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patchwork-panda · 4 years

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If A Moment Is All We Are (8/?)

AO3 link: HERE.

“Oh! Kusunoki-kun.”

Kunikida glanced up from his watch, looking pleased.

“An excellent start for your first official day. You’re right on time—”

His smile vanished.

“Kusunoki-kun...”

He adjusted his glasses and approached me, crossing his arms over his chest as his gray-green eyes swept across the top of my head.

“What is that on your head?”

“Uh, a baseball cap?” I replied, jamming the hat further down on my head.

I took a small, hesitant step back towards the door, my hand still glued to my hat.

“Is there something wrong?”

“That depends,” Kunikida ground out. “Would you say there’s something wrong, maybe even unprofessional, about wearing a cat-shaped baseball cap on your first day of work at a well-known detective agency?”

I involuntarily scanned the room, where the only people around my age were Tanizaki Junichiro and several female clerks, who had just begun filing in. Unlike the casually-dressed Tanizaki, each of the clerks was wearing professional attire: a uniform consisting of a gray pencil skirt and vest, decorative white ribbons tied at the neck and modest heels. Sensing my eyes on her, one of the girls, a smart-looking brunette with pink square glasses, put a friendly smile on her face and waved at me, but seeing that only made me feel worse. I glanced back at Kunikida, in his beige professional ensemble, hoping he looked more irritated than he actually felt.

“D-depends on what you find unprofessional about cat-shaped baseball caps.”

When Kunikida’s frown deepened, I sighed.

“It’s the kitty ears, isn’t it?”

“Kusunoki-kun,” Kunikida growled, “Take that ridiculous looking thing off your head this instant. It’s costing us time!”

“But—” I protested, still clutching the hat, and even ducking a little in hopes he wouldn’t snatch it right off my head, “Tanizaki-kun gets to show up in jeans and a sweatshirt! (“Leave me out of this, please!” Tanizaki called from his desk) Why can’t I wear—?”

“Tanizaki-kun,” Kunikida replied, his eyes flashing, “Is an assistant. You are in training to eventually become a full-fledged detective.”

“But I thought I’d gotten hired as a sketch artist!” I squeaked, “Nobody said anything about my becoming a—”

“A sketch artist who needs to meet with clients!” Kunikida snapped, the volume of his voice jumping significantly, “And who is now running several minutes behind in her orientation schedule! Now give me that hat!”

Kunikida took a swipe at the hat and I immediately ducked out of the way and dove under the nearest desk. Throwing both hands over my head as Kunikida yelled for me to come out, I squeezed my eyes shut and hunkered down, praying I could wait it out.

I couldn’t let Kunikida take my hat. I couldn’t let anyone see what I’d done last night just before going to bed...

After officially passing the Exam yesterday, I’d gone home completely wiped out. Not only had I gotten more physical exercise in a single day than I had in months (thanks to Kyouka chasing me all around the main office), but Kunikida had lectured me on math during the entire shopping trip—he even quizzed me when he’d walked me home! By the time the day was over, I’d felt less like I’d accomplished something significant and more like I’d just taken (and failed) an entire summer’s worth of remedial math lessons.

My afternoon schedule was supposed to be simple: go back to my apartment and rest up a little, then head out to the shopping district to get myself some new clothes. Entry to the Armed Detective Agency came with a small advance, so I could buy myself a sort of “work uniform.” Each of the members of the Agency wore a unique professional ensemble, like Kunikida’s beige vest and pant set and now that I was a member, I needed an outfit as well.

A self-proclaimed fashionista, Dr. Yosano had helpfully emailed me a short list of acceptable articles of clothing: mid-length skirts, button-down shirts, ties and so on that I was free to mix and match however I wished. She’d even provided a list of stores that she herself frequented when she needed to freshen up her wardrobe. It was incredibly useful information, given just how little in the way of actual professional clothing I had; the small bag of garments collected from my old apartment was mostly full of T-shirts and jeans, with only one or two pieces that could reasonably pass as “professional.”

Unfortunately, the minute I’d gotten back to my apartment, my otaku tendencies fully took over again and I ended up spending the entire afternoon catching up on manga over instant ramen and several cups of hot tea. Catching up on manga led to watching anime, which led to checking my commissions email account (I still hadn’t closed up my patron-backed account yet), which led to live-streaming a few drawings to relax...

In short, I ended up procrastinating until every last store in the Motomachi shopping district had long since closed. The only thing I could do at this point was search my apartment and pray I actually had something suitable to wear for my first day of work. However, when I looked up from my computer and scanned the room, my heart sank. Graphic T-shirts, scuffed up jeans and mismatched socks lay scattered in wrinkled piles about my living space, exactly where they’d been when I’d discarded them earlier this morning. As I went about the room, rifling through them one by one, hoping to find something even half-way suitable, the knot in my stomach grew tighter and tighter... The brief spark of hope I’d felt when I picked up my one nice blouse faded the moment I turned it over and remembered I’d spilled coffee on it just before leaving for the Entrance Exam. I threw it in the “discard” pile and kept going.

In the end, I’d picked up every piece of clothing on the floor and thrown them in the “discard” pile, with the exception of two pieces: a white button-down shirt that was a little too tight in the stomach and a knee-length plaid skirt that was starting to fray at the hem. I tucked and re-tucked the shirt, even attempting a “French tuck” I’d seen in a video tutorial before realizing it wasn’t working either way.

Then, when I picked at the loose thread on the skirt, I thought I heard something rip. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t figure out what had ripped or more importantly, where. I didn’t want to risk taking anything off so carelessly that I ruined the only set of clothes I could wear for tomorrow, nor did I want to ask for more time to do the shopping I should’ve taken care of today. As much as I wanted to avoid it, there was only one way to figure out how to get myself looking decent enough for my first day at the Armed Detective Agency.

I had to look in the mirror.

Swallowing nervously, I carefully made my way to the bathroom, walking quietly as I went, as if merely softening my footsteps might prevent me from seeing the thing I dreaded most: the disturbing, hollow look of the pupils of my eyes. I only realized I’d kept my eyes closed when I’d gone in once I bumped into the light switch and let out a strangled shriek the minute I laid eyes on my reflection.

But to my surprise, there was nothing to scream about.

My eyes looked... normal. There wasn’t a trace of hollowness in sight. Shakily, I put my hand up to the mirror and leaned in to stare. For the past six months, looking into my own two eyes gave me the jarring impression that I was staring into the infinite reflection between two mirrors. Tonight, all I saw when I looked in the mirror was the face of a regular girl, albeit a nervous-looking one with mahogany-brown eyes and short, choppy black hair.

I breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back to check my outfit. It might have felt a little uncomfortable here and there but overall, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. The actual worst thing about my look was my hair. Although my hair looked okay when I’d put it up in a ponytail, when I took out the elastic, it resembled an uneven chop job accomplished by a five-year-old, no thanks to Akutagawa nearly slicing me in half at the art gallery.

As I twisted an uneven lock of hair between my fingers, I thought about what I could do to fix it. I was an artist by profession and all I needed to do was to even out the ends a little, how hard could this be? I headed for the kitchen, returned to the bathroom with a pair of scissors and started snipping...

If only I’d just stuck my hair in a ponytail again and left well enough alone. Then maybe I wouldn’t be hiding under a desk at a quarter past eight, with a kitty-eared hat on my head and Kunikida roaring at me from overhead like a fire-breathing dragon...

“Kusunoki-kun, you come out right now or I will rescind your employment offer at the Agency!” Kunikida boomed, emphasizing his words by pounding his fist one last time over the desk. “I mean it! Don’t make me use my Ability to pull you out of there!”

I stiffened.

What was his Ability again?

“You’ve got until the count of three!”

Now that I thought about it, no one had ever told me what it was...

“One...”

But did it even matter when I’d seen him knock Dazai to the ground on several occasions?

“Two...”

“Okay, okay!!” I cried, terrified at the prospect of being throttled or fired on the spot, “I’m sorry! I’ll come out!”

As I crawled out from underneath the desk, the heat of Kunikida’s furious glare made me feel like an ant frying under a magnifying glass. I threw away what was left of my dignity and actually started begging.

“Please don’t make me take off my hat, Kunikida-san!” I pleaded, “If you think this one is unprofessional, I can wear a different one tomorrow! It’s not going to interfere with orientation or my ability to do my job, I swear—!”

“Morning, everyone!”

I snapped my mouth shut and turned to the door.

Dazai Osamu, the man who could take a bad situation and somehow make it infinitely worse, had just walked in. Kunikida immediately turned to his partner and began unloading.

“Dazai! You’re late again! Didn’t you hear the President’s orders yesterday? It’s Kusunoki’s first day and you and I are supposed to—”

“Oh, give me some credit, Kunikiiiiiida-kun,” Dazai said dismissively, practically rolling his eyes as he pushed past the irate blonde detective, “Like I could forget about the pretty girl I convinced you to vouch for. Speaking of which...”

He stopped in front of me.

“Good morning, Kyou-chan!” he chirped, his brown eyes sparkling brightly, the widest of grins on his face, “That’s a cute hat. Mind if I try it on?”

And before I could stop him, he pinched one of the kitty ears between his fingers and pulled the entire hat off my head.

At once, a hush fell over the room.

I think I was in shock. I just stood there like a statue as Dazai and Kunikida stared at me... until Dazai put his free hand up to his mouth and stifled a laugh. Flushing angrily, I snatched back my hat.

“Give that back!” I snapped, ripping it out of his hands and throwing it back over my head.

It was bad—I knew that better than anyone. Last night, I’d started with hair that ended halfway down my neck in some places and at my chin in others. I came in this morning with about half that length, looking like I’d lost a fight with a blender—there was barely enough hair left over for even a professional to “fix.”

Hence the kitty hat.

As I watched Dazai double over in silent laughter, Kunikida struggling to maintain his composure, a feminine voice rang out from the hallway.

