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highhhfiveee · 5 months

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Imagine having matching Christmas pj’s with Mike and Abby?🥹

IT WOULD BE SO CUTE😭

-🌊

!!!!! [i'm a little sleepy so bear with me lmao]

tags: fem!reader, major fluff, christmas pajamas. just pure holiday sweetness [,: sorry if there are errors, it's late and i'm damn near conking at the keys

i have a pair of reindeer fleece pants that i’ve had for the last two years, and i can imagine abby gifting mint!reader a pair of them while you clear your dinner plates from the coffee table.

"i gave mike his pair already. i was supposed to wait, but i was too excited," you're forced to place the dishes on the counter as she shoves the pants into your hands with a wide, toothy smile. the reindeer's heads are adorned with santa hats, festive lights strung around their antlers and ears.

they're pretty cute, screened over the entirety of both legs, and you're rubbing your hand over the soft, fluffy material with a warm-hearted hum. you return abby's smile, reaching down to sway her side to side in a tight hug. "thank you, abs. you have great taste."

"tell me something i don't know," she replies, and you lean on the counter in a fit of laughter, abby joining you soon after

mike had accepted his pair with a bit of reluctance, giving abby a slow and fabricated, "thankssssss...." as he stared down at the ugly cartoon reindeer. they were everywhere, crudely-drawn with unintelligible blobs for "lights".

he'd stuffed them to the back of one of his dresser drawers.

the holiday is on a saturday this year, and he's so excited to be able to spend the entire day with you and abby. it's already panning out to be a good time as he enters to the tall christmas tree that's been set up in the corner, illuminated with lightbulbs of all sizes and colors. the ornaments are mostly silly; cardboard gift boxes, paper snowflakes and candy canes, and other kitschy things you and abby had made over the last twelve days.

there's a decent stack of presents under the tree, all wrapped in ways indicative of who handled them. mike's got one more for you in his grip, and he's about to set it under the tree when abby appears from the hallway, staring him down. "what's in your hand?"

"a present. merry christmas, abs."

"is it for me?"

"no, it's for y/n. just something last minute." abby takes in the small jewelery store bag dangling from his finger, squinting her eyes.

"is it a ring?"

"what---abby, no. we've been on one date."

"i heard it went well."

"yeah, well, one date isn't grounds for marriage, good or not. jeez, why don't you go talk to y/n and stop pestering me?"

"she's changing into her christmas pajamas, something you should be doing as well. won't be fully christmas without them."

mike stands to his full height, shaking his head with an irritated, "nuh uh. not happening, sorry."

"oh come on, i spent my allowance on those pants!"

"terrible purchase," mike deadpans, beginning to move towards the kitchen when you come into the early morning light of the living room. it stops him in his tracks.

your hair rests atop your head, curly tendrils toppling over your eyes, and you look down at yourself as you notice mike staring at you. you survey for drool stains since you slept in your black camisole, and twist and turn as you scrutinize the pants on your bottom half. "a little small, but they'll do. thanks again, abby. you're really sweet," you're reaching out to pull abby into your side when you finally see mike, giving him such a bright, energized smile even though it's 7:53 in the morning. you're just so beautiful, and it nearly causes mike to lose all brain function.

"hi, mike! did you have a good shift?"

"yeah," he sighs out, tongue so dry it'd work better as tinder. he composes himself, swallowing as he jokes, "watching over animatronics is really the life."

you giggle, turning to hide your blushed cheeks and goofy, totally-crushing-very-hard grin. "well, you're employee of the century in my eyes, your picture should be everywhere! oh, speaking of pictures, abby wanted to take one with all of us in our festive pjs. mind changing real quick?"

there's no protest. mike's damn near the roadrunner with how fast he dashes in and out of his room, standing in front of you two in a white t-shirt and his reindeer pants in what feels like fifteen seconds.

abby sticks her tongue out at him, huffing and crossing her arms over her chest with an indignant head raise, but mike pays her no mind, musing, "so...a picture you said," to you as he stares into your eyes and melts like a bar of chocolate left out on a hot day.

the picture comes out cute; abby sits between you and mike, and your cheek rests against the top of her head while he keeps the two of you close to him by stretching one of his arms across your shoulderblades and pulling you in tighter. you're all smiling, perfectly poised for the shot, and mike can't help but think about how this is all he wants forever as you shriek at the custom necklace that he's gotten for you; deep yellow gold with a heart locket that had a tiny picture of him and abby inside, all of your initials carved into the metal on the other half.

"mike!"

"merry christmas, y/n."

omg i was not expecting to write this but how fucking cute. i really do love the holiday season so this is really nice. i can't believe american thanksgiving is in THREE DAYS. that's fucking NUTS!

faire's seedlings ✿

@leahdhopkins4321-@pyr0-kai-@angstywhore-@sunazroo-@nyxthoughtss-@mirophobic-@fayethor-@marixsimps-@regretfulme-@ithinkitszeph-@707xn-@cattt777-@violetta-ximena-@amnesia33-@topnerd03-@fastnights-@laprvphette-@savage-aespa-@mfdxz-@0-tatiana-0-@dusstory-@delwrites-@mikeschmidtgf-@jun1p3rlol-@xyzstar-@aquamarine001-@atrociouslybear-@ickleronniekinsemotionalrange

#fnaf #fnaf movie #fnaf fic #mike schmidt #mike schmidt x reader #mike schmidt fluff #faire is writing stuff #faire's (mint) mike schmidt <3 #josh hutcherson #faire answers asks #faire says #if only i had a boo for the winter time #i'm trying to stay warm #if you know what i mean #but also i want a kiss fr #and a personalized necklace #cute as hell #faire’s wave!anon

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d1n0m1te · 9 months

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(Okay so, figures at this point I’m inconsistent as fuck when it comes to posting - so my bad about that)

Okay so, long story short, me and @saltedpineapple talked last night about some Security Breach stuff and we’ll, he’s not a big fan of Gregory(as a lot of people are) and while I can understand why and ya know, see it as fairly reasonable, I do kinda feel bad? Like it’s hard to explain it exactly.

I feel like when it comes to the rushed/poor rewriting Security Breach went through, Gregory was the biggest victim to that as well as Vanessa, and it really shows in how he acts and behaves throughout the game. I kinda wanna take this as a opportunity to dissect some of the points my friend made and maybe just kinda either give points on what I believe could have been improved on or have been done instead!

OBVIOUS SPOILER WARNING FOR SECURITY BREACH/RUIN, READ IF YOUVE EITHER ALREADY PLAYED OR ARE OKAY WITH BEING SPOILED.

ALSO IMPORTANT; IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GREGORY SLANDER, THIS IS NOT THE POST FOR YOU.

Okay so, so here are three of the points Salt made that I’ve been keen on going over, so here we go!:D

•Point One; “He has a lack of motivation/reasoning for being at the Pizza Plex or for what he does.”

Response; This is arguably really true. Like in the trailer, we at least get an idea that Gregory has a reason for being in the Pizza Plex; supposedly he was there with friends and at some point Vanny got involved, though we are never given a reason as to how or what happened. In the version we have now he’s just…There, no clear reason as to why he doesn’t trust Vanessa right off the bat, much less how he got inside Freddy’s chest cavity. A lot of the stuff Gregory does just…Makes no sense whatsoever. I personally believe how the game should have started was with Gregory maybe sneaking through the vents (we’ve seen him do it, he can fit in them no problem) as a means of escaping Vanny, possibly injured from her too and whilst trying to go through the vents, he ends up stumbling into Freddy’s room - panicking, he hides under Freddy’s vanity. This could then lead to the scene where at the beginning of the game we have Freddy waking up from recharging after crashing on stage, he hears a voice from under his vanity and kneels down and he then finds this injured boy, you’d then be met with the objective of seeking medical attention for Gregory and through that is when we start seeing things start to get a little bit fishy, voila! A more plausible start to the game! As for motivation; I think maybe a good motivation would be for him to either find the friends that Vanny mentioned in the trailer of the game, or at least to find out what happened to them.

•Point Two; “He comes off as really a not normal/disturbed kid”

Response: As bad as that may look to some who may read this, the “disturbed” part more specifically, let me clarify on that. When talking about Gregory, Salt mentioned in how two of the endings Gregory killed Vanessa and how he goes out of his way to actively destroy the animatronics for upgrades for Freddy. With the Vanessa killings - to be fair, it can be argued that she was trying to kill him and in one of the endings - it was Freddy that did it, not Gregory. The Disassembling Vanny Ending can be put into question though since I think at that point they’d know Vanny was at least human? I can’t recall it too well - then again, this ending can be put into debate with the RUIN DLC and Gregory had drawn those endings as comics so they could not be canon? So this kids probably got a really well…A really creative imagination. As for destroying the others, that can be understandable too to an extent. While yes, you can make the argument that Gregory was only trying to protect himself from animatronics that were ACTIVELY trying to kill him, it doesn’t make much sense as to why he’d suddenly start actively upgrade Freddy using their body parts? Like even in the sense of progressing in the game it makes no sense unless you want to achieve certain endings, but asides from that? Not a lick of sense is made from it.

Compared to Cassie too, we didn’t really see him express much guilt or regret when doing it- only with Freddy. Cassie didn’t even do anything to the animatronics and she still felt bad for them, even giving Chica back her voice box when she gets the chance! It’s clear that both of these children loved the Pizza Plex or at least the characters in them - so it’s pretty interesting such contradicting reactions side by side. Given his lack of empathy and active pursue of destroying the animatronics and how he lied to Freddy about how he got them, it can be seen as at least a little bit off putting.

•Point Three; “Gregory doesn’t treat Glamrock Freddy like he is his favourite”

Response; Now, as much as I am a sucker for the trope, I can’t argue that it’s not invalid. In the game it more so looks as if Glamrock Freddy just blindly follows Gregory and doesn’t put much question into the choices Gregory makes, and Gregory vice versa isn’t really all that nice to Glamrock Freddy? It doesn’t really change that much throughout the game either. Like I’m not trying to say Gregory should have been an absolute saint, you CAN have kid characters that are total brats, little shits, absolute spawns, not all kids are gonna be saints, but what I am saying is that we should have at least gotten to have more of a slow burn of Gregory beginning to slowly open up and be more attached to Glamrock Freddy and express it more, even if albeit stubbornly. In turn, Glamrock Freddy would have acted more like a stern but kind guiding hand and not just blindly following Gregory and not responding negatively to anything. That’s just unrealistic. Especially in the cases of Gregory disemboweling the closest thing Glamrock Freddy has to family. Security Breach as a whole really lacked that character depth or development. Salt gave the idea of maybe at some points throughout the game GlamrockFreddy would fight Gregory some Freddy merch, perhaps a pin or teddy and while Gregory admittedly says he doesn’t want it, he keeps it regardless.

Okay, that’s all of them for now. Thanks to Salty again for the conversation as I genuinely do enjoy it! While I don’t neither hate Gregory, I don’t absolutely adore him either. I’m more so attached to the fanon version of Gregory more then anything - the ones that depict him as more of just a stubborn, bratty kid that’s just really scared and trying to survive. THAT is the Gregory I’m more attached to if anything, I will admit that he was somewhat redeemed in RUIN DLC, if SteelWool plans on using him for future stories, they’re definitely going to have to do some major workshopping on his character.

