#they should let me design lps actually

[happyia]

👽Chiwawa👽

Do you understand my vision

[alexanderwales]

The Witness and The Mountain

Since The Witness is a game that's impossible to really play twice (it's about learning and observation, and the save game is inside your brain), I sometimes watch Let's Plays of it for that vicarious thrill. You get to watch people figure things out! You get to see them make assumptions about how the rules work, and watch them have epiphanies!

Spoilers for The Witness follow.

Unfortunately, a lot of these people simply do not get what the game was going for. That's fine, that's how art is sometimes, and most LPs are streamed by people who are, at the very least, aware of their audience and filling air (or at worst, engaging with chat and only half paying attention).

There is, in particular, The Mountain. Through the whole game you've been completing different areas, lighting up lasers that shine up to the mountain peak, and eventually you make your way up there, and there's a beautiful puzzle that requires changing perspectives, and after that you're on your way down into the bowels of the Mountain, which it turns out contains an enormous modernist facility. There are bits and pieces of design laying around, models and diagrams showing someone going through the work of making all the things you've seen around the island.

It's not just the environment that's different, the puzzles are too. And in particular, there are a few series of puzzles that I've seen many many people think are just the stupidest trolliest shit. These are the panels that are obscured by black bars, the ones with flashing colors, the ones that are at an uncomfortable angle, the ones that twist and turn when you try to do them.

Now, is this trolly shit? Yes, absolutely. But it also has a point.

The Mountain is about constraints, and design, and how we have to work within the limits of a medium, how what was shown to you throughout the whole game was limited. The puzzles of the Mountain are in one way or another about breaking outside of the constraints, showing you the limits of the puzzle grids, all the things that weren't done. They are, in some sense, just pointing out scope and how it works.

This is the only place in the game where there are puzzles that affect each other. It's the only place where you have two lines on the same grid. It violates the rules that the game has set up, rules that you probably didn't ever think about, in the same way that you've come across a lot of rules you didn't think about in this game (and this is one of the main experiences before The Mountain, being challenged on what you think you know).

And is it irritating to have to solve a puzzle that's off-centered? That you can't see that well? That's spinning in place? Yes. But it's that way for a reason.

What's crazy to me is that I've seen so many people say "how did this make it past QA" or "this is the dumb shit you do when you're first making a game", as though it was a mistake, as though Jonathan Blow had just run out of ideas and was trying to pad the game. Or they'll say "why would you do this to me" and then not actually think about why.

The thing about The Witness is that especially in The Mountain, it's challenging game design and not taking it as gospel, and it's doing this in what I think is an interesting way. But sometimes the people playing it are so used to "good" game design and have had so many brushes with "bad" game design that they just don't even stop to question it.

And I know, I know, I'm saying that it's Bad on Purpose ... but it is! The whole area has a claustrophobic feeling to its puzzles, like you can feel yourself straining against them, and it's really wonderfully thematic, especially as the final section of the game. And I wish that I could sit down with the people playing it and have a conversation about it, what the game is trying to express, how gamers should also have reading comprehension.

I can absolutely understand not liking that section of the game. I think it's easy to get the point of what it's doing and say "yeah, yeah, I get it, but do I need to play these jank puzzles, isn't it enough to comprehend the gimmick?" Personally, I don't think it is, but that's because I have an appreciation for the artsy fartsy stuff. And this is aggressively artsy, in a way that I think is extremely rare in games, particularly because it approaches its artistry from the game mechanic/design perspective rather than the aesthetics/narrative/tone side of things.

[midchelle]

how would you rank the beatles album covers?

like this:

13) "By the way, what happened to my idea of putting the parody of our first album cover on the Let It Be cover?” - John Lennon, 1971

Just uninspired. Good for coming up with conspiracy theories about the death of Paul McCartney but not much else.

12) Eyes Still Work After Seeing This? Includes a 24-Page Full Colour Picture Book!

Every time I look at this I find another bizarre thing, but that's not even the real issue because it fails on the basic level where you can figure out what the product is and who made it. The red tinting on the highlight behind the font they used to list the songs makes it hard to read, and BEATLES blends into the background so well you might not even realise it's there. Did they use the circle to design this cover? PAUL?

11) A Covers Band So Good, Sometimes We Even Let Them Sing Their Own Songs!

It might be because of the asymmetrical Beatle heads. It might be because they got beaten to the edge-to-edge cover punch by The Rolling Stones. It might be because it makes me think of the uncanny Mr Incredible meme.

10) POV: You Are Falling To Your Death

I actually like this picture quite a lot but it upsets me... why couldn't they just typeset it so the railings and the writing were going in the same direction...

9) Damn Bro You Got The Whole Squad Laughing

In many ways, she is who With The Beatles wishes she was, but I can't rank it any higher because it's literally just a picture of them. Look, they've had a rough year.

8) Paul is Dead Evidence 2: Electric Boogaloo

The art is nice, but it does just seem like a retread of the Revolver cover. Bit unexciting.

7)

Part of me wishes they'd gone the whole Yeezus route and packaged it in a clear plastic sleeve with THE BEATLES embossed on it, but the blank white is also pretty evocative. There's a whole chapter in Moby Dick about how terrifying the colour white is.

6)  The Beatles, N-U-J-V!

It makes me think of Weezer's Blue Album and that's why it's good.

5) The Beatles Demonstrate The Many Ways To Have A Face

Not many people know this but the middle picture in the George row was actually used as the Tumblr default icon way back in the day.

4) This Strain is Called “Rubber Soul” 😳 You’ll Be Zonked Out Of Your Gourd 💯

'When first I saw your latest LP sleeve My eyes, dear Beatles, I could scarce believe There's nobody, I feel, could like it much Except, perhaps, the vampire-minded Sutch. I tried to Work It Out, but I could not, Why such a very photogenic lot Should want to see yourselves portrayed as freaks;'

- Annabel Lee

3) Honey, They're Crossing The Road Again

Deserves the dub for the sheer achievement of taking a picture of four people in motion where they all look good.

2)

Before you get mad at Klaus for dissing Paul McCartney, remember that he a) made the Revolver cover and b) was really hot. So he can basically do whatever he wants.

1) Paul Is Dead Evidence 3: Faul's Revenge

I still don't know what that creature in the chair is supposed to be.

[leffee]

Sunil for the bingo card thing if you’re still doing that!

Let me tell you, when it comes to stuff like that technically they're open till the rest of my life, there's no time limit, so of course I'm doing it :>

I like his voice the most, his design is really good, I relate to him the most and everything about him is simply what I look for in my blorbo, he was my most beloved for like two years when lps was still releasing; by all means, he SHOULD be my fav lps character

But then Vinnie came and everything went to shit and my mind one day was just like:

My mind: Yo, you see this little disgusting creature next to Sunil?

Me: Uh, yeah, that's Vinnie, I actually ship them, otp, but that's about it.

My mind: I now choose him to be your favourite character.

Me: Wait, what?! I don't even like him that much, he's just okay I guess, but at the beggining I didn't even like him (that's true btw), plus he's not even relatable to me contrary to Sunil who is basically me. There's absolutely no appeal about him to me.

My mind: Yeah, I know, too bad, now you shall love him.

Me: No, please don't, omg.

True story, I remember the moments when I was starting to realize that Vinnie is replacing Sunil as my favurite lps and ever character and I was SO not happy about it, I literally tried to protect myself so much and was in such denial about it until one day I just accepted my fate

[valodia]

OK re that last post/drawing. Lets elaborate on that and add the music score rating. This will sound insane btw. Its highly subjective.

Ou. ter Wil.ds

Gameplay: 5 stars - introduces simple but cool features, nothing extraordinary for my taste but serves what it does perfectly. Low res visuals: 4 stars - just fine, low res as i like it, doesnt crash your computer just watching a LP. loses a star bc its 3d obviously Aes/scenery: 5 stars+ - such creative and artistic sights. awe inspiring. just the DLC's world is incredible by itself but everything is different and unique Mood/vibes: 5 stars+++++ infinite - makes me cry just thinking about it. perfect perfect perfect cannot understate this Storytelling: 5 stars+ - the way the story is told tells just enough and leaves you to figure the rest out, exactly as everything should be. any other type of storytelling is garbage but thats my own subjective opinion Innovation: 5 stars - never seen a game like this. Symbolism: 5 stars+++++ infinite - watched a bunch of hours long analysis videos and learned something about the themes every single time. i still feel like it has more to tell too Worldbuilding: 5 stars+. so creative so creative so creative. sadly the storytelling style doesnt allow for more depth which is fine the way it is for this style. but i yearn to know more Music score: 5 stars+++++ infinite - sound design in general is perfect. idk what else to say its just amazing. not my fave music style though but perfect for what it does here and the associated emotions are gut wrenching. Bonus replayability rating: 0.5 stars - i want to wipe my memory to experience it again, over and over. considering not interacting with it for 10 years to try it again from the top. not likely as im hyperfixating on it currently.

