes squelch. That long trenchcoat hadn't been waterproof since before Cass inherited it from his foster-father. It was like Cass thought that even repairing or properly maintaining it would cause it to lose its connection with Clem.

He settled, though, and the windows started to mist with condensation as the van's heating warmed him up.

By the time they were back at the junction for the A1 some unfortunate HGV driver had aquaplaned themselves into a horizontal position across both lanes, which were closed until the lorry could be moved. Thwarted, Brasso tried to give a good-natured nod to the police officer redirecting them - as Cassian kept his head down and his collar up - and speculated on a new route through the countryside, meandering a way over to the A19.

It was gone 3am by the time they passed Thirsk; Cassian's teeth were chattering though the heating was all the way up and the van cabin smelled of burning dust and hot plastic. The air was tropical with the moisture still steaming off him, but the heat was making Brasso sleepy as hell, and between them he and Cassian had already finished the bag of gummies and the energy drinks. Cassian hadn't told Brasso what he'd been doing in the North East and Brasso hadn't asked.

"Back in London tonight?" Brasso stifled a yawn against the back of his hand as they drove past a picnic spot, thinking wistfully that he could pull over there and sleep in the cabin if he didn't have a soggy passenger in the other seat.

Cassian made an ambivalent noise. His arms were wrapped tight around his torso, his elbows gripped in his hands. "No...just before tomorrow." Noticing Brasso's incredulous look, he added "I mean, this afternoon? He won't be looking for me until then."

Best not to ask - always best not to ask. But Brasso gave Cassian another sideways look that said he was very much tempted to ask.

"Shall we stop?" Cass released an elbow so he could chew on the fingernails of the hand that had been holding it.

"What?"

"That's why you're asking, right? You've been driving for hours. We should probably stop."

Brasso had been trying very hard not to think about stopping or sleeping, lest the very idea of either be so tempting he'd just succumb then and there. "No B&B's gonna be open at this time of night, Cass."

"We can sleep in the back of the van!"

The suggestion was so immediate Brasso guessed Cassian had been considering it for some time already.

"Have you seen back there? It's filthy. Last job was a bunch of reclaimed garden gnomes, they came with half the bloody garden!"

"I guess the other option is you drive till you pass out and then we get beds in A&E," Cassian hissed as Brasso had to blink and swerve when someone in the other lane sped past without dimming their headlights.

With a curse, Brasso assented. He told Cassian to keep an eye out for laybys, though now they were back on the motorway he figured they'd just have to wait for a truck stop that wasn't already full. They were past Wetherby and had finished the Pringles too by the time they found one, and made a dash from the cabin to the rear of the van through rain that was thinner but no less persistent than it had been further north.

Cassian hopped into the back as Brasso was still hoisting himself up and trying not to hit his head on the roof. He wrinkled his nose and crouched to rummage through the crumpled pile of packing sheets, looking for something dry, clean and comfortable to lie on.

Nothing met all three criteria, but a combination of loosely folded sheets made a sort of pillow and a cover for the cold metal base of the van. Everything smelled of mud and oil and antifreeze, but that was soon disguised by the smoke of the cigarettes Brasso rolled for them while Cassian wriggled out of his wet trousers. In the dark of the van he didn't bother hiding the fact he was watching Cassian, and Cassian didn't pretend not to notice. An ember-lit outline of sharp limbs, his eyes glittering and fathomless, Cassian sat there in his boxers and t-shirt, smirking around his fag at Brasso as he waited on the simply arranged square of bedding, his knees drawn up and his arms draped loosely around them.

Taking his time, Brasso dragged his eyes away from Cass and unlaced his boots. He left his socks on, but in an unspoken concession to Cass's continued shivering, to the goose-bumps on his legs and the way his body hair stuck out from each one, he pulled off his trousers and unbuttoned his shirt.

The cold air made his own hair stand on end and his nipples harden, but the light of their cigarettes was almost as warm as the looks they each cast across the cramped space.

"Budge up then," Brasso muttered, stubbing out his fag end against the metal roof and chucking the butt aside.

Cassian stubbed his own cigarette out and plunged them into darkness as Brasso shuffled in close beside him. He pulled his hi-vis over the both of them, though it left his legs cold, and tucked himself around Cass's back - bare chest against the still-damp fabric of his t-shirt, knees to the back of Cass's knees, and Cass's round little arse perched neatly against Brasso's crotch. Brasso dutifully buried his cheek against Cass's neck and closed his eyes - though it was so dark inside that he couldn't tell the difference if he opened them again.

The rain outside continued its dance on the flat metal roof, not thunderingly heavy, but in loud, fat drops that always seemed to come and jolt Brasso's eyes open just as he thought he was finally relaxing into sleep.

Then again, he didn't feel tired anymore. The nictotine buzz was coursing through him, and Cassian had warmed up in his arms - mostly, though ice-cold toes sometimes curled round to prod at Brasso's shins. It was obvious by his breathing that he wasn't asleep either, and with a contrived cough to clear his throat he pushed back against Brasso in a way that compelled Brasso to bite his lip.

It was always going to come to this from the minute his phone rang, Brasso knew. It happened off and on, the way Cassian came and went in and out of the lives of those around him. It had been happening off and on for some years now, actually. If Cass needed a favour, Brasso obliged when no one else would be soft or daft enough to do so; Cassian, perpetually broke and perennially aware of the effect his big brown eyes had on people, paid Brasso back in love bites and nail marks. It would have made Brasso feel like just another of Cass's lovelorn, disposable conquests -only with him, Cass did one thing he never did with the others - he kept coming back when he needed Brasso. By now they had both become quite good at knowing the steps that would ensure things continued this way and Cass would keep on coming back as long as Brasso kept on releasing him so he'd return again. It was a simple sort of dance with very little discussion involved and a lot of implicit assumptions - it needed to be, given the darkness of the back of the van.

Once more, Cassian wriggled against Brasso until he forced a grunt of acknowledgement from Brasso's lips. Brasso fidgeted in turn, trying to make sure nothing essential was trapped under Cass's bodyweight.

Cass twisted his head around, his messy hair catching in Brasso's nose and mouth. "You still awake?"

"Yes I'm still awake, you won't stay still for five seconds!"

Inevitably, with the pressure of Cass's arse against him, Brasso had already felt the first stirrings of heat in his groin. When Cass detected it too, he shuffled back against Brasso's twitching cock, ensuring it would harden between his arse cheeks. Again, Brasso bit his bottom lip and turned his face towards Cassian's neck. His arm tightened around Cass's body and he breathed in the smell at the nape of his neck - sweat and rain and cheap laundromat detergent, cigarette smoke and ground spice and something astringent: counterfeit ink? Cleaning fluid? Machine oil? Probably a palimpsest of all three.

Cass gripped onto the arm round him with one hand and reached behind him with the other, fingers questing for Brasso's arse to give it a squeeze and pull him closer.

Finally, Brasso let himself open his mouth against the back of Cass's neck and scrape his teeth over clammy skin, placing a kiss on each protruding vertebra he could reach, nuzzling his way down the back of Cass's t-shirt until he felt the vibration of a whine in Cass's chest beneath his arm.

When Cass moved with the kind of urgency that followed no force on earth could hold him - he shuffled his hips round and his arms snaked across Brasso's side and under his neck as Cass pressed close to him in the dark, his nose bumping against Brasso's cheek and his lips seeking out Brasso's lips. Salty flavouring from the crisps they'd shared and a hint of sugar from the energy drink coated his tongue as he thrust it into Brasso's mouth, kissing him hard and hungrily.

Brasso let himself be turned half onto his back by the attention, Cass pushing aggressively down on him, his hands clamping Brasso's jaw to hold him just how he wanted, before one restless set of fingers trailed down the open front of his shirt, raking through chest hair, carelessly catching at the ticklish curls on his belly and then plunging into the waistband of Brasso's boxers.

Brasso's hips bucked into the touch, but he could feel a rivet on the floor of the van's uneven surface digging into his shoulder blade, and it wasn't quite the juxtaposition of pleasure and pain that did it for him.

Cass didn't understand that from the sound Brasso made in his mouth though and redoubled his efforts down Brasso's underwear, fingers crooking deep under his balls and palm rubbing down on his cock. For a moment it did actually balance the pain in his shoulder quite well, and then Brasso managed to break free of the kisses, a hand gripping the back of Cassian's hair like he was dragging an overenthusiastic dog away from last night's takeaway on the street floor.

Cass bared his teeth in a similar way to a dog, too - Brasso knew because they dragged on his lip as he pried Cass away and shoved him over onto his back with a grunt.

Cass released his cock and dug fingernails into Brasso's chest instead, tangling in the thick dark hairs there and tugging so Brasso's skin prickled with sore heat.

Swearing as he kissed the squirming, sharp-toothed thing beneath him, Brasso fumbled for Cass's face in the dark, raking his own fingers through Cass's beard and hair. He dropped his hips heavily against Cass's and was in no doubt that the noise Cass made was a sign of appreciation at the rough handling. Brasso moved his grip from Cass's face to his hips and ground his body down against Cass's, groaning at the friction between his boner and the two layers of thin cloth separating it from Cass's equally hard cock.

It made Cass release another sound, and he didn't bother disentangling his fingers from Brasso's chest hair before ripping one hand away to yank the back of Brasso's boxers down and land an open-palmed slap on the arse cheek he exposed.

"Fuck!" Brasso muttered in surprise as the stinging sensation lingered while Cass's restless hand worked at pulling his boxers further down.

It just gave Cass another opportunity to clamp down on his lower lip and suck until it felt bruised, so Brasso relented and freed a hand to assist in the removal of his underwear.

The boxers were barely off his arse cheeks when Cass started wriggling away anew, slipping down beneath him towards the doors at the back of the van.

"What're you - ? Cass, where are you going?" Brasso had to hold still and listen to the hollow banging of Cassian's shoulders and arse squirming against the floor of the van as he shuffled beneath him.

The first indication he had of where Cass had ended up was the hair tickling his navel, then a breathy giggle against his stomach, followed by lips, teeth, lips, and a hand between his legs as Cass tried to manoeuvre the two of them so he could get Brasso's cock in his mouth.

It wasn't easy to prop himself up how Cass wanted without hitting his head on the roof of the van in the dark, and Brasso was only partially successful in the endeavour, but he wasn't going to spend long contemplating the bruise on the back of his head when Cass was insistently whining "Come on Brasso, fuck my mouth, I'm right here!" between swallowing as much as he could of Brasso's cock and tugging on his arse, trying to get a rhythm going.

Scrabbling in the pitch black for a hand hold, Brasso eventually found one of the straps for securing cargo and got his weight on his knees so he could thrust down into the darkness and the invisible, wet warmth of Cass's mouth. Without being able to see what was happening he could only concentrate on the sensation of tongue and pressure, sucking and - more often than he meant to cause it - gagging. Cass's fingers would tighten on his arse and he'd try to hold Brasso close even as he spluttered and choked. Brasso could feel the back of Cass's throat pulse defensively against the pressure of his cock and always slowed down afterwards, tried more measured movements, but Cass would crane his neck and bear down on him until he could dictate the angle of Brasso's hips - with just the softest threat of teeth as he did. The third time Brasso had to listen to him retching in the dark he pulled back and sat down heavily on what turned out to be his hi-vis jacket.

"Where'd you go?" Cassian said sulkily, but Brasso was already rummaging by touch for the pockets of the jacket. He found the lube and condoms first, then his lighter.

"Here," he flicked his thumb over the spark wheel and held the plate down, squinting past the little blue flame to meet Cassian's eyes.

His cheeks were flushed deep red and his lips were shining with spit. His hair was a wreck and his beard was tousled against its natural growth, his t-shirt was half shucked up and his boxers were peaked like a circus tent.

Brasso stifled a sigh at the sight of him, but Cassian didn't hide the flash of lust in his own eyes at whatever the light had revealed of Brasso himself. He ran his tongue over his lower lip and moved like he was about to pounce.

"Wait! Wait wait wait!" Brasso held a hand up with a condom held between his fingers and offered Cass the lighter.

He pulled a face and took the condom instead, raising the corner of the foil to his mouth.

"Don't you fucking rip it," Brasso held the lighter steady and glared at him, eyebrows raised in warning.

Cassian's own eyes widened - as if! - and he daintily tore the corner before opening the packet with his fingers. "Can't believe you don't trust I'm clean," he muttered around a smirk as he leaned forwards to fit the condom on top of Brasso's prominent boner.

"Like I even want to know where you've been," he answered, feeling his throat tighten with longing as he watched Cassian's fingers move nimbly down his cock, rolling the sheath over it. "Besides, you never even ask where I might have been."

Cassian looked up at him quickly, sharply, his lips hidden by his moustache and his eyes cast into uncanny darkness by the side-lighting of the little flame. He seemed so alien to Brasso when he looked like that, like a creature from another world entirely. "I can only imagine," Cassian purred, lavishing Brasso's cock with a series of firm strokes.

He leaned over then and blew out the flame of the lighter, which Brasso didn't bother holding onto and chucked aside into some hollow corner of the van.

His eyes were confused by the afterglow of the flame, but he knew where Cassian's pants were anyway and dived for them with both hands, pulling them away as Cass flailed his legs to speed up the process. It didn't really achieve the desired effect, just earned Brasso a fat lip from the knee he took to the chin, but with a crack of stitches stretching the offending item of clothing was removed and Brasso fell upon Cass guided by smell alone, following salt and sweat and musky warmth. He pushed his tongue into the base of Cass's cock and worked it against his balls, sucking the loose skin on them and then running his mouth up the taut underside of his cock.

Cass whined and squirmed and grasped at Brasso's hair, his shoulder, his arm, seeking the hand with the lube in it so he could take the bottle and open it. He poured it - mostly - on Brasso's fingers, though some dropped onto the skin of his hip and he wriggled and flinched as it trickled a cold track over his body.

Brasso felt his way between Cass's arse cheeks as he mouthed Cass's cock, probing the darkness for the place that gave way to him, eager and accommodating to the first finger, tighter around the second.

Cassian made a desperate sound and bucked his hips up into Brasso's touches. "Come on, come on..." he complained, then sucked in a sharp breath as Brasso pushed the pair of fingers deep inside him. Cass moaned, and the sound made Brasso feel like he'd been kicked in the solar plexus by a velvet boot. He made his own grunt of pleasure against Cass's nutsack and lowered his hips to the van floor, his knees bent and feet kicking absurdly in the air because he was too close to the door to lie down flat. The van floor was cold and hard under his cock and he squirmed his hips again and pushed his fingers inside Cass to help prop himself up.

