#often based on the chemistry of the main team

[firebirdsdaughter]

Have I mentioned today…

… how much I love Nate and Eliot?

[rabbit-surfboard]

Fictional podcast recs

One of my friends got into audio drama and I just sent them a whole list of recommendations to go through, I thought someone who follows these tags might also appreciate it and perhaps have some more to throw in. I resisted the urge to throw in the little blurb about audio dramas as a weird little medium and their tropes that I wrote up. It was something to the effect of nodding at how the medium has rapidly been improving since Welcome to Nightvale started, also how a lot of the tropes that tie the medium together are products of the indie podcast scene being accessible and primarily based in audio. Also at how well horror works in the format. Those paragraphs went unsaved but writing first about the medium in general helped me to reflect on a lot of the things that make audiodramas appealing or repulsive to me for discussing each show in brief beyond just explaining what they're about.

All recommendations are tagged for the tldr.

Fiction podcast recommendations in no particular order:

The Magnus Archives

Horror

The biggest criticism I ever had of this podcast’s voice acting from episode 1 turned out to be a relevant plot point. This thing is probably the best of the best, but I would never recommend it to someone unfamiliar with podcasts because the listener only notices a plot hook somewhere between episodes 20-40 and that’s daunting in the face of a 200 episode show. Getting sucked in rewards you with 200 episodes of thoughtful content and a great explanation for most of the weird things this show chooses to incorporate.

Old Gods of Appalachia

Horror

Fantastic production quality on this ongoing show. Many seasons with interconnected lore and a hell of a narrator. It’s not my personal favorite but it’s quite excellent.

Red Valley

Found footage mystery

One of the newer shows I’ve gotten into, Red Valley is well-crafted. It becomes compelling very quickly with a rapid pace that slows down to land in a neat spot for a while so you can savor the cool parts. The production quality is excellent and the two main voice actors have excellent chemistry. The third and final season is currently being produced.

The Silt Verses

Horror

Often compared to American Gods, this newer podcast made by an experienced team is doing a lot of creative and fresh things at once. The magnificently fucked up religious system of The Silt Verses is both a neat plot vehicle and cleanly works as a criticism of late stage capitalism, where many podcasts like to jab at capitalism this one is much more pointed in its commentary. Episodes are long and very well produced. All the credits in the third season have been mostly diegetic and add flavor to the world.

Archive 81

Found footage horror

Slow to start but by season 2 the production quality and plot are among the best in the game. Unfortunately, on an extended hiatus.

Ars Paradoxica

Science fiction, historical

Very well produced considering its age, this is a highly regarded show among people who follow the medium. Excellent time travel mechanics here. The plot drags a bit by the end because time travel stories must violently contort themselves into a conclusion, but the first season or two are fantastic and it’s always nice to have an ending instead of interminable hiatus.

Caravan

Gay demons n stuff

Showed up, did magic and gay shit, disappeared and went on hiatus probably with some kinda unsatisfying cliffhanger seeing as I don’t remember the plot. Could I recommend it in good faith? Not until they at least cough up season 2. I don’t remember it being bad and that alone is notable for the medium.

Mabel

Gothic horror

This is the deepest cut on the list except for maybe Caravan. Lesbians pine at each other for increasingly complicated reasons, eventually devolving into them doing datura and then spewing cryptic poetry together for the rest of their days. The production quality is fair. The slow windup and creepy house are American-gothic af. This show has had a few hiatuses, but each time it comes back significantly more intriguing.

Welcome to Nightvale

Goofy spooky news broadcast

Old and iconic, not very consistent. Sometimes explores emotional, tense, spooky, or funny scenes well, but the show is really focused on being local news for an ooky spooky desert town because Cecil is damn good at his job. Don’t come here looking for plot, it’s a fun vibe and I don’t know that anybody’s ripped it off and notably improved on this classic. Above average production quality for its time which improved through the years.

Alice isn’t Dead

USA road trip, horror

Made by at least one of the Nightvale writers, totally different show with a lesbian trucker making wry observations of some magnificently twisted shit seen around the United States. The producers know how to run a show, so the production is pretty good.

Tanis

Found footage horror

Tanis is not good. However, it was the first fiction podcast to make me ask “Is this real?” and hesitantly believe it for a frankly embarrassing number of episodes. The stories in the first season were interesting and the lore is just some big-tent conspiracy style of cramming a bunch of fun Wikipedia research into what turns out to be an increasingly nonsensical plot. Every season after the second, I return to hate-listen and am gaslit into thinking the show might low-key rock a few episodes before the finale, which is routinely frustrating and makes sure to throw out any good plot points Terry Miles comes up with. The acting is routinely terrible, and the frame narrative allows lazy and frequent retcons, ruining what I think is a good premise. Also it’s incomplete.

The Black Tapes

Horror

Terry Miles started this show before Tanis began releasing about 5 months later. I think of it as one of his earlier works because it behaves like Tanis with an added layer of cringe from a time waster of an awkward romance(?) between the two main characters. I couldn’t finish this show. You won’t see this recommended as often as it used to be online because there’s many better shows now, but this used to be a big deal. There’s a bunch of memes making fun of the annoying cadence of the characters’ speech and iconic sponsorship reads in both this and Tanis. If you’re interested in some cringe atop your creepypasta podcast, the two are interchangeable.  

Rabbits

ARG investigation

Not as horror focused as Terry Miles’ other shows, the cringe is dialed down and the show is better for it. Tanis and The Black Tapes are more well known, I think the only reason more people don’t think about this one is because the first two don’t inspire trust in the production or narrative quality of this show, but I remember it being fine for a season. I have not gone back to catch up now that more is out.

Malevolent

Horror

Inspired by The King in Yellow, one man performs two voices and verbally abuses himself with aplomb. Having a blind main character with an extra voice in his head is a frame story I haven’t heard yet (unless it came up in the magnus archives and I don’t remember), the concept works out great for the frame of a podcast to deploy the environmental imagery that foley cannot communicate. It also prevents the podcast trope of lengthy exposition about visual surroundings from sounding awkward or potentially impacting someone’s character development to show setting.

Wolf 359

Comedy, science fiction

A crew of whacky characters is stuck in deep space, hanging out and researching a star. Since that’s not actually very interesting they crack jokes and fuck around for a slow burn until interesting stuff happens. Good but not great, this one is long and satisfying and a bit less heavy than all the horror this medium often focuses on. Decent production quality.

The White Vault

Found footage horror

I lost patience with this podcast even though the overarching story seemed very cool – it progresses very slowly yet appears to grow bigger and more confusing instead of deigning to answer basic questions for a frustratingly long drag through the first four seasons. I worry that this frustration may be the point and the Patreon gated stories are the drivers for this tendency towards the confusing patchwork of ideas this show communicates. The production quality is good though.

The Left Right Game

Found footage horror

Genuinely great reddit creepypasta got turned into an overproduced podcast – I say “over” in comparison to the voice acting quality because it’s kind of impossible to sell some of the lines, which makes sense considering the source. Brief, complete, punchy, interesting, and just a little odd to hear such a clean production but a creepypasta this fun deserves the effort.

Wooden Overcoats

Comedy

Surprisingly good production quality for its age, and also a refresher from the usual tropes of the medium. Just a chill sitcom about a funeral parlor in a small town. I haven’t finished this 4 season show yet but its good.

The Black List Table Reads

Movie script readings

Some movie scripts just short of making the cut to be turned into a full Hollywood production were well liked enough by a group of film nerds that sat down to act them out as a podcast. Half of the episodes are interviews with screenwriters, and the other half see a script read all the way through by actors. They’re all rejected for different reasons so there’s a pretty broad spread of genres. My favorites were Blood From a Stone and Balls Out.

