#it was actually an aquarium but they had a land animal section

[frilledshark-enthusiast]

went to a zoo today and there was this owl with weird wings and I asked an employee and apparently she eats fine and there’s nothing wrong they could find. So she’s just like that

[moonknixght]

Awkward conversations and.. Fishes? (Steven Grant x GN!Reader)

Summary: Curiosity to learn more about a gorgeous store clerk of a pet shop leads Steven to buying his first pet ever. Warnings: Fluff ?? and just embarrassingly long silences Word count: 1.1k A/N: Okay please imagine that Gus wasn't Steven's pet already 🙏 Might make a part 2 if I get ideas. Also first post woohoo!! Made this account solely so I could make my ideas a reality. I'm a little rusty at writing as of right now, so bare with me </3 Requests are open for stuff!! (please talk to me)

"And this little guy here, He's a feisty one, but he means no harm." Lifting up a perched budgie on your finger, who seemed to have distrustful look on it's face, You smile widely at the latest client that had stumbled upon your small shop. You've always been a passionate soul when it came to animals; from the age 8 when you first wanted to be a veterinarian, which you quickly backed out from after slight consideration as you realized that you would have to constantly put down animals and see them in absolute pain. The next choice was arts, which you did took a degree in, before landing on the final prospect of being a caretaker to injured animals. From there, you found yourself reverting back into your obsession, eventually starting a small shelter/pet-shop where you took in abandoned and wounded animals, healed them and put them back to find new owners. It would be a lie if you said that you didn't miss any of the animals that were taken by other people, but it was also a joy to see them go to homes where they would be given full attention and loved. Therefore, you found yourself rambling about all your beloved pets to whoever stepped into your little abode with any interest— which is what was happening right now. A guy, with almost perfect curly black hair and tan-kissed skin had walked in and began to mindlessly wander, often catching your eyes while he did so. You eventually walked up to him and offered your help, to which he seemed ever so grateful for, even though it was odd that he didn't know what animal he wanted to adopt. This man was Steven Grant. and only if you knew the panic the poor guy was going through. With Jake relentlessly pushing Steven to interact with the employee he's been eyeing through the glass doors of the pet-shop, Steven found himself awkwardly cruising through the different animals, who looked up at him with expectant eyes. Clearly, He needed a plan before walking into the shop, especially when you approached him with a confused look on your face. "Uh.. I-I'm not particularly fond of birds, love." Steven gave you a weak smile, he seemed like he was scared of possibly disappointing you. "Maybe the fishes?" 'Or the cats.' Jake added from somewhere in the headspace, obviously enjoying the shit-show. "Ah." You say allowing the bird back onto the bird perch, your eyes shifting towards a small section of the shop where you tucked away a rectangular aquarium with exactly one fish inhabiting it. "Well, The options are very limited with fishes." Steven was digging himself a deeper hole each time he enquired about the animals like he was actually going to get one— but don't get him wrong, he was genuinely finding your rambles about every creature there interesting. So interesting in fact, that he couldn't possibly leave without getting something. So, the most laziest pet to have would be a fish, according to him at least. You eventually lead him to the front of the tank, where you lightly bend (which Steven also mimicked) to meet eye-to-eye with a goldfish. But this wasn't any goldfish, it was a goldfish with exactly one fin. "He's your only luck if you're looking for fishes." "Does.. Does he have a name?" Steven asked, trying to keep the conversation going. How exactly was he going to take care of a goldfish anyways? Especially a goldfish that only had one fin? What if it dies? It'll ruin his entire day. Maybe his entire week.

 You tilt your head to think about it, before giving a soft shrug in response— which Steven admittedly found quite endearing. "Not really, He just came in like this I guess, Never thought to give him a name." 'A fish, Seriously?' "What about Gus?" Steven asked, turning a deaf ear to Jake's mocking comment. The goldfish paused for a second looking at the two observing it for a moment, before it continued to pace around again. It was almost like the little aquatic creature had approved of the name, but he wasn't planning on sounding like a total nutjob by expressing that out loud. "Hm, It surprisingly fits him." You say after a moment of silence. Though a second later, With a chuckle, You pick up conversation again. "You're pretty good at naming fishes, huh?"

"No! I just.. It came to me, I guess. Lil' fella looks like a Gus." "I agree."

After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Steven desperately tried to revive the exchange. "D'you know that Gus means Majestic? It fits 'cause it's quite amazing that he can swim with just a fin." 'Way to make them swoon, Steven. Buen trabajo.' Steven was truly getting sick of the unnecessary commentary from Jake, but he couldn't quite tell the wanker to piss off just yet. You, on the other hand, seemed to be intrigued by this rather sudden splurge of knowledge. Honestly, You didn't mind this at all, actually finding some amusement in how he suddenly geeked out. "Huh, I didn't know that." You said with a pleasant smile. "That's interesting now that you put it that way." "Yeah..." Steven's voice was small; the fear that he might have come off as weird subsided with your smile, which he reciprocated almost immediately. "I'll take him then." Your eyes lit up. For some odd reason, you didn't exactly expect him to actually get anything— Let alone a damn fish. Actually, Even Steven didn't know that he would end up being the owner of a fish, it just happened. He's technically already named the fish, it's only right that he takes it.

"Right, A moment." You nod, excusing yourself to go get the equipment needed to pack Gus away and off to settle in his new home. You come back a moment later as Steven stepped by the counter, Gus in a small plastic baggy as you balanced a small tank to put the little guy in as well as some food for the strangers convenience. Handing it off to him carefully, you nodded as you glanced at the only goldfish your store has seen be taken away. Who would've guessed. "I'll be off then, Thanks, love!" "You're welcome, Take care Gus!" You cheerfully wave them off, watching as your customer for the night took off. You sigh contently, feeling unnaturally happy about the whole interaction. Strange. — 'You bought a fish but you didn't ask for their name?' Gods, He totally forgot amidst everything. Steven had made it back home, his lip curling into a subtle frown as Marc bought forth a very valid point. The male couldn't help but sigh out loud, swiftly punishing himself with a face palm as he realized his error. Maybe Steven didn't manage to catch their name or learn more about them but as he laid in his bed, he found himself recalling how beautiful that store clerk looked when they smiled. And besides, he made a new friend— a companion he was starting to adore quite alot.

[leorawright]

heeyy! love your writing sm <3 could i get genji, hanzo, cassidy, reaper and ana with an autistic reader who's special interest is marine biology? reader especially loves deep sea animals, especially the freaky ones like the goblin shark! that's personally my favorite animal hehe, i think they're cute

Definitely!

Overwatch with s/o who loves marine biology

Genji

He'd definitely take you to every aquarium he can

His personal favorite is the sunfish because he likes how flat it is

But going to the deep-sea area is a bit creepy but you like it so Genji will endure

On most of Genji's off days, you two are found in an aquarium looking at the different sharks and anglerfish etc.

Hanzo

He used to take Genji to aquariums but Genji never had your level of interest in aquariums

Hanzo always thought they were incredibly peaceful

He likes watching the manta rays but he always goes to the deep-sea section with you

He doesn't find it too creepy and he likes the dark atmosphere of it

Whenever you want to go to an aquarium just ask Hanzo because he's a simp and will always take you

Cassidy

Cassidy is one who's never really been to an aquarium

His parents never took him and he never was able to in Blackwatch or the Deadlock gang

So when you ask him to take you he shrugs and decides to go

He actually enjoys it quite a lot

He loves watching the dolphins speed around and jump out of the water

When you take him to the deep-sea area to show him the goblin shark he loves it as well

He adds aquariums to his lost of favorite things right after you

Reaper

He's never been a fan of aquariums all that much but seeing how excited you are about he takes you anyway

No Sombra he's not a simp

If you know a lot about different fish feel free to info dump on Reaper he'll listen casually to every word

He honestly really loves the deep-sea area and that's the part he always wants to spend time in

Just like you he loves the Goblin shark and Anglerfish and everything else dark and creepy

Ana

She's perfectly happy to take you to the aquarium all the timr

She personally loved the bright tropical looking reef fish

But she's happy to go to the deep-sea area in order to see your favorite fish

Her favorite in the deep sea area blobfish because it looks much more put together than when it's on land

[aquariuminfobureau]

Freshwater fishes of the Madagascan continent are not the most popular among aquarium fishes. But one species of rainbowfish from eastern Madagascar, Bedotia madagascariensis, is common enough and traded as the Madagascan rainbowfish. This name can apply to more than one species of Bedotia sp. which are also known as the zonas. These are not very large fishes, growing to around 8 and 1/2 centimeters or nearly 3 and 1/2 inches.

B. madagascariensis are known from rivers and lakes between the Ivoloina and the Manambolo rivers. Following their translocation to marshes near Antananarivo, the species has become established in the Betsiboka basin. This species inhabits clear, shaded streams, preferring slow-flowing sections.

Shade from an overhanging forest canopy, is demonstrably an important habitat requirement for these fish in the wild, and they depend on arthropods from the canopy overhead as their natural food. Without shading from above they are also more vulnerable to predatory birds that hunt fish. Adult B. madagascariensis inhabit deeper water than do the younger fishes.

B. madagascariensis is often confused with a more southern and upland species, B. geayi, that is only known from the Mananjary drainage in the south of Madagascar. There it can be found in small streams, between 300 and 600 meters above sea level. Most of the rainbowfish traded as B. geayi are more accurately B. madagascariensis, and there are some anatomical differences between these two related species.

Rainbowfish are a freshwater subclade of silversides, distributed in the nowadays well separated regions of Madagascar and Australasia. This is a difficult distribution to explain, other than to note that the Madagascan and Australasian rainbowfishes are only distantly related, though together comprise an ancient clade. Their kinship among the other silversides is revealed by similarities of behaviors, and physical sexual dimorphism, among other characteristics.

It is thus assumed that ancient, ancestral rainbowfishes had lived on both continents, prior to the breakup of Gondwana into island fragments. If this is correct, then rainbowfishes related to Bedotia must once have lived in India, of which Madagascar was once a part. Freshwater organisms cannot cross oceans, so like land animals, their distributions and relationships predict continental drift.

B. madagascariensis are a rainbowfish that can usually be kept without problems, and can be recommended for beginners. Regarding the chemical parameters of aquarium water, and the matter of food, these pretty fishes are rather undemanding. These are schooling fishes, and they need to be maintained together in some numbers. Yet the presence of too many males in the group will create conflicts and distress.

Though Bedotia sp. are not very large fishes they are active, and their aquarium must allow them good, unobstructed swimming space, but also opportunity to retreat. Without which these fish are less likely to 'color up'. Dense planting in part of the aquarium allows this, and gives the females somewhere to scatter their eggs. Bedotia sp. have mouths large enough for small fish to be eaten. Thus it is advised that their tankmates be relatively large in proportion to the rainbowfishes.

Madagascar rainbowfishes are easy to feed on defrosted food of suitable nature, and they will also consume proprietary flake preparations. For these fishes, flakes are quite apt because they float at the water surface. Despite claims circulated in the popular aquarium literature, fish from the eastern flowing drainages of Madagascar, are in fact inhabitants of soft water with a low pH. They are not native to hard or strongly alkaline waters.

On Madagascar this species is recorded even in waters with a pH slightly below 5. But people actually are keeping them in water that is more neutral and even a bit alkaline, such as a pH of 7.5. It is sometimes repeated that Madagascan rainbowfishes like a temperature of 20 to 24 degrees centigrade.

B. madagascariensis are lowland fish found only at altitudes below 30 meters, and in the wild, the water temperature they experience can reportedly range from 23 to 32 degrees, within the period of one month. More recently, information based on zookeeping has indicated and standardized their care, at a temperature of 24 to 25 degrees centigrade.

It is definitely worth pointing out, that despite misinformation that Madagascan rainbowfishes are brackish water fishes, neither B. madagascariensis nor B. geayi are native to estuaries. These species are in fact unable to tolerate salinities above 5 ppt, which is a low salinity, and as truly freshwater fishes, they do not need any salt added to their water at all.

[bakugohoex]

𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐇

𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

In which Erwin chooses to take you on on an aquarium date, the closeness he feels as you both submerge yourself, hand in hand looking at all the different types of sea life.

𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒

pairings: erwin smith x reader

word count: 1900+

a/n: damn all the dates are complete, also I don’t actually advocate for like aquariums and sea life centers but it was used for the purpose of this date.

𝐆𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐔 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

He truly believed he had nothing to worry about as he left your apartment a week ago. He never thought that the stupid kids would actually think of date ideas that would make your head sway. But here he was scrolling through the group chat where all of the boys had talked about the highlight of their dates. He was the only one left, tie loose against his neck as he laid against the balcony, early morning wind rushing through his blonde locks. He had everything planned out, he’d made your date special, but you had seemed to enjoy every single one of their dates from the smallest to the biggest.

Could he ever compare to that? He pulled at his hair before sending you a time and location, the stupid photo he had of you lighting up the top of his screen. He took a heavy breath as he still had a career and life, maybe you’d found that attractive. He didn’t know but as he stressed over what suit to wear tonight you were going through your own mental breakdown.

You had been in your bed for most of the day, Erwin’s text this morning not helping to settle your nerves. One more date, one more night and then the big decision would occur, you began to stare at the unopened letters. Wanting to read them all, read the confessions that they had given to you but as you looked at the arrays of pink, your gut was aching at the stress of it all. The fear of losing them all came too sudden as your eyes watered in your empty apartment.

Through the tears you saw the framed pictures around your bedroom, having one with every single one of them in it. Eren, Jean and Armin when you guys went out for Sasha’s birthday, Reiner and Porco when the three of you went to a music festival. Levi and you after one of your late-night coffee runs having forced him to take a photo with you and the sunset and Erwin and you at a black tie event he had invited you to a couple months back. Tears disappearing as you stared at the fond memories, you’d have your memories at least.

You found yourself wearing more formal clothes, knowing that Erwin would most likely come in a suit, you wanted to match in some sense. The address had been something you knew of, a new aquarium that had just opened up. You knew that with all the hype online about how it was a hot spot for taking the family out or going on dates it was always packed. Both you and Historia having tried to get in but being pushed back out by a family, you stepped outside of the uber, thanking the man as you saw Erwin walking from the other side.

“Hey.” You waved as you opened your arms to hug him, he happily took the hug, eloping you tightly as he couldn’t help but stare at how perfect you looked.

He let go, hand lingering near your own as you moved closer to his side, “you look beautiful,” he complimented before feeling your hand wrap around his own.

“Thanks, you don’t look too bad yourself.” Your other hand moving to his suit jacket lapels, pushing them back onto his broad chest. “So what we got planned for tonight?”

“I know the owner of this place.” He paused looking up at the large building, he didn’t realise the true extent of how big the exhibit was. “He said we could have the place to ourselves.”

Your eyes widened at how he swung the keys in his other hand, “all to us.”

