#help i even had 3D glasses and a banana

[omarfor-orchestra]

Just found my Lucca comics and games 2015 pictures. I was in a Ten cosplay. With BBC Sherlock and John. That's the most 2015 thing I have right now

[xyfanficarchive]

Pieced Together

Pairing: DBH Daniel x Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Reader is an ex-Cyberlife repair technician who has been chosen to observe and help rehabilitate Daniel in the months following the successful android revolution. But first, they have to put him back together.

Word Count: 4543 (!!!!!!!!!)

Author’s Note: tHis is insane! this is bananas!!! this is fuckin bazonkers!!! 4.5k words>???>> this is a scene ive had in my brain for a bit now. thsi would be something like the prologue to a long slow burn type fic if i decide to continue it right now, but i dont think i will. ive never written anything of that magnitude before and i want to prepare for it, to make sure im ready to follow through until the end rather than dive right in immediately. I hope you guys read it and enjoy it anyways though!! BLEAS give me your opinions on this!!!

You checked your watch. 12:48 am. You stood on the sidewalk in the eerie silence of the November night; thick, fluffy snow falling around you, padding the environment and all ambient noise. You look up at the sign above the storefront, bright white illuminating the street, the snow scintillating dazzling whites and yellows in the glow of the sodium street lamps. “Cyberlife Repair Centre” it read. You take a sip of the hot coffee in your hand before walking up to the window and pressing your face to the glass, using your free hand to block the glare that would prevent you from viewing the inside.

This place was not the location you worked at before, but it was absolutely identical in every way. Cyberlife was, if anything, the absolute master of the term “cookie-cutter.” You chuckled to yourself.

The room you were looking into was only a small part of the whole building. It was wide and short. There was a reception desk stood in the exact centre against the back wall, directly in line with the door’s entrance. The room was painted in Cyberlife blue, and the walls were decked out with displays (that were currently powered down in the store’s closed state). Sleek, modern furniture sat on either side of the room, shiny, sterile white and uncomfortable. Seating for the patrons waiting for their androids to be repaired. To the left of the reception desk was a normal sized frosted glass door. That was the staff room. And to the right of the desk was a larger frosted glass door, decorated in Cyberlife’s signature hexagonal pattern. That was the repair lab, and where you needed to be.

You backed away from the window and adjusted the straps on your backpack before digging through the pocket of your puffy winter jacket for the keycard that would allow you access to the store. You slipped it out and held it in your gloved hand, just staring.

You never did think you’d ever be here again. It made you almost giddy, in a way.

But you had a job to do. There was no time to stand around reminiscing. You walked over to the door and passed the keycard over the wireless pad, hearing the beep of the lock disarming cut through the silence. You pushed the door open and stepped into the warmth of the store inside. The room whirled to life around you, lights coming on blinding to your unaccustomed eyes, the wall displays blinking on and awaiting further human instruction. You turned back and swiped the keycard over the internal lock, closing the store off to the outside world.

Smiling to yourself, you kicked your winter boots off on the rug as you unzipped your jacket. That was something you were never allowed to do, always having to put on an air of perfection and professionality for the customers. Cyberlife was clean, Cyberlife was immaculate. But, you always worked best when you were comfortable, and you weren’t a Cyberlife employee anymore. You were just using their lab you were trained to use to repair the android waiting for you inside. Your… ward now, you supposed. Although the thought felt weird.

You padded your way across the cold floor to that big square door on the right, still unlit beyond the frosted glass. Using the keycard again, you unlocked it and it slid open, and upon entering the lights automatically turned on. There was a soft electric hum coming from the computers and machinery powering up. The room was bright white and sterile looking. In one corner there was a wall of monitors and input terminals, where software repairs were effected. Against the right wall was a set of three large 3D printers, for printing simpler components like limbs, or soft external structural plates, which gave the face and body its shape. On the left wall sat another door, that led into the storeroom where more complex biocomponents that had to be manufactured externally were kept.

You shrugged off your backpack and coat, and slipped off the fingerless gloves covering your hands, setting them down onto a stainless steel table adjacent to the door. Now stripped down to only your jeans and knit sweater, you took another sip of your coffee as you walked towards the centre of the room.

There was the main focus. Another stainless steel table, equipped with sensors and other equipment, a rolling tray of tools situated nearby. Above, a rotating module fitted with assembly tools on long mechanical arms sat waiting, although you had always preferred to simply use your hands when doing your job. You padded closer, sipping your coffee with both hands and relishing the warmth on your digits.

“Fucking Christ…” you mumbled to yourself. Lying down on the table in the centre was your ward, the android you were to repair. You remembered Markus and Connor’s words telling you he was in poor shape, really, really poor shape, but you hadn’t paid it any mind. Now, actually standing in front of him, you realized that it was kind of an understatement.

The PL600 lying in front of you was surprisingly clean for his appearance. You suspected he might have been covered in thirium at some point, but his clothes and person were only now spotless because thirium degrades and becomes invisible to the naked eye. He was missing his left arm and both his legs (and you were surprised at the fact that his legs were torn off above the knee joint, when they were designed to dislocate at the knee). Gaping hole in his right shoulder, gaping hole in the left side of his face (you gently moved his mouth open and closed and cringed at the clicking sound of plastic and metal), the front of his shirt was torn open and his abdomen was scrubbed clean of artificial skin (‘What in the fuck did they do to him at the DPD?!’ you wondered.) And his eyes. Blue-grey and open, unblinking, unseeing in his state of shutdown. You took a flashlight from the rolling tray and shone it on them, and when you didn’t see any sign of damage you were relieved. With a grimace, you took your thumb and forefinger and gently closed his eyelids.

Where to even start with him? You pulled up a rolling chair and sat adjacent to the table, propping your feet up on the edge. It would be a much easier and quicker process if you could wake him and have him run his internal diagnostic program, but there was no guarantee he would even start up in his state of disrepair. Besides, you weren’t sure you wanted to wake him up to be conscious in his dilapidated body anyways.

With a resigned sigh, you spoke up. “Computer, run scan and diagnostic on PL600 model, create list of all damaged components.” The technology allowing for the contactless scan and diagnosis of androids was new, and slow. It was effective, but took time for the computer to take the images it was sensing and separate each component from the rest in a powered-down state. Running your fingers through your hair, you got up and walked over to your backpack where you retrieved the tablet you had stored within. Taking another sip of coffee, you returned to your seat with your legs propped up, and unlocked the computer. You brought up the DPD file on this android. Might as well refresh your memory.

Model PL600. Serial number 369 911 047. There was a description of his nature and his actions on that August night, but you weren’t particularly interested in whatever police officer’s interpretation of the events that were on file. Instead, you elected to view once more the raw footage, visual and audio data taken directly from Connor’s memory banks as a record of what happened. It was intense, as always. You were rather infamous for your notable empathy towards androids, and the plight deviants faced, but you managed to have conflicted feelings towards this one. On one hand, you understood him. The flight of emotions. Anger, sadness, fear, betrayal, all racing through his mind for the first time, clouding his perceptions. Emotions giving him violent impulses that he didn’t yet have the capacity to confront and control like everyone else could. On the other hand, the girl. She was so young. She couldn’t possibly have understood this whiplash change, the android who she trusted to take care of her, with whom she was so close now standing with her on the edge of a building threatening to end her life. With her every cry and plea for her life he seemed so awfully pained, so why? You were caught between the thought that he understood he was hurting her and it was wrong, and the knowledge that he couldn’t really control it, between the belief that what he did was morally incorrect, and the belief that he deserved a second chance.

You looked up to watch him resting on the table. Now, you were legally required to take care of him. One of the first talks Markus and the rest of the android revolutionaries had with the government was on the subject of android criminals. What was to be done with them? Deviation, at the start, before it was possible to wake androids up with a single touch, was an extremely traumatic experience generally brought about by horrible instances of abuse, or strong negative emotions. It wasn’t particularly uncommon for those androids to have charges of assault, theft, or even murder on their records. But it came from a place of necessity, a drive for self-preservation; just scared people acting in fear, in self defense. They ruled that any crimes committed by an android prior to November 11, 2038 would be pardoned, but since deviancy had spread so quickly by touch across the country and most if not all androids were now deviant by non-violent means, it stood to reason that they now should be treated equally in the eyes of the law.

The government’s ideal plan would have involved every android with a crime on their hands being tracked down and put into a system where their behaviour was monitored for a certain period of time. Markus and the rest of Jericho argued that not only would it be a logistical nightmare and a huge waste of resources to track down mostly peaceful people who just want to live free, but it would likely be generally frowned upon given the public’s support of androids and the United State’s unfortunate history of marginalizing people. The government settled on a compromise: all androids currently locked up in evidence stores across the country would be submitted into this system. They were, after all the ones who were unstable enough to let themselves get caught, or something to that effect. The only caveat was that the androids would get to choose who took them in and observed them, helped them reintegrate into society.

That’s where you came in, you were approached by Markus and Connor, and asked to be the one who took in this PL600. You weren’t sure at first. Sure, you were good when it came to dealing with passing deviants, a few nights stay while you pieced them back together in your living room with your limited resources, but to have one live with you? For a matter of months? One who was particularly volatile, particularly angry and difficult?

You’d had a week to think on it. You were given his file to look over. Yes, you were indeed conflicted on how to feel about him, but the more you thought the more you came around to the idea. Markus and Connor trusted that you were capable enough anyways, right? You were up for a challenge.

“Diagnosis complete. Listing all damaged biocomponents,” chimed the computer from a speaker in the ceiling. You were startled a little from your thoughts, and looked behind you at the wall of screens in the corner, where a window had now popped up and was creating a list of all damaged components. You sucked air through your teeth as you watched it keep going on and on, and you pushed off the table with your feet to propel yourself on the office chair towards the screens.

Your expression soured as you read. Nearly every biocomponent contained in his abdomen was non-functional and needed direct replacing, not just repair. There were a few damaged bones in his shoulder area (all his limbs needed replacing it seemed, even the one that looked mostly intact). He was going to need a new jaw structure, and new soft structure components on his hip, and face (‘Fuck,’ you thought, ‘face plates are a bitch to replace…’). All in all, it was looking to be a long night. You looked at the clock. 1:32 am. You sighed.

“Computer, cross reference list of damaged components with current inventory, and create a list. Begin 3D printing any biocomponents not in stock that can be printed,” you said, and after a second or two the 3D printers on the other side of the room whirred to life, and next to the existing list another window popped up detailing which components were available and their index numbers in the storeroom.

“Well, lets get going,” you mumbled to yourself and, setting your now empty coffee cup on the floor, you stood up from your seat and walked over to the storeroom door. Inside, the room was well lit, neat, and clearly labelled. Sleek, white boxes bearing the Cyberlife logo and the codes of the respective parts they contained lined the walls. A far cry from your makeshift shelving of scavenged biocomponents and scrap limbs, parts that were damaged but likely to be less damaged than whatever new deviant of the week who passed through your life was using.

You took a cart and walked through the room, picking boxes as you went. It was like your instinct came back to you in that moment, running through the catalogue of parts he needed in your brain and matching them with their respective locations, legs simply carrying you without conscious thought. Like some kind of latent memory awakened within you. It had been so long, but you fell right back into the old motions.

You took a new lung component. New thirium pump, and thirium filter. There were compatible arms and right legs, but no left legs in sight (‘What sort of left leg epidemic has been going on?!’ you wondered.) There was a replacement soft structural component #6746g in stock (the one that would cover his shoulder), and #4503y (the one that would cover his hip), but no mandible, or component #3365u (the one that would cover the left side of his face). You picked up a roll of new thirium tubing, as you figured you would need to redo the whole setup inside his abdomen too, and left the room.

As expected, you looked over to see all the components you were missing beginning to materialize on the platform of the 3D printers across the room. You wheeled the cart over to the table in the centre. Where to start? You supposed you would have to undress him. That was a thought that made you a little uncomfortable, you realized. You wouldn’t have even blinked an eye the last time you were in a lab like this, back when you repaired automata, machines obeying orders. But now you were repairing a person, fit with a sense of modesty, and you were to strip his unconscious broken body naked without even having spoken a single word to him. To make matters worse, you knew his model was, well, equipped, being programmed to function as a sexual partner if needed, and you were not equipped to deal with the weight of that –

You shook away the thought. Back when you worked for Cyberlife you’d fancied yourself some kind of doctor, spare the fact that you healed biocomponents and code rather than flesh and bone. And this was barely different from a team of nurses stripping a patient in preparation for major surgery, no? In any case, it had to be done, so you situated yourself in a position where you could hook your arms underneath his (or, what was left of them anyways) and with a whole lot more strength than you expected to use, you hefted him into a sitting position. With his dead weight still leaning on you, the corners of your eyebrows drew upwards in an expression of discomfort as you slipped your hands up the back of the Cyberlife default PL600 uniform shirt and pulled it over his head. You laid him back down a little less gently than you would have liked.

