#this goes for anyone interested in downloading the first season

[theshadowbendersblog]

*Big One Piece Spoiler ahead*

I'm currently watching this show which aired in 1982 and ran for like a year, called "Mysterious Cities of Gold". It's quite an old series and very hard to find. Over the past couple of years many fans tried to upload it on various sites all over the internet but for some reason or the other, the show was taken out only a few weeks or a couple of months after the show was uploaded. Even if you try to google the show, most of the sites will tell you it was only one season but in reality it was 4 seasons. If anyone is up for it, I can provide links if it's still available. I was lucky enough to have been able to download all 4 seasons of it.

The show is interesting because it has so many similarities with one piece and i think Oda took some inspiration from it because

1. Back when the first season aired, Oda was probably just a kid

2. It even aired on Japanese television soon after, with the name "Taiyou no ko Estaban" (son of the sun Estaban)

The show is about the protagonist Estaban who lives in Barcelona, somewhat parallel to Luffy. Estaban can also command the sun and make skies clear even during the strongest of storms or rainfalls.

There are 3 more characters who run parallel with some op characters, Zia, an Incan girl who can read old and rare Incan texts and thus the Spanish govt. was always after her and in several instances they kidnapped her to find out what the incan scripts said about the cities of gold (El Dorado). She's parallel to Robin's character. There's a guy named Tao who's a descendant of an old advanced civilization called Mu who were known as the people of the Sun. They were famous for harvesting and using the power of the sun and they were technologically advanced (again somewhat parallel to the ancient advanced civilization in op). He's just like Usopp, good at fixing things and very crafty. In fact it was him who first provided the team with their first ship called Solaris. It had solar panels instead of sails and it had the power to run the ship 100 times faster than a normal ship running on sails. And just like Going merry, it got destroyed in an event. The second mode of transport they got was not a ship but a plane that looks like a bird.

Estaban was saved by a Spanish govt. navigator when he was just a baby. Ten years before the current timeline, the navigator named Mendoza (somewhat parallel to Shanks, since he uses one handed sword techniques and saved Estaban in the sea just like shanks saved kid Luffy) spotted a wrecked ship on a stormy night and the only survivors were Estaban and his father. The man hands Estaban over to Mendoza and then he was washed away. Ever since, Mendoza had been keeping an eye on Estaban. Estaban's father also handed Estaban a medallion on his neck that turns out to be one of the 2 keys to open 7 cities of gold that is scattered all around the world.

The story goes like this, many years ago there existed 2 advanced civilizations, Mu and Atlantis. They fought a huge war against each other over power resources. Alas they ended up destroying each other. Later some survivors of the Mu empire built 7 cities of gold all around the world where they hid tonnes of gold and several ancient technologies for the betterment of the world, and handed down 2 medallions to 2 generations of families. And as time passed, the medallions kept getting passed on among certain families and one ended up with Estaban and the other ended up with Zia. The high priest of the first city of gold (turns out he was estaban's father) said that the advanced civilization was so powerful and so technologically advanced that the survivors of the Mu empire knew that any adult who gets their hands on these powerful resources and tonnes of gold, would surely get greedy and fall to the bad side. And if the adults started fighting for these powerful technologies, they would end up using these advanced technologies again to destroy the world.

This is where it gets important for guessing what one piece could be. The high priest said the cities of gold and the keys to their doors were wished to have fallen into the hands of kids, because a child's innocence and wonder would never let the advanced technologies be used for bad purposes, like greed for power and war.

We are now aware of how there existed an ancient advanced civilization in one piece too, that created cool robots like the one in Egghead island. And to think the robot is so advanced that even a man like Dr. Vegapunk couldn't get it activated or figure out what fuel does it run on.

What if, one piece is a child's toy? A toy that children of the 800 years old ancient civilization built and played with!! This is something Oda could do, a gag ! And he simply doesn't do gags, he makes things so silly, yet so meaningful. Where, if this theory is taken into account, and we consider that the one piece is indeed a toy that the children of the ancient advanced civilization played with, at the same time it could also turn out that the toy itself was so advanced that it was like a powerful technology for the normal humankind.

To support my theory even further, back when Roger and his crew visited Laugh-tale and figured out what one piece is, Roger laughed and even said something close to "I came at a wrong time, this is not my time to reveal or use the one piece". It's something that people are so serious about that they wanna turn the whole world down. But only someone with the innocence of a child can actually use the one piece, since no adult can value a toy as much as a child can. Which is why if recalled, op has always shown how boys like Luffy, Chopper, Usopp and the boys from Punk hazard are so fascinated with robots and cool mechanical machineries. And the term "man's romance" is always stressed at times like these.

If anyone has seen Ben 10 alien force and recalls that one episode where a mysterious cube shaped alien technology was mimicking anyone who attacked it, like Gwen, Kevin, their powers, and even transformed into every one of Ben's aliens and it seemed like a totally destructive and advanced weapon. But it turns out, it was just a child's toy from some higher dimension and the child's mother later came to earth and picked up the toy, saying that her kid had dropped the toy somewhere back when they came to the lower dimension on the earth, for a family picnic. Or to hang out or something like that.

I feel this little Ben 10 alien force scene is a coincidental yet strong correspondence with the theory i have proposed above. In short what I'm guessing is, there's a huge chance that in a story like one piece where Oda likes to just mess around like what children would like the most, with cartoonish art style and funny gags, where he not only shows us serious stuff, but never fails to make us laugh with his cartoonish composition of manga panels and the over all story, the one piece could very well be just a toy, like a robot or some sort of weapon or a machinery, which to normal humankind, would look like a powerful weapon and the adults will surely try to obtain it for their selfish desires. Whereas, only a child's innocence could make the utmost use of it.

[devildom-moss]

You know that hit game FNAF?

I hope you do.

Anyways, could you write headcanons about how well the side characters would be at playing it?

Thanks <3

Okay, so I have never played this game - or really had any interest in playing it, so I watched some guy play one of the games, and I did a bit of research. Sorry this took so long! I did my best, though... I'm finally almost done with requests. I've got two more left (good news for the Solomon lovers).

The others playing FNAF headcanons (dateables + new sides)

Diavolo

Diavolo downloaded it after tuning in to one of Levi’s streams.

He found it amusing. Scary animatronics are so entertaining – although he thinks they’re more cute than scary.

Laughs in the face of jump scares and death. “Haha, look, Barbatos. The big fox one killed me. I’m dead now.” / “That’s very nice, My Lord. Did you finish your paperwork already?” / “. . .uhm.” / “You have ten seconds before we reenact your game. I’ll be the fox.”

Does not care about the lore. He’ll listen and might retain some details when Levi explains it, but he will not dig deep or look for easter eggs.

He kinda sucks, but he has a good time, and isn’t that what matters? He’s not super careful or watchful because it’s just a game. There’s nothing at stake, so he can relax and just mess around.

His favorite character is Foxy, and it’s genuinely as simple as “he’s red, and he’s a pirate.”

Barbatos

He has no interest in playing at first.

Slight aside: I think he’d like horror games, but he strikes me as more of a cinematic, artsy horror game guy – like Bramble or Little Nightmares. He also strikes me as someone who might enjoy farming sims, like he would love Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons. Pumpkin Panic would probably be a happy medium.

He’ll play if Diavolo, MC, or Luke ask him to; for anyone else, he’ll politely decline. Surprisingly, he’s not too bad. He’ll probably die once or twice, but he figures out what he has to do pretty quickly.

Barbatos doesn’t react to jump scares, and he avoids them as much as possible. He can play without moving his face – at least until one of the three people who could get him to play compliments him. In that case, he’ll smile a bit wider.

Nothing in that game could be more horrifying to Barbatos than Chuck E. Cheese – a real human world place where people take their children for some unfathomable reason. It’s run by a rat! That’s one of the reasons he won’t play if Solomon asks him too. One time Solomon loaded a Chuck E. Cheese mod version of the game that he asked Levi to make, and Barbatos nearly broke the control from fright.

Luke

The game is a little too scary for his liking, but he still plays it occasionally – just not alone. He gets more paranoid and jumpier for a few days after he plays, but he’ll insist that he’s fine to keep playing if anyone asks.

He’s not great, but he’s still the best out of everyone at Purgatory Hall. He tenses up and just either goes wide-eyed or starts yelling at the characters in the game, but other than that, at least he knows what he’s doing.

Luke likes all the toy versions of the animatronics because they look cute, but the nightmare ones freak him out.

A wave of relief washes over him once he beats a game. He’s so happy that he can finally turn the game off.

Simeon

This poor man does not understand how to play – at all. He forgets which keys do what constantly, so he can’t react fast enough.

It’s a very stressful experience for him when he tries to play – all 10 minutes or so before he loses. Simeon doesn’t get scared so much as he just repeatedly asks what he’s supposed to do with increasing urgency.

Simeon would prefer to watch someone else play, but overall, he isn’t that interested in the game.

However, Simeon does find the lore and story interesting, so if he watches Levi or Luke playing, he’ll ask them questions about the plot.

Somehow, watching Luke play makes him more anxious than when he plays – probably because he doesn’t want Luke to lose and be disappointed.

Solomon

Solomon enjoys it because it’s supposed to be dark and scary, but it doesn’t actually scare him at all – barring a few cheap jump scares. Still, he kind of likes it.

Unfortunately, Solomon kind of sucks. Like Diavolo, he finds the game so amusing that he just chuckles when things get stressful. He’s the type to hear or see something spooky in the game and do nothing just to see what happens. Okay, so maybe Solomon doesn’t suck, he just likes to see how the animatronics are going to get him – a real “oh boy, I sure hope I die” approach.

Solomon loves watching Luke play. It’s hilarious when Luke freaks out – and it’s even funnier to watch Simeon get nervous on his behalf.

Unironically thinks the nightmare versions are cute.

Thirteen

She hates jump scares so much.

She played once, and at the first jump scare, she let out a stifled shriek, pressed esc, put her cat ear headphones down, and left the room (to go find MC, probably).

No thank you. She doesn’t need that stress in her life. She will not try that again. She might watch someone else play but only if MC is there to comfort her or if it’s to laugh at Mammon for being scared.

She’s not afraid of the game, per se, she just doesn’t like being startled. She thinks the characters are cute, in a way - like creepy cute.

Raphael

He thinks it’s stupid, and he doesn’t understand why it’s so popular. Raphael doesn’t care for gaming in general – but especially horror. He doesn’t want to simulate a stressful situation for no reason. If he wanted stress, he’d call Michael.

