#forgot how fun is to draw model like scenarios

[ghostsberry]

come in the mystery shack

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

This may be oddly specific but what the heck, how about a scenario with a g/n reader where they’re a fashion designer, and they’re talking with the Adeuce duo in Mostro lounge about modelling their latest designs for a magicam photoshoot, but Adeuce are too busy and can’t help, so they’re trying to figure out who can substitute on short notice, all while a certain pair of twins can’t help but overhear their conversation (delete if this is too much)

I fastforwarded past the “reader talking to Adeuce about their designs” part so I could get to the more interesting bits~

I wanted to actually write the part where the twins modelled, but I hit my 1k word limit just doing the build up to it. If you’re interested in seeing the twins model, please consider submitting a follow-up request when I’m taking new ones!

Model Jade though--

[Image used is credited to KawaiiR.]

Imagine this...

Not enough. The hit of sugar from the fruit juice you downed wasn’t enough to settle your stress. As soon as your glass was drained of liquid, you slammed it down upon the counter, head snapping to the bartender.

“Another round,” you grunted, motioning for him to make it quick as you slid your empty container over.

Jade received your cup with a sigh and passed it off to his twin, who had taken advantage of slow business to invade the counter space. Floyd was collecting glasses and stacking them into a neat pyramid. His heterochromatic eyes peered out at odd bends through the curved cups, shining with glee as he used his newly acquired cup to crown off the formation.

Jade’s gaze returned to you, paired with a fake sympathetic smile. “I’m afraid I will have to ‘cut you off’. Drowning your sorrows with drink is not a healthy means of coping.”

If they keep this pace up, we won’t have anything left for the lunch rush. And how bothersome it would be if he had to take precious time out of his break to restock on their beverages.

“Who cares, as long as I pay for it,” you muttered, slamming a hand on the counter. “Another round, Jade.”

“You are already incurring a hefty tab.” He shook his head--a polite refusal.

“Good,” you grumbled sarcastically. “That means Octavinelle gets another indentured servant when I can’t cough up the cash.”

Jade chuckled, bringing a hand to his chest and not making any effort to deny your grim prediction. “Rather than drag yourself further into the depths of debt... May I ask what it is that troubles you, dear customer? Perhaps we may be able to hear you out and assist with your woes.”

“I’m not sure if you can,” you retorted, fingers rubbing at your temples. “I’ve just lost my two models, and I don’t know where I’m going to find replacements on such short notice.”

“You mean Kani-chan and Saba-chan?” Floyd asked, propping his face up with curled fingers. His cheeks squished against his touch, granting him a more innocent look than usual. “They were with you earlier and left all in a hurry.”

“Yeah. Deuce had a Track and Field Club meet he forgot about, and Ace got detention with Crewel for failing the last quiz,” you groaned, “which leaves me without models for my new collection.”

“Collection?” Floyd’s face suddenly lit up with interest. “Like a fashion collection?”

“Yup, that’s right.” You fished your phone out of your pocket and unlocked it, pulling up your Magicam account. The students of NRC may have boasted magical pens, but you wove your own magic with needle and cloth. “I share the outfits I design and make.”

You tilted your mobile device to show your page. Each image cropped nicely, expertly shot and edited to perfection--very aesthetic. Floyd “ooh”ed and “aah”ed at the designs parading across the screen, but Jade’s eyes immediately honed in on your follower count.

It wasn’t celebrity status like Vil’s cool 5 million count. It wasn’t even decent-sized influencer status like Cater’six digits. But it was at least a few thousand, and numbers like that had reasonable sway.

“I could take pictures of mannequins with my clothes, but it just doesn’t feel the same as when real, breathing people are wearing them,” you explained. “It’s hard to find the right types for this sort of thing...”

The twins hovered over your phone, nearly cheek to cheek and shoulder to shoulder, as they absorbed your Magicam gallery. Spitting images, reflections with slight differences--the shape and colors of their eyes, the black tufts of hair that swung like pendulums, framing their handsome faces. Features delicate, yet sharp.

Your voice trailed off as realizations lowly set in. The longer you stared at the twins, the more pieces seemed to fall in place of the puzzle. “Tall, broad shouldered, and the facial symmetry...” You brought a hand to your chin, brows creasing in concentration.

That’s it.

“You’re exactly what I’m looking for!!” you blurted out, abruptly standing and seizing each of their hands. “Please, be my models!”

“Mmm? Sounds fun!” Floyd threw his head back and laughed, eager to be amused by something new. He turned to his brother. “Ne, ne, Jade~ Can we?”

“Hmm.” Jade cast a cursory glance around the Mostro Lounge. Not a soul in sight. Then he returned to your Magicam page, and its tempting follower count. “Well, the Mostro Lounge has been looking to increase its social media presence. What better way to achieve that than by cross promoting with a fellow content creator? And what’s more...”

He snickered into his hand. “I could not possibly allow Floyd, nor myself, to continue to wallow in boredom.”

“Then...!!” You clutched their hands tighter, hope filling your heart.

“We will lend you our aid for this endeavor.”

“Yes...!! Thank you, thank you so much!!” You clapped in excitement, your legs caught up in a little jig. “Oh, I’ll need to take your measurements, then tailor Ace and Deuce’s original outfits to your sizes. We also need to find a suitable spot for the photo shoot--a place with natural lighting would be best--and, and, and...”

“There will be plenty of time to sort those details out,” Jade calmly reassured you. “Ah, but first... there remains the matter of your drink tab.”

“... Oh.”

“Furthermore, since you are contracting us... You will need to draw up a formal agreement with Azul, and agree to his terms and conditions by signing off on the dotted line,” Jade continued, his tone even and pleasant.

You swallowed hard. A deal with Octavinelle? It may as well have been signing your soul away.

“You got it, riiight?” Floyd inquired in a lazy drawl. “Cuz you’re a fashion designer and all. You must’ve worked with contracts before.”

“You understand, yes?” Jade pressed, chiming in with his twin.

“E-Er, now wait a sec...”

“It’s just business,” the twins recited in unison--their smiles dangerously devilish.

[itsbenedict]

I didn’t post about everything I played this year, so here’s my opinions on the stuff I played that I didn’t make a rec post for:

Raging Loop 

Raging Loop is one of them twisty meta Zero Escape-y branching-path visual novels where an ensemble cast is trapped in a mysterious circumstance where people are dying gruesomely, and you have to find out what’s happening and stop it by looping a bunch. 

I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it, because... it tries to have its cake and eat it too with the supernatural elements. Clearly magic is real and has important impacts on the scenario, but then other parts are trickery you’re supposed to see through, and it’s entirely uninterested in cluing you in to how that trickery was accomplished. Not exactly a fair play mystery, in that regard- you have to kind of just be along for the ride, rather than try to figure it out.

That said, it’s a good ride- pretty strong character writing, and the central conceit of the Werewolf/Mafia-style murder scenario creates really interesting drama. It’s more concerned with making itself feel clever than letting the player feel clever, but it’s still well-paced and gripping and has a pretty decent resolution.

Detective Grimoire

I recommended Tangle Tower, the sequel, pretty strongly- and this one, while obviously a little rougher around the edges with the art and mechanics (the suspicion tracker system is a total dud; I didn’t even realize it existed until I realized I was missing an achievement for using it), it’s still pretty darn good. Really fun character designs and animations, fully-voiced, and a solid whodunit backing it all. Plus- while the two are more or less self-contained, the continuity threads with Tangle Tower raised some really interesting questions.

Contradiction - the all-video murder mystery

This one was pretty fun, largely on the strength of the actors. The main mechanic of interrogating people on evidence and using their own statements against each other was some good stuff, too. Definitely had that Phoenix Wright quality to the deductions, and Jenks is a really fun character. (Had a few points where progression was just linked to standing in a certain previously-abandoned area of the map where a clue was suddenly there for no reason, there- good thing it had a hint system.)

As a mystery, it could use a little work- most of what you end up finding out is sequel bait (for a sequel that never actually came together, unfortunately), and the actual whodunit is just sort of hiding in the cracks of all that. And... cornering the culprit just sort of happens out of nowhere once you’ve got your hands on the right piece of evidence, without much fanfare. You’re following up on leads like usual, you find a little lie in someone’s testimony, and then- oh, shit, they’re just confessing everything! Unlike all the previous times you questioned them and they were super evasive like everyone else! And then the game is over. 

All in all, it’s pretty meaty and entertaining and I’d recommend it, but unfortunately the creators have moved on to other things, so there’s not going to be any follow-up on the stuff it left unresolved.

Ikenfell

Ikenfell is a tightly-designed RPG about kids at a magic school, with Paper Mario-style action command mechanics and a battle system that makes a big deal out of careful positioning and movement, which was really enjoyable. The difficulty’s a little high (I recommend always always always speccing into max damage because killing things before they kill you is worth more than any amount of defense, speed doesn’t work, and healing is cheap), but I found it really satisfying.

There’s... something... off? About... I don’t know how to put it, it’s... doing that “yes, everyone is queer and mentally ill, deal with it” thing, which, sure, okay. But for a lot of them it’s such a background thing, like... half the playable cast is unambiguously nonbinary, but like... I don’t know if it’s trying to make some statement on how there are no rules to being NB and you can 100% perform a particular binary gender presentation but still count, or if they wrote the whole story and then changed the pronouns of some of the characters for Representation Points, or what. Probably the former? I dunno, it just feels weird. Maybe I’m just not woke enough to Get It.

(unrelatedly: why the heck is the official art they use everywhere so... off-model? none of them look like they do in-game- they look like the creator commissioned someone to draw a group shot with one reference image each and didn’t tell them anything about the characters. how much you wanna bet they commissioned a friend and it came out wrong but they were too polite to say “sorry, no, this is wrong, can you do it over?”)

Trails of Cold Steel IV

Hoo boy. It’s... not great, and it’s not great in a pretty predictable way for an even-numbered entry in the Trails series. It happens every time- first there’s a game in a new engine with new characters and a new world to explore, and it’s really nice and does interesting things... and then it ends on a cliffhanger, and then there’s a sequel game in the same engine with the same characters and the same world, reusing as many assets as possible. Also the League Of Generically Evil Anime Supervillains is there causing trouble for reasons they refuse to explain, and the plot is a storm of magicbabble and macguffin-chasing that makes little to no sense. 

Cold Steel IV is that for Cold Steel III, full stop. Welcome back to all the same places you visited last game, except this time there’s some stupid magic apocalypse happening (not that it stops you from taking the time to do random sidequests constantly, of course). The whole “oh, the evil curse mind controls people and that’s why they do stupid bullshit that’s in no one’s interest” plot point is leaned on super hard, and it’s just a big yawn the whole way through.

It’s still really fun, though, because the battle system remains really well-designed. (The same battle system that was just as fun in Cold Steel III, mind you, but it hasn’t gotten old.) And- though they’re struggling to square it with the dumb mind control apocalypse plot, the NPC dialogue continues to make the world feel believable and lived-in. They don’t slack on the parts that make Trails good- it’s just the parts that make Trails bad are making themselves more evident than ever.

did finally get to date Towa though so that’s a win

One Step From Eden

OSFE is... uh. It’s fucking hard is what it is. It’s sort of a deckbuilding roguelike, and there’s this combat that takes place on a grid, and- wait, it’s like Mega Man Battle Network, it’s exactly like Mega Man Battle Network. Man, I forgot about that, but the mechanical influence is extremely obvious. It’s MMBN meets Slay the Spire.

Except it’s super duper hard as hell, because unlike MMBN you can’t pause and swap out chips or anything- everything is just always happening so much, all at once, everywhere, and you have no recourse but to git gud and learn all the enemy patterns and the behavior of your own spells and develop the twitch reflexes necessary to not fucking die from all the shit that’s on the screen always.

(What’s the story? Uhhhh, there was some kind of magic apocalypse, and some anime girls are trying to reach a city for some reason that doesn’t really get explained ever. The game doesn’t really care to build its world at all- it’s all mechanics plus a little token character dialogue that doesn’t say much.)

The point is it’s really frickin’ hard but I am an epic pro gamer and I got ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS, MOTHERFUCKER. If you’ve played it, I expect you to be really god damn impressed with me, okay???

A Short Hike

This one was really relaxing! It’s a platformer where you explore an Animal Crossing-y island of cartoon animal people, collecting mobility upgrades- but like, mainly it’s about straight chillin’. The flight controls are fun and there’s lots of little secrets to find and it’s just a nice time that doesn’t drag on too long. Not too much to say about this one.

Pokémon Sword

Ehhhhh.

I’m not here for the hot takes about how Dexit is good actually. Development hell happened, they had to make cuts for time, I get it. It’s disappointing and makes the game a little bit worse, but it’s not the end of the world.

Apart from that... perfectly serviceable? The Wild Area could’ve used a little more technical polish (as could most things in the game, really) but was a step in the right direction, giving the player a wider array of early-game team-building options than ever before. No HMs is good. Story and characters were kind of nothing, but that’s par for the course. “At least this time they’re not shoehorning in some kind of stupid evil-team-wants-legendary-pokemon-to-destroy-the-world apocalypse plot”, I thought to myself before they managed to shoehorn one in at the last minute with zero buildup- but, hey, beats wasting half the game on it.

It’s nothing special and it’s missing a lot of polish, but its problems are mainly due to being rushed, and presumably next gen they’ll be able to reuse a lot of the models and animations (maybe even improve the animations so they’re not so boring??? a man can dream) and make something interesting. SwSh seem like they were testing the waters for something else, and not taking too many chances in the meantime. 

(yo why would you sell all these cosmetic items and then turn them all off during gym battles, though) 

Hades

Hades is- oh, who am I kidding? Everyone knows Hades, it’s the game of the year, greatest thing since sliced bread, Supergiant are heroes, yada yada yada. I’ve played almost 300 hours of it and I’ve completed everything except all the Resources Director levels (currently a Sigma Wraith), it’s extremely fun and you don’t need me to tell you that.

Petal Crash

It was that thing the Paranatural creator helped on? It’s, uh. It’s a block-sliding puzzle game thing, sort of in a Puyo Puyo vein. It has fun character designs and some good dialogue, like you’d expect from Zack’s involvement, but it didn’t really leave an impression otherwise (besides how got dang infuriating some of its Turn Trial puzzles can be.) The story is... kinda heartwarming, kinda didactic, kinda childish, not especially deep or interesting. Hard for it to be, when it’s told through little bits of fluffy character dialogue that exist to set up a puzzle battle as quickly as possible. Not super recommended unless you really really like block-sliding puzzles.

Hollow Knight

Man, why’d I sleep on this for so long? It’s a metroidvania platformer with heavy Dark Souls inspiration, in terms of tone and difficulty and death mechanics and environmental storytelling. And it’s... apart from all that, just really good as a game, with tight controls and juicy movement and great animation. Progression is linked as much to mastery as it is to upgrades collected- I found myself in lategame areas facing down things that would’ve killed me ten times over at the start- not because I had the best gear, but because I’d learned the game’s language and understood how to move in ways that wouldn’t get me killed.

(Usually. Sometimes I’d walk into a room and sit on a bench and suddenly there’d be a boss fight and I’d get slaughtered. Ain’t that just the way it goes?)

Anyway, on top of all that it’s just charming as hell, with a really unique and well-realized world full of little bug people. I love how, like, your character is clearly some kind of eldritch abomination, but it’s small and cute and so everyone (besides enemies that attack you on sight because they’re possessed by some kinda evil mold) is like “awww, who’s this little guy? want some help, little guy?”

