#but not this type of “we want every member of our audience to be able to project onto our mc so she's basically a nothing character” type

[oifaaa]

on god if its my happy marriage please keep watching if only to get to the fucking shonen anime super power reveal. the way my jaw DROPPED. I did not enjoy the anime but it did have my full attention by that point.

I'm sorry the what???? She has the powers of a shonen anime or does he have the powers of a shonen anime?? please I don't think I can continue watching this show don't tempt me with stupid anime nonsense

[putschki1969]

Hi Sarah!

Thank you so much for always providing such great content on your blog. It's incredibly kind of you to consistently follow the girls' activities and share the information with the English-speaking community. I know it must take a lot of effort, and I truly appreciate it.

I'm really heartbroken by the recent developments, especially the rumours and backlash against the girls. I don't believe for a second that they "betrayed" Kajiura on purpose. I just hope people can be more rational and avoid jumping to conclusions, especially when so many details are still unclear. Anyone who has been following them knows they aren't the type to be ungrateful to Kajiura. Your unwavering support for the girls really means a lot and has made me feel much better during all of this.

I was tidying up my mailbox and came across an old recording of the girls' cover of 茉莉花 (the Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower") from their 2016 Far on the Water Live Tour in Shanghai. I'm not sure if anyone has shared it with you before, but I’d be happy if this is new to you and hope it brings a little joy to your day. It's certainly not the best quality since I recorded it secretly during the concert, and halfway through, Keiko gestured for the audience to sing along, so there's a lot of background noise. Still, I wanted to share it as a small token of thanks for all the hard work you put into supporting the girls.

Hope you like it and have a wonderful day!

Hello! 😊

Awww, thank you! ❤️ I appreciate your kind words🫂 My love for the girls is still very strong so I'm more than happy to share this love with my fellow fans. I know it can be incredibly hard to follow all the information, updates and releases if you are not willing or able to invest a lot of time and money into the whole thing.

I hate seeing all the backlash against the girls. Yes, Yuki Kajiura has every right to feel slighted and her loyal fans can be disappointed or angry on her behalf. It's understandable. But remain reasonable and stick to facts. Don't treat the girls as if they are not even human, as if they were just instruments used by Yuki Kajiura, without their own feelings or thoughts. You really think this decision for the reunion live was made lightly without putting a lot of thought and consideration into it? You really think the girls didn't weigh all their available options in advance and decided this was the best possible course of action for everyone involved even if that route would ultimately lead to them being in a position where they simply weren't allowed to speak of the matter? Sometimes life puts obstacles in our way and we have no choice but to grit our teeth and move past them to get where we want to be. Along the line, sacrifices have to made and not everything will be sunshine and rainbows. The entertainment industry sucks and there are a lot of people in high positions who don't always have everyone's best interest in mind. I am sure Yuki Kajiura, Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru are very much aware of that fact and will find a way to clear up any existing misunderstandings in a civil manner.

Everyone, please realise that name-calling the girls and accusing them of every horrible thing under the sun is unacceptable, it's just beyond disrespectful and it's no way to treat someone you claim to be a fan of. Even if your loyalty lies more with Yuki Kajiura, I assume you are still a fan of Kalafina so please treat the members with the respect they deserve and don't readily dismiss them just because of an incident we don't know any details about.

I 100% understand why Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru are currently trying to lay low in the aftermath of the announcement. Still, it's sad that they are forced into a corner like that, that they feel the need to "hide" from their fans during a time that was surely intended to be celebratory for all of us. It's been unusually quiet on all of their social media channels. Not even a random Instagram story by Keiko or a new YouTube video from Hikaru...*sighs* They obviously don't want to stir up any more trouble and are waiting for things to blow over but I personally feel that it would actually help some fans to see reason if they heard the girls speak up about the reunion in a more casual and frank manner. We'll obviously never find out anything about the internal machinations of the whole thing but it would be nice to know how the girls feel about this reunion on an emotional level. Unfortunately, the official announcement statements felt a bit too stilted and coordinated so I think they came across as not entirely genuine to many fans. Oh well, that's not how situations are usually handled in the Japanese entertainment industry so we'll just have to wait and see...

..••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••..

Waaaaahhh!!!😲 OMG!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!💖💖💖 No one ever shared a full recording of this 茉莉花 performance with me. All I ever had was that tiny snippet from a news report.

This is SO PRECIOUS!!✨ I ADORE every second of it! They are clearly putting so much love into every syllable of the song. I could listen to it again and again (even if the audio quality isn't too great😅). Just melting during Keiko's tender melodic embellishment. So beautiful🥹 Again, thank you for sending this to me, I really appreciate it🙌

[joyswonderland1108]

Drama. Drama everywhere.

Hello Loves, hope you are all doing okay and having a good life.

Quite honestly i was not going to talk about this because i was trying to stay drama-free for the longest time as i've been busy with uni but also wanted a bit of a break from all the bullshit while i continue to support, appreciate and wait for our boys peacefully.

My reactions for this situation were :

This shit is funny af because here we go again making a scene out of basically nothing.

As much as the situation is funny it is also unfunny when we're looking at the whole scene from different angles.

So to begin we all know why this shit is funny, same story, different day. People will continuously feel pressed about Jimin or Junkook or Jimin AND Jungkook, people always have this obsession of bringing down their bond because for some reason people can't even accept them as two bandmates, it HAS to be two strangers or nothing to them.

The whole "we do not support content that has shipping material" argument is silly to me because darling, if you see member X with member Z doing something totally normal that anyone can do and can still call it "shipping material" that's a you problem, you must be having serious untreated problems and should seek help from a therapist ASAP.

To think that "Tteokbokki by JK" caused so much fire and for what? We've all been knew that the members have been eating together many times before and it wouldn't be the first time that a member would've cooked something that was appreciated by other members. We were even able to see through the moments the boys decided to share with us that Jungkook did in fact cook for Jimin and if anything to me whether it was Jimin who said it or any other member, picking the Tteokbokki by JK as his favourite dish, that to me at least is a really good praise for JK because this could only mean his Tteokbokki is a banger!!

Now moving on to why it is also unfunny and i'm not even going to get into the details that we talk about every single time about how both Jimin and JK get unnecessary hate but i'm going to talk more about the fans.

We should all keep in mind that stan accounts are run by actual people not bots, so this whole thing about making a big deal out of a very small thing and making up lies to justify this hate is absolutely mental. People are receiving death threats through their dms, they're being lied about, they're being doxxed and basically their lives could be in danger and over what? Childish behaviors that are not assumed.

What irks me is those with big platforms who can't bother to do things correctly, and i'm not saying they should not do any mistakes, we're human we do make mistakes and it's okay but what's not okay is knowing damn well we are wrong and not apologizing for it, being able to fix it and not even try but instead proceeding to block the people they were wrong about.

I don't want anyone to tell me that those people behind those big accounts are not responsible, when you have a certain amount of followers you become responsible of the behavior they show after they followed YOUR advise. Like any influencer on the internet, they are responsible for their audience, as the word itself is "influence" which means that the behavior, decisions, actions, etc.. of the audience can be diverted by this person.

Seeing how these big accounts caused a lot of damage to many people over false information that they did not bother to fact check before but even worse didn't even think about making a follow up post apologizing not only for the misinformation but also to the people who have been impacted by it, this says a lot about what kind of people they are and the type of values they grew up with. Because those accounts are owned by real people too, which means that the posts are also influenced by their personality and values, knowing damn well that because of YOU people are being sent death threats and not even a simple "Sorry"?

It is quite sad actually because we're seeing fewer and fewer big accounts in this fandom being completely honest and unproblematic. Ship whoever you want, stan whoever you want, heck if you want to be a solo go ahead no one is stopping you as long as there is no disrespect out there, as long as there are limits, literally no one gives a fuck what you chose to do or believe in.

A this point i feel like i used up all of my energy in writing this post and if i go any longer it would no longer make sense so i'm stopping here. Please, let's do better for our boys, i know there's like a whole year for us to wait for all of them to be together again but i swear a year is not as long as you think it is, so in the meantime please let's work hard for them, if we can't be present on social media as in actively posting and all that's fine but at least let's be supportive and let them know that we did NOT forget them and we are still here for them, we still love them and we will continue to do so.

With that being said, take care of yourselves and have a very nice day.

[rikeijo]

Yuri!!! on stage pamphlet, Kubo Mitsurou - Character comments

Katsuki Yuuri

The character of Katsuki Yuuri, previously still vague, solidified in the scene in episode 4 when he touches Victor's hair whorl. That scene is also one, where I managed to express an idea I've had in my head for a very long time - I wanted to show something like a moment not connected to the main story, when their relationship changes, but not in a logical way. The same thing can be said about the scene in the last episode when, even though Victor is crying, Yuuri pushes aside his fringe and says "So you cry too!" - Yuuri has this very primal (原始的) characteristic of putting his own curiosity first before feelings of the other person, that's a desire he can't suppress. I think it was our intention to use this characteristic to make the viewers expect that he is surely going to act in a way they cannot predict. Throughout the series, Yuuri's character was shaped by misleading the audience to think they know Yuuri's personality and then showing them in each episode that they were not right about him. That's why the character turned out to be much more complex that we thought he would be in the first episode and I think the viewers can sense that the creators had a lot of fun writing him. We sometimes say that the characters are acting on their own, but in this case I think we were writing the character while being bossed around by him.

Victor Nikiforov

Just as it was with Yuuri, I couldn't fully grasp Victor's personality in episode 1, and so his character also solidified over time as I was writing the show. Beginning with the scene in episode 4 when he told Yuuri "I'm not going to hold back" during their conversation on the beach, and then when he was "really hurt" after Yuuri touched his hair whorl, little by little the underlying kindness Victor possesses started to show up more, as even though he had no idea what Yuuri was really thinking, he wanted to get to know Yuuri better and Yuuri to get to know him better too. Actually, I also thought the fact that even staff members couldn't fully comprehend Victor's actions made him all the more charming. Because his actions were impossible to comprehend, the audience too has been watching the show without being able to form any strong assumptions about him and the sense of insecurity you've been getting while watching him was probably also a sign that you started to like the character... I've created Victor by trying my best to draw a cool and beautiful human being. I don't think however, that he could ever be mine. Yuuri also feels this way, but in Yuuri's case he was able to form a very strong connection with Victor thanks to skating. I was writing the show while thinking that I'd like the audience to enjoy the feeling that in every episode, together with Yuuri, they too get to meet Victor they've never seen before, as the relationship between Yuuri and Victor is forming - relationship that was only possible because Yuuri had skating as an excuse [免罪符, it means something like "get-out-of-jail-free card" - funny word choice, but Mitsurou really pushes here the idea that Victor was way out of Yuuri's league. ]

Yuri Plisetsky

In case of Yurio, his character as well as character design were very clear from the very beginning. He was very easy to write. He is my favorite type of character and based on my experience I was sure he's going to be popular. He is the type of a side character, who can outshine even the main character in terms of popularity, so I was careful not to make him "angsty" by e.g. giving him a tragic past or making him have a difficult family situation. With Yurio I didn't want his character to be someone who gets popular because people feel sorry for him, so I gave him family and coaches, as well as new friends, and wanted to show his strength by making him achieve even greater success while being in a relatively good place emotionally. I think I've managed to use the basic manga trope of writing about a strength of found family instead of real family without focusing on the tragic aspects of this trope.

Christophe Giacometti

Chris was born as an ultra sexy character, a character who is very aware of his "eros" and at the same time has the strength to not care when other people stare at him. I decided on the visual side of the character first - I gave him those curled and long, stunningly beautiful eyelashes because I wanted the audience to think: "How grateful we are that such a beautiful skater exists in this world at the same time as Victor!". I also wanted to show the gap between his super cute look with curly hair when he was a child and his present look and suggest that a lot of growing up happened there. While I was writing him, or I should say it was more thanks to the choreography and music we created, the charm that was radiating from him was neither masculine nor feminine, but simply Chris' charm. I personally wanted to make him a "skater who looks good naked" and was having great fun writing him.

Phichit Chulanont

With Phichit, I was aiming to create a pure and energetic person. I've actually heard Thai artists active abroad saying that they want to show everyone the new face of Thailand and also that there are certain aspects of Thailand they were only able to see after they went abroad. So, I felt that young Thai people right now are really making a lot of effort to reconstruct themselves, so I wanted to make Phichit a person who has the spirit to create new things. With the fashion he wears, I was aiming for something Harajuku-like.

Ji Guang-Hong

I've come up with this idea of a Chinese competitor, young but with good skills, as a counterbalance to the great number of overwhelmingly strong competitors who appear in the show. I wanted to make him a character who shows all the signs of becoming terribly good in the future if he continues to gain more self-confidence and experience. When it comes to his personality I was imagining him following the latest trends, like all the modern kids do, or maybe traveling to the USA off-season to train at the same rink with Leo, for example. I intentionally didn't make him really stand-out, because I think he is still at a stage before he can bring out his individual personality.

Jean-Jacques Leroy

Before we even started to think about the story, I effortlessly came up with lines like "JJ won't give up! He can't give up!", so JJ is the character who has already been well-defined even before he was created. We placed a very rough order for his song: a song which feels like it was written by somebody who could win a Grammy. The request we've made for the lyrics too wasn't all that specific but the finished lyrics were well... absolutely amazing! I wanted to make JJ into a character who would make the spectators sing that song while he skates his short program. He is too egoistic, so other competitors who can't get along well with him, simply can't get along well with him, period. He isn't the type who can become friends with everyone. However, he doesn't really care. I wouldn't say that he for sure isn't hurt at all by this though, if you look deep inside, but one of the incredible things about him is that he doesn't let it show on the outside.

Georgi Popovich

We aimed to express different kinds of love and here is the type of competitor who puts all the emotions he's experiencing after he broke up with his lover into his performance. I was thinking that maybe in a country like Russia nobody would have a problem with him doing something like that and so I gave him this kind of artistry, different than the artistry Victor has. And again, also compared to Leo, he's a different type of artist. Georgi is very serious about practice and listens to what his coach says too diligently. But I think he loves himself the most, more than anyone else. He is a narcissist, so he loves his lovers very much too, because they love him. I think that's why he reacts with this "I am the one who can protect you!" thing after he gets dumped. The ability to transform all these feelings into a performance is his strong point.

