#i really wish this was just a case of the 20's hitting me hard and fast but i feel like this mental illness stuff and family issue stuff

[sl8bqqa8]

There's a lot going on right now and I thought that if I could sort out my thoughts I'd be able to tackle them one at time but it's just so. Hgngngggggggggggggg. You know? The hgngngngbfbfbg... warning for vent post below

My family is a mess and they remind me of that every day with their constant fighting. I can't go anywhere with my mother and sister without things getting ugly. Then afterwards I have to listen to my sister wish death upon my mother when she needs someone to confide in. And as much as I appreciate her trust/love for me as an older sister and confidant, it just really takes a toll on me when I'm forced to come to the same realisation, daily, that I will never have a normal family. Not even a slightly happy one. And that we were never like that to begin with. A big pattern of the advice my school counselor gives me can be summarised as "fall back on your support system in times of need," but I don't really have a support system. I don't even feel like I'm deserving of one if I'm being honest. Because I've been just as cold to both of them in the past, and it wasn't right, no matter how jaded they made me. But the longing for better days is still the most suffocating emotion I've ever felt. Lately I've been crying every night, reflecting on how it used to feel like we actually loved each other— And I cry maybe once a year so it feels especially pathetic to do so. I just wish I could fix us. It's the one thing I thought I would have no matter what, but every day I'm reminded that what's most important to me is gone forever. If our life together was my "everything" and it's all falling apart now, I feel like I don't have control over anything anymore. It really is the end of the world.

And in looking for support elsewhere, I realised I don't actually have many friends. Even though I'm deeply indebted to the two that I have, and love them dearly, there's still one "friend" that's been nothing but awful since we first met. I clung to them as a particularly naive, socially awkward middle schooler with no friends and a shitty family situation (and therefore a poor understanding of what relationships should look like). But now that I'm older I want a friend that I can actually mature with; And said "friend" hasn't changed since 8th grade. I feel like the entire basis of this friendship is me entertaining the whims of someone who still acts 14 with no intention to change any time soon. And I want to break it off with them, but they often use threats of suicide for lesser offenses. And as much as it sucks, and as much as being with them makes me miserable, I really don't want them to die. I truly wish the best for them and want to imagine that they'll be able to find healing even if I'm gone. But truth be told, along with their mental struggles they're also a deeply vindictive asshat and take any criticism to be an insensitive witch hunt. And I really don't want to feel responsible for someone's death over my personal boundaries, much less be on the receiving end of eternal harrassment and tarnishing of my name to their associates— So I tolerate them. Our relationship is half formed and insubstantial and piss poor but I can't bring myself to break it off, and they'd keep me bound to them in chains and handcuffs if they could anyway. So what's the point in trying to leave.

On top of that I'm horrible in school and I have yet to find a job. It's community college so its not super expensive, but I've already wasted my parents money by flunking out of two classes, and if I don't pass this current class (67% as of now) I'll flunk out and waste that money too, plus I'll be barred from going to this campus entirely (as per the school's regulations). I feel like a failure. A dysfunctional waste of money and space that doesn't deserve the air I breathe, because I can't do something as simple as passing my classes and getting a job. I just sit around being a useless sack of shit of an eyesore. People look at me and all they see is wasted potential. I can tell, and I don't necessarily disagree.

I'm also not medicated, though I have a feeling being on something would help me solve at least one of my problems. I'm stuck coping with alcohol and the occasional energy drink but that's about it. It makes me feel like shit everyday, and sometimes I wish I never learned how to make mead in the first place, but I don't even care anymore. I don't feel deserving of wellness and anything that helps me get by is a godsend, anyway. Diagnosis, therapy, and medication are expensive with our new shitty insurance plan. The gallon of alcohol I can make in a month is much cheaper in the short term. It just isn't worth the trouble.

And even though it's the ADHD tripping up my life the most (the potential autism can stay tho it's honestly a vibe) that pretty-much-confirmed StPD is also fucking me over. But who even cares at this point. Losing touch with reality feels like the least of my worries when reality is already this cruel. If anything it's almost helpful, at least when I'm not basically being sent to the Torture Nexus.

And as a result of all this mess in my life my room is a fucking mess. I don't like being in it. The trash piles up and nothing is where it should be. I want to redecorate my room to make it enjoyable but I'm beyond unreceptive to feeling happy at this point. Every night before I fall asleep I sit in my bed wishing I could just go home. But then I remember that this is my home and it makes me wanna vomit. It's all such a mess now.

[sleepytoycollection]

Barbie Dream Besties "Brooklyn": A review

Barbie Dream Besties is a newly released doll line by Mattel, and is a spin off of their main Barbie line. Looks wise, they seem to be a spiritual successor to My Scene, Ever After high, and the more recent Barbie Extra/Barbie Extra Minis. Also trying desperately to compete with LOL and Rainbow High.

They are $20 USD each retail.

I was interested in these for three reasons: 1) I liked Ever After High and My Scene. 2) They have much more quality outfits than I tend to see from modern Barbie. 3) @queenofsquids enjoyment of them made me hopeful I'd like them too.

So do I? Let's find out.

I choose the character Brooklyn as I like her face up the best.

Her packaging is the standard plastic clam shell that seems to be all over the doll aisle anymore. I can't say I love it. I miss the cardboard boxes, so much easier to open and so much less plastic.

This box isn't super great aesthetically either. There's a lot going on in the service of nothing.

Which is a shame, because I do really like the actual character art on the box. It's super cute and matches the dolls really well. It would pop even better if the rest of the box was a smidge simpler. Sometimes less is more.

The back of the box.

We get more of this delightful artwork, showing of the full set of characters available at the moment.

We also get a short character bio for Brooklyn. She wants to be a choreographer, loves making dance routines, video editing, and creative writing. Despite her favorite color being listed as pink, she has no pink in her outfit and only one pink accessory.

Here is the box without the cover. This is what I meant when I said the box design was doing a lot for nothing. Over packaging isn't just a problem with Mattel dolls of course, MGA is arguably worse, but it's still frustrating.

Brooklyn herself is very pretty though. I tried very hard to pick one without a wonky face, but the way she's posed makes it very hard to tell.

I think one of her eyes is slightly bigger than the other. It's not enough to bother me at least. That said, so many of these were VERY wonky at the store. I would not buy these online unless you can see the specific doll you're getting. The QC is all over the place.

Here are all the accessories she comes with.

I do appreciate that all her accessories tie into her interests and character. That said, these are hit and miss.

The purse is nice, and does open.

The dog is okay, but I don't really care for these types of doll pets. It looks more like an in-universe toy than what's supposed to be an animal.

I initially liked that the phone and case were separate, until I tried to put the phone in the case and it didn't fit. It will not go in there. If I force it in, it just pops right back out.

It's a shame because I liked the 80's Barbie logo case, but without the phone in it, it looks weird when the doll is holding it.

At least the phone fits into the ring light stand.

May I also say some of these accessories feel really flimsy? The phone and Ipad are VERY thin plastic.

The boom box in hollow and unpainted.

I wish instead of having seven mid accessories we could've had two or three really good ones. Or nixed all of them and given her a stand. The doll herself is nice enough to deserve a stand I think.

Let's look at Brooklyn. She's pretty darn cute. She stands at the standard 11", and has saran hair with tinsel.

Her outfit isn't my favorite though. Mattel stop giving your dolls ugly fur sleeved varsity jackets challenge. This could've been so cute as just a regular varsity jacket.

Despite being ugly, the jacket is made pretty well. Though a button was already falling off mine. That poor QC strikes again.

Though I suppose it's moot as I doubt I'll ever put this jacket back on her ever again.

Now that she's free of that ugly thing, you can see how nice the rest of her outfit is. I didn't realize how much I missed dolls getting to wear neutrals until I saw her plain denim skirt and white tank top.

It's simple, but she's dressed like a real person. Plus, I can easily pair these pieces with a lot of other outfits. Doll wardrobes need pieces like this for mixing and matching.

Body wise she's a bit smaller than Barbie, and her feet are a little bit larger. This body reminds me a lot of the current bodies for the Disney Princess line now that Mattel has it back, though those have larger feet. If I can find the one I have, I'll do a body comparison to those later.

Her sculpt in three views. The Ever After High comparisons are very apt, though the screening itself is more reminiscent of My Scene mixed with a little bit of G3 Monster High.

For comparison, here's an actual EAH doll next to her. Brooklyn's head is just a smidge larger, but balanced out better with larger eyes, thicker brows, and bigger lips.

After this, I got Brooklyn redressed with just a few changes...

I replaced her jacket with this vintage Barbie and the Rockers one, added a necklace, and hey! Now she gets to wear her favorite color.

Final thoughts?

It's a good doll, but the quality control issues, on top of the same BS Mattel throws on all of it's dolls anymore, is dragging it down.

The fact you have to look through every single one of the shelf to make sure you're not getting a crappy one is exhausting. Plus, kids don't do that. They're going to get home with their new doll and then realize as they open it something's wrong. Kids don't deserve that.

The accessories are mostly cheap and not special enough to justify their existence. The purse, phone with case, and ring light would've been enough if they were made a bit better.

The outfit is well made, and a huge improvement over what I see in the main Barbie line, even if I don't like all the design choices, but again, that's if you get one without QC issues.

The doll herself is super cute though, and screw it, I like the tinsel. Fight me.

Overall I really love this doll, I just wish picking one out wasn't a hassle. Hell, I even bought a second one already.

I got inspired enough I wanted to repaint one, so I purposely bought this wonky Renee because she had the worst face up out of everyone at the store.

So I think there's definitely potential here. If this line continues, I hope they can improve the way G3 Monster High has improved from it's first wave.

I hope this can be the start of Mattel revitalizing it's Barbie line as well. It needs it. See ya next time.

[wolfofcelestia]

I have a question and you seem pretty experienced so I’m hoping you can help me out. Is it required to make a lot of wishes? I’m a semi new player and I’ve never played a game like this so usually I just pull on the limited time banners and hope to get the card I want, nothing else. But most of the time, it takes me at least 135 pulls before bringing home anything. Some people say “I’ve made this many pulls so I’ll be guaranteed to get this card at the next event.” And it actually works out for them. Idk this is all so confusing. I guess I need a wish guide in general. Like when should you pull and how many would you normally do?

It's not "required" to make a lot of wishes, but if you want to guarantee that you'll get the card you want, you'd have to hit hard pity

If you're super lucky, you might get a 5* card when you have low pity. Meaning that the count down to your pity is at a high number, but I wouldn't rely on this happening very often, or at all

For example, if you look at my pity right now:

Pretending we're starting from a brand new banner, this means I would need to pull 65 times to hit soft pity. This means I will get a 5* card, but it's not guaranteed to be the card I chose for my Precise Wish. It will most likely be one of the three that I picked to be on my rate up.

In my case, I chose Zayne, Sylus, and Xavier. Zayne came home on my soft pity even though I chose him for my Precise wish. That means my pity resets because I got the card I wanted. I then changed my Precise Wish to Sylus, and Zayne came home again at soft pity. This guaranteed that the next 5* I get will be Sylus, but the chances of me getting a 5* at all still depends on this pity count

Soft pity = 70 wishes to guarantee any 5* card, with the 3 event cards you chose being more likely to appear Hard pity = the next 70 wishes guarantees that you get the card that you picked for your Precise Wish Meaning, if you're very unlucky, you would need to make a maximum of 140 wishes to hit hard pity

The closer you are to pity, the more likely you will get a 5* card. Most of my 5*s came when I was 10-20 pulls away from pity since the rate increases the more you pull

If my case above was a little confusing, here's a more straight forward scenario:

I chose Zayne, Sylus, and Xavier as my 3 rate up cards. I chose Zayne as my Precise Wish. I rolled 70 to hit my soft pity and got my first 5* on this banner. It's Sylus, not Zayne. This earns me the Precise Wish point and guarantees that the next 5* I get will be Zayne. I rolled another 70 on the same banner to hit my hard pity. It's Zayne, because it's guaranteed that I will get him. When you get the card you selected in Precise Wish, your pity resets and you begin again at soft pity with 0/1 Precise Wish point.

Your soft/hard pity does not carry over to the next event banner, but your count does. So, as seen in the above picture, my pity count is at 65 now. This number will be the same on the next event banner, but my guarantees don't carry over

Meaning, if I hit soft pity here and don't pull more to hit my hard pity, the next banner will still start at soft pity. Precise Wish points don't carry over to the next banner

As for when you should pull, it's really up to you. As a long time gacha player, my rule is to only pull when you have enough rolls to hit hard pity (140). This would guarantee that you get the card you want while not just throwing your diamonds into the gacha abyss

But if you feel lucky enough to get the card you want at soft pity or even before that, you're free to do whatever you like

This approach is just not my style because I know I'm not lucky at all

I hope this clears up some of your confusion, but if you still have more questions, feel free to ask!

[mydearestkippy]

7 Sept 2023- 32w0d

Dear Kippy,

6-8 weeks more to go before I see you, our darling baby girl, in the flesh. I really cannot wait. Today, at around 1.8kg and 43cm, you are apparently the size of a small rock melon. Or a chihuahua.

It's been almost 26 weeks (~6.5 months!) since I last wrote in here. I wish I could have updated more regularly during these 6.5 months, but I guess I have been distracted / tired. I think there is a lot of getting used to in pregnancy, both the good (like official announcements, friends/family celebrating with us, finding out your gender after a loong wait, passing my gestational diabetes test, people giving up their seat for me on the train, etc) and the not-so-good (breathlessness, tailbone pain, itchiness around my belly button, emotional spikes, increasing fatigue, retching every time I brush my teeth since first tri, etc). Work and church, especially the latter, have also continued to take up quite a lot of mommy's time, energy and emotional/mental capacity.

During the same period, daddy has also been going through a mentally/physically difficult time, especially in being hard-pressed in every direction at work and having to take up the lead in life-group. He also does all the laundry now, although we have since hired a cleaner to come in every other week for 3 hours. For a while he wasn't able to exercise much because of persistent lower back pain, which makes him feel worse. Tired, heavy/heavy-hearted, stressed and unmotivated are some words to describe how he has felt during this time. I think it is a little better now because his back is recovering so he can exercise again, but there are days that the load can still feel quite heavy for him. Mommy wishes to do more for him, but perhaps taking good care of myself and you is the one thing he needs most from me now.

No matter how tiring things get, it is the thought of seeing you soon that keeps us going. It is the grace and love of Jesus, that we remind each other of, and which sustain us, daily. We have done up your room (I hope you will love it!) and procured most of what we need (pre-loved or brand new from friends which we are super thankful for), and we are now left with just the last minute perishables to cart out (diapers, diaper cream, wet wipes, sunflower lecithin, etc).

You, at week 13 going 14:

You, at week 21 going week 22 (the day we found out you were a girl!):

Your perfect 3D face at week 28:

During weeks 20 to 30 (mid second tri till first 2 weeks of third tri), mommy diverted her energy to baking/cooking. I really enjoyed using my kitchen/my oven this period. Now I can make a near perfect banana cake and jelly heart tarts, and my matcha / choc chip chewy cookies have also been a hit. You are in for a delicious treat (when you get older!)

From week 30 onwards though, mommy's energy levels suffered an exponential dip. I now average 10-12 hours of sleep a day (longer if I had exercised in the day), excluding hour-long naps that I take almost daily while WFH. There have also been some days where Kippy you get so active at 5am in the morning that after waking mommy up to pee, mommy could not go back to sleep after tossing and turning for an hour, in which case mommy has an early breakfast and does some baking/reading/work before she conks out again for another 2 hours before starting her day.

Mommy examines her changing body, which is a house for you, and wonders if it will ever be as before again. Sometimes mommy feels discouraged by the sight of her pregnancy-induced physical changes: facial blemishes, pale pallor, double chin, saggy/flabby body parts all over, thunder thighs, and swollen legs and feet. The weighing machine tells mommy that she has put on 8-10kg and mommy's clothes remind her that she is expanding exponentially. It used to be a tussle between S/M for clothes, but now I could be anything from M to XL. Mommy's friend commented that mommy is looking more like a "whale" now and mommy can't stop repeating this word to daddy - first as a joke, then as a... statement of belief?? I am a whale, I am a whale, I am a whale. Mommy isn't an irrational person by nature (I know most of these will pass), but in the thick of it, all of these can make me feel really negative about my body image. It is something that most ladies struggle with - the difference is just how much.

But God responds to mommy's cries. I saw a post by an ex-mentor lately on her own reflections re: her past pregnancy, and it resonated in such a timely manner. "I was looking at my body in the mirror today and thought: dear bod, you have done an amazing job. You've carried a baby and nourished it in you for 9mths, delivered it, and have continued to provide for it tirelessly, sacrificing sleep, making milk, staying strong so you can continue to give. And yet sometimes I look at you almost in disdain, picking on the areas where you don't look or feel too perfect. But how can you be the same after all that you've done? You're perfect and I'm thankful for you."

In the midst of all these changes I have been going through for 7+ months now, I remember that He is using my body as a vehicle - to carry out his perfect miracle of creation. He is giving me the privilege of experiencing, through a keenly lived 9 month journey, how he knits every bit of you together in my womb. If we read about the science of the changing pregnant body - how hormones dip and fall and how organs adapt and evolve - to perfectly cater to the growing needs of the foetus, we wouldn't be able to deny that a Miracle Maker has to be behind it all. How then can I not be humbled by his choice of a vessel in me? How then can I not be confident that only good things will come to pass as long as I trust in His timing, His seasons and His providence? How then can I not be assured by His love for you and His power over you?

Not to mention that pregnancy is merely the uncomfortable prelude to a greater eternal blessing to come - you.

I am thankful for all my dearest friends who have journeyed with me closely and pointed me towards God's kindness throughout these 9 months of pregnancy, my family who has tirelessly asked after and cared for me, and especially my husband who has always reminded me how beautiful I am to him, and how thankful he is to me for carrying his daughter to term. If pregnancy has been a trying time, then as with all trying times, it has revealed to me the people I can count on, even beyond this period. I can't wait for you to meet them soon. You will be so dearly loved and cherished by them.

Instead of wanting to fast-forward this journey in my usual impatience, I will savor and treasure the last 1+ months of you being in me. I will give thanks for every kick, every hiccup, every flutter, every stretch that I feel from you, because it means that you are healthy, active and well. And when you finally come, daddy and I will tell you just how wonderful life is now that you are in the world.

[volturiwolf]

Road Rage - A Paul Lahote x fem!Reader Imagine

Tagging (from previous Paul story): @xxx-wounded-angel-xxx @chocolatechipcookiesandcamembert @florence-end @emmy1148 @ilove-bts @crazyacegirl @emerald-jade1 @lahoete @navs-bhat @aquanova99

I was driving down the provincial roads of Washington, going towards La Push, where my friend, Nessie, and her family were waiting for me. “Immortale” by Måneskin was bursting through my rental car, which Nessie had arranged for me, as I was hitting the steering wheel in the rhythm of the song. I loved that song so much, I was singing it at the top of my lungs - at least, the parts I knew how to say.

(Y/N)’s POV

“Credimi, credimi, sono diventato immortale (Believe me, believe me, I became immortal).”

I was tired after flying for 20 hours and having to drive for another 4, but this song always brought my mood up. That, and the fact that I managed to sleep plenty of hours through the flights. I was counting down the hours until I reached La Push. It was Nessie’s birthday tomorrow, and she had invited me over to spend a few weeks with her and her family. 

Nessie and I met when she came to my university as a study abroad student. At first, she only planned to stay here for a semester, but that turned into two semesters - the maximum time study abroad students were allowed to stay there. I was heartbroken when she had to go back home, but she had promised me she’ll do anything to meet again.

I didn’t know what it was with Nessie - or Renesmee, as she was officially named. She was such a fun person to be around. She made everyone feel welcome and happy, and she was probably the easiest person to get along with. She was up for anything, but she was also the most responsible out of everyone, kind of like the mom in our small group of her, me, and my four other friends.