Raphael will try the game if Luke asks him to, and he does alright, but gets bored right up until he messes something up and dies. You wouldn’t even be able to tell he was in trouble. An immoveable frown sits on his face the entire time.

When Luke asks if Raphael would like to try again, Raphael tells him that if he wants a spear-free computer, he won’t make Raphael play anymore. The message was received.

Raphael will only watch if Luke, Simeon, or Lucifer play, and even then, he would probably pass most of the time.

Mephisto

He doesn’t strike me as much of a gamer, either. If he does play games, he’d probably choose games that are visually stunning and at least semi-relaxing, like Journey or Flower (probably Zelda games too).

He would play it if Luke asked him to or if he wanted to do research on it for journalism purposes.

Mephisto does relatively well, but he likes to investigate a lot, so he gets a bit distracted and takes it slow sometimes. Unfortunately – or fortunately – he has a habit of stopping after losing once. He’ll pick up the game again some other day, but once he loses, he stops that game for the day. On one hand, Mephisto does not allow himself to get pulled into games that he loses, but it makes his progress slow.

When Mephisto plays, he bounces his leg the whole time to contain his anxiety. He appears relaxed, but he flinches at jump scares and his eyes widen when he’s actively trying not to die.

He’s super into the lore – call it journalistic curiosity or just call him a nerd.  

[elisysd]

Get to know you – Samantha Harvey

Masterlist - Previously - Next Chapter

TW: mention of panic attacks

You can tell me what you like We should jump right into the personal facts

“Oh Lyanna I’m so happy you finally made a friend!”

“He’s not a friend mom, he’s just my neighbor” she answers, scolding her mother while a soft smile is playing on her lips.

“Still, he’s a human being and you barely interact with people nowadays. I consider that as a progress!”

“I’m talking to people mom! It’s kinda part of my job, you know.”

“I meant willingly talking to people, Lya.”

Lyanna sighs. She is not really a social person. She only talks to people when she has to. She had never had a large group of friends. She only has three close friends that she has known since she was a kid and have been part of her life ever since. She could trust them with her life and she considers them as family. She told her mom that she had work to do and hung up. It didn’t matter if it’s half true.

She should not have talked about Charles to her mom. She will keep asking questions about him and force her to interact with her neighbor. It’s not that she was not interested in talking to him, she simply didn’t see the point of it. She will leave soon, why would she make a new friend? Her psychologist would scold her. Lyanna, you need to put yourself out there, you need to meet new people, you need to trust people. Not everyone will stab you in the back.

But a part of her wanted to prove to her mom that she was fine, that she was not alone and was following her psychologist advice. Then again, it’s not entirely true but what her mom didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, right?

She glared at the grocery shopping bags that were waiting for her in the entrance and without knowing how, her mind drifted to Charles. A good neighbor that is new in the building should try to be civilized and polite. She should go out and properly introduce herself. That’s what she was supposed to do, right? At least, she thought so. She had never done that in the past. She didn’t know how to interact with normal people. She never goes out if she doesn’t have to. Hell, she used the delivery option usually when it comes to grocery shopping. The only people she talked to are people related to work. Castmates, directors, make-up artist, hairdresser and so on. When it came to people stopping her the rare times, she was outside by herself, she put her Lyanna Michel’s mask. She was never just Lyanna, even more rarely Lya. She could feel her anxiety rising.

She reached for her phone; she plugged her headphones and almost as if she was turning into an automatic mode, she opened the application that her psychologist advised her to download when she was feeling like she was losing control. She breathed in and breathed out following the calm and soothing voice of the woman in the app.

Once she had a clear head and her breathing was steady, she opened the cupboards of her kitchen and unpacked the groceries from the bags. Food always made people happy. She wouldn’t go wrong with a cake as a “hi I’m your new neighbor” kinda thing.  At least that’s what she thought.

Two hours later she was standing in front of Charles’s apartment, a plate of chocolate muffins in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and waited. Maybe he wasn’t there? Maybe he was working? Maybe he had friends or family over and didn’t want to be disturbed? Maybe he had a girlfriend or a boyfriend? Fortunately for her (or unfortunately depending on the point of view), Charles ended her inner monologue by opening the door.

She definitely was the last person he thought would stand in front of him. He was not expecting anyone, he took his afternoon to train at home on the simulator and intended to go through his notes of the first part of the season later. Maybe go out in the evening with friends if he could find someone that was up for it. Having his neighbor over was definitely a surprise. A nice one. Out of his acquaintances, she definitely was the one he expected the less to show up at this door.

He could see that she was uncomfortable. A doe caught in the headlights would appear less frightened than her at the moment. She was shifting uncontrollably from one foot to another and her gaze was everywhere but on him.

“Hello, hi, hum… I don’t know if you remember me. I’m your neighbor, the one who lives above you and… anyway. I made muffins. Not for you specifically. I mean, you can have one if you want. Or many more, I won’t judge. What I’m trying to say is: I baked in order to introduce myself to the neighborhood and since you’re the only one that I already know I thought that I would start with you. But if I’m bothering, I can come back later. Or never. Just tell me.”

“Come in” Charles simply said.

“What? For real?”

“Well, unless you plan of eating all that by yourself here. I mean, suit yourself but sitting down would me much easier” He joked.

She nodded and followed him inside. He guided her towards an open kitchen, well equipped with sleek counters. It was way too much clean and perfect for her. As if he wasn’t using the kitchen a lot. Maybe he was the type of person who prefers ordering food online or he wasn’t at home very much.

She left the muffins on the kitchen’s bar and sat on one of the stools while Charles took two glassed from one of the cupboards and poured two glasses of water. She wasn’t feeling drinking anything other than water to be honest, her throat was dry from the anxiety.

“So you’re new to Monaco.”

It was not a question; it was a statement and it threw her of her feet a little.

“Yes, I came here because of work. I live in London originally.”

“Really? That’s so cool. Are you a Londoner born and raised?”

“Oh no. I moved there five years ago. I’m French.”

NB from the author: From there let’s pretend that all their conversations will be in French, I’ll still write them in English for obvious reasons.

“So this is where the accent comes from! It’s not noticeable at all, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what accent you had. But still, it’s there.”

“And you, are you from here?”

“Born and raised. Couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. When did you move here”

“Two weeks ago. Didn’t go out much, spent most of the time in the apartment, working. If I’m being honest, I find it hard to enjoy living here. Everything screams money everywhere. I don’t like that. Sorry.”

“Maybe you just need someone that is from here and could show you around.”

“Are you talking about you?”

“Well, yeah why not? I don’t have much to do anyway. So, you’re up for it?”

“I don’t know. I’m really busy and being out in public is not something that I like... I have to think about it.”

Seeing how uncomfortable the topic made her, Charles decided to change the subject. Deep down he knew that it was going to take up a lot of convincing to persuade her to let him guide her around Monaco, but he was determined to make her love his city. Or at least, make her tolerate it.

“So you said, you are here for work. Can I ask you what you do for a living?”

As soon as he mentioned her job, he could see a shift in her posture. Well, he seemed to know exactly how to make her at ease…

“I’m working in the entertainment industry. What about you?”

There was all the confirmation he needed. She didn’t know him. As in Charles Leclerc, F1 driver for the Scuderia Ferrari. She didn’t strike him as a F1 fan anyway in the first place, but you never know. Still as she seemed to be careful with how she was talking about her job he decided to do the same. She was nice and he didn’t think that she would run to the first tabloid if she knew what his job was, but still. Better be safe than sorry.

“I’m in the automobile industry.”

“Oh, great. Don’t know much about cars. I don’t drive and I don’t have my license, so I won’t pretend to know exactly what your job implies. Do you sell cars? Are you the one that is selling all the Ferrari I see in Monaco?” She joked.

“Well, kinda. But not really. I mean, I’m not the one to blame for all the luxurious cars around here.”

“You are really evasive about your job.”

“I could say the same thing about you.”

“True… Let’s say that my job always seems to attract bad people around me, or made me loose some people that I considered as friends.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling… sometimes I feel like my job is the only thing that defines me. People don’t look above it. I’m often reduce to it. It can be tiring but I got used to it by now.”

“Exactly! I hate that…”

A long silence followed the discussion. Charles didn’t want to rush her. He didn’t know her but he quickly understood that if she was going to talk, it would be rather on her own terms. She drank the rest of her water and contemplated the emptiness of the glass, clearly lost in thought. He right leg was bouncing. She seemed to fight he own battles inside of her. It was something Charles knew all too well.

“I know that we don’t know each other, but if I’m telling you what my job is, can you promise me to not run in the opposite direction?” she began, not looking him in the eyes.

“Not only I promise you, but also I will tell you what I do as well.” He reassured her softly.

Another long pause.

“I’m an actress.”

Seeing that Charles was not reacting, she continued.

“I came in Monaco to shoot a romcom. I’m here for three months. But maybe you saw me in the last Steven Spielberg movie, I got nominated for an Oscar for it. I don’t to want you to think I’m bragging or anything, it’s just that I want you to understand why I’m so secretive and don’t like too personal questions... I don’t want my private life to leak in the press. It happened once and it was a horrible, horrible time. So yeah… I’m very careful of who I let in in my life.”

“I’m a F1 driver. I drive for Ferrari. I travel around the world most of the year and sometimes it gets lonely. In no mean do I say that I fully understand how your job impacts your life but from my experience, I know that when you reach a certain level of fame, your entourage changes a lot. It’s harder to trust people. You never know why they are with you. But I don’t think that closing off from the rest of the world is healthy. In the end, you’re still a human being. We’re not above anyone.”

“That’s what I’m working on with my therapist. I don’t know much about F1, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t. I don’t watch a lot of movie, I don’t have the time even I would love to, so I don’t think I’ve ever seen something you’re in.”

“You don’t know how much it means to me to hear that. It’s refreshing.” She smiles softly as if he had taken a big weight off her shoulders.

“Maybe I will try to look you up online. I’m curious now. And maybe you could watch your movies with me? What do you think?”

“Only if you teach me some things about F1 and cars.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

[quetzalpapalotl]

hi im new to the transformers fandom. i watched half of season 1 of tfa and all of earthspark and Thats It. do u think im qualified to read eugenesis??? or unqualified? or whatever will be more fun?

