#literally i was just there for fun and i ended up medalling in the top 6 for almost every one of my dances including a 1st place for one!
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hello tumblrinas i’m back
#it’s been genuinely the busiest week of my life but now i have like 10 days off to be chronically online again#i was at nationals for dance and had 5 straight days of fun and great results…. and today i got home and i have fuckin covid lol#can’t say im surprised bc i was around hundreds of strangers all day every day#but damn. im not THAT sick but def feeling shitty. at least it waited til today to start kicking my ass#bc by the way!! yesterday i finished nationals being ranked 6th in canada in my age group which i could never have expected 🤩🎉#literally i was just there for fun and i ended up medalling in the top 6 for almost every one of my dances including a 1st place for one!#and next week i leave for a show w a pro company across the country#so this is actually perfect timing to get sick lol#anyways expect to see me on here a lot bc im too achey and tired to move so i will be staring at my phone all day
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Batfam members by which obscure Olympic Sport(s) they would be (its a stunt for charity or something):
Bruce: His inquisitive nature leads him to ask: Is there a limit on how many Sports You're Allowed to Compete In? Not for him. He wins gold in Golf, Diving, Badminton, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Ice Dancing with Cass (she's not going to prom of course, so this is his best chance at a father-daughter dance) BMX Racing, Men's Skeet (he has nothing against sport shooting! Honest!), Dressage, and Weightlifting (wait? 860 KILOS??), and Beach Volleyball (Dick is his partner). In fact, he already did sports with Dick and Cass! Why not all his kids! Badminton with Bette (she's basically his niece, come on now), Tennis with Jason, Luge with Tim (Tim literally falls asleep on top of him), and 3x3 Basketball with Damian and Duke.
Kate: Kate runs a poll on twitter asking for the "Straightest sport possible" and that's how she ends up doing a fucking 50 kilometer race walk. Why the fuck is walking an Olympic Sport?? I don't know Kathy, its for charity, just do it please. So for one day, Kate turns into Karen, and speed walks 3. Fucking. Hours. Kate is tempted to melt her Bronze of course its fucking bronze medal down into parts for nose piercings out of malic
Luke: Obvs wants to go into a combat sport. Which is why Dick purposefully tells he he wouldn't be able to do anything else, and dares him to try Artistic Gymnastics. He gets Gold in Rings and Silver in Pommel Horse and Vault
Dick: Dick wants to challenge himself by doing the other Gymnastics he's never done. So he signs up for Rhythmic Gymnastics! But...it's a women-only sport. Which is why Dick comes out as genderfluid and is a woman specifically for the games (cue Tim being fucking furious at Dick about enforcing negative stereotypes). And naturally, Dick wins. But also....you know...he kind of really feels...empowered with she/her pronouns. Like....it feels right. And thus, it took winning an Olympic Sport for Dick to realize he was bigender all along.
Bette: She's like actually a Tennis player, so that. Also, she idolizes Dick and wants to impress him with her super good Gymnastics skills. After winning the gold she bites it in tradition, and it actually bends. She actually ended up with a fucking poorly made tin medal fuck this is so embarrassing noone look at me
Babs: Curling, another weird fucking sport. It's basically like shuffleboard on ice. And honestly, like, its not an athletic sport. Honestly, you probably could do it in a wheelchair. And a huge part of it is technique and intellect. It was MADE for Oracle. After she wins Tesla reachers out for a sponsorship deal to make a robotic wheelchair, and Babs makes a working spaceship just to fucking spite Elon. She also hacks X and removes all the X branding, literally turning it back into Twitter.
Jason: I kid you not, in 2024 they will add competitive breakdancing To the Summer games. Jason is on the first U.S. team. It...you know there were worse ways to make money on the streets than street performing...and you know...it was fun too...I made like $74 one day outside an iHop. No shit fuck Babs don't look for it please don't fuck no please
Tim: Skateboarding has also been recently added to the Olympics. Tim isn't allowed to put his Superboy stickers on it because Young Justice happen to be involved in several international incidents.
