#contender for cutest picture ever

[yridenergyridenergy]

"It's problematic when she sleeps on my arm.

Kyo"

[catty-words]

So, I was scrolling in your ao3 profile for the thousand time, as one usually does, and playing with the filters to see if there was any nhie fic I hadn't read before or if I was in the mood to reread any of my favs, when something kinda surprised me: apparently you wrote 34 nhie fics and devi is a character in 29 of them and ben is a character in 30 of them, even though you claim devi is your fave. Just wanted to point that out cuz it made me laugh, especially bc my mind immediately pictured them bantering about it like ofc they would bicker even about who is the most featured character in cori's fics xD

so many points i want to respond to. first - someone suggesting that my bestest blorbos, ben and devi, would care about being the most featured in my fics is possibly the cutest thing ever said to me. top contender, for sure!

second - gahh, i know, i haven't posted anything since last fuckin year, and even then, late last year was pretty quiet on the fic front. i haven't been reblogging prompt games or indulging any of my 'quick' one-shot ideas because inspiration has been very touch-and-go for the last year and i am stockpiling it for 'a lie away from getting you into the mood', the longer installment of the bitty spark 'verse. at the pace i'm moving now, there's a reasonable chance i'll start posting around june. which probably sounds like a long ways away to you, but will be a monumental feat of will on my part - if i pull it off.

thank you for reading my work. thank you for rereading my work.

third - the implication that devi being tagged in fewer of my fics than ben points to her not being my favorite character is reductive. the context matters.

that said, the opportunity to be obnoxious about my fic catalogue is invaluable to me. again, i thank you.

forth - let's get obnoxious!

fics tagged ben but not devi:

- double vision, in a rose blush (three times ben unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a daydream about devi and the one time it makes perfect sense to him)

- birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it (howard gross does two things right: eats pussy and gives useful sex talks)

- (you have become a) constant (without headphones and a proper distraction for the bus ride home, ben compiles a list of weird things he easily might have said to devi while drunk on grigio)

fics tagged devi but not ben:

- are you sure you want to delete this photo? (cute af daxton prompt fill)

- meet me where you are (on top of the world) (another prompt fill, one that asked for kamala & devi, but then mr. k spilled all over my inspiration)

fics not tagged with either of them:

- the two fabiola/eleanor ficlets i've written

what does it mean what does it all mean: devi's still very much a part of both 'double vision' and 'constant', but she's not tagged because the version of her that we're seeing doesn't exist outside of ben's head. i mean, that's truer of 'constant' than 'double vision', she honestly could have been tagged in the latter, and the devi that lives in ben's head is still very much a real aspect of devi. but since she's not devi on her own terms, it felt/feels disingenuous to tag her as a character in either fic.

so, that makes 'birds do it, bees do it' the only ben fic in my catalogue that doesn't have anything to do with devi. both of the devi-not-ben fics have nothing to do with ben.

if we're going to take away anything from this exercise, though, let's appreciate how my first fic ever, my entry into writing for the show - 'constant' - is about examining devi from ben's pov. it felt/feels most comfortable to me because i'm just as in love with her as he is. because she is undeniably my favorite character.

[nagipops]

KONOHA ELEVEN IN A ZOOM CLASS!

FEATURING: naruto, sakura, shikamaru, ino, choji, hinata, kiba, shino, neji, rock lee, and tenten

WARNINGS: mentions of food

NARUTO

definitely has forgotten that he was unmuted multiple times

or his camera was accidentally turned on

you could just see him sprawled on his bed with a bowl of instant ramen on his lap and a blanket wrapped around himself

EARRAPE SLURPS!! rip headphone users.

sometimes he notices that his camera’s turned on and you can see him freak out and scramble to turn it off

but he accidentally unmutes himself too and so you just hear panicked yelling

his device topples to the floor with a loud crash and he screams so loud istg

the next thing you see is naruto’s face hovering over the camera in fear just before his camera turns off and he’s muted again

the teacher is so confused?? naruto should i call an ambulance

but when he’s not eating in class, he’s sleeping in class

too busy sleeping to leave the zoom at the end of class so he’s always the last one left in the meeting besides the teacher

always asks sakura what happened during the zoom and she is FED UP

SAKURA

enters the waiting room 15 minutes before class is actually supposed to begin

spends the next 15 minutes rearranging her work area, making sure she’s prepared for the day

sits properly at her desk with her hair smoothed down and her face positioned perfectly in frame

if no one else has their camera on, she’s the only one with it on

seriously, she ALWAYS HAS IT ON

and she never leaves the screen somehow

diligently takes notes, uses the “raise hand” feature every two minutes to ask a question

sometimes it can get a bit annoying, even for the teacher

but she almost always gets perfect marks

acts like in angel in class, but after class... no promises, naruto!

SHIKAMARU

this man can barely stay awake during missions, so during a zoom? HECK NAH

shikamaru is literally me,, half asleep during lessons but somehow gets amazing grades

everyone’s either pissed at or envious of him (especially naruto)

obviously does not have his camera on

and rarely ever unmutes

uses the chat feature to answer the teacher’s questions but this man is basically asleep so its so incoherent

“shikamaru, what is a hyperbole?”

in chat: “a hyeprbole is a exsaggerayed phras,e”

teacher definitely thinks he’s cheating on tests

INO

either a) daydreaming about boys or b) checking herself out in the zoom camera OR c) secretly fuming at sakura’s know-it-all behavior

the two girls definitely compete to see who can raise their virtual hand first

"ahem, ahem- sensei? could i answer this question?"

her voice gets all sickly sweet and sakura HATES IT

the two of them totally got caught insulting each other in the private chat

100% the type of student to rewrite her notes after classes with various markers and colored pens and pretty fonts and patterns and whatnot

loves doodling flowers in her notebook during boring lessons!

CHOJI

another strong contender for the Loudest Student award!

not on purpose though, he just forgets that space bar = unmute, and plays some jumping game in another tab (like the no internet dino game!)

also,, rip headphone users

c r o n c h munch munch munch

are you kidding this man's chews are loud enough in person, but with a HEADSET?! hoo boy.

has conked out several times during class

just imagine the name Choji Akimichi with a profile picture of a bag of chips light up with the green box around it with a thunk

the teacher and class is so confused

but then you hear mumbles of "barbeque... chips... barbeque..."

and you realize that the man fell asleep onto his keyboard

he sleeps through the rest of class

HINATA

shy bb has never ONCE turned on her camera

the only time she's ever unmuted was to say "here" during attendance on the first day of school

if the teacher ever takes attendance again, she just uses the raise hand feature

what if naruto-kun thinks my voice is ugly? what if i accidentally turn on my camera? what if the teacher thinks i'm not paying attention? what if-

poor baby is too busy worrying about showing herself on zoom to actually pay attention

actually gets good grades though and her classmates wonder if she’s even there

her zoom pfp is definitely just a purple google “H”

KIBA

has the CUTEST zoom pfp hands down

it’s a selfie of him grinning cheerily with baby akamaru

100% has his camera on the whole time to show off his pup

he loves seeing everyone’s faces on screen melt and aww at the lil big doggo

sometimes akamaru just walks in front of the camera and blocks kiba from view and you just see a massive wall of white fur on screen LMAO

even though kiba’s muted, you can see him and akamaru bickering about who knows what

or even play fighting,, these two get into full on BRAWLS during class

just imagine akamaru shoves kiba into his desk and his camera crashes to the ground overturned so you see the ceiling and the occasional dog tail wagging in the corner

seriously, can the teacher ever catch a break with this class?

the answer is no.

SHINO

his zoom pfp is just a tick.

a singular tick

totally answers questions in chat with proper capitalization and punctuation

shikamaru’s improper answers tick him off

“A hyperbole is an expression that is greatly exaggerated. They are used in order to create emphasis.”

has never unmuted in his life either

he’s so unfazed by everything that goes down in class that it’s funny

if anything the slightest bit RELATED to bugs comes up during class, in 0.00238 seconds this man has an entire essay about them posted in chat, almost like he had it copied and READY to paste

everyone's definitely shocked that there’s actually a human listening behind a tick profile picture

NEJI

a very diligent note taker

seriously, this man writes like a printer; perfectly even handwriting that looks like a font, a million words per minute

everyone asks him for his notes after the zoom because they’re so neat (especially naruto, to neji’s dismay)

he gets excellent grades since he’s so organized and focused

just wishes the zoom would be over so he can work alone in peace

really hates unmuting so he often gives one-word answers in the chat

“Yes” “47” “Present” “Goodbye”

has used a zoom reaction ONCE in his life and he has never wanted to crawl into a hole and perish more

it was a complete accident,, mans was just trying to open the chat to type in his answer, but in a cruel twist of fate he clicked on the 😂 reaction

and he just sat there for ten excruciating seconds in complete and utter shock and shame for ten excruciating seconds as he prayed for it to disappear

tenten would never let him live that down

ROCK LEE

Zoom Reaction Enthusiast

😂😮👍🎉❤️ 24/7

naruto accidentally unmutes himself? 😮

choji falls asleep on his keyboard? 😂

neji answers something correctly? 👍

tenten received the highest score in class? 🎉

akamaru appears on screen? ❤️

unmutes whenever he needs to, but he thinks the little emoticons are so silly and cute

otherwise, he is EXTRA FOCUSED and EXTREMELY DETERMINED to learn all of the things

he’s the first to unmute whenever the teacher asks if the class can see the screen share, hear them correctly, etc.

never takes his eyes off the screen!! he could be missing out on important information

I FEEL LIKE,, i feel like he would totally keep his camera off when he’s muted but whenever he unmutes he would also turn his camera on

so when he says a quick “yes!” his camera turns on but before his camera can adjust properly to the light he mutes and turns his camera back off so his face is just super dark for a split second LMAOOO

tell me im wrong

TENTEN

exasperated by this entire class

thinks her and neji are the only sane ones in the class and it’s true

wants to tell sakura and ino to stop competing and just focus on learning, since they’re the only other girls in the class besides hinata

plus she’s just fed up with all the lazy boys

takes great pride in passing every assignment, test, or exam with flying colors

teachers pet, but the quieter type who stays after every zoom and sends lots of emails regarding assignments and grades and whatnot (unlike sakura and ino who rub it in the teacher’s face)

doesn’t like helping other people besides neji, girl’s got a soft spot for him since they have a mutual respect for each other

but if you’re a handsome prince, maybe she’ll help you out!

if you enjoyed this post, likes and reblogs are much appreciated :) feel free to request here, and make sure to read the rules first! have a lovely day everyone <3

[stagandsteer]

Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland won the Golden Globe for Best Picture and Chloe won for Best Director. she is the first Asian woman ever to win a Best Director award, and the film is the first woman-directed Best Picture winner in a Golden Globes history. she is considered a very strong contender for the Oscars.

https://twitter.com/EW/status/1366238383538720769?s=20

⬆️ the cutest gif I can’t save bc it’s in twitter format.

Congratulations and many Richard Madden hugs to her in the future!! 🥂

[rosealine-bishop]

Greaseball Headcanons

Okay so, @marastriker and I were talking last night about some GB headcanons. Not all were happy. But Im of the strong belief that no one starts out being the way they are and that their circumstances change and make them the way they are. So, playing off of that, here are some headcanons I've got about GB. (Some HCs may be familiar because they're also on this post here since they and I also were talking about other things and got to talking about potential kids and how GB & Dinah + Electra & CB would be as parents)

Anywho, I've talked about the background long enough, let's get to the main post.