He nodded as he unlocked the door, putting the alarm code into the side before beckoning you in, “they’re in glass they won’t bite you.” He moved his arm on your back keeping you close beside him.

“Which way should we go first.” You ask seeing a map at different ways to go and see the sea life.

He put his hand around your eyes as he stood behind you, spinning you on your heels a couple times before making you stop. “Pick a direction.” The three options were right in front of you as you picked the option closest to the door. He let go of your eyes as you stared at the direction, still feeling dizzy as he kept you a hold.

“Don’t faint on me.” He chuckled as you swat his chest with your hand.

You give a soft giggle back, “next time you’re picking the direction.”

“Of course.” He put his hand out for you to take as you both began walking towards the entrance, walking past the doors, you both saw the glass ceiling and walls, small sharks and different types of fish and other sea life cascading around you both. Your eyes widened as Erwin had the pamphlet in his hand of different sea life, the only light coming from the ones inside the glass, blues sheltering you both. It was something so beautiful so close to home, you both moved closer towards the wall, the intricate details of the fish who swam aimlessly.

“It’s…It’s so pretty.” Your hand had moved to the glass, touching it softly as if one hard push would crack the delicate material. Erwin hadn’t realised your words had to be to the scene, all he had seen was you and you were the prettiest thing in the room.

He stepped closer to you, hand against your back as you both stared at the different types of sharks. The way the sharks moved from your side to the arched bridge on top of your heads as your eyes fixated on the shark moving from one to another. “Looks like I’ll have to compete with another thing for your affection.”

“Aww, Erwin.” You had known Erwin long enough to realise how much he hated not getting his way. He had barely known your friends, but here he was competing against them, your hand moved to grip his face, his cheek nuzzling into it as you looked up at him. “Whatever happens, we’ll always be in one another’s lives.”

“Who else could take the job of sending me messages of the definition of commonly used words?” He joked as he touched your cheek back, the urge to kiss you was prevalent, but you stepped back, putting your hand out to continue on with the rest of the scenery.

“Come on, there’s more to see.” He gladly grasps your hand, warmth engulphing him as you drag him to the next part, different types of fish in tanks as you both looked around. “…there are more than three trillion five hundred billion fish Y/n, even if they could breath on land we could win.”

“Piranha’s Erwin, they have a bloodlust for us, we’d be dead.” You chuckled as you walked past another area, you both talking about the different facts that were in the pamphlets. It was always comforting with Erwin, having met him in your first yeah when he had recently graduated himself. He had grown as a career man, ready for the future he had, he was always so smart, so perceptive but being around him, seeing a version where he had let loose around you made you smile.

“What’s got you all happy?” He asks arm around your waist as he grips you closer to his body.

You shake your head, “nothing, it’s just you, all of you this week have shown me a different side.”

“Is that a good thing?” He questions waiting to hear your reply as he takes you to a different section of the place.

“Yeah it is.” You rest your head against his arm as you both continue to walk through the exhibits. Erwin didn’t know how he felt, the closeness making him fall even more in love with you, the beauty you had capturing him in a matter of seconds. Who could resist you, who couldn’t love every part of you with those soft eyes, that smile that could melt a man and most of all that voice you had. That beautiful voice that captured him, you had to be an angel sent to him because he truly didn’t know how he had got so lucky to have met you.

“Erwin.” You softly say poke at his side, he nods getting out of his trance as you continue, “if…if you were in my position what would you do?”

He felt like the right person to ask, he may be biased but he was older with more life experiences than you ever had. “Selfishly I’d tell you to pick me, but I will always want the best for you Y/n, pick who you truly like.”

You nod as you nuzzle closer into his arm, “I really enjoyed tonight.”

“You did.”

“Yeah I liked just being around you, watching the animals and fighting over who would die first in a fish invasion.” You chuckle the last part as you both round the corner to what looked like the final area that you could both be in.

“What do you think is past those doors?” You question as both of you stand to the bleak hallway, that was in front of you.

He gives a smirk before opening it, “ladies first.”

“Pussy.” You mock as you step forward, Erwin’s hand meeting your back as he guided you through the darkness. “I can’t see anything, get your phone light out.”

He nods as you hear shuffling behind you, he puts his flashlight on as you both see glass surrounding you both, it had been exactly what it looked like from the first section. But scarier, you grabbed Erwin’s hand out of dear before he flashed the light to the side of you both, both screaming at what you saw.

A much larger shark having looked directly at the light, teeth open as if it was ready to eat you both. Erwin had seen how your breathing had been heavier, clinging onto his jacket as he grabbed your hand dragging you to the end of the corridor. His light flashing to the side as you both saw more and more scarier sharks. “Whe…When was that part of the exhibition?” You squeal as you get pushed through the doors.

Finally seeing the entrance you almost felt grateful, heavy breathing as your face felt flushed, “you screamed at sharks.”

“You screamed as well, idiot.” You controlled your breathing looking at Erwin before laughing with him, it was unexpected and a horrid thing to see at night.

He saw how you came closer to him again, hand latching in his own as you smiled at the man. “The area's lights probably got shut off.”

“Tell your friend he needs to tell people about that part.” You chuckle again lightly as Erwin looks down at your hand.

“I will.” He knew tomorrow was an important date for the two of you, looking at that twitch of your mouth to suppress another gleam. You met his eyes as you moved closer to his body, “I hope whoever you pick realises just how amazing you are.”

You didn’t meet his eyes at his unexpected words, the date had come to an end. With another perfect date occurring, the choice had still not been decided as he helped you back outside into the cold. Every one of the boys had something that you loved about them, and with a choice as hard as yours. The threat of losing them all was significant as you thought back on every single one of the dates you had and how each one of them had made you feel special.

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄

[ratsoh-writes]

animal crossing... pls I just wanna know which of your skellies beat up the ugly villagers its so funny jahsjsbsm

Dang guys lol. Anyways here’s my animal crossing guys with some bonus extras!

Sans:

Honestly he just maybe pops on once a day to see the new recipients but doesn’t really care that much about his town.

Instead he’s all about getting the ugliest possible things and just dropping them at random.

His town looks like a dumpster fire and sans couldn’t be happier. Even the villagers are ugly, except for Raymond who he got by chance and kept because he knew it would piss off honey and peaches

Papyrus:

Papyrus was just a casual player until he unlocked terraforming

After that he went absolutely nuts and put tons of hours into turning his island into the ultimate maze. Every inch of land. All of the buildings are on the beach lol. They had to move to make room for the maze

In his clusterf*ck of an island, there are a few little themed patches that you can find like a little Alice in wonderland cafe and a library. The maze is really detailed and designed so that each area only has one entrance.

Star:

He turned his town into a beautiful little modern city with streets and backyards for all the houses.

Half the town that is lol. Like with most things, star hyper fixated on the game for about a week and then found a new hobby and never touched it again

If he ever did pick it back up, he’ll be furious to find that honey robbed him blind

Honey:

His town is gorgeous yet random. He has a different theme for each section of the island! He wanted to do an organized island but he couldn’t decide on what was his favorite

Honeys proudest part has got to be the theme park. By collaborating with all the other skellymen, honey has managed to get all the black and white pieces to make a boardwalk theme park on the beach

He’s also a secret thief. He’s stolen fruits, flowers, recipes and even all of stars bank savings in order to get the best island. Everyone just assumes it was either cash or red and honey won’t ever hiring it up lol

Red:

Ya you better he’s only here to hit villagers with nets. No villager is safe from him. Every the ones he likes. Of anything it’s worse for them since he won’t let them leave lol

Red also don’t really decorate the island. He just planted a sh*ton of flowers to improve the rating and left it at that.

He also likes burying “presents” on other peoples islands. It’s like playing Russian roulette. You might get a rock or it might be a nice piece of furniture. You never know

Edge:

His island does have a consultant theme. NASCAR racetrack!!!! Edge terraformed to make the whole outer edge of the island a racetrack and used that forced perspective trick to make it super far away with the villagers houses acting as the audience

The rest of the island has a more woodsy and wild feel. Edge doesn’t really care about the weeds and keeps them for aesthetic

He judges his villagers based on thier interior designs. If they have ugly houses, edge will mail them trash until they leave

Mal:

He decorated almost exclusively in antique and golden furniture with the occasional zodiac piece as decoration.

The only flowers you see are red, white, black and gold roses. Mal likes to keep the island as fancy as possible.

Funnily enough, all his villagers are the uglier ones. He winds up getting attached to them and won’t let them leave lol. He makes it a challenge to gift them better furniture so he can eventually turn their houses into something more stylish

Cash:

Funnily enough, cash is only chaotic in other peoples islands. He actually takes pride in his and even though it’s weird and covered in cursed objects, you can tell cash out thought into the decoration.

When he visits others, he always booby traps the island with pitfall seeds. Papyrus actually likes having cash over because it makes his maze more interesting.

Cash will also steal all the fruit. Without fail. If he can’t fit all the fruit, he buries it surrounded by pitfall seeds so no one else can enjoy it lol

Oak:

His favorite part about his island is the fish! Oak has his aquarium already completed and he spends most his time scuba diving

While fishing comes easy, for some reason he always clicks the button too early or too late. Oak always winds up loosing the tree bugs.

Oak hasn’t done much with decorating but there are a few tables scattered about

Willow:

Willow went full on survival mode with his island. He designed it with self sufficiency in mind! The orchid and pumpkin farm are the biggest parts of the island.

Willow also made a sushi bar on the big rocks by the beach. It’s complete with fish tank tables.

He also never forgets to mail his villagers a piece of fruit each day. Nobody goes hungry with mama willow around

Bonus!!

Sugar:

Literally all his storage is taken up by his closet alone. Sugar adores the clothing and can’t help but to buy a new outfit every day.

He even buys his favorite pieces in each color! Sugar is also that guy who dresses up for the weather. If it’s raining, he’s got a dozen rain specific outfit to put on.

Sugar is addicted to going through other peoples codes and downloading patters. He’s already run out of space and each new pattern must be weighed heavily against all the others before he decided to write over one

Pluto:

He’s all about gathering those fish and bugs! Pluto has all the fish caught but is still missing some bugs. The gopher cricket will forever elude him

He had just finished the museum when the redd update came in. Finding out there was a whole art section to complete gave him a near aneurism

Pluto only has one outfit. His little safari gear and the bug tshirt he got from the little big lizard guy

[the-river-person]

