#often based on the chemistry of the main team

[lance-space-mommy]

It’s Kind Of Diabolical

UA was a dream school that people all around the world tried to get into. Not only was it ranked number one in all of Japan, but the school was undefeated in all categories. Whatever category an individual could think of Dean Nezu did everything in his power to make the school the best in said category.

The 3% acceptance rate showed how picky the admissions team was.

Izuku Midoriya was considered one of the smartest students in the school. There were only two people that ranked higher than him in the entire building across all majors. Izuku was in a medical and pharmaceutical concentration of Biology and Chemistry. The double major was hell on earth, but he topped that off with a physics and psychology minor.

No one in the school, including the teachers, understood how he managed his time juggling countless classes all at once. Still, Izuku loved to learn, and he put his full effort into completing every class to near perfection. He worked very closely with his advisors Toshinori Yagi and Aizawa Shota. They complimented each other and it helped Izuku a lot with moving forward and making decisions based on their advice.

Everyone was always talking about Izuku and every move he made. Still, Izuku had something that he kept to himself. Izuku was a professional athlete.

The only reason no one knew was because he didn’t play for the college, making it significantly easier for him to keep it a secret. Well, to a degree he could hide it. He competed in high level competitions, and many were non-profit to raise awareness for important causes. His high ranking often led him to speaking in interviews about the cause.

Izuku was an angel on earth.

Katsuki Bakugo was average in school. He was naturally smart and put as little effort into his schoolwork as possible. Katsuki was a business major with two minors. One was in marketing and another in accounting. As long as he got an A in the class, he didn’t try to push himself harder. His main focus was on sports. After all, he was the captain of the football team and spent most of his free time training.

The school's meal plan was heavily abused by Katsuki as he was often seen inhaling food with his friends whenever he wasn’t in the gym or on the field. The training and consistent meal plan helped him greatly. Katsuki was well built with muscles that made half of the campus jealous and the other half lovesick.

Despite all the attention Katsuki got, he remained single. He appreciated his fans to a degree, but never engaged with them. He enjoyed the chase and the rush he got from the attention. Still, he loved playing football, and he loved his teammates. He’d never let a relationship, or other outside influences distract him.

That was until his best friend, also the vice-captain of the football team, decided it was time to flip his life upside down.

“Who’s that talking to Coach Toshinori?” asked Kaminari excitedly upon seeing a cute boy appear on the fields.

Katsuki didn’t bother looking, not interested in hearing gossip about some stranger. Kirishima on the other hand perked up when he noticed who Kaminari was talking about. “That’s Midoriya! He’s insane.”

Kirishima’s statement caught the attention of Katsuki and the rest of the team. Sero recognized Izuku as well and commented, “Yeah, isn’t he doing a double major and double minor?”

“That’s him! Mina told me that he’s already been accepted by every high end medical school he’s applied to,” revealed Kirishima, happy to say his girlfriend's name every chance he got.

Kaminari stared at Izuku from afar, letting his mouth catch flies. Once he let a couple of moments pass by, he snapped back into focus and smirked. “So, he’s smart and successful. Wait, how does Mina know him?”

“Mutual friends, apparently Midoriya is super popular. Almost everyone knows him, so I’m surprised you don’t,” responded Kirishima slowly, letting his gaze return to Izuku.

Toshinori flashed a wide smile at Izuku, ruffling the fluffy locks of green hair. The excited voices of the duo faintly reached the group's ears. Tetsutetsu chuckled to himself before jerking a thumb over to where they were standing. “Looks like he just got accepted to another school.”

Katsuki’s gaze was fierce, but he couldn’t stop the foreign rushing of his heart. There was something about this smartass chatting with his coach that irritated Katsuki. No matter how much he wanted to roll his eyes and redirect the conversation, he knew Izuku would be on his mind.

Fate had funny ways of bringing destined lovers together.

Three weeks was all it took for Katsuki cave into obsession. He hadn’t realized just how big of a figure Izuku had been in the school. After that fateful day, it seemed that anytime he’d be in the food hall or was hanging out with his friends, he’d hear chatter about the mysterious genius.

All alone in his room with thirty minutes until his bedtime, Katsuki started digging. He found some online interviews with Izuku talking about the charities he’s worked with. Then Katsuki found his social media account that talked about plans for his future, study tips, and a plethora of random school-related things.

