#please say it’s just about the fucking…. limited amount of the merch.

[foxgloveinspace]

(Source)

Vessel I just woke up. What the fuck.

[aoharushiyo]

the recipes for... | track 1 — chocolate pudding

Translation: en Proofreading: aca, dimi, kimi, myun, jay, jelly

Content Warning: light jokes about death

PatiBattle is my life. A masterpiece containing the quintessential element, the character that gives meaning to my very existence— yeah, you heard that right: his name is Chiyoda Reito.

PatiBattle is my life. A masterpiece containing the quintessential element, the character that gives meaning to my very existence— yeah, you heard that right: his name is Chiyoda Reito.

---

"Come the hell on, if I don't get there soon, it might all be gone…!"

I was held back after school for ages by the teachers today. Some lecture about my behaviour in class or something. Stuff like my attitude being all over the place, or reading manga under my desk in class… But why today, of all days? Of course, I just had to run my mouth and say that I'd listen any other day, please let me off just for today… but that just ended up adding oil to the fire and I got held back even longer.

[ Next Restock TBA ] "…"

I flew into the anime shop I frequented and stopped in front of the display case for newly stocked merch. I hadn't been able to pre-order, so all the merch I wanted had all already been snagged.

"Seriously… I wish this would stop happening…"

And it's just my luck that I don't have any friends I can ask to buy merch for me.

"'Restock TBA'…? The very concept of this should fuck right off."

Student life may as well be slavery. Sure, pointing and laughing at the working class and calling them corporate slaves has been a thing since ages ago, but isn't being a student pretty much the same thing? At these places called 'schools', you're physically limited to what you can do, you're forced into doing club activities after school, and even once you get home, you've gotta do homework or chores… All that takes up a shit ton of time. Adults always overestimate the amount of free time we kids have.

"Fuck…!"

Despite all of that, somehow I'm making do with the little free time I have. Attending events, making shrines, exchanging official and blind box merch, buying out merch stocks[1], nui outings, birthday pilgrimages…

"Aah… my life has no meaning anymore… Just end me already…"

I just couldn't take it any longer. I stumbled out of the store, and, after sparing only a glance to make sure no one was around, started hitting my head against the wall, over and over. Over, and over, and over. I failed. I'm a failure. I'm sorry, Reito, I'm so sorry that I couldn't bring you home.

The theme for the acrylic standee set this time around was 'Training Camp - First Year, Winter ~Wedding Cake~'. A set that dressed every single character in exquisite bridal attire. Not being able to get something like that on the day of its release is absolutely unforgivable. I might as well just die.

The way back was freezing cold. The weather sucked ass, too.

---

Today, I decided to go home instead of returning to the dorms. Here, I can do whatever I want without anyone getting in my way.

"…Yeah, I guess it'll do."

My feelings of frustration needed some kind of outlet. All of the love I was so ready to shower on my new standee had to go somewhere, too — so I eagerly channelled it into something else.

"Aren't you looking pretty good now?"

I held up my apron, extremely pleased with the crooked rows of can badges and pins that covered its entirety. Naturally, the apron was in Reito's image colour. And right over the chest, where my new merch should have been, shone in its place a new, extra-large aluminium standee.[2] That's right. In this patisserie kitchen, we don't have ita-bags — we have ita-aprons, obviously.

"I've gotta finish this before Reito's birthday…"

I guess you could say it's like a way of measuring love. If this weight is the weight of my love, then even if it's heavy because of how many things I've slowly added to it, I can't get enough. I just can't get enough of the insanity of wearing it. Merch of Reito is in ridiculously high demand, so it's really not great for my wallet, but… I'm fine with that. Because only then does it feel like I'm giving up even my soul for Reito.

"Now then…"

Finally satisfied with my sparkling, gleaming rows of badges, I moved onto the next part of my daily routine — checking socials. After all, numerous new fanworks are being created every day.

"Searching for… 'PatiBattle!'…" With great enthusiasm, I searched for every single keyword that I could think of. 'Patissier Battle', 'Chiyoda Reito', 'ReiOu', 'Rei0u', 'ChocoPudding'…[3]

"Damn, this person's art is so good… wait— wait, they drew this!? This is insane! Fuck, oh fuck… I can't take it, it's so radiant that I can't even look at it properly…!"

This must be what it means to be happy. Being able to see the masterpieces being born every day is happiness. While happily wading through my feed, I spent hours lost in the online world.

"…Ah."

There it was: Reito/Shouta. And… blocked. It's like I never saw it in the first place. It really was a shame that they didn't understand the better dynamic. But staying in your own lane makes the world go 'round, so never having to see it again was good enough.

And finally, after checking everything else, I'd left the best for last:

"Sanseiu-sensei…!"

Sanseiu-sensei, the god of ReiOu. Even if they hadn't uploaded anything new, I could spend hours rereading all of their older works.

"What's wrong? Could it be… is that embarrassment I see?" "H-hey! I still can't believe it… What would someone like you see in me…?" "If you keep saying things like that, I'll just go ahead and eat you up." "Mmph…!?" "…Delicious." "R-Reito-kun!" "Aren't you so sweet? Maybe… even sweeter than chocolate."

"Aaah, it's still this good every time I read this!? Even though I've read it before? This flavour never gets old no matter how many times I reread it! Seriously! What the fuck! I'm gonna go insane!"

After rolling around on my bed, I grabbed my pillow and screamed into it while writhing in glee. How was I supposed to remain sane after reading that!?

"It's so cute! It's so cute that I'm gonna die! Killing me directly would be less painful, Sanseiu-sensei!"

Throwing my emotions into this much disarray… that was the power of the great Sanseiu-sensei. I'd heard that they tabled at a large convention a few months ago, but…

"I wanna meet them and thank them…!"

I wanted to go so badly, but…

"…I can't deal with crowds…"

---

[1] 無限回収 mugen kaishuu refers to the act of buying the same merch over and over without caring about the cost. If you've ever seen one of those huge birthday shrines with a million of the same pins? That's the energy.

[2] アルミ arumi basically is a shortened form of ‘aluminium’. This could refer to a can badge, but it could also be an aluminium standee, which is a cutout of an artwork from an aluminium can. Since Ushio is saying that instead of the acrylic standee, he got an arumi, and also that he mentioned can badges earlier, I've gone with this option.

[3] 礼王 is Ushio's OTP, Reito/Ouji. He'll explain this later! After this, he searches for 礼玉. Note that 玉 looks like 王; it's pretty common to use something to censor part of the name so that it doesn't appear in searches. I've replaced the O with a 0 to replicate the same effect since it wouldn't make much sense to literally transcribe it. 'ChocoPudding' is another version of their ship name (which he will also explain later).

---

masterlist | next →

[didyoulookforme]

So for postman!Matty I think there is something to explore regarding the time they spend apart (working as a postman and/or tour) and how those reunions go, the type of tension that builds up and needs to be released etc.

yesssssss there’s absolutely a lot of tension and frustration that builds while he’s away :(

in this au, the 1975 is a way smaller band so the boys just tour in a van from city to city, playing to crowds of about 100-300 people at a time. this means that she cannot just join them for tour, unfortunately, as there’s usually limited space. but there are times when she’ll tag for a few cities and help them sell their merch because she is a music nerd and actually loves the material they make. she won’t admit it out loud to him, but she does listen to his stuff in her own time. always a sucker for a musician boyfriend. especially a hot, sexy, slutty one who worships her.

anyway, because she cannot go along with them, there’s definitely lots of sexual frustration pent up, especially for poor matty who cannot get off as much as he’d like to due to not being alone much lol. they will definitely have phone sex if there’s enough time and she also sends him photos as she’s actually a pretty skilled photographer (she comes from a design / art background). she will take rather beautiful images of her naked, or touching and pleasing herself, which just send matty off a cliff every single time because she’s the most perfect girl in his eyes. he definitely has them stored in his phone so he can look at her and not feel too distant. plus have some wank material. there’s also been times when she takes photos of him and them together, so those are the ones she looks at while he’s away. this is no secret as there’s definitely occasions when george or ross go to use matty’s phone and accidentally see the photos because dear mr. postman is not the smartest with digital technology and forgets to swipe away before he turns off the screen. roomie hann doesn’t even blink an eye at it anymore as he’s seen the prints which matty has next to his bed.

but yes, when he finally gets back, he doesn’t even go to his own apartment first because there’s no possible way he can wait another second without having her as he pretty much has a boner the whole day in anticipation. he doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he wants and needs girlie asap. thus, lots of the times it ends up with them on the couch as the bed is just too far away. he could literally cum from just watching and feeling her tits again (thank god) because he loves them so much. matty also spends a WHILE going down on her because tasting her again after several weeks makes him get impossibly turned on that it’s no surprise he’s cum in his pants before. but he doesn’t give a fuck and she finds it incredibly hot that he can just let go and truly be himself around her.

they fuck like bunnies in spring for that whole day as if to make up for lost time. it not a gentle affair, either. it’s sweaty, fast, and messy because we know he has a spit kink. the amount of time he can spend looking at his spit drip down her tits is unreal. one of his favourite sights in this world.

there’s definitely a lot of bruises and red marks left on both of them, and she sometimes cannot help but take photos of his scratched chest, shoulders or inner thighs (and cum on his stomach) once done to add to her collection. and let’s be real, he’s an exhibitionist so he feeds off the attention and knowing that you like him enough to photograph.

needless to say, once he’s back, they spend multiple days together at a time as they’re both so incredibly down and horny for each other that it is sickly sweet <3

[x3rrorx]

This is long but I’m so tired of the fandom shitting on Noah every chance they get because they take everything he says literally and personally. He has always been blunt and says exactly what he means. I don’t know why people twist his words or project feelings onto him just because he isn’t screaming his adoration for the fans from the mountaintops every day, making himself available on social media, and putting on a big fake smile for their performances to prove he’s happy to be there. So many bands have been so problematic with scandals and have not faced half the criticism from their fan base as this band has for such small, inconsequential things like not liking merch designs, deleting social media, not posting an end of year Spotify wrapped thank you thing???

