#engine puzzles fanart

[bizkitanuki]

A couple of quick doodles!!! 2-in-1 day???? that’s a legendary once in a lifetime experience

anyways IM SO EXCITED FOR WOTFI24!!!!! ENGINE PUZZLES LOOKS AWESOME IMO (it’s not your greatest look tho hun)

I also decided to try out the popular bromine “brush” with my Mr. Puzzles ringmaster fit:3 (do not ask why he has a tail. but if you were going to it’s for stylisation purposes)

anyways I probably won’t be posting as much this week but DEFINITELY EXPECT MORE STUFF ON SATURDAY/SUNDAY (October 19/October 20)

bye guys!! another thank you for the support I’ve gotten over the past couple of weeks :3 🤍

engine puzzles looks so cool change my mind/hj

[aiden657778]

Spooky Month Art 3 Puzzle Engine

Another SMG4 fanart I did of the one scene from "Welcome to Puzzle Park"

And wanted to post it right before WOTFI 2024

[stem-sister-scuffle]

STEM SISTER SCUFFLE: ROUND 1 MASHUP 11

Lotus/Hazuki Kashiwabara (Zero Escape) vs Lup (The Adventure Zone)

Lotus/Hazuki Kashiwabara is a Computer Scientist and Programmer/Hacker!

Lup is an Astrophysicist and Extraplaner Researcher! (she researches inter-dimensional space travel)

Lup fanart made by @herbgerblin

Why you should vote for each contestant:

Lotus/Hazuki Kashiwabara:

"She's practical she's smart she is caring, she will force hack a security system while she is kidnapped and maintaining a deep conversation like is no biggie and will info dump about science and psychology facts in the middle of said kidnapping"

"At first you think she’s just the token sexy lady character but then like 3/4 into the game you find out NO she is PROFICIENT IN EVERY PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE and CAN HACK ANYTHING and IS A PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE ENGINEER. She does all this dressed as a belly dancer with her whole tiddies out. Her science-ness is a mild spoiler so I’m not sure how you’d handle it?? But tbh I think it’s fine it’s the least spoilery reason I’ve seen any zero escape character submitted to a tumblr poll"

"SHE'S GREAT SHE'S LOVELY SHE IS A GIRLBOSS. She's also a mom and loves her daughters so much 🥺 Lotus is her codename, not her real name. Most people call her by that name though, since her real name is only mentioned a couple times total... I wouldn't technically consider her real name a spoiler since it's not plot relevant, so do with that what you want"

"milf who loves her kids. a very entertaining character but also helps a lot with the game by using her programming skills. look up her coding cg it is Something"

"She's digital security consultant and a talented computer hacker! She helps you out a lot with one of the puzzles ingame, she has 2 daughters, and she likes to bellydance! also she's divorced"

"canon milf single mother slay. she mean and i love her"

Lup:

"badass trans woman who is not only a highly competent astrophysicist who was chosen to be part of the first extra-planar expedition, she is also an incredibly powerful evocation (blowing shit up) wizard and uses her powers to full effect. in addition she has, along with her husband, transformed herself into an incredibly powerful lich, just all around badass and competent woman in stem we love to see it"

"Literally studied space and inter-dimensional travel and magic and necromancy for 100 years. She was part of her home planet’s first inter-dimensional expedition on a crew of 7. She’s got that transfem swag and literally became a lich for love and science and to save the universe"

"She’s incredible. She’s trans, she’s a lich, she and her husband pined for decades before getting together, she’s an elf, she’s a twin, but that’s all just spices in the cake. She’s genuinely a genius and a total badass and is so full of love. She is the first character i thought of for submitting to a women in stem bracket because she’s just so iconic. Lup Adventurezone i would die for you"

[mugenfinder]

The idea behind this blog was to spread knowledge about M.U.G.E.N since no else was, but I got annoyed so now I post whatever.

I primarily post what I feel like sharing at the time which is anything from old videogames to old videogame magazines.

I reblog a lot of art more than anything, honestly.

I do take requests, submissions, and asks.

If you have any questions about something I post, feel free to ask publicly or privately.

M.U.G.E.N Full Game Database by @meldowiseau

Mileage may vary but I do post and reblog things that might not be appropriate for minors, I do try to keep a balance of what I post.

I do not associate with Transphobes, Homophobes, Pedophiles, Pro-shippers, Nazis, and people who repost art without sourcing the original artist.

Description of my preferred tags below

#m.u.g.e.n for all MUGEN-related posts

#mugen is more specific like mugen characters, videos, and fanart

#fighting games and #fgc tags for most fighting game-related posts

#doujin game for japanese indie games, anything from fighting games to puzzle games

#fighter maker and #2DFM for any footage of games made with the Fighter Maker engines

#game fanart for artwork of any given videogame, though may not have the game title tagged.

#original illustration for most original artwork

#oc for characters drawn by the posting artist

#original character art for art of original characters, not specifically by the posting artist

[gamefan546]

Spoilers for new G4 video if you care.))

.

.

…Yeah I… I think I’m going to pass on WOTFI 2024… and maybe take a long hiatus from Smg4 that I may or may not return from. Just can’t really find the energy within me to care about it right now. Not only do I feel burnt out on the show, there’s also just a lot of things don’t like about it anymore. I’ve been looking for a point to move on from it anyways.

When Meggy being painfully crushed into Leggy, and Mr Puzzles horrifically fusing to the engine room in a display of body horror doesn’t get much of a reaction out of me, that tells me that I don’t really care about what’s going to happen anymore. Plus, with a non-zero percent chance that Puzzles will die in the upcoming WOTFI (the last few times characters have been horrifically mutated or hooked up to machinery, it didn’t end too well for them), theres also the chance that the one thing that’s kept me into SMG4 this long is going away anyways…

Not to mention I want to post more original stuff here anyways. I don’t want my Smg4 stuff being the only art I make that gets a decent amount of likes. I’ve said that I just wanna post fanart here before, but tbh I don’t feel too compelled to draw fan art of things I like an apart from smg4 a lot of times. So I’m either gonna try and push for more original OC stuff here, or try and get into some new fandoms to draw fan art of, or both.

Sooooo, yeah.

[mudaship39]

Character bio of the Asian Pasifika demigod and Afro Latine Native alien hybrid superhero main character part 8

Personality: 

Hobbies:

Acting. Archery. Acrobatics. Animation. Anime. Astrology. Astronomy. Baking. Beading. Beatboxing. Bicycling. Billiards. Bird Watching. Board Games. Blogging. Bowling. Boxing. Calligraphy. Camping. Card Games. Cars. Cartography. Chess. Clubbing. Coding. Collecting. Cooking. Comedy. Comics. Cosplay. Crafts. Dancing. Darts. Drawing. Debating. Dominoes. Embroidery. Engineering. Engraving. Exercising. Extreme Sports. Fanart Drawing. Fanfiction Writing. Fashion Design. Fencing. Film Making. Fishing. Flower Arrangement. Forging. Fortune Telling. Gardening. Geocaching. Golfing. Graffiti Art. Gunpla. Guns. Gymnastics. Hiking. Home Improvement. Horseback riding. Hunting. Ice Skating. Improv. Inventing. Journaling. Juggling. Kendo. Kickboxing. Larping. Lego. Magic. Mahjong. Map Making. Marbles. Martial Arts. Mechas. Miniature Plastic Models. Mixology. Modeling. Mountain Biking. Mountain Climbing. Music. Origami. Paintballing. Painting. Parkour. Performing Magic Tricks. Photography. Playing an Instrument. Playwriting. Podcasting. Poetry. Programming. Public Speaking. Puppetry. Puzzles. Radio Hosting. Reading. Rapping. Research. Restoring Cars. Restoring Mechas. Restoring Motorcycles. Robotics. Roleplaying. Rollerblading. Running. Rock Climbing. Sailing. Science. Scriptwriting. Scuba Diving. Sculpting. Sewing. Shopping. Singing. Skateboarding. Sketching. Skiing. Skydiving. Smithing. Snowboarding. Social Media. Songwriting. Sports. Stand up. Stargazing. Stitching. Storytelling. Streaming. Street Racing. Surfing. Swimming. Sword Fighting. Tabletop or role playing games. Tattooing. Technology. Traveling. Video gaming. Writing. Weightlifting. Woodworking.

Likes: They like

Dislikes: They dislike

Personality Type: ENFP. INFP

Sanguine. Phlegmatic. Choleric.

Positive character traits:

Active. Adaptable. Adventurous. Affectionate, Affluent. Agreeable. Alert. Alluring. Altruistic. Ambitious. Analytical. Animated. Appreciative. Artistic. Athletic. Attentive. Beautiful. Benevolent. Bold. Bright. Brilliant. Calm. Candid. Capable. Careful. Cautious. Charitable. Charming. Charismatic. Cheeky. Civil. Clean. Committed. Confident. Cooperative. Comical. Compassionate. Conscientious. Considerate. Cool. Courageous. Courteous. Crafty. Creative. Cultured. Curious. Daring. Decisive. Defiant. Delightful. Dedicated. Dependable. Determined. Devoted. Diplomatic. Direct. Disciplined. Driven. Dynamic. Eager. Earnest. Easygoing. Ecstatic. Effective. Efficient. Elated. Elegant. Eloquent. Empathetic.  Emotional. Enchanting. Encouraging. Energetic. Enthusiastic. Excited. Experienced. Extroverted. Fair. Faithful. Fancy. Fashionable. Flexible. Focused. Forgiving. Friendly. Frank. Free. Frugal. Funny. Generous. Genius. Genuine. Gentle. Gifted. Graceful. Grateful. Happy. Hard Working. Helpful. Homely. Honest. Honorable. Hopeful. Hospitable. Humble. Idealistic. Imaginative. Independent. Influential. Inquisitive. Inspiring. Introverted. Intelligent. Irresistible. Joyful. Jovial. Just. Kind. Kindhearted. Knowledgeable. Lenient. Likable. Logical. Loving. Loyal. Mature. Mindful. Modest. Merciful. Nice. Nurturing. Objective. Observant. Organized. Open. Open-minded. Optimistic. Passionate. Patient. Playful. Peaceful. Perceptive. Persistent. Persuasive. Philanthropic. Pleasant. Poetic. Poised. Polite. Popular. Positive. Precise. Proactive. Prodigal. Professional. Proper. Protective. Proud. Punctual. Quiet. Quirky. Realistic. Reasonable. Rebellious. Receptive. Refined. Reliable. Respectful. Resourceful. Responsible. Self Regulation. Self Reliant. Sensible. Sentimental. Serene. Serious. Sharp. Shrewd. Slick. Skilled. Social. Sociable. Soft. Sophisticated. Spiritual. Spontaneous. Stable. Stylish. Studious. Successful. Supportive. Tactful. Talented. Talkative. Tasteful. Thoughtful. Tolerant. Trusting. Tranquil. Trendy. Vulnerable. Unbiased. Unique. Upright. Versatile. Vigilant. Well read. Wholesome. Wise. Witty. Worldly. Youthful. 