You marvelled at the unpredictable oddness of the human psyche when you removed the remaining scraps of his pants with comparative ease, and a whole lot less internal awkwardness. You had to turn around and contemplate that for a second, shaking your head and laughing to yourself in embarrassment, wondering if you were some kind of freak for that, before you once again physically shook the thought from your mind and turned back around so you could get down to business.

But you took a second to admire him first. You never could help yourself with that. You were always amazed at Cyberlife’s ability to take inorganic material and mould it into something that looked so… realistically human. Bar the fact that you could see the places where his body was ripped open to expose plastic and metal parts, the patches where he was missing artificial skin, and the fact that he wasn’t breathing, you might have looked on him and expected him to be warm to the touch, and you tasked with stitching together flesh and not putting together individually manufactured units to create a whole body. Cyberlife was rife with issues, but you had always, always regarded their creations with the same sort of reverence one would a piece of art. And it was moments like these where you were beyond proud of yourself that you knew just how to piece this fractured, mangled form together into a functional whole again.

Which is what you jumped right into doing. This was your specialty. You were one of the best of the best. Ever since you were fired from Cyberlife, you had continued to use your expertise as a repair engineer to help passing deviants, but here? In the lab? This was where you were really in your element. It took creativity to do your job outside the lab but within, you didn’t have to worry about outdated technology failing you, or working with faulty makeshift tools. All you had to focus on was the android in front of you. Being in the repair lab again was electrifying, and you entered a deeper, more exciting state of flow with every metal bone you fixed, every new biocomponent you clicked into its rightful place, every thirium tube and electrical wire you reconnected.

When the PL600 in front of you was as close to fresh off the assembly line as you could get him, it was nearly 8 in the morning, and you felt the exhaustion in your bones. In the fog of your fatigue you had managed to find a sheet (well, more of a plastic tarp used to make thirium spills easier to clean up) to cover him, and you sat in silence just trying to ward off the onset of sleep while you admired your work. After a few minutes you got to your feet and walked over to your jacket to retrieve your phone from your pocket. Only one last thing to do now. You scrolled through your contacts and when you found the name you were looking for, you tapped the call button. You pre-emptively pressed the speaker phone button and began to lazily pace the room.

After a few rings, a voice rang through: “Hello, Y/N.”

“Hello Markus. You told me to call when the – the –’’ your brain was failing you, and your voice was hoarse “ – the fuckin’… boy was repaired.”

“I – yes I did. Did you really already go in? Have you even slept?” Markus’ voice was tinged with concern.

“I left pretty much right away when you told me where he was last night. I got here at – ’’ you pushed a forceful breath through your lips as you wiped your hand down your face “ – fuck, I don’t know, nearly one in the morning? I’ve been working on ‘em ever since.”

“Oh. Well, alright. Don’t wake him up yet. It’s best that you wait until someone else is there, too. Just wait for me, I’ll head out soon,” he said.

“Wait, you’re coming? Alright, uhh – fuck, bring him some clothes, please.”

“Alright Y/N. Try not to pass out,” he sounded teasing on the end of the line, and with a click it went dead.

Well, some coffee couldn’t hurt. You ran your fingers through your hair and raised your arms above your head in a stretch that felt euphoric given your stiff focus for the past seven and a half hours. You walked out the door and into the reception area, blinking in the morning light shining in through the wide glass windows. You made your way over to the staff door and took the keycard out of the back pocket of your jeans, swiping it over the lock. The door slid open and you stepped into the room, yet another set of lights blinking on to reveal the modest staff room. There was a row of lockers on one end, a lunch table in the middle, a beat up looking couch on one wall (in stark contrast to the gleaming, polished seats just on the other side of the door) and –

God, yes. The mini-kitchen. Your focus was immediately on the coffee machine, but you eyed a loaf of bread sitting out on the counter that brought attention to the roiling emptiness in your stomach. A sandwich didn’t sound too bad. You made your way over to the kitchen and immediately opened the cupboard above, selecting a mug that said “#1 Uncle” in multicolored letters and setting it in the coffee machine. You checked whether there was water in it (there was, thank god), and selected a pod from a bin beside the machine, loading it up and pressing the button to brew it. You left it to work and made your way over to the bread, picking it up and inspecting it, and when you were satisfied it wasn’t moldy, you took two slices and laid them flat on the counter before walking over to the fridge and searching it for sandwich ingredients. You took the coffee creamer and sat it next to the coffee machine, before retrieving some sandwich ingredients – sandwich meat, sliced cheese, a tomato, a big head of leafy lettuce in a plastic container labelled “UFD”, some mustard and mayonnaise. And when you had assembled your sandwich and prepared your coffee, you exited the room to find Markus standing outside the door, holding a bag and looking exasperated.

Quickly swallowing a mouthful of sandwich, you rushed to the door as fast as you could without your coffee sloshing onto the floor and let him in.

“I’ve been trying to get in for ten minutes,” he says as you step aside and let him walk past you.

“Eeeeehhh… sorry,” you say, and flash him a smile that goes away fast when you see him look you up and down, eyebrows knitted together in concern. It was then that you looked down to see that you were absolutely covered in blue blood – both fresh and the dark, sludgy, crusty stuff that had been sitting in the PL600’s system for all those months. You looked like a goddamn android murderer with your sleeves rolled up, arms slick with azure fluid, splatters of cerulean all up your front. Not even your socks were spared. You look back up at Markus to meet his eyes.

“Uhh… I was all alone. Shit gets messy in there sometimes. Anyways, lets just get to business here,” you said. You gestured towards the lab door, and started following Markus, eating your sandwich and sipping your coffee all the way.

When you both entered the room, Markus set the bags down on the table next to the door, mentioning that those were the clothes you requested, and walked closer to observe the still form on the table.

“Wow,” he said, a breathless quality to his voice. “You… really are something, Y/N.”

“Oh, yeah?” you said, a little disbelieving tone in your voice. You were well aware you were one of the most proficient repair engineers Cyberlife had seen, but it did you no good to admit it.

“You don’t understand, we weren’t entirely sure it would even be worth trying to repair him in the state he was in, but Connor kept insisting. Kept saying that if anyone could do it, it was you. You continue to amaze me with your skills.”

“I amaze myself sometimes,” you said in a hushed tone. “This guy was in quite possibly the worst state I’ve ever seen an android in. Honestly, ‘really bad shape’ my ass, Markus.”

“Is he ready to wake up?” Markus asked.

“At any time,” you nodded at him, and he gestured towards the android on the table, telling you to do what you had to. You walked over and set your coffee and sandwich down on the rolling tray, activating an angled panel at the head of the stainless steel table he was laying on. You activated a command that would instruct the android to initiate his start up sequence and stepped back to observe beside Markus.

You waited for those few seconds with bated breath. This was the moment you would finally see your work in action, finally meet this android you were supposed to live with for the next eight months, whose insides you had become very intimately acquainted with and yet had never spoken a word to. His LED came on, first shining steady blue, and then spinning yellow as he entered the next phase of the start up sequence. All is going normally so far.

And then his eyes snapped open, he woke with a start and a gasp, LED flashing an angry red as he looked up at the intimidating rotating module on the ceiling, face contorting in fear. He looked to either side, quickly gauging his environment before bolting upright on the table and locking eyes with you and Markus. His expression twisted into one of anger and fear, and he looked about ready to bolt before you raised your hands.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! You’re… completely naked under that sheet,” you blurted out, and when he looked down to confirm you were indeed correct, he seemed to revaluate his impulse to run.

It was then that Markus began to slowly step towards him, hands raised. He spoke to the android on the table in that voice of his, perpetually smooth and calm, always somehow soothing:

“Hello, Daniel.”

[italicwatches]

GAMERS! Episode 02

Well yesterday ended bad and I’m still not doing great, but I can only put this off for so long. It’s GAMERS!, episode 02! Here we GO!

-We begin exactly where we left off, with Karen trying to be tsuntsun as Keita is being too kind for it to really work, and Tasuku just stares. And then, banana. Not a great day for her.

-Opening! And this opening has tons of game references, which we’re going to count down! Our very first one, right at the start after the title screen, looks like generic zombie action…But I disagree! That specific style of first-person viewpoint with minimal UI, to me, can only come from one place: The lightgun action genre! And if we’re talking lightguns and zombies, well, that can only mean The House of the Dead, Sega’s classic zombie-shooting franchise! Its very first release in 1996 was part of the wave of early arcade 3D games as we would understand them today, not counting the various 80s-era experimentations using hyper-minimalistic graphics and all that. The series is actually still going strong in Japan, with a new title announced earlier this year! Only time will tell if they’ll bring it to a home console and into the US market. As an aside, you can get HotD 2 and 3 on a compilation disc for the Wii that’s pretty cheap, pretty easy to find, and of course Wiis practically fall out of thrift shops when you open the doors, so you can totally get your lighten action with minimal effort and cost!

-DAY 02: Uehara Tasuku and New Game+

-So everyone is soon talking and gossiping about what they just saw, as Keita tries to just play his damn games, and Tasuku soon calms down his little entourage. Whatever’s going on with that loser isn’t their problem. But soon they’re deciding that Keita is getting too high and mighty for being such a loser…Until Tasuku shuts that down. Even as he’s starting to not have such good vibes about his friends anymore…

-And as class goes on, he can’t figure out what the hell is going on in that guy’s head…

-Lunchtime! Pink-haired girl comes to join Tasuku and his friends for lunch, tasty tasty lunch! And she brought some for him too! It…was a cute kitty when she put it in the box. Now it’s more of a murder face. And that’s why you’ve got to either overstuff the box when you do a design, or be damn careful with it. Reasonable portions and genki exuberance do not mix.

-So apparently even her class has heard about what happened between Keita and Karen, as Tasuku is about the only one to not be surprised by it. He can’t tell the reasons why, but they clearly existed…As he flashes back to when his pink-haired girlfriend confessed to him. And had a pile of snow fall off the roof and pile down onto her. Which both messed up her confession, and his original plan to let her down gently, and then things just kinda…happened.

-And now here they are.  She’s super in love with him, and he’s a confused mess at the best of times…Later that day, they’re all down at the arcade, to of course use the photo booth. But packing that whole group in there is difficult at best, so Tasuku chooses to excuse himself, claiming he’s going to the bathroom…Of course, instead he gets sidetracked around a claw game with old PS1 games in it, titles like Darker Blue, THE BLOCK, MOTORGAMES, and METEMPSYCOSE. Also what is clearly a shogi game but I can’t read Japanese so I’m just gonna assume that it’s called Shogi 2: The Sequel To Shogi. Only took them quite a few hundred years but they finally followed up on the much beloved classic!

-So he ends up throwing some coins in, putting his claw game skills to use to hook something something PHANTASIA…When he suddenly has a flashback. And he doesn’t see his current, stylish self in the glass reflection, but his old self, the middle school dork who loved games…Quit it, quit staring at him…Quit laughing at him, all of you…FOCUS, Tasuku!

-Deep breath. He hooks PARADIGM OF PHANTASIA this time, bringing it up…As he tries to get these flashbacks of middle school hell to quit happening…Wait that’s not a reflection of him. It’s Keita, watching him play! What the hell are you doing here?! Well…He…Thought you might like games, since you were playing this over any of the other claw games…

-And Tasuku retrieves what he got, as Keita is all up on it wanting to see! And oh man this is a CLASSIC, you should play it for sure! It got mixed reviews at the time since it claimed to be a revolution but then was kind of more of the same, but it’s a really good example of its era and looked back on way more fondly now! It’s top notch!

-Tasuku don’t care.

-…Right. Sorry. Um, well, goodbye! Keita promptly gets himself gone, going to the video game area of the arcade…Where Tasuku inevitably ends up. And he sees that Keita is…Woo boy. Keita is being very nervous, trying to get a single-player round on one of the fighting games, but of course everyone wants to versus on Arc System Works’s many storied and top-quality fighting games! So finally, Keita just up and goes to leave…When Tasuku decides to just grab the dork by the shoulder. Come on.

-Keita tries to insist he’s not into guys. Okay don’t even start with that ridiculous cliche they both know that’s not what this is. You want to play a game? Then they’re gonna play a fuckin’ game.

-So it’s to the Persona 4 Arena etc. etc. etc. cabs, where Keita admits that he wanted to play it, but felt all nervous having to learn it slowly when other folks were, you know, all…intense. Jeez, this nervous, awkward, passive kid is the one who just shot Karen down hard? …Fuck it, all in. What’s your relationship with Karen?

-Pardon? Oh, right, this morning…Look, you don’t have to say if you don’t want to, but Tasuku was curious.

-Cut over to pink-haired girl waiting, bored, for Tasuku to get back. Also her phone has a kitty case on it. I see a theme. Which is when she spots a blonde over by the crane games…?

-So Tasuku’s heard the whole story upstairs, and the only thing he doesn’t get is, why the club didn’t work for him. You like games. They like games. You want friends who like games. Tasuku’s not really seeing the problem. But before Keita can figure out how to put it into words, one of the sets opens up! And Keita’s so eager to get his chance that he wants to just play! (Fighting games in Japan are typically locked together as a twofer, where you literally play head to head against the person on the opposite side. This is in contrast to the side-by-side play of American fighting game cabinets, particularly back in the day. Depending on the game, it’s not uncommon for them to be able to go into local lobbies with all the other cabinets in the facility, or even play properly online.)