I was getting more and more excited the closer I got to La Push, though I still had to drive within the required speed limits. It was really difficult to estimate the kilometers to miles, and thankfully the car was already in miles, but it was still difficult to keep up with the speed limits around here. The US was really strict with the speed limits, which I never experienced before, but better to be safe than sorry. I didn’t want to get deported or something, so I drove much slower than I usually did.

I liked driving fast, testing the car’s limits, as well as my own, and kind of brag about my driving to others. I liked driving fast, but I was also extremely cautious, and these two often clashed with each other. I would sometimes hate slow drivers, and other times I would wish other drivers drove more slowly. Unfortunately, I had terrible road rage in either case.

Fortunately, I was aware of where I could drive fast, and where I had better drive slowly and carefully. And these narrow, provincial roads were not made for speeding. They were steep from the constant rain, and they had too many turns to count - the very opposite of a road to speed on.

That, however, did not stop the asshole that was following me from almost bumping onto my car, speeding beyond my own comprehension, and almost colliding with the back of my car. Said asshole was flashing his car’s lights and honking at me as if any of these would actually make me go any faster. I was driving for over three and a half hours, just to come across this ass in the last 20 minutes of my driving.

The man kept honking and trying to scare me into speeding or moving over so he could run past me. I was a bigger asshole than he was and my anger rose rapidly as it usually did, so I stepped gently on my brakes, forcing him to step hard on his before he decided that enough was enough. 

He stepped on his gas, and, with an abrupt movement, ran past me, before cutting me off and then speeding off like the ass he was. I sent a lovely open palm on his side, cursing him, and continued driving. My heart was beating fast all this time - a mix of fear and adrenaline, and I was slowly trying to calm myself down, but my hands were still shaking. 

“Just a few more minutes, (Y/N). Just a few more minutes.” 

I was trying to calm myself down, as I was known for getting too angry too quickly, and now, it was not the time for that. I had to remain calm and collected. It was Nessie’s birthday after all, and I didn’t want to ruin everything because of a random asshole. It would be the first time I met her family and friends, and I wanted to leave a good impression, not be the angry ass around here.

I reached the address she had given me after a few minutes. The house seemed small and old, slightly worn out by the rain and humidity, but the location, being slightly away from other houses around the area, offered peace and quiet. It wasn’t a place I would have imagined Nessie would be staying - she dressed too expensive, and spent a lot of money, at least when she was a study abroad.

“(Y/N)!” Ness ran up to me the second I walked out of my car. “I’m so happy you’re finally here! I missed you so much!” Nessie’s embrace was so tight and overwhelming, but warm and welcoming. 

I took a step back to look at her. She hadn’t changed at all. She had the same sweet face, wavy curls, and bright smile as she always did.

“It’s nice to see you, too, Nessie. I missed you, too.” I answered back wholeheartedly, but the look on my face did not match my sincerity.

“Hey, boo, what happened? You don’t seem happy to be here.” Ness furrowed her eyebrows, looking at me worriedly. 

“Well.. Can I vent to you a bit?” 

“Of course, you can. Come on, let’s go inside and you can tell me everything.” She took my hand in hers, and she led me into the house.

The same house that looked old and worn out on the outside was nothing like its interior. It was so warm and welcoming, beautifully decorated with warm, earthly colors, and was actually much bigger than it looked from the outside. Ness sat me down on one of the couches in the living room.

“Now, tell me, what’s got you so upset?” She smiled encouragingly.

“Well, someone almost crashed on my car. I was driving slow, not just because of the police, but, you know, the roads were steep and I was scared. He came behind me. He was running really fast, and he kept honking and flashing his lights. And I got scared, but you know me, I wouldn’t just let this asshole do whatever he wants. So, I stepped on my brakes, he stepped on his. He was really mad, he moved past me, and cut me off. He almost sent me off-road! So, I just showed him my open palm as he drove away. I still feel the adrenaline and the fear run through me. It felt like a near-death experience.”

Ness was looking at me shocked. “Because it was! (Y/N), you have to be careful around here. Did you, at least, notice his face or anything? Do you remember his car, his car plate?”

“Well, I did notice him in my mirror. He was…handsome, but an asshole nonetheless.”

“I’m sorry for that, sweety. I hope you are better now. Would you like to meet the rest of my family?”

“I thought you said your actual family would be away for the week.”

“Well, yeah, but I mean my La Push family; Brady and his family and friends. We’ll have dinner at Emily and Sam’s place. They’re like our mom and dad, even though they do have their own kids.”

“Oh, do you go there often?”

“Well, pretty much every day. Or every other day. Emily is the sweetest and her cooking is amazing. Brady and the others are already there.”

“The others? How many more are there?”

“Well, apart from Brady, Sam, and Emily, there are Jared and Kim, Leah and Angela, Seth and Daniel, Quil and Claire, Embry and Laura, Collin and Diana, and Jacob and Christine. Oh, there is also Paul, but I’m not sure if he’ll come. Everyone told him to be there, but you never know with him.”

“So, there will be just couples?” That made me nervous. I was definitely going to be left out.

“Oh, no, don’t worry. Even if Paul, who’s the only single, won’t come, we’ll still stay together. You won’t be alone. And the girls are amazingly sweet. You’ll see. Now, go get changed and ready for dinner. I’ll be waiting right here.” Ness took me to - I assumed - a guest room and gently pushed me in, closing the door behind me.

She had left some underwear and a red, long-sleeved dress with a deep V-neck on the bed for me to wear. I sighed sadly; I hated wearing dresses, and Ness knew that, but she may have had a reason to do so. Without questioning her intentions further, I went into the small bathroom and got myself cleaned quickly. I came out 10 minutes later and got dressed and ready within a few minutes. I met Nessie back in the living room.

“Wow, (Y/N)! You should definitely wear dresses more often. It looks beautiful on you.”

I turned around to look at myself in the mirror. Sure, it looked good but it was not as comfortable as my jeans and t-shirt. “I’m just doing it for you, Ness.”

“Mmh, sure, hun. Let’s go. The others will start eating without us.” 

We walked outside and got into Nessie’s Volvo SUV Hybrid. Now, that was a car I knew Nessie would drive, ‘cause I knew she loved luxury. Ness was way more comfortable speeding through the narrow roads than I was, and yet she never crossed the other lane once. 

Within a few minutes, we were in front of a house similar to Nessie’s, though this one was a two-floor house and it was literally surrounded by trees and woods. There were ten other cars in front of the house, which I assumed belonged to the people waiting in the house for us. Ness parked behind a truck and we exited her car.

“Everyone seems to be here, except for Paul, but it’s okay. I’ll be by your side, so you don’t feel uncomfortable. But I’m sure you will quickly feel at home. Everyone is very welcoming and kind.” 

Nessie’s smile encouraged me and calmed me down a bit. I didn’t know what to expect coming here to this new place, meeting these new people who were already a big family. We walked up the porch stairs to the house. Most people were sitting in the front living room, with the exception of a woman and a man walking around in the kitchen, still preparing food and setting up the table. 

“Hey, guys! This is my friend, (Y/N), that I told you about. She’ll be staying with Brady and me for a few weeks. (Y/N), these are my friends that I told you about.”

I greeted every single one of them before Ness led me to the kitchen. “(Y/N), this is Emily and this is Sam. They kind of are like a mom and dad to me, so I usually call them my parents, though they’re not too much older than I am.”

“Hello, Emily, Sam. It’s nice finally meeting you.”

“Hi, sweetheart.” Emily hugged me tightly, and I could feel all of my stress washing away. “How are you? I bet you had a long and tiring trip. Are you hungry? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, well, it was long for sure. 20 hours flying, 4 hours driving. It was…something else. I am a bit hungry, thank you.” I chuckled.

“Nessie, get (Y/N) to sit down in the meantime. Everything will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Where are the kids, anyway?” Ness wondered, and I remembered she mentioned Sam and Emily having children.

“Oh, they're up in the Macah rez for a few days. It’s not often we have guests around, and the kids haven’t seen my parents for a while now, so I thought that it would be a good time for everyone. Go sit down now.” Emily gently pushed us towards the living room. 

Ness went straight into her boyfriend’s, Brady, arms, and they leaned on each other. I went to sit nearby, looking around at all the happy couples, sitting in the living room, embracing one another. I felt like a fish out of water, being the only had around who had no one to hug and lay down next to or on. I felt awkward, to say the least. 

Ness broke the silence. “So, where is Paul anyway?”

“He needed to break off some steam. Apparently, he got road rage again. But Sam told him he has to be here, so he will come eventually” A guy, I think his name was Embry, answered back.

“What’s new, really?” Another guy commented, and everyone around laughed. 

I didn’t know who Paul was yet, but he sounded like an angry guy for sure. Looking at all the people around me, I didn’t know if I would like to cross paths with him. It wasn’t that I wasn’t someone who got angry too quickly for no reason, but at least, I didn’t want to have to deal with someone who acted the same way as I did. Calm people brought me calmness, and I preferred to be surrounded by them rather than people who were similar to me. 

“Well, speaking of road rage, someone almost crashed into (Y/N) on her way here.”

“What? How? Who?” A girl asked upset.

“I don’t really know. Some guy. I was driving slow because I was scared, I didn’t know the roads, and I wasn’t going to drive too fast around here. And then this guy comes speeding behind me and he almost crashed into my car. I slowed the car and he got angrier, so he drove past me and almost threw me off the road.” 

“That’s terrible, sweety. Are you okay now?” Emily asked concerned, now standing across from me.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Everything is fine now.” I smiled at her, slightly moved that she showed so much interest and cared for me.

The next few minutes went by with everyone talking, asking me questions, and commenting on my answers. Overall, they were really nice people, and I saw why Ness was so happy to be around them. They didn’t make me feel nervous or anxious; on the contrary, they made me feel very calm and I could easily open up to them, though there seemed to be something they hid from me, which I wouldn’t question them about, at least not yet.

The conversation was interrupted by a guy entering the house with heavy steps. He looked frustrated at something, as he went to sit alone at the dining table in the kitchen. Everyone turned to look at him, but no one dared to say anything, as if they knew better than to irritate him even more. 

It was only when he turned around to ask why nobody had eaten yet that I recognized who he was. The man looked around everyone until his eyes fell on me. He looked at me shocked, almost as if he froze in his place, unable to say anything else.

I felt my eyes almost popping off, as I turned to Nessie and whispered. “Ness, that’s the one who almost threw me off the road earlier.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul’s POV

I was literally fuming. I was driving towards Emily and Sam’s place for the dinner Emily was preparing for Nessie’s friend who would be arriving in town today. She would be staying at Nessie and Brady’s house for a few weeks, and Nessie asked us to be as discreet as we could about the shifting thing around her. Not that I would be around her or the others as much; I didn’t like these big gatherings anymore. 

Everyone was hanging out with their imprints, and I would be the only one who had been and will be alone, so after some time, I started ditching all these meetings and dinners. I would have ditched tonight as well if it weren’t for Sam forcing me to come along. I was already angry, but I was trying to control my anger, so as to not risk exposing our secret to Nessie’s friend later.

But I was running late, and I was already pretty angry about it, thinking every complaint the others would make the second I arrived there. To add to my anger, there was a car in front of me driving so slow, it almost made me crawl out of my skin. The driver, a woman, was driving too slow for my liking as if she had never driven here before. I couldn’t help myself when she refused to speed up.

I started honking and flashing my car’s lights at her, hoping that she’d wake up and step on the gas a bit. She looked me through the mirror, angry but smirked a bit, before stepping on her brakes, forcing me to step on mine to not crash with her car. Not caring if Chief Swan or any camera caught me, I stepped on my gas, driving quickly past her car, and cutting her off by stepping on my brakes.

She looked at me angrily, shouting but I couldn’t hear her, before I sped up once again, leaving the bitch behind. My heart was beating fast with anger, and I couldn’t force myself to calm down, no matter how much I tried. I changed the course of my route, going to my house instead. I quickly sent a message to the pack group chat, letting them know what happened, before I ran towards the woods, bursting out of my clothes, and running. 

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

I had been running for about half an hour before I decided that I was calm enough - not completely, but enough - to go by Emily and Sam’s for dinner. I quickly went back to my house, took a quick shower, threw some clean clothes on me, and hopped in my car, driving towards the house where everyone had been waiting for me.

Reaching the driveway, I parked beside the last car that was parked there, which happened to belong to Nessie. I stepped out of my car and jogged towards the house, stepping in with heavy steps. Everyone was already sitting in the front living room, talking with each other, until I stepped into the house which made everyone stop and turn to look towards me, as I walked towards the kitchen and sat on a chair at the dining table.

“Why hasn’t anyone eaten yet?” I looked around at the familiar faces before my eyes fell on the most beautiful creature I had ever met.

And then, the world around me stopped, and I could not focus on anything but her. It felt as if the whole world narrowed around me, and that girl was in the center of the new world that was created around me. I was looking at her bright eyes that shone under the sun, her perfect skin, her perfect face. I could see our whole life pass before me. I could hear her gurgling laugh, and see her eyes twinkle. It was the most beautiful and breathtaking spectacle I had ever seen in my whole life. 

And then I came back to reality. Everyone was looking at me shocked, as the girl looked confused, being the only one around here who did not know what had just happened to me. Nessie, who looked shocked at first, quickly grew frustrated, leaving Brady’s side, as she came towards me and pushed me off of my chair.

“Are you serious, Paul? You almost threw her off-road, and now…this?!” Her eyes were popping, full of anger and disbelief.

I didn’t understand what she meant by that, until I looked back at the girl, letting Nessie’s word sink in. And then, I realized that it was the same girl I almost bumped into with the car; the same girl I was honking and flashing my lights at; the same girl I almost…killed? All because of the anger that took me over.

I stood up, walking slowly towards her, unsure of how she felt. “Hey. I’m… I’m really sorry. I have no idea what’s gotten into me at that moment. I’m really sorry for everything.”

I saw her gulping. “It’s okay.” Her voice was trembling.

“No, (Y/N), it’s not okay. He could have gotten you killed! For no reason!” Nessie spat.

So, her name was (Y/N). Her name flattered my insides and made me want to melt from all the attraction I was feeling for her right now.

“Nessie…” Brady silently begged his imprint to calm down.

“No, Brady, he should feel guilty. You almost killed her. My best friend!” Nessie looked at me. “Your imprint!” She barely whispered, so only the pack and I could hear.

“Nessie, please don’t give it any more time than it already has. It’s fine. I’m okay. Nothing happened. What’s done is done. Yelling and arguing about it won’t change anything, so just let it go.” (Y/N) tried to calm her friend down, but I could only hear her soft voice in my ears.

I felt incredible shame and guilt. Even if she wasn’t my imprint, I only now realized I could have actually killed a human because of my anger. I had never been like that. But my day was terrible - I had to stay longer at the mechanic shop I was working at, because of a customer arriving at the last minute, and I was already late for dinner. However, that was no excuse for my behavior.

I slowly walked towards (Y/N), feeling so guilty. I leaned in front of her and took her hand in my own hands. She looked at me shocked, and I could feel she was getting uncomfortable, but I had to do this.

“I’m really sorry, (Y/N), honestly. I don’t know what’s gotten into me and I acted like an asshole. I never meant to scare you or even dare to kill you. I would have never imagined you were so important to m…Nessie. I’m really sorry for my behavior. It was inexcusable. I hope you can forgive me and we can start over.” I let go of her hand, and stood up, extending my hand toward her. “Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Paul, Paul Lahote. The hothead around, and probably the biggest asshole you could ever meet.”

(Y/N)’s shocked face was immediately replaced by a smirk and a chuckle, as she shook my hand. “Hi, Paul. Nice to meet you, too. I’m (Y/N), (Y/N) (Y/L/N). As much as it doesn’t show right now, I’m the hothead around my own family, and probably a bigger asshole than you are.”

“I hope you can still forgive me.” I smile slightly at her, not knowing how she felt about me.

“That may take some time, Paul, but I can definitely try.”

I was going to work my ass off for (Y/N) to forget and prove to her that I can become the best man she had ever met.

[f1united]

Zoo - DR3 Imagine

Daniel Ricciardo Imagine

Summary: You and Daniel are having a family day and talk about the future :)

Word Count: 2.9k

Please let me know if you have any f1 requests, I am more than happy to write anything for you!

As much as you loved watching Daniel race, you were grateful that you were able to spend some time with him now the season had ended. Although you were lucky enough to attend many races, your work schedule wouldn’t always allow it and you also wanted to still have time on the weekends to catch up with your friends and family.

You’d decided to spend this Christmas in Australia, it was your first away from home, but you were loving the warm weather and seeing a bit more of Daniel’s family. You had met them plenty of times now and were so thankful for how well you got on with them. It was late last night that Daniel had climbed into bed with you, he had been out seeing some of his old friends, leaving you to have the house to yourself that evening.

You loved spending time with Daniel, but it was nice to have some alone time after the busy race weekend. You had a nice long bath and a mini pamper session before painting your nails in front of the tv. You were so tired that you can barely remember him coming home, only noticing when the bed dipped beside you as he pulled you close to his chest.

Your early night may have been the reason you woke up so early the next morning. You weren’t really a morning person but had got a bit better at it over the years. Daniel’s family were coming over for breakfast and then the plan was to go to the local zoo. His nephew loved animals and when you had suggested the idea everyone couldn’t see why not, plus you hadn’t been to a zoo outside the UK and wanted to see if it was any different.

You rolled out of bed and into the shower. Your shoulders relaxed as the warm water hit your skin. It wasn’t as nice as the heat from Daniel’s body, but then you didn’t think anything could ever beat that. You stepped from the shower onto the fluffy bathmat, quickly wrapping yourself in a towel to dry yourself off. You walked into the dressing room opposite the bedroom and slipped on a nice summer dress. You rummaged through the drawers to find some nude underwear that would be discreet under the light colour of the dress but were unsuccessful, realising they must be in the utility room drying with the clothes you had washed yesterday. You placed your towel in the wash basket and made your way downstairs.

The view from Daniel’s kitchen was beautiful, the white rectangular island stretched for metres and looked across to the dining table and lounge area where you’d often have company. The folding glass doors separated you from a huge garden, some of his nephew’s toys were littered around the patio from when he’d last visited and the paving stones drew your eyes towards the pool.

You were lucky to have met Daniel, it had always been you dream to work in Formula 1 and you were beyond grateful to have had the chance to join McLaren in your early 20’s. Of course you knew who Daniel was, and he grew to know who you were. Working mainly at the office in the UK, you didn’t often see him to begin with. You weren’t too annoyed about it, as you fancied the pants off him and found it hard not to blush anytime he even looked in your direction. Your team was more in the background, didn’t attend races and just focused on the work at hand so when a few of your team members began getting invites you were slightly confused. You’d spoken to Zac Brown about it, he had interviewed you for your role and you had got on very well with him ever since. He had just said that your hard work had been noticed and smiled as you left his office.

Your team was overjoyed with the invites to races, it was something all of you had always spoken about. You were more of a family unit, you saw each other for hours on end every day and had grown so close that summer barbeques and birthday get togethers happened regularly, they made great drinking partners.

Whenever you’d see Daniel at a race, you’d wish him good luck as everyone else around him would too. However, you didn’t know he’d noticed how your eyes lingered on his body slightly longer whenever he was in his race suit or how you intensely stared at his hands when he ruffled his hair after he took his helmet off. It wasn’t really new to him, someone was always watching, but something about it being your eyes had got his attention. It made him slightly nervous if he was honest, but the thought of you watching meant he wanted to go out there and do the best he could in the hope that if he saw you after the race you might congratulate him with a smile on your face, and even the thought of that gave him butterflies.

