#had fun playing with the red and blue color scheme this time

[eldritchpoppies]

Class being online this week means I could draw Payneland while listening to the professor and you better believe I took the opportunity to do just that xD

[daisywords]

little sketch of Alya in one of her earliest iterations

11yo me's super special main character girl oc

[tigreblvnc]

YOUR LIFE IN BLUE LOCK — @luminarysol

BACKGROUND HEADCANONS;

♤ You were probably thrown into soccer by your parents as a child, just as an extracurricular

♤ Of the few you tried, you probably had a fairly good time with soccer. You could try and understand why people played like they did, why they were in the positions they were in, what their motivation to play was. On the field, everyone’s desires came out, and you were there to see what they were.

♤ It was fun.

♤ Until they put your sister in.

♤ Suddenly, things seemed just a bit less interesting. Not that your sister got in the way, but now your focus had to be on how to support her.

♤ Soccer was no longer a you thing.

♤ You were still pretty good at it though, breaking down the opponents (and your teammates’) weaknesses came instinctively. Being fast to adjust and having your sight set on winning make you a huge threat to the other teams.

♤ Eventually, Ego casted you.

♤ He wanted you mainly to force you out of your shell, to develop and improve. If he could tinker with your mindset a bit, have you more decisive and set your goals on bigger things, he’d have himself quite the interesting player.

♤ The invitation timing seemed almost intentional. It was sent a while after you had a major loss. You had already recovered from it, it wasn’t like you played poorly or anything, but the limitations of your own team and environment became clear in that round. If you continued to play with them, yes you could still play games that brought joy, but nothing more than that.

♤ If you were to join Blue Lock, I'd be a risk. You’d lose any future you had in soccer. But that didn’t sound all that bad. You weren’t betting on a soccer career anyway, if you did fail at least your family still had your sister in the sport, and no one’s pressuring you to make a decision but yourself.

♤ And you said you’d get back up and fix your failures right? There’s nothing worse than faltering before a goal. You weren’t too sure what the goal was, but you were determined to find it.

♤ That’s why you joined Blue Lock. With nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

COLOR AURA;

♤ Red.

♤ I admit, I was verry quick to assign this one.

♤ Red is most certainly not a weak color. It is very solid, and by that i mean it can be completely independent from all other colors

♤ #FF0000 is pure red.

♤ And it still works. You can still work with that color in many settings. It can very well be fully independent.

♤ But imo, #FF0000 isn’t the prettiest red. #CB2626, #B61631. Many many reds look good.

♤ You can play with the values of various red quite a lot, but the color would still remain a definitely red.

♤ So although everyone is susceptible to change, you can adjust quite a bit without losing your core.

♤ Red as a stereotype is all over the place. Some insist that it is the color of love and passion, others say that it is violent and aggressive. It can be hard for many to decide exactly what red is and what it should be used to represent.

♤ But the diversity of how people perceive red may be a good thing. If you put it into an intense palette/environment, it’ll fit right in. But it also looks perfect in a more laid back scheme. Red can fit many different surroundings just tweaking a few values, sometimes it’s not even necessary.

♤ And as an aura, it’d definitely be one of the more intimidating ones. As it’s already considered a ‘danger’ color, it certainly wouldn’t be easy to go against something so intense.

♤ And if someone does, they'll quickly discover that the core workings and values of red are no weaker than it appears

TEAM SELECTION;

♤ Bastard München

♤ I’m sure this is similar to what you expected, so i don’t think i’ll have to do too much justification/explanation

♤ The main/strongest point I have is that you said “dislikes: i'd say whenever the plays don't make any sense to me”

♤ So putting you on a team where you’d struggle to understand the mechnising behind it wouldn’t be great. Nor do i believe you’d want to play on such a team.

♤ With BM being a team rooted in logic, it’s a very transactional relationship within the team.

♤ “How can I help you. How can you help me.”

♤ That’s probably what you’re used to/comfortable with, so i think you’d be happy with a more straightforward dynamic when it comes to your teammates.

♤ “ i find figuring out how one action results to another incredibly interesting” + “what makes the cogs turn and how certain plays would affect the game”

♤ I’d say BM is the best team you could get the deepest understanding of, there’s many good layers you could explore.

♤ Obviously that’s true for every team, but in BM i think you’d get to interact with it more.

♤ Ex. Even if you understood every aspect of PXG, you would still be unable to actually experience it, due to the huge power imbalance.

♤ So not only would Bastard München be your first choice (most likely), it would also be able to provide you with the best stimulation and overall experience/environment.

BEST FRIEND;

✦ Let me just say that I immediately understood why Sae was your favorite character ^^

✦ Out of the whole Blue Lock cast, I think Reo is the best suited to help build confidence. I even think he's one of the healthiest players on the roster.

✦ And we probably should've put you in Nagi's place in their duo.

✦ By the way, if his encounter with Nagi hadn't happened, I like to think that you would have been the one Reo would've accidentally bumped into on the stairs, Zen.

✦ He would've noticed your wisdom and your ability to observe.

✦ I also think he perfectly embodies that ambition you'd want to project onto the scene. You make an excellent support on the field.

✦ And most importantly: Reo is excellent at highlighting your qualities, helping you gain confidence and grow on the field.

✦ I'm convinced he serves as an example for you to set goals that gradually become truly yours and aim to help you level up significantly without necessarily needing anyone else's expertise.

✦ In other words: autonomy.

RIVAL;

✦ On the other hand, I think someone like Nagi would leave you pretty puzzled.

✦ He's one of those geniuses who never needed to learn; they just have a natural mastery.

✦ Meaning, his moves aren't thought out in advance. They weren't carefully decided before the match began. He acts entirely on instinct and impulse; he's the very antithesis of strategy and planning.

✦ The fact that he succeeds without effort, without fear, without hesitation is probably something that's made you roll your eyes more than once.

✦ Especially when, on your side, you've put so much effort into improving, working on your weaknesses, and perfecting your technique. The fact that some people can succeed without effort or overcoming nearly as many challenges makes you a bit exasperated and leaves you feeling like nothing you do is ever enough.

✦ Some people are simply lucky to be born geniuses.

✦ Your growth and biggest challenge in this dynamic are overcoming frustration and jealousy to become even better. Maybe even better than the prodigies.

POSITION ON THE FIELD;

✦ Midfielder.

✦ I intentionally gave you a midfielder position for two reasons: to work alongside Reo on the field. He's your anchor, your reference point. With him by your side, you instantly gain confidence, allowing you to focus on the match.

✦ But Nagi is also on the field, and that's where your toughest challenges lie.

✦ Without a good pass, the forward simply can't score.

✦ It's up to you to prove that you’re indispensable on the field. That you can surpass even Reo.

✦ And that one day, you simply won't need his support to keep moving forward.

✦ Maybe even a duo between you and the best forwards in the world will be possible.

© TIGREBLVNC 2024 | OCTOBER '24 MATCHUPS EDITION.

[104jihae]

"Chaotic Headspace" Digital, 2025

I decided to title this "Chaotic Headspace" because the whole process of this drawing was a chaotic mess. I didn't plan or sketch or make a layout for this. I just started drawing what "felt right" to me at the moment. I guess I called it a headspace simply because the faces/heads look like they are floating in space, and headspace means one's mental state, and it was chaotic to draw, so it represents a chaotic state of mind. Is it kind of a play on words? Not sure. Honestly, if it doesn't make sense, that's fine. I like the title.

This was a struggle to draw and actually finish. It started out as a pencil sketch of the face on the top right, and then I added the other faces after turning the pencil sketch into digital line art. I had trouble with figuring out what color palette/scheme to use for this, but it eventually came to me. I started out with this green, yellow, and red palette, but then I added blue and purple to the mix near the end.

It was difficult to focus on this. That's why it took a ridiculous amount of time to finish. I just decided today to "lock-in" and finish it, once and for all. I put on my earphones and went straight into it. I was sick and tired of looking at it and pondering on what to do with it. But, I don't know what happened today. My creative side of my brain just woke up and went with the flow.

It was almost automatic. The flow of the lines I drew were just drawn with intuition. I didn't think or plan to add all of those lines on the edges. It just came to me.

It was fun in the end. I am happy with this one.. I'm just glad and surprised I finished it today.

Now to start another one.

[the-dye-stained-socialite]

@fallenlondonficswap @alexis-royce I had a lot of fun writing up this fic for your secret swap!! I also had to trim it for the word limit

Mr Pages takes the Ex-Disgraced Academic out for a night at the theatre. Something is being planned.

Rating: Teen

No Warnings

Word count: 2,016(fic) + 398(oc credits) AO3 Link

It was later than typical when the letter arrived at the door. Mr. Cards had just changed out of its robe, and back into the Ex-Disgraced Academic. They were preparing to work on their Correspondence when it had slid through their mail slot. 

If neither the distinctive seal, nor name, had not indicated the sender, the address would. It was sent from the tower apartments directly above their own. Those which belonged to Mr Pages, Cards' greatest rival. The Academic broke the seal on the overstuffed envelope eagerly. Their good eye flew over the dense verbage contained therein. It posed no challenge to them, and they quickly deciphered the meaning of the letter. It was an invitation to a play. And yet, did the Academic not recall Mahogany Hall being closed that evening? Oh, something clicked. Rumors had been circulating in Bohemian circles for many years about a forbidden play, performed only with explicit permission from Mr. Wines, against direct order from the Ministry of Public Decency. So why would the Master of censorship, the very one who, if rumors were to be believed, tried to stamp this play out at every possibility, decide to take them along?

The best way to find out was to go. They would send confirmation in the morning, but through the night they would prepare for any likely schemes.

~

They agreed to arrive seperatly to avoid being seen together in public. A theatre box far above most was... still public, yes, but easier to mistake features in, or to not notice at all. So when the Academic arrived at their reserved box, Pages was already waiting. At least, they recognized it as Pages as soon as it opened its mouth to wish them an "Enjoyluminating" evening. The loquacious master was not wearing its usual ink-stained robes. It seemed to have even ditched its bandolier of pens and inks. Or, judging on the suspicious way the oversized robe fell, perhaps it was simple under the cloak. The cloak which, based on style and size alone, clearly did not belong to it. In fact, it looked as though it had stolen a spare robe from Mr Apples. It was ill-fitting on the current Master. Pages looked about to burst when the Academic did not immediately ask why it had shunned its typical robe. They took a seat to one side, and then took the bait.

