#some day i may try to post my personal onion but honestly....not right now | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lilacs-fandom-garden · 3 years

Text

Incorrect Quotes 4

Ships:

Errorink (lol I dont have much Errorink in my posts still, sorry)

Kreme/Driller

Crossmare

Dustberry

Horrorlust

Scifell

Afterdeath

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Geno, to Ink: I dare you to—

Dream: Ink isn’t allowed to accept dares.

Ink: Apparently I have ”no regard for my personal safety”

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Dust: Do you miss the imagination of childhood?

Cross: I never had one.

Dust: An imagination or a childhood?

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Horror: *accidentally hits Error in the face*

Horror: *trying to decide between saying “I’m fucking sorry” and “are you okay?”

Horror: ARE YOU FUCKING SORRY?!

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Killer: Do you like my outfit?

Dream: Not as much as I like what's underneath it.

Killer, blushing: I- Dre-

Dream: I need your chair. Get up.

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Horror: Do you know when you know someone, and you see that they have another, like, life away from you and it feels weird?

Dust: Like when you see your teacher in the grocery store weird, or like when someone you’ve known for a long time starts wearing a cowboy hat weird?

Horror: The… The first thing weird

Dust: Oh, that’s good, ‘Cause I was thinking about getting a cowboy hat

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Cross: You read my diary?!

Dream: At first, I didn’t know it was your diary. I thought it was a very sad handwritten book.

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Lust: Sorry, but you're under arrest for robbery.

Horror: What did I steal?

Lust, trying not to cry: My heart

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Dream: Killer and I were crossing the street, and this dude drove by and honked at us

Cross: *Sighing* What did Killer do?

Dream: They chased him to the next red light, then reached into his window and...

Killer: Who wants a steering wheel?

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Dream: *holding a bottle* Is this whiskey or perfume?

Killer: *chugs entire bottle*

Killer: It’s perfume.

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Killer, watching the news: Someone tried to fight a squid at the aquarium today.

Dream: *walks in covered with ink* Well, maybe the squid was being a jerk!

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Killer, tending to Dream's wounds: How would you rate your pain?

Dream: Zero stars. Would NOT recommend.

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Killer: You know, I'm starting to regret showing you how that blender works.

Horror, drinking toast: Why do you say that?

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Dust: Lol heads up if you try to make a candle with food coloring, the food coloring will just sink to the bottom of the glass, and when the flame eventually reaches the bottom all the food coloring will catch fire and become one giant tall flame that you cannot possibly blow out and the glass will start to crack and then you'll throw your tea on it in a panic and then the extremely hot food coloring will boil and sizzle horribly and then the glass will shatter. Please take my word on this lmfao

Horror: What did you do!?

Dust: A MISTAKE

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Dust, addressing the squad: And if you have any suggestions feel free to put them in the suggestion box.

Horror: But – that’s just a trash can.

Dust: It sure is!

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Dream: With great power comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later.

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Fell: I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives

Sci: I wake up at 4:30 AM

Fell:

Fell: I want to see you at some point every day for the rest of our lives

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Sci: If you were to vacuum up jello through a metal tube, well I think that’d be a neat noise

Fell: I beg to differ

Sci: Then Beg

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Dust: You’re a lying, cheating, piece of shit! You’re not the person I married!

Blue: Fine then! We’re getting a divorce! And i’m taking the kids!

Dream, pushing the monopoly board away from them: …maybe we should stop playing…

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Dream: I relate to Belle because she loves books and likes people for who they are!

Ink: I relate to Tinkerbell because she needs attention or she dies.

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Killer: *dials 911*

Killer: hey i hate to be “that guy” but i glued myself to the ceiling again

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Ink: Things have actually been going really well with Error. Our friendship is in a really good place.

Ink: Last week I said, “Did you know the weiner dog is neither a weiner nor a dog?” Instead of saying, “Shut up, Ink,” they said, “Okay.”

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Lust: *signs a legal document with a glitter gel pen*

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Horror, dumping out a shopping bag full of Lunchables onto the table: Tonight, we feast.

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Error or Nightmare: *kicks “G” off Graveyard sign*

Error or Nightmare: Let’s get this party started.

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Reaper: Did Geno just tell me they loved me for the first time?

Cross: Yeah.

Reaper: And did I do finger guns back?

Cross: Yeah, you did.

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Sci: Name one time I haven’t acted professional

Geno: You’re holding a juice box right now

Sci: It’s to stop me from spilling my juice.

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*The Bad Sanses response to I love you*

Killer: Thanks fam!

Horror: oh no

Dust: *cries* I love you too

Cross: Sounds fake but okay

Error: *A flustered mess*

Nightmare: can i get a refund

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Sci: If you bite it and you die, it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous.

Blue: What if it bites me and it dies!?

Sci: Then you’re poisonous.

Dream: What if it bites itself and I die?

Sci: That’s voodoo.

Error: What if it bites me and someone else dies?

Sci: That’s correlation, not causation.

Horror: What if we bite each other, and neither of us die?

Ink & Killer at the same time: That’s kinky.

Sci: Oh my God.

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Blue: Truth or dare?

Lust: Dare

Blue: I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room

Lust: Hey Ink.

Ink: Yeah?

Lust: Could you move? I’m trying to get to Geno.

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Killer: Let me show you a picture from last night that really upset me

Horror: Okay, but in my defense, Dust bet me 50 cents I couldn’t drink all that shampoo.

Killer: That’s not what I wanted to- you drank SHAMPOO?!

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*The group is getting into the car*

Lust: I’m driving.

Geno, out of view: Shotgun!

Sci, turning to face Geno: Aww! But you had it on the way here-

Everyone except Geno: WOAH-

Geno, holding a shotgun: No! I found a shotgun! And I want the front seat! *Pumps gun*

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A random stranger: Go to Hell

Nightmare, tearing up: I wish I could

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Error: Dear friends, your Christmas gift this year… is me. That’s right, another year of friendship. Your membership has been renewed.

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Blue: I’m going to defeat you with the power of friendship! ... And this knife I found.

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Dust: My life isn’t as glamorous as my wanted poster makes it look like.

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Killer: You know how I roll.

Killer: And I’m not talking about that time I fell into a pile of dung at the foot of a hill.

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Dream: Physically, yes, I could fight a bird. But emotionally? Imagine the toll.

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Killer: You seem familiar, have I threatened you before?

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Blue: Look. I may not be a saint, but it's not like I’ve killed anybody. I’m not an arsonist. I’ve never found a wallet outside of an IHOP and thought about returning it but saw the owner lived out of state so just took the cash and dropped the wallet back on the ground.

Fell: Okay, that's really specific, and that makes me think that you definitely did do that.

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Horror: Man, I only ever see you awake, do you ever shut down or stop running?

Dust: Oh, I’m always running

Dust: The question is from what

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Blue: WHAT’S YOUR TYPE

Fell: Anything, honestly, but nerds especially

Blue, desperately, as Fell bleeds out: YOUR BLOOD TYPE

Fell: Oh! B positive.

Blue: DONT TRY TO CHEER ME UP JUST TELL ME YOUR BLOOD TYPE

Fell:

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Horror: So what’s for dinner?

Dust, staring at the food they just burnt: Regret.

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Nightmare: Hey, you want some leftovers?

Cross: What's that?

Nightmare: You've never had leftovers???

Cross: No, because I'm not a quitter.

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Nightmare: You often use humor to deflect trauma

Cross: Thank you

Nightmare: I didn't say that was a good thing

Cross: What I'm hearing is, you think I'm funny

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Sci, pointing: May I sit there?

Fell: That's my lap

Sci: That doesn't answer my question, Fell.

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Blue: Dandelions symbolize everything I want to be in life

Dream: Fluffy and dead with a gust of wind?

Blue: Unapologetic. Hard to kill. Feral, filled with sunlight, bright, beautiful in a way that the conventional and controlling hate but cannot ever fully destroy. Stubborn. Happy. Bastardous. Friends with bees. Highly disapproving of lawns. Full of wishes that will be carried far after I die.

Ink: edible

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'Can I copy the homework?'

Horror: I can help you with it!

Killer: Yeah, sure.

Dust: Bold of you to assume I did the homework.

Error: lol nope.

Cross: Wait, we had homework?!?!?!

Nightmare: *Read 5:55pm*

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Nightmare: Who the fuck added me to a fucking group chat?

Horror: >:O language

Dust: Yeah watch your fucking language

Cross: OKAY WHO TAUGHT DUST THE FUCK WORD?

Error: 'The fuck word'.

Killer: Are you stupid? You guys use the f word all the time

Dust: Oh my god they censored it

Error: Say fuck, Killer.

Dust: Do it, Killer. Say fuck.

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Killer: Croissants: dropped

Horror: Road: works ahead

Dust: BBQ sauce: on my titties

Cross: Shavacado: fre

Error: Miss Keisha: fuckin dead

Nightmare:

Nightmare, grumpy: I didn’t understand a single word of that and I hate every single one of you.

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Nightmare: Everytime I hear someone talking about updog, I’m torn between not wanting to fall for it and wanting to help them complete their joke.

Horror: Okay, but what is updog?

Dust: Updog is a long sausage in a bun, often served with ketchup, mustard, onions, and/or relish.

Cross: Not, that’s a hot dog. An updog is when a new version or patch of an application is released.

Error: No, that's an update. You’re thinking of the fourth largest city in Sweden.

Killer: Surely, that’s Uppsala, where’s updog is the giant spider in Harry Potter.

Nightmare: That’s Aragog. Updog is a symbol conventionally used for an arbitrarily small number in analysis proofs.

Cross: You’re thinking of epsilon. Updog is an upward-moving air current.

Dust: No, that’s an updraft. An updog is the modern version of a henway.

Horror: What’s a henway??

Nightmare: Oh, about five pounds.

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Killer: Dumbest scar stories, go!

Horror: I burned my tongue once drinking tea.

Error: I dropped a hair dryer on my leg once and burned it.

Cross: I have a piece of graphite in my leg for accidentally stabbing myself with a pencil in the first grade.

Dust: I was taking a cup of noodles out of the microwave and spilled it on my hand and I got a really bad burn.

Nightmare:

Nightmare: I have emotional scars.

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Killer: *Posts a super low-quality image to the group chat*

Horror: If I had a dollar for every pixel in this image, I’d have 15 cents

Killer: If I had a dollar for every ounce of rage I felt in my body after I read this text, I would have enough money to buy a cannon to fire at you

Error: Actually I did the math, Horror would have $225, not $0.15.

Horror: Fam I’m right here....

Cross: If I had a dollar I would buy a can of soda :)

Killer: while you’re there could you buy me an apply juice please?

Cross: Sorry I only have a dollar

Killer: :(

Error: Hey I just realized my friend is right, Horror would have $22,500 because it's a dollar for every pixel, not a cent

Cross: If I had $22,500 I would buy a can of soda and an apply juice

Error: You can buy anything you want with $22,500

Dust: Yeah and they want soda and apply juice

Error: Apply juice to what

Nightmare: Directly to the forehead

Horror: Great chat everyone

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Killer: There are seven chairs and ten kids. What do you do?

Horror: Have everyone stand.

Cross: Bring three more chairs.

Error: The most important ones can sit down.

Dust: Kill three.

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Killer: You're a loose cannon, Horror.

Horror: No, I'm not. I'm a cannon maybe, but a loose cannon? Is that what you think of me?

Error: I think you play by your own rules.

Cross: No way, they think rules were made to be broken.

Killer: Those are all attributes of a loose cannon.

Horror: No, I'm just a reckless renegade. Dust is a loose cannon.

Dust: *smashes a chair*

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Cross: Are we really going to let Error keep Horror?

Killer: We kept Dust.

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Killer: Good morning.

Horror: Good morning.

Error: Good morning.

Cross: You all sound like robots, try spicing it up a bit.

Dust: MORNING MOTHERFUCKERS

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Killer: What if the person who named Walkie Talkies named everything?

Horror: Pregnancy tests are Maybe Babies

Dust: Socks are Feetie Heaties

Cross: Forks are Stabby Grabbies

Horror: Defibrillators are Heartie Starties

Dust: Nightmares are Dreamy Screamies

Cross: Stamps are Lickie Stickies

Error, annoyed: You are disappointments

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Dust: What’s something you guys are better than Killer at?

Error: Mario Kart.

Cross: Yeah, video games.

Horror: Emotional vulnerability.

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Dust: Poison is a magic transmutation potion that turns people into corpses.

Horror: This knife is actually a magic wand.

Cross: Meet me in the Denny’s parking lot for a wizard duel.

Killer: *cocks gun* Magic missile.

Error: What the fuck is wrong with you people.

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Lust: If I die, my funeral is going to be the biggest party ever and you’re all invited

Geno: If?

Sci: Great, the only party I’ve ever been invited to and he might not even die.

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Lust, holding a python: Guys I impulsively bought a snake, what do I name him

Geno: You did WHAT–

Sci: William Snakepeare

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Lust: Fitness tip: never stop pushing yourself. Some say 8 hours of sleep is enough. Why not keep going? Why not 9? Why not 10? Strive for greatness.

Geno: Next time you’re working out do 15 push ups instead of 10. Run 3 miles instead of 2. Eat a whole cake instead of just a slice. Burn your ex’s house down. You can do it. I believe in you.

Sci: There were so many mixed messages in that I can’t-

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Lust: I can’t believe you live nearby, and you won’t let anyone crash at your place.

Geno: You people already know too much about me.

Sci: I know exactly three facts about you, and one of them is that you won’t let any of us crash at your place.

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Lust: Would you stab your best friend in the leg for 10 million gold?

Geno: You stab me, and then when my leg gets better, we buy a big-ass house.

Sci: You can stab me too, then we'll have 20 million.

Geno: Good thinking.

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Lust: 'Person of interest' is almost too flattering.

Lust: Like, if the police were to pound on my door and go, 'A man has been murdered in your building and you are a person of interest,' I'd be like, 'Moi? Oh, do go on.'

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aleator · 3 years

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day 03 - soulmate au (thor/tony)

Tony spends most of his life trying not to touch people. His soulmate clearly doesn't appreciate it, so why would anyone else?

The words are clear as day in big block letters on his arm-- "Do not touch me again."

So Tony keeps to himself, hands shoved into his pockets or arms crossed over his chest. He flinches at the friendly pats on the shoulders and doesn’t offer handshakes or hugs. If people find him cold or rude, so be it.

He doesn’t share his words with anyone, though a select few do find out over time. Rhodey, of course, learns early on that Tony doesn’t like being touched, and he’s the first person outside of Tony’s family who he voluntarily shows his words to. Pepper finds out accidentally after she becomes his assistant, during an incident which is never to be discussed again.

And then there’s Obadiah.

Obie touches Tony without hesitation, gripping his shoulder or patting him on the back, and Tony lets him because Obie’s always been good to him. He trusts Obadiah to do right by him.

Turns out he was wrong, and his soulmate’s words on his arm have never resonated so strongly, so clearly. Maybe his soulmate’s got the right idea.

He doesn’t try to look for them, whoever they may be. He stopped yearning for a fairytale ending to his story years ago, even before his parents went up in smoke. If his soulmate is out there, they’ll find him, and he’s certain they’ll be just as disappointed as he is.

Funnily enough, he usually likes being right, but not this time.

The words come when he least expects them, from a man not even of Earth, a warrior prince with no recognition in his eyes as Tony retorts,

“Then don't take my stuff.”

Asgardians don't have soulmates, not in the way humans do, with mysteriously inked words on skin. So Tony’s soulbond is left there, open and exposed, dangling without any connection like a stripped wire, ready to hurt whoever comes close.

Tony doesn’t say anything. They stop Loki, stop the Chitauri, save the day. Thor leaves, taking Loki back to Asgard. Tony goes on with his life. He thinks that’s the end of it.

But then Thor comes back, and somehow Tony’s got multiple Avengers living in his tower, despite the expectation one might have after renaming said tower. It’s just that it’s hard to not think about soulmates at all when his own soulmate is living under his roof.

Unfortunately, Thor is nice. He’s funny, he’s smart, and he’s curious about Earth and its customs. Even worse, he likes to ask Tony for answers about those things.

“So everyone has these soul words, then?” Thor says, sipping chocolate milk from a tall glass with a straw. “Do you have a soulmate?”

Tony grits his teeth and doesn’t look up from the onions he’s caramelizing in a sauté pan. “So they say,” he replies.

“You haven’t met them?” Thor asks, looking far too curious for Tony’s taste.

“Do you see them around?” Tony shoots back so he doesn’t have to give a real answer.

Thor glances around the room as if they’d actually be hiding in a corner somewhere. “Hm. What are your words?”

Tony accidentally scrapes his spatula against the bottom of the metal pan in his frustration. “Can we not talk about this right now?”

Thor raises an eyebrow at him. “All right. Do not get your panties in a bunch, as the Midgardians say.”

“Please don’t call them panties,” Tony mumbles, still angrily stirring his onions.

The truth of it is that Tony doesn’t have any plans to tell Thor. There’s no point--he’s not Thor’s soulmate. He’s not going to drag Thor down with him over some stupid birthmark that honestly probably doesn’t even mean anything.

He does a decent job of hiding his words for a while, until one day after a successful mission clearing out another Hydra base it finally comes out into the open. Tony’s gauntlet is badly mangled, practically melted in places, and Tony winces as he rips the broken pieces away.

He swears when he sees how the burnt remains of his undersuit cling to his arm, and Thor’s striding over to his side in seconds, gently taking his arm to steady him and carefully peeling back the sleeve so it’s no longer touching Tony’s skin. Tony doesn’t even have time to react, not expecting it at all, and so he doesn’t pull his arm away before Thor can see the dark black letters of his soulmark, dirtied but legible.

Both men freeze, staring down at Tony’s arm until Steve’s voice shakes them out of it.

“Thor, take Tony to medical,” Steve says, not realizing what’s happening between the two of them. “Natasha, you should have someone look at that ankle.”

Thor moves first, guiding Tony away without a word while Natasha argues with Steve that her ankle is fine. The sound of their argument fades into the background as Tony walks in front of Thor, trudging along like he’s being taken to his execution.

Thor doesn’t say anything as a medic looks at Tony’s arm and patches him up, but he doesn’t leave either. Tony submits to the doctor’s attentions without his usual complaints, and when his arm is all wrapped up the doctor excuses herself to go see to Natasha’s leg.

“Those are my words, aren’t they?”

Tony nearly jumps, having forgotten Thor was even there. He turns to look at him, but Thor doesn’t move from his spot in the corner.

“I’m meant to be your soulmate,” Thor continues, not waiting for Tony’s response. He already knows what the answer is.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Tony says at last. “You people don’t have soul words.”

Thor studies him silently for a moment longer, then abandons his post in the corner, looking around the drawers and cabinets for something. He pauses when he finds whatever it is, back to Tony, and a few moments later he turns back around and comes over to Tony with his arm extended.

He’d written Tony’s first words to him in black marker on his arm, a simple “Then don’t take my stuff” in Thor’s messy handwriting.

Tony snorts and shakes his head. “Are you purposefully trying to rub salt in the wound? Because I gotta say, buddy, it’s working.”

“Was I correct that day on the Helicarrier after all? Are humans really so petty?”

“Okay, again, this really isn’t working for me,” Tony starts to say, but Thor takes hold of his good hand and cuts him off.

“Soulmates are not built on a foundation of measly little words. Soulmates are formed on solid things, trust and respect and affection. I have all these for you, Stark, and more.”

The fight goes out of Tony then, slowly being replaced by the first inklings of hope that Tony’s felt in a long time.

“What are you saying?” he asks, because he needs to hear it straight.

Thor gently squeezes his hand. “I could court you, if you wish it. I would be happy to do so.”

“You want to date me?”

“Aye. I want to date you,” Thor says with an amused little smile.

Finally Tony allows himself to relax completely, grinning up at Thor like a complete fool. “You’ll regret this,” he warns him, which is only the polite thing to do.

“Mmhm,” Thor says placatingly, nodding. “How about we start by finding something to eat?”

Tony hops down from the exam table he’d been sitting on this whole time, legs feeling a little wobbly as he follows after Thor, not realizing he’s still holding Thor’s hand.

“I think you should get that tattooed, by the way,” he tells Thor, looking thoughtful. “Can Asgardians get tattoos?”

“We’ll discuss it,” Thor replies, squeezing Tony’s hand again, and for once in his life Tony thinks that being touched isn’t so bad after all.

#thunderiron #thortony #tonythor #tony stark #thor odinson #thor x tony #mcu #alternate universe #2020 nano challenge #my fic #this does not have a sad ending i promise

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g--r-e--e-n · 4 years

Text

Of herbs and riddles Pt.1

Pairing: GN! MC x Satan.

Content: Fantasy AU for Obey me! MAX that was supposed to be posted as a whole but I can't fully finish it on time so at least have this :')

Warnings: It says hell at some point but I'm not sure if that's a swearword. Pretty sure anything else is not worrying, please tell me if you think otherwise so I can properly tag any sort of danger away!

(Edit: Apparently says "hell" several times. Sue me or something, I'm already crying either way.)

"Good morning, sir!" You cheerfully welcomed the young man crossing your apothecary's door. "How may I help you?"

He smiles softly, reaching the counter and looking you with the most beautiful piercing eyes you had ever seen.

"Good morning to you too." The man greets elegantly, his golden hair reflecting the candlelight filling your modest shop, the morning sun still to weak to allow the flames to die as they had been made to. By his clothes and the softness of his long and slender fingers, you soon understood he was one of those few big fishes passing by this small pound that your village is. "My dear brother has gained quite a wicked heartburn after a rather copious dinner. I was hoping you would have some remedy for his condition."

"Sure thing, sir!" You gladly answered. You loved your work as much as it was possible, and having such an interesting customer was definitely a plus, specially since foreigners were known for their generous tips. "Let me see..."

You begin wandering around your store, the magic candles now dying to let the soft sun come through the window.

The young blonde man stared quietly at you, following you quietly and looking over your shoulder towards the dried leaves and small bottles. He had seen many in his books, old as time itself, yet memorizing all of them would've been imposible within a mortal lifetime. However, instead of jealous, he felt mesmerized. There were little things he admired as much as knowledge, and you were filled with it.

Getting his head our from those thoughts, you turned around with some little bags.

"Give him a cup of chamomile tea and root of Ginger, he shall be fine sooner than a cock sings. If he's not, come over again and I'll give you a special bred of tea I'm working on." You started walking towards the counter again, closely followed by your customer and the smell of the herbs. "Giving him something to chew on rather than eat could help him too, if you feel on a rush."

"Thank you" He absentmindedly replied, the jewels in his eyes lost in the little bags you handed over, a slight hope blossoming in your chest. He said nothing about being unable to come again, so perhaps he was a newcomer rather than a traveler. "How much?"

"Two pieces for the root, the rest is on the house" you replied, keeping your smile as you handed the goods over. "After all, you're new here, aren't you?"

Your client stared at you, taking the plants and handing you the money ever so graciously you felt like you had met an angel. Four coins weighted down your hand.

"That we are." He softly said, a smile to his face. "My older brother came for a gig, he was the main wizard in the neighboring village, but he soon fell in love with this land of yours and made all of us tag along."

There was something this guy wasn't telling you, you just knew.

"Are you a wizard too, sir?"

"Not quite. I'm just a librarian." He vaguely answered, shrugging. "And I better get home before my brothers begin to grief me."

You let go a soft laugh, as he flashed you another of his smiles, turning his back to you, hand waving in the air as his silhouette.

"Wait!" You stopped him. You needed his name, something, anything, and you didn't even know why.

"Yes..?"

"... Don't let him drink milk. Makes it worse."

He laughed a bit, saying something you didn't quite want to hear, too embarrassed. What the hell had just happened?

You sighed, trying your best to keep on working, sorting your material and attending the folk with a smile brighter than the sun itself.

You had made yourself a name thanks to your knowledge, being one of the few fools to dedicate your life to science when magic was a thing. Nobody would've betted anything on you, but here you were, healing people better than any witch ever could, knowing by heart every plant that grew around your hometown.

It had been hard, but you felt like you were living a good life. You felt happy with your own situation, and after the librarian's visit, you could barely keep your heart from bouncing in excitement, hoping to meet him again.

Your chance, of course, took you fully by surprise, way sooner than expected.

It had been four days, and you were about to close after a pretty exhausting day of work when the librarian entered the place, any complains dying on your throat at the sight of his worry.

"Good evening sir, are you alright? Is it your brother again?"

You walked over to him, concern painted all over your face, but not daring to invade his personal space.

"No. Yes. What you gave me last time worked marvelously. It's not that." He sighed, closing his eyes for a second. You could see the dark skin under them. "It's other brother, actually. He's a reckless young man, and got himself in a fight. His condition is not serious, but he keeps on complaining about the scars that might be left in his face. Do you think you could help him?"