-Of course, the trouble is that Keita is so eager and enthusiastic and wants to Just Have Fun that it’s throwing off Tasuku’s more competitive side…As ROUND 1 starts! And Keita just goes at it, as Tasuku can see that the guy’s definitely better than his girlfriend Aguri. She just kinda mashes buttons with wild abandon, while Keita clearly understands what he’s more or less supposed to be doing…

-But he’s also incredibly easy to read. Guy like him tries all the buttons at the start of the match, does tons of jump-in approaches, relies strongly on heavy attacks and doesn’t use, or defend against, throws properly…Tries to just rely on projectiles when things start going wrong, and finally spams his super when his health is near the end. And that’s how he loses to Tasuku, who barely lost any health.

-But ROUND 2! Which starts to go totally sideways…As despite things, Keita is actually having fun…And Tasuku almost starts to feel some of the old joy that drove him back in middle school. …The only trouble is, Keita is so bad at this that he’s only able to feel a tiny smidge of it. Seriously, he’d go up against elementary kids who did better!

-So, match done, other people want on. And Tasuku finds himself wanting to play something else with this dork, something that’ll be a more even match. So Keita races over towards a lightgun game for co-op play, and pretty soon they’re just goofing off, spending the afternoon working through the arcade’s multiplayer selection, as Keita is just enjoying this chance to get to play games with someone else for a change…And Tasuku can’t help but enjoy it too. Even as it starts to remind him of something that happened back in middle school…

-When Tasuku notices a certain blonde crouched down by a rhythm game , watching. …PAY NO ATTENTION TO HER OH GOD TIME TO FLEE! When Keita sees…The rest of Tasuku’s entourage, and he promptly flees himself. Karen spots him and tries to talk to Keita as he runs by, but Keita is in total panic-flee mode as he doesn’t even recognize that she’s there.

-And Aguri is rather upset with Tasuku for just totally ignoring her! She called tons and tons of times! …Well shit that explains why his pocket kept buzzing. Sorry, he didn’t even notice. How cold! But something’s bugging Tasuku…As he tosses Aguri his bag, and before he even puts together what he’s doing, he’s is sprinting off after Keita!

-Commercial break! Showing off the original PZP’s neon-infused ad campaign.

-And we’re back, with the PZ4’s own stark red ad series in the same aesthetic!

-The sun is low in the sky as Tasuku tries to find that jackass, where could he have run off to…THERE! Up on the foot bridge! Keita! Why, did, you, run? H-He wasn’t running away—CUT THE BULLSHIT.

-He…He wasn’t trying to run, he just…Why would you want a dork like him around? You have a life. Friends, and a girlfriend, and…

-And Tasuku snatches Keita up, and FUCK THAT SHIT. Do you have any idea how much he busted his ass to get here?! How hard he had to work to get superficial friends that don’t even know who he really is, how many things he enjoyed he had to dump to shed his geeky persona from middle school?! Don��t act like he just fucking ‘has a life’ like it’s that EASY! You’re just fucking being salty, trying to justify the rut you can’t climb yourself out of! You think you want to play games by yourself, without having to try so hard? Then why’d you spend the whole day playing every damn multiplayer game you could the instant someone was willing to join you?!

-Nut up, chill the fuck out, and go tell that damn girl you’ll join her fucking ridiculous club! Or at the very least SAY SOMETHING!

-…Take it back. Take it back! He finds himself snatching Tasuku right back up, but his grab ends up with Tasuku halfway over the rail of the footbridge and oh god those are really fast cars really far below this just got Too Real! Even as Keita doesn’t even notice because he’s too busy in his own mess as finally it comes to the end where he’s a lot more mad about the insult to Karen than to him. Him being insulted, he can take. Himself, he dislikes almost as much as you do. But her…She’s driven. She’s kind. She tried to bring him into her circle twice. She, doesn’t deserve this from you!

-Yes yes okay okay DON’T THROW HIM MOTHER OF GOD! And Keita finally realizes what the situation he’s in is, as he yanks Tasuku back onto solid ground in a panic. And Tasuku, Tasuku flashes back again…To that fateful day at the end of middle school, when he packed up all his PZ3 games. Games like BASE COMBAT, and CALL OVER STRIKE: DESTRUCTION WARFARE, sealed up in cardboard. Abandoned his old glasses for contacts, and he realizes how much he was comparing Keita, to his old self…

-So, okay, deep breath. But jeez, to think you’d turn that girl down outright, and then defend her club that hard…You’ve got stones, Keita. …He’s going back to the arcade. You want to come?

-He’s going to head home…There’s a game he really does want to play on his own. And…Sorry for all this. Just forget about it, man. See you tomorrow.

-And Tasuku heads off, deciding that Keita’s got a real earnest heart in him…When he happens to pass by Karen, who saw the whole thing and is all blushy and squirmy and giddy over seeing Keita defend her honor like that.  …Oh dear, this is gonna be a mess. You okay, girl?

-Yes yes the great Tendou Karen is fine! Yahuh sure thing enjoy your romance. WHAT WAS THAT?! You and Keita up there. You’re into him. Karen’s brain goes poof, as Tasuku decides he’s gonna have to see how this goes…And keep poking Keita a little. The guy’s got some real fire, he just needs to let it out.

-Oh and then he gets back to the arcade, where Aguri is really mad. Oh. Oh dear. And that’s how Tasuku ends up having to spend even more money on plush toys out of crane games to try and calm her down. Even as he’s realizing how…kind of thin the premise for their relationship is. It’s been six months, and they more hang out than date. Hell, what even made her want to go out with him?

-So he just finally asks her that question…Expecting it’s because she thinks he’s cute, or tough, or stylish, or something else like tha—

-Because you were so cool when you first got her a plushy back in middle school! …Wait. Middle school? He never got a plush for anyone in…middle…He was a total geek! He…Oh god.

-And he remembers. That face. A nervous, ordinary, kind of sweet girl. Who he gave a plush he just happened to win, just so he didn’t have to carry it home. She fell for him hard, and when they ended up in the same school, she saw her chance…Only to learn he’d turned into this super stylish guy! She had to totally reinvent herself, in turn, to be the kind of girl who could stand next to the new him…

-And Tasuku just locks up, as he puts it together, and remembers the old her, and his brain just locks up, and finds himself feeling more…Something, something he can’t identify at all, as it sends him into a panicked flight as he tries to grasp his own heart!

-Next morning, class. Tasuku gets in, and spots Keita already in his seat. …Hey, you were right. That game you saw him won yesterday really was pretty fun. He’ll let you know when he’s done, maybe you can recommend something else to him. And Tasuku’s friends see how much of a good mood he’s in, as Tasuku admits he’s been having a good time with games these last few days…

-Credits! Which looks really cool, but doesn’t have any other particular game references.

-Aftercredits! It’s a few days later, and Karen is in her own class, in a complete daze…Because her brain is lost thinking about Keita kicking ass like that…When she hears someone mention Keita’s name! Oh god is he here?! He is. But he’s here for…Mono-san, in the corner playing her PZ Vivio. Karen’s brain goes poof.

Well, we have certainly had a shift. The games are now a bit by the wayside for the complicated love shapes. We’ll have to see what happens next time, in episode THREE of GAMERS! Wait for it!

[phantomrose96]

A Breach of Trust: Chapter 19

(Act 1: Chapter 1-9 )

(Act 2: Chapter 10-18 )

(Act 3: Chapter 19, Chapter 20)

“Teruki…how are you so incredible…?”

The voice was something soft. It was a sound Teruki loved, singsong and warm against his ear. He leaned back, snuggled closer on the lap of the one whose hand stroked gently through his hair.

“Because my mommy is so incredible, and she made me,” Teruki answered.

“Oh, oh dear, ha! You give your poor old mommy too much credit.” The arm moved from his hair, wrapped around him shoulder to shoulder. A hug close and warm enough to feel her heartbeat. “Your mommy is incredible because she has you, and she’s so excited to wake up to you every single day, Teruki, my special little man…”

…

“…Am I in trouble?”

“No. Oh dear, no. Of course not.” She crouched to his level, hands on his shoulders, a wide smile and sad eyes. “If the other kids don’t like you, it’s because they don’t understand you. Your mommy’s got your back.”

“Even the teacher doesn’t like me. She’s just jealous, isn’t she?”

Her arms moved as she chuckled.  Then she stroked her palm against Teruki’s cheek. “She’s probably jealous of me, Teruki, for having you.” Her hands rose to his head and ruffled through his hair. “My special little man.”

…

“…Hey…hey, you know what I heard? You know what my mom said?”

“What?”

“What’d she say?”

“She said that Teruki Hanazawa’s mommy doesn’t love him anymore.”

“No way.”

“What’d he do?”

“Who knows? Hey, hey he’s over there. Teruki! Hey Teruki!”

Teruki dipped his head. He stayed seated at his desk, arms wrapped around the backpack with no lunch in it. He pretended not to hear.

“Hey Teruki, is it true? Does your mommy not love you anymore?”

“Shut up,” Teruki whispered.

“That’s not nice. It was just a question. Did you do something to make her hate you?”

“Shut UP!” Teruki whipped his hand out, and a bundle of psychic snares wrapped around the boy, locking his arms against his body, his legs together. The boy fell to the floor.

The teacher snapped up from her desk. “Teruki!”

…

Teru jolted forward, covers thrown from his body as the cold, sweet night air doused him. His heart pounded, and his breath stuttered, as darkness settled into his vision. An empty apartment bedroom lay before him, desk clear, closet shut, window cracked to let the air flow in. Teru loosened the tension in his shoulders, and sat with his legs pulled against his chest while the wind blew icy against his sweat-soaked face.

Teru swallowed, and it still hurt. He raised a hand to skim around the strangulation wounds wrapped around his windpipe. They were invisible in the dark.

He rose from his futon. He loosened the top button on his banana patterned pajamas, so that nothing would be quite so close to touching his throat. The wooden floor beat cold against his sockless feet, and he navigated his way by touch through the darkness to the kitchen.

Teru pulled a single glass from the first cabinet. He set it beneath the tap until it was 2/3 filled. Teru drank it slowly, water still running. He hoped for the steady hiss of it to drown out his thoughts. He hoped the cold shock of water and wind to his body might settle the shakiness beneath, or at least ease the rawness that pained his throat.

Teru put the cup down on the counter, and he squeezed it. He wanted to push the tension out of his body that way. He wanted to grip it until he regained his calm, and the world made sense again, and he could return to sleep.

My special little man…

The glass cracked under Teru’s grip. The tiniest shard sliced his right thumb, and he pulled it against his chest, hissing.

Teru focused on an empty spot in the night air. He sent out a pulse, a single psychic signal, a call in the language of spirits. Seconds later, three spirits oozed in through the backwall, multi-eyed and multi-limbed, their bodies all warping and congealing masses no larger than a basketball.

“Got a job?” the one on the left asked.

“Yeah.” Teru moved his hand away from his chest, and he grabbed the hem of the sleeve. He yanked it back. “Go stake out Claw’s base again. I want to know if anything’s changed. Anything at all. Members. Missions. Plans. People they’re after. If someone’s lunch plan is different, I want to know about it.”

“Normal fee?” asked the one most on the right.

“Normal fee, and a 10% tip. Take it as a show of good will. Take any more and I will exorcise you on the spot.”

“Roger that, Boss.” The one in the middle spoke now, and it shifted forward. Its maw opened, revealing lines of needle-thin and needle-sharp teeth. Its jaw stretched until his whole body became little more than a serrated hunting trap.

Teru flicked his wrist. A yellow crystal of energy solidified above his palm. He didn’t flinch at all as the three spirits dove.

…

Ritsu had left his bag in the hallway.

He hadn’t been thinking about the phone when he’d gotten into the house. He hadn’t remembered to send the “I’m home” text that had become so expected of him. He’d just fallen asleep, curled up in his bed and dead to the world as his mother called him, over and over, over and over.

Ritsu never heard it.

The first thing he heard came hours later, harsh and jarring and uttered much too close to his ear.

“Ritsu!”

And then a hand grabbed him by the right shoulder and shook him, sharp from the recent dislocation.

Ritsu woke with a shout, covers tangled up around his sweat-soaked body as he snapped up, wild frantic eyes settling on the shape of his mother leaning over him, hand to his shoulder, worry twisted across her face.

In that moment, Ritsu couldn’t remember where he was or how he’d gotten there. He was hit only with the overwhelmingly certain dread that it was bad for his mother to see him like this. He pulled away, curled in on himself, reexamining the aches of his body and remembering, piece by piece, how they’d gotten there. The spirits, the student council, Teruki Hanazawa…

“Where have you been? What have you been doing? Where’s your phone?” his mother asked.