(Might make this a two parter because it genuinely gets so so long)

(also @sweet-dining-car this is the post I mentioned)

TW: abuse, alcoholism, death, violence

So, for starters, GB wasn't always the way he is now. (Even now he actually deflects and has created this persona of a meathead who can be a total dick, but genuinely he's just a soft and nice guy at heart) Back when he was a kid, he actually was the cutest and sweetest kid out there. He was always so nice to all the other trains, and acting as a protector for all of the other trainlets (even if he was the runt of the litter. He just wanted to be like his favorite super hero: Captain America)

He would always be seen trailing Poppa or getting the most upset and doing his best to cheer up Poppa whenever he was having a bad day or looked even the slightest bit upset.

On that same note, Momma to him was like a second mother and both her and Poppa were the perfect relationship. (yes in my HCs Momma and Poppa exist together and same for the Hip Hoppers and the Rockies)

Unfortunately, at home, it wasn't as good as he could imagine it was in the train yard. At home, his dad was the biggest homophobic and toxic masculine guy you can image. A raging alcoholic with gigantic anger issues. He would constantly beat GBs mom and sometimes GB too.

His dad believed that BECAUSE he was the runt, that constant abuse would make him stronger. GB used to be the biggest cry baby but through years and years of abuse, would learn to hide it and "be a man"

His mother would sneak in some vinyls she managed to get for GB of Elvis or Frank Sinatra or anyone else she could find and she would help him hide everything when his dad would get home from work.

GB has always had a soft spot for dining cars because his mom worked close by them and he would sometimes visit her at work when he was way younger.

GB isnt actually straight. He's bi but represses it and hides behind the toxic masculinity because he made the mistake of telling his dad when his dad had a good week and he was almost beaten within the edge of his life. (and since that day, the abuse towards him was actually way worse)

GB would hide any of the abuse behind clothing and sunglasses and a cool guy persona. He would use it to deflect and pretend that nothing was wrong at home.

Eventually when GBs parents split (which was close to him turning 18), his dad managed to convince the court that his mom was unfit to be a parent. (Him and his mom talked about it before and agreed that in the end if the court asks GB his opinion on where he wants to live, he would choose his dad and then go find her when he turns 18. Because that way it would be best for the two of them)

So, at 18 he left without telling anyone and went to go find his mom. However, he never did and in fact found out about the fate of his mom from a phone call, telling him that she was found beaten to death. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened.

GB actually blames himself for his mother's death, but like a good son, uses whatever money he had earned to give his mom a proper burial.

When he has to go back to get her personal belongings, he takes all the photos and rips his dad out of all of them and hangs them around his small one bedroom apartment. He even managed to find some old recordings of his mom singing and some old home videos. (he cherishes those and will play them when he's sad so that he never forgets his mom. and in a way he always has a part of her with him)

He actually is really good at metal working (thank you mara for this headcanon) so he uses his skills to make his necklace from one of his mom's old earrings so she's always with him and in a way that necklace becomes his lucky necklace in all his early races.

Speaking of races, his first race outfit wasn't the best quality at all. He didn't have much so he created the whole outfit from scratch and he actually used to hide his face no matter what, behind a poorly made train helmet, to hide from the risk of his dad finding him.

The longer he was away from that situation, the more he actually would hide behind the early version of the persona that he has now. He's always idolized Elvis and he holds a spot close to his heart for the singer, that he started slowly changing his appearance to look more like Elvis.

He started working out so he would never be seen as weak ever again.

Eventually, he made a big enough name for himself that he would get interviews on TV every now and then and that's how his dad found out about him still being alive. At first it didn't really click in his dad's head but the moment GB started speaking, his dad knew exactly that that was his son. (Yes he sounded more like Elvis but a father never forgets his son's voice)

So, his dad, as an anonymous donor, asked a young CB to crash GB in the next race. CB, not one down to turn down money did just that. And yes, that whole interaction had put GB out of many races and caused him to pawn off any and all belongings to pay for his hospital bills because any small sponsor he had managed to get dropped him.

(No one wants damaged goods)

and while GB is back to normal, he every now and then when he's super stressed, will feel his bones aching, like a phantom injury and he will start limping slightly because he never fully healed from that.

But now that he knew about CB would go to him and ask him to throw races in his favor, sometimes paying in sexual favors, sometimes in actual money. Because otherwise, he felt like he could never be at 100% and would always lose any race after his accident.

He needed the sponsors and money so he would do anything to get back into the top contenders.

He has major daddy issues that he and Dinah have discussed before. She's probably the only one who knows about GBs true past (aside from Pearl and Poppa and Momma)

Because of his trauma, he actually hates hearing even the word "daddy" so one night when CB accidentally lets it slip during one of their sexual encounters, GB slaps him. Thats the only time GB would actually hit anyone.

On that note, GB actually wont ever truly hurt anyone. For all he knew, Rusty actually did crash and all the damage was from that crash. He had no idea the Diesels roughed him up.

But one night when him and Rusty talk and he finds out about what actually happens, Electra has to get his components (namely Krupp and Killerwatt) to hold him back as GB unleashes hell and yells at the diesels. Like there is pure murder in his eyes.

Yes, sometimes GB hurts other trains during races but after every race they get an anonymous donor paying for all the repairs and a letter along with it with a long apology and flowers. (Dinah helps him spell check it)

GB has only cried twice since he was a child. Once when he found out his mother died (and thats the only time he would turn to alcohol. Otherwise he swears off of it completely) and second when he found out Dinah was pregnant.

GB is 100% terrified of thunderstorms because it reminds himself of his old living situation. Often times you can find him hiding in the closet or under the bed, pillows over his ears and under many layers of blankets.

He would actually be one to collect Squishmallows and other stuffed animals because he never got to as a kid. But whenever he gets any stuffed animal, Dinah names them. However, when his kids are born, he gets matching squishmallows with Norma Jean and Presely and names them after his kids. (Thats probably the only time he gets to name any stuffed animal)

GB actually really really loves Dinah. On the yard he may be this dick towards her but the moment he gets home he apologizes to Dinah profusely and will do anything she wants to make up for it.

He would NEVER do anything to hurt her and when she's pregnant will go above and beyond to be there for her. He even went to Dustin to ask for advice and tried to ask him to keep the fact that Dinah was pregnant under wraps (unfortunately, Dustin, being the sweetie that he is, cannot keep it under wraps and eventually the whole yard knows. Poppa actually gives him some of the best fatherly advice.)

When he finds out that Dinah is pregnant, however, he has multiple night terrors about his childhood. He becomes extremely scared that he'd be like his dad and both Dinah and Poppa reassure him that he's nothing like his dad. That in fact, he has more of his mom in him than he realizes. (Dinah even says he looks more like his mom than his dad, even though GB doesnt see it. She's also not one to admit that she actually knows that its true. She's seen a few ripped up pictures in the trash of his dad back when GB and her first started dating.)

Dinah is actually the one who helps GB compile all of the pictures of GB and his mom into a photo album. This photo album eventually has pictures of Dinah and GB and then Dinah, Norma Jean and GB and then Dinah, Norma Jean, GB and Presely. So its just one big happy book about everything right in his life.

One day, he even finds Norma Jean decorating it and Norma Jean, being the little kid she is is worried that her dad was going to be mad because it looks like he had a bad day at the yard and she just touched something that he cherished, even if she was trying to make it pretty, but GB actually tears up at it because its the cutest thing he's seen and now that book is just that much more special to him. He actually gets the whole family to do hand prints on the back and then sign their name underneath (with an addition of him writing "One Big Happy Family" underneath it all)

_________________________________________________________

Okay okay this has to be it for this post because there are just so many more headcanons and I wanted to end it on a happier note. So if anyone wants to know more I'll create a part two but for now this is what we've got because good god is it long.

[vidimillion]

hc list for a jasico highschool au

i just realized how sport-centric the theme of this is

(established relationship btw)

jason tried out for the football team in his freshman year and passed immediately. he was really fucking good at it and no one was surprised

though nico likes sports he was never really one for football specifically. he goes to all jason's games and practices though, because he's a good boyfriend

jason won the school the semi-finals in his freshman year, which made him super popular super fast

jason surprised everyone when he quit in sophmore year. coach hedge was fuckin devastated at losing his best player, even though he'd only been on the team for a year

nico wasn't surprised at all. he knew how jason hated playing for the team, even though he enjoyed watching and playing on occasion

jason never admitted it, but nico knew the varsity team was just too often for him, asked too much for something he wasn't passionate about

when people asked, jason said, "i only joined because number one, my parents forced me to. number two, so nico could look cute wearing my varsity jacket. and number three, so i could take a really cute picture with him."

the picture was, in fact, super fucking cute. it was taken the day of the semi-finals, right after jason scored the winning touchdown. he's still got the helmet on and two streaks of black face paint on his cheeks. nico was right by his side, wearing jason's varsity jacket that was far too big on him.

the crowd and the streamers behind them showed the celebration, but they were only looking at each other. the picture is so iconic that jason and nico have matching screensavers of it, and it's plastered a few times in the yearbook.

jason barely ever wears his varsity jacket. nico's the one who wears it every day

coming to watch every football game and practice for the past year has left a bit of an imprint on nico. he'd gained an interest a few months into freshman year and started dabbling in football himself outside of school

nico tried out for the team in sophmore year

one of the football players, bryce, a guy who wasn't even judging the tryouts, laughed at him and told him he could throw nico to the other side of the field.

he looked like he had a hundred pounds on nico. he was probably right. he could've thrown nico to the other side of the field, had nico not thrown him first.

then during the tryouts nico elbowed a guy twice his size and sent him falling back on two other players like a domino effect

nico went straight for a linebacker contender who probably weighed 230 pounds and knocked him to the ground

he slid through the arch of a guy's open legs and knocked them down from under them

he dodged like three players coming at him at once like a kid playing tag

the entire seven plus reyna was there, and no one was cheering louder than jason. piper was recording nico's try out and posted it to the school board, and by the next day everyone in school saw it. nico was first on the list of new football members.

in the same week, coach hedge discovers nico can play a mean quarterback and cornerback, and suddenly he has a new favourite cupcake

at first nico didn't even want his own varsity jacket, knowing he'd never wear it when he already has jason's. but coach tells him he's really not allowed to refuse.

so instead of getting a jacket his size and shoving it in the back of his closet forever, he ordered one far too big for him on purpose

he gave jason the jacket on their anniversary, and at first jason thought it was a normal jacket until he saw 'di angelo' embroidered on the back

jason has worn it practically every day since. they have each other's last names written on their backs.

the whole school thinks this is the cutest thing ever, and that year is the first time #percabeth wasn't voted cutest couple in the yearbook

it's also the last time percabeth wasn't voted cutest couple, but still

people underestimating nico's skills became incredibly common in games. the enemy team would smirk when they saw him as quarterback.

it was both nico and jason's favourite thing when the game started and the crowd's faces morph as nico obliterates them.

in that same year, nico carried the football team to nationals. coach hedge cried happy tears.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #436

from a couple days ago again; still don’t feel like rewriting any answers.

