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endlessdelirium · 4 years

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Nothing to see here (or "We can't stop here. This is Bat Country!)

Hello from The Void! How did you get here? Well, I probably liked one of your posts, or I read something you posted that really resonated with me to the point that I broke my silence and actually responded (instead of just lurking like a creepy ghost). Or you're probably like a creepy ghost yourself and saw my username enough times or read one of my comments that made you wonder just who is this moron spouting off all this nonsense? Either way, you thought you'd check out my account and return the favor, or something, I really have no idea why you're here lol.

The thing is, I made this account years ago. I had a couple of irl friends who also had accounts, so I followed them plus a handful of other people from my interests back then. And it was great for awhile, until social media fatigue set in. This was nothing new. There'd be new social media sites that would be trendy for a time, and I'd be curious enough to try it for awhile, until I realize lol I'm not a very social person irl, why would I be better at it online? So I start losing interest until I eventually stop checking in. Even now, I am barely on any social media sites. I keep my Facebook account active because that's pretty much the only way people could get in touch with me if they don't have my number, and I'm on Reddit all the time but I barely post/comment there as well and just mostly lurk (like a creepy, creepy ghost wooohhh. Nah, but seriously, social anxiety is a real bitch!) Other than that, I practically have zero social media presence.

So I'm pretty much done with Tumblr... until Haikyuu dragged me back in. I can't really remember when I entered the fandom, I think I started watching sometime in late 2018 and I've been obsessing ever since. Reading the manga wasn't enough, I wanted more content. The Reddit sub was okay... for awhile. Eventually I wandered back into the wastelands of Twitter and Tumblr, all in my pursuit of extra Haikyuu juice. Yes, there's no point denying it, I'm pretty much an addict at this point. Stop judging me.

The thing is, I'm also incredibly lazy. I didn't see the point of creating new accounts when my old ones are still serviceable. For all intents and purposes, this account is pretty much dead. It's just, sometimes (okay, lots of times) I would scroll through Haikyuu tags and I would find something funny, insightful, pretty, interesting that I just have to like it (or is it hearting something? Sorry, I'm not really well versed in Tumblr lingo anymore) or leave a comment to show my appreciation. Which is all well and good, it's just lately a couple of people have been following my account, which isn't terrible per se, I just find it a bit weird since I haven't posted anything new in years. Really, the only thing I updated was my profile pic, since my account was supposed to be a personal one, and wasn't supposed to be dedicated to just a specific fandom so the pic I originally used was one of my irl head which is just... ick! I don't know what I was thinking. So I changed it because I didn't want to frighten anyone by manifesting my mug in their notifications, and really Hinata's head is infinitely better than my head so it can only be an improvement for my account.

Other than that, I pretty much left everything as is. I didn't have the heart to delete everything. In a way, it's kind of like a time capsule for me, still, I don't really recognize the me who made these posts anymore. I mean, I don't have amnesia or anything. I sorta remember them, but since they were made by a younger version of me, one with different interests and obsessions (I mean still share some of these things with this person, it's just a lot has changed as well, and I've since changed my opinion about some things) there's a sort of detachment as well. Which is why it feels like receiving a jolt of electricity everytime I get a new notification that someone has liked a picture or post. It's like "Huh?", I sort of remember the post, but also not really since it was litterally from years ago made by a younger and more naive me. "Okay, I guess?" is all I can say at the end.

So, what now? I still don't want delete my posts. Even though it kind of weirds me out now, I still like having it as a record. Like "Hey, this was ME! Wasn't I weird? I mean, I'm still weird, but in a slightly different way. Anyway, wasn't I a riot?" I also don't feel like making a new account. I still don't really consider myself active in these parts. I just like scrolling through my tags of interest (like a creepy stalker), liking awesome fan arts, and leaving a comment or two when I couldn't contain myself anymore and I just had to say something. I've also thought about re-blogging things sometimes, but I feel that would tip my account back into a semi-active state, and I don't feel like it just yet. Maybe in the future. For now I kinda like keeping my account as is, as a time capsule when I was still active here.

So, where does that leave you? I still don't really know why you're here, but you're welcome to have a look around. Just remember you're looking at an old account and it would help if you view it like a window to the past. I don't mind if you like anything, just know I only have vague memories of making any of those posts so I can't really discuss any of them now. If you're okay with all of that, then make yourself at home... or not, I'm not the boss of you lol.

Anyway, you're still here? And you read everything? Why? I mean, wow, what a trooper! I gotta reward you with something. You know what, here's a picture of Hinata. Did I draw it? Of course not, don't be silly! I like art, but unfortunately art doesn't like me so I can't draw to save my life. So this here's just regular manga panels of Hinata. But not just any Hinata, it's Third Year Hinata! Why? Why not? I see many itenerations of Hinata on Tumblr including Brazil Hinata, but for some reason I don't see Third Year Hinata get as much love on here. I don't really get it. He is so precious. So here he is!

Bonus: The Duality of Hinata

Thanks for stopping by. Have a nice day!

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simtrospective · 4 years

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~Makeover time! [2/?]

A series 🙄 in which I take three of the first round of TS4 sims I ever made--created before I had every CC slider and skin detail in existence and prior to the (relative) refinement of my sim sculpting abilities--and fix ‘em up only by tweaking, pulling, and pushing; no preset-swapping here! Changes to skintones, skin details, hairstyles, and makeup are allowed where doing so would further bring the sims’ appearances more in line with my original intentions.

Here are Woodrow, Wanda, and W--John. Woodrow, Wanda, and John...

(A question about CAS mechanics + more pics and blathering beyond the cut...)

A curious thing happened to me which has happened before, but rarely, and which I cannot articulate in trying to Google this issue to see how to recreate it/avoid it: I was working on John’s nose and my cursor “caught” on his face right above his labial fold(s), and whoomp--his whole head and cheekbone area expanded in a different way than it does when you manually widen the head from a spot on the forehead out of detail mode. I hit the undo button, but that undid what I’d done to his nose. I tried to bring his face back “down” to try and expand it again, but though the proportions got smaller, his head didn’t shrink nor, then, expand the same way. I tried to push/pull in the area that my cursor jumped to/”caught on” but the spot was red and could not be manipulated. I have had this happen with different areas of the head and face before. Anyone else know what I’m talking about? Do you know if there’s a way to reproduce these moves?

*sigh*

Anyway...

I still like Woodrow’s original face--he’d be a lovely addition to a vanilla game--and he contributed stunningly beautiful genetics to his children, but when he makes facial expressions it’s YIKES and when he’s in that little UI thumbnail smiling he looks a fright so he was in need of refinement. I like the new version but I accept him either way! His original version is available for download here, with a slightly different look; I was using a different default skin and pulled my sliders before zipping his files.

* * *

Wanda was always meant to be sort of a poor and timid thing though she married a rock star (actually a local mechanic who busked on the weekends). In CAS, she was cuter than I remembered but I really like her more mature version. Maybe mother and daughter in a new save? Wanda made average sons and a lovely daughter called Jewel, who you can check out/download here.

(Why is her hair the wrong color in her profile view? ... idk maybe I had my cursor hovering over it? idk idk)

* * *

Way back when, John was intended to be a good, true, upstanding, hardworking first-gen immigrant, warm family man, and dashing detective who made the ladies swoon despite (because of?) the unibrow, but autonomy + MCCC went rogue and made him a bastard who left many broken families and hideous children in his wake. Well, at least he had his career--yeah, about that, um, actually, when he died?, he was working as Brindleton Bay’s pet supplies vendor. In a save where not a single sim owned a pet. So. Probably in the red. Look, do I like his new nose? Not really. I like his original nose’s profile better but didn’t like the head-on version and so I--ugh, noses get away from me so easily; not using another preset here, man, what a challenge. His body’s sick though. Sorry you can’t see it! 🙃

#sims 4 #ts4 #(mine)#makeover time #sims 4 makeovers #ts4 makeovers

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vkelleyart · 5 years

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HEY! (I'm the same spanish screamer as always, I just changed my profile pic). I DONT KNOW IF I SHOULD SHOUT FIRST ABOUT MANU OR ABOUT THE LAST SNOWBAZ FANART SKKSJJSJJ WTF I LOVED THAT EASTER EGG, ITS SUPER CUTE THAT THEY HAVE A PHOTO OF THEMSELVES IM SOBBING. YEAH THE INTERVENTION HAS TO BE THAT ONE SPECIFICALLY OMFG!!!! AND MANU. OMG IM EXCITED, ITS THIS SATURDAY ISNT IT?!?! OMG I HOPE THAT IT GOES WELL IM ON THE EDGE OF THE COACH WITH MY WIG SNATCHED BY EVERYTHING ILY AS ALWAYS BDDJSSJSS

YAY! I’m so happy you liked the latest art (and the easter egg! I’m still super impressed that anyone found it)!

As for Manu, the prologue is literally in queue to launch at 8pm tomorrow. Like... the thing I’ve been hacking away at since the year began is about to premiere. Every time I think about it, my hands start to shake and I send myself into an anxiety spiral over it. lol

You’ve reminded me that now might actually be a good time to say that two versions of the Prologue will launch on Saturday night. One is the Bilingual version, in which the scene taking place in Manu’s childhood home - for the sake of audience and authenticity - is written entirely in Spanish. The other is “subtitled” in English, and will be labeled the “Translated Version.” The two are slightly different in content (because languages are never exactly interchangeable), so check them both out if you’re bilingual!

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lux-i-fer · 5 years

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This will probably be the only spoiler I talk about but hey can we talk about that sick strawberry-red lighting from the promo pics? It’s so unlike any lighting we’ve seen in Lucifer’s penthouse before. It has a totally different feel from the gold backlight of the bar we’re used to, this new lighting just screams interesting.

If you’ve ever seen or read Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire, you’ll kinda get what I’m gonna talk about.

Light is vital to the tone of a scene. The main character in Streetcar, Blanche, covers her bedroom lamp with a Chinese paper lantern. Without it, the light is harsh and shows her age, but when the paper lantern covers the bulb, the muted light makes her appear younger. The lantern’s dim lighting represents the youthful persona Blanche projects to the world. Take the lantern away and suddenly Blanche is a vulnerable pushing-forty year old.

However, the bar lighting in Lucifer acts the exact opposite; take the bar light away and you see Lucifer’s public persona. Add the bar lighting and we see a vulnerable and damaged man.

The gold lighting in Lucifer’s penthouse generally looks like this

It’s a gold marble, probably picked to complement the couch and offset the slick black surfaces. But what’s most important is that it’s soft. It’s an inviting and warm light, which is so unlike the rest of the penthouse. This light is really the only true reflection of Lucifer that he has in his home. The elegant black surfaces and the don’t-eat-on-me couch, while still Lucifer in some ways, mainly reflect the persona he chooses to hide behind. The floors are marble and the couches are leather. They are the things you would expect to see in the home of a man like Lucifer--cold and elegant--but the light is different. If you don’t count the couch, color-wise it is the brightest thing in the penthouse. And unlike the rest of the penthouse, the light feels vulnerable. The statement it makes is less one of power and wealth, but more one of comfort and raw emotion. There’s something about it that just begs you to whisper a secret or watch the stars. It’s something that has life and feelings, much like the man it reflects.

Take my favorite scene in Lucifer thus far, the 1x04 wing scar scene, for example.

Look at how the light softens Lucifer’s face. He usually has a strong, easily defined profile, but in this scene, his cheekbones, nose, and even his collarbones aren’t as pronounced as they would be otherwise.

Now look at the scene in 2x05 after he kills Uriel

Once again, his face appears rounder and his profile is harder to make out. The shadows make his untucked shirt look like a beer gut, as opposed to the hard, muscled core that he actually has.