Nishigori Takeshi

Nishigori was created because I wanted to introduce a point of view of somebody who has gave up on skating. He is also a childhood friend of Yuuri and somebody, who has been watching him from a very close distance - so he's a character with a quite complex setting. He is the only married man [in the show] so I wanted him to be masculine and not somebody who fret over things a lot. I also was thinking that the reason why Yuuri didn't want to go back to his home town for such a very long time, is because of Nishigori and Yuuko. When it comes to Nishigori and Yuuko's relationship, I think Yuuko is the one who started it. She didn't confess her feelings directly but I think it was probably very clear that she likes Nishigori. Because men from Kyushu don't go after a girl who they know they don't have a chance with. They never try to reach a "flower that grows high on a mountain top [an idiom representing a unattainable goal] (laugh).

Leo de la Iglesia

Leo, who was looking up to Victor, is the only competitor who choreographs his programs by himself. He wants to leave no doubt that he is self-producing his programs - he wants to skate his own choreography to the songs he likes to truly bring out his own charm. When it comes to figure skating in the USA, there is a lot of strong competitors in different parts of the country and so there are also skaters of different races. I think there is that conviction that to be able to show your own strengths in these conditions, the most important thing is to express the "I'll be saved by the things I love" core part of you. Leo can't for example jump quadruple jumps yet, but instead he wants to find his other strong points and show them - I wanted him to be a strong person in this way.

Minami Kenjiro

A skater who just made his senior debut, Minami-kun, was created because, just like Yuuri looks up to Victor, I wanted other Japanese skater to look up to Yuuri and Yuuri to be aware that there is somebody who looks up to him. Yuuri had a very bad start at Nationals, so Minami has already won with him once, but I thought I wanted another active competitor to tell Yuuri that he wants Yuuri to continue skating. And so I gave him this pure personality, the kind that Yuuri doesn't possess, so he can yell "I will definitely win with you!". Because of that, he became a character like a classic shonen manga protagonist. And because he has the vibe of anime protagonist I also gave him a matching haircut. I created him feeling that "If Yuri!!! was a shonen manga Minami would definitely be the protagonist".

Otabek Altin

He is a stoic, rugged and serious skater. A type of man who doesn't go to gatherings with other skaters. He left his family and was moving from country to country throughout the course of his training, so he had to wait a long time for a breakthrough. While training, separately from skating, he was also making friends among local musicians, so he has a lot of companions, who are important to him not only in Kazakhstan. He is the type of person who you can trust. He doesn't talk much and doesn't use social media much. But somehow you feel that he can for sure make a lot of progress. He also has this idea to do things that other people don't do. That's why I think that [since he started till the moment we meet him in the show] he's been treating skating very seriously. Otabek is more of a warrior or a soldier than an artist. I see him as this kind of person, who respects competitors who aren't on a level playing field with him and he treats them like comrades-in-arms. That's why, after he met with Yurio at a summer camp and saw his strength, he decided to find his own style of fighting, other than ballet, and he never forgot Yurio, who also had a soldier-like dream.

Michele Crispino

I think Michele loves his sister too much and that's why he doesn't really want to change. He has the skills and skates very good. That's why he managed to get to the GPF and is a very strong competitor, but there's also something missing there and he can't really break through. I wanted to show that his love is of a different kind than the rest of the cast's. I think the kind of love he has for Sara is a little bit different than familial love, but well I think that in his mind Sara is the only person he can trust. But Sara herself thinks she needs to change. I wanted to highlight this change by making Michele a tough/traditionally masculine guy. I was thinking that I want him to use the emotions he has because of his sister to have the break through even if these emotions are not necessarily positive. It was fun writing him.

Lee Seung Gil

SeungGil says pretty harsh things and has the most athlete-like mind of all the skaters. The pressure he is under is huge so, as the real athlete he is, to protect himself from being influenced by this pressure, he doesn't do any fan-service. I think that he is simply a stoic competitor, but because during interviews he says things like: "Is it really necessary for me to answer questions like that?", people misunderstand him and tease him for being cold. The story that I was thinking about for him is that he competes with this stoic attitude, but he knows that if he doesn't become more expressive, he can't win, so he chose a song and costume with an element of surprise. I think this gap is where his charm is. I think he, in his everyday life, isn't interested in things other than skating and usually wears clothes his mum bought for him, or jersey.

Emil Nekola

There are a lot of characters who stand out, so I wanted to design one, who doesn't, and instead simply has a sunny disposition and is like a younger brother or the kid in a group. Skaters from Czech Republic are popular so I thought that it will be a good match to his personality if I make him Czech. The image I have for him is that he is friends with Michele and is the kindest person among European skaters. I was thinking to make him "a big guy who you can depend on". He is very good at physical activities, so I think if, in addition to skating, if he decided to do snowboarding or extreme sports he would be pretty good at them too. He himself isn't really fixated on skating and has a lot of other things he likes to do. But right know he is focusing on skating. That's why, unlike Michele who is like: "Skating is the only thing I have in my life", Emil has a very good way of dealing with the pressure - he is a clever guy.

Closing comments

The things to enjoy while binge watching all episodes

At the end of ep 10, it was revealed that Yuuri at the banquet actually asked Victor to be his coach. If you re-watch the show from ep 1, while having this in mind, the relationship between Yuuri and Victor will surely appear very different. In the beginning of ep 1, when Victor ask Yuuri "Do you want a commemorative photo?", to him Yuuri wasn't someone who really stood out from the crowd. But then, he watched the video of Yuuri skating a perfect copy of his "Stammi Vicino" program, while having some prior knowledge of Yuuri from the "be my coach accident" at the banquet. And as the story goes, because of that Victor's got certain ideas and decided to travel to Japan. If we look at the events from Victor's perspective, it must have been very weird for him, because Yuuri himself asked him to come, but after he came Yuuri met him with this "Why are you here…?" reaction. I think you should be able to enjoy the story even more, if you change the perceptive you watch the show from when you re-watch all 12 episodes at once.

To fans…

I think without both the fans who were supporting us and the staff members who participated in production, we wouldn't be here today. I can't thank you all in person, but we are thinking of doing something, so you can enjoy the world of Yuri!!! even more, as a thank-you gift. I'm looking forward to your continuous support of Yuri!!! on ice.

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 4 - Newborn Fleur Award

Chairman: “We would like to now begin the New Fleur Award Board of Directors press conference. Thank you for taking the time to join us.”

Chairman: “To start, board members Yukio Tachibana and Reni Kamkizaka will talk about the policies of the New Fleur Award.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: What kind of policies do you think they’re gonna announce?

Izumi: I didn’t look into any of the details, so I have no idea.

Sakyo: Maybe something regarding the selection process will be different from the Fleur Award in the past.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Yukio: “New Fleur Award Board of Directors board member, Yukio Tachibana. Thank you for your time.”

Yukio: “I would like to explain to you more about the New Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “First, one major change to the New Fleur Award’s selection process will be the introduction of a ranking system.”

Yukio: “The current method of selecting nominees via the choice of the Board of Directors will be abolished, and all theater companies that enter will be able to participate.”

Yukio: “The ranking positions will go up and down in accordance with the accumulation of two different types of points.”

Yukio: “Theater Votes, which will be cast by audience members who go to see plays in person at a theater, and SNS Votes, which will be cast by audience members who watch via live stream.”

Yukio: “For the sake of fairness, Theater Votes will be worth more points than SNS Votes, which are easier to count.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: WHAT!?

Sakyo: A ranking system, huh… audience ratings will be more important than ever now.

Homare: In addition to that, it will require audience members to vote.

Tenma: So whoever’s got the crazier fans has an advantage, huh?

Banri: And it ain’t just about the SNS Votes either, right?

Itaru: If you’ve got good social networking skills, you could get trending and snag all the votes in one go.

Juza: So what you’re sayin’ is that we’re gonna have to fight for ‘em like we’ve never fought before…

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Yukio: “It will be held once every two years.”

Yukio: “The first year will be divided into four periods, or quarters. The rankings will be tabulated every quarter in order to determine the top ten theater troupes.”

Yukio: “In the second year, the top ten troupes will compete in the finals and the winner will be awarded the New Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “The bonus prize is still ten million yen, as it always has been.”

Yukio: “The venue will be a brand new theater that is currently under construction. More of the details will be announced at a later date.”

Yukio: “Full transparency was of the utmost importance regarding this change.”

Yukio: “The winner of the New Fleur Award will not be selected by some random board members, but will be voted on by a larger audience.”

Yukio: “Each and every theater company will have a fair and equal chance to win the Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “The purpose of this is to bring life to the entirety of the world of theater by putting both old and new theater companies on a level playing field, and by encouraging a larger audience to participate.”

Yukio: “By introducing a ranking system, a wide variety of people will be involved in the selection process for the New Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “While we’ve increased our transparency, there may be some forms of unfairness that we’ve never encountered before.”

Yukio: “As the Board of Directors, we intend to take each of these instances seriously if they are to arise.”

Yukio: “While being exposed to criticism and the public opinion may make you feel anxious, and you may fail…”

Yukio: “We want to create a whole new Fleur Award with all of the people involved in theater.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: Dad really has changed…

Sakyo: In a way, it’s the Yukio-san thing to do. He’s demolished the entire Fleur Award system and rebuilt it from the ground up.

Tasuku: Up until now, each theater company has been ranked based on how long they’ve been active and how recognizable their name is, but that’s finally changing.

Chikage: With past Fleur Awards, we all sort of had some idea of what theater companies were likely to win, but from now on, it’ll be much more unpredictable.

Itaru: Plus any number of new theater companies can join the fight.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Reni: “To continue, I will now present the detailed schedule.”

Reni: “Entries for the Fleur Cup, which will determine who will be in the running for the New Fleur Award, will open at the end of the press conference being held today.”

Reni: “There will also be a pre-voting period to allow people to get an understanding of the Fleur Cup system.”

Reni: “The pre-voting period will begin tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Only SNS Votes will be accepted during this time, and the rankings will be announced a week later.”

Reni: “Now, please note that this pre-voting period is only a trial period to allow everyone to become acquainted with the process of the Fleur Cup.”

Reni: “The ranking results from this will have no effect on the final selection of the Fleur Cup in any capacity.”

Reni: “The final selection will begin at 7:00 a.m. on the day following the end of the pre-voting period. From that point on, the two types of votes will be available: Theater Votes and SNS Votes.”

Reni: “Thereafter, the rankings will be announced every three months. After a year has passed, the top ten troupes will be selected to participate in the finals.”

Reni: “More details regarding the finals will be announced at a later date--.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Manager: W-W-W-What are we going to do!? We need to enter as soon as possible…!

Manager: Where’s the entry form? I’ll have to line up outside the Board of Directors’ office first thing in the morning…

Itaru: Who even accepts written applications anymore?

Chikage: They just announced the Fleur Cup website. It seems like entries will be sent there after filling out the required information.

Sakuya: And then the rankings will be announced a week later…?

Tsuzuru: So the current place of the troupe will be announced outright, huh…

Banri: It’s interestin’, ain’t it? I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ where the other troupes place.

Sakyo: The press conference as a whole seems to be getting a lot of attention. The voting turnout itself could be significant.

Citron: There is no need to worry! Our fans will surely vote for us!

Yuki: Letting just any theater company participate me~ans that people who created a theater company on nothing but a whim can participate too.

Tasuku: So there’s no question of activity or personal history, got it.

Kazunari: Maybe if we can get some attention, we can get to the top of the rankings.

Tsumugi: But this pre-ranking won’t affect the final selection, and even if it did, it would probably only be temporary, right?

Homare: However, when it comes to rankings, people are going to be made uneasy, no matter the outcome.

Izumi: We’re never going to know what the results are if we don’t enter, so let’s just start with that!

Omi: Right. The rice is just about done, so why don’t we have dinner now?

Kumon: Yeah~!

*Doorbell rings*

Izumi: ?

Manager: Yes, ye~s. Who is it~?

*Door opens*

Izumi: Who could it be at this hour?

*Door slams*

Manager: Awahwahwah! Everyone, we’ve got some very important guests…!

Izumi: Huh?

Yukio: Good evening.

Reni: Sorry to bother you at this hour. We’ll be on our way soon.

Izumi: Dad and Kamikizaka-san!?

Misumi: It’s like you came outta the TV~.

Yukio: The press conference was being held at a venue nearby, so we thought we’d drop by.

Yukio: After all, I won’t be able to show my face around here so easily in a short while.

Izumi: Huh?

Reni: In addition to this being his own former theater company, his daughter is now the one in charge of it. You’d likely be suspected of collusion.

Izumi: I see…

Sakyo: You really are serious about changing both the Fleur Award and its Board of Directors, huh?

Yukio: I am. With this, no one should have to grieve anymore. I want the future of the theater world to be brighter.

Itaru: Well, but it’s still getting darker in other ways.

Muku: Rankings… will it really be okay… what if we suddenly start getting backlash and get canceled on social media and no one votes for us…

Kumon: Or like, what if there’s a system error and only MANKAI Company’s votes are deemed invalid…!

Juza: All we can do is shut our mouths and wait to be sentenced.

Azuma: Fufu, you’re saying we’re going to be sentenced as if we’re criminals.

Tenma: You’re all overthinking, nothing’s set in stone yet. Jeez.

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[bobcatmoran]

Harris decided to become a lawyer, she says, based on exposure to the great lawyers of the Civil Rights movement. And she decided what type of law to practice - to become a prosecutor - when one of her friends was abused and she wanted to be able to protect her.

A harm against one of us is a harm against all of us in our justice system. "Kamala Harris for the people" was what she stood for, and "The people" were her one client throughout her legal career.

And this is the sort of thing that could only happen in "the greatest nation on Earth," and so she accepts the nomination!

She continues, saying that this election is a chance to chart a path forward, not as members of a party or faction, but as Americans. She promises to be a president for ALL Americans, putting country above party and self.

Big Steve Rogers vibes here.

She also commits to the peaceful transfer of power, unlike some other candidates *coughcough*

She will fight for the American people, from the courthouse to the White House. A litany of supporting evidence in the form of various cases she handled, supporting various segments of society, and fighting against drug cartels, as well as so many others.

