#unlimited iceland | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sukacheri · 4 months

Text

RitsuIzu Week 2023 Day 6 - Embarrassment

rosy [AO3 or Keep Reading below]

ritsuizu | pre-relationship | 2.2k words

Knights takes a 23 hour flight to Iceland so they can do a photo shoot. After hours of chaos, Izumi just wants to enjoy the peace and quiet when they finally all fall asleep. It's never that easy.

Six hours left.

Not that Izumi normally kept track of the time remaining whenever he traveled. What was the point? You’d get there when you get there. If you were late, it was your own fault for not planning properly.

If this were one of his routine flights, he’d be landing around now, maybe even already at baggage claim picking up his sleek black suitcase. Milan to Japan, Japan to Milan, they both averaged out to 13 hours. On those flights, he tried to sleep as much as possible — he invested in a high quality, very expensive, neck pillow for that very purpose — and if he was lucky he’d have passed most of the time that way with a good eight hour sleep.

However, those flights were not this one.

Those flights didn’t have four idiots bouncing their energy off each other. Those flights had the presence of the public to subdue any urges to have an outburst or cause a scene. Those flights were not private with an unlimited refreshment bar that was being ransacked like kids at Christmas.

Now, some of those other transcontinental travels Izumi went on did have Leo aboard, but Izumi booked their seats separately. As far apart as he could, in fact. Leo would be someone else’s problem for half a day.

It had taken about twelve hours for Knights to calm down — Izumi thought they burnt out around seven, but Arashi had, unfortunately, found a karaoke machine. It did not mean his maturity dropped when he joined in for a few songs. Not when he had been directly challenged by that red-headed brat.

Izumi huffed, glancing back at the rest of Knights sleeping in their seats. Tsukasa had a neck pillow hanging around his shoulders, and he slumped against Arashi wearing her sleep mask, a “cute” (tacky) design with green cat eyes staring back at him. Leo slept in the next row over, taking up 3 seats to lounge out, and forgoing any sort of comfort such as a pillow or blanket. And Ritsu was…

Not there.

Izumi narrowed his eyes. He was sure Ritsu was back there the last time he checked, Izumi didn’t remember him walking past at least. He could have gone to the bathroom, but that would require believing he was a mature and sensible adult, and not Ritsu Sakuma.

Where would someone stupid go?

The overhead bins. (Izumi knew this from experience after traveling with Leo for so long.)

But where would someone annoying go?

Izumi felt under his seat, barely keeping his hand from reeling back after touching what was definitely hair.

“Kuma-kun,” he hissed, leaning his head down to look under the seat. Red eyes and a frustrating smirk looked up at him.

“Hi Secchan. I love it when you pet my hair, it makes me feel like you’ll take me home one day like a stray cat.”

“Will you shut up? God, this is so annoying,” Izumi said. He considered pushing Ritsu to go sleep with Leo or something, but painful experience told him if Ritsu had chosen to crawl and lay here, it was because he specifically wanted to pester Izumi.

Ritsu waited patiently to be told off, his sleepy smirk remaining happily on his face. Izumi was very tempted to just kick him, but no, he was mature and not an idiot.

“Move your ass and sit up here or something. You’re laying on my needles.”

Ritsu’s smirk deepened. “Is that an invitation to sit with you?”

“Are you stupid?” Silence. Whatever. “Yes. So move, I need to work.”

While Ritsu crawled out of the impossibly small space that existed underneath airplane seats, Izumi grabbed his knitting needles and a ball of thick violet yarn. He mourned his would-be quiet time as he unraveled a bit of yarn and started to cast on his needle.

“Who are you making that for?” Ritsu asked, taking the middle seat and essentially trapping Izumi against the window.

Izumi’s lip twitched. Observant men were so annoying.

“Why would I be making anyone anything?” He kept his eyes on his needles and loops, not wanting to have a mistake in the start and only realize it 20 rows later.

Ritsu hummed next to him, the noise far closer to Izumi’s ear than he would’ve liked, sending prickly goosebumps raising all over his arms. At least he was wearing a turtleneck. You learned to cover as much skin as possible when it came to dodging Ritsu’s prying eyes.

Plus, it kept his neck safe considering the whole pseudo-vampire thing, whatever was going on with that.

“It’s not for me. You would be too embarrassed to make it right in front of me,” Ritsu observed. “But Secchan waited until he thought everyone else was asleep to start it, so it’s down to Tsukipi, Nacchan, or Suu-chan.”

“Or it could be that you’re all so loud and annoying, and I had to wait until you fell asleep so I could actually get some work done. Huh, I wonder what the more likely option is?”

“Violet doesn’t really match Tsukipi, so probably not for him,” Ritsu continued, blatantly ignoring Izumi.

He clicked his tongue, sparing a sideways glare at Ritsu.

In return he gets the same half-awake smile as before.

“Hmph. Leo-kun wouldn’t know fashion if it hit him in the face. Him or the brat. Kasa-kun’s lucky he has maids to dress him.” He turned his focus back to the knitting, double checking the loops for any inconsistencies and resuming once satisfied he hadn’t botched it.

Ritsu shrugged next to him. “Well, Tsukipi is Tsukipi, there’s no changing that. And Suu-chan is rich, so he’s always wearing something presentable. Even if it doesn’t hold up to Secchan’s ridiculously high standards. Also,” he paused. “Ah, hey. No changing the topic. I’m playing my favorite game here.”

“What game?” Izumi scowled, wishing he could swat Ritsu away with a giant fly swatter. Even mosquitos weren’t this pestering.

“Making Seccahn red with embarrassment. My high score is FF2400.”

Izumi opened his mouth, irritation laden throughout him and ready to spill, but at the jumble of numbers he paused. Numbers? What do numbers have to do with this?

The realization dawning on him nearly made him stumble on a loop as he leveled a sharp glare at Ritsu.

“Fuck off with the fucking hexadecimal. How fucking immature can you be? I’m surrounded by the world’s dumbest people at all times,” Izumi snapped. “How the hell do you even know that? Actually, don’t answer. And watch your mouth, or I’ll find a better use for these needles.”

“Mm, Secchan’s gonna stab me.” Ritsu invaded his space with no further warning, draping himself across Izumi’s shoulder.

