#their whole dynamic is so tasty i could talk about it for hours | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

emcscared-whumps · 11 months ago

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we gettin on the sweat tonight lads

i'm sick without really feeling sick (test results pending lol), so tonight, we're gonna see just how fast i can bust out a finished piece >:)

there will be no consequences! because i wont be infecting my client at work tomorrow!! :D

im talking a bust portrait of a character with a simple face angle, simple expression, simple lighting, that otherwise fully rendered and polished

and im going to log-- (OH GOD I SPELT LOG WRONG WHAT THE FUCK)-- the *actual* time i spend on the piece because i found out that clip studio can tell me how long ive had the canvas open, but i'm sure that i leave canvases open for entire days without touching them, so... that is not accurate enough for me

anyways; the reason? a friend and i were talking about art commission pricing and the habits we've noticed in the art community, and i got curious: what would *i* price my stuff if i were to hypothetically sell it?

through some basic maths and reasoning between us, i have discovered that the key to making a good rate is skill at speed

(it's not as bad as it looks, my american friends, i am using aud :) currently, 1usd = 1.50aud, 50aud = 33.28usd)

we talked about how much is a fair price for the product vs how long it takes to make, and i discovered that if you're quick at making a character bust lineart of moderate quality for $15, and can do one in 30 minutes, accounting for *only* time spent drawing, you'd be making $30 an hour, which is pretty cool considering it'd only be bust lineart. ($20 for bust lineart would yield $40/hr, but i'd only charge that of my skills and precision were reliable and en pointe. it could even be pushed to $25, but i wouldnt go more than $30 unless some super complex shit was happening and i happened to be very very good. at which point you still want to be as fast as physically possible)

there was a plot twist though: rendering times.

hypothetically, if i charged $20 for bust lineart, extra $10 for flats, extra $10 for shadibg, and extra ($5 to) $10 for extra finishing details (little backgrounds etc), that would be $50 total for a fully rendered bust. if i took 4 hours to do it (which i think is reasonable time (for me) to do most things by hand), all of a sudden, that's made my $30-40/hr into $12.50/hr.... which is kinda (very) shit lmao

with this in mind, i have one question: just how fast can i make stuff, and what quality will it be? what would i theoretically be paid for my fully rendered bust pieces?

i usually an very VERY slow partly coz i cannot stay focused on a piece for long enough chunks at a time, or, if i can, i will stop halfway through and leave it for several weeks or months, leading to a turnaround that is at such a leisurely pace even *snails* would be envious

ALTHOUGH. last year, my friend (same as above) alerted me to a built-in time-lapse feature in clip studio. i was intensely curious. for whumptober that year, i had a very clear vision of a piece i wanted to do for one of the prompts, so i used that to test the feature. i sat down at about 1700, stopped only for dinner, and had the whole thing exported and posted to tumblr at around 0100, about 7 hours. i have a sneaking suspicion that was the fabled beast called hyperfocus lmao. the [piece] was a roughly rendered full-body shot with a dynamic pose, both hands exposed, and a more complex expression, not bad considering that my pride piece took 10 months :)

bust portraits are my most comfortable style of piece, so i will experiment with those, especially since my character profiles need them, and also i want them all to look cohesive, which means i will re-draw all of my current ones (rip pete, timmy, and kate lol)

(hm, if i took 3 hours instead of 4, that'd be $16.70, if i took 2, it'd be $25... still not even close to that tasty tasty $30-$40/hr... so the solution would be to up the price of rendering since flats are easy. extra $20 (instead of $10) for rendering, since it's as complex as anatomy with lineart, bumping the total price to $60 (which is starting to *really* push the envelope of what i think people would pay for my art). so if i took 4 hours at that price, that'd be $15/hr, 3 hours would be $20/hr, which is better but still kinda shit for all that extra work, and any faster might reduce the quality to a point where it isnt worth that extra $10...)

......... i'll let u guys know the results lol

#emc's shit #not whump #procrastinating from the thing im using to procrastinate from the other thing 💯

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quietmyfearswith · 4 years ago

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little activities ; preferences

warnings —none??? fluff?? ddlg dynamics, do not interact if you don’t like it

characters — daddy!andy barber, daddy!steve rogers, daddy!bucky barnes, daddy!lance tucker, daddy!clark kent, daddy!august walker

a/n — THIS IS A FIC WITH DDLG DYNAMICS,, do not interact if youre not 18+,, just a little something i put together today... lmk what you think!

masterlist

“Dada, I have a good one!” Y/N happily cheered while her mouth had a spoonful of her favorite ice cream flavor; seeing her excited state made him chuckle as he wiped the excess melted sundae that escaped her mouth, “Petal you know the rule — don’t talk while eating, yes?” She just nodded happily despite being given a stern reminder as she was too excited to share with him what she knows. After swallowing down the rest of her tasty desert, she repeated to him with a wide grin, “I have a good one, dada! What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the supply closet?” Pursing his lips, he pretended to rack his brain for an answer; but when nothing came up he shrugged his shoulders as his arms pulled in her figure closer to him despite her being all snuggled up on his lap. Throwing her hands up in the air to emphasize her pun as she happily cheered, “Supplies!”

“That was a good one, petal,” Andy praised her after he calmed himself following his burst of giggles. Feeling proud of getting him to laugh out loud, she then nuzzled her face into his chest while one of his hands gently rubbed her back. “I have one too but I don’t think it’ll be as good as yours,” This intrigued her so she removed her face from where she planted it against his chest and pouted, “Wanna hear it, dada! Bet it’s a real good one!” He calmed her down by rubbing her back and placing quick kisses on her lips, “Okay okay, here it is — have you heard about the chocolate record player?” Adorably confused with what he was saying, she shook his head no until he broke out of his serious expression and smiled, “I heard it sounds sweet!” It took her a few seconds to connect the dots; but when she finally did she excitedly squealed out loud and peppered his face with kisses as she wrapped her arms around his torso, “That was so good, dada! I love you and your jokes!”

“Where are you in the game, little one?” August peered over his shoulder to sneak a peek in her own laptop screen; when she saw how he was looking at where she was going, she tilted her screen away from his curious eyes, “Don’t look, daddy! Do your task!” Her Among Us avatar that was in her favorite character was happily skipping around the halls as she was assigned as the impostor, and when she saw another player — who wasn’t her beloved boyfriend — she grinned evilly as she killed the other player. She then happily skipped to the next corridor and entered the electrical room where August’s avatar was. “There you are, little one!” August pointed to the screen as his excited eyes shifted from the screen to where your two avatars were and to her, “Daddy! Keep playing!”

Unfortunately for her, someone saw the body that she had earlier killed. This then prompted everyone to have a meeting, “Wonder who the impostor could be?” August thought out loud as he covertly snuck a glance over to his girl who was biting her lip to try and hold back her fit of giggles. He placed his bet that it was his little one who’s the impostor; feigning innocence she voted on her daddy being the impostor. When it was revealed to the whole crew that Y/N was the impostor, August carried her off the computer chair and onto his lap as he tickled her tummy, “I knew it was you!” She giggled as his bearded face tickled her neck and instead of pulling him closer to him as she nuzzled him further into him, “Can we play one more game, daddy?” Feeling him shake his head against her skin, one hand turned off both their laptops while the other one held onto her body to ensure she wouldn’t fall off. “We’ve been playing for a few hours now, you need to rest these pretty eyes,” He kissed both her eyelids as she lovingly stared at him, “So what do we do now, daddy?” Having planned out what happens next, the Hammer then carried her out of the office and to the kitchen, “Well little one, I’m gonna give you some snacks before we nap for a bit okay?” Nodding as she nuzzled her forehead against his neck, she let out a low hum of agreement as she felt the exhaustion of playing Among Us start to take a toll on her.

“Tătic, can we dance?” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes; having played with her stuffies bored her and she had a lot of energy to shake off. Locking the tablet, he placed it on the couch beside him as he looked down at his little love who was sitting by his feet as she played independently. “Bored with playing with your stuffies already, sweetie?” She pouted and nodded, holding both her hands as she closed and opened them. Laughing to himself, he grabbed onto her hands, helping her rise to her feet before doing the same, “Let’s dance then!” Giddily, she headed to the corner of the room where they placed their speakers, “Which song do you want, tătic?” As she was unlocking their gadget that was connected to the speakers, Bucky then grinned as he was putting her stuffies on the couch, to help prevent them from being stepped on, “Put our dance playlist on shuffle, sweetie.”

The first few songs that played were energetic songs which allowed them to boogie — Bucky had an excuse to do the moonwalk across the wooden floor flawlessly, or how Y/N bust out her disco moves while the super soldier cheered her on; there was even a song that allowed the both of them to shimmy in front of each other as they laughed at their silly expressions as they did so. However, a few songs, a slow, piano melody hummed through speakers, shifting the mood of the room from an energetic one to a more slow, intimate melody. “Do you want to slow dance with me, sweetheart?” Giggling at how formal hw sounded, she nodded and her one hand entangled with his bionic hand while her other hand rested against his the wide expanse of his back. The flesh hand of the super soldier was caressing the skin of her cheek, he stared lovingly at her, “Did you have fun dancing, sweetie?” Nodding, she smiled and stood on her tippy toes so she could plant a sweet, swift kiss, then pulling away with a wide smile, “I did, tătic! Thank you so much for dancing with me! Can we do this all the time?” Loving how sweet and obedient she was being, he nodded and promised her, “We’ll be dancing together for a long time you'll get so sick of me!”

“Now remember doll, a certain color has its own number,” Steve explained slowly as he pointed to the closed paint container which had the number one taped to it , “Where would this color go in the picture of the giraffe?” Pouting for a bit, she was itching to get her hands dirty and colorful but her daddy decided it was important to lecture her about colors and numbers. “Sir, I wanna paint right now, please!” She batted her eyelashes sweetly to him in hopes that he would put an end to his lesson; but a raised eyebrow and his finger tapping the certain section made it clear that he was nowhere near ending it, “Answer me first, doll, then we can start painting together.”

“That white paint would then go to the ears of the giwaffe,” She struggled to say the animal’s name but correctly identified where the white colorant would go. The Captain kissed her cheek, to which she giggled at as she nuzzled her cheek against his lips, as he praised her, “Good doll! And where would this mustard yellow go?” Pointing to the number four paint, she then was eager to be kissed and praised again so she looked at the paper seriously before pointing to near the animal’s nose, “It goes right over here, sir!” Rubbing her back as he then handed her the paintbrush, he kissed her lips lovingly as he gave her the go signal, “Alright go ahead and paint, doll. And don’t make too much of a mess, alright?” Nodding her head, she then opened the paint then dipped the tip paint brush as she began filling in the blanks with color as she spoke to her daddy with a wide smile, “Thank you so much for this, sir. I love painting with you.” And with one hand on her thigh, occasionally rubbing and squeezing it to encourage her, Steve too began painting his own paint-by-numbers kit.

“And what would be your order, Mr. Superman?” She asked after she pretended to clean up the countertop where her play doh and ice cream play set were; the Kansas-raised man chuckled at his bubba’s silly antics. For today’s playtime she decided to pretend she was running an ice cream shop and he was a customer; pretending to think for what to order, he then smiled as he announced his order, “I’d like some vanilla ice cream please, with some chocolate syrup,” She nodded as she began pouring the white clay doh in the machine, pressing down on it as she sweetly smiled at him, “How’s your day going, handsome?”