"So, my eloquent acommpanyment, why the change in attire?"

Pages arranged its own chair. "You are possilikely aware of my disgustred for this... play. Thus, you are also aware of my multinumerous attemps to blot it from the history books. As such, the only actors that would perform in it at those with ireverice towards me."

"Ah, so if it were known that is was you... you would be rather unpopular for the night.

"Precisorrectly."

The red curtains raised up, and the audience turned their attentions towards the stage. 

An actor strutted onto the stage. Their costume was composed of deep blue and black feathers, contrasting nicely with hair the color of dark cinnamon. Flickering candles lit the stage. The light danced along the costume's wings to bring the iridescence to life. This was the role of the Raven.

Pages leaned over to whisper to its companion. "Jamie Awnings, a Poet-Laureate who writes the most horrendful poetry. How they were chosen I do not know, but I have had to step in many times to keep their work from the public."

The academic raised an eyebrow. One did not typically become Poet-Laureate while being horredful at the art. 

The actor's talent with words and meter became evident quickly however. The round Raven began to sing an aria, but the words had not matched entirely with the Academic's research. If it weren't for the research, they wouldn't know that any of the words had been changed. They had, however, but it was well keeping with the original intent, and far better suited to the rhythm and rhyme of the piece. 

Pages' attention was rapt and fixated. Pages was also clearly becoming inebriated by the music. Even the Academic was being affected. Still, now was the perfect opportunity to enact their plan. From a hidden pocket of a sleeve, they carefully slipped out a notepad, and a fountain pen preloaded with violant ink. The Academic has chosen their seat strategically, putting their writing side as far from Pages as they could, to hide their work. It was known for forbidding this play, and it was likely to try something tonight. Naturally, they could not be blamed for taking a transcript in shorthand.

The Raven continued their aria, setting the scene to fill in the minimal scenery. Something, however, caught the Academic's notice. Their box provided a good view of the stage, and importantly, the lightest of views into the wings to the side of the stage. The absence of visible stage crew told the steward that there was either a stage crew composed of only the actors, or that what crew there was knew well enough where to avoid walking to be seen. Perhaps both. So when someone in the Ministry uniform nearly stumbled onto stage partway through the song, it was an immediate tip off. Something was indeed going on behind scenes, something Pages had been planning. The rest of the song was performed without a hitch however. In fact, the Official seemed to be avoiding messing anything up as much as possible. Shouldn't he be trying to stop things? Still, perhaps the Academic's plans were compatible with Pages'. The music was working in their favor. It would addle the Curator's thinking, making it less likely to notice the gentle, soft scratching of pen on paper. They were a minute or so behind, but the Raven's personality had imprinted the details onto their mind quite nicely. It would make reconstruction easier later. A new character enters, their costume black and ragged. Tattered strips of cloth are woven into the spokes of their chair, and a shredded train follows behind them. Their stubble and bun were both intentionally left messy and unkempt. The overall effect was reminiscent of a wedding dress that has been dashed upon the zhoreline. A sense of love-sick duty weighed them down. The Messenger's sadness laid like Lacre on the stage. The Raven had been bragging about their singing not a moment ago, but as the raggedy Messenger approached, Raven deferred to the song of the Messenger. Pages scoffed. "That one has never been fond of me, always mooning for another. They have... circumvented my plans on multiple occasions." ~ The scene changed, with no sign of interference. ~ The play progressed, with no one noticing what had transpired, save one. Pages continued to interject comments at odd moments. The Academic continued to respond as well as they could while paying attention to the play and writing it all down. Suffice to say that it was rather difficult, and there were many unfortunate moments lost to Pages’ chattering. They wondered if it was deliberate, but that would require it to know what the Academic was hiding.

The Messenger, now played by a tall actress with manicured facial hair and a tattered groom’s suit, was holding council with the Owls. The Principal Owl had pale, tawny feathers that stood out from his dark brown skin. His head covering had baubles and trinkets that made a light sound as he trembled with fear.

Pages seemed particularly incensed by this scene.

“What do you do among my spires?” questioned the Messenger.

“Why, great master, we watch, we wait, we consume” he responded. “You watch, and wait, and consume, you say. And yet, is there not one who will consume you as prey?” On cue, another Owl stalks out from the shadows.Their hair is stark as fresh blood, the beak of the mask sharp. Their cane makes little noise as it lurks around the others. Their large feather tufts reveal their true nature. They are a Great Horned Owl Hunter. “Great Master, protect us so we will be free from their shrieks always, and we will serve you loyally the rest of our days!” She adjusts uncomfortably. There are many beats of conflicted silence, until she speaks again with a sigh “oh, were it only my unfettered choice. But alas, I owe them their hunts and the joys of their voice.” She left, and the Owls were left alone with the Hunter, who grinned behind their mask. Most of the actors were on stage at this point, distracted by the hunt. Another enforcer! Behind the curtains, nearly tripping on something, and carrying a large stack of papers. The Academic could not get a closer look however, for when they tried to shift closer, an ink-stained talon came to rest on their thigh. The intermission began, the curtain smothering any other chance. With its other hand, the Master made a sweeping gesture to the stage. Ice blue eyes turned towards their box from across the auditorium. Wines, who had bribed the Ministry to allow the play for the night. Their attention snapped back to Pages. “-these actors perform this play as an act of rebellion against me. They revel in this illegalbidden display. It is done to spite me, and undermine my authority”. It spat the sentence with less-than-figurative venom. “I will ensure they acknowledge my position as Paramost Poet and Auteur. And you” it turned towards them with luminescent eyes. They slid their writing out of sight. “You shall bow as well, Mr. Cards”. Was the blood rising to their face from anger? Or from the darker, more intense emotions that often defined the two of them. Those emotions had become so entangled of late. The Academic had been thinking of a clever retort when the brief intermission ended. With a personality that filled the stage and beyond, the Phoenix would not permit distraction from their soliloquy. The reflection of candle flames danced across their round lenses. Instead of the Phoenix's typical dress, this one opted for a tuxedo with the train of a peacock and the color of their fiery hair. “I am so very tired of flames, I will drown myself in snow and emerge in perfect serenity. Or not at all”. “What’s that? You have no more use for flame?” the Messenger reappeared and rolled towards the Phoenix. The scene went without hindrance. Even the final ‘immolation’ of the Phoenix in ice went as planned. It aroused the Academic’s suspicions. ~ When his cane made contact with the stage, it cracked like thunder, and reverberated against the proscenium arch. The gray streaks of his bright hair conjured to mind the storm clouds of the surface. His expression held little pity for the Messenger. Though she was taller by far, her presence was miniscule next to the Dragon. “You again,” she whimpered. “Yes. I remain the servant of you Master, as must you. He awaits the delivery.” “Do not! I beg you, do not! He cannot hear the message yet, he cannot hear what i have to say!” her voice turned frantic, fervent. The Dragon’s voice had little care. “You have a little time yet. Should this place fall, two will remain”. The booming of his cane grew distant as he left. She fell to her knees with a wail. ~

The play ended as it always must, message undelivered, crimes judged, and with Time devoured. The curtain fell, and then rose again for the final applause. “So, why did you invite me to see this play? Should you not have stopped it?” Pages stood to loom over them. It swayed slightly. “Have I not already stopped it? It would be rather difficult to perform without a script!” “The cast could perform-” “Oh certainly! Alone in their cells of New Newgate!” With gritted teeth, the academic stormed off. ~ They found Mr. Wines, and with pulled string, favours, and promises, convinced it to stop the Neddy Men from making arrests. The scripts however, were still missing. ~ Weeks later, new scripts of the Seventh Letter entered circulation. Lines and music had to be reconstructed from memory and missing gaps, but it was rather accurate. Most importantly though, Mr. Pages had not managed a score over Mr. Cards. ~~~~ OC CREDITS.

CURTAIN RISES. The last to ENTER is the PRINCIPAL OWL, with the MINOR OWLS FLOCKING behind him. He has dark brown skin, and near-black hair. He is still wearing his head covering. He is short and slight. He is The Theological Caregiver, created by @moonstruck-stormy. He bows with pride, then MOVES STAGE RIGHT.

The HUNTER ENTERS next. A step forward, ready to extend and ki- a pause. They had forgotten to leave character. A shift, and it is once more Harper Faraday. Light-olive skinned, with spectacles, and hazelnut shell hair. Their cane is light and practical. They were created by @the-insouciant-scientist. They bow, sheepish, MOVE STAGE LEFT. The PRINCIPAL DRAGON ENTERS with the presence of a rumbling Storm. His cane clicks are distinct and pronounced. He hais fair skin, large round glasses, and hair like a cloud rimmed sunset. The PRINCIPAL DRAGON is played by Orsinio Elderwood. He was created by @house-of-mirrors. The MINOR DRAGONS EMERGE from the WINGS to FLANK him. They bow together, then MOVE STAGE RIGHT.

The PHOENIX ENTERS from the East. At first look, they are similar to Orsinio. They share glasses and skin tone and hair color. On second look, they are different. The Partial Performer is taller, and has no cane. They were created by @thedandy-detective. Their bow has been practiced, with calculated flair. They MOVE STAGE LEFT. ENTER the RAVEN. Tonight, he is a stocky actor with russet hair and many freckles. They are short and fair-skinned. This is Poet-Laureate Jamie Awnings, created by @thedeafprophet. He makes a grand, sweeping bow, and MOVES STAGE RIGHT. The two halves of the MESSENGER STEP and ROLL to CENTER STAGE. They clasp hands. The MASCULINE HALF is tall, thin, and pale, with a well maintained mustache and goatee. Her hair is dark and short, and she wears glasses. She is Irving Merritt, created by @the-insouciant-scientist. The FEMININE HALF uses an elegant wheelchair. They have long hair, dark but greying, in a bun. They have stubble, and small glasses. They have fair skin, and are plump. They are Elias Leroux, created by @the-dye-stained-socialite. They bow with much drama. The CAST MOVES towards CENTER STAGE and form a solid line. They JOIN HANDS where possible, and raise them together. They swing forward into a final bow, then slowly raise back up to applause. CURTAIN FALLS.

