#they’re local to my region and they’re one of my mom’s favorites

[jettreno]

the cool as a cucumber episode of game changer drives me crazy because i DID know that was a roseate spoonbill

[tradescantialover]

Ways to reduce waste!

Hey everyone! In honor of Earth day, I thought I’d compile a list of things that everyone can do to reduce waste! I’ve been working towards going zero waste, so these are just a few things I’ve done/want to do in the future to further reduce my waste! 

First, my spiel on waste, consumerism, and capitalism. Obviously, most waste and pollution created is created by huge corporations who have little to no emissions regulations. And, obviously, this is a huge problem!! However, the point of reducing your waste or starting a zero waste journey is not necessary to save the planet from just your individual actions. If enough people try to reduce their waste, then we’re collectively telling corporations that we will no longer buy their shit! Going zero-waste often requires some initial investment (however, I try to work with what I have before buying a new thing and you should too), but after you’ve got everything you need, you won’t be consuming nearly as much!! For example, I want to switch to cloths rather than paper towels. Obviously, I’m gonna use all the paper towels I have stocked before I switch. In the mean time, I’m collecting fabric scraps from clothes that I alter and random towels from the thrift store. And, I’m gonna do this before I go out and buy a whole new pack of Swedish dish cloths. My point is, you don’t always have to buy something brand new to make these switches! In fact, it’s even more of a fuck you to consumerism if you go to the thrift store or collect random garbage from your home and repurpose it! And finally, to reiterate, reducing your waste is a bit more about rejecting consumerism than saving the planet. Eventually, it will save the planet, but in order to do that, we must exile consumerism from our culture! Also, buy local if you can!! Anyways, onto the list!

From above, cut out paper towels! Collect scraps of fabric from cropping your shirts or whatever the fuck or buy some rags second hand! If you want buy some Swedish dish cloths from a local store!

Maybe controversial, but get a bidet! They’re not as pricey as you may think and it will seriously help you cut down on toilet paper!

Get a safety razor! It can take some time to learn to use, but it’s worth it in the end! It’s also a lot cheaper for you in the long run! And, I don’t really think they’re that expensive to begin with. 

Get a reusable notebook thing! Like rocketbook or whatever it’s called. 

Try a crystal deodorant! Or just one in paper/reusable packaging. Crystal deodorants aren’t anti-vax facebook mom garb, they actually work! They’re usually crystals of potassium aluminum sulfate. Yes, there’s aluminum in that name, but it is not the same as the aluminum compounds in other deodorants! Those are the ones found in other deodorants that increase risk of breast cancer and stuff. Using crystal deodorants have actually proven to reduce your risk of breast cancer! It’s sort of like how sodium chloride, NaCl (table salt) is fine, but hydrochloric acid, HCl, is bad. Both have chlorine, but only one of them is bad! 

Side note, my favorite natural deodorant is Hey Humans, which you can find at target now! The packaging is recyclable, and they come in a lot of really fun scents (my fav is apple matcha!)

Switch to bar soap! This is really easy/cheap switch you can make. Also, there are a ton of small businesses that sell soap! You could also make your own soap if you’re into that! It’s pretty easy to make, which is partially why so many small businesses sell soap. 

Also, try out bar shampoo! I was pleasantly surprised, but it’s not for everyone’s hair. There’s some brands that sell bar shampoo for curly/kinky hair, but I’d try to look into some small or local businesses! Even if you find something technically for your hair type, it may not work out and that’s okay too!

Buy natural loofahs instead of plastic ones! Loofah is a plant that’s a member of the gourd family. They grow on vines, and they can be grown in most temperate regions. They need approximately 100 days without frost. 

If you can’t grow them, there’s tons of small businesses online that grow them and sell them! Or, see if any of your local businesses sell them! 

Natural loofahs are also great for cleaning dishes and stuff, and they don’t need to be replaces as often because they are less dense than normal sponges or plastic shower loofahs, so if they are dried properly, they should last a long time before they start harboring bacteria! When you need to switch them out, they can be composted!

Be more conscious of the packaging you buy at the store. Buying from the bulk section is good, but when you need other things, try to buy aluminum or glass. 

Aluminum is (nearly) infinitely recyclable and rather easy to recycle, but a lot of glass is not recycled because the process of recycling glass requires a lot of heat (and by extension energy). So, try to repurpose any glass you have to buy.

If you buy plastic, try your best to buy number 1, 2, or 5. The numbers can be found somewhere on the container and these numbers are the most easily recyclable. However, check your area. Sometimes 5 will not be recycled in certain places. If it doesn’t have a number, it’s best to not recycle because it may be a combination of types of plastic. Other types of plastic can be recycled but really only a small percentage is, so just try to avoid it if possible. 

2 and 5 are the safest to get because they leak out the least amount of microplastics. They can be reused, although I’d recommend that you never heat any plastic up. 

Sort of obvious one, but use reusable grocery bags. Again, they can be anything, you don’t need to buy any. You can use extra backpacks or duffle bags or literally anything you have at home.

Use beeswax wraps! I get mine from a local bee keeper, but you can make your own out of fabric scraps and beeswax which you can buy online or just wherever.

Bring your own cup to wherever you get your coffee!

Buy/make soy or beeswax candles instead of paraffin wax candles! Paraffin is a carcinogen (causes cancer)! It’s a petroleum byproduct, so it’s not renewable and is obtained by destructive mining techniques and refining processes. 

It’s also toxic to pets! Because our pets are much smaller than us, they will get sick from less particles/exposure.

Composting!!! is!!! so!!!! important!!!! So, do it if you can!! If your community doesn’t have a compost drop off, bug your legislators until you do! You can just send them a bunch of emails! Also, if you have a mulch/dirt supplier, chances are they compost. Look on their website or call!! You can ask to drop off your compost there; they may not let you, but it’s worth a shot!

Buy second hand when you can!! You can buy cookware, appliances, furniture, dishes, fabric, clothes, home decor, etc. for a fraction of the price!

I know that sustainable fashion can get a bit controversial. But, I think sustainable fashion can be anything! Buy what you can afford and have the time to search for. If you don’t have the time or live in a place that doesn’t have a lot of good clothing at thrift stores, buy from shein or whatever the fuck. Buy from wherever as long as you think that clothing will last you for a long time!! Just buy clothing that you will cherish! Not just because it’s a trend or whatever the fuck. If everyone bought sustainably from places like shein, then their fast fashion model would no longer work and they’d have to shift their practices to be more sustainable. It doesn’t matter where you buy from! You are a consumer and every business matches what consumers want (this is why reducing your waste will actually help in the long run).

Also, extend the life of the clothing you have! Don’t use fabric softener because it just causes your clothes to wear down faster. Wash your clothes less often! It’s not gross as long as you’re hygienic otherwise. Here’s how often you should wash clothes, but adjust this for how much you’re sweating/getting dirty:

Shirts: 2-3 wears

Jeans (or thicker pants): 4-5 wears

Pjs: 3-4 wears

Tighter clothes: 1-3 wears

Underwear, socks, etc: 1 wear, nasty nasty

The amount of times you wash your clothes depends on the fabric and how it fits. Tighter/thinner fabrics need to be washed more, while looser/thicker fabrics need to be washed less.

While on the topic: dryer balls instead of dryer sheets!! They last super long and they actually work! If you want a scent, you can spray perfume or put a drop of essential oil into them.

Get an email receipt when you can. I know it’s annoying to type in your email, but receipts are made from non-recyclable plastic that leaks microplastics. 

Find a refill place near you!! There may not be, and that’s okay too!! There are some places online that will do low waste refills for delivery, so just do a bit of research and find something that will work for you!

When buying fresh fruits and veggies, try to make them last as long as possible! I’m sure there’s a ton of things, but here’s a few tips I’ve learned! (Note: all of those glass jars you’ve collected will come in handy!)

Wash fruits (like berries) and DRY THEM COMPLETELY before putting them in an airtight container. And DON’T CUT THEM!

Store carrots or celery in water in an airtight container

Refrigerate avocados (maybe I’m dumb, but I didn’t know this). When you cut them in half, you can store the other half in water to prevent it from getting brown. You can also do this for apples!

Wash herbs, dry them, wrap them in a cloth, and then put them in an airtight container

For some herbs, you can put them in water and set them by a sunny window (basically like growing them in water). I know that you can do this for green onions and soft stemmed herbs like basil, mint, lemon balm, etc. 

Citruses go in the fridge!

Clean out your email! Unsubscribe from all the garbage you don’t want to see anymore!! Sending/receiving emails requires electrical energy that is, in most places, created with processes that create pollution! It’s really simple and will probably make you feel better!

Also, I just want to say that I know that being eco-friendly can sometimes be expensive/discriminatory and if you can’t do it, it’s not your fault!! I made this list hoping that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, could find at least one thing they can do!!

Well, I think this is all I have! If you have any suggestions, let me know!

[hannaswritingblog]

Hi this is Emcon!! One of my best friends is Polish omg I used to have the best dinners with his family.

Soo… what are some of your favorite meals that you think Poland does best? If you were to get takeaway, what are your go-to’s? And what are some inside jokes/stereotypes about the city/area you’re from?

Like my city (in US) is known for getting really drunk and fighting over bad driving (this tiktok sets it up pretty good: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRrtUC3J/) it’s a very specific stereotype and vibe if that makes sense and I love hearing about niche stereotypes or inside jokes from other places!

Hey, hey!

On behalf of your friend, I appreciate you liked the dinners with his family! ;P

Seriously though, we do have some meals that we do best! First thing that came to my mind was pierogi. I feel like it's more or less exclusively Polish dish since I don't think I've really seen it available in abroad restaurants or shops (and I've been to a few before the pandemic) so I don't have comparison, but those I've eaten around Poland are always delicious, so we're definitely nailing it.

Fun fact about pierogi: the name technically translates to dumplings, but from what I've heard and read from people living abroad (and not being Polish), dumplings can mean pretty much any kind of dough with stuffing, but if they want to talk specifically about Polish dumplings that look this way:

they know and use the name pierogi. I don't know to what extent it's a rule, but I know that from at least two seperate sources, so I guess there's something about it.

For the takeaways, I feel like it's funny after talking about this traditional dish that I love, but my go-to's are usually things from KFC or McDonald's, or sometimes a pizza from some local places. I eat takeaways once in a blue moon anyway so when that time comes it's usually because there's not much to prepare a dinner from in the fridge or we just came back from a vacation and everyone's tired, so in the end someone in the house would just say "alright, let's order from KFC" and that's it. (I once had a takeaway chicken soup though and I didn't expect much from it because my mom makes the best chicken soup, but it was actually delicious.)

For the stereotypes, I don't think there are any about my town specifically? BUT there's a couple about the region where I live. One of the biggest is that we are all miners because we are famous for our coal mines, but obviously it's not really the thing anymore, like yeah, both my grandfathers who lived here were miners but in my generation I have like one cousin who still works in a mine and I feel like it's still a lot for modern standards? We don't have that many mines now anyway because the coal supplies are running out and they're slowly closing (like in my town there used to be two, one was razed to the ground a few years ago and the other still exist but was closed too.)

Other stereotype would be that we are basically Germans because my region was a disputed area for a long time and it was actually a part of Germany for a moment, but it's a flex to say we are all Germans. Some people might identify this way or they might be saying they feel bigger connection to the region than to the whole country (so they are Silesian first and then maybe Polish), but that's not enough people to say we are all like that. It really depends on your family history and how you feel about it now, personally I always say I'm Polish and it's a tradition that goes up to my great-grandfather who fought in the uprisings to make Silesia a part of Poland. (I feel like my grandfathers and their stories of wars/uprisings is an interesting thing on its own, but let's leave it for another time.)

I don't know if I answered your questions well (especially the stereotypes one where I spend more time contradicting them 😅), but I hope you enjoyed reading through and maybe learned something new!

[wesawbears]

My @geraskierholidayexchange gift for @keepcalmandexpectopatronum934. I hope you enjoy! This ended up being inspired by the movie Elf. Happy holidays!

--

In and out Jaskier, he told himself as he adjusted his new work uniform. This was just a temporary gig until he got back on his feet. Besides, it was performance experience, in a way. Perhaps not the kind he’d been expecting, but he’d learned long ago to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Or a gift paycheck, as it were.

With a good luck jingle of his hat and a final tug on his elf ears to ensure they stayed in place, he headed inside to a Christmas wonderland.

More accurately, it was a mall toy store, but hey. Magic! Christmas spirit! Jaskier had never been fussy.

He looked around, glancing at the children milling about, exasperated parents trying to keep them from knocking everything off the shelves. Jaskier supposed he should be grateful, considering cleaning up their messes was now part of his job. Not seeing a manager around, he found the first employee he could see.

The man was tall, with snow white hair tucked up underneath an elf hat similar to Jaskier’s. He was hanging ornaments on a tree in the center of the store, likely ones that some of the running children had knocked over in their haste. He leaned down to pick up a stray ornament the man had missed, hoping to extend it as a token of goodwill toward his fellow employee. 

“I love the way you hang those ornaments. Truly an, uh, inspiring show of elfdom.”

The other man stared back at him like he was a space alien, which, okay, fair, that wasn’t one of Jaskier’s better introductions, but what was he supposed to say? 

“I’m working on this alone. Go away before Emhyr finds you and fires you.”

“Sorry. Just a bit turned around. I’m Jaskier.” He stuckout his hand, only to realize that his coworker had his hands full. 

“Geralt,” the other man said, not glancing away from the tree. 

“Nice to meet you! Do you happen to know where the manager might be then?”

As if on cue, another voice sounded behind him. “Geralt, those ornaments are supposed to be spaced apart at 3.8 in.”

“I can’t measure that in my head-”

“Figure it out.” the unfamiliar man turned to Jaskier. “You’re new. Follow me.”

Jaskier gave a last sympathetic glance back to Geralt, before following the manager to the back room.

Well, at least if he was working here for the season, he would have some eye candy while he did it.