“Very well now that you’re here, beautiful,” He winked back at her as she finished twirling the ice cream, she bit her lip to hold herself back from rejecting the compliment he had given her – the last time she shied away from a compliment graced to her, he had punished her with less playtime and by writing multiple lines about how beautiful she was. After squirting some chocolate syrup on the clay doh, she stuck a little spoon to it then pushed it to Clark’s direction, “Here you go, bubba.” Pretending to take a few, big bites of the ice cream she had prepared for him. “This tastes divine, bubba!” He praised her after he beckoned her to sit on his lap from where he was seated comfortably in the bar chairs. Leaning on to him, she hummed satisfied until the Kyrptonian spoke up after rubbing the back of her neck, “That reminds me; how much do I owe you for the delicious ice cream you just prepared?” Giggling at his silly antics, she looked up at him with a smile, “It’s on the house for the earth’s strongest hero!” Gasping out loud as if he was offended, Clark shook his head then kissed the tip of her nose, “Unacceptable! How ‘bout I take you out to get real ice cream?” Excitedly, she nodded and sprinted to the bedroom to get changed and the hero could only chuckle to himself as he followed her, “God, I love my bubba.”

“There we go, angel,” Lance tossed the red colored chalk to the side after writing the number nine, “Now we play hopscotch!” He declares with a wide smile. Y/N then jumps up and down as she cheered happily; bending down to grab a rock, she then looked at her boyfriend, “How do we do it again papa?” Lance thought she was adorable when she tilted her head to the side, eyes filled with curiosity and excitement. Picking up his own rock, he then stood beside her, “I’m gonna show you how to do so okay, angel?” She nodded as watched him closely as the gymnast threw the rock within their playing field, landing on the number five. “Since it landed on the number five, I have to skip to and from the whole thing without stepping on the box with rock on it.” And with that he skipped along to show her what she meant and expertly hopped along.

“That was amazing, papa!” Y/N clapped her hands but pouted when the rock’s rough edges lightly grazed the skin of her fingers, “Is it my turn now?” He nodded as he gestured to their chalked up board and she excitedly nodded and threw the rock into their playing field. The rock landed on the number eight, “Papa, look! I get it farther than you!” Her delight was mirrored by his excited grin and cheering for her as she skipped on the numbers, praising her when she wobbled for a bit when jumping from the numbers six and seven to the last two squares. “Good job, my angel! You were so good!” The gymnast easily carried her off the ground as he twirled her around as she giggled and kissed his lips, “Thank you, papa. Can we go for more rounds on the hopscatch?” And Lance didn’t find the heart in him to reject her, especially with the way she messed up the words, and so they did play all afternoon the fun game of hopscotch.

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obeymeluv · 4 years ago

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Random Headcanons for the Bros (SFW + NSFW)

I’m bored and was thinking about the more ‘demon’ noises they’d make. It turned into a bunch of random headcanons (SFW + NSFW).

Enjoy!

These got really long so I skipped Belphie for now. I was getting sleepy and I need more time to think up some headcanons for him.

I think I caught all the spelling errors but I’m not sure. Super sleepy...

Lucifer

His ‘angry’ demon noise sounds a lot like the ones koalas make. It’s not an especially deep or rugged noise, like a lion, but this simmering mess of hisses and clicks with a bit of air in it.

Tends to keep his mouth closed and tongue fluffed when making the noise so it sounds more subdued/reptilian

Lucifer’s horns are very sensitive. Mammon found that out at an early age. His beloved could use this to their advantage, but it does bring the teeth.

Would deny to his last breath that he likes head massages or temple rubs. If you can manage, give the guy a shoulder rub and he’s putty in your hands. Won’t even speak. Might make a clicky purr sound though.

When he doesn’t want you to leave or could really use another minute with head scratches, his tail will wrap around your wrist and hold it in place.

When you share a bed, he’s not a snuggler. Lucifer’s the type to be content knowing you’re in the same space. He moves in his sleep, though, so you always end up a little spoon

Asmo says he has a size kink, but he’s not sure. Lucifer will begrudgingly admit he likes power dynamics. There’s something thrilling about grabbing you by the throat, as delicate as you are, but being so gentle with you.

He’s not the most aggressive biter in bed, but he will use his teeth and claws for the sensation. Lucifer’s big on anticipation and overstimulation

Weak for neck kisses, especially at his pulse. Attack! He WILL get even though, so beware.

Doesn’t openly think he has any clothing-related kinks, but he’ll stare a bit longer if you dress up in red or black.

Would never do it in front of his brothers because of the teasing, but very much the ‘come sit in my lap’ type.

His pride won’t let him allow any public fun times, not even the fear of getting caught, but he does get off on flustering you and watching you pull yourself back together before anyone catches on

The ‘lots of strong, long kisses’ kind of guy. Not big on French kissing unless he has time to indulge and knows he won’t be interrupted

Runs very hot when he sleeps. He prefers to be shirtless so cold sheets take the edge off.

You’ll come before he does. It’s a matter of pride, after all.

His love language is helping you get organized (if you’re not), and tracking down resources to things you’re interested in because that’s within his skill set. Also good at creating absolute silence for you if you have a migraine.

If Lucifer makes a pact with you, it’ll be around your heart because it takes a lot of self-sacrifice to do. He’s TRUSTING you.

Mammon

Mammon sounds like an angry tortoise when he’s woken up too early, when he’s embarrassed (or in denial), or telling one of his little brothers to shut up without saying it

I head cannon that he actually needs the glasses he wears. Or that he has contacts and just wanted yellow frames because yellow is the color of Grimm

It crossed my mind that he might wear them just so he can see everything as golden and beautiful because he remembers the Celestial Realms and misses it

He says he stays with you because Lucifer assigned him, but once you connect with him on ANY level (say something nice, defend him, just give him attention instead of suspicion), he’s 100% whipped. Wants to be with you all the time and chase that feeling you give him. He needs more of it. Has to have it!

Mammon’s a sucker for getting his hair played with. Run your fingers through it, play with the ends, and you could probably rob him blind

Will also pester you for back massages because he jacks up his back running from Lucifer all the time (and trying to run off with heavy shit to pawn)

Is really good with math, has bad impulse control, and gets very distractable. Would probably surprise a few of his brothers with his math mark is and the fact that he could tutor if he stays in the right mindset.

He’s the sloppy/needy kisser that has to be as close as he can. He’ll end up between your thighs and somehow surround you.

Big on little butterfly kisses.

He’s not a full-on biter, but he’s a nibbler. He’s a hickey expert and he wants them to be seen.

Actually super easy to turn on. If you take his glasses off and get close enough to see him, he’s hard because you rubbed up on him coming into view. Also: praise him. IT WORKS!

The Avatar of Greed probably has a breeding kink. Just saying.

Might complain about it, but he’ll give you piggyback rides and carry you if you ask. Literally, all you have to do is ask.

You can’t do the whole ‘laying in nothing but my earrings’ because he’ll either take your earrings out before sex to look at them (very much an ‘oh, shiny!’ person), teeth them during sex and break them, or he’ll think you look so good he’ll want to pile on ALL the jewelry.

Steal his clothes to wear them? He’ll lowkey cry. YOU LOOK SO CUTE, ALMOST AS GREAT AS THE GREAT MAMMON!

Prefers to be the little spoon, but honestly if you fall asleep with him you guys end up tangled up together. Usually face-to-chest, but some kind of tangled up together

Can’t always keep up the dirty talk in bed because he gets so sappy, but he’s big on soft touches, hickies, and needing praise if you want him to go harder/faster when he’s in his gentle moods

Will fight Belphie for King of Lap Naps. Mammon would monetize your nappin’ thighs but then he’d have to share them and that just seems like a bad business idea.

Main fantasy? You begging. Beg for him to do anything and you’re occupied for the next few hours.

Has a bit of a smart mouth so he’ll also get into banter with you and if you get the last word, he’s super embarrassed, proud, and give him a consolation kiss or something, huh?

Helpless when you initiate it because SHIT that was bold and he can’t believed it worked! All you have to do is say his name, look him in the eyes, then his lips, and kiss him. If you think you’re walking away, you don’t make it far.

The type to con you into a quickie in the closet our just out of view/hearing of the others.

The type to write checks his mouth can’t cash 85% of the time. Call his bluff. If he invites you into the bath, do it. Walk in naked. You might have to save him from drowning.

Leviathan

Levi’s angry noises sound like bearded dragon hisses. Those hisses are used for warning, frustration, and when he does the uncomfortable prickle of awkwardness. When he disagrees or is bashful, they get a warble/chatter to them.

I headcanon that they can also take on their demon form when they feel threatened, as it puts out an aura and makes them more defensive. Levi can transform the easiest due to him feel uncomfortable and not being the most sociable.

When he’s in demon form, his tail will either wrap around him for comfort or will go over to the person he most trusts to comfort him. He tends not to consciously want to touch Lucifer with his tail, but there’s something instinctual about going to the oldest brother. He usually goes to Satan or you (if you’ve reached that type of intimacy)

You would think a guy that shamelessly plays a lot of otome games and uses them as social guides (even though they’re far from perfect) wouldn’t be so susceptible to a peek of skin or nudity, but LEVI IS WEAK!

That whole ‘shirt rides up getting a library book’ thing? He’s dead.

The biggest virgin, basically. Boy’s got a strong imagination and he’s sensitive from the whole ‘gross otaku’ complex.

His biggest fantasy? Water play. He wants to be the big, scary monster who grabs a tasty, tiny human and has his wicked (totally consensual) way.

One of the more adventurous bros because he’s seen a lot of stuff in anime and wants to know if it would really work.

Will definitely ask for a blow job. It’s the shortest blow job ever but he loved it.

Is weak for any kind of kiss so have at it! Especially likes kisses on the mouth, shoulder kisses (because that means cuddling!), and kisses on his chest or belly.

The type to get addicted to sex once he has it, but not helplessly so. He won’t say no if you ask.

Is too embarrassed to ask you to wear some of his clothes so he just kind of leaves them in your room and waits to see if you wear it. If you don’t, he buys you matching clothes so you HAVE to.

Once you’re dating, you’re his good luck charm. No ifs, ands, or buts! He NEEDS you for game night, even if you fall asleep in his arms, okay?

After getting used to the idea of giving you affection and understanding your boundaries, he’s dropping a forehead kiss 24/7.

He hisses more than his brothers, and his tongue can do some tricks the other bros can’t. He’s WAY better than those other dumb humans, too.

You’re one of the only people who can pull him out of his room. He becomes aware that you get him out for exercise (or because Lucifer asks) but if he leaves the House of Lamentation and has you to himself, he won’t complain.

Satan

Cougar noises--the chuffs, the growls, the yeowls, all of it. He is big angry kitty boy

He’s afraid of losing his temper but he’s got a ridiculously tight grip on the reins. You wouldn’t think he’s the Avatar of Wrath until one of his brothers set him off.

His love language is gentle pets, a good book, and a cup of tea. He’s your guard when you don’t want to deal with the outside world. Because Satan’s super logical and admires detectives, his love language is also helping you solve your problems. He just conveniently shows up with something that helps (because he’s been listening and is a background type).