Ken.shi Gameplay: 5 stars+++++ infinite - i never want any other style of gameplay in a game. Low res visuals: 3 stars - low res as i like it. unfortunately this isnt 2d. would have matched the aes so much better. the game is beautiful but could be more which is why this rating is low. Aes/scenery: 4 stars - would be 5 but so much space is empty. it serves the vibe of the game but its also overkill lets be honest Mood/vibes: 4 stars - great. could be better though. see above Storytelling: 5+ stars - i think it isnt infinite stars only bc ive known this game for years and became a bit jaded by it. otherwise my absolute fave style of storytelling. tell almost nothing and speculate. every art do this or die Innovation: 5 stars+ - comes up with so many cool ideas that it actually makes you feel like there are more than there are. anyway unprecedented, never been done before, etc etc etc. the gameplay, the concepts, etc etc. Symbolism: 4 stars - there are a lot of things to say about it. provided that you speculate correctly. could be more but fine the way it is. Worldbuilding: 5 stars+++++ infinite - perfect. Music score: 2.5 stars - its fine but loses at least one star bc part of it makes it annoying. not very diverse either. i usually just turn it off. otherwise great vibes for it. Bonus replayability rating: 4.5 stars - never tire of starting over, in fact its way more fun than the end game stage. play regularly Now lets do Dar.k Chr.o.nicle. Gameplay: 4 stars - cool features for a game like this. Low res visuals: 4 stars - its got that playstation/gamecube goodness Aes/scenery: 4.5 stars - some areas are so pretty Mood/vibes: 4 stars - makes me feel nostalgic and like the world is simple and good, which is kind of the point bc it has black and white retro rpg morality. Storytelling: 2.5 stars - its fine, very conventional for the genre. the time travelling mechanic is incredibly cheesy, best not to think about it too much. Innovation: 3.5 stars - introduces many features ive never seen in a rpg, but at its core stays very true to its genre. Symbolism: 1 stars - good will prevail no matter what and people are evil bc theyre hurt. doesnt really have any deeper themes. Worldbuilding: 2.5 stars. actually 1.5 stars only due to elves and moonfolk Music score: 5 stars - one of my fave instrumentals ever comes from this song and i just still listen to the OST regularly despite the fact that ive played this game as a child first and foremost. ive never forgotten its music Bonus replayability rating: 3 stars - 1 star due to nostalgia factor and another bc its nearly impossible to complete everything. i come back to this game about once every few years

i hope ive been exhaustive otherwise ill edit this. if you read all this wow. really?!

[icantgetnosatisfaction]

12th

It is the middle of the day, afternoon. What am I doing here right? I have a headache but I ain't supposed to have it. So extra annoying. You don't have any reason to be there dude. I couldn't focus on studying so I am here and gonna solve those math questions later.

2 days ago, I met this Mongolian girl on social media, she is pretty cool. We generally share a similar taste so I wonder how is it going to be our video call tonight. Life is cool. I don't have much worries. Even if I have, pretending like they don't bring the end of the world, is enough to make me think they ain't really a worry. But I lost my appetite for a long time, like for months. that's annoying as hell. About my left eye twitching, It's gone. It has been gone more than a week but less than 2 weeks I guess. Anyway not important, one of my small problems was solved by themselves in the end which is good.

One thing I realised while talking to this Mongolian girl is I don't care about the things that I can't make any changes. I know this sounds ignorant but deep inside it ain't. I came to this conclusion from the fact that I don't care about the existence of god, whether there is or not. For now and probably for a long time, I know that the god existence won't be ever proven with any solid proof. Even if they do and let's assume I am still alive, It wouldn't make any changes in my life anyway. Why should I care and think about a thing that has no influence over my life? Although It would be nice who is behind all of this.

LP is one of a kind, what a great style proposed to us. Appreciated.

I need to learn how to dance.

I also need to find a more private place to talk nonsense actually, but I am too lazy to move out from here and I kind of like the surface of the tumble nice design, idk. Luckily, I don't get any interaction here lol

[nochi-quinn]

me running up to purah to tell her everything that just happened inside the castle:

me inside the deku tree: I set this bitch on fire once

in the shortonegaming lp of Tunic jake said "when I'm doing well it's me and when I'm doing poorly it's the fox" and I have never been so called out in my entire life

I feel like if the set bonus for the Depths Armor is Gloom Attack Resist maybe it should Resist Gloom Attacks

doing the dragon tears kind of ruins the entire plot of the game tbh. "what happened to zelda?" dragon "where is she?" sky

I did however cry during the master sword stuff. my partner has Emotions about Fi and apparently that shit's contagious.

also just. zelda. I choose to believe a little piece of her is still inside the sword. just hanging out with fi.

I have completely avoided Kohga. I hate him and I refuse to engage with him. I hope he sits down there and dies of boredom. but not before he throws a tantrum and rips his footie pajamas.

me: this music is kinda Nier partner: it's not far off me: me:

I farmed 947 lynels to get the parts for the Fierce Deity Armor and now I will identify as A Problem for the rest of the game

my win condition rn is fully upgraded armor, pristine zora spear + silver lynel horn, and water.

I am somehow in the endgame now?? I literally just have to go beat up matthew mercer

("loot him! take his vest!")

mineru's flashback to rauru's sacrifice also made me cry a lil. like we Knew what happened, bc [gestures at link's arm], but Seeing it was different.

also props to the animators/character designers for making the zonais' expressions so evocative while still being very inhuman. i don't know if that makes any sense bc I am very tired, but Rauru going from "looks like a cinnamon roll" to "but would actually kill you" in nothing flat was Nice.

did NOT enjoy anything about getting her construct, literally just autobuilt one of the Long Bridges I made in the fire temple and used them for every single puzzle.

I have limited brain cells and way too much zonaite let's gooooo

tears of the kingdom thoughts from my notes app:

riju stop throwing your face at gibdos so I can tell you to electrocute the gibdos

while we're on the subject, FUCK gibdos

people in hyrule are really bad at giving meaningful puzzle hints

duct-tape two swords together call that a swordsword

deeply enjoy tulin's little WHOO-HOO when he uses gust

I actually enjoy tulin in general, but I might just not be immune to cristina vee

can't believe nintendo made a $70 physics puzzler

me every time the 7:00 bell rings: time for bingo

I've beaten two temple bosses so far and they're a dichotomy of boss design: queen gibdo: presence is foreshadowed, there's a preliminary version of her fight to introduce her mechanics, fight gimmick involves strategies we've already been taught (except for the light thing, but that's whatever), companion ability is essential colgera: comes out of fucking nowhere, sudden enforced aerial combat, no indication of fight gimmick mechanics beforehand, companion ability is like a literal fart in the wind

like I don't have a real PROBLEM with either of them, I beat them eventually, but if I hadn't already been using a guide* I would NOT have known how to beat colgera

*I'm bad at puzzles, sue me

[mokuhchi-manuscripts]

Spring troupe (separately) finding notes in their pockets from their s/o reminding them to take care of themselves and that they love them?

A/N: I wrote this as if it was an event that happened regularly! Hope that’s what you meant :) Also I loved writing this so much! This request was so cute, thank you so much anon ;^; Also Masumi has abandonment issues bc I said so and it makes a lot of sense with his character. And apologies Citron’s is the shortest, I’m still working on figuring out his character tbh

CW(s): slight mention of abandonment issues for Masumi

❀ Sakuya Sakuma

He’d be beyond himself when he found the first one

He blushes really hard whenever he reads them you’ve almost pavloved him into blushing every time he feels a piece of paper in his pocket

After a couple times of finding a note, he’ll definitely look forward to days where he finds them

He doesn’t do anything like run to his hoodie and check all his clothes everyday but when he happens to find one it always brings a smile to his face

He’d definitely text you to say thank you and respond with his own small message

He especially needs the reminders to take care of himself during spring though, as theatre takes up so much of his mind and he can get easily preoccupied

Sakuya sat outside in the courtyard, reviewing his script for the nth time. A cool breeze passed through and tousled his hair. He placed a hand in his hoodie pocket, not wanting to get cold; as soon as he reached in he felt a scrap of paper scrape against his hand. Sakuya immediately began to blush and quickly pulled out the paper.