"The future is always worth fighting for, and the fight we are in now is a fight for America's future!"

"In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man," but the consequences of him being back in power are terrifyingly serious.

He tried to throw away people's votes, sent a mob to the capitol and supported them. He's been found guilty by a jury of sexual abuse and a multitude of other crimes. Consider what he explicitly plans to do. (the audience boos after every thing Harris says Trump will do).

Donald Trump with no guardrails and the immense powers of the presidency will not improve your lives, but the only client he's ever had: himself.

Project 2025 has laid out what a second Trump will look like, pulling the country to the past, but We Are Not Going Back (the audience joins her in this motto).

[kerink]

i can't stop thinking about these bits from it devours

in relation to the newest episode, about the different types of science and the relationship between science and the logic of night vale

i think both nilanjana and carlos express janet lubelle's values in these scenes and give us a richer idea of what the culture of the university of what it is is like.

nilanjana spends the entirety of it devours feeling like an outsider even after living in night vale for four years. her arc is not only about learning to make a home but also about expanding her view of what science can be. she's the only member of carlos' team doing what we, the audience, would describe as real science. luisa and mark do science within the rules of the wtnv universe, things that are nonsense with no practical value or application except to be a deus ex machina later in the story. nilanjana says their type of science is what wins awards and grants, but she does her work because "She simply wanted to study the nature of the world." who does that sound like? the reason nilanjana doesn't feel at home in night vale is because she's operating on the rules of the real world rather than acclimating to the rules of night vale. carlos even tells her: "Maybe it’s not about them accepting you. Maybe you have to accept them first.”

carlos spends the story single-mindedly devoted to his experiment. carlos has a moral code that structures his work, focusing on doing good and minimizing harm. he doesn't want to kill the centipede until he feels he has to, specifically to protect his family. (it's interesting when nilanjana wants to kill it to protect the town he avoids that conversation, and it's not until janice is threatened that he changes his mind, something to consider further later.) but carlos also spends the story shifting blame around, first he blames the city then the church then the city again. it's only after everything's said and done he's able to see that it was him all along causing harm. it was him and his science that was threatening the town. but carlos is unable to see his own hypocrisy, saying of the city counsel that its "placing its secrecy above our safety, pretending it’s trying to protect us" - carlos, aren't you pretending you're trying to protect people when really you're trying to bring what's secret into the light? and who does THAT sound like? carlos believes that anything that can be studied can be fixed and anything that can be fixed can be made safe.

night vale is an "unravelable knot of mistruths and misdirection" that can never be fully understood and appreciated by people who believe "in simple scientific truths." carlos said the first step towards him accepting night vale was accepting their world view: "But it wasn’t that he didn’t see the things that I saw, he just interpreted them differently. I was afraid of him and all the people of Night Vale because of that." this is something nilanjana struggled to do and something lubelle seems uninterested in doing.

it's been said before that it's likely carlos left for night vale in the first place because he didn't fit in at the university and was open to investigating a rumor. he built his own team, and given that luisa and mark seemingly adapted easily to the rules of wtnv's universe and nilanjana eventually came around too they were also a bit atypical for university staff

however, while the team was able to adjust to the town using carlos' ethical standards as a framework, carlos isn't without his own university cultural holdover. carlos is an avid workaholic who believes in scientific import above all else. his perfect self and perfect reality as express in the condos liveshow was: "endless rows of Erlenmeyer flasks, and every one held a liquid, and all of the liquids were bubbling, and before each one was a notebook of numbers, and above was a dial with more numbers. I saw all of this, and I understood—I need to get to those flasks. Each liquid was bubbling. There were numbers. I’m going into the condo. The condo is perfect. It is perfect, and I understand." a reality in which he can endlessly do science and, most importantly, understand

carlos' value of do no harm is the only difference between him and lubelle and, ostensibly, the university as a whole. he has the same drive to study and understand that lubelle has, but stopped his experimentation once he realized he was the one destroying the town. even so, it took getting to that point for him to stop even refusing to hear nilanjana's perceptive about what science should be.

[erisicy]

Phantom Blood Musical April 13th Curtain Call Rough Translation

(TN: There are some parts I'm REALLY not sure about, but I'll try to be clear on what parts those are. This will also be the only curtain call I'm translating since I don't have the April 14th version.)

[Yuya]

Thank you very much for coming here today!

This is the final performance for me and Yusuke Hirose, who plays Zeppeli

So, we would like to say a few words to all of you

Let's start with Hirose-kun

[Hirose]

Yes! I played the role of Zeppeli in a double-cast. I am Yusuke Hirose

Thank you very much for today

Thank you

[Mamoru]

Woo!

[Hirose]

This whole thing is until tomorrow, but this is me and Yuya-kun's final performance

Personally, I'm relieved about that

A lot of things have happened up until this day, and many thoughts come to mind

Even now I have all these different emotions

Anyway, the fact that we've been able to get this far is really thanks to…

The wonderfulness and strength of each and every cast member on this stage, and the staff

And above all, those who came every day—

You're not coming "every" day (?)

Uh, every day, y'know

I do think it's thanks to the support we received from so many audience members

I was really happy to be a part of this troupe

Thank you

From the bottom of my heart…

Pow!

[Mamoru]

Pow, pow, pow!

[Yuya]

Yes, I played the role of Jonathan Joestar. I am Yuya Matsushita

Thank you for today!

Did everybody have fun?!

Great!

It would be great to hear that (?)

Yes, well, tomorrow is the day for the grand final performance

Well, I'm sure Shotaro-kun will do a perfect job of giving his speech tomorrow!

I'm worried. Are you worried? (?)

No, it'll probably be fine

[Mamoru]

You do the speech instead (?)

[Yuya]

No, he is—

He is ready

Yes, I already think he'll be fine. But you know…

I would like to share some of my personal thoughts here

First of all, as Hirose-kun said, I'm very relieved that we've come this far and made it to our final performance, and I'm very happy to be here now. Thank you very much

When the delayed opening day came in February, the audience really cheered and applauded during curtain call, just like today

The feelings I had during that moment are something I will never forget

Yes, and…

Well, really… a lot of things happened, but…

We've supported each other until now

Mamo and I have supported each other like partners

He seriously has a single-cast role (??)

It's a little cruel (?)

No, it's amazing

[Mamoru]

Before this even started, I almost cried when I saw your face

[Yuya & (Mamoru)]

Really? No, but I also felt a little emotional, (Right!)

So I had to leave for a bit

(You left!)

Because we didn't have that type of relationship yet, so I left (Yes, yes, right)

No, but really…

He's seriously—no, seriously incredible

No, sorry, I know it's weird for a performer to be saying this, but…

I really respect you! You're really amazing! (No, no, no, you really…)

I really think he rejected his humanity

(W—was that a compliment?)

Well, pretty much, yeah (Oh, really? Thanks!)

[Yuya]

And uh…

Although he is never on the same stage as me,

From the first day of rehearsal until today, Shotaro and I have been supporting, elevating, and encouraging each other

I really think that JoJo wouldn't have been completed without these two

And I would really like to thank the cast and staff, including those two!

You're wonderful!

Yes

And above all, more than anything, I want to thank everyone here in the theater for showing your support

And to all of you watching the livestream, though I don't know where the cameras are,

But to those of you watching the stream—

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!

Thank you

I'm so relieved that I just finished today!

Yes, tomorrow, Hirose-kun and I will be intently watching the grand final performance!

Do your best, everyone!!

I'll do my best with you!

Well, everyone please—

What? What did you say?

I'll do it! I'll do it, okay?!

I'll be watching you, too!

I'll be watching…

Sorry about that!

So, everyone, please continue to support us until tomorrow's final performance!

Thank you very much for today!!

-

[Yuya]

Thank you

Thank you

Please continue to support us until tomorrow's performance

Shotaro, do your best tomorrow!!!

[Mamoru]

Do your best!

[Yuya]

Thank you very much!!

[Mamoru]

Thank you!

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] 4th Anniversary ‘Outsider’ Event Story - Part 1

long post, happy fourth anni everyone! 🥳

Chapter 1 

-starless office-

kei: You're all here. You’ll listen in too won't you?

saki: Yes, of course.

kei: Begin the explanation, Unei.

unei: Ok, then I shall be explaining how our fourth anniversary performance will work. As you may already be aware, we will have three songs that go along with three different scripts.

rindou: They were sent to us by Akito-san and Koharu-san, yes?

unei: Yes. We had Ginsei confirm this for us, they are definitely their scripts.

mokuren: Who cares where the scripts came from, what will the stage arrangements be like?

unei: Since it was very well received last year, we'll be doing an all star performance once again!

rindou: I see. So every cast member will have a chance to perform again this year.

kei: The chances will not be bestowed easily. Whether one is able to stand on the stage or not will depend on them.

kokuyou: You don't need to over explain every little detail.

mizuki: Every show will be us B members.

unei: Ah, that may be difficult. 

mizuki: Huh? What do you mean by that?

mokuren: I mean obviously, since I'll be performing. Besides, do you really think you are capable enough to keep the stage all to yourselves?

mizuki: The fuck did you just say?

kei: Unei, proceed.

unei: Y-yes. Those standing on stage will be in groups of five as always. As for who will be performing we will be asking Saki-san for her opinion. So please let me know which arrangements you'd like to see.

saki: Understood.

kei: Saki, we will be in your hands once again this year. However do not worry yourself over it by thinking about it too deeply. Just follow whatever your heart says is right.

saki: Ok.

mizuki: We'll definitely be the ones that take the stage the most.

rindou: In this case just getting to be on stage may not be the only hurdle.

mizuki: What?

kei: You should already be aware, these scripts do not have any written conclusion. Therefore, this will be akin to an improvisational theatre show. When it comes to situations where you're pressured into making drastic decisions, it is not just one's acting ability that is tested.

rindou: You also need to be able to read the audience, whether you can make such harsh judgments will also come into question.

kei: Do you become a victim whilst hoping for harmony? Or do you forsake your comrades and carve your own path? It shall all depend on the individual cast members. For those reasons, this performance shall not be an easy one. If you perform poorly, it will not only mean your death on the stage, but also your death as an actor. I recommend you work hard to hone your skills.

kokuyou: In that case ain't this mostly how things normally are. We'll just come at it seriously like we always do, that's all that's needed.

—end

-

Chapter 2

-backstage-

saki: Good work everybody, the show will start soon won't it? Please do your best.

akira: Thank you~! Look forward to my singing again today~

taiga: Yeah yeah, I didn't expect to be going on stage this soon though. Well, I just have to take it as it comes.

akira: Liar, you'd just been whining that you're so nervous your stomach hurts.

taiga: I mean, do you blame me? If we're going there though, isn't Ginsei the most worried one here?

ginsei: Not being nervous right now would be weirder. Ah, don't worry though, Princess. If I had to describe it, it's more like a good type of nervous.

saki: Is that so?

ginsei: The improv sections are a chance for us to express ourselves after all. There's a lot of pressure, but it also sounds fun. Doing Akito-san and Koharu-sama's script justice takes priority though of course. If their vision is ruined as of a result of doing whatever one wants, then all would be for naught.

taiga: Wow, you're really thinking about a lot in that head of yours huh.

akira: Welp, we won't know what's gonna happen until we try it.

kei: Indeed. From the moment you step on stage until the moment the curtain falls, you will not only have to act but also direct yourself. Otherwise the place in which you stand will crumble away, and those not up to the task will fall.

taiga: The pressure is suffocating as always then.

akira: You say all that yet you look awfully composed about it.

kei: It goes without saying that we should all sharpen our minds and our blades. However then the question is, how things shall turn out...

saki: Kei-san...?

kei: Saki. Please bear in mind that this show has improvisational elements, we will not know of its quality until the very end. If midway it becomes a deplorable performance, please close your eyes. If you cannot stand to view it any longer, then I do not mind if you choose to leave.

saki: (For Kei-san to be saying things like this... Improv must really be a difficult thing to do...)

ginsei: It'll be ok Princess. We won't allow such a poor performance to happen. I promise it'll be a great show.

kei: Don't forget that vow you just made, Ginsei.

saki: I believe in you all too. The anniversary eve performances were wonderful after all.

kei: ...Thank you. I shall devote myself to the show and give you a performance that does not betray your expectations.

—end

-

Chapter 3

-starless kitchen-

hari: Kongou, Gui, do you have a moment?

kongou: Hari, what's the matter?

hari: I just gave him a lecture on the hall tasks, so I thought he should greet you two as well.

kongou: Could you be the new recruit?

aogiri: Yes, my name's Aogiri. Pleased to meet you.

gui: ........

kongou: You're joining as C's understudy right? I'm Kongou, nice to meet you.

aogiri: I'm still only on trial so nothing has been decided yet but... I will do my best in order to be properly recognised as a member. By the way, do you two work both as cast members and kitchen staff?

kongou: No only me, Gui just comes by to help sometimes.

gui: There are lots of potatoes that need to be peeled.

hari: Oh so that's why you were wearing an apron. I thought it strange since you didn't have any shifts today.

aogiri: Could you be preparing vichyssoise? It's a time consuming soup to make, but it's delicious all the same.

kongou: You know your stuff, do you cook too, Aogiri?

aogiri: No, not exactly... I've simply eaten it before. I've heard that your staff meals can't be beaten, so I'm looking forward to it.

-hinata runs in-

hinata: Hey, did I just hear talk of our meals? My stomach was just starting to grumble~ Woah, so many potatoes! Are you turning all of these into chips?

kongou: No, I'm actually planning to make soup...

hinata: Whaat~? You should make chips instead~! I'm in the mood to eat chips now!

kongou: Is that so? Then, I suppose I could set aside a few for chips.

hinata: Yay! Oh by the way~ Could you leave any vegetables off my staff meals?

kongou: Aren't potatoes a vegetable?

hinata: No, they don't count~ I mean like the leafy stuff! Also carrots and capsicum, I don't like those either!

kongou: Even if you say that...

aogiri: You shouldn't trouble Kongou like that. It's unreasonable for you to be the only one that gets special treatment.

hinata: Whaaat~ But I hate vegetables. Don't you have any foods that you dislike, Aogiri?

aogiri: Not really... If I was forced to choose one then I guess I'd say mayonnaise.

hinata: WHAT!? WHY!?

aogiri: I don't like the taste and its greasy texture... Because of it I can't eat the sandwiches from convenience stores. 

hinata: That's crazy, mayonnaise tastes so good though. I can put it on anything. Like mayo rice~ Mayo ramen~ And mayo banana toast!

aogiri: Uu... My stomach hurts just listening to that.

hari: Hinata, you should consider improving your diet. That sounds very unbalanced.

kongou: True, your preferences sound a little extreme. I'd like for you to eat more than just potatoes...

gui: So he hates vegetables, but likes potatoes...? I don't get it...

