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cloudbattrolls · 2 years ago

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Paved with Good Intentions - 1

SIX SWEEPS PRIOR

It had been such a nice night, that night.

I remember how I’d shared the news with Jikiro - his name was different then - and we’d stayed up far too late, still very much pupas despite how grown-up we liked to tell ourselves we were. Candy wrappers and drink bottles covered the floor of his room, for I’d had a smaller place then, and I rarely invited him over.

If I’m honest, I was a little jealous of how a tealblood had a nicer hive than me, though of course he did with his ever so prestigious bloodline and all.

It was cold, I remember that - snow fell gently outside his window, not much, just enough to give everything a pretty dusting.

“This is it.” I’d declared, holding up my latest drink, a lime seltzer. I was moderate even then, unlike my indulgent friend. “This is my ticket to business! Finally we can do it together!”

Jikiro slowly finished chewing on some chocolate, and nodded. “Yeah, but you better pick a cool one, or I’m disowning you.”

“Ooh, big chat from the drippy ink g - boy.” I gave him a slightly worried look, but he nodded, beaming, and I grinned back myself.

God, I still had those awful braces then, silver and terrible across my crooked fangs.

He pushed me over - tried to, my drink spilled a little but I shoved him back with my free hand, and blueblood superiority triumphed.

For all of five seconds before he plain tackled me onto the rug, but I’d set my drink down and went straight to giving him a noogie. His horns were even smaller then, it was almost laughably easy.

We wrestled a bit and I wound up on top, for all he was bigger - not nearly as much then as he is now. He was starting to get softer in the middle, but we were still around the same height, and all my limbs worked how they were supposed to.

“You’re all chat.” I said smugly, adjusting my glasses. “Chat and hot air! And pudge.” I said, giving him a friendly poke in the belly.

He stuck his tongue out and squirmed, but I held fast, digging my knees in.

“The pudge feels pain, you jerk.” He complained. “Get off!”

I sighed as if being asked to give up my new apprenticeship, but I obligingly slid off of him like a gentleman.

“You keep that up and I won’t go into business with you!” He sniffed.

“Pssssh, sure.” I said, waving a hand dismissively. “Right. And who’ll replace me? All your other friends?”

His face fell and he huddled up, and my ears drooped. Damn it.

“Hey, hey, sorry.” I said softly, twisting my hands together. “Look, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s their fault, they don’t get how cool you can be!”

“Yeah, right.” He mumbled. “They still make fun of my accent, and because I’m teal, and…everything.”

“Now you’re just being dramatic.” I said, slightly impatient. “Yes, they can be a little rough! But that’s how highbloods are. Push back at them! Show them you’re a Takami! At least you have your bloodline.”

I was unable to keep some bitterness out of my voice, despite trying to be supportive.

Jikiro sighed. “My bloodline made of women. Women who insist I have to be a woman. They won’t…they won’t listen. I don’t know what to do.” He looked like he was on the edge of tears. Again.

I knew I should have been sympathetic, but I was annoyed. This was my night and he was being a big downer, which had become all too common lately.

“Fine, be a puddle then!” I snapped. “I do have other people I can celebrate with. Cry on Hanabi, it’s her job and not mine.”

I got up and stormed out. Childish, I know. Petty.

But we were children.

–

“Heeeeeey, Jamie!”

Lastha wasn’t my favorite friend, but if there was one thing I could say for her, she was always reliable. A cerulean who had a chronic inability to tidy her hair no matter how many clips or hairbands I offered her, she was nevertheless always good to give me a hand with studying or with whatever prank I felt like pulling.

“Jamie, Jamie.” She said insistently. She did have a bit of a grating voice, I recall, but I suppose I can’t blame her too much. She wore the schoolfeed uniform almost religiously, heaven knows why, it was dull as anything.

“Las, Las.” I said back, mockingly. “What?”

We stood outside the place we all took classes - it’s where I met Jikiro, a spot for up and coming teal to indigo pupas to learn all the things we’re supposed to so we can succeed in life. Well, for pupas with good names, well-established lineages or at least ones whose ancestry can be easily traced to someone with decent standing in the empire.

And me.

I don’t actually recall the place too well, despite how much time I spent in it. I think part of me doesn’t want to. All I can tell you is that it was a fairly blocky, gray building, and that the drones who patrolled the grounds were objects of both fear and ridicule to us all. One of my better-known pranks had been leading Lastha and several others in a great bid to get balls of mud lodged on their electronic eyes without them realizing it was us.

This night had been a fairly routine one of learning - except now I had my job to go to! Five and a half sweeps old, and I was already an apprentice!

I couldn’t seem too excited in front of the others or leave myself open to all sorts of teasing, but I couldn’t help bubbling up with it inside.

Lastha’s big gray eyes drilled into me.

“You don’t know? Your friend Kasumi dropped out!”

She said gleefully.

I frowned.

“He wouldn’t. Would he?”

It was true he hadn’t been in tonight, but I’d just assumed he was being mentored by his signmate. He’d only met her a few perigees ago, having at last reached the appropriate age, and he would sometimes miss class in favor of receiving lessons on his bloodline’s business instead.

“I overheard the crechemistress talking on the phone.” She boasted, hands on her hips, and my power assured me she was being truthful.

“Honestly, good riddance! I know you took some platonic pity on him, but he’s just a teal. He’s better off not being here anyway!” She waved a hand dismissively.

“Now you can spend more time with us!” She said with a grin.

“Mmm, right.” I offered noncommittally, and she frowned.

“I have my job to go to, I’ll see you later, Las.” I said with an airy wave, walking away.

–

I flashed my ID card at the reader, watching it turn from forbidding rust to an affirmative pink, and grinned as I walked into the shining silver building and entered its vast first floor.

Robots floated about, trolls bustled around, and holographic images were displayed everywhere. It was chaotic. It was disorienting to watch for longer than a minute.

I loved it immensely.

Easily dodging around all the bigger, taller trolls, I made my way to the office where I was expected by my new mentor.

Excited as I was, I still paused to knock on the smooth white door. It paid to be respectful to a violet, even when he’d chosen me in particular.

“Mr. Coloth?” I called.

“Come in, Jameth.”

His voice came through the door’s speaker, amused.

I didn’t much like that he called me that, but I’d never complain. It was just a little thing, not using my nickname, even though everyone else did.

I stood as straight as I could, highly aware of how short and small I was for my caste. Everyone expects bluebloods to be big hunks of meat, or built yet lithe, but apparently genetics missed the memo for me. I was strong like any other of my hue, but clearly both good vision and good musculature had taken one look at me and run in the other direction.

No matter. Neither of those were why I was here.

“You realize you will have to start with everyone else, despite your talents.” He said smoothly.

Coloth was also short for his caste, but with him it didn’t even seem to matter. He laid back in his chair with as much ease as if the whole city belonged to him, not just this building. He was a curvy violet, with shoulder length hair, and his fins were edged with metal.

I nodded. “Of course, sir. One cannot sit at the peak of a mountain without first understanding its base.”

He raised his eyebrows, clearly amused.

“A little scholar, are you? That won’t help you here. We deal with facts, not literary fluff.”

I was confused, but tried not to show it.

“Yes, sir. I’m quite looking forward to learning more of the trade, believe me. I know there’s an incredible amount I don’t know.”

“Of course you do.” He said, with a tone that was…probably well meaning. He’d chosen me, after all, he had to want me here, didn’t he? His violet eyes were hard to read as he sat in his sleek black chair, but I got the distinct feeling there was something I was missing.

“Go see the packaging supervisor, Jameth, she’ll have work for you.”

It was clear I was being dismissed.

Trying not to let it bother me, I instead went to the supervisor (after I worked out how to find her in the first place, as Coloth had neglected to tell me who or where she was) and began my foray into packaging.

It was actually a lot more interesting than it sounds.

To me, anyway.

For some odd reason, I didn’t find a lot of fellow enthusiasts among my friends. Who knew biodegradable materials and the best kind of adhesives for long-term space storage weren’t hot topics of conversation among five and six sweep olds? Clearly not me, back then.

I considered calling Jikiro - or Kasumi, as he’d been known then, as I got back to my hive. Then I didn't. Then I was just plain bored and figured I might as well try.

I called once and left a message. Then again.

Finally he called me back.

“What do you want.” He said, sullen.

“Well if you’d listened to my voicemail, you might have a clue…” I quipped. “Anyway. Why did you drop out?”

“Why do you think.”

“I think many things.” I said, a touch impatient again. “I’m asking you, so I don’t just assume and get it wrong. I’m being a friend, you ninny.”

He sighed. “Okay. Thanks. I just…I don’t think I can handle it right now. You’re right. I am being a big downer. I know it’s a pain. I can’t seem to stop, so it’s not fair to you to try and stick around, right? Plus…I’m so tired all the time, Jamie. This is wearing me out, feeling all wrong like I do.”

I bit my lip. Ugh. He was being reasonable…but I still didn’t like it.

“Isn’t there anything you can do? They really won’t let you start those treatments we looked up? I know they’d be a bit pricey, but surely you can afford it.”

“They won’t, Jamie!” He cried. “They won’t…they’ll never let me do it. Himari says it’s just not done. That she understands it’s hard sometimes, but I’ll get past this…phase.” He choked up.

Anger shot through me, white-hot and volatile as phosphor.

“Himari can go to hell.” I snarled. “I’m coming over and I’m setting her straight.”

“Jamie, no, please - “ He begged, but I’d already hung up the phone.

Perhaps if I had listened to him, it all would have been very different.

#cloud writes #jameth abnale #jikiro takami #whoa! rare first person sighting!#but writing from Jamie's POV is too fun #me realizing doing kookaburra's backstory is gonna be a whole ass epic

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isuckatreadinglol · 4 years ago

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Six of Crows Review

Alright, first book review on this blog...here we go: *spoiler warning, duh*

Book: Six of Crows Author: Leigh Bardugo

My Rating: 5/5

First off, this is the first YA fantasy I've ever read so I have no idea what I was expecting...and I fuckin loved it.

Second, I binge read this book in three days and it usually takes me a month to read anything ever so that's definitely saying something. I came for Kaz Brekker after watching Shadow & Bone on Netflix and stayed for the amazing plot, diverse and intricate characters, the incredible action and twists, and of course Kaz Brekker. The one thing that I loved was how fast paced this book went, and I genuinely could not stray far from the book because of how addicting it was. There was something in every chapter and you never got bored. The last part had taken the most time for me to complete because of how much action Leigh crammed in the last 60 pages, which made it a bit hard to follow along but it was still epic.

The Characters:

Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Wylan, Nina, Matthias

"“What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet?” “Knife to the throat?” asked Inej. “Gun to the back?” said Jesper. “Poison in his cup?” suggested Nina. “You’re all horrible,” said Matthias."

The most diverse set of characters I have ever met. There were 6 characters, and the POV's were constantly changing and at some point, while I read someone else's chapter I was worried about the other characters and anticipating the next chapters. This was honestly an amazing decision to tell this story and I never got sick of the characters (except maybe Matthias, sorry).

Not only does Leigh do an excellent job portraying trauma in her characters (especially Kaz), she also keeps the character's as diverse as possible, from Nina being a plus sized character with badass confidence to Wylan overcoming his dyslexia and even Inej being a brown character. Every character had their own stories and the flashbacks/backstories were always a pleasure to read through.

Kaz Brekker is a stone cold, morally grey, manipulative, and terrible criminal which of course...makes him an even better protagonist. He definitely rocks the Hot Boy Who Is Mean To Everyone Except That One Chick Because Of His Tragic Backstory trope.

"There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong, and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken."

He is an anti-hero with his own plans and goals, while also caring so much about his crew that he would do anything for them. I'm very excited to see his character develop with Inej in Crooked Kingdom as well as his relationship with her because I am too obsessed with the two of them. I also enjoyed how Leigh allowed Kaz to fuck up and make mistakes, showing that he wasn't just some perfect character that knew everything about everything, and reading his inner dialogue when he realized his fuck-ups felt refreshing. His backstory was very well written and very tragic (we get it he's emo). It felt so personal knowing why he was they way he was when he sealed himself off from the world. He's also drippy as fuck.

Inej Ghafa just radiates bad bitch energy and when Kaz called her "dangerous" I screamed "DAMN RIGHT". Her mental drive was beautifully written during her chapters, especially while she climbed the incinerator.

"The heat of the incinerator wrapped around Inej like a living thing, a desert dragon in his den, hiding from the ice, waiting for her. She knew her body's limits and knew she had no more to give. She'd made a bad wager. It was as simple as that. The autumn leaf might cling to its branch, but it was already dead. The only question was when it would fall...

Should she jump now or simply wait for her body to give?

Inej felt wetness on her cheeks. Was she crying? Now? After everything she'd done and had done to her?"

