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crqstalite · 3 years

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writing tag game

tagged by the lovely @ljandersen!

tagging @confundere + @staff-lieutenant-alenko + @lyrishadow +@mariaalenkoshepard + @that-wasnt-so-bad <3 If you've already been tagged, sorry!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

26! (1 unfinished epic, 3 multi-chaptered and 22 gen. stories)

What’s your total AO3 word count?

252,821!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Aftermath (F!Shep/Kaidan Alenko, 5.8k words - 29)

2. Shadow of the Sith (Multi, 104.4k words - 20)

3. Shan (F!Inquisitor/Theron Shan, 26k words - 18)

4. Atin'la (F!BH/Torian Cadera, 3.7k words - 16)

5. TML-143 (F!JK/Lana Beniko/Theron Shan, 2.1k words - 14)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

On the occasion I get them, yes! It takes me a while to get around to them though, sometimes I just don't know what to say! I'm more likely just to ramble back at you or say thank you in thirty thousand different ways than give any insight on a story.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hm. That's...debatable.

Top one? Probably Crisis. I'm still not quite over it, and I still haven't taken another crack at the early months after Koda's death because of it. Usually stories like it I'd be pretty careful to make sure I fleshed it out enough, but it's shorter than most others like it. Short, concise and to the point. And really damn sad because it ends with how Citlali found out she died.

Morbidly, I'm still rather happy with it even just under a year since I wrote it.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

I have a pretty small handful, enough to count on my hands. The happiest ending is probably between Rubber Duck (F!Shep/Ashley) and Coasting (F!Shep/Kaidan). Both post-war, both about mostly meaningless tasks or events. They're probably the only ones that are pure fluff.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

No. Doesn't interest me, I like my fandoms in neatly made boxes.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I have not. Let's not start that.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

No.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes! I found some really old fics on a translated site that had never asked my permission maybe three or four years ago, right when I was starting to gain traction on another site. Given, I was one of many and I'm not sure what I should've done in that situation, but unfortunately I'm not sure what happened. It was years ago, yet I wonder why they did that. It was a little fic about kids in space. It just doesn't check out no matter how I think about it. Am I upset? Not really, just always thought it was weird.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

See above.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Technically, I currently am. Not quite a fic, but it is writing heavy and I'm terribly excited to share it when I can.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Of all time? Percy/Annabeth easy. I was a YA nerd. Occasionally I still am. Those books were the best escapism I was going to get. But I'm also nearing the three-ish years I was on that both with ME and DA now so that'll probably eventually change.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

It's a pretty high hope, but getting Nine Lives done is seeming more and more impossibly by the day. Developing more characters, developing more relationships, sticking all that on a timeline -- figuring out where the hell Citadel-dweller kids go to school, how they interact with other alien children, biotics, the list goes on and I get more and more frustrated.

What do you even study in alien school?? What the hell do the history books look like?? Gah.

What are your writing strengths?

Combat prose and weird poetic one offs. I am still very happy with the Mars chapters in Redamancy for that reason.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Romance and keeping things concise. Emotions are hard sometimes, I don't know why they did it, all I know is that they did. I get lucky if it's in 1k words or less, and it's not rambling on about an under-explained metaphor.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Meh. I'm not of any opinion, I just appreciate it when it's translated at the end of the chapter if they do it. Other than that, well, that's the reason I'm learning other languages.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I feel like my answer changes every time I answer this, but probably Legend of Korra? Or anything coherent, it'd have to be pushed forward a few years to Maximum Ride. I remember scribbling away on loose leaf paper during class with my trusty stolen (read: found in the hall) mechanical pencil I never had lead for.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I'm not sure right now. I love and nitpick at every one of my fics equally. However, while Letters Home has it's problems, I am terribly happy with how it came out in the end, especially since it came after a bit of a dry spell.

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richardgloucesters · 4 years

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3, 4, 12, 17 & 25 for the ask

thank you for so many questions!! i’ll leave answers under the cut because this will probably be a long one :)

3. What were your top five books of the year?

in no particular order: the secret history, if we were villains, wuthering heights, mrs dalloway and the lonely londoners. wh and mrs dalloway were not my ‘favourite books’ (i’ll admit it took me weeks to slog through wuthering heights, it was an absolute drag to read until cathy’s death) but i’m glad i’ve read them regardless. tsh and iwwv come under the same umbrella of so-called ‘dark academia’ but both were nice to bury my head in for a while. reading about the murder of the worst character in a friendship group revolving around classics or shakespeare is equally pretentious and intriguing.

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

hm not strictly related to books but t.s eliot! i loved the waste land. first time you read it you kind of go... huh? further reading only makes you ask more questions about it and i love love love that. reading tsh also just reaffirmed my love for donna tartt but We Been Knew about that.

12. Any books that disappointed you?

first one was anna burns’ ‘milkman’. the narrative was so jarring that i couldn’t get more than a few chapters in - and i really tried! everyone is referred to as ‘brother-in-law’ or ‘older sister’ etc etc which gets so old after a while. it was so frustrating that i had to put the book down. i know it’ll have been written like that for a reason but i just felt so disengaged from the text as a consequence. i’m sad about it because people raved about this book and i’m pretty sure it won the man booker. i will try and finish it at some point but i’m not all that excited about doing so.

second one was ‘eleanor oliphant is completely fine’ by gail honeyman which i liked the look of because again, a lot of good reviews and i always love when i share a name with the main character lmao. it was a fairly easy read but not more than 3 stars for me. i can’t really explain what it was, maybe the fact that i managed to predict all the twists in the story or just the fact that it reminded me a little too much of another book which i don’t like, but it was only a meh reading experience. fine for a holiday read but nothing that really stuck with me.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

if we were villains. a friend who has a very similar taste in books to me pressed it into my hands and said ‘you HAVE to read this’. i went into it thinking it was just a secret history knock off which i’d seen it called a lot online. to be fair, it shares a lot of the same tropes as i’ve already mentioned but the narrative is so different. i often felt frustrated with the secret history because richard as a narrator is so oblivious and the pace draws to a halt after bunny’s death (but i was still consumed by it!). iwwv’s narrator oliver is a much more present character in both the narrative and the action of the story unlike richard. he’s not so much nick carraway like richard is, much less so the outsider looking in. also the amount of times i gasped while reading it was ridiculous. the prose is lovely and there are some wonderful images, not as ‘poetic’ as tartt’s but very few could compare. would recommend if you want some escapism, it will keep you hooked. plus the ambiguity of the ending... that’s all i’ll say!

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

straight up: read more! i want to dedicate more time and thought to my assigned readings and also try and make some time for general reading. i won’t set a number of books to read (because never once have i met my goals set on goodreads) but i definitely want to tick a couple of books off from my to-read list.

much love to you for asking! mwah! xx

reading ask!

#ask #feuillesmortes

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firebirdsdaughter · 6 years

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Okay...

Finally sitting down to watch Zi-O ep 4...

Let’s game?

Well, no, actually no, we won’t, but I was trying to be thematic.

And in no particular order:

Okay, that explains it. When I saw the preview images it looked like they were talking to Emu, and then Geiz and Sougo both henshined and took a knee for some reason. It’s actually the other way round.

Geez, Emu. Since when were you this uncommunicative and unhelpful? That’s Taiga’s job!

Like seriously, you know these two are Kamen Riders. Just explain yourself to them instead of making weird vague statements.

Geiz at it again w/ the grump. Have I mentioned--you know where that’s going.

Tsukuyomi w/ the intercede again. I’m liking this trio.

Okay, I wanna know who Goggles is. The guy whose hand Geiz was holding in that future-flashback? A friend? Brother? This being Toei it’s unlikely to be a boyfriend, but it’s still possible. He looks like he mighta been a nice fellow, I’m sorry he died.

I guess this is a lot to take in, and Sougo is generally pretty slow on the uptake, it appears, so... But looks like he’s getting it now.

Tsukuyomi, I really hope you’re aware just how much of a problem child you just decided to adopt.

I actually agree w/ someone else I saw, I think. I kinda wish they would give her a better reason than ‘I don’t know’ for this. Like, I’m liking the idea that she doesn’t want her childhood friend to technically become a murderer by killing someone who is, at that point, still innocent, but this ‘I don’t know’ thing is kinda... meh to me. It doesn’t feel touching or sweet, and is even kinda out of character... But that’s just me. She’s super great, but she otherwise seems so decisive and confident that it’s a little odd.

OH MY GOD IT’S THAT CHURCH! I mean--it’s that wizard Bugster!

Fun fact, that Church is not just a Toei set. I have seen it in about FIVE other shows I think (don’t ask me to name them all, I can’t--but Kaname Jun was in one I think)

AH! Brave is here! But it’s back in 2016, episode... 2? Or maybe 3, but it would be when Hiiro literally just got there, so he’s still an ass. I mean, I still love him. But he was an ass.

Geiz, mister straight forward, just fucking informs them he’s from the future, I love him.

Maybe this has something to do w/ Hiiro’s sense that he should help them before... Aside from grumpy secondary solidarity, ofc.

‘From your perspective,’ Geiz, you are literally from 2068. I’m pretty sure, excepting folks from 2069 onward, that that’s the future from everyone’s perspective.

Also, to get this out of the way: AAAAAAH! SETO IS SO PRETTY! OH MY GOD I LOVE HIM SO MUCH EVEN WHEN HE’S A DICK! AND ESPECIALLY WHEN HE’S NOT!

Note: I don’t love him because he’s a dick, but what I love is grumpy, pretty much jerky characters who come out of that bc they start caring about someone or something (again, in Hiiro’s case). Did that make sense?

Also, I’m actually giggling bc of how much of a pompous ass my grumpy surgeon son was. The fact that this is literally like, right after he first showed up, means that he’s at peak dickishness and it’s really funny to look back.

Kids pulling on Geiz. God, honey, what were you expecting when you put that thing on? Well, at least they’re aware of how goofy it is.

On that note, ARE WE EVER GONNA SEE YOU WITHOUT IT?

Also, dear god, someone get this boy some fashion advice. I’ve SEEN that preview image sweetie. You canNOT dress yourself.

Oh my god, it’s the hospital helipad. Now I’m nostalgic.

Okay. Emu can teleport to game worlds now? Al... Alright then. You know what, whatever.

And Emu’s getting thrown around again. Some things never change. What’s still funny about this is still that Ijima Hiroki is (still) not a short man. He’s 5′ 10″. This, to me, makes how much Emu get’s thrown around utterly hilarious.

See, Emu. This is what happens when you don’t pull a Taiga, and discuss things w/ people. You’re the one who forced Hiiro to learn that, why are you doing it?