[futbol16]

Like Ale ・ Alexia Putellas

Based on this request, hope you'll like it!

Request: "can you write one for Alexia? Reader and Alexia used to be Barcas force with Ale being a middy and reader being a forward. Reader has always been a free spirit on the field. Pulling tricks, tackling and doing insanly fast sprints. So before Alexias injury they would always lead Barca to a win if they were on the pitch together. Now that Alexia is out with her ACL Reader has to carry Barca to a win on her own. Not only that but being just as famous and great play footballer as Alexia, the management puts the reader up for Tons of Media duty. Revolving in stressed reader trying to live up to everyones expections."

Word count: 1,9k

La Reina y La Pistola, that is the name the fans of the football world have given the two of you. You and Alexia live and breathe Barca, your loyalty to the club obvious to those around you, especially yours as you had grown up in La Maisa. 

Your chemistry with la Reina on the pitch is what more often than not led your team to a win. The two of you were a force to recon with. Alexia being the midfielder, setting the pace of the game, keeping possession of the ball and assisting goals, and you being the forward who received those assists and sent them to the back of the net.

 Although you did a pretty good job at shooting on goal, your goal ratio being a solid 0.76 goal per game, you also were known as a free spirit on the field. Switching up the usual role of a forward and showing off your ball control skills, sometimes attempting a tackle and your explosive speed, hence the nickname La Pistola. 

However with your partner in crime being out due to injury, you had taken on the role of being the team’s captain. But your connection with the brunette wasn’t only for the pitch, she was your main confidant and you were hers. 

Your team’s main focus was to win everything and anything there was to win, but with being a popular professional athlete came the importance of media duties. You were often called in for interviews or media day videos as a co-captain but also because of your fluency in English, something that allowed the Barca tv to reach more than just the Spanish Culers. 

That is where you were right now as well, sat in front of cameras with Ingrid next to you. Media days could be fun and you were glad today was one of those instead of a draining one, you were still tired from the promotion you had to shoot the other day with one of Barcelona’s sponsors. 

Right now though you let yourself relax as you joked back and forth with the Norwegian, enjoying yourselves. The two of you were currently being shown edits made by fans, this one about Ingrid and Mapi’s relationship. 

“Aww, she’s blushing!” you exclaimed as you squished one of her cheeks, laughing as she swatted your hands away.

“Just wait until we get to yours!” Soon you were shown another video, this one indeed being about you and you groaned aloud. You were sure it would yet again be a video of you falling over stray balls in training.

“Oh Y/N you’re gonna want to see this one.” Ingrid smacked at your shoulder and you leaned over as the video started playing again.

You know you wanna be fast like Mbappe,

You know, shoot like Ronaldo,

Pass like Messi, be dominant like Zlatan.

But man, I wanted to be like Y/N L/N.

You watched the video with a surprised look, you would have never thought people would compare you to some of the best in the sport. It filled you with immense pride, but at the same time you suddenly had an uneasy feeling.

Are you really that good? Or are they just saying it because Alexia can’t play right now? Was your football good enough?

You couldn’t let those thoughts eat away at you though, not like you really had time for your own thoughts anyways.

Between being busy getting the team ready for the champions league qualifications and friendlies while also having to worry about Jorge and the Spanish national team, you barely had the energy to change into pajamas at the end of the day. 

You were exhausted to say the least, but it seemed to be paying off. The girls were on fire and the new additions on the team seemed to be settling in well as well. As captain, it was your job to help them adjust to everything so you had mandatory team bonding every Friday night.

It helped the girls unwind from the stress of the week while also having fun in each other’s company. You loved it, you truly did because you wanted nothing but the best for this team. But it was becoming incredibly difficult to show up to these team bondings with the busy schedule you seemed to have.

ElClásico was just as important in the women’s game as in the men’s and the team was hyped as they made their way onto the field,with you at the very beginning of the line.

Barca was immediately off to a wonderful start with Ana scoring a goal not even five minutes into the game and you soon sent your own shot into the back of the net in the 27th minute.

Living up to your nickname your celebration was you imitating a pistol and shooting it at Misa before jumping into Irene's open arms.

The game ended with a 4-0 win for Barca and for a second you stood with the rest of the team, ecstatic over the victory until you made eye contact with the Real goalkeeper. 

Was 4 goals enough? You surely could’ve sent at least one more goal in there. You should have tried harder to have your name twice on the scoreboard.

Although these heavy thoughts were clouding your mind, you forced a big smile on your face as Alexia, Jana and a few of the others celebrated with you all.

It didn’t take long for the team to notice the way you were distancing yourself, pushing them away unless you were at training.

You weren’t taking your duties as a captain lightly, but with the amount of media appearances you’ve been having, you simply couldn’t take more human interaction than necessary. 

Making her way out of the locker room, Mapi stood at the entrance of the field as she watched you shoot ball after ball into the net from the penalty box and the halfline.

It was at least 40 minutes after training but you didn't seem to care, you probably didn’t even notice your friend watching you with a worried expression. She sighed before turning to go home knowing that she wouldn’t be able to convince you to follow and rest as well.

She needed to figure out a way to get to you.

Walking into the locker room the next day you stilled in your step as you were met with the whole team sitting there already.

Were you late? You couldn’t be late as captain of the team. 

Glancing at your phone, your face scrunched up in confusion. 

“Training doesn’t start for a good half hour.” Frido spoke up as if reading your thoughts.

“Yes, but we have something we need to talk about.” Claudia added as she looked up at you and you moved over to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. You were worried she might have picked up a small injury with how much she had been tackled at the game against real madrid.

“We’re worried about you, Y/N. You’re clearly overworking yourself and you also look like you haven’t slept in days.” Okay, that was not what you were expecting.

“First of all, thank you Patri, I appreciate the compliment. Second of all, I’m fine and there’s nothing to worry about.” you started as you moved over to your own spot, putting your stuff down and changing into your training gear. 

For a second the whole locker room was silent as they watched you before it erupted in chaos as everyone voiced their concerns regarding you.

“You’re doing extra training AFTER your extra training!”

“You haven’t been to team bonding in the last two weeks!”

“You’ve canceled any plans we’ve tried to make with you!”

“You closed yourself off, you’re not letting any of us in and we just want to help you.”

The last sentence was spoken so softly that you couldn’t hold the tears back anymore, the exhaustion forcing your emotions out. 

The Barca shirt is still clutched in your hand as your shoulders slump forward before you let yourself fall into your seat, holding your head in your hands.

The girls watch the scene unfolding in front of them, they didn’t know if you’d let them close.

The second a tear rolls down your cheek though, Irene and Mapi are beside you, your best friend and mentor pulling you into their bodies.

They hold you tight as you cry, Claudia and Patri also making their way over as they try to be physically close to you and soon the whole team joins the group hug.

“I’m sorry girls, I’m sorry it’s just everything is overwhelming right now. Everything that Ale and I had to do together, I now have to do alone and it’s so so tiring, I’m so tired.” you admit, burying your head into the crook of someone’s neck.

God, you missed them and you missed their hugs. You’ve been missing out on all of the affection with how busy you’ve been.

“But why not let us help you? Why are you driving yourself to the limits?” Ingrid questions.

“It seemed easier to just do it on my own. I was scared that the fans would think I’m not working hard enough and I didn’t want to let you guys down, I wanted to be the best captain, like Ale.”

Suddenly a throat is cleared from behind all of you and you look towards the entrance of the changing room where Alexia has been standing, unbeknownst to you all she has listened to everything that has been said.

