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thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness · 3 years

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DIE PERSONAL INTERVIEW SPECIAL HEADBANG VOL.27 TRANSLATION 2/2

Sometimes delicate, sometimes rough, sometimes you are dazzled by his splendid playing. The red guitarist has reached Dir en grey’s unique mark. “I used to hit the guitar a lot. I wasn’t happy so I would lose my temper soon“ “This is everything I am. This is my axis” “If I were a metal guitarist, Dir en grey music would have been closer to metal” “Jonathan Davis from KORN said, ‘I like the melody of the chorus’ and sang ‘Saku’ in front of me."

Notes before reading: This is the second part of personal interview of Die from the magazine Headbang Vol.27 released on 18th August. The interview is 11 pages long, this part covers the last 5 pages. The second part is focused his experiences overseas and his roots as guitarist.

You can get the magazine at Amazon Japan or CDJapan.

Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing parts.

Links or credits to this post when the content is reposted or captured in other SNS is appreciated :) ------ Text by: Yohsuke Hayakawa (First part) -So, as you said, I feel that Dir en grey at that time was in a rough and emotionless moment. D: Yes, it was like that. Even if I was standing on the stage, it was more about how could I raise my own mood/tension rather than doing it for the fans who came to see us, so if I was in a bad mood, I would stay in a bad mood. But well, at that time, we were playing with that kind of mood/atmosphere: if you don’t like this, then you shouldn’t come to see us. -If it’s a festival focused on overseas bands like 'Taste of chaos’, as some people in the audience didn’t know Dir en grey, did that that feeling of irritation come to the forefront? D: Rather than……at that time, I knew about other bands only by name, but honestly, I was wondering “What the hell is everyone clapping for?”. It looked more like buttering up the audience. It was like “Ah, this is so shallow”. But there are a quite things that I can reflect on now. There were times when I wasn’t kind to the fans. -That was also reflected on the changes of your music style? D: That’s it. Back then, it was all about playing guitar. I thought it was pointless if I didn’t shake the guitar off all the way. That’s why I barely listen to the sound of the other members when we were playing live. Things like, matching the rhythm of the drums. This was something that the staff would sometimes point out to me. “Listen to what the others are playing, keep the rhythm more”, things like that. -At that time, when they told you that, what did you say? D: I said “Oh, yes” and I tried to do what I was asked to do, but once the live started I was like “Waa, let’s go” (laughs) It was good and bad, isn’t it? -So, when you listen to 'Clever Sleazoid, do you remember those days? D: Yes. It was around the time we started playing at Shinkiba (Studio coast), so the image of Shinkiba's lives is very present. Later, we started going abroad, so it really was a time in which the band started to change again. Well, there are many things to reflect on. I used to hit the guitar a lot. I wasn’t happy so I would lose my temper soon. As I made a lot of mistakes during a live, I would be like “what the hell are you doing?”, it’s like being crazy like that would be part of my attitude. I piled the anger up more and more, and when I noticed; I already threw the guitar away. Then, I was like “This is broken” (the guitar). - Don’t make the musical instrument makers cry…. D: Well, at that time, it was more like I felt sorry for doing it. It's a little off topic, but I went to the ESP factory for the first time this year. So, if you see the process of making guitars from the scratch, after that, you'll never throw a guitar. Everyone was there making them from the scratch so carefully, it’s different than seeing the final result. -So, it was like “I can’t treat my guitars like that”. D: Throwing them it’s not ok. -(Laughs) D: That's why I think "Clever Sleazoid" was done when the band was at the last minute, when the band was at that changing period. Maybe…. somehow, it was like a routine for us to make songs, release albums, and touring. Of course, each of them is important, but when it comes to tours, there were a lot of them, so somewhere we got used to that. It was something like that. Especially when I think about it now, I strongly feel that it wasn’t reasonable. At that time, we were touring as a matter of course, fans came to see us as a matter of course and you could say that the things we were doing at that moment were a luxury/privilege. -You are for sure fully realizing that it was like that. D: That’s right. I was doing everything based on my emotions and I showed a lot of my shameful side. -I think that such ups and downs are also what embodies a band called DIR EN GREY that is directly linked to emotions. D: Hahaha, is that so? Really, I remember the good things and the bad as well from that period. I think the way the members perceive things has changed a lot in the last 15 years. - But at that time, hearing the impression of overseas bands that you had at that time(laughs). D: We were going to festivals at that time, right? And everyone was there asking for the applause so to me it was like “what the…?”. I wondered why they didn’t aim to be cooler on stage instead of that. I thought it was because it was a festival, and everyone was excited. Like, “move more like this”, “show yourself more in that position”, “more around like that” ….it was like that at that moment. -There was also a boom in screamo and post-hardcore bands. D: Yes. So, as we were going abroad, we experienced several things as a band. I went overseas with that unsatisfactory feeling because we would be part of festivals and I really felt that we couldn’t pass through the world with the feelings of our live. “The challenge was what kind of live performance we were going to do in front of Deftones’ fans” -Did you change your mind by the time you were part of KORN's "Family Values Tour" in 2006? D: The change was around that time…. however, it wasn't even at that exact moment. I feel like we were still playing only focusing on ourselves and we didn’t look around us. However, people who liked us would come to see us, so a new perspective was born. If we haven’t gone abroad as we wouldn’t have seen things from that angle, we probably wouldn’t have changed. If we've kept always playing just in front of fans who liked us, I honestly think that I might have been playing more and more just to satisfy myself. -I wonder if Dir en grey would be as strong as it is now without that experience. D: I don't think so. We were part of a festival in Germany and people threw stuff at us…. That things like that happened to us…. I think it’s good we had that kind of experiences. -The sharp/bitter feeling of that moment is different now. Currently, I feel that this made your core stonger. D: Well, when you think about the concerts you did in the past, the feeling is different. In the past, I was in a band, but it felt more like "It’s because I can't do it alone". It was like each member has to do it (their part) but now, in order to sound as a band, it is necessary to listen to the members and make the sound. It’s I am 1/5 of that. Otherwise, it won't reach the fans. I don't care if my energy goes up there. It’s a chance to create a unified sound or to stand out as an individual. After all, the sound becomes messy even if only one person rushes, and I think you have to play consciously so that a unified sound can be produced. So now, what I want from a live performance has changed. Probably because I experienced several things. However, even though I gained experience touring overseas, our live performances didn’t get mellow. -Yes, that’s for sure. That's why several overseas bands were interested in DIR EN GREY. D: For example, we toured with Deftones at the "Family Values Tour" and they watched us live, so they called us to be their support band for their next Deftones headline tour. We had the opportunity play in front of Deftones fans, and the challenge was what kind of live we were going to do. As expected, even there, the overseas staff told us, "Why don't you instigate the crowd?” “Do you want to be appealing more to the fans?" "Why don't you ask for more applause?" (Laughs) -Again, the clapping (laughs) D: That’s how the culture is over there, right? It was also a tour where the atmosphere/mood got really bad. For the whole month we were told to interact with the fans more. Even in places that weren’t related to the venue. I can communicate more with the overseas staff because I don’t have to speak English that much but they would told us things like ….“say hello”, “if the fans say something to you, say something back”….. -Eh? Things like that? D: We were pretending to be cool even when the fans were waiting. (laughs) -Hahahaha D: I couldn’t believe that the staff over there was telling us that. Things like “you have to be friendlier with the fans”. For us, it was like “Why are they telling us things like this? It’s awful”. -You were the type of band that you wouldn’t see over there but I think that there were people interested in that atmosphere. D: That might be true. Well, a lot of stuff happened. “This is everything I am. This is my axis” -Then, let's change the topic, let’s talk about the "20 albums that inspired you” you chose this time. Looking at the selection of Japanese music, there are many works where you can feel the taste of beat rock, punk, and rock and roll, but are these the roots of your flesh and blood?

D: That’s right…. there is no metal, right? -That’s true. D: If my musical roots were metal, there would be a lot of different albums so my play style would have been completely different. I also think that my guitar would be different and if I were a metal guitarist, Dir en grey would have been closer to metal music in a different way as well. -There is a sense of balance in Dir en grey because your style comes from that position, isn’t there? D: That might be why (our music) is not completely metal. -Among the albums, you chose D'ERLANGER and BODY because their guitarist is CIPHER. D: Well, this is everything I am. This is my axis. Regarding D’ERLANGER, I mentioned the album from their last live because that’s the one I heard the most. "LA VIE EN ROSE" (1989) and "BASILISK" (1990) were released as albums, weren’t they? But when it comes to live performances, the sound is totally different. The live album has a raw feel, it feels very alive, and the more I listen to it, the more elements I find out…. Like the flexibility of the strings, the picking is too strong and the sound is a little off, the phrase is different from the album or there is no sound…. -You are considerately listening to it in an intense way…. D: Yes. There is too much sense of being a real live in it, so I heard this the most. -This degree of perfection is reflected in "D'ERLANGER TRIBUTE ALBUM ~ Stairway to Heaven~" announced in 2017 by D'ERLANGER. It was cool that you covered "EASY MAKE, EASY MARK" recorded in this live. D: Including arrangements, CIPHER told me that he “felt a lot of love” in it (laughs) -Like the live performance, while being full of love, the essence of DIR EN GREY is there too. That’s a good example of how to do a cover. D: Certainly, when I was working on that cover, I felt like I was doing our own song. -Next is CRAZE “That's life" (1996). A long time ago, I remember that you chose and covered the song “Kizu” at the FC limited live of DIR EN GREY in 2001 D: Ah, yes yes. I did “Kizu” and D'ERLANGER as well. How could I say this?.......in a few words, the best album. -Especially at this era, the members had an edgy image, and their atmosphere was hard to approach. D: That's right. The atmosphere was also cool, you don’t get used to it, the 4 wolfs (the members of CRAZE) personality is realistically reflected in the song. I felt like “Kizu” represented how I felt, and that passion and power was so real. It’s different than D’ERLANGER but CRAZE was also the coolest band for me. Then, didn’t I choose something from Ziggy as well? -Yes, "KOOL KIZZ" (1990) which is also a good album. The famous song "DONT STOP BELIEVING" is also included in this work. D: That's right. I knew ZIGGY before knowing D'ERLANGER, and I practise guitar copying them. So, if I hadn’t known D’ERLANGER, I would probably have become a rock and roll guitarist (laughs) Carrying a Les Paul guitar, playing rock and roll, with long hair with a little perm. -Well, I’m not kidding when I say that would look good though. "Jonathan Davis from KORN said, ‘I like the melody of the chorus’ and sang ‘Saku’ in front of me." -On the other hand, Western music has an alternative atmosphere as a whole, when it comes to pop, there are many catchy songs. Furthermore, there are bands like Tool and System of a Down. D: I think in that area, I was inspired by listening to these bands since I started doing DIR EN GREY. My interest in how make music, how the live sound was, and how the sound of the CD turned out, was also very big. Also, for example, when we were invited by KORN (Family Values Tour 2006), it was our first long tour abroad, and there were many things to absorb around us. It seems like we were struck by the American style and the style of overseas tours. It was a time when all sorts of things were stimulating. -How did the members feel about the "Family Values Tour", as there were many things that you had to face for the first time? D: Well….at first there were moments that it felt like “is this okay?”. We were the only Japanese band, and there were crazy bands like KORN, Deftones, and Stone Sour, and we're like in the middle of them. Besides, we’ve never done a live in a daily basis. -Didn’t it make you feel confident to be part of that line up? D: Well…. the feeling that we experienced several things is stronger. At the time, the internet wasn’t very good yet, so it made me feel homesick (laughs). The only way to get in contact with the people that was in Japan was by email. Even doing lives and going on tour with the frequency we did in Japan, I can’t even tell the distance we travelled through Japan. This tour was around the whole country, so the distances felt big. We had never left Japan for a month and a half, so I would say that overall, we did well. After all, this was the start of touring in America, wasn’t it? -KORN made it easier for Dir en grey, right? D: They made it really good for us. Jonathan (KORN’s vocalist) liked "Saku" very much and he told me "I like the melody of the chorus" and sang the melody in front of me. -That’s amazing, that Jonathan Davis sings “Saku”! D: Jonathan often watched our live performances and listened to our songs. I'm grateful for that. -Besides that, Fair to Midland from USA and My Vitriol from the UK are also among your choices. D: We toured together with Fair to Midland in 2007. When we did our first tour on our own, they went around with us as opening band. If I do something in another side project, their songs are so good that I want to do something like that. My Vitriol is a band influenced by My Bloody Valentine, I wonder why they don’t sell more, to me, they are in the same line that Fair to Midland. The chord work and the feeling of the melodies make the best combination. I've been wondering why they didn’t release a second one (album). Like, nothing at all (laughs). Then, in 2016 I didn’t know that it came out as it was released secretly*. It’s highly recommended. I can’t help but want to watch them live so much. *In 2016, My Vitriol released their second studio album through a funding campaign at PledgeMusic ( online direct-to-fan music plattform).It was a limited released fanbase-only album, that’s why Die says it was released “secretly”. “I felt like something is crawling inside me. I never had that feeling before” -What is your impression of Tool? D: We were together at a Polish festival in 2007, and despite being a festival, the live performance was perfect. It was like…. "Why does this sound like this?" That's why I couldn't move during the live performance. They nailed it from the beginning until the end. I was close to the PA table for a while, but it was too shocking. Not only the sound, but also the direction and the construction of the songs, they are all art. It's not like music anymore, it's like transcending everything…. It seems like I'm watching a movie, and I felt like something was crawling inside me, I never had that feeling before. Anyway, the live performance at that time was too amazing for me. -If you want to make something like that, you will have to release an album every 5-6 years? D: Hahaha! Wasn’t their latest work the first one in 13 years? I'm surprised (laughs). -That’s right. One of the albums you chose is from System of a Down, but did you like them from the beginning? D: Well, that’s what happened. It’s an indescribable style, but I think DIR EN GREY was also quite fierce in the past. There were times when riffs were not straightforward and "system-like”, flying as words among the members. -Did that happen? It's a valuable story. Last but not least, what kind of expectations do you have for the future? D: Honestly, when it comes to concerts, I guess under these circumstances we won’t be able to do any. We couldn’t finish the flow of “The Insulated World” and we had to move on to the next step, so we are going to start working on the album. All the tour scheduled are gone, right? So, we can work on it before we had planned it. I wish I can write songs, record them and be active in 2021…. that’s exactly what I want, what I couldn’t do in 2020. I would like to tour until I burn out.

#dir en grey #die #Headbang Vol 27 #interview #translation

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mizgnomer · 4 years

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Behind the Scenes of The Girl in the Fireplace - Part 9

Excerpt from David Darlington’s interview with Steven Moffat in Doctor Who Magazine #364 - January 2006 (and Darlington’s official site):

DWM: Given that it [discovering that Christopher Eccleston was leaving the show] happened the day you were sitting down to start work [on the script for The Girl in the Fireplace] - did you still sit down and start work that day?

DWM: Yes, I did. Because there’s a certain amount of Doctor Who work that is going to be the same whoever is playing the Doctor. 'They walk out of the TARDIS and something dreadful happens to them’… it wasn’t a huge adjustment. I had my chat with Russell, which wasn’t very long, about how things were going to be with David Tennant now playing that part. So: still not posh, still none of that faux-eccentricity. I sat and watched Casanova, and got used to the idea of him being the Doctor, and I wrote my episode completely separately from Russell writing his, and when we compared episodes we’d written the same Doctor, it was very similar. In fact, I think we’d written, on one occasion, the same line. I think David maps very easily onto that part - so much of what he does is a bit Doctor Who-ish, you know?

DWM: And have you seen him in action yet?

Moffat: I haven’t seen film, but I was at two readthroughs, including the readthough for mine, and it was amazing. On readthrough performance alone, David is the best Doctor ever. He’s one of those dazzling technicians, in that he can do anything with a line, he really can do anything with a line. Now, a certain amount of Doctor Who dialogue is inevitably going to be 'There’s a spaceship over there, let’s go and look at the spaceship’, and David can find ways of undercutting it and spinning it. He puts a lot of very good spin on his dialogue, and I think he’ll be astonishing. I think he will conquer the world as the Doctor. But you’ve always got to wait and see - one of the things with David is… do you know David?

DWM: Actually, yeah, I’ve worked with him!

Moffat: …of course - one of the things is that David in person is just an incredibly nice bloke, an extremely courteous, kind, pleasant man. With a Paisley accent, which is kind of weird. Have I told you my funny story about his Paisley accent?

DWM: Not that I recall…

Moffat: Sue [Vertue, Steven’s wife and noted TV producer] and I were at a wrap party for Sue’s sitcom, and we got back very drunk. So I staggered upstairs to get my messages, and I hear this message that I assume is from me! It’s this Scottish voice going 'Hello, it’s very late…’ - and I assume I’ve left a message for Sue and forgotten about it. ’…Ah, Steven, yes..’ - and the voice starts raving on about my script. And I think 'F**king hell - I’ve phoned myself about how good I am! My ego has got so big it’s phoned me! This is unhealthy, I’ve got to see someone…’. And then at a certain point he remembers, in that scatterbrained David way, to say 'Oh, it’s David Tennant, by the way…’. But then, of course, I was incredibly thrilled to have a message on my answerphone from Doctor Who himself. Saying I was clever! But anyway, as I was saying - in person David is this very pleasant, quite good-looking bloke. On screen, a whole new thing happens, he becomes quite mad, quite dangerous. His eyes become different, and you think he’s actually got a touch of the Chris thing, of being slightly scary. There’s something odd about his eyes, and his edgy, brittle manner that I think becomes very arresting and quite powerful…

DWM: It’s really noticeable in Blackpool, where it’s a very small performance in physical terms, he’s not throwing himself around like on Casanova, but you can’t take your eyes off him.

Moffat: Exactly. And he was up against David Morrissey, who’s fantastic, and stole the show from him. He is absolutely making his presence felt, which is just astonishing. And even as Casanova where he’s playing a loveable, affable bloke, underneath it he’s got this dangerous thing. It wouldn’t surprise you if he turned round and was quite mean to you - and I think that’s probably quite close to his Doctor. I think the Doctor should have that thing that he’s not just 'nice’, although he is very nice he’s also slightly dangerous. What I liked about Chris was that there was something about Chris that was slightly mental - his Doctor, you’re not quite sure where you are with him, 'I like you but I don’t quite know where I am with you’. There’s a moment in The Long Game where he’s saying goodbye, and then as they turn away he suddenly becomes serious - and it’s not an ordinary actor that can do that, that can just turn the temperature like that. And I think we’re going to see David doing the same stuff - that’s what he’s got to rise to, but I think he will. More humour, obviously - he’s funny, David, and it would be daft not to use that.

Link to [ part one ] of this post, or click the #whoBtsGitf tag (I’d link it but that seems to break Tumblr), or the [ full episode list ]

#david tennant #billie piper #doctor who #rtdedit #the girl in the fireplace #tenth doctor #steven moffat #sophia myles #steven moffat saying lovely things about david tennant #doctor who magazine #dwm #david darlington #stuff i posted #whoBts #whoBtsGitf

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thegreenwolf · 4 years

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(This post was originally posted on my blog at https://thegreenwolf.com/its-okay-to-not-hustle/)

There’s this meme going around Facebook right now, saying “If you don’t come out of this quarantine with a new skill, your side hustle started, or more knowledge, you never lacked time. You lacked discipline.” Thankfully multiple people have already skewered it, but it continues to be shared around by the sort of person who is trying to one-up everyone else, or who’s just plain clueless–or, for that matter, just trying to guilt you into buying whatever they’re selling.

Now, there’s not a damned thing wrong with self-promotion. That’s how indie artists, authors, and other self-employed folks get the word out. You have to be able to talk good talk in order to get people’s attention. But leading with this meme? Guilting people for not leaping from sudden unemployment straight into the thick of the ever-shifting gig economy? That ain’t gonna fly, Brocephus.

You Have Good Reasons to Slack

Excuse me while I dust off my counseling psych degree a sec, here. *ahem* We are in a very sensitive, turbulent time right now. We’re in the middle of a pandemic, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a century in the Western world. We are in a hugely traumatizing situation here. Not just for the financial losses, but the fact that COVID-19 has killed thousands of people and left many more with permanent lung damage. We still haven’t gotten a handle yet on exactly how contagious this thing is, how long you’re contagious for, or whether you’re immune once you’ve had it, assuming you survive. We don’t have adequate testing, emergency rooms estimate that for every positive test there are 10-20 people out there infected and untested, and everyone with a cough is suddenly Schroedinger’s COVID case. Governments worldwide are slow to react in spite of the rising death toll. People have had friends and family die horribly from this thing in a short period of time. Even people who didn’t already have issues with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses are feeling stressed, strained and scared–and, yes, traumatized. This image is guilt-tripping people who are actively being traumatized.

So we’re already starting with a populace that is dealing with this collective trauma, as well as whatever personal trauma each individual is experiencing. Not always easy to seize the day when you’re going through that. And I can think of a few other reasons that might further complicate this whole “Just get a side gig!” thing:

–They’re a parent who suddenly has all their kids at home, all the time, demanding time and attention and food, AND they still have to work eight hours a day from home, or maybe even more if their S.O. is unemployed/sick/etc. By the way, if someone trots out Isaac Newton or William Shakespeare or some other historical guy who managed to do epic things during a pandemic, remember that they usually had wives or servants to do all the laundry and cooking and cleaning and (if applicable) childcare for them.

