#i got it while at a convention and i was super lucky to get a keychain of him as well

[cosmical-flowers]

I know sometimes people bake cakes and stuff for their favorite characters birthday, so I made some for Shinobu! Its lemon flavored with vanilla frosting and a lemon wafer in top :D Besides this, ill talk about some of my favorite moments of him (From the basic! Era)

1. In “Orihime and Hikoboshi” (prologue), Anzu hugs Shinobu out of stress since she’s planning an S1. Mao then mentions how lucky shinobu is

I just find this scene funny tbh and Anzu hugging Shinobu all the time is cute :D

2. In “Scroll of the Elements” (im not sure what chapter, its been a while), When Souma arrives to the scene on his horse, Shinobu asks is he could ride it. Souma agrees to this and he gets to ride on the horse!!!!

This scene is just adorable like aidnsjdjfi. I like both ryuseitai and akatsuki so i love scroll of the elements!

3. In “Chuunibyou” (Chapter 1), While Shinobu think he’s invisible, he sneaks a frog mascot into Midori’s pocket. When Midori tells him that no, he is not invisible, he gets embarrassed.

This almost made me die of laughter in english class ajsodjeidkei. The entire story is super sweet though!!!!!

Anyways im done yapping about him and happy birthday to ryusei yellow 🗣️‼️🥳🎊🎉

[anomaly-hivemind]

Horror Convention || No. 9 Gloryhole w/ Horror Characters x Fem! Reader

Kinktober Masterlist

Part 2

Word Count: 1995

Warnings: gloryhole, free use, exhibition, overstimulation, large cock, vaginal sex, gangbang if you squint, vagianl fingering, mask kink, stranger sex, cosplaying oral sex, blow jobs, hand job, spit as lube, multiple orgasms,

You were going to a horror convention, it was your first one and you couldn't be more excited to go. You were wearing a slutty freddy krueger outfit excluding the knife coves because they sold out at the spirit halloween. It was too late to buy any online. You were wearing a ripped up black and red cropped top, a jean mini skirt, some stressed thigh-highs and wedges.

When you finally got inside the convention center, there were a lot of things going on with an unsettling low amount of security personnel around. It was a bit overwhelming but you were going to push through it just fine. It was full of cosplaying horror characters, new and old, popular and niche. Even horror shorts films, tv shows and games.

“Can I take a picture with you? I really like the freddy outfit,” the muffled voice of a guy said behind an old respirator.

Oh yeah sure, I like your outfit too. It's from my bloody valentine right?” you lean into the guy so he could take the photo. The guy pulls you close to him for the picture, then he turns to face you.

“Yeah I've had this for a while now.” he laughs and crosses his arm.

“Well it's super cool, practically identical to the movie.” you look him up and down, he was a carbon copy of the original.

“A bunch of my buddies and staff are hosting an event on the west wing in an hour. You should totally go. “ The Harry warden cosplayer handed a pass for the event. ‘Glory Horror’ printed on the card.

“Yeah I will be there.” you nod and take the pass. You can't believe you got an event pass for free.

=========================================================================

An hour had passed, you had bought a scream poster, a friday the 13th shirt and the regret of your shoe choices. You push past the last part and make your way to the event. It was a ways away from everything else which was a bit suspicious but not enough for you to turn around. You show the bouncer guy your pass and ID, because you guess this is an 18 plus event.

You take a seat in the front, the seats were really comfortable. The lights were dim and the walls around the panel looked sound proof. This was super fancy for a panel. It makes you wonder what's going to happen, especially with how fast the room is getting filled with horror fans such as yourself. Most of them were wearing masks from what you can see in the dark space.

A bright red stage light hits the middle of the stage. The familiar guy from earlier that gave you your pass to this event walks to the center. Two other people dragged something onto the stage behind him, also dressed up, one looked like Amanda the pig from the jigsaw moves or the dead by daylight game. The other person was dressed like the monster from Jeepers creepers. There was a large box with a set of holes of different sizes, odd but you find the tv and cameras placed inside and outside the box.

“Welcome to this year's Glory Horror event. Many of you who know about this event already know what's up, but for our virgin Marys let me explain what’s up.” Harry warden cosplayer says through the microphone, his mask muffling his words.

“We’re going to pick a lucky Slasher Slut in the audience to go into the box.” The man snickered as the crowd went wild. Harry looked into the group of seated people, presumably to find someone to put in the box.

“Anything goes when you're behind the veil.” he points to the closed door.

You look around the audience that you were in and they all seemed excited to either be picked or see who was going to end up being picked. You just stare at everyone in confusion.

“You, are you willing to take a dive into carnal pleasures and try out the box?” He points to you from the crowd, when you point to yourself he nods. You stand up, nerves run down your spine as you walk onto the stage. You were surprised with how excited every person in the audience seemed to be that you got picked.

“What am I supposed to do?” you asked while looking at the box.

“It's pretty self explanatory, but you get in the box, the cameras are already set up, we gave you a screen to see the reactions you're giving people.” You nod at him and step into the box, it was large and you could stand up right without being seen by anyone, not counting the screen that was broadcasting you to the outside.

“You can strip down any point and if you want out of the box just push the button to unlock the door.

“You want me to do what now.” you asked from behind the wall, your voice muffled mostly.

“Strip, take off those slutty clothes and either open that pretty mouth or a hole. Prepared to get stuffed in whichever you choose and you can switch at whatever time doll.

You think for a moment, you could back out right now but a part of you wanted to see what happened. With a shaky breath you take off your freddy krueger fit and finally take off your dreadful shoes. You were just in your bra and underwear, taking a seat on your knees in the middle. The bigger hole was covered with a black sheet.

A knock on one of the sides catches your attention, you turn your head and your eyes widen. A veiny cock filled the hole, making it look smaller than it was and it makes your mouth water. You looked over at your screen to see what you're working with, a guy wearing a Michael Myers mask. Your lip quivers as you wrap your fingers around his length.

His balls twitch as you tighten the grip on this stranger’s cock. You use your saliva to wet the tip of his dick. You hear the faint groan of the Myers look alike, it was hot and a turn on for sure. You take his cock deeper in your mouth, almost gagging on it, using your hand to massage his balls and or stroke the rest of his meaty meat.

Another knock from the others size makes you pull your lips off Myer’s member. Someone else had slid their dick into the other hole, the screen splits so you can see the masked figure. It was Brahms, down to the black messy hair, even matches the drapes decorating the base of this man’s uncut dick.

You take your other hand and start to rub at his cute dick. Both of your hands were being filled with their cocks. You were soaking wet from how hot this was and if your hands went filled you would be touching yourself right now. You placed licks on both the dicks one after the other. Even the thought that there were a bunch of people on the other side of this box, watching and listening or maybe even waiting to take a turn with you.

It was hot, you felt hot and you wanted more of all of it. You squeeze the guys dicks as you jerk them both off with determination. Michael myers’ dick twitching was the only short warning you get before he shoots a hot load onto your chest. Your bra ruined with cum makes you pout for a moment before you take the thing off. You put your mouth onto the remaining man and take him down your throat. Brahms cums down your esophagus, his seed tasting weirdly sweet on your tastebuds.

You lick your lips after pulling away the dicks both gone from the holes, making you sigh. You slide off your panties and just as you thought you dripped in arousal. You rub yourself and let out short moans, a guy that was looking like Jason Voorhees pushed his phat cock through the hole. It looked heavy, craving your touch. You touch yourself with one hand while sucking off this fat dick. Even if you couldn’t fit all or even most of it into your mouth you sure as hell tried. You moan against the length of this Jason.

Your fingers thrust into yourself at a similar pace as you sucked and stroked his dick. You come to a stand and turn around, your wet cunt fluttering with horniness. Lining your slit with a guy who looked like a slasher’s dick. You let out a hearty moan as this fat cock stretches you out. You could feel his dick twitch and the man moan from the intrusion. He bottoms out in you, your walls clench around him and then he starts to move slowly in and out of you. You rub your clit as your hole gets pounded into. Another dick pops into the hole in front of you and wraps your hand around it with hesitation. Peaking at the screen in the box you see that it's a guy dressed up in a ghostface outfit.