But anyways- that’s all I’ve got for today, thank you for coming to my Ted Talk! Hope ya’ll enjoyed it, feel free to have a discussion in the comments, but do not have it turn into a argument k? This is not meant as a means to start arguments, but simply just a topic I wanted to delve into thanks to a friend of mine, let’s not turn it into something it isn’t!

#grim rants #fnaf security breach #fivenightsatfreddyssecuritybreach #five nights at freddy's #security breach ruin #security breach ruin dlc

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lanamemories · 4 years

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crash lands a giant animatronic john travolta (wild hogs era complete w a receding hairline n leather jacket) onto the dash n dismounts frm his back without any explanation as to my vehicle...... helo........ nw tht i’ve made the world’s most unsettling entrance i wil? introduce myself. i’m nai n i’m 23 n live in Manchestoh (typed w a fitting n blood curdlingly british accent). my pronouns r she/her n i currently want a pet baby yoda i can feed strawberries to n tuck into a tiny baby yoda sized bed. anyway. lana’s pinterest can b found HERE n more abt her is under the cut!!

KRISTINE FROSETH / CIS-FEMALE — don’t look now, but is that lana jameson i see? the 21 year old dance student is in their sophomore year and she is a rochester alum. i hear they can be exuberant, alluring, childish and impulsive, so maybe keep that in mind. i bet she will make a name for themselves living in murphy’s beach homes. ( nai. 23. gmt. she/her. )

aesthetics: scalding your fingers in shower water until they glow like rudolph’s nose, cherry red gym socks tugged high and nothing else, stepping out into a cold breeze in just spaghetti strapped silk, a red lightening stripe painted over your eye like a new take on the scarlet letter, crowning each finger with a miniature raspberry, hugging a knee close to lick a stripe of fruit juice off the bruised cap, doodling penises in condensation instead of sitting still, a water pistol topped with rum and covered in glittery pin-up stickers, believable smiles that feel more like baring teeth, playing where’s waldo with your lipstick in the crowd of a party and finding red smudges on at least six people’s mouths, a bumper sticker on the back of a convertible cadillac that says ‘SCRAPPY DOO IS A FILTHY SLUT’, prancing around in your underwear to a vinyl record with the curtains open.

BACKGROUND:

lana grew up in a big house in albany, NY. i picture it w dark oak floors n lots of light furniture. albums framed on walls. mayb some rolling stone covers too frm way bk when of the bands her dad’s label signed. kind of like… a rock star palace w no evidence of children at all. i think i described it best in one of lana’s self paras once when i said the garden ws “as big as it was unloved”

lana’s mum victoria (vic) ws a music journalist w a pretty fruitful career ahead of her when she met lana’s dad richard (rich). his record label ws jst starting out, founded on the coattails of his rich best friend’s (jensen peters) investment w his other best friend (who he jst calls knoxville). it rocketed to success when they signed poppy injects, a rock band w an electric stage presence, n victoria ws drawn to the glitz n glamour of a man tht ws at the helm of his aspiring industry. their love ws very impulsive, all or nothing right frm the start, n it ws almost like she ws mre in love w his accomplishments n what he represented than him. jst a leetle bit Fractured in its intentions.

anyway so jameson records repped a few big rock bands bk in the eighties, altho poppy injects r who they’re mostly known fr, namely bc of hw brightly they crashed n burned. they were a big chart success bt the lead singer hd quite an intense struggle w heroin (wsnt rly subtle abt it either while he ws in the public eye as u cn probably imagine frm such an on-the-nose band name) n he ws always in n out of the papers. it eventually brought down his career n it ws a big publicity nightmare

lana pretty much… grew up around figures like this throughout childhood. rly troubled characters who wld kind of… b extremely volatile n destructive abt their troubles. the jameson house was kind of an open one as welcoming clients went n a lot of parties took place there. a lot of the time musicians wld b snorting lines in the kitchen when she wnted to grab a bowl of cereal fr breakfast n it was just. a very strange environment fr a child to grow up in

her parents always kind of jst… didn’t like her much. her older brother caleb ws unplanned bt they sort of welcomed the surprise more bt… quickly realised they weren’t cut out fr parenthood n then when lana came as another surprise 3 yrs later they didn’t even try to hide their resentment abt the situation. her mum ws actually booked in to have an abortion bt cldnt go through with it at the last minute. once when lana asked her why shes so cold towards her she jst turned her head frm her dresser, looked at her, told her abt this n said “idk why i didn’t go”. lana didn’t kno wht to say to tht so she jst left her room n closed the door

(dissociation tw) bc of this growing up lana adopted this weird like…. she didn’t rly kno what it ws bt it ws a delusion of sorts where she thought she ws a ghost. she’d jst sort of… drift around the halls w noone acknowledging her n sometimes she ws jst convinced she wsnt actually there or they cldnt see her n she ws jst haunting the house frm a previous family

the one saving grace tho tht sort of?? gt her thru this n made her feel Seen ws caleb. lana quite genuinely hs always thought the sun shines out of her older brothers ass like she jst thinks. hes the best person in the entire world. wld b rly bewildered if anyone questioned tht. he wld always look out for her in the zoo they called a home n cut the crusts off her sandwiches (he’d cook fr them most of the time bc their parents were too busy/didn’t care to) n sometimes wld even sleep at the bottom of her bed curled up like a guard dog. it ws always lana n caleb n his best friend tommy against the world in tht house (tommy lived next door n was always over bc he had very strict parents including a military father tht he found suffocating)

SO when caleb n tommy announced tht they’d signed up to the army lana ws understandably…….. completely blindsided. she ws rly upset tht they were leaving bt she tried not to b mad at them n made them promise theyd b safe n back as soon as possible. she even asked if they cld somehow take her w them n they were jst like :/ it doesn’t work that way luv x

(death tw, ptsd tw, grief tw, trauma tw, hospitalisation tw, drugs tw) anyway caleb ended up getting discharged under grounds of severe ptsd when he witnessed tommy die in an explosion tht took place in a shock raid. caleb returned home sans tommy bt he was never the same after tht. he’s been in and out of hospital twice nw n he’s currently dipped off the radar after starting to use. lana kind of felt like two of her brothers died out there in a way n jst like tht it wasn’t them vs the world any mre, it was jst her. she doesn’t talk abt this tho. when she feels the urge to cry she usually jst smiles

ANYWAY whew tht rly…. took a dark turn there….. chuckles nervously at hw sad lana’s life is bt it’s fine it’s all fINE!!!!!!! ok. so on a mre lighthearted note the jameson family r pretty well off n bc of her relation to such a big music industry figure she’s hung out w a fair few relatively high rep ppl thru her teens. mostly kids of celebrities n stuff like tht. she amassed kind of an instagram following mainly fr her style (v penny lane-esque in some aspects aka lots of fur cuff trimmed jackets bt then also jst…. a wild combination of everything honestly. pastel faux fur coats, seventies style platforms, flame red cowboy boots, pink fishnet tights n glitter used like highlight Everywhere) n bc she’s undeniably very pretty

(trauma tw) after caleb got back he was rly withdrawn n depressed. he shut lana out n was kind of harsh to her a lot of the time, always telling her to leave him alone or pushing her away. it didnt help either tht lana had a rly traumatic experience w some of her dad’s colleagues at the label when she ws 16 n he was away n she cldnt even tell him abt it once he was bk bc of his own traumas. she kind of jst shut it all in n kept it to herself

this obviously?? made her spiral a lot. she was already a girl tht loved sex (she’d only rly done foreplay before tho) but since her trauma it got…. completely out of hand. it got to a point where she couldnt rly go 2 days without it, probably not even 1. her lowest point has probably been scrolling thru craiglist for anonymous encounters n meeting up w strangers on there fr a quick fuck jst for the thrill even tho it’s insanely dangerous n she cld wind up getting herself killed. it’s v clear at this point tht she has a sex addiction whether she’s ever admitted it or not. it kind of… almost mingled w tht same feeling she used to get when she ws younger of being a ghost?? like she jst. only rly feels Real when she’s being touched

(violence tw) a mre recent point of history is her involvement w danny nielsen (an evil npc of mine who is possibly the antichrist??? pending investigation). he attended lockwood n lived in a house w a group of other guys. it wsn’t a registered frat bt he essentially…ran it like one it ws kind of a weird set-up where he ws the King Of The Roost. essentially he found out tht lana n zeke van doren (full name it’s official business Babey) slept together n he ended up beating him to near death in front of her bc his pride ws rly bruised since they were meant to be dating (if u can call it tht bc danny’s idea of dating is very Warped). ANYWAY he ws found guilty n sent dwn bt the trial ws only recent so. it was just intense all around. crosses my fingers across my chest to ward off his Evil

PERSONALITY:

growing up lana was always a huge social butterfly. knew everyone n everyone knew her. she ws one of those girls tht ws kind of impossible to ignore or forget. very animated, always made u feel like u were the centre of the universe whenever she spoke to u, always made it feel like u were best friends even if ud only spoken to her once. she has this magnetic way abt her tht is kind of hard to find in real life. it’s something ud only rly expect out of a movie character n she like. deliberately puts tht on sort of. kind of…. is always playing A Role of the person tht she wants to b seen as. chameleons to situations. feels like she’s performed as the vivacious n fun loving Lana Jameson fr so long tht she doesn’t rly kno who she is beneath tht bt she isn’t too keen to find out

she’s always been rly spontaneous n adventurous. always doing something weird n wild every weekend. she has ten thousand stories tht always earn a laugh or a gasp over how ridiculously absurd they r

uncontrollably flirty. boundlessly confident. cld make a joke out a paper bag n her comedy is sometimes surreal / absurd. she tends to laugh when she feels like crying n has a smile brighter than a ray of texas sunshine. always dapples her fingers thru the breeze when she’s driving in a car w the window down. she almost always has some sort of sweet on her, whether it’s sour haribo cherries or strawberry lollipops. she adores david bowie n prince n madonna n anyone tht’s a vintage style icon w little care fr what ppl think. daisies n poppies r her fav flowers bc daisies r wild n overlooked n poppies r the first thing u look at in a green field. she’s had like 8472493874 ‘relationships’ n none of them hav lasted beyond a month / hav been terrible / hav seen her being treated badly / she’s cheated on them. i dnt think she’s actually been w anyone she hasn’t cheated on in some form or another

PLOTS:

exes tht lana’s fucked over hideously. she’d probably cheat a lot and it’d be a whole…mess. mayb someone tht flipped the switch and cheated on her? a cousin plot cld b fun too. a friend tht lana fel out w bc she slept w their significant other. someone tht’s getting lana into drugs?? she’s kind of impressionable/down for anything so tht’s a likely scenario she’d get into tbh. an unrequited crush!! (either way is cool). someone tht is just hanging out w her/using her bc she has a lot of instagram followers or they want to b signed to her dad’s label. someone in a band!! she’d probably make like penny lane n b their groupie/sleep w them all fgjkshgkh. umm a good influence too mayb? oh and a past summer romance/fling tht cld either have meant a lot or not have meant anything at all. bonus points if both of them hav a diff viewpoint on it. honestly?? anything is fine i cld ramble for days. mayb even one of the high profile kids she grew up hangin w idk. worlds our oyster fellas!