Worldbuilding Tangent 3

Part 1 / Part 2 And here’s the section that made me want to start writing about worldbuilding in the first place. Waterfall. And since there’s no way to avoid it, bits of Hotland too. (A reminder that these are my own observations and analysis of the Game’s text  it is still only my interpretation of how this area MIGHT work if we attempt to apply real world systems Undertale’s world. It’s possible that I misunderstood or don’t know enough about the natural systems described and that things couldn’t work that way without some kind of magic, whether that of the Monsters or some natural source of it.) So let’s start off with my theories about Mt Ebbot itself. I think that at one point it was an active volcano. The area must have, in some primordial age of the world, been under high sea levels. There is no way for some of the larger caverns, such as the Snowdin Cavern, to have formed except through dissolution of Limestone over very long periods of time through water. Limestone is usually made from the accumulation of shell, coral, algal, fecal, and other organic debris at the bottom of bodies of water. As water levels receded over time, we were left with layers of limestone. Then at some point a magma chamber beneath the earth had an increase pressure and the magma was driven upwards. Interactions between magma and limestone are can cause extremely explosive eruptions, and its my guess that this caused the formation of what I’m calling the Grand Cavern which contains a huge portion of Waterfall as well as the City of New Home. This would have been a Stratovolcano, which is characterized by multiple explosions of both streams of magma and clouds of ash and thrown fragments. Usually such explosions are massive, and the high pressure of lava streams even underground might even lead to the formation of Lava Tubes. Volcanic activity and limestone would explain the presence of both the numerous crystals that decorate this part of the Underground as well as some the larger smoother areas of the visible caverns. Based on how the path seems to work, my guess is that streams of lava flooded upwards and the lava tubes formed became the main path of Waterfall. Then when the Volcano became dormant and the magma receded to lower areas, surface water began to flow back into the Underground, smoothing over and eroding at the volcanic surfaces of the caves and making waterfall much bigger as lava caves and tubes were opened into various Solutional caves and caverns or areas blasted open by the eruption as well as new layers of igneous rock which were easily eroded. Many speculate that there must be a body of water above this area of the Underground to produce that much constant water. I don’t entirely think so. While its likely that there is a nearby source for a large amount of water, there is so much water in this area that it can’t all stem from that. Part of it actually comes from the river we see in Snowdin. When you enter Waterfall, the river vanishes because you are in tunnels which are walled on one side, and drop off with the falls on the other into an unseen area (Will return to this). The river vanished behind these walls somehow, yet still manages to flow on steadily till it reaches Hotland and then the Core. My guess is that the river is one of several sources for water. Others include natural springs, probably some body of water on the surface such as mountain streams and various small lakes in the area. It is all of these that would allow water to collect in the Underground. Right above the area we travel through is probably a larger reservoir of water. Without such a thing, the water levels of this area would be affected seasonally and the caves would be dry at times, which is not hinted at anywhere. Also, Waterfall is one of the largest sections of the Underground and is significantly darker than other areas. Since the area is on the same level as most of the livable Underground, rather than deeper down, its likely that it sits under the main body of Mt Ebbot, while Snowdin Cavern, the area New Home sits under, as well as the Ruins are all much closer to the edge of the mountain and sometimes lie underneath the foothills and normal ground. This allows for the openings and shafts of light that are present in these other areas, but not so much in Waterfall. So our larger reservoir would collect water and its shores would ebb and flow as the water table was affected. It would also contain large amounts of trash if the visible area of Waterfall is any indication. Its possible that many denizens of this area live around the reservoir and river instead of in the lower tunnels, this would account for a good many monsters supposed to dwell here. We also have another piece of evidence that hints at the existence of multiple levels of the area by remembering that Undyne appears on the opposite side of the river with Papyrus at the beginning of the area. Behind them are some columns formed from limestone deposits as water drips down from above. Later she appears again attacking you through gigantic hand carved columns that line the edge of the dark water. Eventually though, if the reservoir got too low, such as during a drought, the water level in the lower areas would be affected too. Which Onionsan tells us is so with the comment that it gets shallower all the time and that many others have moved to a large Aquarium in New Home, though some are probably just eager to escape the Underground. We also appear to have rather large cliffs with standing water pools, probably a plunge pool or basin formed from the falling water. Other caves appear to hold  huge bodies of relatively still waters allowing for the growth of “Water Sausages” or Typha, grasses of various kinds, and bioluminescent mushrooms and flowers. What kind of wetlands these areas area was a bit tricky to figure out. Since they are in a cave system and there are no trees in this area and limited vegetation and animals, then things like swamps and marshes can be eliminated. A bog was a possibility, until I remembered that unlike the Dark Waters areas which have near black water, one large area has its colors inverted making the land dark due to the light coming from the water. The probably cause of this is due to Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates. Dinoflaggellates are plankton that can be found in many bodies of water such as streams and lakes. But mostly they show up in the ocean. However bioluminescence is rare, and usually only occurs to aid in escape from predators, or to help find food in dark places. We have the dark down, but Bioluminescent Dinoflagellates require relatively stable conditions such as water that is not too cold but not terribly hot, and isn’t flowing too quickly. This along with the difference between the Dark Water area and this one means that this pool is probably somewhat warmer, maybe some very light geothermal activity, or simply the shape or makeup of the cave allowed for it to be just warm enough for Bioluminescence to develop over who knows how long. Since various forms of BIoluminescence are common in dark caves big enough for complex ecosystems, this wouldn’t be too strange. But the necessary warmer temperature rules out bog, swamp, fen, and bayou. Leaving us with a marsh. Since I have no real evidence of a sea or ocean (some people say that you can see one in the distance at the end of the game, but I looked and its too blurry to tell out that far. Could be ocean, could be more land, could be hazy horizon with the setting sun. Who knows.) its unlikely that its a saltwater marsh.  This is doubled by all the fungi, freshwater plants, and such that live here, plus all of the underground gets its water from these connected rivers, lakes, and pools. So we’re left with freshwater marsh. A freshwater marsh is an area that is continuously or frequently flooded and primarily consist of sedges, grasses, and emergent plants. This checks all of our boxes for Waterfall while still allowing for enough stability in certain areas that the Dinoflagellates won’t be disturbed much. There are areas that are still very wet soil that grasses and mushrooms grow on plentifully, along with the clearly magical Echo Flowers. Though no mushroom exactly resembles those found in game, there are many many instances of bioluminescent fungi. The Echo Flowers sadly cannot be explained without magic of some kind, though there are a few very rare flowers that have bioluminescence, nothing but magic could be responsible for the echo mechanism. Also, the glowing of the crystals that make the stars is likely a natural phenomenon and the only mentions we get of them are that monsters have seen them and remember the stars. They are explicitly named as stones instead of the Arachnocampa luminosa gloworm species we are familiar with from the Waitomo Caves. So their glow must be due to some kind of Luminescence. There are several types of natural light minerals can produce, but unless the crystals have a source of light to give them energy, are glowing with intense heat, or are somehow being disturbed constantly and in ways that cause them to break chemical bonds... they’re probably magical. (Unless we want to say that the underground is flooded with Electromagnetic Radiation like Ultraviolet Light, Infrared Light, or X-Rays. I somehow doubt this is the case. Some of these would kill the monsters and any humans. Others would be impossible this far underground.) The light of the stars must be bright enough to allow the Typha to grow. Water Sausages are a resilient and adaptable species, but they must have some light because all studies showed that in total darkness they could no longer germinate. So while magic is probably involved, or this species has evolved greatly from being underground for a long time, this plant needs some light to survive. The Grand Cavern, where New Home is shown in the distance, also gives us a vague and shadowy impression of a lot of open space between you and the city proper. This is likely filled with fields for growing whatever food can be effectively produced in the Underground with limited light from the cavern ceiling, and the glowing crystals. Funnily, various parts of the Typha can be eaten either raw or after cooking and can also be used in medicines. Traditionally it has been used by certain indigenous cultures of British Columbia. This plant is probably a large part of Underground diets. We also see an abundance of fireflies around this area, who are nocturnal and wouldn’t have much problem down here. Finally I return to the countless falls that flow past you and down into the area below which we as players cannot see or reach. It is possible that the waters continue to flow down and erode or dissolve further caves and caverns below, maybe even form a massive lake or being absorbed into the stone and soil and vanishing (this depends on geological conditions down there). Now, while I think there is a great deal more room for monsters to spread out down there, it has a few problems with livability. Our biggest problem is light. Without sources of light such as the crystals or shafts of sunlight or glowing magma, it’s difficult to make a lot of things work. Because the Core is able to produce electricity due to geothermal activity, we know that the entire Underground is powered, so artificial light can be applied to crops and to every home, though clearly not every single section of the Underground. It’s possible that if Monsters found a safe way into the lower depths, they could easily use the extra room and find ways to power everything. But plant life would be scarce and limited to what artificial stuff they could grow or keep alive. It would be far more oppressive than living at higher points, even with an entire group of people you would begin to display serious psychological problems such as loss of spatial awareness or warped sense of time. This wouldn’t be a problem for most of the Underground because there are areas with large amounts of natural sunlight that leak through. But the deeper you go the more dangerous it becomes mentally. However Monster Biology is somewhat of a mystery to us and though they don’t display the strongest constitution when a human attacks with intent in their soul to do harm, perhaps they’d be more able to adapt for such living conditions since geological phenomena don’t usually possess intent to kill (At least...I hope they don’t.) Furthermore you could not only have dwellings at the bottom of the caves, but tunnels and small caves and stairs dug down into the cliffs beneath the waterfalls. The same can be said for the upper falls as well, allowing for far more territory in the area than can be seen by the player. But danger lurks in the future for the Waterfall area. It may not happen quickly, but as the water continues to flow, the stone that makes up the area will erode or be slowly dissolved. One day the roof of this part of the Underground will collapse. If the damage is extensive enough, the entirety of Waterfall could collapse into the deeper areas below we can only guess at and a massive sinkhole could open up on the surface. This process could take decades or happen very quickly. Hopefully there is enough of a rock barrier between Hotlands and any water displaced by said collapse, as such an influx of water and possible boulders of limestone to the Lava Lake could cause Mt. Ebbot to erupt.

[enigmatist17]

Longing (Rhys Strongfork x Vaughn)

I really really love Rhys and Vaughn.

I was really really happy to see them in Borderlands 3.

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

Vaughn had been having a nice day. The Calypso Twins had been killed a few weeks ago, and the universe seemed to finally be lulling back to its old self. Pandora was only full of Crimson Raiders and the slowly dwindling COV, the lack of bandits almost startling to the planet. He couldn’t remember the last time random packs of bandits were just running around, shouting about blood and skulls. No, Pandora seemed to finally have tipped the change from bloodthirsty bandits, to a potential planet ready to build an actual society. 

The change almost was saddening to see.

Yet again, a life Vaughn had tried to make for himself was slipping from his fingers. He was a lonely bandit in the wastes again, and this time he wasn’t sure if he could change again. Hyperion and that oppressive corporate atmosphere had nearly smothered him, Vaughn wasn’t going to go through that again. No, he was confident in himself and able to tear a person apart for trying to ever imply as such. Paperwork, meetings, and selecting who to tear down just for a step up just made the bandit chief feel ill. He had gone for a walk and now regretted it as an Atlas ship landed nearby. Vaughn could have sworn that Atlas had been some third-rate corporation, not able to afford the armor and spectacular guns those unloading from the transport seemed to have. Then again, his news was seven years out of date, so anything could have happened during his tenure on Pandora he supposed. 

The man stepping out, dressed in a suit and sporting a blood-red cybernetic arm, brought any train of thought Vaughn had at the moment to a rather spectacular crash.

There was no way that was Rhys Strongfork, there is no fucking way. Still crouched behind some rocks, Vaughn watches as Rhys puts his hands on his hips, saying something to a soldier with a grin. The last seven years had been very kind to Rhys, Vaughn feeling suddenly very aware he was only in his underwear and cape. It usually didn’t bother him, but seeing the tailored suit and blood-free face of his former friend just made Vaughn feel subpar. Once again his thoughts were scattered when some skags, previously going about their business, seemed to find the Atlas troops worthy of dinner. At first, he just watched as they easily dispatched the animals with ease, but quickly moved when one snuck up and made an advance at Rhys. The businessman only had a gun partially withdrawn before the skag seemed to just explode, raining misty blood down over him. Glancing over, Rhys forgot about the bodily fluids all over his suit as he took in the man who was reloading his gun. Despite the blood, grime, and bushy beard that could use decent grooming, the man standing feet away was all too familiar to Rhys.

“Vaughn?!” The bandit looks up, locking eyes with Rhys before a huge grin stretches across his face. The CEO is taken up into strong arms a moment later, pressed against a toned body that he only dreamed of late at night. 

“Rhys! You’re alive bro!” Vaughn laughed, squeezing his friend tight before releasing him. Rhys looks as he always has, a bit bewildered and adorably confused, steadying himself by using Vaughn as support. 

“I-I can’t believe it!” Rhys looks absolutely delighted, taking in his oldest and dearest friend. Seven years had seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and for Vaughn, it had changed him so much. He had seemingly thrived as a bandit chief, no hint of nervousness nor social awkwardness that Vaughn had had their entire friendship. The bandit just grinned away, shifting into a fighting stance when the Atlas soldiers raised their guns.

“No no! No, he’s a friend.” It was strange seeing someone stepping in front of Vaughn, Rhys clearly not thinking much of the protective stance as much as Vaughn did. The guns were lowered without hesitation, and Rhys turned with a cheeky expression. “Say, know any good coffee shops?” Vaughn can’t help but laugh, Rhys letting out a distressed cry to learn that coffee was rare to come by on Pandora. Thankfully, Sanctuary III was able to supply some through Rhys' stay, and Vaughn finds himself hooked back on the liquid by day 2. The two are usually in a booth laughing about something, looking so strange a pair, yet these days hardly anyone batted an eye. Atlas had promised to help rebuild sections of Pandora that had been destroyed by the CoV, and the task that had once been almost monumental to Rhys suddenly felt so easy. Vaughn was able to get people to work at ease, Rhys sometimes watching with a slightly envious look. Despite leading Atlas, he still suffered from his own lack of self-worth and envied how confident Vaughn was. Soon the few months Rhys had come to stay were coming to an end, and both men felt some tension in the air.

Rhys, bless his heart, is the one to ask Vaughn to come with him.

The bandit gives him a disbelieving look, wondering if it was some sort of strange joke. The company life had been left far behind, but it was back and asking him to come into the fold. Rhys waves away concerns when Vaughn asks about investors, pacing back and forth. They were both currently in the remains of his old Sun Smashers camp, Rhys having asked to see it before finally spitting out his question. He sat on the dirty bed, watching as Vaughn switched between disbelief and uncertainty. Seeing Vaughn so unsettled reminded him of their days in college and Hyperion, and for once Rhys decides that maybe he should finally do something. Standing up unnoticed, Rhys waits until he can slip in front of Vaughn, words dying on the bandit's lips when a cool metal hand caresses his face.

“I want you to come with me, I don’t want to leave you again.” He usually isn’t good at this sort of thing, but at this moment he couldn’t have been any more sure of anything in his life. Vaughn doesn’t say anything, just looking into Rhys’ eyes as if searching for deception. He seems to find what he was looking for, and before Rhys can blink, cracked and dry lips are on his own. His brain just seems to short circuit, and as fast as his bravado had swelled, Rhys just felt so lost as Vaughn kissed him soundly. He’s got the sappiest grin on his face when Vaughn takes pity, looking very amused.

“Sure you don’t mind a bandit coming back with you?” He isn’t sure what potential investors would think, but Rhys is nodding before his thought is even out of the gate.

“Of course! You’re my closest and dearest bro, and I know that you can pull your weight if need be.” Rhys flashes a dazzling smile, and Vaughn finds himself accepting the offer. He leaves Pandora with a bandit’s goodbye, pouring some blood from a skull before joining an intrigued Rhys on his private ship. It felt like a lifetime ago since he had been off-planet sans Sanctuary III, and he’s quiet as the planet fades from view. He would feel sad, but hearing an excited Rhys pouring over some sort of blueprint behind him only makes the bandit smile. He spends most of the journey to Promethea sleeping, feeling the nervous energy he used to ooze back in his Hyperion days coiling in his gut. Would he be good enough? He hadn’t done any sort of “work” in over seven years, would he even remember how to?

The building they land on is huge, the dazzling city almost too much for Vaughn. The neon glow and varying robots carrying out repairs stretch into the distance, and he is shaken from his observation by an arm slipping around his waist. Rhys is smiling down at him, that sweet and goofy smile that just makes any of Vaughn’s worries fade away. The gigantic building they enter doesn’t feel cold and stifling, instead, it’s inviting, workers waving to Rhys all with smiles. Of course, there are strange looks at the man wearing nothing but boots, underwear, and a tattered cape, but they never linger for long. Rhys’ office makes Vaughn laugh, seeing the aquarium reaching up to the ceiling like they had discussed over last night studying long ago.

“What?” Rhys tilts his head slightly, and Vaughn just gives him a grin.

“You remembered the aquarium, of course, you did.” Rhys just grins, and Vaughn flops down onto the couch. It was so strange to be inside an intact building that was well maintained, unable to smell anything less than what appeared to be coffee and whatever Rhys liked in the air. Was it vanilla? Vaughn couldn’t remember what vanilla even smelled like, watching from the corner of his eye as Rhys caught up with some emails. The way the CEO sticks his tongue out slightly while scanning through dozens upon dozens of threads just reminds Vaughn of their happier days at Hyperion. There weren’t many of them, but the late nights crafting their plan back then, usually spent in their cramped office laughing over takeout never failed to make Vaughn smile. Zer0 comes in to find the bandit passed out on the couch an hour later, Rhys having moved to be by the other. The man is sitting on the floor, legs crossed as he leans back against the couch. His cybernetic arm is displaying some sort of hologram, and his normal hand is enclosed in Vaughn’s closest hand. Rhys has a content smile on his face, the assassin noting this was the first time he had ever seen Rhys so at ease. Zer0 takes the hint and slips out of the room as silently as he had arrived, and locks the door behind him just in case.

[strangewhitegirl321]

Pay No Mind (12th)

{Not my gif}

Words: 4315

Originally posted to my Wattpad account.

   The car bumped and jostled (Y/n) about, causing her to groan and shove the suitcase that stabbed her in the ribs down the seat. Her favourite quilt wrapped around her legs suddenly turned into a tedious task as she began unwinding it from her legs, glancing to her parents' GPS and realising they were almost to their destination.

   The building was humongous, and she had been able to see it for the last thirty minutes as they drove. At first it had simply peaked over the horizon, and was excitedly pointed out by (Y/n)'s mother.

   The building was almost like a child's building blocks made out of a shiny blue glass. The lower level stood on stilts and was larger than the rest, and a giant stairway leading up to the open doors of the hotel seemed to sprout from the bottom of the building. Sleek, white metal bordered the windows that seemed to resemble portals to another world from the outside were clear in view. The second story was also on stilts, held up high above the first and you could spy at least three glass elevators constantly travelling up and down to no end.

   The top level was the tallest, it had a flat roof and stretched high enough to be out of the way for the palm trees growing on the second level's balcony. (Y/n)'s eyes wandered once again down to the second level, taking in the different, private wave pools that somehow never managed to splash over the edge of the building.