—end

-

Chapter 4 

-rehearsal room-

-they’re rehearsing-

lico: —Wait, stop for a moment. Gui, ever since we entered the improv section you haven't said a word, could you try coming up with some lines?

gui: “If you force yourself to come up with a line then it won't be any good” ...That's what Kei told me.

kasumi: That does seem to suit Gui more after all.

lico: Sure, but I don't exactly know how to respond to someone just silently attacking me.

menou: The problem isn't the lack of spoken lines, it's the fact that Gui's going easy on us.

gui: I'm stronger than three people, in improvisational theatre it's important to keep an eye on your surroundings and move accordingly.

menou: Mm, but isn't that boring? Gui, try imagining something for me real quick.

gui: Imagine... Ok.

menou: Right in front of you is a version of me that you need to kill. I'm an enemy that you must defeat even if it costs you your life.

gui: Is that an order?

menou: Sure, it can be. Would you go easy on somebody like that?

gui: Not at all. I would put an end to them swiftly.

menou: Fufu, yes that's it. Now, come at me like you really intend to kill me.

gui: Got it.

-gui goes to move, lico quickly breaks the two of them up-

lico: Q-quit it! Don't legitimately try and take him down.

kasumi: This won’t work, even though you managed to stop it huh.

hinata: Woah holy shit. He was serious just now wasn't he?

lico: Gui, no matter what we’re just acting here alright, acting. Don't forget that.

menou: —So Gui, do you want to try doing that scene once more?

-zakuro steps in behind hinata-

zakuro: My oh my, what terrifying training methods are occurring here.

hinata: Uwah!? You scared me...!

lico: What is it, Zakuro? Did you need something?

zakuro: I was intrigued by the sounds of a commotion and wandered over here aimlessly. This is also another fateful chance, I had been wanting to greet this unfamiliar face.

kasumi: Oh that's true. Zakuro and Hinata haven't met yet.

zakuro: Yes yes. The name that everyone keeps speaking would be me, Zakuro. Very pleased to make your acquaintance.

hinata: Hm...? Wait, is this really our first time meeting?

zakuro: My my, could it be we're already acquainted? Unfortunately I am but a mere empty shell that has lost its memories, so I do not remember such an occurrence.

hinata: Wait, you mean you have amnesia...? Like the real deal?

kasumi: Alright alright, that's enough for now Zakuro. It's fine Hinata, there's no need to be frightened by him. I mean, he's always like this, but you'll get used to it soon enough.

hinata: I don't really get what you're saying but uh, nice to meet you.

zakuro: Yes, I do hope we get along. But to think two more stars would come along and fall here. I suspect things will be even more lively now.

kasumi: Well, it has been four years after all, changes are bound to happen. Haven't you changed too, Zakuro?

zakuro: Hm, I cannot say for sure or not. It may indeed be possible that something has accumulated in this empty heart of mine over these four years.

—end

-

Chapter 5

-starless restaurant area-

yakou: Thanks for coming again today, the show was bursting with energy wasn't it.

saki: Yes. I really wasn't expecting it to end like that... I was shocked.

yakou: Same. It made me wish I wasn't busy working the floor shift. I want to get up on the stage too.

female guest 1: Wasn't the improv part of the show crazy!? My heart was beating so fast!

female guest 2: It's so interesting not knowing who will remain alive until the end.

female guest 3: But I felt so bad during that scene between Kokuyou and Sinju... It was so one sided, Sinju didn't stand a chance.

female guest 1: But wasn't that great too? Sinju was like a tragic hero!

yakou: She's right, that development brought Sinju's role out really well. I need to delve into my role more and create impactful scenes like that too.

saki: I'll be looking forward to it.

-break room-

sinju: I wasn't expecting to get betrayed like that in our show tonight, you surprised me!

kokuyou: Hah, that reaction of yours is what made the betrayal worth it.

zakuro: Indeed indeed. However, as expected of you Kokuyou, you were able to kill mercilessly as if you were a fierce god well versed in the ways of war.

kokuyou: Huh? It's kill or be killed out there, that much goes without saying.

kasumi: Kei said that if we don't do well it would be the same as 'dying' as an actor but... It's not only an individual issue, if the stage collapses as a whole then the singing dies too.

qu: I wonder how long it's been since I experienced nerves like this.

kasumi: On the contrary Menou seems to be having the time of his life though.

menou: —Did you call?

sinju: Woah!

kokuyou: No one called you, go back to work.

menou: The shows this time are so stimulating and fun aren't they? I want to perform in them as many times as I can. Turning one story into a matching set of three scripts is so interesting isn't it? Changing the order of them can change the overall impression entirely. It can be a story about surviving in a hopeless battle, or a story overflowing with hope even while it's still shrouded in darkness. Furthermore the developments change depending on what weapons those on stage have. The possibilities are truly infinite.

zakuro: I see, I see. Like getting to see what kind of flowers sprout from such unforeseen chemical reactions. Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin, isn't it just like this store that we are so well acquainted with?

kasumi: It's because of that that I think Sinju's last scene was done well. It was devastating but it had everyone holding their breaths.

sinju: Really? I'm happy to hear that was the case. Ah, it's still frustrating though, next time I'll do my best to not get killed!

qu: It's a difficult show to pull off, but it'll be worth it if we can grow from this.

—end

-

Chapter 6

-starless restaurant area-

aogiri: Good work, everybody. 

yakou: Yes, good work.

aogiri: I had the pleasure of being able to watch some of the show, improvisational theatre is amazing isn't it, I found myself being quite moved.

ginsei: Glad you thought so. However after performing again I was able to reconfirm just how important the foundation portion of the story is.

aogiri: By foundation do you mean the script?

ginsei: Yes, exactly that!

sotetsu: There is it, the magic word.

ginsei: It's the fact that all of the dialogue up until the improv is crafted so excellently that makes it all work. Like this part here, leaving it blank gives you an opportunity to create the conclusion. When doing improv it's important to know how to utilise these elements effectively.

aogiri: It's all very interesting isn't it. I've learnt something new.

ginsei: If you're interested in learning more about scripts then I suggest reading a lot of them. I've been rereading all of the Miki-san's scripts again recently. I've made lots of new discoveries.

sotetsu: Oi, if you keep questioning him anymore than this it'll get annoying, he's not gonna stop once he starts.

aogiri: So it seems. By the way, who are these 'Miki-san's' you mentioned...?

yakou: They're a married couple that were in charge of Starless' scripts and directing. Akito-san wrote the scripts and Koharu-san handled the directing. 

sotetsu: We have no idea where or what they're doing now though.

aogiri: That's... But then how did you get the scripts for this show...?

sotetsu: Who knows, they were sent to the store.

aogiri: I see. I assume you're all acquainted with them though?

yakou: I haven't met them yet actually... But I'm pretty sure all of the cast members that were around before the store's renewal have.

aogiri: Is that so? I'd like to be able to meet them one day too...

sotetsu: Watch out when you do, they're quite the intense duo.

aogiri: Yes... Oh, I had some other work related questions I wanted to ask...

yakou: Sure, go ahead.

-they walk off-

ginsei: And Koharu-sama's direction notes are so precise here, you can picture the stage just by reading them. That's why their scripts really are the best! —Hm? ...Where'd they go? 

—end

-

Chapter 7

-starless restaurant area-

kongou: Good work, Hari. 

hari: Yes, is something the matter?

kongou: Hinata should've been around here watching the show... Do you know where he is?

hari: He was here until a moment ago, then he ran off somewhere in a hurry. It appeared as though Yoshino's singing left quite an impact on him. Did something happen?

kongou: Ah... No it's nothing major, thanks for telling me. I'll go and look for him.

-locker rooms-

hari: Yoshino, good work today.

yoshino: You too, today's performance went really well.

hari: Thank you. It's because you were able to flexibility coordinate with everyone else.

yoshino: Is that so? I was pretty desperate so I was worried it hadn't gone so well, I can relax after hearing you say that.

hari: I also made some adjustments right before the show.

yoshino: Oh true, that scene...

hari: Yes. I negotiated with Rindou and Ginsei about wanting to add that dance part in the middle of the action scene.

yoshino: I see. It was very impressive.

hari: I want to be able to dance in a more enchanting way. In order to show off my strengths, I've found a way to express them.

yoshino: That's true... Ginsei's changed hasn't he? It's as if the range of what he can express with his direction has expanded.

hari: Haven't you changed too? This year you've had many opportunities to perform on outdoor stages and received scripts and songs from other parties. It appears as though getting to stand on stages outside of Starless has been some great experience for you. Your acting felt very realistic tonight. I need to do my best so that I don't lose either.

yoshino: ...Yes, thank you.

hari: I'll be off then, see you again tomorrow.

yoshino: Ah y-yeah. See you.

-hari leaves-

yoshino: Stages outside of Starless, huh...

—end

To Part 2

[my-burnt-city]

Fandom terms glossary

I am aware that we talk a lot of nonsense and that many of the things we say must sound like we are speaking in tongues to the uninitiated, so I have put together a wee glossary of some of the more useful and some of the more chaotic terminologies in the hopes that at least one person will find something helpful within

PD - Punchdrunk; TBC - The Burnt City; SNM - Sleep No More; TDM - The Drowned Man

WM - White Mask (noun); because we simply cannot be typing out " a u d i e n c e   m e m b e r " every single time we want to shout out a cool loop buddy or discuss interesting flocking behaviour or just make it really clear we're talking about punters rather than employees

WM - White Mask (verb); for when a performer or other employee is watching the show as an audience member, for example: "I saw Milton WMing the Zagreus loop, I laughed to myself every time he took an unnecessary shortcut"

BM - Black Mask; because it would be EVEN WORSE to have to type out "member of the FOH team or backstage crew" every single time we want to sing the praises of these deeply integral and yet purposefully-mostly-invisible heroes

(FOH - Front Of House; queue wranglers, box office team, cloakroom crew, bar staff, stewards, everyone with a job that's to do with keeping the audience happy and organised as opposed to keeping the show itself running)

Red/blue casting - there are two basic casting configurations, the red cast and the blue cast, because this is a full-on three-hour dance show with no interval. Punchdrunk therefore make sure the performers alternate between travelling characters and resident characters so they don’t burn out and die from playing someone like Apollo or Iphigenia eight times a week. Once you learn who’s who in each cast, it gets easier to predict who you might see in which roles at any given performance, but because people sometimes go on holiday, or get injured, or pursue other short-term projects, or just like to mix it up, it is never completely possible to predict who you will see in any given role on any given night (apart from Hades, who is usually Sam Booth, and Furnace, who is almost always Sam Parker; go on HOLIDAY, Sams)

(NB: when people say a show is looking a bit purple, that means the cast list is more mixed up than the usual blue/red+covers+swings, and some people are playing the roles they wouldn't usually be playing for that night's performance)

Red cast - a small selection of point characters to watch out for to tell if it's a red cast show: Agamemnon (Rob), Iphigenia (Lou), Apollo (Seirian), Hecuba (Kat), Polydorus (Jordan), Orpheus (Naomi)

Blue cast - a small selection of point characters to watch out for to tell if it's a blue cast show: Agamemnon (Jon), Iphigenia (Fern), Apollo (Georges), Hecuba (Emily), Polydorus (Ferghas), Orpheus (Cristina)

Swing/(cover) - the swings are a small but mighty army of performers who have no fixed schedule and are able to play up to eight different roles each to cover holidays and other absences. Where we have taken our other terminologies from Punchdrunk directly, “cover” is my own term for people like Milton and Omar, whose entire job is to cover the resident roles on other cast members’ regular shows off without having to tap into the army of swings. Covers are a little more predictable than swings, as they play fewer roles and are pretty likely to be performing in the majority of shows in a week; swings are impossible to predict unless you have insider knowledge. Some performers are in the red/blue cast pattern and are able to play a couple of additional roles besides so might occasionally swing into one of these other roles, just without being referred to as a swing; some performers (MITCH) are only regularly scheduled for one of the two colour casts so will always be swinging if they’re performing on another night

Travelling character - a higher-intensity role, often (though not always) dance-heavy, often (though not always) seen moving between Greece and Troy. Performers usually get one show off per week in addition to no-show days, and this generally will not fall on a day when they are scheduled to be playing their travelling role. If you prefer Big Story to supporting players, follow a travelling character: Hades, Persephone, Artemis, Apollo, Hecuba, Cassandra, Polydorus, Polyxena, Polymestor, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Aegisthus, Neoptolemus, Patroclus

Resident character - a lower-intensity role, less likely to be dance-heavy, less likely to be seen moving between Greece and Troy. Performers usually get one show off per week in addition to no-show days, and this generally will fall on a day when they are scheduled to be playing their resident role. If you prefer low-level weirdos to major players, follow a resident character: Macaria, Luba, Kampe, Eurydice, Zagreus, Askalaphos, Kronos, Laocoön, Oracle, Watchman

RD - rehearsal director; mostly there to keep an eye on the performers and performances. They rehearse with new performers, they rehearse with established performers in new roles, they rehearse with established performers in established roles in new scenes, they watch the show to identify any areas that might need tightening up, they get final say over whether a performer is ready to take audience members for 1:1s, and they even perform in the show (either semi-regularly like Lily and Omagbitse or as needed like Sarah, Natalie and Eric). If you ever see a familiar-looking WM carrying a notebook, congrats! You’ve spotted an RD in the wild!