Is emotionally keen, perhaps because his cardinal sin is wrath and he can be sensitive. He has a radar for you and it calls him like a moth to a flame.

Want to seduce him? Read to him. It’s that easy. Share your favorite quotes.

Or just take a cheap shot and do something with cats. He may enlist you to smuggle Hellcats into the House of Lamentation since Lucifer can’t do anything to the precious exchange student. Being its ‘parents’ will bring you close.

Doesn’t like mornings but forces himself to be a morning person. HIGHLY enjoys it if you’re not because it’s so nice to see you go through all the stages of discontent before resigning yourself to getting up and starting the day

He’s not easy to fluster, but he’s the ‘tried and true’ when it comes to getting bothered. If you find something that works, file it away because it will ALWAYS work.

If you fluster him, he has to make it even. It’s the only way he’ll feel good about his weakness. Much prefers if you’re worse off than he is, actually, because there’s something delicious about it

A bit of a sadist. Prefers drawn-out pleasure and taking you for all that you can give

Loves to catch you with that studded tail and keep you in place. Very much likes to drag you back to him. That looks pretty, too.

HIS TAIL IS SENSITIVE. TOUCH IT. PET IT. HIS IQ DROPS TO THE SINGLE DIGITS.

Doesn’t know what to call his kinks, but the idea of restraining you is a nice one. Likes the positions where he has to hold you against him or in place, or can move parts of you to better fit with him. Big on taking you from behind.

Doesn’t care if he’s the big spoon or the little spoon. Just wants to make sure you’re there with him.

Has a fantasy about you serving him tea naked in his room.

Big on biting, and is usually embarrassed about the marks the next day

The type to let you throw your legs over his lap and read in contented silence with you, occasionally massaging your leg

Boy likes legs. Show ‘em off.

Interrupt intense studying sessions (because he over-studies and studies WAY TOO EARLY FOR TESTS) with snuggly pop quizzes (”Who’s cute? A) You, B) The Avatar of Wrath, C) Satan, or D) All of the Above”) because he lives for it.

Cheeky and unexpectedly playful. Will wake you up with tickling or tracing. If you are romantically involved, he’s definitely woken you up with a squeeze or kiss at least once

If you’re in a pact with him, it shows up on your thigh or hip.

Very proficient with magic. Has probably found a way to bring it into the bedroom.

Asmodeus

The cuddliest boy

His angrier noises tend to sound like a giant salamander but his cute flirty/chirpy noises sound like a toy gecko.

I headcanon that Asmodeus became part incubus when he fell to Devildom, or that he ended up with some of those traits once he became the Avatar of Lust

He can feed off the various types of love emotions (genuine love, sweet crush love, jealous love, sex, etc.) but it doesn’t fill him up as much as hunting humans or other demons. It’s just something he can feed off of more frequently so it keeps hunger at bay.

Will pamper his crush or someone he holds dear because that’s bonding. He wants SOMEONE to understand the lengths he goes through to be beautiful! It’s a process! Respect him!

The biggest hype boyfriend ever. Will take your confidence to new levels and show you that you can rock anything

Epitome of ‘looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you’ trope

Are you having a play date with makeup? Turn those lipstick swatches into lipstick kisses and he’s got to stop and recollect himself. His little heart’s going so fast!

Glows when you praise him. It could be something he’s heard for centuries but somehow you say it better than anyone ever has.

When he’s feeling extra affectionate and just really loves you, his eyes will be a pinky-red.

Wants to be babied. Please kiss him.

100% down for soft cuddles and luxurious touches. Long days spent in bed and slow, dream-like sex.

Doesn’t really like his hair messed with because he works on it a lot.

Touch his arms, his back, and his chest and he’s all yours.

Will kiss you anywhere, but his favorite place to kiss you when you’re cuddling is on the inside of your wrist

Prefers to be the little spoon.

The skin on his shoulders can dry out when he takes on his demon form. Something about the texture of demon wings dries them out really bad. Put lotion on him and he’s singing your praises.

Gets you into the most exclusive places and plans the best shopping days. Your off days will be the envy of everyone in the Devildom!

Asmodeus is very perceptive when it comes to his love, and very receptive in terms of sex. It feels like the world’s longest questionnaire before you have sex, but he needs to be ABSOLUTELY clear about your experience, comfort, what you like, and what you don’t.

Probably gets off first because the act of having sex is very heady and strong. It’s a massive energy boost at once. It’s the second-best type of feed he can get and makes him feel drunk/light-headed.

Definitely makes up for it. You probably won’t be able to walk afterwards.

Big on PDA around others. Holding hands and matching nails!

When Asmodeus makes a pact with you, it shows up in aesthetic places like your shoulder, your wrist, your ankle, or above your chest.

Is big on receiving praise but not as big as Mammon

Sex with him can be rough and hard, sweet and gentle, and everything in between. Is very likely to mess up your clothes because he has a hard time controlling his claws when he’s in the moment but you can wear his clothes. It’s fine.

Will give you hickies. Loves the colors they take on your skin.

If he’s helping you get ready for an event, all that pretty makeup might get messed up when he takes you against the vanity. He can’t help it!

10/10 the best, most supportive boyfriend. A sweetheart with claws.

Beelzebub

Sweetest boy. The one that has good intentions even if things don’t go to plan

Very loyal. He’s neutral to everyone when they first meet him, but he’ll quickly pick favorites or befriend someone if his intuition says he should.

Beel’s a pretty good people-reader. Maybe it comes from being an older twin, but he knows a bad heart when he sees it

Is very empathetic and can get really upset for his hungry fury. It’s hard to shake but if you’re gentle/persistent, you’ll get a smile.

If you get some tears, just hold him and tell him it’s okay. You know it’s hard to control.

Also on team ‘play with my hair’

He’s a sucker for kisses around his ear, the base of his throat, AND HIS STOMACH. KISS THAT TUMMY!

Forgets that he’s built very differently than you and is honestly amused by how awe-struck you get with his muscles.

Squeeze his bicep. It makes him blush.

Quiet fawning over his muscles really warms his heart. Just praise him, kiss him, and run your fingers over his chest and you’ll get the good, deep rumbly polar bear purr.

Beel has deep, rolling demon noises. It’s something about how tall and wide he is that makes the reverb shake deep in your bones no matter how gentle it is

Will think the stars of you if he catches you looking after his family.

His heart skips a beat and his face goes super red if you pack him snacks with little notes on them

Is 100% down for food dates.

Loves carrying you. He’s nice and helpful and when you start dating, he just loves having his tiny human close.

Has to learn to temper his strength when you start dating because he tried to be cute and scoop you up but almost threw you into the ceiling

Very gentle bear hugs from very gentle Beel

Prefers you to climb on him when you want to cuddle that way he doesn’t accidentally hurt you. Loves to feel you struggling to climb on his back.

Likes to snuggle your arms when they’re wrapped around his neck (especially when you’re getting a piggyback). Absently rubs your thighs/knees because they’re in his hands.

Lots of absentminded but heartfelt kisses because you smell good and he loves you. He just wants to kiss you, not taste you! (”One more, please?”)

Has a size kink. He’s a big boy so you’re probably smaller by default and you’re just easy to pick up and hold and--boy’s going to bust a nut just getting you into position

Big into oral because you smell good and taste good and he could eat you for HOURS. He has the strength and stamina, trust me.

Has the best jawline of the bros because he’s always working his mouth muscles.

Tends to take you from behind just to minimize the height difference but he’s also had sex in the kitchen, in his bed, and is coming around the idea of you being on top of him.

Won’t leave hickies but he’s the suckling type. Most likely to leave fingerprints/handprints

Heavy post-cuddler.

If you feed him (even jokingly) after sex, he’s going to immediately roll over and want to go again.

You love him enough to feed him and he just loves you and--?!!

If you cook him anything, he’ll definitely give his compliments to the chef

Always buys you cute aprons and things to wear in the kitchen. Has a matching set even if it doesn’t fit him very well.

If you make a trip to the human world, please come back with a bunch of cheeseburgers for your baby. He’ll love you forever (even though he already does).

Loves to cuddle. If you rest your head on him, he puts his arm around you and pull you in close. He’ll initiate the ‘in lap cuddling’.

Is surprisingly good at potions because he’s familiar with the ingredients and can tell if you’re on the right track based on how it smells.

Loves to feed you. Won’t say no to being fed. Didn’t know he had a finger kissing/sucking kink until he was being careful with a bite of food and somehow still got your finger (no damage though).

When you make a pact with Beelzebub, it shows up on your stomach.

#Obey Me!#Obey Me! x Reader #Lucifer x Reader #Mammon x Reader #Leviathan x Reader #Levi x Reader #Satan x Reader #Asmo x reader #Asmodeus x reader #beelzebub x reader #beel x reader

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mistystar022100 · 3 years ago

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More Bleach x Tokyo Ghoul au

More Characters

Orihime

Orihime is a natural one-eyed ghoul with a Rinkaku kagune. Orihime in cannon has basically one offensive ability that is broken for a whole arc and then rarely used for the sake of defense and healing. Personally, I thought she could have done more so I’m fixing this myself. Her kagune has 2 tentacles that she can use for offensive. Her Shun Shun Rika will be for the healing and shield, the attacking fairy will not be used often unless she needs a long ranged attack.

The reason for her being a one-eyed ghoul is so she could still eat human food. Her weird food combinations are a part of her character and I thought it wouldn’t be right to take that from her. It also doesn’t hurt that Orihime constantly eating food is a good cover for when the ghoul group hangs out at school. The fact that her brother was a human makes for an interesting dynamic as well.

As a half ghoul she can eat human food as much as she wants. The genetic combination may have messed with her taste buds, resulting in the strange food. She can taste it but the human food gives her almost no nutritional value. She has to eat like a ghoul in order to sustain herself.

Her main ability is in her regeneration, which is high even for a Rinkaku. Even though her kagune is fairly weak and easy to cut off, they grow back very quickly. This also applies to any injuries she takes; for example getting completely flattened by a speeding car will only take her a few hours to completely regenerate from; as long as she’s feed.

Her father was a ghoul and her mother was a human. Her mother left Sora’s father, who was a human, for Orihime’s father, a ghoul. Sora and Orihime were half siblings. After her father was killed by the CCG and her mother became an alcoholic, Sora took her and moved to Karakura. Sora at first feed her dead homeless people who he would find until he was approached by Isshin and the other adult ghouls in town who took that responsibility out of his hands. After Sora’s death, Orihime became very close to the Ishida and Kurosaki families. The fathers would make sure she was feed and the kids would make sure she wasn’t lonely.

Uryu

Uryu is an Ukaku type ghoul. His kagune is used in tandem with his quincy arrows for more projectiles and the speed boast is helpful for him to avoid attacks. Since Ryuken is still unhelpful with training him as a quincy, he at least trains Uryu as a ghoul. They still have a horrible relationship but at least they see each other now.

