#like i wish i could recommend you a cool brush!! but it's entirely THIS BASIC DEFAULT BRUSH

[godbirdart]

people ask me, “what brushes do you use for your lines?”

let me tell you. i have dozens - dozens - of custom brushes downloaded for lineart. my clip studio storage is bursting at the seams with custom user-created assets. i have a surplus of sketching brushes and textured brushes and manga pens and watercolour pens.

but every. single. time.

no matter how often i try to mess around with the custom brushes,

i come back to the literal default pen tool and use it for everything

[ravenluvsppnbc]

Tattoo parlor au

thanks for the request! i hope this is suffice. <3

Chloe woke up on Tuesday, nerves filling her body. The sun had just risen. The birds were chirping and flying around in circles through the sky. Chloe’s alarm had woken her at eight. She took a cold shower, wishing not to waste the hot water, and was drinking a warm latte just ten minutes after. She watched the morning news, mumbling curses at the political pieces. By the time she was dressed, the news was playing a puppy segment. She smiled, switching off the television when it was done. She left the apartment by ten.

The redhead walked down the street to meet her two best friends. Aubrey and Amy were standing on the block corner, waving obnoxiously. Today was the day Chloe had been waiting for with nerve. It was also the day Aubrey had been dreading. Amy was very excited. They would be getting tattoos. Matching tattoos. The three girls had become a “groupe de trois” in college when they joined an a cappella group. Chloe and Aubrey were already years into college when freshman Amy met them.

They decided to get matching tattoos weeks ago. Today was finally the day. Aubrey leads the others to her car, which she had parked in a carpark an hour prior. The girls laughed, driving to the only tattoo parlor that Aubrey had approved. Aubrey could be a bit picky, but it balanced out Chloe’s open mindedness and Amy’s boldness. The three pulled into the lot at 11:50, which Chloe thought was perfect. Aubrey thought that they were late. Their appointment was at noon.

Chloe’s boot clomped against the ground as they entered the shop. Aubrey was taken aback by the soft rock that filled her ears as the door shut behind them. A little man with long hair peeked his head over the desk. He had a sleeve of skulls, and a nose ring. Amy walked closer to the desk and said, “Hi, we’re here for some tats.”

“Did you have an appointment already?” Little man asks.

“Yeah. We’re supposed to be scheduled for noon.” Aubrey chimes in, stepping closer to the desk.

“Alright perfect. Uh Beca is just finishing up with somebody at the moment and then Jackson is just hanging out in the back. We’ll get going in a minute.” The man said, standing up and walking back.

A guy, who Chloe assumes is Jackson, walks to the front desk and takes Aubrey to the back. Chloe and Amy stand at the front, listening to the music. A brown-haired woman in a leather jacket and doc martens walks out of a curtain with front desk man and another guy in a black tank top. Chloe can’t stop staring at this woman, who she assumes just got a tattoo. Only now, Chloe realizes, the woman jumps behind the front desk and looks at the computer. Amy walks to the back with the small man, waving.

“You’re also getting one?” The woman asks, making eye contact with Chloe.

“Yeah.” Chloe mumbles bashfully, as the other woman scans her body.

“Alright, I’m Beca” The woman says, grabbing Chloe’s hand, “Come on then.”

Beca leads Chloe to the back of the tattoo shop where theres a black curtain hanging from the ceiling. She helps Chloe into the chair. Chloe scans the space. Beca has band posters on the walls, a record player in the corner. “OO Oasis,” Chloe says, pointing to the wall, “I love them.”

“Yeah,” Beca says, sitting down on a chair, getting out a tattoo gun and ink. She spins her chair towards Chloe with a smirk. “So are you gonna tell me what your name is?”

“Oh, sorry. Just nervous that’s all. Uh. I’m Chloe.”

Beca smiles. “Don’t be too nervous,” she says, turning around to prepare the equipment, “You’re really pretty, whatever you get is gonna look dope.” Chloe smiles, blushing.

After a moment of silence, Beca speaks up again, brushing the previous comment off of her shoulder. “So what were we thinking of getting?”

“Oh I’m thinking something simple. I want it to say, ‘Bella’ and then I want to put a burrito next to it.” Chloe says.

“Well I do hope that you and Bella stay together for awhile. This one might be a little hard to explain.” Beca says, letting out a chuckle.

“Oh it’s not a relationship tattoo-”

“Oh I’m sorry. I totally just-”

“No it’s cool. It makes sense that you’d think that,” Chloe says, giggling. “My friends and I met in college. We were in an a cappella group called ‘The Bellas’ and then a guy threw a big ass burrito on one of them. So. That’s what that is.”

“So,” Beca says, sitting back down, “No burrito-obsessed girlfriend named Bella?”

“Nah.”

After a few more minutes of silence, Beca turns to Chloe to show her some sample stencils. Chloe really likes all of them, even though it is very hard to take a burrito seriously. Chloe points to the one on the left, and Beca tosses the other one onto the table. “So where do you want this thing?”

“Well I don’t really know. I was thinking maybe my shoulder. I don’t know where they’re getting theirs.”

“Shoulder sounds good. I can put a stencil there so you can see what it looks like.” Beca says, printing a second stencil. “Which arm?”

Chloe points to her left. “Do you want me to move my shirt?” She says, nervously fumbling with the hem of her sweater.

“Only if you’re comfy with it, but I don’t know how great I can do it through this. It is recommended.” Beca jokes, before Chloe pulls her top off entirely. Beca gasps, her eyes lingering on Chloe’s toned abs. Beca curses herself. She shouldn’t be flirting with a client.

Beca places the stencil onto Chloe’s left shoulder, and grabs the mirror to show her. “That looks great.”

“Alright, then we can get going. Do you want some tunes? I have a record player back here, you can pick something. But beware. It sounds super hipster coming outta that thing.” Beca says, pulling Chloe in the direction of the record player. Chloe picked Nirvana.

“Good choice.”

Chloe’s eyes follow Beca as the brunette went to the sink to wash her hands. She throws her leather jacket to the chair next to her, revealing a sleeve of patchwork. “Oo. Did you do those yourself? I love that.”

“Some of them,” Beca says, wheeling a cart over to the chair, “What’s your favorite?”

“I like this one,” Chloe says, pointing to a skull with Hozier lyrics next to it.

“Yeah I did that one. I like the skull, but the song isn’t as meaningful as it was when I did it.” She explains, chuckling. “Don’t do song lyrics.”

“Noted.” Chloe mumbles.

“Ready?” Beca says, hooking up the machine.

“Yeah.” Chloe says, exhaling.

Beca reaches for Chloe’s arm, and grabs the machine. Chloe scans over Beca’s sleeve, looking at each tattoo. After a few minutes, Chloe mumbles, “Shit.”

Beca immediately takes the needle away, and sits back in her chair. “Everything okay?” She asks quickly.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about something. Didn’t mean to spook you or anything. It’s all good.”

“Alright.” Beca says, moving back towards the redhead. She continues tattooing, looking up at Chloe each time she felt her tense up. At one point, the redhead moved Beca’s hair out of her face. Beca swears that she saw Chloe bite her lip. The brunette blushed and continued working on Chloe’s arm. Chloe knew what she was doing, and she liked it.

“Okay, I’ll get started on the burrito now. Just to be clear—you wanted a line drawing? Like not shaded in?” Beca asked, moving the needle away from Chloe’s arm.

“Yeah that sounds perfect.” Chloe said.

After a few more minutes of tattooing, Beca tilted her head to the side, running the needle along Chloe’s shoulder. Chloe caught a whiff of Beca’s perfume. She was intoxicated by it. The slight woodsy scent, but not campfire. The sweet scent made Chloe’s mind wander. “Oh my god. What perfume are you wearing? I literally. Like. I just want to keep smelling you. That sounds weird. What is it?” Chloe said, stuttering over almost all of her words.

“Well. Thanks. It’s ‘Sappho’ by Lush. All the girls love it.” Beca said with a wink.

“So that’s the goal?”

“Not always, but it’s appreciated.” Beca flirts, smiling, wiping a towel over Chloe’s shoulder.

“Do you flirt with all of your clients?”

“No. I’m really not supposed to. But you’re making it a little hard at the moment.” Beca says, blushing as she cleans up the cart.

“Oh. Sorry.” Chloe says, feeling a little ashamed.

“Don’t be sorry. I like it,” Beca flirts, writing on a few papers. “Here’s your guide to having a tattoo. Basically what you should and shouldn’t do. And something you should do—uh. My number. It’s in there. I don’t know what you’re into but I’d love to take you out.”

“I’ll definitely call you.” Chloe says, leaving the space.

She meets Amy and Aubrey back at the front, where they compare tattoos and pay. Chloe leaves a nice tip. She makes eye contact with Beca, who is now standing behind the desk, as she exits the shop. Beca sends her another wink.

When Chloe gets into the car, she opens up the paper to find Beca’s number written neatly with a signature next to it, and a heart. She adds Beca’s number to her phone, as they drive away.

[prettywordsyouleft]

The Price of Freedom

Prompt: #189 for @just-existing1​ – “You’re gone… I watch you disappear…”

just-existing1 said:

Can you do prompt 189 with Taekwoon?

Pairing: Jung Taekwoon x reader

World: Contract (read HERE)

Genre: demon au / angst / fluff

Warnings: none, aside from the supernatural nature of the story

Word count: 1706

A/N: This story is part of a previous world created. Whilst you could read it without the previous context, I highly recommend that you read Contract, linked above first.

A cold dread overwhelmed you and you snapped up from your slumber, choking on your sobs that were already wracking through your body. Clawing the blankets towards yourself, you peered around your room for signs of distress, other than your own. Your belongings merely stared back at you and you began to wail uncontrollably with the pain that clutched at your heart.

It didn’t matter how many times you had this nightmare, it was raw and crippling every time.

Throwing back the blankets, you padded out into the living area of the penthouse, stopping in your tracks when you saw a figure over in the kitchen. Despite the small sense of logic, you squashed it down as you rushed over to his side, throwing your arms around him from behind. “Oh thank god, you’re-”

You realised then that your arms had come up empty and you dropped your head, the tears dripping to the tiles beneath your feet.

“That’s right, you’re not here anymore.”

It was the one sentence you had repeated to yourself the most since Taekwoon’s demise. The price you had to pay for his freedom. It was ironic, the whole reason he had worked endlessly towards breaking free from his contract was so he could be free to do as he pleased with you.

Neither of you had expected his freedom to come at the cost of losing his body in the process. Within your pain, you hoped the man you loved was at peace now; even if you were anything but free yourself.

The house you stood within had been your shared apartment, and then your lovers’ nest. Now it felt too large, the emptiness without Taekwoon overwhelming you day in and out. The grief was unbearable and you had hoped for the contract you had made with the demon all those years ago to break as well. Then, you’d be riddled with your sickness again and leave this world behind like Taekwoon had done with you.

Moreover, you wished you hadn’t figured out the way to break the curse upon him. If he wasn’t free, he would be at your side still and you would never let him go.

Instead, the reality was bleak. You were still as healthy as you had become after Taekwoon had saved your life, living day in and out in a world that had no place for you anymore. You were neither human nor demon, a hybrid with no place calling for you outside of these walls. No one cared for you anymore, a simple face in a sea of others whenever you went out for necessities.

There was a small part of you waiting for Taekwoon to return, however. Surely there was more to life than what you existed through right now. A reason you were still here, outside of the eternal longing you barely endured. Taekwoon had always been someone who wouldn’t give up, and the denial you held onto insisted that he would still be out there somewhere, fighting his way back to you. It would make no sense for him to just give up now.

And yet, you had seen it firsthand. You were right there when he started to disappear, your hands falling short just as they had now in the kitchen. How could anyone survive through that? It was impossible and yet, you were clutching at all options deep down.

You could say the sentence over and over to yourself but it did nothing to comfort you.

A year passed by in a blur. You had expected it to be longer, dragging your feet through each muddled and painful day. Although, life continued. You eventually left the penthouse for another of Taekwoon’s homes on Earthside, a small cottage in the middle of nowhere. You had always wondered why he had chosen to buy such a home, knowing the demon to spend more in a night than you had in a year. He lived for the finer things, you included, and the amount of dresses he had ripped from upon your body over the years would have easily been worth more than this place had been to buy.

He had never told you, of course. This place was one he would only return you when the most desperate, the times where not even your comforting words and gentle touches could ease his heart.

Moving here now felt the same for you. Without Taekwoon to calm you, working the land, tending to your animals and harvesting food for the local market kept you satisfied, busy. You had little time to dwell on the past with him. The gardens bloomed; the vegetables grew higher and larger than you had ever anticipated. Soon, you were talking to the milking goats as if they were your only friends you had remaining and sewing your own basic clothing that felt more flattering than any bejewelled gown of your past. You left Taekwoon’s fortunes behind, living for just what was in your means.

There was more fulfilment in your world working this hard. You had once believed being a lawyer would make you the happiest. And to some degree, Taekwoon had made you that at his side. You had negotiated more deals in this lifetime than you could begin to fathom with both humans and interesting creatures of the Underworld. You had talked your way out of death numerous times and convinced an entire vampire coven to change their outdated institution to one that matched a modern world. You had achieved a great deal at the side of your demon lover, and yet it wasn’t until you were sowing seeds for next year’s produce that you had come to realise it had no value. The time you were in now, creating something with your hard work, with the body that Taekwoon had healed from the brink of death, was the most valuable days of your life.

Still, the dreams followed you. Sitting up as the tears silently streamed down your face, you got up, walking outside into the cool night air. Staring up at the sky littered in a thousand stars, you willed yourself to calm down, to come back to reality.

Taekwoon wasn’t going to return now.

It took you some time, the colours of the sky beginning to brighten with the sign of a new morning on the horizon, before you could say you had stepped out of the nightmare and convinced yourself of your place in this world now. Turning, you went to go inside to prepare for the day when you saw him standing there, watching you intently.

Even if it was another hallucination, you smiled, soaking in his intense blue eyes, those that had guided you from the very start. They were your favourite thing in this entire world, and you allowed yourself the moment to admire them before the illusion disappeared, much like it always did.

“Do you plan to just stand there staring?” he wondered, and you frowned, blinking softly.

“This is new,” you murmured as you walked towards the conjured Taekwoon before you. He watched your movement precisely, his eyes travelling your body and arriving back on your face when you were in arm’s reach.

“Of all the places for you to come to. What have you done to my homestead?”

Still a little confused, you glanced around yourself. “This is my home. Doesn’t it look alive?”

“Do I look alive?” he asked softly and you shook your head. “Really? Why don’t you reach out and see for yourself.”

“You’re gone… I watched you disappear,” you told Taekwoon sadly, sidestepping around him and going into the house. Under your breath, you told yourself this wasn’t real repetitively, jumping when the door opened and closed a second time. Snapping around, your eyes widened. “What on…”

“You gave up on my return? Fickle human.”

“E-Excuse me?!” you exclaimed, uncaring due to your shock, whether you were talking to a man who was or wasn’t truly before you. “I waited for you each and every day! I still am waiting! Why do you think I’m here! This house… this house is a part of you!”

Pursing his lips in a way that made your heart ache and flutter simultaneously, Taekwoon stepped towards you. “And are you still a part of me?”

“Who else would take in someone under your contract?”

“I’m amazed Hakyeon didn’t ship you off to help with the elves Hongbin and Wonshik.”

Peering more closely at the man before you, slowly you reached out your hand, Taekwoon catching it midway. His touch was electric, much as it always had been and you felt your legs give way, right as Taekwoon pulled you into his arms.

You sobbed for what felt like an entire day. Nestled into his chest, his hand gently rubbing circles at your back, his words changing from comforting to irksome. This was the man you had fallen in love with, the demon who you sold your soul to.

Somehow he was back and you couldn’t stop the tears of relief that fell from your year-long heartache.

“Just know it was just as painful to be away from you, my love.”

“Why did it take so long?” you managed to ask when your emotions dried up, searching his face for all the answers to all of your questions. Taekwoon smiled softly, brushing your hair away from your face. You then huffed in annoyance. “Troublesome demon.”

“The most wicked of them all to have caused so much heartache to you.”

“Are you truly here? For good?”

“Well, the flowers need pruning and the cows need fodder, do they not? You can’t be expected to do it all. Besides, there’s a soul to collect at the end of all of this.”

“You breached our contract,” you retorted, Taekwoon laughing at your statement heartily. “Also, didn’t you collect this soul in an entirely different way?”

“Who said it was your soul that was up for grabs? It’s only fair if I’m to take yours then you must have mine when that time comes.”

“So you’ll be here forever?”

“Freedom comes with a heavy price to pay. Now that our debts are finally clear, we will have more than forever together.”

_________________

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[yasmeensh]

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - The lore

I know this is an art blog but i can’t contain myself and I need to talk about zelda2 lore. Why? You all heard about the botw sequel being darker, much darker. And people made connections to Majora’s mask, because it was a dark sequel. But you know what? Zelda 2 was also a dark sequel. Nintendo are doing it for a THIRD time and I'm proud. Sit tight and maybe grab a snack because this will probably be a long passion essay. Here we go.

Most of you MIGHT be familiar with the storyline of Zelda2, but in summary, here is how it goes: Princess Zelda from an ancient time has been put to spell by a curse. Only the power of the full triforce touched by a pure heart can wake her. Finally after hundreds of years, the chosen one came along (Link). Link must place 6 crystals in 6 palaces to break the spell on the Great palace where the Triforce of courage is enclosed. Once there, he takes the triforce, completes it with the other two pieces, and wakes zelda up. The End.