“Ohshit ohshit ohfucking hell.” you were on the verge of coming and the mix of a Jason hitting all your spots with his girth was making it harder to focus on stroking the guy in front of you.

You try your best to get the other guy to completion but your own impending orgasm was a bit of a distraction to say the least. This Jason guy’s thrust was getting relentless and it was super hot to say the least. You hold on for as long as you could but when you feel the man’s load start to pool down your leg sends you down the edge. Before you could complain about how fast the guy pulled out another guy pushed into you, somehow even thicker and longer than the Jason guy.

You squeeze the hell out of the ghostface and your thumb pushes on his slit. It makes the guy come all over you and hand it a messy gush. The new masked covered hottie was fast enough to work you past that previous orgasm but Jason had given you but now you were getting a bit overstimulated. The faint tapping of the man's pyramid helmet on the box wall makes you giggle. Yet the humor in all of this was cut short from the brutal thrust this pyramid head was giving you.

You were already about to fall into another climax, you couldn't help but scream out a moan that you're sure everyone in the panel heard. Maybe even people outside nearby could hear your whorish moans and whales. This massive curved dick was rubbing your insides just right and your lower half couldn't take much more of it, not standing up like you are right now at least. You reach another chaotic mind altering, pussy spasming, leg trembling, back arching, toe curling climax that almost gives you whiplash an.

You feel the sticky seed fill your cunt and pull out with lackluster pace, almost like he didn’t want to leave your warmth so it takes a minute or so before he actually does . When the pyramid head finally pulls out, your body drops to the stage ground with a thud. You were panting like a dog, cum was dripping out of you and sticking to your thighs. Your heart is pounding in your chest as you try to catch your breath.

“This is the best Horror con ever.” you say breathlessly, as you look at another dick slipping into one of the holes. Checking your provided inside the box you see who it is, the host of this event… it’s Harry warden.

[presidenthades]

Day 1 of HOTD adventures at New York Comic Con 🎉

First thing I did today was run to my photo op with Matt Smith.

He. Is. DELIGHTFUL.

At these conventions, photo ops go super fast because they have huge lines of people to go through. The whole 10-second process is basically step up to the celebrity, smile, and immediately leave so the next person can go.

Matt is hugely popular so it was definitely important that they hurry through his line, but he was still friendly with everybody in the 5 seconds they were standing beside him. Really great energy. My interaction went something like:

Matt: “Hello, glad you’re here!”

Photographer: snaps photo

Matt: “I love Caraxes! 😃”

Me: “Thank you! 😃”

Handlers: usher me away so the next person can go

You can tell that Matt has done a lot of these fan events, and he’s very good at it.

Since my Matt photo op went faster than expected, I was able to go to an earlier TGC autograph session than I was originally planning. (This proved to be a very good decision later.)

Autograph sessions tend to take a little longer than photo ops, because the celebrity generally will exchange a few words with fans while signing. It’s still considered good etiquette not to hog too much time, or else people behind you have to wait even longer. TGC’s line was not super long when I arrived, so lucky me!

TGC also offered selfies at his booth, which was a pleasant surprise. (Not everyone offers it.) He seemed a bit tired (important note for later), but no judgment: conventions are really hard work. The celebrities are taking photos and signing autographs for hundreds of people over multiple hours.

He was VERY polite and nice. When I took out my bookbind for him to sign, he spent a good minute looking at it and complimenting the cover etc. And when he finished signing, he very neatly arranged the ribbon bookmark to mark the page where he signed.

(He was definitely wowed by Debustee’s art too.)

Fabien was in the booth beside Tom’s. Fabien was announced as attending the convention much later than Tom and Matt, so I hadn’t made plans to get photos or autographs with him. Maybe tomorrow if scheduling works out. 👀

Then I went to my pre-reserved photo op with TGC immediately afterwards (different from the selfie). There were dozens of people in line in front of me, and the photo ops go super fast, so we didn’t have a particularly long interaction. But I managed to get Sunfyre in there.

After a lunch break, I went to get in Matt Smith’s autograph line. He was scheduled from 2:20-7:00 with a few short breaks every so often. When I got in line at 2:00, the line was already HUGE.

I waited in line 3 hours 45 minutes to get my autograph. 🙃😤😮‍💨

HOTD was the main reason I was interested in attending the convention in the first place, so I was prepared to wait in lines to do everything I wanted. But in case anyone was wondering: Matt Smith is indeed very very popular in the year Two Thousand and Twenty Four.

While I was in line for Matt, I heard from other people in line that TGC went home about three hours early. So anyone who hadn’t already gotten their autograph that day needed to get a refund (or maybe a transfer to the next day, I’m not sure). He is still scheduled for autographs tomorrow, but it made me extra glad that I was able to get my autograph early.

I had previously been told to always do photos and autographs ASAP because sometimes the celebrity gets ill or has to leave early, etc. Just a tip for anyone who wants to go to a con and do celebrity interactions in the future!

Back to Matt’s line: I was almost to the front when an event handler announced that Matt was no longer doing quotes. With autographs, there’s of course the actual signature, but sometimes you can add-on things like a quote for the celebrity to write. When I was planning my convention trip months ago, I pre-reserved the quote add-on for Matt. At some point in the last few weeks, they removed the quote option because they realized he would be on a time crunch if he wrote too many quotes. But I’d already paid for and reserved my quote, which the event was supposed to honor even if they changed the process later.

Another woman in line who’d paid for a quote was also upset, and I imagine other people were too. But the event handler came back out and clarified that those of us who already paid for quotes would still get them; they just wouldn’t allow anyone else to get a quote.

Here is the autograph and quote I waited almost four hours for. 🥰

I made an updated version of the Handbook’s dust jacket specifically for the convention. The original dust jacket had my author and fic info on the back flap, but I thought it’d be fun to do one where Daemon gets the author bio.

“War was easier than daughters” is actually a Ned Stark quote, which I borrowed for the Handbook Chapter 11’s title. When you get a quote during an autograph signing, you first write down the quote on a slip of paper. Then you give the paper to the celebrity’s manager and tell them where exactly the celebrity should sign. Matt’s manager was a little confused by the quote but rolled with it.

When Matt read the quote, he said, “Huh, I don’t remember saying that. 🤔😄” But he was very amused and good-natured, and he had no problem writing it down. I was holding little Caraxes again, and Matt was happy to see Caraxes again (although I think Matt may have forgotten he’d already seen Caraxes 7 hours earlier—tons of other fans he was interacting with in the meantime).

I managed to accomplish all my Matt Smith and TGC interactions today, which were my top priorities for this convention. I consider today a success, even though I spent a lot of it waiting in line. Tomorrow morning there will be a HOTD panel, which I have a reservation for, so I’m excited to see Matt, Tom, and Fabien onstage. I don’t think we’re supposed to stream or record the event, but I will try to take notes.

Bonus: a baby dragon and egg that I got at the con! 🐉🐣

[coralinnii]

My real-life manga moments reimagined with the TWST boys 

Moments in my life that my friends said sounds like a romcom manga premise but with the Twisted Wonderland boys.  genre: fluff, humor note: I refers to me the author and could also be reader's perspective, He/him refers the Twisted Wonderland boy I think matches well with the story (though you’re free to imagine whoever)

I'm going through something like a writing slump where I'm just not satisfied with what I'm writing so I started talking to my friends to de-stress. We started talking about our high school days which is how this came to be. Apparently, I'm just airheaded enough to be a manga protagonist ^_^;

Hopefully I'll be out of my slump soon

I was our class representative and he was a prefect. We worked together in school a lot and I really respected him. Years after we graduated, he told me he respected how I was a good student and friend. I don’t have the heart to tell him that I broke quite a number of school rules but I was just never caught…

It was my first week into high school and I was quiet because I knew nobody in school. One day during P.E, I stepped into a hole and injured my foot. I was so embarrassed and I didn’t know what to do as my classmates stood around, worried about me. He, as an upperclassman, saw the commotion and offered to carry me to my classroom (we don’t have a nurse’s office). Even more embarrassed, I declined and decided to walk through my pain to get to class. Later that day, my classmates told me that he was actually a super popular and likable upperclassman and I was really lucky to meet him. 