Oh. So his brother was that one idiot that tried to get away without paying from the butcher. God, you hoped he wasn't too bad.

"Yes, sure, one second." You nod before looking from plants again, his gaze fixed upon them as last time, making you somehow nervous. Perhaps a little conversation could help, while you grab the herbs. "So... Have you been sleeping fine, sir? You seem rather tired to me."

You slowly turn around, some bottles resting in your arms, softly clinking against each other as you walked towards the counter.

"I'm reading a book full of riddles." He admitted, feeling oddly at ease withing your little shop. "This far I've solved them all, yet there's one that I can't quite lay my finger on."

You start mixing substances, peeling carefully some aloe.

"Well, why don't you tell me the riddle? Maybe I can help you out."

The librarian stared at you in disbelief. Did you really think you could solve something he didn't?

Of course, he didn't really want to refuse, and would much rather see you fail by yourself.

"Sure thing" he says with a smile, his eyes shining dangerously. "I am valued by men, fetched from afar, Gleaned on the hill-slopes, gathered in groves,

In dale and on down.

All day through the air,

Wings bore me aloft, and brought me with cunning

Safe under roof.

Men steeped me in vats.

Now I have power to pummel and bind,

To cast to the earth, old man and young.

Soon he shall find who reaches to seize me,

Pits force against force, that he's flat on the ground,

Stripped of his strength if he cease not his folly,

Loud in his speech, but of power despoiled

To manage his mind, his hands or his feet.

Now ask me my name, who can bind men on earth,

And lay fools low in the light of day."

You rise an eyebrow, sealing mixing your little beverage with as much energy as you could gather.

"Sir, you must be kidding me. How could not figure that out?" You questioned, staring at the liquid to check it's colour and quality. "It's mead. Honey mead, they make some at the monastery up the hill. At times I use it to make some of my beverages taste nice, it makes any biter taste disappear."

The librarian blinks a couple times. He had thought wine to be the answer, which apparently was a close call, but whatever you were talking about didn't really ring a bell.

"It's an alcoholic beverage, right?

"Never tried it?" You were rather surprised, really. He looked like a fine man, one of those who would attend hundreds of fancy dinners. How can he not know his liquors?.

"My brothers don't like me drinking." He admits, a defeated smile to his soft lips. "I pretty much stick to tea most of the time."

"At least it's healthy!" You smile at hin, handing the mix. "Here you go, sir. It's oily and a bit thick, the onion extract might itch a bit, but worry not, it'll work perfectly. Rub it against any mark your brother might have left and it will soon be gone. If the mark happens to be darker than his skin, cut a lemon in two and rub it against the wound."

"Thank you." The blonde man smiled cheerfully, your conversation very obviously pleasing him. You had no idea how close he was to ripping the book's pages apart because of that damn riddle. "How much?"

"Two coins shall suffice, sir!" You handed him your gooey mix, receiving five whole coins in exchange. Your eyes wide . "Sir, I beg your pardon, but isn't this a bit too much? You already paid me double last time!"

He shakes his head gently.

"Two for the medicine, two for the riddle, and one for humouring me. What is it but fair?"

He messed up your hair before you could complain, soon heading home to his brothers, leaving the fire grow on your cheeks, too stunned to even close the shop as you were supposed to.

You couldn't help but find yourself hoping to meet him again, waiting for another three days to go by. Your dear librarian, however, took very little time.

In two days, he was already in front of you again, while you attended your neighbor's cuts, not allowing yourself to get your attention from the poor man no matter how handsome your new favorite customer was.

In a few minutes, your neighbor had already paid and waved you goodbye, happy as ever. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling like a fool, loving your job, before finally paying the librarian some attention.

"Good afternoon, sir! How may I help you today?"

"It's one of my brothers" he said, to none of your surprises. Honestly, he must be wasting a fortune in helping them. How many brothers did he even have? "He's been failing asleep during his shift at work, through his studying lessons, and I'm afraid he'll end up sleeping his days away. Would you be able to help me?"

You nood, soon heading to fish some herbs, as always followed by the tall man and his cryptic gaze. You didn't even know his name yet, but something about him felt like meeting an old friend.

"You know, I usually would give you some green tea, but..." You softly smile, pulling something from the bottom of your shelf before facing the young man, showing him your little treasure. "A friend of mine likes to travel. At times, he brings me this to help me whenever I feel tired or sick. I'm not exaggerating when I say it makes miracles! It's called Siberian Gingsen, but you might as well call it the holy grail. Just please remember to keep the dosage small and preferably during mornings, unless you want your brother to stay awake all night. "

Your customer nods, listening closely.

"Your brother does not have any heart issues, does he?" You ask, slightly ridding off your excitement. "We could try something else then."

He softly shakes his head.

"No, don't worry. That little brat is surprisingly healthy seeing as how he spends his days doing nothing." He sighs. As much as he enjoyed Belphegor's company, at times it was a bit worrying. No human should sleep this much without being considered dead. "How much is it?"

You stare at the Gingsen, struggling a bit. You had never thought of actually selling it, but it's not like you needed it anyways, so that's not really a reason to rise the prize. Still, it's an imported good, right?

You sigh, realizing you needed an assistant more than you'd like to, before going back to your default smile.

"Two coins shall suffice, sir!" You gifted him a smile Satan knew he would not forget in some days now. Despite his blush, he handed you four coins. "Sir, please..."

"Two for the remedy. Two for... Going to the fair tomorrow?" His words surprised you, and even if you tried your best to hide it, you were red up to your ears. "I heard from some villagers you don't usually frequent that sort of events, so I really won't mind it if you decline, but... I think we could have a nice time there."

His gentle, genuinely caring tone softly melted your heart, sweet as belladonna and just as dangerous.

You didn't really have a life aside from the shop and, at times, the market. All your free time was spent diving between pages, looking for all the information you could gather, and something in this almost stranger's eyes told you he wasn't really a party kind of person. God, ge didn't even know honey wine.

"Sir, I... I don't even know your name." You mumbled, confused, not used to how blunt this gentleman was, not even moving his eyes, calling yours like light calls a moth.

"Oh. Right." He said, faking surprise, not really willing to admit he liked being called "sir" ever so politely, fairly sure it would ruin the whole mood. "I'm Satan. A pleasure to meet you..."

He expectantly looked at you, and soon you gifted him your name, his new favorite sound.

"And now that you have a name to call me by, will you come to our little date?" He tried his best to sound secure, fearing he already knew the answer. "I'm sorry, I hope I'm not coming off as too strong. I just-"

"No, it's fine. Why not?" You smile as you best can, still nervous, but way too afraid the situation would worse with Satan's lose tongue. "Let's meet tomorrow morning at the fountain, shall we? Usually there's music as early as sunrise, I'm sure you'll adore it."

"Then I'll trust you" he answered, genuinely glad this turned out so nicely. It almost seemed like a dream. "Now, I shall go before that brother of mine falls asleep again."

And just as elegantly as he had entered, he left, his image lingering in your memory for a while.

A date.

You were having a date.

A date with the gorgeous foreigner who just so happened to frequently visit your shop.

A date with Satan.

What the hell.

#obey me!#obey me #obey me satan #satan x mc #swd satan #Satan x reader #om! swd #om!#om! satan #om! fanfic #gn!reader #Gn!MC

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laughingpinecone · 4 years

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Press Start letter

I am laughingpineapple on AO3

It’s a long list of character combos so the specific requests aren’t overly detailed, please draw at will from my general likes and general fandom likes in addition or as an alternative to any of those!

All requests are art or fic - for art, the stuff I like is the kind that depicts the characters doing something. I’ll always be happier with a very simple drawing of two characters walking together or sharing a cup of coffee than with an ambitious composition that looks like an Avengers poster. I also enjoy seeing them wear different clothes, getting a feel of what their fashion sense is like beyond their canon outfit(s).

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played straight, sensory details, sickfic, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships)

Cool with: any tense, any pov, any rating, plotty, not plotty, IF, nerdy canon references, unrequested characters popping up

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay), canon retellings, consent issues

Dark Souls

I’m only familiar with the first game+DLC! It’s probably relevant to mention that I think that linking the fire is kind of a dumbass move and Gwyn is an ass, but on the other hand Kaathe has his own agenda and there’s no winning move in this world, or at least no obvious one. Feel free to deviate from anyone’s canon endings, to make things happen that’ll stave off their hollowing. I am interested in any of these people meeting and possibly striking up a friendship, and also in exploring Lordran’s temporal/dimensional fuckery, where it’s possible to meet people who have been gone for ages…

Group: Solaire of Astora & Siegmeyer of Catarina: so much fanart of Sun Bro & Onion Bro being bros, so little fic. And yet, the potential! How’d they bounce off each other, what about the fact that Siegmeyer is apparently a proper Catarina knight after all while Solaire just painted his self-made insignia and left, what would Sieg think of Solaire’s quest?

Group: Alvina the Cat & Sieglinde of Catarina: dunno, kitty. I love them both and I want everyone cool to go on adventure with each other. What’s left for Alvina now that Sif is gone, Artorias’ grave desecrated? For her part, did Sieglinde, you know, (mimics Ash Lake)?

Ghost Trick

I am very interested in various characters finding about the erased timeline, but not getting their memories back, and having to live with being told about what they did but never remembering it. Exploring the ghost lore is great. All what-ifs welcome (what if they managed an acceptable happy ending but didn’t reset the timeline, what if a different party went back to the past and kept their memories, what if Alma’s ghost stuck around…) Also open to AUs here, especially for generic fantasy or sci-fi settings or the Final Fantasy ones I prompted last Yuletide.

For the non-canon sides of Jowd/Alma/Cabanela, please no infidelity? I’d be good with either setting the fic during the game timeline or some what-if thereof when the other spouse is dead or unavailable, or simply keeping them offscreen and not mentioning them (eg Alma/Cabanela beach day, Jowd/Cabanela precinct shenanigans)

For Jowd in general, I do love my big boy and enjoy milking that size difference for all it’s worth. In gen contexts too, it’s neat. him big.

Group: Jowd & Yomiel: I’d love to read about the intimate understanding that comes from their shared memories and the horrors they’ve mutually forgiven (and a penchant for morbidity they’ve gained from such horrors probably). Cat dads things welcome.

Group: Alma/Jowd/Cabanela: maybe once Alma and Jowd have figured out he’s smitten and that they do in fact reciprocate... they tease him to death, slowly and deliberately? Is it even a Jowd romance if there’s not an exhausting amount of teasing involved, I ask?

Group: Alma/Jowd & Cabanela: Cabs’ life is wild; his best friends’ home is a safe haven...

Group: Emma & Pigeon Man: Emma’s unsuspected beta reader...

Group: Alma/Cabanela: (taps mic) legs. And fashion!

Group: Cabanela/Jowd: a recent tumblr post made a convincing argument for Cabs liking to be in charge (the argument is just pointing at Cabanela, honestly). Jowd is... agreeable, by his own admission. But is it that simple?

Kentucky Route Zero

I love the ending and I’d love to see its themes and setting explored. I’m all for exploration of any of the game’s themes and for including any staples from adjacent genres - wanna go full-on American Gothic? Dip into surrealism? Take a leaf from Twin Peaks with tulpa / split narratives to explore the characters’ issues? I love AUs so that’s an option too. Or of course there’s Xanadu at the height of its glory, an infinite what-ifs generator. Were the requested characters part of it, what were their digital counterparts up to? A Xanadu narrative would be great! I’d also love to hear about any new spot along the Zero or the Echo river, or an expansion of some place that’s only mentioned by Will in HATATE or only gets a few paragraphs of text. Mostly, I just love all these characters so much and I’m going through the tagset’s options like a hyperactive cat. Any fragment of their lives will make me happy.

Group: Shannon Márquez & Conway & Conway's Dog: does Shannon get to see them after the ending? Even for a moment?

Group: Lula Chamberlain/Joseph Wheattree/Donald: so Lula went back to Mexico. Joseph is pensive. Did the events of the night shake up Donald, or what will it take?

Group: Junebug & Lula Chamberlain: artists! Outspoken... artists... with a complicated personality. Put them in the same room and...?

Group: Junebug & Johnny: where’s the strangest place they played in, and what did Johnny find there?

Group: Conway & Johnny & Junebug (Kentucky Route Zero): their story is about finding individuality, his is about succumbing and losing it. Would any of them pick up on this mid-Act IV? Or just... talking about limbs and stuff?

Group: Cate & Will & Shannon Márquez (Kentucky Route Zero): a few months later, Shannon finds herself on the Mucky Mammoth again...

Group: Carrington & Weaver Márquez & Shannon Márquez (Kentucky Route Zero): maybe the cousins were trying to bond or reminisce or whatever and Carrington dive-bombed into the conversation, but in the end it was an enriching experience... of sorts?

Group: Carrington & Lula Chamberlain (Kentucky Route Zero): I don’t usually look for college shenanigans but this may be the exception? Or Art Opinions?

Group: Carrington & Clara (Kentucky Route Zero): would she even... get a word in? Maybe with the right topic?

Group: Carrington & Cate & Will (Kentucky Route Zero): Mammoth life! ...what does theater have to say about mushrooms again?

Group: Shannon Marquez & Weaver Marquez (Kentucky Route Zero): at the end of it all, Weaver was waiting. After this end, they can stand side by side again...

Group: Emily & Ben & Bob (Kentucky Route Zero): so what does it mean, like, poetically, that they were temporally displaced and Act I is in their future from Act V? Is it possible they were not aware of it?

Mutazione

The island, the sense of community, newcomers joining the community, gardens and music... I love the mood of this little game. Got ideas for some part of the island we haven’t seen? What stories do they tell each other about Moon Dragon and the first days of the new life it brought? The plants encyclopaedia was great - do Yoké’s archives hide some other cool tome? Please, if Graubert is mentioned, I would much prefer a sympathetic portrayal - he’s got his issues but I felt that the game was much harder on him than anyone else.

Group: Yoké & Karoo: I love the friendship between Yoké and Nonno and filtering it through Karoo feels even cooler to me. When did the big spooky bird first visit, did Yoké know or perceive what was going on?

Group: Yoké & Claire: book club book club book club!

Group: Spike/Claire: they’re so cute! Dinner at Mori’s? Swimming together?

Group: Nonno & Spike: I love Nonno’s role in the community and Spike’s role in the community, and they’re the two people who landed there and decided to stay. Could they bond over this?

Group: Dennis & Nonno: Important Tree Health Business!

Group: Bopek & Jell-A: Jell-A is the absolute coolest and Bopek grew on me a lot. Their friendship is adorable! What could they do together? As a side note, Jell-A’s place has the tightest interior decor in the whole game. How’d that happen, and does Bopek get a flair for vintage shapes and volumes in his weaving?

Group: Mori & Nonno & Yoké: FRIENDS. Friends for a long time, through so much pain. An evening together while The Youths (tm) are at Spike’s bar?

Yoké: catch-all Yoké request because he’s my fave! Doing Yoké things, being a big nerd, caring for books and plants and stuff

Pyre

The burning found family feelings, the revolutionary passion, the tension between topside social constraints and the kind of freedom allowed by the Downside! Thoughts about finding oneself at the end of an age, as everything crumbles down to form something new. I love all the themes, the solemnity, the heart of this game. I adore everyone in that Blackwagon+Dalbert+Celeste, so if you want to add a Nightwing or two to any prompt, please do! I also love all the Scribes and find Erisa a compelling tragic figure. Out of the other triumvirates, I’m “love to hate them” for Manley, Brighton, Udmildhe and Deluge and would not like to see them featured in sympathetic roles. My main interest usually lies in post-canon exploration when applicable, but I’m also into various adventures during canon. Pick a location or a place outside the map and see what happens? As for the ending variables, I’d ask for a peaceful revolution and Oralech alive, but no preferences for who’s up and who’s down, pick whatever works best for any given plot bunny.

Group: Tariq & Soliam: what were Tariq and Celeste like in their earliest days? Were they made or summoned from some sort of preexisting star consciousness? They’re wildly different scenarios! I’m good with either. Does Soliam then see Tariq as a child of sorts, someone he made, or something greater than himself? Did he mean to do that, to have these two immortals around? What does Tariq learn from the First Scribe?

Group: Tariq & Dalbert Oldheart: Any excuse for Tariq to hang out with the Fates for a little while, and treasure and be treasured by dear Dalbert...

Group: Oralech & Vagabond Girl: after all is said and done, Oralech’s view of the Scribes is probably... understandably... dire. So of course I want to see him talk it out with ae!

Group: Celeste & Ignarius: look, listen, if the various triumvirates just camped out near their respective Scribe’s place during the Nightwings’ years-long absence (not the only possible explanation for how you find them all neatly lined up before the first lib rite, but an explanation nonetheless, I think. just let me have my crack), that means Iggy was Celeste’s neighbor for a long time. Neighborly hijinks please?

Group: Bertrude/Pamitha: Pam returning from her travels, again and again, and finding a home in Bertrude’s lab, finding an understanding there... Bertrude’s attitude being thorny in a way that’s just what Pam needs to allow herself to open up... also: snake kisses.

Group: Volfred Sandalwood/Oralech: waking up and remembering that the mourning that’s set deep in your roots is for someone who never died, waking up and remembering that the bitterness that consumed you had made up a betrayal that never was, finding each other through these crumbling walls...

Molten Milithe: that’s the pov for a love letter to the Downside, right? And/or which Scribe did she bond with the most? Or the least for that matter?

Volfred Sandalwood: catch-all Volf’n’anyone request. I want to see our tree interact with any friend and foe you might fancy! Arguing for his beliefs, being a history professor through and through, finding himself in a tight spot and getting unexpected help, verbally tearing Brighton a new one if they ever cross each other’s path again...

group: Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel: Volfred’s zodiac sign is Cancer and Cancer is ruled by the Moon, so there’s that. I love how they both hold the other in the highest esteem, especially on Tariq’s part since he’s the immortal Herald of the Scribes and Volfred is, all in all, a history teacher, but listen to him and you’d think the roles were inverted. I love my nonviolent canon but could anything happen to either of them that may require a rescue, and/or some good old-fashioned h/c? What’s something that could make Tariq of all people lose it? How’s life 100 years on?

Shenmue

This game cares for the little things. I’d love to see fanworks that try to out-slice-of-life canon...

Group: Qiu Hsu & Xianzi Bei: cormorant kung fu adventure! Do they hang out sometimes?

Group: Hazuki Ryo & Shenhua Ling: any moment, discussion, small adventure from their travels together! I love their bond! For all its waifufication of Shenhua, S3 really sold me on their friendship and a shared brand of dorkiness. Alternatively, sometimes I remember that they’d be 50ish in the present day - how and where do you picture them?

The Silver Case

I‘m all for the surrealism, big things being introduced and never picked up again, Rashomon’ing it up with six explanations for the same thing where no single one can be true, people dying and then popping up again like nbd... maybe the thing I like the most is characters transcending their humanity and looming over the dystopian world like ominous avatars. Correctness’ first ending had me swooning, that kind of mood is unparalleled. I have played TSC, FSR and 25W so far and have vague memories of K7. I’m aware of the “everything’s connected” readings but that’s not my main interest in these games. For FSR-focused requests, I see Lospass as a real island but also a metaphysical place of transformation first and foremost, where strange things happen that don’t make sense elsewhere.

Group: Toriko Kusabi & Remy Fawzil: What’s Toriko up to when she’s not chasing Chris? I think it could be fun to throw her at Remy and see the island from their point of view!

Group: Tokio Morishima & Edo Macalister: since Tokio stayed at the Flower Sun and Rain... I’m interested in peculiar happenings on Lospass that are not centered on Sumio...

Group: Tetsugorou Kusabi/Sumio Kodai: Tetsu picked one hell of a crush, huh! What’s it like in the aftermath of the games, when Sumio is Like That? How does Tetsu grapple with Parade? Is Tetsu an anchor of sorts for Correctness Sumio, who seems (at best) to be existing on a slightly different plane of existence at any given time and could disappear if you blink too hard?

Group: Tetsugorou Kusabi & Shinko Kuroyanagi: I’m joining the “let these two be foulmouthed friends” masses - who’d be more fed up with the other’s nonsense, and in which ways would they be an unstoppable team?

Group: Shinkai Tsuki & Tetsugorou Kusabi: Both of them end their stories in the shadows one way or another, and defending their protégé may have had a hand in their misfortune one way or another. What kind of understanding could they reach? What IS Tsuki up to anyway?

Group: Christina & Catherine: anthro Catherine, as per the Placebo bonus chapter Yami, was unexpectedly charming. What was Chris before reaching Lospass, and did he also have a chat with her on the plane or on the island?

#letter

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theglowstickchronicles · 4 years

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Guys, I was HELLA behind on FMLS90- but I'm still in it! Just caught up :) while I was waiting for the grocery store to open. Now I am off with my reusable bags to get my food for the week before coming home and continuing chores. I want to get as much done as possible before FOOTBALL starts!!! We're playing Kansas City at 4:25 today (@fatmaninalittlesuit I'm sure you'll be watching this game as well!) and I am SO NERVOUS. We have been... trash, lately. Last week's game was atrocious. I wish I had planned better and tried to go to the game, even though it would probably be crazy expensive and super cold, because my football buddies are in California on a mini vacation (their 3rd this season compared to my 0) and I only have local cable at home.

Anyway, here it is:

• 11/18 - How does holiday food play a role in your fitness journey? Do you have any positive or negative traditions that impact your journey? Share one of both.

Well, this was probably supposed to be about Thanksgiving feasts but here we are on December 8th! Honestly, we don’t really have any “traditions” beyond getting together and sharing a meal. In hindsight this Thanksgiving was probably my best, calorie-wise, because my brother-in-law’s sister did most of the cooking and did a lot of sides with bacon incorporated into them and, since I’m vegetarian, I did not partake. I had some DELICIOUS food, don’t get me wrong, and she made a to-die-for caprese salad… but most of the apps had bacon and several of the sides. I ended up having cheese and crackers, french onion tartlets (SOOO GOOD), chips & dip, mashed potatoes, and a plethora of vegetable sides. It also helped that I had to work overnight Thursday into Friday so I couldn’t have any wine 

• 11/19 - How does holiday stress play a role in your fitness journey? Do you have any especially stressful situations that make your physical or mental journey tough? How do / will you handle them?

Holidays don’t really stress me out, if we’re being honest. As of Dec. 6 I just need to pick up some alcohol and then some giftcards for my cousin’s kids, and I’m done Christmas shopping. I start my shopping November 1 every year. I don’t mind seeing my family -they’re dramatic, just like everyone else, but compared to my job? A few hours of family drama time is nothing. I do tend to hoard a bottle of wine to myself for the holidays but I’m not sober during non-holiday times, either, so that doesn’t really come into play.

• 11/20 - What role do family and friends play in your holidays? Are these mostly positive or negative? What do you want to change about this?

Mostly positives! I hosted my second annual Friendsgiving this year and it was fantastic. The one downside was I had been up for 44 hours but I think it went well. Honestly the only “downside” to friends/family during holidays is having to be in such close quarters with people because as much as I love them, someone inevitably has germs.

• 11/21 - Do you notice and physical / mental changes around this time of year? Do you have any strategies to deal with them?

I am always a sleepy bitch, but more so during the winter months due to the lack of sun. This M-F, not getting home till 5-6 every night, office has no window life is bullshit. We always jokes that nightshift never sees the sun but dude, until you’ve gone 5 days without sunlight, don’t even @ me. I am extra careful about taking my vitamins during this time of the year because I really do notice a difference in energy and mood without them (I have some vitamin deficiencies NOT related to my diet thank you).

• 11/22 - How do work / school commitments / events this time of year differ for you? Can this be used to your advantage in your fitness journey or are there steps you can take to minimize the challenges?

In the fall we have annual mandatory education at work which can be stressful but other than that, work does not change. This year was a little different because I picked up a second job and had orientation and have been working a lot to save up money for my many endeavors over the next 2 years (sister’s bridal shower / bachelorette /wedding, best friend’s bridal shower / bachelorette / wedding, everyone is turning 30 and wants to go all out -me included- wanting to go on more vacations, wanting to do a 29th birthday somethingl… the list is endless…. Lol)

• 11/23 - Do you have any plans to travel this year? If so, describe the challenges that creates and how you will handle them. If not, what can you do at home to set yourself up for success?

One semi-definite plan is my sister’s bachelorette in 2020! I don’t know when or where we’re going, but we’re going- which reminds me, I need to get my passport in case it ends up being Canada! I also would like to do a small trip for my 29th birthday. Originally I wanted to take a week off (I am close to vacation time caps at work) but we are OF COURSE having a new system go-live 6 days after my birthday and I’m like, top 5 most important people for the go-live. So we shall see. Perhaps a 3-day weekend for president’s day somewhere close?

• 11/24 - Share one tip with the community on how to stay healthy during the holidays.

