#i want more daito everything | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

foxounderscorecube · 1 year

Text

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

¼⭐

I'm leaving a review at all because I really passionately hate it. It's probably one of the worst books I have ever read.

As a disclaimer, this isn't a book that appealed to me a whole lot conceptually. I did my dissertation on cyberpunk media and this was one of the books I read for it, and I really wish I'd read some of the other books I'd bought and never ended up getting round to instead. I finished it only because I couldn't let such a terrible book beat me.

The book follows Wade Watts, an insufferable young man, as he competes to find an Easter egg within the OASIS - the MMORPG everyone plays in Cline's vision of the future - and win a whole load of money. Wade is very poor and very sad and so he wants to win the fortune, and because he knows so much about video games and 80s culture (much like the creator of the game), he wins, obviously, and he kisses the girl he likes and everything is lovely and happy. A lot of critical literature I read for my dissertation spoke about how cyberpunk as a whole had a tendency to be a way for nerdy guys to write a fantasy story where they were really cool and powerful as a direct result for their nerdiness, and I'd say this particularly applies here.

The misogyny is really out there. It's that weird "nice guy" flavour of misogyny. Apparently, all the girls in the OASIS have avatars that either look like supermodels (read: too skinny for Cline's self-insert) or porn stars (read: too "fake" and large-breasted for Cline's self-insert). The girl Wade likes isn't like that. She's curvy. Nerdy, too. And Wade saves all the pictures of her avatar that she posts and stalks her obsessively for years, because, you know, normal behaviour. Yes, of course he ends up dating her. No, he never faces consequences for being a massive creep, unless you count a falling-out they have at one point where he wins her affection back by stalking her some more. As in, she blocks him on everything, stops posting on her very popular blog, so he visits her in-game home repeatedly to harass her, because he reckons that's really romantic. I reiterate: he never faces consequences for this.

Similarly, there's a degree of racism, mostly in the characters of Daito and Shoto, who are always going on about "honour" and are essentially walking stereotypes. Daito gets "disappeared" by Generic Big Evil Corporation in the real world, and Wade asks if he could have possibly killed himself after losing access to his avatar (on which he had made good progress in the Easter egg hunt, and maybe you can only have one avatar, I don't recall). Shoto says "No, Daito did not commit seppuku," because, you know, he's Japanese. Not like seppuku is a very specific form of ritual suicide or anything. The scene is meant to be very serious and dark, to my recollection, and it feels like a weird joke that doesn't land.

There was a missed opportunity, I think, in that Wade would have made a good main character for something satirical, or at least something where the overall goal of the story was for him to grow from his mistakes. Instead, he remains whiny, immature, and generally dislikable, and the most character growth we see is probably after a point where he becomes depressed and stays inside masturbating constantly, and eventually decides to stop doing that.

The book relies on the reader thinking "Hey, I get that reference!" very, very heavily, and so most scenes that are clearly meant to be really cool and epic end up reading as… a bit sad, honestly. I have my own niche and/or obsessive interests, and will never put people down for loving a franchise or whatever, but "Ooh, my car is the DeLorean from Back to the Future and also the Knight Rider car and it has the Ghostbusters numberplate!" is just, I don't know. A bit much, maybe. A bit fanfic.

The book tries to have a vaguely anti-corporate message, presumably because Cline felt that was needed as part of the cyberpunk-y vibe he was going for, but it falls on its face even conceptually when it is so indulgent in the consumerist nostalgia that's so prevalent in media currently in the real world. I personally think it's perfectly fine for a book to be fun fluff in general, don't get me wrong, but I still feel like the irony is worth mentioning.

If you like to get references and you miss the nerd culture of the 80s, maybe you will like this book. A lot of people do and I would guess there's a reason for it. If you want to emulate the experience of this book without actually reading it, then I recommend reading Reddit posts by lonely "nice guys" and switching to a tab to read an entire Wikipedia article about an 80s video game every so often. I'd say that'd be rather more fun.

#read 2020 #reviewed 2022 #I will never get over this awful fucking book #book review #books

5 notes · View notes

whateverisbeautiful · 4 years

Text

Reveling in Richonne

#173: The Little Brave Man (10x13)

Y’all each member of the Grimes family is such a precious and crucial piece of the family puzzle. And their youngest addition is proof of that cuz RJ makes this family and the Richonne journey so whole. So in Michonne’s final episode, I loved getting to see and hear from our sweet Little Brave Man. 🥰

@michonnegrimes

So after everything that goes down on that island, Michonne boards a boat to get up out of there. Virgil stays behind which was fine by me lol. The only thing I kinda liked hearing from him is how he wanted to stay on the island because he promised his wife flowers everyday. I liked that it made me think of how committed Rick was to getting his wife whatever she liked be it mints, a cat statue, or a CGI deer lol.

Once she has some privacy on the boat, Michonne is able to sit with that phone and just seeing her emotions over that phone is so moving. Like in the quiet of this moment we’re able to see that in all her strength and warrior-ness this is still a woman who deeply loves and misses her man. I love how much her love for Rick and her emotion over the possibility of reuniting with him radiates just in this one quiet moment.

And again, what makes me extra happy is that she didn’t just find something that indicated that Rick is alive, but something that indicated Rick is alive and longing to be reunited with her. I feel like that contributes to the emotions she lets out in this moment cuz she now knows he’s out there missing her just like she misses him.

I knew wherever Rick was taken to, he wouldn’t go a day without thinking about Michonne so I love that she got this confirmation too.

And then she takes out her walkie and radios her precious children for their final moment together. 😭 And y’all, I love that Michonne and Judith’s codenames are the names of their swords. The cuteness just never stops with them. And it’s fitting cuz, just like Judith’s sword is a mini katana, Judith is a mini Michonne.

It’s sweet to see Michonne’s relief upon hearing her baby’s voice as she expresses how much she missed them both. And then the cuteness reaches maximum levels when RJ takes the walkie from Judith and says “Mama”.

@michonnegrimes

Our adorable angel. 😇

I love Michonne’s reaction to hearing her son’s cute little voice. 😭 And after all the hell she went through in that trip, you know it feels amazing to hear her children’s voice and be reminded that her reality is far better and far more filled with family than that awful trip. And her smile here is so beautiful and full of joy.

@michonnegrimes

Judith reminds RJ to use the call signs for safety so RJ calls her Daito and Michonne asks what his name will be. And when he cheerfully says “I’m Little Brave Man” Y’all! Cue my eternal and internal tears. 😭

This moment is toooo precious. 🙌🏽 I love that he chose that name as a nod to his father and this man that he so clearly looks up to even tho he’s never met him.

I know if Rick were to hear that it would melt his entire heart just like it melts Michonne’s heart (and mine 🙋🏽‍♀️). It’s just so adorable that he’d call himself the “little” brave man cuz he is this little kid but he’s also the man in their family too. And he’s like I’m going to be as brave as my dad. And what an amazing sight it would be to see him grow up and truly embody the bravery and power of his parents alongside Judith.

Plus the code name is fitting cuz, just like Judith’s call sign indicates her being a mini Michonne, RJ’s call sign indicates he’s the mini Rick. All I can say is I love me some Grimes family. They are utter perfection. 🙌🏽💯

And again, Michonne’s reaction to hearing RJ say this is gold. Just the way she takes it in, acknowledging that it’s the cutest thing she’s ever heard.

@michonnegrimes

She says with so much sincerity how she loves the little brave man and I know it has to mean the world to her to hear this kid, that Rick essentially was the first one to bring up in that 9.03 ep, now refer to himself as a little version of Rick. It’s just the best.

If there’s one thing I would have wanted more of in s10 it was Michonne and RJ scenes. They are just so cute together. And I just had to give this post a moment to reflect on this mother and son, cuz while their scenes were few and far between, they were always so sweet and each of their moments always vividly illustrated the love Michonne has for this little angel that her and Rick created. He’s a huge reason why Richonne’s legacy will live on and on.

Michonne adorably refers to him as Little Brave Man when she asks how long RJ has been with his sister and he says Tia Rosita brought him.

@michonnegrimes

It’s cute that all of TF is Judith and RJ’s Aunts and Uncles. I also was like Little RJ tell your mom about how Tia Rosita had to fight Beta in Michonne’s bedroom after Judith shot him cuz he was all up in your house during an Alexandria attack. That would get Michonne to come home pronto, regardless of phones and boots. 😂

Lol but fr, I love that Michonne asks about how Rosita is doing and cares about what’s happened with the others, even after all the madness that she just had to experience. Michonne asks about how things are going and Judith says that Alpha can’t hurt them anymore which is like technically true cuz Alpha is dead at this point, but things are nowhere near done with the Whisperers.

But upon thinking the Whisperers situation is “handled”, the emotional part of this scene kicks up a notch. Cuz Michonne has received her kids update on what’s going on with them, and now it’s her turn to update them on some groundbreaking news. And with what Michonne has found on this trip, Little Brave Man is now that much closer to finding The Brave Man. Won’t He Do It👌🏽

@michonnegrimes

#richonne #10.13 #s10

66 notes · View notes

natsumebookss · 4 years

Text

If MagiReco Arc 2 Had a Death Scene...

Probably one of my major problems with Arc 2 is that, for a faction war, there sure doesn't seem to be a ton at stake. Sure, there are the Kimochi and all that come with them, but the gacha-based nature of this game comes with minimal death and a predictable winner.