"Reminder to eat today! Hope you have a great day and good luck with rehearsals <3"

He couldn’t help but let a giant grin spread across his face. Then the realization that he hadn’t eaten yet hit him. Omi had just been out not too long ago, or so he thought, to remind him dinner was ready. Sakuya had responded that he’d be there momentarily, but got distracted by the new script. 

He quickly got up and began to make his way to the kitchen and dining room. There at the table he saw a handful of the Mankai Company members, including Omi.

“There you are! I was about to go remind you again dinner was ready.”

“Sorry, I got distracted. What did you cook today?”

Omi shook his head. “I didn’t. Izumi did.” Sakuya nodded in acknowledgement, knowing exactly what that meant,

“It’s alright. Now sit down and eat!” Sakuya grabbed a plate and served himself some curry and found a place at an empty seat. He pulled the note out from his pocket again, reading and rereading it again and again just like he did with every note. 

After he ate dinner he made sure to text you a thank you.

❀ Tsuzuru Minagi

The first time he found a note he was shocked; he didn’t really have enough time to process it as he was on his way to one of his part-time jobs but during his shift he continued to fumble as he couldn’t get it off his mind

Tsuzuru reached into his pocket for a pen, fingers crossed he didn’t forget one to his server job. He quickly found the writing utensil, but next to it he could feel a scrap of paper. He figured it must have been a reminder he wrote for himself that he forgot about. He pulled the small piece out of his pocket and froze in his tracks once he read it. It wasn’t a note he had written for himself, instead it was a note you had written for him. 

"Remember that I care about you and don't forget to take care of yourself today!"

He could barely register the words as he read them, but the immediate emotion he felt was absolute love for you. 

He most likely finds any note on his way to a college class or while working one of his part-time jobs

If he finds one while he’s with a member of the Mankai company he probably won’t read it as he prefers to read them when he’s alone since they’re personal and special to him

He tries to keep them but sometimes he just gets disorganized so he may accidentally throw them away; he still has at least half though

He tries his best to follow the notes when they’re reminders (e.g. eating when you remind him to eat) as he doesn’t want to somehow accidentally disappoint you

He definitely needs the reminders when he’s writing scripts as he will not step away from his computer once it comes time for another play; if you leave him a note to eat or drink water there’s a higher chance he’ll at least eat something small or take some sips of water

Since he’s someone who tends to look out for other people, knowing someone is looking after him just makes him incredibly happy 

❀ Masumi Usui

He froze as soon as he opened the first note he received as he could barely think; his thoughts were too full of his love for you and he didn’t want it any other way

He probably immediately texted you as soon as he reads it to tell you he loves you and has continued to text you a thank you or ‘ily’ every time he gets a note and decides to check on you in the same message

He loves checking his jackets after he sees you to see if you’ve left a note; and once Tsuzuru told you he checks you started leaving them after every time you went over

He keeps all the notes in a jar on his desk; just seeing them all collected in one place brings a smile to his face

Whenever he feels lonely, or his abandonment issues act up, he brings the jar up to his bed and reads them one by one

Masumi sat in his desk chair, exasperated. He had messaged you a couple times throughout the day and you hadn’t responded despite looking at his messages and he was growing concerned. His mind was beginning to race and he began to assume and fear the worst. Then the jar on his desk caught his eye. He carefully grabbed it, tucked it under one arm, and climbed up to his bed. There he unscrewed the lid and one by one pulled out and read each and every note he had ever gotten from you. 

“Reminder that I love you!’

“Remember to eat and drink water <3”

“(ღ˘⌣˘)♥ love you!”

“This song made me think of my feelings for you- Stupid for You by Waterparks <3”

“Good luck with rehearsal today! (ɔˆ ³(ˆ⌣ˆc)"

Tears began to well in his eyes and he made sure to wipe them away with the back of his hand, lest he ruin one of the precious notes with his tears. Never had he felt so loved before you, and he mentally noted to tell you how much he appreciated you the next time he saw you. 

After having dealt with his parents not being there and growing up with no friends, he values you and your reminders an immense amount

He may try to leave you notes as well, but he’d much rather express his love for you in person

❀ Itaru Chigasaki

The first time he found one of your notes, he was overwhelmed with love for you; he could practically see the ‘+10’ affection points above his head as he read it

Itaru probably finds the notes once he’s at work if you put them in his jacket

His morning is much too hectic to be able to read it while at the dorms, so he tends to read it every time he drains his LP (yes, every time; your notes brighten his day)

Itaru stepped away from his desk. He had been watching the clock as his lunch hour ticked closer and closer, and once the time was reached, he made his way out of the office. Once he got to his car and began to drain his LP, he reached into his pocket to pull out the note you had left in his pocket that morning.

"Don’t forget to refill your stats! Remember to eat something and drink water, and keep in mind that ily <3"

He couldn't help but smile at the note, unlocking his phone to both drain his LP and to message you a quick thank you in response to your nerdy reminder.

If you use gamer lingo or nerdy references in the notes he will be positively enamored

He tends to just put them somewhere in a designated desk drawer, sometimes taping his favorites down to the top of the desk to make sure they don’t get lost and to see them while he games

If he’s streaming and he sees one of the notes on his desk out of the corner of his eye, he always ends up smiling and tends to have a habit of taking a drink of water when he sees one

If you leave a note in his gaming sweatshirt, it may take a bit for him to find it but when he does he’s very grateful -even though he has a smaller chance of actually listening to it-

At times when he’s very preoccupied, he may forget that you leave him notes at all so it’s like a new surprise all over again

❀ Citron

He was incredibly happy when he received his first note from you

After the first note he received, he began leaving notes for you as well

Sometimes the notes can be hard to decipher due to him forgetting and switching up words but it’s the thought that counts 

You had left a note on Citron’s desk the night before, and when you arrived at the dorm the next day he thanked you for it and gave you a tight hug. While you were there he was telling stories of his home country. He spoke of the food, the towns, and his pet Juliano. 

Eventually it began to get dark and you had to bid your boyfriend a farewell. He gave you a kiss on your cheek as you departed, and offered a smile and wave as you exited out the door. 

  Once outside the bitter winds nipped at your skin, so you placed your hands in your pockets in an attempt to keep them warm. But once you did so, you could feel a scrap of paper scratch against your fingertips. You quickly pulled it out, wondering what it could be. You unfolded it and there in familiar handwriting you found the following note:

"Remember that I am loving you always! Have a safe trip home and do not forget to crink water!!"

You could assume he meant ‘drink’ instead of ‘crink’. His struggle with language definitely found its way into the notes he gave you, but if anything it made him that much more endearing. On your way home, you made sure to buy a bottle of water.

His notes may sometimes come off as nonsensical due to his issues with language

If you really need help translating it, just ask another troupe member and they should be able to help

He doesn’t check his pockets for notes since he loves the surprise of finding them

❀ Utsuki Chikage

The first time he found a note in his pocket he felt so happy and appreciated it more than anything, although you wouldn’t have been able to tell if you were there due to his amazing poker face

Chikage has guilt and baggage and the fact that you stay with him amazes him, but he’s so grateful

After reading them he does throw the notes away, not because he doesn’t like them, but because they feel so special to him he doesn’t want anyone else to have the opportunity to read the words you wrote especially for him

Because of this, he does his best to memorize them 

It was originally difficult to know if he was even finding the notes since he’d never let you know or anything of that such

You had been leaving notes in your boyfriend’s pockets for months now. They were simple notes, things such as, ‘Don’t forget to eat today!’ or ‘Remember I care about you and like you no matter your past’. It shouldn't have made you so nervous that you couldn’t tell if Chikage had actually found them, or if he found them annoying, but knots of anxiety were developing in your stomach. So you decided to call him. 

He picked up on the fourth ring, “Chikage Utsuki speaking.”

“Hey, Chikage.”

“Oh, hello. To what may I offer the pleasure of this call?”

“Um,” you paused, collecting your thoughts, “so, I’ve been leaving these little..notes? In your pockets? And I was just curious if you had gotten them or if you found them annoying because if you do I can stop-” a laugh on the other side cut you off. “What? What’s so funny?”

