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perhaps-in-anotherdream · 4 months ago

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Hi:) I made a post with the same questions I'm about to put in here, but then deleted it since I thought I'll be guaranteed to get an answer if I just ask you.

I've been playing MLQC since its launch. To be honest, haven't kept up with the story in years and only continue playing and logging in to get Shaw's cards, but I do know how the game works like the back of my hand.

A few days ago I saw Sylus for the first time on X, and the minute I did I began to debate whether or not I should install Love and Deepspace. Just so I can see what he's like. He's very attractive, and he seems charismatic and mysterious too lol

However, before I decide to download and make a potential commitment, I want to know a few things first. 99% of my questions are general questions, while the other 1% isn't :P

What's the game like? (gameplay, mechanics, options, daily tasks(?), currencies, gacha, etc.)

Are there similarities to MLQC? (gameplay-wise, content, dailies, wish tree, events, etc.)

The cards come with stories, right? I honestly feel stupid asking this, but I'm just that clueless about the game and how it works lolol

Is the game F2P-friendly? (tolerable grinding, fairness in stocking up on required materials, cost of cards, etc.) Is it at least similar to MLQC in terms of abundance in materials and currency?

Do limited cards get re-runs? Or is it that once a card is launched and its event ends, the chance to get it is forever gone?

Can cards only be pulled, or can they also be run in MLQC-style shoot/birthday events and bought using in-game currency (i.e. like the gems in MLQC)?

There's probably a grade to the cards, correct? (SR, SSR, UR, etc.)

I saw on the store that Sylus's 'Wish' event is ongoing at the moment; will his card be added permanently after the event ends, or is this a one-time thing (like the time ltd. Wish Tree events in MLQC)?

Taking into consideration the fact that I'll be a noob with barely any resources, if at all: do I have a chance of getting Sylus's card before the event end if I begin playing soon?

Sorry for all the questions, and thank you for your response in advance :D

hello! firstly i’m sorry but my answers will only have necessary info b/c i’m not in the physical or mental state to go at lengths rn.

(1) it's an otome with action elements i.e. different styles of combats. there's also main story, dates, socmed, mini games, photo booth etc.

(2) idk whether to laugh or cry here tbh. in all fairness, PG really just took every feature of lovepro/ MLQC and upgraded them in LaDS (the combats aside LOL). although personally i don’t have anything positive to say on their writing quality, so you’ll have to figure out your feelings on that yourself ahah.

the dailies are quick once you've been there long enough as it is with most games. the wish tree has pity carry over system. they have two types of gacha pools: permanent and limited. and the two pools have different ticket currencies. there is no exchange system for event cards like MLQC.

leveling up the cards is an extremely tricky business here by the way. it's gonna become an essay if i try to explain, but know that you can never have enough stamina here LOL.

(3) yes. the 5 and 4 stars.

(4) nope lmfao. even if you tunnel vision one bias, it'd be difficult have all his cards without spending. they do have free 5 and 4 star card events though and those give rewards + the limited events often offer some rewards (in-game), but still it'd be hard if you have crappy gacha luck plus their stupid 50/50 choice in the pool almost never works lol and since the game is a simulpub, you won't have the advantage you have with MLQC to plan out your spending.

a friend of mine has done an overview, so please go through that to get an idea: ♡

(5) give it some time 😂 the game is only six months old. eventually all limited cards are re-run in these sort of games.

(6) no, there's no currency only card like MLQC in the game (at least not as of now). all cards are to be obtained through gacha (free ones aside).

(7) yes.

(8) QinChe/ Sylus has multiple events going on at the moment. there's a limited pool that ends on august 1 and you won't be able to get that one after the event until further notice. and the permanent pool also has a limited mechanism right now that will end after the event. but every other card except for event limited card will be added to the permanent pool afterwards.

(9) the permanent cards can be obtained later too (though definitely will be way harder b/c the limited mechanism for the permanent pool will gone then). as for the limited banner, it depends on your luck 😂 70x is the pity for 5-stars. i can't remember if there was any newbie pity, but since there's no guarantee or exchange, it might prove hard to obtain the card without spending if you have bad gacha luck. :/

hope these answer your questions~

—

#ask #love and deepspace

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tinamaetales · 3 months ago

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They never fcking loved us

“It doesn’t get better, it doesn’t get easier. I can’t keep lying to myself, saying “I’m gonna change” I’m poison I come from poison. I have poison inside me and I destroy everything I touch. That’s my legacy. I have nothing to show for the life that I’ve lived, and I have nobody in my life who’s better off for having known me” - BoJack Horseman, Season 3 Episode 12

My family is filled with hypocrites. It took me years to realize how bad my family is, both sides actually, until I got to know more people and hear their stories and eventually concluded that dysfunction is not a common trait of a family. While listening to other people’s stories, I realized that not everyone was raised in a chaotic household. But an even bigger realization of mine is that I never asked for perfection in my family, just a life free from dysfunction.

Starting this blog post with the sentence “my family is filled with hypocrites” seems a bit harsh but it’s the truth. The truth, most of the time, is ugly and painful and that is what I want to discuss in this blog post which I would like to call a “short trauma dump essay” So here is the ugly truth, my family is filled with hypocrites and my biggest fear in life is to inherit dysfunction and pass it on. Every time I look at myself in the mirror, I never really like what I see. Aside from my physical features, I really do not like who I am on the inside. I hate the fact that I share the same DNA as my toxic and abusive father. I hate the fact that I came from a catholic family who is always present in Church events but are also the biggest haters of this world. My family are the first to drop various bible verses as an advice or warning and yet they themselves cannot practice what they preach. It seems as if I belong to a family that is all for show. A family that is obsessed with portraying a certain kind of image to the public to hide the rotten and stink. And I am getting really tired of this. I refuse to suffer the same fate as my mother.

Everytime I browse through family albums, I cannot help but wonder how on God’s beautiful earth did my family come to be? When others would look at those photos they might have the assumption that we are a normal functioning family. We get to celebrate birthdays, christmas, new year, and other usual things a typical Filipino family would celebrate thus, those photos looking festive or joyous. But that’s not what I see. What I see are a bunch of pretentious people who are hiding their filth from the world. We may look normal on those occasions when, most of the time, other people are invited like friends, neighbors, and workmates, but that’s the thing about my family: we are all just a bunch of pretenders. My father loves to show off. He was always loud and proud every time there’s an occasion and he got to drink with the entire neighborhood. He loves to tell stories about how he sacrificed being far away from his family so he can earn more money by working as a seaman. Of course, the typical sentimental ass sht FIlipinos would buy that story and would think that he is this great father and husband but he is not. The only people on this earth who have the right to tell whether he was a good husband and father are my mother, my sister, and I. We all could say that he is way too far from that good person he is portraying. My father is a fucking monster. He is the kind of person that should have never been a husband and a father in the first place. Having someone like him to become someone’s father or husband is something that I would never wish for anyone, even on my own enemies. Being in the same house as him was so suffocating. It felt like I was living in hell. Everytime he comes back when his contract ends is the start of our fucking nightmare. I can never have a peace of mind being under the same roof as this misogynistic, abusive, and narcissistic asshole. In fact, I became very scared of talking to men because of him. Whenever he is around, we cannot eat properly. It is too hard to digest food as he seems to count every chew. He counts every single thing he does and buys for us. Even complained how expensive education is. But that asshole has no problem funding the drinks for the neighborhood’s weekly inuman session. He has no problem giving money to all his useless relatives in the province. Even complains of having to pay for my hospital bills every time I get sick but he is the bloody reason why I became sick in the first place. But the funny thing about this asshole is that he is so fucking religious. He would “kneel-walk” from the entrance of the church up to the altar while praying. As I mentioned earlier, I came from a family that is all for show. And this guy is the fucking leader of it. I will forever mourn the life that could’ve been for my mother. I feel so heartbroken for her. I cannot make sense as to how a beautiful and smart woman like her ended up with such a horrible person like my father.

The thing about people like my father is that they are the ones that have the image of a good person because they were just so good at marketing themselves as such. So now that I learned how to fight back, I was branded as the bad one. I think it was in 2020 when I finally confronted my father because I wanted him to actually do something in solving all the problems he created and it ended badly. He is the kind of person who would scream at you and would break things when he is mad even though everything is his fault so one could only imagine how that argument went. He threatened to punch me and even attempted to throw a glass bottle at my sister and yet the story he told our relatives (my mother’s sisters) was that he was the victim. So obviously, the story was about how rude and evil we are towards him. My aunts will not believe us, did not even bother hearing our side of the story. One of our aunts even sent a message to my sister saying that she was disappointed in us because she thought we were good kids. She immediately jumped into the conclusion that we were the bad ones here. But then, what do I expect from someone so religious and so hateful? Why is it that these overly religious people always find it difficult to believe that fathers do not deserve any amount of respect if they are abusive? They always throw that one commandment, “Honor your father and your mother” every time a child would stand up against abuse. Bunch of hypocrites.

All my life I fought so hard into ensuring that I do not become the very monster that is my father. I refuse to let the environment I grew up in to shape me because if I allowed it then I will just continue the cycle. But life really does have its way, huh? I told myself after I got my College diploma that I will make up for all the losses I experienced growing up (babawi ako sa sarili ko) and yet even dreaming about that became a luxury I could not afford. My father fcked things up again so I ended up becoming the sole breadwinner of the family while paying off debts. There are moments that I will just snap and say mean words because I was so tired of the way my life has become. It made me realize that I might actually inherit his temper and that alone scared the shit out of me. The quote I put above is from BoJack Horseman and I felt chills the first time I heard those words when I was watching the show. When he said, “I’m poison. I come from poison. I have poison inside me and I destroy everything I touch” it scared me because like him, I came from poison too. I feel like no matter how hard I try to escape dysfunction, I can never really run away from it because I came from it and it was my “normal” so one way or another, I will always become the dysfunction that I was born into. I simply have no idea how to become a “normal functioning” human being because I never really knew what it was like growing up. My own family never knew what life outside of dysfunction is.

When I started writing this article, I felt anger all over my body. I am just so mad at the kind of life I have lived. Reminiscing about my years growing up, especially the times we spent living in the same roof as my father, is a scary road to travel with. It is very triggering and painful to look back but it is also painful to think about the present because nothing much has changed. Now, my family is more divided than ever. My sister and I were branded as the black sheeps because we finally stood up for ourselves and they label my mother as an enabler of our “bad behavior”. I used to be bothered by what my relatives say about us but then I realized they never fcking loved us so why let their opinions affect me? Because if they are really my family and if they love me, they would want to know my side of the story too instead of being concerned that I became a disrespectful daughter. I am done being the silent victim. I want to heal from this and healing starts from acknowledging that I came from dysfunction.

TinaMae

PS, Taylor Swift’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” is the perfect song for this blog post (and my life)

#personal #tinamae tales #trauma dump

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phoebehalliwell · 4 years ago

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Pls write mini essays about phoebe + next gen and paige + next gen!!

word i’d said i’d to this then i forgot i’m doing it now i’m gonna start of with both phoebe & paige + their kids and then i’ll burn through the list

okay so for starters phoebe i think phoebe’s family wins like the “most functional” award it’s not like a landslide win y’know it’s not like piper and paige’s families aren’t function but this family is comprised of an empath advice columnist, a cupid relationship therapist, and three cupid-witches. like, they’re all kinds experts of communication and self-awareness and understanding and relationships and bond blah blah blah they being said of course they have their issues but in general it’s relatively smooth sailing there is of course the flipside when friction usually generate from the kids starts to spiral out of control and phoebe & coop will be like let’s use our words help us to understand you and where you’re coming from do some breathe exercises and the girls would be like no!! can’t we just argue like a normal family!!! can’t you just get angry at something!! but those are um few and far between. and of course like phoebe really really wanted to be a mom we all saw we all didn’t enjoy it but that’s very much canon she really wanted three daughters she got that so i think phoebe was very much like Prepared for motherhood (like as prepared as one could be). like it wasn’t like she thought it was going to be smooth sailing but like she was ready to face any challenges that could be thrown at her she was ready to put all of her love and effort into this one thing and i think for her like Mama Era from pj’s birth in 07 to peyton starting preschool in 2013 i think she really like almost exclusively worked from home she was really hands-in she was in all the mommy groups and the pta and the whatnot but like. y’know that’s like 6 years. and phoebe really loves her job. so i think she’d really have a career renaissance once all of the kids were in school i think she’d slowly start to dive back into column work i think this is when she’d start to write her book after the success of that one i think she wrote another one i think she has a fiction series posted under a pseudonym that is more of a ya magical adventure series (which paige designs all the covers for) i also think she and coop have a podcast together maybe run through the bay mirror maybe independent the point is she’s really popular (i also think she’d be the wealthiest out of the three sisters bc she makes bank and so does coop as a therapist for those not in the states therapy is like really fuckin expensive as i recently learned y’all do not know. it’s a bitch. but yeah they got money. but that’s not the point here. the point is she’s really popular). book tours, doing stuff with the podcast, guest appearances on a variety of tv shows, i think phoebe’s not like. at home a lot. or at least she’s home the least out of piper her and paige. and it’s not like her kids really mind like she is just a beam away and she always makes it to important events (and unimportant ones!) like she takes photos before every school dance and she throws birthday parties and she really dos try to make it to all of the kids soccer games but like. she’s not always just like. home all the time. and i think she’d really love to have a lot of emotional heart-to-hearts with her kids but that doesn’t always happen. if pj needs an emotional heart-to-heart, she’s gonna talk to her dad. is parker needs an emotional heart-to-heart, she’s gonna talk to pj. is peyton needs and emotional heart-to-heart she’ll position herself on the couch late at night when she knows phoebe will be coming home and just sorta sit there like waiting for phoebe to show up and go oh honey what’s wrong bc uhh peyton will not like. go to someone to talk about their problems. she has to wait to be asked. that’s just the type of person she is. lucky for her, phoebe’s an empath so she can like tell when baby peyton’s in distress but lbr she usually doesn’t need it because like peyton perches in such an Obvious manner like hi mom come comfort me please : ( even tho she’ll never like say it out loud. i think phoebe’s also like proud of her girls and their practicing of the craft bc she remembers how she felt about magic hell how she still feels about magic and she’s always telling them like follow ur heart and love is ur greatest strength (and the power of three will set you free, of course) bc her girls are cupitches y’know it’s more true than ever but like. lowkey tho. it fucking terrifies her. magic like takes, man. a lot of people she knows have died. and she just like. she doesn’t want to tell her kids no bc it was grams controlling nature that made her rebel so much so like she wants them to be able to come to her when they have a magical problem and she knows that if she tries to stop them or tells them they’re out of their league they’ll probably just stop telling her things so she doesn’t she tried to be supportive but jesus fucking christ he gets so scared sometimes. she gets so scared.

