#not entirely satisfied w design so it may change

[localcryptidsteg]

Steg vs Stealth

I have beef with forced stealth sections in games. Sometimes they're ok, or even downright GOOD.

Untitled Goose Game does it excellently for example:

Getting caught doesnt completely set you back and sometimes it actually works to your benefit. Stealth in that game gives you a very satisfying gremlin sneaky feeling.

But that's a full-on stealth puzzle game, so it kind of HAS to make it work, or no one would bother.

No, my real beef is with games that arent inherently stealth based, but throw it in anyway, and CANNOT pull it off for SHIT. Either the section can be completely skipped over by using the high ground or some other cheeky workaround, or its slow as fucking molasses and has no work arounds whatsoever. Sometimes it gives you a checkpoint. Sometimes it refuses and makes you crawl your way back at a pace thats blatantly only padding playtime.

Take the latest entry in the Legend of Zelda series:

The first section in Echoes of Wisdom is.... fine. It's a decent tutorial level. And they really should have stopped there, because the next few times you run into stealth sections, they may as well not even be there. You can literally fly over the entire section in most cases depending on what echoes you have at your disposal, or otherwise make it irrelevant. You'll spend maybe five seconds there and only because the room is five seconds wide. They're not AWFUL but... they're not fun either. They just kind of exist. They have no purpose, and nothing would fundamentally change if they were replaced with, say, a miniboss or platforming section instead.

And then theres the Deku jail.

You can't use echoes, have no items, and the guards can both see and jump to the high ground, so being up there doesn't help. No, you have to clunk your way s l o w l y through the segment in a fucking pot and it doesn't just send you back to the start of the room if you get caught. No no! Its sends you BACK TO YOUR CELL, forcing you to walk aaaall the way back to the room and START AGAIN.

This is not FUN stealth section design. It's not GOOD or ENJOYABLE in any way. I feel no sense of accomplishment from sections like these nor cleverness for beating them. This is sitting and waiting for the sake of sitting and waiting. In a word, it's tedious.

The unfortunate thing is, were it not for these stealth sections, Id say Echoes of Wisdom would be one of my favorite games this year. And it's far from the only game that does this!

I'd say if you totaled up the amount of time Ive spent over the course of my life in sit and wait stealth sections like these, youd be looking at at least a week worth of real time wasted on this crappy "design" choice. It needs to end.

If you as a developer are worried your gameplay isn't varied enough, throw in a new gimmick or a minigame, not a halfassed stealth section!

Ask yourself, does this go with ANY other mechanic in my game? Is it actually fun and satisfying, or am I just adding more to add more? Can the pace on this be picked up to keep it from dragging? Would I be happy about having to go through this more than once? And if the answer to even one of those questions is no, GET RID OF THE DAMN STEALTH SECTION.

[blazesblaze]

government assigned warrior name ! Rye’s a nb warrior from windclan and is a good warrior but suffers from clumsiness

[illusionsofdreaming]

How about a Cale proposing/asking out Reader for marriage/date?? I love your fics and this is just a thought that I often imagine (It's usually people asking him out but this might be a nice change!? I think...)

Ft: Cale

Tap tap tap tap tap-

It was the soothing rhythmic sound of not getting anything done. Concentration having long since fled the premises as he stared blankly at the notes on the table, watched as the blue nib danced up and down and up and down again.

The notes were important he supposed but his heart wasn’t into it, mind occupied and consistently distracted by a particular receipt on his table.

It’s been several days and he has yet to hear a reply.

He’s not quite sure what to make of it. Certain social rules of this world clashed with his modern-day knowledge of social cues. One would think he’d have an advantage as one who transmigrated into a novel he’d read, but The Birth of a Hero never properly introduced the social decorum of the world in detail. 

Perhaps the only reason he made it thus far with his half baked knowledge of etiquette was thanks to Cale’s trashy reputation which, ironically enough, made people more accepting of his faux pas. Alas, if it weren’t for Hans’ persistent nagging that he should handle this important matter ‘the proper way’, he really wouldn’t have bothered. Now he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. Would it mean anything if he were to send a follow up letter? Or perhaps he should go there himself-

A knock on his door distracted him from his thoughts and he glanced up to see the origin of his headaches, Hans, peek in. 

“Young master, you have guests from the _________ household and-“

Cale was out the doors before Hans finished.

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

Despite having your back to him it was almost embarrassing how quickly he was able to pick you out amidst the crowd of people.

“__________.” He greeted, snow crunching beneath his boots as he neared your side, he hoped his breathing wasn’t too quick as he’d rushed over as soon as he’d learn of your visit. The burning question rested on the tip of his tongue, the cure-all to his worries as he reached for your hand. “I have been wait-“

“Cale! Just the person I wanted to see!” You turned, smile brightening your features as you pulled him closer, close enough that he could see how the cold had already kissed your cheeks pink. 

“Did you receive-“

“Yes, that’s why I’m here!” 

A flutter of nerves was set alight in his chest that made him weirdly jittery. How unusual. He’d always been so assured of the results of his plans (and he’s confident in his prediction of your response) yet he couldn’t help but feel flustered. He understood nothing of this world’s customs and Hans did mention a response would’ve usually been sent by letter. Does you coming here in person symbolise something he’s not getting again?

Something was pressed into his hand and his heartrate spiked uncomfortably as he glanced down to receive the scroll you passed to him.

He hesitated, frowning at the brown parchment. Noting the ugly frayed edges and wondering, why couldn’t you have just told him what’s written within since you’ve travelled all the way here anyways.

“Take a look.” you urged him and he sighed.

“Can’t you-“ his words faltered off abruptly as he unfurled the paper to reveal a mess of lines and sketches, his mind blanked as he stared uncomprehending at the contents. “W.. what is this..”

“Isn’t it exciting?” you glanced at the paper, delight and unadulterated joy shone through your eyes. “The designs for the waterways are finally complete! We can finally move onto the next phase, I’ve even gathered the others to discuss this! It shouldn’t take long, we just need to iron out the logistics and-“

He’d tuned out as he stared at prototype on the page, his mind struggled sluggishly to make sense of what’s happening. Cale’s expression remained carefully blank as he lifted his head up to look at you and finally noticed the circle of vassals awkwardly standing around them. 

Huh? 

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

“..implementation of the new waterways will greatly improve the situation in the slums and if we...” 

If looks could set things on fire, the conference table would’ve long turned to ashes with how hard Cale’s been glaring. He had rested his two elbows on the oak table, fingers weaved together to create a net that supported his chin. To others, the firstborn son of the Henituse household may seemed to be in a contemplative mood, in truth, Cale had zoned out since the very beginning.

Perhaps there’s been a mistake. Maybe you did not receive it or perhaps he’d missed another social cue. Did he unknowingly commit another taboo?

“…Cale?”

He shouldn’t have listened to Hans’ ridiculous suggestions when he knew he had no patience for the roundabout and overly complex ways people liked to handle things here. He ran a tired hand past his face. Right, next thing he’s going to change in this world would be the removal of all redundant and confusing social constructs. First, he’ll start with the books on courtroom etiquette-

“Cale.”

A hand landing on his shoulder jolted him from his thoughts and he looked up to meet your frustrated gaze. He gaped, caught off guard by your ire.

Your long sigh pricked at his conscience but you interrupted him before he could explain himself. “I sent the others out for a break.” You sat on the edge of the table facing him, although clearly annoyed, there was concern in the slight dip of your brows.

“You’ve been distracted the entire meeting Cale.” 

He rubbed the back of his neck, pressing against the tension building there. “Sorry.” He admitted softly. 

“Is something on your mind?”

You. 

“It’s nothing.” To admit that his thoughts were in shambles all because of an unanswered letter would’ve been far too pathetic. Gods, when have he fallen so low. “I need a drink.” he decided abruptly and would’ve gotten up and escaped, but you knew him too well. With a subtle shift of your weight that looked all too natural, you leaned forward and your two hands rested against his armrests to support yourself in a comfortable lean, effortlessly and efficiently caging him in. 

“Cale.” Your tone broke no argument. It was clear he was not going anywhere until he cleared this matter up.

He sighed, slumping against the chair in defeat as he dragged his gaze slowly upwards with the reluctance of a child who’d just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar and was now forced to admit their wrongdoings. He hesitated when he caught a glimmer of something on your shirt. 

Somewhere along the meeting, as the room got warmer you must’ve taken off your thinner overcoat, it would’ve explained why he hadn’t noticed such an obvious accessory from the beginning. But now that he had laid eyes on it, Cale can’t seem to look away. His hand reached out cautiously, brushing over delicate work, the building tension within him eased away as he reminiscences at the nostalgic sight. 

It had only been several weeks ago when he’d went out to find the best jeweller in the Kingdom to have a specific brooch made. A bright golden shield with the Henituse’s family mascot emblazoned on, two magnificent rubies inlaid as eyes. 

With the solid feeling of the brooch under his fingers, his previous worries melted off like sleet to be replaced with an indescribable warmth in his chest.

“It suits you.” he finally says. It really does. 

Cale never liked things made in his honor, but something about you wearing his symbol made him feel a lot of things. 

Your rumble of laughter made him look up and you brushed a hand through his locks, amusement in your eyes. “Is that it? That’s what’s been bothering you all morning?” you mused.

He snorted and slumped forward, resting his face on your lap. “You wouldn’t reject it.”

“Confident, aren’t we?” you laughed and carded your fingers through his hair.

It was the truth which you both knew. He had never been a stickler for rules. The relationship between you happened as a gradual process, you two clicked and it just eased into your daily routine and became the norm. There was never any need or desire to announce it officially. But as someone who transmigrated into this world, who also decided to continue living in it, he wanted to do it your way. Because in the end, even if it was bothersome, annoying and baffled his 21st century mind, the gesture would mean something to you.

Now that he’s solved the mystery, satisfied he didn’t botch up some weird etiquette, he had time to analyse the day’s events and realised one thing. He lifted his head from your lap, “You orchestrated this. The waterways weren’t that urgent.” he deadpanned, stuck between feeling awe that you took all the effort to tease him and indignation that you’d dare.

“It’s not often one gets the chance to fluster you.” you admitted, not at all feeling guilty when you got the chance to witness his bewilderment first hand.

“Aigoo..” he clicked his tongue and in one swift movement, stood from his seat, forcing you to lean back as his arms landed by your sides, effectively reversing your positions. “You’d bother the vassals for this, how bold.”

You blinked innocently up at him. “I bothered no one actually, they all volunteered to help.”

He frowned. Traitors. The whole lot of them. He could actually hear them cheering outside the room. He’s going to have to tell Basen to talk to them about their loyalties soon. Well. Not that it would matter much. He glanced down at the gleaming brooch on your chest and his lips twitched into a satisfied smile despite himself. 

Perhaps there’s a reason behind such silly traditions after all.

Notes: So I combined these two asks because they’re pretty similar and to answer your questions: I believe Cale’s not one for grand gestures and formal things but he’ll occasionally abide by certain traditions if it has special meanings and especially if it’d mean something to you. 

[immacaria]

Box of Memories

Happy belated birthday, A-Sang! Wish you all the joy and love life has reserved for you!

Almost three weeks after the actual birthday I've finally finished this thanks to my dear school (grinds teeth angrily). Anyway, this is a bit short, like almost 4k or something, and I took this insanely amount of time because of school, but it's alright I finished it now. So I hope you guys enjoy this and I can make your day a little brighter with it. As always, stay safe and healthy!

_____________________________________________________________

It was Nie Huaisang’s birthday and Jiang Cheng was more anxious than when he had to survive Nie Mingjue, Lan Xichen and Meng Yao’s shove talk one after the other. For the heavens and all above, they had been dating for four years now and met each since they were five and six! There was no reason for him to be so nervous! They passed so many birthdays, with so many presents exchanged and Jiang Cheng was still nervous. And just because he made the present with his own hands and it turned out horrible!

Like not the ‘you can’t even look at’ type of horrible, but the ‘didn’t meet my expectations exactly what immediately makes it horrible’ type of horrible. He started doing it exactly two days later after Nie Huaisang said he wanted it and guaranteed that nobody would buy it for him, exactly nine months and eight days before his birthday. He had seen it on Pinterest, in a video where a girl was making a “box of memories” (as Jiang Cheng came to call it) for her younger sister.

She had chosen their favourite memory and made something like a box of shadows to show it. There was a light bulb in the middle with various metal plates cut in the shape of the memories. When turned on, the metal plates started to revolve around the light bulb and create images on the wall, recreating the memory with the shadows. Nie Huaisang loved it and showed it to every person who he knew could give one for him or make one. Thankfully, none of them could give it right away which gave Jiang Cheng enough time to plan how he would do it.

It all began with him asking what memory he would use of all his favorites and asked what happened there, memorizing them to the heart and writing everything down the second he saw himself alone. His drawing skills weren’t as good as Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen’s, but as long as they remained a sketch, they would do. After sketching it all, he went to Nie Mingjue and asked him to teach him how to cut the metal plates and arrange them properly in the other metal pieces. Apparently, there was a machine that did that for them, the only thing they needed to do was insert the images and the sizes of the plates and let it do what it needed to do. Which led Jiang Cheng to ask for some draw lessons from Lan Xichen and digital design from Lan Wangji, which cost several years of his life but he guessed he was bound to do everything needed for his boyfriend.

He planned everything on the little planner he bought (if it was specifically brought for that no one needed to know) and every day he ticked something off. Besides the box of memories, he wrote a letter everyday to him and hid it in the last drawer of his wardrobe under piles and piles of clothes. From Open it now to Open it when you are sixty years old and Open it when you are in doubt about us, everyday a letter for 281 days and too much ink, paper and ideas, too much feelings engraved in those. But should he regret it, knowing that it would make Nie Huaisang happy? The boy loved this kind of old, romantic things like handwritten letters, so why shouldn’t he give it to him too? Handwritten letters with little doodles on the edges of the paper and little trinkets.

At the beginning of May, Jiang Cheng started putting it all together, doing the last reviews and adjustments. Once the plates were done, he called Wei Wuxian to help with the electric part of the thing, the shameless idiot being graduated in electrical engineering somehow. He had to endure his little ramble about how he had become so romantic and how considerate of somebody else’s feelings, how he was going miles out of what everyone said was normal. It would be a lie if Jiang Cheng ever said that he wasn’t slightly proud and happy upon hearing that.

They made slow progress but the present was ready six days before the due date, which gave Jiang Cheng enough anxiety and stress for the rest of his life (good thing he took on his mother’s side of genetics and wasn’t getting any white hairs until a very, very old age). Would Nie Huaisang find out the present before his birthday? Would he hate it or love it? Would he simply be neutral about all the gifts? Would he fake liking it? What could possibly happen once he gives it to him? Would it destroy their relationship?

On March 20, Jiang Cheng was about to have a stroke or an aneurysm or both of them probably. Just some more hours and they would see if Nie Huaisang liked the present or not. Since it had been ready, the poor present had been tested countless times to see if it worked properly (it did, thank gods), changed locations incessantly while he wrote every single letter by hand before making a wooden box and putting all he had made in there. The memory box, the 281 letters and some fans he bought in the Yunmeng market that reminded him of Nie Huaisang.