--

It didn’t take long for Jaskier to learn Emhyr hated his fucking guts, and that he would undoubtedly be out of a job come January, but he didn’t mind too much. Being a hated employee ensured that he worked closing shift, which meant he got to work with Geralt. They’d fallen into somewhat of a routine over the last few weeks, cleaning while Jaskier changed the Christmas music to his carefully curated Spotify playlists, which Geralt steadfastly ignored. He’d learned that Geralt worked outdoors, so his job at the local nature preserve didn’t need him during the winter. He also knew that the only reason Emhyr hadn’t fired Geralt for his grumpy nature was that Geralt was Emhyr’s daughter Ciri’s godfather, in an arrangement far too complex for Jaskier to comprehend. In turn, he told Geralt about his performance aspirations, along with every other thought that came to his mind. Geralt didn’t say much, but he listened and made dry comments every so often and Jaskier was in love with him.

Jaskier had always fallen easily, it’s true, but that didn’t take away the flutter in his heart each time one of Geralt’s small smiles was sent his way, a wry laugh into a bottle of water as they waited for the time to switch to ten so they could lock up.

On one such night, the week before Christmas, Jaskier perched himself on the counter, watching Geralt finish cleaning the last of the displays. “Thank you, dearest. You know you’re so much better at organizing those than I am, and I’m pretty sure I’m one fuck up away from getting fired.”

Geralt snorted. “Emhyr won’t fire you. He still needs a warm body in the store and no one else will take night shift.”

“Except you. What is the deal with him anyway? He doesn’t seem the...toy store type. Seems more like a...retail baron to me.”

“He’s not. He’s a regional finance manager. They just couldn’t find anyone else to run the store this year. That’s why he’s being pissier than usual.”

“That...makes more sense. But he gets to see your smiling face, so, you know, a jolly time.”

Geralt huffed a laugh. “Yeah. He’s thrilled to see me. I’m sure my work ethic is what’s keeping him from spiking my eggnog at Christmas this year.”

“Has he...is that a legitimate worry?”

“No. At least, I don’t think so. Probably not.”

“That family dynamic will never make sense to me.”

Geralt sighed and leaned against the counter. “We make it work. For Ciri.”

“Is she excited for Christmas?”

“She is. Between here and spending time with her, I can’t get away from it.”

Jaskier frowned. “You don’t like Christmas?”

Geralt shrugged. “It just...wasn’t a big deal for me growing up.”

“That’s so sad!” Jaskier loved Christmas. Though he didn’t really spend time with his family anymore, he had fond memories of the annual Christmas party- the music, the desserts, the presents. Just the general feeling that all was right with the world.

“It’s fine. It’s just another day.”

“How are you making me even sadder?”

Geralt rolled his eyes. “Dramatic.”

“Of course,” Jaskier answered with a small flourish. “Geralt! I have an idea!”

“Careful. Wouldn’t want to hurt yourself.”

Jaskier huffed. “I’ll show you the magic of Christmas! I”ll be like...your Christmas elf! Your spirit advisor.”

“That sounds horrible.”

“You are so mean to me. I don’t know why I put up with you.”

Geralt shot him an incredulous look, but acquiesced. “What would...that...entail?”

“First rule of Christmas from your official spirit advisor: Christmas is about surprises.”

“I hate surprises.”

“That’s the spirit!”

--

They decided to hold their Christmas adventure two days later, since Emhyr had told them their services weren’t needed due to a school group volunteering to work as “Santa’s Elves” that day. They met up at the mall at 3, when they usually started work. Jaskier was decked (the halls) out in a very shiny Christmas sweater, while Geralt was in his finest funeral blacks. He had dressed warmly though, as requested, so Jaskier wasn’t going to complain too much.

“Ready, star pupil?”

“No. But I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“You do not.”

“Hmm.”

They headed out into the cold. The mall was just a short walk away from the rest of town, and Jaskier figured they could look at the lights on the way there. “My mom and sisters and I would always go walk around and try to pick our favorite lights every year. I thought we could try that. As an easy intro activity.”

Geralt glanced around, furrow in his brow. “They all look the same.”

“They do not! It’s like you’re not even trying.”

“Then show me what you see, spirit advisor.”

“Fine,” Jaskier huffed. “Those ones, over there. They look like icicles on the trees. I like them because they sparkle off the snow and from far away, they just...ooze Christmas.”

“Hmm.”

“But I also like the more colorful ones. You can’t tell me that seeing lights everywhere doesn’t leave you feeling the least bit festive?”

“They’re just...bright.”

“Fine, sir humbug. Be difficult.”

They made their way into town, Jaskier showing him different lights, and Geralt remaining unmoved. He felt it was truly a lot cause when Geralt made a noise next to him. “Those ones.”

“Which ones?”

“There. Next to the coffee shop.”

There was a small display, only the barest flash of lights that looked like holly and ivy. They were much more subdued than anything Jaskier picked out, but he couldn’t bring himself to dull Geralt’s small bit of enthusiasm. “They’re lovely. See, you’re getting the hang of it!”

“I’m also getting cold.”

“There’s just no pleasing you. Well, I suppose we could stop for a cup of hot chocolate.”

“Hmm.”

Jaskier led them inside, ordering a large hot chocolate for himself, while Geralt ordered a black coffee.

“Geralt! Come on, you have to get something at least a little Christmas-y.”

“Fine. One pump of peppermint.”

“Oh for the love of God.”

He allowed Geralt his approximation of holiday cheer and sat at one of the tables. He watched smugly as Geralt took a sip and held back a grimace at his concoction.

“How is it?”

“People put peppermint in coffee all the time. How do they like this?”

“Well, usually there’s also chocolate…”

“Too sweet.”

“Unfortunate,” Jaskier said, taking a large sip of his hot chocolate.

“Jaskier...I...appreciate you doing this for me, but I think I’m just not meant for-”

“For Christmas? For nice things?”

“It’s just not my thing.”

Jaskier pursed his lips. “Well, be that as it may, I am your spirit advisor, and I did promise. At least allow me to try one more thing.”

Geralt nodded. Bolstered by his reaction, Jaskier pulled a small box out of his jacket.

“What’s that?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be a very good Christmas demonstration without a present, would it?”

“I don’t have anything for you.”

Jaskier waved his hand. “Seeing your face as you open this is gift enough. Open it!”

Geralt took the box wearily and unwrapped it carefully. Jaskier had half expected him to tear the wrapping paper apart, but instead he carefully untucked and smoothed out every edge. Inside was a small ornament, in the shape of a lion’s paw. Geralt stared at it quietly and Jaskier felt himself fidget.

“I know you call Ciri your little lion cub sometimes. I overheard you on the phone with her, and, you know, maybe I overstepped…” 

“Jaskier. Thank you. It’s...perfect.”

He looked up and saw Geralt with a soft smile, only this time it was only for Jaskier and he felt his heart melt. “You’re very, very welcome, Geralt,” he said, reaching out to clasp their hands together.

Geralt looked at their joined hands and slowly brought them to his lips. He kissed the back of Jaskier’s hand and he felt himself flush like a maiden in a period piece. Gracious, it was warm in here.

“Geralt…”

“I’m sorry,” he said, pulling his hand away. “I shouldn’t have…”

“You missed.”

The furrow in his brow was back. “What?”

Jaskier smiled. “You missed. Let me show you.”

He leaned forward and kissed Geralt softly, letting him take the lead and move forward to capture Jaskier’s lips fully. It was a bit minty and the angle was wrong, but Jaskier felt his heart swell anyway. It was perfectly Geralt.

They pulled away, and Jaskier smiled at the uncharacteristic flush across Geralt’s cheeks.

“Well,” he broke the silence, “I suppose my work here is done.”

“How’s that?”

“Nothing says Christmas like a Christmas kiss.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Jaskier laughed and stood. “You should know I always am, darling. Now, come on! We don’t want to miss the ice skating rink…”

[ofieugogyshz]

Fic;; This Will Get Better, ch. 7 - Rotomdex

Chapter content warnings: none

Word count: 3500

Chapter Summary: Having cleared the first Trial with ease, Mustard gives the students of the Master Dojo and its guests a few hours before starting the next one. In that time, Sarah decides to update her Pokedex, and meets Hyde, the son of Honey and Mustard. When everyone comes back for lunch, Mustard announces what the next trial is!

(Fic Masterpost)

-------------------------

Mustard announced that there would be a short pause before the second trial. I decided to take the time to look into getting my Pokedex updated. I didn't need it to be upgraded to a full, complete transfer over to a new device-- in fact, I hated that idea. I wanted to update the information in mine with that of Galar's, so that I'd know about any other regional variant Pokemon, like those three Slowpoke from earlier. I was going to need at least that much while we stayed here and trained.

“Do you know if there's any way that I can update my Pokedex while I'm here?” I asked Miss Honey. “Those Slowpoke didn't respond to Pika's Thunderbolt like I expected, and if we're going to be here for a month, I'd like to be able to know more about the local Pokemon.” While I spoke, I dug my Pokedex out of my bag, one that dated over 20 years old. I saw the surprise on Honey's face and let out an annoyed sigh, expecting yet another comment about its age. “I know, I know, it's old, but I've been able to keep it upgraded; the insides are far more up to date and have more memory than the original model did. Honestly, this is just a shell, but it's the same shell that I've had since I started out as a trainer.”

“Why... That's amazing that you've managed to keep it functioning after all this time!” The unexpected praise caused my face to warm up. “I wouldn't know how to upgrade that myself, but if there's anyone on the Isle of Armor that could, it'd be my son Hyde!”

“Hyde?” I tried to think back on everyone that I had met so far. No one introduced themselves with that name, and no one had said anything about being Honey and Mustard's child, either. She must have caught my confused look and nodded, as though remembering something.

“Yes, of course. You haven't had a chance to meet him yet-- he doesn't like to come out of his room often, and prefers to play with his inventions instead. If you go over here...” Honey pointed me towards his room. “...you'll probably find him inside.”

I went down the path she pointed, until I found a nameplate that said “Hyde”. I knocked on the closed door; there was no immediate response. I thought about knocking again when the door opened, and I had to look down to see a small child, maybe around age 8 or 9, looking up at me with an almost condescending face.

“What do you want? I'm kind of busy right now, so make it quick.”

“Oh, um. Uh... I'm looking for Hyde. Do you know where I could find him?” As soon as I said it, I knew that I had asked a dumb question. I had expected someone much older, given Mustard's age. Was Honey just that good at hiding her age, or... I did not want to think about that.

The little boy let out an annoyed sigh.

“Yes, that's me. Geez, why are you even knocking around if you don't know who you're looking for.” He started to close the door, and before I could stop myself, I put my hand on it to keep it from closing.

“Wait! Sorry, I just... Didn't know that you were going to be.... Um....”

“A kid?” He rolled his eyes at me. “Did you need something from me or what?”

Rude little shit. He was quickly getting on my nerves. But if his mom thought he could help update my Pokedex...

“Yes, actually, I did need something from you.” I held out my Pokedex. Hyde's grip on the door loosened and he adjusted his glasses to look at the device in my hand.

“What is that?” he asked incredulously.

I let out an annoyed sigh.

“It's my Pokedex.”

“I've never seen a Pokedex like that.” He motioned if he could take it, and I handed it over. He looked it over, opening it to look at the screen that had been replaced more than three times over the years.

I was attached to the old model of Pokedex. I felt bad when I had to scrape the insides out in order for someone to build a new computer inside of it, when times changed and technology improved far more than it could keep up. When information began to take up too much space, I paid someone to change its storage capacity, along with everything else. I had invested so much into it. Time. Money. Emotions. Experiences. It was my pride and joy as a trainer, having that model; where others had upgraded as soon as they could, I still clung to it, glad to relive memories that were forever etched into the casing. It wasn't just about the data-- data could be saved, duplicated, and moved. It was about the attachment, the memories it held for me. And upgrading to a new shell meant that I wouldn't have that connection to those old days anymore.

“It's a little bit older than you,” I said after a few moments of letting him look.

“Looks older than my dad.”

I could hear a snort of laughter from behind me, and I turned around, seeing Lance standing there, trying not to laugh. I crossed my arms, frowning at him.

“I'm sorry; I came to look for you, and--” he began.

“You're in no position to talk, mister 'listens to music from the 1800s',” I scoffed.

“1900s. And that's not even that old!”

“It may as well be the 1800s, old as your soul is!”

“Can you two stop your married bickering?” Hyde interjected. The small child looked annoyed: he was tapping his foot, arms across his chest, waiting for his presence to be noticed again. “I want to get back to work on important stuff; I don't have time for your old people nonsense.”

I couldn't tell whether I should have laughed or been appalled at that comment, while Lance seemed amused.

“Is this... is this how you treat people who want to ask you for favors?”

“You came to me; I don't see why I have to help you.”

I puffed out my cheeks, trying to hold back any rude comments. Kid or not, I wasn't above telling them off. But he was the master's kid, and my husband was there now, too...

“What's going on?” Lance asked.

“I asked Honey if she knew where I could get my Pokedex updated, and she suggested that I ask her son.” I jerked my head in the direction of Hyde. “But I'm starting to think that this was a waste of my time.”

“Look, I don't know how to update something that old. But I can give you a Rotomdex for you to use. I feel a little bad giving it away since my mom got it for me to use next year, but I'm not interested in doing the Gym Challenge. You want it or not?”

“Not particularly.”

“A Rotomdex would make it a lot easier to get around here,” Hyde began saying, as he continued to look over my ancient device to understand it. “They have maps, camera function, voice-based communications, and they're controlled by a Rotom, who are able to talk by using the installed voice libraries. And it's lot quicker for me than trying to figure out how this thing works.”

I thought about it. A Rotomdex sounded interesting, for sure, but the thought of using it felt off. It would be too different from what I was used to. Like I'd have to give up using my old Pokedex because of the new one.

“You'd just need a Rotom to put into the device. Trust me, out here you'll want a Rotomdex for the map system. It'll help guide you around the Isle and provide you with information on the area. It's really easy to get lost here.”

“Yeah... I won't need that. I've never gotten lost. I have a pretty damn good internal GPS; I can intuitively find my way to the place I need to be.” It wasn't even some sort of sixth sense developed over years of travel; I had always known the quickest way out of a route, cave, or forest. Even a trip to the distortion world in my younger years was disorienting at best, but I hardly got lost while in it. Still was not on my list of favorite places to go.

“That doesn't happen around here. Lots of overconfident trainers think that they don't need to use a map, and then they wind up getting themselves lost, especially in the forest. We usually have to wind up sending out a search party, like we did with you when you got here.”