Most importantly, she was a raw character who pushed herself throughout the book not just for herself but for the rest of the crew. She was selfless but she was also incredibly strong, driven by her future. Inej is the most inspiring character in the book and I have fallen in love with her more times than I could count. (lowkey carried the team imma be honest)

JESPER FAHEY Y'ALL. My queer sharpshooter king. I think I related to him the most and I loved every chapter with him. Though, I felt like Jesper was treated more as a side character than a main one, especially since he was stuck with Wylan for the entirety of the heist but BOY WHEN I FOUND OUT HE WAS A FABRIKATOR...I might have also screamed. He was definitely the comedic relief and he always kept me laughing at his little comments. Excited to see him and Wylan get together and also hoping for more of Jesper's character.

"Well, we’ve managed to get ourselves locked into the most secure prison in the world. We’re either geniuses or the dumbest sons of bitches to ever breathe air."

“If any of you survive, make sure I have an open casket. The world deserves a few more moments with this face.”

Nina Zenik...bro. She is so powerful. The moment she took parem was *chefs kiss* and it was the most badass scene I had ever experienced. When I began reading her chapters I didn't really enjoy them but when the heist actually began her inner dialogue won me over completely. When she was with Jarl Brum I could not stop laughing at the things she was saying in her head, and even when things were intense she always had something to say which made her character come to life. Her personality is hilarious, and sarcastic and she's also so HOT like my gay ass was swooning. She is who I aspire to be, that is all.

Matthias Helvar. Personally, I didn't really like his character so much because of how stubborn and he was (and how many times I wanted to punch his stupid ass), however he was still a pretty cool character with some good moments in there. He demonstrated religious corruption well, and he definitely faced a lot of inner conflict due to the pressure of what he was taught when he was younger. His POVs were a little boring but I loved it when he called Kaz a demjin.

Wylan Van Eck was a super fun character to have around. I definitely enjoyed watching his character grow as he spent more time with the Dregs. I didn't love him as much as the big three (Kaz, Jesper, Inej) and don't have much to say on him except that I admired his strength throughout the last part, especially when confronting his father after hearing all the horrible things he said about his own son. Jesper defending him made me melt big time.

"He's smarter than most of us put together, and he deserves a better father than you."

I literally could not have asked for such a creative group of characters and to see them work together makes me feel like I'm part of a big, criminal family.

The Ships

The ships were a fun addition to the story and the best part was that they never overstepped the actual objective of the plot but rather worked with it to enhance the connections between each character.

Kaz and Inej: Let me just cry for a second.

"She'd laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would have. It terrified him."

"I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all."

"I'm going to get my money, Kaz vowed. And I'm going to get my girl."

This one hurt me. I am in love with these two and their relationship with each other makes it so much better. They are not meant to be together yet they are connected in so many ways. I did not think I would fall in love so easy, but here I am.

Matthias and Nina: I was not convinced by these two, especially with how weird their relationship was. They constantly seemed like they hated each other (valid) and some of their romantic scenes felt forced. In the end, I enjoyed seeing Nina grow on Matthias to wake his stubborn ass up. I swear that man refused to have feelings. Anyway, I still have mixed feelings on these two.

Wylan and Jesper: They are so cute. Like insanely cute. Like even I was blushing during their cute scenes. Their relationship isn't as developed yet so I am excited to see them in Crooked Kingdom.

Final Thoughts:

Representation? Check

Map? Check

Two maps?!? Fuck yeah

Amazing plot and worldbuilding? Check

Hilarious banter? Mhm

Great writing? Check

Well- written characters? 100%

Overall, this story will forever be my comfort book and I was impressed by the YA fantasy side of literature. It's hard to believe yet comforting that these characters are my age, makes me feel powerful. I loved every bit of this book and now I kinda wanna grab some friends and pull a heist.

#six of crows #grishaverse #the grisha series #crow club #shadow and bone #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #no mourners no funerals #the dregs #soc #sabspoilers #the crows #book review #booklr #ya fantasy #kanej

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thescorner · 4 years ago

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Ten minutes

She finally got the call. She had been impatiently waiting for it, and finally her phone was ringing. Her heart started to pound fast and her hands began to perspire. She was ready for the call. She had been looking forward to it. But that didn’t prevent her from getting nervous, excited at the prospect of hearing his words. She had been waiting all day for what he was going to tell her, and she was hoping for a positive response.

The previous day he had told her that unfortunately he would have no time. That his schedule for the whole day was busy. That they could have no real-time fun. However, she wasn’t willing to take that ‘no’ for an answer. That day she had the apartment all by herself, she was staying at home, and that equation had to include him... Otherwise, her dirty thoughts, her endless imagination, her lustful wishes would have tortured her all day.

So she begged him. She begged him the way she knew he loved it. “Please, daddy... Just ten minutes, you have to come over for at least five minutes... Please, I’ll be all alone by myself, all bored... Pleeeeasee? I’ll get my face pretty for you, I promise. And I’ll be comfy - I’ll just wear the t-shirt you forgot here once. Just how you like it, but please, come and make me your toy... You’ll need some relaxation. It’ll be a long day, so just five minutes and you can just do anything to me. You’ll feel much more relaxed, okay, daddy? Don’t you see how pathetic I am? Don’t you see I can’t live without your cock inside me, please? I’m begging you, pleeease?”

That was enough to make him change his mind. More than her words, the way she did it, the things she implied, all for himself, everything the way he liked it. He knew he had done a good job at teaching her what she had to say in every specific moment in order to press the right buttons, and since she had done it, he had to be a fair man. Especially after she had begged him to use her like his fuckdolly.

The phone rang and she answered within five seconds. She startled a little, but reacted quickly. She couldn’t risk that having him wait whatever he could have thought it was too long would make him change his mind. She picked it up and didn’t even have time to articulate a word. “I’ll be there in five minutes,” he said, and hanged up without notice. She got even more excited. She started to feel shudders and, also, to get moist down there.

She knew what she had to do next. Her only doubt was how accurate those “five minutes” he told her were. Would they really be five? Would he actually take longer? Or what if he came earlier? She had no time to dwell on that, however, and since she had already done her make-up and was wearing only a t-shirt like she had promised him, she just needed some time to try to calm down, act cool, and adopt the position.

It was important that, the moment he walked through the door of her apartment, she was in the right position. The position he had told her she should adopt for these cases, for such situations in which he would come over not to talk, not to visit her, not to do anything together, except for emptying his balls in one of her holes. She walked nervously from one side of the hall to the other. She checked the time – he had called three minutes earlier. She couldn’t risk it anymore. She opened the door, left it ajar, and adopted the position.

She lay on the floor face down, with her arms extended, and her bottom up high. She was there, practically naked, waiting for him to come and fuck her like an object. That was how she was supposed to greet him. That was exactly how she was supposed to give him the warmest welcome. By lying there, like a piece of furniture, that he would use for his dirtiest entertainment.

Those few minutes waiting felt like an eternity for her. She couldn’t tell anymore how long it had been since he called her, but her main worry then was that some curious neighbour, some delivery person, or just anyone who happened to want to knock on her door for whatever reason at that very same time, could find her in that humiliating position. In her own apartment. That got her more nervous, unsettled, and extremely wet.

The thrill and excitement of getting caught was already worth the begging, and it was then that a thought struck her like a lightning. “What if this is what he wanted? What if he’s not coming and he just wants to publicly humiliate me like this?” Her heart started to beat faster and faster, and her juices were dripping all the way down to the very same floor she was lying on face down. Her eyes were wide open in shock and she was no longer sure if she wanted to hear the squeak of her door opening.

They were a few intense minutes, but they became even more intense when she finally heard that someone was indeed coming over. She froze, she could only hear steps approaching her apartment. They stopped right in front of her door. She gasped. Someone was definitely coming in without saying a word. She sensed the door getting closed behind her. She didn’t dare to move, to open her mouth... She barely dared to breath. She was dripping like a mess, but she was beyond her own control. No one said anything. She didn’t even know who was there. “It has to be him, right?” She kept thinking trying to bring herself to calm down.

Whoever was on the other side was quiet, but was very close to her. She could feel it. The suspense was real. Suddenly, she felt how two fingers got inside her soaked pussy and all she could do was let out a soft moan. The person grunted in disapproval, and she could at least tell that it was indeed a man. Then she heard a zipper going down, a belt getting unfasten, trousers falling to the floor... and before she had any time to think further, she was getting furiously fucked by whom she was hoping was her beloved Master.

The pounding was fierce. He was going deep with every thrust, giving her some pain in the process – a type of pain she loved and cherished, and that made her moan in pleasure louder and louder every time she felt it. She was getting everything she had begged for. She was getting fucked hard on the floor, with no words involved, no eye contact, no interaction other than offering her holes to someone to use them. She was getting fucked like an animal, and she was loving it. Because when you’re a naughty, perverted girl, that’s the kind of love you enjoy.

“Fuck, turn around, bitch,” he finally said. "It’s his voice!” She thought relieved, and unintentionally, she squeezed his dick tighter inside her pussy. He groaned and swore again, but she quickly obeyed like the good girl she was and proceeded to lie on her back with her legs wide open. She finally looked at him straight into his eyes, and smiled. His answer was a painful slap. “Slut, you’re gonna make me cum already with your tight cunt... Give me a few more minutes, will ya?” He then took off her t-shirt, pulled both her nipples and gave her an extra slap on her right breast.

She felt both worthy and wary. On one hand, she was fulfilling her duty as his horny fuckdoll, but on the other there wasn’t much she could do to prevent him from finishing. He kept going in vigorously and, this time, with a hand on her neck, which made her feel more vulnerable, and thus, more aroused. “Yes, fuck me hard, daddy, just how you like it,” she ventured to say, in the hope that she would make him lose a little bit of concentration and he would last a little bit longer.

But he didn’t actually want to last very long. He had come over just to use her quickly during a break and had to head back to his business. She pounded her even harder, tightened his hand around her neck, and finally, shot a big load inside her pussy. He groaned in ecstasy, and after recovering his breath, pulled his dick out of her. “What a fucking mess, baby,” he added, while playing with his fingers on her pussy. “Check what a whore tastes like,” he told her while offering his fingers covered in cum, which she took willingly with her lips, and sucked on them desperately as if she could come from just that.

“Okay, time to go, babe. I have to keep working,” he said as he started to put his pants back on.

“But... Already?” She complained while getting up.

“You know I have stuff to do. I told you I didn’t have time. I come here, I fuck you for like ten minutes and I leave. What else do you want?” He was lecturing her, but in reality hoping she would keep objecting.

“No... I mean, ugh, I know you’re busy... It’s just...”

“What?” He interrupted her. “Aren’t you happy with me coming here to empty my balls? Don’t you feel honoured?”

“YES! Of course, Sir. It’s super hot,” she replied right away. “I really like it. I love it when you’re satisfied, I really do. I love to make you cum. I love to feel your sperm coming outside me... It’s just, I’m still horny...”

“And? Isn’t that how you should always be? Horny and drippy in case I come over to fuck your dirty cunt?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. Please, forgive me...”

“Okay, good,” he said laconically, and headed to the door.

“Sir, wait!” She knew she could be overstepping, but, even though she couldn’t admit it as she was only supposed to exist for his pleasure, she was too horny and unsatisfied to just let him leave like that without pushing the limits of her submission a little further. “Please, may I cum?” She asked politely. “I mean, I’m such a horny slut, I really need to play with myself, please, please... I know this is wrong but I’m just this pathetic...”

He froze for a second, then turned to her and gave her an extremely intimidating look. He put his right hand on the wall next to her face and looked her in the eyes. “You wanna cum?” He finally asked.

She felt small, tiny. She looked overawed, like a little puppy. She could barely nod. Her breathing was so intense that the words wouldn’t come out. Her tongue felt paralyzed. She was simply struggling to face him, but once she had reached that point, she wasn’t going to back off from her request, and was willing to test the waters.

“You disgust me,” was his first compliment. “It’s all about your ravenous cunt, isn’t it?” He continued. “What a horny slut I have to take care of… The insatiable whore, the greedy cocksleeve,” he kept abusing her verbally, as both enjoyed his repertoire of degrading insults. He then grabbed her face, and added: “Okay, slut, you’re going to cum. Wish granted,” and before she couldn’t believe her ears, he added: “But under the following conditions”.

He then proceeded to explain to her how she would be able to reach her release, and what could happen if she didn’t follow the rules: “You can finger yourself, play with your naughty clitty, but if you want to cum, you’re only going to be able to do it outside the apartment, on the stairs. Understood? You can wear my t-shirt. That’s all you can wear, and to be sure you do as told, you’re going to record how you cum every time and send it to me, so I can see the filthiest whore in the city first-hand.”

She was dumbfounded. His game was crossing a line she wasn’t sure she could go along with. She was listening to every word he had to say with attention, while, at the same time, trying to fight away second thoughts about what she had got herself into. He wasn’t stopping, as he knew nothing could make her hornier than his words.

“Of course, that’s if you dare to cum. Maybe you’re just a little shit and you’re happy edging all day, until the next time I feel like seeing you and giving you more of my dick. So, you’ll see what you do, slut. And don’t fucking dare to disobey me or I’ll be fucking punching that filthy cunt of yours, okay? You’ll see if you’re dirty enough to risk getting caught, heard, or watched by one of your neighbours. Well, after all, they must already know what a freaking whore lives here. You shouldn’t really care. So, any questions? Have you understood it, dumbfuck?”