I met him at an anime convention. I picked up an artwork he dropped and complimented him you on his choice of anime. He seemed really shy but thanked me. I later saw him again at a panel session and then at a nearby restaurant. We talked a little and even shared contacts though we never contacted each other. We used to see each other every year at the same convention until I had to move away. I always wondered how he is. 

I was alone at a nearby park waiting for my parents to pick me up from school. I had trouble making friends in my class so I was lonely. One day, I met an upperclassman who was also waiting at the park and she became my first friend. We talked everyday at the school until my parents picked me up. One day, her family picked her up first and I was shocked. He, my classmate whom I never spoke with, were my first friend’s brother. Since then, he and I keep unintentionally seeing each other. 

We were classmates for years. He was always competitive with me because I always beat him at a lot of things like test scores and school rankings. He joined the same martial arts club I was in and announced that he will surpass my belt grade soon. He also said he will grow taller than me soon since we were the same height then. Our martial arts instructor teased him saying boys always bug the ones they like. I didn’t care but rooted for him anyway. 

He did end up growing taller than me and his grades really improved. A year later, he told me he was moving to another country. Before he left, he told me he liked me…

We were classmates from beginning to end, nothing else. We always somehow got seated near each other each year. We had the same friends and from what our friends told me, we had the same interests and even taste in music. (I also dated his best friend for a while…). But we never once spoke directly to each other. I thought he didn’t like me and I was okay with that because I didn’t like or dislike him either. 

Years have passed since we graduated, I never knew what happened to him since I never bothered to know. Then one day…he followed me on Instagram

I was waiting for the bus and so was he. He seemed confused and I thought that maybe he wasn't from around here. Then, he came up to me and with an accent, he asked me if a particular bus had already passed by. I answered no and he seemed relieved then said… 

“Thank you. Also, you have a beautiful voice” 

I was stunned speechless as he just walked back to his previous spot.

[midnightedengaming]

Anime North 2024 Blog

Day 1

I travelled to the convention this day! Was in the car for about 4-5 hours before the convention. It was a hot car ride, but I got to chat with friends all the way there! We were super excited! I also got to catch up with people I haven't seen in a hot minute.

The convention didn't start until 5pm (that's when the opening ceremonies were, but there were also photoshoots and other things happening shortly before then!) - so we had plenty of time to get to Toronto, check in to our hotel, rest for a bit, and then get ready!

I decided not to wear a Cosplay on the first day. I wanted to be able to walk around without being restricted and just be comfortable, especially since there would be two more days of intense walking to follow! That first day, I walked more than 8km!

We also got super lucky and got a hotel close to the TCC. It was NOT the Delta, but a hotel about 10 minutes of walking distance away. I definitely recommend getting a close-ish hotel instead of trying to drive to the convention everyday, as you'll be sitting for about 30 minutes just trying to get into the parking lot.

I spent Day 1 mostly just walking around the vendor's hall and artist alley. I was able to find an amiibo that my brother really wanted, and I got the hat I've been wanting for a long time from Celestial Fox/Death Petal! (DP is the new name!)

Then I went back to the hotel for dinner. We debated going to the pool, but some people had panels they wanted to go to, and others simply needed some extra sleep after the long drive.

So, after playing on my Switch for a bit, I decided to walk back to the convention and attend a panel hosted by J. Michael Tatum and Brandon McInnis. They spoke about their life together, what it's like to be a voice actor, etc.

Two key takeaways from the panel that will stick with me forever were:

1 - paying an entry fee for conventions helps to supplement a voice actor's income while they're in between jobs. They don't get paid royalties for their work. They get paid per recording session, and sometimes that's only about 8 hours for an entire season's work!

2 - we live in a time where AI is scary for all artists. But if we, the consumers, are careful not to pay to support companies that use AI, we can make it very clear that we want to support real people. And one way to do that is to go to conventions (if you can afford to! Please don't spend money on these things if you can't afford it. Take care of yourself first)!

The panel was also very funny and I truly enjoyed it! I won't spoil any of the other stories because I think if you get the chance to see them in person, you should!

That was the end of my first day. I found it hard to sleep because I was so excited and still buzzing from the nervous energy/heat in Toronto. It gets very hot, even in May, so make sure to bring lots of water if you decide to go!

[rebeccathenaturalist]

My apologies for the radio silence, folks! The past couple of weekends have been super busy--but with a lot of great stuff!

Weekend before last was Wings Over Willapa, the birding and nature festival that happens on and around Willapa NWR in the very southwest corner of Washington. It's one of my favorite events throughout the year, and I have been involved from the very beginning back in 2018. This year I actually got to be a tourist in addition to a tour guide, getting to explore the old growth cedar forest at Ellsworth Canyon with a Nature Conservancy employee. it was incredible getting extra perspective on this special place. I also got to guide tours through even more old growth cedar at Long Island on Saturday, someplace that I never, ever, ever get tired of. I love how the thousand-plus year old cedars have crowns on the top, since the storm winds often shear off the trees' leaders, so another must then sprout. It gives them more personality.

Right after that I hustled on over to Loomis Lake State Park to lead my beach tour. We explored the dunes, and I showed the participants how to tell the difference between the native Leymus mollis dune grass, and the invasive Ammophila grasses that have taken over that habitat. We found some neat things while beachcombing, like marine snail egg casings, and had some great wildlife sightings, like lines of brown pelicans coasting over the waves, and a lone Hudsonian whimbrel picking its way along the beach in search of food.

That evening we were treated to the keynote speech by author and conservationist Paul Bannick, who spoke on how woodpeckers and owls are very often keystone species in their habitats. I had just enough time that night to get some sleep before peeling myself out of bed for an 8am tour that I led around the Art Trail and Cutthroat Climb at the old Refuge headquarters. I am in love with that place, and I am overjoyed the trails are open to the public after extensive improvements were made earlier this year.

This past weekend was just as much fun! I have been very excited to see the development of Snow Peak's new campfield in Long Beach. For those who aren't aware, Snow Peak is a quality outdoor supply company based in Japan, analogous to REI or Patagonia. Each of their flagship stores has a campfield within a couple of hours which has camping and events. The Long Beach location is associated with the Snow Peak store in Portland, and is just about ready for a soft opening!

I have been hoping to get in touch with folks there since I really, really want to see more ecotourism out in the Long Beach and Willapa Bay area. We're so lucky to have so much beautiful nature out here, and I want to see more people getting to enjoy it. I was thrilled when a representative contacted me some weeks back inviting me to teach a couple of mushroom foraging classes during this year's Snow Peak Way, an annual camping event that draws hundreds of people and which was held this year over on the east side of the Cascades in Tygh Valley.

To say that I had a great time would be an immense understatement. I have been to a lot of festivals, conventions, and other events over the years, and this had all the things that I love about these events, without the things I find obnoxious. I made a lot of friends and connections, was fed VERY good food, and if my experience with borrowed gear is any indication, Snow Peak is well worth the hype. I am very much hoping to get to partner more with these folks once the campfield is open and running.

There's no time for downtime right now, though. I'm back in Portland later this week for several classes, and I have less than three weeks before I'm on the road to Missouri again for my fall visit. In between now and then I have several writing projects due, including the first deliverables for The Everyday Naturalist, plus various other tasks around the home and farm. Things will slow down once we get closer to the holidays, but for now it's all go, all the time!

[aeoki]

Tri-Lights - Wheel of Fortune: Chapter 1

Location: NEW DIMENSION Office Characters: Natsume & Tsumugi

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< The next morning. >

Natsume: …………

Tsumugi: Oh, good morning, Natsume-kun. You’ve arrived quite early today.

You’re looking at sports articles on your phone? I think interviews with athletes will certainly be very helpful.

Natsume: HeY, Senpai? Could you not look at other people’s phonES?