Early on, he had promised Nie Huaisang that he would help him with the birthday’s decorations and preparations for everything . After that, he made a quick run to his house to take a bath and try to calm himself because he couldn’t throw up in the party, he even got time to test it again, watching as Nie Huaisang’s favourite memory of all time played on his bedroom wall. It was practically memorized by now, the way the images followed one by one in quick succession, recreating a story that he could tell even if he had amnesia.

Nie Huaisang, Nie Mingjue and their parents were the main characters in the memory. Nie Huaisang was maybe four or five years old while Nie Mingjue was something like sixteen or seventeen years old and they were travelling to the small cabin they passed the holidays. He always said that that weekend was the best one of his life, one where his entire family was together and happy, complete. This memory in particular was one where Nie Huaisang was being thrown in the air by his father to land in the arms of one of his mothers while Nie Mingjue and their second mother were suffering a heart attack. Even though there was some melancholy in his eyes, he always spoke fondly and laughed about the face his brother made when he landed on their mother’s arms and passed the rest of the weekend guaranteeing that their father wouldn’t do another one of those again.

Jiang Cheng would die as a happy man if he could make him as happy as he was on that day, even if for one day. Well, not die, he was still too young to die, but he would feel fulfilled and satisfied. So, he tried to focus on that when he stepped inside the party, clutching to the wooden box and breathing deep. He’s going to like it, he’s not going to hate me, he’s going to smile because of the present, everything is going to be fine, we are not breaking up. Okay, maybe he was a little bit paranoid and afraid of what was going to happen, but he was fine, he was going to be fine. He just needed to loosen up and enjoy the party until it was time to open the presents.

“A-Cheng!” Nie Huaisang said, throwing his arms around his neck and hiding his face in his neck. Jiang Cheng only had time to pull the box to the side to prevent him from getting hurt before putting an arm around his waist and kissing his temple. “Tell your brother to stop being mean to me on my birthday.”

“If Lan Wangji can’t control him, what makes you think I can?” He said, still holding him. “Happy birthday, Huaisang, many years of life and happiness for you.” He kissed his temple again before stepping away and showing him the present. “For you.”

“Oh, A-Cheng! You didn’t need to! You are already present enough.” He gasped, taking the box of his hands while Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at him. He always said that but he remembered very well what he did to Jin Zixuan when the man showed up without his present. He didn’t want to be in the same ending of his fury, thank you very much.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” He rolled his eyes again, bending a little to let Nie Huaisang kiss his cheek.

“I don’t know what you gave me, but I already love it.” He smiled brightly at him, walking to the kitchen and carefully choosing a place to put it. The kitchen was loaded with presents, some big, others small, colorful wraps or black and white with an interesting pattern on it, some didn’t even had proper wraps around it. There were a lot of presents and for a moment Jiang Cheng’s brain simply went blank and decided that, for sure, there was one that topped his present. Which was nonsense, but still served to increase his stress and anxiety (once again he thanked his genetics for not getting white hairs early). “C’mon, let’s go to the living room. Da-ge is telling some story from when we were children.”

“Is he telling the green incident? Because if he is, I would rather stay in the kitchen.” And check if the other presents are better than mine so I can throw them out the window.

“Of course not! Da-ge doesn’t remember that story anymore.” He waved him off, entering the room in the exact moment Nie Mingjue said:

“Then a bucket of green paint fell into his head.” His thunderous laugh filled the room as he started to tell the amazing story of how Nie Huaisang managed to dye himself green after he dumped a whole bucket of paint on his head when he was seven years old.

“Da-ge!” He screamed, going red instantly. “What are you doing?!” He yelped, high-pitched, as he threw a cushion at him. “Shut up!”

“What? I was just talking about the green dye you did on your skin.” He laughed again, dodging the cushion and showing his tongue to him. It was strange to see a man of his size acting like that, but sincerely Jiang Cheng sometimes forgot that he too was human and (kind of) young. “Hey, Wanyin, do you want to sit here?”

“Hey, hey, hey. No stealing boyfriends on my birthday or ever, Da-ge. You already have two.” He wrapped himself around his arm, glaring at his brother. “Stop being so selfish, Da-ge.”

“Selfish? Take that back, brat, before I break your legs.” He narrowed his eyes at him, pointing a finger at him.

“It’s his birthday and you don’t get to threaten the birthday boy, Jue-ge.” Lan Xichen sighed, pulling his hand down. He was beside Nie Mingjue and sitting next to Lan Wangji, talking quietly between the two of them before the threats started rolling out.

“Stop covering him, Lan Xichen.” He turned to him as Nie Huaisang pulled him to the bench next to the window and between two high bookshelves full of sketchbooks, some completed, others completely blank.

“So, what’s your present?” He suddenly asked, playing with Jiang Cheng’s fingers.

“What? It’s a fucking surprise, A-Sang, I can’t tell you.” He spurred, furrowing his eyebrows at him.

“But, A-Cheng, yours were the heaviest of it all. What is it?” He shook his arm, doing the puppy eyes. The fucking puppy eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. Stop, A-Sang.” He growled, avoiding looking at him. “You know I can’t take the puppy eyes.”

“A-Cheng~.” He laid ahead, searching for his eyes. And, heavens, who taught that boy that? Nie Mingjue for sure was not. Maybe Meng Yao. Yeah, definitely Meng Yao. Jiang Cheng was going to kill Meng Yao for teaching Nie Huaisang that. “Please~. I want to know.”

“Ok, ok, ok. Just one part, okay?” Jiang Cheng pushed him away, feeling the back of his neck heating up.

“From how many parts?” His eyes were shining and attentive which meant that he was probably making a million combinations on his head, comparing and guessing what he could possibly ever get him.

“I’m not going to tell you.” He scowled, taking a deep breath. “One part of your presents is fans, okay? I got you some fans.”

“Really?!” His eyebrows shot up, disappearing under his bangs. “I love fans.”

“I know, A-Sang.” He breathed out, kissing his fingers.

“But I love you more.” He smiled, leaning to kiss him lightly on the lips. “I love you so much more than the fans.” He murmured against them, hands on his neck.

“Idiot.” He chuckled, kissing him back while smiling. He always seemed to smile easily when he was near him, breath was easier too. Sincerely, Nie Huaisang just made things easier just by being near him, just his presence and, maybe, it was the reason why he wanted to do everything in his power to make him happy as he could be. “I love you too.”

“More than dogs and A-Ling?” He sat between his legs, back against his chest.

“Don’t push your luck.” He may love A-Sang, but dogs and his nephew were more important, they always brought instant happiness with them. Next to him, Nie Huaisang was chuckling quietly, pulling both of Jiang Cheng’s arms around his waist and putting his hands above before starting to talk with Meng Yao about some new exposition of them and all the technicalities involving it.

Jiang Cheng let himself fall back into the security of all the conversations around him that didn’t involve him and the warmth of Nie Huaisang on his arms and against his chest. Slowly his panic disappeared from his mind as the time passed and the presents weren’t mentioned not even once. Almost everyone was there, the only ones missing being Jin Zixuan, Jiang Yanli and their newborn Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng’s little sweetheart, who were overseas to look over the inauguration of Jiang Yanli’s new restaurant in Las Vegas (To say that Jiang Cheng was crazely proud of her would be an understatement).

Either way, no amount of time would be enough to prepare him for when Wei Wuxian and MianMian appeared in the kitchen bringing the cake and the tray of sweets. The candle was already lit up and displaying the number 23, as if nobody knew how old Nie Huaisang was. He dislocated his hands enough to clap but not remove his arm from around his waist. Nie Huaisang laughed, clapping according to the music, but sunken further on his chest, refusing to move another millimeter as his ears went adorably red.

“Happy birthday, Nie Huaisang!” Everyone screamed when the song ended, blowing confetti over them. The screams and whistles became a cacophony as Nie Huaisang blew out the candle and laughed out loud, putting both of his hands over his mouth.

“Happy birthday, Nie-xiong!” MianMian hugged him after Wen Qing, her girlfriend, took the cake from her. “Many, many years of happiness and fulfillment to you, my dear. Hope you enjoy mine and A-Qing’s present.” She winked, mischievously.

“What have you given me, MianMian?” Nie Huaisang said, eyes wide.

“Nothing you can open in front of Da-ge.” She laughed, absolutely delighted at his terrified face and Jiang Cheng’s groan. He had noticed that everyone had a tendency of calling Nie Mingjue ‘Da-ge’.

“No! You stole my idea!” Wei Wuxian complained, giving him a half-hug and equilibrating the tray of sweets on the other arm. “Many years of love and laughter, Nie-xiong, may time and life treat you well.” He fully hugged him once MianMian came back to take the tray away from him, calming Jiang Cheng’s anxiety.

“I want to see what those two gave you. No excuses.” Nie Mingjue said, serious, before crushing him in a tight hug. “Happy anniversary, didi. I’m very proud of you and what you have become. Ma, Baba and Mother would be so, so proud of you and happy for all the friends and people you have around you.” He may or may not have sniffed on that part, hiding his face on his brother’s neck.

“Thank you, Da-ge. They would be very proud of you too.” Nie Huaisang whispered back and Jiang Cheng saw him blink repeatedly to avoid the tears from falling out.

“He grew up so fast.” He mourned, resting his head on Lan Xichen’s shoulder while Meng Yao hugged and wished him a happy birthday and life. Once he was done and it was Lan Xichen’s turn, Nie Mingjue wrapped himself over him, sniffing loudly. After that, the other guests did a quick succession of ‘Happy Birthday’ and wishes for a good and long life. Not for a moment Nie Huaisang stepped away from Jiang Cheng, always at arm’s reach of his hands. Not that he had tried to pull him back when he stepped away, Jiang Cheng would never do that.

“So, A-Sang, now that all the wishes have been given and Wangji-ge and I have cut the cake. For whom is the first piece?” MianMian asked, holding a plate with a piece of cake to him.

“A-Cheng!” He quickly answered, turning to him. “For being the best boyfriend a man could ask. And not being too scared of Da-ge.”

“I’m not that scared of Mingjue-ge, but thank you, I guess.” Jiang Cheng said, taking the plate from his hands and completely refusing to look over where Nie Mingjue was.

“Woah, he didn’t even hesitate.” Wei Wuxian said, surprised. “I could swear he was going to give it to Da-ge.” That was it, Jiang Cheng was now certain that everyone, except for maybe Wen Qing, saw Nie Mingjue as an older brother. But, well, were they wrong?

“Da-ge has received many first pieces in his life. It’s A-Cheng’s time.” Nie Huaisang scrunched his nose at him before jogging to the kitchen. “C’mon people! Eat, eat! I want to open my presents!”

Jiang Cheng chuckled, starting to eat the cake as the others were doing a line to receive their own piece and, fucking hell, he understood why they wanted one. The cake was divine! It was fluffy and tasty, exploding in the mouth the moment you bite it and it wasn’t too sweet. It was possibly the best cake he ever had the pleasure to eat and by the look of the other’s face, they thought that too.

“Nie-xiong, who made the cake? I want their number.” Wei Wuxian said, pleasure written all over his face. “It’s so good!”

“Oh, it was Wangji and Da-ge.” Nie Huaisang said, pointing at them. Everyone turned their heads to them, looking in awe.

“Lan Zhan?! But he never did one of me.” Wei Wuxian complained, pouting.

“Mingjue-ge made the dough and I did the frosting and the decorations.” Lan Wangji passed a piece of cake to Wen Ning.

“And the sweets. He did the sweets too.” Nie Mingjue said, throwing one of the sweets in his mouth.

“Which are fucking marvellous!” MianMian exclaimed, doing a thumbs up for him.

“No speaking while eating.” He and Lan Xichen said in unison, without looking at her. After that everyone focused on eating the cake and the sweets. Nie Huaisang came back to sit beside Jiang Cheng, taking the sweets he didn’t like to his own plate. Most of them got a second piece and more sweets because those things were really fucking good.

“Now, the presents!” Nie Huaisang exclaimed, excited and sending Jiang Cheng’s heartbeat to space. “I’m excited.” He was jumping on his seat.

“Whose present will you open first?” Lan Xichen said, getting up and going to the kitchen.

“A-Cheng’s.” He smiled as he started to bring the presents from the kitchen. Jiang Cheng prayed that his panic weren’t showing on his face nor his anxiety because his mind was running a mile per hour.

He was going to open the present and see how horrible it was that box of memories and they would break up. Maybe not now because of the fans, but once he started reading the letters and seeing how messed up he was, it would be an endgame. No one, being in their right mind, would stay after reading those letters. Before he could be totally swallowed by his traitorous mind, he heard a scream and someone throwing themselves at him, arms around his neck.

“Thank you!” Nie Huaisang screamed in his ear, pulling him against himself. “Thank you so much!” He sounded happy, but he was crying too.

“What the fuck, Huaisang? Are you crying?” He said, trying to look at his face where it was hidden on his neck. “Why are you-...” He started, before seeing the box sitting on his lap. “Oh.”

“A-Cheng.” He whined, looking up. “Look what you did to me. I’m crying like a baby.” The tears were falling two by two, big fat tears that he did not like to see on his face. “When did you buy it?”

“I made it.” He blurted out, focused on wiping the tears.

“What?” He blinked, sniffing loudly.

“I made it. I made most of the things in the box, including the box. The only things I bought were the fans, I still don’t know how to make fans like you.” He kept wiping the tears, putting his sleeve over his nose for him to blow. “You know I’m not good with handcrafted gifts but since it’s your birthday I tried.”

“I love you so much.” Nie Huaisang hugged him again while Wei Wuxian took the box from his legs and turned it on.

“What memory did you use?” He asked and, oh yeah, Jiang Cheng never told any of them what memory he was planning to use. He instructed MianMian to turn the light off, rearranging it on the small coffee table in the center.

“One from when me and Da-ge were younger.” Nie Huaisang answered as Nie Mingjue’s eyes filled with tears at recognition. “Best present ever.” He whispered, leaning on him with a small smile on his lips and watching as the memory came to life again. Jiang Cheng smiled down at him, passing an arm over his shoulders and watching as he told the story about how Nie Mingjue, who had many comments on how it was being told, almost had a heart attack when he was seventeen.

It was, indeed, the best present ever.

[thoughtsofanexcitedspacechild]

Why Avatar: the last Airbender is probably one of the best shows ever written (Part two)

Ok ok WOW! I didn’t expect the last post to get so much hype! (I know it was only 19 notes at the time of posting this but for someone who has two followers this is a BIG deal, so thank you!) So if you haven’t seen the last part...umm..I guess go read that first? I mean, you could read this one first and then that one. I guess it doesn’t matter what order you read these in. Anyways, lets get to the point already. In the last post I mentioned just some of the reasons why this show is amazing, like the characters, the amazing representation, and the connections to everyday society and villains. Today I wanna focus in on the crazy good female representation, (yea this is a whole separate paragraph and gif set), the amazing bonds shown between characters, and in general, the visual and audio appeal of the show. 

Right of the bat, season one episode one, you got the RAGING feminist we call Katara. Sokka makes one comment about her being a girl (don’t remember what exactly it was) and Katara immediately calls him out for it. And by “calls him out” I mean destroys and waterbends and iceberg to then free Aang and initiates the entire plot of the show. 