Chikage continued to chuckle, “No, I’ve found them.” He lowered his voice to a whisper, like he didn’t want anyone else but you to hear, “I really appreciate them. Thank you.”

“Oh! Well I’m glad.” you were almost positive Chikage could hear your smile through the phone. 

“Was that all?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’ll see you later. Bye!”

“Goodbye.” the click of the end call button rang in your ears, but you couldn’t help but continue to smile.

After a while, it’s easier to tell when he has recently read a note as he may come off as somewhat more affectionate but whether he does it on purpose or not you can’t completely tell 

· · ─────── · ☆ · ─────── · ·

Navigation | Masterlists | Before you Request

[accio-victuuri]

BoXiao : Endorsement CPNs

Just listing a few of my favorites, where we clowned so hard with what appears to be bxg biased signs from brands. Mostly 2020-2021. This was supposed to be a simple post but it got a little bit out of hand. So. Here you go. Enjoy!

Note: If you don’t like CPN posts, just scroll along. If you don’t like BJYX — this is not for you. don’t hurt yourself and skip this post.

1. RoseOnly - I will not add the RoseOnly x Peace Elite collaboration here anymore cause most of the people reading this should be familiar. A little bit of my thoughts on that are here.

Now let’s move on to other clownery, cause when I said we did see some 👀 before, I meant it.

• GG’s campaign with them where he showcased a bunny with rainbow colored flowers. They could be showcasing all the kind of flowers they have or LGBT friendly advertising. After all, All love is love. 🌈

• For Roseonly’s 8th anniversary, GG had a campaign and VCR w/ them and that big 8 flower. 8 means bo. It’s truly used for the anniversary but of course we CPN cause we are clowns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwGnDR4zspI

• During Web’s promo for rules of my world and when his teaser photos came out— RoseOnly released a photo of a black rose ( same color as Web’s clothes in the teaser ) with the caption:

You’re the coolest guy in my heart.

• When they were doing a teaser for their new endorser, some people were pointing out that the silhouette looks like Bobo. lol. Twins!

• All the references to the Lonely Planet and Little Prince for this promotion. We all know that they both love LP and whether this is CPN or a personal preference— we’re claiming it!

• The green rose they once advertised with the caption I ONLY LOVE YOU. and with the green rose symbolizing innocence, simplicity and forever young. Green and those keywords, who do you remember?

• In 2019, they did a selling bundle with Shu Uemura which was a brand Web was endorsing at that time.

• In a live, the color green and red rose were together — GG and Web colors.

• An Ad in their online store where the display is the Leo rose which is Bobo’s zodiac sign. and GG is holding Libra. Leo x Libra. And with the caption below for their advertisement. We know Web is the Leo of all Leos but it’s still 👀

The proud Leo has a child-like arrogant temper. Some people think they are not easy to get along with, but they don’t know that they just have not entered their hearts. Actually, Leo’s tenderness is only for the right person.

Some other thing that I will add here for reference but I don’t necessarily believe. Link from weibo.

• When GG was announced as their brand spokesperson and Web gave a clue in his post. Also GG making 3 different posts and kadian combinations.

I’m adding in this collab they had with Eleme, the same time Web was endorsing the brand.

I’m sure I missed a couple more from RoseOnly but that just depends on how clear your BXG glasses are. To me the most important is their Lonely Planet / Star campaign with GG last year.

2. Shu Uemura - This is one of the OG brands that Web endorses and who loves him very much. They signed him when he was not yet a big star and flew him to different countries. They treat him very well. 🤍

• The most recent one is from their Ad with Bobo and a red ribbon which made us all think of WWX. I can understand from an Ad perspective that it’s perfect to pair up with a red lipstick — but our brains are wired to CPN. Soooo. And this is not their first offense with stuff like this.

• This Ad featuring Bobo : - "博"君一笑 BJYX.

• For the promotion photos of this eyeshadow palette, the colors and look is similar to GG’s painting for the Guangdian album cover. Yes. This was done some time after the song was released.

• This one is more of a coincidence. Years apart, both on the same day, they posted about a collaboration with One piece. It’s their favorite Anime. GG as Luffy & Web as Roronoa Zoro.

3. Qeelin -  will be very lazy with this one and copy/paste from my jewelry post. Take note that this Bobo design is not new and had always been a classic from Qeelin.

4. Kai Xiao Zao - Ah! KXZ! The brand that loves GG the most. So what signs did they give?

• Their recent new product is wontons. Who do we know that likes wontons? It reminded BXGs of the unofficial BTS when Web was nagging GG to eat Wontons.

• They used a well known BXG idiom:

"你是夏日限定, 也是来日方长"

5. Chunzhen - Endorsed by Bobo, and this is under Mengniu. It caused some drama— cause GG & Web are technically promoting the same company. but like, there are so many other c-ent artists endorsing this brand.

• They posted for this year’s Qixi, stating in the Caption that Bobo is able to balance love and work. Really? How did they know? And they had made a character called XIAO ZHEN for qixi ( a cartoon girl with blue hair ).

• Zhenguoli ( endorsed by GG ) and Chunzhen drinks which are under the same company posted graphics of the two drinks together. 👀

• Also since it’s both under the same umbrella company, and both yogurt drinks— you can see their boxes together in shops.

6. Stride - In Bobo’s box set initial release, 3 flavors were included and one of them is passionfruit or bai xiang guo ( bxg ). Of course, bxgs bought it because we were represented. ✌🏼

Also in a message, the brand acknowledged BXGs but later had to delete it because of well— you know who.

Dear Moto/Passion Fruit fans,

Thank you for your support to Hyunmai's spokesperson~. The gift box endorsed by Yibo is temporarily sold out, it is recommended You first collect and purchase, if it is sold later.

Please buy it as soon as possible~

7. Swarovski -  endorsed by Web 🤍

• They had turtle charms and bracelets, which endeared them to BXGs.

• They had a bracelet where you can put charms and in their Ad, it spells YIBO. of course. However a BXG noticed that on their recommended letters to add next, the letters are XZ + heart with a dot.

• Last year’s promotion of a lock necklace— Web changed his Weibo header. ‘Lock love, lock you.’

• His May 2020 Mother’s day promotion video that includes a confession (?). I know this is far off but the line used:

“ I love you, want you to see. I am Wang Yibo, this is my unique confession" is so similar to GG’s Bazaar confession.

8. Budweiser -- What we basically CPN about them is that they are an LGBT friendly brand and it’s always a plus when our boys endorse those kind of companies.

• Here you can find the CPN on the can that GG supposedly created with them.

• Their ad about ALL LOVE IS LOVE.•

 An earlier Ad that had two male leads. and another one recently released with same sex couple. 🌈

Also they did a collab with G-shock which is a brand that Web endorses.

9. Man Han Feast Noodles

• The most recent one is GG playing the Guqin ala LWJ and looking out the window to see the moon ( again ala LWJ ). Best part is GG looking like he would burst out laughing and they kept in the Ad.

• In their Mother’s Day post one line says “if you love someone you’ll always encourage them to eat more”. Sounds like a familiar gesture right? Who do we know nags each other to eat?

10. Zenith Do I even have to explain this? 

• GG chose a rainbow watch from Zenith collection for Qixi Festival. 🌈

11. Mengniu - Oh well, just last week they had to clarify as an Ad from them was seen with the words: "并肩于雪山之巅" = BJYXSZD. (Side by Side at the snowy mountain top)

12. Anta/ Li-ning - I’m adding it here cause the store owners in this video brought out GG/Web standees together 😂 Context is, there was a BJYX gathering going on so they took that out cause they knew the attendees loved them.

Plus this shopping app that put them together.

I’m capping this post here and will update this sometime in the future. However the ones I added here stood out to me or I experienced when it came out. I wanted to add Luckin Tea / Lays / Olay but that will be for another time.

As with all the CPN, feel free to not believe any of these and just take it as a coincidence. Or people clowning and reading into things more than they should. lol. Whether these are intentional or not, BXGs are always there to support the boys whenever they can. 🙏🏼

[katyahina]

What do you think vermin actually is? I've seen it portrayed as the actual physical embodiment of infection or smth that only grows inside strong beasts/enemies. Maybe they're not even "real", since Hunters have to choose to actually see vermin, and its just there to give encouragement and incentive to kill. It could also just be whatever the person deems impure too. What do you think?? Do you think it could be a combination of all this? Vermin is whatever the person thinks it is?? Why are they centipedes!!??