The sun had set most of the way outside, and Ritsu’s blinds were drawn shut anyway. The room was lit only by the hallway light, and Ritsu was fleetingly thankful for it. She wouldn’t be able to see the mottled bruises on his chin and cheek, the swelling around his eye, the chalkiness of the makeup which could not conceal nearly as well as Teru’s. Ritsu set a hand to his swollen cheek, burning hot where the skin was split and caked in makeup.

Ritsu looked at his mother, and she was only shadows. A pale yellow outline from the hallway light wrapped her, and shades of black contoured her face. Just barely, he could make out her eyes, her forehead, creased in worry.

Ritsu swallowed. “I got sick…”

“Why didn’t you text? Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

His mother’s hand press against his forehead, and Ritsu flinched. He could feel the sweat trickling from his hairline, and he knew his skin was inflamed wherever he’d taken blows from Teru. Ritsu only hoped it would help sell his story.

“I don’t remember where I put my phone. I wasn’t thinking straight.” Ritsu pushed her hand off. “Feverish…”

“You’re burning up.”

“I know.”

“When did this happen?”

“Right after school… Didn’t even go to student council. I came straight home. I guess I fell asleep.”

“You didn’t text.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ritsu…”

“I’m sorry, Mom. Didn’t mean for you to worry.”

“You need to text. You should have texted that you weren’t feeling well.”

“I didn’t realize it was happening.”

“I left work early to come home.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t know where you were. Council or school or—“

“I’m sorry.”

“Maybe student council is too much for right now.”

“Mom!”

“I waited an extra hour for your text. If you were seriously sick and no one knew—“

“It’s not related to that!”

“I was afraid something happened to you there, Ritsu.”

Ritsu straightened, most of his weight supported by the headboard behind him. He tried to focus on his mother, but she remained only hazy, dreamlike. His head throbbed.

“I’ll wash the dishes every day for a month. I’ll clean the whole house. I’ll cook dinner. I’ll do anything, just let me stay in student council.”

“I never gave you permission to join student council in the first place, Ritsu. You just defied us.”

“Mom—“

“And now look at you.”

“It’s not related.”

“I’m sorry, Ritsu.”

“Niisan wasn’t—“

“Shigeo wasn’t…?” his mom prompted, and Ritsu couldn’t find the words to continue.

Ritsu stared down into his sweat-soaked covered, heart racing, thoughts coming up empty. It was as though his head had filled with cotton. Thoughts wouldn’t stick. The room still spun. Trying too hard to focus only sharpened the pain behind his eyes.

He needed to think, though. He needed to talk his way out of this.

“It’s for the best, Ritsu. Maybe next year… Just, get some rest.”

Ritsu’s eyes shot up as he felt his mother’s weight lean off the bed. She was leaving. He had lost. Before he’d even had time to catch up to what had happened. Too fast, too sudden, he couldn’t follow.

Then his eyes flickered to the corner of his room, where a blob of energy had congealed. Ritsu forced himself to focus on it, and this time he succeeded. Gimcrack’s body split into existence, like a 3D projection on a movie screen. Gimcrack floated behind Ritsu’s mother. Once he caught Ritsu’s attention, he nodded to Mrs. Kageyama.

And he dove.

Ritsu’s mother tensed, then straightened. She eased off of Ritsu’s bed entirely, movements stiff and jerking, as though she were a thing controlled by strings. She stared down at him, and even with the shadows concealing her eyes, Ritsu could understand he was staring into something entirely else.

“…Never mind, Ritsu. There shouldn’t be any punishment for getting sick. You can stay in council. Go back to sleep. I’ll be downstairs.”

Then she exhaled sharply. Gimcrack’s amorphous body slipped out her back, hovering, appraising. Ritsu’s mother shuddered once, hand braced to Ritsu’s bed, and blinked until her bearings returned.

She caught Ritsu’s wide, anxious eyes and offered a small smile. “Headrush. I stood up too quickly. Please get some sleep, Dear… I’ll be downstairs.”

Ritsu watched her back as she moved to the door. She offered him one last smile before she closed it, leaving Ritsu in the dark.

Somehow, even without a single source of light in the room, Ritsu could still see Gimcrack floating in the dark air.

…

Ritsu slept through dinner, and then through most of Thursday. He cracked his eyes open around 2 pm, at first shocked to have slept so late on a school day, and then too exhausted to properly care. He pushed himself out of bed, and moved on sore legs to the bathroom where he could investigate his reflection in the mirror. Teru’s makeup had smudged, almost comically. It made the purple bruises and the yellowing of his eye look painted on as well. He washed his face, skin still hot to the touch, and went downstairs to get food from the kitchen.

It remained dark downstairs. His parents had left for work hours ago, and hadn’t bothered to wake him. Whether it was Gimcrack’s doing, or if his parents were just unsure how to handle him when sick, Ritsu didn’t know. He’d almost never gotten sick. Mob was the one prone to childhood colds.

Ritsu slept through Thursday evening too, and Friday passed in almost the same manner, though he was surer on his legs now, and his dark bruises were yellowing at the edges. Ritsu assumed that meant they were healing. His shoulder didn’t ache as much, and the dizzy spells hit with far less frequency.

He managed to wake himself up Saturday morning, and the swelling of his face had all but vanished. Ritsu fetched the brush and foundation that Teru had gifted to him, and toiled for twenty minutes in the bathroom to smooth over the worst of the discoloration. The thin slits to his cheek from tearing through the grass had scabbed over almost instantly and healed, leaving rows of rawly pink-colored skin that were disguised easily beneath makeup. The cover wasn’t perfect, but Ritsu told himself that the remaining discoloration wasn’t out of the ordinary for someone coming off of two and a half days of bedridden sickness.

He went down to greet his parents, and the tension between them was visceral. Ritsu pulled a box of cereal from the cabinet and poured a bowl for himself. He got a spoon from the drawer, eased himself onto a stool, and kept his head down as he ate. He didn’t want to give his parents the chance to really examine his face.

They talked lightly about how Ritsu was feeling. His responses were shallow and polite, because he didn’t want to risk giving any information—true or not—that could work against him later. He kept up the conversation mostly to prove he was bouncing back from whatever cold he’d been fighting. His mom offered to buy orange juice, and Ritsu thanked her.

Throughout the conversation, he smoothed his hair over his ear self-consciously, the ear that had been gouged by Teru’s attack. He had no way to disguise that one. He could only conceal it.

By Sunday, Ritsu could look and act almost normal. He made a show of calling his classmates—kids whose names he had to look up in the class registry—to learn what homework he missed. He showered, got dressed, and did his work at the kitchen table rather than his room as if to prove his presence of mind to his parents. He hadn’t heard any more discussion of his punishment since Gimcrack overshadowed his mom, but he wasn’t sure what that meant. Did Gimcrack’s will overwrite his mother’s? Had she brought it up with his dad? Had he mentioned anything?

The rest of Sunday passed with virtually no interaction among the three of them. His mother asked him once or twice how he was feeling, and his father remarked that he looked worlds better and asked if Ritsu had caught up on everything he missed. These conversations were repeated at dinner. Ritsu cleared and washed the plates afterward. He didn’t mess with the water.

Monday morning, when Ritsu left the house an hour early for “student council”, neither of his parents stopped him. They wished him a good day at school, and told him to come home if he still wasn’t feeling well.

Ritsu wasn’t feeling well, but he was feeling well enough. He figured he had at least enough drive in him to feed the spirits in the morning. Gimcrack had been acting as liaison between Ritsu and the spirits--what remained of them after Teru’s attack--for the last several days. According to Gimcrack, the spirits had paused their search while Ritsu was not paying them. They’d be ready to pick it back up once Ritsu summoned them…

And so Ritsu did summon them. Out in the alleyway dark and stagnant before the sun properly rose. Dark splotches littered the pavement, all probably shadowy illusions or tar stains that had built up over the years. The beginning bleeding pink of the sun stained the sky above the soccer field, simmering behind the outline of a half-destroyed goal. Ritsu had seen whispers of it online—investigations into an unknown group of delinquents that had vandalized the Salt Mid soccer field.

Ritsu felt a slow rumble, something that seemed to knock against his bones like the bass of a song cranked too loud. The rumble evolved into clicks, growls, guttural hums. The air temperature dropped, and Ritsu felt himself being closed in on before the outline of two dozen spirits swam into view.

“It’s a good turn out, I’d say, considering what that blond asshole did,” Gimcrack remarked, the most solid and visceral of the two dozen spirits. His aura was calm, fed by Ritsu over the last couple of days as payment for relaying messages.

The same could not be said of the others. There was a pressure to their aura that Ritsu could only describe as “hungrier”. He swallowed at the sensation of hot breath trickling down his neck, a licking, probing sensation around his wrists which he drew protectively to his chest. He felt suddenly weaker than he had leaving the house, legs shakier, stomach anxious and queasy.

Ritsu breathed deeply. Then he extended his wrists. He flashed a crystal to life above each palm, violet so dark it was nearly black, and held both hands extended.

“One at a time…tell me what you’ve learned since Teru attacked. Then you get your payment.”

…

On Monday morning, Mob woke before Reigen.

He tiptoed through the kitchen, his feet kept warm against the tile by a pair of socks Mob still was not used to wearing. He made as little noise as he could gathering his breakfast, and that was easy enough to do in a kitchen with light. Mob grabbed milk, cereal, and an apple, which was one of a hoard of fruit that Reigen had bought yesterday on impulse. He’d dumped it all out on the counter yesterday, complaining that fruit was heavy. The apples, bananas, and oranges now lived in a glass bowl that Reigen had fished out from deep in a cabinet.

Mob settled into the kitchen table and watched the sway of the trees outside, the busy passing of people on the distant street. He got up and cracked the sliding back door open just a fraction, so that air cool and clean to could slip in and douse his face. Mob wasn’t used to that yet—the feeling of air clean and cool against his skin, which was clean to match it. Nor was he used to the feeling of clothes airy enough to let him feel the breeze, clothes that didn’t stick to his body and crust. He wasn’t quite used to crunching on solid foods, or feeling hungry enough to even want to.

He wasn’t used to any of it, but he liked it. He liked it a lot.

And he liked seeing the world without the lens of the barrier obscuring it. That was one he felt almost used to. The world wasn’t meant to be refracted and warped, tinted almost candy-colored by the barrier. Instead the world was bright and clear, and so long as Mob kept finding new things to watch, he could almost forget the sight he’d seen of Shishou—

Mob breathed deeply. He tuned his ears to the stuttering, guttural snores from the next room over. Reigen slept loudly. The loudest of any person Mob had known. It didn’t surprise Mob, considering Reigen was even louder awake.

Mob liked it. It assured him Reigen was still in the house, still alive and present. Like how it’d felt to sense Shishou’s aura but…different, better, warmer. Mob figured it was fine to let Reigen sleep. He knew Reigen had been awake late into the night, whispering into the phone so as not to wake Mob, but whispering loudly by default.

It was that same Jun person Reigen had been talking to every night. Mob could never make out enough of the words through the muffling wall to know what exactly they discussed after Mob went to bed, but he could always hear the tension and strain in Reigen’s voice. Mob had started to recognize words that cropped up frequently in these conversations. “Tetsuo” was repeated often. “Spirit” “possession” “work” were top contenders, though Mob figured that made sense, given someone of Reigen’s expertise, the world’s Greatest Psychic…

“Mogami”, though, was the word Mob heard the most. Mob’s insides squirmed at every mention as he’d listened in, head against the wall that his and Reigen’s bedrooms shared. It didn’t surprise Mob. Mob had heard Reigen for the first time in Shishou’s house, after all. Back when he was just “the colorful man” and no more. “Reigen” was someone even warmer, more alive and more kind and important than “the colorful man” had been. It made Mob worry, because the colorful man must have been friends with Shishou. And Reigen knew now that Shishou had killed himself.

Mob did not dare bring this up around Reigen. The fear that Reigen might hold him responsible was too great.

Mob paused. The snoring in the other room had stopped. Instead he heard shuffling, the scuttling of blinds being drawn and the thock of a closet being opened and one distinct “ow” for reasons unknown.

Reigen’s door eased open seconds later. His head peered down the hall to the kitchen, face relaxing when he spotted Mob. Reigen stepped out of his room, hair messy, suppressing a yawn. His pajamas were bland save for a single poorly-designed bear on the front of his shirt.

Reigen was still yawning as he walked, hand to his mouth, which he only lowered once he approached Mob. His eyes looked dull, maybe a little crusty, and he blinked.

“Sleeping til noon on a Monday. It’s like college all over again when I skipped all my morning classes. The real shining years of my life, those days.” Reigen gave Mob a once-over, studying the bowl of half-eaten cereal. “You’re up early though. You’re making me look bad.”

Mob didn’t say anything at first. He was steadily coming to understand Reigen’s strange humor. This wasn’t an accusation. It was a joke.

“I haven’t been awake for long,” Mob said, because he still wasn’t sure how to respond to jokes.

“Hmmmm,” Reigen answered, and it really didn’t communicate much. He moved into the kitchen, slamming and banging cabinets, lacking all Mob’s tact and subtly. He collapsed into the seat next to Mob with an empty ramen bowl and a spoon in hand. He slid the cereal box over to himself, poured the little wheat squares clinking into his bowl, and gouged into them with his spoon.

