#with all the baking videos I just think it’d be neat

[bubblegumbullshit]

@danielhowell and @amazingphil on great british bake off when??

[oddygaul]

Arcane, S2

I feel the same way about Arcane’s second season as I did about its first: absolutely gorgeous, groundbreaking animation and art, hand-in-hand with incredibly uneven pacing & character writing. But I want to be absolutely clear, here, because sometimes I think I tend to emphasize the negative: Arcane is so consistently and gobsmackingly visually stunning that it’s a treat to watch, no matter my misgivings about its other aspects.

Seriously, it’s still hard for me to fathom that this show looks this good, and is this consistent. To produce 8 feature films worth of animation, and look better than nearly every feature film, is a staggering feat. Given that Arcane S1 dropped in 2021, it’d be easy to peg it as another work inspired by 2018’s breakout Into the Spider-Verse – it certainly shares a lot of visual similarities with that style. But while it’s definitely a part of this movement, and has similar aesthetic goals to the Spider-verse films or Alberto Mielgo’s work, Fortiche has been honing in on this style for nearly a decade.

2013’s Get Jinxed already features Fortiche’s trademark heavy 2D effects animation, as well as matte painted environments; the biggest difference is that the models are rendered in a more traditional 3D style, with more realistic soft lighting and less stylized texturing. Their Rocket & Groot shows experimentation with a more saturated palette and flat lighting, while 2018’s Pop/Stars short applies those same efforts to character models more in line with their current style. The music video for Rise, released later that year, stylistically, might as well be from Arcane: the 2D FX take center stage, the cinematography employs a much more dramatic approach, and the compositing work that manages to corral Fortiche’s 3D models, flat environment painting, modeled backgrounds, and effects into one cohesive look has reached its apex. Right on time for production of Arcane to get fully underway!

Anyway, I just think it’s neat that the two titans of this emerging school of 3D animation seem to be a case of convergent evolution, rather than chasing each other's success.

Is there any point to enumerating why Arcane's visuals are so amazing? I can give it a shot, I guess.

All of the models are great, and the flat textures + lighting trick is still unmatched. The layouts are incredibly clean – even in the midst of the thickest action, what’s going on is never unclear. The background work is drop-dead gorgeous, whether it’s the frequent, lavish matte paintings or the 3D environments with some of the best damn compositing I’ve ever seen. The action animation is kinetic as hell, with energetic, exaggerated keyframes and creative choreography; these are further bolstered by Fortiche’s stellar 2D effects work, which is omnipresent and adds a fluid, organic touch to the aesthetic. The impressive action sequences are not done at the expense of the rest of the show, though, as even the most staid dialogue scenes are filled with interesting camerawork and emotive character acting. And as if nailing their own incredible house style wasn’t enough, in S2 the team has decided to take on a whole litany of alternate styles and techniques, from charcoal and watercolor montages, to the duplication realspace glitching of anomaly-afflicted hextech, to the wild galactic vistas and monolithic demon fortresses of Viktor’s subconscious.

This season also really makes me appreciate how much leeway Fortiche was given with the character designs. Viktor, for example, is almost early-2000s-comic-adaptation level different from his source material, but he now fits into the world more seamlessly, both visually and narratively, than the half-baked cyborg mad scientist ever did. Outside of Vander, whose transformation into a pseudo-Warwick feels incredibly forced, all the character designs feel more cohesive and mature than they ever did in the game. Plus, it’s wild to see women from League of Legends that actually have distinct, recognizable faces. Turns out all Riot needed to do to get rid of sameface once and for all was produce a multimillion dollar animated series.

even the background characters are cool as hell! look at this smoldering bat man!

it's unconscionable how hot they made Viktor this season btw. I think it's all the emotional availability that really does it for me

As for the rest, well… as before, it’s a mixed bag. The characterization is better than it was in the back half of season one, at least, in that each character’s motivations don’t wildly vacillate from scene to scene. The dialogue, while not particularly memorable outside of occasional quips like “bitchmittens”, is decent enough. The pacing and plotting in this season, though, holy shit… it’s absolutely lightning-fast, and rarely does any narrative development feel like it’s given the time it needs to make sense.

Entire plotlines are wrapped up without much ado so that new ones can be started. After Jinx and Vi’s big confrontation in Act 1, they more or less make up over the course of an in-universe hour the very next time they run into each other. The pivot from Viktor as wizard Jesus to Viktor as world-ending villain is not sold well at all – this is the sort of shift that, in a typical story, would have an inciting incident or tragedy to prove to all involved parties that he must be taken seriously. Instead, Jayce holds one council meeting and tells the gathered citizens that he was attacked by a single robot; after hearing this, everyone collectively agrees the threat is so dire, they’ll need to forget Piltover and Zaun’s long-bubbling enmity and impending war, and band together. Arcane is simply trying to fit too many characters and too many arcs into too little time; characters like Singed and Vanderwick, in particular, feel like they were included as a reference to fans rather than to serve the narrative.

The wild thing is, despite such slapdash plotting, the big emotional beats almost always land. Even if there isn’t appropriate build-up, even if what’s going on doesn’t make much sense, the story’s most climactic moments are always girded by such strong animation, impactful cinematography, and vibey music that you feel what they wanted you to feel anyway. It’s funny; much has been said about the comical lack of subtlety in Arcane’s music sequences, and while these complaints are totally valid, the simple fact is that often Arcane is at its best when it drops the melodramatic dialogue scenes and just decides to be a music video for five minutes.

Somewhat gallingly, Fortiche also proves that they know exactly how to fix these storytelling issues, if only they had the time to do so: in Pretend Like It’s the First Time, the season’s stellar seventh episode, the pace is slowed way down, the scope is narrowed to just two points of view, and the characters and narrative are given much-needed room to breathe. This is what Arcane is missing, I think. The big moments always land, but it’s the small moments in between, the moments that let us take it easy and get to know the characters during their day-to-day lives, that Arcane could use more of.

Anyway, this show is a visual feast, and I appreciate the obsessive levels of care and craft put into it by the creators. As far as I’m concerned, League’s lore, concept art, and worldbuilding have always been more interesting than the game itself ever was, so it’s nice to see a project that’s finally leveraging those strengths.

[torchstelechos]

i realize how nothingish this question is regards to like answerability but like how do you get.... ideas...? or. i dont really ever have any kind of bigger things i want to draw its always like small stuff.... or... idk.... i want to make things that are like.. more... i want to make stuff that like... means something makes you think something... most of my stuff is just tiny little things with nothing behind it just something to get it down but i like want to make things that are interesting to look at.... idk..... okay wait ill share a self portrait i did.

^ im really hapoy with this stuff theres color theres studf going on! an eclipse! right like its. its neat theres things theres associations being made theres questions theres something there this is the only thing ive made where i actually feel like ive expressed something that was in me and i just dont know how to do that again i want to make more things like that i want to get more out of my art than just putting stuff down thatll be forgotten the second its down i want what i make to be meaningful to me and idk how... uhhhh anyway thanks for reading thisif you do i just needed to get thoughts out or smth frustrated with this. doing this for six years and its just. ive managed like a handful of things id want to show people everything else is just things made because i just have to do this urghhh sorry about all this

Howdy! I had to take a bit to think of an answer for this question. I didn’t want to fall back on the statement everyone gets when they ask about art (practice), especially since you specified ideas rather than art appearance/style. So! Lets get into that! (gonna be kind of long oops)

First I want to say that I enjoy your self portrait, its very colourful and I LOVE colour. The choices in colour also complement each other very well, as yellow, orange, and blues go well together. Not only that, but the saturation of each colour help bounce off each other and bring it all together. Now, I assume the materials are a blue pen, and crayons? It might be markers, but the way the orange moves across the yellow makes me think of crayons. I adore it! I love crayons and haven’t been able to use them in a while, so it’s nice to see them being used. 

Now, your question, I feel needs some context from my side of things before I can properly answer it. I have been doing art for about 15 years now, and I have done multiple mediums including painting (water colour, oil, and acrylic), drawing (crayons, pens, markers, pencils, etc.), fiber arts (knitting, sewing, crocheting), baking/cooking (i think the presentation counts and how its a medium that takes combing lots of things to make a singular outcome), and a few I wont share right now. I’ve had official art classes that made me do things very specifically, one that taught me art history and how different genres of art were introduced, another on creativity and how to help flourish ideas, and some others on how to use different mediums and styles. I also watch speedpaints, animatics, and animation progress videos to learn some quick shortcuts in digital art since I was never taught officially on digital art. Including all of these, I also have done LOTS of practice in art. Having said this, lets get into some of my own thought processes. 

When I make art, the first things I tend to ask myself is “what do I want” and “what do I think would be interesting”? These aren't mutually exclusive, but they can be answered very differently depending on how I want to do something. For the Siffrin during the Mal du Pays fight piece, I actually started it by seeing a cat picture and thinking, “I want a discord reaction with Siffrin face down on the floor” which went into drawing Siffrin as the cat and then asking myself, “Wait, why is Siffrin face down?” which went into Oh! It’d be funny if it was Mal du Pays! So, doing that I decided to make it in the king's room which meant I had to draw a background. Eventually that transformed into “Okay but it doesnt look right, why?” the answer was that it didnt look like the game so I had to add some texture details and ta-da! Siffrin face down! 

But this also comes from years of practice in knowing what I want and knowing how to draw it, some of my art pieces were, “I think it would be cool if I drew a character looking down at me in front of a skyscraper” but um,, I didnt know how to draw that ;-; so I had to just let my hands kind of try and finish the piece even if I didnt like it. At that point, I realized I needed to practice the character and my style more until I COULD draw what I wanted. Which led into my drawing, a LOT of things I couldn’t and didnt like. 

As for symbolism in art, and how I got ideas for it, a lot of it comes down to knowing the character and how you want to translate your thoughts of the character into art. One of the ways I started doing this was adding flowers to the characters art, or learning what flower I considered “theirs” that way I could add hints to  it in the drawings. Some of it also came from animals, others came from art genres and their historical significance, and some come down to theories (such as colour theory in art). 

Finally, it really does come down to practice. As much as I hate to say it, a lot of the art pieces I do and share tend to lean towards “practice” or concept doodles so that I can better understand HOW I want to add it to a bigger piece. Most of my Siffrin and Loop drawings tend more to that as I need to better understand how their shapes and lines communicate to an art piece (Loop being a fucking star gets me so much) before i can add symbolism and make a bigger art piece. Even then, sometimes it doesnt work and the bigger art piece needs to be put to a back burner before i can communicate my thoughts on the characters as I wish to. 

(Here’s also a neat little trick I do, write out what you want to draw and then draw thumbnails so you can figure out the composition of the piece you want. It helps you know where something goes and how you want it to appear without keeping it in our brain for a long period of time. Some of the things I share are concept doodles but I’ve shared pictures of me doing this before! It can be annoying but trust me, it helps when you can’t figure out the draft at all.) 

Also, heres some of my REAL old art for reference when I say I’ve practiced a lot and didn’t always know how to do big art pieces ;;;;

Hope that helped answer some of my thought process on ideas and how that translates to art? I could go into more detail if you need me to discuss something further

[spadebrigade]

eyes on you - sfw version

author’s note: hello! this is “eyes on you”, a version of my fic on ao3 that has the smut cut out. click here for the original, which also has the tags + summary

author’s note (continued): please note that this is a sequel to my longer work, a fortune i couldn’t foresee. but you don’t need to read it in order to understand this one shot! 

we begin with this song. now onto the fic: 

This was his moment. Kuroo closed his eyes, took a deep breath. It only took one phrase to spark a revolution, one song to set a nation’s heart on fire. And he was just the person to take on this challenge, delighting in the water droplets as they cascaded over his bare body. Taking in one more deep breath, he belted out:

“I love you, baaaaaby, and if it's quite alright

I need you, baaaaaby, to warm the lonely niiiiight~”

For the world to hear. Well--for Kenma to hear his terrible singing through the noises of the shower running in their shared apartment. He was just getting into the nonexistent music, singing excruciatingly slowly while he lathered his hair into a mohawk, before he stopped. 

Why hadn’t Kenma banged on the door for him to shut the fuck up yet? Between the awful singing and the cheesy lyrics, he’d expected his boyfriend to have a complaint by now. 

Rinsing off the remaining suds, Kuroo hummed the rest of the song to himself. He still couldn’t believe that he and Kenma were dating. All those years he’d been in love with his best friend, and it turns out it’d been mutual the whole time? He shook his head, muttering “what the fuck” to himself. But he couldn’t bring himself to be too mad about it, because they were together now. And as was his right as both boyfriend and best friend, he was going to annoy the fuck out of Kenma.

He slung a towel over his waist, not even bothering to dry off the drops of water that ran down his chest. He had far more important things to worry about, like bursting into Kenma’s room without knocking.

“What are you up to?”

Kenma sat in his desk chair with his back turned to the door. Kuroo didn’t need to admire him in secret anymore, but it was habit. Some part of his chest fluttered at the sight of his boyfriend so focused on his computer screen, ears covered by headphones and hair piled into a neat bun.

“I’m streaming,” Kenma said, occupied by some fantasy world on his monitor.

“What are you playing?” Kuroo stepped into his personal space, leaning forward and dripping water onto the keyboard.

“Oh my god.”

It was the utter disbelief in his voice that made Kuroo look up, to see wide honey-brown eyes. “What?”

“You’re half-naked and my camera is on.” He gestured to the stream of comments running across the screen. Kuroo caught a “WHO IS THAT” and plenty of tongue and water emojis.

“Oh.” He’d already forgotten he was in a towel. “Well--” He hadn’t signed up to perform for such a wide audience today, but he was going to deliver. “I gotta give the people what they want...Check out these guns.” He posed, flexing his biceps and making kissy faces at the camera.

“Get out,” Kenma pushed him out of the camera’s range. “You’re going to get me banned for pornography.”