Tsumugi: Sorry. It’s right in my field of vision at this angle.

But it’s nice that everyone is so focused. It seems Sora-kun was reading a fashion magazine in the common room yesterday too.

Natsume: OhH, Sora went to the common room after thAT?

Tsumugi: Yes. Many people who are in sports clubs come and go there, so he mentioned he wanted to use that opportunity to ask them some questions.

He returned to his room all exhausted, though. As expected of Sora-kun – it seems he had some energy left over.

Natsume: YeAH? What are you doing here, anywAY? Office woRK?

Tsumugi: I don’t always have office work, you know~ I figured I’d might as well get the ball rolling for “Switch”.

I thought I could contact the company using the office computer and ask them to send the documents for past collaborations over.

Getting information on projects involving athletes and talents apart from idols should also help with what we’re looking for.

Natsume: HmM. I guess it’s good that you seem motivated at leaST.

WeLL, we wouldn’t be in this predicament if you didn’t come up with that “proposal” after running around in circlES. You really are cursed, huH.

You’re rubbish at sports so why did you even come up with thIS?

I couldn’t say this because Sora was so positive about iT, but it’s obvious that this proposal doesn’t suit either of uS.

Tsumugi: Ahaha. It’s embarrassing to say but it was something I came up with because I was young and immature.

Natsume: Don’t tell me you were aiming to be a conventional idol who’s athletic and super liveLY?

That would never be possible even if the sky were to faLL. I’d fall into despair if there’s a world out there where you become a conventional idOL.

Tsumugi: That’s not really what I want, either, you know~ I was painfully aware that I wasn’t suited for that path when I was in “fine”.

And “Switch” being a unit that doesn’t follow those conventional trends is proof of that ♪

Natsume: Excuse mE? Are you trying to say that “fine” has what it takes but “Switch” doesN’T? Are you making fun of uS?

Tsumugi: Ehh!? That’s a false accusation! How could I have answered?

That’s a misunderstanding… What I wanted to say was that I want to be an idol who can be with our fans. That’s how I feel.

Natsume: You can say whatever you waNT.

Tsumugi: Ehh~...? Then, if that’s the case, what should I believe in?

…Oh, looks like I’ve got a reply.

It seems they have a collection of the files from previous collaborations. It may take a bit of time, but I’ll head over and fetch those copies.

Natsume: Aren’t you always busy with somethiNG? Do you even have the time to go all the way over theRE?

Tsumugi: Oh, don’t worry. I kept my schedule free for “Switch’s” activities today and I can get the office work finished while I head out as well ♪

Natsume: HmM… weLL, if that’s what you want to dO.

But don’t take too loNG. If you dO, then there would’ve been no meaning to keeping your schedule free fOR “Switch”.

Tsumugi: Yes, of course ♪

Oh, right. Natsume-kun, would you like to do a tarot reading for my little trip?

Natsume: Why woulD I?

Tsumugi: Well, you mentioned yesterday that Sora-kun asked you to do one for “Switch’s” future, right?

When I heard that, I thought I’d like one too... Just kidding~♪

Natsume: Five quadrillion yEN.

Tsumugi: There’s no way I have that much! You didn’t ask Sora-kun to pay you, right?

Natsume: Shut uP. You don’t have the right attitude for someone who’s asking for somethiNG.

The company is waiting for yOU – Why don’t you run along noW?

Tsumugi: I see. I had wanted a lucky start… but it’s because you didn’t want me to be faced with a bad outcome, right?

Alright, I’ll be back with a bunch of materials then!

Natsume: YeAH, yeAH. Off you gO.

…*Sigh* I wasted my time because of hIM.

He even said something weird like wanting to rely on a tarot readiNG. GeEZ…

…………

“The Wheel of Fortune”...

WħȺŧ Ⱥn ȺnnøɏȺnȼɇ.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[satari-raine]

Hi Satie!! 10 / 19 / 22 for the asks hehe

10. Something that made you cry this year?

stares at Sleep Token with red-rimmed and puffy eyes

No, I mean. Certainly their music overall and the last leg of their tour (and Wembley) got to me - not ashamed to admit I cried both out of sadness and happiness at seeing how that specific show went. Honestly, I could probably ramble about personal emotions or connections I've felt with their music, but I don't know if I could be eloquent enough (or interesting enough) to go on that much.

Aside from that, there's been several moments especially towards the end of the year where friends have shared funny videos or I've found some on my own time, and I genuinely love the internet for that - for making me laugh so hard I cry. People and their senses of humor are so endearing sometime, I just want to throw awards at them for their talent.

19. What’re you excited about for next year?

Answered here, but I can certainly add more! I want to start drawing again, and I want to try to make it a daily or weekly practice. Seeing so many amazing artists on here - and being lucky enough to call some of them mutuals or friends - has been a genuine delight, and certainly inspirational. That, and I miss it. Used to draw so much as a child throughout my teenage years and I lost both it and the little talent I had with it due to pursuing writing and being busy with school.

Long-winded way of saying: more creative stuff in the new year, hopefully!

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

Hmm, I haven't traveled much at all due to having to be frugal, to summarize that briefly, but I did get to go out-of-state to a convention where I had to speak at a conference. While there, there was a really nice music shop me and the people I was with visited, and I picked up a book of poetry there by one of the shop owners. (Of course, the English major is going to get a poetry book at a music story, the irony.) Not sure if it was my favorite place, but it was certainly memorable! I really do need to travel more.

Oh, I got to try Caribbean food for the first time while I was there which included a whole deep-tried tilapia, which was an experience? Especially with the bones. Not sure what was funnier, me playing Operation as I ate or my friends and coworkers being all surprised about the entire thing. Super delicious, though.

(As an aside, adding taking more pictures to my "plans for next year" thing. My camera roll is mostly my cats and books my professors showed me.)

[4rainynite]

FANEXPO PT 2

In my previous post FANEXPO PT 1 I mentioned all the exciting stuff I say at the convention now it's time for the exciting part - I got to see Tara Strong and Dante Basco!

I went to FANEXPO with my cousin to see the amazing Tara Strong, we arrived super late due to traffic, but we didn't miss much!

Tara was so awesome while doing the voices and answering the fans' questions.

When it was my turn to ask her a question I asked how Timmy, Bubbles, and Raven would interact with each other? Her boyfriend suggested them getting pizza in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and I began listing all the food we offer here in New Orleans like crawfish, shrimp, jambalaya - Tara asked if there were any veggie options since she is a vegetarian/vegan and I was so nervous/excited to meet her I forgot she doesn't eat meat- then I told her beignets and king cake are vegetarian/vegan and voiced Bubbles, Timmy, and Raven flawlessly!

Turns out Bubble's would eat beignets since they begin with a 'B', Timmy would get king cake because he can put it in his theme song, and Raven would just get a pizza (We do have some good pizza joints in New Orleans).

After Tara's event it was time for Dante's show and he was so cool and laid back. A lot of his questions were about Avatar: The last Airbender, his acting career, and his favorite fandoms. He talked about at one convention how he ordered pizza for everyone (guess it was pizza day). One question was about his role as Rufio in Hook and how he had so much respect for Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, and the late Robin Williams was beyond heartwarming. My question for him were would Prince Zuko react to Jake Long 'Dragon(ing) Up'? Dante said the two would be friends and that meant the world to me!

there were so many voice actors I really wanted to meet, but sadly my job denied me the rest of the weekend off to enjoy the convention!

The moment had come for me to get autograph and photo. I apologized to her because I felt horrible for mentioning Timmy, Bubbles, and Raven eating seafood pizza while she's vegan. Tara laughed it off and told me she found it funny, so I felt better after that. When, it was time for the photo of Tara said she loved my nails - I was dressed as a fusion of Dipper and Mabel from Gravity Falls so I painted my nails and used a nail stamp with the evil eye/ eyeballs motifs on it to resemble Bill Cipher, so we ended up doing a heart hand/ claws combo!