This light has the ability to reflect Lucifer at his most vulnerable points. It acts a filter in a way, blocking out Lucifer’s playboy, devil-may-care persona, and reveals the soft and vulnerable man underneath it all.

Now look at the light in this new promo pic

This lighting is something we’ve never seen in Lucifer’s apartment before. The gold lighting is placed on the back-burner in favor of this strawberry-red overhead lighting. Notice how only Lucifer is portrayed in this light? Eve is completely out of the red, signifying that the tone of this lighting belongs solely to Lucifer.

And what an interesting tone it is!

The color red often represents sensuality, power, and passion. Eve and Lucifer are in a slightly suggestive pose, but I don’t feel any of the emotions it should elicit. Instead I feel an overarching sense of confusion and discomfort. Not because I’m disturbed that they’re old flames or because Eve is not Chloe, but because the light is telling me that this scene is wrong. And as I said before, the tone of this light belongs solely to Lucifer. He is the one making us feel this way about the scene.

The light itself is a very harsh and stark lighting. It casts shadows all across Lucifer’s face and really accentuates the sharpness of his suit. Also, look at his profile now. His nose and forehead are back to being super defined. But most importantly, everything in this light feels alien. The light is so abrasive that the blanket behind them almost appears as if the colors were inverted in Photoshop. Lucifer doesn’t look like himself. His eyes look conflicted and haunted, which is so far from the kind of open expressions we saw in the previous pictures.

But interestingly enough, the lighting from the previous pictures isn’t absent. In the way background we see it looking pathetic and filthy. It doesn’t look warm or welcoming like it usually does. In this picture, it almost looks ominous. The fact that both of these lights exist in the same frame, yet so separated from one another, suggests dissonance.

Lucifer, to put it simply, is conflicted. The arrival of Eve is leaving him spiraling into an emotional territory that he’s not comfortable with. His guard is up, he’s being bombarded with mixed signals. The red lighting suggests he should be enjoying reconnecting with Eve, but the golden lighting in the background suggests that some part of him isn’t completely on board with letting her just waltz into his new life.

Therefore, the red light could represent the persona Lucifer wore in Heaven and Hell. The red color is an obvious indication of Hell and lust. The alien vibe could easily reflect just how far removed from humanity this version of Lucifer was. He was an angel, a torturer, and a celestial being. There was no such thing as vulnerability or humanity to him then.

But now there is. These past five years have changed Lucifer. He’s become more aware of his emotions and has given into them more than his past self ever would have. The fact that the gold light is still lingering in the background suggests that Lucifer hasn’t forgotten that.

This interpretation would fit into the narrative of Lucifer being a bit Jekyll and Hyde in season four, and actually explains it quite a bit more. Two extremely different parts of Lucifer’s personality--ones that were never supposed to overlap-- are now colliding with each other and Lucifer’s left scrounging for an identity. Except this time, he can’t seem to find one. He’s always been so sure of which side he was on. In season one he doesn’t want to be defined as the Devil, evil incarnate. In season two he doesn’t want to be God’s puppet. In season three he doesn’t want to be an angel, another blind solider in his Father’s army.

The writers told us season three was the season about identity but I think the true golden age for it will be season four. We’ve seen Lucifer struggle with the angelic side of himself, I’m interested to see how he deals with his devilish side.

#lucifer spoilers #s1 #s2 #s4 #Lucifer Morningstar #lucifer on netflix

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blueflameforyuzu · 6 years

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Hanyu Yuzuru - Starting from his face, Falling for his talent, Staying for his character

Note: This is a translation of an original article by Vogue China for their WeiXin/WeChat mobile platform. I’m quite surprised this actually made the cut, even if it’s just content for Vogue China’s mobile platform. What started as a Hanyu costume appreciation article quickly revealed its true form as a Hanyu appreciation post and the fangirling is anything but subtle. Not that I minded Ci The words in the brackets and the ~ are not my translator’s notes and personal input but are part of the original article. Captions for photos are in italics.

Click the link to view the original article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9bHolfsTxbJ2XYsmG465ng

There are more pics and gifs there, the writer has definitely spent a lot of time and effort on this labor of love so do check it out. Even if you don’t understand Chinese, a picture speaks a thousand words, so let all the pics do all the talking for you.

Hanyu Yuzuru - Starting from his face, Falling for his talent, Staying for his character 始于颜值，陷于才华，忠于人品 (T/N: Describing the journey of most fans - you notice his good looks first, then you appreciate his talent and you stay as a fan/become a loyal fan due to his outstanding character)

"Blue roses do not exist, Hanyu as well, he gives an impression that he does not belong in this world", Japanese photographer Ninagawa Mika has said this of Hanyu Yuzuru. This youth who is already a legend at the tender age of 23, what other miracle-like surprises can he bring us?

Every year, the Japanese imperial family will host a spring garden party and invite outstanding personalities from all fields to view the flowers, converse, eat delicious food and listen to music at the Shinjuku Gyo-en.

This year, among the 1940 guests, one person’s arrival created a stir among the assembled ladies - he is 2 times Olympic champion Hanyu Yuzuru.

Just a few days ago. Hanyu Yuzuru held a celebratory parade in his hometown Sendai with over a hundred thousand people in attendance. This year, he was invited to the garden party (the last time was after he won in 2014), and even the princesses revealed that they had held hands together to cheer for him (insert fangirl heart eyes) ~

In this type of formal setting, female guests normally choose kimonos or suits while male guests usually appear in hakamas, suits or uniforms.

Hanyu who has donned suits both times has said that he prefers a slim-cut which fits his body well. He might have said so, but perhaps Hanyu is too slender (actually his muscles are well-developed, and his body fat percentage is super low), it is hard for a run-of-the-mill suit to fit well on his body.

Hanyu at last week’s parade. His suit might not be the best fit, but it is way better than his uncle suit from years ago~

Compared to the western suit, actually a traditional hakama suits Hanyu better, but this super low-profile Olympic champion really doesn’t have too many opportunities to show us~

Hanyu’s first appearance in a hakama for a 2015 photo shoot

A earphone-maniac and game otaku, this prince-on-ice who exudes an ethereal aura doesn’t really care about fashion in his private style, basically he lives in sportswear.

Sportswear can actually look so good ~~

He seldom does magazine photo shoots, after all he is not an idol or celebrity (but once he does, it’s a big production)

Hanyu captured by Ninagawa Mika for Aera magazine

However on the ice, Hanyu’s style is varying and elaborate, every costume can be said to be a piece of art. Asymmetrical designs, crystals, gradation, Japanese style, classic, lace…...a perfect combination of masculine heroic spirit and feminine softness and beauty.

Figure skating is about both athleticism and artistry, and as the ‘absolute champion’ of this sport, Hanyu has already declared that he is one-of-a-kind just from his costumes.

CHOPIN BALLADE NO.1

— YUZURU'S COSTUME —

The most beautiful moment

The Olympic version where he passes his hand through his hair with shut eyes

We’ve already established that Hanyu is a ‘skating fairy’, Chopin is a program which best embodies his ethereal aura and elegance.

After the end of the 2014 Olympic season, Chopin V1.0 made its debut. From the white to blue gradation, the rows of crystal embellishments and the flowy lantern sleeves, it creates the effect of a grand introduction and conclusion while on the ice, and reflects the leisure and calmness of this well-known piece of music.

Close up of V1.0. Not only are there rhinestones, you can also see the blue-purple pearl embellishments

Chopin V2.0

For Chopin V2.0 in the 2015 season, the color of the costume has changed from sapphire-blue to sky-blue, and gold elements have been added to the sleeves and waist. The belt is changed to gold as well (all of these reflecting the champion’s desire for gold).

Olympic Chopin V3.0

For the Olympics season, the chosen blue shade is a deep sky-blue in between the colors of the previous versions. The gold elements are up-up-upgraded as well - gold crystals and pearls are added to the neckline and the colorful rhinestones on the gold belt are extremely shiny (yet very lowkey), a perfect complement to the rush of thick emotions and fanatical fervour of the ballade’s climax.

SEIMEI

— YUZURU'S COSTUME —

The most beautiful moment

The opening “ Guiding both heaven and earth onto the right path” action

Hanyu’s signature hydroblading move (Hanyu himself says his eyes here can kill~)

Among all of Hanyu’s programs, Seimei which was inspired by the movie Onmyouji is definitely the most famous.

Seimei V1.0

At an ice show before the start of the 2015 season, Hanyu revealed this program for the first time. After being redesigned by designer Ito Satomi and Hanyu, the Heian-era karigime becomes a lighter, more convenient and fitting costume.

Still from the movie Onmyouji, played by Nomura Mansai

Kyogen stage actor Nomura Mansai who plays Seimei in the movie had a one-to-one exchange with Hanyu and gave him a lot of suggestions on the hand movements, rhythm control and character understanding. When the program was officially debuted in competition, we saw ‘Hanyu Seimei’ V2.0.

The most obvious changes were that the shoulders and waist were looser so as to allow for easier movement. The light green ribbon ties on the sleeves are now bordered by grass-green. There is an additional mesh insert on both the front and back. More gold embellishments and green embroidery and rhinestones were added. And the black gloves - there are many hand movements when Seimei casts his spells and the contrast between the black gloves and white rink is more stark.

Close up of V2.0 details. Intricate gold bead work, embroidery and rhinestones

During this Olympic season, V3.0 makes an appearance. A large portion of the bead work and embroidery is removed and replaced with crystal embellishment instead (3000 pieces were allegedly used). The main reason for this change is to lighten the weight of the costume so that it is easier to jump.

Even the belt is changed to a gold color which looks more majestic and as per the old design, it is embellished with crystals of varying sizes. There is a slight change in the color of the costume as well; a touch of deep red is added to the purple while the lace ties becomes cyan/teal.

The front, back, sleeves and even the lower part of the shirt is embroidered with an even more lavish golden phoenix design (all in all, the champion must be commanding + regal), at the back there’s even a signature Seimei ‘5 point star’.

Usually, skating to Japanese-style music is not favorable in international competitions, but this program has helped him broke the world record twice and win the Olympics again in 2018. Actually, just from the details on this costume, you can already see how much he has fine-tuned this program’s choreography.

LET'S GO CRAZY

— YUZURU'S COSTUME —

Skating on bent knee while bending backwards

In all of Hanyu’s programs, Let’s Go Crazy (nicknamed ‘Go Crazy’ by fans) is the program which drives fans the most-most-most crazy. Basically every time you watch it, you get a nosebleed. All the lil actions woven in the program are designed to bedazzle and drive you crazy.

This is Prince’s famous song. In April 2016, the pop star passed away. Hanyu, who was then preparing for the new season, together with his choreographer decided to use this song as a tribute to Prince and came up with a crazy and bold program.

Comparison of the LGC costume with Prince’s costume, Yuzu’s costume is actually slightly sheer

The inspiration for the costume came from Prince’s concert. This song was in the album ‘Purple Rain’ so the costume was mainly in purple. The vest over the shirt and the standing collar were all references to the outfit worn in the MV. The bead work and sparkles on the vest were also designed based on the photos.

His hair was also styled differently from the usual, his hair was combed back in a style that reveals his forehead, which was rare. Actually his hairstyle was based on Japan’s ‘i-ta men’ style. This term originates from the samurai Date Masamune who lived during the Japanese warring period. He was brave and valiant and excellent in warfare, yet he dressed magnificently, so ‘i-ta men’ was used to describe such men. Later it evolved to describe playboy/dandy type of men.