–They’re disabled or chronically ill, and don’t have the ability/energy/etc. to just go and make something happen, just like that. Imagine if you just randomly got the fatigue from a really bad flu, and you never knew whether it was going to last a day or a month. And if you tried exerting yourself when you were feeling better, chances are you’d slip back into fatigue-land. That’s what a lot of my chronically ill/etc. friends have to deal with, to say nothing of issues with accessibility of resources for starting a side gig.

–They don’t have any money for the supplies needed to start a side hustle, or the supplies have been hoarded by hobbyists preparing for a Pandemic Staycation.

–They don’t have the skills for something that just requires what they already have (like, for example, writing on a laptop you already happen to own). Often these skills are things that can’t be perfected in a few weeks at home, but may take years to develop before they’re really marketable–like, for example, the skill to make a decent living on side hustles.

–They have anxiety, depression or other mental health conditions that make it hard to function even in the best of times, but even moreso in this…well…mess. Even people who were mentally healthy before are going to be developing diagnosable anxiety and depression disorders before all’s said and done. And speaking from personal experience, those of us who look successful on the outside can still be internally hamstrung by these conditions at times.

–Plus there’s the fact that we’re not supposed to, you know, leave our homes, which narrows down the field of potential side gigs by a lot.

Even doing something less financially-wrought like learning a new skill or subject takes time, energy, and sometimes money, any or all of which may be scarce for the reasons above and more.

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

I am saying all of this as someone who is arguably an expert on the side gig. I have spent the past eight and a half years 100% self-employed (and a lot longer doing it part-time) as an author and artist, able to cover all my bills and expenses, and for a time I was the primary breadwinner of a multi-person household. I have like ten different things I was doing for a living before this all hit, a pretty diverse set of streams of income, even if most of them just up and evaporated in the past few weeks. And while I’m definitely a hell of a lot leaner now than I was a month ago, I still have my head above water for the moment. So I think I know side gigs.

I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m overall healthy. I have a dog who is a lot less demanding of my time than kids would be. I have my own space where I can focus more or less without interruption. More importantly, I have the skills, the knowhow, the drive and the personality to go out and seek new opportunities. And I’m used to fluctuations in income, though admittedly this one’s unprecedented. Don’t gauge yourself by where I am now. I’ve spent twenty-two years building up my art business, my first book came out in 2006, and I’ve had a series of really good opportunities come my way that I had the privilege to be able to make the most of. I am not your measuring stick, so don’t say “Well, if she can do it why can’t I? I must suck!”

If you’re feeling crappy because you aren’t hopping to it and carpeing the diem and getting everything done, here’s what I have to say to you: Look, you just had your world turned upside-down. Job loss, scarce commodities, sudden lack of outside childcare, restricted movement and inability to be around much of your support system, and did I mention a pandemic is happening, too? Any single one of those things would be difficult for just about anyone to deal with, never mind all at once. And I don’t even know what all else has already been going on in your life–unstable or unsafe living situation, other health issues, breakups and other losses, interpersonal conflicts. You know, normal life stuff.

You’re Not Lazy, or Screwing Up, or (Gods Forbid) Undisciplined

It is totally okay if all you’re doing right now is surviving. It’s okay if you feel like you’re drowning, overwhelmed by all that’s happening both on a global level and more personally. It’s okay if all you can manage right now is to get out of bed and stumble through each day a moment at a time, struggling with a tidal wave of emotions. It’s okay if you’re just trying to keep your kids busy, dealing with a crowded home every single day, or trying to keep COVID-19 at bay. It’s okay if, instead of firing up DuoLingo or opening an Etsy shop, you spend your evenings vegging to Netflix or reading a book or playing hours and hours of Animal Crossing.

Not every moment in your life has to be about being productive even in the best of circumstances, and that goes exponentially so right now. Be patient with yourself, and be kind. You may be one of those folks who literally has to spend all their time scrabbling to try to cover the bills or get some leeway from bill collectors, and you have to dedicate your waking time hunting for resources just to try to get through this week. Believe me, I feel for you, I have a lot of friends in that situation right now, and I hope all of you can find some relief and assistance.

May I suggest something? If you have the energy for something more than the bare essentials of getting by, put that energy toward self-care, whatever you can manage under the circumstances. You can use it to recuperate, to rebuild your emotional and physical resilience. That way if things get rough again in the future, you have more internal reserves to build on. If your usual methods don’t work or aren’t accessible due to lockdown, ask others what they’re doing to keep themselves grounded in this trying time.

Just because you have more time doesn’t mean you don’t have to throw yourself right into something productive! Don’t feel pressured to just go-go-go the moment you have a little freedom to move. If you do decide you want to try a side gig, or a new skill, or learn all about some specialized topic of interest, go for it! If you have the energy and attention and opportunity to pursue something new, it can be a great coping skill during this traumatic time. Just don’t pressure yourself; keep it fun.

One last thing: I want you to save the image I have at the top of this post. And then if you see someone post that meme, saying “Come on, you lazy bums, get up and make that side gig happen! Learn new stuff! Do all the things! No excuses!” you pull out this version, and you look at the edits, you remember that it’s okay to be where you are, and you get back to doing things at your own pace no matter what someone else says. (I find visualizing stapling a printout of the edited version to the offender’s forehead to also be therapeutic, but that may just be me.)

Hang in there, okay? It’s going to be a rough time, but you’re not alone, and what you’re feeling right now is shared by so many people. So just let yourself be where you are in this moment, and we’ll see what hope tomorrow brings. And remember that whatever you’re capable of in this moment: it’s enough.

Did you enjoy this post? Please consider supporting my work on Patreon, buying my books here on my website, buying my art and books on Etsy, or tipping me at Ko-fi!

#COVID-19 #mental health #executive dysfunction #anxiety #depression #mine

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mirkwoodshewolf · 4 years

Text

History comes to life; Ahkmenrah x reader

*Author’s note*

Hey guys well this has been a LOOOOONG time coming in. For years I’ve alwasy wanted to try and write an Ahkmenrah fanfic and thanks to a Wattpad friend of mine, she gave me that chance. So here we are with my first Ahkmenrah fanfic. Now this is only part 1 and I’ll try to have pt.2 up as soon as I can. Hope you all enjoy this fic my lovelies :)

UPDATE: PART 2 IS HERE

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@dancingcoolcat

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@kairosfreddie

@queendeakyy

@geek-and-proud

@simonedk

________________________________________________________

2006. New York City. The Museum of Natural History. My home away from home. I mean to a college girl going for a master’s degree history that’s a lot, and all at the age of 23. Yeah whenever it came to school I was always deemed the ‘smart one’ or in some cases the ‘nerd’.

Was Valedictorian in high school, completed my bachelor’s degree within my first 2 years of college and now I’m completing a 4 year master’s degree. Not only that but I once did an entire year abroad in Egypt as a part of one of my courses that gave me 3 credits for one of my History courses.

And now here I am completing an internship credit instead of going for a core course credit, here at the Museum of Natural History. So far into my second week of my three month internship it’s been pretty good. Since I’m also having to write my dissertation about the ruling of Ahkmenrah, this place has been a great place to think.

Whenever I wasn’t needed by the boss, Dr. McPhee, you would normally find me in the Ancient Egypt hall, sitting in the room of the pharaoh himself writing my paper. And I know it sounds crazy but sometimes I wish that I could actually have the chance to speak with him, I mean if I’m to complete my dissertation I wish to know things that I didn’t already know (there’s only so much you can find on the Internet).

Little did I know that that day would soon come, and it all started with a blast from the past.

I was currently walking down the steps after completing my day here at the museum when I saw walking with Cecil, one of the three night guards an old ‘boss’ you could say.

“Well I’ll be damned. Larry Daley.” I greeted as I came up to them.

“Oh hey, hi uhh…..” ahh the same old Larry forgetful Daley.

“(Y/n) (l/n). I used to live down the road from you guys.”

“Oh right sorry! Wow it’s been a long time.”

“Yeah about 3 years since I graduated high school.” I said with a smile.

“So I see you know our new nightguard huh Ms. (l/n)?” asked Cecil.

“Yeah I’ve babysit his son since the day he was born. How is Nicky by the way?”

“Oh he’s you know good. Fine. Loving hockey.”

“Oh that boy and his hockey. I remember he tried to get me to play it in the house and we ended up breaking that lamp.”

“Yeah thanks for reporting that.”

“Even though he tried to convince me not to speak of it.” I giggled. “So Cecil says you’re going to be the new night guard?”

“Yep. Just showing Larry around, giving him a little tour before his shift tomorrow night.” Cecil explained.

“Well, welcome to the team.”

“So do you work here too?”

“Oh no I’m just here for an internship credit but Dr. McPhee has allowed me to do further researching even after my internship’s up.”

“Read her dissertation a couple of days ago, she’s quite the researcher. Any further questions you can always ask her.” Cecil said.

“Oh Cecil you old charmer stop it. Well I better get out of here before traffic gets too crazy. Bye Cecil, Mr. Daley, welcome aboard again and I hope to see you before your shift tomorrow.”

“Yeah of course, see yah then (y/n).” I smiled and gave the gentlemen a nod goodbye before bundling up and walking out into the New York winter air.

I was now at home typing up what I had written down on paper and transferred it to the rest of my dissertation that was on Word. I heard my door open and in came in my mom and she said.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay mama, just half a minute and I’ll have everything typed up.”

“Sweetie you’ve been working non-stop ever since you got home. You can step aside for ten minutes to eat dinner.” I looked up at her then saved the changes I had and said.

“Fine mama, you win.” She grinned down and said to me.

“I always do. Until you become a mother yourself, you’ll never win.” I scowled up at her before the two of us walked out of my room and headed downstairs to eat.

As we ate our dinner, I told her about my progress and about Mr. Daley now working for the museum as the new nightguard.

“Wow, Larry Daley. Hadn’t heard from him in a while. Not since the official divorce.”

“Wait what?”

“Oh honey I’m sorry to tell you this but Larry and Erica were going through a divorce this past year.”

“Ahh man. How’s Nicky taking it?” I asked.

“Well last time I ever talked to Larry he told me it was a joint custody agreement. Now whether that went through or not I’m not sure.”

“It must’ve, I mean he did say Nicky was still playing hockey so that must mean he gets to have Nicky at least some days of the week, maybe the weekends.”

“Erica was always hard on him. Even when they first got together. Don’t tell her I said that though.”

“I promise mom.”

After dinner, I took the dishes and cleaned them out before placing them in the dishwasher before going back to my paper. Before I even knew it when I finally ran out of ideas and edits, I saw that it was after midnight. So after saving everything I shut my laptop off and got ready for bed.

The next day it was like any other day. I went in, did my rounds for Dr. McPhee, organized some files and edited some papers. Then after my lunch break I had time to do my paper for the final 4 hours of my day today. Even with the small crowd of people in the Pharaoh’s tomb, I wasn’t really bothered or distracted from doing my dissertation.

In fact I was so invested into it that I almost didn’t hear the voice speak over me.

“Hard worker as ever.” I looked up and smiled at Mr. Daley.

“So, ready for your first night tonight?”

“I don’t think it should be that hard. I mean not really anything happens in a museum at night.”

“Do you got a second? Just wanted to see if you’re interested in a cup of coffee. Colleague to colleague?”

“So not just for the sake of me being your old babysitter? Is that all I am to you now, just a colleague?”

“No. I mean yes. But not in that way I mean I was just…..” I laughed and said.

“I’m just pulling your buttons Mr. Daley. I’d love to get a cup of coffee. Maybe even educate you on what you’ll be guarding.” I packed up my stuff and we both headed out to the coffeeshop just down the block from the museum.

As we walked around Central Park he asked me.

“So that paper you were writing earlier, what’s it on?”

“Oh it’s my dissertation paper for my master’s degree.”

“Masters?! Wait so you already got your bachelor’s?”

“Yeah. I got it just last year. Now for my masters I’m doing the full 4 years so in total I’ll be doing 6 years of college.”

“Wow, sounds exhausting.”

“It can be, but I can’t help it. I’ve got a thirst for knowledge. And as an ancient civilizations concentrator I can’t help but want more.”

“Yep your mom always did call you her little book worm.” I smiled and nodded. “So that paper.”

“Oh yes that. Well I’m doing my dissertation on the ruling of Ahkmenrah and how he was the most justified ruler Ancient Egypt had ever known. Sure there have been good pharaoh’s but I’m setting to prove just how fair and just Ahkmenrah truly was as a ruler. Even with his short time as king.”

“How long did he rule?”

“Well he was given the crown by his father when he was just 16 and ruled for only 4 years before he was murdered by his own brother.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, his brother was extremely jealous of Ahkmenrah. So much so that after murdering his brother, he tried to claim the throne only to throw Egypt into despair in just under a year of his ruling.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Ahkmenrah sought to treat everyone with a kind but firm hand when need be. Did you know that he was the only pharaoh known to be kind to the Hebrew slaves?”

“I did not.”

“Yeah. He even tried to seek out a fair system where they wouldn’t have to work on their sacred holidays. Of course it wasn’t passed yet because well—he died just before he could declare it a law.”

“Wow, things would’ve turned out very differently had that happened.”

“Yeah. Cecil’s also been a good resource too since he was there when he found his tomb when he was just a kid.”

“Cecil found Ahkmenrah’s tomb?”

“Yeah. The three sarcophagus’ of him and his parents.”

“But wait I thought you said he had a brother?”

“He was. His brother wasn’t buried with them. Kahmunrah was condemned to be mummified alive and buried in a tomb far beyond the royal family’s because of what he had done.”

“Wow that’s—horrifying. Don’t they like rip their guts out or something?”

“All their organs were placed into jeweled canopic jars.”

“Wow. I think I lost my appetite to drink this coffee now.”

“Sorry Mr. Daley, I can be a little assertive when describing some of the things the Ancient Egyptians did. But you should’ve seen me when I actually got to set foot in an actual mummification area.”

“So you actually went to Egypt?”

“Yeah last year during my bachelor’s degree last spring. I spent an entire semester down there. Learned a lot, and I can speak a little Arabic. Ancient Egyptian is a little rusty but I know like a word or two.”

“So if you could, could you read what’s written around the tomb of Ahkmenrah?”

“Now you’re really challenging me Mr. Daley.”

“Thought you said you loved a challenge?” I chuckled.

“That I did. But sadly no. Probably a word or two as I said.” I looked down at my watch and said. “It’s almost sunset, better get back to the museum less you wanna get fired on your first day. I’ll check in on you first thing tomorrow.”

“Okay, thanks for the little history lesson on the pharaoh (y/n).”

“Anytime. And here, give me your phone.” He handed it to me and I went through his contacts to see if he still had my number. Turns out he didn’t so I went ahead and gave him my new number since I got a new phone. “Here, any questions or concerns or if you just wanna chat. Give me a call.”

“Thanks (y/n). Anything I can do for you, just let me know.”

“Give me a chance to see that knucklehead Nicky again and we’ll call it even.”

“Will do.”

“Well good luck Larry.”

“Thanks.” I waved goodbye and walked back towards the nearest exit and hailed down a taxi and told them my address.

As I lay down in my bed after typing up the next several pages of my paper, I charged up my flip phone since it was almost dead from this week’s use.

“Hope Larry’s liking his new job. I’d give anything to stay the night in that place.” I stretched myself out and cuddled into my bed before falling asleep.

Bright and early the next morning I got around and headed on out of the house.

“Mama I’m heading out!” I cried out.

“Have a good day sweetie, give my love to Larry for me.”

“Will do mama.” I gathered up my stuff and took the bus toward the museum.

Once I got there, I entered inside just to see Mr. Daley walk out.

“So how was the first night?” he looked at me like he had just been through a rumble with Mike Tyson or the Rock as he said.

“Well I—”

“Dad.” A young boy’s voice said. We both turned to see Nicky walking with another man with short black hair and looked younger than Mr. Daley.

“Hey, hey buddy. What are you guys doing here?”

“Oh Erica had to be in court early today so I’m taking Mr. Big stuff here to school. But he wanted to swing by see your new job.” The man explained with a smile.

“It’s so awesome that you’re working here.” Nicky praised.

“Well your dad gets a praise but I don’t get so much as a hello?” I teased.

“(Y/n)!” he came up and hugged me and I hugged the little monkey back. “Do you work here too?”

“No I’m just here as an intern for a couple of months.”

“So Nicky whose your friend here?” the man asked.

“Right, (y/n) this is Don. Erica’s new uhh…well he’s her new….” Larry tried to explain but Don butted in by saying with a business man snake-like smile.

“I’m her boyfriend. So you’re the famous (y/n) the babysitter I’ve heard about.”

“Yeah. So you’re the new guy huh?” I looked over him once over and all I saw was a monkey in a suit with an earpiece to his ear.

“Yeah.” He shrugged like it was nothing. “Hey Nicko. Wanna take a lookie-do inside. Maybe your dad or your friend can give you a VIP tour?”

“You know what we’re actually kinda slammed this morning but I promise I’ll show you around soon bud, deal?”

“Deal. Love you dad.”

“Love you too.” Nicky hugged his dad and Mr. Daley gave Nick a kiss on the top of his head before he and Don walked hand in hand across the crosswalk before heading towards his school. “Yeah Erica and I are going through a—”

“I know, mom told me the other night. I’m so sorry. You both seemed really happy together.”

“Yeah well sometimes life happens. I’m just thankful I get Nick on Wednesdays and every other weekend.” He said solemnly as he kept his eyes on Nicky.

“Were you really thinking about quitting?”

“How did you…..”

“I’ve seen that walk so many times with my friends. Hell I’ve even done that walk before once at the Library of Congress. So c’mon Mr. Daley the truth.”

“Last night was……intense I’ll admit. But I really want Nick to be proud of me, and not see me as…..ordinary.”

“As Teddy Roosevelt once said, ‘some men are born great, others have greatness thrust upon them’. Maybe this is your moment. Look I know being the night guard may not be the funniest job ever for you. But don’t do it for yourself, do it for Nicky.” I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and said.

“You truly were the best babysitter Nicky ever had. No wonder how he got so wise.”

“History geek, you get great life quotes. Not just from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.” I then skipped up the steps and walked inside.

“Oi intern!” I sighed heavily. Even after 2 weeks he never really does call me by my name.

“Yes Dr. McPhee?”

“The Egyptian tour guide called in sick this morning, I want you to take over his shift. You’ve got the better resume to give a tour with your year abroad. So do it.”

“Yes Dr. McPhee.”

“And see to it that the children don’t touch the exhibit. God I hate it when those sticky little monsters think a museum is a-a-a-a-a…..touchy place.” He then turned away mumbling to himself.

“Out of all the bosses I’ve had, he’s by far the goofiest and strictest. But it’s better than organizing files again.” I then went up and Rebecca handed me my Egyptian tour guidance flag and I waited for the first wave of guests which was in fact kids from the middle school I went to years ago.

When the class arrived I greeted them and told them my name and that I would be their tour guide today. I walked them through the Egyptian wing before finally leading them to the tomb of the Pharaoh.

“Now we are finally arriving into the tomb of the pharaoh himself. King Ahkmenrah was known as one of the youngest pharaohs to rule in the Upper kingdom of Egypt in 232 BC. He was even the first pharaoh to be crowned above his older sibling.” It was then I had a young girl raise her hand. “Yes sweetheart?”

“What are these statues?” she gestured towards the 20ft. jackal guards.

“Ahh those are the Anubis guards. The Egyptian god Anubis, Lord of the dead is said to be the judge of the underworld. He would deem by balancing your soul on a scale with sand and if your soul weighed heavier than the sand, you would be damned in the underworld. But if your soul was lighter, you’d be granted peace in the afterlife. His guards which you see up there are the protectors of bodies, especially over the royal families tombs.” I got another hand raise this time from a black child.

“Do the mummy’s really get wrapped up in toilet paper?” at that the kids all laughed, to which I couldn’t help but laugh.

“No. No it’s not toilet paper. They get wrapped in special linen which is sorta like a gauze wrap. How many of you had an injury and your parents would wrap your injury with a sorta white bandage?” I got a few hands raised. “It’s basically that. But before they wrap up the bodies, they expose the body to a type of oil and salt to de-moisturize the body so that it could be preserved from the elements.” Another boy asked.

“What exactly is that gold thing up there?” I looked up and I said.

“Ahh that my dear boy is the tablet of Ahkmenrah himself. It arrived here at this museum in 1952 from the Nile expedition. It is said to bring the dead back to life.”

“Yeah right.” The boy sassed back. Kids today, so desensitized by movies and television.

“It’s a legend but never mock the powers of Egyptian magic. Okay kids, why don’t you have a look around and check him out. But please don’t touch the stone slab.” I then walked aside and the kids all gathered around Ahkmenrah’s sarcophagus. “If only it were real.” I muttered as I sat down and rested my feet.

The day dragged on until finally I was clear to go home. I decided that for tonight, I would leave my dissertation for next time and just immediately go to bed. I covered myself up with my thick warm blanket and was out like a light.

The next day it was just about closing time and once again I was in the tomb of Ahkmenrah. I stared down at his sarcophagus sighing softly.

“Excuse me miss, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to vacate the premises.” I jolted slightly but when I turned around I saw that it was only Mr. Daley.

“Oh sorry, just—kinda got caught up in my thoughts is all.” He switched his flashlight off and walked up to me.

“So this whole Egyptian stuff really—gets to you doesn’t it?”