I really enjoyed my (brief) time at FANEXPO I was even lucky to find some goodies from Bumbleberry Hollows, LoganArchChicago, and the expo itself. I got so many compliments on my Mabel and Dipper fusion cosplay, purse, and pins and I got to see two of my favorite voice actors, it was a good night!

Videos: Tara Strong, Tara Strong pt 2, Dante Basco, & Dante Basco pt 2.

[archaeopter-ace]

Back in January I decided that my To Do list needed to be more ~tactile~, and since my new system has been working well going on four months now, I thought I’d share it here

[Image ID: a one-foot square of corkboard in a rustic brown frame, displayed flat on a surface. An eight-pointed compass rose has been painted on it in gold and dark teal, with a circle in the center left bare. At the points of the compass are tiny pins holding metal numbered circular tags in place; visible are numbers 9 through 12. Placed on top of the compass are an assortment of small objects; each object occupies no more than two halves of a point. Object include a Dirt Devil pin, a soda can tab, a yellow push pin, a frying pan and iron from a Monopolgy game, a brown fake leaf, a puzzle piece, a red carabiner, an AO3 Kudos pin, a tiny raven, and white buttons glued together with an charm-sized metal spoon. Off to one side is an upside-down 1.5 inch pot with a strawberry eraser on top. / End ID]

I painted a compass rose onto a square of cork that I had from a previous craft project (the frame is a super-lucky find from Goodwill!). Each point represents one hour, divided into half-hour increments. Number tags are used to indicate time, e.g. I set this one up to start getting things done at 9 AM. (I use a 24 hr clock, so 1 PM is represented with 13)

It only runs for 8 hours unless I go back and update it in the middle of the day, but 8 hours of being productive is enough to be getting on with, and if I don’t hit my targets, then there’s just flex time built in.

Every morning I populate my daily schedule with tokens from a pool of possibilities. And that’s one of the things I really like about this, over conventional To Do list making: I feel encouraged to vary my routine, do something different than I did the day before, give a token I like but haven’t used in a while a chance to come into play.

[Image ID: A large round wooden serving platter covered with small objects, like something out of a kid’s ‘I Spy’ book. Included are: various buttons, a tiny birdhouse charm, a mini Swedish Dala horse, LEGO Spider-Man, two disembodied hands, a 9V battery, toy Mini Cooper convertible I got out of a Kinder egg, white elephant bead, snowflake earring, plastic rat, carved wooden lion, chess piece, supermarket member token, piece of rose quartz with a wolf engraved on it, headphone, rubbed lizard, a 1 centimeter microchip, cardamon pod, fake yellow and blue flowers, plastic shapes, mini halogen bulb, pizza charm, brown glass apothecary jar, and an antique toy refrigerator for a dollhouse. / end ID]

The advantages I have found to using this system:

No red-text OVERDUE designation like on some to do list apps. I get done what I can and that’s good enough. And unlike when I was writing out my list on a piece of paper, it’s super easy to re-arrange as the day goes along.

A lot of people say the fun part of making To Do lists is crossing things off. That is only true if you succeed and actually manage to cross things off. Otherwise you are left with a lot of uncrossed items, which can make you feel worse. Under my new To Do list, the fun part is adding things to my list. I start my day thinking about what I want to fill my day with - fun leisure activities included - and even if I have a very unproductive day and hardly get anything done, just starting out the day every day with this attitude has been a tremendous help.

It only covers one day at a time. I save tomorrow’s worries for tomorrow, just focused on Today

It doesn’t tell me I need to complete given tasks, just that I need to work on them for the allotted time

Brains will read text automatically. I can’t look at a word and Not read it. Which means that with a traditional To Do list, I can’t help but look ahead and worry about an upcoming task I might be dreading. With this tactile to do list, everything is representational. It makes it easier to compartmentalize and deal with one task/activity at a time. Relatedly, it makes it easier to engage with tasks I really dread by giving them a cool token.

It’s flexible. Partly because it’s vibes-based and just needs to make sense to me, but also because I can combine established tokens together. So if I combine ‘Doctor’ with ‘Telephone,’ I need to call to my doctor. But if I combine ‘Telephone’ with ‘Friend’s Token,’ it means I want to call that friend, and if I combine ‘Friend’s Token’ with ‘Computer,’ I should email them instead. ‘Computer’ can be combined with ‘Organize Files,’ etc.

Fun Things and Chores are treated equally. They are all just how I want to be spending my time. This has helped me find time to draw and go for walks, instead of getting stuck in a rut of scrolling on my phone or reading endless fanfiction. There are many and varied ways to entertain my brain, and seeing the maximalist clutter of possibilities every morning helps to remind me of that.

[Image ID: The same board arrangement as the first image, this time close-up from a lower angle. / End ID]

This was my planned schedule for today.

9AM: Dirt Devil pin says clean up house. Paired it with soda can tab for take trash and recycling to dump, and the white buttons and mini spoon that means do dishes.

10AM: large flat brown leather button resting on a Lord of the Rings ring of power, with a one-inch miniature book on top. Go to library, I have some things I need to return. While I’m there, I can take advantage of the distraction-free environment to

11AM: paperwork. It was very satisfying to hammer that nail through a stack of scrap paper. 11:30 This is the token I made to represent Writing. A hexagonal piece of plastic covered in newspaper for the base, onto which I glued a circular bronze-colored button and topped with another button, this one with a swirly green gemlike qualities and gold accents.

12 o’clock: Lunchtime! It’s a frying pan.

1PM has a unicorn-head pushpin and a cast iron raven figurine, representing tumblr and discord, respectively. (For me, ‘tumblr’ here means ‘hey, how about finally getting around to reblogging things from my 4000+ drafts? Or the stuff I’ve been liking since Goncharov that I intended to reblog just as soon as I had the time to go through likes?’)

At 2PM brown leaf says go outside, red carabiner on top says go hiking.

3PM jigsaw puzzle piece says work on a jigsaw puzzle, that one’s pretty straightforward. 3:30 has the iron from a Monopoly game, so I will be putting laundry away.

4PM has an AO3 kudos tag, to remind me to leave one of those comments I’ve been meaning to get around to for ages...

And that’s my planned schedule for the day! If I get even half of these things done it will have been a pretty successful day, lots to feel good about.

[ID: The small brown apothecary jar, sitting in a sunny windowsill. Inside are what appear to be dead insects. /End ID] Bonus! A close-up of the jar of wasps I use to represent doctor business. I think it sums up how I feel about making appointments nicely. (Actually going is fine, finding a doctor and making appointments is the struggle).

[greensparty]

2023 MusicCon Collectibles Extravaganza Wrap-Up

Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to cover the Northeast Comic Con (read my coverage here), a fun cool convention for lovers of comics, pop culture, and collectibles. This past March, I attended the Spring edition of NECC. Over the weekend of June 30-July 2, the folks who do the NECC held the 2023 MusicCon Collectibles Extravaganza, a big celebration of music and collectibles (two of my favorite things!). 

Here is my lightning round of guests I got to speak with at this year’s con:

Micky Dolenz talking to some fans

The big guest this year was Micky Dolenz of The Monkees. I’ve always loved both the music and the TV show of The Monkees and Micky is now the last Monkee standing after the passing of Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith. Fans of The Monkees are fanatical and it’s no surprise that he had fans who came from all over, waited in long lines, for pictures and autographs or photo ops with the Monkee Mobile. Sadly I didn’t get to talk to him. Maybe next time!

Not really a musician, but actor Butch Patrick fit right in at this convention thanks to the Munster vehicles including the Dragula that were on display at this convention. He has acted in a ton of things, but he will forever be known as Eddie Munster on TV’s The Munsters. I asked him about Ben Stiller’s impression he did of Eddie Munster on SNL and The Ben Stiller Show. “I never talked to Ben about it, but I met him briefly at the TV Land Awards, just in passing, but we never had a conversation about it.” Very cool that he had a great sense of humor about it!