He threw his head back into a hyena laugh, making his way towards the door. He was giddy, having achieved his goal of annoying Kenma for the day.

On his way out, he heard his boyfriend speaking into the mic: “The chat is being too much today. That’s just my roommate.”

Kuroo clicked the door closed. Right. Just his roommate.

When he sat at his desk later, trying to study, he knew that Kenma hadn’t meant it that way. They were boyfriends, and they were out as a couple to practically everyone they knew (Bokuto and Hinata had been particularly happy to find out, insisting on double dates that Kuroo agreed to and Kenma was horrified by). But Kenma was a Youtuber and hadn’t yet told his audience, for a number of reasons.

One was for their privacy. As Kenma had explained, “If my fanbase finds out I’m dating someone, they’ll have a lot of opinions about it. And that’s not something I want to deal with until I have to.”

And Kuroo understood that. But there was one reason that he wasn’t exactly comfortable with.

“Plus,” Kenma had said on that cold night when they were both sitting on their hard lump of a couch, “Yuuji and I have this whole thing going on right now. He’s been desperately single for a while and the fact that it looks like we might be dating is helping his views, and mine.”

Now, Kuroo chewed the end of his pen. He and Kenma hadn’t even been together that long, but he felt like he was already putting on a suit for the funeral of their honeymoon phase. When they had finally gotten together, the world didn’t stop for them--Kuroo had to pay attention to his exams, and Kenma had to pay attention to his Youtube career. 

So much attention to his Youtube career. If he wasn’t recording a video, then he was editing another video, or streaming. At least Kuroo got to tag along when Kenma vlogged something, though he’d only be there to help with the camera. 

But there was one thing he felt good about: they were going to have a Movie Night, a semiregular tradition that neither of them ever skipped. They’d take turns picking bad movies and Kenma would order some food, and Kuroo would cook something healthy in an attempt to balance it out. Last time, Kenma had chosen a film about a murderous car tire and this week, Kuroo planned to outdo him with a 2002 3D animated Christmas movie that was sure to be a heap of hilarious garbage. 

Once he’d finally finished balancing the last of the chemical equations, Kuroo found himself in the kitchen, preparing cauliflower. It was a methodical process; washing, chopping, baking (even though their oven kind of sucked and raised the temperature of the entire apartment). He was in the middle of it when Kenma shuffled out of his room.

“Are you cooking?” He tilted his head, sniffing the air.

“Yeah, I found this dope recipe. It’s gonna be so awesome, you’re gonna have to like vegetables.”

“Right,” Kenma snorted. “Listen, I have to skip the movie tonight. I’m gonna hop on Yuuji’s stream and it’s gonna take a while.”

“Oh,” Kuroo said in a voice that he hoped covered the sound of his heart dropping to the bottom of his chest. “Okay.”

“Don’t you have homework to finish anyway?” 

“Yeah.” He watched Kenma pluck an apple off the counter and disappear into his room.

Kuroo was left alone with the cauliflower. He lifted the bowl towards his face, staring at the zombie broccoli. “You still like me, right?”

It didn’t answer. He would have been worried if it did.

He continued cooking in silence. One missed movie night wasn’t a big deal, right? They could watch movies any time.

Or that’s what he told himself as laughter echoed from Kenma’s room. 

                                                               ≡

Kuroo thought that he could shake off these negative feelings, but they stuck to him like a wet paper towel. 

He’d never been the jealous type in relationships. When his middle school girlfriend confessed that she liked another boy, he let her go with no hard feelings. With all his one night stands, he’d never felt possessive. If anything, he preferred to leave before he or his partner could marinate too much in their shame. But then again, when he’d been with all of those people, his heart had stayed behind in Kenma’s hands.

The word “jealous” left a rotten flavor in his mouth, but he couldn’t deny that was how he felt. When he went back into his room, pulling his laptop towards his face way too close like a preteen looking up boobs, he started researching this Yuuji that Kenma was spending so much time with. The Wikipedia page popped up on Google:

Full name: Yuuji Terushima

Occupation: Youtuber

Alias: PartyHair

Sliding in earbuds, Kuroo clicked around his channel. Immediately, his latest video began to autoplay.

“Welcome back, everyone! It’s your boy Yuuji…”

Kuroo frowned. This guy was fucking smokin’. A chiseled face, perfectly styled bleached hair, and was that a fucking tongue piercing?

He groaned. It was a secret wish of his to get blown by a guy with a tongue piercing. What if it was Kenma’s too?

A voice in his head told him he was being a total dumbass right now. And obviously, he didn’t think that Kenma would ever cheat on him--or actually leave him--based on who around him happened to be hot and have piercings. But Kuroo was still fucking mad about it.

After watching over an hour’s worth of PartyHair’s videos, Kuroo had brewed himself a fat pot of Old Man Grumpiness, complete with a dash of edge and a sprinkle of angst. One that he was still letting simmer when Kenma peeked into his room later.

“Good night.”

“Night,” Kuroo borderline growled, curling up under his blanket.

Kenma quirked an eyebrow in response. “I think you need to sleep.” 

Sending incoherent mutters in response, he heard Kenma quietly click the door closed.

Kuroo would be damned if he waited his whole life to get this boy’s attention, only to lose it in a matter of weeks.

But he was still being a little bitch the next day, as Bokuto noted when they got lunch together.

“I’m not being a little bitch,” Kuroo crossed his arms, watching with annoyance as Bokuto scarfed down a burrito. “I’m just--I’m just pissed that he’s spending so much time with some other dude, y’know? We’ve only been dating a few weeks. Shouldn’t our hands always be in each other’s pants?”

Bokuto nearly choked, letting out a boisterous laugh. “Why the fuck would you assume that?”

“I don’t know!”

He shook his head. “Dude, if it really bothers you that much, why don’t you just talk to Kenma about it?”

“Because I don’t want him to think I’m some kind of possessive creep.” He leaned his cheek on his hand dejectedly.

“But you are some kind of pos-”

“Thanks, Bo, I get it.” He stared down at his untouched food.

“Look,” Bokuto gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “relationships are about communication, right? I always tell Akaashi what’s on my mind.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kuroo had heard plenty of times, from Akaashi himself, how it could be a little overwhelming to hear every passing thought about is it possible for two people on opposite ends of the universe to experience sunrise and sunset at the same time? And sometimes it was things like what do you think dirt actually tastes like? 

“Me and Kenma don’t really work that way.”

Bokuto grinned knowingly. “Kuroo, which of us has been in a successful long-term relationship?”

He groaned, knowing exactly where this was going. “You.”

“And which of us was miserable until he listened to my genius advice to confess to Kenma?”

“Me…”

“Exactly,” Bokuto shot off some finger guns, before stealing some food off of his plate. “So maybe listen to the love expert this time around.”

He hated the fact that Bokuto was right, that he actually knew more about these things than Kuroo. But he didn’t need the reminder to know that Bo was an expert in loving people, was just natural at being adored and loved by everyone in the room. Kuroo, on the other hand, was not that kind of person. He was a little shit--and glad to be. But he didn’t want to only be a little shit to Kenma. He wanted to be a very nice shit, that smelled like roses. That you might want to cuddle with during a cold night. Okay, he was bad at metaphors.

                                                              ♠

Kenma slid a hand over his face. “There’s more?”

He’d found himself having a peculiar problem ever since Kuroo had wandered into his room with a towel on. The entire internet was thirsting over his boyfriend.

The chat was spammed with comments, and within a few minutes, his Twitter was flooded with screenshots of Kuroo’s abs.

ana_the_beara: who the f**k is this hottie?! @ kodzuken

kr1kit: @ kodzuken says that’s just his roommate…

chanchan28: oh my god they were roommates

Kuroo had wandered into his room for all of one minute and now he had to deal with hundreds of thirst tweets, questions about his dating life, and speculations about Mr. Wet Abs’ identity. It was all a bit much for him to handle. (Though he did have to give credit to the people who made memes and edits during the stream, seemingly seconds after the whole thing even happened.)

He had a ton of damage control to do, especially considering how he and Yuuji were supposed to be dropping hints that they were together. He hoped that the other Youtuber wouldn’t be mad about it.

“That’s actually so funny,” Yuuji laughed on their phone call, scrolling through the memes. “But it could be a big help! It’ll, like, make more noise, y’know? Get people talking, which will get us more views.”

So that was one thing he didn’t have to worry about. But this whole “possibly-dating-other-online-people” business was starting to feel like more trouble than it was worth, as much as he liked hanging out with Yuuji. 

How long did this have to go on for anyway? He’d much rather spend time with Kuroo. Speaking of Kuroo…

Maybe he could go for a movie tonight. So what if his homework was a day late?

                                                              ♠

Kuroo was on the couch with his laptop, in the middle of solving equations that he should have done earlier, when Kenma walked into the living room.

“Hey, I have some free time. Want to watch a movie?” He settled in beside Kuroo, criss-crossing his legs.

He glanced at Kenma, before returning his gaze to his laptop. “I have work to do.” Shit, that’d sounded too sharp. Now Kenma was looking at him with furrowed brows. “It’s...homework.” He added awkwardly, as though that explained his terrible mood.

“Are you okay?” Came the inevitable question, gentle as it always was, laced with concern.

‘I’m fine,’ was what he’d wanted to say. That was not what came out.

“Oh so you want to hang out with me just because your schedule cleared up?”

He got a look of bewilderment in return, and looked away, his skin heating with embarrassment and anger.

A hand reached over and Kenma slowly closed his laptop, looking at him directly. He couldn’t bring his eyes to meet that catlike gaze.

“Are you saying that I don’t make time for you?”

There was the question. The confrontation.

“Well, you don’t.” As he said it, he felt like a petulant child, throwing a fit over nothing. But he couldn’t stop himself.

“Kuro, we’re both in a busy time right now. You know that.” His voice was measured despite the irritation that colored it.

He turned now, arms crossed and eyes glaring. “Why don’t you go hang out with Yuuji?” He spat the name.

Kenma blinked. Processed. “...You’re not seriously jealous of Yuuji?” Halfway between a question and a statement.

His shoulders scrunched as he sunk into the couch, silent.

                                                              ♠

“Oh my god. Is that why you've been acting so weird lately?” He took Kuroo’s silence as an invitation to invade his space, gently pushing away the laptop and scooting even closer.

“You’ve been spending so much time with him! And half your followers think you’re fucking.”

“What does it matter if they think that when I’m fucking you?”

Kuroo huffed, turning his head away again.

“Kuroo, what does it matter when you’re the only person I masturbate to?”

He whipped his head back immediately, overcome by a blush that had already infected not only his cheeks, but also Kenma’s.

“I’m the only person you masturbate to?”

Now it was Kenma’s turn to look away. “I--I’ve been into you since forever. You already know that.”

He grinned. “But this is another level, kitty cat.”

Kenma groaned in frustration, his tied-back hair unable to cover the embarrassment on his face. “I’m out of here.”

“Kenma,” Kuroo said, in both shock and amusement at his boyfriend’s reaction. He didn’t have time to say anything else before Kenma was off the couch, out the room--

“Hey!” He scrambled to his feet, following after him. Kenma was fast, but not fast enough. Kuroo caught his hand in the hallway. He was anticipating a struggle, but didn’t receive one--Kenma’s face was turned away, but their hands were nonetheless linked together.

He led his embarrassed boyfriend into the room where this whole mess started, walking past the gaming setup and settling on Kenma’s bed. He sat among the pillows, but the bed’s owner settled in the farthest corner towards the wall, pressing his hands to his cheeks as though to absorb the redness.

“I masturbate to you, too.”

The confession relaxed Kenma’s shoulders, but his voice still came out quietly, “I always wondered--” He interrupted himself, shook his head. “Sometimes, I...I heard you doing it.”

Kuroo raised his eyebrows. “Me masturbating?” The answer to his question came in the form of sheepish nods. “...Did you like what you heard?”

“I--yeah, idiot!” 

                                                             ♠

A pillow landed on Kuroo’s face, earning his laughter. A devilish smile grew on his face. “Well, if you liked that song, I can give you a concert.” He was already shrugging out of his shirt. “You’ve got the best seat in the house.” 

Maybe Terushima had a sexy piercing and some of Kenma’s time, but only Kuroo had the honor of gracing his boyfriend’s fantasies. And he was going to prove just how grateful he was.

“Did you see the news articles about your little display in my room?”

Kuroo snorted as he settled back, getting comfortable. “Did I make you jealous?”

“No,” he answered too quickly, crossing his arms. “Idiot.”

He let out his dorky hyena laugh, which, to Kenma, somehow sounded sexy. Before he could say anything else, Kuroo put on an enticing, yet filthy show for him to watch, which he may have participated in. Which may have involved a fantasy of a steamy shower in a lake house that they’d visited as kids.

When the show was over, they both settled back against the pillows breathlessly.

“Kuroo,” He began with a quirked brow, “if you were thinking of shower sex, then why set it in the cabin?”

He felt Kuroo’s chest shake as he laughed. “You’re finding plot holes in my masturbation fantasies?”

“Well, yeah.”

“It’s because...it’s scenic.”

Kenma scoffed at the obvious lie. “Come on, you’re clearly in a sharing mood today.”

“All right,” Kuroo sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “It’s because that summer...when we first visited that cabin...it’s when I first realized I love you.”

His heart skipped a beat. “It was?” Suddenly he racked his brain, trying to remember anything special that happened, any sign that Kuroo’s feelings towards him had changed. But there was nothing. They’d acted like dumb kids during that week away, just like they had every week before that.

“Yeah.” Kuroo smiled. Not that devilish grin of his, but one that was more honest, that spread over his face easily. “It was actually because of your mom.”

“What? Stop joking--”

“It’s not a joke!” He laughed, meeting Kenma’s eyes. “It really was because of her. I wanted to go to the deeper part of the lake without any adult supervision, and she wasn’t having it. It went something like…”

“I want to go in the lake.” Insisted young Kuroo, pointing to the opposite shore. “Me and Kenma wanna see the fish.”