paige on the other hand had nowhere near the same experience with motherhood as phoebe bc well i think paige has the most complex relationship with motherhood set aside the fact that her kids are the only unplanned ones out of the entire next gen, she also like. she was a shit child. she was mean and violent and an alcoholic. she had committed so so many crimes before she was even 17. and she had a really good mom!! she had a mom who loved her and tried her hardest to support her and keep her from falling off the deep end who loved her unconditionally she had the best mom and she was still just a little shit! and i think that really fucks her up. like, looking back on it, she can’t imagine half the stuff she put her mom through. she was really cruel. and like!!! her mom was a good mom!! so paige doesn’t know she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do. how she’s supposed to stop her kids from turning out like her. what can she do so she doesn’t have kids who end up exactly like how she was. henry isn’t like a load of help her bc henry Also never knew his parents and he jumped around from foster home to foster home and like never really felt like had a family until paige. and then like in his whole parole schtick he was definitely a hard ass he was definitely an Authority Figure bc hell that was the only way adults could get him to listen to them when he was a kid so he just kinda emulated that. however after meeting paige and really getting a feel for her whitelighter side and how she handled these situations i do think henry switched up his vibes he made the necessary changes. i also think like henry like no he wasn’t planning on having kids but i think he was really excited to become a father like he was gonna have a family like god he always wanted a family he was gonna teach his kids to play catch and he would host birthday parties stupid birthday parties with themes and balloons from safeway and friends there and goody bags the full kit and kaboodle like henry would fuckin go to bed each night dreaming about how he’s gonna do all these familial things he never got to do. bc he didn’t have a family. but paige did. she got all those things. and she was still fucked up!! so i think the conkclooshun paige landed on was that her mom tried to hard to like. like her mom saw her potential and always strived to push her to be that perfect version of paige that she saw her wonderful little angel when paige really wasn’t that paige wanted to be seen for what she was not some vision in her mom’s head and maybe that’s why she would like get drunk and steal a cop car bc she wanted her mom to see the girl standing right in from of her not an angel just paige. so paige was like. okay. i’m no gonna project onto my kids. they’re gonna be like “charmed ones” (there’s only two of them but w/e they’re really powerful witches) but i’m not gonna. i’m not gonna see them as that. i’m going to try to see them as they are and i’m going to be their Mom. i’m not gonna be some distant ethereal figure which is kinda how she felt a lot of the charges she brought to magic school viewed her bc she was this mythic charmed one and she was this she was that i think paige didn’t want to be her daughters’ whitelighter bc she didn’t want a “professional” relationship with them. there was no way she could advise her own kids the way she could advise her charges, she’s simply way too close to the situation. and she doesn’t want her kids to view her like that. she doesn’t want to be their whitelighter, she wants to be their mom. and um this really does work for the most part like she & her kids will like sit on the couch and just like yuck it up you know like the mitchell clan really is a tight knit they do all love spending time with her but. like her method of parenting really works with tamora. not so much with kat. kat’s a lot more witchy than tam is she’ll actively go out and seek out trouble she pursues the craft with a very similar hunger to what we saw in paige s5 and paige kinda hates it. like. god okay she gets it she gets it she really does. but kat’s a kid!! she’s just a kid and if she keeps looking for trouble she’s gonna get herself killed and i think whenever out god knows where doing god knows what paige just remembers that time she had to watch chris bleed out on the bed with nothing she could do. and how she- how if that happened to kat- she- she couldn’t go on anymore. that’s basically the fact of the matter. if she lost a child, she doesn’t know what she would do. give up. probably. and it’s again sorta like the inverse we see with phoebe’s free range demon hunting where paige gets so overprotective about it that kat just stopped telling her things. this gets doubled by the fact that you’re not my whitelighter, so why should you even care! and kat does view it as like a lack of faith from her mother (which is one of the reasons why kat and chris are so close) and she just wants to. she wants to prove herself. she wants her mom to see her for all that she could be, instead of just the place she’s in right now. and i do think as time passes paige learns to sort of let go of this control i think her and kat have the most difficult relationship but paige letting kat leave to take a gap year and explore the world was like a major step and kat acknowledges this to an extend she gets it was difficult for her mom but she really has no idea how much paige panicked how much it took every inch of her self control not to go out and drag kat back home because yes baby birds have to leave the nest eventually but these baby birds have a very high stab rate. um jumping over to her relationship with henry jr i think she does encourage his studying of the craft he is the most well read out of any of the next generation with wyatt taking a close second hell henry jr even knows like a bit of latin this kid is wicked smart And bonus round he’s aware he’s mortal. like yeah paige can kinda sense that it does ruffle his feather, but henry jr knows when to step away. again, henry’s really well-read. he’s brushed up on the family history. he knows the warren line is close friends with death. as a bit of a bonus round but also to give paige some peace of mind, she did give henry a basic charm that grants him the same high resistance that all witches are born with as well as cloaks him from magic bc like paige and henry sr both knew this mortal baby was gonna have a wicked high kidnap rate so they figured y’know best do all they can to Stop That from happening. the enchantment that henry jr has is a necklace it’s the same one paige wore throughout the show. bc i’d like to bring that back.

okay next gen time wyatt i think wyatt likes paige more than phoebe it’s not like a competition or anything it’s just gun to his head that’s who he’d chose bc paige really is like this witchlighter she walks the line between being charmed and being a whitelighter that wyatt can really take a lot of inspiration from he just doesn’t have that with phoebe phoebe’s a little bit more of like a love guru and wyatt’s got a weird relationship with love bc he keeps flinging himself headfirst into it and keeps getting bruiser bc of it what wyatt actually doesn’t know is almost all of the advice that has gotten him out of these troubling times has almost all been sourced from phoebe piper usually goes to her with advice when it comes to all that i mean i don’t think wyatt would like to know that post-breakup wyatt is just like kinda embarrassing he doesn’t want to know that’s being shared with the family of course he already knows he just doesn’t want confirmation

chris surprisingly closer with phoebe probably bc she’s an empath and again she has this whole free range witchcraft style that she has going if chris has a question he needs to ask somebody he’ll usually ask phoebe bc she’s the only one who won’t report back to leo bc again she’s an empath she gets it she knows what’s going on and she knows he just needs time and he and leo need some good honest communication paige also gets that but paige also watched chris die so yeah no she’s gonna snitch

melinda about and even tie melinda gets a lot of witchlightering advice from paige on finding harmony there but she’s also an empath she she spends a lot of time learning her craft from phoebe and how to focus that and apply that power to her witch/whitelighter abilities in ways paige can’t really teach her bc paige’s power is more physical that psychic/emotional. but it is like paige who gives her the groundwork on like. getting it. i think gun to her head if she had to choose she’d choose phoebe just because of those times they’d go out and do “field practice” where they go somewhere interesting and crowded and sense the wave of emotions and go out and try to pick out people from the crown it’s an art of drowning out the din and finding one you need to find a way of not getting lost in the sea of everyone else’s everchurning emotions which is nice bc it grants melinda a much wanted and needy control over empathy but it��s also nice bc it’s like. fun. phoebe always makes it fun they can always have a laugh.

tamora’s not like hella close with phoebe there’s really no reason for her to be however she is baby peyton’s favorite cousin (don’t tell the rest) simply because tamora’s both like studious and cautious and baby peyton’s tired of everyone running around trying to fight demons like what about normal life irl and stuff so i think tamora would definitely like tutor baby peyton this that and the other and so like phoebe really has like a sense of respect for tamora and tamora likes being over at phoebe’s y’know it’s not like peyton’s some snot nosed kid it’s fun she likes the vibes

kat has an appreciation for phoebe bc she definitely knows phoebe had a hand in helping her mom let go of her y’know that being said it’s not like she loves to spend time with phoebe phoebe’s both an empath and paige’s sister so like she knows that anything of note’s gonna be passed onto her mom (which isn’t like. entirely true. but it is kinda true). if kat’s gonna hang out with an empath she wants it to be one on her side so she’ll always pick melinda

henry jr okay so phoebe’s actually the opposite with henry it’s kinda like her and paige swapped places here bc paige trusts her son she knows he’s really well versed in magic blah blah blah and that he’s got y’know. common sense. he’s not gonna run into some situation half cocked and get himself killed he’s aware of his mortality. phoebe on the other hand did not raise henry so she doesn’t get him the way paige gets him; a large part of her free range ideology is the fact that her kids are basically little power loaded god their charmed and as an added boost they’re also half cupid they’ve been raised in the craft they’re insanely well trained so like. she knows that they’re capable. henry does not have their advantages. so i think phoebe really tries to hold him back isn’t quite the right word but like. it kind is. she doesn’t want him doing anything magical.

pj’s in the 07 baby squad even though she’d at the younger end of the scale so she was a grade behind mellie kat and tam but that little barbershop quartet’s p tight knit i don’t think she has like insane exposure to paige as i think cupids and whitelighter work very differently like at the most basic magical level and therefore paige’s halfling experience really doesn’t do that much to help her i think she likes paige alright but like. it’s nothing compared to like wyatt relationship with paige

parker always like runs towards danger she’s got an insane amount of energy and like a fire within her i think she’s always trying to push boundaries and break the rules eg with her cupid ring becoming an athame i don’t think she straight up asked paige bc like parker definitely views all adults as narcs but with this of that ilk parker bounces questions off paige which paige just always answers like really honestly like if parker asks a question that’s like really complex and strange paige won’t give her a roundabout answer she’ll just tell her what’s up and for that parker respects paige

peyton i think sees paige the most through tam i think she likes paige i think she’s definitely privy of the whole paige/kat situation bc like who is the family isn’t but i think she really kinda takes paige’s side her peyton thinks the real worlds insanely dangerous she doesn’t like looking for trouble and her heart lowkey goes out to paige bc she knows the whole thing with kat is a matter of love it’s just something that’s hard to work with

#wallah #next gen #charmed #charmed next generation #phoebe halliwell #paige matthews #💌#margaretsminiessays #wyatt halliwell #chris halliwell #melinda halliwell #tamora mitchell #kat mitchell #henry mitchell jr #pj halliwell #parker halliwell #peyton halliwell

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latetaektalk · 4 years ago

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tag games

tagging : @cosmoguk @jtrbluv @yeojaa @opaljm @sleepyjhs @gyukult @jentwt @cafemiya @masterninjacow @gamerkooks and everyone else that has tagged me

tag game one : fic writers ask game

tagged by : @luvdsc thanks cat! this is super fun ✨

Which new trope would you like to try writing?

ex-friends-to-lovers!! in general i love any ex type of tropes!! a heist! au would be fun too

Which trope do you want to write again?

exes! like, i genuinely love that trope so much and feel like theres not enough out there!

Which draft are you most excited to post?

i dont write multiple stories at the same time, so the newest chapter of love to hate you

Is there any new genre you want to explore?

hm i guess fluff? i kinda write angst by default because i think fluff is kinda... boring and not dramatic enough, so i guess i wanna try out fluff!

Do you have a favorite line in any of your drafts up to now?

“Can’t you at least pretend like you think I’m funny?”

“Yeah, that costs extra.”

“And you scolded Jisoo for exploiting me,” Jungkook bit back.

“Well, you said you’re all mine to exploit, didn’t you?” you hummed, scrunching your nose. “You are my boyfriend after all, right?”

Jungkook stared at you, blinked three times before tilted his head to the side and tongued his cheek, defeat.

“Touché.”

Have you decided on any creative goals for 2021?

not really! i just try to write, have fun and improve honestly!

Describe your journey on this blog last year in three words! And three more words for what you hope for 2021!

2020: growth, friendships, fun

2021: growth, friendships, fun (dont really wanna change anything! im having fun!)

tag game two : 10 songs, 10 people

rules : you can tell a lot about a person from the type of music they listen to. put your favorite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs. then tag ten people. no skipping!

playlist chosen : love to hate you

kiss me - sixpence none the richer

anything you want - jawny

can i call you tonight? - dayglow

heartbreak in a box - juice

daydreaming - marc wavy

lover boy - phum viphurit

let’s fall in love for tonight - finneas

dontmakemefallinlove - cuco

strangers in a dream - phum viphurit

afterglow - taylor swift

tag game three : interview

rules : answer questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better!

tagged by : @lcksndkys thank you so much! these are a ton of fun ✨

name/nickname : linh

pronouns : she/her

star sign : scorpio

height : around 170 cm or 5′7

time currently : 10:30 pm

when is your birthday : nov 9th

favorite band/groups : exo, red velvet, bts, nct, superm, blackpink, twice

favorite solo artist : taylor swift, olivia rodrigo, harry styles, finneas

song stuck in your head : gone by rose

last movie you watched : get smart, i think

last show you binged : taskmaster

when you created your (main) blog : like april 2019 maybe?

last thing you googled : how many seconds in a year

other blogs : this and my recs blog

why i chose my url : like late night talk, so i turned the night into taek because of taehyung, baekhyun and taeyong afdfsa

how many people are you following : 305

how many followers do you have : around 1.7k

average hours of sleep : uh not much? idk online class is kinda killing my sleep schedule

lucky number : 7

instruments : piano

dream job : dont know, but something that i enjoy and make good money at?

dream trip : vietnam, china, south korea, japan, england, france, netherlands

favorite food : potatoes, salmon, dim sum

nationality : chinese

favorite song : cruel summer by taylor swift,, its literally my most played song of 2020

top three fictional universes you’d like to live in : marvel, atla, we bare bears

tag game four : this or that

indoor plants or gardens // cloud-watching or star-gazing // water or fire // paperback or hardcover // running or hiking // sleeping with socks or without socks // fruit or vegetables // hanging plants or succulents // dark wood or light wood // handwritten or typed // instagram or pinterest // braids or pigtails // dc or marvel // books or movies // oceans or meadows // forests or fields // sweet or salty // ice cream or chocolate // hoodies or sweaters // long hair or short hair // piercings or tattoos // summer or winter // boots or sneakers // cars or motorcycles // curls or straight hair // castles or cottages // sunny days or storms // reptiles or birds // disney or nickelodeon // strawberries or watermelon // essays or posters // phones or laptops // glass or stone // dark or light // photos or paintings // circuses or theatres // reading or writing // dogs or cats // poetry or novels // monsters or ghosts // thrift shops or libraries // fiction or non-fiction

tag game five : ten biases tag

rules : write down your top 10 biases and answer the following questions

seulgi

baekhyun

taehyung

joohyun

jungkook

jennie

chaeyoung

nayeon

mark

jongin

1. between 1 and 4 who would you rather kiss?

uhm cant i just kiss both? i could never choose between the two sadfsd

2. between 2 and 7 who would be your best friend?

chaeyoung because she speaks english but also because i feel like she and i would hit it off better

3. between 5 and 10 who has the better voice?

love jongin and his voice, but yeah jungkook

4. between 1 and 8 who is the funniest?

ohh thats hard, but i think its nayeon adsfas

5. between 6 and 9 who would you date?

jennie. if i have the chance to date kim fucking jennie, im dating kim fucking jennie. bye mark im not even sorry

6. between 9 and 10, who would you do a collaboration with?

mark! i feel like working with him would be so funny because he just talks and talks and talks asdfdas

7. between 4 and 8 who is the best dancer?

joohyun!

8. between 3 and 5 who would you most likely marry?

uhm uhm uhm- i think im gonna go with taehyung? mainly because of yeontan asdadsf

9. between 1 and 7 who would you nurse when they are sick?

seulgi no fucking question asdfsd like sorry, bestie chaeyoung, but seulgi just owns my heart :((

10. between 2 and 3 who has the better smile?

i dont think this is fair at all?? because both have such gorgeous smiles?? im not choosing asdfs

11. between 6 and 8 who would you vacation with?

jennie! feel llike she would pay for everything and kinda spoil me,, also feel like she would want to do the craziest shit

#linh.tagged

15 notes · View notes

thisweekingundamwing · 4 years ago

Text

This Week in Gundam Wing June 28 - 4 July 2020

Here’s this week’s roundup!