Izumi really did want to stab him, and only the thought about having to take a layover for medical attention and add onto the seemingly endless travel time held him back. His skin prickled with frustration, but that wasn’t uncommon whenever he talked to Ritsu. In fact, it’d be concerning if he didn’t feel on the verge of hives the entire time he exchanged words with him.

It was a requirement of dealing with Ritsu to accept you were going to be handled in overly affectionate ways, and somehow the touching was far easier to deal with than the other man’s grating words. So, Izumi let him stay. If he was lucky, Ritsu would fall asleep on his shoulder and finally shut up.

“Nacchan or Suu-chan. Hm…”

Izumi’s fingers clench around his needles and he puts more force than necessary into making a loop that would tear a thinner strand of yarn. This conversation was going to give him a headache if Ritsu refused to drop it, so with a tight exhale Izumi explained.

“It’s for Kasa-kun. He forgot to pack his scarf.” Ritsu smiled into his shoulder, which sent a horrifying fluttery rush through him which he promptly ignored. “Scarves are easy. And I brought my yarn to pass time anyways, so it’s not like I’m really doing anything.”

Ritsu hummed, wrapping his arm around Izumi’s and forcing himself closer than he had any good reason to be, but again Izumi forgoes commenting on it. It was what Ritsu would want him to do.

“I see, well if that’s what Secchan says, then it must be, mmm… 60% of the truth.”

“I’m not lying, so I have no idea what else you want from me.”

Fingers tap against his arm. “I want the other 40%, what you’re not saying. You admit you’re making a scarf for Suu-chan — which is so sweet and just like you by the way — but there must be more. Did you already make something else while everyone was distracted? When was it? I was asleep for a bit when we first took of—”

Izumi went painfully still, keeping his face as blank as he could. His time spent in front of a camera and on runways should give him a better grasp at maintaining a poker face, and yet his cheeks started to burn.

“Ah, I see,” Ritsu purred. “A gift for me.”

Izumi resisted grinding his teeth together as the heat in his face grew. But now that Ritsu had said it, Izumi refused to give him the satisfaction of teasing him as he fruitlessly tried to deny it.

“Whatever. It’s not a gift,” Izumi started, eyes narrowing as smugness began to ooze off Ritsu. He continued quickly before Ritsu could get a word in, “It’s for utility, so that when we get there and do our photo shoot, you won’t be able to sneak out of it by bitching about how cold your hands are. Because I know you’ll do that, then just go over to wherever they’ll have hot chocolate. And then you’ll drag Kasa-kun over to indulge his sweet tooth, and Leo-kun will go over too because he hates being left out of delinquency.”

“Wow. Secchan’s thought up a whole story to excuse him doing something nice out of the kindness of his heart.”

“Shut up.”

“So gloves to keep my hands warm, huh?” Ritsu tapped his chin with his finger. “Interesting. I could have sworn you also bought my current gloves last winter. Are you so neurotic that you want me to have a new pair each year?”

“It’s not gloves. I’m well aware you have gloves already.” Hot embarrassment flooded through Izumi, but he forced the next words out of his mouth before he could decide he’d be better off burning what he made and throwing the ashes out the window. “It’s mittens to go over your stupid gloves. Because I know you’ll be so annoying and bitchy about the weather even though the gloves should be perfectly fucking fine and keep you warm. So, whatever. I made some.”

For a moment, all Izumi heard was the sound of the wind rushing past the plane outside and his own heart beating quickly in his ears. He had kept his eyes trained on his knitting so he wouldn’t have to look at Ritsu, but as the silence stretched he couldn't help but glance over.

Ritsu’s cheeks were dusted with a rosy red.

When he caught Izumi’s eye, he quickly tried to bring his eyebrows down from where they had risen and pulled a smooth smirk on his face.

“Secchan curses like a middle schooler, but he’s as sincere as always.”

“Whatever. You act like you don’t give a crap about it, but aren’t you always happy to get something?”

Ritsu poked his cheek, turning Izumi’s face to make him look back down at his knitting.

“You should stay focused on finishing Suu-chan’s scarf. He’s too stubborn to complain if he gets cold,” Ritsu said. “C’mon, finish up, finish up. I’ll hold the yarn ball, that way I can say we both made it.”

Izumi begrudgingly moved his fingers again, letting Ritsu grab the thick ball of yarn. “You can take all the credit. Better than him thinking he can get shit from me whenever he wants.”

“Mm, he wouldn’t believe me for a second if I said it was all me. But since that’d be funny to argue about with him, I’ll do it.” Ritsu let out a small laugh, already enjoying his hypothetical argument with Tsukasa.

Izumi continued knitting, working rows upon rows into the scarf while Ritsu fulfilled his simple job of keeping enough yarn unrolled for Izumi to use. Their conversation turned to other topics, such as the idiotic decision to let the fans vote on their photo shoot location (because who the hell wanted to go to Iceland when it wasn’t summer? So much for embracing the midnight sun). And when their talking hit lulls, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just a simple silence, a pause of conversation.

Besides, Izumi was pretty sure Ritsu started napping partway through. Eerily able to keep his hands moving to unroll the yarn despite his closed eyes and small breaths.

By the time there was one hour left to go, the other members of Knights woke up and attempted to get some final rounds of karaoke in. Izumi denied their invitations with a glare, even if getting up and gaining some blood flow back into his legs didn’t sound like a terrible idea. He had a lump of deadweight drooling all over his shoulder, and he knew he’d never hear the end of it if he got up now.

#ritsuizu #izuritsu #ensemble stars fic #izumi sena #ritsu sakuma #my writing

12 notes · View notes

soleminisanction · 1 year

Text

An earlier ask reminded me that there’s still one sequence of Batgirl (2009) that I’ve always wanted to break down because my frustration with it is palpable so…why not. This is as good a time as ever. Let’s talk about Issue 24 and extended fantasy sequence that makes up the very end of this series.

See, apparently—and I have not been able to find a first-hand record of the interview that confirms this, so take it with a grain of salt—Brian Q. Miller decided that, since the universe was getting reset in the wake of Flashpoint, his Batgirl was getting canceled and Stephanie was getting retconned out of existence for the New52, he would use a fantasy sequence in the final issue show off all the wonderful ideas he never got to do because of editorial meddling or whatever. Which is… fine. Y’know? I get it, it’s utterly self-indulgent but not an invalid way to deal with your book getting canceled before you can finish all you set out to do.