[vivianleighwishesshewasme]

Cursed- 3 sister witches trilogy. Peaky Blinders

                             The 3 Sisters

A time traveling gypsy witch story in the Peakyblinder world.

  May contain adult themes. Mentions of past abuse and language. 

Prologue

The three thinly veiled women stood on the golden grassy hill overlooking Birmingham. The soft yellowing sunset casting a ray of light blinding the spectators below and haloing the three witches as they schemed and laid new plans. To a visitor they were just three gypsy women clad in finery mourning over a freshly dug grave. No tears were being shed for the grave for no one laid below it.  Just cold metal guns in wooden boxes. A fate choice that would start a chain reaction to the curse of the Shelby line. A choice that in the future would affect the DeGhant women’s bloodline horribly. 

“ So, we're all still in agreement.” Violet asked flatly. She was the eldest and had been dealt a harsh hand in life. She had wanted to time travel to the beginning to unravel the thread. She played with time and they were all stuck now, truthfully they’d all rather be stuck together anyway but goodness knows what fate awaited them here. Three modern women, unlucky in family and love. Tied together through thick and thin.  Violet sighed, waiting impatiently for an answer. Her cocoa brown hair gleaming in the sun as her royal purple veil slipped off her coiffed hair and onto her shoulders exposing her tired, lined and stone sober face. She was a lovely woman with a long taper face, light honey brown eyes that could be as warm as her soul. Her soul was however shattered and cold at the moment. A kind of tiredness that sleep can't fix. Her husband of seven years had taken their children when she was ill, “To let her rest.” four children and her husband left for a fun filled day in the car and never came back. To make matters worse the drunk driver who killed them took his own life before she could seek understanding, forgiveness or curse the wretched soul. She was truly alone in her modern life.

Her brown eyes rolled toJasmine, at 26 she was a modern woman by every sense of the word. Truth be told she was the ones the eldest and youngest worried about. Magic was nonsense but family was everything. She only dabbled if it suited her lovelife and repercussions were on everyone else, not her. She was beautiful and reckless in life, leading to stalkers and her boyfriend getting shot. Her raven hair was braided in a fishtail braid but she curled her fringe from solid pieces to frame her face. Her eyes gray like a storm and her soul matched. She might be loose but loved her sisters more than anything believing they could change fate if it were the three of them. Like Violet she wore traditional colors of reds, browns and creams. Rings adorned her fingers and her coin belt brought attention to her childbearing hips. She was ready to seduce and live. “I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t commit to the plan. No air condition, no spas……just plain old gypsy living. “ She scowled. This wasn’t her kind of life at all.  The older women turned to their twenty year old sister. “Sabrina? Are you ready?” they said in unison. The blonde girl threw her head back and laughed. It was filled with joy and light. Sabrina was always the first to start an adventure. She’d started life as the odd one out, a fair haired product of her mothers later affair. A happy child to an unhappy family. Her “Father” traveled around modern day Europe oblivious to his child or her power. Her mother long dead due to depression and yet, she pushed on, eager to create her own life and happiness. Sabrina  “Denny” DeGhant was the balm to the weary heart in the family. Her hair was tucked  up like a princess soft and billowy and a veil pinned to the back. She wore a cream veil that accented her one ocean blue eye, the other was half pale brown and half blue. A Mixture of her mutt heritage. She could see and talk to spirits making her predictions far more accurate then those around her.  She had a mission too. To heal a Shelby man with her tender heart and quiet the dead that so desperately sought his demise.  The sister joined hand and touched foreheads whispering good luck and thanks as they split in three opposite directions ready to stir up faith and change lives of those around them. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chapter one

No shrinking Violet. 

  Camping was never Violet’s thing. She loved to cook, bake, craft and garden, which was ironic considering she absolutely hated getting dirty. She’d set up her camp outside of a prominent gypsy encampment. She didn’t want to stir up the community yet, introduce herself in daylight and slowly work her way in with her warmth. That was her plan. What wasn’t the plan was her sucky fire making skills.  Her fire was a pathetic attempt to start something akin to dinner. She aired out her caravan after using sage and blessing it. She’d miscalculated the timing in arriving to1919. It was almost dark and her meeting with her sisters had run over. She won't have much time to cook until it gets late enough for bed. Truthfully even though she was just thirty two years of age she got tired more easily now then when she was Jasmine or Sabrina’s age. She had blamed it on her four children and husband, now she just knew it was life slowly draining her. “ Ugh, I’m never going to bed tonight!” She slammed down the stick she was using to stir the embers which seemed to roar upward with her temper.

“Tsk, you keep that up and it'll stay lit just in fear of your temper.” Violet turned the amused voice and met the eyes of Aberama Gold. She smirked, earning her an honest smile from him. The warm light spilling out the caravan showed his smile lines and kind eyes. She felt she could trust him. She cleared her throat begging her head to do the same. 

“My husband used to light the fire since I'm obviously inept at it.” She groaned and glared at the dying light. 

“Here.” The kind man took the stick off the ground and gently pushed at the flames. “ Your wood is too green, it won’t burn well.” His smile grew as her scowl deepened. She’d been in such a rush to “Fix this life” that she’d forgotten to do any real research to survive.None of this was like her at all. She was kind and well thought out. Her kitchen had labeled drawers back home and her dinner lists were planned weeks in advance. She was out of her element here. She had old coins, money and knowledge of magic to run a business but no basic life skills, her sisters were doomed since she was the responsible one. “I have some in my cart, give me a minute.” He walked away before she could run her mouth on prices and so forth. She glanced around, darkness was now properly set astound her. Darkening blue sky with black trees silhouette the forest around her. She took a deep breath and felt a warm breeze caress her face. Their grandmother Wilimena DeGhant had always said a warm breeze was a soft caress of life. She took in the smell of clean trees as the scent wafted past her. She knew this was the right decision, even if Mala had accused her of running from the pain, sometimes you had to remove yourself to heal. She wouldn’t heal around her children's toys cluttering her living room or her sneaking to her husband's side of the closet and smelling his clothing. She knew it had been right to burn down their home sending up her broken dreams like dying prayer and smoke to heaven with them. Her attention was once again back on the cursed flames as she heard him approaching. 

“Here, I can’t leave a widow to languish away.” Mr. Gold returned and built her a real fire that would keep for the night and perhaps early morning for breakfast if she was lucky. She watched as he bent down and took his time really padding up the fire, moving rocks and shifting embers. He was content here to help her and she appreciated his soul's kindness. 

“Thank you. I’m happy to pay.” She offered in earnest and lurched forward to hand him some coins. She was surprised when he pushed her hand away gently.  He scoffed and waved her off with another brilliant smile.  

“I appreciate your help. I won’t take any more of your time away from your wife.” She smiled but faltered when his eyes darkened and his smile went tight. She recognized that look. 

Grief. Her throat tightened as her stomach lurched. She was so ill prepared. She’d known he’d remarried later but…..not what happened in between. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed.” Her brown eyes cast down to the ground. She could feel the tears welling up and ready to spill over.  She felt a warm hand on her cheek.

“Come now, pretty women shouldn’t cry, we're gypsies, at any rate I'm sure we can take care of one another. After all,  we’re not Lee’s. “ They both laughed, filling the warm night with some peace. 

“That's one blessing I suppose.” Her laugh was high and echoed off the trees. She looked into his kind face and saw hope. Hope for what she wasn't certain of yet….but it was better than loneliness and pain. She couldn’t take anymore pain. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chapter one part 2

Clearly, I’m not from here.

Jasmine cursed. She’d gone in using the DeGhant name hoping for a bowl of soup and board for a dance and a reading from her tarot deck. She now had found herself married as a non Lee family traveler. 

Married. It haunted her like a bad drunk night where you called your ex and hooked up only to creep away and pray it never happened again. She was going to catch so much flack from her sisters. 

Violet would be mad that she didn't stick to the plan and she got herself entangled with someone other than the Lee’s. Their bloodline had little to no trouble. At least that was a positive. 

Sabrina would laugh and probably roll on the ground so happy her sister was entangled with another and it was an accident. She’d never live it down. 

Jasmine sighed. It was within her power to be unapologetically herself and alluring. She would regularly get marriage proposals at work dinners and events. If she didn’t get at least four proposals per party then she was slipping.  It was nothing to her but this man had literally conned her so smoothly into being his second wife, she’d truly not seen it coming. So now she had a caravan and a husband in one day.

Only her.

 This would only happen to her and to make matters worse he was insistent that his last name was Doggs. 

The teasing from her sisters would be extraordinary. She dreaded seeing them when they met next week at the graveyard. Johnny seemed nice and jovial. His first wife Esmeralda was kind hearted  and amused by her new sister's wives “bad luck.” Esmeralda was also a gypsy witch and quite a powerful one. If nothing else this marriage would give her another close witch to weave spells with.  The fire crackled and popped causing Jasmine to take in the large encampment. Her brain was starting to catch up with her. She could now ground herself to her surroundings. Navy sky broad and open encircled the rounded camp. There must be over one hundred families parked in neat little circles around raging orange and red fires. Caravans of all colors, family crests and stories carved lovingly into the wood surrounded her like a hug. She hated camping but this was more like modern RV life with no running water. She smirked knowing she’d be doing better than Violet. Violet hated getting dirty and yet she had proposed the plan to travel to 1919 and live like the  gypsies they once were. 

Jasmine wasn’t running per say. Getting away from some crazy stalkers she had P.Po’s out on was always a good thing. She was also happy that she didn’t have to poison anyone with Belladonna like her favorite movie with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. She was just so untethered. She barely kept jobs because she got bored. Hated living with judgemental roommates and needed space. Wow, had her life plans been flipped!

Jasmine was looking forward to a historic adventure and better contact with her ancestors' struggles.  She was book smart and street smart which made up for her untethered and reckless love lives. How many men had she left shipwrecked and stranded with their feelings as she moved on with no love in her heart. The Shelbys were not the only unlucky in love family. Jasmine understood. She laughed and felt a tear slid down her cheek before it slipped off into the dusty ground. She’d failed. She was supposed to infiltrate the Shelby betting house and their hearts, now  she was married and stuck with a good hearted man. There were worse fates she presumed. She wondered why fate had brought this unto her when they had laid such well thought out plans. 