“Excuse you, we were not lost!” I crossed my arms and huffed. “We were misinformed on how to meetup.”

Hyde handed back my Pokedex. It seemed that he was done with me if I wasn't going to take the offer for a Rotomdex. There was a quiet pause as we waited for the other to speak.

“If you're done here...”

“Ugh, fine, I'll take the d—stupid Pokedex.”

“It's a Rotomdex,” he corrected. Hyde opened the door to his bedroom all the way and invited both my husband and I inside.

It looked more like a workshop than a bedroom. There were many computers, all sorts of machinery scattered about. Cables were bundled up together, but that didn't stop the few spare ones creating tangles across the floor. There were boxes around the room used to house different components he kept.

“Sorry about the mess. Mom's always telling me to clean up, but I don't see the point if I don't usually have people over.”

Hyde went over to a cabinet in the corner and began to rifle through its drawers, trying to find something.

“Right...” That felt familiar to me. I was the same way when I was a kid, though I certainly didn't have the vast array of mechanical and computational skill as he did. I looked around and noticed something that was near his computer; it looked like a machine that he was working on, blue in color, and shaped like some sort of bird that I wasn't familiar with.

“What're you working on over there?” I asked, both curious and trying to be friendly with the kid. He was giving me a free Pokedex, after all.

“Oh that? That's my Cram-o-Matic. It's the invention of the century! It's my very own brilliant take on recycling. But it doesn't do a thing right now, since it's out of power. If I just had enough Watts...” He paused. “Hey, actually--! I can give you this Rotomdex if you can do a favor for me!”

I knew there was gonna be a catch. I sighed.

“Sure kid. I can try; what do you want?”

“Watts. All it would take is a measly 500 Watts to get the Cram-o-matic up and running!”

“Watts?” I looked at Lance, and he shrugged. He didn't seem to know what it was either.

“The two of you don't know?! Watts are the energy that you can get from the Pokemon Dens in the Wild Areas. Your Dynamax bands can absorb it whenever you're near one, and then we can transfer that energy into the machine or a battery with a cable!”

I looked at Lance; he was the only one between the two of us that had a Dynamax band.

“We don't have any right now, but would it be possible to pay you back later?” he asked.

Hyde tapped his foot against the ground as he thought about it.

“What are your names again?”

“I'm Sarah, and this is my husband Lance.”

“You're the Champions that my parents invited over for training, right?”

“That's right.”

“You guys are probably more the outdoors type, huh? Well, I'll loan this Rotomdex to you for now, Sarah, so long as you guys promise to pay me when you get the watts. Then it's all yours.”

“Yeah, that doesn't sound like an issue for me. Though, it might be a little bit before we get any. That okay with you, Hyde?”

He began to dig into the drawer again, and finally pulled out a flat, red device, about as wide as the Switch I had packed in my bag. He waved it at me. “No problem. Well, let me know when you've got a Rotom to put into here, and I'll help set you up.”

“If you guys had a PC, I could get that done right now.”

The kid lit up, as though proud to lord this incoming fact over me.

“It just got delivered this morning, while you guys were out doing dad's first trial! I watched the guy set it up.”

Hyde showed me to where the dojo's PC was. I connected to my account and withdrew a Rotom-- one that I had caught back in Sinnoh many, many years ago. It zipped around excitedly when I let it out, like an old friend who hadn't seen me in a long time. I directed it into the Pokedex. The screen lit up a light blue, and two large blue eyes, much like a Rotom's, appeared on the screen.

“Hi? Hello? Hello! It is I, your trusty Rotom, Plasmastar! So good to see you again, Sarah!” The Rotomdex floated around; not nearly as fast as the zippy Ghost-type Pokemon typically was. But it seemed overjoyed nevertheless with its new home.

Hyde grabbed the Pokedex, causing the Rotom inside to give a startled cry. “If you don't mind, I'll help talk your Rotom through proper installation, so it's familiar with how to use all of its components. It'll take at least an hour though.”

“An hour?!” shouted my Rotom, and it tried to pull itself away from Hyde's grip. “I don't have time for that! Please, please, don't leave me with him!”

“Sorry Plasmastar. But please bear with it, so you can help us. I heard you'll be able to read the map really well and be super helpful to us, if you do!”

It stopped tugging. “Super helpful? Say no more, I am glad to be of service!” I'm not sure what it was trying to do at that moment, but there was a flash that went off, temporarily blinding Hyde.

“Oops! Sorry about that, small human! I'll listen, but you better make it quicker than an hour! I want to go explore with Sarah again!”

Lance and I went outside to look around the dojo. Pokemon played in the grass; the groups of Jigglypuff and Buneary from yesterday saw us and ran up, excited to see us again. I reached into my bag and let out the two that I had caught so they could see their friends.

“Ellie, Bunbun! C'mon out!”

The Jigglypuff and Buneary appeared. They looked around while their friends stood in awe for a moment, before clamoring all around them excitedly. Ellie puffed herself up with pride, and began to tell her audience about her battle. She mimed out what happened, eventually getting Bunbun to play the Mienfoo. Though Bunbun was reluctant, she eventually joined in. She got so into it that she was suddenly going off script, including a lowkick when Ellie was supposed to dodge another punch, causing Ellie to bounce into the ground. Angry, the Jigglypuff began to yell at the Buneary, while the other turned around and stuck up her nose. Their audience didn't know what to do at this point, so they wandered away, going back to playing in the grass.

As amusing as it was, it wouldn't do me any good if my two newest members were fighting amongst each other. I walked over and pushed them apart.

“C'mon guys. Bunbun, apologize to Ellie; and Ellie, calm down. You asked her to do something she didn't want to do anyways. This is a consequence of that.”

Ellie huffed and turned away, crossing her arms while Bunbun continued to do so. I sighed.

“Please? If the two of you make up, I'll give you each a treat.”

At the promise of a treat, the two of them looked at me, before turning around and looking at each other. Bunbun smiled and apologized, and Ellie smiled and puffed herself up, as though proclaiming that she was in the right anyways. Bunbun looked away, pretending not to be annoyed by the display. Both of them looked at me, holding out their hands expectantly.

“Hey-- wait, I never said I was going to give you a treat right away! They're back in the Dojo; you'll have to wait 'til later for one.”

Both of them gave me an angry look and turned away from me, arms crossed. Well, at least they were in unison on that.

“Eheh.... Alright, how about the two of you c'mon back.” I held up my Pokeballs and they both went back inside.

“Trouble with your new friends?” Lance asked. He had let Zweilous out while Ellie and Bunbun entertained their audience, and the two-headed dragon was biting onto sleeve of his uniform.

“Nothing that I'm not used to.” I motioned to Zweilous. “On the other hand, I think I should be asking you that, except I know that's just how Zwei is. Did he break through the fabric already?”

Lance laughed and pet both of their heads in sequence, causing each one to finally let go of the loose fabric. He brought up his arm, looking at the sleeve. “No, not yet. He's just hungry. We should go back inside and get something to eat for lunch.”

Everyone had gathered in the dining room once more, with plates and bowls left out in the Dojo's main hall for our Pokemon. Zweilous ran over to the nearest bowl, both of his heads fighting over bites. Pika ran up to the bowl next to him. We let out the rest of our Pokemon, leaving them to eat while we headed towards a spot at the table where we could sit next to each other.

“Thank you, Ms. Honey!” everyone said before digging in. Chatter filled the dining room between bites, and everyone felt so warm and welcoming. No one seemed to begrudge us for having defeated all three Slowpokes, including those who never even got to catch up to one. In fact, many were excitedly speculating about what the next trial might be. I looked around the table, wondering if Hyde had joined everyone, or if he had missed the call to lunch. I couldn't see him. The din of the dining room began to lower as everyone filled up on the food made by Ms. Honey and the students who helped with meal prep. The final peals of laughter and conversation were silenced when Mustard stood up and addressed everyone.

“A-hem. I'd like to congratulate everyone who did their best this morning with the first trial. To those of you that weren't able to pass—may you have better luck next time. Take this time to train up! For those of you moving on to the second trial, I will take the time to explain what your next trial is. Now that you're all energized from lunch--” Mustard paused mid-thought, as though something came to mind.

“I think our second trial should be something to welcome them with. You know what would sound good for dinner tonight? The Master Dojo's secret recipe: Max Soup! Since we have two special guests, I'd love for them to have a bowl of Max Soup full of Max Mushrooms for tonight. And that's why your second trial shall be mushroom picking!” A collective, confused reaction, interspersed with some groans, went out among the students. I blinked, confused myself. How was gathering dinner ingredients supposed to be a trial? If anything, it sounded much easier than the first. Someone whispered to another student that they were glad they hadn't passed.

“Students!” The dining room quieted once more at Mustard's raised voice. “That's better. In case you forgot, or you aren't aware, Max Mushrooms are the key to Gigantamaxing, and I'm tasking all of you with finding three!”

Honey stood next to Mustard, explaining what we were looking for. “Max Mushrooms are red with a spiral pattern. You can usually find them in dark, humid places, such as the forest or Warm-Up Tunnel.”

Mustard, “And with that, your next trial begins! I'm countin' on ya!”

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #467

“oh, mary, mary, ain’t this fun?  /  mary, mary, i’ve got a gun”

If the last person you kissed asked you to marry them, what would you do? Pray to god it wasn't in public and tell him it's waaaay too soon for that one. Does your favorite uncle have any children? Yeah, a son and daughter. Name all the members (first, middle and last names) from your favorite band. Ha, it's funny how once upon a time, I could do this. All I've got now is John Michael Osbourne. Have you ever heard a young child swear? Maybe? Have you ever seen someone get a piercing/tattoo?: Yes to both. Has a taste of something ever made you smile? Boy meet me at The Cheesecake Factory and see what my face does lmaooo As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a paleontologist sooo badly. I wanted to discover new dinosaurs, put a shitload of work into unearthing fossils and being so proud to see the final results... Even now as an adult, if I could handle the heat, traveling, and hardcore school, I'd still love to do that. Would you cuss the person you hate the most out to their face? No. My hatred for her is unjustified and I'd rather just not say anything to her. Have you ever spent more than two weeks in a wheelchair? No. Where do you see your closest friend in ten years? As one of the strongest people around. I imagine her with a job in medical coding, while also pursuing the hobbies of ball python breeding and writing. I'm sure she'll have loads of pets to love, too! Do you like Florence + The Machine? I've never listened to them. Did you watch the presidential debates? No. Do you ever watch Dr. Phil? No. Are you typically unattracted to people outside of your race? No; I can be attracted to any race. Have you ever ridden any animal other than a horse? No. Do you brush your hair when it’s wet? Yes. Do you eat the crusts of your bread? Yeah, I always have. Have you ever flown a kite? Yeah! At my childhood home, there was a tobacco field directly across the street, and when they weren't in season so the field was flat, Dad would help us with getting kites set up and in the air. Those are good memories. How are you for money? I don't make any money. Mom is struggling. Do you think you are more intelligent than the average person? Ha, no. Do you ever think about why we are here? Does it matter? We're here, so make the most of it. Do you like cherries? I fucking hate cherries. Name a celebrity that you admire that nobody would expect you to: Jeffree Star, probs. Can you use a yoyo? Not well, but yeah. Do you think Jenna Marbles’ videos are funny? I've actually never watched her. Do you like folk music? NOOOOOOOOO Ever had a crush on somebody of the same sex? Yes. Do you know any lesbians? Yep. Favourite member of your favourite band: I'm unfamiliar with all but Ozzy himself. And Ozzy is rad. Who’s your favourite female rapper? I don't have one. When you were younger, were you ever in a relationship with someone you now realize was way too old for you? No. Have you ever had a seizure? No. I sometimes have very, very quick spasms when I'm falling asleep that feel like what I assume a seizure would, but they barely last a second. They seriously jerk me awake, though, and are very startling. What’s the oldest man-made object you own? I dunno. Is there anything you feel like you need a break from? Not really, no. What do you hate to hear people joke about? I will actually and remorselessly deck you in the jaw if you make a joke about rape. There are other things that are absolutely forbidden joking matters for me, too. What’s the largest animal you’ve seen in the wild? Hmmm... Nothing that big, really. Maybe a whitetail deer buck? Do any of your friends or family members have strange occupations? Not to my knowledge. Have you ever been in weather so severe that you feared for your safety? Oh yeah. We've had some savage thunderstorms. What political issues are the most important to you personally? LGBTQ+ rights and just equality in general, the pro-choice movement, environmental conservation, gun control, the abolishment of poverty and homelessness... There is honestly a lot. I could keep going. Do you know anyone who doesn’t know how to cook even just simple recipes? ... Me. :x Especially now that I'm in a relationship, I really want to make a greater effort to learn. I want to prove to him I give a damn about the success of our relationship and that I'm capable of being an adult that can take part in general adult responsibilities. ^What’s stopping them from learning this basic life skill? Laziness. Forgetfulness. The fear of getting burned. What small thing makes you automatically distrust someone? I can pick up on sketchy body language from a mile away. I'm too paranoid not to. Of all the states/provinces in your country, which one is your favorite? At least from photographs I've seen, Utah appears BEAUTIFUL. That whole region of the U.S. in general. Are there any obscure foods you’ve eaten that most people have never tried? That's very unlikely. I'm far from explorative with food. When you travel to other countries, do you always try the local cuisine? I've never been outside the U.S. I would probably do that, though. I'd really want to experience the culture as thoroughly as I could. What did you do for your 19th birthday? Hell if I remember. What’s the kindest thing a total stranger has done for you? I remember as a young kid, my parents, two sisters, and I were getting food at McDonald's, and whoever was in front of us paid for our meals. Such a sweet gesture for a larger family. Have you ever used a meal kit delivery service? No, but there actually is one that I can't recall the name of that I'd like to try when I cook myself, especially getting started learning, but yeah, subscription fees. You see a lot of YouTubers get sponsored by them, if that rings a bell. Do you have any psychological issues rooted in events from your childhood? Possibly my fear of men, with my dad having been an alcoholic that had a 50/50 chance of being very angry when drunk. How organized are the files on your computer? Pretty organized, I'd say. I put stuff into folders. Would you date someone with braces? Yes? Do you ever rehearse conversations before you have them? Only always. Do you get angry at yourself or at others more often? Myself, for sure. When taking a cab, do you talk to the driver? I've never even taken a cab. Who or what greets you at the door every time you come home? Nobody, really. My cat is occasionally in the living room to see who's home, but not always because he's a lazy cat, ha ha. Do you ever chat about your favourite video games with your friends? Not really, no. I wish. Have you ever supported anyone’s Kickstarter? If so, what was it? No, bc I'm poor. Are you currently studying a language? If so, which one? No. Ever had a friend online for a long time without seeing a photo of them? Yeah. Do you carry pepper spray? No, but I want some 'cuz I'm paranoid as hell. Are you waiting on anything right now? No. Have you ever been described as shy? Is it true? Oh, always. It's absolutely true. Name something you’re a complete sucker for? Baby animals, to name one thing. Do you remember when you first went on the internet? Nope. What is one way someone could completely put you off on a first date? Arrogance/over-confidence. What about a way someone could make you like them more on a first date? Make me genuinely laugh a lot, to name one way. Are you in love right now? Not yet. I love him with our decade of history, but I need more experience as a couple before I've got the confidence to say that. Do you wanna get married anytime soon? It wouldn't be smart to. I want to be in a strong relationship for quite a few years before I want that. Have you ever kissed someone in a band? No. Has someone ever made you a Build-A-Bear? No but oh my fucking god I wish!!!!!! Did your mom or dad ever put soap in your mouth? No, but Mom would threaten to. What was the last fruit you ate? Well, I had strawberry yogurt earlier today. Who was the last person to make you laugh? Girt. He is very, very good at that. Have you ever dated someone with more piercings than you? No. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Hell yeah man. Is there one night of your life you wish had never happened? I wish it hadn't happened the way it did. Do you have a close relationship with your sibling(s)? No. What was the last thing that you shared? Some watermelon Sour Patch Kids with my mom. Do you think people talk behind your back? You couldn't get me to believe my mom doesn't at least sometimes to my sisters even if you tried your absolute damnedest. In real life do you laugh like ‘haha,’ 'hehe’ or something else? It depends on what I'm laughing at/at what intensity. Do you have any unusual skills? Nah. Who’s your favourite person? I don't have a sole favorite person. I love many people in different ways for varying reasons. Are there any chores you actually enjoy doing? No. When did you last have an "Oh, I get it now!" moment? Watching Attack on Titan yesterday w/ Girt. Have your parents ever suspected something untrue about you? My mom HAD to have suspected I was doing something FAR worse than innocent meerkat RP to have borderline fucking traumatized me invading my privacy and forcing shit out of me regarding what I was always doing on the computer so secretively. Like I get it, she was a concerned mother, but I was a fucking WRECK because I found it so embarrassing. It was insulting that she didn't trust her well-behaved daughter. What do you think about video games? They're great for both the creators and consumers. They're wonderful expressions of creativity, and so much fun to experience as a player, delving into a new world and getting engrossed in the story. I could go onnnn and onnnnn about what video games mean to me. I've gone my whole life as a loyal gamer. Are there any forms of Art you personally find pointless? I really, really don't get a lot of abstract art that's worth fucking thousands, BUT, I absolutely disagree that they are without purpose. The artist created what they did for SOME reason. As a distraction, a method of expressing emotion, to convey an idea... Are you tired right now? I have been SO ridiculously tired today. Like it's unreal. I've taken I wanna say three naps and I'm still sleepy. What’s something you do a lot? Drink something. I'm not talking about alcohol; just in general, I ALWAYS need some kind of drink by me, and I go through drinks pretty quickly. Are you currently on any other websites? Yeah, I'm watching YouTube. Are you good at using Photoshop? I'm decent, I guess. Have you ever been told you naturally tilt your head a certain way? Yes, actually, at least by my mom, and she's right. My head tends to tilt VERY slightly to the right, and I can tell by how easy it is to bend my head that way as opposed to left. I'll feel a biiiit more strain.