It only took a minute of scrolling for Katsuki to realize this wasn’t Izuku’s personal account. No matter how much he dug, he couldn’t find any pictures of Izuku at these apparent parties or hangouts with his friends that Mina claimed he had.

The following morning came around and like clockwork, Izuku would become a part of his life.

The football team huddled around Coach Toshinori when he clapped his hands together with his usual blinding smile. “Look alive! As you all know, the season is starting to pick up and now more than ever, we need to engage with the public. We are the best school in all of Japan and we need to maintain that status. So, I want you to take to social media and hold mini interviews with people in busy areas!”

Katsuki shrugged, not bothered by the assignment. It wasn’t like he had any intention of being the one doing the interviewing. If he partnered with Kirishima who was more of a people person, then he could just record the interviews.

“Let’s do this Bakugo!” cheered Kirishima loudly, letting his manly persona take over.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on his phone. “Shut up Shitty Hair! Do you want to scare away everyone with your screaming?”

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Kirishima turned back to where people were moving in and out of shops. “Oops, you’re right. Sorry man.”

Huffing, Katsuki prepared his phone to record as Kirishima asked individuals if they’d be willing to be interviewed. Most of the time it took one look at Kirishima and Bakugo for people to say yes. It may have been the duo’s good looks, or their UA letter jackets, but people were fast to do an interview.

They had already held short interviews with ten people by the time their interest had fully worn off. Kirishima groaned, crashing on a nearby bench. “Why does Coach want us to interview fifteen people? We are going to have way too much footage,” noted Kirishima as he watched people pass by.

“Stop complaining, we are almost finished,” grumbled Katsuki, scrolling through the countless videos on his phone.

“Easy for you to say! You haven’t talked to one person,” scoffed Kirishima, failing at guilt tripping Katsuki.

Raising a brow with an unimpressed expression, Katsuki shrugged it off. “Not my problem.”

Kirishima spotted a familiar face in the crowd and his face lit up like a little kid on their birthday. “No way! Is that Midoriya? What are the odds we see him here?”

Katsuki was already handing his phone to Kirishima, not bothering to look back or wait for his friend. “Record me.”

The eagerness Katsuki displayed to interview Izuku let Kirishima know everything. Katsuki had a fat crush on Izuku. He’d never pass up a moment to record Katsuki making a fool of himself. Moments like these were rare and Kirishima usually failed to capture the moment in a picture or video.

Once the redhead caught up to where Katsuki had greeted Izuku, he caught the end of their exchange of pleasantries.

Izuku flashed a soft smile at Katsuki. “It’s nice to meet you in person! Toshinori tells me a lot about you.”

Kirishima was already recording with a bright smile. “Hi Midoriya!”

Turning his head to look at Kirishima, Izuku’s eyes lit up when he realized it was Kirishima. “Oh! Kirishima, hi! It’s been so long since we’ve last talked!”

“It really has been! I’ve been so busy with balancing school and football I haven’t been going to the parties lately,” sighed Kirishima defeatedly. He knew Izuku wasn't one to be petty but still, he felt bad about not keeping in touch with someone he enjoyed talking to.

“Nonsense! Anyway, Bakugo, you mentioned something about interviewing me?” inquired Izuku, returning to the initial reason he was approached by the hottest guy on campus.

Katsuki took a step closer to Izuku after letting his eyes trail all over Izuku’s body when the pretty boy had been distracted. Clearing his throat, trying to fight the nerves that flooded his body when he caught sight of muscular legs, Katsuki nodded.

“Yes, the football team is doing interviews with the public so we can post stupid shit to remind everyone why UA is the best.”

Perking up at the explanation of what was happening, Izuku eagerly agreed,” Of course. I’m more than happy to support UA and our football team!”

The three traveled to a more open area of the shopping center. The sun was warm on their skin and there was a gentle breeze. As Izuku and Katsuki waited for Kirishima to give them the go ahead to start the interview, Kirishima swore the scene looked like something out of a romcom movie. The school jock and nerd running into each other and having their worlds collide on a beautiful day with a cinematic breeze twirling their hair around.

Izuku was wearing a white tee shirt with the words “running shirt” on it. He paired the simple tee shirt with some black gym shorts that had white accents on the side seam. Both of his knees were strapped up with yellow kinesiology knee tape, paired with royal blue compression socks. The final addition to the horrifically discolored outfit was a pair of expensive red running sneakers.