Which of course, as someone who was admittedly that middle school Warrior Cats kid, I had to reimagine to make the stakes that much higher. So, in no particular order, here are an assortment of possible MagiReco deaths, whether or not they could happen, and how I would feel about them. (Limited to Arc 1 charas since we've known them the longest.)

Mitama--Of the ones I've dreamt up, this is the one I'm the most okay with. While this would never actually happen considering that she's the in-game shopkeeper, I feel like 1) losing the town Coordinator would effectively raise the stakes and 2) a heroic sacrifice for the Union would serve as Mitama's final "fuck you" to the idea of Coordinator neutrality. Very in character, imo.

Rika--Killing the as-of-yet only source of LGBTQ representation? I don't think so. Too likely to cause fan riots and, more importantly, way too cliche.

Felicia--Too feral to truly die, next.

Sana--I will only be okay with this if she does it performing the most dramatic possible shielding job, preferably while somehow figuring out how to create a barrier like Alina's that covers the entire city.

Kaede--Same as Sana. If she has to die, let her go in a blaze of glory that will leave no one calling her weak.

Mifuyu--Not gonna happen, f4samurai had their chance in Chapter 10, didn't take it, so why would they try now?

Iroha--Too much plot armor to die.

Kanagi--I will literally ragequit the entire game if she dies.

Yachiyo--See Kanagi.

Ui--Remember how pissed people were when Prim was killed in the Hunger Games, effectively and simultaneously also killing Katniss's entire reason for going through everything the series threw at her? That's what will happen to you if you kill Ui.

Tsukuyo or Tsukasa--Remember how pissed people still are about Fred dying in Harry Potter? The only reason I want J.K. Rowling associated with this blog at all is as a warning, f4samurai.

Momoko or Rena: Both fairly safe options as side characters who've helped the cast along and fulfilled their purpose in the story tenfold.

Touka: I mean, you can, but do you really want your fans to react to the emotional death scene you wrote by blaring "Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead?"

Both Touka and Nemu: I mean, you can, but do you really want your fans to react with "Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead" (Dance Remix)?

Kanae and Mel: Would doing a Deader than Dead scene where Kanae and Mel's ghosts sacrifice themselves to save Yachiyo be your safest possible option? Yes. Would it make me cry anyway? Also yes.

Tsuruno--Come on. Everyone likes Tsuruno. Don't do this.

Alina--Again, popular character, playing with fire, yadda yadda yadda.

Only one of the Azalea/Daito Apartments girls--Nice to meet you, Satan.

Himika--Does the afterlife come with an outfit upgrade?

Kako--Only acceptable if Felicia and Ayame go on a roaring rampage to avenge her.

Ria--I'm afraid the world isn't ready for a loveable narcissist character pulling a heroic sacrifice. Maybe someday.

Ren--If your idea of plot development is killing a girl who's attempted suicide twice right when she finally finds happiness, I won't even be mad at you. That would be a waste of my energy you don't deserve. All you deserve is silent, seething disappointment.

#magia record #i can keep going if you really want #my post

29 notes · View notes

muffinrecord · 4 years

Text

Ryo Midori Thoughts

This is a post that has been sitting in my drafts for two months. I’m never going to get around to finishing it, so here it is in all its unfinished glory.

So-- Ryo Midori is a really interesting character to me. She’s sort of simultaneously pessimistic/untrustworthy yet super naive, and I feel like I don’t see those two characteristics paired together often. They feel contradictory in nature but I think Ryo demonstrates in a great way how they really aren’t, and I think if anything her lack of trust in others is what fuels her naivety.

Ryo feels like the kind of person who doesn’t trust others and can only rely on herself and her own goals, but this is what gives her a false sense of reliability. You know that a person is untrustworthy and you treat them as such, but because you know about them you feel like you can trust that knowledge you have. She knows that the Magius is just using the Feathers, but she thinks she can use them right back and keep them at arm’s length to further her own ends... But Ryo can’t. She’s still used up and spat out as cannon fodder. And this isn’t just with the Magius but it’s a pattern that repeats itself throughout her parts of the game and I suspect that it will repeat for most of her life.

It’s especially ironic that a character who is devoted to the truth and uncovering of said truth is blinded so much by it to the point of believing the lies she tells herself. Hopefully this (long) semi-essay can help convey what I mean.

Chapter Nine - Her exit in the chapter is to highlight the callousness of the Magius, that they no longer have use for their feathers and are coldly throwing them away. While Ryo is very loyal to the concept of liberation, it’s also shown repeatedly in her MSS that Ryo doesn’t care about the Wings of Magius leaders themselves-- just liberation. This makes it really weird to use her of all characters to demonstrate how low the Magius would go, when apparently both Ryo and the group are just using each other with little trust. - This is probably a product of messy writing, but spun another (more generous) way, I think that this can highlight Ryo’s further naivety. She knew that Shizuku was being brainwashed in the “TEXT” Event, and strongly opposed it, even though she knew that other Feathers were going to be brainwashed in the very near future. - Proof of the specific material she is given, proof that she and Ikumi both knew what to say to avoid being used. - Ryo has an obsession with the truth, so reconciling her dislike of Shizuku being brainwashed and the future brainwashing of the feathers likely comes down to that said truth-- Shizuku herself was being brainwashed into actually joining, while the feathers themselves joined willingly, and their future brainwashing can align with their previous goals. - Why bring this up? Ryo knows that she and the feathers are being used. She sees it happen to Shizuku and to other girls. But I think even though she think she’s fine with it, she still doesn’t actually expect it to happen to her. Again, she’s very pessimistic but also naive: she knows that the Magius is using her and she thinks she is using the magius, but this event in chapter nine demonstrates that no, she was being used more than she thought. - This is a tragic example of her character, where she changes her actions to gain more control of her life only to realize later that she gave herself away. For example, the wish to Kyubey, her newfound obsession with photography and truth, ect. - All in all, she’s an example of a character who very much wants to be a part of dismantling the system but she doesn’t realize that everything she does is just a way of keeping it in place.

For example, she makes a point of noting that she has no idea about Daito’s reputation until an incident at school, but afterwards it affects her so much that it sort of rewrites her life and priorities; she becomes obsessed with the truth...

#Muffin Record #Magia Record #Ryo Midori

37 notes · View notes

banshee-v44 · 3 years

Text

The Banshee, The Faker, The Exomind Maker

/*******************CBoC 44 pseudocode for Status Register write***************/ void BNRAM_EXO_1_Status_Reg_Write ( uint44 data_byte ) { BNRAM_EXO_1_CC_Reg_Write(0); // Enable the EXO slave by toggling clarity control LOW BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_ClearTxBuffer(); //Clear EXO transmit buffer before sending command BNRAM_SPI_1_CBIM_WriteTxData(BNRAM_CR8T); // Set the write enable (CB0) bit //prior to write//Wait until EXO_DONE flag is cleared while((BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_ReadTxStatus() & BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_STS_EXO_DONE) != BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_STS_EXO_DONE); BNRAM_EXO_1_CB_Reg_Write(1); //CB0 is set high when CC is switched high BNRAM_EXO_1_CC_Reg_Write(0); //Re-enable the EXO slave BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_ClearTxBuffer(); BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_WriteTxData(BNRAM_WRSR_CMD); //Send Write Status Register instruction BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_WriteTxData(data_byte); //Send data //Wait until EXO_DONE flag is cleared while((BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_ReadTxStatus() & BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_STS_EXO_DONE) != BNRAM_EXO_1_CBIM_STS_EXO_DONE); BNRAM_EXO_1_CC_Reg_Write(1); //Terminate the write operation by toggling //clarity control HIGH }

________________________________________

Okay. That was annoying.

Banshee-44 didn't know who in the hell Clovis Bray thought he was, but he would be damned if the asshole executed a recall order on him.

The Vanguard Gunsmith paused a moment, literally, and set the auto-rifle he'd been at work on down on the counter before him. He cupped his metal alloy chin in a brilliantly designed and articulated hand and thought.

Well. He supposed that Clovis Bray thought he was...Clovis Bray. By all accounts he did what he wanted, when he wanted to. So that pretty much summed it up.

Banshee made a noise that sounded like a snort and focused his attention on the small gaggle of Guardians before him.

Would a group of Guardians be called a gaggle? Never thought of it before. Never? Maybe. He couldn't remember.

"Yeah, here ya go," the Exo mumbled, as he twisted to reach one of the Guardians' orders.

It took roughly thirty minutes for Banshee to make his way through the line of Guardians that had stacked up in front of his station. Where in the hell did they all come from? That was the problem in having his workstation right off the primary landing pad. He looked forward to the return to the old Tower.

The white and blue optics stared out across the Courtyard and upwards, to where the glow of acetylene torches and the sparks of welders lit up the early evening.

Holy hell, was it evening already?

Wait. Or was it early morning.

Banshee-44 consulted a datapad to check the time. It was indeed 1843 hours. He sighed, a mechanical sound. It wasn't that he didn't trust his chronometer's programming enough to rely on it for the time; it was that he didn't trust his fried RAM enough to remember the damn time.

A chime, something like a chime, definitely musical, but a kind of pretty sort of noise tickled his audio receptors. It was vaguely familiar somehow.

Oh. The recall order. That.

"Ain't like I wasn't gonna see you eventually anyways," the Gunsmith muttered.

