#i spent so long just rotating the camera around the hat
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Apparently today is mushroom day in Japan.
This amazing outfit is by Mabel.
#emmer screens#emmer edits#alyx#hyur highlander#ffxiv mods#ffxiv vanilla mashup#one of the most amazing mod sets i've tried in a WHILE#the amount of detail is insane#i spent so long just rotating the camera around the hat#anyway i felt like posing with the fc mushrooms again#perfect ambiance
50 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Essays In Existentialism: Nerd 13
Previously on Nerd
âOne more time,â Lexa called out, walking backwards to the other end of the lane, her sneakers kicking up some dust as she moved and watched the playback on her phone.Â
âYour girlfriend is a little intense, eh?â Evan asked as he followed Clarke back to the start of their scene.Â
Clarke looked up and wiped a little sweat from her brow as she watched Lexa move with Luna, talking about something, watching her phone while Luna juggled a camera and a script thatâd seen better days. The messy waves were tamed, tied up and hidden by a baseball hat from her sisterâs university, well-tattered and sweat-lined. The sleeves on her shirt were rolled up, exposing a slight bit of bicep, her jeans were caked in dirt and mud.Â
âSheâs hot though, right?âÂ
âIâm not answering that.âÂ
âIâll allow you to answer it just this once.âÂ
âIn a weird way, yeah, I guess,â he shrugged. âOw! What the fuck?âÂ
âSheâs super hot in a normal way,â Clarke informed him after socking his arm.Â
âI meant like, I never considered it. Like, weird in a way I hadnât considered. Iâd prefer not to think of her like that, but you made me.âÂ
âGood, and youâll never think of her like that ever again.âÂ
âLetâs give it one more go, and this time, Evan, I want you to pause before you answer Clarke. I want her words to ring for a moment. Play it how you think your character would feel it. Just for fun.âÂ
He nodded and Clarke smiled at how serious Lexa was, how intricately she thought about the scene. Theyâd been at it for three weeks and were nearly finished, toiling away after school as best they could, and Clarke found that she didnât think she was the worldâs greatest actress, but that she did enjoy seeing her girlfriend doing something she was insanely passionate about. Thereâs a bit of magic in seeing someone happy about something they enjoy. As silly as it might have seemed, Clarke let her imagination wonder to the idea of Lexa actually achieving her dream, of making things. She jumped twenty years, and Lexa was the exact same person, but different, but better, somehow. It was silly, but it helped.Â
âNotes for me, sir?â she ventured.Â
âYouâre perfect. Keep being perfect.âÂ
As silly as it was again, Clarke smiled proudly and ignored the eye roll Luna gave before setting up with the camera again.Â
In reality, it was about six more takes, two more requested by Luna, three requested by Evan, and once by Clarke. It was infectious to care and try to do better. But they were finally done with all else, and the end somehow felt so final. Though sheâd been hesitant to try, now that theyâd created something, Clarke felt connected to the entire thing.Â
âSo when will I get to see the entire thing?â Clarke asked, carefully dropping a bag of equipment on Lexaâs bedroom floor.Â
âOh, uh, maybe at the end of the summer? Itâll go through a ton of work with Luna and myself, and Iâm not sure what weâre going to do⌠I will definitely show you though as soon as it is done.âÂ
âIâd hope so.â
âThank you for helping me with this,â Lexa offered as she ran her hand over the back of her neck. âI know you are really busy. SAT, work, school, pep squad.âÂ
âAnd youâre not?âÂ
âWell, yeah, but I chose this, and you were recruited,â she shrugged.Â
With a sigh, Lexa plopped onto her bed, tired and spent from the busy weekend.Â
âYou can recruit me anytime,â Clarke promised.Â
In a move that was still somewhat new to Lexa, hips circled her own, and knees gripped her thighs, and that led to a lot of feelings in her body, especially in the below the belt part that she hadnât particularly figured out in the practical sense. Theoretically she knew exactly what was happening.Â
Without saying anything else, Clarke removed her girlfriendâs ball cap and tossed it on the bed. Lexa held her hips, ran her hands up her thighs and squeezed there, careful not to move her eyes anywhere but Clarkeâs face. But they closed on their own when hands ran along her temples, scratching the sweat and soreness away, melting her instantly.Â
Thereâd been a truce ever since the dance. Thereâd been a few make outs that went slightly past polite. Thereâd been a few time hands wandered lazily where they might not have been allowed, but didnât care about no trespassing signs. There hadnât been Clarke in her lap though, and Lexa knew this was different. She made it different when her hands slid around hips and toward Clarkeâs ass. She squeezed and she thought sheâd died.Â
By the time Clarke kissed her, Lexa realized she was on her back in her bed with the head cheerleader on top of her. When hips pushed against her, she realized she was going to stop. Hands went to her chest. Hands slid under her shirt. Hands slid under her bra and she pushed back against being pinned.Â
It all disappeared in a second, and confused at the loss of lips and contact, Lexa opened her eyes and searched. Clarke sat there, hands braced on her stomach until she lifted her own shirt and tossed it on the floor. Scrambling, Lexa lifted herself, tangling her arms in an attempt at solidarity in taking clothes off only to be aided by an amused girlfriend.Â
âWow,â she whispered, taking her time to look over new skin before her. She kept her hands locked on Clarkeâs hips despite wanting to move them. She let her eyes roam shamelessly. âYouâre like⌠wow.âÂ
âIs this okay?âÂ
âVery okay.âÂ
âThank God,â Clarke nodded before leaning back down, cupping Lexaâs face, and kissing her again, fiercer this time, if it were possible.Â
Hips moved more this time. Breathing picked up more. Hands pulled, tugged, grasped tighter. They clawed at each other and at more, at what their bodies already knew how to do but their brains overthought and tempered. It was a battle of want and need and restraint, and in it, they both knew which was losing.Â
In a shaky attempt, Lexa somehow unhooked Clarkeâs bra. And in an instant her girlfriend was topless on top of her, and now her lower half was absolutely made of lava. It was painfully molten.Â
âOh⌠myâŚ. Goodness,â she hummed.Â
Clarke pressed her hands harder against Lexaâs ribs and rotated her hips. Lexa slid her hands up Clarkeâs chest and squeezed. She watched her hands moved and touch and feel. She was touching someone elseâs nipples for the first time ever, which was a weird thing to be cognizant of, but something that she never imagined desiring. But she did. And she wanted to memorize it entirely. She earned a hum and she pushed her hips up, in an off-kilter response to Clarkeâs hips.Â
âHey Lex, you home, sweetheart?â a voice called out from down the hall.Â
The spell was broken. The frantic, hot buildup was drenched in freezing cold water. The skin on display was covered with shirts as quickly as possible and the contact of bodies was broken with as much space as humanely possible placed between them.Â
âYeah, uh,â Lexa cleared her throat and tucked in her shirt for some reason as she stood, her legs wobbly and her head not much more sturdy. âJust got home.âÂ
âYour mom is bringing home dinner. She got sandwiches from the deli.âÂ
âSounds good!âÂ
âWant to work on your car?âÂ
âYeah, Iâll be down in a few minutes.â
âSounds good, kiddo. Iâm just going to go change.âÂ
Her fatherâs voice faded as he moved toward his room. Lexa leaned against her door and looked back at Clarke in her room. The blonde just pushed her hair out of her face and tried to adjust her shirt, tugging her bra slightly from the quick reassembly of her parts. Her lips were puffy. Her cheeks were bright red. She was perfect, Lexa realized.Â
Lexa cleared her throat again and redid her pony tail.Â
âSo that was--â
âReally good,â Clarke finished. âMaybe we should⌠itâs good your dad-- we should talk about this, right?âÂ
âUm, yeah, I think.â
âNot right now though.âÂ
âOf course, yeah,â Lexa nodded, unsure exactly what was going to be discussed and even worse when it would be. She needed more context clues because too much had just occurred, and she was a specifics type of girl.Â
âI should head home. I have to finish some physics homework and take a cold shower.âÂ
âRight, yeah. It was hot out there today and I kept you out in the sun.âÂ
âOkay, we definitely are going to have to have some conversations.âÂ
âAm I in trouble?â Lexa asked, cocking her head as Clarke picked up her backpack and shouldered it, making her way to the door.Â
âNot at all. I just want to be able to talk about sex with you before we do it because I imagine you might need it, and to be honest Iâm not sure how much longer I can survive how sexy you are.âÂ
Sex. Clarke wanted sex. They had almost, Lexa imagined. And Clarke was talking about sex with her and wanted to talk about sex with her and wanted to have sex with her and talk about the having of sex with her and they were going to have sex. Having sex was an option that they were going to talk because they were going to have sex and they should talk about it. It was going to be a thing that was discussed between the two of them because sex was going to happen and it might have almost happened and they should talk about the sex that almost and might also in the future happen. Sex.Â
âIâm kidding,â Clarke assured Lexa, pressing her hand to the center of her chest and bringing her back from the place she just died and went to. âI can wait however long we need to, but I think we should talk about it so something like this doesnât happen and we donât have a clear line drawn or not drawn. Think about where your line is, I guess and then we can talk about it.â
âOkay.âÂ
Clarke kissed Lexaâs cheek and then her jaw and then her neck and then her lips.Â
âAre you okay?âÂ
âMhm. Yes. Me okay. Iâm okay. Always ok.âÂ
âDid I melt your brain with the mention of sex?â Clarke smiled.Â
âYeah, kind of.âÂ
âNo rush, I promise. Just like to be prepared.âÂ
âLike a boy scout.âÂ
âDonât stress. I like you.âÂ
âMmm,â Lexa nodded and tried to make her eyes not be completely huge, tried to make her heart stop throbbing in her pants and ears, tried to make her brain not explode or melt.Â
âIâll talk to you later. Have fun with your dad.âÂ
âMmm,â she hummed and nodded as Clarke moved past her toward the door. âSee you tomorrow.âÂ
In an instant, Clarke was gone, and Lexa looked down at her hands. Theyâd been on Clarkeâs naked boobs. She looked at her hips. Theyâd been on Clarkeâs thighs. She looked at her bed and how surprised she was that her body just did some of the things it did. She wasnât sure what else it was capable of, but she decided she might need to do research.Â
XXXXXXXXXX
âI need to talk to you about two things.âÂ
âHey, Iâm good, thanks for asking. Just cramming for some finals, but yeah I definitely have time to help you out.â
âOkay, good,â Lexa nodded to herself as she paced through the garage, twisting a wrench around as she moved, twirling it around her fingers. It all happened quite seriously as she surveyed the car as it was coming to life.Â
The house was empty, her parents out on a date. Luna was coming over shortly to work on some of their film, but Lexa had a few things she wanted to get done on her car. More than anything though, she needed to speak with her sister desperately regarding many things in her life.Â
âHow have you been, Lex?âÂ
âPretty good.âÂ
âAnything planned for the summer yet?âÂ
âI have an internship with a film crew thatâll be in town for a few weeks. My history teacherâs old college roommate is first camera. Some movie of the week thing for the holidays.âÂ
âWow! Lex, thatâs huge!âÂ
âI guess. But I need to know about sex. Sex with another girl. Youâre in college. Have you had sex with another girl?â
Anya choked on her sip of coffee as she stopped walking down the sidewalk. She nearly dropped part of her armload of books, but managed to get a grip at the last moment.Â
âSorry to disappoint, but I havenât.âÂ
âI tried to ask Gus but he said he couldnât talk to me about it, and I just need someone to tell me what to do because Iâve run out of online resources short of porn and to be honest I looked a few and I didnât like it.âÂ
âLots of information to unpack in thisâŚâÂ
âWhat do I do or who do I talk to?âÂ
âJust give me a second, okay?â
With a sign, Lexa sat the phone down on the edge of the car and went about the tough work of running some wires through the rear panel. If she was doing something with her hand, then she didnât have to repeat the word sex nine hundred times per minute in her brain.Â
âYou and Clarke are talking about having sex?âÂ
âWeâre talking about talking about it.âÂ
âHow long have you been dating?âÂ
âUm since beginning of November. Almost six months.âÂ
âDo you love her?âÂ
âI donât know. I meanâŚâ Lexa paused her movements and furrowed. She hadnât thought of it like that. It seemed almost insane to quantify her feelings into one word. She was excited to always see Clarke, and when she had a bad day, Clarke was the only person she really wanted to see, and when she did, the bad day just melted away. How was she supposed to figure out if it was love when she couldnât compare it to anything else? She got butterflies still, when she saw her girlfriend. And Lexa felt this weird need to do things for Clarke, without being asked. She was helpful and attentive because the payoff of Clarkeâs smile was worth even a few minutes of forethought. But she hadnât considered that love, but maybe it was.Â
âI really donât know. I like her a lot. I like how we areâÂ
âThatâs fair. I guess I should rephrase it. What makes you think youâre ready to have sex?âÂ
âI really want to.âÂ
âOkay, yeah, well everyone really wants to have sex, but what makes you think youâre ready? Can you confidently say where your boundaries are? Are you ready to have a much more intimate relationship with someone?â
âI was kind of just looking for more help in the mechanics of it.âÂ
âThatâs the easy part,â Anya smiled to herself as she took another sip of her coffee. The weather was changing, the spring breeze ruffled the trees so they loudly clamoured above as she moved with the crowd along the narrow sidewalk. âThereâs a certain level of intimacy in having sex with someone, especially someone you really like. Iâm not saying itâs good or bad, but itâs certainly different. Do you think youâre ready to do that?âÂ
âI think so,â Lexa murmured after a moment of contemplation. She tapped a screwdriver against her thigh and stared at a single screw. âI really want to make her feel good and I know that sounds stupid, but I just⌠Sometimes itâs easier to want to kiss her than tell her exactly what I feel. I want to show her.âÂ
âI can see how that would work. Just so long as you take a good bit of time and really consider it. And remember, even if you agree, you can change your mind at any time.âÂ
âUgh, not you too! Dadâs already given me a billion consent talks. I just want to go down on Clarke without making a fool of myself.âÂ
Anya couldnât help but laugh out loud at the outburst, but she somehow managed to hold her phone away from her mouth as she did. It took her a moment to recover.Â
âJust do what you like and listen to her. Ask her what she enjoys. Be receptive to how she sounds and moves. Itâs really not that hard. Just give it your all.âÂ
âThis is all fine advice, but I still donât know how to actually do it.âÂ
âYouâll figure it out.âÂ
âI donât like leaving it up to chance.â
âYouâll be fine, I promise. You care for Clarke and I think sheâll be able to show you a thing or two.âÂ
âWhat does that mean?â Lexa paused her movements and furrowed.Â
âYouâll see.âÂ
âI really donât like the sound of that.âÂ
âYou will, I promise.âÂ
âAre you coming home this summer?âÂ
âI might. So, sex with your girlfriend, huh?âÂ
âMaybe. Is it weird that I just⌠I want everything to keep going how it has been? Itâs been so easy and nice and I didnât think dating Clarke would be so ⌠so⌠easy?â
âThatâs not weird at all. It sounds like you are having a good time.âÂ
âIâm going to ask her to go to prom.âÂ
âWow,â Anya smiled to herself, doing her best to sound surprised by the news, as if it wasnât customary to take onceâs girlfriend to prom. âAre you going to do a big ask?âÂ
âNah, I donât think thatâs me,â Lexa shrugged, even though no one would see it. âAnd I donât think itâs Clarke. Sheâs not like⌠sheâs not like what I would have thought. Sheâs better.âÂ
âYouâve got it bad.âÂ
âNah.âÂ
It was nice to talk to her sister. It was nice to be put at ease, even if she just heard a bunch of stuff she already knew. Lexa wasnât sure how it came to be that she was someone who talked to her sister every few days and actually filled her in on her life. She wasnât sure how she enjoyed spending Saturday morning with her parents going on a hike or breakfast. She wasnât sure how it came to be that the head cheerleader was soft and quiet and warm and made her feel like she was full of helium, but it was all happening, and Lexa felt herself open up to the world again without ever realizing she had been closed.Â
XXXXXXXXXX
For an entire seventy-two hours, Lexa let it all rattle around in her head, the words and the ideas and the thought of it all. All at once it felt like she didnât know what came next while also incredibly knowing and that held her stuck. She hadnât thought to ask for more, and she wasnât sure how to have it. She knew that it was important, and she knew that was a different step than the ones sheâd already taken.Â
Nothing seemed to change with Clarke though.Â
Lexa still held her girlfriendâs hand between classes, and they still hung out and texted and kissed and no one said anything despite Lexa taking her sisterâs advice to really think about what it all meant.Â
She didnât know what it meant. Not truly.Â
âThatâs it. I quit. My brain is melting out of my ears.â
With an exaggerated flourish, the body on the bed flopped over and tossed a notebook onto the floor. Eyes rolled back before a tongue hung out and Lexa smiled from her spot at her desk. The music played softly from the speaker on the bookshelf. It was already dark outside as they worked on studying, but the lights reflected so that outside didnât exist at all.Â
âYour brain isnât melting. Itâs just growing and growing and will soon explode.âÂ
âI think I prefer the melting,â Clarke sighed.Â
Lexa smiled to herself because there was the head cheerleader laying in her bed. And Clarke was wearing her old soccer sweatshirt and she was tired from after work, but still stopped by before heading home just for a few hours of studying.Â
âWould you like to go to prom with me?âÂ
âMe?âÂ
âYeah you,â Lexa decided, cocking her head slightly. The corpse in her room rolled over again and lifted her head. âWith me.âÂ
âWas it the melting brain thing that really sold you?âÂ
âI just like how you look in my bed.âÂ
âYour bed is very comfortable.âÂ
âI thought about the sex thing and I donât know if Iâm ready right now, or by prom or whatever, but I want to just keep doing things slowly if thatâs okay?âÂ
Clarke sat up so she was kneeling on the bed. Sheâd already rolled the sleeves of the sweatshirt that hung a little long on her. There was a hole over the letter on the left part of her chest. Her hair was falling out of a messy bun, and her cheeks had their dimples in them. Lexa took a moment to remember it.Â
âThatâs fine by me.âÂ
âIt is?âÂ
âI like how fluid everything is with you. I just wanted you to be aware of what you were feeling and what your limits were.âÂ
âI donât know them right now, but Iâll know them as things happen, if thatâs okay.âÂ
âVery okay.âÂ
âDo you want to go to prom with me?âÂ
âDidnât I already say yes?âÂ
âNo.âÂ
âWell then, yes.âÂ
âCool,â Lexa grinned, holding her chin on her palm.Â
Clarke relaxed slightly and smiled back.Â
âCool.âÂ
NEXT
216 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Itâs only a matter of time
This is a hc about what I think would happen to the foxes in quarantine. I made this as a part of the gift exchange from @aftgexchange for the Tumblr user @wishbonetea . It was an awesome experience to do this exchange and I hope to do it again!Â
Summary: a collection of ideas about how the foxes lives would have to adapt during quarantineÂ
word count: 2kÂ
The foxes in quarantine: a bullet point ficÂ
The year is 2020. Matt, Kevin, Andrew, and Neil are all professional exy players. Neil and Andrew fought hard and finally got put on the same team that past season.
Dan is an assistant coach for a college team in the same city that Matt plays in. Nicky lives in Germany with Erik and Aaron is just finishing up his residency in medical school. Allison is a major fashion designer who donates more money than she keeps. Renee works with the peace corp and is currently out of the country. Everything is good.Â
Dan and Matt are expecting their first child in less than two months and are trying to clean up the spare room to begin making a nursery for the baby.Â
On the tv in another room plays a news reporter talking about a virus on the horizon in China. They donât think much of it and continue about their days.
Andrew and Neil lived a fairly domestic life, one they never thought they would live, with two cats and a nice set of kitchen knives. (They were a house warming present from Aaron: âitâs ironicâ he would say when asked why he purchased the set.)Â
When Andrew and Neil heard about the novel virus, they simply changed their in-depth arguments about a zombie outbreak to arguments on what to do in the event the virus becomes a big deal. Little did they know some of their âpredictionsâ would turn out to be correct.Â
Everyone went about their normal lives just keeping an eye on the news before things seemed to change at the drop of a hat. The country was shutting its borders and not allowing flights in from other countries. There was even talk of cities going into lockdown.Â
Renee was trying to catch a flight home with the rest of her crew. When she made it back into the states, she found she had nowhere to go. Allison invited her to stay at her apartment in NYC. She was not aware of how long they were going to be stuck there (not that Allison was against sharing an apartment with a beautiful girl like Renee).Â
It became more real to the rest of them as the Exy season was postponed until further notice.Â
Kevin didnât know what to do with himself and Neil. Was. Devastated.
It was only a matter of days before they began to get antsy about not going to the court daily. Neil and Kevin had shared anxious words as they hadnât heard what the Moriyamas would think about them not receiving the normal amount of money this season. Andrew tried to put their minds at ease, but with no words of communication from the crime syndicate, they were getting worried.Â
Dan and Matt were probably the most stressed of the bunch. The information they had gathered was that most of the Foxes were in good shape to handle the virus even if they were to get sick, but there wasnât any data on how the virus would affect pregnant women. Dan feared for the health of the baby because of this uncertainty. She and Matt decided that they would follow the government regulations for quarantine and that when groceries needed to be picked up, Matt would be the one to go out and get them.Â
Wymackâs thoughts were focused on his foxes and how they would be affected by the pandemic. He thought of Matt and Dan bringing a baby into the world at an unlikely time. He thought of Andrew and Neil who never could commit to quitting smoking (even if Neil just liked the smell). He worried about Aaron working in a hospital. For Nicky's mental health while being stuck at home and away from people. He worried that Kevin would start drinking again without the regime of Exy to keep him on track. He was concerned about Renee and Allison living in one of the worst cities to be stuck in when a pandemic hits. He thought about every person he had had as a fox before them and after them. He spent most of his time checking up on the foxes and the other portion of his time reaching out to organizations to see what they needed. He volunteered when he could and spread the word when he couldnât.Â
As the foxes settled into their lives stuck at home and thousands of miles apart from one another, things settled into a new normal.Â
Andrew and Neil lived in quiet harmony when the quarantine first began. Neil went running every morning in a park that was not very crowded and when he would come home he would head straight to the shower. Eventually, Andrew convinced him to buy a treadmill because he was worried about Neil getting sick. Although, the way that he phrased it, it would seem he didnât care either way. (Neil saw right through him)
Life for them was simple but draining.Â
The longer the quarantine went on, the worse off Neil and Andrew became.Â
Andrew found himself talking more and more with Betsy as being stuck at home was leaving him alone with his thoughts more than he would like. He felt old emotions creeping to the forefront of his mind as he was stuck in a two-bedroom apartment with two cats and a man he âhated.â Â
Being stuck at home for Neil was his own personal hell. He paced around the apartment often and felt no true release from running on the treadmill. Neil felt the same way he did when his mom and he were snowed in at a safe house in the mountains. He walked to the corners of each room and took stock of the items in the home. He felt himself get more and more on edge as the days went by.Â
Dan and Matt were better off when it came to mental health. It also helped that they tried not to take out their worries on one another, they were a team. They enjoyed each other's company and would try to hang out on opposite sides of the house as much as possible. They knew when they started to push each other's buttons and would back off when they started going too far.Â
Matt knew that Dan felt bad about not being able to leave the house so he got a kiddy pool for her to sit in outside. It wasnât much, but Dan enjoyed the fact that Matt was thinking of her when he went out shopping. They spent many afternoons sitting in the tiny pool that barely fit them and laughing at the different antics of their crazy neighbors that day.Â
Nicky got a hold of everyone's schedule and decided that they should do group facetime calls every week. It was really hard to find a good time because everyone lived in different time zones and Aaron had a rotating doctorâs schedule, but Nicky was able to find 45 minutes a week when everyone was awake and not at work.Â
Dan and Matt had finally found proper places to put all of the items that had been in the nursery and were just beginning to start the vacuum cleaner when they heard an alarm go off on Danâs phone.Â
It was time for them to talk with their old team.Â
Everyone slowly joined the call and Nicky was just as enthusiastic in welcoming every person who joined.Â
Nicky was especially delighted when Kevin answered the call and the foxes came to find out his hair had grown out longer than he ever let it before. (He claimed it wasnât professional to have longer hair but he looked better than ever with the length.)