(except Zote, who is just an ass hole. i love him.)

[its-nyakemi-nya]

Twisted Wonderland One Shot Raffle #6: Lilia Vanrouge x Artist! Gender Neutral! Reader

lynni-lumi: I didnt expect this, yay! how about a Lilia x Artist!Reader? 👀

Won and requested by @lynni-lumi​ nya!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twisted Wonderland nya. I only own the plot of this one shot nya.

P.S: I would like to apologise if the canon characters are OOC nya. I would also like to apologise for my errors in my grammar nya. Enjoy nya!

You are sitting under a shade of a tree in the school’s courtyard, sketching Grim who’s sleeping by your side.

“A few more lines here and there and-”

“My, my. What are you up to young one?” Lilia suddenly appeared...on a tree branch...hanging upside down...

It took a moment for you to realised but when you came into your senses, you screamed whilst throwing your sketch pad square on his face.

“Oh my. Did I startle you?” Lilia asked, going down from the tree branch and landing gracefully in front of you.

“Obviously,” You answered.

Lilia bent down to pick up your sketch pad and flipped through the each pages, “You’re quite skilled.”

“Thanks,” You mumbled.

You’re not used to people seeing your drawings. It’s not that your works are ugly. It’s just you think that something is...lacking with it. However, an idea popped out of your mind.

“I apologise for disturbing you.”

Lilia was about to leave when suddenly...

“Wait!” You suddenly grabbed his wrist.

“What is it, little one?” Lilia asked. Yes, you’re shorter than him but only a few centimeters.

You twiddled your fingers and said, “If you don’t mind,  may I draw you hanging upside down from the tree branch once more?”

Lilia smiled and said, “If that’s what you wish, I shall do what you requested.”

“That’s great! Thank you very much!” You said. At the same time, Lilia went to the same branch he was on earlier and hang upside down. You then started to draw.

________________________________

Actually, the portrait you were drawing was a fantasy you have in mind. It was a picture of you and Lilia, with him giving you a kiss upside down. You actually have imagined this scenario for quite some time now. Despite not having experienced it, at the very least, you can always draw it.

Yes, you made an excuse so you can just look at Lilia by saying you need him as a model. But hey! At least it worked right.

It took a long time to draw him since you’re quite distracted with his gorgeous face but you managed.

“I’m done,” You said while wiping of a sweat. You closed your sketch pad, “Thank you for complying to my request.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Lilia said, “Though, as the model for your work, it is my right to-”

“Oh will you look at the time! Time flies when you’re having fun. Hahaha!” You grabbed the sleeping Grim and quickly ran as far away as possible.

Lilia sighed. Then he suddenly smiled. He noticed at the corner of his eye your sketch pad.

“Looks like I can look at what the young one worked after all,” Lilia muttered to himself as he flipped through the pages to see what you’ve drawn. His smile widened when he saw that it was a drawing of him kissing you upside down, “My, my. Will you look at that? Shall I make the young one’s fantasy come true?”

________________________________

When you’ve returned to your dorm, you’ve realised that you forgot to take your precious sketch pad. You panic internally. It was already embarrassing that you’ve drawn your crush kissing you. If he saw this-

You snapped out of your thoughts when a knock was heard. You immediately calmed down and opened the door to see who it was. There was none.

You groaned, “Is this some kind of-”

You were cut off by a pair of soft lips crashing onto yours. Your eyes widened as it was the handiwork of none other than Lilia.

The kiss lasted a few second later and he pulled away. You’re still quite shocked that your fantasy became a reality.

“You should have asked me instead of drawing it,” Lilia said, smiling as he landed in front of you.

You were still quite out of your senses, unable to move. Lilia chuckled as he pulled out your hands and handed you your sketch pad, “Why draw when I can make it into a reality?”

BONUS SCENE:

You went to your usual spot where you draw. You skipped happily. Yes, a few days after the kiss, you and Lilia became a thing.

A few moments later you’ve arrived. Once you do, you were greeted by a kiss on the lips by Lilia who was hanging upside down.

“You sure love hanging upside down,” You smiled.

“But you still love it,” Lilia smiled.

“Yeah,” Then you pulled Lilia into a kiss.

[jedimusings]

death with dignity // another ben self para 

everyone who gets mentioned: @dcpravities (jasper, luke), @mcrcki (aunt leia),  @graveycrds (nik, alec), @rainbowmuses (jaina), @empathiie (rey), @tragcdysewn (allana), @rvkybusincv (ty lee), @dangerousbet (mara jade), @lxstheroes (revan, jacen) 

tl;dr: rip to my son, have fun with your no memory vacation 

ben's body ached- he’d spent- force he had lost track of time again-  some time helping others. it had given him a distraction from giving into whatever this was. and he was giving in to it, but maybe slower. he wasn’t sure. he’d gotten caught up in some fight with another infected person, they had slashed one arm, and then popped a part of an arm bone out of place entirely. broken or not, either way, it had left him in pain, it was his dominant arm, as well. his saber arm. 

he was alone, but he knew where the closest hospital was. so he began his trek in that direction when he encountered another person. maybe another person in need of help, ben figured he was strong enough to lift his saber with his left hand if the other was in trouble. but, even yards away, he could tell that the other looked just like him- maybe he had to fight a version of himself? perhaps this was another test in the force, as his duel with his father had been. now he would have to fight an evil version of himself. he didn’t have time for it- but the force has once again launched a test into his lap. ben had enough time to draw his lightsaber with his left before he felt himself being slammed against the concrete hitting the back of his head- losing his strength immediately. intense pain hit his throat- and ben closed his eyes for what could have been the last time. 

his head rolled to the side, his eyes half-opened, finding the strength to wrap his hand over his lightsaber one last time. it was more for comfort than to defend himself or to attack the other. ben had built it during his time training with jacen, yet he had still modeled it to look just like his father’s. ben hardly liked being around his dad then, yet he had still modeled it after luke’s lightsaber, like he was hoping for the promise of a better relationship in the future. or still wanted to honor his father somehow. maybe both. he wasn’t sure why he’d done it- he still squeezed his hand around it, like a hug it comforted him, even though he didn’t have the energy to wield it properly. 

he exhaled again. wondering if he would have his memories when he came back. he could really hate this place sometimes. his life was plenty full of uncertainty- but he had never had to worry about remembering his life or not when he was back home. he wondered if it would be a complete memory wipe, or if he would think he was someone else entirely. ben preferred the first, maybe then he would be easier to convince that a twenty-something was his father, and that his felt things so intensely because of this thing called the force, and of the life he had made here. etc. he briefly thought of the word document saved to his computer, detailing his life just in case he ever forgot. ben hadn’t updated it months. and maybe he had hid it too well from a memory-less version of himself to find.

right now he felt like a ghost. maybe if he had more energy he’d call out through the force to his dad and apologize. or maybe even nik, or jaina, or rey. and maybe even ty lee or alec, but they weren’t force sensitive and he wouldn’t want to scare them like that in his last moments, they wouldn’t understand. it would probably scare them more than confuse them. and when he came back without his memories they would be confused together. 

but then it hit him. maybe he wouldn’t come back. and that’s when his- almost calm turned into a panic spiral. his dad had come back, his aunt leia had come back. nik and jacen were alive despite dying previously. yet he hadn’t seen his mother. or vestara. or any number of people he’d considered important to his life. no wedge, or myri, or finn, or poe. none of them had made it. just because some had come back, didn’t mean that he would. and that sent him into a panic. 

this could be it. he realized that this could be it. plenty of people hadn’t made it here. why should he get to stay? his breathing became even more erratic, these were his last breaths. he tried to calm himself but focusing on the only other scent besides the blood and the sweat, his strawberry scented kid’s dollar store shampoo. somehow, still not worn out despite days of wear and tear that had come with the last couple of days. it calmed him for ten seconds, before he started coming in and out of consciousness. 

and as his vision began to blur in and out of the dark, ben became truly scared. he was dying, and he was not longer sure if he would come back from this like the others had. he didn’t think he would be afraid of death. selfishly, he wished he wasn’t alone. maybe that’s why he was grasping his saber so tightly. it was home, it had been his life, it had always been with him, it was a constant, and it was something to bear his pain on as he grasped it. it gave him something, but he didn’t want to be alone. he’d felt alone for a lot of his life, he didn’t want to be alone now. his breaths became heavy again. he was going. he knew that he was going. there was no dad or jacen to swoop in and save him as they had before. even if someone did turn up for whatever reason, ben knew it was too late. his breaths grew shorter. 

and increased, more and more panicked. but he remembered his mother. she was on the other side. she was waiting for him on the other side. his mother, and her inability to cook. and her literalness. her humor. the way she cared for him and loved him. she was waiting for him on the other side. he’d tell her everything. although she had seen everything already. about the exile. he and his dad, not just fixing their relationship, but his dad actually becoming his mentor and his best friend. about helping tahiri and meeting vestara. about meeting rey and the rest of the crew, and getting to tell her their stories. and then coming to dc and nik being alive again and getting the second chance he deserved. where he made new friends and met revan and ty lee and alec. how jaina was getting a degree and getting the life that she deserved. and how the other ben was getting to start over. and how allana was all grown up now. and how he thought that he himself could eventually be happy here. in his small apartment with his roommate and his job and his relationship and all of the mundane issues that came with not carrying the world on one’s shoulders.

but ben couldn’t wait to see her again, he would miss everyone else if he didn’t get to come back, memory or not (because everyone seemed to get their memories back at some point). but maybe he could guide them if he didn’t get to come back. and if he didn’t get to come back- he would get to be with his mother again. that would be worth it. it wasn’t like back home. here, his father hardly knew him. and everyone else had other people to lean on. ben thought that they would be okay without him.

while his breaths were still short and heavy, he tried to calm his presence in the force. regardless of what ben’s own fate was, he didn’t have to scar anyone he loved with what was happening to him. he tried with all of the energy he had left, but he wasn’t sure if it worked. but trying to calm himself was the last that he had. 

his breaths still shallow and quick. everything hurt somehow, like being hit by force lightening, but times ten. his eyes fluttered shut once again, for the last time. he tried hiding himself in the force completely, just like jacen had taught him all those years ago. but ben didn’t think he had enough energy for that to work, he told himself it did, just so that he could rest. he felt himself slipping one last time, no longer seeing the point in hanging on, because he knew now that he was going. 

he was scared. but he allowed his eyes to close, and tried to feel peace. as if he wasn’t dying alone, possibly for good. and that he was coming back. best case scenario, no one was feeling his death, and he would wake up in a few hours with his memory fully in tact. worst case scenario, he had died alone, but he would be with his mother. and how could that, on any scale, be a worst case scenario? he’d be with the one who had loved him most, guiding the others that he loved from whatever force afterlife. and as he took what he unsure were his last breaths, he figured that wouldn’t be the worst way to spend his afterlife. no, in either scenario, he would be with the ones who loved him most. if this was it, he would be with his mother. and if he had to start over, but still alive, he would be with his father, and his aunt, and his cousins, and friends. he would be okay, he told himself ten times: it would be okay, it would be okay, it would be okay, they would all be okay, one last time. before he finally dozed off. 

[lord-explosion-baku]

Dancing’s Not A Crime (Unless You Do It Without Me) pt. 14

Bakugou x fem!reader, Todoroki x fem!reader

You flirt and tease with a certain hotheaded classmate of yours without realizing how far it has escalated and someone gets a little jealous.

Warnings: ANGST, mentions of abuse, mentions of death, swearing, boys being jealous, uhhhh more angst

A/N: a brush of inspiration? Kinda. There won’t be more frequent updates so please don’t ask!! I am only a cherry tomatoe who has been plucked before she has ripened.

Part 13 or read from the beginning OR read a properly edited version on my AO3

“Monkey…”

You blinked and hot tears fell to your living room floor. Staring at your mother’s unmoving body, you clutched onto your stuffed dog, Speckle. A large hand touched your shoulder and you were pulled away and into your father’s cloak.

“Don’t look, sweetheart.”

“Why isn’t mommy waking up?” You whimpered out, wiping your wet face on your father’s robes.

He pet your head. “She,” he sighed. “Y/N, I’m going to ask you a very important question and I need you to answer honestly. Do you think you can do that for daddy?”

That was the rule. You always had to answer ‘important’ questions with the full truth. Often times you were rewarded for being so cooperative. You didn’t feel like you deserved any special treatment then.

“How long has mommy been hurting you like that? Is it always while I am away?”

You swallowed back at sob while more tears poured from your eyes. “She says that sometimes I’m not a good daughter. Sometimes I don’t obey her even when she’s singing. Sometimes mommy gets upset that I don’t want to help her. I don’t mean to make her so mad sometimes but-!” You cried louder. You didn’t understand the question. “Why won’t she get up?!”

Your father bent down and brought you into a tight hug. You trembled while you sobbed into his embrace.

“Oh Kira,” your father’s voice was sorrowful as he spoke to your mother. You’d never heard his voice get so low before. It was terrible. “Mommy’s should never treat their children like that, Y/N, and now Mommy has to sleep for a very long time. I’m… I’m sorry that I didn’t know about this sooner. Maybe something else could’ve been done. I haven’t been a very good father to you, have I?”

“A very long time…?” You tried to turn back to your mother’s display but your father wouldn’t let you. “Will she ever wake up?”

A single tear fell away from your father’s long lashes. “No, baby. She won’t ever wake up.”

A dark purple cloud of energy started pouring out of your father’s sleeves. The air grew cooler and your skin prickled as his magicks slid past you, enveloping your mother’s body. You heard a small crackle of thunder, familiar to you only when your father used his quirk, and it was over. Finally, you turned to see that the space before you was empty, your mother was missing, gone from your house, your life, your everything.

~

… so your brain… was an even bigger asshole than Katsuki Bakugou. You were already stressed the fuck out from the very long weekend you had, what with the date with Bakugou that had turned into a fight with that staple faced weirdo from the café, finding out that Todoroki, Midoriya, And Iida all fought the hero killer in their own, and Todoroki fucking kissing you in the hospital while you were worried about him! Not to mention that your internship was a complete bust with Uwabani stringing you, Yaoyarozu, and that 1-B girl, Kendo, around to her modeling gigs and throwing you all into her dumb commercial. Even when you went on patrols, you mostly stood back while Uwabani’s fans swarmed her. You craved action and you didn’t get any… except the kiss. And that was a huge problem.

Now you couldn’t even get a proper night’s sleep before you went back to school to face that problem. You rubbed away the excess sleep from your eyes and rolled out of bed. You weren’t going to cry. You’ve done your crying. You’ve known for a long time now that your biological father killed your mother. Even if he did it to ‘protect’ you, it didn’t change the fact that you loathed him but that didn’t mean you couldn’t be hurt by the not so distant memory.

You made your way to the closet and climbed up, using your shoe cubbies as stairs, to grab a cardboard box that has been untouched for years. In it, were some pictures you and drawings you furiously ignored but underneath it all laid your old stuffed dog. Your old pet you would animate when you were feeling lonely. You and Aizawa had cats so you didn’t need the pet but… the comfort was… something else. You didn’t want to bother Aizawa again, especially since you hadn’t told him about what had gone down during your date with Bakugou.

You threw yourself back into bed and squeezed your old toy under your chin. You wouldn’t cry, you told yourself again. Still, when your eyes finally fluttered closed again, your cheeks had already been stained. How stupid.

~

You really needed to laugh and you should thank Bakugou for providing you with such a glorious reason to. His once spiky hair was combed back nearly and flat against his head and he was trembling with rage while Sero and Kirishima poked fun at his new look.