People keep saying Noah looks bored on stage or like he isn’t excited lately. I personally have only seen videos of him having fun so far, but I’d also take into consideration that even though these are the biggest shows they’ve ever played, they’re there to support one of the biggest bands in the scene. I’m sure there’s a lot of pressure to put on a good performance vocally and I’d imagine that takes a level of concentration and limits the amount of movement and running around on stage he can do.

I’m sure playing arenas for the first time also means larger crowds, more pressure, potentially more nerves. There’s jet lag, there’s exhaustion from tour in general, you never know what someone is contending with in their personal life off stage as well, etc. Not to mention, how many times have they described themselves as dark, dramatic, cinematic. Those aren’t really adjectives that translate to dancing and smiling the way Oli does on stage, for example.

Also, the band tours like CRAZY. More than any band I’ve seen in a long time. They are always on the road for just about the last 2-3 years and I don’t think they’d spend so much time out and about if they didn’t enjoy performing or weren’t excited about it. With the way their merch sells out and the money they’re now making from radio play there isn’t as much of a financial need as there was before to tour tour tour. I’m sure they could get away with performing less if that was truly the case. Noah wouldn’t have pushed himself in the fall to perform when he’s sick if he didn’t care about being there. They also wouldn’t try so hard to put on a good show, put so much time, thought, effort, money into the production of the show if they didn’t care about the experience of the fans who came there to see and support them.

If he was truly bored and didn’t give a fuck I’m sure he wouldn’t sound nearly as good, wouldn’t push himself, wouldn’t be working so hard on his physical health to keep in shape, wouldn’t try so hard on stage production. Noah would also give heartfelt speeches before, yes, but this isn’t their headlining tour. They’ve been thanking the crowd and I’m sure when it’s their UK headliner the speeches about how much it means will come back because they’ll know the crowd at those shows came for THEM.

As for the phones, everyone needs to understand that artists want to see people dancing, singing, engaging with him while he’s on stage. When everyone has their phone out the whole time, it’s harder to get that energy back from the crowd because you don’t see faces and people aren’t moving as much. It doesn’t mean they hate that you record and take photos, nor does it mean you should stop if that’s something you want and like to do. You paid to be there, you can do what you please. But let’s not spin it to sound like he hates the fans taking videos. He’s said himself they don’t mind! But try and understand where he’s coming from as a performer. If you were up on that stage I’m sure you’d rather see moshing and dancing and faces than phones and people standing around singing quietly and keeping their cameras still to get good content. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him having that preference and commenting on how the appreciates the UK being present during shows because that’s out of the norm for them, and that’s cool as a frontman to see.

Fans are meant to listen to the music, come out to the shows, have a good time, and maybe buy some merch. Please be a fan of the BAND and participate in the way that makes you happy instead of finding ways as a fan to be disgruntled because one dude says he wishes people were on their phones less, or saying the band hates their female fanbase because they don’t make feminine merch items. They give us so much—two new records coming, frequent merch drops, always touring, the comics. If you can’t appreciate all of that and feel entitled to more, I don’t know what kind of fan you are.

Perfectly said 👑

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Another day, another example of pure idiocy on social media. Jin said the Seoul concerts would be close to a loss for HYBE, and Armys are crying about it on social media, telling BTS to take their money, and saying BTS and Hybe just love Army so, so much. Are you guys for real? This is a billion dollar company. They are making money also from merch, streaming, live viewing on theaters, ads?, etc. And even if they aren’t making the same ridiculous amounts of money as before COVID, they are still making more money than they can spend. And because they are working “close” to a “loss”, they may be cutting down on wages for all we know - any money you wanna give them will line the executives’ pockets. Why the fuck would you be concerned for Hybe or BTS’s pockets? My mother works like 50 hours per week and makes what BTS spend on a fucking sweater. Give her your fucking money, or literally anyone else who is not a millionaire. Also, to this “woke” generation who cares about the environment and hates NFTs, why are you so hellbent on buying merch merch merch. That’s not good for the environment either. 

And, also, not everything that comes out of Jin’s mouth is gold. Jin is known for making these pro-Hybe statements which fans take to heart. Jin once said other companies make content to get rich while Big Hit makes it for the fans. PLEASE, give me a break. Most companies work first and foremost to make money unless they have other goals, but Hybe is not a social company and their number one priority is definitely money - otherwise they’d listen to us more. All companies have people who wish to make a positive impact with their work. Just because Jin loves Hybe it doesn’t mean Hybe doesn’t suck. Jin is at the top of the food chain. Ask someone else their opinion too. Even if Hybe is better than other companies, the standards are so fucking low they are on the floor. 

Jin has a very pro-capitalism mentality - he is constantly advertising shit and thinks a company’s goal is to make as much as possible, with no limits. If you think this way as well, by all means take his words to heart. If you disagree, then take what he says with a grain of salt. 

[adultswim2021]

Ephemera Week (2002)

It’s still ephemera week, and we’re still talking about John K. I said most of my piece on him in the last post, so don’t expect there to go full bore on this one, except I forgot to say he’s animation’s Jerry Lewis. His current stuff is basically Hardly Working. I will not elaborate, because I’m being mean to you0.

MARCH SPECIALS!

In March, Adult Swim advertised a run of one-off specials. A couple of them were already covered because they fell under the parameters of “Adult Swim original production”. They were Welcome to Eltingville (March 3rd) and Saddle Rash (March 24th).

Day in the Life of Ranger Smith | March 10th 2002 - 11:00 PM (Originally aired on Cartoon Network in 1999)

This was one of two specials commissioned by Cartoon Network re-imagining Yogi Bear. The artist what took this assignment was John K, who I REEEAALLY skewered in last night’s post, didn’t I?

This is about Ranger Smith harassing animals and writing them up for violating park rules, basically. It’s short! I remember liking it at the time! Okay, maybe I’m going crazy here, but I distinctly remembered a part at the end where Ranger Smith is in bed and he solemnly confides in the viewer that the noises of wilderness give him nightmares and then it just ends. Did I imagine this? It does end with him in bed, but this doesn’t happen in the version on YouTube (which is from the Adult Swim airing). Huh.

Boo Boo Runs Wild | March 10th 2002 - 11:15PM (Originally aired on Cartoon Network in 1999)

Boo Boo Runs Wild was another one of these stand-alone Yogi Bear John K specials. This one was 30 minutes long. The Ranger Smith short was a brief 7 minutes; I’m guessing they aired a couple Capt. Lingers or something to fill time.

This one is about Boo Boo reverting to his feral nature and causing BIIIIG problems! This special would later go on to be kind of a weird trolling thing Adult Swim would do where they aired it every Sunday for a few months, even promoting regularly. This was like 2006, I think? They’d also air it as part of April Fools. Is that Adult Swim admitting this special sorta sucks? Does it sorta suck? Again, I liked these at the time and REFUSED to actively rewatch these for this write-up. Sorry.

The Jetsons: Father and Son Day/The Best Son | March 10th, 2002 11:45PM (Originally aired on CartoonNetwork.com in 2001) Our John K rock block ends with a pair of Jetsons shorts, Father and Son Day and The Best Son respectively. This is kinda the same deal as his Yogi Bear shorts, but these were exclusive for Cartoon Network’s website. I remember watching them on there. They are as bad as you’d expect late-period John K internet shorts to be, though the second short is a superior version of Spielberg’s A.I. (in that it’s shorter).

Night of the Living Doo | March 17th, 2002 - 11:00PM (originally aired on Cartoon Network, 2001)

Night of the Living Doo originally aired as wraparound segments during a Halloween Scooby Doo marathon on Cartoon Network. It’s kinda like an episode of the Scooby Doo Movies, which shoehorned in a guest star each episode. Suddenly my man Dick Van Dyke be running a carnival and shit. That’s the Scooby Doo Movies. At the end of the night they played all the wraparound segments in one uninterrupted sitting, so the viewer could appreciate it as an actual full-on Scooby Doo episode. Night of the Living Doo functioned both as an extension of that series as well as a parody. The guests were Gary Coleman, David Cross, and the very cool band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was all very self-deprecating and had jokes about the absurdity of Scooby Doo tropes. Well trod territory by this point, sure. But this is better than most irreverent Scooby Doo things. It didn’t hurt that I was a HUGE David Cross fan when this aired. Is this where I tell the stupid-ass story about getting mad at a message board guy for not liking David Cross? Sure. Okay, yeah. When this aired on Adult Swim a guy on Kon’s (hi Kon) message board posted something about not finding David Cross funny, shrugging that he didn’t get the hype. He cited this and his appearances in the Men in Black movies, and nothing else as proof for his lackluster comedy skills. It’s kinda like deeming Eddie Murphy as a bad comedian after watching Dr. Doolittle.

The point of this special is that David Cross is a little wooden and stilted, like in the old Scooby Doo Movies episodes. This poster revealed that he never heard David Cross’s stand-up or seen Mr. Show, explaining “I don’t watch puppet shows” A response that still baffles me to this day. Why Mr. Show isn’t a-- WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT? I’m not even sure if there was EVER a puppet on Mr. Show*. David wasn’t even a guest on Crank Yankers at this point! SO WHAT THE FUCK? To this day whenever mutual pals from that board get together and watch a movie or show and a puppet appears we make a joke about this guy. Good story? No? Fuck you.

Other stuff about this show: When it originally aired on Cartoon Network it was a little bit longer than the Adult Swim version. There’s a missing scene. I think it’s David trying to play an improv game with a mummy or something. At one point I had it on tape, but I’m not sure I kept it. Sorry.