When Allison joined the call, some of the foxes were surprised to see Renee sitting right beside her. Renneâs hair had grown out and Dan noticed that there was a distinct line from where she had been bleaching her hair
Dan asked, âHey Renee, what are you going to do with your hair?â
Renee responded with âIâm really not sure yet, but I think I want to grow it out with my natural colorâ
Allison whispered something in Renee's ear and she blushed.Â
All of the foxes took notice of this and decided that maybe it was time to settle one of the few remaining bets from college.Â
Neil and Andrew were the last to join the call and they seemed pissed off. Right before they noticed they were a part of the call, they seemed to be arguing in Russian. They quickly noticed they were on camera and stopped arguing but they wouldnât really look at one another.Â
Nicky asked them how they were doing which Neil responded with âWeâre fineâ and Andrew scoffed at the word.Â
Nicky knew better than to dig around in their personal business so he let it drop and began to ask Aaron and Katelynn how their dog was, was it still cute, can they show it on the camera?Â
They responded by turning the camera to let everyone see the sleeping puppy at the edge of their bed. This answered two of the questions because as everyone could see, the dog was still very cute. They told them about a run into the vet they had to make because âthe little fiendâ has a knack for eating things heâs not supposed to.Â
Dan and Matt told everyone how the pregnancy was going and told them the tale of woe trying to find the perfect crib for the babyâs room.Â
âWhen it arrived, we opened up the package and it was bright green! Who in their right mind is going to put their baby in a bright green crib? Itâs ridiculous is what it isâ complained Matt when Dan had finished telling them how long the package had taken to arrive.Â
While everyone was talking Andrew and Neil had seemed to calm down and Neil had placed his head on Andrewâs shoulder. Things werenât always sunshine and daisies but they werenât really mad at each other when they fought.Â
After everyone had caught up there was a lull in the conversation that Neil began to fill. He told them about the time they had to rescue King Fluffkins. They had gotten King recently just a few months prior to the quarantine coming into effect. This was the first time that the team had heard Neil say the words âKing Fluffkinsâ out loud. It is needless to say that they laughed for a long while hearing Neil say the ridiculous name the team had given to their cat. When they calmed down they listened to Neil explain how King had gotten out of the window they kept partially open for smoking. Andrew had to hold on to Neilâs waist as Neil propelled himself out the window to get a hold of the cat at the edge of the window sill. King had dug her claws in and Neil almost fell out of the window. They got her inside but put a lock on the window to ensure she didnât make her way out there again.Â
That story pushed their time to when they needed to say goodbye. Aaronâs shift started in under an hour and he needed to get to work. They all said their goodbyes and set up a time for the following week.Â
It helped everyone to talk amongst themselves and to hear what had been going on while they were at home. They were all worried about what was going on, but it seemed as though they were becoming more connected, even across the vast distance.Â
It was only a matter of time before this came to pass and Neil and Andrew would get to see Dan and Mattâs baby.Â
It was only a matter of time before the exy season started up once more and the Moriyamas demanded a larger cut from Neilâs salaries for the break he was on during the pandemic.Â
It was only a matter of time before Nicky could come and visit the twins for Christmas.Â
It was only a matter of time before all of the foxes felt their lives returning to a slightly new normal.Â
It was only a matter of time.
#the foxes in quarantine#it would turn their world upside down but these kids will be alright#aftg fic exchange#aftg#all for the game#tfc#the foxhole court#neil josten#andrew minyard#andriel#matt boyd#dan wilds#allison reynolds#renee walker#hints of renison#nicky hemmick#aaron minyard#kevin day#david wymack
160 notes
¡
View notes
Note
đľ
Ain't nothing please me more than you // Ah, home, let me come home / Home is wherever I'm with you
Home â Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
The scrapbook was a gift from Keenan, memories pieced together and bound into one book, an anniversary gift after three years together. The cover was a print of an old map in shades of pale blue, yellow, green, and brown. Each page within the scrapbook featured at least one photo; many featured two, all labelled with their respective dates. The margins were filled with stickers and quotes, movie stubs and event tickets, pressed flowers. The gift had made Eva tear up, despite her misgivings about photographs of herself. Photos were uncomfortably like paintings, people frozen in time. But these photos, so familiar and personal, surrounded by mundane tokens of life, didnât elicit the same discomfort as a portrait.
Eva sat with her knees up in bed, the scrapbook resting on her thighs. Beside her, Keenan and Xavier both slept heavily, Keenanâs chest pressed against Xavâs back, his arm wrapped around Xav. It was well after midnight, and she should be sleeping too, but unpleasant dreams had woken her up. The scrapbook, which sheâd already flipped through a half-dozen times at this point, rested on her nightstand. Unable to fall back asleep, she sat up and turned the light beside her on to its dimmest setting, hoping it wouldnât wake her boys. She opened the scrapbook, flipping through the pages.
Photo: Taken by Xavier. Keenan, on the left in the photo, is squinting his eyes, with his head turned up and his lips pressed together, trying not to smile. His hair is pulled back in a tight, poofy ponytail. He holds a small sandy-tan brown puppy, who squirms as she licks his chin, one ear flopped back, the other flopped forward.
Maggie had been so small then, just a few months old when they adopted her from the shelter. Xav was trying to catch her goofy puppy grin on camera as Keenan held her up. Before he could take the photo, Maggie had jerked her head to the right to enthusiastically give Keenan puppy kisses, licking his chin and trying to lick his mouth, but he turned his head before she could. Over those past two weeks, theyâd been diligently telling her âkisses, no bites,â whenever she would nip with her sharp puppy teeth. The training had been effective, minimizing the little tooth marks sheâd leave on her skin. But it may have been a bit too effective. She started to overcompensate, licking them any time she felt a burst of excitement. It would be something that would stick with her for the rest of her life. Any time they gave her attention, they could expect her to try to lick them.
Eva smiled, glancing to the corner of the room where Maggie was sleeping next to Cora on the large brown dog bed. She was on her back, with all four legs in the air. Gravity pulled her lips down, showing off her teeth. She looked ridiculous, as usual.
Photo: A selfie-angle photo taken by Xavier. From left to right: Xavier, Keenan, Eva. All three adults have their faces covered with a pale green facemask, mostly dry, with a few splotches still wet. Xavier is grinning, holding his hand up in a thumbs-up gesture. His hair is pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, any loose hairs pushed back by a neon pink headband. Keenan has his lips pushed forward in a kissy-face and he holds up two fingers in a peace sign. His headband is neon green and his hair is in small, tight braids. Evaâs head is tilted down, but sheâs looking up. There is a book in her lap. Her hair is braided over her shoulder.
The spa nights had started as a fun way to relax, an excuse to spend time together when their schedules got hectic and stressful. Keenan took Eva to the nearest Lush store and spent what she thought was far too much money on face masks and bath bombs. When the face masks from Lush ran out, they started ordering new ones online, testing out masks both weird and mundane. Though they wouldâve loved to have a spa night every week, life didnât always allow for that, but they made sure to schedule it in at least once a month. They would put on a movie, or a tv show, or just some soothing music and chat as the masks dried. Sometimes they would lay a towel down on the bed and buff each otherâs nails, painting on silky coats of polish. Inevitably, Eva would make a comment about Keenanâs nails, which seemed supernaturally perfect, never scraped, chipped, or damaged.
âYou compliment my nails now, but you always complain when I cut them,â Keenan had said that night, his fingers spread out as Eva painted on a coat of sparkly green nail polish.
âThat is because it is oddly loud and you leave the clippings everywhere, which is gross,â she replied, focusing on the small brush.
âI have thick nails! Havin nails like this isnât all glamor. When I cut them, the clippings fly across the room,â Keenan argued. âItâs not my fault.â
Eva used the tip of her nail to scrape some wet polish from Keenanâs cuticle. âThat is no excuse for being gross,â she said. âCut them outside, then.â
âSo, I have to be banished every time I cut my nails?â Keenan asked.
âYes,â she said.
âAt least I donât leave my nail clippings in a pile on the nightstand,â Keenan said, rotating his torso to look pointedly at Xavier.
âWhy are you implementing me in this?â Xavier asked, with mock offense and incredulity.
âThat is also gross,â Eva agreed.
âIâm just here minding my business,â Xav said. âLeave me out of your weird argument.â
âThen do not be gross,â she said.
Xav sighed but shared an amused smile with Keenan.
Photo: Taken by a stranger at Yosemite National Park. From left to right: Xavier, Eva, Keenan. All three wear hiking clothes. Xavierâs hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and his face is unshaven. He wears forest green shorts, a pale blue tank-top, and hiking boots with white socks visible. He wears a gray backpack. Eva wears thick, mid-shin length maroon leggings, a long, gray t-shirt that reaches mid-thigh, black running shoes, and a forest green Yosemite hat. Her hair is in a thick braid down her back. Â Keenanâs hair is shoulder length in micro-dreads, pulled back. He wears a khaki-colored visor, black shorts, gray sneakers, and a dark green t-shirt. He holds a large black water bottle in his left hand. His right arm is around Evaâs shoulders, his hand resting on her right shoulder. Eva has one arm around Keenanâs waist and the other around Xavierâs waist. Xavierâs has his left arm around Eva, his hand resting on her left hip. All three are smiling, showing their teeth. There is a waterfall behind them.
The three of them had been dating for about two years when Xavier and Keenan started planning the trip to Yosemite. Keenan had been before, years ago, as a teenager with his mom. He had some photos of the trip on his Facebook, which was a mostly forgotten profile, but Xavier, enchanted by all photography, had sifted through the old memories and asked Keenan about them.
The drive to Yosemite from Camp Jupiter wasnât short, despite them both being in the same state, but given Californiaâs size, the drive could have been much longer. They stayed in a white canvas-sided tent cabin, dusted with dirt and pollen, the wood door and floor painted green. The first day theyâd gone hiking, Eva had brought neither sunglasses nor a hat, and had been miserable for the first quarter of the hike, as the rising sun blinded her. She had difficulty enjoying the scenery, as all she could think about was the sunhat sheâd forgotten on her cot. As the sun beat down, making her dark hair hot against her head, she had the small comfort of knowing sheâd at least remembered to cover her bare skin in sunscreen, giving extra attention to her cheeks and nose.
The boys noticed her squinting, her hand held over her eyes, at the same time, and both reached for their own hats. Xavier beat Keenan to it, fitting the Yosemite hat he bought in the gift shop when theyâd arrived on her head.
âIâm okay,â Eva said, reaching to take the hat off and return it to Xav. Xav put his hand on top of her head, preventing her from taking it off. Before she could protest, heâd turned, camera in hand, ready to photograph the next thing that caught his eye.
When they had reached the waterfall, Xavier made Keenan and Eva pose in front of it. He had been standing, reviewing the photos with one eye closed against the sun, when a blonde woman wearing a loud neon patterned top had asked in an accent so stereotypically southern it was almost comical, âDo you want me to take one for you?â She drew out the âooâ in âyou.â
Xavier had looked at her blankly for half a second before smiling and removing the camera strap from around his neck, pulling it over his head. The woman frowned at the camera, holding it close to her face with her nose wrinkled and her lip curled up as Xavier explained that she only needed to look through the small opening and push the one button.
âOne of them fancy cameras,â she said. âI still use one of them disposable ones,â her laugh was more of a cackle. Once Xavier stood at Evaâs other side, the woman said, âAlrighty, smile yâall!â
Once they returned to their home in New Rome, Xavier edited his favorites of the photos the woman had taken and made one his phone background for three months. It was the same photo that Keenan had decided to put it the scrapbook.
Photo: Taken by Eva on Xavierâs camera. Part of her finger shows in the top right corner. Keenan is asleep on his back on the couch, with Xavier asleep on top of him. His lips are parted and his head rests on a blue and white tie-dye pillow. Xavierâs head rests on Keenanâs chest. One arm is at his side, squeezed against the couch cushion. His other hand hangs over the edge, resting on Coraâs side, who is asleep against the couch. Maggie sleeps on top of Xavierâs back, curled up like a donut.
While Eva had still been in bed that morning, Keenan and Xavier woke up to go on a hike before the sun baked the earth and made the weather unbearable. Xav had taken an online photography class recently and saved up to buy a couple new lenses. He wanted to test out his new equipment and camera knowledge on the rising sun. The photos turned out beautifully, and Keenan and Xavier got to enjoy one of their few summer hikes before the heat could scare them away.
Apparently, the hike had taken up quite a bit of energy, or perhaps they were impacted by the movie they stayed up late to watch the night before, or a mix of both. Once they got home, Eva got started on breakfast, but by the time she was finished, her boys had fallen asleep on the couch. They had been laughing, cuddling together, and petting Cora when Eva had gotten up to cook. In the short time it took her to make pancakes and eggs, they, and both the dogs, had fallen asleep. Maggie knew she wasnât allowed on the furniture, but she mustâve seen Xavierâs back as the perfect place to settle down for a nap, and had hopped up, managing not to wake him up. It was a scene too perfect not to document.
Photo 1: Taken by Xavier. Keenan sits beside Eva in the left of the photo, his chin popped up in his hand, his elbow resting on the kitchen table as he looks at Eva with a loving smile. He wears a dark blue button-up. Eva wears a black velvet dress with a boat neckline. She wears dark red lipstick and mascara. Her hair is in a low, over-the-shoulder ponytail, in large curls. A round cake with white frosting and pink candles sits in front of her on a white ceramic cake stand atop a navy-blue woven placemat. âHappy Birthday, Evaâ is written in red icing in cursive lettering. Eva is looking at the cake with a small smile, her face illuminated by the lit candles.
Photo 2: Taken by Keenan. Xavier stands behind Eva, leaning down so their faces are both in frame. He wears a pale blue button-up, with the top three buttons undone. Eva looks up at the camera through her lashes, smiling wider than in the first photo. The candlelight reflects in her brown eyes.
Photo 3: Taken by Keenan. Xavier sits in the seat that Keenan previously occupied. The candles are blown out. Xavierâs forefinger is pointed a few inches from Evaâs face, covered with a small dollop of smeared frosting. His eyes are squinted and his smile is wide with laughter. Evaâs mouth is open and her eyes are wide with shock. There is white frosting smudged on her cheek.
The three photos were spread across two pages, taken during Evaâs birthday celebration last year. Keenan and Xavier saved up to treat Eva to a night at a fancy French restaurant with a budget out of their usual price range. Opportunities to speak with a native French speaker were infrequent, but the restaurant offered her the chance, owned by a young woman who grew up in France. The food was great, and the company was even better.
When they got home, Keenan had a cake ready from a small bakery in New Rome. Rich dark chocolate with white buttercream frosting, a personalized âhappy birthdayâ wish iced in red. Keenan lit each of the candles as Xavier retrieved his camera from their bedroom. He took a few photos before they left for the restaurant, then placed the camera on his nightstand, waiting for when they got home.
Majority of the photos in the scrapbook were taken by Xavier or at least set up by Xavier, as he was the one with the passion for photography, which meant the photos on their computer hard drives disproportionately featured Eva, Keenan, and the dogs. There were a couple impulsive photos by Eva, taken during moments she wanted to capture forever. A few of the photos, like two of them on the birthday spread, were taken by Keenan, when he felt Xavier really needed to be included in the immortalized memory. Xavier had leaned down beside Eva without complaint, then sat in Keenanâs vacated chair as they sang âHappy Birthdayâ to Eva.
Moments after the candle were blown out, Xavier swiped his finger through the frosting, eliciting a disapproving âXavier!â from Eva. Before she could say anything else, heâd smeared the frosting on her cheek and burst into laughter at her appalled expression. Eva impulsively stuck a finger in the frosting and did the same to him, smearing it on his nose. Keenan had then snatched the cake away from them before it could turn into an all-out frosting war.
Photo: Taken by Xavier. The photo is of Keenan and Eva cooking breakfast, their backs facing the camera. The sun pours through the glass-sliding door, giving everything a yellow hue. Keenan is on the left in the photo, at the kitchen counter, looking at Eva. He wears no shirt, only gray plaid pajama pants. The black waistband of his boxers is visible above the pajama pants. His body blocks most of a plastic white cutting board that is covered with chopped fruits and berries. Eva stands at the blacktop stove, gesturing toward Keenan as she speaks, the other hand holding the handle of a black, Calphalon skillet. Beside her, in the far right of the photo, is a silver mixing bowl. At her feet, Cora lays with her head resting on her paws, ears swiveled forward.
Weekend mornings often had more elaborate breakfasts than a bowl of cereal or some toast. Any combination of pancakes, eggs cooked in various ways, hash, bacon, and sausage could be on the menu, with sides of fruit or freshly squeezed juice. Eva usually took the lead, acting as head chef of their home kitchen, with Keenan or Xavier helping. She rarely let both of her boys help, insisting the kitchen would get too crowded with all of them at the counters.
It was the embodiment of domestic bliss. Sunlight filtering into the kitchen as the sun rose slowly through the sky, highlighting the room with a yellowish hue. Two lovers cooking pancakes with their pet at their feet. As Xavier saw it, it was art in real time.
As Eva turned the page again, Keenan stirred beside her, not waking entirely, only partially conscious. Sleepily, he kissed Xavâs bare shoulder, then rolled onto his other side, facing Eva.
âWhattaya doinâ?â he mumbled to her.
âNothing,â she whispered, reaching down to run her fingers through his curls. âGo back to sleep.â
âHmm,â Keenan hummed. His words barely discernable, he said through a sleepy haze, âShouâ be sleepinâ too. âS late. You okay?â
âIâm fine, amour,â she said.
Eva didnât want to wake him up enough to talk about her unpleasant dreams. She didnât really want to talk about the dreams at all, but she knew if she didnât turn out the light and try to sleep again, Keenan would wake up all the way, wanting to comfort her. With a sigh, she closed the scrapbook, placed it on the nightstand, and turned out the light. She settled down beside Keenan, snuggling closer as he wrapped his arm around her. On his other side, Xav rolled over in his sleep, draping his arm over Keenanâs body.
If she could choose anywhere in the world to be after a bad dream, this is where she would choose. Wherever Keenan and Xavier were. It could be a tent cabin in Yosemite National Park, or their couch where the three of them hardly fit, or the kitchen, singing along to one of Keenanâs Spotify playlists. Or in their bed, snuggled against their warm bodies. Wherever they were, she could find comfort.
#a little bit of an experimental story#me: i'll just write a short thing#me five pages later: hmm oops#keenan ojukwu#xavier menard#eva metsch#my writing#ask games#ot3: let's see the world together#music prompt
3 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Just a Place - Part 4
Pairing: Ryan Brenner x Reader
Word Count: 5225
Rating: M (language, some touching)
Summary: After moving to Charleston, you and Ryan settle into a comfortable routine - and itâs surprising to both of you.Â
** You will not understand a darn thing in this if you havenât read âNeon Lightsâ, which can be found on my masterlist page **
Authorâs Note: Weâre getting closer.Â
Tag list:  @traeumerinwitzhelden @mfackenthal @songtoyou @obscurilicious @elanor-of-imladris @thesumofmychoices @suchatinyinfinity @audreychaz @benbarnestongue @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @the-blind-assassin-12 @ms-delos @lexxierave @dreams-with-thoughts
POV: Ryan
 He was unlocking the front door when his phone rang, and Ryan hurried inside, dropping the bags he was carrying onto the floor unceremoniously before reaching into the pocket of his jeans and pulling out the device. âHey, you.â He answered with a smile, falling onto the couch and kicking his shoes off. âHow are you?â You grinned at him on the screen, pulling the phone away from your face so that he could see more of you - and the scenery behind you - and Ryan laughed, nose crinkling. âSo thatâs where my hat went.â
 âCouldnât help it, Ry. First trip away from you, I had to bring something of yours with me.â You reached up with the hand that wasnât holding the phone to touch the brim of his hat and he watched with a smirk as your fingers found the exact same hold on it as his typically did while you pushed it up, allowing him to see more of your face. How did I find her?
 âLooks better on you than it does on me anyway.â With another laugh, you stuck your tongue out at him, but he could see the blush rising in your cheeks. âHowâs work?â You sighed and he saw that you were sitting on the balcony of your hotel room, skyscrapers behind you.
 âItâs fine, theyâre having me photograph the progress on some construction project for a park theyâre re-building on Bainbridge Island, so Iâm riding the ferry back and forth every day because the offices are in the city⌠and thereâs more stuff to take pictures of here on my own.â You stood, and Ryan watched your face disappear as you turned the camera around, showing him the view from your room. âSpace Needleâs off over there, Pike Place Market is over thereâŚâ you sighed, turning the camera back and he caught the momentary lapse of guarding your emotions as you frowned before you put the smile back on your face, an honest but somewhat vacant look in your eyes. âItâs lonely here, Ryan.â I hear what youâre not sayinâ.
 âHere too.â Ryan shrugged, running his hand through his hair and felt himself breathe a sigh of relief as your eyes widened at his admission, following his movement. âBut⌠youâll be home in a few days and Iâm keepinâ myself busy, and so are you.â Raising an eyebrow as you settled back onto your chair, he continued. âGot another job.â
 âYou did?!â He nodded, and you continued, the light returning to your eyes. âDoing what, Ryan?â
 âConstruction, actually. Iâll be helpinâ a local contractor three or four days a week.â He continued, explaining how heâd met the man - David -  the previous night at the bar where he was gigging, striking up an easy conversation between sets that had led to the men - and Davidâs girlfriend, Lauren, having a beer together while Ryan took a break. âSaid he wants to see how it goes for a two week trial period, but heâs looking for someone long term, and itâll keep me busy during the day and free most nights so I can keep playinâ.â
 âThatâs great, Ryan. Youâre good with your hands, smart with building things, itâs perfect.â He felt relief that you were accepting of the job - but why wouldnât you be? In the few weeks that youâd had to settle into Charleston, you hadnât pushed him to go out and look for full time work, telling him that whatever happened happened, that heâd find something, and that until it happened, playing in bars and going into different music shops to post fliers advertising that he gave lessons was more than enough. âItâs not going to happen overnight, Ryan. Weâre fine for nowâ had been your words, and even though heâd hated sitting idle, youâd been right, like you often were. Without saying it, youâd said what he needed to hear: moving in and settling down was going to be an adjustment period for him, and you were willing to let him take his time no matter how long it took. He had a sneaking suspicion that you were still waiting for him to bolt, to decide that he still wanted to travel, that being in Charleston wasnât enough, and so you didnât want to spook him, but for him, it was more than enough - you were more than enough.
 Heâd had no desire to leave, no itch to jump, no motivation to anything but what he was doing with you. You were still learning each other, still getting used to the habits that each of you had, but it was a lot easier than Ryan had thought it would be, especially after what heâd been through previously. âI mailed out that stuff for my passport, by the way.â Ryan was going to wait to tell you until youâd arrived home, but the sad look in your eyes as youâd flipped the camera back had changed those plans, and he wanted to do something else to cheer you up. âSaid it was gonna take up to twelve weeks to get here, so I wanted to get it out as soon as possible.â The smile on your face was genuine - and completely and totally for him, and Ryan couldnât help but smile back. âMaybe next time you have to leave the country, I can go with you. No more solo trips across the globe.â
 âOh, of course. That⌠damn, Ryan. Thatâs going to be...â You shook your head, biting down on your lip and he felt his heart thump. God, I miss her. He heard a knocking on your end of the line and you groaned, shaking your head. âThatâll be Amelia, my contact⌠weâre supposed to head out and catch the ferry over so that I can take a bunch of late afternoon shots.â You stretched, carrying the phone with you as you walked back through your hotel room and opened the door, greeting the woman. âHey, Amelia, come in. Iâm just talking to Ryan, let me say goodbye and we can go.â He caught a glimpse of a dark haired woman and then your face filled the screen again, a sad smile on your lips. âIâll give you a call later tonight when I get back if thatâs alright?â He nodded. âNot playing tonight, are you?â
 âNope, tonightâs a night off, Iâll be around here. Might try to write somethinâ on the patio, maybe head over to the beach.â You nodded, pausing and before you could speak, Ryan beat you to it. âI love you.â
 âLove you too, Ry. Iâll talk to you soon.â As you hung up, Ryan set his phone down onto the coffee table, looking at it with one eyebrow raised. He hadnât wanted to swap out his old phone, but he knew that it made sense for him to trade it in for a smartphone. Not only would it allow him to FaceTime with you while you were apart, but he could also record on it, taking videos or recording voice notes with lyrics whenever the mood struck him. He still used the portable recorder to document while at gigs, but only having to worry about carrying one thing with him most times was something he was still getting used to, even though he liked the convenience. The phone also allowed him to upload videos to YouTube, and at your insistence heâd started social media pages to promote his music - and where heâd be playing and performing.
 Youâd been in Charleston for just under a month total and though you were adamant that you didnât want Ryan to pay for his share of the rent - or for the cost of the new phone - until heâd found steady work, he was unwilling to sit back and pay for nothing so youâd compromised. Ryan was paying the electric and water bills along with his portion of the phone bill and half of the car insurance and groceries, and the bills made him feel like he was contributing, like he was pulling his own weight. And now with this new job, Iâll be able to do even more. Ryan didnât mind being busy, didnât mind having multiple jobs, and playing music wasnât a job for him - it was a hobby that just so happened to help him out financially.
 He had one client for lessons; a 14 year old kid named Joseph that had asked for guitar lessons for his birthday and whose parents had eagerly called Ryan back after speaking to Melissaâs parents, to Kenny and Maria and to Jack. He was playing at bars throughout the city, too, on rotation at three different ones, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he was offered a more permanent gig at at least one of them - or at a different one, if someone stumbled upon him busking, which he still did at least once or twice a week, too. The new job would round things out nicely, giving him a more substantial chunk of hours worked each week, a larger income⌠and though heâd thought that he would feel trapped with the permanence and responsibility, he felt relieved - felt happy⌠and felt excited, because it meant he could start not only pulling his own weight, but he could start saving again. You never made him feel guilty for the way he spent or earned his money, but he wanted to do more than simply get through the days - he wanted to live, to be able to do things with and for you - and himself - when he felt like it. Â
 It had surprised Ryan how easily Charleston had become normal for him, how waking up in the same bed as you with no need to go was a relief, and finding a job didnât seem like a challenge the same way that it had in Utah. He knew that it had a lot to do with you being there with him - and just as much to do with himself, with the way that he felt about his future and what he needed to do to be happy. I wasnât ready then. I am now. If heâd wanted to leave, Ryan knew that you wouldnât stop him, that youâd ask if there was anything you could do for him, that youâd tell him youâd be there when he got back, if he decided to come back - even though his name was on the lease and on the bills. Itâs different. So different with her. You werenât trying to keep him in one place, you were simply giving him the option to stay and the opportunity to figure things out at his own pace.