  (Y/n) snapped back into reality just as her father pulled into the parking lot, heading straight for the VIP section as he hollered excitedly about practically being a celebrity. Just as they passed through security from the stuffed parking lot into the almost empty section for VIPs she spied a peculiar box out of place next to the modern, expensive building. Before she could clearly observe anything other than its fine wood and lovely blue colour, they turned a corner and parked just out of view.

   Almost immediately, the family was met with three employees who quickly got to work helping unpack and carry luggage up to the hotel. Everything seemed to happen in a blur, and poor (Y/n) barely noticed when her Aunt and Uncle, the owners of the expensive establishment, came to greet them. Hugs and greetings flew through the air, and other customers gawked at the family hugging the rich owners as they passed.

   "So, how are you doing?" Aunt Stella asked after giving a tight (and frankly uncomfortable) hug to (Y/n). The girl shuffled on her feet, frowning as she thought of an answer.

   "Stiff," She finally replied, rolling her neck and cringing as it popped. Aunt Stella let out a loud, obnoxious laugh and grinned.

   "Well, I guess we should get going then," She turned towards her husband, Uncle Louis, who grinned and nodded.

   "We have a big tour to get over with before we can sit down and eat," He explained, taking a bag from (Y/n)'s father and turning around as he marched away. For a moment, (Y/n) thought they would be heading for the large, circular elevators already jam packed with people, but they veered off course and headed for a more private looking corner of the building.

   Deciding not to worry about it until later, (Y/n) took in the inside of the first level. Looking around, it was themed off of a jungle. She was able to glance into different rooms based on the glass walls, and notice that each room looked a little different.

   Upon noticing her curious gaze, Uncle Louis began to explain: "Each level has a different theme: The first is the rainforests of the world; second is the beaches of the Earth; and the third the great forests of big ol' Blue. That's part of the main attraction of our hotel. However, even more interestingly, each hotel room isn't quite a room itself. Instead, we designed it to be more of a house. We frequently get people who come and will stay for months at a time, some people even jump from level to level to experiment. And, each "room" is themed off of a different area of Earth."

   He stopped to point into a room where a family of six seemed to be playing Wii inside a room that was strange in the fact that it had kangaroos hidden in the painted and real brush growing on the walls, "That one is themed off the wild jungles of Papua New Guinea."

   Gesturing to another room, all of them with trees seeming to grow up the sides and different types of waterfalls attached to the walls seemed to glimmer in their own magnificent fashion, "That one is the Ancient Waipoua forest in New Zealand."

   Uncle Louis continued to point out different rooms, naming them in order, "The Amazon. That's the most popular, obviously. Cloud Forest of Peru; the Jungles of Borneo; the Jungles of Kipling in India. All very different, very interesting. Certain rooms, such as the Amazon and Borneo rooms, customers have to sign contracts to stay in because there are living animals in the room. We have caretakers hired, and a customer has to allow a caretaker to enter the room and give the animal its daily needs at least once a day. Children love the toucan, Huracan. He's a real laugh."

   Finally, they continued on to a private elevator for VIPS. (Y/n) about slapped herself. She honestly should have guessed.

   On the way up, they stopped at the second floor. The employees who seemed to trudge along behind the family like shadows were released upon being instructed to continue and drop off the luggage at the required room. They immediately zipped off, not wasting anytime.

   "How do you get them to-" (Y/n)'s father hesitated, waiting till he could figure the correct way to phrase his question. "How do you get such great service from your employees?"

   With a laugh, Aunt Stella was quick to answer, "Oh, well this is a high paying job. And, we try and make it as comfortable a job as possible. Loyal employees are the best employees. You can't expect people to stay devoted to their job if their job is horrible."

   (Y/n) immediately nodded, agreeing with the policy, "Sounds like a good deal to me."

   "Well, I would hope so," Aunt Stella chuckled. She reached up and fixed her hair, before turning around and taking the lead of the group.

   Unfortunately, Uncle Louis hadn't thought to hand off his bag to an employee, and because he tends to talk with his hands he kept quiet and allowed his wife to show off her favourite floor.

   "The beach level!" She exclaimed with joy. "Just breathe it in!"

   (Y/n) cringed as her whole family took a deep breath in through their noses, rolling her eyes at their actions.

   "It smells salty! Like an actual ocean is near!" Her mother beamed. Suddenly, she waltzed away from the group, stopping to admire a flower bed accompanied with a hibiscus tree behind it. Paintings of crabs; sea birds; pirate ships; and mermaids lined the clean and crisp white walls, and against the largest wall stood three aquariums.

   The middle, the largest immediately drew (Y/n) to it. It was large enough to house a little shark, which her uncle pointed out was a bamboo shark dubbed Stitch. There were also millions of other fish, including a small school of blue tangs. (Y/n) didn't need any sort of explanation to know at least one of them was named Dory.

   The other two, were large and round. Jellyfish bounced around the tank, lights changing colour to keep the decoration-vacant tank interesting for those who viewed it. It was beautiful, in (Y/n)'s eyes.

   "Every Wednesday and Saturday, we get a mermaid performer into the large tank," Uncle Louis told (Y/n). He glanced back to his wife, who was excitedly chattering with (Y/n)'s mother about all the different species of tropical flowers in the room. The two women darted around, looking at all the different types. Each time they stumbled upon a new one, an excited squeal left their lips.

   Suddenly realising her father was nowhere to be seen, (Y/n) turned on her heel to search for him. She spotted him talking to an older man who seemed to almost permanently frown. He carried a mop with him, but no bucket or tray to accompany the object.

   "Dad?" (Y/n) asked as she approached the two men. The custodian's eyes caught her attention, they seemed level and firm as they scanned her up and down.

   "This is your daughter, I assume," He stated, offering (Y/n) his hand. She slowly reached forward and shook it hesitantly, glancing at her father. He seemed unconcerned, and continued to carry out his conversation with the man.

   "So, what were you saying about the wave pools?" He inquired, eyes never leaving the water that splashed back and forth in the back of the hotel room he looked into. Once (Y/n)'s eyes landed on them, she could truly see why her father became so curious. The waves seemed so natural, it was unlike anything she had seen.

   "Ah, yes," The man began. "I was saying how they were obviously built by the same company who designed the wave pool located in central California, the Kelly Slater Wave Company. Also obviously, the company was made by Kelly Slater, a world champion surfer. But it was also a collaboration between him and the fluid mechanics specialist Adam Fincham. It's truly impressive. Once it opens, you should at least see it. It won't be beautiful for long-"

   Quickly, (Y/n) cut him off at his strange words, "What? Why? Have you seen it?" His brows raised, and he glanced at her curiously.

   "Yes. And, you humans always have the ability to quickly trash anything beautiful. It's remarkable, really," He stated, earning a scoff from the girl.

   With a roll of her eyes, she muttered, "Yeah, alright. What are you then, a merman?"

   "Oh! No, no, no!" The man replied. "Definitely not a merman."

   Suddenly, he turned away from her to continue watching the pool and he began to explain the mechanics and history, "Based on this year, 2018, wave pools have been around for over fifty years. However, it's easy to calculate how to predictably model a wave a few centimetres tall. All it takes is a few linear equations, and you've got yourself a nice small wave. In the natural oceans, however, the three creating factors are the sun, moon, and Earth itself. The moon is the strongest, however. It exerts about 2.2 times more power than the sun does. The water, being a liquid, is literally pulled up towards the moon. Probably why clothes aren't liquid. That would be a bit horrific. But this-"

   He gestured to the wave at least a metre tall that came crashing down on the artificial sand of the room, "-takes a lot more than that. There are several other factors, from turbulence to oscillations of the entire body of water- which is called seiching. Very interesting topic if you ever want to write a paper to impress your elementary school teacher."

   The man ignored her protest, as well as the chuckle of her father and continued on, "But the first model was gigantic. Seven hundred metres long and one hundred fifty metres wide. So, the fact that they were able to reduce that and make it around 8.75 metres long by 7.5 metres wide is remarkable. They also brilliantly covered the hydrofoil used to actually create the waves, I can't tell where they've hidden it- the left or the right side. I'd be impressed, but I'm mostly suspicious."

   "Suspicious?" (Y/n) tried to stop him to get an answer, but once again he simply continued on.

   "I can however see the gutter off to the right side used to prevent seiching like a damper. It also is what's limiting the bounce-back from the pool walls. So, this makes it seem possible to me that the hydrofoil is on the left side. And then the bottom of the pool- the artificial reefs are what changes the shape of the wave. However, no matter what these waves resemble more of neap tides normally found during quarter moons. Actually, no- they seem more like small tidal waves, don't they? Like a teeny tiny earthquake is occurring beneath the floor." The man suddenly stopped himself, groaning as he reached up and rubbed his brows.

   "Giving yourself a headache there, mate?" (Y/n)'s father asked. The girl however reached forward, patting the man on the shoulder as if to comfort him. At first, he jumped at her touch but calmed once he realised it was a harmless act.

   Just as she was about to speak, the sound of Uncle Louis calling drew both her and her father away, "Hey! Should we get on to your room, now?"

   With a huff, (Y/n) turned to give her uncle a glare before turning back to the man, "I thought it was interesting." She said, before darting off in the direction of her family who were forming a group again.

   The man stared after her curiously, before giving a small nod to the world and turning on his heel, marching down the hall with new passion.

   Upon reaching the third floor, (Y/n)'s face was struck with the fresh scent of the outdoors when walking out the elevator.

   "Wow," She breathed. "It even feels like we're in a real forest." Beneath her feet, she noticed grass and squatted down, picking and playing with it.

   "Ah, the grass is artificial, but the trees standing in the middle of each room and in the hallways are real and living. The rest along the walls and lining the ceiling are fake-ish, however. They were real, were alive. But, you could refer to them as taxidermy trees," Uncle Louis explained. The tall man reached up to brush the leaves hanging from the ceiling, a victorious grin painted on his face.

   "You did a simply spectacular job with this place," His sister, (Y/n)'s mother, complimented. Not-so-humbly, he accepted the praise.

   Small talk began to fill the room, and finding it dull (Y/n) wandered off through the room. She admired the deer painted hiding between the trees, and the circling vultures painted on a sunny day between the tree limbs on the ceiling.

   For a moment, jealousy filled her. She found herself wishing she had invented the hotel, made something so wonderful and creative that everyone wished to see it. With a sigh, she walked around a corner and spotted the balcony. A small running stream swept through it, stones she realised were glued in place lining it. Quickly, she glanced around and took off her shoes before stepping in. The water was cool, but something unnatural caused her to jump out.

   Her feet were dyed a light shade of blue, and they prickled as if they had fallen asleep. Brows furrowed, she reached down to massage them before glancing off to the edge of the "yard." Sighing as she spotted a sign requesting visitors keep out of the water, she quickly slipped her shoes back on.

   Soon after, (Y/n) went to track down her family. She discovered them just as they seated themselves around a feast. The amount of the food on the table caused her feet to falter as she scanned it all. A roasted turkey; lobster; jello; ambrosia salad; sushi; and all sorts of foods set perfectly on the table.

   "There she is!" (Y/n)'s mother cried excitedly. "We were going to begin without you!"

   With a frown, (Y/n) replied, "You definitely can. I'm not hungry."

   "Why not?" Aunt Stella seemed to pounce. Her gaze was suddenly sharp and suspicious, and her expression could only be described as offence. The quick question caused both of (Y/n)'s parents to glance worriedly at the woman, whose eyes were glued to the young girl before her.

   "Relax," (Y/n) began. "I snacked a little too hard on the way here. I'll definitely be hungry enough for breakfast in the morning."

   Slowly, Aunt Stella seemed to physically relax. However, her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head in question.

   "Are you sure?" Her face suddenly burst into a grin, and (Y/n) rolled her eyes.

   "Yes, Aunt Stella," She answered with ease. Then, without a second to waste she began to wander off through the hotel room.

   Just as she was about to turn a corner, she heard her father yell, "(Y/n)! Your room is down the hall, very end on the right!" Hollering that she got what he said, she changed course towards her room.

   Sauntering down the hall, she watched the ceiling as the blue of the painted sky began to shift to hues of orange and pink, purple and then to a midnight blue. A sunset seemed to take place down the course of the hall, and the birds in the trees were replaced with a single owl with piercing eyes.

   For a moment, (Y/n) stopped to try and recognise the species. It took her a moment, but she quickly realised it was just an awkwardly painted barn owl.

   Finally she reached her room and with no hesitation busted in with a sigh. Closing the door behind her, she observed the room. Instead of the blue sky or the sunset in the hallway, the room was painted like the night. Except, it wasn't a regular night with regular stars. Instead a nebula swirling with colour took its place. The picture seemed to reach out and grasp at the air, and the different coloured stars almost twinkled between the fake tree branches as (Y/n) turned her head.

   The bed was a queen, the headboard resting against a glass wall that overlooked the city outside. It was strange to see the fake forestry suddenly open up to the buzzing city below and around the hotel.

   Throwing herself onto the bed, it bounced up and down. Grabbing one of the pillows, (Y/n) dragged it over to herself and shoved her face into it. It was so nice and soft, and just the thought of waking up to grass between her toes and no possibility of bugs joining it excited her.

   "Oh," She gasped as she spotted a strange lamp in a niche to her left. Two large taxidermy trees seemed to frame the opening, and (Y/n) hopped off the bed to get a closer look.

   The lamp looked like the solar system. The sun was smack in the middle, glowing and giving (Y/n) a nice warm feeling. Then the planets were suspended in the air around it, each on the correct placement and orbit.

   Reaching forward, (Y/n) pressed a button that shut off the light of the lamp. Immediately, she switched it back on. A second button caught her attention, and without a second thought she smacked it and hoped the planets around the sun would begin to rotate.

   However, they only seemed to shift before getting caught, and an estranged buzzing filled the room. Disappointed, (Y/n) flicked it off.

   "That sucks," She muttered to herself. "Where's a phone..."

   Planning to call the front desk and ask for a repairman, she turned in a slow circle trying to spot the item needed. Not finding one, she frowned before digging out her own phone.

   (Y/n) spent the rest of the evening trying to avoid asking anyone for help as she attempted to track down the office phone number. She groaned and mumbled curses under her breath as she searched the whole of the hotel room. Not a single phone, or phone number, in sight.

   "(Y/n), dear?" A voice startled her. Jumping and turning around, she stumbled and just barely caught herself as she tripped and nearly fell.

   "Yes?" She inquired, meeting eyes with her Aunt Stella. Once again, the woman was looking suspicious of everything (Y/n) was doing.

   Offering a cursory smile, her Aunt asked, "May I ask what you're doing?"

   With a slight shrug of her shoulders, (Y/n) replied, "I was looking to call the front office. The lamp in my room is broken, I really wanted to see it work."

