#Joshua goes to great lengths to get the shot

[sunshineandlyrics]

Thank you for all your efforts Joshua Halling ❤️

FITFWT Laval, 29 May 2023

#seriously #Joshua goes to great lengths to get the shot #we need a banner for Joshua too #Joshua Halling #FITFWT Laval #29 May 2023 #Louis memes #Louis Tomlinson #barricade #mine

[wickednerdery]

Title: Save a Mobius, Ride a Loki Author: @wickednerdery Fandom: Loki, Rick & Morty Pairing/character: Loki & Mobius, Rick & Morty Rating: FRM Summary: “Mobius, no!!” Notes: This is a continuation of The Great Loki and something that’s been stuck in my head since before Loki premiered I’ve been dying to write, so I have. Knowledge of Rick & Morty is helpful, but not required. This story has adult content, language, and violence. For length, etc, there’s a Read More:

Loki scans the desert, wary he’s ended up where he began; where the TVA first collected him. The whinnying of horses on the wind and outline of an American frontier town in the distance indicates this is unlikely, which is a relief. He takes a few steps, then stops and turns back. “What are you doing?”

Mobius sighs as he fusses with the TemPad. “Trying to figure out when and where we are.” He stumbles through the sand as he attempts to keep up with the god’s long strides. “There’s something wrong with the specs, the settings maybe…” Then a thought blooms in the back of his mind, compels him to ask. “You didn’t do anything to it, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Loki…” It’s gentle warning, reminder. The TVA isn’t done with him, he’ll not simply let Loki wander off.

The tone, implication of it, offends. “I didn’t do anything to your blasted device!” He storms off with his own suspicion and settles under a Joshua tree to examine the gun he lifted from the old man. 

Mobius plops beside him, undoing tie as the god shifts to share the shade. “I’m sorry I accused, it’s just…” He’s Loki.

Loki ignores in favor of moving on. “I think the portal gun moves across time and space. We’re in another dimension entirely, see?” He shows the tiny dials, settings, on the device. “Your TemPad won’t work, because it doesn’t exist here.”

If the TemPad doesn’t exist, then reason stands that the TVA doesn’t either and the thought is mind-blowing - terrifying and exciting both. Mobius lived his life with the understanding that the TVA, the Time-Keepers, existed everywhere and (in a way) at every time, and yet...He examines the gun for himself, then hands it back. “I suppose that makes sense.”

“Enough exposition for the readers then?”

“I guess so, I mean, we don’t want to bog them down in the...”

“Talky talky talky.” They say in unison. 

“So...how do we figure out where we are then?”

“I’ve a thought.” Loki gets up, starts in the direction of the town, with Mobius quick to catch up. As they carry on he waves hand to change their clothing according to what he suspects will be most appropriate.

“Did you just change my clothes?”

“Of course, how else did you expect us to fit in?”

“No, it’s nice…” The agent looks over the dark shirt, cowboy boots, before taking off the hat to examine. “Impressive...Just...why am I all in black?”

“Because I’m in white.”

“Yeah...But why are you in white and then, you know, I’m in black?”

“Maybe I want to change things up? Think that’s possible? ” It’s said sarcastically, but Loki himself isn’t sure it’s not true. 

Mobius smiles. “If anyone could do it, it’d be you.” 

When they arrive the god scans the rough wood buildings, the rougher looking citizens that stroll and spit in the streets, with growing smile. This is a place he can enjoy, regardless of where or when it is. Eyes follow a woman in threadbare silk, breasts nearly out, before they find the double-gun holster of her companion.

"What you grinnin’ at, Saddle-Bum?” When Loki laughs the man grows enraged, pulls his gun.

Mobius curses and scrambles as chaos breaks out, just managing to push the woman out of the way of the gunfire. He tucks them behind a pile of barrels that spill liquor as bullets fly. “Stay down.” As the dust settles he glances out. “Loki?” He’s not cross, only worried.

The god only smiles, triumphant over the local bleeding out on his back. “Ah, there you are, Mobius!” That’s a relief.

The woman begins to scream. “Oh my god! You shot the sheriff!!”

“But I did not shoot the deputy.” Loki tips his hat with a grin.

He should be angry, scared, but Mobius isn’t. Heart pounds not with fear, but at the possibilities. It’s one thing to study Loki, to interview and interact with him under controlled circumstances, but this is something entirely different. They’re off the proverbial reservation. This is a wild Loki and it’s thrilling. “This is crazy…” The corners of his lips lift in spite of himself as men drag the body away. “Lucky no one liked that sheriff.”

“Funny how often that happens.” Loki chuckles. “Shall we find a room then?”

“Two.”

“Mobius, really, I thought you would know better. If two beings are in this sort of scenario, there will only be one room and one bed available.”

"Come on, you really think the...powers that be are gonna pull that old trope out?”

Loki only chuckles as he swings saloon doors wide and cheers. “Your new sheriff is here!” The gunslingers, prospectors, and whores all turn and stare. Just stare. The god drops hands to hips, but smile remains. “Tough crowd.” He huffs his laugh, carries on to the bar. “May we have two glasses of your finest and two rooms please?”

“Sorry, just got the one available.”

“On, come on, really?” The agent is incredulous. “Did Loki put you up to this?”

The bartend and proprietor smirks. “You want the room or not?”

“The one room will do just fine, thank you,” Loki smiles out before grabbing the whole bottle rather than poured glass and heading towards a cards game. “Are you coming or not?”

It takes a moment to realize the saloon owner had no expectation of getting paid now, that Mobius was free to go to the table if he wished. He did and he did, settling beside Loki. “You know how to play this game?”

“I know how to play many games, from many different lands. Do you know how to play?”

“I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it.” Not more than a few hands later he’s nearly all the pot to himself.

The god is thoroughly impressed. “You lied.” He smiles.

“Ahhh, what is a lie, anyway?” Mobius smiles back. “Just a...” He shrugs. “Reinterpretation of the truth.”

“You get that from your space lizard employers?”

“Nope.” He sets another winning hand on the table. “I got that from you.”

“Yer a cheat,” a player grumbles. “A liar and a cheat.” Mobius prepares to defend himself when the player turns to Loki. “And a lousy sheriff.” The god only laughs before the man grabs his wrist, digs into Loki’s jacket pocket, and pulls out an ace.

Guns cock in the men’s direction; one sighs, the other grins madly. 

“Loki, you weren’t even winning!” Mobius decries.

“Well I would have been, if you weren’t so good!” 

“Oh, so this is my fault?”

“Not completely.”

“Not remotely!”  The two men begin to devolve themselves into a shouting match, talking over each other as they plot an escape. “Are you ready?!”

“As I’ll ever be!”

“Good!”

“Great!”

Loki blasts the poker player holding his wrist along with two other gunslingers while Mobius socks the man beside him in the nose. It quickly escalates, spreads across the saloon like a tornado that draws in all manner of people around it. Chairs and bullets and glasses fly through the air. Mirrors and tables shatter, people scream, and through it all the god revels...and so does the agent. Until, that is, another gun fires from outside...Fast, futuristic, and deadly so both man and god hit the floor lest they get hit.

“I know you’re in there you portal gun stealing fuckers!” Rick rages from within his ship. It isn’t simply that they took his gun - they weren’t the first and he’d many - it was that he hadn’t discovered the theft soon enough. It was the hit to his ego. “Come out here now and maybe, maybe, I won’t squanch your ass!”

“Jesus, Rick, relax.” Morty doesn’t know why he bothers as his grandfather turns to berate him instead.

Loki pops up, begins to pull magic into his hands as Mobius braces on overturned table to stand. “Hide in the rafters” 

“The rafters?” Mobius looks up as Loki forms him an armored vest as precaution. “Are you kidding me? What in our history together makes you think I’m capable of something like that?”

“Then hide elsewhere, just let me handle the old man.” Loki gives overconfident wink.

Mobius sighs...This is it, this is how he dies… “I’ve a better idea.” He storms past Loki, strolls out into the street where the other two are still arguing in their ship.

“Mobius no!” Loki gives chase.

As you can see, Loki’s got no trouble slipping into new, chaotic, worlds and having a blast while Mobius takes a bit longer to find his footing - this may change as Mobius continues to travel and finds his own way of making things work. Because the rascals couldn’t manage to finish their cowboy tale in one go, there will be at least one more piece in this Wild West world...Hope y’all don’t mind, haha! (”Saddle-Bum” is an old west phrase meaning drifter.)

All gifs made found on Google, combined by me, credit goes to whoever their OG makers are!

Those who may read: @holykryptonitekitten @lady-crowned-with-stars @ultrarebelheart @chibiyanai @dreamsofapiratelife @biiskuitx @delightfulheartdream @antoniostarshadow13 @mobiusbmobius​@zippythewondersquirrel ...If you wish to be tagged in future pieces, please let me know!

#loki #loki series #rick and morty #crossover #fanfiction #mobius #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #mobius m mobius #loki x mobius #rick sanchez #morty smith #time variance authority #tva loki #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #cowboy au #my writing #not my gif

[giftofshewbread]

Gone            (Prophecy Update)

 By Daymond Duck    Published on: September 26, 2021

After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of the Jewish people. Joshua led them across the Jordan River, took them to a place called Shiloh, and gave Shiloh to the largest and most powerful tribe called Ephraim. The Jews erected a Tabernacle there, priests served there, offered sacrifices there, felt God’s presence there, and it was a special place to God for more than 300 years. But the Jews eventually abandoned God, started worshipping a false God, angered God, stirred His wrath, and He destroyed Shiloh (Psa. 78:56-67).

Those that think that God won’t destroy a nation should go and look at Shiloh (Jer. 7:12).

Those that think that God won’t destroy a city should go and look at Sodom and Gomorrah.

On Sept. 16, 2021, several members of the media reported on an interview that former White House Press Sec. Sean Spicer had with former Pres. Trump.

Trump said, “Our country has gone really downhill in the last eight months like nobody’s ever seen before. And we’re not going to have a country left in three years; I’ll tell you that.”

Is Biden really the end of America?

Will America’s Deep State and the global Deep State succeed in bringing about the demise of America before 2024 and the establishment of a godless world government and religion by 2030 or sooner?

Perhaps, it is time for the Lukewarm Laodicean churches and those that think that God won’t destroy a godless world government and religion to go and look at the tower of Babel.

Without God, America is gone.

Consider the following:

Vice Pres. Harris was part of a group that raised funds to bail rioters, looters, and arsonists out of jail, and one has now committed murder.

The Biden administration knows that human traffickers, drug dealers, terrorists, and people infected with Covid are crossing the U.S. border with Mexico, but they are ignoring it or, in some cases, assisting it.

Biden said he would not leave American citizens in Afghanistan, but he has left hundreds there.

Biden let Taliban terrorists have up to 80 billion dollars of U.S. weapons.

The FBI destroyed Hillary’s cell phones for her.

Biden lied about his knowledge of Hunter Biden’s alleged crimes (he boasted about threatening the Pres. of Ukraine if he didn’t fire the man investigating Hunter; e-mails on Hunter’s laptop have been confirmed to be legitimate), but that is okay with the Democrat Party, and the FBI and DOJ have done nothing.

Pelosi, Schumer, and the Democrats impeached Trump over something he didn’t say in a phone call to Russia, but they are ignoring Gen. Milley’s treasonous calls to China, even though he could have endangered the security of the U.S.

Biden has been warned that too much spending can collapse the U.S. economy, but he continues to propose multi-trillion-dollar stimulus packages.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that mandated vaccinations are unconstitutional, but Biden is trying to force people to get one.

The Biden administration is trying to force average citizens to get vaccinated, but he has exempted Congress, their aides, the DOJ, the U.S. Supreme Court, and postal workers.

Fauci lied to Congress about funding Covid research in Wuhan, China, but the Biden administration supports him.

The above list shows that the America most of us grew up in is already gone, but there is no need to worry because the Church will soon be gone (Raptured) too.

FYI: Trump’s slogan was “Make America Great Again” (Strengthen America don’t weaken it). Biden’s slogan was “Build Back Better” (Get rid of the old America and build it back with a different America. That is what he is doing). Obama called it “The Fundamental Transformation of America”).

This writer believes the length of the above list could easily be doubled, but readers will get the point, and there are other things that need to be mentioned.

One, concerning the decline of the U.S. and the establishment of the Ten Kings: on Sept. 20, 2021, it was reported that the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) met to discuss weakened ties to the U.S. and the restructuring of CELAC into a block of nations patterned after the E.U.

Ten groups of nations patterned after the E.U. with a leader over each group (Ten leaders or Ten Kings) that would eventually cede their power to one leader has been a globalist goal for many years.

Also concerning the decline of the U.S.: Biden’s surrender to the Taliban in Afghanistan has triggered calls for the E.U. to establish a military that does not have ties to NATO.

Also concerning the decline of the U.S.: France has recalled its ambassador to the U.S. for the first time in history over a deal the U.S. and U.K. made to provide Australia with the technology to build submarines.

Two, concerning world government: the globalists have weakened America, and now China wants to replace America, take over the New World Order (NWO) and dominate it, not submit to it.

The globalists are just as much against China dominating their New World Order as they were against America dominating it.

George Soros and some of his globalist buddies are now getting worried about the growing power of China. They are even trying to cut off investments in China to weaken China like they weakened the U.S.

According to the Bible, the E.U. will be the main power in the coming world government, not China.

Expect China to resist and invade the Middle East as one of the Kings of the East, but don’t expect China to defeat the Antichrist and head up the coming world government.

Three, concerning the Mark of the Beast: it will be a global mandate to identify and track everyone on earth, and it will go into effect at the middle of the Tribulation Period.

There is good reason to believe that Covid-19 vaccine certificates are on the way to becoming a global mandate to identify and track people.