Negative character traits: 

Addiction. Afraid. Aggressive. Alcoholism. Aloof. Angry. Annoyed. Angsty. Anxious. Apathetic. Argumentative. Arrogant. Ashamed. Attention Seeker. Bitter. Blunt. Boastful. Bossy. Brash. Brutal. Calculating. Callous. Chaotic. Childish. Cold. Crabby. Cocky. Combative. Competitive. Conceited. Cranky. Crass. Critical. Crude. Cynical. Dark. Decadence. Demanding. Depressed. Disrespectful. Distressed. Doubtful. Eccentric. Fearful. Fidgety. Finicky. Flirtatious. Foolish. Fretful. Frustrated. Glumness. Grouchy. Grumpy. Harsh. Heartbroken. Hedonistic. Hero Syndrome. Hurt. Hyper. Immature. Impatient. Impolite. Impulsive. Indifferent. Irritable. Jaded. Jealous. Lavish. Lazy. Lost. Loud. Martyr. Merciless. Mean. Messy. Miserable. Misguided. Moody. Naive. Needy. Nervous. Noisy. Obnoxious. Odd. Overbearing. Paranoid. Perfectionist. Pessimistic. Picky. Plain. Prankster. Pretentious. Primadonna. Private. Procrastinator. Provocative. Quiet. Rebellious. Reckless. Resentful. Reserved. Restless. Rude. Ruthless. Sarcastic. Secretive. Selfish. Self Destructive. Self Indulgent. Scatterbrained. Sensitive. Shy. Sleazy. Skeptical. Sly. Snobbish. Strange. Stoic. Strict. Sulky. Stubborn. Suspicious. Tactless. Temperamental. Tense. Touchy. Troubled. Unstable. Uptight. Upset. Vain. Vicious. Wary. Weary. Worrisome. Vindictive. Volatile. Withdrawn. Workaholic. Zealous. 

Some of these are negative personality traits the plural system use as a form of protection as a survivor of abuse and trauma before they healed with therapy and counseling.

Some of these negative character traits are from when they were a child, preteen, teenage, or young adult demigod and alien hybrid as part of their adolescent phase. 

Others are normal negative personality traits as a normal person like everyone else since no one is perfect. 

Some negative character traits are because of brainwashing and mind control when they were a supervillain. Some of these negative character traits are because of the Terran Empire or conditioning and indoctrination under the Earth Hegemony.  Their oppressors did this to get them to do actions that went against their morals, character, and code. 

Some of the negative character traits are only active when the war god ancestry gets too awry or when the drawback of the berserk state gets too much. It’s also only activated by the bloodthirsty god of war Ares or the god of love Aphrodite as a way of manipulating the main character as a demigod.

Virtues:

Courage, Charity, Diligence,  Humility, Justice, Kindness, Patience, Prudence, Temperance,

Vices

Indulgence, Lust, Wrath

Coping skills:

Positive: Martial arts. Art. Music. Singing. Playing an instrument. Acting. Photography. Dancing. Painting. Sculpting. Poetry. Theatre. 

Negative: Alcohol. Drugs. Thrill seeking. Extreme sports. Street racing with classic (modern by our standards cars). Formula one racing with super car hover cars. Underground Fighting. Gladiatorial Fighting. Bar Fighting. Tavern Brawling when in other magical realms. Metahuman and superhuman fighting sponsored by intergalactic empires. Superhero antihero and supervillain fighting sponsored by superhuman conglomerates. Super soldier fighting sponsored by intergalactic militaries. 

Voice:

They have a soothing voice. They have an appealing voice. They have a honeyed voice as a demigod. They have a modulated voice as an alien hybrid. They have an orotund voice. They have a ringing voice. They have a softly spoken voice when speaking to children and teenagers. They are a fast or slow talker depending on the situation. They have a silvery voice as a deity. They have a low pitch usually but high when they are excited. As someone who is confident they speak with a loud, clear, concise, and confident voice. The tone of their voice changes depending on their mood.

[lockea]

I can't make any comments on legality because I have complicated feelings I'll put in the tags, but OP is right and the puzzle art is a really good analogy for how Stable Diffusion works. Like they said, the puzzle piece fitting happens at the pixel level to create "new" art.

For an example, this was taken directly from DALL-E 2 (a popular algorithm and data set) showing its variation function.

[Alt text: On the left. The original "Girl with a Pearl Earring" painting. On the right, AI generated variations of the painting]

The problem becomes that if you describe the image you want well enough, it will generate a straight up stolen image instead of making an amalgamation of images in a new, transformative way.

I use DALL-E to play a game with my AI team at work (yes, I'm one of those evil Artificial Intelligence engineers) where we generate art based on a piece of media and try to guess the media portrayed. It's a fun little game that helps get me going every morning.

Here is my entry for "Final Fantasy VII" along with the prompt I used to generate it.

[ALT TEXT: image prompt reads "A dark and moody anime image of a man with yellow spiky hair holding a large sword staring up at a skyscraper." the man also has a yellow cape despite that not being in the prompt.]

So... that yellow cape, huh? I wonder where that came from...

Honestly? I don't know enough anime to tell you immediately which characters wear yellow capes that DALL-E thought that this render of Cloud needed one, but I can guarantee you it pulled enough anime images and fanart to have learned it somewhere.

And that's really the problem here. I did not tell the AI to make a cape. That cape is not a creation of the AI either because, as OP said, true Sci fi level AI does not exist. The cape is here because the artwork it was trained on had enough anime men in capes to give Cloud one.

That's not a good thing.

How AI Datasets ACTUALLY Work

I love the irony of techbros shouting “YOU NEO-LUDDITES JUST DON’T KNOW HOW THE TECH WORKS” when they obviously don’t know how AI datasets that generate images work.

This is not true “artificial intelligence.” It doesn’t see images, form an understanding of them, then create something new. It’s not like a person looking at photos of frogs and then making a new painting of a frog.

That’s what tech bros seem to not get. True artificial intelligence WOULD be able to do that.

But the machine being fed real art is NOT artificially intelligent. What it does is take dozens of images and break them up into teeny tiny pieces, like a 5000-piece jigsaw puzzle but on a near pixel level. It also takes the understanding of those images based on what people say those images are.

Most puzzle-makers have the same die-cut, which means you can take pieces from multiple puzzles and put them together into something new. I won’t link it here so this post reaches the most people, but look up:

Puzzle Montage Art by Tim Klein

Examples of montage puzzle art:

What he did is EXACTLY what AI image generators do, except instead of using two or three artworks, one AI-generated image might use hundreds. And this is what those who actually understand the technology are trying to get across.

Right now, most things that exist are now fed into image datasets. The number of works that exist in midjourney and stable diffusion number in the literal billions. Datasets have stolen so much art that most people can’t fathom that kind of statistic because we’re just not capable of thinking in those kinds of numbers.

That’s why techbros think an art generator just takes inspiration from the works it has.

In reality, the reason tech-bros state that it takes them hours to get a particular set of prompts “just right” is because they are educating the machine. Basically, if you give it a set of prompts and it gives you something you don’t want, it is internally assigning labels to the pieces of the puzzle it gave you. Eventually, when you DO get what, the same datasets that produced those images will scrape them again and assign labels to pieces based on what is perceived as “correct.”

This is also why it is impossible to remove images from a dataset. Any image used to create an AI work must also exist within the work itself. Removing any one particular image necessitates finding and removing any child data produced from that image, or else the machine can literally just re-scrape it. 

Currently, because a dataset uses the data from hundreds of images to create a new work and does not compensate the original artists for the use of their art, this qualifies as theft under international copyright law.

I hope providing a real-world example of how datasets work is helpful.

[chaoslindsay]

And now, for something completely different!

Most people who follow me here know me for my fanart or comics, but one of the reasons I've been pretty quiet on Tumblr is because... I was writing a game!

The game is called I Was A Teenage Exocolonist, and you play as a person who was born during the long trip to humanity's first extrasolar colony. You grow up, explore, build your skills and relationships, unravel mysteries, fall in love with your friends, discover adults are just as scared and clueless as you are, and make a life for yourself in the stars...

...and then you die. But because of the wormhole that brought you to this planet, you're reborn to play those years all over again, armed with the knowledge of your past life to make better decisions.

Can you save your friend who died when you were kids? Can you make someone different fall in love with you? Can you broker peace between the humans and a planet that seems to reject you at every turn?

Systems-wise, the game is a life simulator RPG along the lines of Princess Maker or Persona, looks and reads like a visual novel, and has resolves conflicts by simple puzzles using cards that represent your memories. Don't like card builders? No problemo, me neither: you can turn it off.

And what's really cool is the level of representation that we crammed in here. This isn't a game engineered in a boardroom for maximum points; it's an organic expression of love featuring tons of queer relationships (including ace and aro ones), neurodiversity, body diversity, disabled characters, polyamory, and more. Right from the beginning, Sol’s gender is entirely customizable, even down to teaching the game your bespoke pronouns set.

It's teenage years in space, and it's also pushing right at the edges of what it means to colonize space. It's funny, momentous, grim, heartwarming, tragic, horny (so horny), and overall hopeful of what we can be when we purposefully think about who we are and how we relate to each other and the planet.

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is available on Steam, PS4/PS5, and Switch right now, and I hope that if you've enjoyed my art over the years you'll give it a looksee. I'm really terribly proud of it and what we've made.

[leorawright]

Interested of what your take in self aware tf2 is

Huh self aware tf2... like they know their in a video game?

Self aware tf2 headcannons

Scout is so smug everytime he sees how many people like his character

Demo's favorite thing is seeing how many different outfit combinations people come up with

Spy is not surprised by how many people simp over him

Medic and Heavy have seen the ship of them and they don't know how to handle it

Pyro adores every bit of fanart they find of themselves (they are annoyed if people misgender them despite knowing that no one knows their gender)

Engineer is extremely concerned by the fandom but he's glad to see the others enjoying it

Pauling is with Engi on this matter but seeing how much Pyro and Demo enjoy it stops her from saying anything

Soldier is very excited to see so many pieces of fanart with him and a American flag or a eagle

Sniper spends a lot of time trying to puzzle out why the fandom ships two characters

[monstrousproductions]

Episode Sixty Eight is now available!