“...I’ll kill you both!” He said through his teeth.

“I’d like to see you try, pretty boy!” Sero said, barely able to contain himself.

“What did you say!” And boom! His hair popped right back to its natural state and you tried, you tried not to laugh but you couldn’t help but double over with both Kirishima and Sero.

“Oh there it goes!”

You clutched your stomach while your other classmates talked about their internships. Apparently a lot of them, besides Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya, had pretty eventful ones. You were kinda jealous.

Bakugou made his way over to you and a rush of guilt filled the pit of your stomach. You hadn’t told him about Todoroki kissing you. “At least I didn’t spend my internship, what, advertising hairspray?”

Ugh. That was unfair. You reached up and tousled his surprising soft spikes. “It’s too bad,” you smirked, “maybe you could’ve used some!”

He grabbed your hand and pushed it back to you, keeping his hands over yours. He leaned down, leveling his head with yours and whispered. “So, when were you planning on telling me about your little secret?”

Your eyes widened. He already knew about the kiss?! Your eyes darted to Todoroki who was sitting at his desk explaining that Endeavor had ‘saved’ them in Hosu City. He was talking to your other classmates but his eyes were on you. Did he fucking tell him? Would Todoroki do something like that? Honestly, he was full of surprises lately.

You turned back to Bakugou, face red with shame. “It’s not what you think,” you shied away from his piercing gaze, “I was worried for them so I visited them in Hosu and then he just… but I didn’t stop him. It didn’t mean anything though!”

Bakugou’s brows narrowed, trying to read your face. After a moment, he pulled you out of the class and set you against the wall, pressing his hand next to you. “Are you telling me that that half n’ half punk bastard kissed you?”

“Y-yeah? Isn’t that what you were asking about?”

“And you fucking let him?!” Oh Jesus Christ, he had no idea!

“It came out of nowhere, Bakugou! I was scared that he might’ve sustained critical damage or something and then… I don’t know! I didn’t ask him to!”

Bakugou’s lips twitched into a snarl. “Did you like it?”

“Bakugou!”

“Tsss!” He kicked the wall and you shuddered. You’ve never been afraid of Bakugou’s temper before but this time… you knew you had done something that actually hurt him… but it wasn’t like you guys were… official. “So you’re saying he took advantage of you?”

You shook your head. “No! I think… I think him, Iida, and Midoriya all went through something traumatic and-!”

“I’m done talking about this!” He hissed. You tried to reach out to him but he moved away from you. “I need a fucking moment, Y/N.”

You pressed your lips together and watched Bakugou shove his hands in his pockets. You stayed there frozen for a moment before turning on your heel and going back into class. That wasn’t… the worse case scenario.

You classmates’ eyes were on you as you walked over to your desk. Todoroki was on you immediately. You gave him a once over. He didn’t talk to you while you were at school.

“Are you okay?”

You kicked your feet together and wrapped your knuckles on your desk. Were you okay? Besides your lack of sleep, extreme guilt, and the heavy tension in your shoulders… “I’m fine.”

“Did you tell him…” Todoroki’s voice dropped to a whisper, “about us?”

If you had more energy, you would’ve groaned. “Todo,” You said, looking into his heterochromatic eyes, “there isn’t an ‘us.’”

“You say that now but Y/N,” his warm hand enveloped your own, “I know that I can change your mind…”

whispers could be heard from around the class. What the hell was Todoroki doing touching you like that in front of everyone?!

“HEY!” Smack! Bakugou slapped Todoroki’s hands away from yours, grabbed your arm, and pulled you away from Todoroki aaaaand-

Your lips met Bakugou’s and for a brief moment you forgot that you had an audience while Bakugou’s fingers met your chin and you were lost in the passion of the kiss. You moved your lips with him and felt him grin into the kiss before pulling away from you. You heard Mina let out an excited squeak.

Bakugou threw his arm around your waist and glared at Todoroki. “Keep your mitts off my girlfriend.”

Todoroki’s right arm started freezing over. “She’s not your girlfriend.”

“That’s enough,” Aizawa’s voice called from the front of the class. Todoroki’s ice disappeared and you could see Aizawa’s eyes glowing red, black hair swooping around him. “Class has begun. It’s time to stop acting idiotic and take your seats.”

Bakugou and Todoroki continued to glare at each other.

“I’m not going to ask again.” Aizawa was looking at you.

You gave Bakugou a push and scowled at Todoroki. “Go,” You said, sitting in your own desk.

Todoroki pushed into Bakugou’s shoulder as he past him to go to his chair. Bakugou’s hand flexed and you could see it start to light up. You grabbed it and gave it a squeeze. His eyes met yours and you kissed his knuckles. In a way, you were telling him that… maybe… you were his girlfriend.

He rolled his eyes and found his seat.

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[mikauzoran]

Adrienette Drabble Twenty-Two: Step

(Sorry I forgot to post this yesterday.)

“You know, I seriously don’t blame Rose,” Elise snickered, setting the bowl of popcorn down on Adrien’s coffee table. “I would totally leave my boyfriend for David Tennant too.”

Adrien cast a sideways glance at his friend. “You’re seeing someone?”

Elise rolled her eyes. “No, Candy Floss. You put me into retirement.”

Adrien winced. “Sorry…about that.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Please. You have since become my dorky little brother, and I love you. It was more…after the string of boyfriends I’d had, you were just the last straw. I’m a big girl capable of making mature decisions. I’m fine.”

“I wish I were a big girl capable of making mature decisions,” he snorted. “I’m still stuck in remedial Emotions 101 courses. I can’t wait until I achieve emotional maturity.”

“You’re getting there, Adrien,” Elise gently encouraged, prodding his calf with her socked foot. “You’ve made leaps and bounds of progress in the past two weeks…. Do you have any Pop-Tarts?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Just the box you smuggled in last time. I had to hide it in the back of the cabinet. If my dad found it…” Adrien shuddered. “For my dad, Pop-Tarts might as well be a type of drug. I might as well be hiding boxes of cocaine in my cabinet.”

Elise cocked an eyebrow and chuckled, “‘Boxes’ of cocaine?”

Adrien smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know. What does cocaine usually come in? Bottles? Vials? Jars? I know it’s not a pill—right? It’s…like…a powder?”

Elise didn’t even try to hold back her laughter. “Oh, my pure baby boy. Someone has obviously never done drugs.”

Adrien kicked Elise’s foot. “Oh, like you have?”

Elise shook her head. “No, but I’m a lot less sheltered than you are, Candy Floss. Some of the other models I’ve met have been drug users, and I dated a guy once who did drugs. I’ve been drugged once or twice at parties, but—” Elise stopped abruptly at the look of horror on Adrien’s face. She fluttered her hands ineffectually. “Candy Floss, it was fine. Someone just spiked my drink is all. I was with friends, and they took care of me, so nothing happened, and it wasn’t a big deal, so don’t even worry about it.”

“How can that not be a big deal?” he mumbled, feeling sick.

She reached out and gave his scalp a comforting rub. “Shh. This world is a rough place. It is a big deal, but if I used up mental energy on all the times something was unfair or wrong or someone tried to take advantage of me, I wouldn’t have the time or energy to enjoy the good things in my life. Like Pop-Tarts.” She smiled disarmingly. “Now, be a dear and go fetch them? Pretty please?” She batted her eyes.

Adrien sighed, letting it go. He pushed himself up from the couch. “Pop-Tarts coming right up.”

“Thank you!” Elise trilled in delight. “You are seriously the best.”

Adrien had just opened his mouth to retort when his phone on the coffee table began to ring. “If it’s Nino, could you pick up and tell him we’re busy?”

Elise bit her lip. “It’s not Nino.”

Adrien arched and eyebrow. “Who is it?”

Elise looked anxious. “…Marinette.”

Adrien cursed, hoping over the back of the couch to land on the seat. He looked between his phone and Elise in utter panic. “What do I do?”

“Answer your phone,” Elise snorted in exasperation.

“But what if she called me by mistake?” Adrien squeaked. “What if she didn’t mean to call me and I pick up and it’s really awkward and she doesn’t want to talk to me? I will be crushed, Elise. Crushed. Gutted. Absolutely gutted. Yeah, I’ve been getting a lot better recently, but I’m still insanely in love with her, and I haven’t built up enough resilience to be able to take rejection again.”

“I swear, Adrien,” Elise grumbled, reaching for the phone. “You’re almost as bad as her when it comes to catastrophizing. I’m going to do you a favor.”

Elise picked up the phone and answered the call before Adrien could tackle her and put a stop to it. “Hi there, M&M! It’s Elise. How are you doing, Sweetie?”

Marinette nearly dropped her phone. “E-Elise?” She’d psyched herself up so much to talk to Adrien again that her subverted expectations had her panicking. “I…uh…I called…why are…where is…?”

“I’m actually over at Adrien’s house,” Elise confessed, helping the poor girl out. “I was getting ready to leave,” she lied, “and I asked to borrow this book he was talking about, but it’s in the study or the library or whatever those rich people call it, so he went to go fetch it.”

Adrien frowned and mouthed, “What are you doing?”, anxiety plain and clear on his face.

Elise ignored him. “I’m sorry for answering his phone like this, but he left it sitting on the coffee table, and when I saw it was you, I figured I should pick up because I know how much he misses you.”

Adrien made an x with his arms and shook his head violently.

Marinette made a choking sound on the other end of the line. “M-Misses…me?”

“Of course, Sweetie. You two are best friends, and he hasn’t seen you in weeks. I’m doing my best to fill in, but I’m a poor substitute,” Elise laughed airily.

Adrien frowned, a sad look in his eyes. Elise could almost hear him say, “That’s not true”.

She waved away his concern on her behalf. “I’m sure he’d be delighted to talk to you as soon as he gets back from getting the book and sees me out the door. Did you need something in particular, Marinette, or can I just have him call you back after I leave?”

“Oh…uh…It was nothing in particular. I just…I miss him too. I was just calling to check in and see how he was doing…. Just…you know. Hear his voice,” Marinette explained, face going vermilion.

Elise hummed softly. “Yes. I’ve been there. I know the feeling. I’ll make sure he calls you back, Sweetie. You take care now.”

“Thanks, Elise,” Marinette mumbled.

Elise ended the call with a smirk. “She misses you too,” she snickered. “She was just calling to check in on you and because she wanted to hear the sound of your voice.”

Adrien’s face flushed. “O-Oh?”

“Candy Floss, she is so stuck on you.” Elise gave him a playful shove.

“Yeah?” Adrien chuckled, wearing an embarrassed yet pleased expression as he rubbed at his neck where the bruises were no longer visible.

“Definitely,” Elise giggled. “Okay. Now, let’s get down to business. You need to wait at least four or five minutes before you call her back.”

Adrien blanched. “Call her back?”

Elise nodded solemnly. “I said you were going to call her back. If you don’t, she’ll think I’m a bad person because I forgot to tell you, or she’ll think she’s not important to you because you didn’t care enough to actually return the call. You’re familiar with how ridiculous Marinette can get with worst-case scenarios. Save her the panic attack and call her back.”

“But…I can’t just have a phone conversation in front of you. That’s rude. We’re supposed to be hanging out and spending time together,” Adrien argued.

Elise rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Adrien, I’ll just text with Chloé or something. Don’t even worry about that.”

“But what do I say to her?” Panic ratchetted up the pitch of Adrien’s voice.

“Words. Sentences maybe. Preferably in French. Honestly,” Elise sighed. “Candy Floss, you just need to chillax and talk to her. You’ve talked to her thousands of times; you know how to do this. You talked to her well enough at the photoshoot the other week. You’re fine.”

Adrien pursed his lips, not buying it.

“If you want,” Elise offered, “put the call on speaker, and I’ll sit here with you and help you out if you get stuck on what to say.”

Adrien stared at her incredulously. “Do people do that?”

Elise shook her head slowly. “Girls do that all the time. But you’re not going to need me. You know how to talk to Marinette.”

Adrien gulped. “It feels different somehow now.”

Elise gave Adrien’s head another pat while she kept track of the time.

Once four minutes had passed, Elise picked up Adrien’s phone, unlocked it, and dialed Marinette so that there was no way for Adrien to chicken out.

“H-Hello?” Marinette greeted timidly, picking up on the first ring.

Elise pantomimed taking a deep breath.

Adrien did. “Hi, Marinette. How are you?”

Elise gave him a thumbs up.

“Oh, hi. Hi, Adrien. I’m good. I’m hanging in there,” Marinette chuckled nervously, struggling to find her footing. “How about you?”

“I’m tolerably well, actually,” Adrien replied, heart soaring at the sound of her chuckle. “Elise said you’d called? Did you need something, or…?”

Marinette gave a start. “Oh! Oh, no. I didn’t exactly need anything. I was just…I missed talking to you, and I thought…maybe now, since it’s been a couple weeks, it would be okay to check in.”

“I miss talking to you too,” Adrien confessed, his voice giving a little too much away.

Marinette flushed but did not comment. “So what have you been up to lately?”

Adrien shrugged, drawing up his knees to his chest. “Oh, lots of things. Dad has let up on the extra curriculars, so I have a lot more time now to do things I actually want to do…which, ironically, turned out to be watching dramas in Chinese, fencing with Kagami, and playing arrangements of popular music on the piano, if you can believe it. It’s more fun when I get to choose my activities myself.”

Marinette laughed along with him at this. “Oh, Adrien.”

Adrien melted. “Sometimes I can even get my dad to play four-handed pieces with me now that he’s making a conscientious effort to be a real parent.”

“That’s wonderful!” Marinette congratulated. “What else have you been doing with yourself?”

“Nathalie, Dad, and I are doing family activities. We’re having breakfast together every day and some dinners. Sometimes we watch movies or play board games. Nathalie is a bit of a card sharp, and Dad and I think she cheats at Mario Party too,” Adrien informed eagerly. 

He had so much to tell her, so much to catch her up on. They’d missed a lot the past month.

“Dad and I were talking about me going back to modeling too,” he continued with more reservation.

He wasn’t sure if he should say, “so maybe we’ll be working together” or “I’m looking forward to seeing more of you at work”. He wasn’t sure if this phone call meant he was allowed out of exile yet. Maybe this was his probationary hearing. If so, he shouldn’t sound so excited about being allowed to interact with her. He had to play it cool and prove that he was stable enough to be permitted visiting rights.

“But not as much as I used to,” Adrien added instead. “I was promised no more rigid schedules, but…Dad kind of would like for me to continue to be the face of the brand.”

“And how do you feel about that?” Marinette wondered, biting her lip.

“Ambivalent,” Adrien decided. “I don’t really like modeling much. Sometimes it’s fun, but most days it’s a pain. It pays well, though, and the fame will be useful later…and Dad and I worked out a compromise. If I keep modeling at a reduced rate and go to university for Business, I’m allowed to study Theatre too.”

“What?!” Marinette squealed, jumping to her feet to bounce in glee. “Oh my gosh! Adrien, are you serious?! He’s going to let you act?!”

“Any roles I want to take have to be run by him and the marketing team to ensure compatibility with my public image, but, yes. He’s going to let me act.”

Marinette screamed in delight. “Oh my God! I am so freaking happy for you! This is wonderful! This is really, really wonderful.”

She wanted to hug him. She wanted to bake him a cake and throw him a party to celebrate, but…she wasn’t sure she could do that without crossing lines and setting them both back in their recoveries. And, of course, the matter had recently become even more complicated on her end. She couldn’t risk messing things up for all involved parties.