He closed up his workstation and made his way through the maintenance walkways to the Hangar. Banshee took the back ways whenever he could. Being out among people...it was easier for him to forget where he was going. And why.

He was okay with being alone anyways.

He thought he was okay with it, at least.

The Gunsmith popped out into the Daito room. It was thankfully empty. Weird that they had a branded lounge in the space.

He ducked down into the airway and cast a glance at the journal lying on some nearby shelving. Oh. That. He wondered where he'd left it. He'd have to grab it on his way back through. If he remembered.

A few steps more and he was in the pit of the Hangar. He strode over to the Vanguard's Lead Shipwright, Amanda Holliday, and simply stood before her. He saw that she was elbow deep into a Sparrow, so he said nothing. Only stood with his arms folded.

It took Holliday several minutes before she realized that the Exo who stood before her was Banshee-44 and not some Titan. She'd spoken to him as if he were a Guardian, as she had assumed that's who it was. Being all still and stoic and non-responsive.

"Hey there, Ban," she called out as she straightened her back. Holliday worked her shoulders up and down, stiff from the repairs. "Need somethin'?"

It was unusual to see the Gunsmith in her domain, though not out of the ordinary.

If he had the plating to do so, Banshee would have blinked at her. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Wasn't urgent. Just wanted to ask a favor."

Holliday's eyes widened in curiosity and one eyebrow arched at the words. Him asking a favor was not typical. Whatever it was, it was going to be a good one. "Uh, sure, Ban. Whatcha need?"

The Exo nodded toward the rear of the hangar bay. "A ride."

"A what?" At that, Holliday stood up, and somehow avoided the boom that held up the Sparrow. "You need a ride?" She sounded incredulous.

"Hmm-mmm," he grunted.

An awkward pause followed.

"I can fly myself," he added, his arms held open in something between a shrug and a friendly surrender. "You don't have to worry about ferrying me around."

Holliday's mouth worked open and closed a few times before she managed speech. "No...I mean...it's okay, I don't mind...it's been a while is all." It had been, what, months? since Banshee had borrowed a ship. He hadn't needed to borrow one back at the old Tower since he had a transport vessel. It was destroyed in the Red War, unfortunately. Holliday thought it was a shame. He kept it in decent nick seeing as how he generally forgot he had it. "You going international or domestic?" she joked. Her initial surprise had faded to nothing.

"International," he responded. It was a long running joke that indicated he needed to a ship capable of leaving the atmosphere. "Gotta errand that requires it."

Banshee thought it best he leave the details to himself. Commander Zavala wouldn't take kindly to his excursion and neither would Holliday, come to think of it.

"That's been a while. Not since before the war," the Shipwright commented. She stretched both arms over her head and stepped out from her workshop. Banshee followed her around to the other side, where she stood with hands on hips. "Got a Hawk you can borrow. She's over yonder." Holliday motioned across the deck to a Hawk bearing Vanguard colors. It was without offensive armament, however.

"Sold." Banshee tilted his head at Holliday and nodded. "Thanks."

"Sure." She turned to go back to her project, hand in the air as way of goodbye. "Don't forget to top off the tank when you bring her back."

Banshee made a short, sharp noise that was a laugh and made his way to the ship.

________________________________________

He'd taken liberties with his flight plan, as his destination was strictly forbidden under current Vanguard policy. Banshee doubted that any claim of not his having forgotten Commander Zavala's explicit order would be believed. A little of what they once called jiggery-pokery was necessary.

Banshee had told the Vanguard's favorite Guardian that he would visit the Clovis Bray AI at some point. Said Guardian had helped to rebuild what had turned out to be his own weapon. It was one hell of a sword. Huge. Stupidly overpowered.

Felt comfortable in his hands. Good, even. Like it belonged.

Still, the Guardian had been the one to piece it together. It was theirs by rights.

He knew from the scouting reports that the giant Exo head that housed the AI was deep in the ruins of Bray Exoscience. The only safe LZ was at a communications array in Charon's Crossing. He'd have to be inconspicuous.

There was some EVA gear in the Hawk. And a tarp that he could use as a makeshift cloak. He'd seen how some of the Guardians dressed, even the ones that weren't New Light. It could get pretty rough by his eye, but he wasn’t big on fashion as a rule.

Banshee pulled a RJSV-99-40 Sparrow out of the Hawk's vehicle stores and mounted up. The ride from Charon's Crossing to Cadmus Ridge was brief, but the journey through Cadmus Ridge into Bray Exoscience was choppy due to the Fallen.

He ignored the arc bolts that chained past his helmet and kept the throttle floored. He deftly maneuvered past Dregs and Vandals, bumped a very angry Captain out of the way, and sped into the jagged entrance to Bray Exoscience.

One magazine and a few dead Fallen later, Banshee had a spacious office and lab area to himself.

On the main desk he spied a figure that looked a little too much like himself and scattered papers. The topmost paper was a drawing, like an artist's render...

He found himself with one hand on the desk, head bowed, the other hand on the back of the chair, his A/R still clutched between fingers which trembled.

"The hell is that," Banshee hissed to the empty room. He turned his head away from the dark, shrouded figure sketched onto the yellowed paper.

He stepped into the private lab and took note of the open hatch to his right. It seemed like he should go that route, so he did.

The inert, deactivated Exominds slumped across equipment, crumpled onto the floor, and in pieces scattered throughout marked the journey. Banshee moved slowly, wide, bright eyes taking in everything and nothing. It was surreal. It was goddamn surreal. But it was his past. Or so he was led to understand.

He stepped into an antechamber of sorts. Sealed hatch to his right and ahead. Couldn't go through those. He glanced to his left.

And nearly jumped.

"I'll be damned," he breathed. It was an enormous head, an Exo's head, unlit eyes dispassionate and lifeless. So it was true. The AI really was inside of a giant Exo. The head of one, at least.

A squad of BrayTech security frames kept watch, some armed with RPGs, some with A/Rs. Standard BrayTech fare. They appeared oblivious to his approach.

Banshee-44 took a few cautious steps closer to the construct and stopped at the threshold. He pulled off his helmet and stared at it. If he'd been built to have pseudo-eyelids, he would have blinked long and hard at the head. As he didn't, his optics merely glowed. It made his gaze seem hard and intense.

After a moment, he stuck his free hand in the air in a half-hearted wave at the giant Exo. "Uh." He cocked his head to one side. "Yo."

#clovisbraythefirst #itsourdestiny #«?mem//EXO.frame/ban$hee_v44?»#«?mem//EXO.BNRAM_SPI_1_CB_Reg_Write(1);/cl0v1$_v0?»#destiny rp

5 notes · View notes

hinadaito · 3 years

Text

Hina Daito, a Sui-No-Sato native was originally prized for her talent as a bard. After her youthful years filled with wonder of the surface, she decided to venture forth above the sea. The small blue-eyed Au’ra stumbled upon numerous friends and foes but a more impressionable man named Leith caught her attention-- a scholar who invested all his time researching the creation, destruction and recycling of aether. As the two began a friendship, Hina’s curiosity grew as she learned more about his studies and the fantastical of the beyond.

Upon delving further, Hina’s role as a mere wanderer; a bard, became a thing of her past. Fighting her way to uncover the secrets of the Halls of the Twelve, her life was cut short. As she used the last of her will to save her companion, the bright burst of her soul enveloped the darkness around her party, shielding them from the brute force of what lay before them. Her friends grieved, all but one, Leith. He was convinced that he could beckon her soul from the Silvertear Lake and back into existence. He scoured the physical plane for answers despite the numerous messages from the Halls to stop his searching and in doing so, was punished by taking away the one thing he treasured most in regards to Hina-- his hearing.

Hina Daito found herself face to face with an unfamiliar woman, her eyes hidden beneath a dark piece of fabric. She did not reveal her name, nor did she explain as to where they were. Beneath Hina’s bare feet lay a familiar body of water, cool and undisturbed. The reflection of purple foliage shimmered within the still water.

“Am I dead?” She asked, her eyes skimming over the woman’s frame.

“Yes.” She replied but her lips did not move.

“Are my companions okay?” She asked again, her voice hitched as she remembered Leith screaming her name.

“Yes.” The woman replied once more.

Silence fell between the two as Hina let out of a sigh of relief. The Au’ra brought her hand to her chest and despite the feeling of her heart racing, she could no longer feel a heartbeat. Within the distance, shrouded by a mist, a bright ball of light skimmed the water. Slowly, it hovered closer, the iridescent light illuminating the water beneath.

“Is that-” Hina paused as she kept her gaze on the light, memories of Leith reading to her in the library playing around in her mind. The way he described what one’s soul may look like, there it was in its full glory -- ethereal, fantastical.

“He would have loved to see this,” she thought to herself.

“Show them to the Lifestream.” The woman said, quietly-- barely above a whisper. Again, her lips did not move.

“Lifestream? Where?” Hina asked, her brows furrowed.

The woman lifted a delicate porcelain finger and pointed just above towards the sky. There, she saw what looked to be a translucent river of white light, flowing. Glowing. Within the stream, sounds of laughter and muffled voices could be heard. The light, barely visible but also very vivid to Hina’s naked eye.

Hina was taken aback, everything that Leith said to be true, seemed to be as such. Bringing her attention back to the ball of light, the Raen’s eyes softened. She began to hear cries, pure sorrow radiating from the lost soul.

“It’s alright..” Hina said as she stepped closer. Her feet remained unsubmerged from the water as she hovered just above the surface. She felt weightless in this moment as she drifted towards the light.