I feel like any time I have to share a tip with the community I share the same one, but there it is: PREPARATION. For instance I have not meal prepped in 3 weeks and IT SHOWS. I’ve been feeling sluggish and gross, not working out like I should be, and not sleeping as well…. PREPARATION IS KEY!!!

• 11/25 - What are your general thoughts on gratitude and the role it plays in your mental health and happiness?

Being in healthcare puts a new perspective on gratitude. I’m answering this hella late so it’s not actually 11/25 and is several weeks post-Thanksgiving, but… yesterday I watched a daughter unexpectedly lose her mother in the worst possible way. She walked into the room and almost immediately told us to stop doing CPR. I am grateful for my family being here and healthy, I am grateful for my fellow healthcare providers, and I am grateful that this strong woman who was having the worst day of her life wanted one thing for her mother in the last moments of her life: peace.

• 11/26 - What are some past experiences I am grateful for? How did they shape my life for the better?

I am grateful for growing up the way I did. I can’t say I wouldn’t change things but being raised by who I was shaped me into who I am. I’m grateful I wasn’t just handed things and was forced to work for them. I was probably not super appreciative at age 16 when I had to pay for my own car, but as an adult I am SO happy that I learned the lesson of working hard.

• 11/27 - Who do I appreciate? Tell us about them and why you are grateful they are in your life.

Right now I am appreciating the nurse who took report from me last night! We’ll probably never meet again but thank you for listening to my rants, not judging my last-minute leaky IV (don’t worry, the patient had another one that worked fine), and for getting me out of there so quickly!

• 11/28 - It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Tell us what specifically you are Thankful for today.

On Thanksgiving I was grateful for friends, family, and awesome coworkers.

• 11/29 - What are some people / things I may be taking for granted? How can I better express my gratitude for these people / things in the future?

I sometimes take my dad especially for granted. I depend on him for things around the house that I don’t have the skills or knowledge to do, such as fix the deck or the running toilet or even hang things without punching a hole in the wall. In the future I want to express that I’d rather him teach me these things instead of just coming to do them.

• 11/30 - What are some future opportunities I have that I am grateful for?

Everyone’s wedding, and the Year of Turning 30 Extravaganza.

• 12/1 - Share one tip with the community on how to live life with at attitude of gratitude.

No one is grateful 100% of the time. I try to make it a point every day to think of what I have… friends, family, pets, house, car, food in my fridge, etc…. and remember that not everyone has those.

• 12/2 - Where are you on your personal mental health journey? What strengths and opportunities do you have?

The changing of the seasons, setting the clocks back, and the SNOW on December 1st took its toll. I am usually not a Christmas-decorations-the-day-after-Thanksgiving type of person, but this year that’s the day that worked for my family getting our trees (me, my dad, and my sister/brother in law all go together and my Dad drops the trees off with his pickup) so I decorated that weekend and began listening to Christmas music (Pentatonix, ayyyyy). It really HAS been a pick-me-up!!!

• 12/3 - What are some past experiences with mental heath work? What has worked well for you and what has not worked as well.

Personally? None. Professionally? Just what I give as a nurse.

• 12/4 - How is your mental health compared to a year ago? Are you remaining steady, improving or regressions? What do you need to do about it?

Well, this time last year I had been at my job for one day and had no idea what I was doing. Now I’ve been here for a year and know what I’m doing… 50% of the time? So my mental health has gotten better since I no longer feel like a fish out of water. It helps that I got a per diem at the bedside and have those opportunities to do direct patient care.

• 12/5 - How aware are you of your mental health? Are your your moods steady or do they ebb and flow? Are you aware when things are changing and do you have any experience / tips for heading off tough times?

Very aware of my mental health; you have to be, to survive in healthcare without getting serious burnout. I would say my moods ebb and flow, which isn’t abnormal. Tough times can be headed off by doing self care, and I don’t mean in the bath-bomb-face-mask type of way: do your laundry (and fold it straight out the dryer), wash the dishes, clean the house, meal prep… and maybe get a manicure.

• 12/6 - Have you noticed any patterns / cycles to your own mental health? Do the seasons, or specific holidays or other variables impact you in specific ways?

Not especially. Late fall / early winter tends to be hard due to the lack of sun, but I also have a vitamin D deficiency that for obvious reasons gets worse in the winter, and low vit D causes depressive symptoms.

• 12/7 - How are mental health and physical health connected? What are some of your experiences that show this in your life?

Well. In my personal and somewhat-work-related experience, being in poor physical health often has a negative impact on mental health. HOWEVER BEING IN POOR PHYSICAL HEALTH DOES NOT MEAN BEING OVERWEIGHT. Plenty of patients have normal BMIs and are in poor health, and plenty have BMIs that label them obese and are in good health. And being in good physical health does not mean you have good mental health. I guess what I want to say is that while they can influence one another, they are not directly correlated?

• 12/8 - Share one tip with the community about developing or maintaining your mental health.

Don’t let things pile up. And I mean that literally and figuratively. Clean your house and prep your food and for the love of God empty the trash from your car (no? just me?). But also… don’t dwell on things you cannot change, and don’t stew on things you can. Just do it. It will be worth the time, energy, and anxiety.

#fmls90 #fmls90 catch up

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hi-i-love-u-bitch · 5 years

Text

Turns Out Being a Super Hero Is Actually Really Gay! - Chapter 3

I am so, so sorry this is late guys! A lot of things have been going on and I wasn’t able to finish the chapter on time yesterday. But it’s here now and I hope you like it. As always I would like to thank the lovely @sugarglider9603 and @ask-spiderverse-virgil for there lovely AU for without it I would not have the inspiration to write this. ENJOY!!!

Master Post

Beginning

Next Chapter

So, after the group of teens were done freaking out because “holy shit, Thomas Sanders, top YouTube celebrity, is THE Rainbow Weaver!” Thomas decided to take them to a small but cozy pizza place down town. He bought them six boxes of pizza, hot wings, fries, onion rings, ice cream shakes and a few other goodies, much to the teens protests and insistence that they could pay for themselves. Thomas assured them that it was fine but that still didn’t stop them from arguing that it wasn’t. He payed no mind to their comments as he payed for the food and lead them towards the back of the restaurant where a large circular booth resided, big enough to fit them all.

As Thomas watched these teens…these children scarf down their food like they hadn’t eaten a day in their lives he couldn’t help but worry. He knew exactly how scary it must be for them to suddenly gain strange new powers and not know what to do with them. But the difference between them was that Thomas got his powers near the middle of his senior year of high school and these kids were still…sophomores? Junior? Either way, they were still much to young to be worrying about powers and weird things like that. Unlike them Thomas didn’t have much of a “social life” in high school and college so being Rainbow Weaver was a good distraction from that but these kids…he doubt they were the same.

They had come searching for him for help and honestly Thomas was totally willing to give them whatever help they needed. He just didn’t know what? He wasn’t a teacher, he was a chemical engineering and theater major that did YouTube videos and super heroing on the side. I mean, if they needed help controlling their powers Thomas would to the best, he could to teach them but if they wanted to become super heroes…

“Are you okay, Mr. Sanders?” Thomas looked up to see four pairs of curious eyes looking at him, still munching away at their meal. He was pretty sure it was the stoic looking kid that asked him this, Logan he believed his name was.

“Hmm, yeah,” Thomas said, shaking his head “yeah, why do you ask?”

“You kind of have this…” The loud kid, Roman if he was remembering correctly, gestured towards him “…face, like you’ve just kind of walked into your doom.”

Thomas saw how the groups shoulders slumped, the mood severely brought down by that statement and he really didn’t want to see these boys in anymore distressed then they already were.

“Oh, no, no, uh, I was just…thinking you know,” Thomas sighed, rubbing his face tiredly “like, how is it that Oscorp can screw up twice and let a multimillion-dollar mutant spider escape…again! Like, they’re supposed to be a bunch of geniuses, right? But they’re letting this happen again and god only knows how much more powerful that little spider is. I was lucky enough to have accidently stepped on mine and killed it but it seems that little guy you got there is a bit smarter.”

“Indeed,” Logan perked up “from what I was able to study and pick up from its distorted speech pattern, it seems to know what it’s doing. It was trying to kill us as it saw us as a potential threat, which is why the venom dosage increased with each victim, but it unknowingly mutated our DNA. To say it was disappointed that I woke up the next morning is…an understatement.”

“It likes me though.” The gloomy kid, Virgil he recalled, stated smugly.

Logan rolled his eyes, “Yes, well you did help it escape out your window so of course it sees you as some sort of ally.”

“Are we just going to skip over the fact that it TRIED to kill us?” Roman said worriedly.

“Yes, because I don’t wanna think about it,” The cutesy kid, Patton, whined childishly but there was a glint of fear in his eyes “and for the record tell that creepy crawly death dealer that I don’t like it either!”

“It’s nothing personal Patton,” Virgil assured “consciously or not it’s just a defense mechanism all spiders have when they’re scared.”

“I don’t care,” Patton cried “I still don’t want it anywhere near me!”

Thomas watched as they continued to argue and bicker, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips and the bitter taste of dread at the pit of his stomach. These were kids, teenagers really but still kids none the less, still full of life and wonder. He couldn’t burden them with the life of a hero. All the worry and sleepless nights and existential dread that came along with the job would definitely snuff out whatever innocence these boys had left. But he couldn’t just leave them to their own devices, they needed guidance on how to navigate their new-found powers. He’d be willing to do that, only that, nothing else. His job was dangerous as it was and he didn’t need to drag these kids into it, especially if they still don’t yet know how to control their powers.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Thomas said, finally interrupting the boys’ argument “I can help you guys out, well, I can try. I’ll help you guys understand what you’re going through and how to control your powers better, though I’m not sure if we’re exactly the same in that regard. Again, I have no idea what advances Oscorp has made in genetic splicing. You all could have totally different powers then what I’m used to.”

“We have all the basic functions,” Logan explained helpfully “though only Virgil and Roman can make webbing and I assume you can’t hear at the frequency we have; thus, you can’t hear the spider talking.”

“You would be correct in that assumption,” Thomas nodded “though, I mean, sometimes I can sense where they are and how they’re feeling but that’s about it. Nothing too crazy. Anything else?”

“None that we know of,” Roman shrugged “we’ve just been sticking to things all day and seeing weird colors radiating off each other like fireworks and this weird buzzing in the back of our head that keeps telling us somethings happening.”

“Yeah, that would be your spidy sense.” Thomas said.

The boys tilted their heads like some sort of adorable, confused puppy, “Spidy sense?”

“It’s a thing that I have and you guys have that makes us a LOT more aware of our surroundings,” Thomas explained “how do you think I’m able to attack, dodge, and shoot things without even looking at them?”

“Oh, you mean precognition,” Logan said “like the crab spider.”

“Sort of,” Thomas said “think of it as a sort of alarm clock that goes off every time dangers near.”

“Oh great, just what I need in my life,” Virgil said sarcastically “even more anxiety.”

“Yeah, that’s gunna be a tough one for you to handle bud,” Thomas said sympathetically “given that you have anxiety it’ll feel like one and the same but I’ll teach you a few tricks to help tell the difference.”

Virgil gave him a shy appreciative smile and Thomas all but melted as the kid mumbled, “Th-thanks…that would…help a lot actually.”

No Sanders! Do not get attached to these kids! Do not!

“So, um, what are we gunna do now?” Patton piped up shyly “Are you gunna teach us to be super heroes?”

“Do we get to be your sidekicks?” Roman asked excitedly, practically bouncing in his seat.

Thomas bit the inside of his cheek anxiously, “Um, well, I’ll teach you guys how to control your powers and understand yourselves better and everything but I don’t think-”

“Obviously, we would have to train a significant amount before even considering becoming his sidekicks.” Logan stated plainly.

“I know that Einstein,” Roman huffed “I’m just asking!”

“Wait, if we’re gunna do this are we gunna have to make our own costumes or something?” Virgil asked “Because I don’t know if I’m willing to put in that much effort.”

“Ooo, Roman and I can help you guys if you want,” Patton offered “I’m good at sewing and Roman sometimes helps out the costume department at the drama club.”

“Thank you, Patton, but I don’t think we should be thinking about costumes until after we’ve completed our training.” Logan said.

“Boo you whore,” Roman grumbled “you’re no fun.”

“You are not super heroes!” Thomas said firmly causing the table to go quiet, all four boys staring at him with a mixture of confusion and disappointment. He sighed, “Look, guys, my job as Rainbow Weaver, it’s not a game. It’s dangerous and tiring and…is the biggest responsibility you could ever ask for.”

The boys fidgeted in their seats, having now realized they were sort of jumping to conclusions and not seeing the reality of the situation. Thomas continued on, “You guys are just kids, you’re still in high school, you’re still growing, you still have a life! I don’t want you guys to leave that behind. Being a super hero may seem cool and glamorous but it’s a lot of work and sometimes…” There was a look of pain that flashed across Thomas is eyes, too quick for the boys to properly evaluate “…sometimes you won’t be able to save everyone. This is a job where you can’t afford to make mistakes because they have dire consequences. For you, the people around you, their families, everyone, they’re all affected. And no one will give you the benefit of the doubt because you’re a hero and it’s your job to protect them.”

It was silent for a moment then Roman asked, quiet and unsure, “If it’s such a burden then…why did you become a hero?”

The look of pain and regret returned to Thomas is eyes as he ran an anxious hand across his salt and pepper brown hair, “To become a better person then what I once was.”

“What does that mean?” Virgil asked bravely but still quite gentle.

“Sometimes,” Thomas began carefully “things happen and…people get hurt and then you have no choice but to take responsibility for that.” No one pressed him any further but it seemed Thomas still had more to say, “You guys have an opportunity to…live a normal life. I had that opportunity but the choices I made forced me to abandon it and I regret it so much. But I knew it was something to be done and because of it I did end up helping a lot of people but…also hurting a lot of people as well.”

Finally, Thomas looked back up at them, a strong determined look in his eyes, “I don’t want you guys going through the same experiences as I did. I want you boys to live your lives as normally as possible. Go out, make friends, date, have parties, worry about exams…live a life. Because if you choose to go down this path this will be your only life, do you understand?”

It was quiet again, this time much longer and this time it was Logan who chose to brake it, “No offence, Mr. Sanders, we understand completely what you’re trying to tell us but what else do you expect us to do with these abilities?”

Thomas sighed tiredly, “Look, kid-”

“No, we get it,” Logan continued “well, at least, I know I do. I can not speak for us all but I understand how big of a responsibility this is. But do you really expect us to go about our lives normally as we did before? How are we supposed to live “normally” when we know that we are anything but? How are we going to go our whole lives doing nothing and letting our powers sit dormant when we can feel it itching beneath our skin? Honestly, could you have done that?”

Thomas thought a moment, flashing back to when he first got his powers and how everything felt jittery and loud. How he had trouble sitting still and had been restless for days. Then he became Rainbow Weaver and everything changed, it was difficult yes but it really helped get out a lot of that nervous, restless energy he had inside him. He felt he was using his powers correctly and not just sitting there while his head buzzed like an angry hornets’ nest. When he first got his powers, he knew he needed to do SOMETHING with them but he didn’t know what. That lead to a lot of trouble be even then after he knew that he still couldn’t just sit there.

“I’ll admit that I would have been restless and miserable my entire life if I hadn’t become Rainbow Weaver,” Thomas answered honestly “however, I think I still would of chosen to do so instead of taking on the mask.”

“Do you really hate being Rainbow Weaver that much?” Virgil asked. He looked…hurt? Disappointed? Thomas wasn’t quite sure but he knew for sure that he didn’t like it.

“I don’t hate being Rainbow Weaver,” Thomas said, looking out the window next to their booth “it’s just…after a couple of years it kind of takes a toll on you. I’m just a tired, grumpy old man, nothing special.”

More silence, the boys quietly mulling over the conversation, fidgeting with that same restless energy mentioned earlier and then…

“You’re special to me.”

Thomas looked back to see Roman staring back at him with a pout and a gentle yet fiery look in his eyes. “You may not think yourself special as a person but to me, be it Thomas Sanders or Rainbow Weaver, you’ve brought…just a little bit more joy into my life. And maybe it’s not a lot to someone like you but it’s a lot to me. So…if I could be able to do that for someone, even if it’s just one person, I’d be over the moon.

“I understand your concern and you’re absolutely right, this is not a game. But Logan is, dare I say it, right, we can’t just sit around letting these powers fester inside us. What are we supposed to do with our selves for the rest of our lives? Can’t go back to being normal when we know for damn sure we’re not and I don’t know about the rest of you but I want to do more with my life. Especially now that I can!”

Thomas sighed once more, rubbing a hand over his face and hair, “You gotta understand kid, this isn’t like the comic books. The dangers and hardships are real and once you’re in there is no going back.”

“And I accept that,” Roman replied firmly “I accept all of it and everything and…if I live to regret it then oh well. But I know that I’ll regret it more knowing I had the power to do something but instead chose to do nothing. In the end it’s my choice and nobody else is.”

Well, I’m not sure about the whole super hero thing,” Virgil pipped up “but…I do feel like I should be doing something with these powers. I’ve taught my self to play it safe and keep quiet my whole life but now…now I wanna do something more. I don’t want to just sit here letting the world pass me by anymore I want…I want to do something spontaneous and brave.

“A-and I know this isn’t some sort of hobby you pick up like dancing or painting or something,” Virgil said quickly “but I feel like…it’s something I need to do. Something I have to do. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“I…” Thomas wanted to say yes, yes, he understood everything that they were saying because it was what drove him to be Rainbow Weaver in the first place. But he also wanted to lie and say no, just so he can protect these kids from the horrors that awaited them down the hero’s path.

“Plus,” Patton added “you look like you could use the help. It must be difficult looking after an entire city alone. And since we all have powers now, we can make the work a whole lot easier for you in return for you helping us control our powers.”

“Indeed,” Logan said, readjusting his fake glasses “crime rate will surely go down in numbers with five on the team. It will give you time to have optimal rest between shifts as well as pursue what ever other hobbies you previously could not do. It’s a solid business proposition for all of us, we get the proper training we need to control our new-found abilities and you have a more balanced out schedule for both your vigilante duties and personal life.”

Thomas looked over these kids, determination in their eyes and fire in their bellies, ready to take on the weight of the world for him. They were stubborn and foolish and so not ready for anything yet to come…but it would be very hypocritical of Thomas to deny them this path. Plus, he wasn’t their parent, it wasn’t like he could completely tell them what to do. All he could do was warn them of what was ahead and hope to whatever god above they take his advice. Thomas sighed again, then he groaned, then he banged his head against the table because these kids were so stubborn, exactly like him, and it was all just so frustrating. He looked back up at them, face squished against the table as four pairs of worried eyes stared at him, he probably looked insane. He probably was insane but was too deep in shit to actually be affected by anything now.

“Fine.” Thomas said, he was so going to regret this.

“Fine what?” Roman asked.

Thomas made a vague gesture with his hand, “Fine, I’ll…teach you and train you guys and, if you really want, I’ll…consider letting you help me out a bit.”

“Really?” Logan said, somewhat excitedly, like a child on Christmas.

If this were not such a serious matter Thomas would of laughed, “But nothing to dangerous, just…common things, purse muggers, corner store robberies, assaulters, jay walkers, all that jazz.”

“Hey, that’s good enough for me.” Virgil said, a small excited smile growing on this face.

“Me too!” Patton exclaimed.

“I second that motion.” Logan added.

“Epic!” Roman cheered.

“But!” Thomas interrupted “You guys are still minors and in high school so you all are under my rule, got it? You do exactly as I say when I say it.”

They all nodded enthusiastically, still jittery with excitement as Thomas continued to give out instructions, “This is a dangerous job and I want you all trained first and for most. So, we aren’t gunna be going out on patrol anytime soon, get that into your head right now. Secondly, it is imperative you keep all of this a secret, everything we do can not only put you at risk but your families and friends.”

“Luckily, I don’t have any friends.” Virgil half joked.

Logan rolled his eyes, “Gee, thanks.”

“Thirdly,” Thomas cut in, his expression growing dark and serious “if you guys are going to do this, you have to be willing to put everything you have into this. No short cuts, no half assed effort, no walking away. It’s all or nothing, got it?”

“Got it.” They echoed, just as serious and determined as Thomas feared they’d be.

“Alright,” Thomas huffed, leaning back to stretch “let’s finish up here and then we have to go somewhere.”

“Where?” Patton asked curiously.

“There are a few people I want you to meet.” Thomas smirked mysteriously.

---

Thomas had been worried at first, it was very suspicious for a grown adult man to take for underaged teenagers to his house. It gave off the wrong impression to people and made him look like a creep. But what else could he do but make sure the boys were safe and comfortable, assuring them that nothing bad would happen even though when he said it out loud it still sounded mildly disturbing. Like sure, he was Rainbow Weaver, but he was still a stranger to these boys and he did not want to scare them off when they had no where else to turn to for help.

Thankfully the boys understood Thomas is worry and were careful to not crowed around too much to make it seem weird. When they got to his neighborhood Roman commented that the two-story brownstone townhouse Thomas lived in looked like the house from Stuart Little. Thomas paused a moment, tilting his head back to get a good look at his house before chuckling and reluctantly agreeing that, “Yeah, you’re kind of right.”

Inside, the house was spacious and neat, band, concert, musical and play posters hung on the wall alongside pictures of Thomas and his friends and family. There were lots of colors, figurines from movies and shows, potted plants on shelves, tables and corners, and just and overall warm atmosphere.

“Whoa, your house is really neat-o!” Patton exclaimed, excitingly looking over one of the potted plants filled with sweet peas.

Thomas smiled bashfully, “Oh, thanks, I-”

“You went to a My Chemical Romance concert?!” Virgil gasped softly as he stared at one of the hung-up posters “And you got it signed?!”

“Yeah,” Thomas nodded “me and Joan went-”

“You went to see Hamilton!” Roman squealed, looking up at another poster “And you got it signed by Lin Manuel Mirandas!”

“Yes and-”

“Do you have the entire anthology of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle’s work?” Logan asked excitedly, he ran his finger over the books of the bookshelf and plucked out The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

“Not entirely but-”

“Oh my gosh!” Patton squealed, running over to the living room towards the shelf filled with pop vinyl’s “You have a bunch of Winnie the Pooh pops! And Steven Universe! I love that show!”

“I heard Steven Universe!” Roman exclaimed, rushing in behind his friend.

“Where?” Virgil chimed in, not to far behind with Logan tailing along, nose deep in a Sherlock Holmes book.

“You have a record player!” Roman gasped, quickly kneeling to look through Thomas is record box “What types of records do you have?”

“Oh, David Bowie!” Patton smiled as he pulled out a record.

“Cool, the Beatles White Album!” Virgil grinned.

“Isn’t that the one that Charles Manson was obsessed over?” Roman asked.

“It’s still a good album.” Virgil and Thomas said at the same time. They blinked at each other in surprise before dissolving into a fit of giggles. It was all a little more chaotic then what Thomas was expecting but it wasn’t unwelcome. Thomas didn’t usually have many people over except for Joan and Talyn so it was…nice hearing the house so full of laughter.

Speaking of Joan and Talyn…

“Thomas? Is that you?” A voice from down the hall made it’s way closer and closer to the living room where it was revealed to belong to a lanky, scraggily looking person in an orange beanie. “Talyn and I just finished-”

They paused, looking over the scene carefully as the boys all froze like deer caught in headlights. They scanned over each teen one by one before making direct eye contact with Thomas and carefully asking: “What the hell is going on?”

“Joan, uh,” Thomas flubbered in place, caught way off guard “look, hears the thing, uh, they have what I have.”

“That isn’t making any of this look any better Thomas!” Joan exclaimed, frustrated.

“Uh…”

“We have spider powers!” Roman butted in, shooting a web at a nearby picture frame causing it to fall and brake “Sorry!”

“God damn it Roman!” Virgil shrieked “Be careful, this isn’t your house!”

“Oh please,” Roman huffed “as if you weren’t just going through his vinyl collection not five seconds ago. And without permission might I add.”

“You did so as well,” Logan rebutted “so it’s kind of hypocritical of you to make that statement.”

“Right back at you!” Roman shot back, gesturing to the book in Logan’s hands.

The bespectacled man flushed with embarrassment, setting the book down on a nearby table as Virgil bounced back up, “Well, he’s not the one that broke something!”

“Come on guys, please no fighting.” Patton begged but it fell on deaf ears and soon the room was filled with loud arguing. Joan and Thomas observed the chaos unfold silently, contemplating what their best course of action should be. Wait it out? Get involved?

“What’s going on?” Another voice chimed in and the room went silent once more, turning to find a short person with orange and black hair. Joan pointed to Thomas who merely shrugged sheepishly and said: “Talyn, you’re never gunna believe this.”