I mean, I can't tell you whether you're qualified or not to read a fanfic, but I can give you some context so you can decide if you want to:

Eugenesis is a fanfic written by James Roberts (JRo) who would later go to write the fan-favorite comic More Than Meets the Eye in 2012, which is set in the IDW1/IDW 2005 continuity (more info on that here).

Eugenesis was published in 2001 (being a remix of an earlier, incomplete fanfic also by Roberts) when JRo was part of Transmasters UK (TMUK). A group of fans that would distribute zines, organize cons and collectively write their own fanfic continuity based on the Marvel UK comics (the UK version being different from the US version of the comics, more info on that here)

So, ideally, to read Eugenesis with full context, one would need to have read Marvel UK and the previous TMUK stories. You can find the first online, but a great part of the later has been lost to time. @polyhexian is currently working on an archive of TMUK stuff. Luckily, you can make do without any of these (like I did at the time), because Eugenesis comes with a helpful continuity notes guide whihc you can download here, along with the main text.

I would greatly advice to anyone to read that first, even if you have read Marvel UK, because it also covers TMUK stuff. Eugenesis is still going to be a tad confusing at times, but it'll make things so much easier to understand.

As for my personal recommendation, is Eugenesis good? Is it bad? Well, it is an experience, for sure, I'm obsessed with it. I adore how depressing it is, how it has some of the most touching lines I've read followed by the weirdest description choices and oh boy, does the prose drag at times. It's an amateur work in a way that makes it very raw and I love it, it truly is born out of love.

It has value as a piece of fandom history and as a fan of Robert's later work in Transformers. A lot of concepts that JRo introduces in his comics first appear here, and it's interesting to see his influences and the way his prose has evolved.

Now, this is very important, the way the fandom talks about Eugenesis it's as something very silly, JRo writing a fic for his mechpreg kink. And yeah, I also do that because a lot of the stuff in this is premium material for shitposting. But this is NOT something that's worth reading just for the lolz.

Eugenesis is a very depressing read with a lot of potentially triggering material. Including lots of robot body horror and death, some detailed, some just mentioned in passing. Also suicide, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. One part goes into detail about a character's mental state before taking their own life, including allucinations, but no one here is ina good mental place. There are also death camps, with torture depersonalization and detailed inhumane treatment. This is holocaust with robots. One chapter is literally titled "The Anti Holocaust". It does throw you bones at the end, but at it's core is a book about futility.

Depending on what you can stomatch, it may not actually be that bad, some even wish it was worse. But I don't know you, so I want to give you a fair warning, and I repeat, it is not worth reading just for a laugh.

Sorry for all that infodump. You may do whatever you want with this information. I hope it helps and feel free to ask any more questions!

[learnlanguageswithani]

"most used vocabulary" spreadsheet

helloooo, good evening everyone (or whatever time of day you're seeing this)

i finished putting together my "most used vocabulary" spreadsheet so that i can start filling it out for every language that i'm interested in (not all at once though).

this spreadsheet has gone through several versions and i initially got the first version for portuguese from nathaniel drew's website* and from there i've made multiple versions adding things and taking things out, trying to make it work for me. there are definitely a few words i've added at some point that still seem common and important enough to keep on this spreadsheet (or maybe that's my inability to prioritise talking).

i want to make my version available to anyone who might find it helpful so through this link you should be able to make a copy on google drive or download it. i also plan on strategically going through this list and publishing my progress here, so we'll see how that goes. i will be using a slightly different list to do that, which will include some more "niche"** vocabulary that i use regularly but that isn't in the "top most common words"—things like sewing and fashion terminology to talk about my uni lessons, and bookish vocabulary so i can talk about what i like to read.

anyway here it is in all it's glory :)

and for anyone interested in my personal (and unfinished) list, it's here:

with additional categories so far being school, sewing, art, books, baking, true crime (content warning), and holidays.

if you have any suggestions for words or phrases i should add, let me know!

*nathaniel drew's spreadsheet available here. his version also features pages on the spreadsheet that focus on verb tenses, whereas mine is just focused on the vocabulary. you do have to sign up for his newsletter though if you want to access the original resources.

**it's not really that niche, it'll just be vocabulary that people who don't share my interests wouldn't regularly use.

[helldidntwantme]

The New Denpa Men for the Switch:

I haven't played any of the 3DS Denpa Men games so I couldn't fully tell you if New Denpa Men for Switch is faithful to them or not, but I'm enjoying New Denpa so far. New Denpa Men uses a f2p model with optional micro transactions. Currently I don't see anything that you can't get with jewels (the premium currency) that you can't also get through grinding in game for free. You get a gem the first time you defeat a dungeon, for instance.

There's also a stamina system where each dungeon you enter takes some of your stamina and if you don't have enough stamina you can't enter the dungeon. Stamina renews again over time, or you can use jewels for an immediate refill.

I love games with silly little guys and Denpa Men is definitely a game with silly little guys. I'm not sure if they're randomly generated or if there are pre-made guys, but your guys grow as you progress throughout the game and some of the guys are more special than the other guys, and the way you catch them to add them to your party is fun. There is armor you can equip to boost their stats and make them look cute and silly.

As far as combat goes, it's very simple, about on par with Miitopia. You tell your Denpa Men to attack, guard, use a skill or item, or run away, and that's basically it. Sometimes they'll use skills without you telling them to. Healing, whether through skills or items, does not take priority in battle, so I've had a couple of faints from poorly timed heals and low hp. If you're having this problem, try switching armor or Denpa Men with higher speed.

The simple combat might be a turn off for more die hard RPG fans or anyone wanting more of a challenge. It definitely feels like a free to play game, but I haven't felt bombarded by attempts at cash grabs yet. The NPC that offered me jewels for 99¢ was hidden in a side path in a cave on my second run of that dungeon. Which is an interesting approach, almost kind of like an "Oh you're grinding? Care for the good stuff~?" kind of approach to me. (Although I could have just missed him on my first run) There are also higher level monsters cornered away in the dungeons that you can always come back to later which is a nice touch.

The game has a YouTube channel in English and Japanese that goes a little more in depth on some of the game's features, and I imagine will post update videos when the game gets an update.

https://m.youtube.com/@DenpaNingenRPG

Seasonal/limited time events seem to be planned for the game. There was even a small fruit themed dungeon event going when I started the game on launch day.

So TLDR should you play The New Denpa Men on the Switch?

Watch the trailer and if it's something you think you'd enjoy, go ahead and download it and give it a try. It's free. It definitely gives me a more casual/kid friendly kind of vibe but sometimes those can be nice. But if watching the trailer didn't excite you, then the game probably won't either.

[dailysweetvicious]

do you think they will comic bookize season one before making a comic book season 2? i have no way to watch the show but i'm really interested in it.

No, from what I’ve read it seems like the comic series will be a continuation of season one. I do have all of the episodes available to download, torrent free. I’ll have to test it but you may be able to download and watch them right from your phone. If you’d be interested, let me know.

[innerchorus]

Arslan Senki Farsi Dub Info

(I don’t have much information, but I’ll share what I can, and if anyone else has anything to add please go ahead and reblog or message me.)

It turns out there are TWO Farsi dubs of the first season, one of which continues for the second season, too. The episodes for the first dub I found can be downloaded from Film2Movie and only goes up to S1 E20. When trying to locate the remaining episodes elsewhere, I stumbled upon a different dub of the series that covers all episodes of S1 and S2. You can watch those episodes on Aparat (conveniently all under one playlist).

The series title has been modified a little; it’s known as افسانه امیر ارسلان (Afsaneh Amir Arsalan / The Legend of Amir Arsalan). The Persian epic of Amir Arsalan provided Tanaka with some inspiration for Arslan Senki, so it’s interesting to see it retitled here!

So far, I have really struggled to find any information about these dubs (like what dub studio they were produced by, names of voice actors, etc). They are extremely unlikely to be official/licensed (though that doesn’t mean they are not professionally done!). It could be due to Iran not recognising the copyright, or perhaps these were simply made by the dubbing studios without permission and released online rather than broadcast.

And speaking of censorship, the two Farsi dubs differ a little here. The first dub I found censors Farangis and Tahamenay’s more revealing outfits by cropping to show only their faces (which results in some very low-quality closeups from time to time) or looping other segments... basically, it just avoids having a full view of them on screen, even cutting Farangis completely from the OP and ED. The second Farsi dub doesn’t crop their scenes but opts to censor their clothing by just... adding something else on top. I’ll show you what I mean.

I’ve still got a lot more of this to watch... Well, I probably won’t watch it all, but I’d like to hear what all the different characters sound like in both versions! It’s worth paying attention to how the character’s names are pronounced here, too (some of them have even been slightly renamed).

Anyway, I’d love to hear what others think! And if you can find any further info about these Farsi dubs, please let me know!

Edit 06/07/22: Thanks to @somethingpersonallalala for providing a bit more info; the second dub (the one that covers both S1 and S2) is by Saam Studio. You can see their Instagram post here, which also lists staff/voice actors. Both dubs are unofficial, and were released online without airing on TV.

[fivefeetfangirl]

Sam’s Theme

This all started with someone in a discord server asking if Sam had a theme, and I could not let go of that thought. One thing lead to another and I found the track and made a simplified version of what I could hear from the theme. So here’s Sam’s theme for anyone who wants to play it.

More about how I found the theme and what the different words in the notes mean under the cut

I started out with googling different variations of “sam’s theme”. I came to this post about different themes in the four first seasons. It described the theme as Sam and John’s theme. This made sense (for s1) since it plays whenever it’s about Sam and John. According to the post, Sam’s theme is not played during s2 or 3. This is a bit weird considering how Dean’s theme is played several times during s2-4. I will definitely look more into this as I continue my watch.

If you click on the link you will see how the themes are written in MIDI notes, and not regular notes. So I still didn’t know how the theme went. I continued googling and I came to the supernaturalwiki page (which is just the livejournal page copied), but it had the downloads clearly marked. (I was a bit stupid since I didn’t realize the downloads where linked at the bottom of the first post).

For anyone interested in the different themes in s1, here is the download page for Gruska (composed, among other things, Sam’s, and Dean’s theme) and here for Lennertz (composed, among other things, the famous omnious music when Mary dies). There are also some files for ripped Lennertz scores here. For the masterpost where all the scores are mentioned click here.