#huntingtonintro #trauma tw #hospitalisation tw #hypersexuality tw #ptsd tw #death tw #grief tw #drugs tw #dissociation tw #this is. kind of beefy honestly bt feel free to jst skip to her personality section bc that's all u rly need to kno unless ur Curious!!

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skekteksfurby · 5 years

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Monthly Movies #3: August 2019

Ít’s that time of the month again! Time to look back on all of the movies/specials I watched in August!

Missing Link (2019): By the Ancients, this movie came out in 2019? It feels like years ago to me somehow. Maybe it’s because of weird sudden influx of Sasquatch/Yeti movies recently. I don’t know. Anyways, this movie was kinda okay? I enjoyed it fine. The animation was breathtaking obviously and Susan was a nice character. The main character is a bit of a problem for me because he’s such an unlikable and selfish jerk throughout a lot of the movie that his redemption kind of feels too late. There’s also some possible transphobic subtext in this movie I’ve noticed (and seen others notice, too) with how everyone keeps “deadnaming” Susan.

Coco (2017): What even can I say about this film that hasn’t already been said? It’s gorgeous, has amazing characters, a true heart to it, memorable songs, a twist villain that actually kind of works, wonderful world-building for the Land of the Dead... I just love this movie and it’s up there with some of my favorites of Pixar.

The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar (2017): I remember so little of this. Like, I really like this show, but I just for the life of me cannot recall what happened in this special of The Lion Guard. I know Scar returns but, really, that’s it? I didn’t enjoy this special too much, that’s what I do recall, since I only gave it two out of five stars.

Savva: Heart of the Warrior/Hero Quest/A Warrior’s Tail (2015): Yes, this movie really has three titles. It’s a chaotic mess of a film, mostly in tone and character designs. I felt like it did have a good idea somewhere deep down inside this. The world and world-building isn’t too horrible and could actually be interesting with more fine-tuning and some rewrites. The character designs were also promising, and some of them were definitely good (the wolves, the Rickies, Savva, the dragon). Even the main message wasn’t too horrible. But the rest... not so much. The main villain, a three-headed ape, is simply comic relief and not really a threat. The comic relief was just over the top and all over the place in this film. It’s just a tone-deaf mess. Don’t even bother watching it for the wolf designs like I did.

The Croods (2013): I remember really hating this movie when I first saw it, but, honestly, I don’t get it anymore. Sure, Dreamworks has done the “overprotective father figure against another character that brings all sorts of new ideas with them”-trope before with Over the Hedge, but it felt new enough. The world this family of cavemen live in is nicely colorful and has tons of interesting animals. The characters weren’t anything new, but the rest held up well enough. The animation is good, though I never liked the human character designs in this movie much.

Hoodwinked! (2005): I’m saying what a lot of people have already said. The animation is utter shit, but the humor is so absurd it’s actually kind of hilarious. I laughed out loud quite a bit at this movie. So ultimately I do recommend it, if you can stomach the shitty visuals.

Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling (2019): I have like no memory whatsoever of the original show, but this special had a trans arc in it so I obviously needed to see it. I support Rachel Bighead so much. You go, girl. As for the special itself, it was pretty funny and had a good message. Nice animation that looks similar to the screenshots and clips I did see of the original.

Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus (2019): Come on, I had to watch this. It’s got Richard Horvitz in the role of an over the top small villain. As a Kaos fan I cannot pass up the opportunity. Now, for this thing, I also had no idea what the original show was about. I watched it when I was little, unlike Rocko, but never truly liked it or got it (probably was too young). The animation in this one was nice and I liked the voice acting, but the rest just became one big blur for me. It was really hard to keep my attention on this one.

Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs (2016): I present to you, the after-one worst movie I’ve seen all year until now. Funnily enough, the actual worst movie I’ve seen is also an Alpha and Omega sequel, except it’s the fifth. The only reason this one isn’t below Family Vacation is that FV was so unforgivably lazy with everything. It’s just a clip show with some new tidbits of animation added in between. As for Dino Digs, it’s every bit as nonsensical and bizarre as you expect, but not in the good way. The writing is lazy as shit, things just go unexplained forever, the animation horrible, the villains complete jokes and there’s... bird dance numbers. Enough said.

Dark Shadows (2012): It had some fun moments in it. That’s all I can say. The rest is just a blur of a memory by now. It has some vampires and werewolves in it, so that’s nice.

Speckles: The Tarbosaurus (2012): This movie/documentary focuses on a Tarbosaurus named Speckles and his struggles in life. I’ve been recommended this movie several times and, yeah, it was all right. Informative (though I don’t know if the information is still accurate) while also telling a story. Honestly, this movie is pretty depressing considering the amount of death in it. My main point that’s holding it back is the voice acting. The voices just sounded too forced and the acting wasn’t too great.

The Lion King (2019): Yes bitches I watched it in cinemas twice. I love this movie, I love the hyenas, I really like the visuals and music. The rest I’ve already said in my July Movie Thoughts when I first saw it.

The Angry Birds Movie (2016): It’s just really, really boring. A nice colorful world, but the rest is just such a drag to get through. Props for the animation, but not much else. I will give them credit for at least succeeding to make a movie out of something as small as a mobile game.

The Last Unicorn (1982): This movie is just really pretty to look at. It feels like an old painting come to life. I didn’t find myself caring particularly much about any of the characters, but the animation and visuals were definitely what gives it major points in my book. Just look at this one if you want a nice hand-drawn fantasy movie.

Beauty and the Beast (1991): This is a very good Disney movie. Belle and the Beast are wonderful characters, the animation is nothing short of spectacular, the colors beautiful, the villain genuinely threatening and enjoyable to watch... It’s just one of the better Disney movies if you ask me. It does still have some iffy stuff in it with how the Beast treats Belle at first and I’m actually not a fan of the songs in this one, particularly Be Our Guest. But other than that, this is a definite fave.

The Jungle Book (2016): I re-watched this one to see whether I prefer this one or The Lion King remake, since I both love them very much. I’ve ultimately come to the conclusion that I still like this one better, but The Lion King 2019 is a close second for sure. Beautiful animation on the animals and a remake that actually differs in the right ways from the source material and surpasses it by far.

Leafie: A Hen into the Wild (2011): A gorgeous movie that should get more recognition. A wonderful mother-son story that will tug on your heartstrings (especially the uncut ending). Perfect backgrounds and amazing animation. My only gripes with it are the completely useless subplot with the rooster and some of the gross-out.

Kayla: A Cry in the Wilderness (1997): Just a nice “kid befriends husky and ends up doing a sled dog race”-movie. I’m pretty sure that’s a genre by now? The simple story of a boy coming to terms with his father’s death and befriending a feral husky named Kayla in the process. Nothing really stood out about it.

Two Brothers (2004): A cute idea for a movie idea about tigers, but I really think they should’ve used less actual animals in it and more animatronics/CGI/greenscreening. It might not have looked as spectacular, but with the real tigers they did use I pick up on a lot of scenes that made me and, looking at the animals’ body language, the animals too, uncomfortable.

My Little Pony: The End of Flutter Valley (1986): This just should’ve been a special of the series instead of ten awkwardly cut episodes that form one movie/special. The way they paced it, especially with this being ten episodes, was just really awkward. This might work for shorter specials (two/three-parters), but not a flat out movie. The animation is average, the villains jokes (seriously, who thought it was a good idea to bring back the annoying as fuck witches from the original?) and the voice acting really grating.

The Lion Guard: Battle of the Pridelands (2019): Nearly forgot to put this one on the list because it doesn’t have a Letterboxd entry yet. But it definitely counts. I really enjoyed this special episode of The Lion Guard, actually. It may not be the strongest series out there, but season 3 definitely was much better than the rest. This special has a lot of what I wanted to see: nice songs, the cast aging up, more explanation as to what exactly Scar and his “mark of evil” are and Janja’s redemption arc. It still has some flaws. When Scar first said “Sisi Ni Sawa” in his threatening speech, it actually felt genuinely fear-inducing. But then he started to sing the rest of the song as he went on and it just became cringe-worthy. Also, as much as I love his character, Janja was too easily forgiven and redeemed. He literally attempted to murder two cubs in season 2. You can’t just suddenly come back from being an attempted child murderer and get forgiven just like that.

Frozen (2013): I don’t get the hate nor love for this movie. It’s nice. That’s it. Good animation and songs, but I don’t connect much to any of the characters. Also, hey, guess what? A twist villain that doesn’t work.

The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017): These Lego movies are just so damn good for whatever reason? While the animation is a bit different in this one (not everything, including elements like water, smoke and fire, is made out of existent Lego pieces anymore), it’s still really good. We also get some breathtakingly realistic cat animation on Meowthra. Lloyd’s arc also felt really heartfelt, and the villain was quite enjoyable.

Equestria Girls: Sunset’s Backstage Pass (2019): Eh, still not a fan of these Equestria Girls specials, sorry. While I thought this one was a tad better than the last few we got, I still do not care much about them. Pinkie was quite obnoxious in this one, which just irked the heck out of me.

Another month full of movies! See ya’ll in October!

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lovemesomesurveys · 3 years

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1. How did your parents come up with your name? Is your name anything like what you might name one of your potential future children? My dad has said he liked the name Stephanie and there was a character on some show he watched in the 80s with that name and so he suggested it to my mom and she liked it, too. As for myself, I’m not having children.

2. When was the last time you changed your mind about something? What was it about? I was going to reschedule my doctor appointment I had yesterday, but I ended up just keeping it to get it over with.

3. Would you say that you are an indecisive person, or do you have little problem with making decisions? I do have trouble making decisions.

4. How much time do you spend in the yard/outdoor area where you live? What do you tend to use those areas for? I don’t spend anytime in my yard, front or back. I’m not an outdoorsy person unless I’m at the beach.

5. What are some of the oldest things within your bedroom? How about the newest? One of the things is my dresser that I’ve had since I was a kid. As for newest, the stuff I got for Christmas such as an R2D2 themed mini backpack and a Baby Yoda/Grogu animatronic.

6. When feelings of boredom creep over you, what entertaining activities do you use to combat them? My days consist of the same activities and usually it’s fine, but there’s some days where those things just don’t do it for me so that sucks. I just end up lounging around and zoning out to the TV, maybe take a nap.

7. When was the last time you could not stand to be around someone? I wish I could get away from myself a lot of the time.

8. When you last asked for help, what did you need help doing? I recently asked my mom for help with a personal thing.

9. What is the worst bit of advice someone has ever given you? Did you realize it was awful from the start, or did you follow it? Hmm. I’m blanking at the moment.

10. If you are in school, are you out for the summer yet? Was the last semester your final one of high school? If so, are you looking forward to graduation activities, or would you rather they were just over and done with? I’m done with school.

11. Who do you know that has a music taste similar to yours? Who do you know with a taste that is nearly opposite? My mom, brother, and I like a lot of the same. I like variety, so I share the same music taste with a lot of people.