NOTTE STELLATA

— YUZURU'S COSTUME —

The most beautiful moment

His silhouette during the sit spin resembles a swan

Notte Stellata is an exhibition program which Hanyu used for 2 seasons. In Italian, Notte Stellata means ‘a sky full of stars’.

During the Great East Japan earthquake seven years ago, Hanyu was at the Sendai ice rink practicing and after escaping, he sought refuge at a school gymnasium for several days. There was no electricity in the entire city and only the stars in the sky shone brightly, planting seeds of hope in the youngster’s heart and hence this program came to be.

Adorned with white feathers and featuring a daring off-shoulder design and deep V-cuts in both the front and the back, the costume has the grace and elegance of a swan; and the crystals scattered on the sleeves and the bodice are just like the stars in the sky.

Perhaps it is his perpetual youthful looks and his slender body frame, even in a design which seems feminine, Hanyu is able to make it his own. This is one of his special traits.

Actually most of Hanyu’s exhibition pieces revolve around a common theme - praying and wishing the best for the disaster area. Having ‘escaped’ after the earthquake, he has always felt that he has not done enough for the disaster area, so he has donated his bonus for winning the Olympics and the revenue from the sales of his autobiography and so on, and he has always tried his best to express these emotions during his exhibition skates.

Hanyu exhibition piece in 2015 Believe

Hanyu exhibition piece in 2012 Hana ni Nare

Hanyu exhibition piece in 2012 The Final Time Traveller

Hanyu exhibition piece in 2014 Hana wo Saku

So most of Hanyu’s costumes for his exhibitions are usually softer compared to his costumes for his competitions and are usually made of chiffon with pleating and floral decorative details. Under the dim lights on the ice rink during the exhibition, it is like a beacon of light, full of life.

HOPE & LEGACY

— YUZURU'S COSTUME —

The most beautiful moment

Hanyu’s signature Ina Bauer

The Biellmann spin which usually can only be done by female skaters, it requires the body to be very flexible

This is the most emotive of all of Hanyu’s free skate programs and till today, it still holds the world record for the highest score for the free skate. Hope & Legacy is the theme song for the 1998 Nagano Paralympics and is composed by the famous Hisaishi Joe. And this year is exactly the year Hanyu started skating.

This program is like an exchange between Hanyu himself and the ice rink, Since he started skating at 4 years old, figure skating is almost his entire life. From longing to desire to adversity to fear and finally to the release of emotions and rapture, these were all showcased in a single breath.

Just like the blue, green and white gradation signifies the the sky, the earth and the rink, everything is as natural as the floating clouds and flowing waters, and the scattered rhinestones are clustered even more closely than before, just like the shining marks that Hanyu has left behind in his journey.

It is indeed profound that after a mistake resulting in him in fifth place after the short program at the 2017 World championships, he went on to perform this free skate perfectly and broke the world record at 223.20 points, creating the impossible and aiding him in capturing the gold medal.

This costume actually has a ‘previous form’ six years ago. It was the season right after the 311 earthquake and the short program is titled Etude.

To Hanyu, this is a costume which was in remembrance of the disaster, the many layers of blue are used to express the giant waves and the sea and to commemorate everything that was lost in the earthquake and the tsunami. At that time, he was only 17 and he could already deliver such a soulful performance.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

— YUZURU'S COSTUME —

The most beautiful moment

The hand movements depicting wearing and removing the mask

POTO is a classic song that has been used by many other figure skaters, yet Hanyu’s interpretation still manages to inject freshness.

The earliest version was pieced together from red, black and white fabrics in a asymmetrical fashion (the black part is openwork lace) and aptly fits the character who has lost himself in his obsession for his love and has the resplendence of the men’s court attire in the 19th century.

However, this costume was sealed after just wearing it once; before the competition he collided heavily with another skater and sustained severe external and internal injuries and even had to have an operation. Hence this version of POTO was never seen again in competitions.

The redesigned POTO costume went from figurative to an imagery style, the concept of the veined patterns are interlaced with the doomed love between the angel and the phantom, but the designs on the collar, the end of the sleeves and the waist still retains the elements of the Romanticism period.

PARISIENNE WALKWAYS

— YUZURU'S COSTUME —

The opening brushing his hands-over-head and raising his leg teasing move

The handsome side-lunge and point move

Fans call it the ‘Big Parisienne Saunter’ and it’s the program that has made many fall for him. Hanyu started using this short program since the 2012 season, and it is from this time that he started breaking all kinds of records, and it even became the first short program to ever break the hundred point barrier at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

At first glance, it looks like a simple shirt + belt + pants combination, but actually the shirt is full of thoughtful details: the pleats on the front and back are adorned with sparkles, and in line with the blue and white color scheme which seems like the blue sky, the sparkles look like shiny stars hiding in the clouds, which perfectly matches the aura of the youth who had just turned legal.

There’s a detail here, which is our ‘perfectionist’ Hanyu even had a matching bottle cover with his costume (it should be hand-made by Hanyu’s mum’s deft hands) ~

An elaborate figure skating costume can easily cost up to ten-thousands, Hanyu's costumes were initially designed and hand-made by his mother and subsequently he collaborated with designers Orihara Shizuko, Ito Satomi and famous figure skating veteran Johnny Weir. Every costume is worth to be admired and appreciated. Actually Japan is holding a Hanyu photo and costume exhibition, if you’re in town, why not go take a look?

2011’s Romeo & Juliet designed by Orihara Shizuko

The costume for 2010’s Zigeunerweisen designed by Johnny Weir and handmade by Hanyu’s mum

2009 Junior GPF’s costume for Mission Impossible

For an Olympic gold medallist to have such high popularity, can it just be attributed to his appearance and the sport’s intrinsic entertainment value? To explain, we can probably use the well-known phrase “starting from his face, falling for his talent, staying for his character”.

2 times consecutive Olympics champion, 12 times world record breaker and the current record holder for the highest scores for the short program, the free skate and the combined scores, behind these hard facts are his perfectionism and determined performances.

“There is no meaning if you do not try your best at doing what can be done, this cannot be called ‘staking your life’.”

Every time before he goes on the ice, he’ll touch the ice as a sign of respect towards the sport

To clearly say “hate to lose” these three words, Hanyu seems like a high-spirited teenager. As long as it’s a silver, he will be super frustrated. He doesn’t just does highly difficult jumps, he combines them with difficult entries and exits to score the maximum GOE. His techniques in competition are clean, there are definitely no petty tricks. He has many injuries and his condition seems to fluctuate high and low but he has never faltered at the crucial timing. When some athletes choose to retire after becoming famous, he is still passionate about the sport and has declared that he wants to challenge the 4A and quintuple jumps…… Just as Hanyu himself said, “I have bet my entire life on skating”.

Just a strong determination is not enough, Hanyu’s brain can be said to not lose to his athletic ability. He is enrolled in Waseda University and is able to respond within seconds to change his jump layout to make up for lost points. He has produced his own ice show and his candid responses to tricky questions from reporters are all charming points both on and off the ice.

“I do not talk about who my rival is, I am my only rival”

“Although this is just my way of thinking, the ‘plus’ and ‘minus’ in life will balance out, and finally result in zero”

We hope that the name ‘Hanyu Yuzuru’ will live on forever and become a power of vision and a light of tenderness.

#yuzuru hanyu #hanyu yuzuru #my translations #羽生結弦

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astrofireworks · 6 years

Text

okay so the ex that will Not Leave me Alone texted me yet again and my sister got pissed and edited this photo of youngbin into this and said “make it your display picture right now so he thinks you’re dating someone and stops texting you” and i just: a binu version

so bin broke up with his ex about a year ago

and it’s been a year, you’d think his ex would Get Over It Already but

text received from [binandme] 2:27am: “hey wanna meet up? it's been a while haha“

apparently not

bin sending a screenshot to rocky bc heck how is his ex’s username still ‘binandme’ that’s just lowkey embarrassing

rocko: “oh god when !! will he stop !!!!”

rocko: “listen buddy you gotta do something”

bin: ??????

rocko: “pretend ?? you have another boyfriend already”

bin: “okay listen that’s cute and all but i don’t have another boyf-”

cue rocky scowling because jesus bin, all you have to do is pretend

rocky going on instagram and bumming around on their university location tag until he finds a picture of someone cute

rocky checking out his profile and deciding that hey, not a bad choice

all he needs to do is maybe edit out a couple things but this guy looks hella Boyfriend

wheezes

and their university’s big enough that they’ll literally never run into each other so this eunwoo guy will never know !!!!!

rocky’s brain, pleased: good concept, rocky!

and so Real Friend Rocky gets to work

after i told her about it my roommate had a dream she pushed my ex off a building i cried laughing

image received from [reliablerock] 2:53am

bin: “what”

bin: “w ho”

bin: “who is that”

rocko: “your new boyfriend”

and so bin sets it as his display picture because hey, why not? if it works, it works and he’ll never have to get another message from his ex again

also this guy is really cute, what with his sparkling eyes and the way he looks like he’s holding bin’s hand so he doesn’t really mind

im not saying that picture still makes me cry but

and then bin forgets all about it and goes about his life

until one day he’s at dance practice

one of the guys asking for his username on kkt so they can set up a good extra practice time that works for the both of them

bin tossing his phone over so that jinjin can add him on kkt

jinjin texting bin later that night

jinjin squinting at bin’s display picture on his own phone and huh, that guy looks really familiar

hey that’s,,,,,, that’s his roommate,

jinjin, looking over his shoulder at where eunwoo’s typing away at his homework: “hey, how do you know moonbin?”

eunwoo: “bin???? who??”

jinjin: “you’re set as his display picture on kkt, don’t you know him??”

evidently not

text received from [chxeunwoo] 8.48pm: “hey, is there a reason why my face is your display picture”

wait this is too long i’m shuffling it under a read more

cue bin falling out of his chair

because !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow he was Unprepared for this shit

bin: o shit,

bin: “my ex keeps contacting me so my best friend thought it’d be a good idea to edit a photo of someone he found off the internet so i could set it as my display picture to pretend he’s my boyfriend?”

bin: “but also i’ll take it down rn if you don’t like it i don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything”

eunwoo frowning and considering it carefully

also eunwoo going on jinjin’s facebook profile to go stalk around and see if he can find a photo of bin

ooooooh bOy did he find a photo of bin

jinjin squinting suspiciously at where his roommate is suddenly blushing and choking

but listen eunwoo is a man who knows his opportunities and he is a man who knows how to grab them

eunwoo: “so would u like 2 meet up and take Actual Boyfriend Pictures”

bin:

eunwoo:

eunwoo: “just for pretence of course”

not at all because he thinks bin is cute (!!!) or anything

not at all

:~)

eunwoo: “i mean, if you keep one picture of your ‘boyfriend’ all the time without updating it and it doesn’t even have your face in it how believable is it going to be?”

bin: dammit bit c h you right !!

eunwoo: :~)))))))

and so bin and eunwoo set up a date meeting to take ‘couple’ photos

and bc it’s near christmas and everything so they meet up at this holiday market thing in a nearby park

and it’s real cute !! with all the string lights everywhere and lil shops selling trinkets and stuff

bin standing by where they agreed to meet and just looking around

until he turns around and comes face to face with ???????? an angel

at first he wants to laugh bc wow christmas market taking this a lil too far, hiring extra angels just to make it more festive??

but he knows that face too well he’s been staring at it as his display picture for the past couple weeks

eunwoo choking because wow if he thought jinjin’s dance buddy was cute before

it’s nothign compared to this !!!!!!!!!!

with the soft light from the christmas lights overhead and his eyes sparkling

and he’s sayign something and eunwoo’s not catching any of it bc he’s too busy staring o shit what how shi !