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

Chapter one part 3

 Eyes of the Faye

  Sabrina Denny slipped through the dark and dingy streets of birmingham. This was no place for a girl,  let alone a gypsy one unescorted. At least that's what everyone kept murmuring and she sped walked past hoping to not bump into anyone and send herself crashing. She had an address and luckily for her, she could hypothetically get a room to rent near her target. She just had to get there before curfew. She bounded up the steps startling the people near her door. She pounded on the solid wood and cursed her breath failing her. Her asthma hated the humid weather and the smoke from the factories nearby wasn’t helping. Why couldn’t she live the caravan life. She hung over the side of the railing feeling her chest tighten like a hungry snake. She squeezed her eyes closed and muttered a quick prayer before a soft cloth slipped over her lips. Startled, she reeled back and jolted upright to keep from falling back. A lovely woman about her height stood before her smiling. “Take small breaths of fresh air love. City is no place for a wisp like you. “ The woman's lopsided smile was friendly but that gaze swept up and down. She didn’t trust her, hard brown eyes looked into her blueish ones searching for something. Sabrina nodded and pushed the older woman's hand away Gently. The elder was dressed well and her tailored coat made her look more intimidating than she needed. Sabrina knew who this was,  a famous tea leaf reader and notorious gypsy herself. Polly Grey. 

“What's an unchaperoned gypsy girl doing in a place like this pounding on a boarding house door. What could you possibly have for the money?” Her cold voice froze the girl in her tracks. She wasn’t planning on such an intimidating meeting yet. She also hadn’t even solidified her alibi yet, shit. “ Cat got your tongue? Deaf or stupid love?” The tone was amused but Sabrina didn’t know how to take this woman yet.

“Both?” She answered unsure, causing the older woman to laugh. Sabrina sighed in relief. She wasn’t an enemy yet nor an ally. At least she was amusing.

“The Scotts are visiting family in the countryside. No telling when they’ll be back. No boards are occupied as of now. “ Polly grew serious and gazed at the girl shaking her head. She was too soft for life out here. 

 Sabrina started softly crying. She hated being weak and had no plan…God, was she stupid! Sobbs started to wrack her frame as Polly grabbed at her and drugged her over to the Arrow house door. “Enough, you're making a scene. God knows I can’t just leave a girl like you out here. You’d be dead or worse by morning if it even took that long. My house isn’t much better girl, look at me, stop your crying. You're a gypsy woman for god's sake. You're tougher than you know.” Polly’s no nonsense attitude snapped her out of it. Soft sniffles filled the night as Polly cursed in Romani. “Get inside.” She snapped. Sabrina followed clutching her  bag to her chest. She looked around and followed Polly's lead upstairs. “Lord help you, not sure I’m doing you any favors. House full of men, most of them back from the war. I don’t want trouble, do you understand?” The harsh tone made Sabrina very tired but she nodded gratefully and relieved for a place to stay. Once upstairs Polly addressed her gruffly while she draped her coat over a kitchen chair. 

“What can you do?” The elder woman asked hands on her hip assessing the girl.

“I…um.I” Sabrina’s eyes were wide. She was inside the Shelby family home. In the dragon's lair and  all she could do was stumble over her words. “ I can cook, clean, tell fortunes and I’m decent at math.” She closed her eyes to keep from laughing. Why had she said she was good at math. It was 1919. No one cared if she could do math, she was a woman. 

“And how are you at keeping secrets?” Polly was challenging her. Sabrina could feel the weight of the test bearing down on her. Hopefully she wouldn't say anything stupid. She met her gaze with a steady strength. 

“I’m honestly great at keeping them. Half the time I can’t recall the secret anyway.” She’d answered honestly. Polly smiled. She’d passed the test.

“Oh my dear girl, that’s what I’m afraid of.” 

_________________________________________________________

Fits of sleep came and went. Sabrina was in and out so much she couldn’t tell if the muffled voices were distant in her dream or beside her. A slam on wood rudely awoke her causing her to sit straight up wide eyed and wild looking. Polly's hands covered her mouth and she watched the women glare at the stone-faced man. Everything about him was cold. His chiseled face, tight lips and ice cold eyes daring her to keep looking lest she drown. He crossed the room and crouched down next to her face to face as she shifted on the couch.  She reeled back a bit for space sake. A shiver ran through her. She wasn't cold due to the room temperature.

 She was told you never made aggressive eye contact with a predator, that's what he was. No kindness in his eyes as he searched her for lies. 

“Look at me.” It was a command, not a request. Her gaze flickered upwards and she inhaled sharply. “What's a good gypsy girl doing unaccompanied in Birmingham streets.” His eyebrows raised demanding ananswer she couldn’t give him.  “ Unless you aren't a good girl.” His gaze bore into her soul and her chest tightened but not due to asthma. His jaw clenched. “I asked you a question.” Sabrina remembered what Polly said.

 “ A house full of soldiers.” She muttered. Her eyes glazed over and her head shot up. She slumped forward feeling his hard shoulders tense. She could feel the power rise out of her, a cold wind and her mutterings were quick and true. She convulsed and sat up a joint of cold power shooting her up. She blinked as her breath slowed back to a normal pace. She blinked rapidly as her blue eyes came into focus on him. Thomas Shelby's gaze softened. He glanced at Polly whose mouth was hung down and her eyes wide. She closed it and shook her head at the man. His gaze hit her again and captured her soul. 

That shook her worse than his intimidation tactics. 

“You're a powerful witch, Miss Denny.” He smirked. Her blood froze.” Were in need of a witch and fortune teller to the Shelby family. I have grand plans.”  He stood up and took steps to Polly who stood frozen in place horrified by the events taking place.

“Her eyes Thomas, she has eyes of the faye.” Polly kept a stalwart watch on the girl. She was frightened. Sabrina slipped down hanging off the couch as sleep claimed her. Her power was exhausting and getting worse. She couldn’t ride it out like Jasmine or Violet. 

At least she could escape his plans for a bit. She hoped. 

Violet DeGhant and Sabrina Denny "DeGhant"

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Hi, what is your favourite pokemon games ranking? If you'd like could you say why you like/dislike them? For example I like pokemon violet not really for the story or the battle mechanic, but because of how easy shiny hunting is

Ah, the hours I've spent playing pokemon games are finally useful. Caveat that some of the games it's been a hot minute since I've played them, so I'm going off memory here.

Also note that I'm just going by the general game, not which version of the release (e.g. Heart Gold, Soul Silver) or the specific color (Gold vs. Silver) or anything like that. We're also not doing the extra/spin-off titles like Pokemon Mystery Dungeons, Hey You Pikachu, or Arceus for that matter.

In order of favorite to least favorite.

Gold/Silver

This gets top slot if only because I remember it more than I do red/yellow/blue (which I played but was a little too young to fully appreciate at the time).

I frequently replay Heart Gold/Soul Silver.

To me this game is peak pokemon. We have puzzles that are actually challenging to solve and a thorough amount of them. The game is appropriately long where the Team Rocket shenanigans, the dungeons, the cave systems, everything takes time and there's always more left to explore.

There's also challenge in battling and catching pokemon I appreciate. Yes, Tentacool, Rattatta, and Pidgy are Poke-God's vermin upon this green earth, but there's something refreshing about being able to have to try to catch things and build your team. Similarly, we get a little boost in experience for one pokemon, but not the entire team as in later gens that gives some challenge in leveling up.

When I defeat the Elite Four it feels like I did something and I'm energized for the post-game content. Which, speaking of, the ability to go to Kanto during the post game to me was just amazing and blew my mind.

It felt as if the game went "here, you liked this? Have another equally good game, have fun."

It's also the last game where you get a rival who's just the worst to you. Silver is a legitimate criminal who commits pokemon theft (which in the pokemon universe is like the worst crime you can possibly commit). He appears at you out of nowhere at the most inconvenient moments and "nope, you don't get to heal your team, fight me now". I enjoy absolutely destroying his team each and every time in a way I just can't when the rival is your derpy childhood friend who's simply annoying.

Team Rocket are actual gangsters in this who are a worrying, corrupt, threat. Upon beating them, I do feel that I saved a lake from giant red mutant Gyrados, or a city from being brainwashed, or any of their very threatening schemes.

Getting the legendaries is a real challenge that you have to work hard to achieve and the story behind them, to me at least, is one of the more compelling ones.

Not to mention I just like the gen 2 pokemon designs, the introduction of the then new types, and all the starters.

God, I love Gold/Silver.

Yellow/Red/Blue

This may have made the top slot if I remembered it slightly better but what I do remember is a very solid game. Yes, we didn't have the diversity of types yet, there's some buggy things, it's the pixel graphics but it has great puzzles, the gyms are very difficult (Brock especially is a challenge if you don't have a Bulbasaur or Squirtle as your starter, a far cry from many of the other games where fire starter all the way baby), a small set of pokemon that's still interesting, and a fearsome Team Rocket.

The gyms were challenging, the Mew-Two subplot was interesting, and it did feel by the end of the game and all the shit you go through you really are a pokemon master.

Pokemon yellow was great in that it allowed you to get the other starters in game in a way that pokemon usually doesn't allow so you have reason to buy both sets of games tee hee. You had your pikachu walking around behind you (which as the first game that did this was very cool as a feature).

And then there's Gary, beautiful Gary, who is the world's biggest shit. He is the most annoying punk in the universe, who never knows what he's talking about, and it's so satisfying to punch him in the proverbial face every time you meet.

"Yes, Gary, I am good at this, please stop mocking me."

Gary to me is one of the best rivals in that while he's not as scary as Silver (who is... very mysteriously questionable in his morals), he's so annoying and purposefully so. You're supposed to hate him and you do.

Ruby/Sapphire

I still really enjoy Ruby and Sapphire and play it often. Again, some of the best puzzles in the series, great terrains to explore in terms of cave systems, the diving feature, mountains, and so on. Here we get the berry system that added a lot to the games, pokemon beauty competitions were new and fun and less annoying, and the scenery started to get very interesting (we got deserts, rainforests, the depths of the ocean, and more).

Team Rocket's slightly dumber in this version in that it's unclear why Team Aqua and Team Magma think their respective ideas are in any way good. Boys, I love land and the ocean too, I don't think we should destroy continents/boil the water. However, you do feel a threat from them and it's difficult to stop them at every turn. What I especially appreciate is we see their plans connect and culminate. You stop one thing and you learn they either got what they needed and they were just toying with you or else this was a plan B they were never that serious about.