---

They head down towards Thomas is basement (which still sounds super fucking creepy) and find that it has been transformed into pretty sizable high-tech lab. If Logan had been excited by the books that Thomas owned, he was over the moon by all the gadgets and text books he had down there. He kept asking question after question about how everything worked and what did this do and what did that do? Thomas found the whole thing very amusing, like watching a little kid at a candy store.

“Did you all make all this stuff?” Logan asked excitedly.

“Well, it was mainly Joan and Talyn.” Thomas said.

“Don’t sell yourself short man,” Joan scolded lightly, patting their friend on the back “you did a lot of the designing and schematics. Not your fault you had to be out saving everybody.”

“Stay still please,” Talyn ordered gently, seating Logan on a near by chair next to Patton, Roman, and Virgil who had a few suction cup wires stuck to their foreheads, necks, chests, and arms. “The scanning process will go a lot faster if we’re able to draw blood from you and use is as a sort of blue print to navigate your body. Is that okay?”

The boys looked at each other tentatively before all nodding in agreement. As Talyn got a few petri dishes and micro slides ready Joan had taken the spider from Logan’s backpack and transferred it into a small containment unit that was hooked up to the large motherboard computer. Thomas watched anxiously from the sideline as his friends scurried around to get everything ready.

“So, what are you gunna do to us?” Virgil asked nervously as Talyn carefully wiped down one of his fingers with rubbing alcohol.

“Well, we took a sample from the spider and scanning it right now to see what’s been mixed in to it,” Talyn explained as they took a clean syringe needle and pricked his finger with it dropping blood into the petri dish and micro slid before bandaging it up. It hadn’t even hurt. “Then we’re gunna use your DNA to see what’s been transformed as well as to easily scan your vitals.”

“Why are you doing that?” Patton asked as he watched them move on to Roman.

“Well for one, to make sure your mutation is stable,” Joan chimed in helpfully “and to also see what other abilities you guys may have. Keep in mind you guys may or may not have other abilities within you that will take a bit of time to, uh, activate.”

“What happens if our mutation isn’t stable?” Roman asked, rubbing his bandage finger.

The adults were quiet for a moment which of course did not sit well with the teens one bit. Talyn gently smiled at them, wrapping up Patton’s finger before finally moving on to Logan. “Don’t worry about it, it’s most likely not going to happen. You boys seem pretty stable from what we’ve observed.”

“That’s not ominous at all.” Virgil said sarcastically.

“Starting scan,” Joan announced once Talyn was finish getting their sample from Logan. They typed away quickly at the computer as a long beam of blue light scanned the quartet up and down and a light tingly sensation was felt where the suction cups were attached. The boys didn’t move once, much to fearful they might accidently mess up the scanning process, Virgil didn’t even want to breath.

Finally, after a few seconds, there was an audible beep and the blue lights shut off. Virgil, along with the other three, let out a loud sigh, shoulders still a bit tense but not as much as when the scanning was happening. Thomas quickly walked over towards them to make sure they were okay.

“You guys good?” He asked.

“We’re okie dokie,” Patton giggled nervously “just, uh, a bit frazzled.”

“I think I’m stuck to my chair.” Virgil admitted bashfully, his hands had been gripping the sides of the stool and Thomas could now see that he was physically trying to pull them off.

“Hey, hey, hey, you’re gunna hurt yourself,” Thomas cooed softly “just breath, in for four…hold for seven…out for eight. Good job, keep it up.”

Once he was able to calm Virgil down enough and get him unstuck, he looked to the others to make sure they were okay too. As Patton said earlier, he was a bit frazzled but ultimately okay, Roman was a bit jittery but seemed to be calming down as he followed Virgil’s breathing technique. Logan was just fine and was once again talking and asking a dozen questions about what just happened and how it worked and what did they find and etcetera, etcetera.

“Good news, your mutation is stable,” Joan announced and there was an obvious sigh of relief from both Thomas and the boys “we have found some interesting data though. This poor little spider has been spliced through hell and back. It’s practically a new species on it’s own, way different then the first generation that bit Thomas.”

“How so?” Logan asked, intrigued.

“Well, for one it has a few functions not typically normal for a spider,” Talyn said, looking through a few graphs on their tablet “it’s been extremely enhanced and mutated over and over again. Like if they were copying the same piece of paper again and again. It just all stacks up into this…it can barely be called a spider, I honestly don’t know what it is.”

“Well, it still looks like a creepy crawly spider to me.” Patton pouted.

“Looks are one thing, the function of it is another,” Joan said thoughtfully, pressing a few buttons and gesturing towards the containment unit the spider was in “watch this.”

The boys and Thomas looked towards the chamber and watched the spider scuttle around as the soft buzz of electricity filled its tank then it disappeared. Their eyes widened as they did a double take to make sure that really happened and the spider really wasn’t there anymore.

“Where’d it go?” Roman asked.

“It’s still there,” Joan said, typing once more and the tank was soon glossed over in Infrared light. There they saw the spider, still inside, scuttling around its tank as if nothing has changed. “Besides invisibility it seems to have other super abilities as well. We can’t for sure name all of them but I’ve got a few here listed out and ready for testing.”

“Sit back boys, Thomas move out of the way, please,” Talyn ordered gently “this’ll tingle a little.”

They typed something out on their tablet and the boys felt a slight tingle of electricity move throughout their bodies. It didn’t hurt and it didn’t last long so the boys were left confused as to what happened. Until they looked to Virgil.

“Virgil?” Logan called out, looking around the lab when he saw that his friend was no longer seated on the stool “Where’d you go?”

“I’m right here.” A disembodied voice said.

Patton screamed, jumping out of his chair and on to Roman’s lap, “There’s a ghost!”

“What?”

“V-Virgil, is that you?” Roman asked, holding Patton close.

“Yeah, what are you guys looking at?” The voice demanded.

“We aren’t looking at anything, we’re looking for you.” Logan said.

“But I’m right-” There was a sudden pause then a shriek of fear “I can’t see my-my hands or my feet or my anything!”

Thomas quickly turned to Joan and Talyn when he heard the panic rise in Virgil’s voice, “Whatever you did, stop it now!”

Talyn nodded, quickly typing on their tablet and another small tingle of electricity was sent out. Virgil reappeared slowly, arms hugging around his waist as he curled into himself and eyes squeezed shut. Thomas was by his side in an instant, gently coxing him back to reality, “Hey, its okay, you’re okay. Breath for me, please.”

Virgil took a breath and peeked out from one eye before looking down and sighing with relief when he was able to see himself again. He looked back up to Thomas with fearful eyes, “W-what was that?”

“I’m not sure,” Thomas admitted before looking over and firmly pining his two friends with a look “what did you guys do?”

They gave an apologetic smile as Joan leaped to explain what happened, “Well, we sent the same small electric pulse we used on the spider towards your brain to see if you would have the same effects. Obviously, it did and obviously we should have prepared you guys a bit more in advance. We’re sorry.”

“Yeah, that’s our bad.” Talyn added.

Thomas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Guys, we talked about this, please give substantial warning BEFORE the experiment happens. Not everyone is super geniuses like you two and know exactly what’s going to happen.”

“I take it this has happened before?” Logan stated, having now gotten up to be by Virgil’s side, a hand placed gently on his friends back rubbing soothing circles.

“Yeah,” Thomas admitted “but usually it’s with me on the receiving end. I’m used to it by now but of course you guys aren’t so…” He gave his friends a pointed look “warning next time.”

“Next time?” Virgil squeaked.

“Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Thomas assured quickly “we can do this another day. I know today has been really stressful for you boys already so I understand if you guys want to go home already and get some rest.”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Virgil said quickly “really, just…you know, a little freaked out. Might as well get it over with now so we won’t have to worry about it later.”

“Are you sure?” Logan asked, his hand still remained in contact with Virgil’s back.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Roman added “mental health is just as important as physical health you know.”

“Yeah kiddo, if it’s gunna be too much for you we rather just wait for a bit to cool down.” Patton said sweetly.

Virgil cheeks flushed a light pink, head ducking down so that his bangs cover his eyes, “I’m fine, really. Th-thanks for checking up though. But, like, what about you guys? How do you guys feel about all this…experimenting stuff?”

“Yeah, I want to make sure you boys are all comfortable with all of this,” Thomas said firmly “if anything crosses a line or you want to stop, tell us okay?”

“I’m good.” Roman nodded.

“I am as well.” Logan confirmed, sitting back down.

“Me too.” Patton chimed in as he climbed off of Roman’s lap.

“I’ll be fine.” Virgil murmured.

“Excellent,” Joan said excitingly turning back to the computer “the next set of tests will be of a similar fashion. We’ll send a wave of electronic pules to your brain’s nervous system and see if we can get a reaction.”

“Remember, if you guys get uncomfortable or need us to stop don’t be afraid to tell us, okay?” Talyn added.

With one last nod of confirmation Joan said, “Let us begin.”

---

“Roman can you sing a note for me?” Talyn asked.

Roman gave her a look of confusion, “You want me to sing? I mean, not that I won’t do it but why?”

“With this test we seem to only be getting a reaction from your brain so I want to see if the ability we’ve unlocked is active,” Talyn explained “but make sure to face the wall over there, please.”

“Uh, okay,” Roman said, shifting in his seat towards the directed area “can I ask what ability this is?”

“Sonic sound waves,” Joan said casually “we all might want to take a step back just in case.”

Thomas and the other three stepped behind Roman who in turn rolled his eyes before focusing on the task at hand. All he had to do was sing a note, but like what note? How high? How loud? How would this even work? Roman sighed, shrugged, and decided to just riff Ariel’s theme.

“Ah, ah, ah! Ah, ah, ah!”

The room shook and shuttered like an earthquake. Everyone covered their ears from be beautiful yet ear piercingly loud tune that shook the entire building. The wall which Roman was facing when he sang had shook so violently there was a large crack that ripped down the middle of it.

Roman was quick to cover his mouth, eyes wide at the destruction he’s caused, “Oh dear…”

“Yeah, I think we should have that dormant for now until he learns how to control it.” Thomas suggested, trying to settle the ringing in his ear.

“We can’t exactly turn their powers on or off,” Joan explained “these are just electric pulses that activate their powers for them artificially. On their own we don’t know when these powers will pop up or how they’ll be able to activate them. It could take days, months, even years.”

“I just hope it doesn’t come out during the play this winter.” Roman moaned.

---

“This one is simple,” Joan said as they walked over towards a light switch on a wall “it shows that each of you have some variation of night vision, though I’m not sure how strong it is. I’m gunna turn off the light and you guys tell me what you see, okay?”

Four nods of agreement were seen and Joan finally flipped the switch. Nothing happened, well, at least for Logan. He looked around confused, was the light switch broken? Everything still looked the same to him.

“What do you see?” Talyn asked, they stared straight ahead at nothing and Logan wondered why that was.

“You still haven’t turned off the light.” Logan stated obviously.

Joan, who was also looking into the nothingness, pulled a face of confusion before breaking out into a large grin, “Logan, we just switched them off.”

“No, you haven’t,” Logan argued “I mean you used the light switch but they’re still….on.” He looked up to the florescent lights above him that were now dark and it suddenly dawned on him “I have night vision…”

“I think I do too,” Virgil piped up, squinting around the room “but when you turned off the light everything just kind of got dim.”

“Yeah, me too.” Patton chimed in.

“It all turned black and white for me,” Roman said “like, I can see everything fine but it’s all just shades of gray.”

“Excellent,” Joan smiled, flicking the light switch back on “it seems like Logan has the better night vision out of everyone. Roman’s vision is probably more what the spider would see normally and Patton and Virgil’s are about the same as Thomas.”

“Why do you think that is?” Logan asked curiously “We all got bit by the same spider so you would assume we would all be the same ability wise.”

“You’re all different,” Talyn said obviously “if you were the same person then maybe you’d have similar reactions but depending on your DNA your bodies will react to the venom differently. Plus, you did theorize that with each victim the spider used more and more venom so that can also be an important factor.”

Logan nodded thoughtfully, “I guess so.”

---

“We’re gunna do a quick test on just you Patton,” Talyn said as they tied a blindfold over Patton’s eyes “we’ve been picking up some strange brainwaves coming from you and we want to if we’re right.”

“Uh, okay,” Patton said tentatively, squirming in his seat “is it something bad?”

“No, no nothing bad,” Talyn assured “it’s just we’ve noticed that you seemed to be a very empathetic person and we want to see if that has been enhanced in anyway with your mutation.”

“Oh, well, what are we gunna do then?” Patton asked.

“Well, we’ve given everybody a note card of a certain feeling and they’re gunna try to emulate that feeling,” Joan explained as they passed out the note cards “your job is to guess what that feeling is.”

“How am I gunna do that?” Patton asked, head turning to try and track Joan’s voice.

“How ever you deem it necessary,” Joan said “I’ve known some people to sense thing through auras and given your ‘spidy sense’ that could be the case. But sometimes physical contact is needed to truly pick up what the other person is feeling.”

“Mmh, okay,” Patton said “but why the blindfold?”

“Eye contact and facial features can sometimes give away what a person’s feeling very easily,” Talyn chimed in “so this a ‘no cheating’ blindfold.”

“Oooh, sorry, I’m dumb.” Patton giggled.

“You are NOT dumb, Patton!” Roman said firmly, arms crossed stubbornly and glaring at his best friend even though Patton couldn’t see him.

Patton smiled passively, “Whatever you say, Ro.”

“I will punch you in the name of friendship!” Roman declared dramatically.

The group laughed at the two friends’ antics before quickly settling into silence as Joan lined them up in front of Patton with them going first. Patton fidgeted nervously as Joan stood in front him, he could tell someone was there but he just couldn’t read them properly. Shyly, Patton extended both his hands out, palms up, and Joan silently replied by carefully setting their own hands over his.

“I feel…curious,” Patton hummed “like, I have a lot of questions, well, they have a lot of question. I have questions too but that’s not me feeling question…wait can you feel question? Oh, it’s changing. They’re amused but also satisfied that they’re questions have been answered. Is that right?”

“Yes, it is.” Joan chuckled, letting go of Patton’s hands.

“Oh, Joan,” Patton said surprised “I didn’t know you’d be participating too. I don’t have to guess names, right? I don’t think I can do that.”

“No, just feelings.” They assured, stepping away and letting the next person go up.

Virgil carefully stepped up, looking down at his note card before stuffing it in his pocket. He just stood there a moment, staring down at Patton’s extended hands before carefully reaching out to grab them. Patton hummed curiously, soft warm hands squeezing Virgil’s gently.

“They’re kind of nervous,” Patton stated “they really don’t know what they should be doing right now. Aw, don’t be nervous, you’re doing great. Oh, they’re relaxing a little, that’s good. Glad I could lend a hand.”

Virgil snorted, Logan groaned in the background and everybody else chuckled. Patton giggled delightfully, “See, they think I’m funny! Did I do good?”

“Doing great Patton,” Joan assured “Next please.”

Virgil stepped out of the way for Thomas to move forward. The older man was hesitant at first but ultimately sighed, handing his note card off to Joan before grabbing hold of Patton’s hands. Immediately, Patton’s smiling face morphed into a melancholy frown, brow knitting together as if in immense pain.

“Oh they’re…i-it feels…sad,” Patton whimpered, voice cracked and watery “b-but it’s not a normal sad it’s like…like they lost someone precious to them.”

The others watch on with amazement and worry as tears began to stream down Patton’s face, “They’re in a lot of pain but…they also feel empty and cold. N-now they feel guilty, oh don’t feel guilty! I’m fine, really it’s just…can I give you a hug?”

Thomas looked down at Patton’s tear stained face, fear and guilt clawing at his chest for causing so much destress to such a sweet kid. Taking a breath to calm himself Thomas stepped forward and engulfed the teen in a big hug. Patton was quick to wrap his arms tightly around Thomas’s waist as if he was trying to physically mend all of Thomas is broken pieces back together. Warmth bloomed in Thomas’s chest at the sweet gesture and he couldn’t help but squeeze a little tighter and hold on a bit longer. The room was calm and quiet, no one wanting to disturb the gentle moment being had between the two.

“I know it’s hard but…I promise we’ll get through it eventually.” Patton murmured gently into his chest.

They final let go after a long while and Thomas sheepishly side stepped away while Patton wiped away the tears from under his blindfold. Roman was about to step forward but Talyn held him back to take his place, seeing that Roman’s note card also had an extreme emotion they figured Patton could use a bit of an emotional cool down. Gently, Talyn grabbed onto Patton’s hands, rubbing soothing circles over his fingers.

“They’re very clam,” Patton sniffed, taking in a breath then slowly letting it out “it’s gentle and nice, very soothing. Like, aloe being put over a burn mark…that’s weird analogy, I’m sorry.”

Talyn huffed out a laugh, “I think it’s suitable.”

“Oh, Talyn, you’re here too,” Patton smiled “did I get it right?”

“Mmh,” Talyn nodded before realizing Patton couldn’t see them “yeah, you did. We can stop now if you want, we have plenty of date.”

“No, I wanna finish,” Patton said determined “I’m fine to continue.”

“You sure?” Talyn asked carefully.

Patton nodded, “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay, next person.” Talyn stepped aside and let Roman take their place. Roman handed them his note card before firmly taking Patton’s hands in his. Patton pouted, his brow scrunched up in annoyance.

“I feel…angry,” Patton said “well, maybe not ‘angry’ angry but like…kind of annoyed, maybe a little more frustrated. Also, a tad bit worried. Geez, what’s got you so riled up?”

“Because my best friend thinks he’s dumb but he’s not and I love him very much!” Roman grumbled, stomping his foot childishly “Also you were crying earlier and I don’t like seeing you sad.”

“Aw, Ro-Ro,” Patton giggled, pulling Roman in for a hug “I love you too, sorry for making you worry.”

“It’s not your fault Peaches,” Roman murmured, burying his face into Patton’s hair “but to quote you: ‘if you keep talking bad about yourself, I will physically fight you!’”

The friends giggled, holding each other for a little while longer until Roman finally “forgave” Patton and moved out of the way for the last person. Logan fidgeted nervously, quite unlike his usual calm and cool self, frowning down at the note card in his hand, “Happy” it read. Logan was pretty sure that Virgil switched out their note cards if the smug face he had was anything to go by. He glared at his best friend before handing off the note card and stepping in front of Patton, who extended his hands readily.

Logan gulped nervously, no that was not the right emotion to be having right now. Happy, he had to be happy. Think happy thoughts…what kind of happy thoughts? His mother’s homed cooked Mansaf…his first telescope his brother got him on his 7th birthday…the first time his father took him to the aquarium and the jelly fish looked like stars…the time Virgil fell down the stairs…Logan huffed a small laugh on that last one.

Carefully, Logan lifted his hands and hovered them a few inches above Patton’s own. He gulped again, face red hot and all eyes (minus Patton’s) were on him, waiting. Why was he nervous? Why couldn’t he move? Why were his hands suddenly so sweaty? This was just an experiment, it was not big deal!

“Um, are you still there?” Patton asked, confused as to why it was taking so long.

“Give them a minute,” Joan said helpfully, but the knowing smirk on his and everybody else is face wasn’t helpful at all. At least not for Logan.

“Oh, okay, take your time.” Patton said soothingly, a soft smile painting his face. Patton always had a nice smile, it made everything feel lighter. Logan was quick to stop that train of thought and immediately dropped his hands onto Patton’s.

Patton hummed quietly, his hands were soft and warm, short and fat compared to Logan’s cold, clammy, spindly fingers. They were so different and yet they felt completely natural together. It was a completely absurd and illogical thought to say the least but it was a common thought process Logan had whenever he was around the bright sunshine of a human being known as Patton Foster.

Patton smiled, a pretty blush spreading across his cheeks, “It’s really warm and fluttery.”

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’ Logan thought to himself ‘Abort mission! Abort mission!’

But he was frozen in place as Patton continued to explain, “Like a thousand butterflies in my stomach but I also want to throw up at the same time. Not in a bad way though. They’re a bit nervous too but also kind of excited. They’re in love!”

Logan choked on his own spit and he heard Virgil and Roman in the background quietly snickering to themselves. He threw them a glare to shut up before turning back to remove his hands but found that Patton still held them firmly in his own. Turns out he wasn’t done yet.

“They’re embarrassed now,” He said tentatively “was I not supposed to say that? Sorry, I got excited. You’re love is a very nice feeling and whoever that lucky person is to receive it I hope they know how wonderfully blessed they are.”

Logan was pretty sure his face was on fire now, he’s surprised that the smoke alarm hadn’t started beeping. Or maybe it has but he just couldn’t hear it over the beating of his own heart in his ears and Roman and Virgil’s annoying laughter. Logan cleared his throat, shaking his thoughts out of his head before carefully removing his hands from Patton’s gentle hold and rejoining the group.

“Did I get it right?” Patton asked.

“Uh, it wasn’t what was written on the note card but I think you still got it right,” Joan chuckled as they went to remove Patton’s blindfold as well as the suction cups on his head and neck “I think that’s enough testing for today. It’s getting late and you kids should probably start getting home.”

“Should we come back tomorrow?” Patton asked, blinking his eyes to adjust to the light.

“Only if you want to,” Thomas butted in before either Joan or Talyn could answer “and only if you guys are not busy. Remember, you still have school and a life to attend to.”

“Don’t remind me,” Roman whined “I still gotta finish my homework when I get home.”

“That’s ironic since we told our parents we were in a study group.” Logan said.

“What time is it anyway?” Virgil asked, stretching out his arms.

Talyn looked down at their watch, “’Bout to be eight thirty.”

“Eight thirty!” The boys exclaimed, panic rising in their eyes as they scrambled to pack their things.

“Aw, man my mom’s gunna kill for missing dinner!” Patton shrieked.

“You’re mom? Have you met my mom?” Roman voice cracked “She still thinks I’m sick and wanted me to stay home!”

“Thanks for everything Mr. Sanders, uh, we’ll come by tomorrow if we aren’t grounded.” Virgil said in a rush as they all raced up stairs.

“Pleasure meeting all of you!” Logan called out as he dashed out the basement door with his friends. The door slammed shut and there was a rumble of feet running across the hall before they heard the front door open and slam shut too.

“Nice kids.” Joan said after a moment of silence.

“Don’t get too attached to them,” Thomas warned as he walked over to the containment unit where the little spider was still scuttling around in “this all has to be taken seriously and professionally. These kids have no idea what going on to them or what they’ve just gotten themselves into so we have to there to guide them.”

“Mmh, are you telling us that or yourself?” Talyn smirked.

Thomas sputtered uselessly, “I-I…wh-what are you talking about?”

“Don’t think we don’t see how you interact with those kids,” Talyn chuckled “all maternal and such.”

“I’m not – it’s not…I don’t do that…” Thomas said meekly, but even he was starting to doubt that “I mean, they’re just kids and I know what it’s like going through what they’re going through. God knows I would have liked a bit of guidance. And they’re also younger then what I was when I first got my powers, we have to keep a careful eye on them.”

“I have a theory,” Joan announced dramatically “that by the end of the week they’ll have you wrapped around their little fingers.”

“Yeah right,” Thomas grumbled “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m not really ‘hip’ with the kids.”

“You’re right, I should give you the benefit of the doubt,” Joan said solemnly “one and a half weeks it is.”

Talyn and Joan laughed while Thomas groaned but it wasn’t because he was frustrated but because he knew Joan was probably right.

Tag:

@immortaldystopia @metaphoricalpluto2 @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @misunderstood-shadow @fairytailtwists @0callmevirge0 @blenderkit17 @galaxy-lilies-main @lumi-1 @paint-in-flames

#thomas sanders #sanders sides #sander sides fanfiction #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logicality #prinxiety #spiderverse au #tobashiarg!

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renzywenzy · 4 years

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Joker Review

*Disclaimer* I held off posting this review until Phoenix won the Oscar. I promised myself that if he hadn’t won, I would have just left this in the drafts forever. That’s how much faith I had in this man and now here is my critique of my favorite film of 2019.

I have a tattoo on my right arm. The tattoo is actually the Batman logo but altered. One half of the logo is normal but the other half is made up of red “HAHAHAHA’s” all over. There’s a reason why the dynamic between these two is my favorite of all-time. It’s two different interpretations of insanity colliding in an eternal battle. It’s two iconic, well-written, captivating characters having epic confrontations.

Needless to say, I love the characters of Batman and The Joker. I grew up on them and they have played a huge part of my life. My ideologies, my way of thinking, my perception of the world, my behavior in private and in public have been directly and/or indirectly impacted by these two characters.

Any film or any form of media that have these two, separate or together, is already met with my high expectations. So obviously, my expectations for this film were through the roof. If this film was nothing short of great, I would have been really angry.

I would have been the first to say how disappointed I was, I would have been the first to say that Joaquin Phoenix should never play The Joker again, I would have been the first to say that Todd Philips should stick to raunchy comedies and stay away from the character as far as possible....but that’s not the case here.