Since all the ghouls in town are relatively close, he is well aware that he and the Kurosaki kids are basically cousins. (Are they really though cause the relations between Masaki and Ryuken have always confused me? No matter, cousins is close enough) Mostly Yuzu (Karin absolutely does not admit to helping), convinces Uryu to visit the Kurosaki household every once in a while. Yuzu calls him cousin, Karin does when she’s happy and Ichigo only calls him that when he needs Uryu to listen to him. Isshin tries to make Uryu call him Uncle but Uryu has picked up some things from Ichigo and smacks him around when he’s being annoying; he will call Isshin uncle on special occasions though.

Due to how tight knit the ghouls in town are, Uryu is friends with the Karakura teens long before the story begins. Him, Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad sit on the roof during lunch at school. He tolerates the presence of Tatsuki and Keigo but finds them both annoying.

Once Uryu learns how to sew, he becomes the mask maker in town. Considering the small ghoul population he doesn’t have to make or fix masks that often but he does get annoyed when someone tells him they broke the mask. (All the individual masks will be another post, mainly because some still haven’t been decided)

Ryuken

Like his son, Ryuken is an Ukaku type ghoul. He still despises being “the Last Quincy” but accepts that he is a ghoul. He makes sure Uryu is prepared for the hostile world against ghouls but otherwise is still distant. Later trains Yuzu in Quincy abilities but only because Masaki asked him to before her death. He later passes this on to Uryu because he is not the best teacher.

Since he works at the hospital he needed a way to keep his kakugan from activating. Through the efforts of both him and Isshin, they annoyed Urahara so much that he made them an oral medication that prevents the kakugan from activating for a time. This is why the fathers can both work in hospitals and smell blood without people suspecting them. After all no one is going to suspect a ghoul is working at a hospital.

He provides the ghouls main source of food. When a body is in the morgue of his hospital, he contacts Urahara who replaces it with a cheap inflatable Gigai. This Gigai lasts just long enough for the funeral so the stolen bodies are never discovered. He first makes sure Uryu is feed, then Orihime and then gives the rest to the Kurosaki’s. If not enough dead bodies come in for the month then Isshin leaves town and hunts while telling others he’s at a medical conference.

Ryuken’s ghoul identity is “Plague Doctor” due to his mask. He is the second ghoul being suspected of owning Karakura town. An A ranked ghoul due to his speed and projectile weapons, he is SS ranked when working with Isshin “Flame Oni”. He hates how in sync they are but tolerates it for the safely of the town.

Occasionally joins Uryu in visiting the Kurosaki’s. He only stays for a short while to talk to Isshin about whatever important things are going on, such as taking care of all the kids. Yuzu is happy her Uncle is visiting, Karin doesn’t really care and Ichigo likes to call him out on being an emotionally distant father. Uryu proceeds to tell him to shut up, sometimes leading to brawls in the living room.

Chad

Chad is a human with a Kokaku type quinque. It’s 2 gauntlets that connect through a long chain in the middle which goes over his arms and back. It makes his fullbring even stronger when using it. It was made from his abuelo’s greatest kill as a CCG Dove (a S ranked ghoul).

He carries the quinque case in a disguise bag for 2 reasons. The first is that owning a quinque outside the CCG is illegal and he won’t let anyone take his abuelo’s gift to him. The second reason is that the quinque makes his friends very uncomfortable so he disguises it out of respect for them. He uses a larger version of his high school bag to disguise it and carries it or uses the straps to wear it like a backpack.

When he moved to Karakura he saw Ichigo in the original thug beat down at the bridge. After that day, Chad was attacked by a passing ghoul who thought he looked tasty (Ichigo was preoccupied in a store). Chad got out his quinque despite never being thought how to use it but was loosing and had heavy wounds from his enemies kagune. Ichigo came back to the sounds of fighting and attacked the ghoul with his kagune. After the fight Ichigo only then realized Chad had a quinque and froze in place out of panic. Chad put the weapons away and limped over to Ichigo to help clean the blood off him. Chad really didn’t care that his friend was a ghoul, especially since said friend just saved his life.

Ichigo took Chad home and after getting patched up by Isshin, Chad became an honorary member of the ghouls. He joined them for monthly training considering he had no idea how to use his quinque and the adults would not have this rarely kind human die. He got a mask so he could use his quinque and not get recognized. He also has a costume that covers most of his body considering a half-Mexican and half-Japanese man is very easy to recognize, especially outside of a big city.

He is just the best ghoul ally. He is a very quiet individual but he will not stay silent when someone (mainly Tatsuki) is insulting ghouls in front of him or his friends. For a man of few words his words can sure pack a punch.

Tatsuki

Tatsuki is a human and doesn’t have the best image of ghouls. After Masaki’s death and Isshin being lost in his grief, a ghoul came into town and killed Tatsuki’s father. Ryuken “took care of” the offender and was the reason Isshin got off his ass.

Since beginning high school, Tatsuki has been in a CCG program over the weekends. She adds on to her pre-existing martial arts skills and is working her way up to learning quinque combat. Her quinque would be a bikaku that is a serrated edge sword and can stretch into a whip when needed. The whip is used to hold ghouls in place as the hooked spikes cause more damage when being taken out.

Tatsuki is still friends with Orihime and Ichigo. Orihime is her best friend and they share dinner quite often. When Tatsuki starts with the ghoul hate speech, Ichigo tells her to talk about something else or he’s leaving. Orihime kinds shuts down and starts doing something else to distract herself. Tatsuki is so caught up in her rage and grief that she normally doesn’t notice when Orihime does this. She gets frustrated with Ichigo but doesn’t stay mad at him.

Urahara

Urahara is a “human” with a vast knowledge of ghouls. He is the reason the CCG ignores Karakura for as long as it does. He hacks into the data base whenever something that might be important occurs (someone having to use their kagune and there’s a security camera nearby) and deletes the data. The CCG eventually figured out that someone is wiping the data and sends Doves to investigate the town. But that’s a whole other story arc.

Jinta and Ururu are failed half ghoul experiments that he may or may not have liberated from the CCG as kids. At first he took them to examine their DNA but he grew to love them. The weird genetics has taken a toll on the kid’s bodies; Jinta needs hearing aids and Ururu wears glasses. Urahara however does him best to keep the kids healthy.

As a man of science, he has taken the liberty of getting DNA samples of all the ghouls in town as the data on ghouls is limited to the CCG’s propaganda. He may or may not want to make his own half ghoul some day (or do it to himself); all in the name of science.

His shop sells all sorts of items that the ghouls may need. It is also the place where the ghouls have their monthly meetings. Most of the kids are suspicious of Urahara since he is clearly “human”. Ryuken and Isshin trust him though so that’s good enough for the kids, at least for now.

#bleach #tokyo ghoul #crossover #uryu ishida #ryuken ishida #orihime inoue #bleach chad #kisuke urahara

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polyamorousmisanthrope · 5 years ago

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One Year Later: My Life Revolves Around My Heath

http://noelfigart.com/blog/2019/06/27/one-year-later-my-life-revolves-around-my-health

Last year I had a health scare with a lifestyle component. Never mind that there's a genetic component. Health problems are All Your Fault and you're a lazy bad person for having them, right? Healthy is for the virtuous, and we all know that people with illnesses get them because they're all bad and stuff, right?

*sighs*

Did I Change My Lifestyle to Manage my Blood Glucose Levels?

As a matter of fact, I did make a couple of changes and did get my blood sugar under control. I dropped an a1c reading from 6.0 to 5.5 using two things: a ketogenic diet and an average of 45 minutes of moderate exercise every day. I took this figure from my fitness watch and just took a straight weekly average of how many minutes a day I got my heart rate into the aerobic range. So… pretty accurate for how much I move. This didn't make me skinny. Not even close. While the weight loss was significant, I'm still well into the plus size range. But the goal was never to get skinny. The goal was to manage my blood sugar, and I did. You can manage some health issues with diet and exercise, yes. If you're willing to let your life revolve around it. Know what? I have the luxury of the time and money to do that.

My Life Revolves Around My Health

Is a ketogenic diet a time-consuming, expensive pain in the ass?

Yes. Yes, it is.

And, no. No, it isn't. I mean, the food is tasty. I like bacon and eggs. I enjoy salads. I love a good steak. Strawberries and real whipped cream? Bring it. I like nuts. So, as far as enjoying my meals, heck yeah, I do! I might want to snack sometimes, but I'm not dealing with actual hunger.

However, I've had to resurrect my bento hobby and adapt it to my diet. See, whenever I'm out and about, I cannot count on a satisfying meal, or need to pay for a really expensive one. Not much in my diet besides nuts is shelf stable! (Most of those "meal bars" marketed as low carb really aren't. At least according to my fasting blood sugar readings!) That drives the price of "convenience" food up. Sure, sure, I can buy boiled eggs and cheese or something, but wow, at over a dollar an egg, I'm better off planning ahead and making a bento. Honestly, this hobby is a lot of why I can tolerate eating a ketogenic diet.

It also changes how I interact with travel. Bento are great for travel – sort of. Taking a trip on an airplane or a train, it's nice to slip a bento in your bag and go. But meals out become incredibly expensive and you're always wondering how much sugar is being used even in meat sauces and marinades. Cruises? You can handle it, but you can't just, you know, eat a meal. You need to talk to the waiter to make sure what you're getting is okay for you to eat, and you need to be careful about hidden carbs at the buffet. Theme parks? You can get hots dogs and hamburgers without the bun, sure. It's also really expensive. Simple carbohydrates are cheap calories, after all. I don't say this to snark it. I have a whole nother rant on why the abundance of calories isn't the daggone evil people like to put it out to be, but that's for another blog post.

Anyway, even though a ketogenic diet is more expensive, I suppose it's cheaper than insulin. But the reality is that insulin may need to be a thing in the future. I'm doing what I can, but at a certain point one's genetics does factor in. It'll be blamed on me not being skinny, of course.

Is Daily Exercise a Time-Consuming, Expensive Pain in the Ass?

Yes. Yes, it is.

And, no. No, it isn't.

Forty-five minutes a day is a lot of damn time. I'm doing it and to be frank, I'm glad of my fitness watch, as it means that I can wave the data under my doctor's nose as proof that yes, I'm exercising at recommended rates and intensity, and I'm still not getting skinny.

It's still a big chunk of my day.

A short workout is half an hour. On busy days, I'm up at five in the damn morning to get that walk in. Unlike a lot of people, my treadmill was a wonderful and frequently used purchase, even two years later. Expensive? Yeah. I could go outside. Except I live in Northern New England. I don't like to walk in bad weather and generally won't. It's very hard to talk yourself out of a half hour walk on a treadmill in front of your bedroom door.

A longer workout is a swim. That's a minimum of an hour in the pool, but you have to add a minimum of a half an hour on either side to get to the gym and clean up after the swim. Expensive? Yes, gyms with pools are expensive. I genuinely enjoy swimming, but the way I go at it is most certainly because of the need to get in large wodges of exercise.

Do I ever take long walks? Sure. I live near some amazing trails and my husband and I often take an hour for a nice long walk. I find this a somewhat less… irritating use of my time. Hanging out with my husband is important and a walk is a way I enjoy doing it.

It's still all about managing my blood sugar. If I skip a day, my fasting blood sugar spikes a couple of days later. Almost a direct correlation. It's why I continue to exercise.

Oh yeah, I check my blood sugar every morning.