As a result, as you go through the game beating gyms they feel like a real, present, and growing threat so that by the time you meet the legendary it feels appropriately legendary and fearsome (the near destruction of the final town was particularly well done).

Like Gold/Silver, this game I felt had really quality post game content and I loved beng able to go on the boat and further explore the ocean.

The Gen 3 pokemon introduce a lot of fun things including Spheal, the glorious Spheal, whom none of us should live without and also a lot of pokemon that speak to the new diversity of landscape in the game (we now have desert pokemon, rainforesty pokemon, seagulls, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALES, and so on).

The tag team battle is an interesting dynamic here and well used and it's a solid game I return to a lot.

More, of the friendly rivals, I'm going to say that Wally and uh your friend's name who I forget are my favorites. We see a lot of growth from Wally as a character throughout the story that makes his constant need to fight and prove himself to you less annoying than most of the other rivals. He actually has a reason to be doing this. Your friend is obnoxious, in that he only shows up to annoyingly battle you and then leaves because he has better shit to do than talk to you, but I kind of like that he's annoying and that he clearly has some kind of inferiority complex going on. The guy has a reason to fight you all the time and be a complete brat about it and while not compelling as Wally and not as interestingly antagonistic as Gary/Silver, he's far from the worst.

Black/White

Black and White earns this spot on account of N and having an actual interesting Team Rocket story going on. N is the first (and only) time I can recall an in-universe character seriously debating the ethics of Pokemon battles. Should people in the Pokemon universe be using Pokemon to fight each other for profit? Should they 'own' Pokemon at all?

You find yourself having actual debates with N as his arguments are frightfully compelling and you as a character have to wonder what you're fighting for, what your relationship with your Pokemon is, and if N is right or not.

Of course, then you learn that N is being manipulated by gangsters who are summoning terrifying creatures, and that thus you were right all along but it doesn't change the fact that N's storyline is by far the one with the most depth and with it Team Rocket of the game's is the one with the most depth as well.

It's a compelling story.

It's also not too easy yet. It's easier than other gens, and I'm starting to become less of a fan of some of the pokemon introduced, but it's still a somewhat challenging game where your rival still has an interesting backstory and motivation and reason to fight you.

To me the world isn't as interesting as Ruby/Sapphire, Gold/Silver, or Red/Blue (not quite as interesting maps, I don't love the Pokemon as much) but it was a solid game and I'd play it again to refresh my memory.

Diamond/Pearl

And this is where we start our descent downwards into what Pokemon has become today.

It's telling that this one is actually hard for me to remember when I played Brilliant Diamond very recently.

I actually appreciate that this is one of the last games where we're still in Poke Japan as I find the Poke World thing that's been going on since... kind of gimmicky and very unnecessary. So, it's nice that Sinnoh hasn't really become that yet.

The game's starting to get a lot easier than previous games, your rival is now very forgettable and just kind of shows up to either a) annoy you with encouraging words then fight you anyway then tell you how amazing you are b) show up to annoy you.

Team Rocket... exists, they're not entirely stupid like later games but what they're up to doesn't feel that memorable either that I... welll... actually remember it.

To me this was just a really forgettable gen that added some interesting new pokemon but not enough to draw me back anytime soon to this game specifically. I would much rather play the ones listed above.

X/Y

Poke France, here we come. We now get a lot of features I just don't care about such as being able to accessorize my avatar.

It's not as bad as some of the later ones in terms of Team Rocket plot, but I was never entirely sure why we thought destroying the world was a good thing in the first place (versus earlier gens having just evil gangsters, hilarious environmentalists, or poor poor N).

I really liked the legendary design here and the end of the world did feel quite chilling when we got that far. The gyms weren't really memorable to me, nor were the pokemon introduced in the gen, and it's just a game that really starts to pale in comparison to the other gens.

It's not bad, not as bad as the ones below it, but this was a game I played and wondered if I should buy the next gen or not.

Scarlet/Violet

Previous thoughts on Scarlet/Violet.

This earns this spot for being less annoying than Sword/Shield and much better than Sun/Moon. That's it. That's why we're here. If this was all the Pokemon series had to offer I would never have bought another game.

The puzzles are virtually non-existent or laughably easy, because of how experience can be earned the game is ridiculously easy in terms of leveling up, gym battles, etc. Type matchups are no longer a problem as it's ridiculously easy to get powerful pokemon in any environment pretty damn early in the game.

The plot is hilarious but awful in that we get these three plotlines that are just... bad...

You have Nemona who just shows up to battle you then leave and wants you for a rival when she's already Champion because I guess everyone else sucks that hard. You have the plot line where you bully cosplaying nerds to get back to school because of a really hamfisted plot about abuse of power/bullying that is just begging me to feel something about Team Star (I do not), and Arvin's robo-dad who... am I supposed to like him? Am I supposed to think he was a good father deep down? The robo dad plot was the icing on the cake as it hinted at a better game: the game in which we work with the professor and Jurassic Park happens as he keeps summoning pokemon from the goddamn future like a lunatic (but of course we will not get that game in pokemon).

To make it seem like there's a lot to do, you have the Titans, the gyms, and the Team Star thing all happening at once but to accomodate them all happening at once they're all uninteresting/very easy if you're leveled appropriately.

While it's nice to be able to actually catch insanely powerful pokemon you never can otherwise (I actually got all Eevolutions, that never happens, along with a Gyrados, a Dragonite, a Blissey, a Hypno, and a whole bunch of Pokemon that are stupid hard to get usually) it also means that Gyrados are now the Rattatatta of the sea and building a team of gods is... really really really easy.

The open world is a nice thought, but I don't think it complemented the game in that it really did want you to be certain levels for things and there wasn't enough content to justify wandering around. Gotta have the interesting side quests if you want the open world.

I finished the game, saw there was post-game content in which I could... evaluate gyms or whatever I'm doing, and I happily logged off and went on to play Kirby instead.

That said, Pokemon is shifting towards a younger and younger audience (and perhaps rightfully so) and I can recognize that as someone's first serious game where they have to read and solve puzzles this is much less frustrating than previous gens were and perhaps what said audience is looking for.

And hey, I finally got a shiny for the first time in my life, so that's wild.

(I also thing tetralyzing or whatever is dumb, but it's less dumb than some of the others.)

Sword/Shield

Here because it's better than Sun/Moon but... that's really it.

This was like the trial run of open world in Pokemon in that you have the big open area in the middle. The thing is, that place is mostly just frustrating as even if you beat something more powerful than you, you won't be allowed to catch it because reasons.

Once again this game was so easy it became boring. I could switch out pokemon whenever I liked, They all gained ridiculous amounts of experience from battles, I could capture very powerful pokemon very easily int he open area. It took the challenge out of the game and for me the fun.

Add to that that this felt... really really gimmicky to me. The gym leaders went from forgettable to utterly insufferable, your pink rival who becomes adopted by a gym leader is no exception, Team Rocket is just an annoying group of die hard sports fans who won't leave this one girl and her Frakenstein Pikachu alone.

The whole game tries too hard to get me to like all the characters, that there are no bad characters, and it just makes it really hard to get through.

And then we have the even dumber version of tetralyzing: pokemon become real swol sometimes. They just... become really really big. And while I appreciate the graphics I just don't care.

(And I really don't care about the raid battles in general, I tried to do them for a bit as I thought they would be helpful, but the game was so easy I didn't need them and in the end I just found them annoying.)

As a result, I didn't even end up finishing. I couldn't do it. I asked myself why I was playing and then realized I wasn't having fun and moved onto a different game, I have not returned.

Sun/Moon

This one was just real bad all around.

I didn't get far into it but the gym battle system was actively obnoxious, the new gen pokemon weren't interesting, even the map itself just wasn't as fun as other games.

While the concept of the same pokemon having different types in different regions was a neat one, it wasn't enough to pull me into the game with everything else about it.

I got even less far into this than I did Sword/Shield.

[whatisbraincells]

A very unhinged Quantumania review(SPOILERS)

WHERE TO START

RYAN BERGARA?!?!

BILL MURRY?!?!

DAVID DASTMALCHIAN?!?!?

WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER!?!???

LOKI AND MOBIOUS?!?!?

Anyway-

Something I noticed is most of the quantum realm has a warm color scheme(reds, oranges, yellows and browns) including the landscapes and clothing and Kang and his army have cool colors(blues, greens and purples) like they’re armor and abilities which is some cool use of color to signify that Kang is a colonizer conqueror

I adore Kang’s costume design

The mask making his face blue like the comics and the realistic yet futuristic textures

Cassie>>>>>>

She’s such a realistic child of superhero.

She just wants to join in

She’s a sweetie

She also reacts very queerly to Jentorra

I adore Scott and Hope’s relationship! It’s also very grounded and realistic. They’re in love and they live together and Hope is basically Cassie’s step mom and it’s not a big deal.

CASSIE CALLS HANK AND JANET HER GRANDPARENTS

They’re a family goddamnit

Scott went to dinner with Jimmy!

Scott Lang is the best mcu dad I will not take any criticism

I like Janet’s arc, it’s so interesting to learn more about her life and her regrets

Most of the fights would’ve gone by quicker if Scott and Cassie had stingers

I know it’s not like something ants have but like they have no long range attacks

In the scene where all the Scotts make a mountain is similar to how some species of ants work

HANK PYM AUTISTIC ICON

His special interest is ANTS

The line “she wasn’t you, baby” fucking hurt

THE PARALLELS BETWEEN JANET AND HOPE AND SCOTT AND CASSIE.

Scott and Cassie are very physically affectionate and I love that

The ending felt a little clunky but I’m glad Scott didn’t die bc Paul Rudd is a sweetie

I think we could’ve spent less time on action and more on quantum realm world building but it’s a marvel movie and I’m a clown

The quantum realm world design and species designs is so fucking cool. It’s so interesting to look at

“Is that building alive?” “Your’s are dead?!?”

“STOP ASKING ABOUT HIS HOLES SOME OF US HAVE HOLES.” William your line delivery always gets me

The living buildings do kinda look likes dicks tho

“It’s not to late to not be a dick” “Look at me I’m such a dick”

MODOK being Darren took me so off guard but I loved it.

