#we now have a foundation we can pass over to our actual game!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Dungeon Meshi: The RPG

[scrubbinn]

Mimic Memoirs: Trip to the zoo

HRT month 17

Two weeks after meeting Aria the Lamia

Attempting to deliver a plush toy as promised

The late noon sun rolled high above the sky. Mid spring days of hyper city carry a lot of rain. It wasn't a big deal for a mimic. But Mayday wasn't fully a mimic yet, and slimes hated rain. Too much water leaves slimes diluted and in danger of melting completely. Thankfully umbrellas do the job just fine. Still it set the tone of today as dangerous.

A drop of water finds its way onto the slime mimic's ankle with her whole body going into a shiver. It's normal for slimes to start vibrating in response to danger. It's a way to alert others that one is at great risk.

“It's just the rain, it's just the rain, it's just the rain.” She chanted.

she pulled a bag of plush toys closer to her chest as she repeated herself a dozen more times.

Repetition soothes the soul. Mayday knew no less than 18 different mantras and methods to remain calm. Ever since she became a mimic, she always felt violent instincts crawlings and brushing against the back of her mind. Currently, they were telling her to leave.

It's not actually that unusual for a therian or otherkin to visit the Zoo. Be it morbid curiosity or genuine consideration for a home, it has become a foundational monument in Hyper city’s culture. An organization dedicated to containing and taking care of potentially dangerous therians that had already passed their crossroads and could no longer be trusted in society.

Arguments about its necessity in society have been ongoing since construction began. But the messy truth was that anyone passing their crossroads had to sign away their human rights to begin with. Humanitarian ethics had no say in the discussion, and no one can stop the animal cruelty that comes with any enclosure.

The near empty parking lot outside was covered in deep puddles, disguising every pothole that waited to shatter some poor sap’s suspension. Mayday couldn’t help but think anyone who had an accident here deserved it. She felt bad about that idea, but she couldn't help but believe it. When she first found out about this place, she began diving far deeper than she ever thought was possible for such an awful place. Each new article about it revealed horror after horror. Poor living conditions, mistreatment of staff, even worse treatment of therians… those blinding shock collars. Anyone who decided to visit here ignorantly deserved a bit of car damage.

The inside of the building was no better, wide doors meant to accommodate a dragon led to an antechamber with a human sized entrance. There wasn't even a sign that informed guests of another way in. The message was clear regardless. If you were something the staff wasn't sure they could handle. Then leave.

Mayday gripped her umbrella tightly, focusing on the sensation of the plastic handle, the smell of the trampled carpet, everything in the room that was now. Better here than whatever dangerous place her anxiety could think of. The mimic found her courage and walked towards the small ticket booth on the far end of the lobby. The smell of cheap gift shop toys and overly sugary candy overpowered everything else here, anyone with a nose would feel nauseated, stars above, what if a dog or really any mammal therian walked in here. Then she saw the stains in the carpet. Of course, they don't care. She began gripping her umbrella even tighter.

Shockingly, on the other side of the ticket booth, was another therian, a dolphin. Despite the small muzzle and completely different facial structure, you could not get a more bored disaffected teenage look out of anyone else. He spoke in a single monotone voice so bored that the sound effects coming from his gaming device were more interesting.

“Welcome to Hyper city Municipal Zoo. A place of magic and wonder as we explore the mysteries that lurk just behind the therian craze sweeping over our city.” The man looks up from his game. “Oh. You here for a protest or something?”

Of course, why else would someone like her be in this place? She took a deep breath and slowly showed the bag to the dolphin.

She stated calmly and clearly, “I'm here to bring some toys to the lamia exhibit for their enrichment. I spoke with one of the staff over the phone and was told to bring them to the lobby.”

She did her best to hide her wincing as her voice automatically went into a customer service tone she hadn't used in years. She tried not to ever remember those times.

The young adult stood very still for a while, looking back down to his game for most of it, only glancing back on occasion to see if Mayday took the hint to leave. After a minute of silence, Mayday began to speak only to be cut off.

“I'll need to contact my supervisor. Stay there and wait I guess.” He said.

Mayday could only sigh as she thought to herself, “just remember that this one is going through problems just like you. Just stay calm. There is no need to lash out.”

Her thoughts carried with her feet towards the massive glass window overlooking the tiger exhibit. The only exhibit set up for free viewing. Its drainage system had backed up a while ago, turning what was supposed to be a savannah into a dank swamp. From the other side sat two tigers looking at Mayday from a shallow cave made of plaster. They barely had enough protection from the rain, but they simply stared at her. She stared at the shock collars locked around their necks.

“I'm sorry,” she mouthed

For what, not even she knew. Being powerless to help, not having anything to give to them, or maybe it was simply the guilt she felt for lowering her dosage, for not walking the same crossroad they did. For being a coward.

“Excuse me?”

Mayday jumped, multiple eyes flinging themselves open, desperate to find the voice that pulled her out of her own head. They all landed upon a human in a zoo keeping attire. A large built man with a beard so curly that it grew more wide than long. He looked like he could be grandfather with the amount of wrinkles under his eyes. There were probably more under the graying hairs. His vest held a name tag reading, Kaylen Deemer.

The man spoke again. “You're the one who called about the donations? Mayday was it?”

He spoke in a strange manner. Emphasizing you're like it was a stone that smashed through his window. Mayday wanted to smash the window next to her.

“Oh, yes that's me. So if it's no trouble then, you can take these and-” She was cut off.

“I think whoever you spoke to wasn’t clear enough.” He said. “There will need to be some paperwork you will have to complete before we can accept these items. Why don't you step into my office.”

Mayday was certain the phone call she had before coming here had the phrase “You can just hand the items over when you arrive” in it. The smart play would have been to ask for any paperwork to be brought out to her. Unfortunately this was something that would only come to her in hindsight.

Kylan's office was cramped, not from the lack of space, but from how stuffed it was. Eugh, stuffed was a poor choice of words. Mounted trophy animals covered the walls, with their killer's weapon of choice hanging directly above him. She did her best not to look up at the nightmares. To an outsider, she would have looked as if she were bowing her head to a superior. All she could do is read the plaque on his desk, “Security chief Deemer,” over and over. Silence covered the rest of the room. Mayday hoped anyone but her would break the silence. Eventually, she had to.

“So, that paperwork?” She said; proud in keeping her voice from shaking.

He looked surprised for a second before talking. “Yes, here it is. Just needed Miller to fax it over. Now then, why don't you show me what you brought here today.”

Mayday reached into her bag and set out multiple plush animals of various sea creatures. Several fish, a spider crab, a rainbow collection of some other dimensional sea creature, and a sea snake that she placed gently on top of all the others.

“These are for the snake exhibit. I met- no, I saw the Lamias at the aquarium and they seemed to want a few of these things from the gift shop. I had to buy a few for them. They all seemed like a nice group.” She said.

“Quite charming of you. But I doubt they were looking at anything in particular. They're just animals after all. They were probably just drooling over a mouse running along the gift shop floor. They'd be pleased as punch if we gave them a stick or a toy full of cotton.” He retorted.

“I don't think-” Mayday made the mistake of raising her head. Every taxidermied head was looking down directly on her. Blank unmoving expressions with the glint of a gun painted across their eyes as the last thing they ever saw. Mayday closed all her eyes and gripped her umbrella even tighter. The handle began to crack.

His tone held that of unmoving authority. “Tell me… Mayday was it? What do you think is the difference between us, and the things out in the exhibits?”

She knew the answer he wanted. She didn't want to say it. Yet she started to open her mouth anyways. Like he had reached down to her core to pull out the words stuck in her throat.

“That we're smarter.”

She didn't believe it. Not for a second did she ever think that was true. But she had to say those words. Anything to make this go by quicker. She scribbled in every signature, every date, everything she could on the paperwork. Only afterwards double checking to make sure she hadn't signed her life away.

“That's right,” he said. “If I pointed a gun at you, you'd try to stop me. It's our minds that make us different from them. We’re not feral animals. Now, I understand you got sympathy for them, but you really have to know these aren't the kind of toys they'll like. They might think we're handing them food and choke. But I'll be sure to check with our lead therian keeper, and you can come back tomorrow when we have an answer.”

The paperwork falls to the floor. Mayday just stared at the desk in front of her. She did her best to swallow the anger, no matter how much she wanted to show this man how feral she could be.

“What do you mean tomorrow? I was told I could drop them off today.” She spoke in a raspy tone.

Kaylen sighed, as if he had finished giving the most simple explanation to a child, only to have them just as confused as before.

He spoke his words like laws chiseled into stone. “Well you can’t expect us to just hand them over. They could be filled with dangerous substances or any number of hidden objects. We don’t have the equipment to check. So you have to be the one to get them checked at an appropriate station. Then they’ll send us the donation. Really now, what did you expect? For us to rip them open and sew them back up. It might be a slow day for guests, but that doesn’t mean we can fulfill every little whim you have, simply because you thought you were special enough to bypass the rules.”

“I'm just trying to send gifts to a friend.” She started to choke on her words. “Please, just take them.”

He spoke with the joy of a hunter catching prey in a trap and said, “A friend? I thought this was all for our lamia exhibit? That's so strange. It reminds me of something. You know, we had an escape attempt at that aquarium, a lamia who said she made a friend. Miller really wasn't happy about it. I mean an accomplice running off with a dangerous animal. Can you believe it? Tell you what, though. Maybe we can come to an agreement here. You should go to your doctor and get your dosage upped. Come be a part of the family here. You'll get to actually befriend the others that live here, and best of all, you won't be fined for kidnapping zoo property.”

The room was silent for the next five minutes. Mayday could only desperately grasp at words that sped across her mind. Blackmail. Property. Friend. Zoo. Help… Attack.

Kaylen could have sworn the room grew darker. He blinked just for a moment, and Mayday was gone. No, not gone, changed. The mimic now dwarfed Kaylen. He stood up but still found himself a few feet short of the thing now in his office. 28 of its eyes all zeroed in on him as threads of sinew carrying rows of fangs rolled across its body. The security chief glanced over to his rifle on the wall. It had already been snapped in half without so much as a decibel alerting him. As if grabbing a shield to defend a dragon's fury. Kaylen took the bag of plushies and placed them to his chest.

Knock knock knock!

The sound of the door behind Mayday made her jump. To Kaylen, it was another blink and his nightmares had turned back into the soap bubble slime he thought he was dealing with. Mayday looked over at the door. Then to Kaylen, the bag he was holding, and the gun on the wall. She wondered why the last ten seconds of her life felt so fuzzy in her mind. And then the door opened.

What stood before Mayday was another man. A maroon military haircut and mustache would make anyone stand out, but then there was the deep scar on his cheek. Something about him immediately made Mayday uncomfortable, even Kaylen seemed surprised. His nametag just read: Miller.

“You must be Mayday. We talked over the phone.” His voice felt plastic. Nothing about his smile or tone was real. “I see Deemer here was just taking the donation off you now.”

Mayday felt off about this man more than with Kaylen. She pushed herself out of the office and back into the lobby. The smell of it invaded her senses once again. She was just about ready to leave but something stopped her. She turned to walk back into the room but the new figure was already directly behind her. She made a mental note to leave her eyes open around him.

She spoke before he could have the chance. “You better make sure these go to Aria and the others.”

The man's plastic smile faded for a brief moment. He spoke in confusion. “Aria? I don't think I… oh, the poor thing is getting confused again. Her name is Saphir. It was changed to help her move onto her better life here. We'd appreciate it if you used the correct name.”

Changing your name after fully transitioning was pretty normal for most, but something about the way he said it. Like he was proud of the name. In that horrid office with that horrid man. Mayday had kept her composure for the most part, but in this moment, her body could not stop shivering. Nothing about this man felt right.

“You're pretty unusual for a slime.” He spoke.

Mayday couldn't help but retort, “I'm a mimic.” She regretted saying it.

She gripped her umbrella with a mouth that had wandered onto her hand. Teeth dug their way into the handle. The pole started to bend.

“A mimic. Well isn't that… unique.” He spoke with a hunger that nearly broke through his fake tone, unable to stop himself from eyeing Mayday up and down

“Erian’s never mentioned he had a client turning into something like you. I assume Erian is your doctor. He usually ends up making the weirder ones. I've never seen a mimic so good at disguising itself. Not even a plank of wood for a chest to hide in. I hope you have a good plan when you decide to become feral.”

She felt like she had a grip on the conversation. She nearly shouted, “I’m not planning to-”

“They always do. Even if they try to pretend they're still human.” He removed her hold.

Mayday didn't know anything about this man, except that every part of her was telling her to attack. It wouldn't work. Somehow she knew that even with all her tricks. He had something to stop her. She looked down at the shock collar clasped around his belt. She looked up at the ticket seller for help. Solidarity with another. He was hiding in the booth trying not to be seen.

“I bet mimics have a pretty tough time suppressing their urges to eat. We're always happy to take care of you if it gets too hard. We'd need to change your name then. Oh you'd look perfect for a Malachite. We'll shorten it to Mala, we haven't used that name in a while.”

For the first time she met this man, the tone in his voice was completely genuine. Something about that made her so much more afraid. She thought of her friends and family, she wondered if they'd ever be able to find her. She held her umbrella as tightly as possible. The pressure made it worse. Slimes aren't able to throw up. It's biologically impossible and a waste of body mass. But mimics are very good at making the body do things that it thinks will help survive. A black puddle of poison rested at her feet. Mayday felt dizzy.

Miller, in that same plastic tone, spoke again “Oh no, you seem sick. We have an infirmary you can rest in.”

Mayday broke her umbrella. Bits of the handle flew off and metal bent under her fanged grip. She threw it like a weapon at Miller and fled for the entrance. She never turned to look back, if he said anything, she didn't want to hear it.

The scared mimic ran through the rain as fast as she possibly could until arriving at a bus stop, one she was certain that no one from that awful place would check. She knew Aria, or Saphir, or whatever her name is… she knew her friend wouldn’t receive those gifts. She didn’t care anymore, she couldn’t go back. Better to live as a coward than die a hero. She told herself those words over and over, but it didn’t make them feel any more true. Most of her face and hair had been diluted from the rain. She didn't care. She couldn't stop shivering.

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Hey thanks for reading, So a quick explanation since this isn't Mimic HRT. This is something new we've been thinking about for a while now. Mimic HRT generally has a lot of chapters that get scrapped due to running off into tangents about world building or stories that couldn't fit in the normal recording format. So while we spend our time agonizing about the final chapter of Mimic HRT, we thought it might be fun to write a few stories expanding on chapters that could use more. Hope you enjoy.

Thank you to @ariathelamia for letting me use the character, Miller

Thank you to @ariathelamia, @tigergirltail, @ashen-vulture, and @josphitia for the setting of The Zoo

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Mention list: @a-shramp, @calliecwrites, @be702, @respectfulevil, @hyacinthdoll1315

@aster-is-confused, @bloodandbrandywyne, @glitchgloop, @nyxthewary, @lunadook,

@celestemysterios, @i-am-trans-gwender, @reliablegal

[seenoversundown]

Playmaker

You already know I'm thirsty for the boys playing hockey. This time, it's Sam's turn 😈

Warnings: Smut. So much Smut. (F receiving, penetration)

Word Count: 5.4k

I watch as number six whips by my seat towards the opponent's goal with the puck. The buzzer goes off not even thirty seconds later, followed by the announcer over the speakers and the roaring crowd.  

“Defenseman Sam Kiszka with the goal!”

My heart pounds like a bass drum in my chest for my favorite player. For every home game the team has, I’m present in my season pass seats. 

Tonight though, tonight is different. 

As part of an agreement with a foundation the team is partnered with, the hockey players are taking some season pass holders out after the game. I’m still not over the shock of the email I got earlier this week sending me instructions for later on. The game continues well into the third period as my heart continues to race. 

Sam assists with three more goals, ultimately winning the team the game for the evening and securing their place in the Stanley Cup Finals. The home crowd is unruly at this point, it's getting harder and harder to hear my own thoughts.

My body moves on autopilot as I swim through the excited fans. The closer I get to the place where I’m going to meet Sam and the other players that are coming out tonight, the faster my heart goes. 

I’ve had these season tickets for two years now. I wasn’t going to get them again after me and my ex broke up, but I found that I actually enjoyed hockey. Guess I can give my ex credit for one thing, and one thing alone. Can’t give him too much credit, that big head of his will explode.

 I shake it off, not needing to think about him tonight and instead refocus my thoughts on number six. 

—-------------------

I’m sitting in a room with a few other winners for tonight while we wait for the players to shower. The jittery nerves of all of us fill the air as we talk about our favorite players and the game tonight.

“I can’t believe our goalie got a shut-out tonight,” the girl on my left says. I’m just about to agree with her, about how the shots were whipping through air faster than I could see - but then the man on my right chimes in.

“Do you even know what a shut-out is? Or are you just repeating the announcer from tonight?” He says with a scoff. 

“What the fuck is your issue, dude?” I say as I turn my whole body to him. Before I can continue a deep voice from the door cuts me off. 

“What she said. Honestly, I have no patience for this shit tonight. You can leave.” 

All three of us turn to face Sam standing in the doorway, arms crossed. He looks smaller without his padding on, but he’s still extremely intimidating with his presence. 

“I..I, come on man, it was a joke.” The man’s frantic eyes pan over to me and the girl he just insulted moments ago. Desperation rolls off of him in waves.  “Right?” 

“Didn’t sound like a joke to me, now leave.” Danny, the goalie, appears behind Sam. 

Two of them in the doorway is definitely enough for the man to listen and scurry out of the room. He keeps his head down as he sheepishly walks between the two players out of the room. Now all that’s left is me, and the mystery girl to my right. I try not to focus on that too hard. 

“Now that that's over with,” Danny continues, “let us introduce ourselves. I’m Danny, and my buddy here is Sam.” He hooks a quick arm around Sam’s shoulders and pulls him in close, Sam doesn’t look very amused. 

“My name is Faye.” 

“And I’m Y/N.” 

A wicked grin appears on Danny’s face. “Faye, Y/N.. Are you ready to party like we just got our slot in the finals?” 

Both of us jump to our feet to follow them out to the car that’s waiting for us. Danny motions to have us go out the door first, and as I pass the threshold I feel a large hand on the small of my back. I look up to see Sam next to me, guiding me through the hallway. 

“It’s about to get hectic for a moment, just stick with me.” He says. His voice is low, his breath tickles my ear. 

I glance behind us and see Danny intertwined with a giddy Faye. Her arm is firmly planted on his bicep while his other hand comes up to cover hers. Faye’s bubbly personality is infectious, as I find myself leaning into Sam’s touch. 

He was right, it is pandemonium when we step out into the garage to get into our waiting SUV. The yells of reporters become blurred as we basically run to the open door of the car. 

“Sam! How does it feel to have so many assists?! And even a goal!”

“Another shut-out Danny?! How do you keep doing that?!” 

“The Stanley Cup Finals!!” 

The door to the SUV finally shuts and the reporters are nothing but a muffled noise. Looking around inside, the vehicle we’re in is overly spacious. Sam and I have a complete row to ourselves while in front of us sit Faye and Danny in a row of their own. 

The way Sam settles into his seat with comfortable confidence is hard not to watch. He immediately looks at home in the back seat and stretches his legs out in front of him. His knee softly hits mine and I can’t tear my eyes away from the unintended contact. Quickly, I look up to Faye, as if she can feel the sudden rush of heat to my lower belly. She’s leaning in and laughing with Danny, so definitely not. My eyes go back to our knees. 

Sam’s not saying much of anything, just sitting with his arms crossed behind his head, eyes closed. Blissfully unaware of how I’m reacting to this situation, which is not graceful whatsoever. I tell myself no, no, no as I let my eyes slowly graze over his body. It isn’t until my eyes reach his playful smirk that I notice his eyes flutter open. 

“Enjoying what you see?” Sam mutters quietly so only I can hear, but that doesn’t stop the heat from racing to my cheeks. “No need to be embarrassed, sweetheart. I like what I see.” Sam’s eyes rake down my body and I almost feel naked from it. “I’ll make sure you’re warm enough tonight,” he says gesturing to my outfit. “Although if you could stand the rink wearing that, you should be fine in the December weather.” 

He’s kind of right, I have been on the verge of freezing all night. But how do you come dressed for a night out when you have to attend a hockey game first? My thigh high boots leave a couple inches before my sweater dress covers the rest. Usually, I’d wear Sam’s jersey and some leggings to the game, but my friend warned me about looking like a “puck bunny” and now.. here we are. 

Before I can respond the SUV comes to a stop and Danny turns to face us. “Ready to go have some fun?” He’s quick to jump out of his door once it opens, holding out his hand for Faye. 

Sam leans over me and it feels like my heart stops for a second. His fingers make quick work of the latch, releasing the seat in front of me so I can get out. “After you,” he says. I start to climb out of the car, hoping that I do and don’t give Sam a little show with my short dress. I swear I can feel his eyes boring into me, and it only makes me clumsier. After a painful minute, I’m finally out of the puzzle that is the back seat, and I turn around just in time to watch Sam exit gracefully as hell. Perrrfect. 

We follow Danny and Faye to a roped off area labeled VIP and my throat gets a little tighter. Once we step inside Danny turns to all of us. 

“Sam and I are going to get our first round, we’ll be right back.” Both Faye and I are nodding in response as they’re already halfway out of the VIP section and on their way to the bar. 

When they leave us, Faye’s standing in front of me with her arm reaching out. I’m thrilled to have the invitation, grabbing her hand eagerly. “I can’t believe we’re fucking out here with them,” she says to me. 

“It feels like a dream, this can’t be real.” Without warning, Faye pinches my butt. I let out a little yelp. She laughs.

“Definitely real.” We both turn and watch them talk to the bartender with ease. “What do you think they’re going to bring back?”

“Something dangerous, that’s for sure.” 

Faye was right. We watch the boys swim through the busy club back to us. A soft, light drink in one hand, and a dark, small pour in the other. I can’t tear my eyes away from Sam as he seems to effortlessly glide across the room. His eyes meet mine and the same playful smirk he gave me earlier slides onto his face again and I can feel my cheeks getting twenty degrees hotter. Before I can fully register it, Sam is standing in front of me, the soft drink I hoped was for me is outstretched my way. 

“Thank you,” I say as I take the drink out of his hands. I take a small sip and am happy when I’m greeted with a fruity drink. “This is exactly what I would’ve ordered.” I can’t help but laugh. I look over to Faye and Danny but there nowhere to be found in our small area. As I’m glancing around Sam comes up to my ear, he’s so close I can feel his breath on my neck.

“Want to dance?” 