“No, Tetsurou.” Mrs. Kozume tutted. “What if something happens while you’re over there and we can’t help you?”

“But I can swim! I won’t drown.”

She put her hands on her hips. “What if Kenma drowns? Will you be happy if I die from a heart attack?”

“But I didn’t even hear what she was saying,” he chuckled. “Me drowning was one thing, but putting you in danger...that was something I could never risk.”

Kenma had no idea how Kuroo could do it--could make him fall in love more and more.

“I thought about it a lot. But I decided that if someone else drowned--this is gonna sound horrible,” He shook his head, smiling. “If someone else drowned, I wouldn’t be nearly as upset. Except maybe my dad, but. The point is, I cared about you more than anyone else. Your mom must have been happy because I dropped the idea of going that deep into the lake.”

“Can we stop talking about my mom?”

Kuroo broke into another laugh. “Fine, fine. There were a few times at the lake that I thought about kissing you, but I chickened out each time...I really wish you’d been my first kiss.”

Kenma felt his chest expand. He knew how much Kuroo regretted fooling around with other people before they’d started dating. “...You don’t remember, do you?”

He received a curious head tilt in response. “Remember what?”

                                                             ♠

“My eleventh birthday.”

“Wha--” Kuroo broke off his own question in confusion. “I remember your eleventh birthday. It was a few months after we visited the lake. Didn’t we have a sleepover?”

Kenma nodded. “We did. But that’s not what I mean.”

“Enlighten me.”

“All right. But give me the blanket first. I’m cold.”

“Even while resting in my loving arms?” Kuroo sighed dramatically, before pulling the blanket up over them. “There. Now tell me.”

“Okay,” Kenma tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, looking at a spot on the wall. “My mom bought me that cake. Do you remember? The one with the hedgehog on it.”

“Right. Because you liked Sonic, but you wanted him to look like a real hedgehog.”

“Yeah,” He nodded. “And she only told us to eat one piece so we wouldn’t get hyper. But then she went to sleep and we ate mochi instead?”

“Because it’d take longer for her to notice it was gone.” Kuroo grinned.

“You got this bit of chocolate on your nose. And you were laughing about something--I don’t know what it was, but it felt like a light inside of me switched on.”

“Your gay awakening?”

He snorted. “Basically. But that wasn’t what I wanted to tell you.”

“What, Kenma?” Kuroo whined. “You’re leaving me in suspense here.”

Kenma ignored him. “Do you also remember how you said you wanted to stay up all night long? And then you fell asleep at 11:30.”

“Well we were playing volleyball all day!”

He chuckled. “Well...before you fell asleep, we were talking. You asked me if there were any girls I liked.”

Kuroo’s eyebrows rose upwards. “And what did you say?”

“Anyway, Kuroo...have you ever kissed anyone?” Newly-eleven-year-old Kenma asked as Kuroo yawned.

“Me? No.” He shook his head sleepily. 

Kenma turned over to his side, looking at Kuroo intently. Kuroo, with his messy hair covering half his face and his arms tucked behind his head, stared comfortably at the ceiling. 

“Is there anyone you want to kiss?” Kenma asked, his heart beating faster.

“Mm, I dunno.” Kuroo turned over to face him. “I’d need practice.”

“We could practice.” He said before he could think better of the words, his pulse in his ears. He started to think of something to say, to cover it up--

“Mhm.”

Kenma’s breath stopped in his lungs. He scrunched up his face, gathered up the courage, and planted a peck right on Kuroo’s mouth. The world tilted, forever changed.

“...Kuroo?”

The only reply he got was a loud snore.

“No way.” Kuroo burst into laughter, much to Kenma’s annoyance. “I was asleep?!”

“You were, you ass.” Kenma rolled his eyes. “It was so embarrassing.”

“I guess that’s why you never mentioned it, huh.” Kuroo said, pulling Kenma’s hair free from its ponytail to run his fingers through it. He supposed that he was forgiven for the actions of his twelve-year-old self when Kenma hummed contentedly and leaned into his touch. “Actually,” he said with a small smile, “I’m kinda happy that happened. Because it means we were each other’s first kiss.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“And you’re gonna be my last kiss, too.”

“...Kuroo?” Kenma gave him that cute, furrowed-brow look.

“When we’re all old and wrinkly, you’ll still be the only person I wanna kiss.”

Kenma scoffed, turning over. “What a dork.” But there was no hiding the pink that had bloomed on his cheeks.

                                                             ≡

“So,” Kenma said to his camera, leaning back in his gaming chair. “Next question: what is Kodzuken’s sexuality? Ah, I might need some help with this one.” He picked up his phone, dialing a number before putting it to his ear. “Can you come in here? I need you for a minute.”

A moment later, his door opened. “You called, kitty cat?”

“I told you to stop calling me that.” Kenma scoffed. “Anyway, come here. I need to tell my viewers what my sexuality is.” He gestured to the camera.

Kuroo squatted beside his chair, rubbing his chin in thought. “Ah, Kodzuken’s sexuality...well, it doesn’t matter, does it? Because he's mine.”

He suppressed a chuckle, but a smile still leaked from his lips. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

“No problem.” He stood, pressing a kiss to Kenma’s cheek. “Don’t be too long, okay? I’m making dinner.”

“Okay.”

Upon hearing the door click closed, he turned back to the camera. “Well, this answers the next question: who is Mr. Wet Abs?” Kenma waved his hands, knowing he’d later edit in pictures of them together. “He’s not just my roommate. He’s my boyfriend.”

And whatever he’d have to deal with--however many questions, comments, or gaudy headlines--it was worth it.

Ending notes: a million thanks to both my good friend ana and the lovely lauren for beta-ing this fic for me <3 and thank YOU for reading! please feel free to let me know what you think :D

my ao3

my instagram: @ spade.yy

[eldritchsurveys]

930.

What may I call you? >> Mordred is fine.

Where are you right now, exactly? >> My bedroom.

Over or under 18? >> I’m over 18.

Have you been watching the Stanley Cup play-offs? (GO BRUINS!) >> No.

Ever believed your house was/is haunted? If yes, why; what happens? >> I lived in a studio in 2009 (my only time living alone) that I suspected had something hanging around. I was the first occupant, though (new building), so it couldn’t have been from a former resident, and I have no idea how else it could have accrued a haunting. Unless the site itself was haunted, I guess. I have no idea what kind of land the building was built on.

The building you live inside; how long ago was it built? >> According to the google search I just did, it was built in 1987, which makes me the same age as the building I live in.

Ever travel internationally? >> No.

If you could go anywhere RIGHT NOW, where would it be? And why? >> I don’t want to go anywhere right now.

Do you fancy someone currently? Tell me about them! >> No.

Ever have a big ol' crush on someone you've never met in person? If so, did you ever tell them you did? >> I’ve been attracted to people I knew online, yes. And yes, I’ve told most of them.

What makes you feel luxurious? >> I’m not sure. I don’t know when I last felt that exact way.

Do you enjoy drinking scotch as much as I do? >> Probably not.

What have you done that makes you proud of yourself? >> Well, I kept playing FFXIV instead of quitting forever in shame and telling myself I’ll never be any good at it. Believe it or not, that’s a milestone.

What makes you envy someone? >> Usually I envy people who seem to have had very little instability or suffering in their lives, because their brains work.

For you, is jealousy something that makes you more sad or angry-feeling? >> If you still mean envy, then it can be either one. I don’t experience jealousy as in relationship jealousy.

Do you get the munchies? >> I don’t smoke, so...

Every been to Germany? If so, what part? >> No.

Do you buy newspapers just for the puzzles? >> No, I have an app for newspaper crosswords.

Describe any tattoos or piercings you may have...? >> I don’t want to, I feel like I’ve described them a million times.

When's the last time you smacked someone's butt? (Or been smacked :P) >> That’s not a thing I do or encourage having done to me.

Do you enjoy making art? If so, what's your style like? >> I don’t make art.

Were you a shy child? >> I don’t know. I was mostly a distant child, I think.

Ever wanna run away with the circus? >> No.

What is the closest object to your feet right now? >> My weighted blanket, which is folded over the second half of the bed because it’s too hot to use.

Reach behind you- do you feel anything? What is it? >> The wall.

Is English your second language? >> No.

Have you ever designed and constructed your own clothing? >> I’ve altered clothing, but not designed and constructed from scratch.

What's the very last digit in your phone number? >> 3.

Is your house an odd or even number? >> This building is even-numbered.

Do you have a favorite superhero? Who? >> I like Iron Man and Doctor Strange. Also, does Promethea count?

What power would you like to receive, if given the option? >> I don’t know. The power of brain that work good.

Ever punch someone in the nose? >> No.

...will you write me a haiku? >> No.

What was the last thing that really delighted you? >> Probably a scene in FFXIV. For example, I did a lot of moogle sidequests today and moogles are fucking adorable.

Do you wear skin-colored clothes? >:C >> I don’t have any brown clothing, no.

Ever eat German cuisine? If so, what'd ya have? >> Yeah, I ate at Bavarian Inn on one of our yearly trips to Frankenmuth (which is a kind of... German-inspired tourist town or something -- we go there every fall for the giant world-famous Christmas store that’s also there). I don’t remember what I ordered, though. German cuisine, while hearty, isn’t dramatic or varied enough for me, though.

Do you have conversations with any animals? >> Well, yeah.

Do you have a little sibling? If so, are you protective of her/him? >> No.

Recommend me a good book? >> I don’t know you and I cannot recommend you a book.

Can you sleep on your back? (I can't, I feel too vulnerable!) >> I can, but I usually end up on my side eventually.

What's the last special thing you did for someone? (Buy, cook, etc.) >> I don’t know.

Did you cook something today? If so, what was it? >> No.

Ever baked ALL day? >> No.

Can you recognize the smell of death? >> A dead person? I mean, I could probably figure out what I’m smelling if I suddenly caught a whiff of a corpse. It seems pretty... singular.

Ever known a mortician or a coroner?? (Now you do!) >> Oh, that’s neat. Mortuary science is so fucking cool. Unfortunately, I don’t actually know you, so I still don’t know any morticians or coroners. :(

What makes you feel good about yourself? >> That’s a good question. I’m working on that.

Could you ever be some type of counselor for kids/teens? >> No.

Do you enjoy getting dressed up for no real reason? >> I imagine that could be fun. I don’t think it’d ever occur to me to do it, though.

What are you afraid of? >> Stuff.

Ever been to a maximum security prison? You, or just visiting? >> No.

Do you think mint toothpaste is too minty? >> I don’t.

How is a raven like a writing desk? >> Heh.

Are you currently eating or drinking something? If so, what? >> Aside from the occasional sip of water, no.

Do you own striped socks? What colors are your favorite ones? >> No.

Black Metal ist Krieg. Agree or Disagree? >> Eh. I mean, I listen to black metal, but I’m not going to make a big deal out of it.

Are there any numbers that have significance to you? >> Yes, 9 and 19.

Do you know how to read palms or tarot or anything else like that? >> I’m passable at reading tarot. For myself, that is.

Do you own any bones or other preserved organic ..things? >> Unfortunately not. Accepting all bone donations.

What do you think about internet piracy? >> I support the mateys.

Do you know anything about Nordic runes? >> I wouldn’t say I know anything about futhark, exactly. The fact that I have Mannaz tattooed on my hand notwithstanding.

How do you feel about children? >> I don’t have a particular feeling about children. It’s all dependent.

Whatcha looking forward to right now? >> Nothing.

How do you feel about clowns? >> I’m indifferent to clowns.

Are any of your friends clown by profession? >> No.

Do you put grated cheese on popcorn? (Yum!) >> I don’t eat popcorn.

Do you thing anyone ever actually gets in trouble for having milkcrates? >> Like, in their home? Who’s going to give a fuck unless a store employee literally saw you take it or something?

Do you tip street performers? (YOU SHOULD.) >> Not usually. I didn’t ask them to be there, I have no obligation to them. I’ll do it if I feel moved to (and if I happen to have cash, which is the other important variable here).

What are your virtues/morals? >> I don’t have a ready list.

What do you smoke, if anything? >> I don’t.

Does being an addict make someone a bad person, in your opinion? >> No.

Have you ever experienced any type of detox? >> No.

Ever been institutionalized? ...was it because of just one pepsi? >> Ha, I haven’t heard that song in a while. Anyway, yeah, I’ve been institutionalised.

Tie up, or be tied up? >> Well, I’m a switch, so.

Ever shoot a gun that wasn't a handgun? Rifle, shotgun, etc? >> No.

Is your mother a really cool lady? >> No.

Ever suddenly find a friend very attractive but had to keep it to yourself? >> Suddenly? That seems like a weird thing to have happen, lol. I imagine someone finally getting glasses after years of seeing everything kind of blurry and putting them on and going, “holy shit, my friend’s hot as fuck!”

What time is it right now? >> 7.42p EST.

Last time it's rained? >> Uh... a couple of nights ago, I think.

Ever been through a deadly natural disaster? >> No. I mean, I was in NYC when Hurricane Sandy came plowing through, but I wasn’t exactly in any of the parts of the city that got hit-hit.

What do you do when you lose power? >> I so rarely lose power that I don’t even know. I guess I would just read, if I could. Or go so deep into boredom that suddenly I become manically creative. They say that happens, or something.

Do you have a boot fetish too? >> No.

Have you ever done home-repair stuff? >> I mean, not really. I don’t live in a home, lmao. You’re supposed to call Maintenance if something needs fixing in these apartments. (I’m willing to bet that if you try fixing something yourself and you fuck up, you’re gonna be payin for it. Better to let Maintenance deal with it. At least if they fuck it up, the complex can deal with the consequences.)

Reason you last used a knife? >> I don’t remember.

Ever tattoo or pierce yourself? What, and how did it turn out? >> Yeah, I’ve pierced various parts of my ears a few times. Most of the time it turned out fine, but eventually all the holes closed up.