Do you own many pairs of shorts? I don't own any. Have you ever taken a close up shot of a flower? A hell of a lot; I love doing that. Have you ever wanted to get drunk and get your mind off everything? Yup. But I don't like hard alcohol and only really drink light fruity stuff, and I'm apparently no lightweight, so I got to the point I just really didn't want to drink anymore. Anything you might be giving up on soon? I have felt very, very hopeless with photography lately that sometimes I'm tempted. I don't think I will, but... it's hard. When was the last time you changed your picture on Facebook? It's been months. Have you ever painted a piece of furniture? Yes, actually. I helped Jason paint his shelf black. Do you have a favorite quote? No. Have you ever made a business card for yourself? No, but I have thought about it. I just really don't have nearly enough popularity among the local photographers to feel like I really need to design one. Did you love playing hide and seek as a kid? YES. I loved it. Are there any recipes you have memorized? No. Do you know your multiplication times tables? ... no lmao Have you ever been severely burned? Not severely, no. Did you ever dream that you had a baby? I actually have more than once. What was the weirdest thing you ever saw cross the road? I think a turkey? Are you good at coming up with jokes? God no. Where do you prefer to sit when you catch the bus? When I used to ride home with Jason from school, we always sat way in the back. Do you ever listen to music to fall asleep to? No. I did when I was younger, though. I went through a loooong phase of sleeping with my iPod. If your parents... or anybody else... found your cell phone, would they be horrified at any of the messages in your inbox/outbox? No. Do you get offended if someone repeatedly checks their mobile phone when you’re out for lunch or dinner? That's very rude. What is the stupidest thing you’ve heard somebody say recently? Anti-vaccination bullshit from my stepmother. :^) Think about the last person you kissed - was it the very first time that you kissed them? No. When you drink alcohol with friends, do you play drinking games? We never did. Do you believe that there are certain circumstances where cheating is okay? Nope. Who was the last person to call you? My psychiatrist. What food disgusts you the most? Things like sashimi and caviar. I also think rare meat like steak, especially when it's still bloody, is absolutely disgusting. I could go on and on about this, 'cuz I think a lot of food is really gross. One place you would never want to get lost in in the dark? The jungle. Yikes. So many dangerous creatures, so claustrophobic, and with the canopy, I'd assume it'd be EXTREMELY dark. And it rains so much in the jungle, so it'd be hard to hear danger approaching. One thing that always creeps you out? Perhaps #1 is seeing an unborn baby move from outside their mother's stomach. I will fucking scream and want to puke. If you could be roommates with anyone of your choice, who would you pick? SARA!!!!!!!!! Omfg I'd LOVE to have her as my roommate. We've actually talked about the possibility, but that's nowhere near set in stone. What is the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard? In light of recent events, a high contender is shit like "vaccines cause autism." Would you rather be buried or cremated when you die? I'd strongly prefer to be cremated. What is your favorite food around the holidays? Spiral honey ham, for one. I love Christmas treats like chocolate-covered peanuts, fudge, cookies, etc. etc... Tell me about the greatest prank you’ve ever pulled? I don't pull pranks. If you could have the power to cast any kind of spell, what kind of spell would you cast? Maybe enchanting the human population to not be such violent and hateful fucks??? Have you ever gotten a flu vaccination? Only for Covid. Double dates: a do or don’t? They are SO fun, but I do feel like it's good to have individual ones, too. Do you know any guitarists? Yes. My old friend Tommy actually plays the electric guitar in a band, and Juan was really good at it, too. How do you feel about full-length beards? They look good on some people. It varies with everyone. Do you have any relatives that have shunned you, or vice versa? Not currently. My half-sister stopped talking to me many years ago when I was a homophobic fuck, and I don't blame her. We're perfectly cool now! Has anyone ever posted a HORRIBLE picture of you for everyone to see? omg no Does/did your high school have pop machines? Yes. Have you ever gambled? Nah. If you could work at any retail store, which one would it be? I am NEVER working retail again. I can't handle it. What’s the name of the last cat you pet? Roman. :') Have you ever stringed green beans before? Yes, actually, with Colleen's in-laws. They had a big garden that I helped tend to sometimes. I absolutely hated it with how sweaty I got even then, it was WAY too hot, and my body was also weak back then to where bending down was extremely painful. I just never wanted to say no. Have you ever had any painful dental work done? If so, what? No. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re bored? It really depends on what I feel like doing, but I think playing World of Warcraft tempts me most often when I'm unbearably bored. What did you watch today? I've just been rewatching Mortem3r play Monster Hunter World. That game looks soooo fun, I wanna try it. ;-; True or False: Yoshi is the cutest dinosaur ever? No. I adore dinosaurs and dinosaur media, so I could name a lot if I thought long enough. Who is the last person you spent money on? My niece. I still feel awful I didn't buy Ryder a gift by myself; I just could NOT decide what to get him. I'm very thankful that Mom let me use one she got him as "mine." They were bright, light-up golf balls, and he loooooved them. What is your relationship like with various members of your family? I have a biiig extended family, man, so I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. I am EXTREMELY close to my mom, like there is no way I'd be alive without her, and her support for me seems endless somehow. I love my dad very much too, but I don't see him nearly as much as I wish I did. He tries to support me however he's capable, and he always lets me know that he's there if I need him for anything. I love, am very proud of, and look up to my two sisters, but I'm also very envious of them and how they are successful adults with direction and big accomplishments. We are very different, so we have difficulty with really bonding and talking about things regularly, and it really makes me feel like a terrible sister. My nieces and nephew are absolute diamonds to me, and I'm especially close to Ash's oldest daughter Aubree. She and I are very similar in a lot of areas, so I really relate to her, even in her young age. Ryder really seems to like me, and I love that little rascal, too. :') My youngest niece Emerson is still only a baby, so she can't really communicate in words yet, but she is still a beautiful darling that I'd protect with my life in not even a blink. That covers who I consider my "immediate" family, really, at least that I see regularly. What’s something you disagree with about the way you were raised? I am very firmly against spanking, but my parents did it. I think since Ash's kids were born though, Mom's opinion changed on it. It was around that time, I know. She won't lay a hand on them. Who was the last person to add you as a friend on Facebook? I have no clue, actually. Who was the last person that asked if you were okay? *shrug* The last time you were in a car, who was driving? My mom. Did you ever get into a bar and drink before you were 21? Never tried. What countries have you been to? I've never left the U.S. Honestly, is that car insured? I don't have my own car. What do you think about gay marriage? I vigorously support it. Do you like Carrie Underwood? I actually do. She has a beautiful voice. How far away do you live from your parents? I live with my mom. Idk how far I am from Dad, really... but not THAT far. How do you like your steak cooked? Medium well. Have you ever been to Mount Rushmore? No, and I don't want to. It is absolute vandalism. Where is your favorite place (that you have actually been to)? Chicago blew me away, but I think it's just because it was SO foreign to me. I actually don't like cities very much, but for a brief visit, I thought it was very cool. Do you believe places can really be haunted? Yes. Do you take anti-depressants? Sleeping pills? No. I took anti-depressants for I think most of my life, and they did nothing for me. Come to learn from the doctor who actually set my meds straight that anti-depressants for people with bipolarity do nothing but aggravate the symptoms of bipolarity, and I was living evidence. I take mood stabilizers for said disorder instead. I don't take sleeping pills; none seem to work for me. What’s your favourite brand of peanut butter? Maybe Skippy? Idk, I'm not very picky with pb. What’s your favourite Lunchables meal? The nachos one. How many languages can you recite the alphabet in? Two. Do you like Bob Marley? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I can't stand his voice. Have you ever eaten at Golden Corral? Yeah, but I'm not a fan. Buffets gross me out. Do you sit and eat dinner at the same table with your family? We very rarely sit at the table. Have you been working hard to achieve something lately? If not, what was the last thing you worked hard to achieve? Losing weight, yes. I am honestly trying so hard at the gym, like to the point I've almost fallen many times as well as been overtaken by incredible nausea a lot. I don't feel like I'm over-working, necessarily, just working my ass off. Do you use ice cubes in your fountain drinks? No, because it waters the drink down and I hate it. Would you ever want your very own library, or do you not read enough for it to be worth it? No. I don't read nearly enough, and besides, can you imagine all the dust? What site did you originally start doing surveys on? I actually don't know... Have you ever used something other than water to make ice cubes? What did you do with them? I've actually never thought to do that. Would you ever willingly experience life temporarily without sight, hearing, or any of your other senses, simply to know what it is like? Fuck no. I would go insane. In what ways are you very judgmental? I'll judge the fuck out of rapists, child molesters, pedophiles, people like that with no goddamn shame. But your average person, I try not to judge very much. What is your main problem in life right now? It's hard to determine my main problem, honestly. There are a lot of issues going on in my life that've just piled up into one big tangled mess. Do your “favourites” change often? Definitely not. I've had the same favorites in so many topics for forever. Have you ever read a biography on someone? I've read Ozzy's autobiography, and I also read the Some Kind of Monster Metallica book, which was written by I want to say St. Anger's musical director? This was a very long time ago, and honestly, I thought it was pretty boring, so my memory is faint. You learned quite a bit about the band in his time with them, but damn, I don't care about the musical director al;skdfal;we. Do you know anyone who has ever been in a movie? Who and what movie were they in? What was their part? Not to my knowledge. I have an acquaintance who's had minor acting roles, but I don't believe she's ever been in a film. When was the last time you brought a pet to the vet? What was wrong with it? I want to say around two years ago (probably less) when we got my cat neutered. Have you ever made your way through a corn maze? No.

[cutegirlmayra]

Prompt Idea - What would happen if Amy is a boy instead of a girl in the series?

I’m trying to find all the times I’ve done this -so I don’t repeat myself!- (x) and I know I made a Sonic Boom prompt about Amy turning into a boy and being comforted by Sonic, but I can’t seem to find it? (If you wonderful Cuties do find it, please let me know and send me the link!)

PROMPTS ARE ON SHUTDOWN! Do not send me any prompts, but do look forward to the grand re-opening!

Also, thanks for minding the rules!

Gonna combine this with Valentine’s day, is that okay, Precious Anon?

Prompt:

After successfully fighting off evil and robotnik’s annoying schemes, Amil and Sonic waved goodbye to Tails and Knuckles, deciding to take the scenic route to Amil’s home.

Amil placed his hands behind his head, looking up at the clouds. “Man… It’s gonna be Valentine’s day soon…” He longingly lingered his eyes on a couple as they entered the city, cuddling on a bench.

“You’re still on about that?” Sonic joked, laughing at his sentimentality.

Amil puckered his lips in a pout, glaring a bit at Sonic, “Is it so wrong to want to be loved and love in return?”

“Pfft! It’s just funny you think about it.” Sonic scratched his nose, smirking. “What kind of girl would you be into, anyway?” he nudged him, winking. “I could see you with a strong-willed girl as a contender!”

Amil looked away a bit, turning slightly shy. “Actually… I wouldn’t mind if I found a girl a lot like you, Sonic.”