Actor/musician Chasen Hampton is no stranger to pop culture, he was in the Mickey Mouse Club from 1989-1992 (Keri Russell was one of his fellow Mouseketeers), a member of the 90s pop group The Party and has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows. In 1997 he appeared the season 1 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer “The Puppet Show”. He said of that episode “It was awesome! When I auditioned, what I had over most people is that I could juggle and they were doing a talent show episode, so they needed people with weird side talents as well. But I was really into special effects makeup as a kid and getting to hang out with the cast and the makeup department was awesome”.

Singer/actress Cherie Currie is a music legend. She was the singer for The Runaways from 1975-1977, as well as an accomplished solo artist, and she has also acted a ton notably in the 1980 film Foxes. I asked her what it’s like for her to know that “Cherry Bomb” is still appearing in numerous movie and TV soundtracks (Guardians of the Galaxy and Dazed and Confused to name a few) and pop culture as a whole and to know the music she made in the mid-70s is still having a lasting influence? “It’s so great to be recognized for doing something in this business. It really felt like it was all for naught for a very long time. So to now see that song become so iconic and appear in so many movies and TV shows continues to be such a gift. Very grateful!” In addition to music, she also is an accomplished chainsaw artist as well!

Drummer Richie Ramone has a massive fanbase, mainly because he was the drummer for The Ramones from 1983 to 1987. He has also done some solo albums, appeared in movies (including last year’s Friday the 13th Vengeance sequel) and written some memoirs as well. That mid-80s era was a very strong one for The Ramones. I asked if he had a favorite album? “Well, Too Tough to Die brought the band back to where they were originally. Animal Boy I love because ‘Somebody Put Something in my Drink’ [written by Richie] lead off the record”. Full disclosure: prior to this convention I had been in touch with Mr. Ramone about a potential project. While it didn’t work out, he was super-nice and supportive and he remembered me when I stopped by his booth. Very cool guy!

Michael Des Barres is like the 6-degrees to so much pop culture I love: he replaced Robert Palmer in the supergroup The Power Station for their 1985 tour (that’s him performing with them at Live Aid and in that episode of Miami Vice), he co-wrote Animotion’s “Obsession”, hosts a radio show on Little Steven’s Underground Garage, and acted in a ton of movies and TV shows (notably David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and “The Smelly Car” episode of Seinfeld among many others). I asked him about the 1988 episode of Alf in which he played the older boyfriend of Lynn? “Well, working with a sock was very different. Suddenly this sock became Sir Laurence Olivier. It’s very hard to work with a puppet, but I found it so hilarious because at that time I was doing so many sitcoms, but I never thought I’d end up literally with a glove [laughs]. But it was a lovely lovely time and I had a great time doing it. I became very friendly with the puppeteer, which is a science in and of itself. The thing with acting and music is it brings you joy, so if you enjoy it, the people watching will enjoy it too.”

me with Mr. Sam J. Jones

When I went up to the booth of NFL-player-turned-actor Sam J. Jones, known for the title character in the cult film Flash Gordon, I reminded him that he and I actually worked on a movie together, Ted 2. Jones played himself in the first Ted and he returned for the sequel, which I worked on in the location dept. in Boston and the production office in NYC. He immediately lit up, shook my hand and wanted to take a picture. Very cool actor!

Mach Bell Experience performing live

Cowboy Mach Bell was the singer for Joe Perry Project from 1982-1984. I talked to him at the 2022 Collector’s Extravaganza. This year in addition to a booth and speaking on a panel, his band Mach Bell Experience performed a ton of his hits. Thrilled to see him still rocking after some health issues last year. 

Speaking of Joe Perry and Aerosmith, the Aerosmith Collectors Archive had an exhibit of their collection on display as well. For a lifelong Aerosmith fan like me, I dug looking over their memorabilia, some of which I was quite impressed with. They are an online museum, but in the last few years, they have had exhibits in Sunapee, NH for Aerosmith Day celebrations. I would love to see this become a brick-and-mortar museum one day!

Oh and did I mentioned there were loads of famous cars on display:

The Monkee Mobile

Munster Mobiles

and best of all, the BTTF delorean!

For info on MusicCons and other NECC events: https://necomiccons.com/

[bigkahuna626-blog]

Convention - Blog Post

So, for my discussion post on a Convention that I have been to, I chose to write about my experience at “MegaCon” in Orlando, Florida. This event is held annually at the Orlando Convention Center bringing together fans of all genres for a weekend of fun. This was the first time I had ever been to an event like this before. I have seen videos of comic conventions online, but I personally had never had an opportunity to go myself. This one was in my backyard, so it only made sense to check this item off my bucket list. I had been to events at this convention center in the past, so going into it, I already knew it was going to be enormous.  

The idea to attend was on the whim of my girlfriend seeing an ad on Instagram for ticket sales. Both her and I being huge fans of comics, Anime, and movies, we decided going would make for an awesome date. We decided that we had to at least try to cosplay like most other attendees. After much deliberation, we settled on portraying “Rock Lee” and “Guy Sensei" from Naruto. The costumes were easy to come by and we happened to both have the same hair styles at the time, similar to the way the two characters do in the anime.  

At first impression, the walk into the event was overwhelming and amazing all at the same time. There were thlousands of people, characters, shows, and items across the convention center's grand hall. I had never expected all of this to be as massive and in depth as it was. The cosplay ranged from a few people that had T shirts replicated after their favorite character (similar to my costume) and others who had created massive works of art that they were wearing. The time and detail put into thier cosplay was awe inspiring. We saw characters like comic accurate sized Thanos and the Hulk as well as amalgamations of characters like Jedi Super Saiyan Goku.  

The second highlight of this convention was the absolutely endless amounts of booths with merchandise. Everywhere you turned there were people selling all kinds of cool collectibles. Figurines, limited edition games and comics, signed memorabilia you name it. It was easy to understand why many people say you need to have a set budget when going to these events, because I was about ready to spend my entire check on things I had always wanted. Lucky for me, my girlfriend acted as my consciousness like a life sized jiminy cricket on my shoulder. While a 500$ collection of accurate demon slayer blades sounded tempting, it jsut was not in the budget.... this time. I was able to settle on a sheik golden All-Might figurine that would look great in my home office.  

The absolute best part of our experience at the convention would be the diverse kinds of shows, tournaments, interactive booths on display. We got to watch people go head-to-head in the most fearsome game of Super smash brothers. We saw a reenacted fight of Zoro and Mihawk from One Piece. And got to go into an interactive “sewer’ to promote the Ninja Turtles Movie.  

All in all, it goes without saying we had an awesome time at MegaCon. To see how these different forms of entertainment and media have impacted the lives of so many is astounding. This event serves as a collective celebration and admiration for the characters and stories that bring joy to our lives. It was a brand-new feel getting to be around like-minded people who enjoy the same things as me and can show it on a whole new level. Showcasing skills, creativity, and excitement for the things that bring us all together !  

[mywifeleftme]

220: David Rea // Maverick Child

Maverick Child David Rea 1969, Capitol

Consider today’s review a dinner bell for any sickos out there looking to hear every good country-folk-rock record released between like 1968 and 1972, as there’s a decent chance David Rea’s slipped by you. I’ll be clear up top: you don’t need to get to this one till you’ve listened to every record in that window by the Faces, Gordon Lightfoot, the Burrito Brothers, Little Feat, Jerry Jeff Walker, Delaney & Bonnie, the Dead, Gene Clark etc. etc. But if you’re a true perv for a certain sound, you’ll get to the point where you’re bringing the heavy digging machinery to the crates, becoming a real champion of three specific Garland Jeffreys songs or well-actuallying people about the post-Lou Velvets.

So, use your level of excitement about this run-down as a test for your level of contagion: American folkstyle guitarist who learned his craft from the Reverend Gary Davis and spent a good portion of his life in Canada as a sideman for Lightfoot, Ian & Sylvia, Joni Mitchell (who wrote a song about him) and the like. Had something like two weeks as replacement lead singer/guitarist for Fairport Convention. Best friend of Mountain’s Felix Pappalardi and co-wrote their hit “Mississippi Queen.” First, and by all accounts best, solo album flits between soulful country, very sincere folk, nasty corn-pone blues funk, and rockish stuff. Looks like someone shaved an Ewok to make it look like Warren Zevon.