*sorry to be coy here, but I do know of at least one puppet on Mr. Show, episode 204 there is brief footage of Grass Valley Greg putting on a puppet show for his staff. This CAN’T be the source of the confusion, can it? It’s literally like, 5 seconds.

MAIL BAG

This’ll teach me to skip a day cuz this really piled up. Thanks, guys. I love all the attention. It is my favorite thing.

I never really saw oblongs as something for the hot topic set. They had Invader Zim and Squee for that kind of shit. Oblongs feel like it was always directly targeting me: the shut-in comedy nerd who would appreciate will ferrell and the sklars being in a thing. Since they ended up doing the exact same show with Janeane Garofalo and David Cross a few years later it seems like that was the goal.

Yeah, I guess that also makes sense. There were a few elements that were kinda gothy but this show was mostly just Angus Oblong ahem, clowning around (puckering mouth to stifle laughter like Chris Elliott in Cabin Boy)

What are your thoughts on the other adult animation blocks of the past couple decades? Spike's notriously failed attempt. Animation Domination. Apparently Syfy has had their own going?

Spike was irredeemably bad. People think this shit is easy. Animation Domination is sorta legit, but it’s anchored by mostly crap. That ADHD thing was kinda good and underrated. Is that still going on? I wish I were more diligent about watching/recording that. Some of them bumpers were good. Also, we mustn’t forget MTV’s oddities. They were kinda the first cable network to court Adult Animation as their thing. They deserve some kind of credit for that. I’m sure they’re doing fine.

I'm having a nice big thing of spaghetti for dinner with some chicken parm? Jealous?

I’ve never had those are they good

What does Ephemera mean? Why is this happenening? Why aren't you talking about 10 Home Movies episodes in a row like a good boy.

In dude time, my friend. In dude time

What would be your Adult Swim dream come true?

Having a complete archive of Adult Swim blocks on a harddrive like Don Giller has with his Letterman archive. Even the commercials and shit. I know of a guy who was a regular taper of the entire block from night 1 but I’m not sure he kept up with it when they went nightly. I should ask him if he still has his tapes, huh?

That or they bring back the BUILD YOUR OWN DVD thing but with blu-rays and you can make your own bumps, which was a different thing they had. THEY SHOULD COMBINE THEM. And you can master it in SD if you wanna put 10 hours of stuff on a disk.

All this is archival bullshit dork shit. Real answer: Clay Croker comes back from the dead and every block is hosted by Space Ghost. That’d be it, right?

If anyone has genuine/better answers please write in with them I wanna keep this conversation going. ‘kay?

McDonalds reintroduces limited edition Adult Swim Toys. You can get them all (plus an extra to keep wrapped for collectors purposes) but you have to spend 20 dollars at McDonalds to grab them all. This is the last day of the promotion. You have to personally eat everything you buy but you can take it home. You can only buy one of each food item. What are you getting? I know the longer the mailbag message is the quicker you are inclined to give some glib remark but indulge this one for once.

Oh wow. I’m literally going to take this seriously. I’d roll in as breakfast was ending. Get myself a McChicken Biscuit and a Bacon Egg & Cheese McGriddle, hashbrowns and a Coffee. Gobble that knob on down. Wipe my mouth with a napkin. It’s lunchtime, bitch. Big Mac, Large Fries, BIG ass soda. You feel me, dude? Lemme tally up. Okay, probably need more. 20 piece nugget. Take that home cuz I’m probably gonna have to save some for dinner. That’s probably 20 bucks right there, especially if you go to the McDonalds on Burnside where all the menu items are more expensive because of the amount of security they have to hire (did you know that different McDonalds have different prices even in the same city? I didn’t until very recently). If this somehow doesn’t satisfy my price point I get a Vanilla shake and eat it anally DURING my BIG D squirt sesh, so it’ll spend as little time in my body as possible. Wait, do I get something for this? I might do this tomorrow just cuz. It sounds like a funky thing to do

Do you think you'll open an Adult Swim mueseum at some point? You seem to be the only steward of its history.

Unless I’m hired to by a large corporation, probably not. Also I don’t think I actually have much in the way of merch other than DVDs. I stopped being a DVD completist at some point around Freaknick The Musical. Oh, I never EVER bought a Robot Chicken DVD, EVER. I literally had a nightmare once that one appeared in my collection.

Hey! Please keep us abreast any time you put more of your garbage on eBay. Maybe you can put your wedding dress on there, you big girl.

Fucking sexist/trasphobic behavior.

Check out my eBay auctions I got season 18 of NCIS up there and some other things :)

The Ripping Friends blow chunks. I don't care if a rapist or the opposite of a rapist (a virgin who volunteers, lol) made it. It sucks a high hard one like when Ozzy banged the Cheiftan's Wife in that Black Sabbath TV Funhouse cartoon. Tell me more.

Tell you more?

Name one rap song you tolerate lol. You can't say anything by weird al or marky mark.

I guess I like the song the pest sings from the motion picture The Pest

Are there any good podcasts on adult swim?

The official one hosted by Matt Harrigan is good, but I’ve only bounced around on it. I don’t know if there’s any formal recap ones. I simply don’t know!

HE'S GIVING HIGH HARD ONE TO CHEIFTAN'S WIFE? UH OH!

Buddy, you are BANNED for LIFE from my MAIL BAG! You drive me CRAZY!

[fuck-you-i-am-spiderman]

I was tagged by the glorious Sparrow, thank you. I got kind of rambley and depressive on here so I'm sorry for that but thank you for tagging me I appreciate that! 💜

Nicknames: I don't actually have any right now. I used to have several, back when I had friends but I don't have many now so I don't have a lot of nicknames either. Spidey I guess, but that's more of a brand I've given myself. Though someone in my work did cone that nickname because I showed up to work in my Spiderman jacket. My partner calls me Kate and my younger sister calls me Kates but that's about it.

Zodiac: Virgo ✌️

Height: smol™

Hogwarts house: fuck knows at this rate. I've taken numerous tests, took the Pottermore quiz twice and I always end up with differing results. I have the most Slytherin merch though 🐍

Last thing I googled: my bus route to work

Song stuck in my head: too many. Currently I have a loop of several which include: Wasabi and Gloves Up by Little Mix and Gravity by Against the current

Amount of sleep: not enough 😭 I have a very hard time actually getting to sleep, insomnia is a bitch and also anxiety so. If I'm not in work early I usually get more hours but if I'm in early then RIP me because I just can't sleep. On a good day I can get 8 hours but it's rare.

Number of followers: I don't know and honestly I don't care. I know if I keep checking how many I'll get hung up on it and honestly I don't need the extra anxiety of trying to shape this blog, my blog is for me to post and is a safe space where I feel comfortable to be weird and whacky and ramble about fandoms without the pressure of trying to fit in or pretending I don't like things.

Lucky number: 18 and funnily enough that is also the date of my birthday

Dream job: I don't know anymore. For a while I thought it would be something in video editing or photography but here I am as a full time barista so I don't really know any more. I know my limits and I don't want to dream about a job I could have, I've got to work on myself and really figure out what I want y'know.

Wearing: 😏 pyjamas ya weirdo. They're grumpy cat pyjamas and I have some yellow and white fluffy socks and a sleep mask, also hugging my Stitch plushie if that counts

Favourite song: there are too many to choose from, but right now I am obsessed with Little Mix so anything from their new album especially.

Favourite instrument: Piano I think. I think it's hard to choose a specific one because it really depends on my mood and the vibe I'm feeling

Favourite author: I don't read a lot of books to be honest. I read a lot of fanfiction, so it's a crime not to mention one of my faves @hersilentlanguage like everything is incredible but their Marlos fic has my whole heart and I've reread the chapters at least 4 times, it makes me so happy.

Favourite animal noise: the little half grumble my dog makes when he wants attention 😌

Random: I used to really like going to my university gym and I miss having the option to go to one now

Recent picture:

If anyone sees this and wants to say I tagged them please feel free!

[ignis-scientia-estrogen-brigade]

~ISEB in Japan: A Photo Journal~

If you’ve been following me on Twitter lately, you’ll know that I’ve been traveling through parts of Japan the last couple of weeks with my Ignis Play Arts Kai figure in tow. I posted a few pictures over there during the duration of my trip, but those barely scratched the surface of everything I got to do while in Japan. So I thought I’d put together a blog post of my journey while it was still fresh in my mind, featuring everyone’s favorite strategist in what I’ve been dubbing my Great Final Fantasy XV Adventure of 2019!

[Image-heavy content + commentary under the cut]

A brief backstory: I’ve wanted to go to Japan my entire adult life. For years, I’ve watched friends make the trek while I’ve been stuck at home with a severe case of FOMO. The only thing that ever stopped me from going was money (or a lack thereof), so I made the decision last summer to buckle down and sock away every dime I made to make it happen. My only concern before hopping on the plane was that I had missed the wave of FFXV popularity by about a year, but I would quickly learn that—other than not getting to eat any of Ignis’ recipes at the Square Enix Cafe—I had little to worry about.

Literally the only reason I brought my Play Arts Kai figure was so I could take this picture of Ignis at the Citadel (a.k.a. the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building), which was the very first place I stopped at on my first full day in Tokyo. The building + the surrounding plaza, while not 100% accurate, is a fairly impressive facsimile of the one in the game. It’s located in Shinjuku, which also boasts a lot of similarities to Insomnia. Having finished Episode Ardyn mere hours before jetting off on my trip, it felt like I had stepped off the plane and right into the game!