12. If one of your friends/acquaintances dressed in a way that seemed somewhat ridiculous to you, would you tell them, or let them wear their preferred outfit in peace? Hey, if that’s what they liked then go for it. Who am I to say anything just because I personally don’t like the style. It doesn’t matter what I think, I’m not the one wearing it.

13. How would you respond if someone you cared about honestly disliked what you were wearing for some reason? Would it make you inclined to change, or would you continue to wear what you had on? I can’t imagine why they’d have such an issue with leggings and graphic tees, but oh well. This is what I like to wear.

14. Do you think that waiting until you are able to support a child is a realistic expectation for having sex? What are your expectations/morals regarding your sex life? If you are no longer a virgin, do you think that you made the right decision to start when you did? No, probably not. But that’s why it’s important to take the necessary precautions to try and prevent that from happening if you’re not ready. You have to know getting pregnant is a possibility. I’m still a virgin.

15. Are there any foods that you love in spite of the fact that they are unhealthy? How often do you eat those particular foods? Everything I eat, ha. I’m not a healthy eater, but to be honest it’s not something I think much about. I just like to eat what I want.

16. Does anyone ever comment upon your weight? If so, how do you react to their comments/compliments? Yes. I’m too thin, actually I’m underweight, so I get comments on that. I’m actually quite self-conscious about it. I’ve been trying the past few years to put back on some weight, but I haven’t been able to. It’s not that I’m not eating, but my appetite has changed significantly from a few years ago and it’s been hard. I don’t like hearing how I should eat more and “get some meat on those bones.” It hasn’t been that simple for me. Or hear about my stick arms or chicken legs.

17. What is something you wish more people would notice about you, or compliment you on? Why do you think this quality is not often noticed by others? Nothing, really. I’ve been especially self-conscious these past few years and I’m also just really shy and awkward, I don’t desire to be more noticed or get complimented. There’s nothing compliment-worthy about me anyway.

18. What was going on the last time you felt as though your life was taking a turn in a different direction? Soon after I graduated in 2015. That’s when everything took a turn for the worst and I’ve been going through it ever since.

19. Is college something you want to experience? Why/why not? If you are already in college, do you think that you made the right choice as far as where you are attending, and what major/field of study you are pursuing? I majored in psych and graduated with my BA. I truly thought I was making the right decision at the time, but now... :/ My degree has been collecting dust on a shelf ever since and I have no interest in pursuing anything in that field anymore. I honestly have no idea what I want to do. I don’t know what else I would have pursued if not psychology. I genuinely was interested in it and thought I’d want to pursue something in that realm. I still am interested in the subject itself. Gahh, I just don’t feel cut out for anything. There’s nothing I’m good at.

20. After leaving a particular school, did you ever go back to visit your teachers? Was it weird to walk the halls of a school you previously attended? I did that when I was in high school once where I went back to my previous school, which was a K-8th grade school, and saw some of my old teachers.

21. Describe a social time that you had this week, if any? How about a time when you wished to be alone and unsocial? I don’t have a social life anymore.

22. Are there certain stereotypes/groups of people that you tend to avoid? Is there a reason for this? Or, are you someone who doesn’t care about what stereotype someone might fall under? I just try my best to avoid anyone who seems like a creeper and gives off uncomfortable vibes for me. I won’t hesitate to block you if you’re making me feel some type of way. I don’t have time to put up with that nonsense. <<< Yeah, I judge people individually and what vibe they give off. If I feel uncomfortable or they give off bad vibes to me, then I avoid them.

23. How did you last injure yourself? Was anyone around to see this take place? If so, was it at all embarrassing? I don’t remember, actually. It’s been awhile since I’ve had any injuries.

24. Do you think that it is possible to cease loving a family member? Why/why not? Are there any immediate family members of yours that you do not love? What caused that rift between you? Not for me, no. My immediate family and I have always been very close. My family is everything to me.

25. If you could only bring one album with you on a road trip, which would it be? What made you choose this album? None. My family just listens to their Spotify in their car.

26. When was the last time you had unrequited feelings for someone? A few years ago.

27. Other than the computer and the parts relating to it, what is the most expensive thing on your desk/in your immediate vicinity? My iPhone 12 Pro Max.

28. If you post pictures or quotes with your surveys, what is it that causes you to post something? Are you going for a theme, or is it just things you like? I don’t do that.

29. Is there a limit to what you will share about yourself in surveys? Where would you say that line is drawn? Of course, but I am quite open I think.

30. Do you give insincere apologies? Or, are you the type to give them out only when you genuinely feel that way? If I apologize, I mean it.

31. Do you trust the apologies of others, or do you prefer to wait until their actions show a change? I can accept their verbal apology, but I’ll want to see their actions.

32. Who was the last person to exit your life? How about the last person to enter it to a significant degree? Ty. He was the last to enter in a significant way and the last to leave.

33. If you work, what is the hardest part about your job? Did you expect that, or did it come as a surprise? If you have not yet worked, what are some fears or concerns you have about holding a job? I just have no idea what I want or could do. I don’t feel skilled at anything. I’m not especially good at anything. I just really don’t know.

34. Do you know anyone who gets a lot of things just handed to them? Or, are you one of those people? Does it ever make you envious? Why/why not? I do know people that seem to have a lot handed to them.

35. When picking out a bathing suit or beach outfit, what kinds of styles do you look for? Are you comfortable displaying your physical form? I don’t wear bathing suits. I also don’t wear tank tops or shorts. My beach attire consists of what I normally wear, leggings and graphic tees.

36. When was the last time that you compared yourself to someone else? Is this something that you tend to do? Recently. Yeah, I do tend to do that a lot. I think about other people my age or even younger than I am and where they are in life versus where I’m at. Everyone seems to be much further ahead than I am.

37. What kind of expectations would you say you set for yourself? Do you aim high/low? Or, do you prefer to set no expectations and just go with the flow? I’m just floating aimlessly through life it seems.

38. What was the last helpful thing you did for someone else? Does it bother you when other people ask you for your help? Uhh. I helped my mom last night with a few small tasks.

39. When was the last time you refused to do something for someone, and why? Hmm. I don’t know.

40. Do you ever worry about being remembered after you die? How would you like others to remember you, if you care? That’s not something I’ve really thought about. I know my family would always remember me, so that’s really all that matters to me.

41. Are you someone who fears abandonment? Have you been through anything which might cause that fear? No.

42. Are you more inclined to be clingy or detached while in a relationship? I feel like I’d be detached if I were to be in a relationship now. I’m not generally a clingy person, either. I need a balance of time with that person and our own time.

43. If you found out your parents were divorcing (or getting back together if they were already divorced), how would you react to this? Is this even something that you think is possible to happen? It would be difficult and I’d be upset, of course. Even though I’m 31 years old, I still live at home with my parents so it would have an affect on me in that way as well. I know I would live with my mom if there were to happen, but still. Things would certainly be different and weird for awhile. 44. What is one opinion or view of yours that has changed since you were little? What is one that has stayed the same? Hmmm.

45. Do you ever make assumptions about survey-makers based upon what questions they ask? There have been times for sure. Like, sometimes there’s questions that are just so out there or disturbing and I’m like wtf??

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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armorbirdpress · 6 years

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Armor Bird Reviews: Black Panther

Heyo, it's been so freaking long since I've done a movie review! But in the wake of all the positive reactions, hype, and feels surrounding the Black Panther movie, I knew for a fact that I HAD to give it a review after seeing it this past weekend. I’ve already posted this review on the PPC Board, so if you want to check it out, the alternative link is here!

Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, and is the eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Ryan Coogler, and written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, it stars Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis. As with any MCU movie, a lot of fanfare and attention has been drawn to this film, and I was dying to see it to determine if it lived up to all the hype; I am so very glad that we got tickets in advance to watch this movie, because otherwise all the seats would’ve been taken by the time we got to the theater - there were just that many people who wanted to see it. And just as well, because good golly, it is an absolute masterpiece. Spoilers under the cut!

Starting things off with the writing and characterization, I have to say that almost all the characters in the film were enjoyable and engaging to watch, and there were plenty of great moments from everyone concerned. T'Challa, despite being the obvious star of the show, actually feels kinda stoic compared to the liveliness of quite a few of the secondary characters which I'll get to a bit later, but he still has a compelling storyline, and while I was worried that he'd remain somewhat static throughout the movie, there were quite a few gut punches that ensured that he'd grow as a person and also as a ruler. The movie did a good job of demonstrating that he had big shoes to fill in a metaphorical sense, and also that even if T'Chaka had tried to be the best example that he could be for his son, his past mistakes would still come to light eventually and force T'Challa to reevaluate his worldview. This is especially apparent when it becomes known that T'Chaka, when he had donned the Black Panther suit, had been forced to kill the Wakandan traitor whose son would grow up to become Killmonger. It was a split-second decision driven by the impulse to save the life of the other Wakandan spy present, but the urge to keep up appearances for the sake of the nation ended up having far-reaching consequences that would've resulted in far more unnecessary casualties if T'Challa and later M'Baku and his tribe hadn't intervened. That kind of split-second decision is mirrored in the story in general, when T'Challa's lack of information regarding Killmonger's origin story almost costs him the throne and even his life, only being saved by the intervention of M'Baku and his remaining allies' delivery of the last Heart-Shaped Herb. Eventually, after fighting his way back to his own kingdom, he's forced to deal with Killmonger using the only remaining option left after the failure of diplomacy and civility, through violence and possible death. This history essentially repeating itself is one of the biggest contributions to T'Challa's character growth, and also his decision to make Wakanda a more publicly open nation willing to use its resources to aid the world at large in the end. It shows that he's realized how much impact even very short-term decisions can have in a sort of ripple effect, as well as the major setback of trying to lock Wakanda as a whole behind figurative closed doors: that sort of isolationism prevents you from interacting with the world around you and, like it or not, making the kinds of mistakes needed to move forward.

Naturally, since T'Challa sets a pretty high bar, the secondary characters and antagonists kinda have to settle for being second fiddle, but they all have traits of their own that help move the plot forward. The main antagonist, the aforementioned Killmonger, is interesting among the other Marvel villains in that instead of the typical "KILL EVERYTHING" or "take over the world" MO (or sometimes both) without many reasons other than "MWAHAHA I'M EVIL", he actually has a rather valid and understandable reason for his actions. The recent instances of black people being persecuted simply for their color, even in the modern day and age, are a strong force of motivation grounded in a sad reality, although the means by which Killmonger was planning to achieve that goal - by waging war on every other race - were undoubtedly going to cause as many problems as they'd solve if not more. Another interesting factor is how Killmonger's rule essentially divides up the entire nation; while Shuri (whom I'll get to later) is loyal to T'Challa through and through, and goes out of her way to help him and his cause, other characters like Okoye (initially) and W'Kabi simply serve the man in the throne whether or not he's truly fighting for the force of good. This actually threatens to tear the nation apart during Killmonger's campaign, and again, it's only because T'Challa and M'Baku's tribe join forces to stop him that things don't escalate into all-out carnage. As a wise man once said, hate begets hate - whether you think it's justified or not, the total extermination of people who are different than you, even if a few gave you grief in the past, is the wrong way to act, and only makes you like those very people who attacked you first. I have to give props to T'Challa for not falling into the same trap that his father did and offing Killmonger directly; instead, he attempted to show mercy, as well as a Wakandan sunset like in the tales Killmonger had heard as a child, but rather than spend life in prison with his reputation in shambles, Killmonger chose to essentially commit suicide and end the cycle. Even if he nearly caused an all-out civil war within the Wakandan borders, Killmonger is still a tragic figure, and that makes a big impact on all of us.