[Image: The Monstrous Agonies logo, teal against a black background. The logo is a complex puzzle cube with M on one face and A on another in a gothic font. End description.]

This week, a listener feeling insulted after a dinner party; and a listener conflicted about their community...

Listen on our website, on Spotify, on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Full transcript available online.

This episode's second letter was based on a submission from Peter, and this week's advert came from Rockdog85. Thanks, friends! 💖

Today's episode features the ever-glorious vocal stylings of Elizabeth Plant, and if you'll excuse me gushing slightly, she absolutely knocked it out of the park this week 🤩 Elizabeth is a game designer, voice actress, writer and audio engineer, and has a wealth of work for you to check out and enjoy. See more of her work at her website, at www.elizabethplant.com, and find her on Twitter @CelestielleVA!

If you're enjoying the show and want to prove your devotion with financial cash money moolah gifts, you can sign up for a monthly pledge on Patreon or can make a one-off donation at www.ko-fi.com/hrowen 💸

Submissions are now closed for Season Two, but will be reopening ahead of Season Three. Watch this space for news.

Finally, and as always, the single best thing you can do for the show is to share it! However you want to help - writing posts on social media, making fanart, leaving reviews, starting fights with local packs of feral dogs and spelling out our name in your entrails as you're eviscerated by hundreds of snarling jaws - it all helps! 😍

[utoveria]

NRC Students as Youtubers

I started the idea with octatrio as youtubers and thought it’d be fun to think of what other students would do if they were youtubers. Took a while to think of something for everyone, since some of the characters I am not super familiar with (just cause I don’t have a lot of cards of them lol). Some of them were kind of hard, but I’m fairly satisfied with what I’ve come up with.

It was fun thinking them all up and I’d love to know your thoughts on this list. 

Heartslabyul

Riddle:

Lots of study with me videos. Tutors on certain subjects. Also equestrian club vlogs showing how to properly take care of horses, sorta like animal therapy type thing.

Trey:

Baking/cooking videos. Teaches the basics and really goes into details about tools, safety, temperature, etc. Mentions proper dental hygiene right after.

Cater:

Typical influencer. Vlogs, does collabs, unboxings, sponsors. Occasional singing vids alone or with pop music club. Lots of café vlogs and aesthetic shots.

Ace:

Prank channel, trolls his viewers a lot. Does lots of card tricks and magic show stuff. Vlogs a lot and they're all chaotic.

Deuce:

Tinkers with stuff a lot. Shows how to fix various things, ranging from watches to more heavy machinery. Occasional vlogs of him riding blastcycles when he goes home on holidays.

Savanaclaw

Leona:

Does a whole bunch of logic games and burr puzzles. Fairly chill live streams of chess solitaire or idk minesweeper. ASMR quality audio.

Ruggie:

Does one of those "live like college student" type of vids, where he cooks meals on a budget, thrifts, shows how to find best cheap stuff, and mend things to last longer.

(on the other hand I would love for him to do like mukbang videos (on leonas credit card ofc) just cause boy deserves to be fed lol)

Jack:

Work out bro. Motivates and teaches how to properly exercise and diet. Does fitness challenges. Also vids of him watering his cactus. Occasional vlogs with friends. Very consistent upload schedule, never missed a day. 

Octavinelle

(I’ve done some fanart for Octavinelle you can find [here].)

Azul:

Lots of advice q and a's. Talks about entrepreneurship and finances and business. All his videos are monetized, half are for members only. Does occasional vlogs about his hobbies and collabs.

Jade:

Cooking/foodie/travel channel. Lots of plants and mushrooms. Totally capitalizes on ASMR. Aesthetic. Filled with his hobbies and interests.

Floyd:

Whatever he happens to be interested in. Either 5 mins or 2 hour vids idk. How he got Vil to be in his vid no one knows. Chaotic and lots of pranks. Dunks on people but gives good advice sometimes.

Scarabia

Kalim:

Mostly a vlogger. Vlogs all his parties. Really positive and uplifting videos. Does lots of different challenges (safety checked by Jamil). Looves to collab, almost every vid is a collab with someone new.

Jamil:

Dance cover videos. Does dance challenges and creates new dances. Emphasizes proper stretching and teaches moves. Sometimes vlogs certain outings or basketball club shenanigans.

Ignihyde

Idia:

Gaming channel. Anything from video to board games. Trash talks a lot online. Does tier lists about his fav games, shows, characters. Likes to geek out about his new engineering feats.

Ortho:

Collabs on games with his brother. Shows off his different functions. Maybe a Mythbusters type of content, where he tries out a bunch of experiments (usually ends in explosions even though no explosives are used lol).

Pomefiore

Vil:

Beauty channel. Make ups, product reviews. Get fit videos, advice videos, some vlogs on acting or modeling sets. Generally very polished videos and really good quality advice.

Rook:

Occasional beauty videos. Does reviews on like books, plays, movies he's recently seen/read. Really good insights and dissection of text. Fanboys about Vil a lot. Does journaling videos as well and poetry.

Epel:

Apple carving videos. Does crazy detailed carvings sometimes makes whole displays of them. Vlogs his trips home and shows off his apple orchard and his family.

Diasmonia

Malleus :

Travel/exploration vlogs. Visits different ruins and abandoned places. Teaches people about ruins and gargoyles, videos tend to be hours long. You'll either use it to fall asleep or stay up till 5 am watching.

Lilia:

A kind of everything channel. Mostly vlogs of him trying out different things and messing with people. Definitely does the whole "how do you do fellow kids" attitude for fun. Gives cryptic advice and half the time it's off the wall nonsense, other half actual good advice.

Silver:

Lots of training and exercise videos. Also experiments with making coffee different ways. Sometimes he falls asleep live and it becomes like a fall asleep with me ASMR?

Sebek:

Malleus fanboy channel in all but name. Does self improvement and fitness challenges but they all relate to Malleus in some way. Occasionally does videos following Lilia’s advice and people freak out how he's not dead yet.

[hope-remnant]

The Practice Run Killing Game

Content Warnings: guns, violence, murder, manipulation, ableism, blood, weapons, bullying mention, and Dangan Ronpa, which is probably it’s own warning. This is literally 85% murder. 6.5K words.

My talentswap AU now has its own fanfic! for a full list of my talentswapped characters click [here]

Hifumi never thought school life could be so great. He grinned to himself in his dorm, pushing off the floor with socked feet to spin his desk chair back and forth. The pale blue light of his computer’s screen reflected on his glasses, which he pushed up with one finger and a smirk before typing out a last message to his friend’s stream chat.

JusticeHammer: I’ll be back in a few hours!! Have fun Hina!! <3

In his headphones the stream audio played, ambient underwater sounds from the game itself and the excited voice of his friend, the Ultimate Gamer.

“Bye Justice! You other mods better be on your best behavior now that the boss man is gone, okay?” Hina grinned up at the webcam from her side of the screen, waving with one tanned hand before returning to her game, talking about the strange atmosphere of an alien world. 

The chat scrolled by as well, people from all over the world typing out goodbyes to him. Thousands of strangers, but dozens of friends as well, fellow moderators who helped wrangle the random people into order, who would play video games with Hifumi, who would message him and call him.

It was a far cry from where Hifumi had been in middle school, and he couldn’t help but grin again, shaking out his hands as if to shake out an excitement that clung to his bones, that stayed in his heart when he remembered he had friends. 

His phone dinged with a soft chime, and he couldn’t help the quiet huff of amusement as he flipped open his phone and typed quickly.

Sakura: Where are you going Hifumi? Do you need assistance? 

Hifumi: school council meeting! a weird late night one, no emergencies, dont worry sakura!

Hifumi: see you tomorrow, love you!!!!! :) 

Hifumi stashed the phone in the pocket of his blazer- he was unsure what to wear to this sudden late night meeting, when before they had all been just after classes let out. He decided to play it safe and wear his school uniform.

Standing up from his chair, he made sure to plug in his laptop, the stream still running on it, and turned to leave his room. He had seen the interior of the main course’s dorms, they were triple the size, with their own ensuite and everything. 

His own dorm was small, the wall space barely enough to fit his multitude of posters. There was a complimentary cork board as well, full of fanart people had made of his little sona, a kirby with a hammer and glasses, which he printed out and posted up on his wall as big as he could get them.

He pulled once on the lapels of his blazer, making the fabric settle properly on his shoulders and snatched his binder of notes he used in student council meetings. He made sure to lock his dorm on the way out, still smiling softly to himself. He toyed with the small ring of keys in his hand, dorm room key swinging as well as a number of soft cute keychains that Hina or Sakura sent him in their years as online friends.

He entered the cold night air, pocketing his keys and rubbing his hands together. Winter had clung harder than he had ever seen it, or Spring was simply apathetic even in April, biding its time. In the dusky light he could see the timid, barely blooming sakura trees that dotted the expansive main campus of Hope’s Peak Academy as he approached. There was no security on duty, the gates locked at the late hour.

Headmaster Kirigiri had given him a pass once he sent an anxious email talking about how the head of security, Sakakura, had been harassing him whenever he tried to go on campus. Even though reserve course students were barred from entering the main campus, Hifumi had privileges as the liaison between the reserve and main courses, and as a member of the student council.

Hina and Sakura had theorized it was because Sakakura was the Ex-Ultimate Student Council Leader, and was now one of the club’s supporting staff members, even if he had only worked at the school for a few years. The man was resentful of having a reserve course student on the council, a first in the school’s history, even though the reserve course was a relatively recent development.

Hifumi was used to people disliking him for seemingly no reason, it was only a problem that he took to the headmaster when it made him late to council meetings. 

He glanced at his phone as he passed through the side gate intended for just security. He would likely be a minute or two late, but it wouldn’t make him stand out any more than usual. In his black and white suit he was a dark stain in the middle of any crowd of bright ultimates, who were able to wear anything pertaining to their talent and flaunt the rules.

Sakura wearing scrubs some days, Hina wearing garish merchandise for a game and smirking as the Ultimate Hall Monitor from class 77B could do nothing about it. They had told Hifumi about some of their classmates testing the rules, Enoshima in a sporty tank top, the Ultimate Team Manager getting away with it even in December. Fukawa, who didn’t even notice the rules apparently, and wore oil stained jumpsuits to class, no one able to deter the Ultimate Engineer and Ultimate Mechanic.