C1 - Contract 1, 22nd March 2022 to 8th January 2023; C2 - Contract 2, 11th January 2023 to currently unconfirmed (and not even strongly rumoured at this point but nonetheless suspected by this individual blogger to be due some time in September) 24th September 2023 (😭😭😭)

Walk-out - when a performer takes a WM by the hand, leads them out of the finale, and removes their mask for them at the end of the show. There are variations on the theme but that's the basic shape for all of 'em

Walk-through - when a performer takes a WM by the hand and leads them from the Troy finale to the Mycenae finale

Shopty - there was a party back in the days of TDM. If your ticket was for both the show and the party, then it had SHO+PTY printed on it. Just a portmanteau for show+party, the nickname has stuck even if the tickets don’t have the shorthand on them anymore

The Souk - there's an off-limits area behind Ciacco's and Hades's house that was labelled as the Souk on PD's original planning documents. This area is inaccessible to audience members and unlikely to ever be opened up, but it does occasionally come up in conversation so it's not not useful to have a name for it

Chaos casting - generally refers to a show that has a greater than usual number of swings performing, which makes for a greater than usual number of exciting new performance choices to watch, but can also refer to the idea of a performer taking on an unexpected role

The Expendables - there are a few characters that the show can function without, so when there's just not enough cast members around, these are the first to be cut. They are (in order of most-to-least likely to be cut): Eurydice, Kronos, Askalaphos, Laocoön, Oracle, Luba, Orpheus, Peep host, Persephone. Yes, the show can function and has functioned without PERSEPHONE. Also, shout-out to that one performance where the usual ‘two Peep hosts + Orpheus’ trio was Literally Just Lily, what a show that must have been!

Lonely X Show - mostly just Zagreus, tbh, a Lonely Zagreus Show/Loop gets a special name because his story so strongly revolves around Eurydice that it's a rare and fascinating treat to see what he gets up to when she isn't there. Though that said, there was also once a Lonely Hades Show, and I would pay VIP prices for the opportunity to witness that for myself one day so PD should definitely consider revisiting that some time

Ghost loop - when a character is missing for whatever reason, but you follow their usual path around the space anyway, guided only by memory, sound and light

Lilydorus - once, back in the mists of last November, the online cast list announced we were due to have Lily play Polydorus. They chickened out in the end but the idea of an incredibly unusual piece of chaos casting has stuck with us since, and a Lilydorus is therefore a piece of casting that is so unusual that you'd be more inclined to think it a data input mistake than a genuine debut (which it almost certainly is, but you're still going to hop on a train and book a last-minute ticket while speeding your way to Woolwich just in case)

Peeple - a Wordle-type game which picks up the performers from the daily online cast list and lets you test your casting skills by having you list who you think each performer is playing at that evening’s performance

Swingo - when you have seen a swing play every character in their repertoire, you have achieved swing bingo: Swingo! Some people like to impose additional rules for themselves, like they must have had a 1:1 from the performer, or they must have been walked out by the performer at least once, but I just play by the bare minimum “followed for at least one loop per performer/character combo (and yes loop 1 counts)” rules

Team Kronos - there are no real rules for being a member of Team Kronos; you don’t need to have followed him a certain number of times, you don’t need to have had the 1:1, you just have to dig his vibes. Anyone who wants to can declare themselves a member of Team Kronos (I suspect that some performers who have played this role would not count as Team Kronos members)

Character nicknames heard in-show - Pols, Polydogface, Polydoofus (Polydorus), Skally (Askalaphos), Zaggy (Zagreus), Iphy (Iphigenia), Neo (Neoptolemus), Pat (Patroclus)

Character nicknames used by the fandom - PolyD (Polydorus), PolyX (Polyxena), PolyM (Polymestor), Aska, Asky, Bird Boy (Askalaphos), Aggers, Aggy (Agamemnon), Cly (Clytemnestra), Aeggy, Eggman (Aegisthus)

Character nicknames used by Punchdrunk no matter how hard performers and audience alike push back against it - Eury (Eurydice)

[imaginethathaikyuu]

don’t lie to me - the guidepost

read PART ONE of don’t lie to me here! find the MASTERLIST here!

- 

don’t lie to me is an enemies to lovers au filled with lying, deception, stealing, and swindling, all for the sake of taking advantage of the ones in power. the only thing you and akaashi have to worry about is convincing rich party goers that you’re madly in love - that shouldn’t be so hard, right? 

but it is also a story told in three parts, and in part one lovers to enemies is in full force. love burns bright enough to see from miles away, but a hateful wildfire turns whole forests to ash. love and hate are two sides of the same coin for you and akaashi. toss it in the air and call it before it lands, but there’s no way to tell which way it’ll drop.

some important things to note right off the bat: 

1: this guidepost does not include spoilers for the fic, it just has some writers notes and explanations, character descriptions and background info. feel free to read it first, or read the fic beforehand if you’d rather go in blind 

2: the fic is a crossover with the great pretender, but it does not include any spoilers for the great pretender! so go watch it because it is very good and i want it to get a season 3 :)

first of all, i do hope you will give this story a chance. i put a lot of work into it and i hope the decisions i made created a story worth reading, one that added more interesting perspectives than others i’ve written. 

the main thing i struggled with was choosing which perspective to write from - rather, whose perspective to tell. the obvious choice would be the reader’s, but there were secrets i didn’t want to give away right off the bat and the reader couldn’t be the character i wanted if they were the main character from the start. 

i took a lot of inspiration from the great pretender, including taking characters and some story beats and putting them in this fic. as an audience member i like when the wool is pulled over my eyes along with other characters; i like watching a character learn things the same time i do, and that’s something i wanted in this fic. 

so! that left me with one choice, and so i had to find a character to take that role. it could have been any of the haikyuu boys but honestly, i didn’t want to write about any of them. i just wanted that main character to be a girl, and i felt like yachi was the perfect choice. 

forgive me for making her extremely out of character. i think it’s obvious that the yachi we know is not a liar nor is she a scammer, but i have now decided that she is. she’s still cute and sweet and charming, but she’s also a little bit of a criminal. she’s like if our yachi learned what lying is instead of learning about volleyball. 

there are a couple of characters i took right out of the great pretender and threw into this fic, the first being kudo. he is simply just a guy. short and lanky and goofy, brown hair and thick eyebrows and deep smile lines. he’s good at doing what he’s told and wearing any disguise he needs to. 

ms. kim is a woman for my heart! she is in the prime of her life! do not ask a woman her age! you may not be able to tell now, but when she was a young woman, she had her hands in the pockets of every man in her city. where did she get that new dress? her boyfriend bought it for her, of course. what about that diamond on her ring finger? oh, that was her fiance. she was nothing short of a mastermind, letting men fall at her feet. she’s given up on that type of work now, however; she prefers the laid back approach these days. you’ll always see her with knitting needles in her hands, and she could knit a sweater with her eyes closed. you once asked if she would knit you a scarf, and she told you she wouldn’t do it for free. she knows how much money you make, after all. 

more information about both of these characters can be found on their wikis!

part one was a lot of moving pieces that i tried my best to fit together well, and i hope that despite it being very long and not very relationship focused, that you give it a chance and enjoy it, because i am very proud of it. i’ve read it so many times now that it all feels like a mess of words on the page but i think it is very fun and something new for me. 

part two will be a very big mood shift. a very important character will be introduced, and all the backstory will be told. i hope you are excited - i am extremely happy with it! 

special shoutout to the sonic r ost, it really got me through writing this monster. everybody super sonic racing try to keep your feet right on the ground when youre super sonic racing theres no time to look around we’re just super sonic racing running to the point of no return everybody super sonic racing come on let the fire burn.  everybody everybody everybody everyobody everyobdoy everyodbuyeverybodyddfff d 

[promptisgiftexchange]

Thank You

We have reached the conclusion of the 2023 Promptis Gift Exchange and I want to thank each and every one of you. Whether you were a participant or simply along for the ride reading the stories and viewing the exceptional artwork, thank you for helping to make this gift exchange the joyful event that it was. 

To all of our talented participants, you have gone above and beyond and have contributed so much incredible Promptis content for your gift recipients, and for this exchange. Thank you for all of your hard work and for being a part of this event. You are what made it so special and I’m so happy for you to finally be able to share your work with the community as yourselves.

At this time, all of our Authors and Artists are now free to post your stories/artwork under your own name anywhere else that you desire. You may also choose to update the posting date of your Ao3 post at this point so that your contribution appears as a new work under your own name.

If anyone is aware of any stories that were written in response to art from our exchange or more artwork that was created in response to any other stories in the exchange, please let me know by sending me a link or by pinging me at @ promptis_gift on Twitter or @promptisgiftexchange on Tumblr so I can give it a boost. Likewise, if any of you have plans to write or draw anything as a response to the gift you received, I would love to be made aware of them once they are completed so I can promote it as well.

I would also like to give a special shout out and thank you to @ ffxv_zine_news and @FFXVFicRec on Twitter. Your retweeting and support of the Promptis Gift Exchange (especially considering the fact that I wasn’t tagging your accounts while I was promoting individual works over the course of the two months) did not go unnoticed. Thank you for your support and promotion of the individual stories and pieces of artwork that our participants worked so hard on, and for all of the wonderful things that you do everyday for our FFXV community as a whole.

Another huge and heartfelt thank you goes out to Church of Promptis, cloudbureiku, FireHeartAW, MathClassWarfare, and Sinnerbeam for their willingness and ability to switch posting dates with participants who ran into unexpected problems. You guys are the best and I appreciate everything you’ve done! 

Once again, thank you to everyone who has been a part of the 2023 Promptis Gift Exchange. This year has been our largest exchange to date and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have had such an amazingly successful third round. It has been a fantastic two months, filled with tons of excitement, and amazing Promptis fanworks! All of that is thanks to all of you! 

I hope to see you all again next year for our fourth round. Please continue to follow us for more information that will come out later this year on the 2024 Promptis Gift Exchange. 

In the meantime, if you are not already a member of the Promptis Discord Server, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us for year round Promptis fun. Anyone who loves Promptis is welcome to join us. It's a great place to chat with nice people about Promptis, share fanworks that you love, and we also have fun in-server events like a Monthly Challenge. I have included the invitation link to the server below.

Promptis Server- https://discord.gg/Xfw4jQWQ28

Masterlist and Creator Reveals

Without further ado, here are the reveals for the Promptis Gift Exchange 2023. You can also find the reveal detail in the following places, organized by the type of fanwork.

Google Docs- https://docs.google.com/document/d/139e6LpvD75LMp0TCcvS_lrA7j7andv5xW9TTuoRgm_0/edit?usp=sharing

You can also, as always, locate the entire collection directly on Ao3- https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works

Art

Title: All rotted leaves and lemon rind- (Art)

Artist: Mementomoryo

Gift For: MysteriousBean

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: And I love you.

And I love you.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47509423

Title: It’s just one cat Prompto, how much work could it be?- (Art)

Artist: MysteriousBean

Gift For: prompurii

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: The amount of cats that can be fit into one apartment is finite. The amount of cats it takes to fill your boyfriend’s soul is not. Thank goodness Prompto’s love for his boyfriend is also infinite.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47428099

Title: More Than One “Night Light Sky”- (Art) 

Artist: jam_calamity

Gift for: Hielo

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis and Prompto share a special moment watching a meteor shower together under the Duscae night sky.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46381177

Title: Not The Hair!- (Art)

Artist: Happy_Orc

Gift For: jam_calamity

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prompto spent AGES trying to get his hair to look good!

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46909558

Title: that's not fair- (Art)

Artist: Gayboy1996

Gift For: Sinnerbeam

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Artwork created for the 2023 Promptis Gift Exchange. For the prompt: Lazy mornings in bed, post-dawn

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46583281

Title: Work of Art- (Art)

Artist: Bramblepelt

Gift For: Church of Promptis

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: When Prompto convinced the strange and handsome man to model for his newest painting, he couldn't have predicted just how much inspiration he'd get.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47037817

Art & Fic

Title: A Biography of Hunger- (Art & Fic)

Artist/Author: Church of Promptis

Gift For: kikowithcatears

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “I hate my life,” Noctis mumbles as he pushes his head out of the hoodie’s collar.

“You don’t mean that,” Gladio answers casually, watching him from the doorstep of his bedroom.

“But I do. It sucks.”

Noctis keeps rummaging through the huge bag lying on the carpet. He isn’t happy, and after all, it’s his right to feel so. He pushes a t-shirt aside and fishes a pair of pants from the very bottom - baggy, faded blue jeans. They feel soft under his fingers. He’s never worn anything faded in his life and he pulls them on.

“Stop sulking, princess. I know you haven’t been feeling your best lately, and that’s why we’re doing something about it.”

Noctis shrugs as he zips the pants and arranges his sweater over it. It all feels strange. A nice kind of strange, if he’s being honest.

“It’s not like we’re going to do anything exciting,” he still says, because his brain has decided to be sour today.

“Who cares? It’ll do for a change, and I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me that you wouldn’t do just about anything if it meant you got to walk around in that ridiculous getup.”

OR

Noctis needs to touch some grass and Gladio knows exactly where to take him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46984612/chapters/118362526

Title: A place to lean on- (Art & Fic)

Artist & Author: Tsu_Yume

Gift For: GuineaGoon

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Orphaned twice over, Prompto was snatched from the quiet common life he’d known, and raised to the position of Prince of the Imperial Empire of Niflheim. In over his head and Prince only in name, he was subjected to the cruel whims of the Imperial Chancellor. Until one day, his meeting with the Oracle allowed him the chance to become friends with the mysterious Lucian Prince and hopefully bring peace to the Star.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47148364/chapters/118791724

Title: Princes, Proxies, Paths- (Art & Fic)

Artist & Author: SalamanderSocks

Gift For: MeissaShush

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: After centuries of bad blood, peace between Lucis and Niflheim seems to be finally becoming a possibility. However, navigating the maze of secrets and long held grudges turns out to be far more complicated than anyone imagined. Yet, for Noctis, the most frustrating conundrum lies in the fact that he's fallen for the one person out of his reach…

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46360960/chapters/116723866

Title: would you like your receipt in the bag- (Art & Fic)

Artist & Author: kiwiaste

Gift For: Toastie_Pan

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: or would you prefer my number instead?