On Sept. 15, 2021, it was reported that 35-40 nations (Israel, the E.U., and other nations that want to join) will have a digital system in place by early October to identify and track those that have been vaccinated and those that have had Covid-19 and recovered. Those that get an approved certificate will be allowed to travel, enter restaurants and other venues, but those that don’t get one will not be allowed to do these things.

Four, concerning Israel and Jerusalem: America’s Deep State has manipulated Pres. Biden into many mistakes since putting him into office.

It seems that God is willing to let America’s Deep State and Biden weaken America because He said He will allow them to establish a godless world government and religion for seven years.

But now, these godless people appear to be preparing to weaken Israel by reopening America’s special consulate for the P.A. in Jerusalem and canceling America’s recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.

God will allow them to do this for three reasons:

He is letting Israel learn to trust Him and not the nations.

He is letting the nations choose their own judgment (what they try to do to Israel will come back on them; Zech. 12:3).

He is letting the world know that He is God, He restored Israel, and Israel cannot be destroyed (Amos 9:11-15).

FYI: America’s Deep State apparently does not know, believe, or understand the story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (a type of Israel in the Tribulation Period). One like the Son of God delivered them out of it (Dan. 3:25), and all Israel, all that believe in Yeshua, will be saved in the wilderness (Matt. 25:16-22) by a Deliverer out of Zion (Rom. 11:26).

Five, in May of this year, terrorists in Gaza fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israel, but many were shot down by Israel’s anti-missile Iron Dome System.

Israel needs to replace and boost her stock of Iron Dome missiles.

In June of this year, U.S. Sec. of State Lloyd Austin told Israel’s Defense Min. Benny Gantz that the U.S. plans to replace Israel’s Iron Dome missiles. On Aug. 27, Pres. Biden met with Israeli Prime Min. Bennett and said the U.S. will replace Israel’s Iron Dome missiles. Nancy Pelosi recently put $1 billion to replace Israel’s Iron Dome missiles in a bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, but the Squad and other leftist Democrats strongly objected to spending money on the defense of Israel. Pelosi removed the money but promised to put it in a later bill.

The Biden administration has made many mistakes (Afghanistan, border with Mexico, etc.), but nothing could be as bad as abandoning its promises to defend Israel.

Six, concerning the division of Israel and the Battle of Armageddon: on Sept. 21, 2021, Pres. Biden repeated his support for the Two-State solution in a speech at the U.N. (but he did say it will be a long time before it happens).

Seven, concerning wickedness and corruption at the end of the age: on Sept. 16, 2021, Special Counsel John Durham got an indictment against a Democrat lawyer for creating and giving false information (lying) to the FBI to smear Pres. Trump during the 2016 Pres. Campaign. According to the indictment, the lawyer’s lies were used to suggest that Trump was colluding with the Russians.

In 2016, the FBI questioned him about it, and he gave the FBI false information while claiming to be an ordinary citizen and denied that he was being paid by anyone to give the FBI a false story.

It is now 5 years later, and the FBI says it has proof that the Democrat lawyer was billing the Clinton campaign, and Clinton’s group was paying him for his work. There are now rumors that Durham plans to go after Mrs. Clinton, but this writer is skeptical. It would not be surprising if Durham goes after some of Clinton’s aides, but Clinton is a prominent member of America’s Deep State.

Some say George Soros is destroying America, and Obama is in his third presidency, but nothing is ever done about what they are doing. Why?

The DOJ and FBI appear to be treating America’s Deep State as a protected class of people. If this is not true, why haven’t they been prosecuted for some of the things they have done? If it is true, it means the DOJ and FBI are protecting the wickedness, corruption, and treason of America’s Deep State (like in the days of Noah when the wickedness of man was great).

FYI: Here is some good news.

If (a big “IF”) God allows the Antichrist to confirm a 7-year covenant with many for peace in the Middle East by 2030, Jesus will be sitting on the throne of David in Jerusalem, and the Kingdom of God will exist on earth by 2037. Christians will be here in new bodies with their loved ones; Christians won’t get sick or die; there will be peace, justice, and righteousness on earth; no Covid, etc.

The bad things mentioned above are signs that a new world is coming soon.

Eight, concerning a falling away in the Church: on Sept. 21, 2021, LifeSiteNews reported that Pope Francis has a history of praising pro-abortion politicians, he supports serving communion to pro-abortion politicians, and he has endorsed gay civil unions.

Pope Francis has the spiritual qualifications of the False Prophet (supports world government, world religion, etc.), but he is getting old. If he is the False Prophet, the Rapture could be very soon.

Before closing, here is a personal message.

I get a little uncomfortable when other ministries ask me to publicize what they are doing because if they or some of their people go astray, I don’t want it to have a negative impact on Rapture Ready or my ministry. Having said this, a Christian group called Tactical Civics is seeking God-fearing patriots that want to restore America. I am thankful for (and support) anyone that wants to restore America. A member of the group has asked me to encourage people that Love Jesus and America to watch the 11-minute video at this link: www.tacticalcivics.com/video

The group wants more people to know what they are doing and perhaps get involved.

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

#covid #mark #of #the #beast #news #UN #lgbtq #pope #church #pro #abortion #september #china

[excelsi-or]

your type (pt. 4)

Hey friends, hope you’re all healthy and staying safe. No real updates from me nor any recommendations. I’ve been a bit of a hermit from social media and the real world these days. Anyway, I think you guys will enjoy this part. :)

w.c. 2.1k

pairing: woozi x OC/reader

pt. 1; pt. 2; pt. 3

“What if they don’t convince her to come?” Jihoon asks Seungcheol.

“Are you worried?” Seungcheol chuckles, setting food on the coffee table. “You aren’t the type to worry.”

“We bet 100 each,” Jihoon snorts. “You sure you don’t want that money back?”

“I’m getting it doubled back.” Seungcheol waves him off. “Jihyo’s friends know how to play our game. It’s what makes her fun. So trust me, your girl will be here.”

Jihoon helps to set up the apartment until Mingyu and Wonwoo arrive half an hour earlier than everyone else. Mingyu’s their resident chef and has some last-minute cooking to do.

Once they’re done, Wonwoo and Seungcheol play a round of some video game that Jihoon doesn’t pay attention to. Instead, he sits hunched over his notebook.

“When are you going to stop working on that song?” Wonwoo asks. He leans across the couch to get a look at Jihoon’s notebook. “You’ve been working on it for ages.”

“If it’s not perfect already, hyung, it’ll never be perfect,” Mingyu calls from the kitchen.

“Will you all shut up?” Jihoon retorts. He scratches out the last line he’d written. “It’s not your grade on the line.”

“Prof only put that much pressure on you because you’re good.” Wonwoo sits back up again after Seungcheol shouts about a great penalty shot. “So, hand in whatever and she’ll give you an A+.”

“That woman would give Jihoon an A++ if she could,” Seungcheol snorts.

Wonwoo stretches his leg a little to give Seungcheol two affectionate kicks to the shin. “One day, someone will see all the potential in you too.”

The boys arrive on time and expect the girls to be an hour late like usual, but Seungcheol’s phone pings as they all start to settle in.

“Are they here already?” Jeonghan asks.

Hansol chuckles as he reaches for a chip. “Noona must be here too. She’s always on time.”

Jihoon closes his notebook and tucks it down the side of the couch, where he hides his notebooks when strangers come over. He glances up when the girls walk in loud and giggly. Hugs are exchanged, as certain girls gravitate towards certain people.

And the one person everyone is watching gravitates towards Mingyu after her initial greeting. Jihoon can hear her chatting casually with him.

“Why are you in here alone?” she asks.

“Gotta finish this for dinner.” Jihoon knows that Mingyu’s on his side for the bet, so he expects Mingyu to tell her to head into the living room.

But she beats him to the next line. “Do you need any help?”

“Oh.” There’s a pause. “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“Would I ask if I wasn’t offering? What do you need?”

“How are you, Jihoon?”

Jihoon pulls his attention to the person sitting beside him. It’s Wheein. She’s in his song writing class. They start talking about the songs they’re working on. While he is listening to Wheein, he definitely has his eye on the clock.

She doesn’t return to the living room until they come out with food. And then she sits by Hansol and Seungkwan. The two seem thoroughly excited to chat with her about everything.

When Mingyu sits near him, Jihoon hisses, “What the hell, Gyu?”

“Sorry!” Mingyu exclaims. He reaches forward to fill his plate. “Noona offered to help and I wasn’t going to say no.” He notices Jihoon’s look of disbelief. “You guys never offer to help me.”

Jihoon doesn’t want to make it obvious by getting up and sitting with her, but as one hour passes to two without a one-on-one conversation with her, he realizes he needs to pull out the “big moves”.

In this case, get her alone and ask her what the hell is going on.

He stands and meets her eye. “You want a drink?”

She shrugs. “Sure.”

Jihoon motions with his head to follow and she nods her understanding, getting up as her team tries to discern what words Jeonghan is referring to. She trails after him and leans against the archway into the kitchen. He pulls two cans of Coke from the fridge and hands one to her.

“Did you want to talk about something?” she asks.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Jihoon turns to face her. “But you don’t seem to want to talk to me.”

“Oh.” She blinks. “You didn’t make it seem like you wanted to talk to me, so I just… gave you your space.”

Jihoon’s eyes narrow. “You know I wanted to talk to you.”

“No, I didn’t.” She pulls the tap on her drink, letting the drink fizz before speaking. “You told me to come if Seungcheol invited Jihyo over. That could have meant anything.”

“I thought it was clear that it meant I wanted to see you again,” Jihoon states.

She shrugs. “Well, I’ve been here for two hours now and you’ve hardly looked at me or said anything to me since I got here. I’m not a mind reader, Jihoon.” She sips her drink. “Surprise.”

Jihoon snorts and takes a frustrated sip. “You’re impossible.

A small smirk appears on her face, dimpling her cheek. “I like guys who like to communicate. You’re going to have to communicate if you want my attention.”

Damn, his fatal flaw. He can keep girls at arm’s length by doing the complete opposite of what she likes. But the bet’s been set. Backing out means losing, so he nods his understanding.

“So, are we going to kick Seungkwan off my team so you can join me on the other side of the table?” She lightly kicks him in the calf. “Or are you willing to lose again?”

Jihoon runs his tongue along his teeth. “I’m not going to lose.”

She chuckles as she heads back to the living room. “I think what’s happening with your team is called ‘losing’, Jihoon.”

They play games all night long. Nearly everyone gets so drunk that when Jihoon sees her struggling to rally the girls together, he suggests that maybe they ought to stay over.

Jihoon takes Wheein’s arm. “You’re not going to be able to get them all home safe.”

She concedes to that fact. Besides her, Jihoon and Hansol are the only ones sober. Hansol had informed her around hour 3 of intense drunkedness, there’s an established rule that at least two of them need to stay sober.

“We get too out of hand if we’re all drunk. Last time all of us were this drunk, we found a milk jug in the toilet and Soonyoung hyung sleeping in the tub surrounded by his own vomit.”

She passes Jihyo off to Hansol and then helps Hwasa out of her boots again. They congregate in the living room. Jihoon offers his bed to Momo, Sana and Sejeong. Jihyo, Wheein and Hwasa take Seungcheol’s. The boys pile together in the living room.

Jihoon shuts the door to Seungcheol’s room, blankets under one arm. He looks around when he doesn’t see her in the living room with the boys. He tosses the pile of blankets on Soonyoung’s stomach when he hears shuffling in the kitchen.

He finds her with her shoes on, coat going around her shoulder. “You’re not staying?” Jihoon asks.

She shakes her head as she wraps her scarf around her neck. “I don’t do sleepovers. Especially not if you’re here and sober too.”

“Oh, come on. Who hurt you?” Jihoon teases. He sees a flash of hurt cross her face and realizes he’s touched a nerve. “Sorry.” He looks over the kitchen and living room divider; Hansol is trying to shake Seokmin off to put him to sleep. Jihoon turns back to her. “Walk you home?”

She shrugs. “You won’t take a no, so bundle up.”

She slips her gloves on and Jihoon goes to grab socks and his jacket. Hansol looks over when he reemerges.

“I’m just going to walk her home,” Jihoon explains. Most of the boys have knocked out around Hansol’s feet. “Is that cool?”

“Noona’s not going to stay?”

Jihoon shakes his head.

“Okay, yeah. I should be—Seungkwan, lie down.” Hansol bats off Seungkwan’s hands from his ankles.

Jihoon is genuinely surprised she waited for him. It would have been a perfect excuse for her to duck out.

“Bye Hansol!” she calls.

“Get home safe, noona! Will you get off?”

She frowns at Jihoon. “Is he going to be okay?”

“The boys get clingy when they’re intoxicated.” Jihoon waves off her concern. “He’ll be fine.” He opens the door for her and she leads the way into the hallway.

They pick up their conversation where they had left it during the last round of Truth. Her girls love the game when everyone’s a bit drunk, and the boys definitely shared more than she anticipated. She now knows way too much about Joshua’s showering habits.

But Jihoon is the most interested in the truths about her.

“They said you have the best game,” he states.

It was the last Truth for Sejeong. “What’s something shocking that we wouldn’t believe?”

All the girls had chimed in immediately.

She throws her head back with a laugh now and presses the call button for the elevator. “I haven’t used any of my ‘game’ in a long time. So probably not anymore.”

“But at one time, you did.”

“Maybe.” She watches the lights move towards their floor. “What does that even mean anyway?” The doors open before them.

“Well, for us, it means you can get any girl to agree to go on a date with you without too much effort.”

“Hm.” She presses for the ground floor. “I guess, then… yeah.”

Jihoon cocks an eyebrow. “I’m all ears.”

“Hey, let’s keep in mind that I’ve settled before. I don’t like playing the game.”

“Even though it’s fun?”

“Maybe for you. But…” She adjusts her scarf. “I actually like the feelings and emotions and everything that comes with a real relationship. It’s not just about the sex for me.” She tips her head both ways. “But it definitely helps if the guy’s good at it.”

Jihoon chuckles.