Concentrating on Health is Distracting

I can't just… have a meal without thinking about it most of the time. I've always been in the habit of meal-planning and cooking, and thank goodness for it. I don't know how someone who didn't plan and cook a lot would handle this.

How am I going to get in my workout today? That's a consistent question. I know, the idea is that you're supposed to do it just like brushing your teeth. I don't. *shrugs* The reality is that I don't have a consistent schedule.

Here's the thing: The mental energy that it takes to get me eating and exercising according to my health needs is mental energy I do not spend on family, work, creative projects or other things. That's real. Perhaps there are people who have unlimited mental energy for all this. The very real reality is that I don't. If I were in a survival situation of some sort – rotten family dynamic, job insecurity or anything like that, I don't know that I could do this. (FWIW, my last two really big projects -- my biggest client is a big healthcare organization that does frequent software implementations -- both saw a 20 lb weight gain. I have no idea what my numbers were as they predated me checking my blood glucose levels and didn’t leave me time to see a doctor. Ahh the irony....)

I can see easily how diabetes can be poorly managed from a lifestyle point of view.

So, the smug health-is-a-virtue jerks can suck it.

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slowpokesami · 5 years ago

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My opinion about pokémon games 2- Johto (Silver, Gold and Crystal)

Hi! As I said in the last post, in these reviews I will write about what I think is good and bad about different Pokémon videogames. I will talk (at least by the moment) about the principal games and I will go generation through generation. So as last time I talked about Red and Blue here is the link if you missed it now I will write about Silver, Gold and Crystal. Now it’s been some time since I don’t play it so be free to correct me if I make any mistakes.

In general I think this game was more complete than the first one, it had more options, like the phone and the bright idea of Pokémon breeding, which I think is one of the most entertaining things in Pokémon. It also included the first battle tower in Chrystal. It’s kind of a magic game, as they gave it a softer (but not worse) touch that wasn’t in Kanto. In fact Crystal was the first Pokémon game I played and that’s why it makes me feel kind of nostalgic. Another thing that I find very important is the fact that they added the option of being a girl with my favorite protagonist, that girl with blue hair I call Crystal. That was one big step to make the feminine public more comfortable, cause that was basically telling them the game was also for them and that girls can also be heroes. If I am not wrong it was (if not the first) one of the first videogames that added the possibility to play as a woman, and I think this is a big step in such a sexist industry as the videogame’s is. About the world: now that was a real fantasy world! I liked the realistic touch in Kanto but I rather the dreamy Tradicional-Japan inspired Johto. I think it gave another look to the videogames, maybe more appealing to the young public, but also not forgetting the adult one; I love the changing from day to night they added to this second game; I think it’s the best idea they had in Pokémon. All the scenario changed from day to night: you were in the same place but everything was darker and some Pokémon changed. I loved walking through tall grass and finding all the hoot-hoots and spinaraks, I kind of rather playing this game by night; but then the day came again and it all got calm and dreamy again. Talking about the cities, they were all very different; I like every one of them too: the idea of the Sprout Tower in the violet city, together with all Ecruteack city gave it the mysterios and tradicional japanase touch, while Goldenrod and Olivine cities gave it the cute touch. Mahogany Town and Blackthorn city added what most of the audience look for in Pokémon and other videogames, the epic touch, and the lake of rage was also helping in that. But cool cities and towns wasn’t everything that Pokémon offered us; there were also very entertaining places where we could do other activities, like the Ruins of Alph were we tried to complete the Unown dex while solving mysteries and the National Park and it’s contests, I had a lot of fun trying to catch the strongest or weirdest bug! And if that wasn’t enough, we could also travel to Kanto! I honestly have nothing to object about this region, the only fact that can be discussed is the decision of the boring zubat caves again and having to go across the victory road again, UFF!!

The villains: we had Team Rocket again there, which maybe wasn’t necessary but it wasn’t either a bad option. In one hand it was cool they went on showing that, even in a pretty world like the Pokémon one, there was cruelty; I’m referring to things like, for example, the slowpoke’s tails creepy plot. When you’re a child you’re like: “okay, this is bad”. But when you grow up you are like: “wait, WHAT?” They literally cut their tails to sell them in a high price, as it seems they are tasty. But doesn’t that reflect how bad we are too for eating animals? I’m not vegan but that is an interesting fact to think about, how we are reflected in team Rocket actions. Anyways it could likely be more compared to the shark hunting on japan (or was it in China?), as their fins are used for making soups and other food. I’m not sure how it works but I know they kill the whole animal just for eating the fin; if killing an animal you’re going to eat entirely can be cruel for some of us, how is it to kill an animal just for a fin? To me it makes 100% logic these things happen in Pokémon, and it is very clear that it would be team rocket who would sell the Slowpoke tails. The only question I have about it is… what happens to the Slowpokes? Do they kill them? Or do they make them live suffering? I can’t imagine team Rocket healing Slowpoke butts, honestly – and that makes me sad as you know it is the Pokémon I feel more represented by ;_;

But team Rocket was not that powerful since Giovanni left it, and Game Freak made a good job showing the contrast. For example, in Red and Blue, Team Rocket is everywhere: in the powerful places like Silph S.A., in the casino, Giovanni is a Gym leader, etc. while in Gold, Sylver and Crystal they even have difficulties invading the Radio Tower… because when they do you immediately go and kick them out. Not to mention there is no sign of them in Kanto neither. And after this game, team Rocket disappears. I doubt if Game Freak intentions were to make us aware that team Rocket ended there, if they wanted to show how a big mafia ended up being a group of thugs with dark intentions or if they just didn’t know what to do about the villains and didn’t think about a new team as they did lately… I think I personally would have rathered a new team because it is kind of repetitive and boring fighting them again; maybe a team linked to the spiritual touch of Johto? A lot of ideas come to my head, but well, as they made it fit the game, the idea of team Rocket again didn’t end that bad.

About the Pokémon: All I have to say about them are good things; this is my favorite generation of Pokémon designs, they all look extravagant and at the same time they all have the old school touch Kanto also had. There’s a lot of Pokémon I love there: Smeargle, Jumpluff, Stantler, Ledyba, Hoot-Hoot, Misdreavus… Not to mention the legendaries were also stunning; I simply love Ho-oh and Suicune. They also included the shinys and the baby Pokémon in this game (you know, Cleffa, Pichu, Magby…) which also strengthen the cute touch I was talking about before. The pokemon they choosed of Kanto also fit the story and curiously had a big importance in it, like Bellsprout (in the sprout tower) or gastly and it’s evolutions (that were very important in the ghost gym and also helped strengthen the mysterious and dark touch I was talking about before) . I think it’s the only game I wouldn’t mind what starter to use and the eeveelution introduced are as good as the three originals or even better. As I said, nothing bad to write here.

The Character designs: In the last review I was complaining of the lack of representation of social minorities and well, they introduced the first androgynous looking boy of Pokémon, Bugsy! Not to mention that Will looks kind of androgynous too. They still lacked representation for people of color and androgynous woman (and I could talk about more minorities!) but again that was Japan in the late nineties, so let’s go step by step. Apart of that they are also good characters, but I would like to know more of them. It feels like the leaders in Kanto had a more important role than in Johto, as some of them are part of the story while we don’t get to know the Johto characters that much (maybe the only exception is Jasmine, as we help her with her ampharos). But there’s one character that amazes me and this is Whitney; she always makes me laugh as I think she’s got a strong character, she behaves like a little girl but she will destroy you with her miltank – she looks cute (and she knows it!) but will make you a drama if she doesn’t win. Honestly I can understand it if the other people find her annoying but for me she is so frinking funny. We may not get to know the new Johto characters that much but the good thing is we get to know the Kanto characters better, and I like the fact that the Johto and the Kanto league are the same and now Lance is the champion, and we also got the opportunity to fight together with him against team Rocket. We can also see how the people of Kanto is doing after the first games: I like the fact that Green is a Gym leader and you can also fight Red. I could spend hours talking about how amazing and interesting it got but I think I said everything I had to.

I can’t say I have many objections of this game. Now playing it is not as entertaining for me as playing the new games because they got more dynamic and entertaining but it is still one of my favorite games Thanks very much for reading and, if you liked it, please reblog it, like it or follow me, this blog is still new and I need your support to go on with it! J oh, and you can ask about my point of view of anything of the Pokémon world if you want, I’ll try to answer it! Sami Luu~

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doridoripawaa · 7 years ago

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Rin & Maki (Love Live!)

Tap.Tap. Tap tap tap.When Maki was tapping her foot along to therhythm of a song, the sound was enchanting and the motion was soothing. WhenRin was tapping her pencil atop her desk in a frenzied manner, the scatteredbeats bashed against the inside of Maki’s skull. She tried to nonchalantly wrapher crimson curls around her fingers as a distraction, but she was almosttempted to tear her own hair out if it would dull the pain of the obnoxiousblows throbbing inside her head.How did Hanayo ever have the patience to tutortheir feisty, feline-loving friend?

“Oy, Rin.” At this point, Makicouldn’t help but wonder if the ginger-haired first year was procrastinating.“We’re almost done. Then we can go out for food, like I promised.”This news caused Rin’s head to perk up, and she immediately stopping slappingher pencil chaotically on her desktop and instead put its point onto the paperin front of her.

“Whydo we have to learn this anyway?” she grumbled as she scribbled her answers.“Does anybody talk like this?” Maki merely rolled her eyes, allowing Rin amoment to complain as long as she was working while doing so. In all fairness,they had been studying for at least two hours. Maybe Rin’s tapping wasn’t aform of stalling or goofing off, but rather a way to release nervous energy asher brain was becoming burnt out. After two hours of dancing, she would stillbe as peppy and spritely as ever, but her mind apparently wasn’t accustomed tothis type of intense exercise.“Aaand… ta-dah!” The excitedexclamation broke the silence without warning, and Maki nearly jumped out ofher seat. Rin dropped her pencil and triumphantly lifted her paper up to thered-head’s face. “Well? Well? Are they right?”Maki slipped the paper out of Rin’s hand with adisgruntled huff, her heart still pounding in surprise. She held the paperbefore her face as she reviewed the answers, hoping to hide how startled shehad been by the other girl’s sudden outburst. “You got… all but thisone,” she announced at last, placing the worksheet back onto the table.“Remember, since she’s expressing a wish, this sentence would say ‘were’instead of 'was’, so that–”“You’ve got to be kidding meow!” Rinsnatched the paper and narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized her work. Hastilyshe grabbed her eraser and rubbed furiously to eliminate any trace of hermistake. “Then it’s this one!” She slapped the slightly crumpled paperleaned back in her chair and folded her arms proudly across her chest.“NOW it’s perfect,” she announced. While Maki was well aware of the fact that Rinwas far swifter than her, she usually would have at least tried to stop thoserash, rugged movements that wrinkled her homework. If her reflexes failed, thenshe would have reprimanded her friend for her carelessness. Instead, today allshe could manage was a frustrated sigh, and she muttered a snarky, “Well,process of elimination works that way.” Maybe she was running out of steamherself.

Rineither missed her sarcasm or simply didn’t care, because she propped herself uponto her elbows and leaned across the desk towards Maki. “This means we can gonow, right? Wherever I want, right?”