   Nodding slowly, her Aunt began to herd her back to her room, "It's getting late. I'll call someone in the morning, don't worry-"

   "Are you feeling okay?" (Y/n) suddenly asked, cutting her off.

   With a frustrated groan, Aunt Stella hissed, "Yes! I'm doing great, actually. Now please, just get to bed. Your parents have already retired for the night."

   "It's just-" (Y/n) began to insist. "You keep talking weird. Formal, and the like. I wouldn't even be able to tell you grew up in Texas, at this point."

   Pausing, Aunt Stella took a moment before she rolled her eyes, "Yes, well that is the point. I've been working on it for awhile now. Thank you for noticing."

   Without anything else being said between the two, (Y/n) allowed her to shove her into her room just as Uncle Louis walked out and gave her a cheesy smile.

   "I just dropped off your suitcase, you're all ready to go," He explained. "And, I presume you already discovered the bathroom's location?" (Y/n) nodded, and he clapped his hands together with glee. Then, he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and lead her down the hall and out of sight.

   Shaking her head, (Y/n) retreated to her room and got ready to go to bed. Sleeping in the bed was comfortable, but something about the hotel seemed to be constantly jolting her mind awake. Every hour she was disappointed to wake up after a magnificent, yet short dream.

   Finally she refused to allow her mind to lull back into a false sense of security. Instead, she stayed wrapped up in her blankets and watched the city below her. The floor was so high up, she couldn't hear any of the obnoxious honks or sirens that usually laboured the city. It appeared so quiet, so peaceful and relaxed without all the noise.

   Checking her phone, (Y/n) groaned as she realised it was only midnight. At least seven hours to go before she could rightfully be up and wandering, lost in her thoughts.

   However, she found herself panicking at the sounds of voices hovering outside her door. She laid herself out in a comfortable sleeping position; buried her head in her pillow; opened her mouth slightly to make it seem even more like she was sleeping; and then shut her eyes and relaxed her whole body.

   Tuning in to the endings of the conversation, she recognised two masculine voices. One of her father, and one she had yet to pinpoint.

   With an angry groan, her father whispered, "Look, dude, it's the middle of the night. She's fast asleep, every hotel we've ever stayed in has always put her in some sort of trance."

   "Then, you'll realise that with my super quiet mechanical skills, and her "hotel-trance," that I won't wake her up," The other voice argued lowly.

   "No! That wasn't my point. Look, if you go in there and wake her up, anything that may or may not happen to your face is definitely your fault," (Y/n)'s father claimed.

   She could practically hear the man on the other side of the door roll his eyes, "Just let me fix the lamp. Seriously, it won't take long."

   A few seconds passed, and shuffling feet could be heard. Then the door slowly peeled open, and (Y/n) heard her father sigh as he glanced in.

   "Well, we haven't woken her yet," He seemed to decide quietly. "Fine. But you do anything to her, I'm right next door."

   "Yes yes, next door. Blah blah," The other man grumbled. His feet shuffled across the floor,  and (Y/n) could hear as he seemed to come right up beside the bed. Rustles and rattles, as well as a few bumps seemed to tell her that he must have picked up the lamp.

   A second sound followed, a weird whirring that seemed to be accompanied by a low, blue, pulsing light that still caused (Y/n) to hold back a flinch.

   She heard her father close the door, and listened to make sure he wasn't still in the room. Then, slowly, (Y/n) peeled open her eyes. Once she was sure the man, who she now recognised as the guy at the wave-pool, was facing away from her, she slowly shifted to where she could see him better.

   (Y/n) watched as he held a strange tool that seemed to be making the funny whirring sound. He held it up to the lamp he balanced on one arm, and moved it up and down both below and over it. She wanted to ask him so many questions towards what he was doing, but instead opted to stay quiet and watch.

   A second later, he put the tool in a pocket and flicked a button after placing it back in the niche it came from. The planets began to rotate calmly around the light. Even the sun changed, it seemed to glow brighter, even shimmer and pulse with warmth.

   A small grin grew on (Y/n)'s face, and she couldn't help it as she muttered, "I've always wanted to see the stars and planets up close."

   The man froze, slowly turning to her. A hint of amusement covered his face, and his eyes seemed to shine.

   "Now, how am I supposed to ignore that?" He squatted down beside the bed, so he was eye level with (Y/n) as she lie in the bed. Getting a good look at her eyes, he nodded in acceptance before standing.

   The man stuck out his hand, and she took it gratefully as he introduced himself, "I'm the Doctor."

   The girl graced him with a smile, and she replied, "And I'm (Y/n). Nice to meet you, Doctor." He never released her hand, but instead yanked her out of bed and dragged her out of the room and over to the balcony. Her eyes widened at the sight of a strange blue box, before the Doctor gave her a slight shove towards it. From there, he opened the door, stepped aside, and let her peak in.

   (Y/n)'s life was never quite the same.

[lunawings]

Aqours 5th Live Next SPARKLING, June 8-9th 2019

This past weekend I saw my very first Aqours Love Live actually LIVE, and it was an experience. This post is mostly about what it’s like to see them live, and less about the show itself.

I have seen live viewings in theaters before, and in particular I went to the Saitama viewings for both Happy Party Train and Wonderful Stories. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think someday... SOMEDAY I’d make it there. I didn’t know how literal that would turn out to be. As in, I never dreamed I would be ACTUALLY heading to the Met Life Dome a year later. 

Even though I had never been here before in my life before this past weekend, it really felt like I had. This experience was made even more powerful by how throughout the shows the girls kept talking about how unbelievable it was that it was their third time here at the Met Life Dome in Saitama. It was like. I MADE IT. WE MADE IT!

My tickets for both days were very different. On Saturday the ticket I got in the second to last Japanese lottery landed me up near the top, left part of the stands. 

But despite the stage being very far, and me being very short, since the stands were elevated I had no problem seeing every stage at all times if I just tilted my head. Of course, the girls were so tiny I kinda had to check the monitors every so often to see who was where when their outfits were similar. But still, the key thing was I could see all of them at all times. AND sometimes for a brief time, they came by a good deal closer in those carts which was nice! 

When you’re at the live viewing/watching the DVD, you can’t really tell how the carts move. But they actually just kinda loop around halfway or do one loop of the whole arena and that’s it. The smaller carts are pulled by people. The larger carts... are possibly driven, still not sure ahah. I could also see the girls going on and off the stage for the first time. It gets dark but you can still see them running to where they need to go haha. 

Also it sounded A-MA-ZING up there. The best I’ve ever heard them. 

My Day 2 ticket was a bit closer....

AS IN NINE ROWS FROM THE RIGHT STAGE 

(T... thank you foreigner hotel plan......) 

This was a very different experience. But I gotta say. It was not all good. 

Up in the stands the girls were far away, but at least I could see them. Up here, the few times they came to the right stage they were RIGHT THERE AND IT WAS AMAZING. When they were on the main stage I could see them just kinda OK if I got on my tip-toes. When they were in the center of the arena it was like looking through a keyhole at their backs. When they were on the left stage I couldn’t see them at all, and when they were going around in the carts they might as well have been on the moon. It made me realize they really try and accommodate the people in the stands and do not much for the people in the front. Because, well, we’re in the front. So it’s a pretty big trade-off. 

We were so close that when they actually had FIRE coming up doing Thrilling One Way we could FEEL IT. FIRE HOT. I can’t imagine what it was like for them actually on the stage....

Besides being near the stage, one neat advantage of being in the arena is that the arena is basically the only area that gets filmed for the sections where they film the crowd for before the start and encore of the performance. I don’t know if they filmed my face (they tend not to focus on faces) I am 90% sure the whole country saw my Ruby neso on their theater screen and how amazing is that.

BUT, remember how I said it sounded amazing the first day? Haha well... and this was of course no fault of the girls, but from so close to the stage every time we heard them sing or talk their voices were followed by a huge reverberation around the stadium. I got used to it, but when they first started singing it was kinda like.... “so this is what it’s gonna be like huh....” Not to mention I could only hear the right side of the audio. You’d think it would be impossible not to hear things with the music so loud, but it’s true. It was the most obvious in Believe Again. Listen to that song and pull out your left headphone. That’s what it sounded like from the front, right side of the arena. 

So like I said, huge trade-off. 

If I ever go to one of these again, I kinda hope I don’t get the arena. Especially the outer-ish part. Those honestly seem like the worst seats in the house. 

But from this experience I realized that there is actually nowhere “good” to sit in a stadium like this. But if I actually got to pick my seat, I would pick the lower part of the stands I think. 

But at least my worst fear about the arena didn’t come true. From the viewings/DVDs I thought it would be crazy and I’d get pushed or kicked or squashed or something. Not at all. People were really nice. It might have been scary if this was my first event EVER, but having already been familiar with what the Love Liver crowd is like I fit right in and had a blast. 

But yeah, I always thought it looked just INSANE and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to on the arena floor. BUT I WAS IN THAT. And I’m glad I was. But probably never again? 

So as for the actual show, there wasn’t much variety for the set list during the different days. On Saturday they did Koi ni Naritai Aquarium and on Sunday they did Happy Party Train. On Saturday they did Hop Step Wai, and on Sunday they actually did the new Aqours Club song Jump up HIGH!! and that was a big surprise. 

The rest of the show was heavily based on the movie. They sang ALL the songs and had (almost) ALL the outfits and THEY LOOKED AMAZING!!! In particular my favorite outfits were Bokura no Hishittekita Michi wa... In the anime they look really cute but simple. On stage they were SO SHIIINY. Maybe my favorite Aqours outfits of all time now. Aqours outfits always look BETTER in real life and I am continuously amazed. They didn’t have casual clothes for Hop Stop Nonstop (they wore theme colored dresses), but they did have the stairs!

Overall I got to admit though, I was just a little bit disappointed by the visuals. My favorite Aqours live overall is still Wonderful Stories I think. Or maybe Sailing to the Sunshine when/if to see that one. I just remember Wonderful Stories had that amazing screen on the center stage, and Sailing to the Sunshine had that giant ship. Next Sparkling had... stairs. And also the third years got a car for their driving song, but that was basically it. Maybe it looked more impressive on the live viewing. 

The most impressive visual ended up being created by the fans. On Saturday there was a guy going around talking to the stands about making a rainbow (like we’ve seen in LA and South Korea), something I never thought would work in Japan. Especially with the way he phrased it like “you can join if you want to”. It’s really hard to convince Japanese fans to abandon the color of their favorite, not to mention we’re talking about Met Life Dome here. So I tried to be optimistic but I just wasn’t sure it could work. 

And during the encore that seemed to be the case until the very last minute when somehow, it all came together. First just the stands as the arena still did whatever they wanted when the girls initially came out to do unit songs for the encore. 

But then when Next Sparking started, this happened....

(Pic from the official Twitter.)

This was Saturday when I was in the stands. So I was to the left, somewhere in the line where Riko’s sakura pink met Hanamaru’s yellow.

On Sunday I was sitting in the arena seats before the show when that same guy came in to tell us about the rainbow, and I realized oh my lord... was it just mostly this ONE GUY going around the entire arena? But this time, instead of mostly ignoring him, everybody clapped. And when it came time for the encore there was NO HESITATION. Standing in that sea of mikan orange and seeing all that around me was something I’ll never forget. It really made me feel like I was a part of something big. 

AQOURS AQOURS AQOURS

I also learned about another Love Liver tradition you don’t see on the DVD. To prevent chaos they let each section go one-by-one, and whenever a section is called everyone claps, cheers, and waves as they leave. It’s really nice. I’ve really warmed up to this fandom a lot more than I ever thought I would. 

[backwardmaptravels]

The Best Places I Went To In Japan

During my two weeks in Japan I was able to check off all 68 sites and activities I had on my wish list and like any other adventure some of these sights went way beyond my expectations while others left me feeling wholly disappointed. I wanted to share with you all the three places that blew me away and the three left left me saying, “meh....”. I will be breaking this topic into two separate post starting with my favorite hidden jewels I discovered while roaming the Land of the Rising Sun.

3) Monkey Park Iwatayama: Kyoto, Japan

This was the best view I got my entire trip hands down and while I decided to come here for the monkeys that live on the mountain I was blown away by the incredible view I got once I reached the main landing. 

Going to this park means that you will have to first complete a 30-45 minute hike up the side of the mountain. I knew this going into it and it still made me breakout into a sweat by the end of it. (There is no alternative to this hike. If you do not feel that you can complete the walk to the park then I recommend skipping this attraction.)

Once you get to the main landing you are greeted first by the many, many monkeys who call this place home. These monkeys are wild so you are advised to take a few precautions such as: not looking the monkeys directly in the eyes, avoid bending low for pictures, and keeping your personal items out of reach or potentially grabby hands. You can even elect to have an opportunity to feed them if you want. This can be done by walking into the visitor center and buying a bag of food to which you walk over to an area in the building where you can hand the monkeys outside the food. 

While it was fun feeding the babies and snapping pictures galore of the monkeys as they dash by you the real star of this park is the amazing view of Kyoto you can sit and enjoy with you new furry friends. 

Cost: 600 yen (food was an extra 100 yen)

Tip for best experience: Arrive when the park first opens. Not only do you get pictures with limited or no people in the background, but the monkeys are also more active and more willing to eat the food you give them in the morning.

2) Kiayukan Aquarium: Osaka, Japan

I loved this place so much!! One of the best aquariums I think I’ve ever been to PERIOD. Admission was a tad on the higher side to be sure but I think that it was definitively worth it for the experience.

This aquarium is close to the Universal Studios in Osaka and surprisingly doesn’t seem to be that well known by tourist and locals alike. Arrival inside the building starts with you making your way to the top of the aquarium and from there you work your way down all the levels until you hit the bottom. 

The way the tanks were set up were probably my favorite part about this whole attraction. Most of the tanks spanned across two or more floors this means that when you first see the seals you see them playing on the surface of the water or lounging on some ice, but when you go the next floor down you can actually see them swimming and gliding through the water. The ability to see how the animals acted on surface level then see them in action underneath the water was a really cool way to setup the experience.

Cost: 2300 yen

Tip for best experience: The first feeding time is around 11:30 for most of the animals. I would recommending coming around this time so see the animals being extra energetic!!!

1) International Manga Museum: Kyoto, Japan

I wasn’t even going to come here but I had nothing else to do this day and I thought why not....ended up spending HOURS in here. If you like to read manga comics then you cannot miss out on this place!

This museum use to be an old elementary school and is stuffed to the brim with an abundance of Japanese manga and hundreds of translated copies. I didn’t look around to see all the languages they carried but I did see sections for Spanish, English, Korean, Portuguese, and French at the very least. 

This museum has something for any manga lover and it was very very cool experience to grab a stack of books, find a space to sit down, and dive into a story surrounded by people who all spoke different languages and who all represented various generations. Knowing that you were all there because you chose to read on your vacation made my heart so happy!