“Ancient Egypt has probably been one of my most favorite ancient civilization. It’s just fascinating of how the Egyptians were able to build things like the pyramids, the sphinx, and intricate tombs that have endless passages in order to trap graverobbers when they didn’t have the technology we have today. It’s amazing.”

“Yeah, guess that is kinda cool.” We stood there side by side in brief silence before he said, “Hey (y/n), do you really believe History comes to life?”

“I mean yes. In a way all around us we are always being given knowledge of every historical moment. And this museum helps us to actually in a way live through it.”

“I mean do you truly believe that history can come to life?”

“I—don’t get what you’re saying Larry.”

“I mean that…..I tried to tell Rebecca this earlier but she ran off on me. She thought I was making fun of her but I really wasn’t I’m telling the truth, I told her the truth.”

“What truth?” he looked around before he leaned close to me and whispered.

“Everything in this museum comes to life. At night. All because of that tablet. Ever since they brought it here back in 1952, everything in this museum came to life.” I looked at him before saying.

“Uhh—have you been overworking yourself again?”

“No, no I swear to you (y/n) I’m not lying.”

“Look, your shift’s about to start and I should really get going. We’ll—talk about this tomorrow. Goodnight Mr. Daley.” I quickly walked around him but I could hear him trying to call out to me.

As I exited the museum I began thinking back to what he was saying. I mean I know I said that there could be a slight chance that the tablet of Ahkmenrah could hold some magic but this—this is something else. I hailed a cab and asked him to drive me back to my place and in just 10 minutes I arrived back home.

As it got darker and snow began to fall from the sky, what Larry had told me earlier this evening was still spinning in my head. I mean what he said was absolutely crazy, if he was implying that the figurines, statues, and the actual pharaoh himself can come to life at night—he was even crazier than when I first met him.

Suddenly something was thrown at my window. I gasped and turned on my lamp to see the leftover remains of a snowball. I got up from my bed and looked out the window to see some figures standing down along the sidewalk.

From the streetlights I could see that it was Larry and Nicky but along with them were two others. One was dressed up as an Egyptian pharaoh and the other was dressed like Attila the Hun. I put on my coat and boots and quietly walked down the stairs and unlocked the door.

“Nicky? Mr. Daley? What are you guys doing here?”

“Hey (y/n) look I know this is a lot to take in right now and I don’t have a lot of time to explain so I’m gonna cut right to the point. Cecil stole the tablet of Ahkmenrah, along with Gus and Reginald. We have the other two back at the museum but we need your help in getting Cecil.”

“Whoa wait what? Mr. Daley you mean to tell me that the former head of security, someone I’ve looked up to for years has stolen the tablet of Ahkmenrah? Why would he want to steal it?”

“He said he and the other two guards were gonna sell it so that they could get a wealthy long retirement.” Nicky spoke up. I then turned to the two costumed gentlemen and I said.

“Am I missing the historical convention or something?”

“No, no, no. You know how I told you the tablet makes things in the museum come to life? I’d like you to meet Attila the Hun and the pharaoh himself Ahkmenrah.” I turned towards them and almost couldn’t believe it, especially with ‘Ahkmenrah’.

I mean there’s never been a real documented picture of him due to his short reign but—he was kinda cute. Wait what am I saying? This could all be a trick.

It was then Attila said something in Mandarin as he nodded to me. I looked at him confused, that’s when Ahkmenrah said.

“He says he’s honored to meet someone who knows his true history and not the fables that surrounded him.” I walked up to Ahkmenrah and I looked him over. His light blue eyes and sun kissed skin.

“How do I know you’re not just some method actor?”

“I assure you my lady I am no actor. But if you want to test me since you know so much about my history especially, ask me something only I would know.” I crossed my arms at his challenge.

“Okay.” I thought long and hard about a question that only either I or the ‘pharaoh’ himself would know. “How exactly did your brother kill you?” yeah I know it was a dark question but it was all I could think of that was a difficult question. Some scholars have even debated on Ahkmenrah’s death but I alone knew the truth after getting some good research done.

“It was sunset. I had just gotten through with wanting the Jews of Egypt to have free will among my kingdom when my brother called me into the studies to speak about the new law. At first I thought we’d go into another argument about it, but he wanted to drink a celebratory toast in light of the new law. I thought nothing of it so my brother and I drank the wine he had prepared. After the toast, I felt this pain in my stomach and—my brother standing over me with nothing but a cruel smile on his face.”

Oh…….my…..god. It—this was……Ahkmen—he…..Ohhhhhh shit!

“My pharaoh I—” I proceeded to bow before him but he stopped me and he said.

“Please no. There is no need for that.” Oh my god his hands were so warm on my cold ones.

“I—I can’t….I just can’t believe. Oh my god I’ve really fallen off the deep end haven’t I?”

“Told you I wasn’t crazy.” Mr. Daley spoke up.

“Okay, okay I believe you. So where is Cecil at right now?”

“Last we saw him he was heading for Central Park.”

“Then why the hell did you come here for!? Central Park from here is halfway across town compared to the museum! We’ll never catch him on foot.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He then whistled and soon a horse came charging in and stopped right in front of us.

“Uhh Larry I hate to break it to you but we all can’t fit on one horse.”

“Oh I know this is my ride, your ride is Rexy.” I soon heard the thundering footsteps and soon following behind a toy truck was the giant T-Rex that you first see when you walk into the museum. It let out a roar and my mouth just dropped.

“You finally get your Jurassic Park wish huh (y/n)?” Nicky said to me with a wide smile.

“I—I suppose so.” The truck stopped right by us and I took notice of the two small miniatures inside that were inside. The Roman General Octavius and the cowboy Jedidiah.

“We ready to get this rodeo on the show now gigantor?” said Jedidiah.

“Yeah guys. So you remember the plan right? You all round Cecil off and I’ll follow behind him.��

“We’re on it my liege. Everyone hop on. The enemy must not escape our sights!” Octavius proclaimed. Larry and Attila got on top of the horse and the two of them rode off while Nicky, Ahkmenrah and I got on top of Rexy. Ahkmenrah got on first and he held his hand out to me.

I took it and he helped me mount onto the T-Rex. My back was pressed up against his chest and our noses almost touching each other’s.

“Thank you.” I softly whispered in awe.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt. It’s—very different from mounting a horse.” I nodded as I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

“Shall I leave you two alone to get a room?” Nicky sassed out.

“Oh you little twerp just get on.” He grinned smugly as he came up and I told him to be careful as he came and sat in front of me. “K guys we’re ready!” Nicky told the two miniatures suddenly Rexy lunged forward and soon we were running full speed towards Central Park.

Within 10-20 minutes we arrived at Central Park and on the other side through the trees I saw Cecil riding on top of the money carrier horse and coach.

Rexy soon began to run faster which forced me to lean further up against Ahkmenrah. We looked at each other and smiled at each other as I felt him hold onto my waist tighter so that we wouldn’t fall off. Rexy then suddenly took a sharp left and we were now right in front of Cecil’s path.

But then Cecil took a sharp turn right past us just barely missing Rexy’s leg by a few inches. It was then I saw the horrifying sight of the truck that Jedidiah and Octavius were riding in spin out of control until it flipped over a small foot of snow before exploding.

With no bone to follow, Rexy soon stopped and whined and we all looked in the direction where the two miniatures had disappeared to. I saw that Larry had stopped just ahead of us and he was looking right where Jed and Octavius had fallen.

“Rexy let me down boy.” He lowered himself down so that I could get off of him.

“Where are you going?” asked Nicky.

“I’m gonna help your dad end this. Ahkmenrah, can you keep an eye on Nicky?”

“Yes of course.”

“Nicky, stay with him alright?” I told him in my sitter voice and he knew to never go up against me when I used that voice. I hopped off and raced towards Mr. Daley. “Larry!” he turned to me and I said. “I’ve got a plan, but I need you to do exactly what I tell you.” he nodded.

“Hop on.” I got on the back of the horse as Larry said, “C’mon Tex let’s finish this. HIYAH!” soon we took off racing after Cecil.

“Stay close to the back of the coach, I’m gonna try to hop on it and grab the tablet.”

“Are you crazy!?”

“Yeah well it’s been a crazy night. So just do it!” he urged Tex on and soon we were right up on the stagecoach. I reached out as far as I could and missed it a few times before finally getting a grip onto it. Once I pulled myself up, I nodded to him telling him to get Cecil’s attention while I went for the tablet.

“Give me the tablet Cecil!” Larry cried out.

“Can’t do it, son!” the horses whinnied as they ran faster and I slowly crawled up towards Cecil’s back where I could see the glimmer’s of the golden Egyptian tablet.

“Pull over!”

“It ain’t gonna happen. Moving on!”

“Last chance Cecil! Stop the horses or I will!”

“They can’t be stopped, Larry. Don’t you know your history? These are money carriers. They were trained not to stop for anything but a secret word.” I finally grabbed the tablet and pulled it out of the bag as I said.

“You don’t say?” It was then Cecil turned and saw me with the table. “You mean a word like—”

“DAKOTA!” Larry cried out. I then held onto the roof railings of the stage coach as the horses suddenly stopped and Cecil went flying forwards into the snow. As Larry rode up towards Cecil, I got off the stage coach and followed right behind Larry. “Read up on my history, along with a little help from a friend.” Larry said as he turned towards me.

“And by the way. Consider yourself out of my dissertation paper.” I told Cecil.

“And also, never talk to me like that in front of my son.” He then grabbed Cecil and threw his famed words back at him, “Moving on.”

We soon met up back at the stagecoach where Ahkmenrah, Nicky, and Atilla and his Huns came in.

“Oh hey, Huns.” Cecil said nervously as Larry transferred him over to them.

“Tell Atilla to have his boys take him back to the museum, put him back with the rest of the guards.” Larry told Ahkmenrah who then translated it to Attila in his tone. “Oh and uhh no limb ripping, okay?” Larry told Attila.

Attila tried to reason with Larry but he shook his head saying no. That’s when Attila pinched his fingers with a little bit of space between them as he asked Larry.

“Mikaka?” Larry turned to Cecil for a moment before turning back to Attila doing the same thing as he responded.

“Makeekaka.” Hearing that made Attila and his friends very happy as Attila then proclaimed out to his Huns.

“Hey, w-wait. Hold the phone. What’s Makeekaka mean? Wait, translation please?” he asked Ahkmenrah as the Huns picked him up and carried him back to the museum.

“That’ll teach him to steal from the museum.” I bragged. “Not bad Mr. Daley. That was impressive.”

“Hey, couldn’t have done it without those websites you sent me to help me out with the research. You’re the real hero here tonight (y/n).”

“Yeah, and that was so awesome of how you got onto that stagecoach. You were like a superhero back there.” I blushed at Nicky’s praising.

“They are right (y/n).” Ahkmenrah said. “We owe this night to you, thanks to you I once again have my tablet.” I smiled and said.

“It took all of us. Teamwork is what got this back.” I said as I held up the tablet.

“Oh boy.” I heard Larry say grimly.

“What is it?” asked Ahkmenrah.

“I gotta get you guys back to the museum.” He said urgently.

“Why? What happens if they’re not back at the museum? Well besides it being empty.”

“If the exhibits are outside of the museum when the sun comes up, they turn to dust.” He told me. My eyes widened in fear as I turned to Ahkmenrah and he looked at me with a grim expression that expressed the truth.

“How?” asked Nicky as I turned to see half of the museum already here in Central Park.

“It’s gonna take us hours just to wrangle everyone up. And this isn’t even half of the exhibits we need.”

“Ahkmenrah. We’re gonna need your help.” Larry guided me over to the young pharaoh as he continued, “This is your tablet, you know the instructions. We need you to get everyone back.” I handed him his tablet and he took it from my hands.

As we did the transfer, our fingers briefly touched one another’s and I swear to god I thought I felt a spark. I swallowed my little crush (was it a crush? I don’t know) and nodded to him and that’s when Ahkmenrah began to speak in ancient Egyptian as he looked down at the tablet.

As soon as I heard him say his name, the tablet glowed which reflected his face majestically, but that’s when I heard Rexy softly growl as he then began walking back towards the museum. Not only was he walking onward but all the exhibits, it seemed they were all in a trance as they walked on.

With that the four of us left alongside the exhibits and we went to make sure that everyone got back there and to their designated wings safe and sound.

Once everyone was inside, present and accounted for; I walked with Ahkmenrah back to his tomb and he said to me.

“Thank you, for helping me retrieve my tablet (y/n).”

“It was no problem. Really. I’d do it all over again a thousand times if it meant you and the others could live to see another night.” He smiled and as he placed it back to its proper place he asked me.

“Will I see you tonight?”

“Oh I don’t know.” I sighed heavily. “I can’t let Larry just get the boot for this, at least not if I can help it.”

“You have a kind heart (y/n). In another life you would’ve made the perfect Egyptian Queen.” I blushed and laughed shyly. “If that is the case, then it was an honor to finally meet you (y/n).”

“Believe me it was an honor meeting you. I just…wish we had more time. I have so many questions for you.” He smiled and said.

“If the Gods make it to be, perhaps one day we shall cross paths again.” I nodded as I extended my hand out for a handshake. He took it and instead of a handshake, he turned my hand over and kissed the back of it.

I felt my face heat up and butterflies fluttered around my stomach as I nervously smiled.

“Yeah, you too Ahkmenrah.” I then helped him back into his sarcophagus and once I closed it up, I heard nothing but silence. I turned to the Anubis guards who now stood very still and figured that it must be sunrise about now. “Wadaeaan ya fireawn. Num jayidaan.” I whispered as I gently touched Akhmen’s sarcophagus.

I left the Egyptian wing and saw that all the exhibits were now once again either statues once more or had phased back into their wax figurines. I walked down the steps to see the large mess once again.

“You got him back to his wing safely?” asked Larry.

“Yep. Safe and snug in his sarcophagus. C’mon. Let’s clean up whatever we can before McFreak comes in and flips out.”

“(Y/n).” Rebecca scolded me. I shrugged at her as I picked up a broom from the supply closet nearby and handed one to Nicky and the two of us began to collect all the toilet paper that had been tossed around.

When Dr. McPhee did come in, he was definitely not happy. After having Larry and I sit through the news that was talking about all the sightings that had happened last night from Rexy’s footprints in the snow, caveman drawings in the subway and even the Neanderthals up on top of the museum building waving torches in the air.

“Any explanation at all?” he asked the two of us. Larry thought about it before he came to a fake conclusion.

“No. Got nothin’.”

“Me neither.” I answered.

“Right. I’ll take your keys and your flashlight then.” He said as he walked up to Larry before turning towards me and continuing, “And you. Can turn in your membership and research card. You’ll be banned from the museum until further notice.” Larry and I looked at each other before Larry turned in his stuff and I turned in my access card.

He guided us out of his office to let us out of the museum but what we saw was something I had not seen since I was probably a little girl.

The museum was packed! There were probably hundreds maybe even thousands of people walking about, getting tours, checking in, and asking for information about certain figurines or exhibits.

A wide smile spread across my face as I placed my hands over my mouth trying to contain my excitement. But what really got me excited was when Dr. McPhee gave Larry and I back our stuff and gave us a small smile before walking away.

“Oh my god.” I said in awe.

“Seems the news really brought this place back on the map.” Larry said. I then hugged Larry as tight as I could and he hugged me back. “What’s that for?”

“I have no idea. Just—thank you for probably the greatest moment of my life.”

“You sure it don’t have anything to do with the pharaoh just one floor up?” he teased. I playfully punched him as hard as I could in the shoulder.

“I’ll see you tonight Mr. Daley. I’ll even pick up Nicky and bring him here.” I headed off to start my shift since I knew the tour guides needed more help so I decided to lend a hand and help out.

Of course that was fun and all, but the real fun began when the sun went down. With my I-pod hooked up to the stereo on my “Happy feet playlist”, I had my #1 song ‘September’ by Earth, wind and fire playing while all the exhibits were gathered around the main lobby in celebration.

Everyone was either dancing or playing soccer and I couldn’t help but smile at seeing a once ancient pharaoh dance so badly that it was almost embarrassing. Our eyes soon locked with each other and he came over to me and said.

“Come on, let’s dance.”

“Oh no, no, no, no, no I don’t dance Ahkmenrah.”

“This is our party and I demand you dance. By royal decree.” He teased at the end with a wink down at me. Well—who was I to deny a royal pharaoh’s decree?

“Just a little warning for you, I don’t know how to dance.”

“Neither do I.”

“So you’re not at all embarrassed?”

“Not really. We’re amongst friends. And true friends don’t laugh at one another, even in their silly moments. Now come (y/n).” he took my hands and pulled me onto the dance floor and the two of us danced to the beat as silly as we possibly could.

#rami malek #rami malek imagine #rami malek imagines #rami malek fanfic #rami malek x reader #ahkmenrah #ahkmenrah x reader #ahkmenrah imagine #ahkmenrah imagines #night at the museum #night at the museum fanfic #might at the museum fanfiction #rami malek fanfiction #night at the museum imagine #night at the museum imagines #night at the museum fanfiction

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alfafilly · 3 years

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New Year New Me

I want to make a small New Years Resolution this year aimed specifically towards my role in the Sly Cooper fandom. It’s gonna be kinda long and venty so warning!!

As a bit of backstory, I haven’t been in a fandom/actively drawing fanart since like... 2012 maybe? Like in terms of drawing fanart for the same series routinely. I went through a really stupid phase where I thought fanart was a waste of time because I had been hounded over and over again by peers and those I looked up to that only ORIGINAL © DO NOT STEAL content mattered. I looked down on fanart and used every excuse to belittle fanartists. I dunno if this was also in part due to the last fandom I was in being extremely toxic (that being the Invader Zim fandom. Booooois them 2006-2008 deviantART IZ days were something else) and my college experience constantly telling me “fanart in your portfolio is stinky bad no do that” (which is hotly debated btw).

Anyway... jumping into the Sly Cooper fandom has been extremely positive for me and helping me shed a lot of that negative attitude. Dare I say there was character development?! And while, for the most part, Sly fandom isn’t that toxic, there are elements of it that have caused much chaotic negativity within me that I am hoping to get rid of.

Maybe it’s a result of my former opinions about fanart, but I have always felt a sense of inadequacy, or as if I NEED to make my place in the fandom for me to be relevant and to matter. I have vented about this in the past. My first fanart piece was a compilation of my interpretations of the cast, and it was well received, and everyone talked about how they wanted me to draw more characters, to see more designs, etc. Which is why I said I wanted to redesign ALL the cast because the people DEMANDED IT!! This could be my way of placing myself in the fandom!!! HELL YEAH!!!

But it didn’t make me... happy, I guess? I DO enjoy redesigning, but when I do it under my own terms, with no pressure. I think coming out of art school made me put on blinders and tell myself what I used to believe in: “If you’re going to waste your time on fanart, better make it good. You know, people can hire you if you show good fanart! These redesigns could get you a job in the industry! You gotta ONLY do work that will benefit your end goal and nothing else!!”

This often made me feel extreme guilt when I started drawing more of my Arpeggio content, or my Arpeggio AUs because despite how much fun I was having, that little voice in the back of my head was saying “No!! Stop drawing that!! Draw stuff that everyone will care about besides just you!!! You’re not going to get anywhere with this!! Drawing sexy Arpeggio won’t get you a job in the industry KJSNJKGNSKNGKJNAJ!!!!”

This mentality also crafted some uhh... extremely negative competitive attitudes towards other artists in the fandom. Certain artists would piss me off every time they posted to the point I would have to block them to stop seeing their work just to prevent these feelings. There is a notable artist I won’t name, but they do Sly redesigns too. I was fine with them initially, but after they blatantly stole one of my designs without crediting me I was LIVID. I called them out and they did apologize and changed the design, but every time I saw their work from then on out I had this insane urge to “beat them”. It was a sick competitive game. I felt jaded they ripped my design and kept getting popular anyway. TBH it’s rather petty and I am trying not to harbor any ill will towards them because I don’t think they meant anything by it and the design was rather insignificant in the whole scheme of things. But I still have them blocked or muted everywhere because I am still struggling to ignore that great urge every time I see their designs to drop everything I’m doing and draw my own redesigns out of unhealthy spite.

And I’m only briefly going to go over the god damn Deceit of Thieves drama. Apparently they are still making it into a legit game? They have a Patreon apparently and are posting stuff about it? I found out about that and the same sort of fiery rage filled me. But this was much less personal. Sure, I had given a critique to them but I honestly wanted the game/story/whatever to flourish? After seeing their poor reactions and being attacked by their white knights, my taste towards them grew bitter and I think my fellow Sly fans having the same bitterness fueled me to flat out grow a hatred for them. That’s kind of awful? I never expected to want another member of the fandom to have their project fail. What kind of asshole am I for wanting that?? I don’t want that. I want them to learn from their mistakes and make something great. Not hold some ridiculous resentment. I can decide not to support them if I wanted, but wishing failure is a whole other horrible thing.

So realizing this I knew I needed to... change my perspective on how I see myself in the fandom and how I process my feelings towards it. I don’t want to be here to produce soulless portfolio worthy content. I don’t want to compete with other artists or wish them ill. I just want to draw some god damn fanart of a series I love and that makes me happy!

I’m posting this here as a way to hold accountability to myself and be honest. I started drawing Sly stuff again in 2017 so it’s been an issue appearing on and off the last 4 years and that’s... sad. It needs to end! I appreciate everyone in the fandom who has supported me in my endeavors, as ridiculous as they are. I can’t believe drawing and writing about a dumb bird man and cat lady and throwing my stupid OCs into the fray for my favorite childhood game has made me learn so much about myself, my work, and gained me so many great peers and friends. I definitely don’t want to stop any time soon! And I apologize profusely if I ever hurt anyone in some way because I lost sight of that (or was just a dick for whatever reason).