Sonic flinched a moment, but gave Amil a weird look, “I’m not following that…”

Amil took some courage and huffed out his nose, placing his hands on his hips. “Look, I’ve got a mean swing and a knack for destruction. But deep down, I’d liked to chase after something a little more lasting… Your way of life,” He turned to him, turning sincere. “The confident way you hold yourself,… Do you happen to have a sister by chance?”

Sonic punched him in the face.

“Offph!”

“Quit that. You’re sounding weird.”

Amil rubbed his face and raced back to Sonic’s side, “Hey! Come on! If I was a girl, you’d be head-over-heels for me!” he pointed accusingly. “I would be the cutest, strongest, most confident person there ever was!”

“You already are.” Sonic rolled his eyes, “I think I get what you mean, though. You want someone who would follow your way of life, a companion and partner who wouldn’t mind who you are and what you do.”

“A best friend! Kinda like you, I guess.” Amil blushed slightly and looked away, “Is it wrong to say that?”

Sonic remained silent but stopped a moment to look towards the sun lighting up City Square. “You really consider me someone who would be a good companion?”

Amil stopped too, staring at Sonic, intrigued. “I mean… You wouldn’t really marry though, right? I can’t see you as that type.” Amil joked, rubbing his head. “Shame, I think you could be someone’s shining knight, so to speak.” He then sighed, relaxing a bit. “Sorry for the weird convo. I just was thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to have someone like your best friend? But reversed? Just a thought, I suppose.” He scratched his own nose.

Suddenly, an explosion went off and the two turned to the building.

“Eggman?”

“Can’t be… Come on, let’s check it out!”

The team didn’t really know how to address or talk to girls,… so when the girl in the building reached for Sonic, Amil accidentally took hold of her too.

The building burnt a bit but the fires were quickly put out and no one was injured, Sonic and Amil fist-pumped as the girl came up to them.

“Thank you both so much! You’re my heroes!”

Amil blushed a little, “Ah, it was nothing.” But before he could continue, Sonic shoved him behind him.

“Yeah, it was my treat!” Sonic smirked behind himself, seeming to challenge Amil for the girl.

Sonic was only playing but Amil fought back, and the girl retreated a little creeped out by their antics.

Going back home, Amil admitted it. “Is it weird that I’d rather be with someone I could call my hero than just being said hero?”

“You’re a hopeless romantic, Amil.” Was all Sonic commented with.

“But you stopped me from getting her number! What’s with that? Bro-code, dude! I grabbed her hand first!” Amil raced up in front of him but Sonic grabbed his head into a noggie.

“Who do you think I am? Letting my best friend get tangled up with a girl? No way!” he let Amil go and dashed off, seeing his house wasn’t too far now.

“I can cook!” Amil cried out, “I’m the perfect picture of a future husband!”

“Snoooorree!!!”

“You’re just jealous of my good looks!”

“You look like the underside of Eggman’s toosh!”

“TAKE IT BACK!”

The two bantered until Amil finally got inside his home, where he fell on his couch and seemed regretful of even talking about romance with Sonic.

“He’ll never get it.” He admitted, and pulled out his hammer, looking it over a moment and stroking its sides. “He never gets lonely… never needs anyone by his side… How would he get it? Even Tails and Knuckles… no one thinks about love.”

He then grinned and blushed, pulling his hammer into his chest. “But that would be kinda interesting… finding a girl like Sonic? Or him finding a girl like me? I bet he would bite his tongue then, hahaha!”

Several days later, Metal Sonic attacked and the gang appeared to fight.

Amil was strong, but was quickly thrown off balance, his arms waving around before Metal Sonic kicked him off the cliffside.

“AHHH!!!” Amil cried out, but Sonic dashed down after him.

Grabbing him, the two started falling.

“Dude, what are you doing!?” Amil cried out, trying to push him towards the cliff wall to safety.

Sonic just gritted his teeth, pulling Amil to his side and taking the blunt of the hit as they crashed into the water below.

Sonic was knocked out, but Amil was able to blink his eyes open and gasp at seeing Sonic sink and get moved downstream.

‘No! Why would he do that!? He can’t swim!’ Amil quickly summoned the rest of his strength to swim with the tide, getting to Sonic quickly and fought it the rest of the way to get to the shoreline.

Gasping for air, he dragged Sonic up to the rocky base of the cliff and pumped on his chest. “Come on, dude, come on! Sonic!”

Sonic spat out water and slowly got up, hacking before lightly whacking a worried Amil away. “I’m fine, I’m fine…”

“That was crazy!” Amil, pumped with adrenaline, bundled his fist. “You could have killed yourself trying to save me…”

“I… couldn’t let a friend down… now, could I?” Sonic smiled, that usual comforting grin to let his friend know it was all going to be okay.

Amil narrowed his glare, “That’s not good enough. If you had died because of me… I-… Sonic, you can’t just jump off cliffs for people!” he closed his eyes, pushing away his admiration for Sonic.

“You can if you care about them.” Sonic got up, a little wobbly as Amil’s eyes shook at his words.

He hadn’t heard something so kind all his life.

He gazed up at Sonic, almost fixed on in the moment he had created.

“What… did you say?”

Sonic just shook the water off of him, and as droplets coursed down still, he gave Amil a thumbs up, outlined by the sun on the tip of the cliff above him. “Let’s get back up there, into the thick of it.”

He offered him his hand.

Amil felt helpless again. It was something he had always struggled with.

No matter how powerful he was, his heart was always weak to things like this.

He shook his head, “No. I’ll only weigh you down.”

“But you won’t slow me down, and that’s all I care about.” Sonic took his unwilling hand and pulled his friend up, surprising Amil. “You’re not as delicate as you make yourself out to be. The thoughts and feelings you have? That’s you, Amil. So stop wasting time thinking you need someone when you can be that for yourself. I’ll be here until that day comes.”

‘Then I never want it to come.’ Amil silently resounded that thought throughout his being. “I… I want to always be with you… Sonic.” he looked down, “I don’t… want to be someone who doesn’t need you anymore.”

Sonic paused a moment, watching him closely.

“If I can just…” Amil began, his hand that Sonic was holding by the wrist twitched a moment… as though wanting to reach but bundled itself into a fist first. “If I can be strong enough to stand by your side… then nothing could phase me ever again!”

“…Amil…” Sonic watched his friend’s inner torment but said nothing.

He just waited and listened, like a true friend.

“Let me… be your hero then, Amil.”

Amil now had slight tears forming on the sides of his eyes, looking hopelessly to Sonic.

Sonic smiled kindly, more tender than Amil had ever seen from him.

“If you need me to be, I’ll be it.” He then winked and brought Amil up to piggie-back ride as he raced up the cliffside to return to the fight.

“…Sonic…” Amil closed his eyes and held on.

‘If I can’t be a hero in this life… then at least let me be selfish and aspire to be your ultimate friend.’

Amil has never left Sonic’s side sense, always believing in him, and never thought about love much sense.

(…Did I… just write a buddy fic?)

PART 2: (x)

[ellinights]

lemme switch it up

NCT 127 as your babysitters

oh yeah today we’re doing nct 127. who’s excited? mE! ok stop lee stop

yes, today i’ll be writing about the boys of nct 127 and watch me roast these boys while doing this aha.

Taeil

oh mr moon

i would say he’s gonna be the uncle babysitter but he tries his best fr

he tries to take care of the kids but...

it didn’t go so well

he always panics midway when the kids are doing something “stupid” (stupid, according to taeil)

cause he’s o l d and doesn’t have the energy to go and stop then sjjsjs

so he tries to stop them like this, “g-guys no no no don’t climb up there”

he’s panicky and all so his voice would be almost inaudible so, the kids couldn’t hear

proceeds to ruin the whole house and he doesn’t know what to do.

i just feel he ain’t a babysitter who can be stern to kids sjjsjsjsj

oh also i feel he’ll make himself look stupid with his dance moves to make himself look “cool” in front of the kids

would give them his life advices and then it’s too deep probably the kids wouldn’t understand a single thing

oh, also probably might think the plants are veggies and proceeds to feed them to the kids.

and the parents comes back and see the mess their child has done

and taeil just looking at the parents, trying to put off a contended smile

the parents just sighed and pat taeil’s shoulder at least he tried his best

Taeyong

the only capable babysitter out of nct sorry to spill it out peeps

he’s just naturally good with kids that’s all

since he has this caring nature around him, he’ll do well in taking care the kids

would cook the best kids culinary dish for the little kiddos

even feeds them for god’s sake.

oh, and also, plays with them after eating, or join the kids as they do colouring, reads for them storybooks. cute :”)

the kids might mistaken him as jack frost cause they look similar oof

also he’s a great great great listener. would listen and look at the kid in the eye as he listens to them

also good at taming bratty kids

there’s something magical about how the way he speaks, that makes the kids obedient towards him

during nap time, tucks them to bed nicely :”) and on those fairy light [this is so cute i can’t]

oh he’ll do the extra mile and clean the whole house while the kids are asleep, cause we all know taeyong is a clean freak

the parents of the kids, coming back home with a clean house,

would 100% call him again for the service and his face cause have yall seen taeyong’s visuals??

Johnny

oh johnny seo

he’ll act more of like the brother instead of a babysitter

90% he’ll play with the kids, and 10% he’ll do something else with the kids

probably suggests the idea of playing tag around the house or hide and seek

and then crashes the whole house cause we all know johnny is a wild child

also would encourage the kids to do pranks on the neighbour like— johnny you are a bad influence D:<

johnny and the kids maybe had too much fun that he forgot to give them lunch HAHA

plays toys with them, do these weird sound effects with the toys jsjsjjs

teases the poor kiddos a lot, i’m 99.9% sure he’ll make them cry

and when they cry, he’s gonna turn into this soft big bear awwwww

tries to make them happy again and apologise, doing funny faces or jokes to make the kiddos smile :”)))))

nap time is the kids’ favourite time. cause how doesn’t wanna sleep on a human bear like johnny?

parents will come back to either an absolute mess or a soothing environment at home

or the neighbours complaining to them about johnny and the kids doing pranks on them

Yuta

mr nakamoto huh

it’s hard for me to picture him

the first thing that comes into my mind is he’ll teach the kids his own native language

or tell them interesting facts about japan

i think he’ll also be a very stern babysitter

if the kids are misbehaving, he’ll give this one stare

the kids will get scared and probably not do it again

he’s also like johnny, plays tag with the kids too

but he’ll more subtle and gentle pfffff

nap times will be his favourite cause as scary as it sounds, he loves to watch kids fall asleep

in my opinion, i think he’ll feel it’s the cutest thing to see them snoozed out after play time

his eyes are so beautiful like i can’t even— he’ll stare fondly at the children with those eyes

AWWWWW CUTE

parents would always come back seeing yuta caressing the kids to sleep :”)

the parents would silently cry at the cuteness right in front of them

Doyoung

this bunny

would throw a tantrum to the kids 24/7

especially when the kids disobey his words ( like always pfff )

yeah. that’s basically it.