She makes her way over to you and the group seems to part as they let her through before she’s standing right in front of you, reaching to cup your cheeks and wiping away at the remaining of your tears.

“You’re doing better than I ever could have Y/N. The team is striving, you haven’t lost a single match yet and you’re holding up perfectly without me out there on the pitch with you! You have nothing to worry about.” she assures you, and you swallow hard.

“But I miss you there.” it comes out as a whisper and the team has to stop themselves from cooing at the admission and the obvious heart eyes with which you were staring up at Alexia.

“I know bébé, I miss you guys too, I miss you too. But you all are doing better than ever and your hard work is showing on the pitch.” she says to the team, though still not letting go of your face.

She turns back to you, gently placing her forehead on yours and your eyes flutter shut at having her close again. “And I’m so incredibly proud of you mi amor.” she tells you and before you could answer, you feel soft lips on your own and you pull her closer to you.

The kiss is probably more passionate than necessary, especially with your teammates watching, but the girls cheer loudly for the two of you. You pull away with a smile resting on your face, Alexia beaming down at you.

Being captain was exhausting and it would be like that for a while until Alexia could come back and the two of you would share the stress of the media, but you wouldn’t change it for the world if it meant being a part of this team and having the girls by your side.

[northstarco]

─── WHEREVER I GO, FOREVER

⟡﹐ꊞ niko's fun facts !

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 001 ⋆ niko was born in brisbane, queensland, australia on a royal navy base. his father is a naval officer and his mother is a violin instructor, they met while he was deployed in thailand, and, (with heavy quotes) "fell in love at first sight".

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 002 ⋆ he lived with both of his parents in australia for 11 years until 2006, when he moved to thailand with his mom upon their divorce, he would see his father on only special occasions, but as he got older, he became a lesser figure in his life.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 003 ⋆ niko's dominant hand is his left hand, but he writes and draws with his right hand. he isn't ambidextrous, he just taught himself how to do most things with his right hand in his youth.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 004 ⋆ when he was living in chiang mai, he was in a dance team with five other boys from his school. they would do covers of kpop songs (specifically of the groups 2pm, bigbang, shinee, and h.o.t) either after school or on the weekend. even after he moved to a whole other country and became an idol, he's still close to his former teammates, they're all his best friends in the whole entire world.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 005 ⋆ niko can play only 4 instruments. the guitar (both electric & acoustic), the drums, the clarinet, and the violin. his mom taught him how to play three whilst he learned how to play the drums on his own.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 006 ⋆ he has a poster of the british rock band QUEEN in his room, which was a gift from somebody at a fansign. he originally wanted to give the poster back, thinking that the fan had given it to him by mistake, but they insisted it was for him to keep, so now it hangs on the wall right above his desk.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 007 ⋆ he says the first ever idol group he was ever truly interested in was baby v.o.x, his favorite member at the time was eunhye.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 008 ⋆ niko has a bombay cat named susi, who he adopted in 2014. she is his favorite being in the whole entire world.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 009 ⋆ niko has his bachelor's degree in computer engineering, which he received from the hankuk university of foreign studies.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 010 ⋆ niko loves science. he was always exceptionally better at science than any of his other subjects at school, and it's his specialty besides music, and he has a lot of knowledge on chemistry and psychics. science was always his favorite subject whilst geography was his least favorite.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 011 ⋆ niko loves baking, and he enjoys it more than cooking. while he can cook, he says it stresses him out whilst baking relaxes him. according to yangyang, he makes the best strawberry shortcake.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 012 ⋆ niko's favorite artists are rina sawayama, sza, beyoncé, 2pm, lee hyori, abba, and kendrick lamar.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 013 ⋆ his favorite songs are tokyo love hotel by rina sawayama, again & again by 2pm, listen to my heart by boa, and all up in your mind by beyoncé.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 014 ⋆ niko is known for his lyrical ability, and he has songwriting credits on 5 of nct 127's albums.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 015 ⋆ songs he is in the lyrical credits for include knock on from regular-irregular, make your day and boom from nct #127 neo zone, sticker and focus from sticker, and je ne sais quoi from fact check, and though not official, he also aided in the writing process for songs like cherry bomb.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 016 ⋆ he is often referred to as a "ghost" because of how he just disappears for long amounts of time. he never posts daily on any of social media and there are literally months between each of his instagram posts 😭. the members also call him a ghost because of how they can usually never find him and how he always takes them by surprise by coming out of nowhere. (according to jungwoo, his footsteps "have no sound").

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 017 ⋆ niko loves singing, but he doesn't sing much because of his main positions of dancer and rapper. he barely sings in most 127 songs if ever, but he enjoys it more than he does rapping, he hopes that in the future he could have more singing parts in songs.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 018 ⋆ his favorite movie is perfect blue.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 019 ⋆ he is a huge fan of taemin from shinee. whenever he has the chance, he brings up that he has a rare taemin photocard as a flex. when he met him for the first time after his debut, that was the one time his members almost saw him cry.

: ✶ ˖ ࣪ 020 ⋆ niko stated that his ideal type is baekhyun from exo, but most people can't tell if he was joking about that or being serious.

[nugulover69]

I too am a member of the Taiya-hater club and every episode I question why I'm not dropping this show until they show me scraps of Mira or Agent Shirabe or the Three Idiots, but I think from now on I'll be fastforwarding through new eps just for them. My only sentai are Zenkai and halfway through Donbros so being forced to watch Boonboom Red as the main character is like beibg fed cardboard after a pizza.

Oh man. if your only sentai experience is zenkai and donbros, two very experimental and Not A Typical Sentai sentais, yeah boonboom must hit a real sour note since its a return to basics lol

I personally wouldn't call it bad so far, a solid B+ imo, but Taiya is def the weakest character, and his blandness is only more evident whenever an episode is focused on him

I can suggest some good sentais that are more typical in structure for you to watch in the future:

Gokaiger- the core team is phenomenal here, bursting with personality and incredible chemistry between each of them. this IS an anniversary sentai, meaning past rangers are constantly showing up to be apart of the plot, but you do NOT need to have seen their shows to get the gist and have a fun time. you're following the gokaigers and their character arcs are always the main focus. plus they're aliens (space pirates even) that don't know jackshit abt Earth, so you and them are on the same level of knowledge lol

Idk why folks don't recommend this as a starter sentai more often. it was my first ever sentai and I picked the next sentais I watched based on how entertained I was by a past characters appearance. its how I watched go-onger and carranger (and liveman but I don't wanna talk abt that)

Also Marvelous is best red. this is an objective fact we as a community all agree on, even if he's not our own personal favorite red

Speaking of go-on

Go-onger- the canon, main strength of this team is their stupidity. VERY CARTOONY, heavy on hijinks, light on serious plot (it was written by a veteran kids anime writer and boy can you tell). if you like loud genki kinda assholeish shonen protags than you'll love the red Sosuke. if you don't...perhaps skip this one lol. Sosuke is a biiiig make or break of someone's enjoyment of go-on. the villains are great tho, very team rocket, kinda like the Sanseaters in boonboom

(and its a much better car sentai. Speedor is there all the time. boonboom only has Speedor for one episode. I rest my case)

Zyuohger- if you need an animal sentai under your belt, this is the best one. the red, Yamato, does get more focus than the rest of the team (many more power ups as well) but he's a likeable character played by a guy who can actually act. GREAT VILLAINS, they evolve over time as well and I can't say much w/o spoiling things, but I'll just say Genis caused his own demise

Also I haven't seen donbros but I know the donbros sixth is deranged, so if you need more deranged sixths in your life you should watch zyuoh for Misao

Gekiranger- if you really love serialized story telling and characters growing and changing and all that, I cannot recommend geki enough. in a lot of sentai, the weapons are usually just found or given, which isn't inherently a bad thing but I can see why someone wouldn't care for that. every weapon and power up the gekis get is always earned thru them overcoming some obstacle, literal or figurative, so its that much more rewarding when the new Marketable Touy is used

Also they're kung fu fighting cats. did I mention they're kung fu fighting cats. the red was raised in the woods and literally acts like a feral animal most of the time. he does mellow out over the course of the show, but honestly if someone doesn't like Jan from the jump I don't trust them (he has CRAZY yaois with the main villain Leo btw)

[ryukang1995]

My latest collage of possibly the most prominent ships within my works based on Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Double Dragon.