Remember to give your content creators some love! And join in on the events at the bottom!

~Mod Hel PS. So, I’m really bad at checking my email... I really need to get better at it. Some of these (which I’m sure will be new to a lot of you) are from long before this last week... whoops.

Fanfiction/Snippets/AU Ideas:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

Five dates with Mister Handsome https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622383229580771328/five-dates-with-mister-handsome

1xReader (gender unspecified)

reader-insert, second person POV, fluff, romance

He was sinfully good looking and he had agreed to five dates with an idiotic drunk who claimed one single kiss was worth five dates. You couldn’t help but wonder why.

@coffeetailor

Emergence (Ch. 11) https://archiveofourown.org/works/13322880/chapters/60710743

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Sally Po

Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, borrowers fusion but don't call them borrowers, disturbing themes like people trafficking from the bad guys, Size Difference, Will probably be a series, alternate canon events, Macro/Micro

When the war ended, things went a little strange. First, Duo vanished after never having let them see him in person. Then, years later, a tiny race of people are discovered. And that's just the start of things.

Fun Curses with Catboys https://archiveofourown.org/works/25047898

Chang Wufei/Duo Maxwell

Chang Wufei, Duo Maxwell

magic transformation, Size Difference, catboy, Anal Sex, Post-Canon, Magic, wufei's a wizard, thar be porn

When Wufei leaves the Preventers, Duo goes snooping and finds out some things about his favorite (crush) loner. Like his hobbies in gardening, rare book collecting, and… magic? Probably shouldn’t have touched that, Duo. Good thing it’s a fun curse, and there’s a sexy wizard around to help out.

@chronicwhimsy

Strangers (Ch. 6) https://archiveofourown.org/works/24357013/chapters/60473569

Chang Wufei/Duo Maxwell, Background Quatre x Relena, Background Heero x Trowa - Character

OC - Oliver McGann

Long Lost Twins, this was meant to be hijinks but then I got reminded these boys have Issues, Pining, Duo is a stressed-out jerk who needs a holiday, Post-EW, Frozen Teardrop can do one, sex in later chapters because this is me who are we kidding

If you said the word "brother" to Duo Maxwell, he'd think of the other pilots.

If you said, "no, your long-lost brother" to Duo Maxwell, he'd think of Solo and be very confused.

If you said, "no, your twin brother you were separated from at birth, and he's now working with the Preventers as a lawyer" to Duo Maxwell, he would go and punch his doppelganger.

Duo Maxwell isn't good at dealing with things, but unfortunately this particular thing isn't going to go away that easily.

@destinysblackrose

It Takes a Legend... https://archiveofourown.org/works/25012021

Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker

Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft, Trowa Barton, Duo Maxwell, Duo Maxwell Jr., Hilde Schbeiker, Chang Wufei

Angst, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Slice of Life, Duo's going to have his ribs broken, Gundam Wing children, #fatherhood, Fatherhood, Father's Day, Crass Humor, teenaged boy humor

“Listen, I can’t possibly imagine what it’s like to be you. You never had a childhood. And you never had a father—”

“No,” Heero shook his head. “I didn’t. I trained to fight, to kill from…as far back as I can remember.” The visible side of his mouth, from Aidan’s vantage point, turned down.

“It’s why,” he paused and picked up a wrench from the open drawer. “It’s why sometimes...I’m, I’m at a total loss…” He dropped the hand holding the wrench to his side. Aidan could see his knuckles change color where he throttled the metal implement.

“Your mom is so much, better at these things… At being there for you.”

@doctormegalomania

Introspective https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622202012283584512/introspective

Implied 1x2, implied 3x4, implied past 2xH, past 1xR

self-exploration of gender identity and sexuality, reference to past sexual situations (non-explicit), candid conversations

Heero gives some thought to his sexuality.

Your Body’s Poetry (Ch. 20) https://archiveofourown.org/works/20438891/chapters/60737623

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei/Original Female Character(s), Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell/Original Male Character(s)

Characters: Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Sally Po, Relena Peacecraft, Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, Hilde Schbeiker

Past Relationship(s), Slice of Life, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence

Long after the wars, long after peace is established the Gundam Pilots discover one immovable fact: Relationships are hard work.

@duointherain

Beneath: All Those Sounds https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/622765434690781184/beneath-all-those-sounds-11

Notes: The boys are 35. They are married and they live in Seattle. Heero is a physician and a research scientist. Duo is a stay at home dad and a best selling novelist. They have twins who are spending the holiday with their grandmother Maureen and their godmothers, Rey and Precious.

It didn’t take much. Neither of them said anything. The fireworks exploded outside their house, somewhere down by the water, far enough away that it was just a soft little press against the windows, against their souls.

Left on Read https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/622787629087440896/fic-left-on-read-1

Duo Maxwell had decided, several years before, that he didn’t much like Preventers. At the time, he hadn’t know what he did like either. The therapist that Quatre had talked him into seeing had told him this was normal. Trauma would leave a person with little self, especially if the trauma had happened early and consistently. He had said quiet loudly, that day that he had plenty of self, everyone thought so! He was loud and brash and brave and drank too much, and had more lovers than she’d probably had in her whole boring life

@lemontrash

The Morning Brightens https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622390770875465728/the-morning-brightens

4x5

established relationship, coming out fic, fluff

After a night of not sleeping on it, Wufei discusses something important with Quatre.

@lifeaftermeteor

Pride https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622300166716833793/pride

1x2

pride parade, slice of life, fluff, asexual duo

Duo has only recently come to terms with his asexuality. It took him a long time to understand it, and even longer to embrace it as inherently part of himself. To celebrate, Heero takes him out onto the streets for New York City’s Pride.

@relenaforpresident

Just Love: Queerness in Gundam Wing https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622292634598293504/just-love-queerness-in-gundam-wing

No ships but reference to both 1xR and 1x2

non-fiction, personal essay, self-reflection, gender, queerness, fandom

A personal essay on how the Gundam Wing series and fandom community helped me change my personal beliefs on love and gender.

@simulacraryn

Donguri https://archiveofourown.org/works/24733540

General Audiences

Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Heero Yuy, Odin Lowe

A short piece about Odin Lowe and his young protégé. This is an excerpt from a longer (discontinued) 2009 fic I once posted on ff.net ("Kaifuku"), but it can be read as a standalone piece.

Heero’s Inheritance https://archiveofourown.org/works/24658531

General Audiences

Heero Yuy, Odin Lowe

Illustrations, Headcanon

Just a short headcanon about Heero's past. Illustrated work.

TheManwell

A Season for Vengeance (Ch. 10) https://archiveofourown.org/works/22508074/chapters/53785717

Explicit

Trowa Barton/Duo Maxwell, Solo/Heero Yuy

Trowa Barton, Duo Maxwell, Catherine Bloom, Cathy's son (OC), Cathy's husband (OC), Heero Yuy, Zechs Merquise, Quinze (Gundam Wing), Solo (Gundam Wing), Nichol (Gundam Wing), Lucrezia Noin

dude in distress, Trowa for MVP, things that go boom, Backstory things, modern day AU, Sequel, alternating pov, Trowa POV, Duo POV

It's been over a year since Duo and Trowa escaped the pain and betrayal and danger of their pasts, went off the grid and started building a new life together. But when Duo's birthday comes and goes without a single obnoxious message from his older brother, they know something is wrong. It's time to break cover and check in. The only problem is that Duo's brother works for a powerful government agency, so making that call will put Duo and Trowa on their radar...

Fanart/Crafts/Photo Manips:

@antarespromise

https://antarespromise.tumblr.com/post/622394387634257921

Quatre Raberba Winner, fanart

@bettertasting

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622198278449168385/title-proud-artist-cindy-bettertasting

Gboys Pride Banner, @wingqueero, fanart

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622296415384764416/title-in-the-name-of-justice-and-love-artist

Pride Leo “In the name of Justice and Love”, @wingqueero, gunpla

@coffeetailor

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622303966073683968/title-special-delivery-artist-coffee

Duo/WuFei, @wingqueero, fanart

@daddywarbats

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622213395485229056/title-just-gals-being-pals-or-not-artist

Hilde/Relena, @wingqueero, fanart

@deathscythehell

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622209566153818112/artist-tami-deathscythehell-description-one

Duo/Quatre (best dads), @wingqueero, fanart (comic)

@deejayers

https://deejayers.tumblr.com/post/622482172907077632/and-wing-is-complete-talk-about-a-monster-this

Wing, gunpla

@gundayum

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622439861179351040/hi-all-gundayum-here-im-gonna-try-and-not-make

Important Thank You, and some partied out WuFei, @wingqueero, fanart

@gwfrozentears

https://gwfrozentears.tumblr.com/post/622495742005772288/por-siempre-mi-pareja-favorita

Heero & Relena

https://gwfrozentears.tumblr.com/post/622493743305621504/he-comenzado-a-dibujar-nuevamente-inspirada-en-el

Heero

https://gwfrozentears.tumblr.com/post/622494840371970048

Heero

https://gwfrozentears.tumblr.com/post/622499630050066432

Heero

https://gwfrozentears.tumblr.com/post/622548456296300544

Heero

https://gwfrozentears.tumblr.com/post/622507185094721536

Heero/Relena

@lokineko

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622205797731123200/title-quiet-happiness-artist-lokineko

Trowa/Heero, @wingqueero, fanart

lotopauanka

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622288883271467008/title-just-married-artist-lotopauanka-social

Heero/Duo, @wingqueero, fanart

@oekakimemo

https://oekakimemo.tumblr.com/post/622350648656134144/20200630-traditional-painting

Relena Darlian/Peacecraft, fanart

@page-of-wands11

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622379476560609280/title-colourful-kiss-artist-page-of-wands

Heero/Duo, @wingqueero, fanart

@seitou

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622394541550534656/title-pride-walk-artist-seitou-seitou-social

Pride Walk, @wingqueero, fanart

@tatakaumono

https://tatakaumono.tumblr.com/post/621743027371819008/happy-24-day-pride-dont-tag-as

Quatre/Duo, fanart

@theboringbluecrayon

https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/post/622387009366982656/title-family-pride-wip-artist-blue

Trowa/Quatre & Family, @wingqueero, fanart

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

https://bobo-is-tha-bomb.tumblr.com/post/622708372721025024/never-though-they-would-come-in-but-here-they

GW OST CDs, photo

https://bobo-is-tha-bomb.tumblr.com/post/622456639940919296/always-nice-when-the-mail-man-stops-by

gw artbooks, and other merch, photo

@cuteciboulette

https://cuteciboulette.tumblr.com/post/622269950937186304/another-extract-from-the-cover-of-the

Heero/Duo, doujinshi ��Toki no suna” by Sango Show cover

Fandom Discourse:

@2pcb has created a wonderful discord for gw artists who would like monthly prompts to get those creative juices flowing! DM them if you’d like to join!

@hanryuu would like to know whether anyone has translated the Blind Target drama cds. If you have any information on that we would be grateful!

Quotes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/622379465062924288/duo-why-do-bigfoot-hunters-try-to-lure-him-with-a

Duo, Trowa, & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/622560690151047168/wufei-we-can-talk-about-normality-until-the-cows

WuFei, Heero, Trowa, & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/622470062887075840/heero-run-thisdoesntbothermeexe-brain-file

Heero

Calendar Events:

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, July 10th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/622719166375493632/raspberry-mango-sangria-yield-1-pitcher-prep

In need of FALL/AUTUMN prompts!

@gwoc-october

GW OC October 2020!

Help pick out prompts!

https://gwoc-october.tumblr.com/post/621130082429337600/hello-gundam-wing-folks-thats-right-gw-oc

@seasons-of-gundamwing

Voting Results: https://seasons-of-gundamwing.tumblr.com/post/622566396369485824/looks-like-well-be-doing-a-hilde-week-thanks-to

Summer of Hilde!

In need of prompts! https://seasons-of-gundamwing.tumblr.com/post/622567839387271168/summer-of-hilde-prompt-call

@wingqueero

Gundam Wing Pride Party 2020

Come check out all the amazing works! https://wingqueero.tumblr.com/

#Gundam Wing #This Week in Gundam Wing #Weekly Roundup #June 28 - 4 July 2020

22 notes · View notes

yoonminist · 4 years ago

Note

RIGHT why are yoonmin Like That this is why people think theyre dead and clown us because everything they do you have to explain it to people it isn’t always loud moments you can visibly see I HATE IT HERE

THEY’RE SO?? i’m gonna try not to turn this into an essay lmao but when they’re not being loud and annoying each other on purpose or being super cute and playing around or teasing each other on social media they have more subtle moments or they’re being cute in the bg instead of Right There In Front Of You and the fact that people are so?? scared?? of ym that they use that as their chance to call ym dead is so WEIRD like when people clowned us when jimin posted an old photo of yoongi for his birthday but it later turned out that that year jimin gave yoongi his most memorable birthday present.... or when yoongi collabs with other people and ym stans get clowned for wanting the unit??? even though yoongi still talks about wanting it All The Time??? even just saying something about each other like ‘we were up all night talking’ they ALWAYS talk about how close they are and how much fun they have but they don’t always flaunt it online or right in front of us because they 1) don’t want to 2) CAN’T BECAUSE THEY’VE NEVER BEEN IN A PAIR FOR ANYTHING EVER LMAO

anyway stanning ym is a Journey i love it

edit: Jimin’s Nevemind Tattoo. that’s it

#anon #ask

27 notes · View notes

welshdragonrawr · 4 years ago

Note

For the Valentine's Day asks: 1-5, 7-11, 13-17, 19, 20, 22-27, 29-33, 35, 39, 41-43, 44 (fuck, marry, kill: Amanda, Audrey, Ally), 47-49 pleeeeeeease?? I know I said I wouldn't request a million but I'm a curious bean hehe ;)

Seeing as it is actually Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d finally answer these. Under the cut, because it’s a loooooong post and I didn’t want to overtake peeps’ dash. Well here goes;

(Also, the post format messed up, but I couldn’t be bothered to fix them because this already took ages so they’re just in the order asked and I bolded answers so they stand out)

do you have a crush on anyone? - I do indeed, and I am fairly certain they are well aware of it ;)

what’s your favorite candy? - It changes all the time because I have such a sweet tooth but right now chocolate-wise it’s probably cadbury or kinder chocolate, and actual candy probably haribo (tangfastics to be precise)

favorite love song? - There are too many to choose from or list here but right now it’s probably still ‘Wasteland Baby’ by Hozier, You Are In Love by Taylor Swift, or for entirely cheesy reasons a certain someone might know Hero by Enrique Iglesias

what was your first kiss like? - Terrible because I didn’t know what I was doing and was with entirely the wrong person at the wrong time and I didn’t know it then

what was your last kiss like? - If it’s the one I’m allowed to think of in this context, pretty damn good ;)

do you prefer poems or love letters? - Both - I can’t decide, because I love anything remotely like that, when someone goes to the length of composing something like either of those because they were thinking of me? Incredible!

favorite fanfic trope? - Slow-Burn if that counts, with a side order of fake dating or mutual pining, potentially both at once heheh

have you ever been in love? Mayyyybeeee, maybe I aaaaam, I’ll just have to let you ponder that one ;)

favorite milkshake flavor? - Chocolate brownie, even if I can’t have too much because then it gets sickly but in small quantities? Yesssss! Or cookies&cream in any variation

dinner dates or brunch dates? - This one was tough because I don’t really have any experience with either, but I think Brunch dates, and not just because I would have much much less anxiety about awkward food ordering and stuff, plus I feel like Brunch dates have much less formal expectation about them, and you have the rest of the day after to do more things if you want to!