[og-danny-dorito]

Favorite Foods Of Some Slashers! [P2]

Well, here we are again. When will i stop adding to this stupid concept? And an extra one is added because i consider stu and billy a single unit and should be treated as such. Enjoy! (oh, and gore warning for the third gif)

Stu Macher :

- sadly not many people pay attention to my prized rat-boy, but i still love him so I'm putting him on the list. When it comes to food, stu will essentially eat anything. He’s not picky and has a fast metabolism and so he keeps skinny no matter what he puts into his body, therefore the only logical answer that i’ve deduced is that he LOVES fast food

- specifically he likes McNuggets from mcdonalds. Not only do they serve as both a snack and a meal rolled into one, but they also have the right amount of nostalgia to not be depressing (and yes, he gconsiders the happy meal- toy included -as a snack and the 20pc with some extra stuff a meal dont @ me)

- they’re his favorite thing to eat for lunch and dinner and whenever him and billy would go off-campus for lunch he would usually get some McNuggies, a large Sprite, and some of Billy’s fries (because they taste better if they’re not his). Preferably with some ranch and barbecue sauce on the side, at the same time

Billy Loomis :

- as a companion of the rat-boy’s he’s bound to have similar tastes in food with his bestie because they hang out all the time. So even though it’s loosely related, I’m pretty much convinced that billy is a sucker for anything you can put out on a grill

- the reason for this? Well, anything that tastes vaguely like fire is great, especially if it’s something with a lot of substance like a burger or some sausage. Currently his favorite is his dad’s burgers, but his dad rarely even does that anymore cause yknow, shitty things happened so now he's a bitch and doesnt really leave his house or try to hold cook-outs like he used to when his mom was around

- to replicate this at least a little bit he usually goes to McDonalds or Wendy’s for a burger with some fries that, almost always without fail, get eaten 70% by Stu at the end of the day

Harry Warden :

- this one is a bit tricky for a number of reasons. You have to consider who he was before he got trapped in the mines, what he lived off of after that, and a few other factors which are boring as hell and probably aren't even worth the time. BUT despite this, i can safely say that it’s probably something like cooked rodents or whatever

- it makes sense since that’s the only thing that would be running around in the mines so that’s the only thing that he has to eat, but if a person were to actually try to feed him food from local diners or whatever i’d say something like seafood since it’s what he grew up with and apparently it’s regional to the area he’s in

- when he was legally alive and walking above ground, however, his favorite food was lemon garlic scallop pasta that they served at the diner near the mines. He used to go there for lunch and eat there and usually took some home with him if they were still open when he got off. He’d probably cry if he ate it again, mainly because of the nostalgia and the fact that he hasn’t had real food in a Hot Minute aside from stolen lunches and the like

Billy Lenz :

- ah, the TRUE rat man. He holds the title for the Rattiest Rat man in existance (besides brahms, of course, since he literally lives in the walls), so his tastes aren’t all that refined. I’d assume his eating habits are mainly to satiate hunger when he absolutely needs to because, yknow, there are usually other people living in the house he’s in most of the time, so he kinda just steals a bunch of shit when no one is awake and eats it over the course of the week

- this is pretty much anything he can get his hands on, really. It’s pretty convinient since the house is usually so full of people that just assume someone else ate their food on accident or whatever. This includes pasta (yes, he eats it raw), kool-aid powder as seasoning sometimes, whole ass peanut butter jars, cans of soup and preserved fruit, and sometimes gallons of milk if he’s careful enough

- it’s kind of ironic too but he likes christmas cookies and sweet treats a lot. He’s the kinda bitch to drop down after they leave christmas cookies out for “santa” and then leave like he didn’t do shit. Usually whoever eats them before he can get to them is dead before they know what happened. That or they have bugs put in their bed or something and are tormented for a few days as punishment

Oh! And for anyone curious-

[ P1 ] : https://og-danny-dorito.tumblr.com/post/621028848541286400/favorite-foods-of-some-horror-characters-p1

[shiningstages]

Heeeeeeeey I wasn’t on here today because I was baking / zoning out; wrote that thing for Diantha though on her blog so that was neat. Anyways, lightning round of what my muses may have done on Mother’s Day under the read more ( also if your muses wanna talk to my muses about said things...hmu~ )

Kotori - Probably made her mom a shirt or a little hat; probably spent the whole day hanging out with her, making her breakfast and then just having lots of bonding moments where over a nighttime walk Ms. Minami goes “You really have grown to be a fine young woman.” type of thing.

Hanamaru - Still have no hcs about her mom, but you sure know she’s made her grandma the most soothing breakfast and relaxing day ( reading together probably, doing shopping together maybe ) over lots of nice herbal tea~

Shizuku - Her mom got her into plays; probably surprised her with either tickets to a reshowing of the first play they watched together, or a dvd of it and they watch it together on the couch.

Setsuna - Made her breakfast in bed and thanked her for all the things she’s done for her, but her mom actually initiates a daughter-mother bonding time shopping trip and lunch date, whereupon she’s like “Okay...I want to learn about school idols -” and then Setsuna rambles until dinner time.

Yu - Probably wrote her mom a little song and sang it as she handed her her breakfast in bed; Ayumu’s mom probably comes over with Ayumu around lunch time and they all hangout together.

Uzuki - Goes shopping with her mom, though her mom ends up spoiling her instead of Uzuki spoiling her mom, just because she can’t say no to her.

Kanna - Also writes a song for her mom, with lyrics out of the emails or letters they’ve exchanged since she became an idol.

Producer - Emails his mom...And then surprises her with a bouquet and a nice dinner when they’re both off from work.

Shiki - Drags his mom around everywhere that it seems like she’d enjoy, at the expense of their energy ( and their money ), but I feel like she apperciates all his efforts and tolerates his high energy.

Juza - He probably tried to take a nice picture of he and Kumon as a keepsake for her, and then wrote a nice - or as sentimentally-nice as it can be - letter to her.

Beatrix - Probably clothes shopping and picking out dresses for each other, all while stopping by a little of local cafes and tasting a little bit of everything ( they’re stuffed, their feet hurt, they’re tired as hell, but they feel accomplished ).

Celeste - *hms at known facts of astals and unknown origins of Celeste* ..................She probably stares at the sky.

Djeeta - *hms at all the unknown / vague mom lore, but also just captain’s parent angst in general* ...................................She probably stares at the sky too.

Mireille & Risette - A package deal; Mireille probably thinks back fondly yet sadly on memories with her mom, and her wish to one day have a healthy body to become a mother herself, while Risette thanks Mireille for the life she had given her and gifts her a little broach. They then decide to spend the whole day together, but doing simple things like taking a walk together or cooking for each other, rather than science stuff or Mireille being bedridden.

Vikala - A reminder that her parents are dead, but that the whole zodiac is her family now and so is the crew and that she’s loved and not alone anymore~ ( Probably weeps quietly into either Kumbhira’s or Catura’s mom’s arms, and then enjoys lots of yummy food with them )

Barawa - Sends his mom some fine wine and a letter in all caps as a gift ( Sarya remembers to put in an order for a bouquet and that thing she had written about wanting into this Mother’s Day care package as well ).

Issac - *remembers how his parents basically raised him through their own ideas and beliefs in a kind of twisted way and basically trained him to and instilled all their pressures and wishes of getting to the moon onto him* ........................He looks up at the moon. He curses out the moon under his breath. He spends his time with his buddy who raised Gwynne instead.

Pommern - You bet this man has a set schedule for how he’s going to make this Mother’s Day absolutely perfect for his mama. He wheels her around everywhere and she is very thrilled by it all.

Vane - *remembers reading ahead through the wiki on his SSR lore* He's too busy to visit his parents’ graves, but still gets the chance to say hi to Lancelot’s folks and make his mom’s favorite meal for dinner.

Sakura - *remembers all the jealousy but also yearning for acceptance she feels about original / normal Miku* ...................She sends Miku a nice message via text, and then stares at an artificial sky.

Haruhi - They go with their dad to visit their mom’s grave, and then hang out with their dad all day ( though of course the host club shows up and antics ensue of course ).

Barbara - Probably leaves her mom a nice bouquet, but has Jean deliver it for her.

Katheryne - Gives her creator the appropriate flowers for whichever region, as is the custom.

Lillian - Stares at the sky; hopes to visit her mom’s grave with her dad someday, but it’s all the way in France so that’s kind of hard.

Aisling - *thinks about all her lore* .............................Stares at the sky. Wonders what heaven or any “next life” is like for her mom.

Prunella - *put that vague astral lore with Celeste and mix it with lore I haven’t fully written out about Idunn yet* ............................Stares at the sky.

Amethyst - *unrevealed until now dead/absent skyfarer mom lore insert here* .....................Bakes a cake for she and Prunella to eat their feelings away, and stares at the sky.

[shanie-the-toyaddict]

1, 9, 15, 17, 21, 25, 26, 29, 33, 41, 46, 48, 54, 59, 68, 73, 81, 96, 98

😊

Oh my word! That's a lot!

Ok, here goes.

Behind cut for length

1. Name - I prefer Shanie but my parents call me “Mis”. Well, my mom calls me “Mis” my father calls me “Pooch” which I despise. Just stick with Shanie.

9. What did you study - I changed majors midway through college. I started out as an art major focusing on computer animation. That didn’t work out at ALL. Turns out I sucked ass at computer animation. Too much math involved. So I switched to a major in teaching with minors in history and popular culture. Unfortunately I failed at that too and, while I did graduate, it was with a degree in “Planned Program” which is a polite way of saying “General Ed”. I did earn my two minors though, so I guess that’s something!

15. Relationship Status -  Single. Very Very Single. I haven’t had a single date in about 10 years. By the looks of it, I’m going to stay single.

17. Do you have a crush - Do celebrities count? If not then no. I don't even know anyone IRL to have crushes on. I legit have nobody in my IRL life outside of my parents and my case manager. Kind of hard to have a crush when you don't have any friends or even acquaintances.

21: How was your day -  Well, today I got nothing accomplished. I did have a meeting with my case manager, so that was nice. It’s nice to have someone to talk to and infodump on (which she lets me). Outside of that I woke up, had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, had a nap, and went to Dairy Queen for ice cream on the way home. Unfortunately, DQ is on the far side of town and by the time I got home, it was melted. So it went in the fridge to eat later once it refreezes. Outside of that it was a pretty boring day.