“Hey, what gives? Why’s everyone blocking up the lobby?”

I turned to the door just as the last of the female clerks scattered and saw a very cross-looking Dr. Yosano striding into the room. As usual, she was impeccably dressed and she had a clear bag of freshly dry-cleaned clothes thrown over one shoulder. As she walked towards us, I thought about hiding behind either Kunikida or Dazai—but I was too slow. Yosano had already spotted my hat and her expression immediately morphed into one of distaste.

“Kyou-chan.”

Her deep purple eyes narrowed even as I clamped my arms down more firmly on my head.

“What is that on your head? In fact...”

She wrinkled her nose.

“What is that entire outfit?”

“I-it’s a kitty hat,” I managed, squirming uncomfortably as Yosano looked me up and down, “And... my only blouse and skirt.”

Yosano looked offended.

“What about that list I sent you?”

“Uh...”

There was a quiet cough, and everyone turned to look at Kunikida.

“Yosano-sensei, you’re only slightly taller than Kusunoki-kun, right?” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’m sorry to ask this of you but do you think you could lend her some of your clothes? You see, she actually has a case already and we need to meet with the client this afternoon...”

“I what?!” I squawked, snapping my head towards him

“You have a case,” Kunikida repeated, looking disgruntled. “We’re meeting the client at two.”

“How?? It’s only my first day!”

“Kyou-chan.”

A black-gloved hand descended upon my shoulder and I stiffened in fear as Yosano turned me to face her, her purple eyes burning with the intensity of a raging fire.

“I’m taking you shopping this weekend,” she muttered between gritted teeth. “Prepare yourself.”

And with that, she shoved her bag of clothes at me and stalked off towards her desk, shooting both me and Kunikida dirty looks as she went. Clutching the bag of clothes in my arms, I sprinted towards the women’s bathroom.

“Don’t worry, Kyou-chan!” Dazai called after me as I ran. “I still think you look cute, no matter what you wear!”

***

Yosano’s clothes (a navy blue skirt and soft cotton blouse) were just a tad bit loose on me, but overall it was a good fit. When I emerged from the bathroom (sans hat) with my clothes in Yosano’s bag, I found the good doctor ready and waiting for me with a dark wig in her hands. Taking the bag from me, she stuck the wig on my head and quickly adjusted it so that it sat correctly on my head.

“We sometimes keep disguises in the back room for stake-outs,” she explained, tucking the last stray hairs away from my face into the wig. “You should hang onto this until I can book you a proper haircut.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, coloring as she examined my face.

“Don’t mention it,” Yosano said brightly, “Now, let’s show you around the office. I’ll be taking over since Kunikida-kun seems to have his hands full...”

As I followed her gaze, I saw Kunikida brandishing his little green notebook at Dazai (they seemed to be arguing again), so I went with her as she went round the desks and introduced me to different members of the staff, who’d been absent during my exam. As we began touring the main office, I pretended not to notice the damaged coffee machine still sitting on the counter near President’s office or the fact that one of the desks that had been there yesterday morning (the one Shirayuki had hurled at me) was now missing. I followed after Yosano as she took me through the kitchenette, the staff locker room and the main conference room. I was about to go with her into her special operating room when I once again caught Tanizaki furiously shaking his head at me and mouthing the words, “Don’t go in there!”

“You’ve already seen the infirmary and the reception area,” Yosano said, taking me back to the office floor, “And since I honestly can’t show you the President’s office, that concludes your tour. Let’s see, it looks like we don’t exactly have a desk for you just yet...”

I guiltily thought back to the desk Kyouka destroyed during my exam as she rubbed her chin in thought.

“So how about you sit with Kunikida-kun for today?” she said, pointing out a desk in the middle of the room, “It looks like he just stepped out to take a call... but I don’t think he’ll mind sharing a workspace with you, especially since he says he needs you for the case this afternoon. I have to go so you can just ask him if you need anything. Bye!”

As she walked away, I started towards Kunikida’s desk... only to stop in my tracks the instant I saw Dazai sitting at the desk directly across from it.

Grinning, the bandaged detective waved cheerfully and I grimaced.

It figures they’d be sitting together; they were partners after all and since Fukuzawa had asked both of them to watch over me, it made complete sense that for my first day, I’d be sitting near both of them. But between the suicide maniac and the raging giant, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted either of them as a mentor...

Taking a deep breath, I slowly headed for the desk, deliberately walking as slowly as possible and avoiding Dazai’s gaze. Maybe if I took my time, Kunikida would come back and then I wouldn’t have to deal with Dazai on my own. At least when they were together, they managed to keep each other in check...

To my relief, someone did arrive, sparing me the ordeal of having to deal with Dazai all by myself, but it wasn’t Kunikida. My savior was a pale, skinny young man with unevenly chopped white hair (the cut looked only marginally better than my own) and a messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry I’m late!” he shouted, barreling headlong into the room in a blur of black and white before I even got close to my seat.

He screeched to a halt next to Dazai, hastily bowed in greeting and immediately collapsed in the chair next to the brunette’s, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

“I dropped Ranpo-san off in front of the station like you asked me to but he started going the wrong way again,” the young man gasped, loosening his thin, black tie. “I had to ride along with him or he’d been in Tokyo by now!”

He brushed his pale, sweaty bangs away from his forehead, revealing a pair of beautiful duochrome gold-and-purple eyes (my fingers immediately itched for my colored pencils) and when he caught me looking, the boy’s golden eyes went wide.

“Oh no. Are you the new client? Am I that late?!”

“Calm down, Atsushi-kun,” Dazai said, putting a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You didn’t miss our client. This is Kusunoki Kyou-chan. She just joined the Agency yesterday. She’s going to be our new sketch artist.”

At once, Atsushi got to his feet and I did the same.

“I’m Nakajima Atsushi!” he exclaimed, nearly knocking his head against his own desk as he bowed, “Pleased to meet you!”

“I’m Kusunoki Kyou. Pleased to meet you, too!”

“Atsushi-kun here is also an Ability User,” Dazai said as Atsushi took his seat. “Like you, he joined shortly after being targeted by the Port Mafia.”

“Really?” Atsushi and I asked simultaneously as Dazai nodded, his lips twitching into an amused smile as he looked at us.

“You should get to know each other. I think you’ve got a lot in common.”

As Atsushi and I stared at each other, Dazai suddenly grew quiet. He propped his chin up in his hand and leaned forward on his desk so that he could observe me more closely. When I noticed and turned my attention back to him, his coffee-brown eyes glossed over, as if he was daydreaming about something and his smile grew soft.

“W-what is it?” I asked, already regretting my question.

“I didn’t care much for Atsushi-kun falling into my arms the way he did when I first met him,” Dazai mused, “but it were Kyou-chan instead...!”

He sighed dramatically, covering his cheeks with his half-bandaged hands.

“I don’t think I would ever let go!”

“Kyou-chan...?” Atsushi repeated, looking at me curiously as I involuntarily pictured myself in Dazai’s arms and flushed. “Oh, are you two close...?”

He jumped back in fear as I suddenly slammed my hands down on the table and got to my feet, my face burning like the setting sun.

“Dazai-san and I are not close,” I informed him before turning to his desk-mate. “Dazai-san? I don’t know why you’re calling me by my first name but could you please stop? You’re going to give people the wrong idea.”

“Wrong idea?”

Dazai blinked innocently at me.

“But Kyou-chan, you dropped the honorifics with me first. Don’t you remember?”

I was taken aback. I had no memory of this.

“When did I—?”

“It was right after the exam,” Dazai recounted, pointing to my injured arm, “when I put that bandage on you. You were thanking me for looking after you during the test.”

I froze.

He was right. I might have used his last name but I had dropped the honorifics—and right when he was touching me too...!

“I—” I sputtered, face burning hotter than ever before, “It was an accident! I didn’t mean to—!”

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, Kyou-chan,” Dazai sighed, his warm brown eyes twinkling as he floated back into his imagination, “I liked it! Now that I think about it, I’d really like to hear you call me ‘Osamu’ without any honorifics one day, but that’s asking for a bit much right now, isn’t it?”

“What makes you think—?!”

“I know... We’ve only known each other for three days,” Dazai continued, still in that dreamy tone of voice, as Atsushi looked on in awe, “but we’ve had some pretty personal conversations already, haven’t we? You know, like the night I walked you home...”

I needed to stop him before poor Atsushi really got the wrong idea...!

Panicking, I grabbed a roll of masking tape from my desk and dashed over to Dazai’s side.

“What a nice night that was... You looked so cute wearing my jacket, Kyou-chan... Maybe we should get you a nice coat as well, then we could match!”

I had just about lined up a section of tape over Dazai’s mouth when a shadow suddenly appeared over us. I turned around to see Kunikida towering over me with a very irritated look on his face.

“Kusunoki-kun,” he rumbled, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I see Dazai has roped you into his antics.”

I dropped the tape as Kunikida turned his glare on Dazai.

“Dazai-san, wasn’t I just telling you to be a better role model for your juniors? Quit playing around with Kusunoki-kun and get to work! Your client has been waiting for you for over five minutes now!”

He pointed at the door, where an old woman carrying a bag of turnips was holding up a photo of a large, ginger cat. Atsushi was at her side in a flash and he hurriedly showed her to the client booth, shooting worried looks over his shoulder at Dazai as he disappeared through the glass-paneled doors. Tucking his hands into his pockets with a sigh of defeat, Dazai stood.

“Alright, alright... My apologies, Kusunoki-kun. If you want me to call you by your last name, I’d be more than happy to. But just so you know...”

He winked as he passed by me.

“You can call me by my first name. I wouldn’t mind it at all. See you later!”

He walked away, not realizing the only thing keeping me from throwing the roll of tape at the back of his head was Kunikida’s hand clenching my shoulder.

***

The rest of the morning didn’t get any easier.