I don’t want to say anything with the fear I’ll sound incoherent, so I just nod. He laughs, throws back the rest of the dark liquor in his glass, then outstretches his hand to me. I stumble for a moment, unsure if he wants me to grab his hand. It’s when his playful smirk appears once again that I let myself put my hand in his. It seems to be so easy for him as he pulls us through the crowded dance floor, meanwhile I’m reminding myself to breathe. 

I’m not paying attention when Sam finally stops, and I bump into his back. He turns to me laughing, of course, and reaches out to grab my elbow. 

“You ok?”

Again, I just nod. Why has Sam made me unable to form words? Another laugh escapes his lips as he turns me around then plants himself firmly against my back, one hand on my hip. I freeze. I wasn’t expecting to be this close with Sam at all, and now I’m in his arms? He starts to sway to the music as I look around and finally spot Faye. She’s wrapped up extremely close with Danny as they dance, it almost feels like a private moment I shouldn’t be watching. 

Sam’s breath is hot against my ear once more and I swear I feel the heat drop straight down to my core. “There’s something about you,” his lips graze my ear. “I’m intrigued, I need more.” His hand starts softly sliding up my side as if he’s testing the waters. I take a hefty sip of my drink as I back into him, just a little bit. The growl against my ear has me squeezing my thighs together. 

His hand reaches the bottom of my breast and for a moment, I forget we’re in public. I want him to go further, I want him to touch me more. I feel his index finger glide along the bottom of my breast causing me to back into him again and I’m shocked when I feel something stiff greet me. I let my head loll on his shoulder as we sway. His hand starts going back south, passing my hip and playing with the hemline of my short dress. Suddenly, this dress was a fantastic idea. I’m glad I suffered in the arena for this. 

His fingers find my bare thigh and grip tightly and I swear I could dry hump this man in the middle of the club without a single fuck to give. Sam’s hand moves back up to my hip and starts to turn me around so we’re face to face again. He slides one leg in between mine and gets even closer to me. His hand finds his way to my ass and I revel in the touch. 

Sam’s head drops to my neck where he leaves feather light kisses in his wake. I’m melting in his touch and he knows it. I can’t help myself as I ask, “is this what you normally do with the winners?”

He pulls back and grabs my chin with his free hand. “Absolutely not. Like I said, Y/N, there’s something about you. I need more.” His eyes bore into mine and it feels too intimate, I try and look away. “Don’t you trust me?” 

“Why would I? I don’t know you.” 

“That’s true, baby.” Our faces are millimeters apart now. “But if I want to make you see stars for a night, isn’t that okay?” 

My resolve fully leaves as our lips touch. The smoky liquor tastes is still heavy on Sam’s tongue and it tastes fucking divine. His hand moves to the side of my neck as we devour each other on the dance floor. He pulls away too soon for my liking, peppering my lips with light kisses. 

“Fuck, Y/N. What are you doing to me?” Sam asks while he grabs my ass tight. A little moan escapes my lips and my eyes go wide. The club comes back into my peripheral and I remember that we’re not alone. All Sam does is laugh and come back in for another kiss. He rests his head on mine as we not-so-subtly grind together on the packed floor. Sam’s hand leaves my neck and goes back to exploring the curves of my body while the other stays firmly planted on my ass, keeping us swaying to the beat. Sam spots the forgotten drink in my hand and nods to it. 

“I thought this was what you would’ve ordered yourself. Do you not like it?” 

“I like it, just a tad distracted.” His eyes dance all over my face, lighting up in amusement. 

“What’s distracting you, baby?” He says as he laughs.

“You should know.” I bring the straw to my lips slowly, making a show of the whole thing. I hollow my cheeks as I suck, watching Sam swallow as he watches me. I take three gulps before his hand is on mine lowering the drink away from my lips. 

Sam’s quick to replace the straw with his own lips, the hand on my ass tightening in response. His tongue brushes against my lips asking for an invite I’m all too willing to give. My hand snakes up to his neck, his long hair tickling my knuckles as I make my way up to his jaw. I know his jaw is sharp, but feeling it with my hands is a totally different level. I separate my lips from his and I swear I hear a whine pass his lips. I attach my lips to his jaw, giving him the same feather light kisses he was giving me earlier. When I reach his ear and graze my teeth against his earlobe, he gives me a small growl. I’m living for it. 

I start to become braver as I skate my hand down his neck onto his chest. I’m greeted by a hard, chiseled surface underneath the dress shirt he has on. I keep moving my hand down until I find the spot where I can dip under his shirt. His hip feels like it’s on fire with how warm it is in my grasp. Another growl escapes Sam as he grips my chin in his hand, forcing us to make eye contact.

“If you want to keep going,” he places a quick kiss on my lips. “Let’s get a room.” Another kiss. “Too many eyes here for what I want to do with you.” 

I stutter for a moment, not thinking we would’ve gotten this far. Looking into his dark brown eyes, he looks so serious. For a moment I swear I see a flash of fear that I’m going to turn him down. 

“Absolutely.” I respond with a soft kiss. Relief floods Sam’s eyes as that playful smirk I’ve come to adore tonight shows itself again. I couldn’t say no, I want this too. He takes the empty glass from my hands and replaces it with his free one. Guiding us once again effortlessly through the crowd. He brings us back to the bar top and discards my glass, but then waves the bartender down and orders two shots. 

Sam’s arm slips around my waist, bringing me close to him. I take the opportunity to place my hand back on his chest while we wait. The bartender comes back and places two, thankfully clear, shots in front of us. 

“To tonight,” Sam says while handing me my glass.

“To tonight.” I reply as we clink our small glasses together and simultaneously throw them back. 

We discard our glasses and his arm stays wrapped around me as we leave the club. I didn’t realize when we first got here with how we ran inside, but the club is part of a casino. There are hotel rooms for people who visit and play too late. Then there’s rooms for people like Sam and I. He guides us to the hotel front desk before stopping in front of the little waiting area all lobbies seem to have. 

“Wait here, I’ll get us our room.” He plants a kiss on my forehead and turns to the desk. I watch as he talks with the person working, standing so confidently as he gets us a room for the night. I let my eyes slowly work down his body, I can’t hear what they’re saying anyways. His long dark hair just passes his shoulders, down to his defined back and shapely ass. I’m still staring as he turns around and smiles at me. 

“Ready?” Sam says with a laugh.

I bring a hand up to my mouth, almost sure I was drooling over him. I wasn’t, thankfully. I nod and stand, making my way over to him. He takes my hand once I reach him and gives me a quick kiss before guiding us over to the elevators. We’re quiet as we listen to the ‘ding’ of the elevator making its way down to us. The nervous, excited energy between us is electrifying. When the final, sweet ‘ding’ we’ve been waiting for Sam ushers me in as soon as the doors open. He’s almost feral as he fumbles for the close door button and smashes the floor number we’re going to. We both stand on the edges of the elevator as we watch the silver doors close. 

As soon as they do, Sam’s hand is around my wrist dragging me towards him. I give a small yelp to the unexpected but welcomed motion. Our hands are all over each other as our lips fuse together. His teeth grab onto my bottom lip, dragging slowly across them. I can’t help but moan at the feeling. It feels too quick when we hear the ‘ding’ signifying we’ve hit our floor. His hand is around my wrist quicker than I can register his lips are off mine. He’s basically dragging me down the hall with how dazed I am from our elevator makeout that I run into his back when he stops at our door. His back shakes while he laughs and digs out our key card from his pocket. 

“Ready?” Sam says while looking back at me.

“Ready.” 

Sam opens the door fully and lets us inside, and I’m unsure what I was expecting with a pro athlete but it wasn’t this. We walk into a living room style area with two doors leading into other places. One door is open, and I can see a bed just inside. The other door I assume is the bathroom. Sam’s at my back now as I take in the room, running his hands up and down my sides while he presses kisses into my neck. 

“Wow,” I finally say after much too long. 

Sam’s quicker with his response.“Only the best for my girl.” 

My mind catches on to that. His girl. The heat between my thighs intensifies as I turn around to look him in the eye. “I knew I was right about you.” Is all he says before he hoists me up. My legs instinctively wrap around his thighs and he kisses me hard like he needs this. It doesn’t take long before I feel Sam fall back onto a plush surface. It takes me a moment to realize he’s made his way to the bed already, and we’re sitting on the edge of it. He takes the opportunity to push my short dress up, and I thank the heavens above I decided to wear dark green lace panties. I swear I see Sam’s pupils dilate as he stares, bringing his finger to outline my folds. 

My breathing has become staggered, we’re both focused on his hands. He keeps one in front slowly tracing me, while the other grabs onto my bare ass. My head lolls back for a moment, the feeling of his hot hands are overwhelming. I gasp and snap my head back down to where his fingers land. He’s found my clit and he’s not shy about it, his fingers worship me as they slowly touch me. I can feel myself unwinding, and I want some sort of friction. It feels like Sam can read my mind now as the hand on my ass pushes me up towards his hard bulge. Once I make contact I swear we both stop breathing. 

We both watch silently as I fumble with his button. When I finally get it done I waste no time with his zipper and raising on my knees momentarily so he can pull them down. I love that he leaves his boxers on for me to peel off of him. I sit back on him with just our underwear separating us and we both gasp. My hot center meeting his hard cock is almost too much. Both of his hands move to my ass as he makes me grind him, earning a moan from me. Sam’s hands move to the bottom of my dress, lifting it over my head and off of me. 

He holds me by the waist and leans back to look at me. “Fuck,” is all that passes his lips before he’s flipping us over and has me laid out on the bed. I look up at him through surely hooded, desperate eyes. 

“I want you.” 

“Baby, I want you too, but I need to taste you first. Fuck, you look-” Sam looks up at me with eyes that are so dark I don’t see color anymore. His hands wrap around my panties as he looks up at me with a silent question. I nod, letting him know this is okay and he quickly pulls them down and throws them on the floor. 

Sam looks at me one more time with those dark eyes before lowering himself to my center. He takes his time, leaving small kisses on my thighs that have me raising my hips up, leading him to what I want. 

“Needy girl,” he chastises and I swear to God I melt into the bed. He presses a singular kiss on my clit before licking against my pussy. My eyes roll back into my head as he eagerly laps at me and I weave my fingers into his hair. With it being long, I have more to grab and I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy it. I’m close, and Sam knows it as he pays special attention to my clit. He inserts a finger inside of me, expertly hitting that spot I can only hit with my vibrator at home. 

“Sam, fuck yes.” I cry. He moans against me and that’s all I need to be pushed over the edge. My thighs tighten around his head as I ride his face through my orgasm. He doesn’t stop until I’m squirming away from him trying to push his head away.

“Oh, I’m not done with you. You taste fucking delicious. You can give me one more before I go inside of you, can’t you?” He attaches his mouth back onto my pussy and I’m rendered useless. I grab back onto his hair as he licks and fingers me, making me incoherently babble. My second orgasm comes out of nowhere and hits me like a freight train. I’m squeezing Sam’s head so hard with my thighs I’m afraid I’m going to kill him. I’ve never come twice from someone going down on me, and now Sam’s got me second guessing everything. 

Once I finally come down he presses soft kisses to the insides of my thighs and my hips, slowly making his way up my body. It’s then I notice his cock straining against his boxers. Sam follows my eyeline down and that playful smirk appears once more. In a flash he flips us so that he’s laying down and I’m on top. My sensitive center rests on him once we flip and I become ravenous. 

“Think you can help, baby?” I look up to Sam’s eyes which are hooded and still dark. Being this close I can see that his pupils are blown out, I press a soft kiss on his lips where I can taste me, and I’m a little surprised to find I like it. I like that this man tastes like me. At some point during our interaction he unbuttoned his shirt and taken it off, showing me his whole body. I kiss my way down until I hit his boxers, then I grab them on both sides so I can bring them down as I go. 

As soon as I get it over his cock it springs free, and is very hard. I waste no time bringing my lips to the head and wrapping them around it. I’m rewarded with a deep, husky moan. I take my time playing with the head of his cock with my tongue. I feel his hips buck and I swear I hear a ‘please’. Without warning, I take him to the hilt, slightly choking on him. His hand flies to the back of my head with a ‘fuck’ and he lets me bob my head a couple of times before he’s pulling me off. 

“I need to be inside you, please baby.” He flips us back over and grabs a condom resting on the nightstand. Once he is sheathed, he places the head teasingly at my entrance. I watch as he drags it up and down, playing with my clit too.

“Sam, please.” I sound desperate and I don’t care because before I can even finish my plea he’s slowly pushing inside of me. We both loudly moan as he pushes deeper and deeper until he’s sitting at the hilt. He leans down and kisses me. I bite his lip and he groans while trying to push even deeper into me. 

Without warning, he pulls out quickly then pushes back in, making my eyes roll into the back of my head as I loudly moan. He keeps his slow rhythm while keeping his lips on me. My hand instantly grips his arm as he attaches his mouth to one of my hard nipples. He bites, just enough for a small bit of pain before he lets go and gives the same attention to my other one. 

I’m completely lost in Sam and I don’t mind one bit. I run my hands up and down his bicep, feeling the ridges in his muscles. His lips are the most distracting, anywhere they go they have my utmost attention that I actually whine when he pulls them away completely. He leans down so they graze my ear.

“I want you on top, is that okay baby?” 

“Yes, please yes.” 

Snaking his arm around my waist, he swiftly flips us over. Helpingme so I’m sitting upright on him. I place my hands on his hard stomach as I slowly move up and down with every intention of driving him absolutely crazy. Sam reaches out and pinches my nipple which has me moaning and moving my hips quicker in response. 

“Not fair,” I whine, “I was trying to do something.”

“I could see it in your eyes, baby. You’re not very good at being sly.” He lifts his hips up to meet mine with every thrust. I can’t help but pick up the pace, he feels and looks so good under me. Sam looks up at me and it makes me feel so fucking powerful. 

“Such a good fucking girl,” Sam says as I watch him bring his finger to my exposed clit and starts to rub it as I bounce on him. The new added pressure is a very welcome feeling, but I’m even closer to the edge now. 

“Sam, please, I’m so close.” I don’t know what I’m even pleading for anymore, just that I want him. 

“Come for me, baby.” That was all I needed to be pushed over the edge, my orgasm hitting me hard and fast. “Baby, I’m right behind you,” is all he says before I feel him tense up underneath me, coming just as hard. I collapse on top of him, our heavy breathing in tandem as we stare at each other.

His eyes are flooded with color now, I almost feel foolish not seeing it before. The dark brown is littered with golden flecks, making his eyes look like they shine in this post-coital light. He reaches up a hand and brushes my hair away from my face and neck, then leaves it there to linger on my cheek. We stay like this for a couple moments in silent bliss before he slowly starts to pull out. 

“I’ll be right back,” Sam says as he makes his way to the en suite. I lay on the bed surrounded by the scent of Sam, of us, as I hear water start to run in the other room. It goes on for a little bit, and even though I know I should clean up, the soft sound has my eyes fluttering shut. “Y/N, baby.” Sam laughs as my eyes shoot open. He now has his boxers back on and his hair is up in a messy bun. “Come here, I’ll carry you.” 

I ask no questions as I shimmy to the edge of the bed where Sam scoops me up bridal style and walks me into the en suite. It’s steamy and warm once we enter, and I realize the noise I was hearing was him running a bath. He sets me down on the counter and hands me a warm washcloth. His eyes never leave my face as I clean up and discard the washcloth, then he lifts me once more and places me in the tub. The warm water is a welcome hug but it feels like something is missing. 

“Sam, join me?” I reach out my hand to him and watch as his eyes light up.

“Scoot forward.” I move to scrunch in the tub, my arms wrapped around my knees as Sam settles in behind me. Once he’s seated, his hands land on my shoulders and pull me into him. This is now perfect. The warm water, the hot man running his hands along my arms in a comforting embrace. He buries his nose in my hair as I try to burrow even closer to him. 

“Tonight was nice.” Sam says softly.

“It was very nice, I didn’t expect this.”

“I didn’t either, but I’m glad you took the chance. Stay the night with me.” 

With my eyelids already heavy, it was an easy choice. “Okay.” 

Masterlist | Taglist

[kharmii]

So I got the idea to actually calculate the global human population myself, city by city, and guess what.

It’s not even 3 billion.

Not even CLOSE.

There are NOT 7 billion people on the planet. You can count yourself. The overpopulation hoax is the foundation of the globalist terror regime.

Whether it's three or seven billion, the global population doesn't matter. Overpopulation is a regional problem. There are starving children with distended bellies running around in Africa and India, and yet I suspect those places aren't handing out free birth control and running article after article about how "Cats are Better Than Babies".

The globalist terror regime is focusing that on first world nations while flooding every good place to live with problem people. Here in the US, every country south of us is clearing out their prisons and mental hospitals then sending them right up to us in large caravans of tens and hundreds of thousands of people. It's white privilege to have a job with a living wage, medical benefits, etc. We need to let everybody in so large corporations don't have to send their companies to China. The whole planet should be one huge sweat shop.

Speaking of white privilege, I have an OT beef. A few days ago, a fourteen-year-old student at Apalachee High School named Colt Gray brought a semi-automatic weapon to school and shot a bunch of people before being detained by police. According to the wiki, the school is in a town that's 58% white where half the students are economically disadvantaged. Colt Gray was one of these students. His mom was a low life drug addict who was arrested for "domestic violence, drug possession, property damage and various traffic violations, including driving under the influence charges. She also faced civil fraud charges over the purchase of a used vehicle and was locked up in Ben Hill County as recently as April."

Colt Gray ended up a Kamala Harris supporting trannie who was probably bullied at school on top of having a dysfunctional family. They tried to wipe his online presence, but it's being passed around.

It looks like he lived with his dad who was also abusive, and now the dad is being arrested for giving the shooter the weapon he used as a Christmas present last year. This is the second time I've heard of this happening. The first time is when the parents of school shooter Ethan Crumbley were charged with manslaughter in April 2024 because they supposedly also supplied the weapon used.

Now I can see why people would think this was appropriate. Terrible parents who raise a kid wrong should be held accountable for setting a monster loose in the community, and yet this only seems to be a white issue. I've yet to see a black parent be held responsible for her child's actions. Black people have an 80% out-of-wedlock birth rate and fatherless household rate. They make up 13% of the population but commit 90% of gun crimes, 90% of adolescent gun crimes and most of the mass shootings. The news only focuses on the rare white person committing a mass shooting and acts like it's an epidemic, even though black people are shooting up every major city every day of the year.

You aren't even supposed to question this. Black people problems are the result of white privilege and 'them evil colonialists who brought crop rotation and modern medicine to the third world' blahblahblah. Black people who aren't qualified to run a hotdog stand at a little league game are supposed to be able to lecture white people endlessly, and yet we aren't allowed to say, *lifts finger* uh um.....maybe if you waited until you were married to pop out babies, then maybe your atrocious crime rate would go down. Srsly, we're dealing with the problems of people in generational poverty who have like a 10% literacy rate, and the media keeps beating it into our heads that all the problems of the world are caused by white people, and it's only white people who need to have fckn dogs-cats-rats-smelly horses instead of babies.

Another meme they're always pushing in the media is that 'right wing extremism is the biggest domestic terror threat' and that all mass shooters are right wing (laughably ridiculous). Then when a radicalized Marxist trannie like Audrey Hale shoots up a white Christian school, it takes literal years for the authorities to release the manifesto. It's supposedly a danger to the public. When we finally get to read it, it's nothing but the ramblings of a mentally ill radicalized Marxist who complains over and over that nobody loves them, and that's why they have to kill a bunch of white Christian kids because the media beat it into their deranged mind that white Christians are the cause of all their problems.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Sakura Ogami VS Jonathan Joestar [Danganronpa Survivor VS JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]

Hifumi: Sakura Ogami! Hopes Peak Academy's Ultimate Martial Artist, and the world's strongest human!

Leona: And Jonathan Joestar! The very first JoJo who ever Joj'ed!

Hifumi: These two large and in-charge fighters, who are bigger than life itself (though not in the same way as me), yet possess a heart of pure gold inside them will cross over hell and high water to save their world and protect their loved ones.

Leona: But if world's collide, which one is gonna come out on top!? He's Hifumi and I'm Leona!

Hifumi: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, talents and skills, to see who will win a DEATH BATTLE!

Hifumi: Not many people seem to realize that it's quite lonely at the top...Something that Mrs Sakura Ogami would be able to tell you from first hand experience.

Leona: Like almost every other character we've tackled so far, Sakura was scouted to join Hope's Peak, a special, government-funded school that aimed to give the young a strong future that could only be obtained through the development of their own talents; as the Ultimate Martial Artist. Yeah baby, we finally have an actual FIGHTER!

Hifumi: What do you mean "finally!?" We literally had the Ultimate Soldier and Ultimate Swordswoman on the show already!

Leona: Oh yeah, fair point. I mean we just have an actual martial arts specialist instead of someone who just wields a bunch of weapons.

Hifumi: Mrs Ogami's story doesn't just start from her time at Hope's Peak though, and the power and strength that the Academy caught notice of runs in her family. While it's rarely ever brought up in conversation, she comes from a fascinating line of ancestors who were among the world's best warriors and trained to go beyond what is normally possible for humans.

Leona: Yes, a family made up of such badass individuals that would make the Tekken Mishima Clan cower in shame and terror! Sakura is also known as one of her clan's strongest members, having trained since she was a baby and defeating her own father, the clan leader, when she was only 8 years old.

Hifumi: Going forward from that victory, Mrs Ogami had one key desire. To become the strongest human in the world! The main reason being to prove wrong all those stupid sexists who said it couldn't be done because she's a woman.

Leona: And just LOOK AT HER for God's sake! If somebody said a woman with that physique was the most powerful woman in the world, then I'd believe you in a second flat! Even if I didn't, the fact that she boasts the phenomenal record of over 400 victories in a row is proof enough that this girl is at the TIPPY TOP of power!

Hifumi: But it wasn't always that way; and with threats such as Izuru Kamukura still present in our world, it technically still isn't. As powerful a combatant and as overwhelming a monster Mrs Ogami can be, there was always one obstacle she was determined to overcome in order to achieve her goal: A certain man named Kenshiro.

Leona: If you've been following the story from the beginning up until now, Kenshiro was a friend of Sakura's from a very young age, as well as her biggest rival and the one man that she could never defeat. And now the two of them are set to be married. Aren't life-long rivalries so romantic!?~

Hifumi: However, it wasn't sunshine and rainbows forever. Mrs Ogami did indeed finally achieve her dream of attaining Kenshiro's title of "World's Strongest Human," but not in the way that she would have preferred. The prestigious fighter came down with a terminal illness, and was expected to pass away very soon. While that ultimately didn't happen thanks to the Future Foundation's medical experts getting to him in time, his days of fighting were long over.