25. Your fears - Whoo-ee. Ok. So coming in with the borderline I’d say my biggest fear is abandonment. That just comes with the territory. After that I have a huge fear of storms and waking up in a fire, both brought about by recurring nightmares. I also have a fear of flying (too much Air Crash Investigations) and I hate elevators. I’m not claustrophobic mind you, I just have a fear that they will fall on me. Anything over 3 stories and I’m having an anxiety attack. There are other, lesser fears but those are some of the big ones.

26. Your dreams - Well, in a literal sense, my dreams are wild, crazy adventures that I get most of my fanfics from. From a metaphorical standpoint I really don’t have any. I’ve given up on hoping for anything good in my life. I’m too busy trying to get from day to day to indulge in long term planning. I know it seems terrible, but it’s the truth.

29. Hobbies - Obviously action figures, that much is clear. I collect and customize them to display in my apartment. I also like making digital art (sometimes) and am starting to get into illustrations/artwork. However, I don’t have a tablet/pen for the computer so everything is done with the mouse and GIMP (which makes it difficult). I’m an avid collector of digital media. Some of my big ones are Doctor Who DVDs, Wrestling Entrance Themes, and Official Xena Photos (not the physical ones, jpeg scans). I used to be big into Wizard101 and, while I don’t really play anymore, I still like following the game on YT and on here.

33. Languages you speak – Only English, except it’s a very specific English. I usually speak what’s called the “Yinzer” dialect which is a dialect that is unique to the Pittsburgh region. That’s why you see me use the word “Yinz” a bunch. That’s our word for “You guys” or “Y’all”. However, while most of my speech is Yinzer, I have watched enough British TV in my lifetime to have picked up some Brit speech. It confuses the hell out of people when I use it because you’ll have me say things like “My apartment needs cleaned” and then follow it up thirty seconds later with, “I’m rubbish at cleaning.” My mother has picked up on this and sometimes calls me her “British Daughter” because of it.

41. Your Device Background – My phone’s lock screen is a picture of Shane in his Roman Centurion outfit from the one Royal Rumble photo shoot. My phone background is a checkered wallpaper with “SZ” on it for Sami Zayn. (That one might be getting changed if he stops being Sami.) And my computer background is just a night sky over the mountains. I rarely ever see my computer wallpaper so I don’t mind that it is a generic background.

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done – You know how Lucy breathes fire on Xena? I taught myself how to do that. That wasn’t bright to begin with but it was made so much worse that I was underage and couldn’t buy Bacardi and was using lamp oil instead. I was young and dumb.

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life – Funny thing, I’m a sucker for strange foods. There was a list going around that said “How many of these weird foods have you eaten” and I think I had eaten all but six of them and that was only because I didn’t have access to them. I’m proud to say that, since then, I’ve knocked Quail Egg off the list! Turns out the local Japanese restaurant served it. So that knocked it down to five. Still need to get ahold of some gator meat and haggis. I’d love to try Foie Gras but it’s just so damn unethical that I don’t know if I could bring myself to eat it. Pheasant is another one that I’d love to try but I can’t convince my parents to buy me one (and I’m far too poor to afford it myself). But, yeah. I love strange foods. I’ll pretty much try any food once if I know it’s safe to eat.

54. Any tattoos or piercings – Unless you count partially pierced ears then no. And my ears are only partially pierced because after I had them done they got infected so I tried to let them heal shut. They ended up not closing fully and now, if I’m not adverse to a bit of pain, I can still wear earrings occasionally.

59. Song you wouldn’t normally admit you like – Judas is my guilty pleasure song. I know Jericho is a douchebag and I have tried to hate the song but I can’t. I end up singing along every time.

68. Favorite Movie/Series - Hmm... well, my all time favorite movie is definitely “The Towering Inferno”, hands down. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen that. I’m a sucker for disaster movies and, in my opinion, that one is the cream of the crop. I actually like it better than “The Poseidon Adventure” simply because I think the movie is inferior to the book. That said, I’ve also read both of the books that “The Towering Inferno” is based on and I like the combined movie better than them. Favorite series, however, I don’t think I have one definitive favorite series. I’ve had favoriteS like Xena, Buffy, Sherlock, Doctor Who, etc, but I’ve never had one all time favorite.

73: Favorite Greek God – Oh geez. Hmmm... You know, I’m going to have to go with Hermes here, primarily because I have this theory that he is the god of the internet. I know there was no internet in ancient Greece but, frankly, Hermes is the god of commerce, communication, travelers, and thieves. While it’s true that Hephaestus is the god of technology and would probably be the god of computers, I fully believe that Hermes would be the patron of the interwebs.

81 Favorite Books – In all honesty, going to college for 8 years burned me out for reading and now I can barely bring myself to read a comic book. For this reason, most of my favorite books come from childhood. My all time favorite book as a kid was “Flight #116 Is Down” by Caroline B Cooney. It was a disaster story about plane crash in a young woman’s back yard. Somehow, everyone didn’t die – a fact which was called out in the final pages when a fireman says that the crash was extremely odd because “usually they’re all dead.” That book might be another reason I’m terrified of flying. Other favorite books of mine was the “Fear Street Saga Trilogy” (Not the Fear Street Series, the trilogy that served as the origin story). I also like the Hitchhikers Guide saga but when I found out that Douglas Adams died before he could finish the saga, I stopped reading after book 4 so that the story had a happy ending. Novelizations in general are a big thing for me too, I’ve read some really good ones over the years and it’s fascinating to see how they differ from the movies they’re based on.

96. Hero or Villain – Well, if my dreams are anything to go by, I’m a villain at heart. I know, weird right? You all think I’m such a nice person but really, I have a huge dark side to me IRL and, if I was in a world where superheroes were real and I had superpowers I would almost certainly use them for evil. Or, at the very least I would use them to force social change ala Dr. Horrible.

98. Shapeshifting or Controlling Time – SHAPESHIFTING! Oh my goodness shapeshifting! I would love that so much! First of all, I wouldn’t be this huge anymore. I could be as heavy or a skinny as I want. Also, I wouldn’t have to worry about looking old or losing my hair! Plus, can you imagine the cosplay potential!? Forget dressing as the 13th Doctor, I AM THE 13th DOCTOR! That would just be the best!

PHEW! That was a lot! Thanks so much for the ask! This was fun. I love ask games.

[monotonous-minutia]

what was your theater experience growing up like? I know you have mentioned it before, but I’d love to hear more!

answering this depends on if you want the long version or the short version. But because I feel like telling it, we're gonna go with the long version.

(also I should preface this by saying I was home schooled and so I did not have any access to theatrical things through school.)

It starts on what seems like an unrelated note.

When I was a little kid (like really little, like 5 or so) my parents would always play lullaby CDs for us (my three brothers and I) when we went to bed. I've had issues with sleep for as long as I can remember, so I continued to listen to music every night until I was maybe 12 or 13 to try and get to sleep.

When I was around 10 I think, my mom's parents sent us a CD for Christmas or someone's birthday that was a lullaby CD, but it was all classical music. I loved it so it became my every night CD. The problem was, I got so into the music, it wouldn't actually put me to sleep. I wanted to stay up and listen to the music and read the sleeve of the CD case to see what all the songs were and who wrote them, and to feel the stories that the music was telling me. It was more than just a series of moms singing essentially “go to sleep” over and over. The music in this CD was interspersed with bits of dialogue that went along with the feeling of the music, and that just fascinated me; how someone could be telling a story with music that didn’t have any words.

So I started getting classical music CDs from the library to listen to during the day, so I could get into it when I wasn’t trying to fall asleep. I was primarily obsessed with Mozart, Vivaldi, and Handel, though I had a lot of other favorites too. There was also this really cool series of CDs that took the music of various composers and used them as a soundtrack for stories about the actual composers (the Classical Kids series) and I just ate them all up. I couldn't get enough.

People started to figure out classical music was just becoming My Thing, so I got a bunch of CDs for my various birthdays/Christmas and from the library. And one day my mom grabbed a CD of Die Zauberflote.

I got obsessed with it and once finished it, I kept listening to it over and over again. Then I wanted to see if there was a video recording of a performance that we could watch, because I loved the story and wanted to see how it would be acted out. The one copy our entire library system had was the Drottingholm Court Theater (1989) one, which to this day remains my favorite.

So now I was on the opera train, and I wanted to hear more. We listened to Nozze (though our mom wouldn't let us watch a video of this one; she said it was inappropriate. Also she hated the idea of a woman dressing up as a boy, so anything Cherubino-related was out); we listened to Barbiere, Carmen, and La boheme (these three we were allowed to watch videos of). After that my brothers got bored, but I didn't. I'd found my new obsession.

I continued to listen to operas on my own (and did occasionally manage to get a video or two in the house to watch). Then, because I am A Nerd, I started reading about them--summaries of ones I couldn't find; researching source material; reading about various performers and opera houses...pretty much anything I could get my hands on. All of this continued up until I went to college, which then took up the majority of my life (although I was able to take advantage of the university’s extensive library which had, among other things, DVDs of the ROH Zauberflote with Diana Damrau and Simon Keenlyside and the Met Hansel and Gretel with Frederica von Stade).

Now there's another aspect of this that contributes. I wrote a lot when I was a kid. Like a LOT. If I wasn't doing school or playing outside or listening to music, I was writing stories. Pretty much all of my old stories are dead now for reasons I won't get into. But one thing that stuck around was the desire to write plays. First I wanted to write an opera; the past few years obsessing over them made me want to write my own. But I couldn’t (and still can’t) read music, or write music, or even play an instrument. In my research, though, I'd found a lot of operas were based on plays, so I figured I could write one, and maybe later on down the line I’d find someone who could put it to music.

The only problem was I'd never seen a play. Not even a recording of one. it’s hard to write a play if you’ve never seen one and don’t understand how theater works.

I tried to remedy this by just reading a lot of plays. Our library had an entire section dedicated to drama, about three shelves big. I spent a lot of time there. I tried to figure out what made a good play, but you know, you just can't get the same experience without seeing one.

Then, when I was around 15 I think, I got my first "babysitting" gig, which was just me watching my little brother play video games with a kid a little younger than him. While I watched them play, I talked to the kid's mom (who was there so it really wasn't a gig), and I found out she was an actress that worked and volunteered at some local theaters.

I'd found my way in.

When I encountered her again, I asked if she knew of any ways I could get involved in the theater scene in town (there were a surprising amount of theaters nearby). There were two in particular that needed volunteers, so she connected me to some people. I got to know the staff at the theaters, help out in the box office, do some backstage stuff, usher, and occasionally help the actors with their lines and blocking. But the best part was I got to see a ton of shows for free by virtue of being a volunteer. During the next two summers, I was seeing a show almost every week, sometimes multiple times a week. It was glorious.

I also got to be involved in some of their youth shows; I actually got a few acting parts despite the fact that I'm a pretty bad actor and horrible at memorizing lines. More fun than that, I got to help out as a sort of assistant director for some children's theater workshops put on by local actors. Every Saturday for a summer, I went to one of the theaters to help guide a group of kids (it changed every week) in theater activities and act out a Roald Dahl story that they then performed for their parents. I absolutely loved doing this; I loved working alongside professional performers; I loved being able to participate in theater on a level I was comfortable with; I loved that I could get out of my freaking house; and I loved working with the kids. (Incidentally this is also what got me interested in working with kids, which has been my profession for the past six years.) So that, plus the volunteering, was the biggest part of my theater experience growing up.

Side note, it was through the magic of theater (and one enormous crush on a fellow volunteer) that made me realize I was gay. Of course, because the managers of one of the theaters ALSO happened to be gay (and married), my parents figured I'd been Converted(tm), and that's where the positivity about theater in my house ended. But once I got to college, I had fewer restraints, so I was free to get involved in theater (though I quickly realized a theater major was not for me). I did a bit of acting (never in mainstage shows), but mostly I participated in playwright groups and events. This is where I began writing plays in earnest and actually became good at it. It helped me get over the whole not-being-able-to-act thing. Plus I got to see a lot of shows because they were either a) free or b) severely discounted for students.

I almost got to go to a Big City to participate in a regional college theater festival by virtue of participating in a classmate’s theater project, but for reasons I also don’t need to go into, I was literally the only one who ended up not being able to go.

Aside from that though (an the ill-fated class I mentioned to you a while back), most of my theater experiences have been really positive, and I’m really grateful for that because it helped me get through some tough times at home. Plus there’s nothing like the joy of being involved in live performance. Once COVID winds down and I’m done with school, I want to see if I can get involved in some of the local theater groups in my city. I do still have a connection with one theater group from my old hometown (the one that did the readings of my plays), but the pandemic really put a nix on that. They’re still doing some virtual stuff though.

So anyway that’s probably way more information than you wanted but yeah. That’s my story.

[purplesurveys]

1260

surveys by taco-tuesdays

What would be the pros and cons of a four-day school week? That was my schedule throughout college (we had Mondays off) and it really helped out a lot, especially mentally; and, on some level, emotionally as well. I’ve always thought 3 days is the most effective and ideal length of time when it comes to having a break.

As for cons, I honestly can’t name any as I was happy my schedule and I only heard miserable insights from my friends from other schools, who otherwise had to keep up a 5-day schedule in college.

What is a subject or topic that you would like to learn more about? My manager recently encouraged me to watch Going Seventeen – I initially thought I wouldn’t get the hype but I was wrong hahaha; they seem super interesting so I’ve been reading up about them today.

Would you rather live somewhere that was hot year-round or cold year-round? COLD.

What is something that you do during the summer that you don't otherwise? Give the weather the power to make me cranky. I’m not always vocal about the weather, but the summer heat just unleashes a monster right out of me.

Which professions do you feel deserve the highest amount of pay? Well, especially in the case of my country where essential workers are not paid nearly enough – medical frontliners.

What is your own definition of success? Reaching a point wherein I can honestly say I’m proud of myself. I’m my biggest critic and the worst overthinker I know, so if I’ve done something well enough to feel confident and comfortable about it, then I consider myself successful.

Do you have a favorite day of the week? Fridayyy.

What are some of your favorite songs? These days I’m really into Blue Side by J-Hope.

Do you donate to a specific charity or cause on an annual basis? Not annual, but there is an animal shelter to which I donate a small amount of my earnings whenever I can. I used to do it monthly but as more...life stuff that I need to pay for has started to pile up, I haven’t been able to keep up the habit as often as I would like.