The thing is though, sequences like this don’t just exist in the vacuum of their Doylist explanation. The entire narrative point of fantasy sequences like this, whether they’re fear gas, or lotus eater machines, or especially the Black Mercy, isn’t just to have a cool spectacle for the audience to look at, it’s to take a part of the character’s inner life and put it on display for everyone to see.

So the question I’m asking here is: what does a Watsonian reading of finale sequence say about Our Heroine, Stephanie Brown?

Quick primer for those of you who may be unfamiliar: the Black Mercy is an Alan Moore creation, originally introduced in the story he wrote with Dave Gibbons for 1985’s Superman Annual #11 – “For the Man Who has Everything.”

If you’re my age, you may be more familiar with this story as a fantastic episode of Justice League Unlimited, which has the notable distinction of being the only Alan Moore adaptation that the old warlock actually likes. The basic story of both is the same: Batman and Wonder Woman (and, in the comic, the Jason Todd Robin) arrive at the Fortress of Solitude for Superman’s birthday, only to find that Mongul has trapped Supes under the influence of the Black Mercy, a magical alien parasite that digs its vines into its victim’s chest while trapping their minds in an illusion of their ideal perfect life.

“For the Man Who has Everything” is regarded as one of the best Superman stories ever written so it’s honestly kind of a surprise that the Black Mercy has only shown up a handful of times since then. But I’m not complaining, because it means the concept hasn’t been diluted much… with this appearance in Batgirl being a notable exception, in weird ways that make me really wonder what was intentional and what wasn’t.

See, this whole thing starts when Steph confronts her father, Arthur Brown, alias the Cluemaster, in his prison cell. And Arthur—a second-rate Riddler knock-off whose only experience outside of Gotham was an extremely brief Suicide Squad adventure to Iceland where everybody died—just, has a Black Mercy, an incredibly rare and dangerous magical alien super plant, sitting in his prison cell. As you do.

Arthur then puts Steph under the Mercy’s influence to cover his escape from the cell, but he doesn’t subject her to the Black Mercy for real, he crushes one of the blossoms and blows it in her face, which his dialogue implies is something he regularly does to himself as a recreational experience.

Which means that, despite the following pages making a big freaking deal about “spores in her system” and Barbara gushing about how special Stephanie is for being able to, quote, “fight the Mercy and win,” it’s all a load of shit. Arthur didn’t need to be rushed to the hospital every time he took this drug, so it would follow the Stephanie doesn’t either.

That would actually make a lot of sense for Arthur as a character—for all his faults, he’s usually written as caring for his family and not wanting Stephanie permanently hurt (a sentiment she generally doesn't return). Hell, his last appearance before this one was trying to get revenge for her death. If that was intentional, it would mean that in the above panel, Stephanie knows that Barbara’s conclusion about her “fighting the Mercy” is full of shit and just, isn’t telling her.

I have no confidence that it was intentional—given the rest of the series I think it’s far more likely that Miller & Co. just didn’t want the icky flower vines to mess up Steph’s boobies and thus came up with a convoluted alternative that they immediately forgot the rules for—but I wish it was because it would actually be an interesting character turn. Black Mercy stories usually hinge on the emotional climax of the enraptured hero choosing to give up the beautiful illusion of a life they can never have in order to return to the hard world where they have real friends and heroic responsibilities waiting for them. Just ask anyone who still cries over this scene:

Stephanie not getting that moment and only escaping because it’s a temporary drug would imply that she’s still very susceptible to her own desires. It’s a way that she’s fallen short compared to others who’ve been subjected to the full Black Mercy experience. And who knows, maybe she could’ve pulled herself out of it if the illusion had lasted longer… but maybe she wouldn’t have. She can’t know. And that doubt could sit with her.

It doesn't. But it could, in a better story.

And then there’s the illusion itself. Keep in mind as we go through this, this montage, in-universe, represents Stephanie’s idea of her ideally perfect life. Just for comparison, in “For the Man Who has Everything,” Superman’s ideal life has him living on Krypton as a normal man, married with children, happy and content in his normal life. Batman saw his parents’ murder foiled and the life that could have unfolded without that tragedy to define it. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), in another story, saw a world where his parents never died, his family is happy together, and his mentor Sinestro never turned evil.

Stephanie? Stephanie sees herself as Batgirl, posing dramatically and beating up random street thugs in a metaphorical continuation of her current status quo. Then there’s a sequence where she’s fighting the Queen of Fables alongside the four female heroes, all of whom except for Supergirl literally appeared out of nowhere in the last issue with no explanation because we need to pretend that Stephanie is very popular and well-liked and not a stuck-up loner who rarely leaves Gotham City and almost never talks to anybody but her boyfriend when she does.

But y’know, this scene makes sense right? Steph dreams of being a successful superhero and fantasizes about going on grand superhero adventures with other superheroes, fine. That’s all well and good.

Then comes the Blackest Night page which is just... ugh.

I am so glad DC vetoed this idea because it’s genuinely embarrassing. I get (finally! it several painful re-reads) that what Miller has been trying to do with Stephanie this entire book is pretend that she can be Captain America or Superman: a character who doesn’t so much develop or change as they do lead by example and inspire others to have hope for the future just by being themselves. So of course when he hears that Blue Lanterns are powered by hope he neeeeeeds that for his precious Batgirl—an idea that he apparently carried over to the Smallville Season 11 comics, but we’ll come back to that in a moment.

The problem of course being that Stephanie had never been that kind of character before Brian Miller decided she should be, and he did absolutely nothing to work his way up to earning her that status. So shit like this comes across as, frankly, blatant attempts to turn her into a Mary Sue, especially with how badly he refused to deal with her actual history and established character.

But again, remember: in-universe, this illusion isn’t being imposed on Stephanie, it’s being created by her, by her mind. This is part of her greatest desire. So where other heroes long to be safe and happy, surrounded by their families, Stephanie, apparently, wants nothing less than to be a literal Messiah figure. And I’m not exaggerating there—Blue Lanterns are supposed to be the holiest beings in the universe.