Having never worked a full time job in my life, I spent the next couple hours sitting at Kunikida’s side, doing my absolute best to absorb everything I could. It was a little hard to concentrate with the weight of the wig on my head and the clothes I’d borrowed from Yosano bunching up in places but somehow I managed. To his credit, Kunikida could probably tell how nervous I was because he was being oddly patient with me. Whatever the reason for it, I was thankful; he didn’t seem to be mad at me any more and I was able to follow along as he explained how things worked at the Agency.

Most of the cases started with taking calls from clients. Each desk had a landline phone connected to it and we were encouraged not to give out cell numbers to clients unless we absolutely had to speak with them while we were out of the office. In those situations, a call forwarding number was provided, so we could keep work matters and personal matters separated. I listened carefully as Kunikida went through the phone shortcuts and took notes on a small notepad I’d brought along just in case the man started quizzing me again, like he had with the math questions on my fake test.

Day-to-day work turned out to be a lot simpler (and less dangerous) than I’d expected for a place called the “Armed Detective Agency.” Most of it was the sort of thing Dazai and Atsushi were currently busy with—finding lost cats, looking up information for business dealings, investigating the occasional affair and so on. Fighting with the Port Mafia or other criminal organizations was generally avoided when possible but skirmishes did happen here and there, in which case, we were expected to defend ourselves appropriately.

“Wait, so does that mean...” I interrupted, “you’re going to be giving me a weapon?!”

Kunikida thought for a moment before giving his answer.

“If the situation calls for it, perhaps,” he mumbled as I blanched visibly.

From there, we moved on to talk about the rather extensive paperwork and filing system at the Agency. At first, it didn’t seem like there was too much to document per case, but as the number of cases piled up, so too could the paperwork.

“Which is why it is imperative you stay on top of your schedule and manage your work properly,” Kunikida stated evenly.

He paused to throw a stapler in the direction of his bandaged partner, who for some reason had been leaning against a window and playing with a fidget spinner.

“Or you’ll end up constantly behind like some people.”

“G-got it,” I mumbled keeping in mind that I should stay on my toes in case Kunikida thought he needed to throw a stapler at me too.

He went over the basic types of reports we needed to write up, which included documenting injury or Ability usage that occurred on the job, and was about to go into the filing system when he noticed I was falling behind in my furious note-taking.

“It’s okay,” he said, the tiniest hint of a smile tugging at his lips, “the clerks take care of most of that, so you can just go ask them if you need something from the system.”

From there we moved on to the computer stuff. I’d actually brought my own laptop from home but as it turns out, that was completely unnecessary. The Armed Detective Agency was a small company of private investigators, so security was a must. Everything, from the company email server to the software programs used to log and track data, could only be accessed from the company laptops, which would be locked up at night in the building. I was, “under no circumstances,” to use the company computer to check my personal email, play video games or goof off in the middle of the work day.

I glanced across the desk at Dazai, who now appeared to be doing all three of the things Kunikida had just forbidden me from doing.

However, unlike the other detectives, I was allowed to take one particular item in and out of the Agency office because of the nature of my position...

My eyes widened as Kunikida presented me with a thin, spiral bound sketch pad with a plain black cover.

“You may be a detective-in-training,” Kunikida admitted, “but we could still use your skills as a sketch artist. The opportunity may not come up very often, with modern security cameras and the like, but on occasion we may need you to assist the police or our clients with identification of certain people. Just try not to hang on to the sketches for too long—”

My excitement getting the better of me, I snatched the notebook out of his hands before he could finish speaking. I knew a good sketchbook when I saw one and this one definitely qualified. The recycled paper had a nice, slightly roughened texture to it, and the thickness and weight were absolutely perfect for either charcoal, colored pencil or ink pen—and there was a really nice smell coming off the pages, like sandalwood or maybe incense. Without thinking, I brought the open pages up to my nose and inhaled, only stopping when I realized Kunikida was staring at me.

I put down the sketchbook at once.

“I’m sorry!” I squeaked, turning red, “It’s just... this is a really nice sketchbook! In fact, it’s perfect. Where did you get this...?”

To my surprise, Kunikida’s face lit up.

“My Master dropped it off along with my new notebook last night,” he gushed, suddenly looking so excited that I nearly fell out of my chair in shock. “He’ll be so happy to hear that you like it—you should tell him yourself the next time he visits. I’ll put it on your schedule—”

Nodding, I scooted a couple centimeters back in my chair. There was clearly something wrong with Kunikida and I needed to call Dr. Yosano right away—the man was actually smiling and his green eyes were literally sparkling as he talked! I was an anime and manga otaku through and through but there was no way any sane person could actually be a notebook otaku!! Were those tears in his eyes?!

“Finally!” Kunikida sighed, “Somebody at this office who appreciates a good quality notebook when they see one—”

As he pulled out his own olive-bound notebook to make a note, he looked up at me, saw the look on my face and instantly put his pen back down. Cheeks flushed, he pushed his glasses back up his nose where they’d slipped down and cleared his throat.

“I—I’m glad you like it. Anyway, let’s set up your email. After which...”

He clicked a few icons on the computer and turned slightly to give me a hesitant look as he typed.

“We should talk about your first case. I hate to throw something so difficult at you on your first day but we’ve been under a lot of pressure to solve it and given the nature of the investigation, this would be a good use of your talents as an artist.”

“Difficult?” I repeated, blinking at him. “What... kind of case is this?”

Kunikida stopped typing.

He swiveled his chair around so that we were facing one another and my unease grew as his serious gray-green eyes met mine.

“It’s a serial kidnapping. And there’s been four victims.”

I stared at him.

“I’m sorry. What?”

#dazai x reader #dazai x oc #dazai #kunikida #kunikida x oc #kunikida x reader #kunikida doppo #dazai osamu #osamu dazai #doppo kunikida #bungou stray dogs #fanfiction

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chiveburger · 4 years

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Apparently they cut out 90mins worth of footage in arsenal military academy. You can deffo feel the choppiness in the scenes and it frustrates me verryyyyy much that we didn't get to see XL develop feelings for GYZ . Not even alot of romantic moments between them two then suddenly the girl likes him. Ugh the first few eps was so good but I will still watch it again just for GYZ and his expressions.

yeah, I’ve seen so many deleted cuts on youtube but I really don’t understand why they cut their kiss scene? they literally had one and they cut it. I know it’s a “war drama” and all, but I thought it dragged on for so long. I wish they kept it slightly more lighthearted and romance orientated just because all three of xiexiang, yanzhen, and junshan were just PERFECT and gorgeous looking people. what I wouldn’t give to have this love triangle in a modern day drama… not gonna lie, but watching those couple compilation videos of xiexiang and yanzhen set to some super dramatic background music is enough for me.

#arsenal military academy #Anonymous

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hailtheheroes · 5 years

Text

CHARACTER SHEET: LYRA KOTONE

BASICS

Full name: Lyra Kotone Nickname(s): Koto, ‘tone Title(s): Lord High Inquisitor None??? Gender: Cisgender Female Height: 5′3″ Age: 20 Zodiac: Cancer af Spoken languages: Japanese (Johtonese dialect), English (choppy as heck)

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Hair color: Light-medium brown Eye color: Dark brown Skin tone: Naturally a pale white, but is fairly tanned from working in the sun most of the time Body type: Fit Ectomorph Voice: Lissa, Fire Emblem Awakening (NOT Warriors) Dominant hand: Right Posture: Relaxed, shoulders loose, arms hanging by her sides Scars: Little lines on her shins, lower arms, and hands, a small burn on where her elbow meets her lower arm and near where her knee meets her thighs. All from rambunctious, stubborn, or testy Pokemon Tattoos: None at the moment Birthmarks: A triangular series of dark colored freckles located just above her left knee Most noticeable feature(s): Her hat, her pigtails, her cheery disposition

CHILDHOOD

Place of birth: Goldenrod City Hospital, Johto Hometown: New Bark Town, Johto Birth weight/height: 18″ long, 5.11lbs First words: Mama Siblings: None, though she think of Ethan as a brother (and sometimes Silver, too) Parents: Mother and Father (presently unnamed because I’m LAME) Parental involvement: Both parents were really involved in her upbringing. They were kinda the stereotypical happy family all throughout her childhood and even into adulthood, she keeps a close relationship with them. Her grandparents were equally involved in her upbringing (though they actually had a heavier hand in it by choice rather than necessity) and their influence probably shines the most through who she has become as a person. Children: None!

ADULT LIFE

Occupation: Part-time Assistant at the Goldenrod Daycare Center Current residence: A small, two-room flat in Goldenrod City Close friends: Ethan, Silver, Dawn, Candace Relationship status: Single Financial status: Pretty stable but not wealthy by any means. She can afford her flat, utilities, food, and the semi-frequent minor splurge (new fabric, special ingredients, a new video game, etc) Criminal record: None! Vices: Envy

SEX & ROMANCE

Sexual orientation: Demi-heterosexual, demi-heteroromantic Preferred emotional role: submissive | dominant | switch Preferred sexual role: submissive | dominant | switch | unsure Libido: Low-medium, it really depends on her partner Turn ons: Hushed, heated voices, deep kisses, fingers on her face, neck, or arms, strong, confident commands Turn offs: Cruelty, vulgarity, disrespecting people, Pokemon, or boundaries, bratty arrogance Love language: All of them??? She caters to her friends and loved ones in whatever way makes them feel safest and happiest, though she is a personal fan of touch, praise, and giving gifts. From someone else, though? Mm, probably words of affirmation and physical reassurance. Relationship tendencies: She’s very go-with-the-flow on relationships. Her whopping two have amounted to “two friends deciding to take the next step” and they both weren’t really what she was looking for. There was nothing wrong with them per se, they just didn’t feel like a relationship she wanted to be in for the rest of her life. She dates for fun sometimes and is especially fond of friendship dates and isn’t really interested in being tied down too exclusively at the moment. If she finds the right one, though, that would definitely change and she would be as loving and supportive as her paramour desires!