And Here is the story in MORE detail (unless you are in a hurry , I recommend you read it. The top summary is just for people who have no clue what the story is:

    The king of hyrule always passes down the power of the triforce to his son next-to-be-king. This time however, he wants to give it to his daughter, Zelda, because he believes she is wiser and more considerate than the son. The son was very upset about it and has summoned a wizard to scare the princess and give up the triforce to him. The wizard however, overcome with hatred towards zelda, uses all his magic to put her to an eternal sleep, and he dies (only recently in the hyrule historia has the identity of the wizard been revealed: he is a follower of Ganon, or an embodiment of ganon himself (sort of like ghost ganon in oot or blight ganons in botw. So in this case he might have not died but just extinguished all his powers)). The son, overcome with grief for his sister, promises that every girl born into the Royal family henceforth will be named Zelda. He locks the triforce of courage far away, so only those worthy of it will be able to access it, and leaving the remaining two in the castle, unable to use its full power.

Hundreds of years have passed by and no worthy hero came by, until now. On his 16th birthday, Link noticed that a mark resembling the triforce glowed on his left hand. Worried and Confused, he goes to seek information on it from Impa. She tells him that he is the hero chosen to save the sleeping princess Zelda. She gave Link a scroll written in ancient text that only the true hero can read to ensure that he is in fact the chosen one. Link was able to read it despite never seeing that language before. The Great Palace where the triforce of courage lies is locked with a spell. The spell comes from 6 different temples, and he must break part of the spell at each temple so he can open the gates of the Palace. To do that, A crystal must be placed in each, and that is exactly what he does.

While Link is going on his journey, the minions of Ganon are going after him, trying to capture him and use his blood to revive Ganon (It’s unclear if they want him alive or dead, or simply his blood. All we know is they want to use Link’s blood in a sacrifice to bring Ganon back from the dead). If Link dies, Ganon will be revived, so he must remain alive. At the end of the trial to the triforce of courage, Link was made to fight his own shadow by the triforce keeper. After defeating his shadow, he made the triforce whole again, wished for the curse on Princess Zelda to break, and she woke. The End.

Now that is my extensive summary on the official story. Obviously I will fill in now MY theories on some points. My biggest point is Link fighting his shadow. Why did Link have to fight his shadow? Why was Link not ready to touch the triforce? He already went through ALL the trials, so why this now? My theory is that Link’s heart was not pure. Only a pure heart must touch the triforce. A corrupted heart will corrupt the world when the triforce is touched, no matter what the wish is. Link was most likely the chosen hero, but he is not completely pure. I believe Link was made to fight his shadow as a final step to touching the triforce; to cleanse his heart from any evils that are in it. Why would Link be evil and corrupt? I don’t know, but that’s hella dark.     Another point, that can be connected to BoTW, is Link’s death, and the revival of Ganon. If you played AoL before, then you are familiar with the red screen of death and Ganon’s evil laughter. Well, if Link dies, that means Ganon will return. That means Link should NEVER die. But he is not a god or eternal deity. He will die at some point during his journey after the events of the game or simply from old age, or whatever. He will die. At this point, if the people of Hyrule really want Ganon to remain dead, then Link should simply disappear once he dies. If he were to be buried, they have to hide his body somewhere the monsters will NEVER reach. I have no idea where that could be: the dungeons of hyrule castle? Something similar to the Great Palace? Maybe. The better option is to burn him, but I don’t know if people in Hyrule do that (they probably should in this case because yikes Ganon)

Where am I going with this? I’m not sure, but It vaguely reminded me of Ganon(dorf) coming back to life in the new BoTW trailer. Who was he even? A new ganondorf? Or one we already know?

Lets go back… what about AoL Link’s death? Another option for keeping Link out of the hands of Ganon’s minions is for him to never die. To be absolutely safe, protected, and strong enough to protect himself, and to live eternally. And I know the people of hyrule (at some point) will have that technology available, because BoTW Link was revived after his death. Link can probably die countless of times and still continue to live because of that shiekah tech. Now about the tech, AoL seems too middle ages, right? WELL… this is going to sound dumb but the temples in AoL have elevator thingies in them. Shiekah technology? Maybe. It could be a manual pulley system. Or pure magic. We don’t know, but we are a step closer at least.

BASICALLY i see a lot of similar points between these two games and idk if nintendo accidentally did that or took inspiration from aol but its cool that these two games share the concept of the kind of tragedy hyrule will go through if link dies and the idea of Ganom coming back to life.     Why am I even getting into BoTW… let’s get back to AoL lore! If you played AoL, you might be familiar with the Link dolls. Dolls that save Link from death (i.e extra lives) those dolls are pretty creepy and they look like a tiny hunched over limb Link. They are scattered throughout all of hyrule, and you find them in random weird places, like at the beach, in a swamp, inside a temple, in a cave, near a graveyard, forest, etc. They are everywhere. Who put these dolls there? No one knows. But someone is totally trying to save Link from dying on his journey. If he dies, Hyrule is screwed. Could it be Goddess Hylia? The fairies? A magician? Link Dolls are extremely strange and Nintendo could have gone more in depth on them because they provide some super cool dark lore.

Also we can’t forget about Kasuto Town. All the inhabitants of the town went to camp in the forest because their town was destroyed. Why? No one knows, again (everything in this game is shrouded in mystery). There is only a single man living there in old Kasuto. Kasuto town is entirely destroyed, all the buildings are decaying and crumbling, the air looks nasty and the sky is purple. There are ghosts EVERYWHERE. And if Link didn’t acquire the cross before entering, he will not see the ghosts at all and will just die from being hit by what looks like air. Now the civilians! The civilians are hiding in the forest! In-game, you will never be able to find them unless you hit a random block of grass with the hammer, and then it will appear. They are well hidden. Something must have destroyed their town, something terrifying, and they are hiding from it. The entire population has gone to hide in the depths of the forest. Now I have a theory that these people COULD be related to the shiekah. Those people are magic experts. You learn something called The Spell in old kasuto. And in new kasuto, you use this spell to raise a small temple from the GROUND to get the key in it (idk man but reminds me of the shrines) You also receive the final magic container there. So, yeah, those people definitely have a magic obsession or *super powers*. (i’m hinting at it but these people could be the shiekah). Also one more thing, these people are begging Link to save hyrule. They are the only people who are begging him to do something. They know HE will save hyrule. In all other towns, it only seems like Link is asking for advice and they answer Link is a random nobody. However, the people of Kasuto are AWARE. (shiekah much? idk)

This is not too lore-y but it’s about how dark this game is: there is so much red in it. Game over screen is red. The lining of the triforce on Link’s hand is red. The windows in the temples are stained red (blood?). The Tinsuit sprites have fresh blood dripping down their swords. Also, sleeping Zelda’s dress is red. I can’t brush that off. Whenever I think of AoL I think of the colour red. There is so much to say about AoL... But what I want to say is that this game is HELLA dark. I hope Nintendo uses its lore in future games, and adds references, because it can totally work if they try to. This game has a lot of lore material to work with. Nintnedo should consider expanding on it (and botw was inspired by loz1, it would only make sense if the sequel will mirror the original loz sequel too :3)

PLEASe share your ideas! I’d love to hear what you all think! There are many ideas to go around so share your thoughts! And one last thing, AoL is very difficult. If you want to try it, be prepared to see the colour red a lot, cry a lot, and rage quit a lot.

Thank you for reading my very long post! Enjoy your day <3 <3 <3

[purplesurveys]

803

Do you have a fan/air conditioning on right now? I have a fan turned up at the highest level right beside me. It’s been so humid all day but the air outside is getting colder and it’s obviously going to rain soon, so at least it’s not as hot as it’s been. When was the last time you sang along with a song? Which one was it? Earlier today while watching Descendants of the Sun – I FINALLY FINISHED IT AAAAHHH. Thank fuck it was a happy ending, I was giddy enough with the final scenes that I sang along to the background music, heh. I remember an anon recommending Who Are You: School 2015 to me, so I might watch that next :) Are you currently wearing any hair accessories? Which ones? Yes. I have a simple black hair tie that I’m using for a ponytail now. Have you ever wished you had a different name? Which name would you choose? I definitely wished this as a kid, but I’ve warmed up to my name now especially after hearing more people tell me that they like it. Back when I disliked my name I insisted on being called my second name, which is Isabelle. Do you often press the wrong keys on the keyboard? Only when I’m typing in a hurry. Otherwise I’ve got a good hold of the keyboard.

Have you ever customised an item of clothing? What did you do to it? Other than the time we had a customized dress made for my prom, no. I don’t do DIY, so I wouldn’t be able to pull that off. When was the last time you got a splinter stuck in you? D: Probably in high school. Do you prefer drawing or painting? Any particular reason why? I like painting, but only with those paint-by-number kits that already come with a guide and an outline. I find those kits therapeutic. I have absolutely no hand control when it comes to pencils and I’ve never been able to follow drawing guides, even the simplest and most basic ones, so I’ve never enjoyed drawing. Are you saving up for anything right now? What? Not at the moment. I’m just savoring the time I have left at home before I have to get my ass up and start looking for a job. Are you any good at playing pinball? I guess, but I’m no expert. Close to a decade ago there’d be long stretches of time where we’d have no internet at home – because Philippines – and I’d have no choice but to play hours of either solitaire or pinball on my old laptop. Eventually I got skilled enough on both.   Do you own any figurines? Of what? I have action figures, if they mean the same thing. I have a couple figures of AJ Lee that have stayed inside their packaging the entire time I’ve had them. If you have any siblings, how much rivalry is between you all? Zero. All three of us have different skills and interests, so it’s pointless to pin us against each other. When did you last have itchy eyes? Last night my left eye was starting to act up, so out of annoyance I rubbed it really hard. If forced to go camping, would you rather sleep in a tent or a caravan? If I was forced and I didn’t want to go through it at all, I’d take the caravan. But if it’s a camping trip that I had planned for in advance and was something I was looking forward to, I prefer the full experience and would go with the tent. Is it dark outside right now? Yes, it’s nearly nine in the evening. How often do you get jealous of other people? What is it usually about? Not very often. As someone who’s a little materialistic, I get envious more than jealous. Do you prefer framed photos or just sticking photos straight onto walls? Framing them. I don’t think sticking photos is the smartest thing to do with a painted wall. What's your favourite type of cake? Cheeeeeeeeeesecake. Have you ever woken up from a dream and believed it to have been real? Only for a few moments after waking up, but it’s easy for me to go back to real life and realize what’s a dream and what isn’t. When was the last time you brushed your teeth? This morning. How tired are you right now? I’m a little drowsy and it sucks that I can’t drink coffee until Tuesday because of my antibiotics prescription, because I don’t feel like sleeping yet. I’ll take a shower after this survey and I hope that’ll wake me up for a bit. When was the last time you had an argument with someone? What was it about? Not strictly an argument but more of a civil debate - Gab and I were discussing whether it’s okay to be furious with celebrities to the point of harassing them if they’re found to be silent in matters such as Black Lives Matter, and whether normal people hold the responsibility to educate these celebrities whenever they act like they’re unaware. If there's a bug in your room, can you sleep or do you need to get it out? Get it out. How long have you gone without sleep? Today? It’s been 13 hours. Can you drive yet? How good are you at it? Yes, I’ve been driving since I started college. I’d say I’ve gotten very skilled in the last few years. I’m not always the safest (I tend to weave in and out of lanes especially once I get bored in traffic, OR if everyone around me seems to be a dumbass with crazy slow reaction times) but I’ve never put anyone I’ve ever driven in harm; so as crazy as I get sometimes, my friends still always choose to ride with me and that’s the biggest compliment ever lol. Do you prefer travelling alone or with people? WITH PEOPLE. Traveling is one of the things I can never imagine doing alone. Did you listen to the radio today? Technically. My favorite station does livestreams on Facebook, and I caught several of them throughout today. What was the last baby animal you saw? I saw a pup roaming around the street this afternoon. Generally speaking, is it warmer or colder in your house than outside? A little warmer at the moment. When was the last time you threw up? The last time I felt like throwing up was last Wednesday, though nothing came up. The last time I actually threw up was sometime in like April or May last year. Do you give people high fives or hugs more often? Hugs. I barely go for high fives. Have you ever tie-dyed something? We had to do it with a shirt in a Grade 7 class, but that was the one time I ever did it. It’s not really something that interests me. Name something you thought was cool when you were younger but don't now: Lisa Frank. How long does it usually take you to get to sleep? Depends on the temperature and/or how tired I am. I have to tire myself out; I can’t just close my eyes whenever I want and expect to doze off. When did you last get a papercut? It’s been a WHILE, thank goodness. I can’t even tell you when. High school, probably? Which do you prefer: Blackboards or whiteboards? Just for nostalgia’s sake, blackboards. I haven’t seen one or written on one since high school since we have whiteboards or just straight-up projectors in university. What sort of things do you have bookmarked in your internet browser? Surveys to take, links for various classes in college that I should really be un-bookmarking now to save on space because I don’t need them anymore, movies I want to watch, recipes I want to try...it’s really mostly for-future-reference stuff. Are / were you spoilt? Would others agree or disagree with you? I’m spoiled in the context of our family in that I often got what I asked for, and if I was told no, I could typically pull out a pout to get what I wanted lol. But I was never spoiled rotten in that I’d lie on the floor and kicked around if things didn’t go my way and I never disrespected my parents or yelled at them, or threw a fit if the phone they bought wasn’t in the color I liked, etc. I just had one trick up my sleeve, but I never abused it. Still, compared to my siblings, I’m probably the most ~spoiled. What are you wearing right now? I’m wearing a tank top and shorts, but I really should be showering after posting this. What was the last book you read? I reread some chapters from Crazy is my Superpower last week.

[ichoriism]

@theictita​​ said: ☪ { minjae && taehyun | five times our muses almost hold hands, and the one time they do.

i.

minjae is nervous. he asked taehyun to accompany him for a stroll in the park so he could clear his head up after being cramped in his house for hours. sweet, gentle taehyun said ‘ yes ‘ and only now does minjae realizes the whole mood, the simple request, it all set them up for something that kind of looks like a date. he is not panicking –except he is.

they are walking in silence and it’s such a nice day. minjae gets distracted by the way sunlight kisses taehyun’s skin and makes him glow. maybe it’s a sign of his subconscious, but there’s electricity sparkling as soon as their hands brush. afraid of his own wishes, minjae jumps away as an intense blush takes over his cheeks.

ii.

the second time minjae is about to reach out and tangle his fingers between taehyun’s, they are watching a movie and he regrets everything in himself for suggesting this title. it’s a movie about love and it’s lovely and his heart won’t stop this stupid sensation of feeling like it’s about to leap out and reach for taehyun and ask him to accept him. they are keeping a small distance seated as they are and their hands are near each other. minjae’s fingers twitch for a moment, ready to take what he wants most. if he’s brave enough, he could–

like a curse, the doorbell rings and minjae jumps –again– and makes his way quickly to the door while reassuring taehyun everything is fine. the pizza is a good comfort, but it's also a reminder of what he could have done. 

iii.

taehyun is sad. there is something eating him away and minjae feels powerless at his inability to help him. they are not close enough for taehyun to feel at ease around him, not like that at least, and minjae wishes and wishes there’s a way he could tell him he’s right there. his mind tells him this is the moment. tells him this should be the start if he ever wanted a signal. 

❝ taehyun i– ❞

❝ minjae i– ❞

words get caught as they look at each other, arms extending and hands reaching out for the other. then the library’s doors open and a group of students steps inside. minjae can feel the moment slipping away yet again as he steps out of the hall so the group can ask for some directions. he gives taehyun a wave before he leaves, heart heavy and dangling between the two of them.

iv.

minjae was invited to a book presentation taking place in the library where taehyun works. the writer is an old friend of his, they even shared a few classes in the university and everything is smooth and goes well as he shares his insight on the book contents and a few of his favorite passages. there is one, in particular, that seems to be stuck in his brain.

the afternoon ends and it’s just the two of them quietly re-ordering everything. those same words keep repeating inside his head like a mantra until his heart beats fast with the decision of being brave. he turns around and extends his hand. it’s an attempt to grasp taehyun’s fingers in his, but the motion is miscalculated and he ends up taking hold of his wrist.

❝ tae, i– ❞ words get stuck as he meets the others’ eyes. he swallows, but his voice just won’t return. he opens his mouth again, ready to say something, anything. ❝ tae, i had a lot of fun today, thank you for having us. ❞

minjae lets go.

v.

by the fifth time, minjae is about to pull his hair out in frustration. it shouldn’t be that hard, he thinks. they eat together, they watch movies together, they even like to read in the company of the other, and yet, something as basic and elemental as hand-holding is just unattainable. 

he is decided to change that today. he marches to the library where taehyun works, a pink rose in his hand, and when he sees him there, behind the counter, glasses on, he loses most of his bravado. what is he doing exactly? he wonders, head shaking for a second. he gives the flower to a girl passing by and then steps inside the library, nervous flutters tickling inside his chest.

they chat for a bit and just as minjae is about to reach for the book taehyun is recommending him, their fingers brush. it’s minjae the one who pulls his hand away fast. it’s dumb, so dumb, he thinks, but it’s done.

solidity.

the day it happens, it’s unexpected. 

taehyun falls asleep next to him on the couch. paleness overtakes his features just as dark circles show under his eyes. minjae doesn’t have the heart to wake him up and instead takes it upon himself to keep the taller man comfortable. he is reading while the television’s soft murmur fills the atmosphere with an even noise. taehyun starts to move in his sleep and it’s obvious he is anguished. 

minjae doesn’t think about what he does next. he brushes taehyun’s hair away from his face and whispers sweet nothings. fingertips, cool against the other’s skin, ghost over his cheeks and the curve of his jaw. taehyun opens his eyes then and they look at each other for a long moment. then taehyun smiles and it’s like spring is blooming all over again. he reaches for minjae’s hand resting above his heart. it slides beneath his palm and the brush is so soft yet it makes goosebumps break down his skin. fingers intertwine with ease at last and he can feel his heart threatening to escape from his ribcage.