 You being the first one to leave had surprised you both, but the opportunity to go to Seattle had presented itself almost without warning. Youâd brought it up to Ryan quietly while laying in bed, telling him if he wanted you to pass on it you would. Ryan had pulled you onto him, his arms wrapping tightly around your bare back as he kissed your shoulder, convincing you that the 10 day trip would give you a chance to gain another client as well as personal experience, that heâd be waiting when you got home, that it was fine for you to go. âAfter all,â heâd said, pushing the hair away from your eyes and tightening his hold on you. âWe canât be together all the time, right? Weâre both gonna do what we love, but we got this place to come back to.â
 Heâd dropped you off at the airport a few days later, and in the six days that youâd been gone, Ryan had been busy, finishing with the unpacking, making sure nothing around the house needed work, writing, singing and even recording. Though he missed you like crazy, he was enjoying the fact that the had somewhere to himself, somewhere to call home. Heâd updated his driverâs license, updated his address and, with your permission, reached out to a few friends, letting them know where he was and what he was doing, telling them that if they needed a place to stay in Charleston, they could call him. Matt and Jack had been two of those people, and while Ryan hadnât reached out directly to Georgie, heâd gotten an update on his former friend from Jack, hearing that Georgie was in Texas - just like heâd planned. Good for you, Georgie. Keep goinâ. He was still upset with the man, but couldnât let it bother him - Georgie had made his choice, just like Ryan had.
 Leaning forward, Ryan picked the phone back up off of the table and stood, putting it back into his pocket before walking over to the dropped bags, which contained a few new shirts, a pair of jeans to replace the ones heâd be wearing to work and some groceries, carrying them deeper into the house. Put these away and then Iâm gonna go play.
 But 40 minutes later, when Ryan made his way into the spare bedroom where youâd set up your laptop and desk along with your desktop computer and printer, he stopped in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Your dadâs guitar was on the stand as usual, his on one next to it, and Ryan looked between the two instruments, frowning. Stepping fully into the room, he sat down at the desktop, powering it on and turning around in the chair to face both instruments. âWhatâs goinâ on, Ryan?â He frowned again, reaching out for his guitar, fingers closing momentarily around the neck to lift it. âNo.â Ryan removed his hand, taking a deep breath. âNot tonight.â He left the Gibson on its stand and opted to pick up your guitar instead, fingers stroking along the neck for a few seconds before he settled it across his knee, turning back toward the desk and clicking open the webcam icon to record. Alright, Brenner. Letâs go.
 He took another deep breath, closed his eyes and settled his fingers on the strings, the weight of the guitar comforting him. Though he took frequent breaks, Ryan played until the sun came up before collapsing onto your side of the bed with his aching fingers holding tightly onto your pillow.
 ---
 POV: You
 Charleston wasnât home, but it felt more like home than Philadelphia had for the last five years youâd lived there, and you and Ryan had only been in the city for three months. Hurricane season was in full swing, and though the city hadnât seen more than increased rainfall and some wind from any of the storms, youâd gotten some great photos, and Ryan had written two incredible songs, motivated by the changes in the weather and the area in general. Heâd taken a short trip - by bus - to Jacksonville a week or so after youâd gotten back home from Seattle to meet some friends and play for a few nights, but heâd been back before you had a real chance to miss him, the sound of his key turning in the lock making you feel the same way his songs did. Work had called you to Nebraska in the middle of August, and though Ryan had expressed interest in going with you initially, some friends of his had let him know theyâd be in Charleston for a few days, and heâd opted to stay back and see them, which you hadnât been upset by.
 Each time you parted, you didnât say goodbye - keeping up the routine that heâd started in Vegas - you instead whispered things like âsee you soon,â and âbe back before you know itâ as your lips moved against each otherâs, or over skin, fingers trailing up and down arms or laced tightly together. Heâd made it longer with you than he had with Jackie, had made more progress at a âtypicalâ life than you had ever imagined he would, and the things you argued about were so normal that it didnât seem real some days - it was too easy to be real, you thought some days. Sipping on your iced coffee as you sat at the cafe table and checked your email on your laptop, you thought back to the things that you and Ryan had argued about in your time in South Carolina, an unconscious smile on your lips.
 He left too many cups in the sink or on the counter. He balled up his laundry and re-wore clothing instead of washing it right away. You insisted on using AC when the humidity was at 100% and the temperature was in the 90s, while he preferred the use of fans. He didnât see the point in treating himself to something unnecessary like a new phone or a spare memory card for his recorder, even though you had sound logic for both. He didnât want to let you take him out for treats like ice cream or dinner on warm nights. You forgot to press record one night when youâd gone to watch him play, which meant missing out on a new song idea and some changed lyrics - which heâd remembered the following day and resulted in him lifting you from your chair and carrying you to bed as an apology. It was simple things - tiny things - things that you and Ryan would work out over time, but it made the relationship more real for you because youâd never had those things before, or even wanted them⌠and you knew he hadnât, either.
 Ryan never walked out on you, never left truly angry. Sure, youâd both left rooms after arguments, allowing each other to cool off on your own, or stepped outside, curling up in a chair on the back porch while you both settled down, waiting for the right time to apologize or to explain yourselves. You knew that heâd had blow ups with his friends - and with her before, and didnât want to be responsible for another, like youâd been with Georgie, or for ruining his day. You didnât think heâd leave, because if he was going to, he already would have⌠but you still didnât want to be just another bad taste in his mouth or a reminder of why heâd spent so long alone - and why he preferred it. âHoly shit.â You clicked on the final email you had to check and your eyes widened behind your sunglasses as you read through it.
 Your gallery display in Philadelphia had been dismantled at the beginning of September - you and Ryan had gone back for two nights at the end of August, sitting in the building late into the night together, him playing guitar while you signed each photo that had been spoken for along with the remaining pieces just in case - but the people who owned the building and organized the shows had asked to keep the image of Ryan, which you agreed to, shrugging your shoulders and explaining it to him simply again: âIâve got the real thing right in front of me every day. Other people need to see that picture.â Selling it wasnât an option for you - the way you felt about him didnât have a monetary value, but letting other people see it? You wanted them to know, to have an idea of what you saw each time you looked at him - of the love you felt for the man that you had literally stumbled upon by accident.
 The email was from Lori, telling you that all of the sold pictures had been shipped out to buyers - and that every single piece had been spoken for in the end. It wasnât the information about the profit youâd made even after the gallery took their cut that shocked you, though the amount was more than youâd dreamed youâd ever see from your hobby, it was the last few lines of the email that had you widening your eyes and removing your sunglasses, leaning in to ensure that you were reading correctly. One of the buyers was a friend of mine from California that operates her own gallery in San Francisco and a second in Paris. She was impressed with your work, and asked for your contact information⌠Iâm thinking sheâs going to ask you to exhibit for her the same way you did for us. Youâre an impressive photographer, but it was the image of Ryan that truly stuck with her, and I think sheâd like to see more of those - more of him. I hope you donât mind that I passed along your information. If youâre ever interested in working with us again, please feel free to reach out - and if you end up somewhere in Europe, let me know!
 Without responding to the email, you shut your laptop and slid it back into your bag, grabbing your coffee cup and standing. I need to tell Ryan. You made your way back to the car, heart pounding. Is this what he feels like when people tell him they love his music? The drive home passed by in a blur, but when you arrived back at the house, it was dark and silent, though it was the middle of the afternoon. âRyan?â You called his name softly as you moved toward the bedroom, thinking that maybe he was napping on his day off from working with David, since he was scheduled to play at the Charleston Pour House, one of his regular locations, that night.
 But the bedroom was empty, and so was the second bedroom, and Ryan wasnât in the office or on the back porch. Both guitars were on their respective stands, but you felt uneasy, even as your fingers reached out to Ryanâs instrument, the strings playing softly under your fingers. Where are you, Ryan? Plugging your laptop back in, you sent him a quick text, letting him know you had something important to tell him when he got home, and busied yourself with laundry and cleaning, trying to keep yourself occupied. By five, Ryan still hadnât responded, and you grabbed your purse and keys after sending him another message, telling him that you were going grocery shopping for the week and that if there was anything he needed or wanted, to let you know.
 You turned your phoneâs ringer on, aimlessly pushing the cart up and down the aisles and checking items off of your list, but all you could think about was where Ryan could be without his guitar and why he wasnât responding. Heâs not gone, he would have taken the guitar. The phone stayed silent throughout your trip, and when you pulled back into the driveway a little after seven, you were relieved to see that the porch light was on. Heâs home. Opening the front door, you called out to him again, but the interior lights were still off, and the house was cool and quiet. Dropping the bags onto the counter, you sprinted down the hall and into the office, Ryanâs name carrying through the open space.
 His guitar was gone, as were the hard case heâd last used during the move from Philadelphia to Charleston and the recorder that had been laying on the surface of the desk earlier. âNo.â your voice sounded foreign to your ears, and as you collapsed into your desk chair, staring at the empty stand, you felt tears welling up in your eyes. He didnât leave you, donât be stupid. After giving yourself a few minutes to wallow, you stood, heading to your bedroom and hesitantly opening the closet door, dreading what youâd find. With a sigh of relief, your hand tightened on the handle. His clothes are still here. His boots. His pack. But that revelation only brought more questions, because it meant that heâd come back, gotten the guitar and left again without saying anything to you. This isnât like him. Somethingâs wrong. You walked back into the kitchen and then out the front door, carrying in the rest of your groceries in two trips, putting them away on autopilot. You sent him a final text message at 8 pm after forcing yourself to eat dinner and before heading into the shower to wash away the stickiness of the day - Iâm home, Ry. Whatever is going on, Iâm here. I love you. That done, you collapsed onto the couch, huddled under a blanket with the TV on low.
 You fell asleep before 10 without a response from Ryan, the TV the only light within the house, and woke up once when you heard a car door slam, falling back asleep as you realized it was for the neighbors without even checking the time. The sensation of being lifted woke you a second time, and your eyes flew open at the familiar scent of the person holding you. âRy?â Your sleepy voice elicited a low chuckle from him, and he tightened his hold on you as you leaned into his shoulder, one arm going around his neck. âYouâre home?â He was carrying you down the hallway to the bedroom, moving effortlessly through the dark.
 âYeah.â He spoke quietly, but you heard the unease in his voice, even as his fingers tightened against your hip. ââM here.â You sighed in relief, pressing your lips to his neck before you could stop yourself. âYou fall asleep waitinâ for me?â You mumbled a reply to him and he laughed again as he eased you into a standing position, his arm staying around your waist. âGet ready for bed.â He leaned in, lips against your cheek for a long moment as both of your arms went around his neck, holding him close. âWha-â
 âI thought you left, Ryan. I thought you wereâŚâ He sighed, turning his head so that he could rest his cheek against yours, the hand that wasnât on your lower back moving around to cradle the back of your head, fingers moving through your still damp hair.
 âJust went and played my set, thatâs all.â He rocked back and forth slightly, holding you close, and you could feel his heart beating, the irregular rhythm at odds with what he was saying to you and the tone he was using to say it. âCâmon, letâs get ready for bed, Iâll tell you what happened.â Something happened. I knew it. You nodded, pulling back from Ryan and looking into his eyes, the only light in the room coming from the streetlight outside and casting shadows across his face. âPromise.â You felt his hands drop from your body, pushing you gently toward the bathroom, and as you walked in to brush your teeth, you heard him moving around the room behind you, opening drawers and the closet.
 When you traded places - him walking past you into the bathroom carrying folded clothing as you went into the bedroom and perched on the edge of the bed - Ryan offered you a small smile but nothing more. What is going on? You waited silently, hands clasped together in your lap until heâd reentered the room, shirtless and wearing only a pair of boxer briefs. âI feel overdressed.â You raised an eyebrow at him and Ryan shook his head, finally giving you a real smile as he took the few steps toward you, climbing into the bed and laying on his side on top of the blankets. You were still sitting on the edge of the bed, feet flat on the floor and facing away from him when you felt Ryan touch your back, the fingers of his left hand flat against your skin beneath the t-shirt you wore.
 âYouâre in my shirt, youâre not overdressed.â His voice was low, and as he spoke his hand climbed, the rough skin of his fingertips calming you inch by inch. âLay down with me.â You moved slowly, turning your body and pulling your feet onto the bed before laying back, Ryanâs hand moving to the center of your stomach as you got comfortable, turning your head toward him. Neither of you spoke for a minute, you furrowing your brow as you looked at him, Ryan staring at you intently before lowering his gaze to your exposed stomach, where his palm was flattened while his thumb moved in slow circles, dangerously close to the waistband of your shorts. You spoke at the same time, cutting each other off. âIâm sorr-â
 âRy, what happ-â Both of you stopped, and so did Ryanâs hand as you rolled onto your side, facing him. There was another pause and you shook your head again. Talk. Just talk, donât think about it. âIs everything OK?â He stayed quiet and you reached out, your fingers searching for the spot on his side that theyâd touched hundreds of times; the inked lines and dots of the tattoo on his ribs. You couldnât see it, but you knew the design as if it was permanently on your own body, and it was your favorite of his tattoos because of the meaning. The constellation itself wasnât as important as the burst of lines below the center point of the tattoo; this was the cluster of stars referred to as The Wanderer, and the entire reason Ryan had chosen the tattoo for himself. You going to wander again, Ryan Brenner? Is this coming to an end?
 He didnât say anything, just shifted closer to you on the bed, and then closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he moved his hand up the side of your body, fingers stopping their journey at the bottom of your shoulder blade, thumb extended forward toward the curve of your breast. Heâs still touching me at least, it canât be that bad. âIâm sorry I didnât answer you earlier.â He spoke quietly but audibly, and as your eyes adjusted to the darkness, you watched him wet his lips with his tongue, hair falling across his forehead. âI should have, but I wasnât thinkinâ.â You opened your mouth to reply but he stopped you. âShh, just let me⌠fuck.â Ryan cleared his throat. âI came back to get my guitar before I went to the Pour House, turned the light on⌠thought it would be enough to let you know everythingâs alright.â He laughed. âI know it wasnât, butâŚâ He bit down on his lip, closing his eyes. âI got a phone call today that I wasnât expectinâ and it threw me.â Who? Georgie? Virginia?
 âRyan, itâs fine, you donât have to -â He pulled his hand away from your body and without speaking, brought it to your lips, pressing two fingers to them.
 âPlease.â He stopped, lessening the pressure as you nodded, eyes wide. âThis isnât easy for me to say.â Oh no. Heâs leaving. Something happened and he has to go and heâs going to leave, and - âJackie called me today, and it⌠I didnât want to tell you about it until I was sureâŚâ Sure of what? You felt your heart sink as he spoke, hand freezing in place and each word like a hot knife twisting into your chest. He⌠âNot sure of how I feel about her, because I already knew the answer to that.â His voice was stronger now, his hand settled against your cheek, the thumb resuming its back and forth motion below your eye. âSure of the fact that I could explain things to you without⌠worryinâ you.â What?
 âWhat did she want?â Your voice sounded small and weak, and you were ashamed of it. Itâs been years, what does she⌠how⌠why? âHow did she find you?â He chuckled, blowing out a breath.
 âSheâs gettinâ married and wanted me to tell her not to go through with it.â
---
#ryan brenner#ryan brenner imagine#ryan brenner story#ryan brenner fic#ryan brenner x reader#ryan brenner x reader imagine#ryan brenner x reader story#ryan brenner x reader fic#ryan brenner x you#ryan brenner x you imagine#ryan brenner x you story#ryan brenner x you fic#neon lights#neon lights sequel#just a place#just a place masterlist#writing#Ben Barnes character#ben barnes character imagines
42 notes
¡
View notes
Photo
Keshet Rewatches All of Scooby-Doo, Pt. 23: âA Tiki Scare is No Fair"
("Scooby-Doo, Where Are You", Season 2 Episode 6. Original Airdate: 10/17/1970)
AKA, "Adventures In Culturally Insensitive Tourism"
This is the sole episode of Season 2 of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! that has no musical chase segment, and the episode feels like it really drags in comparison. The content doesnât help much. Read this recap bearing in mind that iâm an American of mostly Ashkenazic ancestry, and so i was raised with a lot of white privilege. If i make any missteps in criticizing the episodeâs handling of Hawaiian culture, let me know.
The scene opens to soothing music with an evening view on an active volcano, the music transitioning into Aloha Oe as the view transitions down to a Hawaiian village where Shaggy, Scooby, and one âJohn Simmsâ are enjoying a luau. The scene is presented in the same terms Shaggy and Scooby are experiencing it: tourism aimed at a mostly white audience. Although thereâs faux-conversational background noise, none of the locals are heard to speakânot to the gang, not to one another, and barely even when the episodeâs villain appears. Only two Hawaiian character gets any lines, and itâs near the very end of the episode.
Shaggyâs first line sums up the attitudes informing this scenario.
After its illegal annexation as a US territory to appease the interests of white settlers, Hawaii had been a US state for barely more than a decade before this episode aired. American tourist cultureâthat is, white American ideas about what Pacific culture is like, filtered through the experience of tourism and material indulgence.Â
Mr. Simms snaps a photo of Shaggy stuffing his face, mentioning that itâll be great for his newspaper, and Shaggy shares his gratitude for Simms taking the gang on a tour. The episode is kind of vague as to whose dollar funded the trip; if Simms brought the gang, his reasons are never brought up, and it seems more likely they arrived by other means and that the arrangement with Simms is about being shown the sights.
In fact, Shaggy mentions plans for the following day: visiting the âancient village of a lost tribeâ, a plan the rest of the gang came up with that isnât part of the tour Simms is conducting.
Simms warns Shaggy and Scooby that the village is haunted, and advises them to just stick to the tour and enjoy themselves.
Then the drums start.Â
A poorly-animated man slides in from offscreen, stammering, âghost drums!â
A trio of drums decorated with faces throb and pulse alone on the sand like abandoned personal massage wands, and ominous clouds move in around the volcano. The light over the whole scene turns red, and in an explosion of smoke, a masked figure appears.
I found it odd that, when mentioning this scene later on, Shaggy insists that Simms was present when this âwitch doctorâ appears, but heâs actually vanished when the villain shows up to declare that everyone present is âon the forbidden ground of Mano Tiki Tia!â
Now, âtikiâ is a word indelibly merged with the concept of island culture in the American consciousness, most egregiously in the form of gimmicky lounge/bar drinks served in cups poorly imitating traditional carvings. Itâs from a Maori word, meaning âfigurineâ, and as far as iâm aware, doesnât actually mean anything in Hawaiian (though they are related languages, so maybe thereâs a cognate iâm unfamiliar with). âManoâ could be any of several words depending on how you accent the vowels when writing it in English; it could mean âsharkâ, a source of water, or âa vast number of thingsâ.
Itâs more likely that Joe Ruby and Ken Spears just made it up to sound âHawaiianâ.
The costumed villain (who, unsurprisingly, will turn out to be a white man) vanishes, and the villagers, Shaggy, and Scooby panic. Scooby and Shaggy are separated in the confusion, and Shaggy finds himself alone.
The action cuts to the Pineapple Parlor, where Fred and Daphne dance to a jukebox while Velma kvetches about Shaggy and Scoobyâs idea of fun. Remember what I was saying about the indulgent American tourist culture? The episode began with luau number 48.
Shaggy arrives in a panic, knocking down the door and surfing it across the floor to tell the others what happened in sentence fragments that donât really communicate anything. âShaggy, get ahold of yourself,â Fred advises.
The gang take the Mystery Machine back to the site of the luau, Shaggy and Velma arguing about âscientific factsâ versus the things Shaggy saw with his own gullible eyes. As the gang arrive, Velma catches sight of an old man sitting by a statue.Â
The gang get out of the van, and Velma suggests asking him, but to her surprise, heâs vanished before the others could see him. Just as quickly, a âghost drumâ appears, bouncing towards them, and circling the Mystery Machine as they gang try to hide... only to flip over and reveal that Scooby was hiding underneath it.
The gang want to find Mr. Simms, but Shaggy is reluctant, until the incentive of another luau is dangled before him. I really need to affirm that the tourist-centric concept of the luau is inauthentic, and stands as a symbol of the whole repackaging, rebranding, and sale of Hawaiian and broader Polynesian culture to white people. Shaggyâs appetite for luaus goes well beyond his usual gluttony and makes him into a living avatar of American imperialism, here motivated to save lives only by the prospect of more parties.
While searching, the gang find a newspaper with articles by Simms. They can tell this because the page Velma is reading is shown to have the name John Simms written across the entire top of the page, less of a credit and more of a headline or title for the paper itself. It also has the worst typeface choice ever made for a newspaper.
The gang want to investigate further, intending to follow the tracks into the âjungleâ (guay de mi, am i glad that word is vanishing from the English lexicon), and Scooby needs convincing to use his nose to follow the scent.
This is probably the single most uncomfortable image of Fred Jones that exists, and iâm including things that can only be described with the words ârule 34âł in that.
Naturally, Shaggy falls for the temptation, and scarfs down the Snack and gets to sniffing on all fours. Scooby follows suit, reluctantly, and we get another glimpse of the old man, watching from the bushes. The gang catch sight of him and flip out, and he laughs to himself as they flee.
Seriously, though, how strong is Velma Dinkley? Get this girl into some weightlifting competitions. This particular formation hooks Shaggy and Scooby upside-down on a tree branch opposite some similarly-posed bats, evidently drawn by someone who couldnât be zoinksed to look it up and learn that thereâs only one species of bat native to Hawaii. The boys flee from the menacing red-eyed, red-eared grey-black bats andâwe get another transitional wipe! Are they here to stay?Â
When the gang literally run into each other again, they wind up at the feet of a giant statue, which Velma identifies as the figure of Mano Tiki Tia from the newspaper article. Theyâre in the âhauntedâ village, strewn with human skulls and ominously sharp carvings. As the gang look around, the giant statue rotates at its base, and its eyes open to watch them.
Somehow, they donât notice this.
They do notice the witch doctor, who chases them in the direction of a large building that is evidently still seeing use, complete with a rotating trick wall. Shaggy and Scooby are left on the outside, as a snorting shadowâvery clearly a boarâapproaches, and Shaggy is forced to heft a âclubâ in self-defense.
...what? The boar jumps out of the underbrush, followed by two piglets, bowling Shaggy over. Meanwhile, Velma drops through a trap door, and winds up in a cavernous dungeon where she spots Mr. Simmâs horribly tacky hat. She hides, just as the Witch Doctor enters, but her haypile hiding place triggers a sneeze and she has to run.Â
The boys recover at the feet of the statue, where Shaggy for some reason has the utter gall to ask if Scooby is really afraid of ghosts. As Scooby gives the obvious, honest answer, a voice booms:
âMANO.... TIKI... TIA!â
Shaggy looks up to see where it came from.
Mano Tiki Tia is the biggest âmonsterâ the gang face by far, and unless iâm misremembering things, will hold onto that status for a good long while.
Heâs also really obviously mechanical, and as he gives chase, the camera lets the viewer plainly see the creaking wheels moving his feet over the ground. Hiding from him leads the boys to reunite with Velma, and the trio flee the Witch Doctor into a nearby building where they attempt to barricade the door, forming a chain to pass furniture across the room.
Iâm pretty sure this is the first time we see this particular gag in Scooby-Doo, though itâs going to repeat plenty of times in the future.
A brief glimpse of Fred and Daphneâs wanderings reveals another sighting of the old man, and the scene cuts back to the chase.
You know, usually the disguises involve them throwing something else on over their clothes. This is one of the most obvious times that they would have needed to strip and throw on something else, and i really feel like thatâs time that would be better spent running.
Even more astonishingly, this disguise works, and the Witch Doctor is totally fooled as âTarzanâ directs him towards âboy, girl, and dogâ.
Meanwhile, Fred and Velma find a genuine clue:
A table half-covered with pearls and oyster shells. Another transitional wipe later, we get one of the few exchanges that suggest the gang have a sense of real danger, as Shaggy complains âmy feet are killing me,â and Velma responds:
âItâs a good thing we slipped the Witch Doctor, or that wasnât all that would be getting killed.â
Not that the Witch Doctor ever shows any signs of being armed or in any way capable of hurting the gang, but... wow.Â
A moment later, Scooby spots a small wrecked airplane. It looks like itâs overgrown with vinesâplastic, Velma notesâand thereâs a laughing skeleton at the controls... manipulated by a tripwire Shaggy sets off, linked to a tape recorder hidden under a nearby shrub.Â
Emboldened by the realization that itâs a fake, Shaggy uses the skeleton for some prop comedy. âHey skinny, do you know why the skeleton went to the library? To bone up on a few things!â
Shaggy laughs at his own joke, and then the skeleton, which is no longer connected to the tripwire and tape recorder, starts laughing as well. Iâll save you some wondering before the end: this sequence gets no explanation whatsoever as part of the villainâs scheme, and is not referenced after it concludes. We never find out how the fake plane crash plays into things, or what caused the skeleton to laugh again.Â
The trio book it (thatâs another library joke), and run into Fred and Daphne. The transitional wipes see heavier use as the gang continue to investigate, chasing the old man into an underwater cavern that leads back into the haunted village, and another encounter with the Witch Doctor and Mano Tiki Tia.
The Witch Doctor alternates between ominous declarations in a faux-aged falsetto, and guttural, animalistic growling, both provided by the diverse talents of the late John Stephenson, who also lends his voice to Mano Tiki Tia. The only reason i donât complain about this casting (the many flaws aside, the showrunners had already demonstrated that they understood the idea of casting nonwhite characters with appropriate voice actors, and this was back in the dang seventies)Â is that both are eventually revealed to be white dudes.
Trapped between a rock and a nutcase, the gang flee into some nearby huts. The Mano Tiki Tia statue demonstrates some decent dexterity and considerable strength, lifting up the entire small houses from the ground to look for the gang as if it were a shell game. The kids, of course, are not hidden under any of the huts, but are instead clinging desperately to the rafters of one.