Reigen’s free hand rose to his shirt, then the sides of his pants, patting himself down. Mob recognized this. Reigen did it whenever he was trying to remember where he’d stashed his cigarettes.

“You’re wearing pajamas. I don’t think you have any cigarettes in them.”

Reigen stopped patting himself down. He only stared out the window, eyes still dull and crusty. “I…am not awake yet. Stop sassing me.”

Another joke. Mob needn’t apologize. He tried to smile instead, and he was rewarded by a flicker of a smile on Reigen’s face when he noticed.

“Mob, I’ve got some errands to run today.”

“Okay then,” Mob answered. He raised another spoonful of cereal to his mouth.

“And you’re coming with me.”

Mob sputtered, accidentally biting the spoon and breaking into a coughing fit. He wiped his mouth, wide frantic eyes to Reigen who looked equally startled.

“I can’t!”

Reigen blinked, and relaxed. “Yeah you can. You haven’t left this apartment since you got here.” Reigen picked up his spoon again, pulling it out of the dry cereal and pointing it toward the sliding glass door. “And you’re always staring out there. I know you want to go outside.”

“Yeah but I can’t. I can’t because the b—“

“The barrier blah blah blah.” Reigen dropped the spoon back into his cereal, and he jabbed his thumb into his chest. “Do you really think I, the 21st century’s Great Psychic, Arataka Reigen, would let something as silly as a barrier harm anyone?”

“Um.”

“The answer is no.” Reigen deflated a bit, his eyes more piercing and serious. “This is going to be a training exercise, Mob. You gotta adjust to being outside again. And so long as you’ve got me around then nothing’s gonna go bad, okay?”

“What if…what if…” Mob’s words died out. He couldn’t put the bubbling worry in his chest into words.

“If it comes back, I’ll intervene, Mob. I’ll wipe it out so fast it won’t know what hit it. That was my specialty back in the day, did you know? Lightning fast exorcisms! Didn’t matter how powerful the spirit was. They couldn’t stop an attack they never saw coming. Rumor has it I exorcised spirits so quickly that the very act of blinking made people unable to witness it!”

“…Really?” Mob asked

“Really.”

Reigen raised his bowl to his mouth and tilted it back. He crunched on dry cereal for a few seconds then coughed when it got stuck in his throat. He coughed a few more times before pushing his chair back and declaring. “I’m going to shower first, before you can change your mind. Also because I’d like a little hot water left for myself at least once.”

Mob thought about this. It was another joke. Not an accusation.

So Mob smiled, despite the anxious squirming in his chest. He didn’t have another chance to protest Reigen’s proposal before he heard the shower water turn on.

…

The drive in Reigen’s car kept Mob’s anxiety low, just at a simmer. He could watch people safely through the windows, as they wouldn’t dare approach a moving car on their own for any reason. Mob felt for a moment like the car was his barrier, but a safer one, because people knew to stay away.

People…people though. It filled Mob with a strange eager twisting feeling to see so many people up close. His memories from before his barrier were hazy. Remembering how he used to walk to and from school felt more like examining pictures—unreal, two dimensional, other. These people were different. They moved and spoke and laughed. Different hair, different clothes, heights, ages, faces…

Mob was jarred from his mind when the car stopped, and Reigen shifted gears, and killed the ignition. Reigen popped his right side door open and stepped out. He shut it, then spun to grab the handle of Mob’s door.

Mob flinched when Reigen opened it.

“You’re doing fine Mob. Look.” Reigen waved his arms around. “No barrier. You’re golden.”

Mob nodded. His throat was too dry to even swallow, let alone speak, so he got out of the car in silence.

And it was strange, having everything so open, so vast and endless on all sides. No walls, no ceiling, just a bright and clear sky, nearly too bright to look at. Reigen had parked in a lot nearly empty, tucked around the side of some gray cinderblock building. Tufts of grass budded up through the pavement, breaking through cracks that spread along the asphalt like spider webs. Reigen motioned for Mob as he turned his back on the gray building and headed for the sidewalk stretching tangent to the parking lot. Reigen stepped over the spurting grass as he moved, and Mob hurried to his side, that same crisp wind catching his hair and brushing it out of his face.

A hand dropped onto Mob’s shoulder. He recognized the weight as Reigen’s, and it worked to loosen some of the twisting nerves in his chest.

“Come on. We’re just going to walk up this sidewalk for a couple minutes, then it’s one of the stores on the left.”

Mob nodded. He focused all his attention on the hand pressed to his shoulder. He used it as a tether, proof that the barrier wasn’t up. Reigen’s right hand was firm, solid, healthy save for the four bandaids wrapped around his fingers where the knife fight had hurt him. That hand wasn’t shredded. So Mob didn’t need to fall apart.

Storefronts and buildings lined the left side of the sidewalk, the street lined the right. A blue sky started on the horizon and stretched up, above, fanning in all directions above Mob’s head no matter where he looked. A few sparse clouds drifted through the vast endless blue, but they were nothing against the sky so overwhelmingly clear and bright. The sun hovered directly above, leaving the world all but shadowless. It was an intensity of space Mob could not remember ever witnessing, and he pressed himself closer to Reigen.

They passed an outdoor café set up, small wire chairs at small wire tables with standing red umbrellas decorating the centers. Mob heard the clatter of dishes coming from inside that store, and he turned to look. It was dim inside, so Mob couldn’t see much. The attempt distracted him enough to not notice the two girls approaching them oppositely.

One of those girls clipped Mob’s free shoulder in passing, and Mob stumbled back, shocked like he’d been doused in ice-water. His breath hitched, his stomach tightened, he hardly breathed as a thousand awful explanations poured down his spine like a waterfall—

“Mob!”

The hand, firmer in its grip, shook him. And it was Reigen. His right hand. Not shredded.

Mob breathed again. He couldn’t calm the slamming in his chest so easily, but he felt the tension loosen. He turned on spot, eyes catching the eyes of the girl who’d clipped him. She surveyed him curiously, and then turned away, forgetting him.

Mob looked forward again. And he breathed.

He was careful now to notice when people passed. He investigated them, studied them, remembering what diversity existed among real, living people. A woman in a floral pink dress and sunglasses, twists of loose dark hair fluttering in her face. A man stooped over and shuffling in his motions, dressed entirely in green. Two boys racing each other down the sidewalk. Most of them stared at him too, and it set his anxiety on edge. Mob tried to endure it, at least until Reigen stopped walking, and the hand on Mob’s shoulder halted him too.

“Hang on…” Reigen muttered. He dipped his free hand into his pants pocket and dug around. He moved it to the other pocket, across his body, and rummaged. His face lit up. His hand reemerged clutching a single rubber band. “Mob, stand in front of me for just a second. Hold still while—yeah—right there—careful if anyone’s trying to get by us okay don’t stand in their way.”

Mob waited, tense, as Reigen’s hand released his shoulder. For a second Mob was weightless, untethered, until both Reigen’s hands swept Mob’s hair back out of his face from behind.

Mob felt the light pull and tug of his long hair as Reigen spoke from directly behind him. “I keep forgetting your hair’s still kind of all…not normal, like this. You look like The Grudge. At least your hair’s not knotted anymore so I can do this.”

The gentle pull and combing of Mob’s hair continued. He stayed standing, silent, trying to decide if he liked having his hair out of his face or not. It made the world brighter and wider, but it almost made him less capable of shrinking in on himself and hiding.

“Aaaaand there…. Um, sort of. It’ll do?”

Mob blinked. He set his right hand to the top of his head, and then traced it down the length of his hair. It was woven, starting at about the nape of his neck and spiraling downward, ending on a triple-looped rubber band that Reigen had stuck into the bottom.

“It’s messy and probably isn’t supposed to go all to the side like that but, like I said I haven’t messed with long hair since I was fifteen and I only ever braided it to annoy my mom.” Reigen stepped around Mob, sidling up to his left again and setting his hand back to Mob’s shoulder. “If you’re ever wondering about my own tragic backstory that’s pretty much it—I was a shitty kid and I gave my mom a lot of grief.”

Reigen titled his head to Mob, his face painted with anticipation. Mob was beginning to recognize this too—Reigen’s jokes weren’t always obvious, but he made that face when he wanted a response to one.

Mob didn’t have a response. His nerves were eating into him too much.

“Reigen… I think I should go back.”

“What? Nonsense. You’re doing fine.”

“I shouldn’t be this far out in public.”

“And why’s that?”

“Shishou said—“

“Nuts to what Shishou said,” Reigen answered, and there was a more sinister bite to his tone. He paused, then continued sternly. “I really promise you’re doing alright. If you really think you wanna stop, then fine I’ll bring you back. But I think you’ve got this.”

Mob set a hand to his hair again, to the strand that had dipped out of the braid and now hung in front of his face. He twirled it around his finger, fighting to retain the image of the barrier gone. He indulged, just briefly, in the fantasy that motivated him every day now—the one where he came home to Ritsu.

“Okay, Shishou.”

Reigen’s hand tensed on Mob’s shoulder. Mob did not catch what he said this time around.

…

The air inside the deli was unnaturally cold.

But it wasn’t the temperature Mob noticed so much as the contents of the store.

He felt a dip in his chest from the moment he walked in, a raw panic deep to his core at the sight of rows upon rows of red hacked flesh. Some cuts were drained of color, nearly white and fibrous looking, fins and heads of fish still distinct among the meat. Other cuts were starkly red and oozing, as if bleeding yesterday. Mob stopped right at the door and did not go any further, flashes of shorn-up rats cascading through his mind.

“You okay, Mob?”

Mob was still breathing. He blinked, and he could remember that the meat behind the counter was not rat meat at all. The abundance of fish-like features should have made that obvious from the start. And he remembered that the thing that had done the slicing had not been his barrier either. The hand was still there, Reigen’s hand. He was not a danger right now.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Mob answered. He took the first step into the store, and Reigen followed.

Mob took his focus off of the selection of meat behind the counter. He focused on the layout of the store, and a handful of the people inside.

To the left, the store fell away into a handful of vertical aisles that stretched perhaps 30 or 40 feet back until hitting a back wall. To the right was the main counter, scale and cashier and butcher standing behind it among a few shelves a meat. A waiting area took of the space in front of it, filled with maybe a dozen people waiting silently for their orders. Mob watched some of them. A woman with a baby in a stroller. A single man in sweatpants shuffling the pages of a newspaper. An old man with three kids milling around him—one was a boy investigating the open aisles to the left, another boy stood on tiptoe to see the lowest row of flesh carvings behind the main counter, the third child, a young girl, clung to the old man’s leg. The butcher was a man in white sanitary garb, just behind the counter. He was in the process of operating a large slicer of sorts to skin off cuts of meat.

Reigen stepped closer to the counter. Mob stepped with him, though he felt his heartrate rise at the steady shing, shing, shing of the slicer shearing off cuts of meat. Distantly, Mob heard Reigen placing his order. The ripping of paper. The muffled tune of a deeper voice.

A tap on Mob’s shoulder. Reigen had let go.

“Hold on to this slip of paper, Mob. It’s got the number for our order. I gave the man my name, and he’ll just call it when the order’s ready, okay?”

Mob blinked. He nodded, though he hadn’t heard everything Reigen said. His heart was beating too loudly in his ears, his mind cranking hold on to the shing noise of the machine, and compare it to the exact buzzing, shearing noise his barrier made when it—

“I’m going to grab just a handful of things from those aisles, okay? Not going far. I just want you to stay here, with the paper, and pick up our order when it’s ready. Okay? It’s another exercise. I’m still here. I’m still suppressing the barrier. I just think you’re strong enough to stand here for a moment by yourself. Can you do that?”

--carved things up, sliced them, killed them…

Mob’s mind filled with static.

He nodded. It was the only thing he could think to do.

Reigen smiled, and stood up from his crouched position. He turned on his heel, toward the left side of the store. He rounded the edge of the counter, and suddenly he was gone.

Mob looked down at his hand. A slip of paper was pressed between his thumb and index finger. He hardly felt it. He hardly understood what it was, only that Reigen had made it feel important. Reigen who was gone now. Reigen who’d left him suddenly, surrounded by the walls of cut up flesh.

Mob curled his hands in. He couldn’t hide behind his curtain of hair. He backed up. And kept backing up.

77%

He wasn’t sure when he’d lost his focus. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t been able to explain it to Reigen just now, why he’d just nodded, why he hadn’t

78%

Mob was losing sight of the things around him. He didn’t have that hand firm on his shoulder anymore. He had no proof the barrier would be held back, and he didn’t have Reigen around anymore to save him.

79%

He wouldn’t be able to stop it if—

Mob jolted, backing directly into the old man behind him. Mob’s arms pinwheeled to keep balance, and in the process the thin shred of papers fluttered away from his grip.

He’d lost it.

He’d failed.

He’d—

“Here you are, young man.”