Thanks for your support, and I hope 2021 will bring me loads more positivity into my content!!

#sly cooper #vent #rant #text post

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stina-is-a-punk-rocker · 3 years

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disney’s ‘the hunchback of notre dame’, early 2000s kid nostalgia, and other midnight musings

“What the fuck, Stina? I thought this was a blog for book reviews!” you say.

“Books, amongst other things. Hence the -ish suffix,” I say. “And all my mediocre ‘reviews’ are hit-or-miss in terms of engagement, so I’m pretty much free to post whatever the fuck I want.”

I toss my head. My hair whacks me in the face.

The first time I watched Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was been circa 2006, in the ‘movie room’ of my preschool, huddled around a CRT TV with the rest of my five-year-old classmates. Not much about the film particularly stood out to me at the age.

Fast-forward fifteen years later; I’m cooped up in quarantine, hundreds of thousands of miles away from that first viewing. I’m living my best life, rejoicing in my introverted tendencies and having a laugh at the expense of all the suffering extroverts. I haven’t moved from my bed all day, except for the bare necessities, and I’m bingeing YouTube videos. All is well.

I discovered Lindsay Ellis’s channel quite recently- embarrassingly enough, through her videos on Omegaverse and the whole Addison Cain fiasco. I stumbled down the rabbit-hole of her channel, and here I am, a few dozen videos later, and I find her one on this film.

Which, of course, led me to want to re-watch the film, with the eyes and mind (supposedly) of an adult. And it went far beyond and above my expectations.

The film is dark, much darker than the average Disney film of today- not just thematically, but the graphics too. Except for the first parts with the Festival of Fools and the last scene, the rest seems to have a dark filter put over it all. Obviously, given its themes (I’m pulling these out of my arse; I’m a STEM major and I have zero to no knowledge about film) of freedom and equality, acceptance of those different from us, corruption and lust- all that good shit, in other words- you can’t exactly have sunshine and rainbows. But it’s such a stark contrast from what I’ve been accustomed to from Disney; Frozen has Hans about to decapitate Elsa, but the background remains bright and light; Simba sobbing next to Mufasa’s body in The Lion King is heart-wrenching, but a few scenes later, we have an anthropomorphic meerkat-boar duo singing about eating bugs and farting and all that classy stuff, so it’s not as traumatizing.

The themes are a lot more on-the-nose than a lot of other kids’ movies (forgive me if I err, I am aged and forgetful)- cue la Esmeralda saying, “What do they have against people who are different, anyway?”- you get what’s essentially the same ‘accept others regardless of their differences’, ‘prejudice is bad’ morals from, say, Zootopia, but having given the main characters fursuits makes it less obvious than in this movie.

(Or maybe I’m just a dumbass. I have no elaborate notes for this; I’m high on sugar and deprived of sleep so I might be spewing bullshit.)

Admittedly, the resolution is a bit… unrealistic. The citizens of Paris = sheep, essentially; they go from throwing fruit in Quasimodo’s face because the guards started it, to helping defeat them. Maybe there’s something about mob mentality in there, but I find it hard to believe that people who showed up to watch Esmeralda burn to death were suddenly totally cool with not getting what they didn’t pay for. But then again, this is a Disney movie, and you can’t make kids too cynical too early on. Let them have their innocence and ‘people will be with the heroes in times of peril because humanity is inherently good!’ before they realize that humanity kinda fuckin’ sucks.

The characters are some of the most human from those I’ve seen in Disney (other honorable mentions: the main characters of The Emperor’s New Groove, Moana, Tangled, Anna from Frozen). Quasimodo’s the main character (lol DUH, will I ever say anything not obvious?), and he’s so lovable, but not without flaws- he’s biased against gypsies in the beginning because Frollo’s the literal scum of the earth. To borrow from the K-pop fans’ dictionary: UwU he’s so pure!

Esmeralda sparks a bit of controversy because she’s another POC leading lady from a Disney film of the 90’s (a list including Jasmine, and, sigh- Pocahontas) who’s markedly more sexualized than the white Disney princesses. It’s not something I particularly noticed nor cared about until I saw it being brought up- I mean, the woman shows a bit of cleavage and then dances for a couple of seconds- but. I’m just putting that out there.

She’s an empowering heroine without having to belt in in your face (not me making a dig at Naomi Scott’s Jasmine from the Aladdin live action film), and I also love how her role in taking down the Big Bad doesn’t have to do with her ‘power of seduction’ (the scene in the animated Aladdin film where Jasmine kissed Jafar truly traumatized me as a kid).

Phoebus is… well, he exists. Kind of a Regulus Black archetype, but not exactly. The guy on the bad side who turns good and all is forgiven. Well, at least it’s not the ‘her love made him a better man’ trope. And he is a good guy. Even if he did spend a considerable amount of his adult years on the side of the bad guys.

Systemic oppression? Nah, it’s one or two corrupt baddies. But again, it’s a Disney film, we need everything to work out for the good guys in the end.

Let’s get the gargoyles out of the way. To reference Lindsay Ellis’s video (she’s a lot smarter than I am and breaks this down better than I ever could): yes, the comedy’s oft ill-timed and inappropriate… for an adult audience. And the primary demographic of Disney films, especially princess ones (obviously Esmeralda isn’t a princess, nor does she marry into royalty, nor is she included in the group of princesses in the dumpster fire that is Ralph Breaks the Internet, but I had a book imaginatively titled ‘Disney Princess Stories’ as a kid that included Esmeralda’s story alongside Belle’s and Ariel’s, so I’m calling her a princess), are kids. And kids love fart jokes.

Additionally, I have a theory-that-is-not-really-a-theory-but-a-pretty-obvious-thing-that-happens that the gargoyles are figments of Quasimodo’s imagination, and the, at times crass and ridiculous things they say are just the voices in Quasimodo’s head (THIS IS OBVIOUS, STINA, YOU HAVEN’T STUMBLED ACROSS A STARTLING NEW REVELATION); maybe what he imagines normal townspeople to act like.

And then we have Judge Judy Chrissy Teigen Frollo. This dude is the embodiment of pure evil. He’s bigoted and rapey and abusive and one of Disney’s most successful villains- even better than Mother Gothel, who previously held the crown. It’s rare that a villain genuinely terrifies me, especially a cartoon one. Frollo, unlike your typical fairytale antagonist who wants power/fame/fortune/to overthrow Olympus, is far more sinister; driven from deep-rooted hatred instead of plain greed. He’s so much closer to people in positions of power and authority even in the modern world, and that element of reality makes him so much better as an antagonist instead of a literal sheep who hates carnivores (seriously, Disney, enough with the twist villains- they’re not working out).

Also, Hellfire slaps. In fact, the entire soundtrack does.

Speaking about Hellfire, I love the contrast between that and Heaven’s Light; how Esmeralda is viewed by Frollo (an object to possess, “Destroy Esmeralda, and let her taste the fires of hell; or else, let her be mine and mine alone”) as opposed to Quasimodo (someone with free will, “I dare to dream that she might even care for me”).

Another argument brought up, and admittedly one I had as a child was, ‘but if the whole point of the movie is acceptance and love as opposed to lust, why didn’t Quasimodo get the girl?’ Which, years later, I realize is an extremely misogynistic way to look at it. As Princess Jasmine said four years before The Hunchback was released, she is not a prize to be won. Quasimodo is Frollo’s antithesis; he lets Esmeralda choose, and she chose Phoebus. And Quasimodo accepted that, because he is good and kind and sweet and loving. Severus Snape, take note.

On a sidenote, I’m always kind of caught out of left field when the plot in films moves really fast- I’m really not a movie-watching type; I prefer to read, and books usually indicate how much time passes from one main plot point to another, and there are little slice-of-life, filler parts that tie in to character development and moving the plot forward, but at a snail’s pace. So, whenever I’m watching a movie and it’s one important event after another, I usually haven’t had enough of a refractory period to process it.

Let’s pretend that I segued smoothly into the next part of this (already tedious and long drawn out) review.

The Hunchback is the darkest film I’ve ever seen come out from Disney. Re-watching it as an adult made me pause every so often and wonder why the hell I wasn’t traumatized by it as a kid. I mean, the whole movie kicks off with Frollo about to throw an infant down a well. And then there’s that horrifying shot of the stone renditions of the Israelite kings on the church walls. Frollo falls to his death into fire. I mean, good riddance, but still. I guess it’s because the kids’ shows of today are awfully censored and polished so kids don’t have nightmares forevermore.

Update: tried to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. Exited just as fast as I clicked on it. Disney sequels really ain’t shit (yes, I’m looking at you, Frozen 2).

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annebrontesrequiem · 3 years

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Higurashi Gou Ep. 7 Thoughts

Spoilers for both 2020 Higurashi, 2006 Higurashi, Higurashi Kai, and the manga. These spoilers will become more pronounced the more episodes I watch, You have been warned.

Again, please pay attention to that spoiler warning. I basically spoiled the end of the first series (as in the end of Kai/all the manga/I mean the VN but I’ve never played it). Anyways, HERE WE GO!!! Also this one is LONG because I have so many thoughts.

Okay guys here we go! This was the kind of perfect episode I wanted from this show. I was seriously blown away by it (and we aren’t even at the murder), so much so I rewatched it the next day. Now I have to put the bulletpoints of thoughts in my head into something vaguely coherent. So let’s try!

The first part I want to touch on is Takano explaining the story of the demons. This part I was first of all glad they kept the sketchy style, but secondly I was a bit confused as the original story is that Oyashiro-sama sacrificed themselves for the people of Hinamizawa, then Onigafuchi, and that was... that. I could ne misremembering, I forgot to reread that part in the manga, but either way it was of note. I guess more proof of Takano’s infallibility. More importantly, at least to me since the series isn’t over and they could explain the disconnect later, this scene was great atmospherically. Not the best, but very good. Keichii VA is really talented gotta throw that out there (no I haven’t seen the dub). Oh also his “you’re lying!” was good, although I do think Studio Deen was better at getting the Higurashi face to look more distorted. Oh well I like the new animation style it doesn’t bug me.

Next is Shion knocking off the statue head. I cannot be the only one that noticed a very deliberate slit in the base of the statue. That combined with it already being broken... I think something’s in the statue. This is a theory and a pretty random one so I’m just throwing it out there and leaving it at that. Also Takano def took something.

Next is our pal Ooishi. Am I the only one who feels he comes off much creepier in this version. I mean it might be because by the end of Kai/the end of the original manga we’ve gotten a super intimate look into his life and the guilt he feels and how it manifests in his obsession with this supposed curse. But in the scene with Keichii... he’s just so creepy. In that like oh my god old man get away from me. Still that scene was pretty good. Although the timeline and the fact they’re already asking after Takano and Tomitake seems a bit odd. I know that unlike the original Cotton Drifting arc they stole a van (Is this Tomitake getting held up or getting inject with Hinamizawa Syndrome I wonder) but still it seems very soon to the viewer and a bit... rushed? Idk I think people asking after it the day after works better. Anyways.

Oh also interesting how dialogue keeps getting shifted. For example in the original Ooishi is the one who brings up Mion and Shion aren’t even wearing the same clothes. I hope they aren’t changes for changes sake but it also did bug me, just something I noticed when I reread the manga.

Anyways now we really start getting to it. The phone scene between Shion and Keichii was an 11/10 scene for me, I thought it was spectacular. Again Keichii’s VA is amazing (so is Shion’s btw not forgetting her, she’s great at being understated in a way that makes everything creepier). And the animation wasn’t as out there as the original but I still felt a sense of claustrophobia. I think it’s the way everything’s shot super close in frame before having a wideshot with Keichii and Shion alone in their relative spaces, it gives this great feeling of being watched. I really thought the phone scene was going to be the highlight of the episode and discounting the shock factor of Rika’s later stuff it prolly is. On rewatch it hit just as hard.

This is getting obnoxiously long so let’s get to the end and talk about Rika. Her pulling a Bernkastel and just snapping on Keichii was so unexpected I half laughed in shock (also another reason you should watch the original first it wouldn’t be so offputting if you didn’t assume she said she was going to protect the kittens). I could meme on this scene, hell I already have, but honestly it’s so good. Again great angles and voice work. The way Rika looms over Keichii, who’s shadowed by her, just gives this huge sense of tension and powerlessness and Rika’s adult(/Bernkastel gonna keep name dropping my fav) voice is really great at this dejected apathy. I love it 11/10. Also of note this really makes me doubt this is a sequel. I mean I always doubted it cause Rika would just repeat what she did in the last arc (Festival Arc?) and win again, which she’s not doing, but more importantly for this episode she says Takano’s dead. Unless one of the kids went on a VERY preemptive murder spree which included taking down not only two adults but all of Takano’s “dogs” Rika doesn’t know Takano is the orchestrator behind her murder. Safe to say I’m confused.

This episode was so amazing I can’t get over it. The slow pacing of this show (slower than the last this episode ends at like the quarter mark of the last manga volume for this arc) really helps ratchet up the tension when stuff happens. But also WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN NOW? I’m gonna sleep but we’ll know in 2 hours!

Hope you liked this review and see you soon with the next episode!

#higurashi gou #higurashi 2020 #higurashi #higurashi spoilers #spoilers #episode review #mine #thoughts #lol so many tagsss

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hannahindie · 4 years

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Birthday Boy

Characters: Dean Winchester, Reader, Sam Winchester (brief) Word Count: 2,460 Warnings: Alcohol use, sad Dean (for like, a second). Not much to be warned about, except I may have forgotten how to write. A/N: I started this last January, when my life got flipped upside down and I was a bit of a mess. It didn’t get done before Dean’s birthday, so I just didn’t do anything with it. I’m still not sure it’s totally done...but you’ll see what I mean when you get to the end.

Beta’d by the sweetest of sweets, @amanda-teaches. Any mistakes you see are mine, and mine alone. I’m also using my old tag list, so if any of you want off of it or if you want on it, please let me know. Strike throughs means it won’t let me tag you, so if you’ve changed a username or if something is broken, shoot me an ask. It feels like it’s been 84 years. Thanks for those of you who have stuck around. <3.

January 23-24, 2003

“Do you have a ride home?”

The man sitting at the bar looks up at me, his eyes slightly bloodshot and most definitely tired, and shrugs. “Do you make a habit out of offering free rides to men you don’t know?”

I shrug back, “No. But, when you look the way you do, I just assume letting you drive a vehicle is probably a bad plan. When’s the last time you slept?”

He rolls his eyes, “You ask a lot of questions for a bartender. Aren’t you just supposed to listen to people’s problems, silently shake your head, and slide me another shot?”

“I think you’ve had enough.” I walk over to the door and flip the sign over to closed, then walk back and start wiping down the counter. He props his chin in his hand and watches me, lifting his elbow as I brush past him.

“Closing early?”

I snort, shaking my head, “it’s 3 a.m. so, no. Closing on time.”

“Shit.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and frowns.

“What’s wrong?” I toss the dirty rag in the small basket under the bar, and grab the garnish tray.

“Oh, nothing. Just expected a phone call, is all.”

“Hmm.” I close the small fridge that’s behind the bar, then turn and lean back against the back counter, my arms crossed. “So you’re just sitting there, alone and pouting, for no reason? Spill it.” Against my better judgement, I grab two shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

“I thought I was cut off.”

“Do you want me to change my mind?” I slide the glass to him, then return to leaning against the back bar. “Now, spill it.”

“It’s nothing, really,” he mumbles, swirling the glass against the wooden countertop, “it’s just, uh...it’s my birthday. Well, as of three hours ago, it’s my birthday. Thought maybe my family would call.” He says it casually, as if it’s not a big deal, but it is. It’s in the way he throws back the shot, and grimaces as it burns down his throat. It’s the nonchalant way he sniffs, wrinkling his nose ever so slightly.

“Why aren’t they here with you?”

He laughs, though the smile that accompanies it doesn’t quite reach his eyes, “Well, my dad is on a hunting trip. My kid brother is away at school. Gonna be a hot shot lawyer, someday.”

“They can’t even take the time out to wish you a happy birthday?”

“Eh, they’re busy. Sammy doesn’t want in the family business, and my dad...well...he’s too obsessed with it. Guess someone has to be a happy medium.”

“Well, you just seem overjoyed…” I raise an eyebrow in question.

“Dean. Dean Winchester.”

I give him a smile, “Well, Dean Winchester, my name is Y/N. And now that I know that it’s your birthday, we’re going to celebrate.” I walk over to the coat rack and grab my jacket. “Come on, let’s go.”

“It’s 3 a.m., what are we going to do?”

“Calm yourself, we’re not doing that. There are other things we can get into. Although, if you quit blabbing and follow me, maybe I’ll let you steal second.”

He smiles at that, a genuine smile, and I thank whatever greater power there is that brought him to my bar.

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“So, wait, you do what now?”

“We hunt monsters. All kinds. I’d name ‘em, but it’s a lot, and it’s boring. Well, not boring. You don’t need to worry ‘bout it, though.”

“Monsters aren’t real, Dean.” I take a swig of whiskey from the bottle we took from the bar and make a face at him. We’re both decently drunk at this point, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to just suddenly believe in monsters.

“They aren’t to you. Because of people like us. Tha’s the whole reason we do it, ya know. So that civilians don’t know about ‘em.”

I snort, and immediately regret it when whiskey hits my nostrils, “Oh, God, owwww…” I wipe the tears from my eyes, “Civilians? What is this, the military?”

He gets serious, his brows furrowed as he stares at me, “It is like a war, Y/N. A war that I hope you never have to see. It’s not...it’s not a choice hunters make, normally. We do it because we have to. All of us have our stories, and most of ‘em...well...they end fast. And bloody.” He grabs the bottle from me and takes a long pull from it, “Well, this got real cheery, real fast.”

“Okay, so monsters are real...but why are you telling me?”

He shrugs, the corner of his lip curls up slightly, and I wish that we had met at a different time, different place. “Because you seem like someone who wouldn’t think I’m crazy.”

“That’s debatable.” He nudges me with his elbow, and I nudge him back, leaning my body weight into him a moment longer than I probably should. “I don’t think you’re crazy.” Before I can stop myself, I lean forward and kiss him gently on the lips. When I pull away, his eyes are wide, a brilliant green in the light of the street lamp we’re parked under. “Happy birthday, Dean Winchester.”

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January 24, 2006

“You still want to give a guy a ride home, or is that just reserved for strangers?”

I would know that voice anywhere. I turn to see Dean Winchester leaning against the bar, less worse for wear than the first time I saw him.

“Eh, depends on the guy, I guess.”

He leans across and kisses me on the cheek. “Yea, well, I hope I’ve got what it takes.”

“Oh, I’d say you do. It’s your birthday, after all.”

He grins, “You remembered! Gonna let me steal second?”

I shrug, “Not if you’re gonna be cocky about it.”

“Oh, I’ll show you cock-“

“Dean!” I try to admonish him, but start laughing as I grab his favorite beer and pop the cap. “You’re the worst.”

He takes the beer from me and sits down, but I can tell he’s uneasy. He keeps glancing over his shoulder like he’s looking for someone.

“What’s wrong?”

He shakes his head, “Nothin’. It’s just, my kid brother is with me. It’s his girlfriend's birthday, too, and he’s not in the best mood.”

“Sam’s here? Why’s he in a bad mood?” I slide a beer down the bar to one of the regulars.

“She, uh...she died. A couple months ago.” He takes a swig and sits the bottle down a little harder than necessary.

“What? What happened?” I’ve never met Sam, but Dean has told me plenty about him during our late night calls and text messages while he’s been gone.

“It’s a long story...and part of the reason I haven’t gotten to talk to you in awhile.”

“Oh.” I look over his shoulder and see a tall figure moving through the crowd, nearly a head over everyone around him. Dean follows my gaze and perks up slightly.

“Sammy!” The figure changes direction and claims the stool next to Dean. “This is Y/N. Y/N, Sam.”

He smiles, and it reminds me of the first time I saw Dean. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes, but he smiles nonetheless. “It’s nice to finally meet you, he never shuts up about you.”

“Shut up, Sam,” Dean grumbles, taking another sip of beer.

I laugh, “Well, I’ve heard about you, too.” I grab three shot glasses and pour one for each of us. “I probably shouldn’t do this at work, but why not. Shots for the birthday boy, on the house.” We each grab one and I quickly shoot mine, smacking my lips and tossing the used glass into the sink. Both boys stare at me with wide eyes, glasses halfway to their lips. “What?”

“Marry me.”

“I don’t think so, Winchester. Now drink your shot.” I move towards the end of the bar and take a few more orders, every once in awhile looking back over my shoulder at the two travel worn men. Though Sam is sad, he’s trying to cover it for Dean, and I’m grateful for that. Dean looks the happiest that I’ve seen him on his birthday, since it’s become a tradition, and I think having Dean is helping Sam, too.

It finally hits closing time, and I flip the sign, then turn back to them. “Now, it’s time to actually celebrate.”

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Dean walks me to my front door and leans against the porch post as I fumble around with my keys. “You could come stay the night with me.”

I snort, “Yea, I could. But, then you’ll leave, and I’ll have to come back here, and it’ll be sad.”

He moves closer to me, his hands on my waist, “I could stay here.”

I look over his shoulder at Sam, passed out in the front seat, his forehead pressed against the passenger window, “And, what about Sam?”