❝ this is better? ❞ minjae asks, voice gentle and scared of breaking this moment. 

the smile he receives in response lights up the entire day.

[lokidokiliteratureclub]

Don’t Touch Me

Loki X Reader

Warnings: Angsty, cursing, refers back to the more graphic scenes in Infinity War.

A/N I realize that the plot of Thor: Ragnarok would have been at least a bit different if Loki had been a friend of the Avengers, but the fact is that Odin still would have died so Hela would have still been unleashed, and the story might be more or less the same. Either way, he would have still ended up where he was in the end credit scene- if you know what I mean. So just.. for the sake of the story.. just go with it. Anyway, enjoy!

Prompt: While so many others were born with mutations that gave them wondrous, blessed gifts, you seem to have been stuck with a curse. Some have referred to it as a form of clairvoyance- as a seeing of the future. At its core, that’s true. But deeper down... it’s much worse than that.

There was no reason why Loki Laufeyson should not know about your feelings for him. No. Good. Reason.

It was irrefutable how obvious your crush on him was. When you spoke, your face reddened- your heart rate quickened- you lost the ability to speak with full sentences. He was just so... breathtaking. So... beautiful. And even if he was ugly as a headless cow-chicken-blobfish-donkey hybrid, he would still manage to captivate you with the way he spoke, or the intensity to which he did things, or the books he recommended you read, whether they were from earth or Asgard.

And, unlike many others, he didn’t ask about the gloves, or the long sleeves, or the way you flinched away from human touch. He didn’t pry at your past, even though everyone in the tower knew his. He didn’t even bother you about the cautious glances the Avengers and other SHIELD Agents gave you around the clock.

What was not to like about him? Other than- you know- the whole evil dictator thing, or the fact that he could be a whiny bitch about his brother. He was basically irresistible.

“Y/N, may I ask why you’re still pouring coffee even though it has spilled over your hand?”

Oh, that’s right. You were pouring searing hot liquid into the contents of your cup while day-dreaming about the man right in front of you.

“Shit!” You cursed, rather loudly, drawing back your hand and ripping the silk, coffee-stained, burning hot glove from your left hand. You shook your arm uselessly back and forth as if waving your hand through the air would cool it down, ignoring the arched eyebrow Loki was giving you from a few feet away.

“Perhaps,” he mused, grabbing a washcloth and wiping the counter down, “if you actually slept instead of relying on coffee for sustenance, you wouldn’t continuously ruin everything all the time.”

“Perhaps if you weren’t so goddamn beautiful, I’d be able to disagree with that statement,” you murmured sourly under your breath, through gritted teeth. When you realized you had said that out loud, you reddened thoroughly.

Loki seemed to hear, too, because his hand paused mid-wipe and his lips thinned out into a smirk. “What was that?”

“I said that perhaps if you didn’t force me to read all these fucking books I’d have more time to sleep,” you said quickly, turning away from him and grabbing your glove off the counter. “Nerd.”

“First of all, I do not force you to read anything, I simply recommend the literature which I find more intriguing. And second,” he grabbed hold of your wrist as you were leaving, effectively spinning you around, “that’s not what you said, Y/N.”

That was the first time in your life you saw Loki Laufeyson make a mistake.

All it took was the tip of his finger grazing your hand to throw you forward, launching your head into the future like a stone plummetting after skipping across flat water. You screwed your eyes shut and held your breath, knowing what was coming next and dreading it all the same, your entire body beginning to shake at just the idea of what you were about to see.

You opened your eyes, and you were on a spaceship.

The ship was decimated- bodies lie strewn across the floor and piled up near the walls. Children and adults alike clung to each other, motionless and unbreathing on the floor, each person dressed in what appeared to be traditional Asgardian clothing. At the center of it all was a small clearing, where a group of heavily-armored beings stood, all surrounding, in one way or another, a purple colored Titan who you did not know the name of who wore a hefty gauntlet with two bright stones in it. Across from him was Thor, Loki’s brother, bound with pieces of metal to a spot on the ground. He looked pained. For a short, horrifying moment, you thought you were going to have to watch him die too.

You lifted a trembling hand to your mouth to stifle a sob, and tried to even out your breaths.

The huge Titan-man turned to his allies or minions or whoever they were, and spoke, “There are two more stones on Earth. Find them, and bring them to me.”

“Father,” one of them said, bowing their head, “we will not fail you.”

“If I may intergect-” spoke the all too familiar voice from behind you, causing you to spin around and stagger backwards, your eyes clouding up but unable to close. “If you’re going to earth, you may need a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena.”

You saw the betrayal flaring in Thor’s eyes. You felt it, too. You didn’t want to believe that Loki would give up Earth to some douche like this, but it was happening right in front of your eyes, so what else was there to believe?

You shrunk backward.

“If you consider failure experience,” the Titan said, unimpressed.

“I consider experience experience,” said Loki, that insufferably persuasive smirk plastured on his face. “Almighty Thanos,” he spoke, slowly and clearly, taking a few steps forward as he spoke, “I, Loki, prince of Asgard-” then he paused, and his eyes fell to the ground to the right of him, before raising upwards to look at Thor, “Odinson,”

Thor looked like he might break in half.

“The rightful king of Jotunheim,” he continued, his head snapping back in the Titan- Thanos’ direction, “God of Mischief,”

That’s when a dagger appeared in his hand, and you realized exactly what was about to happen.

“No, no-” You said out loud, uselessly, pleading with all of my being for this to stop. “Loki!”

“Do herby pledge to you my undying fidelity.”

On that, he bowed his head, took a few shallow, deep breaths, and then swung sharply for Thanos’ neck. But Thanos had raised his gauntlet, and a strange, blue light trapped Loki’s arm in the middle of the movement, preventing the assassinatoin he was hoping for.

“Undying,” he echoed, almost amused. “You should choose your words more carefully.”

They he grabbed Loki by the neck, lifted him, and started to tighten his grip.

This time, you couldn’t mask the scream. It ripped through you like an earthquake, and you dropped down to your knees, wishing desperately for the ability to look away, but coming up dreadfully empty. Loki squirmed and fought against Thanos, but it was all in vain. Thanos even gave Thor a sideways glance to make sure that he was paying complete attention.

You barely heard Loki’s words, and you certainly couldn’t see him speak through the flod of tears that escaped your eyes. But very faintly, almost like a whisper, you heard Loki’s last words.

“You will never be a god,” he hissed through his teeth.

And then his neck snapped, Thanos threw him to the ground in front of Thor, and it was over. You didn’t hear a thing after that. You barely even saw the purple light explode across the ship, throwing you back into reality like a cold bucket of water.

You stumbled harshly backward from Loki, and fell to the floor, shaking madly.

You just saw him die.

“Y/N- are you-”

“Don’t touch me!” you yelled, your affections for him taken over by fear. He froze in his place, taken aback, before very slowly picking your glove up off the floor and offering it out to you. You didn’t respond at first, but then very slowly reached a trembling hand up to take it.

It fell silent.

“Are you alright?” he asked gently after the period of silence, not moving any closer to you. “Do I need to get Sta-”

“I’ve never told you about why I wear gloves all the time,” you said  quietly. ““It’s because whenever I touch someone for the first time I see how they will die.”

He was silent once again, and then he took a set on the ground right in front of you, looking down. You tried to look at him normally- tried desperately to grasp onto the shard of light he normally offered you, but all you could see were the bloodshot eyes- the popping veins- the clawing hands that you saw in the vision. It was like a shab to the chest. You swallowed back another round of harsh tears.

“I’m sorry,” he said gently, not daring to look at you either. “I didn’t mean to cause you any harm, Y/N.”

“I- I know. I just, you, this, we, Loki, I care a lot about you,” you stammered, stressed out and not really in the mood to keep secrets, even your own. “I, like, a lot. Too much. And sometimes, sometimes I want to punch you in the face and other times I want to shove you up against a wall and kiss you, and it’s awful, because even if I had the confidence to do those things, I never could. And this is why. Because- even though I could just touch you once, get it over with and never have to worry about it again, this is what I’d see! I’d see-”

I’d see your neck get snapped by some guy with a gauntlet, surrounded by bodies, your brother forced to watch.

You broke off mid-sentence and brought your knees to your chest, shrinking down into yourself and sobbing into your knees. Seconds later, Loki scooted to your side, placing an arm around your shoulders. “Y/N, darling, it’s alright,” he cooed, gently caressing your arm. “Look at me.”

You peeked out from between your knees, leaning slightly into his touch, his blue-green eyes paralysing.

“You never have to hide your feelings from me, Y/N. Never. You can always talk about these things,” he very cautiously brought a hand up to the side of your face, brushing away one of your tears with his thumb. “We can always find a way to work things out, alright? And I don’t know what you saw in your vision or whatnot, but I can assure you that we‘ll have time before then.”

“We?” You cracked, trying to soak in the feeling of his skin on yours, knowing you probably wouldn’t he able to touch many other people in your lifetime ever again. 

An then he did something you didn’t expect.  He cupped the other side of your face, leaned forward, and kissed you. Soft and slow. Relaxing a little bit when you dropped your shoulders and leaned into him.  You brought one hand to his jaw and fit your palm against it, wrapping the other arm around the back of his neck, until you were both fully entangled in the kiss. You could hear him panting slightly as you pulled away, eyes locked on eachother from the minute they opened.

“We,” he repeated, not lifting a finger from your skin. “at least, unless you have a better idea as to what to do with the time.”

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 099: The Fanfic Dorms (Part 2)

Previously on BnHA: The kids returned to U.A. Aizawa promptly ripped into Rescue Squad Jr. for going off on their own to save Bakugou, and the others for knowing full well what was going down and not doing anything to stop it. He told them he expects them all to regain his trust by getting their provisional licenses so they can do that shit legally. Bakugou unexpectedly paid Kirishima back for those expensive night vision goggles and it was cute as fuck. Aizawa gave a quick tour of the dorms and the kids moved into their rooms. Then they decided to have a competition to see whose room is best, and so far it has been delightful.

Today on BnHA: The kids continue our tour of the 1-A dorm rooms. Satou ultimately wins after bribing all the others with a goddamn cake. Ochako calls Rescue Squad Jr. outside to talk to Tsuyu. They have an emotional heart to heart because Tsuyu was apparently feeling awkward and uncomfortable about the whole Rescue-Squad-breaking-the-rules-over-everyone’s-objections thing, and so was everyone else apparently, and they’re also feeling anxious because of everything that happened with All Might’s retirement and all that, even though none of them actually says it out loud, and basically all of these kids are a hot fucking mess and I’m glad they can be there for each other now to sort their shit out. The next day, Aizawa announces that they’re gonna start training to come up with new super moves for the upcoming provisional license exam.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 145 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

so here we are, one chapter away from the big one-double-oh. All Might has just retired and the world is bracing itself to enter a new era without the Symbol of Peace. the villains are regrouping with Tomura as their leader now that All for One has been captured. basically a lot of shit went down that shook the world to its very core. so now that we’re approaching this milestone, I can only imagine what kind of momentous events will be --

OH WAIT THIS IS A CHAPTER ABOUT THE KIDS INVADING AND CRITIQUING ALL OF EACH OTHER’S ROOMS SO THEY CAN ALL DETERMINE WHICH ONE IS “THE KING OF ALL DORM ROOMS”

or at least it’s starting out that way, lol

WELL I DON’T KNOW! ARE WE?? I don’t actually mind either way, as long as I continue to ignore every panel with Mineta in it as I have been doing thus far!

you see, there are two panels here of Mineta being Terrible, but I can just skip right past them!

and if I do, I end up with

DRAMATICALLY SLEEPY TODOROKI SHOUTO

it’s a highly effective reading strategy and I strongly recommend it. though I expect I’m hardly the first to pioneer this technique

wow, what

holy shit. this Ochako is amazing

and literally the chapter title is talking about how we’re moving from two digits to three digits. like, this fucking guy needs to get out of my fucking head already, it’s seriously starting to creep me out

(ETA: but like, between the chapter title and the “premium Ochako” and Deku’s fourth-wall-breaking narration wondering how long we were going to keep touring rooms, Horikoshi sure was feeling cute this chapter wasn’t he)

RED ALERT EVERYONE WE’RE ON THE FOURTH FLOOR, ALSO KNOWN AS BAKUGOU’S DORM FLOOR, I ALREADY MEMORIZED IT

anyway, Kirishima’s telling them that Bakugou already went to bed, so I guess they’re just gonna skip him. what a loyal friend and how respectful of them to comply with Bakugou’s wishes

though if they do decide to just barge in on him later, you won’t see me complaining. though they will all die though, so that’ll be sad

so now it’s Kirishima’s room!

wow. flame curtains and a goddamn punching bag. and is that a fucking boombox. when’s the last time you even saw one of those. what is this, 1998

does his wall clock have muscly arms. and he didn’t put his boxes away omg

what a scathing fucking indictment of this sweet angel. I’m disappointed, Hagakure

Shouji’s room is so empty it probably has a weird echo

there’s actually less stuff in here now than before he moved in

YO, SERO’S ROOM THOUGH!?!?

whoa. I need to check this one out in the anime to see what kind of color scheme we’ve got going on

(ETA: lots of warm and neutral colors. his is definitely my favorite room out of the 17 that we actually see. the kid has good taste)

AND NOW TODOROKI’S ROOM. I BET IT’S JUST A NORMAL BOY’S ROOM

half the girls in the class can barely control themselves. because he’s so handsome and mysterious

what the fuck

jesus did he teleport his old bedroom into this new building or what. fucking redid the sliding doors and everything

they’re asking him how he did it and he just deadpans:

WHAT ARE YOU

(ETA: look, no joke will ever top “sorry I punched you in the balls.” but this is a close second. Shouto’s delivery is key and he fucking nails that shit)

oh my god Satou’s room has an oven. he made a fucking cake. you have a whole kitchen available for use downstairs dude

he’s offering everyone cake oh shit

Satou wins hands down. it’s over. it’s allllll over

so now they’re all heading to the girls’ dorms

oh my god I fucking love Jirou so much

a fucking drum set and everything. guess this place is going to be lively

Hagakure’s room is filled with stuffed animals and flower patterns and shit. very cute and totally what you would expect

I feel like Mina somehow has the same bedspread as Kirishima. or like close to it

(ETA: is that a fucking surface pro)

and Ochako’s room is super cute and somehow even more Japanese than Todoroki’s

she even has the laundry rack. even though they probably have dryers in the laundry room downstairs

ah, now they’re finally getting around to addressing the fact that Tsuyu hasn’t been around this entire time

Ochako says she’s not feeling well

so they’re moving on, but then Tsuyu’s cracking the door open and peering after them

what’s going on here. sudden Tsuyu angst?? her of all people? my god

holy fucking shit Momo tried to fit a goddamn library and a four poster bed into her room

and I say “tried” but she fucking did it though

wow. I guess it’s really true that once you’ve slept on a king size mattress you can’t go back

now we’re actually doing the vote. we’re seeing this thing through to the end huh

Mina is describing this as the first ANNUAL King of the Rooms contest lol

obviously it’s Satou. like, was there ever any doubt. dude was a lock as soon as he whipped out that fucking cake

(ETA: so apparently Satou got six votes, meaning that all of the girls voted for him plus one extra person. since he wasn’t allowed to vote for himself, I wonder which of the guys voted for him too. also I bet you Tokoyami ended up coming in second place just because all of the guys thought his room was cool as fuck)

Shouto just wants to go to bed now

CAN HE SLEEP?? CAN THIS BOY JUST FUCKING SLEEP ALREADY??! FINE, BUT MAKE SURE YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH FIRST!!!!

this was amazing. even though my child slept through it. it was perfectly in character so that part of it was great too. his room is probably in one of those bonus things anyway

(ETA: oh so we can have three bonus pages’ worth of Ochako being poor, but you can’t be bothered to give us even a glimpse of my son’s dorm room, huh Horikoshi. wow)

oh my god, before Shouto can leave, Ochako’s asking if he can spare a minute. and also Deku, Iida, Momo, and Kirishima

in other words, Rescue Squad Jr. ohhhhh boy what is this

Tsuyu???

wow. it looks like she’s apologizing for what she said to them back at the hospital. about how them rushing off to break the rules was no different from what the villains do

(ETA: actually it might be the opposite. I have no idea. The anime makes it seem like she’s shocked and disappointed that they went even after her objections. meanwhile Viz’s version makes her out to be ashamed for trying to stop them in the first place. as for me, I got nothing. pretty sure she’s actually feeling a mix of both, which is why this got her so worked up)

wow, it’s really been weighing on her huh

Tsuyu nooo. what the fuck. Tsuyu feels?? in my fucking chapter 99

WHY ARE YOU ALL JUST STANDING THERE IS NO ONE GOING TO HUG HER?!?

so even though she’s still coming to terms with it, she wanted to come talk to them anyway so that she didn’t have to hold it in anymore. “so that I could be able to have fun talking with all of you again”

oh my godddd

and Ochako says it’s not just her. “everyone wants to erase the incredible anxiety they’re feeling”

shit

whoa. the power of the fanfic dorms strikes again?! look at these feels in the middle of my domestic fluff?!!

and like, Ochako’s making it to be more about them wanting to make up with the Rescue Squad and letting them know they support them and such, and I don’t doubt that was the main reason. but also, all of them must be feeling so much anxiety just in general. All Might’s done. there are villains out there and they’ve already been attacked twice. they just want to be normal kids sometimes and hang out and have fun

given that, I really think the dorms were the best decision U.A. could have made right now. not only for safety reasons and let’s-flush-out-the-traitor reasons, but also because right now all of these kids are going through the same thing, and it’s just good for them to be around each other so they can bond and support each other that much more. because shit’s rough right now. and it’s only going to get rougher from here on out

so wow, that was unexpectedly touching and poignant just now

and now Kirishima is coming over and putting his hand on her shoulder, which, good. like I guess he’s not actually gonna hug her since ~she’s a girl~, but he looks deeply moved and he’s apologizing and thanking her

and Deku’s watching and thinking pretty much the same things I was. about how everyone’s just feeling the anxiety and pressure and doing their best to get things back to normal

(ETA: I can’t believe I forgot to make mention of the fact that Iida calls Tsuyu “Tsuyu-chan-kun.” like, that’s peak Iida right there. “I’m being considerate of your name preferences, but we’ve still got to be proper.”)

all right chapter, you have two pages left. I’m ready for you to end on some sort of shocking and/or really cool note to lead into THE BIG ONE

so now it’s the next day and Aizawa’s telling them more about the provisional license exam

he says it’s a big deal since the licenses are directly concerned with matters of life and death. yikes, that does sound serious

apparently there’s only a 50% average yearly passing rate

(ETA: and apparently they can up and change that whenever they damn well feel like!)