There just so happened to be an Animate right near the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, so I popped in to get a feel for what kind of FFXV merch I’d be able to find two years after the game’s release and a year after its height of popularity. Turns out, there was quite a lot of swag to be found! Truth be told, I’ve never been one to chase down official merchandise (unfortunately my job doesn’t really afford that luxury), but I gave myself special permission while on vacation to buy anything I wanted. So I did! Including everything you see above. ^^;;

The next thing I did was take the train to Ginza to meet Lyle/@landscape-gonna  (@landscape_gonna on Twitter), and I simply cannot say enough nice things about her. If you don’t know who she is, there’s a 99.9% chance you’ve seen at least one of her Ignis costumes, and they are A. M. A. Z. I. N. G. We had chatted a bit previously on Twitter before I went full-on stan mode, asking her if she'd be willing to meet up with me (a total stranger) to have lunch and talk Ignis and Final Fantasy. Not only did she say yes, but she gifted me with copies of her incredible cosplay zines and was not the least embarrassed when I busted out my Play Kai Arts figure in the middle of a busy Japanese dessert restaurant haha.

See? Zero embarrassment here.

We even did Noct’s ultimate pose! In public!

I can’t begin to articulate how special meeting Lyle was for me—being brought together from opposite sides of the world to share in our love for Ignis/FFXV is a memory I will cherish my entire life. So Lyle, if you are reading this: どうもありがとうございます ! ٩( ᐛ )( ᐖ )۶

Lyle wasn't the only friend I had in Japan. Another friend of mine, Asuka (who happens to be well-versed in anime/video game culture), volunteered to be my guide through Ikebukuro/Otome Road the next day. Quick otaku lesson: Kbooks is a chain of stores that specializes in the resale of licensed merchandise. For example, if you missed out on some of the limited availability items from the Movic and the Square Enix Cafe collaborations, you might be able to find them at a Kbooks. Otome Road in particular has something like seven different Kbook shops in a 3-block radius, each one specializing in different products (sports anime, idols, cosplay, etc). I, of course, beelined for the video game shop...

...which is where I found this fucking thing:

I’m not gonna lie, I almost bought it. I just didn’t know what I would do with it besides scare the living daylights out of people when they least expected it lol.

Yoooo Adam I found ya boi in Ikebukuro

We popped into the cosplay Kbooks shop since it was right across the street and I found an Ignis costume for sale! Please enjoy this picture of me pretending to come up with a new recipeh (since this is likely the closest I’ll ever come to cosplaying as Ignis).

One of the things Asuka introduced me to was Hanami (picnic under the cherry blossoms, basically). I had timed my trip to coincide with the blooming of the sakura, and the experience of being in Japan during that time was indescribable. I took a bajillion pictures of the sakura while I was there and unfortunately none of my photos ever quite captured the beauty and magic of them in person, but here’s a lil’ pic of a tree in bloom at Yoyogi Park (with the Movic Ignis charm I bought at Kbooks earlier that day).

Another item on my Japan checklist was to stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Hakone, a town famous for its onsen/hot springs. Nothing in Hakone is cheap (at least, not during peak sakura season), and I had spent an absurd amount of money on a night at one particular ryokan with a private bath (shy husband haha). The private bath could only be reserved in 30-minute increments, and by the time we finally rolled into Hakone the bath we wanted only had one slot available for the rest of the night. So what did I do?

If you said, “Waste the first 15 minutes of your 30-minute, super-expensive onsen experience taking the perfect Ignis-in-a-hot-springs photo” then you would be absolutely correct lol.

I actually wasn’t planning on taking a bunch of photos of my Ignis figure on this trip, but after my husband tucked Ignis into my futon while I was in the bathroom, documenting my trip vicariously through Ignis ended up taking on a life of its own. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I popped back over to Tokyo after my stay in Hakone, which is when I finally got to make the Great Nerd Pilgrimage™ to the Square Enix Cafe! Had the FFXV collab been going on while I was there, I might’ve forked over the cash to eat at the cafe, but I opted to skip out on lunch so I could spend more money in their shop. They still had a small collection of FFXV merch...

...including this acrylic Ignis stand that I wanted but thought I would never own after failing to find it at Kbooks earlier in the week. Huzzah!

Also, I just feel the need to let everyone know that this is what the outside of the Square Enix Cafe in Tokyo looks like lmao.

Our next stop was Kyoto, which we arrived in on Gladio’s birthday (April 2nd). Unfortunately I didn’t have time to draw anything for his b-day, but we did stop for a Nissin Cup Noodle in honor of Gladio!

One of the most memorable moments of my trip was when this boating incident happened, and it requires a little bit of backstory. On my first full day in Kyoto, I attempted to field two of the most popular tourist destinations in Kyoto: the bamboo forest in Arashiyama, and the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Both places have their beauty and historical significance, and I suspect during the off-season are inspiring sites to behold. In my case, both places were absolutely swarming with tourists, which really put a damper on my enjoyment of them. Defeated, I followed a local canal back toward my hotel, which is where I spotted a miniature boat enthusiast controlling a boat that looked eerily similar to the Royal Vessel. I pulled my Ignis figure out with the intention of simply taking a photo of the boat in the background; when the man saw me holding my figure and fumbling with my phone, he flagged me over and gestured for me to put Ignis in the boat. I wish I had documented how it all went down a little better, but as I was literally wheezing with laughter, the above was the best I could capture.

One of the more off-the-cuff decision I made was to dress in kimono for a day while in Gion (Kyoto). As the cherry blossoms were at their height during my stay there, you couldn’t sneeze without hitting someone who was dressed traditionally for the numerous festivals that were taking place throughout the city. As a white foreigner, I initially had reservations about wearing a kimono (for fear of cultural appropriation), but I did everything I could to be as respectful and reverent whilst wearing the garb (and the rental shop was certainly happy for the patronage). It was an amazing experience and I would definitely do it again!

Speaking of being respectful, I made it a point not to take pictures of Ignis while visiting any shrines (because nothing screams ‘douchey American’ quite like whipping out an action figure on sacred grounds), hence why I don’t have pictures of any of the major shrines we visited in this post. I did, however, spot this miniature shrine arch in an alleyway, and thought it would be okay for my equally miniature strategist to pay his respects.

Literally, a tiny shrine in an alleyway. I suppose even alleys have their deities!

Osaka is about 20 minutes away from Kyoto by train, and since I had already traveled all the way out to Kyoto, I went the extra few miles to stop by the Square Enix Cafe in Osaka. They actually had a smaller selection of FFXV merch than the one in Tokyo and I didn’t end up buying anything, but I would’ve never stopped wondering if I had missed out on something if I hadn’t gone and seen it for myself!

My last day in Kyoto was a week into my trip, and I still had five days left to go. After walking ~10 miles every day (no joke, I have the GPS screenshots to prove it!), I was really starting to feel the grind. I’m sure Ignis was also desperate for an Ebony after being lugged around in the bottom of my purse for a week lol.

Back on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo!

Weeeeeee (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

Said hi to Fuji-san!

Stopped for a delicious matcha parfait! (Shout-out to my husband who never once got annoyed with me whenever I busted out my figure in public spaces lol)

This was without a doubt the craziest and most unexpected find of any of my merch runs. I had gone to the video game Kbooks in Ikebukuro earlier in the week and had sifted through all their Ignis merch with a fine-toothed comb. This particular Movic charm was one I had been on the lookout for, but it was a rare pull even when they were readily available a year ago, and the only Ignis charm I came across in my first trip to Kbooks was the normal Ignis one (see my Hanami pic). I had no real reason to return to Ikebukuro after I got back from Kyoto, but on a whim I went one last time and BAM—this guy was hanging out there in his lil’ baggie, just waiting for me to get my grubby little hands on him. Jackpot!

All in all, I spent way too much money and I couldn’t be happier for it. The only thing I couldn’t find for the life of me was the Ignis cologne by Movic, but after searching through several Animates and Kbooks, I began to suspect it might be an online-exclusive item that wasn’t available in stores. (Which was probably a good thing for me cause I was already stretching my budget to the limit by this point haha.)

On my last night in Japan, I went back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building—only this time I went at night when it was all lit up! I also went up to the observation deck on the 45th floor (something I didn’t know you could do the first time I was there) and enjoyed a fantastic view of nighttime Insomnia Tokyo. It was the perfect bookend to a perfect trip, and my heart is absolutely overflowing right now with love for both Japan and Final Fantasy XV!

[sonreiv]

slightly emergential comms open!

Hello! My dog’s going through a couple surgeries so I’m opening rough comms to raise some extra funds. Payment via PayPal invoice, send me a DM or e-mail to sonreiv(@)outlook(.)com if you’re interested. 

If you'd like to support me but can't commission, I also do doodles for ko-fi donations! A reblog helps a lot, too! More info on comms and about my dog under the cut.

✨ COMM INFO

Terms of services: (x) Comm status/to do list: (x)

Extra character = +80% of original price

Will draw:

Canon & original characters (please provide references)

Canon/canon, oc/oc and oc/canon (including self-insert) pairings

All genders/orientations for characters and pairings

Mild N//S//F//W and gore

Feral/anthro/non humanoid characters if I feel I can accomplish it!

Simple/flat background only.

You will receive a high res png file (300 ppi, usually about 2000px wide, depending on commission type and composition) while a scaled down watermarked version will be posted to my deviantArt. Both versions will contain a discreet signature.

ABOUT MY DOG

So, Charlotte the family dog had a patellar dislocation on both rear legs. The surgeries on each leg add up to roughly 438 USD (not counting the vet appointments, medicines, and other stuff), which migh not sound like a big deal; but it IS a big amount in my currency (1600 BRL), specially for an university student whose only source of income is freelancing commissions and selling merch at cons - and who is paying for Lotte's treatment all by themselves because their family just doesn't care enough (dudes..... if you’re not gonna take responsibility for a pet’s well being just. Don’t adopt. Please. My FAMILY adopted her, not me alone, I’m so mad about this).

This is not really an emergency situation in the urgent sense as it is in the situational sense - because I do have the funds to pay for her treatment, which is a relief! But since I'll have to take from my savings, it'd be great if I can make some extra funds for this specific situation bc it is a big amount of money for me.