“Congratulations, Minou,” she whispered, voice full of conflicting emotions.

“Thanks, Princess,” Adrien purred, heart swelling at the token of intimacy he’d been rewarded with. “…So what is Milady up to recently?”

He was tired of listening to the sound of his own voice. He wanted to hear hers.

“Oh, end of high school scramble,” she sighed, collapsing back down onto her chaise. “Helping my parents. The usual blah blah blah. My internship is keeping me pretty busy too. You know, I can’t tell if your father hates me or if he wants me to succeed. I mean, he is constantly setting me up to fail, but then he looks so pleased when I manage to pull it off anyway. I don’t get him.”

“He’s trying to challenge you so you’ll have opportunities to grow,” Adrien explained. “At least, that’s what it sounds like when he talks about you.”

“You think?” Marinette sighed. “Maybe that’s a part of it, but I seriously think he derives a sadistic pleasure from watching me struggle.”

Adrien hummed thoughtfully before admitting, “Yeah. Okay. That may be part of it too, but I’ve specifically told him I will never forgive him if he bullies you because of me, so if he’s being a jerk—you know, outside of the normal parameters of figuratively being a boss from hell—tell me, and I will casually remind him not to mess with you.”

“Thanks,” Marinette chuckled tiredly. “It’s not like that, though. He’s tough, and he makes me work hard, but he’s not cruel. He’s not completely unreasonable. Not unreasonably unreasonable, I mean. He’s definitely unreasonable, but he’s not unreasonable to just me. It’s been a good experience working with him.”

“I think you are the only person on the face of this earth with that opinion,” Adrien chortled. “I don’t even think Nathalie would agree with you, and she’s marrying him.”

“…What?” Marinette sat up, pulled the phone away from her ear, and stared at it.

“…Oh.�� Adrien frowned. “God, it has been forever since I last talked to you. My parents are getting married in a couple months. After years of me badgering Nathalie, they’re finally getting married completely out of the blue.”

“Wow,” Marinette mumbled, shocked. “Wow. That’s… Congratulations. You must be really excited.”

“I am,” Adrien chuckled, unable to keep from grinning. “It feels like, after years of being an orphan to my father’s grief over losing my mother, I finally have a family again. It’s really—” Adrien’s voice caught in his throat unexpectedly at the overflow of emotions. “It’s really nice,” he finished. “After watching you guys and your families over the years, it’s nice to finally feel like I have one too. Like…you have no idea what it feels like to finally have something that you’ve wanted so bad while everyone else just took it for granted.”

“Oh, Minou,” Marinette cooed.

He could almost feel her arms around him from the tenderness in her voice.

“Oh, Adrien,” she whispered. “I am so happy that things are finally falling into place for you. You deserve this. You’ve deserved this all along, and it just killed me that there was nothing I could do to give it to you.”

Her hands ached to run through his hair. She wanted to hold him and nuzzle his neck. It almost physically hurt not to be able to touch him.

“Thanks,” Adrien chuckled, recovering his composure. “So…aren’t you working on the new Gabriel bridal line?”

“Oh my gosh!” Marinette sucked in a long breath. “Is this what that’s for?!”

Adrien laughed harder. “Yeah. Dad thought it would be a good publicity stunt. Nathalie is not thrilled. …Have you seen the best man’s suit?”

“Yes?” Marinette cocked her head to the side, wondering what he was getting at.

“That’s me…so you should design yourself a dress to match.”

Elise flicked Adrien’s arm and shook her head.

Adrien looked back at his friend in innocent confusion. “Er…is it too early to ask you to be my date?”

Elise buried her face in her hands, whispering, “‘Plus one’. Not ‘date’.”

“Or we could just go as friends if you’d rather be my plus one,” Adrien attempted to correct. “I just thought that in a few months… Sorry. Um…maybe I should ask you again closer to time?”

Marinette did not respond.

Adrien paled. “Sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to… Look, you’re probably invited anyway. We don’t have to go together. You don’t even have to associate with me if you somehow still need space in a few months. I just assumed…”

Elise grabbed Adrien’s arm and whispered, “Candy Floss, slow down and breathe. Play it cool.”

Adrien nodded, breathing in time with Elise.

“Sorry,” Marinette finally replied. “I’m sorry. I don’t… I was thinking about…” The dress she would design to match his suit. The delicate purples and blues and greys of the wedding’s color palette and the butterfly and peacock theme.

She had been thinking about Adrien. Adrien in that suit…Adrien out of that suit…and the intervening stages between the two.

“I don’t know yet,” Marinette answered honestly. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

“I’m getting better, you know,” Adrien mumbled sullenly. “I wish you could see that.”

“I can,” Marinette assured. “I can tell just from talking to you that you seem happier than you have been since you decided to give up on—” She broke off suddenly as she remembered that it was she who had kicked off this dark time in his life.

“Yeah, but the problem is that you haven’t talked to me in forever,” Adrien pressed. “I know Nino and Alya are probably keeping you in the loop, but how are you going to be able to tell when I’m good enough if you don’t talk to me?”

“Good enough?” Marinette echoed. “What do you mean ‘good enough’?”

For you to want to be with me, was on the tip of his tongue.

Elise squeezed his bicep.

Adrien took a breath. “You know. Well enough,” he explained in an attempt not to look pathetic. “Better.”

Marinette was quiet for a moment.

Adrien could hear her inhale deeply and slowly release the breath before she responded, “Adrien, I know you have no way of knowing this, but I’m kind of a wreck. Not just right now but in general. Sometimes have been better than others, but you’re not the only one who needs to work on yourself. I’ve got a lot that I’m sorting through, and I need some time on my own to get things straight. I know you think I’m wonderful, but I’m telling you right now that I suck, and I don’t have things as together as I might pretend to in public. You’re not the only one with issues. You are not the only reason a relationship isn’t a good idea right now. I am at least half the problem…and I’m sorry I’m not better. I know I’m really letting you down, especially lately.”

She was right. He had been feeling let down by her lack of presence in his life when he most needed her support, but he wasn’t about to tell her that to her face.

“No, Princess,” he whispered. “You’re fine. You’re perfect, so don’t worry about it. I’ll be here when you’re ready for me.”

Guilt drenched Marinette like a tidal wave. Her voice stuck in her throat.

“So…” Adrien sighed when enough time had passed to be able to tell that Marinette was not going to respond. “I’m guessing you wouldn’t be interested in getting coffee together and catching up?”

“No,” Marinette replied in a small voice. “I don’t think that would be a good idea right now.”

She couldn’t see him and not touch him, and she knew that as soon as she touched him, they’d happily fall over into the abyss together. And Marinette wasn’t free to do that.

“Yeah, didn’t think so,” Adrien grumbled, some of his frustration leaking into his voice.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

“…And…am I allowed to call you now or text you or…? No?” he tried.

She bit her lip. “Not texting. Maybe…if you want to call me from time to time…I can’t promise that I’ll always pick up, but…”

His heart broke a little. Was she just saying that to placate him? Would he call and call and call and never get a response? That’s kind of what it sounded like, but maybe he was being overly pessimistic.

“Okay,” he agreed because what other choice did he have?

There was silence and pain.

Elise wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in to rest his head on her shoulder.

He snuggled into her neck.

She gave him a squeeze.

“…So…” Marinette spoke tentatively. “Have you done anything fun lately?”

He sighed and accepted her attempt to return the levity to their conversation. “I mean, yeah. I’ve been hanging out with friends a lot, trying to get out of the house. Keeping busy. Actually, on Thursday, I went with Elise, Nino, Chloé, and Kagami to a karaoke bar, and that was a ton of fun.”

“That’s…an unusual assortment of people,” Marinette replied, blinking in amazement.

“Nino’s putting up with Chloé for my sake and vice versa, but I think they’re starting to come to an understanding,” Adrien explained. “Chloé and Kagami might be bonding over a shared dislike of you, though,” he shamefacedly admitted.

“I see.” Marinette grimaced. “I can’t say that I’m surprised. Oh well. So long as you’re all having fun together.”

“We are,” Adrien confirmed. “Thursday was pretty great. We sang a lot of eighties songs. Elise is a fan, so…and Nino and Chloé were a little drunk, so they went with it. Kagami was a surprisingly good sport. She’s actually a karaoke champ…and can really hold her liquor.”

“What did you sing?” Marinette giggled, curling up on her chaise and hugging her throw pillow to her chest.

“Madonna’s Like a Prayer, It’s Raining Men with Elise and Chloé, Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out for a Hero—You know, after I sang that, some guy in his late twenties came up to me and offered to be my hero,” Adrien snickered.

“Oh my gosh!” Marinette cackled. “No!”

“Yes!” Adrien insisted. “He was all over me. Back at the table, I could see Nino getting ready to march over and fight the guy. Kagami had to hold him back.”

“What happened? What did you say?” Marinette prompted.

“I was kind of stunned. I mean, guys have flirted with me before, but…usually they don’t get so into my space. I sort of just went with it and flirted back a little?” Adrien admitted, blushing anew at the memory of the other man’s hand on his hip, on his butt.

“What?” Marinette choked.

“Apparently I still struggle with saying no to unsolicited affection,” Adrien groaned. “The attention was kind of nice, especially since I’ve been feeling so low lately, but then he told me he was secretly Chat Noir and invited me back to his place to show me all the different tricks he could do with his baton—”

“—You are not serious—”

“—and I told him that I’d slept with Chat Noir before and that Chat actually preferred to be on the receiving end of things.”

Marinette burst out laughing. “You didn’t!!! You didn’t!”

“I totally did,” Adrien snickered proudly.

“And what did he say?!” Marinette demanded.

“He asked if I was serious, and I said yes.” Adrien shrugged. “Then I excused myself and went back to singing.”

“I cannot believe that,” Marinette snorted.

“Why not? I mean, he was cute, but I don’t sleep with guys, so at that point there was no point in talking to him anymore. I didn’t want to lead him on or anything.”

“I can’t believe you got hit on like that,” Marinette rephrased.

“You would if you had seen what I was wearing,” Adrien teased. “The first word out of Nino’s mouth when he saw me was, ‘Meowzzah’.”

Marinette broke into a giggle fit all over again.

“Seriously. Chat Noir isn’t the only guy whose butt looks good in leather pants. And the shirt I was wearing was so tight and so thin, it might as well have been body paint. Chloé dressed me, and Elise did my makeup. The words ‘sex kitten’ might have gotten tossed around a little. Nino started it, but Kagami and Chloé quickly picked it up.”

“And your father let you leave the house like that?” Marinette scoffed.

“Chloé made me change at her house…but I’m sure my dad has seen photos by now, so I’m really wondering why I haven’t been grounded yet. I mean, he’s gotten dramatically more chill this past month, but I know I crossed a line Thursday. Maybe Nathalie interceded on my behalf or something? God forbid he actually let me go out there and make my own choices…I think. I don’t know. The rules seem to have changed lately, but I haven’t received an updated copy of the rulebook yet. Dad’s been reading a lot of parenting guidebooks, so maybe…I don’t know. I had a lot of fun, though, and if he wants to ground me later, that’s fine. At least I got to have fun like a normal eighteen-year-old for a little while.”

Marinette hummed thoughtfully. “I’m glad you got to have fun…. Did you sing anything else?”

“Total Eclipse of the Heart with Nino at Elise’s insistence,” Adrien chuckled, eagerly slipping back into the narrative. “And I actually got some requests from total strangers too, so I ended up singing a lot more than I had intended. The crowd seemed into it, though. I’m sure there are photos and videos on the internet because people definitely recognized me. Like I said, I’m surprised I haven’t gotten in trouble yet.”

“What did you tell your father you were doing?” Marinette had to wonder.

Adrien smirked. “Going to do karaoke with friends. I might have given him the impression that I would be doing so in a private room, but…I was surprised that he said yes in the first place.”

“That…Yeah…” Marinette muttered, trying to wrap her head around a Gabriel Agreste who was not unreasonable, domineering, and controlling.

“Have you done anything fun recently, Princess?” Adrien’s voice brought her back into the conversation. “I know you said you were super busy, but have you managed to squeeze something purely enjoyable into your schedule?”

Marinette blushed, guilt surging up her sternum. “I’m…yeah. Yeah, I have. You know that band that Rose and Ivan are in?”

“Kitty Section? What about it?”

“Well, I’ve been hanging out with them a lot. I’ve been working on promotional posters, new costumes, their album cover…going to get crêpes with the band…going dancing with the band. Jagged sent me tickets for his concert the other night, and I went with…with Luka, the guitarist. You remember Juleka’s older brother Luka?”

Adrien perked up. “Of course I remember Luka. He gave me guitar lessons for a while. He’s super cool!”

“Yeah, well, Luka was the only one able to go, so…so I went to the concert with Luka, and we got dinner and went for a walk afterwards, and…I had a really nice time. It was fun,” Marinette whispered almost plaintively.

Elise shifted uncomfortably, picking up on something that Adrien had missed.

Adrien lifted his head from her shoulder to give her a quirked eyebrow and a questioning look.

Elise smiled reassuringly, shaking her head and pulling him back into her.

Adrien settled against her and easily dismissed the incident.

“That’s good, Marinette,” Adrien replied cheerily. “I’m glad you got to do something fun, even though you’re really busy.”

“Y-Yeah. Thanks,” Marinette responded, an uncertainty to her voice. “Actually, I’ve been hanging out with Luka a lot lately. And the others, of course, but…Luka and I have been friends for a while; I just haven’t been spending a lot of time with him the past few years for one reason or another, but…recently I’ve been thinking it would be good to reconnect with him and a couple of my other old friends, so…Luka and I have been reconnecting.”

“That’s good!” Adrien encouraged. “I’ve been doing the same thing with Chloé and Kagami and Wayem, and I think that’s really helped me, widening my support system…. You know, it’s been a while since I’ve hung out with Luka too. Maybe once you and I are okay again, you, Luka, and I can all do something together.”

Marinette went stock still.

Elise squeezed Adrien a little tighter, sighing quietly as she nuzzled his hair.

“I’d love to see him.” Adrien chattered on obliviously. “I’ve always kind of had a platonic crush on him. He’s super cool.”

“Haha. Yeah,” Marinette laughed through her internal panic. “I’m sure…I’m sure Luka would love to see you too. He thinks you’re really interesting—Listen, it’s been great talking with you, Adrien, but I have to go,” Marinette informed hurriedly.

“Oh,” Adrien replied softly in disappointment. “Well—”

“—Take care, okay?” Marinette cut him off in her rush to escape before she could be found out and end up hurting him even more. “I’m so glad things are going well. I miss you.”

She rang off before he could get a word in edgewise.

Adrien blinked down at the phone for a beat before lifting his head to blink at Elise. “What do you think that was about?”

Elise ruffled Adrien’s hair. “Oh, you know Marinette,” she chuckled nervously. “She’s such a spazz. She probably forgot she was supposed to be helping her parents or she left something in the oven too long or she suddenly remembered she needed to cancel her Netflix subscription or…you know.”

Adrien shrugged, sitting up. “Yeah. I am intimately acquainted with the varied ways Marinette can be a total spazz…but I think that went well, don’t you?” He looked up at his friend cheerfully, eyes sparkling in excitement.

Elise smiled sadly, muttering a subdued, “Yeah. Yeah, that went great, Candy Floss. I’m proud of you.”

Adrien frowned interrogatively. “What?”

Elise shook her head. “Nothing.”

“No. Seriously. What?” Adrien repeated. “What’s that look for? What did I screw up?”

Elise shook her head again. “Nothing. It’s not you. It’s…”

She didn’t have the heart to tell him what she suspected. She hoped she was wrong.