YO LIKE THREE HEROES BUSTED THROUGH THE DOOR ALL OF A SUDDEN

hell yes. fucking excellent. it’s about time Deku got some sort of special move

this all reminds me that we never got Bakugou’s hero name. this fucking kid. his dorm room, his name... he just sits out fucking everything. fine, Kacchan. fine

(ETA: listen guys, I know I always say please no spoilers, but I really need someone to tell me right the fuck now whether there will ever be any scenes in which we see even just a part of Bakugou’s room. right now I’m betting on a combination of Tokoyami, Ojiro, and (surprisingly) Deku’s rooms. Tokoyami for his “everything is black” aesthetic, Ojiro for the “I barely changed up any of the original furniture” aesthetic, and Deku because I would put money on Bakugou having at least one All Might poster up in his room as well

as a matter of fact, the only reason it stops at posters is because he was too embarrassed to bring his own All Might bedsheets to school. that’s right, Kacchan. I know all your secrets.)

 BONUS:

I can’t believe the bonus wasn’t Kacchan’s fucking dorm room GODDAMMIT

but this is an amazing image of All Might. I don’t even know if it goes with this chapter or not but there was nothing else to put here so

fucking legend. will never be matched. I bet he would’ve beaten Thanos. Avengers what were you even doing goddammit

(ETA: YO. DID YOU ALL SEE THAT TRAILER THOUGH. OMG)

[chrysaliseuro2018]

We're Finding our Marble

Next morning was a 9.00 am start. Prior to that breakfast was very pleasant. Nothing exotic on the food front but we snagged a table overlooking the beachfront of Kusidasi on the 7th floor so view exceptional. We had to pinch ourselves. The minibus duly rolled up and we had a different crew today. Patrick and Marita were on a tour for two we later found out. Our tour of about 15 people was split between English and Spanish speakers with a guide for each. They alternated as they described the program for the day and gave us background. Our guide can best be described as looking like Geoffrey Rush but perhaps a year or two younger. He turned out to be a very urbane and unflappable character with a pleasant manner and unlike our Pergamon man nothing was too much trouble. First stop was the house where the Virgin Mary was purported to have lived after the death of Jesus. St. John was reported to have brought her here and written part of his gospel in Ephesus. The house was small and is now a very picturesque chapel. Beautiful tranquil setting with mineral water coming out of taps on some ground below which we all touched and placed on our bodies, some made wishes, some drank it, some did both. After an hour or so back in the bus and off to Ephesus. Ephesus has the reputation, after 150 years of excavation of being europe's most complete classical metropolis and 80% still remains to be excavated. Its reputation preceded it for us so we were pretty excited. It'd didn't disappoint. It was a wealthy city, capital of Asia Minor in Roman times with over 250,000 inhabitants. There were marble streets and edifices all over the place particularly on the main street - Curetes Way - 210 metres long. This had civic and religious buildings as well as shops either side and shopkeepers used to douse it with water to cool the marble. Grooves in the marble stopped people from slipping and it was tree lined which further cooled it. In abutments along the way there are still grooves in the marble that indicated that games of chance were played there. The absolute highlight, and for me the best preserved Roman monument that I have seen anywhere which is actually on the original site, was the library of Celsus. It has been extensively restored (though 80% original) is a towering and beautiful building which originally could hold up to 12000 scrolls. It was hard to take your eyes off. The Gate of Hadrian was pretty grand too though the library was very special. Our guide as we wondered through was pointing buildings and support systems out left and right with a droll story here or there if warranted. Temples, municipal buildings, a sophisticated water and sewage system, shops, medical areas, a sizeable market area of 110 metres by 110 metres. Imagine the noise and spruiking going on in there 1800 years ago. More amusingly he showed us the sign which pointed to the brothel which was rumoured to have a tunnel to the library opposite - were the scholars doing more than toiling over the scrolls he mused. Also he took some delight in showing us the municipal latrines (all these tours descend into the bawdy sooner or later - as do blogs). Seats were basically a series of side by side holes in a long bench. Here was a meeting place to chat with friends and acquaintances about whatever, so a protracted "event". Toilet paper not on offer so a brush dipped into the free flowing water below did the job though I have also heard vinegar solution mentioned on the brush (sounds unpleasant). Anyway, moving on. We ended up at the great theatre which held 25000 and like all such Roman theatres vertiginously challenging. Pretty well preserved and still used for events though seating capacity now down to 8000. We also learned that to estimate city populations typically the historians multiply the theatre capacity by 10, hence estimated Ephesus's population at 250000. Our minimal exposure to these calcs suggested that that system was a bit rough and ready, given what we heard later about Afrodisias, where the arena seemed to hold more than the entire city's population. 3 days in and I'm an expert. Ephesus, absolutely fabulous if restored ancient cities are what you like, but I'd say it's hard not too. It was such an insight into an earlier way of life and that library is worth the journey alone. Extensive, well preserved, beautiful I'd go again tomorrow. We headed to lunch which was one of those buffet affairs. A bit Coles cafe, we mostly went for the vegetarian which was pleasant enough and did the job. We also bumped into Patrick and Marita and arranged to go to dinner that night which would be the last time we saw them on this trip. Later in the afternoon we visited the Temple of Artemis in nearby Selcuk which was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world and bigger than any other temple at that time. Unfortunately it's now down to one pillar so disappointing visually but we could see what the dimensions would have been and it was certainly colossal. We have discussed guides to date and this guy was good, probably 7-8/10. Liz and I both felt that while he knew everything backwards he just took a few easy options. He could have brought it so much more to life with more stories and scene setting though he did a bit of that. This is a harsh judgement as a number of the guides on this trip were the same in this regard. Problem was they were not singing for their supper as the guides on the free tours are who have to live off tips. However he was a very pleasant man and a pleasure to meet and certainly we learned plenty. As with all these days we were hit with the buy opportunity, in this case, the visit to the leather factory. Some good gear on offer and if you showed any interest the price seemed to miraculously descend. I did have some interest in a leather jacket but my wife maintains that they are for younger coves than me and that my daughters will disown me so I was confined to window shopping. She reckons I look like a pimp in one. I'm not sure if that's a younger pimp or older pimp but anyway it ain't going to happen. So it's the turtle neck jumper for me. An early finish around 4.00 pm with no move to a new destination so Liz caught up on some rays by the hotel pool and I caught up on some Zs. I think Liz Zedded by the pool too We were both happy. These lightning trips are action packed and not really for the faint hearted. You are on the go from fairly early to at times fairly late or, if not on the go, sitting on a bus for several hours. In addition the further South we moved the hotter it became probably mid thirties with very little cover so the site visits were a little testing at times. As a result we were tired no doubt. That night was great fun. The restaurant we went to was recommended by Patrick and Marita's tour guide. It was up on the cliff at one end of town and our front row seats (there were not too many in the restaurant) were perfect capturing the curve of the main seafront area of Kusidasi. We all had fish, sea bass for Liz and me which was sensational and fresh as a daisy. Great night, plenty of laughs and we hope we will see Patrick and Marita back in the antipodes in the future. Liz and I went for a little stroll around town on the way home and found a few more interesting restaurants and so on but we leave tomorrow so next time. Kusidasi worth a stop by if in the vicinity though not your quaint little fishing village, a bit more funky. Worth it of course at the very least to get to Ephesus.

[phyripo]

Ozsey 36?

36. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Thanks, anon! Here’s a bunch of people being terrible in some au I just thought up I hope you like it :’)

Oh, yeah - David is Oz, Angélique is Sey and Riley is Zea because they insisted on being there as well

send me a pairing and a number and I’ll write a fic!

She seems sort of boring, at first.

Well, not boring, but very decent, with her sensible hiking shoes and the small cross charmnecklace resting in the hollow of her throat. Her name is written in roundedletters on the nametag they’re all being made to wear – Angélique, with alittle sun drawn in the corner. (David tried to draw a crocodile in the cornerof his own, but it looks more like a blob than anything else.)

Still, the only reason that he notices heramong the other summer camp counsellors is that she’s very pretty, all tight black curls and smiling eyes and frecklesdotting her warm brown skin. She’s wearing a summery blue dress that’s quicklyexchanged for a yellow camp T-shirt tucked into denim shorts after everyone hasreceived their instructions.

They’re on the same team – which is to say,they have to supervise the same gaggle of overexcited kids, they themselves underthe supervision of Arthur (“call me Mr Kirkland”) and his ever-present clipboard.He seems surprised that David is back for another year, but only raises hiseyebrows, which are somehow even bigger than David’s own, and doesn’t sayanything about it. Their little group is completed by David’s friend Riley.That’s a first. For some reason, they were always split up before.

“Yeah, I pulled some strings,” Riley says inthat innocent way of theirs, before going to introduce themself to Angélique.(David swears one day Riley’s going to land himin jail and he’ll never even know what for.)

They meet ‘their’ kids, a dozen hyperactivethirteen-year-olds who are still convinced the summer camp is cool (it’llprobably be the last year of that) but not so much that they should actuallylisten to what their counsellors tell them. It all ends in a lot of shouting.David can practically feel himself going hoarse, but he also gains a lot of satisfactionfrom watching Arthur’s eyebrows crinkle ever more.

Poor man. He probably wishes he had a real job.

David accidentally catches Angélique’s eyewhile he’s busy suppressing laughter at the supervisor, and she bites her lipwhile grinning, gaze flicking to Arthur and back again. The man is turning vaguelyred now, and it doesn’t look like it’s the sun causing it – yet.

Ah, so she’s a little less decent than hethought, then. Good. He might need to get to know her a little better.

They have their first excursion right away onthe first full day of camp, taking the teens into the surrounding forest toplay some games that end with people being pushed into mud or hiding in trees(that last group including David) and Arthur covered in ants. Angélique can’tstop laughing even while she helps him bat them away.

David has to tell them that they can’t showertonight, and is understandably mobbed by mud-caked kids. (He didn’t even tellthem that he is allowed to wash.)

“You’ve got a little…” Angélique tells himwhen he joins the counsellors for dinner, as she gestures vaguely at her own face.

“Yeah, I’m moisturising,” David jokes,grimacing when he wipes his forehead and his fingers come away muddy. Angéliquelaughs and hands him a paper tissue.

Later, when they’re watching the celebratory we-survived-the-first-day-of-campcampfire burn out while Riley and Arthur herd the kids to their cabins, Davidtells her about some of the weirdest things that have happened in previousyears, including the time last year when he and Riley discovered that a very Romeo and Juliet-type romance had sprungup between two teenagers from their respective groups, and they decided toprotect them from the rest of the counsellors. (They all hated the two of themby the end. Maybe that’s why they’vebeen put together now, with the new recruit.)

“I think that’s why Arthur was so surprised I’mback this year,” he adds, grinning as Angélique laughs brightly. Her eyes aresparkling in the firelight, and they look very deep.

“Well, I’m glad you are,” she replies. Shebites her lip, absently grabs her necklace, and shakes her curls out of herface. “I think it’ll be fun, this week. And the kids seem to love you.”

“The feeling is entirely mutual,” he assuresher. “Except on the kids’ parts. I hate those little arseholes.”

She laughs again, and David keeps grinninguntil he goes to bed and Riley thwackshim over the head with a pillow. Although Arthur eventually appears to tellthem to stop their ‘utterly childish’ pillow fight, he decides it’s been a muchbetter first day than he could have expected.

The second day is much the same, except that theyhave an outing to the sea, where Angélique demonstrates admirable surfing skilland also that she looks very good in a bikini top and boardies, and whereArthur Mr Kirkland does, in fact, get sunburnt, this much to everyone’shilarity. While he sits in the shade and grumbles, hiding his face behind hisclipboard, Riley, David and Angélique lead the kids in a chaotic game ofCapture the Flag that eventually devolves into Angélique’s and David’s groupsganging up on Riley’s, because (as always) Riley has come up with a strategythat’s far too serious and complicated and apparently includes booby traps on thebeach.

David is running from some children withAngélique when she trips over one such trap and sprawls on the sand, gettingtangled in ropes.

“Fucking shit,”she almost-shrieks, squirming. “Damn it!”

David’s brain practically screeches to a halt. Sheswears. And not entirely mildlyeither. That is about the opposite of what he expected from her – seemingly mild-mannered,most likely religious Angélique Verlaque.He stops running to look at her, all sandy curls and yellow fabric and waytoo much damn skin.

“You kiss your fucking mother with that mouth?”he asks, almost in awe.

“No,” she says, still struggling, “butsometimes I kiss yours.”

“What the h—”

The kids take him down, Riley looming over himlike a malevolent god as he falls to the sand.

Worth it.

Later, he and Riley form the rear of the groupas they walk back to the campsite. There’s still sand all over him, but Davidfeels fucking amazing.

“Riley,” he tells them, and takes theexasperated sigh he receives in answer as a sign to continue, “I’m in love.”

“Because she told you she kisses your mum?”

“Don’t you see, mate? She’s perfect. She’s the perfect woman.”

“Because she told you she kisses your—”

He throws his hands up. “No, because she can keep up with me, Riles. She doesn’tmind, you know…”

“Your terribleness?”

He takes a breath. Releases it. “Yeah, basically.”

Riley chuckles. They’ve been dealing with Davidlong enough themself to know what he means. David knows he’s a chaotic man, andprone to saying things he really hasn’t thought about (sometimes, justsometimes, he doesn’t like that about himself) but not a lot of people manage tostick around once they know that. Angélique, maybe, could. The signs are good.

“Excellent,” Riley says. “I’ll prepare a shoveltalk.”

“I’m honoured, mate.”

“For you,Dave. That poor girl.”

“I take offense to that.”

“You deserve it. Don’t worry, I have all thereasons why outlined in the speech I’ll give at your wedding.”

The kids have to prepare dinner for everyone,and it turns out surprisingly good (because Riley distracts Arthur so he can’t ‘help’and Angélique actually does help) soit’s another good evening. They leave them to a spirited game of truth or darewith some of the other counsellors keeping watch around nine in the evening,and David goes to take a much-needed shower.

When he exits the cubicle, not wearing a shirtand still fumbling with an uncooperative zipper, he catches Angélique’s eyes inthe mirror over the row of sinks. She’s brushing her teeth.

“Hey,” he says, stilling. She quirks hereyebrows, leans forward to rinse her mouth, and then turns to him.

“Hi.” She presses her lips together. “Ah,David, I wanted to say sorry about that thing I – that thing I said. About yourmum.”

He smiles, letting his zipper be. “Don’t worryabout it. I’m sure she’d be flattered.”

“Good to know.” Her dark eyes very quickly flitdown his chest, but she meets his gaze again after a second. “She isn’t single,is she?”

“Ha, no, she’s not, sorry to disappoint.” Heruns a hand through his damp hair, watching through his eyelashes as Angéliquetakes a deep breath and swallows.

“Too bad,” she says, leaning against the sinks,back arching. “Any other family members you can recommend for swearing at?”

Briefly, David thinks about his brother, whopretends to be scandalised every time someone uses a single swear word (but he’sheard him talk to his schoolmates) and his sister, who is not allowed to swear(but he’s heard her talk to herschoolmates and damn).

“Me, maybe,” he says. “If you’re not opposed to,y’know, swearing at men.” He doesn’t think she is, but she’s full of surprises,is Angélique. Well, he’s only known her three days, after all. Who knows whatother interesting things he can learn about her.

“I’m not picky.” She shrugs. Then, she laughs,arms crossing. Her necklace glints in the bright lights in the bathroom. “Youshould have seen your face, though!You’d think I was propositioning you, David!”

Then, suddenly, Riley’s voice from the otherside of the mirrors. “Can you two get a room? Jesus Christ.”

Angélique does flinch at that last one, justslightly. David resolves to stick to God-less swearing from now on. (Oh, fuck,he’s already in deep.)

“Thanks, Riles!” he calls. “They’repropositioning me for you, I think.”

“I absolutely am, and you better get a damnmove on, mate,” Riley replies. The bathroom door opens and closes, and Davidgrins down at Angélique, who is looking very intently at him. Her eyes haveflecks of green in them in this light.

“Problem?” he asks.

She just says, “Oh, fuck it,” and reaches forhim, wrapping a hand around his neck and resting the other against his chest. Hequickly shuts up altogether.

(His mum, David later reflects, is definitelymissing out with regards to being kissed by that mouth.)

(He’s very glad that the kids are determined torepay him for the Romeo and Juliet situation from last year, although he couldhave done without the extensive alarm system they set up to warn them everytime Arthur is approaching.)