Ryu x Cammy (American Street Fighter AU)

This pairing largely came from the what-if artwork that Akiman did of Ryu and Cammy's son, but beyond that? I do feel the two have quite a lot in common, especially personality-wise. Plus, Cammy actually admires Ryu in canon.

Guile x Chun-Li (American Street Fighter AU)

The idea of this pairing did technically start with Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie where Guile and Chun-Li teamed up to take down Bison and Shadaloo, but because Guile is more or less the main hero of the American SF AU, it just made sense to pair him with Chun-Li.

Even so, they do have great chemistry together in pretty much the entire franchise.

Liu Kang x Kitana (Main Mortal Kombat timeline)

The pairing that John Tobias intended as far back as the development stages of the first MK game where Kitana was planned to appear as a background character named Kitsune. It eventually was integrated into the canon starting with the 1995 MK movie, and to this day, fans wonder when will they have an offspring.

To me, this is like a mix between a classic fairy tale romance and the traditional tale of star-crossed lovers who may or may not be together in the end. Ultimately, I do want to see them settle together.

Johnny Cage x Sonya Blade (Main Mortal Kombat timeline)

This pairing was technically first hinted at in the MK comics by Malibu, but it first got major focus when it was featured in the 1995 MK movie. Since then, it was hinted at in the 3D games, and it eventually became integrated into canon with the NRS timeline where they ended up giving birth to Cassie Cage.

Despite my ups and downs with the relationship as well as how Johnny was often portrayed in later incarnations (mainly the NRS timeline and the Legends animated films), I do feel it can be done well when given to the right people. It's definitely an "opposites attract" dynamic, for sure.

Ryu x Chun-Li (Japanese Street Fighter AU)

Possibly the most popular SF ship, regardless of it not truly being canon. Many fans, myself included, have always wondered if Ryu and Chun-Li would ever hook up.

Even the SF2 manga from 1993 had it to where Chun-Li had romantic feelings for Ryu, so that might have been one of the seeds that planted the idea of them being a thing in our minds. Since then, Capcom have been teasing fans hard over whether or not they will get together.

Both characters greatly admire each other, and they definitely look cute together. I definitely wouldn't mind it being official either.

Liu Kang x Sonya Blade (Alternate Mortal Kombat timeline)

I would say this is my most prominent ship I have done fan work of, despite it not being the most popular out of these, especially when compared to Liutana and CageBlade.

The pairing was first hinted at in the MK novel by Jeff Rovin, but they never attempted to make it canon, or even drop hints of it in later incarnations. Regardless, I do feel it has great fan art and fanfic potential since the two actually have a lot more in common than you would think.

It genuinely helps that both characters respect and admire each other in canon too. I would also say both this pairing and Ryu x Chun-Li just make sense, considering it's the main heroes and the first ladies of both SF and MK.

Billy Lee x Marian Kelly (Console Double Dragon AU)

While Billy is indeed "player 1" of pretty much every DD game, several of the games also had it to where Billy and Jimmy had to fight for Marian (they were also a trio in the River City Girls games, but I digress).

However, it was the DD games for consoles such as NES that established Billy being Marian's true boyfriend, and so, that is ultimately why it's the case in the "Console" DD AU.

Jimmy Lee x Marian Kelly (Arcade Double Dragon AU)

The official artwork for Double Dragon II: The Revenge has it to where Marian is holding on to Jimmy as he and Billy battle the Shadow Warriors, which did sort of imply that Jimmy was Marian's boyfriend.

Since the arcade games never truly explored lore details, I decided to fill in the blanks as well as take some liberties by making Jimmy x Marian a thing. It also helps that Jimmy is the more mature and stoic Lee brother in this AU while Billy fills such a role in the "Console" AU.

There are some other pairings I left out, such as Ken x Cammy, Kung Lao x Li Mei, and Kitana with both Johnny Cage and Kuai Liang (again, as both Scorpion and Sub-Zero), but I would say these are the most prominent ones.

[night-dark-woods]

15, 21, 23, 24!!

THANK U ECHO this got so long oops.

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

hmmm not destiny-specific (i dont have any d2 specific gripes i dont think) & i mostly follow cool gay & trans ppl so this is much less of an issue than in the wider fandom (every so often some Main Fandom Art makes its way to me and i do a full double take) but like. i knowww they are almost all the same character model in-game but can we please get some characters who arent super skinny supermodels in here. please.

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

not to sound like an edgelord but. the traveler. if we can acknowledge that the Darkness isnt ontologically Evil, i think we can (PLEASE) acknowledge that the Light isnt inherently good. and im not talking about the superpowers we get, they've (narrative team) made it quite clear that individuals choose to do what they will with based on their own morals. but the traveler is, imo, positioned as a Morally Good Agent Of The Light far more than the witness is Of The Darkness, and i think we need to talk more about the traveler's agenda!!! again, this complexity isnt completely absent from the narrative, but it doesnt feel like those interpretations are... metatextually supported igss? like zavala's frustration with the traveler leaving feels more like a very christian (as someone who was not raised religious) test of faith that zavala (and the canonical YW) have Passed and will be Rewarded.

where's tevis my best friend tevis. we need more characters with that pov. god is real god resurrected you god gave you a second chance at life with no memories of your past and a guardian angel (a "chattering oversoul," to quote toland) to tell you where to go and who deserves to die and raise you every time you fail just to throw you back into the divine crusade. like. lets talk about that a little more!!!

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

this is hard bc i am in general very willing to "yes-and" ANYTHING with a hint of chemistry or a fun dynamic. it may not compell me but if you can point out a narrative similarity btwn characters i will almost always be down. unless its one i hate ("hate" being a strong word. really its just the strongest possible apathy) bc i contain multiudes :thumbsup:.

i can't think of a pairing i started out disliking and then changed my mind about due to fandom unfortunately. the closest would be igss that i hate crow/amanda as its written in the text BUT my perhaps controversial opinion is i think transitioning could fix crow specifically the version of crow i have in my head who did not get uldren's memories back. SotL was so good for the overarching plot of d2 but so so so bad for the type of awoken-enjoyer i am & imo the like... thesis statement of what a guardian is lol!

so unfortunately i dont have an answer for this one (i dont think "i like the pretend version i made up in my head" counts as coming around on a ship lmfao), bc you can pair any two destiny women and ill be like yeah for sure! and i have curated my online space well enough that i rarely see any other kind of ship, and when i do its gay men (o14, uldren/jolyon, someone i follow is cooking something with saladin/drifter which is inspired. i love whatever is happening there) which is like cheering absently for a sports team idc about but support on principle.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

mara. its always fucking mara. literally spent an hour and a half last night rehashing d1 mara-course in a server with someone who has not read any lore. which is fine! thats a fine way to engage with the game! its a valuable perspective! but use i-statements and accept that you are coming to the table with 10% of the facts about the character.

honorable mention goes to anything about redemption arcs (and savathun specifically)- most recently that fuuucking saint killing sav repeatedly lore tab. and if you (general) cant be assed to care about evil women (skill issue, but whatever), thats also backsliding YEARS on saints characterization and i dont even care about saint!!!

so really the answer is misogyny lmfao.