Elise wrapped her arms around him in a boa constrictor squeeze as she assured, “You did great. I can tell what good friends you and Marinette are, how close you are. Your friendship will weather this, Candy Floss. You’re going to get through this,” she whispered, praying she was right.

“Yeah,” Adrien agreed, nuzzling her auburn hair and relishing the easy affection. “I’m a lot better already. I’ll be ready when Marinette is. Thanks for your help, Lise.”

“Anytime.” Elise gave Adrien another squeeze and let him go. “Ready for another episode of Doctor Who?”

Adrien checked his phone for the time. “Aren’t we supposed to be memorizing tendons and ligaments and stuff? For your test on Tuesday?”

Elise frowned. “But…David Tennant.”

“But…your scholarship,” Adrien echoed, trying to keep from smiling. “Don’t make me have to pay for your med school. You know I’ll do it.”

Elise hissed like a cat. “Don’t you dare. I would never let you,” she scolded. “That is not the reason I’m friends with you, Adrien Agreste.”

“I know,” Adrien tittered. “That’s why I’d gladly do it. I don’t have a lot of people like you and Nino in my life. I want to take care of you like you take care of me…and financial backing is one way I can do that.”

Elise rolled her eyes. “Shut your pie hole and go and get me the Pop-Tarts. I need sugar to study for my test.” She grabbed her bag from under the coffee table and pulled out her textbook.

(So, I invited the readers on AO3 to try their hand at writing the “missing” karaoke chapter. I think I have one taker so far. In the alternative, I invite you to take a stab at drawing Adrien’s karaoke outfit. ^.^)

[ask-joeydrewstudios]

((y’know what? i’ve written a few fics with sammy and susie, and people have been asking for more henry and dianne content. here’s a fic about how henry and dianne met for all you lovely folks out there. excuse the mess, im still not used to writing xD The only thing that’s changed since that art I drew of this scenario months back is that Dianne’s a waitress now, not a random patron. here’s the AO3 link for anyone that wants it. Anyway, enjoy.))

[[do not repost to other websites]]

  Henry, on most days, wouldn't consider himself the type of person to turn down a free lunch. Free food was free food, especially in this economy. Money was tight, and even if his job as an animator paid well he still couldn’t afford to turn down a free meal. The studio he worked at had an overabundance of canned bacon soup that nearly nobody was eating, and it was made free to anyone that would eat it in an effort to get rid of it. As such, his lunch breaks usually consisted of him sitting in the breakroom, downing a few cans and drawing. Though, eating the same thing almost every day for years... well, some days he can't stand to look at the stuff. This sunny spring Tuesday was one of those unusual days. 12:30PM rolled around and he took his sketchbook with him as he got up and walked to the studio exit. The cool, crisp air that greeted him as he opened the front doors was refreshing; it was a pleasant change from the smoke and ink-fume filled air he was far too used to.

  While his favorite sandwich shop was only a five minute walk from the studio, he still kept a quick pace. He only had an hour, and he wanted to enjoy as much of it as possible. He held his sketchbook firmly under his left arm as he walked quickly along the crowded city sidewalks, sometimes throwing the occasional glance to the street where cars drove by. If the place wasn't already so close to the studio and he wasn't in need of exercise, he'd probably be in the traffic himself.

  A bell chimed as he opened the door to the small corner shop. The place was never terribly busy, and somehow his favorite booth was always free. The booth was perfectly in the middle of the row that stretched along the windows in the front. He sat down, opened his sketchbook to a new page, and reached for the pencil he always kept behind his ear-

  ...only to find, it was missing. Reaching into his sweater he found the one he kept in his dress shirt pocket was absent as well. Pencils falling from behind his ear when he wore glasses was a normal occurrence. He had no idea where the other one went.

  He sighed, and just as he did a waitress conveniently appeared by his table. Before she could deliver her usual welcoming line, he cut in.

  "You wouldn't happen to have a spare pencil, would you?"

  The waitress, who was named Dianne according to her name tag, seemed taken aback for a brief moment. That was not the response she was expecting, she felt like she'd been running on autopilot for the past hour and people weren't supposed to speak before she did. As she came back to her senses, the question registered in her mind. Did she have a spare pencil? Of course she had spares. She didn't have time to sit around sharpening pencils every time they broke while she wrote orders, so she kept a few on her at all times for when the inevitable happened. She retrieved one from her light-blue uniform's skirt pocket and held it out for him with a smile.

  "Thank you." He nodded, accepting it.

  "Now, what can I get for you?"

   A half hour later, he'd already filled a page with this Dianne woman. He meant to do one simple sketch to leave with her and the pencil he borrowed as a way to say thanks, but as it turns out she was quite beautiful and quite fun to draw. As discreetly as he could (which, for the record, was not very) he watched her take orders and walk to and from the kitchen. Their gazes met a few times and every time he looked away more frantically, hoping not to give her the wrong idea. If he didn't care, he could stare into her enchanting green eyes all day, or watch her almost constantly brush a stray lock of medium-brown hair behind her ear only for it to float back in front of her face seconds later. It was rather endearing.

  Henry had been so captivated by drawing he nearly forgot he was on lunch break, and he'd been neglecting his turkey sandwich. According to his watch, he had twenty minutes left before he would have to return to the studio. Pushing his sketchbook aside he turned his attention back to his food, and watched the world outside the window as he ate. People passed by, cars drove nearly bumper-to-bumper down the street, and behind him he could hear the ambiance of the cozy little restaurant. There were a few people around him chatting among themselves, and clatter from the kitchen that funneled through the small window behind the counter. This was one of his favorite places in the city, if he was honest. If he didn't have to return to the studio soon he would keep ordering sandwiches and drawing for as long as he could. The only way it could get any better in this moment would be if it started to rain.

  "So you were staring at me so you could... draw me?"

  He froze at the voice he recognized as the waitress coming from behind him. Turning slowly he saw she was holding his sketchbook and leaning on the booth's seat. Realizing she mentioned how he had been staring, his eyes widened and he felt himself turn bright red. With the way she looked at the resulting page and smiled though, he figured she didn't exactly mind.

  "Yeah, you're a really good model."

  "Well, you're a really good artist." She responded with a chuckle.

  "Oh, thank you."

  He almost had a heart attack when, without taking her gaze from his sketchbook, she took a seat across from him in the booth. He wasn't sure if he was happy about this or not.

  "Would you mind if I...?" She looked up at him as she went to turn the page. Oh god, she wanted to look through the thing. There was nothing strange or embarrassing in this particular book, only life drawings like the page she'd been fawning over, but he still felt a little uneasy about letting her thumb through it.

  "No, not at all. Go right ahead." He noticed he'd been bouncing his leg, which he knew he hadn't been doing until she started talking to him. With every page she turned she only seemed to be more amazed.

  "I'd like to correct my earlier statement, you're an amazing artist, Mr...?"

  She was looking at him again. He was briefly lost in her gaze before realizing he was just asked a question. Idiot, he hissed in his head.

  "Henry!" He offered a handshake. "Henry Batim."

  She shook his hand.

  "That's... an interesting last name. French?"

  "I'm not too sure, actually. You'd think with as often as I'm asked that I would have looked into it by now." He nervously laughed. "And you are?"

  "Dianne Collins." She smiled now, smiled at him... and he couldn't help but smile back.

  "Nice to meet you, Dianne."

  "Nice to meet you too." She let go of his hand before he let go of hers, and she went back to flipping through the sketchbook.

  "So how long have you been drawing?"

  "Oh, about... Always? I can't remember a time in my life where I wasn't drawing."

  "It certainly shows, these are incredible. I could never get the hang of drawing, nothing ever came out right. You, on the other hand..."

  "Well, it all comes with practice. If you think those are good, you should see the stuff I actually put effort into." Did he sound modest or conceited? 'Look at me, apparently my dumb sketches look magnificent, I bet if I showed you my finished works you'd-'

  "Really? What kind of things do you draw?"

  "Anything that catches my interest. Landscapes, portraits..." 'Would she be impressed if I told her I drew cartoons for a living?'

  "That sounds wonderful, I'd love to see them some time."

  "I'm... free after work, at six. Maybe we could get dinner and I could show you more?"

  "Sounds fun, Henry. Where do you work?"

  "Just down the street, you know where Joey Drew Studios is?"

  "You work for Joey Drew, making those little cartoons?" She asked. He nodded and held his breath.

  "That's amazing!" She cheered. He sighed, relieved. "You have to tell me how you came to work at Joey Drew Studios of all places tonight."

  "Dinner, art, and a history lesson? Sounds like a date."

  She closed his sketchbook and handed it back to him. Their fingers brushed against each other as he took it, and his heart skipped a beat.

  "See you at the studio doors around six, then." She said, getting out of the booth and heading back to the kitchen.

  "See you then!" He called back to her. Before closing the kitchen door they shared one more smile as she waved at him and he waved back. After the door swung shut he looked down at his sketchbook in front of him, his mind already swarming with thoughts about what happened and the fact that he apparently had a date tonight.

  ...Wait, he had a date now?

[neoyeppuda]

First Impressions - Jin scenario

Request: cliche Jin scenario where he spills coffee on your terrible date and comforts you afterwards.

Word Count: 1397

A/N: ah, I feel like this wasn't really good. Is it? This is my first time writing for Jin ㅠㅠ I loved the idea a lot and I hope you guys like it!! I named the guy after my ex but he's not a bad guy adfhjkl I just didn't want to think of a name anymore HAAHAHAH -Clar

Tonight was the night.

You fixed yourself for the hundreth time before heading out. It was your first time going out on a blind date and you couldn't wait. Your friends took it upon themselves to find you a man even though you didn't really want to. He was a friend of your colleague at work, a tall man with shaggy brown hair and a winning smile. She wouldn't stop talking about him until you finally agreed to meet up with him in this cafe for a date. He was waiting for you at the entrance, waving when he spotted you. "(Y/n), right?" he smiles and introduces himself as Mingi.

The good impression of him didn't last very long when he slams the door into your face when he entered the cafe. Another man in a waiter's uniform apologizes and opens the door for you. As you passed by him you marvelled at how handsome he looked before heading to your seat with a small frown.

Tonight was not the night.

It went on and on and on and on. Your date talked about nothing but himself and it was annoying you. Watching paint dry was much more entertaining than listening to him talk about how many girls looked at him as he walked to the cafe. He wasn't that attractive. "The waiter is way hotter though," you muttered under your breath. Plates of cake were suddenly set onto the table and you realized how close the waiter's face was to yours. He chuckles and thanks you for the compliment before returning to the kitchen.

You were a blushing mess as Mingi started eating his cake. He was chewing with his mouth open which gathered attention from the other patrons of the cafe. "See?" he smirked, "even people here can't help but look at me." Holding yourself back from slapping the man was the hardest thing you had to do today as he started talking about how unbelievably good looking he was, again. Whenever you heard him say "good looking" all you could think about was that waiter.

You looked around the cafe, searching for that man. It was better than listening to Mingi. You saw him behind the counter smiling to himself as he wiped numerous glasses dry. He honestly looked too good to be working as a waiter here in this cafe, you'd think he was a model by the way he looked and carried himself. You were probably staring too much because he looked up and your eyes met. He simply threw a wink and a big smile, you could've sworn he mumbled to himself, "cute." Embarrassed and flustered, you turn your attention back to your terrible date, he immediately stopped thank goodness and asked you if you were fine. "You look like a damn tomato," he said, annoyed. His concern was very touching but the way he expressed it certainly wasn't. Your frown grew deeper as each painfully long minute passed by.

After a while, the waiter came back with the coffee. You turn to look at him expectantly the moment you heard him whisper, "watch this." Puzzled, you simply nod slowly and watched as everything unfolded. "Oops!" he exclaims, flipping the tray onto your date. You watched in shock and delight as hot coffee splashed all over him, thankful that he got what he deserved. Tonight was terrible but this probably turned it all around. The waiter who spilled the coffee winked at you, snickering a bit. You mouthed a thank you and he nods in response before apologizing to your date, "I'm so so sorry, I really didn't mean it." While the waiter sarcastically apologizes, you took a look at his name tag. "Seokjin," it said, and you smiled to yourself. Knowing his name gave you tingles all over that put a goofy smile on your face.

Mingi wiped himself with the numerous tissues he demanded them to bring to him in a futile attempt to dry himself. He started complaining to one of the staff about Seokjin, asking them if he always did that and that he should be fired. You felt a bit guilty because he went and did that for you but you felt happy he did. When he came back you made it a point to thank him for risking his job to save your terrible night. He probably heard you call him hot and you were too embarrassed to face him ever again but you just didn't want to let it slide.

You watched as he got scolded by an older looking man. He had his head bowed down but you could see him smiling from ear to ear. After the brief lecture he got, he immediately went back to the counter and picked up a tray. You waited in anticipation as he was headed towards your table. Having Seokjin near you again was probably more exciting than the coffee now. "Here we go," he places your gently onto the table and reaches for Mingi's. As you stirred your coffee a yelp came out of your date, you looked at him and saw coffee dripping down from his face. You couldn't help but snicker at the sight, he looked better with his hair covering his obnoxious face.

"That's it!" he slammed the table and abruptly stood up. His face probably hurt from all the hot coffee thrown on it today. He furrowed his brows, throwing daggers at you as you laughed, "I've had enough of you." You started laughing harder, "I could say the same to you." He gulped and folded his arms, shifting his gaze towards Seokjin, "all you've been doing during our date is oogle the shitty waiter. I'm done, you're not worth my time." Mingi storms out with prideful steps leaving you alone at your table.

You took a sip of your coffee, licking your lips in delight. Seokjin was cleaning up the spilled coffee as he hummed, "it's delicious, isn't it?" You agree wholeheartedly and he smiled at your enthusiasm, "glad you liked it. I made it." A compliment from you put a bright smile on his face, packing up the wet rags before wiping his hand on the apron that hung around his waist.

After learning that he made the coffee, every sip made your heart skip a beat. You sat alone, slowly sipping your coffee and just thought about him to keep yourself entertained. Did he have a girlfriend? What kind of music did he like? You daydreamed about him until you realized your cup was finally empty. Standing up, you reached out and grabbed the receipt. It wasn't there. It not being there puzzled you, but you decided that maybe they simply forgot and went to ask for a new receipt. "For what table?" the cashier asked with pen in hand. You pointed to where your table was and she raised an eyebrow at you, "but it's already been paid for?"

What.

Did Mingi pay for it? You got caught up in your thoughts when she asked you to move aside. Customers behind you clicked their tongue and you apologized before leaving. On your way out Seokjin approached you, handing you a piece of paper and ran to the kitchen without another word.

The paper was your receipt, with words written at the back. You flipped it over and almost squealed when you read what he wrote. "I'm sorry your date was terrible, I hope I made it better. Wait for me outside, I'll take you out on a real date," he draw a small heart and a smiley face. You then wait outside. He came not too long after, out of breath and in a new set of clothes. It was very... pink; it looked cute on him. He smiled and asked you if you enjoyed Thai food. He's been meaning to visit this pretty good restaurant and he thought it would be a good start for a date.

You enjoyed the food and his surprisingly corny jokes a lot. He was different from your first impression of him but you enjoyed being with him even more now. Tonight really was the night. He took you to an amusement park after and went on a few rides with you before it got late. It was a fun night and you kinda still got the guy your friends wanted you to get. He asked you out for another date on Wednesday and you gladly accepted.