The chase sequence is one of the few in which the gang seem to face a real, immediate threat of harm if caught, with Mano Tiki Tiaâs fists slamming pitfalls into the ground. The contrast between the desperate nature of the chase and the many gags involving Scooby and Shaggy responding inappropriately actually make the whole scene work better, as the jokes break the tension of the action and the chase makes the jokes seem fresh rather than a constant stream. Even the canned laughter canât quite spoil it.
Eventually, Shaggy and Scooby work together to improvise a disguise that actually scares off the Witch Doctor, shambling out of the brush as a kind of âleaf monsterâ. Fredâs inspired to frighten the villain even more, and formulates a trap that involves a âtrick amusement park mirror from the Mystery Machineâ (the what and why do they have that?) being placed to frighten the Witch Doctor right into a concealed pit.
Once again, Shaggy and Scooby foul things up in a way that catches the villain anyway, winding up on top of Mano Tiki Tia and blinding the statue so that its attempts to snag them capture its master, instead.
The statue crashes, and Fred unmasks the Witch Doctor:Â
Mister John Simms?
Somewhat thankfully, the horribly racist caricature villain turns out to be white American in disguise. And the statue of Mano Tiki Tia?
How many parade floats you know that can punch holes in the ground, Velma?
Fred and Velma conclude that Simms set up the whole thing to scare villagers and tourists away so he could poach the lucrative oyster beds for pearls. âRight, Mr. Simms?â
Jinkies, not even a âmeddling kidsâ?
As fir the old man, he appears and reveals himself as...
Um, never mind what i said about appropriate voice casting. Lt. Tomoro is unmistakably Casey Kasem putting on his more authoritative voice, sounding almost exactly like his performance as the heroic but paranoid Cliffjumper in the Transformers cartoons.
Tomoro, like Inspector Lu before him, reveals that heâd been on this case âfor a long timeâ, and that the gang have solved the case for himâso he treats them to their final day of vacation in Hawaii.
The gang enjoy some more dancing, Scooby steals Shaggyâs poi, and the episode ends with the visiting white teenagers and their dog having saved the day by interfering in an ongoing investigation where the locals failed to accomplish anything.Â
What a great message. Iâd like to say the franchise gets better about this kind of thing, but, well, itâs going to be up and down for a while.
That said, thereâs only two more episodes of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! to go... maybe weâll see if in the New Scooby-Doo Movies?
(like what iâm doing here? Itâs not what pays the bills, so iâd really appreciate it if you could send me a bit at my paypal.me or via my ko-fi. Click here to see more entries in this series of posts, or here to go in chronological order)
19 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Butterfly [17]
summary Timeâs a strange fellow...
âYouâre kidding,â Ino said into her ear.
Sakuraâs phone sat propped up in a neon blue cradle. The bunny ears stuck up behind it. With the bluetooth earbud stuck in her right ear, she didnât have to worry about cords getting tangled up with her arms when she moved around. She couldnât count the number of times she had ripped her earbuds out as she worked out. Wireless earbuds were on at the top of her list of favorite presents she had ever received.Â
Sakura lifted her head to see Ino frowning at her from the screen. She looked back down at the ground, staring between her fisted hands. All her weight bearing down on her forearms, she swiveled her hips from side to side. Her core tightening and straining with the effort.Â
âIâm not,â Sakura replied. Letting out a sigh, she collapsed onto her mat to catch her breath.Â
âDidnât you say you come from the boonies? What is there even to do out there?â Ino demanded.Â
Sakura rose to her knees. She adjusted the phone cradle to angle the camera toward her face.Â
Ino sat at her kitchen table, a bowl of cereal in front of her. The orange tail of her cat waved around behind her as it strutted around the counters.Â
âHi, Maron-chan!â Sakura called. The cat meowed at the sound of its name.Â
Ino crunched through another mouthful of cereal.Â
âYou know, sometimes I think you like my cat better than you like me,â Ino grumbled.
âOh yeah. Definitely,â Sakura replied without hesitation. Ino gave her a flat look.
âYou should come visit me, Ino-chan. Take a break from the city,â Sakura then suggested. She looked away to take a sip of her water. Inoâs spoon clicked against the side of the bowl. More crunching as she chewed.
âDream on, country bumpkin. Tokyo or bust,â answered Ino. And then she spat as her long hair got caught in her mouth. Sakura snickered at her. She got back in a plank position, ignoring the burning in her core muscles. There was a thump that made her raise her head again. Ino had her foot up on the table now. She had bright purple strips overlapping together. They covered the sole of her foot before the ran up to cover most of her ankles.Â
âBy the way, thanks for introducing me to this stuff. I actually donât feel like dying now,â Ino said through a mouthful of cereal.Â
âRight? It really helped with my knee a lot last year,â Sakura agreed. She had been skeptical about the odd-looking tape at first. But she had used it to support her ankles, her calves, even her shoulders. When Ino had mentioned how much her feet ached, Sakura hadnât hesitated to share her secret. Sakura preferred using beige so that it was invisible under her tights. But she wasnât surprised that Ino would choose the flashiest color available.Â
Letting out a deep breath, she dipped her hips from side to side. Back and forth. Feeling her stomach muscles flexing and straining. Inoâs spoon clinked against the bowl a few more times. And then her chair scraped across the floor. The water ran as she washed her bowl and spoon, leaving them to dry in the dishwasher. When Ino returned, Sakura was back on the floor, huffing.Â
As Sakura lifted herself up, her arms and shoulders flexed. Ino let out a whistle.
âLook whoâs still ja-a-aaaacked. Even though youâre retiiiiired,â Ino sang. Sakura laughed.Â
âGotta stay in shape,â Sakura said.Â
âTo fight off those haters. Ooh, girl, look at those Ronda Rousey arms,â Ino gushed, fanning herself like a Southern belle. Sakura could only laugh harder.Â
âAnyway, the Tokyo Ballet Schoolâs been reaching out to us for guest teachers. Maybe Iâll put my name in,â Ino suddenly told her, examining her nails.Â
âCool,â Sakura answered.
âBut Iâm not visiting you in the boonies. You come up to Tokyo,â Ino stipulated.
âLess cool,â amended Sakura.
She glanced down at her watch. Sighing, she slapped her hands against her thighs once.Â
âAlright, I gotta go, Ino-chan," Sakura announced. She picked her phone up with one hand and the bunny-shaped cradle with the other.Â
"Yeah," Ino sighed, "Guess I should start getting ready for tomorrow. Let's talk soon."
"Good night, Ino-chan."
"Have a good day, Sakura."
Sakura ended the call. She turned off her earbud and pocketed it. It took her a minute to pack everything into her bag. After a last swig from her water bottle, she hoisted her gear onto her shoulder. She pushed the door open with her hip, out into the morning air. It was already warm, promising another hot day.
Konoha had never had its own gym. Or a ballet studio. Growing up, she had biked to the town over to train. But that was one of the inevitable things about growing up in a small town like Konoha. In nice weather, the bike rides had been a pleasant extra workout. And in the winter, there was always someone willing to give her a lift.Â
Sakura didn't remember what had happened to her old bike. Maybe they'd sold it or given it to a neighbor's kid. Whatever the case, it was gone. So one of the first things Sakura had done after moving back to Konoha was buy a new bike. It was mint green with a little basket in the front. She tossed her water bottle and keys into it whenever she rode around.Â
She could have easily driven. There was nothing wrong with the car she had inherited from her parents. But it seemed like a waste to drag it out of the driveway. And with the mostly unpaved roads in town, it was actually easier to navigate with a bike than a car.
By the time she got to the rink, it was only 9 am, and she was already sweating. Minato greeted her from behind the counter, still in his pajamas. The rink wouldn't open for another hour, but he was looking through the receipts from the last week.Â
Although Sakura hogged the rink most evenings, apparently the place was still attracting customers. Part of it, she knew, had to do with the knowledge that she skated here. That alone attracted some curious folk. It was also because in the mornings and early afternoons, Minato taught a beginner's skate class. Business really picked up in the summer when kids (and their parents) would do anything to stay out of the heat.Â
She spent an easy hour on the ice, partly to cool off and partly to run through Haku's routine a few more times. The changes they had made would ensure him a higher technical score. But artistry had always been Haku's weak point. She made a few adjustments to some parts of the step sequence. Moved some of the elements around. She kept note of it in her phone, typing between tries.
And at the end of the hour, she sent all her changes to Haku in a big text. Then, she headed home to shower. She biked past Naruto on his jog and rang her bell at him a few times. He waved in return.
Wet hair wrapped in a towel, Sakura stood in her room. Hands on her hips. Staring into the depths of her closet.Â
Her closet had always been divided into two sections: athletic wear and anything else. As the years went on, and she started to gain popularity, companies had taken notice of her too. It started off with little accessories. Socks. A hat. But then she started receiving bigger boxes. Shirt and pants. Full tracksuits. Backpacks and sneakers.Â
When he was a teen, Haku had been roughly the same size as her. She had given him a lot of the extras. Ripped jeans and flannel shirts were some of his favorites. Beanies, too. He always dressed in layers, which he claimed made him look bigger. Which, she supposed, made sense given how slight he was. Even as an adult.
During her career, she had either been on the ice or traveling to be on the ice. Unfortunately, this meant that as a grown woman, Sakura owned joggers in every color and print imaginable. She had long and short leggings. The kind with mesh and the kind with patterns. Not to even begin to mention the moisture-wicking shirts. She had them in every brand and every style. Long-sleeved, sleeveless, cropped. She also had enough fancy sports bras to not have to do laundry for months.Â
Pushed to the left side of her closet were her work clothes. She had a few blouses, skirts, and slacks that she rotated.Â
There should have been, she thought, something in-between. Because it seemed that women in Japan favored airy blouses and cardigans. Cute skirts in pastels seemed to be an added bonus.Â
"Well," Sakura said out loud. Like that would do anything.Â
In the end, she headed out in sneakers and a t-shirt. And since it was hot, she wore shorts, too. Just in case anyone recognized her, she completed the look with a snapback and rose-colored sunglasses. With her bright hair tucked into the hat, she thought, it wouldn't be as easy to recognize her.Â
The address Itachi had messaged her was in a town further up the coast. It  took about half an hour by car. And by the time she parked, it felt like the sun was trying to punish the earth. She fanned herself with one hand as she reread his message. It led her to a narrow building with ivy climbing up the drainpipe. Three stone steps led up to the glass door. A wooden sign hung on the glass that read: Art.
When Sakura pulled the door, a bell tinkled. A blast of cold air baptized her as she stepped inside.Â
The interior of the gallery was as narrow as she had expected. But in exchange, it was tall. Sunlight streamed in from the skylights. There was a small table by the entrance. A guestbook sat opened along with a stack of business cards and a glass box with a slot cut into the top.Â
"Welcome. Admission is 300 yen," a woman greeted her.Â
Sakura dug in her pocket to find change. She dropped it into the glass box and stepped into the gallery. From the signs and pamphlets, Sakura gathered that this was an exhibition for a local artist. Her theme seemed to be paintings of nature. Not a particularly unique concept, but beautiful nonetheless.Â
Sakura spotted Itachi towards the back of the gallery. He was wearing glasses. His arms folded across his chest. He tilted his head to one side as he observed a large canvas.Â
"I still don't know what you meant by doing you a favor," Sakura said as she settled in next to him.Â
Itachi glanced at her, a faint smile on his lips. The frames of his glasses were speckled brown and black in a tortoise shell pattern.Â
"Sorry to disrupt your Saturday," he apologized. Sakura shrugged.Â
"I wasn't dragged here against my will. No need to be sorry," she answered. He didn't say anything else. Â
Sakura leaned in to read the plaque. It read "The Ocean" in kanji. There was no description. No fancy history of when or how it had been created. Just the name under the unframed canvas.Â
She had never been one for museums. But she had seen on TV how people were supposed to react. So she looked over the painting, nodding a little. Like she was thinking big, important thoughts. When really she wondered how long it would take to paint something like this.
Itachi pushed something into her hands. She started. Looked down at the tablet she was now holding. Sakura opened the case. The screen woke, glowing softly. Itachi pushed an icon, nudging windows around until he had two apps running at once.Â
"You'll need this to do my favor," he told her.Â
Sakura looked from him to the huge painting. And then down at the tablet held in her arms. The software he had opened up on the left had some kind of color picker. On the right was a simple document for her to write notes.Â
"These are called hex codes. When you see the right color in the picker, write down the code," Itachi instructed her. He leaned over to show her how to drag the selector across the screen. The combination of letters and numbers changed as he moved.
"For example, what color would you say my shirt is?" inquired Itachi.Â
Sakura's gaze flickered to his outfit. A thin t-shirt and jeans.Â
"It's grey," she replied. And then she looked down at the screen. She pulled the marker to the left. And then up a bit.Â
"Sort of... there," she muttered to herself. The box on the top left of the screen displayed a string of numbers and letters. The hex code for that shade of grey.
"Great. So now try it with this," Itachi prompted, gesturing to the painting in front of them. "What color is the ocean to you?"
Sakura blinked a few times. Her eyes roving over the canvas. She stared at the rainbow gradient on the tablet screen. And then she sighed.
ââŚAre you sure?â Sakura hedged. She ran her finger along the color picker. Cycling through pinks that bled into purple, then blue, then green.Â
âI told you. Iâm not much of an artist,â she said.Â
 âIâm sure,â Itachi replied. Smiling, for some reason when their eyes met. He lifted his gaze back to the painting on the wall. Waves crashing against a cliff, water foaming white when it sprayed against the rocks.Â
âWhat color is the ocean to you?â Itachi asked her again.
"So... you want the color of ....say... the water?" she asked, glancing at Itachi again. He nodded, thumb still on his chin as he watched her.Â
Her eyes flickered to the painting. She squinted at the brush strokes that formed the waves. Her pointer finger swiped the colors into the bluish-green range. And then she moved her finger around until the settled on something like a light teal. Her lower lip stuck out. She wrote down the hex code on the right side of the screen, under the word âoceanâ. But then she adjusted the colors, edging more toward green. She picked about four more shades, jotting those down too.
âSorry. Itâs just⌠thereâs a bunch of colors in the water. Is this too much?â Sakura asked, still writing down the strings of letters and numbers. And when she looked at Itachi again he almost looked like he might cry.
âNo. Itâs perfect,â he answered.
He didn't speak as she moved on to the grass covering the top of the cliffs. Â Next was the sky. Almost gold in some parts, white in others. She found the ochre of the stones in the water. The pastel yellow of the sand on the beach.Â
They spent the better part of an hour that way. They cycled through a few paintings in the exhibition. Sakura finding the right colors and recording the hex codes.Â
After she recorded the colors of a particularly lush painting, a forest scene with tall trees, Sakura stole a glance at Itachi.Â
âOne more?â she asked, pointing at a scene comprised of lilacs and pinks.Â
To her surprise, Itachi took the tablet from her. He scrolled through the lists she had made. And then he closed the cover of the case.Â
âDo you like seafood?â Itachi queried.
âHuh?â
The restaurant Itachi took her to was beyond obscure. If he hadnât led her straight to the door, she would have missed it a million times over. It was located in a white building, a small purple sign hanging above the door displayed its name. There was little else around besides some apartments and a supermarket down the road.Â
It was a tiny place with a handful of tables and chairs. It was spartan but clean. The laminated menus only had a few options. But Sakura barely glanced them over because Itachi had convinced her with two words at the art gallery:
Hyuga Don
It was one of the specialties of this area. A bowl of rice piled high with slices of fresh tuna. Such a simple idea. But that taste lived in a special corner of Sakuraâs heart. Out of all the delicious foods she had eaten on her travels, none could ever replace the taste of Hyuga Don.Â
Itachi leaned back in his seat, elbow resting on the back of the chair beside him. He removed his glasses, tucking them in the front of his shirt. He rubbed the marks theyâd left on the bridge of his nose.Â
âI stumbled on this place when I moved to Konoha. Itâs amazing,â Itachi informed her.Â
The owner of the place was an old woman. She took their orders and served them tea poured over ice. As they waited for the food, Sakura snapped a shot of the glasses, condensation slipping down the sides. She fiddled with the saturation and highlights for a while.Â
âSo do you do this a lot? Go to exhibits and ask people to write down the colors in the paintings?â asked Sakura, looking up from her phone. She set it facedown on the table.Â
âYes to the first part. Not the second,â he replied. And before she could ask him to elaborate, the food arrived.
Sakura grudgingly admitted that this was a darn good donburi.Â
âWell, not bad... for an outsiderâs pick, anyway,â she then added. âThereâs an incredible place in Tsukumi. Remind me to send you the address.âÂ
They split the bill right down the middle. And then, as they got up, Itachi smiled at her.Â
âThank you. For your help,â Itachi uttered.Â
âYeah. Of course,â she replied. Still unsure as to how, exactly, she had been helpful at all.Â
June bled into July. And it was clear that this heat wasnât going to go away anytime soon. Sometimes, when Sakura needed a break, she snuck into the air conditioned science room to gab with Orochimaru. And he always had cookies or rice crackers to split with her as they chatted between his classes. Sometimes she helped him sort beakers and glass slides as they spoke.Â
âThe Asian Open Trophy is in Hong Kong this year. Iâm thinking of flying out to go watch,â Orochimaru confessed.Â
âThatâs during summer vacation, Sensei. Why not?â answered Sakura. And then she added, âWhy not take your grandson? Does Mitsuki-kun like ice skating?âÂ
Orochimaru shook his head. âHe mostly likes video games.â
âHeathen,â she grumbled, making Orochimaru chuckle.Â
As the hot days trickled on, Sakura pulled the old, inflatable pool out of storage. With Narutoâs help, they managed to blow it up and filled it with water from the garden hose before Kushina texted him to come home for dinner. Sakura dunked her feet into it as the sun went down. Cicadas chirping in an endless chorus around her.Â
She let out a long sigh. Closed her eyes as she let the muggy air blow over her.Â
In the distance, she could hear childrenâs voices. The crack of a baseball hitting a bat as they squeezed in one last game before going home for the night.Â
And then, a deep woof interrupted the peace.Â
âOiiii! You home, Haruno?â a man shouted.Â
Sakura ignored him.Â
âHARUNO!â he yelled even louder. The dog howled along with him.Â
Scowling, Sakura turned onto her side. And just as she considered throwing something over the fence at him, she heard the man let out a muffled âoofâ.Â
âShut up, Inuzuka. Youâre so irritating,â she heard Shikamaru scold.Â
âYou kicked me!â Kiba gasped. And she could hear them tussling.Â
Sakura watched as a plastic bag came flying over her fence. Followed by Kibaâs body. His huge white dog followed. It bounded across the yard, heading straight for Sakura.Â
âAkamaru! No!â Shikamaru called.
But it was too late. The dog came crashing into the inflatable pool. Dousing Sakura as a wave engulfed her. It soaked her to the bone before she could move out of the way.Â
Sakura rose onto her elbows, spitting water. She dragged her hand across her face, pulling her hair aside. And when she wiped her eyes, she found Kiba sitting cross-legged in the grass. A sheepish grin on his face. Akamaru sat panting in the pool, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. Shikamaru leaned over the fence, grimacing.Â
Sakura opened her mouth to say something. Akamaru chose that precise moment to give himself a vigorous shake. Sending more water flying out at her. The tag on his color jingled merrily with the movement.
âUh.... hey, Haruno,â Kiba said.
â....Hey, Inuzuka,â she replied in a flat voice.Â
Like a normal human being, Shikamaru went around to walk through the front door of the house. He smacked Kiba in the back of the head as Sakura wrung her hair and clothes out. And when Kiba glared, Shikamaru hit him several more times with the plastic bag in his hand.Â
âNara, could you get me a towel?â Sakura requested, keeping her voice perfectly level.Â
She waited for Shikamaru to walk back into the house. He returned a few moments later with a pink towel from the bathroom. She wiped her face and arms down before she draped it over her hair.Â
Sakura got to her feet. And without another word, she went into her house to change.Â
âNara, Iâm scared,â she heard Kiba whisper.
âSheâs going to end your life,â replied Shikamaru in a solemn voice.Â
When she emerged several minutes later, Sakura returned to the backyard. Akamaru was out of the pool now. And when he spotted her scowl, he let out a whine. He lowered his head onto his paws, staring up at her with big, shining eyes. Kiba put his hand in his pocket, still giving that awkward smile.
âHeyyy, you. Feeling better?â he asked her.Â
Sakura strode up to him. She shoved him in the chest with her foot and watched him topple backward. Ass-first. Into the pool.Â
âOkay. Weâre even,â declared Sakura, smirking. She turned to Shikamaru.Â
âDrinks?â she suggested. Shikamaru shrugged one shoulder.Â
âInuzuka, you in?â asked Shikamaru. They both looked over at him. Akamaru was licking his face. Kiba pushed Akamaru away, blinking water out of his eyes.Â
âYeah. Sure,â he replied, grinning.Â
#writing#itasaku#butterfly#been having a slow week so here's a surprise chapter#you thought just shika and sakura were childhood friends?#3's the magic number
40 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Lady In Red
This is my submission for @angryschnauzer and @ursulaismymiddlename âs If You Go Down to the Woods Today writing challenge. My selection was vampire & Lucas Lee.
author: lillianfromaccounting characters: Lucas Lee x female Chinese vampire word count: 1965 warnings: mentions of death, suicide, drowning
Summary: Lucas is filming a commercial in China during Chinese Halloween and meets a pretty lady.
A/N: Chinese vampires are traditionally stiff corpses that suck your life energy (qi or chi) out as opposed to sucking your blood out. More modern versions have incorporated blood sucking. Theyâre usually non-verbal and hop to get around. Here are some links if you want to read more about Chinese vampires or the Ghost Festival. Also Iâm sorry the story was kinda on the downer side. I donât know what got over me. Also, sorry for the shitty manip. I really wanted him in a costume and this was the best I could do right now. This was not based on any true legends or ghost stories that I know of. Any similarities are purely coincidental.
Lady in Red 500 years ago, Beijing, China
Yulan watched the full moon as her mother ran the red comb through her hair.
âThe first brush, blessed to be together to the end,â her mother chanted.
Traditionally, all the women of the family would gather the night before a girlâs wedding for the hair brushing ceremony, but since this betrothal happened so quickly, only Yulanâs mother and their maid was present. It was usually unlucky to get married during the Hungry Ghost Festival, but due to their circumstances, a local priest gave the family his blessing.
âSecond brush, may you have a hundred years of a harmonious marriage,â her mother continued.
Yulan had looked forward to this ceremony all her life, but never expected it to be on such bitter terms. She had fallen in love with one of the foreign traders, secretly meeting him by the lake on her afternoon walks. Her father caught them and immediately arranged for her marriage to the magistrate. Those people are not good enough for you, her father had said over and over again. The magistrate is honorable and will bring honor to our family.
âThird brush, may you have many children and grandchildren,â her mother choked back a sob.
The magistrate was more than twice Yulanâs age and was taking her as his fourth concubine. It was a good deal for Yulanâs family; they didnât even have to put up much of a dowry. If Yulan were to be blessed with a son early on, then perhaps the other wives wouldnât treat her too harshly.
âFourth brush, may your hair and eyebrows grow long and white,â her mother concluded with a sigh, placing the comb back on the table. âGet some rest tonight. Tomorrow will be a long day.â
The magistrateâs carriage was to pick her up at sunrise.
When the midnight bells chimed, the maid helped Yulan escape out of the house. Yulan used the light of the full moon to guide her down to the lake, where she was to meet her lover. She waited until sunrise, but her lover never came. Knowing that her father and the magistrateâs people will find her soon, she decided to die in the lake instead of living in a loveless marriage.
September 5, 2017, Beijing, China
âSince she disgraced her family, they did not give her a proper burial,â Maggie said. She was wearing a Ming dynasty costume in red, embroidered with shiny glass beads and brightly colored threads. Her eyes were heavily rouged and her face was painted a chalky white. A single beam of light illuminated her features as she spoke into her flashlight.
âInstead, they stashed her body in a nearby cave. On the anniversary of Yulanâs death, the maid went to pay her respects, but the corpse was nowhere to be found. Legend says she roams the lake, in search of her lover. Every year, around this time, there are reports of men, usually foreigners, either missing or dying near the lake. The accounts seem innocuous--they drank too much and fell in; they got lost and contracted hypothermia; they were attacked by wild beasts--it always seems reasonable, but how many times before a coincidence is not a coincidence? There were some reports that said there were bite marks on the victimsâ necks.â She paused for effect.
Her audienceâs wide eyes and slack jaws told her that she had gotten to them. âAnd that is why the Yulan vampire costumes are so popular on this holiday.â Maggie turned the flashlight off and slid it into the large sleeve of her costume. She passed out fake vampire teeth to her friends who were all dressed alike. âThere are a ton of tourists around this weekend,â she said, baring her teeth, âwhich mean the parties are gonna be ca-ray-zeee! We should hit up the one at the big hotel first. I heard a famous actor was filming a commercial there!â
In another part of town--
âOk, you skate down between the green cones, jump onto the ramp, do some tricks, land in front of the cans, strike a pose, and say, âThatâs some good energy!â Got it?â Jesse, the production assistant, asked.
âThatâs some good energy! Thatâs some gooood energy. That is some good energy,â Lucas repeated the phrase to himself several times in different tones. He adjusted the weird looking hat with the red strings and the funky tunic they put him in.
âHow many takes do you think it will take?â he asked.
âWith me, it only takes one,â Lucas Lee replied.
âAnd action!â
The sound of the clapboard closing signalled that it was time. He pushed hard off the skateboard. Halfway down the stretch of the Great Wall, he jumped, rotating his body a full turn while flipping his board 540 degrees. Gaining momentum down the natural curve of the wall, he flipped his board four times at the top of the ramp before jumping over and landing in front of the display of energy drinks. He crossed his arms and stared coolly at the camera.