Cass's body clenched round him and Cass let out a hoarse cry - "Oh, fuck, do that again!"

Brasso tried, but the pressure wasn't as great now he was stable, so he pulled his fingers out and slapped his hand on Cass's hip. "Lube - where is it?"

"Oh, do you have to? Just fuck me..." Cass's knees knocked against his sides and he tried to draw him closer with legs tangling around his torso.

"I think some would be a good idea, Cass."

"There was some on your fingers already. I threw it over by the lighter. It's not worth going looking, just come here," he got his ankles crossed behind Brasso and tugged him forwards until their stiff cocks were trapped together between them and Brasso's tongue was somewhere halfway down Cass's throat again.

He made the most of it while he was there, rolling his hips and rubbing against Cass until the sounds Cass was making in his mouth grew desperate and high-pitched.

Abruptly, ruthlessly, Brasso pulled away from him and grasped for the inside of his thighs, squeezing soft, sparsely haired flesh aside and pushing forwards with his cock. He released one of Cass's legs so he could guide his head up to Cass's hole and test the resistance of his body.

He was tight, but still keen, insisting he wanted Brasso to fuck him hard even as Brasso began to ease inside him.

He shuffled forwards on his knees as best he could, realising there was no packing sheet beneath him, wherever they'd ended up. His head and shoulders were bowed so he didn't knock the roof with his head again, and he braced himself with one hand against the roof and the other on Cass's hip, holding him steady as he pushed deeper in a careful, slow way that brought guttural sounds of impatience from the darkness where Cassian lay.

Once he was all the way in he heard Cass release a shaky breath and felt him bring his hips up towards Brasso's carefully.

"You good?" Brasso moved his body in a small pulse against Cassian's just to make sure he got a genuine response, feeling him clench and force himself to relax.

Cass whimpered, but it was lust more than discomfort that made his voice shake when he replied "Yes, fucking come on!"

Brasso grunted acknowledgement, like it made no odds to him, but he thrust carefully, in measured movements that would feel hard to Cass but kept much of Brasso's power in reserve for now. He got in as close as he could, his knees splayed to either side of Cass's body and Cass's cock held gently but firmly in his hand as he bucked his hips against him.

Bit by bit, Brasso let his hips and hand speed up and put more power into the cycle of his thrusts, and he felt Cass's body rock and slide beneath him, his attempts at getting purchase somewhere on his surroundings failing as Brasso's body pounded solidly against his. Cass's legs floundered at Brasso's sides, his knees knocking against his ribcage, and he struggled to assert any control over the pace or rhythm from where he was, caught and held by the movement of Brasso's body.

He was getting louder with each moment too, helpless sounds and the back of his throat turning to hoarse, choked repetitions of "Ah!" that got louder the harder Brasso managed to thrust inside him, the more in time he could make the pumping of his hips and of his hand on Cass's cock.

Brasso's eyes fell shut in the darkness as he focussed on the rhythm and the feeling of Cassian's insides, hot and tight, yielding yet strong around him. Behind closed eyes, Brasso imagined what he couldn't see in the dark: Cass's open mouth and his eyelids falling heavily over a heated gaze; his chest rising and falling intermittently as he gasped for breath, but jerking with each coming together of their bodies; his nipples showing hard through the threadbare fabric of his t-shirt and the hair on his belly starting to gleam with sweat where it appeared at the hemline.

Brasso's eyes were still closed when Cass came hot and gushing, spilling over Brasso's hand and spattering his belly and navel. The feeling of it - a surprise in the dark, no matter how inevitable it had been - made Brasso himself come, heat digging deep in the pit of his body and rolling up like a riptide, dragging him away from himself, rushing him into some abyss where he forgot, for a moment, that the back of the van was dark, and thought he'd gone blind with ecstasy.

He let himself lie against Cass for a while afterwards, and Cass held him tight too, his legs tangled around Brasso's and his fingers holding the back of Brasso's head like, Brasso imagined, he'd hold a man beneath water until he drowned.

Sleepily, Brasso mouthed kisses along Cassian's neck, and Cass ran fingers over Brasso's skull. Brasso fidgeted and wrung out the last remnants of pleasure from his hips with little movements that didn't do much more than allow his soft cock to slip out of Cass's arse. Cass moved his head to nose and chin Brasso's face aside until he could be kissed, now with less use of teeth, with more sweat in Cass's moustache, with even more left unsaid than went unsaid during foreplay. Brasso imagined it was the kind of kiss the heroes of cheap romance novels got at the end of the story, and, like them, he prepared for the closing of this little fantasy they shared - until the next time Cass needed him. For now they'd sleep well, wrapped round each other like weeds, and when they woke they'd finish the drive, maybe get breakfast somewhere and bitch about the morning headlines like nothing had happened, and Brasso would drop Cassian off, and they wouldn't meet again for weeks or months, and then they'd do it all over as and when they needed to.

This had been a particularly good encounter though, Brasso admitted to himself as he pulled the condom off and knotted it before slinging it away into the darkness. Probably meant it would be a while before they did this again, each one nervous of what it meant that the most satisfying fuck they knew was someone they'd never publicly acknowledge as more than a well-worn old friend. Really, Brasso thought with a degree of relief as he nuzzled his face into Cass's shoulder, it was a good job they didn't talk about this. He'd only go and say something stupid, after all, like telling Cass he'd leave the rest of the world to rot and serve no one but him if the self-sabotaging little bastard ever cared to ask.

He didn't need to though - that was the point. He already knew - didn't he?

Too sleepy to worry overly about this, Brasso fumbled around for the hi-vis again and swept it over their shoulders, shuffling until they lay brow to brow, shoulder to shoulder, their lower legs twisted one on top of the other. Cass's breath tickled his face, and Cass's wrists sandwiched the arm Brasso lay on protectively between them.

He didn't remember lying awake or agonising about a thing - next he knew there was a cool, silvery dawn light in his eyes and a cold breeze on his feet. The van's doors were open and voices sparred tetchily outside.

Brasso sat up and cast about for his boxers, pulling them on as he tried to pick up the words being spoken outside. His back and shoulders ached from sleeping on the hard, uneven bed of the van, and he longed for coffee and a cigarette to clear the fog in his mind and his mouth.

"I said come over here, you little poof! I've got a sausage bap right here for you!"

Brasso sighed at the sound of a trucker yelling across the layby and quickened his work as he pulled his boot laces tight. Peace had been nice while it lasted.

He didn't catch Cassian's reply to the provocation, but he did step out of the van in time to see him turn, quick as a snake, and, with a little hop for extra height, smash his forehead into the taller man's nose.

The first thing Brasso noticed was how filthy the back of Cassian's t-shirt was where he'd been pressed against the van floor last night. Then he admired the shape of Cass's arse in his thigh-hugging boxers and the expanse of wiry, muscled leg leading down to his bare ankles and loosely pulled on Docs, muddied yellow laces trailing. Then, belatedly, he caught himself and sauntered over to pull Cass back from the trucker by a fistful of that grotty t-shirt.

The other man wasn't about to come for more though - if Cass's Glasgow kiss hadn't dissuaded him the sight of Brasso would have done. He cupped his bleeding nose and looked at the pair of them incredulously. "Pervs," he snarled, stepping back.

"What did you do?" Brasso couldn't help but ask as Cassian turned back towards the van, chewing on the cuticle of a finger with no nail left to gnaw on.

"I was just having a pee behind the bin! I asked where to get breakfast round here," he huffed, grabbing after Brasso's hi-vis and looting the pockets for baccy and papers.

"There'll be somewhere at the next services," Brasso told him, sweeping up the discarded fag ends, used condom and some of the other detritus from the van and taking it to the overflowing bin in his cupped hands.

On reviewing the state of the van and of Cassian, he saw they'd missed the messy pile of packing sheets entirely, and Cass's t-shirt had rubbed a section of the floor nearly clean. The streaky patch of grot made it look like they'd dragged a corpse out of the back, and Brasso wondered whether his employers would prefer to hear that excuse rather than learn their van had been repurposed as a '70s style shagmobile.

He retrieved his lighter and his lube and chucked the hi-vis at Cassian. "For your dignity."

Cassian pulled a face but nestled himself inside the large jacket. Inside the cabin he arranged his socks and trousers across the over-worked air vents so they'd have a better hope of drying and sat in the passenger seat - all fluorescent orange and bare legs - smoking his way through Brasso's tobacco.

They agreed to skip the first few service stations they passed - there was a chain of diners further south that Brasso knew would feed them well enough to compensate for the lack of sleep. They probably wouldn't even ask Cass to put his trousers on either.

As it turned out, his trousers were dry enough to pull on by the time they stopped to eat, and Brasso watched Cass fall upon an obscenely stacked breakfast burger from over his vat of coffee, wondering where Cassian was putting the mountains of hash browns and black pudding that he guzzled down. It was for the best that they were both reasonably decent as the morning crowd included holidaying families, but Cass didn't modify his language when he flipped through a copy of the Sun someone had left on the table.

"Mum, what's 'scrote-faced misery pornographer'?" a young girl asked in the next booth after a particularly forceful outburst, so Brasso kicked Cassian's shins under the table.

"Can it! No one here cares what you think of the editorial."

Cass rolled his eyes and pointed again to the story that was vexing him - increased police powers, a change the paper wholeheartedly supported - and launched into a defence of his outburst, as if Brasso needed convincing of the argument against giving the pigs a free rein to stop and search at taser-point. He was thinking instead of how accurate his prediction for the morning had been, and how this was simultaneously reassuring and a little unnerving. It was like he'd already cut himself off from this time with Cass, and was just counting down until their next run in, however many weeks or days in the future it would be.

"Want me to drive?" Cassian asked him as they walked back to the van, the wind whipping his unkempt hair across his face and his smirk half-hidden by his moustache.

"You're not insured," Brasso rolled his eyes. He hadn't recovered from the last time he'd been in a vehicle with Cass at the wheel - the van was not made for the kind of ruthless speed Cass specialised in.

In any case, ten minutes down the road Cass was asleep in the passenger seat, head back against the seat and snoring lightly in a way that raised a fond smile to Brasso's lips. When he noticed himself smiling he rubbed his face and gave his cheek a tap or two, telling himself to snap out of it.

He drove straight to Sal's - it had probably been someone at the yard who had told Cassian he was up north on deliveries anyway.

Brasso drank too-hot instant coffee from a polystyrene cup in Sal's office and listened to the next itinerary. Sal wasn't mad, or surprised, that Brasso had turned up late with an extra passenger - Cassian was now rummaging through Sal's wares while Bix kept a close eye on him, making sure nothing pocketable got pocketed.

When he had his new list of addresses and orders, Brasso went out to hand it over to Bix for loading. "You want a lift somewhere?" he asked Cassian.

"First delivery of the day," Bix raised an eyebrow.

"I like to get the awkward ones out of the way first."

Cassian gazed coolly at the two of them, waiting for them to finish. "Apparently the Swede isn't pleased with the last job I did for him."

"He did not sound happy this morning," Bix confirmed, folding her arms and glancing at the perspex windows of Sal's office. "We could hear him bawling at Sal all the way at the far end of the yard."

"Guess I could stay at Maarva's storage unit for a bit," Cassian tore another strip of cuticle off between his teeth.

"Why don't you take him with you?" Bix looked over at Brasso, mischief in her dark eyes. Like Cassian, she could smirk without moving her lips at all.

"So when this pissed off Swedish guy goes looking for him, I get found too?"

Bix shrugged. "How will he know Cass is with you? Besides, you'll have a navigator and a hand with unloading."

Brasso eyed Cass and Cass eyed Brasso. Brasso wondered if Cassian was thinking the same thing as him - what if the time apart was necessary to the functioning of their benefit-heavy friendship?

But Bix punctured the seriousness of Brasso's considerations with a casual addition: "Maybe the whole of Sal's van will be clean by the time it's safe to come back."

Brasso looked at her in surprise, Cass looked casually at the inside of the van, and Bix shrugged.

With that secret not, apparently, a secret, maybe it was best to skip town for a while, Brasso conceded.

#brassian #brasso #cassian andor #andor fic #my fics #pwp #¯\ (ツ) /¯

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hatchetfieldtheories · 4 years ago

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Return to Hatchetfield-Town – The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals Part 1

Alright settle down kiddos. Get comfy, find a warm blanket and hug your favourite fwendy-wend as we start our Return to Hatchetfield-Town series.

I’ll be rewatching all the Hatchetfield scripted content (i.e. not livestreams or interviews) and jotting down what happens, explaining some concepts and delving into some of the key theories in the series (and using the word “implications” that often it will cease to have meaning).

Even though I’ll be doing the rewatch by show in order they came out, there will be spoilers for all Hatchetfield content that is available as of the rewatch.

I’ve also linked to a number of other blog’s theories here because they are amazing, but if you aren’t happy with your theory being included I will be more than happy to remove it! Just let me know.

[Part 2]

The Guy Who Really Hated Brigadoon

TGWDLM starts off with the greatest song ever to feature dancing zombies… at least I can’t think of any other notable ones.

In the title song, the cast of singing and dancing zombies explain to us that all great stories have to have a hero, someone who knows right and wrong and that the best way to do this is through singing and dancing in musicals. This with the later line of “they evoke the philosophical” make me think that Pokey took a class in Campbell’s Hero Myth in College and became that guy.

Hatchetfield Challenge: try not to shrug your shoulders along with the music at the chorus. Its impossible. No wonder the Hive spread so quickly. Literally killer dance moves.

So then they introduce us to an awful Grinch named Paul and we hit the first point in the show where I laugh out loud every single time I watch.

I know TGWDLM was not originally intended to be the first Hatchetfield show but starting this series with a song which sets up the story so well is truly spectacular. And is there anything more Starkid than introducing your main character by having other characters sing about how awful they are?

One thing I have noticed while writing, reading and collating Hatchetfield theories is that while most Black Friday and Nightmare Time theories are usually about the overall Hatchetfield lore, most TGWDLM theories are usually quite self-contained and focused on this one show. TGWDLM – while so fully within the Hatchetfield extended universe, is definitely the show that can best stand-alone without the others.

It’s the end of the world, Paul

If you don’t sing

This is the bridge, Paul

Where we globalize everything

And the words will come to you

We swear we will teach you

What it means to love

What it means to obey, Paul!

On a first watch this is very funny. On your 10th watch this is terrifying.

CCRP Technical: No-one here knows how to use their printer

Following the absolute bop of a title song we find ourselves in CCRP Technical and all feels very… normal. It’s very weird following all the revelations in subsequent Hatchetfield media, to be watching a show where there was genuinely nothing obviously fishy about CCRP. We’ll obviously discuss CCRP more when we get to Nightmare Time, but for now all we know is that Paul works in the technical department of CCRP – an unknown corporation, with some key characters, Charlotte, Bill and Ted.