You get the point, right? 

“Oh it was just one time, right?” 

Nope! Again, three episodes later, and still not shaken by the literal wave of rage that Katara unleashed upon him, Sokka is still a sexist asshole. When they arrive on Kiyoshi island, the Gaang is promptly captured and taken prisoner by the Kiyoshi Warriors, who by the way, are entirely comprised of girls. 

For a show that came out in the early 2000′s, this is revolutionary. Imagine you’re a little girl watching this. How amazing and crazy would it be to see a group of fighters that are all girls? After being released, Sokka being the absolute flirt that he is goes to flirt with them. (Or mostly Suki) He’s then shown up and completely gets his ass kicked. Later, embarrassed and finally having learned his lesson, he comes back and asks to learn from them. Suki agrees and eventually, (after being dressed in FULL attire) trains him. So far that’s two women who have forcefully made Sokka chug his respect women juice. By the time Toph shows up in season two, he doesn’t even try to pick a fight with her. One of the other brilliant things that this show does is incorporate a female villain. Yes Firelord Ozai was always a threat, but Azula is truly the real threat in this show. she’s shown multiple times being more powerful than Zuko and ten times more threatening to Aang and his mission. Let’s just say that if it were up to Azula and the fire nation girl squad (that by the way consists of two incredibly powerful non bender females) to capture the Avatar, it would have been done much faster. Finally to seal the deal, we get this line from Suki: “I am a warrior, but I am a girl too.” Need I say more? 

Second thing on todays list is the absolutely precious friendships, adorable romantic relationships, and crushes. Let’s just say that if you want to feel something after feeling numb for a long time, this show will do it for you. I know for certain it helped me. I was actually in the middle of feeling the mid quarantine slump when I started watching this show around June. I was bored, anxious, and feeling a bit numb after talking with my family and one other co worker for the past few months. This show and the friendships within it really helped me mentally. It gave me things to hope for, and made me dream about the future with my own friends. The bonds shared between team avatar are enviable to say the least. I mean come on! besides the fact that Katara and Aang are water bending in the background, the gif below is a normal pool day w/ the homies for Sokka. 

Not only are the platonic relationships in this show realistic and adorable, but the romance in this show is top notch. We see multiple healthy and normal relationships develop during the show, and it’s quite satisfying when things work out, the best example being Aang and Katara. Although there are some people who would disagree with me on this, Kataang is an ideal relationship. Throughout the show, both characters develop and grow because of each other. Aang is able to grow not only in his bending abilities, but he’s able to mature and realize his full potential because of Katara, all in a healthy and non rushed way. What starts out as a crush develops into a blossoming and equal party relationship, with both people contributing and receiving equal amounts of love. They balance each other out, and keep each other in check. They're able to bounce ideas (and water) off of each other and primarily are best friends before they’re love interests.

Another relationship that has similar good energy is the one shared by Sokka and Suki. They both genuinely care about each other. Not only that, but as mentioned in the previous paragraph, Suki completely changes him for the better and Sokka throughout the whole series is loyal af to her. We even see him tell Ty Lee to back off when she flirts with him. Suki is his, and he’s hers while still allowing them to be their own individual and authentic selves. 

Lastly, this show has the most incredible visuals and score. As far as TV shows go, the soundtrack is pretty amazing. So many people write this off as anime and it honestly pisses me off because it’s really not and theres so much more to it. (Not that there’s anything wrong with anime lol) The creators, (say it with me) aren’t dumb, and you can tell that plenty of thought went into background music to create the perfect mood for each scene. (My favorite thing about it is honestly the fact that Azula is represented by one ominous sounding chord and you immediately know that she’s about to fuck shit up.) The visuals and character design are also incredible, and even if the episode is dull, (by that I mean the great divide. Hey if your new to this do me a huge favor and skip right over that episode) the colors and scenery in this show, not to mention the bending scenes make it such a worthwhile watch.

I mean tell me that that’s not incredible?

So that’s all I got for now! I may make a part three, but I need to see if I can pull together three more topics that I can go into in depth. Again, thank you so much for the support on the last one! :)

[comunidadarcsystemworks]

Exclusive interview with Arc System Works

We have had the opportunity to interview several key members of Arc System Works. Before we begin, we want to thank Arc System Works America for giving us the opportunity to have this interview.

We will divide the interview into 3 sections: "General", "Daisuke Ishiwatari" and Tosimichi Mori.

General

Q. The first question is going to be a tough one, but the community has been very vocal about it so we would really want to begin with this one. Will GGPO (Good Game Peace Out) be implemented in your next projects? If not, would you consider its implementation at some point in the future? We are not talking specifically about Guilty Gear Strive.

A. We’ve heard your passionate requests, and we’re working on a netcode that will live up to everyone’s expectations.

We’ll have more information for you later.

(Guilty Gear Strive Director: Akira Katano)

Q. Fighting games aside, do Arc System Works has plans to do more action games like Hard Corps in the future? Especially with the Guilty Gear engine. We recently saw Code Shifter as your latest brand new platform action game or your collaboration with Wayforward, which are always welcome.

A. We’d definitely like to try genres other than fighting games, such as action games.

This would include plans to use Arc System Works’ 2.5D animation style in non-fighting games, of course.

However, we don’t have any concrete plans to share at the moment.

(Producer: Takeshi Yamanaka)

Daisuke Ishiwatari:

Q. Thank you so much for taking the time for our questions. Since the announcement at EVO, we are really excited to know more about Guilty Gear Strive, and we have read all the interviews and your philoshophy about this game and its gameplay. So, what would you consider to be the lead factor for this change?

A. Thank you for your excitement about Guilty Gear Strive.

The biggest reason for changing the gameplay is to make a game that can reach the current generation of gamers.

I feel that through previous Guilty Gear titles, we have more or less perfected the Guilty Gear formula.

It may very well be possible to tighten that up and make a further refined game. But, even if we did, such a game would create a disparity between new players and veterans who are used to the game’s systems.

So, we wanted to reset the start line for everyone. But of course, this doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten our appreciation and respect for long-term fans and accomplished players.

Q. One of the main focus seems to be drawing the attention for new players and esports while adapting the HUD and the gameplay/action to everyone so it can be enjoyed by a wider audience. That´s interesting, but how will you make new players invest time in your game and wanting to improve their skills at their own pace? For example Granblue Fantasy Versus could be a good example since it has a big focus on its RPG Mode to do so in case beginners are not doing well while playing online.. Will you take a new approach this time with the Story Mode or single player content?

A. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything concrete at the moment.

However, the game will offer an experience of learning and discovery for both new and advanced players. Our game design is even more focused on that now, than ever.

I can’t guarantee that it will make it into the game, but we are also thinking of ways to further strengthen the community.

For example, currently most players aren’t very familiar with the top players.

But if they realized there were stars similar to Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather playing the game, wouldn’t they want to know how that person got so skilled?

We’d like to provide something to help players who aren’t too deeply into the game a way to enjoy it as a whole, like fans do with soccer or basketball.

Q. As of today, we know that you are gathering feedback regarding the main points of the new gameplay so I´ll save it for later, but as for the music, we are noticing a lot of emphasis on vocal tracks. Will this be the Guilty Gear with the biggest number of vocal tracks? will we get new versions of themes like “Holy Orders” or “Give me a break!?

A. Yes, I believe GGST will feature more vocal tracks than any prior title.

That is one of our many decisions in attempting a complete renewal.

We aren’t currently planning vocal arrangements of previous songs, however.

The only example I can think of where that went well would be Queen’s Seven Seas of Rhye.

Of course, if there were enough requests, there are songs I would love to create vocal versions of.

Q. A lot of people are requesting characters from past games like Testament or Bridget, but of course, we know that you can´t confirm any detail by the moment. However, I would like to know if we could get just a small hint about past fighters coming back to the scene.? Can we expect more original characters to be added to the game besides the cyborg samurai from the first teaser?

A. All I can say is, there will be characters from the previous series and this new character too. Please look forward to it!

Q. About the gameplay, as I said earlier, I believe that it's necessary to wait until the beta version for us to have a proper idea about it. Since I still haven´t had the chance to play the game I can just express my opinion as a spectator. I believe the overall gameplay seems interesting according to what you want to achieve but doesn´t the wall break mechanic interrupts the flow of the match a bit too much for the spectators? I feel the same with restricting combo routes, won´t it be monotonous if we ever watch the same, or really similar routes?

A. Don’t worry. The developers are creating GGST with both a casual and hard-core perspective in mind. There may be some aspects that don’t quite satisfy series veterans, but we will create new depth that will motivate them to learn something entirely new.

Also, even if the Beta Test is not well received, you will see our answers to your feedback in the game upon release.

Finally, could you share some words and thoughts to your fans in Spain?

Currently, we are steadily releasing news about GGST. However, the gameplay itself is still very much in development. Our plan is to continue to evolve the game as we receive feedback from the players. Please look forward to it.

Toshimichi Mori:

Thank you so much for giving us the chance to give an answer to our questions. We have read everything that could lead to a future Blazblue or Persona 5 Arena so I´ll try to make interesting questions for everyone.

Q. First of all, I would like to start with Blazblue Alternative Dark War. Will it be possible for you to share some more details about it? Last time I heard from the game I was taking notes at the London Comic Con.  If you can´t share any details, could you give us a hint about when could we know more about the game? Also, I love the sketches that you publish from time to time!

A. Thank you very much.

However, I can’t say much about Dark War right now--only that I, personally, am working so that you guys can play the game as soon as possible. I believe that as long as the players are supporting the project, it will move forward. So please keep talking about it.

Q. Talking about the London Comic Con from last year, I remember that I asked about Alpha 01 and you said that this year we should have news, but this year I want to add something else to the same question. Besides Alpha 01, when could we know something about Gamma 03 as well?

A. I’m really glad that for whatever reason, so many people like Alpha.

I understand some are really looking forward to her making an appearance, but it will be some time… So please wait a little longer.

Q. As of June of 2018 you said in an interview with Gamerevolution that you are saving ideas for future Blazblue and future Persona Arena Projects. Also, in an interview with Gearnuke (January 2020) you said that you would like that your next game will be 2.5D and that the next Blazblue will have new system mechanics. Taking all of this into account, could you please give us further details about what would you like to achieve with a new Persona Arena (which people are really vocal about it) or Blazblue project?

A. I appreciate your enthusiasm. However, I can’t really discuss anything at this moment. Please understand.

Q. Moving on to Blazblue Cross Tag Battle and talking about the same interview from Gearnuke, we read that companies are not approaching you to add their characters in the game. Have you considered “small” companies like Nihon Falcom or Vanillware to see beloved characters like Adol Christin from the YS series or Gwendolyn from a cult classic like Odin Sphere? I feel that they are characters that most of us known or we have heard of but they still didn´t have the chance to shine outside of their games.

A. I get a lot of requests for characters in BBTAG. Honestly, there’s lots of characters I would like to include, myself.

I won’t say it’s impossible for the characters you mentioned to join the cast, but we don’t have any plans for this at the moment. Regardless, I would really like to do some form of collaboration in the future.

Q. Sticking with Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, will we see more characters from RWBY or Senran Kagura? Is there a chance to see Persona 5 characters in the game (unless a Persona 5 Arena is in the works of course) or Kyoko and Misako from River City Girls?

A. We’ve just released Season 2, so we don’t have any definitive plans for the next characters yet.

Right now, we’re still thinking about the next step and listening to everyone’s requests as we work with the current version.

Going back to Blazblue main story, now that the phase C came to an end, and with Rachel´s words being “I shall find you, I promise” at the end of Blazblue Central Fiction… Will we get a follow up to this arc, or it will be a completely new arc? Also, are you planning to do another anime or manga?

A. We are preparing for the start of a new story… Sadly, I can’t guarantee when it will happen. I think that when that new chapter begins, you will understand what Rachel meant.

Finally, could you share some words and thoughts to your fans in Spain?

Thank you for loving the BlazBlue series.

I can feel that love you have, so I hope I can meet all of you in person someday. Thank you for your continued support.

[ko-chan-the-blueberry-donut]

Always Led Back to You chapter 2, a John Doe/Seraphina from UnOrdinary fanfiction [FASTPASS SPOILERS for 212-214]

Hey guys here is the next chapter! Since only fastpass people only have access to the content in UnOrdinary’s chapters currently, I will be spoiling some stuff, but it won’t be word for word from the chapters either so no one will get bored. Just a warning there IS spoilers for fastpass 212-214!

Thank you for all who liked, commented, and favored this story so far!

Disclaimer: I don’t own UnOrdinary

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

Seraphina quickly changed out of her uniform, a frown marring her features.

“Are you crazy, Seraphina? Why would you go meet this person? It all just sounds so shady.” Isen voiced, looking at her like she was out of her mind. Maybe she was, but Seraphina could no longer stand on the sidelines as John self-destructed and everyone would pay the price for it.

“I won’t be alone. You both could go with me.” Seraphina reasoned.

“But last time you met these people, Arlo was with you! I’m not as strong as him.” Isen argued.

“Isen is right, Seraphina! You’d just get hurt and we wouldn’t be able to protect you.” Elaine tried to reason with the magenta haired girl.

“We need to do this, Elaine. John’s going to destroy us all if we don’t do something.” Seraphina was losing her patience, tired of feeling useless in the wake of Ragnarok.

“We’ll find another way.” Isen placed his hand on her shoulder. Elaine nodded.

“Seraphina, please…” Elaine beseeched her.

Seraphina stared at them. She was silent. Isen and Elaine waited with baited breath.

“No.” Seraphina was firm, her eyes filled with determination. “I’m sorry, Isen… Elainie.” She then turned away from them, walking away. “If you won’t go with me, I’m on my own.”

“This is the only way. I have to do this.” Seraphina told herself, straightening out her jacket. She glanced at herself in the mirror, satisfied with her attire, and took a deep breath before exiting her bedroom.

“Seraphiina.” Arlo was there with Elaine, who looked absolutely panicked. Seraphina locked eyes with the former king.

‘Elaine must’ve gotten him to reason with me.’ Seraphina concluded.

“I’m not backing down from this Arlo. If you’ve come here to stop me, it’s useless. I refuse to watch everyone suffering anymore and me not being able to do anything about it.” Seraphina told him.

“I know.” Arlo replied, crossing his arms. “That’s why I’m coming with you.”

“W-What?!” Elaine looked like she was about to faint, not expecting this plot twist from her former king.

Seraphina and Arlo examined each other for a brief moment, neither speaking, before Seraphina smiled, patting the blonde’s shoulder.

“Well, whaddaya know? You came through after all, Arlo.” Seraphina teased. Arlo tensed and Seraphina couldn’t help but picture him as a bristling cat. As if Arlo could sense she was picturing him with cat ears and a tail, he frowned.

“If you weren’t a cripple, I’d teach you not to tease your king.” Arlo huffed.

“Ah, but as I recall, you are no longer a king, and I shall hopefully no longer be a cripple if my instincts are right.” Seraphina’s smirk was absolutely fox worthy.

“Tch. Let’s get this over with.” Arlo dismissed her statement.