His response gets her to crack a smile. “Anyway, the game gets boring when everyone plays it the same way.”

Jihoon agrees with the sentiment. “So, how many boyfriends have you actually had?”

“I told you already, one.”

“Your face said something else earlier.”

She pauses and then the elevator doors open. They head out of the apartment building and it isn’t until they’ve started on their way to her place that she says anything. “I don’t like playing, because I’ve been played. And I don’t count him, because…” She sighs. “How can I count someone who hurt me that way?”

Jihoon wants to ask more questions. If he can figure out how these guys won her over, he’s a shoe in to win that bet. “What made you like him? You know, if he hurt you that bad, you must have had a lot of feelings for him.”

She chews on her bottom lip and watches where she steps to avoid slipping on some of the icy parts. “I’ve only known you for a few days. Why do I need to answer this?” Her eyes swing his way. “How about you answer some of myquestions?”

Jihoon hesitates, but remembers that communication is important to her. He’s going to have to open up a little. “Shoot.”

“What about me is interesting you enough to bother?”

“That seems kinda vain, don’t you think?” Jihoon jokes.

She smiles a little with a shrug. “Maybe, but I’ve heard many mixed things about you, Lee Jihoon.” She nudges him. “Tell me why I’m worth pursuing.”

He won’t admit that the challenge of winning her over is enticing to him; he’ll lose her immediately. Luckily, she’s just his type and he doesn’t have to lie much. “You’re gorgeous, smart. New blood is always fun. I like your refreshing energy, even if your personality’s kinda harsh.” This makes her laugh out loud and he smiles. “I meet a lot of people like me, who date just to see how many notches they can get on their bedpost.”

“That’s an old analogy,” she chuckles.

“It’s also nice to meet someone who wants to love just to love.”

She grabs his arm when she feels her footing go. “Good god.” Jihoon eases her over the icy patch and then she asks her next question. “So, what makes you think I’ll play along with your game?”

“Game?”

“Oh, come now, this can’t be because you’re actually interested in me that way. You just told me that you think the game is fun.”

“We’re all looking for love, are we not? That’s the end goal.”

“And what was wrong with all the other girls you dated? I’m sure they were nice enough.”

“Nice enough is not the same as perfect.”

“Perfect doesn’t exist.” She sighs.

And then changes the conversation completely.

“What are your parents like?”

“My parents?”

“A lot of people carry pieces of their parents around. What are yours like?”

“Great,” he answers honestly. “Better than great. They’re perfect.”

She smiles at that. Jihoon can practically see a wall coming down at that statement.

#woozi #woozi imagines #woozi scenarios #Seventeen #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #Svt #Lee Jihoon #lee jihoon scenarios

[kalluun-patangaroa]

Suede

SKY magazine, December 1993

written by Simon Witter 

"HELLO! WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?!" asks Brett Anderson rhetorically, staring at the fluff he has just removed from his ear. "I haven't taken these earrings off for about nine years."

It may seem an incongruous moment to ask the 27-year-old indie pin-up about his personal style, but hey, that's the kind of guy I am. "Tatty," replies Brett with a wry smile. "I haven't been able to get out and go shopping."

Brett Anderson, frontman of Suede – the British pop sensation of 93 – is hotly rumoured to have a great dress sense. Today however, perched uncomfortably behind an executive desk at the central London HQ of his record company, his head inadvertently framed by a halo of Right Said Fred promotional balloons, he is sporting a navy blue jeans'n'top ensemble he accurately describes as "just anything". Brett has been telling me how he spends most of his time with people who work in shops or are unemployed – "real people, not in the business" – so I presume this boutique bonding provides a clue to his supposed, though temporarily non-evident, style savvy.

"Oh no," he gasps. "Not clothes shops! Most of my friends are in food shops. So I know a good bit of brie when I see it."

The thought of Brett Anderson having, at any point in his life, ever eaten food, conjures images of pigs flapping their trotters as they sail past this second floor window. But we press on with the personal style enquiry.

"I want to change it at the moment," he says. "I'm sick of wearing second-hand things. I used to have a grudge against new clothes because I don't like wearing things that another thousand people are wearing. It's nothing to do with being into clothes from years ago, or tatty clothes at all. I'm quite keen to toy around with my style until I eventually find something, to have clothes made for me. There's never anything, when I go out and look for clothes, that I really love. I've got quite a strong vision of what I want, which would be very, very well fitted things. I don't like baggy things. I like lots of ethnic looks. I really like the Spanish look, that sort of matador thing." By way of explanation, Brett strikes a pose, clicking imaginary castanets above his head. "I like that shape. Prince wears a really brilliant little thing sometimes. When I kept getting my bellybutton out, it was really a desire to achieve that shape more than anything, nothing to do with flaunting my navel."

It's well worth flashing your bellybutton while you still can, I assure him, a rueful hand on my own expanding waistline.

"Yep," he smiles. "Well I can't anymore. Not after that chinese last night."

In May of 1992 Suede released their first single, 'The Drowners'. They had already been on the cover of Melody Maker – before they had a record out – and would grace 18 other British magazine covers over the next year, including the cover of Q on just their second single. Their eponymous debut album, released last March, went straight to No. One in the charts and went on to win the Mercury Prize, and last autumn they released a full-length concert video Love & Poison. At this rate, it will be time for their memoirs by easter.

Within the bizarre, incestuous fishbowl of the British music media, Suede have become almost self-damagingly important. After a couple of wilderness years spent faffing about, finding their feet and being universally loathed, their overnight transformation into the most hyped band in the world was nothing short of miraculous. Yet it created impossibly high expectations of their music. A German friend told me how surprised he was, after long distance exposure to their media glare, to discover how average Suede sounded – a judgment that casual discovery of the first album would hardly have elicited. And while touring America, their support act the Cranberries famously outshone them by an enormous factor when it came to album sales. Yet phase one of Suede's career has been – or appeared to be – so extraordinary, that they are going to be hard-pressed to follow it up with anything similarly momentous.

For now, we have 'Stay Together', a new, epically long single. As a measure of Suede's magnitude in the reality-starved world of British indie pop, I am treated to an absurd preview of the track the day before meeting Brett. Before entering the listening room I am subjected to a bag search to check – I kid you not! – that I'm not carrying a concealed tape recorder.

In LA, the world capital of muso control freakism, I was played U2's Desire, the immediate-follow up to their 15-million selling Joshua Tree album, eons before its release without anyone thinking twice. Yet now, without a hint of humour or irony, I am being treated as if I not only know anyone who cares what the next Suede single sounds like, but would be willing to pay for a tape of it recorded through a leather bag.

After regaining consciousness, I join in the fiasco, insist on a full body search (well, at less reputable establishments you'd have to pay good money for this touchy-feely experience) and am seated. The label boss places two speakers on each side of my head, facing my ears from about 20" away, turns it up LOUD, and begins to do that embarrassing, pseudo appreciative in-chair grooving that only people who work in record companies and recording studios have the gall to indulge in. "It's not pompous," he assures me, "even though it's eight minutes long."

Of course any pop song – as opposed to dance record – that lasts eight minutes is by definition pompous. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was gloriously, defiantly pompous with a side order of pomposity to go. But, despite the circumstances, 'Stay Together' sounds like a fine, many-hued song, liberally doused with Bernard Butler's life-saving guitar, that is destined neither to win many new fans nor shock the devotees.

"It's about a sense of unrest I feel about the world," Brett tells me the following day, in an ill-advised shot at an explanation. "An attempt to make some sense when everything seems to be going slightly insane. I do get a real sense of impending doom, but not in a depressing way, not like we're all gonna die, let's go and rape people. I feel quite content with it. We're living under some shadow, and I'm not quite sure what it is. It's a bit like the fears I felt when I was growing up, when things were unstable and there was the threat of nuclear war, or the fear that your parents could die of aerosol poisoning."

Brett grew up, together with Suede drummer Mat Osman, in the soulless satellite town of Haywards Heath, between London and Brighton. According to Osman, if they'd been the tea party fops people make them out to be, they would've formed a grunge band. They only wanted to be really glamorous because of their stultifyingly dull working class backgrounds. Some might say that that would lead to the three-Es-a-night, dance-and-forget syndrome, rather than the formation of a glam rock band.

"Hopefully we're not a glam rock band," Brett shudders defensively. "You can escape those surroundings by taking a load of Es and ignoring it. Another way is to create your own myth, to try and become romantic in your own eyes, to create something beautiful out of the rubbish and the shit. It all sounds very Oscar Wilde, but that's the way we did it. None of us were brought up in workhouses, but we haven't had easy lives at all."

Suede claim to be obsessed with fame because they were excluded from it. Yet surely fame is the one classless thing people aren't born into?

"Lots of people are constantly privileged," says Brett, who has clearly spent an unhealthy amount of time pondering the abstract qualities of fame. "If you're born in Soho to rich professional parents, and you've got Jonathan Wotsisname coming round to your house every night to see your father, then you've got this world that you slip easily into. When you're excluded from it there's a desperation, you're desperate to have it. It doesn't come as second nature to you, like professionally famous people who hang out in Beverly Hills. It's not something you're comfortable with, but that mutates it into something far more interesting, a bit prickly and far more creative, because you're not just sitting there lapping it up."

Suede's appearance coincided not unfortunately with the post-Madchester 70s revival. But was their styling something more than just the result of being unable to afford new clothes? Personally, I had thought the emergence of Gary Numan had killed off the idea of anyone ever again wanting to be David Bowie (not to mention Bowie's recent records). Then along came Suede, with their rough guitars, their androgyny and their theatrical singer.

"I never thought of ourselves as '70s," Brett insists. "David Bowie is a genius, but the rest of all that rubbish I always found laughable. As for the clothes, I always thought we looked more 60s than 70s. It's all tied up with this whole kitsch thing, this Magpie and Porridge and rediscovering the culture of British music journalists' youths. Kids of 14 didn't know what anyone was talking about, it was just that the people in power had reached a certain age where they were getting sentimental about their youth and started remembering Magpie. That's all it was, all a complete load of rubbish. As soon as we were aware that this scene was going on, we wanted nothing to do with it."

Brett's voice is a highly variable instrument, perfect and beautiful on slow numbers like 'The Next Life', but occasionally, when he affects that archly operatic Bowie yodel, a whiney, sneering sound like Rik Mayall on speed boring into your brain – absolutely maddening. It goes without saying that his delivery owes much to the most overrated British pop star of the last decade, Morrissey.

"I forced my voice in that way because of how we were born, musically, playing shitholes. It was the only way I could make myself heard. I didn't want to sing in the murmuring way that was the style of the time. I wanted to project my voice, because I was writing songs that I wanted people to hear the words of. I wasn't just writing about fluffy little clouds, which is what everyone was doing at the time. People read into my intonations a theatrical seventiesness, but it was a complete accident."

Overworked as the subject is, it's hard to avoid asking why Brett thinks his androgyny caused such a fuss. It's not the first time it has been done; it's not even the tenth time. Genderless, mincing fops are to classic British pop what hairspray is to American rock, a staple ingredient. Brett, by comparison to most, is pretty tame.

"I don't know," he sighs. "We certainly weren't thinking 'oh let's be androgynous', it's just the way we are. I'm naturally quite an effeminate person – not all the time, I do play on things. I think it was because, at the time, people were so incredibly boring. We had been through five years of the cult of non-personality, and we never wanted to go with the flow. When everyone had their heads down, chugging away, we wanted to twist things a little bit. It's like at school, when you find that something annoys someone, you keep on doing it more and more. And that's what happened really."

A female psychologist wrote recently about the overt sexual expression of pre-pubertal girls at pop concerts, the way in which, amidst the non-contact hysteria of the pop experience, they could sometimes experience their first orgasm. She was, admittedly, talking about a Take That show, but I can't help wondering if it looks like that from the stage to Brett Anderson?

"No, nothing like that," he purrs, "nothing sexual. I always feel like people are putting it on."

Having their first fake orgasm?

"It's a bizarre thing in my head. I know they really like me, but I can't really take it seriously. When I'm onstage, and it's working, I feel like I can do absolutely anything. I feel as though there's no limit, even in the sense that I could fall asleep if I felt like it, because I'm that relaxed. I feel much more comfortable on stage than walking down the street. I could go off into a corner and do a crossword or shave my head. I feel ridiculously relaxed. I really enjoy the power of being onstage. It's to do with the circuit of the flow between the audience and you, when it's an audience willing you to be good. Your own power is an expression of how the audience is feeling, but I can't say I ever feel sexual, even if it looks that way. I think that to call the power purely sexual is to belittle it. When I've been to incredible gigs, it hasn't been a sexual thing, it has been something far more magical than that. "

Brett and Osman came to London in the mid 80s to study, respectively, architecture and politics at UCL and LSE. Suede began after they placed an ad in the NME in 1989, but initial concerts had audiences shouting "Fuck off!", critics calling them effete wankers and record companies running for the hills - a three-pronged invitation to eat shit and die that would have spelt the end for most bands.

"That X factor that made people despise us," muses Brett, "was something we managed to turn around in our favour. It's like being in love with someone, and exactly the same things you adore about them, completely horrify you when you've fallen out of love. We went away and learnt how to write songs, and came back transformed. And those qualities that originally pissed people off, we transformed into something provocative. I think the fact that we went through all that rubbish was a fucking good thing for us. People forget that the Beatles spent five years in Hamburg. No one would touch them in England, cos everyone thought they were an utter load of shit. They spent five years getting it together, suffering a bit and fighting for it."

A typical lyric from those hard years was Brett's line about "shitting paracetomol on the escalator". When they were recently described as chemically saturated, I had assumed more interesting chemicals were involved.

"That's about pure mundanity, being off your face every night and your staple diet coming from your bathroom cabinet. It's a metaphor for a humdrum life, going up and down the London underground, which I spent five years of my life doing."