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46813387

Comics/Manga

Title: Late night swim- (Art)

Artist: MoonlightWanderer

Gift For: Amarilly

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis and Prompto sneak out of camp for some late night exploration.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46537951

Title: Neato- (Art)

Artist: Sinnerbeam

Gift For: FeralHearts358

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prompto learns something new about his boyfriend, and he's really into it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47150860/chapters/118798084

Title: Star kisses- (Art)

Artist: Banira

Gift For: MoonlightWanderer

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It happens more often than not that Noctis works very late and he doesn't find much time to spend with Prompto. So Prompto takes things into his own hands and abducts him to an impromptu date.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47131552

Title: The Cat Should Have Gotten Your Tongue- (Art)

Artist: mildlycuriousdragon

Gift For: Ember_Lace

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noct's (first) attempt to get chattin with the cute local dog walker~

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46839520

Fic

Title: A newfound appreciation- (Fic)

Author: errantknightess

Gift For: Blivvi

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis, the prince of naps, decides to wake up early for once to understand why Prompto likes it so much.

He quickly finds that there are many reasons for him to enjoy mornings as well.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46558045

Title: A Touch, A Bloom- (Fic)

Author: KatrinaEagle

Gift For: Seastorm25

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prince Prompto is assigned to visit Insomnia for Prince Noctis' outrageous 6-week-long coming-of-age gala. It is, in his opinion, completely unnecessary, but Emperor Aldecapt had made it clear that he was to succeed in his first international mission and win the trust of Prince Noctis.

But of course everything goes wrong before he even sets foot on Lucian soil.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47015923/chapters/118444216

Title: and if i see you leaving, i beat you to the door- (Fic)

Author: everylemon

Gift For: MathClassWarfare

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis, Prompto, and stolen moments alone together through the years.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46538791

Title: Arrangements, Secrets & Promises- (Fic)

Author: Marlingrl

Gift For: Bramblepelt

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: When Prompto is stabbed during Noctis' wedding, it sets off a series of events that upend not only Prompto's life, but also change the entire political landscape of Eos in the process

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46871824/chapters/118066669

Title: Caring for Sick Royalty: A Survival Guide- (Fic) 

Author: LuckyLectio

Gift For: Loki_chan

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It starts with a sniffle.

Little did Prompto know that one small cold could mean an entire week of pure chaos, courtesy of his favorite magically-blessed prince. Dealing with occasional arson, lightning strikes, and indoor blizzards was not something Prompto could possibly have prepared for.

...He just hopes he’ll survive long enough to confess his feelings.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46357594

Title: Clear Hearts, Cloudy Skies- (Fic)

Author: cloudbureiku

Gift For: Akumeoi

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “You made it-” Noctis started, getting cut off as Prompto quickly closed the distance between them and enveloped him in a crushing hug. He froze for a second before melting into Prompto’s embrace. “I thought you were dead, Prompto. Your phone-”

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46693972

Title: Closer- (Fic)

Author: Blivvi

Gift For: treya_barton

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “I’m not an official Crownsguard yet though. I don’t know, I feel like I’d make a fool of myself. I’ve never done anything formal in my life. I mean, you guys were raised for this, I just don’t see how I’d fit in.”

Noctis kicked his chair leg. “Maybe I like that you don’t fit in. If you’re worried about the correct etiquette and stuff, we can teach you, but no one’s going to banish you for using the wrong fork.”

Prompto laughed. “Dude, don’t underestimate how bad I could mess this up.”

For the first time, Noctis was allowed to invite Prompto to attend one of the Citadel's biggest events. Despite being completely unprepared, Prompto agrees to go, if only for the chance to spend an evening with Noctis. There's a few problems though. One, he has nothing to wear. Two, he has no idea how to act in such a formal setting. Three...he was hopelessly in love with Noctis.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46973491/chapters/118333174

Title: Courage to Confess- (Fic)

Author: treya_barton

Gift For: kiwiaste

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Now that Noctis has survived saving Eos, the Chocobros decide to go on another road trip to celebrate his return. Only the other three have been acting kind of strange lately and Prompto especially seems to be hiding something. Noctis decides he's going to get to the bottom of it while on the trip and doesn't realize that may be what the others plan for him too.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46716901/chapters/117658144

Title: Driftwood- (Fic)

Author: Hielo

Gift For: RikuKingdomHearts3

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: On this day Prompto waits in vain at school for word from his best friend and makes a plan.

Because a young prince urgently needs his help.

For over all over the news, which at one stroke, changed everything:

King Regis is dead.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47020144

Title: Drinking My Way Into Your Arms (and Other Dumb Ways to Make Decisions)- (Fic)

Author: Boogs

Gift For: Marlingrl

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis and Prompto get really drunk and get married. Once they realize what they've done they have to do something truly horrific.

Deal with the consequences of their actions.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47204110

Title: Harbinger- (Fic)

Author: GingerEl

Gift For: Maniikoi

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Too much magic, they say. The entirety of Winter, solely under Noctis’ tenuous control. It’s difficult, not least of all because it isolates him, makes it impossible for other Gods to be around him, let alone anyone else.

At least Noctis doesn’t have to worry about the little caveat to his immortality. The only thing that can kill him is a broken heart—and being alone keeps him quite safe in that regard.

“Didn’t it hurt?” Noctis asks. “When you touched me.”

“No,”

Prompto says. “Should it?”

Noctis doesn’t know if it should, just that—

“It does everyone else,” Noctis says.

“Everyone?”

Prompto sucks in a deep breath and pushes it out long and slow. He doesn’t seem scared when he reaches for Noctis’ hand, doesn’t even hesitate to interlock their fingers, and press their palms together.

“There we go,” Prompto says softly. “To start making up for it.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47403487/chapters/119450683

Title: In the Here and Now- (Fic)

Author: Amarilly

Gift For: Banira

Rated: Mature (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Grounded. Prompto needed to be in the here and now. He could feel a faint beat pressed against his chest. Feeling another person’s heart beating was strange and wonderful against the silence of his own. The quick pace was exhilarating and he smiled, pressing another kiss to Noct’s face as he reached out blindly to slide the screen of the doorway closed.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46782673

Title: Iridescence- (Fic)

Author: prompurii

Gift For: SalamanderSocks

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Trapped outside of themselves in the most confusing week of their lives, they have to find a way to fix it while pretending to be each other. A week that will remain with them for many years to come.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46942417

Title: Like Real People Do- (Fic)

Author: Loki_chan

Gift For: sephirothflame

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: He looked down at Noctis, unable to help the grin on his face as he watched Noctis’ grumpy expression. “What’s up, Noct?”

Noctis just groaned and thrust the paper at him, covering his eyes with his arm. Prompto took the paper, bemused. What could bother Noctis so much? He didn’t usually let the tabloids get to him.

“He’s upset because they say the Niff prince has surfaced again.” Gladio leaned on the kitchen counter, eyeing them while Ignis worked.

Prompto frowned as he skimmed the front page article. Everyone knew the story of the missing Niflheim prince. Right at the end of the war, as the Emperor was chasing down Besithia for his misdeeds, his youngest son went missing. Sentiment was generally split between believing the poor boy was dead or being hidden away for some future political purpose. Officially, he was listed as missing, and periodically someone would pop up claiming to have found him in order to collect the reward.

Prompto felt for the young prince, but he was selfishly glad he would probably never be found. He didn’t want Noctis to have to marry someone he’d never met. He didn’t want Noctis to marry anyone. Anyone not him, the traitorous voice in the back of his head whispered.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46409428

Title: Longest Longing Ranch- (Fic)

Author: Toastie_Pan

Gift For: moonwaif

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis Lucis Caelum owns the Caelum ranch, home to the greatest chocobos to ever been bred. One day when preparing for the wedding of his two best workers, Noctis finds himself face to face with a trespasser. A trespasser just trying to find a place to belong.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47424196

Title: near miss, one kiss- (Fic)

Author: FireHeartAW

Gift For: mildlycuriousdragon

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Fingernails scrape at the back of his neck, fingertips curl into his hair and pull, gently but with enough pressure for Prompto to get the message. The request to look, to share, to let those lines blur between them as they always have. The music in the loud, echoing halls of the citadel starts to rise again, to build and grow, and Prompto lets it crest over him and pull him under.

“It’s just I’m in—” he starts, but Noct closes almost all of the distance between them, face tilting, long tendrils of inky black hair hanging with the movement, nose brushing up against Prom’s own.

“I think I know, Prom. I hope I do. But don’t, not here.” The not with too many prying eyes, goes unsaid, enough that Prompto nods, understanding as he reads between the lines, and their lips start to brush, careful and close.

~~

5 times Prompto and Noctis finally almost kiss after all these years dancing around one another, and the 1 time they finally do.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47281738

Title: One True Groom- (Fic)

Author: Maniikoi

Gift For: Boogs

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prince Prompto Aldercapt of Niflheim and Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum of Insomnia both share the same problem—they’re both arranged to be married to people they’ve never met and won’t know until they’re at the altar.

Prompto travels to Insomnia to enjoy what little freedom he has left before he’s metaphorically collared to a complete stranger. He’s resigned himself to his fate until he meets a certain feline prince at Insomnia College for his final year and catches feelings.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46423180/chapters/116883553

Title: Pulchritude- (Fic)

Author: Ember_Lace

Gift For: GingerEl

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Pulchritude. Noun.

Beauty.

Prompto has a favourite client. A man so beautiful that his heart flutters every time that he enters the tattoo parlour. So how did the pair of them end up pretending to be boyfriends at Prompto's family reunion?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47352595/chapters/119318806

 Title: right here waiting for you- (Fic)

Author: sephirothflame

Gift For: Tsu_Yume

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It was a lifetime coming, Noctis dancing with Prompto in the crowded hall, a shiny new crown on his head. They've waited long enough to acknowledge this thing between them.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46762828

Title: Ruby- (Fic)

Author: Seastorm25

Gift For: everylemon

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Maybe they don’t really have the time to be taking on a hunt like this when old Cid could be done fixing up the boat any day now. It isn’t even an official mark, meaning there’s no reward. Only, when Prompto caught Noct’s gaze lingering on the string of the hunter who requested this of them, which dangled several inches off the ground, fraying at the end, he knew they would be taking this job regardless of what’s in it for them.

Or:

Noctis gets kidnapped by a daemon. Time for the rest of the gang to figure out how to get the upper hand.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47351779

Title: sunshine and donuts- (Fic)

Author: kikowithcatears

Gift For: dreamtowns

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noct and Prompto get paired up to do a class project together. What starts with hesitation, Noct reminding himself not to get too attached and Prompto convincing himself that he’ll probably say something foolish in front of the crown prince and get thrown in a dungeon or something, blossoms into something more.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46486117

Title: That Darn Cat- (Fic)

Author: GuineaGoon

Gift For: Happy_Orc

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Lucis and Niflheim are to be connected through political marriage, and Noctis and Prompto are both unsure if they are ready to be married. Having to yet meet his fiance, Prompto comes to the Citadel for treaty discussions and learns of the Citadel's worst kept secret: the immortal demon cat.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47259964

Title: The Lucky Chocobo- (Fic)

Author: MathClassWarfare

Gift For: errantknightess

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Fortune favors a bro.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46637404/chapters/117451945

Title: to break so easily- (Fic)

Author: tiny_tonberry

Gift For: Mementomoryo

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: There were many things Noctis loved about Prompto.

He loved the blond’s laugh, bright, bubbly giggles that filled the room with the most pleasant of sounds. He loved his best friend’s drive and determination, the can-do attitude that came across as condescending or stubborn to those who didn’t understand his years of borderline isolation and forced independence. He absolutely adored his eyes, blue with violet undertones that left him completely breathless when the light hit them just right.

Noctis had been caught by the blond completely, hook line and sinker, and could go on for eternity and a day about his affections for his friend (a particular form of torture he has discovered to be effective as an Ignis deterrent) but that didn’t stop him from having moments like this.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47394340

Title: To get under that pussy(cat)- (Fic)

Author: FeralHearts358

Gift For: Gayboy1996

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: A totally normal hunt goes awry and Noct ends up underneath that pussy(cat). He's certainly not complaining.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47246563

Title: Too Close to the Sun- (Fic)

Author: MeissaShush

Gift For: tiny_tonberry

Rated: Mature (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “Why are you worried about me?” Prompto snapped back as Noct hoisted him up to the ledge, grinning. “What was the phrase? The bigger they are—”

“—the easier it is for them to shove you off the fucking mountain.” Gladio said, grinning viciously as he hauled himself to his feet.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46435663/chapters/116916076

Title: Will you be my player 2? -(Fic)

Author: RikuKingdomHearts3

Gift For: cloudbureiku

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It all started with one simple hangout at the arcade. It wasn't anything new between Noctis and Prompto, but this time something different happened, giving Noctis an opportunity to say what he had buried down in his heart.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46606864

Title: You and I Kaleide-(Fic)

Author: Akumeoi

Gift For: KatrinaEagle

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prompto is a clone. Every single part of him is a copy of someone else, from his face to his organs to his personality and what food he likes, probably.

Prompto sees in black and white. That’s normal for someone of his age, because statistically, most people don’t meet their soulmate until at least their twenties, and he’s only nineteen. But Prompto is pretty sure that he’ll never see in colour, because he’ll never have a soulmate. His logic is this: if he is a copy of someone else, then unless that person’s soulmate has a copy, how can he possibly have a soulmate himself? The original soulmate belongs to whoever the original of Prompto is.

The original of Prompto is Verstael Besithia. Whatever soulmate he has - Prompto thinks it might be that demented red-haired guy who got dug out of the ground like a fucking vampire - Prompto does not want them.

(In which Shiva and Ifrit tell Ramuh about Prompto and Noctis's love story in order to convince him to help them bring Noctis back to life.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46928113/chapters/118213087

Title: you’re all i want (to love, to hold)- (Fic)

Author: dreamtowns

Gift For: FireHeartAW

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis is just barely shy of nineteen when he meets his fiancé, Prompto Argentum Aldercapt; First Imperial Prince of the Niflheim Empire, as many an article proclaims.

When Noctis pondered on his future spouse, he knew it would be an arranged marriage. It was a rare occasion when nobility married for love. Nonetheless, he had accepted the fact that he would share the rest of his life with a spouse he had little care for and could only hope he would grow to love them and vice versa.