Jonathan Majors’ acting is brilliant

He made me feel kinda bad for him, or at least understand him

Michelle Pfeiffer’s line delivery felt a bit stale, but the emotions were there. She did a great job at playing someone who wasn’t able to genuinely trust others or show her feelings for 30 years.

Evangeline Lily is a darling and I adore that Hope’s character isn’t performative in her badassery

Kathryn Newton is a badass and a sweetheart as always

Michael Douglas is awesome at the old scientist who just really likes ants and his family

And Paul Rudd is amazingly loveable and soft as Scott, of course. His main motivation has always been Cassie and Paul Rudd sells the fuck outta that.

All the side actors a great(William Jackson Harper in particular but that is biased bc I’m a Chidi stan)

This is a movie about family, as many of the phase 4 projects have been. It’s about protecting your family and what you will do for those you love.

(i mean it’s no tlou but yk)

I found the pacing a bit off

But I loved the ending(anxiety icon Scott)

victorianwowkivictorianwowki victorianwowkivictorianwowki victorianwowkivictorianwowki

I’d give it an 8/10 definitely a fun watch

[sunnysgames]

Emotions Legacy Challange

Sorry if there are any spelling otr grammar mistakes english is not my first language.

This legacy challange is going to be based around sism 4 emotins (It's kinda in the name). IT IS ONLY BASE GAME. Use #emotions33 on the sims4 gallery if you decide to try it.

RULES

You need to play on the normal lifespan.

Mods are allowed only if they don't give you an unfair advantage.

CC is allowed.

Only small money cheats. Other cheats are allowed if they don't give you an advantage.

Some cheats have to be used if its stated in the rules.

"O" rules are optional

A generation is finshed if all the criteria are fulfilled.

Rule 1 just have fun

❤︎ GEN 1- fine❤︎  You have always lived a FINE life. Married and had kids at a young age, had some friends and a white picket fence family.

CRITERIA

Be female

Master the Big Happy Family aspiration

Your spouse has to be the breadwinner.

You can only make money through crafts.

Master the cooking and gardening skills.

Have atleast 3 kids.

"O" move in with a spouse at the start

"O" have a white color scheme.

Traits

Good

Foodie

Family Orientated

❤︎ GEN 2- sad❤︎ 

Your family was all about being perfect, but not you. Never simling or laughing, all the kids bullying you for reading. You were the definition of the quiet kid. So until you hit you adulthood you lived a truly SAD life.

CRITERIA:

"O" Navy color scheme

BEFORE ADULTHOOD

Master the Best Selling Author aspiration

Master the writing skill

Have one friend only (other than family)

Read 10 books

Master the photography skill

AFTER ADULTHOOD

Marry someone and move in with them

Master the writer carrer

Master the violin skill

Have atleast 3 kids

TRAITS:

Gloomy

Loner

Bookworm

❤︎GEN 3-angry❤︎

You always knew that one off your parents wasn't all that happy and you got that part of them. Always ANGRY and mean to everyone, so that's why you decided that as soon as you move out you become a mafia boss.

CRITERIA:

Master the Public Criminal aspiration

Master the criminal carrer

Master the mischeif skill

Have five enemies

Have one kid from a hookup

Never marry or move in with anyone

Master mixology skill

Kick out your kid when they turn into a YA

"O" Red color scheme

TRAITS:

Hot headed

Mean

Evil

❤︎GEN 4-tense❤︎

Since your parents only used you to help with their crimes you've always been TENSE. Getting kicked out at 18 also didn't help. Working two minnimum wage jobs but still somehow you got a lot of money very quickly...

CRITERIA:

Start with no money and work your way up

Marry someone with the family orientated trait (you can cheat this)

Master the buisness career

Work part time as a barista

Master handiness skill

Have a bad relation ship with your kids

"O" Orange color scheme

TRAITS:

Kleptomaniac

Ambitous

Perfectionist

❤︎GEN5-energized❤︎

Never had a good reletionship with one of your parents, but the other one was always playing with you in the backyard and got you to really love sport, ENERGAZING your body and made you become a famous athlete they also planted you the love for fishing.

CRITERIA:

Master the athlete carrer

Master the Bodybuilder aspiration

Master the fishing skill

Master the fitness skill

Have dinner with your family every week

Have your own gym

"O" Green color scheme

TRAITS:

Active

Family orientated

Bro

❤︎GEN 6-confident❤︎

Your sporty family gave you a lot of CONFIDENCE but on your own you developed some love for video games. Overall you're a hardworking parent that at night becomes the craziest party animal at night.

CRITERIA:

Master the Party Animal aspiration

Master the Tech Guru carrer

Master the charisma skill

Master the video gaming skill

Have atleast five good friends (other than your family)

Accept every invite past 8 p.m

"O" blue color scheme

TRAITS:

Self assured

Geek

Outgoing

❤︎GEN 7- flirty❤︎

Your parent was always going out partying at night and you just loved that. You wanted be just like them (you were also a little bit jealous of them), and you did that but worse. You were just a player, even tho you did go to the club you didn’t do anything but FLIRT, still you are able to find true love in the end.

CRITERIA:

Has to be a girl

Master the serial romantic aspiration

Master the fashion influencer career

Master the charisma skill

Master the piano skill

Get married as an elder

Have kids from hook-ups only

"O" Pink color scheme

TRAITS:

Romantic

Jealous

Non-commital

❤︎GEN 8- playful❤︎

Your crazy player parent made you the most PLAYFUL and fun person in the world. You didn’t spend much time together, but when you did you were always laughing and making jokes. Everyone loves spending time with you, because you’re histericly hilarous.

CRITERIA:

Master the Joke Star aspiration

Master the Entertainer career

Master the comedy skill

Play all the instruments and master one

Go out every working day

Spend the weekends with your family only

"O" Magenta color scheme

TRAITS:

Goofball

Childish

Music lover

❤︎GEN 9-inspiered❤︎

Your parent was a comedian which INSPIERED you to become very artistic. You never wanted a serious career or an education you just wanted to do art in your tiny home. You got some love for creativity from your parents, and lots of love from your partner and muliple kids.

CRITERIA:

Never have a job and only make money in artistic ways

Master the Painter Extrodinare aspiration

Master the guitar skill

Master the painting skill

Have atleast 4 kids

Write 10 kids books

"O" Teal color scheme

TRAITS:

Creative

Art lover

Loves The Outdoors

❤︎GEN 10-focused❤︎

You were lot more interested in education than your parent. You were into computers and science. You’re really FOCUSED on proggraming, becasue it lets your creativity out. You want to visit space and discover new lives, while also having a big happy family.

CRITERIA:

Master the Computer Whiz aspiration

Master the Astronaut carrer

Master the programming skill

Master the rocket science skill

Master the logic skill

Visit the secret lot in oasis spring

Build a rocket and visit space

Have 3 kids

"O" Purple color scheme

TRAITS:

Neat

Genius

Vegetarian

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

Hope you enjoyed :D

[bearpillowmonster]

Prince of Persia (2008)

This is actually the first PoP game that I bought because, well-

Just look at it. It appealed to me most, he's got what looks like a cybernetic hand, a blue and red head scarf keeping some sort of mystery about him, nice balance between grit and cartoon. And really even the gameplay, a big wide open world, and the girl stays right along side you. It was the makings of something great, but then...I played it.

I don't even know if it was two hours. I just felt like I had enough, like I had seen everything it had to offer already and here's why:

STORY

Background information first. The game has a decent story with the Prince looking for this donkey that has a bunch of treasure alluding for an adventure that happened off screen when he comes across Elika who is being chased and one thing leads to another and she releases darkness out of a tree. Ok, maybe that doesn't sound too great but it's more character based. The struggle between her and her father is interesting as you see the darkness overtake him, which gives you all the reason to bring an end to this madness. You see flashbacks of her because she doesn't really want to talk about what's going on or give you context so it's fed to you little by little, she's not even interested in the Prince, she just sees him as beneficial to her journey and over time the two grow fond of each other, which is how it should be.

The cartoony nature lets for a variety of unique animations, like her climbing on your back when you're climbing up vines, doing a little twirl when you switch positions, catch each other when they fall and just overall a ton of fun stuff that makes up for the fact that you can't play as her. Unfortunately, the Prince really just makes jokes, he isn't given much, they made him too pun-oriented as even Nolan North was confused by it but whatever, it's a disconnect. So what's the issue here?

THE PREMISE

Well, you have to get your fair share of light orbs- wait an effing second-

Yeah, that but it's the whole game. Like there aren't even enemies to keep you busy really. It splits the map up into sections where you climb these huge towers and trek landscapes to get to what amounts to a fountain, you fight a boss at the fountain, unlock it, and poof, light appears so you backtrack through the level (which does have varying paths but you definitely backtrack) in order to collect the orbs. There're little dark blobs that block your way sometimes and platforms can indeed have an enemy every now and then but it's not rewarding for anything, you don't get light, you don't get currency, you don't get anything, they're just another obstacle, not anything special, just a random nuisance.

COMBAT

The combat is a lot different, it has a sort of fighting game element where it locks you in a battlefield, and you skirt around each other like Contest of Champions. It's not "bad" but it can be annoying because of the control scheme. I learned it over time but it basically creates its own buttons. Red glove. What does it refer to? What did you map that button to? Grey glove, uh, block? Sword is obvious. But it doesn't show you the buttons, just the symbols and it's not much more in depth than that. I played this on PC and honestly those colors resemble the Xbox control style, the PS3 version has the actual buttons (and I don't have an Xbox controller so I had to fight with my PS4 controller to figure it out) but I think it helped that I played with a controller this time around because I used a keyboard and mouse on that dropped playthrough.

You get the rapid press sometimes but it's not necessarily how fast you press it, it's how early you start. And like sumo wrestling, getting too close to the edge for either of you will lock you in a heated quick time event to launch the other over the edge.

Perhaps one of the divisive parts though is that you don't "die". It's like this, falling will just have Elika catch you and put you at the last platform. Fighting, you're given a chance to save yourself with a quick-time event and even if you fail, the enemy just heals themself a little.

Then you have the "hub" of sorts which leads to the temple but traveling this empty wasteland takes a while because of your walk speed. I don't mind it in the confinement of these areas with the structures but when there's nothing there and you're just trekking...speed it up. Luckily if you unlock the fountain then you can fast travel.