Oof. You’ve got it that bad eh?

Rea is an undistinguished singer, but he has a likable voice and he’s wise enough not to leave himself on too many ledges that his superb guitar playing can’t scaffold him a way down from. Session guys often like to see one of their own make good, and Rea gets plenty of help from the best: Maverick Child’s credits are full of familiar names from the ranks of Music City’s finest, including guys from the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Nashville A-Team, virtuoso fiddler Vassar Clemons, and even most of Mountain on the closing cover of “Hellhound on My Trail.” Pappalardi also did his buddy a favour and produced the sessions—we should also be so lucky to get such a finely crafted gift from a friend.

Like a lot of records by sidemen, Maverick Child doesn’t have a super strong identity of its own, sounding like a clearing house for vibes Rea picked up while backing up a variety of artists. It’s all over the place, from the poignant progressive country of the title track to an arrangement of Jimmie Rogers’ “Blue Yodel #9” that sounds like acoustic Deep Purple. There’s even a weird folk story song called “Cannibal Christians” that involves sorcery and ruminations on the nature of pagan souls.

The best way I can describe this record’s finest moments is like this: my girlfriend got a little teary-eyed listening to the title track and exclaimed, “It’s cheating to use those chords like that!” Part of getting deeper and deeper into a particular niche is finding that while at a certain point you’ve heard most of the original ideas that niche contains, those ideas have also impressed themselves so deeply on you that you will eventually become moved just by being reminded of them. Rea takes some well-traveled roads, but he knows the ones that will take you home. Most of the time, he gets you there like a pro, with just enough weird twists to keep you interested. I recommend the trip!

220/365

[gutsybitsies]

#I probably already reblogged this#but yeesssssss#pjo#percy jackson#son of magic#alabaster torrington#he is also topnotch biased narrator who is ready to fight all the tj#nico di angelo#alabaster c torrington

YES this 100%! Alabaster is SUCH a biased narrator, and haley riordan does a great job showing it! having a super biased narration in this case was a good thing because it made the story that much more emotional and raw. his pain, his grief, his guilt, his conviction, twists his view of events!

like i feel like there is so much to unpack in son of magic precisely because of this, and it's so fun to talk about.

for example, alabaster says that kronos was killed by percy, not luke. well one explanation is that he simply has faulty information and assumes that percy killed kronos because that might be the story that reached him after his judgement. but! since the gods were supposed to honor luke as a hero, there's also a chance that alabaster did hear the correct version of events (ie luke betrayed kronos and killed himself), and just chose to think "fuck that's such bullshit, it's obviously a lie." OR he thought "well what's the difference between that, percy is still the cause of kronos' death so it's still true that percy killed kronos"

THEN the whole bitterness about being banished from camp halfblood, WHILE calling the people from the camp brainwashed. Honest to god think that Alabaster really, really REALLY got a good deal because he was still chafing at the bit and still wanted to keep going and fighting. like the gods are not known for their mercy, and he's still alive despite everything.

i think the saddest basically confirmed deaths that we got from Son of Magic are the deaths of those preteens that we saw from Percy's perspective on the Andromeda when he and Beckendorf went to blow it up. like that's what fucked me up the most. of COURSE alabaster would want to kill percy if he had known and had been close to any of those demigods that almost definitely died during that explosion. this is the story from him that i think has the most objective truth to it and we can trust, just because alabaster has seen it first hand and he isn't relying on information he had to glean from other sources.

like yeah maybe alabaster isn't the only demigod to survive andromeda, and maybe some other demigods got lucky as well, but let's be real. percy killed a lot of kids that day. like yes he warned that 12 year old he stopped to get off the ship and to tell the other demigods, but cruise ships are large. and they have no cell reception. his warning maybe saved that particular 12 year old but it would have had very little time to reach a significant number of demigods (if they would even listen).

and again, it's war. i dont know the geneva convention, and neither does the war council headed by literal teenagers who have dyslexia. basically still team percy did the best he could and tried to save as many people as possible but had very very limited resources.

read son of magic and i'm team percy did the best he can in the middle of the war and tried to clean up the mistakes of beings who can vaporize him in a second and was a literal child so sue him if there are times he seemed shortsighted or forgot something. sorry that he, a mortal hero who wasnt the one to father then abandon any children, couldnt have made better decisions that saved every single person in the war that defined his life since he was 12.

but also son of magic was fire, it was pretty great, and i love how it plays with perspectives. i like how old man riordan tries to age down his style of writing but teen riordan is like fuck it we ball. i know some readers say that it changed their view on percy but like this was also very much just alabaster's pov of what happened and influenced by his bias (rmmber how he said kronos was killed by percy, when kronos was actually killed by Luke).

The barebones of what happened to the demigods after defeat was either death or reabsorption into camp halfblood. it's reasonable to assume that quite a lot of titan's army demigods got caught in the massacre, even if it was targeted to monsters and other titans. i just don't believe it was hundreds of demigods, im pretty sure alabaster implied that to be dramatic. i dont think hundreds of claimed greek demigods even existed during that time. Camp Jupiter had 5 cohorts of at most 40 ppl a cohort, numbering at most 200 teen Roman demigods AND legacies at a time. And the Romans were able to have so many because 1) they include legacies and 2) they had a lower mortality rate. So the idea of hundreds of demigods fighting in Kronos' army much less dying for the army? i think not.

Exile was specifically tailored to Alabaster because of how headstrong he and Hecate are and because it's a trait that children of Hecate follow the strongest. Its why he was targeted by Lamia since he's the strongest and once he dies, she gets to be in charge of the rest of Hecate's children. IDK ITS A REALLY DEPRESSING STORY OF A TEEN SOLDIER DEALING WITH SURVIVOR'S GUILT also i think haley riordan did a great job really diving into alabaster's viewpoint

[owlswritingcafe]

The Stars and The Night Sky

Warnings: None at the moment

Reader: Gender Neutral

Word count: 1.2k

Rating: SFW (For now, may have mature themes in later chapters)

Genre: Series, Slowburn, AU, Isekai, Harem, Multi-chapter

AO3 Version

Summary: It’s been a while since Genshin Impact had finally finished its story production and you had just gotten dolled up for a convention made just for fans like you! You spent MONTHS planning your costume and checking out the venues to check off what you wanted to visit for each day.

That is to say… Visiting the actual Tyvat, was definitely not part of your itinerary.

Prologue: Fishing up a Tiny God

You’ve been a long time fan of the game Genshin Impact , from buying merch of your favorite characters to even cosplaying some of them. Hell, you probably think most of your money went into pulling for that one character you loved since they just wouldn’t come home!

However, never in all your years of living would you have ever thought you would actually visit Teyvat other than in the game or fan made recreations…

But, here you are.

Sitting at the fishing spot at the start of that game you loved so much.

Fishing up some emergency food.

You swore on your life you were just heading to the restroom at the convention you were at. You heard of people needing to imagine water to use the bathroom but this was absolutely ridiculous. Honestly, you weren’t sure if this was a dream or if you played Genshin so much that you’re hallucinating about being in it, either way, time to check…

YOWCH!

Yeah… Yeah, that pinch hurt like hell.

Looking in the reflection below, you notice a little addition to your costume that wasn’t there prior.

Lumine’s flower.

A sense of dread fills you up inside. Do you take Lumine’s place in this world? Or would it be Aether? Or both twins’ roles in general? Do the twins even exist in this world-

You feel a super strong tug on the fishing rod that you held, breaking you out of your train of thought. So much so that the force almost took you down with it if you didn’t stand your ground. Man, is this what it was like when the traveler got their Paimon? This was even worse than trying to fish for rare fish in game, was emergency food that worth it?

You hear some howls of hilichurls and wolves in the distance (Luckily much farther from where you stood).

…

Emergency food is absolutely worth it.

And a one, and a two-

And pop goes the Paimon!

While Paimon sat down, trying to catch her breath and cough out leftover water in her system, meanwhile, you help give her a pat on the back and help her.