Even though you were unaware of this, there was never a time he’d finish a race and you wouldn’t congratulate him. You’d grown up watching him race and just thought he was brilliant. A mixture of his personality and nonstop smile along with his determination meant that even in a race where Lewis Hamilton might even be about to win a championship, you would still be watching his car. Whether it was in 2nd or 16th, that’s where your eyes would be. Some of his crew has started to pick up on it, although the people you worked closely with sometimes joked about your little crush on him they never mentioned it outside of the group. As much as it was all fun and games, there was a mutual understanding that this was a professional environment and things like that weren’t to be joked about around management, and especially the drivers. It wasn’t any comments they’d noticed, they would tell Daniel after races how you’d been shouting at the screens just as much as they had, often louder. How you’d cheer when he overtook someone, even if it only meant it was for a single point.

Sometimes he’d question why they told him these things, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice and they all rolled their eyes at him. They’d noticed how he’d look for you after a race, craving the smallest conversation from you and how he would instantly start paying more attention if he heard your name mentioned. They would poke fun at him and wind him up where they could but at the end of the day he understood he was there to race, and that’s what he did.

You were emptying the dishwasher when his arms snaked around your waist and kissed your shoulder before resting his head on it and whispering a small morning into your ear.

“I’ve been calling down for you, what has you in a little world of your own?” he questioned as you both swayed from side to side lightly.

“Nothing” you smiled as you placed the bowl you’d picked up on the side and turned around to face him.

“You sure about that?” he smirked as your eyes found his. “That smile suggests otherwise” It was true, you were grinning from ear to ear.

“Just thinking about when I first started coming to the paddock, and now here I am in the kitchen of the best-looking driver in Formula 1” he let out a small laugh as you spoke. You wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a small peck on the lips.

“What can I say? I’m great with the ladies” you playfully smacked him on the arm and frowned before laughing and turning your back to him to continue unloading the dishes. He moved his hands down from your waist to your arse as you bent over to grab something off the lower shelf. Then to your surprise he lifted the bottom part of your dress up.

“Daniel!” you laughed as you shot up and turned around again.

“You seem to have forgotten to put on underwear” he winked at you

“That isn’t my attempt to seduce you” you giggled as he started kissing your face. “It’s in the utility room”

“Lame excuse” he continued kissing you, starting to trail down your neck. Just before he could do anything else, the doorbell rang. He looked at you and groaned as you let out a laugh.

“I’ll go and put some underwear on while you let them in” you unwrapped his arms from around you and left a kiss on the corner of his lips as you made your way across the kitchen and he headed towards the door.

“Or don’t” he responded.

“I’m not really planning on flashing anyone accidently today” you replied. You heard him laugh as he opened the door and greeted his family. His parents and sister’s family made their way into the kitchen as you came out the utility welcoming them all with a hug. It had been a few months since you’d last seen them as you hadn’t been able to make it to all races.

“It’s so lovely to see you” his mum spoke as everyone began sitting down on the sofas. You were nervous when you first met his family. The age difference between Daniel and you wasn’t huge, but it had certainly gained some media attention. You didn’t want his family to think you were with him for his money and fame or even think that you were too immature to be with him. You had never brought it up with him before you’d met his parents, but he could sense you were nervous and knew why. He knew there wasn’t anything for you to worry about but didn’t say anything as he didn’t want it to play on your mind. He was right though, they loved seeing the two of you happy together and could immediately see how genuine your feelings for one another were.

“I’ve missed you guys; I’ve been looking forward to today for ages” you smiled. It was true, you loved spending time with his family. You had a relatively small family but that doesn’t mean it drama free, there was always something going on and here you felt slightly more relaxed. Daniel loved that, for years he couldn’t imagine bringing someone into his family in case they didn’t get along but when he saw how well you fitted in he couldn’t help but watch and smile.

“Y/N” his nephew shouted as he ran through the kitchen towards you. He held him arms out for you to pick him up and you placed him on your hip.

“How are you little man?” you asked

“I’m okay, look!” he said pointing down to a scrape on his knee.

“Oh no, how’d you do that?” you asked

“I fell over out there on the drive” he explained.

“Shall we put some cream on it?” you asked, “we don’t want it to get dirty do we?” he nodded his head as you spoke and carried him over to the medicine cabin and sat him on the worktop before grabbing some antiseptic cream out and rubbing it into his knee.

“Look Uncle Daniel!” he shouted across the kitchen to get his attention as he showed him his knee that now had a plaster on.

“Wow, Auntie Y/N has fixed you!” he gasped making the little boy giggle as you picked him up and put him down on the floor so he could explore wherever he wanted.

“Auntie Y/N?” you questioned Daniel as you began to get food out of the fridge for breakfast. You spoke quietly, you had never been called that before and didn’t want his family thinking that you were the one who wanted to be called that.

“What’s wrong with that?” he replied as he grabbed the eggs and bread from the cupboard next to you.

“Just haven’t been called that before, I don’t want him to think he has to call me that”

“He always calls you Auntie Y/N” Daniel said casually which caused you to freeze a bit. You had been dating for about 3 years now but hadn’t really considered that his nephew had grown up with you around and didn’t know any different. You continued to place the bacon next to the stove and grabbed a frying pan out from the drawer below.

After breakfast was over, you all headed to the zoo and spent the day wondering around visiting all of the animals. Seeing Daniel with his nephew made you smile, they had so much fun together. You also secretly loved when he went into dad mode like when he was making sure that he’d had enough to eat or drink and making sure he had enough sun cream on and wasn’t too hot. It made you excited for the future, not that you had spoke about it in much depth. You both wanted kids but hadn’t discussed when, you just figured it would happen when it felt right.

You all headed back to the house after the zoo, it was getting quite late, so you’d all ordered a takeaway. Daniel’s parents left not long after while the rest of you had some drinks, agreeing that they would all spend the night in the spare room so his nephew could stick to his routine. You didn’t drink much, only a gin with dinner. You wanted Daniel’s sister and her husband to have the chance to get a little bit drunk so agreed to stay sober in case something happened to the toddler and someone needed to be able to drive.

He was currently asleep leaning against your chest while you were all sat on the sofa’s chatting.

“I’ll put him to bed” Daniel’s sister went to get up from the sofa, but the sudden movement sent her head spinning slightly and caused her to sit back down. Everyone let out a little laugh as you volunteered yourself to carry him to the room and make sure he was settled for the night. As you carried him upstairs he stirred a little. Placing him in the bed he started muttering about the animals from today, you spoke back quietly, careful not to wake him even further as you stroked his head lightly and he drifted back to sleep. As you got up to leave, you jumped at Daniel standing in the doorway.

After shutting the door slightly so the noise from downstairs wouldn’t disturb him, Daniel spoke up. “I thought I’d see what was taking so long” he was slightly drunk, his eyes a bit drowsy compared to their normal alertness.

“I’ve been gone for about 2 minutes lover” you replied as he embraced you in a hug.

“I know I just like seeing you with him” now he was just being soppy. You laughed and took his hands into yours as you stepped back.

“I like seeing you with him too” you winked.

“Maybe,” he whispered as he hugged you again, “we should give him a cousin” he lifted you up as he spoke, and you wrapped you legs around his waist. He started walking towards the stairs but then walked past you towards the bedroom.

“Daniel Ricciardo we have visitors’ downstairs” You laughed as he carried you into the room and placed you on the side of the bed.

“They won’t hear if we’re quiet” he suggested as he ran his hand up your thigh.

“No but they’ll definitely know what we’re up to” you ran you fingers through his hair as he leaned over you before pulling him into a kiss. You continued for a minute or two until you could feel him starting to get hard against you. “We can continue this when everyone’s gone to bed” you voice was almost a whisper, you wanting this as much as him but not wanting to be rude to the couple sat downstairs, although if you’d have been drinking too you were sure it would be a completely different scenario.

It wasn’t until late the next morning after waving goodbye to his sister, brother in law and nephew that Daniel had mentioned your conversation from the night before. You both headed back upstairs to the bedroom, you were meeting some friends for lunch and both needed to get ready.

“I wasn’t kidding yesterday” You were doing your makeup in the ensuite mirror as he dried himself off from the shower. You were concentrating more on his body in the reflection than where you were spraying your setting spray. “I want to have kids with you”

With Daniel being older, it played on his mind that by the time you wanted kids, he’d be too old. He hadn’t wanted kids when he was your age and expected you to feel the same but he also didn’t want to be an old dad, he wanted to be involved with as much as he could for as long as he could. Even you thought you’d be a bit lost for words when having kids were mentioned. When you were younger you had wanted to have a secure career path and always imagined having kids in your late twenties, maybe even early thirties. However, things were different now. You loved your job and you had the man of your dreams alongside you.

“Let’s have a baby then”

[kuiperblog]

The first 1% is always the hardest

Usually, the hardest part of acquiring a new skill is starting it for the first time.

When you’re at an intermediate level of progression, you can usually just increase your skill level by incrementing up the difficulty linearly.  If you’re a novice weightlifter and your best overhead press is 125 lbs, try adding 5 lbs to the bar and see if you can overhead press 130 lbs. (If not, keep lifting 125 lbs every few days until that becomes “easy,” then challenge yourself with 130 lbs again.)  If you can do 10 push-ups, you will probably reach the point where you can do 11 push-ups, and 12 push-ups, and 15 push-ups, and 25 push-ups, and so on.  The hardest part of lifting is day 1, when you might be performing certain motions for the first time in your life, and challenging your body to work muscles that you didn’t even realize existed.

I imagine the same is true of other fitness regimens: once you’re able to run a 9 minute mile, you probably have what it takes to run a 8:30 mile, or a 8 minute mile, if you keep at it.  Eventually you’ll hit a plateau and the limits of human performance, but the first day in the gym is always the hardest.

This is sort of how the trajectory of my writing career went.  And having talked to artist friends, and musicians, it seems like all of them followed a similar trend: they found a thing, they stuck with it, and over time found themselves advancing along that path bit by bit.  It became a hobby or a routine such that over time, by  by investing a bit more time, or a bit more effort, or challenging themselves a tiny bit more, they got better at it.  And over years, the compounding returns of that meant that the girl who got a drawing tablet at age 14 found that by the time she was 22 years old, she had enough artistic skill to make enough money from her art to make a living.

I think that in a lot of cases, people were able to start down that path of gradual self-improvement in part because they were able to somehow bypass the hardest part of it -- they blazed right through the initial difficulty without even realizing it.  They couldn’t even really answer the question of “When did you start drawing,” because they’ve always been drawing since the days that they were just doodling with pencil in paper at school. Maybe they just really enjoyed playing outdoors as a kid, and played soccer because it was fun, and made the seamless transition to being a high school athlete. In my case, I spent a lot of time writing long-winded forum posts explaining the finer points of topics I was passionate about (which, at age 13, was mostly Pokemon and Final Fantasy), and somehow by my 20′s I had enough of a penchant for explaining things that I was able to parley that into a writing career (so I can get paid for my long-winded explanations of Pokemon-related topics).

The early days of learning to write kind of sucked and were difficult.  (For starters, remember how unintuitive that QWERTY keyboard was the first time that you learned to type? Remember how painful it was to hunt-and-peck your way through sentences at an effective rate of <10 words per minute?)  But my desire to talk about Pokemon on message boards overwhelmed any difficulty or “suckiness” involved with learning to express my ideas through text, and so the suckiness of those early days wasn’t really much of an obstacle.

More and more, I’ve come to believe that the most important part of learning a new skill is finding a way to get over that initial difficulty hump -- of finding a way to survive the first day, and then the first week, and then the first month, and eventually reach a point where inertia carries you forward on a gradual upward slope of self-improvement where you’re not even consciously thinking too hard about improvement; you just randomly muse to yourself one day, “Oh yeah, this barbell I’m picking up weighs about 100 lbs more than the barbell I was lifting a year ago. Fancy that.” The longer you keep at it, the easier it is to stick with it.

In many corners of the internet, there’s an oft-repeated adage that “Watching anime won’t teach you to speak or understand Japanese.”  And sure, that’s obviously true on some level. If someone is thinking they’re going to spend a thousand hours watching subtitled anime, and then one day flip off the subtitles and be able to follow everything without missing a beat, they’re probably a bit delusional. If you want to actually achieve anything approaching Japanese fluency, you’re probably going to have to take a Japanese learning course, and engaged in spaced repetition to pick up and retain vocabulary, and all of the other stuff that goes into learning any language.

But I think that watching anime does provide you with one big advantage: it goes a long way toward helping you cross that “day 1″ hump. Because the first day is always the hardest. Going from 0 to 1 is harder than increasing your vocabulary by a few new words every week.  Before you can get the compounding returns from incrementally improving at a skill, you have to have a starting principle.  And I think that watching anime is actually quite good for that, because only knowing “weeaboo Japanese” will give you 20-30% of the vocabulary that’s included in your first couple Japanese lessons.

I’m speaking from personal experience: it’s incredibly heartening to go through a lesson and encounter words that I’m already familiar with.  Even if my fluency in “weeaboo Japanese” only covers 10% of what’s introduced in a given lesson, having a head start gives me an intangible confidence boost which makes it easier for me to focus on and retain the other 90%.

I don’t want to understate the importance of that intangible confidence boost: a lot of language acquisition is getting comfortable with a language, and repeating something so much that you do it without even thinking about it. For example, in English, sometimes sometimes someone might ask you “how’s it going?” and you might answer “fine” before your brain has even consciously registered the meaning of what you were hearing, or saying. And I’m enough of a weeb that I can hear i tenki desu ne and immediately reflexively respond with sou desu ne, before my brain has even consciously registered the question being asked (sometimes taking several seconds to mentally backtrack and realize, “Oh right, the “i tenki” part means “nice weather.”).  But years and years of listening and pattern recognition have taught me that when someone ends a sentence in desu ne? with the sort of inflection that says “I’m asking you a rhetorical question,” the proper response is probably sou desu ne, and my brain produces that response just as reflexively as it spits out “I’m doing fine, how about you?” any time someone asks “How’s it going?”)

One thing I’ve come to notice is that every lesson begins with some of some amount of review, giving you that spaced repetition, and providing context for the new words and concepts that the lesson is about to introduce, and generally provide a foundation for the new material.  Day 1 is, by necessity, the exception -- how can you “review” material that you’ve never covered before?  But for me, the day 1 lessons on how to say nihongo and arigato and watashi and anata were already “review” of topics that I picked up through years of being a weeb.

Besides that, there’s the fact that the structural elements of Japanese are something that my brain was naturally able to grok in a way that is intuitive to me after spending years listening to spoken Japanese even though most of it is contextual. (Like, I’m not sure when this happened, but at a certain point I think my brain just kind of learned, when listening to Japanese sentences, to approximate which parts were the verb and where certain clauses landed in the sentence, if only because when watching anime with subtitles you become consciously aware of when a character’s name appears in the dialog.) I’m not really consciously thinking about it, which kind of feels like the “natural” way to learn a language.  (After all, it’s not as if native English speakers, as toddlers, consciously think to themselves, “Ah, it seems as though English typically follows a subject-verb-object grammar structure.” Kids just listen to adults speaking English and form sentences that way without really having to be formally taught.)

It’s highly likely that at some point in my internet career that I have at one point been the cynical message board poster telling someone that, contrary to their fantasies, watching anime isn’t going to help them learn Japanese in any real or material way, and if I’ve ever suggested that, it’s time for me to eat crow.  Because while the advantage that “weeaboo-level Japanese” gives you might be small, and only help you on the first few days of Japanese class, those are the most important days, because the first 1% is always the hardest.

My familiarity with “weeaboo-level Japanese” has only given me one disadvantage, and that is that years of memes have poisoned my brain to the point where the first I was prompted with “say ‘excuse me’ in Japanese,” my brain (and mouth) immediately spat out “sorrymasen,” and I wish I could say it only happened once, but it wasn’t until around day 3 that I managed to fully train this habit out of myself.

[albino-whumpee]

I posted 933 times in 2021

315 posts created (34%)

618 posts reblogged (66%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 2.0 posts.

I added 1,051 tags in 2021

#ask - 183 posts

#whump - 106 posts

#illustration - 105 posts

#sketch - 105 posts

#anon - 103 posts

#doodle - 103 posts

#art - 100 posts

#drawing - 99 posts

#painting - 79 posts

#albus - 68 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#............................................................................................................................................

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Creepy whumpees caring for their feverish whumpees and casually saying they like them better like that. So obedient and pliant, but above them all, they look so pretty with their flushed cheeks and glassy eyes. They wish they could keep them that way forever

110 notes • Posted 2021-10-30 02:20:39 GMT

#4

Read this one Zhongli and Childe fic and this scene just screamed at me to draw it so. Here.

@rice-hime (hope you like it!)

117 notes • Posted 2021-11-18 15:53:09 GMT

#3

I love gentle caretakers as much as the next person, but I do love rough handling in the early recovery. 

Caretakers that find their feverish whumpee has an infection they have to drain and clean and they´re doing their best, but whumpee keeps swatting and hissing and the biting is the last string before Caretaker immobilizes them roughly and cleans the wound so harshly Whumpee can´t help but cry in agony. 

Just the way Caretaker tries so hard to be gentle but Whumpee is so feral they just resort to their size and weight to overtake them to the point they´re both hissing warnings and insults at each other, before Whumpee slowly starts to give in because they´re used to rough handling, but they´re feeling...good? They´re not being extremely hurt? 

Pulling on their hair while brushing still hurts tho, (it´s so matted after all) but it feels so light to have it cut and then, Caretaker is sure to put on thick gloves because there´s no way Whumpee will let them wash their hair, but to their surprise Whumpee just goes still with their hair mussing up on the warm water. 

More Caretakers that have to handle unruly Whumpees with force that slowly washes away their fury and distrust, please. 

296 notes • Posted 2021-08-20 23:50:17 GMT

#2

@whumpmasinjuly Let´s make a meme for day 13! :)

531 notes • Posted 2021-07-14 02:20:47 GMT

#1

do you have any advice for younger / newere writers? you write so much and you're very skilled! i'm inspired by you

Aww thanks! Maybe I write a bit too much ahaha.

Well, idrk what you’re searching advice for so I will give general tips.

Before writing:

Do your research. Not only about the subject, but if there’s people out there who have also thought about the idea and have a tag for it.

Set a goal. I suck at this myself, but having a not-rigid word count goal (with timer if it makes you feel more motivated) really get your gears going. There’s a few pages that make it more entertaining too!

Warm up Drabbles. Nothing better than writing something adjacent to what you really want to write just to warm up and get a bit more creative so you hit the zone quicker.

This is optional but if you have time, make a page for your characters and setting. Like a reference page so you don’t go write someone is 160 cm when you have already said they’re 178.

While writing:

Limit your editing. It’s tempting to correct in the moment, (more if you’re unsure about grammar) but sometimes while fixing something you lose your pace and in the worst cases, forget where you were going. Editing can come later.

If you’re gonna have CW at the top, highlight the key words so it’s easier to go through it later.

After writing:

Don’t delete your scrapped ideas. You don’t know when you might wanna use that idea, so even if it’s never used having an scrap document for them is great.

If you didn’t like the end product altogether, it’s fine to put it aside for a while and come back to it later to see if it really should be abandoned in the scrap document or tossed away. Sometimes a little bit of time makes the errors look less severe and fixable and the good things to pop out more. Let it brew!

Pass your text through a beta reader and a program that allows you to correct your grammar and spot typos.

To gain attention:

Quick note here, don’t get discouraged if you don’t receive millions of likes in your first chapter. Sometimes it takes two projects or more to get traction. Keep going regardless of numbers! They don’t dictate how good you are!

Interact with others. Slide into inboxes, participate in ask and tag games, reblog other people’s fics, make collabs. most people are cool with being tagged in games even if you’re not mutuales with them so don’t be shy! Although, Don’t just talk to people to use their following.

Take part in writing/drawing challenges. July has the @whumpmasinjuly event with a prompt list, as there is events like the month of writers, nanowrimo, whumptober, etc.

Keep writing and explore other ideas besides your comfort zone. This started as a whump writing blog, but evolved into positivity, some art and writing (even occasional thoughts and poetry) The variety lends itself to grow your range of public and to expand your creative library.

Promote yourself. Shamelessly self reblog your favorite fics, or just reblog it for the timezone difference. You’re proud of what you wrote and I’m proud of you for writing it, but sometimes tumblr sucks and I won’t see it immediately. So don’t be afraid of reblogging your own things!