Aw, Sougo appreciates that Tsukuyomi is trying to save the future w/out killing him. Good kids.

Where’s that B99 ‘cool motive still murder’ picture? I mean, I know it’s a kid. But dude... You don’t have the right to other people’s lives (or body parts) just bc your son is dying.

Hm... I know people are thinking it’s named after Hiiro, but... What if it’s named after his dad? I mean, Kagami Haima was the director of the hospital, he had to start somewhere. To me that feels more logical? Bc it’s only been two years since Ex-Aid, that’s awfully fast to name a medical procedure... But it’s just a thought.

You know what, I bet Hiiro feels bad for brushing Geiz off in the past, so now he’s like ‘I must do everything I can to help these kids out bc when I met them before I was a jerk.’ Part of his ‘stop being an anti-social grump’ attempt. And he’s worried about Emu.

Does the Time Majin have an AI? How did it know to fly up to the roof right then? Is it telepathically connected to Sougo now?

So Uhr is helping Ora/Hora out? Maybe there is hope for a villain-family dynamic after all...

Also apparently that’s Takeru’s mech? Takeru has a mech? I really need to finish Ghost... But it’s either just for the sake of cameo, or it’s related to how Geiz got the Ghost Ride Watch. Now I’m wondering if he maybe stole the Drive and Ghost Watches from the Time Jackers? But if that’s the case, why did they have them? They usually use the Another Rider Watches...? Are Takeru and Shinnosuke okay? Oh my god, did Takeru die again? Actually, I guess Shinnoksuke also died a lot in that one movie so... Oh dear.

Is Sougo transforming in tiny spaces gonna be a thing now?

Come to think... Since the opening, we haven’t seen Woz. What’s prophet boy up to?

This tiny gremlin child who I adore and want to pinch the cheeks of just giggling to himself in his busted mech like a five year old.

Sorry, Geiz, you can’t beat the bounce.

Sougo just fucking slams this thing w/ the Time Majin.

And so, the path toward very reluctant and at first very awkward friendship begins. Let’s a-go kids!

But also god that boy is skinny. Honey, do you even HAVE hips? Are you okay?

Geiz is having feelings but is very confused right now. Punching things is generally a good venting method.

And the boys are still very bad at not being good at teamwork. Like, they’re already synchronising in pretty much every fight they’ve been in--not just in henshins but in attacks and so on.

Emu that looks NOTHING LIKE YOU, WHY would you call it a doppelgänger.

Since this is after Hiiro first showed up, it means that the two of them still don’t like each other (bc it took them a while to get there), so I’m not surprised that he wouldn’t call Hiiro immediately if something came up. Plus this may not show up bc CR relied on reports by witnesses and were in an abandoned warehouse. But then why is Emu...? Oh, I don’t know.

Was his henshin really always that deep?

Oh! There he is! Woz! I was wondering where you were! So, uh... Where were you?

Geiz: ‘Oh no, not again!’

Wow, he did the hoppity hop thing!

HE HAS GIANT BUMPS ON HIS ARMS! I LOVE THE GIANT BUMPERS ON HIS ARMS!

(I think they’re meant to be buttons?)

Aaaaand, right on cue, there Woz goes again.

Emu just like ‘okay then, let’s roll w/ this then, I guess!’

Wait, but the Brave and Snipe (and Genm, and then there’s Para-DX, and Poppy, and Cronus... Though I guess those last ones may not end up existing since they’re post-this?) Watches don’t seem to be in-show, so... Does that mean that Hiiro and Taiga keep their powers? Bc there was a Crozz-Z Ride Watch, so I now understand Ryuuga losing his, but there were so many Riders in Ex-Aid... Though maybe there’s a whole butterfly thing that simply by removing the primary everything is effected. Bc if you had to account for each individual Rider... Imagine how complex and difficult shows like Ryuki and Gaim would be to explain/sort through.

Hiroki has such a nice smile. Actually, pretty much everyone is Ex-Aid had a nice smile when they smiled.

Oh, god, yes. I really hope that the Rider trying to teach Sougo how to do the finisher in some way (miming for Emu, explaining for Sento) is a thing every time... Though I guess since they couldn’t get Gentaro we won’t get to see him do it... But maybe Takumi will? (I’ve never actually watched Faiz, so I have no idea what the finisher looks like)

Oh, hey. When Sougo hits him it says it in... Kanji, I think? But in Japanese characters of some kind instead of English.

ATTACK OF THE SUBTITLES!

Geiz standing of to the side trying to act cool while these two dorks help this man up.

... He’s wearing socks and... You know what, this is Japan. They’re probably his shoes for inside, and because he was running out to the ambulance with his dying son, he didn’t bother to change.

I love how Emu is like ‘who could we possibly... OH! That asshole!’ (again bc this is the very early season, back hen we didn’t like each other)

HE SAID IT! I guess they cut away so Seto didn’t actually have to eat the cake. Apparent he doesn’t actually like sweets? Maybe bc he’s such a sweetie. ^^

I really love it when the ones playing the ‘serious grumps’ are really adorably dorky and super nice. Like apparently, Seto was the funny and fun one, which I find so cute and hilarious.

Sougo here, getting into the groove of things during his second rodeo.

Emu’s like ‘are you two together?’ and Geiz is like ‘someone shoot me.’

Awwww. Of course Hiiro saved him. Though they haven’t shown us anything yet... So, maybe, even in the altered timeline, he and Emu still ends dup becoming close somehow? Can I pretend that’s the case? Seriously, Hiiro needs that kid. Otherwise he’s just gonna continue forgetting how to be human.

Why do you need another plate? But I think it’s cute how Junichiro is making so much food. I wonder if it’ll be like Mario in Zyuohger, where when he find out (if he doesn’t already know) he decides to just make life at the shop as homey as possible.

Geiz, maybe you should start using his name? Just to, you know, keep Uncle from getting suspicious?

ALSO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING WHY... I just can’t anymore. I love my dorky fashion disaster assassin son.

Here we are w/ the intense staring again. Wouldn’t be KR w/out it.

Geiz and Tsukuyomi be like ‘wow no pressure.’ Seriously, Geiz looks like he’s having a small panic attack back there.

He looks very pretty, though.

Aw, they’re keeping their Ride Watches together!

Well, there’s clearly a friendship theme, so I’m hoping there’s a level of deepening the bonds that just started forming in this episode. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Faiz other than apparently Kaixa is a horrible person (given that the preview images imply he’s strangling some poor girl, I am inclined to agree), so I can’t make any guesses there.

All I ask for Christmas is ONE episode where Geiz doesn’t wear that damn collar thing. I know it’s only been four eps but just ONE.

And, in final news, looks like they’re switching the Watches around.

Okay! Well, that's that for now. Now, my head hurts and I still want pizza, so... Not much else to say. Imaginary pizza for anyone who read all of this, you really didn’t need to do that.

I’m gonna pretend Hiiro and Emu are still friends somehow. Having a good time here, looks like we’re looking at another solid trio and I love it. Also, w/ OOO and Ghost apparently coming up... Good times.

#Kamen Rider Zi-O #just some thoughts #just some immediate thoughts #how many different ways can i say that?#have I mentioned I love Geiz?#that's it that's his tag now #looking forward to reluctant friendship #this three are seeming like a good trio and I might smell an OT3 on the horizon #to the degree that i end up shipping anything #not really a huge shipper and even when I do I'm not as into it as some other people #not as an insult simply as a fact #i have a couple of specific ships that i legit 'ship' but otherwise i'm more invested in family and friendship relations #whether it be blood or found family or otherwise #though i guess found family falls under friendship #head still hurts #still want pizza #so long and thanks for all the fish #Timey Wimey Rider

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whereverthemusetakesme · 6 years

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1-10, 25

⊱asks for muns with a multimuse⊰

1. is there a muse that you wish gets more attention?

There are a few of them... but if I had to pick just one? Scout, for sure. I do get that she’s an obscure character even within her fandom, and no longer even relevant since the canon reboot - but that doesn’t stop me wanting to do things with her xD

2. if you HAD to choose, who’s your favorite muse?

Vanellope. Definitely Vanellope; she’s not only the cutest cutie, but also my favourite fictional character overall. Though I have to say that Lauren’s not far behind her... being as she’s 100% my own character, I’d not be a biased creator if I didn’t chose her xD

3. which muse is the trickiest to get into character for?

Recently? I’d say it’s been Mabel. I feel like the way I write her is hit-and-miss most of the time; but because there’s so much canon material for her I struggle to take all of it into account at all times, you know? I think I emphasise certain parts of her personality at the expense of others... and plus, I’m nowhere near as outgoing and bouncy as she is, which gives me trouble sometimes too xD

4. is there a muse that not a lot of people roleplay with?

I suppose that Cera, Lauren, Zoey, Babs and Vixey all fall under that category; each only have one or two people who interact with them at present. That’s the advantage of a multimuse blog, though; even when they don’t have that many interested partners, the blog as a whole still stays active - rather than collecting dust (and unanswered asks) the way Cera’s used to!

And then there’s Scout, who has had a grand total of zero roleplay partners so far, so is kind of in a category all of her own? xD;;

5. if you HAD to choose, who’s your least favorite muse?

That’s not even a contest... Taffyta, for sure. I mean, I have a lot of fun writing her, but... is she a butt, or what? xD

6. which one of your muses have you been playing the longest?

On the whole? Angel. That was... back on Proboards, eight years ago, my first rping experience ever - it was a Disney-themed site, and she was my favourite character at the time, so she was the natural choice - and I guess she’s just stuck with me ever since.

7. which one of your muses has the most ships?

Ships I’ve been part of through rp here? That’s got to be Margo ( @bespectacledkitten ), as the only muse who’s actively participated in more than one ship at all. Even then, she’s only had Antonio and Vale as shipping partners, so... not loads.

Though if we’re talking more just for whom most ships exist, regardless of my participation in them... well, poor Angel does tend to be shipped with just about anything on four legs!

8. what is each of your muses otps? notps?

Hm.

Angel: OTP is with Patch of 101 Dalmatians II; and while there are a lot of ships of her I’ve seen that I disagree with, I’d say my main NOtp for her has to be with Dodger. As a sibling-type bond between them... oh yeah, I’d be all for that! But I just can’t ship them... he’s too similar to her, wouldn’t be able to give her what she needed in a relationship.

Mabel: I don’t really have any OTP for her. I’ve never rped a ship with her, and while some of her canon ones can be cute, none really make me think yes must ship it! NOtps are with either Dipper or Gideon... both for obvious reasons.