Makilifted a finger to push Rin’s forehead back, putting space between them. “Isaid when we finish, that I would take you anywhere,” she confirmed. “My treat.However…” Her gaze flickered to the worksheet. “I’m not sure you’ve masteredthe material.” She could tell that Rin had drawn backward before she eventurned to look at her again. The ginger-haired girl deflated like a balloon andslumped backward into her seat. Maki glanced at Rin’s defeated posture and felta pang of sympathy. When Rin was down, the whole room seemed to feel cold, asif someone had extinguished the sun. “Come up with a sentence using thesubjunctive,” she instructed. This would be a fair compromise. “As soon as youcan create a unique, proper sentence, all by yourself, then we can go.”

WhileRin’s hunched shoulders conveyed that she was still disgruntled, her eyes nolonger had that same defeated look. Rather, they sparkled with defiance. Herlower lip jutted out in a little pout as she turned those gleaming cat-likeeyes to her strict, studious friend. “If I were Maki-chan,” she muttered,shuffling impatiently in her seat, “I’d take Rin out to eat already.”

Makiopened her mouth to deliver a stinging retort, but her jaws slowly clamped shutas she processed what she had just heard. That… that worked. “Grab your keysand phone.”

Growingup as the only daughter of wealthy doctors, as the sole heir to a hospital, hadforced Maki to learn certain life skills at an early age. Undoubtedly, she had leda sheltered life due to her upbringing, but she also developed a great sense ofcaution. Be cautious of how you act in public, for you are reflecting your family.Be aware of the expectations placed upon you. Be mindful of the people withwhom you choose to associate, in case they only seek to use and abuse yourfriendship.

Coupledwith her naturally introverted nature, the result was that Maki hadn’t exactlyaccumulated a large crowd of friends during the course of her life. Opening herheart to μ’s was a slow, and at times painful, process but also one ofher proudest accomplishments. She had found lifelong friends who loved her forher talents, her wit, her eccentricities, and even her shortcomings.

Ifshe could welcome these girls into her home with open arms, then she had noreason to feel fearful when offering Rin a free meal. Some people would perhapstake advantage of her hospitality, and indulge in an exquisite lobster meal, orperhaps opt for an elite steakhouse—some place where they could not normallyeat.

Rin,on the other hand, essentially did the exact opposite. With a twinkle in hereye and a skip in her step, she dragged Maki by the wrist through alleys andside streets to a place where the pianist would never fathom visiting.

“Aaaah~!”Rin inhaled deeply and let out a delighted sigh as they slipped through the entrance.The dainty jingle of a wind chime was far too faint to mask the creaking of theold door’s hinges, but the softness of the simple sound helped soothe Maki’srapidly beating heart.

Themore she glanced at her surroundings, the more unsettled the wealthy girlbecame. “Rin,” she whispered under her breath, leaning in closely to the othergirl’s ear so she wouldn’t be overheard, “where are we?” Her heart was poundingagainst the inside of her chest so vigorously that Rin could probably feel thethumping too. With its dim lighting, pitifully small windows, and ricketyinfrastructure, this “hole in the wall” restaurant was quite literally a holein the wall.

Onceagain, the energetic idol seemed to be oblivious to Maki’s underlying urgencyand anxiety, or she simply chose to ignore it. “I’m glad you asked meow! This ismy favorite ramen shop in the whoooole world!” She spread her arms wide andstretched her fingertips, as if trying to bring the whole store into her warmembrace. Rin seemed determined to eliminate any traces of negativity andapprehension by ushering in her pure, bright optimism.

“This…is your favorite ramen spot?” Maki echoed. She didn’t have much time to objectbefore Rin tugged her towards a pair of stools in the corner. Rin’s enthusiasm wasdefinitely genuine, so Maki wasn’t skeptical so much as she was confused. Uponthe smiley first year’s suggestion, μ’s had gone out to feast at ramen restaurantsafter several practices and live shows to celebrate a job well done, comment ontheir weaker points, and discuss their future plans. Not once had she mentionedthis… interesting locale. “I never knew this place existed.”

Ringiggled as she plopped down and began to scan over the menu. “I’d love to takeeveryone here, but I think the nine of us would get a little overwhelming,” sheexplained as Maki carefully sat on the stool next to hers. “It’s pretty nyarrowin here, isn’t it?” She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “But! But Ilove μ’s so much, and I love ramen so much, that I want to makesure that I can take everyone here someday, even if it’s just one at a time!This is my hidden gem!”

MaybeRin’s words had eased her mind, or perhaps her dynamic delivery was whatenchanted Maki and made her almost believe that they were hiding together in acrown jewel rather than a sweaty closet. “That’s… really heartfelt,” sheadmitted, and Rin’s wide smile broke into an even broader beam. “A-anyway,” shewent on, turning her flushing face away, “I think a chef is coming our way.”

Rinwas quick to greet the elderly woman who approached the pair of them. “I’llhave my usual beef and egg power ramen!” she declared. “And Maki-chan… shouldwe make that two power ramens?”

Makishook her head and awkwardly mumbled, “I’ll have the, umm, white fish ramen.”

“She’llhave some extra tomatoes on that,” Rin added with a wink as the woman left themwith a tender smile. “Sorry, I should have asked for more time!” she admittedwith an awkward laugh. “I don’t really like fish, so I don’t know how that onetastes… but I know that every other bowl I’ve had here has been warm, tasty,and absolutely purrrfect!”

AsRin rambled on about her favorite types of ramen, her neighbor’s new kittens,her frustrations with English, and pretty much every other event that had somerelevance to her life right now, Maki allowed her eyes to wander around the restaurantonce again. Only one other customer had been here when the two of them arrived,and now they were the only patrons present. This place was easily overlooked,but Rin had somehow stumbled upon it and made the effort to bring her here.

“Haveyou ever brought Hanayo-chan here?” Maki asked when Rin finally took a break tocatch her breath.

“Hmm?Oh, of course! She’s the only other friend I’ve taken,” Rin informed her. “Itry not to take her here too often though, because I know she’d much ratherhave rice than ramen, hehe.” Suddenly her expression became very soft. “I wantto make sure that my friends have as good of a time as I do, so I try to be fair!I decided that I would give Kayo-chin a break. She’s always willing, but that’sKayo-chin for you.” Maki nodded in agreement; Hanayo was always one toaccommodate, always one to be considerate of other’s feelings and avoid rockingthe boat. “And when I thought about the next person who absolutely, positively,had to come with me… it was you, Maki-chan!”

“M-me?”Maki stammered. She was equally shocked by Rin’s blunt honesty as well as thefact that she had surpassed even Honoka, the other bottomless pit of μ’s, and evenUmi and Nozomi on the list of priorities.

Shewas spared from any more embarrassing discussions for the time being as theelderly server returned with their bowls of ramen. Maki blew on hers severaltimes, trying to cool it down before daring to take a bite, but after a deepbreath, Rin dove into her meal without a second thought.

“Rin,you’re going to burn your tongue,” Maki reprimanded gently.

“Maki-chanis no fun,” Rin whined after slurping a long noodle down her throat. “It’s bestwhile hot, so you should eat it n- Wait! I take that back!” she cried as Makibegan to lift her chopsticks to her mouth. “First, you need to inhale deeply.Don’t just smell the ramen; breathe the ramen. Trust me.” She planted ahand on the table and leaned forward to bore her yellow gaze directly into Maki’scontrasting purple one. Clearly unsettled by the other girl’s intensity, Maki focusedher attention onto her food.

Breathethe ramen. She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but Rin was extremelypassionate about whatever message she was trying to convey. With a sigh, Makiopened her nose, mouth, and soul to the bowl. The fish broth, tomatoes, miso,daikon, and every nuanced herb and spice wafted up from the dish and filled hersenses. Maki closed her eyes for a moment, startled by the sudden rush offlavor, and took a delicate bite. When she opened her eyes once more, the wholerestaurant seemed to have transformed. The creaky door seemed rustic ratherthan ragged, the soft light illuminated dancing fairies rather than dustbunnies, and the tiny windows served not to trap them but rather enhance thesanctity of their miniature mystical world.

“Well?Well?” Rin scuffled forward, trying to get closer to gauge the other girl’sreaction. “Amazing, right? The best? Doesn’t it fill you with a warm, fuzzyfeeling?”

“It…it’s not bad,” Maki conceded, and she began to twirl a curl around her finger.Hopefully the red hue of her hair would hide the rosy tone beginning to spreadacross her cheeks. Rin didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, but she saidnothing as she turned back to her bowl.

Theysat in silence for a few moments while they ate, but before Maki was evenhalfway done with her bowl, she saw Rin tapping her chopsticks on the inside ofher own empty dish. Normally, the starry-eyed girl never stopped at oneserving, so why was she hesitating? “You can order more if you’re still hungry,”Maki reminded her.

“Areyou sure? You’re treating me, so I didn’t want to be rude…” Rin began to tug atthe ends of her own short orange hair as a flush of discomfort popped onto hernose and cheeks.

“That’scorrect. It’s a treat,” Maki repeated. “You worked hard for it.” Uponreceiving permission, Rin eagerly began to wave down the elderly waitress. “Putyour chopsticks down first! You’re going to poke an eye out!”

Patiencecertainly wasn’t Rin’s strong suit, unfortunately. Not even two minutes hadpassed since she ordered her second bowl of ramen and she was already givingMaki’s dish a sideways glance. “You won’t like it,” Maki stated flatly as sheblew on her next bite. A low groan escaped Rin’s lips and she slouched onto thetable in front of them, gazing wistfully towards the kitchen door. “You can try,”Maki mumbled, “but the fish flavor is rather strong.” As much as Rin lovedramen, she couldn’t stand the taste of fish. Maki however relished the taste,and she closed her eyes once more so she could relive that magical moment whenshe took her first bite. ‘Don’t just smell the ramen, but inhale it. Breatheit,’ she thought. With her eyes closed, she gently lifted a steaming noodle toher mouth and began to slurp softly, softly, not wanting to be unladylike.

Whileshe expected some heat from her meal, which was still considerably warm, shecouldn’t exactly explain the sudden burst of hot air that danced across hernose and lips. Curiously she opened her eyes to see if perhaps Rin’s dish hadcome and brought a new gust of heat. Rather than finding herself faced with Rin’ssteak and eggs, though, she saw that she was nearly face to face with thequirky cat lover herself. “Rin!” she shrieked, biting down harshly so as to cutoff the noodle connecting the two of them. Rin squealed and tried to slurp upthe rest of the noodle before Maki’s abandoned, dangling half could fall to theground below. “What are you doing?!”

“Yousaid I could try some!” Rin blurted out defensively. Maki found herselfsteaming more than the ramen at this pitiful excuse of an explanation. Wasn’tit proper etiquette to wait for someone to finish their meal before scavengingoff of their plate? “That was a bad idea anyway! I really can’t stand fish!”She stuck out her tongue and blew a couple of raspberries, trying to rid hermouth of the salty sea flavor. “And… you didn’t have to react so negatively,”she added in a low whisper. “That hurt, Maki-chan…”

Guiltbegan to fill Maki’s heart when she saw her friend in a dejected slump, like alost kitten without her mother. “Next time, just… just let me know in advance.”She pulled her hair in towards her face as a shield, with full knowledge thather cheeks were probably the exact same color as her curls. “Then I… I can beprepared,” she mumbled.