This is Lotte as of february 1st, home right after her first surgery and all wobbly from the anesthesia! She’s a lively 7 years old pinscher + yorkshire. She’s tied because once she can walk, she must avoid running and jumping for several days- when Lotte is Lightning fucking McDog. She ONLY has normal and NYOOOOM mode, there’s no in between. So sadly she gotta have her walking space limited until the vet says it’s okay.

Thank you a lot if you took the time to read and share! I’ll be doing my thing.

[a-functional-lowlife-blog]

8.11.19

So I’ve never really utilized anything other than a diary to jot down my daily feels, but something tells me I might find some comfort knowing that nobody can sneak into my room and read my journal. Tumblr seems like a good enough void to dump these thoughts into. Maybe it’s my psyche craving a positive outlet.. Id rather this be private, but sometimes connections supposed to help, right?  If topics of abuse, death, suicide, or depression trigger you, please do not continue reading. So I guess, let’s start from the top.

I’m 2X years old, & I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing with my life right now. I’m a gamer, & employed, But it’s not like I”m pursuing some great dream. I’m kind of coasting through life, trading experiences for fragments of myself. But I’m honestly rather content, at the moment. I make decent enough money. I can afford to shelter myself, feed myself, & entertain myself. So to some people, yeah it might look like i’ve had it pretty easy. In some ways, I have; in others, not really. 

It was just me & my mom growing up. Dad wasn’t around, & i don’t really want to get into that right now. My mom did everything she could for me. And I, of course being a growing hormonal boy, never truly appreciated it until I got into the real world. Thanks mom. She low-key prepared me for almost anything. I graduated high school, no special titles or accolades, but I could hear her screaming well above the entire stadium of parents when they called my name. I hope I can make her that proud again someday. I haven’t seen her in almost 4 years. Life can be a bitch like that once you’re an actual adult.

Since graduating high school, I’ve fathered a child, a little girl, who continues to blow my mind every day, with her brains & beauty. Damn, my ugly mug made one amazing little girl. Everything I do, I do for her. Even when it doesn’t seem like it. The mother & I are still on fantastic terms, but we separated a couple years after the birth. It just didn’t work as a healthy relationship anymore, & our daughter deserved better than that. 

After we parted ways, I got myself tangled up with a girl that, in hindsight, I should have never said hello to. Now don’t get me wrong, the first 2 years were truly magical. She was young, beautiful, petite body, alternative with piercings & tattoos. Which was basically me, young, rather handsome, fit body, alternative with piercings and tattoos. A match, it would seem, made in heaven. She made me feel alive again. She reinvigorated me to my soul, showed me new experiences I never could have imagined, or dared to do otherwise. I felt happy. Which for me, is a rather fleeting bird, one that’s typically driven away by the raven. It was just like a fairy-tale. We all know those aren’t real. I should have seen the warning signs. The “red flags” that everyone says I ignored. But red flags look like regular flags when looking through rose-tinted glass. If you’ve stumbled upon this by chance, & are triggered by abuse, or suicide, I suggest you stop reading now. 

It started out with little things. Roast-like insults, but sometimes they hurt a little more than they should. Which, obviously, led my mind to tell me “stop being so sensitive.” I’d let it slide. As we approached the 2 year mark, it started getting nastier. Her patience with me was very thin. The smallest error, like I forgot to pick up soda on the way home from my 10 hour shift once, led to me being belittled with insults to my intelligence & even attacks on my dedication to her. It only got worse as time went on. I silently cried myself to sleep most nights. My self-esteem was in an entirely different dimension by this point. I’ve become completely submissive to her. I looked at myself in the mirror one night, after doing things that I regret doing, and being disgusted in myself for letting it get so bad. For never stepping back up & standing my ground. I got us through homelessness. I had helped her get help because she had a severe mental illness that I will not put here. Her every wish, within my power, was my command. Why should I tolerate being treated like something stuck to the bottom of her shoe when kindness didn’t suit her?  So I did. That was the first time she hit me. Just once, open palmed to my left temple.

It didn’t stop. It got worse. I will not go into details, because almost 3 years later, I still panic when I try to think about those months. Most of my friends & family do not know how bad it got. And those that do, do not even know who she even was. It collapsed faster when I started to dissociate after multiple (thankfully) failed suicide attempts. I started cheating, trying to get her to leave me, since she wouldn’t allow me to leave her without threatening to kill herself. “You’re my soulmate, I won’t live without you.” She kept me in that state of submissive fear for another year, using the same lines. Using the same deflection tactics to make me question myself. All while calling me her “soul mate”. I hate that fucking word now. 

But I did finally get the courage to leave. In the middle of the night, a train ride back to my hometown. She tried to work back into my life a few times over the next 2 years. I eventually stopped talking to her, because she would always try to convince me to come back to her, that it can be different, that she’s willing to start over. So I stopped talking to her last year. And now, I can’t anymore, because last month, she killed herself. I honestly never stopped loving her. I can feel the hole where her energy used to be, the bits she contributed to my soul, snuffed out.. I blame myself for her suicide. And I hate that I fell in love with such a beautiful, toxic soul.

We can skip over the few fling relationships I held while in my hometown, except for one girl, who I will forever thank for showing me what a true loving, healthy relationship, based on trust and open communication can actually be like. We got into it knowing we were on a time limit, because I was already in the process of saving up to move again, this time, 3,000 miles away. But we had good chemistry, and I think the relationship was the perfect amount of time for both of us. She’s a LoZ girl. Major fan. As in, owns every game, tons of merch, follows tons of streamers on Twitch who play Legend of Zelda, especially if it’s Ocarina of Time. Coastal gamer girl is probably the best description of her. She’s still one of my best friends, & I talk to her on occasion. She’s super happy, and living a rather adventurous life. I’m super happy for her. 

Our fateful day came, and I had to move away. She comforted me during the entire packing process. Which literally filled 2 boxes I shipped to my new address, my military backpack, & a laptop case. It still resulted in 8 hours of back to back anxiety attacks. I only knew TWO people in the town where I was moving to. One of them, I had never physically met before in our entire 14 year friendship. So, rightfully, I was terrified to leave. I’d reconnected with old friends in my hometown. I’d met an amazing girl in my hometown. I’d landed a really fantastic job in the medical field in my hometown. What was I thinking?! Leave all of THIS?!

But I knew why. She knew why. Everyone in my life knew why. The answer was simple. Yeah, I had a good job, a good girl, & a relatively good life. But I wasn’t truly happy. In my soul. Just as I was in the states I’ve lived before. And that was okay. We had the perfect amount of happiness.

So here I am, in an undisclosed new location, three-thousand miles away from my hometown. And honestly, I’m happier here than I’ve ever been anywhere else. Do I see myself dying here? No, not really. But I could kick it here for a decade or so, if the fates allow my life that long? Sure. The best friend I’d never met before, is just as amazing in person. We play video games together now & then, and go out to the downtown bar scene sometimes for karaoke. There’s 3 roommates total. I enjoy being their roommate. Also, there’s 4 cats. who I absolutely love, and will contemplate posting their pictures here too, for memories sake.

I’ve made some really amazing friends, especially one girl in particular. She’s been very good to me, in many ways. Dinners, events, concerts, party weekend for my last birthday to pass. All while both of us just have a blast around each other. She’s helped me alot these last few months, everything from food to rent, while I struggled to find work, & get on my own two feet. I struggled for 5 months before I landed myself where I am now. So to celebrate, she & I went and got tattoos today.

I got a tattoo of the chemical structure of serotonin on my wrist. To remind myself to be happy, because I’ve already spent so much time being sad. And that I’m going to keep making myself happier, by staying true to myself, learning & growing from the events I’ve been through in my life, both good and bad. Creative, & destructive. Because it’s all molded me into who I am now.

So really without getting into childhood stories, high school shenanigans, & college hijinx, that’s the story of Z. A recent handle I’ve taken to lately, in case someone does decide to read this. I’d like to add to this little... off-site journal once a week, maybe more often.

That’s all I’ve got for today. I’m sufficiently stoned now, & would like to return to playing Apex Legends.

Signing off, 

Z

[easyfoodnetwork]

White Castle Is Expanding Flippy, the Slider-Slinging Robot, to More Locations

Photo: rblfmr/Shutterstock

Plus, a Utah restaurant is banning customers from wearing masks, and more news to start your day

The slider chain is installing its burger-flipping robot in more locations

Over the summer, White Castle partnered with Miso Robotics to test out a burger-flipping robot, Flippy, at one Chicago location. Apparently it went well, because the chain just announced it would be introducing Flippy to 10 more locations in 2021. “We believe technology like Flippy ROAR [robot-on-a-rail] can improve customer service and kitchen operation. This pilot is putting us on that path — and we couldn’t be more pleased to continue our work with Miso Robotics and pave the way for greater adoption of cutting-edge technology in the fast-food industry,” Lisa Ingram, CEO of White Castle, said in a statement.

This Flippy 2.0 is slightly different from the one White Castle piloted in July because it can move across different workstations on a rail. It’s also designed to work with human kitchen employees, who can load it up with food for it to dispense onto the grill. The pandemic has certainly heightened the allure of AI cooking, which would limit staff interaction while still producing the same amount of product. White Castle is especially expecting Flippy to come in handy during night shifts, which are harder to schedule for humans who need sleep. White Castle didn’t say whether it would be eliminating any human jobs to make room for Flippy, but maybe if they put googly eyes on it, you won’t notice the difference.

And in other news...