Leona: To make matters worse, it wouldn't be much longer after this news that Sakura would attend Hope's Peak, and as a result, be swept right up into the first broadcasted mutual killing game! Enoshima, YOU SLUT!

Hifumi: Indeed, just like she did with myself and my other classmates, Mrs Ogami had 2 years worth of memories erased from her, meaning she forgot about us being classmates and the memories that we shared with one another. 

Leona: Still though, you probably think that such catastrophe would be nothing at the hands of somebody so powerful. As the Ultimate Martial Artist, Sakura doesn't focus on one specific type of combat; rather a mix of multiple different styles depending on the situation, including the likes of Aikido and Karate. And to nobody's surprise, she's proficient in ALL of them, and can switch on the fly, adapting and making use of almost any technique and move you can think of! 

Hifumi: This includes a technique called "Shukuchi", a Japanese-language term for various mythical techniques of rapid movement. In summary, she can move so blindingly fast, she looks like she's teleporting! If you've watched anime like Naruto, you'd be familiar.

Leona: You might have noticed this if you've followed this series up until now, but when it comes to evaluating a characters level of power in Danganronpa canon, Sakura is usually the main character that we scale everyone to. And her raw strength, speed and overall power is the exact reason why we do so.

Hifumi: Let's start off by focusing on strength and power, especially considering that's the main thing that defines Mrs Ogami's talents. She's able to grapple other capable fighters, tear apart massive plates of steel, and has fought on par with both Monokuma's Killing Game version, as well as Mukuro Ikusaba in both the IF and Survivor timeline.

Leona: Let's take a quick jump back to the past and remind you guys of a few itty bitty details we covered previously. For starters, Monokuma is already a bear that can rip people apart with his claws effortlessly, and can usually only be taken down or fought using a hacking gun, and his Killing Game versions across the series are FAR more powerful than the sentries shown in Ultra Despair Girls and  Survivor.

Hifumi: Additionally, in the same light novel where Mrs Ikusaba and Mrs Ogami went head to head, Mrs Ikusaba battled against 100 of these exact Monokuma's, armed with a makeshift weapon and dodging machine gun fire at the same time. 

Leona: And earlier in that novel, she even ADMITS that she might not have been able to safely go toe to toe with Sakura, and had to make a tactical retreat! Additionally, in her swimsuit event in Danganronpa Summer Camp, Sakura throws a punch that is so immense and so powerful, she cuts straight through the ocean!

Hifumi: Unfortunately, we don't know just how far the punch went and never got a visual, so we can't properly scale it. However, it would at least require a minimum force of AT LEAST a Megaton of TNT.

Leona: Lastly , even though it's a really early feat in the Survivor storyline, Sakura DID come out on top as the ultimate victor in a 5-way sparring match between herself, Mukuro Ikusaba, Maki Harukawa, Peko Pekoyama and Akane Owari.

Hifumi: And it's a basic fact that almost every other capable fighter in the Danganronpa series, like Mr Nidai and most of Zetsubou and the Kisaragi's pale in comparison to her. Really, the only person we know of that could realistically beat Mrs Ogami is Izuru Kamukura, who by default is just ridiculously overpowered, as I eluded to earlier.

Leona: So yeah, she's fucking busted. And not just in terms of raw power. For feats like speed and durability, we can scale her to characters like Juzo Sakakura and Genocide Jill.

Hifumi: Genocide Jill, as we've brought up a few times, is capable of dodging lightning and slicing through missiles mid-flight with her scissors. Even if it took a little effort to catch her, Mrs Ogami was even able to subdue her easily in Danganronpa IF. Considering Mrs Jill was able to defeat Big Bang Monokuma with Mrs Komaru Naegi, it's highly likely that Mrs Ogami could achieve the same feat BY HERSELF! Additionally, her matching Killing Game Monokuma blow for blow shows she must be on an equal speed level as him, and Monokuma has already shown by this point he can hit baseballs consecutively fast enough to match a machine gun!

Leona: Not to mention that Sakura's battle against Mukuro makes this EVEN MORE impressive; since Mukuro can just straight up BLITZ Monokuma! And series creator Kodaka stated that she could easily defeat Sakakura, who has easily taken hits from powerful adversaries like Gozu, Seiko and Tengan, and even managed to tank a missile barrage, fired at him by Miaya Gekkogahara! Sakura therefore, must be a higher level of strength, and an equal level of durability.

Hifumi: On top of all that, you might remember in Mukuro Vs Kayano, I mentioned that Ms Ikusaba could run from Japan to Prague in a couple of seconds. Really, this feat originally comes from Mrs Ogami, who was originally stated to be capable of this feat. That would put her rough speed on the level of between Mach 20 and Mach 26!

Leona: And you might think that with all this hulking meat and nasty feats, she would be a "hit first, ask questions later" like yours truly! But...no! While we'd be hard-pressed to call Sakura a "genius" she's incredibly tactical, and she can keep her cool and think things through in almost any combat situation, be it hand-to-hand, class trials, or even a casual game like chess or shogi. She's basically INVINCIBLE, and there's basically no way to take her down!

Hifumi: Unfortunately, that's not entirely true...Mrs Ogami does indeed have some notable weaknesses.

Leona: HOW does someone THIS OP have ANY weaknesses!?

Hifumi: Well, it's primarily because despite her inhuman feats, she's still technically a human. if someone WERE powerful enough to land several strong hits on her, she can easily be knocked out with enough blunt force.

Leona: So she actually got KILLED during the Killing Game!? Who the hell can kill a behemoth like her!

Hifumi: Well...herself...

Leona: Eh?

Hifumi: The truth is that from the very beginning of the First Killing Game, Junko Enoshima blackmailed Mrs Ogami into feeding her information from behind closed doors, threatening to destroy her family's dojo should she fail to comply. Later on, Monokuma went on to expose Sakura's treachery, which caused shifts of trust and judgement among the group, basically leaving the next murder to be right around the corner. Tensions were so high that when Mrs Ogami tried to settle the situation, she got smashed over the top of her head TWICE with glass bottles from Mr Hagakure and Ms Jill.

Leona: Ow! What the hell, man!? So they basically both just killed her even though she just wanted to talk!?

Hifumi: No actually. Even though she was left bleeding from the head, Mrs Ogami SURVIVED both blows! But unfortunately, she was really only left with one option, at least that's how she felt. Knowing there probably wasn't anything left for her, but also wanting to protect the companionship she had with the likes of Ms Asahina and the other students...Mrs Ogami sacrificed her life, downing some poison and succumbing to it's effects.

Leona: Damn...That's...impressive. She really sacrificed herself for all that?

Hifumi: Fortunately, even though Monokuma tried to throw a spanner in the works, her plan worked, and became the catalyst for the survivors to rise to the cause and cause Junko Enoshima's downfall. Even in her untimely death, Mrs Ogami emerged the victor over the twisted tyrant, and came back to life later for another round!

Leona: Sakura is everything one wants to be. Powerful, yet charming; someone who will protect you and wreck shit if you ever get hurt. You might come across a variety of strong people across many timelines, but the fact remains that the Ultimate Martial Artist will always have a high place on that list...

Hifumi: Can I just say before we close out I'm really glad we're doing this now instead of a later chapter because...I really didn't want to take a certain feat into account...

Leona: You know that was your idea, right?

Hifumi: I know but...still...

Hifumi: It's time hop into our hot-tub time machine and take a journey back to the 1880's, in good old fashioned Victorian England. Where capitalism divided the nation in half between the filthy rich and the miserably poor.

Leona: If you had money, you were living the high life. If you didn't, you were down low in the dirt. That is...unless your dumbass dad adopted another son who happened to be the BIGGEST DICKHEAD in ANIME!

Hifumi: Enter...Jonathan Joestar!

Leona: So, before we get properly into this biz, I kinda wanna just bring something up. Unlike our previous combatants, like Kayano, RHM and Phoenix, Jonathan Joestar is actually a returning combatant from the ORIGINAL Death Battle, who fought Tanjiro Kamado in Season 9. So considering DB have already done most of the calculations on our behalf, expect us to...paraphrase a lot of our points.

Hifumi: Yes, well, The affluent businessman George Joestar I and his wife Mary gave birth to Jonathan Joestar, better known by his alias JoJo.  Even at a young age, he was an honest, kind, and upbeat young man, enjoying a happy life with his girlfriend Erina and pet dog Danny. That is until he met his adopted older brother Dio Brando, who tormented, beat, and severely traumatized the young Jonathan, whose life became filled with tragedy.

Leona: Dio dedicated his life to emotionally breaking Jonathan, attempting to turn him into a docile puppet in order to take the Joestar fortune for himself. However, Dio stealing Jonathan's first kiss with Erina was the final straw, and something deep within Jonathan's heart awoke; the raging passionate fire of a gentleman...Which he then proceeded to take advantage of in HANDING DIO HIS SHIT!

Hifumi: Gentlemen don't typically hand people their shit. If anything, it's the exact opposite of that. Unfortunately, even though Jonathan asserted himself as anything BUT Dio's punching bag, this standstill wouldn't last. Dio exacted his revenge a few years later when he transformed into a vampire and murdered George Joestar! Jonathan would require more than just his morally upright fists to win the day, as Dio was now determined to rule the entire world.

Leona: He needed power...He needed to train...He needed justice...! And all of that came in the form of a weird Italian Man who punches frogs for a living!

Hifumi: This man was Will Anthonio Zeppeli, a practitioner of the ancient martial art of Hamon, which was created especially to combat vampires like Dio. Users of the Hamon art can send a hot, electric ripple out of their bodies and overwhelm their opponents with it through their breaths. Kind of like channeling the power of sunlight, which as we know, vampires can't handle very well.

Leona: Please don't call it the Ripple, the dub changes are always so cringe...

Hifumi: I'm just saying it like it is! It IS a ripple! That's what Hamon means!

Leona: A user of Hamon energy can disintegrate vampires with a single blow and greatly improve their physical prowess. Zeppeli taught Jonathan everything he knew so that he could fight and defeat Dio. For example, the Zoom Punch, where Jonathan stretches his arm and punches an opponent from afar as if his limbs were made of rubber.

Hifumi: It's actually not as simple as stretching your arm like Mr Fantastic or Monkey D. Luffy. Pulling this off requires Jonathan to dislocate his shoulder and use Hamon to ease the pain before snapping it back into place. In reality though, this is just the effect of breathing giving people superpowers taken very literally.

Leona: What do you mean "literally?"

Hifumi: Hm...I could tell you...But it might actually be worth bringing in a little bit of scientific help for this one...

Hifumi pulls on a curtain cord, and the sound of crying out in fear rapidly grows louder and closer until Uchui Porosen comes crashing onto the set.

Uchui: OW! Ugh...Jeez! You know, when you told me to wait up there, I wasn't expecting you would slapstick comedy me into the scene!

Hifumi: My apologies Mr Porosen. It was actually Mr Kurafto's idea.

Uchui: Of course it was...

Leona: 'Sup Kamu-dude! Was kinda wondering when we could finally get you on this one.

Uchui: Well, I was called in for backup in case you needed math advice, but you've been handling things pretty well so far. Still, I guess I can help tell you about how breathing works...That's fine too.

Hifumi: The floor is yours, my good sir.

Uchui: So, Dutch explorer Wim Hof managed to survive for nearly two hours while almost completely submerged in ice water, as the original Death Battle revealed in their program. In a similar conceptual maneuver to the Zoom Punch, Hof used forced exhalation to lower his oxygen levels, which boosted his body's ability to regulate temperature and releases euphoric chemicals that dulled the pain of the freezing cold. Also, in real life martial arts, breathing is an essential technique that practitioners - including a fighter like Sakura - must remember to use constantly. By massaging the organs beneath the diaphragm, deeper breaths help to relax your body and reduce its energy needs while also increasing your available energy. It keeps you stronger and lasting longer.

Leona: hehehehe...

Uchui: I'm going to smack you...!

Leona: Oh come on, you left yourself open for that one!

Uchui: At first glance, the fact that we ALL simply do this without giving it much thought may not seem remarkable, but by carefully controlling our oxygen intake, humans can improve their focus, speed up their fight-or-flight responses, and even change the rate at which their blood flows through their bodies. In the case of Hamon, it is very similar to the Chinese concept of Qi, which literally translates as "breath," "vapor," or "air." Not to mention the practice of it, known as "qigong."

Hifumi: Qigong is a system of breathing, meditation, and coordinated body posture and movement used for martial arts training, spirituality, and overall health. Qigong is traditionally seen by Asian cultures, most notably the Chinese people, as a way to cultivate and balance their life energy.

Uchui: Qi believers describe it as a vital force that needs to flow freely in order to be healthy. Qi is not to be confused with the scientific concept of energy; rather, it is a pseudoscientific, unverified idea, which is kind of my specialty, as we all know. It is sometimes believed that Gods, particularly anthropomorphic Gods, possess qi and are a reflection of the human microcosm, with qi able to concentrate in specific body parts.

Leona: Those are...a lot of big words.

Uchui: Oh...my bad...I got carried away again.

Hifumi: Do not worry about it Mr Porosen! Feel free to keep going, 

Uchui: Right...well, while it's not FACT that channeling qi makes this possible, it's commonly believed that you can channel your own qi to accomplish amazing feats like walking on water, magnetizing plants, or controlling your opponent's muscles in a fight. It can even pass through metal and other solid surfaces.

Leona: Which are PROVEN to all be possible with Hamon!

Uchui: Yes, but it's evident that no matter how much qi a person possesses, they are unable to simply light their fists on fire and slam their opponents senseless with a barrage of blows.

Leona: SUNLIGHT YELLOOOW OVERDURIIIIVEEE!

Hifumi: Well, that's it for the science lesson. Thanks for joining us Mr Porosen! Your insight was greatly appreciated.

Uchui: No problem. Feel free to call me any time that DOESN'T involve me falling through a trapdoor.

Uchui salutes then exeunts.

Hifumi: So, armed with these incredible powers and now more than capable to throw hands, Jonathan, Zeppeli and their cohort Robert E. O. Speedwagon marched into Dio's territory and fought a horde of ruthless zombies!

Leona: Not just zombies! They also battled Bruford and Tarkus, two of Dio's most dangerous allies, the latter of whom had the strength to slice through a cliff with a single swing and rip entire boulders out of the earth. He could even split Zeppeli in half and snap JoJo's neck with relative ease. Poor Zeppeli...The fate of the mentor in anime is a cruel state of existence...

Hifumi: If only he had been a tad more perverted...

Leona: Yeah, right?

Hifumi: Zeppeli's final act before passing away was giving Jonathan his Hamon energy, which not only helped him heal his own broken neck but also united their energies. Because of this, Jonathan gained the strength to use just his hands to chop through Tarkus' enormous arm!

Leona: Oh yeah...I kinda just remembered that Jonathan has a sword...He didn't even need to use it here...Now, as any long-running JoJo fan would know, Dio has always had an influence even leading several years into the future up to Jolyne's era, but Jonathan, the first of the JoJo bloodline, was also the one who ultimately defeated him. And while yes, Dio is significantly more powerful in Stardust Crusaders, Phantom Blood Dio could still achieve feats of strength and speed above humanly possible. And considering Joseph Joestar, the only other JoJo capable of Hamon-wielding, is able to easily dodge beams of light, it stands to reason Jonathan could do the same thing.

Hifumi: And as Leona just casually mentioned, Jonathan is also armed with a medieval European knightly sword, aptly called "Pluck."

Leona: The sword belonged to Bruford at first, but after Jonathan's Hamon gave him back his human soul, he gave it to Jonathan and renamed it. Jonathan then used the sword to sever Dio like a chunk of salami!

Hifumi: Jonathan's greatest strength was always his intelligence and unwavering determination, more so than his strength, speed, sword, or even Hamon. Dio was defeated once more by the same unwavering desire for justice that had brought him down all those years ago, but this time around, the victory was short-lived and bittersweet.

Leona: Jonathan is basically the definition of a big man with a big heart. Dio abused, mentally tortured him, killed his dad, and yet despite all that, he never say Dio as anything less than his brother, though Dio didn't share the sentiment.

Hifumi: On the eve of his marriage with Erina, Dio came back to kill Jonathan and take his body, and Jonathan gave his life to save his wife and unborn child. He did not, however, die in vain. His lineage would endure for eons, producing a succession of remarkable, peculiar and...dare I say...BIZARRE heroes who would foil Dio's schemes and preserve the cosmos for all eternity.

Leona: And thus the name JoJo would be passed down through the ages...Figuratively...and LITERALLY!

Hifumi: Alright, the combatants are set! We've run the data through all possibilities!

Leona: IT'S TIME FOR A DEEAAATH BAAATTLLLLLLEEE!

Sakura Ogami sits atop the peak of a mountain, arms and legs crossed, eyes closed, and quietly meditating, undisturbed by even the sounds of the birds and wind around her. She only opens her eyes when she senses a presence scaling the mountain behind her.

Jonathan: I wasn't quite expecting this...

Sakura: Expecting what, exactly?

Jonathan unsheathes Pluck from his back.

Jonathan: I was told that if I came here, I would encounter the strongest fighter in the world...And yet I stand here, only to find you...A young woman...

Sakura stands up and only halfway turns to look at him.

Sakura: You were not expecting that the world's strongest would be a woman?

Jonathan: In all honesty, no...Though I know better than to misjudge people by appearances...Hitting you would be another thing entirely.

Sakura: Those sound like fighting words...

Jonathan: It is a rather long story...I was instructed to come here and defeat the world's strongest...Passing this trial comes in exchange of-

Sakura: You need not explain it to me...I will gladly battle any adversary that steps up to the plate...

Jonathan: If that is the case...

He points his sword at her.

Jonathan: Have at you...!

Sakura turns around, a powerful aura surrounding her, and the ends of her mouth slightly curving up. She begins to crack her knuckles and assumes her fighting stance.

Sakura: With pleasure...!

Sakura lunges in for the first attack, and Jonathan tries to counter by swinging his sword at her. The edge of the blade collides with Sakura's fist, but doesn't cut her.

Jonathan: Hah! Indeed, this is just the level of power I was expecting! 

Sakura: This is a battle. Not a casual conversation. Talking is far from a key tactic...

Jonathan: No...Of course not...But deception can be a key tactic...!

Sakura: Hm...!?

Jonathan starts to charge his Hamon energy into his blade and superheats it, scalding Sakura's fist and leaving a burn mark. Sakura retracts her fist, which Jonathan uses as an opening to punch her in the ribs. The punch is fierce and Sakura flies off the other side of the mountain, with Jonathan chasing her. Sakura looks at her fist, half with dismay, half with excitement.

Sakura: Hmhm...This one will be a worthy opponent...!

As Jonathan brandishes his blade and falls down towards Sakura, she slams into the rock beneath her, immediately springing back up and lunging towards Jonathan with a lightning-quick jump kick.

Jonathan: Ah-!

Jonathan thinks he can counter the kick with his blade and indeed reacts fast enough, but the power of Sakura's kick is so powerful, the blow sends the sword hurtling into the sky and getting lodged into the cliff face, leaving JoJo to fight with his bare hands.

Jonathan: Incredible!

Sakura: Same to you!

Sakura and Jonathan pause for but a second to exchange pleasantries as they land on their feet, then launch into a full-on attack, delivering punch after punch and blocking each other's blows with their fists.

With their sights set on one another, the two combatants retreat along the uneven terrain. Hamon energy starts to radiate from Jonathan's body. Sakura's body starts to radiate a fighting spirit at the same time. Both fighters gradually start to comprehend the sheer strength of their opponent.

Jonathan: *This is really the trial that I was sent to overcome...Her power is unbelievable; even I am not sure I can see this through...!*

Sakura: *I will most assuredly battle, even if my bones should crack...But this one...He has more than enough power to crack them...!*

Despite the intrusive thoughts, neither of them back down. The first to move is Jonathan, who charges forward at breakneck speed, punching Sakura in the face before she can react, and then sending her flying with a spinning fist!

Jonathan: ZOOM PUNCH!

Jonathan attempts to finish his combo by launching his fist forward and striking Sakura via an elongated arm. 

Sakura: TCHAGH!

Jonathan: Nani!?

Sakura: HOOOOOAAGH!

Sakura dodges Jonathan's attack by front-flipping out of the way, landing behind him before striking back with a punch that sends a sonic boom crashing into the Hamon warrior. Jonathan chooses to block the attack with his arms and Hamon abilities since he is unable to avoid it in time.

Sakura: DON'T DISAPPOINT ME!

Jonathan: SCARLET OVERDRIVE!

Jonathan creates a ripple of flame and sets his fists on fire, lunging at Sakura. In kind, Sakura thrusts her fists forward at such power and speed, they also combust. The Ultimate Martial Artist and OG JoJo engage in yet another fistfight, the power and heat of their fists setting the surrounding area aflame.

Sakura: Hah!

Jonathan: Gah!

Sakura practically teleports behind Jonathan due to her rapid pace. JoJo can barely keep up with her barrage of kicks and punches as she leans herself into him. 

In the instant that he has to catch his breath, Jonathan rushes backward to get some distance between himself and his opponent.

Sakura: HUURAAGGH!

However, no sooner does Jonathan do this, Sakura plants her hands into the ground and tosses up a gigantic slab of earth, tossing it straight towards him!

Jonathan: Tch...! OVERDRIVE!

Sakura: Hah!

Jonathan: Grgh!?

Jonathan uses his Hamon to channel his energy through the crumbling debris, tearing it in half as a result. But as soon as the earth opens, Sakura jumps through it at Jonathan, who has become sufficiently distracted to land a lethal blow. Sakura deals a strong kick to his cheek, but Jonathan barely avoids the more painful brunt of the blow by grabbing Sakura's leg and tossing her back.

Jonathan: *breathing noises...*

Sakura: What...!? UGH! AGH! GUGH!?

Sakura is caught unpleasantly off-guard as Jonathan takes a deep breath, and the back of her head collides with something heavy. She is just barely able to look up and see she smacked into a piece of the rubble from her previous attack, which is now somehow suspended in mid-air! Not only that, but she then falls back to the ground and keeps running into all the other pieces of debris on her way down!

Sakura: Hurgh...! Guh!?

Bleeding from the head, Sakura is still able to land on her feet, the ground beneath her becoming indented. Unfortunately, Jonathan by now is already upon her! 

Jonathan: SUNLIGHT...! YELLOW...! OVERDRIIIIIIIIIVVEE!!!!

Sakura is now helpless as Jonathan unleashes a devastating Sunlight Yellow Overdrive barrage on her before sending her flying into the mountain and leaving a huge crater underneath her corpse! After a brief pose, he jumps up and lands on her, slamming his fist and dealing the finishing blow!

*KRRAAAAAAAAKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!*

...

...

...

Jonathan: A-Ah...Ah....!

Jonathan's eyes dilate in horror. Despite thinking he's finished his opponent off, he stares down to see that in spite of his power, as well as his advantageous position, Sakura catches his fist before it makes contact...!

Sakura: Alright...My turn...!

Jonathan experiences HELL! Though he tries to react in the split second he has, Sakura throws a haymaker so hefty, it breaks his arm! Jonathan tries to use Hamon to heal his injury, but Sakura attacks her now-vulnerable opponent with a vicious rush, who can now do nothing against her barrage of brutality!

Sakura: IT'S OOVVEEEEEEEERRR!

Jonathan: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAGGH!

Sakura winds up one more powerful, flaming fist, and throws one final blow that runs straight through Jonathan Joestar, finishing him off and crushing his lungs! Jonathan collapses backwards after Sakura's blood-stained fist slides out of him, falls on his back, leaning down on the rubble...Despite his fate, he opens his eyes one final time and looks up at Sakura, who clenches her fist.

Jonathan: ...You really were...the strongest...

Sakura: We will meet again in the next life...And we will have this "conversation" again...

Though the original JoJo failed his challenge, and though the Ultimate Martial Artist is burdened with his blood on her hands, neither of the two warriors can help but feel relieved and satisfied with the outcome. Jonathan and Sakura smile at each other confidently and respectfully, as the former slips into the afterlife...

Hifumi & Leona: YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Leona: THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME! And that's ANOTHER win for the home team! LESSGOO!

Hifumi: I'm as excited as you, but while we're riding this high, I think we've got a bit of explaining to do.

Leona: Oh, yeah, for sure! 'Cause I know at home, a lot of people were probably rooting for Johnny-boy, especially since he had so many powers and abilities up his ass that Sakura shouldn't have been able to counter. But the truth is...this match REALLY wasn't that clear cut!

Hifumi: Let the record say that this wasn't a completely one-sided victory. In several scenarios, with minor changes like the setting, prep time, knowledge about each other's innate abilities, etcetera, there are multiple scenarios in which Jonathan COULD have taken an easy win. However, the fact is that Mrs Sakura Ogami at no holds barred was just far too much of a challenge for the OG Joestar.

Leona: JoJo really did have a lot going for him. Sakura might have been able to reach hypersonic levels of speed, far more than human logic would allow someone to reach, but Jonathan is more than able to keep pace with her. When Sakura fought Mukuro, she moved so quickly to Mukuro's blind spot that it appeared as though she had teleported to most of the people around her, and we've already established just how stupidly fast Mukuro's max speed is.

Hifumi: In contrast, Jonathan being able to fight on par with Dio and being fast enough to react to his lightning-fast attacks such as the Space Ripper Stingy Eyes; as well as the fact that he easily defeated Tarkus who blitzed Zeppeli, proves that Jonathan is just as fast, if not FASTER!

Leona: Additionally, Hamon was a VERY versatile weapon, given how much Jonathan could affect with it, most notably the area around him, as well as Sakura herself. Even without it, Jonathan still had the better arsenal. He's by no means a master swordsman, but it's a pretty assured victory if you're going to bring a sword to a fistfight. Most of the time at least...

Hifumi: And Jonathan had the intellect and thinking speed to use this to his advantage! While we made it clear earlier that Mrs Ogami is by no means dumb, and is incredibly strategic in her own right, Jonathan Joestar is a JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE CHARACTER! A character from a SERIES of stories about people fighting and using wacky abilities in the most outwards way possible! And Jonathan is the one who STARTED this trend, even if his grandson Joseph is shown to be more tactical with it.

Leona: So why does Sakura ultimately take the cake here? Well, it's actually quite simple...

Hifumi: Indeed. Speed and intelligence aside, and with or without Hamon, Jonathan's stats are near ECLIPSED by Mrs Ogami's pure power! 

Leona: For example, Jonathan is capable of setting his fists alight with energy or fire, and can use his breathing techniques to manipulate the air around him. Sakura on the other hand is capable of nearly the exact same feats, like how she can punch hard enough that her fists combust, or sending a shockwave from her punches that parts the ocean, and she doesn't even HAVE breathing superpowers!

Hifumi: On the one hand, Jonathan post-Deep Pass Overdrive effortlessly overpowered and killed Tarkus despite being previously outmatched, and is demonstrably equal with Dio; damaging him with a punch, bisecting him even after meeting resistance and ultimately defeating him. On the other hand, with just one or two exceptions, Sakura Ogami is "the strongest person in the world" and the best fighter in the Danganronpa series. As such, she should be superior to fighters like Juzo Sakakura, Genocide Jack, and Mukuro Ikusaba, the latter of whom found it difficult to engage in a casual fight with her.

Leona: Again, if you go back to Mukuro Vs Kayano, we went over some of the things that Mukuro was capable of. But in case you don't feel like doing that, as a quick reminder, she's been fighting on battlefields since her childhood days and never received a single scratch to show for it, and she battled 100 Killing Game Monokuma's, which as we said, Sakura was on par with, armed with nothing but an improvised weapon, all while dodging a rapid-fire machine gun turret. And she was AFRAID to fight Sakura!

Hifumi: Not "afraid" exactly, but similarly wary of her. When Ms Ikusaba accomplishes the 100 Monokuma feat in Danganronpa IF, she understands that there isn't a way for her to defeat Mrs. Ogami in a fair match and decides to concentrate on dodging in order to survive against her. She was unable to match her in this particular scenario and instead needed to use her weapons against her or go into her Battle Trance Mode in order to pull of a victory.

Leona: Aside from speed, there's a matter of durability. Again, Hamon realistically could be used to potentially give Jonathan an instant-kill victory. Other Hamon users have been shown to use their powers to directly shut off their opponent's brain or heart, something that's happened to many ordinary humans in JoJo's universe with a single zap. Unfortunately, Sakura Ogami ISN'T a normal human, and even if Sakura is clearly unable to match Jonathan's massively FTL top speeds, she is still able to change her combat style mid-fight, strategize on the fly, and react so quickly that it looks as though she is teleporting. According to our calculations, this places her on par with Jonathan's own reactionary feats.

Hifumi: Mrs Ogami was by no means immune to Hamon. Far from it actually. But the feats of strength that she's been proven to be able to survive completely outmatch Jonathan's. Jonathan Joestar's biggest defense feats are him tanking hits from Jack the Ripper and Tarkus. And while being without Hamon and reduced to nothing but a corpse, his body could survive being caught within a massive explosion, which allowed Dio to take it over.

Leona: But yet again, Mukuro's wariness of Sakura puts her on a similar level of durability, if not MUCH higher than that. The fact that the Ultimate Soldier would have rather taken her down by sniping her from a distance implies that going hand to hand with no weapons would prove fruitless. And as another reminder, we established in Mukuro's episode that her most powerful blow is 6 TIMES more powerful than the atom bomb! Also, being able to fight a much stronger version of Monokuma, the sentry version of which is more than capable of ripping apart a person effortlessly with its claws and teeth, is a similarly impressive feat. And in both Trigger Happy Havoc and IF, Sakura easily deflected Monokuma's attacks.

Hifumi: Mrs Ogami's feat of parting the ocean with a punch is proof enough that if both fighters were to throw their strongest blows at one another, Jonathan would DEFINITELY succumb while she COULD survive. And that factor alone is symbolic of this matchup. 

Leona: Sakura's biggest weakness other than her own limitations as a human is that she's shown that despite her raw strength, she will bend over backwards to protect the things and people she cares about. If she's blackmailed, or their safety is threatened, then she will fall in line. But let's be honest, even if Jonathan somehow knew this, he was NEVER going to take advantage of it! The idea of Jonathan-freaking-Joestar taking hostages is, frankly, RIDICULOUS!

Hifumi: Jonathan Joestar is rightfully one of the pillars of shonen society, with his powerful breathing techniques and gentlemanly fists, but Mrs Sakura Ogami's unmatched power, insurmountable strength and iron-tight resolve saw her over the sunny horizon.

Leona: I think we can say for sure that she left us all "breathless~"

THE WINNER IS SAKURA OGAMI!

Next time:

The greatest heroes are often defined by their worst enemy. A title that these two crazy little girls are willing to take the mantle of, even if it drives them to the brink of madness...Only destruction and death will be left in their wake when these two come to town...!

[lunarcry]

did a foolish thing and went through my libertaria screenshots. teehee (none of the very important loki parts tho thats for later

Fenrir: Ugh, I've had it, Loki! Can I take this stupid stuff off now? Loki: I thought we discussed this already. A little modesty goes a long way. Fenrir: I'm a primal beast! B-e-a-s-t! Why should I give a crap about showing modesty to mortals! Lyria: But, Fenrir… It looks so nice on you. It would be a shame to take it off now. Fenrir: It does not look nice on me! My natural looks are all I need!

Lyria: Oh, Fenrir! What do you think of this ribbon? If you let me tie up your hair with it, I just know you'll look— Fenrir: Stay away from me, and mind your own business! I'm not a doll! I don't care how many primal beasts you have, I can devour you in a single gulp! Lyria: Okay… Sorry. Fenrir: Ugh… Listen! I'm not part of your crew, so—

conversations im obsessed with (also again how weak fenrir actually is LOLLLLL

Loki: Then I'd like to offer my services. I know I'm an Astral, but wouldn't you rather have that over no one at all? Lyria: A-are you really okay with that? Fenrir: I'm not!

'i consent' 'is there someone u forgot to ask?' meme

The guard prepares to usher Lyria away, when a voice sounds from behind them. Fenrir: Sister! Where the he—I mean, I'm over here, dear Sis!

Loki: I'll star in the lead role this time, Fenrir, do what you did before. Fenrir: … Lyria: Gosh! Fenrir's tail is standing on end! Loki: Excuse me, I'm looking for my little sis— Fenrir: Raagh! Istavion Soldier: Awagh! Loki: Fenrir! That's not how a graceful lady should act! Fenrir: Shut up! I'm done playing along with your little games! Sneaking in this far was good enough. If they want to come at me, then I'll take them all out.

Lyria: Oh no! The door is locked! Fenrir: Move! I'm gonna smash it down! Lejos leaps out of the way just in time—the door, its frame, and parts of the surrounding wall suddenly implode into the room.

SCENES IM ALSO OBSESSED WITH

White Knight: Though I ask that the viceroy make no further movements. That youngster is most likely the Astral the True King spoke of. Loki: What do you know, Fenrir? We're celebrities. Fenrir: More like infamous fugitives wanted for interrogation.

thinking about that before nalhe scene w/ true king.....i rlyyy wish theyd talk about loki & true king... (but also fenrir recognizing that white knight is strong

anyway knowing white knights real name. help. out of all names.

Fenrir: If you plan on making me do more things I hate, I'll bite your head off in front of all these people. Loki: Show some class, Fenrir. The world is finally getting a view of your cute side. Fenrir: Okay, you just said your last words. Who do you want me to tell them to? Loki: Just deliver it to whoever would be most saddened by my passing. You can decide that one for me, Fenrir.

i lvoe them so so much

The White Knight trails off while looking at Mikaboshi, hoping she'll fill in the blanks about the mystery Astral but she pouts instead. Mikaboshi: I don't know anything. I'm still not complete yet. My power might be stronger than Loki's, but his nose is sharper at sniffing out weird stuff. White Knight: (Judging by their responses, even Loki finds the presence of another Astral irregular?)

aurgh i love them. i love them.....

Mikaboshi: Well, I wanted to go watch a fight in the coliseum…

Necesaria: (Of course, the real reason is because my orders from the higher-ups are to collect data on Mikaboshi. Trying out different perfumes, foundations, and makeup was a ruse to test an Astral's resistance to poison.)

Vyrn: Loki mentioned you guys split off. Sounds like everyone found something fun to do. Necesaria: Nothing wrong with that. After all, our crew is a collection of misfits. Mikaboshi: I'm not having any fun! I don't care about cosmetics or whatever. And if there is another Astral here, I don't want to go near them.

I LOVE THEEEMMMMMM still loving how loki just picked necesaria up. like ok yeah u can join welcome!!!!! obsessed with lokis crew

[angelbabyblog777]

Conscious Awareness

Being consciously aware is a game changer. It also reminds me of when people say "once you wake up, there's no going back." It can be a painful experience to become aware of the spells and curses people speak over themselves. It can be painful to want to be better while some people around you don't want to put the work in to change and improve their lives.

If you are consciously aware, you know that the words you speak are like a veil you put over your life. Our subconscious mind basically rules over our lives and our actions and it is always listening!

Our subconscious mind is formed from when we are a baby up until 7 or 8 years old. It is the core beliefs and perceptions that act as a foundation for the rest of your life. That's why it can be somewhat of a problem for kids who weren't necessarily loved correctly, or worse, abused or ignored..

There are ways to tap into your subconscious mind.. for example, my favorite practice right now is to brush your teeth with your less dominant hand. Brushing your teeth is something that comes as a second nature, we've been doing it since we were little. When you use your less dominant hand, you are fully present, learning the mechanics of this act. After you've finished brushing, you look into the mirror, look into your eyes and say "I love you" 10 times.

We don't have any control over how we're brought up as children. But if you want your life to change for the better, if you want to break generational patterns, break patterns of addiction, of abuse, of narcissism, you need to practice tapping into your subconscious and directing it the way you wish.

The tooth brushing method can be used with any affirmations, not just "I love you." After doing a google search, it says that "it takes 3 to 4 WEEKS to reprogram your subconscious mind!!!" That's insane. It's definitely something I want and need to practice more. As a little girl, I was nervous. I would pick hairs out of my eyebrows and profusely sweat at any given time. I would bite my nails too. These behaviors have seeped into my adulthood and I still get somewhat flustered while talking to people, although I have worked hard to change this. It takes a lot of being uncomfortable and purposely doing hard things to get further in your personal development.

Since our subconscious mind controls about 90% to 95% of our day, changing it can, like I said, be a game changer. When you no longer have that negative, irritable, bitchy voice in the back of your mind beating you up about literally being a human being and living and experiencing your life, you're really free to do what you want to do. I've always wanted to be someone who is able to be CONFIDENT without even a hint of social anxiety. I think that's why I've been on social media for so long, because you feel like you're able to be your real self, even if it's actually a fake, curated, mistake-less version of that.

So far on my journey, I've become more aware of my thoughts and each and every time they're negative, I change that or "challenge them." This alone has helped me a lot because I'm no longer a "prisoner" of my mind. It no longer has that power over me.

At the end of the day, your subconscious is important if you want to change. If you want to release bad/old habits, if you want to become a "new person" with a fresh approach, you need to look deeper into your mind. What do you want to do with this life? What do you want to accomplish? What feels good to do, on a soul level? Are you going to keep letting the past hold you back? It's PASSED. Live in the here and now, it's where life is happening for us. It's where our kids are growing and learning from us. It's where you can set the foundation to reach your wildest dreams.

It takes becoming consciously aware of ourselves to ask, "Why do I do that? Why do I feel this way?" Listen to your feelings!! They are trying to tell you something! When you ignore your feelings, your body still takes note of them! It's so easy to mindlessly go through life, being told what to do and how to act. It takes courage to go against the grain, to change for the better. Do it for the sake of yourself and the future!! You are not alone!

Love, Kaylee Duquette.

[doomxdriven]

post 3-5 songs that remind you of your muse. repost, don’t reblog.

Jin Edition™

1. Metallica - The Unforgiven

what i've felt, what i've known \\ never shined through in what i've shown \\ never be, never see \\ won't see what might have been \\ never free, never me \\ so i dub thee "unforgiven" \\ he tries to please them all, this bitter man he is \\ throughout his life the same, he's battled constantly \\ this fight he cannot win, a tired man they see no longer cares \\ the old man then prepares to die regretfully \\ that old man here is me, yeah

2. Brand New - 451

i'm awake, there's no part to play \\ drinking drano, smoking grass, one under the pass \\ what we saw in the woods that day, repeat 60 cycle delay \\ swallow the pitch that flows from the earth \\ soft spot, lightning rod, my paint is peeling \\ a million suns won't fill you up if you can't see the wine flowing over your cup \\ last thread, dancing dead, one more time with feeling \\ pass the plate and you sit back down \\ go back to your hole in the woods under ground

3. Foo Fighters - All My Life

all my life, i've been searchin' for somethin' \\ somethin' never comes, never leads to nothin' \\ nothin' satisfies, but i'm gettin' close \\ closer to the prize at the end of the rope \\ all night long, i dream of the day when it comes around, then it's taken away \\ leaves me with the feelin' that i feel the most \\ feel it come to life when i see your ghost \\ and if i give it a twist \\ somethin' to hold when i lose my grip \\ will i find somethin' in there? \\ to give me just what i need? \\ another reason to bleed, one by one, hidden up my sleeve

4. My Chemical Romance - Foundations of Decay

see the man who stands upon the hill, he dreams of all the battles won \\ but fate had left its scars upon his face, with all the damage they had done \\ and so time with age it turns the page \\ let the flesh submit itself to gravity \\ let our bodies lay, mark our hearts with shame \\ let our blood in vain, you find god in pain \\ now, if your convictions were a passing faith, may your ashes feed the river in the morning rays \\ and as the vermin crawls, we lay in the foundations of decay

5. Taking Back Sunday - Bullet With Butterfly Wings

the world is a vampire, sent to drain \\ secret destroyers, hold you up to the flames \\ and what do i get, for my pain? \\ betrayed desires, and a piece of the game \\ even though I know - i suppose i'll show all my cool and cold - like old job \\ despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage \\ someone will say what is lost can never be saved

*. Honorable Mention - Chevelle - The Red (i mean how couldn't i list it, its literally the song on his character page lmao)

they say 'freak', when you're singled out \\ the red, well, it filters through \\ so lay down, the threat is real \\ when his sight goes red again \\ seeing red again \\ this change he won't contain

tagged by: @inun4ki TYSM FRIEND!! GOOD SHIT tagging: @glacialsin (or do i tag @mementohub ??) and uhhh tbh whoever wants to do this and actually read this far down go right ahead SDFHJGJGHSDFJSDGHFGHJDSFSDGHJ

[millerkingnyc54]

Can Solitaire Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills?

Introduction

Solitaire, a classic card game that comes in various forms such as Spider Solitaire and Klondike Solitaire, has been a beloved pastime for generations. It's a game that many of us have played to pass the time or as a distraction from our daily routines. However, have you ever wondered if there's more to solitaire than just entertainment? Can playing solitaire games like Spider Solitaire and Klondike Solitaire actually improve your problem-solving skills? In this article, we will delve into the world of solitaire and explore how it might have hidden benefits for your cognitive abilities.

A Brief History of Solitaire

Before we jump into the potential benefits of playing solitaire, let's take a moment to explore its origins and variations.

1.1. Klondike Solitaire

Klondike Solitaire, also known simply as Solitaire, is the most widely recognized form of the game. Its origins can be traced back to the 18th century, with a French version known as "Patience." It later gained popularity in the United States during the 19th century's Klondike Gold Rush, hence the name "Klondike Solitaire." The game's objective is to build four foundation piles of cards, one for each suit, in ascending order from Ace to King.

1.2. Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is another popular variant. It was first included in the Windows operating system in the 1990s, gaining a large following due to its addictive gameplay. The game involves arranging cards in eight tableau columns in descending order while adhering to the rule that the cards must be of the same suit. The goal is to clear the tableau by forming complete sequences.

1.3. World of Solitaire

World of Solitaire is an online platform that offers a wide array of solitaire games, including both Klondike and Spider Solitaire. It has become a go-to destination for solitaire enthusiasts, offering countless variations of the game and enhancing the experience with modern features and customizations.

Now that we have a better understanding of the history and popular variations of solitaire, let's explore how playing these games might have a positive impact on your problem-solving skills.

Solitaire and Cognitive Benefits

2.1. Mental Stimulation

Playing solitaire, whether it's Klondike or Spider Solitaire, can provide a significant level of mental stimulation. The game requires you to make decisions, analyze patterns, and strategize. Each move you make can have consequences for the rest of the game, so it's essential to think ahead. This kind of mental engagement is crucial for keeping your brain sharp and active.

2.2. Memory Enhancement

Solitaire requires you to remember card values, suits, and their positions on the game board. Over time, practicing this kind of memory recall can enhance your memory skills. As you play, you'll find that you become better at remembering which cards have been played and where they are located, which is a valuable memory exercise.

2.3. Problem-Solving Skills

The heart of the matter is that solitaire is, at its core, a problem-solving game. You're presented with a set of cards, and your objective is to organize them in a way that allows you to complete the game successfully. You'll need to identify the best moves, assess your options, and adapt your strategy as the game unfolds. This process is a microcosm of problem-solving, and the more you practice it, the better you become at finding solutions to complex issues in other aspects of your life.

2.4. Patience and Perseverance

Solitaire is not always an easy win. There are times when you'll encounter difficult scenarios, and it may take several attempts to complete a game successfully. This aspect of the game can teach you patience and perseverance. Learning to handle failure and keep trying until you succeed is a valuable life skill that extends beyond the confines of the solitaire board.

Transferable Skills

3.1. Decision-Making

One of the primary skills you'll develop through playing solitaire is the ability to make decisions under pressure. In the game, you must constantly weigh your options and choose the best course of action. These decision-making skills can be applied to various real-life situations, from choosing a career path to making financial decisions.

3.2. Strategic Thinking

Solitaire rewards strategic thinking. You need to anticipate future moves, plan your actions accordingly, and consider the consequences of each decision. This skill is directly transferable to tasks that involve planning, such as organizing your schedule or tackling a complex project at work.

3.3. Pattern Recognition

Recognizing patterns is a critical aspect of many problem-solving tasks. In solitaire, you must quickly assess the layout of the cards and determine which moves will yield the best results. The ability to recognize patterns and use them to your advantage can be invaluable in fields like mathematics, science, and even art.

3.4. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information, assess its validity, and make reasoned judgments. Solitaire requires you to think critically about your moves and their potential outcomes. This skill can be applied to analyzing data, making informed decisions, and solving complex problems in a variety of professional settings.

Solitaire and Stress Reduction

In addition to its cognitive benefits, playing solitaire, whether it's Spider Solitaire, Klondike Solitaire, or any other variation, can also serve as a stress-relief mechanism. While not directly related to problem-solving, stress reduction is important for overall mental well-being and can indirectly improve your ability to think clearly and solve problems.