He looks back and shrugs, “He’ll be fine, he’s totally out. He’ll never even notice.”

“Dean…”

He pauses, worries his lip between his teeth for a second, and then asks the last thing I think he’s going to ask, “Come with us?”

“What?” I’m not sure I heard him right. He’s never suggested me coming with him, and has always made it a point to say he doesn’t want me to see this life up close, other than seeing him.

“Come with us. We’ve got room in the Impala, you could travel the country, just like you always say you want to do.”

“You want me to come hunting with you?”

“Not hunting, you can just travel with us, help with research and stuff. It’ll be…” he trails off and sighs, “It’ll be boring as hell for you. And still not safe. I’m sorry, I just...I’m tired of only seeing you once a year, and only getting phone calls. That was...that was selfish. I’m sorry.”

“Look at me.” He reluctantly does, and I see the sadness in his eyes. I’m sure mine look the same way. “I don’t like it either, I wish I could. But I have a life here, and you know you don’t actually want me tagging along. You do realize you can come see me whenever you want, right? It doesn’t just have to be your birthday? And, I’ll always be right here. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Yea...that’s true.” He kisses me, and it’s soft. Not like the times before, softer than that but more meaningful. He lingers and I can taste the whiskey on his lips. Maybe I should go with him. He steps back and gives me a sad smile.

“I’ll call soon.”

I nod, trying to hold back tears. I’m still hoping he’ll argue with me, convince me to go, but he turns and walks back to the car and my moment is gone.

“Happy birthday, Dean Winchester,” I whisper.

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January 22-24, 2009

My phone rings and I roll over, squinting at the bright light now illuminating my dark bedroom. It’s a number I don’t recognize, but I answer anyway.

“Hello?”

“Y/N?”

The voice is familiar, and a blurry image is tickling the edge of my brain, pulling and prodding, but, in the clinging haze of sleep, I can’t tell who it is. “Yea?”

“I’m sorry to wake you, I know it’s late...it’s Sam, by the way. Sam Winchester.”

I sit up and it feels like my heart is in my throat, “Sam, is everything okay?” I haven’t heard from Dean in far too long, and it doesn’t make sense that Sam is calling.

“Umm, well, that’s a tough question to answer. I guess the short answer is, it is now. But Dean...he needs you. I’ll explain more later, but can you come to this address?” He rattles off the address of what I assume is a dive bar, and I somehow manage to catch it all.

“How long will you be there?”

“We just got off a job and it’s almost-“

“Yea, his birthday, I know. I’ll pack and be there as soon as I can, okay?”

“Yea, okay...thanks for doing this.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad you called. See you soon.” I hang up, and immediately go to my closet and grab my suitcase. After a moment of hesitation, I grab another suitcase and a duffel bag. It’s too much, but I’ll figure it out later.

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“Dean?” I recognize the broad shoulders hunched over the bar before I even see his face. The dull tap of glass hitting wood stops as he hears my voice.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he rasps, his voice raw from hours of drinking.

“And, why not?” I take a tentative step forward, pausing when I notice him tense up.

“I’m not good to be around. It’ll only get you killed. It’s why you didn’t come with me the first time I asked, whether you want to admit it or not. Selfish of me, anyway.”

I close the remaining distance and sit on the stool next to him, but he refuses to look at me. “You know that’s not the reason. I thought I had a reason to stay, and that my life was there, not because I was afraid to go with you.” I pause and my brief silence seems to catch his attention. He looks up at me with bleary eyes. “I was hoping you would turn around and ask one more time...maybe I should have said something.”

“You actually wanted to come with us?” He props his head on his fist, the knuckles smashing his cheek almost comically despite how serious we started this conversation.

“Yea, I did. But you know, maybe it wasn’t the time. Maybe I wasn’t ready for such a big change then.”

“Then? What about now?”

I shrug, “I mean, there might a suitcase or two in the trunk of my car.”

He sits up, a smile slowly pulling up one corner of his mouth. “Seriously?”

“I mean, you don’t have to make a big deal out of it.” I glance up at the clock above the bar: 12:01. “Although I suppose you could count it as your birthday present. Happy birthday, Dean Winchester.”

He looks up at the clock, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, then looks back at me. “I can’t think of a better way to start it.” His lips are on mine before I can think, and I can feel the warmth of him all the way to my toes. How I ever managed to not go with him in the first place is a mystery.

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Forever Tags: @trexrambling @pinknerdpanda @wheresthekillswitch @emlostinwonderland @arryn-nyxx @emptywithout @escabell @charliebradbury1104 @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes @deanssweetheart23 @canadianjelly @super-not-naturall @aubreyreadsstuff @fandomismyspirit @keepcalmandcarryondean @assbutt-still-in-hell @owllover123 @rosie-winchester @amionthetumbler @duubaduu @hiimaprofessionalfangirl @goldenolaf25 @authoressskr @nanie5 @mrssamfuckingwinchester @zincomms @kathaswings @crazynerdandproud @barbedwireandbubblegum @sandlee44 @boxywrites @justanotherdeangirl @smalltowndivaj @captainradicalpassion @myloveforyouxx @atc74 @mrsbatesmotel53 @there-must-be-a-lock @masksandtruths @thelittleredwhocould @jotink78 @amanda-teaches @ilsawasanacrobat @squirrel-moose-winchester @mjdoc90 @anticipate1003 @mrswhozeewhatsis @mogaruke @speakinvain @linki-locks11 @wildlandfox @rhochradel @lostnliterature @eternal-elir @spn-ficfanatic @polina-93 @lexiiiii28 @poukothenerd @emoryhemsworth @yourewelcomeforbeingmyfriend @adoptdontshoppets @closetspngirl @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @ellen-reincarnated1967 @hunterscabin

Dean Only: @akshi8278 @valkyrieslament @lavieenlex @highonpastries @wholelottajackles @imascio08

#supernatural #dean winchester #dean x reader #reader insert #sam winchester #happy birthday dean winchester #han writes stuff

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modmamono · 4 years

Text

Why Space Channel 5 is one of SEGA’s best dumbest games ever, no questions asked. (Report 1 & 1/2.)

Space Channel 5 on the Dreamcast is one of my favorite things ever, let alone favorite video games. Though I more often watch it on YouTube then actually play it.

For those not in the know, Space Channel 5 is a game series developed by United Game Artists and published by parent company SEGA. And that’s the most Wikipedia quoting I’m gonna do in this gush piece.

There aren’t many games quite like this rhythmic, Simon says game. At least in style because this game has that in spades, the gameplay anyone can do. And I am not at all qualified to explain its style because I wouldn’t how to describe it as besides maybe very 70s?

Point is there’s something charming about this game, and I think SEGA agrees with me on that. The lead character, Ulala (seen above), appear in these games to name a few years after new Space Channel 5 games stopped being made after 2002:

2004: Sega Superstars

2006: Sonic Riders

2008: Sega Superstars Tennis and Samba de Amigo

2010: Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

2012: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and Project X Zone

2015: Project X Zone 2

And not to mention the invading aliens have been skins of the titular Puyo Puyo in that series for a while I can’t determine. Possibly since at most 2007 up until current day with Puyo Puyo Champions in 2018/2019.

ALSO not to mention the VR game that came out recently! (How could I forget that? That’s the main reason I’m doing this.)

So it is clear SEGA loves this game and it’s sequel a lot. I don’t think their most beloved cult classic NiGHTS: Into Dreams gets that much love from the company though it certainly does get a lot itself, most games wish their parents still loved them that much long after they had a game. Anyway...

Now the part where I actually talk about the game.

I wanna say, first and foremost. This is not a review of the game. This is just gushing about why this game makes me happy.

And everything I’m gushing about is just what you get from the from one playthrough of the game. Save for one exception, I will not be talking about supplementary material, nor Space Channel 5′s lore.

And yes, this colorful dancing/rhythm/simon says game has lore. Basically any non-repeated character model has their own biograph. So I will not go into that.

You’re not missing too much, there are interesting tidbits, sometimes they fill you in on background details of the story.

Speaking of the story. I’ll start in a second. But if this is new to you, you can watch it here first (The first playthrough is only half the video):

youtube

Prologue:

We start off with a bunch of alien sitting on a space couch watching space TV. These aliens are known as the Morolians and they’ll be the main antagonists for the evening.

This cutscene has no dialogue, so this is all open to interpretation for a first time viewer. Though I do enjoy this split second foreshadowing:

And that’s when the title screen appears. Blasting you with the series’ main theme Mexican Flyer. Look it up if you must. You’ll be hearing it a lot, it’s the game and Ulala’s leitmotif.

Report 1: This is terrorism attack on an airport... I’m gonna ignore that.

This is the only piece of supplemental material I’ll talk about, as it’s present in the game itself, but not elaborated on, and it is important to two of the character.

The game starts in a flashback. In the year AD 2489 a spaceship exploded. Everybody on board died safe for a little girl.

She was rescued by a man working for Space Channel 5. A news organization that with a specific focus on dancing. That last bit is nothing special though, as everything in this galaxy revolves around dancing.

After the little girl is saved by this kindly Channel 5 Gent (Age 25) she knew what she wanted to be after she grew up. She wanted to be a sexy dancing reporter for Space Channel 5 just like him (presumably). And to meet him so she can thank him in person.

10 years later......

It is AD 2499! And the Morolians attack a space airport and their ray beams hypnotize people to dance silly.

THE HORROR!

And that’s when Space Channel 5 sends in Ulala to report on the progress.

But what they’re actually doing is for Ulala to solve the problem instead of the Space authorities.

One character I do wanna mention now is that Ulala’s producer, Fuse, is an unseen character yet is important later. He’s the one briefing Ulala in the screenshot above. And oversees Ulala’s every move.

Also Ulala never got to meet her rescuer. He either left shortly after Ulala got rescued, or shortly before Ulala joined. Given what we learn later, likely the former.

Anyway onto the show:

BAM!

BAM!!

BAM!!!

I will always love that. Ulala got down on the ground in the panicking space air port to coolly report on the panic.

As quick aside, I wanna mention that Ulala doesn’t run in this game, she slowly struts and all of her struts are simply majestic. And those amazing struts lead her to the first gameplay section of this game.

Some Morolians hold a few hypnotized people hostage. This is is a dance battle. Meaning you got repeat exactly what the aliens do in the exact rhythm they did it in order to save the hostages. And I love this gameplay. It’s simple yet fun (provided you got minimal lag, you should look into that if you wanna play this game).

The controls are:

Up: Up

Down: Down

Left: Left

Right: Right/Light

Button 1: Chu (Aliens)

Button 2: Chu (Humans)

And this is how normal people settle things in this world apparently:

Party 1 (usually the Aliens) make up a tough but fair pattern for Ulala to copy in the hopes of psyching her out.

Party 2 (Ulala & Co.) gets as many chances ad she got. And the better she does more people tune into her news report. If she wins she gets what she wants. Saving the hostage and getting Party 1 out of her hair.

Every single one lives by this code of honor and I honestly have no clue if there’s an in-universe reason. But I love it regardless. I love it when people say: Up Down Chu Chu Chu. And the Ulala repeating it.

Though frankly, I don’t like it when the Morolians issue the commands. I like it when others do the exact same commands in this same game, so it’s a little bit of a bummer the Morolians do it.

Anyways. You save the hostages and they join in on Ulala’s unstoppable strut as will always happen if you rescue people. And they strut to the second gameplay type: The Shoot-out.

The controls are the same as the above but now you gotta watch out for humans in the mix.

In general these are trickier. And I might go into that later. But they do work on the same rules.

Don’t worry I won’t go over every dance or shoot-out unless there’s something special about it.

Also I’m pretty sure you kill people if you push the wrong Chu. Don’t do that, it’s bad for the ratings!

Skipping over three battles.Something new happens, rival space news station: Space(?) Channel 42 has a reporter of their own out on the field. And that reporter is planning to steal Channel 5′s viewership. And this is HER!

You do a dance battle and she dies.

Though seriously, I like this game does this. It’s not only aliens you fight, but other factions of the Space News Media. And it’s always a nice shake up when someone besides her shows up.

You see, for the most part any reoccurring enemy has recognizable mannerisms you gotta batlle, and her is no different. It’s hard to describe for me. You kinda gotta play or watch the game for yourself to see what I mean, but I think it’s best exemplified in Report 2. And the following games.

Though one thing’s for sure, each non-normal Morolians or rival reported does bring their own genre switch with them. Heck sometimes even normal battles have unique genres. I’m am not musically inclined so I wouldn’t know hers or most others.

Any way, before she dies she give an emotional speech and gracefully suggests to take her Channel 42 guitarist with her and Ulala accepts that’s the least she could do for a lousy reporter like her.

And then it’s boss time!

Yeah, actual bosses with actual boss characters. And not like the recently deceased as shown above. She’s practically for all intents and purposes another Morolian dance battle.

And it’s down to funky jazz music, not unlike what you’d see in Sonic Adventure! Even Ulala comments on it, confirming it’s dietetic Where does it come from? Not sure, there might be an explanation somewhere. But do keep that in mind. That the music we hear is also the music the characters hear as well.

Anyways:

Not Pictured: Super Stretchy Arms.

I think it’s a bit of a misnomer. Invader is correct, that’s what it’s here for. But is it really a robot? It moves like an organics and is a bit rubbery. This basically goes for all Morolian robots.

I can suspend my disbelief. You shouldn’t nitpick too much about Space Channel 5, it doesn’t want you to think too hard about it’s world even if there’s a lot to it. I’d be concerned if Space Channel 5 did wanna put its story and world building first and foremost.

But “Hypnotized Robot Invader”?

What?

Spoiler.

Robots and hypnotism... I’m pretty sure a sign that we made perfect human-like Artificial Intelligence if they can fall susceptible to Hypnosis. Even then I doubt it.

Sorry, that’s always bothered me, I get what they mean by it. It’s just the word choice... Did they mean Hypnotizing Robot Invader? This boss is great.

It starts off with a normal dance battle, but you get to watch a new Morolian enemy’s moves. It’s also quicker on the draw along with a few softballs to throw your timing off. Pretty good stuff.

And that applies to the next phase as well, where the the shooting starts.

I don’t have much to say.

Unlike the robot’s final phase where it’s the first phase again, but with guns and the robot goes to berserking speeds with the input commands.

And after you beat it, it joins you in a strut.

As does everyone you saved, No matter the gender, nor age, nobody is embarrassed imitating Ulala no matter what she does. We’ll be half as lucky to get a cool future as cool as 2499.

And with that the first report is over.

Report 2: (Age 35)

At the Morolian HQ (Presumably), their boss doesn’t like failure.

But like a good boss he doesn’t dwell on failure and moves on to the next plan. One of his lackeys has this plan: Another boss battle dance robot who operates on:

The everyone at the table is impressed. So I guess Ulala is screwed, game over.

This level is more of the same as the last one more or less, it’s possibly the most boring level in the series in that regard. It’s not bad, this is just the game bulding enough a status quo before they change things up in Report 3.

But that doesn’t make this level any less interesting to talk about, so I won’t go over it much.

The short story until something new happens is: Space Ship (think of it as a fancy yacht but in space) is being attack by Morolians, Ulala is send to report on it, and being the professional she is saves hostages as well.

She saves the captain, crew members, stewardesses, waitresses, the Space Diva (OH NO! NOT THE SPACE DIVA!), passages and the like.

UNTIL!

He voice says “I’m gonna steal you show, Space Channel 5”. And you see this ship flying by:

Another rival reporter, this one a pirate broadcasting station.

Side note: That’s sounds like the most important kind of pirate ever. Alternative news/non-mainstream with no money/rating motive blinding everything with journalistic integrity? Yes, by all means. If they’re pirates then so are Secular Talk & The Humanist Report.

Back to the silly dance game. The Pirates either jam or hack Channel 5′s signal and the Ulala is stuck with them for a while.

And then we meet that where we meet the gent above.

“[His] name is:“

“JAGUAAAAARRRR!!!” “JAGUAAAAARRRR!!!“

(Age 35)

LET’S DANCE!

Dude, I love Jaguar (Age 35) he’s gotta be my second favorite character in the series on account he’s just cool and incapable of embarrassment.

Remember the deceased of the last report? The Channel 42 reporter in the blue dress? He’s her counterpart for this chapter.

But whereas the deceased’s gimmick sounded air headed for a lack of a better term. Maybe, girly? Point is, battling her didn’t feel too dissimilar to battling Morolians despite her rhytmic mannerisms.

Jaguar (Age 35)’s gimmick is that he just adds. He starts with a simple Up. And then he adds a Chu, and another Chu. Eventually it becomes a really long chain of commands, it has to be some of the longest in the series. And you have to do them all from start to finish because he does them all sequentially. Can you repeat?:

Up. Chu. ChuChu. Right. Left. Down. DownDown. Down. Chu. Chu. Chu.

He is easing you into it, but it is by no means an easy fight. Because after the chain is at its longest, he just spamming ChuChuChu in quick succession. And then a simple Chu.

After defeat Jaguar & Co, escape by jet-pack, saying they will meet later.

This battle is a highlight for me. Coco Tapioco and the big bosses to come are better if you ask me (with exceptions). But Jaguar (Age 35) is some of the best the normal gameplay goes.

And you could argue what normal means in the context of Space Channel 5. But effectively, like Channel 42′s deceased, functionally he might as well be another Morolian if he wasn’t there to be set up for later. Because you do get person that just joins your Strut Club like everywhere else.

You gain his Jazz Man and you get a great sax solo as a reward beating him. Like how you got Channel 42′s guitarist for beating them. I like the think the Jazz Man can work for Jaguar (Age 35) again while the Channel 42 Guitarist is blacklisted.

And before we move on from Jaguar (Age 35) check out his Chu pose:

BOSS TIME!

Jaguar (Age 35): The alien mothership is retreating. Don’t you have to follow them, Channel 5? Fuse: Blast you, Jaguar [Age 35].

With the pirates giving chase, Ulala is left with the cowardly alien robot to elegant music.

Ignoring the robot’s title, while silly, its cowardice is its greatest asset. For it has kidnapped some space schoolkids, making their space teacher worry. Their space teacher can actually be seen at the start of the report.

Space fashion, am I right?

I’ve exceeded Tumblr’s invisible limit of what to put in a blog post. I’ll have to rewrite this boss what I have to say for this boss. So full, can’t spell check! We’ll be back!

#space channel 5 #sc5 #ulala #dreamcast #chu #gushing #jaguar #fuse #pudding #coco tapioca #morolina #morolians

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cryptidqueerr · 4 years

Text

hey what’s up I’m writing fanfiction now I guess

y’all said “I used to be team jacob in 2006 but now I’m a giant lesbian” and I said “what about.....lesbian jacob black? and what about no imprinting? and also pepper in some more involved parents and more queer folks?” and you said “sure sounds good”

(x-posted to ao3 which is also where more chapters will be posted)

This story begins with an ending.

For six months, I followed the deepest drive of my human heart and loved Edward Cullen. For six months, he bent his nature to love me in return. But that which bends will inevitably break, and the stories warning young girls to stay away from the glittering eyes of vampires exist for a reason.

He abandoned me in the woods. He had thrown open the gates of heaven and then declared me too sinful to stand in its light. He told me that he loved me for my humanity and then told me that in my humanity, I was a liability. He left me to crash onto the ground alone. I couldn't think without him. I couldn't breathe without him. He had so fully inhabited my soul that my body did not remember how it moved before him. For hours, I curled up, the dark outside pressing against my skin to meet the darkness inside. Sam Uley carried me out of the woods, my father carried me into the house, and I carried me through the unending agony that came after.

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Weeks pass. My thin body, growing thinner by the day, feels as though it will crack under the weight of my sorrow. I don't sleep at all - then I do nothing but sleep. I barely eat. Offering smiles to soothe my father's worry feels like carving gashes into my face. I fumble for the right answers to give to the therapist my parents insist I see. She prescribes me a handful of pills that I flush down the drain.

I send texts that return undeliverable. I don't dare try his number - just the thought of the confirmation that his number is dead, that my last connection to him could be severed, drives me into an hours-long breakdown. Instead I text Alice: losing her friendship is an added pain, but a bearable one. Dozens a day, then less. Then more again. Then just one, every night.

I'm waiting. I'll always be waiting. I love him.

I think this must be what praying feels like.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am ruins

covered in vines

my temple long lost to age.

the darkness here is deep

shadowed corners whispering ancient

sadness

but still

the air here is holy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Julie Black's coming by later."

I lift my head from my bowl of cereal. Charlie stands at the sink, in front of the coffee pot from 1997. Frost covers the kitchen window, the late November chill pressing its face against the glass. "What?" I say, seconds before my brain processes the words.

"Julie Black. She's swinging by to pick up some of her dad's stuff that he left here a while ago," Charlie says, his hands methodically adding nine sugars to his coffee. He doesn't look up.

He doesn't look directly at me very often anymore. I catch him watching me when he thinks I don't notice, his worried eyes following me from the couch to the fridge to the kitchen table and back again. He likes that I stay downstairs, I think. I don't bother to tell him that my bedroom is filled with Edward, that sleeping on my bed is like sleeping on his grave. My promise to stop saying things like that was my ticket out of weekly therapy appointments and back into my sophomore year of classes at Peninsula College, the community college in Forks. When I'd moved in with Charlie last August, I'd hoped to be moved to Seattle for a four-year college by the fall. Now, I barely manage to pass the few classes I had remembered to sign up for.