I listened to the examples and sat down by the piano to get it down on the paper. The song is pretty slow, and it’s a violin solo (at least appear to be). My guess is that the violin has some freedom to change the tempo (make their unique expression of the song). This is why the notes is written with grace notes, instead of a dotted quarters and eights, even though the grace notes are the lenght of an eight. It wouldn’t have fit into the 4/4 time signature as well if I had written it with eights. I will recommend listening to the theme before playing it, so you can get the feel of it (x) (x) (x)

If someone with better a better ear than me wants to add chords (I suspect this goes in a minor) or correct me on something don’t hesitate! Huge thanks to livejournal user zimshan for making such a good masterpost.

bmp: beeps per minute, you can google a metronome and fill in a number between 50 and 60 and you will get the right tempo.

Rubato: make it you own expression, often done by slowing down sometimes, or increasing the tempo, but also by playing stronger and softer where it fits

rit.: short for ritardando, which means to slow down.

a tempo: back to original tempo

[tobelovedandtohavebeenloved]

Lister for the ask thing

Thank you so much for the ask! (I know your blog, & I’ve seen your writing around by the way, love your stuff)

Let’s take a look at the last human himself, God’s dad, Listy!

Favourite thing about them:

For Lister without doubt it’s the way that he represents humanity. Goes without saying, almost, but he showcases the “Humans are weird” tropes we all love so much, down to pack bonding with just about anything. It adds so much to the core feeling of the show, and he’s genuinely just such a Good Man that his initial reactions to most situations are to help and it’s wonderful to see. Makes it all the better when he snaps and defends his friends.

Least favourite thing about them:

Without a doubt his obsession with Kochanski. First couple seasons it makes sense, even after that- he’s clinging to the past and the one connection he felt most strongly. Once she’s there though, it’s… weird. She’s clearly uninterested and he’s still so ‘enamoured’ with her, it just rubs me the wrong way.

Favourite line: I’ll list a couple as I did with the others.

“One way or the other, you killed a lot of my friends this afternoon.  In fact, you may never get on my good side again.” - 05.02 The Inquisitor

“Which means that even though a moon can’t make light, moonlight exists. Like you, smeghead.” - The Promised Land

Rimmer: “Remember those two little brunettes from supplies?  And I told
  them I worked in stores and they were really interested and asked me
  exactly what I did there.”
Lister: “And I said you were a shelf.” - 02.01 Kryten

brOTP:

Him and the cat all the way, especially in earlier seasons. They’re chaos buddies! Mess with Rimmer and Kryten buddies! Download an SOS virus and nearly wipe out the whole ship buddies! Their dynamic is absolutely fantastic and I love them so much.

OTP:

Rimster. Genuinely, Lister seems comfortable in his sexuality and gender (Duct Soup notwithstanding). He’s there for Rimmer when no-one else will be, he went back for him when the others likely wouldn’t have, he knows all of the lines not to cross, and also Blue exists so like :/// hard to deny it, man.

nOTP:

Lister/Kochanski. Personally I don’t see much chemistry between the characters, it feels more like he’s idealized their past relationship to the point he can’t imagine doing anything but being with her when he has the chance again- even though she’s clearly disinterested. It felt like a forced attempt at a romance subplot, and I’m glad it didn’t take off.

Random headcanon:

From the moment I saw it I headcanoned that everything Kochanski told Lister in Duct Soup was true, and that she backed off and said it was a lie when it was clear he wasn’t open/ready to hear it. She just listed it all off so easily, it feels true. Holo-Dave is gay idk what to tell you.

Unpopular opinion:

I really can’t think of anything that would qualify to be honest. He’s a smarty pants who doesn’t apply himself, pure of heart dumb of ass, I don’t think I really think anything of him that anyone would think strongly disagree with.

Song I associate with them:

Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting - Elton John

Trouble - Never Shout Never

Favourite picture of them: Without a doubt it’s this one

[xwing-baby]

The Guide: Chapter 1/? (Ezra x f!Reader)

gif from @spectroscopes

word count: 5.2k

chapter warnings: reluctant saviour to lovers, injury to reader, one mention of rape, little angst, world building :)

summary: The Guide to Everything Ever is expanding, you are sent out to the furthest reaches of Nowhere to catalogue the planets there. What should have been a quick research mission quickly turns to disaster when you crash on a small forest moon. Injured, with no means of communication, you have to rely on the good will of a mysterious stranger...

a/n: first ever Ezra fic lets gooo!! i am super hyped for this i hope you all enjoy it as much as i do <3

masterlist // asks are always open :)

--

While The Guide to Everything Ever did cover everything ever, it was a little misleading in the boundaries of everything. History was no issue, there was even a large section of the book on prophecy, millions of consequences mapped out on a fold out flow chart. No, the issue was with physical boundaries of everything.

A long time ago the boundaries of the civilised universe were drawn up. From Eden to Xion-5, trillions of stars and quadrillions of planets all included inside the red line separating us from the somehow even more vast expanse of Nothing. There was nothing in Nothing, that much was well known. That was until a group of explorers did what explorers do and found Something. Something in Nothing makes Nothing impossible so the leaders of this great universe came together and decided The Guide to Everything Ever had to include this new Something in their Everything.

That is where you come in.

The Guide to Everything Ever has always relied on first-hand experience. The first edition was a disaster. It only contained the things everybody knew: how to fold a bedsheet and how to get your dog to not hump the postman. The only vaguely interesting part of the Guide was the planetary comments. Even those could send the most interested scientist to sleep! They tried using robots for the first edition, a mere collection of data from far away planets. This was not successful and The Guide only sold four copies.

The next edition was more ambitious. The editors worked out people were a lot more interested in different planets than they were in barbarian fortifications but they did not want to read reams of boring data from a robot called Steve. They wanted a real Steve to give his experience on these new planets. Honest, often humorous, and yet entirely educational extracts of missions across the stars. It didn’t matter that space travel was accessible to everyone. It saved everyone a lot of time waiting in those cold and boring shuttles to get from one side of the universe to another. They could sit in the comfort of their own homes and learn about the man-sized carnivorous plants of Ereta, the beautiful fabrics created on Lii, or which drinks to avoid if you ever find yourself in a Beetjing bar.

The Guide was a success from that point onwards and expanded each year. Soon the job of researcher became a coveted occupation. You were lucky to get into the academy. Only ten new researchers were added each century. You worked your entire life to get in and it paid off, you were off on your first mission into the furthest reaches of Nothing to report back on the wild ‘verse that filled it.

A long time ago space travel was thought of as the most exciting thing anyone could ever do. It was for a few decades but two centuries later it was commonplace. A lot like the London Underground, you just stuck your headphones on and let that distract you until you reached your far more interesting destination.

For your trip you had chosen to watch Anzarch Hospital. A rather cheesy Martian holovid show, it had been going for years. You were on season 85, with only ten episodes left until you were entirely caught up ready for the season finale which was due to air when you returned from this trip. You would rather be at home watching the episodes but this trip to the end of the line was necessary. It wouldn’t take long, a few rotations at least and then you could go to Annie’s party and watch everyone’s favourite doctor finally find out who killed her robot nurse wife.

Nobody ever said Martian holovids were high class, but they were fun.

The computer interrupted your binge, alerting you with a ding that you were within range of your destination and would be stepping out of hyperspace. You pressed a few buttons, accepted the action, and went back to the episode.

It wasn’t until a few moments later when the lower pitch dong did not sound to let you know you had dropped out. Confused, you switched off the holovid and moved back to the cockpit. It was a new ship, it shouldn't have hyperdrive issues yet. But well versed as you were with glitchy hyperdrives you knew what to do. You pressed some buttons, pulled a lever, dragged the ship out of autopilot and twisted one final knob to drop out safely and without panic.

Your routine was correct. The ship dropped out of hyperspace but as the darkness cleared so did any sense of calm. You were already in the thermosphere, hurtling down to the forest covered grounds at electric speeds. Alarms blared as soon as the devices registered the new atmosphere and severe lack of control.

“Please slow down, your destination is ahead at 750 km,” The computer said cheerfully.

“Stupid thing! You’re going to kill me!” You yelled over the alarms.

“That’s not very nice,” The computer replied, “It’s not my fault the hyperdrive isn’t working,”

“You knew?” You shouted. The sides of the ship rumbled and rattled as the change in air density dragged along the surface. The holoprojector vibrated off the table, crashing to the ground and smashing into pieces. There goes all your holovid downloads, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Destination in 400km,” Every minute of your training was coming back as you worked through every combination of buttons and levers on your dash. Nothing was working.

“Computer? Is there still a parachute in this model?” It was archaic but you prayed that your ship was old enough to still be fitted with one. If it, wasn’t you were never going to slow down fast enough?

“Yes, would you like me to deploy it?” The computer asked.

“Yes!” You shouted at the machine.

“Deploying parachute,”

The parachute erupted from the back of the ship with a loud hiss and pop as it opened into the air. The sudden draw backward lurched you forward, smacking your head onto the metal dash in front of you.

You groaned, holding your hand to the injury immediately. A good splattering of blood now set across the screen and was dripping down your face into your eyes.

“Destiable approach im one minu,” The computer said. You frowned, trying to concrete over the throbbing pain in your head. “Systeeee affectabed,”

“Please tell me I’m not having a stroke,” You pleaded. You were not. You could speak and understand language perfectly. The computer, however, was not okay.

Computers are all well and good, very helpful things to have around that is until their processors are catapulted out by a poorly fitted fabric parachute.

You didn’t have time to worry about the broken computer as the trees below were coming closer and closer.

“Fourteenth millennia remaaaa,” The computer slurred. You ignored it. You didn’t need a reminder of how closer to being impaled by a huge tree you were. Instead of panicking you did the only thing you could, strap in and hope that it was all over quickly.

You pulled the straps of the pilot’s seat down tight over your arms, gripped the armrest tight and shut your eyes. The ship whistled through the air, the drag of the parachute doing very little to slow it down. You screwed your eyes shut, cursing every god you have ever known at your terrible luck. You would never see your family again, never see your friends again, and even more importantly you would never find out who killed the nurse in Anzarch Hospital!

The first contact with forest sent the ship off its course, spinning wildly out of control as the craft hit branch after branch. You screamed as the ship tumbled to the ground.

Finally, you came to a stop. Upside down, hanging from a tree, your ship rocked from side to side. You groaned, aching all over from the rough treatment of your descent. You spat out the blood that had pooled in your mouth and tried to think of a plan. Much like the now dead computer you couldn’t really think in words. More drawled sentences drowned out by pain.

The smell of fuel was the thing to get you moving. You gently unbuckled yourself from the seat, careful to not drop yourself on the ceiling and injure yourself anymore. You climbed around the small circular pod to reach the door.