Again, all she could do was nod. “Good,” he said, and he left without articulating any other word.

Suddenly, she was there all alone, shocked, kind of terrified, but incredibly horny and wet. She was thinking about what he had just told her, whether she could actually do it. How risky it would actually be, what could happen if she got caught... And while a million thoughts were going through her head, unconsciously, her hand moved towards her vagina, and, immediately, she looked towards her desk, where her phone was resting.

#D/s #my writing #thescorner #er0tica #mywriting

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thededebean · 4 years ago

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We would watch movies and dance around the house. You would spin me and when I undoubtedly stumble and fall you would catch me with your strong arms.

As you got to know me more you would hold on to me a little longer, move your hands lower and lower, pull me closer .... Feeling my everything so tightly pressed against you. I used to wear shorts when we first started seeing each other, but slowly moved into low cut shirts that exposed my bra straps and flirty little skirts.

At first I played dumb. Twirling my hair in my fingertips, running my hand along your back or chest when I walked past you. I would start to dress in tight clothes that defined what I was wearing underneath. You're interest always piqued in my presence. Your attention strained when I entered the room.

One time I found your hand making its way to the hem of my shirt while we danced. I wasn't sure if you were going to go down into my skirt or up my shirt.

Neither.

That time you just wanted my reaction.

One time to prove how strong you were you decided to lift me up with your hands under my bottom. As you did that your fingertips somehow slid in between the fabric of my panties and my supple lower lips.

As I sat in your arms resting my hips against yours completely at your whim you kept bouncing me to readjust my petite frame. It was then I realized it wasn't me teasing you from the start. You were grooming me for this moment. You were letting me come to my own conclusions, always 10 steps ahead.

I let out a gasp squirmed and bit my lip. Staring into your eyes, I could tell I was being held up by something else underneath me as well. My skirt was in the way of seeing what was up but I could tell this is what you planned all along.

Suddenly, you flipped up my pleated skirt to focus your eyes on my pretty little innocent pussy. The fabric had bunched up slightly and was straining in-between the folds. I went to adjust it as I dropped back down to my feet.

You stopped my hand from pulling out the material. In fact you pulled up on my panties, further splitting my lips. Looking deeply and darkly into my eyes.

I grabbed on to your belt and caught myself from falling over. I could not stop myself from letting out a peeping moan. One that was very new to me.

My hips almost robotically enjoyed the straining feeling going on between my legs. I found myself waiting on your queue...

________

With my hands wrapped around your belt, my fingertips slowly grazed inside your waistband I started to sway my hips. You stood a moment in a hypnotized state. Very much enjoying this new side to my body we were experiencing.

Swiftly you took off your shirt and I stand a gasp in front of you admiring your chiseled frame.

Once again you picked me up and started walking us to the living room couch. Your cool belt buckle pressing against my slippery love button made me wiggle in your arms. You didn't immediately understand what was happening at that moment.

Carefully you lowered me to the couch and slid off my skirt. My top had ridden up during our adventures, exposing my sheer bralette. You then reached for your belt buckle and your fingers figured out what was happening only seconds ago.

"Oh baby,... This has you all worked up and the fun hasn't even begun. My buckle is slick!"

You took your newly wetted fingers and wiped them onto my nipples. Cupping and tugging on each one.

You're pants dropped as you lowered your hips on top of mine. Keeping my attention on your powerful tongue making quick work of swirling around mine.

One hand reached down and tugged up one more time on my panties making my hips jerk then slowly you peeled them off and placed them to the side of my lips. My legs widened to fit you in between.

You lifted your fingers this time and parted my mouth, forcing me to taste myself.

"Do you like to taste what I'm doing to you, baby?"

Before I got a chance to answer I could feel the head of your cock split my entrance. My hand flung to my labia to help the foreign member enter me. Painfully slowly.

You once again slapped my hand away, making me feel like a brat for doing so. I whimpered in objection. How unfair..

"None of that, baby. I want you to beg. I want you to focus on me filling you so full up."

I held still. Perfectly still.

"mmhn... buhh... baby. Holy fuck you are so tight." You growled.

You adjusted your cock once or twice before going balls deep.

I was trying to keep my thoughts together but I found myself making incoherent mumbles with every slow plunge.

I lay below you slowly starting to push against you in a way you wouldn't immediately feel me doing.

My clit was throbbing. Aching. Pulsing to be pressed on. Flicked. Rubbed.

Your pace quickened and you pushed my hips into the couch.

"You think you're so smart trying to help yourself get off?" You said.

Your thumb fumbled along from my hips and hovered just above my button.

I whined and shifted and started trying to catch your thumb with my wiggles. Needy. And drippy I was.

I was so wet and hot, I am sure all it would take for me to explode would be a little friction.

"Awe, fuck! You're not even using your words baby. Yet you're telling me everything I need to know. You're biting your lips hungrily, whimpering and looking at me with those... sexy... beautiful... big eyes.."

At the exact last word you placed the palm of your hand against my pussy and started rubbing my pussy with firm, generous pressure. Your pole sliding in and out stiffly. I tensed and lost all control of my body.

I felt you unload all of your pent up teasing through hot sticky ropes inside of me then pulling out and covering my pussy in more.

You pushed back into me and swung my body on top of yours.

There we layed until one of us had the courage to go grab something to clean up the mess we made.

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jungshookz · 5 years ago

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peach, please; jhs

🍑 pairing: jung hoseok x reader

🍑 genre: spooktober day (4/7); singledad!hobiverse; this isn’t spooky at all unless you’re scared of a tiny bedsheet ghost babie :^)

🍑 wordcount: 1.6k

🍑 note: a lot of you seem to like singledad!hobi and little hope so i had to bring them back!!!!!!!!! halloween candy < can of peaches

(picture credits here!)

◢▅◣Ξ◥▅◤Ξ◢▅◣Ξ◥▅◤

working a night shift at the grocery store on halloween night really didn’t turn out to be as spooky as you imagined it was going to be

you might want to get started on fixing that fluorescent light flickering away in aisle 8 though because thAt is genuinely kind of scaring you a little bit

you decided to be nice when jungkook asked if you could cover for him on halloween and you agreed to do it oF course because you can’t say no to extra money

(but also you couldn’t help but wonder why yoU weren’t invited to the halloween party he was throwing instead of doing his job)

you’re suPer fun at parties and if there was a costume party you probably would’ve won it because you dressed up as one of the ghostbusters and you went ALL out

you got the khaki jumpsuit and the fingerless leather gloves and the cool goggles and evEn a replica of the proton pack used in the movie

you were super excited to show it off (to be honest you were kind of expecting jungkook to invite you but to be fair you’ve only known each other for like a month or two because he only just started working here) but after finding out you wouldn’t be showing it off at a party you decided the next best thing was to show it off hEre

at the grocery store

where you work

where you’re getting nO customers because why would someone want to go grocery shopping on halloween

so it’s kind of a bummer that no one’s ever going to see how siCk your costume is

actually maybe that’s a good thing because your proton pack knocked over a couple bags of chips a couple times

but maybe you can wear it next year!

if jungkook invites you to a damn party, that is

(it’s pretty obvious that you’re only a little bitter that you weren’t invited)

hopefully the ghostbusters will still be kind of trendy

and-

you jump when you suddenly feel a little tug at the side of your jumpsuit and you twist to look and whO has their grimy hands on you

you are very much surprised when you see the cutest little ghost blinking up at you

this child!!!!!! is wearing a beDSHEET with two holes cut out for their eyes!!!!!!!! and it’s probably the cuTEst thing you’ve ever seen in your entire life

“well, hello there, spooky ghost-“ you’re careful to not fall flat on your face as you hop off the step stool and get down on your knees “can i help you with something?”

“ᵗʷᶦᶜᵏ ᵒʳ ᵗʷᵉᵃᵗ?” she raises her paper baggie up at you and you can’t help but let out a little coo because cOME ON who wouldn’t coo at that

TWICK OR TWEAT

“trick or- oh, uh…” you glance around the aisle

this is… not the candy section

this is the canned food section

“you know what, the halloween candy is riiiiight over there, so why don’t we-“

“peachies?”

you freeze and immediately narrow your eyes in suspicion

peachies

you only know one person in the entire world who says peachies

“…hope?” you raise a brow and almost melt into a puddle of goOp when she giggles and nods

you feel your heart skip a beat when the realisation hits you that where there’s a hope, there’s a hoseok

and you haven’t seen the two of them in a while!!

you haven’t been to work in like two weeks because you came down with a pretty nasty flu and had to stay home

and honestly your nose is still a little drippy but you had to come back because a) you have rent and tuition to pay and b) …u missed hoseok (aNd little hope)

“alright, little ghosty.” you’re cradling three cans of peaches in your arms along with hope’s trick or treat bag and hope has her little hands wrapped around (1) single can “let’s get this to checkout so that i can scan them oTherwise the manager is going to think that you’re stealing, and thEn we’re going to find your dad becau-“

“y/n!” you look up and you’re pleasantly surprised to see hoseok (out of breath) at the end of the aisle

and oH my god

oh my god

his costume matches with hope’s costume :-(

he’s just a bigger bedsheet ghost :-((((((((((

of course he pulled the sheet up so that it’s draped over his shoulders because it’s hard to look for your child when you can only see out of two poorly cut ovals

“why do you always losE your child at the grocery store?” you tease lightly and watch as hope trots over to hoseok and raises the can of peaches to him like some kind of sacrifice

“it’s not my fault!!! she’s a vEry sneaky ghost.” hoseok pats hope’s head gently and she bounces on her heels and tries to get him to take the can of peaches from her aGain

it’s getting heavy!!!!!

tAKE IT

please release her from these torturous duties

also hoseok is going to take this to the grave but uh

every time he’s supposedly ‘lost’ hope in this store just came from him telling her that they were going to play a game called ‘who can find y/n first??? first one to find y/n gets a can of peAchies-‘

he just doesn’t know how to approach you withouT hope

he’s working on it aLright

“you know, i’m dishonouring the laws of a ghostbuster by noT sucking the two of you up right now.” you gesture to the proton pack attached to your back and hoseok snorts and raises his hands in defence

“the only plausible reason why you haven’t suCked us up yet is because you’ve probably fallen hopelessly in love with me-“ hoseok definitely doesn’t miss the way your cheeks flush at that comment and he immediately feels a ruSh of confidence flowing through his veins

“you’re right, that must be it!” you play along as the three of you head to the cashier

hope, surprisingly enough, isn’t holding hoseok’s hand like she usually is

(hoseok finally gave in and took the can from her)

she’s holding onto one of the belt loops of your jumpsuit and if you weren’t so preoccupied with aMping up the charm with hoseok you would probably smother hope in kithes right now

“according to your logic, you must be hopelessly in love with me too because you haven’t made a move to possess me yet-“

hoseok laughs lightly as he helps you plop the cans onto the conveyer belt

you head behind the counter and turn the monitor on before beginning to scan the cans and you immediately point at hoseok when he pulls his wallet out

“it’s halloween and this is hopie’s treat.” you hum as you stack them up neatly in hope’s candy bag “if it was her trick then i would make you pay. you have to keep up with these things, hoseok!”

maybe it’s the fact that there’s a lot of sugar running through his veins and giving him a slight sugar high

or maybe it’s the fact that hoseok really reaLLy likes you and definitely reaLLY likes that you seem to like hope and that hope seems to likes you but-

“trick or treat?” hoseok straightens up slightly and offers you a teasing smile when you raise a brow at him

“…treat. always treat.”

“okay - hand me a pen and the receipt.”

what is he uP to

you yank the receipt for the peaches out of the machine before handing it to him and he flips it over and poPs the cap off the pen

“y/n-“ you don’t know how you didn’t realise hope had snuck behind the counter to join you but there is a little ghost behind you agAin

a genuine gasp of glee slips past your lips when she unfurls her fist to reveal one single (mini!!!) reese’s peanut butter cup “is that for me??”

hope nods and bounces up and down on her heels to try to get you to take it

her arm is getting tired

“well, thank you very much, miss hope. i will enjoy this.” you unwrap the little cup and pop it in your mouth

mMMmmM

you can never go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate

…unless u have a peanut allergy and/or you don’t like chocolate

then you can probably go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate

“alright, we should probably be on our way - hope had like three little baggies of m&ms and i’m estimating the sugar crash to hit her in like five minutes.” hoseok snorts as he hands you back the pen and the now folded receipt

“mm, that’s probably a good idea. i’ll see you… later…?” you trail off slowly and hoseok grins and nods

as soon as the two of them leave you hurry to unfold the receipt and-

’i know it’s probably controversial for a ghostbuster and a ghost to go out for coffee but if you’re ever free sometime, call me? -hoseok :-)’

help me help you make your wishes come tru (aka send me a spooky request)

spooktober masterlist // main masterlist

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3195c · 4 years ago

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The Dark Knight: How Heath Ledger's Joker Was Born

2020.7

On the occasion of The Dark Knight’s 10th anniversary, we spoke with make-up artist John Caglione, Jr., who was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on The Dark Knight along with Conor O'Sullivan. Caglione had previously won an Oscar for his makeup on Dick Tracy back in 1991, so he came into The Dark Knight with some very relevant experience in the realm of creating grotesqueries. But when it came to birthing a new version of the Joker, the makeup artist quickly realized that he would be crossing into some new and uncomfortable terrain.

