#i'm taking notes on some of these smaller details for a video

[latin-dr-robotnik]

I love how With Me's orchestral arrangement builds up in the background as Merlina explains her reasons for wanting a world that never ends, almost overpowering the entire scene before taking a sinister turn as soon as Sonic attacks her. Everything here is crafted with so much care.

I love Sonic and the Black Knight. A lot.

[vanteguccir]

── ୨୧ !　𝗧𝗜𝗞𝗧𝗢𝗞 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 | 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝟰

　　　　　　　　　𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒐 x reader

SUMMARY: 4 times that Y/N and Matt made a couple's trend on tiktok.

WARNING: None.

REQUESTED?: Kinda?

AUTHOR'S NOTE: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism, copy, or "inspiration"! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

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1. Decorating my boyfriend's car super girly and seeing his reaction

Going downstairs quietly so as not to wake anyone, considering it was still too early for any of the triplets - and even Y/N - to be awake, Y/N entered the garage. Matt's car, an impeccably clean black one, was there, parked and oblivious to what was coming.

The girl turned on the room light and made sure she had closed the door before finally unlocking the car ones by simply touching the small control in her hands.

Opening the driver's door with her unoccupied hand, Y/N climbed in, sitting down on the seat, a sound of complaint escaping her throat as she noticed how far and low the seat was - obviously adjusted for Matt's height. She quickly adjusted the position of it until she felt comfortable and, finally, put her phone in the support attached to the lower center of the windowshield, exactly where the boys supported their camera during car videos, her right hand instinctively flying towards the ceiling lights, turning it on.

Y/N unlocked the device and quickly browsed through the apps until she found TikTok, opening it and entering the recording space, adjusting the focus to ensure that every detail was captured, and pressed the red button.

"Good morning, TikTok!" The girl muttered in a low tone, a mischievous glint clearly apparent in her eyes. "Today, I'm going to do the biggest trolling of all in my boyfriend's car. Let’s turn it into a real preppy car!"

Y/N started by taking the first piece from the box of items she had prepared: a pink fuzzy cover for the steering wheel. The cover was a vibrant pink, with a soft, cozy feel to the touch.

Y/N carefully slid the cover over its right place, making sure every inch was covered and fitted perfectly. The fluff glowed below the yellow light, giving the steering wheel a luxurious, exaggerated appearance.

Then, she picked up two pink cup holders, filled with glitter, both twinkling every time the light hit one of them, as if it was full of little stars. Y/N laughed to herself as she placed them on the center console's cup rests, fitting them in and smiling widely when she noticed how perfect the size was.

"Matt will love putting our morning Starbucks here, for sure.” The girl murmured, looking up and sending a wink towards the camera.

The next step was to decorate the air conditioning vents. Y/N had bought several mini pink decorations, also full of glitter, each one more extravagant than the last. There were little hearts, stars, and even some fake diamonds. She carefully attached each to the air vents, adjusting until they were all secure and at a good enough distance to notice them all.

"Get ready for style and glamor to be blown throughout the car when Chris asks Matt to turn on the air conditioning during videos." She joked while still adjusting the last small items.

The car's gearshift could not be forgotten. Y/N pulled out a smaller sized pink fuzzy cover, specially designed. It was soft to the touch, matching the steering wheel cover perfectly. She slid it over the gear, adjusting it so it was secure, her right hand closing around the cover, smiling as she felt the small hairs caressing her palm.

Finally, to complete the look, Y/N took a pink diamond-shaped pendant, stretching her upper body upwards and extending her hands, hanging it around the rearview mirror. The pendant swayed slightly by itself, reflecting the light and casting small colored reflections throughout the interior of the all car.

"I feel like I'm in Barbie: a Fashion Fairytale." Y/N said, letting out a nasal laugh, resting her back against the backrest of the seat so that her eyes could analyze every corner of the car, admiring her final work.

She then turned her attention back to her cell.

"Alright, guys, the car is ready. Now we just need to wait for Matt to wake up and see his reaction."

The video stopped at that moment before it returned seconds later.

"I went upstairs after fixing the last details and woke up Matt, I made up that I was hungry, but that I wanted to have breakfast at a café." Y/N began with a hushed tone, now sitting in the passenger seat, her phone now in her hands. "I waited for him to get up and get ready before telling him I would wait for him in the car."

It didn't take long and soon Y/N heard Matt's footsteps coming down the stairs that led to the garage, her eyes looking up in time to see the silhouette of her boyfriend appearing in the doorway. She pressed her lips into a thin line in an attempt to contain her laughter.

Her eyes followed Matt's steps, who walked quickly towards the driver's seat door, the sound of the door opening echoing through the small space was followed by anticipation on Y/N's part, who looked at the camera to Matt and back again, waiting for his reaction.

"Hey, sweet girl, I'm sorry it took me so..." He interrupted his own sentence, his movements instantly stopping for a few seconds. "Y/N! What- What did you do to my car?!" Matt's voice echoed in a tone of disbelief, the surprise evident on his face not yet visible to the phone camera.

"Come on, babe, sit down so you can take a better look at this incredible work I did just for you." The girl asked in a fake sweet tone, smiling openly and leaning her upper body over the console, extending her right arm so that her hand could touch Matt's, holding it firmly and pulling him inside.

The boy, still wide-eyed and surprised, obeyed, sitting on the leather covered seat - already arranged again to his own taste - and closing the door with a thud.

"Where- When did you even get all those things?" Matt questioned again, his blue eyes quickly traveling over every pink detail before turning his attention back to Y/N, his mouth slightly open.

"Yesterday, duh." The girl answered as if it was obvious, shrugging her shoulders before her neutral expression broke into a smile again. "Did you like it? It's pretty, right? I'm sure your videos will be much cooler now."

"Babe, oh my God." Matt's voice sounded airy, eliciting a laugh from Y/N. He didn't know where to focus his attention, different shades of pink calling his eyes from every corner. "I can't lie. It looks so good." The boy finally reached out with his hands, his fingers curling around his steering wheel, pressing lightly against the extremely fluffy fabric over his palm.

"I know, right?" Y/N responded excitedly, briefly glancing at her cell that was still recording them. "Look at the cup holder, babe!" Her tone rose as she reached out toward the console, pointing to the pink cup holder with her index finger.

"So I can put in your favorite Starbucks drink every morning, huh?" Matt lowered his gaze to the item, shaking his head amusedly as he heard his girlfriend agree excitedly.

"Next step: getting the car wrapped in pink."

"Are you crazy?"

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2. Pretending to be asleep to see my boyfriend's reaction

Y/N was home alone, comfortable silence filling every corner as she waited for Matt to return from the street. He had gone out to get a specific sweet that she had been asking for for days, and the only place where they sold it didn't deliver.

Sitting comfortably on the grey couch in the living room, the girl was immersed in TikTok videos when a new couple trend appeared on her For You Page, catching her attention; Pretending to be asleep to see my boyfriend's reaction.

Y/N didn't think twice before making the decision to join the cycle of famous couples replicating the trend, quickly leaving TikTok, and opening the location app she shared with Matt. Watching his icon move across the colorful map, she calculated that she still had a few minutes before he arrived, rising from the couch seconds later, running down the small hallway that led to their room.

First, she took the plush, gray bedspreads off the bed, folding it and leaving it on Matt's gaming chair. The soft light from the already turned on lamp created a calm and welcoming atmosphere, perfect for what she had in mind.

She then adjusted her phone on the nightstand on her side of the bed, ensuring the camera was pointed directly at the mattress and the space Matt would enter, propping it against the lamp and organizing the minimal decorations that was always above the furniture around the device in a way that it disguised its existence there.

Checking the app again, she saw that Matt was just a few blocks away. Y/N hurried to lay down, adjusting herself comfortably but naturally.

She turned slightly to her back, rescuing Matt's pillow and hugging it to her chest, not stopping herself from lightly exhaling the natural scent of her boyfriend's male shampoo and cologne that permeated into the fabric, closing her eyes and regulating her breathing to make it seem like she was actually sleeping.

A few minutes later, she finally heard Matt's footsteps echoing across the floor, going from quieter to louder, indicating that he was getting closer to the room. She kept her eyes closed, trying to contain a wide smile as her heart beat fastned.

Matt's footsteps approached the door, the sound of it opening echoing after, the familiar sound of the paper bag he was carrying filling Y/N's ears.

"Babe, I found the one that you wanted, and guess what? They had just made it!" Matt started talking as soon as he entered the space, his voice excited and loud, before noticing the silence in the room.

The boy looked up, his eyes running around before noticing his girlfriend lying on their shared bed, lowering his voice when he noticed her apparently sleeping figure, his expression softening immediately, a small smile settling on his lips.

He closed the door behind him with a soft click, walking with steps of a feather towards the bed, the sound of his sock-covered feet tapping against the wooden floor gently echoing through the four walls.

His busy hand placed the bag with the sweet on the nightstand beside his side before he approached the edge of the bed, admiration written all over his face as he looked at Y/N.

He bent his knees slightly, curving his upper body over the mattress and bringing his face closer to Y/N's head, using his left hand to support his own weight, just watching her sleep for a few seconds, a tender smile on her face.

Matt then lowered his head so that his face was close to hers, sealing his lips over her forehead and head repeatedly, but very lightly and slowly, without the intention of waking her up.

"You're so beautiful when you sleep, you know that?" He whispered, his voice filled with affection, stroking the side of her face lightly with the tip of his nose before reaching out with his right hand, gently brushing away the loose strands of hair with his fingertips, taking them away from her eyes, being careful. His touch was light, almost like a gentle breeze.

Matt looked around, noticing the phone on Y/N's nightstand, but didn't suspect anything thanks to the low brightness of the screen. He just smiled, enjoying the moment, taking note of how the surroundings seemed as calm as ever.

Taking the corner of the duvet that was at the foot of the bed, he gently pulled it over his girlfriend, making sure she was comfortable and warm, petting the thick fabric lightly, molding it to his girl's body.

Then he got up again, reaching his hands to his bedside table, taking the bag with the sweet he had brought between his fingers. It was an angel cake with strawberry filling and whipped cream, Y/N's favorite.

The boy took the box with the cake out of the bag, being careful not to make any loud sounds, leaving the brown paper bag on the wood surface before walking towards Y/N's bedside table slowly, leaving the frame of the phone's front camera for a few seconds, placing the small white cardboard box above it.

"Hope you like it." The brunette murmured again, more to himself than to her.

Matt then returned to his side of the bed, resting his right hand on the mattress and taking off his socks before finally laying down next to her, being careful not to make too much noise or sudden movements.

After snuggling as best he could under the duvet, he turned on his side, bringing the front of his body closer to the back of Y/N's one, wrapping an arm around her waist slowly, gently pulling her closer, his hand automatically finding its way under the oversized t-shirt that covered Y/N's upper body down to her thighs, snaking his hand across the soft skin of his girl's stomach and finding home beneath her right breast, just as he did every day, not seeming to notice the shiver that ran through her body, closing his eyes.

Y/N couldn't help but relax her body even more under her boyfriend's gentle touch, snuggling closer, feeling a deep peace settle in her chest, momentarily forgetting that she was even recording something.

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3. Trying the spray trend on my boyfriend

Y/N was in the bathroom she shared with Matt, her hands working on resting her phone on the marble sink in a way that it wouldn't be obvious that she was recording, the screen with low brightness already open on the TikTok app. She made sure the frontal camera was well positioned, capturing the perfect angle from the bathroom door to the area where she would be standing.

Then, Y/N bent down slightly and opened the cabinet under the sink, her right hand retrieving a spray deodorant she had recently purchased, taking off the cap and setting it aside. With everything ready, the girl turned to her cell again, pressing the record button with her thumb.

Y/N smiled playfully at the camera before turning away from the device and extending her right hand, opening the bathroom door.

"Matt!" The low, muffled sound of Matt's voice shouting back echoed down the hallway leading to the bathroom. "Babe, can you come here for a minute?"

She waited, listening to her boyfriend's footsteps approaching. His figure quickly appeared in front of the already open door, a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong, babe? Do you need help with something?"

"I bought this new deodorant that says it's unscented, but I think it has a slight lavender scent. Can you smell it and tell me what you think?" Y/N asked, her tone sounding naive, holding the spray deodorant at the height she knew would be ideal for him to reach it, and pointing the hole where the product exited upwards.