4.1. Relaxation and Mindfulness

Solitaire is a single-player game that allows you to focus entirely on the task at hand. It provides a break from the constant barrage of information and external stimuli that can contribute to stress and anxiety. Engaging in a game of solitaire can be a form of mindfulness, helping you stay present in the moment and reduce stress.

4.2. Stress Reduction through Distraction

When you're engrossed in a game of solitaire, your mind is temporarily distracted from your worries and concerns. This mental break can be beneficial for stress reduction. It allows you to recharge and return to your tasks with a clearer mind and potentially improved problem-solving abilities.

Solitaire and Creativity

Creativity is often associated with problem-solving. In many situations, finding innovative solutions to challenges requires creative thinking. While solitaire might not seem like a creative endeavor, it can indirectly enhance your creativity through various mechanisms:

5.1. Lateral Thinking

Lateral thinking is a creative problem-solving approach that involves looking at a problem from different angles and exploring unconventional solutions. In solitaire, you often need to think outside the box to uncover hidden moves or unorthodox strategies. This encourages lateral thinking and can inspire creative problem-solving in other areas of your life.

5.2. Visualization

Solitaire requires you to visualize the outcome of different moves before you make them. This mental exercise can improve your ability to visualize outcomes and possibilities in other contexts, whether you're brainstorming ideas for a project or planning your future.

5.3. Improved Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adapt your thinking and strategies to changing circumstances. In solitaire, you must frequently adapt to new situations as the game progresses. This flexibility can translate into more creative approaches when tackling problems in your work or personal life.

Solitaire and Personal Development

Beyond the specific cognitive benefits, solitaire can contribute to your personal development in various ways:

6.1. Goal Setting

Many solitaire players set goals for themselves, such as achieving a certain win rate or completing games in a shorter time. This practice can help you develop goal-setting skills, which are crucial for personal and professional growth.

6.2. Time Management

Playing solitaire can also teach you the importance of time management. The game can be a quick distraction during a break or a more extended session when you have leisure time. Learning to allocate the right amount of time for solitaire can translate into improved time management skills in other areas of your life.

6.3. Self-Improvement

For some, solitaire is not just a casual game but a personal challenge. People aim to get better, enhance their skills, and achieve higher win rates. This drive for self-improvement can spill over into other aspects of life, motivating you to strive for excellence in your professional and personal endeavors.

The Role of Technology: World of Solitaire

In the digital age, the popularity of solitaire has been further amplified through online platforms like World of Solitaire. This website offers a vast selection of solitaire games, allowing players to choose from numerous variations, customize their experience, and compete with others. World of Solitaire's interface, features, and community aspects add new dimensions to the classic card game.

7.1. Accessibility and Convenience

World of Solitaire provides easy access to a wide array of solitaire games, making it convenient for players to enjoy their favorite variations. The platform is accessible from computers, tablets, and mobile devices, allowing you to play solitaire wherever and whenever you want.

7.2. Game Customization

One of the unique features of World of Solitaire is the ability to customize the game rules and appearance. Players can tailor their solitaire experience to match their preferences, enhancing their enjoyment and engagement with the game.

7.3. Competing and Community

World of Solitaire also offers a social dimension to the game. Players can compete with others and participate in leaderboards and challenges. This sense of community can add an extra layer of motivation and enjoyment to the game, as well as fostering friendly competition and camaraderie.

Solitaire as a Tool for Cognitive Rehabilitation

Solitaire isn't just for fun and leisure; it can also be a valuable tool for cognitive rehabilitation. In various medical settings, including rehabilitation centers and hospitals, solitaire games are used to help individuals recover cognitive functions. This application is particularly relevant for patients who have experienced traumatic brain injuries, strokes, or cognitive decline.

8.1. Memory Rehabilitation

For individuals struggling with memory loss or cognitive impairments, solitaire can be a useful tool for memory rehabilitation. The game's requirement to remember card values, suits, and sequences can help patients retrain their memory and enhance their cognitive abilities.

8.2. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Solitaire's problem-solving and critical thinking aspects make it a practical tool for rehabilitating cognitive skills. Patients can work on their cognitive flexibility, decision-making, and reasoning abilities while enjoying a familiar and engaging activity.

8.3. Stress Reduction

Coping with cognitive impairments or recovering from traumatic events can be highly stressful. Playing solitaire can provide a calming and stress-reducing activity, helping patients manage their emotional well-being while they work on their cognitive rehabilitation.

The Balance: Moderation Is Key

While solitaire offers numerous cognitive and psychological benefits, it's important to maintain a balance in how you incorporate it into your life. Like any activity, excessive play can become a distraction or even an addiction. Here are some tips for maintaining a healthy balance:

9.1. Set Time Limits

Establish time limits for playing solitaire to prevent it from consuming excessive amounts of your day. Treat it as a leisure activity or a mental break rather than a primary focus.

9.2. Prioritize Real-World Problem-Solving

While solitaire can enhance your problem-solving skills, it shouldn't replace real-world challenges. Prioritize tackling actual problems and using your enhanced cognitive abilities in practical scenarios.

9.3. Avoid Overuse of Technology

If you play solitaire on digital platforms like World of Solitaire, be mindful of screen time and its potential impact on your health. Balance digital play with other offline activities.

9.4. Seek Professional Help If Necessary

If you find it difficult to control your solitaire playing habits or believe it may be negatively affecting your life, consider seeking help from a mental health professional or addiction specialist.

Conclusion

Solitaire, in its various forms such as Spider Solitaire, Klondike Solitaire, and the digital offerings of World of Solitaire, has a lot more to offer than just entertainment. It can serve as a valuable tool for improving your problem-solving skills, enhancing your memory, and promoting cognitive rehabilitation. The benefits of playing solitaire extend beyond the card game itself, impacting various aspects of your personal and professional life, including decision-making, creativity, and stress reduction.However, it's essential to use solitaire in moderation and as a supplementary activity rather than a primary focus. With the right balance, you can reap the cognitive and psychological rewards that solitaire has to offer while maintaining a healthy and well-rounded lifestyle. So, the next time you enjoy a game of Spider Solitaire or Klondike Solitaire, remember that you're not only having fun, but you're also nurturing your mind and personal development.

[moxfirefly]

So I’ve been working on this for a little while now after a comment @supershiny-raven left on one of my post. I present to you:

How the others find out you and the turtles are dating.

Raphael entered the Lair with you in his arms. His brothers stumbling by him, Leonardo actually tripping.

The gang had gone to drink at Vern’s fancy penthouse, a round of drinks had turned to four and before anybody had common sense he had broken out his fancy wine collection.

That had truly been everyone’s undoing.

Yours as well.

Raphael the tank had pretty much only gotten buzzed, even more so upon seeing your state he figured he needed to somehow get you and everyone else home safe and in one piece.

“Where do we dump Donnie?” April had one of his arms slung over her shoulder while Mikey had his other, they had quickly found out the purple banded terrapin was a fan of wine. “Whatever is flat and comfortable, you think you can manage him and Leo?” Raphael nudged his older brother who had dozed off while resting against the couch.

“Yeah yeah brah, we totally-“ He unceremoniously let his brother fall on the nearest cot, poor April taken along for the ride. “Shit, sorry girly”

Raph shook his head, you groaned stirring awake and tightening your hold on him. Raph was basically carrying you with one arm beneath your rear. Making his way towards his room he gently placed you on his bed and set about the task of removing your shoes. “Hey hey mister, I got a boyfriend” You squinted at the large terrapin at the end of the bed.

“Yeah I heard, lucky guy gets to put ya drunk ass to bed, where’s your makeup bag baby?” He got up when you half hazardously pointed at the dresser.

Pushing yourself up a little on your elbows you watched him gather your face creams and a pack of makeup wipes. He sat back down but next to you and motioned towards his lap. “C’mere, let’s get your face off” You giggled when he manhandled you onto his thigh and took out the wipes. Slowly and in the most excruciatingly loving way Raphael set out to wipe off your makeup. Each stroke removing foundation and eyeshadow, you mumbled something he somehow understood in your inebriated state. “Yeah yeah I got ya kid” With all the careful dexterity he developed over time, he gently removed your eyelashes.

“Somebody has been paying attention” You giggled, feeling the buzz in your body shift into grogginess. Raphael looked inside the bag, adding some cream to your face to hydrate it. He examined his work, a lazy smile as he caressed your face. It felt bizarre he could actually do this, touch a beautiful girl and do something so silly as help them out with their face routine. The two of you had been rather quiet about your relationship, enjoying it all to yourselves.

“Ya were the cutest drunk at that party” He ran his knuckles across your chin, You smiled sleepily lifting up enough to catch his lips in a languid kiss.

The door creaked open and there stood April, her own slightly drunk face breaking out into a sweet smile. The two pairs of eyes that landed on her read ‘get out’ and ‘keep your mouth shut’ slowly April backed up nodding with a giggle.

Then there was a ruckus of what Raphael only assumed was April tripping and Leo drunkly laughing his ass off.

____________

Michelangelo

Oh he was screwed.

So insanely screwed.

How could he misplace something he kept on his person so diligently?

Mikey turned over everything he could in his room, currently he had done just that with the mattress but to no avail.

His phone was missing.

His phone with that very scandalous polaroid you’d taken for him.

Mikey had nearly passed out when you gifted him the picture and to his delight he had stuck the polaroid on the back of his phone in its clear phone case. He kept his phone on him all the time, sure he’d have to be a little sneaky about placing it down but he could manage.

Now though? He was about to have a coronary.

Okay, currently in this disaster there was no trace of it. This meant he’d have to scavenge the living room.

Where his family was.

Mikey swallowed and scurried out with a silent prayer that it would there.

Raphael and Leonardo were currently watching a basketball game. They seemed pretty engrossed and perhaps wouldn’t notice that he was scouring the ends of the earth for his actual girlfriend’s literal boobs. He peaked aglance at the couch, his large brothers had to take up so much space to make it worse.

“What are you looking for?” Came Donnie’s voice from the kitchen. The orange banded turtle froze, he tried giving him a nonchalant shrug. “Just checking how I can give Raph a wedgie ya know” Donnie raised a brow ridge, mug of coffee to his lips.

“I double dare ya numbnuts, the Knicks are down ten points and I’m pissed” Raph grunted as the opposing team landed another shot and Leo sighed exasperated with the outcome. His eldest brother got up thankfully which allowed him to take a look at the that side of the sofa. To his dread but relief there wasn’t anything.

Where the fuck was his phone?!

“Hey snot face, can ya order a pizza?” Raph grumbled as the game seem to worsen, a pizza could fix up his mood. Mikey frozen, mouthing a series of ‘shit shit shit’ as he frantically looked around.

“Oh man that would fix this terrible game, can you order it with extra bacon too?” Leo went straight to the fridge to grab something to drink. “Order some cheesy sticks too will you?” Donnie asked as he poured himself another mug of coffee.

Yes all of this sounded wonderful and his stomach did grumble but

HIS GIRLFRIENDS BOOBS.

Raph had scooted further to grab his own soda from the coffee table and just as he did he saw his phone. Relief washed over him but to his immense dismay and terror, the back of his phone was facing up. Which means the clear case he had was displaying the infamous polaroid he had been gifted.

You had simply asked him one thing.

‘Please don’t let your brothers see my tits’

It all felt slow motion, his eyes going wide, his hand diving to the couch and just as he did, Raph’s quick reflexes kicked in unfortunately and he turned to grab his youngest brothers wrist. “Ya ain’t giving me a wedgie man!!”

Raph’s eyes followed Mikey’s hand and then his eyes bugged out.

“Why are there titties on the sofa?!” Raph made for the phone but only got a face full of pillow cushion. He snatched the phone before it could be grabbed by anybody else. The red banded brute grinned as his brother hugged the phone to his chest. “Advert your gaze you perv!” Mikey all but shrieked.

“I’m not the one walking around with a titty pic as my phone cover” Raph grinned, just to make matters worse Leo and Donnie had gathered.

“Mikey why are you walking around with a random porn pic on your phone cover” Came Donnie’s disapproving tone.

“It’s a polaroid” Was all Raph needed to say.

The silence that fell was brief, then a series of ‘ooh’s’ sounded off and Mikey all but frowned and felt his cheeks heat up.

“No way! That can’t be...” Leo was incredulous. The relationship between Mike and you had remained rather on the down low. It was fun, a little secret away from the world that could stay between the two of you.

“Mikey, are you and y/n a thing?” Donnie asked exactly what the rest wanted to know but Mikey dreaded to answer. He sighed dramatically and tucked his phone into his pocket, shooting Raph a glare as his green eyes followed the motion.

“Listen dudes she made me promise that nobody would see that picture and I’ve already broken that cardinal rule thanks to this jerk face” He frowned at Raph, who in turn rolled his eyes.

“Well maybe keep the picture in your wallet or your room?” Leo sipped his soda with a matter of fact tone.

“Or as a background on your phone cause honestly man” Donnie smiled to himself when Mikey shot him an incredulous look. “Why’d she give you that?” Raph inquired sneakily with a smirk.

“For our three month anniver- AH YOU DICK” Mikey huffed out as Raph began to laugh, it was so easy to trick Mikey when one played their cards right.

____________

Donatello

Investigating could take a toll on anybody, even if by all means you weren’t a detective it still didn’t mean you wouldn’t find yourself researching and investigating crime. It seems to be part of the job description when you befriend four giant crime fighting terrapins.

In away you could help, you did.

Everyone had huddled around the living room, the coffee table littered with pictures, clues and all sorts of pieces of evidence that could possibly lead to the culprit they were trying to catch. You had set down a stack of papers, eyes already screaming for a break. Leo and Casey were at the kitchen talking, Casey had just clocked out and was reporting back what the nights investigations had gathered. Raph and Mikey were checking out the pictures Casey had brought over and Donnie naturally was researching on a laptop he’d placed there.

You had nudged him to come over and join the huddle, and secretly you just wanted him close. The two of you were dating, quietly and unannounced, but in those first few stages of just wanting to be glued to one another it was a little difficult to do said glueing.

On a few occasions with prying eyes preoccupied with their investigating, you had reached over to rub his cheek, his sleepy eyes spoke greatly of how tired he felt. Donnie had been at this already for a while, you’d been there with him along the way.

With a stretch of his arms, Donnie yawned and rolled his neck. The clock on your phone read 3:45am, he was due for a nap at the very least. “Why don’t you lie down, I can keep helping out here” You reached over again and took off his glasses, he smiled tiredly but shook his head. “I’m fine, I can keep going” Despite his entire body language screaming otherwise, Donnie would always soldier on.

By the time another hour passed, people consumed enough Coffee to give themselves an additional pulse (and somebody committed the mistake of giving Mikey said coffee) the investigation had died down. A few walls were hit but a few leads had come from it as well. Everyone was ready to call it a night (or morning).

Casey yawned, twisting his neck to let out a few pops. “Okay who’s staying and who’s coming with me?” By the sounds of April softly snoring against an equally happily snoring Raph, it seemed she would stay. Casey had a few hours of sleep to catch on before heading for his next shift and you had to preoccupy yourself with the same before tackling a night shift at your job. Donnie’s tired eyes expressed how he wanted you to stay over but he knew work was closer to your place.

“I guess I’m carpooling with you” You told Casey, already grabbing your jacket and bag. A quick hug to Leo and Mikey, a bow to a recently awaken Splinter and you were next to Donnie.

He’d been sitting on the kitchen table, arms crossed and looking closer to being k.o’d.

It was the sleep deprivation honestly, on both your behalves.

Because you had spread your arms for a hug and so had he, but your face had met in the middle and before either of your foggy brains could comprehend what was happening you had smooched him.

On the lips.

For about a minute.

Minute and a half honestly.

You both froze, the awake members of the family staring with raised brows. Donnie furrowed his brows, lips pursed in a thin line, you still had your own in a kissing motion.

“Well at least we solved one mystery tonight” Spoke Mikey with a snicker, Leo nudged him.

Donnie sighed by shrugged. “Not exactly how I wanted to announce this so yup, I’m her boyfriend, she’s my girlfriend, please hold all inquires for a later time when I’m actually awake” He pulled you in again for a hug, and another kiss (greedy boy) and instructed Casey to deliver you home safely.

With a blush but albeit happy look on your face you waved everyone off.

___________

Leonardo

Keeping a relationship quiet had never proven to be so difficult. Truthfully it came easier when the circle of people surrounding you was bigger, but a close knit one? Everyone suddenly had the powers of observation up to God level.

But Leo’s ninja skills were God level too and you knew how to keep your trap shut and not sigh like a love struck teenager every second you saw him. So it had gone good, real good for a while. The thrill of maybe sharing an intimate kiss while others we’re around was a sensation you never expected to enjoy. When it was time to leave, Leo would ‘walk you’ home safely and by ‘miracle’ run into a few thugs on his way back.

Because there’s no reason a brisk ten minute walk to your apartment should turn into an hour and a half.

Raph wasn’t buying but cared little to stick his nose into it. Donnie was too busy to bother. Mikey had an idea but decided due to bro code not to voice it.

His father though?

Splinter knows what’s going on because well, he’s Splinter. You live long enough with four giant sons all with their unique personalities and traits, you pick up a thing or two about parenting pretty easily.

And Splinter is a phenomenal parent.

Both Father and Mother to his sons.

So naturally he’s irked that his eldest is sneaking out at odd hours and trying to conceal his return. Because Splinter feels that out of all four, Leo has always been the most open with him. Once Raph hit those pre-pubescent mood swings, Donnie began to teach himself all matter of subjects and Mikey was too busy trying to set a new record of heart attacks to give his father while skateboarding; Leo always remained the same.

Even with all the acolytes Leo has achieved in his ninjutsu training, he still had his hiccups and his father would never spare the opportunity to turn into a teaching moment.

So when Leo had kissed you passionately on his way out of your window, you still in nothing but the skin that he had dedicated a fair amount of time in kissing and bitting. He thought he was being slick, he thought he was going to ninja his way into the Lair, into the showers and straight to his bed.

What he didn’t account for was his father waiting up on him. A mug of hot tea on the kitchen table and hands clasps together in what Leo recognized all to well as ‘Dad Mode’.

He’d been caught with the proverbial hand in the cookie jar. His gear was half hazardously on, mask slipped down around his neck and for Christ sake he was holding a shoe. It was 6:30am and he smelled like a girl, a pretty girl no less. The jig was up, especially when his dad motioned for him to come forth and seat opposite him at the kitchen table.

“Dad I can ex-“ Splinter held up a finger and pushed the mug of tea towards his disheveled eldest son.

“My son, I am not angry” Which was truthful, he wasn’t, in fact he was ecstatic that Leo had found somebody, somebody good and somebody that loved him for he has. Long ago he had accepted the pain that his sons would not find suitable partners and the ache it would come with for them. But here was Leo, nervous and trying to adjust his clothing because he’d been with a woman, a woman he clearly loved.

“I like y/n, she is kind, thoughtful and caring to us” Splinter emphasized each trait with a tap of a long nail on the table. “She should be treated with respect, I hope I have instilled that teaching unto you, a lady is to be respected Leonardo” Leo nodded at his fathers words, he nodded and prayed that the underwear he had stuffed into his pockets wouldn’t magically transport on the table to further humiliate him.

“So please my son, do not lie to me, do not come home late in this state and not expect me to know what has transpired” Dad voice was on, coupled with the sympathetic eyes though, man Splinter was good at this shit.

Leo hung his head, clearly ashamed of his dishonorable doings. “Hai, sensei” Even as an adult being scolded by his father never stopped hurting.

“And please do tell her that there isn’t anything hide, she is welcomed in our home, I would not mind getting to know my future daughter in law a little bit more” Splinter enjoyed the way his son nearly choked on his tea.

“Perhaps I can tell her a few anecdotes of your growing up” He smiled when Leo looked at him with pleading eyes. “I believe I have a few embarrassing ones she will find most delightful” He stood up and placed a hand on his sons broad shoulder. “I’m sorry dad, sorry for sneaking around and not telling you” He was earnest in his words and Splinter bowed his head.

“I know, thank you Leonardo” He walked away, hands behind his back.

Leo sighed and pulled out his phone, shooting you a quick text.

-so my dad wants to formally meet you... as in introduce you as my girlfriend.

It felt nice to hit send on that message.

[frozenmikan]

Love Live! Superstar!! Yuigaoka School Idol Club News - Interview with Date Sayuri (voice of Shibuya Kanon) and Suzuhara Nozomi (voice of Sakurakoji Kinako)

Volume 3 of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime’s second season will go on sale on the 25th of November, 2022! To commemorate the occasion, we managed to secure an interview with Date Sayuri-san (voice of Shibuya Kanon) and Suzuhara Nozomi-san (voice of Sakurakoji Kinako). In the first part of the interview, we will be asking them about the characters they play, among other topics.

The power that they give off when they muster all their strength and charge towards the same goal as five really leaves a strong impression - Suzuhara

First up, given that the two of you are the representatives of the first- and second-generation members respectively, what would you say is the defining characteristic of your generation? Do you feel that your groups are different in any way?

Date: The first-generation members have a very strong sense of camaraderie. In Season One of the anime, Liella! was five, but in Season Two, Liella! became nine. Even though we got more members in Season Two, we did not leave anyone behind. I think that shows the strength of the bonds between the first-generation members; the bonds that we’ve been building up until now. It’s in the words that we know to say, the support we can give precisely because we know what the other person is like. That simply isn’t something that we could do unless we understood one another well, and I believe that’s one strength we, the first-generation members, have. As for the second-generation members, the cast and the characters they voice are just so alike, and they give me the impression that they’re always moving forward. The second-generation members have really motivated us, the cast members, to go one step further, which seems to be the case for Kanon-chan and the others in the anime as well. I’m sure we’d continue getting closer to one another if we continued with just the first-generation members, but the second-generation members have also opened our eyes to new perspectives. It feels very reassuring to have a group of juniors who will spare no effort to improve.

Suzuhara: I can feel the aura of unity and stability the first-generation members give off. Both in the anime and in real life, they’re so close that they can tell what the others are thinking without speaking a word. The power that they give off when they muster all their strength and charge towards the same goal as five really leaves a strong impression. In contrast, the second-generation members are… very unique (laughs). As you could probably tell from the episodes when they first joined Liella!, they all have very strong personalities. But, as time passed, the four of them talked and argued it out to arrive at a common conclusion. All of them have strong initiative and unique personalities, but they aren’t all over the place. Looking like they’re all over the place but actually working towards the same goal is one of the defining characteristics of the second-generation members, in my opinion.

If you could describe both the first- and second-generation members in one word, what would it be? Let’s start with the first-generation members.