“H-hold on here! You two can’t be serious!” Elaine fretted.

“Elaine, if we’re not back by curfew, tell the school.” Arlo commanded. Elaine could swear her soul was leaving her body from fear.

“Arlo! What do you mean if you’re not back?! Why are you two walking away from me?!” Elaine cried as Seraphina and Arlo hurriedly made their way out of the school.

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

They arrived at the café that was designated as the meeting spot for Seraphina. Grabbing a table, the two surveyed their surroundings.

“You see anything suspicious?” Arlo asked.

“Nothing really. Just people having fun.” Seraphina answered. Arlo sighed, leaning back into his chair, his arms crossed, finger tapping against his bicep. Seraphina watched him closely.

“You seem nervous.” Seraphina noted.

“Should I not be?” Arlo asked her, his eyes stern, reprimanding as if she was the cause of his worry. “We don’t know anything about these people, and we’re going in blind. How can you be so cool about it?”

“I guess remaining cool is all I have going for me right now.” Seraphina shrugged. “I’m a cripple now. I can’t do anything about what’s happening, but maybe if I remain level-headed, it can help soothe everyone around me in some way.”

Arlo studied her, not saying anything. Then, a waitress approached their table.

“Hi! Would you like to order anything?” the waitress was all smiles, especially at Arlo, who paid her no heed. If Seraphina was in a mischievous mood, she probably would’ve stirred some trouble to tease the blonde.

“I’ll have a mango boba.” Seraphina smiled. The waitress nodded and then focused on Arlo, blushing a bit.

“I’ll have a black coffee.” Arlo stated. “No cream. No sugar.” His commanding tone startled the waitress while Seraphina, who was used to her surly friend, hid a smile.

“O-oh! Okay! Coming right up!” with that, the waitress left, and Seraphina found her opportunity to pounce.

“You know, you’ll never get a date if you constantly scare people away, Mr. Serious.” Seraphina pointed out lightly. Arlo raised an eyebrow at her.

“How could I be thinking of dating at a time like this?” Arlo was flabbergasted, or at least as much as the serious blonde would show. “I have no use for dates.”

“And that’s why you’re gonna end up an old man who never married with Elaine banging her head against the wall because you’re so dense.” Seraphina quipped.

“Elaine? What does Elaine have to do with this?” Arlo asked. If Seraphina wasn’t so composed, she would’ve burst out laughing.

‘Poor Elaine…’ she thought. ‘She surely likes someone who’s denser than a boulder.’

“Nevermind. Maybe try smiling once in a while? With all your frowning you’re going to lose that handsome mug from wrinkles.” Seraphina dismissed his question. The image of a cat bristling came to her mind once more when she saw Arlo’s expression.

“Well, what about you, Seraphina? You haven’t been on a date either.” Arlo pointed out, and Seraphina raised an eyebrow, surprised he’s even entertaining this conversation more.

“In case you’ve forgotten, Arlo, I’m not exactly a prize.” Seraphina replied. “Being a cripple hasn’t really endeared me to anyone as you have noticed.” She gestured to herself.

“John didn’t seem to mind.” Arlo replied, not maliciously, just stating as if it was a fact.

“That John isn’t here anymore.” Seraphina responded. She blocked out that fight where John was completely shattered in her eyes. His voice still rang in her ears when she slept.

“Seraphina, if you think John was putting on an act for you, you’re denser than me.” Arlo told her sternly. “He may have lied to you about being a cripple, but John would’ve conquered the world if you asked. He would’ve done anything just to make sure you were happy and safe, and has done things to do so.”

“I didn’t need the world.” Seraphina griped back, bitterness taking over. “I just needed him to be there.”

“And he was.” Arlo countered back, not bothered by her tone. “Why do you think he became Joker?”

“To punish people.” Seraphina was quick to respond, knowing the answer.

“To punish people who were harming you.” Arlo also was quick to respond. “Personally, I think John should’ve just came clean to you and protected you himself instead of relying on masks or us to do so, and I hate the guy for all he’s doing, but I can’t in good conscience deny his motives anymore or else I’ll be a coward just like him.” Arlo explained.

“What… what do you mean?” Seraphina asked, almost afraid to hear more. Arlo sighed, the tapping of his finger against his bicep increasing in speed.

“John’s priority was and has always been you. Everything he did, he did because he thought it would keep you safe. Seraphina… he’s nearly killed someone just for threatening you while you were unconscious.” Arlo confessed. “Now, you can tell me that John is gone, but you can’t deny he was never there. Personally, I’m glad you kicked him to the curb because he’s become too unstable and nearly hurt you, but you can’t really go on believing you were never his entire world.”

“I wasn’t…” Seraphina tried to defend, the reality of Arlo’s confession washing down on her like a thunderous waterfall.

“You were. You may have thought you were just his best friend, but John, even if he never admitted it or realized it, saw you differently.” Arlo concluded with her, the tapping calming down, relieved he could finally say what he’s been keeping to himself since John threatened his silence. It was soothing to finally tell Seraphina what John didn’t want her to know, to finally be honest with a person he respected.

“Well…. That’s…. shocking to say the least.” Seraphina finally spoke. Arlo shrugged. “Is… what he became… is this all my fault?”

“No.” Arlo responded, not even needing to think about it. “All the fault is John’s. He should’ve just been honest with you in the first place.”

“But… if I had done things differently…” Seraphina was consumed by what ifs and should haves. What if she pushed harder? What if she let him know she was there? Would John be the way he is now if she had done things differently?

“No. Don’t think about those thoughts, Seraphina.” Arlo commanded. “It will do you no good. You cannot change the past. Now, we’re going to see if your hunch is right and you can change the future.”

“Arlo…” Seraphina paused. “Could I… is it possible you think I can save him? Even now, when he’s gone?”

Before Arlo could answer, the waitress brought them their drinks. Arlo paid the waitress no heed, watching Seraphina, his friend, struggling with her demons.

“Oh! By the way, there’s someone who has arrived for your table! I’ll be back with her order as well. Sorry about that.” The waitress announced, taking her leave. Arlo tensed, and quickly turned his head towards the door where the mysterious person they would meet was standing.

“It’s a woman.” Arlo whispered. Seraphina was roused from her inner turmoil, turning her head to look in the direction of the door as well.

Her heart stopped cold.

“Leilah...?”

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

So there you have it! I did add a lot more content than the original episode and changed the conversation a bit, but I hope you still enjoyed. I was going to have Arlo originally say it was his fault John went crazy, but then I realized that wouldn’t be in Arlo’s character to admit he fucked up.

[straykidsupdate]

Stray Kids Make Their Mark In NYC With World Tour "District 9: Unlock"

Nestled underneath the majestic Madison Square Garden in New York City lies Hulu Theater — a smaller, more intimate performance venue where every seat is given a front-row view. It's here, on January 29, 2020, where Stray Kids began their journey across the USA for Stray Kids World Tour "District 9: Unlock."

Bright lights on the ceiling of the venue illuminated the crowd below, but it's nothing compared to the hundreds of Stray Kids lightsticks, coined najimbongs, that many in the audience held in their hands. Fans sang along to Stray Kids songs while they waited in anticipation for the 8 idols to take the stage.

A theatrical VCR introduced the start of the show, much to the audience's delight. Screams grew louder as their biases appeared on the screen, and peaked when the screens separated to reveal Stray Kids. They were there. They were real. Yes, it was absolutely happening.

If you thought this would be an easy-going, relaxing concert — do we have news for you! Energy levels began at 325% right off the bat as Stray Kids jumped into a remix of "District 9." And yes, the song can go harder than it already does. The momentum never stopped as they continue on with "Victory Song," "Question," a remix of "Rock," an epic dance break that made its last appearance at KCON LA, and the iconic "Side Effects." We have to commend these boys and their energy: there were no breaks in between these high-impact performances.

"We worked really hard to unlock this world tour for you," Changbin shared after the group made their cheery introductions to the crowd. It was no lie — just within eight months since Stray Kids held their last USA tour, the group has accomplished so much. Seeing their fans, known as Stay, as many times as they can is unmistakably one of their top priorities. How can you tell? If you've seen the way their eyes shine as they stare into the audience, you wouldn't doubt the love they have for Stay one bit.

To counter the tenacious impact of their first few stages, Stray Kids brought about a chiller, more laid-back atmosphere with "M.I.A." Though no choreography accompanied this performance, Felix surprised the crowd by dancing to "Renegade," a dance trend that went viral on video-based social networking app TikTok. This is one honorable mention from the show that will go down in Stray Kids history.

The first unit stage followed — Hyunjin, Lee Know, and Felix wowed the crowd with a deeply seductive performance to "Wow." Yes, abs were involved (thank you, Felix). The trio, known to fans as Danceracha, effortlessly dominated the stage with their presence. Leader Bang Chan later designated their performance as "sexy time," and we have yet to see the lie in that statement.

"Mixtape #4" was the next song off the setlist, and many were not prepared for the emotions that the song brought: with its lyrics, Stray Kids assure us to keep moving forward despite difficulties that we may face and to know that although we might feel alone, we never really are. During Felix's rap, Stay united as one as they shouted: "Stray Kids nine or none, we're gonna cross the finish line," though there were only eight standing on stage. The amount of love and adoration held in the venue visibly grew after that point.

It was time to "Get Cool," and what better way to fill the "Awkward Silence" than with the fun, cheeky performances that followed next? Members chased and tickled each other — youngest member I.N. being the most popular target — and interacted with the crowd during these upbeat, cheerful tracks. It's moments like these were the relationship between Stray Kids and Stay truly show their colors — not only through the laughs shared or cheers exchanged but also through the concerned gasps from the crowd as they watched Hyunjin fake-throw Seungmin into the audience. But hey, I'm sure Stay would have caught him if it really happened, right?

Let's take a moment to think about the VCR that played next. Picture this: Stray Kids take to the streets, wielding weapons and destroying virtual buildings in the most magnificent way possible. Is this symbolism for Stray Kids fighting the system, taking it into their own hands, and building a district of their own? Or is it purely just a group of eight boys wanting to destroy things for fun? Either way, we're all for Stray Kids world domination.

But on the real, the true message that Stray Kids wanted to share came to light in their performance of "Levanter." Stray Kids isn't just the name of their group; it's what they represent. Reflecting on the words both seen in the VCR and spoken by the members, there are lost kids all around the world just trying to find their footing. Together, step by step, they can pave a road to move forward. Here lies the strength echoed in the words, "Stray kids everywhere all around the world."

Sentimental moments were followed by soft ones as vocalists Seungmin and I.N. reappeared on stage in baby blue accented outfits, serenading the crowd during "My Universe." Just as Danceracha appeared for their unit stage earlier in the show, this was Vocalracha's time to shine. Special shoutout to Changbin for his rap verse appearance — though his vocals could potentially land him a spot in Vocalracha, don't you think?

The eight members continued their serene mood with a performance of "Third Eye," complete with the smooth use of chairs as props in their choreography. Chairs made the choreography more dynamic, playing with levels changes and strategic placements that brought the performance to the next level of satisfaction. Speaking of satisfying, Felix's deep-toned rap over nothing but a heavy, rhythmic bass drum is something we can listen to over and over again.

Stray Kids then transitioned into a straight line formation, basked in a cool light as a ballad accompaniment of "I Am You" played softly in the background. Experiencing this song without the choreography gives Stay a completely new perspective of the performance, filled with more emotion and connection than can be explained by words. The feelings intensified as Stay joined Stray Kids with the words "Stay together, you and I."

Stray Kids gave Stay the ultimate whiplash as the stage flipped into one of the most chaotically satisfying performances of the night: 3RACHA finally made their appearance. Basked in red lights (a warning, perhaps?) and dressed in leather detailed jackets, Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han lit the stage on fire with their performance of "We Go." Equal parts playful and chaotic, this unit, formed even before Stray Kids' official debut, really knows how to serve the heat - they're 3RACHA after all.

Following the wave of intensity that 3RACHA SUMMONED, the group reunited as eight on stage to perform a remix of "Road Not Taken" and an extended dance version of "My Pace." They take a moment afterwards to chat and interact with the audience. Han, being the overly excited delight that he is, fumbled with his words as he spoke. He laughed it off by apologizing to the translator, admitting he was too excited.

"I've never heard Stay scream this loud before," Bang Chan shared with the audience, "but I've never heard Felix scream so loud!" Felix laughed along with the entire venue in defeat — apparently, his excitement had gotten the better of him as well.

Changbin's comment felt all too real: "We want to be happy every day, but that's not always possible," he starts, "but I believe we can overcome these things and those hardships will pass like the wind." Bang Chan echoed his words, thanking Stay for their kind comments and for always staying by Stray Kids' side, which in turn started a chant of "we love you's" from the audience. The chant turned into a competition when Stray Kids started saying "we love Stay" in return. Who will win this exchange of love? We'll let you know (if it ever ends at all).

"Make sure to tie your shoelaces twice!" Bang Chan exclaimed as they jumped into "Double Knot." (Does he write his own material? Genius). Just like the beginning of the show, their energy stayed top tier as they lead into "Boxer" and their debut song "Hellevator." The stage production and background VCR for "Hellevator" was extremely impactful, using first-person point of view to transform the theater into a completely different world. It felt like a 3d virtual reality game where Stay accompanied Stray Kids on a journey through the fire and rubble, making their way out of this "Hellevator" together.

Stray Kids' performance to "Miroh" was taken to new levels with the introduction of drums, both as props and a backing beat to the hard-hitting instrumentals that ignite the chorus. An extended dance break made the stage even more exciting, but it also made us wonder how they're still jumping with so much energy. JYP, tell us your secrets, we beg of you.

And just when you thought this concert couldn't get any cuter, the next VCR introduced an interactive game. With games, came prizes — this one being Stray Kids returning to the stage for more performances. The premise of the game was simple: a Stray Kids song played while 8-bit icons appeared in beat at the bottom of the screen. When a clapping icon appeared, Stay had to clap. When a heart icon appeared, Stay had to form hearts over their heads. And, in true Stray Kids fashion, when a dab icon appeared, Stay had to hit the hardest dab of their life. "Get Cool" was the song that played during the practice round, with "Miroh" being the main stage of the game. Cameras panned through the audience, focusing on enthusiastic Stay in the crowd and screening them on the large LEDs on stage. It was a fun and entertaining way for Stay to participate in the show from their seats and also a clever way to get a whole theater to "dab to the left" at the same time. Several members mentioned they were watching the audience from backstage and called us "cute." If that's what it takes to make Stray Kids think we're cute, we might as well play this game all day, every day.

The final stage of the game was "unlocked," prompting Stray Kids to make their way back to NYC Stay, dressed in tour merch and bright blue accessories — Han wore a blue LA Dodgers cap (in NYC? We won't question it, we'll just let him do his thing.) while Lee Know had a soft blue sweater tied around his torso. The lyrics to "Grow Up" appeared in the background, inviting Stay to sing along. There was something soothing about singing the lyrics together, telling each other that you're doing fine, to just take your time, and that you can do it.

The inevitable finally arrived — final ments. It got real deep during Felix's last comments. "Having to express our love for one another — It gets me in the feels and I really want to do so much more for you guys. You're the reason why we are still Stray Kids. I really believe in Stay."