“So I read the script for The Dark Knight, and having seen the first one of Chris Nolan’s trilogy, I got the feeling it was going to be more of kind of an organic-looking thing,” Caglione explains. “It was going to be kind of real, not so comic book-y. Going in, and then talking to Chris, meeting him, it became a more realistic approach to the makeup. … What would it be if this guy slept in this makeup? You know, this psychopath. If he didn’t spruce up his makeup for two or three weeks. And, you know, he never changes his clothes in the film. … It was those kinds of organic details that really helps.” When Caglione joined the production, Ledger was already signed on to play the iconic villain. The makeup designer’s earliest meetings were with the actor, director, and costume designer Lindy Hemming, followed by Caglione creating five or six color sketches as overlays of headshots of Ledger complete with green hair, different kinds of clown makeup, scars, and so on. This was followed with some makeup tests with Ledger in London, but as the process continued, it became clear that Caglione had to abandon his artist’s instinct to get everything just right. “You know, you go into it, and you’re trying, as a makeup artist, I’m always trained to do every little detail,” he says. “And you think of a clown makeup, and for the most part they’re pretty detailed with sharp lines, but this had to be the opposite of that. It had to look very broken down, very… very lived in. So, yeah, my first few times were too perfect, so I had to kind of let my hand go. And it was hard, it was really hard to do that. And I remember the first week, the first few days on set, I would look at the makeup, and you don’t know the context of the film and the overall vision, and you’re looking at it as a makeup artist. And I’m saying, this is the worst makeup in the world here! You know? And, it was like, oh, am I doing the right thing?

“And you’re looking at all the great makeups in history,” he continues. “Not just the Joker, but Clarabell and so many other greats -- you know, Emmett Kelly. And they’re always just very accurate, very precise makeups, and then here comes this. Ahhh! But, thank God it all worked out, right?” It’s easy to forget now, but before The Dark Knight was released, the standard bearer of Joker makeups was the Jack Nicholson version from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. But Caglione says that as far as he can recall, that design was never really discussed when creating the Ledger Joker. In fact, even the idea of the Joker’s white face being the result of an accident -- which is clearly the case in the Burton film -- just didn’t fit in the Nolan world of Batman. “The first Batman was amazing,” says Caglione. “I love Nicholson’s makeup. And I love the whole approach that Tim Burton [took] … the comic book style of the film, it worked. Everything about that film was great. So, in the back of my mind, maybe subconsciously it was there, but no, it never came up in meetings or discussions. It was, let’s roll up our sleeves and make this thing look like a real person could have done this to themselves. … I think it was always discussed, that this was a possible -- you know, just a psychopath. A real person that just gets into this whole thing. It’s almost like a split personality. And so, yeah, it’s a madman in makeup. It’s that concept.”

Part of the “doing this to themselves” aspect of the character includes the question of those scars on either side of this Joker’s face. Of course, the film itself leaves the question of where the scars came from open to interpretation, as unknowable as the Joker’s ever-changing origin. “I always got the impression that it was self-inflicted,” says Caglione. “But it’s up to you to decide. Was he punished, was it abuse? Was it an abusive situation? It could have been [and] that just tipped him over the edge. Mutilation, self-mutilation. We never really know for sure.” Not surprisingly, Ledger himself was very involved in creating the makeup with Nolan and Caglione. Indeed, he was essential to getting the worn and cracked look of his Joker just right. “It was great with Heath, it was just a great experience,” says Caglione. “He was a great person to work with every day. It was like a dance, because certain parts of the makeup, to get those cracks and all the drippy stuff, you really need the cooperation of the actor’s facial gestures when laying down the makeup and the paint. So we had a lot of fun together on that movie.”

Achieving the desired effect essentially involved Ledger acting in the makeup chair. “He would contort his face or raise his eyebrows,” recalls Caglione. “Or I would even take one hand and kind of scrunch the corner of his eyes to create crows’ feet, you know, draw those wrinkles, and brush grays and white colors over it, and he would relax and you would get all these expressive lines and details that just come naturally. Listen, it’s an old theater trick. They were doing it in the turn of the century, the 1920s in theater. Actors would put white makeup on and scrunch their face and let it go, and then paint little brown lines. So it’s nothing that we really invented. It was a throwback to old makeup techniques.” Another throwback in the design process came in the famous interrogation scene, where things get real rough between the Caped Crusader and the Clown Prince of Crime. “So, Heath and I would always be like, gee, what could we do a little different toward the end of the sequence?” recalls Caglione. “And I remember one time we’re talking about the scene where he gets beat up by Batman. He’s in the jail cell. And at the end of the scene, he wanted to have a different look, Heath. And I was thinking about what we can do with the eyes, the black and stuff. And I went, you know, there was this great villain in the Chaplin films, he was played -- the actor was Eric Campbell, and he always played the big heavy in all the Chaplin movies. And he always had these big, black eyes that kind of had these black eyebrows. And Heath was like, well, let me see a picture. So I pulled it up, and we kind of went for that kind of look. It was a throwback to an old Chaplin villain from the silent screen days.”

According to Caglione, Christopher Nolan wasn’t the kind of director who said “I want you to do exactly this.” Instead, he would offer inspiration and guidance. Take, for example, the paintings of Francis Bacon that he brought to Ledger and Caglione early in the design process. “I think it was his way of saying, let’s blur this, let’s loosen this up,” says Caglione. “Here’s a book, look at it, and maybe you’ll find some inspiration. And it really helped, you know, we turned a corner. He didn’t have to say much, but that was the way it kind of went. And then Heath helped me to relax. The great actors help you relax so you can really bring it, and you can just try different things and feel free to do it. But that Francis Bacon painting, that day that Chris came in and plopped that down and we went through some pages… He said, yeah, maybe look at this picture, look at that picture. I think he actually had some of the pictures tagged with Post-its that he likes. Just for inspiration.” Funny enough, it was a Francis Bacon painting in the 1989 Batman that the Jack Nicholson Joker spared during his gang’s rampage in the Gotham City museum. Coincidence? Who can say? Of course, sadly Heath Ledger passed away before The Dark Knight was released. He went on to receive a posthumous Oscar for the role, but had he not died, the actor could’ve returned as the Joker. Caglione recalls Ledger talking about his ideas for the character beyond The Dark Knight.

“Yes, he did, he actually did talk to me about it,” he says. “He wanted to… start at the Arkham Asylum. And his idea -- I don’t know if he ever talked to Chris. This is just private moments in the chair with Heath, and conversations like, wouldn’t it be great to go back and see what really happened to this guy, how he became what he became? And why he just, you know, flipped out and became maniacal? And he always thought it would be great to go back to the asylum, or even before that. So it was just chit-chat in the chair. … Because I’m sure as an actor, he needs to know the origins of the character; it’s really important to him. “He was excited about the idea of going back in time, and seeing how he became the Joker. You know, the evolution of the character,” says Caglione. “It would have been cool. It would have been cool.”

Indeed, it would’ve been cool. But at least we’ll always have Heath Ledger’s amazing performance from The Dark Knight, and the unforgettable look of the character created by Christopher Nolan, John Caglione, Jr., Conor O'Sullivan, Lindy Hemming and, of course, Ledger himself.

[YouTube]

#John Caglione Jr.#The Dark Knight #Heath Ledger #2020

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artificialqueens · 5 years ago

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Beneath the Amber Moon, Part 6 (Galactica AU Group Fic) – TheDane & Veronica

Heyyy!! Welcome to Part 6 of “Beneath the Amber Moon,” a group fic set in the Galactica Universe. Click here for previous chapters.

We hope you’re enjoying it! Let us know what you think!

Summary: Sand witches, sketches, jet skis, and baby influencers.

/////

Courtney skipped down the beach, Julia’s hand in hers, the little girl giggling and running to keep up. She was glad that she had an excuse to avoid the huge buffet and endless sugary cocktails. She’d already indulged quite a bit this week, and knew that any more would only make it even harder to get back into Supergirl-shape for her publicity shoot back in LA. Not to mention, Bianca had given her a look as they disembarked that sent shivers down her spine. But she wasn’t thinking about that, not now...

“This looks good!” she said, pointing to a spot in the sand and handing Julia a bucket. “Can you fill this with water? Then I’ll show you the secret.”

“Okay!” Julia took the bucket and ran off towards the ocean, Courtney spreading out a towel and watching her closely. The water in the bay was calm and gentle, and while she knew the 7-year-old would be fine, she didn’t want any accidents.

“Courtney!”

Courtney glanced up to see Violet, walking down the beach towards her, tote bag in hand.

“Hey! What’s up?”

“I made you something.”

“You did? For me?” Courtney smiled. “What?”

“... A sketch? For the jacket?” Violet said, a small smile playing on her face, as if she couldn’t believe Courtney had already forgotten. “From yesterday.”

“Oh. Right.” Courtney blushed, waving to Julia as she scampered back from the water, now able to turn fully towards Violet.

“So, it’s a truly horrendous piece of… clothing, but I think I made something you might like.” Violet reached into her tote, taking out a thick piece of paper, and Courtney gasped.

“It’s a completely different jacket!” Courtney grabbed the paper, holding it up in the light so she could see it. It was drawn in soft watercolors, but Violet had managed to keep the rainbow theme, the new cut she had suggested giving it a much more current and young vibe, while the simple buttons, the denim material and the strategically placed rhinestones somehow aged it up to almost be appropriate for any adult that actually wanted to wear a full rainbow. Courtney was elated at how much better the new version looked. Maybe her new collection would be wearable after all.

“Hi Violet,” Julia said, settling down in the sand.

“Oh,” Violet shifted. “Hi.” Juju’s twins were at that awkward age where they were almost real people, but not quite, and it was very unsettling.

“Courtney’s gonna teach me the secret to making creepy sand witches’ castles.”

“That’s...nice.”

“Get it? Sand witch?” Julia asked gleefully.

Violet blinked down at her, and Courtney stifled a laugh, putting a hand on the little girl’s back.

“Okay, first we need to make a nice tall mound for the base. That’s right, work on that.” Courtney turned back to Violet. “That jacket is amazing. Have you thought about any of the other designs?”

“I may have...made a few more sketches.” Violet bit her lip, clutching the sketch book. “I was gonna work on some more now...do you wanna go over them...later?”

“Sure!” Courtney grinned up at her. “How do you feel about the title ‘Creative Director’?”

Violet laughed. “Sure.”

“I’m serious.”

“Oh...” Violet looked at Courtney, like she was still searching her face for traces of a lie. “Well... We’ll see.”

“Is this good?” Julia asked.

“That is the most perfect mound I’ve ever seen!” Courtney told her. “Okay, are you ready for the secret part?”

“Yes!”

“Um…so...”

“Do you wanna hang out with us and work here?” Courtney patted the towel beside her, and Violet shook her head. “You sure? I’m about to reveal a pretty cool secret…”

“No thanks,” Violet said with a light chuckle. “I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” Courtney smiled again.

“Bye Violet!” Julia called, then clutched Courtney’s arm. “Show me show me!”

“Alright, pumpkin.”

/////

“Oh my god…” Raven groaned with delight, biting into a sugary, cream-filled donut. With a crispy outside and a soft, pillowy center, drizzled with the perfect amount of doce de leite. Heaven.

“You want me to leave you two alone, or…?” Juju teased, taking a bite of her panna cotta.

“Shut up, I’m having a moment,” Raven said.

“Yeah, I can tell. Let me know if you need a change of panties.”

Raven laughed and punched her lightly on the shoulder.

“Just let me enjoy the afternoon, bitch! I have two babies; I never get me time.”

“You have two nannies, too. Your whole life is me time,” Juju countered.

“Okay, do you know what it’s like managing two nannies and a housekeeper? Because that is noteasy.”

“No, can’t say I do. But if I want to know, I’ll be sure to ask Raja.”

Raven let out an indignant little shriek, then picked her donut up again.

“You’re my real friend,” she said to the pastry, taking another bite as Juju laughed beside her.

/////

“Hey, guys.” Alaska approached Courtney and Julia, who were still busy making tall, drippy sandcastles.

“Look!” Julia cried, happily showing off her creation.

“That’s amazing!”

“It’s a castle for a sand witch!”

“Sand witch?” Alaska laughed at the silly pun, while made Julia giggle.

“Courtney taught me how to do this drippy thing, wanna see?”

“Totally.” Alaska knelt down, watching Julia drip the wet sand through her fingers, adding to her already towering castle. “That is a very cool technique.”

“I know,” Julia said, beaming and hugging Courtney around the waist.

“Is there no end to your talent, Court?”