Mainly what makes this really interesting for me is because Yamamura just saw.. an ABUNDANCE of filth. Wayyy more than the average confederate. This makes me think that maybe since he was a foreigner, his untainted influence of Yharnam and different background made him really see how fucked everything was💀💀😭(??)

Oh well, that's a good question actually! Not gonna lie Vermin as a concept drew my attention from design alone (as centipedes are the best insects, after butterflies of course), plus I love metaphors! So yeah, as for 'whether Vermin is real or an illusion' question, I just...

Basically, I think Vermin is a real thing, but what is questionable is the PURPOSE of even seeing it. Well... You cannot really last long without a purpose in this shit town tho, so fair enough. Let me grab a few excerpts from what we can say about the concept so far (very cranky wording warning, because I am using the document (X) by Last Protagonist for more nitpicky wording as always)

This one is from description of Impurity rune, however yes, originally it is named 淀み (yodomi), and IS, in fact, associated with water that is not 'moving', thus it becomes dirty and all kinds of things can settle in it! I kinda owe this one to Last Protagonist again as he explained implication of water comparison in his essay (X) in a way that clicked with me, because I do understand things better through nature metaphors, and symbolism of fire in pursuit of evolution just was not cutting enough of my questions so yeah. Give me a second...

It says you can only see them if you want to, which refers to usage of the rune, that is unusual kind of 'specific' Insight? Not unlike how you can only see blood dregs with Corruption rune equipped, and I remind you:

(By the by according to LP, 'impurity' (穢れ, kegare) ties more to cainhurst vilebloods rather than what League finds, but the difference is redundant as concepts are similar, I am only picking on 'stagnation' for easier personal understanding)

Dying wills are literal translation of Blood Echoes, so in this case, you only find these things within blood-drunk hunters. In the original, there is no connection with what 'stagnation' (aka League's concept of 'impurity') is refering to, however I found it interesting that in Hunter's Nightmare, you find Vermin within old hunters whose eyes are not yellow but are like this:

Which is like eyes of Abhorrent Beasts:

I agree that it's too easy to get lost between what's just gameplay element (they did need to mark WHICH hunters you should target SOMEhow!) and what is a legit thing, but yeah this instantly made me think that you should be a biiiiiiit closer to being 'bad' than regular person to develop Vermin, plus when you attack Valtr he screams at you as if you'll have Vermin within BECAUSE you're bad, so. But okay, here is also this:

So what we DO know is that snake had Vermin within and it ate beasts, whereas Impurity rune was discovered within a "forbidden beast-eater", and Valtr is the only person explicitly refered to as such. (Lore says that rune is SAID to have been discovered inside of him, and that him surviving and eating the beast is a 'tale', but it clashes with how I see this character that he'd just assume role that isn't his, so I write it off as FromSoft doing the good old 'did they didn't they' to make us fill the gaps by ourselves. But remember kids, the most walked path is not the only path, so always explore opportunities if you like them more!)

So I presume partially it is self-inflicted. Beasts are humans, after all, just twisted and dirtied by blood into something unrecognizeable and unsightly - so moral questions of TECHNICALLY eating another human aside, Valtr very much consumed a lot of 'filth', thus that might have triggered understanding of something awful. He could have even gotten Vermin himself, but he can tolerate it, really, focusing on killing it elsewhere, who knows.

It is interesting how it says that rune was discovered INSIDE of him, whereas Ludwig and Adeline outright envisioned their runes themselves... And both have/had eyes on the inside, too. Makes me think that someone who COULD envison runes literally leaning against him to listen until they could make sense of the weird sound inside and write it down xD Just handing him the result all like 'wake up beast-eater you fucked up a big time' sdjhdsfds

However:

This one outright calls them 'illusions', I checked several times, which alludes to how they might not even be real! But yeah, with everything I already brought up, here is what I think/headcanon:

Parasites are like, definitive thing within the setting, but unlike Kos Parasites for example, Vermin cannot be seen by just anyone as it is a parasite tied to humans. Basically it's unaccessibility to normal eye - heck, even very insightful one either! - has to do with complexity of what 'humanity' IS. What the line between human and beast really IS? Is beasthood (by extension, 'evil') cultivated or revealed? So yeah, Valtr being able to comprehend the concept like nobody before has to do with his ability to draw the CLEAR line between innocense and sin - ability that he now can pass to others through the rune, but it will still allude to one's personal views. Ability that might be your doom if you are too open-minded, impressionate and sensitive (what happened to Yamamura, but about that later). Yeah maybe do not accept people who are more brain than brawl in the League xd

It has to do with real 'filth' that now almost everyone has - from all the blood-drinking and beasthood and madness and god knows what else, though, but it is evasive as even Great Ones are clearer concept than what 'nature' of human is, whether we are naturally evil and should fear it or whether we are naturally good but reject it. Connotation of beasthood with psychology is what makes Vermin invisible unless you have the rune.

However, Celestial Emissaries are examples of exceptions - being completely 'purified' from curse of beasthood (and from humanity as well...). Think back on how mind is a 'lake' and if water within it stagnates, it becomes a swamp. So speaking with a Great One brought Choir members (at least later ones) secret of being pure - basically imagine it like a river put through this metaphorical lake, but this river rushes SO fast that it is now JUST river instead of lake, and not only dirty things cannot settle within, but good sort of life can neigher. My inspiration was lack of cosmic Kin in Nightmare Realm - they cannot go to Hell! But at what cost..... It is also what drove Fauxsefka insane, as she resigned to 'cleanse' everyone from beasthood with her own hands, even if she has to do it one by one (SIKE she has ALWAYS been mad but you get the point).

It is also the basics of Research Hall experiments - early attempts at dealing with the beasthood and nasty things within humankind in general. Laurence does drop Eye Pendant - and alas, patients were a failure. I mean, their boss variant is LITERALLY called Living Failures...... With more eyes on the inside, they started to get a hunch of what lurks within, but not able to cleanse from it unfortunately. Kinda stuck in the 'lake', unable to reach the 'sea' from it. Sorry, I just get these things better through metaphors.

So yeah, I think Vermin is a real thing, but it is very abundant (if not everpresent) within humans, the only confirmed way to heal it non-murdery way is to "heal" oneself from humanity ITSELF which is a no-no, Valtr doesn't mingle with madmen! And essentially League's mission boils down to destruction of all sentient life doesn't it... But he is a stoic man with more sanity than he lets on, he just does what he must, maybe unable to destroy all 'sin' but not giving up and not taking anything less as his motivation! It is his duty to kill it once it shows up, not questioning it!

Also an idea I had is that Vermin might come in more kin/floral variant - such as Fluorescent Flowers being one of the results to 'heal' people from 'filth' pacifist way, but it led to Vermin within to like... grow so bad that it swallowed original host's body to the point of practically BECOMING it... Not unlike it happens with Snake Parasites sorta. These Flowers always looked resembling of a centipede for me, so why not

It says that he is not able to see Vermin anymore though - which I think alludes to psychology again, how he concluded that literally everyone deserves to die so he doesn't see the 'border' anymore - but when you attack him? His little speech sounds for me as if NOW he can see it again really xD You showed him 'clear' evil - betrayal, something clear to hate even more than Literally Everything Else deserves to be hated, which is fucking terrifying but that's why I love this character so much lol

[1ddotdhq]

🚨 Fri Aug 28🚨

!!!!!!!LIAM’S ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reading both the Sun and the Daily Mail’s version of events is a headache and a massive web of contradictions, but it’s all we have to go off of, because no one else decided to chime in today, including Liam himself! 

On August 27, 2020, The Sun reported Liam’s engagement to *mumbles number between 19 and 20 here* year old Maya Henry after two years of dating. This number is brought to you by the same source that says Maya was 20 years old. According to People, the first year was secret! The Sun did publish pap pics from 8/26 with what was reported to be a £3 million engagement ring on her finger. The fandom’s reaction has been mixed at best, though largely, an air of confusion prevails, followed quickly by anger and frustration. And just like that, we have returned to a hostile fandom environment with a LOT of differing opinions which have drawn lines in the sand. 