Changbin continued with his own set of sappy love-filled messages. "Now that I'm here with you, I'm so happy and excited. I shouldn't expect anything because you always surprise me! Thank you, this is for you." Changbin shared as he threw a cute finger heart to the crowd.

Before their last two stages, "YAYAYA" and a reprise of "Miroh," Bang Chan expressed his feelings. "As long as you guys invite us, we'll be glad to come back. You gave us the chance to come back here and we were so stoked! We'll give you guys the best 2020 ever, promise. It feels like Stay is a part of our family — it was your show and ours today."

Here's something important for Stay to remember as a takeaway from their show: You not only make Stray Kids stay — you make them grow. You make them succeed. You make them happy. This fan-idol relationship? It's a two way street. But it's a street that Stray Kids and Stay gravitate towards so effortlessly and make their home.

Thank you to SubKulture Entertainment and JYP Entertainment for the chance to experience this memorable night in New York City during Stray Kids World Tour 'District 9 : Unlock.' Make sure to keep supporting Stray Kids!

Don't miss your chance to see Stray Kids live on this tour! Tickets to upcoming locations are still available here: https://www.subkultureent.com/stray-kids

Source: KpopStarz

[whumpster-fire]

Man, I’ve paid like zero attention to the Five Nights At Freddy’s fandom since, like, FNAF 4 or 5 came out, and today I tried to look up the full lore and timeline, and like... what the fuck is all this shit?

So I guess nothing’s changed in that despite there being multiple books now apparently, nobody actually knows what’s going on, but apparently there’s crazy shit like at least one murderer who’s running the company making the animatronics and designing them specifically to kill people, the killer’s Mike’s Dad or something but Mike may or may not be an actually robot or something.

So I’ve got some really hot spicy takes here that’ll probably get me put into a Cringe Compilation(TM), but w/e.

Hot Take #1: FNAF 1′s lore was actually really fucking good, because (a) while it was vague, it was simple, and both of those things are your friend in a horror franchise, and (b) while it had supernatural / sci-fi elements it was, on a basic level, grounded in reality enough to be genuinely scary.

Seriously: a serial killer using child-friendly mascot costumes at a Chuck E Cheese type restaurant to disguise himself as an employee, and/or an actual employee wearing these things, to lure children away, is scary because it feels like something that could actually happen, like you could turn on the news and there’s this story about this crime happening in some city a couple states away that you’ve only heard of like twice in your life but you know exists. Serial killer hiding victims’ corpses inside the animatronics? More of a stretch. It’s not something that feels like it would actually happen IRL, but that’s exactly the kind of shit that there are real urban legends about.

“Someone murdered some kids in a Chuck E Cheese like twenty years ago and stuffed the bodies inside the robotic mascots and nobody noticed until the customers complained about the smell” is something I would not bat an eyebrow and hearing while watching a “Top 10 Creepiest Rumors About Beloved Kids’ Franchises” video at 2 AM on YouTube or something. Add in the robots coming to life at night and attacking the security guards, and like... FNAF 1 is basically a creepypasta - i.e. classic folklore ghost stories but they’re on the internet now - as a video game. Somebody telling this story as a “I swear this actually happened to me!” first person account, claiming they worked the night shift for a week a while back in college and they saw crazy shit and they were afraid from their lives and it seemed like they got hired because the guy who had their job before them was killed? That fits in perfectly.

Hot Take #2: Every game after that made FNAF’s lore worse - and rarely for sequels it actually retroactively fucked with the original too.

2 and 3 weren’t that bad because they added a kinda interesting backstory and a satisfying ending that tied it all together, but the fact that both of the major events of the original game’s plot - the murders and the Bite of 87 - almost certainly involved an animatronic that didn’t even appear at all in the first game actually retroactively makes the lore introduced in the original game less satisfying by throwing a red herring on obvious leads like: “Foxy has been shut down for years and his jaw seems to be fucked up HMMMMMM...” and “What even is Golden Freddy he’s just a suit HMMMMMM...”

But when you get to the point of having to go... wait a minute, were there two separate incidents where a robot bit someone’s head off? Were there two separate incidents where five children were murdered? That’s a massive red flag that your lore has become a convoluted train wreck and you’ve passed the point where it was time to stop. Not every horror franchise should try to be Dark Souls or Bloodborne with its lore. I’m admittedly not a huge horror fan but I can’t think of a single horror franchise that has been improved by having a massive expanded universe with a ton of lore.

Hot Take #3: Mangle is the scariest animatronic in the entire series. Not because of the fucked-up-ness or because of the static or even because of the probably biting Jeremy’s face off. Mangle is the scariest because they had this piece of extremely powerful, mobile machinery sitting around, with the power on, with all of the safety covers preventing someone from touching something dangerous removed, and they were literally letting small children physically interact with it with no apparent supervision. Yes, let the toddlers play “take apart and put back together” with the exposed wiring on an electrical system that is probably capable of pushing hundreds if not thousands of amps through a conductive object, that’s smart.

Hot Take #4: Mangle is adorable and sad and somebody should give that sketchy death-machine a hug despite what I just said. An abused probably-sentient robot that’s falling apart from being abused by douchebag bratty kids and the maintenance techs just stopped giving a shit and were like “fuck it I hate her anyway, kids do your worst?” This character is perfect for this blog! Also in SL the guard gets to abuse sentient robots with a taser, so more Just Gold robot whump content.

Hot Take #5: IDGAF what this says about how immature my sense of humor is: Five Nights At Fuckboy’s is still a masterpiece and one of the seminal artistic works of the 2010s. I N H A L E.

[wondersbeyondcompare]

Twisted Wonderland OC: Majid

Wow, this was long overdue, but I finally got his basic profile together (・・;) Here, have some doodles I made of him just to get his design consistent 😆

*EDIT: I managed to get more of his backstory stuff together as well as make some minor tweaks to other parts of his profile, so I’m reblogging this again just in case anyone was interested in an update!*

***

“Don’t you dare try to wake me... You’re no diamond in the rough after all...”

Full Name: Majid Shahin

Name Meaning: Majid (“Glorious”); Shahin (“worthy of a king”) [Somehow remembered his parents giving him his first name before their disappearance; chose his last name from a bakery he was fond of back then]

Dorm: Scarabia

Year: 1st year

Birthday: May 12

Age: 16 years

Height: 5’10”/1.78 m

Place of Origin: Land of the Hot Sands

Voice Headcanon: Komatsu Shouhei

Personality: Usually seen sleeping at the entrance of the Scarabia dorm as if he were some kind of underpaid security guard (which he technically is, but he doesn’t take his job too seriously, much to the annoyance of Jamil who gave him this task in the first place). If he’s not sleeping, Majid acts mildly annoyed with everyone he meets. He acts a bit kinder towards people with a good heart or those he’s interested in observing. Majid can fulfill most tasks that are asked of him, and, of course, there has to be a bribe, but the type of bribe involved depends on the person. If a person has good intentions behind the task they’re asking of him, Majid will ask for something that is relatively easy for them to acquire; if the person has bad intentions, however, the item he asks for becomes much harder to get. However, even Majid can’t clearly define the line b/w “good” and “bad”, so sometimes his requests just depend on how he feels throughout the day. If a person tries to offer him something that doesn’t meet his standards, he will shut them down. Hard. There are times Majid will help out other people on his own initiative, but this is very rare and something he adamantly avoids doing.

He likes things like money and expensive objects, but he acts more like a collector of these items rather than actually using them as a status symbol/showing off his wealth. Somewhat like a hoarder in that aspect but this may also just be a habit he had formed while growing up. Also fond of observing certain people in order to understand their motivation behind their actions, but, honestly, if he had to choose b/w this hobby and sleep, he would much rather choose the latter. 

Likes: Naps, money, expensive items, lava lamps, honesty, warm weather, sand sculptures, his magical abilities, being secure, golden jewelry, meat, puzzles, magic carpet rides, some sweets

Dislikes: Liars, cowards, passive aggressive people, directly interacting with people in general, cold weather, whenever his Scarabia upperclassmen drag him into their shenanigans

Background: 

Majid doesn’t remember much from his childhood, but the absence of any kind of support system (both financially and emotionally) left him at a disadvantage while growing up. He would often spend his days roaming the streets in search of necessities, relying on both resources given to the homeless from certain establishments or resorting to stealing from vendors behind their backs. The orphanages in the area were far too few and poorly maintained, so Majid tried his best to avoid being picked up by the workers there in order to at least keep his freedom by staying out on the streets. 

Although the young boy was often found alone, he did at one time manage to make some friends with some of the other children in the area, tagging along on their little adventures throughout the town. This was the one time he felt like he belonged somewhere; where he was surrounded by people who actually wanted him around as much as he did with them. Unfortunately, this feeling led Majid to become overly dependent on the group, sometimes purposely delaying their adventures just so they could stay together a little longer. He didn’t really think of himself as selfish for doing this nor did he see it as something wrong. But eventually the group became fed up with these delays once it began to cause troubles with their families back home. They kicked him out of their group, admitting that they only let him join in the first place because they and their parents pitied him since he was the poor, annoyingly clingy orphan with nowhere else to go. At first Majid couldn’t believe them, desperately denying to himself that what they were saying wasn’t true, that maybe they were just saying this out of anger and everything will right itself in the morning. 

And that was when, at the worst possible time, one of his powers revealed itself to him. The ability to see into other people’s hearts. It wasn’t as if he heard an otherworldly voice telling him if they were lying or not, but rather it came as an overwhelming epiphany. He sensed every bit of their frustration with him, their anger at his actions, as well as the brutal honesty behind their words, all in a new kind of clarity. Majid couldn’t bring himself to respond at that moment, not even after they had long left him behind. Once he snapped out of his stupor, the boy tried to compose himself by carefully sorting out his thoughts and feelings about the situation, but it was no use. He felt numb. And he was alone again. Perhaps this time, for good.

Majid tentatively tested out this new power on various people around town, seeing all the different kinds of malice people held in their hearts. From lying shopkeepers to narcissistic “do-gooders”, everyone had their own hidden agenda, and young Majid could see it all in a frighteningly clear display. He developed a distrust in other people because of this and habitually used his ability whenever he felt like someone was lying to him. He became better at theft, now having less guilt while taking from the vendors because, well, they were “bad people”, so why should he care about hurting them? He was one dishonest person among many, so he wasn’t worried about spoiling the rest of the bunch if they were all rotten in the first place.

Majid didn’t start developing his other magical abilities until this one day when he caught sight of a parade marching through town. After pushing his way through the crowd, he watched in awe at the procession of dancers, musicians, exotic animals, and, at the very end, the smiling young heir of the Land of Hot Sands, just barely keeping his balance on the camel he was seated upon as he showered his excited subjects with golden coins and jewelry. Rather than becoming impressed with the parade itself, Majid admired the respect the heir was given. He knew that this respect was mostly due to the latter’s high social class, so Majid decided to aim for some other goal that would allow him to be viewed favorably by other people. To stick it to those who only saw him as pitiable and useless. In short: he wanted to become rich. 

He learned how to use his power (as well as other abilities he discovered along the way) to his advantage and often offered to do favors for people in exchange for money or other expensive objects. It was slow going, but he accumulated a lot of wealth over the years, with his living spaces resembling that of the inside of the Cave of Wonders in Aladdin. The floors were littered with gold coins, glittering gemstones, ornate vases, and many more riches beyond compare. 

Majid prided himself on his wealth at first, happy with all that he could attain with this kind of lifestyle, whether it be items or connections with those in the upper social classes. But he slowly found himself becoming bored. Majid did think of giving some of his wealth away, yet somehow he couldn’t bear to part with it. It may have been selfish of him to keep it all to himself, but this was all he had; one of the few great accomplishments in his life.  That and he had a general dislike of other people. Majid never found the need to get close to others since his ability could more or less tell him whether they were trustworthy or not. However, this led to him being unable to form any meaningful relationships with anyone else and left him feeling a whole lot lonelier than he wanted to admit. Sort of like an empty feeling in his gut that never went away. Since nothing seemed to satisfy him, Majid would often find himself sleeping his days away. The life he was living at that moment wasn’t fulfilling to him at all, so why bother staying awake all the time? He could afford to laze about a little bit too.

He stumbled upon the Night Raven College by chance… If chance involved being forced into a black coffin and carried off to the middle of nowhere only to awake in some strange castle headed by a sketchy man with a crow mask. Majid was reluctant to join at first but became intrigued at the prospect of a “magical academy”. A place where people had abilities similar to his… Now that didn’t seem boring at all. (Of course, his opinion changed upon meeting Kalim and Jamil, but at that point it was too late to back out of his enrollment 😂)

Majid does try to live up to Scarabia’s overall resourceful attitude, but he often just uses this as an excuse to find the easy way out and “conserving his energy for more important things” by sleeping all day. He’s not easily interested in his surroundings or the meaningless things people seemed to indulge in during their everyday lives. Deep down, Majid wanted something special. He didn’t know exactly what it was, but he knew it had to be something irreplaceable and brought him fulfillment. A diamond in the rough.

Powers: 

Sand Manipulation- Can create and manipulate sand; can generate sand storms; can also create quicksand out of regular sand which, if he becomes angry enough, can become strong enough to drag a person’s entire body under

Seeing Into Others Hearts- Uses this ability to figure out a person’s intentions behind their actions; won’t give him exactly what a person is thinking about, but will give him overall *ahem* vibes that come from within them (can sense if a person is lying to him through this ability); his eyes glow a little brighter when he uses this

Summoning Through Scarab Beetle- Not really a power of his own but rather a spell that was cast on his scarab beetle bracelet by his upperclassmen who became angry at him for constantly slinking out of his dorm duties; the beetle resides with the dorm leaders, Kalim, and Jamil; whenever the two halves of the beetle are joined together, Majid is teleported to wherever the beetle is; leads to some pretty rude awakenings for Majid

Lava Manipulation- Can’t actually create lava but can create an illusion of it being there; people can see and feel the effects of the lava he “creates” but it can’t physically hurt them; mentally on the other hand… that’s a different story

[70swonderpoisonstark]

Wait, you survived? ( II )

// You and Steve survive the plane wreck and end up seventy years in the future. Everything’s different and the only person that understands the confusion and pain of losing your entire world is your now dead husband’s best friend. When the two of you are forced to adapt to the world around you, things can get complicated. //

———————————————————————————————————

~  Sinful and forbidden pleasures are like poisoned bread; 

         they may satisfy appetite for the moment,

                but there is death in them at the end.  ~

  The two of you settled into modern life as best as you could. Certain aspects of night life were too intense for you both, so you spent a majority of time at home watching movies and catching up on everything you missed. The nights always started the same, you'd finally decide to go to a local bar, get a couple drinks, and slowly mold into society. However, the men were much less polite than they used to be. It was on more than one occasion that Steve had to pull your bar stool closer to his to send a subtle message to the very loud people you've come into contact with.