MISCELLANEOUS

Character’s theme song(s): You’re My Best Friend - Queen (Her musical taste can be summed up in Grace Kelly - MIKA) Hobbies to pass time: Sewing, video games, cooking/baking, going out with friends, jamming out to music at way too loud volumes Mental illnesses: None she’s aware of! Physical illnesses: None! Left or right brained: Right Fears: Hurting a friend, losing a friend, being a bad representative of the daycare, losing a Pokemon in her care Self-confidence level: Pretty confident in herself, but can second-guess herself in an instant. Not the most confident Pokemon battler for sure despite her natural talent at raising Pokemon Vulnerabilities: Her friends, her naive desire to trust in the good in others, her family, her Pokemon

Tagged by: @littlesilverplatinum thanks bbbbb Tagging: STEALS IT

#muse things!#about this nerd #headcanon

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veternosamente · 5 years

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𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻

repost, don’t reblog !

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME. kayenne abernathy. NICKNAME. kay, pepper. GENDER. goes by she/her. height. 5′1″. age. 21. ZODIAC. aquarius. spoken languages. english & french.

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOR. blonde. EYE COLOR. brown. SKIN TONE. pale white bich. BODY TYPE. very thin and lanky. VOICE. think of a happy medium between ace from justice league and mandy from grimm adventures. DOMINANT HAND. right. POSTURE. always a little tense. SCARS. has a few self inflicted ones on her ankles/back of the heels. TATTOOS. n/a. BIRTHMARKS. n/a, MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S). uneven, choppy hair.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

PLACE OF BIRTH. Glasgow, Scotland. HOMETOWN. Toronto, Canada. siblings. one older sister. PARENTS. lucas abernathy (father), whom she does not speak with and has not for many years and emannuelle abernathy (mother) who is deceased.

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION. assistant at the local library; also something of a ‘psychic’ investigator, CURRENT RESIDENCE. currently housed within the golden ward. CLOSE FRIENDS. back home it’s her longtime friend, safiya, and probably her sister, kayson. here she uhhhh. has probably none (: RELATIONSHIP STATUS. single. FINANCIAL STATUS. you think i have money to spend on things??? do you? DRIVER’S LICENSE. yes. CRIMINAL RECORD. she’s a good girl alright VICES. guilt, self hatred. it happens

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

sexual orientation. pansexual. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION. same as above. preferred emotional role. [blue screen.mp3] PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE. submissive | dominant | switch libido. very low. TURN ON’S. heh. you losers read or what? no but seriously if you listen to her and are still there by the end of it, she’ll think very highly of you. TURN OFF’S. just being a gross person. don’t do it relationship tendencies. she can be somewhat distant and aloof at first because closeness with others isn’t something she’s used to, but she’ll gradually start to warm up to the relationship with time. expect to get little thoughtful presents from time to time as well as random head-being-buried-in-your-shoulder times.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

character’s theme song. broke by modest mouse and undella town (winter). HOBBIES TO PASS TIME. reading, practicing her esp, playing video games (usually handhelds in bed). SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. barring on the negative. VULNERABILITIES. loneliness, distrust of others.

TAGGED BY: no one

TAGGING: anyone who wants to do this!

#♠ about.#self harm cw

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turnbased · 5 years

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I want to encourage you that, if you're a furry and you want a fursuit but can't afford one- make one!

I've spent the last 8 months working on mine as a personal projects and it's a WHOLE LOT EASIER THAN IT MAY LOOK? Like after you evaluate the steps and watch enough timelapse videos and tutorials, the entire process is extremely simple. I'd to take this time to express how much of a learning experience it's been for me, along with how fun of an experience it's been and how cheap the experience has been (I've kept it under $300!)

First, I'd like to mention that it's a very "trial and error" type process. You WILL make a mistake. Some bigger than others. And that's perfectly OK!

Here's some things I've learned during this process;

-the backing on fur can be very hard to work with, or very easy. I got mine from fabric.com and it's not been too awful of an experience, but the fibers rip a lot easier than you'd think. (Also, be sure to order an amount of fur that isn't going to absolutely destroy your home. For a partial, just know that 1 and 1/2 meters of fur is not only enough, but it's gonna cost you a pretty penny. Be sure to only pay for what you need!)

-Don't trim down fur wity scissors! It can look very uneven and choppy (if you're seeking a specific texture like bird feathers or a pinata like appearance, it might be alright!) but otherwise you should invest in a cheap pair of pet hair clippers. I have a WAHL brand of hair clippers for $25 for walmart and they work absolute wonders and cut evenly.

-Watch as many tutorials as possible before starting anything! Especially tutorials on the head. There are so many different methods on making your head and it's important to start simple. I'd personally reccomend the bucket head method for beginners as there's a plethora of easy to follow tutorials on it

-Seam allowances are no joke. Leave at least 1 centimeter of space between your actual pattern piece and you should have plenty to work with. (You might worry about your extra fabric in the seams causing the fabric to raise or you might sew a little too far, causing your fabric to be loose. I assure you that it will be alright! You're very much so allowed to trim any excess you may have! Just know that it's better to have more than nessesary than less- because it's harder to add fabric than it is to remove it.)

-Line your head! And do it before you build on as it might be more difficult for you to line it after you've furred your base. I'd do it as soon as you have your bucket head base made and apply hot glue onto the very top of the head and work your way down, allowing space for your eyes and mouth as these pieces will need to be cut.

-No shame in references! If you'e unsure how to build specific shapes out of foam, I reccomend googling "fursuit head pattern" and you should very quickly find patterns for things like the brow piece and cheeks.

-If your eyes look too small, they probably are. Don't be afraid to go a little overboard and make the holes for your eyes a bit on the larger side. I'd rather you have large eyes than be completely unable to see. Blindspots are a very real thing and having poor vision can make it worse.

-Shave your fur beforehand! It's stupid hard to sew the edges of fur when the pile is 2 inches long. Trace your pattern onto your fur, cut out the entire square of space, and shave it all to your desired lenght before cutting out your pieces.

-Be prepared for hot glue burns on your fingers and keep burn medications handy. Also be ready to potentially sit and hold foam together while the glue dries for upwards of 3-6 minutes.

-Pay VERY close attention to your fur direction. If anything, mark it on the back of your fur pile. It's crucial you have your pieces aligned with the proper fur orientation before you cut anything out. (As a sidenote, my fur had this incredbly rough edge maybe 1 or 2 inches away from the edge that was incredibly hard to cut through, so I don't reccomend patterning on that. You'll know it when you see it, but mine had this thick thread running all down it.)

-When cutting your fur, I'd personally reccomend scissors to beginners as I found razors to be difficult to work with. When cutting with scissors, stay as close to the backing as possible and use tiny, itty bitty cuts to avoid cutting the fur out of the backing and potentially shearing or ruining your fur.

-Your best friend will be the blanket stitch. It's all I've been using this entire time and it's not only durable but it's easy to do.

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faegrifted · 5 years

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R O L E P L A Y C H A R A C T E R S T A T S S H E E T

Repost, replacing the old information with your muse’s information.

Pass it on to your mutuals for a better understanding of their muses.

tagged by: @therisingtempest // stole it from my old blog tagging: @maljefe , @symbiiiotic , @wholehcartedly , @stemsurvivor , @bondchained ,@rcprobate ,@reedtm , @devilglow , @atlaslain , @goddamnitconnor , @deathfound , @gotitmemorised , @thereforall , @warpstriked , honestly if you wanna do it steal it (for the multimuses its for any muse that will enjoy this)

B A S I C S

▍ FACE CLAIM: Ksenia Solo ▍ NAME: Mackenzi (K e n z i) Malikovna ▍ NICKNAMES: Kenzi, Kenz, Z, Mack, Lil Mama ▍ ALIASES: Kenzi McAdams, Kenzi Rogers, Kenzi Sommersby, Kenzi Williams, Meow Meow, Ninotchka Alexandrovich, Rhino Levine, Shaman Czigany,Toni Soprano and many many more not covvered in her rap sheet ▍ AGE: 26 - Main Verse ▍ GENDER: Female ▍ NATIONALITY: Russian ▌SPECIES : Human with bits of something supernatural in her family tree that’s been watered down over the generations ▍ BIRTHDAY: June 21 ▍ SUN SIGN: Gemini ▍ RESIDENCE: Verse Dependent, she’s normally out world walking but if not she has a loft in California and a villa in Spain ▍ MARITAL STATUS: Single ▍ ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral ▍ PROFESSION: Thief for the right price and reason, Private Investigator, occasional therapist/life coach, full-time sassmaster ▍ SMOKES: Nah. Doesn’t mind the smell of it on some people but thinks it’s a nasty habit. ▍ DRUGS: Once or twice when she was younger and more curious about such things. Not her idea of a good time honestly. ▍ DRINKS:Like a fish when she was younger but she’s chilled quite a bit in her main verse.