favorite perfume/cologne? - Probably the Ghost one that has a bottle shaped like the moon, or Good Girl by Caroline Herrera (the bottle looks like a high heel?)

favorite candle scent? - There’s a seasonal Yankee Candle one they do around Christmas time that I cannot remember the name of for the life of me right now, but it’s just the right kind of sweetness in the air when you have it burning for a lil while? If I ever remember what it is I’ll come back and edit this post haha

what’s your ideal first date? - I’m not really sure, because all types of dates make me nervous especially first dates haha. I’d like to leave it up to the other person to decide what we do, as long as I could treat them in some way with whatever it is/wherever we go?

favorite love story? - Are we talking classics or fandom or...? What currently springs off the top of my head though is Hades & Persephone - I’m convinced he didn’t ‘steal her’ to be a dick, he stole her away to somewhere cool and calm away from the pressures and terrors of life on the surface so she could catch her breath for a couple months, and can we blame her? And he makes her his Queen, like - if he was gonna be mean, he could have made her his slave, or his concubine or his pet or something, but instead he gave her his whole world to rule with him. Sounds like a better guy than that bastard ol’ Zeus, no? (Historians/Classics students please don’t fight me)

what’s the most attractive thing a person could wear? - Happiness. Doesn’t matter to me whether you’re wearing a trash bag, or a Chanel dress or your faded ol’ pjs or not a single thread. So long as you’re happy and you’ve got that glow about you and that bright shine in your eyes? Yeah..

snow, rain, or sun? - I love all three for different reasons (I’m indecisive, don’t judge me, or do) give me a snow day with my dog or my lover with hot chocolate and snowmen and flurries out the window, or an afternoon reading inside while it rains with blankets and a cup of tea, or a sunny afternoon walk with just the right amount of cool breeze to keep it balmy but bright? Yes please. But again, if I had to choose, probably rain... Because I live in England for one thing, but there’s something so comforting about the rain.

sweetest romantic memory? - My partner at the time took me to a second-hand bookshop and let me browse the stacked shelves as long as I liked, and I found a hardback copy of a book by a fave author but it was too expensive so just admired it and put it back, then when my birthday rolled around 2 weeks later, they turned up with that same book they had gone back for without telling me as a surprise gift

fictional crushes? - Cordelia Goode, Theo Crain, Mildred Ratched, I could keep listing but that means we’d be here forever and if you’ve been following me long enough you probably already know anyway...

what’s your dream wedding like? - This would need a whole post on its own to answer if I could actually be decisive and sit down with some thought over it. But alas... I don’t really know, I’d like things to be somewhat fancy and romantic, but I’d also like for it not to feel all stuffy and super serious like, that everyone can have fun and be a little goofy and a little merry and not have to worry about oh am I doing this certain thing right or feeling all self-conscious while dancing. So I’m not really sure how to narrow it down into specific details or events...? Except, there’s a really dumb nerdy part of me that wants to be able to do the cake slicing with a sword rather than a knife. Because reasons.

what makes you blush? - Too much. Usually compliments.

do you believe in love at first sight? - I believe in *attraction* at first sight, and *affection* you find or work for later.

do you believe in soulmates? - Yeah, but I also believe a soulmate doesn’t have to be someone you’re in love with or a romantic partner, a soulmate can just as easily be a friend you keep on keeping on through this silly little game of life with, y’know? You’ve both been dealt shitty hands, but you’d be willing to share each others cards to get through, and some other cheesy af analogies...

denim jackets, leather jackets, or bomber jackets? - Leather jackets, tho technically I have worn and do wear all three so - I hoard jackets like some people hoard shoes and handbags, it’s a problem

are you single? - if you know you know, and that’s the that on that ;)

do you prefer to charm, or be charmed? - Both? I love to see the look on a partners face when they’re charmed, all blushing and cute and sparkly eyes and big smiles - I think I like to be charmed too but I would also get suuuuper awkward and not sure what to do with it or in response to it because I’m not used to being on the receiving end of attention like that?

guitar or piano? - I love both, and girls who can play either/both are heavensent sirens who can have me under their spell for hours (I think it’s the hand thing again, see?) but if I had to choose it would have to be Piano.

favorite romcom (or any romantic movie)? - Um... Does Love & Other Drugs count? Or Imagine Me And You - I’m not big on too many ‘traditional’ rom-coms because they make me cringe way too often, and often not in a good way, but there’s sometimes the odd one I enjoy! (Though I must admit, being British, Bridget Jones and Love Actually are like, historical treasures so...)

do you fall in love easily? - Nope. I mean, do I love people easily? Yeah I try to give the best of myself to the people I cherish as much as possible. But do I *fall in love* easily? Nah, takes a while before this oblivious lil heart realises it.

would you prefer to propose or be proposed to? what’s your dream proposal? - Oh gosh, honestly, I don’t know... I’m one of those people that *love* to do anything and everything to bring a smile to my partner’s face and make them happy and there’s just something so magical about seeing their face light up and their eyes sparkle, y’know? So I feel like I would want to do that by giving them the perfect proposal for them (but on the flipside this means I would also be incredibly *terrified* of ever doing it remotely wrong/not exactly how they wanted it, or getting the wrong kind of ring or all of that plethora of details and minutiae that could be messed up ahha). But also, I kinda wouldn’t mind being proposed to either? Like I’m so used to taking care of other people, it might be nice, at the risk of sounding like a bad pokemon promo. to have that validation of someone else saying ‘I choose you’ y’know? As for dream proposal, much like dream wedding, I’m not entirely sure? As long as it’s memorable and with the one I love? (Which is such a cop-out answer) I honestly don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it, probably because I never really thought it was happen so I figured why think about something that’s never gonna happen ahhah. Somewhere picturesque I guess? So I could really capture the picture in my mind for the rest of my lifen, not like for a social media photo post or any of that shit but just for myself to look back on, if any of that essay ramble makes any sense.

kittens or puppies? - How DARE- Nope. It’s both. I’m sorry but it’s both. They are both adorable AF and I will love and pet and cherish them all.

favorite soda? - Cola I guess? And don’t try to rope me into the Pepsi V Coke thing, because honestly I like both for different reasons and choosing one over the other seems silly when either of them tastes good if you’ve got enough whiskey or rum in them ;)

do you prefer gazing wistfully out the window or lying dramatically over the sofa? - I rather like doing both tbf, but if I’m gonna be honest, give me ‘cosied up under a blanket, with a mug of hot tea/coffee gazing wistfully out the window at whatever weather is going on outside, any day.

favorite ABBA song? - How dare you - umm... Slipping Through My Fingers or The Winner Takes It All because I am at heart a soppy dramatic fool.

fuck/marry/kill? (anons name 3 people of your choice) - You meanie, how dare you make me decide such a thing. Buuuut Fuck Ally (cuz you just *know* that canon wlw got some mooooves), Marry Amanda (because she seems like someone I could get along with in all the day to day stuff y’know? Like, I could settle down with her, you feel me?) and don’t hate me but you asked the question but Kill Audrey (*runs and hides*)

do you think about love a lot? - Yeah, I think so, in all its different incarnations. As a writer I’m kinda obligated to? But I think I think about it even when I’m not super aware of it or the reasons for or why.

a walk in the park or a walk on the beach? - It’s a tough once because I love it when the light filters *just so* through trees and looks so pretty, but the beach has the lapping waves and soft sand to walk on and pretty colours at sunsets and sharing ice creams/chips/doughnuts/pretzels and- Yeah so beach probably.

hand kisses or nose kisses? - Hand kisses, fo’sho, because haaaands

#ask things #this took way too long to answer and I'm sorry about that hehe #but thanks for asking!!

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celawrites · 4 years ago

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Day 37

It’s 12am and my phone is buzzing and I cannot sleep. What the fuck is going on.

You have 20 new notifications

I click open our class chat first, and to my surprise, it’s all birthday messages.

Clown: Did you guys actually have to type me a whole essay? Thank you tho <3

Pebble: A well written essay!

Sam: Time well spent

My phone vibrates and I’m invited to a call from a handful of friends.

Joining Your Neighborhood Pizza delivery service’s call…

“It’s 12am let me sleep”

“Are you not happy that we’re wishing you happy birthday at 12am?”

“I am, it’s just I’m also exhausted for no reason”

“You’re going out for a McDonalds run right?”

“Yeah. You guys woke me up halfway through”

“Sorry”

“I’m sorry it’s 12am and I really wanna know who’s in this call right now”

“Ah! It would be Estelle, Beanie, Min, “

“Your son”

“Mint”

“Sun”

“What the fuck are you guys doing awake?”

“Admiring the stars”

“Sure. Totally believe you”

“Cressie it’s your birthday.”

“One year closer to my demise I guess”

“You’re insane”

“So I’ve been told”

“Ah. Check your mailbox in the morning! There should be a couple things in there”

I yawn. 6 hours of sleep isn’t enough to run on.

“Alright get to bed. Sleep your last 3 hours and I’ll be waiting for you at 3am”

“Mint you’re the most punctual out of all of us why are you picking me up?”

“I’ve never had a McDonalds run with you. Besides, It’s Friday.”

“Alright I’m sleeping now good night”

“Good night birthday girl!”

“That’s so cheesy ksjdfalfa”

Sure enough, at 3am, I wake up and find Mint outside my door, vibing in his car. I shake my head and lock the door.

“Good morning Mint”

“Morning”

“You’re mean you know that?”

“Happy birthday Mint”

“Right back at you”

“HEY REMEMBER WHEN YOU JUST STRAIGHT UP LEFT ME ON READ WHEN I WISHED YOU HAPPY BIRTHDAY-”

“I THOUGHT WE WERE OVER THAT ALREAY”

“My salty ass could never”

“Alright what do you want for your birthday?”

“Neither of us give anything-”

“Our Asian ass could never”

“HOnestly”

“Ah. I do have a present for you though”

My hand reaches into my backpack and I pull out a scrapbook.

“In true Crescent fashion, I present to you our scrapbook”

“What?”

“A collection of all the photos we have together with little commentary along the way. This is now yours” I beam.

“You’re joking”

“Nope”

“I didn’t even get you anything like his I-”

“You don’t need to”

He snickers and hands me a small box.

“I found it while shopping online, and it reminded me of that one time A gave you a rainbow rose so I figured I would give you an eternal one”

I stare at the rose. It’s rainbow, and I was surprised he even remembered that his brother had given me one. I tear up slightly, maybe its because I wasn’t used to getting gifts from him, or the sudden change of heart but I mean-

“I’m crying”

“You’re always crying”

“SHUT UP KDFSKFSHDJF”

My hands clink at the glass softly, and Mint hums in appreciation as he flips through the scrapbook.

“Where’s this photo from?”

“Hm?” He points at a photo where both he and his brother are jumping on the trampoline while I’m sitting.

“Your mom sent it to my mom a few years back”

“Ah”

There’s a comfortable silence that passes over us, and I decide to answer all the texts that I had received about my birthday while he flipped through the book.

After about a dozen thank you!’s and 4 conversations, I finish. Mint snickers when he flips to the last page.

“You just had to put that one last huh?”

On the last page lies Mint and I at Junior prom last year. It was a tradition to go with eachother, and my friend had taken a photo where we were pretending to make out.

”Why? Don’t want your future wife seeing it?”

“No. It’s just you saved the best for last” he snorts.

“Of course” I hum.

“Alright what do you want from McDonalds?”

“Ice cream”

“You’re literally bleeding this week no”

“Uhhh. Fries?”

“Sure”

Mint starts his car and we head off. The sky is a calm blue. A dark shade that leaves you wondering if there’s more out there. It was ironic that I had met him so long ago. It was even more surprising when he moved here for junior and senior year. I was horribly confused, and the only explanation he could muster out was a job change for his parents. But I was pretty sure they just wanted to have A mature in a different environment.

“Lost in thought again?”

“Mhm. You never told me how and why you moved here in detail”

“Nothing really. It was a job change on my parents part, and a new path for A”

“What about you?”

“I wanted to chase the only person who never gave up on me”

“You’re disgusting”

“Better than confessing to my crush every day for a whole year”

“LEAVE ME ALONE”

“You’re the one who brought up how I chased you all the way to California”

“I still wonder how you can pin after someone like me”

“At some point I realized you saw me as a brother”

“I wish I could do that.”

“You’re a hopeless romantic. Have some fun every once in a while”

“Are you implying I should have a one night stand?”

“Once you’re a legal adult sure”

“Bad decision making except it’s Mint giving me bad advice as a joke”

“I hate you”

“Love you too~”

“You’re disgusting”

“Bleh”

HE pulls up at the McDonalds drive-through and I scream.

“dEAR ARE YOU ALIVE?”

“OMG HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING! EVERYTHING’S ON ME TODAY”

“WTF DEAR NO”

“NO OBJECTIONS. IS MINT WITH YOU?”

“I’m here”

“Happy birthday Mint darling anyways what do you guys want?”

“The usual”

“Nothing new?”

“Nope”

“Alright! See you at the second window!”

“Cressie darling I got you a gift!”

“I- what?”

“Gift.” He tosses something through the car window and it lands in my hands.

“What is it?”

“Check”

I click open the box and I find a small pendant with a moon.

“I thought you were a broke high school student?”

“But the boss gave me a raise and told me to get something nice for my lover and like I don’t have one so I mean-”

“I don’t deserve you” I sniff.

“Stop crying darling you’re scaring me”

I really hope you find yourself a lover this year or I will fight everyone around me I SWEAR”

“You’re being too loud again Cress”

“Sorry”

He hands us our food and waves us goodbye. It was funny to me. I had so many friends around me now that I had grown.

“Are you gonna make a birthday post?”

“Oh for Serenity!” I gasp.

I type away and Mint steals a couple fries from me. I hiss at him while typing.

“Too bad” he shrugs.

School rolls around and I ‘m met with 20 happy birthdays and a couple gifts fro my other friends. Surprise surprise I have other friends. Z and Sun’s gift surprises me the most.

“Cress” Sun calls for me after school.

“Hm?”

“Happy birthday” He hands a medium-sized box to me.

“You always make us scrapbooks for our birthdays so I thought I’d try to make one for you”

“Have I ever told you how much I love you-”

“You remind me pretty often but yeah”

I open the box and a seat little scrapbook sits inside. There’s a white pen, a silver one, and a gold pen rolling around next to it, and there’s a small letter. Z tackles me from behind and I crash into Sun’s chest.

“Z what the f-”

“Language” Sun glares.

“Your gift!” Z hands me a small photo sized box.

“Photos?”

“You made a whole batch with notes on the back for me so I decided to print a bunch for you!”

“Thank you Z” I sniff slightly.

“What’s wrong! Do you not like it?”

“No no! I’m emotional haha” I muster up a smile. My cursed birthday luck was gonna catch up with me soon. I just felt it.

“No worries! It was the least I could do” Z smiles.

I nod in response. The rest of the day carries out like normal, and I find myself tired by the end of the day. My classmates threw me a party, and at the end of the day, my friends threw me another one. I enjoyed it, but I was waiting for my cursed birthday luck to catch up to me, I could never be happy until it occurred.