“Nexttime?” Rin repeated. Her mood once again took a sharp turn for the better. “Nexttime?! You’ll come back? Back to my hidden gem? Oh, Maki-chan!” She grabbed thepianist’s hands and squeezed them tight. Her beaming smile was easily thebrightest light in this entire shop. “But, you know, if I was Maki-chan, I would order—“

“Were.”Maki dropped Rin’s hands and gave a disapproving cough. “Looks like we needanother lesson.” If that lesson were followed by another ramen expeditiontogether, though, then the work would present a worthwhile treat for Maki, too.

#rinmaki #love live!#rin hoshizora #maki nishikino #makirin #ll!#llsip #fy fic #it's been 84 years #thanks for the ask!#yeah the rest will be drabbles lol BUT RINMAKI MAKES ME WEAK IN THE KNEES........

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vileart · 8 years ago

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The Red Chair of Dramaturgy: Sarah Cameron on tour

Clod Ensemble

The Red Chair – Scotland 2017

Written and performed by Sarah Cameron

Produced in association with Fuel

Directed by Suzy Willson

Music by Paul Clark

Touring Scotland for the first time, Sarah Cameron’s towering solo performance is a delicious feast for the imagination performed in luscious Scots dialect and served with tasty morsels

A contemporary take on folk and fairytale storytelling traditions, The Red Chair is a surreal ballad populated with larger than life characters which draws the audience into the extraordinary world of a troubled family, living together but each trapped in their own lonely worlds. Told in a saucy Scots dialect, The Red Chair tells the darkly humorous story of a father who eats and eats until he turns into the chair he is sitting upon, the wife doomed to cook his meals and their 'inveesible' daughter.

The epic and lyrical narrative takes audiences on a journey through a landscape of twisted reason, extreme compulsion and eye watering complacency, where domestic drudgery happens on an operatic scale and a father’s dereliction of duty reaches epic proportions. At three points in the show, audiences are invited to try tasty nibbles sourced from local suppliers and a dram of whisky to oil the way.

Created in collaboration with Dundee-born Sarah Cameron and based on her original book, The Red Chair is performed with the physical vitality that has become a trademark of Clod Ensemble’s work, rooted in the training that both Sarah and director Suzy Willson received at the Jacques Lecoq school in Paris. Woven into the production is an original sound score created by Clod Ensemble co-artistic director Paul Clark.

Director Suzy Willson said “Clod Ensemble usually works with music and is movement based work rather than being centered around text. We had worked with Sarah Cameron as a performer for many years but had no idea she could write too, so when she showed us the book she had been working on called The Red Chair, we were blown away by the quality of the language. Sarah is a virtuosic physical performer as well as a sculptor -the story felt to us like a kind of sculpture of words and we immediately wanted to hear and see her telling it.”

Writer and performer Sarah Cameron said: “A Scottish tour is a thrilling prospect as it is an opportunity to bring the work back to its natural home. The language and the dialect of conjurer’s up the wild beauty of the Scottish landscape. The text speaks of family and ancestry and in many ways is a romantic remembrance of Scotland, which is ingrained within my being and my heart.”

I'd better be careful: I might be out of my depth talking about storytelling. But reading the synopsis for The Red Chair, I am struck by the way it could go two (out of many) ways. On the one hand, it reads like a fantastic fairy tale for younger audiences; on the other, it is pretty dark and might have some mature content. Can you help me out on that?

Every piece of theatre and every film is a bit of storytelling - but I know what you mean! We tend of think of something very specific when we think of storytelling.

When I began writing the story, my idea was that it was for children. In the very best tradition of fairy tales and myth, it was always going to be dark. When you deconstruct Ashputtel (Cinderella) or Hansel & Gretel for example, the predicament of the child is pretty grim. When I got my teeth into “The Inveesible Child” a much more troubling story began to emerge. Her voice, the lemon juice cutting through the fat of the narrator’s, is very different.

Whereas the narrator is poised, barbed, flamboyant, Queanie (written in a more dynamic and guttural dialect) is mercurial, raw, visceral, elemental - the howl of a wolf. The Red Chair begins like a fairy tale - the baroque and cartoon structure of the story creates a safe space, I suppose, from which we can explore the darker aspects of the human condition.

As the story goes on the voice of narrator and the voice of Queanie merge - it becomes less like a fairy tale, and more like a poem, perhaps. The form of the story begins to unravel as the transformations occur. My children (aged 6 &10) saw it - but yes, I would say that older children (from age 12 onwards?) would get something from it - but it’s a story for all ages and all people, in the way fairy tales are intended.

I'm really interested in how you'd approach storytelling from a dramaturgical perspective. That is, you start with a book and transform it into performance. Where there any strategies that made this process easier?

Well, it was much easier because it was adapted from a story that I’d written and consequently I knew it inside out. Also, there was no rush - Clod Ensemble’s co-artistic director Suzy Willson & I took our time to adapt it from the original - over a period of about 3 years. It was vital to have Suzy’s impartial and fresh, outside eye. We had writing & editing sessions, as well as performing sessions.

Along with Paul Clark (the other artistic director of Clod) we showed scratch performances to invited guests about 5 or 6 times during those 3 years. That gave us an idea of what worked and what didn’t. It was a great privilege actually, to be able to take that amount of time and it was brilliant that Suzy & Paul chose to work this way.

In the early 90’s I was a resident company member of the Young Vic under the directorship of Tim Supple. The first show we made was the Christmas Show, an adaptation of Grimm’s Tales. Up until that period (1993/4) there wasn't very much good children’s theatre around but Grimm’s Tales turned out to be a seminal show and set the bar for a new kind of children’s theatre. During rehearsals we’d used the original tales - in their narrative form, as scripts. We improvised with them, edited and dramatised as we went along, on our feet.

Through this process we discovered what needed to stay as text, what we could do in action and when we could use both. Carol Ann Duffy poetised our dramatised version of the tales. I learned how to tell a story with simplicity & clarity.

So when it came to adapting The Red Chair I had some knowledge in my bones. It became clear to me too that verse was going to really help the telling of the tale, especially because of the language and dialect.

Suzy was brilliant in cutting out the fat and we jiggled and re-jiggled bits of text around, until it came together. It was also edited after during the run of first few shows and it really found its feet (half an hour shorter than the first ever show) at the Brighton Festival in 2014, where we won an award. It’s the putting of it on its feet that’s an essential part of the adapting process.

Because I have spent all afternoon reading about the Enlightenment (and not watching YouTube videos, not at all), I am currently obsessed with the idea that the world has become 'disenchanted': it's not really full of sprites and angels anymore, just mathematical equations and people trying to sell me stuff. But The Red Chair seems to inhabit a timeless world, where magic is still present and transformation is always possible. Do you feel a connection with a more mystical vision of the world and is that expressed through the story?

Gosh. And yes. Good question. Glad you’re not watching YouTube ;) I do think the world has become ‘disenchanted’, at least parts of it. I do find physics (not that I understand much of it) and the exploration of space extremely enchanting - so science has its own magic and wonder.

But (& I’ve become a little obsessed with this too recently) there’s something about masses of technology, closing down of pubs and gathering spaces, mass urbanisation, the speeding up of lives, the blurring of day and night, our heads in screens, living in a secular society (I’m not religious, but biblical & other religious stories are full of enchantment & strange things) and so on that’s created this age of ‘disenchantment’ perhaps?

I feel that we're losing our sense of spirit/soul, how each of us is connected to the next, and the other, and ultimately to our world, our universe. In the story, there's no technology at all and so the young hero, Queanie, has no other choice but to rely upon her imagination, and her books. It was important to create a sense of no time or all time - I feel that the story has mythical resonance. Queanie survives because of her imagination.

She’s a product of her environment certainly, in more ways than one. Queanie is an embodiment of the land about her, she’s the moor and the mist and the blizzard and the lightning strike - the fox, the wolf, the snawy owl. There’s something in that for me - our attachment to the land, our spiritual connectedness to the trees, the earth, the animals, the stars, the universe - our ancestors too. At the moment, and I don’t know why, I feel very strongly that I walk in their ancient footsteps.

I don’t know if you’ve seen images of the stencilled hands (9,000 years old) on the Cuevade Las Manos in Patagonia? I’m very inspired by this image, fixated by it somewhat - a sea of waving hands, made up of many individuals over time - open, joyful, ancient - and yet symbolising a whole community. I feel a primal rage against what’s happening/happened in our society, where so many people are isolated and alone.

George Monbiot has coined our era ‘The Age of Loneliness.’ We’re pack animals and we need each other to thrive. Perhaps as you suggest, re-discovering ‘enchantment’ can bring us together? Stories certainly can.

I do feel a mystical connection to our planet, and beyond. But you know I come from a great line of storytellers - don’t all Scots? My Gran and Dad told endless eerie stories and of course we visited haunted castles and misty moors as children. The melancholy hues of the Scottish landscape and the dark, forbidding architecture of the land is fertile breeding ground for such spooky tales, and I tramped through the Glens, the moors, the Highlands often throughout my eighteen years in Scotland.

There was never any doubt that ghosts do exist. I was told as a child that Ghosts were about us, all the time. And of course, as you get older you could choose to understand that in a different way. I do think that it’s in the Scottish DNA to believe in spirits, ghosts and such-like.

The magical transformations in the story are also metaphors for emotional and/or physical states. They can be interpreted and understood in that way too. There are transformations happening around us all the time and in their own small ways, they are miraculous. Perhaps we’ve forgotten how to acknowledge them?

So, the other thing that might make it look like I have done some reading, the use of Scots strikes me as another counterblast to the Enlightenment: this is very much locating the performance in a particular location (and I think I read something in Adorno about how capitalism aims at the universal, like how Disney flatten everything into a generic animation style to sell it more easily). What made you decide on using a language that isn't easily marketable outside of its own area (although that might be an assumption on my part - but I am hoping that there's something about the tradition of the language in there…)?

I didn’t really decide. First of all, a few smatterings of Scots arrived, imperceptibly really. A friend suggested I build on that. So I started searching for Scot’s words and I was beguiled - I felt like I’d found a box of golden treasure. The language was just so beautiful, colourful, rich, resonant, witty, chewable, sculptural. I was transported to my young years in Scotland and the liveliness of the language that had been all around me - which actually, had been forbidden to me at the time - of course that made it all the more delectable and exciting.

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My mum was English and when my dad and she returned to Scotland after they'd met, he began speaking in the local dialect again much to my mum’s displeasure. So, she sent us all to elocution lessons to make sure we didn’t pick up the local lingo too. And of course living down South for so many years, I’d lost my connection to the language, I’d also suppressed it. But as I wrote The Red Chair (I read aloud as I write) I felt like I was discovering my real and true voice - and it was very Scottish! So in the process of writing The Red Chair, which is all about transformation, I myself was being transformed, in more ways than one. I do think there was some enchantment going on!

There is great liberation in performing and owning these words. And I feel very strongly that these words must survive - I think there’s a bit of a movement in Scotland now isn’t there - a reclaiming of the Scot’s?