As he walked you home he started teasing you about him being 'hot'. You couldn't hear the end of it until you got to your doorstep. He bids you goodnight and whispers into your ear before walking away.

"First impressions aren't always true."

[jadehqknb]

Okay. I'm going to do it. Let's have Tendo being the new boyfriend of the reader, and while they're on a date, they meet by accident with Ryota, her ex boyfriend. Like, Tendo goes for 5 mins, and when he returns he's already talking with his gf and Tendo knows perfectly who he is. Give me some jealous Tendo pleeeease hahaha

So this came out a bit more…angsty and while there isjealousy it blends more to insecurity which I guess is something that breedsjealousy. Either way, I hope you like it and thanks for adhering to my callout! 😊

“Thanks for coming with me Satori-kun! It’s always so muchmore fun having someone to go to games with,” you say taking his hand andsqueezing. The red head returns your smile though his is a bit more strained.He knows you’re a friendly person, good with people and generally the completeopposite of himself, but he wonders not for the first time why on earth you’recoming to your ex-boyfriend’sbasketball game? As far as dates go, this one must be on the bottom of his listof favorites. Scratch that, it’s not even going on the list! He knows heshouldn’t care, that he can trust you, but when he’d heard where you were goingand who you were going to see, he couldn’t stop himself from saying he wouldtake you.

The gym is full, basketball fans as far as the eye can see,pumped and ready for the Winter Cup to begin. Tendo has never had any interestin the game. A bunch of tall, sweaty guys running back and forth lazilyshooting a ball into a basket? Boring!

“Just you wait and see,” you’d commented when he’d said asmuch to you in the train on your way to the arena, “These teams are anythingbut boring.”

As you take your seats, rather close to the court he noticesand figures someone must havearranged for you to have such a good vantage point on, of course, Kaijo High’sside, Tendo realizes he forgot to take you to the snack stand. Looking at thetime, he figures he can make it there and back before tipoff. Not that hereally cares but he is trying to for your sake; it’s not your fault he’sbitter, that’s his own issue to deal with.

“I’ll be right back,” he says standing, “gonna go get ussome snacks. Gotta make this trip worthwhile somehow and greasy, sugary arenafood is the way to do it.” He smirks down at you, ruffling your hair and kissingyour pout before leaving.

It takes him a bit longer than he anticipated and he missesseeing the teams’ entrances catching them on the TV screens scatteredthroughout the hallways. What he doesn’tmiss is the roar of the crowd, particularly the squealing screams of the girlsas Kise Ryota, the literal golden boy of Kaijo’s team, makes his way onto thecourt. Nearing the front of the line, he’s assessing the menu choices when aquestion of, “I wonder who that girl is that Kise is so interested in?” catcheshis attention.

Looking back at the screens, his pulse pounds in his ears ashe watches the blonde lean into your space, his face exceptionally to close toyours and your smile a bit too bright for his liking. Gritting his teeth andforgetting all about his reason for being where he is, he rushes out of line.

Coming down the stairs, he can see Kise still talking toyou, mouth opening in a laugh, his eyes squinting in mirth at whatever yousaid. Tendo clenches his fists unable to stop another type of monster of the green-eyedvariety from emerging. Just who does this guy think he is, touching you likethat! Wait, touching?!

Sure enough, Kise’s hand is on your shoulder, his thumbtracing back and forth and Tendo can feel his eyes narrowing, a deep inhale ofirritation filling his lungs. Doesn’t he know you have a boyfriend?!

The sudden realization of the possibility that you’ve saidnothing about him quakes Tendo to his soul. Mind racing to worst case scenarioshe feels faint, sitting down heavily on the ground and leaning against thewall. Maybe he’s just a fool. Maybe you don’t really like him that much andhe’s just a rebound to get over Kise. Who was it that broke the relationshipoff again? In his flustered brain, he can’t remember at the moment. You? Him?Mutual breakup? Does it even really matter?

And what is he,the “guess monster” compared to golden boy? Tendo doesn’t even play the sportthat made him infamous anymore and here you are, placed right back in front ofsomeone with fierce ambition and natural talent. A good-looking guy (hey, hecan admit it), taller than him (by only an inch but still) and so freaking sureof himself. Not to mention his career as a model (really, what do you see in Tendo?), he’s probably filthy rich too.

The sound of the buzzer snaps him out of his haze, promptinghim to stand back up; the game has started. He looks back to your location,eyes becoming sad when he realizes you’re completely absorbed in the game, noteven turning around to look for him; do you even notice he’s still gone?

Heaving a sigh, Tendo makes his way back down to your seats.When he sits down, you flash a quick glance at him. “There you are! Did you getlost or something?” you say teasingly elbowing his side.

Normally, he’d just grin or quip something back at you butnow he can’t help thinking you that you think he’s stupid. But you’re alreadylooking back at the court, not even noticing his face falling at your light-heartedjab.

“Go Kise-kun, whoohoo!” you shout, fist up in the air. Theblonde smiles at you, sending a wink your direction and making the girls behindyou swoon. Again, Tendo can’t stop himself comparing you with him and you withKise; did you cheer this loudly for him as hisgames?

“Aren’t they amazing?” you ask looking up at his face andfinally you see, something’s not right. “Satori-kun? Are you feeling ok? Youlook a bit…green.”

Closing his eyes, Tendo takes in a deep breath. He can’t doit. He can’t sit here and watch and hear you have such a good time cheeringfor, encouraging and fawning over your ex-boyfriend; he just…can’t…do it.

Standing up again, he says briskly, “I’m gonna go, I wasright, this is boring me to tears.” His eyes are a little watery and you standup as well, grasping his wrist.

“Hey, wait a second, why- “

He wrenches his hand away, startling you as he snaps, “Justlet me go, huh? Have fun watching your golden boy!”

Completely caught off guard by his anger, you hastilyfollow, apologizing to people as you trip over their legs in your haste tocatch up with your clearly upset boyfriend.

“Satori-kun, wait!” you call, rushing up and standing infront of him, hands pushing against his chest to get him to stop moving. “Whaton earth is the matter?!?”

You’re unprepared for the vitriolic tone of his voice whenhe answers, “You! You’re what’s the matter! This whole, “date”, is what’s thematter! How can you not know?!”

“Wait? You’re jealous of Kise-kun?” you ask bewildered. “Whyon earth would you be?”

“Oh, don’t give me that! The flirting, the cheering, how canyou stand there and pretend it doesn’t mean anything?!” he shouts.

“Because it doesn’t!” you yell right back. “Flirting? Ifyou’d take two second to really look you’d see that he was flirting with mebecause that is what Kise-kun is! A flirt! That’s part of why I broke up withhim!”

Tendo blinks, dropping his arms and you take the opening,stepping into his space and placing your hands on his cheeks, looking deep inhis eyes. “That’s one of the things I love most about you, Satori-kun,” you say more softly, “you treat me like I’m themost important person on earth. Kise…Kise just didn’t know how to turn off. He was always making a scenewherever we went because of fan girls, never thinking about how his behaviorwas affecting me.”

Tendo feels his heart burning, ashamed he’d accused you ofwhat he did when you were the one who’d been treated unfairly by the blonde.“Then…then why are you still friends with him?” he asks, finally reaching foryou, hands rested on your waist.

You sigh. “Because we’ve been friends since middle school.We have a lot of history and even though he hurt me by his behavior I knew hewasn’t being malicious, he’s just a dumb blonde sometimes.” Tendo snorts andyou grin up at him before going on, “But we had a pretty good friendship and Iguess I wasn’t willing to just throw that away because we’d made the poordecision to date.”

Drawing you into his arms, Tendo rests his chin against yourhead. Very softly you hear him say, “I’m sorry, _____-chan, I just…gosh it hurtto watch that.”

He feels you nod against his chest. Pulling back, you angleyour head up, getting on tiptoes to kiss him gently. “I’m sorry I hurt you,”you say.

He shakes his head. “Not your fault, it’s all my own stuff.”Taking a deep breath, he says, “So, want me to finally get you those snacks andwe can go finish the game?”

You shake your head with a soft smile. “No, they’ll be playing again anothertime, let’s just go.” Taking his hand in yours, the two of you make your way out of the arena.

[poppun-chan]

The Year of Keroro Challenge Update 5 (Yes Sir)

We’re Back! Actually this one was much easier than the last when I actually had the chance to work on it. Either way I’m going to be doing this a little bit differently, the end result will still be the same it’s more a difference in the production process so it will be easier to catch up.

On that note I had a bit of a surprise, I thought I was going to have several bits of writing to cover between the “Room of Reflection” and Labbie’s dry erase board on uses for bread crusts, but now it turns out both of those were more or less covered by Funimation (A few of the room of reflection notes seem to have been missed) so I have a whole bunch of unexpected free space now which I’d like to use to thank everyone who has been following my updates....And to give a special mention to DeadofFrogs who has been commenting on all of them, I just wanted to let you know that I do read and appreciate your comments, even if I can’t always think of something to say in response.

And now as usual, the plan count:

Serious Plans: K66:18 D66:1 MMK:1 TMM:1 (The anime one was a bit hard to classify since it could also be a funding one)

Funding Plans: K66:2

It’s a plan, I Swear!: K66:6 (I threw the birthday one in for good measure) 

Oh look! Progress!: K66:3

Also I somehow forgot to bring this up last time but in regards to episode 22, has anyone else realised this? It’s a bit odd that Tamama made such a big deal out of being leader since, unless he’d have to cross Momoka in the process, he technically has an army of sorts at his disposal already in the form of Momoka’s bodyguards (speaking of which, I wonder how he kept everything from that episode from getting back to her)

Episode 29: Oh goodness this episode is just full of fun little easter eggs....And Keroro’s acting, that’s just hilarious. Either way the first is Keroro parody Chigusa Tsukikage, the acting mentor from the shoujo manga “Glass Mask” who has a similar hairstyle to the one Keroro wears in the episode to hide the burn marks on her face. Rabbie’s bit about uses for bread crusts is a nod to a trope in Japan that a staple food for poor characters is the bread crusts that bakeries throw away when making their sandwiches (They sell crust-less sandwiches)

I remember somebody mentioning that the members of the Newspaper club are likely inspired by the human children from Doraemon (less Nobita), and I can sort of see that; but more than that has anyone else noticed the small animal they test the device on looks a bit like Ryo-ohki from the Tenchi series? No really, look at it.

Episode 30: Now let’s all be honest with our ourselves, this episode represents our worst case scenario when meeting our online friends; we all say it’s finding out the other person is really a creep twice our age sporting a moose hat or a serial killer or something like that, but after several years we can assume such people would have lost patience. No, secretly the thing we dread the most is having the other person meet the people we see everyday and reference all the times we’ve vented our frustrations over things they’ve done. 

Oh! One thing I noticed was that Taruru mentions being the representative of the 4th year group, not the kindergarten group....granted that doesn’t really tell us that much; in Japan only elementary school has a 4th year, but since Keron is a different planet altogether they could have a fourth year of middle school or high school, or it could be a system where the first year of training starts much later than you’d except (maybe around 11 or 12). Another is at the end Tamama says “Our Generation’s Turn”, not “Your Generation”, but the Funimation release’s subtitles fixed that anyway (my guess it is was a typo, it does make more sense with “Our” though since the age gap between the two doesn’t seem to be that big)

Moving along to part b, regardless of your stance on these sort of things and whether we should show developing characters being insecure about their appearances and working through it or whether we should have them always be satisfied with it no matter what (I lean more towards the former, it covers the people who arrive at insecurities on their own), can we just take a moment to look at Momoka’s Mother? She more or less looks the way Momoka wants to and considering the other ways she takes after her Mother, just waiting a few years to see what happens seems a viable option (Though I have to admit I never understood when other girls compared their appearances to adult women; it’s like comparing a kitten and a cat, you’re a similar thing but you’re not there yet). I have to admit I never really went through this though, my parents didn’t really draw much attention to these things and there’s quite a lot I didn’t notice about my appearance until I turned 20 (Plus I had a back brace I wore most of the day from ages 9-15 because my back muscles weren’t strong enough and after it came off most of the major changes had already happened, like a butterfly)

Episode 31: Aww! This one was quite cute, really there’s no other way I can describe it, this episode has a lot of really adorable moments between Keroro’s excitement over his space craft, the effort he goes through to make it back with his souveneer, and the moments with the narrator. And of course the two sweetest moments of the episode: the interaction with the Mojajin had the same sort of charm as seeing somebody pay a backhanded, yet sincere compliment and seeing Natsumi go searching for Keroro was adorable as well. I’m going to admit, when I first watched the series Natsumi’s way of handling the aliens rubbed me the wrong way and it still does, especially when she does the authoritarian “I’m forbidding it and expect you to just accept it” bit (honestly, I can’t condone that behaviour in anyone), so the opening was a bit dicey for me but the ending makes up for it. Really Keroro and Natsumi have one of the most tumultuous relationships in the show, so the rare moments when we get to see that they do care about each other are always nice to see.

And as a side note, the moment with the frog was absolutely hilarious; I always love it when you see characters based on an animal species interacting with that animal (Honestly, I’m shocked that after four movies Equestria Girls still hasn’t done a “Pony meets Horse” joke)

Episode 32: I’m going to take a moment to ask the one question that’s been burning in the back of my mind since I first saw this episode and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s wondered this: What would happen if they used this thing on a frog? Would it turn into a Human or a Keronian? There’s the potential for quite a few humour moments with this one and I would have loved to see that explored a bit. Also does anyone else find it funny that when Keroro explains why a Panda would make a good ally he basically describes a role that’s already filled by Tamama? Having a cute appearance, but becoming violent when you get too close. Actually Pandas aren’t especially aggressive towards humans, they have attacked them, but usually out of irritation (Dolphins would fit the cute yet deadly bit better than a Panda, some species such as the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin hunt for sport).

Having said that I’m guessing the Zoo they visit is based on the Ueno Zoo since that Zoo is located in Tokyo and did have a Panda at the time; though that Panda was male, also the Elephants they had during the war died of starvation, there’s a memorial, and a historically inaccurate picture book about it and everything

Episode 33: Now this one is interesting, my goal is to be a director/producer of animation (I’ve actually been working on a story board for a fan project) so I always enjoy a peek into the production process, especially for shows. It’s doubly interesting since the process they show is very different from in North America where the voice acting is typically done first, while the method shown here has it as the last step (it must make dubbing foreign shows easier though, if you usually do something similar anyway)

Though there are a couple of options for a difficult to draw pose that weren’t in here that I remember from the classes I took, one is taking a picture so you don’t have to have a model standing for as long. The other is a bit controversial considering the sensibilities I’ve seen from some fan artists, but it’s something called a swipe file. Basically it’s a collection of pictures that that catch your interest that you can use for inspiration, reference and things you can’t get to look right. I know some people don’t approve, but some professionals do actually trace poses and details they have trouble with, especially if it’s something like key animation where you have to make a large number of drawings in a short period of time with nothing to work off of (in-between animation is easier since you’re working off the key drawings and most of the image is the same once you figure out how the character will go from pose a to pose b, and the inking stage of cel animation even more so, enough that Walt Disney replaced the entire inking depart with photocopy machines after Sleeping Beauty released in theaters because the film did poorly and the studio was in financial trouble as a result). If nothing else it’s a good way to practice since you can build muscle memory.