[caw4brandon]

Found Families and Why We Love Them

Dominic Toretto once said "I don’t have friends, I got family" with that in mind, that will be our intro for today! Although we find that iconic line cheesy as cheese, the audience loves a great found-family setup.

Something about how a bunch of misfits and inconsiderate douchebags developing to be a family of their own in spite of their quirkiness and tragic backgrounds makes us love them more than the typical and already functional groups. Like most families, there is the father, the mother, and the child. The rest is kind of subjective.

I've talked a little bit about actual families via [The Addams Family] but I think Found Families are a different breed. Let's discuss that and explain why we love them so much~

- Crows Never Forget -

While conversing with a friend I've met on Tumblr. My friend suggested that I should watch the show < Shadow and Bone > based on the Grisha Trilogy by [Leigh Bardugo] The story mainly follows Alina Starkov who lives in a world divided by the haunting dark cloud placed at the center of the three counties known as; The Fold.

Aside from the main plot you can already guess if you know enough fiction. The show features a merry band of dangerous outcasts. The Six of Crows from Ketterdam. Led by the cunning leader; Kaz "Dirty Hands" Brekker.

The team is supported by, Inej Ghafa The Assassin, Nina Zenik The Heartrender, Jesper Fahey The Sharpshooter, Matthias Helvar The Convict, and Wylan Van Eck The Runaway. Like every group that shares this type of beat. The teammates do not trust one another and are only united for the cause.

This will develop as the series goes on and their trust will change from strangers to allies to family beneath the backdrop of a sinfully cut-throat and exciting city. While the series only showed Five of the Six so far. I've grown very quickly to love this group for their chemistry and their respective motivations to stay as a team.

What's so interesting to watch is, despite how typical this trope is. I still couldn't keep my eyes off this concept. It's so much fun to see the Six interact even though for now, it's just Kaz, Inej, and Jesper (also, The Goat; Milo) planning a heist to kidnap our heroine. On the other end of the world, we learn about Matthias and Nina. The Convict and The Witch (Matthias's words, not mine)

Dysfunctional groups like these feel very human. They don't act like they care for the world or for one another but instead, grow in the process.

Similarly, another dysfunctional group called < The Guardians of The Galaxy > shares the same vibes as the Six. Their talent is great but it's their destructive tendencies or personal vendettas that make them less like heroes. Rather, they are people who just so happened to be doing heroics.

- Where is your Supervisor? -

Part of the trick in making fun found families is the will to condense the group down to about four or three characters. In most Shonen manga/ anime, the main character (eg, Naruto) is often supported by a lancer character (eg, Sasuke) and the heart (eg, Sakura) There is also the mentor/senior (eg, Kakashi) and it will always be these four. Other examples like Harry (Potter) and Co are good samples of the main trio with a mentor (Hagrid).

It's rare that we find trios with no mentor figure. Such is the case of another show I recently watched, < Lockwood and Co > based on the book series by [Jonathan Stroud] For a quick summary, Lockwood is set in London with one big exception. The city/ world at large is haunted by lethal ghosts (AKA The Problem) and only kids can sense them. Therefore, fight them.

The main cast consists of Anthony Lockwood, the cool and fearless badass gentleman who is strongest with Sight. George Karim, an all-rounder but a highly talented Researcher. Finally, our main character, Lucy Carlyle. An incredibly talented girl who's the most gifted with Hearing and Touch. Unlike the other agencies which are by the book and led by a Supervisor (an adult). Lockwood is purely independent but is unfortunately small and always in trouble with the law due to their incredibly dangerous methods.

Still, they are the best at what they do. Hunting ghosts while solving the bigger mystery behind The Problem. Despite their terrible coordination, the team has proven themselves to be better and far more personal with the cases they crack. Making it less like a job.

They are reminders that less is better. The cast plays the role of Hero, Lancer, and Heart very well and their chemistry is great and funny. Anthony and Lucy will sometimes bud heads, George will do his own thing making two of his partners incredibly proud and, you might see some tender/real moments between them.

Lockwood also removes the typical hero's journey of losing a mentor figure and instead makes the characters each other's mentors. The team relies on one other with their lives to survive every mission and navigate through life as a whole.

It felt more organic for them to grow together because there's a sense for when an adult shares a piece of advice (no matter how good it is) feels very smug and dull. The characters feel like actual teens because the setting for the agency sounds like something actual teens will do. Break the rules and do right for the fun or for some deep-rooted conspiracy that the world has yet to know.

- You Chose The Wrong Side! -

From the dysfunctional groups like the Six or the Guardians to the power of Three. There is one other interesting layer to the Found Family troupe. The Disbanded Found Family.

While most stories tell of how the team came to be, rare stories tell of how they split off and are no longer on speaking terms. For a while, The MCU's Avengers were at war with one another during < Captain America; Civil War > With Steve Rogers and Tony Stark budding heads harshly over the Sokovia Accords.

Seeing a well-rounded team break up is difficult for the characters and the audience because. For all the disagreements they had with one another, they've developed along the way to be close like a family. Seeing them split is like watching a divorce happening on screen and it's heartbreaking and sometimes a little bit awesome because you've got the best of the best competing to declare their superiority.

Perhaps one of the best examples I have seen is through < Kuroko No Baskue > where our main character; Tetsuya Kuroko entered High School and vowed to defeat/ beat some sense to his Former Junior High School Basketball Team with his newfound team; Seirin High

Kuroko's former team is famously known as The Generation of Miracles; an elite team of young talents that excel on the court, thus making them prodigies of their generation.

The Miracles consist of; Daiki Aomine (The Power Forward Beast), Shintarō Midorima (The Star Shooter), Atsushi Murasakibara (The Ultimate Center), Seijūrō Akashi (The Emperor's Eye) and Ryōta Kise (The Perfect Copycat) From the little we have seen, the team is passionate about the sport they play and they share a very brotherly relationship with one another.

As the series develops, we learn more about their personal relationships with Kuroko and with each other. We see the infighting between them and we learn about how their respective egos build. We learn about their vow during graduation and we get to see them reunited once again.

The series as a whole function in two ways. Kuroko develops new relationships with his new team and Kuroko confronts his old team to mend their relationship. It tackles the dysfunctional team setup at its lowest state and rekindles the flame for the respective parties to be healed. Also, it's really cool to see such a colorful cast together.

- I Didn't Pick The Damn Team! -

With that said, it's a wonder for why Found Families are a timeless troupe no matter the settings. But, like how Amanda Waller sets up Task Force X/ The Suicide Squad. Sometimes it's not by choice and it always starts out bumpy.

What I find fun in teams like the ones mentioned is that they share a common language in spite of their unique flavors. The teams are built on trust, a common goal, and the willingness to open up. For all the gimmicks, the core values stay the same.

We, the audience love a good Found Family because in an indirect way. We wanted a group like that. We longed to have a group that we can call family but, the reality of it all is. It's really up to how the characters interact with one another.