Make your own events and ask games. DTIYS, requests, giveaways when you hit a follower milestone. If you have the time for it and have fun doing it, go for it!

This is my personal opinion, but having visuals for your story such as mood boards, picrews, illustrations, etc. Makes me more interested in a story. It’s also an easy way to present your characters to your readers.

Have fun. It’s noticeable when an author is having fun writing it and when it feels like a chore. I’m not telling you to absolutely love it, just to trust in yourself and what you’re doing a bit. If it doesn’t feel right, revision it. If you can’t find it, hand it to someone and ask for their opinion. Not having fun doing what you love hurts like a bitch, and it just rubs salt in the wound when it flops or you can’t stand reading through it. So, explore ideas, maybe go back to your comfort to come back to the new a bit less scared. Or maybe find new inspirations so you can go rush and add new stuff and weed out what doesn’t seem right.

Overall that’s it I think. @ashintheairlikesnow has a great tag for new writers in her blog so I advice to check that out and ask more people. @thewritershandbook is also a good resource place!

Good luck anon! I’ll be cheering on you.

832 notes • Posted 2021-06-29 19:19:54 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

----

Honestly, I´m not even surprised there´s nothing of my writing there, but I truly appreciate all the support given throughout this year! I hope the next one is a good one for all of us.

[thatpinkbetch]

Bkdk Fic Rec

I’ve been inspired to write a fic rec! This one goes out to you @lonely-rabbit

At like, the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 I stayed up until 4am every night reading fics, and because I’m such a loser, I made a word doc to keep track of all of them so I wouldn’t forget them.... I tried organizing it by length but it got messy cause I’m ridiculous and cluttered, so sorry! (I’ll save my own for the end alskdjflsdkfj gotta self promote you know). This is going to get...really long, so I’ll put it under a read more! Also, just a heads up, these are all on ao3, in case that’s important to anyone!

Disclaimer: Any fics with mature or explicit content I will add a bolded warning for, even if it’s only a little bit. Normally most fics will be tagged as such, but some fics that are rated as teen I’ve found to be more suggestive than some of those rated as mature, so I will try to point it out where it feels necessary, for anyone who wishes to avoid it.

Fics under 1k:

Illuminate by TheQueen (269 words)

Summary: Bakugou watches the first firework launch and fights to keep his face neutral

Very short, plot is about a case of amnesia, also very cute and well written for that length! Not angsty at all imo

sweaty hands holding secrets - shounentwink (563 words)

Summary: Someone said Midoriya holds secrets in his hair.

It’s not true: He holds it tightly in his hands. Bakugou’s seen it.

I really like this writer! You’ll see quite a bit of them in this post alkdsjfalskdjf

Fics 1k - 10k:

Many sunflowers later - Jeka (2395 words)

Summary: Scholar Midoriya Izuku comes back to the person he left behind after his journey through the kingdom, the mighty dragon clan leader Bakugou Katsuki.

Day 1 of Twin Stars Week 2020: Fantasy AU.

First of all, fantasy au!!! Second of all, jeka!!! (I need to read more of your stuff!!) Anyways, so cute, such lovely, pretty writing, wonderful story telling, and they’re so in love TT_TT

Boom Badoom Boom - warschach (3429 words)

Summary: Izuku's working the kissing booth at the school fair, it just so happens Katsuki has been crushing on him since the first grade.

“Did you—“ Izuku parted his mouth with no sound leaving it, “Did you pay?”

“Yea.”

“For a kiss?”

This one’s a little silly but I love it still. It’s got a “kids in the 80′s over summer vacation” vibe, I think. I love warschach! I should read more of their writing... They have SUCH good bakudeku content! *It’s rated teen but there’s some suggestive content, just a heads up!

Hopeless Ramen-tic - lalazee (7155 words)

Summary:  Midoriya is a cute guy who works at a ramen stall and Bakugou is thirsty as hell, but has to hide it by being an asshat. Another love story.

Ah, so good TT_TT so much sass, such good plot development and story telling for a simple concept *It’s rated as teen but again, it can be suggestive at times!

I’ll share this with you, so leave it behind - yabakuboi (3508 words)

Suammry: For the sake of the story, All Might is never in need of a successor, and, when Izuku saves Katsuki from the sludge monster, encourages young Midoriya down a different path. Thus, Katsuki and Izuku part ways after junior high, as Katsuki enters U.A. and the Midoriyas move overseas. It’s later that Katsuki realizes that there’s something missing, that he drove that something away.

Years after, Katsuki finds him in the last place he looks, in the cereal aisle at the local grocery store of their childhood neighborhood.

So soft, so sweet, so good if you just want to curl up in a comfy blanket and drink hot cocoa and feel warm and cozy and a little in love

The Secret Deku Box - yabakuboi (2241 words)

Summary: “Y’know, Bakugou never, ever talks about girls,” Kaminari says, his voice thoughtful.

“And I wonder why that is.” Ashido rolls her eyes.

“I’m just curious!” Kaminari whines. Kirishima drags the box out, unlabeled and unassuming, the lid not even fully clasped over the edges. “The guy has to— Whoa, what’s that?”

Kirishima realizes a little belatedly that this is a serious breach of privacy, and Bakugou will actually murder all of them. “Nothing!” he cries, attempting to shove it back under the bed, but Ashido snatches it away.

“Please be his porn stash!” Kaminari whispers as she whips the lid off.

Cute, funny, in canon, in character, and a must read I would say! 

daisy bunches and heather branches - halcyonwhispers (5862 words)

Summary:  izuku falls in love with the foul-mouthed tattoo artist next door.

Not another flower/tattoo shop au.... aldskjflaskdjfd Okay but punk!Bakugou is ALWAYS a smart move imo

the best part of me (is the worst I can give) - halcyonwhispers (5668)

Summary: Whole sentences usually make up people’s Words, but Katsuki got stuck with a name instead.

Izuku’s name.

I am such a sucker for soulmate aus when it comes to these boys TT_TT *There is some mature content, just a heads up!

Hard to Say - halcyonwhispers (8390 words)

Summary: Izuku is a Halfling, born after his faerie father spirited away his mom and then left her behind. Never quite fitting in with the humans or any of the supernatural beings in his small town, Izuku hoped that going to a diverse college in the big city will help him finally make friends.

Katsuki’s family has been powerful witches for generations, and he’s no different. Talented and a proclaimed genius to boot, he knew he shouldn’t waste his time on this dumbass (disgustingly cute) half-blood.

Or,

two idiots fall in love and don’t get that the other’s awkward cues are just a result of romantic tension.

I am ALSO a sucker for fantasy/mythical creatures au and I LOVED this one - Bakugou absolutely unable to handle how cute Midoriya is? Perfection - but it’s unfinished, and I don’t think it ever will be continued, unfortunately TT_TT

lots to unpack (throw away the whole suitcase) - shounentwink (4315 words)

Summary: “How’d you know?” Midoriya asks.

There’s a hunch to his shoulders that wasn’t there three hours ago. Freckled shoulders are kissed sunburnt and red: he looks like someone ran him over and left him like roadkill in the sunlight. Bakugou’s working with insurance today, but he could see the sparks of green lightning even from his elevated position in their shared agency. Midoriya’s holding his thumb, cracking it over and over — it looks like he’s rubbed it raw.

“Dunno,” Bakugou says. “Maybe you’re just easy to read, nerd.”

I love this one so much, it was one of the first ones I read, it’s so good, and it’s another that really affected how I view their relationship! Idk this one just hit for me

hang the moon from us (it’s a no from me) - shounentwink (1200 words)

Summary: Midoriya’s gonna get sick of Bakugou one of these days, and then the whole ruse will be over, and the balance of power will tilt beyond salvation, but that day isn’t today and it looks like Bakugou knows it.

What an asshole.

Once again, I’m a sucker for the fantasy au... But even more, the diction, the details, the imagery...it’s absolutely all stunning here. I wish I could write this pretty

In Which Bakugou Finds His One Tru Luv - Erina (5862 words) This is the first one of a series called The Misadventures of Explodo-kill Agency!

Summary:  Welcome to the Explodo-kill agency! We can destroy your buildings, crash your cars, and help you solve one of the seven mysteries in life: who is Bakugou Katsuki's mysterious boyfriend?!

I’ll admit I’ve only read the first three but by god they are the funniest fics I’ve ever read in my life. I see that Erina has added more since the last time I checked it out! Tbh I was only interested in reading the purely bakudeku ones... (My favorite was the second one!! SO funny and cute!)

i still do - raeryn (9646 words)

Summary:  He’s losing him to pieces, but Izuku still tries to make them count. In which a battle leaves Bakugou Katsuki with amnesia, and Izuku finds himself picking up the pieces.

So, this one makes me cry. TT_TT

One Thing Straight - winningshot (9899 words)

Summary: They totally aren't.

Hints of their relationship is found in all of their friends’ social media accounts, but majority of their fans still think that Katsuki and Izuku are in relationships with anybody but each other.

It was amusing up until it became sad.

Lmao it’s a little salty but I guess I can be too. This is a social media fic! There’s multiple ships in this one, too

A Demolition Boy & his Cryptid BF - kewltie (8472 words)

Summary: Bakugou of the Demolition Squad is famous for running one of the most popular Youtube channels on the web that regularly blow shit up and jumped off a perfectly good building for shit and giggles. He's also famous for his Cryptid BF™, never appearing on camera except for a few bodyshots and all information on him is kept locked up tighter than Fort Knox, therefore drawing all sort of attention and curiosity toward his mysterious boyfriend.

Deku from Deku Explains is a hopeless chatterbox who is known for uploading 20-30 minutes video that talked about his favorite shows and comics and have one of the most devoted following on Youtube. He also can't seem to shut up about his boyfriend Kacchan, who regularly make his presence on the channel as a disembodied voice.

They should theoretically have nothing in common except a shared platform to host their content and an army of fans with an endless curiosity and devotion to their Youtubers. Vidcon is where we lay our scene and the internet is about to get a rude wake up call.

Okay kewltie is SO GOOD and very creative! The formatting is phenomenal, it’s like you’re actually experiencing a social media melt down in real time lol

be my good luck charm - writedeku (6785 words)

Summary: See, the thing is, Midoriya Izuku had been born with a curse. It’s not a curse that’s particularly visible. He doesn’t have horns, or a tortured face, and it’s not the kind of silly curse like a friend of his had way down south in Diagnor, wherein the girl had been born without the ability to say the word duck. Midoriya Izuku is just extremely unlucky.

(Or the AU in which Izuku's the world's unluckiest travelling merchant, and Katsuki is someone who may be able to help him. For a price, that is.)

Oh I adore this one! It’s so cute and such a good narrative! Nice and warm, and Bakugou trying his damnedest to be suave, and it somehow working because Midoriya is just as flustered. *Another one rated as teen but some suggestive content.

Smells Like Victory - majjale (2377 words)

Summary: Bakugou takes two steps into the room and stops, clapping a hand over his nose. “Ugh, what stinks like Deku in here?”

"Good afternoon, Bakugou. That would be the amortentia."

I must admit, not a fan of HP, but majjale...TT_TT majjale writes these two boys so well. This one is really, really good!

Cherish Me - Justaperson1718 (2376 words)

Summary: “What?”

Izuku looked back down at his menu and flipped the page, a small smile on his face. “Nothing.”

Katsuki glared at Izuku from across the table. “If it was nothing then you wouldn’t be staring at me.”

“It’s just a little funny watching you try to look your best for our date when you always look great anyway,” Izuku explained. He wouldn’t look up from his menu while he spoke, but his words remained ingrained with confidence nevertheless. He considered what he was saying to be fact, and nothing else. “Even when you’re not trying in front of the cameras, it’s still hard to take my eyes off of you.”

This is a sequel to a fic that’ll be in the next section, because it’s longer, called Manage Me. Please read that one first before this one! (Not part of a series, but they’re the same story line)

Fascinating - Justaperson1718 (1556 words)

Summary: “I’m not staring at you,” Izuku replied, his eyes focused intently on Katsuki. He’s still wearing his pajamas, sitting on his knees in their shared bed. He was awake moments before Katsuki, and waited eagerly for the other to awake.

Katsuki glanced over his shoulder after his shirt was on and glared. “You’re fucking staring at me right now.”

Izuku shook his head, humming his disapproval quietly. “I’m watching you.”

“That’s the same damn thing,” Katsuki said while searching for a pair of pants in the dresser. “Your eyes are fixated on me like I’m your life’s fucking goal or some shit.”

“I just like watching you get dressed.” Izuku tilted his head to the side and smiled softly at Katsuki’s confused stare. “I know, it’s weird. But I like it.”

*There is a little bit of implied mature content, but overall, it’s just so sweet and intimate, and I just simply adore this one.

in a place once filled with gold - dorenamryn (9226 words)

Summary: It felt strange to remember such details, for they were things a friend should know, and as far as Katsuki was concerned, he and Deku hadn’t been friends in a very, very long time. He could admit, with reluctance, that they were on the path there, now, even though they would never make it. Katsuki would die before they could get the chance.

or: There is a garden growing in Katsuki’s lungs, and he is helpless to stop it.

“Hanahaki disease” okay, I can explain myself. Okay, I can’t. In any case, you got angst with a happy ending if that’s what you’re into!

Kaleidoscope - DPRenFTW (5141 words)

Summary: Izuku is a witch. He just needs to find his familiar. Enter a boy that is a wolf, and a wolf that is a boy - with wild red eyes and sharp smiles.

And Izuku thinks:

"Oh, it's him."

Just as beautiful and fascinating as the name implies! I seriously recommend for the beautiful writing, the gorgeous world, the mythical creatures au, and the lovely bakudeku romance!

Learning Curve - sensiblysilly (4222 words)

Summary: Deku and Katsuki’s first kiss goes rather differently than planned.

And Katsuki’s quickly learning that relationships can be unpredictable - especially when taking into account the variable that is Midoriya Izuku.

This really is just a careful handling of a teenage romance where perhaps one of them may have shit they’re still working through. It’s really sweet, and a careful study at boundaries and the building of a relationship. I actually stumbled across this while looking for another with the same name and ended up pleasantly surprised. Kacchan can has a little validation, as a treat.

4/20 is a national holiday - Ereri_Garbage (

Summary: Izuku is a drug dealer that doesn't really accept the fact he's a drug dealer, Katsuki is hot as hell as shouldn't be allowed a facebook.

Happy (Late) birthday Katsuki and happy (late) 4/20. I actually half assed an edit on this one so it took longer to post than I thought it would.

Uummmm lmao yes I have a sense of humor. ;ALDSKJFLSKDJF Okay, I say that, but this is not a crack fic, it’s a good story that I enjoy with good writing, and *it has mature, content, obviously for multiple reasons here. It’s rated as mature but there are borderline explicit moments imo. It’s a fun fic and funny, too! And, ngl, it really does remind me of college... But forget about me, the bakudeku is wonderful too of course :)

Drinking Watermelon - warschach (8906 words)

Summary: For whatever reason, maybe divine fate, Izuku turned and looked over his shoulder and waved to them.

Katsuki’s heart full on stopped right then, and his fingers forgot their duty on the rails, and his body neglected its job to keep Katsuki balanced.

Izuku’s summer sweet smile fell into concern as Katsuki went airborne and cracked his skull on the porch.

or Katsuki works as a camp counselor, and Izuku is a boy made of summer heat and sunlight.

Love it when people have Bakugou as absolutely enamored with Midoriya; it’s so good and true. Anyways this one makes me like summer camp story lines. It’s funny and also cute and great writing! *It’s got explicit content, just a heads up. Warschach stories just have this youthful 80′s vibe, I don’t know how else to explain it.

there are listed buildings - semiautomatichearts (3309)

Summary: Katsuki first sees colors bloom when he is only three years old. It is timid Izuku, hiding behind the cover of his mother's leg who looks upon him with wide eyes, and Katsuki's world explodes in shades of greens and pinks and blues, and he is so startled, he begins to cry.

His life is then on defined in color, in shades his peers can't see, by the forlorn, timid stare in Izuku's eyes that always lets off more than he is willing to tell. There is a schism driven between himself and his fated other, and Katsuki strives to be better than fate, better than what is defined for him. He is more than the written pages of a book, to be cracked open and read by the gods.

He wonders if it is possible for colors to bloom for someone who will never love you back.

Ah...soulmates :) So interesting how bakudeku fits into soulmate aus like this one when they’ve known each other as kids! And when they’ve had this complex push and pull thing going on all their lives! The writing is beautiful, and so is the story!

Promise Ring - bkdkwritingsdump (3579)

Summary:  The midwest in the 1950′s is no place for boys who like kissing boys: something Izuku and Katsuki know all too well growing up there. However, the undeniable bond between the nervous science geek and the aloof delinquent will still find a way to blossom in such a desert.

Cute, sweet, makes my gay heart ache. Longing not just for the one you love, but just to feel right loving them. Very pretty story line, lovely story telling!

Fics 10k - 30k:

Fishy - warschach (19417 words)

Summary: Izuku’s convinced his hot co-worker/neighbor, Katsuki, is a mermaid-or merman- you gotta consider genders even with mythical creatures- and plans to prove it.

(or this is kinda like the show ‘Monster Quest’, except Izuku actually finds said monster, falls in love, and have sexy times.)

Another warschach! I love this one, I love how they write bakudeku, particularly as college students, their stories (at least, the ones that I’ve read) always feel so warm, like a summer’s day, but not a lazy one, one that’s playful? If that makes sense? *This one is explicit, another heads up!

Manage Me - Justaperson1718 (10756 words)

Summary: Izuku caught himself moving forward, his head tilted somewhat to the side, and his eyes shot wide open. His gaze met Katsuki’s half-lidded eyes now that he was no longer in a dreamlike state, and seeing the way Katsuki was looking at him—waiting for him—made him realize Katsuki would’ve let him do it. He might have even wanted him to do it.

“You’re both doing fabulous!” the photographer called out to them, packing his camera into his bag and getting ready to leave. “I just got word that what we have now should be good, so we’ll stop there. Thank you for your time! Lock the door on your way out after you change.”

The pair stayed frozen in place, with Izuku’s arms around Katsuki’s neck and Katsuki’s hands resting on Izuku’s waist, while the photographer and his supervisor left.

“Kacchan,” Izuku cooed once they were gone. “Did you want to…?”

Love the story, love the bakudeku! Very, very good bakudeku TT_TT very sweet *There is some mature content in here as well

point to a map (we’ve been there) - cosmicfuss (10589 words)

Summary: Serendipity / sĕr″ən-dĭp′ĭ-tē Serendipity is the occurrence of an unplanned fortunate discovery. Two men find themselves on a subway, hot coffee on one while the other is in the middle of a screaming match. After that they can't seem to stop finding each other, no matter how far they go.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; this fic owns my entire soul. I love the story, the ease of their relationship, just how lovely they are together. It’s another kind of nice, fluffy fic you’d read on a bad day where you come home and curl up in a blanket and listen to a ten hour video of thunderstorm white noise. *Again, some more mature content in here

Partners - tsukithewolf (13619 words) Another series! Two parts to this one this time

Summary: It is said that in Musutafu there is a charm that one can buy at a temple that will lead you to your destined partner. They say that if the charm works, you would be able to follow the red string of fate to the person you were meant to be with. And if the person returns your feelings, they would be able to see the string as well, proving that both were meant to be.

Three-year-old Katsuki and Izuku misunderstand what the word "partner" means and discover the charm and the rumor behind it is not only true, but more than expected.

Gets a little heavy, depression, bullying, suicidal thoughts, etc. But it must get worse before it gets better, that kind of thing. I also just adore the second part (called Bond) - maybe because it’s much fluffier, what about it?

Learning Curve - iknewaman (10304 words)

Summary: “Izuku.” Uraraka repeats as she motions at the person stood next to her. Green curls, average height, and, well. Up close, not such a bad smile. Uraraka points a thumb at Bakugou and enunciates slowly, “This is Bakugou. He can speak sign language too.”