“I’m just trying to stay out of trouble,” Courtney laughed.

“Trouble?”

Courtney’s eyes shifted over to the nearby lounge chairs, where Bianca was sitting, oiled up, skin already glowing with a healthy bronze tan. She’d pulled the straps of her bathing suit down off her shoulders, giving Courtney an even better look at her cleavage. From this angle, she looked like a 50’s pinup girl, and all Courtney could think about was sinking her teeth into the smooth skin of her perfect thighs.

Alaska followed Courtney’s gaze and let out a little chuckle.

“Having some...self control issues?”

“You could say that,” Courtney admitted, biting her lip. “But I’m trying to take precautions.”

Courtney wiggled her fingers, showing off her decadent stiletto nails, and Alaska laughed, shaking her head.

“Trust me, girl...those are not gonna stop you. But I wish you the best of luck.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Julia asked, head tilted curiously.

“Um, we’re talking about...the tickle monster!” Courtney grabbed her and began to tickle her, causing her to shriek with happy laughter.

/////

The fact that he had managed to slip away undetected should probably have made him feel bad, but honestly, Patrick only really felt ecstatic at the fact that he avoided an afternoon of beach activities and jet skis. He had made his way to the top of the boat, setting up so he could easily see and hear the entire party going on, in case Fame needed him.

For now, however, he was beyond happy to just sit down, the budget his assistant had mailed him and one of the staff had kindly printed in hand along with a red pen, the sounds of everyone floating to him on the wind, as he got down to work.

/////

“Hey, lil bear…” Jinkx wrapped her arms around Adore’s shoulders from behind, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. “How are you, baby?”

“I’m good!” Adore swallowed her mouthful of paella, picking up a piece of fried calamari. “Trying to sober up so that I can ride on one of those sick jet skis.”

“Mmm, sounds fun.” Jinks settled down onto the bench beside Adore, adjusting her hat.

“You wanna join? They said that Courtney and I could do it after lunch.”

“Uh, no. Not really my thing. But I’ll be cheering you on.”

“Fair enough.” Adore took a huge bite of a shrimp pastel.

“So...do you think we could have a little chat, just the two of us?” Jinkx asked, voice low. “When you’re done eating.”

Adore’s blood ran cold, unfinished pastel paused in mid air. Shit.

“Sure. I mean...I don’t know when I’ll be done, though. Did you see that spread? Ha ha,” Adore laughed weakly.

“I know, it’s fucking awesome!” Detox agreed, devouring a bowl of moqueca like he needed it to live.

“Right, but...look, I’ve really been wanting to talk to you, babe,” Jinkx tried again, tucking a lock of Adore’s hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, too bad we don’t live together!” Adore joked.

“Dore.”

“Be right back, Imma go get seconds!” Adore jumped up from the table and raced back to the buffet.

Jinkx let out a sigh, then saw Alaska glowering at her from across the beach.

“Ugh, don’t start, I tried.” Jinkx knew Alaska couldn't hear her, but she still wanted to say the words.

“What?” Detox looked up from his plate.

“Nothing.”

/////

“Well that looks, complicated.” Fame took a sip of her drink, looking over at Raven.

She was standing in the water nearby, trying to get both of her twins to sit still on a big flat rock. They were dressed in crocheted mermaid costumes and giant ridiculous flower headbands.

“Tanya! Smile for Mommy! Smile!”

Detox stood by, snapping photos, the man clearly finding the entire thing beyond amusing.

“You should see the shopping session.” Raja bit into a strawberry. “They had custom Dolce & Gabbana jackets.”

Fame shook her head. Her friend was truly delirious. She had always known that Raven would go completely overboard, but it was still somewhat unsettling to see toddlers that were only serving as playthings for their mother, though Fame would never dream of saying it. She loved Raja too much, and it was never wise to get in an argument with a business partner. Fame turned away from the beach, the amusement of toddlers in mermaid costumes already passed, as Courtney and Adore rode by on their jet skis.

Raja watched Fame’s face fall. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss the fact that Courtney had showed up, both of them too busy, but Raja could see it as plain as day on Fame’s face that she was unhappy with the turn of events, though she was sure Fame would look exactly the same to anyone who hadn’t worked with her for more than a decade. Raja didn’t care about a lot of people, but she did care about Fame, the blonde somehow worming her way into her heart and staying there.

“So, how are you holding up?”

“Holding up?” Fame bit her lip, so clearly lying it was almost pathetic. “I’m holding up amazingly.”

Raja smiled. “Don’t lie to me. I know you too well for that.”

Fame sighed. “I’m fine.”

“Just know that I’m here.” Raja touched Fame’s shoulder. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

/////

“Augh!” Courtney shrieked, as Adore rode by, dangerously close, spraying her with water. The two of them were tooling around the bay on jet skis, having beelined for them the second lunch was over. Adore could barely listen to the instructions, she was so anxious to get on.

“Is this what it would feel like to ride a motorcycle?” she yelled to Courtney.

“I think this is probably way more fun than a motorcycle!” Courtney shouted back. She sped up, chasing Adore around the boat, seeing Bianca standing on the dock, watching them, a drink in hand.

“B, you’re missing out!” Adore called to her. “Too bad you’re so old and no fun at all!”

Bianca raised her middle finger. Courtney slowed her own jet ski, looking up at her with a cheeky grin.

“Wanna get on?” Courtney asked.

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Bianca chuckled.

“Why… Ya scared?” Courtney revved the engine, riding in a slow circle, and Bianca smirked at her. She sucked down the last of her cocktail, setting her glass down and taking off her cover-up.

“Scared...pffft,” she scoffed, slipping on a life jacket, handed to her by the steward trying to keep them all from killing themselves. “How the fuck am I supposed to do this, anyway?”

The steward beckoned Courtney forward, helping support Bianca’s weight while she lowered herself down, hands gripping Courtney’s shoulders.

Bianca eventually settled in just behind Courtney, pressed into her back.

“It’s probably better to hold onto her waist,” the steward told her.

Bianca swallowed, placing her hands around Courtney’s waist, feeling those abs under her hands.

“Are you good?” Courtney asked.

“I’m good.” She then let out a gasp as the jet ski lurched forward, Courtney accelerating quickly, causing her to hold on tighter. “Fucking hell!”

Courtney giggled, gunning it even faster, loving the feel of Bianca’s thighs gripping hers, arms now tightly wrapped around her waist, lips inches from her neck, where the hair was standing on end. The faster she went, the closer Bianca held her, and so she zipped around the bay like a demon out of hell.

Bianca’s heart pounded, cheeks feeling hot and flushed as she pressed close to Courtney, clinging to her. Why did she think this was a good idea? And why did Courtney always have to feel so fucking perfect in her arms? She cursed internally, kicking herself for letting her feelings run away with her. Honestly, it was unlikely that Courtney was thinking about her as anything more than an ex. Her best friend’s sister.

Of course, then a hand reached down, gently squeezing her thigh, as Courtney asked, “Everything okay, B?”

“Ahem…Yeah. Everything’s fine. You’re an excellent driver.”

Courtney giggled, leaning back into her arms, and Bianca felt her icy heart melt a little.

/////

“Almost seems fun.” Karl looked at the jet skis, the sounds of Adore’s screams carrying from the distance.

“Almost being the keyword.” Sutan laughed. “Remember when we went to Sunny Beach? In Bulgaria?”

“You almost died.”

“And who’s fault that was?”

Karl rolled his eyes. “No one forced you to drink a double whale and go swimming.”

Sutan smiled. “Everything seems like a good idea when you’re high on coke.” They were some of the last to make their way towards the boat, the two friends having spent time at the beach, looking for seashells for Sutans mom, Karl’s pockets filled with conchs of different shapes and sizes. Sutan threw an arm around Karl’s shoulder. “Thank god we don’t do that anymore, huh?”

“Yeah... Thank god.”

/////

“I like your bracelet.”

Violet looked up from her magazine, surprised etched into her features at Fame’s voice, the blonde standing behind her deck chair, a small smile on her perfect face. They had all returned to the boat, the giant ship now cruising through the water to whatever destination Fame planned for next.

“I…” Violet touched her bracelet. “I, umh. Thank you.” It was a thin golden band, the metal woven together, and Violet had fallen in love with it the first time she had seen it.

“Where did you get it?”

“I found it at TILT.”

“Oh, so it’s vintage?”

Violet nodded. She was unsure why Fame was being so welcoming towards her, her mind briefly wondering if Sutan had asked Fame to keep an eye on her, but that didn’t make sense.

Violet stood up, ready to respond to Fame’s question, when her world turned dark.

/////

Courtney climbed out of the hot tub and onto the deck, muscles loose and relaxed. The evening air had turned chilly, sun low in the sky, and she shivered.

“Need a towel?”

Bianca caught her eye, giving a half smile, unable to stop thinking about their jet ski ride.

“Yeah, thanks.” Courtney hugged her arms, and Bianca stepped forward with a large beach towel from the shelf, wrapping it around her shoulders.

The gesture was more intimate than she’d planned. She looked into Courtney’s eyes, lashes wet with tiny beads of water, and gulped. But at the same time, she didn’t really want to look away.

And it appeared that she wasn’t the only one, Courtney holding her gaze, an inscrutable smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Violet!”

A sudden shriek pierced the air, Fame’s voice ringing out, snapping both Bianca and Courtney out of their little daze.

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stormdancer · 6 years ago

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★☆★Guild Wars 2 Asks!★☆★

Retumblr’d from @guildwuff2 who got it from somebody, from somebody, from...

But I tweaked it slightly, fixing the misspelling of favorite. And answered them all because I felt like it.

1. When did you start playing? In the closed Beta.

2. What was your first characters race/class (profession)? I went through all the races & classes in Beta, but saved the Charr for release, because I knew that’s what I wanted to play. My first ‘real’ character was a Charr Ranger. She remains my favorite, but I think I have more hours on my Charr Engineer.

3. How many characters do you have? Seven.

4. Whats your favorite race? Charr!

5. Whats your least favorite race? Human

6. What do you prefer PvE or PVP? PvE

7. Have you spent IRL money on the gem shop? Yep. I’d spend more if they had more RP-friendly stuff.

8. Whats your favorite zone? It varies a lot. Amnoon is such a RP-friendly city, and that whole zone works nicely.

9. Whats your favorite city? The Black Citadel. Amnoon’s a close second.

10. Whats your favorite PVP map? I don’t PvP enough to have one. I liked the old WvWvW maps.

11. Whats a piece of gear you always transmute because you love the look of it so much? Pretty much anything that looks practical and realistic. They’re in short supply.

12. How many achievement points do you have? Uh... I have NFC. Maybe I’ll check later & edit.

13. Is it okay to ask to RP with you? Absolutely!

14. Is your guild open to new members? Shard: Not really, we’ve reached a stable number. AUX: Pretty much always.

15. Have you ever been really angry at the game? why? More than a few times. The Skipping Stones JP made me ragequit a few times.

16. Do you enjoy jumping puzzles? Yep! I’ve done every one of them in the game, on my Charr. Including the WvW one back when it was really heavily contested, and the old Lion’s Arch ones when they were freakin’ hard.

17. Whats your best guild wars experience? My wonderful RP guild. Seriously. So many wonderful adventures and stories there.

18. Do you have a favorite character from the lore? Probably Rytlock. But I adore Taimi.

19. Is there a class you like the idea of but the gameplay doesn’t match up for you? Elementalists. I just suck at playing them.

20. How far have you made it in SAB (Super Adventure Box) if you had the chance to play it? Maybe halfway through lvl1? It’s fun, I like it, but...

21. Favorite weapon skin? Didn’t we do this back at 11? Uhm. Probably the drippy Orrian sword. If my rangers could use the sniper rifle (WHICH THEY SHOULD), it’d be that.

22. Do you have a legendary? Which one or ones? Nope. That’s too much like work.

23. Whats your favorite legendary? Uh... the one with the ravens? I guess? Because ravens.

24. Is there a race you hate with a passion? Not really.

25. What class do you hate to face in PVP? I don’t PvP enough to care. Maybe thieves.

26. Are there any players you look up to? Yup!

27. First memorable friend you made through guild wars? Soho. <3 There’s been several since then, but Soho was first.

28. Do you play with sound on or off? I *want* to play with it on, because it’s so good, but GW2 crashes on me a lot, and the audio seems to be part of it, so I leave it off.

29. Do you stream GW2? If so where can I watch you? Nope.

30. Are you obsessed with in game fashion? No. Most of it looks absurd, and most of my characters wear Medium. It’s a struggle to find decent looking realistic Medium armor. See #11. If we could mix-n-match town clothes again, I would be. See #40.

31. Do you have a favorite dye? Not really. Probably the ones I don’t have yet. :P

32. Whats the best glider skin in your opinion? I like the feathered wings a lot, it goes w/ the backpack.

33. Have you ever had to block someone? My block list is long.

34. Weirdest map chat experience? *shrug* There’s been a lot of them, but none stand out at the moment.

35. Do you have 100% map completion on any of your characters? Yep, 2 of them. Working on a 3rd.

36. What type of player are you? Hardcore, Casual, Semi-hardcore, Barely online. None of the above. I’m a roleplayer. I’m on for probably 10-15 hours a week.