In many ways this – Suede's poignant soundtracking of new depression Britain – is their strength. But if they are Her Majesty's equivalent of slackers, it hasn't made America any more amenable to their cause. Indeed, despite Brett's avowed loathing of the British character – "negativity, small-mindedness, lack of faith" – there may well be a Britishness about Suede which prevents America from getting the point.

Brett makes the mistake of quoting a Smiths song to me – something about innocence, fragility and trust – forcing me to point out that American audiences don't want to be trusted with something precious, they want to rock out with their cocks out. Evan Dando may wear a dress and pigtails, but the wider American market is notoriously unkeen on sexual ambiguity. Queen were big in America until the early 80s, when Freddie Mercury started appearing in full clone gear. They never toured America again, and didn't have a single hit until after his death (and then only thanks to Wayne's World). In fact, America's association of guitars and manliness make Suede fundamentally unsuited.

"No!" storms Brett. "I don't think we're fundamentally unmanly. All you have to do is come and watch us live. We're about sexuality, power and emotion, things that everybody feels."

Whether or not America is destined to fall for his Morrissey-meets-Larry Grayson stage persona, Brett's much-aired desire to move to America (and less well-known plan to live in Paris) has, for now, been replaced by a much smaller act of bedouinism.

"I've moved from Notting Hill to Highgate," he announces proudly, "from a fashionable place to a place where you're living in the last century pretty much. I was living in a very small flat in Notting Hill and it was driving me insane, I couldn't write and was being bombarded with nonsense all day long. I needed the peace and quiet, and now I have a bigger flat with a studio room in it and I'm writing quite prolifically. It's more serene, there's more space to think. It's quite a beautiful place, but you do feel like you're living in the last century, like you're some sort of oddity, or in a play. You keep going into these odd characters. But it's a great place."

In person, and despite the affectation of much of his thought processes, Brett Anderson is quite charming. An endearing smile – which seems to hibernate when cameras are around – plays constantly around his face, suggesting shared confidences which, to some extent, he delivers. Like so many people cocooned by over-protective minions, he is refreshingly open and approachable. I like him. But he is deeply shocked and incredulous when I paint a picture of the special treatment afforded him by those he works with.

"They treat me with the respect I deserve," he jokes defensively. "I don't have tea with Lenny Kravitz. My best friend works in a chip shop, and that's why I like it, it's a complete escape. One of the beautiful things about being successful is that it can rub off onto your friends as well. Not fame and all that bullshit – the really brilliant thing about being successful is the self-confidence, the sense of life having a purpose, that life is a wonderful thing. You open the shutters in the morning and the sunshine pours through. That sense of vitality about life can completely rub off on your friends. Sometimes it doesn't, it can go the other way, with friends ignoring you cos they think you don't have time for them, but that never happens with your proper friends."

And yet, engulfed in the sweltering perversity of his peer group, Brett has come to hold some pretty crap views, views that seem utterly irrelevant beyond the borders of saddo indie land. He worries about being thought a sell-out, thinks Suede are radically honest because they admit to having ambition – as if people didn't get over all that bollocks a decade ago – and, worst of all, that people don't talk enough about music in interviews. Oh dear!

But, despite all this, Brett's public image remains unshatterably cool. He exudes waves of sultry, sulky hipness. I feel an urge to know what naff items lurk in the corners of Chateau Anderson, his ownership of which will shock Suede devotees to the core. Brett tells me he's been to see Aladdin, listens to jazz music, likes The Orb and Verve and has just bought the new Shamen single. To prove it, he even does his Mr C impression - "Comin' on like a vibe, y'know!". This won't do at all.

"I like Terence Trent D'Arby," he admits, trying harder. "I think he's really good."

It's good, but it's not right.

"I bought Billy Joel's River Of Dreams album. I like that one."

Aha – as Inspector Clouseau used to say – now we are getting somewhere! What about films?

"No, I've got impeccable taste when it comes to films."

No feature length On The Buses video stashed chez Brett?

"No. I have got Crocodile Dundee."

Bingo and Bullseye! So much for impeccable taste.

"Well, my perennial favourite is Performance," he flusters wildly. "I can virtually quote the whole film from start to finish. And there's a brilliant film which I've just discovered called The Shout, with John Hurt, Alan Bates and Susanna York. It's about a man who has spent years in the Australian bush learning the secrets of the bush doctors coming to this ridiculously reserved Cornish village and turning two people's lives upside down. It's like an animal alive within this village, and when he shouts, everyone within a mile radius dies. If Alan Bates' part had been played by Vincent Price, it would've been laughable, but it's incredibly powerful, one of those great lost films."

It's a nice try, but nothing can erase the impression created by Billy Joel and Crocodile Dundee.

#suede #brett anderson #press #interview #sky #1993

[hsmakingmeblush]

I’m Lost In Your Fire

A Vampire Journalist Harry Fic

*Read Chapter One 

Chapter Two

Harry can’t help but let out a groan as he lets his body sink deep into the warm water filling his pearly white porcelain bathtub. It feels like a relief as the water sinks into his skin and envelops his sore muscles in warmth. He lets the soothing scent of lavender fill his nose and allows calm to overtake him as his bath bomb continues to fizz in the quiet of his bathroom.

Today hasn’t been the worst day he’s ever had, not by a longshot, but it’s been long and stressful. Putting up with pricks like Jimmy at the office all day and not being able to say anything can make the tension in his body skyrocket with holding back any reaction. And believe it or not, working on fluff pieces he could writing his sleep can actually be more draining than the hardest hitting journalism beats. There’s only so many times he can type out the words London Poodle Parade before wanting to break his computer himself.

But now that that piece is over, finally, he’s got to get down to the real business. Mr. Turner’s finally given him a story he can actually sink his teeth into… so to speak. It may not be the hard hitting stuff they write down in the political new section, but a profile feature actually gives him something to work with, real substance that’ll occupy his mind and give him something to research. Which is why he’s decided to take a nice long soothing bath to help ease him into the research process. Admittedly, it’s been awhile since he’s had to do anything this extensive.

So, Zoe Price, who are you?

He clicks his laptop on from where it was sitting asleep on his wooden bathtub tray along with his wine glass that was decidedly not red with wine.

He decides to start his search by typing her name into Google- the best way is oftentimes the simplest. He’s almost surprised when he sees the rest of her name pop up in his suggestions when he’s only typed “Zoe P” so far, but then he remembers that if this woman was truly a nobody he probably wouldn’t be writing a profile on her. He clicks down to her name and hits enter and the first thing his eyes are drawn to on the screen is the photo in the corner of a woman with warm eyes and dark hair. She’s not bad to look at, but he doesn’t let himself linger before he moves on to the rest of the webpage.

The first link up is for something called London Bites. Was she some kind of food blogger or something? Sharing recommendations for London’s hidden dining hotspots for tourists and residents alike can all enjoy the best of what the city had to offer? Hm, didn’t seem likely that he’d be assigned a profile on someone that… mundane.

He clicks the link, mentally reminding himself to go back and look through the twitter that had been listed just below on the search page.

At the top of the page is a a black and white photo of London with London Bites across the top in red cursive. Not exactly the vibe he would expect from a food blogger.

As he scrolls down, he sees yet another photo of who he presumes to be Zoe herself if the caption is to be believed.

Zoe Price.

24.

London, UK.

Political Science, B.A.

But in this one her hair is shorter, lighter, and any warmth Harry fleetingly thought she’d had minutes ago is nowhere to be found. She looks more severe in this photo, it’s to be expected when it’s clearly been professionally posed and shot for business purposes, but Harry can’t say he likes the way she looks in it all the same. Not that it matters what he thinks. He’s writing a piece on her and her work, not on… her looks or how friendly she may or may not be.

To the right of her photo is a little blurb that reads:

It can be hard keeping up with all the goings-on in London politics and current events. There’s politicians galore, people with opinions everywhere you turn, and vampires just around the corner. Join Zoe Price every Monday as she interviews guests, debates hot button issues, and provides you with your weekly dose of social and political insight. Whether you want to be a more educated citizen, you want to impress your friends with being up-to-date in all things politically relevant today, or you just like the sound of Zoe’s voice, this is the podcast for you.

Subscribe and listen to London Bites now on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever else you like to stream podcasts.

Below that are little Twitter and Instagram icons which presumably link to Zoe’s own social media. A cursory scroll down also reveals the latest episode of London Bites available to listen, but Harry’s still thinking about her podcast description. “Vampires just around the corner.” He’s already getting the feeling that this piece isn’t going to be all that great of an opportunity as Mr. Turner suggested it would be. The churning in the pit of his stomach only worsens when his eyes focus on the title of her latest podcast episode just under the streaming widget.

Vampires: Friends or Foes

Vampires. Society loves to hate them. Are they really the filthy bloodsucking monsters politicians would have us believe? Probably. But join me as I share my own experiences with vamps and the stories my subscribers have shared. Who knows, maybe the results will surprise you.

It seems pretty obvious now, Zoe Price is no mundane food blogger. Instead she’s a… an antisanguinist? A sympathizer? Well, no definitely not a sympathizer if she says that vampires “probably” are all those vile things people say.

At this point Harry’s not altogether sure what to make of Zoe Price. And he’s not so sure he’s looking forward to figuring it out. Figuring her out.

He swallows down a big gulp of lukewarm blood before he clicks play and closes his eyes, allowing his body to sink deeper into the soothing lavender and chamomile oils that have mixed in with the warm water.

Hi everyone, welcome to London Bites! I’m your host Zoe and today we’ll be getting into what seems to be everyone’s favorite topic to discuss: Vampires. If you’ve been a subscriber for awhile you might remember our episode from a few weeks ago, The Londoners guide to dealing with vamps featuring guest Maggie Sinclair. If you’re new to the podcast don’t fret, you can go back and listen to self defense instructor Maggie Sinclair share all her tips and tricks for handling a vampire situation. I’ve received a lot of messages on social media since then letting me know how helpful you listeners found that episode, so as usual feel free to tell me what you want to hear and maybe it’ll make it into the podcast!

Now onto today’s business. I hope you have a snack and something to drink because today’s episode is gonna be a long one. There’s no guests today. Insert “boooo” sounds here (but not really because who has the budget and skill for that? Not me that’s for sure.

Harry’s ears prick up just the slightest bit at the laugh she lets out at her own self-deprecating joke, but otherwise he remains still and faintly tense as he waits to here what else Zoe has to say.

Today’s show is going to run a little differently than usual, but hey it’s always fun to spice things up once in awhile, right? Instead of a guest joining me, I decided to pose a question to my wonderful followers on Twitter and Instagram. What have your experiences with vampires been like? And bleeding heck you lot had many a story to share!

So without further ado I’ll get right into it. And if you’re asking yourself right now “when is Zoe going to share her own story?” well tha’s a good question and I’ll be sharing at the end so I guess you’ve got to listen to the whole episode to get to it. No one likes a podcast fast forwarder! At least I don’t.

Ah, our first story is from Amy right here in London and she said that she once saw a vampire help an old lady cross the street. Hm, well who’s t’say it even was a vampire. It’s London! The weather is absolute shite if the number of jackets I’ve got in my wardrobe is any indication. Who’s t’say it really was a vampire and not just a human whose mark was covered by his coat. I’ll just put that one down as a… maybe vampire experience.

Harry doesn’t know whether he should scoff at how very human it was for Zoe to bring up those damn marks or seethe at the notion that a vampire helping someone was impossible. Nonetheless, he finds himself rubbing the pad of his thumb over his own cross marking on the skin of his left hand, just as dark and inky black as the day he got it.

He must get lost in his thoughts, thinking back to how it felt to get the mark branded on— the excruciating, his tears as he looked over the doctor’s shoulder to find his mother’s eyes, her own solemn expression— because once Zoe’s voice floats back through his ears, she’s already in the middle of sharing someone else’s story.

We could just let the filthy leech stay in our town, Zoe, and living right by a school no less? Not on our watch. Me and a few of the guys got together and drove the bloodsucker right out. The best part was he didn’t even try to fight back! Can you believe how humiliating? If he wasn’t a disgusting monster I might’ve felt bad for the kid really, but ‘ey he got what he deserved.

Well listeners, what a harrowing account by Joshua in Liverpool. It just goes to show the lengths some vamps will go to concealing their identity and how we as citizens must be vigilant. It was great to hear that none of those children got hurt before Joshua and his friends were able to get rid of that vamp.

Harry’s breathing picks up at that, fast and loud in the quiet of his bathroom. His hands find the edges of his tub and his fingers curl over the porcelain in vice grips. That was- humans call them the monsters but when they do things like that… humans are the deluded monsters in this world.

And this, this Zoe Price. She’s just, well, it doesn’t seem like there’s a question about her being an anti now. The way she talks about vampires… pretending like she’s willing to give everyone a fair shake. Ha! Fat chance at that.

It’s then that he hears her say “it’s truly a godsend that those god forsaken leeches can’t procreate or else we’d truly have a mess on our hands trying to get not just adult vamps but their spawn too.”

He can’t slam his laptop closed fast enough. He wants to scream at all the anger bubbling up from inside his chest. These people, they don’t know anything! Harry’s disgusted at how Zoe’s voice curled around those words, how she said them as if she’s said them before. Most of all, Harry’s angry at the fact that hearing that sentiment isn’t new, far from it really. The fact this his whole life, he’s had to listen to human talk about how vamps shouldn’t have kids, how it was a good thing they couldn’t. Well, he only really started hearing the latter when he grew older, when people forgot, when he moved away from Manchester and nobody knew him or where he came from.

All the same, it makes him sick to hear and he doesn’t know what he’s going to do tomorrow when he’s supposed to call this woman and set up a meeting. He doesn’t know how he’ll stand being on the phone with her let alone seeing her in person.