The woman followed suit behind her before placing her hand on Hina’s shoulder. A small jolt of electricity could be felt, the only thing she could feel since she arrived in this place. Turning her gaze back at the woman, Hina was surprised to be met with two white eyes.

“The Au’ra from the Ruby Sea, gifted with the Hall’s sound. I give you my sight, in hopes that you help lingering souls find their way to the Lifestream to be met with their new home. You are no longer some bard, Hina Daito. You are a beacon of safety for those who are lost, a compass back to the path towards the Halls.” The woman finished with a smile as she closed her eyes. “Recover that soul and let them walk the path to the next plane, my dear.”

Hina turned her head back to the ball light and was met instead with a silhouette of a young girl, the corners of her frame glowed white. Crocodile tears kissed her cheeks as she cried out until her gaze met with Hina’s.

“You can see me? Please, I want to go home!” The girl pleaded.

“Come with me, I can show you where to go.” Hina replied, her hand stretched out towards the young girl.

“No! I want to go home. I want to see my family.” She replied, her voice hoarse.

“You will see your family again, I promise you. But right now, you need to join the others, up there.” She pointed up towards the sky. “Your family will follow you someday but at this moment, it’s your turn.” Hina spoke softly as she took another step closer to the girl.

The young girl put her hand in Hina’s after a few moments of stillness and they walked side by side underneath the floating river of light. Hina began to hum a familiar tune, unable to recall the origin but the notes just seemed to leave her without hesitation. Lifting her arm, she reached towards the river of aether, beckoning the light to take hold of the girl.

“Go on, everyone is waiting for you.” Hina said as she could hear the voices of the souls, all calling out to the girl, reassuring her that everything would be fine.

“Will it hurt?” She asked

Hina paused before kneeling down in front of the young girl. Her translucent figure just as iridescent as her previous form of light.

“No, it won’t. Listen.” Hina said as she brought her hand up to the girl’s cheek. Her eyes grew as she gained the ability to hear the same voices Hina was listening to -- all words of reassurance, love and affirmation.

The young girl smiled down at Hina before looking back up towards the Lifestream. A softly-mouthed ‘thank you’ left the girl before she ascended above and joined back on the path with the other souls.

Turning around, Hina found the white-eyed woman once again.

“Am I to join them?” She asked.“No, my dear. I’m afraid not.” She replied as she leaned in closer to the Au’ra. Planting a soft kiss on her forehead, the woman smiled as she handed her a scythe.

“It is your duty now to find those lost souls and return them on the correct path. You will be walking among the living but remember you are not that, not anymore.”

Hina nodded as she began to feel nauseated. She swallowed, trying to regain a feeling of composure. It wasn’t long until she started to feel herself be pulled down into the water. First, he knees hit the cool pool and then the palms of her hands.

“What is happening?” She asked, her breathing labored.

She forced her gaze back up to where the woman once stood but realized she was there no longer. Darkness grew and the illuminating lights she once saw disappeared. The pull on her body became more forceful until she was fully submerged into the water, drowning. Her limbs flailed about, her screams were muffled by the water and all in one moment, silence.

#roleplaying #roleplay #muse #wol #writing #ffxiv #ff14 #final fantasy #backstory

1 note · View note

sand-rose · 4 years

Text

This is super late, but I finally got around to thinking about my answers to Magia Rapport. Between life in general and the announcement of the EN server closing I just didn't feel like doing it before. But I did want to participate so better late than never, I guess!

Day 1: If you could give advice to a new player, what would that advice be? If you could restart the game from the beginning, what would you do differently this time?

Oh boy, does that question hit different now. Well... For a new player, I would say save your gems as much as possible for the fate weaves you really want to pull for. Try to decide what girls you really want, and how many slots you want to try to get for them. I was maybe 80% f2p. I managed to get quite a few limited girls I wanted by saving up, and even though most of them only have one slot that was perfectly fine with me because I just really liked the character. As for restarting the game, I am restarting on JP, and this time I decided I'm going to go my own pace. I'll still play every day to get those bonuses and dailies done, but I'm not too worried about catching up to where JP is in the story or farming for materials. I'll probably only do the story portions of events, and I'm going to try to cut my playing time compared to how long I play the EN version every day. I want to get back to doing other things, and even if I haven't felt like writing or drawing lately because of personal reasons, the game's become a larger part of my daily routine than I intended it to be.

Day 2: What was your favorite event, and why? Is it because of gameplay or the story?

The Tart Magica events will always be my favorites because I just really love the spinoff series. The fact that I got to see the characters animated and hear them speak just makes me smile. I also really liked the map layout for those events.

Day 3: What is your proudest achievement in the game? Is it a character you got from a fate weave? Is it a moment you defeated a really difficult event? Did you get a high ranking in mirrors?

My proudest achievement would be managing to get all the Tart Magica characters. I didn't get Tart or Riz their first run and was so disappointed. So I made sure to save up just for a rerun of their banners and when it came back around I got Tart, and I did have to spend a bit IRL money for Riz but it wasn't too much and I felt it was worth it. Another moment would be when I made S class in ranked mirrors 2nd and 3rd rounds. I was having awful luck this last time especially but thanks to @muffinrecord 's advice I managed to make it!

Day 4: What is your favorite memoria in the game and why? Is it because it's unexpectedly good? Do you like the artwork? Is it the flavor text that stands out to you?

My favorite memoria would be I Made Friends!. Not only is it such a good passive memoria with great effects but I just really like the art too. I always liked seeing Kako, Felicia, and Ayame's interactions in the story and events because these girls have been through so much in their lives, before and after becoming Magical Girls, and it's nice to see them just being kids and playing together. Two close seconds are Hopes Combined and Our Backs Together. They're my two favorite groups of characters and the flavor text really speaks of their bonds and how strong they are together. And the artwork is just cool!

Day 5: What character do you identify with the most? Why is that? Do you have a favorite quote or moment from them?

There's a few characters that really remind me of myself. I have social anxiety like Seika, though it's not nearly as severe. I mostly keep to myself and a few close people like Konoha did. I have a hard time expressing myself to others like Ren. And Tsuruno... When we learned everything she was dealing with and how she tried her best to keep smiling and taking care of everyone else's problems, that definitely struck a chord with me.

Day 6: What character has your favorite wish? Do you think it's the best wish or is it something close to what you would wish for if you could?

I had to think about this one, but in the end I think Mitama's wish is my favorite. It's just very interesting to me. We know growing up in Daito Ward is... not that great. The class difference is bad enough, and I relate to her on that level from growing up in a similar situation. Then to get that chance to have a brighter future, better education taken from you due to circumstances out of your control (in my case money, in hers rumors leading to a ruined reputation)... Of course she would be devastated. Furious, even. In her eyes, Kamihama took her future away from her, so why not wish to take Kamihama's future away in retaliation? Her wish to have the power to destroy Kamihama is a powerful one, and she harbored it since making the contract, hiding her true thoughts from everyone and playing neutral as Coordinator. But the thing is when she made this wish, it WAS granted, though not in the way she thought. When the time came for her to choose a side between the Kamihama Magical Girls and the Magius, she very easily could have chosen to side with the Magius. If she had, that would have been the end of Kamihama. She was a key character during the final battles. She distributed grief seeds, shared vital information, looked after injured girls. If she hadn't been on the Kamihama Magical Girls' side, they would have lost. That was her opportunity to fulfill her own wish, but she didn't take it. During her time as Coordinator she met and became friends with so many Magical Girls, and came to see Kamihama was full of good people too. She turned her back on her own wish to help those that had shown her kindness and friendship and I think that's fascinating.

Day 7: What moment, concept, or character makes you happiest from the game? Why is this?

I think what makes me happiest about the game is that they went for a completely different tone from Madoka Magica... I was so surprised as we went through the story and it was a pretty light-hearted story of found family and friendships with some slice of life thrown in. I love Madoka Magica so much, and the truth about the Magical Girl system was so shocking when I first watched it. It explored so much in so little time, and seeing the girls struggle to survive the system was intense. But I always wondered if more Magical Girls had teamed up to fight Walpurgisnacht, could they have defeated her? And I got my answer in Magia Record. The game focuses on all these unique characters, who still have struggles of their own due their lives and their contracts, but they're not alone. They have teams, other Magical Girl friends, and there's this sense of community between them. And when they all banded together they were able to take down one of the most powerful witches known to Magical Girls. It's a wholesome spin on the Madoka Magica series, and I am here for it!

#magia record #magia rapport

6 notes · View notes

recentanimenews · 4 years

Text

OPINION: How I Discovered Haikyu!! (And Myself), Thoughts From a First-Time Viewer

Haikyu!!'s final season just began, and for years I have been meaning to start watching. Now seems like a great time to rectify that, so I've finally caught up and am eagerly awaiting the next arc to see how the Karasuno Crows fare.

I decided to track my thoughts on everything that happened — something of a time capsule from before the main cast joined together all the way to them competing in Nationals.

As a baseline, here is everything I knew about Haikyu!! before watching Episode 1:

It's a popular sports anime about volleyball

The main character is the orange-haired kid, Hinata

They're going to go to Nationals. Not sure about the details, but I know they’ll make it into the tournament

I actually watched this with someone who has seen it before. She didn't spoil anything but occasionally gave insight I may not have otherwise realized at the moment.