Just… the ego that implies. Yeesh.

After that comes a black-and-white photograph implying a time travel adventure where the three Batgirls (presumably from different eras in their own timelines) go back to 1944 to fly with the (male) Blackhawks. I’m not going to post it because there’s not really anything to say about it and this is already a long post but Stephanie’s stupid utility garter belt is drawn so HUGE it takes up her ENTIRE THIGH almost up to the crotch and it’s super distracting.

Then comes this scene.

Which mostly just drives home how much Steph hates her boring average school life given that she’s fantasizing about being attacked by supervillains at her graduation so her secret identity can be exposed to her entire graduating class. Thing is though, you’d think this should be a nightmare. Her identity has been exposed! She’s being attacked out in the open by supervillains and she doesn’t have her gear or weapons! Her classmates and—explicitly up in the audience—her mother are in danger, because Stephanie is Batgirl!

But because this is a Black Mercy illusion, we know it’s not a nightmare. This is, explicitly, something that Stephanie wants to happen. It’s part of her fantasy life, her greatest desire. And yeah, if we’re being generous, she probably isn’t thinking that people are going to get hurt. In her fantasy, she probably just gets to show off and save the day and be venerated as Gotham University’s Great Hero, like Buffy getting crowned the Sunnyville Class Protector. But even that, the most generous of readings, implies that she has never internalized the lesson that she should have learned back in War Games re: the great power of being a superhero coming with great responsibility. It absolutely flies in the face of anybody’s attempts to insist that no really, she’s only doing this whole superhero thing because she cares about other people SO MUCH.

Following that is page of what’s clearly Neo-Gotham, flashing forward many years into the future, where Steph is wrangling some kid into bed (while wearing her wedding ring on the second knuckle because otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see it and that might imply she’s a single mom) with the Batsignal shining out the window.

Which leads us, at last, to the page I have the most to say about, and the one that is my biggest inspiration for make this post:

I. Hate. This page.

I hate it because it gets regularly reposted without context on Tumblr and Reddit so the Steph simps can gush over how much they wish it was real and how Stephanie should get to be every single member of the Batfamily because she’s just so awesome and not one of them ever stops to think about what any of it would or should actually mean in-universe or out.

This page exists because Brian Q. Miller was originally a writer on Smallville. He joined the team around Season 5, served as showrunner for Season 10, and used the connections he made there to get some comic book jobs, including Batgirl and the spin-off comic Smallville Season 11. In “Season 11,” they finally showed the Smallville version of Gotham City and Batman, who is accompanied by only a single sidekick: not Robin, but Barbara Gordon as an (adult) female Nightwing who eventually becomes a Blue Lantern (hence the Blackest Night page earlier).

Now again, I cannot find the original source for this so I’m going off fandom rumor and wiki trivia, but supposedly, Brian’s original pitch was that the Smallville character would also be Stephanie, making her the only Batfamily member to ever exist in that universe. DC’s editors supposedly made him switch to Barbara instead, which was smart of them, because it’s way more likely that the people picking up the Smallville comic would be excited to see her, one of the most famous pop-culture characters ever invented, and not a satellite character like Stephanie who’s only familiar to a niche market. (This for the record is the same reason Babs is the Batgirl in Gotham Knights.)

So that’s the out-of-universe explanation for why Brian would stick this idea here, but stop and think about this for half a second: why the fuck would Stephanie want to be Nightwing?

Nightwing is not like Batman, Batgirl, or even Robin, it’s not a larger symbol with a legacy behind it. If you say the word Nightwing in the DC Universe, you’re referring to only one of two things: either you’re Kryptonian and you’re referencing a legendary figure from your lost planet’s mythology (either a god or a culture hero depending on the continuity), or you’re talking about Dick Grayson. Every other character who has ever taken on the name in a non-Kryptonian context has done so because of their relationship to Dick: either to piss him off (Jason), because they were inspired by him (Cheyenne Freemont, the Nightwings, Nite-Wing in a negative capacity), or in memoriam/penance after his death (Damian in the first Injustice game).

But Stephanie doesn’t have that kind of relationship with Dick. At this point in her career, they’d barely spoken, and all of their meaningful interactions had been with him as Batman. Nightwing means nothing to her. She has no emotional connection to identity, not even the desire to be “part of the legend” that drove her to chase Robin and Batgirl. So then, why? Why is this part of her fantasy?

Well… because if Batgirl isn’t the second-most popular superhero in the franchise after the Big Bat himself, then Nightwing is. And all Stephanie has apparently ever wanted is to be everybody’s favorite superhero, loved and adored and told how she’s so very special and wonderful, forever.

---

In Conclusion – As you might’ve noticed back in the panels where Steph was getting dosed, Brian Miller actually calls out his own bookending, having started the story with a climax where Steph got exposed to a fear-gas-based-anger drug and ended it with one where she encounters the Black Mercy. Like I’ve said before, the narrative purpose of hallucination sequences like this are to lay the characters’ psyches bare and show us who they really are on the inside.

In issue 3, Stephanie’s anger/fear gas exposure (and the resulting philosophically frustrating speech) presents Stephanie as someone whose primary motivation is her own self-interest, the sense of control and personal triumph she gets from being a superhero. All through the series, the way she handles her rare rescues (and, even more tellingly, the few people who don’t immediately recognize her greatness) only backs that up.

And now, the Black Mercy sequence, the very last thing to happen in the entire series, just solidifies it: after 24 issues, she hasn’t changed. Her only desire, the only thing she cares about, is that she gets to be a badass superhero who goes on adventure after adventure without worry or care for anyone around her, even after multiple people have literally died over the course of just this book. Who cares? They’re not Stephanie, so they don’t matter. It’s all about her.

I will never understand what anyone saw in this series.

#stephanie brown #batgirl #batgirl 2009 #meta #dc comics #dc comics meta #stephanie brown critical #batgirl 2009 critical #brian q miller #my writing #my meta #and with this I may finally have this series out of my system #at least until I decide to string all my various essays into a video or something lol

50 notes · View notes

vineofroses · 3 months

Note

Nice Ask Week! I have 2 questions for you. First, you’re tasked with planning and preparing a dinner for 10 people. You’re allowed to have 2 people help you, but the only people available are the Lone Star characters. Which 2 do you ask to help?