jkjk

the atmosphere in the house is like a war zone

a war between the kids and doyoung

he would be chasing them to eat or asking them to take a nap cause the kids don’t wanna listen apparently (brats lol)

the neighbours might feel a little concerned why that little peaceful house is as if on fire

once he finally caught the kids in his arms (finally god i’ve been waiting doyoung) he’ll give them a good lecture, for the 378273737th time

the kids eventually would feel tired and then dozed off, that’s where he felt victory was in his hands

parents would come home seeing doyoung pass out on the floor cause he tired ™

once doyoung is awake, he’ll complain non stop about how the kids are so naughty to the parents which always make the couple laugh

jaehyun

oh my mr jung jaehyun damn

he’ll be the best babysitter, after taeyong for me

such a sweetheart, a heartthrob

i bet the kids would have a crush on him for being so handsome oof

like taeyong, he’ll cook a 5 star kids cuisine for them

but instead of playing toys with them, he’ll do something much more relaxing with the kids

like taeyong maybe some colouring, or watch kids shows with them, tell them stories and reenact it to them

o h. or maybe have a mini ball in the living room where the kids pretend that they’re royals

and jaehyun would dance with them with slow classical music like a prince

o h m y g o d my h e a r t.... this ain’t good for me :”)

oh nap time, he’ll be patting them to sleep. tucking them into their beds, sing a song while watching them sleep

when the parents come home, trust me the parents couldn’t help to notice how handsome jaehyun is oof— totally forgot about their own kids and focus on jaehyun

maybe they’ll ask him to stay and talk with him just to admire his face HAHHAHAH

Winwin

yes he’s still in nct in general don’t forget about him

for some people, they’ll think he’s someone who’s clueless

but i feel he’ll be a babysitter who tries to fulfill any needs of the kids

they ask him to make ice cream, he’ll do it, if the kids wants him to act while he tells stories, HE WOULD FUCKING DO IT no matter how stupid it is

i see him as the babysitter who doesn’t really cook from scratch

he mostly just use ready-to-eat foods to feed the kids, like those dino nuggets. oh yeah

sometimes i feel he’s more like a baby than the actual kids

maybe the kids have to take care of him instead jsjsjjs

oh i also picture him piggyback the kids very often!

nap time, i cant picture how he’ll do it. he’s definitely not someone who watches the kids to sleep

i think once he tucked the kids in he’ll go out from the room just to give them privacy

i think he also wants his own time after a hard day of taking care of the kids so he’ll rest in the hall

parents would could back home seeing winwin on his phone in the living room

and the parents will start doubting if he actually took care of their children

but soon they were assured when they see their kids tucked nicely in bed

Jungwoo

snoopy boi or aka seungwoo’s son imo kssksj

such a softie™

he’ll be the baby and the kids are the babysitters

lolol jkjk

i see him as a mischievous babysitter that’s all i wanna say

i think he’ll focus more on playing with the kids

he would do the extend and buy them costumes and dress them up to do a fashion show jsjsjsjs

or they’ll play pretend and they’ll be in their own story making up the storylines as they go

watch jungwoo be sassy and all while he’s into his character

or do their makeup and nails icb—

also, he would purposely act cute to the kids so they’ll listen to him i—

such a sneaky little snoopy

or would play board games and cheat so he could win

this cute devil

oh and nap time, he won’t do it like how the members do, he’ll tuck them to bed, and then proceeds to tell a ghost story

so they kids would be afraid to sleep sjjsjsjsj

or scare them while they’re about to sleep

the parents would come home seeing their kids running while crying to them because they’re too scared of the story jungwoo told pfff—

and jungwoo at the corner, shrugging while snickering

Mark

aha this awkward lil bean

he’ll be awkward 24/7

not knowing what to do or how to take care of the kids

how did he even get the job tho

he’ll just probably freeze all the time, watching the kids do stuffs as he don’t know if he should join or what

but sooner or later he starts to mix in

of course sits awkward at first, but he slowly brings up small talks and then from there he starts talking the the kids

i don’t see him as someone who’ll give the kids physical affection, maybe just a pat on the head or on the back that’s it

i think he spends more time just talking to the kids, not much physical interaction

but i would feel he’s a great listener when the kids start talking about absolute anything

i feel mark is a genuine listener, he’s always on all ears when it comes to people telling him their days

we all know he can’t cook sjjsjsjsj so maybe he’ll prepare ready-to-eat food as well like winwin

nap time, he isn’t intimate as the other members but i somehow imagined he’ll fist bump the kids and say “have a good sleep kiddos” before walking out of room

parents would come home seeing an awkward mark again, standing in a corner as he’s too scared to sit on guest’s couches sjjsjs

Haechan

this little devil

he’s gonna tease the kids 24/7

pick fights with the kids as well

absolutely the brattiest babysitter ever

would force the kids to do stuffs for him sjjsjs

like take water for him, etc

but he’s sensible enough to know he should treat kids that way

or is he?

anyways, he’s a kid himself so he’ll play along with the kids with their toys

and maybe steal some of them cause he likes the toys

would accidentally break the toys too cause he’s too excited to play with it lol

and then the kids cry, and he’ll cry too cause his new favourite toy got broken

what a cute baby heh

he knows how to cook but isn’t as good as taeyong or jaehyun so he’ll cook something simple for the kids to eat

nap time, he and the kids will play tickle fights until they’re exhausted and then finally decided to sleep lol

when the kids are asleep i can imagine him saying goodbye and the stick out his tongue playfully before leaving the room

or sometimes there isn’t a nap time cause haechan will tickle them to death and the kids get hyper again

the parents would come home seeing haechan playing the kids’ toys or haechan and the kids having their tickle fights

OR them playing toys

end of story sjjsjsjs

okay.

that’s longer than i planned it to be oops

the C in NCT stands for crackheads btw.

wbk.

anyways i hope you guys enjoyed this nct 127 one. i’ve been wanting to make these cause i thought it would really funny. requests are open guys so if you guys wanna request go ahead but don’t forget to read my pinned post to see the lists of groups i write for

[tassium]

#TAYLOR SWIFT APPRECIATION LIFE

PART 4 - Red

(part 1, part 2, part 3)

Aaaaand we are back! Time for another dive into the discography of Miss @taylorswift​ - this time, with her fourth studio album Red.

This is definitely one of my favorite Taylor albums - I think a lot of swifties will agree with me on that. There’s something so achingly beautiful about so many of the tracks, and I really can’t wait to dive in and listen again - it’s been a while since I listened to this whole album with intent.

Without further ado, let’s get into it, shall we?

1. State of Grace

If ever there has been a perfect way to open an album, I think we’ve found it, ladies and gents. Those drums! That electric guitar! What an introduction! 

And then there’s Taylor’s voice. Good lord, how I love her vocal performance on this track. Everything from how softly she delivers the beginning of the chorus to those belted notes - having listened to all of the first three albums in such short order, it blows me away to think of how much she improved from the beginning.

There’s also a lot of metaphorical writing choices that I really like. There’s something about that line “twin fire signs, four blue eyes” that just gets me every time.

And then. There’s the acoustic version on the deluxe album, and it’s so different but still so beautiful. Her voice starts off so soft, the song as a whole feels like a lullaby with this treatment. There’s something about the gentleness of this version that just hits me square in the chest.

2. Red

I. Love. Taylor’s. Metaphors. I love them! The descriptions in this song are so evocative, like - especially that one about knowing all the words to your old favorite song. That’s probably my favorite of this song’s selection.

The bridge is so cleverly put together, with the instrumentation perfect to back up the words she’s singing, and then... the final chorus, and her soaring vocals, and just... I love this song so much.

3. Treacherous

This is easily one of my favorite tracks on this album. So much of the lyrical content on this album as a whole is brilliantly evocative and paints such a picture, and I think this song is a highlight example of that. It’s like seeing a music video playing out in my head when I listen to this song. And of course it doesn’t hurt that this song is permanently tied to a trip to see a friend whom I was hopelessly in love with at the time (nothing came of it and I got over it, it was just a whole thing in my head). I’m pretty sure it’s played that role for A LOT of people over the years.

4. I Knew You Were Trouble

I love the almost light, almost too treble-y quality to the verses and prechoruses of this track, and then the chorus kicks in the door and the bass drops and takes you right down with it - to the cold hard floor (too much? yeah, I know)

The bridge bit (all of us remember That Performance where everyone freaked out about the pronoun, right?) is a highlight, thought honestly I have to say I think that’s the case because of the way it takes us into that One Note - at least for me, anyway.

5. All Too Well

Ooof, this track. Right in the feels. Given the right circumstances, this song can easily bring me to tears, and has done many, many times. Everything about it, from the lyrical content itself and her delivery of the words to the absolutely brilliant choices in the instrumentation - I haven’t quite figured out how they made such a driving beat in the second verse feel so soft even as the song builds up - it doesn’t really hit you until you get to the bridge--

And what a bridge it is, l o r d. That hurts, man, every time. The second half especially - what a picture and feeling it brings up to imagine feeling like “A crumpled up piece of paper” and what a comparison drawn in “to break me like a promise.”

6. 22

22 is a BOP and I’ll fight for that. She captured so much of what it feels like to be in your early 20s in this song - miserable and magical indeed. This song is so danceable and fun, which of course I can’t ever resist. I wouldn’t say it’s a work of genius or anything, but most of what Taylor does has at least a touch of genius in it - if only in the way that she can build such a good catchy song that gets stuck in everybody’s head.

“who’s taylor swift anyway? ew.” (I love that bit)

7. I Almost Do

When this song first came out, I only knew the feelings in it in an abstract sense, but since listening to this song the last time and this time for this review, Things have Happened and suddenly it’s hitting me a whole lot harder than it ever did before. Ouch.

I absolutely love the wind up into the “I almost do” in the bridge, and the amount of emotion she pours into that section - really, into the song in general. Also, what a closing line. It’s that same trick she’s been doing forever, but it just works so well here.

8. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Speaking of absolute BOPS, this track, oh my god. There are so many delightfully vindictive lyrics - “some indie record that’s much cooler than mine” and that LAUGH in the background is a highlight for me every time. This song is so easy to sing and dance along to.

I especially love the way in the build up to the spoken bridge bit, the instrumental sounds like it’s in another room or something, and it gradually becomes clearer as the song keeps building, and then she hits that note - which, can we just talk about the 1989 era performance of this song at the I heart Music awards? because. Heck man.

9. Stay Stay Stay

So I’m not super involved with the swiftie community because honestly, yall are too much for me and I’m a little afraid of it, but... apparently people don’t like this track? And I don’t get it. Because this is so cute and bouncy and I love it to pieces. The wandering bassline and the ukulele usage along with the beat that sounds like someone clapping, and that cute little guitar riff in the instrumental bits? It’s so much fun! And then her little giggle at the end is like. the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.

I’ll admit I’m not as much of a fan of the “no one else is gonna love me when I get mad” line but that’s beside the point.

10. The Last Time

Oh l o r d this track. Way, way up there on my list of favorites, for sure. I can’t pick an absolute favorite on the album but this would definitely be a contender if I tried. I think this track is absolutely stunning - and I love Gary Lightbody’s voice in the first place, so that certainly doesn’t hurt.

Their voices blend so beautifully, and that deep bass drum beat in the background drives the song so well, and I just... really love this song, okay. Probably my favorite thing about it is at the end when they drop out all the instruments entirely and it’s just their voices being allowed to shine. They’re subverting the typical so much by having him sing the high melody, and I love it s o  m u c h.

11. Holy Ground

Another example of great use of instrumentation, the way the drums are so driving, but then they drop out during the first time she’s singing about the holy ground feeling. It really paints a sacred, untouchable feeling onto the remembering of the relationship when it really worked.