eunwoo:

eunwoo: “sorry could u repeat that again i was uh,,,,,”

bin already slightly embarrassed bc it wasn’t important it was just him blurting out an “o my god u look great”

but he really does, bin thinks

he’s in a soft white turtleneck and bin thinks that whoever invented turtlenecks and said it was okay to put it on this man was Hella Right Wrong

but also

bin’s brain: error 404 not found what is this guy’s voice let bin know please !!!!!!! what kind of beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10/10 wouldn’t mind real dating

and it’s only when someone coughs and brushes past eunwoo that they both realise that they’re blocking a pathway

bin flushing and grabbing eunwoo’s hand and tugging him aside

eunwoo: !!!!

the both of them exploring the market together bc hey, if you wanna take cute pics u gotta have props right

cue them getting churros to share

bin getting disproportionally excited bc !!!!!!!!! LOOK

CHURROS

WITH CHOCOLATE DIPPING SAUCE

THE B O M B !!!!!!!!

eunwoo laughing bc he’s never seen someone so excited over food before what a heckin cutie

binnie’s eyes are bright and his lips are curved into a smile and !!!!!! he just looks so happy and soft and beautiful lookin at his churros

@ fantagio bring back eatbin pls & thanks

eunwoo can’t help it, he takes his phone out and snaps a picture bc this boy just looks so content with his food

and it’s a p good picture, if eunwoo says so himself, with bin looking down at his churros and the shops blurry in the background and bin’s face softly illuminated by the lights overhead

bin looking up and blinking bc ??? they’re meant to be taking photos of eunwoo or at the very least eunwoo and him together

but also bin looking down at his churros bc hey they’re taking up a bit more of his brain processing unit rn, sue him

cue binu standing in a corner of the park and sharing churros,,,,

bin nearly forgetting the whole point of the meeting bc heck these churros are real good!!!

eunwoo quietly snapping another picture and laughing bc bin looks like a lil chipmunk what a cutie!!!!!

bin snapping out of his churro daze and blushing bc hey !!! a cute guy taking a picture of him how can he Not be Self-conscious

they’re not even supposed to be taking photos of him anyway

bin pushing the churro box into eunwoo’s hands and pulling out his own phone

and his first ever photo of eunwoo is slightly blurry and a little underexposed and eunwoo’s glasses have fairy lights reflecting off them and eunwoo’s eyes are slightly wide like a deer in the headlights, but it’s cute, bin thinks

eunwoo’s real cute

coughs

anyways

and he’s about to lower his phone when there’s suddenly a churro thrusted into his face and eunwoo’s looking at him and smiling all expectantly and bin’s heart is beating very quick indeed wow what a smile

bin: “wha-”

eunwoo: “take a picture, quick, it looks like i’m feeding u”

bin flushing bc right yes pictures,,

eunwoo mumbling then tugging bin over to his side

eunwoo: “change it to the front camera”

and suddenly bin feels eunwoo’s cheek alarmingly close to his

bin: ?????/

and he sees on screen eunwoo's nose nearly brushing his cheek and eunwoo holding a churro to his mouth and his heart goes wOOWEEWOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!

but he also snaps a picture bc heck that’s cute

heart thumpingly cute

heart achingly cute

bin hearing eunwoo say faintly: “my turn” and feeling eunwoo grab his phone from him

bin blinking until he realises eunwoo wants him to feed eunwoo a churro too and him flushing

very boyfriend

which is the point of the whole thing, obviously, but

also

very Boyfriend ! rip bin’s heart 2k17

bin holding up a churro to eunwoo’s mouth and looking over at eunwoo and his side profile

and heck

heckity !!!!!!!!!!

he doesn’t know how rocko found this angel on instagram but all his photos and the edited photo that rocko sent him has in No Way prepared him for the length of this guy’s eyelashes

unreal

and it’s only when eunwoo looks over at him that he realises the picture’s done bc he doesn’t even hear the shutter go off

bin blinking

eunwoo staring bc wow bin rly isn’t moving away and his face is really close 2 eunwoo’s and if he reaches a lil forward he could beep boop bin’s nose with his own

bin realising that ! this isn’t a socially acceptable violation of personal space and moving away from eunwoo

eunwoo isn’t disappointed at all mmhmm nope not at all no

bin, faintly: “uh yes thank u for agreeing to meet up with me to take those photos”

eunwoo remembering that yes indeed this is not a first date dammit ugh

it’s just for fake photos

could be true boyfriend photos but he isn’t sure about bin’s ! position wrt this

eunwoo smiling graciously and going: “yes of course, i’ll send them 2 u asap”

them picking at the churros and just sitting there in the park talking

bin learning about how eunwoo’s a psych major and how he’s thinking of going into law

eunwoo learning about how bin joined jinjin’s dance crew by accidentally stumbling into a dance practice

generally binu having a good time !!!! under cute lights !!!!! with the holiday market buzzing in the background !!!!!!

binu eventually finishing the churros and eunwoo turning to leave to find a dustbin when he hears bin calling out his name again

eunwoo: ???????

bin, swallowing hard: “uh”

bin: “when can i meet u again?”

eunwoo:

bin:

eunwoo:

bin: o shit he doesn’t want to meet me again he was just doing me a favour this time round i’m asking too much by asking for a second meeting i messed up now he’ll never speak to me again i’m

eunwoo: “hmm i’m free day after! do you want to grab coffee then?”

bin:

bin: :D

bin later that night flicking through the photos he and eunwoo took and choosing the one of him feeding eunwoo

bc eunwoo looks so beautiful in that one heck !!! with his hair nearly brushing his eyes and his silver rimmed glasses glinting and reflecting tiny dots of light

but also bc his eyes are curved up into a smile and it’s the most heart stopping thing bin has ever seen

bin’s heart is aching it truly is

also bc when he finally tears his eyes away from eunwoo he looks at himself and !! he’s looking at eunwoo with so much adoration it’s embarrassing

bin @ bin: stOP IT you literally just met him jlafdkjdsksf

bin back @ bin: but he’s also so sweet and helpful and kind and his smile makes ur heart beat real fast what’re u gon do about it

bin cringing back @ bin

but also bin setting that as his new profile picture

his ex can go choke on a small dick !! look at bin with his beautiful new ‘boyfriend’ now hA !

although he isn’t really dating him but pragmatics am i right

half a minute later:

text received from [reliablerock] 8:25pm: dude wtf where are these pictures from

bin: “ah yeah i met him today we took a couple pics”

rocky: “a little miFFED YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THAT WAS GOING TO BE TODAY but ok this is a rly cute pic good job buddy yall rly actually look like you’re dating it’s adorable”

text received from [m.hyung] 8:34pm: “CONGRATS U & UR BOYFRIEND ARE ADORABLE WTF”

text received from [m.hyung] 8:35pm: “although not as cute as me & jinjin xoxo”

bin: jhlkjsdfhkgjsd what

text received from [jinjak] 8:35pm: “dude mj says ur dating my roommate what he said he didn’t know u like 3 days ago and now yall have pictures together?????”

bin checking eunwoo’s profile bc heck how did he know they had pictures plural

and he sees eunwoo’s profile picture changed up to the one where he’s feeding bin a churro

bin flushign !!!!!!! bc his hear t !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but before he can react and send a text to eunwoo his phone pings again

text received from [captainddana] 8:56pm: “omg bIN YOUR DISPLAY PICTURE’S SO ADORABLE ASKDJFHKASJDFH WHEN DID U TWO START DATING”

bin:

bin, faintly: oh

fast forward 2 them meeting bc i’m terrible at this transition thing

bin stepping into the lil cafe

and it’s cute, he’ll admit

he’s more of a grab and go guy than a sit down in a coffeeshop with a book and a croissant kind of guy but if eunwoo’s one of those he’s willing to sit down and have a pastry too

as long as it involves food and eunwoo he’s down for it

and instantly he sees eunwoo, with his silver glasses perched on his nose and his long fingers flipping through a book, hair falling in his eyes and sunlight falling on him at just the right angle and bin’s breath catches in his throat

wow

just

wow

eunwoo looking up at the sound of the bell on the door tinkling and smiling at bin and closing his book

bc look !! a cute binnie in a cute coat

bin blushing and pulling out the chair opposite eunwoo’s

them talking over lattes and just !!!!! getting to know each other

i mean, their profile photos are set as each other so

might as well be friends, at least

speaking of photos

bin: “ah yeah so about the photos haha funny story”

bin: “so a couple of people think we’re actually dating???”

eunwoo:

eunwoo: “wait isn’t that the point”

bin, floundering slightly: “right yeah on my end but you ? also set your profile picture to one with me, so i was wondering??”

eunwoo: ?????????

bin, sheepishly: “people keep asking me if you’re my boyfriend and i ? didn’t reply bc i wasn’t sure about what you would be comfortable with me saying about us bc obv this isn’t like a real thing so uhhhh”

eunwoo looking at bin over the rim of his coffee cup and willing his heart to calm the heckity down bc this is it this is his chance to be real s m o o t h

eunwoo, fast mumbling: “whntmktrlthng”

bin:

eunwoo:

bin: “what”

eunwoo flushing and repeating: “why not make it a real thing?”

:~)

#this was written in the middle of finals adjfhlaskjdf i just keyboard smashed it out in the dream team chat #but hey ! here it is more binu trash #bc ur local binu trashcan is back !!!!!#vivi shoots #astro #astro fic #binu #ayeeeeee #anyways finals are over #i go back to singapore on sunday so #i gotta reply to my ex then #or as my roommate recommends: ghost him #i feel kind of bad ghosting him but i also dont want to meet him so really #also im alughigngasdjfhlas my sister's edit #i didnt notice the difference at first #until i realise she edited out his name tag #but real talk though youngbin's photos are always so hecking boyfriend my heart is always so goddamn weak for this boy shoot me #him in his leather jacketajsdfhlaskkjshflakjsdf #i complain so much about being single lmao but i enjoy it #i wouldnt get back with my ex ever thanks #which is also why i would never date bin asdkfjadlfk my ex was a lot like bin rip #anyways heyyyy im back with more trash i have like 5 aus going

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cutiecrates · 6 years

Text

Cutie Reviews: Tokyo Treat Feb 18

Hello Cuties! Here we are with the February Tokyo Treat- but before I begin I thought I’d let you guys know that the Tokyo Treat family has recently opened up Tokyo Haul! An online shop full of items and goods found within these crates; as well as special items available in prize form, and items that haven’t appeared in the crates too; from toys to snacks to makeup

There are also several ways to earn points upon signing up and purchasing items, so if you see anything you wanna try I recommend you check there!

(As you can see, they returned to the booklet format starting with this one, but again we’ve lost our favorite Mascots DX)

Personally I can’t wait to cover the DIY item ♥ Pretty Cure is yet another series I grew up with it and I really really liked KiraKira Precure~

Okay, so first up will be the special Strawberry Shortcake Pepsi you see in that first pic. It is a special Japanese Pepsi that comes out around the winter season- as I’m sure you can tell from the package. It also has 43kcal O_O

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

With promises of tasting a real shortcake I was pretty enticed by this strange Pepsi. It’s essentially a white, stronger version of a Vanilla Pepsi, if you have ever seen or tried that before. It tastes pretty good, and I have to agree- when I picture or see a shortcake this is the taste vibe I get (•’╻’• ۶)۶

Although... I don’t essentially taste any strawberry. I taste a bit of coconut, and I can’t say it’s a drink I would want often. But it isn’t bad. I can see enjoying it during the season when it’s out.

(Sorry for the relative in the background~)

I thought I’d switch things up by starting with favorite items- and due to the romantic sweetness of the Holiday, we were limited to two. A bit of a bummer but I’m still happy regardless.