(Also, Riley’s shovel talk is terrifying. Theirbest man speech at the wedding even more so.)

[avatoh]

Still taking Shassie requests? I'd love anything hurt/comfort, preferably with some hurt!Shawn?

Hi! Yes I am still taking prompts! I have two more to write, but if you didn’t hate my writing style, feel free to prompt me again! I’m so sorry it took so long! I lost my glasses & couldn’t write for like 5 days and found them yesterday in the actual trash after much searching.

Anyway, Story Below the cut:

Ao3 link:

The theme song from “Cops” woke him up; his phone was ringing.

“Hello?” Lassiter answered, rolling himself to a sitting position on his sticky pleather couch.

The summer heat, along with his cold air conditioning directly hitting his body, had somehow caused him to fall into an uncharacteristic deep slumber in the middle of the evening.

“Lassie!” came Shawn’s all too familiar voice on the other end of the line. “How’ve you been, buddy? It’s been hot out today, hasn’t it?”

“Yes,” he said back in a cautious voice. It was Monday, his day off, and the last thing he wanted to deal with was Shawn bugging him.

“Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I really need-”

“No,” Lassiter said outright.

“You didn’t even hear what I had to say!”

“I don’t need to. The answer is still no.”

“How about if you do this for me, I promise not to show my face to you at the SBPD for a whole week?” Shawn begged.

“No.”

“Two weeks!” Shawn implored. “That’s my final offer.”

“Fine,” Lassiter resigned himself. The offer was just too tempting. “What do you want from me?”

“I have a little problem-” Shawn began.

Lassiter stayed silent on his end of the line, waiting for him to continue with what he was saying.

“Okay, a big problem,” Shawn continued.

“What? Are you going to tell me what’s happened or are you going to continue wasting my time?”

“Can you come over and pick me up? I’m at the beach right now.”

“Is that all you need? I just come and get you at the beach and I don’t have to see your face for two whole weeks?”

“Yes and no-” Shawn started.

“Spit it out already.”

“I may have accidentally taken a nap…and fallen asleep. At the beach. For a few- okay- maybe five or so hours.”

“You didn’t…”

“I did.”

Lassiter sighed and grabbed his keys. Shawn gave him directions to the beach and then his exact location.

“You owe me $3 for hourly parking and you-” Lassiter stopped mid-sentence when he came upon Shawn. “Oh. Wow.”

“I know,” Shawn agreed as he was sprawled out on a towel with the sun still beating down on him.

“I thought you were exaggerating.”

“Evidently, I am not,” Shawn gestured with his neck as best he could. “Ow. A little help here.”

“Can you move at all?”

“Not really.”

Shawn’s entire back, neck, arms and, legs was beet red. Basically everywhere on his body was covered with a nasty sunburn, excluding the area of skin that his trunks were covering.

“I’m in pain.”

Lassiter circled around him, inspecting his scorched body slowly. “And what do you want me to do about it?”

“I want you to help  me!?” Shawn cried.

“Right,” Lassiter said slowly. “But what do I do?”

“I can’t move,” Shawn said.

“Yes, we’ve already been through this-”

“Lassie, please. Help me up.”

“Help you…Your red all over. Where do I touch you?!”

“Anywhere. I just- ugh- need to get up. I can’t do it myself. I already tried.”

Lassiter took a quick glance around the beach before looking back at Shawn. ’Well, here goes nothing,’ he thought. Shawn let out a pained shriek as soon as Lassiter grabbed him and Lassiter immediately recoiled.

“Sorry. Sorry,” Shawn said quickly. “God. Ah! Okay, hold on.”

“Are you ready now?” Lassiter asked after a while as Shawn adjusted and steadied himself.

“Yeah, I think so,” Shawn squeaked out. “Count with me.”

“1-2-3, Up!” They roared in unison. Shawn was up and Lassiter led him to his car as quickly as he could without causing Shawn too much pain. He fastened his sea tbelt up in the passenger’s seat and saw  white indentation marks where his hands had just been on Shawn’s body.

“Do you think we need to go to the hospital?” he asked, a little worried.

“Nah. I think I’m fine. Just really really sore and need some rest,” Shawn assured him.

Lassiter started up his car with a face full of concern. It really wasn’t his place, but Shawn didn’t look too well to him. They drove for awhile, but not in the direction of either of their homes.

“Where are we going?” Shawn asked.

“I’m taking you to a clinic.”

“Why?”“If you’re not going to be a responsible adult and take care of your own body, then I will for you. It’d put me at ease just to make sure you didn’t get sun poisoning or anything. I don’t want to go home with a guilty conscious or have you calling me back once I’ve settled in at home.”

“You’re not the one with a sunburn on your back-”

“Juliet, Guster, The Chief, everyone would be mad at me if I didn’t do this for you, okay? You don’t want them to be worried about you, do you?”

“I guess not.”

They pulled up to a small medical building for non-emergencies. The parking lot was not too full, which looked promising. They parked in the front.

“Do you think you can get out of the car?”

“Shawn let out a deep sigh. “If you help me.”

It took about 40 minutes in the waiting room for them to see someone. Shawn seemed to be quite antsy waiting. Perhaps he didn’t like hospitals, Lassiter thought. The man kept bouncing his leg lightly and twiddling his thumbs as best he could with his sunburn. Lassiter touched his knee against Shawn’s and he stilled his actions.They were told Shawn should be fine and some at-home treatment was required to help with his burn. He was also informed to watch out for blistering and nausea or vomiting that might occur. It was immediately recommended that Shawn take a cool shower, some pain meds, and put moisturizer on his body.

They left feeling better about having gone and Lassiter drove Shawn back to his apartment and up his stairs.

“Well hope you heal up soon, Spencer.” he said outside the door. “Take that shower and the recommended meds. I’ll see you in two weeks.”

“Lassie-” Shawn said quietly.

Lassiter groaned without Shawn having to say any more and came back to his side. “Where’s your bathroom?”

“Down the hall.”

“Can you shower alright?”

“Yeah. I just might need some help turning it on.”

They walked to the room together and Lassiter stood outside the door while Shawn took a shower with his swim trunks still on. When he was done, he removed the swimsuit and wrapped a towel around his body. Lassiter had gotten him some water and ibuprofen when he was out.

“Where do you want me to leave you?” he asked

“Can we go to my bed?” They walked together slowly. It surprised Shawn how patient Lassiter was being with him. “I’ll try to rest for a bit before Gus gets off work. Then I’ll call him.”

“Do you need help with putting on the lotion before I leave?” Lassiter tentatively asked as he settled him in.

“Eager to get your hands on me, aren’t you?” Shawn smirked with a chuckle.

“It’s not like that,” Lassiter said. He felt his heart jump in his chest despite himself. “I’m going to tell you something I don’t want you mentioning again. I got sunburned really badly once. Got stranded in the middle of the desert on a case. The burn was about as bad as yours right now, except I had blisters and heat stroke. I didn’t go to the doctors straight away, but I wish I had.”

“I didn’t know that could happen,” Shawn said.

“Me either. I thought it was no big deal at the time. And like you, I didn’t have anyone there when I got back home for me at the time. It was a real bitch of a healing process. And taking care myself, especially putting on the lotion and Aloe was terrible.”

“That’s why you’re so eager to help me.”

“I’ve been shot before, but a full- body sunburn is a different kind of pain. I know how it hurts everywhere. How even the brush of fabric stings you. I’m not entirely sure you can even reach some of the burned areas in your condition.”

“RIght. There’s some nice moisturizing lotion that might help in the nightstand, if you want.”

Lassiter gave him a cautious eyebrow and went to the furnishing.

“It’s an unopened bottle right next to the lube.”

He groaned and retrieved it without much looking into the contents of the drawer. Shawn was placed on his stomach in the middle of the bed and Lassier climbed up and sat besides him. He didn’t bother warming up the lotion in his hands like he had the urge to, because that would defeat the purpose of what he was doing, and put a dab of it straight onto Shawn’s body. Using the pads of his fingers only, he began lightly rubbing the lotion onto Shawn’s burnt skin.

“Now that’s the stuff,” Shawn purred into his mattress, clearly in relief.

Lassiter continued his ministrations across his back and down his body. “Legs okay too?”

“Of course!” Shawn winced.

Shawn wasn’t as strong as he pretended to be. Lassiter was trying his best to be soft with his touches, but he could tell that Shawn was in a lot of pain as he moved his hands up and down his body with the soothing lotion.

“Thank you,” Shawn mumbled when he was done.

“Two weeks,” Lassiter chided.

“But you’ll come and visit me, won’t you? The deal was that I won’t show up at the office. You can still visit me here if you want. You were a great nurse today and I don’t think I’d mind your hands slathering lotion on me again. You  helped me a great deal today, Lassie. I owe you one.”

“If you really need me, I-”

“I always need you, Lassie. I mean it.”

“You can have someone else anytime you want though-”

“No. I want you.”

“You want me?” Lassiter breathed.

“Yeah, I want you. There’s no one else like you. You’re the one and only Carlton Lassiter who can satisfy me and do the job right. Don’t make yourself a stranger around here, you hear?”

“You can’t possibly mean that Shawn. This is the first time I’ve come to your place in all this time I’ve known you.”

“And this is the 593rd time I’ve invited you. If I’d had know that getting a sunburn was the thing that was finally going to get you over here, I would have done it sooner.”

“No you wouldn’t have.”

“If you’re ever bored, or need a friend, a great monopoly player, easy-bake-oven chef, or a lover,” Shawn said with a twitch of a smile hiding something more,“come back.”

“I will.”

[heidijeann]

First Stop: Singapore

TLl;DR people...this blog isn’t for you. Instead, check out our photo highlights here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/bJHF8QvwteX8NSuU7

Day one in Singapore - has been hot and exhausting, but also beautiful and fragrant (especially in the Hawker Centers!). We landed around 8 am, after a pretty uneventful 17 hour 20 minute flight from SFO to SIN. And don’t you always wish for uneventful travels? It’s really is the perfect adjective but also the best when traveling for so long. Our isle was quiet, with a small, friendly, and quiet woman who was nice every time we asked to get up to use the restroom. We mostly slept, but also watched a bit of TV, putting on Crazy Rich Asians to refresh our memory of the movie and prep for Singapore. We joked throughout our whole stay if we would see or meet anyone like Astrid, or where she would be hanging out. (We didn’t find her.) Then, breakfast was served and taken away, the cabin was being prepared for landing, and we were sitting on the tarmac in Asia! We made it - we were finally here in Asia and all the stress of wrapping up work, saying goodbye to our friends and family, and packing up our whole lives - selling our things, storing our things, moving out and cleaning our apartment...all the stress disappeared and we were finally here, starting out our dream. 134 days to go!

We made our way through customs and baggage claim and found the MRT (Municipal Rapid Transit), getting a 2 day tourist pass that will allow us to explore this small city in a less humid and sticky (and maybe also faster) way. We walked about 15 thousand steps - from our hotel to a couple food centers - the first and second didn’t really catch our eyes so we kept walking. We stumbled into some kind of outdoor shopping center, a lot of stalls with random things for sale - from wallets to fruits to cleansers and beyond. From there, we found a food stall with some yummy looking noodles that we purchased for S$1 (Singapore dollar) which is $.74=1 Singapore dollar. They were delicious, nutritious, and left us hungrier. We circled the joint and ended up getting a small bowl of laksa that was good, but a little spicy for my taste. After the laksa we thought we would head out and continue exploring, so started to make our way back to the hotel in hopes of being able to check in (and shower!). Luckily, by the time we got back, our hotel room was ready and we were able to freshen up before heading to Chinatown’s Maxwell Hawker Center.

The Bencoolen MRT station is about 35 steps outside our hotel, which makes transportation super easy, especially for any destination off the Downtown MRT line, which Chinatown qualifies for. We jumped on and headed towards the Hawker goodness. Emerging from the station, we were greeted with a festive street adorned with lanterns, shopping stalls, and tons of people. We perused the scene as we slowly made our way to the Maxwell Hawker Center to try the world famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. While crossing the street (read: jaywalking), we met a local who asked where we were from/where we were going, and started to chat as we were headed in the same direction. We asked him about Tian Tian and he said he while he loves it, he never goes because the line is always very long and takes about an hour. Hearing this news, hungry, hot and tired Heidi and Brett decided the wait wouldn’t be worth it, so asked what stalls he would recommend. He offered to take us to the eatery, so we followed. When we turned the corner, by some crazy stroke of magic, we found ourselves in front of a line-less Tian Tian and were able to place our order and get our food literally within one minute. It was an incredible streak of luck, and the hype is really worth it - the rice is so flavorful Brett dubbed it the best rice he has ever had. By the time we left the Hawker, the line was forming outside and around the building.

After eating we decided to continue exploring the city by foot, and made our way to the infamous Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Beautiful, iconic, and huge, we felt like we were in Vegas with the millions of restaurants, shops, escalators and signs. We made our way up to the 57th story and took in the views from the top. We checked out the ArtScience Museum and agreed to come back first thing in the morning to avoid the crowd. Then, we found our way back to the MRT station and headed to Little India. Only a couple stations away, we got out and started walking. Where Chinatown was lively with people everywhere selling and buying goods in outdoor stalls, Little India’s vibe was much calmer: streets lined with shops where people could pop in and upstairs if anything caught their fancy. Very few people were shopping in the markets, and there weren’t many people on the street. We came across a S$6 eyebrow threading station, so popped in for a quick touch up, but with not much else going on, we decided to make our way back to the hotel by foot. By this time in the afternoon the sun was no longer directly shining down on us - clouds had rolled in and provided a bit of cover to help make the walking a bit more tolerable. It was about a 30 minute walk, on which we found a vending machine that serves freshly squeezed orange juice for S$2 - something we couldn’t pass up. We watched the oranges get sliced and squeezed directly into a cup, and, once full, were able to remove the cup and drink cold, tart, freshly squeezed juice that absolutely hit the spot. A few doors down, we stumbled across a small dim sum house whose smells captivated our noses, forcing us to indulge in just a few dumplings.

From there, it was a quick walk back to the hotel. We were hot, sweaty, and tired, so thought taking a dip in the pool may give us a new wind. We changed into our suits and headed to the pool - only to find the water so cold that we actually opted for the hot tub. Crazy, I know, but after getting to the hotel room with the freezing artificial air blowing on our bodies, we were actually cold and happy for the hot tub. Plus, we had walked about 15,000 steps after being on a 17.5 hour flight, and the heat was not only healthy for our muscles, but a great excuse to stretch. At this point we had every intention to go out and grab dinner - but by the time we got back to our room and showered, we agreed we were pooped and thought a good night's’ rest would make the world of difference tomorrow. So, we got into bed, turned on the tv, and flipped around to see what Singapore News and TV was all about. Although we were OK staying in for the night, we were hellbent on not going to bed too early - we were aiming to stay up until 8 and it was only about 6 at this point. Starting to get hungry, I googled the closest, easiest, most affordable option, and wound up going downstairs to Baja Fresh and getting a burrito for us to split. I am not ashamed or embarrassed at all, although would have preferred any Mexican joint back home (obviously). We shared it in bed, until we were full, then brushed our teeth, hit the lights, and did some light research on the computer before PTFO.

Day two started earlier for Brett than it did for me. We woke up around 3:00 AM and forced ourselves to try to sleep a bit longer. I was able to (s/o to my favorite app, Calm, which helps me fall asleep and mediate and I cannot say enough great things about. If you want a free trial, LMK), but Brett was not as fortunate as me. So, he rested and I slept until about 6:20 AM, when there was no way I was going to be able to sleep for another second, so we got up and started our morning. And what’s a better to start your morning than going to the pool?! We couldn’t think of one, either, so that’s what we did. It wasn’t that hot yet, so we dipped in the pool and spent the majority of our 20-ish minutes out there in the hot tub. Then, we returned to our room, showered, and headed out to try a traditional Singaporean breakfast: Toast Box. We got Set 1: Kaya Toast with eggs and coffee. The coffee was excellent, and Brett liked the toast and eggs. I am not one for under cooked wet eggs, and I think Asia is all about those, so I have to be honest when I say I didn’t even try the egg. I did try the toast - it was perfectly toasted - some kind of sweet jam with butter and coconut. Interesting - good even, just a bit sweet for my liking. From there we thought we would head to the Merlion Statue to try to get a good picture before too many tourists showed up, but we got lost on the MRT (took the wrong line, rather) and decided to just head to the ArtScience Museum since we were much closer. After signing up for the Sands Reward Membership, we headed to the museum to buy our tickets at the amazing discount of BOGO. I highly recommend taking the 10 minutes to show your passport and get the rewards card - you get 3% cash back at all shops and restaurants in the hotel, plus great benefits and savings and the museums etc. While I signed up, Brett found me an apple, which I ate en route to the museum. We got our tickets and headed into the first exhibit: Future World.

The exhibit was interactive - featuring artworks that combine art and science to bring us inside natural worlds comprised of entirely digital technology. We grew flowers that we could project onto the walls, we planned where to put bridges and transit centers in cities, and would see how our choices affected the digital city; we went down slides, and played with huge balls of lights that made sounds. My favorite of the 6 rooms was the Space room - which used lights, mirrors and music to transport you to what felt like outer space: placing you in the stars of our galaxy. We took some cool pictures here, but mostly just enjoyed the changing light show that corresponded with the sounds coming from every corner of the room. We then headed to the Minimalism exhibit, which was basically a bunch of abstract art that didn’t start any joy for either of us. We stayed long enough to figure out a bomb Dim Sum restaurant to head to, and left the museum in search of lunch.