I can’t resist doing a little air guitar over the bridge(??) with those ringing chords, which is so much fun, and I’m so glad it’s there. The ending of the song is also beautiful, with those last few words of just her voice. That’s really evocative as well, of the feeling of that “holy ground” relationship being gone.

12. Sad Beautiful Tragic

This song lays this aching feeling all over me from start to feeling. It’s a beautiful piece of music, and the breathy quality to her voice through the verses and early choruses is just stunning. The vocalization in the background is absolutely haunting. Even in the stronger pieces of the song, she manages to hold onto so much of that softness, which is just... something I don’t entirely understand, if I’m honest. There’s something so nostalgic about this track, which I think makes it fitting as the one that leads into the next one...

13. The Lucky One

This song is a bop, okay? The drum work at the beginning of this track pulls me in right from the start. It feels very... vintage, if that makes sense? Like it really works as a throwback to the time period she seems to be trying to invoke. (I’ll even forgive her for mispronouncing foyer)

In the last verse, there’s the addition of guitar that feels like it almost modernizes the song a little bit, which makes sense, since now she’s singing about her arrival on the music scene. It’s just a really excellent use of instruments to build an environment into the song.

14. Everything Has Changed

Definitely another favorite of mine off this album! I’ve been trying to find someone to learn Ed’s part and sing this song with me practically since the album came out.

Their voices blend so well, and I love the choices of harmonies throughout the track. The acoustic guitar lends itself perfectly to a song of this style. One of my favorite parts is definitely the ending lines - “so dust off your highest hopes” - and the way she delivers those lines.

But we definitely need to talk about the music video, because... has there ever been something more adorable than that video? I want the rest of the movie please. 

15. Starlight

Listen. She’s a cute little number, and I love the story behind it, and I almost never skip this track if it comes on my shuffle, but I don’t have all that much to say about it. I do like it, though, it’s a jam.

16. Begin Again

I love the soft guitar opening in this song, and the harmonies that come in that are so close to the melody you almost can’t hear them except for how they fill up the audio so nicely.... beautiful. Honestly, though, this song has such a bittersweet feeling to it. Like, to think of the past relationship she’s thinking about, and what it must have been like... ouch. right in the feels. Then, of course, on the other hand, we have the soft happiness of the Wednesday in a café. <3

Bonus track time!

17. The Moment I Knew

This song is a showstopper of a track - the production on this one is gorgeous but honestly, I don’t have a lot of feelings about it in general. But it’s a beautiful piece of music.

18. Come Back...Be Here

I always forget how much I like this song!!! This is another one with absolutely beautiful production, and Taylor’s performance is stunning. Some of the lyrics in this song are just. Right In The Heart for me. It really captures the hurt of long distance relationships, and it hits me really hard every time.

19. Girl At Home

This is probably my favorite bonus track on Red. This song is a BANGER and I will fight on that. Like. Listen. YES, let’s shame the dudes who cheat on their girls! You know what this song is? Growth. This is taking that trope from the first three albums of going after a guy who already has a girlfriend and flipping it on its head and I love it.

She hits some beautiful notes in this song, though I’ll admit she has better power notes. Also, can we talk about ��call a cab, lose my number” because... that is ICONIC.

And with that, another album has gone by. We’ve made it to what I think is really the turning point in Taylor’s style of music, though she really transitioned very smoothly from country into pop overall.

Next up: 1989

[wellamarke]

character meme, mia from humans :)

+ @turned-her-brain said: Character: Mia

Thank you both! Sorry I’m just getting to this, but yay, more Mia content to talk about!

• Do I like them? I adore her. She is a beautiful soul and she deserves the world! • 5 good qualities: She’s incredibly resourceful. She’s unfailingly kind. She’s self sacrificing, willing to suffer torment for the sake of her people. She’s forgiving - even when we don’t want her to be. And she’s so brave. (Bonus: she throws an amazing punch)• 3 bad qualities: Umm? Wow, okay... let’s see what I can come up with. I feel that for all she is fighting for her rights, she underestimates what they are - what she, as a person, deserves. Joe and Ed got off very lightly. Does this count as a bad quality when it’s really just “she is too humble and forgiving and lovely”? Well, I’m counting it, or I’ll be here all day. Okay, well the only other thing I can think of where I was like “Nooo, Mia!” is in that scene with Odi - which considering what she’d recently been through, I don’t blame her - but she perhaps didn’t take into account his position as a newly-conscious, newly-traumatised synth. But neither did, like, ANYONE. So. That’s two. Pretend it’s two. For a third, does “she is TOO pretty” count? Mmm, maybe I want her to talk to her brothers a little more, too... And notice the absence of Flash! Maybe her problem is that her natural inclination isn’t to put herself first, worry about herself, choose for herself. So when she does, she has to make it a concerted effort, which means lowering her awareness of others’ needs. Which is kind of unavoidable. I’m not trying to make this sound like she’s a flawless Mary-Sue type. Mia has a distinct personality, and my problem is that her complexities are all so well-founded in what’s happened to her that I can’t list them as faults, because they make so much sense. • Favourite episode: Ohhh, 3.4 is a top contender for that Ed punch, but I’ll be true to myself and say 1.6, for her reawakening! 2.8 and 3.2 also put in strong bids for her sacrifice and her talks with her siblings.• OTP: Obviously Miaura! Their bond is so beautiful.• BrOTP: Full disclosure, I really enjoyed her scenes with Hester in 2.7! And I’ll always be wanting to see her with Fred because his little memory of them swimming was too precious for this world. But I think I have to with Mia & Niska. Their roadtrip was everything. • OT3: More of a BrOT3 again but I love Mia, Max and Leo as a little trio. Aah, 1.6 comes to mind again. And their early stuff in series 2... aw.• NOTP: MIA AND ED, special mention to Mia and Joe, although thankfully that was never going to resurface. If Vincebrack are to be believed, Ed won’t be back, so that’s good too. • Best quote: Oh, she has so many amazing lines! I don’t want to go for the beach speech (hey, rhymes!) but I do think that was really poetic and lovely. It might have to be the bit to Leo in s2, about “we’ve barely lived ourselves” - Gemma’s delivery is just stunning in that scene. I will probably come back and edit this later, because while I was writing one of the other replies I thought of what quote this should be, and now I’ve forgotten.... blasted organic memory. • Head canon: We’ve only seen her drawing landscapes, but Mia is great at portraits too. For some reason, I really want her to gift Niska a picture of Astrid? To thank her for their talk and recognise Astrid’s unspoken part in it. Oh, I so need Mia and Astrid to interact. Cutest sisters-in-law ever.

Send me a character! If you want! Or reblog the thing!

[scoundrels-in-love]

Hey love !! was going to start with 12, but you just answered it... So 22, 24, (what fuck is it the 32?... o.O'), 56, 74 (I saw that you have some in the other ask that you answered ;D) , 75, 78 (since it's your favorite food), 82, 95, 116 (and what), 119, 133 (I know how much you care about them), 135 and 148 (do you even have one? It's okay if you don't)... sorry I'm a curious person :X

22. Where would you like to travel? 

Honestly, nowhere and everywhere. Like, I am anxious and just, I am not sure how I could handle flying, etc. But there are things I want to see. I want to see Venice, when it is crowded and blinding in summer sun and when the rush is over and I can wander through quieter corners and speak to the ancient walls. I want to see Canada, from its vast wilderness to its towns. I want to get to know New Zealand, how its magnificent nature shifts in hues through the seasons. I wish to fly over Lake Michigan... I want to see more of my own homeland, too. And to visit my friends. There is so much that sometimes it aches, so I tell myself that I don’t want it all anyway.

24. Favorite part of your daily routine?

I do not have a daily routine, which is probably part of all problems I have. But I like the time I can sit down and be with my mom or my friends. To laugh, to discuss world and life for all the bad and good of it, to make stupid jokes, just be myself. That’s best part of my day.

(Seriously what is the 32 LOL wow)

56. Favourite colour?

Black and purple on same spot, followed by silver and green, then blue. Never the neon shades, though.

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?

A.... Lot. Too many than its sensible. 99% of them are second hand, so they were literally cents, especially in my early childhood. So, yeah, I actually have a huge collection of teddy bears. There’s bunch of owls too (mom’s and my favorite birds) and recently, I acquired cutest black panther plush I call Blueberry (since our word for the berry is more like Blackberry).

75. Favourite animal?

This is hard to narrow down, because I love all animals. But overall, cats always win. Big cats included. And from those, my very top fave is caracal.

It’s medium sized, lives in Africa, Middle East, Central Asia and India. They are incredibly expressive and amazing jumpers (can catch a bird midflight essentially, cause they can leap over 3 meters in air) and honestly, they’re just drop dead gorgeous in every aspect. Plus, they are very intelligent and can be tamed to be used like a hunting partner and are actually very gentle with nomadic tribe children, etc. Due to their adorable ear tufts, they’re often thought to be lynxes, but they’re completely different species and have eight subspecies of their own.

TL;DR - I love them a lot since first time I saw a picture of them.

78. Favourite ice cream flavour?

I genuinely can’t pick. Any I will eat will be my favorite at that time, LOL. Though recently, local company released apple+plum ice cream on a stick with sweet coating and oh lord it’s absolutely divine.

82. Favourite movie?

This is a hard one, I can’t say I have one by default, but something that has stayed me since childhood and that later made special memories with my mom is Fly Away Home. And Rogue One is a strong contender, in a different way.

95. Last movie you watched?

Steel Rain, a kmovie that left be feeling both frustrated and just empty and sad.

116. Are you listening to music right now?

Absolutely. Brandi Carlile - Hard Way Home. A friend linked to me this as unlikely listening that they ended up digging, and honestly same.

119. Favourite book?

Answered here at very bottom!

133. Favourite lyrics right now? 

Booyyyy that’s such a hard pick. Such a hard pick.

But one of the top ones right now are Ten’s New Heroes

“Turn my mess into messagesLearn from the lessonsAnd keep on keep on keep on”

This is something I try to myself, something I try to keep to. Because it’s so hard to do, but so necessary.

The entirety of Halestorm’s I am the Fire for same reason.

And oh boy, I could share so much of Emilie Autumn’s and Nightwish’s lyrics.as well. I will refrain myself, though.

From Nightwish - Nemo“Oh how I wishFor soothing rainAll I wish is to dream againMy loving heartLost in the darkFor hope I'd give my everything“

Honestly, this really depends on my mood and time in my life, but nearly all of my favorite songs in a way have a favorite lyrics of mine.135. Dumbest lie you ever told?I genuinely hate lying and try not to lie, and if I do, it’s kind of white lies/trying to salvage situation or not to be as blunt as I can be. And I forget them really fast as it’s not something I have to keep in mind for continuity purposes. So, probably something along those lines! 148. What’s your favourite quote?Duuuuuuuude. I always end up reading things that I think, wow this is going to be a favorite quote of mine and then I forget it in a blink. I hate it, with passion. Something that’s more of a saying than quote that has stuck with me is “Better later than never” and I think that only shows how much of procrastinator I am. And boy, kdramas are riddled with amazing quotes. Like JBL with “Just because someone cries the loudest does not mean they suffer the most.” -  this is very from my memory and incorrect, but you get the gist. I think it encompasses just how much we like to sweep silent suffering under rug, because dealing with it - as the person suffering and as bystander - but it in no way is lesser, less painful or hard than someone’s who wails their heart out. It reminds to keep us empathy for everyone and just... Yeah.