We also find out more about Grinch Paul’s personality and honestly, Paul is me pre-pandemic just outright avoiding social interactions and suddenly going for coffee in the middle of the work day. (I have become a changed woman in lockdown – someone please invite me somewhere… anywhere!)

For all the dark humour and death in the Hatchetfield series, Starkid do know how to bring the joy – I love how excited the town of Hatchetfield are for a touring production of Mamma Mia.

Fake Fact: TGWDLM is actually an allegory for Europe in the 1970s, when we all became mind-controlled by Abba’s Waterloo. (Find me a better explanation for Eurovision, I dare you! The sequins were just too shiny!)

“The idea of sitting there… trapped in a musical. That is my own personal hell.”

Two words: Emma Perkins – need I explain any more?

Ah Hot Chocolate Boy. I really look forward to finding out more about him. Where does he come from? He just appears out of the ether. What’s his story? How old is he? How many hot chocolates does he have per day? I know we have since had some confirmation on who he is, but they raise more questions than answers. For now I will just point you to a gorgeous Mood Board by @hatchetfieldmoodboards which features a bit of a spoiler.

For real though – is it just me who would love a full version of “I’ve been brewing up your coffee”?

Hatchetfield Challenge: Try not to sing “Shut the f*ck up” along with Emma.

“Watching people sing and dance makes me very uncomfortable”- oh boy Paul… you’re not going to enjoy the next hour and 40 minutes. Also, Paul, you’re making me uncomfortable watching you throw your brand new coffee around as if you’ve just been given an empty cup. There’s imaginary coffee everywhere. Hopefully, HCB won’t slip on it before it’s cleaned up… he’s already having a bad day.

“Thunder and Lightning… very very frightening. But a big rock hurtling through the clouds is no biggie.” – all the residents of Hatchetfield apparently.

The next sequence happens so fast and we get introduced to a lot of characters. Notably Greenpeace Girl, Alice and Deb, Sam, and Hidgens (though we don’t find out his name until much later). This scene impresses me because they do such a great job of very quickly bringing out so many characters who nonetheless are memorable when they return later in the show.

Peanuts the Hatchetfield Pocket Squirrel is an Eldritch Being. I won’t go into Peanuts theories here as that could be a whole post in itself – and many a person more brilliant than I have written some fantastic theories on this. You can learn all about how a Squirrel took over the fandom in the following posts:

@dahlialupine : x

@frombothofmyhearts: x

@abiimaryy: x

And finally mine which is definitely a serious theory: x

It’s… A… Musical!

Now to remember we are actually watching a musical. La Dee Da Da Day is such a happy joyful song performed spectacularly by a throng of the undead.

The song is about the Hive singing about how much of a great time they are having now they are tap-dancing zombies, and trying to find ways to convince Paul he should join them too. So the grins on all their faces are not at all terrifying.

It’s worth noting also that according to the laws of the TGWDLM world, only those infected by the Hive can hear the music in the background. This becomes important later when it becomes clear some characters have started being infected before they are fully turned into zombies, but for now it just paints quite a funny picture of what Paul must be witnessing. I definitely think for him, this whole scene just sounds like this clip of Greased Lightning without the music: x

The important thing here however, besides Mariah’s singing, is that the Hive leave Paul alone. They don’t actually attempt to turn him at this point. I have a theory on the implications of this, but note this has big spoilers for the end of the show and Black Friday. It was written before we knew that the Hive (Pokey) was related to Wiggly but the content still stands: x

Charlotte, Honey, you don’t need that much sugar – you’re sweet enough

For reference:

@melchron noted that the lyrics for La Dee Dah sound very similar to the incantation for soul transferal read out in Jane’s a Car, which leads me to two possible implications.

The Freaky Furbies have a language other than English that they use for their incantations so this is why they sound similar.

There is soul transference happening to the souls of the bodies the Hive take over.

Or it’s just Starkid using similar sounding words for their content…. Three! There are three possible implications…

Paul – just print off another copy of the report

From this point on the musical numbers really do come thick and fast. We move on to the first instance of Jeff Blim encouraging Paul to talk about his feelings, which I am sure is not important and isn’t worth discussing. Paul goes through a musical rendition of a promotion interview, which is actually the Hive attempting to find out if he will be the “hero” of their story. They picked out Paul for the role from the start. That he was chosen was inevitable.

What do you see for this company? I'm looking for someone with strong ambition Someone to sell their specific vision Someone to share with precise precision their thoughts 'Cause I want you to want…To want

So it turns out these will be looooong, so I will end here and see you in part 2! I’m not sure yet what the upload frequency will be. It takes quite a while to go through the show like this but it is a lot of fun!

Hatchetfield High Homework:

Where do you stand on the Peanuts the Hatchetfield Pocket Squirrel debate?

Why do you think that the Soul Transference Spell and La Dee Dah sound so similar?

Go follow all the lovely people mentioned in this post!

Bonus points if you know the reference in the post title.

[Part 2]

#the guy who didn't like musicals #tgwdlm #return to hatchetfield town #starkid #team starkid

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sarkywoman · 3 years ago

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Writing Asks

Tagged by @under-the-shady-tree, thanks!

20 questions, writer’s edition, let’s go!!

How many works do you have on AO3? 85

What’s your total AO3 word count? 712708

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? Oof, uh... since like, 1999? Um, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Andromeda, Supernatural, Heroes, NCIS, DC, Marvel, The Umbrella Academy, Kingsmen, ASoIaF/Game of Thrones, Borderlands, Community, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Doctor Who/Torchwood, Final Fantasy, Harry Potter, Misfits, I think I’ve forgotten some...

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Noble Blood (Game of Thrones, ASoIaF - GRRM) A Song of Bastards and Wards (ASoIaF - GRRM, Game of Thrones) Young God (Borderlands) Story and Sorcery (Loki: Agent of Asgard, Marvel) My Shame is True (The Umbrella Academy (TV))

Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I try to! Comments are so important in the fanfic community and I know how hard it is to think of something to say about a story, even when you’ve loved it to bits, so I don’t want people to feel ignored. Especially because I appreciate comments so, so much! I will say though, I have lapses, often when my mental health isn’t good, where I simply don’t know how to respond to people and then months go by and I feel weird about replying... so sorry if you’ve ever commented on one of my stories and got silence - it was me not you!

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? The Aimless One (Misfits (TV 2009)) Straight up the saddest story I’ve written, no question. Normally writing sad stuff doesn’t make me sad but I had to take a break in the middle of this to just try and grapple with the idea I’d had because it tapped into a lot of depressing thoughts I have about life and death in general. The comments were all complimentary but so upset that at first I was like ‘hooray, it had the desired impact’, then after a while I started to think ‘why did I want to hurt people like this?’

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? Probably Realising All You Ever Wanted, a Hobbs/Dirk fic for the Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency fandom. There’s such minor conflict in that one that the sugary sweet ending isn’t out of place.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? Well. I have some fandoms that are sort of crossovers already, things like Marvel where you have comic versions and movie versions and it doesn’t really feel like a crossover to be picking and choosing. Same with a Dirk Gently/Thor fic I did, because Thor cameos in the DG canon, but not this Thor. I think the most ambitious crossover I’ve worked on was a collaborative chatfic with @freshgratednutmeg that we’re never likely to post, where the need for more background characters in an Umbrella Academy A/o fic led to it being crossed over with Marvel and Brooklyn 99. (Leading to such amusements as Diego sparring with Rosa, and Five competing with Shuri in class.)

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Yeah, but it’s never been very well-reasoned so it’s been fairly easy to dismiss. Some people expect everyone to share their own perspective of the characters and it’s weird.

Do you write smut? If so what kind? Not really. I can go there and have done on occasion, but it doesn’t interest me very much. I think I did it more when I was younger because I felt like it was a necessary aspect of grown-up fanfic writing (when I started I was a teenager amongst mostly adults... or other people lying about their age too lol). These days I’m more likely to fade to black or allude to the acts. But I’m not averse to writing it or anything, but it’s never the focus of my story.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Only in the sense that I see them on other sites I didn’t upload to, sometimes in other languages, sometimes not. They normally say my name somewhere on them so they’re not stolen as such, but it’s still uncomfortable to see my work circulated to other sites without my permission.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not with my permission, but yeah. I don’t know how to feel about translations. Obviously I want people of other languages to be able to read my work, but at the same time I’m not fluent enough to be able to check the translator’s work, so I won’t know if they’ve done any better than google. Word choice is pretty important in fiction. A bad translation can totally warp a text.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not for posting or sharing, but me and @freshgratednutmeg cowrite all the time.

What’s your all time favorite ship? All time?! That’s impossible to answer. I’m a multi-shipper for starters, in pretty much every fandom I’ve been in. When I find a ship I love, I love it intensely above all others for the duration of the fixation. Then eventually it gets set aside when I find a new fandom. I’m also indecisive enough to not really have an all-time favourite anything.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? A Song of Bastards and Wards (ASoIaF - GRRM, Game of Thrones). I can’t begin to describe the pages of notes I have for this beast. Unless I threw them out, which... scanning my room... is a distinct possibility. Ouch. I’d hoped to parallel the books for a long time with this one, but the amount of work for a project like that is too much when you’re no longer as passionate about the source fandom. I suspect what I might do is scenes with interconnecting notes, just so people get some sense of closure.

What are your writing strengths? Dialogue, baybee! Kinda makes me want to be a scriptwriter. People are always telling me that the characters ‘sound like’ them. I think it’s from reading voraciously from when I was young and being quite a social child, that moving speech patterns and quirks into writing is something that comes very naturally to me. Too natural, in fact, because IRL I write how I speak and that’s not always suited to the situation.

What are your writing weaknesses? Most things other than dialogue. Even thought processes are an internal dialogue, so they’re okay, but then like... a fight scene? A sex scene? Just even... what are their hands doing while they’re talking? How are these people physically present? Where are they? Are they inside, outside, is the building on fire? My descriptive skills are lacking, to say the least. It’s something I’m working on.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I’m not quite sure what’s meant by this. I’m not fluent in anything other than English so I don’t see that would work well for me. I know a few phrases in German/French/Welsh/Latin/Spanish but nothing useful for conversation. Dropping in words can work, if it’s the same way the speaker would use them amidst their English. Most of the time the characters I’m writing wouldn’t be speaking in another language anyway. We can blame the tag-team of English colonialism and American media for that one I think. I think that sometimes authors utilise a character’s language in a way that just exposes how little the author actually knows of the language and that’s a bit cringe for me.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Buffy the Vampire Slayer. None of those are online atm because they’re so so bad XD I should post them just so people can see improvement but... I can’t even read them, they’re hilarious. The most gratuitous self-inserts, the most ludicrous arguments, the most out-of-character romantic declarations.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? Hmm, that’s a quandary. I think I’ll differentiate between favourite to write, and favourite end product. Favourite to write was probably Noble Blood (Game of Thrones, ASoIaF - GRRM) because it was just a romp through my favourite themes. Given it’s one of my most popular stories, I’d say that just proves you should write what you want! I was going to quickly say Young God (Borderlands) is my favourite fic for quality of the finished product, because I pretty much just sat down one evening and spilled it into a word doc then reread it back and thought ‘huh, did I write that? Awesome’. But I’m happy with a couple of more recent things I’ve done for The Umbrella Academy fandom, notably The Price of Parenthood, which is very different to what I usually write and is a look at the life of one of the mothers who gave up her child to Reginald. Also The Water Calls, which was the only thing I managed to write for the recent MerMay event. It took me a little while to puzzle out how it all fit together, then once I had it worked out it came together wonderfully and I was very happy with the tone of it.

Tagging anyone who fancies doing it.

#long post #this was fun #like being interviewed lol

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chiaki-translation · 4 years ago

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SSR Tasuku [Solid Mankai Black]: Backstage Translation

Distraction is real, I will upload the epilogue in a few mins after this one...

Anyway, literal translation for the card name is ‘Jet Black Mankai Black’, but repeating the word ‘Black’ in English sounds very awkward so I got a suggestion to put it as ‘Solid’ for ‘Solid Black’ instead.

Summary:

Touring with Tasuku that ends up with more shenanigans. I’m still suck at summary, please excuse me.

Translation is under the cut as per usual and the card I’m referring to is this one, chuuni Tasuku~ Enjoy~

Disclaimer:

A3! is owned by Liber Entertainment

Translator’s Note: Retort pouch curry is packaged curry(?). Just google it if you want to see how it looks like I guess.

Gakuran is a type of Japanese school uniform.

Youth Extra Appearance

Director:

Yeah, it’s delicious!

Kumon:

This sandwich is so delicious!

Omi:

That’s great.

Juza too, would you like to add some cream?

Juza:

Yeah.

Tasuku:

Morning.

Director:

Good morning. Were you running again?

Tasuku:

No, I was riding the bike today.

I didn’t let it run recently.

But I was thinking that I want to go touring soon.

Omi:

Ah, that sounds great.

The weather’s nice recently too.

Juza:

Right.

Kumon:

I also want to ride behind my brother again~!

Juza:

Yeah, I’ll let you ride behind me next time.

Kumon:

Alright~! It’s a promise!

TV:

“Wolf Ranger, assembled!”

Director:

Ah, that’s the show I saw last time.

Kumon:

It seems to be the current Sentai series!

Juza:

He… It’s that kind of feels.

Tasuku:

…

Director:

(Tasuku-san’s staring intently at the television.

He might have been influenced by Shouta-kun.)

Director:

Coming.

Delivery Man:

You have a delivery.

Director:

Thank you so much.

Mid-year gift…

I wonder who it’s from.

(The sender is… Hero Show management company?

They went all the way to send this to us.)

Director:

(I wonder what’s inside.)

Tasuku:

What’s with the stuffs.

Director:

Tasuku-san, what a great timing!

It’s a mid-year gift we received from the Hero Show management company from that time.

Tasuku:

Hee, I see.

What’s inside?

Director:

I’m going to open it now—

Tasuku:

This is…

Director:

Previous generation Sentai Heroes’ retort-pouch curry…!

Tasuku:

If you look at it closely, it seems to be made for children.

Director:

The tension’s getting pretty high with this much packed inside.

In addition, it’s curry too…!

Tasuku:

It’s not only curry, it seems that there’s a postcard inside too.

Director:

Ah, you’re right.

Eh umm—

“Thank you for the previous time.

If you would like, please enjoy it with everyone.”

They even write the postcard politely… I have to send my gratitude to them later.

The photos at the back looks very beautiful too.