A hand, a new one, pressed on his shoulder. Mob turned slowly, wide and frazzled eyes settling on the small hunched figure of the old man behind him. The man had one hand to Mob. In the other, he clutched the piece of paper Mob had dropped, retrieved from the ground.

“You dropped this.”

Gently, the old man eased the paper back into Mob’s hands. Mob’s fingers closed around it, firm, secure once again. He holds on tightly to the feeling of the pressure back on his shoulder. Mob can breathe again, and he began to remember where he was. In a simple deli, running errands with Reigen, Reigen who said he’d be right back…

“Thank you,” Mob managed to mutter. He looked at the face of the old man, studying the dark violet rivulets of varicose veins branching away from the man’s eyes, eyes which were sunk deep into shadowy sockets, but not unkind. They were gentle, and concerned.

“Are you alright?” the man asked.

“Yeah…yeah just, worried for a moment,” Mob answered. He clutched the paper tighter. “I don’t usually…”

Mob glanced down, making eye contact with the little girl wrapped around the old man’s legs. Her expression was different from those he’d crossed in the street—not offput, not concerned—hers was a face filled with wonder.

“Your hair’s so long and pretty,” she whispered, awestruck. The little girl unlatched from the man’s legs, here short dark hair bobbing as she moved, and she stared up at the man. “Grandpa, I’m gonna grow my hair super long too.”

“You’ll have to ask your mother.”

“Did you have to ask your mother?” the girl asked, nose pointed to Mob.

“I uh…”

Mob only half heard the question. He was too immersed in the sensation of speaking. Not just speaking, but holding a conversation, a conversation with two strangers. Strangers who could touch him and not be harmed. A child, who couldn’t be any older than Ritsu when he—

“Are you really okay, son?” the old man asked again. His eyes were creased with that same worry that Reigen often wore. Reigen who was still around, and still suppressing the barrier, just from the other side of the store.

“I…really am, yes. Thank you,” Mob answered. He held the ticket close to his chest. It wasn’t a lie.

“Well, then I’m just glad you didn’t lose that ticket,” the old man finished, and he followed it with a kind smile. His body jostled just a little as the girl grabbed his pantleg and shook it, pointing with her free arm to the deli counter.

“Grandpa, it’s your order.”

“Number 35, Ito,” the man in the white garb called.

The old man perked up. “Oh, you’re right Ai.” Ito offered one last smile to Mob, and shuffled toward the counter. Ai followed on his heels, and the two boys exploring the store were summoned to their grandfather’s side. “I hope you have a nice day, young man.”

Mob watched him go. From behind, Reigen’s hand dropped back onto Mob’s shoulder.

“Who was that, Mob? Did you make a new friend?” Reigen asked, squinting at the man. Reigen supported three tubs of something unidentifiable in his free hand.

Mob couldn’t answer. Somehow, it was too absurd a question for him to understand.

“Number 36, Reigen.”

(Chapter 20)

[theracoonlodge]

At Lunch With Joyce Randolph & Audrey Meadows

AT LUNCH WITH: Joyce Randolph and Audrey Meadows; Trixie and Alice, on Their Own By BRYAN MILLER Published: October 13, 1993

SOMETIMES an actress becomes so identified with one role in her career that the character clings to her as stubbornly as puppy hair to a navy blazer, impossible to brush off.

"For years after that role, directors would say: 'No, we can't use her. She's too well known as Trixie,' " said Joyce Randolph, who was immortalized as the wife of Ed Norton, the rubber-limbed sewer worker in the 1950's television sitcom "The Honeymooners."

A similar fate befell Audrey Meadows, who played the wisecracking wife of a blustering bus driver named Ralph Kramden, portrayed by Jackie Gleason. "After the series, I was lucky to do guest shots with Dinah Shore and Red Skelton, but almost all of the stuff I was offered was something in the kitchen, always in the damn kitchen," Miss Meadows recalled over lunch recently at Le Cirque in Manhattan.

For both women, still close and affectionate, their famous television personae hover above them like giant balloon characters at a Macy's parade, attracting throngs of nostalgic admirers and prompting dozens of letters a week.

Since "The Honeymooners," Miss Randolph's acting career has been limited to commercials and occasional musical summer stock. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, Richard L. Charles, a retired advertising executive. Miss Meadows, who lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., and has been divorced once and widowed once, has made many guest appearances on television shows and was in two subsequent sitcoms, "Too Close for Comfort" and "Uncle Buck." She has recently completed a book about "The Honeymooners" titled "Love, Alice," which is to be published by Crown next year.

Entering the restaurant wearing a shimmering pink-and-white Chanel suit and oversize tinted glasses, Miss Meadows was hardly recognizable as the tough-as-steel-wool spouse who fended off many threatened flights to the moon, courtesy of Ralph. Her once crystalline voice has taken on a cigarette-induced gruffness, but her distinctive inflection, familiar to all "Honeymooners" addicts, remains.

Miss Meadows began her career in musical comedies. The daughter of a missionary, she lived in China until age 5, when her family moved to California so that the children could be educated in the United States. "I first got into musical comedy as a teen-ager as the result of singing in church," she explained. She eventually joined road tours of shows like "High Button Shoes."

Miss Randolph had a similar theatrical background. After performing in local theater in her hometown of Detroit, she made the mythical trek to New York City in search of fame. In 1945, after several years of touring and appearing in Broadway shows, she found herself in Schenectady, N.Y., where the General Electric Company had some of its early television production studios.

"Mostly I remember the lights, which were so harsh, and that terrible black lipstick," she said, rubbing her lips as if trying to remove it.

The first television sketches were largely reworks of popular radio mysteries. "For a while I was publicized as the most murdered girl on television," Miss Randolph said, laughing.

Acting jobs were easier to find then than they are today. "We all were in the same kinds of bars and restaurants -- Sardi's, Lindy's, the Blue Angel," Miss Meadows recalled.

Miss Randolph found her way to the DuMont television network, where she was asked to do a Clorets commercial. She was such a hit that CBS asked her to do the same commercial on "Cavalcade of Stars," a variety show whose host was Mr. Gleason, a former nightclub comic who was a rising star.

It was on this show that Mr. Gleason began developing characters like Reginald Van Gleason 3d, Rudy the Repairman and Ralph Kramden. "Cavalcade of Stars" opened in 1950 and ran for two seasons, followed by two years of "The Jackie Gleason Show" and then, in 1955, "The Honeymooners."

Mr. Gleason liked the young "Clorets girl." So when he began casting "The Honeymooners" he offered the part of Trixie to Miss Randolph. For his stage wife, named Alice, he chose a seasoned actress named Pert Kelton. The part of the sewer worker went to Art Carney.

Miss Meadows, who eventually replaced Miss Kelton as Alice, was a pioneer in the early days of television, too, in both Chicago and New York City, doing bit parts in skits on variety shows as well as commercials. Her mellifluous voice won her a job in the comedic sketches of the radio duo Bob and Ray. While working on radio, she was asked to take a leading part in the Broadway musical "Top Banana," starring Phil Silvers.

On Broadway she became acquainted with Mr. Gleason's manager, Bullets Durgom. "He actually looked like a bullet -- bald, short, roundish," she said.

By this time, Mr. Gleason had moved his variety show, which included a "Honeymooners" sketch, to CBS. Just two weeks before the first show, he had to find a new actress to portray Alice because Miss Kelton had fallen ill.

Mr. Gleason supposedly rejected Miss Meadows for being "too young and too pretty." As Miss Meadows relates the story, she went home that evening, put on a frumpy housedress, changed her hair and had a photographer take pictures. Mr. Gleason saw the photos and hired her on the spot, not knowing he had rejected her the day before.

Did the two young actresses have any idea they were about to make television history?

"Heavens, no," Miss Randolph said, placing an open hand on her cheek, a la Trixie Norton. "Everything was so casual in those days, you never thought it would be important." In fact, Miss Meadows was the only one of the supporting cast who drew up a contract calling for residuals.

"The Honeymooners" achieved immortality with the 1955-56 television season, when 39 episodes were filmed at the Adelphi Theater on West 54th Street in Manhattan. The cast performed twice a week, Tuesday and Friday nights, before an audience of about 1,000.

Mr. Gleason loved spontaneity; hence, there was little or no rehearsal. Often the cast received the script the night before performing; it was not unusual for them to try on their costumes just before going on the air.

"I remember some nights when we had guests on the show, and I saw some of them vomiting in the wings from nervousness," Miss Randolph added.

Both actresses recalled one memorable fiasco on stage, during an episode called "Better Living Through TV," in which Ralph buys a warehouse full of fancy can openers and tries to sell them fast by appearing in a television commercial with Norton.

"The two of them are making the commercial, and the can opener is supposed to come down on Jackie's hand so he can do his pain bit," Miss Meadows recalled. "Then he starts running around the room, and he hits a prop wall that isn't fixed securely. He knocks down the wall and lands on his face. Then, Artie goes to help him and Artie lands on his face. That scene, just as it happened, was left in and is still being shown today."

Neither woman has anything nice to say about the most recent biography of Mr. Gleason, "The Great One," by William Henry 3d (Doubleday), which portrays Mr. Gleason as a moody, booze-soaked egomaniac who bullied his writers and abandoned his family.

While both contend that the book presents a flawed portrait, Miss Randolph concedes that Mr. Gleason sometimes mistreated his staff. "He was very mean to the writers," she said. "He kept them isolated. He didn't get to know them."

Miss Meadows, to this day Mr. Gleason's greatest defender, attacked Mr. Henry's emphasis on Mr. Gleason's drinking. "Jackie did not drink on the show, ever, not one sip," she asserted.

About the book's accusation that Mr. Gleason tried to thwart the richly talented Art Carney, both women strongly disagree.

"Never, never," Miss Meadows said. "There were times when he would say in rehearsal: 'Give that line to Artie. It would be funnier coming from him." Added Miss Randolph: "Art didn't want to be top banana. He was always so low-key and shy."

When Mr. Gleason was once asked why "The Honeymooners" was so popular nearly 40 years later, he replied, "It's funny." Miss Meadows concurred. "We had such good writing," she said. "The money people running the industry today don't know good scripts."

Moreover, "The Honeymooners" was a mini-morality play, in which the characters always learned lessons about things like greed, vanity, trust, love and the importance of sharing.

"You know what I thought was interesting about 'The Honeymooners'?" Miss Meadows said. "There we were, blowing whatever money we had from his driving a bus. The Nortons lived a little better than we did because they put everything on credit. We were both lower middle-class people, but we had class. 'Roseanne,' even though it's funny, do you think they have class?"

Both women think "Murphy Brown," "Seinfeld" and "Mad About You" are also funny.

After lunch, Miss Meadows and Miss Randolph did what their fictional counterparts never would have done: they shopped on Madison Avenue, taking time out to explore the new Barneys. They were spotted by an adoring sales clerk at the Estee Lauder counter and soon attracted a large crowd of autograph seekers -- so many that Estee Lauder herself came to see what the fuss was all about. "You see," Miss Randolph declared. "It can happen anywhere."

Copywritten NY TIMES

[twistednuns]

February 2019

The German word liebevoll.

The subway driver who re-opened the doors for me in the early morning when I got to the train two seconds too late. Thank you!

My all-time-favourite: The smell of fresh, clean bedclothes. Spending Sunday morning in bed - reading, drinking coffee and miso soup, watching the snow falling.

Playing a Russian countess for a murder mystery dinner. I loved wearing all my fancy jewellery and MAC's Russian Red lipstick. In the end I even met Barbara with Tobi and Maike in Schwabing.

A self-love story which pretty much sums up my own process. Good to know I'm not the only one with these issues.

Making plaster masks with the kids. Everyone had fun, was occupied and didn't get on my nerves. And Sophia and Konstantin were extra cute with each other. I loved the way he held her hair out of her face and carefully put the fabric on her face. Quite sweet and intimate!

Sunny days! Waking up with rainbow prism light spots on my wall on a Saturday morning.

I never thought I would say this but honestly? Going to the gym. I kinda enjoy working out there at the moment: noticing how the strength exercises target exactly the right muscles in your back. Watching Netflix or reading a book while on the cardio machine. Knowing that whatever you're doing is going to make you stronger and healthier.

Spending Friday evening with Lena. Making dinner (lentils, carrots, hummus, Padrón peppers, veggie meatballs, olives, popcorn and dark chocolate soy pudding - quite a feast!), dancing in the living-room, watching the entire first season of Russian Doll with Natasha Lyonne who is one of my favourite actresses. One of the best series I've seen lately.

The sounds Lucie makes with a 3D glass pyramid in yoga class. She plays them behind and over our heads when we lie in Shavasana. Gives me shivers... very ASMR-y!

A spontaneous board game night with Bibi, Manu and Andre. Playing Privacy and Krazy Words, getting Manu really drunk (and ending up talking to him on the phone for two hours in the middle of the night). Braiding Andre's hair. Holding hands under the table.

Making vegan burgers with avocado, eggplant and soy protein patties. Some lemon salsa and potato wedges... So good.

Trying out all of Manu's weird instruments. Playing the flute and singing to Woodkid's I Love You.