Have you ever assisted in a birth? >> No.

Have you ever had a bad trip? >> Yes.

Do you ever yell at your TV/computer/video games? >> Yes.

How long do you take in the shower? >> Like 10 minutes at most.

If you could ask someone ONE thing & get 100% honesty, what would you ask? >> ---

What's the best thing you've ever found in a thrift/second hand shop? >> I don’t know.

What's one skilled craft you like to learn? >> ---

How do you feel about magicians? >> Like, illusionists? I’m indifferent to them. I agree it’s clever work, but I don’t really care about it.

What do you smell like right now? >> I don’t know. Flesh.

Tell me about the last person that made you laugh. >> ---

Who was the last person to really make you feel special? >> ---

[baronvonriktenstein]

do the 7 main OC's have any hobbies?

Hmmm good question. Let’s see what we get:

Eien doodles and sings. :3c She obsesses over fictional characters, too. That sure is a hobby. Unlike me, she probably actually writes fiction.

Kolya 100% plays video games as a hobby. He also waxes poetic about sexy monster waifus.

Ren sings and learned to play guitar as a hobby I think?

Ryu bakes for fun.  idk if I’d call that a hobby. I think he picked up piano the same way Ren picked up guitar.

Kagame Murders people I think it’d be neat if she painted. If she does, it’s oil paints. I haven’t thought about this at all until now.

Subaru plays instruments. I can’t remember.... Violin maybe. He plays pokemon to pass time but I think that’s it on that front.

Mugen was created as a doctor, but if I’m being serious he probably just reads up on medical things as a hobby. He’ll be the type to learn a bunch of weird and almost serial-killer-y shit just to know. 

I’m sure some of them read. lol

I feel like *someone* should garden for fun but I haven’t decided that either.

[talesofstyles]

I'M OBSESSED WITH THE STYLES GANG! Can you please write more with six kids in it so we can get to know the kids better? Please pleaase please! Thanks!

Thank you anon! Here I’ve got something for you. This is where the kids are older (17-26) and they’re the guests for The Late Late Show with James Corden. The format in this one is different than the ones I usually write but it’d be easier for you to read I reckon. Let me know what you think and I hope you like it!

James Corden: Oh hello, you beautiful lot! God, it’s been ages since the last time I saw you guys. How are you?

All kids: Good! Great!

James Corden: How’s mum and dad?

Eleanor: Uhm, you saw them, like, ten minutes ago back there…

James Corden: I know but it’s on the script, E… *cackles* you made me look bad on my own show

All kids: *burst into laughter*

Eleanor: Hahaha, sorry uncle James

James Corden: Apology accepted, Princess George of Cambridge *smirks*

Victoria: Whoooops

George: *smirks*

Charlotte: Not me, E… not me… *shrugs*

Charles and James: *burst into laughter*

Eleanor: Oh God *cheeks turning red*

James Corden: Hahahaha I’m sorry sweetheart. Okay, I’m not. But let’s get started! Each of you says your name and age

George: Oldest to youngest? Or?

James Corden: Yeah I think that’s a good idea

George: Okay, hello I’m George and I’m 26

Eleanor: I’m Eleanor and I’m 24

Victoria: Hi, I’m Victoria and I’m 22

James Corden: *starts singing* I don’t know about you~ but I’m feeling twenty-two~

Eleanor: Dad… not me *waves hands to the camera*

Charles: Uncle James, dad… *points to James*

James Corden: Oh you’re a brood of snitches

All kids: *burst in laughter*

James Corden: Okay, go on

James: I’m James, one of the most eligible bachelors in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and I’m 20

James Corden: *snorts* Well mate, I don’t doubt it

Charlotte: Hello, I’m Charlotte. He’s *looks at James* 20, which makes me… wait-

Charles: 17, duh!

Charlotte: Heey! *playfully hit Wolfgang’s biceps* but yeah I’m 17

Charles: I’m Charles and I’m the baby of The Styles Gang. I’m 4 minutes younger than Charlotte, so I’m also 17.

All kids: *burst in laughter*

James Corden: *shakes his head in laughter* Alright so I’m gonna pass this bowl around. Each of you gets to pick one tiny paper from there and when you pick it, you read the question that’s written in there out loud and each of you have to answer. You can answer at the same time as well if you’ve got the same answer. Ready?

All kids: Yes!

James Corden: Here you go, George

George: Alright *picks one* wait- it’s blank

James Corden: Who put it there?! *looks at the crew and chuckles*

George: Another blank. Seriously? *chuckles* ah, this one’s not blank. Alright, ‘When you wanted something, would you go to mum or dad? Or both?’

Victoria: Well, 101, you can’t go to both

James: Yeah, they’re always on the same page

George: Absolutely. When you asked mum and she said no, then you asked dad…. you’re in deep shit

Charlotte: Seriously, it’s a big deal

Eleanor: I did that and I thought I was never gonna see the daylight again *chuckles*

All kids: *laugh hysterically*

Victoria: I remember she was so scared she thought she was gonna die

James Corden: Hahahaha, how old were you?

Eleanor: Twelve? Thirteen? Couldn’t remember exactly but it was around that

George: I feel like it depends on their moods. Like, if I wanted something and I wasn’t sure how mum and dad feel about that, I’d wait until Saturday to ask them because they always wake up on their best mood literally every Saturday. I’m not kidding.

James: This is disgusting but I’m almost certain they do it every Friday night

The girls: IEWWWW! *scrunch their faces at James*

George and Charles: *shake their heads in laughter*

James: Seriously

George: You’re right. They always ditch us and go on a date night every Friday night so that makes sense

James: And you do realise how bright and chirpy they’re every Saturday, right?

James Corden: Oh yeah that’s solid right there. They definitely do it.

Charles: Also it depends on what you’re asking. If you’re asking for permission to do something then it’s mum. But if you’re asking for something, like a toy or gadget or something like that, then go to dad because dad is less fussy with that.

George: Oh yeah, that’s true! *pass the bowl to Eleanor*

Eleanor: Alright, ‘If you had children which one of your siblings would you trust to look after them?’ oh, none of these lot! I don’t trust them, I’d give them to mum and dad.

All kids: *burst in laughter*

James: Hey! You can trust me! M’gonna be t’best uncle, y’know!

Eleanor: I’m certain you’re gonna be the best uncle but I don’t trust you to parent my kids *cackles*

Charlotte: Honestly that’s a good choice, just give ‘em t’mum and dad. They won’t mess them up.

All kids: *burst in laughter*

Victoria: Alright, ‘What was your siblings’ pet names or nicknames?’ hmm, so George has always been Georgie. Eleanor is E, mine’s Viv. James is Jamesies, Charles is Charlie and Charlotte is Lola, so we used to refer to the twins as Cbeebies... you know, Charlie and Lola

James Corden: Did you guys see your dad’s bandmates a lot?

George: We went to the same school as uncle Ni’s kids, Luke and Emma, so we saw him a lot. And I was in the same football club as Luke until we were around twelve.

Victoria: Eleanor and I had ballet class with Poppy, uncle Mitch’s daughter so we saw him quite often too

James Corden: Oh that’s neat! Alright, keep going

James: ‘What was the last text you sent to each other?’ well we’ve got a group text so we usually just talk there. But wait, let me check for the private ones. *scroll through his phone* oh, it’s for Charlie *chuckles* I said, “do not come home now, mum’s pissed at dad.”

All kids: *burst in laughter*

Charles: Tha’ was last week, wasn’t it? *cackles*

James: Yeah. Mum and dad rarely fight but when they do, it’s a bloody war zone.

Charlotte: *picks one* ‘If you got a call that your sibling was in jail, what would be the first crime that comes to mind?’ Charlie or James would probably about public urination or something like that

All kids: *burst in laughter*

James: Heey!

George: Well you did pee in public in LA once

James: Tha’ was probably when I was like seven or something

George: No, that was last year!

All kids: *burst in laughter*

Charles: *picks one* ‘Who cooks best? Mum or dad?’ oh absolutely mum. Dad’s shit at cooking!

Victoria: I swear he can only cook two things: that brussels sprouts thing and chicken soup. Tha’s it.

Eleanor: But he’s good at baking

George: Mum’s good at baking too

James: Mum’s good at everything

Charles: *cough* kiss-arse *cough*

All kids: *burst in laughter*

James: Alright, we’ve still got some questions left so I think we can do another round. Your turn again, George!

George: *picks one* ‘Who’s closest to mum? And who’s closest to dad?’ I think us boys are closer to mum and the girls are closest to dad

Charlotte: True!

Eleanor: ‘What is the dumbest decision your sibling has ever made?’ *cackles* oh God. Okay, I’ve got that fly story on the top of my head now.

All kids: *burst in laughter*

Eleanor: Tell it, Viv!

Victoria: Oh God. Alright, so I was around eight or something. We had little cows on the window sill in front of the kitchen sink and one day I was in charge of the washing up after breakfast. It was Saturday I think. Suddenly I saw a fly out of nowhere when I was rinsing the dishes and I didn’t know what I was thinking, but…

James Corden: Oh I think I know where this is going… *cackles*

James: Poor little cows…

Victoria: I was like… “fly!” and eight year old me thought the smartest thing to do was to throw one of the cows to the fly. It missed so I threw another one. When it finally went out of the window, I realised I broke literally every single cow on the window sill. The broken piece was scattered all over the kitchen. Some on the floor, on the sink, even on the counter. Then I remember dad walking into the kitchen and he was like, “bloody’ell!” I was so scared but he just sighed and said, “let’s clean that up before mummy gets home.” Then we went all over London looking for bloody cows to replace them.

James Corden: Did your mum notice that the cows were different?

Eleanor: F’course she did, they couldn’t find cows so they brought home some ducks.

All kids: *burst in laughter*

George: Did you guys remember that kitchen accident?

James: Oh I was thinking about that too *chuckles*

James Corden: What? Another kitchen accident?! Styles you should’ve put a hidden camera in the kitchen!

All kids: *burst in laughter*

James: Alright, so we used to circle around the kitchen. All of us. We’d walk on top of the counter then climb up to the fridge and then get down to the counter on the other side before jumping to the kitchen island and then back to the counter over and over again.

Victoria: The rule was we couldn’t touch the floor *chuckles*

James: Mum just had the twins so she was napping with the babies and the rest of us were in the kitchen. George was here, Eleanor was there and Victoria too. I was on top of the fridge and I wanted to jump straight away to the island instead of going down to the counter first.

George: The thing was, there was an open box of cereal on the island and a jug of milk

James Corden: ……oh God *hands over his mouth*

Eleanor: We cheered him on. Like, clapping our hands

Victoria: We even chanted, “do it! do it!”

James: So I did. I jumped superman style. There was a tick of silence.

Eleanor: The kitchen was a shambles. The milk was all over the place, the cereal too! *snorts*

George: I’m the oldest so I knew I needed to act tough. I was like, “alright, s’okay, we’ve got this. We just ‘av t’clean it up.”

James Corden: Did you manage to clean the evidence?

Victoria: Here’s the funny part: we did clean the kitchen, but it turned out there was a camera in the corner. We made a home video almost every day and that’s why it was there and none of us suspected anything but it turned out that it was recording the whole time!

James Corden: Oh God, did your parents say anything?

Eleanor: They did eventually, yeah, but it was like a couple weeks later.

Victoria: Alright, is it my turn again? *picks one* ‘Are you closer now or when you were younger?’ I think we’ve always been this close. Growing up of course we had friends outside but we spent most of our time playing with each other. And sure we don’t live in the same house anymore now so things change a bit but we still see each other at least three times a week and we never stop talking in the group text so really nothing has changed.

James Corden: Aw, that’s sweet!

James: Alright, *picks one* ‘Which one is most likely to have a big family?’ oh Eleanor for sure. She’ll have a whole brood of little royals. *smirks*

Eleanor: *throws a pillow at James*

All kids: *burst in laughter*

George: James, mate, she’s gonna kill you *cackles*

James: Absolutely not, my sister loves me dearly. Right, sis?

Eleanor: I am NOT talking to you!

James: Eh, fair enough *snorts*

Charlotte: *picks one* ‘What was the biggest lie, you sibling ever told your parents?’ I couldn’t remember why but one time Charlie was so pissed at me and he came to dad and told him the worst thing he could possibly think of… he told dad I was a drug dealer.

James Corden: NO WAY! *burst in laughter*

Charlotte: Dad was like, “no, Charles, she’s not. She’s nine.” and the best thing was that dad pulled the exact same thing when he was six or something and told nana the exact same thing about auntie Gem.

George: It’s so funny every time nana tells us a story about dad because he was basically Charlie and Charlie was basically little Harry. They look exactly the same, they’ve got the same terrible sense of humour, they’re basically the same person *chuckles*

Charles: Well, good thing he’s my dad. If he’s not that’d cause a big problem right there

All kids: *bursts in laughter*

James Corden: Alright, the last question is all yours Charles

Charles: *picks one* ‘What is one thing that you really admire about your parents?’ hmm, I’d say how they love each other? That’s… man, I want to have a relationship like that one day. They disgusted us on a daily basis–still do by the way–and we always pretended that we were gonna puke every time they kissed in front of us but it’s just so amazing to see, y’know? Believe it or not they still bloody flirt all the time and yeah that’s absolutely disgusting to witness but s’also amazing.

George: That’s true, but I also wanna add about their patience? I mean they almost never raised their voice at us and I know we did some pretty messed up things when we were little that sounds funny now, sure, but it wasn’t back then.

Charlotte: Oh yeah! Usually, we’d just get “I’m disappointed in you.”

James Corden: I’ve known your folks long before you were here and I’ve always known that all six of you are gonna turn out amazing because you were raised by the coolest, best, most amazing parents out there. Hell, Styles, adopt me please! *high fived all kids*

All kids: *burst in laughter*

James Corden: Thank you for coming! S’really good to see you guys.