Cera: I’m intrigued by her and Littlefoot as a couple, though I’d need to actually get to play around with that before I could truly call it something I ship... and I’m not really sure of her other options. I haven’t seen any other pairings with her to have a preference on.

Taffyta: I’m not opposed to shipping her, but I don’t have any so far. NOtp is with Vanellope.

Zoey: OTP is with Rudolph, pretty much by default! No NOtps yet... I don’t even feel justified in calling her and Arrow a NOtp at this point, since we see so little actual relationship between them in canon. They’re just a noncommittal meh at this point.

Vanellope: None. I just don’t ship her... so I guess any ship with her is a NOtp for me?

Vixey: OTP is Tod. Don’t have any NOtps at present.

Scout: Undecided. I don’t think I ship her with Whie, but... I’d need more in-character interactions with her before I could commit to anything, either way.

Babs: OTP is with Featherweight, honestly! I dunno, there’s just something about the idea of those two being together that really appeals to me. Don’t have any NOtps so far.

Lauren: Haven’t really considered it. Lauren’s asexual, in my mind, so it just... hasn’t been relevant for her.

Danielle: I dunno I have a specific OTP. At different times I’ve shipped her with Berlioz (Aristocats), Rolly or Lucky (both 101 Dalmatians: The Series), but none that I can really commit to as a ‘one true’ pairing. Likewise, I don’t really have any NOtps for her, either... I’ll just play her and see what comes ^^

(and Annette as a bonus: OTP is with Pooka from Anastasia. He’s really the only person I’d consider shipping her with, so... NOtp is everyone else? xD)

9. why were you drawn to each one of your characters?

Angel: She’s just... long been a favourite of mine. Not ever since I first saw Scamp’s Adventure, when I didn’t pay her specifically much mind, but... it must have been a couple of months later, when I rewatched it for maybe the fourth time, I just... fell for her. The way she’s had such a tough life, her curious combination of selfish and selfless, both of which made her so interesting to explore further... and, I’m not gonna lie, her being the CUTEST little thing didn’t hurt at all either x3 By the time the first RP site I was part of came around, she was just the obvious choice to go for; and she’s stuck with me ever since.

Mabel: She’s just so quirky and energetic and optimistic and fun... how could anyone who’s seen Gravity Falls not be drawn to her? I liked her as soon as I started watching the show (some years after it ended, granted), and by the time I finished it I was really warring with myself over whether or not to pick her up. As you can tell, my willpower lost that battle xD

Cera: She’s such a hard-headed, stubborn BUTT WITH A HEART OF GOLD and I love it x3 I mean, I don’t usually go for characters like that, but something about the way Cera pulls it off is just... plus, the fact that she’s kind of too cute to take her jerkiness that seriously helps, too!

Taffyta: Mostly? I first picked her up because my girlfriend rped as pre-movie Vanellope and was hoping for some more of the Sugar Rush kids to pick on her... and I thought I could oblige there. I mean, I’m not really drawn to Taffyta, she’s awful... but she’s also a fun departure from all my other characters too xD

Zoey: I think... I was drawn to her potential more than her herself. In Rudolph, Zoey really is portrayed as your ‘generic love interest’ character, she’s cute and determined and doesn’t judge him for his nose... and that’s really all we’re given. And I just saw so much more untapped potential for that character, that I wanted to take her and make her into something more than just what the movie did.

Plus, the fact that my gf rps as Rudolph on her multi-muse was a key factor in that choice, too x3

Vanellope: She’s just so... got everything that makes me like a character. She’s utterly adorable; she’s so fun and sassy; she’s really brave; she has scenes in the movie that completely break my heart for her; she’s JUST... precious cutie, must be protected at all costs. I’ve had fun writing her on a couple of short-lived Proboards sites, so when I started up the multi-muse, it seemed a perfect time to add her to my muse roster.

Vixey: Like Angel, Vixey wasn’t a liked her as soon as I saw her. I’d watched Fox and the Hound many times before I even really considered her beyond her role in the film... in fact, fun story, I first picked her up on that Disney-themed Proboards site I mentioned above. My girlfriend had been playing Tod on there; and the site was a war environment, and she was planning to get him killed in one of the battles. Now there had been previous rpers who had played Vixey on that site, but all of them had since left or vanished... so I just thought, wouldn’t it be fun to pick her up so she can be UTTERLY TRAUMATISED by her mate’s death? Fox and the Hound has been a favourite of mine since I first started liking Disney movies, after all.

And it was just, as I was looking through her scenes to get the inspiration to write her, I realised how much there was to love about this character. She’s smart, kind, romantic, of course... but she also doesn’t let herself get pushed around. She was never afraid to stand up for herself when Tod snapped at her... and, I’ll be honest, I started to notice all the little hesitancies in her speech, too - the “Oh, um, gosh” and such like - and just found they made it such FUN to write her dialogue... and I’ve been attached to her ever since!

Scout: Oh my goodness, Scout... where do I even start with her? xD Like Vanellope, she’s adorable, she’s smart, she’s got herself a sharp mouth... and her life’s been such a struggle that, when I reread the novel, I just felt for her so much. The way Sean Stewart describes her, captures her personality, is just SO PERFECT, she’s so real to me, so believable... I wanted to do things with her, I wanted to do her the justice that the rest of the SW expanded universe, beyond that novel, never seems to give her. She deserved more spotlight than just that one novel, and a minor role in another, and I wanted to give that to her.

Also, I’d been low-key looking for a Star W.ars muse to take ever since I’d seen The Last J.edi, and Scout (who had just vaulted to the top of my favourite characters list for that fandom despite her lack of Force talent) was the perfect choice for that.

Babs: She’s just my favourite pony. I’m not sure what, exactly... I guess in some respects, the tough but also cute kind of characters appeal to me? After we saw her in One Bad Apple, I just found her a really interesting character. There was so much we were given about her that the episode didn’t have time to expand on, and I’m curious to see that built on and developed. Like Vanellope, I played her on a couple of short-lived Proboards sites and had fun with her... and when I was thinking of other characters to add to this blog, I just came again upon some of the gif icons I’d made of her for that, which just made me want to write for her all over again.

Lauren: What can I say..? She’s the main character of an original story I’ve been trying to write for years; I’m indulging myself by playing her here xD Though, fun fact? She was originally scheduled to simply be a minor antagonist in that story’s initial conception. Then, as I started delving into her backstory - to find the reason why she was how she was - she just became more and more interesting to me than the girl who had been originally created as the main character. Slowly Lauren just kind of... pushed her out to gain the top spot in my affections for herself.

Danielle: I’m not gonna deny it, Annette’s always been my favourite of the cocker sisters... but that said, they’re all adorable, and I think I started to warm up to them about the same time I did with Angel. The personality, all the little ways the animators showed their distinctness... Annette stood out to me the most, as the smart one of the bunch, and even before I started rping at all I’d developed a whole detailed personality for her. Dani was always second for me, while Collette kind of lagged, just because I couldn’t relate to her in the same way as I could the other two.

I don’t really have much to offer for the why they particularly drew me in. Just... they’re totally adorable, what other explanation can I give? xD

10. which muse is the most fun to write for?

Ooh... I think that’s gotta be Vanellope too, truthfully - though each of the newest additions to the blog aren’t far behind her. Babs and Dani and Scout are all really fun to play around with, too :D

25. which muse do people send the most asks for?

Mabel and Vanellope, so far on this blog! Though... I can’t say I’m really surprised. Their fandoms do both seem to be active for the long run, especially here on tumblr, so it does make sense that they’re the most popular ^^

#amanymcsnmore #ooc #ask #meme response #long post #This... got a lot longer than I expected it to!#but it was also fun; thanks so much for sending it :D

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1358456 · 6 years

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Platinum Version Run, Part 3

Almost done. But for this game, I won’t end it after I finish the Elite Four. No, no, no. Team Galactic has to end. Meaning, I’ll end this run once the whole Stark Mountain shenanigans is done.

CAN’T SEE SH*T, CAPTAIN!

An unavoid-... wait... GASP! It’s an HM that’s not THROWN AT ME! I had to actually FIND IT! ... I mean, it was kind of right there in the path to Snowpoint, but I could’ve technically missed it! That’s... 1/7 thus far. 1 HM that I COULD have missed, and 6 that I absolutely could not have possibly avoided.

Been there before. 135 cm tall, but... snow piled up to a meter. Trip on a small fence that you couldn’t see because of the snow, and... this pretty much happens.

OHH, GET F*CKED! Well said!

Pfft. Frontal assault all the way. What are they going to do? Stop me? ... It turns out that it’s literally impossible to proceed through the front without a key. BOO. Couldn’t you have been like... kick the door open and then just start laying waste to everyone? I mean, what are they going to do? Fight me?

... Isn’t that really, really bad, though? Could you imagine, if you were the only one in the whole world? No food unless you grow it. No house unless you build it. And on and on. You sad, miserable little man. ... Have fun.

Hey, Rakutsu. What are you doing here already?

Honestly, no. I actually came here to get a Razor Claw for my Sneasel. And... well, I guess I also came here to kick someone’s ass. Rescue the Sinnoh Lake Trio? ... Why? Liberate them, so I can enslave them later?

That’s very rude, button. F*ck you. I don’t have to listen to you!

For a moment, I thought I was going to battle him. And I was confused. “I don’t remember whuppin’ your ass in the other playthroughs!” ... But of course. Coward, I say! ... Is this why Rakutsu is his superior in BW2? He says that the player is far superior to him. So he gets another player character who is literally his superior.

Well... On my way to Spear Pillar. I’ve made the journey to Spear Pillar SO MANY FREAKING TIMES in the past that I still somehow remember exactly where I need to go. Heh...

Here’s my team thus far!

Frostbite the Ice/Dark type that doesn’t actually bite. Hasty. I actually went through the trouble of EVing this little f*ck. If I recall, a level 50 Weavile is supposed to have 172 Atk and 194 Spd with a +Spd nature. So it’s pretty close, but... not going to reach it. I think its Atk IV was like 14, and Spd was 24. Something like that. Ugh.

Huhuhuhahaha! ... Ugh. Naive nature. A Garchomp is supposed to have 182 Atk and 169 Spd at level 50 with a +Spd nature. ... So this is ass. A Naive Garchomp at level 50 should have... ... Don’t know the HP, but 182 Atk, 115 Def, 100 Sp. Atk, 90 Sp. Def, and 169 Spd. So I see that this thing ended up with EVs at Def and Sp. Def. ... Blech.

This guy’s holding Amulet Coin for now. It’ll soon go back to holding Draco Plate.