To stop his thoughts from swirling around in his head, he lets his body sink down until he’s submerged in his bathwater. He lets the silence overtake him and feels his tense muscles relax and his limbs grow heavy. He thinks of his mother and how mad she used to get at him when he did this as a child. He thinks about how warm her body felt as she wrapped him up in a towel and held him close to her chest and whispered how much she loved him in his ear. He thinks about how much he misses her. How now there’s no one here to pull him out of the bath and dry him off. So he stays like that, in the dark and the silence until sleep overtakes him.

---

*This fic would definitely not be written if it wasn’t for the amazing Danie @angelinsheer so thanks binch! And if you’re enjoying this fic just know that Danie’s been a huge help at planning and holding my hand through the entire writing process 😂

#vampire journalist harry #my writing #harry styles fic #harry styles x ofc #fic #**** #text

[shootwedsphotos-blog]

Urban Portrait Shoot Photography Tips

City boulevards, especially during this season, are a bounty of jeweled lights from traffic, shops, and happy knobs. Their shading and a decent piece of sky detail make city areas ideal for urban winter shoots. Emotional mists or the unobtrusive degree of dusk tones make great foundations for winter lights however as the light blurs and your experience turns dark, you can direct your concentration toward the Bokeh impact to truly make your urban work sparkle.

Whenever all over the place, center around your subject from around 10 feet away with a long focal point and a more extensive gap and your experience lights should shine like hued gems in the night.

As it's dull you'll be utilizing a slower screen speed so a tripod or  are a basic thing. Applying a delicate touch to the screen catch and making sure to take your shot when you've breathed out and not while you're holding your breath will likewise lessen camera shake and help you produce a without shake, immaculate picture. A decent focal point is constantly valuable as well and utilizing a focal point with a central length of 70-200mm or above will help guarantee those foundations are out of center and the lights are twinkling.

Photograph by Joshua Waller

When you're set-up and your image's encircled, investigate your white equalization settings. Auto white offset will work with most of these shots however by picking tungsten balance, any encompassing sunlight goes an exquisite rich blue. It likewise guarantees the lights out of sight are shining the shading they're intended to be.

Just as utilizing the Christmas lights, why not utilize alternate lights of the city to make some powerful pictures? Enlightened publicizing can add an intriguing turn to urban pictures thus can reflections. Wet clearing stones, wet landing area and windows are on the whole energizing things to hold reflections. You simply need to figure out how to search for them and join them into your pictures.

On the off chance that you're out to shoot explicitly winter/merry lights then why not design your shoot around a Christmas shopping trip or a visit to a Christmas showcase. There are typically a lot of motivators to wrap up warm, get a brolly and appreciate a thought about wine and the odd sack of simmered chestnuts, all of which make brilliant bubbly roused pictures. You could likewise get a seat by the window in a bistro, request the beverages, at that point fly out onto the road, shoot an edge or two at that point once again into the glow. You can likewise utilize the bistro as a setting for a couple of your shots, utilizing steaming cups of hot cocoa and espresso to add another dimension important to your representations.

#wedding photography in Delhi #candid wedding photography #Delhi Wedding Photography

[sage-nebula]

TWEWY: Final Remix - Thoughts

So, I’ve more or less beaten Final Remix now. I’ve beaten the main story, as well as “A New Day”, and while I still have to play through “Another Day” and get the Secret Reports, I think now is as good a time as any to type up my thoughts.

Since the original story is ten years old and I’ve played it dozens of times, I won’t be discussing the plot of that too much. However, I will discuss “A New Day,” so I’m going to put the rest of this under a cut as well as spoiler tag it just so that no one ends up seeing anything they don’t want to see.

To begin with, Final Remix as a whole.

First, I do think that there are some legitimate criticisms as far as the gameplay goes, and those criticisms stem from the fact that SE clearly ported over the iOS controls instead of building from the ground up to make something that would work with the Switch. While I understand that the Switch doesn’t have dual screen capability, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have implemented the JoyCons in small ways when playing in handheld mode (such as using buttons for the Tin Pin Slammer whammies), or that they couldn’t have found a better way to utilize Neku’s partners rather than treating them as pins. The motion controls when playing in docked mode can be a bit wonky as well, and in particular I personally found Joshua nigh unplayable in that mode. Moreover, there are certain areas where the gameplay is not intuitive at all, where a bit more assistance would have been helpful. Namely, the giant bat boss in Week 1, Day 3 was changed to compensate for the fact that there aren’t two screens, but you are not told what you need to do to launch Shiki to the top screen, so you’re screwed if you don’t figure it out on your own. Likewise, Tigris Cantus was changed to compensate for the lack of two screens, but you’re not told that you have to stand in her shadow to allow your partner to attack her directly during the third phase. These two bosses caused me way more frustration than necessary as a result.

All of that said, though, I do think that a lot of the freaking out I’ve seen about the controls is a bit of an overreaction. The reliance SE had on Solo Remix was a detriment to Final Remix, to be sure, but the controls just take some getting used to. This can be difficult for seasoned TWEWY players such as myself, but with a little bit of practice it’s not that bad (particularly in handheld mode). Even when it comes to Tin Pin---yes, it sucks that you can’t use the buttons for the whammies, but if you know that ahead of time you can train yourself to quickly tap the whammies. Takes some practice, but the original Tin Pin Slammer did as well. You just have to retrain yourself.

Moving on from that, I do think that the majority of the remixes were absolutely fantastic. However, there were some . . . bugs? . . . with the music in certain areas. Such as: When you first meet Shiki, “Deja Vu” starts playing, taking over “Despair”, which rather ruins the mood of the moment considering Neku is still panicking about the Noise that were attacking him. That wasn’t the only place where there was some musical dissonance, but it’s one of the first ones I remember off the top of my head, particularly because it was so jarring I looked up a video of the original DS version of that moment to see if I was right in remembering that it was off (and I was). I’m not exactly sure why SE screwed with the music like that, but I wish they hadn’t. The remixes are great, but we didn’t need which track plays where screwed to that degree. (Though that said, for those who don’t like the remixes, you can switch back to the DS OST at any time in the settings menu. I’m not sure if that fixes the musical dissonance that sometimes occurs or not, but that’s an option. So there’s no real excuse to have “I hate the remixes” as a reason for hating the game when . . . you can disable them.)

Overall, while there are a few minor things here or there that could have been better, I don’t think that any of this is a reason to discourage people from buying this game, particularly when it has been said this is our last shot at a sequel. These are all petty, minor inconveniences---they’re not enough to ruin the experience, in my opinion, particularly for a brand new fan who won’t be blinded or have their opinion marred by nostalgia.

All of that said . . . “A New Day”. Oh boy. 

I think the biggest weakness of “A New Day” is that it was too short, and left way too many things unanswered. This is obviously to leave room for the sequel (which we now have a reason for; there was no room for a sequel before, but now there definitely is), but at the same time it’s also a little frustrating, especially considering the very good chance that we won’t get a sequel due to it not selling well enough in Japan (which is Nintendo’s own fault, by the by, because I was actually in Shibuya this past August and I saw no advertising for it anywhere---literally, I passed by Tower Records and I heard Splatoon 2 music playing, but I didn’t hear a single note of TWEWY music, wth), and people in the western fandom telling curious people to buy the DS original or iOS ports instead. The idea that we might not get any answers to any of the questions raised (and that Neku might just stay dead forever, I guess) is really frustrating to me, but I guess in Nomura’s defense he couldn’t have planned for that, so. It is what it is.

Nonetheless, there are a lot of questions raised. Why was Shinjuku erased? Is it erased for good? How is that affecting Shinjuku in the RG? How are Noise appearing in the RG in the first place? (I actually wrote a fic where that happened once, though I only got about two chapters in with it.) I can say that I’m not at all surprised that Coco is actually a Shinjuku Reaper. I always felt that she didn’t really fit with Shibuya at all, ever since the iOS port first came out and I first saw her. She just doesn’t look like a Shibuya Reaper, you know? But she does look very Shinjuku. I can’t really explain it, but the fashion and vibe in Shibuya is just different from Shinjuku, particularly since Shinjuku (contrary to what is said in TWEWY) is actually the high class fashion center of Tokyo. Like, Shibuya is filled with teenagers and all that, but Shinjuku is where you go if you want expensive fashion. So while I’m not saying that Coco’s outfit looks very expensive, I am saying that the fact that her fashion is so different from what we see in Shibuya in TWEWY definitely makes the fact that she originates from Shinjuku make so much more sense. I’m really glad that was clarified in “A New Day”. But that said, that doesn’t explain how she got to Shibuya’s UG to begin with (particularly since I thought that Reapers couldn’t travel between the different UGs), nor does it explain how she can summon a Noise big enough to swallow a city, or create illusions like she did, or use the Taboo Noise refinery to revive Minamimoto . . . there are too many questions here. Way too many questions, and we don’t have answers for any of them.

That said, although I do feel that it was too short, and though I feel that scrambling the map was done less because it made sense for Coco to do that, and more because they wanted to create some artificial length (because if you don’t know how to get to each location, you’re going to spend way more time randomly running around than you otherwise would), I did still enjoy it. The highlights for me were:

Seeing development in Neku’s relationships: Right off the bat, Beat was ready to form a pact with Neku again, and Neku was ready to do the same with Beat. They didn’t even question it, despite how they (understandably) questioned everything else. Not only that, but Beat screamed and reached for Neku when Neku was shot again right in front of him, and I can only imagine how devastated Beat must be right about now. If he didn’t need some therapy after the Game (and he did---they all did), he definitely needs some after seeing his best friend be murdered right in front of him. Then there’s Neku’s relationship with Shiki. One of my favorite parts is when he saw her in Eri’s body again, and his immediate reaction was, “No, that’s not Shiki. That’s not what she really looks like.” I made a post about it before, but one of the best things about Neku’s relationship with Shiki---one of the things that makes it amazing---is the fact that Neku doesn’t truly warm up to her until she drops the Eri act and starts acting like herself. Neku was never impressed by Eri’s looks, and he certainly isn’t impressed by her bubbly attitude; if anything, that annoys him. But Neku cherishes and loves (whether you see it as platonic or romantic) the real Shiki. And so the disappointment he showed when he saw her in Eri’s body---the fact that he doesn’t want this “fake” Shiki, he wants his Shiki, the real Shiki---was extremely heartwarming. I also loved how casually he agreed to go with her to pick up some thread to repair Mr Mew at the end. You know that’s an errand that has nothing at all to do with him, but he just wants to spend some time with her. That’s really cute. ♥ We didn’t get to see very much of it, but I liked what we saw of Neku’s relationship with Joshua as well. I always found it odd (and perhaps a little forced) that Neku said he trusted Joshua at the end of the game. Joshua is someone who repeatedly lied to, used, and murdered Neku. Whatever his reasons for it, Joshua has made it abundantly clear time and again that he will put his own motivations above Neku’s well-being, and he will not feel sorry for it. So while I of course understand Neku not forgiving Josh, I could never understand Neku trusting him despite that lack of forgiveness. If anything, I thought it should be the other way around, that perhaps Neku would forgive him after understanding where he was coming from, but would still not trust him. Either way, I was glad to see in “A New Day” that Neku doesn’t quite trust Joshua as much as he claimed. When he realized that Joshua would likely have some explanation about what was going on, he chased him down. He refused to back down at first, not believing that “Yoshiya” wasn’t playing him. When he had a vision of Joshua potentially shooting him, he thought of that as a very real possibility. All of this points to the fact that it’s less that Neku does trust Joshua, and more that he wants to, and that he’s still feeling pretty conflicted over it. Which, all things considered, is extremely understandable and IC. Finally, Neku’s relationship with Hanekoma has always been one of my favorites, and I was so happy about the little glimpses we witnessed here. I used to write fics where Neku saw Hanekoma as a father-figure (without explicitly saying as much), and where Hanekoma basically adopted him, so I honestly felt like this part of “A New Day” was written for me, haha. The bit where Coco started insisting that Hanekoma was untrustworthy, and Neku turned away from her (as he often does with those who annoy him) and insisted that he trusted Hanekoma more than anyone warmed my heart. Hanekoma, despite Coco’s interference, doing his best to help Neku and get him to WildKat, warmed my heart. And at the very end, where Hanekoma asked “What about Neku?” because he knew Neku’s fate? That, too, warmed my heart. We all know that Hanekoma, at the very least, does hold affection for Neku given the final Secret Report of the original game (“I am glad to have had the chance to meet you”), and I”m glad to see that carried over here as well. Hanekoma is worried about him, and I really want a sequel to see what, exactly, Hanekoma does to help him out of this situation he’s now going to find himself in. (Playing the Game again . . . this time with Pi-Face as his partner . . . RIP, Neku.)