Katsuki was in some baggy black pants, expensive white sneakers, and wore his UA football letter jacket.

Their outfits dramatically contrasted each other, but it wasn’t an eyesore like Kirishima thought it would be. Despite all of that, Kirishima cut the two’s ogling short. “Start anytime!”

Without missing a beat, Katsuki went off-script and asked a personal question. “What happened to your leg?”

Both Kirishima and Izuku seemed a bit taken aback by the question, but they quickly recovered. Kirishima knew he was going to use this as blackmail on Katsuki for the foreseeable future. Izuku on the other hand didn’t know what to expect from the interview and was happy to talk to the notorious football captain.

“I do a lot of running. A lot of cardio,” revealed Izuku, smiling shyly at Katsuki as he fiddled with the earbuds he had taken out.

Since he was a person with no filter, Katsuki dove straight into sly flirting. “Were you on your knees by any chance?”

“I actually was,” answered Izuku quickly, a bit surprised Katsuki asked the question. Still, he wasn’t too surprised Katsuki knew what to ask considering he was an athlete too.

Katsuki didn’t falter despite Izuku clearly not understanding what he meant with that question. “Oh. I picked the right guy for the interview,” commented Katsuki charmingly, his eyes looking at Izuku as if he were a meal to devour.

With the single comment, Izuku picked up on what Katsuki was indirectly saying and let his eyes widen and let out a breathless laugh. Katsuki knew he wanted to see that look and hear that laugh every day for the rest of his life. He wasn’t one to believe in love at first sight, but truly Izuku had him captivated. Izuku felt the exact same way.

He got me, hook, line, and sinker.

“How is your day going?” asked Katsuki calmly, reeling back into interviewing Izuku despite him not asking about UA or things about football.

Izuku pouted, looking at the hustle and bustle of the people around. “Pretty slow”

Seeing an opening to be mischievous again, Katsuki leaned closer. “Do you want me to make it faster?”

Perking up at the suggestive question, Izuku was ready to show he was just as interested. Using all the confidence training his teachers have put him through, Izuku tempted, “How would you do that?”

“How do you want me to do that?” fired back Katsuki with pure enjoyment. There was a little voice in the back of his head, wondering if the man before him was being a little shit to mess with him or if he was truly interested.

While Katsuki was overthinking everything, Izuku tilted his head down, looking up at Katsuki through his eyelashes with a shy smile. It was a very pointed look, and Katsuki felt his heart swoon. Katsuki was ready to bite those chubby cheeks peppered with the most beautiful freckles. Still, he was a college student and imagined pinning Izuku against his locker in the vacant locker room, and making those perfect lips spread to let out a scream of pleasure.

“I’m going to have to cut this video short,” half-joked Katsuki, struggling to keep his mind focused on anything but asking Izuku to date him in less than polite words.

The loud, almost manic laughter erupted from Izuku again as the implications of Katsuki’s words sank in. He was infatuated with Katsuki. There was something so thrilling about being the one that caught the attention of the untouchable football captain. In the back of his mind, he was scared this was all some elaborate prank to humiliate him, but he had to trust that Toshinori wasn’t lying about Katsuki being a good person.

It wasn’t uncommon to hear all his friends talking about Katsuki. It was close to impossible not to hear the name when football was such a major sport. Katsuki was the captain and the team's best player. Besides, Izuku often visits the games.

The only problem was he never got a good look at the blonde when their classes had no overlap and Katsuki was nothing more than a small blob down on the field.

Katsuki recalled Kirishima and Izuku’s short exchange. Kirishima mentioned something about not going to as many parties due to his busy schedule. If Kirishima equated not going to parties to a complete loss of communication, he wondered just how often Izuku attended them. “Do you ever go out to parties?”

“Maybe sometimes,” admitted Izuku slowly, raising a brow to gauge just what Katsuki’s aim was. While Izuku enjoyed some dirty talk, he had no intention of being a sex toy. He had standards and he hoped that Katsuki wasn’t just a closeted player.

“Do you ever see frat boys?” questioned Katsuki quickly, feeling anxiety bubble in his gut. He didn’t want Izuku to have his eyes on loser extras. Katsuki knew that some of the frat boys were persistent and relentless when it came to sexual endeavors. Jealousy was an ugly feeling, and Katsuki didn’t like being in a competition where he could easily lose.