"Sure." Matt nodded, still a little confused, but willing to help. He entered the bathroom completely and approached Y/N, tilting his head closer to the area where his girlfriend was holding the spray.

Y/N pressed the button on the top of the deodorant, creating a white cloud that slowly rose. Matt leaned even closer to smell the scent, a look of genuine concentration written across his face, and at that exact moment Y/N moved quickly, closing the distance between their faces and pressing her lips softly against his.

The kiss was quick and surprising, and she could feel Matt's slight shiver of surprise, a sound of shock escaping his throat.

When she pulled away, Matt's eyes were wide, his eyelids blinking rapidly as his brain tried to assimilate what had happened, his cheeks slowly turning into a bright red hue, a small smile appearing on the corner of his lips.

"What?" A loud laugh escaped Y/N's mouth as she watched his reaction, noticing his shy expression.

"You're a little devil." Matt shook his head comically. His tongue acted on its own as it escaped his mouth, passing his lips carefully, the taste of mint flooding his palate. "Is that mint?"

"Maybe." Y/N replied with the ghost of a smile, vaguely remembering how she had applied the Space Camp mind lip balm a few minutes earlier.

"Can I have another taste of it?"

"Matt!"

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4. Using my scary dog ​​privilege to walk alone at night

It was a quiet, cool evening as Y/N and Matt were taking a walk after a nice dinner at a home-cooked Italian restaurant close to their home.

Y/N's eyes swept the deserted streets in front of her, quickly looking back over her shoulder, taking note of Matt a few steps behind her body, vaguely remembering a TikTok she had watched earlier that day, the environment around them reminding her a lot of the one in the video.

With that, she decided to record one, too.

And how she was when she was beautiful

The girl was now holding her phone in her right hand, her screen with TikTok already open in the recording area staring back at her, the sound of the Babooshka song melody playing at a low volume from her speakers.

Her half-closed eyes were fixed on the front camera, which recorded her face contorted into a small smirk, her hair moving around her face as if it was planned, a consequence of the light wind that surrounded her and her measured steps, which never stopped.

She signed the letter

Y/N slightly raised her hand that was holding her cell so that the camera now captured the view from behind her back.

All yours

The video captured the image of Matt following in her footsteps, his body completely covered in black clothing, making a perfect contrast with the yellow night lights coming from the tall poles above their heads.

His posture was erect and his head remained high, his arms crossed so that his biceps were visible against the thin fabric of his black shirt and a serious expression resting on his face - as usual -, his eyes fixed straight ahead, as if he was on alert of everything, accompanied by his furrowed eyebrows, giving an impression of anger to anyone who saw him from afar.

Y/N, watching the image through the tilted phone screen that was still recording her boyfriend, felt a shiver run down her spine; a small, satisfied smile blooming on her face.

Matt was definitely a scary Doberman by her side.

taglist:

@lustfulslxt @ladybunny44 @worldlxvlys @earth2starkey @remussbitch @freshloveforthefit @sturniolowhore @luvr4miya @alorsxsturn @urfavgirllyyyyy @hearts4chriss @cupidzsq @dracoflaco @junnniiieee07 @lightsgore @gidgett11037 @ksskianshd @soimightlikeoldmen69 @ldr-sl0t @its-jennarose @sainzzsturns @ecliphttlunar @soso-scarlettolivia @bitchydragonparadise @freshsturns @h3arts4harry @patscorner @strnilolo @bernardsbendystraws @mattsneezing @poetatorturadaa @meg-sturniolo @orangeypepsi @jnkvivi @chrisactualwife @fratbrochrisgf @elordilover @somegirlfromasgard @hpyjw @annamcdonalds67

(If you want to be added to the taglist, go to this post)

[kimberleyjean]

Good Omens S1 Parallels - 1/?

Saturday Morning Funtime is a particularly interesting episode for me, because it suggests something about the structure of parallels Season One. Also, it's easier to start with a single episode than trying to cover the whole show at once. I'm going to show you six different scenes from Saturday Morning Funtime and how they link together.

Let's start with the pun pointed out by Danny Motta in his video (link here to relevant timestamp if you haven't seen it). Danny made the link between this scene near the start of E4, where Aziraphale gets exercise:

And this scene at the end, where Aziraphale was exorcised (according to Shadwell, at least):

Cool, seems like a funny pun. But there's no way to know it was intentional right? Well, I think I can argue it was. Let's look at another scene.

We have this scene where Hastur destroys 3 Erics on the plains of Megiddo. Since each demon has a corresponding animal, I'm going to go ahead and place bets on the Eric's being rabbits, and Hastur destroys 2/3 of them.

And then later we have this scene where Hastur again destroys 2/3 rabbits, but this time they're cartoon bunnies - the first one he beheads like a costume, the second he rips out it's throat.

Ok, but again, why am I linking these two scenes? No deep character insights, or thematic elements are being displayed here... Except that's a key reason I'm pointing them out - they're seemingly pretty pointless, so why bother to make them? Well, maybe the sum is bigger than the parts. One more example and then I'll show you how this comes together.

Here's a scene which I think is pretty good foreshadowing of something that will happen later in the episode - Hastur and Ligur talking about the dripping pipes down in Hell. Hastur has a little bucket he's collecting water in, which he uses in a toast:

And later, we have this particularly gruesome scene of Ligur becoming toast at the hands of a bucket full of (holy)water:

Ok, so six scenes, three sets of parallels... now's where the magic happens... I take E4 as a whole... loop it over on itself like a piece of trick rope from Goldstein's magic shop and....

Tada! Here's the episode laid out in 2 minute increments.

Some pretty interesting places to have parallels, no? That two minute block at the start is a lead in before the opening credits, so the Exercise and Exorcism scenes are coming directly before and directly after the open and close sequence (shown above in blue).

I'd be lying if I said it didn't remind me of the overall chiastic structure that some people have worked on, such as this one by @drconstellation, just on a smaller scale.

It's also interesting to note that each of these parallel pairs relates to someone getting discorporated - Eric, Ligur and then Aziraphale.

What's the point?

So, I promised that I would share a little on why this might be important. In my opinion? It appears like there is some detailed structure to Good Omens, at least in S1.

It should also be noted that these scenes were added only for the show in order to produce this effect - Aziraphale exercising with Gabriel, Hastur and Ligur talking about the pipes, the three cartoon rabbits in the theatre - they were all newly created for the show.

Why go to the bother of creating these little parallel moments at corresponding points along a mirrored structure? Especially when these don't necessarily have ramifications for characters or plot? Is it just good story telling or is it something more? These are all questions worth asking in my opinion. I think it relates to how this show treats words and language in a very Pratchetty fashion. The whole show is a dedication to Terry, after all.

Of course, if things were so simple, I think we would have figured it all out long ago. Parallels, puns, wordplay... they're all quite slippery things. There are things I would consider to be parallels which don't line up with this same structure. For example, the scene from earlier with Gabriel and Aziraphale exercising? The "lose the gut" gut-punch foreshadows this other gut punch scene in E4 too:

Despite examples to the contrary, the presence of parallels and wordplay that do line up along a mirrored structure makes me want to explore this further. If you're also interested in this and want to collaborate, please let me know.

This will be a continuing series, as and when time allows, because parallels seem to be absolutely everywhere. Future posts will look at parallels at different levels (within scenes, across episodes, and across seasons).

Let me know if you spot any others - I'd love to hear about them. They might be hidden in the visuals, wordplay, puns and more...

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

With thanks to all the detectives for keeping me clue hunting @embracing-the-ineffable, @theastrophysicistnextdoor, @noneorother, @somehow-a-human, @komorezuki, @maufungi, @lookingatacupoftea, @havemyheartaziraphale, @251-dmr, @dunkthebiscuit, and @ghstptats <3

[unboundndd]

Hi everyone >:3

The Yone lover anon is here again!!!

OMG PARANOIA IS SO AGKSHSKABSHSHJSJSKS *convulses*

I have been analyzing every detail of the video clip and I have seen the statuses and tweets from the official platforms, it is always a pleasure to see our favorite swordsman interact <3

Well, getting to the point, I have already asked for this request but I wanted to see your execution cause, wow girl, I love your writing, it is exquisite :')

The request is this: Maybe a Yone x fangirl!reader?

Buuut, but but!! That their first face-to-face meeting was a surprise, I explain, she and Yone had met on Discord and had been interacting a little, when the two agreed to meet then she gets a BIG surprise, I hope I make myself understood

Sorry for the amount of text, I have expanded here

Anyway, I hope you take care of yourself and enjoy the new content that is coming out as much as I do

-🍄

Omg hi 🍄 anon!! ♡ Thank you so so much for your very inspirational Yone musings, I hope that me spacing out on the wordlbuilding a bit will not influence the pure fangirling that is going on in our heads!

In this universe Yone strikes me as someone who actually knows a lot about technology and i'm sorry... he produces music for rythm games. And yes he does those extremely complicated and highly detailed songs that are like the hardest charts in the game.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- Yone's career as a producer and DJ has not been the easiest one, the genres that fascinated him the most were usually not appreciated by a wider audience. The busy notes of electronic samples overlapping one another weren't designed to appaise the need for easy listening music in convenience stores or to climb the charts by becoming viral on social media, in fact the most recognition Yone's music had gotten before heartsteel was in the small niche of rythm game players.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- It was never the big game developers that contacted him, they had collaborations with world renouned producers and famous idols that voiced their characters. On the other hand smaller studios would often ask him to make one or two tracks for their games, which Yone would gladly accept to do. Despite the limited reach the producer was still proud of his work, always buying a copy of the games where his music appeared and keeping in touch with the communities that formed around them with a discord account that would't reveal who he really was.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- You were just a casual player of one of those games, sometimes coming into its dedicated discord servers to chat with like minded people. When people asked you about your favorite songs in the game you would most likely reply with one of the songs Yone produced, often going into detail about what made them resonate with you so much and what made them so unique in your opinion.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- Under the guise of anonymity Yone would sometimes join the conversation, asking questions and indirectly getting some feedback from you, even finding it helpful with his writer's block sometimes. It was enough for the man to send you a DM to discuss more of your shared music tastes, hoping you'd reply.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- Your discussions quickly settled into a developing friendship, you knew the man had an extensive knowledge in music theory as he would sometimes ramble about it with you and he also told you that because of a new job offer he would become more and more busy as time went on. You'd still keep recommending songs to each other but the conversations would be less and less, you missed your friend but you knew that his work was more important than chatting about music.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- That was until Heartsteel's debut was announced with a small teaser, showing all the members and a small snippet of their new single. You immediately recognized the familiar electronic sound of the songs that made you and Yone bond in the first place, the nostalgic feeling making you smile. You decided to send a link of the teaser to him, asking for thoughts and sharing the hype about the new band.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- Yone had never felt so guilty yet glad that he never revealed that he had produced those rythm game songs to you. You were so familiar with his style that you spotted it immediately, you could've uncovered that he was actually part of the band! He tried to stop himself from asking more of what you thought of the members, thought of him, but quickly surrendered to the fact that hearing you gush about how much you liked his music gave him even more reasons to keep going.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- When he asked who your favorite member was he almost spit water on his midi keyboard, causing Aphelios to turn around to see if he was alright. Yone composed himelf quickly, yet the message you wrote kept resonating in his mind. "Oh I'm totally in love with Yone, looking at him and his interactions on twitter he sounds like a bit of a band mom and I find it really endearing! He looks like a really calm person who surrounds himself with a ton of unhinged friends! Too bad he hasn't revealed his voice yet! "