Wait. Sign language?

The stranger— well, Izuku— looks at him with a raised brow. Their free hand lifts up as they make a slight motion of the hand.‘

Really?’

*

Bored out of his mind at a house party one night Bakugou is introduced to Izuku, a deaf student who offers to help teach Bakugou sign language in exchange for a favour-- or well, is prompted into asking for a favour.

Ah, I really want to explain this one a little bit? I’d never been into fanfiction ever, only really getting into it with these boys. This was the second one I read, I remember, and it caught me off guard, and it intrigued me. It really surprised me as to what fanfiction could be. Ngl I had biased perceptions of fanfics - I used to be one of those people who thought fanfiction could never be good writing - and this one slapped me in the face with it’s subtle beauty and creative story and heart melting capabilities, and very, very real relationship and growth. Anyways it’s so cute how happy Deku is to teach Kacchan sign language TT_TT Make sure to read the tags!

The Keeper and the Sun God’s Heir - SurelyHeavenWaits (12746 words)

Summary:  The Titans' have stolen something important from Izuku, heir of the Sun God, and he wants it back.

This one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one this one- Oh my god this one. Okay so what, I was a Percy Jackson kid, what about it? I love the mythical aus, particularly the god ones. But beyond that, the writing is so beautiful, just like the world, and the imagery. The bakudeku...absolutely stunning. The story itself? Incredible. Cannot recommend more. *There is explicit content in this, though I will say, it’s all in the last chapter, and all of the story is in the first two chapters. There’s also a second part as it’s a series and it’s short but it’s cute and sweet TT_TT

seven days - aaAAAaaahhhhHHHHH (10094 words)

Summary: There’s something about the green haired boy, an aura that just drew Katsuki in before he even knew his name.

[Sometimes your mind forgets, but your heart remembers]

Heed my warning: DON’T read this in front of other people. I bawl every time I read this one TT_TT I know I said I don’t like angst but AJLSKDFJALSKDFJ it has a hopeful ending! I mean yeah you’re gonna cry but...hope? :’) (that username really says it all tbh)

Fics 30k+

Notice me, nerd - useless_donut (40000 words)

Summary: Bakugou is in love with Midoriya. He doesn’t hide it, in fact it’s so painfully obvious that the entire class of 3-A has him figured out in a matter of months (days, in some cases). Too bad Midoriya is the most oblivious motherfucker out there, and Bakugou is too damn stubborn to actually ask him out.

Will the class of 3-A survive the sexual tension? Who will snap first? Someone put Bakugou out of his misery, please, before everyone else dies of second-hand embarrassment.

(a love story as witnessed by the class of 3-A)

Love the idea of Bakugou being brazen and brash, cause yeah, he is. So fucking funny though how that translates to him flirting. Gotta say, thought I was gonna cringe, but his “I’m gay af” outfit really ended up being A Look. Love the mutual pining, it really is strong in this one. *Okay, mature content in this one lads.

While You Were Sleeping - Belkacaramelka (71197 words)

Summary: The one where quirkless fanboy Midoriya Izuku rescues Pro Hero Todoroki Shouto, gets mistaken as his fiancé while he is in a coma, and gets caught up in the most unlikely fake engagement... until his childhood enemy and Todoroki's classmate Bakugou Katsuki tries to catch him out, and they both end up discovering a lot more about each other than they'd expected.

Quirkless AU based on the film; endgame BakuDeku. -- Katsuki didn’t know when the change had happened: how he had gone from asking why Todoroki chose Deku of all people, to wondering why it was Todoroki that Deku chose. Troublesome Deku, who cooed like an idiot at cats, tripped at a random catcall and sang badly. Who, despite everything, proved that it wasn’t the quirk that defined a person. Deku, who was too much, not his, and undeniably off limits to begin with.

Update: Epilogue added

*This one has mature content. If you can, please, for the love of god, read this fic. It’s like, tied with my favorite bkdk fic perhaps ever. It’s based on the movie of the same title, a nineties romcom with Sandra Bullock, but Belkacaramelka has so effortlessly made it into it’s own story, fit it so perfectly inside of the bnha world. I definitely stayed up until 6:30am reading this one. It’s got such good badass Midoriya, who is also sweet, and really really good reconciliation between bakudeku.

All Gifted - fitzefitcher (39129 words)

Summary: The thing about gifts is that they're meant to be given, they're meant to be shared; so Izuku will take his gifts, so freely given to him, and share them with all he holds dear.

Izuku is born without any gifts, as his kind often are, to a witch mother and salamander father, on one sweltering night in July.

This one is unfinished...and I highly doubt it will ever be. But what has been written is incredible. Once again, I’m a sucker for the magic/mythical creatures aus. But the relationship is great! The characterization is great! The found family trope that was building up is great!

under a hollow sun - umbrage (40572 words)

Summary: Midoriya is cursed with emptiness.

Misfortune leads him to a man of ancient magic and endless rage.

To stop an unfathomable evil, their mismatched halves must become whole.

Uuuggghhhh this was so good! I don’t think it’s going to be finished either :( Once again, fantasy au, more amazing writing, on point characterization, incredible pacing, makes you hungry for more story.

all the savage soul requires - majjale (58032 words)

Summary: Bakugou seems to have exhausted his patience for words and no longer acknowledges that Midoriya exists, so Midoriya crosses his legs, stares down at his hands limned in firelight, and makes a list of things he knows.

One. His name is Midoriya Izuku.

Two. He is a Godmarked, future god of life, heir to the divine throne.

Three. The gods have been fighting Death for eons, and now he's coming for recompense with everything he’s got.

This is majjale, so of course, the writing is more than beautiful; it’s absolutely breathtaking. This may be my favorite fic ever - unfortunately I don’t think it will ever be finished either TT_TT There’s the gods/fantasy au, which you know by now I love. But the characterization of our two boys is absolutely perfect, and I mean that as literally as possible. And the story being crafted between the two, the memory loss, the obvious history muddled by it all, it was so dense, and the PINING, so incredibly written, flowing so naturally. It wasn’t even close to being done, but it was wonderful, still is wonderful. 

My Writing: (You can skip this if you hate shameless self promotion)

You’re too damn flicking cute (1815 words)

Summary:  Bakugou is certain his shitty boyfriend is instigating kisses. Maybe it doesn't help that he keeps giving them away like it's a damn going out of business sale, but the stupid nerd is too fucking cute. Either way, like everything else, this is a competition, and he's going to win it.

Please don’t read this unless you’re going to the dentist afterwards! I’ve been told it’s so sweet it’ll give you instant cavities >_>;;;;

Bakugou Katsuki, you smooth motherfucker (10118 words)

Summary: Everyone around him knows that Bakugou Katsuki has a very special way with words. To the untrained ear he is loud and crass; to those that speak Kacchan, he is caring and inspiring. Yet there are rare moments, moments so fleeting you blink and you miss them, where Bakugou’s words pierce straight through Midoriya’s chest, and surprise everyone around him.

Goddammit, if only he would say them to Midoriya’s face.

Or, the five times Bakugou said something nice about Midoriya, and the one time he said something kind to him (but that was too long of a title).

I think most would consider this my best published fic; it’s one of those snapshot fics, “the five times where x did this, and the one time where they didn’t.” The recurring comment I get on this one is both of them being super in character, so I think that’s it’s defining characteristic! Bakugou and Midoriya have never known a life without the other, and in a perfect world, they never will.

Here, let me fix that (11247 words)

Summary: Bakugou honestly never thought he’d see Deku ever again. And now that they were together in this tiny compartment, alone for the next two and a half minutes, he had no clue what to say. He’d just apologized, right? So perhaps he could leave it at that and carry on with the original plan to never see the green-haired man that reminded him of dense forests, late night adventures, and tear-stained faces, ever again.

Ha! Who is he kidding? These bitches are soulmates.

I’ve gotten some critiques on this one, so sorry in advance if it’s not to your liking! Basically, what if Midoriya never got his quirk? Obviously, life would find a way to put them together because, as previously stated, these bitches are soulmates.

Plenty of Time (16654 words)

Summary: Bakugou found what little sleep he got restless and filled with nightmares that he forgot the second he opened his eyes. Tonight was the first time in a long time where he just had a normal dream - and it happened to be about Deku.

How fucking typical.

In other words, two dorks realize they have feelings for each other but don't know what to do about said feelings.

Ah, my first fic. Very simple, boys being boys, kinda like a slow burn? Idk how to explain this one, just boys figuring out their feelings and trying to figure out what to do about them. Been told these two are a little stupid but I think that’s valid.

We’re all time bombs waiting to explode (39223 words)

Summary: We have now entered the slipstream of time, into an alternate dimension where it neither is, nor isn’t, the 80’s. Two teenagers, burdened with the weight of adolescence in the modern world, find themselves struggling side by side, in part because of each other.

Bakugou, the most popular boy in school, has everything he could possibly want; status, power, and an unbreakable will. Having been dragged along behind him all the way to the top, Midoriya can’t help but wonder how (and why) he ended up standing beside his childhood friend-turned bully-turned friend again, weighed down by their complicated past and present. As the tension between them grows every day, and the arrival of a new, pretty face causes it to peak, it won’t be long before something - or someone - snaps.

I am...very bad at titles, and summaries apparently. This was my Heathers au, but it very quickly diverges from the original (I don’t do sad endings....) *This one has mature content, including implied sexual activity, drug use, and underage drinking, along with other heavy topics; please read the tags! Though tbh Midoriya is 17 for a couple weeks before it hits his birthday halfway through, so keep that in mind I guess? I kind of went heavy with this one, but I think the pay off was immense. This is the one with the most amount of comments stating it’s their favorite bkdk fic ever (and I cry). It’s a rough start, with a rough journey, but so is bakudeku! There’s a lot of petty drama, and then all of a sudden it’s Not That Petty and very much Far Too Real. Many have cried reading the ending, I cried writing it. My sister says it’s her favorite of mine. Now, I did kind of push this out without polishing it so much because I was losing my willpower, so if it feels lacking, that’s one hundred percent my fault.

Okay that was a lot! It took me a couple days...I hope I wasn’t too annoying with all my opinions! Please have a nice day. and enjoy some good reads, even if they aren’t the ones in this post!

[dawnsrose]

                                                              playlist ✧ pinterest

full name :  rosalie  annette  bernadette  corinne  charmont 
nickname(s) :  rose ,  rosebud ( by her parents ) ,  rosie ( by aylin )
 age :  20  
birth date :  february 4th
 birth place :  ulstead 
siblings :  william  “ liam ”  charmont ,  seviathan  “ seth ”  charmont 
 gender :  cis  female 
orientation :  panromantic  pansexual
 occupation :  princess
 face claim :  emily alyn lind

             rosalie  charmont  was  born  90  seconds  after  her  brother ,  seth ,  and  it  was  almost  as  if  she’d  stayed  hidden  the  whole  time  until  then .  she  was  just  a  tad  bit  smaller  than  him ,  yet  the  moment  she  came  out  of  her  mother’s  womb ,  the  little  princess  made  sure  people  knew  she’d  arrived .  of  all  three ,  she  was  the  loudest ,  the  one  who  cried  the  most ,  though  the  whole  family  saw  it  as  a  good  thing .  strong  lungs  for  a  strong  little  girl .

             as  expected  of  a  princess ,  rose  grew  up  kind  and  well - mannered ,  the  picture  of  grace  and  elegance ,  having  been  gifted  with  beauty ,  a  wonderful  voice  and  a  persevering  heart .  she  would  spend  her  days  learning  history ,  languages ,  math ,  the  piano ,  the  flute ,  ballet ,  ballroom  dancing  and  at  night ,  she  would  listen  to  her  mother’s  stories  about  growing  up  in  the  woods ,  and  how  she  and  her  father  met .  naturally ,  the  girl  grew  up  a  romantic ,  except  she  had  a  very  idealized  view  of  romance .  rosalie  has  always  been  in  love  with  love ,  but  it  is  her  kind  of  love . 

             as  the  princess  grew  older ,  she  started  sleepwalking  almost  every  night ,  which  instantly  alerted  the  whole  family .  it  wasn’t  uncommon  to  spot  her  sleeping  by  the  flowers  when  morning  came  or  even  in  some  less  pleasant  places ,  like  the  dining  table  or  on  the  couch .  her  parents  feared  that  her  sleepwalking  might  have  had  something  to  do  with  maleficent ,  but  it  didn’t  seem  to  be  the  case .  either  way ,  it  was  just  something  for  them  to  keep  an  eye  on ,  an  extra  reason  for  concern  if  you  will ,  for  more  she  grew  up ,  so  did  her  desire  for  adventure .  she  didn’t  want  to  spend  her  life  hiding  from  danger  like  her  mother  did ,  and  promised  herself  that  she  would  always  be  free  no  matter  what .  

unlike  most  of  the  charmonts ,  rose  loves  being  a  princess .  she  thinks  it  makes  her  all  the  more  entitled  to  having  everything  she  wants ,  except  she  rarely  ever  knows  what  it  is  that  she  desires .  still ,  there  are  days  where  she  wishes  she  could  just  not  have  any  duties  or  responsabilities  at  all ,  nor  a  title  or  anything  else .  even  so ,  she  knows  she  has  it  easier  than  liam ,  who  is  perfect  king  material .

speaking  of  liam  and  kingliness ,  rosalie  definitely  isn’t  opposed  to  sticking  her  nose  into  other  people’s  business  ---  especially  her  brother’s.  with  liam ,  she  is  constantly  trying  to  figure  out  what  he’s  thinking ,  what  his  plans  are ,  and  how  she  can  interfere  with  them ;  for  the  better ,  of  course .  though  she  trusts  her  brother  with  her  whole  heart ,  she  likes  to  think  he  lacks  a  certain  je  ne  sais  quoi  sometimes ,  and  that’s  where  she  comes  in .  nevertheless ,  she  has  a  lot  of  faith  in  liam  and  is  always  cheering  him  on .

seth ,  on  the  other  hand ,  is  what  rose  likes  to  think  of  as  an  extension  of  her  being .  she  will  often  joke  about  how  he  could  probably  read  her  mind  if  he  tried  hard  enough ,  which  would  probably  be  a  double  edged  sword  as  she  doesn’t  always  want  him  in  her  business ,  but  refuses  not  to  know  what’s  going  on  in  his  world .  she  loves  hearing  about  his  misadventures  in  love  and  reading  his  poetry ,  but  would  send  a  whole  army  after  whoever  breaks  her  twin’s  heart  if  she  didn’t  know  any  better .  she  tells  him  everything ,  and  feels  lucky  to  call  herself  his  twin .

because  rosalie  is  extra  as  heck  likes  to  be  different  from  her  brother’s ,  she  decided  she  wanted  to  learn  how  to  fight  with  a  rapier  instead  of  a  regular  sword .  originally ,  she  wanted  to  learn  how  to  use  a  bow  and  arrow ,  but  that  idea  was  quickly  scratched  out  after  she  nearly  knocked  liam  off  his  horse .   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

she  can  be  very  dramatic ,  but  only  because  she’s  protective  of  her  loved  ones .  in  reality ,  she’s  a  huge  softy  who  is  fairly  naïve  and  just  wants  everyone  to  be  okay .

is  always  singing .  always .  she’d  be  an  opera  singer  if  she  could ,  or  any  kind  of  singer  really .  legit  used  to  perform  at  family  gatherings  and  still  does  from  time  to  time .

likes  to  tell  people  she’s  actually  a  rose  who  was  enchanted  by  a  fairy  and  became  human .  she  is  not  here  okay  miss  rose  is  in  her  own  little  world .

she  sleeps .  she  sleeps  a  lot .  literally  either  wakes  up  at  the  same  time  seth  does  or  waits  for  him  to  wake  her  up  bc  anybody  else  will  just  leave  her  grumpy  for  the  day .

connections:  juliet  fitzherbert  ( actual best friend , don’t tell seth ) ;  ada  teague  ( “close friend” rose is dumb ) ;  aylin  moon  ( friend + uwu feels on the inside ) ;  flynn  fitzherbert  ( first love ) ;  kieran vasilikas ( she’s trying real hard to befriend and support this man i swear )  +  idk  hit  me  up  yall  let’s  plot !  also  i  probably  forgot  some  i’m  sorry  hmu

[nakedmossy]

Depth Over Distance - Part One [Rudy x Reader]

[A/N: I haven’t found a hometown Rudy fic yet soooo I wrote one. I have no idea where this story is going to go and I’m honestly finding it hard to get out of writing JJ and get into writing Rudy, but here we go anyways. I wanted to write something where the reader and Rudy were hometown friends before he moved to LA, and to explore the idea of how that would change/what it would look like when he comes back. Get ready for a S L O W. B U R N. my dudes. Peace and love, Mossy x]

The sky was grey and the air was wet - it had been raining for 4 days straight. You sat in your car with the heat cranked, your window down slightly so that the humidity didn’t fog up your mirrors. Living on the Alaskan coast was beautiful most of the time but horrible some of the time, especially when you had to waste gas just keeping warm and dry at 6pm in the beginning of ‘Summer’. 

You had never lived anywhere else aside from the summer you spent in Vancouver with your cousin when you were 19. Now, at 23, you were working full time at the local bookshop that was an 8 minute drive from your house in the winter and a 20 minute walk/skate in the summer. Your car was parked street side, waiting for your friend Lizzy to finish her shift at the cafe. The smell of the rain and the Ben Howard song on the radio made you nostalgic about the times you and your friends from high school had spent hours skating down these streets, beers in your backpacks, no helmets, dirty shoes and clothes, no pressure, no responsibilities, no cell service...no worries. 

Since graduation a lot of your friends had moved out of town, either to Anchorage or down to Washington, or further south. Your best friend Lizzy had stayed close to home, helping run her families business and working part time at the cafe. You had stayed local too...your dad owned a fishing guide business and your mom was an admin assistant for the MD in town, but neither made enough to cover all the medical bills you had racked up over the last few years. You figured once the debt was paid off you might leave...but you had no idea where you would go. 

You missed all of your friends, but you missed the boys the most, aside from Lizzy you didn't have a lot of female friends, and your boys had been like brothers to you. You spoke to most of them every few weeks on FaceTime, except Rudy. He had gone to LA for awhile and had kept in touch loosely, but after the first few months he started to drift. 

You felt the loss the hardest for Rudy. He had been your closest friend the longest, you had spent nearly every day of every summer together since you were 9, and every school year you worked the same part time job at the seafood restaurant on the water. Now, the last you heard, he was coming back for the summer to ‘reconnect’. You had low expectations and tried not to let yourself get excited, but truthfully, you wanted him to spend some time at home and be around his own kind again - he had always been a homebody and you were worried that being gone for 4 years would go to his head or change him.

Lizzy tapped on the glass, causing you to blink out of your reverie and smile at her. You rolled the window down and let her reach in and open the door from the inside (the handle had been broken since high school). She threw her backpack and skateboard in the back seat, climbing in and closing her door.

“Ugh.” She grunted as her teeth chattered and she rubbed her bare legs. 

“You know its only May, you shouldn’t even be wearing shorts yet. The snow just melted.”

Lizzy glared at you playfully and put her hand out to do your handshake. You did it, then put the car in drive and started slowly down the street, windshield wipers moving rhythmically.

“How was the shift?” You asked as you checked your mirrors and wiped some humidity off the rear view. 

“Same old” Lizzy leaned back in her seat and pulled the visor mirror down to fix her hair. “That old man Collins from the cannery keeps coming in and harassing me.”

“Jack? The one with the eye patch?” 

Lizzy nodded dramatically as she held the bobby pins in her mouth and started to twist her straight black hair off her face. 

“That guy-“ She finished placing the final pin and slammed the visor closed “-Is an absolute creep.”

You snorted a sarcastic laugh and rolled your eyes.

“He’s like...70. And widowed. Don’t be rude.”

“I’m not being rude. Im just...asserting my boundaries.”