“If you’re thinking about that birthday curse of yours again, I’d advise you to know that with me, there’s no chance of having bad birthday luck” Mint hums. His birthdays had no bad things. It was like the universe favored him.

“I know. But I can’t truly calm down until I get to bed”

There’s a comfortable silence that settles down before Mint speaks up again.

“I’m sorry”

“Why so?”

“You had always wished me happy birthday so consistently, and I never replied and I just feel really bad and all-”

“Don’t worry about it.” I tap at the red solo cup in my hand. “I probably deserved all that”

“You don’t and that’s why I kind of. Um”

“Mint you’re my editor what did you do-”

“Bought tickets back home?” I gape at him. My jaw is dropped, and he seems to panic. “My home’s open and all! I know your house is rented out and the renters for my place just moved out and we have thanksgiving in a month so I figured I would take you back for the break and I’m sorry! I probably should’ve asked first and all but-”

A choked sob escapes my lips. I’m shocked, I hadn’t gone home in so long. How did he know? A stream of incoherent words escapes my lips and Mint tries to soothe me.

“You know.” I managed to force it out. “Some days I question why I stopped crushing on you. You spoil me rotten, and I don’t even deserve someone who cares for me and knows me like you and you always seem to know how I’m feeling and-”

Mint rubs soft circles on my back, and I let out my emotions. My birthday curse wasn’t a curse. It was a tradition. A tradition to cry at least once on my birthday, and for the first time, I was crying tears of joy. A couple minutes pass, and I feel my emotions slowly draw back.

“Thank you” I mumbled weakly.

Serenity made a new post!

It’s my birthday! Thank you to all of you who sent in birthday wishes (and death threats)! Another year has passed and I truly wish that I could thank you all face to face for the support!

Once again, my lovely editor Leaf shares a birthday with me so go ahead and send in some birthday wishes to him as well. For today’s gift from me, you all get a blast of joy! Much love!

-Serenity

Previous : Masterlist : Next

#writing #people crying inadfs #first person #birthdays #fiction #365 days #365 days of writing #365 days of rejection #though not much rejection anymore #project #quarantine project #me being emotionally unstable again

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riddlerosehearts · 5 years ago

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okay, i’m on my way home from AWA and i’ve finally had time to actually look into overwatch 2 and collect my thoughts, so here goes... this is gonna get far too long and essentially be a big essay that i know most people won’t care about, but i just really wanna get my thoughts out so i’ll drop it under a readmore! also be warned that if you‘re super into the new character designs you won’t be into part of this post, lol. but anyway:

first off, i think a lot of the discourse i’ve seen about it seems... overblown and based on inaccurate info?? (don’t worry i am not talking about hong kong here, people are absolutely justified in hating blizzard for that and so do i). people keep acting like they’re gonna charge $60 just for new maps or something but for one thing no price or release date has been announced (in fact, the dev team doesn’t even know when it will release and it’s been said that we may have to wait until 2020 for a date, because it’s still early in development), and for another thing overwatch 1 wasn’t even $60 on pc at launch?? yes on console it was which sucks but most of the playerbase is on pc, and the base game was $40 at launch for us. blizzard cannot be so colossally stupid that they’d charge more for this than for the base game, and if they do i’ll absolutely be complaining about it, but for now we literally have no clue how much the cost for OW2 will be.

and on top of that, it’s... not just new maps? it’s new maps, yes, but also multiple new heroes at launch, a whole new PvP mode, a PvE story mode which is something people have begging for to move the lore forward, a new updated engine, and the PvE will have its own maps and brand new abilities and skill trees—with the abilities and skill trees being unlike anything overwatch has done before, and uniquely exclusive to OW2 and not affecting the PvP so you’re not unfairly disadvantaged if you don’t have OW2—and i also feel the need to reiterate that it’s still in early development so i highly doubt we already know all there is to know. blizzard hasn’t been entirely clear on what overwatch 2 even is tbh but it’s certainly not just new maps and if you think it is then i’m actually begging you to spend at least 30 seconds on google because 30 seconds is really all you need to click on one article and see that that’s far from the truth.

also if you’re not interested in the lore then from what i’m gathering you don’t even need to buy it because apparently OW1 is getting all the same stuff except for that? like, people are saying blizzard should just release it all as free content, but apparently they almost are since the new “push” game mode, plus the map that comes with it (and any future ones) is coming to OW1 and it’s gonna keep getting all the hero updates and everything that isn’t exclusive to the PvE mode and players will be put into the same PvP lobbies across games?? correct me if i’m wrong on that but it sounds like if you already own OW1 and don’t want the story mode stuff you literally don’t need to buy OW2 at all—so if you do then you’re just buying the story mode/PvE stuff, that’s it. and if you do, every cosmetic item you already own will transfer over! it’s also not like OW1 is done updating, as we know we can still expect new heroes in it before OW2 releases.

don’t get me wrong, i am a bit worried that the amount of new content won’t be enough to justify the price, i do still hate blizzard for the entire hong kong controversy and desperately wish they would do better, and as a massive lore enthusiast and someone whose primary reason for loving overwatch is based in its characters and world i am very frustrated that this is what it takes for the story to actually move forward, but i’m also really excited to see where this all goes and i honestly think people are largely just complaining without actually looking into what they’re complaining about. i also literally don’t understand the idea that “lol overwatch already had this for like a week before they took it out” about the PvE stuff and would like someone to explain that to me if possible because i’ve been playing this game since very shortly after launch and i’m confused asjdjdnfkd

that all being said i do have what i’m guessing is a pretty unpopular opinion though, and it’s that i... i don’t like most of the character redesigns we’ve seen, and the ones i do like i mostly just kinda like, i don’t love them or feel excited about them, while the rest i’m neutral toward or hate, and that actually really upsets me because the ones i hate most are for two of my most favorite characters and it makes me worried for what they might’ve done to redesign and potentially mess up my other faves—but i guess these will be the designs going forward, and everybody’s pretty fanart is gonna have these designs, so i’ll just have to get used to them.

to be more specific on that last point: i absolutely hate lucio and mercy’s hair and i’m honestly really sad about that, especially since i run a mercy appreciation blog and i don’t wanna celebrate her new design on it because i hate it so that would be very insincere of me but i don’t wanna say negative things and complain on it either, but i just think her hair looks so strange now. and i like lucio’s outfit tbh but his weird neon glowstick hair just... ruins it, it looks so bad to me i can’t stand it and i want his regular hair back. i would honestly prefer not to even acknowledge these 2 designs (well, mostly the hair i guess) exist if i could help it. i also don’t like reinhardt’s beard or bun although i am glad to see his face exposed and like the lion on his armor, and i can see his new hair possibly growing on me eventually. and while mei’s design is mostly okay i loved her old hairpin, it was distinctive and cute and i’m sad it’s gone because i dislike whatever it is that’s in her hair now sjdjdkgkd. also before seeing a side by side comparison i legit had to ask a friend if anything was even different about winston or if i was just blind—which i guess, considering how i feel about the others, is a good thing for me lol. but if you like all these designs that’s valid and i’m happy for you!! just don’t expect to see me praising them, but i’m also not gonna be super negative like this too often either.

for kinda-positives: i actually do really enjoy one single new design though, and it’s genji’s, but not for any specific reason other than i’m excited that he’s finally wearing clothes lol. i don’t feel strongly either way about the design of the clothes themselves (...though i do lowkey agree with the people saying they’re boring looking, but hey, my man is finally done running around naked everywhere, so i’ll take it). and i like tracer’s new glasses and the fact that she ditched the crocs finally!! i’d also like to talk a bit more about mei’s design—a friend of mine is saying people are complaining they slimmed her down, and i haven’t seen any of that for myself but if they really are then i uh... don’t get that? she still looks just as fat to me?? i’ll just let this comment i made in discord as soon i saw the new designs speak for itself:

so yeah, if she is any skinner it’s because of the newly normal-sized coat, because when i look at the models side by side she legit looks the same size to me or maybe a little bit smaller—but hey, who knows, maybe i truly am just blind! but anyway, if you gave her old hairpin back then i’d honestly have no issue with her new design.

i truly hope the new designs will grow on me more though, especially mercy’s because the feeling of having an appreciation blog for a character you love a lot and not being able to celebrate something like this is a feeling that really sucks, but i... feel very alone in disliking them as much as i do and while i’m glad everyone else is happy i’m sad about that?? at least all the old skins will still be there though, so ultimately i suppose it isn’t that big a deal, i just really really hope i don’t hate symmetra or hanzo’s redesigns too whenever we see them, assuming that every character is getting these design overhauls.

i’ve also had the time to finally watch the gameplay trailer and the cinematic, and you know what’s one of the things i’ve always loved about overwatch? the maps have always been gorgeous, and the ones shown in the OW2 trailer are no exception and i can’t wait to fully see them and explore them. the gameplay itself looks solid too imo and i am very excited to see sojourn will be added to the game, she’s gorgeous and i love her. and the cinematic!! it had so many cute little details, like the ana & baby pharah photo and the birthday photo, and tracer having that picture of emily. and the winston-tracer-mei friendship, getting to see genji and rein being badasses... seeing brigitte and then echo both show up, mercy and mei having that cute little moment, everybody working together and being amazing. the scene between brigitte and tracer that was adorable, the fact that rein made a terrible “ice to meet you” joke the second he was introduced to mei. seeing winston so happy to be able to say that overwatch is back. just... it was cute and cool and fun and i liked it a lot, it reminded me of what made me fall in love with this game in the first place and it made me really excited! i also think that the story should’ve moved forward like this much sooner and that we should’ve been getting much more shorts and comics in between, and i also wish that we didn’t have to wait until overwatch 2 to get sojourn because we still don’t actually have a black woman that we can play as and that really really sucks, but i’m still looking forward to everything as well.

so, in conclusion: i uh... may have mixed feelings about some things but i have to confess that i’ve loved overwatch for years, many of the characters are very special to me, and i’m genuinely excited about overwatch 2. i fully intend to start looking into charities that support hong kong as soon as i can because i want to actually do something for them and show that i’m not ignoring what’s going on over there, but i also wanna buy overwatch 2 whenever it’s released and i feel excited to play it. unfollow or block me for that if you have to but nothing good would come from me being ashamed to say it and i won’t hide it, i definitely hate blizzard but it doesn’t remove my love for the world they created. i‘m going to donate to hong kong charities and i‘m also going to buy overwatch 2 (which probably won’t even come out until 2021 or something), and i feel like giving more to them than i give to blizzard instead of just not doing anything at all is a fair enough way to deal with this issue especially since i am doing my best to boycott them otherwise. and if i play the new OW2 content and it sucks and/or just isn’t worth whatever the price is i’ll complain about it then, and if/when we see other redesigned characters i’ll probably complain about some of them too, but for now i really am excited for the most part!

#again if you need to unfollow or block me for wanting to buy overwatch 2–or even just continuing to post about ow—then fine go ahead #but i genuinely AM gonna find at least 1 reputable charity to donate to to help hong kong and not only will i donate as soon as i can #but once the price for OW2 is announced i’ll donate more than that price to HK if help is still needed #bc i really do think that will help more than just making posts about how much blizzard stinks #and i do want to help! and i do also think blizzard stinks! i just wanna help AND also get to play this game #so ANYWAY here are my honest thoughts and you can reblog this but if you’re rude to me you’ll be wasting your energy #if i got anything factually wrong about like. what’s in OW2 or whatever please let me know.

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kingkirkwall · 6 years ago

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feelings about Samuel Drake: in this essay i will -

It's very hard for me to reconcile the warring feelings I have about Sam, especially considering some beautiful moments during Uncharted: Lost Legacy. I adore many of the moments I had the priveledge of experiencing when Sam was introduced to the Uncharted story.

It’s quite difficult to integrate a character so “late” into the story - especially one that was already surviving quite well without his existence! Amy (and I’m sure many more Naughty Dog creators responsible for writing Sam) did a fantastic job with ensuring that his character wasn’t paper thin - they managed to make him into a surprisingly complex person, and one that I cannot sift down into an easy-to-understand motivations. (Does that suggest they had ideas about him long before development of U4 started?)

This is probably one of those uh yeah water is wet moments, but I am a bit amazed at the complications that come along with adding such a complex character like Sam to the Uncharted story. I know that part of the problem is that Sam didn’t exist before U4, so integration would have always been difficult, but I have So Many Questions.

I find that I hold fury within myself when I think about his character.

It begins with the fact this: After Rafe helped Sam get out of prison, there is a 0% chance that Sam did not track Nathan down the first opportunity he got.

Why didn’t Sam reunite with Nathan immediately?

Why did he come up with the Alcázar story when he did choose to reunite with Nathan?

I can only make attempts to rationalize these questions into a few answers: (which in the end always lead to more questions)

1. Sam found out that Nathan got married, and was retired from the adventurous life in a white picket fence happily ever after

How did he react to this? Was he happy for Nathan? Sad that he missed it?

Did he decide that Nathan was better off without him?

Did he decide he didn’t want to cause any trouble for his brother’s current life by turning up alive?

He also discovered that Nathan’s life without him had been full of adventure that he missed out on - along with the fame of being The Nathan Drake who found the lost cities and treasure on these adventures.

“I called some of the old contacts... they tell me some pretty crazy-ass stories.” - Sam Drake

How did he react when people told him about everything his brother had lived through?

Did Sam feel cheated, like his chance at having a life like Nathan's had been stolen from him when he was imprisoned?

Was he jealous of the life Nathan had built in his absence?

“‘Nathan Drake is a legend.’ You know, I shot the man who told me that.” - Rafe Adler

In a Game Informer interview, Troy baker described some of the issues that Sam struggled with in U4:

"...There’s circumstances that happen in our life that sometimes you’ve defined your life by the best or worst moment in your life, and you’ve never quite moved on from that. But then the other people in your life have....Sam has never really quite moved on, but Nate has. And he’s found Elena, he’s found Sully, he’s found his calling...”

He goes on to describe the jealousy he knows that Sam struggled with specifically in regards to Nathan:

“...There’s something that happens when you see that younger brother that’s just a little bit more charming than you, just a little bit better-looking than you, is a little bit more talented than you; can run faster, easier, jump higher, better: I think that’s Nate. I think Sam, before Nate - he was the golden child, he was good, he had it down. And then up comes this thing that surpasses him....In reality, anything that Sam can do, Nate can do better. But I don’t think Sam would ever acknowledge that.”

Jealousy or not, we know Sam believes that he and Nathan were destined for greatness.

“Nathan, we were meant for this. And I promise... You and me together? We're gonna go far.” - Sam Drake

Was he still holding on to a younger man's desperate promise that he made to his little brother to carve a place into the world for them to belong to?

Did he feel like Nathan had trapped himself into monotony when he retired and settled down? (And that he was freeing Nathan from a passionless life?)

Was it because he knew that so much of Nathan's amazing life had already slipped through his fingers?

Was he afraid he had missed out on getting to see his little brother grow up?

Was he afraid that if he had just asked him to come with him, Nathan would say no?

2. Whatever the root of his motivations, Sam obviously decided that it was a necessary evil to lure Nathan away from his current situation, and he knew that the Alcázar story would work. When Rafe pays Nathan the courtesy of unravelling Sam’s lies, he reveals that Sam had been free for the last 2-3 years, and implies that a majority of that time was spent working with Rafe trying to find the Gunsway treasure.