White Castle is also closing its stores on the morning of November 3 so its human employees can go vote. [QSR]

See if you can guess a Biden supporter from a Trump supporter by looking in their fridges. [NYTimes]

Yaks Restaurant in Blanding, Utah has banned customers from wearing masks, and is now selling merch crowing about it. Over the past week, there have been an average of 1,512 COVID-19 cases in Utah, and the county in which Yaks is located “has had more per capita COVID-19 cases than anywhere else in Utah since the pandemic began in March.” [Salt Lake Tribune]

Latina domestic workers are facing extraordinary food insecurity. [NBC]

J.M. Smucker is selling Crisco to B&G foods for $550m, as it looks to focus more on things like pet food and coffee. [Fooddive]

Slice, the third-party delivery service specifically for pizzerias, is removing fees for orders under $10. “The pandemic is far from over, and I challenge all online ordering services to make similar adjustments to their fee structures to better support small businesses,” said Slice Founder and CEO, Ilir Sela in a statement. [BusinessWire]

Bud Light is releasing holiday hard seltzer flavors: Apple Crisp, Peppermint Pattie, and Gingersnap. [CNN]

McDonald’s is launching its new pastries today. [CNN]

Panera is now selling pizza. [Forbes]

All this White Castle news may not even matter, because fuck sliders. [Defector]

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3e6Qp61 https://ift.tt/3ozV05L

Photo: rblfmr/Shutterstock

Plus, a Utah restaurant is banning customers from wearing masks, and more news to start your day

The slider chain is installing its burger-flipping robot in more locations

Over the summer, White Castle partnered with Miso Robotics to test out a burger-flipping robot, Flippy, at one Chicago location. Apparently it went well, because the chain just announced it would be introducing Flippy to 10 more locations in 2021. “We believe technology like Flippy ROAR [robot-on-a-rail] can improve customer service and kitchen operation. This pilot is putting us on that path — and we couldn’t be more pleased to continue our work with Miso Robotics and pave the way for greater adoption of cutting-edge technology in the fast-food industry,” Lisa Ingram, CEO of White Castle, said in a statement.

This Flippy 2.0 is slightly different from the one White Castle piloted in July because it can move across different workstations on a rail. It’s also designed to work with human kitchen employees, who can load it up with food for it to dispense onto the grill. The pandemic has certainly heightened the allure of AI cooking, which would limit staff interaction while still producing the same amount of product. White Castle is especially expecting Flippy to come in handy during night shifts, which are harder to schedule for humans who need sleep. White Castle didn’t say whether it would be eliminating any human jobs to make room for Flippy, but maybe if they put googly eyes on it, you won’t notice the difference.

And in other news...

White Castle is also closing its stores on the morning of November 3 so its human employees can go vote. [QSR]

See if you can guess a Biden supporter from a Trump supporter by looking in their fridges. [NYTimes]

Yaks Restaurant in Blanding, Utah has banned customers from wearing masks, and is now selling merch crowing about it. Over the past week, there have been an average of 1,512 COVID-19 cases in Utah, and the county in which Yaks is located “has had more per capita COVID-19 cases than anywhere else in Utah since the pandemic began in March.” [Salt Lake Tribune]

Latina domestic workers are facing extraordinary food insecurity. [NBC]

J.M. Smucker is selling Crisco to B&G foods for $550m, as it looks to focus more on things like pet food and coffee. [Fooddive]

Slice, the third-party delivery service specifically for pizzerias, is removing fees for orders under $10. “The pandemic is far from over, and I challenge all online ordering services to make similar adjustments to their fee structures to better support small businesses,” said Slice Founder and CEO, Ilir Sela in a statement. [BusinessWire]

Bud Light is releasing holiday hard seltzer flavors: Apple Crisp, Peppermint Pattie, and Gingersnap. [CNN]

McDonald’s is launching its new pastries today. [CNN]

Panera is now selling pizza. [Forbes]

All this White Castle news may not even matter, because fuck sliders. [Defector]

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3e6Qp61 via Blogger https://ift.tt/2G7Vte7

[acecorvid]

Almost Not Really [Spideypool fic]

ssree said: Spideypool: Peter gets a Deadpool hoodie. And it's the awesomest, comfiest hoodie ever, and he isn't giving it up no matter what people say about Deadpool. 

prompts are open again! 

"Woah! Dude!” Harry stopped in front of him, eyes wide and alarmed, staring at Peter like he wasn’t wearing pants.

Peter looked down. He was wearing pants. Awesome. “What?”

“The sweater.”

This morning his limited edition Deadpool hoodie had arrived in the mail. Limited edition for several reasons most of which involved Deadpool being somewhat of a criminal and not entirely popular with the majority of citizens or other heros. Peter, however, thought this was the comfiest damn sweater he’d ever worn in his life. It was quality fabric, Wade had definitely found the right people to sell his design - which looked amazing. It was the perfect shade of red, the Deadpool logo was part of the shirt instead of this stuck on crap that would eventually peel off, and there were thumb holes.

“It is. The. Best. Hoodie.”

Harry narrowed his eyes, looking Peter up and down once more. “Are you sure you’re ready to go to class wearing that? He’s not exactly… Yeah, y’know what,” Harry pulled out his phone, “I’ll just film it. It’s fine.”

Thus began a day of Peter responding to comments like:

“You know he’s a criminal, right?”

“It’s criminal how comfy this hoodie is.”

And:

“He’s killed people.”

“This sweater is killing me with how soft it is.”

And, of course:

“Spider-Man’s a better hero than Deadpool.”

“... True. But have you touched this hoodie to feel how much better it is than any hero? No hero is this soft. Scientifically speaking.”

For every comment he received, Peter had a comeback and Harry had a camera phone pointed in their face. He was going to upload it on youtube and then maybe Deadpool would see that he had at least one fan willing to buy his merch and defend him. Peter rolled his eyes. Wade would be thrilled.

“You do know,” Harry started and Peter squared his shoulder, “not that I’m dissing Deadpool or anything put your guard down, Parker. But if it’s the softness that’s making you wear it, you can get hoodies just as soft that don’t have a villain on it.”

“Deadpool’s not a villain, he’s a… a… an anti-hero.”

“Okay. But there are other hoodies.”

Peter wrapped his arms around his body, “But this is my hoodie.”

Harry blinked, put his phone down, and leaned over Peter’s desk. “You have a crush on Deadpool.”

Peter snorted and Harry grinned as if he had new information, something he could torment and blackmail him with - in a friendly way. Except Peter offered up a grin of his own, “Well duh.”

Instantly Harry deflated a little. “You were supposed to deny it.”

“Nah, it’s obvious. Also, he’s hot.”

“No one’s seen him without the mask.”

Technically speaking, someone had. He couldn’t be wearing a mask at all times and he wasn’t born with it on. There were people in the world that knew what Deadpool actually looked like. Peter was one of those people. He’d seen his face when he was Spider-Man and Wade got his ass handed to him - not by Peter, although Peter was fairly certain he could take him. Most of Wade’s costume got destroyed, including the mask. True, Wade wouldn’t be on the cover of a magazine any time soon but he was still attractive.

Peter shrugged, “I think his muscles speak for themselves.”

“You’re weird, Parker.”

“Very true, Osborn.”

Two hours later Peter got a string of text messages from Wade. They were a mix of unintelligible gibberish, completely unrelated and unusual emojis, and an unnecessary amount of capslock; but all of them could be traced back to Harry’s youtube video and exactly how proud and flattered Wade was that Peter was wearing his merch. There were a lot of exclamation marks.

***

“You know, I never thought about it before today when Harry brought it up… but I think Wade’s insecure about his face. I mean, I know he is. He insults himself all the time. The man is nothing if not self-deprecating. But he’s only ever shown me his face that one time and that was entirely on accident. Do you think I should do something? Tell him or show him or… I dunno… text him in emoji that I think his face is fine. More than fine. He’s hot. Seriously, he is a very attractive man and I am one hundred percent here for his face no matter how scarred it is. He thinks he’s ugly but that is a good face. We haven’t even kissed without our masks on. Oh frack, I haven’t even shown him my face. That’s bad, isn’t it? Gwen? Gwen, are you listening?”

Gwen lifted her headphones slightly off one ear, “Sorry, what was all that?”

Peter shot a small web in her direction, missing on purpose even though he’d love to web those headphones right off her head sometimes. “Stop being a little shit, Gwen.”

"Are you gonna stop wearing your boyfriend’s sweater on patrol?”

“No.”

“Then eat shit, Parker.”

Peter pouted under his mask, slouching on the roof they had been sitting on for the past twenty minutes. Nothing was happening in the city tonight. “You’ve gotten more attitude since you came back from that alternate universe.”

“Technically, I never came back. I was never here before, I was always there. Now I’m here. For the first time.”

He shot a web at her face this time but she caught it in her hand.

“Also, every version of me has attitude. Deal with it.”

She had him there.

“Now, go and tell your dumb almost-not-really-boyfriend that he has an almost-not-really-pretty face. I’ll handle patrol tonight, it’s boring anyway.”

“Aw, I knew you were listening.”

“You’re a pest, Parker.”

“And you’re the best, Gwen!” Peter jumped up and kissed her on the head through his mask before swinging away in the direction of Wade’s apartment.

***

Wade’s window was open when he got there, like it had been the last couple times Peter had visited. It was probably always open. The merc wasn’t exactly one for home security that wasn’t himself holding a sword or gun. Peter knocked anyway.

“Hey, Wade! You home?” He crawled inside, stepping lightly because he was never sure what he would find on Wade’s floor. Glass, blood, a severed limb, dozens of pancakes, bullets. The possibilities were endless.

No answer.

Peter checked his phone. Wade hadn’t sent him a text letting him know that he had a mission or anything. Normally he informed Peter when he was going to be away for a while.

“hey at ur place, can we talk?”

He sent the message and flopped down on the couch, thankfully not covered in guns this time, and played the waiting game.