Yet here he was, in an ill-tailored suit. When he had been accepted into the reserve program and sent a uniform, his older sister had insisted he try it on, and cooed over him looking all grown up, as if she weren’t just a year older than him. She utilized some of her cosplay skills to try and modify the suit to fit him- they seemed to be made for exclusively skinny kids, then just sized up without concerns for body shape. Unfortunately Fujiko typically worked with skirts and dresses, which were more forgiving of hands more used to drawing and the bad eyesight all Yamadas seemed to have. 

Hifumi had to stop for a moment, the breeze rustling past as he stared up at the few stars that began to twinkle in the night sky, faded and choked by light pollution, blurry even with his glasses. Some were simply blocked by the giant building before him, gleaming glass reflecting the lights of the city’s nightlife, aside from one classroom on the second floor, lit up bright white with silhouettes moving across the room.

He held the binder full of notes to his chest and walked into Hope’s Peak Academy, unaware that someone in the school’s entrance hall was hiding in the shadows, watching with eyes of deep scarlet that reflected light like a cat’s would in the low light. 

Hifumi hurried up the stairs and down the hallway to the classroom they held meetings in. He saw Kamii and Kurosaki, two ultimates on the council who were dating, walk into the meeting room, Kamii practically clinging to her boyfriend. It was unsettling to see as he approached, considering Kamii thought PDA was impolite during meetings, and usually sat with someone between her and Kurosaki to avoid it. Maybe she was upset by something, but Hifumi wasn’t about to ask her, considering he was acquaintances at best with the council.

He followed them into the room, the last to arrive. The fluorescent lights were glaring and bright as night settled fully outside of their meeting. Everyone was seated aside from their Ultimate Student Council President, Umesawa, who stood at the podium in front of the blackboard, knuckles white as her blunt nails dug into the wood, her white armband standing out against the bright yellow of her hoodie.

After Hifumi sat down, leaving his notes on the desk, he noticed just how unhappy everyone seemed. Some were fidgeting, others talking but not saying much at all, their tone hurried and frightened, and others sat there and stared at the polished wood of their desk as if the world was ending around them.

“Now that we’re all here- you have some explaining to do Umesawa.” Ikuta, a girl with a famously short temper among the upperclassmen ultimates, had her hands on her desk as she stood slightly, her red hair swaying and catching the eyes of anyone who hadn’t been startled by her shout. 

“Yeah, Aiko, your emails were really panicked.” Kashiki smiled softly at her friend, but she seemed to be trembling.

Umesawa tugged on one of the bright yellow ears sitting atop the hood of her sweatshirt, pulling down the hood and raising her head to look up at the council. Her eyes seemed to draw people in, one blue and one green, both full of an earnestness that made her a good Ultimate School Council President. Now, though, they were rimmed with red, and usually perfect wavy bob was a bird’s nest, brown strands out of place in any way they could be. 

“I called you all here because it was best to be as discreet as possible.” Umesawa said.

Ichino snorted, not even bothering to hide his disrespect, too busy carding his hand through his already messy red hair. “Discreet. Yeah.” 

Just when Hifumi was going to ask them all to explain, because these ultimates always acted as if everyone just knows what’s going on instead of learning things like normal people- the door creaked open and someone Hifumi had never seen before stepped inside. 

The first thing Hifumi noticed were the gloves. One a perfect, unstained white, carrying a large duffle bag. The other a black that blended into her sleeve. The rest of her outfit was just as puzzling, a bright red tie and a white button up, but with a black cropped leather jacket over it. A black miniskirt and red knee high boots as well completed the outfit. But even then, it was almost at odds with pale violet eyes and long lavender hair, only a small portion of that hair in a braid that she toyed with in her black gloved hand.

“Good evening class.” She said, her voice even and her eyes narrowed. 

Umesawa backed away from the podium, staring at the girl. “Who are y-?”

The girl waved off the question, her black gloved hand slashing through the air, making the council president back away further. “Goodness, and they say you’re one of the brightest in the school?” She takes a step closer, heeled boots heavy on the floor. “Pathetic.” She says, a light scolding, a chiming thing that seemed more like a schoolyard taunt than a threat.

But Hifumi could tell this girl was a threat. Maybe she had a dangerous ultimate talent- he knew for a fact that even if an ultimate skill was illegal they could be admitted and given essentially some form of diplomatic immunity while they attended the school. 

“Why the hell are you here lady?!” Ikuta snapped, standing fully with her hands on her hips. 

The girl put both her hands in the air, as if surrendering, but she was smiling, amusement sparkling in those eyes that seemed to dig into anything she laid them on, ferreting out as much information as she could. “I just want to play a game with my fellow ultimates.” She said, placating and condescending. 

Hifumi, who was tired, confused, and could be watching his friend play video games right now, finally spoke up. “Can any of you ultimates ever explain anything, or is being cryptic part of the main course syllabus?” 

The girl turned to him and glared, and Hifumi couldn’t help the small squeak of fear that slipped from his mouth when her face twisted into a sneer. It was a dramatic expression, he had seen it in games and shows, but no one had ever looked at him like that, no matter how many bullies he had faced. Like he was less than nothing, his very existence something to be loathed.

“A. Game. That shouldn’t be so hard for a simple reserve course student to understand, right? After all, you don’t spend your time doing anything worthwhile, if you can’t even manage to get into the main course.” The girl’s voice dripped with malice, and she quickly took over at the podium.

Umesawa backed up even more, now close to the window opposite of the door to the classroom, hands tugging her hood back up so she could pull at the fake rabbit ears in nervousness.

“I will keep it simple.” The girl shot Hifumi another look. “Last man standing wins. Go.”

“That doesn’t make any fucking sense.” Ikuta stepped out into the aisle between desks, pointing a finger at the girl as she demanded answers. “Just who the fuck do you think you are, demanding shit from us? Are you some reserve course kid? We’ve had enough from Yamada-”

Everyone’s eyes had been on Kotomi Ikuta, they hadn’t noticed the threatening girl at the front moving at all, assuming she had been just as stunned by the rant, until Ikuta was cut off by a gunshot.

Hifumi had heard guns before, in games, in animes, in movies. There were different patterns to them depending on the type, and when he and Hina became really invested in a game he would bother to tell them apart, the distinct rapid pulses, the blasts and thunderous booms from all different kinds of weaponry. He had never heard one in real life, had never been in the same room as a real gun, even though he knew there was a shooting range up on the fifth floor for those whose talents needed such things.

It was louder than he expected, and the noise was what made him freeze. In the middle of the classroom, Ikuta fell to her knees, then slumped forward. Shrill screams and rumbling expletives filled the room.

It took a moment, to properly process all of the information and connect the dots. When he did Hifumi couldn’t stop the sharp gasp, even though all it did was make him notice the sharp sulfuric stench of gunpowder, as well as the metallic tang of fresh blood. Things he had never experienced before.

An ultimate had died right before his eyes, by something as simple as the handgun that rested like it was molded to be in the strange threatening girl’s black gloved hand. The girl’s eyes were alight with something Hifumi couldn’t understand as she huffed through her nose in what might have been amusement.

She dropped the duffle bag in her other hand, the thing spilling open to reveal an assortment of weapons from knives to swords, hammers and screwdrivers, guns of all shapes and sizes. They were real, the flash of silvery metal, the dull gleam of tools with a new use branded onto them right before their eyes. 

“If that’s not enough for you, I’ve got more.” The girl smirked, and waved to the still open door. A cart came rolling in, it’s top shelf littered with larger weapons. A chainsaw, a mace, a sledgehammer, all on top of it, all perfectly clean as if even they didn’t know what a dark omen they were, as if they didn’t know their capacity to do harm in the right hands. 

At the bottom of the cart there was a large case which the girl pulled onto the floor with ease after sliding her handgun into a previously unseen holster high up on her thigh. She kicked the case with her boot, walking around it and towards the door. “That holds all the motivation you’ll need.” 

“Everyone stay calm!” Umesawa ordered, straightening up from where she had been cowering. “No one touch those weapons- someone could get hurt!” Her voice was as sweet as ever, even with the urgency, she took out her phone and flipped it open, only for her face to fall. 

Yokō stood up from his place at the back of the room, turning his flip phone around as if to show it off. “No connection.”

Kubo stood up, gesturing broadly to the class. “She can’t stop all of us, just listen to Umesawa!” 

But everyone seemed to be getting up, fourteen students all in one room, some paralyzed by fear, others covering their fear with anger. Hifumi stayed seated, staring, unable to process it all at once, afraid. 

A student who had been at Ikuta’s side the instant she fell, trying to help her even after a gunshot wound to the forehead, lunged forward and grabbed one of the spilled weapons at random. He ran towards the terrifying girl who had orchestrated Ikuta’s death. The boy, Someya, was holding a shotgun that was almost too big for him to handle. The little plushies on keychains at his belt jingled slightly, at odds with the cold metal in his hands. Before he could aim, someone grabbed at him. 

Ichino tried to grapple the weapon away from Someya, but the small boy clung to the instrument of death with a desperation no one in the room had seen before now in a human being. Someya was frantic, eyes glassy with tears, his distinctive blue bowlcut in disarray as he shook his head, saying how she needed to pay for killing Ikuta. 

In the chaos Hifumi finally stood, moving to the wall the door was on, his back hitting the wall quickly as he tried to look around. Umesawa still was at the podium, pleading for order. Gōryoku was shielding some of the others who had broken down into tears with his large muscular body, and some other students had approached the front of the classroom.

Someya was facing the door, facing the girl who had her gun in one hand but was toying with her braid as well, as if bored. She hummed an uneven tune, as if bored, as if waiting for a show to start. 

“Please!” Someya cried, tears falling as the shotgun was wrenched out of his hands, the gun making a sharp cracking sound as it hit the floor.

Then the katana entered his chest from behind, skewering him. As the weapon was pulled out with a wet sucking sound Hifumi wished he could never have heard, the girl holding the weapon sobbed. “My mother- they have my mother- I’m so s-sorry, I can’t-!”

With a sob that devolved into a scream, Kisaragi kicked away the file of photographs she had taken from the case, the motive set out for them. It showed a middle aged woman bound to a chair, screaming into a gag. 

“Karen! Please, listen-!” Umesawa implored, a hand outstretched. “Put down the-!” She let out a small scream when Kirasagi lurched forward, slashing the katana.

The sword embedded itself into the podium. Most of the class either hung back or scattered to grab the motives, and then the weapons. 