“You literally have a 3 foot counter between you at minimum, at all times.” You looked over at her and raised your eyebrows.

“Whatever. All I’m saying is we need hotter men in this town. Like...soon.”

You nodded in agreement and felt your eyes wander all over the road, remembering the time you and Rudy had taken your longboards down it after a torrential downpour and you had crashed and gotten such bad road burn that he had to call his dad to come pick you both up because you couldn’t walk.

“Hey, Y/N, are you listening?” Lizzy cut back in, staring at you.

“No, what?”

“I said, speaking of hot guys, I heard Rudy is coming back for a few months.”

You pinched your face and looked at her then at the road, then back at her.

“Rudy is not hot. Rudy is....Rudy. What are you talking about?”

Lizzy looked at you disbelieving and closed her mouth, trying not to smile.

“What!” You repeated, smacking her arm.

“Hey!” She laughed, then shook her head and looked out the window. “Whatever you say man, I just think....” She grabbed her water bottle and began to screw off the lid “I just think...he’s not gonna be the same Rudy that left 4 years ago. He’s like...a movie star now.”

You couldn’t even begin to touch that one. You knew what she was doing...she was always harping on you about going on dates or taking trips with her to the mainland to hook up with the pilots during their layovers. You never went, and always insisted that you were just fine and were not interested. She never listened. Part of that was true...you were fine, and usually not interested. But sometimes, when the water was calm and the sunset was colourful and the fish were jumping and your beer was cold...you wished you had someone to share it with.

“I’m going up to Skagway this weekend with my dad” You said, changing subjects. “He’s short a guide and needs someone to drive the boat.”

“Lucky you” She said sarcastically, screwing the lid back on her bottle. “Another weekend spent with men twice your age who have zero ability to catch a fish and even less ability to smell nice.” 

“It’s good money.” You said flatly, annoyed that everything seemed to revolve around men with her. “And in case you forgot I’m kinda in need of that at the moment.”

Lizzy licked her lips and put her hands up, dipping her head. 

“Alright...noted. Chill out Kemosabe.” She giggled under her breath and looked out her window, drawing a small penis in the moisture on the window.

“Babe, seriously. You need to get laid.” You said, shaking your head.

“I know” She replied, working on the veins. “Trust me. Im in a state of national emergency by this time of year.”

Lizzy was absolutely one of the girliest girls (and most beautiful girls) in the south of Alaska, which was ironic considering the house she grew up in. Her dad was an overweight German restaurant entrepreneur who had opened a world class seafood restaurant in Juneau back in the 90s and had shacked up with her mother who was this drop dead gorgeous Haida warrior woman who you had literally seen kill and skin a bear with her own hands. 

They had forged this chain of restaurants local to Alaska that people flew hundreds of miles to eat at, but still lived in an off-grid cabin that hadn’t been insulated since 1960 and used wood heating. Not really the type of family that screamed southern belle femininity - yet somehow Lizzy came out of that union with a pink bed set, refusing to ever wear camo or sweatpants, and still had never shot a gun - which her mother reminded her of weekly. 

Lizzy had hit puberty at 10 and had used her breast advantage over every girl in your class for the next 3 years like some sort of distinction of better genetics, as if she needed boobs to prove that. Unlike you, she was naturally thin and tall (6ft to be precise), had long, thick straight black hair and olive skin, and perfect hips. You felt like a prepubescent boy standing next to her, with your uneven complexion and your frizz and your awkward thigh fat distribution. You were envious of her genetics - her mother graced her with the body of an athlete and the thick black hair, and her father had given her height and cheekbones that could slice through glass. You looked down at your arms, covered in freckles, pasty white from lack of sun, and cringed, looking back at the road.

You turned the corner leaving the main road and starting on the dirt road that led to your favourite part of beach access. Lizzy pulled her hoodie out of her backpack and took off her seatbelt, leaning forward to pull it down over her head. You leaned forward and looked up, this was your favourite part of the drive. The dirt road which was lined with moss and ferns and other foliage wound along the base of the snow capped mountain that was at least 1000ft in elevation. The mist and fog from the coast was thick and creeped through the tall cedar trees, black ravens and falcons flying overhead stark against the white mist. This was the most idyllic picture of northwest coastal living you could find.

When you parked at the trail head Lizzy slipped off her work flats and into her Teva’s, you grabbed your yellow Vans out of your trunk and slipped them on. You usually drove bare foot, a habit you had started in high school after Rudy had thrown your shoes off the dock at the restaurant and you had to drive home without any. You grabbed your sweater and your backpack which had the beer in it. As you were both gathering the rest of your things...beach blanket, hats, and rain cover, you heard a car pull up behind you. You stood up out of the trunk and squinted to see the car through the fog. It was a black ford pickup you had never seen before. 

“Who’s that?” Lizzy chimed in from behind you.

“No clue” You said as you lifted your hand to wave once. 

The truck had tinted windows and looked brand new. When it pulled up beside you, the drivers side window began to unroll, revealing Junior - your high school (ex) sweetheart.

“Holy” You said, eyebrows up, nodding. “Nice truck - where’d you steal it from?” He rolled his eyes at you dramatically.

“Whatever kid - its a rental. Got it to drive to the airport in.” His chest puffed out and his expression read so proud. 

“Airport?” You said inquisitively. “Since when does Alan pay you to drive new trucks to the airport?” 

“Since Rudy hired him for the pick up service and apparently is incapable of driving his own ass around anymore” Junior snorted and waved at Lizzy.

“Or he doesn’t have a car here anymore” You noted, rolling your eyes at him.

“Either way, I get this bad boy for the next 24 hours and I intend to give her the royal grand tour of our humble town.” He ran his hand up and down the steering wheel, stroking the new leather. “Wanna go for a rip?” He said, winking. You shook your head and crossed your arms over your chest. 

“Well I do” Lizzy piped up from beside you, walking closer to the window. She smiled at Junior and began to put her hair in a pony tail. She nudged your arm as she began to walk to the passenger side door. “Come on, granny. Let’s go!”

She laughed as she climbed up into the truck, but you shook your head again.

“I’m good...you kids have fun. Say hi to Rudy for me” You said to Junior, who shrugged his head and muttered ‘definitely wont do that’ under his breath.

Lizzy blew a kiss at you and waved once before Junior put it in drive and started to go up the dirt road north of you. 

Junior and you had ended on okay terms, but he had concocted a theory that you had broken up with him because of another guy, and the unspoken suggestion was that that guy had been Rudy. Small town guys had a heck of a time with the idea of girls and guys just being friends. 

You sighed and watched as the truck disappeared around the corner, and turned back to your own car. You grabbed your backpack and slammed the trunk closed, walking down the path alone. You weren’t mad at Lizzy for going with him - she was flighty and bailed on you at the bar all the time - but you were mad the beer was going to go warm before you could drink it all. Not that you should even be drinking 6 beers alone by the water when you had to drive yourself home. Doubtful the 2 cops in this town would even be awake to see you though. Whatever.

You reached the end of the path and rounded the corner, revealing the coast line and the rocky beach. It was your favourite place to sit and think, sit and smoke, sit and be yourself. The beach curled in a U shape, giving you a private spot where the rest of the shoreline was blocked from view and all you could see was the ominous cedar forest that stretched up the mountain, the snow caps at the top, and the horizon over the cold pacific.

You had intended to share the joint you had in your pocket with Lizzie, but...well, her loss. You spread the blanket out on the softest patch of sand and rocks you could find (which still meant you were guaranteed to get at least 2 rocks in the ass) and placed your bag down, kicking off your sneakers. You took a deep breath for the first time in a few days and lit the joint, taking one long, deep inhale. You felt it tingle through your chest and your arms and legs almost immediately, relaxing you. Being here alone always sent you into a spiral of memories and thoughts that you worked hard during the day to suppress. Most insistent lately had been thoughts about your health problems. You called them ‘health problems’ but in reality it was just an eating disorder. You could go 2, sometimes 3 days without eating anything, and never felt hungry. It started after graduation.

You had lost weight, dramatically, going from a stable 120-125 to 95 at most and 90 at worst, in the span of a month. And for the next three years you had never gained it back, you had stayed at a relatively stable 95, which still left you looking sickly and too thin at 5’3”. Your frame wasn’t built for that kind of weight drop, you were Scottish and Cree, sprinkled with a little bit of German and Irish. A classic northwest cracker mix. You weren’t naturally small, you always had a bit of something to grab onto, but it was normal to your body, healthy. 

Some part of your brain knew that it had something to do with leaving school...and the pretence that came with that. The expectation...the responsibility. You were never that kind of person, and it never really bothered you, but suddenly it had. You never planned to go to University right away, but you had no back up plan. It wasn't something you and your friends really talked about. But suddenly Jacob had gotten into U of Washington, Dan had left to backpack Europe, and Rudy had not so graciously announced he was deferring his acceptance and scholarship to culinary school because he wanted to be an actor, and flew to LA the next month. You had been left behind, with Lizzy of all people, and it had hit you hard.

You looked around the beach, dragging on your joint quicker than normal, trying to knock the thoughts out of your head. An Eagle screeched above - scaring you - and you laid back on the blanket, closing your eyes. You needed to chill the hell out. This was the first time in a few weeks that you had gotten a night off from helping your dad with his guide business and you didn’t plan on wasting it riddling your brain with anxiety and worrying about your body.

You looked up at the sky and watched the mist and fog kiss the clouds, the sunset colours dancing across them. As it usually did, the rain had stopped just as the sun was going down, the clouds parting briefly and letting the smallest sliver of sunlight through, just enough to burn the grey light out of the sky and allow the pink and orange hues to fade along the horizon. You sat up and cracked a beer, enjoying the fresh smelling air and the rhythmic sound of the waves licking the shore line. 

Two beers in you had put on your jacket and placed your Bluetooth speaker next to you on the blanket, blasting a playlist that Rudy had made you for your graduation party.

Three beers in you took the jacket off, standing up and dancing by yourself on the beach to the music.

Four beers in you laid down on the blanket, balled your jacket up and used it as a pillow, and started looking for shapes in the stars.

Five beers in you fell sleep.

———

Many hours later, as the sun rose and was bright on the water and the early morning bird feed was in full swing overhead, you were drifting in and out of sleep to the squawking when a shadow came across your face, alerting you to groggily open your eyes.

“What’s up, Little Fern?” His voice had gotten deeper. Wait, what?

You opened your eyes and blinked, raising a hand to block the sun. There, in your very awake and very not dreaming state, was the unmistakable silhouette that you had spent the last 18 years dreaming about and 18 years being a friend to.

Rudy.

[s-k-y-w-a-l-k-e-r]

My GIF making process!

I’ve been asked many times for a tutorial, but because I get really detailed, I always get overwhelmed by the idea. But I finally decided to buckle down! 

Just so you know: I don’t use PSDs in this, and I don’t import layers to frames or anything like that. I like the hard way—at least in gif making, I believe you get higher quality gifs. Join me as I show you how to make gifs by loading videos directly into the Photoshop timeline and my coloring and sharpening techniques.

Tools used:

Mac OS X (only necessary for the first step, and there are other ways around it with a PC)

Adobe Photoshop

YouTube Purchases (any streaming service will work)

Topics covered:

Obtaining the Source Material

Loading the video file into Photoshop

Prepping, Cropping, and Resizing the Media

Adjustment Layers

Sharpening

Exporting

Obtaining the Source Material

There are a few different methods for obtaining video to work with. Proper YouTube videos are nice, but finding any major motion picture in that format is difficult, if not illegal.

Once I realized I could get really great quality video by doing screen recordings from streaming services, I stopped worrying about finding (and pirating) high resolution video files. So now, I just go to whichever streaming service I need to, pick out the movie or show, find the spot, and record small snippets.

Mac screen recording instructions:

On a Mac, Command+Shift+5 will bring up the screen recording dialogue. 

Resize the frame of what you want to record within the browser. 

Go to a second or two before, press the “record” button, and then begin playing the video, remembering to keep your cursor out of the recording box. 

Use the Space bar to pause your video when you’ve gotten the snippet you need. Stop the screen recording by clicking the ⏹ button that is in your menu bar at the top of the screen.

Important: when the recording appears in the bottom right of your screen, click on it, and then trim the video on either end. This will help your computer convert the video file to the type that can be opened by Photoshop.

Click “done” and it will appear on your desktop, ready to be used!

PC Users: ??? Here’s a Google search I did for you

 Loading the video file into Photoshop

Lots of people use this process for making gifs (a great tutorial!). I didn’t even know it existed until last summer, when I’d already been giffing for years. I wish I could still do something like that with these screen recordings, but the files are absolutely HUGE, especially on Macs with double retina displays, which actually increase the dpi by a lot. Making screencaps of them fills up my hard drive, almost immediately—even when I’ve got 20 gigs of free space to work with. So what do we do? We just. Open the file. In Photoshop. Et voila!

You can do this with any type of video, not just screen recordings.

 Prepping, Cropping, and Resizing the Media

When Photoshop loads your videos up, it makes the video hilariously fast (something about frame conversion). You must slow it down for it to look natural. THIS MUST BE DONE BEFORE YOU RESZE. Your Photoshop timeline window should be at the bottom of the screen. See that little triangle in the top right of the video? 

Click on it, and a menu will appear to change speed and duration.

Change the speed first- usually between 80-85% will seem realistic. (I actually went a little faster than I usually would on this at almost 86%—I don’t recommend this)

Press the button next to duration and pull the toggle all the way to the far right (if you don’t do this, full length of the video will be cut off).

Now you’ll want to crop it. Ever since Tumblr upped its GIF size limit, I have been playing around with 7:5 ratios, but let’s go with 3:2 for now. Use the Crop tool, pick out 3:2 in the top left (it may say 2:3, but you can switch that) and then find the most suitable spot in your gif for that. Hit enter on your keyboard.

Some things to keep in mind when cropping:

Most videos come in 16:9 ratio (BoRhap is even wider). If it’s a wide shot, you’ll need to do the full 16:9 to not lose anything. Of course, experiment and find what’s right for you!

As you can see above, I moved forward in the timeline and made the crop to a point in the video when the broadest movement was happening.

Certain videos WILL have a black or red bar that may be imperceptible until you’ve already exported the gif. Just crop in a little tighter on top and bottom to avoid them.

Now you’ll need to resize your gif to be the correct size for Tumblr. If you don’t use Tumblr’s exact dimensions, your gifs (as uploaded) will appear blurry or pixellated. We’re doing a full-width gif here, which is 540px. On a Mac, I use Command+Option+I (for “Image Size) to open the resize dialogue. You can also find it under Image->Image size...

Make sure to also have “Resample” checked. Lately I’ve been playing around to see if different options are better. Most GIF makers use “Bicubic Sharper (Reduction)” and they are not wrong to do so. I’ve just been unhappy with it lately, so I have been trying this other setting out, “Bicubic (smooth gradients)”.

Click OK. A dialogue may come up that asks if you want to convert to a Smart Object. The answer is yes, okay, do it. The only major caveat is that you can’t go back and change the timeline speed. That’s why we did it first. But you can preview the speed now that it’s smaller, and if you don’t like it, use Command+Z (or “Undo”) and go back a couple steps to get the speed you like.

You may find, especially on a Mac screen (and possibly other displays), that at 100% your gif looks too small to be 540px. That is the curse and blessing of working with super-high resolution hardware. Zoom in to 200% and proceed about your business. This is what it will look like on Tumblr.

You may find it helpful at this point to begin by defining the beginning and end of your gif by moving around these bumpers. It’s safe to keep gifs under 02:00f in length. Under half of 01:00f will be way too short. (I tend to overshoot in length and then trim the beginning and the end once I see how big the gifs are upon exporting.)

 Adjustment Layers

Now the creativity and fun begin!

There are a LOT of ways to get creative here. I’m going to keep it simple, very simple, but I strongly recommend opening up a new adjustment layer of each type and trying to figure out what each does!

You’ll find the adjustment layer menu at the bottom of the Layers window.

Curves

There are a lot of ways to make Curves work for you! It can do the job of Brightness/Contrast, it can do Levels, it can do Color Balance! We’re going to use it mainly to help with brightness here, but also to level out some of the tones. One of the quick tricks you can do is use the droppers on the left side of the Properties window. There are three- one with a white tip, one gray, one black. These can help define what your white tones are (and whether they need to be more of one color or another), and so on with your blacks. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t; in this case, I think it doesn’t:

That looks totally blown out and somehow also too dark!

So instead, we’re going to use that little hand with the finger pointing out and some arrows pointing up and down. This lets you define which sections you want to get brighter or darker, and how much. It doesn’t do color correction. In the example below, you can see I dragged up on a white spot and down on a dark spot. Then, I moved points around on the curve itself to refine (which the gif here doesn’t show...).

Vibrance/Saturation x2

Next, I’ve been using @gwil-lee​‘s Vibrance/Saturation trick (I know you said you learned it from someone else, but I learned it from you!). 

Create a Vibrance Adjustment layer, bump the values up a bunch, and then change its Fill to somewhere between 2-9%. Change the Blend Mode to Color Burn. Then make a copy of that layer keeping everything the same, but make it Color Dodge. I can’t quite define what these do, but it makes it punchier!

Color Balance

Most people are familiar with this. For this gif, I’m going to make the shadows more Cyan/Blue and the highlights more Red/Yellow. Just a few points each. 

Exposure

I brought the Exposure up a bit, but not enough for you to need to read about, haha.

Selective Color

Here’s where you make fine adjustments to colors. This particular scene is extremely simple, color-wise, so keep it simple. I’m going to bump up the cyans/blues, take up the black by just a point or two, and maybe bump up the yellows and reds a tiny bit. (And as always, remember, the “opposite” of cyan is red, the opposite of magenta is green, and the opposite of yellow is blue. CMY/RGB!)

I think at this point I’m going to call it with the adjustment layers. You can go absolutely hogwild with more of them! But at this point, I’m ready to start sharpening!

 Sharpening

I do three sharpening filters these days. These are all under Filter->Sharpen. Make sure your media layer (default called Layer 1) is selected as we go through this! (Also, this can really take a toll on your processor, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

Sharpen- This layer does the basic job

Smart Sharpen (Amount: 10%, Radius: 10, Reduce Noise: 4% Gaussian Blur)- This layer gives texture

Smart Sharpen (Amount: 500, Radius: 0.3, Reduce Noise: 12% Gaussian Blur)- This layer gives refined sharpening and smoothing

Fiddle with these as needed! Let your gif play all the way through- this may go slowly as your processor works on it. Make sure the beginning and end points make sense.

 Exporting

After You’re going to have to use File->Export->Save For Web (Legacy)... or use the shortcut of Shift+Option+Command+S. This could take some time for the dialogue to pop up! Be patient.

In my opinion, these are the best gif export settings for crisp edges and no noise:

Now you see how big the file is in the bottom left. Tumblr won’t let you upload anything bigger than 10MB and it’s safer to stay under 9MB, in my experience. When your gif is too big, you have a couple options. You can close the dialogue and change the length of your gif. 

OR, you can uncheck “Interlaced” and bump up the lossy to 1 or or more. This will create noise. Sometimes, that’s a good thing!

Here’s without lossy:

Here’s WITH lossy: (Honestly in a fast moving gif like this, it’s almost imperceptible, but I can see it!)

And now that I’ve exported, I can see what there’s a little black line on the bottom! So I’m going to trim that off and call it good! You can see the full gifset here.

Hope you enjoyed! Reblog if you try this out or learned anything. Feel free to reach out with questions any time!

[satoshi-mochida]

Some thoughts on my last Gamefly rental, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.

*Though most people are familiar with DBZ, especially the three main Sagas in this game, given how often they’re played out in games, I’ll put a spoiler warning here just in case. Also, I didn’t try out the DLC stories, yet, so this will just be about the base PS4 game with it’s current updates. I may buy the game and try those out in the future. I also say a lot about the game.