Date: It’d be “progress”, I guess (laughs). Of course, there’s the aspect where they’re seniors who have been at it for a year, but there’s also the fact that they’ve managed to overcome all sorts of challenges together as they progressed on their journey. Even though not everything they encountered was all fun and games, the first-generation members still managed to progress, hand-in-hand.

Suzuhara: For me, it’d be “foundation”. It was the first word that came to mind when I think of the first-generation members; as in, they’re the bedrock for everything. The first-generation members have a reassuring aura and they are fundamental to everything we do. That’s why I chose this word.

How about the second-generation members?

Date: The first thing that came to mind was Episode Nine of Season Two, which made me pick the word “connect”. The scene where the second-generation members started singing with their hands connected left a lasting impression on me. I’m sure it was very difficult for a group of juniors to go against their seniors’ decision, but they managed to come up with a unified viewpoint after talking it out amongst themselves, which could clearly be seen from how they sang not alone, but with their hands connected. That was the moment that made me feel that the four of them truly are a group, the second-generation members of Liella!.

Suzuhara: “Ferocious”. They’re not very polished yet, but they have spirit, and that’s what makes one want to support them. I really wanted to get that feeling across, so I considered “bold” and “spirit” too (laughs). In the lyrics of WE WILL!! (the opening song for the anime’s second season), the line “having spirit is all you need, right?” is sung by both (Wakana) Shiki-chan and (Yoneme) Mei-chan, and that feeling was what I sought to express with the word I chose.

Suzuhara-san, this was your first time participating in a project as a voice actress. Do you remember how your first recording went?

Suzuhara: I remember it like it was yesterday (laughs). I was a ball of nerves from the day before, and I went up to my manager in tears with my face looking like I was just told the world would end soon. My manager motivated me by saying tomorrow will come no matter what I did, so I just had to give it my best shot (laughs). When the day finally came, I showed up wanting to do my best, no matter what, but I got nervous when I met the first-generation members there and wasn’t able to do any of the things that I had practiced so hard for. (Sakurakoji) Kinako-chan has quite a few scenes in the first episode, so every time I managed to get through a scene and started celebrating internally, the next scene would start immediately after that. I remember doing my very best just to keep up, and thinking, on the brink of tears, that the recording would go on forever, that I was keeping the others waiting, wondering what I could do.

What were your impressions of Kinako?

Suzuhara: The moment I first saw her visuals was so impactful that I immediately decided that I wanted to voice her, that I would definitely become her voice. I knew that she was the only one for me, and from that moment on, my thoughts were occupied by Kinako-chan. Right up until the final audition, which decided which character each of us would voice, the thought of becoming Kinako-chan’s voice consumed my very being, which put me in a very strange mental state throughout the final audition (laughs).

I see. So which character you’d be voicing had yet to be decided during the audition stage.

Suzuhara: At that time, we didn’t know who’d get to voice which character among the four of us, but since I felt that Kinako-chan was the only one for me, what I’d need to say during the presentation to get to become her voice occupied my thoughts the entire time (laughs).

So how did that presentation go?

Suzuhara: It went terribly. I couldn’t properly express myself and wondered whether I’d actually get to voice her. My thoughts shifted to how I’d still do my best even if I landed another character, so I was also thinking about saying goodbye to Kinako-chan (laughs).

How did you feel when you learned that you would indeed be voicing Kinako-chan?

Suzuhara: I felt like I could die happy, then and there (laughs). I really was overjoyed, and I told my mother and older sister over and over again that I had landed her role.

In Season Two of the anime, the members of Liella! move up a grade, which thrust the first-generation members into a different role. Date-san, as the voice of Kanon, was there anything in particular that you focused on to adapt to this change?

Date: I really wanted to, but Kanon-chan really grew a lot during the second season, so to be honest, there were times when I couldn’t keep up with her. In Season One, we see Kanon-chan charging straight ahead and doing her best while supporting the others around her, even though she wasn’t terribly good at it. I thought we were rather similar while recording for Season One, so it was easy for me to relate to her, to empathize with her. But, in Season Two, she became a senior, and I too was put in a position where I had to welcome new members. I could’ve just watched on from the sidelines, realizing that she did indeed become much more reliable after becoming a senior, and that she had changed a lot. But, precisely because I was voicing her, I felt like I had to feel the same way as her. Up until then, I just let my true emotions flow directly into Kanon-chan, which manifested naturally in her words. But, putting emotion into her words this time was difficult precisely because I had to first force myself to feel the same way. She already had a year of experience as a school idol and knows how important the people around her are, more than the second-generation members do. Knowing that, I had to confront the pressure of having to do something, anything, beyond what I had already delivered before, which weighed on me as I went through Season Two.

The smile on her face when Nonchan is truly enjoying herself reminds me a lot of Kinako-chan - Date

The next question is for Date-san. Do you think Suzuhara-san and Kinako are similar in any way?

Date: She’s basically Kinako-chan in the flesh (laughs). We got to see a new side of Kinako-chan through the anime, but even before it aired, I felt like I already knew that Kinako-chan would be quite similar to Nonchan (Suzuhara-san’s nickname), and the anime just confirmed my thoughts. At the start of Season Two, there were many scenes where she worked really hard, trying to catch up to her seniors. I’m sure she was troubled by not being able to catch up as quickly as she wanted to, not to mention being worried whether it was good enough just being who she was at the moment, but even then, she continued doing her best. In the end, she had a wide smile on her face when performing live on stage. I’m sure I’m not in a position to be saying this, but Nonchan was exactly the same in how she grew every single day. When we performed on stage together during the release event, she already looked the part even when she was just standing there. It was as if Kinako-chan herself was on stage, which sent me into a panic (laughs). When she’s standing in front of an audience, the smile on her face shines like an idol would, and you can tell that she’s enjoying herself. Her smile is contagious, and seeing her smile makes me happy as well. The smile on her face when Nonchan is truly enjoying herself reminds me a lot of Kinako-chan.

Let’s flip the question around, then. Suzuhara-san, are Date-san and Kanon similar in any way?

Suzuhara: I too often think that she’s basically Kanon-chan in the flesh. The expressions she puts on at times, her actions, those remind me a lot of Kanon-chan. You can definitely see that when she’s on stage, but even when we’re just chatting, her mischievous side sometimes leaks out… (laughs). When we were first introduced to Kanon-chan, she seemed like a rather calm and collected person, but in the first scene of the anime, we were introduced to a grumpy Kanon-chan, complete with her grumpy voice, which made me realize that she really has many sides to her. Date-san is a wonderful person most of the time, but every once in a while she’ll be really direct (laughs). I think them having many sides to their personalities is something that they share.

Date: Nonchan actually wrote me a letter for my birthday, and in it, she mentioned how she liked that I felt very human (laughs). That made me glad because I could tell that she liked the many sides of my personality.

Suzuhara: I really should apologize for what I wrote in that letter…

Date: What are you talking about? (laughs). I treasure that letter dearly.

Wien Margarete, a new character introduced in Season Two, has a personality that raised a lot of uncertainty in Kanon and the others. What impressions do you have of her?

Date: In a lot of ways, she’s scary. Before seeing her perform, I just thought that she was rather mysterious, but after seeing that overwhelming performance, I wondered what she’d do to Liella! in the future. I felt like there was no way to beat that performance that left everyone speechless. If I was there watching her perform as myself, and not as the voice of Kanon, I’m sure I would’ve wanted to run away. That’s how strong both her personality and her performance were. That moment made me want to abandon everything, how I had to lead everyone else as a senior of the group, and all the responsibilities that came with that. But, Kanon was able to say “We’ll be fine. We’ll make our song ring out throughout the world.” That made me realize once again how amazing she is. I’m sure she only managed to come to that conclusion because of Margarete-chan. As the story progressed, we slowly learned about why she came to Japan in the first place. Although their personalities differ, I think she’s in pretty much the same situation as Kanon-chan. That’s precisely why Kanon-chan could relate to what Margarete-chan is feeling, and precisely why she felt so strongly that she had to do something for her. I too want to know more about her. Although she’s younger than Kanon-chan and the others, she still managed to put on such overwhelming performances. But I’m sure some of the things she says, the thoughts she has are precisely because of her young age. Some part of the strength behind those performances surely comes from her being in a rebellious phase, so I feel like I want to watch over her.

Suzuhara: The first time I saw Wien-chan perform was also the first time Kinako-chan performs (in Episode Three of the anime’s second season, at the Yoyogi School Idol Festival). As Kinako-chan’s voice, I too was overwhelmed by her performance, and I was worried whether Kinako-chan would be alright. If I myself watched that performance, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to move despite wanting to run away. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to perform with a smile on my face after watching that. So my first impression of Wien-chan contained elements of both fear and respect fear. But, as time passed, I started understanding why despite being able to put on such an amazing performance, there seemed to be a shadow of darkness hanging over her; a sort of loneliness, even. There aren’t any scenes of them interacting yet, but I feel like if Kinako-chan were to talk to her, she’d probably be able to make her smile. Kinako-chan probably loves all of humanity, after all (laughs). So I really want to talk to her now. We also got to see a cute side of her in the scene where she eats takoyaki, so I hope they have a chance to interact in the future.

In the second half of this interview, we will be asking them about their thoughts on the anime’s third season, live performances, and the fans.

Season Three was announced after the shocking ending of Season Two. Is there anything that you’re looking forward to, knowing that there’ll be new members joining in Season Three?

Date: At the end of Season Two, Margarete-chan was wearing the Yuigaoka uniform, right? When Kanon-chan saw that, she reacted with a “But why?!”, and I too reacted the same way (laughs). I’m sure everyone watching felt the same way, and I’m really curious as to what will happen next. What’s more, it’s also been announced that there’ll be another open audition round. Nonchan, Nagichan (nickname of Aoyama Nagisa, voice of Hazuki Ren), and I all qualified through the open audition, so it being held again is something that makes us really glad. To be honest, there are still times when I wonder whether they made the right choice by picking me, but hearing about this round of open auditions comforted me a little. Before now, I had been the one auditioning, so I’m really glad that I’m now able to support those taking part instead. I’m also looking forward to finding out how the new character will appear in Season Three. Season Two ended in the spring of their second year, and I’m sure that means that in Season Three, everyone will be moving up a grade once again. Just thinking about the possibility of all three years of their high school life being shown on screen fills my eyes with tears. I’d like to rewatch both Seasons One and Two before Season Three starts.

You mentioned being comforted that there’s going to be another round of open auditions. What makes you think that way?

Date: After I landed this role through the open audition, I’d been constantly worried whether I’ve been doing alright. The fact that they’re holding another round of open auditions means that we’ve been on the right path, which was comforting to know.

I can’t wait to find out what kind of seniors the second-generation members become - Suzuhara

How about you, Suzuhara-san? Is there anything that you’re looking forward to in Season Three?

Suzuhara: This has nothing to do with me being a cast member, but I’m just excited to find out what kind of person will be joining. Liella! is already filled with members with all kinds of personalities, so I’m looking forward to what kind of character would be able to add to the mix of characters we already have. What’s more, the fact that there’ll be new members in Season Three probably means that Kinako-chan is going to become a senior too, and I wonder what that’ll be like. We got to see just how happy Kanon-chan was when she became a senior, but will Kinako-chan also be the same? Oh, I’m also worried that she might be looked down upon (laughs). It’d be quite sad if Kinako-chan was the only senior that’s being looked down upon, so I hope she puts in a little more effort (laughs). I can’t wait to find out what kind of seniors the second-generation members become.

Before Season Three airs, you’ll be having a countrywide tour from December 2022 all the way to March 2023. Let’s hear your thoughts about the tour. It’s also your first tour, right, Suzuhara-san?

Date: Performing on stage this time will be Liella!, now with nine members, and Yuina-san, the voice of Margarete-chan. Maybe it’s because the tour is starting soon and we’re currently in the midst of rehearsals, but since we’ll be performing at places we’ve never performed at before, not to mention with more members, the more I try to imagine the tour, the more my head refuses to cooperate. I’m sure I’m just nervous, though (laughs). For our 1st Live Tour and 2nd Live, I didn’t have much experience yet, so I could look forward to the performances just by imagining how many people would come to see us, and what I’d be able to see from the stage. Although I have more experience now, somehow, I can’t picture it in my head, unlike our previous two performances. I can’t imagine how wide the stage will be, and that makes me slightly uneasy. I’m sure that’s because the feeling of uneasiness within me has overwhelmed my excitement. This brings me back to what Nonchan mentioned just now about her first recording, but well, tomorrow will come no matter what I do, right? (laughs) I think the most important thing is going to be how close I can get to Kanon-chan’s state of mind in Season Two. How should I express Kanon-chan enjoying herself to the fullest as a school idol, and her keeping her cool throughout all her performances? That’s something I’ll be doing my best to figure out.

Suzuhara: This will be the first tour not just for me, but for all the second-generation members. The release event did give us some experience performing, but I didn’t expect the performance right after that to be a tour. We’re going to be performing at quite a few large venues, so I know that I will have to do my best, but I know that the more I push myself, the more nervous I’ll get. That’s just the kind of person I am (laughs). To enjoy myself while dancing on stage, like Kinako-chan, to get even closer to Kinako-chan, I’ll make sure not to push myself too hard, and bring my mental state as close as possible to hers. I’m sure this will be a great opportunity for us to show our fans just how much we’ve grown as a nine-member Liella! since our release event, so I hope to put on an even greater performance together with everyone.

Our fans have made me realize that every single performance that we put on is something that could only have happened on that day - Date

Is there anything in particular that you’ve learned or realized by being involved in the project not just by voicing the characters, but also having the opportunity to interact with fans directly through live performances?

Date: Our very first release event was held without an audience, and right after that was a tour, so every performance made me feel acutely that our fans coming to see us perform isn’t something that I could take for granted. I can make sure to never forget to convey my appreciation as Date Sayuri, but I still don’t have an answer for how I can do that as Kanon-chan, beyond the anime. Should I be doing that by performing? Should I be trying to convey it in words? Or maybe through something completely different. That’s something I’m still trying to figure out. I think about what we, as the cast members, need to do to get more people to like Liella! every single day. A live performance is something we create together with everyone in the audience, and there’s no way to relive the same performance twice. That, I think, is the best part of performing live. Our fans have made me realize that every single performance that we put on is something that could only have happened on that day. It’s precisely because they've made me realize something so important that I’m still constantly pondering how I should best convey my gratitude.

Suzuhara: I’ve been to Aqours’ live performances before, so although I don’t have much experience performing on stage, I do have experience being a member of the audience. I was actually really surprised at how clearly I could see the faces of everyone in the audience from the stage. I realized that I could see their expressions changing, that they’d start smiling after hearing something I said. Thanks to all our fans, I’ve realized how amazing it feels to have their support. And thanks to that, I’ve started thinking about how I can make them enjoy themselves even more.

Besides your upcoming tour, the third volume of the anime will be released on Blu-ray on November 25th, 2022. Are there any lines or scenes that left a deep impression on you from Episodes Five and Six, which will be included in this volume?

Date: Liella! had been overwhelmed by practicing as hard as they could to achieve their goal of winning up until then, so I really love the part where everyone played card games together with (Onitsuka) Natsumi-chan in Episode Five. It made me want to actually watch Natsumi-chan’s videos, as a fan (laughs). This scene was also the trigger for (Hazuki) Ren-chan getting hooked on games, so it’s also a scene that allowed us to see a different side of Liella!, which I’m really grateful for. That’s why I love this scene so much. Seeing Liella! enjoy themselves while playing games made me realize that they truly are high schoolers after all, which is somewhat comforting (laughs). They always act like they’re older than they actually are, so being able to see them act their age left a deep impression on me.

Suzuhara: This is about the same scene in Episode Five, but although there was definitely space in the room, somehow Kanon-chan and (Heanna) Sumire-chan were standing outside on the sidewalk (laughs). When (Tang) Keke-chan said “Sorry about this! My room’s a little small…”, Kanon-chan replied with a “Don’t worry about it!”, and the way she said that line was so interesting. Although I’m sure she really meant what she said, because she was outside, she had to raise her voice a little. I like this scene so much because it’s filled to the brim with interesting details like that (laughs).

Anything that you remember in particular or to take note of in the live part of the “Love Live! Superstar!! Liella! LIVE & FAN Meeting Tour ~Welcome to Yuigaoka!!~”, which is included as bonus footage with this volume?

Date: We perform songs that we’ve never performed before in the solo part, so I hope you burn those parts into your heart. I believe that each solo is linked to what each member feels, so do listen to them over and over again. Although only the five members of the first generation sang Tu Tu Tu, it was the first time all nine members were on stage together performing. Even though the second-generation members didn’t sing, the song included choreography where we linked our fingers, which symbolized the fact that we’d be moving forward as nine from now on. The footage included in this volume is from our very last performance on the second day of the Nagoya leg, so do pay close attention to all our expressions showing our desire to connect with our next performance.

Suzuhara: Watching from backstage, I could tell all of our seniors really did put their all into their solo songs. I could feel their overwhelming emotions driven by the fact that this may be their only chance to perform those solos, so do take a close look at their expressions and the strong will in their eyes while they perform. What’s more, in Tu Tu Tu, we danced together as nine for the first time. At the start, the second-generation members were still quite nervous, so we couldn’t quite put a smile on our faces as we danced. But, as the fan meetings progressed, all your support allowed us to slowly relax the expressions on our faces. The final performance on Day Two of the Nagoya leg was the first time I truly felt that we were performing together as nine, so I’d be glad if you took a close look at all our expressions.

Lastly, a word for the fans!

Suzuhara: Thank you so much for all your continued support. Our 3rd Live Tour is coming up soon, and there’s also Season Three of the anime and the open auditions after that. Liella! still has a long way to go, so I look forward to your support in the future as well.

Date: Thank you so much for always supporting us. I think about just how much happiness knowing that all of you are supporting me brings every single day. Although Season Two of the anime has come to an end, the Love Live! Superstar!! project still has so many things in store, like our 3rd Live Tour, Season Three of the anime, and the open auditions. I’d be glad if you continued to lend us your support, and we’ll make sure to never forget our gratitude and put on the best performance we possibly can. Once again, thank you so much for all your support!

Profile

Date Sayuri is from Miyagi Prefecture and debuted as a voice actress through the open auditions for Season One of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime. She voices Shibuya Kanon, one of the first-generation members of Liella!.

Suzuhara Nozomi is from Miyazaki Prefecture and debuted as a voice actress through the open auditions for Season Two of the Love Live! Superstar!! anime. She voices Sakurakoji Kinako, one of the second-generation members of Liella!.

TL: xIceArcher

TLC/QC: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

[gammija]

The final Web!Martin evidence list

Now that canon is done, and we’ve got word of god confirmation that Web!Martin wasn’t complete nonsense, I decided to go back to my lil chronological evidence list and actually clean it up a bit, delete parts that in hindsight weren't all that indicative, and put everything in a slightly more readable format. (Obligatory disclaimer that i don’t and never did believe or advocate for some kind of evil web!martin, and that I'm not intending to connect a moral judgement to martin (or anyone else for that matter) having some of these traits)

So here: The (hopefully, please) final list with Web!Martin Evidence! Presented in order of importance, according to. me

The final (hopefully) Web!Martin evidence list

(In order from most to least obvious)

Spiders

I mean, it’s called the Web. TMA reiterates quite a few times that Martin liked spiders. Sometimes it IS that easy.

MAG022: Martin: "I like spiders. Big ones, at least. Y’know, y’know the ones you can see some fur on; I actually think they’re sort of cute -"

MAG038: | Sasha: "A spider?" Jon: "Yeah. I tried to kill it…" [...] Sasha: [Chuckles] "Well, I won’t tell Martin." Jon: "Oh, god. I don’t think I could stand another lecture on their importance to the ecosystem."

MAG059: Jon: "I have done my best to prevent Martin reading this statement in too much detail. I have no interest in having another argument about spiders."

MAG079: Jon: "Apparently, biologically, his account of the spiders doesn’t make any sense according to Martin."

MAG197: Martin: “What? Because I like spiders? Well, used to.”

Lies and subterfuge

Martin is able to use lying and subterfuge to achieve his goals, and is called manipulative a few times.

Lies:

MAG022: Martin: "[He] became slightly more co-operative after I lied to him and told him that one of the upstairs residents had buzzed me in."

MAG056: Martin: "I lied on my CV."

MAG158: Peter: “But you said –” Martin: “Honestly, I mostly just said what I thought you wanted to hear.”

MAG164: Jon: "You – I actually believed you!"

MAG189: Martin: “Sorry. Sorry, John. Not sure how much everything up there actually understood what was going on. But, y’know, I didn’t want to take any chances so it made sense to… um…” Jon: “Put on a show?” Martin: “Yeah, basically, more or less.”

MAG191: Martin: "That's not true." Arun: "Liar!"

Subterfuge:

The plan in 118, which revolved around convincing Elias that Martin was only “acting out”, to create a distraction for Melanie. (Also compare the way he evades giving a straight answer here with the way Annabelle talks in 196.)

Working with Peter in s4 under false pretenses, to distract him from Jon and eventually try to learn what Peter wanted.

Manipulation accusations:

These, I know, are somewhat contentious, since it’s mostly villains saying this to him. I’m still including them, since

1): From a media analysis standpoint, being mentioned 3 times is a sign to pay attention, even when it may not be the full truth.

2): I only see it as describing Martin’s behaviour in the previous points, not as a moral judgement; Especially since he almost always ‘manipulates’ people in positions of power over him.

Still, if it bothers anyone, feel free to ignore these.

MAG138: Martin: "That’s it? No, no monologue, no mind games? You love manipulating people!" Elias: "That makes two of us."

MAG186: Martin: “I can be a real manipulative prick, you know that?” Also Martin: “Oh yeah.”

MAG196: Annabelle: “Because you always managed to get what you wanted through smiles and shrugs and stammerings that weren’t nearly as awkward as they seemed.” [SMALL SOUND OF MARTIN’S CONCESSION TO THE POINT] Martin: “Point taken.”

The Lonely/the Web

The Lonely and the Web sometimes affect Martin to similar degrees.

In season 3, when Martin is getting used to reading statements for the first time, most of them leave him emotionally affected: MAG084, MAG088, MAG090,

MAG095: Martin: “S-S-Statement… done.” [HEAVY BREATHING & TREMBLING AS MARTIN STEADIES HIMSELF] “I don’t like recording these. There. I-I said it.”,

MAG098: Martin: [Panting] “End of statement.” [Deep breath] “I, um, I think I might need to sit down. Oh. Yeah, I am. Right. I don’t, uh, I’m not really sure if these are actually getting easier or harder. I mean I don’t feel –”

Only the last two statements he reads are remarkably easier. This might be a hint that Martin is just getting used to reading them, but the quote from MAG098 seems to contradict that. Either way, it’s likely not a coincidence that those last two happen to be the Lonely and the Web:

MAG108: Martin: “Statement ends.” (exhale) “That wasn’t so bad…”

MAG110: Martin: “Statement ends.” [...] “I mean, I think it sounds like a Jurgen Leitner book. About spiders. Hm. Good John didn’t have to read this one, anyway. I know he’s not a fan. Although, this one wasn’t too bad, actually! I – yeah. Anyway.”