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- Of course all of this didn't go past Aphelios, Kayn, Sett, K'Sante and even Alune. They realized he was spending more time than normal on his phone, reading your thoughts on the new promotional materials that were being posted. Kayn was the one who confronted him first and could not stop laughing when he realized Yone had started to develop some feelings for you, scrolling trough the messages the younger man could also see that you were starting to feel the same way for him.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- As much as the Kayn was amused at the absurdity of Yone falling for his online friend turned fangirl, he alsoknew he had to help his fellow bandmate, barging into the common room to tell everyone what was going on and fill Ezreal in as he was oblivous to the whole ordeal. It took all of them a good half hour to concoct a plan to make a meeting between you and Yone happen, then another half hour was needed to convince the producer that this was indeed a good idea and that you would not take it as badly as he imagined.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- When Yone said he wanted to voice chat with you out of the blue you were a bit confused but excited. You were happy to hear his voice after one year of being friends and made sure to reserve a few hours just for him, as you went about your day your mind started to wander a bit about what it would sound like and if your conversations would flow just as smoothly as they did via text.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- You were starting to feel a bit nervous when you picked up the call, timidly muttering a "hello?" and waiting for any sort of reply. "Oh Hello, it's nice to finally be able to associate a voice to the person." You could not help but squeal a little on the inside, who would have known that his voice sounded so rich and felt so mature? The two of you talked for a while about how long overdue your call was and how time had flown since you first met, it truly didn't feel like your first conversation at all.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- You finally gave into the curiosity and asked him if there was any particular reason for Yone to have wanted to voice chat now and his reply almost left you speechless. "So... I'm know that you're very excited about the debut of Heartsteel, one of my coworkers managed to get two VIP tickets and backstage access. The thing is that the person they bought the other ticket for cancelled last minute and they gave it to me." A carefully crafted lie exited Yone's lips, all to give you an excuse to go meet him.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- You couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy for how lucky your friend was but you wanted to be supportive and expressed your joy for him and how excited he must have been. "Wait, you've got it all wrong. I wasn't planning on keeping the ticket." You froze for a second, all sorts of possibilities racing trough your mind. Then you heard it the notification of a discord message from Yone, he had just sent you the ticket. "Wait... so you want me to go?" You heard him chuckle as you were slowly realizing what this would imply, your heart couldn't race more than this. "You deserve to go and see them, you've kept an eye on them for a long time now. I don't want to impose it onto you so think about it for a while and let me know, will you?" Useless to say that you spent a very long amount of time asking him if he was sure about it and then thanking him profusely, this truly was one of your dreams come true.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- During the day of the debut concert the Heartsteel's members grand plan was put into motion: security was well aware that as soon as your ticket number was checked in they would have been able to identify you. Security notified their manager Alune and gave her a detailed description of your looks, she too felt happy about what was going on in Yone's life and told him and the other boys to concentrate on the performance while she took care of things in the background and made sure to give you and the producer ample time to talk.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- You had the time of your life at the concert, seeing how much energy and stage presence Heartsteel had in real life made their music video pale in comparison. The stage felt electric and once it was over you couldn't help but feel dizzy and overloaded but also oh so happy, seeing Yone and Aphelios playing alongside the other members was the highlight of the concert for you.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- So many things were going to your mind when you were queued up for the small meet and greet that was beeing held backstage, you were one of the last people and when it was your turn you couldn't help but feel like Sett, Kayn and Ezreal were all treating you like they somehow knew you already... and they were all hiding something. You felt their gazes following you as you finally approached Yone and even he looked like something was amiss.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- You tried to ignore the feeling, you were about to meet the artist that managed to capture your attention so easily and always kept you wanting for more. You would not let this special occasion be ruined by your gut feeling! You took a few steps and prepared to greet him, hopefully having enough time to tell him how good his performance was and how much you enjoyed rooting for his success. Before you could even say a word he anticipated you and for a second you thought you had misheard everything he said.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- "Wait... how do you know my discord username?" You heard a few of Heartsteel's members chuckle, you did not realize how quiet the room had become as you were the last of their fans there, the laughter was interrupted by Yone speaking again. "Cut her some slack everyone, it's normal for her to be confused right now." Yone could see your eyes widen in realization you recognized his voice, he was your online friend! The one who would always listen to your rambles about the latest chart topping songs and give you his insight on what would make them so popular, the man who somehow knew your taste better than you at this point and was able to always give you spot on recommendations... ·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- The grounding touch of his hand on your shoulder snapped you back into reality, you blinked at him in disbelief and confusion... and then realized about how much you fangirled about him while being unaware of who you were talking to. "There must be many questions running trough your head right now and I don't blame you if you're angry at me for never revealing who I really was. If I hadn't been under such a strict NDA at the time maybe things could have been different..." ·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·- You gave the man a reassuring smile, you understood why he did what he did and suddenly him asking you what you thought of all the new trailers and promotional materials made sense. You were kind of honored to have been able to give feedback -although unknowingly- to a talented artist such as him. "Maybe I could clear some things up for you over dinner... I was too nervous to eat anything before the concert." You gave him a quick nod and he motioned you to follow him, you saw him gather his laptop and headphones and haistly put them in a sleek looking backpack and then taking out the keys to his car. The rest of your time spent backstage was a blur, his hand around your back was swiftly guiding you through the various areas and muttering to security guards that you were with him if they happened to enquire about you. Once in his car he could finally drop the persona and relax a bit more, the Yone you had met online was starting to show himself more and more. "Do you have any particular preferences for food?" He asked while making his way through the still packed streets of the city. "Mmh... I think I'll leave the choice to you, after all you just performend in front of thousands of people on an empty stomach." You replied, smiling at how kind he was being to you even though he must have been starving for hours. "Fine, I saw a ramen small ramen place on my way here before the concert. It will give us enough privacy for me to finally make things up to you."

[l-crimson-l]

I'd love to get into girlpla, I'm just a bit too broke to afford any kits; however, if you'd like to talk about it as a whole, I'd be more than happy to hear.

So…let me try this again. I had a whole nice post written up and I swapped off for a moment to check something and I completely lost the post.

Mecha Musume has a pretty long history that I’m not going to go into but here’s a little video if you’re interested.

Now when most people think of Mecha Musume there’s basically one standout line above them all: Frame Arms Girl.

This line is a bit old now but its popularity has set the aesthetic style for the market as it stands now. The build of these are…ok. Kotobukiya was definitely learning with these kits but they’re still solid at the end of it.

Now if you’re like me you’re not too much a fan of the pantsu out look, and other kits in the line don’t exactly do anything to mitigate that feeling (looking at you Durga I).

The next line Koto would release would be better at this tho. The Megami Device line features all original designs as well as collabs from new and old mecha musume brands alike.

First thing off the bat this is that they’re pricey. At an average cost of $70 you’re basically buying a Bandai MG gunpla. That said, they all typically come with a bunch of option parts. These are usually in the form of unarmored limbs, different chest pieces, face plates (with water slides to make your own) and extra connectors to help with kitbashing. Koto also has released option body segments to let you swap any part of the body you might want to if the right option isn’t available in the box (~$12). It should be noted the newest kits in this line have brought the price down to $50 as well as reengineered the build to add a lot more articulation and pose-ability.

Also in this lines favor is the articulation and build quality. You’re going to get a nice range of motion with or without armor and some of the smaller details also sometimes come pre painted.

That said Kotobukiya is a company that favors more complex character design over an Out Of Box experience so there’s some smaller details that are etched into the kit but unless your paints them won’t be color correct. I would say this is pretty common across most Koto lines.

Both the FAgirls and Megami Device are scaled at 1/12 so Little Armory guns and the whole market of 3rd party accessories will work with these kits.

Next up is Koto’s Sousai Shoujo Teien which is simple girls as plastic models

A little cheaper and at 1/10 scale instead of 1/12. I’ve not built any but I do know they can bash with Megami Device and Hexa Gear lines just fine. If you take a peek at the JP girpla community there’s actually a niche but healthy group dedicated to taking nice photos of their kits dressed up in everyday scenarios.

Finally the newest line of Koto girl kits is the Arcanadea line.

Purely in a fantasy take these are Incredible kits. I’ve only built one (Lumitea) but it was far and away a much better build experience than the FAgirl kits. These are actually designed by a vtuber artist iirc which is why the designs are so different than other Koto kit lines. If you have the cash and want to try something different I would highly recommend.

Now finally we get to Bandai. After learning from their failures with the Hg Build Fighters girls they went back and designed something solid and what got me into mecha musume: 30 Minute Sisters

Right off the bat with an average price of around $30 the barrier to entry is much easier. While not as refined as the Megami Device line, these simple kits cram in a lot for the price. You’ll get an armored and unarmored form, as well as face plates. However the biggest selling point is How Damn Easy they are to bash. Being apart of the 30M line means they’re completely compatible with the 30MM line of mechs. Which also means all of those extra weapon and armor sets transfer over for the most part. And that’s not even talking about the dedicated 30MS option sets like hair parts, body parts, etc.

This is a Very beginner friendly line of kits and the place I would suggest most people starting if they’re looking to get into mecha musume.

This example I think uses about 5 different kits to build and I don’t believe any serious modifications were needed.

Another Bandai line to mention is the Standard Figurise line which you’ll be familiar with if you’ve picked up the Sulletta, Miorine or ChuChu kits. Typically pretty solid kits (uma musume excluded, only get the 30ms version of that one) they usually include characters from a variety of different shows. These are still of course bash-able but not without modification.

With the explosion of popularity with these kits means we have even more companies now joining in the race. ATK and MS General have a bunch of kits to offer and we see new companies pop up some really sick looking kits (see tgat Galahad)

We even have Plamax giving us the really cool looking GODZ ORDER kits and soon character kits from Blue Archive, Konosuba and others.

For these smaller/third party companies I would suggest doing plenty of research before buying one. The ATK kit that I made was Especially frustrating and required a lot of extra work to make parts fit right or to clean them up so they fit at all. Not to mention the extra detail work required to really make them look like the box example. Just do your homework.

I hope this helps!! It’s a growing market so there’s always more kits being announced. This should have covered the majority of kits out there but IMPORTANT! Check sites like AmiAmi for sales or resales on kits. You can sometimes find an unbuilt kit that retails at $70 going for $30.

USAGS will regularly get Koto kits in and new releases but by no means believe them when they say a kit is USAGS exclusive. Remember to check HLJ as well. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll do my best to answer them!!

[jeremiah-fisher]

you and me,

—a the summer i turned pretty fic starring my first and favourite book boyfriend, jeremiah fisher ♡

「moments: happiness, reader insert」

author’s note: ahh, we're finally at the end. the absolute very end. i am on the verge of tears as i type this. please excuse the emotional word vomit of this author's note for the sake of my mental duress upon the conclusion of what is, arguably, my favourite fic i have ever written, thank you.

as many of you know, this fic began two days after the premiere of 'the summer i turned pretty' on prime video. at first, this fic was only meant to have a maximum of ten chapters. the original plot was simple, short, and sweet—absolutely nothing like what this fic has transformed into. but i'm so grateful for that redirection from god. i think, if i had stuck with the first plot, i never would have been able to write the incredible story that was written.

this fic means the world and more to me. i cannot put into words how many times i was excited to write it, how many times i was frustrated because of it, and how many tears i shed for the characters i hold so dear. these characters, almost all whom do not belong to me, are everything. they really, really are. especially and particularly, jeremiah and daisy. they really wrote this story themselves, i think. i was just the one typing up their adorable romance.

after all these months, this fic has finally reached a well-deserved conclusion. through all the happy times and the sad ones, the best and worst of them, thank you for sticking by these dumb-dumbs and rooting for their love. i hope this fic made you as joyous to read as it was for me to write.

lastly, i'd like to make a dedication. this fic is dedicated to every person who has ever fallen in love with their best friend. i hope the love you dream about is infinitely more beautiful in reality. and so, for one last time, happy reading~! :]

JEREMIAH

“Jeremiah.” 

The voice which utters my name is soft spoken; delicate in a way which surprises me. All my life, I have compared her to a sergeant general. A lawmaker. Someone who lives by her moral code day in and day out, and never backs down from it. When we were kids, Belly used to say that scared her. That she would be exactly like her mother someday–cold, detached, lonely. Now, I look at her differently than before. 

Laurel is my mother’s best friend. Her sister for life. They went through everything together from that first moment they met in college. Even with my mother gone, Laurel never stopped being who she is to us, to my mother. When us kids don’t visit Mom’s grave for some time, she gathers us and makes us go. When it’s Mom’s birthday, Laurel bakes her favourite cake and we sit and we eat it together and we watch home movies and we cry. 

On a day as special as today, I’m glad I have her with me. 