Episodes 1-6: Joining the Team

For the first part of the show, we largely follow Hinata's perspective. As I assumed going in, he's our generally underachieving but unfailingly energetic sports boy who hadn't met anyone who loves his sport as much as him until now. Specifically, he meets Kageyama, one of the best setters in the prefecture.

I started to notice that the storytelling’s actually pretty good when the newly assembled Crows get a practice game with the 4th ranked school in the prefecture. It gives them someone challenging so the main cast can see what they’re up against but also gives them a team close enough to their level that they have a real chance of winning and also keeps the truly powerful foes hidden for later arcs.

I also really appreciate that during the games, the characters try out new things, but are never truly sure that anything will work. It adds some experimentation and uncertainty to every game.

Episodes 7-10: Crows, Assemble

The rest of the main cast joins up with the existing group, forming the core rotation of players and major characters in the show.

One of the new characters, Asahi, showcases one of the show’s strong points for me. He's the team’s ace, but both he and Hinata grapple with performance anxiety. As my watch-along partner put it, Hinata’s anxiety comes in waves, mostly during games, while Asahi’s is more of a constant background hum.

As someone who has struggled with anxiety most of my life, I heavily identify with Asahi’s backstory, even down to not going for the spike in the final play of his flashback game due to thinking about how pointless it was since he wouldn't get it through.

Episodes 11-13: Crows versus Cats

Karasuno gets its practice game against their rival school, Nekoma. Both teams have fallen from grace in recent years, so this is the Crows’ chance to prove they can crawl their way back to the top and test out their teamwork and strategies from the previous arcs.

At this point, the mind games aspect of each match starts coming through. Both teams try to figure out how their opponents think so they can react faster, while also trying to hide their own tells to keep their opponents guessing.

When Hinata first started closing his eyes to make his special fast attacks with Kageyama, I joked that his power-up was going to be just ... opening his eyes. It turned out I wasn’t far from the truth. It doesn’t work immediately, but all of the Crows start polishing their weaknesses to make for a more well-rounded team.

Episodes 14-16: Preliminaries Round 1

As the boys go into the Interhigh Tournament, people whisper about the “Flightless Crows.” They proceed to absolutely crush their first opponents.

The show follows the girls’ volleyball team for a bit, too, amping up the emotions at the end of the first round by cutting between the girls losing while the boys breeze through their sets.

It’s a bit unfortunate the girls are beaten so badly just to show that the boys have grown, especially since they don’t end up getting much screentime for the rest of the show outside of being in the stands or otherwise supporting the boys.

Episodes 17-26: Daito and Aoba Jousai

After getting through the first part of the tournament easily, Karasuno is up against two powerhouse teams. First: Daito, a school with defense so amazing it’s called “The Iron Wall of Daito.” Second, Aoba Jousai, the school that many of Kageyama’s peers, including the setter he looks up to, enrolled in.

They manage to steal a win from Daito, but ultimately lose to Aoba Jousai.

The ending of this arc was when I realized I was truly invested in the show. For one, my watch-along partner and I were silent during many of the plays instead of joking about anime tropes like we had been in earlier arcs. Second, during one of the final scenes of the season, the entire team went out to eat after the game and we just silently watched everyone slowly start eating and then mutually begin crying.

Episodes 27-36: Season 2

As we start Season 2, there is a very clear and welcome difference almost immediately — the animation and camerawork are a lot better. Neither were bad in Season 1, but now they’re on an entirely different level. As my watch-along partner put it, there is some very naturalistic movement in some of the scenes.

Also, this is when the team got a second manager, Yachi. I seriously cannot think of a character I have more personally related to in an anime than Yachi. She is a nervous wreck that is constantly apologizing and gets spooked by every little thing, even as small as someone talking to her. She outright views herself as “Townsperson B,” from when she played that role in drama club. I turned to my watch-along partner and said, “I’m in this picture, and I don’t like it.”

Meanwhile, in the actual plot, my watch-along partner pointed out that while the team started developing specialized skills at their summer camp, the majority of their training seems to be devoted to getting down the fundamentals of every part of the game, then practicing them constantly. Like how Nishinoya is normally the libero and is almost exclusively receiving, but after seeing an opponent’s strategy, wants to learn to toss so he can replicate something he previously lost against.

Episodes 37-44: Prelims

The show uses the prelims as an opportunity to shine in two new ways. First, if a player is injured, they're checked to see if it's serious, then given a proper medical exam off the court. No powering through a concussion.

Second, since main characters are no longer guaranteed to be on the court for the entire game, the cast expands to include other members we previously haven't focused on.

My watch-along partner mentioned Ennoshita, Daichi's relief player, a few times throughout the show, so I knew he was going to be important eventually. But to give an idea of how little he impacted things until this point, when he was called in, I exclaimed that they were putting Steve McBlandman in the game. Despite that, he really does get to shine on the court. He’s a nervous wreck at first (join the club), but he’s also most likely to take over as captain once Daichi graduates and proves himself to be a reliable teammate by the time Daichi returns.

Episodes 45-50: Rematch

In terms of storytelling, there’s not much to add for this game. The two teams are established factions and we know the stakes, so it’s more of a puzzle to see who can find new strategies during the game and outthink the other team, which is made harder by the rivals bringing in a totally new player referred to as "Mad Dog."

Eventually, Karasuno wins, ending Season 2 with a promise that the finals of the qualifiers for Nationals will be the start of Season 3. Due to knowing a few details ahead of time, I already know a single game will be the entirety of the season.

Episodes 51-57: Final, Part 1

As both teams step onto the court and warm up, we are reminded that our heroes are pretty much all nervous wrecks, with most of the team in various stages of being curled up on the ground or asking for nausea medication. And, honestly, I was too. By the time the game hits set four, I wanted to grab my inhaler.

The Crows are up against Shiratorizawa, a team with Ushiwaka, a player so strong that early in the game, it took three blockers and a libero just to return his attack, and later on he managed to dislocate a blocker’s finger with a spike.

Episodes 57-60: Final, Part 2

Full Disclosure: I was so invested in this game and the following season I actually forgot to take notes, so everything from here on is a second watch!

In my opinion, everyone gets to shine by the end of the game. Nishinoya sets up a full team synchro attack with his libero toss, Tsukishima is the only person whose blocks come close to keeping up with Ushiwaka, and so on.

Episodes 61-65: Winter Training

The first half of the season starts with some of Karasuno’s players being invited to special training camps. Hinata, being too impatient to accept that he hadn’t been invited, infiltrates one.

Since he wasn’t invited, he’s not allowed to play, leading to him needing to watch the players and game instead of the ball for once. As a result, he starts learning to read peoples' tells and building an intuition of how to move, rather than just relying on instinct.

Or, as I said to my watch-along partner the first time around, Hinata has reached his ultimate powerup: thinking.

Episodes 66-70: Downtime

In the interstitial time between arcs, the team has a practice game against Date Tech again so the Crows can get used to playing together after being apart. We get some character moments, like all the third years going to a shrine on New Year’s, and when the team arrives in Tokyo we finally get a bit of Kiyoko’s backstory.

It’s hard to pin down what exactly about it worked, but it felt really nice to see the third years all going to a shrine together in their final months before the end of high school.

And with that, the Spring Tournament, a.k.a. Nationals, begins.

After going through over 70 episodes of Haikyu!!, I can say with absolute certainty I’m sticking around until the end. I skimmed over a lot of details so every section wasn’t a page long (and even then the first draft of this was over 4,000 words), but every game is filled with strategy, mind games, and experimentation.

Outside of the games, the show does a great job of building up the cast so the rivals are well-realized characters in their own right. Not the most complex in anime, but more than a wall for the main characters to climb over.

All in all, the show is absolutely worth the watch. It'll take a while to get through, but it's also easy to pick back up if you need to stop partway through.

What are some of your favorite moments in Haikyu!!? Are you watching the second half of the newest season with me? Who is best boy? Let me know in the comments!

Kevin Matyi is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. He's been watching anime for as long as he can remember, and his favorite shows tend to be shonen and other action series.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

2 notes · View notes

marvogue · 3 years

Text

TRANSCEND

a collection of Destiny art and comics revolving around Mar and her Clan as she attempts to learn more about herself, her changes back and forth between Warlock and Hunter, and she later transcends (eyyyy) into something more than classes.

Mar is upbeat, open minded, silly, naïve, and the voice of reason at times. She is a Warlock main but changes to Hunter when she’s upset, mad, has no confidence, or has feelings of self preservation, as these emotions don’t feel like herself. She reverts back to Warlock when she regains her sense of self and she’s happy, joyful, peaceful, etc.

As a Warlock, she considers herself a Healer main:

Full Heals: Attunement of Grace + Phoenix Protocol + Lumina

Aggressive Heals: Attunement of Flame + Promethium Spur

(Attunement of Sky is when she just wants to have fun)

As a Hunter, she is obsessed with knives:

Infinite Knives: Thousand Cuts + Shards of Galanor + Traveler’s Chosen

So many knives!!: Thousand Cuts + Ophidia Spathe

(Used Golden Gun at the beginning before she learned there are other ways to use the light as a Gunslinger)

Before Guardian games, as a Warlock she wore Celestial Armor

During & after Guardian games, she switched to Moonfang/Daito gear:

Her style as a Hunter is often this one (a combination of different gear):

Her Ghost is Calypso. They share one braincell. Calypso enjoys the Hexing shell and changes what’s on the end of her string from time to time.