I’m singing a different tune. A tune that I’m gonna be letting everyone hear with every chance I get. A tune that I’m gonna be playing in my head whenever I dance on the street.

Ladies and gentlemen... please welcome Joker.

The Tragedy

First of all, I’ll begin with some faults that I found in the film. Not a whole lot but I have to get these out of the way so that I can end the review with high points.

1.) The origin story we didn’t want but the one we got anyway

Now when I talk about origin story, I don’t mean Joker’s. I mean Batman’s. I’m really sorry to say but I am getting absolutely sick of seeing THAT scene.

I have to point out that it felt like this scene was rushed. It wasn’t shot as well as the other scenes. Every other scene in Joker felt like there was a beautiful story behind it. As if there was a creative progress going through the minds of the people in the scene and off the camera but this scene felt rushed and was treated like an afterthought.

I must admit, of all the films that showed Bruce’s parents in the alley, this one might be one of the weakest I’ve seen in a while. Even that piece of garbage Batman V. Superman had a slightly better way of showing that scene. If you’re going to show us a scene that’s been overly done since the beginning of Batman films, you gotta add a little more flavor and cinematic flair to it. Sad to say that for a film that was shot so well, this scene stuck out like a sore thumb.

2.) A little too much dancing and a few too many ribs

As it says in the point, there’s a little too much there. Don’t get me wrong, I love most of his dance scenes but there’s maybe 1 or 2 too many. I personally would have kept the first dance scene when accidentally shoots a gun, the one after his first kill, the one with his mother, and all the dance scenes once he completely transforms. These particular dance scenes were showing us a slow evolution and allowed to see how his mind was slowly changing. But there were a few dance scenes that didn’t really do that and instead was just kind of there. For example, the few dance scenes where he’s half-naked can be taken out completely and it wouldn’t make a difference.

And speaking of him being half-naked. I understand the film wants us to see how weak he his and in some scenes, it wants to show you the literal scars he got from society. However in some of these scenes, it gets a little distracting. The first scene where he’s half naked and trying to adjust his shoe is just perfect because for one, you don’t know really know what he’s doing at first so it leaves you wondering for a few seconds and two, you get to see how much his frail body struggles with something so simple.

But then you have a few scenes where he’s unnecessary shirtless like the one where he’s smoking and watching TV. It seemed needless for him to be shirtless for this scene because the main point of it was his reaction towards what was being shown on TV. Again, it’s no problem to show us how skinny and weak he looks but it has to be the point or a point of a scene or else it’s just distracting.

Small gripes but I had to find some criticisms for the film. But now that that’s out of the way, let’s put a smile on that face (I know they’re not the same. Just be like Joe and Chill).

The Comedy

1.) Romero, Nicholson, Ledger, Hamill, and now...

...Phoenix

There have been numerous people who have played the Joker with each actor adding their own twist to the Clown Prince of Crime. Romero embodied the camp and goofiness of the Silver Age iteration, Nicholson provided a more laid-back and mafia-esque performance, Ledger portrayed him as a true anarchist who “wants to watch the world burn”, and the legendary Hamill basically performed multiple layers of Joker’s persona for his 20+ years as the character and is THE definitive voice (and laugh) of The Joker.

Joaquin Phoenix joins this hall of fame (or infamy) by giving us a closer, more in-depth look at the mentally ill, physically battered, and emotionally abandoned man behind the smile.

I honestly can’t give this guy the praise he really deserves but I’ll do my best. My lord...this man blew me away like I was a talk-show host. Powerhouse performance doesn’t even begin to describe his acting.

This film, as well-made as it was, wouldn’t have worked nearly as well had it not been for its main star. This film hinged on how well Mr. Phoenix played the titular character and he absolutely delivered.

The film had a tough job in its hands: portray how a man was slowly dissenting into madness to the point that he lets the madness in and indulges in it. It was going to be a deliberately slow process that required an actor who can be significantly subtle enough to convey to the audience how a character is evolving but taking small steps to do so. Phoenix did that with flying colors.

If you look at the first scene where we’re introduced to Arthur, it’s clearly not the same Arthur when the film reaches its ending. We went from a man who walks with a slouch and a noticeable stiffness to a man who vigorously dances in the streets without a care in the world.

Don’t get it twisted, though. Phoenix didn’t play two different people nor did he play a man who takes a sudden huge leap in his personality. He played a person who displays slight changes to his psyche in each scene and these small changes eventually pile up. Arthur was meant to be a man who was layered like an onion and Phoenix’s performance mirrored that perfectly.

Is he the best Joker? I can’t say that. Each Joker I’ve been introduced to, while having a different spin, is ultimately the Joker at his peak or even at the twilight of his criminal life. This is the first time where I’ve witnessed a Joker who is still truly staring out. And no, Nicholson doesn’t count because Jack Napier was an established criminal way before he became the Joker. So I’m not too sure yet where to rank Phoenix’s actual full-blown Joker as it doesn’t last long however excellent it was AND a huge factor for me when it comes to ranking Jokers is the interactions with Batman. There was no Joker and Batman clash here. Only Arthur and Bruce. As it stands, Phoenix’s spot on the all-time Joker list may not be the highest but in terms of pure acting, he may very well be #1.

I know this sentiment has been repeated multiple times but I do honestly believe Phoenix deserved the Oscar here or at least a nod.

2.) Familiar punchline, fresh set-up

For any Batman/Joker fan, you’ve probably heard of this following quote:

“If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice.”

It’s an iconic quote and one that you will hear in almost any review of this film but there is a good reason for it. The line encapsulates one of the best things about The Joker: the mystery of his origins.

As mysterious as the character is, it’s hard to keep The Joker interesting these days. He is the most over-exposed Batman villain of all time and quite possibly the most over-exposed villain in fiction period. Comic books, video games, tv shows, live-action movies. The Joker has been in EVERYTHING. Like his heroic counterpart, the Joker has been exposed too much to the point that there’s really not a lot of fresh things you can do with him.

The last time any media brought something refreshing to The Joker was in Telltale’s Batman video game where you meet a man named “John Doe” who’s still looking for himself and finding out which path in life he wants to take. In the game, whatever John becomes is based on your actions. That was in 2017.

The last time before that was in 2011′s Flashpoint where Martha Wayne became The Joker in an alternate timeline where Bruce dies in the alley. Even though this version of the Joker had a clear backstory and no mysterious origin, it was still fresh because of the sheer novelty of seeing Bruce Wayne’s mother as The Joker and his father as Batman.

So there are stretches of time where there’s nothing new and exciting for The Joker character but I’m happy to say that this film does breathe new life into the character.

The filmmakers understood how this specific character should be handled and they did it in ways that are plausible. His abusive but vague childhood and his delusions help in keeping the film from being straightforward.

Let me give some examples. In the scene where Arthur steals his mother’s files in the Asylum, it’s said that he was adopted by Penny and that he was abused by one of her boyfriends.

Some people I’ve talked to believe that it was Thomas Wayne who put Penny in the Asylum and forged adoption papers. Some people even say that it was Thomas Wayne who abused them when Arthur was a child. Some people say that it’s true and Arthur really was adopted.

We don’t know these things definitively and that’s the best part. It’s whatever you want it to be. Multiple choice.

I personally want to believe that Arthur really was adopted because that just adds another air of mystery to him. If he was then we don’t know his actual birth name or who is real parents are.

All in all, even though the evolution of Arthur into The Joker remains the ultimate goal, the film lets you make up your own path into how he got there. It’s handled beautifully and the script is clearly made with a lot of knowledge of and love for the character.

3. A problem tackled with grace

I just wanted to point how well this film handles the issue of mental health and illness. This topic will forever be relevant and is an issue that’s been tackled in media before. Some handled it terribly, some handled it bad, some handled it ok, some handled it well. And then there’s Joker that handles it amazingly.

As someone who sees mental illness on a regular basis, it was so sublime how accurate this film was. The image of a decaying mind and one that descends further and further down is so powerful in this film and it just never half-asses it and I loved that.

My girlfriend is a nurse and she interacts with mentally ill people far more than I ever will and she praised it more because everything she saw from Arthur is something that she has personally had to deal with in her patients. I asked her if there was even one inaccurate and she said “No” because everything was completely plausible and has actually happened in real life on multiple occasions. Delusions of grandeur, uncontrollable ticks (like a laugh), murderous tendency, self-harm, stalking, hallucinating, you name it and most likely, this film shows it.

Not only is Arthur’s mental illness accurate but what makes it better and why I praise it is how others deal with him. It’s scary how much it mirrors reality. Some people may know how to interact with him while others just get annoyed with him. Even those who are accepting of mentally ill people can still have be irritated with them when they come in contact with them.

Arthur is beaten not just because he’s mentally ill but because he just looks like a weak man who can be pushed around. People don’t care if he’s sick, they’ll kick his ass or make fun of him regardless and in some cases, they’ll have even more incentive when they learn he has mental problems which is sadly similar to the world we live in today.

Joker is arguably the best adaption of mental illness for this decade (I say arguably because Bojack Horseman is up there) and I can’t believe that the director of the Hangover films got it right and speaking of which...

4. He directed what??

Todd Philips, the man behind the Hangover trilogy, Starsky and Hutch (2004), and Old School directed this film. Imagine late 2018 and you just heard who the director was and you search for the films he directed prior. Did you honestly believe, in your heart of hearts, he was going to pull this off?

Don’t get me wrong, comedic talents have proven to excel in other genres. Jordan Peele is a great example of that but that doesn’t necessarily apply to every comedian...However, it applied to Mr. Philips.

His direction, his vision, his execution was top-notch and I have to apologize to this man because I honestly doubted him when I initially heard about it. I knew Phoenix was going to do well and I thought that the film would just rely solely on his performance but no. Todd Philips deserves a lot of credit here. Yes, he takes some ideas and cues from Scorsese (not a bad inspiration by the way) but he handles the psychological aspect in his own style.

In terms of performers, this was close to a one-man show as you can get but Philips’ contributions behind-the-scenes should to be given as much appreciation. Phoenix was the master painter and Philips gave him the tools.

Honestly, if Philips wants to direct more dramatic and heavier films akin to this, I’m all for it. If he wants to stick around and maybe direct some more DC films, I am definitely on board. In this time of uncertainty towards DC films, Philips gave me hope. Yes, I know this film isn’t part of the DCEU but if they want to create more films in the Elseworld universe, Philips should still be part of it in some way.

5. The sound of laughter

I’m not going to lie. I rarely appreciate film scores. While I do believe they enhance a film’s quality, I’m not actively seeking it out unless it truly stands out. The only scores I truly remember and appreciate is the opening score for Star Wars, the Superman score, the main score for Indiana Jones, the Back to The Future action sequence score, Danny Elfman’s Batman score, and all of the scores from The Godfather films.

By the way I realized the first three examples I gave all sound similar but it makes sense since John Williams made them all.

So out of the hundreds (possibly thousands) of films I’ve seen, these are the only scores I can truly remember and now we add one more to the list: the dark and beautiful score by Hildur Guðnadóttir.

She absolutely gave me a much better understanding of how music can not only enhance a scene but be worked around it. Apparently, the music was made first and Todd Philips would shoot scenes with the score playing in the background so that he can craft scenes based on which part of the score he was listening to. This is the first time something like this has ever happened in the filmmaking process and it absolutely worked wonders. No wonder why each scene tied in so beautifully to a specific part of the score.

Hildur has made it and I hope to hear more of her work in future projects.

6. To a bright future (hopefully)...

This section is more of a call to action than a positive point for the film. That being said, Joker’s success has opened up many possibilities for DC films moving forward.

Let’s be honest here. The recent attempt of DC keeping up with Marvel in terms of films has not been great. DC is Marvel’s biggest competitor but when you just look purely at movie success, you wouldn’t think that.

That’s because Marvel started something solid over a decade ago and is currently having the biggest and most epic film franchise today and, quite possible, of all time.

DC tried (and is still trying) to do the same but it has been a roller-coaster with some enjoyable ups (Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, Shazam) and terrible downs (Batman V. Superman, Justice League, Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey).

Now with the huge commercial and critical success of this film, Warner Bros. need to take advantage of this while they have the chance. Joker is a film that is set in its own universe and not a part of the bigger DCEU and this could be DC’s way of being as successful as Marvel. Elseworld stories. Detective Comics was the first to put huge emphasis on a multiverse in their comics and I believe it’s time to bring that to the films.

They’ve already implemented a multiverse with the television shows but now is the time to let the silver screen experience this.

Unlike Disney, Warner Bros. has the movie rights to ALL of the DC characters. All of them. From heavyweights like Superman and Batman to less popular characters like Question and Red Tornado. They need to make use of that advantage because there are plenty of characters who have not had successful film ventures yet. Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Batgirl, Constantine (sorry Keanu) Lobo, Zatanna, Static Shock, Booster Gold (a personal favorite) and so many more. Give these characters a chance. They can shine in their own standalone movie that doesn’t have to do with the DCEU. However, if you want to put all of them in the same universe, you’ll need visionary writers capable of that.

Consider this my call to action for Warner Bros. because I’m admittedly more of a DC fan than a Marvel. Don’t get me wrong, I love both franchises but DC was my first so I am biased towards them. I’m happy that Marvel has continuous success but it also makes me melancholic because it makes me question why DC can’t experience the same.

Only time will tell if DC can keep this up because right now, they’re doing well overall but even if they ultimately never catch up, they can be proud of this one.

Overall...

I love this film and its portrayal of an iconic character. They took an overused and overexposed character and somehow made him fresh again without taking away what made him so popular in the first place.

Todd Philips had a vision and he took it to a level that I didn’t think he was capable of. Joaquin Phoenix just absolutely killed with a performance that’s going to be remembered forever.

As I write this review, talks of a sequel have already begun. I’m honestly not sure if they can do outdo themselves. My expectations will be even higher but they are most certainly welcome to exceed them again.

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axiumin · 5 years

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BTS Reaction | Meet-Cute

I was initially going to post some hurt/comfort, but I decided to get into the Valentine’s spirit instead. So here’s some lighthearted BTS fluff I whipped up for y’all. Happy Valentine’s Day, lovelies!

It may not have been the most expected way to meet your special someone, but you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Jin

Look, when you first enrolled in this cooking class, you just wanted to learn how to make a bomb-ass risotto.

You never expected to make an enemy in the process.

The handsome bastard decided to set up shop at the workbench next to yours, and after the very first time he smirked at you and called out a smug “Don’t you think you should dice your onion smaller?”, you knew it was game on.

Even as you carefully cut your onion into smaller pieces, you eyed the man’s station critically, waiting for some fault to point out.

“Don’t let your rice burn,” you called snidely, smirking when the man cursed under his breath and turned back to his pot, giving it a quick stir.

A moment later, the smirk melted off your face when you heard him call, “Are you really going to add that much wine? Try not to give anyone alcohol poisoning.”

You grumbled and carefully poured some of the wine from your measuring cup back into the bottle.

The rest of the class continued like this, with the two of you taking turns nit-picking each other’s technique. You couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when the bite in your tone turned into something more playful and teasing (perhaps, upon reflection, it was around the second time you stirred in extra broth), but somehow, by the end of class, you and that handsome stranger were standing companionably beside your respective risottos.

“Not gonna lie, that actually looks pretty good,” you said, eyeing the steaming bowl of risotto in front of him.

The man cracked a smile. “I was just about to say that about yours. How about we taste test?”

Before you could even nod in agreement, the man dipped a spoon in his bowl of risotto and held it up in front of your mouth. “Careful,” he warned, “it’s still hot.”

Mindful of the steam coming off the spoon, you carefully moved forward and took a bite. It was creamy, complex, and complete with the salt bite of good parmesan. In short, it was perfect.

You closed your eyes and hummed appreciatively. When you opened your eyes, you saw the man grinning at you, cheeks dusted with a light pink.

“Well?” he asked eagerly.

“Delicious,” you said honestly.

After just a moment’s hesitation, you picked up a spoon and scooped up a bit of your own risotto, holding it out for the man to taste just as he had for you. He looked at you, clearly surprised.

“Your turn,” you said as way of explanation, feeling your face warm.

It was his turn to hum in appreciation as he chewed, clearly enjoying the taste. As he swallowed, he looked between the food and you.

“You know,” he said, sly smile playing at his lips, “I think we make a pretty good team. What do you say we try cooking together again sometime? My place?”

You grinned. “I’ll bring the wine.”

Suga

“You’re not stealing that, are you?”

You looked up at the sound of the lazy drawl, your eyes as wide as saucers. Your hands froze where they were fussing with the lock on your bike chain.

The owner of the voice was an admittedly handsome man who was currently looking at you with a quirked eyebrow.

“Oh! I, uh,” you stammered uselessly, quickly yanking your hands away from your bike. “No!”

Above you, the guy crackled a small smile. “Relax, I’m not about to snitch. I just wanted to make sure it was yours before I offered to help.”

“Help?” you parroted.

He nodded at your bike chain. “It’s stuck, isn’t it? You’ve been struggling with it for a couple of minutes now.”

Your cheeks colored; you hadn’t expected anyone to notice you. Still, you were grateful to this stranger for offering to help. You sighed and rose to your feet, gesturing helplessly at the bike.

“I think the lock’s jammed. The key doesn’t even go in fully, and I can’t get it to open.”

The man nodded thoughtfully as you spoke. “Let me give it a try.”

He sank to a kneel beside your bike and pulled his backpack off his shoulder so he could rifle around in it. To your surprise, he produced a small box that seemed to contain— lockpicks? The man glanced up at you and registered your surprise with a brief uptick of the corner of his mouth.

“It’s a long story,” he said. You didn’t press him for details, and he just got to work fiddling with the lock.

You watched with rapt attention as he worked. You couldn’t see the fine details of what he was doing, but he wore a focused look on his face as he worked his tools into the keyhole. After a few minutes, you heard a quiet click as the lock popped open.

“That should do it,” the man said, quickly packing his tools up and pushing up to his feet. He handed you the tiny padlock with a smirk. “I’d get another lock if I were you. Can’t guarantee that this one won’t jam on you again.”

“Thank you so much,” you gushed, happily tugging the chain from around your bike and tucking it and the lock away in your bag. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come by.”

The man shrugged. “I’m sure you would have managed.” He eyed you for a moment before adding, “But, if you’re worried this might happen again, maybe we should exchange numbers.”

You stopped tugging at your bike and looked up in surprise. The man’s cheeks were tinted a faint pink, but he didn’t look away from you. You smiled slowly.

“I think I’d like that…” you trailed off slightly.

“Yoongi,” the man offered.

“Y/N,” you replied.

After quickly exchanging numbers, Yoongi hefted his backpack on his shoulder and took a step back. “Guess I’ll see you around, then.”

You watched him turn away and gnawed on your lip, internally debating with yourself. Finally, you came to a decision and called after him. “Hey!”

Yoongi stopped and turned back to you, eyebrows raised in question.

"It looks like I might have stolen something today after all," you said, ignoring the blush that warmed your cheeks.

Yoongi's lips twitched with the hint of a smile. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Your heart!" you cried with a wink.

You turned and quickly pedaled away on your bike, Yoongi's delighted laugh ringing behind you.

J-Hope

“Don’t look now, but Mr. Ready-For-The-Catwalk is coming our way,” murmured your coworker.

Despite her warning, your head immediately popped up, and you scanned the crowd. It didn’t take you long to pick his face out from the throng of afternoon mall-goers.

Sure enough, he was dressed as sharply as ever, from the shock of color of his animal-print blazer to the tailored cut of his pants that never failed to draw your eyes down the long lines of his legs. You’d heard that he worked at one of the high-end fashion boutiques in the mall, and even though you felt utterly shabby in comparison at your stingy little overlooked kiosk, you couldn’t help but admire him every time he passed you by on his way to work.

“Are you finally going to talk to him today?” your coworker asked, the teasing lilt of her voice snapping you out of your reverie.

You tore your eyes away from his legs with a blush and snorted.

“Oh? And what am I supposed to do? Try to sell him moisturizer?”

She shrugged. “That, or you could just give him your number instead.” She cast a glance over your shoulder and smirked. “But either way, make up your mind quickly.”

You gulped and looked over your shoulder and jumped when you realized when he was right beside you. His lips curled up in an easy smile, and, oh boy, he really was pretty, wasn’t he? And, oh god, was he opening his mouth to say something to you?

“Hello,” he said, and oh, those were dimples, and suddenly you were struggling to remember how to talk like a normal person.

“Moisturizer,” you blurted. Nailed it.

His smile faltered, replaced by confusion. “I— what?”

Behind you, you heard your coworker let out a world-weary sigh.

“Uh, I mean. I, uh, sell. Moisturizer,” you stuttered, face growing miserably hot as you spoke. You were sure your face was an impressive shade of red.

“Oh,” he said, blinking slowly. “I, uh. I actually knew that. I walk past here every day, you know.” He was smiling a bit now, even though he still looked puzzled. “You’re not going to try to sell me moisturizer, are you?” he asked, a soft teasing lilt to his voice.

You sighed and ran a hand over your face. “No, sorry.”

He chuckled. “That’s good. Because it was either that or give me your number, right? I was kind of hoping for the number.”

You sputtered and looked over your shoulder at your coworker, who was suddenly perfectly preoccupied with rearranging jars of product. You turned back to look at the man, who was smiling cheerfully at you now.

“My name’s Hoseok, by the way,” he said, offering a hand.

You shook his hand, and his smile only grew.

“So, how about that number?”

It was the perfect day to relax in the park.

The sun was shining cheerfully overhead, birds were singing sweetly in the trees, children were shrieking with laughter as they played, a cyclist was peddling straight at a curb—

You bolted up from your seat when you saw the cyclist tumble straight over his handlebars and promptly eat shit in the grass.

Before you could think twice, you rushed over to his side. He was just pushing himself into a seated position when you knelt by his side.

“Aw, shit, that looked like a nasty spill. Are you okay?” you asked, hands fluttering as you looked him over for injuries.

The man looked up at you and blinked behind large glasses that rested crookedly on his face. You reached out and straightened the frames for him, and you saw his cheeks color when his eyes focused on you.

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine,” he said, ducking his head bashfully.

You hummed and squinted at him as you examined him closely. He was rumpled and blushing, but he didn’t seem to have so much as a scrape on him— and what a good thing, too, for you noticed that his face was really quite lovely, and it’d be a shame if he’d managed to hurt it in the fall.

You hummed again, feeling your own face warm a bit. “Here, let me help you up.”

You easily rose to your feet and offered your hands out for him to take. He hesitated, looking between your face and your hands, before finally accepting the hand up. Once he was fully standing, you realized that he was tall and cute, and you felt your cheeks warm even more. You tore your gaze away before you could get caught staring at him, and your eyes landed on his bicycle, which was noticeably dented and scratched.

“Does this happen often?” you asked, nodding at the bike. That kind of damage couldn’t have happened from just this one fall.

He followed your gaze to the bike and dipped his head bashfully. “Oh, uh, sometimes,” he admitted.

You chewed on your lip for a moment, considering. Then, with more bravery than you felt, you said, “Well, maybe you need a riding partner.”

He blinked and looked at you with surprise. “Huh?”

You shrugged, aiming for casual. “You know, someone to help keep an eye out for you. Make sure you don’t have another nasty spill.”

He seemed to catch on, his lips slowly curling into a lovely smile that showed off his dimples. “Are you offering?”

“Only if you’re accepting my offer,” you shot back, smiling in return.

He chuckled. “You know, I think I’d like that.”

Jimin

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit too competitive?” your friend asked.

“Maybe once or twice,” you murmured distractedly. You didn’t even look back at your friend, your eyes instead fixed on the guy who was fucking shredding it on the DDR machine.

He’d been at it for almost thirty minutes now. You’d been hovering somewhere near the air hockey table when he first walked in, casually rested his jacket and water bottle against the railing of the machine, and then proceeded to move his feet like his life depended on it.

It didn’t take long for a small crowd to gather around him and watch with awed faces and phones held aloft as he struck every beat perfectly. You stayed back, watching him from a distance, trying— though, admittedly, not very hard— to quell the urge to go up there and show him what you’re made of.

Behind you, your friend sighed. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you?”

You nodded. “I’m gonna do it.”

As soon as the song ended, you made your move, gently pushing your way through the small crowd until you were standing by the man’s elbow.

“Hey,” you called above the din of the bubbly pop music. “Care for a challenge round?”

The guy turned to you, eyebrows raised in obvious surprise, and you realized with a start that the dude was low-key gorgeous, even with small beads of sweat dotting his hairline.

“If you think you’re up to it,” he said playfully, quirking his eyebrow.

You felt heat creep up your neck again, even as you grinned at him. “I am. Are you?”

With a fluid movement, you shed your own jacket, draping it over the railing alongside his. Then, with a couple of tokens in the machine and some brief deliberation over the song, you were ready to go.