He did not, however, expect his future spouse to be the prince of Niflheim.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46917529

Title: You’re Finally Here- (Fic)

Author: moonwaif

Gift For: LuckyLectio

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Have you heard of the prince who was born with an irregular soul mark?

TLDR: Prince Noctis is born with a soul mark that looks like a bar code, in a time before scanning technology exists. I wonder what that could mean . . . ?

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47079358

[murderbirds]

The very best

[Posted this on AO3, might as well post it here. Ship: Oswald Cobblepot X Edward Nygma, angst, hurt no comfort, pokemon AU, teen and up audiences]

"Welcome to Gotham Region, listeners! Today we will be speaking about our newest champion and head of the elite four, Oswald Cobblepot! Who is this man? Where did he come from? Oswald was born and raised right here in our beloved region by his single mother, a humble cook from Narrow City. Since they didn't have a lot of money, Oswald started working from a very young age as a delivery boy for one of the previous members of the elite four, Fish Mooney, who also gifted him his first pokemon, a bashful little female piplup meant to be a mockery of the man's appearance, however, our beloved trainer did not let that get to him, instead treating his partner with the love and respect she deserves until she became a powerful empoleon. Through his bond with his team and skill he was able to become our next champion!" Oswald turned off the radio and sighed.

It wasn't that they were saying lies necessarily, it was just that there was a lot more than that. The shady, dark part of Gotham City. In reality, the elite four was a mafia that ran the entire region, with the Champion being the one who led the entire operation. Everyone in the city knew this, of course, however people avoided speaking about it out loud. Champions didn't step down peacefully, there was always bloodshed, and with Oswald it hadn't been different. It wasn't Falcone's blood who was spilled, no, the man retired from the position relatively intact, with just a threat and a scar in his eye thanks to Fish Mooney's scheme involving his older son, Mario. Falcone, while ruthless, still had a heart which beat for his family, so he left without major problems.

With Falcone a new championship was held to decide who would take his place. Fish, once again either scared away her competition or made them unable to challenge her- except for Oswald. She tried to get rid of the younger man, but he was smarter than she ever gave him credit to, he knew which strings to pull, who to trust, and what was meant to become his demise became his triumph as neither Fish nor anyone else expected his return until he was challenging her to a fight on a rooftop, and not the pokemon type. Oswald didn't regret his decisions or how he got to the top, what he did regret was his lack of foresight after that.

Yes, he was finally champion now with his team composed of mostly pokemon, however, every champion needed an elite four and the current elite four was loyal to Falcone and probably Fish. He would never be able to trust them, so he would need to find some new people.

The first of them was Victor Zsasz, once a loyal trainer to Falcone, Zsasz was known for his efficiency in battle, his loyalty and his hatred for Fish, all of which were qualities regarded well, even if he could be an annoying prick occasionally. Yes, Oswald was technically biased since they had dated a long time ago, but that did not influence his decision. Zsasz, with his steel type pokemon, was good enough for his league.

Next was Barbara Kean, the daughter of one of Gotham's richest and most despicable families. Barbara wished to leave her family's grasp no matter what was required which made her easily exploitable. While she could be seen as weak and your usual damsel in distress, those who underestimated her and her fairy type pokemon often met an unfortunate end. She was also welcomed in.

The third spot was given to Selina Kyle, also known as Cat. She had been quite helpful when it came to Oswald's rise, despite her young age. The girl was a formidable trainer who had managed to acquire all gym badges in the same time it took Cobblepot to take over the league. If he could keep her as an ally, that would be great, however, his main goal was to make sure she didn't become an enemy.

That left one spot. Oswald had originally wanted to give it to James Gordon, the police detective that helped him reach the top, but Jim refused after accusing the champion of tricking him into helping with his plans. The bird keeper knew that Jim would eventually come around and see all the good they could do together, unfortunately he couldn't wait. He had only a few days now before it was chosen for him. Oswald still wanted someone with a connection to the police just to keep an eye on them, so, as a display of good faith, he promised to give the elite four spot to the winner of a little competition, the first person in the region's police to successfully defeat Oswald's newest pokemon in a one versus one would be allowed in. It shouldn't be that difficult of a task, he had only had this pokemon for a few weeks now, a rare creature sent to him from Paldea called Iron Bundle as a congratulations gift. He had only started to train it, so he didn't expect it to be so difficult to defeat the pokemon, and yet it had been three days now and no one had managed to defeat him.

The champion wasn't sure what to do. Was the police really that weak? He couldn't run a different challenge now, after all there was a certain level of power an elite four member had to have in order to gain that role, but he was running out of time. It wasn't even like Oswald was controlling the pokemon, he was just watching the battles and letting his pokemon do his own thing. How the hell weren't they making it past turn one?!

The day hadn't started any better than any of the previous ones. Oswald sat on his chair as usual and watched as the battles took place just outside the police station. As usual, a crowd had gathered to watch the battles, not that he could understand why. These had been some of the most boring battles the man had ever witnessed and yet, people still cheered on the competitors and even filmed them. Some people really had depressing lives. At least today was the last day that he would be holding the competition in this town, he was pretty sure the captain of the police station was excited for him to leave as he was, or maybe she was just salty that she hadn't managed to defeat the robotic owl. Perhaps it was both.

"S-sir," Penn, his assistant said as he approached him from the side, "I brought your lunch, as you requested."

"You are late, Penn," Oswald rolled his eyes and grabbed the sandwich, "but thank you." He took a bite, "it's cold."

"S-sorry, sir, it is just that the restaurant was a little far and- and you didn't let me use the car…"

"I didn't ask for your excuses, Penn."

"S-sorry."

Oswald groaned, "it's fine, just let me eat in peace."

The older man nodded and left.

The champion tossed his pokeballs all at once, revealing his empoleon, his porygon, his blaziken and his decidueye. He still had one more pokemon with him, but he didn't need people to be scared, so he decided to keep it in its pokeball and save a bit of the sandwich for it later. After sharing his food, his eyes returned to the robotic owl as it started a new battle.

A tall, strong looking man walked forward with a pokeball in hand and a smug grin. He wore a trenchcoat and had blonde spiky hair. "Alright, justice, come out and let everyone know how strong we are!" The officer let out its pokemon, a lucario, how original. Lucario wasn't terrible, its types were theoretically strong against Iron Bundle, fighting and steel were both super effective against ice type pokemon, however, with its speed and high special attack not to mention experience.

All it took was a single hydro pump. As soon as Lucario ran closer towards it to try and use Close Combat, the owl opened its mouth and blasted the anthropomorphic dog through the wall. Oswald and the rest of the people all cringed in sync as they watched the pokemon fly. The detective was left speechless for a good two minutes before he ran to his fallen companion. "Justice!"

"Thank you for your attempt, it was close," Oswald said the usual spiel before taking another bite of his lunch. "It was a good try. Next."

A tall man stepped forward. Despite his height, he was so thin that he looked more like a tree than an intimidating sight. His green, nerdy clothes didn't help either.

"Uhm, excuse me, mister," Oswald said, trying to sound polite and not as annoyed as he felt. "This competition is only for people who are a part of the police. Civilians have to stay behind the guards."

"A-ah, I know, I am actually a member of the police, you see!" The man pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, "I am Edward Nygma and I am actually a Forensic Scientist!" Oswald must have looked as confused as he felt, because the man went on to clarify, "we are responsible for, uhm, studying crime scenes and evidence, it is actually a very important and vital job, you see-"

"I know what a forensic scientist is. I just-" he took a deep breath, "nevermind. You may proceed, mister Nygma."

Edward smiled, "thank you, sir! I will do my best!" He said and then let out his pokemon. For a second, Oswald's mind wondered what type of pokemon the man would have. He was the nerdy type, so maybe a steel or psychic pokemon. Maybe a metagross, combining the best of both worlds.

A rattata came out of the pokeball. A young one too, probably inexperienced. It was a shiny one, with a green coloration, which was nice, but it didn't change the fact that it was a goddamn rattata. "Wh- what is this? What the hell is this?!" Oswald glared at Edward. Did the man think that he was some type of joke?!

"A-ah, this is my rattata, Conundrum! Conundrum, use endeavor!"

The rattata ran towards the robot. As expected, it was blasted with full force by a Hydro Pump. It had been a while since Oswald had wanted someone to be defeated as badly as this smug little nerd who dared to bring a baby pokemon to this competition, and yet, despite taking the full blast, the pokemon was still standing. He bit into the robot and, much for Oswald's surprise, Iron Bundles began malfunctioning. The attack had damaged him a lot more than it should have.

"How…" Oswald whispered, sitting on the edge of the chair. This was impossible.

"Now, my little conundrum! Quick Attack!"

"No!" Oswald shouted. The little rattata scratched the owl. It was barely a tap, and yet, it was enough to defeat the undefeated pokemon until now. The crowd and Oswald went silent.

"I- I did it… I DID IT!" Edward shouted and grabbed the rattata, swirling with it in his arms before healing the pokemon. "Oh, you did so great, conundrum! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He kissed all over his face.

Oswald stood up, walked to the paradox. He winced a little before getting on one knee and returning it to its pokeball. "Well done, Claus. Now you may rest." He put the pokemon away and stood up, before walking towards Ed. He stared into the brown eyes that refused to stare back at him for long.

"Uhm, are- is everything ok? I won, right?"

Instead of answering his question, Oswald simply said, "tomorrow. Come to the sunflower hotel at 1pm. Do not be late, understand?"

"Y-yes, sir!"

"Good. Now get out of my way." "Yes, sir!" Despite the champion's rudeness, the tall man looked absolutely giddy as he walked back to the police station.

Oswald stared at the man sitting in front of him as they waited for the meals to arrive. The food in the hotel wasn't bad nor great, just average. His pokemon seemed to enjoy it well enough though, which was what really mattered to the champion.

The man in front of him had looked at every corner of the restaurant and tapped about every tune on the table to avoid looking Oswald in the eyes. He was nervous, that much was obvious, and he clearly wasn't used to being in a situation like this.

Finally, the champion decided to break the silence, "aren't you going to let your pokemon out of their pokeball?"

"Huh? O-OH! Right, of course." Edward released his pokemon, he had two of them, both shiny, but not the type of shiny that were normally considered popular. One was the rattata he brought the previous day and the other was an espeon. This man really appeared to have a thing for green shinies. The rat pokemon stared at the champion who mirrored the action back at it for an uncomfortable amount of time before looking at its trainer. "You can't use this pokemon as it is, you know? The league does not endorse such strategies."

"Oh, o-of course, I'm sorry."

Oswald rolled his eyes and leaned back, "I brought the papers you will have to sign in order to join the league officially." He reached inside his clothes and pulled a document from inside before pushing it towards the other man.

"Neat!" The champion had never seen anyone so excited to read a contract. Edward was like a child during Christmas. The silence was making Oswald uncomfortable though, especially with the glaring pokemon so he spoke up.

"Do you know what team you will be using? And what type?"

"Yes actually!" Edward briefly looked up and then down again, "I mean- erm- I would like to use a psychic team. I will have a gallade and a gardevoir on my team, of course. A shiny wyrdeer which I actually received from my grandfather, a Xatu for those pesky birds and my ace and best friend, Conundrum!" The shiny espeon let out a cry. "It is five pokemon, correct?"

"Yes, but it is recommended that you have a sixth pokemon in case you need to use a different team or you are challenged by another champion class pokemon trainer."

"Wow, it must be so cool to be a champion class trainer, let alone the Prime Champion of the whole region!"

That made him smirk and blush slightly, "it is nothing to scoff at, no, and while it isn't easy work, it is worth it."

"I know! I read all about you, sir! Ah, I hope you don't find that strange, heh."

Oswald blinked in surprise, "what do you know?"

"Well, I know you were raised by your single mother in one of the most dangerous towns in Gotham. You began working at a young age as a delivery boy for the mafia and the local champion. She gifted your first pokemon to assist you in your deliveries, but you impressed her and everyone else by training it and taking the league challenge while delivering the mail."

"Ok, ok, that is enough." None of that was secret information, but it wasn't something Oswald liked to hear no matter how beautiful of a story people seemed to find it. Seemingly Edward was one of those people, because he immediately deflated.

"Sorry, sir, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm just such a big fan."

There was no way that Oswald could be mad for someone so genuine who fed his ego just right. "I'm not- bot uncomfortable, ok? It's just that this isn't about me. This is essentially a job interview even if you technically already have the job." He couldn't afford to look for someone new.

"Me? I'm really not that interesting. I moved to Gotham from Unova at 18, began studying biomedicine and eventually got a degree that allowed me to join Gotham's Police Department. I work there as a forensic scientist and I love studying battles."

"Why did you come to Gotham? I mean, no offense but most people in Gotham would give an arm and a leg to live in Unova. Sadly things are too expensive for us there."

"Hm, well, I was curious about the trainers of this region. The trainers from here are said to be some of the strongest in the world because of the harsh conditions."

"That is one way to put it, more like we are the hunting ground of the legendaries so we had to learn how to survive."

"And that is why you are amazing!"

Oswald felt blush rush to his cheeks, "careful there, Nygma. If someone else heard this they would think you're coming onto me."

Edward blushed slightly as well as realization hit him, "...oh, I am so sorry sir! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!"

"You didn't," the champion assured him, "I'm just not used to receiving genuine compliments."

"Why, that is unfathomable! You are such an extraordinary individual, everyone should shower you with compliments about your intelligence, your incredible battling skills, your sense of style, your beauty, there are so many reasons to compliment you!"

"You- you think I'm beautiful?" Oswald felt his heart beat faster as he swooned.

"Yes, I do! People can be so silly." Edward sighed and shook his head.

"Y-yeah, I guess they can." Oswald briefly glanced at Edward's hand before shaking his head, "you have quite a few qualities yourself, like you aren't bad looking and your strategy, as infuriating as it was, was very intelligent."

"Thank you for noticing! My IQ is 220, but most people don't realize it because I like games and puzzles and they are meant to be children's things. Adults are just so boring, all work, no fun, no creativity!"

"I agree, although I have been rather on the boring adult side lately. Just being champion requires a lot of hard work, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. If you ever need someone to help you relax or just to keep you company, I will be here, although most people tend to avoid me, heh." Edward rubbed the back of his neck.