Mar is represented with the colour Pink. Oh! Also a Bow main.

Clan Sassy, Seasoned and Sexy; SSS

(these characters are owned by my friends but I have permission to draw & use them)

Haze

Previously a Warlock main

When he was a Warlock main, he was the one who recruited Mar to SSS and taught her everything she knows

Now a Titan main and will never go back

will Thundercrash everyone, even friends

Mar often comes to him for help cuz they are BFFs

He is represented with the colour Green

Doesn’t really have a main weapon type, but maybe Auto Rifles?

Grin

Hunter, Golden Gun main

Big weirdo, likes to mess with people, pretty funny tho

Insanely good at headshots

always puts his brother (Bearock) first

hates so many NPCs (Zavala, Ikora, Crow, Eris, to name a few)

He is represented with the colour Blue

Hand cannon main.

Bearock

Titan, loves and uses every subclass

Very busy Clan Leader with natural authority

Loud epic booming voice that makes everyone swoon

makes the BEST jokes

super knowledgeable and studies the lore like crazy

He is represented with the colour Purple

Grenade launcher / Machine gun main.

(I also heard news of possibly us getting more clanmates soon, and I know for sure of 1 when crossplay becomes A Thing!)

TRANSCEND goes more into detail and explains the storyline in the associated Google Doc. However, because it contains Spoilers of what I’m going to draw & post in the future, it’s off limits for now. I’m currently in the process of making a Viewer Friendly No Spoilers Allowed version so stay tuned for that!

Feel free to ask anyone or everyone in the clan questions o7 I will draw responses as soon as I can!

#destiny 2 #mar #haze #grin #bearock #clan sss #they are very much self inserts if im being honest #d2 #this is for anyone that's curious about what my destiny stuff is about

37 notes · View notes

grxsszennie · 5 years

Text

jisung x reader, ready player one au

by: solar ☀️

word count: 1.7k

for context: you’re new to the oasis, and jisung is one of the best players of all time (besides the high five obviously). also (y/a/n) means your avatar name

for more context: if you haven’t seen ready player one, the high five are the main characters (parzival, art3mis, aech, daito, and sho). the oasis is a virtual world where anyone can do whatever they want and be whoever they want.

you had just finished designing your avatar. you looked around at the great, looming quartz-colored towers of the main lobby, and observed all the experienced players walking and talking around you. since you were a noob, you were expecting everyone to ignore you.

you couldn’t hide the fact that you didn’t know where to start. you didn’t know how to earn coins, or get new clothes and items. you were stuck with a basic pistol and a t-shirt and jeans. you decided the best option would be to ask the players around you.

you noticed a man who carried himself with confidence, as if he knew that he was a skilled player, almost. you ran to catch up with him, and tapped him on the shoulder. “excuse me...?” he turned and faced you, studying you with an almost amused expression. “what can i do for you?” he asked mockingly. “i... um... i’m obviously new here and i just wanted to know, where do i start?” he laughed and grabbed you by the wrist.

people whispered among themselves. “is that the vastificus with a noob?” you kind of felt awkward with everyone’s eyes on you. he led you to a dark alleyway, and you gulped. “alright, that’s better. i didn’t want the general public to see me with a newbie, that wouldn’t have been good for my repuation...” he explained, kind of trailing off at the end. “why not? isn’t it good to help a new player out?” you asked innocently.

“this community is kind of against noobs for some reason. i wish i could help people like you more often, but i’m kind of well known, so it doesn’t really work out.” he sighed. you nodded slowly. “but if you join my clan...” a screen appeared in front of him. he pressed a few buttons and a box appeared in front of you. it read “vastificus has invited you to a clan! join?” you tapped yes and he smiled. “i can bring you along with me on an artifact hunt to earn you some coin.” he offered. you smiled and bounced on your heels in excitement.

“you’re definitely a teenage girl,” he said lightheartedly. “but before we do that, we need to bring you to the shop. come with me.” he gave you a cloak of invisibility from his inventory. “give this back to me afterwards.” you put it on and followed him out of the alleyway and into the street. he brought you to a giant marketplace.

soft 80s music played from overhead as the two of you walked around looking at everything in awe. “spend your coin on anything you’d like. i’d recommend one new outfit and one gun.” he whispered, just loud enough for you to hear him over the music and the other players talking. you quickly found an outfit that fit your avatar’s appearance and started looking around at the weapons. “which weapons are good?” you asked.

“oh, here!” he pointed to a gun. “this one’s on me.” he purchased the gun and handed it to you. you took it in your hand awkwardly and lifted it up and down, getting used to the weight of it. you took off the invisibility cloak and gave it to him. he looked at your new outfit and nodded slowly.

“now come with me.” he opened a portal and stood in front of it. “where are we going?” you asked, becoming a bit nervous. “don’t ask too many questions.” he dragged you into the portal and you were instantly met with the sounds of gunfire and metal hitting the ground. “this is where most of the clan hangs out. it’s called planet doom. there’s jax-“ he pointed to a player fighting three monsters at once. “-and there’s taeyeong.”

you looked at the players he pointed out, and noticed they had green markers over their head. it must mean they’re clan members. “now, if you see a monster, shoot. if you kill it, it will drop coins and they’ll automatically go into your account,” he explained. you nodded and began shooting at monsters.

if they came close to you, you decided it would be a good idea to just kick the shit out of them like a fucking legend. and surprisingly, it worked. vastificus looked at you in surprise. he believed in you, but he didn’t think you’d be this good in your first time on planet doom. you eventually ran out of ammo, so you ran back to him. “oh my god, (y/a/n), that was fucking awesome!” he praised. you smiled. “you really think so?” he smiled back. “yeah! i’ve never seen a newbie fight that well!” a clan member, who was introduced as taeyoung, appeared behind vastificus. “hey, who’s the newbie?” he asked, looking at every detail of your avatar.

“oh, i’m (y/a/n), it’s nice to meet you,” you introduced yourself. “i’ve never heard that name before, you new around here?” he asked. “yeah, this is my first day in the oasis-“ taeyoung gasped. “wow, really?! you looked like sho out there!” you tilted your head in confusion. “you don’t know who that is... okay. he’s a member of the high five, the group that runs the oasis,” he explained. you nodded. “well, i suppose he’s really good then. so thank you!”

vastificus took you by the wrist. “let’s go, i have some more things to show you.”

you woke up every morning eager to do artifact hunts with vastificus and the clan. they became like your second family. they were more supportive of you than you first thought they would be. when vastificus told everyone that you were new, they sent coins, weapons, and other spare items to you. you were getting the hang of everyday life in the oasis, and you were really happy that you had the chance to meet these amazing people.

you were at vastificus’s virtual room, and he had designed it to make it look like the inside of a castle. you listened to him tell a random story about how he almost got mugged by a random furry, when you had a sudden thought. “what’s your name?” you asked.

he shot you a look. “you can never share your real name on here. never.” he snapped. “oh... i-i’m sorry, i didn’t know...” you responded. “it’s alright.” he shook his head. “actually, maybe just this once... but if you mention it around anyone at all i’ll kill you. and you have to tell me yours after.” you quickly nodded. “deal!”

“alright, my name... my name is jisung.” you nodded slowly. you repeated his name in your head. “and mine is (y/n).” he smiled a bit. “t-that’s a p-pretty name,” he stuttered. you were kind of surprised, he didn’t really seem like the awkward type. “thanks,” you replied. “and... a pretty name goes well with a pretty face,” he said, in a voice so small it was almost a whisper.

“huh-? this isn’t how i really look,” you said, shocked. “i-i know, but i bet you’re r-really pretty in the real world.” he looked at the ground. “i’m really sorry about all the personal questions but how old are you? please be honest.” he laughed at your question. “i knew this was coming, i’m seventeen,” he replied. “what, really? me too!”

“if we ever met up, please don’t expect... this.” he gestured at his avatar. “i’m not this. but i’m also not a fat kid who lives in his mom’s basement, so at least i’ve got that going for me,” he joked. “no matter how you look, i bet you’re handsome,” you said. he made a strange noise then immediately took his headset off. his avatar disappeared, leaving you alone in his house.

you teleported to the city, figuring you’d leave him a message for when he saw the screen on his headset. you tapped on his name in your friends list and typed out a quick message. “i really hope you’re in seoul, if so, would you like to meet up?”

he immediately came online after that, and sent you a message back. “of course, where?” you thought for a moment. you sent a location of a coffee shop that’s about a ten-minute walk from your house, just in case he was a creep. you took off your headset, gloves and ankle straps and shoved them into a backpack, then ran out the front door and to the coffee shop.

you opened the door, and a little bell rang. you looked around the shop to see a few people, but you had no idea which one was jisung. a male looked at you awkwardly from across the room, and he had two cups in front of him. you nervously approached him, and you both stared each other down as you took each step closer. “um... are you...?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. you recognized his voice immediately, so you wrapped your arms around his neck in a tight hug.

you could hear his heart beating so fast, you were wondering how he hasn’t died of a heart attack yet. you let go and pulled the chair across from him out, then sat down. “i didn’t know how you liked your coffee so i just got you the same one i got,” he said.

“i knew you’d be handsome!” he hid his face in his hands and made another strange noise. you pulled one of his hands away to reveal his face, now tinted red. “a-and i knew y-you’d be p-pretty,” he stuttered, his face turning even redder. “oh my god, you’re so cute,” you gushed, pinching his cheek.