37. What are the top three tips you would give someone just starting to play? a) Do not rush to 80! Relax and just play. Every zone everywhere has fun to offer, at every level. b) Linger, after completing events. There are often follow-through events, or even just entertaining NPC dialog. c) Explore. Look everywhere. Get map completion, but don’t do it by bunny-jumping from point to point. The game is rich with cool stuff that most people sprint past.

38. Best memory in guild wars? It’s a long story.

39. Do you stick to one character mostly or are you an altoholic? Somewhere between. I have about 3 characters I play with any regularity.

40. What bothers you the most about the game if anything? Plenty. I *hate* that they turned ‘street clothes’ into outfits - we used to be able to mix & match and I want that back! I hate the new Lion’s Arch. I hate that the Living World isn’t anymore. I’m aggravated that /em still has like 3x the range of /say.

#asks #poll

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marketingblog728 · 3 years ago

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Tronicbox Somebody That I Used To Know Downloadeleasysite

Somebody That I Used To Know Tronicbox

Tronicbox Somebody That I Used To Know

80s Remix Tronicbox Somebody That I Used To Know Gotye. 1581 播放 2 弹幕 TRONICBOX - Justin Bieber. After this week’s Rihanna/Calvin Harris ’80s ballad, the originator of the idea Tronicbox, who memorably reworked Justin Bieber in a drippy ’80s decade style, has tackled the popular song from a few years back: Gotye & Kimbra’s ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ an ’80s sheen, complete with puslating percussion and wild masturbatory guitar.

A video remix of Tronicbox's awesome remix of Gotye's 'Somebody That I used to Know.' I don't own the rights, this is just for fun. Yahoo.com described Tronicbox's remix of 'Into You' as a 'dreamy and slinky '80s midtempo bop'. 11 ABC thought 'Somebody That I Used To Know' was a 'pitch-perfect '80s makeover, complete with wailing guitars'. The '80s VHS-style art for Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' as reimagined by YouTube user TRONICBOX. Whether you thought of the 2000s emo-punk boom as watershed moment or the nadir of modern music, there's one song from that era that's hard to forget.

A Republican is in the White House. Star Wars is popular. Synthesizers are cool. A strong argument can be made that we’re living in the second coming of the 1980s, and the current trends in music show no mercy in reinforcing this. Some artists and YouTubers – most prominently, a Canadian producer who goes by Tronicbox – are fully embracing this trend, creating ‘80s remixes of popular songs. Even better, some of them are actually pretty good.

1. Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna – “This Is What You Came For” (Saint Laurent Remix)

This remix transforms the Calvin Harris and Rihanna hit into what would have worked perfectly in the 1980s as a power ballad. The song is comprised of distinct ’80s keyboards, drums, and chord progressions. With a VHS-themed music video that features a perm-sporting Rihanna, this remix offers the complete package of an ’80s throwback with audio and video.

2. Fifth Harmony – “Sledgehammer” (Tronicbox Remix)

Though the original song is arguably heavily influenced by the ’80s, given its synth-pop instrumentation, this remix fullyimmerses the song into the vibes of the ’80s. Featured is a Seinfeld-esque slap bass, and in combination with brassy synthesizers and a saxophone solo, this remix is actually very convincing in replicating something that would have been heard 30 years ago.

3. Ariana Grande – “Into You” (Tronicbox Remix) Ncaa football 2020 standings.

Opening with a beat and bassline similar to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” this remix is reminiscent of the 1980s but, more importantly, it’s simply great. Fairy tail episode download free. This remix transforms the song from an already-successful hit to a something that you can dance, cry, and drive into the sunset to, all at the same time.

4. Gotye – “Somebody That I Used To Know” (Tronicbox Remix)

Just when we thought the 2012 experimental hit by Gotye & Kimbra was finally out of our heads, a great remix comes along that solidifies its reputation as an infectious song. With a synthesized bassline, epic guitar solo, and unmistakable 1980s keyboards, it would be sinful not to include the Tronicbox remix of “Somebody That I Used To Know” in any ’80s remix playlist.

5. Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream” (Tronicbox Remix)

A commenter has described this remix better than we ever could: “I want to hear this playing in an IHOP at 3 in the morning.” With the instrumentation of a song similar to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and an infectious synth-brass melody, this is a remix reminiscent of the 1980s style that we don’t often remember.

7. Tove Lo – “Talking Body” (Callum Warrender Remix)

In a significantly more high fidelity remix by Callum Warrender, Tove Lo’s “Talking Body” goes from a light pop song to a full blown epic power rock 80s remix. If this were released in the 80s, perhaps it would be an anthem that would be played at football games and upstate radio stations alike.

gotye - somebody that i used to know ( slowed + reverb ) size:7.29MB - duration:05:11

somebody that i used to know - ＤｏｏｍｅｒＷａｖｅ size:6.77MB - duration:04:49

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) - official video size:5.74MB - duration:04:05

somebody that i used to know, 80s slowed (tik tok version + no tempo changes) size:6.16MB - duration:04:23

Somebody that I used to know (slowed) | MSP Version size:7.1MB - duration:05:03

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (Slowed Down / Vocal Version) size:7.52MB - duration:05:21

gotye - somebody that i used to know tronicbox 80's remix (slowed & reverb) size:5.98MB - duration:04:15

ＵＳＥＤＴＯＫＮＯＷ size:4.41MB - duration:03:08

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (ft. Kimbra) // S L O W E D (8D) size:7.2MB - duration:05:07

Somebody That I Used To Know Tronicbox

Somebody that I used to know slowed but only the girl part size:2.95MB - duration:02:06

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (Feat.Kimbra) (Slowed With Lyrics) size:6.73MB - duration:04:47

Tronicbox Somebody That I Used To Know

Somebody that i used to know - goyte (slowed + reverb) size:6.75MB - duration:04:48

ダレカ (Somebody that I used to know) - VAPORWAVE CHILL REMIX size:7.73MB - duration:05:30

Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye (Lyrics) ft. Kimbra size:6.59MB - duration:04:41

somebody that i used to know - gotye ft. kimbra (s l o w e d) size:6.75MB - duration:04:48

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (slowed + rain) size:6.75MB - duration:04:48

//Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (ft. Kimbra) (slowed down) size:6.54MB - duration:04:39

Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know feat.kimbra (slowed version, 1 hoop loop) size:85.97MB - duration:1:01:08

gotye - somebody that i used to know (ft kimbra) (slowed down) size:8.18MB - duration:05:49

somebody that i used to know ; gotye & kimbra (slowed/reverbed) size:6.4MB - duration:04:33

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xseedgames · 7 years ago

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2017 End-of-the-Year Q&A Extravaganza Blog! #1

It’s time for our first 2017 End-of-the-Year Q&A Extravaganza! We’ve got a bunch of these we’ll be posting over the holiday break, so please look forward to them. Now, let’s roll right in!

We have answers from:

Ken Berry, Executive Vice President / Team Leader John Wheeler, Assistant Localization Manager Nick Colucci, Localization Editor Liz Rita, QA Tester Brittany Avery, Localization Producer Thomas Lipschultz, Localization Producer

Question: Has selling your games on PC worked out for you so far? I know supporting the PC platform is a relatively recent choice for XSEED. - @Nate_Nyo

Ken: Being on PC has been great for us as it allows us to reach anyone anywhere in the world regardless of region or console. We were probably one of the earlier adopters in terms of bringing content from Japan to PC as we first published Ys: The Oath in Felghana on Steam almost 6 years ago in early 2012.

Brittany: I love working on PC. The work involved is greater than working on console, but I feel like it's a bigger learning experience, too. For console, the developers normally handle the graphics after we translate them, and they do all the programming and such. For PC, everything falls on us. I wasn't that experienced with Photoshop in the beginning, but I think I've gotten a lot better with it over the years. We can also receive updates instantly, and since I talk with our PC programmer through Skype, it's easier to suss out our exact needs and think of ideas to improve the game or bring it to modern standards.

Question: What non-XSEED games do you praise the localization for? - @KlausRealta

Brittany: Final Fantasy XII. I love everything about Final Fantasy XII's writing. I'm also a big fan of the personality in the Ace Attorney localizations. I'm still playing Yakuza 0, but you can feel the passion of the localization team in the writing. There are some projects where you can tell the editing was phoned in, and then there are games where it's obvious it was a labor of love. All of these games have a color I aspire to.

Tom: Probably going to be a popular answer, and not an especially surprising one, but I've got to give props to Lost Odyssey. It's hard to deny the timeless quality and absolutely masterful English writing that went into basically every line of that game's massive script, with the many short stories being of particular note. That game really does represent an inspirational high bar that I think most everyone else in the industry will forever strive to reach in their own works.

For a more unexpected answer, I've also got to give mad props to Sega for their work on Monster World IV. As a Sega Genesis game released digitally in English for the very first time less than a decade ago, I guess I was kind of expecting a fairly basic "throwaway" translation -- but instead, the game boasts a full-on professional grade localization that's easily up to all modern standards, brimming with charm and personality. It's really nice to see a legitimate retro game being given that kind of care and attention in the modern era, and it makes it very easy for me to recommend (as does the fact that the game is actually quite fun, and is sure to be enjoyed by anyone who's played through all the Shantae titles and really wants to try something else along similar lines).

John: I played Okami on PS3 earlier this year (before the remake was announced), and I was awed by how skillfully the team handled text that is chock full of localization challenges like quirky nicknames, references to Japanese fairy tales, and regional dialects. I was especially amused to see a reference to "kibi dango," the dumplings Momotaro uses to bribe his companions in that famous story. We dealt with the same cultural reference with STORY OF SEASONS: Trio of Towns.

Nick: My go-to response is always Vagrant Story, because it’s the game I credit with getting me really interested in a career in localization. Before that point, I had enjoyed games for their story and characters, but hadn’t realized just how much the specific word choices and tone contributed to a reader’s perception of a story as a whole. The gents behind VS’s localization would go on to be industry luminaries, with Rich Amtower now calling shots in Nintendo’s Treehouse department and Alex Smith being synonymous with the highly regarded prose of Yasumi Matsuno’s games – including the cool and underappreciated Crimson Shroud for 3DS, and Final Fantasy XII, which as anyone who’s played it can tell you is a stellar localization. Having spent a lot of time with FFXII’s “The Zodiac Age” remaster this year, the care and attention to detail put into the localization still blows me away. The unique speech style of the Bhujerbans (with...Sri Lankan inflections, if memory serves correctly) sticks with me, because I knew that I myself would never have been able to pull off something like that so deftly. I guess you could say Vagrant Story started a lineage of games that’s always given me something to aspire to as an editor.

Final Fantasy XIV, which I’ve been playing this year, also has a very good localization, especially considering the reams of text that go into an MMO of its size and scope. Michael-Christopher Koji Fox and his team have done a bang-up job giving life and personality to the land of Eorzea, and I’ve enjoyed seeing how the localization has changed in subtle ways as time has gone on. The initial “A Realm Reborn” localization sort of cranks the “regional flavor” up to 11 with heavy dialects and vernacular, but in subsequent expansions, they kind of eased up on that and have found a good mix between grounded localization and the kind of flourishes that work well in high-fantasy settings.

And, while I haven’t played it in a number of years, I remember Dragon Quest VIII having a really great localization, too, with ol’ Yangus still living large in my memories. Tales of the Abyss was fantastic as well, and both DQVIII and Abyss delivered some really brilliant dub work that showed me how much richer one could make characterization when the writing and the acting really harmonized. I still consider Tales of the Abyss my general favorite game dub to date. The casting is perfect, with not a bad role among them. I also want to give mad props to Ni no Kuni’s Mr. Drippy, just as a perfect storm of great localization decisions. Tidy, mun!

Question: How hard is it to turn in game signs and words to English for Japanese? Is it as simple as going in and editing text? Or as hard as creating a whole new texture for the model? - @KesanovaSSB4

Tom: We refer to this as "graphic text" -- meaning, literally, text contained within graphic images. How it's handled differs from project to project, but the short answer is, yeah, it involves creating a whole new texture for the model. Sometimes, this is handled by the developer: they'll just send us a list of all the graphic text images that exist in-game and what each image says, we'll send that list back to them with translations, and they'll use those translations to create new graphic images on our behalf. For other games, however (particularly PC titles we're more or less spearheading), we'll have to do the graphic edits ourselves. When the original PSDs or what-not exist for the sign images, this is generally pretty easy -- but as you might expect, those aren't always available to us, meaning we'll sometimes have to go to a bit more trouble to get this done.

John: The best practice is to review graphic text very early in the localization process because it takes effort to fix and can throw a wrench in schedules if issues are discovered too late. On occasion, it is too difficult to change ubiquitous textures, especially those that might also appear in animation. This was the case with "NewTube" in SENRAN KAGURA Peach Beach Splash, which the localization team wanted to change to "NyuuTube" to make the wordplay clearer to series fans.