My favorite character by far, however, has to be Shuri. It's established very early on that she's not only a child prodigy, but also a youthful, spunky teenager with a wholesome sense of humor (and in at least three instances, a penchant for memery, trolling, and cringe-inducing puns on almost the same level as Chibi Yang). While she seems to be a light-hearted comic relief, though, she also plays one of the most critical roles in the story - rescuing the Heart-Shaped Herb that would later be given to T'Challa for his second wind - and her humor is offset by a dedication to her responsibilities as well as her intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of the Black Panther role as well as his loyalty to T'Challa regardless of the situation. It's probably this that leads to her being so important in helping T'Challa recover, and I'm proud of her for being both the heart of the movie (T'Challa, of course, being the soul) and a nuanced and lovable character in her own right.

The writing of the movie is also quite well done due to the points noted above and much more. Racism, prejudice, loyalty, and the impact of even the smallest things are themes that are prominent throughout the entire movie. I was very concerned that the sole major white character, Everett Ross, would turn out to be a villain (though thankfully that wasn't the case, and he gets an awesome support role in the climax that Han Solo would be proud of), and Ulysses Klaue IS a secondary antagonist, but it's interesting that ultimately, the conflict is waged by blacks, among blacks. This ties into the concept that there is no such thing as reverse racism - even if it's blacks persecuting whites, it's still way over the line if it isn't in self-defense. The conflicting solutions proposed by T'Challa and Killmonger - coming to terms with the outside world and reaching out to lend aid to it vs. only looking out for your own and forsaking all others to keep them from harm - are an uncomfortable mirror to a lot of real-world politics in recent years, but in true MCU tradition, it's the idealistic approach that wins the day in the end, although as expected for a conflict as intense as this, there are still quite a few casualties at the end of it all, and unlike many other instances in the MCU and beyond, most of these are impactful and placed tactfully enough to move the story forward.

I dont' even need to say that the graphics and visuals of this movie are absolutely gorgeous. Wakanda as a city is stunning, the various African landscapes breathtaking, and the vehicle design and choreography as masterful as a Star Wars movie. The costume and character design as well are splendid, and it is at this point that I'd like to call attention to the costume designer for this movie: Ruth E. Carter, who's also done work for such films as "Malcom X" and "School Daze" - plus she's African, and has done extensive research for this movie's designs, drawing from a wide variety of African cultures. Really, this entire movie is a feast for the eyes and absolutely worth seeing for that fact alone. My one gripe is that the war rhinos seen early in the movie and then in the climax are notably CGI, and could've been improved with some animatronic work like in the first Jurassic Park movie (or heck, they could even have used real rhinos, but IDK how much hassle that would've resulted in), but that's a minor quibble that doesn't detract from an otherwise spectacular feature.

I'm well aware that complaints about this movie have had to be filtered extensively on RottenTomatoes to prevent Internet Racism(TM) from marring the reviews unnecessarily, but that's a can of worms I'm not going into for the sake of my dignity. On my own terms, however, I do have one suggestion for improving the movie: instead of murdering Klaue just halfway through the movie, Killmonger could've just as easily pounded him into submission and forced him to work for him as a sort of Dragon (in TV Tropes lingo). T'Challa and Ross vs. Killmonger and Klaue would've been interesting to see, especially considering how threatening Klaue was with his cyborg arm and what it could do to both T'Challa and those poor innocent vehicles involved in the car chase in Korea. He'd have made an interesting secondary antagonist that could've opportunistically interfered with the warring parties and stirred up tensions just to tear down Wakanda out of spite. I'm not about to suggest an "Everett vs. Klaue" scenario - which was actually what Everett was planning in the first place when he entered this movie - but giving Klaue a bigger role before he gets offed would've made said murder more impactful and karmatic after all he's done. That's largely splitting hairs, though - I'm sure there are people who instead feel that Killmonger getting rid of Klaue early prevents competition. Who knows?

On a final note, here are two things I really want to see in future MCU films: 1) a movie with a predominantly Asian cast and setting, and 2) a movie starring Devil Freaking Dinosaur. I'll admit that both of these are kinda self-centered, but the first one in particular is probably more desirable at large because there aren't that many Asian characters at all in the MCU (Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 and Colleen Wing from the Iron Fist TV show are probably the only ones I can think of off the top of my head, though I may have missed a few more), but one of the big things I'm noticing from the Black Panther release is that African-American and black children have come to look up to him as a hero in the same way that a lot of girls look up to Wonder Woman with the number growing since her own film release - so if the same thing could happen with an Asian superhero, that would be amazing. A quick look at the Marvel Comics online archives presents me with Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, who has actually joined the Avengers in the comics and would make a very interesting and cool addition to their MCU incarnation. As for Devil Dinosaur, I don't even need to explain why he'd become beloved if he ever shows up in a MCU movie, even as a minor character... just keep him away from the palaeo-discourse and he should be fine.

All in all,

Black Panther

isn't a perfect movie, but it's very close to being one and I'm so happy for its success. While there are a few minor things I feel would've been worth fixing here and there, I don't see any obvious faults and certainly none that detract from how amazing it is. Do yourself a favor and give it a spin - I can promise that you'll be in for a visual and auditory treat from start to finish.

Grading Scheme:

96 - 100: A+

93 - 96: A

90 - 92.9: A-

87 - 89.9: B+

83 - 86.9: B

80 - 82.9: B-

77 - 79.9: C+

73 - 76.9: C

70 - 72.9: C-

67 - 69.9: D+

60 - 66.9: D

Below 60: E

Grades:

Writing: 9

Characterization: 9

Pacing: 8

Creativity: 9

Consistency: 9

Cinematography: 10

World Building: 9

Music and Sound: 10

Effects: 9

Engagement: 9

Final Grade: 91 (A-)

#Armor Bird Reviews #Black Panther

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doomfisthero · 6 years

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Initial Contact

Another RP between me and @grampa-lion, one with some self-insert elements to it. With Matty’s permission, I’m planning on writing some more occasional forays into the Nebula Nine universe as myself and not merely through Keaton; I’m working on one now, so I figured I’d upload this as a prologue of sorts. Edited slightly for narrative consistency, and to indicate direct communication between me and Matty.

Keaton takes a deep breath next to me, grinning ear to ear, as the elevator descends from the front deck of the Asclepius into her inner quarters. From what I’ve seen of the ship so far (Keaton promised me a full tour after we’ve met the others), she’s a beautiful and majestic vessel. I can only imagine standing on the surface of a planet ravaged by chaos and disarray, and looking up to see salvation coming in the form of a graceful ship, filled with heroes of justice and light.

What’s it like, soaring through the universe on a craft like this? I can watch Star Wars and Kyuranger all I want, but I can only hope that the Rangers will let me experience it for myself. Maybe if I get along with them…

I forcefully set it aside. It’s a thought for later. I have a more pressing matter waiting for me at the bottom of this elevator.

As if by magic (but probably not), the door opens at that moment into a short hallway with a door at the end. I’ve read and written enough stories in this universe to know that door opens onto the bridge of the ship, where Keaton claims that everyone awaits us. My stomach does a few more turns.

“You ready, Jake?” Keaton asks, walking out of the elevator with me shortly in tow.

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” I say, failing to keep the tremble out of my voice.

Keaton turns back to me. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay, buddy,” he says, giving me a look of gentle concern. “Trust me, everyone’s overjoyed to finally meet you – the Rangers and Matty both. You’re a great guy, Jacob, and I know they’re going to love you as much as you love them. By the end of today, you’ll all be amazing friends.”

We stop right in front of the bridge door. Keaton puts his hand on my shoulder – normally that would bother me, but Keaton gives me a sense of comfort that few people do. “This doesn’t have to go like any of your fantasies, no matter how much time you’ve spent on them. It can go better. It will.”

“They don’t all go that badly, Keaton,” I say, but I have to concede his point. Angst is one of those things that always comes easily to me. It permeates a great deal of what I write, especially for Nebula Nine, even if a happy ending is rarely far behind. “I wouldn’t mind skipping past the rough stuff this time, though,” I admit.

Keaton pats my shoulder. “And you will.” His face lights up, and he brings his fists to his chest. “This is going to be great, Jacob. I’m so, so happy you’re finally here. I can’t wait for you to meet my family.”

Looking into the eyes of my creation, those joyous, gleaming gems, I can’t help but get excited too. A warm smile creeps across my face, and a warm feeling settle into my stomach, vanquishing the evil butterflies. I’m going to meet the Rangers – not only that, I’m going to meet Matty. Has it really been only seven months since our friendship begun? It feels like I’ve known him for so much longer. Seven months have created a brother, someone I love like my own blood relatives. And finally, we’re going to meet in flesh and blood! (Or paper and ink, rather, but we’re meeting.)

I’ve been waiting quite a while for this – how can I not be stoked? “I’m happy to be here too, Keaton. Let’s do this.”

Keaton pumps his fists and reaches for the door access panel, then pulls back. “Uh, sorry, one last thing,” he begins, looking sheepish. “The rest of the Rangers are really excited to meet you, and I’m sure you know they can be…affectionate. I’m pretty sure a few of them will be eager to hug you. I’m certain Matty will be. I know you aren’t crazy about touching…is that okay?”

Weirdly, it feels just fine. It’s true that physical contact is something I shy away from even among those I love, but the thought about getting and giving an embrace from the people on the other side of the door feels…right. How can I not want a hug from any of them?

“Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, that sounds pretty good.”

A joyful laugh bubbles up from Keaton’s throat as he taps the panel and the door slides open, giving me my first glimpse at the bridge of the Asclepius. Almost immediately, my eyes are drawn to the large round booth surrounded by soft, squishy-looking seats – the one the Rangers sat around whilst talking to Thuban about his nightmares quite a while ago.

I’ve seen the people seated around that table many times before, through ink on paper or words on a page, but seeing them in person is a sight to behold. As I peer through the door at them, the Rangers peer back at me, and their eyes shine like stars as they placed me.

And there’s one more with them, who I recognize from his pictures. His eyes shine brightest of all.

Keaton leaps through the door and bounds down the steps. “Hey, everybody! I brought him! He’s here! Jacob, get down here and say hi! We’re dying to meet you!”

I laugh and step down the stairs myself. What to say? “Hey, how’s it going?” It’s my usual, and a versatile greeting, but they deserve better, more. I reach the bottom in a heartbeat, and I just talk.

“Hey, everyone,” I say, giving the Rangers and Matty a small wave. I’m beaming – I can feel it on my face. “I’m…I’m so happy to be here. I—you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to meet you all. This…this is gonna be great.”