I don’t even use this thing anymore. It’s just a starter with soon to be four HMs for a moveset. I WAS going to give this Surf, Ice Beam, Flash Cannon, and Grass Knot. But it had to be Adamant.

So, Weavile has Strength, Garchomp and Rock Climb, Staraptor has Fly and Defog, and Empoleon has the other 4 HMs. Done.

Another one that I stopped using. Bold? BOLD? ... Your sole purpose now is Fly and Defog.

And of course, when there’s one...

There’s the other.

Timid Gardevoir and Hasty Gallade. I was going to nickname them as “Ruby” and “Sapphire”, but... which one’s which? Then I was going to call them as “Shield” and “Sword”, but... nah. Vanguard the Gallade that’s ironically not in the vanguard of my team, and Gardevoir, whose nickname suits its Dex data of shielding its trainer. ... I don’t want to look at their stats. They remind me too much of my first Ruby version run (Gardevoir) and my first Platinum version run (Gallade). SH*T stats.

But... that’s what I was prepared for when I started this run. I was prepared to feel the pain of horrible inefficiencies and sub-par stats.

Heh. Almost everyone’s holding a Plate because I dug up so many in the underground. Oddly, I did not find a Sky Plate for the bird. ... Meh. Whatever.

Hey, I remember this cave. It’s where you get Adamant Orb, Lustrous Orb, and a Stone Plate. ... Why a STONE Plate, though, I wonder? A Draco Plate suits the theme a lot better. ... Or all 16 Plates too, because why the f*ck not.

And hey, Spear Pillar! I can’t believe I remembered the exact path I needed to take to get here, despite YEARS of not playing a Sinnoh game.

Also, lovely flute pedestal. ... Too bad I don’t have the Azure Flute. Play the thing on the pedestal, which then plays the opening theme of Platinum version, and a golden staircase descends, allowing me to take it high above the Spear Pillar (while seeing through the stairs), all the way to Hall of Origin and battle a level 80 Arceus. ... If only this event was actually distributed. I’d have a shiny IV 31 all Arceus. ... Er... I’d have ANOTHER shiny IV 31 all Arceus. Curses.

But now that I’m here and about to get sucked into a wormhole, I think it’s a good place to stop.

#pt

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eldritchsurveys · 3 years

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1136.

The Books

January Heavy: An American Memoir, Kiese Laymon The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins Lost Souls, Poppy Z Brite Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood February The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son, Lois Lowry Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert March The Institute, Stephen King My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress, Rachel DeLoache Williams Recursion, Blake Crouch Necrophilia Variations, Supervert Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor’s Story of Life and Death in the People’s Temple, Deborah Layton Dark Matter, Blake Crouch April Brave New World, Aldous Huxley Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death, Irvin D Yalom Diary of an Oxygen Thief, Anonymous May The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster Southern Gods, John Hornor Jacobs The King in Yellow, Robert Chambers

June Wizard & Glass, Stephen King Deathless, Catherynne M Valente July Making Friends With Death: A Field Guide For Your Impending Last Breath (To Be Read, Ideally, Before It’s Imminent!), Laura Pritchett August Wolves of the Calla, Stephen King September Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke Inner Bonding: Becoming a Loving Adult To Your Inner Child, Margaret Paul October Healing the Shame That Binds You, John Bradshaw God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Mirabai Starr November The Self-Acceptance Project: How To Be Kind And Compassionate Toward Yourself In Any Situation, Tami Simon A Mountain Walked: Great Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, ed. S.T. Joshi Running On Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect, Dr Jonice Webb December Venus in Furs, Leopold Sacher-Masoch What If This Were Enough, Heather Havrilesky Number Of Books You Read: 37 Number of Re-Reads: 6 Genre You Read The Most From: Fantasy and nonfiction, I’d say. 1. Best Book You Read In 2020? Or Top 10? >> The Hunger Games trilogy; Heavy; Recursion; Deathless; The Poisonwood Bible; and the Making Friends With Death book were probably my faves. 2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn't? >> Probably Brave New World. I just thought I’d be more interested in it, but it turned out to not really be to my tastes. 3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read in 2020? >> Hm... none of them seem really surprising to me. 4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did) in 2020? >> I don’t do that. 5. Best series you started in 2020? Best sequel of 2020? Best series ender of 2020? >> The Hunger Games was the best series, probably. Considering I fully read only two series. 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2020? >> Blake Crouch. 7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? >> I think all the books I read are pretty standard for me. 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? >> The Blake Crouch books, for sure. Southern Gods was pretty captivating, Lost Souls will always be devourable, and once Oryx and Crake took off it really took off. 9. Book you read in 2020 that you are most likely to re-read next year? >> Hmm... maybe Recursion. But, really, it’s too soon to reread anything I read in 2020 just yet. 10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2020? >> I’m not sure. 11. Most memorable character of 2020? >> Koschei (Deathless) <3 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2020? >> Deathless had lovely prose. Heavy was poetic in its sadness, and Letters To A Young Poet had some pretty lines. 13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2020? >> Tempted to say The Phantom Tollbooth. :p It’s timeless and always thought-provoking, okay. 14. Book you can’t believe you waited until 2020 to finally read? >> Deathless, since tumblr had been going apeshit about it for a while by then. 15. Favorite passages/quotes from a book you read in 2020? >> I don’t keep track of quotes.

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2020? >> Letters to a Young Poet (80p) was the shortest, and Wolves of the Calla (931p) was the longest. 17. Book That Shocked You The Most >> I’m not sure any of them shocked me. 18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!) >> Hmm. 19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year >> Meh. 20. Favorite book you read in 2020 from an author you’ve read previously >> Tie here between The Phantom Tollbooth and Lost Souls. Talk about two entirely different kinds of books, lol. 21. Best book you read in 2020 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else/peer pressure: >> Oryx and Crake. 22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020? >> Koschei <3 23. Best 2020 debut you read? >> --- 24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting you read this year? >> Gonna have to go back to Deathless for this one, I think. 25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most fun to read? >> Making Friends With Death, ironically. Also, Big Magic. 26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2020? >> I cried through most of Heavy. Some of the Lowry books. Deathless. 27. Hidden gem of the year? >> --- 28. Book that crushed your soul? >> I wouldn’t say that about any of them. 29. Most unique book you read in 2020? >> I’m not sure how to classify that. Many of them are pretty singular, if you ask me. 30. Book that made you the most mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? >> Stephen King books tend to do that automatically (especially Dark Tower books, for very specific reasons). 31. How many audiobooks did you read? Which one was your favorite? >> Zero. 32. Did you abandon any books? If so, which ones and why? >> Yeah, but I don’t remember what they were because I only keep track of books I actually read and finish. 33. What books are on your to be read list for the coming year? >> There’s, like, 150+ books I want to read... and that’s just the books I know about... 34. Did you have any reading goals for this year? Did you complete them? >> I set my goal to 50 books, but I basically reneged on it in the middle of the year because I realised I didn’t care to keep up with that sort of thing anymore. So yeah, my total is 37 and I’m happy with that. 35. Do you have any reading goals for the next year? >> Nope. Just to have fun and learn some more shit.

#surveys #survey #book survey #end of year survey #not for reblogging *glare*#this is a much better end of year book survey than the other one i usually take!

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foxeygem · 7 years

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EVERYTHING! (all questions)

omggg ok im going to answer half cause I’m sleepy and ill post the rest another time (also bc it would be a hella long post) lol

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most? constantly changesss idk I’ve listened to quite a few pink floyd songs a lot and still do, but i also have been listening to tyler the creator recently. oh and the black keys

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? first i thought hendrix then i realized this said anyone on this earth and i don’t know id have to think about that

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

-i have this poetry book idk there isn’t a 17th line but ill re write it for you. cracks. here you are covered in cracks from falling and not being caught. cracks from loving someone incapable of reciprocating everything you gave them and yet here you stand. still beautiful. still worthy of the love you’ve always given. i wrote this for you.

4: What do you think about most? o.o

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say? how ya doin nat

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on? i switch it up

7: What’s your strangest talent? huh. i can lick my elbow

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence) idk i could go anywhere w that and i don’t want to decide that right now lol

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you? i have.

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar? how bout real guitar?? yesterday

11: Do you have any strange phobias? hm not really except car washes used to make me nervous lol

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? nope not 4 me

13: What’s your religion? i have my own beliefs but i wouldn’t say i have a religion

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? looking at the sky. taking pictures. hiking, exploring. longboarding. meditating.

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? maybe behind.

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band? ughhhhh. i listen to such a variety and have favorites within those genres but. pink floyd has a special place in my heart

17: What was the last lie you told? damn this q is real haha i told my friend id tell her when i got home bc she wanted to chill but that ended up not happening (I’m just feeling like being alone)

18: Do you believe in karma? yesyesy

19: What does your URL mean? I’m on that cosmic fl0w

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength? i will get back to u on that

21: Who is your celebrity crush? i don’t really care for celebrities that much

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping? yes haha

23: How do you vent your anger? writing!! & gym helps a lot

24: Do you have a collection of anything? i collect crystals/stones.

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? depends on the person. maybe id wanna see u;)

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become? yes

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love? forks on a plate, wind chimes

28: What’s your biggest “what if”? theres too many

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens? oh yeah

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm. my bed frame, my nightstand

31: Smell the air. What do you smell? dat kush

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to? aw i don’t wanna shame anywhere

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast? west

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender? kinda the same question as 21 like its whatever

35: To you, what is the meaning of life? answering this now id say experience, answering this later in life I’m not sure.

36: Define Art. art is so subjective, i guess i would define it as a timeless and ever-changing

37: Do you believe in luck? ya I’m 50/50 w luck but some people really do have some luck

38: What’s the weather like right now? its comfortable a lil overcast a lil breezy

39: What time is it? 1:12 AM

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? i drive i haven’t crashed

41: What was the last book you read? dirty pretty things

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline? meh

43: Do you have any nicknames? nat, natie

44: What was the last film you saw? death note

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? when i split my head a bit

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly? No, I haven’t tried. i like to leave ‘em be

47: Do you have any obsessions right now? no

48: What’s your sexual orientation? I’m mostly straight but i like having fun with some girls, what can i say girls are beautiful

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you? yes

50: Do you believe in magic? no

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cloudchaserandflitterexplain · 7 years

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Cloudchaser and Flitter Explain: High Magic + Marks in Time Manes

Yeah, well, I’ve just got that itch, you know?

Well, do you have a topic?

Sure do! We have Manes we can talk about!

We kind of forgot to cover High Magic’s Manes, and we’ve got Marks in Time’s to do too!

We can even do them both at once since there’s only 7 total across both sets!