Izuku stilled, a bit offended Katsuki was asking about his potential romantic interests in frat boys. How could Katsuki think he had no standards? Sure, Izuku was popular and flirty when it counted, but he didn’t think he gave off the impression he’d settle for a frat boy.

Truth be told, Izuku had a fear of drinking and drugs. He was a control freak after all.

In the end he’d be lying if he said he didn’t notice some of the frat boys at the parties he attended. No matter how many people tried to hide the parties from the frat boys, they managed to find and get into the private parties. “I do see some frat boys. I don’t go for frat boys though.”

Katsuki immediately relaxed and soon realized he had been making a lot of assumptions. Sure, he was gay, but he couldn’t just assume anyone he was interested in was. Yet, he saw Izuku standing across the field on one fateful day and decided the nerd was his. Still, he didn’t have to worry about some horny men getting their hands on Izuku.

With his skin practically itching from anticipation, Katsuki knew he needed to get a better confirmation of Izuku’s sexuality. Their not-so-subtle flirting wasn’t enough. “So, what kind of guys do you go for?”

“Literally any other kind of guy,” chuckled Izuku, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. It was clear that Katsuki was interested in him no matter what the intentions behind that interest were. Who could blame him for being flattered that Katsuki was giving him attention in a world filled with gorgeous individuals who matched Katsuki’s interests better.

Even if he was a perfect mix of calculated and impulsive, Katsuki was quick to gather the courage and make it clear where he stood. “Like football players?”

The message was direct and Izuku’s face bloomed the most stunning shade of pink Katsuki had ever seen. The shade complimented his hair and made his freckles more apparent. Still, Izuku raised a hand to tuck a stray curl behind his ear. Ignoring the adrenaline pumping in his veins, he smiled confidently. “I’ve never gone for a football player before but…”

All composure was lost, and Katsuki’s buffer vanished. “Do you like dick?”

That was all it took for Izuku to burst out into laughter. Even if Katsuki only wanted him for his body, which meant a hard rejection to an only physical relationship, Izuku had no intention of living a life without Katsuki in it. The vulgarity in Katsuki’s speech and the lack of regret in everything he said was something Izuku quickly admired. “Uh yeah.”

Katsuki couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face, unable to believe that with the dumpster fire their conversation was, Izuku was still laughing and engaged. If his last question wasn’t enough to drive Izuku away, he might as well try to ask, “Can I get your number?”

Not even a second passed when Izuku threw his head back in laughter once more, fully captivated by Katsuki. He enjoyed the directness after all the suggestive language. Waving a hand, Izuku took a deep breath before shrugging and nodding his head. “Yeah, I guess you can get my number.”

Suddenly Katsuki felt like an elementary schooler. He remembered watching all his friends ask girls out and being surprised when they accepted. Now he understood how they felt at that moment. It was a pure, unadulterated sense of belonging and acceptance.

Despite the train wreck he presented himself to be, Izuku wanted to stick around.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” confirmed Izuku as he laughed, raising his hand, messing with his phone to pull up contacts, and offering it to Katsuki.

Kirishima stood behind the camera, wearing a disgusted expression. Izuku and Katsuki were made for each other. He couldn’t imagine any other person in the world still giving their number to Katsuki after being aggressively asked if they liked dick.

Whatever rose-tinted glasses Izuku was wearing, Kirishima wanted a pair too.

Katsuki calmly put in his digits and his name. He knew Izuku knew his name, but still, he liked the feeling of making himself known to Izuku. As soon as Katsuki went to hand Izuku his phone, a calendar notification pinged.

“Sorry, I really must go! I’ll text you, Katsuki. And Kirishima, it was a pleasure seeing you again.”

Kirishima and Katsuki both waved to Izuku and sadly said their goodbyes. They were impressed that Izuku was able to spare them a minute in the first place with how intense his schedule must be.

Izuku walked away with a pep in his step. Kirishima had been busy sending the video to himself when Katsuki’s voice reached his ears against his will.

“I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave,” sighed Katsuki, clearly admiring Izuku’s ass-sets.

Kirishima cringed, staring at Katsuki as if he’d been betrayed. “Bro, I love you… but I’m going to need you to stop talking.”