Question: With the Steam marketplace becoming increasingly saturated and being seen as a greater risk to publish on in recent times, what does XSEED plan on doing in order to remain prominent and relevant in the PC gaming space? - @myumute

Ken: It is indeed getting harder and harder to stand out as hundreds of new titles are releasing on Steam each month. We are working our way towards simultaneous release across all platforms to help leverage some of the coverage from the console version to get more attention to the PC release, so hopefully that's something we can accomplish soon. For PC-exclusive releases it continues to be a challenge, but at least they have a long tail and even if it's not an immediate success at launch we know it can continue to produce sales for years to come.

Question: What was your favorite film that you saw in 2017, and why? - @Crippeh

John: I'm way behind on movies this year (haven't seen Disaster Artist, Phantom Thread, or Get Out, for example), but recently I've enjoyed both Star Wars and Lady Bird. I expect I'll watch my favorite film from 2017 sometime in 2018.

Ken: Wind River. Mainly because of Jeremy Renner's performance and how many quotable lines he had.

Liz: Get Out for horror mindblowing amazingness, Spider-Man Homecoming for genuinely fun comic book movie, and The Shape of Water for Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo del Toro should always be a category.

That’s it! Stay turned for blog #2 later this week. Here’s a preview of the kinds of questions we’ll be answering:

Question: Have you ever considered selling the music CDs for your licenses stateside? - @LimitTimeGamer Question: If possible, would you please consider researching and localizing classic Korean-made PC xRPGs? - @DragEnRegalia Question: Do you have any interest in pursuing the localization of any of the large, beautiful Chinese RPGs that have been hitting Steam? Or are you focused exclusively on Japanese titles? - @TheDanaAddams Question: What inspired you all to do this kind of work in the first place? Also, what’s the story behind the company name XSEED? How did you all come up with it? - @TBlock_02 Question: What was everyone's favorite game(s) to work on this year? - @ArtistofLegacy Question: What's everyone's favorite song from the Falcom games you've released so far? - @Crippeh

#XSEED #Q&A #Localization

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nerdmars · 7 years ago

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01/11/2018 Bruno Mars is a walking, talking, Hawaiian avatar of nostalgia. From the top of his pompadour to the bottom of his retro Reeboks, Bruno is a master of reinterpreting the past for a ravenous present. Recently, Bruno's "Finesse" music video featuring Cardi B took everything we love about the '90s — neon apparel, new jack swing, In Living Color — and mashed it into a viral moment.

Phil Tayag was one of the architects of this vision. Credited as the choreographer and creative consultant for "Finesse," Tayag, a founding member of the JabbaWocKeeZ dance crew, helped translate the iconic dancing of the Fly Girls from In Living Color for a new generation. MTV News spoke with him to discuss how "Finesse" came together, what it was like filming the music video, and meeting Cardi B for the first time.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

MTV News: Who had the initial idea to make the "Finesse" video all about the '90s?

Phil Tayag: That was Bruno's idea. I mean, the record itself is demanding that it's definitely that early '90s era, this new jack era. The In Living Color whole theme seemed to be perfect.

We were bouncing around ideas, like, 'What about In Living Color?' It was perfect because they just provided the perfect setting for us to do drippin' finesse. This is from that era. So I mean, everything really worked out, and I'm really happy about it.

MTV News: Were you a fan of In Living Color and the Fly Girls growing up?

Tayag: For sure. I mean, I was a little bit younger, but I was definitely watching In Living Color. I mean, from Jamie Foxx to Jim Carrey to the Wayans brothers, of course, and you know, Tommy Davidson and [David] Alan Grier, all those guys. Then the dancers, Carrie Inaba, Jossie [Harris], [Jennifer Lopez], Rosie Perez, I mean, definitely was really a fan of that movement.

At the time, it was really like a culture shock to see just this whole thing with this almost sketch comedy thing to seeing the dancers and the live performances, the singers, the artists, the rappers, whatever. To see it all packaged into one, they were kind of like the blueprint. It was an honor to be able to be the ones to pay homage to that era.

MTV News: What I remember about the Fly Girls' dancing was it had this power to it. It was very sexual, very sensual. It was very iconic for them. How do you transform that into something that Bruno can dance to that is still very much honoring the dancing they were doing on In Living Color, but also fits his whole vibe?

Tayag: Right. I mean, you know, that's the trick, right? You're right on the money with that. How do you come to really pay homage in the right way to such iconic dances and such an iconic show and at the same time still be this drippy, swagged-out, sparkly, sprinkly Bruno Mars in the game? You know, how do we still convey that?

It's Bruno and company are going to just by default be that and have that energy. The thing is, even with Bruno, we all grew up watching that. This is a part of that. [The] '90s era is part of our DNA. So it was really funny, this kind of music, you know, and go from these big power moves. It could almost feel like aerobic. Like the running man that is, you know, inspired by a running man. It's very athletic and very big, and it's great because it was all about the group then, in the '90s, and fusing that with this more loose swag.

Definitely, we have to be mindful of the ratio of this new drippy swag to this '90s hip-hop/new jack era. I mean, really, it was fun, and it's cool that you're even bringing this up, because obviously, that was a very huge focal point when it came to executing this whole project.

MTV News: What was it like the day you filmed the video?

Tayag: The day I filmed the video, it was just surreal. We're on the In Living Color stage like verbatim and the vibe, the gears, the clothes. This is just like a huge flashback and its almost like you're on this really high bridge and it's really great if you're kinda just looking at eye level, but you look down it's like, wow this is pretty high up.

What I mean by being pretty high up is like, this is actually some big shoes to fill when it comes to trying to replicate this whole In Living Color thing. But you know, I'm rocking with Bruno. Our chins were up and we knocked that thing out.

MTV News: Did you get a chance to meet Cardi B?

Tayag: Yeah, yeah. We worked with Cardi B, and she was the person that we probably all really feel like she is on social media — just this humble and this goofy, magnetic being. It was really, really dope to see somebody like that, you know, face to face.

I always love seeing good people. I love seeing good people make it. I love seeing good people just get what they deserve. I think we're all happy to see Cardi B make it. She's a good person. I think everyone feels like she's one of us and she made it. So big, big Cardi B advocate right here.

MTV News: Would you ever choreograph one of her music videos if she ever reached out?

Tayag: Yeah, I'm definitely open to that, I think. I think Cardi had fun being on the set like that and being around like dancers and that type of, you know, visual art, those visual artists. Like I say, yeah, I think she definitely was vibing. She can dance. So yeah, for sure.

#Bruno mars #article #finesse #jabbawockeez

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mcl-fairyfluttershy729 · 7 years ago

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My MyCandyLove Halloween 2017 Event Thoughts

Oh my goodness I can’t believe I was actually able to complete this event! This definitely makes up for the Music Day 2017 Event that I was unfortunately unable to finish. TT^TT (I’ll save that rant for another day...) But, anyways, here are my thoughts on the 2017 Halloween Event.

First of all, the outfits were amazing- as usual. This game never disappoints me when it comes to the outfits. I think my favorite had to be the vampire outfit- I really liked the adorable tiny wings and the mice. The makeup looked awesome too.(I just had to buy all the lipstick colors. XD) The flames from the Ankou costume were perfect for Faye- of course I had to get them in purple, since she can create/control purple-colored flames. :p The Witch and Dryad costumes were super cute too. (It says it’s a Dryad, but, to me it looks more like a centaur??? Am I the only one that thought that?)

Honorable Mention: The Bonus Outfit looks amazing as well. The dragon and dripping eyeshadow/mascara really added cool finishing touches to it.

I also really enjoyed the minigame. I thought it was a lot of fun playing a Pac Man-inspired game. Although, it was a challenge trying to avoid the ghosts, I still had a blast collecting treats for the pets.

Welp, that’s pretty much all the positive things I have to say about the event. Now, onto the negatives, I suppose...

First of all, I didn’t like how the event was structured. To put simply, I found it very annoying that I had to wait 3 hours to play the minigame over and over again. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I can’t be taking time off of my schedule to take part in this event every 3 hours. However, if I ever got impatient of waiting, I could always spend 20 APs to replay it. Although it doesn’t bother me, I feel like 20 Aps just to replay a minigame is to high of a price. The worst that could happen is that you run out of Action Points and you have no way to buy them. (If you’re like me anyway. I don’t have the money necessary to buy more APs.)

Actually, the whole using AP as a currency really ticked me off during this event, in order to unlock the bonus outfit + illustration (That one up top), I had to fill up a treat gauge- 4 for each pet. If I wanted to fill up each section of the gauge faster, I could buy treats with APs. Using 1 AP equals one Treat. You would obviously need a spend a lot of AP just to fill up the gauge. Probably, by the end of the event, you’d probably barely have any left.

Lastly, I was extremely furious with the app. Since I have school, I figured that maybe if I played the game probably on my way to/from school, I’d be able to speed up the process. Unfortunately, it never worked out for me. Because every time I finished the minigame and went back to the main Event page, the damn app always crashed. It was really frustrated.

Welp, that pretty much sums up my thoughts on the MCL Halloween Event. I might do more of these for past/future events...I don't know.

P.S. Just wanted to point that I was unsuccessful in completing this event on the UK server. (Poor Bonnie...) But, oh well, hopefully, the Summer Boutique will make up for it. (Or I could just let Bonnie borrow Faye’s clothes...)

P.S. #2 Does anyone know how to change your Candy’s hair color in Krita? (I have Photoshop, but, I could only use it in a 7 day free trial- which ended a while back.) The reason I asked is because I want to change the wig color. (I want to change her skin color too, but, I don’t know I’ll do that with all that drippy makeup...)

#mycandylove #mcl #mycandylove halloween #MCL Halloween #my thoughts #mcl events #mcl halloween 2017

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asmirandaseesit · 7 years ago

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A Basic Guide to Peru and Colombia

Hola chicos y chicas,

A couple weeks ago (apologies for the delay-- I’ve been trying to get my life otherwise together since being back stateside) Joey and I got back from South America. It was my graduation gift to myself (congrats me) and I was lucky enough to have Joey to con into taking off work and going on another trip with me. We have since been dealing with mild to severe intestinal discomfort, likely due to the different bacteria in the water there. It’s been fun to say the least. But here I am, in my pajamas on a Tuesday (thanks unemployment). So, here is my basic rundown on all things Peruvian and Colombian.

Overall, Peru was very cool. I really loved the uniqueness of the culture and the people. The only caveat to this country (like any predominantly Catholic country) was that everything is closed on Sundays- everything. We started off our trip in Cusco (elev. 11,152′), planning to spend a couple days to acclimate to the altitude before our trek to Machu Picchu. Cusco is a pretty small city, nestled high up in a valley in the Andes mountains. It was once capital of the Incan Empire, and it is now a main tourism hub for the several surrounding Incan ruins. Cusco is a place you can go to see ancient Peru, and the survival of centuries-old traditions beyond the Spanish conquest of Latin America. We spent most of our time relaxing here, dealing with weird altitude medication side effects (including our hands and feet periodically falling asleep, dizziness, and occasional nausea) and trying to see the city. We happened to be there the month of Cusco’s anniversary, so every day there were parades, celebrations, and other festivals going on across the city. Standout memories: trying alpaca steak and cuy (guinea pig), making chocolate at the ChocoMuseo, making a dog friend who followed us around for almost a mile through winding streets, and meeting a baby alpaca named Robert.

Restaurants worth visiting: Pachapapa, Marcelo Batata, Carpe Diem

Plaza de Armas

Making chocolate truffles

Parade dancers near the historic center

RIP little dude (since you’re probably curious, it tasted like dark meat chicken and had about enough meat on it to feed half of a small child)

Here’s a map of our trek. We skipped some portions between Chaullay and Hidroelectrica, since we did the trek in 4 days and not 5.

The day of the trek dawned on us, and bright and by 4:30 am we were on the bus to Mollepata. This was the entry to the national park where Machu Picchu is located, where we grabbed breakfast at a local café and got back in the bus to Challacancha where we started our trek. After a short and steep incline, we made it to the Incan canal where it was a pretty flat walk to our campsite for the night. By the time we made it to our campsite, it was 1 pm and the chef was already preparing our lunch. This was our first experience with the trek’s meal situation, which we were blown away by-- we had a first course, and then multiple dishes to share (usually 4-5, which were rice/quinoa, a meat, vegetables, potatoes, and another mix of something previously listed). We rested for a bit after lunch, and had the option to hike up to Humantay Lake in the afternoon (a glacial lake about 1000 ft up from the campsite). We of course opted for this, not realizing the sheer difficulty of this additional adventure. This was our first real encounter with the lack of oxygen in the air- and although it was difficult, the hour and a half climb was well worth it.