If you won the lottery, how would you spend the money? Give half to my parents; use a portion of my half to get a new phone since my screen’s LED recently got permanently damaged and my phone now has weird colorful lines on the screen lmao; get sushi; save the rest.

Would you be a stay at home parent or send your kid to daycare? Ideally I would provide my child with their own helper that can watch them while I’m away for work. That’s a luxury I never got to have so my petty ass just wants to get back at my way-too-simple childhood and give my kid their own yaya.

What excites you more - tire swings or treehouses? Treehouses. I’ve never seen one; they’re not common at all here.

What's the highest amount of money you received in a card? I think around ₱2000? That’s roughly ~$40.

What's the last CD you purchased for yourself? My Butter set.

Dolphins, whales, sharks, or narwhals? Whales, then dolphins.

Did you get any scholarships or grants towards your education? No. But I technically didn’t need to apply for one; my entire college tuition was free.

Are spicy foods a yay or a nay for you? Absolutely the fuck yay. I have a pretty high tolerance and I think it just got even higher over the last year from all the kimchi and spicy noodles I’ve been downing haha.

Have you ever quit or been fired from a job before? No; but being fired is one of my biggest fears.

Have you ever wondered what your pets are saying to you? Just Cooper. I can read Kimi like the back of my hand at this point.

Did you walk or take the bus to school? My parents paid for a school bus service, which is the practice here. We don’t have a public school bus system.

--

Have you ever had to turn someone in before? For what? Hmm, not that I can recall. I don’t think so.

Describe a time where one of your parents embarrassed you. My dad belittled a staff at McDonald’s when we did drive-thru a couple of weeks ago. It has been like 11 in the morning and he was upset that his change came in coins, so he made a fantastic show of staying at the payment window for what felt like fucking years as he counted the coins one by one...like seriously? It’s fucking currency, are you really getting your panties in a bunch over coins?? Anyway, I didn’t talk to him for the whole day after that and didn’t touch my order that he paid for.

Do you prefer grapes, raisins, or prunes? Grape-flavored candies are fine, I guess. All of these choices in their pure form all suck.

Do you like knocking icicles off of things? Well no, considering I don’t encounter them a lot.

Have you ever had a party when your parents weren't home? I’ve never thrown a party at my own home.

What is something that irks you about your sibling(s)? There is a glaring lack of proactivity. My mom could be struggling with carrying something heavy and they will stay glued to whatever they’re doing, and will literally not move unless they’re addressed. It worries me sometimes as I don’t know to what extent it could possibly reach.

Does everyone really deserve to be forgiven? No.

How do we make men and women equal in today's society? Equal pay can be a good start to go with.

Did your parents favor one child over another when you were growing up? My mom clearly favored my brother and would give him millions of passes for shit I would otherwise be yelled at for; I didn’t feel any favoritism from my dad.

How much PDA is too much PDA to witness? I scrunch my nose even at light PDA all the time just to make my friends laugh, but to be honest about it it doesn’t actually bother me as much as I let it show. I’d only be grossed out if I see a full-blown makeout session or anything beyond that somewhere inappropriate.

If you get married, will you take your spouse's last name? I’d hyphenate so that I would still get to keep both my maiden and last names.

What's the last fight you had with your mother? Something about the courier delivery service I booked last week. The whole thing is too complicated to explain but I do remember retorting at her and her biting back with what I can best translate as, “How dare you have the gall to answer back,” which...as a minor probably would’ve been effective and made me feel guilty...but I’m literally 23. I had to hide my face to snicker because that kind of statement just doesn’t bother me anymore.

Do you still eat Lunchables as an adult? I’ve never had that; we don’t have them here.

When's the last time you made Kool-Aid? I have never tried Kool-Aid either.

Do you prefer photographs in color or black-and-white? Why? Color. Moments and memories just feel more alive that way.

What's your favorite comfort food? SUSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII fuck I need some right now.

What makes you proud to be from the country you're from? I like our regional and local cultures.

If you had to work in a store, which would you choose, and why? Ooh...I dunno. Maybe a bookstore? so I can get to slowly rekindle my love for reading.

If you were a teacher, which subject would you teach? History.

Who shows that they love you more than they actually say it? I feel like this question applies to me more than it does for people in my circle, most of whom are quite vocal. I don’t usually throw around the words I love you, but I will show it a lot.

[midnight-marimba]

Mar’s DQXI Fic OCs

It’s Dragon Quest OC And NPC Week, and I’m going to approach it from the other direction than what’s described in the event proposal, because I rarely end up inventing a detailed character without context, but I often find a specific need for a character in a piece of fanfiction and build them up out of that prompt into something better than a footnote. So I’m going to take the opportunity to talk about some of my fics and the original characters and NPCs who wandered into them and made themselves interesting enough that I’m eager to share a little extra detail or commentary about them.  (Under the cut)

Hair Tie That Binds

A comedic story about Hendrik recruiting Erik for a heist to help fix his own mistake. (9k words)

I needed a minor villain, so I invented Lady Druzy (named off of an obscure corner of a gem list, so as to suit a minor Heliodoran noble).  She is petty, spiteful, vengeful, and apparently my favorite archetype of OC to write.  She is awful and I loved writing her.

After Rain, The Sun Will Shine

A Sylv/Hendrik one-shot involving Hendrik’s memories of Sylv’s mother. (8k words)

When I wrote this, I had not yet heard the detail from the voice drama (please somebody translate the whole thing?? <3) that Sylv's mom's given name was Gerbera and her stage name was Sylvia (that is, exactly the same stage name Sylv took in the Japanese version of the game).  I had only heard a broader rumor about the drama and Sylv choosing a stage name in honor of their mother.

So when I went to write a story about her, I looked at a list of Dutch names (to match Arnout and Hendrik — Zwaardsrust is Dutch) and hunted for one a name with a "Syl" sound.  I landed on Silke, which is also satisfying from a word association perspective (since it looks like "silk" which sounds highly appropriate for a "famous Zwaardsrustian beauty" — one of the few canon details we get for her).

I tried to make her stubborn and determined, inspiring and willfully optimistic for the sake of the people she had under her leadership.  Sylv-like, but with a slightly more intense philosophical flavor than canon Sylv, as she’s walking out of an arguably even greater tragedy (or at least more personal at a larger scale?)

Silk and Swagger

Faris/Reader, from the point of view of a Heliodor guard. (1.7k words)

The guard is nameless and the fic is relatively short, but my goodness it was fun inventing someone who is instantly smitten with Faris and believes the best of him at all times.

When Home Isn't Marked on the Map

A Sylv/Erik longfic set a couple years after the end of the game, in which Erik is coming out of a period of self-imposed isolation after a disastrous attempt at confessing his one-sided romantic feelings for the Luminary, and he begins by going looking for Sylv, the one old companion he dares hope won’t yell at him for his absence.  (74k words)

Since the ultimate seed of the idea behind this fic was "Erik would be protective towards orphans and Sylv would like that about him" I needed some kids to put in the story.  There are two sets of four that I named and included. 

First is the group from the rural area near Puerto Valor, and thus they have Spanish names: Isabella, Serafito, Paz, Ana.  I'm pretty sure I named the younger ones with shorter names to help myself keep them straight.  In my head, they have a darker complexion than the rest of the kids in the story, since I always wish the DQ world was a little more diverse on that front, but I fear that I forgot to actually write that detail in.  (Room for improvement...)

The second group is an expansion of the four child NPCs you can find playing hide-and-seek in downtown Heliodor.  I could only find a canon name for Cammo (the King of Hide-and-Seek) so I gave the rest of them stone related names, figuring the pattern from Cobblestone might extend around Heliodor into the poorer and less formal areas of the kingdom (Ruby the innkeeper notwithstanding). So they are Flint, Crystal, and Mica.

There are so many of them that it was tough to give all of them a lot of characterization, but I tried to distinguish each of them at least a little.  Isabella, the leader of her group, blunt in a way that reminds Erik of Mia and Veronica.  Serafito, a little bit of a self-sacrificing caretaker. Paz, young but outgoing, and Ana, even younger and a little shy.  Flint, the canny, cautious, and slightly manipulative leader of the Heliodor gang.  Cammo, sneaky and adventurous and clever.  Crystal, strong and brave and protective.  Mica unfortunately ended up being most notable for the ordeals he goes through.

My favorite among them ended up being Crystal, from the instant she decided she was after Hendrik's job.

Diamond

A Sylv/Serena and Sylv/Dave fic, from Serena’s point of view.  Set after Act 3 as Serena chooses a mission to research and perform healing around the world, travels alongside Sylv’s new circus troupe, and they both get to pursue some missing character development.  (118k words, technically 1 chapter short of an intended ending but may not be continued.)

Mind the tags and content advisory if you go into the fic itself, because (1) for reasons of 2020, a story about a doctor-hero was simply not an ideal story to begin in the year 2019, and (2) it is NOT a utopian style world — many characters have prejudices, others are closeted in some major ways, and not all of that is gone by the end of the story.  I 100% understand many folks not wanting to go roll around in that kind of fiction, and while there’s a discussion about Representation I could shoehorn in here, I’m going to set it aside for the sake of on-topic rambling about fun OC development.

For this fic, I wanted Sylv and Serena to be traveling the world together.  Serena was to be motivated in part by the allure of getting to meet more new people, and also, I think it’s useful for her personal growth to spend a little time away from her blood family and most of the people from whom she would naturally take direction.  I also wanted to explore Sylv as a leader in a way that’s not so easy within the canon party, and in general, I imagine Sylv both being friendly to every stranger and also having old friends pop up everywhere he goes.

Between the two of them, I ended up needing to plop in OC's left and right, both for Sylv’s new Act 3 circus troupe, and in every town they visited.  Because I’m a nerd, I expanded lore for some of the regions too, and I will mention some of those details here with the characters.

Sylv’s troupe:

Chill, a contortionist from Sniflheim, where people get kind of uncomfy about magic, especially when it looks too close to evil witchery.  Like, say, Zing.

Samir, a short, round bard from Gallopolis who can do amazing things with a variety of instruments, and his partner Grey, once a guard from Heliodor until he decided that job was even more bland than his name, and he ran off to Gallopolis to join the circus.

Maria and Mateo, a couple of quiet, short and slender dancers from Puerto Valor (in my head, Mateo is about 5 feet and Maria’s a couple inches shorter, though I keep gravitating away from talking in Modern Earth units of measurement when writing for this fandom).  Their kids, teenaged Leo and toddler Lena, aren’t (yet) performers, but are present because I thought it was interesting to plug some kids into a story about a traveling circus troupe, and because I wanted to give Sylv an excuse to interact with kids.

Francine. A classically beautiful acrobat from Octagonia, where the only work she could find was being a bunny girl handing out flyers.  She’s had a crush on Sylv, which didn’t work out, and in the aftermath she’s a little bitter and is predisposed to dislike anyone else getting too close to Sylv.  She is rude and spiteful when she does not like someone (though she may do so in an overly-sweet tone), and she awkwardly overcompensates when she wants to prove she’s moved on from something, and she ended up being my favorite OC here.

Some other notable OCs in the world:

In Sniflheim: Healer Heather, the doctor who would really rather not have any magic in her house, so she doesn’t get a mob coming after her next time the tide of public opinion turns against witches.

In Lonalulu: Nohea, the charming and handsome hula dancer who isn’t quite as nice as he seems, and Pika, the shy, plain, and clumsy but kind-hearted net weaver.  Both are there as potential love interests for Serena (and for contrast against Sylv, of course).

In the Inner Sea: Coral the mermaid, a singer.  She's here for advancing Serena's character development, but it was fun to have other OCs react to a mermaid, and trying to write plot-advancing mermaid dialogue raised my respect for the localization team 1000%.

In Gallopolis: Doctor Zel, who is very scientific and good at her job, never makes eye contact, and lacks a comforting bedside presence.  (Happily they have Faris to help with public relations during a health crisis…?)

This is only about half of the OCs and NPCs named in the story, but they’re most of the ones with the most screen time, and most of the ones that stand out in my mind.  But the outgoing and friendly Sylv and Serena I was trying to write, both of whom wanted to engage with the people of the world at large, just spawned new characters around them as they went.  You know those stories about mythical people where flowers bloom after them everywhere they go?  This pair was like that, only with OC’s instead of flowers.

[mcrmadness]

"I’m not from the US” ask set: 4, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 22, 26 :) :)

Thanks! :) Here is the ask set if anyone wants to send more asks!!!

Sorry for taking so long with the answer, I got bit too excited and had a busy weekend so I’ve been writing this a little bit every day because I managed to make tired on each time because of the amount of text I’m apparently able to produce because I’m a proud Finn who loves their country a bit too much :D

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

Hmmm. This is interesting question, our cuisine reminds the German one a lot to begin with and I feel like it’s just so very... basic (like: potatoes and meat/sausages + milk products). There’s also many regional dishes that I haven’t eaten because I’m from the East Finland and those are popular in the West or so, and some of these sound really disgusting too. And I want to leave out desserts like mämmi or other foods like Karelain pies and focus on actualy dishes not... So I’d say my favorite is Karjalanpaisti aka the Karelian hot pot (UK)/Karelian stew (US) so it also has bit of Russian roots for it, too. It’s more common here in the East and I don’t know about other families, but that is what my mom makes as the main food for Christmas but sometimes she cooks it even if it wasn’t Christmas. So it’s just beef, pork  and liver stew and eaten with potatoes. The broth also tastes sooooo good if you put butter on a rye bread and then dip the bread in the broth! I usually don’t eat the beed/pork pieces because I have to chew them for so long that they become so dry and lose all the taste, but I LOVE liver. And during the few past years my mom has bought local, organic Highland cow liver and made us our own stew without the beef/pork (unless beef is organic since I only eat organic meat) and omg, it’s just so good :D

And another one worth mentioning: fried vendace! It’s a small fresh water fish (’muikku’ in Finnish) and it’s a famous dish (’paistetut muikut’) especially here in Finnish Lakeland. These are always the highlight of the summer when the vendace/fish restaurants open and you get the summer’s first (and often the last too because of money lol) fried vendace meal from a restaurant :p

***

7. three words from your native language that you like the most?