Wade stumbled in through the apartment door fifteen minutes later wearing civilian clothes and holding a shopping bag. Under the hood of his black hoodie, however, he was wearing the Deadpool mask. Peter’s heart sank a little. He’d been out on the streets, buying whatever it was in the bag, and he put his mask back on to see Peter.

“Spidey! Hey! Keep being pretty right there on that couch, that hoodie looks fabulous on you. No really, the stuff of Vanity Fair and Cosmo - not Teen Vogue though, you are not Tom Holland. Little tyke is adorable but I’m thinking more Andrew Garfield, something for the college years. I’m gonna be right back, don’t move.”

Peter watched as Wade disappeared into his bedroom leaving the front door wide open. “What the…”

Normally, the crashing and banging wouldn’t be concerning. Nor would the excessive amount of swearing. But today, after whatever that was. Peter was a little worried. “Wade? Are you okay?”

“Go fuck a duck! How are you even stuck there?”

“Um…” Peter cautiously made his way over to the bedroom door but before he could knock, the door flew open. Wade stood there, clearly out of breathe underneath his mask, still wearing his jeans but his generic black hoodie had been replaced with a rather vibrant and detailed Spider-Man hoodie. “Wow.”

“Now we match!”

“You’re such a dork!” Peter was laughing as he wrapped his arms around Wade’s shoulder and tugged him close. “A very, very cute dork.”

“Really, Petey. I don’t think you understand that ‘ground up hamburger meat’ is the most accurate of all descriptions.”

“And I don’t think you understand that I think you’re hot.”

“But-”

“Yes, your butt is also hot. Stop fishing for compliments. Please take off your mask.”

Wade was silent, no doubt mulling this over. Confidence was something Wade had an overabundance of and, combined with his recklessness, that made it difficult to view Wade was someone with insecurities. A man without fear couldn’t be afraid of what people thought of him. That was a load of crap.

“You don’t have to.” The silence was killing him and he didn’t want to pressure Wade into anything he was uncomfortable with, no matter how desperately he wanted to see his face again. “I get it. But, when you’re ready, I’d like to-”

“Take it off.”

“Huh?”

“The mask. Show me yours and I’ll show you mine.”

Oh right. “Crap! I totally forgot this is why I came here! Yeah, duh.” He didn’t want to back away from Wade, but he did so he could reach up and tugged his mask off. His hair had to be a mess, sticking up in some places and patted down in others, but that didn’t matter. They were taking things further in their almost-relationship and that made him smile hard enough to distract Wade from the hair, he hoped.

“Well shit, I was right. L’uomo Vogue cover page right there.”

“Wade.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Wade hauled his own mask off. Less of a reveal since Peter had already seen him without his mask off but that was in dimmer lighting, during a fight, and Wade went to great lengths to not look at him directly. Now they were staring at each other in a well lit doorway.

“That makes two of us. Completely right.”

“Hamburger meat.” Wade nodded but Peter didn’t let him get very far with that thought process. He leaned back in, grabbing Wade by the front of his Spider-Man hoodie and tugged him close. Finally, he got to press his lips up against Wade’s without their masks in the way. Chapstick was definitely in order.

He sighed against his lips when Wade returned the kiss, pushing Peter back against the wall. Wade had a thing for pinning him against things that Peter was going to explore in the future, perhaps in an alleyway; but for now, he was quite content in kissing him.

Wade’s hands wrapped around him, gripping the back of Peter’s hoodie as he deepened the kiss. Peter was starting to have trouble breathing when Wade suddenly pulled away. “Wha-”

“Holy crap this sweater is comfy!”

Peter wasn’t even mad. “It really is.”

“They need to make a Spider-Man one. Right now. I like this one but I would wear this all day under my suit. It would look weird and I’d get some laughs, but I would commit. These are my muscles, they’re a little squishy but I assure you bad guy, I can take your head clean off with a punch… from my sword.”

“That’s nice, Wade. I think your enemies would appreciate you slamming into them with a comfy sweater.”

Wade grinned, “And I think a certain hero would appreciate it more if I were slammin-”

“Oh, you’re gonna have the weirdest dirty talk.”

“This is accurate. I regret nothing except-”

“Wade, shut up and go back to kissing me.”

“Done and-”

With a hand on either side of Wade’s head, Peter pulled him forward and kissed the rest of the words back into Wade’s mouth. Merc with a mouth was an understatement. But now he was a merc with a face, a face that he could kiss, while they were wearing matching hoodies. If they hadn’t been in a relationship before, they certainly were now.

[imaginaryculturepress-blog]

TFTP: Alice Cooper in Perth, WA

In which I lose my photo pass, and Alice Cooper rocks out Perth Arena.

Hi, hello, and welcome!