All kids: You’re welcome!

[sage-nebula]

Okay, now that I finally have a minute, I can finally talk about the biggest event of the day:

GEN! 8! REVEAL! FAM!!

In a way, this was not surprising at all. The official Pokémon YouTube channel had been posting promotional videos of all the main regions for the week leading up to today (Pokémon Day), and once a Direct was announced we knew that they would not use that Direct for anything less than Gen VIII. Nintendo and Game Freak have made some questionable decisions in the past, but even they would not be so foolish as to dedicate a Direct to anything but a new set of games, particularly since they’d already promised us Gen VIII would be coming out this year. (Which is why those who are angry that this announcement wasn’t for Sinnoh remakes don’t really make a lot of sense. We were promised brand new core titles for a 2019 release. This couldn’t have been anything but that.) Even so, I am still thrilled by what I saw in the trailer, and I still want to talk about it because I’m so excited.

So:

Pros:

The Region: Some leaks that had come out ages ago suggested that the region could be based off the UK, and I’m so happy to see that was true. (Very little else in the leaks came true, but I’m okay with that, too; Sword and Shield are much better version names than Crown and Scepter.) The region itself looks like it’s going to be beautiful, both in terms of its countryside areas and its urban areas. It reminds me a bit of Unova in that way, how there’s a bit of a divide there, and with that divide emphasized in this reveal trailer, I wonder if that’s going to affect the plot. Either way, I’m truly excited about the region itself, particularly with some of the shots of it that we saw (both interior and exterior) in the trailer.

The Graphics: On that note, the graphics are so nice! There’s so much detail everywhere! In particular I can’t help but think of shots like the library the female trainer was standing in near the end, or the various towns the characters ran through . . . I know some people were hoping for hyper realistic graphics, but that’s never been Pokémon’s style. I’m just glad that these games are so, so much prettier than Let’s Go. I’m so glad all the models and the environment was fixed.

Random Battles are Back In: Speaking of things that were fixed, we can actually train our pokémon again! I was very relieved when I saw that, haha.

Gyms: We’re also back to the Gym system, which is also something of a relief. Honestly, I don’t mind the concept of the Island Trials, but I don’t feel that it was implemented well at all. The Trials themselves were basic and empty, and in many ways felt like watered down Gyms. In USUM it was even worse since you weren’t even allowed to explore during them (and instead had the Captain walking you through the Trials, such as in Mallow’s). Since they weren’t going to get creative with the Trials, I’m glad they’ve scrapped them to go back to the Gym system. Hopefully we’ll get a dark-type Gym this time around.

The Starters: The starters are all so cute! My favorite is Scorbunny (whom I keep calling Scorbunny-bun, haha), but I like Sobble and Grookey as well. Which one I pick will depend on the final evolutions (since I can’t just not look, although I will say I do miss the days of my youth when final evolutions were a surprise and you picked your starter based on first impression), just like which version I get will depend on version differences, but at the moment, if I had to just pick today? It would be Scorbunny. Little soccer bunbun is so cute, I love him. (Sobble would be my second choice, and Grookey my third.)

The Trainers: I LOVE BOTH OF THE TRAINER DESIGNS SO MUCH!! I actually feel like trainer customization might not be back in (more on that in the next section) because we didn’t see any customization in the trailer, and both of the designs are more detailed this time around (whereas the boy design at the least is usually generic in customizable games). But even if we don’t, I’m fine with that. I love both of the designs. I do wish the girl was able to wear pants for the snowy areas, but I love her sweater and her haircut, and the boy’s hat is cute. Really, they’re both fashionable and cute kids. I love them.

The Box Mascots: Of course we know nothing of the legendaries (legendary?) yet, but they look very lupine and I’m excited about that. GIVE ME MY SWORD WOLF, GAME FREAK!!

The Cons:

No Trainer Customization?: We might get a surprise here and that might be back in after all, but right now it looks like it might not be, so that’s a potential con for me.

No Following Pokémon?: Most of the shots that we saw of the gameplay looked empty (for instance, no other NPCs in town shots), so maybe we will get following pokémon and they’re just not able to show that yet. Bu tif we don’t, that’s also something that will make me sad, albeit it’s also something I can live with, haha.

No Pokémon in Overworld: While I am THRILLED that wild battles are back because that’s a deal breaker for me, one thing I actually did like about Let’s Go is that you could see pokémon on the overworld, and I do wish they had implemented that here. But again, I can live with it not being implemented, haha. I’m fine with wild battles, too.

The Miscellaneous:

Professor?: The leaks I talked about earlier mentioned that these games have no professor, and that we instead receive our starters from a princess. No idea if that’s true or not yet, obviously, but if it’s not and we do still have a professor, I want them to be either Poké David Attenborough or Poké Jane Goodall. (And on a related note, if the monarchy is in this game, let me throw down with the queen pls.)

Give Us the Great Galaran Bake Off: You know how each gen has a little side gimmick? Like we had Contests in Gen III, Super Contests in IV, PokéStar Studios in V, and so on? Give us Bake Off in Gen VIII. The Great British Bake Off has popularity that transcends its borders and it would be so great to implement that into these games. The bonus is that when the Galar anime starts up, there can be an episode where Ash somehow makes his way into the tent as a baker (and I say somehow, because you have to audition and everything and prove yourself worthy of being there irl and Ash cannot cook or bake for anything) and then is the first person eliminated because his pastries have soggy bottoms and are not crisp, and also his cakes have overbaked sponges and you cannot see the layers in there at all. (I hope the anime gives us that episode even if we don’t have the gimmick in the games. Come on, PokéAni. Show us the forbidden Poké Mary Berry and Poké Paul Hollywood, along with Poké Mel and Sue.)

Anime’s English Dub: On that note, I both am and am not looking forward to TPCi hiring garbage actors who will absolutely brutalize every single British* accent they have in their cast. If it was 4Kids, I would trust them to hire actors who know what they’re doing. But TPCi? I remember what they did to Alan. I’ll never forget nor will I ever forgive what they did to Alan. They hired a no-name rando off the street who had no talent whatsoever to voice Alan. If they do try to make the Galaran characters British, there is no way those accents will be passable. It will be a travesty. That said, if the PokéAni actually had a good job with a talented cast, I would pay them actual money to make Ash’s female companion have a Cockney or south London accent. I LOVE those accents and I would love to have a character with one on the main cast. They could also give Ash’s male companion (should he have one) a Scottish accent to just complete the whole dynamic and it’d be incredible. Like I know they’d probably go for standard pronunciation, but god what I wouldn’t give for regional accents for an English dub of the Galaran anime. It would be incredible. (*I said British instead of English here because not all British accents are English. Scotland is part of Britain, and therefore a Scottish accent is a British accent, for example. So believe me, I wasn’t conflating British and English; I know the difference, and I was incorporating all of them.) 

Unova vs. Galar Rivalry: I want to see some (friendly) rivalry between Unova and Galar, just like those posts from Ye Olde Tumblr where Americans and Brits would get into “fights” over things. Obviously Unova is not the only United States region (Alola and Orre also exist), but it’s the one up in New England, and the one most blatantly American, I feel. It’d be neat to see that in the game. (And on an unrelated note, was Galar the region that warred with Kalos 3,000 years ago? Hmm . . .)

All in all, I’m super excited and I just can’t wait for these games. November can’t come fast enough (and neither can more info, haha)!

[askblueberrymuffin]

REALLY LONG CHARACTER SURVEY.

RULES. repost ,   don’t  reblog  !  good  luck  !

TAGGED. @vertebralheights sorta? TAGGING. I dunno, do what u want

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Sans Gaster

NICKNAME:  Blueberry, Muffin, Blue

AGE: 23

BIRTHDAY: July 1st, 20XX

ETHNIC GROUP: Skeleton/Shadow Monster

NATIONALITY: Underground??

LANGUAGE(S): English, Wingdings(?)

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Asexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:  Forever alone Single

CLASS: Middle class? Maybe upper middle when their mom was around?

HOMETOWN / AREA: Snowdin

CURRENT HOME: Still Snowdin, same house and everything

PROFESSION: Sentry, but he’ll likely pursue higher education soon

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Skeleton?

EYES: Usually cerulean blue.

NOSE:  Nope

FACE:  Boney (har har)

LIPS:  Still skeleton

COMPLEXION: Guess what? Skeleton

WEIGHT:  Like, 9 lbs.

BUILD: Bony boi

FEATURES:  Solid shadow? In skull and ribcage? Also tiny nubby tail

ALLERGIES: Straight up a magic skeleton

USUAL HAIRSTYLE: No?

USUAL FACE LOOK: A bright smile

USUAL CLOTHING: So many sweaters. Too many sweaters. And baggy pants. And cerulean boots. Of course all topped off with his scarf, tied as a bandana.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR(S): His brothers dying, Cake killing himself(again), Cake self harming(more), being abandoned, hurting others, using others, being alone, fire, being burned, the kitchen, ice picks, chisels, sledge hammers, lighters, people getting hurt because of him, people dying because of him-- *SLAPS ROOF OF SANS* THIS BAD BOI CAN FIT SO MANY FEARS and he hides them all so they never get any better, someone help him oh my god--

ASPIRATION(S) : He wants to help others however he can. He also would really like to be come a scientist, but he puts that aside for the former

POSITIVE TRAITS: Excitable, loving, affectionate, intelligent, optimistic, resourceful, adaptable, perseverance, determination, overwhelming kindness and forgiveness

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Depressed, fakes many emotions, fakes many situations, fakes his persona, shoves his own feelings aside constantly, takes all the blame, always takes the fall, forgives instantly, never blames anyone, too trusting, can be absent minded, easily distracted, never honest about his own feelings to other or to himself, won’t tell people when they’re hurting him, will do almost anything you tell him, he’s entirely too codependent, his entire life revolves around his brothers, if you take that away he doesn’t know who he is anymore, he’s content now but if he were to ever not be, that is a very, very steep slope with no coming back. Get this baby a therapist, someone.

ZODIAC: A hecking crab Cancer

TEMPERAMENT: He only gets upset when bad stuff happens to others or they talk bad about themselves. Otherwise you could literally stab him and-- WAIT people literally did torture him and he was not at all upset! Ahhh--

SOUL TYPE(S):  Monster Soul?

ANIMALS:  Probably some kind of dog. He’d be the goodest good boy.

VICE  HABIT(S): He stress bakes and stress cleans. Don’t take that for innocence as he’s tried other things. A lot of other things. But he has 1 HP, hates the choking feel of smoke and can’t get drunk if his life depended on it. ...Perhaps it isn’t so innocent though, looking at all he does.

FAITH: Who needs gods when you’re a massive science nerd

GHOSTS?: Yes?

AFTERLIFE?: He believes there is none. A part of him hopes he is wrong.

REINCARNATION?: He’s a science nerd, he hasn’t put much thought into this stuff.

ALIENS?: He believes with the vastness of the universe, likely? He wants to meet one.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Heavy shrugging? He only wishes the Queen were more open.

ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE: None in particular

SOCIOPOLITICAL POSITION: He’s content where things are.

EDUCATION LEVEL: High school. He hopes to change this now that they actually have money--

FAMILY.

FATHER: Wingdings Gaster

MOTHER: D̵̀́͟͜r̶̶̶̛̕.̴̀ ̷̡̨̢P̶̧e̢̡̕n̷̷̨̧u̴̶m̡̛͘͠͠b̧͞͠r̴̷̨͞ą̧̛͘ ̸̨G̴̡͜͜͠a̵͜s̢̀͜t̢e͠҉̕͟r̷͏̢̢̀

SIBLINGS: Papyrus ‘Cake’ Gaster (younger), Papyrus ‘Rex’ (older)

EXTENDED FAMILY: Sakura Shalie (niece), Martin Magnus (nephew)

NAME MEANING(S): I dunno, ask their mom OH WAIT-- (imsorry)

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: His mom was the royal scientist, while his dad killed the human who possessed the soul of integrity. Perhaps in certain timelines caused by a certain human, he may have been more historically important (winkwinknudgenudge)

FAVORITES.

BOOK: Pffff-- Textbooks, old scientific studies, non-fiction, history texts, books on space, really just picture anything nerdy. He loves it. Oh yeah, and sci-fi.

MOVIE: The first Star Wars film, he will fight

5 SONGS: Dollhouse, Sleeping Powder, More Than Words, Squid Melody [Blue Version], Cut My Hair

DEITY: Can I just put Phil Swift here? I’m doing it.

HOLIDAY: Christmas

MONTH:  July. Birthday time!

SEASON: Indifferent. They all seem the same to him.

PLACE: Quiet places no one else can reach

WEATHER: Storms. Rain storms on the surface.

SOUND: Laughter

SCENT(S):  Laundry, baking, cooking

TASTE(S): He loves tomatoes? In juice, sandwiches, food in general? Yeah.

FEEL(S):  Warm, soft, physical contact with other living beings.

ANIMAL(S): He loves dogs? All dogs. So many dogs. He wants to pet them all. All dogs.

NUMBER: 9 now. XD

COLORS: He likes orange and blue. He says his favourite colours are his dad’s eyes. Which sounds adorable tbh--

EXTRA.

TALENTS: He’s a little smarty pants with a good memory. Helpful for science, helpful for reloads. He’s decent at cooking and is much, much to physically strong for his 1 HP?? He also has quite the great handle on his magic. Fighting him isn’t fun, at all. He’s only been fairly beaten once. He’s empathetic, great at reading people and a masterful deceiver. He could be a super villain with his manipulation abilities tbh, but he just hates the idea of using people.

BAD AT:  He acts before he thinks. He switches from topic to topic and overpowers conversation. He’s quick to defend others and gets himself hurt like this more often than not, and mentally he’s an absolute wreck. He can be overbearing and clingy though, especially to those close to him. The more paranoid he becomes, the more annoying he seems in these ways.