Joshua’s characterization was deliciously on-point. I know that so many people disagree with me on this one, and that’s fine. Everyone can have whatever opinions they want. But from what little we saw of Joshua there at the end, I felt that he was 100% IC---and given how much Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance butchered his characterization, this was so, so refreshing. The thing about Joshua, which I noted above, is that he’s not a sentimental person. He’s a pragmatist. He sees the bigger picture and he puts his own motivations and goals above the well-being of others. Joshua is a person who murdered a teenage boy in cold blood twice, a smile on his face in each time, because he wanted to use said teenage boy as a pawn in a game of life or death. Joshua is a person who was willing to erase an entire town because he felt the citizens weren’t living up to their potential. Joshua is a person who isn’t merciless, and he’s not evil or cruel, but he does believe the ends justify the means and he has little patience for those who would whine about it. He originally chose Neku because Neku was the epitome of everything Joshua hated about Shibuya, the absolute worst person that Joshua could find (that also had suitable Imagination), and though Neku’s development and growth as a person changed Joshua’s mind about erasing Shibuya, that doesn’t mean that he grew attached to Neku on a personal level the same way that Hanekoma did. I know that many people took the Secret Ending of the original game to imply that he was emo about not joining Neku and the others, but I just rewatched it and, honestly, nothing gave me that implication. If anything, it’s vague enough so that you can interpret either way (that he’s either upset about not joining them, or that he feels they’re wasting their time---because after all, Hanekoma says, “Hey, it’s their world. They can decide what to do with it”), but I’ve personally always felt that the “Joshua is a lonely sad boy who just wants to be friends” was more wishful thinking on the part of the fandom versus what we actually see in Joshua’s characterization. Moreover, even if part of Joshua does care about Neku to some degree and wants to be friends with him and others (and again, that’s part of him), he’s still going to value the bigger picture over Neku as an individual. If Neku has to die again to get the job done, so be it. If Neku isn’t necessary for what Joshua has to do and ends up dying as collateral damage, so be it. He might not be exactly happy about it, but ultimately Joshua is here to play the long game, and Neku might not factor into that. In fact, judging by his “I don’t need him anymore” comment at the end of “A New Day” (which makes sense, because since Joshua’s Game with Megumi is no longer running, he has no reason to restrict himself to the RG and thus does not need a proxy to play for him), I’d say Neku doesn’t.  Either way, I was really, really glad to see his proper characterization return. As I said, I felt that he was terribly OoC in KH:DDD, which actually led to me returning the game halfway through because it pissed me off so much, haha. Joshua is one of the most complex, fascinating characters I’ve ever seen in a JRPG, particularly with how he wasn’t swayed and won over by The Power of Friendship™ there at the end, and I was delighted to see that return. All in all, if you really want to know how I view Neku and Joshua’s relationship post-Game, here’s a fic I wrote a few years ago of the two of them interacting, featuring Neku’s lingering trust issues, lingering anger over what Joshua did to him, and Joshua’s lack of patience for what he sees as Neku’s pity party and inability to see the bigger picture. (Oh, and also Joshua teasing Neku and needling him to piss him off on purpose. Irritating Neku will never stop being one of Joshua’s favorite pastimes.) 

Neku’s Imagination giving him additional ESP. Because what were those premonitions if not ESP? Of course, all the Players are espers to some degree, but Neku had the highest Imagination of them all, which is part of why Joshua chose him as his proxy. We been knew about this for ages, but seeing Neku have premonitions of the future---even if they were partially given to him by Hype-chan---was still very cool. Considering that Noise are not appearing in the RG as well (RIP to weebers girl), I wonder if his premonitions will continue in the next game, should we ever get it. Oh, and speaking of---Shiki mentioned having a feeling that something awful was going to happen right after (or before?) she noticed the tear in Mr Mew’s seam. While that’s not as strong of a premonition as what Neku experienced, it’s still extrasensory perception, and I like that she got some of that as well, that it wasn’t just Neku being the most special boy as per usual. Because after all, as I said, they’re all espers to some degree.

The foreshadowing that Coco was controlling everything was also on point. Aside from the fact that she looked so out of place and her insistence on going along with Neku and Beat was odd, the fact that Fake Shiki and Fake Rhyme changed their behavior just so to match with the feedback that Coco got from Neku and Beat was subtle, but juuuust enough for a perceptive player to catch, and I really enjoyed that. (For instance, after Neku mentioned that “Rhyme” was acting awfully distant toward her brother, Fake Rhyme started calling Beat “big bro.” There’s also the fact that Kariya and Uzuki’s personalities were swapped, and that Coco said “isn’t this how they are?” meaning that her information about them was second-hand . . . and another point to the fact that she was the one behind everything. Oh, and the fact that Coco doesn’t know what Shiki really looks like, and thus Fake Shiki looked like Eri . . . and Coco wouldn’t have known Shiki’s true motivation for her entry fee, hence the “I forgot,” and so on.)

All of that said, aspects that I didn’t enjoy (length and cliffhanger aside) as much were . . .

Fridging both Shiki and Rhyme (or, well, their fake selves) was unnecessary. In all honesty, as much as I love Beat and his friendship with Neku, I think that “A New Day” was a wasted opportunity to not have Neku partner with Rhyme. We never got to know what her play style was in the original game, and she’s the only one of Neku’s new friends that he never got to partner with. She’s just as capable of a Player as any of the rest of them (arguably more so given how clever she’s shown to be despite her age), and we barely got to see her personality or characterization in the original game due to how early on she got erased. Although “A New Day” was short, I would have really liked to partner with Rhyme for it, to see how she and Neku interact on their own, and to see what kind of play style she brings to the table. I’ve always headcanoned that she used psychs outright like Neku (i.e. a variety of pins), but I wonder what Nomura always envisioned for her. I would have liked to see that. Aside from which, not only did we already go through Beat’s despair over having Rhyme erased in the main story (which means that going through it again here was a re-tread of what we literally just got done seeing), but I also felt that both his and Neku’s reactions were . . . extremely underwhelming. Beat cried and attacked the shark, but otherwise he got over Rhyme being erased a second time pretty quickly. As for Neku, he goes from shouting, “Don’t you touch her!” at Beat at the end of the third week in the Game when Beat goes to knock out possessed!Shiki to just sort of . . . accepting that Shiki was erased without really caring in “A New Day”. There wasn’t even really any drama about it at all, despite how she was his primary motivation for fighting during weeks two and three. So not only were they erased for the sake of manpain, but they were erased for the sake of manpain that was barely explored, at that, especially since Neku and Beat thought this was real at the time and thus had no real reason to get over it so quickly. (And I mean, I get that Coco had that happen because she didn’t want Neku and Beat to figure out that Shiki and Rhyme weren’t real, which they were pretty close to doing, but still. Doesn’t change the fact that it felt unnecessary for the most part.) And honestly, I’m really not kidding about the wasted opportunity re: Rhyme. I would have loved to have partnered with her. Why we couldn’t have that instead I’ll never understand. (I mean, in-universe I suppose that Coco might have chosen Beat because he is notoriously stupid, but like . . . come on. Let us partner with Rhyme, SE! We’re not asking for a lot, here!!)

The whole bit with “Yoshiya” wasn’t explained and felt out of place. As much as I loved Joshua’s characterization, Yoshiya is another story. The over-the-top stuttering was bad enough, but there’s also no real explanation for why he behaved this way. At first I thought that perhaps this was a time travel plot and that this was how Joshua was before he died and ended up becoming Composer, but not only was that not the case, we have no explanation for why this did happen at all. Why would Coco believe Joshua acted like that? What reason did she have for thinking that? He was so far out of character that, looking back, it’s really jarring. (Still, I’ll take Yoshiya over KH3D “Joshua”, so that should tell you something about how I feel about KH3D.)

We never got a real name for Hype-chan. It’s been all these years and we still have nothing to call her but “Hype-chan,” smfh. But no, really, what’s her name? What’s her story? I want to know and yet I may never find out. This kills the Scrawlers.

All in all I did enjoy it, missed opportunities and raised questions aside, and I really want the sequel. Here’s hoping we manage to squeak enough sales to get it. It would be nice. (Especially since the fact that the sequel would likely be made especially for Switch should mean that the control issues would be smoothed out. One can only hope.)

#the world ends with you #twewy #twewy spoilers #the world ends with you spoilers #scrawlers plays the reapers game

[thearcaneescape]

Chapter 1

It was a long time coming, but breaking up with Joshua was the most cathartic experience in Hoseok’s life. Granted he’d gone to cloud nine when he got his dream job, but this was a feeling of absolute content. What he wasn’t expecting, however, was finding himself in a gay club in Soho called The Arcane Escape.

“First time here?”

Hoseok jumped at the voice that came from behind the bar. The club was oddly muted, a very 1940’s aesthetic in place. The bartender was no older than 21, with a strong jaw and nose, dark brows visible with his slicked-back hair, a single strand curling coquettishly on his forehead. Like Superman.

“Ah, yeah. Just got out of a dead-end relationship and some friends told me this club was cool.” He looked around once more, eyes falling on one of the waiters (waitresses?). “It’s a cool concept for a gay club.”

The bartender chuckled, making Hoseok turn around to catch a glimpse of the young man’s bunny teeth. “Yeah, you can thank Sugar for that one. She owns the club.”

“You didn’t tell me we had new patrons in, Jungkook!” A soothingly nasal voice floated over to where Hoseok and the bartender (Jungkook, as Hoseok now knew) were. A tall queen with long black hair in a shoulder-length, wavy bob, plush ruby lips and broad shoulders sauntered over, wearing a red backless dress with little ruffled sleeves that covered her shoulders, a white feather boa draped in her arms.

“That’s cuz he just got here, Jeannie.” Jungkook raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk playing on his thin lips. “Interesting choice of outfit. Not performing tonight?”

Jeannie shrugged gracefully, ruby lips pouted and eyelids fluttering closed. “Gigi wasn’t here last week, as you know, so I gave her my shows for the week. I gotta say, she looks lovely in her choice of corsetry tonight.” When Jungkook cleared his throat and muttered something about getting another bottle of Jack, she blew a kiss at him and then turned her attention to Hoseok, who blushed red in turn. “Now, what’s your name, darling?”

“Hoseok.” He blurted out, feeling his face burn red. Jeannie smiled, gently, cooing softly at his blushing.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hoseok.”

Hoseok quickly found out quite a bit about Jeannie. His real name was Seokjin, and during the day he worked at a cafe near the bar, a well-known place called L’Eto. Hoseok also learned that he got his name from I Dream of Jeannie, because it sounded enough like his nickname and also because he loved the pun on the word “genie”. Apparently he loved puns in general. (“I couldn’t love them in captain, it’s not a high enough rank!”)

Suddenly the lights dimmed and a tall queen, taller than Jeannie, walked onstage, wearing a gloriously pink silk robe, pink heels and a long wavy blonde wig. She had the true definition of bedroom eyes, with glossy pink lips and smokey eyeshadow.

“Good evening, ladies, gentlemen and all those in between or outside the norm. My name is Sugar, and as always, I am thrilled to have you here at my establishment. The cabaret will begin shortly, and I hope you all have a lovely time.” She winked at the crowd with a thick falsie and sauntered offstage.

The first few queens were quietly insulted by Jeannie as their acts went by, ranging from “absolute bitch” to “she didn’t laugh at my joke the other day”. When a shorter, curvier queen got on stage, however, the beauty sitting next to Hoseok at the table he’d guided him to slapped his arm in excitement.

“That’s Gigi! She’s in a relationship with Victoria.”

Gigi was an absolute beauty, softer and more delicate than Jeannie, but she had an aura of raw sensuality about her, even with her angelic face. Full, dark burgundy lips, similar to Jeannie’s but poutier, sleepy eyes and golden skin, the pink wig on her head carefully styled in tight waves pinned back with delicate hair pins with glittering pink crystals and pearls like a 1920’s flapper. The robe she was wearing was reminiscent of what Sugar had walked onstage with, but much more sheer, giving a glimpse of the glittering pink bustier, corset and panties she was wearing. She started dancing, sending small winks and smiles at the audience, walking up and down the stage as she lip-synced to Marilyn Monroe’s Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend, but the voice was just a bit different to what Hoseok thought Marilyn Monroe sounded like.

“Oh, Gigi and I are two of the only three queens who sing live. Victoria does a great Mae West impression as well.” Jeannie piped up, catching Hoseok’s small frown. When he turned to look at him with an astounded look on his face, the drag queen laughed, a sound not unlike a windshield wiper. “You look equal parts surprised and offended. Victoria always goes after Gigi, so you’ll see what I mean.”

During that short conversation, Gigi had shed her robe, and the crystal-studded lingerie glittered in the lights that shone onstage, dainty fingers grazing over stockinged thighs, the edge of the thigh-highs digging into the flesh of her thick and powerful legs. The robe had also been covering the odd skirt that connected to the corset, like a midi skirt but without a front, exposing the panties she had on but covering her butt. It swayed from side to side, giving a sneak peek at the backside that went with powerful thighs. Small hands picked at the corset slowly as the song reached its end, and the corset was pulled off, showing the panties and the silk garter keeping the stockings up, and when Gigi turned around to finish the song with a wink over her shoulder, Hoseok’s face burned red. The clapping was uproarious, and the mic taped to Gigi’s chest caught her giggles and the breathy thank you before she skipped offstage. Jeannie was laughing and he motioned for Hoseok to turn around and look at Jungkook, who was burning red. The lights dimmed and a low sultry beat started, deep bass and drums, a snapping of fingers before the lights turned on, tinted red and sensual. The queen standing onstage was tall and willowy, like an Alphonse Mucha painting in a floor-length see-through gown covered with glittering red and black crystals, various pieces of jewellery dripping from her neck and arms, a red crystal and gold diadem in her delicately curled blonde wig. The crystals that gathered at the chest fell over and narrowed into a long winding snake that very much resembled the Gucci snake and covered her crotch. She looked expensive and refined, like a fine wine that was only opened for royalty. And then she started singing.

“Holy shit.” Hoseok felt chills go down his spine as Victoria sang her own rendition of Peggy Lee’s Fever. Her voice was beautifully deep, sultry and smooth, and Hoseok could just melt into it.

“Isn’t she great?” Jeannie was smiling proudly, leaning his chin delicately on his hand, taking care not to smudge his foundation. As if sensing Jeannie’s praise, Victoria chuckled and smiled proudly at the audience during a break in the song. It was a boxy smile, not entirely unattractive, but charming in a different way to her aura as she sang.

At that moment, Jeannie turned to look at Hoseok. “I know she smiles like fucking Valentina, but she’s much nicer I swear.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea who that is.” Hoseok frowned in confusion, trying to rake his mind through all the names Jeannie had mentioned in his ramblings.

“Oh, she doesn’t work here. She was in RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she just rubbed me the wrong way. Victoria doesn’t appreciate that people tell her her smile is like that little bitch’s smile.” Jeannie whispered conspiratorially at Hoseok, but then sighed when he spotted someone approaching the table. “Aaah, they heard me. I love them, but sometimes…”

“Who’s “they”?” Hoseok asked, but his question was quickly answered when a tall young person with purple hair slicked back into a tight ponytail, wavy tresses cascading down their back slid into the seat next to Jeannie.

“No, Joon.”