âThatâs some good energy,â he cooed, sticking his chin out.
âCut!â the director yelled. âGood take! Thatâs a wrap.â
âPerfect timing,â Jesse said. âWeâll make it just in time for the masquerade party.â
âParty?â Lucas asked.
âItâs Chinese Halloween,â Jesse replied. âThereâs a costume party at the hotel. All the crew are going. You should come with us.â
âLucas Lee doesnât do costumes,â Lucas declared.
âOh câmon, itâll be great. There will be lots of girls,â Jesse replied. âLook, weâve worked together for a long time. If you donât get back out there, youâll never get over Ramona.â
âIâm over her,â Lucas retorted. âItâs--I--I donât have a costume.â
âYou can just go in what youâre wearing. We donât need it for the commercial anymore. You can return it tomorrow,â Jesse said. âA lot of the PAs are borrowing set costumes. We have to break down the set though. Weâll meet you back at the hotel in half an hour.â
Lucas walked into the hotel lobby and was greeted by a sea people in all sorts of strange costumes hopping around on the dance floor, like they were doing some strange new dance. He stopped a passing waiter and grabbed a bottle of champagne.
âWhatâs with the hopping?â Lucas asked.
The waiter leaned in, gesturing for Lucas to repeat the question.
âHop. The jumping.â Lucas mimicked the motion.
âVampires,â the waiter replied and quickly walked away.
Lucas wasnât sure what that meant, but he decided to go out to the balcony for some fresh air. The hotel overlooked a lake that spanned the horizon. Gulping the bubbly, he watched little paper boats with candles on them float down the water. At the edge of the lake, a hopping red figure caught his eye. He found a set of stairs and made his way down to the water. âHello,â Lucas said.
She was wearing an elaborate red Chinese dress, much like the costumes he saw on the dance floor. The full moon highlighted the stark contrast of the red around her dark eyes and her pale skin. Lucas found her gaze too intense to stare directly into but at the same time he was transfixed by her beauty and couldnât look away. "Do you speak English?" he asked. She didn't answer. "Nice party,â he nodded towards the lobby.
She held her hand out. She wore elaborate golden finger adornments that looked like they could be dangerous if you sat on them wrong. She beckoned him to follow her as she hopped towards the lake.
âYouâre really staying in character with this vampire stuff,â he chuckled. âI can appreciate that. Iâm a pretty good actor, you know.â
He wasnât sure what compelled his feet to follow her; maybe he was feeling the effects of the booze. They stopped in front of a large blooming magnolia tree whose white flowers popped against the dark lake. They were far enough away that he couldnât hear the music from the party anymore. He turned to look back at the hotel, but it was suddenly obscured by a low fog. She turned to him and reached up to touch his face with both her hands. Her gaze was cold but determined. Her face was barely an inch from Lucasâ when he pulled back.
âIâm--Iâm sorry,â he said, shaking his head. âI guess Iâm just not ready to--I donât even know your name.â
She picked up a magnolia flower off the ground.
âThatâs a really pretty flower,â he said, looking back at her. She stared at him, a mix between confusion and anger in her eyes.
âLook, itâs not you,â he said, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady himself. âI just--thereâs this girl. Here.â Lucas pulled out his phone and unlocked it, turning the screen towards the woman, who turned her head away from the brightness. âHer name is Ramona. Ramona Flowers, actually. She broke up with me. A long time ago. This was before I got famous.â
Lucas sat down on a nearby log. âI just donât get it. She left me for this pretty boy. He was so cocky too.â He downed the rest of his champagne and threw the bottle into the lake. âI spent every day with her. I guess I just wasnât good enough.â He looked up and the woman was now sitting beside him. âYou s-seem like a very s-sweet girl.â His words were starting to slur. âBut what if Iâm not good enough f-for you,â he swallowed hard. âIâm just not good enough.â
The woman placed the magnolia on his lap and stroked his face. Her hands felt frigid against his cheeks. She cupped his face and leaned into him. He didnât resist her this time. He couldnât. Maybe it was the booze but he didnât feel in control of his own body anymore. Her lips were strong, sucking on his mouth hungrily, quite literally taking his breath away.
âWeâve found him! Heâs down by the lake!â
Lucas stirred to the sound of familiar voices. He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. His head pounded and the ground felt like it was moving. He felt cold and damp and ached all over.
âWeâve been looking for you all night, dude,â Jesse said. âHowâd you get down here?â
âToo. Loud,â Lucas muttered.
Jesse helped him up to a sitting position. âAre you okay man? You donât look too good.â
"What--where--where's the girl?"
"What girl?" Jesse asked.
"The lady in the red costume," Lucas replied.
âThere were like a million of those last night,â Jesse said.
âShe--she was right here,â Lucas looked around.
His surroundings looked very different in daylight. What he had thought was a log last night was actually a stone with some Chinese characters carved into it. Where the magnolia tree had stood were a pile of dead branches.
âYou ok? You got like a cut on your neck,â Jesse said, gesturing below his chin.
Lucas wiped his neck and sobered up when he saw blood on his hand. He looked again to the stone and vaguely recall watching the woman walk out into the lake last night. âWha-what does that say on the stone?â
One of the Chinese guides turned to read what Lucas was pointing at. âIt says, âBeware the--Yulan--I think that means--whatâs that flower, on the trees? Um--Magnolias! Beware the magnolia. Her beauty will consume you.â
Lucas looked from the stone back to the pile of branches.
âDude, we should find you a doctor. That cut looks pretty bad,â Jesse said.
Lucas picked up the hat from his costume and kissed it before placing it on top of the stone. Looking over the lake with his signature stare, he said, âLetâs get out of here.â
#if you go down to the woods today writing challenge#lucas lee x vampire ofc#lady in red#there's a lot of chinese stuff in here#i hope it all makes sense#i write tropes and cliches
25 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Seventy Eighth Encounter-- Playtime Is Over
this oneâs uhh Gay
As the IT comes to a stop the next day, no one can be found in the console room. The bathroom has since repaired itself, however. "Uh, anyone here?"
There is no response from the console room, bathroom, or kitchen. Collin: ... That's weird. Collin heads back down the hall, calling out as he makes his way through. "Hey, we're stopped now. What're you guys hiding in your rooms for?" There is absolutely no response whatsoever. After several seconds of silence, Collin quickly walks back to his room and pushes the door open to see if Tori's there. Tori is still in their room, however he hasn't woken up yet.
He approaches him and gently shakes him by the shoulder a couple of times. Â Â "Hey, babe, wake up. I think something might be wrong here."
Grunting a little, Tori pushes himself upright with his good arm. "...Huh? What's going on?" Collin: Oh thank God, I was afraid you weren't going to wake up. We've landed, but no one's in the console room, and no one answered me when I tried getting their attention. alienrabitt: ...Is anyone else even here if nobody answered? Collin: I... don't know. I came for you first, I haven't tried any of the other rooms. Sliding out of bed, Tori heads out into the hall and checks the closest bedroom door, which seems to be locked. He tries several more, only to have the same results every time. "...Wh...what the hell...?? Why is everything...??"
Collin: This isn't good. Do you think this has something to do with where we landed? Maybe something snuck in, or...? alienrabitt: I have no idea. Usually when something like this happens, we're the ones that get targeted, right? But this time we were the only ones left /alone/... Collin: That's... pretty weird, yeah. Not exactly the change of pace I'd want though. Maybe we should check outside and see where we are first? Or should we try unlocking one of these doors? I think we might be able to do that trick with the panel that I used to get into the practice room that one time. alienrabitt: I don't know. I've never seen the IT reject me before, but...I guess it's different now that I'm not exactly bound to it? Collin: Maybe so. Let's just take a look outside first and see if that gives us any answers. Cautiously approaching the door, Tori carefully opens it only for the sound of cheering to come in from outside. Some sort of excitable music can barely be heard playing over the crowd, and an equally excited, energetic female voice booms out from some kind of speaker overhead.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like our contestants are starting to finish the first round! Let's give them a big ol' round of applause and hope they're ready for round two soon!" Collin: Uh... is there some kind of game show going on out there? alienrabitt: ...I'm uhh...not seeing any game out there...just a lot of people and...well, the IT. Collin: Should we go out there? alienrabitt: ...I think they're waiting for us... Collin: Probably not a good sign, but if they have the others... Taking a deep breath, Tori steps out of the IT, and the crowd goes wild with applause as multicolored, paper confetti falls down from the ceiling.
???: Ladies and gentlemen, our fiiiirst contestaaaaaant!!! Let's make some noise for the last hermes, Tooooriiiii!!!
Despite the crowd cheering, hooting, hollering and clapping uproariously, Tori still looks uncomfortable. Collin steps out to stand beside him. "How do they know you already?" A second feminine voice booms out, this one a little deeper than the other one, but equally as excited.
"And here comes contestant number two!! The little man from the tin can underground; can his pantheon of dead pals dig him a new way out? Ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for the human companion, Cooooolliiiiiiin!!"
The crowd gives their applause yet again as two hostesses lower down on a floating platform with a ring of golden railing around the edges; two girls dressed in solid black suits with tiny, floating tophats on one side of their heads, the hat of one constantly on the opposite side of the other.
The hostess on the right, a shorter, pink-skinned girl with black hair stretching down past the back of her knees reaches up for the microphone hanging down from the ceiling, while the taller, cyan-skinned, more athletic looking girl with hair just below her long, pointed ears spins around her microphone attached to a long, traditional floor stand. The pink girl stares at the pair with a singular, yellow eye, while the blue one has two pairs of violet eyes. Smiling with both mouths on her face, the pink girl waves cheerily to the duo with her free hand.
these are my favorite âsideâ characters ever
Collin gives a timid one-handed wave back as he speaks out of the corner of his mouth at Tori. "Where the hell are we?" Tori gives a quick, nervous shrug as he offers an obviously forced smile to the girls on the platform.
BG: Well, I bet you're just dying to know what's up next, right?
alienrabitt: Um...actually, I just want to know what happened to my friends before anything else...
PG: They're the prizes, of course! If you win, you get to go home together!!
BG: But if you lose, you have to leave them all behind! So sad...!
The crowd gives a similar sounding "sympathetic" aww as someone would to a video of a puppy tripping on something. Collin: Like hell we'd ever leave them in a place like this! BG: Then you'd better play like you mean it! It's time for--!
She points her mic to the crowd and pumps her fist to emphasize each word.
"All! Or! Nothiiiiing!!"
The crowd cheers wildly and savagely, but Tori quickly shifts from unsettled to genuinely mortified.
Collin takes Tori's hand in his. "Don't worry, we'll get everyone out of this." PG: The two of you are going to have to go through a series of games together! There's only 3 challenges ahead of you, but the last challenge will pit the two of you against each other!
BG: However, the second challenge will separate the two of you; so you won't be able to cooperate or coordinate at all! You're going to have to rely on your skills alone, so no cheating!
PG: As usual, cheating of any kind such as telepathic communication or teleportation will result in an automatic loss for both parties, giving you a big game over!
BG: So you'd better take these games seriously, or else you're /really/ gonna regret it! Collin: Guess we don't have much of a choice... So what's the first game, then? PG: Weren't you listening? Could you not hear us from inside the machine?
BG: Finding out what happened to your companions and making your way out here was the first challenge! Collin: ... Oh. That's not really a "challenge" though, is it? PG: It would have been a lot more interesting had you tried to force a door open or check your engine!
BG: We lost three contestants last time that happened! Collin: Jesus, did you boobytrap the IT? PG: Something like that! What's yours is ours now, so we decided to switch things up with your security system!
BG: But we'll fix all that back up if you win! Work assured, your friends are safe and sound!
PG: But if you lose...!!
BG: ...Then they'll be playing in pairs! Collin: So you're just rotating through us until one of us wins? PG: Well, we'll have to! You won't be able to play twice!
BG: Unless you've got a secret you've been hiding from us! But you'll have to start all over if that happens!
Collin: Why can't we play twice? And what happens if everyone were to lose? PG: Then we'd have to find some new contestants! Can't have a game if we run out! Collin: ... I'm really not liking what's being implied here. BG: Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be right back after the break!
Both girls turn and wave to a camera somewhere briefly before the confetti and music cuts off and the audience steps away from the stands. Letting out a sigh, PG leans up against the railing and pulls out a cigarette to light as BG hops right over and steps up to the pair.
"I'm Lovelace; and up there is Lyramore. Also, don't worry too much; at the end of the day, this is all just a show. We haven't had an actual on-set death in about 600 years." Collin: Uh... good to know, I guess? How did you even know about us, though? Pulling down a small, seemingly wooden trunk roughly 4 feet wide, Lovelace taps in a combination on the lid, shifting the top into glass that reveals the script Nova had used locked away inside.
"This thing popped into our timeline out of nowhere back when Lyra and I were in college; we decided we were gonna use it to get the life we really wanted and deserved together, but...it disappeared after we used it. So we spent a few years looking for it again by using this gameshow; and sure enough, it wound up back in our hands! So we made this special little box to keep it with us, and we just rip pages out when we really need something to happen now. So of course, when we wind up with a contestant, we ask about them!" Collin: You're... You're using the Script of Life to run a game show?!
but the thing is that the Script was last seen in the âmainâ timeline ~a little less than a year ago, and these two are saying they were in college when they found it. 4 years or longer havenât passed since then
this doesnât even take place in the same dimension
Lovelace: Is that what it's called? ...Well, yeah, I guess we are. Why? Is that seriously the worst thing this thing could be doing? Collin: W-Well no, but... That's like using a jackhammer to punch a thumbtack into a board, dear God. Lovelace: Well, whatever. As long as it can keep Lyra's dad away from her and it can keep her happy, I don't really care what it is or what it does. I'll keep this game going for the rest of eternity if it still makes Lyra smile. Collin: I... I can respect that. So you just keep this game going for show?
really, no questions about her dad?
well, I guess thatâs what these logs are for
basically Lyra uhh Did Not have a good home life and so Lovelace finally tried to step in, and when she did, they found the Script. once they found out what it could do, they used it to escape their reality and created the AON dimension, where time doesnât pass in the way you think it would, and death has no meaning since itâs so easy to repair due to them finding a way to trap and manipulate the Script (which is probably the most concerning thing in this whole log)
Lovelace: I keep doing this for Lyra. We don't target anyone in specific, and usually after they leave, they don't even know they were here. Any injuries or anything just get fixed up; damages get repaired; memories are wiped; and they're sent off as cheap entertainment like a magic trick. The audience doesn't know any better, and Lyra is happy. Collin: Well, I'm glad that things are working out for you two, but you could've at least sent us an invite or something before bringing us here, y'know. Besides, why tell us all this before the game even starts? Lovelace: Well, you know it's dangerous, right? Better for you to know now that if someone gets hurt or killed it's not gonna be for real, right? Unless you wanna see that for real... Collin: No no no, we're good, really. Nodding, Lovelace returns the lid to its wooden state as she returns the box to the platform.
Lyra: Lovey; break's about to end. You wanna get 'em to stage two?
Lovelace: Oh, sure! I'll be right back, okay?
Lyra: Right; I'll be around.
Gesturing for the pair to follow, Lovelace heads off down the left hallway past the audience stands. Collin glances over at Tori. âUh, shall we, then?"
Following Lovelace, Tori quietly whispers "Lovey..." He whispers back as he walks beside him. "And I thought I was being cheesy when I said stuff like 'babe'." Leading the pair off to a completely different set, Lovelace turns to face them at the entrance to what appears to be a large, stone maze.
"Right, so I know most people would tell you 'oh, there's two entrances, and you have to reach the goal at the same time or you die' or something, but since you're obviously a couple, there's only one entrance and one exit, but you've got to meet each other in the middle of the maze. Don't worry about how you're getting out, just make sure you don't find each other before you reach the center. Nothing will hunt you down or anything, but y'know..." Collin: Don't find each other before we get to the middle? I'm not sure I've ever heard of something like that. Lovelace: Well, if you find each other beforehand, uhh...we'll have a little more of a show, that's for sure. I can't help you on the third challenge at all; it's a surprise every time; but the second one I get to make myself! Collin: Oookay? So are we starting soon? Riding in on the floating platform, Lyra leans over to help Lovelace back up.
"We're on in 30; the least you could've done was come to me first..."
Lovelace: W-well, I just needed to explain the rules!
Lyra: You're just gonna have to tell the audience; no point in telling these guys...
Lovelace: Oh yeah, I guess so...
Lyra: Man, what would you do without me?
Lovelace: My physics homework, probably!
Riding the platform to the center of the maze, the pair's voices trail off into the distance as several cameras float in and stop at various points in the maze. One of them stops at the entrance, and Lyra's voice comes out of a tiny speaker from it:
"Hey, just so you know, you're gonna want to step over to the left a little more, kleivenn. If you don't move, the teleport might saw your friend in half; don't really wanna catch that on camera."
Tori immediately moves over about 5 feet. Collin: Jesus, just when you start to forget they might actually kill us... Lyra: "Hey, I didn't have to warn you."
In a flash of a green pillar of light, Tori vanishes from Collin's half of the maze as the rest of the cameras start to click on.
Lovelace: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to All Or Nothing! We're at the start of the second segment, where our two loving contestants are going to have a heartfelt reunion at the center of this maze!
Lyra: But if they mess up, something random will happen to them both! The consequences will worsen every time the two of them meet anywhere outside of the center, and if they both fail to reach the center of the maze, it's game over! Again, they can only win if /both/ of them get to the middle! If only one of them can make it, they lose!
Lovelace: And no helping each other either! If you reach the center of the maze, you're locked in til it's over!
Lyra: How dramatic!! How exciting!!
Lovelace: Leeeeet's geeeet starteeeeed!!! Collin starts a light jog through the maze, keeping his right hand along the wall as he continues in, muttering to himself as he heads inside.
"This seems pretty heavily luck based if you ask me..."
One of the floating cameras gently floats along behind Collin, letting out a brief, low buzz before Lovelace's voice comes on:
"This is a private, one way channel; just remember it's all for show! It'd be pretty boring if you couldn't make it to the third round, but...well, we gotta make the first two interesting too! So don't worry! Even if something bad happens...it's just show biz!"
The camera buzzes a second time, and only the motor can be heard humming along from that point. Collin: Oh, that's comforting... The walls of the maze itself are proper stone for the most part, however, every once in a while, one of the walls will shift to glass like Lovelace's box. Collin pauses at one of the shifted walls and tries to see if it can be pushed or moved in anyway, while also taking the opportunity to see on the other side of the wall. The wall does not budge, however Tori can be seen in the distance through yet another glass segment. This does not seem to apply any penalties to either of them. Collin: Huh, well, good to see that doesn't do anything.
He keeps moving along the maze, trying to make sure he steers clear of Tori by checking through any glass segments that appear. The maze carries on safely for quite some time, however the pair eventually get to be on opposite sides of one of the glass segments. Though Tori doesn't seem to notice Collin, Collin sees him due to actively looking out for him, and consequentially sees Tori abruptly reach up to his own face as he stumbles out of view, shouting in surprise. From above the maze, Lyra can be heard shouting excitedly from every camera:
"We have our first consequence, my dear audience! Looks like our little hermes is going in blind!"
Lovelace: Better keep your hands on the wall! Wouldn't want to get turned around! Collin swears loudly and slams his hand against the wall as he continues on, making an effort to try not and double-back on the path Tori's on. "Goddamn thing is proximity based. Having the glass between us doesn't matter at all, fuck!" After a few more moments, Collin successfully makes his way to the center of the maze, where Lyra and Lovelace are waiting patiently on their platform, however Tori could not be seen through any of the glass segments along the way.
Lyra: And we have our first arrival! With the human in the center, will our kleivenn friend find his way out on his own? I'm on the edge of my seat, folks! I can hardly take the suspense!! Collin: You're lucky I'm too pissed at myself to be angry at you two right now... Keeping her eyes on the maze, Lovelace gently taps the wooden box with her shoe as she mumbles with her mic off. "Yeah, yeah."
Turning off her mic, Lyra leans over the railing. "How'd you get that blindfold to stick on like that anyway? Can it really do that kind of thing?"
Lovelace: Well, it's magic, right? So it can only do phenomenal stuff. Just like us!
Lyra: Yeah...! Like us. Collin: You... stuck a blindfold on him? Lovelace: Well yeah; what, did you think he was actually blind?
Lyra: That's just cruel! Collin: Weren't you about to split me in half with a teleporter a few minutes ago....? Lyra: Well, we did warn you, so not really. Collin: I'm just saying, I really don't know what you two are capable of. Lovelace: If I really had to think about it, I'd say...just about anything, as long as I'm with Lyra!
Despite his disadvantage, Tori successfully manages to stumble his way into the middle of the maze, finally able to remove his blindfold, which had been tied in the back with a bow that had a label hanging off reading "don't open 'til Christmas!" on one of the lower segments.
Lovelace: Ladies and gentlemen; it looks like our second contestant made it to the middle! They've won yet again!
Lyra: But can they make it past the final round? Find out after this break!!
As the cameras cut off and fly away, Lyra and Lovelace help Tori up onto the platform first.
Lovelace: Right, we're going back to the studio now, so there's no surprises. Collin: God, I'm sorry Tori. I thought the penalty would only happen if we saw each other in person, but... alienrabitt: L-look, don't...don't worry about it. That could've gone a lot worse. Collin: I... guess so. We did only have one slip-up, after all. Leaning over again, the couple extends their help to Collin.
Lovelace: Yeah, well; he's right: if that had happened about three more times, it would've started getting way worse than just something that comes undone here.
but they have the script so it doesnât âmatterâ
Collin takes their help to get up to them. "Oh, that's nice to think about." Lyra: She's just saying that he's right, y'know; don't get so scared about it.
Taking a seat on the floor of the platform, Lyra leans her arms through the golden rails as the platform begins floating away from the maze.
Collin: God, I really can't figure out how to feel about you two... Lyra: I guess you don't have to like us; once all this is over, you're never gonna see us again anyway. Collin: I get that, but still... I get that you guys are doing this for a reason, but you're still endangering people, you know. Lovelace: Maybe so, but it's all temporary. Even the injuries and deaths! Only the audience and the two of us remember our shows, so none of our contestants lose anything in the end! But the audience doesn't know that.
Collin: That's... not much of a consolation, if I'm being honest. Lyra: Good to know! We'll be sure to make exceptions from now on, then. Thanks for the input, pal! The ratings are gonna skyrocket.
Lovelace: I-I'm sure she's just joking, hahaha...!! Collin: I'm just saying, this show is getting blood on your hands, even if you do wash it off. Lyra: ...Yeah, joking...right, well; this third challenge should be easy enough for the both of you, so regardless of your..."input;" you're basically done, so...who cares? I mean, really, if it's not actually happening, then it's not actually a problem. That's common sense, yeah?
so salty
Collin: It's not for us, no, but what about- Nevermind, you can think about what I said or not. I'm not really in a position to stop you. As the platform arrives back in the studio, members of the audience start returning to the stands.
Lovelace: Right, well, you two better get down there before we come back from break. Collin: Alright, will do. He hops off the platform and offers a hand to Tori. As Tori is helped down, Lyra and Lovelace move the platform over to the opposite side of the room, and the camera crew returns to their places.
Taking her microphone in her hands, Lyra resumes her excitable persona.
"Welcome back to All Or Nothing, ladies and gentlemen! We're down to the third and final round of our game, and both of our contestants are alive and well!" Lovelace: But will they be able to handle the final challenge ahead of them? Stay tuned to find out! Lyra, why don't you tell the folks at home what they're gonna be dealing with?
Lyra: The pair is going to have to face the Hall! Of! Doors!! Each contestant will be presented with three different doors, but only one of the doors will be the right door!
Lovelace: As per usual, choosing the wrong door will result in consequences, and cheating in any way, shape, or form will result in an automatic loss!
Lyra: But remember from before, though both contestants have made it this far, only one of them can win this challenge! Even if they somehow manage to pick all the right doors off the bat, only one will be able to win the game! Lovelace: Should the two of them successfully reach the end of the hall without any troubles, they'll have to race against each other to grab the golden cup! If they both grab it; the platform will collapse, forcing us to pick two new contestants!
Lyra: With all that in mind, let's get started! Players 1 and 2, please take your positions at the designated doors! Collin hesitantly makes his way toward his spot. "But wait, what happens to the person who loses?" The audience laughs at the question, and Lovelace shifts her gaze to the box again briefly.
Lovelace: The loser...loses, of course! The loser's fate will be decided by the winner!
Walking to his own spot, Tori shakes his head and mumbles "and what the hell does that mean...?" Collin: I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I don't like it... Lyra: Right, well! Ready...?
Lovelace: Go, go, goooo~!
Collin, unsure of what else to do, steps forward and opens the rightmost door. This door seems to have no drawbacks, and leads ahead properly.
Cautiously, Tori picks the center door of his three, and has the same results.
Lyra: Looks like we're safe for now, folks! Collin: God this is nervewracking...
He continues onward and tries the middle door. This door leads to the next set as well, however the safe door for that set has preemptively been opened.
Lovelace: Looks like the human found one of the bonus doors! Lucky him!
Tori picks their next door out of Collin's sight, but his choice doesn't seem to illicit any sort of positive or negative response from the audience and hostesses. Collin steps through the "bonus door", glancing the two hosts occasionally as he does so. "This seems too easy..." Lyra: He thinks the early doors are too easy...!
Lovelace: Tell that to the guy who lost on his first door three seasons back! That won't be growing back any time soon!
The audience breaks into uproarious laughter and applause. Collin shudders and tries the rightmost door again. This door only leads a single path forward.
Tori picks yet another door, and Collin only hears something slam loudly on the opposite side of the wall as the audience shifts from excited, entertained shouts to disappointed "awws."