“Hey, Laur,” I say with a wide smile. Laurel always says she loves my smiles, and I love smiling for her, too. I give her a hug. She’s smaller than she used to be, her bones frailer than before. But she’s still Laurel Park. She’s still my favourite grown-up. “How are you?”

Laurel takes a seat on one of the only empty chairs in the room. Every other one is piled with suit jackets, undershirts, and shoes. They belong to my groomsmen, all of whom are outside right now helping with last minute details for the wedding.

“Isn’t that what I should be asking you?” Her smile warms me up as she looks at me. “How is our favourite golden retriever today?”

I shrug, knowing I can be honest with her over everyone else. “A little nervous, but more excited.” Then, because it’s Laurel, I go, “I miss Mom.”

Laurel nods, her lips rising into a sad smile. “I know you do, kid. Today’s a very special day. She talked about it all the time. Seeing you at the altar with YN walking towards you. It was her dream.”

“It was?” I ask. Laurel stands and walks towards me. Her touch is gentle as she pats my hair then runs her fingers through it exactly the way my mother once did. “Oh, that feels good.” 

Her laugh swims through the air and lands happily in my ears. When I look up at her, her eyes are watery. I can count on one hand all the times I have seen Laurel get emotional. Once in the hospital when my mother passed and then at the cemetery where we buried her. 

“Even though she’s not here, I know Beck is somewhere up above smiling down on her boys every single day.”

“Laur, you don’t believe in heaven.” 

“I do. When it comes to the people I love, I do.” Her face is tender as she peers at me, long and hard, as if she is painting me inside her memory. As if I will fade away. Mom always said that YN and Belly were like the daughters she never had. I wonder, was it the same for Laurel? Does she look at me and Conrad the same way she looks at Steven, like her sons? “Now, come on. We need to get you ready for the rest of your life.”

A tiny, fond smile spreads across my lips. “The rest of my life,” I whisper to myself, not being able to believe it. In less than two hours, I will be standing at the altar on our stretch of beach, at the summer house we all grew up in, watching as the girl I have always loved walks towards me. And I can’t wait. 

. . . 

With just a few minutes to go before I am expected to find my spot at the altar, I am all alone in my childhood bedroom, standing in front of the dresser my mother picked out for me before I was born. It has all the stuff I put on it at ages six and eight and ten and seventeen. All the way down to the bottle of perfume Dad let me ‘borrow’ when I was fourteen, trying to impress YN with cologne. It’s my signature scent now, even though I never finished Dad’s bottle. 

I pick it up and gently spray it over my skin, making sure I hit the right spots. As I go to put it back down, someone opens the door and walks in. It’s Conrad, and he has an envelope in his hand. 

“Hey, Jere,” my brother says, walking over to deliver the envelope to me. He sets it down on the dresser. “Mom wanted me to give this to you on your wedding day. So… here.”

I look down at the envelope, half knowing what it is and halfway about to cry. This entire day has been hard to get through without crying. Every time I think these are the last of my tears, I find something new to bawl about. 

“What is it?”

Conrad’s lips tug up in a small smile. “What do you think? I got one, too, remember? Laurel gave it to me when Belly and I got married.”

A chuckle escapes me as I pick up the envelope, turning it over to find my mother’s handwriting and the words To Jeremiah, my angel. I glance at my brother again. “I can’t believe you married her so fast. She wasn’t running away, you know.”

“She spent a whole year in Spain when she wouldn’t talk to me. After she came back, it took me so long to get her to agree to marry me. I wasn’t going to mess up with her again.” He leans back against the dresser. “Sometimes… I feel like Mom watches me make all these bad choices when it comes to Belly and haunts me in my dreams until I fix things.” 

“That does sound like something Mom would do,” I laugh, opening the envelope to discover a folded letter inside. “You wanna read this with me, big bro?” 

Conrad shakes his head and heads for the door again. “Spend some time with Mom, Jere. I’ll see you out there soon.”

As soon as he is gone, I take a seat on the edge of my bed and open the letter. Then, I start to read, knowing more tears are on their way. Mom has always known exactly when I need her, and today most of all. 

My dearest Jeremiah, 

My darling boy, more than anything else today, I hope you are happy. From the moment you were born and I held your little body in my arms, your happiness is all I ever hoped for.

I worried about you so very much when you were little. Just like every mother does. I worried if you were healthy, if you were being treated well, if you were loved as best as you love. That heart of yours is my favourite part of you. Your big, loving heart. I was so happy when you met your Daisy because I knew you had met someone with a heart perfect for yours. 

Today is your wedding day, and even though I am not with you, know that I am. In your heart, I will always be with my angel. You brought your mother so much happiness, Jeremiah. Never forget that. 

I used to dream about your wedding day so often. I wanted you to wear blue so your eyes would shine on your special day. I wanted to see YN in a wedding dress with tiny little daisies on it. I wanted to see you both so happy. I hope that you are. 

I told YN this long ago and I will say it to you now: watching you and her find each other was one of the greatest joys of my life. I’m happy knowing that you both will love each other the best that two people can. 

If love is anything, it is the two of you, together. 

My Jeremiah, my perfect boy, I miss you and I love you with all my heart. 

Be happy forever and ever. 

All of my love always,

Mom

. . . 

YN

Jeremiah is smiling at me. He smiles and smiles and smiles so much that I think his smiles could rival the sun behind him. A few times, I have to squint to see him properly, and this only makes him smile some more. 

Four months ago, we got engaged. Today, we are getting married. It is the middle of August, it is excruciatingly hot, and me and my future husband are standing in front of each other on the beach with the summer house behind us. The decision to have our wedding here was a natural one; something like fate, like serendipity. This is the place we fell in love. It is fitting then that it should also be the place where we promise ourselves to each other forever. 

I’m a little jittery as the officiant asks me to begin with my vows. I wrote them the same night Jeremiah asked me to marry him. He was exhausted after surfing and fell asleep on the couch with the TV on. I sat on the dinner table, in Susannah’s favourite spot, and wrote and wrote until my fingers bled. By the end, I had written well over five pages and one quick call with Belly and Taylor and then my mother and sister told me I would have to cut some things out. Now, I have each and every word memorised and I want nothing more than to say them to the man smiling at me like I am the most precious person to him. In his heart, I know I am.

My hands begin to shake. I start to reach for my dress with tiny daisies on it, ready to pinch my thigh, and without saying a word, Jeremiah reaches for it, holding it in his own as I struggle to catch my breath. His skin on mine is all I need to know that everything, all of this, is going to be okay. We’re together, me and him. That is all that matters.

“Jeremiah,” I start, my voice quieter than I thought it would be. I lick my lips, and he grins. For a moment, he almost looks ten years old again. Exactly like the little boy who made my heart beat differently; made it skip a beat when no one else ever had.

“Yes, Mrs. Fisher?” Our audience laughs and I stick my tongue out at him. 

I squeeze his hands then pick up his right to kiss the back of it. I look back up to find his eyes a little more watery, a little bit more in love. With a calmer breath, I begin again. “Jeremiah Fisher, you are the love of my life. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember. When we were just kids, when we were teenagers, when we were in college, to now, and forever. When we met and you called me Daisy, I knew you were going to be special. No other boy had ever been so bold.” This grants us another laugh from our friends and family. Jeremiah holds onto me a little harder, and I thank him for it. I’m crying now, tears streaming down my face, and his fingers are perfect on my skin as they brush them away. “Everything I know about love, I learned from loving you, and being loved by you in return. I know it’s not possible, but I wish I could show you what it’s like inside my heart. I want you to know what it’s like to be loved by you. How precious it is. How sweet and wonderful. As a kid, it was so hard to keep my love for you a secret because every time you fed me Skittles, or bought me ice-cream, or snuck into my bedroom, all I wanted to do was tell you. But then you told me and I was so happy. Happy just like I am right now. Thank you for loving me, for making me your wife. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life falling in love with you again and again everyday. It’s always been you and me, Jere.” I take in a shaky breath and look up at the great, big sky above us, touching the bracelet on my wrist. It’s the most perfect afternoon with the sun bright and alluring, the clouds high and fluffy, and the colours of a summer day. I know she will hear me when I say this. “Susannah, I miss you and I love you, and I promise I will take care of your angel until my very last breath.”

Jeremiah rushes forth to kiss me as the last of my tears drip down my cheeks and the last of my words fall from my lips. Our friends and family let out hoots and hollers and “aww’s” and I sink into his kiss, feeling his smile form on the lips I love. When he pulls away, he is reluctant, and I hold onto his hand to give him some comfort as he starts his own vows.

“YN, I…” My name is hardly said before he chokes out a sob, stumbling over his emotions. I step closer to him and gently cup the side of his face. He kisses my palm, nodding and knowing he can keep going with me by his side. His sea blue eyes are radiant, complimenting the colour of his suit. He went with Steven to pick it out last month, and originally, it was supposed to be white. But then he thought about Susannah, and how she would have loved him in the colour which suits him best. I could not be more grateful. Jeremiah sniffles, rubbing just under his nose for a second. Then he finds my eyes again. I smile to give him courage. “YN, loving you… it’s not only the best thing I’ve ever done, it’s also the easiest. You make it so easy to love you, did you know that? Everything you do makes me fall in love with you a little more everyday. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing or where you are, I always love you. And I think about you so much. You’ve always been right by my side. Through thick and thin. When I struggled with school or when I lost my Mom, you were there the whole time. I know it sounds crazy but I knew I was going to marry you when I was a kid. I promised myself that I would. From the moment we met, you were it for me.” He squeezes my hand as I begin to cry again. “You’re my best friend, you’re my Daisy. No one makes me happier than you. I love you, forever and ever.”

I don’t hold back the least bit when I surge forward to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him hot and solid, in front of everyone we love and hold dear. He catches me by the waist, our tear stained cheeks and smiles a bridge of love between our mouths. He whispers I love you on mine and I whisper back, I love you more.

. . .

TEN YEARS LATER

We are driving down familiar roads, singing along to songs from our childhood, and when I look to my left, there he still is–my Jeremiah.

The years have been abundantly good to him. His jaw is stronger now, his skin glowing, his hair a little more wavy than curly, and his hand on the steering wheel with the ring I put on his finger so long ago. No one but us knows about the engravings inside them. 

My Fishie on his. 

My Daisy on mine. 

It is his eyes which are the same. The ones which never change. They are just as blue, just as beautiful, as the first day I looked into them. Back then, I didn’t know that those eyes are the ones I would gaze longingly into for the rest of my life. And more. If there is a life after this one, then I hope it is still his eyes I find on another summer day.

We are driving to Cousins Beach. From my approximation, we are less than minutes away from the summer house. Our bellies are full from potato chips and slushies, and we have two giggling children in the backseat. A boy and a girl. Jace and Suzy. 

It’s the start of summer vacation, and the very last time our family will be driving up here for the summer. By January, we will officially move our lives here. Mr. Fisher asked Jeremiah to head the very first Fisher Bank in Cousins and I am going to work in a lab downtown, continuing my genetics research. The kids will live here year round and during the summers, their cousins and friends will come to make memories with them. Just like Jeremiah and I did. 

He honks the horn four times in succession as soon as the car is on the driveway. The kids laugh and hold their hands up against their ears, making me shake my head at my husband. He grins at us, his smile so big that my heart stutters. 

“Gotta make sure they hear, ya know?” 

“Daddy, it’s too loud!” Suzy whines, hmphing at her father. She has never liked loud noises, whilst her big brother is the total opposite.

Jeremiah unbuckles his head and turns around. His smile never loses its shine as he looks at our kids. “First one to the door gets to eat Jell-O for dinner tonight!” With that, the kids are jumping out of their seats and running fast for the front door where Belly, very pregnant and smiling, welcomes them in.

I unbuckle my own belt, ready to go in after them, when Jeremiah softly catches my arm. I look back at him, curiosity spreading over my features. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to tell you something,” he says, almost whispering it like he’s unsure of what he wants to say. “But I’m scared to say it.”

I set him with an ‘are you kidding me?’ sort of look. “Just tell me.”

He nods behind me, towards my old summer house. Last I heard, my father had left it empty. The house belongs to our family, and from time to time, we go over there, even if just to reminisce. Esme brings her family, her new husband and the kids, and our parents come, too.

“Your dad gave the house away.”

My eyes widen. “What?! When?! Why?! Why didn’t he tell me?!”