And then, of course, Liam went live. This happened at around 8 pm BST, and he spent 20 minutes talking about his upcoming show because,oh, also, the LP Show is in ONE day! What else did he have to say? Well, he talked a bit about his haunted house, doing more food challenges, premiering new songs on Saturday (!!!), Harry’s nipples (???), the way he pronounces ‘adore’, the Umbrella Academy, COVID life and how he keeps his depression at bay (love u, bud), and he sang a bit of Watermelon Sugar, while promising that Saturday’s show is the culmination of a lot of hard work, and he hopes it goes well. I do, too! The comments on the live, however, only seemed to want one pesky question answered: is he actually engaged?? For what it’s worth, Liam ignored everything related to this topic, and did not once mention his girlfriend/fiancee. Thanks for that, Liam! 

We at 1 dee discourse inc. gave it a day, but, despite Liam’s conspicuous evasion of the subject in his live, this very much seems to be the route that Liam - or, rather, his team - are taking, as his rep seems to have confirmed the engagement with The Sun so! Don’t shoot the messenger!  However, as we are still in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, they seem to be headed for a lengthy engagement - or at least that’s the hope.  My piece of advice to them would be: don’t try to break the social distancing guidelines with a wedding, you crazy kids! 

( Intern’s note: Honestly, if you have something mean to say about Maya, please don’t put it in my notes - she’s nineteen years old, and I don’t want to hear it.)

Let’s see...what else happened today? OH YEAH, Louis put out a brand new merch line!!! Okay, guys, my bank account is not going to survive this. Lyric Drop 1, as this collection is called, dropped on the 28th of August (today, as it so happens!).There were also rainbow face mural T-shirts and hoodies, as well as - get this, guys!! - a crop top hoodie!  Anyways, the Lyric Drop line seems to mean that each collection will be inspired from different lyrics in Walls. This one is the “You’re Written In My DNA” Collection, which showcases a green and red double helix on top of a...fence? It’s DNA inside a cage? Behind a wall? (I actually really like that last one, so that’s what we’re going with!) 

Well, at least it isn’t called the “DNA test” line, but it is pretty funny, considering...everything. This begs the question, though, of what lyric they will adapt next! I personally vote for “come so far from Princess Park” or “singing something poppy on the same four chords” or “it’s a solo song, and it’s only for the brave”. Regardless, I am curious as to how they’re going to design some of these lines, AND I think that “the Princess Park line” sounds like a super cute name for merch! 

I think I should not have been surprised by this drop, given that he was seen meeting with a designer about merch a month ago (but not, as we thought, his twin brother, the head of UMG), but. I was still surprised. Soooo...does anyone want to help an Intern out and buy me the DNA tank top or an oversized hoodie of his eyes?? ~This is a joke I’m not actually asking you to buy me merch.~

Because Louis and Harry always have to be #twinning, there was an unusual development about Harry’s merch, as well. HSHQ might pick a legal fight with Forever 21 for, uh, *double checks* putting the phrase “Treat People With Kindness” on a hoodie. Harry did actually trademark that phrase in the UK, the US, and the EU in 2019, so he may have a legal case? Let’s get this square - as Louis would say - Forever 21 sucks. They suck, and they’re almost bankrupt, so this did not seem to be a smart move on their end. If it were me, though, I would urge HSHQ to recognize the fact that similar merch is being sold at a much lower cost, which seems to make it more accessible to fans - who are more than willing to buy it! 

Zayn is zayning? I think that’s how you use that word. It has been noted that he has been more visible (for him) on social media, lately, so that might hint at a new project he might have coming out, which absolutely could be the case! In the same vein, Icarus Falls was re-released on all major streaming platforms with two more tracks: Dusk ‘Til Dawn and Still Got Time. This brings the tracklist to a total of 29 tracks and the length of the album to almost 1 hour and 40 minutes!! That’s crazy!!! Even crazier, the album has now surpassed 1.1 billion streams on Spotify! Go Zayn! 

Meanwhile, a former Syco (or psycho, as I like to call them) artist confirmed the label’s dissolution while shading the fuck out of them. The Wikipedia was quickly changed to more accurately reflect the situation. It now reads: “...the record label [was] founded by British LOUIS TOMLINSON SUPREMACY…”. Also, if you change your Google settings to Spanish and Google ‘Harry Styles’, you’ll be informed that he’s been married to Louis Tomlinson since 2019. Happy anniversary, boys! 

[theliterarywolf]

Oh Inscryption! What do you think of Leshy’s design?

So I'm not going to put a picture here because, as with all of Daniel Mullins' games, I feel like they should be experienced first-hand via actually playing or watching an in-depth LP.

However, I'm going to flatout say that Leshy isn't my overall favorite design from Inscryption. Loved his personality but the design was kind of... Eh.

Though, since you gave me an opportunity to talk about the game, spoiler-y discussion beneath the cut (seriously, don't read unless you've played any of Daniel Mullins' games)...

I'm really left wondering what Daniel's endgame is going to be. We had Pony Island giving us the initial setup of [REDACTED] making a low-quality game to try and get people to forfeit their souls, then The Hex establishing the existence of GameFuna and how video game characters are sentient and can tell when things are going wrong or there's a significant force of malevolence utilizing game code for their own means (be it creator ego or [REDACTED], and finally we have Inscryption adding how [REDACTED] keeps managing to take advantage of human curiosity to leech their influence into the world, despite game characters trying to stop them, and how the IRL GameFuna is trying to let it happen.

It's a really in-depth bit of ARG that I commend Daniel for keeping up.

[black-streak]

Little Pistol - Nothing Personal

Chapter 2

First Previous Next

It'll be a minute before Tim is actually introduced here, by the way. Mostly because I'm not 100% certain who exactly I want him to be affiliated with and how he'll operate yet.

Which reminds me, I'm opening that to a vote that I'll post tomorrow. It's open to all, but anyone tagged in this should expect to be tagged onto that as well. I would like your input, please.

LP Taglist

@zalladane @moonlightstar64 @amayakans @elmokingkong @queen-in-a-flower-crown @karategirl119 @dreamykitty25 @danielslilangel @melicmusicmagic @xahriia @sassakitty

Permanent list

@naoryllis @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @my-name-is-michell @maribat-is-lifeblood @dast218 @novicevoice @shizukiryuu @princess-of-fangirls @bigpicklebananatree @pirats-pizzacanninibles @abrx2002 @breemeister @darkthunder1589 @thestressmademedoit @severelyenchantedwonderland @isabellemasen @multi-fandom-freak0221 @fantasyloversblog @bzz75 @cloudiedraws @jardimazul @orbitsvt @gingerdaile @sotheresthatthought @kadmeread @novaloptr @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine @crazylittlemunchkin @18-fandoms-unite-08 @tiny-goddess-of-chaos @ladybug-182 @toodaloo-kangaroo @the-alice-of-hearts

~---~

The next battle came as a stark contrast to the normal. Chat still flirted, still tried to get close, but he kept fighting, kept helping even when she ignored him. Then, the most amazing thing happened. She got hit after getting distracted by one of his comments and instead of yelling at him for it and being pushed off in turn, he turned to the akuma. Without a word from her, he stopped his comments and went after the cursed object with a single minded focus she'd never seen from him before. Within ten minutes with minimal help on her part, he was presenting her with the blackened hair tie of the victim. 

"A token, m'lady," he bowed, but kept his eyes downcast.

"Thank you, Chat," she managed to get out in her surprise, taking the item and working her magic on it and the city alike.

"I'm sorry," he murmured at her side, "I distracted you and got you hurt. That's my fault."

"It is," she agreed, not wanting to lie and say it wasn't, but also fighting back her urge to comfort him, "You'll do better next time," she stated.

"Much better," he promised, peeking up at her in hope of forgiveness. She swallowed back her instinct to grant it.

"Good," she nodded and took off back to school.

…

She spent most of the school day comparing his attitude this time to the last akuma attack, startled to realize what a difference a single conversation could make. She did that. She managed to make him change. Sure, she was injured, but only the once and he even said he was sorry! Took responsibility for his mistakes. That was unprecedented. She couldn't help but wonder how much pushing it would take to stop him completely. To incite obedience. Not that she planned to push it to that level, but it was a curious thing.

As she pondered on the logistics of such an act, just for the fun of it, she stepped out of the classroom, intending to head out for the day, she noticed Chloe shooing Sabrina off. Probably to act on some offhanded whim of the blonde. Marinette can't help the niggling thought of how she could change that as well. What words would it take to set Sabrina free? What made Chloe tick? 