Tasuku:

It seems to be a port somewhere.

Director:

Perhaps, it’s a sacred place from the Hero Series or something.

Tasuku:

…I see.

It doesn’t seem to be a mistake.

Director:

Really?

Tasuku:

Like what Director said, it looks like a famous garden from a location in the Sentai series.

Look, this one.

Director:

Ah, you’re right…!

I don’t expect it to really be a sacred place…

After saying that, now I feel like going there~

It’s such a beautiful place after all.

Tasuku:

Then, why don’t we go together?

Director:

Eh, really, is it fine?

Tasuku:

It was just right that I was thinking of letting my bike run a bit more.

The distance seems just nice too if it’s this place.

Director:

I want to go!

(Touring with Tasuku-san, I’m looking forward to it.)

Director:

I’m glad it’s sunny today.

I’m looking forward to spend the day with you!

Tasuku:

Yeah. It’s the ideal weather for touring.

Director:

It’s been a while since I wear this helmet that I’ve received from Tasuku-san.

Tasuku:

Have you forgotten how to fasten the helmet?

Director:

I’m fine, I remember it properly!

…There, I’m done!

Tasuku:

The front belt, it’s twisted you know.

Director:

Really? ….Ah, here is it.

Eh umm… Eh?

Tasuku:

Geez… Come, turn this way.

Director:

Sorry, thank you for fixing it.

Tasuku:

Then, let’s go.

Director:

Yes!

Director:

Fuh… The wind feels great!

Tasuku:

It’s been a while since I let it run, as expected it feels nice.

Director:

The scenery’s beautiful too, since we’re here why don’t we take a short walk.

Tasuku:

Yeah.

Director:

…Hmm? It seems that people are gathering over there.

I wonder what’s happening?

Tasuku:

They have equipment around, is it a shooting?

Staff:

Eh, are you perhaps, Tasuku?

Tasuku:

…Yoshida-san?

Director:

(It’s Tasuku-san’s acquaintance I guess?)

Yoshida:

Are you still doing theatre?

Tasuku:

Still continuing.

Yoshida:

…I see.

That woman over there… Perhaps, your girlfriend?

Director:

Eh! No no, you’re mistaken!

Tasuku:

She’s the director of my theatre troupe.

Yoshida:

Theatre troupe…? If that’s the case then just nice!

Tasuku:

Yes?

Yoshida:

Actually, we’re in the middle of shooting a special program for a Sentai series now, there’s a vacancy for extras and I need to make the arrangement for it.

If you’re fine with it, can I get the two of you to make the appearance.

Director:

Eh!?

Yoshida:

It’s a role with one or two lines, but of course, I believe that Tasuku-san and troupe director-san are used to it right.

Can I request for your help, please?

Director:

I’m sorry, but I myself have stayed away from performance for a while…

Anyway, I’m not confident in acting.

Yoshida:

It’s fine. You just need to appear for a little bit!

It’s the role of teenage student couple, so I want you to wear school uniform though…

Director:

School uniform!?

(In addition, the role of student couple…)

Yoshida:

There’s only one line for the dialogue.

Think of it as helping others!

Director:

Even if you say that…

Tasuku:

Yoshida-san, I’m sure you know my age.

I don’t think I can wear that kind of thing.

Yoshida:

If you decide to appear, I’ll put your names on the ending credit as well.

I can put the troupe name in too if you want to.

Director:

Ending credit…? Are you for real?

Yoshida:

Of course., since I’m asking for a favour from you guys.

Director:

…

Tasuku:

Oi… You don’t say.

Director:

Tasuku-san, should we do it?

Tasuku:

…Are you serious?

Director:

If it’s this way, it might become a good publicity for the theatre troupe.

Yoshida:

Yes yes, you don’t know when another chance like this might come up again.

Director:

Let’s do it!

I’ll do my best with all I have too…!

Yoshida:

I’ll depend on you too, Tasuku.

Tasuku:

…Hah, I have no choice right.

Director:

(I tried taking it for myself and change, but…

As expected, I’m not comfortable wearing a school uniform.

I wonder if Tasuku-san’s done changing?)

Tasuku:

I can’t believe I’m wearing a school uniform at this age.

Director:

Eh… Tasuku-san, don’t look so uncomfortable with it!

Tasuku:

How can I not.

I can’t help but to think of what age I would be this year.

[

Choice 1: You look really cool.

Director:

I’m not flattering you, but it really looks cool on you.

Tasuku:

Geez…

…If you say that, it fits Director pretty well too.

Director:

Eh? Really?

Tasuku:

Yeah, don’t look so uncomfortable with it.

Director:

That, what do you mean by that!

Tasuku:

I’m just joking. It really fits you.

Director:

…If Tasuku-san said so, I guess I feel a bit more confident now.

Tasuku:

You’re such a simple person.

]

[

Choice 2: It sure looks fresh.

Director:

It feels like I’m meeting the high school version of Tasuku-san, it sure is a fresh feeling.

Tasuku:

My body is of an adult though.

Director:

Tasuku-san, if I’m not wrong your high school wears gakuran too right.

After all, I wasn’t able to see Tasuku-san’s photos…

Tasuku:

Does that kind of thing happened…

Eh, was it the time when we went to Tsumugi’s house.

Director:

But, I can’t help to think that it will feel exactly like this and it’s cute.

Tasuku:

…I want you to tell me how you can look at it as cute.

]

Tasuku:

To appear in this kind of role, definitely don’t tell anyone on the troupe.

Director:

You’re right… Even if it’s for the sake of publicizing, I’m still against wearing school uniform.

Yoshida:

Oh, it seems that you guys are ready.

It fits the two of you very well!

Well then, can I give you a brief explanation.

Tasuku:

Understood.

Director:

Pl, pleased to work with you!

Kumon:

Today’s breakfast is delicious as always!

Azuma:

Thanks for the meal.

Director:

Azuma-san, would you like to drink some coffee?

Azuma:

Thank you.

Tasuku:

Morning.

Director:

Ah, Tasuku-san.

Breakfast is ready.

TV:

“Following this, a large gathering of Sentai heroes from previous generation! Look forward to it!”

Kumon:

Eh, it seems that there will be another new Sentai series starting!

Azuma:

Hee, it seems that they’re doing a special program.

Director:

(Eh, is this maybe…)

Narration:

“This is a Port Town somewhere in the world…

People lived in peace.”

Director:

“Today’s date was fun. Thank you.”

Tasuku:

“Me too.

…Let’s go out like this again together someday.”

Kumon:

Hmm? Hmm?

Wait, I can’t tell from afar but…

These two, isn’t it Director and Tasuku-san!?

Azuma:

You’re right.

Fufu, I never thought I’ll be able to see the two of you in school uniform.

Kumon:

A couple role some more! Amazing!

Tasuku:

… Haa.

Director:

(We got found out so fast…!)

No, there’s a reason for this…

Masumi:

What’s this, what’s the meaning of this.

Director:

Masumi-kun!?

Tasuku:

Since when…

Azuma:

You got found out by the person you don’t want to find out the most.

Director:

Eh, this is more or less, a job that we took for publicity purposes…

Masumi:

I also want a uniform date with you.

Director;

Eh? That!?

Masumi:

It’s not fair if it’s only Tasuku who can have a uniform date with you.

Director:

For the uniform to have such force…

But anyway, Masumi-kun have also graduated from high school, right?

Masumi:

Even Tasuku wore it, so I thought it’s fine for me to wear it too.

Tasuku:

… This, I guess you won’t listen to whatever we say.

Director:

Wait, Tasuku-san!?

Aren’t you going to help me!

Kumon:

Masumi-san, you’re the same as ever~!

Azuma:

Fufu, it seems this battle will continue for a while.

#a3!#a3! translation #a3! act! addict! actors!#tasuku takato #a3! backstory #a3! backstage

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bmpmp3 · 4 years ago

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in the past couple years i keep getting hopelessly obsessed with various pieces of media that exactly 11 people care about and its very interesting because it’s really made me appreciate physical and/or offline media even more than i already did

this is kinda specific but for the better part of like 2015-2019 i had like this weird problem where I was the only person I knew of with a copy of the 1992 ottawa ballet company tv movie The Tin Soldier narrated by Sally Struthers (essentially the pilot for the canadian childrens show The Toy Castle) and while it took me a while to actually digitize it (it’s a vhs copy but luckily my local library has vhs conversion stuff) it was...very strange, the feeling of like “come on there has to be SOMEWHERE on the internet where you can watch this got damn tv movie my shitty vhs copy CANT be the only hope” and luckily i wasn’t the only hope ‘cause sometime in 2019 someone uploaded their own copy to youtube, and like, okay both of our copies are bad quality but in different ways sjkdladskjalajdfd the copy on youtube seems like it might be from a dvd but it has a lot of weird artifacts and framerate jumping, and mine is a 50 minute movie on a cheap EP tape and BOY does it look it hjkfdshjds it also has some overscan problems. so if you want to watch the tin soldier 1992 narrated by sally struthers you can choose from one kinda funky copy on youtube or i guess you can ask for my Very Funky vhs rip if you want orz but i’m glad i have it, its honestly one of my prized posessions (even if i did buy it for 7 dollars years ago)

about two years ago i got incredibly obsessed with the song Anata wa Umi no Soko by Mikoto Momono, the theme song for the ps1 game Moonlight Syndrome (its a good song) BUT the problem was at the time the only place you could really listen to it was youtube (and maybe apple music? i dont count that because 1) I dunno if it would be available in my region and 2) if you ever ask me to make an apple account again im going to replace your legs) and like, a shortened version ripped from the game, but like I WANTED to hear a higher quality version!!! so i spent forever searching for a reasonably priced copy of an ep by the artist that included it (sour milk sea) and that took a while bUT I GOT IT it was very cheap but spotless, i guess it was under 15 dollars because it didn’t have an obi anymore (if it ever had one). anyway its interesting cause now i have a really fucked up cd collection: sour milk sea by mikoto momono and some taylor swift album a friend gave to me because he had bought a couple copies (for the polaroids) from target when it existed in canada dsadjghfdsasdfddsa OH and i also ended up with a used copy of the launch edition of etrian odyssey 5 so now i have that lil sound selection cd too lol

actually speaking of fucked up media collections my home video collection is pretty fucked too like it consists of the aforementioned tin soldier vhs, a dvd of the first tinkerbell movie i got for my birthday when i was like 10 (it has a really nice and glittery dust cover thing), that one bargain bin type straight to dvd movie A Fairy Tale Christmas (a friend bought it for me as a goof, I should see if she wants to watch it with me sometime), and the other day I listened to an english fan translation of the famicom sound novel Otogirisou and then I got lost in the sauce (did you know there was a 2016 game that was both a sequel to otogirisou while also being a tie in crossover game to danganronpa...for some reason thats blowing my mind) and i found out there was a movie based off it and even though it seems to have pretty polarizing critical reception i STILL wanna see it so bad BUT i couldnt find it anywhere online!!! what the hell!!!! it was even released in north america with english subtitles and a dub??? a fucking dub???? i always forget dubbing live action movies was a pretty big thing before the 10s, its probably not necessarily Good as it is from 2004 but it is fascinating at least... ANYWAY it was so hard to find!!!!!!! not even if I yarr and maybe harr!!!!!! but luckily i was able to find a really cheap dvd copy so I guess add that to my fucked up home video collection jkjdsagkfdjsdfsd but im glad, struggling to find these things online at all, legally or otherwise, has really made me understand just how important it is to have physical stuff and offline stuff and backups of backups because media can be. fleeting. especially if its something thats not even technically obscure or lost or anything, just weirdly inaccessible because maybe 3 people care about it lol

#i never did figure out a tag for my text posts #oh well. maybe i'll never have one. maybe you'll just have to listen to me. maybe you'll never escape #long post #i will tag it this tho. i'll try to remember to do that more often

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tenchiforum · 5 years ago

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For the first time ever, the Toonami versions of OVA1/2, Universe, and Tokyo are available online! On their respective archive.org pages you can access each episode easily.

Watch now: OVA1/2, Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo.

For users who keep up with contemporary anime communities, we also have an upload for the entire run available on Nyaa.

It’s been quite a journey in getting these episodes from analog to digital. If you’re interested in reading about the process of how these almost lost-to-time edits came into our hands and how we’ve gone about preserving them before the tapes rot, then sit back and enjoy the story below!

Part 1: Toonami – A Love Story.

Tenchi Muyo! and Toonami are tied together like the red thread of fate often times referenced in many East Asian myths. For those who aren’t aware, Toonami was a programming block on the Cartoon Network channel. Starting in 1997, it did one thing for anime that no other channel in the English-speaking world had ever done: showcased anime during “PrimeTime” (In North America at least, this was 4pm to 7pm Eastern Standard time). Before the internet, having this block of time meant having the most eyes on your product, meaning exposure was huge. Oftentimes whoever got on this block, regardless of the channel, was “made.”

However, it wouldn’t be until mid 1999, with a soft-rebranding, a new host, and an almost entirely anime-focused block, that Toonami would take over the world.

And on July 3rd, 2000, an entire generation was introduced to Tenchi Muyo! for the first time.

youtube

- The now legendary two minute Toonami promo.

Thanks to the efforts of Jason DeMarco, Sean Akins, Gill Austin, Sean Polinski, and the rest of the Toonami crew, the “Toonami generation,” still to this day, is the largest block of Tenchi Muyo! fans. Whether it was Toonami US, UK, or Australia. Tenchiforum is a testament to this fact. I personally would not be here were it not for Toonami, so to say that fans of Tenchi Muyo! hold Toonami in a high regard is an understatement.

I had always wanted to somehow, some way, get the Toonami version of Tenchi up for everyone to see again, but my old Toonami VHS recordings were long gone, and I figured trying to piece together the Toonami version from other people’s tapes would just be too hard with how many episodes were broadcast, that was until… 2012

In mid-to-late 2012, I found out that Pioneer actually released a home video version of what was shown on Toonami. It was simply released as “Tenchi Muyo!” in those big, white, clam shell VHS cases (that most people probably remember for old Disney movies). I felt as though I had struck gold! I was able to get a hold of the first two OVA, and was able to rip them to my computer.

- Vol. 1 & Vol. 5 of “Tenchi Muyo!” – No distinction was made that they were separate series.

Though I was high on my endorphin-induced nostalgia, I ran into a couple of unforeseen problems.

First and foremost, the equipment I was using was not great. I used an old StarTech composite to USB dongle and the software that came with it. While this isn’t necessarily bad at first glance (it doesn’t support Windows 10), I had no experience whatsoever in the field of digital transfer. While I think my rips were okay for the time, I knew even then that they were too low of bit-rate and the quality of the rips suffered for it.