It was a fast MRT ride - about 2 stops and 2 blocks to the restaurant Swee Choon. It looked closed when we got there - big panels down over the windows - but we quickly learned this was to block the heat and found our way inside. We were careful to make sure our eyes weren’t bigger than our stomachs when ordering, and scarfed down the authentic and delicious food almost as quickly as it arrived. While eating, we looked up directions to Selfie Coffee - this little coffee shop on Hijab Street that prints your selfie on your coffee (or beer, or whatever you order). It was a 15 minute walk past Arab street, so we decided to brave the heat and take a stroll. When we got too hot, we would pop into a shop with AC and pretend to be shopping while really we were just cooling off and looking at all the things for sale. Then, we’d move on. Hijab street was super cute - maybe my favorite neighborhood of Singapore that we saw. Super hipster, with murals and vibrant colors along the walls and plants everywhere. There were tons of shops, cafes, and restaurants, among them Selfie Coffee. We went inside to find a line and that they only accept cash, so decided to pass on the $8 coffee. Instead, we wandered next door to a cute elephant shop, and found ourselves in a conversation with a funny local who was telling us all about where to go, what to eat, and tips to save money. He was so excited for us to be traveling and wouldn’t let us buy anything.

From there, we headed home via the MRT to nap. It was 90 degrees with 80% humidity, and we knew we wanted to return to the Museum to check out the last exhibit before the Gardens by the Bay’s light show. Before snoozing, we decided a final dip in the pool would be lovely and were able to brave the cold water in the hot heat… it felt great! Then, we took a solid hour nap, and headed to the Merlion Statue and to explore the downtown area. It was a 15 minute MRT ride and a 10 minute walk along the waterfront, with beautiful views of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

So, we grabbed an iced coffee from Starbucks and started strolling. We ended up walking to the tourist-infested statue, then around the water past a pop up amusement park and into the Shoppes, and onto the ArtScience Museum. We went back through the Future World exhibit and then checked out the last exhibit - All Possible Paths: Richard Feynman’s Curious Life. It was interesting, I kept thinking how much my mom would love it. After that we headed to the food court for a quick chicken rice and then off to the gardens for the Spectra Light Show. A free, twice-a-night light and music show that was absolutely incredible.

Once the show concluded we, along with hundreds of others, we moved like a herd of cows slowly to the MRT to head to Lau Pa Sat, also known as Telok Ayer Market, which is also casually referred to as “Satay Street”. It’s a historic building located within the Downtown Core area of Singapore, and by day it has some shops, but by night it becomes an outdoor eating oasis. We grabbed a beer and some satay from “The Best 7&8” stall - chicken, beef, and shrimp - and took in the noises, smells and sights while we waited and ate. This all seems innocent, but we quickly learned an important lesson here: don’t order before confirming prices. Our food was paid for and delivered no problem, but the beer was another story. The waitress came to drop off the beer, asking for S$5.5. As I got the money out to pay, Brett refused it - saying there is no way he would pay that much for such a small cup of beer. The waitress didn’t like this, and started arguing with him and ended up pseudo-cursing him, saying something about his mother and future wife and kids. Sitting there, I could only be a little concerned and wonder if the S$5.5 could really be the savior of our future, but, before i could wonder for too long the lady gave up and left us alone. Leaving us with the lesson of asking prices before ordering to avoid confrontations and curses.

Finishing our food, we decided to just head home, as tomorrow would be a long day, and decided to head home and turn in. We hopped on the MRT and noticed for the first time we would be passing Orchard Street, so decided to stay out just a bit longer to check out this famous epicentre of shopping in Singapore. While it was definitely decadent, malls on malls with stores and boutiques and eateries of all kinds...it was also just a lot of shopping. We enjoyed the walk but didn’t really shop too hard, as we are on a budget and things will get a lot cheaper once we get to Thailand. We ended up walking back to the hotel - only about 20 minutes or so - and didn’t really get into anything special: we packed our stuff, set an alarm, and jotted down our spending for the day before hitting the lights and the hay.

6:30 came early, and we must have been excited or jet lagged, because we were up and out of the hotel by 7:04 and en route to the airport. It was an easy MRT ride, and before long we were checked into our flights, baggage dropped off at the counter, and our biggest worries were which Priority Pass Lounge we would check out first. We had 2.5 hours until boarding and we wanted to spend them well. So, we did just that! We ended up preferring the second of the two lounges - a Japanese Restaurant that offered free breakfast - Brett got the traditional Japanese breakfast, consisting of a huge slab of salmon, rice, soup, octopus, and undercooked eggs. I went for the American breakfast and deeply regretted it. I doubt I’ll get used to uncooked eggs and I have a hunch that they love not cooking eggs in Singapore, or maybe even the greater SEA region. After finishing our breakfasts, we had one thing left to do - get some birthday bubbles. We stopped by the duty free shop and got a beautiful bottle of Veuve to pop in Thailand, then went through customs and boarded our flight! Stay tuned for what unfolds next...

Some other interesting callouts about Singapore we forgot to weave into the above:

You can immediately tell how clean the city is. It’s pristine. Well done, Singapore.

The MRT, as mentioned, is the #1 way to get around. The government taxes people who drive a TON of money, which keeps most people out of cars on the street, and encourages them to use the metro or other public transport. Therefore, the government can easily use all MRT stations as a platform to influence and inform their people. We were impressed to see so many videos, ads, posters, etc about what to do in an emergency, how to get help, etc. This can be excellent in informing people on what to do (IE - huge campaign awareness about molestation at the moment, so high visibility and encouragement for women to speak up and seek help if necessary) but also they take every opportunity to remind people of punishments associated with breaking laws, which we thought was a bit gruesome. Definitely an element of fear in the culture, which keeps the city clean and sketch people at minimum. 

Crimes are heavily enforced, and punishments are kinda crazy. Building off the example I shared about their molestation campaign, we did a bit more research as the signs say “You will be fined and caned.” in bold red letters. That’s right, you read it - CANED. So we dug in a little more to learn that only men can be charged with molestation, and, SINGAPORE CANES PEOPLE! How cruel and unusual. If you’re interested in learning more, check out more info on this law - it sure blew our minds.

Singapore is an expensive city, so not the best for two backpackers hoping to stretch our dollars to travel the world for a year. However, it is also a city of amazing food, which is very hard for this little foodie to pass up. Don’t get me wrong - there are definitely ways to easily spend a ton of money on food, but there are amazing options for delicious and cheap eats, if you are willing embrace the street food! (Fun fact: did you know that Singapore is the only place where a street food vendor - yes, someone who sells a dish for S$5 - ⁣has earned a Michelin Star!?) Anyway, the place to eat while minding your wallet are the “hawker centers” - well-known, government monitored for food safety, and are packed with delicious, local and cheap cuisine. The price competition is fierce, so you can eat really well for not much.⁣ Unfortunately, these hawker center may not last too much longer as we know them today. We learned from locals that most of the younger generation has no interest in cooking or learning the art of food. Instead, they want to a different life (office jobs, tech, etc), which parents are supportive of. However, this means these stands, where one recipe has been perfected over decades, may cease to exist.

Holy humidity, this place is HOT HOT HOT!!

For those of you curious, we spent $422 USD including everything (ie - food, transport, hotel, even the Veuve - which was duty free but still $61 USD) while in Singapore! This is obviously above our daily average goal, but when booking the hotel I thought I was using a $200 hotels.com voucher which ended up not working, so we have $200 savings towards hotels elsewhere in our trip. Excluding the hotel and the champagne, we would have spent $145. (We also didn’t need to buy the full passes to the museum - the Future World exhibit would have quenched our thirst and gave us back S$20! But, oh well! If you are interested in more detailed budget info, let me know!

[fireemblemmobile]

First thoughts on Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Keep in mind this is a first impressions “review”-- I’ve currently played through Act 1 and will be mostly discussing mechanics and how it looks. Keep in mind I have also never played Gaiden and went into this game with as little spoilers as possible. When I talk about plot, I’ll keep it as vague as possible-- still, keep in mind, there are possible spoilers under the read more! If you wish to only read about the mechanics of the game, skip the first two paragraphs where I talk about plot and characters.

First thing I’ll get out of the way is the plot so far. Personally I really like it-- so far, it’s honestly reminded me of the older GBA games I played, where the opening cutscene describes information about the world and the beginning is full of characters talking (it took me ~10 minutes to get to actual combat!). Although the information about the world isn’t as in depth as other games-- it doesn’t open like Sacred Stones, with descriptions of the countries and who rules them-- but it makes sense in the context of the game, which I heavily appreciate! Alm has never been outside the village he lives in, so of course he doesn’t know everything about the outside world; the opening cutscene tells you about the lore of the world, such as the Gods, that Alm would know of since he has been told stories as a child. There’s even times where Alm’s lack of knowledge of the outside world comes into play; there are multiple times where other characters have to tell Alm about famous people and places. It feels almost like I’m learning with Alm rather than I know everything about the world and Alm doesn’t. Another plus that the plot gets is that I’m actually intrigued about what happens next while not feeling lost. I know what’s happening-- but there are still things I don’t know of. For example, what is the mark on Alm’s hand? What is Mycan’s true intentions? Why did Zofia get invaded in the first place? Where is Mila? None of these I have answers for, but it’s not frustrating in a “why won’t this game tell me anything” sort of way. It’s been hinting at the answers to these questions without making it obvious, and it really makes me want to continue playing the story just to find out. 

Next up: The Characters. I’ll start out with saying that I love all of the characters in this game so far. They all have interesting personalities that aren’t bland; they all have palpable flaws as well. Alm may be talented with a sword, but he’s still naive. Lukas may be more experienced than everyone else, but he seems like he trusts a little bit too easily. It makes everyone way more believable that way-- even in the first impressions of the characters, you could grasp what their flaws. Plus, the character interactions are really really good. There’s genuinely funny moments, and a lot of the conversations do feel like two teenagers talking back and forth. The interactions don’t feel forced at all.  However, I do have my criticisms. All of the praising I’ve said falls flat when talking about two characters: Faye and Clair. Unfortunately, their personalities (mostly Faye’s) have been reduced to “has a crush on Alm”. Faye is constantly talking about him, her battle quotes are stuff like “For Alm!”/”Alm, did you see that?”, and in support conversations between Faye and Silque, Faye brushes Silque off because she “wants to talk to Alm”. This is less apparent with Clair (as she does have some personality when talking to other characters), but even then she hits on Alm often, and again, she said in a support conversation “At least seeing Alm would brighten my day”. Hell, in one of /Alm’s/ support conversations, Tobin brings it up that Clair is hitting on him. It’s all very off putting and awful in my opinion. It’s really tiring to see them trying to shoehorn in a possible love triangle when it really makes no sense that everyone but one character who is female on his team is into him (and I wouldn’t be surprised if Celica is into him as well). It’s tiring but not really a deal breaker at the moment. 

Now mechanics. This is probably what most people are interested in knowing; that being said, I’ll both describe mechanics and give some tips that I wish I knew starting right off the bat. First off, the way you get from place to place is very different. You get to pick where to go in a location where you’d like to go inside an area (obviously to some extent) and outside a set location it’s similar to the Sacred Stones where you move the character to a specific spot on the map. For example, in the beginning area, you can choose to go to your grandfather’s house, the town square, or by the town gate. There is also a “Free roaming” aspect in dungeons-- it feels a LOT like Legend of Zelda in my opinion. You control Alm and can cut grass, destroy crates, and destroy pots for money and items. Keep in mind though, when in these dungeons there will be enemies. Running into these enemies will cause a short battle-- it will become turn by turn, so don’t worry. If they catch you off guard (i.e. attack you when your back is turned), the enemy gets to move first. If you run straight into them, you move first. If you run into them from behind, you are set closer to them and get first turn; finally, if you slash at them with your sword, they will start missing HP. Also keep in mind in these dungeons, there are items to find, so definitely explore! Watch out for very powerful enemies, though. Sometimes they will surprise you-- I sure as hell got caught off guard when I ran into an enemy much too powerful for me.  When you choose a location, there will be a few options: Examine, talk, and move. Moving obviously takes you to a different location, and talking is to talk to NPCs or playable characters who are there. Talking is very important-- don’t forget to do it! Not only does the NPC’s word’s worldbuild, but you can miss recruiting characters if you don’t end of talking to them. And things will be different after time, so don’t forget to retread and talk to people again! What’s really cool about this game is that pretty much every line of dialogue is voice acted. I’ve run into one NPC who didn’t have a voice, and I believe it was because he didn’t have anything important to say. The only things that aren’t voice acted so far are examining text and the text on items (obviously) and at Mila’s shrine. The voice acting is also VERY GOOD. I was genuinely surprised at it, especially since even the NPCs have good voice acting!!  Examining is also very very important though, definitely definitely definitely don’t forget to look around. Not only can you get food items this way-- that will heal Fatigue (which I’ll talk about later), regain HP, and can be used as offerings to Mila-- but you can also gain weapons! And weapons are very very important-- you want to get the best you can, since there’s no weapon durability you don’t need to worry about losing them. Not to mention new weapons unlock new skills.

On that note, combat is generally the same as normal Fire Emblem games (turn by turn), but there are a few new things to keep in mind. There is no weapon triangle in this game; don’t forget that (I do it all the time). Probably most importantly, magic takes HP. It’s usually not a lot-- the beginning spells “Fire” and “Recover” cost 1 HP-- but as you get better spells, they cost more. “Thunder” costs 2 HP. By far the most damage that’s been done to a magic character is my Cleric Silque; once she unlocked her “Warp” ability, it took a bit of health to use it. However Clerics automatically come with a spell that, when it hits, they regain HP, so this balances out. Keep in mind that magic is now in two separate categories: black magic and white magic. White magic is anything that heals or is used to “support” (such as warp), while black magic is anything that damages. What’s also a bit of a change is that archers can hit you from close distances-- similar to Takumi’s close counter in Fire Emblem Heroes. However, the archer’s accuracy is lowered in one on one combat, so keep that in mind. Archers can also hit you from 3-5 squares away, so keep that in mind too! As I mentioned before, there are unlockable abilities. As a character progresses and fights more often, they can unlock “acts” that will give them the edge in combat. “Warp” is just one of them, but there are things like “Swap”, “Wrathful Strike”, “Hit and Run”... keep in mind though, these skills also take HP. Again, it’s usually not too much, but it is something to keep in mind while fighting very powerful enemies. These abilities can change-- some are class based, some are weapon based, some are item based, so keep that in mind when distributing items.  Another thing about combat is “Mila’s Turnwheel”. This is basically a mechanic where you can turn back time if you’ve made a mistake-- it can only turn back a certain number of turns, and can only be used a certain amount of times in battle. It’s for if you accidentally moved a character somewhere bad, or maybe a character got killed, you can reset the turn and not have to restart the entire level. I find it useful, and it definitely isn’t making anything too easy, so I wouldn’t worry too much about this. If anything, I’ve been using it mostly for “oops I healed the wrong character”/”Oops I attacked the wrong character”. Also! Just a tip, but when it comes to promoting characters, I would wait for them to be about level 8-10. You can change a villager’s class at level 3, but I would definitely recommend waiting for a bit to get the stat increases. Anything past level 10 I wouldn’t bother; in this game there isn’t really an incentive to go up to level 20 (since it takes a LOT-- once you hit higher levels, the EXP gains are much lower), so I wouldn’t plan to do so. Of course, you can promote as soon as possible without too much problem, I just prefer having the higher stats.  So, I mentioned Fatigue earlier. Basically what Fatigue is is a mechanic where characters get tired turning combat, and their stats suffer from it. It’s not too big of a deal, but if you’re constantly using one character, they will start to suffer. Your whole parties fatigue can be fixed by offering food at a Mila’s Shrine (also where you go to promote your units) and fatigue on a character basis can be fixed by eating food in combat, so it hasn’t negatively effected me yet. Offering food to Mila’s shrine will also usually give you a small tip for the next battle-- such as “you will need archers and mages in the next battle”, and such similar. It sort of reminds me of how in Fire Emblem 7 you can use a psychic to vaguely tell you who to bring into battle and what the battle will be like. These little tips aren’t too important, but keep in mind: support conversations happen in battle like in older titles (the game will tell you when you can have one), and you can grind for EXP in the dungeons with free roaming. I would definitely recommend grinding for EXP. Better to be overleveled than underleveled!

Now! To one of my favourite parts of this game so far-- the way it looks! Not only is the character design very nice (save for... the boob plate armour, @IntSys cut that out), but the environments, sprites, combat animations and cut scenes all look AMAZING. The cut scenes straight up look like they’re from an anime; the style and animation is smooth and visually appealing. How nice it looked genuinely took me by complete surprise. I wasn’t expecting such work to be put into the cut scenes.  The sprites and environments honestly are what I wanted Awakening/Fates to look like. I’ve mentioned to friends before that I thought the in combat sprites looked a bit unpolished in both those games as they had a lot of pixelation around them, but Echoes fixes that minor issue I had. The out of combat sprites are very very cute-- they remind me of the gameboy titles again, with the way they’re designed. And of course, the style in which all the characters are drawn is very nice and fits well within the game. I could gush about the art for a long while, but I’ll keep it to that so I don’t end up rambling too much. What probably makes me the most happy is the in combat animations. I love seeing a character I just moved 3 spaces to attack open their attack by rushing at the enemy, and I love seeing how the characters use their weapons. It isn’t the same every time-- sometimes Alm will slash, sometimes he will jab, etc.-- so it gives me a lot of incentive to not skip the battle animations. Even though the combat is turn by turn, it still flows naturally. Plus the way they use their weapons isn’t unnatural or inaccurate looking. Even the bowmen seem to have some difficulty pulling back their bow-- which makes sense, as it takes a lot of strength to do so! Plus, dodging (Depending on the character) looks great and flows really really well. For example, Grey will dodge an attack by jumping, and his next attack will be him slashing the sword downwards while in the air. I was really surprised to see how much work went into that! (But I’m also a huge nerd when it comes to battles).  That’s all I can think of to mention right now, but if you have questions feel free to ask them! I will answer them to the best of my ability! 