Jeremiah digs into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a pair of keys. A very familiar pair of keys. The keys to the front and back doors of my old summer house. He smiles, a little shy and very much adorable, and tells me, “He told me he wanted us to have it. I know two houses is crazy, especially when they’re right next to each other, but I was thinking we could do some renovations and build a pathway between them so everyone can move back and forth easily. And we can plant some more trees, and give Gerald a family of his own, too.”

I sit back in my seat and smile. No matter how long we have been together, Jeremiah Fisher never fails to make me lose my mind in the best ways imaginable. “I love you, you big dumb-dumb. It’s a great idea.”

He grins, and I pinch his cheeks just because. “Really?”

I lean in and kiss his lips. His soft, perfect lips I have kissed so many times and never get tired of. “Yes, really. I’m happy.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m always happy with you.” With that, I kiss him one more time then slip out of the car, walking out to greet Belly who is trying her hardest to make it down the porch steps without falling. “Be careful, Bells! My God-child is in there!” Belly and Conrad have two kids already, and when they announced a third, I made sure me and Jeremiah were the only ones on the God-parent list. 

She gives me a look of discontent but I just smile and walk over to hug her whilst Jeremiah passes by us, kissing her hair, as he takes our bags inside. I help Belly back up, and just as we make it to the door, Steven’s car pulls into the driveway and he honks five times. Jace comes running out at once, slipping between me and Belly’s legs, and runs down the porch steps to Steven’s car. At hardly ten years old, my son is fast enough to play on his school’s soccer team and he loves every second of it. 

As soon as Gia, Steven’s oldest child, opens the door, he flings himself at her in a ginormous hug. Steven gives me a look, but I just shrug, my heart lifting at the happy thought as I wave to him, his wife, and Laurel, who is not alone. Surprisingly, Cleveland is with her and I just know Jeremiah will spend the entirety of dinner tonight hounding the two of them with questions about their relationship.

At night, when all the kids are tucked away in bed and the adults are watching a movie in the living room, I find myself peering out the window to see Jeremiah down by the water’s edge. I put my cup of tea on a table and grab a shawl and my slippers, heading out to be with him. He doesn’t startle when I take my spot beside him, as if he knew exactly who was going to be by his side. I suppose, after being together as long as the two of us have been, some things are no longer a surprise.

I watch him for a moment, just the side of his face. He is smiling, albeit faintly, but I know, just by one look, what he’s thinking about. Or rather, who is on his mind. No matter how many times we come here and go back, she is the one person whom he is reminded of over and over.

“I think,” I say, breaking the silence delicately, “Jace has a crush.” 

Jeremiah chuckles, turning his head a bit to gaze at me. “On who?”

“Gia.”

His eyes widen, and then we both break out into a fit of laughter. 

“Oh, Stevie’s gonna be so mad,” he laughs, shaking his head. “He said he made Gia promise she wouldn’t date until she finished college.”

I roll my eyes, smiling despite the idea. “Steven needs a reality check. Gia’s only ten.”

Jeremiah knocks his shoulder against mine. “So were we, when we fell in love.”

“I did not fall in love with you at ten years old, Jeremiah Fisher.” But even as I say it, I know it’s a lie. Because I did. I really, sincerely did. 

My husband pulls me into a hug at his side, his arm going around me. We listen to the waves crash against the shore as he says, “You’re right. That happened before we were even born.” 

I giggle, my heart skipping that same beat again. That beat which belongs entirely to him. “You’re getting cheesier by the day, did you know that?” He kisses the top of my head and hugs me again, as if he is terrified I might disappear into nothing. I reach between us to intertwine our hands, feeling his fingers so perfectly in tune with my own. “I miss her, too,” I whisper, bringing our hands up so I can kiss the back of his. “Every day.”

Jeremiah breathes in, as if finally doing so for the first time tonight. “I feel like there’s a hole in my chest all the time. I want something to fill it… but nothing does. And I miss her. I wish she could see us now. You and me, and our kids. And Belly and Con, and Steven and Laurel.” He looks out at the ocean. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life missing her.” 

I turn in his arms so I can gather his face in my palms. I know my eyes are teary and I should be the strong one right now, but when he gets like this, I’m not. I’m just as broken as he is, and I wish for the same things he does. “If Susannah were here right now, I know she would want me to say this to you.” I search his eyes for understanding, and when I find it, I take a steady breath and tell him, “I love you. Even with your mother gone, you have to know she’s close. And she’s smiling at you and our family and she’s so happy to see you happy. That’s all she ever wanted for any of us.” 

He nods, smiling through his tears. He brings me back into his arms again, settling me on his lap like he does every time he needs me close. I wrap my arms around his body, hugging him with everything inside of me. 

“I love you,” he whispers into the darkness, his voice like a melody in my ears. “I love you more and more as the years go by. How is that possible?”

I bring my head back around to grin at him. “Because I’m just so incredible.”

He holds me at the waist. His eyes scan my face, and I don’t know what he is looking for but when he finds it, so much of the sadness in his eyes flies away. “Wanna go get ice cream?”

I don’t hesitate. “Always.”

[glindaupland]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | October 8-14th, 2023 [REVIEWS]

Wow it's about time I posted these reviews that I kept lying about (this week! tomorrow! in 10 years!) Better late than never?

In this post I'll drop a few general things about the production, but the performances are analyzed in my reviews linked here. I recommend reading those all in order since I revisit points about actors I've made previously along the way to avoid repeating myself. Also leaving a disclaimer that these performances are from October so there are some changes in what the actors are doing now (with the exception of Jeon Dong-seok since he left in November) Apologies in advance for my wordiness, but this is more of a "release my feelings for my sake and if anyone else likes it that's cool too" kind of thing? Listen - I wrote a lot of notes on my performances there. So just go in knowing this is the more coherent version of my insane looking notes app!

Before I start I want to thank a few lovely friends who helped me out with this trip because it wouldn't have gone as well as it did without them!

Thank you to @lucygold95 for helping me so much with planning over the past months and for giving me the best time in Busan. Thank you @capitanogiorgio for all the shenanigans we went through and the most special time going to the 1500th and meeting Yoon Young-seok. Thank you to @fadinglandtragedy for the fun talks and the good advice before my trip! The best part of things like this is making friends of course! : )

PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:

| October 8, 2023 | October 11, 2023 | October 12, 2023 | | October 13, 2023 (M) | October 13, 2023 (E) | October 14, 2023 |

STAGE & THEATER

This was as close to the original staging as possible. So I was able to take it in one more (or I guess 6 more?) times post-Broadway closing. The Charlotte Theater is a lot smaller than the Majestic so every view was pretty solid in my opinion, even the second to last row. I took a video of my view from 4th row under the chandelier during the exit music on October 11th so you can see! The angel and chandelier are shown halfway through. I'd say 5th row was almost the cut off for the chandelier drop (that was my spot next day) Broadway seats in this area were always too expensive for me so I'm glad I was able to grab these spots for this production

There were photo zones you can take pics at which you've probably seen. One was a large rose wall, the other was the cute statue of their mascot 오유령. People also take forever lining up for the cast boards for photos and yes I was one of those people. Here's a comparison of the cast boards from the second season (pictures I found when reading old reviews on Naver) and the cast boards now (I forgot to take a photo of one on the top floor though)

I found this review where someone took more detailed clean photos than I did if you're curious about the layout and decorations!

MERCH AND GIFTS

The tickets had these designs! If you booked on Yes24, you received a special envelope and a ticket holder with the face of the Phantom performing for that show

I only didn't receive a second Ju-taek because that was booked on another site - Interpark (bottom middle ticket). I also received paper masks with printed autographs every day I went to commemorate the 200th performance of the run/100th for Seoul and the 1500th overall Korean performance. We used them for the curtain call photos on those two dates (with Jeon Dong-seok then Kim Ju-taek). There are multiple versions of the program book and at the time of writing this I have all except the Daegu one. The first Busan program book was pretty bare and only had the teaser pictures - the same was the case for my Les Mis program book in Busan. -There are different photos in each one, so to me it was worth grabbing them all. My third version signed by Kim Ju-taek is currently on display as you can see below! (The writing says "내 노래를 날게 해 주오 - Make my song take flight") Once again thank you to Lucy for this! 🥹❤️

Here's some of my POTO merch (including a spare cupsleeve from the coffee shop next door, I also had a keyring, but I forgot to show it) RIP to the second program book I sacrificed for scans I still have the pages stored/displayed though! I'm not wasteful! I'll have more to post soon after sharing these reviews

TRANSLATION

Let me emphasize this: my Korean abilities are limited, so don't look to me as the expert on this at all. But I'll still share my notes and perspective as an outsider who's studying The lyrics have changed quite a bit since 2001-2. There are still lines kept or songs that are mostly similar. MOTN had a lot of similarity to 2009-11 even with its changes, STYDI was identical to 2009-11, but Angel of Music was pretty different from even the last season, etc etc. The Phantoms all have unique lines sprinkled here and there, mainly in MOTN (this happens sometimes in Korean musicals). You get some things like random single line changes in some parts depending on the actor or different order/wording of the same lines as well. Just tiny diversions from the script. This is the case for the Christines and Raoul to a lesser extent. Additionally, actors are often permitted to do some occasional improvisation/ad libs. Some unique lines are pretty normal parts of their interpretations now, some appear depending on the feeling of the performance, some are one time only events. I'll mention some of the actor-specific ones and such in their actual reviews, but I have been trying to mark down all of the differences like these for example

Of course, some things obviously have to be adjusted to make sense because of cultural / linguistic reasons. So one example would be the "Wrote...written" line in Notes I. Firmin speaks rudely and informally, but quickly tries adding a more respectful ending particle 요 after Raoul and André give him a shocked 'what did you just say?' kind of look. So "대체 뭘 썼다고 하는 건데...요!" is pretty much like "What the hell are you saying I wrote?" André would look so embarrassed by this each time 🫣

퇴근길 / STAGE DOOR

Stage door doesn't really work the same as it does in places like New York, London, etc. Most of the time if an actor comes out it's more like a quick greeting or chat with the fans. Some actors (not in this case) might sign or take photos in designated spots, but it really depends and it's not so common. It's gotten more restricted ever since COVID as well. 퇴근길 -> "way home from work" is literally what this is called. Dong-seok did wave at us a few times happily after the 200th performance, Gun-ha briefly came out to thank fans after the 1500th while Ceci and I waited to meet Young-seok who had agreed to meet us. I did not have the time (or strength) for the Seung-woo mob, but he usually greets fans after shows.

I literally asked Yoon Young-seok directly on Instagram if Ceci and I could meet him and give him gifts because I figured it didn't hurt to try! When he agreed, my anxiety was not necessarily about meeting an actor, but more about my ability to express my thoughts in another language. But he was truly the sweetest guy and incredibly patient. I think he got that I understood everything he said, but that replying was a whole other challenge. I'm glad I was making enough sense that he was able to get my points and helped me finish sentences if I looked stressed about it 😂 I basically told him I had been planning this trip since the cast announcement because it was too perfect to miss and that I came for 6 shows. I really like to listen to his Phantom on the cast recordings and I thought he made the shows I had seen so far so much fun.