Hifumi could only focus on one thing at a time, the sounds. The wet thunk of metal sinking into flesh, into the soft organs of the human body, so fragile even if the person had been deemed ultimate. Gunshots, sobbing, deranged laughter, screams and death rattles.

Hifumi staggered under the onslaught of sensory information overloading his mind with no way to filter it, no way to stop it. All he could do was try to get away.

Blood splattered onto his blazer, up his neck and onto his face as another student died. With a short, faltering yell, he pushed someone out of the way of the door and began to run. 

The moonlight streaming into the hallways washed them in a pale ghostly glow, as if illuminating perfection, as if a spotlight was needed. Hifumi didn’t know it, but he looked similar to when he spoke to his friends in late night chats, his lights off in his room and illuminated only by the pale glow of a computer screen, tired and giggling. 

Pink marred the walls and floors. In the classroom Hifumi abandoned, a boy he had spoken to, someone in a committee with him, was brutally beaten to death with a chair. A girl he knew was stabbed. Another was strangled. The events tumbled together into one big massacre, one big game, one big show, and the girl who pulled the strings to watch this all happen couldn’t help the grin on her usually passive face as she left the scene into her own lair.

Someone stood at her side now, shorter than her, but even more intimidating. A person in a pristine suit and long black hair, almost ridiculous in its length. Their red eyes seemed to gleam as they watched, but their pointed features never twitched from an expressionless mask of disinterest.

“Satisfied, Izuru?” Kirigiri asked once she reached her control room, one of her lackeys nodding to her reverentially and giving her the seat. Another approached her other side, giggling.

“...” Izuru’s eyes slid to the side, towards where the lackey who had been in the chair now cowered, too horrified to watch what he assisted in causing, pathetic. The girl laughing into her hand was small, and with Izuru’s keen sight and ultimate knowledge, Izuru knew that the girl was thirteen at best, too young, yet still an ultimate. She was enthralled by the gore on screen, delighted by it, just as much as she was enthralled by Kirigiri, who put a hand on the young girl’s shoulder, speaking words but never telling her anything.

With a small huff through their nose, Izuru turned and left to see the scene for himself. 

Hifumi didn’t know when someone had got him with a blade. They evidently had, from the wound on his arm pouring blood, pink staining his nice uniform, running through his fingers even when he tried his best to stop the bleeding.

He continued to stumble on, mind overloaded with information, with fear, and he couldn’t help but just blank out on all of it. There was too much to process, too much to bear acknowledging. With a ragged huff, he leaned against a wall of lockers, the cool metal a relief from everything, another nothingness to sink into. 

The wall of windows allowed in so much moonlight, for a moment Hifumi thought it was day, that any moment so many of the best students in the country would come pouring out of their classrooms. Maybe his friends would be among them, Hina tapping on her phone or the newest handheld console, Sakura making sure they didn’t bump into anyone. 

They would see him, and Sakura would hold him. She was so strong, so steady. She could carry Hifumi to the infirmary, could bandage him up and offer him a lollipop with that slight smile she got when she talked to him or Hina. She would fret over him any time she saw him until the bandage was finally gone, she would insist on carrying his bag or his notes for student council-

Hifumi swallowed down a sob, pushing himself onward. Screams echoed down hallways made to carry the voices of the best, the last cries of those who were dead the moment that girl walked into their meeting. It hurt, to keep moving, to keep acting as if just running away would save him, but everything would hurt no matter what choice he made. 

All he wanted was to hang out in Hina’s dorm, his best friends at his side as they all rested on Hina’s bright pink bed, Sakura studying late into the night as he and Hina fell asleep against her.

He wanted so much, and he was never going to get it, not now. Hifumi knew he was going to die here, he just knew it. Was this something other people felt, like a blanket of fresh snow, cold and melting deep into his bones as he realized death was coming for him, an unstoppable force? Was this something that had always been there waiting for him, and he only noticed it now when his head swam and pink dripped from his fingers?

In every game, every anime, every manga, the hero managed to get up and keep going. Whether to escape only to save the day later, or to defeat whatever stood in their way. No one expected that of Hifumi. Maybe they would think an ultimate was capable of it, and there were thirteen ultimates he had left behind to tear each other apart. 

He heard a high pitched, screaming cackle and the revving of a chainsaw, the cut off screams of a victim, far enough away that he wasn’t in danger. 

Hifumi wouldn’t find any heroes here. All he could do was try his best.

The ones who cared for him, his friends, that’s all they had ever asked of him. To try his best, to keep going, to rely on them if he needed to. Hifumi needed them more than ever, Hina’s endless energy and excitement, Sakura’s quiet strength and support. Hina would be in her dorm, headphones on as she kept talking and talking, playing video games for thousands to see. Sakura was studying a new medical journal, sitting on Hina’s bed, out of view of the webcam. 

They were so close but so far, and they were all he could think of. Would they send worried texts when he never messaged them goodnight? Would they wait until tomorrow morning, thinking he had been tired from the meeting? Would they use the extra key to his dorm he gave them, and find his room as he left it, as if nothing was amiss? Would he become another muttered rumor, like the supposed death of a girl in the computer lab of the reserve course?

Would anyone aside from Hina and Sakura notice him gone from campus? He was invisible to the other reserve course students. Maybe they would wonder why there was an extra desk in their classroom, and dismiss it just as quickly as a mistake, never remembering him. 

Tears welled up in his eyes. It was all too much, the noises, the things he had seen. Hifumi had never seen someone die before. He had never seen someone kill before. He had never seen carnage, or gore, or death. He wanted nothing more than to calm his racing thoughts, but they all piled up and screamed until he reached nothing, slumped against some lockers. His left hand was in his mouth, and he bit down harshly on the joint of his thumb, his right hand clutching where he had been injured. 

He screamed silently, throat hurting, tears finally spilling. He was so tired and scared and lost and he just wanted- he didn’t know what he wanted, he didn’t know what to do, it all was piling up, it was washing over him, a tsunami of panic and blood, bright pink and towering over him, until it finally fell and consumed him without even noticing. 

Hifumi continued to dig his teeth into his hand, it was something solid, letting him know that he was here. He brought his knees up to his chest, his legs squishing into his stomach. He let go of his wound, his right hand coming up to pull at his short curly hair as he keened. The wet sticky feeling of blood on his hand, in his hair, was so bad but the grounding pull of pain in his scalp was something that kept him from trying to slam his head into the wall or something equally damaging, because he needed anything to stop his mind from screaming, to stop himself from screaming. He began to rock back and forth, crying. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed. The moon watched on, impassive in its pale glow. Was time really passing, or had the world ended the moment that girl shot Ikuta? Was the planet still spinning? Would the moon ever set?

“Get up Yamada.” 

Chills swept down Hifumi’s spine, he swore someone was talking, but all he could hear were distant gunshots and screams.

“Yamada! Get up!” A polished shoe kicked him in the shin, and Hifumi finally looked up.

Murasame stood before him, leaning on a pitchfork. The dark grey tines were splattered with blood already, dripping down onto the floor. Hifumi stared at the blood, mind numb, lungs and throat pained by the sobs that had wracked his body. 

“I can’t kill a guy who’s crying like a baby. Are you a man or not, Yamada? I know you’re just a stupid reserve course, but c’mon. Get up, die with a little bit of dignity.” Murasame rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. He bent down to look at Hifumi like he was nothing more than a bug on the ground, disgusting. His brown hair shifted to cover his face as he leaned, before snorting wryly and standing up straight again, rolling his eyes.

Hifumi choked on another sob, trying to just breathe. He used both of his hands to brace against the lockers behind him, trying to stand. He didn’t know why he bothered, but it was something to do. Maybe Murasame was joking? Maybe he would help Hifumi?

The moment Hifumi was steady on his feet Murasame backed up, swinging his pitchfork up, an arc of pink that glowed in the moonlight following it.

Hifumi ran again. He turned a corner down the hall, still between a wall of lockers and windows, still in a cold empty husk of a school, and he didn’t stop. 

He bumped into something- someone, and stumbled back, looking at them. A short person with long black hair and pointed features, deep red eyes that stared at him with nothing behind them. “Sorry!” He shrieked, the habit converging against his fear as he quickly stepped around the person and kept running. 

Izuru raised an eyebrow and deftly hid between the lockers as another ultimate passed, this one full of bloodlust, hunting the boy who ran into them. It was different, interesting, but Izuru kept moving. They had more to see than this.

Every breath seared from Hifumi’s lungs, his body ached as he did his best to keep moving. But he didn’t even make it all the way down the hallway. Hacking into his bloodied hands, he ended up falling against one of the massive windows that made up the outside wall of the school. His injured arm burned with pain against the cold glass.

Hifumi whimpered, turning to keep his back to the glass as he heard sprinting footsteps slow and reach him.

“Everyone hated you, Yamada.” Murasame huffed, both hands holding the pitchfork as if it was a staff.

“What?” Hifumi wheezed out, more confused than frightened.

“You waltz in, a useless reserve course, and start telling us what to do. We had a betting pool going on whether you were just that oblivious that you didn’t notice how annoying you were, or if you really were just that annoying.” Murasame sneered.

“Wh-What?!” 

Murasame let go of his pitchfork with one of his hands to point at Hifumi accusingly, the tines of the weapon scraping against the floor loudly, making Hifumi flinch away. 

“That. Is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re so annoying and don’t even fucking know, do you? Handing out orders, trying to get us to help a bunch of teenagers who convinced their parents to blow their money just to attend Hope’s Peak- it’s a wonder no one offed you before now.” Murasame swung the pitchfork back up, both hands on the weapon as he pointed it at Hifumi.

“No- please-!” Hifumi begged, trying to dive out of the way. 

The sound of cracking glass echoed around the hall as Murasame chuckled. “Really?” 

Hifumi wanted to back away, wanted to run again, but fear paralyzed him.

Murasame just shook his head, pulling back his pitchfork and causing the window to fully shatter. “Get up Yamada. I’m not killing you while you cower. Unlike you, I’m better than that.” 

Hifumi made another noise, a whimpered plea even he couldn’t understand, and stood up. He trembled and breathed in the cold night air that rushed through the broken window. 

Murasame wacked Hifumi in the head with the side of the pitchfork, toying with him.

Hifumi stumbled to the side, now fully in front of the empty window frame, shards of glass still clinging to the sides. Part of him wondered if he should say something cool. Last words were supposed to be cool, right? That was for heroes, and he had always wanted to be one. He had always wanted too much.