Because I also had no VCR at the time that had S-Video output, I was only able to output from composite, which meant the whopping 240p equivalent VHS tapes look fuzzier than they probably should. (I realize that VHS is technically an analog format, meaning that a 1:1 equivalent digital representation is hard to pin down or that someone might argue that it did technically output 480i over composite, but basically it was 240p.)

Another problem was the software itself, I had no idea about Virtualdub, AmaRecTV, or other helpful capture software, so I only recorded at a lower bit-rate, again producing an inferior quality rip.

I also ran into the problem of showcasing the videos. Funimation (who now owns the vast majority of the Tenchi Muyo! franchise in North America) had finally started really cracking down on people uploading videos to Youtube. Even though my videos were not completely the same, the algorithm immediately flagged and blocked them. This led me to uploading the videos to Facebook. I had to cut them in half because of Facebook’s restriction to roughly only 12 minutes of video. Somehow in the process, some of the videos had audio drop out for a minute or two, and for some the audio dropped out completely.

Arguably the biggest blow though, was when I learned that this set of Toonami tapes was incomplete. Pioneer stopped producing the Toonami version for home video after they finished releasing Universe. Meaning, the only way to get the Toonami version of Tenchi in Tokyo, was hope that someone, somewhere, had taped it 11 years earlier.

While Tenchi in Tokyo has been getting more appreciation from fans as of late – thanks in part to most newer entries in the Tenchi OVA sucking harder than a vacuum – in the year 2000, it was the black sheep of the Tenchi Muyo! franchise. So expecting fans to have recorded any of it, let alone the entire series, was the long shot of all long shots. But even still, I made a post on the forum in 2013 asking if anyone knew anyone that might have anything.

Naturally, no one had any leads, and all of these previous problems meant that this project would, frustratingly, have to be shelved indefinitely.

Or at least, that’s what I thought.

Part 2: Deferred Dreams Don’t Die.

On April 5th, 2019, a person by the name of Talos dropped into our Discord server, and posted an introduction. Like so many, they had gotten into Tenchi through Toonami, but what would change everything, was this.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading, someone actually had it!

Instinctively, I reached out to Talos via PM to ascertain how to go about acquiring these tapes, and admittedly, to see how legit this claim actually was. Because the fact of the matter is, when you’ve been around Tenchi fandom as long as I have, you’ll quickly realize the best bullshitters in the world come from this fandom.

But Talos was more than the genuine article! They sent over pictures and an incredibly detailed analysis of the quality of their tapes, watching through them all again to prove to me that their claim was valid.

It can’t be said enough that this all would not be possible without Talos, their willingness to work with me and send me their own personal tapes that they’ve kept for almost two decades just goes to show how awesome they are and how much they care about the fandom.

So the deal was struck, and the dream that laid deferred for almost six years lived again.

- A time capsule from another era.

But with dreams from the past, come the demons that plagued them way back when. I still only had the setup I once had, and at this time I was really trying to be tight with my finances for a number of different reasons, but this opportunity was too good to pass up, I wasn’t going to let this dream go, even if it wasn’t perfect.

Talos’ tapes showed up, and I rolled up my sleeves.

So I put in the first tape, the first seven episodes of Tokyo, into the old VCR I used to originally rip the Pioneer tapes, a JVC HR-VP650U….

And static…

Or rather, a tape that would play for 3 seconds, then immediately drop to static.

This wouldn’t work.

I then tried my other VCR, a Sony SLV-N50 from the mid-to-late 90’s that I was able to “fix” by removing the old Android Kikaider tape that got stuck in there many years prior.

It worked!…..but…..not all that well.

While it did actually play the tape relatively smoothly, the colors were completely washed out in comparison to the JVC, and it had this weird color flickering that was particularly noticeable when black backgrounds were on screen. (This was not unique to this tape, it did it with everything I put in there.)

As much as it pained me, there was no way I was going to rip it with this setup.

So the hunt began for not just a replacement VCR, but one that was high quality and recommended among enthusiasts for digital transfer. Which meant research and long winding rabbit holes of non-answers and vagueness, and unfortunately, money.

Without a doubt, the de facto list of best VCRs for transferring comes from digitalFAQ.com. This list is not only informative but gives you a broad range of ones to look for in the event you can’t find an “elite” one. However, this list has also become the de facto list used by people who are hawking their sets on eBay to try and get every penny from enthusiasts and new-comers as possible.

After three frustrating weeks of losing bid wars on eBay, someone finally put up one of the good sets, the JVC SR-V10U. I quickly sent them what I thought was a reasonable but not bank-breaking offer….

And they accepted! The beast was finally mine.

Immediately upon unwrapping and testing it, the quality difference between what I had then and what I was looking at now was staggering. The SR-V10U had beautiful color, while having the incredible ability to stabilize the old tapes with its TBC (Time Base Corrector), as well as onboard Video Stabilization option. Combined with the ability to output video via the superior S-Video cable, I now had something that, despite its age and typical old VHS wear, was way better than I could have imagined.

Part 3: No Need for Nostalgia.

You’re probably thinking to yourself “Dagon, why go through the trouble? The OVA has a beautiful Blu-ray release, and Universe and Tokyo have pretty decent DVD releases. Why would you ever want to rip old VHS tapes of an inferior quality release that was in some cases censored?”

- The now famous Toonami “bikinis”.

Because this version of Tenchi Muyo! is a piece of history. Not only is it a piece of Tenchi history, but a piece of Toonami history as well. Being able to preserve this in the best quality possible is being able to point to future generations and say “This is why I’m here.”

For a lot of us it’s about taking us back to a simpler time, grade school, high school, university. Taking us back to a time before the internet was what it is today.

So now we can, after almost 20 years, re-watch the version of Tenchi Muyo! that brought so many of us joy and wonder.

#tenchiforum #tenchi muyo #toonami #toonami promo #cartoon network #tenchi universe #tenchi in tokyo #toonami tenchi muyo #anime nostalgia #90's anime #vhs #vhs anime

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moquall · 6 years ago

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Dissidia Final Fantasy : SECRETUM～秘密～ (Part 1 / 2)

P.S : If you have seen a similiar post before, yes, I actually posted this one but i was stupid.. accidentally delete it because an error from my mobile browser ==“. I got the copy of this DVD in May 2018 and wanted to post it in August 2018 but i’m really sorry, I don’t have much free time since i need to focus on my thesis ==“ . Sorry for keep promising to post as soon as possible.

———————————————————————————————————–

I dont know if you’re interested but anyone remember SECRETUM ～秘密～ ?

This one is the official DVD and Bluray cover but i personally like the cover of the pamphlet that used in ffwikia and the premium edition cover that nomura drew :(

It’s DISSIDIA NT Special Live reading event held in December 18th - December 19th 2017, which is also part of FF 30th anniversary starring the Japanese voice actors of the casts.

From left to right : yuuki ono (amnesiac man), masakazu morita (tidus), toshiyuki morikawa (sephiroth), hideo ishikawa (squall), takahiro sakurai (cloud)

I posted some point i’ve collected before, but i am sorry i did a lot of mistake. Now i have the DVD version, so i want to share what really happened in this live reading event since no one talking about this, or more like people forget about this event -_-”

Let me remind you before you read,

First, I don’t have the script which is a part of the premium edition so i need to rely on my listening skill and there are a possibility i misheard something.

Second, I understand Japanese though it’s not 100%.

Third, my english skill is so bad so i’m sorry if I translated it wrongly and see a lot of grammar mistake .. so let me know if you see mistranslated and grammar mistake._.

Fourth, I actually uploaded this live reading somewhere so if you’re interested, i can give you the link but please ask me privately and do not redistribute it elsewhere. P.S : It’s in Japanese and of course no english version and english sub

FIFTH, IT’S A VERY LONG POST, a total of 8 act and some dialogues, so i decided to divide it into 2 parts.

—————————————————————————————————

The story start with Morikawa-san and Sakurai-san as the narrator, introduce a little bit about what fantasy is and then continue narrating about Phantom Train from Final Fantasy VI. When the Phantom Train was on the Rift, on the way to send the dead to the afterlife, One of the souls broke the window and escaped. When he jumped out, this soul was illuminated by the light and falling off the train, just like a shooting stars. And then the scene switch to our three heroes.

——————————————————-

ACT 1

Somewhere in NT world (or i think you call it “World B”), the Weather Trio (Squall, Tidus and Cloud) who were under Materia’s request are on their way to investigate a mysterious light that fell into World B. Squall complained why he is doing this but Tidus said it can’t be helped since it’s Materia’s request and Cloud add it will be a trouble if they didnt help her so Squall decided to think it as a “mission” .

Tidus : But aren't you excited to pick up the shooting star ? Squall & Cloud : Whatever.. // Not interested (in the same time) Tidus : Oh okay... (silence) Tidus : What is this ?! a moment of silence ?! or a trial ? ... Hey, Cloud- Cloud : It seems we are closer to the fading point Tidus : Is that so ? Squall : Yeah, If the goddess's words are true, It's must not that far. Cloud : I'm happy for you, Tidus. the 'trial' will be over. Tidus : You sure have a good ear Squall : It's on the east. Let's go. Cloud : Yeah. Tidus : Roger.

And Squall's first monologue start.

“We all are not from this world. Because our origins are different, Cloud and Tidus are actually not the people whom i supposed to meet. At first we were forcibly summoned, forced to fight, couldn’t even escape and it was the worst situation. But as we keep continue fighting, I started to think I’m glad to be involved in this war with them and I can’t believe we meet again. This is not bad at all.”

Tidus asked the true form of the mysterious light. Cloud assumed since Materia said the light is a powerful source, it is probably a Summon while Squall doesn’t really care about it .When they reach their destination, They didn’t see anything or even feel a summon’s presence so Cloud thought Materia gave the wrong directions and just when they are going to return, they heard someone’s voice and what they found is a man.

Tidus : Ew.. He is dead.. Squall : A corpse won't speak Tidus : So he is just sleeping. Hey !! Are you okay ? The man : Ugh.. Squall : does he has any injury ? Tidus : No, it doesn't Cloud : Looks like it's not a summon Tidus : But isn't amazing ? falling from the sky and uninjured. The man : Sum...mon... Tidus : Oh, he woke up. The man : Where am i ? Tidus : Hmm.. I don't know how to explain.. Cloud : Perhaps this is not the world where you lived. The man : Huh ?

They asked the man's about his origin but the man doesn’t remember anything including his name so they came up with conclusion he has amnesia just like what happened in previous war. (Cosmos & Chaos war)

Tidus told him when the first time they were summoned to this world (he mean during cosmos-chaos war), their memories were hazzy and the man shouldn’t be worry because they are his allies, but Squall refused the call him “ally” because a warrior can’t fall from the sky and Materia wouldn’t say it as the powerful resource. Tidus and Squall start debating but Cloud stopped them. The amnesiac man thanked Tidus for his welcoming but also understand why Squall being so cautious. He want to know who is he and then ask Cloud what he should do and Cloud suggested to bring him and report to Materia. Cloud monologue’s start.

“We brought the man to the goddess’s tower and explained we found him instead of the mysterious light but our investigation is not over unless we bring back the powerful resources she sought and prove if there is abnormal thing or not. And we know nothing about this man’s identity. She said “i didn’t summon him”. Materia, the goddess who summoned us to this world is a novice god and not reliable.”

The four back to their starting point. The man ask the weather trio if he can join them and Tidus is happily accept him because he need someone he can talk with. The man promised to Squall he is not going to slow them down. Squall replied “whatever” and again, Squall’s inner monologue start.

“I want to think he is not our enemy but i have bad feeling since the goddess doesn’t know at all about him. Moreover, if a greater power is approaching, there is a possibility he is the one who summoned it. 'You must imagine the worst possible scenario'. That's what they taught to me.”

———————————————————————

Since this man has an amnesia, Tidus suggested to give him a nickname. He told the man some of their allies has a nickname like horned helmet (warrior of light) and onion kid (onion knight). Cloud stopped Tidus for coming up with weird nickname and The man thought a nickname based on their characteristic doesn’t suit him.

Tidus : You’ll understand when you see them ! But your clothes looks normal.. The man : Okay.. Sounds risky if i leave this to you. so, Squall, Have any idea ? Squall : ... <- (thinking) The man : Squall ? Squall : ... The man : SQUALL ?! HEY SQUALL ?! You have an idea, right ? Squall : ... The man : Squall ? Squall !! Squall !! Squa--!! Squall : JOOOHHHHHHNNNNNNN !! The man : Eh ? Huh ? Squall : John...

Squall explained he heard “John” is a name that used as an alias and the man is okay with that so they decided to call him John until he remember his name. The four then continue their investigation and again.. Squall’s inner monologue start.

“John Doe, It is a name given to unidentified corpse. It was written on the book i read before. If i abbreviate it to ‘John’, I am sure he will never know the real meaning”.

——————————————————-

ACT 2

The four now is in Alexandria. John asked why he didn't see people at all and Tidus explained it looks like the real one but this place is created by the gods and used somewhat as an “arena” for the conflict so nobody lives here yet .

John : A conflict and a match, huh ? Is Materia run an arena ? Tidus : Yeah ! And we fight on her place. John : eh ? with who? Tidus : with other warriors. I also fight Cloud and Squall. John : Are they the enemy ? Tidus : Hmm.. I think they 'turned into enemy side' a lot lately. John : Huh ? What about the audience ? Tidus : No, everyone participate in this conflict. John : And what's the point of doing that? Tidus : Hmm.. If they fight here, this world will be lively. John : But no one is watching, right ? Tidus : That's not what I mean 'lively' . John : Huh?? Hmm.. I'm confused Tidus : Yeah, me too.

Squall and Cloud who are done with their investigation join them. John commented they sure went through a lot fighting in the battle between the gods but Squall think it’s a part of mission and while Cloud think as an easy job which left Tidus surprised since he really enjoyed it. John thought they are willing to participate in the battle that probably risk their life and Tidus replied the battle looks more like a sports match (he actually wanted to said blitzball) and assured John could fight with the knife in his waist like one of ‘thief’ friend, Zidane. John then explained when the first time he look at this place, he said there is so much blind spot to hide which left Tidus wonder who John is.

They decided to go to another place. Tidus asked why Squall being unfriendly with John and He replied they know nothing about John and advised not to be so friendly but Tidus doesn’t care with that because he can’t leave him alone. Squall let out a sigh and told him to do whatever he want and then Tidus’s monologue start.

“It’s a story about my homeworld. When i came from Zanarkand to Spira, i was puzzled and feeling anxious. But I am very happy when they treated me with kindness that time. That’s why i cant leave John alone.”