Lyra: Oh, look at that! The fleet footed hermes floated out of the way, narrowly dodging the spring-loaded spikes!
Lovelace: Well, I guess he does have two lucky rabbits feet!
Lyra: He's going to need them! Collin clutches his chest and mumbles something as he makes his way toward the left door. Collin opens the last door of his path to Lyra and Lovelace's platform, where paper confetti rains down from the ceiling as the crowd begins to cheer excitedly. Off in the distance, two doors can be heard slamming either shut or open, and one other thing can be heard slamming against a wall briefly. Collin hurries out of the door and looks in the direction of the noise. "Jesus Christ, is he okay?!" As Lyra excitedly conducts the audience, which has begun to sing a cheerful song about defying all odds to come out on top, Lovelace pulls the trunk down off the platform with herself.
Lovelace: Well, you made it to the end safe and sound! How are you feeling? Collin: I... Confused, I guess? The odds of me choosing correctly out of three options every single time are tiny. What, did you give all the traps to Tori? Lyra: Absolutely not! There were at least three doors on your track that led to saw pits and incinerators! Collin: Well what about Tori? Is he still okay? I heard that slam, but.... Lovelace: Of course! Since he failed to reach the end or choose another door, it was considered a forfeit! As a result, all your traps were disabled, and you were given a clean run!
Lyra: So it didn't matter what door you picked for the last one! You would've won regardless! Collin: He just... stood there and let me win? Lovelace: That's right! He gave up, just for you!
Lyra: Lets have one last look at the guy, huh?
Raising a baton up from the platform, a massive metal pillar erupts from the area Tori stopped in, three paths away from the exit. Two massive glass half-circles slam shut on either side of the top of the pillar, creating a glass dome over Tori that makes it look like a reverse snow globe as the confetti continues to rain in the studio. Collin: Thank God he wasn't hurt, at least. Can you let us go now? Lovelace: But you have to decide what happens! You're the winner, after all! Collin: Huh? Lyra: We told you, the winner decides the fate of the loser! So, what is it? Collin: Uh... He gets to leave that dome and go back home with me and the others? Lovelace: Hmm...is that what you really want? Truly and honestly? Collin: Well, yeah? The whole point of this game was to get our friends back and go home. What else would I do to him? Leaning to the side, Lyra cuts off her mic and grumbles to Lovelace: "Why did we pick people that were lovers? He was never going to do anything fun."
Lovelace: Hm, well...if that's really what he wants, we have to write it, right?
Turning her mic back on after a moment, Lyra poses dramatically. "Of course! Then we'll send you and your companions back from whence you came!"
Squishing themself up against the glass, Tori's commentary or protests are drowned out by the celebratory music and cheers of the crowd as Lyra and Lovelace dramatically raise the trunk off the floor together.
Lovelace: Oh sacred power; granted to us by the will of the stars themselves...!
Lyra: ...We ask of you that you return this human and his companions to the places from which they came from!
Tori continues to pound on the glass and shout, but his words cannot be made out whatsoever, and he fails to get the attention of the hostesses.
Collin: You're uh, you're including Tori with me, right? I think he needs something too, by the way... The hostesses, however, ignore Collin's interruption as they speak simultaneously:
"Send them...off!!"
whoa oa
SET ME FREE
The room fills with an incredible amount of blinding light temporarily. Once the light subsides, Collin finds himself in a familiar alleyway, however he does not seem to recall how he got there. Attached to his right wrist is a paper wristband that reads "Contestant #2," and across from him lies Fawkes, who has a ribbon made of streamers tied across his chest with a neat bow, accented by a medal-shaped sticker that reads "Participant." Tori and the others are nowhere to be seen. Collin: W-Wait, what? This isn't-!
He hurries over to Fawkes and tries to shake him by the shoulders, although his weight only allows Collin to rock him slightly. Fawkes' visor lights up with several small screens as they run through a few boot processes before being replaced by an Aperture logo and a pleasant electronic "bong" sound, which quickly disappears.
Fawkes: ... Where are we? Where are the others?
Collin: I don't... I don't know. It's a long story, but I think a couple of TV show hosts just sent all of us back across the multiverse.
Fawkes: I'm going to pretend that made sense. He nods solemnly.
Collin: Look, we can make jokes later, okay? We've got to figure out if there's a way back to the IT and everyone else.
Fawkes pushes himself upright and then gets up on his feet. "You're right. How do you suppose we do that?"
Collin: I... I have no idea. Fawkes: Well, let's get a bearing on our surroundings to start. I suggest heading up to the rooftops to look around.
Collin: Yeah, that sounds good.
The pair take off and land on top of one of the buildings that forms the alleyway they were in. Approaching the edge of the rooftop, the two peer out to see if they can notice anything of interest. Though there are many vending machines similar to the IT in the city, from the distance of a rooftop, it is impossible to tell if any are actually the IT itself. Even with hawk-eyed inspection, there are none that stand out as unordinary. Nobody even seems to stand out among the visible crowds of people; and it seems as if the pair is entirely alone. Fawkes: I'm not noticing anything. How about you?
Collin: Were there always this many vending machines...? Uh, no, sorry. Shit, this is bad... I'd say we should look around on the street level, but we sorta stand out really bad.
Fawkes: Maybe so, but these sashes and badges make us look like something out of a contest, wouldn't you think? Perhaps we can pass off as people from some sort of costume contest or something. An unfamiliar voice calls out from one of the rooftops opposite to their own. "Don't bother. As soon as that guy opened his mouth, everyone in this city would know who he was."
Collin and Fawkes both look up in surprise simultaneously and turn toward the direction of the voice. Upon the opposite roof sits a child likely in their early teens, their face obscured both by the hood of their purple hoodie and the brim of the cap beneath it. Brushing their hand to their face beneath it all, they speak out as they stand up, their pink pants nearly engulfing their shoes as they do. "But maybe the electric man and his robot don't need the advice of the kids who saw the ships."
Collin: The... ships? ???: The ships with that logo on your jumpsuit. And the big one, where all the aliens and stuff came from. They were taken down by you. Collin: Oh, right. How did you know that was me? I mean yeah I have the same logo, but I don't remember having my picture taken or anything during all that. ???: Everyone heard you shouting at the guy on the boat. Collin: Oh. Yeah that'd do it, I guess.
your actions have consequences.mov
???: If you went onto the streets, everyone would recognize you. Between the aliens and the fighting, a lot of people went missing. As a result, a lot of families were torn apart; and a lot of kids lost their parents or siblings. Going down there would be the death of you. They might not see you as responsible, but everyone's aching to get some sort of closure. Collin: ... Can't really blame them. Believe me, I tried to do the best I could to minimize damage, but... ???: ...You're looking for a way home, right? Looking for your friends? We found one. Collin: Seriously, already? Geez, how long were we out down there? A-Anyway, who did you find? ???: A girl with fire in her horns, and sadness in her eyes. The door she made to come here was crying. She saw all of us and immediately tried to hide; told us that we were 'too sad to be safe.' She had a ribbon like your robot. She has to be your friend. Collin: Ohh, of course! Nydins would be able to start moving around the quickest with those doors. Can you take us to her? ???: You'll have to jump over, but if you follow me, I can take you. Collin stands up on his toes for a second to get a better look across, then jumps up a couple of feet into the air and opens up a portal on the opposite rooftop and another right below himself. He falls through, coming out feet first on the opposite side, and catches himself with his hands on the ground around the portal. He then lets his feet fall to the ground and rights himself up, and Fawkes comes lumbering through the portal shortly after him.
Collin: This is probably a little easier, and more discrete. ???: ...Right.
Stuffing their hands in their pockets, the child heads into the building they're standing on. The pair follow after them, and after a few seconds Collin speaks up. "Listen, I'm not sure how you feel about us, but... we really appreciate the help." ???: Oh, I'm sure you do. You'll probably be relieved to see someone familiar, and to go home after...it must be nice. But I wouldn't know.
They head down the stairwell quite a ways before stopping at one of the doors and pulling it open to enter the level. Collin: ... I'm sorry. We really didn't know what was going to happen that day, and... Sorry. ???: I wouldn't say that you're directly to blame for it. I only ever got to see my father three times a year before that day. He was a terrible man, but he made my mother happy. I haven't seen either of them sense; and I doubt that I ever will.
Walking up to one of the doors, the stranger gives a certain knock, and a slat slides open near the top of the door.
A childish voice calls out from the other side: "Tai! You were on the roof for a really long time again! Everyone was getting worried...!"
Brushing their hoodie back, Tai removes their cap to reveal the short, black hair that hides their eyes and ears regardless. "I like to look over the city during the sunset. My family did it all the time. But enough of that; we have some more guests. You didn't touch her horns, did you?"
???: Well, no, but we tried to make some s'mores...the marshmallows didn't even get hot!
Tai: She probably didn't want to hurt you. Could you let us in?
???: Oh, right!
There's a small click from the opposite side of the door before the slat closes, and something can be heard being dragged out of the way of the door before Tai opens it, stepping into a small apartment full of children presumably 12 and younger. Fawkes and Collin step in behind them.
Fawkes: Do all of you live here? Tai: When my parents disappeared, I was asked to leave the country and return home overseas. I turned my family down, and instead decided to move into this apartment alone. I've taken in other children impacted by the accident, and I've been raising them by myself. The remainder of my family sees this as a waste; but none of them would shut me down or deny me in fear of their image in the eyes of the press, so instead, they continue to help me from afar. So yes. Collin: Wow, that's impressive. I'm glad things are working out for you guys. Tai: We do what we have to in order to survive. That's what makes us human, after all. I'm sure you understand all too well.
Tai steps into the kitchen, where Nydins is seated at the back with a couple of younger children attempting to boil water over her head to no avail. "Would you two leave her alone? She's going to be leaving soon, so she'll have to stand up."
The pair grumbles and groans that they never got the water to heat up for their hot dogs, but Tai ushers them out of the room all the same, pulling the swinging door closed behind themself as she returns alone, the muffled sound of the other children playing together still audible in the other room. Collin: Hey Nydins, good to see you. You alright? Pushing herself off the floor, Nydins breathes a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad I finally found somebody! Those kids have been trying to cook with me for half an hour!"
Fawkes: Cook with you or cook with you? I guess both would technically be true, though. Nydins: Well, you're right there. Um, but we should get going; we really need to find the IT... Collin: You're telling me. Could you not use one of your doors to go straight to it? Nydins: I probably could; but what good would it have done me to go back alone? Collin: Fair point. You think we can use it to find the others? Nydins: The IT, or the Grief House? Collin: I was talking about the IT, but if either works, I'll take it. Turning towards a blank side of the wall, a bright, blue square slowly forms as the Grief symbol materializes near the top. As the square turns into a tall, blue door, Nydins turns the knob and enters the Grief House once again. Collin heads for the door but stops just before going inside and turns back to Tai. âThanks again for your help, and good luck with the other kids." Nodding, Tai gives a quiet, dismissive wave as they turn to leave the kitchen. Fawkes and Collin head into the Grief House to join Nydins. The Grief House is exactly as they had left it, completely untouched by time or the world around it.
Nydins: If we open the door, it should let out to the console room. Collin: Alright, sounds good. Man, it's so weird being back here after so long...
He approaches the door and opens it. The door opens up to the console room as promised, where Rio is propped up against the console, her visor currently lit with a little over 60% of a progress bar. On the opposite side of the console, at the controls, are Silky and XL. Collin: Hey, you guys are here! Uh, is Rio okay? XL: She's still booting up from...whatever the hell happened to us. What about you guys? Collin: We're alright, I think. Fawkes and I got dumped back in the city from our homeworld, but luckily some kids found Nydins and led us to her. Is anyone else here aside from you guys? XL: We managed to find Firefly, but we're still trying to find Tori. Collin: Crap, who knows where he could be- Well actually, maybe at that old house that we found him at after that thing with the script happened? Nydins: That would make sense! Have you gone there yet?
Silky: No, but we were going to try there next. Collin: Then let's hit it. He's probably worried about us no matter /where/ he is. After some time, the group manages to land the IT back where they had originally found Tori. Barely waiting for the IT to finish landing, Collin rushes out of the door. Where the house had once stood has now been burnt clear to the ground, as well as an uneven radius around it, leaving nothing but blackened earth and soot. Among it all lies a singular, floating glass orb that gently pulsates with a soft, yellow glow. Collin: Oh Jesus...
He cautiously begins to approach the orb.
Tori rn
Somehow still in tact, there is a streamer ribbon with a bow tied around a similar wristband to Collin's. This one reads "Contestant #1."
Lying helplessly at the bottom of the glass ball is Tori's amulet. Collin: God, what the hell did they do to you... He carefully reaches out and tries to take the orb in his hands. The glass orb radiates a warmth that becomes nearly unbearable heat the closer he gets to making physical contact with it. Collin takes a deep breath and moments later an icy fog starts to flow from his arms in an attempt to counteract the heat. "It's gonna take more than a little fire to keep me away from you, Tori. Just hang in there, okay?" Fortunately, this seems to counter the heat just fine, and Collin successfully grabs the orb. He begins to start working on the orb, twisting, pulling, and squeezing it to see if he can find some kind of structural weakness. The orb just seems to be made of very thick glass; continuing to contain the heat radiating from within, and successfully managing to remain stable with the coolness. Collin: ... Alright, hang on babe, this is gonna be a little bumpy.
He holds the orb high above his head with both hands and then hurls it down into the foundation of the house with all his strength. As shards of glass fly everywhere upon impact, the heat of Tori's light-based form erupts forth in a pillar of firey plasma. Despite this, it does not seem to damage anything around itself as Tori returns to his proper form, collapsing to his hands and knees among the charred remains of his home as he struggles to regulate his breathing. Collin drops down onto one knee next to him and puts a hand on his back, rubbing slightly. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here, Tori. Are you alright?" He slurs out an answer in Chariot, slowly nodding his head. Collin pulls him into a side-hug. "I'm not sure what you just said, but I know what a nod means. Everyone else is back on the IT, so don't worry about that."
Letting out a shuddering sigh, Tori nods again. Collin: Just take some time to pull yourself together. I'm not going anywhere. Still shaking slightly, Tori barely manages to sit upright as they look around. "...I...I didn't think I was gonna see anyone again..." Collin: I'm sorry, babe. This is all my fault. I should've been more specific with what I told those two. We're all here though, I promise. alienrabitt: ...What? Two...who? Someone did this to us...? Collin: ... Oh God, you don't remember? Do these ring a bell?
He holds up the tag attached to him and gestures toward Tori's. alienrabitt: ...I have no idea where either of those came from... Collin: ... Shit, uh... Look, it doesn't matter now. I'm just glad you're okay. alienrabitt: ...Yeah. I'm glad you're okay too. I don't know what I would've done if I could've gotten out of that thing myself... Collin: Did you put yourself in that, or did you wake up in there? alienrabitt: I...I really don't know? I can't remember anything...I don't even know how I got here. I don't even remember waking up before now... Collin: It's... a weird story, and the stuff that I do know doesn't really explain what happened here. All I know is that you were in a glass orb and giving off enough heat to cook this area like an oven from inside it. alienrabitt: ...I don't think I've ever given off that much heat before? I guess the glass was magnifying it... Collin: Considering that when I broke it, a pillar of literal plasma shot out of it...? alienrabitt: ...How did that not destroy my amulet? Jeez...you didn't get caught up in all that? Collin: Surprisingly no. I had to use some magic to get close to the orb itself, but the plasma didn't really seem to burn anything. alienrabitt: That's...really weird, but as long as you're okay... Collin: I'm fine, I promise. What about you? You ready to go back in? alienrabitt: ...Yeah. Collin pulls Tori into a tight hug, then stands up and offers his hands to pull him up. Tori accepts the help up, careful to use his good arm. As Tori finishes getting up onto his feet, Collin leans down and gives him a quick kiss. "I love you, Tori." Letting out something between a laugh and a small sigh of relief, Tori smiles. "Yeah; I love you too." Still holding his good hand, Collin and Tori head back to the IT.
this one was basically filler tbh but I like it! next one should be actual story o:
1 note
¡
View note
Text
Victoria Railway Station
They must have been away from each other for a while - perhaps days; perhaps a college term - and boy are they glad to see each other. The hugging isnât enough; they have to lean back and look at each other. They might be seeing changes - after all, they have been involved in unshared experiences. Along with time studying he will have spent time with friends - mixed friends. They will have talked about their lives, their backgrounds, their parents, even their relationships. They would have laughed together and enjoyed each otherâs company. He might have liked one of the girls - who knows?
Soon they will share edited versions of âcatching upâ and the mild surprise of his different hair length, use of unfamiliar words and oddly cautious smile will melt away along with the irritating smell of hotel soap.
Mr. Rahmani .... for Rochelle
Mr. Rahmani was one of our first asylum seeker friends. He left Afghanistan with his wife and large family and was trapped for a year or so in Pakistan. It was there that his heart condition became critical and he had bypass surgery. Then onwards to Germany and finally England. Pat met him in the local housing office where he was being allocated two adjacent apartments (on a dreadfully run-down estate; the local authority had 550 empty flats and were happy to take a block booking from the government to cover the rented accommodation for the newest refugees).
Mr. R was a very grand person; at least sixty years old - iron grey hair and wise, green eyes. He wore tailored grey suits and silk shirts and walked like a monarch. In fact he had been the governor of a huge chunk of Afghanistan. The people in the housing office, normally off-hand and impatient with their clients, jumped up and fussed Mr Rahmani offering him a chair and being creepy-crawly attentive.
So we became friends. He came to our house many times and we visited his twin flats nearly every day. We had long conversations about the collapse of order in his home country, the demise of the Iranian Shah, the opportunistic Soviet invasion, the Western mischief - all that stuff.
The important aspect was that we were the only friends he had at that time, and we did all we could to ease the difficulties of settling into normal life in this country - helping with his appeals, filling in endless forms for this and that, buying household items, finding school places for his younger children and college applications for the older ones. They had all previously attended the best private schools - his eldest daughter was a gynaecologist and a son was a civil engineer. And it was all done with good humour and cheerfulness. We enjoyed being with them - and honestly, how on earth would I otherwise have met such an interesting personality?
But itâs the little things that I remember best. Once, when admiring his suit, I gave him a cane handled umbrella and he practiced walking with it - and to complete the ensemble I presented him with an overcoat, Iâd hardly ever worn it as it made me feel self conscious - it was expensive and it had been foolish to buy it - but it was superb on Mr Rahmani! Elegant Herringbone - three-quarter length, maroon satin lining - and - slim black velvet collar! He was delighted - as if it brought back the memories of half forgotten simple pleasures.
He sailed through the tribunal appearances - the immigration judges knew a big player when they saw one - and once that was settled he told me that he would be taking his family to London. It was at that point that he very movingly said - âFor what you have done for me and my family, you will go to Paradise!â
Lunchtime on the Terrace
Creased Frenchwoman nearby, sucking on a cigarette. She calls across to a woman at the next table - and what a voice - 24ct Edith Piaf, hoarse, raucous, scarred by decades of shouting and sour wine.
I half close my eyes and Paris is everywhere; eating my watery soup with a heavy spoon; a saucer of cream for the pussycat; a livre de poche on the table and Iâm up for anything - love, cheap brandy, dodging grape-shot at the barricades, waving my hat at the garçons and ripping up cobblestones.
The Moorcroft Building ... (Miss Jean Turpin, 1963)
Fake Roman - solid, dependable. Built by the dignitaries who put up the money for the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. Now (1963) in the worthy hands of the Chamber of Commerce. It sits in splendour, facing the town-hall, the Portland stone facade sparkling like a sugared biscuit in the thin English sunshine. Most memorable of all - and anyone who knew Manchester at that time will agree - was the sight of the amazing curved doors. Two gorgeous, stainless-steel segments - slid back by the porter each morning - following the curvature of the doorway, allowing entrance via an inner plate glass revolving door.
A commercial bank on the ground floor and a warren of rented rooms up above. Numerous names on the brass plates - solicitors, actuaries, surveyors etc had sets of rooms and throughout the day people arrived and left - red faced business men rolled in from late lunches, export clerks carried stacked files, barristers scuttered along in their striped trousers.
Just entering this building inspired reassurance and confidence - the people there would look after your pension, your lump-sum, your annuity, your trust-fund!
Miss Jean Turpin worked in the first-floor office of Meadowland International Finance, as private secretary to Mr Harrop the Northern manager. She was a sharp and disagreeable woman living out the last years of youthfulness and moral constraint. She nursed a very widespread anger - none were spared; except Mr Harrop, who was actually afraid of her. She was amused by his nervousness; the way he squirmed and apologised when asking her to do something - or his habit of peering round her door - it made her imagine that he was undressed, or he spent the day in womenâs clothes or stood naked at his tape-recorder, dictating the complexities of an irrevocable letter of credit to the rotating spools. But her thoughts mostly focused on Mr. Latimer, who delivered the contracts every afternoon. She had plans for Mr. Latimer - although he was unaware. He was another mild mannered man, inoffensive and soft spoken, divorced (but kept the house) nice to his neighbours in Cheadle Hulme. Jean Turpin would watch him lay the folders on the long table at the window, each one neatly labelled, paginated, with supplementary documents attached and she would plot his seduction ... the light suggestive humour, the teasing, the âknowingâ look, the coaxing, the accidentally-on-purpose touch, the slide beyond the point of no return - and then the fury of her unleashed nature. Poor Mr Latimer would no longer gaze furtively at the legs of the prickly Miss Turpin; nor would he share randy chat over the garden fence with the Jack-the-Lad man next door - nor would slipping between the gorgeous segments of the stainless steel doors ever be the same again.
A Family
Itâs nice to be in the middle and look both backwards and forwards. Once upon a time there were three generations in that house ... the widowed grandmother, stoical and grumbling, always sitting in âher chairâ or occasionally, putting on sensible shoes and best navy blue coat and going to church. Sheâd lost her brother in WW1.
Then there was her daughter. She had welcomed home her husband from WW2 and they worked as a team - he drove the bus, she collected fares. The optimistic fifties - a much loved couple.
And then there was her daughter. Badly upset by the death of her father - the hurt was deep and she kept it to herself - didnât mention it at school. Yet she became a bright little star in the mid 1960s - always smiling, rushing about, kissing everyone - like all the female pop stars rolled into one - irresistible in dramatic black polos, leather minis, Quant hair; the lot.
And then her daughter (at this point my only info is FB) - Iâd guess in her early fifties. And further guess sheâs either a medic or something in caring. Wonderful kindly look, both outwards at the camera and when facing her mother - the sort of face you would like to see if ever you are in trouble.
And then there is her daughter - bright eyed at her own wedding - modern, greedy for happiness.
And then there is her daughter ... a baby.
Russell and the Frog
It was early evening and I was watching TV - probably Popeye or Yogi Bear - when Russell appeared at the side window. I rushed to open the door and saw that he was holding something in his cupped hands. âWhat is it?â - I asked. He replied - âa frogâ - and creating a small crack I was able to see two bulging eyes staring back at me.
He said - âIâm taking it home. Iâm going to keep him in the gardenâ.
Russell had been walking home from one of his private lessons, probably music, and had taken the shortcut (forbidden) across swampy land behind the barracks - and there he had come across the frog.
I told him that frogs need to be in their own territory - the place where they lived as tadpoles. Sometimes they travelled away but always came home for the spawning season. Thatâs where they had to have their babies - even if it meant crossing roads and being killed.
Russell said - âI didnât know this. Iâll take him backâ.
So together we went back to the land behind the barracks and to the exact place where Russell had found him.
He crouched down and the frog jumped from his hand and nuzzled his way into the reeds.
And then we walked home and talked about other things.
Russell And The Unexploded Bomb ... for Leyla
My hometown was never on the tick-list of the German bombing department - however, nearby Manchester certainly was. The industrial areas around Trafford Park were badly hit. But sometimes, for unknown reasons, not all the bombs were released and rather than return home and having to explain things, the German aircrews simply dropped them anywhere and headed for home.
For several years after, some of these bombs which had failed to explode on impact, would be accidentally discovered. Russell found one.
We crossed boggy fields to where the ground sloped down to the river. There was the bomb, rinsed by rainfalls, gleaming with the sombre dignity of a beached whale. Perhaps there had been a movement in the soil, or perhaps the field itself had wished to reject this unwelcome foreign body - so there it was, sticking outwards at an angle, wrong way up.
I remember looking at the stencil lettering - which we couldnât understand - and the long line of numbers. We discussed telling our parents but that would have been boring. Adults never believed us - so we held on to a lot of things - like how we knew that a platoon of Japanese soldiers were living in the woods near our school. They didnât know that the war was over and they would shoot us if we approached them.
We visited the bomb about three times - and then it vanished. The surface of the field was chewed up with tyre tracks. It had been removed. Russell wanted to learn more about what had happened and against my advice, we knocked on the farmerâs door. I was apprehensive about the farmer recognising me - he had chased me off his land more than once. The door was opened by his wife, who glared at us, said she didnât know anything about bombs, and slammed it shut in our faces.
So that was the end. Except the memory of seeing it for the first time. And how Russell got astride it like a motorbike and I rode pillion; my arms around his waist, laughing and holding tight and Russell shouting âFuck off!â and the crows flying to the treetops and the big shiny bomb between our legs.
Mel Brooks said that the words âso am Iâ characterised his marriage to Anne Bancroft. Whenever she announced an intention to do something heâd call out âso am I!â If she said âIâm going shoppingâ or âIâm ready to eatâ he would tell her âso am Iâ.
And she did exactly the same with him.
Never tired of each other - never wanting to do things separately - never wanting their âown spaceâ.