It currently took all the willpower you had to not pinch her chubby wittle cheeks. She is so much cuter in person!

“Man, is Paimon lucky to see you! Paimon thought she was a goner for sure!” Paimon perked right up after getting all that water out her system. Gosh, even her voice was cuter in person! It was much more reminiscent of her Chinese voice rather than the English version but just as charming as the English version.

“Well, I’m glad I could help! But, what were you doing in the water anyway?” Despite the game being finished back in your world, your memory of certain parts of it seems to be quite patchy. In fact, your memory in general is pretty scrambled. Perhaps the traveling from one world to another scrambled your memories?

“Uhm…” Paimon scratches her head with a saddened look in her starry eyes. “Honestly, Paimon doesn’t quite remember what happened… Paimon was just floating around and then she was in the water the next!” You couldn’t tell if she was telling the whole truth, a half truth, or flat out lying. But, judging by her expression, you didn’t want to push her.

“So, what about you? Paimon’s never seen anyone with your kind of clothes before!”

You paused before you fully formulated a response.

Paimon is trustworthy, right?

After all, she did accompany the traveler in the game through thick and thin, even when things were getting real dicey. Plus, right now, you have no weapon, no power, and no working phone, so you should at the very least keep some emergency food with you. In all seriousness, you are absolutely and utterly alone in this world right now. The knowledge you have of its video game counterpart will only get you so far with the real thing. A Teyvat tour guide would be extremely helpful for you at this moment (And some teammates but we’ll get there when we get there).

“Well…”

You decided to confide in Paimon about your predicament.

“So… What you’re trying to say is that you fell here from another world with no memory of how you even got here? And in your world, this place is a popular game?” You nodded.

“I don’t quite know why I’m here. In the game, there were two other characters in my place. I’m not much of a fighter either.” You mentally sighed at that last part, your characters’ levels really speak volumes since there were times you were too lazy to fight the monsters in game.

“Well… You saved Paimon’s life, so she will do her best as a guide!” The little God puffs up her chest with pride. “Although, Paimon doesn’t quite know how much help she would be since you said you know most of Teyvat already…” She looks down in sadness for not being of much help to you in that aspect.

“That’s okay, your company is all I need. After all, I’m pretty much alone in this world, and anyway, this version of Teyvat could be completely different from the one that I’m used to.” You give Paimon a few reassuring pets on the head as you give her a warm smile.

“So, you can still be my guide in this world!”

Paimon brightened up in response.

“Mhm! First things first, we’re off to one of the Statue of the Seven!”

You and Paimon go through the usual route the traveler did in the game.

Wow, it’s one thing to play the game but it’s a whole other thing going into the world itself! Honestly, you don’t think you’ve ever seen plants this green or water so clear and blue!

The two of you end up at the cliff like in the game. The view was breathtaking in person. Back home when you played the game, this particular cutscene seemed rather lackluster when the game just seemed like a breath of the wild clone at first. But now that you’re here in person, you don’t blame the traveler for looking so amazed.

“Paimon’s not sure if the Anemo God knows anything about you coming into this world, whether they or the other Gods answer you is another thing, but it’s always best to try!”

You nodded, she’s right. There could be a possibility Venti might know something about this situation you’re in, or at least, he can point you in the right direction.

Although… Knowing that drunkard, his lips are going to be sealed tight as per usual.

Arriving to the little island that the Anemo Archon Statue of Seven resides, you touch the statue like what the traveler did to activate it.

What you expected was for the anemo particle to gently travel to you and get absorbed like in the game.

What you didn’t expect to happen was for it to fly 40 mph towards your head to the point you fall backwards and onto your back with Paimon crying out your name and shaking you as the darkness overtook your mind.

Damn, you really got your ass handed to you by a damn energy particle.

Notes: Reader will have specifics of their costume described, but i try to keep it to a minimum though so you can imagine your own design. Also i’ll try to keep characters in character as much as possible but some may be OOC.

If i add sumeru then I will try to make it as accurate as i possibly can and try to do my research, I’ll basically try to do an overhaul and fix what mihoyo is too scared to do, characters will also look different as well. I’ve been a long time player of genshin and fandom lurker but this is my first time writing for the series! My writing has gotten rusty once more, so I hope this fixes my skills up.

*One more thing, if you would like to request anything, feel free to send me something either through my tumblr ask or in the AO3 comments!

Prologue (You are here), Chapter 1, Chapter 2

[thistelltaleheart]

I'm going to say something extremely controversial, but it's something that's been on my mind:

Not all bodies are beautiful.

'Woah there! That's like, body shaming! You can't say that!!' you cry. But just... hear me out. I work with the general public and see them in fewer clothes than they'd probably like and/or realize (I'm a lifeguard). I have seen all kinds of people. Thin, fat, tattooed, weird old men, tiny babies, everything!! And listen, not all bodies are ones that are nice to look at. This isn't because of anything the person did, or even because of "conventional beauty standards". Bodies are weird, squishy things full of gross stuff and that bulge in weird places and don't fit nicely into swimsuits. Sometimes they're funny colors or make gross sounds or are wonkily proportioned. That's just how it is, not all of them look good while existing, and that's 100% okay!!

That's the thing, they may not be beautiful, but all bodies are incredible.

Every single person has things that are absolute pure magic about them because the human body is one of the most amazing things on this planet!! We all have skin that covers and keeps everything in! That has amazing sensors in it that can tell our brains about everything from pain to how soft that dog is! It's got little cells that tell it what color to be, and can even change color with sun exposure to protect the literal thousands of miles of instructions packaged inside every little cell! Sometimes, if you're lucky, your skin can be more than one color! And have cool patterns on it!! Awesome!! Then there's what's under the skin! Miles and miles of blood vessels! A heart that can both sustain the life of its owner and be a comfort to others and reflect the emotions of the person and respond to stress and..!!! We have fat around our organs because organs need protection! And it's a good place to keep extra nourishment if something were to happen because it can get broken down and mobilized fast! We have a liver that does so many functions we don't even know everything about them yet! They also casually regrow themselves like some kind of cool regeneration power from a comic book. But it just Does That. We have cellulite because lady bodies are made to hold more fat safely because we have the ability to create entirely new human life and it needs to survive even in times when you basically have an entire other life sucking the energy and calories out of you. Is it "beautiful" by the way it looks? No! But it's AMAZING by its function (even if it's super inconvenient now). We have a whole electrical system inside us!! That powers every single part of the body and takes messages everywhere and connects all the things. The same system allows us to move and speak and think complex thoughts and make up stories and read books and conceptualize the taste of chocolate and the color we call our favorite and helps us understand algebra and chemistry and the plot of Lord of the Rings and you're telling me this isn't magic?? I think you're lying.

Some other things that aren't "pretty" but are nevertheless super cool: - Varicose veins (you have VEINS dude!!! your own little O2 transport system!! and those veins have valves! and gravity had a bit too much to say about that! And now they stick out a bit, but, like, how cool???) - Scars (Sometimes they're super cool!! sometimes... not so much! But they're all signs you lived and did things that had a great enough impact to leave a mark?? Not to mention scar tissue is its own unique kind of tissue and its composition depends on the injury that gave you the scar (as well as some other factors)? That's because collagen is a thing!! So cool??)

We all have these things. These weird and fascinating and wondrously weird things about our bodies and you want to tell me that what matters is "all bodies are beautiful"? Absolutely not. Some bodies are not beautiful. Some bodies are downright ugly. That's just how bodies are. And that's okay.

But all bodies are incredible, miraculous, fascinating works of art!! That's what they are!

And they're even more special because, the one you have?? Is yours!! And we're creators at heart, friends, and our bodies tell the story of who we are and who we have been, and most importantly, who we are becoming. And guess what?? Not everyone has to understand your work of art! Because it's yours to adorn and change as you choose. And even if you're not satisfied with your own, you can rest assured that your body, no matter its "beauty" status, is one of the most amazing things in the entire universe.

TL;DR - Not all bodies are beautiful, but every single body is one of the most incredible things in the universe, and I think that is even cooler than what society thinks about "beauty".