———————————————————————

They arrived in Cornelia Plains and fight some of manikins there. Squall asked where John is and Tidus answered he told John to hide under the hill to watch them fight but he is nowhere to be seen and suddenly John who is on a tree called and told them it’s a best place to hide and see how the battle progress. John asked if that zombie-like creature is their enemy and a part of the abnormal things but Tidus replied its’ an enemy from the previous war but they didn’t appear as much as before. Squall offered to investigate alone. John jokes Squall doesn’t trust him but Squall replied it “It’ll be a trouble if you hide your presence like before.”

Tidus and Cloud then explained the abnormal things they look for is something more powerful than manikins and they assumed it's a summon which something like a mythical beast, spirit or guardian deity of this world. John feels like he heard about summon before and trying to remember it but no luck and that time Squall is back and reported he didn’t find anything.

John : You sure you didn’t see anything ? Squall : What do you mean ? John : You didn’t let me to investigate alone because you’re hiding about summon, right ? Please. Tell me truth ! I’m sure It’s important to me. Squall : Who is hiding it ? Tidus : Squall, please... Squall : You’re not the only one who came here recently but Y’shtola and Noctis remember everything about their origins. Tidus : Ah ?! John : Again.. another name I never heard. Squall : I see… I don’t know where you got the info but the warriors suffering from amnesia is happened a long time ago. John : You think I pretending I have an amnesia ? For what ? Squall : It’ll be easy for you to collect information. Cloud : Stop it ! There is no end for this argument. Squall & John : ... Cloud : Let’s go to the other place

John decided to leave the party to find the clues about his memories because what Squall said make sense and since he doesn’t have his memories there is a possibility he is their enemy. Tidus tried to stop him and assured he is not an enemy and doesn’t look like it, like the arrogant man with golden armor (Emperor Mateus) or the one who seek the power of void (Exdeath). John thanked Tidus and left. Tidus then confront Squall and he answered if he is enemy’s spy, he would not leave them and explained..

Squall : Up till now, I don't have a proof he is not our enemy. But we will be killed if he suddenly attack us while hiding his presence like before. That's why I can't lower my guard. Tidus : Oh.. You're worried about us ? ...Sorry for thinking you're stubborn and troublesome. Squall : Stubborn ?! Tidus : Sorry.. Cloud : Let's continue our investigation Tidus : But I'm worried about John. Cloud : Are you going to find him ? Tidus : I want him to rejoin the party because i trust him. Are you okay with that, Squall ? Squall : Yeah... Tidus : Okay ! LET'S GO !

———————————————————————

Some time passed after John left the party and now he is in the Floating Continent . He saw a lot of manikins roaming around the meadow but since he is not familiar with this area, walking alone will be tough. The fog is getting thicker and the manikins doesn’t even leave the area which left him with no choice to fight but just when he is ready to attack, Cloud and Squall come to help him. John wondered why the two are here and Tidus come and said it’s obvious they are coming to help their friend and encouraged him to fight together.

Cloud : Glad we made it. John : You’re coming to run after me ? Tidus : Yeah ! We all wanted to go together. John : We all ? Tidus : Right, Squall ? Squall : …For now John : (chuckle) For now, huh..

Tidus said even their objective are different, he want the four as a party and John replied he is okay with that since going alone to find the clues is difficult. John thanked Squall for helping him and Squall said “Whatever..”. Cloud then encouraged him “If you don’t know who you are, You can believe on yourself.” the four continue their journey and the scene switch to John’s inner monologue.

“Even though I have no clues about who I am, I started to feel that I’m different with them. When my memories returned and know my true identity, I hope I’m not their enemy. That’s what I believe for now.”

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, there was a commotion in the Phantom Train after one of the soul escaped. While the souls are talking about this, a man in black cloak is sitting alone at the corner, looking at where the soul fall which is dissidia world from the train’s window. And then this man started to lament.

“Aah… The treasure I keep is gone. The one who escaped this train stole it. If I have the treasure, I can take you all to the paradise. Please.. lend me your hand. Shake the Phantom Train and make it fall into the real world. Take the treasure back from the insolent thief.”

“If we have the treasure, we can go to the ‘paradise’ “ . Those words are enough to instigate the souls scared with the hell. The souls believe those words and made the Phantom Train derailed and go to dissidia world instead. While the souls were absorbed with the treasure to revive the dead which is unknown if it is really exist or not, No one realize the man in black cloak is nowhere to be seen.

——————————————————-

ACT 3

The four had check every place but they found nothing. Tidus complained Materia fooled them but Cloud and Squall sense something bad and they saw a train in the sky.

Tidus : WOAAAH !! The train is coming here !! Cloud : It won’t crashed here. Tidus : Why are you so calm ? We will be died if it crashed here. (The train crashed) Squall : Calm down. Tidus : DON’T SAY AFTER IT CRASHED !

They wondered if it’s a part of the abnormal thing and the area is suddenly surrounded by the smoke. John suddenly felt a pain, said he heard a voices which make his head hurts and passed out after that. The trio wondered if the smoke affect him since they don’t feel anything.

Tidus : The voices John has heard.. Who is it ? .. Huh ? Cloud : It’ll be dangerous if we get close to it. Squall : Yeah.. Let’s go back to previous place Cloud : Right. We need to let John rest. Tidus : Yeah.. yeah. Wait ! Wait a minute. Squall : What ? Tidus : No.. it’s nothing. Nevermind. Squall : What do you mean ? Tidus : Hehe.. Your voices are similiar Squall : Huh?

"What I heard is a song to soothe the souls of the dead in my world and a voice of the old man i know. I kinda get a clue what the train is so I am not scared anymore when i noticed it. Well, because I'm kinda similiar to them."

Tidus laughed, enough to make Squall confused and asked if he look like with someone. Tidus then decided to investigate the train alone but stopped by Cloud and Squall. He assured it will be quick and told them he is not ‘alone’. Just when Cloud and Squall is going to carry John back to the previous place, “One winged Angel” plays and Sephiroth came, told them to hand John to him or die instead . Cloud refused but Sephiroth explained John is the man who escaped the train carrying the dead and got revived. Cloud fight him and told Squall to escape and take John somewhere.

"Is it John who caused this ? or Sephiroth’s plotted it ? What did Tidus noticed ? I don’t know but my role is obvious. I’ll stop Sephiroth !"

TO BE CONTINUED ON PART 2

#dissidia #dissidia secretum #dissidia final fantasy nt #cloud strife #squall leonhart #tidus #sephiroth #locke cole #sakurai takahiro #ishikawa hideo #morita masakazu #morikawa toshiyuki #ono yuuki #dissidia nt #dissidia final fantasy #translation #i decided to add act 3 here because part 2 will cover my thoughts too

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nipuni · 6 years ago

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A compilation of replies because I’m slow and keep accumulating them and it got out of hand yet again 😆

Anonymous said: How did you come up with Nalia’s name? I thought it was a play on your own name at first lol

It absolutely was! It is a shorter version 👍

Anonymous said: Hi! So I’ve always been curious about this but how does one make a mod? Like what’s the process like??

Hello! you extract the files from the game, modify them, then import them back in and compile them, of course there is a lot more to each of those steps, here are some tutorials and guides and resources for various kinds of mods! x x x x x x x x

Anonymous said: Would you do hair mod commissions if someone was interested or do you just prefer drawing commissions? Asking because i would be interested when i get my new laptop (dai high def woot)

Hello! I wouldn’t know how to price them since they take such a long time to make compared to drawings and the difficulty varies wildly so I’m not sure if it would be viable! I would need a lot more practice 😅 maybe something to consider in the future! also congrats on the new computer!! dai is so gorgeous on the highest settings ;; 💕

Anonymous said: What country are you from? 🤔

Argentina ✌️

Anonymous said: Just curious since I don’t know much about modding. Does Nalia’s bob recolor?? And could it be for male elves? It’s really cute!

Thank you!! and yes it recolors, the mod is a mesh, a modification of the shape of the hair model, it does not change the textures. Right now it is only available for female elves! I may look into porting it to others at some point when I have some time 😊👍

@chibiwing said: saw your latest bob mod and stuff; have you looked into snagging hairs from Final Fantasy 14? The modding scene has exploded over the past year and the assets of the game are more readily accessible than ever now! Plus the imported hairs from other games that people have given proper textures and stuff. Let me know if you want the info to get into our things!

Hello! OH I used to play FFXIV I love the game! I also saw some great mods for it lately, sadly you can’t import a new model to replace a DAI model for some reason, at least not using DAI mod maker, I’m not sure about Frosty since I haven’t tried it yet, but there is a ton of limitations, the number of triangles needs to be the same and stuff, I’m not sure if it is a thing with Frostbite or the compilers 😩 I haven’t looked much into it to be honest, but thank you for the offer!! 🤗

@val-rampage said: Sorry to bother you, I wanted to ask when you planned another batch of commissions ^^ I finally managed to save enough for something huge <3 (and sorry for my English too, haha)

Hello! it is no bother! I am not sure yet! I would like to finish with this month’s patreon rewards before I take on more projects ;; but I’ll let you know in advance when I’m planning to open, no worries! also thank you so much I’m honoured ;; !! ❤️❤️❤️

Anonymous said: did you ever flesh out your male!lavellan from a while ago? I would love to hear more about him (despite the fact that I love nalia so)

I didn’t, I’m so sorry!! I completely forgot about him 😆 he was cute ;; I should continue his playthrough!! I’m terrble at making characters I swear, I did make new playthroughs since then for other characters though, I made an old male elf keeper and an Inquisitor Solas! but I’m biased towards female protagonists it seems 😖 wait, I could make Nuven! and Nalia’s mom! I’ve also always wanted to make a female Cadash playthrough, I really love dwarven lore in this game 😍 but thank you so much, I’m happy you like Nalia!!

Anonymous said: Hi there! First off, I love your stuff and your DAI mods. Which I recently remembered as I was making Solas in the Sims 4 and was wishing he would look as awesome as he does with your complexion mod. If you don't mind could I try (big try) to convert it to the Sims 4? Unless you are willing to convert it for me (which I don't expect but throwing it out there since hey, you the awesome artist.)

Thank you so much!! ❤️ Oh that would be cool!! I don’t think the UV coordinates would match up so it would need adjusting but I could give you the textures? maybe overlaying it on one of the Sims textures and adjusting them to match would do the trick if you can’t get the wireframe version of the map, I don’t remember much about Sims modding but it was my favourite thing as a teen ;; haha, let me know which one of the textures you would like and which maps to include and I can upload them somewhere for you to download the full size! 😊👍

I’ll grab a few more asks later or this post will get too long!! 😅

#nips replies

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shinjinotikari17 · 7 years ago

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I know this sounds like a really dumb question?

should I get the Nozomi Entertainment Gundam Age blu-ray releases for the english dub? (which last time I checked its not uploaded to sites like Kissanime) or should I get the Deluxe versions of the Japanese blu-rays for the extra pack ins and audio commentary? (If there not available somewhere on the Japanese internet)

#gundam age #level 5 #L5 project #I couldn't find the 5th version extras #decis

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mcrmadness · 4 years ago

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2 & 7

Thanks! Playlist ask game here.

I’m going to put the second one first because it was much easier to reply to, and the first one got so long that I’m going to hide it behind a read more link. (No, not because it’s about guilty pleasures lol. Okay maybe bit because of that too, so only people who are actually interested, will read it.)

7 - List all the songs you like in another language

Like... which language? I feel like this was directed at people who speak English as their first (and only?) language..? And my native language is Finnish, I speak fluent English and I have been listening to songs in other languages my whole life. So maybe I’ll drop something in several languages instead. Finnish: Se johtuu geeneistä by Tehosekoitin Extra Finnish song: Rapsutin by Sleepy Sleepers, it’s a cover of the famous song Rasputin and it’s currently my earworm lol. It’s a comedy rock band, they are singing about scratching your ass because of pubic louse because “rapsutin” means “I scratched” in Finnish. Finland Swedish: Pappas fitta by Klamydia (it’s a joke, this is a comedy punk band) Gibberish - or actually it’s Finnish but I have no clue what they are saying there, I can just hear words here and there: Kenkä by Klamydia German: Ach so gern (Pain Version) by Lindemann Turkish: Deli by Mor ve Ötesi - I heard of this band for the first time because of Eurovision 2008 and it was the best song in there but they did not win, unfortunately. I tried to listen to their music more later but somehow I never got into those songs too much but I guess I should try again.

2 - Make a 5 song playlist of guilty pleasure songs

Uh oh. I... don’t do guilty pleasures? :D Well, I kinda do but that’s more just to have some secrets with myself. Not everything needs to get out and be known, you know? I’m more of the type who doesn’t mention it but if someone asks me what I think about something, I will give my real opinion. I don’t start lying just because I “shouldn’t” like something, that’s just bullshit.

I think what I’m going to do here now is write down several songs that I got used to hearing at work or on my way to work/home and that are songs from bands I don’t like but when these songs came from the radio, I did let the radio play them anyway since it was better than what it usually was playing. And because I’m me, I need to say a little bit about each of them because, yeah, what is more important to me is to make sure no one mistakes anything (social anxiety much???), it’s just one song that I’m not ever even looking for because I am all or nothing type of person, if I like a song but nothing else from the bands sounds as good as that, then I’m out. I’m fine hearing the song somewhere and won’t turn off the radio but it doesn’t wake up any bigger feels because I know I can’t get more of that so I leave it be.

So it’s not really a list of guilty pleasure songs, just songs that have something I like in them and that I find extremely weird of me. And the list just has 5 things but not in any particular order.

1. This is not a band but a youtube video with a mix of several songs and this shit is just... this is what I actually look for some days, the song actually is good :DDDD Eagle Dance, enjoy!!!

2. To what I said in the text above the list, The Cure is a sad example of this. There’s only two songs I like: Friday I’m In Love and Caterpillar. Of course I haven’t gone through all their stuff but there was a time when I was going through their music videos (because I heard one song on radio at work) and I got just more and more disappointed the more I heard because none of the songs were on the same level as these two (and it’s not even that high level tbh). It’s also been several years since that and back then there was no Youtube Music (and I don’t use Spotify) so you couldn’t hear full albums unless someone had uploaded them to yt, and that usually means a terrible sound quality and I cannot stand hearing music in low quality, so it was not an option for me. So when I started researching any band’s music, I always went through the music videos - there was also something for me to see since I have problems focusing on audio only, and I’ve been very fond of music videos ever since my childhood. (I loved to sit in front of TV just watching the music videos there!) So I don’t know if more songs like those two exist but at least not in the music videos. Since then people have talked about the band to me and linked me music videos they like but sorry, not my cup of tea.