Although the story is clearly set in Scotland, I don’t say it specifically. I say, ‘someplace in the glum north o’ the warld..’ I feel that the Scot’s dialect in the Red Chair is a poetic voice. The words have been formed over hundreds of years and are as ancient as the hills. In the same way that the story is timeless and has something of the ancient myth about it, so the dialect, for me (perhaps because I’m an outsider) is timeless; for me it’s a universal voice, in the very best sense; an ancestral, ancient, mythical voice; a potent voice full of knowledge and wit.

So yes, it might be challenging for some but no more so than going to see a Shakespeare play. After 10 minutes your ear attunes to the difference and it’s no longer an issue (I hope!). We’ve done lots of shows in England and people have often commented on the Scots and how much they love it. Whilst it’s idiosyncratic and distinctive, it’s also mercurial - it’s not academic, it’s not specific.

There’s some made up stuff and there are words from different parts of the country (the world too) - it’s by no means purist. I agree with what you say above re. Disney etc. I feel stubborn about this wonderful language (and heritage) and it can and must be heard outside of Scotland - it’s too brilliant not to be shared. There’s a strong desire to combat the machine that says we all must be alike, homogenised.

Of course there were also huge influences from Rabbie Burns, Hugh MacDiarmid, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Billy Connolly, William Topaz McGonagall, Robert Louis Stevenson et al from when I was wee. The sculptural dynamic of the language, its toothsomeness, the way the mouth and body has to move to accommodate the words, is inspiring to me too. They resonate with my training as a sculptor, and a Lecoqian.

Lecoq is all the rage in my house. Are there any aspects of the performance that you would ascribe to the school's teaching?

All of it. And I write that with a big smile on my face.

Running Time: 1 hr 40 mins | Suitable for ages 14+

Directed by Suzy Willson Written and performed by Sarah Cameron

Music by Paul Clark Lighting Design by Hansjorg Schmidt

Design by Sarah Blenkinsop Produced in association with Fuel

Listings information

3 & 4 Mar

Tron Theatre, Glasgow

63 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB

8pm | £10 / £7.50

www.tron.co.uk | 0141 552 4267

6 Mar

Eden Court, Inverness

Bishops Road, Inverness IV3 5SA

7:30pm | £11

www.eden-court.co.uk | 01463 239841

17 & 18 Mar

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

10 Cambridge Street, Edinburgh EH1 2ED

8pm | £16.50 / £13.50 / £8.50

www.traverse.co.uk | 0131 228 1404

20 Mar

Theatre Royal, Dumfries

66-68 Shakespeare Street, Dumfries DG1 2JH

7:30pm | £10

http://ift.tt/1J9Kis5 | 01387 254209

31 Mar

Dundee Rep Theatre, Dundee

Tay Square, Dundee DD1 1PB

7:30pm | £14 / £12 / £11

www.dundeerep.co.uk | 01382 223530

About Clod Ensemble

Clod Ensemble is one of the UK’s most prominent interdisciplinary performance companies. Music and movement is deeply embedded in all of the works in the company’s repertoire. For over 20 years the company has created an extraordinary body of work lead by Artistic Directors Suzy Willson and Paul Clark. Their work is presented across the UK and internationally, including Sadler’s Wells, Tate Modern, Public Theater New York and Serralves Museum Poto. Clod Ensemble has a repertoire of critically acclaimed work, each production with its own distinctive musical and visual identity. Recently the Company has embarked in a new music collaboration with OENM in Salzburg.

Suzy Willson graduated from Manchester University before studying with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. On her return she co-founded Clod Ensemble and has directed all of their productions to date. She teaches drama and movement to students, actors, musicians and leads the company's Performing Medicine project. She has worked as a movement director on productions at the Gate, Soho Theatre, BAC, with film director Arnaud Desplechin, performance poet Malaika B, and Jessica Ogden for London Fashion week.

Paul Clark is a leading composer on the British performance scene. His music has reached a range of international audiences and venues such as Lincoln Centre NewYork, Vienna Burgtheater, Berlin Schaubuhne and Amsterdam Stadsschouwburg, through collaborations with Gare St Lazare Irelend and Director Katie Mitchell.

About Sarah Cameron

Sarah Cameron is an artist, performer and writer. Born in Dundee, she studied sculpture at the Chelsea School of Art and theatre at Ecole International de Theatre Jacques Lecoq. She has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Young Vic, where she was a member of the resident company that created the legendary production of Grimm Tales. She first worked with Clod Ensemble in 1999, touring their production of Greed internationally in 2003, performing in Zero at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and most recently in a production of An Anatomie in Four Quarters at The Lowry.

About Fuel

The Red Chair is produced in association with Fuel. Founded in 2004, and led by Louise Blackwell and Kate McGrath, Fuel is a producing organisation working in partnership with some of the most exciting artists in the UK to develop, create and present new work for all. Fuel is currently working with artists including: Will Adamsdale, Clod Ensemble, Inua Ellams, Fevered Sleep, David Rosenberg, Sound&Fury, Uninvited Guestsand Melanie Wilson.

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airoasis · 6 years ago

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motivation monday: october finish up

Hi, and delighted Monday! Today I am publishing a recap of my October running, primarily for my own records and to distill what went excellent and where I require some work. Total I satisfied my (incredibly simple) goals. If any of this works to you, then Happy Motivation Monday!! If you have some suggestions for any parts of it, do not hesitate to share. Thanks for reading, friends.

Many Interesting Workout:

Of numerous excellent exercises this month, it was tough to select a preferred. Sunday, Oct 14th is it. That early morning I ran a slightly fasted (I had actually eaten well the day previously, simply no breakfast) and spontaneous half marathon all by myself, at a pretty smooth pace (9:38 average). I didn't set out to run that long, but it felt fantastic! Every mile felt much better and much better, and I had some extra time, so ultimately, I just went for it. It's far from my ultimate time goal for 13.1, however considering I did this with no breakfast and no hydration or calories along the method, I'm delighted. It gets me thinking about what is possible when I am effectively sustained. And I had gobs of energy all the time after that! It's insane. Adaptions are happening.Worst Day: I attempted

operating on the extremely first day of Shark Week * this month, and I paid the rate. My other symptoms had been so mellow leading up to "The first day," I thought undoubtedly a 6 -or 7-mile simple day was possible. I had a hard time through 2.5 then walked another 1.5 while talking myself out of a pity party. Ha. It's great. I went house and poured my minimal physical energy into other things and counted my blessings that a difficult run was the worst of my health difficulties. I moved on with my life.Longest Run: Wednesday, Oct 24th: 15 even at Lake Hefner, with Mickey cyclingbeside me. This

was actually my longest run in numerous months, and I was happily surprised by not only a constant speed (9:46 average)but by the reality that I was not truly tired later. Nor was I the least bit sore the next day. Like, in general, it felt similar to an average 8/easy day. Huge thanks and high fives to my buddy for keeping me business!! The miles passed happily, and I got to hear numerous terrific stories about his life. I hope we do that together more frequently! Fastest General Run: Early on Sunday the 21st I shocked myself by running a little over 8 miles at an average speed of 8:47

. For me, that is quite

stylish. I rode endorphins the whole rest of that fine day, which we spent driving Klaus up Path 66 and doing a little hike, just the three of us. Then we had a very special dinner with our Sperrys, and my heart was so complete. (My trick that day was understanding that I only had about an hour to run, so I just crammed as numerous miles in as possible, then rounded it out to 8, ha! )Unique Meals Worth Sharing Since Food is Fuel: I continue to favor my odd"warm breakfast salad "over cold protein smoothies for post-run nutrition. Chilly early mornings simply beg for something relaxing, you know

? It's oats prepared with spinach and zuchinni, topped with two eggs. Bam. Love it.I am also caring huge, crisp apples and roasted peanuts, chicken breast sandwiches for lunch, and veggie-heavy soups and pasta dishes in the evening. Some roasted veggies with sticky rice is excellent the night eventually runs. Yes to gorgeous buffet, always, and salads at home get topped with warm things like roasted acorn squash and blended with kale for substance. I can not appear to eat enough eggs and peanuts the past few weeks. I do not comprehend why. Oh! And crepes. Jessica invited me over for breakfast one day, and together with the most beautiful salad ever, she made us a huge platter of warm, thick, chewy, eggy crepes.

Best and tasty. We went with savory over sweet that day. I am so proud of her and her cooking self-confidence and artistry.Horrible Error I Will Never Ever Make Once Again: Last Monday evening we were out at a costumed event behind anticipated and simply chose to get some late dinner at Taco Bell. Taco Bell, friends, around 9:45 p.m. This is not my life. I ate among those"power bowls "with steak and some tortilla chips with really hot homemade salsa. It was all tasty, however I had let myself get too hungry. I slept alright then early the next early morningattempted to run with my rapid friend Sheila. It was not fun. My meal was not digested yet. I had to cut the miles short and stroll back to my automobile . Dumb dumb LOL! Fresh Running Lesson: Vertical Oscillation

had currently been on my mind when I ran with Mickey that day at Lake Hefner. While bicycling behind me, he observed that with each stride I circled up excessive(think, Tigger the bouncing tiger, or perhaps an elliptical device instead of straight-forward motion ). Mickey offered a number of kind tips, which I attempted. Immediately my posture structured and my next couple of sprints were at my

max speed without any additional effort

. It just clicked. Fantastic! I practiced the toe-roll for numerous days after that and believe it is helping me waste less energy. Thanks, Mickey!Weather Considerations: From heavy rain all month to a surprise twister one day and constant temperature level swings, our fall weather condition has actually kept local runners thinking. I braved the treadmill just a few times, enough to see that my dullness endurance is abysmal, haha. I have some major mind callousing to do, you guys. Anyway, I am so happy to have actually satisfied my October objective with so numerous days that could have gone really differently. And the season modification has actually been awesome to see. I am not at

all grumbling. Oklahoma

has not seen this much color and such high water levels in lots of years, and the early morning skies, my gosh. I love everything. Simply extremely appreciative that a lot of miles were taken pleasure in outdoors, which is my favorite.Little Extras Still Happening? Yes, mostly. All month I did the dynamic warm-ups faithfully, and I stretched a little

after each run, but possibly inadequate. I got 8 infant weight-lifting days and about as lots of yoga sessions, but I might be more disciplined with that. Some core work and deep stretching at nights are probably in order, too. It's simply a matter of finding sustainable habits. Overall Miles: 223.1 These miles were mostly easy effort, long run rate, extremely relaxing, and delighted! My October objective was 220, just 10%up from September. It felt pretty uncomplicated, so I am thrilled

. Well over half of my miles were past this specific tree. I watched it alter colors each week. So beautiful!What's Next? My goals for November are to: keep my energy method up and my discomforts way down so I can delight in a month of both running and holiday festivity eat more mindfully, not like I remain in a panic all the time, ha!run 180 miles( a little step back)including two tough Hansons

workouts weekly lift rather much heavier

and regularly (perhaps every 3 days )yoga yoga I am incredibly curious just how much progress I'll see from strength training and coordination drills. After that, I will be a stone's toss from my "Run the Year"goal of 2,018. Wahoo !! What's brand-new in your fitness and health universe? * Shark Week, for this blog's purposes, will always describe a woman's natural reproductive regular monthly cycle. And"The first day" is the worst day for me

. I seem like you knew that already. However thanks for

following the asterisk.

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