HOBBIES: Reading, cooking, cleaning. He’s starting to get back into actual hobbies like reading with Rex around. He used to just not have them.

TROPES:  He is about the best supporting ally and mom friend one can be. His best quality is being able to lift people up high. He however, cannot do this to himself.

AESTHETIC TAGS:  #space , #baking

GPOY  QUOTES: ((I don’t know what this is--))

FC INFO.

MAIN  FC(S): No

ALT FC(S): Nope

OLDER FC(S): Nuh-uh

YOUNGER  FC(S): Nadda

VOICE CLAIM(S): ((I have no idea?? The closest would be Cryaotic but I honestly have no idea the specifics))

GENDERBENT FC(S): Nah

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1: if you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?:  If I were to write it??? It would turn into something psychological or horror related. Blue would fit wonderfully in a deconstruction of the human(or i guess skeleton??) mind. Hopefully it’d be about him seeming alright but being an absolute mess and managing to realize there is indeed a problem and work through his issues with friends, family and some professional help. That’d be lovely.

Q2: what would their soundtrack / score sound like?:  He listens to anything catchy, though likes chiptune and electronica. He’d probably make his own soundtrack out of other video game soundtracks though, he’s a doofus.

Q3: why did you start writing this character?: I... Don’t know?? Huh. Guess I did a little bit about... Three years back? I didn’t do a whole lot with him, but that’s around when he met his niece and nephew. Hm.

Q4: what first attracted you to this character?:  Papyrus is my favourite undertale character. Sans is my second favourite. Mash them together and what do you get? A cool science boy! A sad cool science boy that covers his pain with laughter and smiles. Someone help him.

Q5: describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse: He won’t let anyone in, in any way that matters. He’s affectionate to everyone and it would be so easy to use and abuse him. He so strong in some areas and so weak in others. His whole life is his brothers and I’m often lost as to what I should make him do as he doesn’t keep hobbies really due to being busy. He never sleeps, works himself to exhaustion and picks everyone up despite being hurt himself. He thinks he knows what he is but he’s wrong. He thinks he’s fine but he’s not. He denies these problems in himself so hard that even he’s deceived by his act. It’s frustrating in a way even if it is interesting? As a writer I want to break him apart and crush him but as a person I want someone, anyone to finally see through this and HELP him. But no matter the hints I give or things I mention, no one has tried. I suppose he just hides it too well. Ahh...

Q6: what do you have in common with your muse?: Super depressed! Uh-- Ha, put up a mask. Hide pain with jokes. Try to see the silver lining in situations. Loooove space. And science. Psychology’s a huge yes.

Q8: what characters does your muse have interesting interactions with?: Citrus is always neat. Rex and him also have an extremely interesting dynamic. Fluff and him are adorable and fun, and I want so much more of them. Sakura’s is hilarious because she’s literally a god in her multiverse and she’s just accepted him as being able to break all laws of space and time

Q9: what gives you inspiration to write your muse?:  The interactions and dynamics he creates with other characters as well as the unique story and plot aspects that can be created!

Q10: how long did this take you to complete?:  At least two hours. Maybe longer. Oh jeez--

[truthofherdreams]

please don’t stop the music (3)

also on ao3

There is something almost comforting about classes starting, even though Lara Jean has to get acquainted with a whole new set of professors and fellow students. But there is something to be said about waking up every morning with a purpose, and keeping her mind busy with lectures, readings and homework. Chris thinks her crazy for how organised she is – from her pastel highlighters to her neat notes to her pretty schedule above her desk –, not that Lara Jean pays her mind. They might get along, but it soon becomes clear Chris and she have opposite views on their academic performances. Which is fine with Lara Jean, really. Nobody can be at the top, that’s why it’s the top.

At least she gets one week free of acapella before auditions are held, and so one week away from Gen’s deadly stares. The girl doesn’t scare her, not really, still Lara Jean is careful. Even more so since Chris dropped the Peter bomb on her.

She hasn’t seen him around since the activities fair, which obviously means that he’s right there in the food hall on Wednesday when she gets her breakfast before her 9am econ class. She toys with the idea of running away for a second, but then he’s raising his head from his plate, his eyes meeting hers, all surprised glee and boyish smiles, and she knows she’s done for.

She piles more pancakes that is probably healthy on a plate, pours herself a cup of tea, and goes to pay. All in slow motions. All to push down the inevitability of having to sit next to Peter Kavinsky.

“Hey, Covey,” he greets her when she finally plops down in the chair opposite his. “Bright and early?”

She steals some time by sipping on her burning hot cup of tea, and it only makes him grin more. Idiot. “You’re one to talk,” she manages to reply after a while, nodding to his still damp hair and flushed skin.

He obviously already took a shower, while she’s still in her pyjamas. They’re on two very different levels of early-birdness right now.

Peter only shrugs. “Morning training has me up at 6 every morning.”

She lowers her cup, eyes a little wild. “What.”

Everyone and their mother told her it was madness to take a 9am class and that she soon would regret it. Lara Jean always replies that she likes waking up at the same time every morning, as part of her routine, so it really is not a problem. She would be awake anyway, so might as well be productive about it.

But six am? Every morning? That is madness, indeed.

Peter simply shrugs with one shoulder, before he shoves another spoonful of cereals in his mouth. “The gym is always empty this early in the morning.”

“I wonder why,” she replies.

He only grins for a moment, head tilted to the side like a curious puppy. There is something too soft about his features, and his eyes, and his smile. Lara Jean has to look away.

“Well yeah, that’s the point. Nobody to steal the treadmill from me or to judge me when I’m lifting weights.”

“But why?” she wonders out loud. Why would he put himself through such a drastic regimen every morning, when he could just sleep in and probably still looks just as good. She doesn’t say that out loud, though.

“I’m part of the Lacrosse team,” he explains. “Scholarship.”

Her mouth opens in a small ‘oh’ of surprise as understanding dawns on her. She has vague souvenirs of Peter playing Youth Lacrosse when they were in primary, jokingly calling it 3L – Little League Lacrosse. It makes sense that he would keep with it in high school; Peter has always been an outdoor kind of boy, when she was just fine reading inside. The neighbours’ tree house had been a happy in-between for the two of them.

“So you’re a masochist,” she comments.

Peter presses a hand to his hand, faux offended expression on his face. “Damn, Covey. Since when are you so savage?”

She’s the one to grin this time, hiding her giggle in a sip of her tea. It reminds her of primary school all over again, of the recess time spent playing games together and the play-dates watching Harry Potter and Disney movies and running around her garden, yelling like animals. It was a simpler time then, without having to worry about her father and Kitty, or helping Margot with chores, or writing down meal plans for the week. A time when all three Covey girls were just that – girls, who knew nothing of heartbreak or maturing too soon.

It’s always been easy, with Peter. He was her first friend, from the very first day of school, sitting next to her and telling her how he liked her little combat boots. She wasn’t used to be friends with boys then – it was Margot and her, for the most part, and she was fine with it – but Peter made it easy. Comfortable. Fun.

And he still does, telling her about his Lacrosse career and his daily training sessions every evening with the team, and how all the other dudes are so much more buffier than him. Hence the extra training in the morning, to keep up with them. In return, she tells him about Margot in Scotland, and Kitty being such a little feminist warrior, and how she loves to bake whenever she can. Which isn’t all that easy when she’s sharing nothing more than a kettle and a microwave with an entire floor of college students.

“I remember you mom used to make those little Korean pastries,” he says, using both his hands to mimic a round shape. “With like, red bean stuff or something.”

“Hwangnam bread,” she replies, and hopes he doesn’t notice how her whole body went tense for a second there, a little startle of surprise at how casual he brought her into the conversation.

But of course, it’s Peter, and he notices. Eyes a little sad, shoulders slouching ever so slightly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

“It’s fine,” she cuts him off with a wave of her hand. And, truly, it is, in some weird, probably inexplicable way. The hurt will always been there, at the back of her mind, but. It’s less painful now, dulled with time. “I’m just not used to people talking about her so casually.”

Usually, people are very good at toying around the subject. They’re not very good at being casual about it, though. Too many teachers being so awkward around them when it was time to make a Mother’s Day present, so many people apologizing too many times about it like it was somehow their fault. And dad, who’s so good at just keeping it all in to the point where Kitty once asked her if he didn’t love mom anymore. It’d broken Lara Jean’s heart so much she’d cried herself to sleep that night, unable to explain that dad does that because he still loves mom so damn much it hurts.

“Well, her pastries were great. And she was, too.” A pause. Then, “dad left us like, a year after you guys moved out. Got himself a new wife and a new house and a new family. They even got a dog and shit.”

Lara Jean’s mouth opens but, for a few moments, no word come out. She has no idea what to answer that isn’t the damn hollow apologies she hates so much. So instead she says, “Oh Peter…” and her voice goes lower, softer.

“It’s fine, really,” he replies, even though his tone makes it everything but. “It’s just, I know what it feels like. People being weird at you trying to act like the situation is normal even if it isn’t.”

Lara Jean remains silent for a while, her pancakes abandoned in favour of staring down at her hands in her lap. She doesn’t have many memories of Peter’s parents or family life, only that his mom runned the local antiques store that Lara Jean loved so much as a child. There was this one necklace she always admired, and Mrs Kavinsky even let her try it on for a little while once. But, beside that, Lara Jean can’t remember anything. Can’t remember if the Kavinskys looked happy or not.

When she still doesn’t speak up, Peter simply adds, “Well, that was deep,” and it makes her laugh out loud, a little nervous and breathless. He’s grinning again when she looks up at him, eyes crinkling and dimples in his cheeks, and she finds herself blushing for no reason. She coughs, then shoves some more pancakes in her mouth.

Chewing and swallowing, she decides it’s time to move on to things that are a little lighter and less awful. “Owen must be so grown up now.”

Peter groans, head tilting back. “He’s driving mom fucking crazy, doing nothing of his days beside playing Fortnite and watching videos of like, David Dobrik.” He shakes his head, like he him can’t believe it. “She keeps wishing he took after me and was outside all the time.”

“We can’t all be kind of the lunch hall,” she comments as an educated guess. Something funny twists in her stomach when Peter is the one to blush. Maybe not such a guess after all. “Too bad they live far away from each other, Kitty could force him to go outside once in a while.”

“Oh I remember the little monster,” Peter grins.

Kitty was barely more than a baby when he last saw her, running around the house and screams like a banshee. Nothing much has changed on that subject, comes to think about it. Lara Jean wonders how long it took her this time, to hack the TV’s parental control and gain access to HBO all over again. Two days? Three at most? Damn, but Lara Jean misses her already.

She thinks of sending her baby sister a quick good morning text, and so grabs her phone from her pocket, only to notice what time it is. Her class starts in half an hour, and she still needs to shower and get ready.

“Shoot,” she softly curse, which of course makes Peter laugh. “I have to get ready for classes.”

“Yeah, sure. Let me go back up with you.”

Which is how Lara Jean learns that he lives on the fourth floor, while she and Chris are on the third one. Not so far from each other, especially since they can hang out in whichever floor’s common room if they feel like it. Which, Lara Jean doesn’t want to sound presumptuous, but maybe they do.

(She refuses to think of Gen right now.)

Peter holds the elevator’s door open as she gets off and turns toward him, fishing for her door card in the pocket of her cardigan but not moving down the corridor. Like she wants to enjoy any spare second with him she can get.

“That was nice,” she comments.

“It was,” he agrees. “Guess I’ll see you on Saturday, then?”

“What?”

“The party after the audition?” When Lara Jean doesn’t react, only offers him a blank face, he explains, “I’m part of the Ransom Notes. So I’ll see you at the acapella party.”

The elevator’s doors close on his wink.

Chris has a lot of explaining to do.

[juunshua]

How would you describe Vernon, Jun and Joshus's voices? Both talking and performing. I love your blog soso much and love reading your tags so I was just wondering your take on their voices since I think these 3 have very particular voices

hi anon!! this is a really neat ask!! wow thank you for sending this in! under the cut are my opinions for each members (disclaimer: I have a really hard time putting things into words, so it might sound disjointed or awkward or smth idk lskjl) i’m so sorry this took forever!!!!!! 