“He spent the last two years tracking down the second St. Dismas Cross. And you know what? He did it all with me.” - Rafe Adler

Again, why did Sam wait three years to tell Nathan he was alive?

What made him change his mind about allowing Nathan to continue to believe that he was dead?

Did he get bored with working with Rafe, strong in his belief that it was his and Nathan’s destiny to find the treasure together?

(Regarding some of the nice moments we see in U:LL, specifically the opportunity of seeing a bit more development in Sam's character since we saw him last at the end of U:4 : Obviously, Sam and Nadine have a pretty hateful relationship towards each other for the majority of the game. (And they have every reason to.) However, Nadine chose to swim back down with a brick to break open Sam's handcuffs so he wouldn't drown. Sam chose to pull Nadine away from the spray of Orca's bullets. They both chose to accompany Chloe to stop Asav's bomb.

These examples of undeniable character development are written in such an interesting blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of way. You could argue that even though Sam and Nadine hated each other in U:LL, they wouldn't have really let themselves allow the other to die in cold blood, however:

Nadine threw Nathan out of the office window at the Rossi estate in U:4, and if Nathan wasn't literally made out of luck he would be dead

If Nathan had not pulled Sam's arm away, Sam would have killed Nadine

Not to mention many of the other times the brothers Drake and Nadine Ross could and would have killed each other trading blows and bullets during U:4

3. In the flashbacks to Nathan’s childhood, we see undeniable older sibling hero-worship that Nathan has for Sam, even in spite of his knowledge of Sam’s shady activities and his frustration at being left behind while Sam is out of the orphanage. It’s likely that even after Sam’s apparent death, this hero-worship lived on within him.

When exploring Nathan’s office early in U:4, we have the opportunity to see a tiny glimpse of the depth of emotion that Nathan carries with him associated with his brother. Nathan can’t even make himself look at the photograph. We as the audience will only get to experience the weight of Nathan’s grief in this brief moment during a second playthrough (and in the intimate moment of them taking the photo in the first place)

Nathan kept the picture, and has had it the whole time

What did he do every year on the anniversary of Sam’s death? Or on Sam’s birthday?

Did Nathan’s survivor’s guilt cause him permanent damage? (Also, does he suffer any forms of post-traumatic stress?)

Did Elena figure out that he was grieving, or at least come to terms that he had a secret he was keeping from her?

Did she learn to leave him alone with it?

Did they ever fight about it?

Did she ever forgive him for not telling her?

Sam’s most defining characteristic is his love for Nathan.

The core of the fury that I hold for Sam is kindled with the knowledge that he sat down and decided to build the lie he was going to tell his brother. He knew he could achieve it, he knew that Nathan would believe him, and he knew that even after being dead and gone form Nathan’s life for fifteen years, he knew he still had power over him, enough that it wouldn't even occur to Nathan that Sam could be lying to him.

How can someone rationalize this to be anything but deliberate cruelty?

In the same Game Informer interview mentioned above, Nolan North describes Nathan’s feelings about reuniting with Sam during U:4 :

“Sam is a mysterious part of his past. He thought he lost his brother. He doesn’t know, so now for [Sam] to show up, it’s almost like seeing a ghost. First there’s that mistrust, but then it warms up and it’s - I think, for a time, it’s his chance at redemption; his chance to get Big Brother back - family. The true theme through all these games is the idea that, of family, and his, you know, he’s made his family. He’s been doing his life for so long, he’s gotten settled into his life with Elena, and when you throw something into the mix after so many years, and [Sam’s] back, it’s heart-wrenching. They didn’t part under bad circumstances. They just parted.”

Did Sam take the time to think about what would happen if Nathan eventually found out he was lying, and the irreparable damage it could do to their already fragile relationship?

Once he realized that Nathan planned on lying to Elena, he appeared to be perfectly fine with not interfering with that plan (at least until she was standing in their hotel room). Did Sam seriously consider the consequences of allowing Nathan to believe that Alcázar was still a threat?

“I left my life for you!” - Nathan Drake

I’m not going to blame Sam for almost ruining Nathan’s marriage: In allowing Nathan to think Alcázar was a real threat to his life, I’m sure Sam wasn’t helping, but deliberately lying to Elena about what he was doing and how much danger he was in was Nathan’s own mistake.

In Conclusion: I think Sam’s character is fantastic and he makes me so angry because I understand that it’s likely I will never get answers to a lot of these questions. C’est, also some ending thoughts:

Why do Sam and Sully have such a negative relationship to each other when they meet for the first time again in U4?

Where the hell was Sam during the time that Nathan spent in Cartagena, when he met Sully? Does his absence imply that they parted ways for a while on purpose? When did they start working together again?

How does Sam feel about the paternal relationship Nathan has with Sully?

How did Sam convince himself to lie to Nathan? How did he twist himself into someone who could?

Let’s be real about this: It wasn’t just one lie. It was Many Big Lies that had to be deliberately placed in order to sell the (un)appealing narrative. This is different than lying to a mark or a contact, this is Sam lying to his little brother, arguably the only living person Sam has ever loved. How could he do something like that? He can’t possibly be as much of an idiot to think that this line of action wouldn’t have serious consequences?

Was it worth it?

#uncharted #uncharted 4 #u4 #uncharted: a thief's end #uncharted: the lost legacy #Nathan Drake #Sam Drake #Samuel Drake #the drake brothers #the brothers drake #hotline bling #shut up alex

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mochidust · 7 years ago

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Yes, i am 100% a Jikook supporter. My blog is a safe haven for those who love them as well as for those who love OT7. I have zero tolerance for negative asks so if i don't post and answer your ask, most likely it was negative and i don't want to address it and start wars or... Tumblr ate it. Choose your option :) Also, I'm only going to talk about how I view them, not how anyone else should so don't get those panties up in a wad, thanks. Oh and this is gonna be a pretty fcuking long essay so please have your coffee, tea, bubble-tea, wine ready... you have been warned ;)

Shipping has never been my thing and even if i liked a pairing, it was always just platonic. Right off the bat, i liked the VMIN ship. They were just the cutest kids/friends/siblings/soulmates. VMIN became my favorite/first BTS ship - again, it was strictly platonic shipping. Bromance, that cute jazz and i still ship them like that. And besides, who doesn’t?!

One day, after watching a cute VMIN vid on youtube, i forgot to toggle off autoplay and a JiKook vid started playing and i...just... fell and i still haven't managed to get up yet. I tried really hard to just stan them as platonic, like i do VMIN but apparently, JJK is having none of that.

And i really do mean that. JJK was the person who changed my mind on their dynamics - even before the famous G.C.F. video. He is my meme for that whole: You don't choose your ship, it chooses you dictum. After that vid, i got very interested and started re-watching their RUN eps and concert clips and boy oh boy. The amount of staring aka heart-eyes, the way JJK constantly hovers over PJM, the way he's always so attentive to ONLY PJM, the way he always strives to make Jimin laugh...i'm still dumbfounded. I can't remember ever looking at a single man i've ever dated like that or received looks like that back. Because trust me, if someone looked at me with the emotions of their heart spilling out of their eyes the way JJk does PJM, i would never let him go. You know that familiar old saying of one wearing their heart on their sleeves? Well, that is not JJK at all. He is the only person i know who takes it up a notch and wears it in his gaze. And what is subtlety to this boy.

It's almost like this is a drama and i am watching it unfold in real time. We started with the usual one-sided feelings, Jiminie who was so aggressive and open with his affections in chasing around the maknae. I used to just brush those moments off as child's play...but they've become significant in the Jikook relationship. Stepping stones that mired what was inevitable. It's like Jimin grew up and he turned into this beautiful swan that matched his beautiful personality and suddenly, everyone noticed - JJK first. This is where I'm really in awe...Their dynamics started shifting and as Jimin dialed back the public affections, JJK poured it on x10. It almost seemed like the more JJK pushed Jimin for attention, the less PJM gave it and it resulted in JJK not giving a damn what anyone thought except for making PJM aware of his feelings. The hunted is now the hunter ;)

In the beginning, i tried to tell myself, hey, this is all in your imagination, quit trying to see things where they aren't! They're just very fond group members! And as soon as i think that thought, JJK goes ahead and blows it to smithereens. He just won't let me live. Following will be some reasons why it's so damn hard to breathe around these two:

When these two are together, they either sound like they're flirting, look like they're flirting or ARE INDEED FLIRTING. I can't shut up about this. There's this level of intimacy that just dusts the air when these two are standing, sitting, laying next to each other. But you know what's even more marvelous is that that air somehow gets even more intense when they are separated by other members. It's like the members become obstacles they have to overcome to let their love flourish so they amp things up even more lmao. Off the top of my head is the moment recently in their vlive where they were toasting to their AMA performance and Yoongi was in the middle like a barrier but those two...the flirting and giggling and stuttering...I'm sure Yoongs was just like...get me the fcuk away from these lovesick fools. I know i would've been running.

They can be quite fiercely protective of one another. Jimin is affectionate with every member, true, but no one can deny that he's particularly soft for JJK, as proven in a Run ep when he gave the extra food flag to JJK and made his own teammate/soulmate V beg for his lol... There's also BV2 when he tries to win a meal for JJK with the table game, when he offers his bed space to JJK...Jimin is always trying to feed JJK when he loses in games, making sure he's comfortable when they're sleeping, encouraging him to speak up, say whats on his mind, and JJK reciprocates in kind, albeit more quietly; waiting for PJM’s slow butt, defending PJM when others poke fun at him, complimenting him when he's unsure (especially when it's unwarranted), even going as far as defending PJM before anyone can tease him! An example of that is during BV2 when the boys were cooking for one another and Jimin made that dish that tasted like pickled pollack roe. I'm sure JJK didn't want the other's comments to hurt Jimin's feelings (even though it didn't come off that way) so he pepped up with the whole "I love pickled pollack roe" even though no one else cared. Thats the kind of love and devotion JJK shows to PJM - it’s quiet, uplifting, supportive and it is endearing beyond all. And don’t forget...whenever the groups play games, JJK always finds a way to cheer on Jimin, even if they are on opposing teams. Talk about being sweet on someone. I'm actually quite jealous.

Satellite Jeon has got to be my most favorite JJK. I've, in all honesty, never seen anyone orbit before until Jungkook. He can be at the opposite end of the stage and somehow, come hell or high water, he will make it to park beside Jimin. Like Jimin is his security blanket and he needs that source of comfort and warmth. I am just overly fond of that one vlive for Hobi's birthday when freaking JJK worked his away behind the camera to stand right behind PJM. As if that wasn't enough, he had to place his hands on PJM's shoulders to make it be known that "hey, I'm right here behind you." We see you, Jeon, trust me, we do. It's really endearing to watch Jimin's personal hoverboard in action. In interviews, during speeches...there are so many circumstances where he either moves to stand closer to Jimin or moves to stand where he can see Jimin more clearly and i haven't seen him do that with others. It's like Jimin is a magnet for his eyes. Love songs always quote: I only have eyes for you. And Jungkook proves that quote true.

G.C.F Tokyo broke me out of my musings of them being just friends permanently. Who does this?! Who goes out of their way to cart around a huge camera all day and take videos/photos of someone else on a vacation? Either a photographer who is working or a LOVER. Obviously JJK’s profession is not that of a photographer so...yeah. Listen, I love my siblings/friends but you’ll never catch me lugging that around while im on vacation, no way. After i watched that video, i sat in silence for a good long time. Can you imagine the planning that goes on behind something like this? It’s no overnight thought-process. Neither is the piecing together of it. The amount of time, dedication, love, affection JJK put into this video is heartwarming. Seeing PJM the way JJK sees him is breathtaking. While sitting there in the afterglow of that marvelous tribute, i realized that in this world, all i ever want is for someone to love me, see me, the way that JJK sees PJM. I want that glow that PJM emitted while frolicking freely with JJK, that happiness that is threatening to burst out of both their chests, that pure, unabashed tenderness for one another.

I’d have expected something like that from PJM, the open, brazen, affectionate little bean. But to have it come from JJK the introvert, shy, always in his own bubble guy... It’s baffling. I’ve always thought JJk was quite a chameleon. There's layers upon layers upon layers with this man. If i were to compare them to food, i would say PJM is decadent mousse in a glass cup where you know and can see the layers and appreciate them thoroughly. JJK is that delicious chocolate cake where you have to cut inside the cake to see how many layers are present. He's an awesome anomaly. And...maybe that is why they fit together so well. What JJK lacks, PJM makes up for and vice versa. Jimin is all things dainty and Jungkook is all things masculine. It's a perfect fit.

None of us know them personally. We can only ship from afar so please ship respectfully.

---

damn. i didn’t think it was this long. If you got through this, kudos to you, my friend :)

#jikook #kookmin #jungkook #jimin #my babies #jikook jikook jikook #don't like it #don't read it #md;text

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aja154ever · 7 years ago

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GRANRODEO LIVE TOUR 2017 Pierrot Dancin’ Zepp DiverCity Tokyo - 06/09/2017

Set List

Pierrot Dancin’

TRASH CANDY

ナミダバナ

Glorious days

FAT SHAPER

君に one way love

日常ホライゾン

Fake lover’s true heart

HARD DRIVING MIDNIGHT

ボルケーノ

The Other Self

終わらぬ夢

BIG SUN

Darlin’

NO PLACE LIKE A STAGE

カナリヤ

modern strange cowboy

UNDER THE SKY

Once & Forever

Y.W.F.

Can Do

The fan report I thought I couldn’t write - because it was so hard to put these feelings into words. But still wrote anyway, for recording purposes. As in my previous GR report (March mini live), this may not be arranged in order. And warning: a very Kiiyan-centric post.

I’m relatively new to the GR fandom, though I met Kiiyan from UtaPri and has been a fan of his singing voice from the first time I heard it. This is actually my first time to attend a GR full live so yeah feelings, feelings, and feelings. This is my 4th time to watch and hear Kiiyan sing live though, and among those, his voice was in the best condition this time.

I was already expecting Pierrot Dancin’ to be the first song plus it’s no longer my first time to hear it live anyway, but no, I was not prepared at all for Kiiyan’s voice. The acapella intro was SO devastatingly good that my heart jumped out of my chest. I wasn’t able to yell cheers and get pumped up with everyone because I stood there as if I was struck by a lightning lol. It.was.that.good. But later on as the song progressed and the music joined Kiiyan, I think the performance was a bit off - except for today’s intro, it was better the last time I heard it.

But aside from Pierrot Dancin’, I think everything else was good.

TRASH CANDY - Oh this song will always be special to me as this was the first GR song I heard live, thanks to the Bungou Stray Dogs event. And I LOVE BSD, and Kiiyan reminds me so much of Chuuya that I can see Chuuya singing this song. I love them both so so much T.T

The stretch (idk what to call it) for the last word in ナミダバナ (知れ-Shire) was magnificently done receiving cheers from the crowd.

Everyone, including the crowd, did better in FAT SHAPER and Fake lover’s true heart today than the first time. Oh both songs was a blast!

Really good vocals for HARD DRIVING MIDNIGHT OMG

The Other Self - another GR song close to my heart.