Spending almost four hours at the gym on Sunday afternoon. Trying a Pilates class for the first time (harder than I thought), swimming for half an hour in a pretty much empty pool, even going to the sauna. Working out, too. Eating a frozen banana with almond milk and a spoonful of protein powder. So freakin' delicious.

Sports swap - an ice-hockey player and a figure skater try to teach each other their sport.

Zotter vegan coconut marzipan chocolate.

The fact that Sir Alexander Fleming is an anagram for "an ex-girlfriend sale" (and yeah, there is a leftover M but those anagrams make me go crazy each time we enter the pub quiz at Shamrock).

The construction work at Sendlinger Tor is finished so I have started taking the tram again in the morning. Which is so much nicer than the subway. I just sit there, don't have to change trains a third time, eat my breakfast, read a book or watch the sun rise over Munich.

The sun being strong enough to dry my laundry within a few hours. Wearing a new bathing suit in bed, reading, enjoying the sunlight.

#europa22

Meeting a lawyer from Nymphenburg. Helping him assemble his IKEA shelf. He made angle hair pasta for me and let me spend the whole evening with his cat Freya.

Making a very tasty coconut curry with broccoli, potatoes, eggplant and button mushrooms.

Meeting a dentist I really liked and clicked with. We actually had a very nice chat before and after she examined me. I'll be back.

Hearing the birds sing on my way home. A large, white, full moon. Riding my bike on dry streets without being scared of slipping.

Trying out different yoga classes. I think so far Vinyasa is my favourite but it's really demanding.

A dream about subterranean volcanic activity in a 'Rocky-mountain-esque' landscape. Chubby students. Cocaine pills. A weird scavenger hunt.

An easy read about magic and the history of London... Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London is such a page turner.

Feeling very competent and beautiful. People telling me how young I look. What a good job I'm doing. For reading so much. For going to the gym. I guess I am kinda awesome. And vain. And arrogant. And sometimes I accidentally fart during yoga class. So I'm human after all, eh?

Getting the balcony ready for spring. Cleaning, throwing out all the old, dry plants; making room for something new.

A dance-y spine workout with a weird, energetic instructor. At least I enjoyed the intro until I found out that I don't have any stomach muscles whatsoever.

Having the pool for myself. Practising handstands.

Karaoke with Manu, Andi and Dan. I sang Walking in Memphis - ALONE!! Afterwards a guy stopped me on my way back to our table and showed me that I had given him shivers because it's his favourite song. He's a huge fan of Elvis and had already been to Memphis and Graceland.

My little Monday morning routine. Prepering breakfast, cleaning and organising the kitchen. Lighting a candle, doing sun salutations in front of the balcony door (of course with my favourite Krishna Das song playing in the background). Using the black roll, stretching some more. Enjoying breakfast (porridge, tea and miso soup) and an episode of whatever I'm watching.

Ladies night with Barbara and Maike. Ruining our voices with SingStar/SingSong. I love those two. So smart and funny.

[mizuri-chan]

AAAH I’VE FINALLY GOT SOME TIME TO ANSWER THESE!! I’ve wanted to answer so many of tag memes but then they’d be burried in my notes and I can’t find them anymore ;v;

So here goes!!

Tagged by sweet @nostalme!! ♥

Five Things You’ll Find In My Bag

A sketchbook

My pencil case

My 3DS and my 3DS games hahaha

Phone charger

Sometimes my agenda

Five Things In My Bedroom:

Lots of sketchbooks

A lot of Zelda merch

Posters

Books

Very often, a cat haha

Five Things I’ve Always Wanted To Do In My Life:

Travel a lot

Learn lots of languages

Own a rat

Uhhh...Travel with my cats fhdghdfhgdsk

Dye my hair lilac

Five Things That Make Me Happy:

The series i’m currently into

Ja’far fdgsgfd

My cats

My friends

Summer

Five Things On My To-Do List:

Going to japan

Surviving university and getting through it without giving up

Going to New-Zealand

Meet a sloth, hug it and kiss it

Get a tattoo!!

Five Things People May Not Know About Me:

uuuuh... I can’t be directly mean to someone who never did something to me???

It’s pretty safe to say I was literally one of the worst kid in maths in the whole school in highschool (and i’m not even kidding I had to redo the final exam 4 times before getting it somewhat right)

When I was in elementary school I had half a year of intensive english class (like we only had english, everyday) and this is how I became a little better after

I’m actually a sucker for very cliché romance, like waltzes and stuff

I don’t know how to properly study, I have never really learned how

Name?: Élodie

Nicknames?: Well irl it’s basically just Élo hahaha and Mizu on the internet :3

Zodiac?: Pisces

Sexual Orientation?: Asexual

Ethnicity?: uhh French Canadian

Favorite Fruit?: Watermelon

Favorite Season?: Summer

Favorite Flower?: aaaaaaaaa well i love hortensias a lot!!!

Favorite Scent?: You know, the smell when it’s spring and you open your window and then it smells so so so nice in your room?? This

Favorite Animal?: Cats and sloths!!

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?: Hot choclety

Cat or dog?: Both!!

Dream Trip?: Japan or New-Zealand

Number of Followers?: 1257.......i still don’t know how ;v; i love you guys so much

What do I post about?: Fandom stuff mainly (Magi, hxh, Steven universe, zelda...)

Do I get asks on a regular basis?: Not really

Favorite Band?: Gorillaz and Coldplay

Aesthetic?: Anything with flowers

Fictional Character I’d Date?: I love fictional characters as if they were my own children. i cannot imagine dating one of them

Hogwarts House?: I really can’t remember but that would probably be hufflepuff

Rules: BOLD the statements that are true for you!

APPEARANCE:

I am 5'7" or taller

I wear glasses

I have at least one tattoo (ONE DAY)

I have at least one piercing

I have blonde hair

I have brown eyes

I have short hair

My abs are at least somewhat defined

I have or have had braces

PERSONALITY:

I love meeting new people

People tell me that I’m funny

Helping others with their problems is a big priority for me

I enjoy physical challenges

I enjoy mental challenges

I’m playfully rude with people I know well

I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it

There is something I would change about my personality

ABILITY:

I can sing well

I can play an instrument (i used to play a bit of violin)

I can do over 30 pushups without stopping

I’m a fast runner

I can draw well 

I have a good memory (I have the worse memory)

I’m good at doing math in my head

I can hold my breath underwater for under a minute

I have beaten at least 2 people in arm wrestling

I know how to cook at least 3 meals from scratch

I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES:

I enjoy playing sports

I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else

I’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else

I have learned a new song in the past week

I work out at least once a week (thanks to my pe class only hahaha)

I’ve gone for runs at least once a week in the warmer months

I have drawn something in the past month

I enjoy writing

FANDOMS ARE MY #1 PASSION (sadly)

I do or have done martial arts

EXPERIENCES:

I have had my first kiss

I have had alcohol

I have scored the winning goal in a sports game

I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting

I have been at an overnight event

I have been in a taxi

I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year

I have beaten a video game in one day

I have visited another country

I have been to one of my favorite band’s concerts

RELATIONSHIPS:

I’m in a relationship

I have a crush on a celebrity

I have a crush on someone I know

I have been in at least 3 relationships

I have never been in a relationship

I have asked someone out or admitted my feelings to them

I get crushes easily

I have had a crush on someone for over a year

I have been in a relationship for at least a year

I have had feelings for a friend

MY LIFE:

I have at least one person I consider a “best friend”

I live close at my school

My parents are still together

I have at least one sibling

I live in the united states

There is snow right now where I live

I have hung out with a friend in the past month

I have a smartphone

I have at least 15 CD’s

I share my room with someone

RANDOM SHIT:

I have breakdanced

I know a person named Jamie

I have had a teacher with a last name that’s hard to pronounce

I have dyed my hair

I’m listening to one song on repeat right now (Kass’ theme from BOTW)

I have punched someone in the past week

I know someone who has gone to jail

I have broken a bone

I have eaten a waffle today

I know what I want to do with my life

I speak at least 2 languages

I have made a new friend in the past year

Thanks for the tag ♥♥

Tagged by lovely @lheonce ♥♥

10 favs from 10 fandom

1. Ja’far - Magi my absolute and ultimate dear son... 2. Pearl - Steven Universe 3. Killua Zoldyck - HunterxHunter but also every character in hxh lol 4. Green Oak - Pokémon 5. Oikawa Tooru - Haikyuu!! 6. Marceline Abadeer - Adventure Time 7. Every Zora Ever In Every Zelda Game tm 8. Chat Noir - Miraculous Ladybug 9. Hinata Hyuuga - Naruto 10. Len Kagamine - Vocaloid

Thanks for the tag!!! ♥ (it was rlly fun but for the last one i had to think a lot and then i remembered the soft banana boy)

[mariosgames436-blog]

Super Mario Bros Xbox 360 Download  Keyword Discovered Web Sites Listing

Purchase SUPER MARIO BROS. Microsoft.comXbox games (download) Windows digital games Films & Television Company. SUPER MARIO BROS. Overview System Specifications Critiques Associated. Smashboards.comHello, 360 controller user right here.

The game requires place in a steampunk-like world, in a city known as Dunwall. You take over animals to resolve a selection of puzzles. Moving beyond mobile devices, Super Mario Run could also launch on Nintendo's upcoming transportable console, the Switch.

Starting off, Mario can now take manage of 1 of the most well-known series minions, the limbless Goomba. But that is not all - in addition to all the fantastic games, there are also lots of unique pages of Mario and Sonic animated GIFs and sprites, wallpaper photos, MP3 music, sound effects and much more for you to appreciate!

15 brain bending, snake charming levels Master Noodles 1-of-a-type skills A brand-new soundtrack from fan favourite composer David Sensible Unlock Time Trial mode and compete to be the slickest slitherer in the world Consists of the brand-new Arcade mode!

The game console heats up throughout excessive use, and given enough time, the temperature inside can reach very high stages due to unsatisfactory cooling.

When you get to the Boss (the Monty Mole in the tank), touch the Mega Mushroom. You will turn into Mega Mario or Luigi. Super Mario Maker is a tool for creating Super Mario levels and playing them to your heart's content. Download the game and have fun jumping.

Certainly, the genuine battle is some thing we did not see on stage at either press occasion. I’ve really played this game all the way via and if you are a fan of driving games it is certainly worth the time, regardless of the wacky plot.

They have completely blown me away with placing out masterpieces such as Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. These 2 games make the Switchh worth it.

At the end of every world you will face a boss character that you have to defeat in order to advance in the game. Okay, so you are really taking over the driver of the vehicle, but as you fly above the city it is the vehicle that is highlighted and named, not the driver.

It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that with a new console, Nintendo’s red-hatted plumber mascot is not far behind. Super Mario 3D World is a fantastic platformer that brought the fun 4-player co-op mechanic from the console New Super Mario Bros.

Or Space Station Silicon Valley, which came out just two years prior to Messiah (see beneath). That all changes with Super Mario Odyssey, the Italian plumber’s Nintendo Switch debut that provides the Mushroom Kingdom a contemporary twist with all new environments and mechanics.

Super Mario Run is set to launch for iOS devices on Dec. 15, but we nonetheless do not know when it will arrive on any other platforms. Nintendo launched unique red choices of the Wii and Nintendo DSi XL comforts in re-packed, Mario-themed restricted version packages in late 2010 as share of the 25 years of the game's initial release. Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros.

It is 3D in much more methods than 1, because the 3DS’s glasses-much less 3D often played an essential component in helping players time discover secrets and land tough jumps.

He is not incorrect! Nintendo is 1 of the earliest game creating businesses in the history of video games and so, they took the cozy first spot.

Wait till you see the 2 vs 2 mode with grid-primarily based maps, the inventive uses of the console, and the series’ first online minigame mode! You can also jump on a Koopa Troopa once, which forces it to hide within it is shell.

Item Description A new Super Mario Bros. Nintendo DS, and there is no telling what crazy adventures the mustachioed superstar will face this time around. Does anybody know where I can discover a great button layout for new super mario bros (wii) utilizing my xbox 360 controller? I've been looking everywhere and cant appear to discover 1.

At the core of this timeless game system is a physics engine that lets you have fun with mass, weight, inertia, size, and even time. We have no unlockables for Super Mario Bros: Classic NES Series however. If you have any unlockables please submit them.

The original board game style has been kicked up a notch with deeper strategic components, like specifc Dice Blocks for every character. Well, now it is! Express quoted other things Spencer mentioned.

Quora.comThere are no Mario games for the Xbox 360. Because Mario was exclusively produced by and for Nintendo, you will, for the most component, be needed to use Nintendo consoles, handhelds, or emulators to play Mario games.

Master wet climate and evening racing on your road to victory. FlatOut 4: Total Insanity, where reckless driving has by no means been this much fun.

Because players are forced to replay the same handful of experiences repeatedly, the lack of nuance is a continuous problem. Mega Man Legacy Collection is a celebration of the 8-bit history of Capcom's iconic Blue Bomber.