We both said where we were from (the US and France) and he was amazed. He was also shocked when I pulled out my original Korean cast recording (I still laugh thinking about the way he said "와, 세상에!" like "Wow, oh my god!" and enthusiastically took it agreeing to sign when I was mid-way asking him haha) I also thought it was funny when he asked Ceci if she saw his Phantom last season. We wish! But she mentioned she had gone to Busan a few times and he looked very touched and appreciative that we went to multiple performances 🥹 This poor man was tired he signed our things with November (11.13) though and he also spelled Ceci's name wrong first time, but it was the 1500th show though okay. And if he says it's November...who are we to question him? Ceci should also legally change names so he isn't wrong. Anyway, ramble over you can find the art we made for him in this post

OTHER

Here's just bonus fun I had that I will manage to connect to POTO despite it not being POTO because I love doing that. I mean I went because I like these musicals as well (otherwise I would've been foolish enough to go see Ben-Hur but I have, uh, standards for my plots sorry to Park Eun-tae 😭), but it's fun to point out these things. I'm happy to share my show experiences in a different post if anyone's interested in my thoughts on those

Rebecca

I went to see Rebecca, mainly focused on seeing a scheduled date for 이지혜 Lee Ji-hye (Ich) and 장은아 Jang Eun-ah (Mrs Danvers). The whole cast was fantastic. Some Korean musicals have special encore bits they do where the leads sing a part of a song from the show during bows so that was really fun. Unfortunately, we don't get to have fun at POTO like that haha

Lee Ji-hye was in Y&K Phantom as Christine in the same cast as Jeon Dong-seok (Erik), Yoon Young-seok (Gérard Carrière), and Lee Sang-jun (Cholet). Two other cast members in Rebecca were in Y&K as well - 에녹 Enoch (Maxim) who was Philippe and 신영숙 Shin Young-sook (Mrs Danvers) who was Carlotta. Sadly, they had such few shows this season due to a busy schedule, so I couldn't see them (when will trot give Enoch back to musicals). Original Korean ALW Raoul and Y&K Erik 류정한 Ryu Jeong-han was also on rotation as Maxim, but I picked another day for my show so I didn't see him either

Les Misérables

I went to opening night of Les Mis in Busan! It was the Dream Theater, same place POTO played at before. As many of you already know, Choi Jae-rim is playing Jean Valjean at the same time as the Phantom.

I could recognize him easily as the Phantom, but honestly when he appeared at the very start of Les Mis it took me a minute to process that it was him! While I did enjoy his Phantom a lot, I think I enjoyed his Valjean performance a little more. It was only opening night, so curious to see how things develop!

The actor who played Javert that night, 카이 Kai (stage name), was a former Y&K Erik for two seasons too. So many Phantoms!

Frankenstein

On the last day I got to see Dong-seok and Ji-hye once more in a concert for the musical Frankenstein which they have been in together. So have some pics I took without a mask blocking his face!

Ending Note

Thinking back to December 2022 when I said: "Maybe I'll go to Seoul and see Dong-seok once or twice and that's it, I can have my first international POTO" That was funny. That was really very very funny and silly of me to say. 9 performances and 6 of those were POTO! But I'm so grateful and I have zero regrets about it. This is one of the best experiences I've had even if it might look ridiculous to some people to do something like this...I don't care! I hope my crazy essays can help paint a good picture for you!

[handsome-jacks-bottom-bitch]

Alright, let's talk about Easter in November, and by Easter, I mean easter eggs. The Borderlands franchise is chalk full of them, some obvious, some not. I'm gonna go over some of my personal favorites. Note, I'm not gonna go over EVERY easter egg, as that would take all day, so instead, I'll include the others in some future posts.

First easter egg I want to tell you about is in Borderlands 3. It's real easy to find, as it's a whole quest. Ever watch the best movie of all time, The Room, created by the best mind of anyone's generation, Tommy Wiseau? No? What are you doing with your life?

Well, regardless if your cultured or not, Tommy Wiseau makes a special appearance in his own quest "Buff Film Buff", located in Devils Razor. This quest becomes available once you've completed the main story quest "Blood Drive". The whole quest entails you helping Tommy Wiseau, or "Buff", get his film on the big screen for all to see, instead of the Calypso Twins propaganda videos.

Next easter egg is a smaller, more obscure one, but I still thoroughly enjoyed stumbling across it. In Borderlands 2, in the head hunter dlc "T.K. Bahas Bloody Harvest", you can come across a fun egg to classic horror films "The Blair Witch Project", "The Ring" and "Poltergeist". Scattered about the map are three televisions to find, and upon approaching them, little scenes will pop up referencing the films. They can be found in hidden, off the map areas.

You ever watch a movie and at the end, you sort of just sit there and think "what the hell did any of that mean?" Well, that was me watching Stanley Kubricks "2001: A Space Odyssey". So, imagine my confusion when I stumbled upon the all infamous monolith in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. If you head to Stantons Liver, search out the cave to the east of the map. It'll be chalk full of torks, so you'll know it when you see it. There will be a little opening towards the back of the cave. Hop in and follow the path, until you find it. The monolith. There will be some enemies in the area, so take them out, and then touch the monolith. You'll touch it about three times, each time taking you to a little area referencing different scenes from the film. At the end, you'll be greeted with a weapons chest, and that all too weird baby in space.

This particular easter egg is probably one the most known ones, but it's also one of my favorites. It first showed up in Borderlands 1, and even made a comeback in Borderlands 2, offering a little challenge if you go find it. I'm of course, talking about the hidden Claptrap of Fyrestone. In the town of Fyrestone, you can climb up onto a little fence when you first enter. Make it up to see onto the cliff, and you can find a green Claptrap unit waving and greeting you. Fast forward to Borderlands 2. Return to Fyrestone and follow the same path, however this time, you can approach the unit. Unfortunately, due to Jack destroying the product line, the Claptrap unit is now dead. However approaching it will reward you the challenge "Hey! Over here!" for 5 badass points. There's also a red chest waiting for you!

Those are just some of my favorites, but I don't want to make this post *too* long, as I could write all day. I'll make posts about other easter eggs in the future. In the meantime, I'm working on a thesis of sorts as to why Handsome Jack isn't as terrible as he may seem, and also a detailed telling of his entire backstory, working through all the plot inconsistencies that have shown up throughout the games.

[jessfastlane]

alright, i'm gonna let autism take the wheel on this one.

i saw a twitter post showing Tessa most likely has a prosthetic arm and i needed to double-check it wasn't an animation error due to perspective. here's the scene the tweet showed and you can sorta see her upper-right arm is slimmer than her left.

its consistent with the upper arm size difference seen here, later in ep 5.

visuals alone dont feel like enough for me tho, seeing as the models tend to warp a lot, especially with Tessa (the animators express her emotion through more exaggerated movements). you can see her neck is really long in this one frame, for example.

also some frames dont look definitive enough to call

but there are other, smaller details that line up with this theory! for example, the chain in her bedroom is attached to her left arm. if her right arm is prosthetic then she could just remove the arm if the chain was there but her parents would know about that.

she also throws with her left arm which makes sense

she holds the gun with her right hand in two scenes which is interesting to note, but she can clearly use her fingers on that hand so its not a big deal

there's probably more i missed but thats all i noticed.

in conclusion, uhhh, im autistic and like this show.

side-note: i'm 100% convinced that we wont see Tessa without the silhouette effect. humans are hard to animate and i imagine the team wants to avoid an uncanny valley situation, plus it keeps the style consistent.

my theory is that the effect is intentionally built into the drones' visors. it's shown to be glitchy, like the humans were digitally removed from the shot, and lore-wise it could be a privacy feature for humans that don't want their faces constantly observed by sentient recording devices. like, we see in ep 1 that N records memories in a video format, so national laws surrounding the recording of people without their consent probably applied back on Earth.

[scummy-writes]

How do you deal with writer's block? How do you execute ideas even with writer's block?

ohhh this is a good question. I may not have good answers.

It may depend on the type of writer's block you have, as I feel like there isn't just one singular over-encompassing type.

Sometimes, the writer's block is having all the inspiration, but nothing is coming out. This one plagues me the most because 90% of my fanfics and similar nowadays are just me daydreaming 24/7, and writing some of those daydreams down. Like a lil movie in the background. In theory I could write so much, but I struggle with actually putting pen to paper and considering the actual word choices used.

What I end up doing here is read or....write.... So the reading I try to find a published book that is different from my usual writing style and removed from fandomism, this is to personally help me distance myself from fanfic a little, to see how the pacing in a longer piece may be- which can help with learning to describe 'smaller' scenes and movements, or see how the writer handles scene transitions and similar. And, well, I read! And when I'm reading, I will usually pick the writing apart.

"I really like the way the writer described this movement, how could I describe that in my own words?" , "Wow, you can see how these last few paragraphs built up the foreshadowing for this turn of events, lets break down how they did that." , and... well... sometimes it does turn into "Yikes!! I really dislike that!!! If I were to rewrite that in my own way, how would that go...?"

And I've found that I often struggle to finish books, because I'll get that train of thought going so much that I'll have to put down the book to actually write.

Another thing I will do is that I will open up a wip, have it in a window taking up half my screen, then open a blank document to put on the other half, and rewrite everything word for word. This often helps me catch mistakes, odd sentences, and similar, and it's an easy way to simulate actually being able to write without having the 'blank document woes' where I'm too scared to defile a blank document. I find that once I get in the process of this with some good music, once I catch up to where my wip left off, I've rewritten a few sentences or added in more details I thought of with a fresh mind, and I'm able to go past where I initially left off.

(thats how I set up the screen)

If it's the type of writer's block where you have NO ideas, no will to write and only the vague *want* to write............ you may need some rest. A lot of people talk about social batteries, on how people need to recharge after a social function with some alone time or similar, and then their battery feels recharged! well... You need to do that for creative outlets as well!! You need to make sure you're taking care of your body, and also your mind. Recharge your creative mind by reading, watching, and listening to new or old and beloved things! Play a fun video game with a story that's interesting to you, read a cheesy romance novel, maybe even just clean some dishes and daydream as you do so. Once you remove 'gotta write gotta write gotta write gotta write' from the equation, and chilling out a bit, you end up getting inspired again after a while.

Typically with this one, I will end up writing notes that are very. bland.

So... if it's neither of those, or you have tried a lot of these things, then my next advice would be to try some basic writing exercises. Look up prompt lists, try to write the first thing that comes to mind when one catches your eye- i dont care if it's shakespeare or dahl, you just smack it down on paper. Much like drawing, you gotta do warm ups with writing! it helps a lot when you're stuck! If prompts don't work, move on to rewriting a classic story scene or story in general with your favorite characters, think about how they would act in the situation instead and rewrite it. If its fanfiction, look at some of the events in the game or routes, rewrite it with you or your mc, or how you wished the route/event went instead. write with friends! have friends send you prompts or detail a vague outline for you and try your hand at it!

If it stems from being too embarassed to read what you're writing.... turn the text itty bitty and just Type, to where you ignore what you're seeing and are managing to get words down. You can always make the text bigger when you feel less embarassed!

That's what I can offer off the top of my head!! I think there are plenty of more tips than this that exist out there, absolutely, so maybe some folks reading this might be able to offer to explain what helps them!

[dawnexpanse-central]

Infrequently Asked Questions

What is the Dawn Expanse, and why does it exist?

The Dawn Expanse is an aroaceagender worldbuilding project created by @roguetelepaths.

It can best be described as an act of radical imagination— if we only ever see ourselves as outsiders in an allonormative, amatonormative, binary world, then we have no choice but to accept our marginalization. If we build worlds with ourselves at the center, we can become confident enough to center our own needs and aims in this world.

Queer worldbuilding projects of all kinds are important and often neglected tools of empowerment, and this blog would love to connect with others running similar projects.

What do you mean, "aroaceagender worldbuilding project"?

The Dawn Expanse can be loosely compared to Aristasia (though without the reactionary and imperialistic overtones of that project) — a femme lesbian subculture based around a fantasy country where femininity and relationships between women were considered not just default, but a fundamental law of nature. I should note that while this subculture has been made up of people with varying and often abhorrently conservative political positions, it no longer really exists and those I've seen talk the most about it these days are mostly left-leaning trans women. There is no real-world subculture based around the Dawn Expanse, or at least, there isn't one yet, however, the basic principle is the same. The Dawn Expanse is a world in which everyone is aroaceagender. More precisely, it's a world in which gender, sexuality, and romance never had a reason to exist, and therefore do not. The project aims both to provide comfort to those who have the specific experience I'm representing here and to explore the unique social structures of such a world.

So do you hate gender/sex/romance, or people for whom those things are important?

If this blog was devoted to cat videos, would you ask me if I hated dogs?

I'm not aro, ace, and/or agender. Can I read this?

I'm not a cop.

I'm not aro, ace, and/or agender. Will I enjoy this?

I don't know. Will you?

Are you some kind of aroaceagender separatist?

No. The number of different experiences under each of those labels, the incredibly small subcategory of people who fit into all three, and the even smaller fraction of that group that experiences their identities in the same way I do would make an honest to goodness real-world "aroaceagender separatist" position both a laughable one to take and an impossible one to execute.