First up is this large (but don’t be fooled by the size) bag of Koikeya Sour Plum Chips by a popular brand I’ve only tried once or twice honestly. Sour plums (or Ume) and Sakura flowers go together to create a lovely motif befitting of the pink sprinkled on the chips

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

When I took my first bite I wasn’t sure what to think about these. But they’re good if you like sour things; they reminded me a lot of those Salt and Vinegar Chips- which I like but usually avoid eating, since it usually burns my lips and is overall unpleasant ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ But the flavor of these is lighter, and I didn’t feel any sort of pain while eating them.

Our other item is this Umaibo - Shrimp Mayonnaise flavor. I love Umaibo but so far I haven’t been a fan of fish ones. For a while I was on a shrimp kick and enjoyed eating it but as of late I haven’t touched any. But I do enjoy mayonnaise and I’m always up for trying a new Umaibo :3 so...

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I’m not sure if it tastes as good as real Mayonnaise Shrimp- but this was very good; so good in fact that I think this might be my new, second favorite Umaibo!

Next is our chocolate category :D Or at least part of it. It was pretty big this month.

First we have some Strawberry Barley Puffs, which I have reviewed ages ago so I’ll just summarize my first review on them; they’re kind of strange in taste and the strawberry shell doesn’t change it too much. But they’re not bad.

Another item I’ve tried before on the right-hand side is the Chocolate Wafer, which featured One Piece last time. This time it featured a series I know nothing about called Ultimate Muscle. I remember seeing and finding it very unappealing as a young girl- no offense if you like it though. Again I’ll summarize because these chocolate wafers usually do not change.

However- this one I didn’t like nearly as much as last time. I don’t know if it’s because I got to it a few months late (which I don’t think should matter because it was sealed), or if my taste was off. It just wasn’t as good as I remembered.

Next up is this came broken item that wasn’t listed in the book, known as Chocobar-Z (I think). It’s basically a chocolate Umaibo.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It being broken hasn’t deterred me from it’s taste. It’s really good x3 It has a crispy, slightly bitter taste but it’s also a little creamy~

Our last item in the picture is not actually on the plate. I kept it in its package- and it’s like a prior item I had before as well known as the Ice Cream Lolly, this time in Strawberry.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s basically a Strawberry Ice Cream Chupa-chups lollipop- but that isn’t bad if you like those

Now we’re onto the strawberry-chocolate! My favorite~♥

We’ll continue going in order, so first is this interesting box of Ginza Rusk in Strawberry. Rusk is essentially a dried dough or bread-like product that is usually covered in some type of flavoring or fried and coated in sugar.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

As much as I love strawberries, I wasn’t too crazy about this one. It’s packaging is neat, and I love it’s creamy-crunchy texture, but the flavor itself as a teensy-bit off putting to me.

I had higher hopes for this next item: Maroyaka Milk Chocolate - Strawberry Party Pack. Look how sweet they look, and look at that packaging~

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Not only do they look irresistibly kawaii and sweet, but they taste so good!! It tastes exactly like a strawberry dipped in chocolate, and while you taste strawberry chocolate, you also get the tartness from an actual strawberry. They’re also very smooth and melty; just how I like my chocolate~

Our final item is another object not in the booklet. I think this is because it was a last-second replacement for the Lotte Pie No Mi we were originally supposed to get. Something happened with it, I don’t remember the details but I got an email months ago about it .

Anyway, instead we have this really cute package of heart-shaped Strawberry Pocky. I’m not a huge pocky eater but I do love the strawberry ones, it also included these adorable illustrations of this boy I do not recognize. I wish I did though, he’s such a cutie ♡

The back of the box (visible above) also featured a profile on him. From what’s on the box, I guess he’s from a manga or game called Love With Pocky?? If anybody knows anything about this please let me know right away!

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I don’t really have special feelings for pocky- but how can you go wrong with the strawberry ones? Plus I adore this person, whoever he is so call me biased if you must~

Lastly are our unique items- including two cola products; my most favorite of favorites~

Our first item is a popular brand known as Sour Long Gum, a dagashi snack known for its sour take on sweet flavors.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It tasted good, but oddly enough it wasn’t actually sour. It got sweeter after a few minutes but I did not taste anything sour. At all.

Speaking of sour, we also have a 5-pack set of Cola Gummies. I know you’re recommended to share these but who am I kidding. I’m willing to share but I will be doing most of the eating ;3

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

They taste really good, I love them! But I also like the fact that they are soft gummies.

Our final item (and probably the most unique) is this elegant box of Rose x Berry Glamatic Tablets made by Lotte. These are perfect if you’re preparing for a quick smooch or suffer from last-minute bad breath- and they just make your mouth feel nice~

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

They taste like their name, Berries and Rose. I know rose is a flavor people either like or don’t, but I’m one of the people who does generally enjoy it so these taste really nice to me. The flavoring/effect lasts a few minutes in the mouth once you chew/dissolve the tablet, and due to their small size you’ll probably want a few to make sure they actually work.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Quality - 4 out of 5. I liked everything, although there was damage done to the choco Z-thing I got. I can’t really fault them on that though because I know damage happens. I can fault them for this continued trend of lessening items to give us a share pack set though. I mean if you actually have people to share with or like the item enough then great, but for someone like me who was drawn in due to the amount of items, it’s a little bit let down.

Content - 4 out of 5. I generally liked everything, I’d say maybe better than the prior months box. I was a bit displeased to get a handful of repeat items though.

Theme - 5 out of 5. Not only did the items fit the Valentines Day theme it went for, but they put extra effort in the booklet as well to make each item feel Valentines special~

Total Rank: 13 out of 15 Cuties. I do miss our cute toys/bonus items they would give us, which hasn’t been happening as of late unfortunately, and I’m not found out these 5-pack singular item gimmick either; but I still really love the box. I’ve never really come across one that displeased me yet.

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

1. Cola Gummies - As much as I liked things, this was no contest.

2. Strawberry Milk Chocolate thingies - They are perfect~

3. Umaibo - I didn’t know if I would like this but it ended up pleasantly surprising me :3

4. Sour Plum Chips - They taste good, and they make a fun prank chip for people who don’t like sour things.

5. Rose x Berry Mints - I’m used to mint-mint flavors, so I really enjoyed this. I usually don’t buy them lately so I take when I’m given.

6. Shortcake Pepsi - It was good but I wouldn’t drink it frequently, even in season.

7. Cola Gum - It was good, but I didn’t taste the sourness and the flavor was overall lighter.

8. Choco Thingy - It was a little bitter but I like dark chocolate. I loved it’s crispy texture~

9. Ice Cream Lolly - Nothing too special. A different type of strawberry cream chupa-chups.

10. Barley Puffs - They seemed stale; not like before...

11. Wafer - This one was skimping on something- it just wasn’t as good as I remember.

12. Strawberry Rusk - For some reason I just did not like it much.

13. Strawberry Pocky - It’s my favorite flavor, but I was more attracted to the boy and the lovely packaging then a snack I’ve eaten a million times.

Alrighty Cuties, we’ve come to another end of another Tokyo Treat Crate! I recommend checking this brand out if you like what you see or read, and remember you can check the online stores as well for any specific items :3 next I’ll be covering the DIY product so stay Cute!

#valentines candy #strawberry chocolate #pocky #pepsi #japanese pepsi #ultimate muscle #cola candy #umaibo #kira kira pretty cure

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nautiscarader · 7 years

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Wendip Week 2017 day 2: Time travel

The greatest stories of the past can be found in simplest of places... second, simple story for Wendip Week. Apologies if the story feels a bit rushed, I had to write and finish it within one day.

Wendy and Dipper's kid, Tyrone was inspired by a character of the same name from @elentori-art's brilliant artwork (x). It’s set in the same “au” as one of my earlier work (x)

(My fanfiction masterpost) (Read on Ao3) (Read on FF)

- That takes me back in time...

Now that was a phrase that grabbed Tyrone Pines' attention. And it was spoken by his dad, so, while odd-sounding, it must have be true. But then, could it be true?

- Dad? What do you mean?

Tyrone Pines walked hastily to the sofa his father was relaxing on with - no surprises there - a large book in his hands. Without waiting for his answer, Tyrone climbed onto the sofa and crawled into his dad's arms, eager to see the book he was holding. It was a nice, large book with lots of pictures inside, and a hard, brown cover.

- Hey, there, champ. What did you ask about? - What does "take back in time" mean? Can you go back in time?

Tyrone's wide eyes shrunk when his dad chuckled, giving his hair a bit of a ruffle. This usually meant Tyrone was wrong, simply because he didn't know enough adult words, or that he mistook one for another.

- No, it's just a saying. It means that you start remembering things from your past, like these, see?

An album! Of course, mom and dad often browsed through them, usually the ones with his pictures inside it. This one seemed similar at first - it looked like it contained lots of pictures of him, except Tyrone could not remember any of them being taken. Even stranger, the boy in pictures looked older than he was. Could his father have pictures of him from the future?

And then it struck him - the hair! It wasn't red, like his mom's, but chestnut, very much like his...

- Dad, is that you? - Of course. And can you recognise this sweater-wearing lady?

He pointed to the girl eagerly staring into the lenses of the camera, so much so she made half of the picture blurry.

- Auntie Mabel! She's everywhere! - Yeah, no one could ever stop her then, and no one can stop her now.

Tyrone flipped a couple of pages, finding more glitter-covered pictures of his aunt, and a few, less decorative ones, of his dad.

- Where's mom? - These are from before we even heard about Gravity Falls, I think. Look, I don't even have my cap anywhere. - he shuffled through the sturdy pages - I only met your mom when we arrived here for a summer. Dunno if she brought any of her pics though...

Dad passed the album, and reached to the bookcase next to the sofa, giving Tyrone chance to see more pics of Dad's younger self. The two were remarkably similar, aside the hair colour, so much so that Tyrone had to actively remind that he hasn't looking at himself. Some of the pics showed his dad amongst books, or toys, some in garden, playing with Auntie Mabel in his grandaprent's old house.

- Uh, I think mom has her album at her dad's house. After all, she has three brothers. - his dad stated after checking the bookcase - You wanna see more pictures of me and mom?

Tyrone eagerly nodded and moved aside, when Dad brought not one, but three thick albums with him.

- Yeah, we got a bit photo-crazy at some point. Well, Mabel did, she wanted to take all sorts of pictures once me and your mom started dating.

The first album looked very similar to the one Tyrone has seen already, aside from the brown, cap that at some point made its way to his dad's head. And then, out of the blue, the theme of the photography has changed. There were less and less of the twins in the pictures, and more and more images of forests and familiar-looking mountains. After a couple of pages more, images of a few familiar people appeared, bringing a smile back to Tyrone's face.

- That's grandpa Stan! And Soos! - That was our first visit here. - his dad nodded - We didn't know grunkle Stan that well back then, so he's gonna be mostly grumpy here.

And indeed, some of the pics showed grandpa Stan in, well, less than appealing poses, or with lots of grimaces on his already wrinkled face. The young version of Soos, on the other hand looked... pretty much like the same big, cuddly fellow Tyrone knew already. But then the subject of the pictures changed again, finally giving Tyrone what he wanted to see.

- That's mom! - Yep, that's her. - his dad sighed, staring at a profile photograph of his mom, relaxing on a bench during a warm, sunny day - You can imagine why I fell for her, can you? - Her hair is pretty... - Tyrone whispered, flipping pages again. - Yeah, you are right. And look, here we are with Mabel.

On the next photograph, his mom was leaning casually on the wooden wall of Mystery Shack, with his dad and Auntie on both her sides. Only now, with all of them in one picture, Tyrone noticed a rather large detail he wasn't aware of so far.