Nanno tame ni ganbaru no mada mienai kedo Sore demo yukundarou Sore dake wa shitteiru Chii ya meiyo dake nanka janai ze Mukau saki wa mae dake de ii Shita wo muitatte jimen shika mienai Dakara ikeru toko made

(“For what purpose are we doing our best? We cannot see it yet. But even so, we will still go on, right? That’s the only thing we know. This isn’t just for status nor prestige. Where we should face is only towards what’s in front of us. If we look down, there’s nothing to see but the ground. So we should go wherever we can”)

This lyrics strikes me personally that I actually quoted it in a speech contest I joined back at school. And hearing it live straight from Kiiyan for the first time, so you expect tears from me. Yes, Kiiyan, no matter how harsh life is, I’ll do my best. Thank you.

終わらぬ夢 - THIS. THIS. THIS. This is one of my personal favorites in the latest album and have been wishing badly to hear this live. So when I learned that Kiiyan sang this in the Hokkaido tour, I said I’m gonna die when this moment comes. Now what. I just can’t describe. It was astoundingly beautiful. Kiiyan how could you sound just the same or even better live? I apologize to the people beside me but I did my best to control my overwhelming emotions. I cried more when Kiiyan sang the line, “dakara nakanaide” lol

Glorious Days and BIG SUN sound so good live! I REALLY loved the live version more than the CD. Kiiyan forgot some lyrics in BIG SUN’s chorus though. He just sang “tenenenen.” LOL KIIYAN PLEASE

Darlin’ - NO PLACE LIKE A STAGE - カナリヤ - modern strange cowboy - This was a very exhaustingly fun line-up. Crowd participation at its best. But can I just say that I love Darlin’ so much yayyyy

UNDER THE SKY - THIS. THIS. You know Kiiyan’s voice is always beautiful but slow songs like this really kill me. Again he sang this REALLY well. Oh please I’m running out of adjectives. I badly wanted to shout “I love you too” after he said the last line, “I love you.”

Once & Forever - Y.W.F. - Encore. Everyone was already so wild at this point. Can this not end please. I just want to jump and bang my head all night.

Can Do - Ending the night with this made me reflect as this is where everything for me began. I met GRANRODEO from Kuroko no Basuke, and so basically Can Do is the first GR song I learned. It will forever hold a special place in my heart. This was the last song so I just went all out yelling, jumping, singing, dancing, everything.

MC points

It’s been 3 weeks since the Hokkaido live, which was the first leg of the tour. And so they said it felt like the first day again. e-zuka said that he was nervous and joked the crowd not to look at him as he wants to focus.

e-zuka teased Kiiyan about crying in the Utapri Live. Introducing the next song, Kiiyan suddenly spoke in a cool voice that caught e-zuka’s attention. He said, “I thought you already left that good voice and the tears in Seibu Dome.” Kiiyan got embarrassed and replied that what was circulating on the internet about him was a lie (just like what he said in his tweet lol). He told us to watch the Blu-ray when it arrives, and see that he had that scene cut out! Oh tsun-tsun Kiiyan kawaii

They talked about the fact that drummer Shin has not revealed his age yet to the public, but they do know it. e-zuka hints that Shin actually came from school with a ランドセル on his back. (You know the big backpack that Japanese grade school kids use). Kiiyan laughs saying, “That’d make him Shin-chan!”

Kiiyan talked about the rainy season and the coming of summer. e-zuka then sang and played Happy birthday with his guitar. (Kiiyan’s birthday’s coming up yay!) Speaking of birthdays, they asked if anyone in the crowd was celebrating her birthday today, and there were actually some. They greeted them and thanked that they were able to come even if it’s their birthday. Incidentally, there was also a couple who was celebrating their wedding anniversary. Kiiyan also mentioned that today also happened to be Johnny Depp’s birthday. e-zuka then thanked everyone and introduced himself as Johnny Depp.

They mentioned that there are still a few tickets left for the additional Osaka tour in August. They said that they also mentioned this in the Hokkaido tour, so why are there still tickets left even after 3 weeks?? Lol I always find it cute when Kiiyan awkwardly self-promotes. Kiiyan said that on the contrary, it was apparently difficult to get tickets for the “Yama no Hi (lit. Mountain Day)” live, and he wondered why. Lol. It just happened to fall on “Taniyama no Hi (Taniyama’s Day”) and I’m so bitter I’m one of those who has not gotten one tho I got Aug 10 but still huhu

Kiiyan’s MC was interrupted at some point when sweat kept on flowing into his eyes. He then wiped his face with a towel. I just want to mention this because it was cute lol

When they announced that G7 will be held in Okinawa, Takita-san asked if he will be coming along too. Kiiyan said of course because he and e-zuka can’t do it by themselves. Takita-san said that he has actually not been to Okinawa which gained an “EEEEEHHHHHH?” from the crowd. Takita-san asked why they are making such EH reaction, “Is it that bad (that I haven’t gone to Okinawa)??”

When Kiiyan announced that there’s only one song left, he received a sad “EEEEHHH” from the crowd. Kiiyan grunted, “Why are you looking so dissatisfied? I just said that I’ll still be singing!” Lol Kiiyan we’re so satisfied but we just did not want this to end

Kiiyan said that it was so fun that they do not want the live to end. The crowd suggested to start over again. e-zuka enthusiastically responded, “Let’s do this again together!” as he pointed out that live performances are done by them and the audience together.

Photos/posts from official accounts:

(This was posted on the 2nd day but I just want to post this photo that had me laughing on the floor Kiiyan please why)

Wew. Wew. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this but still, I’m saying this again - that Kiiyan’s singing voice is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. While listening there live, my thoughts were like, “Everyone should listen to this! It’s too unfortunate that some people do not know about Kiiyan.” No single word exists or not even an essay can suffice to describe Kiiyan’s voice. But even so, as a fan I admit that Kiiyan’s singing is actually far from perfect. I mean voice quality and singing ability are two different things. Moreover, I actually had hesitations before as it seemed that Kiiyan sounds better in CD than in live. But no, I have really affirmed today that he can sound pretty much the same whether recorded or live. Or that he can actually sound better in live. Damn I heard him sing 21 songs this time okay. Sure there were glitches at some parts of the song, but I want it raw and I’m embracing all his imperfections. I was torn between keeping my eyes open to watch him or closing my eyes so I can listen to his voice more intently. I really love watching Kiiyan as I can feel his love for music, singing, and performing. Because that’s one of the most valuable things, right? That the performer himself is having fun with what he’s doing.

It was a very, very fun and gratifying night; but more importantly it was a night full of admiration and gratitude. And I thank God again for bringing Kiiyan and GRANRODEO into my life. See you next live! ❤

#granrodeo #taniyama kishou #kiiyan #kishow #谷山紀章 #e-zuka #iizuka masaaki #飯塚昌明 #pierrot dancin #seiyuu #granrodeo live #music #zepp diver city tokyo #my original content

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 6 years ago

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Taylor Swift says fans figured out the name of her album. Here are their best theories.

Swifties are known for their CIA-level code-cracking skills. It may have just paid off.

In a new interview with Zach Sang and Dan Zolot of the Zach Sang Show, Taylor Swift takes 10 whole minutes to talk about her latest era in music. With the release of her seventh studio album imminent, Swifties have kicked into high gear with theories, much to Swift's delight.

youtube

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift's video for her new song 'ME!' is one very, very colourful duet

"I like to plan things out, I like to plan little fun clues for people," Swift tells Sang over the phone. The songstress goes on to describe her process for releasing lead singles. "A lot of the time I'll pick a first single because I like the feeling that it conveys, knowing that there's a lot more on the album that's very different from that first single— which is something that I think the fans have picked up on at this point."

Finally, Zolot asks the question: "Has anyone found the name of the album title yet in the music video?"

"Yeah, definitely! There are a few people who have gotten it," Swift says, giggling. "I'm not gonna tell you who!"

Zolot's question is based on the fact that Swift herself tweeted her "Me!" music video with a caption confessing that the album title is indeed hidden somewhere in it.

So... the new album title is actually revealed somewhere in the video AND so is the title of the second single, but I haven’t seen people finding them yet... 🕵️‍♂️🕵️‍♀️ #MEmusicvideohttps://t.co/cdxQ6dFiar

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 26, 2019

The record-breaking video has been viewed over 100 million times, so it's not too surprising that someone guessed the album title correctly. "The fans have been so clever and so eagle-eyed— it made me want to put more clues in the video," Swift says.

Which leads us to the theories, one of which may actually be correct. And if they aren't correct, they're pretty darn convincing. Especially since Swift has been teasing everyone with pastel pictures featuring flowers, butterflies, and rainbows all bathed in pinky hues on her post-Reputation Instagram feed.

1. "Daisy"

This theory, like many in the Swift universe, is from Tumblr. Essentially, there are a lot of daisy-related clues that could point to it being a potential album title.

First, Tumblr user tinmanclin points out that there is the stack of books from her "Me!" video. Out of the three, only one is distinguishable: Cartier's in the 20th Century.

In the description for that book, a list of "arbiters of taste" is topped with the name "Daisy Fellowes."

If you look up Daisy Fellowes, you'll find that she died on Dec. 13, 1962 in Paris. Depending on how much of Swiftie you are, you'll know that Swift's birthday is Dec. 13.

Moreover, the "Me!" video even has a couple of blatant daisy cameos. At one point, Brendon Urie, who duets with Swift on the track, offers her a bouquet of them while wearing a suit that is covered in, you guessed it, daisies.

Blatant daisy imagery!

Image: youtube

Swift even sports a dress with alleged fabric daisies stuck on to it. Can we get a florist on the phone to identify, please?

The floral name recalls a a lyric from Reputation's "Don't Blame Me:" "I once was poison ivy but now I'm your daisy."

Of course, this theory wouldn't be complete without a couple of The Great Gatsby references drizzled in. In Swift's essay for Elle UK, she writes, "It’s something F. Scott Fitzgerald did so well." And in a lyric from Reputation's "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" Swift sings, "feeling so Gatsby for that whole year."

And who is the main character of The Great Gatsby? Daisy!

Swift's recent butterfly wing mural in Nashville also features daisies.

View this post on Instagram

So... @kelseymontagueart helped me pull off the best surprise clue reveal today in Nashville!! Thank you to everyone who showed up, I’ve never been more proud of your FBI level detective skills. Next clue: I’ll be joining the magnificent @robinrobertsgma for a chat tonight on ABC live from Nashville 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Apr 25, 2019 at 11:30am PDT

Last but not least, Swift's newly stocked online merch store includes a tote. Do I even need to tell you what's printed on said tote?

This daisy bag is proof, people!

Image: www.store.taylorswift.com

2. "Home"

Perhaps one of the strongest theories of the bunch is "Home."

Apparently, there are a lot of similarities between the "Me!" video and The Wizard of Oz. It sounds odd, but it checks out. Here's a video that explains the correlations:

Plus, a lot of Swift's recent activity focuses on the idea of "Home."

The Wizard Of Oz THEORY 🌈🏡💗 🚨ASKDJSKAK it’s happening!! “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME” ... ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’!#taylorswiftapril26 #taylorswift #TS7 #TS7iscoming #thewizardofoztheory pic.twitter.com/4s8KpfZr1T

— #MEoutNOW (@swiftiealyce) April 22, 2019

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All the reasons why I believe "Home" might be the album title💜🌸 - I'm also open to it being titled Kaleidoscope but it feels a bit long to me #Taylorswift #TS7 -> corner not former lol anyways (@taysforgetmenots posted a comprehensive theory about this so check it out!)

A post shared by Taylor Updates <3 // Jehlé (@mustlikeme4me) on Apr 26, 2019 at 11:32pm PDT

Additionally, Tumblr user Taylors-rainbow points out that the connection between the portrait of the Dixie Chicks in the "Me!" video and something Swift wrote in her Elle UK essay: "To this day, when I hear 'Cowboy Take Me Away' by the Dixie Chicks, I instantly recall the feeling of being twelve years old, sitting in a little wood paneled room in my family home in Pennsylvania."

So that's why the Dixie Chicks are randomly on a painted in the "Me!" video.

Image: youtube

It all just makes sense.

3. "Forever"

Tumblr user Youareinlovex went deep with this one and we're glad they did because it's a thinker for sure.

To begin, Swift's Reputation tour movie on Netflix contains an odd tidbit in the credits:

Image: netflix

You'll notice that it says "sequel to '...More.'" What it's a sequel to, nobody knows. However, in Reputation's very last song, "New Year's Day," Swift sings "you and me forevermore."

Next, there's Swift's recent segment on ABC that aired during the NFL draft in which she revisits one of her favorite places: The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. After talking a little bit about it, she finishes by saying, "I hope it stays this way forever." And then gives the camera a smirk, after which the video ends.

There's also the palm trees, one of the first images of Swift's that sparked these very investigations. Since she posted a photo of seven palm trees to Instagram back in February, fans have speculated that the tree is somehow a part of her new music. Most recently, they can be seen in her "Me!" video. Apparently, the tree represents eternal life. And eternal life means forever.

Lastly, the "Me!" video features a scene in which Urie flicks open a heart on his lapel, and viewers are transported through winding hearts to a stage set. On 1989, Swift's fifth album, the song "Welcome to New York" features the lyric, "Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats." So, Urie literally opening a heart that leads to a whirling transition screen feels like those lyrics come to life. Also from "Welcome to New York" is the lyric, "It's a new soundtrack I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore."

It does indeed look like a kaleidoscope...

Image: youtube

Which brings us to the next theory:

4. "Kaleidoscope"

This is the only theory Swift has actually acknowledged, albeit sparingly. In an interview with Australian radio show Smallzy's Surgery, Swift was asked by the host if "Kaleidoscope" was the title of the album.

“I’m not gonna comment because I really do respect those theories so much, but I’m going to tell them all the information when I tell them [the fans]!” Swift said with a knowing laugh.

Given the multiple meanings for the word "kaleidoscope," it's certainly a possibility.

I will tweet this again!!! A group of butterflies is called a KALEIDOSCOPE #ts7theories #ts7 @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/QYe1CgdXxH

— Mollie... but with an IE! 🦋ME! Out NOW🦋 (@swiftarmy1989) April 29, 2019

"Ever-changing" is very on brand for Miss Swift.

at this point, i am convinced that @taylorswift13's next album is kaleidoscope pic.twitter.com/HPzhG5895r

— STREAM BET BET (@_cyrilalvin) April 30, 2019

Also, multiple visuals in the "Me!" video are similar in nature to a kaleidoscope's.

One of the theories about the title of TS7 is kaleidoscope and that is absolute genius!! 1. There are obvious kaleidoscopes in the #MEmusicvideo. 2. Swarm of butterflies = kaleidoscope 3. Kaleidoscope can be used as a metaphor for change!! @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/rdemke0Nwg

— Laila 🦋 (@LailaHannoun) April 30, 2019

One Swiftie even inverted a still from the "Me!" music video and it appears that the word is "Kaleidoscope" written on its skin.

UMM HAVE @myheartofmusic AND I CRACKED THE CODE???? DOES IT SAY KALEIDOSCOPE ALL JUMBLED UP ON THE SNAKE???! OR AM I A CRACKHEAD WHOS LOST HER LAST TWO BRAIN CELLS??? @taylorswift @taylornation #MEOUTNOW #TS7theories pic.twitter.com/vVPvUNLqBY

— nat | (@ontheroadt0ruin) April 27, 2019

5. "Heart"

While Heart is super simple, it is a shape we keep seeing in Swift's recent imagery. It's a doubtful and somewhat boring possibility but definitely not off the table.