“you’re not what i was expecting but in a good way, because online you’re intimidating but in the real world you’re the cutest and softest little-“ he cut you off. “my heart can’t handle this!” he whined. “this is my first time being complimented by a cute girl!” you giggled and twined your fingers with his. “i’m really glad you asked what my name was because i would’ve never had my first kiss,” he said. “wh-“ he cut you off by placing his lips gently against yours.

“we need to keep this a secret, but will you be mine?”

#nct jisung #nct imagines #nct dream imagines #nct dream reactions #boyfriend jisung #jisung #park jisung #jisung park #jisung fluff #jisung imagines #jisung fanfic #jisung x reader #nct x reader #nct dream x reader #nct fanfic #nct dream fanfic #nct au

123 notes · View notes

guaminator · 4 years

Text

Inspirational Artist Links: Performance Art

electric stimulus to face by Daito Manabe

My immediate reaction to this piece was one of discomfort. The dissonant, swelling electronic pad that was ever present while the chirps and beeps were going off gave it an almost unsettling feeling. A very curious piece, that’s for sure. All I could really think about is how uncomfortable each person must have felt. The way each of their faces reacted in a similar way to each stimulus was actually quite interesting. Syncing the pulses up with the sounds was really clever. Alter Bahnhof by Janet Cardiff I felt that this piece was really intriguing. The video feed from the phone’s screen and the “live” feed behind it really gave it depth. The perspective of having the hand holding the screen up and the sensation that wearing headphones gave was extremely immersive. When the dog ran up and started barking at the dancer it startled me, making me react as if the dog was in the room with me. The monotone and calm voice narrating and giving instructions was relaxing. The verbal descriptions of what was on the screen paired with “walking through” where everything happened was very well done. Bike Lanes by Casey Neistat Very amusing and very effective at conveying the message regardless of the text on the screen. I feel the message he was getting across would have been heard loud and clear even if the text was removed from the video. I applaud the dedication to the falls that he took. The background music added a more humorous feel to the piece. The finale was brilliant as well. Legend + Queen by Candice Breitz The concept of these videos was really cool. I found the little ad libs that certain individuals added to each song really interesting. Having no actual music playing really stripped down each song and emphasized the little “mistakes” people would make now and again. Taking a moment to focus on a single individual was also fun to do, watching how they danced (or didn’t dance) kind of showed off their personality. It felt as if each individual was plucked from a concert and had their voices isolated. Really cool piece(s). Meat Joy by Carolee Schneemann This piece was incredibly strange to me. I couldn’t really understand what was going on. It felt like a sensory overload with everything happening. I did feel the movements of the people seemed very fluid as if they were all a single organism. The music felt really out of place as well.

Vanessa Beecroft Interview + VB40 by Vanessa Beecroft It felt as if the subjects in her pieces were basically living statues. I like how the instructions she provided made the piece dynamic. Since each individual got more and more fatigued at different times it really gave the performance motion even when there’s very little movement involved. Very thought provoking in regards to beauty and body image. The Quintet of the Astonished by Bill Viola I remember this piece from an earlier module. I feel this piece really displays the spectrum of human emotion and how wide it can really be. As time passes you can really see the nuances in their expressions even though they aren’t exactly changing how they’re emoting. There really is something about being able to slow real-time down and sort of admire or examine everything.

Staging by Maria Hassabi

Just as she said in the interview, since the movement of the performers is incredibly slow, one can focus more on the space that the performance is taking place. Unlike “The Quintet” the slow motion in this piece is acted out which I found to be very intriguing. Watching the visitors of the exhibit during the interview was particularly captivating. The visible curiosity while people walked nearby was a spectacle in itself. Talking Tongues by Lisa Steele

During this piece I was listening the entire time but something about the delivery was awkward for me. It seemed very scripted but the story still struck me. Even though the story was ultimately fictional, I felt empathy for her. The sense of dread and just being absolutely fed up with everything she had experienced was very apparent.

Perimeter of Square by Bruce Nauman

I found myself almost zoning out while viewing this piece for a few minutes. I started to switch my focus between the audio of the metronome and the movements the performer was making. I couldn’t exactly discern a meaning from it, personally. The repetitive nature didn’t inspire much thought or curiosity from me but maybe that was the artist’s intention all along. Punk Prayer by Pussy Riot

Knowing about how protesters and other activists are treated in Russia really made this piece more intense. There was a very clear message to both the government as well as the church through the lyrics. The use of vibrant colors on their outfits really contrasted against the cathedral interior. Their balaclavas showed a sense of anarchy and made the necessity of anonymity when speaking out against the Russian Government. Cut Piece by Yoko Ono

I think the call to action of this piece was what intrigued me the most. I’m not sure I would want to participate in this performance if I was able to. The interview stated something I found pretty interesting. There isn’t always exactly a “point” persey necessary for pieces like this. The art of the piece would have also been present even if no one decided to take the scissors and cut, I find that to be pretty interesting. Interior Scroll by Carolee Schneemann Reading the description of the piece it definitely was intended to shock. The amount of symbolism in this piece is very pronounced. Where the scroll was located and how she read it back while she extracted it was a clear, “I don’t care about what you think about my art.” There is an intense amount of feminism displayed from this piece. Shocking yet powerful.

Bound Mouth + Foot by Kate Wingard

I was anticipating more of the words written in pudding to be stepped on when it cut to the wider shot. The audio in this piece served as another artistic element, it was very difficult to listen to, personally. I was curious as to why the artist chose pudding, honestly. Wholesome by Megan Carnrite

This was difficult to watch, which I feel was the goal of the creator of this piece. I thought of the gluttony that seems to be overly apparent in America. The way the performer was framed was also intriguing, no identity, just a mouth constantly being fed. Roll of a Woman by Javid Rezvani

I thought this was incredibly creative. Something natural that every human being does is described in such a way that attempts to make the audience assume it’s a euphemism. Clever play on words in the title as well. How to Earn a Glass of Water by Dallas Scott

It really made me think of how those of us with easy access to fresh drinking water take that amenity for granted. The amount of patience necessary to watch a full cup of ice melt is insane. The runtime of the piece was something that I had trouble with. Even with it being sped up it took quite a long time for the finale of him finally drinking the water. Can Knot by Alexandra Gutierrez

The frustration was immediate for me once I saw the mess of cords and cables she started to unwind. Something that almost everyone can relate to be it with headphones all the way to extension cords. It made me think about how much time someone might take untangling cords throughout one’s lifetime. Just as the frustration set in immediately, the relief was immediate after seeing them all untangled and separated. Clever idea.

3 notes · View notes

xadoheandterra · 5 years

Text

Reflection

Title: Reflection Fandom: Bleach Characters: Muramasa, Zangetsu, Tensa Zangetsu, Ichigo Part: I | II Warning: There might be later hints toward somewhat not necessarily platonic Zangetsu/Tensa Zangetsu/Ichigo or Hollow!Ichigo/Zangetsu/Ichigo down the line ; Tensa Zangetsu and Old Man Zangetsu are technically two different manifestations of the same being ; Muramasa being horrifying ; body horror I guess? Imma warn for it anyway ; Ichigo is not a Dumb but he is also a Dumb Summary: They’d always been two parts of one whole, two thirds of a full being. He the chain that bound the blade aimed to tear apart the heavens; he the blade bound by their agreement, their conjoined desires to protect. They both had the best in mind for their remaining third--and then Muramasa happened and Ichigo reminded them why he was theirs to begin with.

Ichigo choked off his scream as those long nails dug into his shape and form and dragged a whole part of his soul from the base. It felt like fire, a lash of a chain that ripped from him and dragged with it blood and bitterness and the feel of failure. It felt like freedom and despair. His limbs were held immobile, his back pressed down into the ground even as those nails dug and it hurt. The chain of power wiggled free and with it Ichigo felt bereft.

The world had not been right the minute he first crossed blades with Muramasa; the sword in the being’s hands felt off-kilter and it rang in his ears like a plea and a scream and it hurt to listen, to hear the cry and scream in a thousand voices and in one. Muramasa’s blade felt empty and it cut and sliced deep into Ichigo to the point that when he repeated Zangetsu’s own words back to him Ichigo felt no resistance to what tore and ripped free. Bankai shattered like wind on the breeze and left Ichigo in an oversized shihakusho with an oversized zanpakuto—and that should have been impossible.

The first cord of discordant thought rang through Ichigo’s head as he turned himself over. He gasped for breath and tried to piece together the source of the disturbance, the weakness to his limbs—

—stole ‘im, gonna rip ‘im to shreds, how dare he, how dare he, howdarehefuckdammit—

—settled something cold near Ichigo’s heart where fire once rested. Ichigo forced his breaths to calm even as on shaky limbs he pushed himself upward and heard a voice call his name. Higher, reedier than he could remember but the patterns of speech where so familiar that it ached. Careful, cherry picked words filled with double layers and double meanings with the feel of sorrow and regret and the underlying whisper of this is better, isn’t it?

Ichigo looked up and shuddered and had to blink his eyes as he took in a smaller, slighter form with familiar dark hair. There were no glasses, no facial hair to get in the way—nothing overly familiar about it except that Ichigo knew who this is, and it struck him like a hammer—

“Zangetsu?” Ichigo said, voice hoarse, but the other just shook his head, frown across lips even as he listed to the side with feet posed like a dance—one before the other, ready to pirouette away from a blow with all the grace that Ichigo lacked. The grace that Ichigo felt gifted with when he pulled enough bower to form bankai and—Ichigo breathed, “No. Tensa Zangetsu?”