L I K E S

▍ BEVERAGE: Coffee for anytime with lots of creamer, mint tea in private, Absinthe or Rum for celebration , Vodka specifically cape cod cocktails for casual drinking ▍ FOOD: Anything new to her or unusual, O r e o s, Pirozhki with either savory or sweet fillings, spicy food , Pizza ▍ DAY OR NIGHT: Night ▍ SNACKS: Dark chocolate, Plyushka , Smoked Fish, Pomegranate Seeds , Berries ▍ SONG: Moments by Tove Lo ▍ QUOTE: “There is only one thing we say to death. Not today.” - Syrio Florel, Game of Thrones ▍ HISTORICAL CHARACTER: Anne Bonny ▍ INTERESTS: Travel, noir and smutty pirate romance novels, slasher horror films, video games, heavy metal and hard rock music, dancing , stories, and even better those that can tell good ones ▍ PET: None, except for whatever stray she happens to be fostering at the time ▍ BOOK: She has a guilty pleasure in romance novels, specifically pirate ones ;) ▍ COLOUR: Shades of blue, silver, purple, burgundy ▍ FLOWER / PLANT: Sunflowers ▍ SEXUALITY: Demisexual ▍ ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic

L O O K S

▍ BODY TYPE: LOOK AT KSENIA FOLKS. Slim and lithe, she’s got a graceful form that looks soft to the untrained eyes but beneath the skin is toned practical muscle built from her taking care of herself and a lifetime of survival. Legs for days with the look of a runner/dancer to them. [gifset gifset gifset] [bonus bonus bonus] ▍ FACE: You’ll be fooled into thinking its angelic right up until she grins at you for the first time and you realize you’re fucked (whatever that may mean for you) ▍ SKIN: Light, fair, and some scars, mostly on her hands but a few major ones here and there. Duet beauty marks on the right side of her lips. Secret splash of freckles across the bridge of her nose only visible when she tans. ▍ EYE COLOUR: Ice blue verging on silver in certain lights. Think of the shade of the moon on cold dark nights. ▍ HAIR COLOUR: Naturally black and curly, but the real texture is private to only the very, very special people in her life. Outside her bed or a close friendship, the closest to the truth you’ll get is seeing it turn from sleek and straight to wavy when it rains. But her hair tends to be a part of any given disguise she wears for work or daily aesthetic, which means colors and styles galore. It’s inconsistent, she changes is constantly but most often its what you see in the icon.

Black/Brown hair with streaks of whatever color she fancies at the time, choppy razored bangs.

#🌻 Headcanons;; ❛ Here’s the rap sheet. Well the rap sheet for a few of ‘me’. ❜#i may hae gotten a little wordy but aye

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sanguisfulgur · 5 years

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Profile: Salem

Full Name: Salem Hikari

Nickname(s):·Sale, Lemmy (only by his twin sister), adopts the alias Aiden Woodgrove frequently to match his sister’s most used alias.

Title: The Hunter

Age: Mid to late 20s (appearance), 31 (actual age)

Birthday: October 25th (1987)

Species: Vampire (better life verse)

Ethnicity: White, with historic Japanese routes on father’s side of the family.

Nationality: British by birth, holder of American Citizenship.

Gender: Male (cis)

Pronoun(s): He/Him/Himself

Romantic Orientation: Panromantic

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Birth Order: Twin, younger by a few minutes.

Home Town: Bowness-On-Windermere, England, UK.

Current Residence: Portland, Maine, USA (main)/London, UK (better life)

Religion: Baptised Catholic, but given he knows other gods exist he’s not outwardly religious.

Allegiance: Himself/his sister

Occupation: Hunter

Financial Status: Relatively poor unless a job paid well.

Martial Status: Verse dependant

Status: Active

Fandom: Fandomless OC.

Face Claim: Matthew Daddario

Physical Traits

Face Shape: Somewhere between oval and heart-shaped.

Forehead: Rounded, average in broadness.

Eyes: Grey in colour with the smallest flecks of blue within them, they are upturned with surprisingly long eye lashes.

Nose: Straight, well-proportioned for face.

Lips: Full, soft.

Teeth: All present, and like all vampires will re-grow if knocked out. They’re in good condition. Fangs are retractable.

Cheeks: Narrow, a touch prominent.

Chin: Small.

Ears: None-protruding, very sensitive to sound due to enhanced hearing..

Facial Hair: Usually clean shaven but occasionally will grow out stubble.

Height: 6′3″

Neck: Average length/broadness.

Torso: Broad, defined abs.

Arms: Well muscled from years of archery training, bears scars on his upper right arm from being clawed by a Cu Sith

Hands:·Long fingers, large hands in accordance with his height.

Legs: Long (All leg much like his twin), well-toned.

Feet: Size 12 (American sizes), nothing otherwise noteworthy.

Texture: Skin is smooth barring the occasionally marring of a scar.

Color: Unnaturally pale/white.

Freckles: None.

Scars: Claw marks from a Cu Sith on his upper right arm, bullet scar on his right calf, miscellaneous scars can be found over his body that have been gathered in his human years.

Stretch Marks:None.

Tattoos: An Anti-possession tattoo on his lower back.

Piercings: None.

Skin Conditions: None.

Texture: Hair is thick and wavy naturally.

Color: Black, dark as his mother’s namesake.

Style and Length: Salem’s hair is uneven and choppy, making it seem messy. The length varies, depending on how long he goes without cutting it but it’s usually kept somewhat short in the back with longer bang/side strands.

Mental and Physical

Overall Health: Excellent

Frequency of Mental Exercise: Often to occasional, Salem likes word puzzles and similar brainteasers.

Frequency of Physical Exercise: Daily training.

Life Philosophy: Protect the innocent above all else.

Life Goal(s): Honestly Salem is rather aimless here. He’s never thought much about what he wants having always imagined himself hunting until the day he died.

Describe Voice: Smooth and friendly, Salem is a flirt and tends to drop to more husky undertones.

Speech Patterns: informal at most times, Salem is casual and direct - blunt, even - in his speech, though not intentionally crass he doesn’t mince his words.

Habits: Tapping his foot (not out of impatience, it’s just a consistent habit whenever he’s idle), clicking his tongue, tilting his head (much like his twin),

Daily Routines: Showering and dressing, taking care of breakfast and some morning exercises or a run, from their it varies as a hunter given he has no set work routine.

Likes: animals (especially dogs), spicy food, cold autumn mornings, rainstorms, bookstores, listening to music to fall asleep, lie-ins, scented candles, long showers, libraries.

Dislikes: being woken up, cream cheese, math, clutter, loud music/noises, nightclubs, hot/humid nights, ignorance, golf, people who stop to talk right in the middle of the path/in doors.

Dreams: A good life for him and his sister.

Motivations: Protecting himself/his twin, eradicating monsters that pose a threat and keeping safe those that don’t.

Interests: literature, animal husbandry, unsolved murders and disappearances

Hobbies: Hiking, reading, spelunking, running, archery, urban exploration.

Skills: Marksmanship, tracking, observing and noting details about a person, exceptionally convincing liar, extensive knowledge of the supernatural and occult, multilingual. As a ‘hunter’ strain vampire he possesses their incredible hunting/tracking abilities, heightened senses an enhanced physical strength/speed ect. Salem can also transform into a colony of bats (or an individual one) and a red fox.

Shortcomings: Aggressive with an easily-provoked temper, has a tendency to disregard his physical well-being when it comes to others, co-dependency issues with his twin, struggles to memorise numbers (such as dates, phone numbers ect.)

Weakness(es): His twin sister, his strain of vampire (different from his twin’s) are vulnerable to silver in their first year of transformation as well as to sunlight in that first year. Congealed blood can cause nausea. Beyond that killing them is a difficult process: They must stabbed through the heart with a Bowie knife/white oak stake then the head must be cut off and the heart removed; after this the limbs must be cut off and all burned separately, the ashes from each part must also be buried separately and NOT scattered.

Regret(s): Leaving to go hunt without his twin and thus her being alone and then being turned by Theo. It’s not his fault by any means, but he blames himself for not being there.

Fear(s): Losing his twin, otherwise failing to keep people safe.

Phobia(s):·Arachnophobia (that he will not freely admit to) & Taphophobia (fear of being buried alive)

Mental Illness(es): PTSD

When and how was this diagnosed?:· Has not been properly diagnosed, but all the symptoms are there and obvious to anyone who knows how the condition manifests.

Other Illness(es): N/A

When and how was this diagnosed?: N/A

Physical Disability(ies): N/A

When was this diagnosed and/or how did it happen?:

Other:·

Personality

Usual Mood/Expression:· Salem on the outside tends to appear calm, mouth pulled upwards into a half-smile. He’s less paranoid than his sister an so more outwardly approachable in appearance to strangers. He is however easily provoked.

Moral Alignment: Chaotic Good/Neutral

Jung: ESFP

Enneagram: Type 8 (The Challenger)

Four Temperaments:·Sanguine

Soul Type: Caregiver/Hunter

Common Archetypes: The Caregiver

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Top Five Tropes:·Grey Eyes, Anti-Hero, Twin Telepathy, Friendly Neighborhood Vampire, Hunter of Monsters

Five Prominent Traits:·Loyal, Aggressive, Protective, Distrustful, Reckless

Misc

Food:·.Salem is not a fussy eater by any means but he does have a love for spicy food, French pastries and curry udon.

Drinks:·Coffee, fresh orange juice, Dr. Pepper and negroni cocktails

Books: Great Expectations, Harry Potter, Mortal Engines, Tolkien’s legendarium, The Book Thief & ASOIAF.

Movies/TV Shows: Salem is a sucker for high fantasy and steampunk aesthetics s he tens to gravitate to those kinds of shows/movies. Like his sister however, he likes to watch horrors in order to rip them apart.

Music: Rock (particularly indie/alt style), indie pop and general ‘alternative’ labelled music.

Video Games: Horror Survivors and First Person Shooters are where he shines.

Weapons:· Possesses multiple handguns, crossbows and compound bows, a shotgun, machete, rapier, numerous other blade types, throwing knives a recursive bow, poisons, unconventional weaponry needed against the supernatural (dead blood, crosses ect.); he also has knowledge of curse/hex breaking. .

Drugs: N/A

Elements: Lightning/Water.

Animals:·Dogs, wolves, bats, corvids. The animal he is like in spirit is a·fox.

Plants: Lily-of-the-valley and red roses but he’s not much of plant person in terms of knowing what most are called ect.

Stats

Self-Love: 5/10

Courage: 8/10

Confidence: 8/10

Pride: 6/10

Greed: 3/10

Patience: 4/10

Tolerance: 8/10

Mental Flexibility: 8/10

Passion/Motivation: 8/10

Creativity: 6/10

Education: 5/10 (Formal-education-wise, Salem is more self-educated, educated by others outside of schooling.)