This night was no different, you'd found a kickin new bar within walking distance of the apartment and agreed to try it out. Six o'clock was when the two of you normally decided to go, people were normally still at home after getting off work, and the crazies usually didn't come out till much later. You'd tucked in your black silk tank into your black ripped jeans, securing the outfit with a "designer" belt. Dressing nice every time you went out was one habit Steve and you couldn't shake. You'd see people everywhere wearing all sorts of interesting outfits, tried to go out in something similar, and never made it out the door. Old habits die hard, huh?

Steve opened the door for you as you walked into the bar, smiling down at you with his sweet smile, you'd get him a date one of these days, you just knew it. The two of you chatted, talking about inventions, medical discoveries, and how great modern cars were. You were admiring a 68' shelby cobra mustang with Steve as you heard a loud 'THUD' in the seat closest to yours. You continued to talk about how innovative it was to put such a powerful motor in such a light car when you heard somebody clear their throat very loud, and too close to your ear. Your eyes dart towards the seat next to you, checking your surroundings before engaging was second nature at this point, noticing a tall, large man staring holes into the side of your head. He was slouched over a dark beer, clumsily wiping foam from his lips as he cleared his throat again, clearly trying to get your attention.

"Can I help you?" You said, annoyance filling your words as you spoke. Even in the 40's, you'd always been very, aggressive when it came to unwanted attention. Watching his pupils dilate slowly as he attempted to take all of you in.

"IIIIIII've gotta say miss, you are tooooo pretty to be here. Waddya say we get outta here, get you somehwere nicer, easier on your back?" He winked, or at least tried to, what he actually did looked more like the beginning of a stroke than anything else. You opened your mouth, ready to tell him off when another booming voice came from behind you.

"I think the lady is fine just where she is, pal." Steve didn't understand why men always had to talk to you. If they were making actual conversation he'd leave you alone, but they always tried terrible one liners that always referenced sexual encounters. Steve pulled you and your seat close enough to his that your thigh was gently resting against his.

"Hey buddy," the drunk man started, swaying as he spoke. "If the lady didn't wanna be tawked to, she wouldn't have worn such a sexy outfit, ain't that right, sugar?" Steve jumped out of his chair, getting in between you and the now very startled man.

"The lady can wear whatever she wants too, and creeps like you get to leave her the hell alone." Steve was tense, his shoulders and back puffed and flexed, bowing him out and making him looked twice as intimidating as usual.

"I don't have to listen to you golden boy, she wants me to feel her up, I can tell just by lookin at the bitch." Steve's eyes widened at the blatant disrespect, insulting a woman because she wasn't interested? What happened to flirting, courting, dates? He expected you to hear one sentence and sleep with him? It rattled Steve's brain. He pulled back immediately, ready to use his strength to knock the fat loser on his ass when you stepped in front of him. Chest to chest, he lowered his fist to look down at you.

"Steve, love. That won't be necessary." You said, ruby red lips turned up in an innocent smile.

"See tough guy, little lady can't wait to get a chance at me." He winked, or maybe had a second stroke, you'd probably never know actually.

"Oh you're right, I can't wait to get a chance at you." You enunciated the 'T' roughly, smiling up at the drunk man who felt entitled to your attention, winked, and uppercutted him straight on his ass. You shook your hand, surprised that the impact didn't hurt more. "Softy." You chuckled and tossed back the rest of your tequila shot. The other patrons at the bar, who were already watching the scene unfold, laughed as the man laid unconscious on the ground after a single punch. Steve huffed, rolling his eyes at the fact that he didn't see that coming. You were always ready to fight, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that you'd stop him from knocking somebody out, only so YOU could do it.

"You know what (Y/N), I could've done that for you." Steve said, half hurt he didn't get to fight somebody. It had been seventy YEARS. The dumbass in Steve was itching for a bad decision.

"Yes, but what fun would that have been for me?" You say slyly, lightly punching him on the shoulder as you both sit back down at your seats. Steve orders another round, shaking his head and laughing, if Bucky could see the two of you he'd be racking his brain as to how the two of you always caused so much trouble when you were together. The pure mention of you two being left alone together made Bucky's dumbass alarm go off.

"This round's on the house, enjoy your double ma'am." The bartender slid your drinks towards you.

"Miss!" You half yelled as she walked away, "Miss! I only ordered a single."

"Oh I know, the first one's for hitting the dude, the second shot's because you looked so good doing it." She batted her dark eyelashes after she spoke, a deep blush creeping into your cheeks.

"W-well thank you." You squeaked out, men complimenting you was boring, but when a also pretty women compliments you, it hits differently.

"You cold?" Steve glanced over, noticing your slight shiver.

"Only a little." You were always cold, constantly, which is probably why Steve looked at you so indignantly. He shook of his leather jacket, draping it gently along your shoulders.

"Better?"

"Yes, thanks." The two of you continued to talk until eight, both of you knowing it was time to leave before you ran into more crazies. The walk home was quiet, you walked along the streets, in awe of how much New York has changed, it still felt the same, but everywhere you looked were tall glass buildings, skyscrapers that went beyond the clouds, and cars that appeared to be straight out of a sci-fy movie.

Once you were back home you plopped onto the couch.

"Steeeeve, please?" You held your foot up revealing the four inch heeled boots you'd been wearing the whole night, begging for Steve to take them off.

"Is this all I am to you? A glorified shoe remover?" He said as he crouched down and unzipped your left boot.

"No, you're also my jacket provider." You giggled as you wrapped the oversized leather jacket over your entire torso.

"You know I'll get it back." Steve was thankful you hadn't been too affected by the ice. You were still the fun, carefree, badass you'd always been and continued to lift his spirits with little moments like this. He couldn't help but smile looking at you wrap your arms protectively around his jacket, further burrowing yourself into the couch.

"Never!" You yelled as you covered yourself with a pillow, giggling as he attempted to get it from you. You and Steve moved quickly, wiggling free from the others grasp over and over again, each of you attempting to keep the jacket. You flipped behind the couch, landing lightly on your feet.

"Try as you may, we both know who's quicker on their feet, Stevie." You threw a blanket at his face and ran to your room, avoiding his blind grab.

"You really are a child, you know that!." Steve yelled out as he followed you to your room, quietly looking for a sign of where you hid.

You stifled a laugh from behind the door, watching him stalk about your room, quickly turning corners and checking under the bed.

"Oh no, I guess you're nowhere to be found. Guess I'l just have to wait in the living room for your- SURRENDER!" He screamed as he aggressively opened the door you'd had hidden behind.

"Gotcha." He lifted you up over his shoulder and ran to the living room, ducking under the doorframe as he went from room to room. He threw you on the couch, already bent over in laughter as you looked up shocked at him, you forgot he was actually strong underneath that dorky demeanor.

"Wow, those german steroids really did work, huh?" Another smile, and a head shake from Steve before he plopped down next to you on the couch.

"I thought me throwing a car at the Polish Hydra base would've made that obvious." He quipped back.

"Nah, that car barely weighed anything. It was a very light car, doesn't count."

"A light car? you're kidding right, you did hear the words that came out of your mouth?" More laughter erupted as the two of you talked and joked, a sense of ease overcoming the room. You were happy you had Steve to help you with all this. The being frozen in one time and thawed out in another, it was a lot, but having Steve with you made it less lonely.

"Yeah yeah okay Steven." You yawned, glancing at the time. "Steve! We almost forgot about our movie!" You jumped up for the remote, turning it on with a surprising quickness as you browsed the Netflix for a movie. "AGH! There's too many, you pick, I'm gonna get out of these clothes." You tossed him the remote and turned towards your room, suddenly remembering what you'd found at target earlier that day.

"Oh, and I've got a surprise for you, you're gonna LOVE it." You suppress a laugh, trying not to make it obvious about what you'd found.

Steve eyed you curiously, knowing you were up to something, and he was definitely NOT going to love it. You pranced away before he could say anything.

You ripped the clothes out of your bag, laughing to yourself as you pulled out the tank top and shorts, looking them over with pure glee as you thought about Steve's reaction. It was a blue tank top with a shield on the front reading 'My shield is no match for your heart' a weirdly accurate image of Steve and his shield, and grey shorts with red, white, and blue stars. You threw them on, and pulled up the matching knee high socks covered in the shield and stars. You walked through the long hallway.

"I found a movie, Austin Powers? It might be informational about the 60's, and the 90's. Looks good, don't know how much it will really-" Steve's words were forgotten as you strutted into the living room. You had to be kidding.

"What the hell is that?!" He asked, half annoyed, half flattered. You looked good, and were covered in, well, him. That doesn't sound right, but he knew what he meant.

"Oh, this? I'm embracing my country with open arms Stevie, get with the program!" You laughed as you sat down next to THE Captain America.

"He's a living legend, you know. Captain America, the heart and soul of this country. What every American should aspire to be. He saved us from the Nazi's and Hydra single handedly, never resting until he knew we were safe." You clutched your heart dramatically, fake fainting into his lap as you spoke.

"What would this country ever do without him?!" You tossed theatrically, clutching your imaginary pearls, trying to keep a straight face.

Steve didn't know whether to laugh, or fake throw up. He had been the talk of the town since he unfroze, thankfully SHIELD didn't give out your address, or you'd be swarmed with reporters just like they were every morning. Everything was Captain America now, cups, dog collars, car stickers. There wasn't a single thing he could think of that they hadn't added his face too. NOw they had this, Steve wouldn't be surprised if they Captain America themed lingerie.

"Haha, very funny (Y/N)." He looked down at your smiling face, thanking God he had somebody from the past.

"I know right?" You turned towards the TV, being too comfortable to actually change positions now. "What did you decide on again?" You said, yawning halfway throughout your question.

"Austin Powers. Let's see if you actually stay awake for this one." Steve chuckled, remembering how easily you fell asleep when the two of you watched movies.

Steve pressed play and started the movie. It was very confusing. He was sure the bad guy and the good guy were the same person, but somehow nobody said anything? And why was freezing and coming back apart of this movie? Did it just come out? Was this because of the two of you? The time changed too, and were they in London, was that really what London was like in the 60's? By the time Steve got any answers you were softly snoring in his lap, hands on top of the other under your head. He watched your chest rise and fall, admiring how peaceful you looked as you slept. He curled your hair behind your ear, eyes lighting up as you smiled in your sleep. Steve spent the rest of the movie half watching you, barely understanding the movie even though you would definitely be asking about it tomorrow morning. He couldn't help but think how tiring this must be for you. You had always been the caretaker, even out on mission you were constantly tending to the team, emotionally and physically. Some wounds never healed, but you always did your best, and the guys loved you like family for it. Steve knew this was no different, even if you hadn't been frozen, life after the war, losing Bucky, life would've taken a toll on you eventually, and though you were skilled in having others open up, talking about your emotions was not your strong suit. He knew this was weighing on you, having to adjust to such a different world. You were burying yourself in learning the new ways of the world and helping Steve adjust, that you never took time to grieve your old life.

Steve turned the tv off, he wasn't really paying any attention to it anyways. He wrapped an arm around your legs and your neck, carrying you down the  dark hall to your room. Smiling softly as you curled up into him, barely protesting the sudden change of position. He pushes your already open door wide enough for him to slip through. He bent down slightly, pulling your perfectly made sheets down low enough to slip you into them. He tucked you into bed, making sure you had an extra pillow for your arm, and made you comfortable. Steve turned to leave, but was quickly stopped by a sudden pressure on his arm. He was alarmed at first, but as he looked down, he saw your small hand on his forearm. He turned back, finding you groggy, but awake.

"Don't go, please." You pleaded, half awake you was braver than fully awake you. "I- The nightmares, I don't wanna deal with 'em tonight." You were always so happy during the day, so it pissed you off that at night you were kept up with terrifying nightmares, PTSD from the war, Bucky dying right in front of your eyes, freezing and being woken up seventy years later. You dreams were always a horrid mix of all the trauma you've endured, recently at least.

Steve couldn't say no to you, who knows the next time you'd actually ask for help. He placed his hand on top of yours, trying not to make it weird by overreacting. With his eyes crinkling at the corners, he motioned for you to scoot over. He pulled the covers back once again, sliding himself into bed next to you. To Steve's surprise you curled up right next to him, head on his chest and hand over his stomach, and began snoring almost immediately after he laid down. He closed his eyes, slowly drifting of to sleep too, he couldn't quite name the emotion he was feeling, but it sure was lovely.

Steve didn't wake until you started shaking. You were jerking in your sleep, body and head twitching in opposite sides as you mumbled various words to low for Steve to make out. He watched as your entire body tensed, convulsing as you attempted to fight an imaginary enemy, arms reeling. You're expressions bordering on being in pain, Steve wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into him. He dodged a couple of rouge punches and a very concerning headbut, but eventually he had entangled himself enough in you that you weren't able to fight him. He kissed the top of your head and rubbed your shoulder.

"Shhh (Y/N), you're safe. You're okay. Nothing's gonna happen to you while I'm around I promise." He repeated himself a number of times, trying to console your sleeping mind as best he could. He knew how to help, he knew what to say, he knew you wouldn't remember his help unless you woke up. You had them more often than you realized and Steve was always there for each and every one.

"Everything's okay (Y/N), you're safe, it's just us, I promise." Love exuded out of every word he said, you were his lifeline, and he was going to make damn well sure you'd be okay.

You woke up in the middle of your nightmare. Mind still racing from the horrific scene you'd dreamt, bombs, screams, explosions, the team crying for help, you fought like hell trying to save them, but failed every time. You could still hear the sounds, even wake you could hear them in the background as you fought an already defeated enemy. You froze, feeling strong arms around you, you tried to fight, you tried to free your arms, use your feet, anything you could think of until you heard his voice.

Steve.

"S-Steve?" Your voice was barely a whisper, low and frightened, you were sure Steve wouldn't even hear it.

"Yes (Y/N), I'm here, it's okay, you're okay." He squeezed you harder, giving your paranoid mind a rest as you buried your head into his shoulder. You cried, practically soaking his shirt with your terrified sobs. The dreams were always so real, and never the same. You never knew if it was going to be torture, or Bucky screaming that he never loved you. Regardless, they were always terrible and never came with a happy ending. You were relieved to have Steve there, he was warm, which is always a plus, and comforting. The two of you laid there until you ran out of tears.

"S-sorry." You wiped your nose, sniffling as you apologized for being so emotional. You tried so hard to keep everything to yourself, that when it slipped a little, everything comes tumbling down all at once.

"Nothing to be sorry for, just won't be wearing this shirt for the rest of the night." You felt Steve chest shake as he chuckled, warming you up from the inside out. You moved off of him so he could change, but he ended up just taking the shirt off and laying back down.

"You should be thanking me for not keeping that in your bed much longer." He teased. "Pretty sure I heard it dripping." You wiped the remaining tears away, grinning as his stupid words created a small amount of joy in your heart.

"Shut up." Was all you could manage to say. Thinking ill thoughts about Steve was difficult in general, but with his arms wrapped around you, holding you while you cried, playing with your hair, it seemed damn near impossible.

// I’m having so much fun with this concept and have so many ideas on where to take this, you’re gonna love it! Shoutout again to @lunathepettuna for being an awesome human being and inspiring me to write this, love you!!

Let me know what you guys think, what you’d like to see, and some crazy vocab words and I’ll write accordingly, thanks for the read, and may Odin bless you in all your endeavors! //

[faketextsfromlastmight]

Best of tags #4

A compilation of my favorite reactions to this blog.