They even have cool traversal methods that you learn by taking so many light orbs back to the temple (in the hub) but they're not free abilities, they're limited to where the spaces are.

The "power plates" eww, that's their official name? You couldn't say like "Ephereal Tiles" or some sort of lore based jargon like spirit energy emits from them, juicing you up with power for a short burst? Spirit Burst?

And you have what amounts to this huge wide open and lush background painstakingly created with breathtakingly beautiful places that you can't wait to explore but you barely even notice them. Like you probably see this picture and think what fun is in store for that place and what set-piece it might hold but the camera pits you against these wood and stone structures and that's about it, the rest goes relatively unnoticed, you don't go and walk around these places at all like you'd expect.

WHAT BROUGHT ME BACK

This.

A three hour video but a well made one at that. He mentioned that it's enjoyable playing as a side gig, just something to turn music on and play like it's Minecraft parkour and so I lodged that in the back of my brain and here I am, with a new approach and a new opinion on a game that I thought I'd never return to.

So I'm done complaining because I did indeed keep coming back to it and enjoying myself by viewing it from a movement standpoint. And yeah, it's not the best use of its appealing assets but I still found something in it.

[cantillat-moved]

@ryogai [PAINTED SKIES] - Emiya

Mission after mission they cut down their enemies. Mission after mission they upkeep the grand order with great personal cost – physical, mental, emotional.   Once someone told him that he had grown sagacious and could even deceit at times. Perhaps it was a good time for a very selective scheming…

It wasn’t hard to have the support of Da Vinci and Sion, in fact both of them wholeheartedly supported his small ploy. A supposedly minute singularity, but there wasn’t any real threat: just white soft sand and the sea as far as they could see. ❝ Working hard and playing harder is all part of a healthy training routine. ❞ he told her. ❝ If you wish, consider it as a continuation of the business we took care of at Singularity F. ❞ it was back when Nix was still learning how to be a proper Master on the field, an imposed challenge that Archer came up in order to fully release his Reality Marble at her service – to defeat the one rogue Servant that wasn’t interested in the madness caused by the rampart corruption taking place there. This time it was the opposite: to have fun on the beach, swim and play around to their heart’s content and spend all the pent up frustration by having fun. Archer took care of everything: the food, refreshments, sunblock, everything Nix could want. It was a full day of enjoying themselves until they got tired.

He motioned to the beach towel, inviting Nix to sit with him. The sun in the distance getting closer and closer to meet the sea as the blue hues started to get replaced by red colors. His traditional crimson garbs have been exhanged by a high performance swimwear, also allowing himself to relax during the day. ❝ Have you been enjoying yourself, Nix ? ❞ he started, before fixating his gaze to the horizon ❝ Perhaps I owe you an apology for the trick. ❞

[blackjackkent]

Rakha:

Is your character more energized in the morning, afternoon or at night?

What is your character's favorite food group?

Who would your character most want to sign their cast if they got one?

Hector:

Is there a fear your character wants to learn to overcome?

What kind of music does your character enjoy?

Is your character's favorite color a color they wear often?

(Super Long Hopefully Fun Character Ask Game)

Rakha!

Is your character more energized in the morning, afternoon or at night?

Hm. I think probably night? I don't really see Rakha as a morning person, and at night is when the beast gets most revved up in her head. It probably depends a lot on how crazy an adventuring day she's had though. XD

What is your character's favorite food group?

It feels very on-the-nose to say that Rakha probably prefers very rare red meat, although I think she does like it - that may be some of the Urge poking through, though. Certainly protein in general for her favorite food group, though. I think Rakha eats very hearty whenever she has the chance to, although she has to learn to balance that with the needs of maintaining enough camp supplies for everyone. XD

Who would your character most want to sign their cast if they got one?

LOL. Hm. I'm not sure this would occur to Rakha off the top of her head, given she doesn't really know any celebrities (or, I suspect, really care much about the idea of fame). However - Karlach would absolutely get excited telling her that she should get Jaheira to sign it, and Rakha would bemusedly go along with it. Jaheira would find this pretty funny and would agree mostly because Rakha would make the request with a level of seriousness appropriate for a funeral.

-----

Hector!

Is there a fear your character wants to learn to overcome?

The early part of the game is basically ALL Hector learning to overcome his fears, tbh. He spends most of Act 1 pretty terrified of all the terrible things they encounter and a lot of his effort goes into getting more comfortable with his ability to deal with whatever the world throws at him.

As he gets on into Act 3 and post-game, his fears grow more nuanced and mostly have to do with a) letting people down and b) his friends and particularly Karlach being hurt. Interestingly, I'm not sure that he would say that he wants to overcome these fears in the sense of removing them completely, because they are both fears deeply rooted in his values of altruism and doing right by other people, and also in the main thing he learned over the course of the game, which was learning to rely on his friends and their teamwork rather than feeling he needed to be completely self-reliant.

So I think in some ways those fears are kind of intrinsic to him, but he does spend a lot of time making sure that he can be afraid and still push forward and get things done anyway.

What kind of music does your character enjoy?

Do Selunite monks have a Gregorian chant equivalent? :P I have to imagine that there has been plenty of music written to the glory of Selune - hymn type things, which Hector would certainly enjoy hearing as a reminder of home and his upbringing.

I think I speculated a while back that Karlach realizes he hasn't heard a ton of "popular" music and makes a point of dragging him out to different taverns to listen to bards play. And he enjoys that a lot although it's partly because Karlach is so excited to share it with him. c:

Is your character's favorite color a color they wear often?

Yep! Hector's favorite color is blue and his primary color scheme of his outfits is always blue and black.

(TBH most of my OCs have a very specific color scheme. XD )

[ashleyvasquez05]

Sketchbook #2

JOURNALING:

Unity-  similar, coming to form 1, consistent

Variety- multiple options, diversity

Balance- the equal and peaceful area between opposing things, order, symmetry/ asymmetry

Emphasis- centering something by enhancing and drawing attention

Subordination- taking away attention from, displacing something to make it undistracting

Directional forces- arrows and path drawn up, guidance

Repetition- same thing happening again, or reoccurrence

Rhythm- regularly occurring, customs happening over and over again

Scale- sizing and comparing the size of things to each other

Proportion- comparison of sizes of things to each other when composed as a whole

Examples of unity and variety can be seen at a supermarket, where there is a variety of different scales and brands of crackers all in a section of the store creating unity by all of them being placed in an aisle. I think working around a busy schedule and finding a way to work, attend school, and maintain a social life is an example of balance I see and personally experience every day. The roads I drive on daily guide me and create directional forces to my destination. The stop light at the entrance of my neighborhood follows a rhythm or order of who can go, with the main road turning on first then my neighborhood, and lastly the street across. This order is also always occurring or repeating no matter how crowded one street can get. When simply eating dinner, our pates are made up of different food group proportions. Someone asking to read outload in class is an example of them emphasizing their existence. The stage crew behind a play is vital yet hidden or subordinated since they are often overlooked as the audience draws their attention to the actors and play.

2. CONNECTING ART TO YOUR WORLD:

Color to me has always been taught to be used as a way to express emotions. There are certain color hues that I view to be associated with happy emotions such as yellow and gold, while I associate red and pink with love and blues and greys with sadness. However,  the saturation or intensity of a color can change my perspective of it, such as light blue and dark blue. I associate dark blue with sadness or maturity while light blue is more fun and younger. To me the value of a color can really change and define the depth and strength of a figure, creating something beyond what is just seen as a 3-dimensional illusion. Colors are a way for me to illustrate and explain my emotions without using words, as they can describe and depict subjects, moods, light, depth, and much more.

If I had to pick a color scheme for my life, I would pick green primarily hunter green. Not only do I love this color, but it suits my physical features. More importantly, I love and am drawn to nature which is why I would describe myself with that color. It is a color that illustrates feelings of balance, health, and growth, or at least the vibe I get from it. Although my life can get pretty busy, it is balanced in its own way, and I feel at my prime health being that I am just 18 years old who is just beginning to experience life for the first time with a distinct perspective. Lastly, the color hunter green gives calming and prosperous energy which is how I would describe my life now as I am super excited for my future after high school.

3. ART PROJECT: In progress:

Final:

4. DISCUSSION: Group 1:

Logos

hp

LEGO

Adidas

CVS pharmacy

NIKE

Apple

I know these logos as I am familiar with them since they are constantly in my surroundings. For example, my phone is an iPhone which means I see the apple logo constantly. I see the HP logo on the regular since I own an HP computer. My little brother loves building Legos and leaving them everywhere which means I see the Lego logo constantly. I work at CVS, so I am reminded by the CVS pharmacy heart logo as its on my uniform. My workout clothes is also from the two most popular sport brands, Nike and Adidas.

My understanding of the value of logos is that a visual symbol can help make a brand easily recognizable. However, a logo is much more than just a representation of a company, it is also their reputation, identity, and uniqueness. If two logos were too similar to each other people would confuse them or not really define the logo for either company as its not as unique. It is also important for a logo to have a well-known and defined logo that people are attracted to and hold the right values. I think a logo is one of the most important things of a company.

[scarletskydemo]

Name: Malachai Aris

Aliases: Mal, Chai (Ch-eye or K-eye he doesn’t care), Demo

Age: 38

Gender: Male

Species: Human/Werewolf

Nationality: Scottish

Height: 6’2

Weight: 191

Build: Upper-body muscled mesomorph

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Blue

Skin tone: Dark

Class: Demolitions Expert (Demoman)

Team: RED

Sexuality: Bisexual

Personality: Despite most demomen being half-coherent drunkards, Mal genuinely prefers not to drink a whole lot. With a passion for chemistry, he likes to be in the right mind when messing with chemicals. After all, he’d rather not lose another eye. The man is also quite laid back, going with the flow and just looking for a good time. Man was put on this Earth to enjoy himself, right? So why not make the most out of every moment. He tends to be quite the upbeat guy, and it’s quite infectious. Mal isn’t afraid to invite someone for a dance, an after-work drink, a moment of reprieve and de-stressing, it doesn’t matter to him. As long as the morale of his team is up, he’s happy. He’s also incredibly caring and sensitive. It is easy for him to sympathize with the struggles of others and try to offer comfort or a solution. Life is too short to be stuck down in the mud, especially when there are so many good things out there. 