Every circle is different and no matter the status or the seasons. All are maintained by the will to reach out. It's something I hope to use for my own team in the process. To have [Them be there for you, Cause you're there for Them too]

Thanks for reading

- Caw4B -

[yesterdanereviews]

Evolution (2001)

Film review #608

Director: Ivan Reitman

SYNOPSIS: When a meteor falls from outer space into the Arizona desert, two local college professors make an amazing discovery: the meteor contains microscopic alien life. While the two think they'll be rich and famous for their discovery, the microbes begin to evolve at an accelerated rate, and soon become full-sized creatures who threaten all like on Earth...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Evolution is a 2001 sci-fi film. The film opens with a meteor crashing into Earth somewhere in the Arizona desert, with signs of microscopic alien life. Two college professors make the discovery and keep it to themselves, thinking it will net them the Nobel prize and other such fame and riches. They learn upon examination that the microscopic life forms are evolving at an exponentially accelerated rate, and will quickly develop to be a threat to mankind. Teaming up with a trainee firefighter and a government scientist, they go about trying to stop the evolution before it is too late. One of the most notable things about this film is it obviously wants to be the new millennium's Ghostbusters: from the director of Ghostbusters, who rewrote the originally more horror/thriller based script to turn it into a comedy, the main characters working at a college/university, and even Dan Akroyd having a minor role. I don't think it's up for debate that this ambition went largely unmet. The film isn't totally terrible, but fails to achieve it's objectives in a number of ways. The story is very predictable, and offers very little surprises, with the usual thing of the military taking over and cutting the main characters out of the loop, forcing them to save the world on their own. There's also not enough battling with the creatures too, which somewhat makes sense given they are microscopic for a chunk of the film, but when they are combating the monsters, there's nothing special or exciting about it, whereas in Ghostbusters had the super cool proton packs and gadgets. It might be unfair to keep comparing a film to another one, but in Evolution's case, I think it is completely fair to do so, considering that it clearly wants to be a new Ghostbusters.

While the leads David Duchovny and Orlando Jones turn in good performances (Duchovny wanting to take this role to move away from his role in the X-files by taking a film about aliens is a bit humourous), they don't really have the chemistry to carry a lot of the scenes. Duchovny is obviously playing the Bill Murray/Peter Venkman role of the dry humoured personality, while comedian Orlando Jones does the more expressive stuff. This overlaps with Seann William Scott's role as the trainee firefighter Wayne Grey a little, but he has a more youthful edge to appeal to a different demographic. Julianne Moore as Dr. Allison Reed is introduced as an attempted serious, but clumsy character, but that clumsiness never shows up again, which is odd. There's some deleted scenes which show it again, but it's odd that's left in there at all. The biggest drag in the film is probably the crude humour. While it starts out building up different kinds of humour, it quickly devolves into crude and cheap jokes that offer nothing new. Again, while Ghostbusters blended in the adult humour perfectly with it's supernatural theme, Evolution tries the same, but comes across a bit of a child's attempt at adult humour. The film very rarely recovers it's footing in this regard, and feels like it's run out of humour fairly quickly.

The well known actors, as mentioned, do turn in good performances, but there's often not much to work with in terms of story or unique things for them to do. The creatures are sometimes creative in their designs, but there's not nearly enough variety in them, and neither do they look "alien" enough to stimulate the imagination. The climax is a bit boring too, with the cast attempting to stop a giant blob by spraying some anti-dandruff shampoo up one of it's orifices. Overall, Evolution has some entertainment value to it, but it is always going to draw comparisons to Ghostbusters, which it can never meet, thanks to it's humour constantly misfiring, and a plot that fails to evolve itself beyond it's very typical cornerstones.

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: March 2024

IN DEFENSE OF TAG TEAMS

BY DAVID LaGRECA

WHEN I STARTED to fall in love with pro wrestling, tag teams were held in high regard. I grew up in the era of the Road Warriors, the Midnight Express, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. Those guys traveled together, had chemistry in the ring, and knew each other very, very well. TO me, those kinds of teams are automatically going to have an advantage over the other teams that are thrown together–even if they’re main-event talent.

Then, you have October 7, 2023. You have Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, who have never tagged together, other than an eight-man match on Smackdown. Each man doesn’t know what the other is going to do in the ring, unlike two tag partners who are traveling together on a daily and nightly basis. And yet, they were able to beat Damian Priest & Finn Balor, who have been working together all year. Ricky Starks & Big Bill were also a brand-new team, and they were able to defeat one of the most seasoned duos in the game in FTR. On a psychological level–and on a work level–I feel that should never, ever be the case. 

Yes, two main-eventers should be able to beat tag guys in one-on-one singles matches. But, when it comes down to it, they should never be able to beat an established tag team. Ever.

At WWE Fastlane, you have Uso & Rhodes beating The Judgement Day; you have LA Knight& John Cena, teaming together for the first time, beating The Bloodline, one of the most dominant factions and families in wrestling. That same day on AEW Collision, Ricky Starks & Big Bill beat probably the best team in the business–especially now that The Usos have broken up.

The one thing I will say about FTR is they were injured. They were able to talk about their injuries and how they were going into the match less than 100%. But even then, a novice team like Starks & Bill should not beat FTR. Based on their chemistry and experience alone, Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood should overcome their injuries and win. Between that and the events of Fastlane, it was a bad weekend for tag team wrestling. 

AEW, despite having a strong tag division, has on occasion showcased makeshift teams over the more experienced ones. Over the last 10 to 12 years, WWE has probably been more guilty than any promotion of not highlighting its tag teams, even when it had groups as stellar as the New Day and The Usos. WWE had great teams that it never did enough with … until the last year or so.

The last 12 or 13 months saw WWE do some wonderful things, with The Usos main-eventing night one of WrestleMania 39 against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. Then, the jJudgment Day pursued (and eventually won) the WWE Unified tag team championship. Reverting the championship to two singles guys felt like a step backward. 

In the case of Owens & Zayn, we again have two wrestlers who were chasing singles gold, who then came together to become tag team champions. These guys were hardly new to one another, though. They’re best friends. While they’ve had a rocky relationship, we’ve seen on TV that they know each other very well. Before WWE, they won tag titles in Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. And they lost to Cody and Jey on Monday Night Raw.

[David LaGreca is the host of Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM, a lifelong wrestling enthusiast, and a longtime reader of PWI.]

C’mon! If Cody is wrestling Sami Zayn one-on-one, I expect Cody to win. If Jey is wrestling Kevin Owens … hey, I don’t know if i can pick a winner. It’s going to be close. If Jey Uso can eke out a win over Kevin Owens, I understand. Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes together? If they’ve been teaming for six months or a year, I’ll be able to buy it. But, being thrown together like that? It’s hard for me to swallow, even with a team like Owens & Zayn.

To me, it’s about logic. We’ve seen that in singles competition, members of an established tag team will often lose. That’s not their forte. They’re part of a tag team. That’s what they specialize in.

I’m a big Cody Rhodes fan. What we want to see is the finish of his story. Michael Cole even alluded to that in an in-ring interview with Cody on Monday Night Raw. “Is this the end of the story? Are you still trying to finish the story?” Because it’s all about him getting back into the ring with Roman Reigns.

Sure enough, the title reign didn’t last long. On the October 16 edition of Raw, Rhodes & Uso lost the belts back to the Judgement Day. This begs the question: What;s next? Is Jey going to turn on Cody? Is this part of the Bloodline story? It’s almost like it's a chapter in that story instead of a real tag team championship reign.

On the Ring of Honor side, at least we’ve seen Adam Cole & MJF working as a team. But do they need to be ROH tag champions? Do they really need the belts to tell the story of them being a true team? No, probably not. And now, it’s even worse. Because Cole is hurt and you're seeing MJF in handicap matches, beating established tag teams on his own.

Over in AEW, what are Ricky Starks & Big Bill going to do as tag team champions? Maybe they do great things and this column is moot … I just don’t know if that’s going to happen.