Compassion:·7/10 (Depends on person.) 0/10 for targets or those he despises. 10/10 for those he’s close to and children.

Empathy:·7/10 (Again decreases and rises depending on the being.) 10/10 for those he trusts/cares for, and children. 0/10 for targets.

Loyalty: 10/10·

Forgiveness: 3/10

Sociability: 7/10

Emotional Attachment: 6/10

Physical Attachment: 7/10

Stamina: 10/10

Mental Strength: 5/10

Physical Strength: 10/10

Battle Skill: 7/10

Initiative: 8/10

Restraint: 2/10

Defense: 7/10

Agility: 6/10

Flexibility: 6/10

Strategy: 6/10

Leadership: 5/10

Teamwork: 5/10

Wrath: 9/10

Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence: 7/10

Visual-Spatial Intelligence: 6/10

Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence: 10/10

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: 4/10

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: 10/10

Interpersonal Intelligence: 9/10

Intrapersonal Intelligence: 3/10

Existential Intelligence: 5/10

Naturalistic Intelligence: 7/10

Relationships

Parent(s): Shiro Hikari & Ebony Knight ( Both deceased.), Norio Hikari (Godfather, alive.), Vlad III/Dracula (Adoptive father, alive)

Siblings: Sharna Adrienne Hikari (twin sister, alive)

Significant Other(s):·Verse dependant, Laini (better life verse)

Children: Verse dependant

Family:·Ryou Hikari and Alexandria Hikari (nee Woodgrove.) [Grandparents] & Conrad Knight and Irene Knight (nee Beckett.) [Grandparents,Deceased], Adrienne Knight (Auntie, deceased.), other extended family members he does not know.

Closest Friends:· His twin sister. Though Salem is a friendly and personable man, his co-dependency and distrust of others means he keeps most at an arm’s length.

Rivals: none, really.

Enemies:·Theo, Thanatos (enemy of his entire family), hunting targets.

Pets: Nova, his sister’s Tamaskan.

Other:·To be added over time.

#( salem )#venator;#profile;#(November 2018)

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fluidsf · 5 years

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Fluid Label Focus on Crónica 011 Ran Slavin: Product 02 (2004) Reviewed format: CD album released on Crónica I'm back rather early now with the next review in my Fluid Label Focus series on the Crónica label. This time I have for you an early release back from 2004 in the Product series on the label, titled Product 02 by Ran Slavin. This album in the format I'm reviewing features the 15 tracks (of which track 10 is a seperating silent track [Product Silence] on CD as well as an 8 page booklet featuring photography and artwork as well as two texts detailing the Product series concept, the sonic inspiration put into the music on this album by Ran Slavin and an appreciation by label owner Miguel Carvalhais. On the back of the jewelcase you can find the tracklist and album credits. As described in the booklet the Product series' concept is to take the "split" format of the vinyl LP format (two sides featuring the music of a full album) and translate this to the digital format by splitting up the tracklist of the CD into two "sides" (or mini compilations as its called in the text) which both form two seperate pieces of the album. The goal is that these two piece also work together to form one "Product" rather than a collection of seperate pieces forming the album. In the case of Ran Slavin's Product release the two parts forming the album are titled Tropical Agent and Ears in Water. Tropical Agent starts with track 1 Dirty Needles. Dirty Needles features a glitchy sound in which various music samples, vinyl crackle and bit-crushed down pitched mechanical sounds are blended together to create an abstract kind of soundscape or ambience. Indeed Ran Slavin's music on this album is the kind of music that is more like fading in and out of various sonic situations and environments rather than tracks featuring clear melodic patterns or progression. The lo-fi mechanical clanging sounds are the main focus in here for me , as the music samples and vinyl crackle scatter around in abstract manner, the Industrial clanging seems to be a clearer focus point than the melodic bits. A great track to start with, plenty of classic Glitch goodness in here. If You Should is a more subtle, mellow and quiet piece, featuring what sounds like a Middle Eastern string instrument, violin samples and filtered piano samples. Combined with the vinyl crackles and low mechanical sounds the music feels like the ambience of a quiet workshop of handcrafted products late at night as the owner and few employees continue carefully working on their handcrafted objects. Search For Compassion continues the vinyl / Glitch themed sonic signature but with a more drone based ambience. After several choppy vinyl sample manipulations at the start the piece moves forward as a contuous mellow fragmented drone that near the end gets accompanied by high pitched synth notes chiming into the fuzzy cloud of sound. Nice deepness in this one. U Think U Know Who U Are uses a resonator effect to create strong metallic droning percussive sounds. Pretty sharp sounds they are and the piece is a bit more simple in texture than the tracks before but it's still got a pleasant feeling to it and the reverberated ambience at the end gives a nice conclusion to this track. Silent Siren however is a better track, the looping harp samples and shifting low pitched sounds add a kind of mystery in the music that feels pretty cinematic, like people waiting in the living room of their house for something special to happen. Indeed Ran Slavin is in fact an artists in various media, film, video art as well as experimental music, so it's no wonder that his work carry abstracted imaginary storylines within them. The violin melody in the second half of the track is a great juxtaposition with the other sounds in the track that blends sonic images together like overlaying one scene with another on that's half-dissolved. On Guitar String/Empty Streets aleatoric randomized guitar sample melodies float through an ambience of (indeed) streets in field recordings, the guitar string sounds are emphasized quite a lot which adds these mechanic sounds to the mixture. Mysterious eerie droning tones add a strange kind of "foreboding feeling" in an otherwise quite abstract sounding melodic ambience piece, sounds good. Triggers of Violence is one of the louder pieces on the album and features spiky sounding chopped up glitchy guitars and droning resonances in more recognizably melodic patterns (albeit still in one key only). It's one of the more active pieces on the album, freely scattering glitches, recording noise and other artifact sounds around to create a mechanic structure of metallic sound, very nice. Desert Rain sounds quite like its title describes, it's got "rainlike" vinyl crackle loops, that are quite rhythmic as well, sounding almost like percussion. Soft continous droning instrument samples (including guitar) are placed in a pretty deep big space, ghostly washes of sound float through the ambience too and the track has a nice hypnotic Middle Eastern vibe to it. Flat Tire at the Dead Sea features more kinetic glitching guitar patterns as well as quite a lot of cool stuttery sonic manipulations with all sample chops tumbling through the stereo sound field into wide delays as well. A fun piece of abstract music that also features some chops of what sounds like percussion too. Afterwards we have 30 seconds of [Product Silence] and we move to the second half of this Product album Ears in Water. The first track of which is Vista Plain, which is more intense than the tracks before, a wash of fuzzy hissy droning sound and vinyl crackles as well as guitar samples. The drone has rhythmic mechanic looping sound to it and there's a lot of variation in the filtering as well as additional guitar samples in the piece which introduces the rather different sound of the Ears in Water part. Vista Plain is calm in its drone structure but sonically rather progressive with all the manipulation going on. Girl in Water features chopped and glitched vocals by Lin Chalozin Dovrat and sounds a bit more technical in its atmosphere, more futuristic with the choppy short glitch sequences, rather abstract tone sequences and granual style intense sound stretching. Great sound manipulations in here, nice piece. On Untitled #1 you can hear what sounds like little bass as well as a resonating sound, like coming from the inside of an electronic appliance as well as samples from a man's voice. Strange but intriguing sonic experience this is, sounds very alien. Untitled #2 has a more synthetic sounds to it with more synths and technical glitches in it. Starting with quickly chopped samples, high synth effects, reversed bells and more elements situated mostly in the high end of the frequency spectrum the piece slowly moves into an organ like drone and synth percussion gets added as well. This second half becomes quite purely electronic, a nice piece with a different sonic siganture we have here. Great vibe. Final track Piano moves back a bit to the sound of earlier tracks, a fuzzy vinyl sound is within the piano samples though the whole is chopped up in a melodic progression in faster tempo than before. Quite an upbeat and pleasant short atmospheric ending piece to this album. Product 02 by Ran Slavin is a quite varied album of cinematic and often abstract experimental ambiences and atmospheric melodic progressions. The two halfs of the album, in line with the concept of Crónica Product series give the approach to music a nice twist after the first half, enabling the listener to discover the relations between the sounds in the various tracks and the general abstract element of the music allows you to imagine situations and environments conjured up by it. A great listen for people looking for cinematic experimental music spread over various tracks as well fans of more melodic oriented glitch music and vinyl sample manipulations. CD available from the Crónica Bandcamp page here: https://cronica.bandcamp.com/album/product-02

#cd #independent music #Crónica #underground music #2004 #glitch #drone #ambient #cinematic #album #ran slavin #product 02 #Fluid Label Focus #experimental music

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survivor-guyana · 5 years

Text

Immunity Results #3

Meet Your Judges!

DAN

Hi sisters, it’s Dan, king of half faced selfies, here to roast your lip syncs

NEHE

Hi sisters, it's Nehemiah, king of not winning a game he deserves to win, here to judge you guys like you never been judged before, p.s Tim stop stealing my role as the one straight black guy in the org community

CHARLOTTE

hi sisters, i’m back from the dead and ready to roast some bitches. i honestly don’t remember if i’ve played more than one main season but i was in kuang si and really that’s the only one that matters. not sorry!

CONNOR

hey sisters, hope you missed me because im still not coming back.

DENNIS

Hi sisters, I was forced to write this start. But entertain me

JESS

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-and I didn't know how potent that part might be-that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

HOSORORO

youtube

Dan: 31/50

Theme: 5 - No real theme tbh, I guess the editing incorporated some nice colors and stuff. I wish y'all could have been more in sync with a theme tho. Maybe I'm just being critical.

Creativity: 5 - The editing was creative, I liked the effects and the added little bits that went along with the lyrics. I think the difference between this video and the others tho was that the others tried something new and exciting to spice up their videos. Was it more creative? Maybe? There's nothing wrong with picking a bop and lip syncing, but it's 2019 ladies, spice it up.