Upon seeing you my eyes practically go supernova with glee, and I suck in a small gasp of delighted surprise. Seven months in the making and finally, I get to meet my brother! Even if it's only virtual rather than in person, I couldn't be happier! The more talkative among the Rangers all break out into excited chatter ("It's Jacob! He's finally here! Wow his glasses look cool!" -that last one was Lizbeth), and I stand up, approaching with glee and the biggest smile I can possibly muster. A brief whirl of anxiety over my appearance breaks out- being self-conscious about your personal attributes is no fun- but I suppress it with the knowledge that I've prepared for this, that I've wanted this for sweet holy moly who knows how long.

"Jacob- Jake!" I manage to get out, barely able to speak at first. "I... Howdy, big bro! You have no idea how glad I am to see you! Did you get here okay? How do you like the Asclepius? Everyone's been so hyped to meet you, especially me!"

"JACOOOOOOB!" Champ practically roars, opening his arms wide. "THERE'S the guy who gave me the sweetest zarkin' baby bro in the universe! C'mere and gimme a hug once you're done with Matty!"

The sound of the Rangers' chatter hits my ears, and I try to move it into the background and focus on my little brother. He looks good, hair slicked back, a small beard, and glasses of his own. It's different seeing him in full - he's so much taller than I realized, taller than me by a few inches. 'Little' brother may be a bit of a misnomer. That thought makes me laugh, clears away some of my doubt. I walk forward and give my little bro a hug. I worry myself that I'm a little awkward at it, but if he notices, he doesn't say anything.

"Hey, Matty. It's great to meet you," I say, my own voice brimming with joy. "Keaton picked me up in his Voyager - I'm so happy to finally see this place with my own eyes. It's already amazing, and I've barely seen any of it yet." I look up at him a bit. "I didn't expect to see you so soon. I kinda figured I'd be flying out to California or something after I graduate. I think I like this better - doesn't cost me anything either."

"You should have seen him while we were flying here," Keaton chimes in from behind. "I thought he was gonna faint when he saw the ship. He couldn't put two words together." He's smiling, despite his words.

"I'm just happy to be here, Keaton." I pull back from Matty after a brief period and turn first to Champ. He's even bigger-than-life in person than he is on a page, and he towers over even Matty with arms outstretched. I don't even consider not rushing over to him and giving him a hug of his own, and before I know it, I'm doing just that. "Champ, I've waited a while to see you, too," I say, laughing. "It's great to finally see you in person, you big cowpuncher. You were always one of my favorites."

As I wipe a few stray tears of joy from my eyes, cherishing your embrace, Champ hugs you back firmly, laughing. "Gahahahaha! Cowpuncher- you took that from Keaton, didn't ya!?" he accuses lightheartedly. "Oh Taurus, I'm happy to meet you, buddy. Everyone has been."

"I can verify that," adds Rasalhague, bowing to you gently in the tradition of Ophiuchus Gamma and extending a hand for a handshake once Champ lets you go. Up close, his eyes- silvery pupils with black irises- don't look as eerie as they did in the early stages of his character arc, because of how much quiet kindness fills them now.

"Matty's been in a bit of a writing block on Nebula Nine lately, to be honest." Seph shrugs and reclines in their space in the booth, making the water in their oxygenation collar swish. "But he's been really excited to finally get the story out thanks to all the support you've been giving him. His main problem right now is making a suitable character arc for me, something to do with my issues regarding trust and loyalty- but I'll spare you that for now, heh." The Exelcian youth chuckles easily. "I've read some of your works in my downtime, by the way- dunno what all that Five Nights At Freddy's stuff is about, never played it, but I liked the Bonnie character. I feel like he'd get along famously with me."

I wrestle an arm from Champ's iron (in more ways than one) embrace and shake Rasalhague's hand firmly, greeting him. He does have fascinating eyes.

"Yeah, Five Nights at Freddy's, survive a week with killer animatronics in a pizza place," I tell Seph. "I was big on it a while back, and couldn't find any really good fics for it, so I thought I'd roll up my sleeves and make one. I'm really proud of how it turned out." I chuckle. "And yeah, I had fun with Bonnie too. And Matty, I can help you out sometime. I've already got an idea or two that might work."

"Involving me and my big reveal?" Keaton asks, non-judgmentally.

"Maybe a bit."

I nod and smile at the offer of assistance. "Geez, bro, thanks!" I say gratefully. "I've been tearing my hair out over it- uh, figuratively, I assure you, don't worry. So knowing you'd offer to help is really great!"

Quiet Felipe chooses this moment to pipe up. "Hey, uh... Jacob?" he asks in a tone stilted by nerves, averting his eyes in shyness. Lizbeth puts a comforting hand on his back, and it bolsters him to continue. "Um... Thanks," the healer manages. "For. Y'know. Sending in all those asks and stuff about us all. And for allowing Keaton to be my little brother too."

I smile - it's reassuring to know that they didn't mind my occasional barrage of questions. "Hey, it was nothing, Felipe. Thank you for being so open to talking every now and then," I say. "You're a cool guy, Felipe. No matter what you may think."

"...thanks again..." Felipe's face darkens with a flattered blush, and he buries his face in his hands, letting out a low noise that can only be described as a fanboy's squee. Lizbeth chuckles and pats him again.

"Felipe's a big fan of you," she says with a wink. "Really, though, it's great to meet you, especially because you're autistic too! I was so happy you thought it was great that Felipe and I are autie. That aside you wrote with me and Keaton talking about "libra" was hilarious!" She chuckles a little. "I hope you'll really like the story itself once it releases, I've got a big role in the first chapter!"

"Don't forget about me or Seph, we're the other two Rangers who appear before Felipe gets his Power Sphere!" Raptor scolds lightly. "Anyway, Jacob, can I say one thing? You're an amazing writer, and... we've all honestly admired your work a lot. When I heard from Keaton that you'd ended up with Nebula Nine as a special interest of sorts, it... filled me with pride, really, because I'm the team leader. I hope we all can continue to meet and surpass your expectations."

"I know you will. I've never thought anything else," I tell her. "And I'm...really happy you guys enjoy my work, too. I'm not...really working on any of my big projects right now, so it's nice to hear that - that people, uh, enjoy my work anyway. Makes me feel good." Indeed, I feel warm inside, knowing that the freaking Nebula Nine enjoy what I've done, and hopefully what I one day do.

Ze'ev catches on and chuckles a little. "Starstruck?" he asks with the slightest hint of a mischievous giggle. "We are too!" Coming over to you, he gives you a big, soft hug of his own, his tail wagging just like a normal dog's, and his ears splay back. "You probably already know how I feel about you, big guy, but... I'm so grateful for you coming into Matty's life! You've helped him develop us all way beyond our initial character concepts, and he always tells us how much he cares about you and loves you. You make him so happy!" He looks up into your eyes, his eyes big and loving.

"Easy, don't smother 'im!" Solomon jokes. "Seriously, yer gonna drown him in all that fluff of yours!"

"I'm five feet tall, you shush!" Ze'ev replies, shooting Solomon a quick glare. "Ignore Jerk Cobain over there, Jacob, he's as happy to see you as the rest of us."

"Darn right! I swear I'll compose a song in your name!" Solomon holds up his lute and strums a bright-sounding chord.

"Ah, fluff sounds pretty good right now," I reply, giving Ze'ev a hug of my own. His fur is soft and fluffy, and the temptation to revel in it is strong, but that feels a little too much like making a move on him. I rub him softly, just a bit. "You make Keaton really happy, you know?" I tell Ze'ev. "Even I can tell. He gushes about you every chance he gets when we talk. It's honestly a little overwhelming."

"No regrets," Keaton declares from behind me. People chuckle, and I'm one of them.

"My point is, I was really looking forward to meeting you, Ze'ev. See a little bit of what Keaton sees. I'm really happy you two are so happy together." I shoot Matty a grateful look.

"Wheee~" he coos a little bit at your rub, before breaking from the hug. "That's so nice to hear- C'mere, honeybear!" He embraces Keaton next, kissing his cheek and giggling, and while the Forever Blue duo are occupied, I smile softly at my big brother.

"I'm happy too," I say, holding my hands behind my back and sighing in contentment.

Finally, Shaula and Thuban make their presence known. Shaula has been sizing you up this whole time, looking you up and down, and she rewards you with a confident smile. "You are just as Matty says," the warrior princess declares, her own tail bobbing slightly. "A capable and kind young man who is worthy of admiration! Were you a member of the Scorpian court I have it on good authority that you would be treated with honor and many accolades."

Thuban strokes his beard, looking deep in concentration. "Ahh... There's much I wish to say myself," he admits. "How to condense it... Jacob, you are a wonderful young man. You've brightened the lives of my charges immeasurably, both through your work and you being yourself. And I cannot thank you enough for inspiring Matthew to declare that my family will grow beyond myself and Raptor." He puts a hand on Raptor's shoulder, and the two of them smile at one another, then at you. "It is my fond hope that you will always shine bright, good sir."

As I'm not much of a fighter, I'm not sure how I'd actually fare in the Scorpian court, but I take Shaula's words for what they are and thank her graciously. I turn to Thuban, the ever admirable dragon, and take a breath. "Thank you, Thuban. I, um, hope you're right about me. There's...stuff I want to do, and well, it doesn't always seem surmountable. But I hope I can do it, too. I think I can, if I try. I'm really grateful that you believe in me." The butterflies in my belly start to flutter again, even though I'm certain that I've nothing to fear. "Uh, I don't usually...ask this, but...Thuban, I really want to hug you...can I, please?"

Shaula nods and crosses her arms, evidently approving of you, and Thuban's whiskers twitch, his gentle red eyes widening at the request.

"My, my," he says softly. "You truly desire an embrace from this old man? If you wish it, then of course you can have it, Jacob." Stretching out his arms, the dragon takes a step closer to you, greatcoat swishing at his feet, and pulls you into a firm, warm hug, one that can't be called anything less than paternal. "I do believe in you, Jacob, as do we all. Know this: that even in the depths of your darkest fears and worries, you may look to us, and know that we all support you- that we love you, I dare say."

I embrace Thuban as he embraces me, wrapping my arms as far around his greatcoat as I can and pressing my face into his chest. "Thank you," I say. My voice twists on the words, and I can feel nascent tears in my eyes, but I don't cry; I don't think they'd mind, but I don't feel comfortable crying about this in front of them. Maybe someday.

"I...I love you guys, too. All of you. I've wanted to meet you guys for a long time," I admit. "I'm so, so happy that you guys like me. It usually takes a while in my fantasies to get to this point, but we just skipped right to it. Thank you, for caring about me, for supporting me, loving me, even. I love you all too, so much."

Not a Dark Matter or Antimatter Power Sphere in sight, and yet we reached this point so quickly, all on our own. It feels wonderful.

I approach once more, embracing gently from the side. "I don't think any of them could ever bear a grudge towards you for anything. We talk about you a lot," I remind, tilting my head a little. "I'm really glad I got to do this for you- I love your characters like you love mine, and... this feels amazing, being able to introduce you to them after all this time..." My own voice chokes up slightly, and before I know it, I'm blinking back tears of my own. "Gah, zarkit... there I go, being a crybaby..." I wipe my tears away and offer a big, wobbly grin. "Jake, I'm so happy right now..."

I gently pull away from Thuban and wrap my arms around you, Matty. "Yeah, I get that. And I'm sure we'll feel this way plenty more in the future. I certainly hope so. I love you, little bro."