Oswald sighed, "I know exactly what you mean." He looked at the hand again, but this time he got the confidence to touch it gently, "I will make sure to come to you if I ever need a friend."

Edward smiled more widely than he had the entire night. Perhaps Oswald was wrong and this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

The two men stood at the top of the elite four tower. The tower itself was located on top of a waterfall with a river surrounding it and, depending on the time of the day, you could see the entire region from there. It was the perfect place for a battle that would determine whether someone became a champion. Today, however, it was going to decide the fate of two people who had once been friends.

The both of them stared at each other as they reached the end of the battle. The two had started with six pokemon as was conventional, but now Edward only had his injured shiny Espeon versus Oswald's iron bundle and a completely healthy empoleon in the back. They both knew that the battle was already decided.

"Are you satisfied yet?! Do you realize how pointless this is?! You can't beat me, Edward!" Oswald would never let it be known, but no one had managed to defeat so many of his pokemon as Edward. If he hadn't been blinded by his anger, he might have given him some real trouble.

"Of course that you would think that, just like my relationship with HER was pointless, huh?!" Edward laughed, not in glee, rather in anger.

"Oh my Arceus- what do you want me to say, Edward?! I'M SORRY! I thought that she was a clone, ok?! I mean, you read the same news as me regarding the experiments in Kanto and you can't tell me you don't find it suspicious just how much she looked like your ex!"

"You should have stopped prodding when we found out that she wasn't a ditto! But no! You kept going, and kept going until you caused her death!"

"It was an accident! I just wanted my men to take her to a laboratory so we could look more into it! I didn't think she would run in front of a moving train and get her foot stuck!"

"That is the whole problem, Oswald! You didn't think! Not about how it would make me feel, not about the consequences or anyone besides yourself! You and your- your selfishness! Do you truly believe that is what love is?! Love is about sacrifice, Oswald! It is to give up your own happiness for the sake of another, but you couldn't know that. You only love yourself after all."

"SHUT UP!" The Penguin shouted, lips quivering. "Don't you dare tell me what love is or isn't, you ungrateful nerd! When I found you, you were nothing! Less than nothing! All of your peers hated you, everyone found you to be the annoying little geek that you are, except for me! I made you, Edward Nygma! There is no you without the Penguin!"

Edward's lower lip trembled and for a moment he seemed hesitant, "perhaps," he whispered and then looked at his espeon. "Conundrum! Get ready!" The pokemon let out a cry.

The champion wiped his tears, "fine. If this is how you want things to go. Iron Bundle, ready yourself and retribute." Oswald knew that the espeon couldn't take another hydro pump and since his iron bundle was faster, there was no doubt in his mind that the man was going to quick attack. One last miserable attempt at winning.

The green pokemon started to run while the robot charged its blast. The espeon was about to hit its opponent when, to Oswald's surprise, the pokemon jumped. Instead of going for the pokemon, the target of the attack ended up being the champion himself.

The espeon hit the Penguin in the chest, causing all air to leave its lungs as he stumbled back and over the edge, which was strange. When did he come so close to the edge? Had he really moved so much during their battle? Was this Edward's plans all along? All of those thoughts ran through his mind as the Penguin locked eyes with his opponent. He had expected to see satisfaction and happiness in that gaze, but instead all that he saw was anguish and hurt. As he fell for what was likely his death, he just wished that he would have taken on Edward's offer to spend some time together one last time.

[sakebytheriver]

I don't want to call out this person I follow or respond to their post, because ultimately it's not a big deal, but they were getting upset as a black woman about being recced It's Always Sunny so much by white people when the first episode is called "The Gang Gets Racist" and that they do blackface and say the N word a bunch and she was basically saying that because the show did these things it meant it was inherently a racist show

And while I can 100% understand a black person looking at the first episode of iasip and being uncomfortable and not finding that the show made their satirical point correctly and deciding they never wanted to watch anything else from the show after that, because iasip has had several misses in terms of satirizing the issues with society for sure and it's also absolutely not a show for everyone, it's meant to be one of those Succession, Arrested Development, South Park type shows where none of the main characters are meant to be likeable people, but are ultimately supposed to be the worst examples of humanity has to offer in order to allow the writers and showrunners to make a broader satirical commentary about the dysfunction of our society using their characters as plot devices and tools rather than people for the audience to relate to or empathize with

I would honestly say the show is ultimately the best "edgy" progressive satire that Hollywood has ever produced. One thing, I have never seen any kind of right winger do is use one of the deplorable actions committed by the characters in iasip as like a good and based thing to emulate and indoctrinate more people into the right, they do this all the time with South Park though, they're constantly misunderstanding a message SP is trying to make and then adopt those overblown satirical talking points into their own irl politics making life even more bigotted in the extreme cartoon way the show created to be an outlandish thing that would never happen creating a self-fulfilling prpphecy rather than actually changing any minds, but this is never done with iasip. It has never been taken over by the right, there are never any messages or talking points in iasip that have been twisted and turned into real irl right wing political talking points, this show's fanbase is extremely progressive in comparison to other similar shows, the creators are also a lot more progressive than your average LA Hollywood neoliberal type, the show does edgy satire correctly and while the show depicts racist actions and depicts racist characters it is wrong to say the show itself is racist, because ultimately at the end of the day just the presence of these things does not make something inherently that thing too and if your point is that edgy satire like iasip just should not exist then we can't have a conversation

It's a very similar complaint to the people saying that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist book, because it accurately depicts racism in that time in order for the main character to make the decision not to emulate those actions

Like yeah, the shit they do in iasip is racist and gross and you're supposed to come away from the show with that exact belief, every member of the gang is a racist misogynist antisemite homophobe etc. etc. who the world would be better off without and so by making them all these deplorable people the writers are able to do a lot of satirical analysis of the absolute dregs of society through them, you just would not be able to do the kind of satirical analysis that iasip does with characters like Jim and Pam from The Office

The biggest critique with edgy satirical shows like South Park is how they normalize bigotry for the average audience viewer, It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia does NOT do this, it does the exact opposite, which is why I consider it the best edgy satire Hollywood has ever made, because it actually does the job of a satire correctly

[mrbigbrother]

HBO's Velma is exactly what Twitter asked for, but regretted getting.

If you told me to write an adult animated series centered on Velma, the first thing that has to be established is the character's flaws. Velma has historically struggled with being sociable. She has rarely been seen in a relationship. She is awkward and has her own insecurities. I would establish this in her before anything else, but the truth is that it has already been established for over 50 years since her creation. Then, I would show her strengths. She is incredibly gifted as a detective. She is very booksmart and is able to read people. She is sweet and kind to her friends. It is an enormously cute aspect to her personality that she struggles with social awkwardness. This makes her relatable. The Velma that we all know is a far more likeable and relatable person than HBO's mean cynical, bitter narcissist that they expect us to accept as the same character. which they are not. Velma is a fan favorite for a reason. She is the most down to earth and human of all the Scooby doo gang. HBO has taken those qualities away from her because the audience they wish to pander to does not possess the same qualities.

I am also not behind any theory that suggests that a children's cartoon character should be gay. She has never been gay in any prior context beyond the assumption by smart asses on the internet suggesting it. These are the same smart asses who also say that Shaggy and Scooby are pot heads. And besides, we all know that the only character in scooby doo that can be gay is Fred. The ascot is more than enough evidence to support this theory. Now, I have seen many of gay characters who are amazing and great characters. So why is Velma suddenly being declared gay now a problem? I'll tell you: it's because she was never gay before, and the only reason to make her gay now, is to pander to a generation that only wants to see themselves depicted, and their lifestyle choices validated, because they haven't a family member that will validate them. It is pure vanity as to why we see homosexuality depicted like this in modern entertainment. And it is always furthest from fact that these depictions are presented to us. The truth behind Velma as a character, is that she is supposed to be the every-woman type. And believe it or not, that means she represents most women as in the 99%. Which means she is not part of 1% of shallow entitled little monsters who hate men, hate other women, use gayness and political stupidity to circumvent any personal growth, and spend their days bitching on twitter about something as stupid as representation. Velma in her original intended form, is a compliment. Her every-woman characterization, believes that the 99% are sweet kind individuals who are deeply gifted with intelligence, intuition, discernment, tenderness and warmth.

These are the very same things that HBO have effectively lobotomized out of Velma, so that she may appeal to a very small portion of mean spirited groups, that cannot even discern their own gender.

There will be brighter days ahead of us. There will be brighter days for Velma and the gang. And we will do like we always did before and speak with our wallets. These corporate micromanaged attempts to appeal to youth culture will fall into obscurity as it is heir to…

As I wrote that bit, I just realized that this cynical and mean spirited show's existence is based on the data collected on the audience it was geared towards. that this show and Velma's depiction is based on what HBO thinks its audience would like. Velma herself is supposed to be the audience she's geared towards. We were all supposed, and even expected to like her and relate to her. However, this show is being rejected in all directions. Why? because it hits too close to home! In a way, HBO's Velma gives the representation it promised to the people who have bombarded studios for years for it.

The problem now, is that they just didn't like what they saw in someone else's mirror.

[concerthopperblog]

The Best of AMERICANAFEST 2024

AMERICANAFEST is an assault on the senses. With hundreds of parties, official and unofficial, going on in dozens of venues throughout Nashville, there's so much choice you risk being paralyzed with indecision. For our part, we caught 45 shows across a eight venues and, while we saw a few bands we probably wouldn't buy an album from (remember, friends, buy your music), we didn't catch anything that wasn't good. That said, only a few can be the best. Here are the best things we saw at AMERICANAFEST 2024.

Best of the Fest- Amythyst Kiah and Danielle Nicole At this point, I should probably disqualify Amythyst Kiah from getting “Best of the Fest” and give some other people a chance. She has, I think, won it every time she has played the festival and I have seen her. And she just keeps getting better. Pulling heavily from her forthcoming album Still + Bright, Kiah blended her standard blues and Americana with elements of symphonic metal and classic rock for a sound that is like no other.

This year, Kiah has to share her award with Danielle Nicole. Of the three bands I saw Wednesday night at Exit/In, she was the one I knew nothing about. Boy, had I been missing out. Sounding like what would happen if Janis Joplin fronted The Jimi Hendrix Experience, her power trio blasted through 45 minutes of pure blues-rock fury and I was there for it. For intensity, this was by far the set of the weekend.

Best Work Ethic- Secret Emchy Society and Amelia White The old saying is “work smarter, not harder.” But there's something to be said for working harder and nobody at AMERICANAFEST 2024 worked harder than these two. Cindy Emch of Secret Emchy Society made the trip from California and made the most out of racking up all those airline miles. Over the court of AMERICANAFEST's six days, Emch curated three events (including a 9 hour-long house show) and performed at five. All of these performances helped promote either her fellow Bay Area roots musicians or the Queer Country community. I was able to catch her at her official Showcase on Saturday night at The 5 Spot, my first time seeing her with her full band, and her brand of hard-living, hard-drinking, hard-rocking country music kept the packed audience entertained, even with her playing the dreaded 11 pm final slot of the festival, when many fest goers are either headed home or too tired to rock.

While Amelia White might not have had as far to travel as Emch, living in East Nashville, but that didn't stop her from putting the work in during AMERICANAFEST week. Over the course of the festival, White performed at seven official and non-official events. I was able to catch her at two of these; the official East Coast Social Club showcase at The Bowery Vault and the unofficial Americanamitzvah event at the Love and Exile Bar. In both cases, White showed why she's been dubbed “The Queen of the East Nashville Underground.”

Best Import- Tami Neilson A New Zealander by way of Canada, Tami Neilson is no stranger to Nashville. In addition to having played a number of shows at AMERICANAFEST in the past, Neilson was also, as a child, a member of The Neilsons, a family band that used to be regular performers at Opryland, a, sadly, now defunct Nashville amusement park that Neilson referenced from the stage when I saw her at the Lightnin' Management Medicine Show at 3rd and Lindsley on Thursday, noting that the city had literally paved over Opryland to put up a parking lot (attached to a tacky shopping mall). Neilson's blend of classic country and rockabilly is a crowd pleaser whenever she plays AMERICANAFEST and her booming voice almost needs no amplification to be heard.

Best Genre Blender- Hawktail A supergroup made up of crack musicians Jordan Tice, Brittany Haas, and Paul Kowert, Hawktail defies any type of genrefication you might want to put on them. With a bluegrass core, the trio mixes elements of jazz, Americana, rock, and chamber music into a sound that is like no other. I got to seem them open AMERICANAFEST on Tuesday night, first with a solo set and then backing up Aoife O'Donovan. In both sets, jaws dropped as the band displayed an instrumental virtuosity that refused to acknowledge genres exist.

Best Find- The Kentucky Gentlemen This is normally where Danielle Nicole would go if she hadn't been so good as to take my “best of” slot. But that's ok because I had another AMERICANAFEST discovery that nearly rivaled them; The Kentucky Gentlemen. Mixing classic country riffs with Bobby Brown-esque r&b vocals and moves, The Kentucky Gentlemen dazzled The 5 Spot on Saturday night with a set high on kinetic energy and infectious hooks.

Best Party Atmosphere- Paisley Fields As one of the current standard-bearers for Queer Country, Paisley Fields has a lot of baggage to carry around in one 45 minute set. But you wouldn't know it from his show, which is a fun, often raunchy, and always musically on-point party. Whether he's unleashing the least subtle Queer Country song in history (“Ride Me Cowboy”) or his protest song (“Tear This Statehouse Down”), he never loses sight of the fact that music gets its message across best when its audience is having fun.

Best New Venue- Cannery Hall Damn, is it nice to have The Cannery back. After a couple of years of dormancy, a victim of Nashville's skyrocketing rents, a new ownership group turned the former Cannery Ballroom/Mercy Lounge/Hi-Watt into a new event space that introduces the best technological improvements to a storied Nashville venue. Just being inside the walls of the place where so many of Nashville's favorites got their start was a nice return to glory. While I only got to see the Cannery Mainstage (for McCrary Sisters, Jon Muq, and Amythyst Kiah), I came away impressed enough to start looking for shows at the venue's two other stages to attend, just to soak in the history.

There it is. The favorite things we saw at AMERICANAFEST 2024. If you attended, leave us your favorites in the comments!