Or is it much more easier and simpler and the #TS7 is called HEARTS and that’s why they speak French?! Because French is like a language of LOVE?!?! AND THE PARIS IS A CITY OF LOVE?!? IS IT LOVE?!?!?!?!?!? AND THE 70s WAS THE ERA OF FREE LOVE?!?!? WHAT WAIT @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/SgL7sG7YYh

— 4.26 (@snake_lungs13) April 28, 2019

6. "Rainbow" (or "Spectrum" or something to do with colors)

This theory hinges on all of the literal rainbows featured in the "Me!" video. If Swift is trying to be obvious (though I don't think that word is in her vocabulary), this would make a lot of sense.

Elaboration on my rainbow theory 🌈❤🌈❤🌈❤ @taylornation13 @taylorswift13 #MEmusicvideo pic.twitter.com/lDiHgDcgHr

— Christy of House Tyrell 🏵 (@pdlinbooks) April 27, 2019

Also, the word "rainbow" has seven letters and this will be Swift's seventh album. Additionally, most rainbows consist of seven colors. Hmmm.

Sooo why the album could be called RAINBOW is because the rainbow has 7 colors and as we all know “TS7” also she’s hinting at it with “like a rainbow with all of the colors” and all of the rainbows in the MV @taylorswift correct me if I’m wrong @taylornation #streamME #ts7 #ME pic.twitter.com/tIkjvATiQb

— dutchswiftie (@dutchswiftie2) April 28, 2019

7. Something in French

A Taylor Swift album with a French title might seem unlikely, but the opening scene in the "Me!" music video could be a huge clue. In it, Swift and Urie go back and forth, arguing with each other in French. And knowing Swift, it's bound to have some sort of importance that isn't clear just yet.

what if the speaking French and Cartier pointing to the title of #TS7 being a French word ? Amour for love ...or Coeur for heart ...or archive en ceil for rainbow? @taylornation13 @taylorswift13 #MEMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/65IV7eD8KK

— Taylor Swift Ireland 🦋🌴 ME! (@TaylorSwiftEire) April 29, 2019

So... the word Iridescent in french is irisè ! If you break up the word, its ~I RISE~... Maybe she is hinting by the way she jumps over steam, and is lifted in the 'spelling scene' @taylorswift13 @taylornation #ts7 #Frenchconnection #MEMusicVideo #irisè

— JanusMaximus -Jane (@j_lovelock) April 30, 2019

Phew. So, we potentially know the name of the album. When it drops, though, is another case. If their track record of crunching numbers is any indication, we're sure the Swifties will crack it in no time. Until then, we'll all be here, twiddling our thumbs to the tune of "Me!"

WATCH: Taylor Swift reveals songs that helped her through breakups

#_uuid:534e01b5-653c-333b-aeec-305420da9eec #_category:yct:001000002 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_author:Harry Hill #_revsp:news.mashable

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a-travels · 5 years ago

Photo

taken: 27 may, 2018 Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

I resized this image about 20 times from the original resolution to find the largest size that would still upload. Hopefully, compression hasn’t destroyed this photo. For those just joining us and who don’t follow this dumb little project of mine, I’d probably say this is up there with that Hanuman shot below as one of my all-time favorite shots. This is probably a cheat because this is about four to five shots stitched together to make this actually work. And no, this isn’t my phone pano, which granted, can take some pretty banger shots. I won’t bore any of you with the details of this shot, but this was on my DSLR.

I have had this picture sitting in my drafts now for over a year+ at this point, not really having any sort of post to go with it. I think with the quarantine and pandemic and such going on, this is the perfect time to highlight an isolated farm in the middle of a field miles away from the closest city.

For all the doom and gloom this period has brought, which it certainly has, I think this period of time has highlighted the value of human connection. Each in our Schrodinger-esque isolation in our homes, apartments, studios, I’m sure we’re all seeing on one hand just how close our various relationships are, while simultaneously realizing how distant we are from people on the other hand. At least, I definitely have found this interesting duality in my interactions and lack thereof with other people.

Definitely, being apart today never truly means being apart. The presence of social media, video communication, even a phone call, these are all beyond luxuries that society did not have back in our last pandemic, the Spanish flu of 1918. I’ve seen and heard of happy hours, weddings, funerals, movie watch parties, birthday parties, all through the magic of ones and zeros flying through the air. And at the same time, elderly patients in nursing homes can’t see their loved ones anymore. The only human contact for those in the hospital with this virus is through a few millimeters of gloves and PPE.

And yet you look outside, the sun shining, the birds singing, newly grown leaves rustling, and wonder just how different the world really is in this imperiled time. Despite the pains of shifting to a new normal, After now almost a month, life might finally be settling, or so it seems. Even with the new routines, perhaps a mild onset of vitamin D deficiency and staying longer in your PJs on a Tuesday than you have in a long time, somehow life has found a way to continue, and in some ways thrive like it never has. Somehow the stark confrontation of our own mortality has brought us back to out hobbies, a part of life that seemed to be slowly dying amidst the ever-increasing bustle and rat-race of work and societal progression. Yeast has been out of stock at grocery stores for weeks as people have been baking more. People are sharing drawings, starting new TV shows, playing a crap-ton of Animal Crossing, chewing through that backlog of games in their Steam library, and finishing four-month old movie reviews full of pain and disdain.

At the start of this whole quarantine period, I was listening to a podcast on a walk (once a rare luxury is now something I get to do almost every night), and heard an excerpt from an essay written by C.S. Lewis in the late 40′s, just at the end of WWII, called “On Living In An Atomic Age”. I won’t recount the whole piece to you, but I’ll link it here for your listening pleasure. I’ll just highlight the part of it I liked the most, and seemed perhaps most prescient, here:

“This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.“

If anything, this whole situation just seems to put things in to perspective, in terms of what matters and what doesn’t, about who matters and who doesn’t. I guess to the last point, first: everyone matters, even if not everyone thinks so (certainly some orange oaf out there certainly doesn’t). It has shown us just how much of life is a social construct⸺the idea that life has to be centered around a nine-to-five job, leaving such little time for ourselves that we barely seem to actually live for ourselves than live for the system; the idea of a stock market and economy. Life as we knew it has grinded to a halt, and our societally ordained rigamarole has been relegated to the home, whether someone is sick or not, because everyone matters and that is the only way we can keep most of everyone safe. And for that first point, last: though a bit repetitive and overly sappy, our health and connections to other people are what matter most. In those connections, it’s worth rekindling or talking to those people you didn’t have the time for, the people that seemed to slip away or faded away with time. And if anything, it’s time to ditch those people where that energy isn’t fruitful or helpful. This pandemic is not our death sentences, as C.S. Lewis said, “…you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented…,” but our sentence is not infinite. It’s worth sharing it with the people who cherish and value you and your time and energy as much as you cherish and value them and their time.

Maybe I say this out of my continued efforts to remain in contact with people, who perhaps aren’t as keen to do so themselves. I’ve already talked about my own self-doubt about what people think of me so I’ll leave that topic be, but I am tired of constantly thinking that I’m bothering someone or a burden on someone just for shooting a message or staying in touch. It’s not fair on that person to assume their thought process, to spam them with messages if they’re not keen to talk, and it’s definitely not fair on myself to weigh myself down worrying about these sorts of things.

It’s at moments like those, riddled with self-doubt and confusion about my interactions with others that I feel perhaps as mentally isolated as a farm in a field in an island in the ocean. Trust me, my mind alone for extended periods is perhaps not the best for whatever you’d call my fledgling self-diagnosed psychosis. But, invariably, it’s the force-fed medicine I need to train myself to think differently about this, to think healthier about life, my relationship with others and my relationship with myself.

Back to talking about not me, this time sucks in many ways, it does. But I think there’s a lot of good that we as people, as a human race, are uncovering about ourselves and each other. And when life gets back to its regularly scheduled programming at the top, we’ll hopefully be refreshed like we would from a bathroom break during the commercials, with this time period hopefully feeling as transitory in hindsight.

So it goes.

tl;dr - “You’re all alone, what are you gonna do about it?”

(Side note, can I just say how genius the Vikings were to name their home Iceland, even though it’s all just volcanic rock and not nearly as much ice as its much larger, and decidedly icier brother island, Greenland. Greenland isn’t green folks, and yet the Vikings bamboozled generations of pillagers and explorers looking to take over the Vikings.)

(Side side note, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give my heartfelt gratitude and respect to the essential and healthcare workers out there risking their lives every day for us to maintain some semblance of normalcy in our homes. As meaningless as any social media callout may seem to be, you all truly do inspire me and I’m sure many others out there with your selflessness.)

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ricardosousalemos · 8 years ago

Text

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 1984-2014

The saga of Nick Cave didn’t begin with the Bad Seeds or the Birthday Party–not even with the man himself. Its genesis lies instead in the first chapter of Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel Lolita, which Cave’s father, a high school English teacher, read aloud to him shortly after his 12th birthday inside their house in a small town in Victoria, Australia. Cave later recalled his father transforming with every recited syllable, a mortal under the spell of the written word. “I felt like I was being initiated into this secret world,” he said, “The world of sex and adulthood and art.” Cave’s naturally didn’t grasp the intricacies of Nabokov’s masterpiece at his tender age, but the young man’s encounter with Lolita’s sordid romanticism and melodic prose constituted his coming-of-age and his artistic awakening.

Cave’s new box set Lovely Creatures: The Best Of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds is a testament to the literary soul of his music. The deluxe edition assumes the form of a case-bound, 36-page book of essays and photos (256 pages in the super deluxe edition, packaged separately), bundled alongside 3 CDs and a DVD comprising concert footage and band interviews. While technically a compilation, it’s easier to think of the release as a novel in three parts, detailing Cave’s evolution from obscure goth-rocker, to Americana deconstructor, to rock’s very own Nabokov, all while honoring the Seeds who joined him for the long, slow march to the pantheon.

Disc one details the band’s early years in the mid-'80s and early ‘90s and the growing pains therein. The seething title track to 1984’s From Her To Eternity is the perfect opening chapter; the vestiges of Birthday Party’s post-punk in its arrangement (the dread-laden piano plunks, the spooky poetry, the incessant dissonance) show that Cave and company had yet to come into their own. In time, they moved to Berlin, drifting away from rudimentary din to gothic grandeur over the span of their next five albums, whose contents comprise the bulk of the disc. Ironically, the first of these Berlin-brewed albums, The Firstborn Is Dead (1985), marked the beginnings of Cave’s love affair with Southern blues. The romance was inevitable: Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, et al. were the original murder balladeers, tragedians strumming similar tales of blood, sweat, and sin. Accordingly, 1986’s covers album Kicking Against The Pricks (represented here by the Seeds’ take on Hooker’s “I’m Gonna Kill That Woman”) found the Seeds honoring their thematic forebears.

A few months after the tribute, Cave’s creative loci shifted yet again. Frequently regarded as the band’s opus, Your Funeral, My Trial found the Seeds welding the blues to the pre-existing, cabaret-tinged balladry of his debut, recasting the aloof artist as a funhouse-mirror version of the everyman. Consider “Scum,” the album’s seething indictment of “a miserable shit-wringing turd.” The climactic highlight is typically regarded as Cave’s clap-back at his former roommate, journalist Mat Snow (according to the Snow's account, a disgruntled Cave revealed him as the song's subject during a tense conversation following Snow’s pre-emptive criticism of The Firstborn Is Dead). Upon closer examination, however, the purported autobiography reveals itself as a condemnation of the traitor immemorial, fueled through historical allusion (“Judas, Brutus, Vitus”) and grotesque imagery (“He said that I looked pale and thin/I told him he looked fat/His lips were red and lickin’ wet/His house was roastin’ hot/In fact it was a fuckin’ slum”). With the fluid, genre-blurring, Your Funeral, My Trial, and its follow-up Tender Prey (1988), Cave challenged our notions of the blues as a static art form; its modern incarnation called for innovation, not just appropriation.

Lovely Creatures proceeds on to the band’s halcyon days in the mid ‘90s—a period that saw Cave’s apotheosis as a world-renowned auteur. Let Love In (1994) and The Boatman’s Call (1997) are the most well-represented here with four tracks apiece, and for good reason. Along with 1996’s Murder Ballads, these three albums provide the most compelling evidence for Cave’s storied reputation. Here, we observe Cave coming into his own as a storyteller, an echo of the awakening he experienced as a child. His formalistic shift from poetry to prose positions “Do You Love Me?” “Stagger Lee,” and “Red Right Hand” as metaphysical novels rather than songs, where the forces of sex and death grapple for supremacy. The spirit of the old Romantics is alive and well, too: namely, their ceaseless search for sublime love, the only solace in a world of pain. “There’s a man who spoke wonders/Though I’ve never met him,” he groans on “(Are You) The One I've Been Waiting For?” invoking Christ’s chaste wisdom as he anticipates his lovers’ arrival. Two tracks apiece from No More Shall We Part (2001) and Nocturama (2003) round out the proceedings, but their overblown drama pales in comparison to the preceding panorama, the apex of Cave’s compilation, and arguably, his entire career.

By the time their 20th anniversary rolled around in 2004, Cave and company’s primordial madness had long since cooled, earning them a heretofore unimaginable reputation among critics as a beacon of gothic melodrama. In fact, during this interim—2004 to 2013, chronicled on the final disc—the old Seeds ceased to exist. The departure of original keyboardist/guitarist Blixa Bargeld one year prior to 2004’s double album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus left behind an unmistakable void, particularly on the LP’s intimate latter half (“Breathless,” “Babe, You Turn Me On,” “O Children”). The void deepens with five selections from 2007’s Americana doomsday spell Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, Harvey’s final outing with the band. It’s somewhat of an underwhelming swan song for him, considering the frequency with which Warren Ellis’ violins take center stage (most spectacularly on the LP’s haunting, hymnal eight-minute closer, “More News From Nowhere”).

Four highlights from 2013’s Push The Sky Away ("We No Who U R," "Jubilee Street," "Higgs Boson Blues," and the title track) provide a fitting conclusion to Lovely Creatures’ majestic arc: the polar opposite of “From Her To Eternity,” a profound juxtaposition. And yet, however satisfying the collection’s finale, listeners who’ve kept up with Cave in the four years following Push The Sky Away will undoubtedly walk away from the experience a bit unsettled: not because the music itself is engineered to do so, but because Cave omits Skeleton Tree–his most powerful monument to death and grief–from the Seeds saga. Perhaps, this absence is owed to timing (Lovely Creatures was in progress when Cave’s son Arthur died). Consider Skeleton Tree, then, an epilogue to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ triumphant journey.

All chronologies are stories by definition, but when it comes to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, such a descriptor proves laughably insufficient. Their trajectory encompasses not just a band’s career, but a perversion of the monomyth that resides in all of our brains. Instead of King Arthur or Odysseus, we have Cave, a chain-smoking, gunslinging poet who sees God in the eyes of a woman and bowls of soup; who stalks through Berlin boudoirs with heroin in his veins, daring the devil to take him by the Red Right Hand only to dodge his scythe like a stuntman; who sifts through puddles of blood and piles of money in search of meaning, only to be greeted by the void. “The spiritual quest has many faces–religion, art, drugs, work, money, sex,” he mused, addressing 1998 Vienna Poetry Festival, “but rarely does the search serve God so directly, and rarely are the rewards so great in doing.” Lovely Creatures presents the definitive display of these anguished labors and sweet fruits they bore over twenty years—an unmovable feast, immortalized.

#reviews-albums

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