"I love you too, big bro." I hug you back, breaking down into open tears of joy that I got to do something like this for someone I cherish so dearly.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," I murmur. "I'm just glad you're glad, Matty."

"Eheh..." I look into your eyes and nod, still overwhelmed with happiness. "So... Let's have some fun, eh? Maybe sit down, have a meal, play some video games, talk about writing a little more? Whatever you wanna do, bro, you're the guest of honor!"

"Ah..." I pinch a lock of hair between my fingers and twist it around. "I...kinda want to see more of the ship right now, to start. It's just...incredible, really."

"Oh yeah!" Keaton exclaims. "I promised you a tour of the place! There's plenty to see, and I'm sure you'll love it!"

"Yeah, yeah!" I nod. "Can we start with that and then...go from there? I'd love to do more with you guys when we're done!"

"Hey, that's perfect!" Lizbeth says, standing. "You've gotta check out the library, it's filled with all the classics!"

"Library nothing, the training gym's where it's at," Seph replies with a grin. "It's great that the Asclepius is so darn big, we can fit a lot of stuff in here! Come on, Jacob, it's gonna be amazing!"

"I don't doubt it!" I laugh. "Lead on, and I'll faithfully follow!"

"Sir yes sir!" all of the Rangers chorus, getting up and striding towards the elevator, all cheerfully bickering about where to show him first. The deciding vote seems to be Thuban, and I take your hand in mine as we follow the colorful crew we've created.

"Matty?" I say quietly, drawing your attention. I look your way. "Thanks for bringing me here. I love you."

And then I walk into the doorframe and hit the side of my head, stumbling back. "I'm okay! I'm fine!" I shake my head. "Let's go, everyone!"

"Ack!" Ze'ev yelps, shocked.

"He's okay, peeps!" I shout, looking at you with worry, but I can't help a quick laugh because I know exactly what that kind of mishap is like. Everyone clamors around you briefly, but their worries are assuaged when they see that you're okay, and they sigh in relief, Champ patting your back and trailing behind you to make sure it doesn't happen again.

#power rangers nebula nine #story time with me and my buddy #metafictional #everyone #self-insert #long post #role play #unbelievaball #nebula nine spoilers

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ookamirinchan · 7 years

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Golden Week Adventures

Remember how I said spring break was going to be my last trip for a while?

Well, I lied. Because even though I had no money, I found myself physically incapable of sitting at home for 5 days in a row with nowhere to go while everyone else was traveling. Such is life in Japan.

And so, only a month after my spring break trip, for the first time since coming to Japan, I decided to really get out and enjoy all of the chaos that traveling during Golden Week entails. Together, a friend and I set out to explore southern Honshu (confusingly called “Chugoku”--a word which also means “China”) and tick a few more prefectures off each of our lists.

On Friday night, I met my friend at her place and we walked the quick journey to the Matsumoto bus terminal, where we caught the dreaded night bus to Osaka. We left around 10:30, and, after 7 and a half completely sleepless hours, we arrived at Osaka Station. We stopped at a bakery for breakfast and caffeine before we quickly hopped on a train headed to our first stop, Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture, only about an hour from Osaka by local train. From Himeji Station, it only took about 20 minutes on foot to reach the main attraction of the city--Himeji Castle.

Himeji Castle (also called the White Heron Castle) is the most famous and most visited castle in Japan. It’s also the largest, one of the oldest, and (along with only 11 other castles) has never been destroyed in any way. It has survived extensive bombing during World War II and the great Hanshin earthquake (Kobe earthquake). It’s both a national treasure of Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And it has ties to both Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Two years ago, a 7-year-long renovation on Himeji Castle was completed, and since then, more than 2 million people a year have visited the castle.

In short, this is one castle that you can’t miss according to anyone who has been to see it ever.

With all that hype, I’ve got to say I was a little skeptical. I mean, it’s just another castle, right? Japanese people always get so excited over little castle things--oh, it’s over 400 years old! Cool! Or it’s the largest castle in Japan! Cool! In all honesty, every castle I’ve been to in Japan has something that makes it “super special, omg, you can’t miss it.” But usually, the little details that are oh so important are never really that fascinating.

So you should believe me when I say that Himeji Castle was 100% worth the visit. The grounds and the castle are beautiful and large, and the architecture is stunning. The white exterior stands out when compared to most other castles, and is reminiscent of Osaka Castle without the modern museum inside. It’s definitely the best castle I’ve been to in Japan.

We arrived around 9 a.m., just as the doors opened. We bought our tickets and were lucky enough to get inside before the mass crowds that generally accompany Golden Week could come. We explored the inside of the castle for a while, marveling at the many weapons racks--this was clearly a castle built for war, although it never saw a single battle in its 400 years. As we left the main keep, we stopped to have our photo taken with a woman dressed like Princess Sen, the castle’s most famous inhabitant. Finally, we explored the large hallway and living quarters on the outskirts of the castle grounds before stopping at the gift shop and leaving the castle itself. It was only about 10:30, but the castle had already reached maximum capacity and people were lined up outside waiting for their chance to enter.

After we left the castle grounds, we had planned to visit the nearby gardens, but we got distracted by a boat ride, which was taking people on a short cruise around the castle’s moat.

We enjoyed what little of the history talk we could understand, and were amazed as, during out 30-minute tour, the clear skies turned pitch black.

We decided to visit the garden despite the change in weather, and managed to enjoy a short walk before the skies let loose. With nothing else to do, we retreated to the classy Japanese restaurant on the grounds, where we both enjoyed grilled eel and tempura while waiting for the weather to clear up.

Luckily it did just as we finished lunch, and we spent a couple more hours exploring the nearly-empty garden before we finished the area.

We stopped at a few souvenir shops, bought some festival food (yay Golden Week!) and headed back to the station to catch a train to our next destination: Okayama.

Now, in our massively crazy Seven-Prefectures-in-Nine-Days Master Plan, we had decided to only spend half the day at Himeji and the other half exploring Okayama Prefecture. But Himeji Castle was just so amazing, we couldn’t help but spend much longer there. By the time we were leaving, we knew we wouldn’t have any time to visit Okayama City that day, and so we simply caught the train straight to our hostel, which was about 20 minutes outside Okayama City, about an hour and a half from Himeji.

Our hostel may have been in the middle of nowhere, but it was a lovely building. We unpacked our things and went in search of food with another girl staying in our room. Eventually we decided on sushi at a lovely (and cheap) little sushi shop that served us literal mugs of green tea.

Being in the countryside, things closed pretty early of course, and so we retreated back to the hostel around 8:30 for showers and a couple episodes of Bones before bed.

________

The next morning, we woke around 8, packed up our things, and headed for the station where we caught the local train into Okayama City.

Okayama is also a castle city (there are a lot of those on this trip), but it’s much more famous for a completely unrelated thing--a fairy tale called Momotaro.

Momotaro is probably the most famous Japanese fairy tale--quite literally everyone knows the story. An old woman was washing clothes by the river one day when she saw a large peach float down in the water. Curious, she fished it out, split it open, and inside, she found a baby boy. She and her husband creatively named him “Momotaro” (Japanese for “Peach Boy”) and raised him to be strong and brave. One day, Momotaro heard a story about how some ogres from Onigashima (Ogre Island) were terrorizing innocent people, and he decided that he would go and stop the ogres. The old woman made him a sack full of a traditional Japanese snack called kibidango (dumplings made from pounded rice and covered in roasted soy bean powder) and sent him on his journey. Along the way, Momotaro met a dog, a monkey, and a bird. He shares his kibidango with each of them and they decide to accompany him to Onigashima. When they arrive, they fight and defeat the demons and everyone lived happily ever after the end.

Amusingly enough, this story is retold in the Hi Friends textbooks, which are used to teach English in elementary schools all over the country. The horrendous version in its entirety has become a massive inside joke among ALTs in Japan, and many ALTs frequently quote it.

(Obviously some of the dialogue is missing because you’re supposed to listen to the audio with it...which, if you can believe it, is even better than the pictures). So if you’re ever in Japan and happen to hear a foreigner say “We are strong. We are brave. We are good friends.” and then proceed to fall over laughing, this is why.

Both my friend and I teach using this textbook. And so, although we enjoyed Okayama Castle, the vast majority of our time in this prefecture was spend spoofing Momotaro.

As you exit Okayama Station, your eyes are immediately drawn to this statue of Momotaro and his friends.

We made some silly poses with it and went on our way. On our trek to the castle, we also found a Momotaro manhole cover and quite a few souvenir stalls selling kibidango and other Momotaro products.

We did manage to make it to the castle, which was right next to an island park. The park was instantly named Onigashima by us, and many jokes were made about “Let’s go to...Onigashima!” The castle itself was interesting but uneventful, although it was covered in oddly-colored tape, which apparently is supposed to represent the 3 famous products of Okayama--jeans, peaches, and muscat grapes. Whatever, we thought it looked a bit strange.

We explored the inside of the castle for a little while, bought some cheap kibidango from the souvenir shop, and retreated to the front lawn where we proceeded to take selfies while eating kibidango at Okayama Castle.

After the castle, we walked across a bridge to Korakuen Gardens Onigashima. Once there, we rented a swan boat for 20 minutes to enjoy the view of the castle from the river. Because nothing says “Japanese Culture” like swan boats in masking tape...?

The gardens came after, which we explored for about 30 minutes before we wandered back toward the station to buy more kibidango and catch a train to our second destination of the day, a small town called Kurashiki.

Kurashiki is a historic town about 20 minutes south of Okayama City, most famous for its lovely canal and old buildings. We went to see those things, of course. Our decision to visit Kurashiki didn’t have anything at all to do with the Momotaro Museum that was there. Nope. Nothing to do with that at all.

After a lengthy search for some coin lockers, we walked the 20 minutes out to the Momotaro Museum, which was, of course, our first stop. We were suitably impressed with the displays, which were a mix between weird optical illusions, party tricks, animatronic ogres, and interesting merchandise. We enjoyed ourselves immensely.

After the museum, we walked along the historic streets, exploring the cute little shops and looking for some interesting soft serve ice cream, which you can always find in Japan no matter where you are. We were expecting to find peach flavor, because usually you find flavors that match things that are famous in that area. We did not expect to find alcoholic ice cream. But that is exactly what we did find. We were both quite amused to see brandy and sake flavors, and even more amused when we discovered the ice cream wasn’t just alcohol flavored--it had a legit alcohol content. We got one of each and had a good time.

We shopped around a bit more after the ice cream before we hired a rickshaw to run us around for 10 minutes. It was expensive but fun, and our guide spoke really good English (he was also really cute when he tried to speak it).

Finally, around 4 in the afternoon, we headed back to the station and settled in for the long ride down to Hiroshima--about 3 hours on the local trains. We checked in to our hostel for the night, made our plans for the following day, and headed to bed.

----------

On the third day, we caught a cable car from the station near our hostel to Miyajimaguchi, where we boarded a cheap 10-minute ferry to Miyajima Island. Think you don’t know what that is? I pretty much guarantee that you do.