I just wanted to mention this since I remember a while back in another fandom that a lot of people were scandalised when it came out that one artist known for drawing comics had been using screenshots to get the basic pose he built the character on top of and I thought people’s reactions were a bit unfair given how quickly he had been putting his comics together. Especially since nobody was bothered by vector tracing and it’s apparently something that the animation industry has done for years (Some actually do more than that, I remember reading a book from overseas that mentioned a possible shortcut for monochrome pieces of keeping a stack of travel and real estate brochures and catelogues to cut out background from. That I don’t know if you’d be able to do here though) 

Episode 34: Oh I remember this one, to be honest I prefer the ending in the anime version, not just because everyone gets to go, but also because it acknowledges the fact that Keroro never needed a ticket to begin with (on a side note, I feel the Tamama shaped canon on Momoka’s powered suit is a fun little touch). 

As for part 2, actually I don’t think I’ve watched either part of this episode very many times, but watching it again I’m surprised that one Duet with Keroro & Fuyuki doesn’t play, the one about finding a pebble while walking....Having said that I remember back when I first watched the series, the song boulevard of broken dreams played on the radio a lot and I think this episode was the reason for a parody that always popped into my head of Keroro singing it as “Boulevard of broken plates” (By the way, the best way to fix ceramics is to moisten it and use crazy glue; it needs moisture to stick so running it under the faucet should work)

Episode 35: It’s the birthday episode! I remember this inspiring an entire discussion trying to work out the approximate Birthdays of each character based on astrology (Fuyuki & Momoka have actual hints since we see their birthdays celebrated; Fuyuki’s is likely mid-October and Momoka’s in late March) we actually worked out a few, though I remember we had trouble with Dororo, Mois, Koyuki & Saburo & I’m not sure what we ultimately settled on.

Having said that Keroro’s does fit really well, there’s one person my family knows (the mother of my closest friend growing up) who has her birthday the day before Keroro’s and there are certain....similarities in their behaviour (To give you an idea, my mom first met her when I was in kindergarten and she asked my mom to be the emergency contact for her son who was in my class and my mom agreed to avoid her asking someone dangerous)

Also the gifts Giroro gives Natsumi are space versions of the items the title character of Kaguya Hime asks five suitors (one per suitor) to bring her to win her hand in marriage, in the end all of them fail since the tasks were supposed to be near impossible (it was more to stop them bothering her parents). Either way Giroro’s comment that he casually picked them up for her would probably have been a bit more believable if he had taken that claw/fang out of his head first....just a thought.

[terryblount]

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot PC Review

It seems that gamers will never give Dragon Ball Z a chance to quit. Every time this 1989 anime looks ready for a peaceful retirement, it is once again dragged back into service sending 90’s kids spiraling into nostalgia, while a whole new generation falls in love with the show. Fighting games in particular have turned Akira Toriyama’s masterpiece into a magic goose with an infinite supply of golden eggs.

Yet, what lies beyond the fighting game genre for Dragon Ball Z has always represented something of an enigma for developers. The epic stand-offs against insanely powerful enemies are certainly a fundamental part of the anime, but they form part of deeper journey of Goku’s personal growth. No DBZ game has really been able to relay this in a meaningful experience.

Look Gohan! Daddy can move sideways in this game too!

Enter Dragon Ball Z Kakarot. With this game, Japan-based studio CyberConnect2 have taken the arena brawler formula from many of their Naruto titles, and wrapped the entire Dragon Ball Z epic around it. What they cobbled together is a wholly different kind of DBZ game with commendable respect for its source material, yet still falls prey to one too many of the open-world genre pitfalls.

Rock the dragon

Like the majority of Dragon Ball Z fighting games out on the market, DBZ Kakarot is similarly a melange of crucial story moments from the anime crafted into a playable experience. The anime’s main drawing point has always been the utter spectacle that ensues when powerful protagonists come face to face with god-like villains, and these moments are undoubtedly the stars of the show here.

Where CyberConnect2’s latest game distinguishes itself from its peers, however, is DBZ Kakarot’s interest in what leads up to these major showdowns. Rather than just ushering the player from one big fight to the next, the gameplay on the open-world maps becomes an opportunity to put time into grooming your character for the multiple boss encounters within each chapter.

I bet if you went through the anime frame by frame you would find scenes that match these pictures perfectly.

In other words, outside of fighting iconic adversaries like Androids, Frieza, or Cell, DBZ Kakarot takes on a much more relaxed and free pacing where the player can fly around the world hunting for collectables, can do some training, or pummel lesser enemies. Each locale has been utterly packed with oodles of the aforementioned loot which serves the purpose of enhancing your character’s abilities.

DBZ Kakarot is at its strongest when the game can make this entire experience feel like you are playing through the anime rather than watching it. Running on the Unreal Engine 4, the character models look utterly fantastic, and at times I had some difficulty distinguishing them from how they look on the show. This is easily on par with gorgeous visuals from Dragon Ball FighterZ.

The developers have also ensured that the fighting sequences do not hold back from eye-watering lighting and particle effects, as well as the actual sounds that defined the quirky aesthetics of the anime. By the time I reached the Kaio-ken four scene between Goku vs Vegeta, I squealed like a little school girl! You could feel that intensity through the screen, and in moments like these DBZ Kakarot shines.

Still my favourite scene from the entire anime

Unfortunately, while many in-combat animations have been done rather well, the open-world dialogue sequences are truly cringeworthy. The show’s real voice cast – including Seán Schemmel and Christopher Sabat – do their best, but the horrific wooden acting and Final Fantasy X-level awkward pauses between lines make these scenes an utter pain to sit through, and there are a LOT of them.

It’s over nine thousaaaaaaaand!

When the first moment arrived to try my hand at the combat mechanics, I instinctively switched over fighting game mode in my mind. As is the norm whenever I play a new fighting game, I anticipated the usual routine of pausing the game and committing some basic combos to memory before punching Piccolo right between his pointy ears…

Except there weren’t any combos or multi-button attacks to speak of. Instead, I learnt that the player will have access to the three basic actions throughout DBZ Kakarot’s combat sequences: Melee attacks, long-range energy blasts and that… blink/step… thing they do. That’s it. Only three inputs that always form the backbone for those flashy enemy encounters.

See how I totally missed Zarbon here? The game wants you to use energy attacks strategically, which means you cannot just spam them.

The reason why CyberConnect2 have gone with such a simplified, consistent combat system is to ensure that the leading character can be rotated as the story progresses, without the need for the player to learn new fighting moves. Moreover, keeping things simple also ensures that DBZ Kakarot keeps a balance between open-world, story-driven moments, and the more intense combat scenarios.

As such, the combat is based primarily on paying attention to the enemy’s attack patterns, and subsequently deciding what your character should do in that moment. Is the enemy close enough to attack, are they blocking, are they about to discharge an energy attack, or should I try to dodge their next move? You form an instinctive loop of these questions in your head the more you play.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Dragon Ball Z without the signature super moves, so the game does let the characters’ individuality shine through in these abilities. The player can therefore choose between a maximum of four different slots to fire energy blasts at enemies, and when fighting in groups, you can even call on your partners to assist with their super attacks.

I hope you like tutorial text; this game will throw A LOT at you! This is a big no no as this means the game was not designed so the player can learn how to play intuitively.

While combat is overall a robust and multi-layered system, I wish it could have been more responsive. The game does most of the work for you, but inputs are still dependent on the character finishing their animations, which means it was easy to descend into button-mashing. It was frustrating seeing characters failing to block, or not striking in an opening because they were still powering ahead with that combo you entered five seconds ago.

Open-world woes

I reviewed One Piece: World Seeker last year which, like DBZ Kakarot, is another Shonen Jump publication that finally shed the yoke of the fighting genre in exchange for an open-world design. Regrettably, several issues – such as a bland world and sterile gameplay – fatally ruptured what could have been a great recreation of the anime.

It seems that DBZ Kakarot was not paying attention to World Seeker’s failings as it duplicates several of them (albeit to a smaller degree). The most obvious problem in DBZ Kakarot is how the open-world gameplay yet again feels underdeveloped, and extremely repetitive.

You read that correctly, one of the side missions is literally helping Master Roshi find his porn. Why? Just WHY?

The different maps like Planet Namek or the island-strewn oceans around Kame House are decent replicas Dragon Ball Z’s settings, and they are pleasantly spacious. However, these areas rarely elevate beyond being collect-a-thon, sand boxes to find the same items over and over again. Even side quests are nothing more than finding lists of items, or fighting the same minor enemies over and over.

DBZ Kakarot’s reasoning behind these agonizingly generic, open-world quests is that the player is expected to use items like Z Orbs to upgrade their skill trees, or food ingredients to cook stats-boosting meals to consume before battles. In this way, the game is intended to convey the experience of preparing themselves for major encounters later on in the chapter(s).

Seriously, “She’s not happy”!? This is the best reason they could come up with for doing this side quest?

The reality is that I played through large chunks of DBZ Kakarot where I became aware of feeling utterly bored. Like One Piece: World Seeker, there is nothing broken in these systems even counting the cringy cut scenes. The issue is that the fun wears off after a few hours once you realise the open-world gameplay is a one-trick-pony. There is simply not enough variety in gameplay to justify the grinding.

Like anime, like game

I have an inkling that DBZ Kakarot was perhaps envisioned in the early phases of development as a turn-based JRPG since the game is built around strong elements of stats and grinding. This might explain why something feels seriously incomplete, and why DBZ Kakarot plays like different elements of open-world and RPG games that have been desperately cobbled together.

My takeaway from the forty or so hours spent in-game is that I vacillated between moments of nostalgic joy in reliving one of the most epic anime series ever conceived, and an overwhelming sense of ‘Are we there yet?’ There isn’t really another game based in the DBZ universe quite like this one, yet I cannot ignore how the devs failed miserably to make open-world gameplay more interesting.

Sorry folks, while DBZ Kakarot can certainly lay claim to a fairly solid foundation, I wish I had better news for you. It feels like a superior, more fleshed out Dragon Ball Z game constantly threatens to conquer the bland moments, but the experience just doesn’t get there. In December 2020 when the inevitable top ten lists come out, I’d bet most content creators are probably going to say “Oh right, I actually forgot about this game!”. Get it on sale if you must.

  Good visuals

Engaging boss fights

Loyal to the DBZ narrative

Battle cut scenes

Bland side quests

Very repetetive

Too much collecting

Open-world cut scenes

Tutorial screen overload

Too much talking!

          PC Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using Nvidia GTX 1070, i5 4690K CPU, 16GB RAM – Played using an XBox One controller

The post Dragon Ball Z Kakarot PC Review appeared first on DSOGaming.

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot PC Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[nchyinotes]

How to launch an independent magazine, by Delayed Gratification

February 22 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-launch-an-independent-magazine-22nd-february-2018-tickets-40937174190?aff=es2

In this class you will:

-Learn how to turn your magazine idea into reality

-Find out how to identify a successful editorial niche

-Understand the nuts and bolts of commissioning writers and designers

-See how to pull together a winning subscription, distribution and marketing plan

-Discover how to survive and thrive beyond the first year

You will leave with a good insight into the independent publishing industry and a strong idea of how to set about launching an independent magazine.

 Thoughts: I actually found this event on eventbrite a few months before it happened, sent it to my friend who I knew would be interested (hi Ayesha!) and then forgot about it. Then the day before, she asks if I want to go because her friend cancelled so she had an extra ticket, so I ended up going with her haha. I’ve always been vaguely interested in starting a magazine, and was actually the co-editor of an online art magazine aaaages ago with my online friend (hi Angela!), but was never really serious about it. While some of this information was not new for me (a lot of it overlapped with your typical entrepreneurship/startup advice, ie. finding a niche), the advice that was specific to launching indie magazines (logistics and business aspects) was very useful and interesting, and I really appreciated the numbers they threw in from their own business. Overall, was a very fun and honest look at the business, and the organisers were super friendly. Also left with a free copy of Delayed Gratification (their mag), which was cool to read.

  EDITED NOTES

 Introduction

Met early 20s in dubai, journalism students, working as time out editors, learnt how to make print mags together / fell in love with it

Went in different directions, and then all ended up back in london at 30

Just over 7 years now

Named independent magazine editors of the year 2017

Most independent magazines are losing if not hemorrhaging money - lots of vanity projects, made as a shop front for creative agencies.

Attrition rate is extraordinary. Intense desire to make them, but the number that make it past issue 2 / 3 is very low.

Lower barriers to entry than ever before - people are used to them, a lot more need for them (solace in print from digital world) + tools are there + there are all these places to sell them now (mag culture!)

Bad news: will probably break your heart, high failure rate, odds are against you, difficult economic model to make work, are not immune to pressures in mainstream press (but don’t face: massive debt built up in 80s/90s for rapid expansion, pensions liabilities, offices)

Were dreamers + journalists: novices at nuts and bolts of making money/funding

90% of success is turning up - determination to keep going even in early years

Maybe expand into documentaries / books in the future

Key lessons

1) you probably shouldn’t launch an independent magazine - sink which you pour your money, dreams, hopes

Brainstorm: Why do indie mags fail?

Not thinking about how you pay for issue 2 → run out of cash v quickly (where frequency comes into it, ie. weekly)

Just getting visibility: Hard to find your audience - with so much competition, etc

Often have expertise in one area, but lack expertise in another function that’s vital to bringing product to market

Content burn out, esp. If you make big commitments (launch with huge interview etc) - second album syndrome? Not to create too many structures that need to be filled in early days.

2) ^ can be overcome with a niche - you need a niche

Fat brad magazine

Terrible people magazine

Slightly foxed, nutmeg (scottish football periodical), mc1r (only about redheads)

Their niche: slow journalism, something to champion

What it did for them:

issue 1 cover was by obama’s hope poster artist (+ issue 5, limited edition posters, interview = all for free)

Content by Interviews (henry kissinger, etc) + writers - because it resonated with them, wanted to support it = can use those people’s credibility to add to theirs

Coverage + press: something to talk about (today program on radio 4: one 6 minute interview got them ~400 subscriptions = able to be condensed and easily explained/summed up)

Could have been slightly more bullish about fast news in the start, should you be worried about alienation??

Brainstorm: A name and niche

Colors magazine - activism & protest issue

Trend (mindfulness) vs Niche

Helps to sort of person we appeal to, what need am i filling that hasn’t been filled, what is my spin

Need to be passionate (committed, reason without a doubt), not egotistical, believe in your idea, ask for help a lot, honest

3) you need to think about the business

Beyond issue 1, what it is to run a magazine business (VAT returns, subscription systems, fb ads)

Frequency & cost

Weekly or monthly is really really fast. Always easier to go from quarterly down, because it shows you’re getting better, etc (awks if you have to go the other way).

Issue 1: 12 pounds, issue 2: 10 pounds.

When setting price for individual issue, what would you charge for a year’s subscriptions? You want to offer subscribers an appealing discount (that you’re not losing on each subscription)

Christmas is key for the indie mag industry - big burst of subscriptions as gifts. So don’t launch in jan or feb lol, christmas run is key, be well established for this! 50+% this year was from last 5 weeks of sales

Don’t launch in summer - nobody gets subscriptions then, more newstands then

Print, digital, or both?

People don’t want to pay for digital issues, not that captivated by complicated stuff you can do on there.

You have to charge VAT + pay percentage to platform for digital copies

People expect to pay less for digital copies

But there are some digital projects that are fascinating - de correspondent (similar premise, crowdfunded, purely digital in dutch, really collaborative / self contained digital ecosystem. / community driven)

Physicality - You can get people to pay for a physical / tangible object that they just don’t for digital, they have relationships with them.

Latterly (weekly newsletter, after building huge online audience for free, now printed publication)

^ merits of this?? Passion project more bc of time sink??