Cost: 800 yen

Tip for best experience: In the children’s section of the museum you will find the best place to read if it’s too cold to go outside. In this room you will find bean bags and places on the floor to stretch out. Just make sure you take off your shoes before entering. 

[douxreviews]

Aquaman Review

By CoramDeo

"What could be greater than a king?" "A hero."

SPOILER WARNING: There will be a brief non-spoiler review to start with, then I'll discuss the film in depth for those who've seen it.

Also, SARCASM WARNING: For whatever reason, I was in an extremely sarcastic mood when I wrote this review. As a result, I use sarcasm here. A lot.

By nature I love brevity: Absolutely gorgeous in every shot and action-packed, Aquaman is full to the brim with moments that will make die-hard comic book geeks and casual fans alike say things like, "Aw, YEAH!" and "That was awesome!" While there are a few themes, they don't do too much. All in all, it doesn't have a lot of depth, which is surprising for a movie set primarily on the ocean floor.

In Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zack Snyder stuck Jason Momoa in an aquarium tank and filmed him for ten seconds. In Justice League, he used green screen to depict underwater action that sound exactly like it really would to human ears - dampened and unintelligible. For Aquaman, James Wan has been handed the task of trying desperately to make Aquaman look cool. Perhaps a more traditionally-minded director, Wan wisely decides that the decades-old tradition of great filmmakers deciding that scientific accuracy is for losers (and Nolans?) and not really caring what human ears would actually hear is probably not a thing to abandon at this time.

The result is what Neil DeGrasse Tyson might call 'disregarding science' and what I might call 'making an entertaining film.' The underwater action is engaging and epic, and every single frame of this film looks like a freaking Van Gogh as far as color goes. Where Snyder's DC offerings employed the vast range of color one might find in, say, a zebra, or a weekday newspaper, Wan uses revolutionary new techniques like 'orange,' 'bright blue,' and 'not actively desaturating your entire film.' He's got a keen sense of colorful beauty and contrast, and the movie is stunning.

Don't expect a particularly interesting plot; the quest and the story as a whole were fairly by-the-numbers. Neither should you anticipate any clever dialogue; the characters stumble their way through unnatural lines and gobs of exposition in a good half of the film's key exchanges. What you should expect to see, but not be blown away by, is some themes. I'll get into exactly what those themes are in the spoiler section below, because they are somewhat spoilery. And you definitely won't guess the entire plot by the end of the first act.

Though Aquaman isn't too deep, it's a heck of a lot of fun to watch and quite an enjoyable experience. I really do recommend that you go see this movie, if you enjoy fun action and pretty pictures. Also if you are a person who likes to mock the character of Aquaman, because I'm 90% sure that's the target audience.

3 out of 6 pretty pictures.

Friendly neighborhood Aquaman:

This film is not too family-friendly. There is a fair amount of swearing and foul language. If you want a fun movie you can take your kids to, go see Spider-Verse.

SPOILER ALERT: The review will discuss spoilers from here on out.

I mentioned that this film has some themes to it, which aren't exactly clear or well-realized. The first and most obvious of these is the uniting of two worlds which are completely alien to one another. This is the theme that is central to the first and last scenes of the film. In the former, a man from our world meets a woman from theirs as Aquaman narrates about ships meeting each other without any discernible force to propel them. The clash of cultures is evident in the opening sequence more than in any of the rest of the film. In the film's closing moments, too, we see these two representatives of completely different worlds coming together at long last, after what we know has been many years of waiting and longing.

The issue is that this particular theme doesn't really come across very well in the rest of the film. There are loads of situations and dynamics that on paper carry the theme, but in the context of the movie and the way it felt, it doesn't come through almost at all. Aquaman and Mera, themselves a pair from two worlds, are chased by both surface dwellers (Manta) and Atlanteans. They fight both on land and in the sea. And Mera clashes with the humans' culture almost as much as Arthur does with the Atlanteans'. Yet because the quest itself is entirely Atlantean in nature, and because the classically sci-fi world of Atlantis isn't too far off from other sci-fi worlds, which do center around humans, we don't really feel the blending of two worlds. Had the Atlanteans felt more alien, and the plot involved the human world more significantly, this theme would have been much more strong a presence.

The other theme I feel warrants particular scrutiny is that of a great unifier - or a hero - de-escalating conflict instead of escalating it. Interestingly enough, this unifier/hero is not Aquaman. The film's central character always escalates the conflict, at every turn of the plot. It is instead Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) who truly exemplifies this. If you think about it, every effect the character has on the film is to bring peace and unity, not chaos and conflict. She leaves Tom and Arthur in order to protect them. She tries to teach Orm and Mera, and Arthur when he finally meets her, to be better. And in the end, she arrives to end the conflict, saving the life of the film's antagonist. At key points, Atlanna brings people together and gets them to be more peaceful.

The issue with this theme is also that it's not overt enough. For this to be real and feel like it matters, Aquaman would've had to oppose it more directly at the start, and be convinced more significantly to act otherwise by the end. Instead, Arthur fights his way out of every situation right up until the end, and doesn't really show enough signs of having grown. The only thing he does even remotely displaying a change is his refusal to kill Orm, which is a more merciful act than his abandonment of Manta's father early on. Yet this is not particularly great, nor does it have much of an impact as his chance to kill Orm immediately disappears after his initial reluctance. Even with Mera and Atlanna encouraging him to learn throughout the film, he never really does in any way that matters.

A few other themes were present, but weren't really intended to make much of a difference. These include the bits about ocean pollution, which were not as heavy-handed as one might have expected and subsequently been annoyed by, and the bits that deal with duty to one's people. Both themes were present but not overpowering, and were quite tasteful in their execution.

Real quick, let's talk about the final battle. As I said before, I kind of feel like the target audience of this film is people who mock the character of Aquaman. The reason it feels that way is that all the things that Aquaman gets mocked for - talking to fish, riding seahorses, throwing water while underwater, etc. - appear in the third act as epic moments. It feels like the filmmakers just made a list of all the things Aquaman gets mocked for and then intentionally set out to make his scoffers cheer for those very things. Which is kind of fun.

Acting is acting like you're not acting:

The performances in this movie were neither outstanding nor terrible. They all pretty much hovered in the middle of the spectrum. At the high end were Nicole Kidman's Atlanna, Amber Heard's Mera, and Temuera Morrison's Tom Curry. At the lower end were Patrick Wilson's Orm, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Manta, and Dolph Lundgren's King Nereus. So, you know, all the bad-guys. Jason Momoa (Arthur/Aquaman) and Willem Dafoe (Vulko) hung out near the middle of the pack. One thing was reinforced in my mind by this film - no matter what character he plays and no matter how much of a good-guy that character is, there is nothing more terrifying than Willem Dafoe smiling.

Pensees:

-So, can we talk about how much Michael Beach (Manta's Dad) looks and sounds like Steve Harvey in certain shots? I'm just saying, I had a really hard time taking him seriously when I could so easily picture him hosting Family Feud.

-I was totally not expecting the Karathen to speak. That took me by surprise. Also, that was Julie freaking Andrews!

-Randall Park plays Dr. Stephen Shin after playing a character in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Interesting franchise leap, and for that role, too?

-There are a total of six actors listed as playing Arthur in this movie, not including Jason Momoa and his stunt doubles.

-Interesting choice, going with the 'quest based on a specific series of nonsensical instructions' plot that you most often see on animated children's shows.

-I wish they'd left Manta out of this film and saved him for a sequel. His character didn't have enough of a good role in this one to justify his inclusion.

-The final battle is probably the first cinematic battle between sharks, crabs, and... Attack seahorses? Attack seahorses. Alrighty then.

-Apparently, James Wan was offered the choice of directing this or the practically non-existent Flashpoint. He made the right decision, apparently, since Flashpoint seems cursed to lose all its directors.

-Despite anti-Snyder measures such as color and a non-confusing storyline, the Snyder slo-mo still remains. Which is perfectly fine; that was never my problem with Snyder.

Quotes:

Guy in the bar: "You that fish-boy from the TV?" Arthur: "It's fish-man."

Arthur: "We've got a bogey on our tail!" Mera: "What does that even mean?" Arthur: "Bad-guys behind us!" Mera: "Why didn't you just say that?" Arthur: "Bad-guys behind us!"

Arthur: "Redheads. You gotta love 'em." *jumps out of the plane*

*Mera pulls water from Arthur's skin and uses it to activate the device* Arthur: "Show-off. I could've just peed on it."

Mera: "You based our exit strategy on a children's book?" Arthur: "I didn't read the book. I just saw the movie."

Arthur: "I'm no leader. I came because I have no choice. I came to save my home, and the people I love."

3 out of 6 Attack seahorses.

CoramDeo likes to review movies and television. He thinks he's getting good, but he can handle criticism.

[indd40041020202021]

Mid term presentations

In some ways I wish that I could drop this grad project and just read and write about other design projects instead. I’m taking a few classes to complete my curatorial minor degree this semester and it’s really invigorated my love for writing and my opinion that design needs more critical writing and archiving (something that I love to do).  Anyway, that is what has been going through my head, as well as the pressing weight of the past year and it’s slow and arduous continuance into this one. Needless to say it has been really hard to pull some kind of positive motivation out of myself to get this work done.  For the mid-term presentation, I felt like I hadn’t really done that much work, at least comparatively to my normal pace. I dropped a class to focus more on core, but I think it has taken up to this week for me to really gain traction again in thinking about what this project is. 

one thing I’ve been aware of is the complex ideas I’m proposing with my project, and the difficulty in explaining what I’m trying to do. I’ve learned a lot in my current writing class about an audience and tempering your work for readability, and this has inspired me to instead show what I’m trying to do through story. 

As Sophie and I spoke a few days before the presentation, I felt that my point maybe was too convoluted in description, and felt that I couldn’t say all that I wanted to say about what I was trying to do. As well, I felt that through explaining my work, contradictions arose that didn’t feel true to my project either. I needed to succinctly get these ideas and points of entry down in a way that brings people into an understanding where I don’t have to explain the point, because I’m not doing a good job if I have to supplement the meaning.

I was originally thinking about a counterfactual involving the boom of plastic in the 50′s, as this was a catalyst to mass manufacturing once injection molds and mass replication was possible. Sophie said that maybe it was too obvious to choose plastic as the villain.  I also talked about my leech - a species that is currently extinct but unknown (like a Schrödinger's species, maybe it existed, maybe it didn't) and that I was thinking about it being used for blood testing in humans, as we would have to feed it our blood to get results, a kind of symbiosis. Sophie asked why it would be a tool for humans when we could biohack ourselves, and whether that would be something I would look into. 

This project is about decentering the human, and I felt that directing any kind of spotlight back to human achievement would be detrimental to the intended meaning of the work. Although, I always find myself coming back to these reflexive loops of “not about the human but Im human and writing it”, it feels like a bit of puppetry, but I don’t know if that can be avoided in these nature futures scenarios. 

I rethought plastic as a catalyst too, and after reading Against Performative Positivity by Dana Abdullah during my reading group, I was reminded of the politics of efficiency, and felt a renewed connection to it’s criticisms, especially related to how I’ve been feeling the past few months. While I knew about Taylorism, I did a bit more of a dive into his work and found that models of efficiency was a much better catalyst than plastic, as plastic in the 50′s already had the inertia of Taylor and Ford pulling it forward.  So I sat down and wrote a story for my presentation and supplemented it with both guiding reference photos and photos of some of the process that I’ve been going through. The following is my script and photos with annotations of what I was intending for each section of the story.

____

A Technological History of the 20th Century 

[If I gave myself more editing time, I would’ve specified ‘20th Century in the West”]

In the late 1900’s, as the Industrial Revolution began to gain traction in the West, Fredrick Taylor published a text called The Principles of Scientific Management. This work, encouraging factories to go further in their exploitation of workers by valuing efficiency systems over living beings, enraged the general public and incited the Factory Riots of 1911. Lead by the “Imagination Effort” and supported by the Luddites, the Factory Riots destroyed many major factories, including Ford and General Motors, who were both car manufacturers at the time. 

[In reading the first few pages of the Principles of Scientific Management, it’s incredible to see that Taylor’s efficiency models were actually in hopes of a less wasteful manufacturing, not only in manpower but of finite resources. He quotes Theodore Roosevelt on conserving nature and talks about our water and forests vanishing. He then goes on to say that the most wasteful resource of all is man power, and talks about how idle thought and reliance on memory are detrimental. I found this really interesting, as it seems to be in good faith for a better world, but is really taking power away from man, our abilities to memorize and the value of imagination. For this reason, I imagined a protest group of people who also read between the lines here and called themselves “the Imagination Effort” in reference to his quote about the wastefulness in ‘efforts of the imagination”. I wanted to incite an event that would be detrimental to the way manufacturing historically succeeded, so I thought of taking down Ford and GM as two huge factories at the time, even making reference to a general public in this other world not knowing who they are (”who were both car manufacturers at the time”)]

The Factory Riots changed the way the West developed. Former President Theodore Roosevelt later applauded the work of the Imagination Effort for their advanced theories on conservation through thoughtful consideration of other beings. 

[Something I wanted to try was using old photographs and repurposing them in another world. Many of the comics around Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation efforts were in jest, but what if these were representations of people actually appreciating his respect for nature. I imagined that a political figure supporting a cause would bolster the effect of such cause, and be more realistic in their continued influence on world events (similar to the JFK/MLK alliance during Civil Rights protests in the 60s)]  

Throughout the 20th century, science shifted from the pursuit of knowledge of, towards the understanding of knowing with. Forestry and Oil industries began to downturn as cellulose bioplastics and bio-fuel began to boom in the 1950’s. This integration and new respect of nature and technology lead to locating many new species previously on the brink of extinction due to past industrial concepts.

[I wanted to show that I have been making some things - I was able to get this algae grow set-up working and bubbling away on my desk. Do I know what I’m going to do with the Algae yet? no. Does it look futuristic with purple lights? yes. In all seriousness, I am trying to get to a thinking through making mode that I often push aside and thought that by creating this algae set up and watching it grow, that I might be able to access some meaningful reflections on algae and all of its superpowers (bioplastics and bio-fuel being an example). I also thought of it as a potential air purification device, as algae is an incredible carbon capture capacity, higher than trees in general. I also wanted to be careful of my wording and to avoid words like ‘discover’ regarding the finding of other species.]

As part of a connection trek in Ontario’s Boreal Forest, scientists met the Photuris Hirudinea, the Firefly Leech. Both an omnivore and an amphibian, the Firefly Leech has an incredible ability to identify and communicate complex chemical chains in hemoglobin samples through bio luminescent markings, and has taught humans how to read other species emotional states with more nuance. 