Miyajima Island is home to Itsukushima Shrine and one of the three most famous views in Japan--the “floating” Torii gate. A Torii gate is the Japanese name for the large (usually red) gateways that mark the entrance to shrines and supposedly keep evil spirits out of the shrine grounds. Famous Torii gates in Japan include the massive one at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo and the tunnel to Torii gates at Fushimi-Inari Shrine in Kyoto. And right up there at the top with those is the gate at Itsukushima Shrine.

The gate, which is 16 meters (52 feet) tall, was built on the beach of the island right next to the shore line. During high tide, the water rises and covers the base of the gate, which makes it look as though it’s floating on the water. The tide does the same for the rest of the shrine, which was built on stilts to protect it from the water and to make it appear separate from the island, as a place where only the devout could enter. During high tide, you can charter a boat to get up close and personal with the gate, which, of course, we did.

Although the gate and shrine are certainly the most famous things to see on Miyajima, we also enjoyed some other sights as well.

Miyajima, it turns out, has a well-known deer population. Thankfully, unlike in Nara Park, the deer weren’t spoiled and aggressive. But they were quite interesting. While my friend and I were enjoying our “deer poop” ice cream (unique to Miyajima), we witnessed a tourist accidentally drop her map, which was on letter-sized paper. Before she could collect it, it was devoured by a deer. The same deer came over to us and ate the papers that had been on our ice cream cones. I guess they don’t have to worry about trash on Miyajima with walking garbage disposals hanging around all day.

We also visited a couple temples, an owl and cat café, and several souvenir stores before we caught a boat back to the mainland. From there, we caught the cable car back into the city and made the short walk over to the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum.

The museum was nice, though half of it was closed for renovation while we were there. We also only had about an hour to explore before they closed, and so we didn’t get to fully explore all of the exhibits. Although it was an interesting museum, I found I enjoyed the one in Nagasaki better, and I wasn’t too upset to have a time limit inside the museum.

After the museum closed, we walked over to the Atomic Bomb Dome--a famous building which survived the bomb despite being only a few meters from the hypocenter.

Finally, with the sun setting, we ventured into a covered arcade market in search of some famous Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. We found some, and it was delicious. Definitely better than traditional okonomiyaki, that’s for sure.

We also found some Obama buttons. People in Hiroshima were really proud of his visit.

And after dinner, we stopped by a convenience store to pick up some drinks and retreated to the hostel, where we watched many episodes of Bones before bed.

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On Day 4, we woke ready for a long day. We checked out of the hostel and caught the cable car to Hiroshima Castle--a beautiful dark-colored castle that was completely levelled and rebuilt after the bombing. We enjoyed the exhibits in the castle, just barely making it inside and through ahead of the many school groups that were also visiting that day.

As we left, we found a tree on the grounds that survived the bomb.

On the outskirts of the castle, we also found a shrine. It turns out this shrine is one of the locations of Japan’s well-known “crying baby” festivals (in which sumo wrestlers hold babies and try to make them cry...the baby which cries first is said to be the healthiest and most fortunate). We were 2 days too early to see the festival, but we were still amused to be standing in the arena.

When we finished at the castle, we headed to Hiroshima Station, where we planned to make the long journey from Hiroshima to Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

It just so happens that Hagi, while lovely and popular among tourists, is in the middle of nowhere and takes ages to get to. Originally we had planned to take local trains the whole way...a trip which would have taken us 6 hours and 5 transfers. But instead we decided to bit the bullet and pay the extra 2500 yen to take the bullet train to Asa, which wound up saving us about two and a half hours. So. Worth. It.

We arrived in Hagi around 5 p.m., walked the 30 minutes from the station to our hostel, checked in, learned the excellent news that our hostel could accommodate us for two nights (saving us the hassle of trying to find an internet café the following night) and then set out to find dinner. We also tried to find an onsen, but it turns out that all of the hotels with public baths had closed them to the public for the holidays since they were so busy with their guests. Who knew? So we returned to our odd little hostel for the night and watched Bones.

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We could actually sleep in a little on the fifth day, since the bus we needed to catch didn’t leave untill about 10:30. We walked to the station, caught the bus we needed, and rode for an hour toward central Yamaguchi and a small town called Mine (pronounced “me-neh”) which is home to the largest limestone cave in Japan. It’s called Akiyoshidai in Japanese but it was dubbed “secret tunnel” by my friend and me. That’s definitely an Avatar: The Last Airbender reference, and we definitely didn’t visit this cave just so we could walk through it while singing “Secret Tunnel.” Of course not.

We spent a couple hours walking around the cave, and we split up for a bit as well so I could go up to the plateau above the caves for some light hiking. We had a good time, and caught the last bus back to Hagi, which left at the late hour of 3:30 p.m.

Upon returning to Hagi Station, we caught another bus almost immediately out to Mt. Kasayama, Japan’s smallest volcano. It was about 5 when we reached the base of the short little mountain, and we paused for a moment at Myojin Pond, where you could buy bread to feed to the hawks. (Who know hawks eat bread?)

After feeding some hawks, we began the short hike to the top of the mountain, where we had the opportunity to climb down into the crater and then climb up into the observatory. We got lovely views of the sun setting over the water, and then we walked back down, hoping to find an onsen at the hotel at the base of the mountain.

But as was our luck with Golden Week, we weren’t able to enter there, either, and we returned to the bus stop an hour before the next bus would arrive.

We debated what to do for a while before finally deciding that we should just walk back to the hostel. Although it was an hour walk, it wouldn’t take any longer than waiting for and taking the bus would. And so we took a long but lovely walk along the coast, stopped at a family restaurant for dinner, and finally, finally got lucky with an onsen that would let us in. Yay!

We returned to the hostel completely exhausted and fell into bed, not looking forward to another long journey the next morning.

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Day 6 started with another long stretch of travel. We caught a train at 8 and transferred an hour later to an express train that would take us to Izumo City in Shimane Prefecture, home of Izumo Grand Shrine, the oldest shrine in Japan.

Surprise! Everyone else was there too. Because Golden Week.

We arrived by train, which was lucky, since the traffic was backed up for what looked like miles. We wandered around the shops for a while, bought some “rice burgers” for lunch, and meandered up to the shrine itself.

We enjoyed it immensely, but we only spent a couple hours there before hitting the souvenir shops where we both bought some Magatama charms from the shop that makes them for the emperor. We got some ice cream too before taking the train for another hour, up to Matsue City, the capital of Shimane.

We checked in at our hostel which gave us a private room (yay!), hit up the convenience store for dinner and drinks, and turned in for several hours of Bones.

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The next morning, we checked out and wandered over to Matsue Castle, yet another lovely building filled with interesting artifacts. It was completely crawling with Chinese and Korean tourists, and we pushed and shoved our way to the top and back down before ducking around the back of the castle grounds to visit the lovely little Inari shrine.

But our Matsue adventure didn’t last long, and soon we were at the station, chilling in Starbucks and waiting for our train to Tottori.

We travelled for another 2 hours to Tottori Station, where we walked about 30 minutes to visit Jinpukaku and the Tottori Castle Ruins. Jinpukaku is a large Western-style mansion that was built by the Ikeda clan to house Emperor Taisho in the early 1900s. It’s quite an interesting house nestled at the foot of the castle ruins, which go up and up and up the nearby mountain.

When we finished, we caught a bus back to the station, shopped around for a bit in this amazing little store we found filled with foreign foods (why doesn’t Nagano have one of those???) and caught a train about 20 minutes out of the city to our hostel.

We were happy to discover that we pretty much had the entire upper floor of the hostel to ourselves, including the large-screen TV. So what did we do? Bought dinner at the conbini across the street, hooked a computer into the TV, and watched Bones all night.

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The next day was the last full day of our trip, and we woke up to pouring rain. Of course. But we ganbatte’d and caught a train and bus out to the main attraction of Tottori, the sand dunes.

If you have never thought about the words “Japan” and “desert” in relation to one another, you’re not alone. And really, the Tottori sand dunes aren’t really a desert. Really, it’s just like a beach. The sand stretches a little under a kilometer from the shore, and continues for about 16 kilometers along the coast. But this is not just a beach. This is a beach with giant mountains of sand. And if you get down in the middle of it, you kind of feel for a second like you might be in a desert. It’s pretty cool.

But like I said, it was raining when we arrived. And so we first visited the Sand Sculpture Museum, which was probably the highlight of our day. The theme of the museum changes every year, and this year it just so happened to be the U.S.

Just look at these things. I mean really. They’re 3, 4, or 5 meter high sculptures made entirely out of sand. Like, wow.

We had a good time in the museum before we finally headed over to the chair lift that would take us down into the actual sand. Then we had fun running around in the sand, climbing dunes, and taking lots, and lots of pictures. We also tried to ride the camels, but it turns out you can’t ride a camel there unless you’re a kid. Lame.

But we spent about an hour there anyway before heading back to the main strip for souvenir shopping and lunch.

We returned to the dunes for a short time then, and eventually took the chair lift back up, did some more shopping, and took the bus back to Tottori Station. From there, we went in search of an onsen and had about as much luck as we did in Hagi. But a nice hotel worker pointed us in the direction of a good sento (a generic public bath house), and, while not an onsen, we figured it would do. We enjoyed the bath, grabbed dinner at MOS Burger, and returned to the hostel for more Bones after realizing there’s literally nothing to do in Tottori City besides see the sand.

We enjoyed the night and went to bed, not at all ready for our long trek home the next day.

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Our final day, we woke up early and caught a train into Tottori City and, from there, we caught a 2.5 hour express train to Osaka. We visited Krispy Kreme in Osaka before we caught a 3 hour bus from Osaka to Nagoya. And in Nagoya, we caught a 4 hour bus to Matsumoto. And finally, after almost 15 hours, we arrived back in Matsumoto. I drove home, slept, and went to work the next morning. Yay!

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All in all, this trip was a lot of fun, despite the craziness of planning it so last minute. The hardest thing about it was the transportation, which was pretty long and complicated on the second leg of our journey, once we got off the beaten “foreigner tourist” path. When we decided to go on this trip, neither of us had considered 1) how big Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Shimane, and Tottori are, and 2) that there were no busses to any of these locations. The train fares wound up being really expensive, especially after we gave in and paid extra for express trains in a couple cases. We also spent a lot on boat rides, rickshaw rides, and kibidango. Oops.

But we did have a good time, and it was nice to cross another 6 prefectures off my list. Now I’ve been to 31 of 47, which isn’t too bad considering how many places I’ve been to outside of Japan as well. I might be able to hit a couple more on the weekends in the next couple of months, but we’ll see about that. For the most part, I’m just glad we survived this trip.

Now, my big trips are over for the most part, and I’ll be spending my remaining weekends hopefully checking some last-minute things off my Japan bucket list. I plan to hit to Kurobe Alpine Route, the Ghibli Museum, Kamikochi (yes, again), the Shinetsu Trail, Mt. Ontake, and Achi Village before I head back to the States. These things may or may not happen, we I’m going to try.

And in the meantime, I get to focus on boring things like job hunting, cleaning, and packing. Yay.

I can’t believe it’s almost time to leave Japan. And I also can’t believe I’ve been here for 3 years now. Time flies, that’s for sure. But I’m ready for my next adventure.

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