Second question: You have 10 days and unlimited funds to go on a trip. Where do you go?

ooooh these are fun! and also first off these two questions weirdly relate to my life right now 😭

1. Definitely Carlos and Paul! I see those dinners Carlos prepares for him and TK and I'm like, sir, can I have please have some. And Paul always seemed to contribute the best meals at the firehouse.

As it happens, I'm throwing a dinner party for my birthday in February where there are going to be 10 people and I have no idea what to do for food. If only Carlos and Paul were real lol

2. I am currently planning a trip to Italy (16 days though) and it's stressing me out, mostly because I'm like, ma'am how are we paying for everything lol. but we're just going with it. However unlimited funds would be super helpful and lower my stress levels significantly!!! Italy obviously is my answer but for the sake of the game I would also tack on Iceland.

#nice ask week

5 notes · View notes

stephannatural · 4 months

Text

Iceland will tunnel into a volcano to tap into virtually unlimited geothermal power

3 notes · View notes

gemsofgreece · 1 year

Note

❀ & ♡

♡ : which languages do you speak/have you learned in school?

I was taught English and German in school. (Besides Modern and Ancient Greek obvi). I am currently learning Spanish, Finnish and Latin through apps on my own time. And trying to practice my German again.

❀ : which language(s) would you like to speak fluently?

All the aforementioned ones hehe especially German because I once got two certificates but at this point I feel like I was taught this language in some dream… Wie schade!

In a world where I would have unlimited brain capacity, I would also like to know Icelandic, Albanian, Chinese and Māori or some other Polynesian language.

#languages #language stuff #language ask game #ask game #ask #samodivas

12 notes · View notes

fruitbatwoman · 1 year

Text

Hi Tumblr, I'm back!

Anyone miss me? 😘

I still live in Iceland and published a few stories in the meanwhile, for example, my first self-published little ebook:

Tröll, Álfar, Hestar: 3 Magical Short Stories Inspired by Iceland

What if all the myths and legends surrounding Iceland are true? What if there is a troll under every bridge, elves hidden behind the veil, and wicked horses lurking in the water? In this adventurous, romantic, and magical collection of three short stories, fantasy collides with reality, as tourists and travelers experience a modern take on Icelandic folk tales.

📚 You can add and review it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62227643-tr-ll-lfar-hestar

📖 And of course buy it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCQS7G5M

It's also currently free with Kindle Unlimited!

✍️ More of my stories and other irregular author updates are on my website: https://fruitbatwoman.wordpress.com/

#short story #short stories #ebook #book #books #self published #kindleunlimited #mythology #fantasy #folktales #iceland #author #indie author #writing

39 notes · View notes

juni-ravenhall · 4 months

Text

if i had unlimited sc i would buy both the new magic horses and the unicorn and icey from last year....

i love the gingerbread horse. its maybe sso's best magic horse so far and looks delicious. the ice horse is really cool too mostly bc of the shifts in colour/tone looking very neat. the snowy icelandic is just overall big brain and adorable (wish that was an effect every horse could have instead). the unicorn is pretty even if id have preferred it on another breed, but i love the sparkles.

but so far i only bought the gingerbread gnome (350sc >:/ ) and i can only afford buying 1 horse before id be out of sc so idk

4 notes · View notes

mirai-desu · 8 months

Text

Eurovision and Eurodance

There's been a lot questions lately about the Eurovision Song Contest thanks to a certain popular Eurodance meme (which btw, the chorus to that song is very similar to a Eurovision song:

youtube

"Flying the Flag" by Scooch (United Kingdom 2007 - 22nd Place)

Also simply know as Eurovison or ESC, it's a televised music competition held by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members that began in 1956 to bring Europe together after WWII.

I want to stress that any genre of music can be a Eurovision song. As long has it has some lyrics. Not every entry is trying to be a meme and there's several songs you might know that you didn't know were Eurovision songs, ranging from "Volare" to Duncan Laurence's "Arcade' (which you might know as "loving you is a losing game" from TikTok). And also "Waterloo" by ABBA!

Eurodance at Eurovision

Up until 1999, Eurovision had a live orchestra, and most of the music was performed live. Arguably the first Eurodance song at ESC, "Ooo Aah… Just a Little Bit" had to a have computers on stage to have the "instruments" present:

youtube

"Ooh Aah… Just A Little Bit" by Gina G (United Kingdom 1996 - 8th place)

Thus, ESC was still mostly focused on pop that translated well with live instruments in the late '90s. And into the 2000s when backing tracks were required, the upbeat genre that ESC was more into was what I'd classify as "ethno bangers." Not that there isn't some crossover into what's traditionally referred to as "Eurodance" and many dance subgenres, but it was not quite the same thing, at least in my opinion. Your personal criteria may vary - I want to stress I'm not the authority on the minutiae of musical genres (and here's a post on Eurobeat vs. Eurodance btw).

Today, ESC still requires live lead vocals (and backing vocals had to live up until 2021), and being that the songs are performed live on TV, you'll hear some shakier vocals on my following examples… (although for anything from 2016 onward I didn't use the ESC performances due to geoblocking). Not to say that dance breaks haven't been popular in the last few years, and that choreography hasn't been heavy, especially with ethno bangers, but just that Eurodance hasn't always lended itself to having polished and flawless executions.