[The leech is something I want to stick with so that I can: revision and elevate the leech, open conversations about what has been lost through natural destruction, the power and abilities of other species, and because I want to make something physical and believable - and I think I can do so with some 3D modelling, silicone molding, and basic electronics. I imagine this to be swimming - actually swimming - through an aquarium tank during the exhibition. The name, photuris hirudinea, I was wondering whether I should include latin naming as this world is about breaking down hierarchies, including taxonomical ones, but I thought I would leave it as I believe that some human tendencies or leftover patterns would remain. I chose ‘photuris’ for the Firefly, as they are one of the only land species that use bioluminescence and I wanted the leech to be amphibious ,and hirudinea refers to the leech. I think it brings a bit of believability to this other-world species to have it rooted in real species. I wanted to state that it is an omnivore as well, because both plants and animals carry hemoglobin, and I thought that this was a good way of talking about it’s chemical abilities not only for human use but for other species as well. Finally, because I have the license of another world, I moved away from ‘health data’ to emotional data, something that is unvalued in our world, and something that Taylor explicitly called ‘wasteful’ in his writing. I also think that science valuing both empirical and theoretical data, quantitative and qualitative research, phenomenon and nomenon, was something I wanted to infer.]

In the 1980’s, Michael Strano developed nanobionics, and the interweave was born. Through non-invasive pre-sensing, developed with aid from the Firefly Leech, Strano was given permission by the Giant Kelp species to rewire their mRNA structure, allowing internal tRNA transfers to be visualized on the kelp’s surface, and for information transfer between kelp leaves on touch. This created a network that allowed other species to input, transfer, and communicate information, due to the Giant Kelp’s generosity. 

[I focused heavily on word choice in this section. Dr Michael Strano really is the person who helped developed nanobionics, but I took the doctor from his name as academic achievements and social stature may be separate in this world. I had been playing around with the idea of printing a circuit board onto seaweed. What would it mean if we had a natural backing for something that we base most of our technology on? What if a circuit board wasn’t rigid? What if this was floating through the sea, oxidizing and naturally going back to the Earth? What if it was grown into the kelp, genetically implanted with their permission? Could the firefly leech help us communicate what other species wishes and boundaries are? I wanted the language to remove the dissecting power of the ‘scientific’ human into more of a conversation and mutual agreement between species. Stating that the kelp is giving permission for us to alter it, while leaving out exactly how that happened, I think it is a way to turn these ideas of hierarchies on their head. I imagine someone outside of design thinking this is absurd, but on the off-chance that it makes someone think outside of themselves, I think it’s important. I want to run down my reasoning with my friend Rylee, but mRNA, the messenger RNA, is a single chain, meaning that it can attach to another through tRNA, the transfer RNA. This is way over my head if you asked me specifics on it, but in theory I think it’s close to something imaginable, especially with what they are called (messenger and transfer, similar to internet terms anyways). I also wanted to change the internet to the interweave, as net invokes ideas of capturing, whereas weave invokes ideas of support.]

Through advances in bacterial memory storage, the Interweave of the kelp forest expanded in it’s knowing and expanded it’s form - seen in giant kelp clouds that are easily seen from shorelines all over the world. 

[Bacteria holding memory is a real thing, and I was wondering what that would mean if we had known about it earlier (if we had appreciated other species earlier). I think there’s something really compelling about living memory storage. I also thought about the agency of other species, if the interweave allowed other species to interact in their own ways, I assume there would be some information transfer between other species, and maybe some learning. Could kelp gain the understanding to have floating clouds networking above the water too? I think this is the most far out idea of the group but I wanted to show some preposterous ideas for ideas’ sake. Imagination is a big part of this project, and I think a lot of people are afraid to use their imaginations for fear of looking stupid, but I think it’s one of our greatest abilities!]

As nature and technology continued to grow together, human involvement in it’s developments became extraneous. Communication has become increasingly nuanced, beyond the early 20th century notions of speech and body language. Knowing between species has evolved, and contributes to other-than-human species developing many of the technologies that we interact with today. 

[I wanted to show current day symbiotic relationships in this slide: clownfish and anemone, algae and lichen, trees and fungi, and of course, my monitor lizard engineer. I like the idea of proposing that these species connect without us, without our intervention, and that there are so many other dimensions of communicating between species that we do not pay attention to. I didn’t go into specifics about current day technology in this world because I didn’t have any in mind while writing - but I wanted to allude to the idea that many other technologies made by humans and some made without humans exist in this world.]

While we can appreciate other species and how they have helped support us through the years, we can only imagine what may have been if the Imagination Effort had not risen up in defense of our earthbound kin way back in the Factory Riots of 1911. 

[With what I currently have, this is how I am imagining the gallery set-up - an aquarium with the leech swimming around, with a didactic stating that the aquarium is just for show and that they live freely in the wild. I also thought that I could create a simulation of a kelp interweave branch, simulating connections through lights. I didn’t include the algae because I’m not quite sure what it means yet.]

--------

presentation feedback:

I’m happy with the feedback overall, I think the story aspect really helped people understand the point of my project, which has been my biggest hurdle in the past and going into this presentation. Donnie brought up a good point about what it would mean to have these future moments happen now or present day. I find it quite a bit harder to actually imagine from the point that we’re at now, I’m not sure why but it almost feels more... practical in a sense, I would want to avoid inventing something that becomes an actual usable artifact, like Auger’s Tooth Implant, where it was meant as a critical piece of work but was considered seriously by the public. 

Here are some of my miro responses:

“Love it.  Seems kind of speculative evolution-y.  See Dougal Dixon “

I think speculative evolution is definitely similar. I looked up Dougal Dixon and recognized his work from Speculative Dreaming. I really love how he was able to create these worlds as dunne and raby say, through tempering speculation, even though he’s talking about 50 million years in the future. I think the issue with it is that 50 million years in the future is so far forward that I have a hard time caring about something that far forward. 100, 200, 300 years I can understand, that is something that I could see through a genealogical sense and understand, but 50million years is unreachable in understanding what that frame of time actually means. I think while Dixon is talking about the scientific evolution over time, I am talking about species that already exist in this time that we just don’t know about or have already extinguished. 

“ whimsical and unique, I look forward to seeing more! “ Thanks!

“ so effective and well composed - the narration + the performative... I am so taken with the compelling affect of active story telling. AR?”

I’m glad this came across as I wrote this story the day before the presentation, haha. I want to avoid AR - I focused so heavily in VR last semester and found that the learning curve was taking away from my actualization time - that my fidelity level would not catch up in time for the show. I do appreciate AR and VR though, but I was fully immersed in it last semester and it’s just not right for this project at this time with this deadline. 

“ I imagine your final project book laid out as a mock history textbook “ I actually really want to print a book for this project. A cumulation of writing about process and planning in the first half, and the story and final work in the second half. It would be more of a monograph and not part of the exhibition itself, I just want something really nice that I can shop around after I graduate and when I’m applying to my masters. 

“ @Lauren will you still be doing another workshop around this new counterfactual world? Maybe a writing workshop? I would love to write a story around this as a workshop! It's such a fun idea “

I love this idea - I did receive a grant last semester that I haven’t used yet. Maybe I can do a workshop where I send out a prompt through the mail and ask people to write a story around where they think it came from? I don’t know, and I don't want it to seem ad-hoc - But I have this money and I would love to spend it somewhere. I don’t know really! “ I love how you brought nature into design, especially in. an urban setting. I am excited to see what comes next! “

I’m not sure if I understand what they meant by urban setting, but Im happy they enjoyed it. 

“ I researched "Monsanto" company which is a huge seeds company having 30% market share in the US. One of their experiments was combining the fish’s gene and some veggies... When you talked about bio technical history, it came up in my mind. I think something that related to our life directly but hidden science facts would be good to see in the exhibition as well. “

I like this comment because I was not thinking about Monsanto in any way, but I’m glad it came up. Monsanto is a great example of when species’ agency is not considered, and these genetic experiments are purely for profit and are usually detrimental to both people and the environment. Is there good genetic hacking? I’m attending a bioart talk next week, maybe they will be talking about this - but I’m really happy that the story made them think of something else in our current world. That is the intent of this work is to relate to now and talk about these issues and why they are issues. 

“ Lauren! Your project brings me so much joy! Your story telling and creativity is amazing and I love how it brings these ideas of nature and humans coexisting in a way that it currently does not. “

This was really nice, thank you!

_____________

Overall I’m happy with the response - was hoping for a bit more constructive feedback. 

I’m going to talk to Bobbi in the WIP lab next week to talk about how to make the leech happen, and am feeling that maybe the leech is enough of an anchor to base my world around - maybe. 

Anyway, I’m going to take a break from school for a little bit this week to try and reset and drag some motivation from inside myself for the last few weeks of my degree.

[jetscooters]

So I've got this note in my phone full of writing ideas I'm not using for short stories and D&D campaigns, take a look and feel free to use any (Some are cliché)

Guy with superpower to create dead copies of himself

Somebody wakes up not remembering anything, assumes an ID he's carrying is his and uses that name

Sitcom: someone complains about new yoghurt size

Character who is actually a magical being in disguise

Person sends them on a mission to find a monster who tricks people by asking them to find something, is also the monster

Powerful beings fighting a war on scales people can't even comprehend

"Telephone ring": Allows magic users to cast a variant of a spell they know, but as if it had been misheard, e.g. "Magic missile" into "Manic thistle", once per day

Town of mannequins

Person majored in a dead language, keeps mentioning it, but never has any use for it

Submarines emit sounds and frequencies to look like a civilian cruise liner, but there must not be any scheduled to be in that area

Joke about how WW3 lasted like an hour

Anti-intellectualism following a Great War leads the earth to be a Luddite world surrounded by more advanced colonies

Child genius whose intelligence was wasted because they were raised as a soldier

"Your pack's open"

"It's not open"

"Oh"

*backpack is ripped*

People need to stay in a sterile "bubble" environment when receiving gene conversions due to needing their immune systems shut down to stop it from rejecting the nanobots splicing the new genes into all of their cells

Semper proficio

Species that humans can communicate with through gestures and head movements, but it looks hella stupid

Aliens send down robot animals

Heroes crash on island, find bunker from old war

Injured "god" in ship's hold, causes warps in reality around it, when players dump it, start hearing rumor about a cursed section of the sea

See you tomorro- oh. I guess not.

Sunset: Green flash

A space pilot is terrified of the ocean, because the pressure differences are so much more, it's always dark, and stuff lives there

Players land in a drop pod somewhere, and other landing crew's survival depends on surviving a statless check of DC 15

People leave the earth to escape the political situation

Earth returns to a low-tech agrarian society after technology is characterized as destructive

Mirrors in the dark can be used as portals to another world

Technologies originally meant for space habitats find use on earth after climate catastrophe

"You know, there used to be animals other than people"

"Really?"

Holding a created universe in a "jar", and keeping it safe

Demons are manipulated into believing that people are evil

A "true" immortal eventually faces "death" when it runs out of energy needed to think

Party has to escort infant chosen one, protect from parties who want them for own interests

Devices can be powered by consuming blood sugar

Throughout the ages, a space station has been visible in orbit. A story about the first expedition to that station, culminating in the discovery that life on the planet was decimated and reseeded by the station.

Surrealist short story (comedy?) where weird things are mentioned only in passing

Sci fi retellings of Greek myths

If the Muslim empire had never invaded Spain the first Europeans may not have reached the americas for another few hundred years

Some black comedy: When we were driving home through Houston after the flooding and hurricane, we passed by the aquarium. Now, this aquarium has a sign on all sides saying "AQUARIUM: an underwater adventure!" This would have been the only part of the building actually above the water

A few immortals are unconsciously taking life away from people, making them mortals. They see it as a necessary curse to keep the balance

Fish slowly becoming human through surgery

Robots are discriminated against, people with bionic limbs start to have crises about if they're less than human

Good robots are killed by bad people

An elite military squad is honored and applauded for being more robotic while actual robots are reviled and feared for becoming more human

People in a town think a dragon lives in a neighboring mountain, mountain turns out to be a volcano

[writtenlastminute]

Animal Crossing Embarks to New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fifth installment in the Animal Crossing franchise. As the first entry of the series on the Nintendo Switch, it has been one of the most anticipated releases in the last year, along with Pokemon Sword and Shield. However, in an unanticipated twist, the game came out when most of the planet was either preparing to head into or were already in lockdown due to a global pandemic. The premise is that you’re moving from an implied metropolitan life to a deserted island to escape your worries. Unlike previous games in the series, there is no town when you arrive - you literally build it from the ground up, even being able to terraform the island to your whims later in the game. Otherwise there is no real storyline. Animal Crossing doesn’t have a plot, but you build a community through completing menial tasks like fishing, fossil excavation, gardening and bug catching. These tasks reap rewards, like fish, bugs and fossils which you can donate to the museum, or sell for bells (the in-game currency). You can use the bells to pay off your debt to  your friendly mortgage broker and head of island infrastructure,Tom Nook.

While the artstyle remains relatively unchanged, it is clear from looking at screenshots of the older games (even the last game in the franchise: New Leaf) there has been a big graphics upgrade. No longer are rooms decorated with flat textured wall art or black voids. My favourite example of this is the aquarium and bug rooms in the museum. The bug room has a lot more details with the addition of bugs and fish from different sections appearing in the other rooms. Meanwhile, the aquarium seems more interactive, with a walkthrough tunnel section which is very reminiscent of Nausicaä Centre National de la Mer in Bologne, France. The game uses the same visual trick from previous games where, when you're walking outside, the land behind you falls over the horizon out of view of the player.  The gameplay has mostly remained the same, as has the actual gameplay loop. However, there are some changes in New Horizons, which make it easier to save up bells to pay off mortgages or pay for infrastructure etc. The inclusion of the crafting system, which I am mostly ambivalent about. Narratively it makes sense; you are literally making something from nothing on a deserted island and it gives you more of an incentive to shake trees and own an axe. The amount of times I’ve had to run home because my shovel/ fishing rod/net has broken and I don’t want to always be carrying sticks, hardwood or metal ingots with me.  Another change is the Nook Phone. This is an in-game smartphone that allows you to keep track of crafting recipes, Nook Miles critters and patterns. These features are a massive improvement to quality of life. For example, the Critterpedia tells you if you have submitted a particular fish or bugs to Blathers the Museum Curator. This is helpful as now you know what critters you’re missing without having to slowly walk through the museum with a notebook and pen.  Another addition to the game is Nook Miles, which is a new secondary form of in-game currency. Initially, you use Nook Miles to pay off your mortgage, but then they are used to buy recipes not available in the shop. Also you can use Miles to buy tickets which allow you to visit other islands where you can get different non-native flowers, trees, and fruits, as well as giving you a higher chance of catching rare fish.  That said the game is not without its drawbacks. This game is a massive time sink, and while right now this should not be an issue, in normal society it would be hard to access certain game features due to a busy schedule, work and school. For example, there are certain types of bugs and fish which only appear between 9 pm and 4 am. This is fine if you are playing as an adult, but this game has an age rating 3. I don’t know any parent that's going to let their younger child play this after 9 pm at night. Additionally, these post-9 pm catches tend to be some of the rarest in the game, meaning you can play this game until midnight trying to catch a snapping turtle because you can have one as a pet. It is entirely possible that a child could have a generous parent who plays on their behalf after 9 pm, but from experience this is probably not the case for most parents. Meaning some objectives like completing the museum will never be finished without either cheating or breaking your parent’s rules. Another criticism that I have is that the in-game events go on for too long. This might be because at the time of writing I have spent a fortnight digging up eggs, but a week is long enough for an event to run, eight days at most allowing space for two weekends for those with busy jobs. Something that could fix this is that the event could run for a fortnight, but if the player finishes everything earlier than that point, then they get the event to stop and only reoccur on the final day. Therefore, it doesn’t get in the way of other aspects of the game - like fossil hunting (I am so done with earth eggs).  As a whole, I found Animal Crossing: New Horizons to be a fun and relaxing game, with its release being at an ideal time. There have been some massive quality of life improvements to the game which just makes it more addictive. While there are some small issues; however they are mostly minor irritations which makes them stand out in an otherwise great game.  Read the full article

[mrrolandtfranco]

19 Best Kid-Friendly Family Vacations In America

Family life. It can be wonderful and exhausting in equal measure. That’s why The Great Family Vacation is so important—a time to make memories and celebrate your loved ones away from the pressures of daily life. Whether you’ve got a family of ten or two, here are the best family vacation ideas your kids will love, where boredom is banned and fun is king.