Murasame bared his teeth and stabbed forward, the tines of his pitchfork sinking into Hifumi’s abdomen. For a moment all Hifumi could feel was the force of it, like a gut punch, something he hadn’t been a stranger to back in his middle school days. But sharp pain quickly followed, spreading, and he staggered back, the heel of his shoe hitting open air. He grabbed at the long handle of the pitchfork reflexively, unable to do anything about it.

Murasame lunged forward, trying to grab the handle of his weapon, but he missed. The revving of a chainsaw grew steadily closer, as well the unhinged laughter of an ultimate pushed to the edge. Hifumi’s killer didn’t bother watching him fall, instead running in search of a new weapon.

Hifumi gasped raggedly as he tipped out of the window, the world swinging away until all he saw was the sky. The black of night was endless, the faded stars twinkled, the moon still shined. They wouldn’t change with one boy’s death. They wouldn’t care.

As he fell, all he regretted was not giving Hina and Sakura a better goodbye. He felt the slight scrape of leaves and then his body slammed into the ground, rendering him unconscious. 

He wouldn’t wake for days. When the school’s security would find him during their sweep of the grounds, it would be an hour after they already found the unresponsive, unconscious body of Aiko Umesawa, her yellow rabbit hoodie stained pink. She would be taken to a nearby hospital, and she would be silenced before she had a chance to wake.

Hifumi was found later, a pitchfork still stuck in his stomach, and that was for the best, as it staved off the worst of the bleeding as it stayed in the wound. He had sustained a head injury and a cut to his arm, but it was better than the twelve dead students littering the second floor of Hope’s Peak Academy. A dozen bright, beautiful students all dead, their lives destroyed before they could truly live.

The school board of Hope’s Peak knew another factor to the puzzling killing game. Their pet project, Izuru Kamakura, was missing. The Ultimate Hope, the Ultimate Ultimate, was gone and most of the staff who attended to the project were dead or had been enjoying a day off in the peace of their own home, unknowing that their colleagues were being slaughtered like animals. 

It had to have been Izuru Kamakura that unleashed this bloodshed. The project ensured that the Ultimate Hope had every talent and skill ever recorded, the school board knew how easily their little project could kill, could hide bodies. They assumed it was a vengeful sign to the board, thinking themselves worth the carnage. The school board thought too highly of themselves. They underestimated just how easy it was to bring an ultimate to  a breaking point.

An entire life that culminated in a title, and ultimate, until that was all they were known for. They had to constantly one-up themselves, to constantly prove to others, and to themself, that they were the best. Years of effort, years of blood, sweat, and tears. Everything relied on their ultimate. Their world revolved around it, until they became the embodiment of their ultimate, until their ultimate became them. 

When tasked with murder, with letting go of any inhibition and just committing violence, just causing harm, something any human being was capable of, they took to the task with an almost inhuman speed. Some would need a push, but even then, their calculating mind would whir and they would frame everything to their advantage. They would come out on top, they had to. They were an ultimate after all.

But the school board only saw the brightest of their students, children. The blame was placed on Izuru Kamakura, and they quickly moved to cover up any signs of the incident. 

Hifumi Yamada would have been placed in the same hospital as his student council president, and would have been silenced just the same, two birds with one stone, but that didn’t happen. The Ultimate Nurse Sakura Oogami demanded the school fly her best friend to her clan’s clinic. She would take care of any medical need, or else she and her girlfriend, the Ultimate Gamer, would drop out of Hope’s Peak permanently, and Asahina would use her global fame to ensure that the reputation of their former school was dragged through the mud.

The school board didn’t care much if the reserve course student died, but it was best if the kid died out of their responsibility, so they used the school’s helicopter to fly Hifumi, Sakura, and Hina all to the Oogami clan’s isolated compound. 

Days passed where Sakura tended to her best friend’s wounds, and he awoke. His shifting had roused Hina, who had been sleeping at his bedside, and she ran to get Sakura.

Hifumi couldn’t help but cry in Sakura’s arms, crying himself to sleep within minutes of waking, but this sleep was far more restful. He knew he was safe. He knew he would be cared for. He knew he’d never have to go through something so bad like that ever again.

Two weeks would pass from this incident, and Hifumi would find himself locked in Hope’s Peak Academy, working with the 78th class to bolt over any window and make sure they could never, ever escape. He would agree to lock himself into the building where the worst thing to ever happen to him occurred. He agreed because Hina and Sakura would be at his side. He agreed because he knew they would be safe, together. 

Hifumi’s memories of the School Council Killing Game were unclear. He would wake from nightmares gasping for air, never fully remembering the faces of his fellow students who died, only remembering the indifferent moonlight and the gleam of deranged eyes. 

When Hifumi would ask Kyoko Kirigiri if they had ever met before, the Ultimate Lucky Student would smile awkwardly, shrugging her shoulders and saying that he must be thinking of someone else, and he would believe her, unknowing of the deep, undying loathing she carried in her heart towards him. Unknowing that she had sworn to kill him with her own hands one day. 

[hoseokslefteyebrow]

Trouble (pt.2) || M.YJ

Pairing : Min Yoonji X Reader

Genre : fluff

Summary : Now that Yoonji had gotten introduced to you, she wanted to know you. Are you really as bad as people had told her?

Wordcount : 1.5k lol

Pt.1 || Masterlist

[ A/N : The fanart ain't mine, randomly stole it from Pinterest lol.]

" I heard you cause trouble." Yoonji says as she sits down in front of the girl who's caught her eye.

You look up from your phone with a questionable look in your eyes.

" And who are you exactly?" You ask her, no undertone of politeness.

Yoonji blushes in embarrassment, having forgotten to introduce herself due to wanting to know you.

" Sorry, my names Yoonji." She tells you.

You smirk cheekily at her.

" Nice to know the pretty girl has a name. I'm Y/N by the way. And to response to your assumption earlier, do you believe them?" You ask her, holding strong eye contact as you ask her.

Yoonji shrugs her shoulder, a small smile making it's way to her own face.

" I don't know, haven't decided yet." She answers you honestly.

There's a small glint in your eyes which could mean you're surprised by her answer, but if you are, you don't really show it.

" Yah, Yoonji, break almost ended, let's go back to our lessons." 

Yoonji groans in displeasure of the appearance of her twin brother. Of course he's always there to interrupt her moment with hot girls, ( who are most probably not gay, but it's worth a try anyway.)

She sighs dramatically, making her twin roll his eyes before greeting you.

" See you around I geuss?" She smiles at you one last time before attempting to leave.

She gnaws on her lip for a moment as she glances at you when she's stood in front of the table the two of you are seated at, lowkey wanting to ask for your number but not having the guts for it.

" Yoonji." You softly call out to her as you too leave your seat.

She turns to look at you.

" You free tonight?" You ask her.

She nods enthusiastically, hoping you're asking to hang out at last.

" Good, dress casual. I'll pick you up at 7." You smile at her with a lopsided smile as you push a piece of paper into her hand before turning around and leaving.

Yoonji stares at you with admiration shining in her eyes as you leave the room, still not believing what just happened. She smiles like a giddy school girl before looking at the small piece of paper in her hand.

( Your Phone Number Xx) - Don't forget to text me sweetheart ;)

-

And so Yoonji is stood in front of her mirror later that afternoon, her room a mess as she's trying to pick out the perfect clothes for her first ever date.

Being lesbian had made it difficult for her to find a girlfriend who she could go on dates with. Until today she was actually starting to believe that she was the only lesbian around. She's tried out online dating too, but she just couldn't find the physical affection she needed. She really hoped that this date would work out.

" Yah, fatass, did you steal my charger agai- You going somewhere?" Yoongi cuts himself off as he sees his sister dressed up for once.

The twins look at each other awkwardly for a few moments before Yoonji finally breaks it.

" Close the door behind you and I'll tell you." She tells him in a hushed tone.

He knew she was a lesbian, but their parents didn't.

And so Yoongi does as asked, crossing his arms afterwards and waiting for an explanation.

" I have a date." Yoonji smiles excitedly as she smiles at him.

Yoongi nods, actually happy for his sister, tough he doesn't show her in his facial expression. It doesn't matter tough, she knows her brother well enough to know that he's happy for her.

Instead of saying anything, he checks out her outfit.

" What do you think?" She ask him.

He cocks his head to the side before answering.

" Too short." He tells her before rummaging trough the mess of clothes on her floor.

" What? No it isn't. I tough it's cute." Yoonji looks puzzled as she looks at herself trough the mirror again.

The black with pink printed crop top looks fine, even if she raises her arms all the way nothing is revealed, her skirt is admittedly on the short side, but not too bad unless she bends over all the way, plus she's wearing a pair of shorts underneath anyway.

" Here this is better." Yoongi grins as he holds up a huge sweater against her. 

She huffs and swats it away.

" Oh c'mon. My baby sister is growing up, I can't allow that." Yoongi fakes a pout.

" I'm older." She huffs.

" Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't let her break your heart." He tells her softly before pulling her into a hug.

" I'll be fine." She giggles.

They talk a little more before the doorbell rings, and Yoonji almost yeets to the door, not having expected that you'd actually ring the bell, thinking that you'd call her that you would call once you were in front of her door.

She runs downstairs, hoping to beat her parents to the door, however, she failed, and she only hopes that you're not mentioning the word 'date' to her parents.

" Yoonji, I think you forgot to mention to that you'd go out with a friend tonight. I assume the two of you will just grab something out to eat?" Yoonji's father asks her.

She opens her mouth to answer, but you beat her to it.

" We will sir, tough we might end up talking for a while too, but don't worry I'll have her home before midnight." You smile.

Yoonji's parents smiles at you, and Yoonji herself is only too happy by the sight.

" Don't you think she'd make a good girlfriend for Yoongi-" 

" Alright mom, dad, we'll be going now." Yoonji cuts off her parents hurriedly as she leaves the house quickly, taking you with her by wrist.

She hears her parents yell out greetings before closing the door.

" I'm sorry about that." She mumbles as she lets go of your wrist, avoiding your eyes.

" You didn't come out yet?" You ask her softly.

She shakes her head wordlessly, and you nod in response.

" Okay, well, let's go." You cheer as you motion for her to follow.

She's relieved you don't pry, but concerned when you walk in the opposite direction of town.

" Where are you going? Town is that way." She tells you.

You look confused for a moment behead smiling and shaking your head.

You don't say anything as you take her hand and instead lead her to an old black and yellow lined Hyundai Azera first model. You suprise her by taking out your keys and unlocking it by inserting the key.

" My lady'." You smile as you open the passenger door for her.