Humantay Lake a glacial lake that sits just underneath its namesake, Humantay Mountain

The climb down only took about half an hour, since we practically ran (the sun was setting and I was cold) and we spent the night in a glass igloo. I was really excited for this, since the stars were supposed to be beautiful to watch at night. Unfortunately, it was so cold outside (around 20-30 F with windchill) and with two humans inside, it turned into a humid/drippy 40 F greenhouse and we couldn’t see the sky through the thick layer of condensation on the glass. We had an early morning the next day (like the rest of the trek), getting woken up at 5 am with a cup of coca tea in our wet igloo. After a hearty breakfast, we started the most difficult day of our trek.

Kinda looks like LOTR right?

The squad in front of Salkantay Mountain

It took about 5 hours to climb up to Salkantay pass, which was a 2,000′ elevation gain. Our group ended up taking it at completely different paces, except I am proud to say that Joey and I made it up to the top first. Our highest altitude we reached was a little over 15,000′- and boy could I feel it. I was literally wheezing when I reached the top, but I was so relieved by the view it didn’t matter I couldn’t breathe. Staggering at over 20,000′ in front of us was the summit of Salkantay Mountain, with unobstructed views to the north and south. It was one of the most breathtaking (literally lol) moments I have ever experienced in my life.

Joey and I at Abra Salkantay (elev. 15,190′)

The descent down was a long and treacherous one. Largely uneven rocky footing, our descent took close to another 5 hours through valleys and a high altitude rainforest. After everything, we hiked about 16 miles that day. I can’t even explain how much my legs/feet hurt afterwards.

The next day, we walked another 16 or so miles through low altitude rainforest, with rivers, fruit/coffee plantations, took a short bus ride in the middle of the day to speed up our progress, and then hiked all the way to Aguas Calientes where we spent the night in a hotel before Machu Picchu the next day. If you are going to Machu Picchu, you will likely stay the night in Aguas Calientes beforehand which explains why it is now relatively important. It has become a tourist hub for Machu Picchu, since it is a 20 minute walk from the gate at the entrance of the hiking trail/bus route up the hill where Machu Picchu is situated. We had the option of taking a bus up to the city, or hiking up steep stone stairs for about an hour and a half, and by this point we had no reason not to tolerate another painful climb up.

So, just past 4:30 am, we started up to our final destination: at this point, my body was hurting. My legs were torn up, my feet bruised and swollen from my boots, and my allergies were proving nearly impossible to deal with (I was blowing my nose about every 30 minutes, and at this point it was peeling and had third degree burns from lack of sunscreen). We climbed up in the dark, reaching the top just before sunrise.

There were llamas grazing in an open grassy area in the middle of the city, which were apparently there just for tourists. They’re pretty vicious so don’t try to pull any snacks out near them- they’ll come right over to you and steal your food directly from your hands (I know this from experience)

We decided to do Montaña Machu Picchu as well, which if you’ve seen pictures of Machu Picchu is the ginormous mountain above the city. It’s about another 2,000′ up, and like the hike to Machu Picchu, it’s entirely stairs.

The ascent took us about another hour and a half, up the poorest excuse for stairs I had ever seen, but the view from the top was incredible.

Looking down from 10,111′. It was like having a bird’s nest view of the entire valley, since the summit could really only fit around 20-30 people crowded together at a time, and slope of the mountain is a nearly vertical drop downwards (the hike up is not for the faint of heart).

After taking as many pictures as we needed to around Machu Picchu, we decided to head back to Aguas Calientes for lunch. We took the bus down, which was probably the most well worth $12 I have ever spent. We hung out in Aguas Calientes for the rest of the afternoon, and then had to catch our 6 pm train back to Ollantaytambo where a bus was waiting for our trekking group. We got back to Cusco at about 10 pm, passed out, and geared up for our flight to Lima the next day.

The flight from Cusco to Lima is only about an hour, so we got into our Airbnb at a decent time. To my surprise, this was easily the nicest Airbnb I’ve ever stayed in. It was a beautiful seaside loft, newly furnished and overlooking the coast in Miraflores (aka the really nice neighborhood in Lima). Here’s a picture from the giant wall-to-wall window in our bedroom:

The pictures for this listing on Airbnb really DO NOT do this place justice.

Not having had lunch, and eager to explore our new city, we headed out for an early dinner in Miraflores. This is where I got to see Joey’s Español first in action- definitely useful, but nowhere near perfect. Luckily, it was just enough to get us to our dinner spot- La Mar Cevicheria. I got a maracuya sour (a delicious twist on the pisco sour, with passionfruit) and we both got catch of the day ceviche. It was perfect.

I think it was snapper? Not entirely sure though...

After dinner, we ran some errands in the area. By that point, I was half dead from my allergies, and after stopping at 3 different pharmacies in search of Benadryl (which they do not have in Peru) I ended up getting Zyrtec and Mucinex DM (except the Peruvian versions). We also went grocery shopping, and also to my surprise we found an organic grocery store that carried pressed juices, vegan/GF foods, and had a herbal apothecary inside (they even had my plant protein powder!!). I was in heaven. We then went back to crash for the night, looking to see more of the city the next day.

To sum up Lima, I’ll give you this: Miraflores/surrounding area (San Isidro, Barranco) is basically the only nice part in the city. The city center was filled with unbelievably beautiful architecture, but plagued with petty crime and dirty commercial areas that have taken over old historical buildings. It was sad. My main takeaways from this town were that: Miraflores is great and stay there, the food in Lima is incredible (and is mostly in Miraflores and surrounding area), and it has a very unique culture of diversity (lots of Asian influence). Standout memories: walking along the running/biking path on the coastline in Miraflores on a sunny afternoon, eating some of the best food in the world (casually), and getting stranded on the side of a dark freeway when every restaurant was closed (on a Sunday).

To elaborate on the food, we were able to get reservations at Central Restaurante- aka the 5th best restaurant in the world, and the overall best in South America. The owner, Virgilio Martinez, showcases Peru’s biodiversity in his dishes, available through a 17-dish tasting menu and an 11-dish menu, as well as through optional beverage pairings with native wines and infusions. The menu is set up that each dish comes from a different elevation/ecosystem in Peru, ranging from the ocean, to the Andes, to high/low jungles in the Amazon. Each dish was presented on a small handcrafted dish, decorated with different ingredients both edible and inedible.

This was the first dish, called “rock molluscs.” It included a wafer made of sargassum algae, which was topped with a spread made of sea snail, mussel, and limpet. I also got a pisco sour and Joey got a craft Peruvian beer made with quinoa.

This was one of our favorite dishes. It was called “forest cotton,” beginning with the small wrap made of a plantain leaf filled with Amazonian fish and snail, followed by a bite of a cotton-like fruit called pacae, and finished with a shot of leche de tigre (the marinade used to make ceviche). This took our tastebuds on a TRIP.

That night, we tried Nikkei (a cuisine indigenous to Lima, which includes a mix of Japanese and Peruvian fusion) at Osaka restaurant. It was easily the best fusion sushi I’ve ever had- salmon sashimi with passionfruit sauce, seared scallops with truffle butter and lime, tuna with seared foie gras... *drools*

Here’s a plate of the chef’s choice for a tasting menu. Yuuuuuuum.

The next day, we headed to Cartagena. (Well, we had a layover in Bogotá first) It took us all day, but we got in that night and went to dinner at Carmen restaurant. It was a solid meal, (and air conditioned, thank God) and wandered around the city until it was time for bed.

Like all the cities we went to, we were in Cartagena for about 3 days. Cartagena might be my favorite city we went to. It’s on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and there was definitely a strong Caribbean flavor to it. The food, the architecture, the people; I felt like I was in another country frankly. I loved walking through the streets, smelling the fruit vendors on every corner, and eating fresh seafood for basically every meal. I also liked finally feeling warm (every place we had been to was between cold-freezing) and getting a little color on my skin. I also got the chance to vape alcohol (!!!!) which was an interesting experience. We went to El Arsenal, a bar in Getsemani that was featured on the Travel Channel show “Booze Traveler.” The owner was super friendly and taught us about some of the history of rum, and let us sample a rum that was supposedly made underground in gourds by indigenous people (it was really good too). The process included pouring a shot of rum into a thick glass bottle, pumping air into it, and releasing the pressure that allows the alcohol to vaporize. As soon as the pump is pulled off the neck of the bottle, this weird science happens and you stick your straw in to inhale the vapor. Because it bypasses your digestive system, it doesn’t give you a hangover but is absorbed into your blood stream through your lungs and basically goes straight to your head. It was only a shot, but I was a little giggly for 15 minutes until it wore off. Overall, Cartagena was beautiful. I would love to go back and vacation there someday.

Restaurants worth visiting: La Cevicheria, La Mulata, Beiyu café, Café del Mural

Off the coast of Cartagena are a group of islands that people can travel to by boat for a day. The best way to do this would be to rent a private yacht and chef with a group of friends and do a “booze cruise” per say for the day. Since Joey and I couldn’t afford a whole yacht, we went with a tour group to an island resort on Isla Grande. We spent the day unbothered on a relatively empty beach, floating around in crystal blue water. We also got to go snorkeling, which I love to do pretty much anywhere I can. Overall, 10/10 worth the boat ticket.

Before we knew it, our time in Cartagena was up, and I had to say goodbye to my Caribbean paradise. We then headed to our last leg of the trip- Bogotá.

Bogotá is just as insane as Narcos cracked it up to be (maybe minus most of the violence though). Bogotá is massive, and pretty unlike any city I had ever been to. We stayed in a nice area called Zona T, which was filled with a lot of nightlife, shopping and dining.

Bogotá is where we got to experience traditional Colombian cuisine, which I can describe in one word: cheese. Everything was cheese. They even sold cheese in the airport, in multiple kiosks! Arepas, empanadas, breads, desserts... you name it, it probably had cheese in it or was made almost entirely of cheese. I had no idea that Colombians loved cheese so damn much. Who knew? Not me. Otherwise, Colombian food was pretty decent. I really love arepas, and those are basically a staple you can find anywhere, so I was set. I was also able to find “health” food at Suna Restaurante, where I got me a bowl of grilled tofu, kale, cucumbers/carrots, and red pepper hummus and a matcha latte on the side (this was the most relieved I had ever felt after a meal). We also ate at Andrés Carne de Res, which was one of the most unique dining experiences I had ever had. First of all, you have to pay cover here. Secondly, as soon as you walk through the front door, a lady dressed in what I would describe as a Día de los Muertos costume greets you with a shot of tequila inside a lime rind. Then, it takes you about 5 minutes to attempt to follow the hostess and weave through the restaurant to be sat at a table- in other words, the restaurant is the size of a warehouse. There’s salsa music blasting, several dance floors located throughout the space, large monitors playing a livestream of the dance floors mounted around the restaurant, and literally what seemed like at least one hundred other patrons heavily intoxicated and dancing around the tables. The menu is like 30 pages long, and you can basically pick exactly what you want to eat since there’s a gillion different options. It’s a steak restaurant, so we both got steaks and shared a roasted plantain with guava jam. Pretty decent food, but I don’t think this is really a place you go for the food- it’s really for the atmosphere.

We did a lot of touristy things in Bogotá, including going to Monserrate (a mountain with a Catholic church on top), the fruit and flower market, the Gold Museum, and the Salt Cathedral out in Zipaquirá (a town about an hour north of Bogotá). The Salt Cathedral turned out to be a 7-hour trip and basically a nightmare, which really capped off our whole vacation nicely. There was terrible traffic going there, and after discovering we couldn’t get an Uber back to Bogotá that night, had to wander the dark streets of this nearly abandoned town to get on a bus that sat in even worse traffic going back south. Worth it? I don’t really know. But at least I got a cool picture.

Restaurants worth visiting: La Puerta Falsa, Suna, Osaka (yes, the same restaurant in Lima. We ate there twice. I need them to open up a location in the U.S.)

View of Bogotá from Monserrate (elev. 10,341′)

Capitolio Nacional (I fangirled seeing this because Narcos lol)

Paloquemao (fruit and flower market) I went ham on trying different tropical fruits, including lulo (a VERY sour passionfruit-like textured fruit), guanabana (I had tried the juice before but not the actual fruit by itself), mangosteen (10/10 delicious), and tree tomato (had tried it before, this one was not very good though :( ). I also got a mango and an avocado, because when in Rome Bogotá right?

Museo de Oro. Did you know metallurgy was invented in South America?

Zipaquirá

El Catedral de Sal. This picture cost me 7 hours of my life. Starting out as a small shrine to the patron saint of miners, in the 50′s they decided to build a Catholic cathedral inside this salt mine that dates back to the 1800′s. The salt in this mountain has been a precious resource for the region and has been exploited by people for thousands of years, and it is even still being mined today.

All in all, this trip was totally unforgettable. I would 110% recommend anyone to go to either Colombia or Peru. Both are relatively cheap, safe, and easy enough to navigate with the help of international data and Uber. They’re also pretty close (if you count 7-10 hours of travel “close”). The people are friendly, the food is great, and I guarantee you’ll find something unexpected along the way.

NO idea when my next trip will happen, but stay tuned- I’m bound to end up somewhere soon.

Mucho amor por ustedes,

Miranda

#bogotá #cartagena #colombia #lima #cusco #machu picchu #peru #salkantay #travel #food #south america

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