The music started, and the arcade came to life with the sound of twin stomping. Beside you, the man moved with speed and precision, performing just as well as ever despite how fatigued he must have been. And you? Well, your feet were moving, that was for sure. You hands clutched the rail behind you, supporting your weight as your feet flailed out, hopelessly trying to keep up with the rush of arrows on the screen.

Even above the murmurs and stifled laughter of the small crowd, you were sure you could hear your friend smack his forehead.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the cute man glance your way and do a double-take as he registered your flailing. You chanced a look at him in return, and when you made eye contact, neither of you could help bursting into laughter.

Your feet finally halted their desperate kicking, and you leaned back against the railing, gasping for air from both your giggles and your exertion. Beside you, the man had also stopped moving in favor of smiling at you, heedless of the arrows that flashed past on his screen.

“Good game,” he called, sounding a bit breathless. “Care for a rematch sometime?”

You chuckled and pushed a lock of hair out of your face. “Definitely. Same time next week?”

“It’s a date.”

You were so busy trying not to be obvious about admiring how handsome the man was that you almost didn’t register when he spoke to you. It was only his expectant expression that jolted you out of your daydream about how soft his hair looked as it brushed against his cheekbones.

“Oh, uh.” Focus. The man needed help with directions, not for some rando to wax poetic about his face. “Right. Um, just go down this street for about two more blocks, then turn left. Keep going until you hit Main and then turn right. It should be down on your right.”

The man nodded as you spoke, brow furrowing and mouth pressing into a determined line as he tried to memorize your directions. “Straight, left, right?” he recited back to you.

With another confirmation and a quick thanks, the handsome man took off, and you shook yourself mentally and resolved not to continue to think about how his lovely eyes crinkled when he smiled at you. You forced all thoughts of him out of your head and went about your business.

Unfortunately, your business only lasted for all of ten minutes before you turned a street corner to find the same man approaching you with a bashful smile. He’d somehow managed to entirely forget the directions you gave him. You tried not to let your gaze linger on the lovely pink tinge of his cheeks when you pointed him in the right direction again.

When the man appeared in front of you again not even five minutes later, you were almost sure that he was messing with you.

“How do you get this lost?” you mused aloud.

The man shrugged, not even looking particularly concerned at this point. “It’s one of my more charming qualities.”

You snorted. If he called that charming, just how more charming could he get?

“Look, we’re not very far away. Why don’t I just walk you there?” you offered.

The man brightened. “Would you really do that for me?”

You shrugged, trying to sound casual. “Sure. I mean, you get to your destination and I get some peace of mind from knowing that you didn’t somehow managed to get lost within two blocks again. It’s a win-win.”

“Pragmatic! I like it,” he chirped, quickly falling in step with you.

As you walked, you exchanged pleasantries. You found out his name was Taehyung and that, surprisingly, he wasn’t new to the area; he just never got around to actually learning the streets. Or cardinal directions. In return, Taehyung asked you about your work, your hobbies, and pretty much any other smalltalk topic he could think of.

After a comfortable ten minute walk, the two of you came to a stop in front of your destination, a cheerful hole-in-the-wall cafe.

Taehyung halted right beside you, making no move to enter the cafe. “You want to know something?” he asked, still eyeing the cafe’s sign.

“What’s that?”

He turned to you with a hint of a smile. “Part of the reason I kept getting lost was because I was too busy admiring how cute you are to properly listen to your directions.”

You felt your face warm and knew you were blushing.

“So,” he continued, offering a hand. “Would you like to join me for lunch? My treat, for helping me find my way.”

You took his hand with a chuckle. “I can’t believe you just use the ‘I got lost in your eyes’ line on me,” you teased.

Taehyung laughed. “I can’t believe it worked.”

Jungkook

All you wanted was some pasta.

You’d been craving it all day, enough that you ended up sitting alone on a barstool in the corner of your favorite restaurant, content to enjoy your delicious meal all by your damn self.

All you wanted was some pasta, and instead you got some dude just fucking staring at you.

You wondered if it even occurred to him to try to be subtle. Or if subtlety was even a concept to him. Either way, you felt the weight of his gaze on the side of your head every time you leaned in to take a bite of food.

Finally, after your fifth very self-conscious bite, you turned to look back at him. Immediately, his face snapped forward, eyes dropping to his plate. You watched, bemused, as a flush of red crept up his neck.

You leaned an elbow on the bar, propping your cheek on your hand as you settled in to openly watch the guy. He fidgeted under your stare, growing redder with each furtive glance in your direction. For almost five minutes, you simply sat there, watching him. And for five minutes, he continued to blush and fidget until it looked like he was about to wilt under your attention. It was a bit of a dick move, sure, but you were set to prove a point here.

Finally, you took mercy on him and broke your gaze, turning back to your food. You politely ignored his audible sigh of relief.

“So, what’s your name?” you asked, not even glancing in his direction. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him slowly turn to you.

“Jungkook,” he said at length.

You turned back to him with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Jungkook. I’m Y/N.”

The set of his shoulders relaxed and he returned your smile. “That’s a nice name,” he said in response, and, honestly, it would have been a bit lame if he weren’t so cute.

“Thanks. So, why were you staring at me?” You couldn’t help but grin, catlike, when you saw the blush return to his cheeks.

“Oh. I, uh, sorry. You’re just really cute,” he stuttered. To his credit, he managed to maintain eye contact with you as he said it. “Why were you staring at me?”

You shrugged lightly, grin staying in place. “You’re just really cute.”

Jungkook blinked. “Huh.” Slowly, his lips curled into a smile. “Well, do you maybe want to get dinner together sometime? Properly?”

You laughed, delighted. “Next time, let’s face each other so we can stare all we want.”

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ahnsael · 5 years

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@kjuw89 replied to your photo: “Isn’t she beautiful?”:

Crowds look light ��

They’re not bad. I was surprised to see 15 minutes for Pirates. On the Disney Parks App it then said that HyperSpace Mountain had a 20 minute wait, but it had just returned to 104 status after going 101 (for you non-cast members, that means it was working again after having broken down), and by the time I got there from Big Thunder it was up to 55 minutes and no Single Rider Line. I got a FastPass for 9:10-10:10pm, but then gave that up for a Small World FastPass that would be valid by the time I walked from Galaxy’s Edge instead when I decided I didn’t have the energy to stay that late today.

The highest I saw Smuggler’s Run was also 55 minutes, and that and HyperSpace Mountain were the two longest waits in the park. It was warm today (even though I heard people complaining about how cold it was when I left -- it was predicted to be in the mid-60s at the time, so I’m guessing they’re SoCal people -- we’re already down to the 30s at night back home, which is probably why I found a scorpion in our garage yesterday; it’s still warm enough during the day, but it’s cold at night and our garage is still warm -- also I used my blacklight that I use for IDs and large bills at work and saw that the thing about them glowing green under black light is true), but when i walked by Splash Mountain on the way to the Hungry Bear and then Galaxy’s Edge, the wait was only 30 minutes.

I forgot to mention Star Tours and the Jedi Thingy in the Captain EO theater on my list of things I did today, too. I walked in to Star Tours and waited less than 5 minutes on Standby. It was weird to see that the Star Trader is pretty much all Star Wars merch now (it used to just be the small part by the Star Tours exit into the gift shop). There was also a huge selection of Star Wars pins on Main Street in the music store (which is now mostly a pin store). So much Star Wars in areas of the park other than the Star Wars par!I

I also happened to time the Jedi thing just right after finding out the Space Mountain wasn’t doing single rider but hearing the announcement that the doors to the theater were opening.

I was one of literally three people in the theater, and I was really only there to sit in the old seats and pretend I was watching Captain EO. The cast member didn’t even bother with the microphone; he just stood in front of us and did his spiel “in person” to us.

I wasn’t exactly wowed by Smuggler’s Run. I was told to watch for flashing buttons and push them (I was an engineer, the last row), and I was focused on that for the first part of the ride until I realized that the bright green flashes were enough to get my attention if I wasn’t looking.

The down side: Without spoiling the story, there were two times I was supposed to press something specific (and two other times to hit a couple other things -- there wasn’t a lot of interactivity for the engineer position). The first time I pressed the button and it had the desired effect; the second time, I pressed it, but it stayed lit, and Hondo kept yelling at me to press it, no matter how many times I pressed it. I could see the other Engineer (another single rider) having the same issue at the same time.

The lady who grouped us asked me whether I was a rebel or part of the Empire, and I told her honestly, “I don’t know, I just walked into Galaxy’s Edge and came here.” And since I was a single rider, I don’t think anything would have been “remembered” for me anyway as they advertised when the land opened.

Another issue was the Play Disney Parks app.When I first opened it, I allowed location services only while the app is open...turns out you can’t get “achievements” unless they’re always on (any time you turn the phone screen off, the app starts from scratch when you reopen it). And for the life of me, I couldn’t find a way to go back and change my preferences. Maybe it’s outside the app in the phone’s app settings.

Oh, and they still have the typo on the sign at the entrance to the Haunted Mansion display in the Opera House on Main Street. It still says “Kindly step all the way in to the explore eerie evolution of the Haunted Mansion’s design” instead of “Kindly step all the way in to explore the eerie evolution of the Haunted Mansion’s design” (emphasis mine -- I tried posting it earlier from the Opera House, but Disneyland’s wifi keeps going in and out and if you thought I posted a lot today, just imagine if half of them hadn’t failed due to a lost connection!). That typo has been there for months, I believe. Disney has its own sign shop. It’s an easy fix. They just haven’t done it. Has nobody actually told them? Would I be a jerk to mention it?

The only other thing that I was disappointed in was that when I got dinner at the Hungry Bear, the cashier asked whether I wanted fries, slaw, or onion rings. I chose the rings.

And then when I got my receipt, I noticed that I was charged an extra 50¢ for that choice, then saw on the menu that it said “includes fries or slaw” (onion rings appeared nowhere on the menu, even as a side dish). Seemed a dirty trick to not mention the upcharge when offering it. It is, at the very least, a sneaky upcharge

But...let’s be honest, if she had said “would you like fries or slaw, which are included, or would you like to substitute onion rings for 50¢ more?” I still would have chosen the onion rings. It’s not a ridiculous upcharge, I just think it should be mentioned at the time.

But overall, it’s been so long that things that used to drive me up a wall were...pretty much okay today.

When I was in line for Pirates, there was a lady ahead of me with a young (2 or 3 years old I think) daughter, and she was having a heck of a time keeping her daughter from wandering off, or bumping into those of us around her, etc. That used to drive me crazy.

And maybe it’s because I’m an uncle now and understand the struggle better, but...all I could think was “Hey, at least she’s trying. Besides, what kid DOESN’T do these things?”

I was more bummed about the group who tried to sneak past me in the FastPass line of Big Thunder (the cast member at the merge point saw this and made them wait until I was ahead of them, bless him), the people behind me in line for Pirates who were old enough to understand the concept of personal space but still kept walking into me, and the family in front of me waiting at the FastPass merge point at Small World who kept giving their 1-2 year old daughter an empty Coke bottle, just for her to throw it down again -- one of those times at my head (and instead of stopping giving it to her to throw, tried to tell her to throw it in another direction without so much as a “sorry ‘bout that”). But to the cast member’s credit, the one watching the merge point -- while not showing perturbation at the situation (her Disney smile game was strong), when she let us in she sent that family to one line and the rest of us around them to another line, and gave a brief but noticeable (to me) look of “I got you, fam.”

I had all these plans for what the first thing I was going to do was when I got there. The thing I did was the thing I didn’t plan, but I’m okay with it...I wandered some of the shops on Main Street. Partly, I was looking for a hat, since I didn’t bring one (I brought sunscreen, but...getting sunburned, then shaving my head, can result in “hairless dandruff” -- the peeling skin just being made to look awful by a razor passing over it). I may buy this one tomorrow:

Overall, though, I wasn’t a big fan of the hat selections available.

But I went into the Magic Shop (take that, Magic Kingdom, Disneyland still has a Magic Shop) wanting to buy a Hot Rod. I found it on the shelf right as the cast member started asking if he could help me with anything. I told him that the Hot Rod was the first magic trick I ever bought in that store as a kid and the first “real” magic trick I ever learned (this is true), and he said “And it’s still a great classic trick.” (If you want a cast member who knows every last bit of their merchandise, experience over the last 30+ years tells me this is the store you want to be in.)

I bought it (I have a guest at my casino that it’s going to blow away, even though it’s one of the easiest tricks to perform).

There’s a sculpture (probably about 6-7″ tall) of Peter Pan riding Peter Pan’s Flight that’s surprisingly only $55, and I may get that too. There was a great lithograph of the organist in the Haunted Mansion for $40...the problem with wall art is that for everything I put up, depending on the size, I have to choose one or two attraction posters to take down.

There’s probably more that I’m going to have to choose between (or order online later since they’re on shopdisney), and part of me is worried that, since I would do Package Pickup rather than carry the things (other than the hat) around all day, I might forget to actually pick them up on the way out. I could have them shipped, but I don’t know how much that would cost.

Today was more or less my test run -- if I was so exhausted by the end that the walk back to the hotel was a pain, I was going to pay the $25 parking fee and drive in tomorrow. But even after all that time awake, the walk takes less than a half hour. And once I crossed Harbor and then Disney Way and started walking down Disney Way, there was only one other pedestrian with me (it was a madhouse from the exit to that point -- I was far from the only one leaving early, but even though I never understood leaving early when I was younger and had more energy...I get it, especially for people with multi-day passes).

I wore a PeopleMover T-shirt, and one of the cast members at Hungry Bear complimented me on it, so that was good (I thought about wearing my T-shirt of an anthropomorphic Pluto walking a non-anthropomorphic Goofy, but decided I didn’t want a bunch of kids asking their parents questions about it; when I left work this morning I chose an understated WED Enterprises T-shirt, but even with my A/C on for the whole drive down, I was a sweaty mess when I got here and I wasn’t going to subject people to that).

My shirt choices for tomorrow: the aforementioned Pluto/Goofy shirt, a shirt that is a parody of “The Jerk” movie poster but with Goofy taking Steve Martin’s place and the title changed to “The Goof,” or a Captain R3X T-shirt.

Honestly, it’s probably between “The Goof” and Captain R3X. The other one might freak people out more than I would like.

Oh, and I have to look into Oga’s Cantina. Earlier I saw a reservation available for tomorrow evening, but...when it asked me to authorize a credit card guarantee, I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to (I know they charge you if you don’t show up, but...how much? And am I just guaranteeing being able to go in and have a drink and enjoy the ambiance, or am I required to buy a certain dollar amount of things, like the $200 you’re committing to when you reserve building a light saber or a droid?).

Speaking of which, I saw a LOT of people, in my 3½ hours there today, carrying around “custom droid” boxes.

Not that I’m surprised a lot of people are getting them, I’m just surprised they’re not having them held for package pick-up at the end of the day, choosing instead to carry them around.

The things I did learn today: I do NOT miss driving in Southern California. You know you’ve reached Southern California when the left lane is street racers holding racers through heavy traffic, when people are diving from lane to lane to try and find the fastest way to their destination, when people randomly slow down to 10 below the limit, then accelerate to 10 over when you try to go around them, and just the general feeling of claustrophobia of being in a sea of so many bad drivers that you have to scan them all to try to anticipate what stupid thing they’re going to do next so you can react before they do it because if you wait for it to happen, it’s gonna be too late.

I also learned that driving down on Highway 395 sucks. For more than half the time, it’s one lane in either direction (passing lanes are few and far between, and in the daylight there’s that “is that the water-mirage effect, or a semi coming? I have a dotted line and I can legally pass, but I literally have no idea whether it’s safe to do so and I am NOT dying on the way to Disneyland). And there is a TON of road construction (a good 25 miles is one lane TOTAL, with them alternating directions in that one lane).The whole area around Victorville is a complete mess. At the intersections (of which there are many), they open up to two lanes for the last couple hundred feet prior to the intersection, just to go back to one lane afterwards. Which means that a LOT of people who have been frustrated for 100 miles or more about their inability to pass are trying everything they can to cheat the system and get ahead somehow before the road goes back to one lane.

Don’t get me wrong, we have plenty of jerk drivers in northern Nevada. But traffic is sparse enough that I see, at most, five jerks a day. Most nights it’s just one, some nights none (the advantage of working graveyard is there aren’t a lot of people on the road, and we’re a small enough town that even “rush hour” means going 15 in a 25 zone at worst). But in SoCal, there are so many selfish drivers that it just...wow. It’s a lot to deal with when I haven’t dealt with it in so long (and since I’ve never driven south from the 395 to the 15 to the 60 to the 57 before, so it was all new road to me -- this was literally my first time traveling more than 3 miles south on 395 since I moved to Nevada, and that’s the highway my casino is on). The claustrophobia, when I knew I had no possible out if anything happened, was scaring me.

It’s great to be back. I mean, I’m home at Disneyland. It’s also going to be great to leave and get back to a small town in rural Nevada.

Oh, but I may be meeting up with disfan tomorrow. He hasn’t posted in almost a year here (hence why I’m not tagging him), but I met him in person six years ago at my third most recent trip (this current one being the most recent, then going with an old friend in 2015 where I didn’t see disfan then that third-most recent one in 2013), and it would be great to see him again. I’m still in touch with him from time to time, and when I thought I had a date he offered to do something to help make it special, and while the date thing didn’t work out (I got a text from her while I was on the road saying that she was “getting ready” but nothing since then, even tonight when she knows for sure she missed the boat to It’s a Small World -- I waited 30 minutes longer than I wanted to to leave in case she showed -- though I showed up just about 30 minutes after check-in time so it wasn’t too bad, since a review of my hotel on Travelocity said they charge extra for early check-in even if the room is ready and I don’t know if that would apply if I had missed some traffic and arrived 15 minutes early -- but her text was after I had already given up on her and gotten on the road -- her text was in reply to one I sent at the time we were supposed to meet asking if she was on her way, her reply came over 20 minutes later that she was “getting ready” but since I was driving I didn’t see that until I got here because I’ve learned no to do other things and drive), disfan was a gem. So...I hope I do get to see him tomorrow.

And if any of you Disneyland people who I know on here happen to be going to the parks Tuesday, send me an ask (I’m mostly mobile, though I am on a laptop at the moment, so an ask should show up on my notifications...but maybe to play it safe, add an X to the end of my tumblr name and make it gmail and get in touch with me that way.

I really do enjoy doing the park on my own (which is probably why I didn’t call her instead of text her when she wasn’t there -- plus there was some drama the morning before involving her roommate and I’m worried that may be a regular thing, so I might have self-sabotaged this “date” a little bit by not trying harder than I normally would with someone who I genuinely do like). But I also like doing the park with friends, and if we’re mutuals here we’re already friends (or if you follow me and I don’t follow you and you want to show me that we could be friends that works too), send an email.

I’ll be in the park most of the day (I can’t promise I’m gonna rope-drop it, because my Wednesday/Thursday is gonna be a LONG day driving home and getting there just about in time to shower and get ready for work, then I have a 9am meeting on Thursday, so I’ll have been up since whenever I get up and check out on Wednesday to get back up to Nevada for work), but I’m staying at least through the Electrical Parade. I don’t care about a projection-only show instead of fireworks, and there’s no Fantasmic!, but...the Electrical Parade will be good memories.

Oh, and Laughing Stock, Co. was listed in the times guide that I picked up today (as a “Fri-Sat” thing, no mention that those were their last shows; they’re gone now).

Anyway, my phone (barely) made it the 3½ hours tonight (and that included a live broadcast on Facebook of my ride on Small World from the front row -- which Facebook says they’ve “partially muted” due to the use of copyrighted music, but the song “It’s a Small World” was never copyrighted -- it was written for UNICEF, copyright-free, as a gift to the children of the world.

Oh, and when I rode Small World, they were grouping two boats at once on the same side (that’s “bote” to you, Ian...unless only “botes” with names like Irrawaddy Lady qualify for that title). But as I was the first grouped into the second boat, and the cast member just said “row 1″ which put me with two other people (that row can comfortable fit three), I waited until he was done grouping and then asked whether I was in the boat with the two other people, or waiting for the next boat.

Hey, I was ODV. I can make you a great churro or box of popcorn (I really need to get some popcorn tomorrow -- a Disneyland trip isn’t complete without it), but I don’t know a thing about balancing boats.

At first, he just said “You’re in the second boat.”

And then, after a few seconds, he said “The only way you’d be in their row with them is if you were in their party.”

And...I got it. They were both ladies (one young, one older), and he was saying “we’re not going to put some strange guy in there sitting next to them.”

The only response I had was “that’s probably for the best.” Because he was looking out for his lady guests by not putting some strange guy next to them.

I mean, I know I’m not a danger to anyone with whom I may ride It’s a Small World, but he doesn’t know that. And he acted accordingly, and I dig that. Plus, it gave me a chance to balance y phone on the front lap bar (since I was the only one in the front row on my boat).

Must-dos for tomorrow:

HyperSpace Mountain

The Jungle Cruise

Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (single rider, hopefully -- I’ve already translated everything in the queue)..

Peter Pan’s Flight (but probably only if I can book a FastPass)

Waiting in the Standby Line for Smuggler’s Run(I hear the queue is amazing, but the single-rider queue is just a series of hallways and stairs).

Haunted Mansion Holiday (even though Jack should have his own darned attraction by now and leave the Haunted Mansion alone).

Splash Mountain (maybe last? I have a bad habit of being placed in Row 1 and I tend to make the front end heavy and the splashes are huge -- especially for me, and I’m gonna have my cell phone on me)

A grand circle tour on the Disneyland RR

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room (this was what I thought I would do first today, but I worried about staying awake...last time I saw the show was the abbreviated version at Walt Disney World so it will be nice to see it in full again).

The Submarine Voyage with Finding Nemo (I had no interest in that but I’ve seen a thing on how they did it that I want to check out, but also part of it is still underwater so I want to try it).

The Sleeping Beauty Castle walkthough

The PeopleMover (that one’s not gonna happen it’s been gone for over 20 years and I am NOT risking a lifetime ban to go up and try to walk the track that is still there)

Matterhorn Bobsleds

All Fantasyland dark rides

Meet a nice lady and invite her to dinner at some place not Blue Bayou, since that’s booked, but maybe somewhere nicer than the corn dog cart (just kidding -- I couldn’t even get a seemingly nice lady to join me for a trip to Disneyland, even though I had one day’s cost covered through a friend and was willing to foot the bill for the other and I had made it clear that the room I booked had two beds [which it does] and that “things” would not happen UNLESS SHE WANTED AND INITIATED IT [I PROMISE I’M NOT BITTER about her not showing AS I SAID I MAY HAVE SELF-SABOTAGED THAT BY NOT TRYING HARDER TO GET TO TO COME WITH ME WHEN SHE DIDN’T RESPOND TO MY LAST MINUTE TEXT but the concept of dating as daunting; forgive the self-pity but I’d actually have to be worth it for a date to happen and I’m wasn’t worth it to her).

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room (I’m back to “things I must do now)

Dole Whip

Maybe the lobster roll from Harbour Galley?

Popcorn

Maybe stopping my rambling for a minute (y’all know that isn’t gonna happen -- if you didn’t see it, it’s because Disney’s wifi crapped out again and I thought I posted it but it never posted).

But seriously, if any of y’all are there and want to meet, I would throw out every one of these to spend time with you (I’m so lonely!).

#kjuw89 #Kenny goes to Disneyland

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howtohero · 5 years

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#221 Poison

Show of hands, who here loves eating? Wow! All of you (except of course for Mr. Alexi Wurst who hates eating so much that he made a deal with the Devil to remove his frail mortal body’s need to eat. Don’t worry MAW, we see you and you’re valid) what a positive response to my question! Now, unfortunately, despite how much fun eating may be... sometimes it’s bad! I know, I know, that’s a lot to take in. We shouldn’t just be dropping massive bombshells like that with zero warning. (In our defense, the title is a bit of a warning.) But it’s completely true! Your enemies may very well exploit your noted love of eating to poison you. (We apologize for forcing you to note that fact at the beginning of this post, your participation in our straw poll may very well have signed your death warrant.)

Poison is often used by villains and crooks because it is discreet, clean, and ludicrously easy. Poisoning an enemy alleviates the risk of being seen by your target and thus giving them an opportunity to fight back, since you can poison their food before it is served to them by an unwitting middleman or waiter. (Who, by the way, still deserves a tip. They didn’t know they were serving you poison!) Poison allows those who are squeamish about blood and guts and all the other gross stuff the human body contains to watch their most hated foes breathe their last breath. Poison can even be made to resemble certain natural deaths such as heart failure or that new (bioengineered by the Python Paramilitary) disease that’s been making rounds where all of a person’s blood spontaneously transmutates into snake venom thus making it hard for a doctor or mortician to identify the cause of death! Honestly, if you’re looking to kill a superhero, poison would really be the way to go...