Thank you again so much for asking!!

[attract-mode-collective]

Ready To Wear, Ready To Play

As previously noted, there’s been yet another change in direction for the Attract Mode blog… which I have dubbed Version 2.8 Final CE EX Λ Core Plus Alpha. BTW/FYI. But yeah, been posting on Twitter, a lot. So much so that you may have missed something, so here’s a recap!

Note: was originally going to cover everything tweeted throughout the month, but because there’s so much to cover (and February’s short)… am guessing bi-weekly might be the way to go. Am also going to present things mostly in order.

K, enough chatter: at the very top is another fine example of a Famicom being the ultimate in fashion accessory (via nintendu). And here we have, not designer threads but designer plastic (via gamefreaksnz)...

Speaking of plastic, Sega (or someone who got Sega’s blessing, or maybe not even) made Super Monkey Ball figures? Guess so (via magimacaque)...

I was under the belief that, if I truly wanted to make an impact with the relaunch of the Attract Mode Twitter, I couldn’t just post one single piece of Klonoa fan art, but two... 

And I only have one example of Cuphead fan art, but it’s the one that counts (via jothelion)...

It was Kyle who helped kick the Attract Mode Twitter’s rebirth into high gear, with the reveal of his Nintendo Power covers. So to help replay the favor, I must insistent that everyone purchase the hard copy of RPG_Friends (which I first mentioned here)...

Nothing makes me happier than seeing such a dense assortment of Japanese game stuffs (via peazy86)...

... Yet that being said, I also believe less can be more, plus a nice breeze while playing Secret of Mana is... well... nice (via sixteen-bit.tumblr)

These gamer chairs perfectly embody Japanese sensibilities when it comes to furniture, plus are a total 180 to the junk they peddle in the US (via shmups)...

Time for another excellent toco toco vid, this one features your fave old school Capcom illustrator, and mine, Akiman…

There's so much I love about this interview with the creator of Hong Kong 1997, whose goal was "to make the worst game possible”. Though this picture of the guy is near the top of my list... 

I love these kooky kids, thinking they could possibly get away with  stealing an entire Final Fight arcade cab (via videogamead)...

Yeah, I feel the same way kid (via tvgame)...

"This is Jesus. He lives inside my Neo Geo MVS cabinet. He was there when I got it. He is glorious." (via arcadephile)...

The pathos that is Sub Zero at the bat, in four modded screenshots(via lanceboyles)...

The pathos that is the Kachō interacting with kids, in just three YouTube screengrabs (via gaijira)...

And the pathos that is Splatoon 2, via two screengrabs and the piece of fan art that resulted (via lunaticobscurity)...

Though in addition to pathos, Splatoon is also filled to the brim with intensity (via thewaragainstgiygas)...

Welcome to VIOLENT CITY (via shmups)...

Also, STAY CHILL (via paperbeatsscissors)...

Not that any band in which music is performed via guitars hooked up to Famicoms is all that typical to being with, but this one is most definitely not typical (via miki800.com)...

This "what the hell is going on exactly" illustration has motivated me to finally Wario Land a spin at long last (via it8bit)...

Remember Absolutely Rose Street, the Beverly Hills 90210 meets Degrassi meets Wayne’s World-esque show that was actually an infomercial for the Sega 32X in disguise that I wrote about a little whiles ago? Well here's ad for it (via oldgamemags)...

I'm a total sucker for old Japanese video game mags, primarily ones featuring models/statues on the cover (via miki800)...

Another cover to an old Japanese game rag, this one featuring the very first Metal Gear; I wonder if this slightly cutesy take helped to inspire the Metal Gear we meet in Snatcher (via mendelpalace)...

Here we have a page from an 11 page comic, done in a single sitting, for an event that celebrates various pairings of Solid Snake/Otacon, one that's called Snot Week for whatever reason (via millionfish)...

I want this woman to be my mom (via cyberfights)...

Am obsessed with this image of a man playing Xevious in the middle of a desert that's clearly fabricated and clearly from the 80s (via shmups)...

mendelpalace sez: "This picture gives me anxiety" and I feel exactly the same...

This is comparable to my own morning commute, except for the lack of floating cherry blossom petals and various other differences (via tightenupthe)...

Spring is almost here, which means it's time for a new wardrobe, which really means it's time to get new PaRappa attire (via miki800.com)...

If a glitched Nintendo logo when booting up a Game Boy looks fashionable to you, you're in luck (via gameandgraphics)...

Tho if a glitched Game Boy Advance start up is more your style (via corruptionasart)...

Has anyone received this Mega Drive/Genesis chiptune album on a cart (described as a "16-bit VMU") yet? (via catskullelectronics)

Ever wonder what a 3 part symphony, one performed via 5 different Nintendo DSs and 5 different copies of Electroplankton, sounds like? Well wonder no more (via mendelpalace)...

And ever wonder what an Italian-based, US-born R&B, blues and disco singer (which is how Wikipedia describes Ronnie Jones) thought of video games in the year 1980? Again, wonder no more (via aestheticoftheday)...

The new DDR, which will record your performance and also add snazzy video effects, is my early contender for GOTY 2018 (via @Sega_AM2)...

I will never grow tired or bored of watching this run cycle, ever (via shmups)...

What appears to be a Nier motion study (via sixteen-bit)...

Sakura-ha (via rosscountertv)..

To commemorate the discontinuation of the Kinect sensor (via prostheticknowledge)...

Google Translate took the original Korean & translated it as: "Ittsumi! Maria", which @NotLikeFreddy re-translated as: "It's-a me, Mary-o"...

The medium of video games most certainly has many mountains to overcome yet, but there's little denying that we've made some progress nonetheless (via videofame)...

"I have to go now. My planet needs me.” (via sixteen-bit)...

Cuz it's been a while since I shared a gif from Sin & Punishment (via n64thstreet)...

The SNES & Genesis had cool accessories and all, yet I often wonder what it would have been like if 3D printers & Etsy were around back then...

Pretty much the cutest lil thing you'll see all day is this Genesis CDX hooked up to a 5″ Sony PVM (via decideweapons)...

“'Club Sega during the Snow' is a top-tier aesthetic, I think." (via pr0jectneedlemouse)

I love old VG sound team photos, especially when they double as old band photos, like Capcom's Alph Lyra here (via videogamesdensetsu)...

You all have no idea how happy I am to finally see a decent sized version of the flyer for Deadly Sport... again, no idea (via melvanainchains)...

Here's an illustration of Terry Bogard eating a hot dog (with the rest of his Fatal Fury posse chowing down as well)...

... Turns out, Terry's affinity for hot dogs is somewhat of a thing (via busterwolf)....

... Or, perhaps SNK as a whole are simply huge fans of hot dogs? (via meldowiseau)

I absolutely love this familiar, yet thoroughly refreshing take on Samus (via lady--peaches)...

And nothing new to report, as it pertains to @deimosremus's Metroid redesign, so am just going to continue staring at this some more...

Love Hultén is mostly known for their handheld creations, like the Pixel Vision, though I mostly dig their full-sized cabinet, the Kabin 1...

"Damn Tecmo never let Microsoft live that design down" (via sixteen-bit)...

Cuz I recently began replaying Breath of the Wild...got the Switch version for the gf on her birthday... some fan art (via it8bit)...

I've seen my fair share of comics with Sonic & Tails, but never one that addresses the debug mode from the original Genesis games (via vg-libary)...

Here we have two cats, from the game Jingle Cats, occupied with the fridge (via obscurevideogames)...

And here we have just one cat, from the Sailor Moon anime, occupied with an arcade game that I am unable to identify (via sailormoonreblogs)...

Can you believe the music video for @MissyElliott's Sock It 2 Me is over 20 years old? Crazy, I know...

Speaking of Mega Man, I guess I need to finally check out Mega Man Zero, cuz apparently X goes through some kind of religious conversion or something (via omnilunary)...

And here we have Cut Man, the one we all know (and love) from Mega Man meeting his Captain N doppelganger (via mewymarsher)...

I absolutely need this on a shirt or jacket (via @buzz_clik)...

It's always a thrill, seeing a fighting stick made out of tupperware in the wild for the very first time, isn't it? (via @silva_hime)

Yes. Fighting Layer is that game in which you jump off a folding chair to smash another one on the head of a gigantic falcon (via lordmo)...

Tonight’s episode: PINBALL ALCHEMIST (via tonights-episode)...

Here we have a Tumblr thread giving suggestions on how to access a seemingly inaccessible area of a hotel lobby; my fave, for perhaps obvious reasons, is the ring path/light speed dash combo from Sonic Adventure...

Am kinda hungry atm and feel like slicing & dicing some celery & onions, plus making some Julienne Fries; anyone got a copy of Sonic 2 handy? (via sonicthehedgeblog)

A. thanks to this fan art, I now know you can also play OutRun in Hokuto no Ken PS4! & B. great piece & all, but...still a shame that Alex Kidd is missing (via inspiredfatty)...

I've legit been staring at these rotating NES and SNES gifs all day long (via 3d-bear)...

These photos from the Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour, circa the late 90s, right before the system's launch are very... and I mean VERY... 90s (via posthumanwanderings)...

"What will your next dream be?" (via 081594)

You know that UK/US reality show Undercover Boss, in which a billionaire CEO disguises himself as the new mailroom guy? Well there's apparently a version in Japan, with an episode starring the president of Taito (via @MMCafe_Prof)...

On Valentine's Day I came across a horror movies blog that presented various horror movie Valentines, including one for Jason Voorhees that references Friday The 13th for NES (via cameraviscera.com)...

Also, for Valentine's, my girlfriend made me pixelated chocolate; the pic does the blue hearts in particular zero justice, which look like plastic toys, but most assuredly are made of milk chocolate...

... And that’s it for now! The rest of February coming up in a few!

[cdrama-for-breakfast]

Sooo I did a thing, beware the long, shitty post below

Ranking from absolute worstest ever to not so bad

Numero Uno - The King’s Woman ( 秦时丽人明月心) starring Dilraba Dilmurat & Vin Zhang. 

Yes, this is the heroine.... masterfully disguised as a man. 

Number Two - Heavy Sweetness Ash-Like Frost/Ashes of Love ( 香蜜沉沉烬如霜 ) starring Yang Zi & Allen Deng & Leo Luo. 

Like, you could at least remove the make up no? 

Goes with the Number Two - Legend of the Dragon Pearl ( 龙珠传奇之无间道) starring again Yang Zi.

the b o o bs must have betrayed her identity, methink

Nummer Drei - Princess Weiyoung ( 锦绣未央 ) starring Tiffany Tang & Luo Jin.