[hoetron]

okay christ i got tagged in htis massive tag game by @mothable but i love a good ol challenge lets do this buckfucks

RULES: ANSWER THESE 88, THEN TAG SOME PEOPLE

BASICS:

a. NAME AND PRONOUNS: Rae, she/her

b. AGE (and birthday!): 13, Aug 28th :3c im a fucking fetus ny’all

c. SEXUALITY: am i bi? am i lesbian? am i just craving existential death 24/7? i dont fucking know a thing my guy

d. GENDER: cis female hooooh

e. COUNTRY: AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI

f. FAVORITE AESTHETIC: pastel colours and really nice fashion i guess..??? (also smoking is kind of aesthetic eyes emoji eyes emoji)

TRIGGERS/MENTAL ILLNESSES: i’m not actually sure :x

THE LAST:

1. DRINK: salt water hah normal water is for the WEAK (dont drink salt water please im begging y

2. PHONE CALL: my brother asking what kind of pizza i wanted

3. TEXT MESSAGE: “:3c” im such a fufcking furry...fuckck,,,,

4. SONG YOU LISTENED TO: Daydream warriors by Aquors listen nyall im reconnecting with my hidden buried weebass side of me okay im crying

5. THE TIME YOU CRIED: i dont actually remember? probably like last year unless you count me having tears from laughing too hard as cryng then thats yesterday during the meme aka now called lightning mcqueen server

HAVE YOU:

6. DATED SOMEONE TWICE: nahh

7. KISSED SOMEONE AND REGRETTED IT: dont think ive ever kissed someone thats not my family before im #Pure

8. BEEN CHEATED ON: nope lmao

9. LOST SOMEONE SPECIAL: my grandfather i guess? but he died when i was really young so at that time i didnt really undersyand the feeling of loss and mourn so ksdjfk but we had some goodass memories together

10. BEEN DEPRESSED: they ask you how you are and you just have to say that you’re fine when you’re not really fine but you just cant get into it because they would never understa

11. GOTTEN DRUNK AND THROWN UP: im severely underaged please

TOP 3 FAVORITE COLORS

12. red

13. yellow

14. either black or lavendar,,

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. MADE NEW FRIENDS: yis

16. FALLEN OUT OF LOVE: ya,,

17. LAUGHED UNTIL YOU CRIED: okay im known as the most giggly person in class i laugh so easily that i easily have tears over everything

18. FOUND OUT SOMEONE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU: nahh dont think i wanna know if its like in a bad way :x

19. MET SOMEONE WHO CHANGED YOU: aw y e s

20. FOUND OUT WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE: ya :,) (Thanks em, lily, mae and imogen for making this year truly greater than last year and for being the best friends i could ever ask for)

21. KISSED SOMEONE ON YOUR FACEBOOK LIST: facebook is dead to me

GENERAL

22. HOW MANY OF YOUR FACEBOOK FRIENDS DO YOU KNOW IN REAL LIFE: serious facebook is dead to me i roasted above the flames of negligence (also because i have like two facebook accounts one using my pesonal email and the other using my more general email , the one using my more general email keeps recommending to me my OWN personal account and its personally so hilarious)

23. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS: a cat called lucky! (i love him even though im p sure he hates me)

24. DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE YOUR NAME: i guess my irl name uhhh im 50-50 with it? but granted on the internet i waaay prefer using the name Rae over my irl one because its short and simple and nice-

25. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOU LAST BIRTHDAY: just want to a chinese resturant with my fam and my uncle because we’re simple that way and like. back then i didnt had that much friends so uh l m a o (but vidhi gave me a nerf gun so that was Really Cool and i love her)

26. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP TODAY: 9 oclocK BECAUSE A HOUSING AGENT WAS COMING OVER (but then i fell back to sleep and woke up at 12 so lmao)

27. WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT: watching a video on why ‘anime art isnt technically allowed in art school’ because i was just curious and then drawing 

28. NAME SOMETHING YOU CAN’T WAIT FOR: VOLTRON LEGENDARY FUCKNG DEFENDERS SEASON 3 SHIT BABES IM REA LLY FUCKING PREPARED AND NEAR END OF MONTH AVCON BECAUSE EYES EMOJI

29. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR MOM: an hour ago lmao shes like just outside my room 

30. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE: sighs my shyness and social anxiety and awkwardness (all three of those are counted in a pack right? the pack of “socially inept” people)

31. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW: daydream warriors... by aquors..... (listen im RECONNECTING with my weeb side like said above im actually weeping)

32. HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO A PERSON NAMED TOM: uh idk mate

33. SOMETHING THAT IS GETTING ON YOUR NERVES: i havent brushed my teeth yet but im lazy to move my legs lmao

LOST QUESTIONS

34. MOLE(S): um quite a lot like a few small ones on my arm and like one on my face below my right eye and theres one underneath my boob i think lmao tmi and the rest i cant be bothered to find

35. MARK(S): a kind of burnt scar mark on my left shoulder from like 6/7 years ago when i got too close to someone smoking and their cigarette burnt me oh and a scar on my knee from the time i fell off my bike while playing bike catching in the neighbourhood with a couple of other friends like 4 years ago?

36. CHILDHOOD DREAM: vet (now im eh about that tho im probably just going to pursue some art career)

37. HAIR COLOR: brown eyy

38. LONG OR SHORT HAIR: long

39. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE: yeah. hopefully its dying down now especially since the person is straight (its hard when she sits next to you in class and you guys are sort of friends now and u somehow feel really satisfied when you make her laugh :,) shit )

40. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF: im generally kind with people regardless of whether or not i dont like them or i dont know them well or i know them i guess? (at least in my group of friends im probably the most willing to socialise with others) and uhhhh i guess i can make people laugh? im a huge fucking loser meme nyall

41. PIERCINGS: none and personally dont really want to 

42. BLOODTYPE: shit  i think it was either a B or an O i cant remember (i think its B tho)

43. NICKNAME(S): maggie, migi, bela, bob, bobbo

44. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single pringle 

45. ZODIAC: virgo

46. PRONOUNS: she/her (lmao yay for repeated question)

47. FAVORITE TV SHOW: fuckngin,,, voltron,,, (probably going to stay my favourite for a long while tho)

48. TATTOOS: none atm (unless you count waterbase tattos then yes stick all the water based tattos on me) but like when im Much Older maybe? just a really small tattoo tho not anything big that covers an entire limb

49. RIGHT OR LEFT HAND: right

50. SURGERY: had a surgery on my foot forgot which side when i was in kindergarten because the skin was *censored for tmi* and yah stitching up your skin fucking hurt babes

51. HAIR DYED A DIFFERENT COLOR: nahhh i dont think id dye my hair tho who knows

52. SPORT: im probably going to retake up basketball again eyes emoji eyes emoji

53. VACATION: ooMMF nothing planned so far

54. PAIR OF TRAINERS: like uhhh what kind of sneakers?? just normal canvas sneakers i guess????? im, what.

MORE GENERAL

55. EATING: OXYGEn

56. DRINKING: IN OXYGEN

57. I’M ABOUT TO: complete this fucking 88  questions then chat on discord and scroll tumblr and tell myself “hey finish up your art!” but then 5 hours later im still scrolling tumblr. oh and im watching wonder woman later so :3c

58. WAITING FOR: nothing atm i guess?

59. WANT: my family’s financial situation to be solved and so that money isnt going to be a huge bother anymore...

60. GET MARRIED: sounds nice but probably only marriage idk the idea of kids doesnt really sound v appealing atm

61. CAREER: artist! (i wanna either work in a game development team or an animation studio eyes emoji ) 

62. HUGS OR KISSES: HUGS

63. LIPS OR EYES: lips erally nice to draw really nice to look at

64. SHORTER OR TALLER: buhhh im short so i guess taller would be nice (tall people have such nice legs too im frankly a little jealous)

65. OLDER OR YOUNGER: what is this in regards to

66. NICE ARMS OR NICE STOMACH: arms so that dO YOU SEE THESE GUNS

67. SENSITIVE OR LOUD: shrug emoji idk man

68. HOOK UP OR RELATIONSHIP: relationship

69. TROUBLEMAKER OR HESITANT: troublemaker pardnyars in crime amirite

HAVE YOUR EVER:

70. KISSED A STRANGER: no

71. DRANK HARD LIQUOR: nope 

72. LOST GLASSES/CONTACT LENSES: yeah p sure i had to go through a whole day of school half blind once without my glasses

73. TURNED SOMEONE DOWN: nah..

74. SEX ON THE FIRST DATE: nO IM 1 3 

75. BROKEN SOMEONE’S HEART: dont think so?

76. HAD YOUR HEART BROKEN: nah babes

77. BEEN ARRESTED: nah

78. CRIED WHEN SOMEONE DIED: somehow when someone dies i decide to laugh instead of breaking down in tears i guess laugh away the pain?

79. FALLEN FOR A FRIEND: ...shit its a bad idea babes dont do it

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

80. YOURSELF: shrug emoji

81. MIRACLES: sometimes? sometimes no?

82. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: even bigger shrug emoji

83. SANTA CLAUS: nah lmao listen i caught my father and mother wheeling in bicycles for my sister and i when i was like what 8? usually i just played along because hey i was a child

84. KISS ON THE FIRST DATE: ehh depends i guess

85. ANGELS: not really lmao

OTHER

86. CURRENT BEST FRIENDS NAME(S): Emily, Mae Shuen and Lily

87. EYECOLOR: dark brown?

88. FAVORITE MOVIE: this changes all the time

only tagging uhhh @pluminkdot (KASJD I FORGOT IF YOU HAD A MAIN REBLOG ACC IM SORRY RACH), @jaspereffect , @blabrabs / @spaceboomerang (it isnt letting me tag ur main boomers skldfjksd) and uh im too lazy for the rest

[andy-abroad]

Bangkok_03

June.20.2017 Hello, hello! Today was a much better day than yesterday. A little shaky, but much better. In the middle of the night, I was woken up by a large crash. Apparently someone fell down the stairs, which much have hurt a lot, as the stairs are concrete. I'm not sure if they were drunk or not, but I heard a lot of moaning and scrambling to help him. It sounded crowded so I didn't go out to investigate. After that I found it hard to sleep - a good sign. I was hungry! Planning for this, I actually had a smoothie juice by my bed. I drank it slowly, and then went to bed, a little fuller. I woke up for good in the morning, and got ready. Brushed my teeth and all of that. My time in the bathroom still wasn't very pleasant, but all I had to eat yesterday was juice and a granola bar, so I wasn't expecting much. I went downstairs and ate a bunch of bread. 1, because I was hungry, and 2, because I knew it would help settle my stomach. I had a long day planned and I didn't want to take any chances! I left the hostel and decided to give the busses one more chance. I waited for what seemed like forever (30 minutes) and the bus never came, so I gave up and called and Uber. I figured this was the day to spoil myself and Uber around because I was taking it easy. The Uber took just as long to get to me, but then we were on our way! First stop was wat arun - temple of the dawn. I heard it was under construction, but I still wanted to check it out, and I'm glad I did. The white ceramic tiles were really beautiful, and it being on the water made it pretty special. I walked around and found their souvenirs shop and picked up some post cards. The woman was trying to charge me 100 baht, so I left and found a stall two from hers that charged me 10 for 2 of the exact same cards. Go figure! I exited the temple and then called another Uber. While waiting, I went to a 7-11 to find some Gatorade. I didn't actually find Gatorade but I found a sports drink with some vitamins and some sodium in it. I figured it would help hydrate me. I also picked up a plain croissant and a water. I ate the croissant while waiting and then hopped into the Uber. Next stop was the jam factory! The jam factory was by recommendation of mama. It was this old warehouse that was restored and turned into this design collaborative. It was really cool and super hip. There was a store, a shopping area, cafes, restaurants, a gallery, and even an architecture office! I wasn't brace enough to ask if I could go in, but I looked through their windows, haha. I wandered around and took some photos, and then sat at a cafe to have a drink. I wanted a cup of tea, but for some reason they were all out? So I got a San Peligrino sparkling water instead. I sipped on my water and read my book to cool off and enjoy the fun atmosphere. They were playing jazz music! I could also see a lot of foreigners around. If I was hungrier I would have definitely ate, but I was still a little turned off by the smell of food. When the water was done and the bill paid.. you guessed it, I called another Uber. I had really wanted to see the golden spire and the jade Buddha, so I waited and got into my car. What I didn't know is that the temple housing the jade Buddha is within the walls of he grand palace. I had really no interest in going to see it, as it was very touristy and expensive, but when I got there, I felt like it'd be a waste not to go in. I almost wish I didn't. First of all, the traffic situation around the grand palace is extremely annoying. They basically cut off all traffic in a one block ring around the palace. It's huge and you have to walk all the way around! So annoying. Also, it costs about 15 USD to get in, which isn't s terrible amount of money, but for what you can see, it is. You can't enter the palace or see up close, you can only kind of walk around it. Also, it's so overrun by tourists is claustrophobic. I ended up really speedily going through all of it and leaving disappointed. I will say that what's interesting is how these sites are tourist attractions but also operate as normal temples. The people come and use the temples for prayer and for blessings. In the grand palace, locals wear all black and a silver ribbon to honor the dead king. It was really interesting to see the royal family on postcards and posters. There was even an exhibit about the king in one of the buildings. Although this was interesting, the worst part is that there was a sign advertising a postal service, which I was excited about since I wouldn't have to look it up, but they were "closed". I left and walked to get out of the palace. I actually had to wait about 15 minutes as they were preforming their "changing of the guards" and no one could leave or enter. Again. Annoying, as it wasn't even that impressive! I finally got out and to my surprise found a post office. I mailed my postcards, again, more hopeful for this one, and rewarded myself with an ice cream! I sat down and took a break, drank some sport drink, and called yet another Uber. This Uber was to take me home, where I would then go on a train to my final destination. The Uber took a really long time to come (not his fault, the traffic pattern is weird, like I said), but when he pulled over, it was strange. I opened the back door like normal to confirm his identity and for him to confirm mine, but he was nervous and told me to get in the front seat. I was confused and hesitated, and he closed the back window. I didn't realize my thumb was in the window until it was pinched between the glass and the frame. I yanked it out and got in the seat, really annoyed. He apologized a lot and explained that Uber is banned in that district and the fines are really crazy. I was trying to be understanding, but in the moment I was really angry so I just kept quiet. I really don't like sitting in the front seat, and it was clear he felt really badly. Just a very awkward ride. He got me to my hostel safely, and I said goodbye. The last place I wanted to visit, again, a mama cho recommendation was Benjakitti park. I had to take a short metro ride there (thankfully) and before I knew it, I was at my stop. The metro is so clean and has A.C. The people are really polite on transit (waiting for everyone to get off before entering, offering seats to the elderly and to monks). It was a quick walk to the park and entrance was free! I thought about doing an entire loop, but it was about 2.5k, and I didn't think I had it in me - hot and I was tired. I found a little bench to sit and enjoy some time. I read my book, drank the rest of my sports drink, and people watched. It was amazing to see how many people used the track to actually exercise. The adults ran, the kids hung out, and the elderly chatted and walked around the park. It was a park to break up how busy the city is, and it did just that. A great spot to kind of get away. While on the bench, I researched some places to eat. Originally, I had wanted a big, juicy burger, but they were all far away and not reviewed positively. I just googled 'restaurants' and there was a Korean BBQ restaurant close. I didn't really want KBBQ, at least in Bangkok (will save for Korea!) so I searched other Korean restaurants. There was one close to a stop on the same line, so I got on and went hunting for some food. The sky opened up while I was on the train - poured for a few minutes and then switched to a drizzle. I scurried to the restaurant which was only a block away, and was seated immediately. I was a bit disappointed in the menu. I really wanted 된장찌개, but they didn't have any. I didn't want any of the other soups so I got 돌솥 비빔밥 which came with miso soup. It was pretty tasty, and I talked to the owner who is Korean! He was really nice and so was the food when it came. The rice was so hot! I usually like plain, because I can eat it faster, but oh well! I am hoping this food will help get me back into the swing of eating food. Am kind of nervous. Maybe should have eaten something more plain! Haha. I paid my bill and went back on the train home. I got to my room, said hello to everyone. The guy from India actually has a sore throat now. He came yesterday when I was really sick. Maybe my throat thing started in India? He is from Mumbai. Anyways, I cleaned up my area, packed, and then showered. It felt good to wash the humidity off, as always, and climb into bed. I'm here now and going to sleep soon. Trying to get as much rest as I can before the beach, as it's a party beach! And plus, I still want to take it easy on my body. Looking forward to calling mama and papa when I wake up! Until whenever --

[cerealwatch]

Okay so

Oh boy. Okay. I’d love to talk about all things Overwatch with you! Just… be prepared for some salt about certain characters. These are just my opinions.

I’m gonna put this under read more because this is gonna be long, my friend.

OKAY okay so. Let’s start at the beginning. The Overwatch timeline is really, really confusing. The Overwatch lore is confusing in general. I have no idea what happens when, but thankfully someone (I can’t remember who, but they’re a savior) made a reasonable timeline of the Overwatch events.

However, new things keep getting added and I’m???? I’m confused but. Like. The Uprising event. I thought Ana died 10 years prior to present Overwatch time but the Null Sector mission took place 7 years ago so like???? You just have to freestyle. The timeline is basically nonexistent so all I have to say on that is I just do whatever the hell I want with the timeline and nobody makes a fuss because we all share that apathy. No one cares about the timeline. It’s not even worth the effort to try to piece it together.