vernon: i feel like i have a lot to say about his performance voice lkasjdlf but to start off with just his speaking…the first thing i think of is white chocolate? like it’s heavy but also very light and it mixes well and it’s smooth and connected but also somewhat separated. i almost feel like i get this professional vibe from him when he speaks at times? like its very neat? how he assembles his words laksjdf if that makes any sense. his voice also kind of disappears as he gets higher for some reason? curious about that he tends to stay in a range though so its hard to tell. when he raps though omg one of my favorite things about vernon is the way he uses inflection within his rap? like his rap in trauma!! it’s honestly my fav part in the song i love his ups and downs and how it creates tension and and how he changes the speed of his rap too and it just all comes together very nicely. when he sings, he tends to either ‘sing rap’ (like he does in city escape here) which is like basically almost all singing for the throat, or if its a ballad-like song he tends to introduce a lot of air in his voice (like in dwc. ok a word on dwc a bit, he pronounces the korean word for ‘word’ differently in studio than whats in the live and that way he sings it live just sends extra shivers up my spine theres something about it idk. i shouldn’t say different pronunciation its more a different inflection on the first syllable for the word ‘word’ its beautiful anywhos) but considering he’s a rapper he was probably directed by woozi or someone to sing like that when it comes to ballad songs. but interestingly enough, id say that his part in without you is more, ‘sing rap’ style than ‘breathy’ which is an interesting contrast to jeonghan and hoshis part before that….tbh ive actually thought of his part in without you as more of his ‘inflection rapping’ than a ‘sing rap’ you know? but idk  junhui: idk if its just me, but i feel like he speaks korean and mandarin with like two different voices? im not sure maybe im overthinking this but when he speaks korean i find that he stays on like this ‘lower’ sound more longer than he does when he speaks mandarin…? idk its weird to explain and again i could be overthinking alskjdf. when it comes to junhui why do i always blank out on words to describe him ahhh im trying to think of something that could related to his voice but i cant think of anything ahhh. i literally spent forever watching junhui videos to get ideas on how to express his voice in words but i think i got distracted….oh omg his speaking voice is really soothing? its like listening to a lullaby almost i dunno like his voice kind of flows together and doesnt have like sharp ends? (not that sharp voices cant be calming or are bad though!! i think shua has a ‘sharp’ voice…more on him below though). like his voice is smooth and rounded for the most part. idk why but this just came to mind: his voice is a loaf of freshly baked bread. like bread from the bakery that kind of feel is the best way i can put his voice to words laalsdj. when he sings, his voice get’s tighter as he gets higher.  i feel like he has this lisp almost? i listened to him singing in mandarin too bc he’s more  comfortable with that and the lisp is kind of present there too. he also has this like ‘hiccup’ sound when he finishes phrases something like that ‘voice hitching’ im not sure what else to call it. he also has a habit of singing with through/with his nose (if u just listen to the difference to how minghao vs jun sing the ‘ee’ sound here like jun is quite nasal) when he sings, his ‘o’ sounds are really really really pretty sounding (like in the korean version of my i). when he goes into falsetto its very fragile sounding it’s like a clear glass sparkling in the sun. i feel like if i could touch his voice it’d break (ie 13 month’s dance). joshua: (this might seem super random but i swear its relevant but) you know that one meme that’s super popular right now? the one where its the one with the person who speaks into a microphone, the crowd boos, and then theres a voice that speaks and ‘commands silence’? yeah thats hong jisoo. for me at least (i could be biased laksjf). amongst the chaos, his voice is usually one that stays calm and steady like a rock? like you just kind of want to stop and listen to whatever he’s saying and tune out everything else? whenever he starts talking i instantly feel my mind become at ease. kind of like what happens here! svt is wild before he speaks, calms down while he speaks, gets rowdy again after he finishes his sentence, calms down again while he finishes his thought by a second sentence, and gets rowdy once more after that. furthermore, he’s not someone who speaks fast; he takes his time when trying to get the words he wants to say out. also ive found that his ‘s’ sounds tend to be really enunciated? like i hear almost all his ‘s’ sounds as ‘ss’ (and its not just the letter s but like that specific sound so certain ‘c’ sounds as well). his voice to me also sounds like sticky almost…? like caramel!! that sort of texture is his voice his speaking voice also has this breathy quality that occasionally carries over to his singing voice, but he has his throaty moments as well when he sings (and when he talks too). when he sings, he tends to prefer switching into falsetto over mixing his voice as he gets higher in his vocal range, when given the choice. he does strain his voice quite a bit as he gets higher too. his voice also gets ‘thinner’ as he gets higher

[newcaptainofsquad9]

My top seven Ideas for the next movies in The Hunger Games Franchise

So Lionsgate announced that they will make more movies for The Hunger games franchise (and Twilight..why..) and I wanted to make a list of what I’d want to see. I’m a huge fan of the books and even the movies, but to be honest I think that most likely Lionsgate won’t go with any of these ideas. 

SPOILERS FROM THE BOOKS AND MOVIES BELOW!

1. A movie of the 50th Hunger Games (Aka Haymitch’s games/ the second quarter quell. 

Okay, so Haymitch being one of the most intelligent and cunning victors of the hunger games, and Katniss and Peeta’s mentor why won’t Lionsgate make a movie about it? I’ve always wanted to see how Haymitch reacted to being reaped (it was kind of shown in the book since Katniss and Peeta watched the games, but this is about the movie franchise) and how he was able to out smart the district one girl. The movie utilized the forcefields effectively in catching fire, so they could use it in a movie with Haymitch, since that’s how he won his games. However, since Lionsgate is mostly PG-13, there won’t be much blood, which was described in his games (the district one girl’s eye gets sliced and it’s a gladiator game) but there’s this awesome fan video of it on YouTube I’ll put a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mUjssn86h4

2. Cashmere and Gloss’s Games or both

Alright, the Careers have always been a little of a mystery to me. We know that they were trained and basically bred for The Hunger Games, but that’s it. We don’t know if they were forced to volunteer or did it on their own. That’s something that could be explored in a film about Cashmere and Gloss. It was said that Gloss won the 63 hunger games, the game prior to his sister’s. A film could explore that maybe Cashmere was pressure by her parents and the people of District 1 to volunteer and bring more glory to them. This would make a lot of sense and would humanize the careers a little more, instead of letting them come across as arrogant or cocky. I also want to actually see District one and to determine on screen how “luxurious” it really is. This would also expand the franchise to characters that aren’t tied to Katniss or was considered a part of the main cast.

3. Enobaria’s games

Ok, now this idea I know won’t have a chance being an idea at lionsgate, but I’m including it anyway. I’m sure many people who watched the films don’t even know who this character is, besides her obvious physical trait, the sharpened teeth. I’m a fan of the careers and Enobaria is one of the most intriguing ones. Yes she’s considered extremely blood thirsty and arrogant (like mostly all of the careers) but it’ll be nice to see how other people view the games. Enobaria consider the hunger games a chance of honor (like gladiator games were considered during the times of ancient Rome) and it’ll be neat to see why she has those views. I want to see the careers as people, rather than just arrogant half baked villains. The careers are the heroes of their own story and like Katniss should have their’s be told. Also, who wouldn’t want to see how Enobaria ripped that tribute’s throat out, just me? And how did she sharpen those teeth down? I know the capital had a hand in it, but still. 

4. Finnick’s life/games or even life as a victor

Here’s the capital’s sweetheart himself, Finnick Odair. Now a film about Finnick could go either way. The film could explore Finnick’s early life with Annie for the first half and lead into his games, similarly to the first hunger games film. Or, the film could explore his life as a victor, which would be more intriguing. (and possibly will not happen with lionsgate)  A film of Finnick’s exploits as a victor would bring a much darker tone to the franchise, something that would be refreshing to the franchise. In the books it was known that Finnick, along with other victors had to prostitute himself for the capital people. Finnick traded secrets instead of money and we could see how he put on a facade in the capital and how he was able to switch between being a capital darling and Annie’s lover. I think that movie viewers could see more of Finnick’s character be explored.

5. Johanna’s games/ life as a victor

One of the most underrated characters of The Hunger Games franchise, Johanna Mason. Now, with Johanna, her character is a little different from the books so I’m going to focus on her movie version. Johanna won her games by acting extremely different and shy but revealing a cunning nature. This would be a great build up in a film, showing Johanna seem weak during training and even getting a low training score. It would be a great shift in behavior and it’d show that careers aren’t the only ones who have a strategy to win the games. The film could also be about Johanna’s life as a victor and how she refused Snow’s offer to prostitute her. This could depict Johanna’s life at home with her family and could show the emotions she went through when she found her family dead. A film about Johanna would only plunge deeper into a underrated, misunderstood character and the viewer could soon discover why she’s angry and understand her more..

6.    Cato’s life prior to the 74th hunger games

Now, Cato’s last words to Katniss in the film was one of the reasons as to why I put this on the list. His words were, “I can still do this. One more kill it’s the only thing I know how to do. Bring pride to my district. Not that it matters.” His words have stuck with me and it goes back to make film idea of Gloss, Cashmere and Enobaria, the careers are still people. Cato may have been trained to the point that while he was participating in the games it went to his head. He may have went completely mad. A film depicting his life at home in district two would be interesting and to see The Hunger Games from his point of view. It would be a perfect build up to his final speech and demise.

7.  The first rebellion/ The rise of the capital

This one could go either way and still answer a lot of questions about the capital and it’s methods. A film depicting a full scale rebellion in which the capital uses muttations and torture methods, most likely won’t fly with Lionsgate either. However if they were to make a film about the first rebellion it could have a sort of rouge one feeling to it. There could be certain characters we see that could have ties to the characters’ from the original movies. This film could be it’s own concept, and it could explore rebels who we see develop and grow, only to have them eventually be demised. The capital could play a major role and we could see even sinister characters that could rival Snow, the careers, even Coin. We could see the tough choices that the Capital and the rebels made during the war and discover how it lead to seventy five years of sacrifice and bloodshed.

Bonus Ideas:

A movie about Annie Crestia’s (Finnick’s wife) games

A movie about Beetee’s games/ his life as a victor

 A movie about district 13′s survival

[mr-villainous]

All except 35 and 65

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you?

Nah

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you?

like 1

3. The person you would never want to meet?

Trump

4. What is your favorite word?

Villainous

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be?

I am the Mighty Oak

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought?

Damn.

7. What shirt are you wearing?

Reverse Flash Shirt!!

8. What do you label yourself as?

a Villain

9. Bright room or dark room?

Dim

10. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Trying to get a fucking download to work.

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far?

The age before I started to feel old. so like.....10.

12. Who told you they loved you last?

@mrs-villainous

13. Your worst enemy?

The wicked cocktail of my pain and laziness

14. What is your current desktop picture?

It’s a slideshow of a bunch of comics and games

15. Do you like someone?

a bit.

16. The last song you listened to?

I want to know what love is

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?

maybe my brother-in-law.

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?

Trump

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do?

Someone with the authority to set some shit up for me. They would have to set some shit up for me.

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional)

Hair. Everything else is just a fucking nightmare.

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?Terrible. I’d play video games XD

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it?

I can do that thing where you turn your eyelid inside out like kids do at camp. It hurts. 

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of?

It’s not incredibly unique as I’ve learned lately but I’m afraid of driving/riding in vehicles.

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal.

Fucking subway’s oven roasted chicken, italian bread, american cheese, mayo, olives, Parmesan cheese, toasted for half the regular time. Boom. fucking perfection.  

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it?I’d buy a gift for a friend of mine, and then I’d probably take Katie to a nice dinner and movie.

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go?Fucking Japan. Literally the only place I’m interested in traveling to for myself. Like I’ll go places with/for other people, but the only place I’m interested in personally is Japan.

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be?

What fucking angel is this. Did fucking Captain Morgan die and become patron saint of getting you fucking wasted? Kraken Spiced Rum.

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?

Only people that don’t annoy me can join my happy go fun island of neverwar.

29. What is your favorite expletive?

Bitch. I like it a lot.

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno?

Fucking......I’d burn. I don’t give a fuck. 

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

Nothing.

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world!

Japan. I told you Japan is super neat to me.

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?

My late Brother-in-law.

34. What was your last dream about?

Pretty sure I was trapped in a supermarket that turned into a school. Then I had no shoes and I ran through the wall into an endless forest that was on top of the sky. I don’t dream often, but when I do, it’s like a fucking Doctor Strange fucked up multiverse collage.

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital?

Yeah, a couple times for really bad migraines that caused seizures and once for an allergic reaction

37. Have you ever built a snowman?

Yea

38. What is the color of your socks?

Black

39. What type of music do you like?

Classic Rock, Eminem, showtunes, Daft Punk type shit.

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?

Sunrises, I think.

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor?

Chocolate. 

42. What football team do you support? 

The Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders.

43. Do you have any scars?

Very slight ones from my knee surgery, a couple from fights, one from cutting an apple, and quite a few from being dropped as a baby.

44. What do you want to be when you graduate?

worth something

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My body.

46. Are you reliable?

Not really. I sleep a lot and I don’t have many resources or abilities. 

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?

Winning Lotto numbers.

48. Do you hold grudges?

Yeah, for a while. I try to eventually forgive shit, but sometimes it takes me quite a while. 

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create?

A sloth and a cat. Ideally, it’d be hypoallergenic, keep the appearance of the cat, but the personality and pace of the sloth.

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had?

There’s quite a bit there to draw from. I can’t even figure out where to begin. Pass.

51. Are you a good liar?

I like to think so.

52. How long could you go without talking?

Oh fucking days at the least. I used to be very talkative but every day I seem to get more quiet. Unless we’re counting singing, cos I’m singing anytime I’ve got a chance.

53. What has been you worst haircut/style?

Egg-in-nest.

54. Have you ever baked your own cake?

Yar. 

55. Can you do any accents other than your own?

Not consistently. Katie says my british is terrible but I say it’s pretty fucking fab. I do a good pirate as well. But like I said, I’ve got no consistency.

56. What do you like on your toast?

blackberry jam.

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of?

Probably stick figures wrestling.

58. What would be you dream car?

One that drives itself and has no windows so I ain’t gotta see the terrifying bits.

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain.

Yeah, all the fucking time. I also play this game in the shower where I cup some water in my hand, then I throw it up, and try to catch it. I see how many times I can catch the water until it has all splashed away.

60. Do you believe in aliens?

I believe aliens are possible.

61. Do you often read your horoscope?

Nah.

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?

Probably V.

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?

Dragons, by fucking far.

64. What do you think about babies?

They’re pathetic. They can’t do shit on their own. Fucking shameful.