The game spans from the Saiyan Saga to the end of the Buu Saga(not counting DLC). Pretty much every important scene is played through, though a few parts are skimmed over or skipped, like:

Goku traveling Snake Way, his brief fall into Hell, and training with King Kai(shown a bit and mentioned but not playable) 

Piccolo using Hellzone Grenade against Android 17(you can have him learn the move and do it yourself, though).

Future Trunks’ battle with Cell where he found out the speed-loss disadvantages of Super Saiyan Third Grade(that moment isn’t shown or mentioned, though he does still fight Cell in that form)

Vegito still attacking Super Buu after being turned into candy(which means we don’t get to see him beating Super Buu up as a high-speed jawbreaker). Also, Goku and Vegeta freeing everyone trapped inside Super Buu happens offscreen.

And possibly a few smaller moments. They aren’t too important in the long run, though, plus some were probably for better pacing or something.

There was some added stuff, too:

Several times, you’ll be able to meet, and occasionally do sidequests for, several older Dragon Ball characters, like Nam, Eighter and Launch.

A new fight for Goku against Kid Buu to end the main story before he launches the Super Spirit Bomb at him.

There's a fairly small amount of playable characters(who can also be put in a party as Support Members): 

Goku

Gohan

Vegeta

Piccolo

Future Trunks(Android/Cell Saga and Epilogue, only)

Gotenks(only in two battles against Super Buu)

Vegito(in one battle against Super Buu, which, considering how powerful Vegito is, is more of an epic beatdown than a fight)

And a few characters that are support only:

Krillin

Tien

Yamcha

Chiaotzu

Goten

Kid Trunks

Android 18

All characters, Main and Support Only, have a ‘Super Attack Skill Tree’ that you can use Z Orbs that you find/earn to give them new skills and attacks. What you can get increases based on the character’s level and story progress(example, you can’t get Super Saiyan 2 for Gohan until he unlocks it during the fight with Perfect Cell).

Throughout the game, you’ll collect ‘Soul Emblems’ to place onto several ‘Community Boards’ to increase various ingame bonuses, like more EXP or cooking benefits. You get Soul Emblems both from the main story and side quests. They can be leveled up with Gifts to increase the Community Level, giving more bonuses. This seems to be the best setup for all of the emblems that I found.

At campfires and at Goku’s House, you can make food from items/materials you have to give yourself a stat boost. And Chi-Chi can be asked to make the party Full Course Meals at her home, which also increase the Base Stats of whoever eats them.

A certain filler episode from the original series where Goku and Piccolo are forced to get a Driver's License also happens in this game(though unfortunately without the outfits they wore in said episode). After doing so, you unlock the ability to make cars and battle walkers from Bulma, as well as Time Attacks for both types of vehicles(which I didn’t do much of).

Like the first Budokai game, this one has story’s events shown in cutscenes, which the later ones just had them happen in dialogue to speed things along, probably. And they did a really good job of animated said scenes, matching the look and feel of the series VERY closely.

The flying also feels well done, and true to the series. Aside from flying normally, which is fairly slow, you can hit L3 to start flying faster, at the cost of your Ki slowly going down and not being able to sense Ki with R1. This is the best way to travel the the large maps. Goku and Gohan can also use the Flying Nimbus, though you can’t pick up items that you need to hit Circle while doing so. Also, ramming into weaker enemies while flying will defeat them instantly and give you EXP. It’s a bit hard to aim yourself at enemies correctly, sometimes, though. 

Going underwater functions the same as flying, except with an air meter to keep an eye on. If it runs out, you get kicked back above where you entered the water as the only penalty. Take a peek down under whatever bodies of water you find; there’s always stuff to see and collect, depending on the map, especially on maps with oceans.

You can also dash on the ground by hitting L3, and unlike when flying, you can still sense Ki while doing so. 

I feel like this game’s flying controls are about what it should feel like for a Superman game. Probably might need a few tweaks to fit more with that series, but this feels like a good base for that kind of game.

The game’s many maps are pretty large, with lots to see and explore, including towns, caves that you need to be a certain level to enter, materials to gather, fishing spots, and more. They include plenty of well known DBZ locations, insulting Kame House(and the ocean around it), West City and Capsule Corp., Korin’s Tower and Kami’s Lookout, and so on.

Floating around these maps are enemies you can fight. They grow in strength as you do/the story progresses. If you’re strong enough and are fast-flying when running into an enemy, you’ll defeat it and gain EXP right away.

Speaking of Korin’s Tower, you can eventually unlock the ability to grow Senzu Beans there, which fully heal you. Once they’re unlocked, they will gradually grow and can be collected from Korin, with a Senzu Bean icon appearing next to it on the World Map if there’s any available. He will hold up to 9 at once, so check back once in a while.

Fishing is pretty easy to do; just hit one of the face buttons(X, Triangle, Square and Circle) when the marker is in a marked area, then hot one again when the closing circle is within another marked circle(this might make more sense when you see it yourself). You’ll get items for cooking from fishing, and some sidequests need them, or just certain types of fish, to clear. An amusing detail when fishing is that Goku and Gohan, even when he’s a teenager, use a fake tail as a lure while Vegeta and Piccolo fish like normal people(I forgot to check and see what Future Trunks does, but probably the latter).

After clearing the Frieza Saga, you can collect the Dragon Balls on Earth during Intermissions. They give off a small orange slow when sensing for Ki, and you’ll hear a low humming sound when you’re close to one. You can get several different wishes from them, with three of them always being for Z Orbs, Zeni or Rare Material Items. Other wishes are reviving certain dead characters to fight them again, and can only be done once, unlike the three listed above. At first, you can only make 1 wish at a time, but as the game goes on, it gets upgraded to 2 then 3 wishes at once. After making a wish(s), you ‘ll need to wait 20 ingame minutes before the Dragon Balls can be found and used again. They seems to have a couple set locations on whatever map they end up on(two locations are west of Orange/Satan City, for example).

Speaking of Mr. Satan...I know that his actually Japanese stage name, but I always end up calling him Hercule due to hearing that for so many years(and just liking how that sounds better). Also, ‘Satan City’ just sounds really funny. XD

You probably won’t need to really grind in the base game; you should get enough experience from doing sidequests and story events to get by. Gohan especially; he ended up quite a few more levels than everyone else just from the story EXP alone, and his Unleashed Potential ‘form’ from Elder Kai makes him do quite a lot more damage. Also, gained experience is shared among all party members, even those not currently set to fight.

One of the sidequests you can do throughout the game is defeating ‘Villainous Enemies’, who are fairly strong, and are covered in a red aura. You should at least be at or around their level before fighting them, since you can’t run from fights in this game. It may be best to do them during Intermissions when you can select your party members, and bringing someone who can stun with Solar Flare(like Krillin), can be really helpful. 

In the epilogue/postgame, in addition to being able to play as Future Trunks(talk to him outside of Capsule Corp.), you can also use his time machine to redo Boss fights, and do any sidequests you may have missed.

The game’s opening has the old opening for the show, ‘Cha-La-Head-Cha-La”, and this is the first time I really listened to it. It’s really good, and kind of reminds me of the opening to Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, too, for some reason.

There’s a few parts where there’s some nice attention to the series’ details:

At several story points when Saiyan characters are healed, like with Senzu Beans or the healing pod on Namek, they gain experience, while others, like Krillin, don’t get that bonus, which does make them, admittedly accurately, start lagging behind in strength.

If you use Ki Sense on Androids, and a certain researcher in Capsule Corp., you won’t see anything emitting from them.

If you have Piccolo and/or Android 18 in your party while eating a Full Course Meal from Chi-Chi, they won’t eat any of it. Saiyan characters(again, forgot to check Future Trunks) eat it ravenously(even Vegeta), while human party members eat normally.

Only Goku and Gohan can use the Flying Numbus.

These aren’t really important observations, but some events in the game made me think:

Did Piccolo destroying the Moon to stop Gohan’s Great Ape form have any effects on Earth? Or did nothing really happen?

How in the world did Supreme Kai and Babidi survive being so close to Majin Vegeta when he used Final Explosion while Piccolo and Krillin hightailed it out of there with Goten and Kid Trunks? 

I noticed a possible(intentional) goof at the end. In the cutscene after beating Kid Buu and going back to Kami’s Lookout to reunite with everyone, Dende is a kid again for some reason. Apparently, both the original anime and manga made this goof too, so maybe it’s a nod to that? It is kind of jarring, though. XD

A couple technical issues I found were that sometimes when loading a map, and in some battles later on, the game would hang for a couple seconds, and one time it crashed while it was loading into an area after traveling to another. Thank goodness for autosave. Also, be careful using the stronger version of Goku’s Spirit Bomb attacks; it caused major lag for me a couple times.

This ended up being one of my favorite DBZ games that I’ve played, close runners up including 

Budokai 3

Budokai Tenkaichi 2(mainly for just how many characters that one has, including most of the movies from around that time, outmatched by Budokai Tenkaichi 3, which I didn’t play)

Legacy of Goku 2(I didn’t get the chance to play Buu’s Fury back then)

Next game being sent is: Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel

[solartranslations]

AF2 Common 12/6: Luca’s Birthday

Another year is nearing its end. “That day” is just around the corner…

~*Scene: Hallway*~

Debito: Bambina, do you know what day it is tomorrow?

Felicita: Yeah…it’s Luca’s birthday

Luca: Ahh…Ojou-sama, you remembered

Pace: You’re so loved, Luca-chan!

Luca: Yes. I’m so glad. I’m really happy to have lived this long…

Felicita: Luca…you’re being overdramatic

Debito: Oh, you knew. I thought Luca would have been all “my birthday isn’t that important…” and never told you

Luca: I’ve lived with her for 13 years. It would be weird if she didn’t know. We’ve celebrated it every year

Debito: Now you’re bragging?

Pace: You shouldn’t do that!

Luca: Ehem. In any case, I’m not that secretive

Pace: Really? You look like you hide a ton of things under that hat

Luca: My hat…? How could I hide things under it?

Debito: Well, Luca-chan being weird is normal. So we can just go all out

Pace: Oh? Should we shoot some fireworks?

Luca: Are you two planning something?

Debito: You’ll see tomorrow

Felicita: Debito…?

~*Scene: Hallway*~

Felicita: [The next day, Debito told me to come to the dining room]

Felicita: (I hear a weird sound whenever I get close to the dining room…I wonder what it is—)

(*splat)

Felicita: That sound again…

~*Scene: Dining Room*~

Pace: Ojou! You’re here

Debito: Oh, right on time

Felicita: On time…?

Martha: Here they are. Okay don’t just stand there, let’s line them up on the table

Luca: Yes, let’s. Especially you, Pace. This was your idea, so get to work

Debito: You’re working hard even though it’s your birthday. I’ve never heard of a guy who would make himself dolce

Luca: Isn’t that because I’m the only who knows how to make them

Felicita: There’s so many limone pies…are you eating all of them?

Pace: Of course not! We couldn’t eat this many

Debito: Not very believable coming from the person who usually orders 20 or 30 servings

Pace: Not true, I know my limits. 20 servings is just right for me!

Felicita: I don’t think normal people eat that much…

Luca: Actually, these giant limone pies aren’t for eating—

(*smirk)

Pace: Yeah, not for eating…they’re for this! Hiyah!!

Felicita: Huh…?

Luca: Ojou-sama, watch out!

(*step) Debito: Hya!

(*throw)

Luca: Wha!? Bwah…

(*splat) (*collapse)

Debito: Pace…you almost hit Bambina

Debito: Are you okay? Oh, you got some cream on you there

Debito: Should I clean it off for you?

(*blush) Felicita: N-no!

Pace: Come on Debito, more! I get wanting to shield Ojou though

Felicita: !

Pace: Ehehe, ‘cause I feel the same! So Ojou, catch this!!

Felicita: Pace!?

(*dash) Luca: No you will not! Now it’s my turn!

(*catch)

Pace: Uwa, not good!

(*throw) (*splat)

Debito: Ah Pace, minus 1 for you

Luca: *sigh*…that was close. You can’t aim at Ojou-sama while I’m down!

Debito: There’s no rule against it. Since Bambina’s here, that means she’s playing too

Luca: Please don’t get Ojou-sama involved in such a dangerous game

Pace: Oh? Did it fall off already? That white beard looked good on you, Luca

Debito: You’re right, it was all white and fluffy. Should we give you another one? A man in his thirties has to at least have a beard

Luca: No thank you! And a white beard is for the elderly, not someone in their thirties!

Pace: There’s old men with beards that aren’t white too these days

Luca: That’s not the point…

Debito: Sure you want to keep talking?

Luca: If it’s what you want, then I won’t hold back!!

Debito: Get him, Pace!!

Pace: Okaaay!

Luca: I’ll throw from here next then! Hyah!

Debito: Oh that’s you’re plan! Take this!

Pace: Hiyah!!

(*splat splat)

Luca: Bweh… why are you two a team! That’s against the rules!

Debito: Never heard of that rule, have you, Pace?

Pace: Nope, haven’t

Luca: Debito, Pace…

Luca: …Pace, if you team up with me I’ll make you a turkey feast for lunch tomorrow!

Pace: Say that again!

Luca: And I’ll throw in a nice, fluffy panettone too! (TN: a kind of sweet bread)

Pace: Deal!!!

Debito: You’re betraying me!

Pace: I just act on instinct! Hiyaah!

Martha: Goodness, those three always act like children no matter how old they get. Ojou-sama is much more of an adult

Martha: But fun times do go by too quickly. So it’s best to enjoy yourself when you can

Felicita: Yeah, you’re right. Martha, I’ll join in too…!

(*running)

Martha: Go and get them!

~*Scene: Dining Room*~

Felicita: So tired…

Luca: I really didn’t think you would join in, Ojou-sama

Pace: It’s fun when Ojou joins!

Debito: If the Maid Triad doesn’t come soon, I’ll want us to take a bath too…

Pace: Yup!

Luca: That will not happen!

Felicita: …

Felicita: Do you always celebrate like this?

Luca: No, the three of us didn’t start celebrating together until recently

Pace: Yeah. Since you were living with Ojou and Mama, we weren’t together as often as we are now

>It seems like you’d do more than just celebrate for Debito

(+20 Amore Debito)

>Would you eat a lot for your birthday, Pace?

(+20 Amore Pace)

>That must have been hard, Luca…

(+20 Amore Luca)

Debito: Are you interested in my birthday, Bambina?

(*smirk) Debito: I’ll tell you all about it if you come visit me on my birthday

Debito: But you have to come alone, okay?

Pace: Hey Debito, no keeping her to yourself!

Luca: Agreed! I will not allow you and Ojou-sama to be alone together!

Debito: Shut up, third wheelers…

Pace: The lasagna party we had was the best so far. It was so fun!

Debito: I think you were the only one who had fun

Pace: We celebrated my birthday last year with a table full of lasagna. Being surrounded by lasagna was so great…

Pace: I’m happy just remembering it!!

Luca: Making all those was definitely not fun though

Luca: I was making one lasagna after another…I’m going to try just thinking about it

Luca: We don’t actually throw a big celebration every year

Luca: I think we did a “limone fight” last year, and a “zuccotto fight” the year before that?

Pace: It feels good to throw things, doesn’t it? And it’s your birthday, so we have to do something memorable

Debito: The weirder it is, the more memorable, right?

Luca: You’re saying that now, but we only do it because you two want to fool around!

Debito/Pace: Yup

Luca: Seriously…it’s starting to become a tradition for me to make sweets for myself

Luca: But I’m happy that you two want to celebrate with me

Debito: But the reason we make such a big deal about it is because of her, right?

Pace: The governor of Nordia, Agata! Right?

Felicita: Nordia…Agata…

Luca: Yes. I don’t believe you’ve met her, Ojou-sama. But she’s a very wise and strong woman

Pace: Yup, very strong. Even I’d lose to her if I’m not careful

Debito: Yeah. Agata’s whip deals quite a bit of damage

Felicita: Wh-whip!? …She sounds like quite something

Luca: She’s strict when it comes to discipline and manners, but she know how to have fun too

Pace: If she heard about our limone pie fight, I’m sure Agata would want to join in too

Felicita: She would?

Debito: She revived her domain by sponsoring a festival or something actually

Debito: We wouldn’t make this much of a fuss if she hadn’t stuck her nose in

Felicita: Amazing… So she’s both proactive and fun-living…

Luca: You might get to meet her if you get the chance

Felicita: Yeah

Pace: But anyway, that limone pie fight was so fun! I can’t believe I hit Luca right in the face!

Debito: I wish I could have seen you with that beard a little more

Luca: Once is enough, thank you! And you kept aiming at my face after that…

(*smile) Felicita: *laugh*

Luca: Ojou-sama…?

Pace: Haha Luca-chan. Ojou’s laughing at you

Debito: It’s because your beard was so funny. We really should hit him with a pie again

Luca: No thank you! And that’s not why you’re laughing anyway, right Ojou-sama?

Felicita: I want to do this next year too. The four of us together…

Luca: Ojou-sama…. Yes, of course. All four of us

Pace: My birthday’s next, so let’s have a lasagna fight! Ah, that’s be a waste though…

(*smirk) Debito: I’ll pass on anything loud. So let’s make it just the two of us instead

Debito: For Bambina, I’ll make it a night you won’t forget

Luca: We’ll have neither! Next time we’ll celebrate our birthdays by eating sweets in a normal way

Debito/Pace: No thanks

Luca: What! Why!?

Felicita: *smile*

~*Scene: Dining Room*~

Pace: Today we’re celebrating Luca-chan’s birthday. The most understanding and considerate man in the family, and Ojou-s attendant

Pace: Luca, happy birthday!!

Debito: Yeah I’ll say it. Happy birthday

Felicita: Happy birthday, Luca

Luca: Debito, Pace…Ojou-sama. Thank you so much!

Debito: Don’t cry, Luca. Seriously, how are you a Regalo man?

Pace: Ehehe, you’re such a crybaby Luca-chan. I’m still happy though

Luca: I am not crying. It’s just so surprising

Luca: …Nevermind. I’m happy. Thank you

Felicita: Luca…

Debito: Pace, anything else?

Pace: Oh right! Ehem, okay everyone, get your glasses ready!

Pace: May our bonds with Luca-chan be eternal—

Pace/Debito/Felicita: Salute!

Luca: Salute!

~*End of Scene*~

(Continue to Debito Chapter 1)

(Continue to Common Event Lesson 2 (Pace Route))

(Continue to Luca Chapter 2)

(Back to Directory)

[ofmythsandmadness]

prompts & requests.

SO...I never meant to delay this for so long, I’m so sorry for this, but I’m excited to rejuvenate this page -- I’m quite bad with tumblr, but I just hit 350 followers and I figured I’d put in a second dime for trying to make this little account work. People seem to like my little writings (which surprises me tbh, but I appreciate the love) and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about requests, so here’s the masterpost of all that for here!

PLEASE NOTE: I don’t use Tumblr too regularly, I’m trying to be more active but because of life & stuff, I’m not always active to write. Plus, just because you request something, doesn’t mean I will automatically be able to give that! It takes time, inspiration, and often the ability to form a sentence, which weirdly I struggle with. Way too often.

ALSO! please feel free to check out the kofi link in my bio (can’t link it here bc tumblr doesn’t like links and this won’t show up at all) and buy me a coffee if you feel like it! please don’t if you can’t and i’m not trying to force, guilt or forcibly nudge anyone to do it, it’s just if you can and want to support me, that’d be real sweet. :)

WHO I WRITE FOR...most people look at this acc for tua writings, which i’ve got an abundance of! I’m quite fine with any requests of any characters, except for five (unless like it’s some aged up version of him; I don’t feel comfy writing about him and I just don’t care to). I also will write for a lot of other fandoms if you ask for them: those including marvel, stranger things (those of age, i’m not writing stories about minors), harry potter and a couple others. Just ask me, I’ll let you know if I write for the fandom & we can move from there, darling. :)

HOW TO REQUEST...I prefer not too many details in a request, just so I still feel inspired to write the piece. So, if you’re asking based on a prompt below, tell me the number(s), the character you’re looking for, and any details you feel necessary to add! Remember, nothing too specific, like don’t give me the entire plot but things like genre, atmosphere, details on the reader are okay. I usually write either genderless or female reader (I try to stick with the former to be accommodating) but you can ask for a specifically gender-neutral or female/male reader too. This also applies to fics you want garnered to a specific section of the LGBTQIA+ community (for example, if you wanted a lesbian reader with Vanya Hargreeves). I try not to add any details to appearance to the story so that everyone can enjoy the fic, but again you can ask for any specific and I will try my best to accomodate for you lovelies.