3. Another song to the list of songs I heard from radio while at work and I’m not exactly sure what it is with this, maybe the bass, but Born to Be Alive by Patrick Hernandez is fun. But again one of those songs that I would never choose to listen to but that I will let play if they come from the radio. Normally I keep switching the radio channels obsessively because I can’t stand 99% of the stuff that plays there, or they are full of ads. Another fun thing about this song: it was hilarious that in the die ärzte concert in Poland, they actually played a clip of this song in the middle of Blumen :D

4. I cannot STAND disco music at all and I really try my best to avoid it, for me it’s as bad as hip hop or rap, and yet I still for some reason kinda liked Bee Gee’s song Tragedy every time I heard it on the radio. I’ve tried to explain myself what it is, but maybe something to do with the bass or rhythm, but I’m not exactly sure. The main reason why I can’t stand their music is the singing, I’m very sensitive to sounds and such high voices literally hurt my ears (which is the main reason why I mainly listen to music with male singers!)

5. Damn. This last one is actually really difficult. I don’t really have more than those? I can’t think of any other songs that I would have heard from the radio and thought “hey this is kinda fun???” But I guess I could include another thing here without mentioning songs because I literally have no more songs to mention! But when I was working, I often got earworms because of the radio and when I do that, I get obsessed with the idea of getting them out of my head. So I often try to find the song name and check the song from youtube because sometimes listening to it will remove the earworm. And what is the funniest shit ever with old music videos and songs: the youtube comments! I have been laughing so much so many times after reading these comments, it’s also another thing I do alone but sometimes wish I could share it with someone else too :D

#winterowl #ask games #music #tehosekoitin #klamydia

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meiizumi · 5 years ago

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Castle of Shikigami: An informal rant nobody asked for about my most obscure obsession to date

STOP i spent like 2 days writing this post and im only posting it on tumblr because it’s the one website i’m a member of that can hold the most text. i wanted to infodump somewhere...... read this to learn something i guess (´･ω･`)

Bad voice acting is the Peak of comedy to me, and while I was looking for something to laugh at one day, I found this game called Castle Shikigami 2 for the PS2. The US version of the game's dialogue is rife with machine translated text that makes no sense, and awkward voice acting to boot. They even have voice actors saying the wrong lines, voice actors speaking implied commands, and a few voice lines are left in Japanese. Apparently, Roger Craig Smith (Sonic the Hedgehog's current voice actor) was in this game but I don't think he's even credited?! I think I know which character he voiced but I’m not exactly sure.

The history behind this game’s localization is REALLY weird. Castle of Shikigami/Shikigami no Shiro was originally an arcade bullet hell shoot em up game. The series was created by Alfa System and it was one of Alfa System’s main IPs. There are three main shmup installments and a text adventure game for the PS2, Nanayozuki Gensoukyoku. Nanayozuki was practically fanservice for whatever number of CoS fans there were back then. Each main game in the series was originally an arcade cabinet, but they were all ported to PC and home consoles. In CoS 2′s case, it came out on the PS2, Gamecube, and Dreamcast, but only the PS2 version got localized. The western publisher, XS Games specializes in publishing quality budget titles such as “Bass Pro Shops: The Strike” for the Wii. I theorize they didn’t care too much about the actual content of CoS 2 and were more focused on selling a game quickly for a low price, so they just machine translated it and adjusted a few things. If you’re wondering if Castle of Shikigami 1 was also translated this badly, the answer is No. XS Games instead removed all the dialogue from the western release of CoS 1, and released it with the title “Mobile Light Force 2″.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘Mobile Light Force TWO’ if Castle of Shikigami 1 is the first game in the series?” If you want to know what Mobile Light Force 1 was, it’s GUNBIRD; another shmup game, but by a completely different developer than Castle of Shikigami. I don’t know why they did that. What really kills me though is that both MLF 1 and 2 use the same boxart, which is COMPLETELY unrelated to the actual contents of either game. AFJQHJFOKLJFDS look at this

There’s more hilarity behind Mobile Light Force that isn’t hard to find so you can search that up if you’re interested. But thankfully, Castle of Shikigami 3's Wii edition got more of a proper localization by Aksys Games.

Now I would bluntly say something like “stan castle of shikigami” but:

1. This series’ lore is insanely convoluted. It’s an essential part of this expansive fictional universe referred to as “Mumei Sekaikan” (I don’t know what this translates to in English) where there’s like, 7 different parallel worlds. There’s more obscure ass games and manga that are tied to this universe, and I think there’s even a tabletop RPG made based off it. Have you heard of “Gunparade March”? Most likely you haven’t; it’s an obscure video game made by Alfa System that also got adapted into an anime, and I feel it can be described as Mechas x Persona. One of the characters in CoS 2 is just one of the GPM characters going undercover to find her senpai who traveled to the CoS world. Or something like that. The 7-world universe isn’t explicitly talked about in the game but they make so many references to it without defining anything that it’s like you Must know about it. There is NO documentation in English about the Mumei Sekaikan I could find on the internet, although there is a wiki in Japanese where I got a ton of knowledge from (GOOGLE TRANSLATE IS MY TRUSTED FRIEND) I feel like I might be THE person in the United States who has the most knowledge on the Mumei Sekaikan, and I could go on another tangent talking about what I know so far (and who this one specific dude Shibamura Yuuri is) but I won’t.

2. The writing isn’t excellent and can be pretty Unwoke ™; the first game came out in 2001 and the third game came out in 2005 if that gives you a sense on what era these writers were in. As far as the games dialogue goes, the characters appear kind of flat. CoS 1 and 2 Kotaro (i refuse to use the official “Kohtaro”) is stupid and driven by JUSTICE to a point where it’s annoying. I can’t tell if Hyuga is trying to be a Ladies Man in CoS 2 and 3. Kim, a religious tae kwon do instructor, spends CoS 2 thinking about how he should atone for his sins, then he turns himself into jail at the end. Sayo’s backstory is that she was a shrine maiden raised as a “human weapon” to have no emotions and her only goal in life was to kill god and then die, something like that. However, after CoS 1, she gets a crush on Kotaro because he actually treats her like a human and Of course that’s what you’d expect from the main teen girl and boy in the series. In CoS 3, Sayo's character is mostly played out to be a major tsundere for Kotaro even though surprisingly HIS character in this game changed a ton compared to 1 and 2 (he had to kill an illusion of his older brother, who he learned actually died earlier, and now he has to kill an illusion of his childhood sweetheart... damb that shit sucks :/). He’s still stupid though

There’s a gag in CoS 2 that I can’t clearly remember where it’s like, Niigi makes Sayo and Fumiko, who are both romantically interested in Kotaro, think that he’s only into little girls? Meanwhile, Fumiko’s magic goes wrong and her appearance turns to that of a child though in response she’s like “hee hee maybe Kotaro will like this”. basically more On-Brand early 2000′s anime unwokeness than average. Speaking of Fumiko, she’s a 400+ year old militaristic witch who constantly teases Kotaro (who’s like 16 or 17) and she wants to marry him for his magical potential since he’s like one of the candidates for becoming God??? From the official CoS 3 character descriptions, “Her hobby is to steal the men from other women. Her second hobby is trampling upon people.” She canonically stole her stepmother’s husband from her stepmother (the 3rd boss of CoS 3). I don’t get how that shit would have worked

3. The game itself is HARD af but to be fair I’m a scrub gamer. I can’t get past stage 3 on easy difficulty without continuing. Yes i bought CoS 1 on Steam, Yes it has a port on steam i feel like i should have mentioned this earlier

4. Besides CoS 1 having a port on Steam, CoS 2 and 3 might be hard to obtain legally. The poorly translated CoS 2 was apparently super cheap back then, but since it’s an old game, its value might’ve increased. When I tried looking up prices for English CoS 3, all the listings were like at least $40 and being broke I wouldn’t want to spend more than $29 for a Wii game in 2019... honestly I just emulated CoS 2. shout out to PCSX2

Last month I was desperate, bored enough, and deep enough in the Shikigami rabbit hole that I tried to find the manga based off of it online. The CoS manga only tells the events of the first two games so I still don’t really get anything about CoS 3, like who Mihee, Batu, and Emilio are supposed to be. However, the plot events also differ. For example, Roger Sasuke exists as a character in CoS 3 but in the manga he literally Dies. There’s 11 total volumes of this; 3 volumes dedicated to CoS 1 and the latter 8 (the “Twisted Castle arc”) dedicated to CoS 2. Only the very first 3 chapters were scanlated to English all the way in 2011. Fortunately, I did find the entire manga uploaded though............... in CHINESE. So you know what I did? I “read” the entire thing using my phone’s Google Translate OCR app to take pictures of each page and comprehend the translations. Of course I still don’t understand CRAP because of the Mumei Sekaikan jargon + machine translation but I understood enough to get emotionally attached to some of the characters. I wish I hadn’t. At least through the manga I learned that the characters DO have some depth and pre-established relationships. For instance, the reason why Roger Sasuke became a ninja is because when he first landed in Japan as a kid, he was getting bullied or something and he didn’t know Japanese then Kotaro saw this and told the bullies to stop. Then after Roy /sorry i mean Roger learned that he was set to home-stay with the Kugas in the first place, he decided to dedicate his life to Japan in order to protect Kotaro back. I think. DO U SEE HOW ABSURD THIS SHIT IS Anyway Nanayozuki takes place between the second and third games and sets things up for CoS 3. There’s a full playthrough of it uploaded to YouTube and I think it contains a lot of juicy lore, but it’s just too much to go over with Shitty Google Translate OCR. There’s also Shikigami no Shiro novels which apparently contain the most backstory, but I have a 0% chance of finding these online for free. Not to mention that these would ALSO be too much effort to Google Translate.

in conclusion: You don’t HAVE to play Castle of Shikigami. Like, I’m not gonna recommend it for the content, but if you love shmups and are looking for a shmup game you haven’t heard of then I will recommend it for the gameplay (old touhou mutuals assemble theres a POWER-UP-BY-GRAZE MECHANIC). I’ve counted like 4 total fans outside of Japan that like this series for the story, and I don’t think that number is going to increase because I doubt CoS 2 will ever get retranslated and ported. I just want you to know that this series exists and that there’s a ton of wacky shit behind it besides the bad Castle Shikigami 2 dub. also if someone knows enough japanese or chinese and has an INKLING of interest in this series umm talk to me and help me decipher stuff

I‘m kinda sad that the series is pretty much Dead though. This is the most recent piece of official Castle of Shikigami art I could find, and this was for the 2018 New Year. The next most recent piece of official CoS art I found was also drawn by the character designer Sonoda Miku all the way in January 2008, commemorating the end of the CoS manga serialization. Alfa System released a spiritual sequel to Castle of Shikigami on the Japanese Switch eShop called Sisters Royale, with character designs I think are still by Sonoda. By “spiritual sequel” I mean that it has some of the EXACT same shot types as CoS and the same mechanic where grazing bullets increases your power and score. This is the closest we’ll get to a Shikigami no Shiro 4. I wonder what the business decision behind that game was but it actually looks like fun and I want to play it so OK Go off i guess

#bees are good #castle of shikigami #shikigami no shiro #video games #i feel: DISEASED

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empurataed · 7 years ago

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rambles from the dead of night

It’s not night now, but it was written at one midnight/dawn and slept in my draft.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I really wanted to talk about megop/옵티메가 but couldn’t, so decided to upload parts of the words I mumbled somewhere last year. I re-wrote them in English, with some change.

The idea is that Optimus uses the time machine to go back to the past, to when Megatron was still a miner.

In fact, I originally wrote two versions, “right after Dark Cybertron” one and “after Dying of the Light” one, but let’s stick to the first here. There, Megatron is executed and becomes a martyr, which reignites the war. Optimus is torn apart that he killed his loved one and the hard-earned peace both.

He wants to go back to the past and find a better way. Going back before the execution is pointless, because there’s no way Megatron could avoid it, at least in Optimus’ optics. He decides to go back to the way-far past, before the war.

To Rodion is too dangerous, ‘cause of the Orion Pax of that time. So he lands on Messatine. He manages to persuade Rolt/other employees that he’s new chief guard. (maybe with the Senator friend’s help.)

Megatron is suspicious at first, but they become friends. Optimus tries to influence Megatron to prevent the war, leading him to the non-violent way or away from dangerous idea. (like ‘you don’t need to stand in the front line’ and so on.)

Terminus doesn’t like it.

He considers Optimus an underling of the Senate, and even though he’s not, the revolution can’t succeed without some force. Megatron gives Optimus skeptical responses but Optimus doesn’t give up, slowly winning him over, getting closer and closer.

Terminus and Optimus sometimes have a little quarrel/bickering, but over time Optimus gets to know that Terminus isn’t using Megatron and Terminus acknowledges Optimus’ sincerity.

One day a cave-in happens. Terminus loses his legs. Megatron looks after him, sharing energon. It is a kind of setback for OP. Also he feels a bit jealous and thinks it’s absurd.

Terminus feels his death is near. When Megatron is on his shift, he tells Optimus that Megatron has a great destiny and (although he doesn’t see himself as a figurehead) he will/should lead people into revolution. Then he asks Optimus to take care of Megs.

Soon Trepan arrives on the mine.

Finally getting to the point, I became too tired to write more... why is it so long it’s meaningless... To be short, it’s basically hurt&comfort. They suffer but eventually find the way, leaning on each other.

It’s about Optimus showing Megatron his support/intention to comfort by giving him small things without words. At this point Megatron is isolating himself from Optimus to cope with losing Terminus & what Trepan did to him.

(Optimus isn’t certain if it had happened to the Megatron he killed, but... Megatron strongly refused letting a Mnemosurgeon touch his brain module. Now he come to think of it, he looked almost scared...)

Giving a data pad can inspire him, (or be a false signal to rush him into writing, but I didn’t go there.) Optimus means “if you don’t want to talk about it with me, with anyone, at least express it on the pad- it will help.” He writes a letter on the pad and gives it to Megatron.

After that, they go through some incidents and become lovers. Then Megatron Origin #1 happens (kinda differently). They escape to Kaon. Optimus is absolutely against the gladiatorial battles, so they try to find other means to live and to protect themselves. Optimus considers his options. Can he rely on his... Orion’s friends?

Then Megatron finds out Optimus is not the police captain in disguise.

It doesn’t end here but I have to go.