And of course, there are plenty of songs that I feel do fit the Eurodance category, including some performed by big names, such as:

youtube

"Follow My Heart" by Ich Troje feat. Real McCoy (Poland 2006 - Did not qualify for the final)

youtube

"Look Away" by Darude feat. Sebastian Rejman (Finland 2019 - DNQ)

youtube

"Vampires Are Alive" by DJ Bobo (Switzerland 2007 - DNQ)

"Glorious" by Cascada (Germany 2013 - 21st)

"Ne Ver Ne Boysia Ne Prosi" by t.A.T.u. (Russia 2003 - 3rd)

"Don't Play That Song Again" by Nicki French (United Kingdom 2000 - 16th)

A lot of ESC songs fall under the genre of schlager, as well as songs I'd classify as just EDM, and some with dubstep, especially as time has gone on. Many of the following songs to me are more a mix of genres than purely "Eurodance", but I think people seeking out similar songs will enjoy these:

"No Goodbyes" by Linda Wagenmakers (Netherlands 2000 - 13th)

"Sameyach" by PingPong (Israel 2000 - 22nd)

"No Dream Impossible" by Lindsay Dracass (United Kingdom 2001 - 15th)

"1 Life" by Xandee (Belgium 2004 - 22nd)

"Let Me Try" by Luminita Anghel & Sistem (Romania 2005 - 3rd)

"Tornerò" by Mihai Traistariu (Romania 2006 - 4th)

"This Is My Life" by Euroband (Iceland 2008 - 14th)

"Wolves of the Sea" by Pirates of the Sea (Latvia 2008 - 11th)

"DJ, Take Me Away" by Deep Zone & Balthazar (Bulgaria 2008 - DNQ)

"Lose Control" by Waldo's People (Finland 2009 - 25th)

"Run Away" by Sunstroke Project & Olia Tira (Moldova 2010 - 22nd; "Epic Sax Guy")

"Je Ne Sais Quoi" by Hera Björk (Iceland 2010 - 19th)

"Love Unlimited" by Sofi Marinova (Bulgaria 2012 - DNQ)

"It's My Life" by Cezar (Romania 2013 - 13th)

"Miracle" by Paula Seling & Ovi (Romania 2014 - 12th)

"Spirit in the Sky" by KEiiNO (Norway 2019 - 6th; Televote Winner; here's most of their performance in the grand final here if you are geoblocked)

"Halo" by LUM!X feat. Pia Maria (Austria 2022 - DNQ; co-written Gabry Ponte of Eiffel 65)

And two bonus videos:

Aqua's interval at Eurovision 2001

"I Love You" by Teflon Brothers x Pandora (Finnish Selection UMK - 2021)

And you might know two time champion Loreen, whose song this year is more pop to me than EDM or Eurodance, but it feels weird not to mention "Euphoria" (although I feel it's more straight up EDM, but again, mileage may vary):

"Euphoria" by Loreen (Sweden 2012 - Winner)

"Tattoo" by Loreen (Sweden 2023 - Winner)

While Eurovision does not equal Eurodance, there's still some fun jams, and again, many songs I included here that I feel straddle genres.

#didn't you used to be able to embed 10 videos in a post? anyway hope you enjoy #and disclaimer: this is all my opinion as a long time ESC viewer #and there's many dance genres etc.#but I don't consider the ethno bangers to be 'Eurodance' so that's why there are not here #I definitely overthought this whoops #eurovision #mirai's text posts #(also I do still hate the new post editor)

4 notes · View notes

fruitskies · 1 year

Text

favorite song by month, 2022 (or, how i will remember certain months by songs):

january - chickenhead by project pat & la chat, february - maker by hana vu, march - iceland moss by sudan archives, april - you, at the end by lafawndah, may - golden boys by res, june - lions by jenny hval & vivian wang, july - unlimited dark paths by sleigh bells, august - bunny is a rider by caroline polachek, september - good for you by porridge radio & lala lala, october - cassandra by florence + the machine, november - the valley by emma ruth rundle & thou, december - another world by antony and the johnsons

8 notes · View notes

ofallingstar · 1 year

Text

Tagged by @elizabeth-karenina. Thank you and sorry for the delay!

Tag 10 people you want to get to know better!

Relationship Status: Single

Favorite Color: Black, pink, lavender

Song Stuck In My Head: All Things End by Hozier

Last Song I Listened To: Don't Look Back in Anger by Oasis

Three Favorite Foods:

Enchiladas

Tacos

Quesadillas

Last Thing(s) I Googled: Michel Ocelot's filmography

Dream Trip: An Eurotrip that includes France, Italy, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, and the UK

Anything I want: Unlimited money so I can travel anywhere I want without having to look for a job. And help people, of course.

#tagged

5 notes · View notes

mohaiminul-islam · 11 months

Text

One of the best web hosting providers...

OrangeWebsite is an Icelandic web-hosting company that was founded in 2006. The company offers various web hosting services, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. OrangeWebsite is known for its high uptime, excellent customer service, and affordable prices.

Some of the features of OrangeWebsite's web hosting services include:

Up to 99.9% uptime

Unlimited bandwidth and disk space

Free SSL certificate

Free domain name registration (for the first year)

24/7 customer support

Easy to use control panel

Affordable prices

OrangeWebsite is a great option for businesses and individuals who are looking for a reliable and affordable web hosting solution. The company offers a wide range of features and services, and its customer service is excellent.

Here are some of the pros and cons of OrangeWebsite:

Pros:

High uptime

Excellent customer service

Affordable prices

Wide range of features and services

Cons:

Some features are not available on all plans

Customer support can be slow during peak times

Data centers are located in Iceland, which can cause latency for users in other parts of the world

Overall, OrangeWebsite is a great option for businesses and individuals who are looking for a reliable and affordable web hosting solution. The company offers a wide range of features and services, and its customer service is excellent.

2 notes · View notes

dercolaris · 2 years

Text

Deadly Riot

Fandom: Batman, Lost Crow AU

Characters: Edward Nygma, Jervis Tetch, Jonathan Crane

Relationship: None

Genre: Horror

Word Length: 2743

Warnings: Blood, Gore, Disturbing subjects (18+)

Status: Complete

Short Summary: Edward and Jervis are entering Arkham Asylum with Jonathan, only to experience the horrors of an massive and bloody outbreak.

A loud hiss broke the eerie silence of the island, shooing away a small cluster of ravens in the surrounding trees. Only slowly did the rusted door open the way to the reception area of the dark institution. Again, it was unusually quiet for a psychiatry that seldom slept and was screamed to the ground by at least one madman at night. Jonathan stepped carefully over the doorstep, his blue eyes slowly gliding through the deserted entrance area. His companions also followed him, but much more hesitantly than their fearless leader. Especially Jervis seemed extremely scared about this whole situation. The blond-haired man had probably experienced more suffering in the wicked institution than many inmates together and wanted at all costs to avoid returning as a patient to the Arkham asylum for the criminally insane.