I grew up on wrestling in the late-’70s, early-’80s. Where–and I apologize–it was real. It was real. And, in that same spirit, I look at wrestling as more of a form of entertainment than an actual sport. 

The storytelling is more important than championship titles, especially in the WWE. And we’re seeing one of the best stories ever in the Bloodline saga. Maybe all that trumps the point I’m trying to make. We will find out soon enough.

[modulusacademyalwar]

Why Coaching is Important for the JEE Exam

Cracking the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is a formidable challenge that demands not just academic prowess but also strategic preparation. As the gateway to some of the most prestigious engineering institutions in India, the JEE exam necessitates a comprehensive and focused approach. In this in-depth exploration, we dissect the significance of coaching for the JEE exam, shedding light on how Modulus Academy stands as a beacon for aspiring engineers.

Understanding the Complexity of the JEE Exam:

Two-Tier Examination: The JEE exam is a two-tier examination process, consisting of JEE Main and JEE Advanced. While JEE Main serves as a screening test for admission to various engineering colleges, JEE Advanced is the qualifying exam for the coveted Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Extensive Syllabus: The JEE syllabus is expansive, covering Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. It requires a deep understanding of fundamental concepts, coupled with the ability to apply these concepts to solve complex problems. Navigating this vast syllabus requires a strategic and structured approach to preparation.

The Importance of Coaching for JEE Exam:

Structured Learning Environment: Coaching institutes provide a structured learning environment that is tailored to the specific requirements of the JEE exam. Modulus Academy, a renowned coaching institute, offers a curriculum that aligns seamlessly with the exam's intricacies, ensuring that students cover the entire syllabus in a systematic manner.

Expert Guidance: The expertise of seasoned educators plays a pivotal role in JEE preparation. Modulus Academy boasts a team of experienced faculty members who are well-versed with the nuances of the exam. Their guidance helps students not only understand concepts but also learn effective problem-solving strategies.

Strategic Study Plans: JEE preparation requires a well-thought-out study plan that balances coverage of the syllabus, regular practice, and timely revisions. Coaching institutes like Modulus Academy create strategic study plans that optimize a student's time, ensuring that each aspect of preparation is given due attention.

Comprehensive Study Material: Modulus Academy provides comprehensive study materials that are curated to cover every topic in the JEE syllabus. These materials are often an amalgamation of theoretical concepts, illustrative examples, and a plethora of practice problems, offering students a holistic learning experience.

Mock Tests and Practice Sessions: Regular mock tests and practice sessions are integral components of JEE coaching. Modulus Academy conducts mock tests that simulate the actual exam environment, allowing students to acclimate to time constraints and assess their readiness. These practice sessions serve as crucial benchmarks for improvement.

Doubt Resolution: The ability to resolve doubts promptly is a significant advantage of coaching institutes. Modulus Academy prioritizes doubt resolution, providing students with a platform to seek clarifications on concepts that may pose challenges. This immediate feedback loop contributes to a clearer understanding of topics.

Motivational Environment: The competitive nature of the JEE exam can be overwhelming, but coaching institutes like Modulus Academy foster a motivational environment. Interacting with peers who share similar aspirations and being guided by mentors who have witnessed success stories creates a positive atmosphere that fuels determination.

Modulus Academy's Unique Approach:

Customized Learning Paths: Modulus Academy recognizes that each student is unique, possessing distinct strengths and weaknesses. The coaching institute tailors learning paths based on individual capabilities, ensuring that students receive targeted guidance to enhance their strengths and address areas that need improvement.

Technology Integration: Embracing the advancements in technology, Modulus Academy integrates modern tools and platforms into its coaching methodology. This includes online resources, interactive sessions, and e-learning modules, providing students with a dynamic and engaging learning experience.

Adaptive Learning: Understanding that the learning curve varies for each student, Modulus Academy employs adaptive learning strategies. This ensures that as students progress, the coaching adapts to their evolving needs, offering a personalized approach that maximizes effectiveness.

Success Stories:

Noteworthy Score Improvements: Success stories emerging from Modulus Academy often highlight significant score improvements. Students who undergo systematic coaching and follow the institute's guidance consistently demonstrate remarkable progress, translating into impressive JEE scores.

Top Rank Achievements: Modulus Academy's success is reflected in the top ranks achieved by its students. These success stories stand as testimonials to the effectiveness of the coaching institute's approach in preparing students not just for the exam but for securing coveted positions in the JEE rankings.

Conclusion:

The JEE exam is a defining moment for aspiring engineers, and the role of coaching institutes cannot be overstated in this journey. Modulus Academy, with its strategic approach, experienced faculty, and commitment to excellence, emerges as a beacon for those navigating the complex maze of JEE preparation. The institute not only equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the exam but also fosters a mindset that paves the way for success beyond the academic realm. Aspiring engineers embarking on the JEE journey find in Modulus Academy not just a coaching institute but a partner in their pursuit of excellence.

[science-rpg]

How do subsections of zoology work? Are they elite classes obtainable only by someone with zoology levels? Subcalsses? If so how do you handle further specialization, like an entomologist who specializes in ants?

My gosh so sorry being so late with the reply!

 Like the fool that I am I picked up more projects after making this one and I forgot about this and got lost.

So before I get into zoology, I'm going to try to explain my half baked game mechanics of how skills and classes work. My apologies also if I switch back and forth between terminology, such as Class = Science = Field of study or Discipline = Skills or Skill specialization.

 I also just noticed I put Zoology as a required field for summoning the Salmon Shark, which I don't think really works anymore, I'd rather just use Biology at the moment.

Class Mechanics

What determines classes is mostly skill ratios that effect certain move proficiencies and allow one to change from one class to another.

Units below a certain threshold at the start of the game (say, below lv 10) are classified as students.

 After overcoming a certain threshold (for now say max skill level) for a skill, that skill get added to their skill ratio pool. So for a unit to become a Marine Biologist, you need to reach your max level in Biology & Hydrology.

By maxing out that unit's Hydrology, you become a hydrologist. Following that, maxing out the Biology skill level the unit will get the option to add Biology to their skill ratio and become a Marine Biologist. The cost of which is halving their proficiency in hydrology. 50% Hydrology , 50% Biology. Each specialization equals 100%, as the scientist can only hold onto so much info at a time.

How skill ratios change and how units change class are currently undetermined, but at the moment

 I'd like them to involve battling (debating?) alongside allies and defeating certain enemies like EV's in Pokémon (my main exposure to RPG's are Pokémon, Fire Emblem and Baldur's' Gate so I'm aware how these mechanics are laid out might be scuffed from the norm).

Now onto Zoology and other Biology classes.

The specializations of Zoology are all treated as a equal subsections of Biology (including Zoology itself).

Biologist that study extant, land based macro-organisms don't need specific specializations mostly because creating classes, moves and abilities for a myriad of specific clades don't seem feasible in a video game setting about various kinds of science, although for a Tumblr setting (I might make exceptions here and there because I'm somewhat making this up as I go and forget stuff sometimes.)

So you've got the three "default" biologist that broadly study extant, land based Eukaryotic Phyla.

    Zoologist, Botanist, Mycologist

(I don't really know atm what would determine someone becoming a Zoologist vs Mycologist as they would probably have the same skill ratios as each other).

Power wise they'd ideally be on-par with the more specialised classes, and be more desirable in certain circumstances. The biologist that are more specialized are so because they require more discipline in other fields to study their subjects.

  So to study Marine Biology, you're going to require hydrology since the most of the biology in which that scientist studies is evolved for life engulfed in ocean water.