Unless that hero is avid reader of this blog! In which case poisoning will no longer work! So don’t even try it. If you ever see a superhero reading this blog just scrap your poison plans. It’s not gonna go the way you want. (We just saved your life, you’re welcome.) We’re gonna teach you how to avoid getting poisoned, and if that doesn’t work, how to survive it. If you suspect you’ve been poisoned from now on, you need to always assume that you’re being poisoned. Sure, there are some red flags you should obviously be aware of. If you’re handed a pie by your arch-nemesis, odds are it’s probably poisonous. If you’re handed any sort of unnaturally colored liquid in a vial, you can bet your butt it’s poisoned. If you’re handed a juice box that is clearly labeled as poison, that is not an ironic gag, that’s definitely poisoned. But your would-be poisoners are not always going to be so obvious about their malicious machinations. The very best way to determine whether or not the food in front of you has been poisoned (and mark our words, it can always be poisoned. Even if you’ve just opened a sealed package of something. Even if you just made the food yourself! Poison is not impossible to teleport into food!) is to call up your nemesis, tell them you’ve just sat down for some delicious whatever and ask them if they’d like to join you for a bite. If they agree and say that they’re glad you reached out because lately they’ve started to feel like if the two of you just sat down and talked over a plate of ravioli you guys could really figure out your issues and move on to build a greater and brighter tomorrow, then you’re good to go! Just hang up on them and dig in. If, however, your nemesis starts being weird about this simple friendly invitation and starts making excuses like “Oh no I shouldn’t. I just couldn’t. I simply wouldn’t want to be a burden” or “I’d love to but- oh? Sorry, kjashfasi we’re breaking up. I think the maximum security prison that you put me in is going through a tunnel or something” or “What??? Are you??? Trying to???? Poison??? Me??????” then set that food on fire, you’re being poisoned. Why else wouldn’t they want to join you?!

Admittedly though, you can’t always rely on that foolproof method. What if you don’t have a phone? What if you forgot to charge your phone? What if you remembered to charge your phone because you wrote down just that morning that you should really charge your phone in case you eat something during the day and you need to call up all your enemies to invite them to join you partially melted kitkats or whatever and studies show that if you write something down you’re more likely to remember it so your phone was fully charged but unfortunately you accidentally sent your crush an embarrassing text about them that was meant for your best friend so you had to throw your phone into a ravine? Well my next suggestion was going to be to download that app for detecting poison in food but if your phone is at the bottom of a ravine that’s right out too isn’t it! The truth is, we could give you dozens of ways to determine whether the bag of sour cream and onion potato chips will kill you in a comedically drawn out and uncomedically painful way. You could use a science-beam to break the food down to its component ingredients. You can shrink down and enter the food and see if any of the molecules that make it up look poisonous. You could create a localized time-reversal bubble around the food and literally rewatch it get made. But all of that sounds like a major hassle doesn’t it? Surely there must be a better way. A way that doesn’t turn every meal, snack or breath mint into an hour long process.

What if I were to tell you that you could become immune to being poisoned? What was that? Was that a scoff? Ha! I scoff at your scoff. You can be immune to being poisoned. In fact, I’m immune myself. I’ve been poisoned by my enemies thousands of times, and yet, here I stand, alive as ever. (Well, not “as ever” remember that week when we were all double alive. That was crazy.) Haha yeah, that was crazy. But anyway, I’ve acquired a taste for it. I eat poison for just regular meals now. That’s how many times I’ve been poisoned. You can be like me, well, just in this way. Obviously you’ll never be nearly as amazing as me. But in this one singular aspect you and I can be the same. Becoming immune to poison is the same as becoming immune to all things. Just dose yourself with a little bit of it at a time and slowly build up a resistance to it. Then just repeat that for all conceivable types of poison, venoms, and all other types of toxins. If you keep up a consistent regiment of poisoning yourself, you’ll be having the bad guys shout “inconceivable!” in no time at all! (For the uninformed: “poison” is any toxic chemicals that can be ingested through simple touch, like for example poison ivy. While venom needs to be injected into a wound to take effect, like a venomous bee sting. However, while most poisons are automatic, venomous creatures can choose whether or not to inject the person they’re attacking with their venom. So, if you’re ever in some sort of villain orchestrated death trap where you have to either touch Poison-Dart Frog Man or allow yourself to be bitten by Venomous-Rattlesnake Man, you should allow yourself to be bitten, because while touching Poison-Dart Frog Man will definitely get you poisoned, Venomous-Rattlesnake Man actually let’s people slide like 20% of the time.)

Poison is a criminal’s dream. With it, killing people has never been easier. However, you now possess the tools to rob them of this great weapon. Score! Of course, all of this becomes for nought when you become a high-profile enough superhero. At that stage, the villains you’ll be fighting are far too proud and obssessed with showmanship to ever allow something secretive and low key like poison to do their dirty work for them.

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muggle-writes · 5 years

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Rules: Answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people who you want to get to know better.

tagged by @elizabethsyson

Nickname: Muggle is my nickname, but when I went by Muggle in person for more than a month at a time, it naturally got abbreviated, usually to Mugz

Zodiac: Aquarius

Last movie I saw: into the spiderverse (same answer as last time. I don't watch that many movies tbh except around Christmas. unless YouTube counts in which case... music of some sort? idk links for the next answer)

Favorite musician: changes by the day. I've kinda been in an acapella and/or folk music mood recently so the Maccabeats and Peter Hollens are in my YouTube and Spotify history a lot recently. also I'm eternally in awe of Forte Handbell Quartet (eta a longer video; i recommend skipping to the techno piece or the Jurassic Park theme)

Last thing I googled: "vine why are you buying clothes at the soup store" (my wife hasn't seen it; also i can't find the vine because apparently it's a much bigger meme than I realized). before that it was "chgrp not root" because work and group permissions are useful when they work

Song stuck in my head: well for most of the day when I haven't been actively listening to something, it's been the Pokemon RSE route-walking music. (but that somehow happens frequently when I'm in the no-music-no-internet room at work, as I was for most of the day, and I don't know how I accidentally trained my brain to make that connection). right now, surprisingly, I don't have any background music playing in my head. I think it's because the humidifier provides just enough white noise that my brain doesn't feel the need to provide its own

Other blogs: my main is @muggle-the-hat and I'm a mod on @why-do-neurotypicals but we've gotten one ask ever so that blog has been dormant for a while. I have a bunch of other sideblogs, but they're all small and I use different screen names on each of them (enby life: no idea which name suits me best so I may as well try them out) so i feel like it would just confuse things to link them.

Following: blogs matching all the themes of my sideblogs, (including this one, which is writeblr), korean langblr, jumblr, assorted fandom blogs, authors of my more favorite fanfictions (some overlap with other categories), and irl friends and acquaintances (including one fandom blog turned irl friend)

Do I get asks: on my main if at all, which isn't really surprising because i have hundreds of followers there and maybe 60 followers combined among the rest. but I get asks far less often than I reblog ask memes so... I'm always happy to get more. I do get tagged in ask games more on this one, but writeblr is actually vaguely organized about tag lists so that makes sense. also I used to get tagged a bunch on my main and I rarely could find the posts again to follow up when I had time to answer.

What I’m Wearing: pajamas. staying warm and cozy

Lucky number: I don't remember what I said last time, but I like a lot of numbers. 64 is a good number. recently I've been debugging software in which 0x3E is my lucky status number and 0x0E taunts me. (um, decimal 62 and 14). Also my other favorite number i can't share until it's no longer the combination to the lock to the Secret Room. (or realistically never because opsec and i shouldn't make public the types of parents we use for that combination lock), honestly I aim to be like.... ah, I'm sure the anecdote involves G.H. Hardy but i don't remember on which side. anyway one mathematician remarked to another about how the id number of the taxi he rode in was sadly uninteresting, and the one I aspire to be like, argued "what are you talking about, this number is interesting because ______" and I'd like to be able to do that for any arbitrary number thrown at me. (hi yes math is good, history is hard, math history is interesting yet i still forget the people even if i remember the math. except when things are named after people, but that tends to be, like, Euler and LaGrange and other people who did lots of cool science things so i remember the methods and the names of the methods separately which never helps)

Amount of sleep: ....depression both screws with my sleep schedule and means I always feel like I need more sleep except when I wake up at 5pm and feel like I've wasted the day. so yeah. I can never get enough sleep

Favorite food: yes (why do I have to pick a favorite?) uh, chocolate in most forms, many other sweet things, red meats (especially if served with potatoes), curry (especially if it has "too much" ginger), fresh-baked bread, chai the way my favorite local Indian restaurant makes it (spicier with just a little bit of sweet, which is the opposite of what i can get from the mocha machine at work which is wayyy sweet with a hint of spice but that inferior chai is still superior to coffee so i drink too much of it). also vegetables which I really don't eat enough of: sauteed zucchini and onions, roasted broccoli

Dream trip: dreaming requires creativity and tbh I funnel that mostly into my writing instead. I wouldn't mind going back to Korea for another visit though

Dream job: my current job is pretty good when I feel productive and when my debugging tools actually produce data maybe??? (they were not being helpful today. but i still mostly like my job.) dream job is probably this but with seniority and confidence and double the salary (while living in a similar area of the country; I wouldn't want to double my salary by moving to work for Google in California and having less available after rent than I do now)

Describe yourself as aesthetic things:

the smell of old books

the first glow of sunrise (the sunrise painting the mountains pink and gold)

a rainbow in the spray from a waterfall

the flicker of distant lightning (watching a thunderstorm fade into the distance)

this picture

Random fact: about me or about the world?

how about a combination answer: when we got our new handbell music this season, we only looked at half the pieces our first rehearsal and afterwards I tried to look up one of the pieces we hadn't gotten to on YouTube because it's got a weird time signature and I wanted to get a feel for how fast it would go and how strict the counting is...... except it turns out we're the first group to ever play the piece. it was commissioned recently but seeing my conductor's name on the page didn't tell me how new it was because he's super prolific. (the fact that it was on printer paper without the publisher's graphics should have been a giveaway but it's only the second time I've been among the first to play one of his pieces so I think I can be excused for not realizing)

Languages: mostly just English, but I took Spanish for years, so I can hold simple conversations in it. I can almost read sound out Hebrew fast enough to keep up in services, and I know some random Hebrew vocab but comparatively no grammar. and I took Korean in college, enough that I can recognize sentence structure but I can really only speak tourist-Korean, though I can sound anything out (if it's typed. handwriting is hit or miss.) in both Hebrew and Korean (and Spanish tbh but i don't often listen to Spanish music) I'm very proud when I can separate the words enough, listening to a song, to translate them without looking up the lyrics. also I tried to learn Japanese from Duolingo when it was new, but I still hadn't gotten the kana straight when it started progressing to kanji so that was a rough time and I went back to Hebrew.

tbh I "dabble" in "language learning" which really means I start a million courses on Duo and stick with none of them. with the notable exception of French, which I acknowledge is super common and probably a good idea to learn but the spelling and pronunciation seem so arbitrary I'm scared to look close enough to learn it properly, and I've never particularly considered starting the Duolingo course for French

I think I lost a few questions, because that's only 18 answers. whoops.

um... who to tag

@abluescarfonwaston if school hasn't drowned you in work yet and @copperscales I'm interested in both of your choices for lucky numbers especially.

... wow I'm blanking on other mutuals I haven't tagged recently. as usual lmk if you'd like to be edited in, or just answer the questions and tag me back, that's great too.

#tag games #i really like that 'describe yourself' question can we keep that around as a poetry prompt?#i think you also tagged me in a 'last line' tag game but i still haven't written anything #my creative energy has been (a) low and (b) directed specifically into generating matching titles for my purimgifts fics #i'll participate if i still remember by the time i'm doing 'real' writing again or you can just tag me the next time that game comes around

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mercuriallycooperative · 6 years

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Holy toast it has been literally over two years and I was so certain I’d posted these! But they’ve just been sitting in the back of my draftbox for some reason, presumably because I didn’t get them done in order. Now, I am like two years behind on Steven Universe episodes, but before I get all caught up and decide whether or not reactions and rewatches are something I want to post, here before you is a blast from the past! By which I mean, my thoughts while rewatching/reacting to a Stevenbomb from two years ago. The below text remains completely unaltered from how it has been sitting, complete, in my draftbox for two years.

Day Three of the Stevennuke!

This one has some fun stuff in it, doesn’t it though?

Week 1/Episode 3 of Summer of Steven (Wednesday, July 20)

Too Short to Ride

1) Okay it had to be pointed out to me, but Peridot’s consistent “Wow, thanks” as a reaction to being given gifts, after Steven told her that’s how human-gift-giving-rituals work, is so precious.

2) Okay, so who else is majorly sympathetic to Peridot here? Most of us internet-folk, suddenly losing all the technology and access to media (including any familiar written works) to which we’ve become accustomed, we’d be in pretty dubious shape.

3) Peridot with a Twitter, a Tumblr, a Youtube account. Oh dear. (Anyone else notice some of the other icons on that tablet of hers? Peridot with Tinder, that’s a recipe for I don’t even know what. Although, the interesting point was made that, although it’s possible those were apps preloaded onto the tablet, it could mean that Greg was looking into, what, dating services?)

4) “I really like this. But it’s a shame it doesn’t come attached to your body...” Peridot, makeshift-smartwatch user.

5) And, what the hell anime/cartoons has Peridot been watching, to do that, that, transformation-sequence-sound-effect thing when displaying her velcro tablet-holder?

6) Peridot having to take the time to parse the phrase “hang out” is interesting- like, it raises the whole ‘what language do gems even speak on Homeworld and is there translation weirdness or what’ question.

7) Okay, the arrangement of that Funland sign weirds me out. Like, it’s a big arch, but it seems like it was drawn flush with the wall/booths behind it? And Steven, Peridot, and Amethyst didn’t have to go under it to enter at all? I may have just missed prior examples of how it was drawn, but it’s just kinda weird.

8) Okay, but actually, with that height-restriction sign, Peridot isn’t actually that short. Like, it looked very much like Mr. Smiley sort of, patted her head a little too hard when compressing her hair, because it looked like she was not standing at her full height. I dunno, how that scene was drawn also kinda just bugs me.

9) What got Steven’s last lifetime ban revoked?

10) Mr. Smiley needs some hired help. Preferably sooner than later, because having someone that sleep deprived watching over most of the dangerous rides at Funland is pretty not good.

11) “I’m not falling for that one again.” Do you mean people have tried to use the excuse of Onion setting the roller coaster on fire before?

12) Still paying off the last lawsuit might actually be the reason for the understaffing, actually.

13) “I also do not steal Steven’s clothes when he’s not looking.” Uh-huh. Sure you don’t.

14) “Um, excuse me, but you’re wrong.” Peridot didn’t need much in the way of social graces in any sense that resembles Earth-Western-Human back with Homeworld, did she.

15) I really like how Amethyst hears Peridot’s bitter talk about shapeshifting and it being an insult to your intended form, and then just is like, bro. Tell me the truth, now, something is up with you. Because yeah, actually, the deflecting thing is something they do have in common.

16) Why did Steven try to shapeshift a cat finger if he knew it would freak him out?

17) Manual activation of shapeshifting powers. That’s one of those ideas that could seem good at first glance, but is, in fact, less good. Peridot’s intermittent deadpan “Ow”s support this.

18) I can see where Peridot’s talk about being an Era II Peridot, and therefore somehow less-than could get to Amethyst, given the whole “overcooked runt” thing.

19) And like, she made a good point, at least about the ‘We don’t care about you because of who you could be, we care about you as you are’ thing.

20) That all being said, there were a few problematic points about what she said- not least of which, a few that were a little hypocritical. Remember all the way back in mid-season-1, where Amethyst was all, I-only-feel-how-I-want-to-feel? The extension of that was that other people couldn’t dictate how she felt- even if she was modulating her feelings with potentially unhealthy behaviour. But here we have Amethyst (giving advice she would have given herself, true), trying to tell Peridot how to feel, about herself and the things she’s lost or the things she’s not. Trying to say that how Peridot is feeling right now is incorrect. It’s done with the best of intentions, but it is still rather not okay.

21) Correspondingly, as well as it did end up turning out, what with Peridot finding out about her metalbending powers, it was super not okay for Amethyst to be trying to take that tablet away from Peridot. Like, on several levels. Like, on a surface level, there’s the fact that the tablet was a gift. And gifts mean things to folks, and even if maybe the gift itself isn’t being super good for a person, the emotion maybe attached to it is important.

Secondly, the tablet is Peridot’s. If you respect a person at all, you need to respect their stuff, their right to have stuff. Peridot’s not a prisoner, and she’s not a child even if she can act like one. Heck, with Steven as a point of comparison, we wouldn’t even expect anyone to be policing his possessions at all. (And on that, note, even a child should have the right to their own stuff, a right to some personal boundaries). Peridot came into alliance with the Crystal Gems with nothing of her own. Her tech was demolished or dropped into the ocean, and that’s really all she demonstrably held as her own. Her tape recorder is gone now after the attempt to patch up with Lapis. But we saw the extent of what she considered hers and of value when she was trying to find a gift for Lapis. She has Camp Pining Heart DVD’s and whatever she’s made recently of the barn. That tablet is like, one familiar thing, and one of a very few things she even owns. It’s not okay to try and take that away.

Thirdly, it’s also not up to Amethyst to determine what Peridot does and does not need to cope with the new turns her life has taken. It’s not up to anybody but Peridot- it’s not up to anyone but themself to know what they do and do not need for their mental wellbeing. Maybe they ought to have help now and again, maybe advice, maybe some Serious Discussions. But trying to run someone’s life for them under the assumption that that’s what’s best is not a thing that ought to be a thing.

And last (although this one is perhaps slightly less of a concern, and also I feel like I’ve forgotten a point), Amethyst is stronger than Peridot, almost certainly. We’ve seen Peridot is less strong than Steven, and I feel like we’ve seen in the past Amethyst is as strong as or stronger than Steven. More than this, as someone who’s been a Crystal Gem for so much longer than Peridot, it’s entirely possible that in Peridot’s mind, Amethyst is still in some level of a position of power over her. Like, obviously at this point Peridot is well trusted, after that business with the Cluster and Yellow Diamond. But It’s quite likely that in Peridot’s mind there’s the lingering fear of ‘If I make Garnet or Amethyst or Pearl angry at me they might throw me out I may lose their trust I may lose their friendship’. Whether it’s warranted or not, it’s not an unlikely train of thought, and while honestly I wouldn’t expect it necessarily to occur to Amethyst, the physical strength thing, I wouldn’t expect her to not notice. Peridot couldn’t have won that tug-of-war for the tablet, not if Amethyst was really as intent on taking it as it seemed- Peridot either doesn’t have or doesn’t know how to access (as the episode tells us) any or all of traditional gem powers, such as shapeshifting, that might have equalized her lack of physical strength. Amethyst was, in essence, acting on someone who couldn’t fight back. That whole scene, honestly, has some undertones of bullying in it.

Like again, it ended well enough. Peridot has metal powers. She won herself that alien toy. (But notice also, that Amethyst stopped trying to toss the tablet when Peridot demonstrated those new powers. If she really thought the tablet was that bad for her, then why did she stop? Or was that one moment of Peridot being happy with herself enough to convince Amethyst that it was all cool now? One way or another, I’m really not happen about Amethyst’s reasons regarding this. Even with the best intentions. And honestly, I get the impression that some of that was Amethyst losing her temper, more than anything else.) But still, there were some things. And I hope they’re at least a little addressed at some point- at the very least, as an extension of the question of Peridot’s limb enhancers and how Amethyst ‘lost’ them.

22) The shorty-squad thing at the end was pretty cool, though.

#steven universe #steven universe spoilers #su spoilers #spoilers #rewatch #rewatching steven universe #my contribution #too short to ride

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sage-nebula · 6 years

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#Just Paradigm Shift Things

This is just a post for little pieces of Paradigm Shift canon that may or may not make it into the stories themselves (in the sense that right now it’s not planned for them to be brought up, but anything can happen). Without further ado . . .

Zethrid was raised by her galra relatives, all of whom saw her as a shame and mistake for existing (and forced her non-galra parent to leave when she was only a baby). This is an inverse of Narti, who was raised by her non-galra relatives, and likewise likened what they considered to be her flaws to her galra heritage.

Zethrid lived with her galra relatives only until she was twelve, when she accidentally-on-purpose ran away. What happened was that, due to the way they treated her due to her heritage, she ended up hitting a breaking point one day and “ran away.” She didn’t really mean it; she ran off and hid inside a docked ship so she could have a private, quiet place to be upset. Only, the ship departed and left the planet before she could get off, and then she was stranded on some unfamiliar planet, alone and vulnerable, until she eventually learned about bounty hunting and decided to do that as a means of survival. She never ends up going back to her original planet, and while she claims the reason for this is because she doesn’t need her family and is better off without them, it’s also because she’s scared they haven’t missed her for even a day since she went missing.

Because of things that were done to her on Revender, Acxa’s hair won’t grow out anymore. It’s chin length forever. Sometimes she gets depressed about this. One time she confided about it to Keith, who replied, “I think it looks fine,” which didn’t really help. Then he went out and got her some pretty hair clips that work well with short hair (because he noticed that him saying “it looks fine” wasn’t very comforting), and that did help.

Kova is Narti’s cat (now), but he’s also the #TeamPet. He likes to nap on Keith’s chest, and Acxa likes to dangle stuff for him to play with. However, he’s not fond of Ezor because Ezor has a tendency to baby talk him, and he seems to have some kind of grudge against Lotor none of them can understand, especially since he was Lotor’s pet before he was Narti’s.

Acxa has a nice singing voice and typically scores the best at karaoke. Ezor has a terrible singing voice, but likes to sing really loudly, anyway.

Both Zethrid and Keith are highkey interested in ships (as in spacecraft). Their interest is slightly different (Zethrid likes taking ships apart and building them, whereas Keith is more interested in flying and racing), but they have enough of a shared interest in it that they geek out over new ships together whenever they come across them (and are both quite excited about the Sincline ship project).

Zethrid tends to be rather physically affectionate, and this leads to her picking the others up in hugs. She also sometimes accidentally forgets her own strength, and also the strength Keith has in his ribs. This inevitably leads to a routine exchange where Zethrid insists she’s going to help him bulk up. Keith just wishes she could stop squeezing the life out of him.

Ezor has a real interest in Earth given that her favorite food is from there, and also Keith’s heritage is (at least in part) from there, so she goes to the Earth store in the space mall a lot to get stuff to try to teach Keith about “his culture.” She becomes a total weeaboo in the process. (Keith isn’t very interested in anime, despite Ezor insisting that this is the only way he can really learn about Earth, but Ezor likes it, so he indulges her.)

Ezor is also a prolific writer and posts her fiction on a GalaNet site known as Repository of Our Own (RO3). She’s a BNF for her favorite (in-universe) RPF ship, and has written the most popular fic for it on the GalaNet. Her secret? She was trolling when she started the fic. She just wanted to piss one half of the ship off, and mock the other (because remember, this is real person fic, she’s writing about people who actually exist). She wasn’t serious about it. But along the way she started believing in her own writing, got invested, got others invested, too, and lo, she ended up as a BNF with the most popular fic in the fandom. Incredible. (And I’d say who it is she’s shipping, but this extends to the canon reality as well in my mind, so . . . #spoilers)

Lotor is still very passionate in anthropology and history and such in this reality as well, and very often he likes to share his findings with Keith, particularly when he finds something that’s incredibly exciting and, he feels, sheds a lot of light on a past culture in a way that can affect the present. Keith is not particularly passionate about history or anthropology himself, but he loves watching and listening to Lotor when Lotor is going on passionately and excitedly about something, so he always listens and follows along and can’t help himself smiling during these times. He also tries to base gifts (for birthdays and holidays and such) around things Lotor told him, if possible. Lotor loves the gifts, because they pertain to his interests, but mostly he just loves that Keith remembered.

Before they met Narti, they survived on scraps stolen from Empire soldiers (particularly considering Ezor’s masterclass level skill at pickpocketing, breaking and entering, et cetera). The Empire soldiers were rich, they could stand to lose some GAC. After they met Narti, she was able to hack into Empire databases to create falsefied identities and credit sticks for them to use. Not like, impersonating real, existing people, but creating people altogether. So, defrauding the Empire in order to steal money from it for their own use while at the same time not hurting innocent civilians. I’m not sure where on the D&D alignment chart this one falls, but it’s definitely in the grey zone at least.

And before they met Ezor, they survived first on money Lotor had taken from the Empire before he was exiled even harder than he was before, and then on whatever scraps they could find around. Adopting a thief into their fold definitely helped them out, let me tell you.

Narti really likes to paint, and her paintings are always somewhat surrealist since she views the world through Kova’s eyes. Nonetheless, surreal and somewhat bizarre or not, Lotor dedicated a large room in the Castle to be a gallery to showcase her artwork, because he genuinely likes it. Somehow, and she doesn’t even get how, but she’s surprised every time he says he’s putting the newest work in the gallery.