“Mmm,” Tensa Zangetsu sighed, as if disappointed. Ichigo didn’t know what his zanpakuto wanted except he was here and that shouldn’t be possible right? Beyond that why was he young and slender and—questions bounced in his mind and a part of him screamed—

—givehimbackgivehimbackGIVEHIMBACK—

—Tensa Zangetsu barely gave Ichigo a moment to stagger to his feet as Muramasa shifted into view from behind the slighter form, tall and thin with the faintest sway in the nonexistent breeze of the Sereitei. Then he moved with the speed of Ichigo’s bankai and only through the sheer insanity that is Getaboshi and Yoruichi and then the Vizard’s ridiculous ideas of what constitutes as training does Ichigo raise his own oversized khyber knife of a blade to block the forward thrust of the daito that should have pierced his heart.

“What—what the fuck are you doing?!” Ichigo grunted and the blades sparked against one another before power rushed forward and the air charged and then Ichigo found himself knocked back and once more without breath. Something in him broke and tears filled his eyes and he screamed.

—nonoNONO! DAMN YOU! YOU PROMISED—

—and Ichigo felt himself drift back in a wave of pain because one third of himself had just been ripped away and the ragged and torn edges bled and everything felt unstable and unsteady and his breath didn’t want to come. The smoke and debris and the mess from the blow and the belief that Zangetsu—

—fuckyouTENSA—

—betrayed him hurt like nothing else. The mask formed with half-a-thought and Ichigo didn’t have a chance to wonder how because his eyes already bled black and gold and a ragged and warbled scream rose from his throat and he wanted to cry because that damned Hollow bastard—

—youPROMISEDmeTENSA—

—but Ichigo drifted back and drifted down into a downpour of rain and a sea of sorrow and the edge of his world—

—crumbled.

Ichigo drowned. Instinct raised and battled to the fore in a silent scream and all sense and reason left him but the urge and need to—

—hurt—

—while he choked on nothing.

#fanfic #bleach #zangetsu #old man zangetsu #tensa zangetsu #shiro #hollow ichigo #ichigo #muramasa #fic: reflection #fix-it kind of #zanpakuto arc #muramasa deserved better dammit

28 notes · View notes

nervoussheepinfluencer · 4 years

Text

Inspirational Artist Links: Performance Art

electric stimulus to face by Daito Manabe: I found this piece to be extremely interesting, and kind of crazy in a sense. It almost reminds me of a music video from Aphex Twin, in the way the music enhances what is already going on in the video, and makes it seem even more far out.

Alter Bahnhof by Janet Cardiff (This was a surreal interactive experience!): This was definitely video that was unlike anything I’ve seen before. I loved the reference to philosohpy and how it affects us daily on how we live our lives, and how the video as a whole referenced the notion that anything we see is only a snapshot of that specific location at that specific time, and something we may never truly witness again.

Bike Lanes by Casey Neistat (activism): As a bicyclist myself, this video was awesome, and a great commentary on both how police give out tickets, (how did he get ticketed for doing something that wasn’t actually illegal?) and how we can focus on on the wrong part of a topic. (If something is blocking the bike path, but it is illegal to go off of it, how can you go anywhere, especially in a city?)

Legend + Queen by Candice Breitz (cultural studies): I found both of these videos to be a testament to both the influence an artist has and the culture behind them. They fact that Breitz put hundreds of people who claimed to be heavy-duty fans of said artist through tests to get to the biggest fans, means that all of them probably know the song they are singing by heart, and therefore, they represent who in what area the music most attunes with, and I found it beautiful.

Meat Joy by Carolee Schneemann (iconic performance art piece): I’m not sure if its the quality of the film, the narrating over it that seems to repeat, the visuals, or all them together, but this video made me feel slightly uncomfortable and a bit wierded out. The whole video seems to be almost surreal,

Vanessa Beecroft Interview + VB40 by Vanessa Beecroft (suffering + beauty): This art project was definitely unique, especially in its ambiguity. There are so many meanings that one could take from both of these videos, that I could probably fill up pages just on what one exhibit could mean.

The Astonished by Bill Viola: This was pretty cool in the way that it shows the evolution of emotion in the short time period it takes to show. Other than that though I didn’t really find much meaning behind it, but that in itself could be the point.

Staging by Maria Hassabi: I found this piece to be very peculiar. It was really interesting to see the artist combine choreography, human form, and art itself into its own vision, and to make meaning from all that combined.

Talking Tongues by Lisa Steele (1982): This was a really emotional and sincere piece, and it really illustrates not only the effects of abuse in a family, but also the double meanings of actions and words. There were many times in the video that clearly showed how what someone says might really be alluding to something else.

Perimeter of Square by Bruce Nauman (iconic performance art piece): Hypnotic is the word I would use to describe this video. I guess you could say the metronome itself is hypnotic, but by using its pacing, and modifying it to go around a square, it turns the video into something that was surreal, but I can’t really define why.

Punk Prayer by Pussy Riot: I found this video of rebellion to be hilarious. The way that they quite literally invade a holy place, and directly protest the churches control, using dirty language and accusation, is honestly amazing. They do almost everything they can to stand out, and basically take over the church with “the devil’s music.”

Cut Piece by Yoko Ono(iconic performance art piece): This piece, which was almost a social experiment, was really interesting, especially in the way that anyone could come up and cut whatever piece they wanted. It was also a great way to show the boundaries, and make us question them as a whole.

Interior Scroll by Carolee Schneemann (iconic performance art piece): I found these sets of pictures set as an art piece to be very strange and intriguing. After reading the summary of the work, and what she actually did, I found it awesome, because it almost seemed like this work was made tell those who disliked her art, to “f” off, pardon my French. On top of this, the themes of femininity and sexuality were very interesting.

Bound Mouth + Foot by Kate Wingard: I found this piece to be very uncomfortable, mostly due to the sounds. The sliding, squishing, and gasping come together to make a very distinctive experience, one that is both interesting and almost unnerving.

Wholesome by Megan Carnrite: I found this video to be really gross, but interesting at the same time, considering the name and its multiple meanings in relation to eating in general.

Roll of a Woman by Javid Rezvani: This video as an art piece honestly might be my favorite on the list. There were so many connation's, not only with the dialogue but with the title as well, that it really highlights the statement that the artist is trying to make. It was also very funny.

How to Earn a Glass of Water by Dallas Scott: This was a really moving piece for me. This art clearly showcases the struggle many go through to simply afford basic necessities, using patience and resolve, to just do whatever the task and wait to be able to afford what they need.

Can Knot by Alexandra Gutierrez: I found this to be a strange and honestly touching piece. The way the artist used an almost impossibly tangled amount of cords around them to illustrate problems that we all have was really cool. And it pointed out to me that these things can resolve, they just need time to unravel.

1 note · View note

yuaffxiv · 4 years

Text

Ichi- Wandering heart

This is an IC journal entry from Yua, it contains content that might be triggering for some so please take caution

“I suppose father couldn’t protect me in the afterlife...”

I always wondered what could have been if he were still alive. The man was constantly trying to make amends for my bloodline, despite me never asking to be born in the first place. But lust tends to do that to people... A temporary euphoria that everyone is willing to experience, but not the consequences of it. I suppose that’s unfair to say about my him though. He could have left me be, I was already labeled as the half-breed bastard child. But he remained by my side for 15 summers. My caretaker told me of how he was in the room when I was born. Quite uncommon with eastern traditions... He held me before my own mother did.

He had plans for me, become a respectable woman within the society and marry someone who could offer his little girl some stability in life. Perhaps my mother was trying to do that as well... But she was greedy, and desperate.

Koretane Daito was his name, a pure bred Raen with a notable smile. Arranged marriages weren’t suppose to be comfortable in the first place, but he was handsome, and obviously an appropriate height... but lacked any real emotions in those eyes of his. People found him to be quite charismatic, could hold a conversation with ease and captivate the entire room whole doing so. Though in time I came to realize something, he smiled at everyone else, but me.

I did everything I was ever told to do, behaved like I was suppose to. Why were these values embedded into my mind... only to be punished in the end? The towering raen only looked to me with contempt, perhaps he hated me from the beginning? I had better conversations with an infant than I did him. Plenty of nights would pass when he wouldn’t come home, and I dared not ask where he was. Things would become more intense with the consumption of alcohol. One might think these au ras can handle their liquor... but clearly not. Screaming matches would ignite, broken glass making it’s way to the floor... and the walls. When that wouldn’t be enough... Bruises could be found throughout my body the next day.

For a time, I felt numb to it all. Heeding mother’s words that everything would get better... But it never did. In fact, the fights would get worse, the screaming... the broken glass... ribs... pain. I was unaware of that to believe when it came to the afterlife... But I couldn't’ help but wonder what father thinks of it all. What he would have done if he were still present... Perhaps see through the facade of this man, reject the marriage proposal before things went... too far. Is this what he wanted for me? Would he have protected me? Was I destined for a life like this? Living in such fear that I feel myself suffocate, flinching in reaction to his every movement? Was this truly what my father wanted for his little girl?

#diary #raen #ffxiv #yikesforever #imnoprosoplzforgiveme

7 notes · View notes