A Palaeontologist is going to need Geology because they need to know about taphonomy and similar geologic forces.

A microbiologist is going to require more chemistry since the lifeforms they're studying directly interact with molecular forces more often and use similar equipment as chemist.

Theses scientist classes are usually summoners that let said organisms attack or defend or support for their team. (Marine/Paleo/Zoologist = Attack orientated with varying stat spread trends, Botanist = Wall/Defenders, Micro/Mycologist = Passive ongoing support).  These aren't strict rules but are more the general trends for each kind of summon.

And that's about all I got so far. Sorry if this answer is disappointing or confusing.

 Like I've said, things aren't really set in stone and this is just a little side project for fun.  I haven't forgotten about this, I'm just distracted and lazy depressed at the moment and am putting my energy into other things. I'll still be making post on here in the future!

  That being said if you or anyone has got better ideas, want to make your own rules or just go on with your own take on the science rpg idea, that's totally fine with me! I just wanted be a bit creative and get people invested in science in a fun, gamey way!

[mathclasspicasso]

Romantic subplots

Writing romantic subplots is hard, especially if you’re like me, and have no romantic experience whatsoever because people liken your level of desirability to that of a turd. Fortunately, the following tips, brought to you by said turd, may help!

Based on my experience writing love interests, creating a character will the sole purpose of being a love interest is a god - awful idea. Unless you’re some sort of writing wizard ( in which case, teach me your ways), the character will end up being bland, and the relationship even blander. This is because this character will revolve around the the person they were created for, and characters like that are seldom interesting. A good way to avoid this is to just create the characters needed for the plot to work. Create and flesh out everybody, except for the love interests. Then, look through your characters, and see which ones have chemistry together. If your main character doesn’t really fit with anyone, that’s fine. They don’t need a love interest. Obviously, this doesn’t work in romance novels, because the relationship is the plot.

If you’ve already created the love interest, and therefore can’t implement the above trick, no worries. Look over your love interest, and check for a few things. Think: what is their personality like, and how does it complement the character they were created for. What is their goal (outside of the person they were created for), and why? How would removing them from the story affect the plot? (If nothing would happen, you may need to make some changes and give the character more agency.) What are their values and beliefs? Do they act in accordance to what you have analyzed with the previous question? Or do they stray from this in order to create drama? Do they fall into any annoying tropes? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Remember; a relationship is between two people. Your romantic subplot will suck if both characters aren’t properly fleshed out and given agency. Give your love interest the same attention and care to their development as you would any other character. This should include hobbies, goals and interests that have nothing to do with the person they were created for.

To add to the previous point, a good way to give a love interest a personality and agency is to give them a role in the main story. They can be a fighter, or medic, or navigator, anything that could help the team and contribute to the end goal of the story, while still aligning with their goal and morals. To often do I see love interests being shunned from the main course of events, especially female ones. They should be given their own character arc and development, and have importance.

A good thing you can do to develop romantic relationships is to ask yourself the following question: what do the characters like about their love interest. Specifically, what makes them attracted to them in a romantic sense? It can be as shallow as ‘they're pretty’, or as deep as ‘they balance me in a way that no one else can.’ Then, ask yourself why these are things that the character likes. Perhaps they appreciate their SO’s honesty because they were lied to and tricked before. Perhaps they had a rough childhood and likes how sweet their SO is with them. Most things about a person can be traced to their childhood/upbringing, so keep that in mind

Another thing you can do is to imagine what their relationship would be like as an official couple. Many stories have the love interest get together at the end, meaning that the readers don’t see them as a couple. Even if this is the case in your story, it pays off to think about it. It helps set the dynamic between the characters. Think: Who does what around the house? What are their love languages? How do they show love in their everyday life? Do they have kids or pets? How many? How does their relationship dynamic fit with their respective goals and personalities? How do they support each other?

When creating a dynamic between two characters who are each other’s love interest, a mistake that SO MANY writer make is that they see things as ‘who’s the man and who’s the woman?’. That’s not how you create interesting dynamics. A good trick is to erase the genders for a few moments, and create the dynamic like that. It helps one base things off of personality, instead of a preconceived notion of how relationships should work. Remember, relationships aren’t ‘man and woman’. It’s ‘human being and human being.’ If your girl in the relationship is described as capable, don’t have her constantly getting saved by her man. If your boy is described as intelligent, don’t have him misunderstand something that could easily be solved with a bit of communication for the sake of drama. See where I’m getting at? Personality comes first.

Anyways, thank you for reading the obnoxiously long list of advice I am unqualified to give, that I wrote for the sake of procrastination. Good luck!

[seggggga]

Just finished watching 'Bring it On'.

Spoilers under cut

9/10, would recommend to anyone who enjoys cheerleading or gymnastics. It's solely based around that.

Some characters have this Regina George aura that really adds dramatisation to the show.

Overall, I did love it and would watch it again.

I think Kirsten Dunst did actually really good in it (I watched it because I'm a massive fan of her) and I enjoyed the best friend trio chemistry between her character (Torrance) and Missy and Missy's brother.

Also, at the end of it, the main cheerleading team does not win, which I find really nice. You often see the main people always being in first place and always in the spotlight, it's a nice break from movie and series norms.

[reviewsthatburn]

Ava breaks Shane out of prison at the very start, then, with a few different configurations of crew members, they pull off a series of heists to get supplies to their families and hopefully mess things up for the military exploiting their planet. Cyrus is a member of that military, newly graduated and ready to climb the hierarchy. When he runs into the outlaws it complicates his worldview and he starts to think his commander might not be dealing fairly with their planet.

I was just familiar enough with Bonnie and Clyde as an idea that I came into this prepared for major character death, and it's a good thing I was ready. This is the kind of story where all of the characters are fascinating but I didn't particularly think any of the main characters were unambiguously the good guys. My anchor amidst the ambiguous characterization is that someone gradually emerges as a definitive antagonist to the cluster of antiheroes.

Full Review at Link.

[banyan-texas]

Understanding Chemical Imbalances & Addiction: What You Need to Know to Help a Loved One in Texas

Addiction is a complex disorder that, quite often, is the byproduct of a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are a multitude of reasons that a person may experience an imbalance between the neurotransmitters responsible for control and regulation of emotions, behavior, and other aspects of a person’s life. Today, we’ll discuss the connection between chemical imbalances and addiction in Texas. In general, the three main categories of addiction originate from an imbalance of either serotonin, dopamine, or endorphins. An individual in Texas may experience a serotonin deficiency, which can lead to depression and an urge to use substances as a coping mechanism. Likewise, a person with a dopamine deficiency may experience boredom which can lead to using drugs or alcohol to escape. An endorphin imbalance is often experienced after a traumatic event or an emotional crisis, which may be impacting someone in Texas, and can trigger the addiction cycle. People in Texas are not alone in their battle to understand and address chemical imbalances and addiction. When seeking treatment, understanding one’s individual chemistry is key to properly managing the condition. Listed below are three key things to consider when addressing chemical imbalances and addiction in the Lone Star State.

Neurotransmitter deficiency testing is the most accurate way to identify the underlying causes of addiction.

Be mindful of the side effects of medication, and take the time to research them.

It’s important to remember that chemical imbalances and addiction are complex, and that a multidisciplinary approach to treatment is often needed.

The team at The Banyan Treatment Center understands the complexity of caring for individuals with chemical imbalances and addiction and is here to provide Texas-based clients with the support and guidance needed to find the right balance. To learn more about the comprehensive care we provide, please click here. To learn more about Banyan Treatment Center as an organization, please visit our homepage.