I search the blankness in my head for a response. I come up with nothing, save a vague sense of a tall, smiling girl. What does this have to do with me?

"I thought..." Charlie hesitates, then tries again. "I thought maybe you girls could catch up. Billy says she gets pretty lonely down there on the rez, with her sisters gone. She'd wanted to start taking classes over at Peninsula this semester, but it didn't work out. I bet she'd appreciate a friend."

Ah. I nod, returning my attention to the mush of Frosted Flakes. "Okay."

I sense Charlie's stillness: he hadn't expected me to agree. He doesn't answer, just mutters a wordless affirmation. But he finally shuffles into the living room, carrying his coffee and a little less tension.

I bump a cluster of soggy cornflakes, watching as it sets on a spinning path through the off-white milk. I push through the gray fog that fills my skull to idly thumb through my memories, carefully avoiding the ones I don't want to see, like navigating a dark room without barking your shins on furniture. The memory from before (before what? before Ed...no, before, before just before) comes to mind: Julie Black, Billy Black's youngest daughter, had come with him to drop off the truck Charlie had gotten from his old friend for me, right after I'd moved to Forks. I hadn't even started classes when I met her. She had shown me the trick to the clutch. I remember her height - towering over my 5' 4", probably even with Charlie's 5' 10" - and her broad shoulders, built more for soccer than basketball. I remember a bright smile, crinkling her dark eyes, so much like Emmett-

My brain throws the emergency brake before the thought reaches my heart. My head clears out completely: I think of nothing but Frosted Flakes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I join Charlie on the couch after breakfast. There's a game on TV. I stare at it for a full half-hour before I realize that it's football and not baseball, though that doesn't really help me understand it any better. Charlie alternatively groans in annoyance and punches the arm of his recliner in celebration. I give him another half hour of pretending to join in before I give up and grab the battered paperback I left on the coffee table the night before. It's one of the 80's-era high fantasy novels that I loved when I was thirteen, filled with knights and princesses and sexism. It's engaging enough, even though I've read it before.

My stomach has just started to rumble into hunger when there's a knock on the door. Charlie glances at me, then makes to get out of his chair.

"I'll get it," I offer. I try not to be offended by the look of surprise and excitement on Charlie's face. I'm depressed, not an invalid, I want to snap. But sniping at Charlie doesn't make me feel any better: I already tried.

When I open the door, my brain immediately scrambles to update my memories. The Julie I remember as tall-for-a-girl is now whoa-did-you-see-how-tall-that-girl-is, grinning down at me from at least six feet. Her long black hair hangs damp over her shoulders, trailing down her bare arms. There's ice pelting down with the fine rain, but she's only wearing a black tank top and jeans stuffed into muddy motorcycle boots, a dark red flannel shirt tied around her hips. Her eyes, dark as sweet coffee, are the same. They crinkle at the corners with her wide smile.

"Hey!" she says brightly. "Long time no see."

"Hi," I say.

"Hey there, Julie. Come on in, you must be freezing." Charlie appears at my shoulder, just in time for us to move out of the way for Julie and shut the door against the cold.

"It's not so bad." She stomps the mud from her feet onto the doormat, carefully shaking the rain from her hair. She's telling the truth: she doesn't even have goosebumps on her leanly muscled arms. I, on the other hand, have to cross my arms over my chest to block out the rush of chill, burrowing myself deeper into my sweater. "How've you been, Charlie?" she asks politely, sliding her hands into her pockets.

"Can't complain," he answers, but he's glancing at me. Julie, seemingly unaware of the simmering awkwardness, looks down at me again.

"Did you shrink, Swan? Weren't you at least five foot the last time I saw you?" she teases.

I feel Charlie tense slightly behind me, but for a moment my old instincts return and I roll my eyes. "I haven't changed. You're the one who looks like she's been putting Miracle-Gro on her Wheaties."

Julie grins again, running one hand through her damp hair. "I blend it into protein shakes, actually," she retorts.

Something that feels like a smile tugs at my mouth. I'm surprised by how little it hurts.

"Let me, uh, go grab that stuff for you." The words have barely left Charlie's mouth before he vanishes upstairs.

For a moment, I panic - I can't sustain small talk with my mom on the phone anymore, much less a girl I barely know. I shift from one foot to the other. The fog in my head won't clear. I can't think of anything to ask her.

If Julie notices my empty nervousness, she doesn't seem affected by it. She leans her shoulder against the doorframe, looking down at me with a crooked smile.

"So what do you pale-faces do for fun up here?" she says, a teasing roughness to her voice.

I lift one shoulder in a shrug. I hadn't done anything fun since -

My brain slammed the door shut before I could count the days.

"That's fair," she says, as though I answered. "There's not much to do around here, if you don't go in for some variety on going out in the woods to bring a bunch of dead animals back with you."

"I heard that!" Charlie yells from upstairs. Something bangs on the floor: I spare a small prayer that he doesn't break anything in his charade.

Julie's smile widens easily to a full grin. I've never seen anyone like her: when she smiles, her entire body lifts, like she's seconds from bursting into light. She runs one hand through her long hair. "Can't get mad if it's true," she calls back at him. "Not that the rez is much better. Oh, you don't want to hear the tribe's histories again? You don't want to go to the same stretch of beach and stare at the ocean? How about drinking a bunch of cheap beer in the woods? No? Guess you're out of luck."

My old instincts take over again and I snort out a laugh. "I thought the Forks kids invented standing around drinking Natty Light in silence."

"Nah. That's an old Quileute tradition." Julie rolls her shoulders, wincing slightly as she flexes her muscles. The rain is starting to evaporate off her skin already. The only moisture left clings to the hollow at the base of her neck, the dip in her collarbones, the curve of her elbow. I wonder briefly how she manages to dry off so quickly. My hands are still damp with melting flecks of ice.

"We really do steal everything." The words come out of my mouth automatically; I'm not really paying attention. The part of my brain that keeps me alive is nearly smoking at the effort of keeping the thought of cold hands and icy lips from crashing to the forefront of my mind.

"Which is why they send me up here to steal away the hearts of your women," Julie says with a wink. She isn't acknowledging the monumental effort it's taking me to stay functional. But the quick sweep of her eyes across my face, the practiced ease of her smile, are all a little too careful - she's noticed, but she isn't commenting. From anyone else it would seem like discomfort: from her, it's a kindness.

"From what I hear, you don't have any problems with that on the rez, either." Charlie reappears with a few fishing poles and a jacket that I'm sure is his. I was there when Mom bought it for him one Christmas.

Julie lifts one shoulder in an acquiescing shrug. "It's in the Black genes. We're a long, proud line of very attractive people."

"Just what every father wants to hear." Charlie grins and hands over the poles and jacket. "You, uh, heading back to the rez?"

"Yeah, I've got some work to do on the Rabbit. I'm not saying I heard Dad on the phone trying to talk Hawkins into finding me a new transmission, but I am saying Christmas is coming up and she is nowhere near close to transmission transplant ready." That broad, easy smile softens Julie's face again.

"Don't suppose you'd feel like trying to teach Bella here a thing or two about engines, would you? Every time she has to call me to change a tire I feel like I've failed as a dad." Charlie's casual almost-joke doesn't fool either of us, by the look on Julie's face. I feel Charlie's eyes dart over to me, but I stare out the window past Julie's arm. I feel myself sliding - out of the conversation, out of the kitchen, out of the entire morning. I don't make plans anymore. I don't go places anymore. What the hell is Charlie doing?

"Thinking about taking shop as an elective next semester?" Julie tosses the question back to me. I don't look at her, but I shake my head. Like before, she takes my silence as a response, letting it slip into the flow of conversation as easily as if I'd spoken. "I didn't really take you for a mechanic type."

"I don't really know what type I am," I say. I see Charlie's face fall slightly, and my stomach with it. He thought he was doing good. He thought I was getting better. He tried so hard. "But I could give mechanic-type a shot." An uncharacteristically broad smile lifts Charlie's face before I even register the words that came out of my mouth.

What the fuck, Swan.

Julie laughs and stretches her arms over her head. It feels like she takes up the entire kitchen, though I can't decide if it's her physical size or just her energy, if she'd fill up a room the same way if she was the same size as Al-

"I can probably teach her how to at least change a tire," Julie interrupts the dangerous thought before my self-preservation can get to it, like she saw the pain coming.

"Great!" Charlie's almost beaming now. My face flushes slightly: I didn't think I had the capacity to be embarrassed anymore, but when your dad is practically wriggling like a puppy over the thought of you leaving the house, embarrassment manages to find its way back in. "You girls have fun. Just bring her home before midnight, huh?"

"I always do," Julie says and tosses her hair over her shoulder. I feel the flush on my face warm a little more. I don't bother trying to understand why.

#twilight #twilight is gay now #lesbian jacob black #college au #fanfiction #fanfic #twilight fanfic #I'm just occupying my time writing sad gay shit #text

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supernaturallyobsessedchic · 4 years

Text

Our Work Never Ends

I originally called this Wayward Sisters, this just popped in my head. This is a rough that I’m allowing you to see. I will be editing it from time to time.

Just let me know what ya’ll think. Please.

[Couldn’t find the Empty version of Lucifer]

Summary: Two girls come together for a common cause. Find Dean.

Pairing: None

Set: Well after Season 15 (Assuming Sam and Dean die in the finale (which they better not, bitch I’ll riot…no jk, I’ll die from the heartbreak alone.)) a couple of years or so after.

Mobile Masterlist

A/N: Cassie Robinson x Dean (Season 1); Sarah Blake x Sam (Season 1) (Died in Season 8, has a daughter), just something.

Ever wondered, what happens to a man when he hears his wife died of natural causes, but when the information was being told to him, it didn’t seem natural. Not to him. After Crowley killed Sarah with a hex bag, suffocating her to death. Sam wanted to break the news to her husband Ian, with their daughter, who was turning 6 at the time that their mother was dead. Sam couldn’t bring himself to tell Ian a snot nosed lie. But he couldn’t tell the truth either.

Ian turned into a hunter, shortly after the news of Sarah. He wanted revenge. Avenge his wife’s death. But, having little to no knowledge under his belt. A werewolf was all it took to end his, short, hunting days. Beth was 13 when her father died.

Growing up in the south with a half black and half white mother can lead to bullying. But not for Kaylee. She had her dad’s blood in her veins and Cassie knew it.

Yet another call from the school about a fight she was yet again involved in, proved to her she was Dean’s daughter. Sure she did the DNA testing, months after he left to go hunting with Sam after saving her family from a racist ghost truck, she had something of his. A stray hair was all it took to confirm she was Dean’s daughter.

She had to tell her about her dad. She always asked when she was a kid about her daddy. So she decided to tell her about her dad. Dean Winchester. A hunter, who hunts monsters. She was 14 when she learned this.

Three years later…

The girls are not of age yet. But armed with pictures, one of her dad, and one of her mom. All it took was a topic about monsters and the supernatural to bring the two girls together.

Kaylee, now 17 years old, she’s on her way to turning 18, rents a room out for them. To chat in a more controlled environment.

“So, you’re looking for your dad?” Beth asked.

“Yeah. My dad,” she began. And shrugged. “My mom says he hunts monsters. Supernatural monsters, ghosts, demons that whole rep.” she said.

“My dad is looking for—well was looking for, a man by the name Sam Winchester. He told my dad about my mom’s death. He might help me about my dad’s.” she explained.

“Huh, my dad’s name is Dean Winchester. Maybe we’ll both get what we want if we stick together.” Kaylee suggests.

“Yeah. I agree.” Beth says.

The girls got up bright an early the next day, checked out and left. Kaylee having to hotwire and steal a car. A parked, police car, a 2019 Dodge Charger, solid black with police lights on top.

“We are so going to jail.” Beth groaned.

“Shut up, I know what I’m doing kid.” Kaylee said as she quietly pulled out of the parking lot unnoticed.

Pulling into an abandoned garage several miles away.

Thought it may look abandoned, but Kaylee is familiar with the area. Her ex-boyfriend dabbled in cars. Taught her how to fix them up, hotwire, steal even turn a cop car into a nonpolice car. This also happened to be her ex-boyfriends garage.

She managed, with the tools he had lying around, to get under the hood and gank the gps tracker attached to the engine. She even managed to unhook the dashcam and, ditched the plates, lights and siren. Destroying the important stuff. Like the trackers and cameras so no one would find them, hack into it and manage to get any kind of information from the trackers and cameras.

It was starting to get late in the day, night was soon approaching.

“We’re staying here for the night. I need to work on the car more.” Kaylee says.

“Where are we gonna sleep?” Beth asks.

“Over there, the mechanic always has a place to crash while working.” She says, pointing to a spare room in the garage.

Beth finds a small bed, all made up with some covers, dusty and old. She shook the sheets and blankets out and remade the bed. And got ready to go to sleep while Kaylee striped the paint and painted the car black and trimmed with chrome. Making it look spick and span, and brand spanking new by morning. No sign it was ever a police car.

The next morning, Kaylee managed to get done with the car in time. Beth got up, made the bed and got ready to go when Kaylee stops her.

“Do you have a license?” Kaylee asked tiredly.

“Yeah, why?” Beth asked.

“You’re driving.” Kaylee tossed her the keys.

“We broke how many laws in one day? And you ask me if I have a driver’s license.” Beth says with a bitchface to boot.

“Shut up.” Kaylee says, getting in the passenger seat.

“You’ll be fine, I put different plates on the car, got new tags. The car is now ours.” Kaylee says, getting settled in.

“And how’d you manage that?” Beth asks as she pulls out.

“Breaking the law.” Kaylee says. Pulling her beanie over her eyes, and falling asleep.

Weeks have passed, driving from town to town, asking people if they’ve seen the man Kaylee is looking for, or anything about him.

“Kaylee, we’re here.” Beth said pulling up to a house in Sioux Falls.

After a stop in Minnesota Sheriff Donna helped out a lot.

“I swear if this is another one of my dad’s friends I’m offing myself.” Kaylee groans.

“So what if Donna didn’t know Dean had a kid, I thought it was funny.” Beth said with a laugh.

Kayla mocking a laugh with Beth. Clearly not amused.

They knock on the door.

“Yes.” A voice answers from inside.

It was summer, this house was like one of many having two doors, the main door and a screen door. And just like any house after the long winter months, and having a day where it’s beautiful outside, the screen door is open letting in the fresh air.

“Hi, are you Jody Mills?” Kaylee asked.

A middle-aged woman with pixie short hair appeared, coming to the door but not opening it.

“Depends on who’s asking?” She answers.

“Ma’am, my name is Kaylee Robinson, my mom knew a Mr. Dean Winchester, I’m looking for him.” Kaylee said.

“And how well did your mom know Dean?” She asked.

“So you are Jody?” Beth goes.

“No shit.” Kaylee groans at Beth.

Kaylee sighs. “He’s my dad.” She says.

Jody tried to hide the shock that filled her face, she too didn’t know Dean had a kid.

“He saw my mom again around January 2006, I was born September 26, 2006. And this girl, Beth, had a run in with the supernatural. We just want to find Dean and this, Sam character. Maybe they can help us.” Kaylee says.

“Help you with what?” Jody asks seriously.

“I wanna know who killed my dad and why.” Beth says.

“And my mom, died in a car accident…but it didn’t seem like an accident. It looked an awful lot like a case my dad solved when he was with my mom last.” Kaylee explained.

“Come in, you should know about this.” Jody says.

After a good long talk of the boys’ adventures…

“God?” Kaylee goes.

Jody nods. After telling them about the Winchester’s, demons, angels, and Jack and Cas and their bought with God Chuck.

“They died, protecting this new god?” Beth asked.

“Yeah, they couldn’t get away and well the power of Jack and Chuck overwhelmed them. Killing them instantly. They felt no pain.” Jody explained.

“So my dad’s dead too.” Kaylee goes, standing up.

“I’m sorry kid, I really am. Look, I wish there was a way.” Jody starts.

“What if there is?” Kaylee says.

“What?” Jody asks.

Beth remaining silent.

“You said before, they died and came back many times. What if, there is a way to get them back?” Kaylee asks.

“Sweetheart, they wouldn’t want that.” Jody says.

“How would you know?” Kaylee snaps.

“Lebanon, that’s where their base is right, I’m heading there.” Kaylee says, leaving.

“But, Kaylee, you and I know nothing about bringing the dead back to life.” Beth says after her.

“Dad and Sam figured it out, right?” she asked. “Well, I’m a Winchester too. Believe it or not. I’m sure I will figure out how to bring my dad and uncle back.” Kaylee says getting in the driver seat.

Jody couldn’t get out fast enough. By the time she gets to her truck they're gone. All she could do was to put out an APB on the car. As the days pass, no one sees the car or the girls.

A few days later…

They pull up a trail, seeing a tall building looming over head.

“Apparently hunters here knew Dean and Sam. That’s a good thing, right?” Beth asked.

“Well yeah, we would have been looking all over for this place…” Kaylee says. “Not that we would be looking to long. Lebanon isn’t very big.” Kaylee adds.

The door down remained unlock. As they walked in through the second door, a dark and musty room awaited them. They pulled out their cellphones, activating the flashlight.

“Whoa.” Beth goes.

“Son of a bitch.” Kaylee says.

“This place is huge, and your dad lived here?” Beth says.

“Apparently.” Kaylee says.

Kaylee looks around and sees the main power switches. She heads over and throws both of them, one at a time.

“Son of a bitch.” Beth says. Her gaze, off into the far distance.

Kaylee follows Beth’s gaze, seeing a huge library.

“Hey girl, I think we found the batcave.” Kaylee says.

“Well, let’s get to looking on how to bring your dad back.” Beth says.

The next morning…

“Kaylee, this place has everything, spell books, lore books, hell even a Manuel on being a hunter.” Beth says holding up the books.

“Alright, let’s not geek out okay.” Kaylee says.

“Geek out, really?” Beth goes.

“Well, don’t get me wrong, it all sounds awesome. But, I just wish it was an easy, ‘hey this book is on resurrecting the dead’.” Kaylee says, playing with the swords behind Beth.

“Yeah, well, we don’t have that. We have to do it the old fashioned way.” Beth says.

After a couple of hours of reading and scrounging, Beth found a lead.

“There’s a spell. All I need is blood, blood related to your dad and uncle. And since you have some Winchester blood in you, and Dean and Sam, you are related to them so, I need your blood.” Beth says, holding up the spell.

“But we got everything else. Sage, and something that belonged to them…” Kaylee says skeptically. As she looked at the pile Beth had, ingredients for the spell. Two flannels, a stick of sage and a bowl.

“Your dad’s stuff was still here so I figured his flannel would do.” Beth said.

“Does it have to be the whole damn shirt, just, here.” Kaylee says.

Grabbing a pair of scissors she cuts a piece from the collar.

“Look, there’s even hair. And we’ll do it on Sam’s too.” Kaylee says, doing the same to his flannel.

“But problem.” Beth says.

“What?” Kaylee groans.

“Where are they buried?” Beth asks.

Oh.

Kaylee looked all over the bunker, for a clue to where they would be buried. And found nothing. But one clue that seemed odd.

“Jack, the same Jack told us is the new God. He used to live here.” Kaylee says, entering the library holding a journal.

“Yeah, same for Cas too. Did you know celestial beings don’t sleep?” Beth says.

“Kind of figured. But this journal, has my dad’s name in it. And another Winchester, John. Sounds like he was my dad’s dad.” Kaylee says.

“Yeah, that’s called a grandpa.” Beth says jokingly.

“What’s with the snarky comments?” Kaylee snapped.

“I’m bored.” Beth says.

“I wonder if praying works.” Kaylee says.

“Try it out.” Beth says.

“Okay.” Kaylee goes, sitting down, folding her hands and begins to pray.

“Alright, I have questions that need answering. And only this Cas and Jack can answer them. Can someone up there send their feathery ass’s down here, please and thank you.” She says.

“Really? That’s a prayer?” Beth says sassily.

“I don’t go to church.” Kaylee says.

“Hello” a voice is heard behind them. They turn to see a scrawny kid.

“And you are?” Kaylee asks.

“Jack.” He says.

“Jack, the same Jack that worked with my dad?” Kaylee asked.

“I am. And, before you ask, I have made a promise not to bring them back. Under any and all circumstance.” He says quickly.

“But Jack it’s important. We need answers.” Kaylee says.

“I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, this place has all the answers you need. I can’t help you.” He says and vanishes.

“Well, son of a bitch.” Kaylee growls.

“Now what?” Beth asked.

“We’ll find a way; we don’t need no god to help us.” Kaylee says.

Remember Nick, Lucifer’s first original vessel? We were never shown what happened to his body, or his spirit since God’s destruction. And his many attempts to bring Lucifer back from the Empty. Let’s just say being a vengeful spirit has it’s perks. Going between worlds, even dipping into the Empty and waking up Lucifer.

The Empty Lucifer, and the spirit of Nick, resurrected Nick’s corpse.

After slipping past Death, getting Empty Lucifer out of the Empty and into the real world Nick and Lucifer were back in action. And more powerful than ever.

Winchester. He wanted the Winchester’s dead.

As the girls slept in the bunker, Kaylee couldn’t sleep. Her thoughts racing. Until she heard her friend screaming.

“Beth!” Kaylee shouted. Following Beth’s screams.

She found Beth, standing at a crossroads of hallways. She follows Beth’s gaze to find a man standing at the end of the hall. A dark gaze in his eye. Flashing red, a deep red.

Her mind screaming somehow. Lucifer.

Lucifer?

“Lucifer.” Kaylee whispers.