Inhospitable atmosphere. Air unfit for external respiration, respirator advised.

You grumbled and cursed as that warning meant you’d have to climb up the wall of the still swaying pod to reach your kit. It was heavy and difficult to put on at the best of times, this was quite possibly the worst of times.

With a sharp tug the suit and helmet fell out of the cupboard above your head, narrowly missing you as it fell. Carefully, so as not to trip on the steel beams of the ceiling at your feet or cause the ship to swing and fall any further, you pulled the suit on. It was soft, having never been worn before, lightweight and fit you well. The helmet was heavy, a seal at the bottom to prevent any toxins leaking in and the filter was attached to the back of the dome. It was not ideal but you hoped you could find civilization quickly and would be able to take it off fast.

Helmet on. Bag on. Boots tied. Out the door.

In the small amount of luck, you still held, the ship was only six feet above the ground. You sat on the top of the door and jumped out, landing gracefully on your feet in a large patch of unusual plants. The air filter quietly hummed as it set to work cleaning the air around you and you inspected your surroundings. That was where your luck ran out, as you gathered yourself together you looked to your wrist, to the screen of your watch to look at a map to discover the direction you should go, only to find it smashed beyond repair. You had no guidance.

Dark forest was all you could see in any direction. The canopy was so dense only a small sprinkle of light made its way to the floor. Bouncing off the particles in the air, the space around you glittered in the light. It was silent, only the wind rustling through the grass and twigs under your boots made any noise. You picked a direction and walked, hoping you would come across someone soon.

You found a single well-trodden path after an hour of walking through waist high grass, the pollen of which had now covered your suit in a green blue film that made your hands itch terribly when you touched it, bringing up red rashes almost immediately.

The path made its way through the trees, more light coming through as you made it to the edge of the forest. You couldn’t make out much beyond the break in the trees as the contrast between the darker interior showed the outside in white light. You smiled; open space probably meant civilisation!

As you approached the light your eyes began to strain. Sharp pain cut into your eyes, you groaned and squinted bringing your hands to your helmet to cover them automatically. It was no use as a migraine was quickly taking hold. You continued forward, finally breaking the tree line, feeling the heat of the sun through the thin fabric of your suit.

Then everything went black

--

“What a curious creature,” A low voice woke you. Slowly you gained consciousness, immediately aware of the throbbing pain throughout your body, you pushed to sit up only to feel a heavy weight on your shoulder, “Careful now,” The stranger warned you. You peeled your eyes open and looked up at the creature that spoke. Dome headed in a yellowed fabric suit, Light reflecting off his head obscured his face. The creature spoke kindly and you would have believed the tone too if it weren’t for the pressure of his foot on your forearm and gun in your face. “What’s a thing like you doing in these parts?”

“I-I’m injured,” You tried to speak confidently but your pain overtook your tone as you opened your mouth, “My ship crashed not far from here,”

“Curiouser and curiouser,” The creature mused.

“Please,” You choked out as darkness threatened your vision once more, “Help me,”

The creature frowned, contemplating his decision as if he were choosing a candy bar at a corner store. You tried to move from under him but the effort was too much and you fell into unconsciousness again.

As your eyes closed and breathing softened, the stranger released his foot from your shoulder. His boot left a muddy footprint on the white material that covered your arm. He watched you for a few more seconds, then presuming you were dead he stepped over your body to the blue rucksack that had fallen just behind you. He was in desperate need of medical supplies and clean clothes wouldn’t hurt either.

The stranger rooted through the rucksack, pulling all kinds of things out. Clothes and food, writing equipment and a flip up device that he did not recognise as anything useful. There were no weapons, and no survival equipment of any kind. You were packed for a Sunday stroll, not a trip to the Green. Whoever you were, you were not like the usual people who came here.

The stranger’s cool demeanour changed when he saw your identification card. A gold card, approximately the size of his palm fell out of the bag and into his lap with a soft tap. He picked it up and inspected it, instantly knowing he was screwed. The Guide’s golden emblem was easy to recognise, while he couldn’t read the language that inscribed the card, he could make assumptions. You were a researcher. It was a well-known fact that Guide researchers were protected. If anyone found out you were dead, he would be convicted no matter what he said. There would be no planet in the entire universe he could hide on from the Guide.

Begrudgingly, he had to save you.

Without any other option, he shoved the contents of your bag back inside its original case and threw it over his shoulder. Then came the difficult task of moving you. It wasn’t for lack of strength that the stranger had difficulty with this task, more to do with the fact he had only one arm. He knew it wasn’t far to his camp, he had only been walking for five minutes before you fell into his path.

He couldn’t carry you. With only one arm it didn’t matter how strong the man was he could never hold you up well enough. He tried to wake you first, it would be far more helpful to him if you could walk. He shook your shoulders to try and rouse you but you were out cold. He had no choice but to drag you.

A quick assessment of your body told him you were not injured too badly, apart from the sores developing on your hands from exposure to pollen and a wound on your forehead inside your helmet. He checked your pulse again, feeling it strong through his gloves he was happy that you were not dead and would not be wasting his time. He grabbed the fabric around your shoulders and pulled you back to his camp.

It took a while but he made it there safely without cracking your helmet or injuring you anymore. He set you down on the floor of his tent, pulled his helmet off for comfort, then got to setting up a recovery bed for you.

The stranger pulled a rolled-up mat from under his cot and placed it on the ground and finally rolled your body in its final place on top and he waited for you to wake up again. It wouldn’t take long, he heard you mutter something as he carried you back and even in the low light of his tent, he could see your eyes moving behind your eyelids. The stranger sat on the edge of his cot, watching you carefully with his weapon in hand in case you woke up violent.

After a few moments, you began to stir. The first thing you noticed as you gained consciousness was the pain in your body. Every inch of your body throbbed but nothing more than your head. You felt hard ground beneath you, but no leaves or dirt, it was cold to touch. You peeled your eyes open, met with a low orange light bouncing off dark tent like material.

“Do not be alarmed,” A man said from across the room. You immediately turned your head to see but saw nothing more than a dark blob, “You are safe,”

You found it very hard not to be alarmed. The last thing you remembered was getting out of your ship into a forest, now you were in a small dark tent lit by one single golden lightbulb with a strange blob sat across from you.

Carefully, you pushed yourself up to sit up from your position on the floor. Noticing the blob was more of a man, and without a helmet, you figured it was probably safe to remove yours. With a sharp tug and a hiss from the oxygen tank you were open to the air and you set the helmet down next you. You rubbed your hand across the back of your neck, screwing your eyes shut as a headache shot through your skull.

You studied the man in the soft light. You could not guess his age, simultaneously old and young, you guessed he was a little older than you. He had tanned skin and dark hair with a curious white, blonde streak in the front. A surprisingly well-kept moustache and a spattered beard covered his lower face and a white scar on his left cheek all together created an intriguing character.

“Are you comfortable?” He asked. You nodded. His kindness was unsettling. There was a gentle tone to his voice and a kindness in his eyes but everything outside of that was the complete opposite. You could not remember how you got here; all you knew was the pain your body was in. Had he attacked you? Had he saved you from something else? He could have killed you, but he didn’t. Something must have enticed him to save you and bring you here. Then you saw it.

In the stranger’s hand, he held a gold card. Your identification card. The golden emblem projecting from the card flickered in the poor light, showing your name and number and rank.

“Should I be asking for an autograph?” The stranger looked back up at you, a smirk on his lips, “I’ve always wanted to meet an author,”

“I-I am not an author,” You coughed, clearing your throat before speaking, “I’m a researcher,”

“You pen those books though, don't you? The Guide?” He asked, “There’s not that much literature being produced this day and age,”

“Technically, but we like to think it’s a team effort,” You shrugged, “I just collect the data and write preliminary reports,”

“Does your team know you’re lost here?” The stranger asked.

“No, I… I don’t know,” You said sadly. The computer had broken before you could send a distress call. With no way to get a message to them from the outer ‘verse it would take weeks for anyone to realise anything was wrong, “I would have to find a signal strong enough to send a distress message but the only way I could do that was with my ship,” You thought aloud. You paused for a moment, trying to remember what actually happened when you fell from the sky, “Where is my ship? Where are we?”

“I never saw your transport I’m afraid,” The stranger said, “You must have walked a considerable distance before crossing paths with me,” You frowned, without your ship you were stuck, “I brought your backpack, if that's of any aid to you,”

You immediately lit up. Taking that as a yes, the stranger reached over the cot and pulled up your rucksack. It was caked in mud and a lot less full than you know it should have been, but you ignored his looting and grabbed the bag from his hands.

The only things left inside were your underwear and a hygiene kit. Your stomach twisted at the thought that you had lost the most important item in the bag. Dumping the contents on the floor you searched through every pocket. The Stranger watched you, one brow raised, wondering what you were looking for.

“Did you take it?” You asked, “It won’t work for anyone but me, you might as well give it back,”

“I do not understand,” The stranger looked puzzled, looking down at the things on the floor to see what had upset you.

“My Guide, where is it? I don’t care about the other things, I need that back,”

“There were no books in there,”

“That is Federation property,”

“You’re going to have to explain what it is you’re so agitated about; I do not know what your Guide is,”

“You do, because you stole it!” You exclaimed. Raising your voice made your head hurt more, you flinched and screwed your eyes shut again.

“I am many things but I am not a thief,” The Stranger was offended by your accusation. You scowled at him. He was a liar and a thief, “I took the food from your bag as payment for my saving you,”

“The Guide uses my biometrics, it won’t be of any use to you or anyone you could sell it to,”

“Hold on, do you mean the flip device?”

“Yes!”

“That thing’s important?” He seemed genuinely surprised, “You can have it, it’s no use to me,”

The stranger stood up and walked the two steps to the other side of the small space. From a cluttered table he picked up the black computer. You sighed in relief, there could be some hope for you yet. He passed you the gadget which to your amazement was still in working order. It had got a little scratched in the crash but you pressed your thumb to the lock and it opened it instantly.

Every researcher had their own personal guide. Similar to an ancient flip phone, used commonly on Earth in the early 2000’s, each Guide was a little bigger than your palm. Though small, it was very mighty. Not only did it store every piece of information a researcher collected, but it also allowed communication through text, audio and holo. Through the System there was unlimited access to other researchers' files, yet unpublished information and access to the ‘verse's existing records. There were maps and history of every planet, and more importantly to you at that moment, census records.