Best Vacation Ideas For Families

With so many great family-friendly destinations in the USA, it’s hard to narrow down to the cream of the crop. While we’ve left out a few of the obvious big-hitters like Orlando, Virginia Beach, San Diego, and Myrtle Beach, we’re featuring equally amazing spots, where the amenities for children are just as great and the welcome just as warm.

An added benefit? These top family vacation spots boast plenty of local rentals from FlipKey. Choose an entire house or apartment where you can all be together (while still having your own space). Swap the hotel mini-bar for a fully stocked kitchen and the communal lobby for a family living area—and maybe even a garden. Imagine an evening barbecue on the outdoor patio, a family movie night in the theater room, or a morning swim in your own private pool.

Ready for a fun-fueled family trip? Pack your sunblock, swimwear, and those all-important traveling snacks. Here are 19 of the best family vacation ideas in America for happy kids and even happier grown-ups.

Anaheim, California

“This home was perfect for young and old. Very close to Disneyland and shopping. The pool was the favorite for relaxing and cooling off. Very friendly owners.” — FlipKey Reviewer

The most obvious pull for children in sunny Anaheim is the mighty Disneyland Park—and who could blame them for begging to come here? Rides for all ages, well-known characters to meet, and all the color and excitement you’d expect from a larger-than-life Disney experience. If you’re looking for something on a smaller scale, book a pass to Adventure City. With rides, shows, and a mini train, it’s especially suited to younger children.

See all FlipKey rentals in Anaheim!

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

“We came to Gettysburg to visit history and were not disappointed. The house just made things very simple for us. Everything we needed was there. Great literature to assist us on our history tour. The house was clean and well kept. It was located very conveniently for touring all of Gettysburg.” — FlipKey Reviewer

Steeped in Civil War history, the picturesque town of Gettysburg makes a pleasant and educational base for families. Tour the Gettysburg Battlefield, the National Military Park, and the Shriver House Museum at your leisure, or hop on a guided bus tour of the town to get the expert lowdown on all the key sights. From historical re-enactments to ghostly tours, there’s so much here to keep the whole family entertained.

See all FlipKey rentals in Gettysburg!

Boston, Massachusetts

“We regularly stay in rented accommodation rather than hotels when we go on holiday, and this is one of the best we’ve experienced. The house is very comfortable, and well furnished and equipped.” — FlipKey Reviewer

Boston has it all—the culture, the fantastic city parks, and a relaxed pace you might not expect in a city of its size. Baseball fanatics, young and not so young, will love Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. You can take a guided tour, watch a game, and soak up some sporting history. Also check out the giant ocean tank at the New England Aquarium and board a Boston Duck Tour to be transported around this beautiful city on land and water.

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Florida Space Coast

The vibe on the Florida Space Coast is, overall, beachy and relaxed, but a vacationer’s experience depends largely on the activity you choose. Of course, they don’t call it the “Space Coast” for nothing. The thrill of watching rockets launch from Cape Canaveral, whether up close or miles away, never gets old. In fact, launches still occur (SpaceX rockets are on the launch calendar for 2017). Kennedy Space Center unpacks space-centric surprises, from the earliest days of space exploration to the exciting Shuttle Launch Experience and behind-the-gates tours.

As for terra firma, beautiful Atlantic beaches await, along with wildlife at the Canaveral National Seashore, a beautiful barrier island National Park. And even if you’re not shipping out for a cruise, you and your family can marvel at large luxurious ships from Grills Seafood Deck, a family-friendly and casual venue.

Over in Cocoa Beach, you can sink your toes into the sand—but if you have teens, be sure to pop in for a ubiquitous (free!) sticker at Ron Jon’s massive surf shop. You may want to pick up a bikini or t-shirt while you’re at it, too.

Satellite Beach is a lesser-known but equally lovely section of the Atlantic coast. If you’re planning on visiting in June or July, you can enjoy sea turtle nesting season. Check in with the Sea Turtle Preservation Society for a guided tour. Once booked, you’ll be led out by expert guides equipped with the knowledge (and turtle-friendly lighting) to find mama turtles as they venture onshore to lay their eggs. Truly amazing!

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Long Beach, California

“This adorable house was very comfortable and had every amenity needed for a family vacation. Everything was close by, from amazing restaurants to cute shops, and of course the beach. I was impressed at how quickly we were able to get to Disneyland and down the coast to Newport Beach.” — FlipKey Reviewer

Locals refer to Long Beach as one giant playground, so families are certainly welcome here. And there’s one place you really can’t miss. More than 11,000 creatures await you at the Aquarium of the Pacific—you can even touch and feed some of them. Learn about who lives in and around the oceans and the importance of conserving their environment. Long Beach also has lots of family-oriented places to eat and plenty of fun watery activities, including boat tours.

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Washington, DC

Washington, DC is a vibrant city with dozens of free attractions and events that make it an ideal destination for a family vacation. Once you’re near the Mall, major landmarks and iconic government buildings are everywhere you look: the Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, and many more. Have your kids pull out their coins and dollar bills to see replicas of the very buildings they’re standing in front of. Book a line-skipping VIP tour and check them all off your list.

The internationally-renowned collections of the Smithsonian range from a 65-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton to the original “Star-Spangled Banner” to the space shuttle Discovery. The Einstein Planetarium at the Air and Space Museum offers a constant flow of illuminating, family-friendly entertainment. The airplane buffs in your family will be happy they made the trek to Dulles Airport for the Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It’s so large that the actual planes dangling from its ceiling look like toys.

The riverfront Nationals Park is a wholesome itinerary option for families who like major league baseball. Its neighborhood goes by many names at this point—Navy Yard, Ballpark District and Capitol Riverfront—but is easy to reach from any area of the city.

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Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Billed as the Waterpark Capital of the World, Wisconsin Dells is an obvious choice for fun-seeking families. It’s hard to experience all the great attractions and activities here. Take your pick of indoor and outdoor adventures, such as Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park, Noah’s Ark Waterpark, Timber Falls Adventure Park, Circus World, Timbavati Wildlife Park…the list goes on and on.

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Durham, New York

Set in the Northern Catskills, where there’s lots of fresh air and space to run around, Durham makes a top family vacation base. Show your brood the best of the rural life on a tour with Farmer Frank of Hull-O Farms, where you’ll meet all sorts of friendly animals, including bunnies, piglets, and chicks. For something completely different, try the Zoom Flume Water Park, where you can rent a cabana and spend the day crashing into the water via various high-speed slides.

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Winter Haven, Florida

Your child may be on his or her way to being a master builder—or not—but either way, few Florida destinations are as child-friendly as Winter Haven. That’s because of the incredible LEGOLAND. This child-centric haven is practically overflowing with Lego bricks. What’s more, every ride in the elevator is a strobe-infused opportunity to do a happy dance, and every room is themed—from pirates to knights to adventurers.

Steps away are Legoland’s theme park and waterpark. The theme park’s coasters, rides and Lego-centric sites keep the entertainment going nonstop. The waterpark’s lazy rivers, wave pools, slides, and other cooling spots offer a fun respite from the Florida heat.

Parents should note that although the LEGOLAND attractions are decidedly for youngsters, the ease with which you’ll be able to move from one to the next make it appealing for parents looking for recreation that’s a little more self-contained. As a bonus, you can also enjoy a tropical cocktail by the pool while watching your kiddos.

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Indianapolis, Indiana

Indy’s a pretty hospitable place. And if you’re visiting with children, there’s no better starting point than the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the largest of its kind in the world. We challenge anyone to be bored in this place, where kids are encouraged to explore arts and culture through exhibits, workshops, and live performances—there’s even a steam engine. You might also like to see the animals and plant life at Indianapolis Zoo.

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Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

This friendly place on the Atlantic Coast has a boardwalk packed with lively eateries. Families tend to favor Funland for its arcade games and vintage rides and Jungle Jim’s Water Park for water slides, go-karting and mini-golf. For a bit of calm before bedtime, you could head slightly north and take a Broadkill River cruise with Caper Water Tours and Taxi, taking in the peaceful views of the shoreline and its birdlife before the sun sets.

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Williamsburg, Virginia

Colonial Williamsburg, the 301-acre, restored 18th-century capital city, is America’s largest interactive history museum. Its interpretive characters transport visiting families back in time, to the sound of beating drums and trilling fifes.

Virginia’s Historic Triangle extends to nearby Jamestown and Yorktown, where innovative exhibits and educational experiences depict America’s first permanent English colony and guide visitors through the battlefield where American independence was won. Merchants Square, an 18th-century-style village, includes more than 40 shops and restaurants ranging from family-style to fine dining.

The family-friendly Williamsburg area is also home to Busch Gardens, an action-packed, European-themed adventure park; Water Country USA, Virginia’s largest water park; and the York and James Rivers, where you can enjoy beautiful scenery and outdoor activities such as fishing, boating and swimming.

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Sandusky, Ohio

Located on the southern edge of Lake Erie is chilled-out Sandusky. This place is home to the Cedar Point amusement park, which draws rollercoaster-crazy visitors each year. It’s mostly for the thrill-seekers, but there are also gentler options available for younger children. Alternatively, you can take jet skis out on the lake or enjoy a stroll with stunning views along the Sandusky Bay Pathway.

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Bloomington, Minnesota

Book a comfortable family rental as your base for exploring the child-friendly delights of Bloomington. We recommend starting with Nickelodeon Universe, a fun-packed indoor park in the Mall of America, with everything from the tamest of rides to zip-lining adventures. If your children are on the younger side, this is a great place to spend a day. The Mall of America also provides all the shopping and eating opportunities you could hope for, plus an aquarium and adventure golf.

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Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Affordable and wholesome Pigeon Forge is adjacent to American’s favorite national park, Great Smoky Mountains. Most known for the Dollywood theme park, Pigeon Forge now also gets rave reviews for its Titanic Museum, an interactive walk through the doomed cruise ship. Teens will like assuming the persona of a historic passenger, only to find out their fate after visiting the eye-popping captain’s bridge.

Nighttime is perfect for The Island in Pigeon Forge, an entertainment hub with lighted water shows. Pleasant evenings also draw families to the area’s multiple mini-golf courses, including one in nearby Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg is also home to a surprisingly wonderful aquarium given its mountain location; penguins typically steal the show at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.

Your most difficult task will be choosing which of the dozens of family attractions to try, from a wax museum to a world records hall to dinner theaters, roller coasters and even “Goats on the Roof.” Nature will also be luring you to Smoky Mountain trails and overlooks, so no matter how many days you can spend in Pigeon Forge, they will all be full.

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Carolina Beach & Kure Beach, North Carolina

Carolina Beach offers an old-style boardwalk, a laid-back atmosphere and absolutely tons of activities for families to enjoy together. Take advantage of the water sports and seaside amusement rides (and grab some donuts from Britt’s). A few minutes down the coastline is Kure Beach, where you’ll find Ocean Front Park, with its boardwalk, gardens and beach—there’s even a giant pirate ship to play on. Continue down to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, which has some interactive exhibits and even an albino alligator.

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St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine’s picturesque and historic center appeals to all sorts of visitors. Many families come here for the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum, a fabulous swashbuckling resource offering interactive exhibits, treasure hunting, and more. For some outdoor fun, you could see the town on one of Ripley’s Red Trains, hit the play areas at Davenport Park or Project Swing Park, or turn towards the beach for a kids’ surf session.

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Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte’s Carowinds, a combination amusement park and waterpark, is a big hit with families. Weekdays offer shorter lines than weekends, and themed events are scheduled near year’s end. Young park-goers will discover mini-rides just for them, while teens will be thrilled with the likes of Intimidator and Fury 325. The park offers free water at multiple stations, but parents consistently recommend purchasing cups with free refills for the day. Count on $20 for parking, and budget extra for food, or consider at least one combo ticket, which includes food throughout the day.

Does your family thrive on challenges? Multiple escape rooms now pepper Charlotte, and near the intersection of the city’s two interstates, you’ll find Escape Kings. This family-friendly attraction lets those over 10 years of age test their collective wits by escaping from Aztec Ruins and Kings Quest rooms. The puzzle clues are for all ages, and escape is neither too hard for kids nor too easy for adults.

DefyGravity trampoline park is an appealing setting for energy-filled kids. Depending on their age, they can bounce their way through the KidJump, Ninja Obstacle Course, extreme dodgeball, foam pits, and even a trapeze.

Teens who like golf will love hanging out at Topgolf. Fun music adds to the excitement of golfing with a variety of provided clubs on a three-level driving range. Servers keep the food and drinks coming, while you rack up the points and have a few laughs. Charlotte—a major metroplex—has no shortage of other family-friendly restaurants at all price points.

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Williams, Arizona

“We wanted to spend time at the Grand Canyon so I looked for a place that could accommodate all 9 of us (this included some children). Rather than rent numerous hotel rooms I decided it might be fun to all stay together in a house. The description of this house made it sound interesting and close to town so we chose it. Best decision ever!” — FlipKey Reviewer

Williams has all sorts of activities to make your vacation a memorable one. Watch a thrilling rodeo show, drive through graceful pine forests to spy on cute bear cubs and other fauna at Bearizona Wildlife Park, or take to the railroad and spend a day on the Grand Canyon Railway Adventure Package.

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This post was originally published on the TripAdvisor rentals blog. FlipKey is a TripAdvisor company.

The post 19 Best Kid-Friendly Family Vacations In America appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

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