Subscriptions vs newsstand

Subscription systems

Gocardless (pay direct debits)

Chargebee - portal

V difficult to make money out of newsstand sales - 50% of the cover price, 3-6 months after mags are sold, and they generally only sell 60% of the ones you’ve sent them. Treated as marketing for subscriptions.

Not difficult to set them up

In London / UK: Ra&Olly, MMS, Smiths (difficult + unresponsive + dont fulfill, but have a stranglehold on mags in country)

Paid: gold star media (get you in to salons, hotels, airport lounges, etc)

Is your magazine one that a company would like to support? Team up because they really like it

Customer

Site sales: shopify

Fulfilment: newsstand

Adjust your expectations

4) take subscriptions!!

Newsstands are hard

It’s money upfront, will help with print bills, cash flow, etc

Community building

More chances for someone to like someone

Alternatives: Kickstarter, indiegogo (to test out if appetite is there)

Subscription renewals / Direct debits ?

Do not build your business model around advertising, it’s so diffused + competitive, can’t do trackability on print issues

No ads > bad ads

Corporate work - if you prove you can make mags, you can make them for other people too

Magazine as a broader way of selling your skill set

plan for issue 2/3/4 already + worst case scenarios

5) you need to make something special

Making your magazine:

Commissioning editorial content

There are a lot of really good writers out there desperate to work for you

Draw up a commissioning form - rights and responsibilities, deadlines, etc

Approach writers that you like - tell about mag & ask them to pitch OR give them a story and ask them to write it

Longer form + freedom

Always pay! You have a contract, leverage, etc

Editorial pagination * av word count * word rate = commission

First: 10p/word

Now: 25p/word

Industry average: 30p/word

Interviews / verbatim interviews: with an expert in the subject. Get it without having to pay a word rate, take what you need from it, may tighten it up for free anyway when you send it back for approval  

Ask people who just brought out a book

Finding a designer - they expect a very carefully designed product

Don’t be afraid to let things evolve - keep moving/changing things around

First issue is not going to be perfect, important thing is that it exists

Look at magazines / things you like + get in touch with them

Have your favorite designer create a template (or a regular design) for you - easier for recent grads etc to follow, at a cheaper price

Design software: considerable expense

Indesign, photoshop - creative suite, expensive monthly. Worth looking at older versions (old DVDs on ebay - work with designer to save it down a version)

Pagination (80-100), size (delayed gratification is too big/wide to fit through most letterboxes, something smaller / standard sizes are better), GSM (cyclical trends), binding (perfect bound, saddle stitch / staples are much cheaper)

Costs of the last issue, excl. Wages (which has come up a huge amount, 7-8k in the beginning bc lots in house and paying less) : 23.8k pounds

West ale ?? printers company

Approach the printers

The only thing that’s going to push your price up is if its special paper they have to order 4 u

You’ll get inundated with calls once you start up

You want a printer that will work around you (missed deadlines or changes post-proof stage)

6) you need to tell people about your mag

Brainstorm: how are you going to get noticed?

Making waves - Print someone controversial, getting into mainstream press

Power of positivity vs negativity (attract passionately negative people? In emails? Lol. prepare yourself for backlash)

Collaborating with influencers / people with followings / associations that make sense / endorsement (within the niche) - genuine

Loving print means embracing digital - lots of new people come from digital content

Weekly newsletter : manageable amount of content, keep engaging (mailchimp), moving people through the marketing funnel

Events - sense of community, benefit for subscribers.

Free is not recommended. Commitment.

Indie mag community - swap inserts in different titles/issues/newsletters, nicer fit, more interest

Podcasts

Questions

Usually print about 1000 copies of issue 1

Issue 0 - proof of concept (rarely done in indie mags)

Limited run projects - must be pitched to advertisers / subscribers before hand as such (will probz break ur heart at issue 6)

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Tattoo Advice From 6 People With Years of Hindsight

http://fashion-trendin.com/tattoo-advice-from-6-people-with-years-of-hindsight/

Tattoo Advice From 6 People With Years of Hindsight

I often waffle between thinking tattoos are an insane commitment and thinking they’re no big deal at all. Over the years though, as I’ve gotten my own and watched others get theirs, a few things have solidified for me vis-a-vis permanent ink: Everyone who has tattoos feels very differently about them. Try as we might to find it, there is no consistent script for those who choose to participate. Which is to say: No one approach will speak specifically to yours.

That said, I am always curious to hear more perspectives, and since I know the stories of the young and the reckless getting tatted up against their parents’ wishes all too well, this time I sought out guidance from people a little older, a little wiser, and who have the benefit of hindsight. Below are six people who fit that bill, so scroll to read their stories and advice and then tell me yours.

Olivia Kim

Olivia, 40, is the VP of Creative Projects at Nordstrom. She got her first tattoo at 14.

What made you first want (and get) tattoos?

I got my first tattoo when I was 14! My mom had just gone out for the evening, and my sister and I decided to have a party at our house. Our friends were literally hiding in the bushes and trees and, as soon as the car left the driveway, they all came in. Then my friend, who was a senior and had a car, said that he was going to go get a tattoo. I said, “Oooh, me too!”

I never thought about it or deliberated whether or not I wanted one. I just got one. I think I’m pretty much the same now. The feeling of wanting another one, and another one, and another one never goes away. I don’t like to overthink anything. You can just wind up talking yourself out of an experience.

What about it might you have done different had you known better?

Nothing. Zero regrets. I love the really bad stick-and-pokes from my best friend Jenn that we would do on the floor of my apartment just as much as I love the beautiful super-pro ones done by amazing tattoo artists. I think you have to just get what feels right for you — not your friends, or your fave celeb crush, or something impersonal. If it’s what you want, it’s what you want.

What advice would you give to people who are thinking of getting a tattoo?

I’ve heard people say, “I’m thinking about getting a tattoo but just waiting for the right moment or the right inspiration.” But I think the fun of tattoos is the spontaneity of being in the moment and whatever you happen to be thinking of in that moment. How else do you wind up with a cupcake on your knuckle?

It’s not the most important decision in your life, so be a bit free with it. Have fun! What is the worst thing that could happen? You hate it or regret it? You can just as easily remove tattoos these days as get them.

Richard Biedul

Richard, 34, is a lawyer turned model turned art director. He got his first tattoo at 16.

What made you first get a tattoo?

Believe it or not, the rationale behind getting my first tattoo wasn’t an archetypal act of rebellion nor a desire to follow a trend. It was more of a Leonard (Guy Pearce) in Memento type scenario…

My (twin) sisters passed away when I was very young. As a teenager I was haunted by the notion of their memory fading as I grew older, especially because the memories I had of them to begin with were so limited.

I guess in the simplest terms: I made the decision to get a tattoo to ensure that I never forgot them. I hope that the permanence of the tattoo on my body will act as an eternal memorial to them and to any fading memory of them that I may or may have as I grow older.

What about your journey since has surprised you?

Over the last 18 years, some of the times and places (and ease with which) I’ve been able to get tattooed have genuinely surprised me. From house-parties in Berlin and Brooklyn to shops in London, Paris and Milan. Any time of day or night. Over breakfast, lunch or dinner: the list of strange scenarios goes on and on…

I wouldn’t change anything. I stand by all of the decisions I’ve made to get each and every one of my tattoos. Except maybe the drunken decision to get a unicorn on the back of my left arm…

Thoughts on style choice?

When people ask “Can you recommend a tattooist?” I always say yes, but caveat any suggestions based on what style of tattoo the person wants.

Stylistically, my tattoos are all done by different people from different parts of the world, but they all maintain aesthetic similarity. They probably don’t necessarily fit any one of the major tattoo styles but if I were pushed I would say they’re a mixture of traditional and stick-and-poke…

There has been a large number of people in London over recent years who having never expressed an interest in tattoos have, in the space of 12 months, covered every inch of their body in an attempt to fit an aesthetic that has taken others decades to achieve. On some people it works, on others it looks contrived. It’s like going to Supreme and buying one of everything. Owning these items doesn’t necessarily make you stylish. It just shows that you have a propensity to follow trends (and consume fashion).

Any common misconceptions you’d like to debunk?

“Does it hurt?” I get asked this quite a lot. The longest session I’ve ever had was three hours. Before I had that session I would always say: “No, not particularly.” However, post-wolf’s head, I always answer in the affirmative! But just how much depends on a person’s individual pain threshold. What is tolerable to one is intolerable to another…

Any advice for people thinking of getting a tattoo?

Tattooing, just like art, fashion and music is purely subjective; what one person likes another hates. Obviously you can appreciate the technical expertise that went into the work, but everyone should tread their own path, do some research, find a style or artist that YOU like. Don’t be influenced by your peers, sportsmen or celebrities. Take risks and most importantly…be original!

Mary Dorman

Mary, 67, is a civil rights activist attorney. She got her first tattoo when she was 55.

What made you first get a tattoo?

I believe I have always been an outlier. Since birth. I have never been afraid to be different because I simply am. On the other hand, I am a white female who looks like so many others and none of my friends have or had a tattoo. Maybe a teeny one in a hidden place. Good tattoos have always appealed to me. There was a fabulous show of them at the Drawing Center in the ’90s and I knew I had to have one. I have never regretted it for an instant. I wouldn’t have done anything differently. Now I just want to enhance it but have to find the right artist.

The surprise of my personal tattoo journey is how many people want one but are too chicken to get one.

Any advice on style choice?

If you’re going to get a tattoo, commit to it. Anyone can have a little dot that is a dolphin or a peace sign…boring. Might as well wear a temporary. That said, it doesn’t have to be huge by any means. One thing that I have noticed is how most people get a tattoo in a place that they can’t see it: shoulder blade, back, etc. I enjoy seeing mine.

BUT! My tattoo can’t be seen unless I have shorts on, as it is on my calf. As I age, I would like to get a tattoo of an octopus tentacle poking out of my collar just up my neck, but that may not be in this lifetime.

Any common misconceptions you’d like to debunk?

What cannot be debunked is that if you get a shitty tattoo, you are stuck with it or Dr. Zizmor (who advertises for tattoo removal on subway signs).

Any advice for people thinking of getting a tattoo?

Think about the image and get a true tattoo artist to draw a sketch that you can personalize even further. The tattoo has to be about you. Also — really fight making the decision when you are not sober. Some PRETTY BAD tattoos come out of spring break in Key West.

Charles Taylor

Charles, 56, is a writer. He got his first tattoo at 50.

What made you first want and get tattoos?

It was an idea I toyed with on and off over the years. What would I like? I always wanted a pin-up girl, you know, a kind of Varga girl. But, frankly, I worried what that would look like when I got older. Would it be the tattoo equivalent of the mid-life crisis sports car? I don’t think aging has to mean dullness. I see how reluctant men much younger than I am are to try anything that isn’t run-of-the-mill dull, and it just makes me despair for my entire gender. There is nothing more boring than the sartorial habits of the average American man. On the other hand, you don’t want to look like an ass.

The decision when I made it was simple. My mom died. Six days before I turned 50. I decided I wanted her name tattooed on my left shoulder. I was so marked by her death that marking my flesh seemed of very little consequence.

I asked some of my students where they got their ink. And the same name, NY Adorned on 2nd Ave, kept coming up. I went in on a Saturday and got her name and middle name, Eva Lorraine, in simple black script on my left shoulder. I remember being strangely proud when, after he was done, the tattooist said to me, “Wow! You’re a bleeder.” It felt right that I had bled for the honor of having my mom’s name engraved on me.

My dad was, at first, a little taken aback. But he understood why I did it, and he came to like the tattoo. He even kidded me, “When are you going to get my name?” I did this past April the week after he died, on the opposite shoulder, in the same script, his first and middle name, Charles Henry.

What about your tattoo journey has surprised you?

A few weeks back, I was moving boxes after hours at my part-time job and was wearing a sleeveless undershirt. My boss, who is covered in tattoos, looked at the script on my back and said, “Those look so sick, Charley.” It was a compliment from someone who knows about the artform and who means what he says. It meant the world. There are only a few more names of people around me I love who I would find a place for on my back, but because I love them I’m hoping I go before them. I have toyed with the idea of getting a quote written on my side, but I’m afraid the particular quote I have in mind might be an inadvertent curse rather than the point of pride I would intend it to be. And no, I won’t tell you what it is.

Are you pro or anti-“trendy” tattoos?

Completely against trendy tattoos. It’s not like the thing you buy at H&M to wear for a season.

Any common misconceptions you’d like to debunk?

Well, they are so common now that we can no longer say, “Think of what will happen when you try to get a job.” Cops have sleeves now. That said, like any style that becomes common, not everyone wears them well. I work a part-time job with guys in their 30s who are covered in tattoos and they’ve thought them out, who they wanted to tattoo them, how each would work with each other. I recently met a woman who is having an entire bodysuit done. I saw a photo and it was ravishing: completely thought out in terms of her whole body. The worst thing to me is someone who looks like they are wearing all their clothes at once. Since mine are on my back, I forget about them for weeks at a time.

Any advice for people who are thinking of getting a tattoo?

Do it sober. Put thought into it. Think of what size you want. Will it be visible or not to the outside world and if it is, how will it go with what you wear in your everyday life?

Christie Terranova

Christie, 34 is a hairdresser at Common Good Salon. She got her first tattoo at 18. (“It was a butterfly, because duh.”)

What made you first want tattoos?

I’ve liked tattoos ever since I knew what they were. Not much has changed in that department. I’m still collecting and like to get tattooed when I travel.

Any advice on style choice?

Well, it’s no surprise, good art costs money. When you are young, it’s hard to spend a lot because you don’t have a lot, but hopefully when you get older, you get nicer pieces. As far as tattoo trends, I couldn’t care less about what other people do to their bodies as far as modification. It’s not my place to judge either way.

Any common misconceptions you’d like to debunk?

Where we live, in New York, there’s not much to debunk…we live in a very liberal place. As far as other places, located in the US or outside, being a heavily-tattooed woman is considered strange. But the world will come around. When people ask about them, my usual response is: “I just like them.” It’s that simple.

Any advice for people who are thinking of getting a tattoo?

You definitely get what you pay for. Tattoos are expensive. I know it sounds redundant to say, but they’re permanent. Pay the money. It’s worth it. Also, above all, the people who are tattooing are artists. They are expensive because they don’t get paid time off or health insurance. You’re helping with that. It’s not cool to try to lowball someone. And finally, opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one. So, do what you want. And live your life.

Amanda Wachob

Amanda is an artist and tattoo artist working in New York, New York.

What made you first want tattoos?

I never expected that I would be a tattoo artist, and had never really thought about getting tattoos prior! I got my first tattoo during my apprenticeship; I picked a design from a piece of antique sheet music.

What about your journey has surprised you?

I think what’s really surprised me is how obsessed I am with everything about tattooing. I didn’t expect to fall so completely in love with it. It’s truly my passion and time disappears when I’m working…I feel really lucky for that.

Any common misconceptions you’d like to debunk?

Get the style of tattoo that you want regardless of that whole “longevity” thing.  Your body starts breaking down the tattoo ink as soon as it goes into your skin no matter the color or style or application, and all tattoos will age and need a touchup eventually. We are here for such a short time on this planet, so decorate yourself however you want and enjoy.

Any advice for people who are thinking of getting a tattoo?

Definitely research your artist, and have them make something unique just for you. It’s never good to ask a tattoo artist to copy someone else’s work, it’s best to seek out that artist directly, even if it means traveling to them or waiting for awhile before you can get something.

Illustrations by Eloise Weiss.

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