As you had expected, you had no signal on the surface of the moon to send a message to headquarters for a rescue. Instead you focused on what you could find out.

From the corner of your eye, you noticed the man’s suit. Though a little hard to read in the dim light you could make out what looked to be an ID number. You had to know who your captor (or saviour) really was. 875-162.

You typed in the worn black ink digits and waited. Nothing was notorious for its poor reception. The stranger was no longer interested in you know you were engrossed in the computer and not trying to attack him, he got up and was rustling around out of view.

Finally, the page loaded. A photo matching the stranger, though a little younger looking, flashed up in holo. You quickly covered the beam with your finger so as not to alert the man with you. You swiped down to read the information.

“Ezra,” You said under your breath as you read the page.

“I don’t remember giving you my name,” Ezra spoke, making you jump. You looked up, cheeks growing hot as you realised you had said it out loud.

“I searched your ID number,” you said, embarrassed you’d been caught, you told the truth. Ezra frowned, looking around him to see where you had seen it. You pointed to the suit piled up on the floor. The numbers were faded and hard to make out from the distance but you had worked it out. Ezra followed your finger and chuckled lightly.

“I forgot such identification exists,” He said, “You have good eyes to make it out from there,” He added.

You hummed in agreement. You were in perfect condition, had to be for the work. Perfect condition except for the concussion and various bruises on your body.

“Well now you know my name, can I enquire as to yours? I doubt that everyone calls you Researcher 42,” Ezra read your name from the ID card beforehand. Leant against the shelves next to him, he looked down at you.

“Some do,” You said plainly.

“That ‘some’ includes me, does it,” He raised an eyebrow, not expecting you to become so cold.

“Seems like it,”

“42 seems a little impersonal considering I just saved your life,”

“I’m meant to stay separated from my subjects. Anonymity helps with objectivity,” You explained. That wasn’t entirely true. You had always made friends with at least one person in every planet or city you researched. It was how you got the inside scoop, the local knowledge that made your articles so popular. Guide Guidance said that researchers stay anonymous for objectivity, but your popularity said otherwise. You just didn’t want to get any closer to Ezra, even just a quick glance at his record told you that he was not someone you wanted to be friends with.

As he had already shown you, he was a thief. He had been convicted of fraud, arson and two counts of murder. No wonder he was here. Most of the places in Nothing were hot beds for criminals like him. Nowhere in Everywhere would hire him, you expected that he had been hired by a contractor to come here and work for his freedom. There wasn’t much freedom stuck on the green though.

“Whether you give me your name or not, you’ve not got much choice in staying separated. A helpless thing like you will need protection here,”

“And you’ll offer that for free, will you?” You asked sarcastically, immediately knowing he would want something from you in return. You were already indebted to him for saving your life.

“There are a few things I desire,” He looked over your body, smirk twitching on his lips. You curled your lip and moved away from him.

“If you’re going to rape me, I’d rather try my luck out there by myself,”

“Oh no! No, little mouse I would never. I have done some felonious acts but I am not a savage!” He exclaimed quickly covering for himself. You regarded him sceptically. He had supposedly killed two people; he’d already crossed a line most people would not. You didn’t believe he wouldn’t step over that line too. “No, The Guide will want you back, I imagine anyone who returned you would be well rewarded,”

“Possibly,”

“Here’s my offer. I provide protection and shelter whilst you are here, and come that fateful day your deliverance arrives, you will negotiate considerable compensation for me,”

“What compensation would you want?”

“Enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my days free of obligation, a ship to get me off this rock and a clear record,”

“And if I say no?”

“Then you can see how well you fare in the forest alone. Food is pretty scarce this time of year and I wouldn’t put it past a few of them to push some more… basic human morals,” Ezra smirked as your eyes double in size. In all your travels you had never encountered cannibals, not human cannibals anyway.

“I- I can’t promise anything,” You stumbled over your worlds as you accepted faster than you should have. You didn’t know there was anyone other than Ezra on this planet, but you were not in the mood to find out.

“We will discuss details when the time comes,” He said. You nodded. “Now we have all that out the way,” He stood up from the floor, “I have to get to work,”

“What about me?”

“You aren’t coming with me,” He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“But you just said-,” you started to protest until Ezra pulled a gun from seemingly nowhere, you immediately shut your mouth and flinched, “What is that?”

“Protection,” He held the gun out, waiting for you to take it.

“No, no, no! You said-“

“Until your people come to your aid, and give me my money, I’ve got to keep working. Any time wasted is money lost out here,” He explained impatiently. He stepped back closer to you and dropped the gun in your lap, “I assume you do know how to use that even if you don’t carry one yourself?”

You looked at the gun, assessing it properly. It wasn’t complicated, a barrel you assumed was already full of bullets and a trigger. Nothing you hadn’t seen before, apart from the electrical tape that was holding it together. With no more protest from you, Ezra assumed it was fine and stepped away, resuming his routine.

“I will be back at sundown. Help yourself to some food,” He told you.

“My food,” You corrected him.

“Remember who is dependent on who here, 42,” He said scornfully. With that he put his helmet back on to his head and left the tent leaving you all alone.

You waited a few moments to make sure he was gone before making your move. You couldn’t stay with a murderer. You were safer in your ship, wherever it was. You could make a distress call and be rescued. Ezra would never know.

You pushed the gun from your lap onto the floor and tried to stand up. Sat down you could feel how sore your limbs were, your back ached from just sitting up for a few minutes and you were pretty sure you could feel every bone in your feet. A light touch to the forehead told you there was a sizable egg growing on top.

Standing up the pain was worse. You immediately became dizzy, gripping onto the metal shelf quickly to stop yourself from falling. You cursed under your breath and took a deep breath. You could do it.

Or maybe you couldn’t.

You took one step towards the table of things Ezra kept, and fell back on your ass. You were lucky not to pull the shelves down with you as it rocked forward slightly. A few items fell off, narrowly missing you. You dodged the heavy items, cringing as the metal thumped to the ground.

Listening to your screaming body, you gave up. You shuffled back to your previously comfortable position against the wall of the tent and looked around you for something to keep yourself occupied.

There at your feet lay a small book. Ezra wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to meet an author, he apparently was a bibliophile. You picked the paper up, stretching to reach it over your bruised and aching legs. It was well worn, obviously water damaged as the pages curled and the image on the front as warped beyond recognition. The title: “Welcome to the Green”.

You were not going anywhere.

--

sooo what do you think? i had so much fun writing this fic, i hope you guys enjoyed it too. let me know if you want to be tagged in the next part :D

TAGGING usuals and interested people :): @hunters-heathen @peterssweetpea @beskarbabs @wille-zarr @fandom-blackhole @writeforfandoms @dindja @amneris21 @yespolkadotkitty

[contre-qui]

Tag 9 people to learn about their interests.

I was tagged by: @just-a-cup-of-anxietea (I'm sure you already knew, but this just really highlights how indecisive I am!)

MUSIC

Fave genre? Pop rock/pop punk usually (but a little bit of everything)

Fave artist? It's hard to pick one but I really love Patrick Wolf and Dolly Parton

Fave song? Again so hard to pick but probably "The Magic Position" by Patrick Wolf

Most listened song recently? "Coming Home" by Leon Bridges

Song currently stuck in your head? "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac and "Vengo Dalla Luna" by Måneskin

5 fave lyrics? (Why is this so hard???)

Hear the Salvation Army band./Down by the riverside/Bound to be a better ride/Than what/you've got planned./Carry your gun in your hand./Look around,/Leaves are brown,/And the sky is a hazy shade of winter. ("Hazy Shade of Winter" - yes the Gerard Way/Ray Toro version from Umbrella Academy let me live)

I hear her voice in the mornin' hour, she calls me/The radio reminds me of my home far away/Drivin' down the road, I get a feelin'/That I should've been home yesterday ("Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver)

If the children don't grow up,/Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up./We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turnin' every good thing to/Rust.I guess we'll just have to adjust ("Wake Up" by Arcade Fire)

Just beyond your limits/Find the new frontier/I live in the darkness/It's dark in here ("Dark In Here" by The Mountain Goats)

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

BOOKS

Fav book genre? Sci fi/fantasy

Fave writer? Neil Gaiman, Audre Lorde, Ray Bradbury, Lev Grossman, Markus Zusak, Mary Shelley, and probably more but that would take a long list

Fave book? I simply cannot pick a favorite. But a selection includes: Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Wicked by Gregory Maguire, An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, and the list goes on and on and on

Fave book series? The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman

Comfort book? The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Rainy day book? Probably poetry actually

Fave characters? Julia Wicker from The Magicians, Elphaba Thropp from Wicked, Crowley from Good Omens... Probably some others but I don't really imprint on book characters as much as I do on the books themselves.

5 quotes from your fave books?

"Aye. You gender-malcontent. You otherling," she said [...]. "Me too. I am a boy and a girl and a witch all wrapped into one strange, flimsy, indecisive body. Do you think my body couldn't decide what it wanted to be?"

"I think it doesn't matter because we get to decide what our bodies are or are not, " he answered.

[...] "Is that so? Then I am magic. I say it, therefore it is true," she said. (An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon)

[...] for each of us encounters the Lady on the Grey at the end of our days, and there is no forgetting her. (The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman)

Most people are blind to magic. They move through a blank and empty world. They’re bored with their lives, and there’s nothing they can do about it. They’re eaten alive by longing, and they’re dead before they die. (The Magicians by Lev Grossman)

He lingered at the door, and said, "The Lion wants courage, the Tin Man a heart, and the Scarecrow brains. Dorothy wants to go home. What do you want?" [...]

She couldn't say forgiveness, not to Liir. She started to say "a soldier," to make fun of his mooning affections over the guys in uniform. But realizing even as she said it that he would be hurt, she caught herself halfway, and in the end what came out of her mouth surprised them both.

She said, "A soul-" (Wicked by Gregory Maguire)

Night after night we had talked until dawn in this room about language and poetry and love and the good conduct of living. Yet we were strangers. (Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde)

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

Fave tv/movie genre? Sci fi/fantasy and comedy

Fave movie? Lord of the Rings or Terry Pratchett's The Hogfather

Comfort movie? The Dark Crystal, The Parent Trap (1998), The Neverending Story, Legally Blonde, The Princess Diaries, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Last Unicorn

Movie you watch every year? Hocus Pocus, The Hogfather, Lord of the Rings (the whole trilogy), and The Muppets' A Christmas Carol

Fave tv show? Doctor Who (earlier reboot seasons specifically)

Comfort tv show? The IT Crowd

Most rewatched tv show? Doctor Who

5 fave characters? Donna Noble (Doctor Who), Chidi Anagonye (The Good Place), Maurice Moss (IT Crowd), Eliot Waugh (The Magicians [the show]), and Susan (The Hogfather)

tv shows or movie | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or bingeing | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

Tagging (no pressure!): @nr-studies @mymessystudyblr @magnusacademia and anyone else who'd like to do this!