- Dad, why is mom so much taller? - Well, she's older than me. I was twelve, or thirteen, and she was fifteen already. You're gonna shoot up when you're that age too. - his dad paused - Your grandma was a bit baffled by the age gap, though. - Why? - Tyrone asked - Do you have to be the same age to marry? - No, it's just a bit unusual when a boy is younger than a girl. I guess. - he paused again. - Come to think, her arguments never really made sense to us. We were dating, and we didn't care. Glad she understood that.

His dad must have been in love with mom for a very long time, Tyrone realised. Lots of pictures showed her with his dad and Auntie, some with grandpa Stan and Soos, and some with lots of other, young people he has never seen before.

- That's Lee, and Thompson, Wendy's friends from high school. - his dad started counting. - That's Nate, another one, that's Robbie, he was your mom's first boyfriend. That's Tambry, these two got married in the end... - Boyfriend? - Yeah. When you start dating, you call your sweetheart a boyfriend of a girlfriend. - I know, dad. - Tyrone stressed - But... Mom dated other people? - Sure she did.

Tyrone hasn't felt that puzzled in a long time. He knew that you have to meet your future wife at some point, but he was sure the road from there was pretty straightforward, even though he wasn't sure what that "road" was. The prospect of his mom dating, and possibly *kissing* other men than dad, on the other hand, was absolutely unthinkable! Not that kissing in general didn't make him a bit squeamish to begin with, despite his parents' assertions that "he will change your mind at some point".

- So she wasn't your girlfriend then? - No, of course not. Though that didn't stop me from being in love with her. - he winked

His dad took the album from his hands, and replaced it with a second one.

- I think that's our... third and fourth visit here... Oh, and even fifth. - he stated, looking at the dates on the first page. - I think we started dating somewhere then.

The pictures inside this album looked wildly different to the previous ones: his father was much taller and his chin was covered with patches of hair he called "a goatee"; Auntie Mabel had different hair style in practically every shot, often mimicking her friends, Grenda and Candy that Tyron vaguely remembered from one of the slightly odd and boring get-togethers. His mom looked oddly similar, if not for the fact that in many pictures she was making googly eyes to his father in the same way he was making to her.

- Yeah, there we are. I think it was our second date. Don't have pictures from the first one, the tiger smashed the camera. - A tiger? - Yeah, a sabre-toothed one. We still don't know where it came from, but boy we were sad that he ripped it to shreds. - Why? Why would he do that? - I think it's because we didn't ask him if we can take pictures of him. Tigers don't like paparazzi. Oh, it mean people, who make photos whether you like it or not. - he quickly added. - He's not talking to us anymore. Shame, he was a funny guy.

Another couple of pages went by with more pictures of his dad and mom in odd dating spots, as well as the increasing number of kissing scenes, which only made Tyrone avert his eyes in embarrassment. Noticing that, his dad took another album, and browsed through it to show him something less smoochy.

- There, look, our Halloween costumes. - he started - You know, at some point I wasn't that keen on dressing up in those, but your auntie told me there's nothing wrong with it. - Of course there isn't. - Tyrone was quick to respond - Why did you want to stop doing it? - Well, I thought that it was silly, since I was too old... I wanted to impress your mom, you see. - he spoke softly - Actually, most of these pictures could be labeled that. And I was a bit of a dummy to think that she will like me more if I'm gonna pretend to be someone else. That could be a title of many of these as well...

The pictures showed his dad in costumes, usually matching the ones his sister was wearing, with mom and Soos often appearing next to them.

- See? We used to go as pirates, king and a queen, cowboys... That's more what you wanted, right? And look, here we are in different countries!

Another set of pictures showed weird buildings, people in different clothes (including his mom and dad!), and unusual, sometimes otherworldly-looking landscapes. As if by magic, dozens of untold adventures unfolded in front of Tyrone's eyes, making his head spin. He was travelling through time, faster than he ever though he would, watching his parents and family transform and change, while still retaining the same eyes and smiles he was so used to. And at the same time, all he wanted was to hear more about the amazing life his dad and mom had before he was born.

- So, what you guys are up to?

A sudden, clam and warm voice shifted Tyrone's attention from the avalanche of questions he had, making him raise his hands into the air nearly instantaneously, waiting for his mom to pick him up.

- Mom! Look what we found! - Yeah, heard you all the way from the garden. - his mom said, taking him into her arms. - Your dad is a sentimental one, and you seem to be like him. - Hey, I just like documenting stuff. - he replied - Besides, how could I miss that opportunity?

He spread the pages of the album again, showing a photo of his mom sticking her tongue to the camera, and rolling her eyes in a comedic fashion.

- See? True beauty only Oregon can provide. - Shush, or I will show him your pictures. - Tyrone's mom warned her husband - The one from your mom. - You wouldn't - dad yelped, his eyes widening in horror - Works every time. Now, Tyrone, It's already 7, you should go to bed. - Mom, can't we stay a bit late? - Tyrone pleaded - We were having fun with the photographs! - We can all browse them tomorrow. - she said, giving him a kiss on forehead. - Mom is gonna sit with you tomorrow, and we will see how many times your dad was making stuff up, okay?

Trying to contain giggling, Tyrone nodded and ran to the bathroom, wondering what great stories will his mom tell him the next day. He already learned way more about his parents he expected, so the prospect of getting more tidbits about their lives already made him hyped up. With his head buzzing with ideas, the evening bath passed in a blink of an eye, and Tyrone quickly found himself tucked in his bed, ready to dream about the adventures his parents are going to tell him about tomorrow.

Having helped Tyrone with the evening routine, Wendy entered the living room, now filled with even more orange light from the bulbs, creating a familiar, cozy atmosphere. Just like her son before, she jumped into Dipper's arms, who was still browsing the albums that made this evening so much longer.

- So, are we ever going to tell him? - Dipper asked, giving his wife a quick peck, and gently stroking her hair - He's as nosy as you or me, so I have a feeling he's going to find it on his own. - Wendy replied dreamily, snuggling into Dipper's shoulder - It will be a bit difficult though, you know. A ruler is not as cool as all the other time machines he saw in comics and movies. - Don't you wish we kept it, though? - Wendy asked - We could be going to all sorts of times and places... - Nah, I think we're fine the way we are, frankly. - Dipper confided - And what do you think? - I think you're just jealous that the crew chose me to be their pirate captain and you were just a deck hand. - Wendy replied sharply, flipping the album back to the picture of them in their pirate "costumes".

#wendip #wendipweek #wendip week #wendy x dipper #dipperxwendy #gravity falls #dipper pines #wendy corduroy #time travel

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saverichardcampbellganseyiii · 7 years

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moll flanders instagram au rant part 2/2

rant pt (1)

abstract: in this second post I’ll conclude my rant.. enjoy

au series linked:

“series” 1 - older & younger brothers who both get it on with moll

“series” 2 - draper & moll’s half brother

“series” 3 - the affair w the guy who gets religious & jemy, lohl (love of her life of course)

“series” 4 - the banker & her makeup with jemy

the rant continues:

ok so where we left off, I was pretty much just ranting about how i justified the idea of making an instagram au for moll flanders. now imma just rant about making it and about the little jokes & inside jokes i put in because i’m sorry i’m just super proud of it and i want to tell everyone about it and i mostly just think it’s funnier if the inside jokes are actually understood

aight,

so first, i should probably extend an informal thank you to bridget satterlee for being gorgeous and for your selfies that i used in posts showing moll’s face. you saved my ass because i needed a singular face if it was gonna be blatantly shown.

ok now, moll’s story is years years long and I didn’t feel like it would be super practical to create an au that in depth–I decided to shorten the main events to take place between two years - or 104 weeks because this would be sooooo much easier (no aging moll having to be accounted for as well as the oldest post was 104 weeks old instead of 500 something). but this meant I ended up doing a lotttttt of math and I hate math but oh the things I’ll do for tumblr but also for a grade.

then once i had established a rough timeline for each of moll’s 7 men (8 instances though since jemy is with her twice), i gave each two individual posts & each chronological pair of guys would share 6 slots on the main profile page.

and then I got to make the templates for each post & profile. chose which captions I wanted. curate comments and likes. the best thing was choosing handles for each character, especially ones who weren’t necessarily named:

donjuan (older bro) - don juan is a womanizer, what better seemingly anonymous handle for the older brother who (in this au) has a hidden instagram in which he’s tagged in photos by moll that he desperately wants taken down so his family won’t see him in them

robin_ (younger bro) - well he’s called robin in the book, but i wanted him to be kind of an oblivious but well-meaning guy. I mean in moll’s 2nd post he doesn’t even recognize his brother but he’s extremely concerned about who this rando man winning moll’s heart might be and he’s just hopelessly in love with her as alll of his comments show

haber_dasher (draper) - and haberdasher is just a synonym for draper and is imo a more exciting handle

the captain (half brother) - also self explanatory as he’s a captain

the guy she has an affair with doesn’t have instagram but moll does acknowledge him by posting an ‘out to steal yo man’ pic so i mean

nathan.r (the banker) - not insinuating anything but i named him after nathan rothschild as he was an influential british-born banker and it just kinda worked so sorry nathan

j.b007 (jemy) - in the 1996 movie version of moll flanders, jemy is played by daniel craig who I coincidentally happen to be slightly obsessed with (not even ashamed of it) and of course he’s also bond, so the j.b007 handle was never not an option

mary.g (her governess) - i dunno, i feel like mary has been a notable governess/nanny name and the g just stands for governess... at this point I was getting tired

other things I just think are funny include the magnolia tattoo in the fourth series of posts. i once read that magnolias can represent a desire for riches, but more colloquially they also represent nobility, which is something moll definitely desires. also, when she posts about marrying jemy, he comments 'can’t wait to marry you' but “accidentally” posts the money face & a green heart and corrects his “#typo” to heart eyes & the red heart - all of which I find hilarious simply because he was marrying moll for her supposed money just as much as she was marrying him for his.

also, molll posts a ‘paris is always a good idea’ around the time the draper runs off to france so that’s just kind of funny for kind of obvious reasons? and my interpretation of him being bad with handling money was taking her on awesome hermès, chanel, louis vuitton, etc. shopping sprees because that’s honestly the dream and I thought that would be a fun modern rendition of the bad at managing money trait

and she also posts a lot of rather dramatic things like ‘no rain no flowers’ when the older brother breaks it off with her and a ‘goal digger’ one which i think is self-explanatorily funny and an ‘all great changes are preceded by c h a o s’ one which is probably what moll thinks of her whole life. and don’t forget moll posting ‘look who i ran into, we’re going on a vacay and to america’ and then the virginia sign like it’s a grand adventure and not like she’s basically on parole.

also, the thing that probably makes me chuckle the most is j.b007′s random comments on moll’s very first posts. you know when you make a new friend and of course you super stalk them and then once you’r closer you’re just tryna be obnoxious so you go back to like every single one of their posts and you comment on super old posts? or is that just me? I thought it would be hilarious for jemy to go back and comment things like ‘ew’ or ‘gagging’ or just have him generally acting offended because that’s the kinda dramatic Extra™ personality I assume he has

and overall, it was really fun exploring how I imagine moll utilizing instagram to share her story and her crazy adventures through a stereotypical bio & kinda Basic™ captions & hashtags, while also interpreting the unreliable narration that I believe moll presents her readers with & other than that I have no conclusive ending, I just thought I’d try to explain some of the seemingly random things and also have just been dying to get this out there so yeah dude thanks for reading if anyone has made it this far (which let’s face it, if you have you’re an amazing person wow)

#moll flanders #the fortunes and misfortunes of the infamous moll flanders #english honors colloquium #uwyo #final creative project #project background and funfacts #thanks for letting me rant #moll flanders instagram au #instagram au #mollau #mollaurant2

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jillmckenzie1 · 5 years

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Please Swipe Responsibly

If you think dating is hard, try dating in a ski town. Population 4,896. The tourist game is so strong in Breckenridge that I can confidently proclaim that I’ve matched with more Texans in Colorado than I ever matched with Texans while actually living in Texas.