Hrm, yeah, we never did get to High Magic, did we?

What the hay, I’m down if you are.

Hi everypony, we’re back! Did you miss us? Today we’ll be talking about High Magic’s and Marks in Time’s Mane Characters!

And just like last time, we’ll be talking about them in the context of both Harmony and block formats!

Let’s start from the top with High Magic’s Blue Mane: Princess Luna: Dream Warrior!

A fantastic Mane! She got me 4th place last year at nationals!

First off, she has an incredibly easy flip condition of just needing to play a friend to her problem. So unless you have an incredibly bad hand, this basically means you’ll be flipping her turn 2 every game.

But that’s only the beginning. Her true power comes from her boosted ability. Namely being able to move for free whenever you play a friend to a problem. That’s 2 AT worth of value for free. Every time you use her.

And with hasty friends, this means you can even move her outside of the main phase. It is pretty common to see ponies use her to confront one problem, then play a Hasty friend like Night Glider: She’s On it to another problem during the score phase, which causes her to dart to that problem and confront it to start a DFO.

Her one problem is she relies on friends being played. So tokens and banishing then putting friends back into play won’t help you out. And if you run out of friends in hand, or don’t have anything sufficiently cheap, you’ll have to rely on actually moving her manually.

A well built deck can get around these problems most of the time, of course, but they are something to be aware of and will crop up even in the best decks from time to time. But it’s certainly not enough to dissuade ponies from using her.

In short, she’s very efficient, and very easy to use. There’s a reason so many ponies use Bluna nowadays.

Cici!

Yeah, yeah. She’s a princess and you don’t like it when I don’t use princess’s proper titles.

Well, tough. Everypony calls her “Bluna”, even me. So you’ll just have to deal with it.

Well, don’t come complaining to me when you get banished to the moon twice for disrespect!

How would I be banished twice?

Um, I mean I really think you’re overestimating how much the princesses care about being referred to by proper titles when talking about a card game… It’s not like we’re in a courtroom, you know.

Hmph.

Anyway, maybe we should just move on.

Yes. Let’s finish talking about Princess Luna: Dream Warrior, shall we?

Dream Warrior prefers aggressive decks. Almost to the exclusion of anything else. She is all about speed.

And who can blame her? Her ability basically screams “use me to confront problems over and over!”

Like Cici said before, you’ll want to fill your deck with cheap friends and hasty friends. Stuff like Prince Rutherford, and Filthy Rich can help you optimize how you use her!

And since you’re already in Blue trying to win lots of faceoffs, cards that help you win faceoffs like Oh YEAH! or cards that get you extra points for winning faceoffs like Rainbow Dash: Back in Black can really help out.

Or my personal favourite: Night Glider: Overpowering.

As for problems, you’re going to want problems that are easy to confront, no more than 6 total power is a good guideline. And high bonuses are good since you’re trying to win faceoffs!

The strategy for building around her in block is basically the same. Most of the cards that play well with her are already block cards, so chances are you won’t be needing to make very many modifications.

Really, it’s not hard to make a Bluna deck. Just toss together all your cheap blue friends with good effects, some way to score extra points, and maybe some Thunderlane: Unsung Heroes and you’ll do fine.

Next up is Trixie: Tricks of the Trade. High Magic’s Purple Mane!

So Trixie isn’t exactly a bad Mane, but…

Well, she’s expensive to flip first off. And that can really set you back in the early game. 2 AT in addition to an event can be steep. Especially since most of the good events you’re likely to play have a high req. So chances are good that you won’t be flipping her until turn 3 or 4 at the earliest. And that’s assuming you have an event you even want to play.

That being said, there’s a reasonable chance you’ll be able to make your investment back in upcoming turns, due to her boosted ability. Having cheaper events is no joke. And playing 1 cost events for 0 is huge as the opponent will never be 100% certain if you have a Napcakes or not.

Of course, you only get those cheaper events when the opponent starts a faceoff. If they don’t start faceoffs, due to, say, only confronting one problem a turn or using point gain mechanisms like Photo Finish: Say “Käse”, well, she’s not going to do anything for you. Which is a huge flaw in her game plan.

So she’s pretty good against some matchups, but close to worthless in others. In general, I say stick with Princess Twilight: Ambassador of Friendship as your Purple Mane. Free AT every turn almost without fail will generally pay off better than Trixie ever could. And in more matchups.

Trixie prefers control, though she could probably see play In midrange decks as well.

You’ll want to fill your deck with lots of cheap events, like Star Swirl Research, to make flipping her easier. And events that help you out during faceoffs help a lot too, like Through the Ages. You’ll want a fair bit of them to best make usage of Trixie’s ability.

And you’ll want to use a lot of troublemakers too. Preferably ones that the opponent just has to deal with If they want to get anything done, so they’ll try and start lots of faceoffs so you can use Trixie’s ability to stop them!

Your problems should also help you with faceoffs. Dark Magic Surge can reduce your event’s costs even further. And On the Case gives you AT for when your opponent starts a faceoff there. Perfect for your strategy!

Like Bluna, you build Trixie basically the same way in block as you would in Harmony. Nothing about the different card pools really changes your strategy there.

Basically all of the events you’d use are from Equestrian Odysseys block anyway…

Let’s move on to our last High Magic Mane: Discord: Mostly Harmless.

More like Mostly Worthless…

Cici!

He’s got a meh flip condition and an ability that barely affects the opponent, if it does at all. A lot of decks don’t even run Troublemakers.

It wouldn’t be bad on a Friend. That way you could play the friend in some matchups and save the AT elsewhere. But as a Mane? You want something that’s going to impact the game more than just occasionally.

Manes that require the opponent to be playing a specific way just aren’t good. Especially when the payoff is so minor. There’s no strategy to build around, no huge impact once he’s flipped, nothing.

What about Trixie? She’s a mane that requires the opponent to do specific things, and you said she wasn’t bad.

Okay, that’s true, but almost every deck is willing to start a faceoff at some point. Even control decks will challenge Troublemakers to try and get rid of them if they’re hazardous to their game plan. So you’re likely to get some benefit against almost all opponents, with a few exceptions.

But Discord? If the opponent isn't playing TMs, he does nothing for you. Even Mover and Shaker is better since almost everyone plays events!

Just don’t use this Mane. Stick to one of the Fluttershy Manes. They’re all considerably better, and the only place to be if you want to play Yellow.

Well, Cloudchaser is right about one thing. Discord’s not really a Mane you can build around. So he doesn’t really favor any particular strategy.

So go nuts! Include whatever you want! There’s no wrong way to build a Mostly Harmless deck!

Talk about truth in advertising…

Just make sure to include a few TMs so you can flip him yourself without relying on the opponent to do so for you!

Well, enough about him. Let’s move on to—

Aren’t you forgetting something?

Sure, fine. Build Discord in Block by not building him at all.

Anyway, on to Marks in Time and—

Cloudchaser!

Gah!

Look, he’s just bad. It doesn’t matter if it’s block or not. Why waste more time talking about him?

Cloudchaser…

Fine…

You build Discord the same way in block as you do in Harmony. Just like all the other HM Manes. There’s really not much difference since you can’t build around him.

Happy?

Much better!

Still don’t see the point…

Let’s move on to Marks in Time, shall we? And starting from the top, we’ve got Scootaloo: Cutie Mark Crusader! The first of three Manes with that subtitle

It’s been so long since they could get Manes of their own. I’m so proud of all three of them!

Heh, yeah. Nice of the devs to give them cards once they got their cutie marks, isn’t it? Pretty big moment in any foal’s life to be sure.

Absolutely!

But that’s enough being proud, even if they do deserve it! We’ve got cards to talk about!

Fair enough!

So if you thought Bluna was value, you definitely want to check out Scootaloo since she’s double that value. Two free moves every single turn, so long as you have characters at home. That’s 4 AT worth of movement for absolutely free!

Some ponies might think that’s a pretty good deal, yes.

Of course, moving those friends at the end of the turn means they aren’t going to help you this turn, just in the future, while Bluna can move before score phase, which is handy.

And Scootaloo does have a harder flip condition to meet, the same one that all Marks in Time Manes have, actually. Which frequently means she gets online later than Bluna does.

But despite being slower to start, she’s quicker in the mid to late game. And that can sometimes make up the difference! Nothing quite like winning a faceoff only to move two friends right back.

Both are good choices. Which is better is up to you.

Scootaloo favours aggro, but can actually be used in control situations as well. Friends like Svengallop or Pinkie Pie: Distracting Cheerer are good choices if going for control, since their abilities only work at problems. And with Scootaloo, it’s easy to ensure they’re at problems.

But if you’re going for the aggro route, you’re probably going to want cards similar to what you’d use for Dream Warrior. Probably with less emphasis on Hasty and more emphasis on winning faceoffs. Cards that trigger on being moved, like Holly Dash are great choices, though!

Though Rarity: Truly Outrageous is pretty good too, since you move her home to score points, then move her right back at end of turn to score again next turn!

Your problems are going to be pretty similar to Dream Warrior’s too, focusing on being quick and high bonuses. As for your starting problem, you’re going to want something easy to confront. Something like Cloudbursting or Under Lock and Tree.

For block, you’re probably going to want to focus solely on speed, and not go the control element. While it might still function, it’s going to be less effective than it would be without Premiere Block cards.

You also won’t have access to Cloudbursting, so you’ll have to make sure and choose a starting problem you can confront as quickly as possible. Under Lock and Tree plus an Aloe: Magic Touch can get you that turn 2 flip, for example.

Other than that… yeah, more or less the same. Focus on winning faceoffs and scoring points and you’ll be fine.

Next is our first Orange Mane for the day, the leader of the gang, Apple Bloom: Cutie Mark Crusader!

Yeah, uh… why don’t you handle this one, Flitter?

Huh? Why?

Because I don’t want you to hit me again when I say that she’s even worse than Mostly Harmless…

I mean, to be fair, it’s been a long, long time since we’ve had a bad Orange Mane. So it’s about time. But, well… she’s really, really bad.

Sigh, Cloudchaser…

You really don’t want to talk about her?

Not really… I mean, sure, she’s not the worst Mane… but I kind of have nothing good to say about her.

Her ability is just so… next to useless! At least Discord does something to some ponies.

Well, I don’t know about that! She helps you secure a faceoff win!

Admittedly, the opponent needs to have characters at problems, which doesn’t always happen.

But when they do, you increase your chances of winning nicely!

Yeah, but the pony starting the faceoffs usually wins anyway. It’s overkill.

Yeah, well...

Not to mention Orange is already super good at winning faceoffs and has other Manes that are just better for accomplishing that effect simply due to already having lots of power.