The young person opened their mouth and then closed it, pouting slightly. “Why?”

“Because I heard you rant about this this morning. I am not letting you subject a potential friend to your political rants so early in the relationship.”

“Joon” crossed their arms over their chest, pursing thick lips in thought. Hoseok could feel a sense of domesticity between “Joon” and Jeannie, warm and loving.

“So, Joon, this is Hoseok. Hoseok, this is my amazingly smart, yet loose-lipped, partner, Joon.” Jeannie motioned gracefully between each of the other occupants sitting either side of him.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Joon’s voice was deep, comforting in a different way to Victoria’s, and the smile that they gave Hoseok was warm and dimpled.

“Yeah, same.” Hoseok grinned, bright and genuine, the last few notes of the song dying off as Victoria walked offstage, mic in hand and still singing. Joon stood up, tugging on their tie, a grey and black striped number that went well with the pinstripe vest and trousers. They looked like a very progressive mobster.

“I’m gonna get changed. It’s almost closing time.”

Jeannie nodded, stretching his arms in front of himself before standing up as well. Joon gave him a kiss on the cheek before they made their way behind the bar.

“Do you want to go meet the other queens?”

Most of the other queens had already left, leaving Victoria and Gigi gossiping and wiping off their makeup alone. Jeannie threw open the door to the backstage dramatically, also throwing the feather boa onto one of the chairs nearby.

“I bring a new potential friend!” He sang out, pulling out the pin that held the wig’s bangs in place.

“Oooh!” Gigi shot up from her seat, pink wig still styled in the same delicate finger waves, all the pins removed from it. Victoria had lost her wig, grey-brown hair tousled and feathery. Hoseok raised his hand in greeting as Jeannie disappeared behind a screen, the sound of a zipper and then a soft groan of relief floating out from behind it. Victoria and Gigi were out of their clothes, the bedazzled items hanging on their respective mannequins.

“Hi! I’m Jimin.” Gigi, or Jimin, outstretched his hand, fake nails now easily discernible. They were the same shade of pink as the lingerie set, almond-shaped and studded with rhinestones. Hoseok shook his small hand gently, trying hard not to coo at how cute they were.

“I’m Hoseok. It’s nice to meet you. Your set was one of my favourites.”

Jimin giggled, a faint blush appearing on his round cheeks. Victoria also stepped forwards, giving Hoseok a more adorable version of the boxy smile he’d seen before.

“I’m Taehyung.” He also outstretched a hand, and Hoseok also took note of the difference in styles as he shook it. Taehyung’s hands were large, with slender fingers and painted-red fingernails that matched the dress.

“Oh, man, your set was absolutely stunning, man.” Hoseok blurted out, excitement running through his body. “Everything just went together so well, and your dress is unbelievable.”

Taehyung chuckled, his nose scrunching up as he smiled and did a little happy dance. “Thank you so much! Me and Jimin make all of our outfits, so that’s high praise.”

Hoseok would’ve choked on his spit if Joon hadn’t walked in and patted him on the back.

“Jin, are you ready?”

“I just need to clean my face and then I’ll be done!” Seokjin’s voice came out from behind the screen and the man himself soon followed, pitch-black hair free of the wig. He was wearing a pink hoodie and black jeans, the hoodie's sleeves falling past his fingers.

“Oh! Thanks for giving me the shows, Jinnie. Uni was just hell last week.” Jimin said, carding a comb through his hair, which wasn’t a wig like Hoseok thought. The thin-toothed comb scraped through the layers of gel needed to keep the finger waves intact. “To be perfectly honest,” He grunted when the comb caught on a piece of gelled hair. “I would much rather rip my hair out doing this than write a 10,000 word essay for a class I fucking hate.”

“I hear ya.” Joon muttered, walking past Hoseok to help Jin pack up. The suit was gone, replaced by a knee-length black skirt and a grey shirt, purple hair loose from the hairband and falling to the left of their face. They had black knee socks on and ratty-looking black trainers on their feet. “I miss the essays, though.”

“Can you write my dissertation, then?” Taehyung piped up, a mischievous smile on his face. Hoseok laughed with Jimin and Joon when Jin mock-gasped and went on a short spiel about how even though his partner had a genius-level IQ they couldn’t use them for writing dissertations.

“You’re a fashion student, Tae. Joon was a music student.” Jimin piped up, hair finally free from most of the gel, some parts frizzy and fluffy. He tugged on a beanie to keep his hair hidden and rested his chin on the taller man’s shoulder, having to stand on his tiptoes to reach it. “I can help you with your essay.”

“You don’t know anything about fashion history, though.” Tae muttered as he grabbed Jimin’s arms and brought them to wrap around his waist, making him giggle. “It’s like me helping you with your dance routine.”

Hoseok perked up at that, turning his eyes towards the other couple. “You’re a dancer?”

Jimin nodded, pouting cutely. “Yeah. I need a partner for this project but all of the other people in my course have already grouped up.”

“I work in a dance studio. Do you have to work with a classmate?”

Jimin shook his head, eyes turning into crescents when he smiled. “Nope! When do you want to meet?”

“My schedule is Wednesdays and Fridays from 1pm to 3pm. Anytime after that would be great. Jay lets me stay in my area of the studio after hours.”

With a squeal, Jimin untangled himself from Taehyung and bounced over to Hoseok, pulling out his phone. “Here, put in your number and I’ll text you when I can go to the studio.”

Hoseok started typing in his number when another presence made itself known. Jungkook barreled in, out of his spiffy suit and in all black, a skin-tight black turtleneck under a black leather jacket, black jeans cinched tight around his tiny waist with a black belt, a few rips and tears in the fabric showing strips of light brown skin and the dips of powerful muscles. On his feet were well-worn black Timberlands, some of the leather scratched grey and faded.

“Anyone need a ride home?” He had a backpack hanging loosely from his hand, looking like a goddamn model and making Hoseok pause as he typed the last digits of his number.

“Me and Joon are going to dinner, and we live like two blocks down from here.” Jin finished swiping some moisturiser under his eyes, and then leaned down to grab his own bag from underneath his station.

“We’re taking the Tube. I don’t trust you driving.” Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jimin and picked him up, making him squeal. Hoseok jerked himself out of his handsome-man-induced stupor and finished typing in his number before handing Jimin back his phone.

“How about you drive Hoseok to his place? You’re the only one he hasn’t talked to properly.” Joon finished clumping up their hair into a messy bun, piercing-covered ears on show. “Don’t be shy, Kook.”

Hoseok gave Jungkook a tentative smile and the younger shrugged, smiling wide and bright, again giving Hoseok a look at those adorable bunny teeth. There was some shyness there, but there was also something that seemed like a desire to impress.

“Alright then.” He lugged the backpack up to his shoulder, walking out of the dressing room in two long strides.

“Ah, Hoseok, before you go, let me give you my number if you ever want to come over to my and Joon’s place for a meal.” Jin rattled off a series of numbers to Hoseok, who typed them down quick and easy.

“It was great meeting all of you!” Hoseok waved his goodbye with a big grin and ran after Jungkook. He’d forgotten how much he liked making new friends.

#bts fanfiction #namjin #vmin

[midnightshowing-acm420-fall2019]

Week 16 - Alex - Dénouement

--- Opening Thoughts:

Here we reach the end of the story of this project; the final knot, which took so many threads to tie, yet seemed not long ago to be little more than a tangled mess.  This week, our group achieved more than what seemed achievable, given the time constrains and pressure. And although so much could have gone wrong, this was truly a very ‘right’ conclusion to an epic semester-long project. I’m so very, very thankful, and proud, of each and every member of our our group - without whom this film would never have been possible. And I’m honored to have been a part of what may very well be one of the finest films produced here in ACM Animation since its inception. I also would like to give a huge thanks to all the colorists who made the production pipeline go so much smoother and faster - sacrificing their own time and effort to be a part of something amazing! I also would like congratulate our terrific voice actor Justin Bendo, for his incredible work as the voice of Angel. And to our composer Joshua Namba, who breathed life and vigor into our film through his music.

--- Weekly Deliverables

For my work this past week, a lot has happened, as most of our group can probably agree to. It’s difficult to bring to memory every individual thing, but the core tasks were these: Coloring Sq13s6, a shot I originally roughed for. Although the final version would go on to have some major alterations to Angel, I’m happy to see it least one rough of Phantom I did pretty much stuck all the way to final:

Colored Sq13s16; took a heck of a long time even using pre-programmed inputs for the coloring process. But it turned out good, and due to me needing to use base layers for the characters, Gavin came up with an interesting blending mode for the Old Man which we can see in the final film:

For the next two shots I finished line from last week, plus color and shading for this week. They turned out pretty good I’d say:

We ran into some technical issues when it came to rendering out certain files, and one in particular that comes to mind is Sq9s16, as imaged below.

I don’t know how it was possible to even work on a file this large on Photoshop, with the hardware we have. It was so big that most of our group’s computers couldn’t even open it. Mine struggled big time to load it, let alone render it as an uncompressed .mov. I had to clear almost all my ram, and even then it crashed before finally managing to render it, which only took around 10 minutes (for one shot mind you,) and then uploading it which took a solid three and a half hours. 

This one file almost stopped our whole production. It was amazing, kind of hilarious, and a bit scary, but we managed to pull through. I added a clipping mask to the fire’s lineart to make it orange.

The next thing which ate up a lot of time and energy this week was sound. Basically, I expected have sound done in maybe 5 or 6 hours over the weekend. Turned out it required almost two full days to finalize. Me and Gavin met up to discuss corrections and adjustments, and after some last minute feedback, all the retiming work was done, and we got an incredible audio track. Even though it was a heavy tax on my very tight finals week schedule, I think having those two days to work on it really raised the fluidity and creativity to provide something almost of a remaster to the animatic audio track we’ve been using up to this point. The premiere file itself is kind of a convoluted mess:

Nevertheless, it gets the job done, and taught me a whole lot about sound editing and design over the course of the semester (except organizational skills.)

--- Last Reflections

This semester has been such a momentous one for so many reasons. If 320 taught me “how to work on animation,” then 420 taught me how to work on animation for real. The jump is so tangible, not necessarily in a “workload” sense (although that may be part of it) but more so as an appreciation for the art of animation itself as a collaborative medium, and a visually exploratory one.  I am much more aware now of every element that goes into a piece of work, and I think I can see the great value in attempting to discerning the purpose behind everything we see in Animation, as with any art piece. While it was easy to get away with seemingly arbitrary choices of shape, color, motion and such in the past, it has become especially necessary now to be deliberate in making choice, since the workload falls on someone else’s shoulders.

- Adjustments to the Process in the Future:

Not all of this is necessarily in my control, nor should this be held against anyone or any part of the film making process here, since after all we’re learning and exploring how to work in teams with new techniques. That being said, one thing I would aim to sharpen in the future is the pre-production estimates of workload times/levels, as well as the overall film length. I think I speak for most of us when I say that the film’s scope grew a lot over the course of the semester. And I’m not saying having a large or ambitious idea is bad - that’s my favorite kind of project! But it can become a bit of an issue when it grows to such a scope that we are having to recruit outside helpers and dedicate most or all of the 24 hours we have in a day to be able to manage finishing on time. Basically, just have a more rigid plan from the start, and be very cautious towards anything that adds unnecessary levels of complexity. That’s something that can be addressed at the animatic stage. Beyond that, being more cautious with the estimates of time and energy requirements per shot would help. I noticed that some (or maybe most) of the shots required quite a bit more time than originally intended to be roughed, lined, colored, and shaded. That’s not taking into consideration all the revisions they may go through as they are reviewed, given feedback, and trade hands between group members. Production schedule-wise, it’s much better to undershoot I think, and have a lot of extra time to hammer out details, maybe refine shots, and properly apply feedback versus feeling the dread of being behind schedule and cutting years from your life due to the amount of sleep lost to try and catch up. A general rule of thumb is that specificity helps. Despite how meticulously we planned, we would still occasionally run into issues such as what color a prop might be, or how the shading might change between environments. Or another example might be how a character’s physical attributes such as stretchiness might change or remain consistent throughout the film. Although these were minor things that got addressed in the end, baring those details in mind in the future would be of great help I think.

- Words of Advice to Future 420 Students

You have three options: either become a cyborg, learn to hate sleep, or adapt to being powered by copious amounts of coffee every day. As for me, I took something from all three of those this semester. Joking aside, these are some general pointers I would give to incoming 420 students: -Choose your story and teammates carefully: This semester can be as fun (or unfun) as you make it to be. No matter what though, the people you have at your side are the people you’re stuck with. Hopefully by this point in the major you would be familiar with your teammates and their individual strengths and quirks, so if you’re having trouble picking a team in the beginning, go with the people you feel are the most self-determined, hard working, and whom you can adapt to their mold (not necessarily vice versa.) If you hate your team, you will hate your semester. But if you love your team, it doesn’t matter how tough the work gets, because you can still come to class with a smile (a very dead inside smile.)

-Come in with a strong concept: Even if your idea doesn’t get picked, being able to receive other people’s ideas and represent them faithfully is vital to the overall success of the production. The better you understand the idea you are working on, the better prepared you will be to make it a reality. Also, simple designs and ideas tend to get picked more often. Keep that in mind when developing your idea.

-Diversity is a strength: Having a broad skillset on your crew is incredibly important. Ideally, everyone can functionally perform any given task on the production. But having specialists assigned certain specific tasks is very helpful. It serves to balance the workload more or less equally among members based on their strengths, and the result is a product where you have good work reflected in all aspects of the film.

-Be prepared to change your schedule: Unless your group’s idea is ridiculously simple, chances are you will be losing sleep, possible questioning your choice of major, and being forced to change both when and how you are available to people and things you care about in the world outside the borders of your computer screen. It is not a joke to say that this course can affect your health, your diet, and maybe even the way you view other people - or even yourself! If done properly, this class should challenge you in the way you live and handle work. It should force you to adapt to an animator’s lifestyle. Not that you need to forsake life to be an animator necessarily, but to give you a taste of what the industry may demand of you through certain seasons of life.