For those of you unfamiliar with app dating, I’ll provide a crash course. Bumble gives the woman 24 hours to communicate with the man after a match is made (i.e. two mutual swipe rights). The man then has 24 hours to respond. Each user is given a daily extension, which will open the communication channel for an extra 24 hours. Once a male and female have both commented, the chat log stays open indefinitely. Hinge is slightly more low-key; I liken it to Facebook as users can simply heart photos or comments without a deadline to engage in conversation. Both operate on a geographical radius.

A few weeks ago, a guy in my Bumble queue opted to use his one-time extension (quite flattering, yes). I figured anyone who was willing to take such initiative was worthy of, at the very least, a cordial hello (only, I never lead with a formal salutation because that would immediately classify me as boring, and I am not boring). Lo and behold, he’s at the airport. On his way back to San Diego. California. His words: “I know, I swiped irresponsibly, but you really seemed worth it.”

No shit I’m worth it. But, what’s your play here, stud? Are you going to fall madly in love with me via FaceTime before I transport my Airstream to your driveway? No. Answer is no.

So, we wasted each other’s time for two hours in meaningless conversation that we will never be able to get back. It’s fine. Everything is fine. I didn’t want those two hours anyway (insert eyeroll emoji).

You might be shocked to learn that this irresponsible swiping stuff is a very real thing. I’ve often wondered if I’m simultaneously chatting with two bros from the same bachelor party who are crammed into the hot tub of their ten-person rental pad. Chances are high (and, no, I’m not coming over with my bathing suit).

With that being said, I generally bow out of conversations once I realize that the guy’s home base extends beyond the city limits of Denver. And that’s not because I wouldn’t date someone outside of Colorado. I most certainly would. Ironically, I am actually one of the few people who is easily able to close the mileage gap for the right person. But, to date, my freedom has acted as more of a curse.

Circumstance conditions us to date within our city limits, to find the person that fits into our geographical routines. To be open to anyone living anywhere is an entirely new dimension to dating that most people are not even fully able to comprehend (think black-holes-in-outer-space type stuff).

As you can imagine, it’s rare to find locals in a ski town (who are also my age), and if I do, they are usually working jobs that are not going to prosper into sustainable careers (no judgment, but I undoubtedly need someone who is going to inspire my professional synapses). So, I currently exist between the hopelessness of meeting a real-life human in the wild (not sure people even do this anymore) and the ridiculousness that is our digital dead zone of online dating (in case you were wondering, filters do not exist behind phone screens).

For all of you non-single people, let me enlighten you for a minute. For all of you single people, I’m fully aware that these next few paragraphs will come as no surprise.

In the last two weeks, I’ve been sent two dick pics (completely unsolicited). Both from irresponsible swipers escaping back into their East Coast abodes. One of them even used a shampoo bottle to clearly demonstrate size. A true gentleman in every sense of the word. Mama raised that boy right. Also, it’s worth noting that he used his Bumble profile to define his religious affiliation as “Christian” (insert wide-eyed, blank stare emoji). I do not say that with any predisposition to the fact that a Christian guy should know better or more than a man who labels himself as a non-Christian; it’s simply a nod to the fact that an online dating profile creates a high level of expectations for how a person should be acting based on the viewer’s perceptions of those answers; but really, those perceptions are just that, perceptions. The answers hold zero weight in the grand scheme of deciphering the personality, morals, and intentions of the guy (or girl) on the other side of the screen.

In a surprising turn of events from volunteer nudes, I’ve also been proposed to four times. One included a link to Jagged Edge’s “Let’s Get Married” hit single that had me convinced that we might actually engage in harmonious matrimony (if you know me, then you know that 90’s R&B is the key to my Usher-loving heart). The other three were generally well-timed responses to my signature sarcasm.

The most popular question I get, however, does not involve my ring finger. It is a request for a picture of my backside (I wish I were kidding). I present to you my most recent exchange with a guy from Denver who, on day two of correspondence, asked for a photo of my butt. In his defense, he made this request using the peach emoji (please read that he gets no actual defense for using the peach emoji). When I told him that pictures of my backside were worth the big bucks, he then sent me the money bag emoji (three of them, to be exact) as if I were really insinuating that I needed some form of payment. Of course, he then unmatched me (I’m going to assume that my lack of correspondence proved that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted – even though he had put in his Bumble profile that he was looking for a person with whom to do outdoor things, not a person from whom to receive peach photos).

Finally, my personal favorite, the guy who asked me, “Is there any chance in hell you’d ever allow someone to buy a pair of your socks?” And never has a human been more serious. This dude’s commitment to the previously quoted question puts the marriage proposal men to absolute shame. I proceeded to ask him if he was using Hinge to run some type of sock-smuggling enterprise (think Orange is the New Black and Piper’s prison panty operation). Apparently, that wasn’t funny. At least, not to him. Immediate unmatch. Great. My socks are safe. Bye.

At this point, I realize that matching with anyone online–no matter his ultimate geographic location– opens up the flood gates of potential comedic absurdity. I often question whether or not to persevere for the sake of finding a “normal” one out there or simply throwing in the towel and praying that the real-life guy will mysteriously find me while we reach for the same jar of almond butter at Whole Foods or sit undeniably too close on the same chairlift. If you are a regular to my writing shenanigans, then you know that I recently succumbed to the fact that dating is a game of numbers, so the answer–whether I like it or not–is to do both. To be open to finding someone is to explore every means necessary for a union to take place.

Here. Present. Doing it.

The problem is that it can be just so damn tiring. Like when I had to tell the guy who had just ended it with his live-in girlfriend three days before we went on our first–and only–date that there was no possible way that I could move forward with him based on that information, and he proceeded to text me every day for a week even despite my withdrawal from the conversation (a testament to the fact that even the most direct bluntness can be blinded by the highest levels of emotional instability).

Hint: Get off Bumble. Move out of your apartment. Rebuild your capacity to do life alone so that you can physically and psychologically support yourself before attempting to simultaneously support someone else standing beside you.

Dating fail number…I’ve lost count.

Two weeks ago, I started messaging a guy in Vail (mind you, he’s actually from Michigan). Ironically, he’s on a 30-day snowboard trip in which two of those weeks will exactly mirror the trip I’ve been thinking about taking to Jackson Hole and Sun Valley and then into Utah. I started to like his digital version so much that I found myself not even wanting to meet his real-life version. His point total was so positive that, in order to prepare myself for the typical in-person letdown, I reasoned that his profile pictures were five years old and that he’d be far less entertaining in the flesh.

I wish I could tell you that my self-talk was wrong, but in true Bumble fashion, we both faded into oblivion, our names sitting somewhere in the deep recesses of each other’s iMessage chat logs (if we even gave each other names). We had a solid four days in which I reasoned that the overabundance of snow was due to my dancing abilities. He called me his lucky charm. I made sure to dominate his daily vertical feet of mountain madness (you’re not surprised). And he didn’t send me a dick pic (you are surprised).

All that being said, the answer is that I don’t know. But history suggests that this stimulating digital connection would have made it very difficult for the analog encounter to live up to such inevitably high expectations.

Fact. Our phones have dramatically changed the environment for cultivating romantic relationships.

Let’s revisit the anomaly of real-life encounters. My best friend has put this fantasy inside my head that my Prince Charming is actually not going to manifest himself from behind my phone screen. She is convinced that we are, in fact, going to serendipitously meet as physical people.

She tells me that he is going to be standing in front of me in the singles line of Peak 6, only to find out that Kensho Chair is no longer running because of a high wind advisory. He will turn around, in despair, to be greeted by my slightly annoyed but still smiling google-tanned face, and we’ll both subconsciously register our mutual affinity for camo: his pants, my jacket. He’ll mumble his frustrations about wanting to hike to the summit and based on my recent experience–in which I quite literally almost blew off the side of the mountain–I’ll ensure him that he is missing nothing. He’ll exhale relief before confirming that we are both, in fact, locals. And we’ll strap in side-by-side, surrounded by an equivocal air of attraction.

We’ll race off towards Peak 7, his speed just outside my reach, and yet I’ll still manage to fall just one spot behind him on Independence Chair. At that point, I will try to erase that fuzzy feeling–the one that sends an electric current from the top of your head down into your toes, the one that is assessing whether or not the person within your vicinity is registering that fuzzy feeling, too–because I am coming to terms with the fact that he will be long gone by the time I remove myself from my single seat on that six-person chair.

Except he won’t be gone. He’ll be taking his sweet time to buckle himself in, and as I skate to a spot near him to ultimately do the same, he will do the unprecedented thing, the action that seems so lost in our current state of swiping and sexting: he will ask me my name followed by an open invitation to ride together for the remainder of the day. He will open himself up to my potential to say no.

Except I won’t say no. I will say yes with a confidence that implies that I couldn’t picture the day going any other way, a façade to the fuzzies that I’ll have welcomed back into every major and minor nerve-ending inside my spine. Because I’ll be nervous as hell. I won’t have access to five pictures or a brief bio to make assumptions about him before we embark on this journey (because you know I won’t make any of those afternoon runs easy). And I won’t know if he just wants someone to hike with him to the backside of Peak 9 or if he thinks that I look quasi-cute in my snowboard getup that often has me confused for being a bro. I won’t know his age or his job or his ability to speak sarcasm. I won’t have the faintest idea of his Zodiac Sign or his religious affiliation. There will be no checkbox on his camo pants helping me to understand if he is searching for love or for lust.

So, my best friend, she tells me that it will happen this way. And I will have to ask the questions. And I will have to listen to my intuition. And, in this fantasy that she has created for my life, he is nothing short of sincere. He will have the wherewithal to ask for my number at the end of the day and the balls to text me that evening to ask if I want to spend the next morning together on the mountain. And it will snow seven inches that night, and I’ll wake up early to meet him for first chair, and without hesitation, he’ll show me all the secret stashes in the trees. The powder day will turn into drinks at night, and after two Tito’s and sodas, he’ll admit that the closing of Peak 6 on a random Thursday in January was the best thing that’s happened to him in a very long time. And, I’ll allow his words–that I am kind and pretty and funny–to intoxicate my soul so much deeper than the vodka ever could.

We’ll kiss. And it won’t be fueled by an animal-like intensity to simply rip off each other’s clothes to expose what hides beneath the layers of baggy snowboard gear. He will linger on my bottom lip and run his fingers through my hair that is notoriously flowing from underneath my Broncos beanie. And I won’t be able to decipher the difference between that giddy feeling that I am getting from the snow that continues to blanket my newfound home in Colorado or from the fire that has now been tattooed on my lips.

At that point, I’ll know. His age and his job and his ability to speak sarcasm. I’ll know his Zodiac Sign, even if he barely knows it himself, and his religious affiliation. And while there will be no checkbox on his, now, denim jeans, my intuition will tell me that he is not just looking for lust.

So, we’ll do that whole dating thing. And he’ll hop in the car with me for that aforementioned Idaho road trip. And his real-life version, the one that I met before having to decipher his methods of digital dialogue, will undoubtedly leave me begging for more.

Maybe, just maybe, my best friend will be right about this one (she’s usually right). Meanwhile, if you need me, I’ll be over here dreaming about the singles line on Peak 6 (and turning down more requests for pictures of my backside).

from Blog https://ondenver.com/please-swipe-responsibly/

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freddymcfreddy · 7 years

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Week 12- Identity Crisis?