In season 5, there are two powers’ Domains that actually affected Martin mentally, as opposed to only physically: the Lonely’s, in 170 (and arguably 186), and, depending on your interpretation, in 172, when Martin went exploring without knowing why he did so.

Proximity

Martin investigates a lot of the Web statements during season 1 to 3 (in other words, when the archive team still researches statements). The only ones he isn’t mentioned in during this period are MAG019 and MAG020, when he’s being harrassed by worms, and MAG081, which Jon records by himself outside of the institute.

Most notably, he’s the one who discovered the statement in MAG114, ‘Cracked Foundations’, which is the one statement in the entire show that sets up the interdimensional properties of HTR.

The Web!Lighter passed through Martin's hands first, before he gave it to Jon.

Similarly, Annabelle mostly spoke to Martin in season 5, despite most other Avatars usually focusing on Jon.

Aesthetics

Apart from the above obviously Web related areas, there are some other aesthetics which are mentioned in connection to both the Web and Martin, throughout canon.

These are describing the Web;

These are describing Martin.

Tapes:

Martin is the only character to treat the tape recorders as friends - any other character is either indifferent, or treats them as enemies.

MAG039: Martin: "I think the tapes have a sort of… low-fi charm."

MAG154 Martin: “Oh. Hi. Hello again.” … (small laugh) “Sorry pal, false alarm this time.”

MAG156 Martin: “Mm? Oh.” [HE LAUGHS, GENTLY.] “Yeah. (rustling paper) I was going to read one. Hate for you to miss it!” [SHORT, FORCED LAUGH, AS HE FLAPS THE STATEMENT AROUND.]

MAG170 Martin: “Oh. Oh, hello. What’s this? Wow, retro! What are you up to, little buddy; just – listening? That’s okay. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

MAG190 Jon: "[The tapes] seem to like [Martin]."

Retro:

MAG069: Statement: “I only saw Annabelle Cane once during this period. She wasn’t hard to pick out. She dressed like a vintage clothing store exploded on her, and her short bleach-blonde hair stood out sharply against dark skin.”

MAG160: Jon: “Anyways, don’t tell me the phonebox down there doesn’t appeal to your retro aesthetic.” Martin: “It – might. Maybe.”

MAG163: Annabelle/the Web callying Martin via an old payphone: [ A PHONE RINGS. IT’S NOT THE TINNY, ELECTRONIC SOUND OF A CELLPHONE – NO, THIS IS A TRUE, HEAVY, CLASSIC RING.] Martin: “Uh. John? Uh, J, John – the, uh, payphone that’s – here, for some reason – it’s ringing?”

Hatred of burns:

MAG067: Jack Barnabas’ statement: “I looked up and noticed within the corner of the room, where there had been a spider’s web this morning, there was just a faint wisp of smoke.” “Another held a bag that seemed to be full of candles, while a third had a clear plastic container filled with hundreds of tiny spiders.”

MAG139: Statement by member of Cult of the Lightless Flame: “The Mother of Puppets has always suffered at our hand; all the manipulation and subtle venom in the world means nothing against a pure and unrestrained force of destruction and ruin.” Agnes burned down Hilltop Road.

MAG145: The Web ties Gertrude to Agnes, stopping the Desolation’s ritual (the only Power whose ritual the Web is known to have prevented).

MAG167: Gertrude enlists Agnes’/the Desolation’s help in order to burn her assistant Emma, who was Web aligned.

MAG169: Martin: "Look, I just – don’t want to get burned, all right? It’s, it’s like my least favorite pain ever. [...] I, I legitimately hate burns, alright? They’re, they’re awful, and they scar horribly, and they just – it – it just makes me sick; I, I hate it. Hate it!"

Phrasing:

MAG039: Martin: "I’m trapped here. It’s like I can’t… move on and the more I struggle, the more I’m stuck. [...] It's just that whatever web these statements have caught you in, well, I’m there too. We all are, I think."

MAG079: Martin's poem: "The threads of people walking, living, lovi–"

MAG117: Martin: "This last couple of years, I’ve always been running, always hiding, caught in someone else’s trap, but, but now it’s my trap, and, well, I think it’ll work. I know, I know it’s not exactly intricate, but it felt good leaving my own little web. Oh, oh, Christ, I hope John doesn’t actually listen to these. “Good lord, is Martin becoming some sort of spider person?” No, John, it’s an expression, chill out! Besides, spiders are fine. I mean, yes, people are scared of them, obviously, but actual spiders, they just want to help you out with flies."

MAG167: Jon: “Methinks the Spider dost protest too much.” Martin: “Jon –” Jon: “Joking! Just joking.”

Personality:

How applicable these are depends heavily on how you interpret Martin's own personality, so your mileage may vary.

MAG008: Statement: “Nobody ever said a word against Raymond himself, though, who was by all accounts a kind and gentle soul [...]”

MAG123: Jon: "The Web does seem to have a preference for those who prefer not to assert themselves."

MAG147: Annabelles statement: "I discovered a deep and enduring talent inside myself for lying. [...] My manipulations were not intricate, but they were far beyond what was expected of a child my age, and I have always believed that the key to manipulating people is to ensure that they always under- or overestimate you. Never reveal your true abilities or plans."

Word of God and Annabelle

I kinda wanted to ‘prove’ that Web!Martin had quite a bit of evidence to back it up, hence this header being last. But of course, in this post-canon world, there are a few lines that most obviously confirm the theory:

MAG197: Martin is Web enough to be able to read the 'vibrations', like Annabelle, and see Jon and Basira (the latter being especially notable, as he hadn't known she was there beforehand): [CHITTERING, BUZZING AND HIGH-PITCHED SQUEALS CHANGE CADENCE] Martin: "Wait… Wait, hang on, is that him?" Annabelle: "Yes. I guess you’re better with the Web than we thought." Martin: "And – Wait, ha– No, uh… is that… Basira? He – He’s got Basira with him!" Annabelle: "Yes."

Season 5 Q&A part 2: Jonny: “Essentially, it was fascinating looking at the fandom and, like, the Web!Martin believers, because what they were doing was correctly picking up on hints dropped in the early seasons that were later, like, not exactly abandoned, but it was much more like, ‘Well, no, he does have like aspects of The Web to him, but he is moreover The Lonely.’ And that came about very… very organically, really. Because throughout Season 3 and going into Season 4, we had this conversation and we were like, ‘No, actually he's like-” Alex: “‘It can't be, it cannot be, it must be the other way round’ Yeah.”

(Note that they say “throughout season 3 and going into season 4,” which likely means that season 1, season 2, and at least part of season 3, aka half of the entire show, were written with Web!Martin as an intentional possibility.)

If you read all that, thanks so much! Obviously, Web!Martin never really came to fruition, so it's fine if you still don't like it. This is just a post explaining where it was coming from, at least for me and the other theorists I've spoken to.

[amjustagirl]

Chapters: one. ~ two. ~ three. ~ four. ~ five. ~ six. ~ seven. ~ eight.

Wordcount: 2.9k

Summary: Being with Miya Atsumu is like chasing a storm - equal parts exhilaration and danger. After all, it’s impossible to tame a storm

Masterlist link here 

AO3 link here 

Author’s Note: And we’re at the final chapter! Thank you so much for going on this wild ride with me, and I’m rly excited to hear what you guys think - so please, drop me an ask, a note, a comment, anything!!! 

It takes time and effort to rebuild a home wrecked by a storm, and reconstruction efforts aren’t necessarily smooth sailing, especially at the start - after all, he’s still the same Miya Atsumu, arrogant and brash and foulmouthed and hyper focused on volleyball, and they both have baggage from years of regret and pain to work through. But he has determination to spare, and she loves him too much for her own good, so they start from the very foundation and work their way up, step by step, one day at a time. 

‘I’ll kill ya if ya ever hurt her again’, Osamu threatens darkly when she and Atsumu break the news to him. 

‘Go find yer own girl and stop being sweet on my wife damn it! ’ Atsumu growls, but the kiss he presses to her forehead when she smacks the back of his head for being mean to his twin is achingly sweet. 

‘Ugh, soppy. Get yer shit outta my house!’ Osamu scrunches his face in mock disgust. 

Both brothers are surprised when she beats Atsumu at flipping Osamu off. 

Atsumu moves back home (he’s not even going to hide how happy the sound of that makes him), and they mark the occasion by slipping his wedding ring back on his finger and eating take-out pizza on the living room floor. 

Her burly brothers turn up on their doorstep with a glint in their eyes and too much teeth in their smiles, determined to drag Atsumu off for a couple of drinks and what she assumes will be a very unpleasant chat. She’d insisted on patting them down to make sure they’re not packing any knives - ‘what do you take us for, little sis’, they’d protested - but she’s not taking any chances, and begs Osamu to join them, ‘please ‘Samu, I don’t want to be a widow right after I decide not to divorce his ass’, and he agrees despite grumbling that he might as well be Atsumu’s glorified babysitter at this rate. 

She’d woken up in bed the next morning to find the space beside her empty, but the living room crammed full of those four silly men. Atsumu and Osamu share a single futon between them, snoring back to back. There are faint bruises on Atsumu’s cheekbone and telltale scrapes on her own brothers’ knuckles, but otherwise they all seem relatively unscathed. 

She bends over, tracing her thumb along the contour of Atsumu’s jaw, and he stirs, eyes half lidded with sleep. 

‘Hey darlin', I’ve come home’, he tells her, warmth flickering in his smile. 

‘Welcome home, 'Tsumu’, she says, tucking the blanket under his chin and he hums in contentment, falling back asleep. 

His nightmares of brown envelopes and harsh neon lights distorting her face slowly fade, and he dreams instead of weeknight dinners and weekend picnics at the park, relishing the quiet domesticity of grocery trips and laundry loads, and delighting in home games with her and Shino cheering him on.

Some piss poor excuse of a gossip hound corners him after a match to ask him about whether he regrets leaving for Milan since his season ended in injury - and he freezes when the reporter slyly adds ‘especially since we all knew it’s a move that required you to leave your wife and daughter behind ‘. His manager is about to intervene when she sneaks up on him to slide an arm around his waist, apologising to the reporter that ‘she’s just so excited to give her husband a congratulatory kiss!’ . 

Sakusa and Meian have to join forces to pull Atsumu back from punching the reporter when he grins shark-like, thinking he’s spotted easy prey and asks her whether she felt abandoned in Japan due to his move - ‘pardon me Miya-san for my unwieldy choice of words’. 

‘Not at all’, she says without missing a beat, and Atsumu wonders if he imagines the flash of a knife in her smile. ‘I’ve always supported my husband in all his endeavours. It was a joint decision that I should stay in Japan to ensure our daughter has some stability in her life.'

‘She’s good’, his manager tells him when the reporter slinks away with his tail between his legs. 

‘Yeah - I don’t deserve her’, he answers with a rueful smile. 

When he tries to thank her that night, she levels him with a look that could knock a grown man (i.e. him) off his feet, but her voice is gentle and her words are soft. 

‘Don’t thank me’, she says. ‘Just be a better husband and father, ok?’ 

He’s not ashamed to admit that he actually cries. 

He learns to tell her he loves her at least once a day. She starts to smile back cheekily and reply ‘of course’. 

The game is in between sets when the skin at the back of his neck crackles with nerves. From the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of Osamu sprinting right into the stands. Then his ears pick up on his little girl’s scream - ‘mama’  she cries, her shrill voice ringing above the confusion rippling through the crowd and his legs move of their own accord, leaping over the barrier into the audience, as he snarls and shoves his way to her usual spot. 

He thought he’s had his fill of nightmares to last him a lifetime. He’s evidently wrong. 

She lies crumpled on the ground, head resting on Osamu’s lap. Her lips are pale and her eyes are closed but thank god - thank whichever deity’s listening - her chest still moves with her breath. He’s not quite sure what happens next - he knows he dives to his knees and pulls her towards him but everything else is a blur until her eyes flutter open and she groans. 

‘Darlin’, can ya hear me? Can ya tell me where you are?’ he asks, forcing his voice to remain calm. 

‘Tsumu? Why are you here? Aren’t you in the middle of a game?’ she murmurs, confused. 

‘Fuck the game’, he snaps. ‘Are ya feelin' ok?’ 

‘Something hurts, Tsumu’, she rasps, eyes glazing over. He can feel the chill of ice seep into his spine. 

'Yer fine, yer fine, yer going to be fine' he mutters, over and over and over again, willing her to sit up and tell him she's fine, she's ok, she'll just shake it off - but light starts to shutter out of her eyes and frost creeps up his throat. 

‘I need a medic!’ he shouts, voice cracking on every word. ‘I need a medic, now!’

‘Tsumu’, he hears his brother interrupt urgently. ‘Tsumu, she’s bleedin’. 

He’s never been more grateful for Osamu when his twin turns to yell for an ambulance and yanks Shino away with him. The little girl is kicking and screaming for her mama but he knows she would kill him if he lets their little girl be traumatised from seeing her mama lying in a pool of blood on the floor. 

He can’t breathe - not even when the medics finally come and whisk her off to the hospital, his mind hardly able to process anything, terror still coursing through his veins when the doctors press brown envelopes full of forms into his bloodstained hands for him to sign so the relevant procedures can be carried out. 

‘Don’t!’ Osamu says sharply, when he drops his head into his hands and starts to whimper about how he’ll die if he loses her again and what the fuck is he gonna do, ‘Samu, if she doesn’t make it out alive – ‘she’s stronger than ya think, don’t ya dare give up on her like that’, and he promptly shuts up after that. Time in the waiting room passes agonizingly slow, seconds feeling like minutes, minutes stretching into hours, and he would have drowned from the weight of his despair if he weren’t anchored in place by his twin’s hand on his back.

His breath rushes back into his lungs when the doctors later tell him she’s fine,  they carried out the standard operation - but she doesn’t look fine, doesn’t seem fine, is very clearly not fine when they wheel her out, huddled into a ball with her head between her knees, like her world has just collapsed into itself. She doesn’t even look up when he sits beside her, the bed dipping under his weight. 

‘I’m sorry’, she eventually says, voice barely a whisper, and he fights the urge to break down into tears – because ‘Samu’s right, she’s so much stronger than he thinks. They'd been talking about trying for a sibling for Shino for some time now, since they've both grown up with brothers of their own and can't imagine life without them. But the doctors tell him that it’s just bad luck - the baby was never going to survive, and her collapse was probably exacerbated by stress, overwork, perhaps even fatigue from her skipping lunch for work and dinner to rush to his match.

‘Don’t be. It’s not yer fault at all’, he manages to pull himself together to reassure her, but she just stares blankly at the wall. 

His grandmother calls when they find out the baby they lost would have been a boy, and he fails her again when he’s too late to snatch the phone away before the old lady’s poison drips into her ears and traps her in a deadly fog. He’d cursed the old bitch out relentlessly, but the toxic words fester beneath her skin and she fades into a ghost before his eyes. He desperately tries to stop her spiral into frozen silence, but he’s away for games more than half the time, hands tied behind his back by the stranglehold of contracts and commitments he has no choice but to fulfil. 

He’s never been so thankful before when the season finally ends - but he is, at least this time, so he can talk her into taking two weeks off from work. They drop Shino off with her indulgent grandparents, and drift down the coast on the back of her bike. She doesn’t try breaking any speed limits - and he knows he should be happy about that, but there’s no spark in her eyes, no smile to answer the wind - there hasn’t been, not since she collapsed. 

(not since they lost their child)

He buys her mochi at every town, but she picks at it listlessly, just like she does these days when Osamu tries to tempt her with his latest creations. He insists they stay at  ryokans, traditional inns with onsens attached, hoping the heat from the water might chase the chill from her bones, but colour does not return to her cheeks. There are shadows beneath her eyes, and she seems to wilt under the vibrant red and gold of autumn leaves. 

They go for a walk after dinner one night, tracing a path along the shore. He’d been talking non-stop the entire trip to mask the gaps left by her silence, but tonight he falls quiet, allowing the hum of the waves to wash over them. Her hand is cold in his, so he wraps his jacket around her shoulders and hopes the warmth from his body bleeds into hers. 

She comes to a standstill, feet sinking in the sand, and tilts her head to face him. 

‘Tsumu?’, she breathes, a question in her eyes. 

‘I’m here’, he says, a prayer in his heart. 

There is a lighthouse on the cliff just a few miles ahead, illuminating the shadows of the waves. The faintest reflection of light pools in her eyes, and he stills as she lifts her gaze to meet his. 

‘I know’, she says, offering him the smallest of smiles. 

He interlaces their fingers together firmly, and tugs her towards shelter, as a storm brews over the horizon. 

That night she tucks her head under his chin, and he holds her until she falls asleep, cradled in his arms. He keeps slumber at bay by counting her breaths, and only falls asleep himself when the storm breaks. 

'Why did I wake up to a blonde octopus wrapped around me', she mumbles, voice heavy with sleep. 

'Nah. More like a seahorse, cos I'm not letting ya go, sweetheart', he replies, tightening his grip on her waist. 'Ya got a problem with that?' 

Her only response is to burrow herself deeper into his chest.

'Guess not', he chuckles fondly, nuzzling his nose into her hair, hope blossoming anew in his heart. 

Time turns their wounds into scars and they heal together, one breath at a time. 

She stays away from their first few matches when the season begins again. The press is coerced into passing over reports of her collapse by the dual forces of the MSBY press machine and their legal team, but they are forced to ride out the gossip generated in internet forums by a fringe group of deranged fans. His teammates treat her like she’s made of glass - even Bokuto dials himself down a notch, all save for Shoyo, who slips her his mother’s number, telling her gently that the six year gap between him and Natsu wasn’t deliberate, and that she would find a sympathetic ear in the older woman. 

He knew he was right to anoint Shoyo as his favourite wing spiker - not only does he fly high enough to answer the demand of every single one of his sets, but his sunniness drags her out of the fog into yoga classes and meditation practices, and slowly but surely he watches her bloom again. It’s a powerful combination - Shoyo-kun’s friendship and his mother’s gentle conversations, Osamu’s cooking and her love for Shino, capped with his determination to show her he loves her and prove that he’s here to stay.

‘It’s like Kintsugi’, she tells him, with a wide smile. ‘All of you poured gold into the cracks of my heart and made me whole again’. 

The years pass. 

Shino turns seven – a very respectable age for his very best girl, he tells her (I'm your only girl, Papa, Shino informs him archly), and obliges her demands of a bicycle in MSBY colours and volleyball lessons, forcing all his teammates to turn up for her birthday party, volleyball themed of course. The look of unadulterated joy on his princess’ face is worth every ounce of effort to put up with Sakusa’s complaints at having to turn up for a kiddie party full of loud noises and far too much candy, and the sweaty afternoons spent hand painting the bicycle black and gold. 

The day Atsumu discovers his first white hair makes her thank her lucky stars that she’s immune to his nonsense by now, because the wailing and gnashing of teeth she has to put up with makes ‘Samu offer her his couch as refuge. She slaps tape and salonpas on his aches and pains, and points to the deepening lines on her face when he complains about his age. 

‘Those lines aren’t wrinkles. If they’re caused by laughter, it doesn’t count’, he reasons laughingly. She’s left befuddled by his logic and shakes her head.

Meian Shugo retires, and Hinata throws a party to celebrate in his honour, cramming the entire MSBY team and assorted friends into his penthouse apartment on a rainy Saturday night. Osamu’s hired to cater the food but remains as a guest, shooting a smirk at him when Shoyo drags her off to dance during his favourite song, twin flames burning bright in the night. 

‘A hundred yen for your thoughts?’ she asks, when Shoyo returns with her breathless but wreathed with smiles. 

‘Was just wondering when you were gonna save a dance for this old man’, he teases. 

‘Oh?’ she says with a laugh. ‘Thought you said your back hurt, and you didn’t want to move?’

‘Meh - I was hoping you’d forget that’, he says airily, then frowns when he notices there’s no drink in her hand. 

‘Not drinking tonight, sweetheart?’, he asks, curling his fingers around her empty hand. 

‘The doctor warned me not too’, she answers, her smile growing impossibly wider. He blinks in confusion when she leans on to her toes to whisper into his ear - then oh. 

‘You’re pregnant?’ he repeats, unable to trust his ears, eyes filling with tears when she bites her lips and nods. 

‘Are you happy, ‘Tsumu?’, she asks, her face alight with hope. 

There is so much he wants to say to her, starting with thank you loving me enough to give me another chance all those years ago and ending with I love you, so ridiculously much – because he can never say it enough, she’s given him more than he deserves – her heart, Shino, a happy home and now the promise of another child. 

But there's salt and water welling up in his throat, and it’s all he can do to choke out a shaky ‘of course’, before gathering her in his arms, warmth pooling in his eyes, love overflowing in his heart. 

They stay that way for most of the night, entwined in each other’s arms, so drunk on happiness and love and warmth that they don’t even notice the storm clearing and the moon rising in the clear night sky. 

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Robot Rights.

How’s that coming along?

Pretty good thanks. I doubt I’m gonna work out all the kinks but thanks for letting me use your workbench.

Just make sure you clean up after yourself and don’t touch any of my flowers, alright?

I won’t, I promise.

*Rantaro sits at Oliver’s workbench, fiddling with the symmetra matrix earring. 

Oh. Morning.

...?

...

...

...

*As Oliver goes back upstairs, he passes by and greets Shuichi, Kaede and Mii-Yu, who come downstairs.

Ah...So now’s the time, eh?

Hello to you to Rantaro.

Haha...Sorry, that was pretty rude, huh? Hello to you too Shuichi. Kaede...Mii-Yu.

Oh look at that, he knows her name.

Kaede, don’t be sour. I think we’ve caused Rantaro enough trouble.

Agreed. If we wish to ask questions, then we must be more humble.

It’s ok. I was rude first. I just somehow knew that as soon as things died down, you’d want to come by and asking me questions about what I’d been up to.

We don’t have as many questions as you might think. Could you spare a few minutes.

Sure, but...if you don’t mind, I’m gonna keep working on this while we talk.

Fine.

*Shuichi and Kaede ask Rantaro multiple questions about his whereabouts and happenings during his absence.

So let me recap then. You woke up around the same time as the rest of us did, and you were found and rescued by ERR0RM3SS4GE?