As she passed Alya, the reporter talking to Nino, or rather, at Nino, she thought of how to switch the roles. How to encourage Nino to express himself more openly. To be comfortable in his own skin enough to confidently express it. 

Her grin grew as she planned out exactly how each encounter went down, coming up with on the spot ideas and improvising at a drop of a hat for whatever response they might have. It reminded her of the thrill of figuring out a particularly difficult lucky charm. Plus, it was perfectly harmless to consider right? As long as she didn't act on it. And even if she did, it would benefit them all, so really, it didn't hurt to consider.

And if the outcomes were as good as Chat's were, even better. If she went through with it, that is.

…

A week came and went and as did another attack.

Chat waited until the akuma was caught and purified to flirt, ensuring she never became distracted by him or anything else for that matter. He called out any incoming projectile, caught her attention anytime anything happened that she might've missed. Took another hit for her. That frustrated her, but the rest was a needed reprieve from the stress of akuma's past. And then he started flirting.

"Chat, what are you doing?"

"Well surely, I've proven my dedication to you, m'lady. I figure we might celebrate?"

"You've proven nothing of the sort," she stated, head tilted in confusion.

"I did to! I made sure you weren't harmed, I took the attack seriously, I even apologized and caught the akuma for you last time!"

"That isn't proof of love, Chat. That's basic human decency. I would do that for any hero or civilian for that matter. If that's a show of devotion to you, I'd hate to see how you treat people you're indifferent to," Ladybug countered, lips pursed and eyebrows pinching in.

"I'm perfectly nice to people I don't know," he defended himself quickly.

"Oh," her expression swiftly morphed, eyes widening into a look of taken aback surprise, "So you treat strangers well, but those you care about are lucky to hear an apology from you? Thank kwami I'm a ladybug then, I guess."

"That's not what I meant, of course I apologize when I'm in the wrong," he backtracked.

"So you think last time was the only time you messed up with me," she clarified.

"Well no…" Chat hedged, looking down again.

"You've barely proven that you don't hold malicious intent towards me. Don't push your luck, kitty. Black cats don't have any," she stated, taking off to leave him alone with his thoughts once more.

…

Arriving home, she dropped the transformation, collapsing on her chaise and shaking her head, "I can't believe I said that. Oh my gosh, I actually said that," she stared off into the distance.

"Neither can I. That was very harsh of you, Marinette, I'm disappointed in you," Tikki spoke up from her knee where she sat glaring with a pout on her face.

However, instead of immediately groveling as she normally did, Marinette's eyes sharpened as they snapped to the creature, sick of the treatment she'd received from the goddess since she first implemented this new tactic, "Was anything I said a lie?"

"No, but you could've said it in a nicer way," she insisted.

"When has carefully and nicely ever worked with him in the past?"

Tikki opened her mouth, but Marinette swiftly cut her off, "Never. It always ends with you chastising me and me apologizing for something that wasn't my fault. Nothing ever changed. But this, being direct with him, it works. He's changing, finally," she felt relief in letting this out, especially in the face of someone so hypocritical in her expectations on her compared to that of her so-called partner.

"Marinette, you can't just change people into who you want them to be!"

"I'm not changing him. I'm telling him what I see and how I feel and he is reacting to that information how he sees fit," she corrected, eager now at the prospect once more.

Tikki frowned, considering this point, "That's technically true… I still don't like it though."

"It's okay Tikki, you'll see soon enough," she reassured.

…

As day shifted to night, she pulled out her tablet, checking for any news on her new favorite hero.

Nothing to discover today, though she did start making a few sketches of his suit, looking at possible redesigns. Adjustments or details that could be made to improve the overall look or functionality. Granted, it looked very functional already. 

She was startled to discover that even she wouldn't change much in that aspect. It became blatantly clear that he designed the suit to accommodate him perfectly, playing up his strengths and drawing away from any potential weaknesses. It only further her admiration and assured her of her choices. 

…

The next attack came sooner than expected, Hawkmoth apparently deciding he had more free time than them. As though that hadn't been obvious from the beginning. Surely, they knew that from the start and didn't need this reminder. Didn't the man have a job or something? Could he get back to it, please?

Speaking of, Chat was doing a remarkable job of trying to follow a purified white butterfly off into the horizon, wanting to please her by taking the hunt for the villain to heart. As though she hadn't tried that already. 

You'd think he hadn't listened to a word she'd said before the way he retraced her own work over again. Rolling her eyes, she let him humor himself, waiting until he came back, tail tucked and ears flattened, to admit his failure.

Sitting down, she relaxed into her spot. This was going to take a while.

…

It was three am and she had pulled up the newest article on her Robin. She still hadn't found his official name, but she thrilled to see new pictures of him, though still shadowed and from such terrible angles. Apparently he had more recently been seen working alongside another. Something he hadn't done before as far as the city of Gotham knew, still so ignorant to him being their very own wonderful Robin. She couldn't really be bothered to look further into who he was seen working with, but something in the back of her mind twinged as her heart stuttered to know he was willing to fight alongside another.

Closing up the window and shutting down her tablet, she fell asleep with a smile.

[rovewritesit]

yeah but imagine sd!d vaguely mentioning the reader and their relationship in an interview....

is this blurb two months late? yes. did jess finally bombard me with enough inspiration for me to finish it? hell yes. will I ever get over sd!d? hell no.

"This is Mike Read with BBC 1, and we have a wonderful treat for all you lords and ladies this morning. Sir John Deacon and Dame Roger Taylor of Queen are here in the studio with some details on their new album. Welcome back, boys."

"Thank you, Mike. It's good to be back," Roger responds from across the booth, his trainers propped up on the desk underneath his mic. "You all can't see, but my curtesy was immaculate."

John leans in close to his mic, knowing his softer voice won't carry as well over Mike's responding chuckle. "Pleasure as always."

"Okay, let's get right to it then," Mike starts. "A Kind of Magic. Tell me about it."

John stays silent, glancing at Roger to jump right in as he always does. But the blonde simply folds his hands in his lap and returns the stare. 

Sod it all. John was not in the mood for his antics this early in the morning. "Erm, yes, well, it's our twelfth studio album. It was made in part for the soundtrack to the film Highlander, which was released earlier this year."

"Yes, indeed," Mike begins. "That was... quite the film."

Roger snorts lightly. "That's one way to put it."

John's glower in his direction goes unnoticed. "There are quite a few new songs on this that weren't featured in the film that we're very excited about," he continues, attempting to keep his annoyance out of his voice. "It hits stands next week."

"Any upcoming hits that either of you wrote that we should keep an ear out for?"

"Well, the first single is actually-"

"Actually," Roger cuts in. "I would highly encourage you all to purchase the LP. Some very impressive artwork is included."

John quirks his brow. This was supposed to be a quick 15-minute radio spot. Why on earth was Roger bringing up album art of all topics to touch upon?

"Indeed," Mike concurs politely. "I've always been a big fan of the artists you've chosen for your covers, and this one is no exception. Who was the artist behind the design this time?"

"Roger Chiasson," John informs him. "Brilliant cartoonist. He's mostly worked in children's animation, believe it or not."

John doesn't notice the sly grin that slides across Roger's face. "There are also some magnificent inserts to go along with it as well. Done by a lesser-known artist that John brought to us as a matter of fact. We had no idea he was such a connoisseur of illustrative talent. What was her name again?"

John's jaw immediately tenses as he catches on to Roger's game. He's positive his face is beet red by the time he catches his friend's eye. "Y/N L/N," he says shortly, scooching a bit further back from the table.

"We're getting a little away from the music now, aren't we?" Mike laughs.

"Oh bloody hell, I'm embarrassed. I forget how you know her," Roger prods once more.

John grits his teeth, baring them slightly in intimidation. "She's a friend."

"A good friend," Roger emphasizes.

Mike is slowly picking up the tension between the pair, staring in bewilderment as the two verbally spar back and forth. 

"Yes, a good friend," John seethes.

"A really good friend."

"Quite," John snips.

Mike clears his throat lightly to grab their attention. "I think we'll go ahead and preview a single. We'll check in with you two after. Here's Friends Will Be Friends off of Queen's upcoming album, A Kind Of Magic."

"You and I are going to have words after this," John mutters almost inaudibly to his side as the track opens over the speakers.

Roger stage whispers back, his hand covering his mic. "My lord. Not the words!"

- - - - - - - 

The door to the condo slams shut, altering you to John's arrival home. You hear a heavy sigh before you see him.