On The Train
Sheâs thin and she has a cough. Itâs a cold night and sheâs wearing a T-shirt and jeans; at every stop the doors slide and the heat of the carriage is sucked out. And she coughs ... and coughs.
Coughing means something to my generation. We remember the word âconsumptionâ and experimental âopen-airâ hospitals for children - and Victorian sanitoriums, set back from the road, places we were told to keep away from - and the signs on buses announcing that spitting was strictly prohibited - and the haggard, lung-sick faces of men in pub doorways - and the hopelessness of broken homes, poverty and early deaths.
There was another side of course - my lot getting to know everything in college. Glib talk about the coughing artists and writers. We could hear the coughing in Modigliani, Beardsley and early Picasso; in the poetry of the BrontĂŤs and Keats and all the others. This wasnât too bad - every genius seemed to cough.
But here we are in 2020 and she shouldnât be coughing - and all the love we feel is held back - our love is like a flower under concrete and itâs as hard for us as it is for her.
0 notes
Text
My Collected Notes on A Hat in Time:
I think I'm done with A Hat in Time for a bit. I've hit a point where it's just not rewarding to grind out the last few achievements and Death Wish challenges, so I think I'll step away from the game for a while. Leave some things for me to do when I come back to the game for the promise second round of DLC. Here are some of my notes on the game from my journal, from different days over the last couple of weeks. (1/27)
I took far too long to get around to A Hat in Time. In fairness, it came out in the midst of a traumatizing mess of moving and for months after just looking at the name on my list of steam games made me feel guilty for being blindsided by how awful some people can be. A Hat in Time is a very good game, and it really doesn't deserve that association. I find the controls are blessedly both tight and forgiving, meaning I'm not frustrated like I am with Yooka-Laylee, and I about cried when I found that it had customizeable field of view options as I was getting terribly motion sick playing it. I love the visual design, and the characters turned out way more charming then I expected. (1/30)
Spent the afternoon playing A Hat in Time. I played up to beating Snatcher, and now I feel a bit aimless - should I go deal with Mustache Girl, or go to Alpine Skyline? There's no real direction because both have equal weight in game play. Subcon Forest was a level I was really concerned about during the kickstarter, I was worried it would be awful but I think now it's my favorite level in the game? The Snatcher boss fight is awful though, it just goes so fast I can barely keep up with it and it took a heavy dose of luck to beat it. Definitely not the fight I'm going to see for the one hit hero achievement if I go achievement hunting.
I really like Subcon Forest's music, right up there with the soothing Rift themes. So mellow I could listen to them endlessly. (2/1) I did play a bit of A Hat in Time early today - made an attempt at the final boss, and actually made it through the level this time. I'd made decent progress on learning the boss's pattern when suddenly the boss just up and despawned from the arena. Just poof, gone - I don't think I'd done anywhere near enough damage for any sort of cutscene to have glitched out. I played around in the arena for a bit, just in cause something was trying to load in the background, and one it was clear nothing was going to change I quit out and I didn't have time to try again. It's a mild delight, because it's been ages since I've run into a glitch that's actually really affected my ability to play a game! As I recall... the last time was needing to wait for collision to load in FFXIII-2, and that wasn't really a hindrance just an annoyance. (2/2) Played a bit of A Hat in Time - gave up on the final boss to play in Alpine Skyline, and almost immediately ran into a puzzle that needs a post-game item and ugh I'm so tired of that in games. (2/3) My goal for the day was to beat the final boss in A Hat in Time so I could open up the rest of the game, and it was about 2pm by the time I got to sit down and play the game. I beat the boss, ran around collecting yarn and relics. The game is open to me now, and I just have to decide how much of it I want to play. I guess I'll play until I'm sick of it or the achievements get too hard for me. It's a good game, I hope there's a sequel someday. (2/4) My reward to buckling down and doing that was a can of tamales and a bit of time playing A Hat in Time. I finished up with Alpine Skyline, and then I messed around with mod levels for a while. It's really fun to play rifts, I'm glad the developers left the doors open for custom levels and mods. It's a delight. Next up is the DLC content. I might play a bit more tonight, I'm not sure. I've hit a bit of a wall with the game, because the Arctic Cruise stuff all takes so much time and feels less... optimized. The critical path just isn't clear at all. (2/5) I put some more time into A Hat in Time. I'm still... I love the game, but I'm aggravated with the difficulty of the dlc. Because it feels... fake. I finished the first rift and the first act, the rift from a lot of practice(and I got all the storybook pages) and the act because I'd watched a playthrough video of it the night before. What gets me is the lack of healing items in the rift, which makes even small failures very punishing in a way other rifts to this point haven't been, and the convoluted and unintuitive layout of the cruise ship making navigating it a real chore, made worse by a camera that's just... The camera is bad, it's often way way too close to Hat Girl to the point of I can't see anything no matter what the settings are. Especially if I'm close to an object, like say a wall I have to precision platform off. It makes a lot of the platforming blind. The DLC feels bloated for length, to make the dlc 'worth it'. I'll finish it, but it's my least favorite part of the game so far. I don't want to play it, I want to replay the main game and all it's well designed levels and platformer that felt good and rewarding. The death wish challenges look interesting, at least if I don't need to do the higher level of difficulty for them they'd be fun. A good excuse to play the game over again basically. I haven't even poked at them, I'm afraid they'll be the sort that only unlocks in order.
Another like and dislike - I'm not a fan of the rope mechanics. They work alright, but I could use a bit more 'magnetization' because I just barely miss them so often. I love how Hat Girl counts when you pick up items that count towards a total, something about her voice clip is especially adorable. A neutral - the sound effect for the doors in Hat Kid's ship opening are... strange. It sounds like a sound a critter should make, and it took me forever to realize it was the doors. (2/6) I played more A Hat in Time - finished off the Arctic Cruise levels, and the rifts. It was... Arctic Cruise was not great. First a busywork level, then a timed busywork level, and then the physics were just all messed up for the final level. I feel like almost none of my failures were fair. Did a few of the mod levels, and some of the Death Wish challenges. I enjoy the 'Peace and Tranquility' mode. That is like the perfect thing - gimme the challenge without the impossible bullshit, gimme a way to play the game I enjoy. No judgement zone. It's beautiful. I wish more games had something like that, and I love the games that do. Platformers need to be forgiving on some level. I just wish I didn't have to kill myself three times to activate it. I technically 100%'d the game today! Which I think is all main story time pieces and rifts? They gave me the fancy hat and everything. That does feel like an accomplishment. --
Hmm. I feel like my tone is overall negative, but I suppose that's only because I took a break or got broken out of the game when I was frustrated. I love the game - five stars,, anyone who likes platformers should play it. I only mentioned briefly the soundtrack, but I find I love it in general - it's bombastic and cheerful, and some songs are so peaceful. I've added it to my rotation of music to play in the background. Current playtime is 32 hours.
comments x-posted to anindigomind on dreamwidth | comment there
1 note
¡
View note
Text
12 Things I Want in Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is less than two weeks away, and after experiencing dozens of hours in the Closed Betas and the Final Beta, Iâm still eagerly anticipating the arrival of Rareâs pirate game. While my time spent sailing around engaging in ship-to-ship combat and hunting for treasure has been some of the purest forms of fun Iâve experienced in a long time, there are mechanics and features I would love to see included in the game. So, on the back of my excitement about the final beta, here are 12 things I want in Sea of Thieves.
Tavern Games
Imagine this: itâs been a long voyage, youâve just managed to deliver a whole pile of treasure chests and now you and your crew want to unwind at the Outpost. You walk into the tavern, fill up your tankard, and sit down to play a game of cards. Itâs decided that youâll play for coin, so you choose the buy-in, and get to gambling. In the end, you win enough to buy that hat youâve been eyeing off, so you stagger over to the shop to and spend your winnings.
Bar games, tavern games, pub games, whatever you want to call them, they belong in Sea of Thieves. With a tavern on every outpost, and a dedicated grog-dispenser on every ship, itâs downright surprising that thereâs currently no evidence of gambling in the game. It wouldnât necessarily be a problem from a rating perspective either, as Sea of Thieves has a Teen rating, and according to the ESRB site, anything with a T may contain: violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.
If Rare needs some inspiration for adding tavern games to Sea of Thieves, they can take a page out of Lionhead Studios and what they did with Fable back in 2008. An Xbox Live Arcade game called Fable 2 Pub Games was released, which allowed players to earn money to spend in the full game! Imagine being able to win a rare legendary map off of some chump you beat at dice? Better yet, don't stick with standard games from the real world (Blackjack, Poker, Roulette), create some games that would only exist in the universe of Sea of Thieves!
Collectibles
Though the main bulk of Sea of Thieves' gameplay involves going around collecting chests, animals, and skulls in exchange for coins so you can buy and collect cosmetic items, the game could benefit from your typical collect-a-thon style of collectible items.
Rare is no stranger to filling worlds with various items to collect, and the fact it has a rich history of games where this is the prevailing mechanic (Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, Donkey Kong Country) means there is a good foundation in place for this type of gameplay to appear in Sea of Thieves.
There is presently a real-world quest underway where entrants must find and solve riddles for a chance to win a collection of golden bananas. Itâs a bit of fun that will conclude around the release of Sea of Thieves, but itâs something that could have an in-game version: collect all 100 Golden Bananas to unlock a pirate hat that looks like Donkey Kong, it would fit nicely into the idea that Sea of Thieves could have been a Donkey Kong game.
Systemic Fire Effects
Itâs safe to say that Rare has conquered water effects in Sea of Thieves. The way the ocean rolls, the swell of the waves, the white caps and crystal clear lagoons, it all looks gorgeous and behaves as you would expect the sea to behave. But now, some deeper fire effects would do well. We donât need to be burning down islands in a Far Cry 3 weed-farm burning ritual, but it would certainly be nice to be able to set an enemy shipâs sails on fire so they stop following me, perhaps by using something likeâŚ
A Flare/Flare Gun
Anyone whoâs spent a moment playing Sea of Thieves appreciates how dangerous the ocean can be for a single player, a duo, or even a galleon hoarding precious treasure, so a multi-purpose flare or flare gun would work wonders.
At the moment, Rare has stated that there is an ideal rate at which players should encounter other players, which means worlds connect and overlap, sending two ships in close proximity to one another every so often. When a passive player encounters a hostile team there needs to be some means of escape or assistance, other than fleeing until the hunter becomes bored. Were a flare gun introduced, it could act in a sort of Dark Souls asynchronous manner, connecting worlds and increasing the chances of additional ships to spawn, who could spot the flare and sail to assist or attack.
It would add another element of excitement, not knowing what awaits you at a flare â is it someone looking for help or perhaps a trap set by a crafty crew of blood-thirsty pirates? Furthermore, when hunting for treasure on an island, trying to call out a position to friends is oftentimes difficult, so setting off a flare would offer some risk-reward.
Adding a flare system to Sea of Thieves is certainly not out of the realm of possibility, as the mermaids already wave around a flare to help you back to your ship when it sinks. Now imagine if you could fire said flare at an enemyâs sails to slow them downâŚ
Underwater Content
For a game with the word âseaâ in the title, surprisingly little time is spent below the surface of the water. If weâve learned anything from our time playing Subnautica, thriving underwater environments are beautiful, and walking along the sea floor and looking up at the water effects Rare has created would be incredible.
Iâve only just learned of underwater relics and temple-like structures, so thereâs a good chance we might see some more being discovered once Sea of Thieves releases. But for the time being, let's let our imagination wanderâŚ
It might look like nothing on the map, as there is no island marked there, but deep below the rolling waves is a sunken city. You may very well drown reaching it, but if you bring enough bananas and swim quickly, youâll enter a cave system with a pocket of air, and connected to it is Sea of Thievesâ own Atlantis. Unique vendors can be found, along with limited-time events and quests, rotating gear, and a myriad of other mythological wonders. While this is just a fanciful dream, I certainly hope something like this makes it into the game.
Another idea worth mentioning in regards to underwater activities is underwater breathing. Having your own SCUBA gear doesn't make a lot of sense in the universe of Sea of Thieves, but what does make sense is a three-person device where one users is encased in a diving suit, while two others pump air. Needing to keep your diver alive while also keeping an eye out for hostiles would create a lot of tension and offer an excellent opportunity for cooperation.Â
Bounty Hunting
Any players with a kill count that is far above average should be under threat of being tracked down and killed for a bounty. This would create a kind of police system in Sea of Thieves, where players who wanted to role play as âgoodâ pirates, but still want to engage in combat without picking on smaller teams, could pursue some notorious targets. A similar system already exists in GTA Online through its Mental State mechanic, whereby killing a dangerous player rewards greater XP. This would further Rareâs desire for players to create their own stories, bringing to the world a real sense of legendary status.
More Weapons
As of the most recent beta, there are four weapons in Sea of Thieves: cutlass, pistol, blunderbuss, and sniper (called the Eye of Reach in-game), each with their own strengths and weaknesses. While all the bases are seemingly covered, it would be nice to offer some more variety, even if it was limited to ship-based weaponry.
Iâd love to see a type of smoke grenade added to the ship-to-ship combat. One of the most important aspects of firing a cannon accurately is being able to see the enemy ship, so having your vision occluded by a smoke bomb would render your accuracy moot. This could be used offensively and defensively as well, and considering Sea of Thieves is a horizontal progression game, it would come down to strategy for how and when to use it.
Following on from the pure utility angle, we have the Captain Ahab special: the harpoon. Imagine being able to spear an enemy ship with a rope, limiting their movement but also attaching yourself to them. Players could prevent other players from fleeing, and it would also offer another means of attacking the mighty kracken. In order to keep vulnerable players safe, it would have to have some steep skill requirements, perhaps with a slow travel time or a massive traversal arc. Either way, as a pirate, we need more ways to attack and defend ourselves.
Old-Timey Camera
There are a lot of blank spaces in the inventory wheel, so Iâd love to see one of these holes filled with a camera. Right now, the only way to capture a clean screenshot is to go into the settings, switch off the HUD, and then use your console, PC, or capture device software to take an image. This takes you out of the moment, so adding a camera to the game would help with immersion. Ideally, it could be used to immediately take HUDless, 4K screenshots (Sea of Thieves is absolutely gorgeous and deserves to be captured), but it could also offer another valuable use: collectibles.
In case it didnât come through in what I wrote above, Iâm a collectible fiend. Iâm someone who enjoyed collecting all 500 Agility Orbs in Crackdown, taking photos in the original Dead Rising, and playing through PokĂŠmon Snap, so the idea of tracking down specific things and taking photos of them is incredibly appealing. In fact, Sea of Thieves already has the basics in place to take advantage of this type of gameplay.
Hidden around all the islands are cave paintings and markings from a bygone era. These images tell a story, and a collectible quest to capture them all using a camera would make sense. Perhaps some kind of anthropologist vendor at the outposts?
Skeleton Ships
There are skeleton forts, skeleton chests, and even a ghostly Ship of the Damned, but Iâm going to need to see some PvE skeleton ships sailing the seas. Aside from the odd player encounter, wild storm, and the mysterious kracken, there is very little danger to your ship when youâre actually sailing (unless you crash into an island or rock). Throwing in some AI-controlled ocean-borne combatants would create a little bit more danger while island hopping. Besides, thereâs bound to be some great loot on a skeleton ship and I would love to see a skeleton being shot out of a cannon by another skeleton, and have it land on my ship and start wreaking havoc.
Looking further down the line, all games eventually end as a playerbase dwindles, so having skeleton-run ships sailing the seas would ensure Sea of Thieves could transition comfortably into retirement.
Deeper Puzzles
Sea of Thieves does offer a few puzzles as part of its quests. Maps you receive from the Gold Hoarders are sometimes nothing more than lines of a riddle, requiring you to read and solve them, but it doesnât take a genius to decipher them. In fact, the most trouble Iâve had figuring out a riddle is when Iâm wandering around the island looking for a painting.
More cryptic puzzles and wording, longer directions for orienteering, physical puzzles requiring me to push blocks around, and anything that requires communication with a team on separate ends of an island. Developers should never underestimate gamers, and personally, I think they should skew their puzzles harder, because even though singularly something might be difficult, weâre a collective who enjoy working together.
Crafting
This one is a bit of an odd one, especially given Sea of Thievesâ horizontal progression. Crafting would have to fall into an area that doesnât interfere too heavily with the customization while also ensuring players werenât crafting something that would make them quantifiably more powerful than another player to the point where if you do not craft x-item, youâll be at a disadvantage. Despite this, crafting in games, especially as part of long-term builds, creates a goal for players to work to over the course of several hours, days, and potentially even weeks.
More Enemies and Creatures
So far, players have experienced the joys of fighting skeletons of varying pedigree, fending off sharks, rounding up chickens, and capturing pigs, and though the kracken has been confirmed, there is room for so much more. Merlock creatures, ghosts, banshees, sea serpents, sirens, zombies, stingrays, octopus and squid, giant crabs and jellyfish, there is so much from the real world that can be woven in the fabric of Sea of Thieves.
Honorable Mentions:
Foot presence and crouching/sneaking
Instruments: piccolo, banjos, etc
Rogue waves
Navigation via stars, quadrant, sextant, etc
Row Boat
Sea of Thieves is set to launch next week, March 20, and with the final beta behind us, all we have to drive us until then are our sweet memories and dreams of what will be in the full game. Be sure to let me know in Chatty what you would like to see in Sea of Thieves!
12 Things I Want in Sea of Thieves published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/
0 notes
Text
Now that Iâm back from our trip to France, I can tell you what I did wrong and what I did right.
In all my years of traveling to the Cote dâAzur, you would think I had mastered the art of packing light.
I didnât.
As usual, I overpacked. I know, I know. I am constantly reading about âcapsuleâ wardrobes and it just isnât my thing. But I did make note of what I did wear. And I wore on repeat. I packed five wigs and only wore two. One only two days. Do the math! Iâm telling you, I really âwrongedâ on the packing. Big time!
Hereâs what I did end up wearing and all but the navy dotted shorts were worn on repeat.
First of all, this getup was my âhanging at homeâ go-to. Â Most dinners on the terrace were eaten wearing this tee and knit pj shorts. YES!! PJ shorts! Once a slobâalways a slob!
IÂ cleaned up well for our visits to St. Tropez. I wore this dress for every visit except on to St. Trop. Â I even wore it to the funeral. Â This ten-dollar dress was worn at least 7 times during the stay. Luckily I was able to wash it!Â
The 11 euro bikinis. Â Who cares about the soft body. Â I wore these practically every day. Â I ended up buying two of the paisly suit!
Another dress on repeat. And this was a whopping $16. at Primark! Â I was super comfortable because I didnât have to wear a bra with this dress! Notice the Rondini Tropezienne sandals. I wore these almost every day!
I knew we would be doing a lot of walking in Ensues and Marseille so I wore sneakers. I wore shorts and a bobbed wig too.Â
This was the only other day I wore short hair. Itâs Millie by Bobbi Boss and I love her! Â Another braless day with this off-the-shoulder shirt and white shorts. I did wear sandals!
Same white shorts, black Rondini sandals for a dressier look!
Date night in my other ten dollar Old Navy special! I ordered two more the other day. Â These swing dresses are so flattering! Â
My Rondini Bikini sandals were also worn a lot!
Honestly, all the outfits I wore in the above photos were all I needed. Â I wore an old Gap shift to the beach and pool as a bathing suit coverup. Â And underwear. All my clothes could have fit in a carryon!
Due to circumstances beyond my control, there wasnât a lot of time to do shopping. But it really didnât matter much because my goal was to purchase another pair of Rondini Sandals.
The red sandals are just as comfortable as my other Rondini sandals and ..theyâre RED!!! Â RED!!!!! Â Shopping Goal completed!
Other shopping goals were smallâmore Fleur dâOranger from Fragonard and more French music CDâs.
I stocked up on my Fleur dâOranger Eau de Toilette at Fragonard, but also treated myself to the Fleur dâOranger Intense. Pure Orange Blossom is my favorite scent!
Another goal was to find a great summer scent for my daughter, Oona. She gets very bad headaches from many scentsâlike mother, like daughter. Sheâs very particular. After over an hour of sniffing, spraying, and repeating, we decided on the Figue. And guess what? She loves it!!
We sent a package to Oona with the Figue eau de toilette, some samples, another scent from Adopt parfum and a Fragonard tote that she can use while grocery shopping!
I picked up another one of these totes as well. You can never have enough!
With a bit of time before our flight home, I went into the Duty-Free Longchamp shop at CDG. I hadnât planned on it, but ended up with an expandable travel bag. The price at the airport was 130 euros. In USD that comes to $149.80. The same bag retails for $255 here. It was a great price!
This expandable travel bag is remarkably roomy and it was purchased at a great price!
Other little doo-dads included a gift for my neighbor, candy for my co-workers, my fabulous bikinis, and odds and ends. Cosmetics was not to play into this trip.
I know itâs kitchy and tacky but I love pushing the button in the back to hear the cicadas!
Stickers for the cars, Â Expandable wine totes from Nicolas..
These are great to load up on and give as a little something extra with wine bottles.
I did manage to pick up a couple of lip balms. This brand is great!
Treats for co-workers..
Think outside the box. Â A menu from my favorite restaurant will be framed and hung in the kitchen!
La Ponche is the area of St. Tropez where Bonaparte spent his summersâŚand we purchased this inexpensive sign at the marche in St. Tropez..
Danyâs hat now hangs on the wallâŚto the left is one of his prints!
What I did learn was that the Tuesday Market in St. Tropez is freaking unbelievable. My goal for next time is to purchase one of those vintage LV bagsâI want one with a history!
Oops! I forgot. I picked this graphic tee up at the marche. Iâll be dressing it up with jeans and a blazer in the cooler weather!
But my goal for next year is to pick up one of these for a fraction of the cost. And they are genuine because France has very strict laws..
My shopping advice to the traveler who isnât wealthy, but likes pleasant things (the category that I fall into). Save a few bucks each payday. Open a small bank account and use that money for one great item thatâll give you years and years of memories. Honestly, I look forward to my annual Rondini purchase because I now have a little collection of summer sandalsâand I wear those sandals in rotation practically every day during the summer heat. And they are unique because nobody else around these parts has them!!
WRITE. Get a journal and pens and write, write about ANYTHING that pops into your head. Maybe you see something that brings old memories to mind. Journal your trip because you can also use those entries as references for the future. Take a half hour or an hour every dayâitâs also a fantastic way to unwind after a busy day of touring and sightseeing.
Iâve got journals dating back ten years of trips to France!! Â Writing is a great reference!
Oh, I forgot about this too! Â Magazines. Gossip magazines are fun to try to decipher what is being written and a great practice is translating recipes from French into English!! Â There are some gems of recipes in here!
Donât listen to others when it comes to safety. France is incredibly safe. Yes. France has had its share of a few attacksâbut thatâs nothing compared to the random murders and homicides in the USA. Every wacko here owns a gun. The like to pontificate that it is their right to bear arms. Well, itâs my right to life and I donât want any moron going bang-bang when Iâm around! Every day innocent Americans are the victims of murderâI call that domestic terrorism.
Not once did I feel even the slightest fear or anxiety. And the same goes for when Iâm in Paris. Itâs safe. So, donât you let anyone tell you that itâs dangerous!  Those are the people who live their lives in fear.
The foodâwhat can I say? Iâm paying for my sin of gluttony. My body is saying that I gained a good eight pounds. And it is not easy to take off. So, I shall be returning to writing about weight loss. I wronged on my diet but it felt so right!!! Vacation is the time to indulgeâand I did!
Although I tried to stick to healthy choices..
I drank too muchâempty calories that went straight to my belly!
This went directly to my thighs and was so tasty that I donât care!
Observationsâthe French are a race onto their own. The French tan so naturally and well. They worship the sun. They bake like little roasted chickens on a spit. Their skin achieves various stages of caramel. From a light fleur de sel caramel to a more burnt caramel. Iâm jealous. Not even a spray tan could make my skin as perfectly browned as the French. Bonaparte is living proof.
The French Tanâis to be compared to various colors of caramels..
Perhaps I could have just used this as fake tan!!!
In fact, he told me that I donât know how to tan correctly. I need equal time on my stomach and my back. My answer to that is, Iâll just continue to sit under the parasol with sunscreen and fake it because I donât want any more skin cancer!
France is also the capital of the Man Bun. Oh, if only I had taken photos of every man bun I sawâI would have no space either in my phone or camera. Not even iCloud could keep up with those delightful tufts of messy bun man hair! Man buns must never, ever go out of style. I asked my sons to grow their hair long again and wear man buns. They laughed at me.
 Man bun..
Ohhh. Soccer Manbun!
YSL Man Bun. Â Best Man Hair ever!
When you take pictures, donât take them all of yourself. Take pics of the scenery and items of interest. If you notice, there arenât many photos of me at allâonly what I wore. I donât like taking photos of me when Iâm traveling. I like to take photos of where I am.   Make videos fun. Even if you are a newbie. Trust, me, this was a learning experience for my videos and now Iâm hooked!
An old boat makes for an interesting photo
A lazy street
A ceiling at a restaurant made of tree branches and hats hanging down
A wedding you stumble uponâtwo brides, one groom?
Art work on a building.
And you donât have to be a great photographer either. Just snap away!
Thatâs about it. Itâs a wrap!!!
The song Iâm showing you tonight is one of the reasons that I love buying French music. Iâve been listening to the Alain Souchon & Laurent Voulzy CD non-stop since my return and this song âConsueloâ is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
 Š 2017 Atypical60.com
 Trip Bits and Travel Tips. And Astute Observations Now that Iâm back from our trip to France, I can tell you what I did wrong and what I did right.