Basically. As you know, ERR0RM3SS4GE recently collaborated with Uchui Kamukura. We’ve actually been in league with him for a while, until recently that is.

So the mission to get him to Zetsubou was your last job?

Zetsubou our our enemies, but Uchui has been a friend for a while. We couldn’t refuse one last job from him after all he’d done for us.

But the point is the labs that we were contained in were property of Uchui’s family legacy. They were originally created for storing test subjects for the Kamukura’s sick experiments, but Uchui put them to good use containing us. At least, until he figured out what to do with us.

But then Tsumugi and Organization Zetsubou found us, right?

Unfortunately yes. As soon as Tsumugi took over the labs, ERR0RM3SS4GE and Uchui made a risky move. They deactivated the pods and let us escape, scattering us around the world. With the exception of Himiko, Maki and you, Shuichi.

According to my historical database, Tsumugi Shirogane was able to capture Kaito, Angie and Gonta before all three were freed from captivity or control.

Miu, Tenko and Kirumi went into hiding, Ryoma wound up in Towa City and joined Akeru’s warrior pack, and Kokichi was funded by Zetsubou to stay out of trouble following his escape, in which he concocted a plan to destroy them involving Keebo, who he had salvaged.

Additionally, Kaede lost her memories after her escape, and was taken in by Chinami Hasami. And lastly...you Rantaro, joined ERR0RM3SS4GE.

How come you were the only one that was invited to join?

My skills interested them. This isn’t the first time I’ve done a good bit of programming, hacking and scouting, you know?

Also, I kind of insisted on it. With Zetsubou becoming a rising problem in recent years, I wanted to do my bit to prevent being caught in a THIRD killing game.

I understand that, but why not join Future Foundation with us?

It’d cause too much confusion if I just showed up out of nowhere. Plus, I had already met the team, so I would have been sworn to secrecy anyway.

Fair enough.

Is that all the questions you have for now?

Well...I’ve learned what you know about our circumstances, so assuming you’re not lying. I guess I just have one more thing to ask.

Kiyo is still missing. We haven’t been able to locate him since the beginning of all this. Do you know where we can find him?

Regrettably no. Kiyo vanished into thin air after ERR0RM3SS4GE deactivated the labs. He could be dead or captured by Zetsubou for all we know. However, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.

How come?

If Kiyo was captured by Zetsubou, Shirogane would no doubt have utilized him against us already. Plus, if he was out causing trouble and murdering people again, don’t you think we would have seen something on the news? There haven’t been any serial killer situations lately that follow his pattern.

Right, I know what you mean...

I have one more thing to ask. It’s not really important, but I need to know it.

Yeah? What’s that?

...I need to know your relationship with Mii-Yu.

Kaede...!?

I wasn’t there to witness it, but Shuichi told me the story. In the factory, you were able to brainwash Mii-Yu using something called an admin code. But after Mii-Yu attacked the Tower, Mona and Miu removed her antennae to prevent her from being brainwashed.

So how did you pull that off? How did you know what the admin code was, and how were you able to activate it? You must have had some prior interaction with Mii-Yu in order to know that would work, or some robot like it.

I suppose the excuse that I’m privy to these sorts of things doesn’t work here, huh?

Nope!

Fine...Although, all things considered, the actual answer is a lot simpler than you might think.

And that is?

*Rantaro stops working on the Symmetra, stands up and looks at them.

I’m the one who made it~

...!

...!

...!

WHAT!?

Yep, that’s about the reaction I expected.

You...are...

UUGH!

Mii-Yu!

Uh oh. Looks like she’s having sensory overload.

I...I just remembered...

*Mii-Yu clutches her head, but stands up straight again with Kaede’s support.

As soon as I lay eyes upon you, something did not feel right in my internal mechanism and memory database.

Now that you have said that though, I feel like I have gained the missing piece of apparatus and...

You remember? Heh...It’s like going into the recycle bin of a laptop and hitting restore, right?

Are you serious!? You’re telling me YOU’RE Mii-Yu’s CREATOR!?

To be more specific, I’m her PROGRAMMER. I wrote the code, AI, memory banks and...well...Everything that makes Mii-Yu, Mii-Yu.

I DIDN’T build her body. She was a collaborative work between me and an old friend.

An old friend?

Susuru Kojima, the Ultimate Engineer. A fellow participant in the 52nd Killing Game. That was when Mii-Yu was created.

But...wait...Tsumugi said that Mii-Yu was the prototype version of Keebo! And they ended up going with him for V3!

Mii-Yu ended up being a more popular addition to the series than Team DR expected, so they decided to allow Tsumugi to continue with the robot trend with V3. At least, that’s how I think of it.

...How could you...?

How could I what?

*Kaede puts her foot down angrily.

If you’re Mii-Yu’s creator, how could you treat her like that!? Brainwashing her, making her fight her friends, dehumanizing her!? What’s wrong with you!?

Dehumanizing her? She’s not a human Kaede. I don’t know if that’s even possible.

No, I’m with Kaede on this. You’re being way too harsh to her, talking down to her as if her feelings don’t matter!

It’s a line of code Shuichi, not real feelings! It DOESN’T matter!

...Stop it!

*Everyone looks towards Mii-Yu.

I refuse to let you all argue, right in front of me, over whether or not my life and feelings are worth considering.

To be honest...I do somewhat agree with Rantaro. Even if I am a humanoid robot, my feelings will never be more than that of an analytic computer. I’m not the same as BeeZero, who is programmed to live and learn as a human does. 

I was made to serve a purpose...not that I remember what that purpose was.

Well, now’s a good time to ask.

But now’s NOT a good time to tell.

Why not!? Don’t you think you owe her an answer!?

I said ENOUGH!

...!?

...!?

Allow me to make my stance clear here, Rantaro Amami.

I...am grateful. Obscenely grateful, that you created me. However, if I may be honest for a moment...

I have been looking all this time to find out what purpose I was built for...but now that I stand in front of you...I don’t care anymore.

Oh?

It doesn’t matter if I was just a test, or a prototype, or an experiment, or if I was used for a more personal, malicious or selfish purpose.

You gave me a life. And I intend to live that life. The way that I want.

How’s THAT for a line of code?

...

Hehe...You’ve surprised me. Miu and Keebo’s straightforwardness is really rubbing off on you.

Many will say they do not make for good role models. I disagree.

Still...I do admit I feel guilty. No matter how I feel about the situation, I’ve clearly upset you all.

And I shouldn’t have mistreated you the way that I did. Just looking at you reminds me of a time I would rather forget. Even I have issues, and I have a fair few of them.

*Rantaro turns around and reaches for a small box and takes something out of it.

Mind coming closer for a second? I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise.

...

It’s ok. I have faith in him.

*Mii-Yu approaches Rantaro, who takes the item and fastens it to Mii-Yu’s head.

That’s...

This is...

Believe me, I’m doing this for more than just an apology. If we’re working together against Zetsubou, I’m gonna need you all to trust me. Observe...

“Admin Input- Voice Authentication. Code: 1003XX.”

...!

Mii-Yu!?

...

I am fine.

See? This antennae prevents the admin code or any other sort of control form working on you. Consider it my thank you card.

Now, if that’s everything, I’ll get back to work.

That should be it. Fine, we’ll leave. Thanks for answering my questions.

Thank you Rantaro.

Sure...

*Shuichi turns around to leave; Mii-Yu bows and follows. Kaede however, pauses for a moment.

Something wrong?

...

I’m willing to work with you if it means we can save Maki and Himiko and stop Tsumugi and Zetsubou...

But I don’t trust you...What are you hiding from us Rantaro?

...You’re a detective assistant, aren’t you? Figure it out...

...!

*Kaede scoffs and leaves.

[askagamedev]

I always see gamers make the argument that game companies should be able to do what some other game companies do. Arguments such as: This company has an online store so other game companies should have one too. This game should be released worldwide all at once instead of being released first in it's home country and then released overseas later because other companies do this. These games should be ported to all systems like those games, etc. Do you think this is a good/bad argument?

It's a bad argument, but it's one of those things that seems reasonable until you actually know a little about how development works. You see, a game isn’t made of completely discrete, separate choices. The problems we solve are all part of a much greater whole and those solutions will essentially plot a development route to our eventual destination (the finished game). Not everyone will solve the same problems the same way - they might be coming from a different direction with a different foundation and different technical availability. This will mean that many very similar destinations might have wildly different routes that brought them there. It is very very difficult to determine whether somebody could have done something without understanding the route that was taken to get to the destination. It's kind of like planning a trip somewhere.

Imagine you wanted to take a trip from [San Francisco to Los Angeles]. The distance is approximately 400 miles (643 km) directly. You could make this trip several different ways. You could take a flight. You could take a train. You could drive along interstate 5. You could drive along Highway 101. You could drive along the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway. Each of these choices has tradeoffs as well - Interstate 5 is usually fairly quick, usually around 6-8 hours of driving depending on traffic and driving speed, but you spend a lot of that driving through California's Central Valley where it's mostly empty farmland. 101 takes longer, around 8-10 hours because it drives through a lot of the near-coastal cities. PCH takes even longer, often 10-12 hours of drive time because it follows the coastline - but you get to see the Pacific Ocean the entire trip. Flying or taking a train requires following the airline or train schedule, as well as dropoff and pickup issues that need to be squared away. Most people take whatever is fastest (flying) or most economical for them (driving Interstate 5 in ~6-8 hours), because they mostly just care about getting to the destination and not as much about the trip itself.

Now imagine that somebody heard that you are making this trip from SF to LA and they asked you to stop in Monterey (a coastal city roughly halfway in between) to pick up a package for them. How easy would this be? Well, it entirely depends on how you chose to travel on your trip, right? If you're flying directly from SF to LA, there's zero chance to stop along the way. The situation is similar for a train ride, the train tracks might not go anywhere near Monterey. The story is similar for anyone taking Interstate 5 - you'd need to take a pretty hefty detour to stop at Monterey and then possibly even backtrack to get back onto Interstate 5. Going along the 101 or the PCH, however, is much less additional detour time because your route already passes by that area already, making a detour to Monterey quite reasonable. Since you would already be passing close by Monterey along the planned route already, stopping is not a big chore. But choosing one of those routes would mean other sacrifices like a much longer travel time, higher overall fuel costs, and so on. Asking for you to make the detour during the trip (or, heaven forbid, after the trip is over) also changes the cost significantly!

This is similar to how games get made - we have a destination and we have a specific route we take to get there. The route we choose is only one of many, many potential routes that we can take, each with its own set of tradeoffs (time, required expertise, cost, etc.). Sometimes those routes will take us close by other features that are easy to implement. Sometimes those routes will take us very far away and require a very costly detour to get there. And sometimes the route is like a plane ride where we can’t stop at all and adding the feature will require planning and taking a completely separate trip. Most importantly, an outside observer has no real way to determine what kind of route you took to get to the destination just by looking at what the destination is. Even though a different game has a similar destination, the route they took to get there can be totally different than the one we took.

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[felassan]

Jon Renish (Foundation Technical Director @ BioWare, working on DA4) recently did a Twitch stream where he played through some DAO. Although he works on DA, this is his first time playing through DAO. He’s playing through it looking at random details from a dev perspective as he’s currently working on DA4 and therefore wants to know more about the previous games.

On the stream he mentioned some tidbits on the development of DA4. There were also some insights and anecdotes about the development of DAO and similar. It’s a 3 hour stream so I collected them here in case that’s of use to anyone (for example not everyone can watch streams which don’t have subtitles/captions). The stream is a fun/interesting watch though, so if you’re curious or able to watch I recc doing so. 😊 The rest of this post is under a cut for length.

Please note that there’s some paraphrasing on my part, this is not a transcript.  There are also some additions from another dev who featured on the stream to give some commentary. The stream also contains more snippets that at times I couldn’t make out (I tried my best!).

(There is a mention of Cullen’s VA in the text below.)

DA4

Jon said he can talk about things about DA4 that aren’t “consumer-facing”, but he can’t say anything about the game that would be consumer-facing but which isn’t already publicly available. There are several reasons for this. One, that’s not his job, there are people whose job this is and they let each other do their respective roles. Two, BW are a publicly-traded company, so if he said something that could affect that that would be insider trading. Three, they’re not done making DA4 yet, so if he said that they have added [x] to the game and people got all excited about that or pre-ordered on that basis, but [x] ended up being cut, people would be like ‘BioWare lied to us’, when it’s just that things changed during the course of development, as is often the case

He’s glad that fans are excited for the game but notes that fan expectations are always double-edged. It can be really tough as some people started ‘playing’ the game in their heads as soon as they heard of it. That’s fine, he loves that, but he hopes that peoples’ expectations don’t turn into requirements. Clearly BW have alluded to certain characters, like Solas, being in the game, but some fans say things like “If [say] Morrigan isn’t in the game, then, rahhh!” Y’know, there’s a lot of talk about how certain characters have to be in the game, and yeah.

On characters which are quantum (i.e. characters which can die or which can have similar end-states as death in previous games): their being quantum makes it really hard for the devs to work with those characters in subsequent games. The devs naturally aren’t going to put as much effort into characters which could have died previously. A character can have had an amazing appearance throughout/role in a previous game, but if there is a risk of something happening to them and of them being removed [effectively] from the plot, it just doesn’t make sense to have them as a major character in a subsequent game. If a character can, say, sacrifice themselves in some glorious ending, the devs have to make sure that if they use them again, in worldstates where the character didn’t do that, the character is kind of ‘muted’, as the devs don’t want to disrespect the players who made a different choice

A comment in chat expressed a wish for Shale in DA4. Jon’s response is that he has no idea on that front

Bugs don’t come out of crunch, they come out of development in general. Crunch does impact on the quality of a game though. In recent years BW are always really trying to reduce crunch, they’re currently working really hard to bring it down. The best way of doing that is by controlling scope. As creatives it’s tough to balance wanting to make great stuff and be industry-leading with the desire to constantly do extra passes over things they’ve created like the audio, art etc. Their biggest enemy is time, other ways of reducing crunch or time spent in general include iterating tools to make often-repeated processes as time-efficient as possible

I think the following was an observation on the industry in general as opposed to a BW-specific/-exclusive comment: he thinks that as a result of this sort of thing [working to reduce crunch], a lot of games are going to have to be smaller and a lot more focused in scope i.e. the devs will have to focus on hitting the key selling points of that particular game/series as hard as they can, and cut down on branching out sideways/wide on a bunch of random other stuff

Jon doesn’t personally engage in character creators in games, but he knows that for some players that expression is worth a lot of time and focus. BW want to be industry-leading in this kind of stuff as it’s something which is interesting/key/integral to their games

In a way BW have made their own nest of problems what with every DA game being so different to the previous one. Still, he notes that each game has a staunch fanbase that says that their particular favorite game is the best one in the series

He doesn’t want people who think that DA4 isn’t what they want to buy it and be upset - there are so many other great games out there! BW are going to make the game they’re going to make - if some people like it, that’s great, and if some people don’t, that’s cool. Sometimes waiting until reviews are out and/or really seeing beforehand if a game is something that you want [has things/features in it that you want] prior to getting it - as opposed to jumping right in or pre-ordering - is a good idea. Fans don’t always know what they want, but they do know what they like - these are 2 different things

He hopes that whatever they ship for DA4, people go “I enjoyed this experience”, and that then, if there’s additional content for it down the road, people can decide, “do I want this further content?”

On hair: BW are using the new hair technology in the latest version of the Frostbite engine, so they’ll see what they can do! This was said in response to a comment about the hair in the latest FIFA games (as EA make FIFA)

A comment in chat asked about a flying mechanic (griffons). Jon’s response is that flying is such a heavy gameplay mechanic that you can’t put it in a game without everything in the game being built about it (see Anthem)

Relating to the above comment, in DA4 mounted combat would be cool but then they’d have to make the game ‘around’ mounted combat and make the mounted combat feature meaningful

On the underwater concept art: it should not be interpreted as a promise of gameplay. BW have amazing artists who sit down for a couple weeks while they’re in early production and just draw loads and loads of all kinds of stuff. Concept art is like a moodboard or Pinterest board. Elsewhere in the stream he advised, take all the concept art together like a mosaic and ask, ‘what is the overall theme[s] here?’, and to zoom out from individual details. [This stuff echoes PW’s word on concept art]

BW don’t generally write things or the choices as bleak as the choices in DAO were anymore. This is a conscious choice on their part, they want their game to be fun [note: this was said when the side quest in Orzammar where the Warden has the option of convincing a dwarven mother to abandon her young baby to die was being played through. It seems to refer to intensively grimdark choices/beats of this kind]

I think this was more of a general comment on games: SSDs (solid state drives) mean that players will see shorter elevator rides (Mass Effect - was this a reference to the remaster?) and fewer switchback corridors (those are actually loading zones). Generally, these are going to change mechanically the time it takes to do stuff in games

The devs have lots of features on their backlog that they’d like to offer players but each will ofc involve implementation and subsequent maintenance, and each one that is chosen to add is being chosen over something else. And sometimes, it’s hard for them to tell if [x] feature or [y] feature would be better to add to the game

They’re about to work on a giant feature (a pure tooling feature, something that isn’t consumer-facing) that is probably going to take ~2 staff years of effort [I think “staff effort” includes multiple staff working concurrently, so 2 years of staff effort doesn’t = 2 years of time chronologically] to get done in the next few months. They’re investing all this effort across the people working on it because they don’t want their artists and designers etc to have to deal with the problem that it’s going to solve anymore. I’m not sure what this feature is but elsewhere in the stream they referred to tooling and automation and gave the example of, the better your tooling is, the fewer times you have to manually set the camera for a human vs elf vs dwarf position, for dynamically-generated [cinematic?] content and for the first pass to be automated (if this is the case, less time is spent/wasted on redoing it and manually touching it up) [see last bullet point in this section]

He doesn’t know how big DA4 is going to be but said “let’s ballpark and say like most games it’ll be somewhere between 70 and 100 GB”

If we kept our Wardens as the PC throughout all 3 games, at the end they would be so powerful that it’d be a bit like “Let’s just do [thing], I’ve killed gods before, whatever”. He thinks it’s good that they have fresh characters each time in DA in order to reset that power level. Some people want more Commander Shepard in the next Mass Effect and he feels like, ‘what else could you possibly want / what else could that character possibly do after 3 games?’

When asked how much freedom he/they have now to focus on next gen, he said that there’s actually almost no difference on that front. The problems never change. They now have better renderers, better ray-tracing, better graphics cards etc, but they have always made DA games for high- and low-spec PCs, so it’s actually about gameplay systems. The freedom isn’t power-based and them getting access to more cores and more RAM generally isn’t going to change how the games are played. The games still have to be made for hard drives on PC. Dev creativity matters more than power here. The challenge of building a BW game is more about/from managing loads of different plotstates, loads of different art pieces, etc

On the title situation (two): names are the last thing they worry about because names have to go through legal before being approved. Every name, including character names, has to be checked in case it’s a famous person, or associated with something bad, or offensive in a different language due to localization etc

They don’t do face scans of people with big beards

There was also a bit about changes/developments to/in the cinematic design process and associated tooling [?] but I found it too hard to follow sorry >< This bit of commentary begins at timestamp ~ 1:52:45 and continues til ~ 2:00:05 [keep listening through the bit where they pause for a cutscene]

General BW

There’s currently ~350 staff in Edmonton, ~200 in Austin and more elsewhere

He notes that DA games sell pretty well, but relative to EA games in general, they’re a drop in the bucket compared to FIFA

DAI

5% of players of DAI never created a character [Q: does this refer to people who just used the default appearances/presets with no editing, or people who only played multiplayer?]

The mounts don’t actually go faster than running, this is an illusion

I think they said it has 55,000 lines of dialogue. [I’m pretty sure I remember devs elsewhere saying it has 80,000 lines of dialogue]

One of the companions had to have their name changed during development because of legal/translation reasons. It sounds like the original name sounded too close to something offensive

DA2

Back when DA2 was internally code-named “Nug Storm”: this was at the beginning when it was pitched to the team on a set of slides. The image on the slide for that pitch had devil horns, a metal hand and no flesh, it was just made out of fire and flames

DAO

The engine DAO is made on is the third engine that they tried for it during development. [David Gaider has gone into the DAO engine stuff some on Summerfall’s series of DAO playthrough streams]

The cracks on the cracked eluvian asset are modelled after the crack on the Tardis in Doctor Who from around that time, as at the time some devs had been talking about Doctor Who a lot. A dev actually added this factoid to DAO’s entry on TV Tropes but someone else (evidently not a DA dev) came by and deleted it saying that it was too much of a stretch x)

Before the game had its name there was an HTML script that randomly generated possible titles for consideration, it adds verbs and nouns together e.g. “Grim Dark”. One of the craziest possibilities that it once generated that the devs always remember is "Bone Wind”

One of the portraits that’s used for decoration around the world in-game (it’s of a bearded human man) is actually of a specific BW staff member

He played through Stone Prisoner, where Wilhelm’s son Matthias gives exposition in the cellar. Matthias is voiced by GE and this had been pointed out to Jon earlier on. Jon: “I don’t think that character’s voice acting was super strong there”

On the in-game area towards the end of Stone Prisoner: Outdoor areas in games are large and one of the things needed for them is streaming, so different chunks can be ‘streamed in’. There’s a tower [?], and technically the top of the tower was made an outdoor level so that sky stuff could be there, though it didn’t really need to be. The person that made it an outdoor level chose the very smallest chunk size for the terrain mesh, which determines how fine of a streaming they do. So when playing, every time you moved like 4 meters, the game would stream out 50-100 chunks behind you and the same in front of you (this is the bubble around the player of what actually exists). Because it was so small, it was constantly thrashing the CPU and disc to do all the loading. The devs were like “this isn’t going to work”, but they barely had any time. The solution: they made a new level that was outdoor and copied all the sunlight and other settings, but with the largest chunk size. They copy-pasted the entire level from one to the other. The problem with that many chunks then is that there was a giant expanse of flat terrain sticking out of the middle of the tower. They didn’t know if the story was going to involve shots of the outside of the tower for this sequence or not, so they took the terrain deformation tool and bundled all the terrain vertices at the bottom of the tower in a giant clump. So to this day there’s a mess of vertices and twisted terrain at the bottom of the final level that probably no-one has ever seen [not sure though if this anecdote is in reference to a place in that DLC or somewhere elsewhere in the game?]

There were also some tidbits on Anthem, however I didn’t note them down (sorry).

If you think I misheard or misunderstood anything from this stream please let me know and I will edit/fix it. :) 

(Thankyou to some of my friends who explained a tech detail from this to me.)

[source]  <-- current rewatch link