@kumaoftheforest on Mirio inheriting One for All : (Link)

I honestly feel like Mirio’s clothes would get blown off every time he’d us OFA

Best Jeanist could take him on as a sidekick: he repairs clothes, Mirio destroys them. Don’t forget to recycle, kids!

@utsushimi-camie on All for One being an illegal experiment on a live subject: (Link)

#this hilarious to me because i joke about quirk ethics laws all the time

Oh god, I would pay good money to watch a courtroom drama set in a super-powered universe. Can you imagine how busy the jurists must be in a society where people have different abilities yet supposedly are equal in the eyes of the law? They would have to write new rules whenever a new quirk manifested. Complete juridistical nightmare. I think Pixar’s “The Incredibles” kind of touched on that with citizens suing superheroes for destroying buildings while battling supervillains, but it’s framed as them being whiny. It’s a cop-out, in my opinion. The concept of superheroics is deeply problematic from a political and legal point of view, not to mention the issue of secret identities.

Granted, Horikoshi does seem to imply that the laws of BNHA’s universe are indeed complicated. There’s a lot of red tape in place to prevent people from using their quirks in key situations. Shinsou was not able to integrate the hero course because his quirk doesn’t work on robots, but one has to wonder if the entrance exam wasn’t planned to exclude people with mind-control quirks on design. It’s tough determining in which situations people ought to get robbed of their free will, so my guess is that U.A. High saved itself the headache and made sure people like Shinsou failed the exam. Shady.

It’s also apparent in the Stain arc when the police conveniently decides to cover up the way Todoroki, Iida and Midoriya illegally used their quirks. It’s completely absurd that these young people would be punished for arresting a serial killer, so law enforcement agrees to look the other way. But that implies they also do that in certain circumstances for some of their men, which has unfortunate implications. Do the policemen in BNHA’s universe routinely use their quirks even though they’re not allowed to? Urgh.

There are a LOT of things wrong with the superheroic system as it stands today. Gran Torino even admits that he got his hero license so he could use his quirk more freely and that he doesn’t do actual hero work. Apparently no one is supervizing him. The more you look at it, the more you realize that people like Endeavor and (early-series) Bakugou are not exceptions. They’re the extreme examples of the worst behaviors the system encourages.

@meowmeowmin on Todoroki trying to bond with a fly: (Link)

Flies only live for 24 hours

Don’t tell him that! Do you want the entire area to get frozen?

@bandanagiggle on Kaminari buying a vuvuzela: (Link)

Ms Joke sold it to him

The fiend! Worse part is, she told him to serenade Jirou with it.

@iputthepaininpainting​ on a Todoroki/Bakugou household wife swap: (Link)

Actually I can see this being very good. Bakugo's dad has a nice cup of tea w/ Todoroki's mom so they can talk about how much they love their sons while Mitsuki puts the fear of god in Endeavor!! Good stuff!!!

Let’s hope the children aren’t involved in this, actually. Shouto is very reserved so Mitsuki would always assume he’s sulking or hiding something. Bakugou’s constant temper tantrums would also be difficult for Rei to handle given her aversion to violence. Or maybe I’m being too harsh on Bakugou? He canonically knows she has mental problems, so I imagine he’d make an effort to be less abrasive around her.

That being said, Mitsuki may make Endeavor even worse. The last thing he needs to learn is how to replace his illegal, horrific abusive behavior with socially accepted, casual corporal punishment. Mitsuki is problematic but only insofar as the way she treats Bakugou is something society accepts. Bakugou is violent because he was raised in an environment where violence is a tolerated form of expression. The way she educates her son is terrible but it’s fair to remember that no one really taught her any better (not even her husband).

@pikazuku on Bakugou’s hug deception: (Link)

#This could go two ways#I don't know which one is the true route

When I wrote this I intended Bakugou to actually be sick. So he’s contaminating Deku on purpose and sparing Kirishima. It’s funnier that way, at least in my opinion.

@jukeydragon on Toga being the only girl in the League of Villains: (Link)

#but#uraraka#what bout magne?

I’m assuming you haven’t read the later chapters of the manga.

LIGHT SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 OF “MY HERO ACADEMIA”:

Without explaining things in too much details, the League of Villains experience some changes in staff management to the point that Magne is no longer considered part of the League. That’s why Uraraka referred to Toga as “the only girl” in this post.

@pinkcandyphoenix on Midnight curing Eraserhead’s insomnia : (Link)

#Actually a Eraser head and midnight friendship would be really cute and wholesome#Bnha#I am tempted to write about it

As a dominatrix, Midnight is tough on crime and punishes any misbehavior in the strictest way imaginable. Eraserhead would definitely respect that. She falls into the same mold as Present Mic in that she looks like a buffoon but is actually very efficient and professional.

@hotforhandman on All For One being a better father figure than Shigaraki: (Link)

#😂😂😂 I don’t think afo is a good dad but this is funny

If All For One were a good dad, he would have told Tomura Shigaraki about chapstick. Joke aside, I do think that the worst aspects of Shigaraki’s personality (namely his petulance) were actually encouraged by All For One. He needs him to remain in a child-like state because his arrested development is deeply rooted in his devotion to his “Teacher”. The risk being that if Shigaraki matures, he might develop ideas of his own.

That’s probably why All For One is secretly satisfied to be in prison right now. Now that they’re separated, Shigaraki can grow as a leader without any risk of disagreeing with his mentor. In fact, his efforts to free All For One from prison will only make him more devoted. All For One needs Shigaraki to idealize him, not to see him for the piece of garbage he really is. Throughout the series we see that he actually remains pretty distant and communicates with Shigaraki through conference calls, which might be on design. He can’t let his pupil too close to him or the illusion of “good parenting” might be broken. The distance keeps Shigaraki yearning for his approval and affection.

@zerounitrgb on my answer to @eva-white-11‘s criticism: (Link)

I am... really tired of people interpreting everything as romantic/friendship. They didn’t choose their pairings, they stayed together because who splits up during an attack, and you’re right, Toko would probably go crazy for anyone that saved him and got hurt in the process. Not to mention Shouji is training to be a hero so he... you know... did his JOB.

Yes. That’s also why I have my own difficulties with Ochako/Bakugou and Todoroki/Yaoyorozu. I recognize that both boys acknowledged the girls were very good in combat and clever, but that’s not a compliment, that’s a fact. They’re just giving credit where credit is due. Although in Bakugou’s case Horikoshi was probably making a commentary on sexism (with Bakugou treating Ochako as an opponent first and a girl second), people tend to interpret them as him teasing a possible romantic connection. And that’s what unnerves him, actually; that our culture is so sexist that a man acknowledging a woman’s competence is automatically interpreted as romantic interest, because why would a guy compliment a girl on anything if he wasn’t trying to get into her pants?

My gripes end there. I actually like both ships, I just have issues with people presenting these interactions as “canonical” proof that Horikoshi is teasing anything romantic between these people. Characters compliment each other A LOT in “My Hero Academia”, it takes more than that to establish a relationship.

[weaselandfriends]

Hymnstoke XIV

Like Act 2, Act 4 opens with a walkaround game.

I didn't comment much on the game at the beginning of Act 2, despite it being one of those much-discussed multimedia elements that make Homestuck so distinctive. In Act 2, the movement from linear story to game serves several purposes. First, it demonstrates an increase in scope, both in terms of Homestuck's story and in relation to Hussie's previous effort, Problem Sleuth. While Act 1 incorporated a couple of new elements not seen in other MSPA comics, such as protagonists capable of speech and a handful of simple videos, the Act 2 walkaround is the first dramatic increase in what readers could have reasonably expected from the comic at the time.

Secondly, the novel concept of incorporating a game into the story corresponds to and emphasizes the novel concept of SBURB within the narrative of Homestuck. Just as the world in which John now finds himself is completely new and unexpected, so too are the readers introduced to this world through a new and unexpected medium. This world is even called the "Medium"—and surrounding a space (Skaia) described as a crucible of pure creation. I previously discussed the significance of SBURB's geography in regards to Gnosticism, but one could also interpret it as a statement on Homestuck as a creative enterprise. A crucible of pure creation through which a new world, or a new mode of expression, will be built. Like how John and friends attempt to create a new world from the fragments of the old, Hussie creates a new kind of story from the fragments of all types of storytelling that came before it. Image, text, video, sound, game—Homestuck strings together these disparate modes of expression into an original creation. In short, the method by which Homestuck is presented mirrors its explicit thematic content.

Wikipedia defines phenomenology as "the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness." Remember how I mentioned that the modernists were often concerned with the conscious and subconscious, and how many attempted to reach truth by depicting the subconscious? Similar concept here.

I was introduced to the term "phenomenology" in relation to art history. In particular, my professor applied the term to modernist painting and sculpture that was designed so that the act of experiencing it changes its meaning. Let's take the following sculpture:

"Sculpture?" you may ask. Yes, I know. It looks more like a misshapen industrial structure. The problem with this sculpture is that no single photograph can truly depict it. Here's the same sculpture from a different vantage:

Another:

Still another:

Top down:

Is this sculpture broader at the bottom or at the top? What shape is it, exactly? You can find this sculpture at the University of California, Los Angeles, and you can even go inside it through the opening visible in some of the photographs. Inside, it takes on a completely different appearance, although unfortunately I couldn't find any good pictures of the inside that didn't have a gigantic Getty Images watermark on them.

In art, this phenomenological experience often boils down to optical illusion or a similar technical trick that appears novel at first but lacks much substance beyond its presentation. What meaning can we derive from this experiment or others like it?

I believe that the phenomenological creations of the modernists eventually reached an apotheosis in a more contemporary form of creative expression: Video games.

The way the player perceives a video game, even a video game you might consider simplistic or linear, is directly affected by how the player plays the game. Take, say, Super Mario Bros. (1985) for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In this game, the player moves Mario left to right to reach a fixed goal. But even this game is affected immensely by the innumerable choices each player makes in playing the game. For an extreme example, compare how a speed run of Super Mario Bros. looks compared to any casual experience of the game. Some elements of the speed run even involve elements assuredly not intended by the game's creator (glitches, for instance). But even at a less extreme level, every player's experience of Super Mario Bros. will differ depending on the routes they take to reach the end, the strategies they employ to evade obstacles, or even the amount of times they die before finally succeeding.

Why do I bring this up? The concept of phenomenology ties into Homestuck's "reader participation" elements, both via the prompt suggestions early on and the more psychological effect the fandom has on Homestuck's development in its back half. Of these two "reader participation" elements, the latter is the one that is probably better described as "phenomenological," in that it is the readership's perspective of Homestuck that eventually drives its trajectory (as opposed to the prompt suggestions, from which Hussie could pick and choose at will). In the back half of Homestuck, the narrative plays more and more on the author's interpretation of the readership's interpretation of the narrative, becoming a perspectival mobius double reach-around where the true driver of the narrative's creation becomes increasingly unclear.

But more specifically, I want to discuss this walkaround game at the beginning of Act 4 in particular. Compared to the one at the beginning of Act 2, this walkaround is not increasing Homestuck's scope. John is entering a new location, but the experience is less novel than entering the Medium in Act 2, both in terms of John's perspective and the reader's. While the Act 4 walkaround features mechanical improvements (inventory, combat) over the Act 2 walkaround, it is still essentially the same thing: a video game. The reader has seen this before in Homestuck. It's not new.

I cannot speak for the experience of every reader, but each time I read Homestuck I am tempted to skip this walkaround entirely. The combat mechanics are banal, the camera is zoomed too close to John to allow for satisfying exploration of an unfamiliar world. In Act 2, the walkaround takes place in an area with which the reader is already geographically acquainted (John's house), so the camera issues are less apparent. But trying to navigate this twisting maze of blue paths, surrounded on all sides by nondescript rocks and mushrooms, can become frustrating. Even if I consult the supplementary map image, I find it somewhat difficult to figure out where I am and where I'm supposed to go.

Which is just the thing. The reader is not supposed to go anywhere. There is no real resolution to this walkaround. The same, in fact, can be said for every walkaround, and we will continue to get amazingly nonessential walkarounds in the acts to come. What does the reader miss if they skip this Act 4 walkaround? Some tedious exposition on the nature of John's planet, its consorts, its customs. Superfluous W O R L D B U I L D I N G that the Homestuck narrative is quick to forget from henceforth on.

It kind of makes me want to, shall we say, skip to the end.

In Act 5, Vriska and Tavros will discuss how the way one plays a game affects the way the game is perceived. Hardcore speed runner Vriska will take my side of the argument and skip what she can; Tavros, more in line with readers inclined to learn as much about SBURB's lore as possible, will argue instead for assiduously completing every task. This conflict—between speed and lore, content and fluff, meat and candy if you will—eventually becomes the core and final dichotomy of Homestuck. But in Homestuck's later stages, the characters and narrative will apply this dichotomy not to how we experience video games, but how we experience all art—and how we experience our actual lives. I intend to trace that development, and this walkaround serves as a fine introduction.

In a few years, Flash will be deprecated and you'll only be able to experience this walkaround through this series of images. I don't know who created these images, or whether laziness or incompetency made them so shitty and SBaHJ-esque. But I give that person props for maintaining that sense of "God this sucks, can I just skip it?" Good job, intern.

You switch to PICTIONARY, a choice based on a strong whim from the mysterious ethers of democracy.

Another one of those traps, like the suggestion prompts. Wow! The readers get to pick Jade's fetch modus! What an amazing display of reader/author interaction! Except Jade's fetch modus doesn't matter. In fact, as we transition into this next phase of the story, nobody's fetch modus will matter. The fact that all of Jade's possible fetch modii are total jokes only emphasizes the point.

I mentioned in the previous Hymnstoke that we're entering what I'm calling the "clockwork" part of Homestuck. In this part, Homestuck's audience has the least amount of control over its progression. While the suggestion prompts were mostly irrelevant because Hussie could pick whatever prompt he wanted, they occasionally paved actual story or character developments ("Become the mayor of Can Town") or formed memetic jokes that would mutate over the course of Homestuck into part of its mythos. And in Act 6, the immensity of the Homestuck fandom and its increasingly vocal demands will lead to a more subtle transition in what Homestuck becomes—the mobius double reach-around I mentioned previously. But here, in the clockwork part of the story, it's more Hussie than anywhere else. Of course it would be. It's Dirk, Hussie's analogue (connected via a series of motifs like horses and robotics), that comes to represent the Meat side of storytelling, that describes the way a story should be told as a perfect machine. An unfocused, nebulous gaggle of "readers" cannot hope to coordinate among themselves to create something so precise and efficient. Their strengths lie in different directions.

Ok, have at it! If you're at a loss, click the controller button up there.

This may or may not mean anything to you depending on your current perspective.

As it turns out, the story retreads everything that happens in the Act 4 walkaround anyway, making it even less relevant. Even Crumplehat and the Salamander Wizard appear as the walkaround's events are depicted from PM's perspective. This recap is actually pretty extensive, similar to the shitty SBaHJified image walkthrough that got put up in anticipation of Flash's deprecation.