Well, sure, but…

Not to mention, Maud and Applejack are just easier to flip and more versatile. And if you don’t want to use them, you’ve got Spike and even Muffin Mare who are almost certainly going to do more for you than—

I thought you weren’t going to talk about the card.

Huh? I’m not. You are.

If you say so…

Anyway, Apple Bloom, like Scootaloo, prefers an aggro strategy. She wants to get to problems and confront them all the time to make most use out of her ability. And win those faceoffs!

Diligent friends and other cards that benefit from winning faceoffs are going to be pretty great here. Events that help win faceoffs will help too! And obviously you’ll want problems that revolve around winning faceoffs.

One friend especially to keep in mind is Bessie, since she’ll keep the friends you exhaust with Apple Bloom still exhausted assuming you don’t actually start a faceoff.

And like Scootaloo, you’re going to want an easy problem to confront early on.

Playing block, uh, you’re uh...

You know, just go with Flitter’s strategy of diligent friends. Probably your best bet. I really don’t know what else you can do with her.

Well, maybe it’s best to just move on.

To Purple, and Starlight Glimmer: Time of Her Life!

Now this is an interesting Mane. Unlike almost every other Mane in the game, you’re rewarded the longer it takes you to flip her as you get more benefit from her.

When you flip her, you get another ready phase. Which means drawing a card, collecting AT, and readying all your cards. So the more points ponies have scored, the more AT you’ll get when flipping her. And the more friends you’ve played that exhaust, the more you’ll be able to ready.

This can do some interesting things. You can exhaust all your friends, then have them ready for a faceoff you’re expecting the opponent to start. Or, maybe, you just want to use that Applejack: Factory Organizer an extra time.

Unfortunately, there aren’t very many friends with Immediate abilities that you can exhaust for benefit. Only 7 before Defenders of Equestria, actually, and only three of them are Purple. And all three of those are multi-coloured cards, no two of which are the same colour combination.

So it’s kind of difficult to use that aspect of her ability all that well yet…

But hey, who knows, maybe Defenders will make her more useful? I’d certainly like that. She’s certainly unique. But for now, she’s kind of only mediocre, and I’d recommend other Purple Manes for the time being.

Starlight doesn’t particularly favor any strategy, though farming is more or less out. Whether you’re using her boosted ability for a few extra action tokens to help you close the game a turn sooner, or using it to ready your friends with immediate abilities is entirely up to you!

Like cici said, pairing her with friends that exhaust at immediate speed is a good idea, like Moondancer: Detail-Oriented. You’ll probably also want a lot of low requirement Purple friends in case you don’t decide to flip Starlight until mid to late game.

But other than that, you more or less have free reign! Figure out how you best want to use her, then pick cards that help with that strategy. There’s no real wrong way to build a Starlight deck!

Except for farming.

Right, except for farming.

Your problems should be easy to confront, since you’ll want to get Starlight in there as soon as possible when you’re ready to flip her. You may also want to consider problems like Entrance Exam, which will let Starlight do something while she’s unboosted since you’re unlikely to use her to help confront problems until the time is right.

Let your creativity go nuts!

Like Flitter said, you can build her basically however you want, so there’s not going to be much difference between harmony and block formats. And most of the cards that synergize with her are block cards anyway.

But that being said, since Block format is naturally slower than Harmony, you have more time to let Starlight sit on the sidelines until you’re ready to flip her. So keep that in mind when building around her.

A well timed Starlight flip can be almost like an entire extra turn, so make sure you pick the best possible moment!

And now we’re moving on to our last Mane for the day: Sweetie Belle: Cutie Mark Crusader.

Another interesting one. Sweetie’s got some interesting build around potential.

There are some pretty powerful resources out there, and the ability to fetch them out of your yard every turn for free is pretty good. It’s not quite as good as, say, a free extra card or a free AT like Vinyl or Ambassador of Friendship, but it’s still a free card every turn.

...Provided you have a resource in your discard to get, anyway. Which is the hard part.

Now the good news is that there are plenty of resources worth retrieving from your discard. DIlemmas come to mind immediately for example, and you’ll be able to throw those into your discard pile pretty easily. Just start a face off with them! Then play them again the next turn.

The problem is to make her useful enough you have to be running enough resources in your deck to ensure you see some. And then on top of that, they have to be getting put in the discard at a pretty high rate to be getting enough usage out of her to justify using her over certain other manes I’ve mentioned. Which is hard.

Though, admittedly, she’s still probably the second best White Mane we’ve got. After—

Rarity: Dressmaker?

I was going to say Octavia.

Are you feeling okay, Cici? You didn’t freak out when I mentioned my hat deck.

Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure that’s what you wanted me to do…

So I didn’t.

Hehe, you’re learning!

Anyway, the point is that if you can find a good way to utilize her turn after turn, she’s probably worth building around. The problem is you’re frequently not going to be able to, which makes her a vanilla Mane half the time. Which just isn’t good enough.

Maybe Defenders will help? One to keep an eye on, to be sure.

Like Scootaloo, Sweetie can be used in both aggro and control decks!

Though unlike Scootaloo, she tends to prefer control. So they’re the same, but opposite, hehe.

Now if you’re going for speed, you’re going to want resources that help with that. Dilemmas with a low requirement are a good choice, as are resources that can provide you with AT, like Heart’s Desire or Two Bits. You’ll be able to go super fast recurring resources like those!

But if you’re going the control option, you’re going to prefer resources that have a debilitating effect. Vexing resources like Local Fashion will be good here, as will resources that can remove friends like Assault Pie or Oozeccessorized. Oh, and you can’t forget Wake Up Call!

Oh, and if you want to team her up with one of her PFFs, there’s the Applebloom: Re-Markable trick too! Just discard a resource to Apple Bloom each turn and get it back with Sweetie Belle! It’s like a free AT each turn!

Yeah, well, you might as well be using Ambassador of Friendship at that point…

But it’s a cute trick, sure.

As for problems, well, obviously you’re going to want something easy to confront for your starting problem, and from there, well, there are a number of problems that affect resources. Might want to start there!

Otherwise just go for standard problems for your strategy. You’ll be fine!

In block, you’ve got your work cut out for you. A lot of the best aggro resources are from previous sets, so you’re probably going to have to play control.

But the good news there is that the naturally slower format will let you use Sweetie Belle’s ability more times, so you’ll probably want to be playing control anyway. She can pack a wallop with the right resource toolkit. Probably worth trying out.

It won’t be the most competitive deck ever…

But I bet you’d win some games with it.

Okay, we’re done. Phew, been awhile.

Yup! Have fun?

Definitely.

Then we’ll have to try and make an effort to do this more frequently in the near future, won’t we?

Bye everypony! We’ll see you soon.

For sure.

Especially with Defenders right around the corner! I can’t wait to shake up my existing decks with new cards! I’m going to try and make a new Blue deck, no wait, a new Purple deck, and then I’ll—

Slow down, Cici!

Howsabout we go down to Sugar Cube Corner and speculate about the new cards for a while?

Deal! Let’s go!

#cloudchaser and flitter explain #cloudchaser #flitter #mlp:ccg #MLP:FiM #mlp ccg #MLP

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splattershotsundae · 7 years

Text

Better Eight Than Never --- Chapter 23: Some good and knot so good feelings

VZZTVZZT

Toda groaned.

VZZTVZZT

“I’m trying to sleep, phone...” He murmured, turning over in his bed, and then cringing in pain as he put pressure on his leg. Oh right, his life wasn’t exactly normal anymore… He carefully sat up, pulling the blankets off to get a look at his leg. Bato’d put the bandage up as high as he could, most of it able to be hidden under a pair of shorts, but he’d still have to wear actual pants if he wanted to be on the safe side… He took a moment to watch a few raindrops trickle down his window before leaning over and picking up his phone; There was a chance these texts would be important. When he saw it was from Jill and neither in all caps, or spelled properly, he relaxed and pull the covers back over his lap.

J: Hey T are you up yet?

J: I was wondering how u r

T: yah im up

T: im donig okay, prty sore tho

T: wbu?

J: Im good

T: good 2 haer

J: shoulder still hurts

J: aLOT

J: not suprised ur sore tho

T: yeah

J: r u feelin sick @ all?

J: jus gathrin info 4 S

T: hm...

T: no, i dnot thik so

J: good! :D

T: :)

T: wht bout u?

J: Im fit as a skattele!

J: *Fiddle

T: lol

T: hwo fit s a skattele? :P

J: theyre pretty fit

J: easy ot fit in ym mouth!

J: omnomnomnomnom!

T: LOL XD

J: Do u like skatteles?

T: nto my al-tim favrite, btu i liek tem

J: Ok, then wh@ candies do u like?

T: nything wit choclate

T: especly milk chocolte

T: espcily peant m&ms

J: I'll keep th@ in mind. XP

J: Especially th@ u dont have a peanut allegory

J: *Alligator

J: *A L L E R G Y T: lol XD

T: yah no allergies

J: I cant type 2day!

J: it is a cuuurrseeee

T: sems lik it :P

J: A hilarious curse...

Toda wasn’t quite sure how to reply. He decided he’d try to figure it out while he got himself some clothes for that day. He carefully swung his legs over the edge of the bed and started to stand slowly, but as soon as he started to put weight on his bad leg he winced and sat back down quickly. Alright, it's fine, there's no hurry... He took a few deep breaths, then tried to stand again, putting a hand on his nightstand to brace himself as he put the weight on his leg again. “Okay, so at least I'm standing now...” He murmured as he started to limp towards the closet. Once there he leaned against the wall and looked over his available clothing. His usual layered anchor shirt needed to be washed… and to have the sleeve stitched up… He supposed he’d wear his part-time pirate, and a pair of baggy pants he hadn’t worn in forever, that was bound to be much easier to put on than a pair of jeans, or worse… He just remembered to grab a pair of socks as well before staggering back to his bed and sitting down. Thank Judd that was over, now he could take a bit of a break before changing clothes. Oh, Jill’d messaged him again while he was picking out clothes.

J:... T, how many of th messages did u read from after u stoped rplying yetsrday?

T: um.. I ddn’t rly

T: y?

J: You may want to look again.

T: ok?

Toda frowned a little, starting to pull up the group chat. He hadn't remembered receiving a notification for one after that, though he'd had no signal just before Oz came, and his phone had been muted too--

S: Toda!

S: No

S: answer!

S: Toda Pleaes

S: Toda pleas eanswer

S: I love you

He stopped, eyes settling on the message at the bottom of the chat. "Oh." He said aloud. A blush crept up his face, his stomach butterflies seemed to wake up and promptly triple in number; some of them made their way into his chest, making it feel lighter. "Oh." He repeated, his voice a little softer this time. He couldn't seem to come up with anything else to say.