"Went well then?" you call out from your perch on the living room couch, currently surrounded by a massive pile of tangled yarn and knitting needles. John had teased you about never having any hobbies outside of painting, while he seemed to collect more and more wherever he went. It was hopeless, but you hadn't given up just yet - didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"What a wretched start to the day. Roger was on one," he steams, finally coming into view. You can't help but swallow slightly at his flustered appearance. Shirt unbuttoned down to the center of his chest, flushed red with annoyance, cigarette in hand.

You hurriedly shove the yarn to the floor, surely just tangling it further, and pat the cushion beside you. John crosses the room in two quick steps and sinks onto the plush leather, sighing loudly once more.

"Went well then?" he mimics your earlier response, eyeing the chaotic pile of wool beneath his feet. 

"It has yet to break me," you respond softly, weaving your hand through his curls and scratching his head the way you know he likes. "What broke you, though? Want to tell me about it?"

"No," he states simply. "But I guess I have to."

You smile, turning to gaze at his profile. "Have to? That's new."

His head hits the back of the couch with an absorbed squish. "As I said, Roger was on one," he explains slowly, glancing towards you finally. "And he may have mentioned your name."

Sitting up a bit straighter, you face him fully. "Just me? Not us?" 

Both of you had expressed not wanting to go public with your relationship, especially the nature of how it started, but that was months ago. In all honesty, you hadn't thought about it much since. But just hearing that the secret might be out sent a surprising thrill through your body.

"Not explicitly, but it sure was implied," he confesses. His eyes search your face, gauging your response.

"What was said exactly?"

"I said you were a friend."

"A friend?"

"A very good friend," he reiterates, and this time, there's a bit more behind his voice. And you know. It's a mirroring excitement. The joyful possibility of anonymity no longer being a reason for holding back. Anything.

You grin, sliding yourself seamlessly into his lap. "Why don't you show me how good of a friend you can be then?"

John grins right back. "It would be my pleasure."

[wordacrosstime]

Especially When It Snows

by Michael Spring

This is a brief and true story of heartache and injustice, a tragedy that stretched over generations. It is one of those stories that prods at your sleep, etches itself into views and places, and finally leaves you shouting at the moon.

My part in the story is simply that of an observer. I have traced down some of the links, read some of the poetry, wept silently at the rank injustice that surrounded these few connected individuals. The only good thing to come out of it was the poetry – a few desperate quanta of light, somehow not gathered into the black hole - but let me begin the story where I started.

The Only Blonde in the World is a painting by an artist called Pauline Boty. It’s part of the collection of works held by Tate Britain, and its subject is Marilyn Monroe. I’d walked by it a few times, liked its confident presence and its understated enthusiasm for a woman who in her own lifetime became more legend than reality.

I was reminded of it when I – by accident – wandered around the small exhibit dedicated to Marilyn Monroe at the National Portrait Gallery in 2012. There was a photo there of Pauline Boty with her painting. I decided to try to find out some more.

Pauline Boty was beautiful, like the subject of her painting (Michael Seymour and Lewis Morley’s photos of her are in the National Portrait Gallery). Her friends called her the Wimbledon Bardot for her resemblance to the legendary Brigitte. She was talented too, and followed up her time at Wimbledon Art College by moving to the Royal College of Art. And there she started painting and drawing her contemporary heroes – Monroe, Jean-Paul Belmondo, the Rolling Stones – as well as assembling collage and other multi-media works that emerged from her course, nominally concerned with stained glass.

In London, she took wing. Her work featured in an exhibition, Young Contemporaries, with Robyn Denny, Richard Smith and Bridget Riley. With her fellow artist Derek Bolshier, she was accepted, after auditioning, to appear as a dancer on the TV Show of the moment – Top of the Pops. She got to know Peter Blake, later to design the cover of the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper LP, Bob Dylan, Kenneth Tynan, David Frost. She was one of the few women amongst the pop art movement, and she was also an actress, good enough and photogenic enough to get a cameo role in Alfie as one of Michael Caine’s girlfriends.

And then she fell in love.

After 10 days of knowing Clive Goodwin, they decided to get married and in 1965, unexpectedly and at the age of 28, she found she was pregnant. She also found that she had cancer.

She refused all treatment, and instead determined to have her baby, a girl, who became known as Boty Goodwin. Pauline Boty died five weeks after the birth.

Boty was brought up by Clive and her grandparents, often staying with the family of the left-wing poet, Adrian Mitchell, whose daughters became firm friends.

12 years after her mother’s death, her father (the publisher of Black Dwarf and a successful TV and film producer) was in Hollywood, meeting with Warren Beatty in a big hotel there to discuss the forthcoming film Reds. Clive Goodwin felt unwell and in the lobby was sick and collapsed. Hotel staff and police who were called thought he was drunk – he’d actually had just one glass of wine – and threw him into a cell where he died alone, of a brain haemorrhage.

Boty grew up and emerged as a talented woman like her mother. She completed a first degree at the University of California in Los Angeles. (The eventual settlement from her father’s death had made her financially independent). And when she came back to the UK, she stayed with Adrian Mitchell and his family. She was offered post-graduate scholarships at UCLA in two subjects, literature and fine art.

Returning to California, she was given heroin at a party, and died of an overdose in her sleep.

In response, Adrian Mitchell wrote some heart-wrenching poetry, the best of which is Especially when it snows, which should be read in full, but contains these lines of heartbreak:-

especially when it snows and down the purple pathways of the sky the planet staggers like King Lear with his dead darling in his arms

It would be hard to make up such a tale of injustice and suffering, a tale in which so many bright lights are extinguished with a callousness that makes me think that if there is a god, I want nothing to do with him.

The Only Blonde in the World is part of the collection at Tate Britain. The poetry of the late Adrian Mitchell is published by Bloodaxe in the UK. You can search on YouTube to see and hear Adrian Mitchell reading his anti-war poem, Tell me lies, at the Albert Hall in 1965.

Image (c) Estate of Michael Seymour 1962, from National Portrait Gallery Collection NPG x88193. Extract from Especially When It Snows (c) Estate of Adrian Mitchell / Bloodaxe.

Michael Spring

wordsacrosstime

15 January 2021

[misunderstoodnotevil]

“Eight People I’d Like To Know Better”

Tagged by @uneassasymphonie (thank you, Lou)   

I’ll tag (not as a method of intimidation but playful banter meaning ignore at will) @bitletsanddrabbles, @oleander4, @naevery, @lifeisjuicy92 (and no! I haven’t forgotten your oppositions tag game, it takes a bit more time to think about it and add pics in the end), @panicsheerbloodypanic, @sillyboithomas, @singingman55, @mr-barrow

About me

Name: Anastasia

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Height: 1.65 cm

Hobbies/Interests: I think it's the usual. Reading, listening to music, watching movies (even though I used to do that a lot lot more when I was a teen. It somehow stopped after finished uni). I don't know if I should say writing is a hobby. If I have my way I'll do a master in creative writing some time soon. I'm learning spanish these days. Baking too.

Favorite Color: Either burgundy red, or cypress green

Favorite Book: I don't think I can pick just one. Or even ten. Just to give some different kind of authors though Arturo Perez Reverte - The Flanders Panel Charlotte Bronte - Villette (Yes, Jane Eyre is a favourite too & everything from the Bronte sisters) Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita Naguib Mahfouz - Arabian Nights and Days Patrick Süskind - Perfume the Story of a Murderer Umberto Eco - The Name of the Rose Irvin Yalom - When Nietzsche Wept

Last Song: Antonio Banderas - Oh What a Circus (Evita soundtrack) As I'm writing this, I turned on the radio and Zaz's Qué vendrá is on, following by LP’s Lost on You

Last Film/Show: Actually, I watched Downton Abbey last night As for tv show it was the last season of Grantchester 

Inspiration: For writing? It's music, favourite quotes & lines etc for edits just an interesting character & face (I'm no graphic designer, let's face it!)

For example, Life with the Edges Taken Off and Survival were originally inspired by Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis play.

Story Behind URL: misunderstoodnotevil is what Rob James-Collier calls Thomas Barrow and tbh I was surprised when I saw no one had used it in the last decade prudencean (main blog) is taken by the heroine of Mary Webb's novel "precious bane" Prudence (Prue) Sarn and the first two letters of my name. I think I have used either prudence or the Greek word for it (synesis) as my handle as long as I have social media.