Mario is named as the best franchise of all times by different portals. That way you can play a mini baseball game, battle tanks in custom arenas, or even see who can match the most bananas by repositioning the systems nevertheless you see fit!

The newest E3 trailer for the upcoming Super Mario Odyssey for the Nintendo Switch revealed a new way for Mario to transform. It remains 1 of the best uses of the portable’s capabilities. In 2002, fans had been hungry for a new Mario game.

Go to the tower in World 1 with the Blue Shell power-up. Go to the first pipe that shoots you up into the air.

[lorrainecparker]

In Depth – Ignite Pro from HitFilm

I wanted to follow up my review of HitFilm Pro 2017 with a look at the two products that come as part of the Studio bundle.  In this article we’re going to look at Ignite Pro, which can be purchased as part of the Studio bundle or on its own for $199.  Alright, here we go!

WHAT YOU GET

Let’s ignore the fancy marketing speak on the HitFilm website, as they describe Ignite Pro as “550+ effects and presets for use in Adobe After Effects CC, Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Apple Final Cut Pro X, Apple Motion, Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve 11/12, Grass Valley EDIUS 8/9, Sony Catalyst Edit, NUKE 9 by The Foundry and Vegas Pro 14.”  What it should really say is that there is just short of 179 effects for you to work with inside of After Effects.  With that being said, in After Effects you have access to 173 effects.  The ones that are not supported in the move from HitFilm to AE are:

360° Text (360° video Category)

LUT (Color Grading Category)

Puppet (Distort Category)

End Credits Crawl (Generate Category)

Pulp Sci-fi Title Crawl (Generate Category)

Text (Generate Category)

So that gives you a grand total of 173 effects to work with in After Effects.  Now, also keep in mind that for your $199, you not only get access to the effects in all the other host applications I mentioned about (yes, on both Mac and Windows), but you also get three active activations at one time.  Meaning you can run Ignite Pro on three different workstations simultaneously.  Not too shabby for $199.  

Now, there are a few things that I want to point out before I move forward.  I find some of the decisions made by HitFilm, when it comes to Ignite Pro, a little odd.  First of all, if there are 550 presets (I’m not sure if that number includes the actual effects themselves, or just the amount of presets), where are they?  They seem to be stacked very high in some effects, and other effects have none at all, and seemingly no way to save presets for you to go back to if necessary.  There are effects that, to me, seem like obvious effects for presets, like TV Damage but, surprisingly, it doesn’t have any presets.  Not one.  Secondly, there is no help file attached to any of these effects.  None.  Now, if you are looking for the help manual, you can find it at this link, but with any good effects package (Sapphire, BCC, FX Factory) there will be a button to launch a help file, to give you detailed information on what exactly the effect does, and how to manipulate it.  If there’s no help documentation, you NEED presets of every effect, to give the user an idea of where to start, and/or how to create something cool with that particular effect.  Lastly, I find the effects to be slow.  Slow to apply (when applied it takes a couples of seconds for the effect to appear), and slow to preview (meaning also slow to render).  I’m guessing that’s because they are not GPU accelerated (as I couldn’t find anything on the site mentioning GPU acceleration), which is a bit of a letdown.

Now, for this review, I’m not going to go through all the standard effects that you can get in just about every package out there.  I’m going to focus on some of the  standout effects.  The effects that are worth the $199 price tag.  One other thing that I want to point out, and it’s something that exceptionally important when talking about Ignite Pro, is that it’s specifically geared towards independent filmmakers, who will need to do all their visual effects themselves, so there are some unique effects in here, that I haven’t seen (or haven’t seen done well) in other packages.  Let’s take a look.

RAIN ON GLASS

This effect jumped out at me right away for two reasons.  One, how simple the effect interface is and, secondly, how realistic the effect actually looks.  This effect has presets including Light, Medium, Heavy, Mist, Sprinkling and even downpour, and the end result looks like actual rain on the window!

Heat Distortion

This was an effect that I was super excited about when Video Copilot released it, as there weren’t many Heat Distortion effects (if any) that were out there to simulate this real world situation (again, you see I’m going back to the fact that HitFilm is trying to get as many of these “Real World” effects in Ignite Pro as possible).  Again the effect is simple to use, very few parameters, and gives you a great looking end result.

3D Extrusion

Nothing drives me crazier in After Effects that extruding text.  This is something was was completely botched by Adobe since day one, and thankfully Maxon and Cinema 4D has stepped in to save the day when it comes to working with extruded text in AE.  Unfortunately, with that being said, I wish the process was simpler.  WAY simpler.  By “upgrading” my comps to 3D (RayTraced or Cinema4D), it’s still a big pain to do something simple like Extrude Text.  A bunch of comp changes need to be made, there are then a bunch of things that are not supported (Blend Modes, Track Mattes, etc), and you know how it goes.  That’s where this simple, powerful effect comes into play.  No need to change comp settings, no worrying about unsupported features, you don’t even need to worry about lights.  Generate 3D will quickly and easily extrude your text, and it will look exactly the way you think it should, with a couple clicks of the mouse.  After Effects lights are even supported, to give your text an even more realistic look.  Now, with all that being said, the effect doesn’t support AE Camera information, but I won’t fault them for that on this release.  Hopefully Camera support will be coming in an upcoming version.

Shake

I’m a big fan of a simple Camera Shake, and Ignite Pro has that, and then some.  Not only does it have the expected Amount, Speed and Seed parameters, but it also has individual control over the X and Y Shake, as well as the Tilt, AND even Motion Blur capabilities right from within the effect.  

Lightswords

Alright, for me, this is a guilty pleasure but is also a very handy effect to have.  Believe it or not, there are nine different LIghtsword effects in Ignite Pro.  They are actually 3 effects in three different categories.  Let’s talk, briefly, about what each of them do.  Lightsword two Point (Auto) is the primary one you will be using.  It gives you a quick way to place points at the hilt and tip of the lightsword blade.  Once you’ve animated the movement over time, Ignite Pro will add the required Motion Blur in for you, obviously, based on how fast the lightsword is moving.  The Ultra version of the effect gives you more distortion types to alter the core, adjust the glow shape and distort the appearance of the background throughout the overall appearance.  The 360° degree version of the effect is obviously designed to be used in a 360° project.  So, that does beg the question, what’s the difference between that and the Manual four point version of the effect.  Well, the four point version gives you two points at the hilt and blade tip to give you more precision in the look of the effect.  Why do you care?  Well, this will give you the ability to create that very cool “Lightsword Fan” look that happens when the blade is swung in very popular science fiction movies!

Hyperdrive

This is an effect that I can see many people overlooking, because they think “I’m not making any kind of Space Opera, so where would I ever need an effect like this?”.  Well, for anybody working on a science fiction related show, or promos or bumpers for any type of Sci-Fi movie, this effect will really come in handy.  I’ve been using After Effects for a long time, and if you were to ask me how to create an effect like this, I would probably play around with Z Blur, or another effect of that type.  Hyperdrive does all the work for you.  Simply apply the effect to a black solid, set’s it’s “Blend with Source” parameter to be “On Top”, and now drag the progress bar.  That’s it.  Done!  If you want more stars, you can add them from right within the effect, but otherwise the effect is done for you, and it actually looks like its right out of the Force Awakens (or the Last Jedi….spoiler alert!).

Letterbox

Masking for letterboxes drives me bananas in After Effects, and this effect is quick and simple.  Apply it to your layer, head into the Effects Window, and choose the aspect you want, or create a custom one quickly and easily.    The only thing that the effect is missing, is the ability to adjust your footage behind the letterbox, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for that in the next version.

Neon Path

I want to wrap up the my look at my favorite effects with Neon Path.  This has to be my “Top of the Favorites”, as it’s, again, a simple, powerful effect that is really easy to get great results with.  Here’s a simple animation I created with it.

How I achieved this look was pretty easy.  Type in whatever text you want, and apply the effect to it.  Once there, I chose a preset to get me started.  In this case, it was the Bates Motel preset.  That defined the look.  There are parameters here that you can adjust the Core and Inner and outer glows, but I wanted to create something cool, and quick.  So, I twirled down the Flicker parameter, and adjusted the amount from 0% to 50%, and what you saw above was the end result.  A cool, neon looking sign, that you could composite into a shot, and it would look pretty realistic.   This is an effect I could see using in a ton of different projects, as it takes the concept of the stroke effect, and the glow effects to a new level, and it’s super easy to use, as you’ve seen.  One thing that I really like about the above look is that it’s very similar to the look that Universal Studios had created for their Atomic Blonde trailers and TV spots, so you can see how the HitFilm effects were designed especially for this type of effect and look.

So, all of this does bring us to the next logical question.  Is it worth the $199 price tag.  Well, $199 divided by 173 effects brings all the effects in at $1.15 per effect.  Now, as with any large bundle, there will be effects in the package that you won’t use, but of the 173 effects, more than half of them are effects I can see myself using on a pretty regular basis.  To be honest, I’m too busy to be messing around with color grading effects to get the right look for certain scenes, this is one reason i’m super happy that they have many different film looks at my disposal (Bleach Bypass, Day for Night, Vignette effects etc), which I didn’t mention before, they are just icing on a package that some great “stand out effects” that make the $199 price tag an easy pill to swallow.

Ignite Pro hasn’t been around for a long time, so there are still some things that need to be worked out (GPU acceleration, all effects being 32-bit, etc), but I will say that with the trend moving more and more towards subscription models for not only the applications we use, but for the effects as well, it’s good to see that HitFilm is taking Ignite Pro seriously, and have put together a package that has many shining star effects, that you won’t find in other packages.

For more information, or to try a free demo of Ignite Pro in your NLE/compositing application of choice, you can download it at https://hitfilm.com/ignite-pro/

The post In Depth – Ignite Pro from HitFilm appeared first on ProVideo Coalition.

First Found At: In Depth – Ignite Pro from HitFilm

[suckitsurveys]

1. When talking on the phone, do you place it against your left or right ear? Left. The phone I answer at work is on the left side of me so it just makes it easier because I have to use my right hand for the mouse. With my cell I don’t really notice. 

2. Do you use college or wide rule lined notebook paper? I can’t remember the last time I used notebook paper and even when I did I literally could not tell the difference. 

3. Have you ever been into a greenhouse? Yes. 

4. Did you do anything in school in relation to September 11? Like the actual day it happened? No one knew wtf was going on but my mom picked me and the neighbor kids up from school.

5. Are you scared you’ll get a Q-Tip stuck inside your ear? Not at all.

6. When was the last time your nose bled and why? I don’t remember, it’s been a long time. The last nose bleed I vividly remember was when I was 8 and my friend and I were running around her living room and she turned around and I literally slammed into her and my nose bled really bad. Her mother was scared she broke my nose. 

7. What’s your favourite brand of peanut butter? I don’t care, I rarely buy peanut butter. 

8. Do you have a thing for shy/awkward hot guys? I guess so, since I’m engaged to one.

9. If you were forced to be a teacher, what grade and subject would you teach? Bob’s Burgers 101.

10. Do you put all your stuff for class in one binder or several? N/A.

11. Don’t you hate those 3D movies and you put on those glasses and see nothing 3-D in the movie? I hate 3D movies, they make me really dizzy. 

12. What’s your favourite Lunchables meal? The pizza ones were always a blast. 

13. Have you ever eaten banana flambé? No, but I’d definitely love to try it. 

14. Don’t you hate it when you lose something (i.e., eyeliner or whatever) and you buy a new one but you find your old one in a few days? Sure. 

15. Do you have a crush on a guy you haven’t really talked to before? Isn’t that like, the definition of a crush?

16. Do you use index cards to help you prepare for tests? Not really. 

17. How many languages can you recite the alphabet in? I can kinda remember the spanish alphabet. And also sign language. 

18. Do you like Bob Marley? Sure. 

19. Have you ever eaten at Golden Corral? Yeah, back when I used to frequent Indiana. 

20. What’s the temperature over there? It’s 65 degrees. I just asked Alexa on our new Firestick. That was the highlight of my day. 

21. Do you have a coat rack in your house? We have a coat tree that my dad wanted to throw away a while ago but I snuck it up to my old bedroom and so glad I did because it works out great in our little nook in the apartment. 

22. What’s your favourite flavour of sunflower seeds? The ranch ones are pretty good. Plain works just fine for me though.

23. If you had the ability to do either ballet or gymnastics, which one would you choose? Gymnastics has always been appealing to me. 

24. Do you sit and eat dinner at the same table with your family? I don’t live at home anymore. Mark and I usually eat at our bitchin’ coffee table though. It’s coffee table height but lifts up to dining table height and it’s on wheels so we can pull it close. I love it so much. 

25. Who do you want to ask you out for the Homecoming Dance? Yikes. 

26. What’s your favourite flavour of muffin? Pumpkin or blueberry. 

27. Are there curtains hanging in your room? What kind are they? In our bedroom we have one small curtain covering our window.

28. Do you want a disco ball? Nah. 

29. Chad Michael Murray is not hot, agree? Nope.

30. Are any of your teachers lenient on chewing gum during class? There were a few teachers who didn’t let us chew gum but for the most part we could.