He sort of lay back for a second, staring up at the ceiling. So.. so his feelings weren't unrequited. They liked him too, loved him too. He actually started to smile, feeling some of the worry that had been sitting with him the last couple of days ebbing away. He should call them and... wait. Should he just call them and tell them? What exactly would he say? Was now even a good time? Maybe in person would be better... but that might not be for a while; he didn't know if they were going to be up to coming to the plaza today... probably not... or would it be better to let them bring it up first? He rubbed his forehead, feeling a few knots starting to mix in with the butterflies, though these were slightly different knots than before.

He realized that Jill was probably waiting for an answer, so he picked up his phone and started to bring up their 1-on-1 chat, when it... occurred to him that Simon had confessed in their group chat room. He grimaced a little, feeling his blush become darker. Oops... He brought up Jill's messages, but the only thing he could think of to say was still just:

T: oh

J: Im sosorry this wa snone of my busniess Ishount ave sad anythung imsosorry i wish idneevr seeniut Ijsut fiue

J:ds thatsome ofs waht s isupsetbout i can hear thm pacing abd i got curios and

T: nonoonno

T: its fin

T: rel yit sok

T: wai

T: r they ok?

J: Im right below their room

J: Theyre pacing more than usual

J: I think... they thought you knew they said that.

T: oh

T: no, i hdant sen it til now

T: m phon was mutde

T: nd teh siganl wsa rell bad ther

A short pause.

J: Do u like them back?

T: yeah, i do

T: I really do

J: Oh thank goodness...

Toda smiled a little, taking a deep breath and trying to get the blushing under control… Simon had been a little awkward after they’d found him… was this why? They thought he’d seen the message?

J: Theyre pacing faster D:

J: MayB when u come over u should talk 2 them

J: or @ lest try.

T: yah...

T: wold tey b up 2 tha tday?

J: MayB

J: Probably just thruogh the door tho

T: ok...

J: @ this point u stand a beter chance than me...

T: oh...?

J: We... havnt been connecting as well snce... the stuff happned.

T: oh...

Toda felt more knots, of a different kind. This wasn’t good…

J: Theyre so distant from me now.

J: Its hard...

J: Sometimes I wonder if... he said something 2 them...

T: ... yeah... its posibl...

J: I wish I could help thm

J: But our encounters r so... the complt opposte.

T: yeah...

J: sryy 4 droppin heavy stuff....

T: its ok

T: i dont mnid

J: are u sure?

T: im sure

T: :3

J: if u say so...

Toda waited a moment, then sighed and began to change his clothes. Part of him wanted to stay at home, his leg hurt so much, but he had to go to the plaza anyway to meet with the squid sisters, so he didn’t really have a choice either way. He’d just have to take some pain medication and hope for the best. And have breakfast, if there was one thing he was fairly sure he’d never do again, it was take food for granted.

He stood up on wobbly legs and straightened his clothes, then slipped his phone into his pocket and limped toward his bedroom door. He paused with his hand over the knob, casting a glance at his Splattershot Jr. and ink tank. Nope, not going to take any chances today. He grunted and bent down to pick them up, and fastened them on before finally heading out of his room and going to get ready for the day.

Bato awoke that morning to the sound of rain tapping on glass, his room dimly tinted gray from the dappled light coming in through his window. He yawned and sat up, looking toward his bed, where he saw Hachi already awake and watching the raindrops glide down the windowpane. "Morning." He greeted, voice still a little heavy from drowsiness.

Hachi gave him a quick glance, but then looked back out the window.

He fell silent, watching the rain as well. It was awfully calming, he had to admit. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“… Meh...” She croaked after a moment’s pause.

"Looks like it might be a while before we can leave for the plaza." He continued.

Hachi nodded.

“… How long have you been up?” He asked.

She tried to speak again, but just started to cough, deeply and painfully.

He grimaced a bit. "Do you want something to drink?" He asked her.

She nodded, rubbing her throat.

He nodded as well, then stretched and groaned, feeling a bit of pain from where Hachi’s kick had bruised, then got up to get her a cup of water. As he did, he wondered how well Toda was going to be able to watch her with his hurt leg. He could always offer to help, he supposed. And if Toda didn’t let him help, he reassured himself that he was in the same building, so he could respond quickly if something went wrong. He walked back into his room, holding out the glass of water. “Here you go.”

Hachi gave a small nod, then took the glass and took large gulps of water. When she’d finished drinking, she cleared her throat. “Testing… Okay… So what things aren't going to go according to plan with you today?" She asked, voice still a bit rough.

He chuckled. "I think right now all we have planned is to go check in with the Agents at the plaza... I guess anything else will depend on how everyone's feeling. And the weather."

She paused. "... I'm... actually hungry this morning."

"Well, that's good." He said with a nod. "It sounds like both my parents left early this morning, likely to get to work before it started raining, so... There's leftovers we can heat up again, or I could look at making something quick."

"... You have any more oranges?" She asked quietly.

"Yup." He replied. "Stepmom got quite a few the other day."

She nodded. "One of those."

"Alright... hm..." He thought for a moment. "There's still some casserole left... or... I wonder if there's still any pancake mix left, that wouldn't take too long..."

"I'm not having dinner again." She clarified.

"Okay then, that's fine." He said with a small shrug. “Do you think you’ll be able to walk by yourself today?”

“We’ll see.” She grunted, then swung her feet off the bed and stood. “… Looks like we’re okay.”

Bato nodded. “Good. Come on, let’s get some breakfast.” He turned and lead the way down the hall and into the dining room, pulling out a chair for her to sit in. “Go ahead and sit while I get you that orange.” He said, then stepped into the kitchen. As he was opening up the fridge, he got a text from Jill. He began to text her intermittently as he peeled the oranges.

J: B is it raining @ ur house 2?

B: Yup. Might be a while before we can get over there.

J: k

J: just curious.

J: hows 8?

B: She has a bit more of an appetite this morning, so that's a good sign.

J: Oh good

J: She stil fevery?

J: oh man she went through yestrday w a fever course she was so upset

B: I think she's over the fever now

B: Yeah...

J: U think u got it?

B: Not that I can tell

B: And it has been a few days now...

J: Well im not feelin it yet ethir

J: ima have 2 ask T

J: mayB its just an octo thing

B: Maybe

Bato separated the orange slices and put them on a plate, bringing them out to the dining table and setting them in front of Hachi before stepping back into the kitchen. He opened up one of the cupboards and sure enough, there was a box of pancake mix at the top. He brought it down and got ready to start cooking.

J: I realy hope we dnt get it

J: if only 4 S's sake

B: Same here

J: Did ur moms let 8 stay or did u have 2 sneak her in?

J: just curious

B: They let her stay

B: I had to do some pretty fast talking though

J: wh@ did u have 2 tell them?

B: Mostly just reassurances that nothing serious was up

B: I think SMom was starting to think that she was in trouble with the law or something

J: Well....

J: I mean shes probly not WRONG

B: Yeah, probably not

J: I hope theres a rainbow 2day

J: th@ would b cool

B: Yeah, that would b cool

J: U think 8's ever seen a rainbow?

Bato had to consider that for a moment.

B: Hm... I don't know actually

J: MayB u should ask her

J: but if she doesnt kno just leave it a surprise

B: I might do that.

J: :D

After that, Bato began to pour pancake batter onto the griddle and didn’t check his phone any further. He figured that at least if Hachi had seen a rainbow before, that wasn’t what they called it, since she didn’t know what rain was. Then again, that lingual quirk could have survived, he theorized. Language was interesting… Where had words even started in the first place? Probably the word ‘Mom’, it was easy to say, and it had such an important meaning. He’d know, he had two.

He put the pancakes onto a serving plate and turned off the burner, then went back into the dining room. "They're ready--" He broke off, realizing that Hachi was absent from her chair. He quietly cursed and slammed the plate down onto the table, then jogged to the front door. Who knew how far away she could be by now, he should have paid more attention to her, he should have--

The sound of a toilet flushing broke into his thoughts and he froze on the spot. Oh. She’d just gone to the bathroom. He sighed in relief and headed back to the kitchen, getting out another plate and some silverware, then went back into the dining room and started setting up while Hachi came back and sat down.

“Great, more forks.” She muttered.

Bato chuckled a little, turning to head back into the kitchen. "It'll be easier than last night, trust me."

“I don’t think that’s a mistake we’re going to make again.” She replied.

He huffed, then went to the fridge and got out some syrup and butter, setting them down on the table and then sitting down himself. “Alright, so these are pancakes.” He explained. “You eat them like the… um… the breakfast from the other day.”

Hachi’s nose wrinkled in disgust, and her tentacles curled up a little.

“--That is, you put butter and syrup on them to flavor them.” He continued. “Go ahead, try some.” He pushed the bottle of syrup toward her.

Hachi paused, then picked up the bottle and flicked open the cap. She sniffed it, looking a little weirded out. She poured a little on her plate and then licked some off her finger, immediately recoiling.

“Not a fan?” Bato asked.

"Why do you make everything so sweet?" She asked. "Eeegh..."

He couldn't help chuckling a little. "It's what we like, I guess." He said with a shrug, taking the bottle and drizzling some on top of his own pancakes. "You don't have to put any on if you don't want it."

Hachi hesitated, then cut off a bit of butter with her knife and then tried that, face scrunching up again.

“We don’t usually eat butter all by itself.” Bato explained. “Try putting some on a little bit of pancake and let it melt in first." He suggested.

She raised an eyebrow at him and then cut off another piece of butter, dropping it onto her stack of pancakes. She attempted to spread it, but ended up just tearing it while scowling in frustration.

"Let it melt a little first." He advised.

She sighed. “I hate that I can’t go a single meal up here without instruction...”

He paused. “It’ll get better.” As she tried to spread the butter, he dug into his own pancakes, nice, light, and fluffy. They weren’t quite as good as they could be, this box was a little old, but it was still just what he needed this morning. He glanced at Hachi as she finally got a piece of pancake into her mouth. “Well, what do you think?”

“… It’s okay.” She said.

“Not an orange, huh?” He asked.

“Nope.” She agreed.

He nodded and went back to cutting up his pancake. “So, I think I’m going to bring the backpack with me today, just in case you can’t handle walking.”

“Keep running to a minimum.” She snapped.

He nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

She nodded. "I've never thrown up while transformed and I don't want to find out how it works."

He grimaced. "Yeeeah, I can't imagine that would be pleasant."