- Niin kuin / Niiku / Niiko. This is a filler word, you can start a sentence with it or put it anywhere. It basically means the same as saying “like” in the middle of a sentence in English. Like, the way I’m doing now. It depends on the dialect which version one chooses to use, “niiko” is not typica for my dialect but I’ve adopted it to my speech anyway.

- Kylömä. This is a dialect word, typical for my dialect, it comes from the written word “kylmä” which means “cold”. Here in the East we like additional letters, especially vowels, so this often becomes “kylymä”. And when wanting to make it even more Savo dialect-ish, you say “kylömä”.

- Häh? / Täh? That’s right, German is not the only language with a word for the question mark mood - Finns also will say “hä???” when something goes over our heads. I think it comes from the word “mitä” which means “what”, which then has evolved into “mitäh” and from there to “täh” and finally to “häh?” But I’m not a linguist, it just sounds most logical for me like this. I also like other Finnish interjections and I wish I had similar words in English.

***

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

Finland isn’t really that superstitious anymore. Back in the day, before modern religions, Finland was very much superstitious and especially into magic a lot. And there were gods everywhere, if you saw a face in the tree, it could have been nothing else but the forest god. And what still playfully lives from these eras of magic and spells are the spells we’re talking about during Midsummer. Mostly they were about running around naked and doing random things like sleeping with flowers under your pillow in order to see your future parten in your dream, or do things in order to get good luck at future marriage. But I don’t know if anyone does those anymore, we just playfully joke about them every year.

Talking of Midsummer, I think I need to mention here our tradition about: drowning. That’s right, in Finland there’s always a number of people drowning during Midsummer because alcohol and swimming don’t go together but people still go swimming while they’re drunk and then accidents happen... So, whenever the Midsummer approaches, everyone is wishing for good weather so they can go out and have fun and get drunk with others (except for me because I’m an introverted teetotaler who hates people and heat waves lol) but at the same time we’re wishing for a bad weather so as little people would drown as possible. The better the weather, the more people will drown. But still if the weather is bad, it makes everyone angry because they wished for better weather but at least more lives are saved, then... So you can basically never win, as long as people will go swimming while drunk and forget to look after their friends (because they’re also too drunk to notice someone disappeared).

***

14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV?

Not really. There only a few comedy shows that I really like - Kummeli being the ultimate best and I pretty much grew up with that show. I don’t like Finnish drama series nor movies because I just can’t stand the acted Finnish. It sounds the same as normal spoken language too but I just can SEE from the people they are acting and it gets on my nerves so much. Plus Finland loves melancholy so we can’t even have police series without it being about human relations instead of investigating stuff and people are just constantly lying, angry at each other and crying 24/7. I don’t like that sort of negativity at all, it makes me just angry myself.

Plus Finland only has like 5 different actors that are in every goddamned show and movie, and then we also have just like 3 different people who are hosts in radios and tv shows and like... why??? Kinda tired of seeing the same faces everywhere all the time!

But I have to mention that a few good movies have come from Finland during the past couple of years: Tom of Finland is actually a great movie and it’s great for anyone interested in the LGBT+ history (especially the gay community’s) too as it tells about this Finnish artist whose drawings have inspired many today’s praised LGBT+ icons too. I don’t know if you can find it with foreign subtitles or so yet as it’s mainly spoken in Finnish. The same director also made a movie about Tolkien, this one is entirely in English (apart from a few pseudo-Finnish words here and there because Finnish inspired Tolkien a lot in real life too) but it was a good movie anyway.

***

15. a saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get?

Well, in Finland we have this phenomenon called “Suomi mainittu, torilla tavataan!” aka we get so excited everytime Finland is mentioned anywhere even a little so everyone gotta “meet” at a market place to celebrate it. It literally means “Finland mentioned, let’s meet at the market place!” No matter what is the original language of where the mention is, and it doesn’t matter if we don’t understand the language, if we can clearly tell it’s about Finland, we need to leave a comment in Finnish and go crazy about it because our lil country was noticed somewhere finally.

And here’s an extra one:

Source. Write “Finnish bus stop” on Google and you get tens of these photos. We really love our personal space.

***

16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with?

I don’t know if we have any wrong stereotypes? I even tried googling this and I agreed with every single one of them? :D But I googled a little bit more and apparently people tend to see Finns as very rude because of our introverted and emotionless nature and I have to disagree with this one. Yes we’re introverted (but still extroverts exist too, I myself am an ambivert) and especially our monotonous language can make us seem very emotionless as well, but the “rudeness” comes from the fact we show our respect by not paying too much attention to others. We even run away from people we know if I we happen to see them in a supermarket and they didn’t see us yet, we’re ust shy! :D I’m also pretty sure that the dark, Finnish sense of humour (we’re the kings of dank memes btw) can also often go way over other people’s heads and what we meant as a deadpan dark humour can seem like something very offending to those who have gotten used to a very different and more light-hearted humour.

Finns can seem very pessimistic. I was once watching a video, because I’m learning German, about how different the people of Berlin are to other Germans and they have this very similar “attitude” to things as people from Nordic Countries too: instead of saying “oh that’s a great one” we tend to say “well it could be worse”, but we mean exactly the same with this.

Finns are also very humble and we just HATE bragging and we don’t like it at all if someone else is bragging about themselves, which is why especially Americans easily get our nerves. We even have a saying that goes “self praise stinks” because no one likes someone who loves themselves too loudly. That’s why we find it hard to take in compliments and instead of a “Oh thank you!” you get something like “Oh that was nothing, really, not a big deal at all...” but on the inside we’re very flattered, just too shy to show our true feelings.

I guess this answers to the both aspects of this question!

***

19. do you like your country’s flag and/or emblem? what about the national anthem?

The flag is a white one with a blue cross and yeah it’s nice. It looks calm and it’s just... simple. At least I don’t have trouble remembering which color is which unlike with all those flags with two or more stripes. I legit cannot remember in which order they go in which countries’ flags and whether a country as horizontal or vertical stripes. So at least that is nice, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be able to draw the Finnish flag either. I associate the colors with Finland because they’ve always been there so I couldn’t even imagine a different kind of flag at all.

The emblem then is a yellow lion on a red background, with some swords. And flowers because... why the heck not? No but I honestly have no clue why it’s a lion. There’s never been lions in Finland? Other than in zoos and our biggest wild cat species is lynx so... why a lion? (I clearly have to do some googling here.)

The national anthem is a bit boring one and I don’t know if I’ve ever even read the full lyrics. At least I never could memorize them... but I guess it sounds like... Finland.

***

22. what makes you proud about your country? what makes you ashamed?

I’m proud about lots of things. There’s many things Finland has done right and what other countries should really learn from, e.g. how to deal with homelessness. And how a democratic country actually works. And how cops should actually be like - there’s more racism from other agencies than from the police in Finland, and withing the past 20 years only 7 people have died from polices’ bullets and they were occassions where these people were going to harm other people or themselves. And every time a police uses their gun, that will be investigated thoroughly to see if anything was done wrong there and if it looks like there was no right to use the gun, there will be consequences.

There’s also lots of things that cannot really compared to the other European countries, like the laws about animals, for example. I eat organic meat that comes from Finland because it’s nothing like the meat industry in other places in Europe (I think all Nordic Countries are a lot like Finland with this). An ex-friend once tried to convince me of why also organic meat is bad and animals get treated badly but this person did not understand that you can’t send me photos from farms in another European country far from Finland because it is so far from how things are in Finland to begin with. Our animal right laws are a lot stricter than anywhere else in the Europe and I really trust the agriculture of Finland and there are no big secrets, most farmers also have voluntarily signed up to a website that shows their vet checkup results etc. publicly, which is great because it means they care about the animals too and not just about making money. (Of course Finland is not perfect and occassionally farms with terrible animal healthcare issues are found and there’s still lots of things where we could improve, but I’m saying that, at the moment, animals in Finland [and Nordic Countries] do have a lot better rights and lives than anywhere else in Europe or even in the World we have only a small portition of the problems that are present in other European countries’ intensive farming habits on a daily basis.)

And from here we get to what makes me ashamed: our justice system. It’s way too easy on people! I mean, our “lifetime” is not lifetime, every goddamned murderer will get to walk free after a decade or so, sometimes a lot earlier if they are behaving nice, and we have already had so many cases where someone has got out and then killed yet another person. But for some reason we just can’t keep murderers behind the bars because apparently Finland believes that sociopaths won’t kill ever again if they behave nice in the jail (which btw are more like hotels here). And what about rapists, child abusers and other assholes? Oh, no jailtime, fine is fine!!! Or maybe in parole but nah, why bother put them behind the bars :) And despite the great animal rights laws, the consequences in animal rights crimes are nonexistent. You might get fined and they can forbid you from ever owning an animal again, but absolutely no one is supervising this. There’s so many animal hoarder/abuser cases where animals have been taken away and they’ve been fined and told that they are not allowed to keep animals anymore, and it won’t take too long until they again have a house full of animals, or they are again charged for animal abuse. And nothing ever changes.

But I’m also really ashamed of those loud asshats who keep shouting their right-wing views. What especially gets on my nerves is that when ever a transgender person is mentioned, these people just can’t keep their mouths shut but they just have to be there in the comments saying how... okay I don’t even bother saying what they say, you all know what transphobics say so all that bullshit and it just annoys me so much because I KNOW they are doing that on purpose to be provocative but I so wish I had some huge mallet I could beat sensibility in their heads but I also know they will never change their minds because they’ve already decided to think like that and they want to just upset others with their opinions. I just hope everyone would walk away from them because if no one answers for them, I’m sure they would stop eventually because no one bothers to continue bullying if there’s no one around to bully anymore.

***

26. does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal?

Very rarely. Usually it’s another “torilla tavataan” moment if Finland is mentioned in an American TV as it’s so rare, and usually then everyone will know about it even if they wouldn’t be interested in the media. Usually there’s been a Finnish person or a person with Finnish roots making that media whenever it gets mentioned (e.g. Iron Sky was made by a Finnish team). But usually it’s rather annoying because of course Russia is always mentioned everywhere and sometimes even Sweden! But Finland? Neverheard. Which probably is the reason because most Americans have never even heard of Finland and they have absolutely no clue where that is and if that is even a real place.

More often Finland is linked to Santa Claus but even then they get it wrong because Americans believe Santa comes from the North Pole and the North Pole is not in Finland (and Santa comes from Finland and not from the North Pole :D). And one common belief is also that there’s polar bears in Finland. No, there is none. Just regular Eurasian brown bears but no polar bears.

[she-who-the-river-could-not-hold]

10 Questions Tag Game

Rules: Answer 10 questions, ask 10, and tag 10 people however many people your heart desires to answer them

Thank you for tagging me @angstybleuskies!!! This whole thing reminded me that I need to get back into reading alsfksdfs 🖤

What is your favorite book? OH LORD. I feel like I’ve always changed my answer based on my age and however much of a snob I was as a teenager. It always used to be Harry Potter, and then it was Pillars of the Earth because I was a pretentious 15 year old, and then it was Gone Girl.

What is your favorite book quote? I’m not a huge quote person! 

What are you currently reading? Sadly nothing omg I’m ashamed. I had a great streak going where I read a book once a month for the last like year and a half, and then quarantine hit and I turned into Jared, 19. I do have a pile of them staring at me so maybe I’ll start reading some soon

Do you like sci-fi or contemporary books? I’d love to get more into sci-fi books! I only recently started being interested in sci-fi as a genre in film and TV, so my book experience is woefully lacking. Which I guess means contemporary then! If that’s what murder mysteries fall into? That’s all my family sends me asldfjsd (tbh my mom supplies the majority of my books now so I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction too).

Urban fantasy or contemporary? OH MAN that’s tricky!! My gut is urban fantasy but I also don’t feel like I’ve read very many of those so realistically it must still be contemporary then? 

Sci-fi or Fantasy? Fantasy! Forever and always owns my heart

Favorite female heroine? Favorite male hero? oh GOSH. When I was younger I think I would say Maximum Ride would have been my favorite heroine, at least in terms of female characters being front and center. Hermione and Katniss are up there too. Male hero would I guess be Harry Potter?? Look my mom was a rockstar I essentially only read books with female main characters except for HP and one or two of the Alex Rider books. Otherwise it was only ladies!!

Favorite page-to-screen adaptation? Oh thank god an easy question asdflkjds it’s 1000% Gone Girl. I will scream from the rooftops for the rest of my life how great of an adaptation it was and how much Gillian Flynn was absolutely robbed for not even getting NOMINATED at the Oscars when everyone thought she would win!! It’s appalling!!!! It’s soo so good I remember being so shook after I saw it in theaters (the only not great part is Neil Patrick Harris’ casting I still don’t stand by that but it is what it is and the adaptation is still otherwise perfect).

Favorite Author? During my snobby years it was Ken Follet! Though I do want to read the rest of Gillian Flynn’s works. Idk hahaha I read so many random books now and hate JKR with every fiber of my being sooo….

What is your most anticipated upcoming release? I don’t track book releases anymore so unfortunately none! I just wait for my mom to send me some but they’re all old since she gets them at library sales alkdsfj

I’m tagging: @captainwilldameron, @formerlyjannafaye, @braveprincess, @lucascsinclairs, @thewiitchergeralt, @the-proud-princess, @aspeckof-stardust, @probably-voldemort, and @the-most-beautiful-broom!

My questions are under the cut!

What was your dream job as a child and do you still hold onto it in your heart? Or are you like lol what was I even thinking? ...or is it what you do now?

Do you celebrate Halloween and if yes, what is your favorite costume you’ve ever done?

Quick! We’re going on a road trip, what snacks do you bring for yourself?

Is there a dream skill you’d like to learn someday? Can be super achievable or really far out there!

What’s a memory you have that still makes you laugh out loud when you think about it?

What movie or TV world would you like to live in?

Your top three fanfic tropes that always reel you in?

Have you ever collected anything and is there a reason behind it? Do you still collect that item?

If there’s a regional or local food chain/restaurant where you live, does it actually live up to the hype? (I’m obsessed by local chains and will use your words as a personal recommendation)

Is there a conspiracy theory that you low key (or high key) believe in?

[whimsicottonnee]

The Thesis of Pokemon Games : Why The Galar Region and SWSH Games Offers a Complete Reworking of the Series’ Central Thesis

 Pokémon as a plot-driven series can, first and foremost, be characterized by its insistence on the dual concepts of nostalgia and locality : particularly when combined as ‘local nostalgia.’