I am, however, an aroaceagender person who prioritizes my relationships with those who either share my experience or are willing to show that they respect and affirm it.

If the Dawn Expanse doesn't have 🌶️🌶️ spicy romance 🌶️🌶️, what does it have?

Literally everything else? Idk man, is your world so narrow that you think a piece of art has to have that to be interesting? You've got BookTok, 99% of AO3, and many, many sites specifically devoted to written erotica if that's what you're after. Let the rest of us have one thing.

But to answer the question in more detail, the tone of the Dawn Expanse aims to be tonally similar to animated series such as Steven Universe, The Owl House, or She-Ra and the Princesses of Power in its approach to balancing interpersonal conflicts with higher stakes world events. Thematically, it aims to explore community bonds, sense of place or lack thereof, and the false dichotomy of order and entropy.

Can I write my own stories in the Dawn Expanse setting?

Yes! I'll be writing a more detailed post about what to consider when doing this at some point.

Can I run a tabletop campaign in the Dawn Expanse setting?

Absolutely. In fact, one of my eventual goals for this project is a system-agnostic RPG setting guide. (Though, knowing me, it'll probably be biased towards the Cypher System, my favorite do-it-all RPG ruleset.)

You're really mean in some of the replies to these imaginary questions. Why?

I'm tired. That's why. The good news is that if you actually take the time to talk to me in good faith, I'm not nearly this much of an asshole. So the rudeness is probably not directed at you.

[the-autistic-duck-fan]

Alright, first analysis and we're starting with Season 1! Also I'm still finding my style, so sorry if my analysis seems strange.

I quite like season 1, it's a great start to the incredible legacy and franchise that it would become later. There's definitely some awkwardness and growing pains to it, but there's bound to be, it's season 1. And there's still plenty to like about it.

Season 1 is actually a bit hard for me to talk about. (I've tried to write this analysis three times). I'm not 100% sure why this is, but I'm trying my best here without copying others.

First thing I wanna get out of the way. I like both the Ringo Starr narration and the George Carlin narration for this season. I actually grew up with a bit of both. I can't say I think one is better than the other, they both have their own feel and their own strengths in my eyes. Ringo's monotone also makes me laugh in some spots. George Carlin does a good job of giving characters different voices.

Watching it, you can tell they definitely weren't used to the models yet. Things are more static and less detailed in this season in comparison to the following seasons, but it's not bad. They just needed some time (and a bigger budget) to improve the sets. Another interesting thing is the way it's shot, oftentimes with objects in the foreground and engines in the mid or background. I don't know why it's shot this way, but it's not bad, it just caught my attention. I'm no expert on cinematography though, I can't explain it. It kinda feels like photography sometimes (I mean, I know videos are just many pictures being taken all at once, but still), especially with the more limited motion for the season. I think overall they managed to balance it between taking enough time to tell the stories and moving along enough to keep the children's attention, seeing as the show continued on for a long time.

Another thing I like are the mini arcs for the characters. The one that stands out most to me would have to be Henry's. I actually didn't like Henry as a child and I don't really know why. Now that I'm older, I can relate to him actually. Not in the first part of his arc where he's afraid of rain and goes into tunnel, mind you, but once we get to the second part of his arc, where he needs special coal and needs to be sent to crew. I am someone who struggles with chronic pain and autism. I spent a lot of my life being told that I didn't try hard enough or that nothing was wrong with me except me being lazy, much like Henry. (I've learned to cope much better now, thankfully). Seeing Henry get the support he needed just felt nice and I was rooting for him (despite the fact I know exactly how his arc goes). I've heard others say that The Flying Kipper is their favorite episode and I have to agree.

Another smaller arc I like are Gordon and Thomas' shared arc, where both end up in disgrace and the two agree to work together. It ties up the season in a nice little bow, since the season started with Gordon teaching Thomas a lesson.

James' introductory arc was the one I remembered watching the most. I also remember his rather snazzy theme very well. James was my first favorite character. James entered with a spectacular crash and through a few misadventures learned his lesson. (Well, somewhat, but not really). Despite how many times I watched the James episodes, I don't have much to say about them.

I used to never think much about Toby, but I definitely like him more now that I'm older. He's kind and polite, but also takes no shit. I also like his musical theme.

For now, I don't have much to say about Percy, but I'll definitely have more to say about him later on, since he was introduced late into this season. I just wanted to make sure to note that I didn't forget about him. I do like his cheek though, like when he calls out Gordon for saying he's never had an accident or scares Henry with his wheeshing (is that how it's spelled?)

Season 1 overall is a good start to the series. It's definitely iconic and has made a lasting impact. It's not my favorite season, but it's always fun to revisit. Hopefully I could do it some justice here. I actually enjoyed this analysis, even if it took three tries to get anywhere.

[sims-n-blurbs]

I'm gonna discuss some things about the inZOI content coming out - demo play though, build mode demos, and my own demo of the character creator - as well as some of my thoughts about some concerns I've seen folks mention from their own playthrough.

From a money perspective:

In the demos I have seen in both play mode and build mode, inZOI has features and content that EA has put into multiple packs. I'm sure if I went back and looked more in depth, I'd find more. In my run through, I noted ten (10) different EA packs that come as a base-game feature for inZOI.

Get to Work - interactable jobs, it isn't just a rabbit hole every time.

Seasons - there is rain, snow, and windy weather from the jump (and while I haven't seen the leaves change to signify fall in any demos, I'm guessing it'll eventually be built in)

High School - the pier carnival is built into inZOI's Bliss Bay, which is modeled after Santa Monica in California. And the roller coasters and rides are all interactable, with first-person POV so you can "ride the rides" with your zois.

City Living & For Rent - while I'm extremely peeved on my own that these two packs are so far apart in their release from EA anyways, inZOI is creating a city map from the jump, modeled after Seoul in South Korea. From what I can tell from build demos, we'll be able to build our own apartment buildings from the start as well, or edit ready-made buildings.

Smaller packs and kits that come as a base feature is Cool Kitchen, Chef Hustle (or whatever it's called), Bust the Dust, Laundry Day, and many furniture items from Dream Home Decorator (it looks like we'll already have some sectional sofa options).

From a live-mode perspective

I am in the inZOI discord, and I have read through the developer's notes and discussions with the inZOI audience. The developers and designers are taking feedback to heart and are doing a lot in terms of UI design and connectivity in the open world to give players an opportunity to really shape the world they choose to play in. My understanding is that the characters that you don't play will have more independence (comparable to sims neighborhood stories?) and how you have your zois interact with each other will affect the overall wellbeing of the city you manage.

For now, you are limited to choosing one city per family and being stuck there, I haven't seen any gameplay that allows your zoi family to "move out of city" or "move internationally," but that's not to say that the devs haven't thought of it. They could have limited features for creator demos to reduce strain on computers, stress on the game, etc.

It does look more immersive for folks who really care about gameplay and character storylines, I recommend you keep an eye out for gameplay demos (the ones I've been watching can be found here.)

From a build-mode perspective:

I am a builder at heart, I always have been. I really got into building back in the sims 3 and sim city 2, and the sims 4 has been great, for the most part. But I'd be lying if I said it's perfect, and the inZOI build mode looks really promising.

That said, I watched build videos from both a builder and non-builder to get both perspectives on the inZOI UI and build mode features. I am also an interior designer with the intent to get a masters degree in architecture, so I know how to use the tougher programs like AutoCAD, Revit, etc.

The influencer who was a build-centered content creator loved the UI of build mode in inZOI. She did mention some features that caused her to pause, like slightly floating doors off the foundation or deck planks that wouldn't perfectly match up. However, she did find easy workarounds to still create a beautiful test home.

The influencer who was more story-based content and less about building had a more difficult time with the build mode, and I can understand why. The build capabilities are more detailed and customizable, which became overwhelming for her as she tried to navigate some of the features. She did have a hard time placing roofing and bannisters for the space around stairwells, but she hoped the devs would see her feedback and make some changes to help with the additional challenges she had and ease of use for future players.

Features in build mode to note:

We start with four full wall heights and four half-wall heights. It is easy to change the walls with half-walls and vice versa, but to put a bannister you'll have to delete the wall first.

Stairs can be rotated in several ways, and we start off with several variations of ladders (jury is out on if we'll get spiral staircases at game release T_T)

Tons of landscaping items and also home decor items. TONS OF CLUTTER.

You can edit the world (to an extent). For editable buildings and lots, it splits into "edit lot" or "edit sidewalk," but I'm unsure how far the "sidewalk" portion will extend past whatever lot your zoi is going to.

I haven't seen features yet that will allow us to scale items or raise/lower them like with the Sims; however, we do get full customization of furniture finishes, fabrics, and you can even upload your own patterns and artwork to place in frames, create cushions, etc.

From the character creation perspective:

I downloaded the free demo that is up on Steam right now, but will disappear after the 26th. Even from the limited things you can do in it right now, the previews of what's to come are INCREDIBLE. I am someone who loves the Sims for its cartoonish style, but also really loves the immersive realistic style of Cyberpunk 2077. I believe that inZOI will scratch the itch of both games for folks like myself.

The customization capabilities of the face, ears, and body easily rival the sims (EA's eyelash update be damned). The skin texture, nail options, makeup features are all stunning examples of how inZOI is taking the challenges that EA refused to acknowledge for years and is making it a standard moving forward. And that's just the little things.

InZOI has incredible skin tone diversity, but the hair options are a bit lacking. I'm hoping that there will be more options at the release of the game, but I did notice that POC, particularly black folks, seemed limited in hairstyles to match the texture, weight, and depth that their hair has. (I saw a curly-ish shaved head, dreads, and "curly adjacent" as the three options closest to black hair, but it felt like they could have more)

The blush and blemish options were combined for now, so you could have blush with no or few blemishes like freckles, or blush with freckles all over the face. I would love to see these separated somehow and expanded slightly for a more personalized approach, but I understand for demo and release purposes why they would combine them.

Let's talk about the generative AI

I'm a bit confused about this feature, and here's why. While I am very opposed to AI, I did attempt to use the feature once while trying to create a plaid pattern for a skirt I was trying to customize for my zoi. However, the AI couldn't function, blaming it on my computer's processing power (or something adjacent? I'd need to go back to get a screen grab of the original message). This seemed a little absurd to me, as my computer can process much larger programs and files than the creator demo, without issue.

From other content creators I've seen, they haven't had much luck with it either. The AI is super rudimentary and clunky, with many folks are opting not to use it at all while in the character creation mode or in build mode. In my opinion, I think the AI will continue to be a bad feature until enough players use it that the AI can actually learn from requests the players make and improve. And if not enough players interact with it, then it will continue to be bad.

My hope when this game is released is that it can meet the expectations we all have had for the Sims 4 for the past couple of years, while also lighting a fire under EA to improve and stop using an otherwise good game as a cash cow for their own financial gain. The Sims 5 has the potential to match what inZOI is accomplishing now, so long as EA doesn't lose the fanbase they have left to inZOI. I think there is a place for both games to exist peacefully - I know realistic gameplay isn't everyone's cup of tea, and there will be folks who continue to play the Sims because it is an established franchise and meets their expectations. But if the release of inZOI is as promising as it appears, I will most likely step back from sims content until it meets my expectations for simulation games.

In regard to the weird fucking comments about people not trusting the game because it's a Korean dev company, I don't want you to play the game anyways if that's your attitude towards it. Those comments are so unnecessary and disgusting that you can stay away from the inZOI community. I don't even want to engage in conversation with you people personally, I'll just block anyone I see saying shit like that.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading all of this. I appreciate your time.

[nitrosodiumepicfps]

Five more Music-Themed games

This isn't really a genre, since I'm not constricted by only researching "rhythm games". If it's got music and uses it in an interesting way, I'll take a crack at it.