[katieskarlette]

I’m not dead.  I just really needed some distance from the franchise, and so much of my Tumblr experience centers on WoW that it meant taking a break from the entire website.  I hadn’t planned to.  It just sort of happened.

I’m not necessarily “back” now, either, but I was feeling guilty for disappearing without saying anything and didn’t want anyone to worry.

I’ve been staying busy with original writing, trip planning, reading, work, volcano watching, watching history and nature documentaries on YouTube, etc.

More personal updates below, if anyone is interested:

I had my first haircut since well before the pandemic, and was able to donate 10+ inches of my hair to a charity that makes wigs for kids battling cancer.  My hair is now about the same length as Skarlette the mage, actually.  LOL

I’ve been playing both Sims 3 and 4.  I still prefer 3 overall, but I think it’s a matter of familiarity.  That, and having a ton more expansions and downloaded content.

I lost my kitchen betta, Peri, after only four months, which sucked.  The new denizen of the kitchen tank is Sterling, who is gorgeous silvery white, and settling in quite well after initially being unusually shy for his species.  

I’m struggling to adjust to schedule changes at my job as our busy season starts to wind down.  I’m also bummed about two co-workers leaving for other departments, and one who is moving out of state.

Then there’s the resurgence of Covid that means it’s back to mandatory masks at work and increased worry despite being fully vaccinated.

The bright spot in the near future is my dream trip to Key West in November.  When smaller stressors hit me I’m just like, “Doesn’t matter, I’m going to Florida.  Nyah.”  I have N95 masks to wear on the plane and will do everything I can to stay safe, but I AM GOING.  I should be able to have a booster vaccine by the time I leave, too.

So yeah!  Life goes on.  Nothing huge happening in my life.  I’m sure I will get back to playing WoW eventually, but for now I’m on continued hiatus from both playing and the fandom.

I hope everyone in the Tumblrverse is doing well.  <3

[medea10]

My Review of Love Live Nijigasaki School Idol Club

AAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I’M BACK IN IDOL HELL!

Another damn Love Live! Seriously? Another damn one!?

Actually, I knew this was going to happen from like almost two years ago. Back when I was an active player with the rhythm game app LLSIF, we’d get these special characters popping in every now and then, usually as SSR, SR, or N scouts. Then in 2019, they put out singles for each girl to play and I knew then and there that a new Love Live was already in the works and were going to feature these girls.

THIS STORY: First of all, the characters of this story are not becoming idols because the school is in danger of closing down. I know that was like a big thing in the original Love Live and in Sunshine, but that’s not the case this time. This school looks very well populated and well-established. So let’s just squash that trope.

Ayumu and Yuu got bit by the idol bug leaving school one day when they came across a solo performance out in the open. The girl performing is named Setsuna Yuki and she’s part of the Idol Club at Nijigasaki (the school Ayumu and Yuu attend). The next day, they learned from the student council that the club has been disbanded at the request of Setsuna. So what do Ayumu and Yuu do now? They’re going to try and revive it!

But what about the girl who started the idol club in the first place, Setsuna?! The reason for Setsuna disbanding the club was because she felt that she and the rest of the girls in the group were on a different wavelength. So she decided to disban the club, leaving the other girls, Emma, Kanata, Shizuku, and Kasumi to go their separate ways. But that wasn’t the only thing on Setsuna’s plate. Setsuna kinda lives a double life on campus. She’s Setsuna in the school idol club, but she’s also the student council president, Nana. So Ayumu, Yuu, and Setsuna end up reviving the idol club. Emma, Kasumi, Shizuku, and Kanata end up joining again. And eventually, we get other members Ai, Rina, and Karin to join in. And since there’s quite a long list of characters, let’s talk about them.

Ayumu is one of the first girls to revive the idol club. Unlike the main girls from the other series like Honoka and Chika, she’s not as crazy-energetic and idol-crazy. She’s more of the lover of cute things. She was sparked by idols when she saw Setsuna perform.

Speaking of cute things, Kasumi is the idol-loving crazy girl that loves all things cute and wants all of her performances to be cute.

Emma is the first Love Live character originally from a place that’s not Japan. This Swiss-miss came to Japan to become an idol.

Setsuna lives the double life. At school, she’s the disciplinarian student council president, Nana. But when she’s in idol form, she’s Setsuna Yuki ready to shine on stage.

Shizuku got interested in becoming an idol to help with her acting aspirations.

Rina got curious and ended up joining the idol club despite having problems showcasing her emotions. That’s why you see the computerized monitor on her face.

Ai joined alongside with Rina and with her Sporty Spice persona, she’ll get the club on their feet.

Karin is already well-established in the modeling world, but ended up getting into the idol world after hanging with Emma.

Kanata…likes to sleep. Oh, and she has a younger sister in an idol group at her school.

Then there’s Yuu! She isn’t the kind of idol member that sings and performs like the other girls, but works to support each girl in their goals.

Oh and all of these idols are SOLO ARTISTS!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: As usual with the Love Live franchise (and most other idol animes), these voice actors are brand-spankin’ new. These girls are usually only known for their work as actual idols and only a few of them really go on to do a full-length voice actor career. Then I get, SURPRISE! Akari Kitou is in this too! This girl was in EVERYTHING these past two years! Everything! Every-damn-thing! Now she’s a Love Live waifu! Actually, several of the seiyuus here I’ve seen in a few things here and there and that’s pretty rare since I’m not hip to all the idol groups in Japan.

Now for the dub, because we all know FUNimation! Yeah, they licensed this just like the previous Love Live series. However, they really kept this series all to themselves where not even Hulu could air it. At the moment, no dub has been announced or planned. I’m assuming it’ll happen one day. I only say this because of all the other Love Live series. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Ayumu is played by Aguri Oonishi

*Setsuna is played by Tomori Kusunoki (known for LLENN on SAO: Gun Gale Online)

*Kasumi is played by Mayu Sagara

*Ai is played by Natsumi Murakami

*Emma is played by Maria Sashide

*Rina is played by Chiemi Tanaka (known for Ririko on Sakura Quest)

*Kanata is played by Akari Kitou (known for Nezuko on Demon Slayer, Yashiro on Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Iwanaga on In/Spectre, Tsukasa on Tonikawa, Aru on Hitoribocchi, and Kaho on Blend-S)

*Shizuku is played by Kaori Maeda (known for Selka on SAO: Alicization)

*Karin is played by Miyu Kubota (known for Sister Lily on Black Clover)

*Yuu is played by Hinaki Yano

NEW BEST GIRL: As you may know, I have picked my favorite girls from the Love Live fandom. Nozomi is best girl in the original and when it comes to Sunshine, Ruby is tops!

When I saw the new girls back when the app LLSIF released all the single songs for the Nijigasaki club, I was curious about one particular girl. I had a feeling Rina was going to be a special kind of interesting. Why was she wearing a special mask on stage? Is she an introvert who hates to be seen up-close? I had to learn more about her! Turns out Rina had a lot of trouble expressing her feelings. When she’s excited, sad, irritated, or satisfied, it’s just the same expression. I love Rina. She’s my precious cinnamon roll and if anyone talks smack about her is gonna get a bop in the face.

ABOUT YUU: I know what you’re thinking, what the hell is going on with Love Live giving us 10 girls  instead of 9? And I would agree! LLSIF game gave us 9 solo albums and Yuu is not among any of them. But then I recently downloaded LLSIF All Stars and discovered the interactive portion with all of the girls and how your character is the unspoken 10th member of the group. Yeah, Yuu is pretty much that character.

SHIPPING: In the original series, I was a bit of a multi-shipper that was open to any hookups if I can see it. When Sunshine came along, I was still a multi-shipper, but heavily Kanan x Mari to a point where I’m imagining their wedding. This time around…yeah, once again I found myself shipping the fuck out of third-years.

This is Karin x Emma. I support the fuck out of this. Never forget that!

And while I’m at it, let’s add Ai x Rina. Ai was literally Rina’s first friend. She will go anywhere for this girl and do anything for her.

I should probably add Ayumu x Yuu too. But then again, this is Love Live. No matter what ship we all choose, it’s all for naught as no one really confesses their feelings for each other. Right?

Hahaha…Foreshadowing!

THE SAME, BUT…: Yeah, you know how this goes. Since this is an idol anime and the third one from the same franchise, I’m gonna squawk about the similarities this series has with the first two Love Lives. Yes, we’ve got the cutesy, annoying idol with Kasumi. Yes, we have the token class president with Setsuna. Yes, the animation for all the dance scenes is wonky CGI. And yes, we have a center second year with a red-ish hue to her hair with Ayumu. But there’s just so many glaring differences compared to the other two series.

*First of all, the school is not in any danger of closing down. The original Love Live had Honoka and her friends starting a school idol club to drum up attention for their school so it wouldn’t have to shut down. Love Live Sunshine also had that with sadder outcomes for the school. This school is huge, has many different clubs and activities. This school is safe! But if they pull some shit out in season two saying it has to close down, I call bullshit.

*Nijigasaki High School Idol Club mostly has solos. One of the reasons for the falling out at the beginning between Setsuna, Kasumi, Emma, Kanata, and Shizuku was differences. Every girl has their own thing and they respect that. Even in the app, there are a lot of solo songs and only a few where two or more of the girls are singing together.

*Add to that, this group doesn’t really have a “group name”. I mean Nijigasaki School Idol Club doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue like μ's or Aqours.

*The big, scary student council president is a second year. Unlike Eli and Dia from the previous series, Setsuna (a second year student) is really the scary one with power. But much like Dia, she does have a passion for idols. It’s just that Setsuna goes above and beyond to hide that along with her true self. I bring this up because when the second season comes (AND IT WILL), I have a feeling they’ll introduce this one character that’s in the game and that’s going to be quite the game changer.

FAVORITE SONG: Chase by Setsuna.

I think all of us were blown away by that song in episode one.