I’m not really going to go into my whole argument of how this is pulled off by the game developers and which aspects best contribute and remind us of ‘local nostalgia’ because most of us already know. All it takes is one listen of the ost for Twinleaf Town or Aspertia Town for players to become intensely nostalgic for older games. The running theme of the player’s mother, in my opinion, is one of the major keys to achieving this, as well.

So, the theses of pokémon games (or at least a good number of them!!) deal with the player’s local sphere and the expansion of it. It’s a game about going off to college or just simply moving away from home. It doesn’t have to be the player’s lifelong home, necessarily. Shadows of Almia, the Hoenn games, and the Alola games are the best examples I can think of where expanding your local sphere does not necessarily mean that the player’s never been outside of the in-game residence before. But despite being from another region, Chicole Village is undoubtedly the player’s home in Shadows of Almia. Partner Farm is the bedrock to which the player returns, repeatedly, to meet old friends and family before embarking off again to an adventure even further away. In the Alola games, the player has recently moved from Kanto, yet it’s clear through gameplay and character interactions that the player considers Hau’oli Outskirts to be their home. The player’s mother, equally key to constructing a hometown as the score partnered with it, is another symbol of nostalgia. The game’s storytelling, in most if not every game, is designed so that the player only knows their mother as a kind, warm, supportive, and ever welcoming presence : home is where the heart lies or “east or west, home is best.” So, in embarking from these cozy, nostalgic areas with the warm wishes of your mother, the innocent aspiration of moving out is well-portrayed in the series.

Here is where ‘backyard theory,’ as I like to call it, begins. The player (save for the Galar player, who routinely has the secret of meeting characters and locations spoiled by Hop) has very little, if any, knowledge of the region that surrounds their cozy hometown. The player must gain their first pokémon and travel down unfamiliar routes catching more and more unfamiliar pokémon. There is guidance to the story, of course. Roadblocks are constructed to prevent entering “too-difficult” levels, and a combination of the professor, rivals, and enemies provide incremental story, but there’s room to explore. Some games leave enough room that players get lost their first run-through (@ the Sinnoh and Johto games). Each town is new, and the player is welcome to aimlessly explore these areas : speak with the locals, peek into apartment buildings and chat with the occupants, accept items from kind npcs who reinvigorate the optimistic worldview of the series, etc. In time, the player expects theme songs to play at certain areas, expects the sounds that the pokémon make, and expects dialogue. Previously unfamiliar buildings become “oh that’s Guzma’s dad’s house” or “that’s where the boy who plays Unwavering Emotions lives.” And while this is a mechanic of most games (after all, exploration is a fundamental aspect to rpg), the pokémon games take it further.

Certain symbols become emblematic. The Pokecenter, in particular, becomes a bedrock of nostalgia. It certainly helps that the theme is only altered, never rewritten, between every iteration of the series. Soon, the player’s backyard and local sphere is no longer confined to their hometown but encompasses the entire region. Every player has a ‘first time’ entering Undella Town, but the music becomes hauntingly nostalgic once players have become familiar with it. There’s a reason why, despite only being a route theme, DPPT’s Route 209 got a remix in the latest Smash rather than, say, Sycamore’s Theme.

So, once the climax occurs (be it capturing Giratina or saving N from the actions of his abusive father or helping Lusamine’s loved ones save her from her own derangement), it’s not the Champion-to-Be but instead the local girl from Twinleaf Town with the Eterna Roserade and the Snowbelle Snover and is friends with the swimmer kids down by the resort. The varying plots of the various pokémon games aside, the climax of the series is when the local sphere become the entire region. And it’s at this point that you’ve earned being the Champion, regardless of your team’s coverage and levels.

Alola, in a sense, did one of the best jobs in capitalizing on this universal thesis in making the Champion theme, the player’s theme, an extraordinary remix of the entire game’s theme, but that’s another meal altogether.

 Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield turn all of this on its head. There are so many npcs that the player cannot speak to, and, in most of the larger cities, there are more npcs that the player cannot interact with than there are npcs the player can interact with. Motostoke struck me significantly in the beginning of the game because I ran around the city wondering why there were so many public areas, like shops and boutiques and plot-related venues, that I could explore but only three or four private residences that I could enter. Most npcs are found in passing along the street. As they pass the player, a small speech bubble pops over their head as if they’re mumbling to themself or merely speaking to the player in passing. Fundamentally, the player cannot interact with the locals. Most places that the player does explore is also heavily driven by the plot with either Leon or Hop telling the player to go to them in order to advance the… ‘story.’

The ‘story’ is going gym to gym with repeated encouragement or roadblock without being allowed to consider the weight of heavier concerns : i.e. the chairman killing the entire region through a weirdly futuristic pokémon that supposedly is thousands of years old. Everyone the player can speak with in the towns already knows the player, since the ‘Gym Challenge’ is broadcasted on regional telly for private enjoyment (another mesh of public and private spheres that simply feels jarring for such a private-based series). Many npcs will tell the player “I’m routing for you, you know!” or “You’re my favorite Gym Challenger!” without giving any information about themself. The player no longer expands their local spheres ; they simply allow locals to get to know the regional superstar.

The climax of the game is the player saving Leon after he has already significantly weakened the legendary pokémon on the player’s behalf so that the player may succeed in finishing Eternatus off and capturing it like any other Dynamax pokémon. Thus, the three who ultimately save the region from being sucked of its life by the Darkest Day are the three superstars who have had their entire careers broadcasted regionally on television.

The player’s mom never calls or shows up throughout the game once the player leaves their hometown, and she’s never given a personality. She’s cute, alright. milf rights. But one of the wonders to many other pokémon games is the knowledge that your mother had something similar once. I’ve been referencing the Sinnoh, Unova, and Alola games a lot, but I truly think these games understood ‘local nostalgia’ the best of the main series games. In the Sinnoh games, the player’s mother shows up in Hearthome and speaks of old days in the Contest Hall. In Unova, the player’s mom seems well-acquainted with cleaning up the mess left after pokémon battles. In Kalos, once of the more shallow games in the series for local nostalgia, the player’s mom was a famous Rhyhorn racer with a story of her own. In Alola, the player’s mom’s Meowth and her friendship with Kukui paint her character vibrantly ; it also certainly helps that one of the end cutscenes to the game is the reiteration of the first cutscene with her on the deck relishing the Alolan sea breeze. In Galar, however, there is none of that characterization. Her own pokémon, a Kanto Munchlax, says nothing of her character ; why not give her something that lets the player understand that she is a Galarian village mom? Give her a Skwovel or a cute Chewtle to characterize her. She never encourages the player to come home for a nap if the player ever gets tired. And, so, despite the hometown theme being really lovely and charming (and the Budews in the front yard being a heartwrench), the idea of nostalgia is almost nonexistent in the game.

My personal take on the nostalgia of Postwick is not within the game itself. It’s more the idea of Postwick, for me. The hype of the game and the humor behind the starter release and the lovely lofi remixes that came out for the trailer themes before the Debates began is what is nostalgic for me. Driving through the desert around the town I live in with the windows down in the one-hundred-degree heat listening to SWSH lofi remixes is what makes me nostalgic for Postwick : not the narrative of the game.

And, while that’s a personal experience, all of the other above reasons are why Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield simply feel hollow. There was a sacrifice of local nostalgia for the sake of how ‘cool’ superstars can be.

[luv-surveys]

38

Put your music player on shuffle and list the first 10 songs.

hungarian march - hector berlioz

by your side (klischee remix) - klischee & tim freitag

memories (drinks bring back) - ajay stephens (cover)

lone digger - caravan palace

confident - demi lovato

rasputin - boney m.

second suite in f major, movement iv - gustav holst

slavonic fantasy - milan rericha

ma vlast, the moldau - bedrich smetana

cinnamon girl (club edit) - [dunkelbunt]

If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Would you take anyone with you? i would spend a week in japan with my boyfriend, because i’ve always wanted to visit japan and tokyo and immerse myself in their culture -- it’s so fascinating!

What is your preferred writing implement? (eg. Blue pen, pencil, green pen) black pen.

Favorite month and why? i’m going to say may, because it’s pretty and warm and school is wrapping up (although maybe not this year...).

Do you have connections to any celebrities (even minor)? List them. nope.

Name 3 items you could pick up from where you are. my phone, my water bottle, and my lamp.

What brand logo is closest to you currently? asus.

Do you ever play board games or other non-computer games? Got any favorites? i occasionally play board games, mostly with my family or at my boyfriend’s house. my brother-in-law loves board games so we usually play one when we visit. my personal favorite board game is the game of life.

Name a musical artist you love that isn’t well known. caravan palace! i love electroswing and they’re top-tier. electroswing is a very underrated genre of music in my opinion.

Name a musical artist you love that is well known. i really like the beatles!

What is your desktop background currently? it’s my marching band section from my sophomore year at senior recognition.

Last person you talked to, and through what you talked to them? i last talked to my friend through discord.

First color name you can think of that isn’t in the rainbow? pink lol.

What timekeeping devices are in the room you are currently in? there’s my alarm clock, my phone, and my computer.

What kind of headphones do you use? i use apple earbuds and soundpal sonobass headphones.

What musical artists have you seen perform live? i’ve seen the trans-siberian orchestra perform live... and that’s it.

Does virginity matter to you? it does.

What gaming consoles do you or your family own? we own a nintendo 64, a supernintendo, a playstation, a wii, and a switch.

What pets do you have? i have a dog.

What’s the best job you’ve ever had? i’ve never had a job.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? still never had a job!

What magazines do you read, if any? i don’t read magazines anymore.

Inspiration behind your URL? it’s aesthetic and it’s about surveys. and i “luv” surveys.

Inspiration behind your blog title? i don’t have a blog.

Favorite item of clothing? probably my mom jeans, i always feel extra cute when i wear them.

Are you friends with any exes? nope.

Name at least one book you loved as a child. i loved little house on the prarie.

What’s your native language? If that language has distinct regional variations, which variation? (eg. AU English, US English) my native language is american english.

What email service do you use? i use gmail and outlook.

Is there anything hanging on the walls of the room you are currently in? there’s a calendar and posters from marching band and winter percussion.

What’s your favorite number, and why? i like 4. it’s just very simple and even.

Earliest moment in your life you can remember? standing at the window in my dining room and looking at my neighbor’s house. my mom came over and told me that a little girl lived there and i was going to meet her. she was my best friend for 10 years.

What did you have for dinner yesterday? we had chicken fingers, asparagus, and macaroni and cheese.

How often do you brush your teeth? twice daily.

What’s your favorite candy/chocolate? i like heath bars.

Have you had other blogs on Tumblr? Do you have any other blogs currently? yes, i had a blog where i would post “aesthetic” pictures in middle school, and then a studyblr.

If you were suddenly really hungry, what would you choose to eat? right now, i’d probably eat some cheez-its.

What fandoms would you consider yourself a part of? pokemon, legend of zelda, avatar the last airbender, harry potter, puella magi madoka magica. just look at the reddits i’ve joined haha.

If you could study anything, what would it be? music!

Do you use anything on your lips? (eg. Chapstick, gloss, balm, lipstick) yes, i use burt’s bees chapstick.

How would you describe your sense of humour? it’s sarcastic and spontaneous.

What things annoy you more than anything else? mean people, people who aren’t open-minded, dry hands.

What kind of position are you in at the moment? i’m cross-legged on my bed.

Do you wear much jewelry?

nope.

Who is the leader of your country, currently? Any other levels of government with leaders? (State, region, province, county, district, municipality, etc) our current leader is president trump. we have a state and local government but i don’t know the leaders of those.

What do you carry your money in? it’s in my purse.

Do you enjoy driving? Why or why not? it’s okay. i enjoy it but it’s stressful and i keep having nightmares where i’m a terrible driver haha.

Longest drive you have ever been on? we’ve driven about six hours i believe.

Furthest away from home you have ever been? when i went to russia.

How many times have you moved in your life? i’ve never moved.

What is on the floor of the room you’re currently in, not including furniture?

my trash can, my mirror, my hamper, pillows, music, my instruments, my music stand, and my backpack.

How many devices do you own which can access the internet? five.

Is there is anything that is guaranteed to always make you happy? yes, sleep haha.

Is there anything that always makes you sad? watching titanic haha.

What programs do you currently have open? i have chrome open.

What do you associate the color red with? passion.

Last strong smell you can remember smelling? the vanilla mug cake i made earlier.

Last healthy thing you ate? dinner (which was chicken fingers, asparagus, and mac n cheese).

Do you drink tea or coffee, and how much per day? i do not.

What do you associate the color blue with? the ocean.

How long is the closest ruler you can find? it’s probably one foot.

What color pants/skirt/etc are you currently wearing? light blue.

When was the last time you drank water? about 30 minutes ago.

How often do you clear your browser history? maybe once a month.

Do you believe nude photos can be artistic, rather than erotic? yep.

Ever written fanfiction for anything? yes, i wrote neopets fanfiction when i was younger LOL.

Last formal event you attended? my awards for marching band.

If you had to move your birthday to another date, which one would you choose and why? i would choose mid january, because i’m tired of being the youngest in the grade! fall birthdays suck :(

Would you prefer to be at a beach or in the countryside? the beach.

Roughly how many people live in your town? about 15000.

Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? nope.

Favorite place to shop? Can be a certain store or a place where there are multiple stores a mall about 45 minutes away from my house.

Do you have a smartphone? What kind? If you don’t, do you want one? i have an iphone 8.

What is your favorite colour, and why? my favorite color is yellow, because it’s a happy bright color :)

How do you spell grey/gray? i spell it gray.

Go to your dashboard and describe the image shown in the radar section (below the “Find blogs” link) it’s a cat in a plant! :D

What difference is there between how many followers you have, and the number of blogs you follow? 51 lmaoo.

How many posts do you have? this is my 40th post.

How many posts have you liked? i’ve liked 21 posts.

Do you post mainly reblogs, or your own content? it’s mostly my own content, but i take the surveys from other accounts.

Do you track any tags? i don’t believe so.

What time is it currently? it’s 12:18am.

Is there anything you should be doing right now? sleeping, probably haha.