-Be able to take a joke: By the end of the project, you’re going to be throwing shots at each other left and right. It is a crazy, whacky time - and you may find yourself forgetting this is all for a school project. Learn to enjoy acknowledging your own weaknesses, and have fun pointing out the flaws in others, when its appropriate. This makes the experience not only more enjoyable, but in a strange, ironic way it makes us become comfortable with our shortcomings, and enables/pushes each other to genuinely improve our skills, and ultimately create a better product.

-Communication is key: You need to keep up with your group. Period. If you are our of the loop for even a day, it can throw things off big time. Setup a chat group via text, setup a Discord server, or find some other means to talk to one another that is reliable. Even if you don’t always feel like chatting, just be ready when somebody needs you (which will happen quite a lot.) Also, having a system of file sharing such as Google Drive is indispensable. You may find yourself keeping certain tabs open and rarely closing them, just to check for updates and be able to send/receive files when you need them. 

-Practice makes perfect: I don’t care how good or bad you think you are at animating up till this point; if you do your best in this class, you will grow. You may find yourself drawing in a different art style than you’re used to, and implementing work methods and software that you’ve never used before. And that’s wonderful! Be open to experimenting and exploring new styles of work. I’ve found that is a big part of what makes animation enjoyable and inexhaustible. Just when you feel like you’re set in your ways, the moment you step into something new, it’s a whole other world, and you just might find something you like about it.That opens the door to not only other ways of being creative, but on a practical level, makes you a much more viable component to a team when being considered for hiring. Don’t let the early hardships bog you down; with time and practice, there’s nothing you can’t do. -- Well that pretty much wraps up this last blog post and the semester for 420. The experience has been life altering, no joke. I have no regrets, and I’m so thankful to have had the chance to work so closely with everyone. In my experience, this class has been the difference between being an animation student and becoming a professional animator. Even though it was as a real challenge emotionally and physically, I would take the class again if I could, and I very much look forward to working with you all - my fellow animators - in our continuing classes, as well as our careers beyond. You all have been my family here while I’ve been without one since moving all the way out here for school.

Thanks to Brittany for teaching our wonderful class! And to everyone who has fought through this semester together and made it something special, right up until the very end. Until next time my friends, this is the Undercover Animator signing out.

#midnightshowing #acm420 #theend #coffeepower #i cry every time

[coffeeandtin]

The Kids Are Alright

Anon asked:  “The 7 react to a Reader with a kid, either biological or adopted?” (Speaking as someone who spends zero time around children, this is something I wouldn’t have thought to do on my own; but it was definitely a fun exercise! The title is from the song of the same name by The Who. I couldn’t help myself. Actually, I’m pretty sure there’s an episode of Supernatural with that title, also.)

Billy Rocks -That you have a child is not a deal-breaker for Billy, but he has misgivings about it. He’s never spent that much time around children, so no one is more surprised than he is that he is good with your child. He tends to treat them like a small adult, and you notice that your child follows Billy wherever he goes. Billy is, however, quick to set boundaries. Consequently, the relationship between your child and Billy is a very positive and respectful one.

Vasquez - Though he is touched that you would even consider allowing him to meet your child, his first instinct is to bolt. It’s not that he dislikes children, he’s just not sure what sort of influence he would be. He has no small amount of affection for you, but he puts off meeting them for as long as he can. After a heart-to-heart he gives it a shot, though. As it turns out, he’s a great teacher. Deep down, he is still nervous (This is something he never thought he’d have.), but his chest puffs with pride when your child masters a skill that he taught them. 

Red Harvest -Red Harvest is great with your child. He accepts them without hesitation, or reservation, and your child seems to idolize him. Publicly, Red is a stoic protector, but privately, he is an entirely different person. He jokes, and laughs. He is amazingly gentle, and always lets your child win whatever game they are playing. You find out quickly, however, that Red is not much of a disciplinarian.

Joshua Faraday -Neither of you are certain how Joshua Faraday will be around your child. You think that perhaps it will be the equivalent of adopting another kid into your family, but to your surprise Faraday is actually very good with them. While he enjoys showing them card tricks, playing games, and fishing with your child, Faraday has no qualms about laying down the law. Your child begins to imitate Faraday’s brash nature, but Faraday is very insistent that they be mindful of you. You suspect that Faraday, himself, was raised by a single parent. 

Jack Horne -When you tell Jack that you have a child, he is overjoyed. He considers it an honor and a blessing to be around them. While he desperately misses the family he lost, being around your child brings back beautiful memories for him. He falls back into the role of father figure immediately, and occasionally, his patience with your child seems to eclipse even your own. You become a family, which is something that Jack never thought he would have another chance at.

Sam Chisolm -Though Sam instantly becomes a role model for your child, he seems to keep them at arm’s length. You’re pretty sure he does that with you, too, though. You are well aware that he doesn’t want the two of you to be one more family that he’s lost, so his tendency toward protectiveness isn’t shocking. You think to tell him that you and your child are capable of survival, but you guess that Sam’s vigilance is as much for himself as it is for the two of you. Despite all of this, Sam adores you and your child, though he might not frequently verbalize as much. 

Goodnight Robicheaux -Goodnight expects a smaller version of you, so when he doesn’t necessarily get that, he is somewhat taken aback. He is used to excelling at whatever he puts his mind to. When he isn’t exactly great with your child, though, he’s more than a little frustrated. Because he’s uncertain of how to talk to them (and he’s not the most patient instructor), Goodnight generally follows your lead around your young one. You tell him that he’s overthinking it, and that being there is what counts. Because you are important to him, he finds a sort of courage that he didn’t know was required of him. He works at it, and feels that much more rewarded when he and your child become fast friends. 

#mag7 #requests #headcanons #billy rocks #vasquez #joshua faraday #red harvest #sam chisolm #jack horne #goodnight robicheaux #reactions #children #the kids are alright #my stuff

[freebetalerts-blog]

Fight Night: Anthony Joshua To Sparkle Under Wembley Floodlights?

(New post on FreeBetAlerts.com) - https://freebetalerts.com/2018/09/28/fight-night-anthony-joshua-to-sparkle-under-wembley-floodlights/ #Boxing, #Freebets, #SportNews

Fight Night: Anthony Joshua To Sparkle Under Wembley Floodlights? Please share.

Anthony Joshua looks well placed to defeat Russia’s Alexander Povetkin under the famous Wembley Stadium arch on Saturday night.

With 21 wins in his 21 professional fights so far, Joshua deserves his spot at the top of the heavyweight division – 20 of those victories have come by way of knockout.

Joseph Parker put up a valiant effort back in March but Joshua won almost every round in that fight.

This one might not last the scheduled distance if the British star lets loose on his opponent – although 1/10 isn’t much of a price for a Joshua triumph.

Joshua will be looking to put this one to bed with a knockout if possible but the Brit will not take any risks.

With an advantage of seven inches in terms of reach, Joshua will probably try to control the fight through his jab; a trusty weapon in recent bouts.

Keeping Povetkin at arm’s length should be his tactic here, he won’t want to get into any dangerous situations up close with the Russian.

This bout is 1/4 to end inside the scheduled distance with Freebetalerts but the 6/4 for the fight to end in rounds 1-6 is arguably the better price if you fancy an early stoppage.

Povetkin, now 39 years old, delivered a crushing knockout against David Price on the Joshua undercard in Cardiff and this represents one final chance to get back to the summit of the heavyweight division.

The former WBA title holder has lost just once in his professional career – a unanimous decision against the great Wladimir Klitschko back in 2013.

Weighing in at 222 lbs, the Russian is at his lowest weight since 2006 and he looks in fantastic shape. If this round goes into the championship rounds, he could have plenty of stamina left in the tank. Over 8.5 rounds is currently priced at 23/20.

With Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder pencilled in for a fight on December 1st, this is the ideal opportunity for Joshua to send out a statement.

CONFIRMED – Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will fight on December 1st!Only Fury could announce it on the same day as #JoshuaPovetkin… 😂 pic.twitter.com/8X0y9KKSBc — Freebetalerts (@Freebetalerts) September 22, 2018

The ultimate objective for AJ is to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world – that means claiming the WBC title.

Whatever happens between Fury and Wilder, one thing is for sure: Joshua is going to take some stopping in his pursuit of glory. You won’t see too many fighters achieve what he has achieved in less than 25 professional fights.

This is arguably Joshua’s hardest test since Klitschko and one that he could pass with flying colours. This could go into the second half of the bout but Joshua will eventually wear the Russian down – a win for Joshua in rounds 7, 8 or 9 looks a solid bet at 7/2.

Fans will flock to Wembley in their thousands, many of which will expect another dominant showing from Anthony Joshua. The Watford man will relish a return to London and he could dazzle from the opening bell.

The weight difference could take its toll if Joshua picks his shots smartly. Povetkin may head into the latter stages of the fight looking weary and the Brit will be confident of picking up the stoppage.

Joshua to win in rounds 7-12 could be the way to go at a very appealing 7/4.

  *Odds subject to change – correct at time of writing*

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#Boxing #Freebets #Sport News

[grandcanyonadvisors]

Safety First: Keeping Your Kids Safe at the Grand Canyon

With exciting adventures, stunning overlooks, and educational opportunities hiding around every corner, there’s no denying that the Grand Canyon is a fantastic destination for families.

Every year, millions of parents bring their eager children to the Grand Canyon to explore one of America’s most beloved attractions, many of whom are concerned about safety. The Grand Canyon is perfectly safe for visitors of any age, but like any destination, it comes with its share of dangers. All you need to keep your family safe on your vacation is common sense and a bit of preparation, so to help you get ready for your next adventure, we’ve compiled a list of our best tips for keeping your kids safe at the Grand Canyon.

1. Keep a close eye on your kids at all times.

Treat the Grand Canyon the same as you’d treat a busy street. If you’re visiting at peak season, chances are it’ll be just as busy anyway!

The simplest and most effective thing you can do to make sure your kids stay safe on your Grand Canyon adventure is to watch them closely at all times. Don’t let your kids wander off to explore on their own – many accidents occur when both children and adults leave the trails and either enter an unsafe area or get lost.

2. Bring lots of snacks and water.

It can get hot on the Rim, especially if you’re hiking the Rim Trail, and it’s even hotter below the Rim. Save some cash and stop those temper tantrums before they happen by keeping a supply of snacks on hand – snacks can be expensive to purchase, and you may have to wait in line for awhile.

Image Source: Grand Canyon National Park

You should also pack a reusable water bottle for each member of your family. There are water fountains located throughout the park, so it’s easy to stay hydrated all day long.

3. Pack toys and activities

You may have to wait in line for food or ranger demonstrations. Keep your kids occupied while you wait with a few of their favorite toys and activities.

Here are 11 other things to pack for your Grand Canyon vacation.

4. Don’t let your kids (or anyone!) explore beyond safety railings.

The safety railings are there for a reason. The terrain beyond the railing can be loose or unstable, so don’t be tempted to venture beyond the fence to get a better view of the Canyon, even for that perfect #CanyonSelfie! The same goes for climbing on the fences.

There are tons of safe, spectacular viewpoints to explore at the Grand Canyon. Check out our Grand Canyon photography tips and make sure you come home with a great shot!

5. Don’t rely on your stroller.

If you have small children, consider bringing a carrier instead. The terrain can be rough and the shuttles can get busy, so strollers aren’t always the most convenient way to transport small children.

6. Plan your trip according to your kids’ ages and interests

You know your kids better than anyone. Keep their interests in mind when planning and scheduling activities for your Grand Canyon adventure. If your 12 year old doesn’t enjoy hiking, don’t plan a hike into the Canyon! Try taking a helicopter flight or a boat tour instead. Similarly, if your kids are very young, hiking may not be the best idea.

Image Source: Grand Canyon National Park

Ranger demonstrations are a popular activity for kids of all ages. Your kids can even become an official Junior Ranger by completing the Ranger Badge booklet, available for free at visitor centers throughout the park. Learn more about the Junior Ranger program.

7. If you want to hike, stick to the Rim trail

The Rim trail, which doesn’t descend into the Canyon, is ideal for families with kids of any age. The trail starts at Mather Point beside the Visitor Center, is mostly paved, and has lots of fantastic viewpoints along the way.

If you have younger kids, consider renting a bicycle. Bikes are ideal for exploring the Grand Canyon Village or the Rim trail, and you can also rent trailers to carry small children.

Be aware that fences and guardrails don’t run the entire length of the trail, so be sure to keep an eye on your kids along the way.

8. Don’t feed the animals

One of the most common injuries at the Grand Canyon is squirrel bites sustained while trying to feed the squirrels!

Not only is feeding the animals potentially dangerous for you, but it also disrupts their natural diet and encourages the wildlife to remain the populated areas rather than their natural habitat.

Stay Safe

Don’t let concerns about safety stop you from visiting the Grand Canyon! With a little preparation, you and your entire family can safely enjoy your Grand Canyon adventure.

Get more great tips for visiting the Grand Canyon with your kids.

Check out these popular tours:

Grand Canyon West Rim Airplane Tour

Experience the Grand Canyon’s West Rim the way it was meant to be seen – by air! This 70 minute airplane tour also includes aerial views of the Hoover Dam and picturesque Lake Mead. RESERVE NOW

Grand Canyon West Rim Deluxe Bus Tour with Hoover Dam Stop and Optional Skywalk

Travel in a large luxury motorcoach, drive over the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge and view of one of the oldest and largest Joshua tree forests before arriving at the West Rim! RESERVE NOW

Grand Canyon South Rim Bus Tour

Marvel at the South Rim’s breathtaking views on our most popular guided and narrated luxury bus tour! Your journey begins with pick up from the hotel before traveling through Las Vegas & Boulder City, Nevada. RESERVE NOW

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