She wordlessly steps in, you shutting the door behind her and walking over to the driver's side.

"Sorry that my car's this old and cranky by the way." You smile embaressedly as you close the door behind you.

Yoonji smiles at you and shakes her head.

" Don't worry about it, your car looks fine. I don't know a lot of people our age who own a car anyway." She tells you.

" I work at a car garage, this one came in all beat up, the owner left it to be brought to a dump, I was allowed to fix it up as long as I bought the stuff with my own money." You tell her proudly, starting up the engine.

" That's really cool. Can I ask you a question?" She wonders out loud.

" How did you come out to your parents?" She asks curiously.

You swallow and your eyes harden, making her worry that you asked the wrong question.

" My parents are not with me, let's just say." You tell her, your eyes focusing on the road.

" Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." She says guiltily.

You shake your head, not saying anything as you start to speed off.

The next moments are in tense silence, until you break it.

" So, I know the first date is supposed to be fancy and stuff, but I hope you don't mind Mackey D's for our first date." You smile at her shortly.

She laughs, not at all minding.

" It's okay, I don't mind. Anywhere is fine as long it's with you." She says with a smile before turning red, did she really just say that out loud?

You've turned a soft pink too, and a laugh leaves your throat at her answer.

" Damn, you're adorable. And don't worry, I'll take you out on a proper date after this one." You smile widely.

She turns pink in response.

[ A/N : Someone tell me they like it, and I might make a pt.3 lol]

[carry-on-snowbazzing]

My 5 best of 2020 (in 2021 😂)

1. A summer day ☀

"Well, Baz! Do you want to move?" Penelope yelled, already in the car (a certain MG dated 1967).

Simon studied his own reflection in the rearview mirror, running a hand through his bronze curly tuft and resulting in even more messiness.

"A minute!" was the answer from a few floors above the apartment.

Penelope rolled her eyes and picked up her Iphone.

Shortly after, hurried footsteps were heard coming down the stairs and Baz, after closing the door, got into the car.

Simon leaned out of the back seat and kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled and, starting the engine, exclaimed:

"Destination: fun!"

  Later there were four of them getting out of the car: Baz with a beach umbrella over his shoulder, Simon struggling with a giant inflatable pink flamingo, Penelope with a cooler bag, and Agatha with another bag, containing beach towels and sunscreen.

"The weather forecasts were right; today’s a perfect day for the sea," Penelope commented as she slipped off her flip-flops and dropped her bag into the sand.

"Edward shines like a fairy!" Simon yelled, putting on a pair of sunglasses and pointing to Baz.

"Stop it, Snow," he laughed, "and give me my glasses back; all this sunshine stuns me."

Trying to ignore them, Agatha took off her cover-up and began to rub off the protection angrily.

"Whoever dives himself last is a pixie!" Simon yelled, throwing his t-shirt and starting to run towards the sea with Penelope at his heels.

Several splashes and laughter later, the two returned wet, smiling and hungry.

Meanwhile, Baz and Agatha had dedicated themselves to crossword puzzles and to the horoscope.

"Agatha, there must be some butter and turkey sandwiches in the cooler," Penelope said as she wrapped herself in her towel.

"I couldn't find anything better for you than beef carpaccio," she said to Baz.

He smiled making 'OK' with both thumbs.

"And for me?" Agatha asked, offended that her friend hadn't thought of her too.

"Fruit salad" she replied. "I know you're on a vegetarian diet."

Agatha blushed feeling a little guilty and muttered something like "Oh, thank you".

Everyone literally devoured their lunch, because, as Simon ruled on his fifth butter sandwich, "The sea makes you hungry."

They gossiped a bit about their old classmates, wondering if Gareth still had his belt buckle as a wand and if Trixie had a fight with his girlfriend.

  They lost track of time after falling asleep in the early afternoon sun.

It was the sound of a notification that woke Agatha, who, after seeing her mother's message ('Where are you? Coven party tonight!'), made a shrill sound that woke the others too.

"Damn, I'm in mega-delay!" she complained, sitting up and hastily gathering his things.

Seeing her so agitated, no one dared contradict her and they hurried too.

Before leaving for the return, all already in the car, Simon took out a Polaroid from the trunk (not an easy feat, given the bulky mass of the flamingo) and urged them:

"Wait! Say 'cheese'!"

Everyone posed, waiting for the flash.

Once the picture was taken, Simon reached for the film that had just come out of the instant camera, but found himself clutching a slice of Emmental in his fingers.

Baz couldn't help himself and laughed uncontrollably.

"Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch!" Simon bursted, but he couldn't bear a grudge and joined in the general laughter.

___________________________________________________

2. Shopping (Big & Little) 🥄

"They'll be emptying the mall, those two" Agatha commented, looking at the clock on the kitchen wall and adding another egg to the bowl.

"Probably" replied Penelope, who was handling the curry risotto.

"They've been away for three hours!" Agatha insisted, "and with two credit cards!".

Penelope gave her a look like 'what can we do?' and again consulted the handwritten note attached to the refrigerator with a magnet (shaped like a scone).

"Oh, I forgot the onion!" she moaned after a quick glance, "my mother would kill me if she knew!".

She went back to the stove and for a few minutes they remained silent, one intent on vigorously banging the whips, the other busy slicing the bulb.

Once Agatha had baked the chocolate cake (wiping a non-existent sweat with her glove) and Penelope had remedied her mistake, the girls dropped onto the sofa.

They were just debating which movie to watch that night when they heard the key turn in the lock and Simon exclaim from the entrance:

"We’re at home!"

The two joined them in the living room and Baz asked:

"Curry and chocolate?"

Penelope nodded.

"Sometimes I wish I was a vampire; just smell a dish to understand if the doses are right or wrong," she sighed.

"Shopping?" Agatha asked, looking at the numerous envelopes they both had in their hands and casting a reproachful look at Simon.

"There were the sales" he tried to justify himself, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hurry up; you’ll show us your spoils of war after dinner" Penelope ordered.

  "What do you think?" Simon began, smugly showing a set of jeans for Baz and a giant jar of sour cherries scones.

Penelope seemed to try not to roll her eyes.

"I stayed on the intellectual side" Baz said, pulling a stack of books and a pack of pastel highlighters out of a bag.

"I need them for the college" he explained to Agatha, who was trying to get hold of the markers.

"And you haven't seen the piece of resistence!" Simon shrieked, grabbing a smiling Baz by the wrist and dragging him into the nearest room.

They came out moments later walking backwards (in what was supposed to be an imitation of Michael Jackson's moonwalk), so they could only see their backs.

"3, 2, 1 ..." Baz counted.

"Ta daaaan!" Simon exclaimed as they turned at the same time.

They wore matching gray sweatshirts; both had a black molded spoon.

'Big' was written on Baz's, while Simon's 'Little'.

"Awww" the girls screamed in unison, in the grip of a fangirl attack (which managed to make Agatha look adoring too).

"We have a pair for you too" Baz said, handing Penelope a black t-shirt with 'Brownie' on it, while Simon gave Agatha a white one with 'Blondie' on it.

"Thanks, guys" Penelope murmured moved and Agatha initiated a group hug.

photos references

------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Anniversary 💞

here

------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Ops! 🧴

 Simon knocked for the tenth time on the bathroom door:

"Occupied!" Baz yelled for the tenth time.

"And sorry, but I can't hold it anymore anymore ..."

Simon abruptly released the handle, abandoning his irritated tone.

He let out a cry, muffled by the hands that he immediately brought to his mouth.

Baz was shirtless in front of the mirror, glaring at his own reflection.

Everything was perfectly normal, except for his hair: it had turned from raven to red.

Fawn red.

"If you tell anyone about this, Snow, I will end you" he growled menacingly.

Simon stood there, speechless. When he had regained the use of his mouth, he barely stifled a laugh and intoned:

“Weasley is our king

he always lets the Quaffle in ... "

From Baz's look, he knew it would be wiser to stop, so he did it.

He approached cautiously and asked gently:

"What happened to you?".

"I wish I knew; I was taking a normal shampoo shower" sighed Baz.

Meanwhile Simon had reached the sink and was looking closely at the bottle of the citron and bergamot scented blend.

"It doesn't seem to have anything strange" he then ruled, placing it back on the shelf.

"Indeed; I went to get it from my home in Hampshire; Daphne can only find it in our town's herbalist's shop," Baz replied sadly.

"I really can't explain it" he went on, unable to get over it.

"My sister gave it to me ..." he stopped suddenly.

He clapped her forehead and turned on the lock screen of his smartphone.

"Today is April 1st," he murmured.

He took the vial in one hand and, with the ivory wand in the other, exclaimed:

"Show me your secrets!".

The writing on the label changed from 'Shampoo with citrus notes' to 'Permanent color intense red'.

"MORDELIAAAAA!" he screamed as Simon rolled with laughter.

"April Fool!" he managed to exclaim between a laugh and another.

That’s totally inspired by a fanart of @vkelleyart​ 💖 :  that 

------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Trick or treat? 👻

 "Well, Baz! If you don't move, we'll only have the sub-brand candy left!" Simon railed.

With all the peace of mind he could, Baz went down the stairs and joined his screaming boyfriend, who was immediately silent at his sight.

"Morgana, Basilton; you really mean it" Penelope commented, watching him as she lit another candle to put in the Jack o 'lanterns carved by Simon and Baz (which occupied all the flat surfaces of the apartment).

"I've been doing some accurate researches over the last week" he began, making a theatrical gesture in his vampire cloak.

"You even have the same jacket as Gary Oldman" she observed excitedly.

He, in response, gave her a perfidious look, baring his fangs.

Simon was still in his silence and couldn't take his eyes off him.

"What's up Snow, the cat got your tongue?" Baz asked, amused.

He answered with a tongue sticking out and approached him with a raised eyebrow (in perfect Baz style).

"Wow" he commented after kissing him on the cheek.

"Enjoy yourselves!" Penelope exclaimed as they came out hand in hand.

  "Where do we go now?" Baz asked.

Simon moved with great ease between one bell and another, meticulously illustrating the specialties offered by each house.

His phrases were: "Here you can always find top quality stuff", or "No, better to avoid an indigestion".

After scouring all the houses on the first five blocks, Simon had an epiphany.

"For a thousand snakes! Baz, we absolutely have to go to the 'Spooky night' party!" he screamed, making him jump.

"Crowley, Snow! Calm down!" he retorted irritably, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt.

"You don't understand," Simon insisted.