Katsuki gave Kirishima a swift punch to the arm before snatching his phone back. “Never speak of this to anyone. Let’s grab lunch… fuck interviewing anyone else.”

More than happy to stop where they were, Kirishima started walking to the one restaurant nearby he knew they both enjoyed. Katsuki smiled at his phone when he almost immediately got a text from Izuku.

Katsuki wasn’t planning on letting Izuku go after having a taste.

[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.

[c-h-pictures]

Genshin Characters Pub Quiz Capabilities: Team 5ggrevate

Team Swirl (Faruzan, Dehya, Dunyarzad, Nilou, Hat Guy)

Basing on the standard pub quiz for ease

Round 1: General knowlege/trivia

Round 2: Science

Round 3: Photo round

Round 4: Sport

Round 5: Maths (Optional)

Round 6: Pop culture

Tighnari

Round 1: 4-6/10

The general knowledge required for being a forest ranger is very different to that of someone living in the city.

Round 2: 6-8/10

Score varies on how many biology questions pop up. He can get about half of the chemistry and alchemy, struggles with physics or geology.

Round 3: 5-6/10

He recognises plants, fungi and animals easily, can often figure out rural locations based on the plants. He struggles more with urban locations. Rarely recognises celebrities.

Round 4: 1-2/10

Maybe he heard about things from the other forest rangers, but he probably forgot it by the time it came to the quiz. Unless its archery related. He knows everytihng that happens in the archery world. But that very rarely comes up.

Round 5: 6-7/10

Can do most pure maths, can work his way through applied maths but takes some time. Often catches his mistakes.

Round 6: 3-8/10

Some things don't spread to Ghandharva Ville, so it's very dependable on how much he was in the city recently.

Overall score: 25-37/60

Haitham

Round 1: 7-8/10

He picks up a lot of random facts during work and reading which he remembers.

Round 2: 4-5/10

Has a standard level of knowledge for all sciences, but nothing too in depth.

Round 3: 6-7/10

Recognises most locations and can usually get half the animals. Struggles with plants, may struggle with rural locations outside of Sumeru.

Round 4: 2-3/10

He hears discussions about athletes in the House of Daena, but he doesn't know enough to match their names to the sport.

Round 5: 4-6/10

Can do pure easily, doesn't really know equations for applied. Often catches his mistakes.

Round 6: 6-7/10

Picks up on a lot from people chatting in the Akademiya.

Overall score: 29-36/60

Cyno

Round 1: 5-7/10

Similar to Tighnari, in that his general knowledge is rather different to those from the city, but he's there more often.

Round 2: 7-9/10

High knowledge of chemistry, alchemy and geology, decent at biology because of Tighnari.

Round 3: 6-8/10

Recognises most locations and buildings, a good amount of animals, some plants.

Round 4: 4-6/10

Has some conversations with colleagues and keeps up to date on some sports when he's in the city for longer periods.

Round 5: 6-8/10

Find pure easy, can get through some applied questions. May miss some mistakes.

Round 6: 6-8/10

Picks up on most things through work, score depends on which area of Sumeru the questions focus on and which area he's been in more.

Overall score: 34-46/60

Sethos

Round 1: 2-4/10

His random knowledge of specific facts largely applies to things no one in the city would ever know, unfortunately for his quiz score.

Round 2: 5-7/10

Has a similar level of knowledge of all sciences, but not of a very high level.

Round 3: 7-9/10

Recognises most locations and buildings, recognises desert animals and plants, recognises some people.

Round 4: 3-8/10

Depends entirely on what he's heard in the city recently.

Round 5: 4-7/10

Can do pure and some applied, but may miss mistakes.

Round 6: 4-5/10

Largely limited to news in the desert.

Overall score: 25-40/60

Kaveh

Round 1: 7-8/10

On his own, he knows less random facts than Haitham, but he then learns more from Haitham.

Round 2: 6-8/10

Standard knowledge of each main science, but more in depth for physics and engineering.

Round 3: 4-6/10

Recognises most people and buildings, some rural locations and animals, occasional plants.

Round 4: 2-3/10

Occasionally picks up knowledge from clients.

Round 5: 10/10

Well versed in pure and applied maths, triple checks working.

Round 6: 5-7/10

Keeps up pretty well through chatting with clients and friends throughout the day.

Overall score: 34-42/60

[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.

[bansaltrading12]

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[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.