And I mean, the information we have on most of the characters is really vague??? I mean it gives me a lot of room to experiment and stuff but I’d love to have something solid on the characters that aren’t part of the original strike team or the Shimada Bros (because god knows how much Chu favors those two).

Like, D.Va, Symmetra, Zarya, Mei, Emily… they get ignored. Entirely. We only have mere snippets of them to work with and even then, I don’t have a fucking clue. It’s upsetting, really, but I assume (and hope, and pray, and wish, and need) we’ll get like a comic or an animation on one of theme here soon.

Well, we’d better. Or something for Pharah or Mercy because I SWEAR TO GOD if its something for the characters that already have SUBSTANTIAL LORE to work with I’m gonna be upset. I’m already upset. I’ll just be even more upset.

Like at this point there’s only a select few characters I even relatively give a shit about? But I figure I’ll just go through every character and state my opinion on them.

Genji - “I NEED HEALING I NEED HEALING I NEED HE—“ This is the ultimatum of Genji. He’s a double-edged sword. I can’t find it in myself to like him, not after everything. I won’t let myself say that I hate him, but I just… I can’t appreciate his character. In theory, his design in aesthetically appealing, and his backstory is dark in a way that I might have been able to enjoy were it not Genji. But at this point, he’s too far out of reach. His gameplay is not one that works well with mine, as a Mercy main, and the people who play him are THE MOST toxic in all the Overwatch community, hands down. And when I don’t heal him, Genji players don’t understand that maybe it’s because I have no idea where the fuck they are. Maybe it’s because they’re on the other side of the goddamn map and boy, would I love to heal you, but I can’t if you aren’t within reach of my health noodle. Maybe it’s because they’re jumping head first into the enemy team, and I may be healer, but my priority first and foremost is to keep MYSELF alive, so if you die in .2 seconds it’s not my fault.

In my opinion, Genji contributes nothing to a team, and where Overwatch is TEAM FOCUSED game, I can’t see the point in having him on a team. I can’t see the point in risking my life to heal him. I don’t see what he brings to the table. I won’t let myself hate him because Genji, as a character, deserves better than what people who play him make him, but I don’t see his value.

McCree - I could care less about McCree. I don’t have a set opinion in him. His character is extra in a way that is almost comical, and I can appreciate the McCree & Pharah sibling dynamic. It’s cute. And McCree is fun to play, I will admit. But as for what happens to him, I could care less. His character interactions are boring. His personality isn’t interesting. So while I don’t dislike him, simply because he’s fun and weird, I really just don’t care about him. At all.

Pharah - I LOVE HER I love her so much. I love Fareeha “Pharah” Amari. I love her because she’s everything you need for a commander, and I love her because she loves everyone. Like, she can be stern and strategic and harsh but she also cares so much for her teammates. I love her because of her morals— her tendency to defend, her instinctual need to protect. This is her life. This is what she was born to do— protect, and love, and if anyone should be the face of net-overwatch it had damn well better be her. I love her because her comfort can be the wisest of words and it can be the smallest of brushes of shoulders in the hallways and I love her because both of those comforts can mean the same thing in different contexts. I love her because when her mother left, she wasn’t understanding, fucking hell she was bitter. And you can hear it in her interactions that, maybe, she’s still bitter, she’s still mad at her mom for leaving. She certainly isn't upset for her mother putting her work above her child, but she’s bitter because she’s doing what she loves in protecting people and the only thing she can think of is how much her mother would disapprove. I don’t like what the fandom has done to her in making her character revolve solely around her mother, because while Ana certainly made her who she is, she doesn't define her. She’s the Strike Commander that the new Overwatch deserves.

Reaper - At the beginning, before we had any background on what he was like before the fall, I disliked him. I thought he was boring and his gameplay was dull and he was just some angsty teen wearing every clusterfucked article of clothing in Hot Topic. But now, now that I have lore, I love this man. I love his dedication and the fact that it wasn’t jealousy, it never was, but it was the fact that Overwatch wasn’t doing jack shit while the world crumbled in London. He deserved so much more than what he got— his strike team of fuck-ugly Overwatch rejects. Talon fucked him up but I think, deep down, he’s still just sad about what could have been and he just wants to take Widow and Sombra on vacation to Hawaii and not have to think about war or blood or Blackwatch or Talon ever again. If Pharah is the leader Overwatch needs now, he was the leader Overwatch deserved but never got, the one who cared about the troops and the cause so much that he would go so far as to forsake the law to fight for what he believed in. Easily one of my favorites.

Soldier: 76 - FUCK THIS MAN fuck him and his stupid white bread face and fuck his dumb aimbot let and FUCK the 12 year olds who can’t aim that play him. Fuck the people that see him as some dumb fucking father figure because he’s not he's a dumb, salty asshat who can’t accept the fact that Overwatch’s fall was his own dumb fault like the selfish fucking motherfucker he is. But most importantly, FUCK his stupid, unoriginal gameplay and his stupid unoriginal backstory. Blizzard thought they were being clever when they took Call of Duty and slapped a Yankee cap on it and called him Soldier: 76 but they weren’t. Fuck this dumb blonde-haired-blue-eyed poster boy that can’t get over his cardboard ass. Fuck him.

Sombra - Her voice actress is a gift and her gameplay is actually super useful if used correctly and her character has a lot of potential and dynamic, especially with Reaper and Widowmaker, but I just can’t get super into her??? Like she’s really, really cool in terms of overall design and people who write her, kudos to you, but I can only appreciate her from a distance. Sometimes I wish I could like her more, but I can’t I just… can’t. She’s not for me.

Tracer - SHE’S SO IMPORTANT so important in so many ways. First and foremost, she’s the face of Overwatch and she’s gay and that’s cool. That’s super cool. I mean, it’s a small step forwards, but it’s a step in the right direction. Furthermore, she is important in that she is the heart and soul of Overwatch. She is what makes it a hero organization. She gives it that natural, friendly appeal. But even further, she loves so freely and openly. But she’s not perfect, and thats what I think is the best thing about her. She couldn't save Mondatta, and she beat herself up over it. She fell through time and space and she wasn't fine afterwards. She still isn't fine, but the most important thing is that she moves forward. That’s why she is one of my top three favorite characters. (In relation to There’s Blood in the Water, I gave her the ‘healing hands’ trope for this reason. It’s in her nature to care, so when she helps Hana along her way, it comes naturally to her not because she pities Hana, but because it’s in her nature to care.)

Bastion - Play of the Game Simulator 2k17. A one-button masterpiece of a game where you look in one direction and shoot and wow! Look! You got a kill. Good job, you special snowflake you. A+ gameplay 10/10 would recommend.

Hanzo - I don’t like him. He’s just a fucking idiot is what he is. Nothing, absolutely nothing of what he did to Genji was justified. Like, if I was mad at my brother for enjoying the simple things in life would I be mad? I mean, sure, but like if I were the heir to the empire anyways I wouldn’t see a damn problem. But like, even if I were mad, why the fuck would I kill him over it? It just makes no fucking sense. There’s no reason. There is absolutely no reason someone should ever be so angry as to see murder as the only solution. There’s just no situation, especially with a sibling, someone you share your flesh and blood and your fucking life with, where murder is justifiable. Hanzo fucked up when he ‘killed’ Genji and any guilt he feels by that decision is what he deserves. Anything that comes his way, he fucking deserves that shit. Honestly, he’s lucky that his brother found in in himself to forgive him because, if like, my older sister tried to kill me because she was upset I was having sex rather than, say, paying my bills, I would be pretty fucking upset.

Junkrat - This dumb fcuking garbage man. You don’t need to aim to play him. You don’t need any level of experience with Overwatch to play him. Honestly he’s just so dislikeable???? I honestly can’t believe there are people that actually LIKE his character and ENJOY his play style. It’s just… so hard for me to believe. He’s so dumb. He’s SO DUMB. You don’t need to AIM to play him. And the people that ship him with Symmetra and Mei I’m just??? You really think they would let him within 10 feet of them??? Because you are sorely mistaken. This stinky rat man needs to go in the trash bin where he belongs.

Mei - Okay like she’s actually a fucked up character?? People overlook the fact that she was the sole survivor of the Ecopoint incident. Like, can you imagine that? Waking up one day after everything had gone to shit, coming out of the cryopod and looking around and realizing that you were the only one that made it out alive. And it would be weeks before help arrived so just waking up every morning and seeing those frozen bodies in the windows of the cryopods. Can you imagine what that would do to someone? So like the fact that she is able to stay so upbeat and focus on her dreams is beyond me. Like the nightmares from that shit would be fucking wild. Just… respect Mei, man. She’s got her scars.

Torbjörn - I mean, despite the nonexistent level of skill that is required to play him, he’s not that bad? I like envisioning him as a total family man. Like, drops everything to cal his wife just to tell her he loves her. Even in the middle of battle. Loves all of his children and sends them souvenirs from wherever his missions take him. Names every single one of his turrets and encourages them, like ‘I believe in you, Linda, you can do it!’ or ‘Come on Olaf, just a little longer and then we win!’ I feel like he would just… take in anyone under his wing. You need help fixing something? He’ll help. You need to rant? He’ll listen. Albeit, it’s in a bit of a roundabout way, but he has seven kids and he knows how to listen. Fuck Dad: 76, where are my Dad Torb fics? You know, the guy who actually has children?

Widowmaker - Out of every character in this goddamn shitting addictive game, I think her lore is, by far, the most interesting. Capture by Talon and programmed to kill her husband at just the right moment, then released back under pretenses that everything was fine— I doubt even she knew what was wrong with her until it was too late, and then that guilt was manipulated and twisted until they had their perfect weapon. The Widowmaker. And I think, subconsciously, she’s aware of what she’s done, aware that she’s messed up beyond repair and that she’s done horrible things. And I think that’s what drives her to, eventually, let herself be taken in by Overwatch (purely a headcanon of mine). Eventually, she will have a redemption arc, and it will be long and hard and she won’t be the same. The idea that Amélie is still in there, somewhere, is pretty childish in my opinion because nobody’s the same after torture, and on the degree hers was supposedly at, there’s no possible way. She won’t revert back to what she was. After all that happened to her, she’ll never be the same. But she can start over.

D.Va - DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON D.VA don’t even. I love her SO FUCKING MUCH. I love her SO MUCH that I wrote 85k words that’s basically torture porn that was put in a blender with a healthy dose of introspection and PTSD. I love her character, I love her gameplay, and more than anything else, I love her ult. But I also hate her, and before you ask why, I’ll make my case.

I hate what this fandom and Blizzard have done to her. I fucking hate it. There’s nothing that could get me to hate you more, or shut you out of my life more than saying you think the ‘gaming gremlin’ thing is funny. Because that shit’s disrespectful. It attacks D.Va’s character and it attacks gamers and it attacks 19-year-olds and the case they make? “It’s funny. It’s just a joke.” No. Shut the fuck up. That shit hurts. You don’t know how hurtful it is. You don’t know how hurtful it is to be disrespected like that. And that’s why Blood in the Water is the way it is because I know that shit and it fucking hurts.

The only thing I could possible hate more than that is infantilizing her. Is lowering to such a standard where she’s nothing more than a child in a catsuit. There is nothing more disrespectful than taking her character— a soldier, a war hero, a celebrity, and a survivor— and thinking: “She’s just a child!” Fuck you. She’s nineteen. She’s every bit an adult as the rest of them. She has seen war and she has seen death. People she loved have died. Her home was destroyed, but that doesn't matter to the fandom, does it? They take her and degrade her into nothing more than Jack Fucking Morrison’s “baby girl” and there’s nothing that makes me angrier. Write stories about her and her PTSD. Write stories about her and the imminent guilt that comes with being a commander in a war. Write stories about her coping with the weight of a country on her shoulders. But I swear to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, don’t write stories about her being nothing more than a fucking Dorito imp. Because I see enough of that shit in her tag already.

Orisa - I mean, I don’t really have enough information to come to a solid conclusion about Orisa, but I can go with some basics. Her gameplay is a little dull— it copies off of way too many preexisting characters. Her design is fucking brilliant, but her skill set is almost as dull as Soldier: 76’s. Despite that, I actually like her quite a bit— she’s the Baymax of Overwatch, and Efi’s the Hiro. I’d let this centaur robocop lady hold me any day.

Reinhardt - I love sad grandpa who just wants to support everyone in whatever they do. He’s such a pure and wholesome character. Even if you don’t believe in yourself, you can bet your ass he’ll pick you up off the ground and help you the rest of the way. He cares so deeply about his comrades, and I think that’s what makes him such a lovable character. He just cares so deeply, even about people he doesn’t know too well. Love this grandpa. Also, did I hear dad figure to Mercy because you bet your ass I headcanon that shit.

Roadhog - I often forget he’s a character until I get hooked through 16 walls, the multiverse, and my entire team. It’s a fucking adventure.

Winston - He’s trying his best to lead Overwatch but I don’t think he’s cut out for it. And honestly, his character is really bizarre in a way that I don’t even know how to react to it. He’s a genetically modified gorilla from the fuck shitting moon, not to mention he can talk and his only friend is an unbelievable mom-like voice on a futuristic iPad. He’s like McCree in that he’s extra, but it isn’t even funny with him. It’s just plain weird.

Zarya - Zarya, I feel, is the most underrated in Overwatch’s roster. You don’t see any stories delving into her, you don’t see lore in her favor. She has few character interactions (but the ones she has are, by far, amazing). I would love to see more work of her, just because she’s such a likable character (come on, that pink hair just takes the cake). Maybe, someday, I’ll get around to writing her more because writing her is fun as all hell. I just want her to hold me in those big, strong arms of hers and make my depression and anxiety back the fuck off. Holy damn. She’s like the cool older sister that everybody needs.

Ana - Honestly, I’m actually kind of bitter about Ana. I can’t forgive what she did to Pharah. I don’t understand why or how she could bring herself to do that. But I believe that, more than any other character, she has the potential to make amends. You can tell, in the dialogue they have, the backstory they could potentially share, that they want to make amends, but it’ll be hard because who can blame Pharah for being bitter? Ana understands. In fact, she probably thinks she deserves it herself. I can’t imagine how guilty she would feel, how much she would worry that after so long, her only daughter might not want anything to do with her anymore, but she’ll try because she refuses not to make amends before her time comes. And, in time, things will ease into the way it should have been all along, and all she can think of is how lucky she is to have such a daughter.

Lúcio - This boy. He believes in you. The most supportive support to ever support. But his story isn’t that deep. His character is shallow in a way I can’t interest myself in. Like, sweet prince, I love you, but you aren’t really all that important to me. But I will always do my best to protect this boy.

Mercy - You know, when I got this game, I told myself I wouldn’t become a Mercy main. I told myself that because I’d read how hard and unrewarding it was. But now, with somewhere close to 85 hours clocked into her, I can only laugh at myself. And really, it is unrewarding. You gain nothing from playing her. It’s hard and it’s stressful and it makes you bitter and there just… isn't an upside. But I’ll keep playing her because if I’m good at being stressed and bitter and exhausted. My friends jokingly call me the ‘Unsupportive Support’ and really, that’s what Mercy is in-game. But no matter how unrewarding it is, I swear to god, there is NO BETTER feeling than watching your teammates all getting sucked into a graviton surge, knowing they’re going to die, and looking down and seeing that you have rez. There’s no better feeling than gliding in there and watching that 5x appear on your screen and this grin spreads across your face because you know, and the enemy team that failed to kill you knows they’ve fucked up big time. NO BETTER FEELING than a five-man rez.

But in terms of lore, personality, and interaction, she’s actually really interesting and fun to write just because I can relate to her so heavily. There’s no way she sleeps on a normal schedule. There’s no way she’s all sunshine and rainbows and pretty pearly smiles. There’s no way she’s anything other than exhausted all the time, kept awake only by heavy overdoses of caffeine. Like, the so obviously hypocritical factor about her is such a likable work. She makes sure everyone else keeps their health in check and then neglects her own. It makes her feel like such a human character. And her interactions? Some of the best in the game (namely with Pharah because that is the good shit). I love Mercy. Second favorite character, and by far the most relatable.

Symmetra - And here she is, the most ignored, underplayed character in the game. She has like, a grand total of ONE character interaction. And what’s worse is that she’s such an interesting character? Her internal conflict of work vs ethic is such a cool concept, and yet we don’t see anything of it. We just have to speculate. Does she regret what she’s done? Is she aware of the wrongness of it? Her comic didn’t help settle anything other than clarify that, at heart, she really is a good person. She really is just trying to make the world a better place, but the interesting thing is that she doesn’t know, perhaps, that what she’s doing with Vishkar isn’t good. It’s hurting more people than it helps. Her character has so much potential for grown, not that Blizzard will ever delve into it. She has potential to realize what she’s done and it’s not in her to wallow in it, but to do what she can to make it better. Which is why, I think, she joined Overwatch. That’s the thing about Blizzard— their little eggshell biographies don’t show the true intents of the characters, it doesn’t show their scars or their morals. And that’s what Satya needs most— her morals have been twisted from the beginning, her scars covered in invisible ink. Her life, all she knows, has been a lie, and when she realizes that, it’ll be a shitshow.

Also, that death noodle. It melts so fast. Why isn’t she played more? Who needs Reaper as a tankbuster when you could have Symmetra?

Zenyatta - Zenyatta is cool, but I think everyone always overlooks the fact that he’s only 20 years old? Like yeah he’s a monk but if you’ve seen 20 year olds they ain’t exactly saints. Let Zenyatta wear hoodies. Let Zenyatta make off-kilter jokes that no one expects because, well, its Zenyatta. He’s the universal vent-station and resident therapist of Overwatch, but let Zenny have some quirks, too. Writing him is super fun though because it’s just like ‘if I wasn’t constantly having an existential crisis what would I be like?’