"Our loot is loser when compared to everything you can find there; Strawberry Blood Drip, Every Flavour Beans, Pumpkin PIE, Butterbeer and, hold on ... Oreo with Orange Cream!"

Baz, seeing him so excited ('like a child', he thought), couldn’t say no to him (although he wanted to go home more than anything else; his feet protested against Count Dracula's boots).

"And where would it be?" he asked, trying not to smile.

"A couple of blocks from here; hurry up!" Simon urged him, taking him by the hand and starting to run.

  "A delusion!" Simon snapped, leaving the bag full of sweets on the doormat.

"What happened?" Penelope asked Baz, who had just closed the door behind him and limped desperately as he headed for the sofa.

"In short at that damn party they had finished everything and told us our costumes sucked" he explained.

Simon was with his arms folded, all sulking, sitting in the armchair.

"Look at their costumes! And let me have something to eat, rather!" he barked.

Penelope approached him and, looking at him tenderly, reassured him:

"We always have our repertoire of horror films."

Simon shrugged, hitting the nearby lamp.

"And I was prepared for any eventuality," she went on, snapping her fingers and popping up a pack of Oreos with orange cream.

Simon's face cleared, illuminated by a huge grin.

__________________________________________________

Ty @letraspal​ for tagging me 💕

That’s all; hope u like it!  💜

Happy new Year! ✨

[harushinkai-daily]

Happy Birthday Haru Shinkai!

Given that so few characters in the Digimon universe have canonical birthdays, Haru’s birthday on July 1 is a day worth noting! Here are a few ideas for how to celebrate a very memorable Digimon protagonist.

🍅 Revisit a favorite moment from Appmon

As the series’ resident gogglehead, he features in plenty of episodes. You could start with his reluctant beginning in Episode 01, or pick and choose some more highlights:

Episodes 02, 04, and 23 show his ability to strategize and come up with creative solutions to tough problems;

Episodes 03 and 41 involve high-stakes showdowns that highlight his ability to alter the outcome of a situation with words alone;

Episodes 04, 19, and 45, and 50 demonstrate the strength of the bond he shares with Gatchmon (and in one case, a particular Agumon!);

Episodes 12, 13, 18, 25, 27, and 32 all illustrate his compassion and concern for others--whether it’s his crush, his best friend, an innocent-seeming Appmon, or the brooding hacker who stole all their Seven-Code Chips (and if you’re watching 32, don’t miss his attempt to sound like a tough-guy delinquent!);

Episodes 51 and 52 demonstrate his bravery and resolve when the chips are down and the fate of humanity is at stake!

And if it’s available in your country, don’t forget to rate and leave reviews on the officially licensed sub on Crunchyroll!

🍅 Listen to Haru (and Gatchmon’s) themes and character song

Haru has one character song that he shares with his Buddy (“Hallelujah”), which plays in the show near the end of Episode 52 (you can listen to the full thing here, and view the lyrics here!). The pair also share a bouncy instrumental track (“Haru and Gatchmon’s Everyday Life”), and there’s a more melancholy instrumental theme (“A Protagonist’s Agonizing”) if you’re looking for something with a different tone.

Both Appmon openings (“DiVE!!” and “Gatchen!”) have verses hinting at Haru’s growth in becoming a protagonist. Last but not least, the fourth ending (“Perfect World”) and the watercolor-esque sequence depicting Haru’s friends throwing him a surprise party were, of course, timed to be released on July 1, so they’re all great listens as well!  

🍅 Create fanwork, or revisit some of your favorites!

Drawing fanart of Haru for his birthday is certainly a popular option, but there’s nothing stopping you from trying your hand at writing some Appmon fanfiction, or making a Haru-themed moodboard, playlist, or other tribute! And even if you’re not in the mood to create your own, it’s still a great day to share existing Appmon fanwork via a reblog or a link. If there’s a piece that left a particular impression on you, a friendly comment to the artist or author is a great way to show support and keep our small fandom alive.

🍅 Curl up with a good book

One of the first things we learn about Haru is that he’s a bookworm, preferring narratives with strong protagonists. You could follow in his footsteps by rereading that creased and dogeared copy of an old favorite, or use your preferred search engine to discover something new (some sci-fi involving advanced AI, perhaps?).

Speaking of which, you could...

🍅 Dabble in artificial intelligence

Haru’s ambition is to become an AI researcher, and even without being able to visit an AI-controlled city or rebuild your best friend from scratch, there are plenty of ways to explore the past and present landscape of AI. 

Super

Read about Pepper, the robotic assistant that helped inspire Appmon’s Sugar units.

Read about the Dartmouth Summer Research Project, which the AppDrivers briefly visited thanks to Timemon.

Ultimate

My favorite source for some of the weird things that can be produced with AI is… well, aiweirdness.com! Collaborate with an AI to create a surreal text-based adventure, browse some paint colors, or check out the terrifying knitting patterns that may as well have been created by Leviathan himself!

Play Pictionary with an AI, and help train it to recognize doodles at the same time! (Read more about “Quick, Draw“ here).

God-Grade

Sign up for a free course in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning through Coursera.

Read up on the ethical concerns modern AI researchers are still working to address. More than a sudden hostile takeover like SkyNet or the Human Application Project, an increased reliance on today’s AI involves safety, security, and privacy concerns, as well as the issue of biased and discriminatory datasets.

🍅 Play some video games

Haru is by no means an avid gamer, but he does seem to enjoy games casually and as a social experience, including a few that involve strategic/puzzle aspects. Why not recreate the Pokemon Go craze of Summer 2016 by logging back into your account and hunting for rare monsters with your friends (keeping in mind good social distancing practices, of course!).

Lots of other games have gone virtual, so if you and your friends are a more spread out you could meet online to play a party game like Drawception or Jackbox, or even something that requires a bit more deductive reasoning, such as Codenames, Hanabi, or Werewolf One Night. If you prefer solo play, you could download a new mobile puzzle game (as long as it doesn’t become infected and lock you out of something important!), or relive the story of your favorite recent-generation game by playing it on Easy Mode. And if you were feeling really ambitious, you might fire up an or an old-school RPG, dungeon-crawler, or adventure game-- just make sure to have a walkthrough on hand in case you get stuck!

🍅 Engage in a physical activity

Haru is also not what you would call a super-coordinated athlete, but there are a few things you could try if you wanted to experience his more adventurous moments for yourself:

Get a friend to kick a soccer ball at your face (not recommended).

Set up a game of hide-and-seek, tag, or Quidditch. Anyone that catches you wins the grand prize! (not *currently* recommended, but maybe around Halloween...).

Hike up a snowy mountain and then sled down to avoid the ice monster at the top (not recommended).

Tool around on a Segway (...maybe?).

Go bungee jumping (not recommended).

Whatever you do, avoid activities that involve the ocean or other large bodies of water, because Haru himself says he can’t swim!

🍅 Choose to be a protagonist.

If, like Haru, you occasionally struggle to see yourself as anything more than a side character, use today as an opportunity to change the narrative. Set aside some time to pursue one of your goals that’s fallen by the wayside, or something you’re deeply passionate about. Step out of your comfort zone. Give yourself permission to make mistakes. Make a conscious decision to improve some aspect of your life, even if it’s something small. Every little bit helps!

🍅 Be humble, caring, and kind.

More than anything else, Haru is defined by his desire to be kind to those around him. To that end, you might consider reaching out to someone you know is going through a difficult time. Practice empathy and respect. Donate time, money, or supplies to a cause you really believe in. Don’t be afraid to be a main character in your own story, but realize there is just as much value being a supporting character in someone else’s. Take steps, even small ones, toward making the world a better place.

🍅 Other ideas:

Eat a hamburger, Haru’s favorite food.

Make plans to hang out with a friend you haven’t been able to spend time with for a while, whether it’s due to your secret double life as an AppDriver or just being busy (just maybe... avoid going to school rooftops at sunset).

Ask a family member to share an embarrassing story about your childhood on social media.

Ask an eccentric older relative to yell at you in the middle of the night. The louder the better!

Happy Birthday, Haru!

[canned-spam33]

SIX OF CROWS SPOILER WARNING

Strap yourselves in SoC fans, I'm about to give a lengthy and frankly unasked for explanation for why I like Kaz Brekker, Dirtyhands, Bastard of the Barrel best. I feel like I owe the probably worried people on Amino this explanation, although they probably will never find this :)

To start, I want to make note of how he is such a consistent character throughout the series. In plenty of other YA novels, the character will often act, well, out of character in order to acheive a goal in the plot or to establish romance or drama. Kazzy boy, though? He has this steaming truckload of fucked up trauma (not only in his childhood, but his "adult" life too) which stays with him even as he proceeds throughout the story. Not only that, but his ideals, as twisted as they may be, are constant. For example, throughout the actual heist on the Ice Court, he maintained his calm composure. The only time we really see this disappear is when he obviously blacks out in the prison carriage and when he frees Pekka.

Kaz also always has a drive forward. Whether it be that sweet, sweet Kruge, or his Wraith, he never loses sight of what he wants. He will do anything it takes to acheive his goal. "Brick by Brick" is one of his main philosophies(?) and its what keeps him from destroying an entire city with his bare hands, which he may not be able to do but will damn well try. When they meet with Yikes Van Eck and Inej gets yoinked, Kaz tells the rest of the Crows something along the lines of "Im gonna get my money and im gonna get my girl." Kaz always mentions that greed is a lever to use and manipulate people with, but it seems that Kaz is both the manipulator and the mark. Basically, his greed is both his own weapon and one of his deepest vunerabilities.

Kaz Brekker is a smart and cunning character. We all know this, and if you know anything about me, you know that I love the clever foxes (or on this case, the cunning crows.) The way that Kaz formulates his plans almost reminds me of an engineer or even a writer. He described his plot of winning the Auction as a spiky monster of a plan, and as he puzzled over it, the plan seemed to even itself out into a nice paved road. As I watched him reveal the inner workings of his plans, I felt the clockwork tick in his brain. They exploded into a million comprehensible pieces like a digital blueprint and he pieced them back together with a nice bow. His gambling on people's feelings and emotions makes true gamblers envious, as he is always right. He seems to always be several steps ahead of his victims, just like Bardugo herself. I was captivated by his thieving fingers and stayed for his meticulous and precise planning.

This little shit has kept me up for weeks reading everything I possible can about him. I spent hours creating bad fanart for this guy. I love him, as awful of a person as he is. Kudos to Bardugo and everyone who wonderfully supported her.

Y'all can probably expect another one of these within the next few days. I wanna talk about Jesper next, but we'll see 👀