Hachi paused. "...I say that and then I get curious, but I still don't want to know. especially not in a bag."

He couldn't help chuckling a little bit, but then nodded. "I'll try my best; hopefully we won't have a reason to run anywhere today anyway."

She. "And hopefully I can walk."

"Hopefully." He agreed, taking another bite of pancake.

They ate quietly for a while, until Hachi sighed glumly.

"... You doing alright?" Bato asked.

She shrugged. "I still hurt inside and out, and whatever these things are made of its weird."

Not knowing how to reply, he just nodded.

She paused. "Are these things made with the same thing as the sandwich?"

He nodded. "It's not quite the same, but they're both basically bread."

"Hm... is it plant?" She asked curiously. "Because it doesn't taste like meat."

"It's made with flour, which is ground-up wheat, which is a plant." He replied. "It's basically made by making a dough out of flour, water, yeast, and other things depending on the sort of bread you're making, and then baking it."

“Flour? Oh! I heard of that!” Hachi said. “I think more high up people get to have and use that… But… I thought it was made from grain?”

He blinked. “Well, wheat is a grain.”

“No no no, grain!” She said. “Little white bits about this big.” She gestured with her fingers.

He frowned a little in thought. Why did that sound familiar…? “Oh! We call that rice!” He said, finally making the connection. “Rice flour is a little bit different than wheat flour. Bao is made with rice flour, actually.”

Hachi nodded a little. “… I’ve been missing out on stuff like this all this time...”

Bato gave a huff, only a little amused. He got a text and realized he’d left Jill hanging, pulling out his phone. Though, it wasn’t Jill, it was Toda.

T: u 2 bout redy?

T: rains stppd

"It's from Toda." He said. "He's wondering if we're ready to go."

“I need some water.” Hachi said. “Then I’ll be ready to go.”

He nodded.

B: Yeah, give us about 10 minutes T: k T: tahts probly hw lng itll tke me 2 gt 2 teh elvator nyway :P

Bato and Toda are Knitter’s characters

Hachi, Jill, and Simon are Shuckle’s characters.

Splatoon belongs to Nintendo.

Please consider liking or reblogging if you enjoyed, it’s nice to know we’re doing things right.

Shuckle has a patreon if you would like to provide additional support!

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#Better Eight Than Never #Splatoon #fanfic #Splatoon fanfiction #SS Simon #SS Jill #SS Toda #SS Bato #Octo Hachi

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thejpfdude-blog · 7 years

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Midpoint Impressions of the Spring 2017 Season

Yes, it’s already the halfway point of the season! I meant to put this out as an initial impressions post but my finals studying got intense and I didn’t have time to write a post. But now that my finals are done (HALLELUJAH), I have time to actually watch anime without feeling guilty. And so this post is here. So yeah, let’s start off with a good ol’ rankings:

Rankings:

1. Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season (8.5/10)

2. Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭ (8/10)

3. Sakura Quest (7/10)

4. Tsuki ga Kirei (7/10)

5. Aggressive Retsuko (6/10)

6. Nobunaga no Shinobi S2 (5/10)

Awards:

Best Anime: Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season (HM: Saekano ♭)

Out of all of the shows from this season I’m watching, this is the clear choice for the best one. It’s just: hype. That’s it, but it’s so much fun watching it and really, that’s what I want in an anime. Something that entertains me, makes me want more. Saekano has been entertaining so far too, but there are times I’m a bit irked (like the excessive Utaha moments). I’m hoping there’s more fun action-y stuff and less of the “I will become the strongest of all of you” spiels, but a minor complaint for a show that’s been great so far.

Worst Anime: Nobunaga no Shinobi S2 (HM: Every show I’ve dropped from this season)

Meanwhile, we have this show. I didn’t expect much, which I’ll get into more in that award category. But yeah, it’s becoming a chore to watch, and that’s something I don’t really want an anime to be to me. It’s still funny at times, but it’s really not offering anything new. Welp, it’s only a few minutes. That’s okay I guess. Shoutout to the handful of shows I dropped, shows like Eromanga-sensei and Hinako Note (of which I’ll talk about a little in later awards).

Best Surprise: Tsuki ga Kirei (HM: Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season)

I never really expected much from this show, but it’s been a nice little romance show so far. It’s slow, yes, but it has that vanilla aspect that I’m a huge sucker for. I haven’t had this much “aww’s” since Honobono Log. This show’s filling up my romance quote quite nicely, which is good considering last year was not a good year for romance shows. Hopefully it continues to be nice and not too drama-y. Shoutout to BnHA for exceeding my expectations when I thought it would be like it’s slow first season.

Worst Disappointment: Nobunaga no Shinobi S2

Like I mentioned above, this show wasn’t really something I had expectations for, but I’m still a bit miffed about it. The show hasn’t gotten better since it started, more like stagnated into what it is today. I really think it’s the new characters which I don’t like that make it kinda meh. Otherwise, the old characters are fine and their interactions are okay. Really, this show isn’t too bad, it’s just bad compared to the rest of the shows I’m still watching right now. And so it ends up taking up the spots in the two main “worst” categories. But compared to past seasons’ winners of this award, it’s pretty good. Still, from first (well, actually I now consider it to be the second-best show I watched from the Fall 2016 season) to last now is a bit of a fall no matter how many shows I’m watching.

Best Girl: Katou Megumi (Saekano ♭) with HM to Oribe Ririko (Sakura Quest)

For a character to be on my “Favorite Character” list, he/she has to be pretty good. Usually I add somebody who makes every scene he/she’s in so much better. Characters like Yui (Oregairu) or Megumi (Shokugeki no Soma) are examples of this. Yeah there might be a few characters in there for different reasons (Ema is really there because I loved her voice), but that’s usually how it is.

Anyway, that tangent was just a really long way of saying unless a character from this season is that good, there’s almost no way Megumi loses this award. She was one of the biggest reasons why I loved the first season, and she’s the biggest reason why I’m liking the second season so far even with crazy Utaha and the usual Eriri. Unless a girl becomes amazingly great in the next few weeks, I can pretty much say there won’t be a change in this award come the end of season awards.

Shoutout to Ririko, and actually all five of the main girls from Sakura Quest. It was kinda hard choosing from them, but in the end I went with the girl who’s made every scene better when she does something. We’ll see if she’s still the best as the season ends (and later when this show ends).

Best Guy: Kashimura Zouroku (Alice to Zouroku) with HM to Sandal-san (Sakura Quest) and Mineta Minoru (Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season)

Yes, I’m including shows I dropped. Because otherwise this choice would be pretty hard. I’m gonna go with a guy who I would want as a grandparent: strict but also wise and a pretty nice guy. In the few episodes I’ve watched of this show, I always liked how he didn’t care for whatever nonsense happened with Alice and the others and treated her like she was just a normal kid. It was kinda refreshing to see such a character in anime. Maybe I might pick this show back up again just to see his wise advice and all that.

Shoutouts to Sandal-san and Mineta. Sandal-san’s outros complete with the one perfectly pronounced English word are glorious: I always repeat whatever word he says from “mandrake” to “online shop”. Mmm, that’s good stuff. Oh and I guess Mineta’s the same old pervert I know and love.

Worst Girl: Izumi Sagiri (Eromanga-sensei) with HM to whichever girl was the annoying one from Hinako Note

Ahahaha yes. This. I didn’t even finish the first episode of Eromanga-sensei but oh my goodness the glimpse I did watch I couldn’t handle this girl. She’s a lighter version of Kirino, but that’s not saying much in terms of good character. I’m not about the tsundere sisters it seems.

Also shoutout to that one annoying girl from Hinako Note whose name I can’t find. She reminded me so much of that girl from Stella no Mahou, and once I got flashbacks of that I noped out (especially since the show itself wasn’t fun anyway).

Worst Guy: That One Dude from Nobunaga no Shinobi with HM to Izumi Masamune (Eromanga-sensei)

I couldn’t find this guy’s name (and I’m too lazy to go back to the episode to find it), but man this guy. His demeanor and joking manner towards Chidori was kinda off-putting, and I didn’t really like it too much. Especially the whole sexual joke thing: why tho.

Shoutout to Mr. Izumi (I think that’s a last name? IDK, that looks first-namey to me) for being the unfortunate recipient of a tsundere little sister, but then falling for her. Yay anime.

Best OP: Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season (HM: Sakura Quest, Warau Salesman New)

I’ve now included links in the post so that y’all can watch these.

Anyway, Boku no Hero Academia’s OP is pretty dang good. I didn’t like it too much at first, but now listening to it a lot, it’s really hype and gets me in the right mood to enjoy the episode. It’s standard shounen OP, but sometimes the classic is best.

Shoutouts to Sakura Quest’s OP for having a catchy song (with nice visuals to boot) and Warau Salesman New’s OP for having hella good visuals with a nice jazzy song (go watch it, because I’m sure almost none of you have seen this OP).

Best ED: Sakura Quest (HM: Eromanga-sensei, Boku no Hero Academia 2nd Season, Saekano ♭ (no link because the actual version isn’t on /r/AnimeThemes yet))

Ok, this was the easiest choice of all of the awards. I’ve probably listened to Sakura Quest’s ED 50 times already, and that’s probably an understatement. I love the pop melody complete with snaps and acoustic guitar, and the characters with their listening devices looks really nice. It’s all pretty to look at, and the music added to it makes it one of the best OP/EDs I’ve listened to in a while.

Shoutout to:

Eromanga-sensei’s ED (I know, right?) for having a peppy song complete with a cute (wow I can’t believe I’m saying this) grill

Boku no Hero Academia’s ED for its catchy song with grills

Saekano’s ED for the visuals that remind me of all the nice events that happened season 1. Oh and the song isn’t too bad I guess.

Miscellaneous Categories (they happened to be all about the same show... try reading the three blurbs as one big blurb because it works i guess):

Worst Animation: Tsuki ga Kirei

Amazingly, despite how this show is, the animation is atrocious. Half the scenes are background scenes of people walking, but those people are horrible CG people that distract from the nice backgrounds. Kinda something big, but if they don’t do it so much I guess I’m fine with it.

Most Underrated Show: Tsuki ga Kirei

Because it is still a good show. But not much people are watching it which is a bit disappointing. It’s a nice little romance show about how awkward middle school can be. I would know. Not the romance part, but the awkward part.

The TheJPFDude Happy Show of the Half-Season: Tsuki ga Kirei

But hey, it still gives off that happy feeling that a romance show gives me, and for that it gets this award. That’s all I have to say about this show for now.

And that’s all for this little checkpoint post! Thanks for reading through all of it, and hey... I’ll see you in the next post (which is coming out pretty soon! I guarantee it!)

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