[alterlifes-a]

✿ ✍ ⌨ IM MCFREAKIN LATE TO THE PARTY BUt those ones yes

[ hc. // @hertheory​ ]

 ✿ – laugh

         like pretty much everyone else, tooru’s laugh comes in many different forms, dependant on the mood. as discussed briefly in this answer, tooru tends to hide his chuckles behind a closed fist / hand. if that’s the case, there’s a large chance that it’s a genuine laugh. while he may hide his laughter because he’s embarrassed of it ( as stated in said other answer ), there are also times when he knows he shouldn’t be laughing, but does it anyway ( such as if something unfortunate happens to a friend and it’s really funny; like, not a super bad event, of course, just something like them going to get napkins but then accidentally spilling something when they get back, so they have to go and get more napkins… you know, little ironic scenarios that anyone could laugh at ). these kinds of chuckles are also usually prefixed with a snort or a stifled noise made in the back of his throat, since he tries really hard not to laugh. when it’s something like this, his laugh sounds similar to the one here !

         there’s also the little awkward laugh– you know, the “ i don’t want you to feel bad so i’m going to laugh at the joke you made even though it’s terrible ”, or even the uncomfortable “ haha this is a casual setting and i did not expect you to say something so weird / messed up, what the actual heck ” laugh. in that case, it just sounds more like a grimace disguised as a laugh, than anything ( which, admittedly, it is ). nonetheless, considering tooru’s superb acting skills, he can still make it sound like an actual laugh. though if you’re one to scrutinize, or you know him / his laughter well enough, you can pinpoint the little bit of pain in there. it sounds a lil like this !

         tooru’s also got the lil cheeky laugh, which is just a regular “ hehe ”; short, quick, a little breathy. he also tends to add little intonations depending on what emotion he wants to convey. a low and quick “ hehe ” conveys deviance; a low and monotone one signifies rebellious amusement, or acceptance / the ending of a conversation; one that rises from medium to high, or stays medium, is probably a short laugh at something; a high-pitched chuckle, particularly behind his fingers, is indicative of genuine enjoyment. there’s also the quick laugh that sounds more like a huff and is really breathy, followed by a snipped and whispered “ heh ” that denotes the same feeling. though you could also perceive it as an “ i am so done with you ” / resigned noise. 

         i guess i should also talk about his more boisterous laughs ? but tooru also isn’t a loud laugher in general, to be honest… i feel like he’d just do it to piss people off because his obnoxious laughter is really hecking annoying he just escalates in volume AND pitch as it goes on. there’s also his signature “ nyahaha ” which can be seen as something mocking / joyful / what have you, dependent on, again, the context.

         the list goes on and on, really, and i think it’s kind of hard to tell from voice alone whether the laughter he emits is genuine or not. you have to take into consideration the context in which he’s laughing– who he’s with, what he’s talking about, what he said beforehand or what he says afterwards… and it does mostly depend on what actions he takes while or prior to laughing.

                                                                                     ✍ - writing style

         given tooru’s perfectionist tendencies, it goes without saying that he has really neat handwriting. almost resembling calligraphy, i think the best equation to what he most likely writes like would be this font here ! ( also pictured below: )

         obviously, this is his chirography for shared notes, exam / essay papers, and the like. this is for when he really needs to exude a formal and neat disposition; especially towards elders, and people who might be grading him on things, whether that be for school, or extracurriculars. he wants people to see him as someone who is organized, intelligent, and perfect, and this goes hand-in-hand with good writing.

          contrarily, if he’s writing something to close friends ( such as a letter ), or just making notes on things ( doesn’t necessarily have to be school related but often is ), he’ll use a more “ cutesy ” font, adorned with a bunch of drawings ( they’re not good drawings, mind you– tooru is an awful artist, and he knows it. still tries, though ! ) in that case, his handwriting will look a little something like this.

         now, regarding tooru’s actual writing style ( aka his use of diction, metaphor, etc. )… he’s a pretty good writer, truth be told ! he’s part of his school’s literature club ( and, admittedly, one of its only members because… let’s be real, sports are where it’s all at, especially in japan ), so it goes without saying that his writing is better than the average student’s. he loves writing poetry most of all, though that doesn’t stop at just haikus. he has the ability to articulate what he wants to write very well, and the ink which flows from his pen when he does write is honestly a magic of its own, as it seems to move of its own volition. indeed, tooru practically sees the action of writing as the words in his heart creating art of their own on the page.         it is rather ironic, then, that tooru is not all that good at actual articulation, particularly in real life and via text. his texting style is VERY casual, and since i write him in english ( i know like, one word in japanese, and that’s it, lbr ), it’ll be presented in the form of him writing in “ internet slang ” aka using “ u ” for “ you ”, “ coo ” for “ cool ”, “ lol ”, “ LMAOOOOO ”, and what have you. i guess in terms of comparing it to japanese, it’d come as him cutting out a lot of preposition kanji ( he probably drops the の a lot, even by accident, so at times, you have の no idea what he’s talking about ), as well as using “ www ” to the point of it being ridiculous… seriously, he treats www like it’s an actual form of punctuation in of itself. oh, and emojis. don’t get me started on those. similar to his “ cutesy / casual ” handwriting style, tooru LOVES to illustrate what he’s saying. this kid probably wishes the kaomoji on his hiragana keyboard became an actual keyboard. i think he’d be a really annoying texter, depending on who you are, since he also tends to send 4 things for just one thought, as opposed to typing it out in one long message. ( example: txt. hey / txt. www / txt. how r u ? / txt. www / txt. pls reply when u can ! / txt. ♡ฅ(ᐤˊ꒳ฅˋᐤ♪) )

                                                                   ⌨ - time-wasting habits

          he literally has none. almost all of tooru’s time, whether or not he’s doing any actual schoolwork, is part of a schedule. like, i’m not kidding, it is very rare that you’ll see him set it aside for anything having to do with him. the only time you’re ever going to see him even come close to wasting time is if he shoves his schedule aside for friends. and, quite frankly, he kinda doesn’t have any. and even then he doesn’t see it as a waste of time, since he raelly loves hanging out with friends. thus, sufficed to say, anything one may deem as a “ time waster ” is, in actuality, something slotted within his own schedule. therefore, i will probably be tackling this under the guise of that narrative, since you’d be hard-pressed to find him doing an activity past his scheduled time to be doing so. ( note: for reference, i’ve also posted what his schedule basically looks like. this is something from a huge docs i’m working on that contains a bunch of headcanons for tooru. )

         okay, so as you can see, tooru really only gives himself breaks in between studying– these ranging from 30 minutes to almost an hour ( and even then, the small breaks he gives himself don’t actually last the duration from when they begin to when his bedtime is; they’re often way shorter than that, and i doubt he’d ever adjudicate more than an hour between study sessions for free time activities ). he often does a lot to pass by the time… playing video games ( he has a 3DS and a switch; his favourite games are pokemon and animal crossing ), going on his phone, posting on social media, looking at chat forums, talking to his plants ( he’s really lonely, ok ), making tea, baking, cooking, etc… he also may go on a quiet walk around his garden or the neighbourhood. since weekends are generally more relaxed in terms of what he has to do ( albeit exceptions such as going to juku and kyudo practice ), he might also go shopping, and even then, he’s probably just planning to buy something for a friend and not himself, or even just school supplies because… he’s literally just a loser… who does nothing but study all day long… hkfj SOMEONE LET THIS KID HAVE A DAY TO HIMSELF…

         i think this honestly just ties back into the not having friends thing, because if he did have people to hang out with, his schedule wouldn’t be so packed / sad… tooru is by no means an idiot, but he also isn’t very naturally gifted in terms of academics. thus, he has to pour a LOT more time into learning and studying than the average person. nonetheless, i think he’s more starved for social interaction of some kind. while he may have to work around his schedule, if you asked him to go and spend time with you, 9 times out of 10 he’d say yes. but alas, since he has no one to really do that with, almost all of his time is spent at home, working on one thing or another.         i also think that him not wanting to waste much time ties into the above; he doesn’t like to acknowledge his loneliness, so he just throws himself into the works of a super busy schedule so that he has no time to even think about the fact that he is not living the life of a teenager. he has no friends to hang out with, no place to really call his own, and no hobbies to keep him entertained. it’s kind of bleak and depressing, but what else can you do when no one tries to be friends with you ? you kind of just learn how to make the best of it, even if you hate being by yourself.         piggybacking on that notion as well, tooru probably spends so much time at home because he also wants to believe that his parents are going to come back from whatever trip they’re on. his mom and dad are practically never home, and his brother moved out years ago, so he really is all by himself in that huge estate ( and i’m not exaggerating; his family is loaded, and he lives in a traditional home in kyoto that was originally built during the heian era. it’s REALLY big but also REALLY empty, especially since no one but him is there most of the time ). part of his fear is that he’s going to miss them coming home one day, and even though they ignore him even when they arrive, he still tries to keep that hope that they’ll at least acknowledge his existence before leaving again. one of tooru’s biggest fears is people leaving without saying anything, so i think the notion of him not being home when his parents come and go is a really scary thought. again, this is an almost unfounded fear because his parents just. never talk to him, irregardless of their presence in the house, but tooru also has a tendency to make believe that they really love him and thus hopes a little too much in terms of how they react to his company.

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Review: Redemption by Jay Rock

2012 felt like a life-time ago, but I still remember getting excited for the talent displayed in TDE after Kendrick Lamar’s breakthrough in Section.80. At the start of the year, ScHoolboy Q’s Habits & Contradictions provided dark, hedonistic grooves for days (“There He Go”; “Nightmare on Figg St.”) while Ab-Soul followed up with Control System, a mostly introspective album that sometimes suggested he might’ve been the group’s most prodigious when it came to wordplay (“Terrorist Threats”; “The Book of Soul”). Jay Rock, maybe the most old-fashioned rapper of the group and certainly the most street-wise, didn’t come up with a full project that year, but I made note of him anyway when he provided one of the best verses on good kid, m.A.A.d. city. I didn’t think much of 90059, but I thought even less of his previous effort, Follow Me Home. Cutting down on the filler was the best move he could make, but we still had that (“Money Trees Deuce,” the direct to video sequel) and the hometown producers only supplied a few beats worth writing home about (“Necessary”; “Gumbo”). Songs like “Easy Bake,” featuring alley-oops with Kendrick Lamar and a detour for a SZA spotlight, and the Black Hippy posse cut “Vice City” with its ridiculous flow, are certainly songs I’d easily miss if I never heard again, but they also highlighted that Jay Rock’s best work might be as features on other people’s songs or when he features other artists on his own.

“WIN,” the lead single of Jay Rock’s new album if you ignore “King’s Dead” (which I’ll get to later), wasn’t exactly the worst thing in the world, and that’s the highest praise I’ve got for it. I’ve been wary of victory-lap “bangers” that use “triumphant” horn hooks since day 1 (on that note, Kendrick Lamar’s “The Spiteful Chant” – sampling Woodkid’s “Iron” – was a dirge, and one of Section.80’s weakest cuts). People have compared “WIN” to “HUMBLE.”, Kendrick Lamar’s lead single to DAMN., and in turn, have started comparing Redemption to DAMN. because they are the artists’ more mainstream-ready records. Quality-wise, there is no comparison. “HUMBLE.”, which gets a bad rep from people who only want more of To Pimp a Butterfly’s impregnable jazz cuts, came with inventive rhymes, a neat flow switch and an exciting music video (particularly during said flow switch). “WIN” comes with Kendrick Lamar shouting “MOMMY” in the background of the choruses, a particularly heartbreaking moment packaged for memes and nothing else.

It’d be fine if “WIN” were like “Started from the Bottom” (from Drake’s Nothing Was the Same), by which I mean, an outlier and the rest of the album would be what we wanted from the artist. That’s not the case. There’s also the “obligatory” sex-rap cut featuring a mushy-mouthed Jeremih (whatever happened to him?) and Jay Rock going “Fuck you in a car in the back / Fuck you so good, call back / For real, though / How many fucks I give? Zero.” The track recalls ScHoolboy Q’s Miguel-featuring “Overtime” from the mostly phenomenal Blank Face LP (Q has gone back and forth about whether or not the label had a hand in that song’s appearance). And for whatever reason, “King’s Dead” – originally from the Black Panther soundtrack – finds its way here, but without James Blake’s brief interlude or Kendrick Lamar’s climaxing verse. Smart move, I guess, since hearing Lamar rap “All hail King Kilmonger!” makes no sense anywhere outside of that soundtrack. But the fact that he has included that song at all makes me think of label interference, and the fact that he hasn’t bothered to add anything to replace the parts he took out reeks of laziness, and both are emblematic of the album as a whole. Whatever: it’s still fun to hear Future falsetto-sing “La-de-da-di-da, slob on me knob,” I guess?

Those are the album’s biggest issues, but it’s not like the rest is anything to write home about either. In contrast to 90059, Jay taps into bigger-name producers but their beats don’t distinguish themselves (Cardo, Cubeatz, Vinyls, Boi-1da). Hit-Boy brings along a pan-flute for “Wow Freestyle” that ends up sounding like most other woodwind beats in recent memory not named “Mask Off” and certainly nothing like the bangers that Hit-Boy is capable of. Elsewhere, “For What It’s Worth,” produced by Sounwave (responsible for an alarming amount of great Kendrick Lamar songs), sounds non- and the same term can be applied to other beats here (ie. “Knock It Off,” “Broke+-“) to the point that some of these beats sound like Black Panther rejects. There are some memorable ones: “The Bloodiest” – produced by Boi-1da, Jake One, and Allen Ritter – features a pitch-shifted vocal that’s been running through my head for the past few days, and I certainly wasn’t ready to hear what sounds like the Super Mario coin noise to appear on “ES Tales.” Elsewhere, Sounwave and Terrace Martin, provide a lovely backdrop for Jay Rock to rap introspectively on should-have-been-closer “Redemption.” But nothing is at stake here, and that goes for the rapping as well.

Throughout this record, I keep thinking back to ScHoolboy Q’s Blank Face LP, wherein ScHoolboy Q tapped a little bit into the mainstream (“THat Part”; the aforementioned “Overtime”) but for the most part stuck to his vision of dark, sometimes violent grooves (“Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane”; “Blank Face”). That record tapped both 90s’ hip-hop artists/sounds and modern ones, and appealed to a wide crowd. That’s the gold standard, and one of the best albums of that year. By contrast, Jay Rock also taps into the mainstream but doesn’t offer anything – no personality, no color, no darkness. Not even a fucking groove, the nerve! And it’s hard to imagine the mainstream tracks appealing to anyone either, so what’s left is a confused record. The best music is stuff that makes you forget other music exists, and in a month where we’ve been spoiled by good (G.O.O.D) music, a record this nondescript’s just detracting from what we could be listening to instead. The best I can say about Redemption is that at least Jay Rock hasn’t completely lost his mind like Ab-Soul. C PLUS

Source: https://prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/jay-rock-redemption