“What? How’d you know?” Beth asks.

“I don’t know, I just do somehow.” Kaylee says.

Lucifer vanished in a puff of black smoke.

And it happened again behind them. Turning to see Lucifer looming over them, he throws the girls down the hall. Causing them to roll to a stop.

“Something’s off about him.” Kaylee says. Getting up.

“How so? Wait? How would know something is off about him?” Beth shouts further down the hall from Kaylee. “You don’t even know him!”

“I don’t know okay!” Kaylee admits.

The girls notice their breath is showing.

“Didn’t your dad write something about ghosts showing themselves, the temperature would drop?” Beth asked.

A thought came to Kaylee, and she acted on it.

“Dad, is that you?” Kaylee asks.

A figure appeared behind her.

“Sam!” He shouted. Another figure showed up, behind Lucifer.

Lucifer stopped. Seeing Sam and Dean appearing before him.

“Dean!” Sam shouted.

Dean? Dean! Dad! Kaylee thought.

Sam used his ghost mojo to hold Lucifer in place.

“Kay, listen to me.” Dean says. Kaylee turns towards him.

“There’s a book, it’s a banishing spell. Try it.” He says.

“But, dad he doesn’t feel celestial in any way. I don’t think he’s an angel.” She says.

“I think Dean’s ghostly influence or whatever is giving you this knowledge.” Beth suggests.

“There should be an angel blade in my room, run and get it.” Dean ordered.

Before she could, Lucifer sent her flying further down the hall. Dean vanishes for a minute, and appears by Kaylee’s side.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, at least I’m not hitting a wall or anything.” Kaylee answers. “An angel blade, what’s an angel blade?” Kaylee asked. Dean vanishes. Only to hear a metallic blade slide out of his room.

She hurries to it, sliding to a stop and grabbing it. And she high tails it towards Lucifer. Who launches her through a closed door, Kaylee grunts in pain at the force of it all.

“Sorry kids, but, gotta run.” Lucifer growls. Vanishing, this time for good, in a puff of black smoke.

“You’re right, not an angel.” Dean says.

“Can you come back now?!” Kaylee asks, stumbling out of the room Lucifer just threw her in. Angel Blade in hand. “Jack said he wasn’t gonna bring you back because of some promise. Beth and I know nothing about hunting, we need you guys.” Kaylee begs.

“That spell Beth dug up, it will work. Just head up to the grave site. It’s the top of this hill up here.” Dean says.

“We can’t follow you up their unless you bring something that ties us to this plane.” He adds.

“Beth, my laptop. I'm tied to my laptop.” Sam says.

Beth runs into Sam’s room and grabs his laptop. Giving her a nod.

“Mine, oddly enough, is not in here. And after all this time I don’t know if she’ll run.” Dean says.

“What?” Kaylee asks.

Dean shows her his car. The black, 1967 Chevy Impala.

“I loved this car more than anything. She was my baby.” Dean says.

“Okay, can I drive her up there?” She asks.

“If you can get her to start, yeah.” Dean says.

She heads into Dean’s room, finding his keys and is back in no time. The boys fizzle in and out of view, one minute they're not in the car, the next minute they’re in the back seat behind the girls.

She turns the key, sounds like the battery is dead. And judging by the way her dad's car is parked, she can get her Dodge down here and give the Impala a jumpstart.

And that’s what she does. She manages to drive it in the garage, parking it so she can get out in the Impala but also jumpstart the old muscle car.

And a jumpstart was all it needed. Beth turns off the Dodge and gets in the Impala and the pair drive up the hill to the grave site they speak of.

It was almost dawn when they reached the hilltop. Finding three graves.

Beth heading over to said graves getting bowl ready, Sam helping her as best as he could.

Kaylee and Dean having a, ghostly, father, daughter bonding moment.

“Cas. Who was Cas?” Kaylee asked.

“He was, an angel friend of ours. A brother in arms. He died trying to save us but, obviously it wasn’t enough.” Dean says dryly.

“Did you ever loved my mom?” She asked.

“Of course I did, that’s why I left.” Dean answers. Almost offended by the question. “You know what I do--, what I did. I didn’t want that for your mom. Or you.” He said.

“Well, she died in a car accident, but in my mom’s old journal entry, how people were dying the same way she did.” Kaylee explained.

“I thought, having it cross hollowed grounds it would destroy it Sam.” Dean says, glaring at Sam.

“Guess I was wrong.” Sam says.

“When did this happen?” Dean asked.

“It was…around, early October 2019.” She answers.

“That’s when God opened up hell, probably even brought him back for kicks.” Dean said.

“And this is Chuck, not Jack, right?” She asks.

“Right, Chuck was just, all out bad.” Dean answers.

“Okay, Kaylee, I’m ready for the blood.” Beth says.

She turns back to Dean. Dean gives her a nod and a soft, sad smile.

Kaylee heads over to Beth’s spell making bowl and cuts her hand, squeezing a good amount of blood. And Beth saying the incantation.

‘Bout a short time later two hands, one from either grave shot up. The girls scream at the scene, backing off some.

First popped out Sam, gasping for breath. Shortly after, Dean popped out doing the same. Both looking like nothing happened, other than being buried. No injuries, no blood, just unharmed and fine.

“Well,” Dean says with a huff.

“Looks like we got more work to do.” Sam says, panting.

as of 4/22/2020, it’s been edited a bit. editing will continue...

REMEMBER, FEEDBACK HELPS. Either, Reblog, comment, Ask, anything to give feedback on this. It is in it’s rough stages, it is gutsy of me to share it like that.

Copying and reposting someone else’s content is plagiarism and illegal. This work is property of supernaturallyobsessedchic. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. An electronic reference link to the original posted work may be provided for purposes of promotion or assistance of publication by the readers discretion, if proper credits are given to the author in the re-post. 4/21/20

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kamidoodles · 5 years

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Someone said on discord this might be helpful.

About working for yourself:

Finishing stuff requires discipline, not inspiration. Doing a little bit each day is more effective than doing a lot all at once.

Don’t work more than your allotted “work time” per day. If you want to work six hours per day, stick to it. Don’t work more than eight hours a day.* *if you’re working under contract for a particular company this may change, but try to enforce good boundaries.

Also, make sure to have a weekend. Be unavailable to clients barring emergencies during your weekend.

Establish boundaries with your clients. Even if your clients are also your friends.

Take breaks during your work day. Take an hour for lunch, get up to stretch, drink and snack.

Work during your work hours. That seems obvious but I’ve also sat here at my desk “working” when I’m really just dicking around on tumblr.

About setting prices:

Charge for the time & service, not the final product. Shift your thinking from “my skill level isn’t worth much” to “my time is valuable”. If you spend 4 hours on work, that’s four hours you could have been doing something else and won’t get back; you should be compensated for it.

Flat fees should be established based on the amount of time you take for a project of that type x your hourly rate

Hourly rate should be no less than a living wage. not minimum wage. living wage. how much does it take each month for you to have food, a roof over your head, and your bills paid, then add on a little fun money for spending and saving. divide this by four (avg. # of weeks in a month), then divide by five (# of business days in a week), then divide by 8 (standard hours in a work day). Final number is your minimum hourly rate.

Experience should absolutely increase your rate. If you’ve been taking commissions for a few years, give yourself a raise. now you’re charging for time, service, and prior experience.

Charge for the time you work with a minimum price of 30 minutes. If a task only takes you 10 minutes to complete, charge the full 30 minutes. But if you spend an hour at your desk and only 10 minutes actually working and you’re not done, hold on to that 10 minutes til you hit 30 or exceed 30.

I can’t stress valuing your time enough. Don’t price yourself ridiculously high, don’t try to undercut your fellow freelancers, but get paid for your time. If you value your time, so will your clients.

About payment:

Always, always send an invoice. Google docs has some great free templates. An invoice protects you and your clients from fraud. Paypal has them too.

Paypal: Don’t try to get around fees with “sending money to family and friends”. This can bite you in the butt -- no seller protection, and no papertrail of them paying for a service.

Large projects should have a contract. It doesn’t have to be stuffed with legalese, but it should outline the scope of the project: who it’s for, what you’re expected to do, what you’re expected to deliver/how/when, and the agreed on price or budget with any conditions about deposits or upfront payment.

Upfront payment on large projects will save your butt. People are less likely to ghost you if they’ve already invested money, and if they do ghost you then you keep their deposit.

About taxes:

If you do a lot of commission work, you probably have to pay taxes. Do your research on what that means, and the minimum amount you have to make annually from commissions before you pay. If you’re in the US, your state laws AND your county laws vary. US Federal law has a low threshold of $400 USD gross earnings annually before you’re technically supposed to start paying.

Don’t freak out about taxes. They can be scary and confusing, but honestly, unless you’re pulling in tens of thousands or more per year in revenue, the tax people aren’t going to throw you in the dungeon. If you fuck up on your taxes, stay calm and talk it out with an agent -- they want their money, and they’ll work with you to get it. If you’re under 18 don’t stress, but it’s probably worth asking your parent / guardian / local responsible adult to help you start learning about taxes. If this isn’t possible for you, seriously, don’t stress about it.

USA: Estimated taxes are a thing. Since you get all of your money upfront, you’re supposed to estimate and pay state and federal taxes every quarter. If you want a tax return instead of a mountain of owed taxes every April, pay into your estimated taxes every quarter.

Set aside 25% of each invoice for your taxes if you can* (if you’re doing emergency commission work, disregard. it’s more important for you to pay whatever it is needs paying ASAP)

Some places require you to have a business name and a business license. See if that applies to you.

USA, but possibly others idk: CreditKarma has a free online tax filing thing that’s super user-friendly.

Interacting with clients:

“No” is a complete sentence. If a client wants you to do something that makes you uncomfortable -- pressuring you for a discount, pressuring you to meet a deadline you didn’t agree to, if the subject matter is iffy, say “No.” Clients that do not respect your “No” will be clients you’ll regret.

Try and keep in contact as best as you can. You’ll struggle as things come up and sometimes you’ll forget. But an attempt at communicating is better than leaving people in the dark.

Family & Friend discounts will bite you on the ass. Don’t do it.

Scope creep is a thing and try to guard yourself against it. Scope creep is when people ask you for a bunch of little changes outside of what you originally agreed the project was. A change or two isn’t too bad but be wary; offer a maximum # of revisions to start, and stick with it. Scope creep is how you start off with a commission for a forum signature for $20 and then wind up redesigning an entire forum for free. :( press F to pay respects to 2006 kami.

Keep your messages and explanation brief. Don’t be like me and get sucked into a rabbit hole of having to write an essay to justify my rationale. A simple, “It is more effective if we do X” or “Y is not possible, can I recommend Z instead” makes life easier.

Have a separate work email from your personal one. Gmail allows you to connect your gmail accounts together so you can work from one inbox but send from multiple addresses. Use filters to make sure anything being sent to your work email is marked as important so inquiries don’t wind up in spam.

And sometimes, sometimes, “Go fuck yourself” is an appropriate response. Use sparingly.

#long post for ts #freelancing

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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777

do you think weird it's for someone to have never tried soda? I’d be surprised that they were never curious enough to try it if they can access soda, but then again I live in a third world country and not everyone gets to try everything. I’ve learned to judge less when it comes to opportunities like this. is there any foreign film you recommend? Portrait of a Lady on Fire was fucking intense and so, so so good. do you have the same religious beliefs as your parents? My dad might also be atheist, but I’ve never known for sure. He once confided in me that he was atheist in college but “it changed” when he met my mom... but honestly we’ve always grunted the same way whenever my mom tells us it’s time to pray or if we have to watch our weekly mass livestream. So idk. I think he just acts Catholic to appease her, but yeah he’s definitely weird about it. which floor of your house/building are you on now? Second floor. It’s my first time to want to hang out in my bedroom in months because IT’S ACTUALLY RAINING and it’s cold enough in my room to wanna stay here. are there any maps hanging in your room? No maps here.

are you often a third wheel? or is someone a third wheel to you? Yep I third wheel pretty often. My girlfriend and I study in different schools and I have friends in my school who are couples, so if Gab isn’t visiting my campus for the day I just tag along with my couple friends. I don’t get bothered or feel insecure by it because I have my own relationship lolol what's the last dvd you bought? Holy shit...DVD? I don’t even remember anymore. It was most likely an Audrey Hepburn film, back in 2013 when I was really into her. That or Beyoncé’s Life Is But A Dream documentary, which was the last thing she ever released on DVD. Also came out in 2013. tell me about your favorite pair of jeans. High-waisted 90s-styled jeans. Nothing much to say other than they fit me well, I got a lot of compliments whenever I have them on, and they match any t-shirt I paired with, which made me like wearing t-shirts again haha. would you ride a motorcycle if given the chance? (or have you?) I would but only if someone super experienced was driving. I haven’t been on one because my parents don’t allow me to, and tbh I don’t mind the rule because I’m mostly scared of motorcycles anyway. is your hair healthy? No. Some hair salon I went to around ten years ago put some cheap products in my hair when I had it rebonded and it never felt 100% healthy again. Until today it gets very stiff when it gets into contact with water and only shampoo, and I always have to pair it with conditioner. if a hotel offered free breakfast in bed, what would you order? Eggs Benedict and some very creamy warm coffee. how often do you take a train? Never. I don’t trust the public transport here and I’m better off driving in my own car. what are your thoughts on reincarnation? (have you ever read up about it?) I don’t think of it at all because I don’t believe in it. I don’t mind others who are into it, just don’t shove it down my throat. what's your favorite led zeppelin song? I don’t have one. does your home have a balcony/deck/porch? Yeah we have a balcony. We used to have a full balcony, but we transformed 3/4 of it into my brother’s current room a few years ago because he was starting to grow up and he needed his own room. We retained 1/4 of the space so that it can be the place where my dog can still do his business. what does your closet/wardrobe say about you? It says I am a very messy person who can’t keep her closet consistently organized lol. It will also tell you I’m quite girly based on the clothes I own. do you enjoy theatre? I was never a fan. how would you feel about traveling abroad alone? If I was offered the chance to do it I certainly wouldn’t give it up, but I really, really, preferably would travel with at least one companion. Traveling is one of those experiences I’d want to share with someone, and I would hate if I had to go back to my hotel room at the end of the day with no one to talk to. who would you call a lyrical genius? Laura Jane Grace. how do you treat yourself? My go-to gift for myself is giving into my cravings hahaha. Nothing speaks more to me than food, and if I feel like I deserve a reward for a job well done, I’ll go to a slightly more expensive restaurant to celebrate. do you have an interesting passport? Idk, it’s a normal one and I never had it customized or anything. are you going to pursue a career according to what you enjoy? I hope I get to. I really enjoyed my PR internship and I’d love to be headed there. what happens to your old clothes? They go to the very back or the very bottom of my wardrobe for the most part. My mom will make us throw out clothes we don’t like anymore once a year, so that’s the time I get to get rid of them. what's your favorite frozen treat? Cornetto ice cream is one of my faaaaavorite comfort snacks. The end of the cone where they save chocolate chunks is the best part. who supports you financially? My parents. Getting increasingly guiltier about it by the day, too. if you wanted to go to the movie cinema, how would you get there? I would wait for the clock to strike midnight tonight, because in 48 minutes they’ll finally loosen lockdown rules AND I CAN FINALLY GO OUT. Hahaha. After that I’ll jump to my car, drive out of the village, take a u-turn, and I’m there. how many pillows are on your bed? Two big ones. would you pay more for organic food? Only if I had the money for it. Organic food is a thing of the (very) privileged here and is not very accessible to begin with, unless you’re in posher grocieries. have you ever had a crush on a sibling's friend or a friend's sibling? I haven’t. I’d find it weird considering they’re all a bit younger than me. do you have a friend who mooches? what to do about it? (or is it you?) She’s never done it with me but I’ve heard enough horror stories about her to know that she tends to do this, but yeah Mils is apparently quite the moocher. I’m soooo not one; I’d wait for my friends to offer to pay for stuff, but otherwise I’m fighting them over the bill lmao. do you know much about feng shui? (do you use it?) I’m not knowledgeable on it but I’m definitely familiar with it, because we have a rather large Filipino-Chinese community/culture in the country that glorifies feng shui during Chinese New Year season. I don’t really have a choice but have Chinese culture shoved down my throat whether it’s in the news, the media, or my Chinese friends. how would you make friends in a quiet class? I preferably wouldn’t because I’m only interested in getting good grades and getting that class over with hahaha. But if I was interested in making a friend or two, I’d typically scan the classroom and see who seems to be responsible? Like if they take notes as hard as I do. are you generally a quick learner? No. I take some time, and I especially take long if the thing being taught is more hands-on, like origami. I’ve just never been good at following certain tasks, and I prefer learning from reading instructions. what's your favorite spot to read? Skywalk or the dining table. has anyone given you a nickname you didn't like? (what was it?) Not that I can recall. I’m okay with all of them. did you know that buddha is not considered a god to buddhists? Yes. do you save tickets from movies, etc.? If it’s a significant enough date or event, sure. I’ve kept my 2018 Paramore gig ticket to this day, but like I’ve thrown out my ticket for Knives Out because I hated the movie lol. without looking him up, who was jim morrison? Vocalist for The Doors. when's the last time your bedroom was painted/wallpapered? Idk, 2006 or 2007 when the house was being made? It’s never been repainted. teach me something in another language. (not french/chinese/german/arabic) Why so language-ist lmaooooooo uh “Nakauwi ka na?” means “Did you get home? / Have you gotten home?” what type of body wash did you last use? Idk, I never read the labels on it actually. what type of music do you like and why? Right now I’m into lo-fi because it makes me feel relaxed, but I’m also starting to get into the recent trend where today’s artists put out songs that sound like they’re from the 80s, like Dua Lipa’s Physical or The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights - I think the genre is called synth pop/synthwave. They simply sound cool haha and they’re awesome to listen to while driving. if you randomly want to eat something in the house, do you eat it or wait? I check the time, like if we’re supposed to be having dinner soon, then act accordingly. who knows the most about you (besides yourself)? My girlfriend. do you have a nervous habit? (e.g. biting nails, tapping feet, smoking) Plucking eyebrow or eyelash hair, but that behavior is reserved for extreme cases where I’m incredibly and inconsolably anxious. On a milder day I would vape, sigh a lot, or bite my nails. how's your favorite pro sports team doing lately? I don’t watch sports with teams. would you be/are you a good role model to a younger sibling? I don’t get into trouble but I’m not the best influence either.

#survey #surveys

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eponymous-rose · 5 years

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Talks Machina Episode #100 Highlights!

That’s right: 100 EPISODES. That’s a lot of great questions, greater answers, questionable pronunciations of usernames, even more questionable uses of overlays, and a++++ excellent dogs.

The entire cast is answering questions this week!

Max runs an (adorable) intro in the above puppet theater, and each cast member gets a title. Laura is The Heart, Sam is The “Funny Guy”, Travis is The Brawn, Liam is The Actor, Matt is The Brains, Marisha is The Face, Taliesin is The Pyramid, Brian is The Convict, and Ashley is The Favorite.

The cast’s entrance is majestic. There are balloons, sashes, tiaras, and champagne. Henry has a tiara too!

The Search for Grog will air this Friday, February 22 at 7 PM Pacific on twitch.tv/criticalrole. If you miss the stream, it’ll be available Saturday morning on CR’s YouTube channel!

Talks Machina and CR will air on CR’s official channels starting today! Starting next episode, TM will be available on CR’s YouTube channel on Thursday at 7 Pacific, and also in podcast form!

Stats: in 100 episodes of TM, there’s been 81 episodes of Brian’s glorious beard. There have been 9 Skype/FaceTime call-ins! There were 244 guest misnomers before that well ran dry. 93 episodes of pre-show hijinks (thanks to Max James!). 95 episodes of Arsequeef. 826 days of being on the internet!

Brian: "The concept of creating a talk show about a D&D campaign has always been absurd to me, so we wanted to embrace that terribleness.”

There’s now a Steve Cam (quietly reading, meal prepping, and ignoring the show), and a Zach Cam (staring at a monitor that’s all just Liam’s chest hair and the Fjord bust), and a Max Cam (dancing in a stripper cop outfit), Lockey Cam (practicing with a sword in front of a mirror and then charging at Daniel for filming it - Brian: “Hopefully Daniel’s non-union.”), Ed Cam (drinking scotch and counting down the days until football returns, and also lint rolling his new goatee), Chris Cam (rapping in the VO booth), Brittany Cam (dancing with a unicorn blanket, huffing compressed air - Brian: “You can’t show that on Twitch!”).

Matt is asked how his DMing style has evolved with campaign 2. “Well... I’ve been forced to embrace a little more of the tragedy in the characters’ backstories.” The internal and external conflict has been really interesting for him to watch and react to. “I’ve learned to be very proud of my players for mucking up my perception of where things are going to go.”

Coming to Xhorhas, Nott’s thrilled to no longer have to worry about the mask. Sam’s excited about the City of Beasts “to see what kind of fucked-up individuals we’re going to find and seeing how Nott will react to that.”

Yasha definitely sympathizes with Nott trying to save her spouse, but “there’s a lot going on with her going back to Xhorhas. It’s definitely triggering for her, but she understands the need to want to go back. I wish I could go to Xhorhas. We’ll see what happens.” Travis: “I’m pretty sure once we go to a place we can never go back.”