Effort: 7 - She may have bought that hair, but y’all yanked it right off. I think some of you really tried harder than others, but I stan when people just do their best and record where and when they can. It shows dedication and I like that shit. I think that the effort into learning the lyrics without reading them off the screen and dedication to filming in the car kind of showed y'all want this.

Composition: 7 - BITCHHHHH I’M GAGGGGGT. It’s 240p, but honestly Ariana Grande who? Whoever edited this made it seemless, but honestly the low quality needs to get clocked a few points.

Entertainment Value: 7 - The dancing, the outfits, the lip sync skills? A bitch was entertained. While the other videos tried to make things new and exciting, y'all delivered what I think of as more of a successful project.

Jess: 34/50

Theme 8/10. If I had to say the theme, I'd guess that it's "bad bitches" which you all are.

Creativity 5/10. If a 0 is 1 person playing basketball instead of lip syncing at all, and a 10 is a full out choreographed dance number done by your entire tribe, I think this falls solidly in the middle. I don't think there is a lot about this that sets it apart from past music videos I've seen, but I don't think it is bad.

Effort 8/10. It seems like most of your tribe members were at least majorly involved and tried to make this good! And you all put effort into the dancing/attitude you had, it felt like everyone tried to match their actions to the song.

Composition 6/10. I think the editing is good and it matches the timing of the music which is nice, the cuts are usually on the beats! But it did get a little repetitive after a while, like I felt as though the same thing was happening throughout the whole video and there wasn't a variety in the images/cutting style/etc. I also think it was hard to tell if the video was in sync because for some reason y'all are in 2007 and only uploaded this at 240p???? Are you guys all over the age of 45 why did you do that. Finally, the flickering glitter filter was cool at the start, but I wish you'd spiced it up and not just used that throughout the entire video, also at points it was a little distracting due to the bright colours that would pop up.

Entertainment Value 7/10. Six of these points are for the girl who was in the car because she was killing it and I loved her. I took points off for a similar reason I had above -- it felt like the video was one note and I wish you guys had a little more variety throughout.

Dennis: 38/50

Theme: 6/10 Creativity: 8/10 Effort: 8/10 Composition: 8/10 Entertainment: 8/10

I know I will get alot of hate comments for this, but this in general is not really a song to lipsync too. EITHER WAY I think you did a good pretty good job with it. All of you seemed to enjoy yourself and the editing was enough to keep my attention throughout the whole video. I didn't really get the theme, but overall it was a very entertaining Lipsync!

Connor: 35/50

Ok this is good. You clearly all worked together artistically so that your individual shots were coherent. Im not crazy about the pink strobe kinda thing going on through the entire video but you were all performing and this is well done. Theme: 7 Creativity: 6 Effort: 8 Composition: 7 Entertainment Value: 7

Charlotte: 42/50

Theme: IF THE THEME WAS FABULOUSNESS YOU ACHIEVED IT. ARIANA WOULD BE PROUD. 8/10

Creativity: I feel like you could have done a little bit more with some of the lyrics but all in all I loved this video and now I'm just being picky. 7/10

Effort: See above. I think you could have done a little but more but keeping the pink aesthetic through your editing and ALL THAT DANCING werk werk werk. 8/10

Composition: Love. That. Aesthetic. 10/10 PLUS YOU'RE ALL IN THE SAME CAMERA ORIENTATION I LOVE THAT. LOVE THAT FOR YOU.

Entertainment Value: FUN, ENJOYABLE, FLAWLESS, NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. 9/10

Nehe: 44/50

7 8 9 10 10

Now this is a fucking music video work bitches work

TOTAL: 224

ARAKAKA

youtube

Dan: 29/50

Theme: 7 - Annoying advertisements? Trying to show the effects of product placement on our every day life? I loved it haha I was shook.

Creativity: 6 - V creative, but was it really a music video? I guess parts were but I also was like so lost after a while. I think song choice is always important and I was so bored during the song parts. I wish you had made the song part as creative as the ad parts.

Effort: 4 - Honestly the effort was misfocused on the ads and less on the music video, was I mad about it? only like 50%. the song was boring and just kinda blah so it was interesting

Composition: 5 - Choppy, but I can’t edit so rip

Entertainment Value: 7 - Honestly this how to video taught me so much and I’m shook. THE POPCORN I LITERALLY SCREAMED. While I nodded off during the music video portion, I stanned the ads

Jess: 32/50

Theme 6/10. I think your theme was ads? I didn't really understand it but it was fun and unique.

Creativity 8/10. I have never seen anything like this that's for sure.

Effort 4/10. It seemed like everyone in your tribe was in the video I think? But most of the stuff you guys submitted was 1 take/shot and wouldn't have required a lot of editing, which is the most time consuming/effort requiring portion of the challenge so...

Composition 5/10 The editing of the commercials was pretty good, but it didn't flow as well as it should have because the audio levels were a bit all over the place. Also at one point it was in colour and out of focus but I wasn't sure why? Also a+ for doing your video in 1080p (@ other tribes take note). Since the actual music video portion was just one shot, I feel like I can't really give you a higher rating than the other tribes in this category.

Entertainment Value 9/10 First frame: a guy in a Stitch onesie with a bottle of tequila and a mug that says "ray of fucking sunshine"?? I laughed immediately. Then I was shook when later I realized it was actually a shot glass and was close to the camera and it got even better. This whole video was wild and I had no idea what was going to happen so I was pretty entertained.

Dennis: 45/50

Theme: 8/10 Creativity: 10/10 Effort: 8/10 Composition: 9/10 Entertainment: 10/10

This is probably the last kind of video which I expected in a challenge like this. I think it was really creative and connected entertainment with comedy and a nice little theme. I am very impressed good job!

Connor: 20/50

“””””Acting””””””” “””””””Edgy”””””””” Eggs?? Im vegan. What was the point of this? Was there a point? Pop corn girl gets you an extra point but this is not a music video. To quote bandersnatch, you chose the wrong path.

Theme: 3 Creativity: 6 Effort: 4 Composition: 4 Entertainment Value: 3

Charlotte: 34/50

Theme: I've been out of the ORG world for awhile but is this what music videos are now??? I feel like the music video of your video was sorely lacking. YouTube loves ads but not that many!!!!! I did think the ads were pretty creative though so I marked up points for that below. 6/10

Creativity: See above. 9/10

Effort: It wasn't just straight up lip syncing so I gotta reward you guys for that. 8/10

Composition: That black and white switching to color towards the end got me fucked up. 6/10

Entertainment Value: To quote the person sitting beside me: "OMG another ad?"Cute concept, not sure it works as a music video but you tried. 5/10

Nehe: 35/50

Honestly this was something i never seen before and i enjoyed it hahaha

TOTAL: 195

TAKAMA

youtube

Dan: 26/50

Theme: 6 - Cats? Bikes? Awkward White People Dancing? Are these the themes you went for? If so, y’all killed it haha, but it wasn't cohesive and I don't get what y'all were going for really.

Creativity: 5 - honestly, I stan an original song choice bc I haven’t seen this before, but also, a song like this needs to be sold and I don't know if y'all pulled out all the stops. I would have liked to see more passion from some of you in the props and theatrics department.

Effort: 5 - Some of you seemed to try a little harder than others, but overall y’all were feelin it

Composition: 5 - A little choppy, but I can’t edit for shit so like good job?

Entertainment Value: 5 - Okay Miss Tim with that bike balance, idk your name sis (maybe Jones) but striped sweater, pm me on skype – dan.disbrow so I can buy it ty. Other than that I don't really remember much besides a lot of cringey dancing.

Jess: 29/50

Theme 1/10. Tbh I don't really know what the theme was here, did you guys forget this category??

Creativity 4/10. Pretty much the same reason that I gave Hororo's tribe a 5, I'm giving you a 4. I am taking one point off because they at least did some stuff to make their video more unique/specific to their song whereas I think you guys could have used this editing style/dancing/etc to any song and it would have also worked, so it wasn't super unique.

Effort 9/10. Everyone who was in the video seemed really into it and did a good job having fun! But this is a 6 person tribe... one person wasn't in it and they weren't the editor?? You should vote them out if you lose.

Composition 9/10. The editing flowed well, you showed everyone on the tribe a pretty decent amount, and everyone's individual videos were pretty on point for lip sync? Usually when people film on their webcams it's not in sync, but these were all really good! You lose one point because the video quality was low and wasn't 1080p which it really should be.

Entertainment Value 6/10. I liked everyone's attitude and dancing and I loved the cats. I originally had 5 but then I remembered the cats and went back and added another point. But I wish you guys had done something unique for each mini song, like maybe divided them up amongst your tribe, or had people change outfits or something? If you had done that, I'd have given you way more points for theme and entertainment value. But because it was kind of repetitive/one note, it's hard to say I was REALLY entertained the whole time.

Dennis: 37/50

Theme: 9/10 Creativity: 7/10 Effort: 8/10 Composition: 7/10 Entertainment: 6/10

Comment: What stood out for me in your video was the theme. I assume that you wanted to mimic the fans v faves theme with a riff off and I thought that was actually quite smart. Everything else seemed to be for me what I would expect from a lipsync, but besides the theme nothing that stood out to me especially.

Connor: 27/50

The lip sinking is a little off at times (im coming back to this part, in the middle / two ish minute point-on it is not good) and I think the transitions from song to songs could have been smoother, but I think this is creative in terms of it being a mashup. I think there could have been more “music video” aspects to it. In addition to y’all singing. EXTRA POINT FOR THE CATS ( stripped sweater??? who is this??? Queen????)