My name is Skyler and my cause of death will probably include birds. The ibises are seriously out to get me. Speaking of dramatic deaths and questionable phobias, Alice Cooper recently (not really - it's been almost a month) captivated and massacred the hearts of his Perth fans, even going so far as to behead himself onstage. Oh, what an evening it was. After Placebo cancelled their Perth show, I was left seeking another arena gig to call "the largest concert I've ever photographed". It took a while, constantly refreshing emails and waiting for replies that would never arrive, though finally, after over a month, some luck: through the wonderful staff at Revolutions Per Minute, I managed to obtain a photo and review pass to Alice Cooper at Perth Arena. And, as always, one hell of a drama ensued. But before we begin, this disclaimer is definitely required: Please be advised that I am not attempting to blame Revelations Per Minute, TEG Live, or any of their staff for the issues that occurred at this show. Whilst the choice to minimise the photographer list was at the discretion of event management, I'm sure they had a justifiable explanation behind it, thus I fully understand and accept their decisions. Note that any and all complaints listed below are aimed at me and I am only making fun of myself; I am not indirectly blaming or judging the aforementioned parties. We're here for a good time, so laugh at my luck - or lack thereof – and direct any negativity towards… uhm… okay yep direct any anger towards Camera House and Supposed Manager. Thank you kindly. Less than a week later, we were off to see Alice. I’m inclined to say Alice in Wonderland. At some point between receiving the passes and the event itself, however, there seemed to be a miscommunication: an email – and later a follow-up – were apparently sent out from RPM, stating that management decided to reduce the amount of photographers on the photography list. Problem was, I only received said emails well after the concert actually occurred. So I blindly went to the AC show, completely unaware of the troubles that lay ahead. After a short train trip and a Grill’d (sponsor me) stopover, we found ourselves passing hundreds of AC fans on our way to the Arena. Most were heading towards pubs, beginning their pre-drinking shenanigans, though you could find a couple non-alcoholics in the area. But they were all aged eight or under so they don’t really count. At the box office – which was thankfully open for once – a young woman assisted us in gaining our tickets. Except… “You’re not on the photographer list.” Hahahaha yeah. Good one. “Ma’am…” Don’t “ma’am” me… “You’re not on this list.” “That’s impossible.” Though then again, knowing my luck – or lack thereof – anything was possible; I wouldn’t be surprised if Hitler sprung out of the ground and beheaded my dog with his teeth, spitting its dismantled body at Trump’s face. It wouldn’t be unusual for Adolf to then rip off one of the Maltese’s balls and supplement it for his missing one, or to have my best lens run over by stampede of oxen the middle of the CBD; and it certainly wouldn’t be shocking if Supposed Manager led the oxen (or Hitler, for that matter). However, the allegation still stunned me. More so, it frightened me; despite my limited experience with large shows, I knew as well as the next person how fluid the industry was. But I had no clue as to why I wasn’t on the list. Perhaps there was a simple miscommunication? Surely. It would be fixed within minutes, right? No stress? …Right? She went to check with someone else, Ticketek’s own Supposed Manager. Though, to be fair, their version was far kinder and of far more assistance. Bonus: she didn’t sigh with every sentence! So let’s call her the actual manager – even if she wasn’t. Actual Manager: Hi. Hello. What seems to be the issue? Me to myself: Well, for one, you’re using my line… most of it, anyway… All right, perhaps her first impressions weren’t the sightliest. Me: I was supposed to be on the photographer list for this event, however I’m… not…? Actual Manager: Ah, okay… let me just check one more time. I’ll spare us both some time by skipping their frantic dashes to and fro the room. T’was a simple conclusion: I’d have no camera to shoot with. I’d have to cloak $1.5k worth of gear. Another photographer soon joined the queue, a lovely lady I’d seen at a couple other shows. Whilst they were sorting out her requests, I decided to ask her a thing or two – after all, she’s at all the large shows and knows what she’s doing. Me: *Awkward/weird/creepy introduction.* Her: *Doesn’t seem to find it as awkward, weird, or creepy as it was.* As stated in a previous post (With Confidence’s TFTP, I believe), I dislike disclosing conversations, no matter how generic they may be; if it’s personal or business-y, it won’t be publicised. However, if it’s a debate or quarrel regarding passes, lenses, or the like, then it’ll be on every platform the Internet has ever hosted. With that said, our conversation wasn’t anything secretive but I’ll call it common courtesy to not write it out in length. She did mention, though, that: 1. Photographers meet outside the venue before each set to be led into the pit, and that I could join if I wanted to talk to fancy people about my issue; and: 2. She had over ten grand of gear in her backpack. The professionalism made me quiver; I was in the presence of a music photography god. (And sentences like that, my friends, are why nobody ever talks to me for a second time). So that's what I'd do; I'd cloak my gear, retrieve it after the Strangers' set - for they didn't allow photography whatsoever - and meet up with the crew prior to Ace Frehley's performance. But before any of that could happen, I had yet another line to join. There were some... interesting... people: the guy with better hair than I could ever dream of, the SFX queens, otherwise well-dressed and well-presented people, the alcoholics, the seventy-year-old women already dying of fangirl feels, and naïve kids with metalhead parents. Then there was me, your socially-challenged fifteen-year-old tirelessly pleading for a pristine sponsorship from the snazziest companies around, and whose entire persona revolved around her denim jacket and the camera gear that lay in her Lowepro backpack. I sensed pity from every direction, the sort of pity you'd expect Shane Dawson to have received at age ten. Not fun. But t'was the same reaction I got from every public encounter so I was rather immune to it. Rather. The bag checks soon followed. It would've be difficult to explain why I had relatively professional camera gear covering every inch of my bag, since I had no photo pass to delight their gazes with, however the employees were understanding and had no issues letting me through. Hallelujah. Up next: metal detectors. Every time I stepped forth to one of those things, the security guards scan me at least three times. And I get it; I've got a concerning facial expression and seem pretty damn shady. But I'm not smuggling anything illegal (besides camera gear) into the venue, so chill the fuck out. Furthermore, stop looking so shocked when you find nothing illicit on me! Jebem vam mater bezobraznu... Don't google that. Soon enough we went through the ticket scans and headed for our seats. But before we could do that, we had to stop over at a few places, the first of which was the cloaking facility. The woman was extremely kind, especially considering what I put her through: Me: *Handing backpack over* Here you go. Me: Oh, wait, I need that... Me: Yep, okay. Me: Wait nope, I'll need that too... Me: All good. Five minutes later... Me: Shit, I forgot my glasses... Me: Yes, yes - no hold up I need my earplugs. Me: Please don't kill me. Our second destination was the merch table, at which I had a mini heart attack. $100 for one vinyl? One? I could purchase the red variant online for $45 - including shipping! They did, however, offer patches. And knowing me and my denim jacket, I had to invest a few dollars. And by "few" I mean fifteen painful bucks. All that was left for me to do was to pester the cloak lady once more before locating my seat. This was my first official reviewer pass and I didn't know what to expect; our tickets would probably provide a satisfactory view of the stage, there would be three too many miscommunications, and I'd get lost trying to find the merch table. Thankfully, none of this happened; we received outstanding seats, the only miscommunication regarded the photo pass, and the merch areas were easier to locate than most of my classes. We were in the fourth row from the front, nearly centred. I didn't feel worthy of it, especially since this review is being published almost a month after the event (I can explain), though I wan't about to waste this opportunity due to my self-proclaimed lack of entitlement. So after taking a long moment to fangirl ruthlessly and carelessly run into a few people (I'm truly sorry), we impatiently anticipated The Strangers. And that's when the phone photography began. Look, it's been a while since I've used a mobile to cover an entire set. I've grown too close to my cheap DLSR and pricey lenses, and this was a downgrade like no other. So let's all poke fun at my horrendous attempt at concert photography! Did I mention that these images are set to be painful? Yeah. You've probably noticed. My phone photography game isn't up to scratch; it's not even existent. The lads delivered quite the set, though the audience seemed rather... dead. Don't get me wrong; their music and stage presence was exquisite. But the Arena was still filling in, and those present didn't show enough support. PSA: When a band plays a song, your only excuse not to clap is if you're holding either a baby or camera gear. An no, phones do not constitute as concert gear. You show the guys some respect, for they were playing the largest show of their careers. At least have the decency to slap your goddamn palms against each other. So for fuck's sake, even if you've heard better artists or aren't a huge fan, either pretend to care, or leave. There's no third option. This applies to my mother as well. I see you. Support acts need more support. Especially guys like this. If they're ever in town again, I'd love to shoot their gigs. I genuinely enjoy their music. Intermission. Time to go find the group of photographers. I'll cut to the chase: I wasn't getting into that photo pit and would have to continue my life with a reviewer pass. It's not that I'm complaining, it's just... well, yeah, I'm complaining. When it comes to music, I consider myself more of a photographer than a writer. I see myself as more of a writer than photographer in general life, though in terms of music I'm more of a photographer. I believe the managers minimised the lesser-known companies/blogs/etcetera from their list, which is understandable; they'd rather have the larger ones shooting their gigs. However, the photo pit contained six people. Six. SOTA's contained an excess of twenty. So there really was no use of shortening a list of what, fifteen-ish? It's harmful for your up and coming photographers, especially since we hype up the matter so much. So let's try something out: on average, this blog receives an excess of sixty reads per article, which is more than you and I both expected. Quite frankly, I appreciate those statistics immensely. That's a considerable amount of people bothering to click on these things - even if they do so accidentally. But let's try to improve those numbers. For this article, I want to see the most positive results we've ever received. I know it's almost impossible, though I just want to prove that minuscule, upcoming blogs influence readers. So let's go - comment something down below, share this around the web, and don't leave me in that awkward scenario of not having anyone give a fuck. Make my hours of procrastination worth it! C'mon, please. I'm desperate. Regardless, I trekked back to my seat in the lovely fourth row, belittled and slightly dead inside. Ace Frehley had already commenced his set and was quick to change my mood; within minutes I'd gone from "fuck off, I hate everyone" to "FUCK YAAAASSSS!!!! AAACEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" I'm asexual so that contributed to my excitement. Because, you know, publicly outing yourself at a high volume is fun, especially when people don't realise you're outing yourself. But I digress... Ace is one of those dudes that take you back to a time before your years, a place somewhere in a carefree land where you're rocking out to his songs whilst driving down some dusty highway in the middle of some random American state (one with lots of red sand and dusty highways - oh wait, that perfectly describes every Australian highway... Sponsor me, WA). He raises your spirits, shreds the living daylights out of his guitars, and ensures everyone has a killer evening; all whilst appearing excessively blurry in each of these images. Intermission. The Arena was full, yet more people were somehow managing to squeeze in. The excitement was growing, everyone was tense and ready to scream their lungs out, when one dude noticed someone rather interesting... One Dude: Hey... is that David Gilmour? Technically, he whispered it to his partner. Ultimately, everyone within a six kilometre radius heard and was having a panic attack; the woman beside my mother was about to pass out. So, naturally, we all had the same question: WHERE?! One Dude pointed to a secluded area beside the stage. My mother thought she spotted him and began raging at my face: "OVER THERE, YOU BLIND FUCK!" (To be fair, she was far kinder than that.) Me: Well he hasn't aged gracefully, has he? The frantic exchanges continued throughout the following ten minutes, with everyone eyeing "that corner over there" with their phones at the ready. Fun fact: if I was in the photo pit at the time, I could've gotten within a one metre proximity of royalty. Another fun fact: he wasn't actually Gilmour. One Dude figured that out soon after. That'd explain the facial differences. The updated version of the story now ran: "SIR BOB FUCKING GELDOF IS IN THE BUILDING!" And do you think that changed the fangirls' excitement levels? Not one bit. For those of you still trying to figure out who David Gilmour is - and I hope that's not a lot of you - he was a member of the best classic rock band out there: Pink Floyd. Bob Geldof was closely linked, for despite not being in the band himself, he starred as Pink in the group's 1982 film, The Wall. At this point, half of us wanted Alice to take to the stage and the other half were contemplating how they were going to catch up to Geldof after the show. Their plans would have to be postponed, though, as the lights dimmed and we were summoned to spend the night with Alice Cooper. I don't understand why they decided to have a seated floor section; why couldn't we just have general admission? Because the older people would have issues? Mate, they were jumping around more than the guys at a Homebrand show! Yeah, creepy. They could've - and should've - begun crowdsurfing. That's one thing I want to see: a frail, heavily-aged grandmother riding on top of the audience with a determined expression as her mortified daughter stares at her and her grandchildren cheer her on. But we're not here to discuss grandmothers. It's Alice that we're [supposed to be] focusing on. From the moment he hit the stage, the sixty-nine-year-old was ready to rock. However, as I said, he's sixty-nine. Walking is an issue for a bloke of his age. As you can imagine, he had a few difficulties manoeuvring about the stage. There were moments where you could see him struggling, where you knew that the show wasn't supposed to be that way, where you could tell that there was some lacked energy. Regardless, everyone adored and motivated him, because that's what true fans do; he wasn't about to end his career, he loved what he was doing, and a few weak moments weren't about to wreck it all. So perhaps the dramatic acting element wasn't executed too well, though that doesn't mean the music parts were equal; each band member played dextrously and exquisitely, creating a profound atmosphere and one hell of a night. And yes, to answer your dying questions, there was a guillotine; how could there not be? The show was soon over and everyone was pleading for an encore. And they got it - but not the one they expected. As the band reached the stage for a second time, Alice roared: "Please welcome my friend... BOB GELDOF!"Everyone went insane. The entire Arena was cheering, applauding, and falling to the ground like Ms. F. There were streamers and other inexpensive though awesome party props flying around as Alice and Bob did a duet of School's Out and Another Brick in the Wall (Part II). It was genuinely one of the most memorable moments I'd ever witnessed. It was also far more affordable than purchasing tickets to Roger Waters. Before anyone had come to their senses, the show was over (for good), tears were filling peoples' eyes (for the eighth time), and those fangirl grandmothers were tackling each other for every handful of confetti they could g So that was that. Up next: WAMFest 2017, two rather odd days that saw me photograph at a church, hang out at a bar, and win a bet. Stay tuned. I left the Arena with the streamers around my neck mimicking a noose and hugged my lenses for longer than natural. The other train passengers kept giving me weird looks. MUSICAL SUMMARY: The Strangers: under appreciated/5 Ace Frehley: aaaaaceeeeeeee/5 Alice Cooper: ageing but still killing it (and himself)/5 Bob Geldof: the meaning of life/5

PHOTOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY: Lenses: Apple has never heard of f1.4, evidently/5 Lighting: pretty though useless/5Camera: *snivels* iT WAS A FUCKING iPHONE/5 (coincidentally an iPhone 5) Editing: never happened/5 My sanity: as dead as Google+/5 Check out the bands! Cooper doesn't have long left so get into him quickly: Alice Cooper Ace Frehley I couldn't find the Strangers' Facebook page, sorry. Live long and headbang, xx-Skyler Slate