Edward crossed his arms over his chest a little nervous as well. He, too, was haunted by dark memories from his days as a prisoner, but his experiences were a poor joke compared to the little Mad Hatter next to him. He followed the former psychiatrist a meter behind into the recording area and asked in an unsteady voice: "What the hell are we doing here, John? Are you that keen on being arrested again or what?” The person addressed did not answer him. He seemed to want to ignore the question. After a few seconds, instead of Scarecrow's voice, Jervis's spoke clearly unsettled: "Open your eyes, dormouse. Nobody is here. It's empty, so empty--as empty as the houses after the Jabberwocky came at night. The sky was burning, so bright. Everything was so empty.”

The Riddler lightly massaged his aching forehead at the confused reply. The Mad Hatter had fallen into a deep psychosis in recent years and no one could show him a way out of it at this point. But the little man was definitely right about one thing: There were usually a number of security guards in the entrance area. Where were all the personal anyway? Edward stared sceptically at his former best friend's back and bit his lower lip lightly. Scarecrow had always had an aura of fear around him, but since his return from Iceland it had become more nagging and almost impossible to ignore.

Together the small group passed one of the many guard rooms. While Jonathan didn't pay any attention to the inside of the small room, the other two stopped dead in their tracks. The tinkerer gaped at the carnage everywhere. He took a step towards the glass and just shook his head in disbelief. The two security guards lay on the control panels with their throats sliced, viscous blood sticking like splattered paint to the various buttons before their soulless eyes. Another person lay on the ground behind them, presumably dead. Jervis began to tremble and whispered to himself in a squeaky voice: "The Card Soldiers have fallen. Bless the Red Queen and Dark King." The Riddler put his hand on the Mad Hatter's shoulder, pushing him with gentle force away from the horrifying sight.

The villains caught up to Jonathan, who had already arrived at the first security gate. There he pulled an ID card out of his trouser pocket and slipped it elegantly through the reader, giving the unwanted visitors unlimited access of the facility. There were no armed guards waiting for them behind that door either – just uncanny silence. Edward swallowed nervously and turned to Scarecrow again in hope of answers: "John, what does all of this mean? What’s going on here?" The former psychiatrist had meanwhile opened the Bible on his belt. As he turned to a particular page, he calmly explained: "The actual uprising had already begun a good hour ago, but there are still isolated souls to be freed from their isolation cells. That's what we're here for today."

The Mad Hatter pulled his top hat deeper into his face. As brutal as the blond-haired man could be in his crimes, he was shocked by the bloody actions of other villains in Gotham City. The Riddler wiped the sweat from his forehead and murmured: "It's easier said than done. The control circuit can only be opened or closed by authorized personnel and in the event of a riot, those in possession of these key numbers will be brought to safety first.” Jonathan started moving again without a word. Apparently the elder knew more than he cared to admit about the state of the whole psychiatry at the moment. Heading into the core of the facility, the scale of the violent outbreak could be seen in a huge number of corridors, rooms and cell blocks. Edward stopped counting after the fortieth body. Among the victims were also some patients who were probably killed out of simple defencelessness. The orange straitjackets still laced tightly around their dead bodies.

The Mad Hatter was now clinging to the Riddler's arm, desperately covering his eyes. Jonathan cleared his throat slightly and spoke calmly: "I would like to pay a short visit to a former colleague in her office, after which we can release a few selected patients into the freedom they deserve." The tinkerer frowned in irritation. He knew the brown-haired man had worked at Arkham for a number of years and knew many of the employees personally. Because of this, no one had been particularly interested in treating the former psychiatrist in his own therapy. He was knowing all the methods and tricks available. Edward remarked reluctantly: "I doubt there's anyone else alive in the offices, John." Scarecrow chuckled at that statement. He replied confidently: "Doctor Whistler will certainly be there. Trust me and please just follow me.”

Edward and Jervis exchanged a puzzled look, but then caught up with their friend. Upon arrival at the medical facility, it quickly became clear why Doctor Whistler could be still alive. The entire complex had been taken over by a couple of strange inmates and apparently turned into a prison camp. Various psychiatrists, nurses and janitors were tied up in the treatment rooms. The criminals made way for the gaunt man with his Bible, lowering their gazes almost in awe as he passed them. All inmates wore the new sign of the black-haired man, a cross with angel wings and an inscription in Hebrew “בני הש��ן” below the symbol. The Riddler still didn't know exactly what those letters meant.

After a few corridors they reached Doctor Whistler's office. Two convicts opened the door and bowed slightly to the former psychiatrist. Inside, four inmates held the terrified doctor in place with threatening gestures and, of course, weapons. The psychiatrist's eyes widened when she saw her former colleague. She desperately called to the brown-haired man: "Jonathan! Thank God someone in their right mind in this madhouse! Please, help me! They will sooner or later kill me!” The one spoken to didn't change a face and instructed the men to step back a few meters from the woman. At that moment, the doctor understood that the thin man was deeply involved in this uprising or even the actual trigger. Doctor Whistler turned white and spoke in a frightened voice: "Why, Crane? I know we haven't always done everything right, but we really wanted to help you guys. All of you hunt and kill the wrong people in this broken system today.”

The former psychiatrist slowly approached the woman and replied reassuringly: "We never said you didn't want to help us in the first place, Gretchen. However, our goals tonight are not to eliminate incompetent doctors or scare a corrupt government with innocent victims.” Doctor Whistler blinked in confusion. She didn't seem to understand what the older man was getting at. In the meantime, Jonathan had attached his Bible to the small chain on his leather belt and stepped around the office table. He breathed into the doctor's neck as he demanded quietly: "I'm coming today on behalf of my father, so if you'd be so kind as to give me the access codes to the isolation block, I'd be most grateful." The psychiatrist wanted to turn her head as icy fingers on her temples held her in the actual position.

Tears slowly welled up in the woman's eyes as she softly whimpered: "I swore to protect Gotham City from these criminals. I can't do this, Jonathan, even if this mean my death.” Scarecrow nodded slightly, then moved his right ring finger to his former colleague's neck. He inserted the needle under his fingertip almost tenderly into the doctor's skin and spoke affectionately: "I've always appreciated your loyalty, Gretchen, but unfortunately I can't take that into account tonight. I have other ways and methods of getting desired information. I want to apologize in advance.” Doctor Whistler winced as the cannula moved down in her throat. A darkening line beneath her skin revealed the venom injection.