Theme: 5 Creativity: 6 Effort: 6 Composition: 4 Entertainment Value: 6

Charlotte: 28/50

Theme: Was your theme Pitch Perfect? Like, I'm not sure whether or not there was anything you guys planned out but it really just seemed kind of randomly thrown together. 5/10

Creativity: I liked the cats? 6/10

Effort: See above. I feel like y'all just kind of threw this together? It was missing something for me. The person in the stripes pulled it together for you though so 7/10

Composition: Y'all really out here in 2019 not filming in the same orientation? I'm deducting 50% for that. It's a travesty. Also, if one person does a filter and no one else does, does it really make sense? IDK. 3/10

Entertainment Value: ... again, I liked the cats. Plus the stuff with the bicycle was weirdly entertaining. 7/10

Nehe: 31/50

TOTAL: 178

Thank you judges!

That means, Takama, I will be seeing you that tribal council on January 28 at 10 pm est.

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aikainkauna · 6 years

Text

Movie meeeehm

Thanks to @nitrateglow for these!

1: A movie you enjoyed as a kid that you don't now

-Probs some comedy I'd find awfully sexist/racist/homophobic etc. now. But of course, I can't recall a specific one, probs because the experience is so deeply squicky and traumatic. Oh, wait, I know. I adored The Great Mouse Detective as a kid, but have heard so many "bleh" comments about it later that I don't want to ruin it by rewatching it as an adult. Why take a happy, cherished, pure and joyous memory away, especially as there are so few of those in my life anyway in proportion to the bad memories?

2: A movie you disliked as a kid that you like/love now

-Not a movie, but I was literally too fucking terrified to watch Doctor Who as a kid on cable, because the Tom Baker repeats they were showing terrified me with the title sequence alone. That empty stare and howling, diddly-duming music were enough to give me nightmares. So I only got into Who in my late teens!

3: Your favorite movie as a kid

-Define "kid." I went through several. I loved the Disney Robin Hood, of course, and at puberty, Wayne's World (yes) and The Princess Bride were my own cult movies, before I had anyone to fangirl them with. Ah, the pre-Internet era.

4: An actor/actress it took you time to warm up to

I remember being weirdly terrified and disturbed by Jeremy Brett as a kid, but then I felt the same about Bowie, and... well. Clearly it was my baby self not knowing WTF to do with all this stirring, restless energy that later turned out to be my skinnyandrogynousbisexualguy orientation thingy. And while I'd first seen Caligari and Casablanca as a teen in the early 90s, I wasn't ready for Connie until he pounced me in 2012. I would not have "got" him the same way and as hard until I was a grown-up, with a wide variety of experiences from many areas of life and a boatload of books/learning behind me. Just... no way.

5: A director it took you time to warm up to

-If anything, I've cooled off various directors I was impressed by when younger. So much of the auteur stuff gets wanky and self-imposing, in this Arrogant Artist Guy "look at my GENIUS big VISION and also insecurity about my penis size" kind of way. I like directors who can be warm and have fun and who show some real humanity (not wanky anvilly/kitchen sink-y sort of "humanity" either). Maybe Branagh? I found him a bit annoying as a kid, but now fap all over his stuff because now I'm old enough to Get It. He is the best kind of fanboy director; his geekiness is catching. Listening to his Thor commentary was a real eye-opener into my realising just how massive a nerd he is, and in a good, "one of us" kind of way.

6: Top five favorite soundtracks of your favorite movie composer

-There isn't just one! But Clint Mansell and Debbie Wiseman turn to gold everything they touch. Debbie especially is hugely unknown still, but she has this most amazing, swellingly Romantic music full of sweeping emotion that I just can't rec her enough. Do check her out; she'll give you goosebumps.

7: Three movies that defined your teen/childhood years

-I think I mentioned those already! But as a teenager, Bram Stoker's Dracula, La Reine Margot and Heavenly Creatures were formative. There were others I obsessed about way more than those, but they weren't as influential--it's more like they were massaging buttons I already had.

8: Sci-fi or westerns?

-Blake's 7! AKA "The Dirty Dozen in Space."

9: Are there any movies you own more than one copy of?

-Ahhahaha. AAAHHAHAHAHA! Of The Thief of Bagdad, I own: The Criterion clusterfuck with the awful clumsy cover someone had their 5-year-old draw, the Nordic DVD, the German Blu-Ray because I live on the edge (what with those Veidt Eye Closeups in HD being a hazard to any uterus) and at least three different digital copies. Because I'm me. I also own two digital copies and one DVD of Casablanca, three digital and one DVD of A Woman's Face and don't get me started on the British telefantasy I have on both DVD and VHS. I have spare copies of both the Caligari Masters of Cinema release and the ITV DVD of The Spy In Black, so I guess I should throw them at somebody.

10: Physical media or streaming?

-Neither. Video files firmly saved onto and run from my hard drive. Fuck streaming with its choppiness (ruins the viewing experience for me) and physical media are usually beyond my budget (unless I save up for a Connie DVD). Besides, I rip my favourite movie discs onto my HD anyway. I want to be able to gif that shit, dammit!

11: Are there any movies you watch on special occasions every year (Christmas, Halloween, birthdays, your mother's aunt's wedding anniversary, etc.)

-Used to do Nightmare Before Christmas on Halloween, but not any more. I still attempt ToB every Christmas. And I used to do All Through The Night with wine on my birthday, but as I can't tolerate alcohol anymore, the experience of Watching ATTN Drunk is no more. Someone start a Halloween tradition with me where we watch either The Student of Prague or Eerie Tales (or both) every year?

12: What movie do you most associate with your best friend(s)?

-Gosh, so few have stayed, so it's more like "movie that reminds you of a broken friendship," yay...?! I've learned to try and not associate movies with people that way any more, because it's more painful than it's worth. Connie is my best friend. He's like Krishna that way.

13: Name a movie adaptation you thought was better than or equal to its source material.

-LOTR put in more facial features and characterisation than Tolkien ever did, and did the tales far less fucking tediously. Imagine if you'd had to sit and watch hobbits walking through the countryside for 6 hours with barely anything happening?! Yeah...

14: What genres do your favorite movies tend to be?

-Historical, fantasy, Gothic Romantic, just Romantic stuff on the whole. More old than new movies these days. Why watch shitty modern chick flicks when I have far better characterisation and far less narrowly defined female lives in old-timey "women's pictures?" And guys who actually fucking shaved, dressed in clothes that were tailored for them instead of rented and saggy, whose bodily expressions weren't frozen for fear of "fagginess," and who weren't pumped full of 'roids.

15: Are you a fan of period dramas and if so, what era do you enjoy best?

-Yes. I love me some costume dramas, but I am seriously picky about them--most post-90s ones have been fucking awful and tend to feature shitty costumes and unkempt hair that would've sent real historical people to Bedlam, wobblycam from hell, vomit-inducingly excessive modernisation to be "edgy", and that one painfully skeletal bint they shove into every period drama ever these days, so it's... slim pickings for a history nerd, these days. There aren't many good ones set in the 17th century/Baroque era, which I love the most: the two Baroque dramas I wholeheartedly love are both series. (The Devil's Whore and By The Sword Divided.) The Angeliques and Musketeer adaptations are riddled with flaws, but there are some glowing bits within. As for The Golden Age of Islam... bloody hell, there really aren't that many good ones out there, are there?! ToB and Jodhaa Akbar and Disney's Aladdin, obviously. La Reine Margot isn't "my" period but it's great, as is Dangerous Liaisons (also not my period)--those are so fucking perfect. And the Connie period dramas, well... I think of them as primarily "silent movies" or "old movies," actually. Of those, The Student of Prague, ToB and The Wandering Jew are the best "costume" ones, IMHO. (I'd probs enjoy Lucrezia Borgia and Carlos and Elisabeth way more, were the copies we have not so smudgy.)

16: Name a movie you love that you would recommend to just about everyone.

-Ah, but we know there are always cynical cunts out there who'd give even Casablanca two stars, so what's the point? I'd still recommend it, though. And The Lion King, I guess.

17: Name a movie you love that you consider an acquired taste.

-Honestly, I'm thinking of telly rather than movies again. You will pry my cherished copy of The Time Monster from my cold, dead hands. Does The Devil of Winterborne count as a movie or TV? That's how far back my love for Mark Gatiss goes. Um... Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood makes me fucking cry with laughter (the comedic timing is what does it. *beat* "Ain't dat some shit!"). Of Connie's oeuvre, yes, I know Bella Donna is rubbish, but Connie and Mary are SIZZLING and horny and juicy and it's Valid as a BDSM porn movie. And the novel is actually good.

18: Name a film you like directed by/starring a filmmaker/actor you normally don't care for.

-Not so much actor/director, but I did *not* expect to love Thor as much as I did, because I expected a dumb popcorn movie but got great adventure cinema with a touch of Shakespeare instead. I really am not the right audience for regular Marvel features at all, before or after. Fuck Marvel up its dumb macho Republican ass. But Thor is fucking beautiful and operatic and poetic and majestic and Pagan and shit. Branagh knows what I like.

19: Name a movie that blew your mind.

-A Woman's Face (1941). Because. Holy. Fuck. How can I keep on finding yet more details in it six years after first watching it, having watched it countless times by now?! And obvs all the other stuff, like the shockingly good female POV, amazing and complex woman protagonist, amazing writing, amazing ensemble cast, amazing direction, amazing lighting, amazing evil Torsten Slinkypussy Barring and The. Goddamn. Attic. Scene.

20: What genre mash-up would you most love to see that either hasn't been done yet or hasn't been done enough?

-Feminist-savvy historical romance with fantasy elements and hot explicit sex that's not shit. Basically, like the stuff you see in my fics, but better paced and woven into coherent adventure movies.

21: The coolest movie you've ever seen

-Too, too many. But Bogie was the coolest. And Claude Rains had the best acting skills. And Conrad Veidt was Conrad motherfucking Veidt. So what with those three mountains of coolness all converging under the Moroccan sky, I'm sure it's safe to say "Casablanca."

#movies #personal #meme #i am leaving out tons i know #but i must attempt sleep nao #i was quoting don't be a menace to myself just yesterday ffs #every time there's an anvilly Point in a movie #i keep screaming 'mmESSAGE!'

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