ENDING: After Diver Fes and Karin’s solo performance, the girls decide to hold a training camp at their school. During the camp, Yuu was still awe-struck by everyone’s dedication to the club and the performances in the previous episode. And by the end of the camp, Yuu says there should be a school idol festival to show everyone that school idols are awesome. Much to my dismay, I doubt that this anime will follow the game route and have μ's and Aqours perform. Actually, the groups seen throughout the series are characters I would run across in one of the other Love Live apps, including Kanata’s little sister. Moving on!

Everything was going along swimmingly with this School Idol Festival. The student council (or Setsuna as her alter ego Nana) agreed to it, the students of Nijigasaki are excited for what’s to come, and other schools including Kanata’s sister Haruka’s school are willing to participate. However, the big friction that sparked came from Ayumu. As we all know, she and Yuu are close as can be. Ever since the resurrection of the School Idol Club, Yuu has been there to realize the dreams of everyone. Ayumu got jealous, especially seeing Yuu with Setsuna. So she corners her and wants Yuu all to herself and…

Whoa. Confirmed lesbianism!

Let’s just say Ayumu’s jealousy came and went as she realized she can’t stop Yuu’s dreams and that Ayumu’s gonna have plenty of devoted fans besides Yuu. So thankfully that was resolved quicker than I thought and now we can focus on the School Idol Festival. The festival was actually going really well. There were separate stages for all of the solo idols and there were sample songs from all the Nijigasaki girls heard throughout the finale, and only a few hiccups during the day. But nothing Rina couldn’t fix. So much for the rainstorm!

Oh come on guys, plenty of idols from this franchise and other shows performed in the rain and they all turned out just fi…

Oh, I forgot about Honoka.

Oof. Zombieland Saga did her wrong. Never mind what I said!

Unfortunately, the rain didn’t clear up until 7:05 (five minutes after the time allowed for this festival). But all of these idol fans waited and they wanted a show. And so, that’s what they got. Nijigasaki and all the other participating schools performed together. So the festival was a big hit. People who watched it sent a request for another festival to happen. So there’s definitely going to be another School Idol Festival in their future. But what about a season two?

Pfft. COME ON! You know there’s going to be a season two. The girls haven’t experienced heartache of the upperclassmen graduating. Shioriko hasn’t been introduced yet. Tokimeki Runners hasn’t been sung yet. An actual Love Live hasn’t happened yet. That is the whole point of this franchise, right? To have idols participate in the famous Love Live School Idol Festival? So yeah, I know no one has greenlit the Nijigasaki series or announced anything, but I know it’s gonna happen. I can smell it. Love Live will never die. Why else is there going to be a Love Live Superstar series coming out in July?

I gotta say I enjoyed this series. It’s nice to see the struggle of creative differences with the club members. I mean in the past two series, the girls would all agree to something or eventually get to a happy conclusion and sing together in perfect harmony. Cute, but not realistic! And these girls are all very different so it’s good to see a lot more solo performances. Both μ's and Aqours have members with solo songs. It’s just that if you’re an anime only person, you probably wouldn’t know that. Otherwise you would know that Riko and Maki are superior in the singing department.

Prove me otherwise!

Recommendations are always tricky in this area. Idol shows are either loved or hated by the anime community. And I unfortunately can only recommend this to idol show watchers. I’ve already stuck my neck out to recommend Zombieland Saga to everyone.

If you would like to watch Love Live Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (fuck that’s a mouth-full), it is available for streaming only on FUNimation.

[heliads]

interests tag

i was tagged by @thereagles​, who’s an absolutely incredible writer! go check them out!

music:

favorite genre?

probably pop or indie, although the occasional classical song goes very hard (the entirety of the professor layton soundtracks)

fave artist?

taylor swift, olivia rodrigo, ruth b, why don’t we, ricky montgomery, 5sos

fave song?

literally changes by the day, but as of right now i’ve really been liking cigarette daydreams by cage the elephant

most listened to song?

can’t stop listening to run away with me from the mad ones. someone recommended it to me once and i simply can’t stop.

song currently stuck in your head:

parents by yungblud

5 fave lyrics:

1.  All I see is what I should be / Happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy - jealousy, jealousy by olivia rodrigo

2. I am not my body, not my mind or my brain / Not my thoughts or feelings, I am not my DNA - ancient dreams in a modern land by marina

3. I can't spend my whole life dreaming / Though I know that’s all I seem inclined to do - santa fe from newsies

4. Remember the pact of our youth / Where you go / I'm going / So jump and I'm jumping / Since there is no me without you - achilles come down by gang of youths

5. Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die / I don't belong, and my beloved, neither do you - the lakes by taylor swift

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | louder or silenter volume | slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on

books:

fave book genre?

i have always been a dystopia girl. there is simply no other option

fave writer?

leigh bardugo, marie lu, n.k. jemisin

fave book series?

caraval simply slaps

perfect book to read on a rainy day?

anne of green gables. that’s comfort right there.

fave book characters?

zoya nazyalensky, hermione granger, circe (allow me this i love her), celia bowen, anne shirley, june iparis, wendy darling... we’ll be here for a few hours

5 quotes you know by heart?

1. “The woods call to us with a hundred voices, but the sea has one only — a mighty voice that drowns our souls in its majestic music. The woods are human, but the sea is of the company of the archangels.” - Anne’s House of Dreams, Lucy Maud Montgomery

2. “There are many other such cairns around the world: a thousand ruined cities, a million monuments to heroes or gods no one remembers, several dozen bridges to nowhere.” - The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin

3. “Inej raised a brow and slowly wiped the blood of kings on her trousers.” - Crooked Kingdom, Leigh Bardugo

4. “Billions of people will come and go in this world, but there will never be another like you.” - Champion, Marie Lu

5. “He is half of my soul, as the poets say.” - The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

tv and movies:

fave tv/movie genre?

fantasy hands down i love a funky little supernatural protagonist

fave movie?

don’t really have one favorite, but if i had to choose, inception

movie you watch every year?

all of the stop motion christmas movies each december- santa claus is comin’ to town, rudolph, etc

comfort movie?

divergent, a new hope, princess bride, nerve, ferris bueller’s day off

fave tv show?

teen wolf. literally just teen wolf. it has a special place in my heart

comfort tv show?

agents of shield or the great british baking show

most rewatched tv show?

i don’t really rewatch shows, maybe julie and the phantoms in terms of how many times i’ve watched the music videos?

5 fave characters?

allison argent, newt, princess leia, scott mccall, peter parker

tv shows or movie | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

tags: @underc0vercryptid, @zoriis, @thornyrose463, and anyone else who wants to do it!

[piilopirtti]

Is it worth it to get sky? I want to get into it but I don’t know if I should and I want your advice

Hi sweet anon!

Short answer: Since you are already showing interest in it, I’d say go ahead and try! I find it gorgeous and relaxing and the community is awesome. It is free(!) to download and play, easy to start and learn and also easy to stop at anytime! So you won’t really lose money or even much time if you decide to see what’s it all about. You’ll only be one experience richer!

That’s about it in a nutshell, but then I also went and wrote longer loveletter version if anyone’s interested so here goes:

I remember visiting foreign country with my family when I was like, 4. I had a five-minute-friendship there with a local fellow kiddo. We didn’t share language, I don’t know how toddlers use telepathetic powers to connect, but that’s what we did. I remember holding hands with her and leading her and showing her to my parents with pride.

Somehow, Sky has managed to capture just that, that effortless way children co-exist and socialize in a world full of wonder.

These five-minute-friendships with other players might be my favourite thing. It’s like that feeling in real life where you open the door to a stranger and they smile and thank you. In Sky I run about on my own business and casually interact with others along the way, dance on the ice with a stranger, help to recharge a stranger, exchange polite bows with a stranger. They are little things that give me joy in this godforsaken year of isolation.

At first I was a bit wary of the social aspect and found it almost overwhelming to always have other players around me. But the community is possibly the nicest gaming community I’ve ever seen. (To be fair, I haven’t seen many communities.) People are out there to have a good time! You can choose if you want to engage in socializing or not and other players are usually very respectful if you choose not to. It feels very welcoming place to be in thanks to them. I might log in just to sit around and chill and feel at ease.

Of course, if you’re not an antisocial hermit like I am at times, it is a place where groups of friends hang out and have fun together! (Even I have managed to form lasting friendships, which I thought couldn’t be possible when I started.)

It’s easy to pick up and easy to put down, it doesn’t take up much time, and that’s a plus for me. I’ve been struggling lately to make time for gaming. It has started to feel like a commitment (”I can’t start this 50 hours+ game!”) and a waste of time (”How can I play when I could be i m p r o v i n g myself?”), which is absurd since I enjoy playing. Adulthood I guess. Sky has helped me to lower my bar, I might play 15-minutes per day and feel satisfied. I might decide to play longer than that and feel satisfied! It’s just that easy to casually grab the phone and have fun while drinking the morning coffee. It helps to remember that it’s okay to do things just for enjoyment and relaxation. (And on the days you’re truly short on time, it’s also a plus that you can indeed stop at 15 minutes!)

And yes, it is free. It has no free trials that expire or ads to plague and pressure you into buying some kind of ”full version”. Personally, I don’t feel pressured to buy any in-app purchases! I have done some, but it was after becoming familiar with the game and deciding that yes, I do want to invest my time to Sky. But they are not mandatory!

Last but not least: So visually gorgeous and enchanting soundscape. It’s better to go and experience them than try to put into words here.

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No game is perfect of course. Some possible negatives include:

Repetitious. Once you feel you’ve seen everything in the overarching storyline , existential crisis hits the skychild! Some focus on collectibles, some start OOBing, some come around only to play the seasons that occur every few months. This issue ties in with the:

Grinding. The game can get grindy in a long run. It can get exhausting if you start to feel inclined to get all the time-limited cosmetics and rewards. I’m trying to avoid this gotta-catch-em-all –mentality and get only what I really like, not because I feel I ”must” have something because everyone else does . Some enjoy it tho, no judgment here!

System requirements. The game is heavy! My previous phone was laggy, my current overheats if I try to use higher fps. It drains the battery fast. It can take away from the enjoyment if your phone is older.

Controls. Well, that no longer bothers me but it was an obstacle in the beginning. Having never played a mobile game like Sky, the controls felt awkward and frustrating even. They feel natural today, but it took commitment to get past the awkwardness.

If you decide to visit the sky kingdom, welcome!

We just got this ice-rink. It’s neat.