Favorite item on the Talks shelves? Taliesin mentions a magnetic Percy mini, Sam likes the tiny Sams (”It looks like my bedroom!”), Ashley and Brian are partial to the Sully painting, Laura loves the Pike painting, Marisha loves all the stuff the cast bought on a hungover voyage to the flea market when they were first building the set, Matt loves a very cool dice tower. Brian likes the Vecna with Marisha’s face. Matt: “I don’t know if I like that one.”

Laura doesn’t like the party using the derogatory term for the Krynn, because she wants people to be happy even if she doesn’t know them. Sam: “I haven’t been the best for that, but if Jester wants me to... I guess I’ll change.”

There are new wipe transitions featuring the Matt pillow and the Fjord bust. It’s glorious.

Gif of the week: Sam calling Travis “studly” for catching the candy. Laura: “...I like that I’ve been cut out of it completely.”

Arsequeef gets the Lifetime Achievement Award for Gif of the Week. He wins Max’s 2006 Honda Accord.

On Caleb taking off his bandages because there’s nothing to hide anymore: “Was that terrifying for him, or a relief?” Liam: “Yes!” He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it feels good. He’s got f...r...iends?” Marisha: “I love that sitcom. (weakly) F...r...iends?”

Caduceus being a source of comfort, insight, and advice was built into the character. Taliesin looked at low INT high WIS, and Matt immediately started laughing and told Taliesin he’d do well with that. Taliesin: “There’s plenty of things that will eventually flap that, but we haven’t hit them yet.”

As a player, Travis doesn’t like to weigh things carefully all the time, so a lot of Fjord’s leardership has been a bit about pressing fast-forward. Marisha: “So what you’re saying is that your Grog’s poking through.” Matt points out that if both characters have a trait, it’s probably just Travis.

Liam: “I’ve got a little Travis poking me from behind.” Marisha, musing: “So many conflicting beards...”

Beau’s prayer to Ioun mostly came from a “couldn’t hurt” perspective. “I’ll try it out. Give it a spin.” When Travis asks, Marisha clarifies that it was Ioun specifically because of the Cobalt Soul. Travis: “Oh yeah, I totally knew the relationship there. I just wanted to make sure the audience did.”

Bugbear friend or bugbear foe? Sam: “He speaks goblin, he seems cool, his name’s Gluzo. He has a hard-to-pin-down accent, but it’s amazing.” Taliesin: “You have a hard-to-pin-down accent, too. It’s something you have in common.” Taliesin gets asked if his insight check revealed that the bugbear is secretly pretending to be someone else. “Yes, he’s just pretending to be a bugbear. He’s actually Matt Mercer.” Laura: “I like him. ‘Cause he’s cute and he let me give him a tattoo.”

Sam: “Nott trusts her friends to be as strong as they can be, and at this point, I don’t know if she’s as concerned with one of them dying as just getting to her husband in time before he dies. If we lose one along the way, Nott will probably cry a little, but will move on.” What if it were Fjord? “Fjord’s expjendable.”

Matt: “I’ve reached a point where Travis controls Yasha in combat, but I don’t consider any of his roleplay canon.” Ashley: “I trust Travis. Barbarian respect.” Laura: “Don’t give him that.” Ashley: “Travis himself is like a Deck of Many things. This is risky, but it’s kind of fun!”

Sam: “That dunamancy shit is lit.” Liam: “And it’s tied up in everything that Caleb wants, so if he can get on the entropy shit and the gravity shit, you know he’s going to go back in time, motherfucker.” Sam is so excited to have these mystery spells because they’re so new, and they’re inherently something they don’t know how to counter or prepare for. Travis: “It’s almost like every time we play D&D.”

Fanart of the Week: a spectacular group shot.

Everyone freaks out over how good Travis looks with glasses. He takes them off and puts them back on sexily for a while. I was too slow grabbing a screencap, but don’t worry, the gifs will be everywhere.

Laura: “Jester hasn’t experienced a lot of emotions. She hasn’t experienced a lot of anything, really. She’s definitely dealt with sadness in her life, but I don’t think it’s been so in-your-face constantly, just the trauma of it all.” Liam: “Yeah, she’s with some very terrible people.” Laura: “While it is traumatic, it’s also been a great adventure, and she’s enjoying being out and doing things. Even if it might hurt her, it’s so much better than reading about it, drawing it, just imagining how it would be.”

Caleb’s still feeling out the shift in his relationship with Nott, but there’s no question that everything they’ve gone through can’t be forgotten or overlooked. “He sees her as an absolute ally no matter what, and will do anything for her. In a weird way, he feels like they’re even more alike than he thought they were, and he loves her and wants her to succeed in what she’s doing, and hopes that the things that he wants don’t fuck it up entirely.” Sam: “Are you talking about Liam and Sam right now?”

Caduceus’ thoughts on Xhorhas? “A new environment, certainly, and a new aspect of nature that he’s unfamiliar with. This is just more terrain to him at this point. He’s also very unaware of the political realities. He’s vaguely aware there is war. He’s still not sure why we can’t just go up and ask for directions from everyone.”

Brian: “That tiara is the most blessed image.”

Travis on the Captain Tusktooth tattoo: “Brand recognition is huge in Xhorhas.” Taliesin: “Viral marketing.” Laura confirms that it’s not likely to change apart from some small differences from tattoo to tattoo. “Each person gets a special google.”

Laura on fans actually getting this tattoo: “I am ALL ABOUT IT.”

Marisha: “Guys! How about instead of M9 tattoos...” Sam: “We let Laura tattoo us? I would legitimately be down with that!” Ashley: “I’m kind of into it.” Liam: “This is what splits us apart.” Laura: “Everybody gets a dick.” Travis: “How would we explain that to our kid? ‘What’s that?’ ‘Your mom did that.’”

Beau is holding back a bit since her impulsiveness started having negative repercussions. “I think it’s about accountability. She’s started to learn--- especially when she first joined M9, she didn’t have friends, really. I think you had to learn, oh, my actions do affect others around me. I think that’s something you can learn and you can grow in, but yeah, she is trying to not be a total fuckwad anymore. Trying. But old habits...”

Favorite TM moments? Travis: “Do you remember that episode where Brian wasn’t the host?” Brian remembers Travis throwing the card that almost took him out. Ashley fondly remembers PullOutKing. Laura remembers Taliesin saying the phrase “I love teenage assholes” (referring to Percy acting immature), and Taliesin is super glad someone brought that up again just when the tweets were finally starting to die down.

Ashley talks about how proud she is about how far Brian’s come, and how great he’s doing at this. Everyone has an uncharacteristically sincere moment of applause for Brian. Liam: “Everyone take 30 seconds to drop the bit that we think you’re a total fucking weirdo. You’re so good at this, and you’re such a good friend, and we’re so glad you’re part of this family.”

Marisha pitches the idea of trying to sell TM syndicated on LifeTime now that they have 100 episodes.

Brian remembers having food poisoning that led to him running off-screen, throwing up in the middle of the show, and then having to come back. Marisha remembers Travis texting everyone that night with “lol, did Brian just yarf on TV?”

Matt talks about how proud he is of Brian for going from zero tabletop experience to co-running his own game.

Talks Machina After Dog ft. Sleepy Boi Henry

“This is the best dog-petting show ever.”

Liam was skeptical about TM initially, because he was worried it would take away from what would be shared in-game. Marisha: “I was stoked for it, not gonna lie. I was very misunderstood and people hated my character, so I was kind of stoked to just get to explain it.” Travis was sold once they picked the name.

Marisha: “It also set the precedent for really dumb, punny names.” Brian points out that, as a channel, they now can’t stick with serious names as their final choice.

Laura’s sister has been watching the show, and she texted Laura after the show to ask what the whisper was, so Laura’s going to tell her and no one else. Liam: “You’re gonna tell your real sibling?”

There’s a horrified discussion about giraffe fighting. Some segues happened in there.

What’s something their characters have done that’s made them proud? Liam: Caleb using the Wall of Fire. Marisha: the Plank King execution episode as a whole (everyone agrees). Travis: “I was proud of hooking up with an NPC when my wife wasn’t here to threaten me with death.” (he immediately turns to Taliesin: “Help.” Taliesin: “No god can help you now.”) Taliesin: “I sunk a boat.” Laura: Proud of not getting caught with Nott in the Platinum Dragon sanctuary. Sam: Taking the blow for Jester so she could escape. Liam: “Molly showing his dick covered in eggs.”

Matt: “I’m proud of you guys not entirely descending into evil madness. I’m proud of the character arcs of being broken, terrible people, and finding out that it’s okay to be broken; you’re not necessarily terrible.” Liam: “The entire cast went, ‘He’s talking about everyone but me’.” Matt thought it was going to be very hard to keep the group together, but the party turned it into character growth moments. “I’m proud of you.” Laura: “Thanks, Dad.”

Yasha loved the arm wrestling. “Oh man, it’s so fun to be the tank.”

Laura: “I’m really proud of us for saving Kiri!”

Everyone has Liam’s chest hair:

Wishes for the next 100 episodes? More Ashley.

Brian: “I hate this coffee table more than anything in the whole, entire world.”

What’s something that should never change about the show? How ridiculous it is, the barrel, Dani. Also always have a dog. They fundamentally do the show for themselves, still, and that’s made it a really good environment for them to open up about the show and their characters.

Liam: “There’s a lot of beauty to what we do, but it’s also inherently silly. And to deny that is silly.”

Matt likes that it’s unpolished and imperfect. “Things are going to go wrong regardless, and you can either get angry and frustrated about the lack of control, or you can embrace it.” Sam: “None of this is real anyway.”

Brian points out that this is not an excuse to stop paying him.

And that’s a wrap! This is the last After Dark for a while, but there are some big ideas in the works for the coming weeks!

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long text post

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noelacciari · 5 years

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alright this is kinda bad but I'm gonna ask anyway. so I'm a new/casual hockey fan and this girl I'm friends w is super into hockey and I'm kinda having to bluff my way through convos rn so could you give me a basic summary of the roster and stuff pls :)))

okay babe, so this is how we’re gonna set this up for you… personality quiz style. (also wait I’m assuming you mean Bruins so. im very sorry if this was about another team lol)

Step 1: pick your star

- Do you strive for perfection? Do you look for stability in a relationship? Can you appreciate a good beard? Do you need a perfect man to project all your feelings regarding men onto and then you never have to even look at another man in real life? Then Patrice Bergeron is the guy for you. He’s perfect. Like legit. Has been nominated for the Selke Award (best defensive forward) approximately a gazillion times, eventually they’re going to change it to The Bergy. Gorgeous play maker, dominate on the face-off circle. Quiet leader in the room. A pillar of the Boston community. The only person who can tame Marchand (we’ll get to him later). Every person in New England is AT LEAST 30% in love with him, regardless of sexual orientation. (I’m not even kidding). Future Hall of Famer. Without a doubt. (Forward (Center), #37, first line)

- Do you enjoy carbs? How about charming smiles? Do you enjoy men who toe the lines of fashion? Do you like a show, flashy lights and stunning tricks? Do you like people who make you smile, no matter how bad your day is? Then David Pastrnak is your man. Better know as Pasta (said with a deep Boston accent), he’s been tearing up the ice from the moment he arrived in TD Garden. A member of the Best Top Line in the League (alongside Bergeron - and that other guy who we will get to later). His goals are always absolutely nasty, just. Sexy, sexy hockey. Off the ice he’s sunshine personified, known for his chipped tooth smile, wearing checked suits and floral shirt, and just being generally the best. (Forward (winger), #88, first line)

- Are human sized chipmunks something you think would be pretty cool? How do you feel about Long Island? Would you think it’s funny if a guy who was a star player on a Boston team dated the daughter of a Pittsburgh coach? Do you think it’s even funnier if a guy who tweeted “I hate the Bruins” then proceeds to get drafted by them? Then Charlie McAvoy is your star d-man. At the ripe old age of 21, Long Island native Charlie McAvoy already carries a huge chunk of responsibility on the Bruins defense core. A future leader for the team (captain. imo), Charlie puts up incredible minutes, and is the perfect complement to his d-partner Zdeno Chara (we’ll get to him too). Also known as Cheeks (on tumblr) or Mac (by his teammates), Charlie isn’t afraid to throw his weight around on the ice, and he looks good doing it. Dude is a Bonafide Stallion. (Defense, #73, 1st Pair)

Step 2: Pick your Dad

- Are you vegetarian? How do you feel about EXTREMELY tall men wearing easter bunny onesies? Do you prefer to bike to work instead of taking the train? what about pigeons? If you consider pigeons friends, then Zdeno Chara is your new dad! (Boogie Woogie Woogie). You know how Bruins fans like to say - Don’t Poke The Bear? Well Big Zee is that hypothetical bear. Our beloved captain and father earned himself quite the reputation on the ice, known for his hard AF slap shots and even harder punches. Clocking in at 6′9″ and 250lbs, Zad is still a beast at 42 years old - and he apparently has no plans to retire. While his age doesn’t appear to be slowing him down on the ice, Zee has shown his softer side off the ice with his inspirational and extremely cute Instagram. He came into Boston in 2006 and was named Captain upon signing, and has forever changed the culture of the Boston Bruins. Chara facilitates an inclusive but hard working locker room, and his legacy will live on in Boston long after his retirement. (Defense, #33, first pair)

- Are you a dog person? Also are you American? Those are really the only 2 qualifications you need to chose David Backes as your dad. Although some of us older folks like me (at the stunningly old, reaching retirement age of 26) might consider Backes to be more of a daddy, the majority of Bruins tumblr view him as their Dad. Common nicknames include Dadkes and Papa, and his effect on the team after being brought back into the line-up during the playoffs has endeared him to fans. While his deal is… not great (he’s expensive!!) and he hasn’t performed up to how much money he’s paid, it’s clear that he’s a leader on the team. The young guys look up to him, and the older guys respect him, and that’s what we’s appreciates ‘bout him. Also. He LOVES animals. Backes and his wife Kelly (who have known each other since kindergarten how cute is that shit) have their own charity that helps animals!! (Forward (Winger/Center), #42, currently 2nd line)

- Were you really into magic as a kid (or currently)? Have you always gravitated to your one friend’s dad who was super quiet but super smart and taught you how to play chess at that cookout one time? Then your new dad is David Krejci! Sometimes called The Wizard, Krejci is known to make magic happen on the ice. Between no-look passes and somehow being able to know exactly where his wingers are going to be before they even know, tbh. Krej is probably the MOST underrated player on the Bruins, but he’s always dependable, and always seems to be there when you need him. (Forward (Center), #46, 2nd Line)

Step 3: pick your weirdo

- Have you never eaten a vegetable willingly in your life? Do you consider yourself a chef - specifically for children? Do you think getting your teeth knocked out is fun and exciting? Then Jake “JD” DeBrusk is the dude for you! Goofy AF off the ice and a sniper on it, Jake is extremely worthy of being your chosen weirdo. He has a lucky winter hat named “tuukka” that he’s been wearing all playoffs, and he might only have one brain cell but we love him for it. At one point called a draft bust, Jake has been proving himself to be an elite player, and has been a steady winger for Krejci all season. Plus. He’s cute af. (Forward (winger), #74, 2nd Line)

- Is getting under other people’s skin one of your favorite activities? Do you like to piss people off by being better than them at everything? Does licking someone’s face in the middle of a hockey game seem like a Good Idea to you? Back in step number one did you chose Patrice Bergeron as your Lord and Savior? Then Boston’s favorite Pest - Brad Marchand - is the guy for you! Brad started off as an undersized fourth liner, and has worked his way up to one of the top scorers in the league. Outside of Boston he’s probably the most hated player in the NHL - earning himself a reputation for being a pest (at best), and sometimes being dirty (at worst). This year we are proud to announce that he did not get suspended once! Though he did come in just short of 100 Penalty Minutes. Marchy was our top scorer this year, and has become an integral part of this team. (Forward (winger), #63, 1st Line)

- Are you secretly an arsonist? Are frogs your favorite animal? Do you have a crush on that Pretty Jock that’s in all your classes and sometimes smiles at you in the lunch line? Then Danton Heinen is the weirdo for you. Danton has been a quietly steady performer for the Bruins this season, spending time on the top line with Bergeron and Marchand when Pasta was out. He’s growing into quite the play maker, and he’s known for making good decisions on the ice that lead to goals. Danton also happens to look like a frog, which is an important character trait imo. He’s a tumblr favorite, but he’s a good person to like even in real life, because he makes an impact on the ice. (Forward (winger), #43, 3rd Line)

Step 4: chose your conventionally attractive white boy

- OKay we’re not doing the questions thing because judging by your ask you may not even be interested in men so i’m just going to dive straight into the description. He’s tall with a strong jaw and perfect curls and pecs of a God. Charlie Coyle is a Weymouth, MA native who Boston brought back home at the trade deadline. He’s been a bit of a hero this playoff run, and he looks damn good doing it. The B’s have been searching for a good 3rd line center, and Charlie has filled the role perfectly. Personally, I am deeply in love with him, in case you could not tell. (Forward (center/winger), #13, 3rd Line)

- an integral member of the Bruin’s all important Line 1A (aka the 4th line), Sean Kuraly has got it all. Piercing blue eyes? Check. Perfectly highlighted hair? Check. Cute little chin? Double check. Though he’s been photographed wearing jorts and an open flannel shirt with nothing underneath it, Sean is still a certified Babe. He’s been Klutch in every playoff run he’s had with the B’s, and is the scoring force behind the 4th Line’s brawn. Not to mention, his signature celly is a leap from the ice! (Forward, (center/winger), #52, 4th Line)

- Brandon Carlo… how do I begin to explain Brandon Carlo? Brandon Carlo is flawless. He has two bible tattoos and a designer bulldog. I hear his hair is insured for $10,000. I hear he does Tri-City Americans commercials… in Washington. His favorite movie is Miracle. One time he met David Backes on a plane… and he told him he was pretty. One time he punched me in the face… it was awesome (’cause he missed). In all seriousness though, Monte is a hardworking, defensive defenseman, who has really shone this season. He doesn’t show up on the scoreboard often, but he makes it really hard for other teams to get goals. Even though he struggles to score empty netters... he’s still a babe. (Defense, #25, 2nd Pair)

Step 5: Chose your shorty

- If you’re thinking - wait, shouldn’t Marchand be in this category? Isn’t he the smallest guy in the World? Then Torey Krug is the Short King for you. An ELITE offensive defenseman, Torey is absolute dynamite on the ice. In game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals Torey made history by becoming the first Bruins player ever to record 4 points in a stanley cup finals game. Krug is quick on his feet and can snipe from the blue line, but isn’t afraid to lay down the law when he needs to. Notorious for loosing his helmet so he can show off that flow, Torey also has a bulldog named fenway and a BABY on the way. (Defense, #47, 2nd Pair).

- Is talk shit, get hit a favorite saying of yours? Can you appreciate biceps the size of your head? Then Noel Acciari is your man. He might be short but he’s built like a tank, and he uses that bod to plow through guys on the ice. Noeldozer is known for laying down the cleanest hits, and we love when he takes out the trash! The Rhode Island Native got married last summer, and has a golden retriever named Thor. His mouth is currently fucked right up but I promise he’s actually kinda pretty. (Forward (winger/center), #55, 4th Line)

- Are you one of the apparent hoards of people that think a Boston accent is sexy? Could you get into a guy who says the fuck word on live television? Are collarbone tattoos a thing you admire? Do you like sexy, tough little son’s of bitches? Great! Matt Grzelcyk is the little guy for you. A BU grad who’s become a cornerstone of the Bruins d-core, Grz is a tough little cutie who works hard and gets shit done. More of an offensive defenseman, Matty G has been there for the team even when all of our other defenseman were injured. His Dad has worked at the Gahden for like a million years, and playing for the B’s is a dream come true for Matt and his family. He got taken out in Game 2 of the Finals, and the Bruins are currently seeking revenge. Dude’s got a good beard going too. (Defense, #48, 3rd Pair)

Step 6: Pick your goalie

- As much as we love Jaro, there’s only one goalie you need to know about when you’re learning about the Bruins... 2 U’s 2 K’s 2 Points... Tuukka Rask! The clear MVP of the Playoffs this year, Tuukka has been a brick wall in the net for the B’s. He’s known for being quick tempered and a little... wild, at times, having been caught on camera beating the shit out of a bunch of milk crates and on time brandishing a skate blade at the refs like a knife. Though some fans seem to never forgive Tuukka for the B’s loosing the 2013 playoffs, around these parts we love and respect and rely on his prowess in the net. Off ice, he kinda looks like the grinch (and knows it), though apparently Bergy thinks he looks like Harry Styles (i wish i was kidding). He’s also got 2 adorable little girls! (GOALIE, starter)

So now you’ve got 6 guys that you know about, right? I would pick 1 or 2 of those to be the ones you pay attention to. Listen for headlines about their goals/play, if you’re watching games, look for their numbers on the ice. All you gotta do is be able to say “Wow did you see that Coyle goal on Saturday night?” and all of a sudden you sound like an expert! (This works even better of you choose a guy not from the first category).

If you have more questions about specific players or lines, feel free to reach out! I know not a lot but I know many people who actually do know things lol

(Also to any of Bruins tumblr who made it this far, I KNOW i’m missing your faves okay. Wagner, Clifton, Nordy, MoJo, Moore, and half the providence roster deserve a spot on here. But I’ve already written too much)

(Also Also, special thanks to Lil for helping me with Monte’s description)

#boston bruins #this was a labor of love #look i know not everyone will agree with my categories but i was trying to be succinct #mine #mine:bruins #anonymous #beth's got mail #bruins

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