This week we met the lovely Sitearm Madonna, an engineer who works in the oil business in Texas in real life and was involved in the setup and management of Virtual Dublin in Second Life. Sitearm has been on Second Life almost since its creation back in 2003.

But, the question is...why does Sitearm look more like Sue Ellen than J.R.? Well....why not? The first avatar I created in SL was male. I just felt I would like to try it to see how it felt, and because I could! Unfortunately I had some glitches and when it came to trying again I just gave up and Freddy became a standard female in SL.

Site brought along some portraits from over the years demonstrating how his persona had changed and outlying some of the reasons for these changes.

First there was Artemis: “A greek goddess. Hot, took no prisoners, hardass, champion of childbirth (changes)”. Site mentions how he was brought up by a single mum who must have somehow inspired him. Unfortunately the name Artemis was unavailable, so was Artemis1, Artemis2, Artemas784 etc., and so he settled on the anagram ‘Sitearm’.

The second avatar became slightly more glamorous, wearing the same ‘gypsy’ dress as she (I feel I should refer to the proper SL sex now) had on in class. While discovering SL she came across a place where good times were had, an environment where you felt included, a bit like the bar ‘Cheers’, everybody knew your name, the conversation was good and filled with plenty of humour. Feeling like this was a great place/concept, and clearly a natural charismatic entrepreneur, Sitearm decided to get more involved in setting up events and created, ‘Artemis Consulting’.

It was during this time that Sitearm was ‘picked up’ by a guy called Oliver and went on to become his business partner in SL event management. Site mentioned at this stage that while being female in SL had lots of advantages such as great clothing and male avatars lavishing you with wonderful jewels, she did experience plenty of unwanted attention and lewd advances.

Unperturbed by these individuals it was at this stage that Site decided to glam-up her look even more, In the 3rd photo we can see her with fiery red hair and sultry green eyes. She had discovered ‘SL skins’ which allowed for better skin tone and the addition of makeup. She also spoke about the animation override which allowed her to adapt a more feminine walk and swish of the hips. We can see that Site was really getting into the concept of being female and living her life to the full.

In the next photo she goes back to the gypsy dress, there is a photo of Site lying on the ground, hands behind her head. She mentions that she loves this pic, the light and the smile. Personally I found this one a bit uncomfortable, maybe it’s because the avatar's face looks quite young and innocent.....while the rest of her..well, I will let you decide.

Moving on we have the goth look fully equipped with vampire teeth and long black hair. Site changes her outfit for us to show what she was wearing back in those days. I am beginning to think I preferred the previous avatar! She mentions that at this time there was a big vampire controversy in SL with avatars going around biting other avatars. Could this class get any weirder?....yes it can!

It is important to note that when SL was first created there was no voice option, so communication was done via text. It was at this point that Site’s SL persona started to merge with her RL persona, James Neville, due to an event combining a SL exhibition with a RL exhibition. Site was still working alongside her sl partner but flaws were becoming evident in their business relationship. Oliver was becoming too commercial for Sites liking, he wanted to earn lindon dollars bringing some major multinationals into Second Life, such as Coca-Cola. Site told us how she wasn’t interested in going down that road. Because of this and the fact that she was ‘coming out’ in RL and also that voice was now a feature in SL, Site had to come clean. Needless to say, her partner was shocked, fully believing that she was also female in RL. Unfortunately this also lead to the end of her involvement in Virtual Dublin.

I found this part fascinating. Her business partners reaction was totally understandable. I’m sure he felt betrayed. Did he have feelings for Site? Perhaps he felt used and taken for a fool and I’m sure he got some grief over it. But then I thought, does he have a right to feel aggrieved? It shouldn’t matter what sex the avatar is (its a computer generated image) or what sex your business partner is for that matter. But as we have seen, SL is very real for many people involved in it. There are people behind these avatars with very real emotions and feelings. Betrayal it betrayal and how would you feel if you were in a relationship (business or personal) for years and then found out it was based on lies?

The next photo is of Site sporting the typical ‘Irish colleen’ look. Back to the red hair with an Irish flag waving in the background. An attempt at desexualising her avatars image? It is definitely far more respectable (and a bit... yawn, yawn, boring, not to mention cliched). This is the profile pic that she uses in SL.

I guess that last avatar was far too plain for Site as once again she transforms into the dark eyed diva fully equipped with botox lips. I have to say I love it. The gold-digger is back :-)

Alongside this photo we can see a cartoonised version of the real James. A glimpse of the man behind the mask. Site still prefers the female versions. I found it hilarious the way Site spoke about dresses and jewels and shopping and how much he loved that part. Considering my dislike for dresses and jewels and shopping I thought it might be interesting if we had the ability to transform our bodies in RL. Why is it that we have such stereotypes about not even what we should look like but also about how we should behave and what we should crave depending on our sex?

We were also joined again tonight by Locks Aichi or Claudia Igbrude as she is known as in real life. Locks is the eLearning development officer with the DIT Learning and Teaching Centre (LTTC) and also lecturer on the MSc Diploma and Certificate programmes. When asked why she decided to choose a male avatar in SL she explained that she was a bit of a tomboy growing up and so, it was something that just came naturally which she felt comfortable with. There was no specific reason, it was not because she felt she was getting harassed as a female in SL. She told us that she does have a female avatar in traditional Nigerian costume that was ‘gifted’ to her. As you can see from the picture below, she is absolutely stunning, nothing like the barbie doll avatars thich seem so prevalent in SL.

Here is an interesting article from The Independent about Virtual Dublin and Second Life:

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/where-everybody-knows-your-virtual-name-29399511.html

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cstesttaken · 7 years

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The man in the social media mirror: what's the truth about my online persona?

s a general rule, you can make lots of assumptions about people from their social media feed. If they’re always changing their profile pic, they’re obviously unstable. If they’re ranting about relationships, they’re high maintenance. Moaning about politics: too self-involved. Reposting old jokes/claiming nicked ones as their own: annoying/untrustworthy. Humblebragging: esteem issues, possibly insane.

But then you pause for a second as a chill wind blows right through you. “Hang on”, you think, “what if everyone else is as sharp and astute with their judgments as I am? What if they all think I’m an idiot?”

God, if only you could ask a group of impartial observers to study your social feeds and make a quick diagnosis (more on which very, very shortly).

I’m not normally like this, by the way. I wasn’t always so needy. But since becoming fairly active on social media I’ve found myself putting more and more stock in how I’m coming across. My poor wife has been forced to endure an endless barrage of paranoia. “Am I annoying people?” “Do you think I seem too full of myself?” “I’m not humblebragging, am I?” “Do you think my friends are starting to secretly hate me?” “Are there too many pictures of me having fun?”

It’s not the sexiest look in the world. And it’s an unusual one too because, at 40, I’m from a generation that existed perfectly healthily without social media. We spent our formative years relying on quaint, analogue things like “meeting up” or “naturally losing touch with each other”. But now the landscape has shifted, and my virtual friendship circle is an ever-growing blob made up of people I used to know (then had often stopped knowing), people I met once and got on with, people I worked with, people I grew up with, people I snogged, and people I bonded with more recently in life. Like any normal person, I’ve changed quite a lot in the time that it's taken for that collection of acquaintances to form. I’m not the same guy I was ten, twenty, in some cases, thirty years ago. I may even be a different man to the one I was last week.

For an average Joe like me, this presents a bit of an obstacle, because it means that all of your “friends”, cohorts and followers pass you through a variety of different filters. In my case, some will remember me as young, loud and obnoxious; some as young, wasteful and unfocused; some as old, lost, and bamboozled; some as hairy, anxious, and unemployed. Some won’t remember me at all and some may even have muted my feed to shut me the hell up (and who’d blame them?).

Watch | Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg - by numbers

o it’s weird. It’s weird to have all these people in one place, and it’s easy to become tangled up in the strange version of yourself that you’ve created as your “online presence”. It feels almost duplicitous – which is why I came up with a plan to silence all the doubting monkeys in my mind. First I'd talk to an expert, then I'd play guinnea pig in my own sick investigation by getting honest answers about my social media persona from people with no vested interest in me – ie. actual strangers. Terrifying.

STAGE ONE: Talking to an expert

The expert in question was Dr Gary Wood, a social psychologist. I had lots of insane-sounding questions to ask him – almost all of them incredibly self-involved, and concerned with why it has become so important to us to receive online approval for these weird, slightly bogus, versions of ourselves.

“We all care what the world thinks of us, otherwise who are these channels intended for?” he reasons. “And as social animals, lots of the ways we describe ourselves are meaningless unless viewed in terms of other people.”

This made lots of sense to me – after all, you don’t buy a cool pair of trainers and only wear them around the house, you need the world to see them, to validate how hip your footwear decisions are. Else what’s the point?

“It also helps to remind ourselves that social media is about being sociable, and it works best when our aim is to make connections, rather than living our lives like an open-wound. Too much self-disclosure is often not healthy or recommended."

Instantly, my mind trawls through the recent tweets I've written. Was I over disclosing? Onto Stage Two to find out ...

recreate your holiday by wandering into Greggs wearing swimming trunks, pointing at a sausage roll, shouting TWO and paying with a £50 note

— Joshua Burt (@joshburt76) September 2, 2014

STAGE TWO: Showing my feeds to people

For this stage, my plan was to ask strangers online to look at my social feeds and to tell me the kind of person they think I am, based on what they find. I soon encountered a problem: everyone on social media is only a few degrees of separation away. So the “strangers” ended up being a mixture of friends of friends, or colleagues of friends. Still, at least they knew nothing about me.

I gave them the links to my Twitter feed (where I mostly make bad jokes, and self-promote), to my Facebook page (almost entirely self-promotion) and to my Instagram Account (where I post pictures of records, interspersed with endless images of my 2-year-old son – yes I’m afraid I’m that guy).

I was hoping they might say something along the lines of “funny” or “nice”. And if they wanted to throw a “handsome” in there, that’s totally their choice, I wouldn’t bat it back. For the record, no one did.

What they said

“You’re a fairly new dad, and very VERY proud about that!”

“You’re so London, it hurts.”

“You look like you might be a bit snobby about music”

“Work is life, life is work – you enjoy what you do”

“I’d like to be your FB friend but wouldn’t be bothered about Twitter”

“You’re a proper hipster dad”

“I reckon you’re the funny one in the group”

“You’re the kind of guy who looks like he smokes loads of weed, but doesn’t.”

“On Twitter your bio is ‘words is my tools', which is a good way of saying 'I'm a writer but don't take myself too seriously, or 'I want you to believe that I don't take myself too seriously'.”

My deductions

ll in all, it made for surprisingly nice reading. My low online-esteem had me holding my breath, ready to be taken apart and brutalized like a ragdoll in a gorilla enclosure – but no one was particularly mean about me (and they had every opportunity to be). Interestingly, there was a real sense that we all present an online image of ourselves that may not be completely authentic – more the version of us that we want the world to see – and that that’s okay. Perhaps we all know that we’re lying to one another. At least it's an open dishonesty.

In fact, in many ways, their deductions were probably a better reflection of me in real life than my actual posts are, because they were able to see beneath the veneer, and to give a reasoned, objective insight into the man behind the social media mirror. I am a hipster dad, I do wear spectacles, I am a music snob, I do love my work, I do come across like a weed smoker despite not having puffed on a joint for the best part of ten years.

Ultimately, it probably is impossible to dupe people into accepting what you want them to see as the truth. Which is either good news or a great tragedy, depending on how you look at it.

Source

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/man-social-media-mirror-truth-online-persona/

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