0 notes
Text
DENON DJ PRIME â FIRST WORDS
Back in November 2016, we weâre treated to a mysterious marketing campaign video from Denon DJ showing of blueprints of kit that simply ended with #ChangeYourRider, and that was all it took for the buzz to start. DJs climbed over themselves to speculate on what was coming, blogs created mock ups of what it could be and the DJ world just kept throwing out their guesses as to what Denon DJ was going on unveil.
2 months passed at the guessing game ended as Denon DJ finally revealed their new Prime Series SC5000 Media Player, X1800 Mixer and VL12 Turntable. Personally Iâm not a fan of any of those forced tense moments on TV that keep the viewer in suspense as they always seems to be totally over egged for the result, but hats off to Denon DJ, their highly successful marketing campaign resulted in a big win for DJs and the #ChangeYourRider tease certainly lived up to its name.
Weâve been lucky enough to have the SC5000 media players and X1800 mixer at our studio for a few weeks now thanks to DJKit.com (and a special thanks to Decksavers for supplying the covers) and we were keen to see if they lived up to the hype. Â #ChangeYourRider is a big statement to drive a marketing campaign and in a world where Pioneer DJ has ruled for well over a decade, you need to be able to put your money where your mouth is. Â Bottom line is Denon DJ have indeed flashed the cash, got the cheque and left a generous tip. Â Their Prime Series is the first serious contender to challenge the Pioneer DJ range and in some cases goes well beyond. Â Will everyone suddenly change their rider and jump ship? No of course not, but, what the Prime series has done is raise the bar and in a world where competition is healthy, the ultimate winner is going to be the DJs. Â Whether you convert to Denon DJ or not, Pioneer DJ will undoubtably step up their game for the next CDJ model, win win either way.
Before we get started on the units and software I wanted to mention Mix Master G, why you may ask? Well itâs quite simple really, heâs created a conversion utility tool to export/import Rekordbox cues & loops to Engine Prime. Â One of the biggest obstacles DJs will face going from Rekordbox to Engine Prime (Denon DJs preparation software for the SC5000 players) is having to recreate all your cue points and loops again. Â Personally over the past 8 years or so Iâve done this 3 times with my collection of over 2500 tracks with Serato, Traktor and then Rekordbox and the thought of doing it all again is a little much. Â Keep an eye out for a separate review when this gets an official release but in the mean time check out our ultimate digital organisation article.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
DENON DJ â SC5000 PRIME MEDIA PLAYER
There have been plenty of articles talking about the tech specs and features of the new Denon DJ SC5000 Media Player so I want to focus more about my hands on experience with them and how they performed in in the mix. My first live use was on our weekly Facebook Live show a couple of weeks back (see video below). I spent a few hours prepping the tracks in Engine Prime and exported the tracks ready for the show.
The first feeling I got standing in front of these was simply, wow! Â Even brushing aside that ânew kitâ buzz, these units look and feel amazing. The screen is big, bright, detailed and multi touch. Â The simple, well spaced layout is really in tune with todays DJs demands and the main highlight for me is the performance pads. Â Seriously, why has it taken so long for someone to put these in the right place! Using these you really feel in control, they are perfectly situated for those who like to remix and manipulate the music as itâs playing. Separating out the Hotcue & Loops works really well creatively and the screen gives you a clear layout where they all are if you need reminding. The Slicer and Roll effects also work really well in the mix, you can hear in my live set below that I was having a lot of fun with both of them! Be warned the Slicer effect (on any unit) can certainly be very hit and miss so choose your moments wisely, I found more minimal parts of tracks with no strings or melodies work best.
I toured with the Traktor S4 controller around the world for about 4 years and loved it for many reasons but two of them I linked straight away on the SC5000 was the Beat Jump & Loop controls. Â I used the Beat Jump a lot and although other models do have this feature, they are within touch screens and for a tool you use regularly, I like a hardware button to control and the SC5000 does just that. Â Similarly with the Loop control, you rotate the control to get the desired beat increment, then pushing down activates & deactivates the loop, nice and simple and when using this with 2 of more tracks in the mix you have that extra element of control.
Dual Layer â really not a whole lot to say on this apart from amazing innovation! Switching between the 2 layers is just a single button and the screens feedback keeps a tight control on which track is playing and where from so when you do have 3 or 4 tracks on the go itâs easy to keep a track of where you are and whats going on.
Onto the platers, these are just amazing. Â Sturdy, responsive and the ability to adjust the tension to your own personal taste, using them I canât quite shake the same feeling I get when Iâm using turntables. Â Like with any new hardware you need to find itâs biting points, but once you do thereâs a real level of control you feel with the SC5000 platters. Top job.
I can describe the experience in two words âinnovative funâ, a feeling Iâd not had with DJ kit for a long time. In fact the last time I remember feeling that buzz was when Iâd first moved from CDs to Serato and bought a Numark NS6 and immediately felt a new love for DJing. Â Creative ideas just kept flying into my head as the realisation that DJing is no longer linear, weâre not at the mercy of a needle any more. Â We can do what ever we like. Â And thatâs what these media players have done again, they have take the USB/CDJ world and merged it perfectly with the controller world giving the DJ more power and control over their creative output.
These units not only rival competitors, theyâve blasted one step further.
DENON DJ â X1800 PRIME DJ MIXER
The mixer layout is on point and will be instantly familiar to many DJs, everything is where it should be and in some cases, like the performance pads on the SC5000, much better.
Using the mixer, itâs the effects section that really brings it to life. Â The time division touch strip enables you not only go from 8 beats up to 1/16th in one straight movement, but that added bonus of the Instant Effects works great for those creative DJs looking to add more to their sets with just a simple touch. Â As a DJ Iâm all about organise & prepare, for those that know me know Iâll work tirelessly before my sets preparing to ensure I free up all the time I can in the booth to focus on the crowd and creativity and the instant function facilitates this perfectly. Youâll see in the Facebook live stream videos that adding these effects and dropping them into a mix is really simple and more importantly, effective.
In the release version of the X1800 there are 12 effects to choose which cover most of the effects youâll find on many mixers. The stand out one for me is the BeatBreak one, this is a lot of fun! Â In the mix you can shuffle and manipulate tracks with different patterns which gives it a great live remix feel, my only gripe with this effect is that it also seems to increase the output a little which Iâm sure will be looked at in future firmware updates.
The second bank of effects I also had a lot of fun with is the Sweep FX section. Youâve got Dub Echo, Gate, Noise (does anyone actually use this?!) and my favourite; Wash Out. Â The Wash Out effect is like a Echo/Filter which again works amazing in the mix to create tension and tease parts of a track as well as a simple yet very effective transition between different genres/tempos.
The on board dedicated Filter control did something Iâve not seen before â total kills on high and low pass. Â This blew me away. Â Like many DJs I use the filter a lot and now, having the ability to bring in a tune from silence and sweep through the frequencies, adds more creative options to my mixes, very impressed!
Thereâs a solid and replaceable Flex Fader crossfader which will certainly please scratch DJs and the up faderâs are smooth with mirco small incremental bumps, these are a nice touch as it feels youâve just got that bit more control with those long subtle mixes. My only thoughts here with the faders is they feel a little too close together to what Iâm used to and I occasionally kept hit channels 1 & 4 (I was using 2 & 3). Iâm pretty animated with my mixing and used to wider space so I just have to be aware and get used to them.
Connection wise there really isnât much you canât do with this mixer and the added bonus of a built in network hub means less hardware to add to the set up.
Innovative fun again pops into my head while Iâm using the X1800 mixer which for me is important, DJing is about have fun and being creative and the better tools you have to do so the more fun itâs going to be (for you and the crowd).
DENON DJ â ENGINE PRIME SOFTWARE
Like with Pioneer DJs Rekordbox, Denon DJ have released a free software download, Engine Prime, to manage and prepare your tracks and playlists for use on the SC5000 Media players.
Iâve successfully exported both Rekordbox and Engine Prime playlists to the same USB and they both work fine, just make sure itâs formatted as FAT as Denon DJs SC500 wonât read anything else.
Iâm not going to go into too much detail on the software as I expect there will be some major updates in the coming weeks that will resolve some of my initial thoughts. Â Until the full review I will say though itâs very easy to use, especially if you are already used to using a DJ management tools like Traktor, Serato or Rekordbox.
BONUS TIP: Save your 600Ă600 logo artwork as âlogo.pngâ in the Engine folder of the USB to overwrite all the track artwork displayed in the centre of the SC5000 Media Player platter.
PRIME RANGE SUMMARY
Innovative Fun. Â Iâm saying this again as itâs my driving thought while playing on Prime Series, Denon DJ have clearly kept their eye on the current market and predicted well where it needs to evolve and come up with an outstanding range of mixer & media players to facilitate this move.
Denon DJ could have quite easily gone with #GameChanger and still been bang on the money.
EXTRAS
If youâre investing in the Prime Series itâs worth spending a few extra quid to get Decksaver covers to protect both the SC5000 Media Player & X1800 Mixer . Cable wise we use the Neo / Oyaide audio cables, not only are they phenomenal audio and USB cables but they also perfectly colour match the Prime Series range!
OVER TO YOUâŚ.. HAVE YOU TRIED THE NEW DENON PRIME RANGE?
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THEM? Â DROP A COMMENT BELOW!
On The Rise: Denon DJ Prime Series Review & Live Videos DENON DJ PRIME - FIRST WORDS Back in November 2016, we we're treated to a mysteriousâŚ
0 notes
Text
Walking Advertisement Clip
So Iâve decided to talk about what and how Iâve done these clips to help give a better understanding.
Boom! Started off with obviously dragging in the clip. First thing is first, I needed to find a track point on the glass that was stable enough to look like a real holographic poster.
So I used the inbuilt 3D Camera tracker found in the bottom right in the picture above.
BOOOOOOOOM! Check out those track points! Hectic as!
Now I spent a lengthy amount of time finding a track point I could find that would stay throughout the whole clip with me walking past it.
Once I found a track point that would stay stable throughout I then imported the image the Josh created (God bless his kind soul for making the images Iâm terrible at that area)Â
Now I need to make it look real, I messed around with glow but failed with the outcome I had in mind so I just disabled the effect. What I used instead was corner pin to make it look on an angle to make it realistic as much as I could. Thinking back I couldâve avoided using this and used the 3D rotations instead of this effect considering that when itâs a 3D layer you are able to do it much easier but the downside you canât be as much precise with the distortion of each corner.
I didnât think it would be completely solid so I masked around the edges of the whole picture and feathered it to help add depth on the image, in real life you wouldnât expect the whole image to be the exact color if it was a hologram when looking at it on an angle.
NOW THE FUN PART WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO
Masking my body and key framing every frame/every other frame to what suited. This took a long time (2ish hours) due to the poor use of costuming for my character and my silhouette around the hat going completely dark so I had to play around and guess where my hat would be for about a quarter of the key frames which meant it looked out of shape. I then feathered the mask to smooth it out and then continued to change the mask around the hat to a point I like. (I still donât like it but I have to move on and accept it) Unfortunately I have to accept that It canât be improved due to the costuming besides using curves instead of points but re-masking would take too long.
I added blur to the mask overlay to help make it look more realistic, Iâm unsure if it actually helps but from my eye Iâd say it adds a better effect to the walk past.
The Countdown Text
The countdown text on the poster was also added to show that the characters phone was going to become obsolete in a sort period of time to remind him to purchase the new upgrade.
I used the numbers effect something which I had no clue on how to use, but to my success playing around I was able to make a quick countdown timer. For a walk by that is literally less than 8 seconds long I decided that some small details didnât matter so I made sure it was skewed correctly and could countdown the accurately I tracked it to the same point as the PSD image and then adjusted it using the anchor point to get to the right look.
The finished product
Not a whole lot to the process but thought it may help to go into some detail on what I am doing with some effects.
0 notes
Text
Why developers struggle to make video game cameras that donât annoy you
Image: vicky leta/mashable
Final Fantasy XV was in development for 10 years. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people across six different game development studios helped created it. Yet its camera a fundamental part of the way players interact with the games world is severely flawed.
The weight on the games metaphorical shoulders was enormous not just for the future of Final Fantasy as a game series, but possibly for the entire future of game consoles in Japan, according to game director Hajime Tabata. And it delivered on its enormous promise in many ways. How is it possible that a game into which so much was invested can have such a seemingly simplistic flaw?
SEE ALSO: The painstaking process behind making strategy guides, from the guy whos spent his life doing it
The camera is the interactive window through which we experience video games; the term describes not just our perspective and view of a digital space, but the freedom of or restrictions on how we as players control that viewpoint.
The camera is the interactive window through which we experience video games.
You can see and feel camera problems in games whenever the view is obstructed by a tree during a crucial moment, or when the perspective flips around the wrong way to show you the opposite of what youre trying to look at, or when the camera just wont do what you want no matter how you poke and prod at your controller.
These are the problems that have plagued third-person action games games in which the camera hovers outside the characters body rather than peering through the characters own perspective since Super Mario 64 popularized 3D games 20 years ago. How is it these issues havent been ironed out over the last two decades? Whats really going on in games that have camera problems? Why is it apparently so difficult to make video game cameras just work?
We reached out to the developers behind third-person games with their own unique camera challenges including Final Fantasy XV, Gravity Rush 2, Abzu, Hitman, and A Hat in Time to find out.
The common answer: its harder than youd think to make a great video game camera.
The underwater problem
Many developers run into problems making their cameras work in games that involve simply running around on the ground a 2D plane within a 3D space. Developer Giant Squids underwater exploration game Abzu adds another axis to that equation and a totally different set of control challenges problems that few developers of games with underwater controls have ever been able to solve.
Its an interesting problem doing a camera in an underwater game because you have this unique environment where the character can swim in all three dimensions of the space, said Matt Nava, Giant Squids founder and Abzus director.
The developers looked at every other underwater game they could get their hands on, and Nava said the most common solution in the past has been for developers to restrict player movement by not letting the characters vertical pitch extend too far up or down preventing them from doing a vertical flip, basically.
One of the first things we did in Abzu was decide, you know what, were going to try and solve this problem. Were going to let the player do full loops, because thats super fun and graceful, Nava said. We had to solve: what happens when youre upside-down?
We had to solve: what happens when youre upside-down? â Matt Nava, Giant Squid
What indeed? If the camera followed the character like it normally would, the camera would turn upside-down with the character, which would be nauseatingly disorienting. Instead, the game tracks multiple factors to detect when the player is attempting to do a loop or turn-around and automatically zooms the camera out to show the full arc. It tracks the characters movement speed and the speed at which the characters pitch is changing to determine how big the loop will be, and how far out the camera should move
Meanwhile, if the player steers the character in a half loop, leaving the character facing the opposite direction and upside-down, the camera automatically sets itself back behind the character while the character flips over on its own. During this animation the game also briefly wrests camera control away from the player often a cardinal sin in action games, but a necessary one here.
We got it just right, so people didnt really notice that there are moments in the game where steering doesnt do anything, Nava said.
Balancing for two types of players
Taking camera control away momentarily isnt a perfect solution, though. More experienced players tend to move the camera manually more often than inexperienced ones who are less accustomed to steering characters through three-dimensional space. The veteran player wants full camera control, while the noob needs the camera to move automatically without them constantly adjusting it. Balancing between the two can be a massive headache.
Many games solution is to let players adjust the camera but impose a timer that automatically resets it behind the character again if the game doesnt detect any input from the player for a set amount of time.
Issues can arise when that timer is too short or too long, especially in games where you move at high speeds, like driving games. If the camera takes too long to reset, inexperienced players might struggle with the controls. But if it resets too quickly, experienced players get annoyed feeling like they dont have control over it. Thats one problem that plagued the late 2016 release The Last Guardian, a long-in-development game with lots of strengths but undeniably outdated controls and camera mechanics.
I think that probably the most common thing that [developers] do wrong with the camera is they try to auto-correct it at the wrong time they do it when you really want it to let you control it yourself, Nava said.
Its sometimes really, really hard to guess what the player actually wants to look at. â Jesper Hylling, IO Interactive
Square Enixs 2016 Hitman game does the exact opposite, to its great credit. We are fairly atypical in the way that we actually allow the player to walk toward the camera, said IO Interactives Jesper Hylling, Hitmans lead game designer. Its much easier to control the character if you just look at his back all the time, and typically the direction you want to move is the direction you want to look. Except in Hitman, thats not always the case.
Often in Hitman you need to observe a target while assassin Agent 47 faces the other direction to seem nonchalant, or flee from pursuers while keeping an eye on them. So having a camera that tries to reset itself behind the shoulders of the main character wouldnt really work for our game, Hylling said. Also you get to do these cool moments where you walk away from explosions.
That also makes it the level designers responsibility to direct players attention towards timed, scripted events in subtle ways without having to yank the camera controls away from them. For example, in the games Paris mission the main target is first spotted descending a staircase in the mansions lavish entrance hall just as players walk in. Hes hard to miss, and thats deliberate, Hylling said.
The drawback, he conceded, is that some players especially less experienced gamers struggle with the controls because theyre used to cameras that correct themselves. But its sometimes really, really hard to guess what the player actually wants to look at, he said. So we try to do that as little as possible.
Camera controls as gameplay
The developers of Gravity Rush 2 faced a similar obstacle, compounded by the games unique premise. The early 2017 PS4 games gravity-shifting gameplay lets you totally alter the main characters perspective at any time and hurtle through the air at great speeds in any direction. No rule of physics or game design is sacred even the horizon can flip this way and that, proving disorienting for many players.
With the games totally unfettered range of movement, it would have been impossible for the developers to design a system that could predict where players wanted to look to move the camera there automatically. So they didnt try. Instead, they left the camera controls entirely to the player.
There were a lot of other challenges during game development, but designing the camera controls for this game is perhaps the challenge I remember most of all, the games lead designer, Sony Computer Entertainments Junya Okura, said through a translator.
For this game, we made the decision to enable free-flowing travel and complete autonomy over camera control these two principles superseded all else, the games lead player action programmer, Toshitake Tsuchikura, explained. If we programed the camera to move automatically, the unique gameplay experience we crafted for players would suffer significantly. Although newer players might find it hard to get used to, he said, they thought this totally free system would satisfy our biggest fans and that players would feel a sense of progression from mastering the camera controls over time.
No rule of physics or game design is sacred.
Even so, Okura said their main objective in designing the camera was to prevent a feeling among action game players who usually dont have to think about controlling the camera from a feeling of being forced to do something that theyre not used to. Tsuchikura added that they wanted the camera to follow players intentions faithfully.
In other words, they wanted control over the camera to feel natural, even for people who arent used to doing so in a game that leaves it entirely up to the player. To help accomplish that they made Kat, the games lovable protagonist, the cameras focal point at all times she never leaves the center of the screen.
Motion controls are another factor. By default, players can make fine camera adjustments by rotating the PS4s DualShock controller, which Tsuchikura said provides players with a feeling of true motion and a floating sensation.
Free swirling with an unfixed horizontal line sometimes gives you strong motion sickness, he said. On the other hand, a sense of naturally swinging movements as if youre floating in the air in this game is achieved through the motion sensor detecting the hands movement. Its essential for the floating experience that Gravity Rush 2 is pursuing.
Designing the cameras behavior during Gravity Rush 2s chaotic combat was its own challenge. Because enemies can appear all around Kat at any point, which the developers call omnidirectional battles, it remained important to let players retain full camera control during combat. But that also makes it difficult to track enemy locations, and more than one player has wondered why the game doesnt provide a way to lock onto enemies.
Okura said they considered adding a lock-on mechanic during the early phases of development on the original Gravity Rush, which launched on the portable PS Vita system in 2012. There were two sides to that internal debate, he said: on one hand, adding lock-on could make battles easier to manage, which would appeal to more players; but on the other hand, it would destroy the camera controls, the freedom of which is a core part of the series design. The idea of trusting our players with autonomy matched with our design philosophy, he explained.
This idea may be old fashioned, but I believe that its one of the important elements of action games to experience the joy of overcoming some difficulty or stress and to be proud of the improvement of your skill, Tsuchikura added. Please dont be prejudiced against the right stick. Its one of the powerful weapons for action gamers!
Breaking the line of sight
Even a comparatively simpler game like the in-development A Hat in Time faces these problems. As a 3D platformer in the tradition of games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, AHiT wrestles with the same questions those pioneering games dealt with in the 90s.
Even though the game has an idea of the things the player thinks are interesting, it can be wrong, said Jonas Kaerlev, CEO of small Danish studio Gears for Breakfast. Thats why, if at any time in A Hat in Time the player moves the thumbstick, the game just says, OK, well chill out for a moment to let you do your thing, and then once weve figured out if youre done with your thing, well take over again.
Even though the game has an idea of the things the player thinks are interesting, it can be wrong. â Jonas Kaerlev, Gears for Breakfast
The game reacts differently to varying amounts of input on the camera controls, including trying to detect accidental inputs in order to ignore them. But thats an extremely resource-intensive process and can be taxing on the games overall systems, which Kaerlev said is why many modern platformers, like Super Mario 3D World, choose a fixed perspective rather than more traditional 3D camera controls.
Sometimes you just want to focus on the basics and always keep the camera on whats interesting, he said. Plus, that lets you avoid breaking what he said is one of the golden rules of game cameras: never break line of sight. In other words, the player always needs to be able to see the character theyre controlling, which can be difficult to accomplish when players have full movement and camera control.
Traditional solutions for this vary. In Super Mario 64 the camera moves automatically to attempt to keep Mario in view, one of the many factors that made the 1997 classics pioneering 3D controls infamously wonky. The new The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, on the other hand, handles obstacles like tree foliage by making them transparent if they would otherwise obscure your view of the hero, Link.
But Kaerlev said that can suck a games processing resources dry, especially as game graphics have become exponentially more complex over the years which is is why newer games (Breath of the Wild being an exception) tend to find other solutions.
âI quickly found out that players dont want full control.â â Kaerlev
A Hat in Time uses a novel two-pronged approach. Whenever we know the player is definitely, unquestionably going to have the camera be blocked by this thing, we put in the extra power [to turn the object transparent], Kaerlev said. Other times, though, they simply draw the player character, Hat Kid, on top of the object as a silhouette, which accomplishes the same goal letting the player see the character at all times while using far less computing power.
Gears for Breakfast is a small studio, and Kaerlev is relatively inexperienced. But throughout development hes been struck by the fact that developers of all sizes and backgrounds have wrestled with these issues throughout the history of video games but theyve also all managed to come up with elegant solutions.
When I started development on A Hat in Time I had no idea how to make the camera, Kaerlev said. I just gave the player full control and said OK, whatever, do your thing. But I quickly found out that players dont want full control. So Ive sort of had to learn, as Ive developed the game, that these kind of rules make a lot of sense. Its kind of beautiful, in a way, that a lot of developers with very different backgrounds come to the same conclusions.
Putting the camera back in players hands
The problems with Final Fantasy XVs camera werent due to inattention. Hidemi Mizoguchi, the very engineer responsible for the games camera system, made obvious the staggering consideration that went into its development at every step.
Yet FFXVs camera is plagued by all the issues that many game developers strive to avoid from objects in the game obscuring your view of the camera to control being yanked away by the game.
Mizoguchi said (through a translator) that some of their challenges stemmed from the games wildly varying scenarios. Youre not just running around as main character Noctis. The game has to keep track of four characters plus multiple enemies of different sizes during combat. Or you could be driving the Regalia down the highway, or riding chocobos through the forest. One of the developers goals was to create a camera system that would guarantee quality in any situation, which even in a far simpler game is a tall order.
Part of that involved tweaking the environment design to better accommodate the camera. To get rid of any element that might have caused difficulty in exploration and battles, we adjusted background modeling and camera collision countless times while staff worked on the environment, he said. Even if props and background elements looked good as a part of a landscape, we adjusted and changed placements of any object without hesitation if it created stress during battle. That type of deliberate, manual attention is important, he noted.
The camera is designed upon the premise that, at its basis, it belongs to the player. â Hidemi Mizoguchi, Square Enix
FFXV straddles a weird line between an action and a role-playing game. You have full control during some battles. Other times the game moves the camera for you, often to showcase some gargantuan enemy. Mizoguchi said they knew the camera would have to be flexible, so they created basic, core camera code on top of which they could layer whatever additional functionality they needed for a given situation.
By having this common functionality, the camera could receive control input by the player and control collision determination, while also making it possible to create cinematic framing for both still and dynamic moments and even blend the two together, he said. The camera is designed upon the premise that, at its basis, it belongs to the player.
For all the games strengths, and for all this attention to detail, its camera is frequently cited as one of the games most problematic elements, by fans on places like Reddit and GameFAQs, as well as by critics on sites like IGN, Polygon, Kotaku, Glixel, and countless others. The developers even attempted to address the camera issues in a day one patch, with debatable results.
The problems in this case seem to come down to sheer scope. Its not just the size of the game, though, its any of the issues that developers face in fine-tuning the dozens of invisible factors that can affect the camera at any given point.
Getting the battle system in FFXV into its current shape required a long process of trial and error, Mizoguchi said. Even after we established a stylish battle in which the player can freely move around in the air, it still took time to adjust the camera so that it would not hinder the action as the places and situations changed. We continued to adjust right up to the time we submitted the master build.
This is all so much more complex than any casual player might guess. And thats by design. As Mizoguchi put it, With a well-adjusted camera, players are able to comfortably play a game without noticing that a camera exists. All the developers interviewed agreed that this is the number one identifier of a great video game camera.
It doesnt take much to throw the camera out of whack a fact that, if nothing else, should make us all appreciate the great video game cameras in our lives all the more.
Mike Rougeau is a freelance journalist who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs.
WATCH: This charity is helping kids through video games
Read more: http://on.mash.to/2o4zSb2
from Why developers struggle to make video game cameras that donât annoy you
0 notes