I wonder if Hussie was self-conscious about people's patience for the walkaround? Or maybe he already anticipated Flash would not last forever? Perhaps he added this recap for accessibility reasons, in case of visually-impaired readers? Maybe he felt some new insight would come from seeing the same events replicated from a different character's viewpoint? Or maybe he simply wanted to reveal that the person speaking to John during the walkaround was PM instead of WV?

I'm doing exactly what I said I wouldn't do and trying to delve into Hussie's psyche. As it stands, the addition of this recap makes certain elements of the walkaround mandatory experiences for the reader to progress, as opposed to the walkaround itself which can be ended without experiencing anything. I'll leave the discussion by reiterating the second part of the quoted text:

This may or may not mean anything to you depending on your current perspective.

And I think it's safe to say our "current perspective" is much different than those who read this first.

[meditativeyoga]

`Creative` is having the divine spark

Creativity has nothing to do with any kind of activity specifically-- with painting, verse, dancing, singing. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything in particular.

Anything can be creative-- you bring that high quality to the task. Task itself is neither innovative neither uncreative. You can repaint in an uncreative means. You can sing in an uncreative means. You could clean the floor in an innovative method. You could cook in an imaginative way.

Creativity is the high quality that you bring to the task you are doing. It is a perspective, an inner technique-- how you look at things.

So the initial thing to be born in mind is: do not restrict imagination to anything particularly. A male is imaginative-- as well as if he is creative, whatsoever he does, also if he strolls, you could see in his walking there is creative thinking. Even if he rests quietly and does absolutely nothing, also non-doing will certainly be an innovative act. Buddha, resting under the Bodhi Tree not doing anything, is the best maker the world has ever known.

Once you comprehend it-- that it is you, the individual, that is innovative or uncreative-- then this issue disappears.

Not everybody could be a painter, and also there is no demand likewise. If everyone is a painter the world will certainly be very hideous, it will be tough to live. And also not everyone could be a dancer, as well as there is no requirement. Yet everybody can be creative.

Whatsoever you do, if you do it happily, if you do it lovingly, if your act of doing it is not purely economical, then it is creative. If you have something outgrowing it within you, if it provides you development, it is spiritual, it is creative, it is divine.

You ended up being much more magnificent as you become much more innovative. All the religions of the globe have actually stated: God is the designer. I aren't sure whether he is the creator or not, but one thing I understand: the more creative you come to be, the more Godly you end up being. When your creative thinking concerns an orgasm, when your whole life comes to be creative, you live in godliness.

Love what you do. Be reflective while you are doing it-- whatsoever it is, pointless of the fact of just what it is.

Creativity suggests loving whatsoever you do-- taking pleasure in, commemorating it, as a present of presence! Possibly nobody comes to recognize about it. The value is intrinsic.

So if you are searching for popularity as well as obtain imaginative-- also if you come to be as popular as Pablo Picasso-- you will certainly miss it. You are, in truth, not creative at all: you are a politician, enthusiastic. If fame occurs, excellent. If it does not occur, excellent. It needs to not be the factor to consider. The consideration should be that you are enjoying whatsoever you are doing. It is your love-affair.

If your act is your love-affair, then it ends up being innovative. Tiny points end up being excellent by the touch of love and also delight.

The questioner asks: "I believed I was uncreative." If you rely on in this way, you will become uncreative-- since belief is not just belief. It opens up doors or it closes doors. If you have an incorrect belief, then that will hang around you as a closed door. If you believe that you are uncreative, you will end up being uncreative-- because that belief will certainly block, continually negate, all opportunities of streaming. It will not enable your energy to stream because you will constantly say: "I am uncreative."

This has been shown to everybody. Few individuals are accepted as imaginative: A couple of painters, a couple of poets-- they are one in a million. This is foolish! Every person is a born creator. Watch youngsters and you will certainly see: every one of them are imaginative. Soon, we ruin their creative thinking. Soon, we force wrong beliefs on them. By and by, we sidetrack them. Soon, we make them a lot more and a lot more economical, political and ambitious.

When ambition enters, creativity vanishes-- because an ambitious guy could not be imaginative, because an ambitious man could not enjoy any kind of task for its very own sake. While he is painting he is looking in advance, he is thinking, 'When am I getting a Nobel Reward?' When he is creating a novel, he is looking in advance. He is always in the future however a creative individual is constantly in the present.

We destroy creative thinking. No one is born uncreative, but we make 99 per cent of individuals uncreative.

But just throwing the responsibility on the society is not going to help, you need to take your life in your very own hands. You have to go down all incorrect conditionings. You have to go down wrong, hypnotic auto-suggestions that have been offered to you in your youth. Drop them! Cleanse yourself of all conditionings ... and suddenly you will certainly see you are creative.

To be and also to be imaginative are synonymous. It is difficult to be and not to be creative. Yet that difficult point has taken place, that hideous phenomenon has actually taken place, since all your creative resources have been plugged, blocked, ruined, as well as your whole power has been compelled into some task that the culture thinks is mosting likely to pay.

Our entire perspective about life is money-oriented. And also loan is one of one of the most uncreative things one can become interested in. Our entire method is power-oriented as well as power is damaging, not innovative. A man that wants money will become damaging, due to the fact that cash has actually to be burglarized, exploited, it has actually to be removed from lots of individuals, only after that can you have it. Power merely suggests you have to make lots of people impotent, you need to destroy them-- only after that will certainly you be powerful, could you be powerful.

Remember: these are damaging acts. An imaginative act improves the beauty of the world, it gives something to the world, it never ever takes anything from it. A creative person enters into the globe, improves the elegance of the world-- a tune here, a painting there. He makes the world dance better, delight in far better, love much better, practice meditation better. When he leaves this world, he leaves a better globe behind him. No one could know him, someone may understand him-- that is not the point. He leaves the world a far better world, significantly satisfied because his life has been of some inherent value.

Money, power, status, are uncreative, not only uncreative, yet damaging tasks. Be careful of them! And if you are cautious of them you could come to be creative really easily. I am not stating that your creative thinking is mosting likely to give you power, stature, money. No, I could not guarantee you any kind of rose-gardens. It may provide you trouble. It might compel you to live a pauper's life. All that I could promise you is that deep inside you will certainly be the wealthiest male possible, deep inside you will certainly be met, deep inside you will certainly contain joy and celebration. You will certainly be continually obtaining a growing number of blessings from God. Your life will certainly be a life of benediction.

But it is feasible that ostensibly you could not be famous, you could not have money, you may not do well in the supposed world. To succeed in this supposed globe is to fail deeply, is to fail in the within globe. And also just what are you going to do with the entire world at your feet if you have lost your own self? Exactly what will you do if you have the entire globe and you don't possess on your own? An innovative person has his very own being, he is a Master.

That's why in the East we have been calling sannyasins as swamis. The word swami suggests a master. Beggars have actually been called swamis, masters. Emperors we have actually recognized, however they showed in the final account, in the final verdict of their lives, that they were beggars. A guy that is after loan as well as power as well as stature is a beggar, due to the fact that he continuously asks. He has nothing to provide to the world.

Be a giver. Share whatsoever you can! And keep in mind, I am not making any type of difference between little things and also terrific points. If you can smile whole-heartedly, hold somebody's hand and also smile, after that it is an imaginative act, a wonderful creative act. Simply welcome somebody to your heart and you are innovative. Simply look with caring eyes at someone ... simply a loving appearance can change the entire globe of a person.

Be innovative. Don't be bothered with just what you are doing-- one has to do many points-- yet do everything artistically, with commitment. Your job becomes praise. After that whatsoever you do is a prayer. And also whatsoever you do is an offering at the altar.

Drop this idea that you are uncreative. I know exactly how this idea is created: you may not have actually been a gold medallist in the college, you could not have actually been top in your class, your paint may not have actually won appreciation, when you use your flute, neighbors report to the authorities. Maybe - yet just because of these things, don't get the incorrect belief that you are uncreative. That could be since you are mimicing others.

People have an extremely limited concept of exactly what being creative is-- they think it is only around playing the guitar or the flute or writing verse-- so individuals go on creating rubbish in the name of poetry. You need to discover exactly what you can do as well as just what you can refrain from doing. Everybody could refrain from doing everything! You have to search as well as discover your fate. You have to grope at night, I know. It is not very well-defined exactly what your fate is-- however that's just how life is. And also it excels that a person needs to search for it, since in the really search, something grows.

A Sudden Clash of Thunder/Courtesy Osho International Foundation/www. osho.com

[britneyshakespeare]

This is a pre-ask for you to answer if you'd like to after you've seen ffh. What are your thoughts?

Okay so I saw it yesterday now!!! I thought it was great honestly. I’m not gonna go into spoilers, but it was a LOT more satisfying an experience than Homecoming was, when I was walking out of it. I’m gonna try to keep this spoiler-free, but that post-credits scene was GAME-CHANGING, and the whole movie improved on almost everything they introduced. I still feel Benbaited a bit but the way they tried to Benify Tony made a lot more sense in this movie, I guess; it’s still not the same but the emotional notes they were hitting, resonated within the context of the movie. The humor was ON POINT, felt like a very likable lighthearted movie. 

The only thing that I really disliked was how rushed the relationship w Zendaya was; I was hoping it’d be more slow-burney. By the end of Homecoming MJ simply peeled back enough of her trying-too-hard cool-girl attitude to admit she felt like she had made friends, and then at the beginning of the movie Peter is already talking about how he has a big crush on her? Like HER crush on Peter made enough sense to be established already; Peter had almost NO attitude towards MJ in the entirety of Homecoming one way or another, she faded into the background in his eyes by design. And I can believe it enough that their friendship would’ve strengthened somewhat between movies... but HOW? It’s not really shown or implied. How did Peter start liking MJ other than that she realized “uhm she’s pretty and funny”? How is that any deeper than the original crush he had on Liz in Homecoming, which was obviously just an immature little boy’s crush on the popular girl? Peter, we’re meant to suppose, likes MJ for who she is but... we don’t really get to see who she is, in his eyes, anymore than we did in Homecoming. She’s still mostly closed off. There’s just more sweaty puppy acting on Tom Holland’s part this time. I like her as a character (though I still would’ve preferred they just LET ZENDAYA BE MARY JANE WATSON) and I like their relationship, but it felt undercooked. I’m rooting for them mostly because I like the actors, and I like the IDEA of these characters separately and as a couple, and I know that I’m supposed to be rooting for them for the future of these movies, and I’m rooting for the future of these movies, because I love the character of Spider-Man. That’s essentially what it is. With any less, I don’t think I would’ve cared that much.

I also REALLY loved this version of Mysterio. I was worried about him a little bit, but I figured if the writers had any brains they’d go in a direction like.......... well I said I’d try to be spoiler-free. Mysterio was way better than I was expecting! But this is the best adaptation of a Spider-Man villain we’ve seen, at least this entire decade. They changed some stuff from the source material but I don’t really mind because what we got still felt very much in spirit of the character. “Accuracy” is less important to me, in judging a good Spider-Man movie, than tone.

I have more spoilery thoughts I could share, and I’m kinda tempted too but... maybe later. I have a lot of different mini essays I could write, in a series of posts, if I were to go into spoilers.

Oh, I guess one last thing I didn’t like. I don’t care for Cool Young Carefree Aunt May. It doesn’t do anything for me. They’re not replacing the concern she has for Peter with anything substantial in this movie. Like that’s his mom FFS. They don’t have to make her a frail old lady again but can she like... give a shit? About anything? The fact that her nephew who she raised like a son all his life is constantly in life-threatening danger? She has to have SOME feelings on what he does, right? Pent up? Conflicted? COME ON I don’t know what they’re trying to get at with her, for real.

Thank you for asking my opinion though!!!!! I want to see it again, I don’t know if that’ll be in theaters but I’ll definitely have to look at more on a second viewing.

[ingpiner]

Bronze rust oleum spray paint

BRONZE RUST OLEUM SPRAY PAINT FULL

Shop our vast selection of products and best online deals. 2 Adjustable and flexible arms: this black and gold sputnik chandelier can adjust the angle of arms as per your request so it can be showed multi displays according to your desired lighting view The right ceiling light can pull a room together with the perfect combination of function and style. Low profile LED ceiling lighting is also ideal in spaces with limited height, such as bedrooms, laundry rooms, and closet areas. Light up everything from hallways to kitchens with our collection of ceiling light fixtures. Made from metal in a sleek gold finish, it features a circular body with 12 vertical arms to create a striking sputnik-inspired, drum-like silhouette. Like a dancing ballerina twirling on your home dance floor, this modern semi-flush mount ceiling light features a classic black silhouette with a delicate crystal shade and a classical drum design that is eye-catching and gorgeous Drum shape semi-flush mount light dimension: 12.5-in W 12.5-in D 9.5-in H, canopy size: 5-in diameter Adjustable 6-Light Black Iron Sputnik Chandelier With Smoked Glass by A Touch of Design (6) $260 $339. Showcasing a striking silhouette sparked, this six-light sputnik chandelier brings a splash of mid-century modern style as it boosts the brightness in any arrangement.

BRONZE RUST OLEUM SPRAY PAINT FULL

A Microsoft 365 subscription offers an ad-free interface, custom domains, enhanced security options, the full desktop version of Sputnik (89) Beaded (46) Empire (269) Materials. If you are not satisfied with the final shipping cost, unfortunately, we may have to issue a full refund and cancel your order.$209.09. If you are located in a remote area and/or purchase goods that are very heavy or bulky (e.g paint tins, heavy metal products, gap fillers, extension poles etc.), delivery price might vary. **In some cases we might contact you regarding delivery price. Please contact us for an ETA on deliveries of specific Wallpaper patterns. For remote locations, due to the nature of the goods being sent we cannot guarantee express post delivers and this will be noted to you when you place your order. All Freight is done through Direct Freight and Australia PostĮxpress deliveries are packed to send the same day if the order is before 12pm and next day if after 12pm.Įxpress deliveries are 1 to 3 business days for all metro cities on the eastern seaboard and Adelaide and up to 5 business days for NT and WA orders. This time frame does not include Wallpaper deliveries or items on backorder. Our sales team will then email you with a link and tracking number for you to keep track of your item delivery. Once you place your order, we will pack and book your parcel to be sent via our courier or Australia Post. Metro locations can take up to 7 business days and if you’re in Sydney it should not take more than 3 business days. For goods that are classified “Dangerous Goods” such as paints, thinners and anything flammable, these good can only be taken by a road carrier and can take up to 10 business days in remote locations. These may range from other carriers, a different postage type or direct courier delivery.ĭelivery can range from 3-6 days for most parts of Australia. If your items fall outside our weight restrictions or there is any change in the price, we will give you a call to discuss other options. Paint World use a flat rate charging system for delivery (shown below). To obtain a quote and see how long it will take to get to your location, please call our sales team with the items you are looking to purchase and we will be able to provide you with those estimates. Paint World uses Australia Post and Direct Freight. – The entire order will be withheld until out of stock items return to stock. When the unavailable items become available they will then be sent separately. – The stock will be sent without the items that are unavailable. If a particular stock is unavailable for dispatch within the above time frames, customers will be notified and either: Paint World will aim to dispatch your order within three business days.