It took a few seconds for it to take effect. The doctor clung to the wooden table with her fingers, the first splinters bored under her painted nails. Blood collected itself under her fingers after a while. Jonathan continued to hold her head in position while he asked again quietly: "What's the code for the isolation wing? Answer me." The psychiatrist began to scream and tried to wriggle out of his grip, saliva pooling in front of her mouth. After a moment of pour agony, she spat in great pain: "The birth year of Amadeus Arkham!" The thin man smiled contentedly and slowly ran his hands down her cheeks. He whispered soothingly in her ear: "Thank you so much, Gretchen." With these words, the brown-haired men closed his hands around the doctor's throat.

Doctor Whistler twisted under the chokehold, her eyes beginning to water from the terror she was about to experienced. The resistance quickly weakened and eventually died out altogether. Jonathan dropped the woman's lifeless head heartlessly on the table. He then turned to his two shocked companions: "Please take some weapons with you. The isolation block may have been completed shut off during the riot and it is possible that some guards survived.” The other inmates in the office offered Edward and Jervis their pistols without hesitation. Both took up the weapons speechless. Together they strolled towards the isolation cells. No one dared to say a word on the way there.

In front of the lock, the former psychiatrist entered the transmitted code and opened the sealed off area. Fortunately, the first control unit was already in the nearby security room, which was surprisingly empty. The security guards had probably fled deeper into the cell block and were holding the fort there. The three villains got to work. Edward and Jervis had been given a list of which cells to open first. Among them were Scarface and Firefly. A screeching siren sounded as the first doors began to open slowly. A loud scream followed in the same minute. Edward glanced at the security camera monitors and jumped a bit. The first prisoners had left the cells and were trying to find a way out. The first security guards were already overwhelmed by the violent criminals.

A strong jolt of electricity swept across the televisions as the camera switched to another cell. There, a tall, skeletal man stepped out of the door. An equally bony woman stalked down the corridor towards the taller inmate and they both stared at each other with vacant eyes. Both raised their hands and after a few seconds, the monitors in the security room exploded. The Riddler cursed loudly, coughed under the thick smoke and cried out in confusion: "What the hell is going on here, John?" The former psychiatrist smiled softly and replied calmly: "These kids are free at last. We have to move on soon.” He left the room and made his way deeper into the wing. Jervis clutched his pistol in a panic move and Edward kept his fingers firmly on the cocked gun as well as they followed him.

Chaos now reigned in the psychiatry. The group passed through many isolation cells from which criminals called for help and begged to be let out. Jonathan didn't give them a second of his precious attention. He obviously had a different goal for now. In the darkest part of the cell block, they finally reached the desired control room. The young security guard was startled and tried to draw her pistol when two barrels were already pointed at her face. Scarecrow wordlessly pushed the woman aside and fiddled with the door controls. "You don't know what you're doing here! Bill and Gary, get out of there!”, the security guard yelled in panic towards the glass. The light in the corridor behind it flickered on and off for a few milliseconds as the cell opened in slow motion. The two security guards addressed rushed towards the air lock, which Jonathan closed before their eyes.

One of the security guards walked the few meters back to the cell in complete dark and three shots rang out suddenly. The brief light showed a thin figure struggling with the guard. The other one rushed to the colleague's aid and two more flashes of light briefly illuminated the corridor. Eventually light and sound died out alike. With wide eyes, the woman at the control panel watched as one of the men desperately crawled out of the darkness towards the lock and stretched out his bloody hand to her. The next moment he was grabbed from the black on his leg. He got pulled back a bit into the darkness until a hand was finally able to grab his hair. His head jerked up and a blade cut cleanly through his carotid artery. The blood spurted out of the wound as the frightened eyes met his colleague's.

In the next instant, the security guard's life left him and his head slumped hard to the concrete floor, the lower jaw bone breaking with a loud crack at the impact. A growing pool of blood formed beneath him. A figure stepped leisurely out of the darkness towards the lock, stopping in front of the thick glass. The black-haired man was naked and covered in blood, in his right hand rested the previously used scalpel. He looked at the former psychiatrist with a wide grin, placing his bloody left hand on the glass. Scarecrow nodded to the killer and opened the door that separated them.

Jonathan rummaged in his pocket again and pulled out a switchblade, handing it to the arriving inmate. He took the knife happily and spoke amused: "I was expecting a lot, but not you, fuck face." Scarecrow didn't allow himself to be provoked, but simply replied calmly: "Enjoy your freedom." The person addressed had his full attention suddenly directed at the young security guard, his eyes glittering ominously. The woman was starting to shake and panic, as a loud shot broke the silence sharply and mercilessly. The young security guard at the control panel sagged, a small trickle of blood running from her forehead. The Mad Hatter took a deep breath and slowly lowered the pistol. Edward gaped at the blond haired man with an open mouth. After a while, Jervis explained clumsily: "I don't like putting Alice to sleep, but for what the Jabberwocky wanted to do to her, it's better if she has her eyes closed for a long time."

An awkward silence settled between those present. Jonathan finally broke through with his melodious voice: "The first step has been taken. Today the catholic devil is liberated and also the other spawns of hell are on their way to the world of unbelievers. Edward, Jervis, please save the data from this wing and take it with you. It's going to take quite a while, but I need it urgently for an extensive study and we're pressed for time.” The two villains looked at each other doubtfully, but got to work. The computers were full of records, but no one bothered them as they copied the sensitive documents. The so called catholic devil had meanwhile left the room and was on his way to his dangerous freedom.

Jonathan slowly walked to the window in the security room and looked out at the cloudy sky. The moonlight shone sporadically on the lost city. Where was Batman that night? Nobody could give an answer to this question, but by now no one with a right mind was left to ask it in the empty psychiatry.

#DC #Batman #Lost Crow AU #Jonathan Crane #Scarecrow #Edward Nygma #Riddler #Jervis Tetch #Mad Hatter #Arkham Asylum

3 notes · View notes