#ramblings #옵티메가 #썰

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penup · 7 years ago

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[Interview] HOF December 2017 @TreeStory

Q1. @PENUP : Hello, Artist @TreeStory. You were selected as 2017’s last HOF artist. How do you feel? A1. @TreeStory : Hello. First off, I would like to thank you. I first started off only as a little hobby… ^^ I feel I can conclude year 2017 through this happy event and it will remain in my memory.

Q2. @PENUP : Please can you introduce yourself to users from around the world? A2. @TreeStory : I don’t have much to introduce… I’m just a middle-aged man living in Korea. I am already at this age. It might be an age that is not suited with these drawings : ) I think you can just think of me as a man who scribbles for a hobby.

Q3. @PENUP : Going on to your feed, there were around 460 uploads. You began in October 2013, and have continuously exhibited pieces of art until now. We can see your beginning in 2013 with PENUP. How did you come to know about PENUP? A3. @TreeStory : I came to know about PENUP when I got a smartphone. I suppose I began with pressing the PENUP app that was installed in my Samsung smartphone. It was interesting at first. As I got more and more used to using my smartphone, I started to upload pictures little by little.

Q4. @PENUP : Now, let’s talk about your drawings. As mentioned in the beginning, when we look at your pictures, it’s almost like reading a diary. Perhaps it’s because it contains small daily happenings. Where do you usually get your material for drawing? A4. @TreeStory : It’s not quite like a diary, but I think I experience a lot of things daily. ^^ Through walking down the street, driving somewhere, reading a book, watching a movie… and so on. I try to scribble each one down. In between there are my own personal experiences, but I tend to draw thoughts that come up from reading a book or watching a book.

Q5. @PENUP : In your drawings, there are often some Korean text included. It made us think you were a Korean whose mother tongue was Korean. There is a harmony of Korean characteristic designs and beauty in your drawing. And it gains empathy, even though the meaning may not be understood by the world. Is there a reason you enjoy adding Text to your works? And if there is anything special about Korean, what is it? A5. @TreeStory : There is the reason that I am not good at other languages! ^^ First I need to write in a language where I can freely express myself, that even if it’s not clear, it can be properly communicated. And to do so, it is best for me to write in Korean. Also, usually before I draw, I tend to write first and think. Probably in nearly all my pictures there is some writing included. Only in this way I can make up for the lack of communication and make it a little bit clearer.

Q6. @PENUP : There is a particular boy main character in many of your drawings. It seems like an emotionally reactive and detailed character. This excellent character’s emotional episodes lets viewers also fall into and feel these emotions. Is this character perhaps an expression of yourself? What is this character’s personality or characteristic? A6. @TreeStory : There are many people around me who remark on our similarity but it is not so. Because I am a guy, I usually think from a guy’s point of view and express it that way. I majored in design. So, I drew the characters I had usually scribbled about, again on my smartphone. When you need a subject to be immersed in a story, nothing works best as a character. ^^ The characters are all a little similar and different. I don’t think they have one such personality. Should we just say at that moment, for that picture, they are the ones that do the explaining for me?

Q7. @PENUP : After uploading your pictures, you also add a sentimental explanation. For example, in your, 'rainbow… you hart' drawing, you wrote: “Let’s be happy. The start of your hand… it creates a rainbow in my heart…" And also, 'a heart is like a net that is not easily untangled', you wrote: “However much I try to untangling, it only gets more tangled up, I can’t retrieve the fish caught inside, Is it because I can’t let it go free?” In this way, you communicate with other users through writing and drawings. What does it mean to you, to share your emotions through SNS? A7. @TreeStory : As I have mentioned before, most of my work is from imagining my writing into images. Expressing myself in this way might be a lingering attachment to my dream. It is not anymore, but being an illustrator used to be my dream. ^^

Q8. @PENUP : Looking at your tags, we can’t help but notice Galaxy Note. You used to work with Galaxy Note 4, 5 and pro12.2, and recently it seems you are working with Galaxy Note 7. Among the devices you have used, which is your favorite? Also, which drawing apps have you used before? A8. @TreeStory : Yes, I used Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, Note 3, 4, 5, and now I’m using Note 7FE. I have worked on PC using pen and mouse before, and so I adjusted quickly to smartphone pen. I think the most comfortable device is still the Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. It’s great because it’s so wide. ^^ Also until recently, I have used the Autodesk SketchBook drawing app. It’s quite good, and also if you have the Note series, you could access the pro version. I wanted to continue with the Autodesk SketchBook, but the UI has changed too much, making it difficult. So right now, I’m searching for another drawing app.^^

Q9. @PENUP : Whether it’s because of the sentimental writing, you have a lot of empathetic comments. I think you always reply to other users’ comments… Do you have any comments that you especially remember? A9. @TreeStory : Many people show their interest through their comments. I am thankful, for their appreciation. The comment I remember the most, is in the beginning stages of PENUP, there is a drawing with “Sora’s story” written on it. As I still do now, when I had written something in Korea, there were many people who were curious. Someone translated it all into English in the comments, and encouraged me the most. I think I remember that person the most. Because that user is no longer on PENUP, I can’t show my appreciation…

Q10. @PENUP : You were with us ever since PENUP’s beginning. So we are very curious, while you were using PENUP, are there any improvements you would like to see? A10. @TreeStory : PUENUP’s history also marks my story. I’m sure you all know about PENU’s UI(User Interface) even without my mentioning it. If there are any improvements that I want to see, it would be for a smoother way of communication among the users. PENUP is used by people all over the world. However, there are people like me who find difficulty in language. If this difficulty is improved, I feel that this will be an even better space for sharing. ^^ Hope your days are always filled with happiness.

2017 last HOF interview has ended with Artist @TreeStory. It is December. The end can be the finish, and it can also be the moment for a new beginning. Looking back on this year, how about reflecting on the happy memories, and as for regrets, setting up plans for a fresh start in 2018? We hope that that in 2018, everyone of you can build special memories in PENUP. Our management team will always try our best :) Happy New Year everyone~!

Artwork Sharing Social Network, PENUP! http://www.penup.com - The PENUP Team

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dgst395blog · 7 years ago

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12.13 - final reflection

(Please note that there are hyperlinks in my blog posts to my slideshows/posters/etc.)

Well, there's another year gone by. This was my final semester here at UMW, and I was super excited to get to be in a DGST class. Although I'm an English major, the digital world is one that I love and consumed me during my college career.

I took DGST 395 because I loved 101 so much. I touched on this in class when talking about grading/class structure, but I wish we had done more hands-on stuff like we did in DGST 101. I think the main difference was that we were more group-oriented and student-lead discussions this year.

While sometimes it's fun to teach the class, I honestly found my classmates to be rather unreliable. At the beginning of the year, half of my table didn't even have the book we were reading. I'll admit I skipped a few chapters, but I always made sure I knew what I was talking about on days I had to present.

(1: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/165365821388/week-2-904-908-i-taught-my-first-lesson-on

2: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/165365825793/week-3-911-915-i-taught-my-second-lesson-on

3: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/165851272068/week-4-918-922).

I also had paper copies of my notes that I read off of during class. I would scan these in, but honestly I recycled them earlier in the year, not even thinking about doing a reflection. Sorry, but I promise I had them! However, even the people at my table that read the book didn't understand what was going on most the time, and while class discussion helped, I think the novel may have been better as a non-introduction piece.

When we started talking about programming, I once again was disappointed in my group. I made slideshows for all my presentations

(1: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/166291775518/week-7-1009-1013-this-week-i-taught-my-first

2: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/167085349113/week-9-1023-27

3: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/167085363513/week-10-1030-1103)

and uploaded posters on time, but I really just didn't feel that my group cared. My first presentation on Strings, I only had Dr. Whalen and one student. And that student reviewed me as the wrong Stephanie (even though I spelled my name on the slide...) I also noticed that when I was teaching, I felt like my table was more interested in their laptops. When I taught one of my subjects, a girl at my table was assigned to do the same one and asked me to go first. I did, but then she didn't teach anything and said, "Oh, you covered it all."

It was also super stressful to be "taught" with no visuals. The people who just briefly talked about their subject really taught me nothing. When learning about programming, I think it's really important to at least try examples or show an example. I also felt that some people didn't even read their chapters and just relied on YouTube. I also noticed that some people at my table didn't buy the book. Again, this was stressful because I knew they didn't know the material, but I was also peeved because I paid for the book and they always just wanted to use mine.

I really enjoyed making my presentations and felt that I included enough examples and supplementary details that my group understood what I was talking about. I earned mostly 5′s on my reviews (https://airtable.com/shreouhcFrTIF5XOJ), so I feel like I did explain my material well. I just feel like I didn't learn much from most of the other students. I mentioned it in class, but some of these presentations were probably lackluster because there was no real accountability for these people. Teaching my project was fun, and I had another table come to my table for it. I actually really enjoyed this, because the other table asked me questions and I felt like they were actually engaged with my tutorial, whereas my table had their heads in their laptops. (https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/168257196383/week-14-1127-1201-this-week-i-presented-on). Some of the other people in the class had really nice presentations too, but I was kind of disappointed in how serious some were vs. others. Maybe I took on too much for my project (as I feel like it's never ending), but all some people did was make a Snapchat filter.. I liked the idea Dr. Whalen mentioned in class that everyone should have done a portfolio. I would have enjoyed that, and for some reason never even thought about it during the course.

Breakdown:

(As the syllabus says, my notes are in bold)

The Big Project (35% of total)

Since you're designing this project, you'll also define the criteria for evaluating your efforts and ultimately the success or failure of the project. At a minimum, your evaluation criteria must recognize and assign value to at least these four components:

Proposal // Turned in on time (https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/166350737223/project-proposal-for-my-big-project-i-would-really)

Progress Report 1 // Turned in on time (https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/166710174158/progress-report-1-what-are-you-working-on-ive)

Progress Report 2 // Turned in on time (https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/167194403348/progress-report-2-1-what-are-you-working-on-ive)

Final Reflection // Turned in on time (this post)

(There’s no mention of Progress Report 3 in the criteria, but here it is, also turned in on time)

I would honestly give myself a B/B+ on my big project. It's a BIG project. I've been working on it for months and there's still no way I've mapped every verified Twitter user. Although I know the project is due at 11am today, I'll probably continue to edit this thing until the end of time. I literally have a folder full of data I still need to process digitally. But I love this project, so I want to complete it, but I don't even know how many verified users exist. I tried to Google it, but couldn't find anything finite and I've hit my 5,000 following limit on two accounts, so I know there must be over 10,000.. I'm not even sure how much data Kumu can hold, but I'd really like to keep pursuing this project. I almost wish I had picked something finite, but this is truly something I'm passionate about (I have no idea why, but I am), so I'm glad this was what I went with. Big Project Blog: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/168502991938/the-big-project-text-challenges-text Big Project: https://www.kumu.io/stephcookie/twitter-map#twitter-map

Teaching (40% of total) You'll do this eight times in total, so each of those teaching days is worth 5% of your overall grade. Your grade for each individual teaching session will be determined in a self-evaluation informed by feedback from your peers.

I think I 100% deserve an A in this section. I planned all of my lessons in advance, showed up for my lessons, and taught everyone in a way I felt was fully comprehensible. (According to Cnavas, we only did this 7 times, not 8?) 1: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/165365821388/week-2-904-908-i-taught-my-first-lesson-on 2: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/165365825793/week-3-911-915-i-taught-my-second-lesson-on 3: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/165851272068/week-4-918-922 4: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/166291775518/week-7-1009-1013-this-week-i-taught-my-first and https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LQO8p-QO9V_GmwUgwHSF3l4LESiy7Ti_umpwDox_5mg/edit?usp=sharing 5: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/167085349113/week-9-1023-27 and https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zH69MSGWh-Rh8rtZ2zHFWpP_vc05KwBQFGe_VyCdYss/edit?usp=sharing 6: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/167085363513/week-10-1030-1103 and https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-be2e49rC7auv8yPh0NEnLxJEsQ854-0kQxxDlgIvLw/edit?usp=sharing 7: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/168257196383/week-14-1127-1201-this-week-i-presented-on and https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XmKouhkoKQTHtptUUroz_AQH9IMbUEnL_JPr9GWCKYE/edit?usp=sharing

Programming Manifesto (10% of total) This is a statement you'll prepare (in text, gif, video, or whatever format you prefer) as we set out to learn some programming together. You'll revisit and revise this manifesto a few weeks later.

I also belive I deserve an A in this section. I did both the manifesto and re: manifesto on time and I feel I reflected on the original very well in the second version. Manifesto: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/165971153533/manifesto Re: Manifesto: https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/post/167510475728/re-manifesto-after-working-closely-with-the-book

Learning Journal (7.5% of total) Somewhere public (like a blog) or private (like a Google Doc), keep a weekly reflection of your work for this class and your learning processes as you navigate the various challenges that will come up.

I believe I earned an A in this section as well. While some blog entries are longer than others, I kept track of what we did all year, and did it in an organized manner. While I didn't build a new blog and design all the html myself, I still maintained a public blog for this class, even it was a tumblr (they’re just so easy to use!, and I could blog right from my phone after class). https://dgst395blog.tumblr.com/

Participation (7.5% of total) Work with and encourage your peers, both in person and online. Give them helpful feedback on their teaching, and provide supportive critique on their projects.

I'd say this is another category I'd give myself an A- or a B+ in. I did miss a few classes, but never on the days that I was meant to teach or present. I Slack messaged Dr. Whalen once or twice about being absent, but I never got a reply and someone at my table said they never did either, so I just asked my table what we did on each day that I missed. The only classes I remember missing substantially was the Monday and Wednesday(?) of Fall Break, as I was in New York, but I did mention this to my table and Dr. Whalen in advance.

I felt that I was active during group discussions. I feel like I raised my hand and contributed at least once each time whenever we had a big group discussion. I also checked Slack constantly, having notifications on my phone. I commented on people's posts when it felt relevant, and I feel like I was a good tablemate and offered valuable feedback throughout the semester to my peers.

So overall, I think that I deserve a B+-ish. I feel like my big project took on too much, but I want it to succeed so bad. No matter how I tweak it, it feels incomplete and scattered, but I have so much data, I can't let it fail. The data contained in the map now has so much effort in it, with dozens of hyperlinks in every description. I just need infinity time to map every relationship.

However, I definitely think I was one of the most prepared teachers in the classroom. Or at least compared to my table. I can't say it enough that I was disappointed in my table's performance regarding teaching. I don't want to call anyone out, but reading the book as you're presenting is a horrible sign that you have no idea what you're talking about. I think my participation could have been a little better, but I feel like I definitely had an established presence in the class and felt like I was giving good feedback to people when they needed it.

Thank you for the course, Dr. Whalen. I really do enjoy digital studies and while I wish some things had worked differently within the class, I enjoyed the course overall.

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