REQUEST EXAMPLE - “Can you write something with prompt number 3 and 17? Preferably with a gender-neutral reader, and with Allison Hargreeves? I’d like it to be a happy fic, please, and for the reader to not have any powers. Also, they’re a cat person! Thanks!”

Obviously, I know most people know what’s up and are respectful. But just in case you wanted an example, there you go. :)

PROMPTS LIST

(these were made by me and to my knowledge, they’re not used elsewhere, only some were taken off my last requests list. also, feel free to mix + match and ask for as many as you want)

Quote Based Prompts:

1. ‘I think I’m falling for you,’ clumsy character. 2. ‘C’mon, this is definitely safe!’ 3. ‘Do you believe in ghosts?’ + ‘Why, is there something you want to tell me?’ 4. ‘Shut up about your black coffee aesthetic and try my (insert here) drink.’ 5. ‘I’m only asking for a hug because I forgot my coat and you’re like a human furnace...don’t get any ideas.’ 6. ‘Just five more minutes.’ 7. ‘And you’re sure this isn’t illegal?’ 8. ‘Wanna go get married?’ 9. ‘I love you” “don’t lie to me’ 10. ‘I hate you’ + ‘no, you don’t.’ 11. ‘let’s dance to taylor swift and forget about reality for a moment, please.’ 12. ‘why don’t you trust me?’ 13. ‘promise me, we’ll make it out of this alive.’ 14. ‘we can’t just pushing each other away and expecting things are going to change.’ 15. ‘why are you helping me?’ 16. ‘tell me a secret.’ 17. ‘you can’t friend-zone me, we’re married!’ 18. ‘is this the end?’ 19. ‘I let you win.’ 20. ‘go away’ + ‘no, not until I know you’re okay’ 21. ‘we were supposed to be forever.’ 22. ‘nothing’s fair in love and war.’ 23. ‘I want to be here for the good and the bad.’ 24. ‘So...what happened this time?’ 25. ‘I just really wanted to see you.’ 26. ‘Uh, that’s the whole point?!’ 27. ‘You cut your hair?’ + ‘I just needed a change.’ 28. ‘I can’t lose you too, dammit!’ 29. ‘Don’t lie, you’re a hopeless romantic at heart.’ 30. ‘Can we keep it?!’ 31. ‘Why can’t this happen like it does in the movies?!’ 32. ‘Can you come with me? It’s just to get gum, but I don’t want to be alone.’ 33. ‘I made muffins!’ + ‘You can bake?!’ 34. ‘I can’t sleep.’ + ‘We can share.’ 35. ‘It used to be so simple...’ 36. ‘STOP SINGING THAT SONG OR-’ + ‘-or what?’ 37. ‘I just wanted to tell you...you look really nice tonight.’ 38. ‘Ooh, show me, show me!’ 39. ‘I really wish I could paint, because you’re the perfect muse right now.’ 40. ‘Where’d you learn how to do that?’ 41. ‘Hey, it’s okay...you’re safe now.’ 42. ‘Am I in heaven?’ + ‘Aw, you think I’m your idea of heaven?’ 43. ‘I’m not crying!’ + ‘Oh, so it’s normal for your eyes to leak like that?’ 44. ‘Why wouldn’t you tell me that sooner?!’ 45. ‘What do you think of kids?’ 46. ‘Do you think I’m a good person?’ 47. ‘Don’t look down.’ + ‘You’re only telling me that now?!’ 48. ‘It’s okay...it’s going to be okay...’ 49. ‘I didn’t think it would hurt so much to do this.’ 50. ‘Nerd.’ + ‘Loser.’ 51. ‘Wait, you actually came?’ 52. ‘You didn’t notice the one bed before?!’ + ‘It didn’t say on the website!’ 53. ‘I’m in the hospital, but don’t worry--’ + ‘Don’t worry?!’ 54. ‘Yeah, I was jealous. So what?’ 55. ‘Did you know you talk when you sleep?’ 56. ‘Of course I kept it. Why wouldn’t I?’ 57. ‘I can’t get you out of my head...’ 58. ‘I made you it because I love you, duh.’ 59. ‘I trust you.’ 60. ‘How am I supposed to trust you?!’ 61. ‘You have to start getting better excuses.’ 62. ‘I think they like you!’ 63. ‘I swear if you sing baby it’s cold outside ONE MORE TIME--’ 64. ‘You’re telling me you don’t know all the words to Promiscuous? Who are you?!’ 65. ‘I only went along with it for your sake, you know I hate (insert here).’ 66. ‘Hold my hand but only so we don’t get lost. I don’t need you getting any ideas about us.’ 67. ‘Loosen up, jackass, and give in to evil a little more!’ 68. ‘You didn’t respond to any of my texts, so I assumed you were either dying or crying. I brought answers to both situations.’ 69. ‘That’s it. I’m officially convinced that you’re actually three years old.’

Situation Based Prompts: 1. Person A refuses to dress for the cold and gets sick; Person B is stuck taking care of them afterwards. 2. Person A finds a stray and wants to take it home, but Person B isn’t so interested. 3. Coffee Shop AU; Person A shows up every Saturday to work, and Person B becomes infatuated with the mysterious person. 4. Person A wants to watch a scary movie. Person B accepts, too chicken to admit they’re terrified of horror movies. 5. Person A falls asleep, and Person B plays with their hair. 6. Person A and B wake up hungover and realise that they got married last night. 7. ‘Oh...you love them’, where Person A realises that their real feelings for Person B. 8. Person A is a Christmas enthusiast, but Person B hates the holiday season. 9. (School Based Prompt); Person A doesn’t know how to talk to Person B, and decides to pretend to need help in a subject they definitely don’t need help with. 10. Person A decides to confess their feelings to Person B through a series of anonymous gifts...only they aren’t who B suspects behind it all... 11. Person A and B have a Catwoman/Batman type relationship, dancing around one another and ignoring their obvious feelings. 12. Younger!Person A and B shared their first kiss with each other -- not because of feelings, JUST to get it over with. It never meant anything, right? 13. There’s only a little bit of time left for Person A...will they make it to B, in time? 14. (Flower Shop AU) Person A comes in every day to purchase the same single flower every time, and Person B has no clue why. 15. (Villain/Hero AU) Person A goes home to find B in their bed, bleeding and fast asleep. 16. Person A has a fear of driving. Person B finally asks why. 17. (School Based AU) Person A and B get paired together to complete a project worth a lot of their grade. The only problem? They hate each other. 18. (Coffee Shop AU) Person A comes in every day with a different name and sunglasses on, ordering the same thing every time. And Person B is obsessed. 19. Person A has a hard day at work. Person B doesn’t know what they should do to help. 20. Person A finally finds out about Person B’s big secret -- only, it doesn’t come from Person B. 21. Person A is the most oblivious person in the world. Person B is slowly losing their mind over it. 22. Everyone thinks that Person A and C are meant to be together, and it’s only A and B who really, really don’t see it. 23. And they were roommates (oh my god, they were roommates...) 24. Person A’s roommate’s boyfriend is over again, and they escape to Person B’s for peace of mind. 25. Person A finds a random bag and is determined to return it to the owner -- only, all the clues she has for who the person really is, is in the contents of the bag. 26. (Party Based Prompt) Person A and B really, really didn’t want to go to the party. But maybe meeting one another makes it worth it. 27. Person A and B go laser-tagging for some stress relief. 28. There’s a Halloween party and neither A or B knows who the other is going as. But the (insert costume) standing in the corner is looking rather suspicious... 29. (Apocalypse AU) Person A and B have been struggling for months alone, and finally reach something that gives them hope.  30. Person A and B both head to the roof for some escape. They definitely didn’t expect to see someone in their special place... 31. Person A works really late shifts downtown; Person B always makes sure they’re there to give them a ride, no matter how inconvenient it is. 32. Person A forgets about changing their emergency contact, and this backfires when they end up in the hospital... 33. (Soulmate AU) In a world where people don’t age past 21 until they meet their soulmate, Person A is surprised to learn that the partner they’ve been with for four years hasn’t aged a day -- but they have. 34. (Airport AU) Everything shuts down in a last-minute snowstorm, leaving two strangers stranded. 35. (School AU) Everyone ships Teacher A and B together, and scheme to finally set them up. 36. Person A and B ride the train together every day. 37. (Doctor AU) Person A has to take Person C to the doctors. Much to both surprise, Person A falls quickly for the Doctor who comes in (Person B) -- and Person C takes it upon themselves to let B know. 38. (Neighbours AU) Person A is tired of hearing Person B being so loud so late at night -- especially when they have to get up super early. They finally decide to confront them on it. 39. (Soulmate AU) Everyone has the same cuts, bruises and scars as their soulmate, which really freaks out Person A, who becomes determined to find their soulmate to make them stop getting hurt. 40. Person A and B are hiding their relationship from everyone. They’re not very good at it. 41. Person A finally trusts Person B to meet their (insert here); the last step in their relationship. 42. Person A sends their text to the LAST person they wanted to send it to: Person B. 43. (Delivery Person AU) Person A somehow always manages to be the one to sign for the office packages...does Person B have anything to do with it? (Also, why does A keep buying so much stuff?!) 44. (Arranged Marriage) Person A is being forced into a marriage to Person C neither they or Person B wants. But B might just have a plan out... 45. (Bodyguard AU) Person A always knew that Person C was rich, but never rich enough to need a legit bodyguard. But when C’s father’s company is threatened, they call in the big dogs -- and they’re cute, too. Aka...A makes a point to catch the attention of Person B at any time possible, much to their upset. 46. (University AU) Person A needs a model. Person B needs a way to occupy their afternoon. Thus, a deal is struck. 47. Person A is a private detective hired to work the case on a mysterious murder (that strangely, Person C doesn’t want getting out). Person B is C’s lead suspect, but A can’t help but feel like they’re not the real culprit... 48. Person A drags Person B along onto a roadtrip across the country to go visit their oddball grandparents. But things go south quickly. 49. Person A gets robbed, and has no one to call when they can’t shake the nightmares but Person B. 50. Person A can manipulate time, but only by an hour. Person B doesn’t know this, but gets suspicious when they see A do something very, very weird... (you can supply more details for this one) 51. (Neighbours AU) Person A and B have the thinnest walls ever, which would suck, but they both oddly have the exact same taste in music. It’s nice; if only they got to meet. 52. (Store AU) Person A and B get locked into their work’s freezer for the night. 53. (Coffee Shop AU) Person B has never met Person A; they always miss them by only a minute. They do, however, manage to sit at the exact same table every day and pick up the piece of art they leave for the next customer. 54. Person A has loved Person B their entire life. Too bad they’ll never get to tell them. 55. (Diner AU) Person A meets Person B at three in the morning when they stumble in soaked. They’re surprised, when they show up again...and again...at the exact same time. 56. (5+1) Five times Person A told Person B they loved them, and the one time Person B finally said it back. 57. (5+1) The five times Person A surprises Person B, and the one time Person B surprises A. 58. (5+1) The five times Person A broke Person B’s heart, and the one time they didn’t.  59. (5+1) The five times Person A saved Person B...and the one time Person B couldn’t save A. 60. (5+1) The five times A and B almost meet, and the first time they finally do. 61. (5+1) The five times Person A lies to Person B, and the one time they finally tell the truth. 62. Person B is like, super allergic to dogs. But Person A doesn’t need to know that. 63. Person A has no clue how to tell Person B how they feel. So, they make a playlist. 64. Person A and B accidentally switch luggage at the airport.

Happy requesting, darlings.

[nowis-scales]

Pre-Verdant Wind Endgame Update

An Update on the ol’ Three Houses Verdant Wind playthrough, since I’ve been neglecting documenting my journey properly for a bit:

• My current placement is Ch.20, so I’m only a few chapters away from the last one. It’s kind of a weird thought because I feel like I just hit the timeskip, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will feel well-paced out. In terms of writing, I’m known for being a bit of a stickler for good flow. It’s why all of my fanfics take so long to update! I have to make sure my flow is perfect.

• The fact that they have been giving background information on characters has been so amazing. Learning that Raphael’s sister’s name was Maya and getting to hear about her has made me irrationally happy.

• Also, just generally, holy shit people sleep on Raphael and Leonie. Raphael often gets shoved to the side, and Leonie is treated like her only trait is liking Jeralt, and for me it all just culminates in the question of “so did you like... not do their support conversations, or...?” Seriously. I think Leonie might be one of my favourites in the game so far, and I adore Raph. He’s so sweet!

• The Flame Emperor reveal for some reason gave me “and I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids” vibes. I liked the venom Cherami Leigh had there as Rhea, too. I think I read from someone that in Japanese, Rhea’s actually super calm in that scene. I don’t think I have a preference towards the anger or the calmness, honestly. I think I just liked how smoothly the emotion came across. Plus, I’m a little biased, I’m fond of Cherami as an actress. I haven’t found a performance from her I haven’t enjoyed yet.

• I was really confused as to why Seteth showed up in my house after Chapter 12ish I think? I wasn’t expecting him to just be there after the paralogue, but I definitely wasn’t unhappy. I do like him! I just never use him, because I recruited Bernadetta and Sylvain, so I kinda have a full roster going... 

• I was also confused in the Gronder Field fight because I couldn’t see what people meant about Bernie getting set on fire. Then I remembered Bernie wasn’t on the hill because she was with me. I recruited her. Whatever this proves about me, I don’t know.

• I did end up beating Marianne’s paralogue! It actually wasn’t as hard once I levelled her up a bit and classed her to a Holy Knight. The big thing with her in that paralogue seems to be that she needs a decent amount of power and movement to really get by, so that’s what I’d recommend for anyone else playing it. Using rescue will also probably help you out, but I tried to avoid using Flayn there because it’s kinda easy to kill her. 

• Admittedly, I’m not 100% sure how I feel about the support system. In some ways, I think it’s better that not everybody has that forced S-Support. Oftentimes we were either squeezing a love confession out of two characters who were unlikely to have one, or characters with decent potential might get snubbed because their connection was less apparent to the writers (and unfortunately that still does happen in the case of same sex S-supports in 3H). Having the conversations only go to a certain point is helpful, but at the same time, the inherent romantic undertones of several of the A-supports do make things feel strange. If it weren’t for the fact that I know characters can have only one partner as their paired ending, I would think lots of them were in a polycule. Nothing wrong with that as long as everyone’s comfortable, but because I know they can only have one person in their ending, I find it pretty jarring.

• I think it was interesting that they went to do the fights for breaking into Enbarr and then taking down Edelgard back-to-back. I’m glad they did, honestly, because while I don’t usually like to do two fights next to each other unless I’m grinding, it doesn’t mess with the suspension of disbelief. It would be stupid to break into Enbarr and then just run right back to the Monastery.

• I have still not completed the randomized quest from just after the timeskip. You know, the one I was yelling about with the weeds? Still haven’t gotten any weeds. I think I might just have to give up on it. It’s hilarious that my luck is so good that it’s actually bad.

• The fact that Byleth is praised for having more of a personality than Corrin is the biggest slice of bullshit I have heard from this fanbase in a long time. Byleth is literally designed to be a silent protagonist with nothing going on with them – they even came up with a story reason for why Byleth is such a blank sack of meat! In the kindest way possible, I don’t think most people realize that they are implementing whatever personality they want onto Byleth. Personally, I don’t find anything relatable about being stoic, calm, and not inclined to anyone (until plot happens, of course). I’ve always been the overly enthusiastic and caring type, with a tendency towards nervousness. Trying to relate to Byleth was like trying to relate to the experiences of a cactus. While I definitely don’t think Corrin is the strongest of the modern FE avatars – that award goes to Robin – they still had some things I could understand and relate to. If you’re not the type of person who loves the cool, “I fight for my friends” types like Ike, though, you’re likely to have a hard time relating to Byleth. If you can manage that type of character, then you’re more likely to have present them with a personality of their own.

• Actually, while we’re on the topic of Byleth getting praised for things Corrin got dragged for, the fact that Corrin is still cited as the character who receives the most “player pandering” is ridiculous too. Do a lot of characters like Corrin? Yeah! But most of them who do are deeply traumatized in a way that inclines them specifically towards Corrin. The Nohr siblings cling to each other due to their abusive childhood, the Hoshido siblings all in some capacity seem to suffer from abandonment issues (oldest) and/or attachment issues (youngest), and the official foursome of retainers have also had some sort of abandonment struggle in their past (forced separation from parents, murdered loved ones). While the cast of Three Houses needs therapy and is traumatized too, there is no reason why the inclination moves towards Byleth. Bernadetta feels safe around them just because. Edelgard is obsessed with them just because. Marianne learns to feel better about herself just because. Why are there so many exceptions for Byleth, and so many just without explanation? I don’t hate Byleth by any means, but these two things make my opinion of them lower than it would be otherwise. It kinda sucks that my image of Byleth is tainted by the fanbase’s hypocrisy, but I know I can’t have everything.

• The gameplay overall for 3H has been pretty fun! I love the addition of the Demonic Beasts, as annoying as they are to fight. There’s a charm to having some of your stronger units working to take on the soldiers blocking the path, meanwhile your army’s more intermediate strikeforce works to keep them safe by bringing down the beast. Once you get the hang of it, gameplay with the new additions is fun. The only thing I don’t use is Divine Pulse, but that’s because I’m on Casual and usually when I want to rewind, I want to just plain start over. So I use the old “turn off and start again” trick.

• Edelgard’s death scene was actually pretty good. I must confess that I went out of my way to avoid Edelgard in the academy phase, as I knew how hard the game was going to hit me with the “she’s obessed with you” thing and I wanted to see how wonky it would feel if I didn’t speak to her much. I was right that it’s incredibly awkward in terms of writing when you haven’t spent the time with her, but surprisingly, her death scene still holds up. Good voice acting, animation, and music. My only beef with it is something they have done in FE before, and it’s something I wish they’d stop. If a character is dying, you either let them have a few last breaths after their last lines or you kill them mid-sentence. It’s probably just a personal nitpick, but hearing them get their last word out without struggle and then immediately die just makes me aware of how badly the directors wanted the whole line to be in there. I can totally understand it but I find it so troublesome in the grand scheme of things that I just can’t.

• I also like that in the fight against Edelgard, they tried to make it ambiguous who had the key. Immediately as it told me that, I decided it was Petra and ended up being right. I was kind of sad to kill her though, to be honest. I don’t know her well, but she’s probably one of the Eagles I like more.

• The fight against the Death Knight at Fort Merceus ended up being surprisingly pretty easy. In fact, while I paved the way for most of my army, Nader ended up making it to the Death Knight just as Claude did. He did most of the damage – I’m not kidding, the Death Knight was down to 1 HP – and then Claude took care of the rest. It was a weird fight. They said impregnable a lot leading up to it.

• I understand why they kill Dimitri off-screen at the Gronder Field fight, but I was admittedly a bit disappointed. Again, Salli Saffoti does a good job doing Hilda’s voice for it, but I would have liked to see it animated. It was also nice to have that little rapport with Dedue! If only we could have allied with the Lions a bit more. Everyone always says Claude and Edelgard have similar goals; however, it’s their methods that differ. Claude seems to align himself a bit closer to Dimitri, so I’m usually a bit confused by the idea that Edelgard and Claude would work together. I was spoiled on enough to know her background and story, and even so, I think that her methodology is just a bit too violent for his tastes. But that’s just my two cents.

 Alright. I think that’s about all I can drain out of my brain from the top of my head. With that, I am off to kill the slithers! We’ll see how this goes. Wish me luck!