Ezor likes to pull pranks, and one of the ways she likes to prank people is by swapping their food out with unexpected things (e.g. salt instead of sugar, onions instead of apples). Shortly after joining she tried one of these pranks on Lotor, and given his history with not being able to trust the food that people give him (poison et cetera), didn’t take it well. He just got up and left, without even saying or doing anything, but it was evident how upset he was about it. Keith went to go check on him while Acxa read Ezor the riot act over it. Truth be told, the lecturing from Acxa didn’t deter Ezor, but seeing how upset Lotor was did. She never pranked him like that again. (The others, though, are fair game, save for Narti. Ezor loves Narti too much to ever prank her. Also, she’s psychic, so that makes it really hard to get one over on her anyway.)

One time a member of one of the auxiliary teams (probably Auxiliary Team Three) asked Ezor (whom he perceived to be the friendliest of the bunch---an incorrect assumption, but common mistake) why she spent so much time with Narti when Narti doesn’t even talk. Ezor replied, “Well, I talk enough for both of us, so shut up.” It was true, and the auxiliary team member didn’t ask again.

The foundation of Acxa’s relationship with the Red Lion is at least 50% spite, because Acxa doesn’t tolerate any of Red’s moody bullshit, and Red is indignant that Acxa thinks she even has moody bullshit to begin with (she does), and thus is highkey determined to prove her wrong and be the best goddamned Lion in the galaxy. She is the best goddamned Lion in the galaxy already, despite all her moodiness, and Acxa firmly believes in that, but . . . well. There’s no need to share that with Red. (Red kind of knows, anyway. They’re vitriolic best buds, tbh.)

Narti loves Ezor dearly, but sometimes the constant chatter gets to be too much even for her. In those times, she’ll often seek out Keith to see if he wants to work on a puzzle (like, one of the thousand piece jigsaw puzzles) together with her. They like doing this together because it’s a nice, quiet activity. Good way to relax.

They’ve had to wrestle pieces out of Kova’s mouth multiple times, however. Usually Narti can get Kova to spit them out, but sometimes . . .

Keith has certain memories that are wholesale repressed due to trauma, to the point where they trigger panic attacks if he thinks on them too hard. I won’t say what the memories are of just now because that’s #spoilers and will be revealed in a fic, but I will say that Narti once tried to unbury them using her abilities to help him, only it severely backfired in a big way. She felt extremely bad, though he didn’t hold it against her, and never tried again.

Narti really likes cooking and always tries to do so because she wants to be helpful and also make the others happy, and she knows that delicious food makes people happy. However, she’s actually a terrible chef, not the least of which because there’s a high probability cat dander gets into whatever she tries to make. Ezor is the only one on the team anymore who will willingly try the things Narti makes.

Acxa, however, actually is a good cook, at least for those recipes of her grandmother’s that she remembers. Keith and Lotor have also gotten better over the years, particularly if they have Acxa there coaching them.

Favorite foods are:

Lotor: He honestly doesn’t care very much so long as whatever he’s eating isn’t poisoned. However, one particular comfort food is a pasta dish (best way to describe it) usually served with naraborec sauce on top.

Keith: Also not picky at all, but he likes meat-based dishes, and once Ezor introduces him to an Earth food called chocolate, he really likes that, too. If he had to pick something specific, he'd probably skip a favorite food and just say that his favorite drink is pechaya juice.

Acxa: A stew that her grandmother used to make when she was a child. It has several different ingredients, but her grandmother always just called it “home and hearth stew,” so that’s what Acxa knows it as. She tries to recreate it as best she can whenever she needs a bit of comfort.

Ezor: Curly fries. Really she loves all kinds of junk food, the greasier the better (she sees no value in eating healthy), but curly fries in particular are her favorite once she discovers them. I’m telling you, the girl loves Earth. This (the fact that she loves curly fries) actually did play a small role in my most recent fic.

Zethrid: Appomeg pie with cream on top.

Narti: Fried doloch (type of aquatic creature), usually with a special kind of sauce on top. Likes to eat fries with them sometimes, but not curly ones, generally.

#series: paradigm shift #might update this with other things at some point #but already there are so many things i almost included but then had to stop myself like #''THAT WILL BE IN THIS ONE FIC I CAN'T POST IT YET THAT'S SPOILERS''#i need to find more time to get all these written istg #also i guess it's kind of spoilers that Ezor was a thief be joining the team but W/E you still don't know the indepth details so #there's still a lot that will be a surprise #prince lotor #keith kogane #acxa #ezor #zethrid #narti #also the real question is: does Narti even have a mouth #i mean she doesn't talk but #does she have a mouth #and if she doesn't then (Tobias voice) how does she eat with no mouth . . .#i'm just going to pretend she has a mouth to make things easier #give the girl a mouth pls @ Dreamworks

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your-dietician · 3 years

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Factor_ Is a Meal Subscription Service for All Kinds of Diets (Including Keto)—But Is It Any Good?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/keto/factor_-is-a-meal-subscription-service-for-all-kinds-of-diets-including-keto-but-is-it-any-good/

Factor_ Is a Meal Subscription Service for All Kinds of Diets (Including Keto)—But Is It Any Good?

As a food writer and home cook, I’ve always been a bit wary of ready-to-eat meal subscriptions. Most seemed too expensive (convenience is pricy, y’all). And despite the time a heat-and-eat meal saves in the kitchen, I wasn’t convinced that it’d be that much tastier than something I could make myself in 30 minutes or less. But when I got an opportunity to try a week’s worth of meals from Factor_, a dietitian-designed, chef-prepared meal service that boasts fresh (never frozen) dinners, I set out to challenge my own assumptions, one bite at a time.

RELATED: The 16 Best Food Subscription Boxes (So You Can Skip a Grocery Run This Week)

Value: 16/20

Functionality: 18/20

Quality: 18/20

Aesthetics: 19/20

Taste*: 18/20

TOTAL: 89/100

What Is Factor_ and How Does It Work?

Factor_, an offshoot of HelloFresh—one of the leading recipe-driven meal kits on the market—is a ready-to-eat meal subscription service. Every week, subscribers can choose from a new batch of more than 20 dietitian-designed, chef-made dinners made with wholesome ingredients. Once you confirm your menu, based on your current diet and food preferences (there are options for various different lifestyles, including keto, low-carb, plant-based and dairy-free dishes), the fully cooked meals are shipped straight to your door. Once they arrive, all you have to do is store them in the fridge until mealtime, then heat them in the oven or microwave to enjoy. The concept? To make eating nutritiously more attainable by cutting out most of the work.

Starting at about $11 a meal, Factor_’s dinners are free of hormones, antibiotics, gluten, added sugars and GMOs. (There are also a handful of breakfast and dessert options available, like their tasty, protein-rich smoothies and shockingly satisfying keto cheesecake.) Better yet, each subscription includes a 20-minute consultation with a dietician, who can help you choose the best meals for your wellness goals and lifestyle.

Read on to hear about each dinner in my meal plan (and see unedited photos of what the food *really* looks like).

Story continues

Wild-caught shrimp with house-made aji verde sauce; red pepper organic cauliflower grits; roasted broccoli with chili-garlic butter

Nutrition: 560 calories, 48g fat, 14g carbs, 24g protein, 5g sugar

If you couldn’t tell from the stats alone, this dish is keto-friendly, since a bit of fiber brings the carb count down to 10 net carbs. And honestly, it was probably my favorite of the lot in terms of flavor. The cauli grits were tender, decadent and creamy with the slightest bit of heat, thanks to the red pepper sauce. The shrimp were *huge* and just the right texture (not at all rubbery, like you might expect from a ready-to-eat meal). Dunked in the garlicky, citrusy aji verde, they were even tastier. The most underwhelming part was definitely the broccoli; it tasted like plain steamed broccoli rather than roasted. The chili garlic butter helped but could’ve been more flavorful.

Taste: 19/20

Chickpea vegetable curry; forbidden black rice and basmati rice blend

Nutrition: 530 calories, 26g fat, 65g carbs, 14g protein, 8g sugar

This dish is a great example of Factor_’s plant-based, vegetarian offerings, and it was hands-down my favorite meatless meal of the three I sampled. The curry had pleasant, subtle heat and bold, warm-spiced flavor. In addition to the chickpeas, which were tender yet firm, there were also greens, red bell peppers and coconut milk in the mix. While I was happy about the rice’s texture (reheating cooked rice is a tricky feat), its flavor was pretty bland; so, I spooned the curry on top and mixed it all together.

Taste: 17/20

Braised grass-fed beef chuck; creamy celery root purée; roasted Brussels sprouts and pearl onions

Nutrition: 560 calories, 29g fat, 28g carbs, 53g protein, 8g sugar

This comforting dish is neck-and-neck with the Peruvian shrimp bowl in terms of deliciousness. It’s soul-warming and cozy in a rustic, homey way. The mashed celery root purée is super creamy and cheesy, while the beef is impeccably juicy and tender. I did expect it to be a tad spicier or smokier because of the name, though. The Brussels sprouts are solid but nothing exceptional; on the other hand, I’m a sucker for pearl onions, and these offered a nice textural element to the dish.

Taste: 19/20

House-made saffron risotto and roasted carrots; red wine tomato sauce; roasted green beans with hazelnut gremolata

Nutrition: 590 calories, 37g fat, 58g carbs, 13g protein, 17g sugar

The aroma of red wine smacked my senses the moment I took it out of the oven. If you’re wondering where the risotto is, it’s buried under all that tomato sauce. It had a great texture but was sort of one-note in flavor, since the tomato sauce basically dominates the plate. I was impressed at how toothsome and fresh tasting the carrots were, unlike mushy reheated or frozen veggies I’ve had in the past. The green beans were buttery and crisp.

Taste: 17/20

Marinated, antibiotic-free chicken breast; house-made creamy Parmesan sauce; roasted broccoli and tomatoes

Nutrition: 670 calories, 49g fat, 17g carbs, 41g protein, 6g sugar

This keto dish clocks in at 13 net carbs, since it’s essentially all protein and produce. The chicken had a nice char that offered a barbecue-inspired smokiness to it. The sauce was creamy, garlicky and cheesy, but I felt it could have used just a touch more salt. The broccoli was like that of the shrimp bowl, but I was so happy to have the juicy blistered tomatoes there for a burst of sweetness.

Taste: 18/20

Fresh salmon with blackened seasoning; house-made roasted mango salsa; coconut-lime black beans and rice

Nutrition: 500 calories, 18g fat, 46g carbs, 40g protein, 13g sugar

Both seafood dishes whole-heartedly impressed me. The salmon fillet itself was super flaky with a buttery, tender texture. The rub on the fish was slightly spicy, so it was just the match for the sweet, summery salsa made with mangoes, tomatoes and bell peppers. The rice had a really mild coconut flavor and was slightly undercooked for my taste; I also didn’t detect any citrus, despite the name. It would have been nice if there were more beans in the rice, too.

Taste: 18/20

Pasture-raised pork chorizo chili; shredded cheddar cheese; sour cream

Nutrition: 570 calories, 44g fat, 13g carbs, 34g protein, 5g sugar

I honestly can’t complain much about a savory heap of meat, cheese and sour cream. (Though I wouldn’t have minded a vegetable in that spare compartment—the empty section of the tray held the cheese before I sprinkled it on top of the meat.) It’s tomatoey, indulgent and comforting. I didn’t notice too pronounced a difference between the chorizo and ground beef chilis I’ve had in the past, but the chorizo did impart some additional heat to the dish. The chili was made with lots of green bell peppers, and I was happy to find sliced scallions in the sour cream.

Taste: 19/20

Green lentils and spiced brown jasmine rice; house-made zhoug sauce (spicy cilantro sauce); caramelized onions; toasted pine nuts

Nutrition: 610 calories, 41g fat, 55g carbs, 14g protein, 7g sugar

This plant-based pick was my least favorite of them all. To be honest, I felt that it would be pretty flavorless without the zesty, herbaceous chimichurri-like cilantro sauce. The toasted pine nuts added crunch and texture, but they weren’t as crispy as they would’ve been if I’d toasted them in the oven myself (after all, they’d been sitting in the fridge all week with the rest of the meal). Some of the lentils were also a bit undercooked.

Taste: 16/20

Price is a major deciding factor. You can score meals for $11.50 a pop if you subscribe for a dozen. If you opt for eight meals a week, they come to $12.38, and for four meals a week, they’re $16 each. At the very least, that’s $64 for four dinners, while the best bang for your buck gets you 12 meals for $138. Personally, $138 gets me about two weeks’ worth of groceries, so Factor_ is on the pricey side for my budget. But I will say it was so nice not having to think about what I was cooking for dinner (and being left with zero cleanup).

My one general complaint would be that every meal took longer to cook than the package read. While the instructions said it should take about 7 minutes tops, each one took about twice that long to be heated through.

At the end of the day, the convenience and price are only really worth it if the meals are actually tasty. IMO, all of them tasted pretty darn good to me, and it was a bonus that they’re made with nutritious, high-quality ingredients. I loved that I didn’t have to worry about my freezer giving the food a funny texture or taste either, since they’re stored in the fridge. If Factor_ is within your budget, the meals’ flavor definitely won’t disappoint.

I’ll also say that if you’re on a low-fat diet, your menu options may be limited. For instance, I used to be on Weight Watchers (now WW) and decided to track some of the dinners in my app to see how many points they’d clock in at—most were at least 19, about 60 percent of my daily allotted points. Alternatively, if you’re on keto or another high-protein, high-fat diet, Factor_ could save you a ton of grocery planning and cooking time. It all comes down to your budget, wellness goals and dietary preferences.

Buy it ($11+/meal)

*Our final taste score was based on the average of the taste scores of each individual meal.

The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend—and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.

RELATED: The 22 Best Food Delivery Services to Try in 2021

PureWow may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from PureWow’s editorial and sales departments.

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robbiejohnsonyr3ax3021 · 3 years

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University – Lip Syncing – Learning to animate a character with Dialogue

After finishing the Lip Sync project, it was time to begin our final project for semester 2, which was animating a lip sync sequence, as well as character interactions from an audio file of our choosing. This project seemed to be taking parts of everything we have done so far this year, which felt like a real test for me to try and show what I have learned throughout the year.

Choosing the Dialogue

Before this project began, over the Easter break I began searching for a piece of audio dialogue on a website frim the brief called “The DAILY.WAV”. I spent a few days checking in and seeing what I could find as there were thousands of options to chose from, however, I had to make sure that whatever I chose was between 8 to 10 seconds long as stated in the brief.

At first I was very close to use a clip from a film called “Torchwood”, where there is a short back and fourth between two characters. The line goes as follows:

Character 1: “ON YOUR KNEES!”

Character 2: “Honestly, it’s just Sex, Sex, Sex with you people.”

(Gun being cocked sound)

Character 1: “NOW!”

I liked this dialogue as both characters seemed to be completely opposite to each other in their attitude, one very serious and demanding, the other un-amused and sarcastic with a hint of wit to him as well. This also gave me a lot of ideas for body language too, such as a slouched lazy look for character two and a large daunting body for character 1.

However, just as I was about to make this decision final, I came across a piece of dialogue from the 90’s cartoon “Pinky and the Brain” where their dialogue goes as follows:

Brain: “Pinky … Are you pondering what I’m pondering?”

Pinky: “I think so Brain, but I get al clammy inside the tent.”

After hearing this line, I had a lot ideas again for both characters body language and movements, however there was one key thing this dialogue had over the other one. Brain speaks at a regular (sometimes slow and exaggerated) speed, whereas Pinky speaks a bit faster, this felt like a good chance for me to learn how to vary the speed of lip syncing for two different characters. Taking what I had learned previously and expanding upon it in a way whilst incorporating everything I had done so far this year as well.

My approach to making the scene

After creating my file and adding a colour card, I imported the audio file into Toon Boom and printed out four dope sheets. As with my previous lip sync project I marked out which frame each word was said and broke them down into sounds, then once again going through and applying my info from the dope sheet onto each frame in Toon Boom, to ensure everything was as accurate as possible.

Once this was done, I spent some time trying to imagine my scene playing out, at this point my tutor contacted me for a quick check in to see how I was doing with the project so far. During our conversation we discussed (and I was reminded) of the over the shoulder shot, where each character has the camera by their shoulder depending on which character is speaking. After discussing this, all the pieces fell into place for me, a four-shot animated piece with two shots featuring both characters and one shot focusing on one of each character of the duo.

I began to draw a rough for each of the settings/ shots for the animation, when suddenly I was met with a question, what was the strange sound effect at the beginning of the clip? At first, I thought it sounded like flies buzzing, but after a listening to the clip a few times, I realised it was a crowd of people laughing. So, I decided to place a TV in the first shot to make it seem like that sound was coming from the TV and that Pinky and the Brain were watching it. From here everything fell into place when knowing most people watch TV together on a sofa and thus the location for the animated piece was set.

Once the setting roughs were complete, I began to draw the character roughs, as mentioned in previous posts, I am not a particularly great artist or have great drawing sills, so instead of attempting to draw Pinky and the Brain, I drew them as two people, but tried to incorporate different head shapes to help present their personalities. Brains head shape came from the idea of creating a lightbulb, thin at the bottom but large and round at the top, which could represent intelligence and be eye catching, I also gave Brain a monobrow as a small reference to Brain’s design in the shoe. For Pinky I tried to keep his design simplistic by giving him a thin body and circular head. Basic shapes and designs could be used to represent simplicity and in comparison, to Brain it may help show the Pinky is not quite as intelligent as Brain.

I then began roughing out the arm and body movements for the two characters, arm movements were drawn in Pink to help make them stand out. The reasoning for this was that I had originally tried to make the arm movements the same colour as the roughs, however even with the onion skin tool on, I kept losing track of each arms original placement, resulting in confusion and sloppy/ laggy arm movements. Its for this reason why the arms where created pink, as well as Brain having a green jaw, as I was experimenting with incorporating a moving skull into Brain design to help emphasise his mouth movements. Speaking of which the final stage I did was adding the lip-sync to each character. By using my previous work as a reference, as well as the previous project’s lesson power point for help, I created the lip sync for each character.

The Feedback

At this point in the project, we are one week into it with one more week left to go and I was at the stage to add a final outline to my characters. But something did not feel right, I had made all this progress but did not have any feedback to improve the work and I also had a lot of time left, so I contacted my tutor for some feedback on my work so far.

My tutor had explained that he liked what I had done with both the arms and eye movements saying that there “…nice bits…”. However, both the heads and bodies seemed lacking in movements and twists, looking more like cut out card that were being shifted around. This was a good eye opener for me for multiple reasons.

Learning somethings new from past work & making changes

In my 3D character turn around project, I had created a character with teapot for a head, which was the focus of the turnaround. I had learned by shifting the positions of features of the character (e.g., the handle and the spout) It helped give the illusion the character was rotating around in a circle. But with human characters, their heads are not the same shape all the way around, so overcoming this felt like I was learning something new from scratch.

I decided to create a new separate layer for both Pinky and Brain’s bodies and heads and animated each of them separately in the colour purple (for the same reasons for the arms being pink). Began with their heads and then worked on the bodies, using the original roughs as a guide for where the head and neck connect.

For Brain, Identifying the head movement was a challenge, as I am also trying incorporate jaw movement to the character, I had to be careful where my green line for the jaw would need to be placed, to the point where it had to be redone entirely in some areas. As for Pinky I had the issue of how do you make a circle rotate? In the previous roughs I had done what I did for my teapot character and just rotated the head features (e.g., ears, nose, etc), but this still did not feel like enough to give a sense of the head rotating. To try and resolve this issue, I gave Pinky a flatter jaw/ bottom of the head area, this helped give the sense of the head rotating and twisting, whilst keeping the design close to what I originally set out to achieve.

As for the bodies, the principles were very similar between the two. I tried to focus on trying to make the rotated shoulder closest to the camera larger and wider, whilst the shoulder furthest away from the camera thinner and smaller. This helped give a sense of the bodies twisting as each character faces towards and away from each other. This was taken slightly further in both third and fourth shot what, I tried to have each character’s body bend, when Pinky talks about his hands getting clammy, I bent the body forward as if he is leaning in towards Brain to emphasise his point. As a response to this in the fourth shot, Brain goes from leaning towards Pinky to leaning backwards and turning his body from being twisted to straight, to show a sense of both disgust and confusion in both the head and body movements.

Once all the new movements and facial features where added I began to add the final outline in black. I tried to go over my black lines as fewer times as possible, to keep the designs as smooth and less rough looking as possible. This also applies for the lip sync, which in some cases I had to question how many frames I was making some of the mouth movements last, especially with Brain. This was due to some of his lines cutting off too soon with lines such as pondering, this only applied for few frames and was a quick fix by extending the length of the mouth movements before going into the next one.

Applying the colour

The final step once I had finished the outline was to add colour to the work. At first, I was a little concerned that some lines were going to overlap and not look as intended, but after colouring in most the animation these issues never really came to life, just a few minor tweaks to the heads and necks of the characters.

I was faced with one issue whilst colouring though, that was on some occasions the characters bodies would fail to be colour in with the paint tool. At first, I thought it was just the lines were not quite connecting off screen, however this was not the case as on close inspections, I could not find any gaps. The issue was some lines where so short in their thickness that (I think) the paint tool was unable to identify a line being there in the first place. So going forward, every time I got to a frame where the paint tool did not work, I would go over all my lines with a slightly thicker brush and this usually worked out fine. The same issue also applied to the colour for the settings, where I created a bubble of sorts in the areas, I wanted the floor, walls, and sofa colours to be, as well as re-drawing the outlines for the sofa as the character colours overlaid the lines for the sofa (which were originally erased as a cautionary measure for reducing

issues colouring in the characters).

Once all the colouring was complete, I exported my work again and uploaded it into my area as a version 1 of my work. When our next lesson came around, our tutor informed us that the hand in date for this project would be pushed back for the 4th of May, this gave me time to review my work and make changes.

Additional changes made, and tablet troubles

Before starting to make changes and fixes to my work something happened at either fortunate or unfortunate timing depending how you see it (I am still unsure). My drawing tablet pen had broke and would not sync to the drawing tablet, unfortunately due to the brand of the sketch tablet being of a specific make, I am still struggling to find a replacement pen, as it doesn’t appear to be compatible with other brands and I can only find bundle deals ranging between £79.99 and £150 which is at the moment a bit much for me. This means for this part of the project I had to learn how to draw carefully using a mouse.

To begin with I felt the opening shot was a bit empty with just the TV and sofa, so I added a rug in front of the sofa, a door in the background and a window showing green hills and buildings in the distance. These were created with the “Ellipse Tool” and “Rectangle Tool” as well as holding shift whilst drawing, to help achieve a more accurate outcome to what I would have tried to make with a pen.

Within this first shot, I had given Brain some eyebrow movement by using key frames for the movement. I decided to add two more key frame movements for some clouds in the sky as well as a flock of birds in a V formation. I was originally going to try and give the birds more of a design, but again struggled with the accuracy of using the mouse, So I had to make V shapes this time around.

The one thing I could not ignore however was Brain’s neck in the second shot, as in one section of the animation, his neck goes from one regular size, to large and round and back to short again. I went through each frame this giga neck appeared in and using the select tool deleted them, once this was done, I tried to redraw the neck. At first, I struggled with this with stiff lines being made as I tried to use the mouse, eventually I figured out that by zooming in a lot, into the area I was drawing in I could get more accurate movement, closer to what I was wanting with minor errors to fix, due to how far I was zoomed in. I then went back through each frame and recoloured the neck.

Lastly, whilst re-watching my work, I realised that some of my original roughs had stayed in shot over Pinky in the fourth shot. This was a quick simple fix as I deleted each frame where the rough layer was showing and filled in the erased section with the background colours for both sofa and the walls. Once finished, this was exported once again and uploaded as Version 2 in my Teams area.

Conclusion

Overall, this Project had a lot of twists and turns whilst creating it. From implementing what I have done so far this year and refining some of those skills. There was a lot to take on board with this one and I am overall happy with what I have produced.

However, there is always room for improvement the most notable one being I need to practice drawing within a 3-dimensional state when it comes to creating characters and gaining a better understanding how to implement bending and twisting movements. I would have also given Pinky a little bit of a jolt in his body and head movement when Brain pulls him over in the second shot, but unfortunately due to the pen issue and the time constraints, this would not be achievable in time.

But I also feel like I can walk away from this project happy from learning quite a few new things, such as gaining a slightly better understanding of applying twists to character bodies and heads, implementing jaw movement to a character’s dialogue, gaining a better understanding of how to implement varying speeds to lip syncing and refining my knowledge of creating key frames for movement.

Since this is our final project for Semester 2, I am unsure what is next, But I will try and implement all the new skills I have learned into whatever comes next.

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