Undertale - I really enjoyed this game in my younger years. Not only was it a well-put-together RPG, but it included pretty good commentary about morality, choice, empathy, and choosing what is right over what is easy. Characters were incredibly memorable, giving you reasons not to kill them, and the world would change based on your actions. You felt like this benevolent being in a world that you have no reason to save, and yet, by pulling on the strongest emotions, these characters, mere sprites and lines of code, could convince you to invest in their lives. The fandom may have been a cesspool rivaling the dark ages of FNAF, and to be honest, I never got interested in Deltarune, but standalone, Undertale was good. Oh, and the music was also amazing. Toby Fox is a ridiculously good composer; the music is well-made, but he also utilises leitmotifs and character themes to create emotional connections and fun nods. For example, Spider Dance - a theme that plays when you fight a spider lady - when played on piano, requires you to play as a duet, i.e. with two sets of hands, as a spider would. The greatest example of this is Hopes and Dreams, one of the last songs you listen to if you're going for true pacifist. I don't know how to spoiler text in Tumblr, so if you haven't played Undertale yet, just don't look at the screen. Essentially, Asriel is the true form of Flowey, that genocidal maniac who has been puppeteering your journey through the Underground. Now freed from his flower form, Asriel wants to reset the entire timeline and bring everything back to how it was. In his theme, the opening track Once Upon A Time can be heard, giving your adventure a cyclic theme, and Flowey's old theme, Your Best Friend, can also be heard at times, connecting back to Asriel's bitter existence in the flower. This is topped off with an orchestral rock theme to the entire track, showing you that this is the climax of the game. Video games are art.

Beatsaber - This one's a classic VR title. I believe it was FUNKe who said that (paraphrasing) most VR games basically boil down to either machinery operation, or swinging a stick. Beatsaber is this idea in its most distilled form, chopping apart blocks to the beat of whatever song you've chosen. Most times, you have to slice a block along the direction of the arrow stamped on it, and there are weird frosted glass blocks that you have to keep your sabers out of. There's really not much I can talk about with this one; in my eyes, it's the Pong of VR games. It's got a sort of interesting aesthetic; geometric shapes, colored lasers and dry ice gives everything an 80s disco theme. What I like about Beatsaber is that it's a VR game that uses its virtual reality to its advantage. Lots of VR games will have you maneuver yourself around with simple button presses from your controllers, and the VR-ness of it is relegated to a 3D graphics card. With Beatsaber, you have to swing the sticks yourself, and the directional blocks keep the movement interesting. I suppose it's closer to osu in the sense that you have to factor in your own speed, reflexes and direction, instead of pressing a key when the arrows line up.

BPM: Bullets Per Minute - I've referenced this game a couple times, but now I get to talk about it in a little more detail. Without just saying "it's like Metal Hellsinger but without vocals and without a sword", there is more to it. The beat-to-beat gameplay is more about hitting the smaller notes, rather than just performing an action to the tempo, as you do in Hellsinger. You know when you're listening to music, and imagining some sort of action-packed sequence unfolding to the rhythm? That's what BPM is. You have to leap, dodge, and shoot, all to the beat, but there's more to it than that. Some weapons have interesting reloads that don't easily fit into the rhythm, like a bolt-action rifle that has four shots on the beat, four cocks on the beat, and then three reload beats. It's hard to explain, but you need to account for the type of rhythm and fit your gun's timing into that. It's a pretty cool idea, and there is a bit of a roguelike element with gear you can switch out to make fights interesting, or add a new mechanic to fit onto the beat.

Serious Sam 2 - This may not seem like it has a unique twist to its music, but I believe it does. This ridiculously over-the-top cartoonish horde shooter is a lot of fun, primarily for all the things it does "wrong". It came out in 2005, when first person shooters were steadily stagnating into slow "piss-filtered" modern military games. Despite this, you juggle something like 15 weapons, fighting through hordes of clowns with explosive cream pies, ogre footballers, giant robot spiders and ripped devils with rocket launchers for hands. Everything is bright and stylised, you can clearly see enemies in the environment, and despite being a horde shooter, the gameplay loop allows you to progress through the enemies instead of being driven back by them. Also, it's just mindless fun to plough through the game's many worlds; there's a jungle world, a gigantic world, a culturally questionable China world, a volcano world, a fantasy world, and then a prison moon, and then a city planet... it goes on for a while. There's unique music for each level (not just each world), and not only that, but the level's music is split into different themes - a "peace" track, a "tension" track and a "fight" track. If you're just walking along, it plays the peace track. If you're near enemies, or escaping from combat, it plays the tension track. If you're in the middle of a fight, it plays the fight track. All of these share similar leitmotifs, so it appears like the music flares up organically depending on what situation you find yourself in. It's a pretty good system all things considered. Other games of the time with dynamic soundtracks would loop different parts of the ambience based on your situation (like Thief or the original Far Cry) but I don't know of many that had different tracks for your sitation, except maybe Deus Ex.

Geometry Dash - GD feels like a game that almost everyone has played, or at least heard of. It's a basic rhythm game, but instead of having you mash arrow keys to the beat, it's simple: jump on time to the beat. All you have to worry about is jumping; avoiding spikes, blades, and walls. There are other mechanics, like different modes (UFO is like Flappy Bird, while the spider can snap to a vertical surface) and portals that reverse gravity or make your character a mirror version of itself. The different collectibles add replay value, encouraging you to find secret paths in a level or try to complete one first try.

[amoirsetpacis]

im psyched as hell for this event and i have a bunch of ideas rattling around in my head, so here's my starter call! for now just so that I dont overwhelm myself (esp. since i've already liked some other starter calls) i'm capping at 5. HOWEVER, I would also like to add 1 slot for a group rp! i'm really hoping to make a sort of light party! if anyone else is interested in this please let me know by replying to this post! i'll be happy to make a group dm or something.

I'll most likely also be popping into your dms for quick and dirty plotting! mostly though i just fly by the seat of my pants

as a side note, please read the text under the read more for more of an understanding of Vash's powers! since everything is unlocked for the event and I definitely have One Self Sacrificing Boy on my hands, there's a lot of stuff I wanna play around with! Plus, ideas for each area of the event. :)

when the announcement hits, I think that Vash is genuinely worried about Ofiuco because of how rattled she seemed- and, by extension, the rest of the island. In his mind, it's really important to go down there and figure out what exactly is wrong, and if he can stop it before it potentially harms anyone. the money is a perk too-- bullets arent cheap.

I really wanna approach it like levels in a video game! so i'd really like to go in order of the event post- therefore fantasy > sea > space > jungle. That being said, the main reason i'll probably pop into your dms is to see which setting you would be most comfortable with :) considering the rpg nature of the event, vash would do best as a ranged character, but he will most definitely try to tank so no one else gets hurt :')

BIOMES:

fantasy - honestly this is the one that I have the least amount of ideas for, so if you have any let me know! if this is the setting you prefer, I can still definitely come up with something.

space - OOOOOHHHHH BUDDY. oh man. first of all, vash hasn't been back in space since he was a child, so that'll be. fun. :) second, because his powers are back and he uh. doesn't exactly take good care of his wellbeing, he would most definitely use his abilities to defend others, even though there is a high likelihood of this killing him and sending him back to the start. this is also the area i would be the most interested in doing a group rp! be not afraid :)

sea - mom holy fuck we're a merman now. vash coming from a desert planet and suddenly being thrust into the depths of the ocean??? what could go wrong????

jungle - oh absolute shenanigans. tomfoolery. loony toons bullshit.

ABILITIES

i'm not gonna go into full detail here, as you can find a much more in-depth description on my blog, but here's a quick rundown!

First off, weaponry, all of which he is extremely proficient at using;

.45 colt

machine gun in his left arm

knives in the soles of his boots

now, his abilities as a Plant;

defensive angel feathers

flight capable wings

space time distortion - both en mass in the form of a gigantic canon capable of leveling entire cities and blowing a hole in the moon, as well as infusing his bullets with the ability to create much smaller, more manageable distortions

shielding - he's shown in the series to send out a giant beam of power as well as cast an enormous shield, though this was only one time, so it's not something i think he would be skilled with using.

this being said my vash is post series. the reason that he has black hair instead of blond is that using these abilities drains his life force. his hair acts as a sort of battery symbol. since it is entirely black, extensive use of any of these abilities can easily kill him. :) so have fun with that!

[faroreswinds]

I got two anons in regards to Zelda.

I'm going to answer them here to maintain spoilers. So spoilers below for Totk.

I'm of two minds about totk's story, personally. Keeping it vague for spoiler reasons, I think the twist with Zelda was a really cool idea, and the final boss was a really grand spectacle that made for a great finale. The new characters, Rauru and Sonia, were welcome additions too, but getting the memories out of order slightly ruins the impact, and I think the scenes in the past should have been playable instead. I love this take on Ganon, but I think his motives should have been explored more.

So, my own thoughts on your specific thoughts.

I personally found the dragon thing.... dumb. It doesn't feel like it belongs in a Zelda game. A friend of mine and I always discuss how much we hated it, haha. But I understand why others like it.

The human side of the final boss was great! The dragon was dumb. But that was because I found the entire dragon concept incredibly dumb.

Rauru and Sonia are.... fine. They aren't really anything special, imo. We don't really get to know them. They are just... nice. That's pretty much their only defining personality trait. I don't hate them or anything, I just don't find them anything special either.

This Ganon is.... meh. He's pretty stupid. He literally leaves Stones out in the open and doesn't take them for some reason. That's dumb villain behavior. His motivation is slightly more clear in the Japanese - He thinks peace makes people weak and he wants people strong. So... that's it, really. I just wish they gave him a Trident and not a samurai sword. Where is my Trident, Nintendo? That's literally his thing, you even had it in the OG teaser trailer! Character-wise, he's no more special than OoT Ganon, except OoT Ganon is actually given screen time to build a rivalry with Link. And was actually a more successful Ganon than this one.

To be frank, I found there to be very little to enjoy from this game's narrative. It's so sloppy, childish (note, I don't mean for a younger audience either, I mean it's like a 9 year old wrote it), and devoid of anything meaningful. The only thing I can recall truly loving was when Dragonroost Island theme kicked in during the Rito boss fight. And that made me tear up a little. And only because of WW, not because of BotW.

To be clear, I enjoyed my time with the game on the whole. But the only reason I plan to replay it is because I want to make a video explaining every microscopic detail as to why this game's story was poorly conceived.

In hindsight, I feel like Botw was to Zelda what FFXV was to Final Fantasy; games that changed the direction of their respective series for better or worse and given Aonuma's whole thing about the previous 3D zeldas being "restrictive", I think we're stuck with the botw/totk formula for a long time.

We are. I'm not exactly.... opposed to the open-world design. I just don't think they figured it out yet.

I know so many people think BotW and Totk are perfected open-world games. To me, a perfect open-world game doesn't look like what these two games gave me.

Here is what I want from the next Zelda game.

A narrative that adapts to the players actions, so the choices we make matter more

A smaller map but at least 8 dungeons. The dungeons should not require an entire sequence to enter, but can be wandered into when discovered. Imagine looking into the lake and seeing a temple! And then imagine swimming into the lake, and entering that temple for a new dungeon. Or, searching the forest and finding an ancient ruins buried deep within the leaves.

The smaller map should have more NPCs. I want real, large cities! Lendyell's, not the pathetic Rito village. I want Goron City to BE a city! Come on, Nintendo, make it happen!

Please do not make Princess Zelda a whiney baby this time, please. Or, in the case of Totk, an uninteresting Mary Sue.

Make horses actually good this time.

Stop forcing me to menu all the damn time.

No building! Lame! Stop it!

Can we make Link emote again, please? It's so embarrassing that the n64 Link has more personality than the latest Zelda game on better hardware.

I have more but this is what is on the top of my list.

Of course, I know I sound like a negative nilly. But I don't really hate the idea of these games like a lot of fans seem to do. I just can't love them yet because there are still too many issues.

I want to love the new format desperately. Totk, while a crappy story, actually gave me glimpses into greatness. I can see how the team tweaked it, tried to find a perfected formula in there. I can see them trying, and that gives me hope!

Like, if you were to give me a choice between Totk and Botw, and I can only play one of these for the rest of my life, I'm going with Totk. It's not a better story, but it's a better game. It doubled down on Botw's weaknesses, but I think that just comes with using BotW as a base. Maybe an entirely new game can finally do away with those weaknesses.

Hopefully, we won't wait 6 years to find out! Hopefully no more than 3? We know that they have already started the planning phase of the new game. And it possible that they started a year ago. Totk was finished over a year ago, and had a year of testing before release. Hopefully, they delegated, and had a small team begin the start of the new game.

Plus, no covid this time to slow them down!

Here's to hoping!