It was actually a strong contender with n°1, but at the very least there is a mustache (oh god the mustache) (source picture @bittergloss)

Number Four - Princess Agents ( 特工皇妃楚乔传) starring Zanilia Zhao & Kenny Lin & Shawn Dou

I do not have the words

Number Five - Goodbye my Princess/Eastern Palace ( 东宫 ) starring Peng Xiao Ran & Chen Chin Xu

Not so bad, but still

Number Six - Empress Ki ( 기황후 ) starring Ha Ji Won & Ji Chang Wook & Joo Jin Mo

Thank god Dang Kise had his incredible sense of smell to figure this one out. God nows it wouldn’t have been the Yuan Emperor or the Goryeo King lmao, too busy freaking out about being gay (gif credit to @ladyhaesoo​)

Number Seven - Seven Day Queen/Queen for Seven Days ( 7일의 왕비 ) starring Park Min Young & Yeon Woon Jin & Lee Dong Gun

She was so cute iin this scene that I can’t put the blame on her  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (credit to @banghae)

Number Eight - Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms / Eternal Love ( 三生三世十里桃花 ) starring Yang Mi & Mark Chao

Well at least her brows aren’t drawn, and I guess the super secret magic helps

Number Nine - The Imperial Doctress ( 女医·明妃传 ) starring Cecilia Liu & Wallace Huo

The cutest doctor ever, many soldiers must have questioned their sexuality

Number Ten - Empress of the Ming / Ming Dynasty ( 大明风华) starring the amazing Tang Wei & Zhu Yawen

We are entering the good territory with this one. A very beautiful boy, but A+ for the effort

Number Eleven - Arsenal Military Academy ( 烈火军校 ) starring Bai Lu & Xu Kai

I was so gay for her in this drama, you don’t even know. What I find amazing is the range of her acting skills, I still can’t believe the contrast with The Legends. 

Number Twelve and Great Final - The Rise of Phoenixes ( 天盛长歌 ) starring the beautiful Ni Ni & handsome Chen Kun

 And I incidently reached the maximum number of images allowed, which is a shame because I had lot of other gifs for Feng Zhi Wei. This one is my personal favorite. Hands Down. But this drama in general is a true masterpiece soooo

That’s it for this shitty post, I know there are more, but they were the one that came first to my mind, and I couldn’t find the scene in Princess Silver. Anyway, fell free to add more if you want, share the fun ;) 

[sticky-institute]

Travel Diary: Zinefest Christchurch, by Bryce Galloway

I used to go to all of New Zealand’s annual zinefests, but now that there’s six of them (!?!?) I only go to my hometown zinefests - Hamilton/Wellington, and one other, in strict rotation. I’m weird like that, just ask my friends.

Last time I was here (2013) I was in a lonely hotel on the edge of Cathedral Square, telling the assembled locals to go zine, cos it was one of the best cultural vehicles for a city lacking infrastructure. Christchurch (Ōtautahi) was post-quake. Christchurch is still post-quake, just a little less so.

This time round I’m staying with friend, artist, musician and Content Manager at inde radio station RDU - Gemma Syme. I slept on Gemma’s coach, until drunken friends and flatmates woke me with their banter and late-night fry-up. I listened to the drunken Pakeha boys try and argue their iwi (tribal) status with the Māori girls. What, with the sleeping bag over my head, I totally missed that one of the boys in question was friend and zinester Spencer Hall. Once they’d left I got up and checked they’d turned the oven off. Those, “don’t drink and fry” ads, ya know?

I see nobody from Christchurch Zinefest 2013 at the 2017 event. This must be a completely new local zine spasm. However, Christchurch’s ongoing love of the risograph and the influence of designer/art school lecturer Luke Wood are still present, extended by Jane Maloney’s riso press (M/K Press Ltd) and her pre-Zinefest riso-zine workshops.

Christchurch Art Centre are providing this space by virtue of the fact that they have a zinester in their ranks - Louise Sutherland. Otherwise, Alice Bush is the primary organizer of this year’s event.

Louise’s zines precede her. She be the author of the wonderful Coaster Frenzy, here today for just “$1 or swaps”. Alice and I gush our respective roller coaster stories at the Coaster Frenzy author. Alice has the world’s highest rollercoaster under her belt. I have the world’s highest vertical-drop rollercoaster under mine, which is surprising, I HATE heights. I launch into the Dead Kennedy’s rollercoaster disaster anthem Funland at the Beach, and later kick myself for the inappropriateness of that song in the context of post-quake Christchurch!!!

Louise says she feels privileged to have been part of the Christchurch rebuild, “It’s a moment in history. How many of those do we get to share.” Louise contends that Christchurch art and music have benefitted from the quakes; that a formerly closed scene, full of hierarchies, is now open to all players. That’s very ziney. It’s a sentiment echoed in issue two of the riso music journal Cheap Thrills (at Zinefest with editor - Erin Kimber). In the opening article - On the Value of Music - Matt Scobie writes, “I believe these events allowed or encouraged us to break free of the shackles of competitive individualism driven by exchange values and start acknowledging the importance of seeing the Ōtautahi music community as a synergetic whole…”

Hey, there’s Cameron from riso design journal Strips Club. His Strips Club collaborator’s moved to Berlin. Maybe there won’t be another volume of Strips Club. “Awe, do a White Fungus.” I encourage. “Berlin/Chch to their Taiwan/Wellington. Interview White Fungus’s Hanson brothers.” We talk politics, voting patterns, Winston Peters, the “king-maker” in post-election New Zealand. Cameron tells me about the massive Justice Building, that cynically opened for election season photo ops with members of the incumbent National party, closing again for ongoing construction as soon as the polling booths were shut.

I do the stall-holder circuit, it probably takes about an hour to get a reasonable handle on the qualities of the various zines on offer. All the zinesters are doing the same thing; doing the whole circuit before deciding how to spend their budget of $5, $10, or $20. I spend every cent that I make in sales of my own zine - Incredibly Hot Sex with Hideous People. I get all zinesters to sign their work.

There are approximately 20 stall-holders here according to Alice: Asian exchange students have written about racism against their own, David Merritt has his foldout poetry housed in upcycled books and banana box linings, there’s a zine from the Christchurch Women’s Centre, Spencer’s pop-up comics and satirical propaganda commands (Spencer also passes round a folded piece of paper for a comics jam on fictitious FX pedals), there are other inde comics, second hand books, witch zines, potion zines, stickers, handmade jewelry, cassettes, CD-zines, creative writing, sci fi stories, photo zines, travel zines, cat zines, music zines, even a zine about zines.

I sell more zines when I’m not on my stall than when I am there!?!? I’m not surprised, zine shopping is a potentially self-consciousness experience in the extreme. Where else do you examine someone’s art while they examine your face for signs of enjoyment, waiting for you to decide whether their art’s good enough to purchase. Imagine being installed next to your own gallery painting, with your hand out!? But that’s also the best thing about zinefest, you meet ALL the artists.

Bleeeurh! A bit tired and hungover now. Need coffee. The worst busker in the world sits in her wheelchair outside Bunsen Café warbling some churchy dirges over karaoke backing. Too good to be full-o-character, too bad to forgive her genre of choice.

My zinefest neighbor is a scrapbooker from the US, so I’m compelled to ask her if she thinks the scrapbooker kits one finds in art/stationary shops are a rip. Thankfully, she does. She appears to be afloat in NZ, not knowing if her art school back in the US will be restructured out of existence or not. Is looking to find an arts program in New Zealand.  

Cameron of Strip Club packs up early. Bastard! Makes a huge hole in the wee zinefest presence/footprint.

I’m just not acclimatized to this Christchurch cold. They’ve put the Wellington guy in exactly the wrong place, by the draughty doorway. Locals chit chat in tee shirts while I hug myself, jacket zipped, hat pulled tight!?!?

I’m encouraging Louie of Dunedin Zinefest and Alice of Christchurch to get committees of helpers. They’re both currently running their zinefests solo!?!?

Spencer tells me to check out his story about NZ alt rock legend Bruce Russel being the alter-ego of NZ alt rock legend Martin Phillips, as printed in his Lyttelton Rotten Radio zine.

It’s nearly 5 PM. I pack up and make short work of my farewells so that I can catch a bus to the airport and relax knowing I’m in the right place for my flight back to Wellington.

Back home and checking the best of my haul:

Cheap Thrills Issue 2 - an elegant risographed volume of NZ music past and present

Wandering Wolves is a gorgeous riso, the very first zine of Prabha Mallya, made at one of the workshops leading up to zinefest. Poetic mix of tagged animal narrative, poetry, illustration, photo and collage.

Field Notes from The Crescent City – July 2017 “It’s a very efficient and sensible method of burial that ensures you can never ever escape your family, even in death.”

Louise Sutherland’s holiday snaps and memories of New Orleans (including its cemeteries), well enough written and photographed to transcend any photo album limitations

A Most Elusive Species – by Louise Sutherland’s brother Robert. Photo essay of seemingly empty zoo enclosures. A subtle variety to the picture-by-picture approach creating a rewarding sense of narrative.

Burn Out is a pun. Yes, there are cars, but the scars are not the result of spinning tyres but of the sun’s rays peeling the paint off that once proud finish - by Robert Sutherland.

The cutest wee Untitled zine that pitches it’s teensiness against clipped horror narratives from Greek myth.

Cuss Weird cussing birds. Inexplicable.

OX OX OX... a CDR economically clothed in a folded A3. Rockabilly are the first chords, with hints of Ramones and Stooges. Next song is quite different, same vocal stylings but over “Dunedin Sound” meets Fall repetition. In the zine, we’re regaled with some pretty compelling “um and ah” misadventures from the band’s singer. Now they play a kiwified Joy Division cover. Sweeet!

Strawberry Stories runs some loopy narrative logic, or lack thereof. And some nice red spot-colour on the strawberry coloured one, though s/he’s not actually a strawberry eh, s/he’s like a person with a tree growing outta their head!?!?

A Zine Fanzine Beautifully designed and laid out riso about zines. Tightened up my own understanding about the provenance of zines, though changes to conjecture when talking about post internet zines.

Misc - Excellent poems by Arwen Miriama Sommer. “Snow is built of feathers and birds are built of trees”

All About the Sex* The Christchurch Women’s Centre decide to distribute their newsletter at zinefest, so it’s a zine now. An intro to the Woman’s Centre and their weekly discussion forum, plus an intro to the Red Tent movement and editorial about aging women’s identity.

Rotten Radio Zine - Spencer Hall’s good at writing original meandering comedy nonsense about music and culture.

[steverogersnotebook]

Seb's calves are as big as they will ever get. They're super slim, they're toned, maybe he could do, if he's not doing it already, some extra leg work, like running or biking, but really, there won't be much change. Genetics do play a part. Besides, I just saw someone mocking him because his biceps look bigger than his calves... well, thank doG they do! What-the-F? Do they want him to have balloon like calves? That'd be ugly, pretty unnatural and so not very practical!

I agree, and we know he runs, so we know he’s doing something. People have a weird idea about how the body works. They want him to be built differently than he is and that’s just weird. There are differently build dudes out there already, go fixate on one of them.

I’m a little tired of all the talk reducing him to just a body anyway. I mean, I gush over the arms, the chest, the whatever, but usually when I post and reblog those gym pictures, it’s because he’s pretty, but also because 9/10 he’s being a dork. He’s the cutest kind of dork. He’s also a very nice person, complex and insightful.

Thanks for your note, maybe some of the naysayers will see this and at least stop telling me they don’t appreciate his legs. I still contend, if he were a woman, people would be jumping out of their screens shrieking ‘body shaming’...