It’s quite difficult to genuinely make the man mad, considering his easy-going nature. However, when he does get fired up, he isn’t sugar-coating a thing. He will confront you and tell you exactly how he feels and why. If that doesn’t seem to get it through someone’s thick skull, he knows how to settle things with fists. Mal doesn’t really prefer to do things that way, but he’s not going to be a push-over simply because he doesn’t like hitting people. In general, he’s more likely to get frustrated than mad. He tends to take his frustrations out by hitting the gym or working on new explosives. Listening to something go BOOM is quite cathartic for him. During battle, he genuinely has fun. Each new battle brings about new challenges, new things to try, new methods he can learn. Testing his grit against that of another man is also quite fun, especially since they allowed him to have a sword. 

When struggling with something mentally, he tends to put on a brave face for others and take it down when he’s in private. Even though he’s quite cheerful, he never feels like his problems are anyone else’s problem. It’ll pass without the need to ruin someone else’s mood. Mal is quite neglectful of his own aches and pains, believing it’s better to make someone else’s day better than mope about his own issues. Once he feels comfortable letting someone get that close, he’s quite the emotional person. He can take things quite seriously if the matter calls for it, and knows how to handle things with a sense of maturity. Growing up as the oldest boy, that was a skill he had to pick up early on. However, it left a void for people who were willing to sit him down like he was with his brothers. 

Mal is an incredibly passionate lover and friend. His significant other means the world to him, and he wants them to experience the world like he does. His love language revolves around making time for them, having dates, going out and doing fun things, having a good drink, and building a strong bond. It’s very important to him that the special people in his life feel supported and happy. Whatever they need from him to cheer them up, he’ll do it without a second thought. 

Of course, ending up in this line of work, he can’t be completely normal. He is the KING of hair-brained schemes and wild ideas. And if it CAN involve explosives? It WILL involve explosives. Mal has a bit of a crazy streak when it comes to those delightful pills, going so far as to play baseball with them sometimes, whether or not it’s a good idea. And if someone just so happens to be in the line of fire and gets blown to bits? Well, that was really their fault in the end, wasn’t it?

Backstory: Malachai grew up in the lovely highlands of Scotland with his mother and 5 other siblings. It was an enjoyable life, tending to sheep and cattle. They all had their own roles, and with Mal being the eldest, he often had the role of overseeing. Now, they had time to play and get into all kinds of hijinx, terrorizing the local village with their pranks and tricks. Of course, their mother would tan their hides every time she received news of it, but it was all fun and games. One day, he was sent down to the local apothecary to get some sulfur. Some of his family members had come down with scabies, and that’s what his mom used to treat it.

While he was there, he ended up befriending the apprentice of the shop. The boy told Mal that sulfur could be used for FAR more things than simply scabies. It was a friendship that went off with a BANG, the boys often nabbing small bits of powders and liquids to make all kinds of things. Now, this didn’t really please the owner of the store, demanding that Mal had to pay for his part in the wastefulness of his materials. Instead of letting this information get back to his mother, Mal agreed to work part-time in the shop to pay off what he owed. What started out as a simple debt-repay ended up being a new skill he picked up rather quickly. Mixing different items to create not only medicines, but weapons and appliances? It quickly became Malachai’s favorite past-time. It also made the business quite a bit of money, adding anything new to his shelves that the boy created. Nothing deadly, of course. 

Malachai proceeded to carry this love for chemistry into adulthood, attending the local college and graduating with a masters in organic chemistry. His mother thought he would go into a job like medicine or finding solutions to world problems. No, he just made problems. When his love of explosions was quickly discovered by a lab he was working in, he was swiftly fired and put into a mental facility. Of course, he didn’t stay very long. They had a hard time keeping him when he didn’t appear outwardly insane in any of their tests. Oh, how wrong they were. As time went on, he began to make good money in making home-made explosives and selling them. So good, in fact, that a certain company heard of his skills and offered him a position as their demolitions expert. Finally! The dream job he had always wanted. 

Languages: English, Scots, French

Skills: Chemistry, Charm, Baking, Carpentry, Empathy, Sense of Smell, Equanimity, Knowledge of Explosives, Leadership, Multitasking, Out-of-the-Box Thinking, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Melee Combat, Dancing, High Liquor Tolerance, Patience

Likes: Coffee, Experimenting, Hanging Out With Friends, Animals, Social Drinking, Getting Up Early, Having Fun, Explosions and Explosives, Hugs and Physical Affection, Challenges, Rainy Weather, Playing Pranks, Crazy and Unique Ideas

Dislikes: Strict People, His Friends Being Upset, Following Rules, People Who Can’t Relax, Experiments Failing, Losing

Extras: Lots of Tattoos and Designs, Often Wears Two Gold Hoops

[thedarkmistress16]

What are your thoughts on Rockband/Guitar Hero?

They're fun. Never owned them but played rock band's drums at a friend's house and a guitar hero at a six flags arcade i think? both for like, one song. I've seen more of guitar hero in person than rock band, tho, and I assumed for the longest time that rock band was a bland ver. of gh or something so I never paid it any mind in my early years. even my music teacher had gh all set up in class for our free days and when he wanted to show off his skills in ttfatf during down time. I never owned them or even thought about having either game because guitar hero's models and environments always freaked me out as a child. like the characters/band were greasy and mean and looked like they were gonna fuck me up. and the stages were intimidating with their dark, foreboding color schemes that evil is usually associated with (gray toned, desaturated dark colors, blacks, reds, purples, blues, greens, etc.). The demonic and ominous props didn't help either. I remember sitting near one in a Chuck E' Cheese and I kept staring at it in morbid curiosity even when kids weren't playing it, lol.

...i like playing the drums more anyway...

But yeah, I always liked watching other people play it more than doing it myself when I was younger, even when the opportunity to do so was right next to me, so I had plenty of chances to play it and chose not to until my later years. And I still find enjoyment in watching the pros 100% fc megadeath songs or the dwdtg and ttfatf on expert mode today. It's pretty badass watching perfection happen as the songs ramp up in intensity, whether the player has real acoustic guitar experience or solely from the game guitar. plus the rhythmic tapping/clicking sometimes makes the song sound better and it feeds my asmr soul on perfect runs, lol.

[tokiro07]

Cipher Academy ch.33 thoughts

[The Anonymity Chapter]

ANONYMITY!!! COLOR PAGE!!!!!

Red hair, blue-green eyes, she looks like if I were an anime girl, like Chie from Persona 4. But whereas I came to like Chie before playing Persona because of her design, obviously I've loved Anonymity because of her charmingly offputting personality from the moment she first opened her obnoxious little mouth, so her gaining a color scheme that resonates with me is just a fun little bonus

One small consequence of everyone wearing a standardized uniform, though, is that it's a bit more difficult to convey any given character's signature color, with the hair probably being the best way to do it. As much as I'd like to declare Anonymity one of my Green Girls, can I really give her that label in all good conscience if every other person around her is wearing that color as well and none of them technically by choice?

I also have difficulty labeling her as a Red Girl either since the red of her hair is a more realistic shade more reminiscent of orange or brown, and though Personal Package is depicted here with a red X, it's usually a more standard censor bar which I presume to be black, so I can't go off of that just yet either. It's a little bit of a conundrum

Anonymity continues to prove why she's best girl by not only absolutely bodying multiple opponents simultaneously and layering multiple plans and plots in doing so, but just looking so stylish while doing it too. Her signature 👌 hand sign has very quickly become an endearing part of her character, and committing to using it while snatching all of her opponent's tails was a great way to telegraph who she was before removing her mask

I'll admit, I was really worried when Anonymity first took off Personal Package to reveal her true face. When Hagakure's face was revealed in My Hero Academia, I was a little disappointed that she looked pretty...normal. Like "of course she looks like that." She was cute, but nothing out of the ordinary for Horikoshi's art style. Face reveals are pretty much a guaranteed letdown, so there was a part of me that was hoping that Anonymity's face would never be revealed

However, there are two factors that differentiate Anonymity from a character like Hagakure. First, because her face was revealed at the end of the first arc, there wasn't nearly as much buildup or time to establish expectations, so for better or worse, there wasn't as much impact from the reveal itself, thus making it easier to accept

Secondly, gap moe. Did ANYONE expect Anonymity to be sparkling when she took off the mask? I figured she'd just look surprisingly plain or that her eyes would be sharp to match the even tone she'd had the chapters leading up to the reveal, but no, everything about her was concealed. Her eyes, her mouth, her tone, even her hair was obscured, so the person behind the mask was essentially someone entirely different than the impression we'd been given

This though led to a new worry: would I like this sparkly girl anywhere near as much as the faceless girl? I fell in love with the deadpan, aloof and snarky Anonymity, how could this magical girl-looking version of her live up?

Simply by proving that she's every bit as annoying and self-important as ever, that's how! While her mannerisms are more expressive now, the things she says and the way she antagonizes others remain the same, so at her core, it's very clear that this is the same person, just one that's unrestrained by the need to hide her appearance

The best thing about her now is the dichotomy, the ability to switch between the blank face of stone and the glittering face of crystal, all the while singing the same horrible words and dancing the same horrible dance

As for the puzzles, I sadly didn't get a chance to try to solve them because I was at work and needed to read quickly. I know I wouldn't have been able to solve the music puzzle, and I might have been able to solve the sundial puzzle, but there's absolutely no way I wouldn't have been able to solve the math puzzle if I'd had the time to tackle it. I may not be the best at math, but I know Jump and I guarantee I'd have recognized those numbers if I'd actually looked at them. I know it's petty to hem and haw about how I could have performed, but god dammit I'm mad that I missed the opportunity to apply my specialty!

To conclude, my predictions from last week were pretty immediately off-base, with Anonymity using her connections with Class F not to fight them directly, but to ambush Class B. She's clearly planning to use them to get to Class F, so I may turn out to be partially correct, but that shifts the dynamic away from my expectations. Instead of fighting Class B, Nohime is getting ganged up on by Class D, which will undoubtedly give us good insight on Nohime, but again, I thought we'd see her on the offensive, not the defensive

Of course, I did preface that statement with acknowledgment that I'd likely be wrong, so if there's one thing I can always count on myself to be right about, it's that I'm pretty much always wrong!