Steph: Everyone remembers Steph lived in Africa, but no one even bothered to ask her about it, much less ask which country. Ethiopia, thank you for asking. Curious how they offered her citizenship right after she announced her Olympic plans. Steph wins gold in Speed Skating, giving the continent of Africa its first ever medal in the Winter Games. (She mentions this every single time possible)
Dami: Modern Pentathlon is by far the weirdest fucking sport in existence, but Dami loves it. He gets to swordfight, shoot things, and most importantly. meet a horse.
Cass: Karate kata. Cass in a combat sport would just be unfair, so she does the Kata, just showing off the execution and form. Ice Dancing with Bruce, as mentioned earlier. Her outfit is based on the Black Swan, of course. Frustratingly Bruce is much better at it than her, and she's unsure why. Until it dawns on her she's competing and he's having fun with his daughter. After she stops caring about scores, they two get the highest score in history.
Duke: Artistic Swimming. 2024 is the first year men will be allowed. "No Bruce, I'm isn't going to use my powers to see easily in the water, god." And showing off his abs to that pretty girl in his Women's Studies Elective is definitely not part of his choice of sport. Nope. (She's turned off by his puberty acne, and Duke cries in his room for 8 days straight)
Harper: No Bruce. No Steph. Fuck you Cass. No. No. No. Hey Harper, just wanna let you know, as part of the charity thing, we're doing a gala, and Bernard's busy. Do you think Cullen would like to go?...Fine Tim, I'll do it, for Cullen. Harper of course needs to do something to make an impact though. If she's gonna do this shit, she might as well have fun with it. Which is why she starts a one-woman crusade to add a new sport. It takes petitions, conferences, and a few million dollars in charitable donations to the IOC...but a new sport is added, and Harper Rowe because the Olympic's first ever gold medalist in Sumo Wrestling.
#This was fun to make#Batman#Batfam#Bruce Wayne#Dick Grayson#Kate Kane#Luke Fox#Jason Todd#Bette Kane#Barbara Gordon#Stephanie Brown#Cassandra Cain#Tim Drake#Damian Wayne#Duke Thomas#Harper Row#Alfred of course makes them take group photos with their medals when they get home
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48HC.
So, this is me being completely honest, I already did the challenge but I'm going to revise it again. Why, you may ask, I did leg day too much and could barely walk for two days, in other words, I overworked myself and I needed some time for inner - silence, and healing. Anyways, this is the challenge created by the amazing @zen-shu, love your persistence.
Desired Appearance ( Toned body, goddamn I want Chun - Li's leg powers, pictures down below. ) Look like a combination of Seo Nari ( Do not look her up, if you're a minor, I only know her from Pinterest. I repeat, do not look her up.) + Kang Sujin + Succabuz + DF.
Inhumane / Supernatural Beauty ability ( The biggest Glo - Up ).
Becoming the personification of 'The Art of Seduction'.
Desired weight.
Martial Arts Expert / Master / Peak Human Reflexes
Grades Revision ( Being highly respected as the top student )
Enhanced soft skills ability, charisma, leadership, and empathy.
Being the Mysterious It Girl + Beauty & Brains
Trophies, Medallions, more gold medals. Specifically Olympics.
SP ( Upcoming success story coming up that's for sure, and love - dovey love story behind that ).
Being able to manifest anything instantly through perfect sc (self-concept), literally, I already have perfect sc.
All my other notes app desires lmao.
Photographic Memory.
Heal my Keratosis Pilaris ( Clear Perfect Skin)
Look, I'm just saying I'm not a lazy person before I say that my routine consists of indefinite timings, I'm just efficient in my ways of LITE and Staying In The Wish Fulfilled which has worked for me well all this time. I do things when necessary, and take what I have for granted because I always get more whenever I want, that's the case for materialistic things, not people. Know better. Be grateful, but never settle for less. These are my daily habits.
LITE ( Living In The End, 4D is reality 3D conforms as a reflection, yada". )
Subliminals - I have so many playlists and I listen to them daily, at this point it's just for fun even though I already have everything.
Mental Diet - I love mental diets, I really do. Shoutout to solar subs for introducing me to that concept, many - many years ago, I think.
ROE * Affirmations (Duh).
The routine is literally just what, wake up affirm, visualize, go on my day LITE, that's it.
Okay fine, I'll add some affirmations journaling or scripting there.
Regardless Of Everything, I always get my desires before 48 hours.
Regardless Of Everything, I am a master manifestor.
Regardless OF Everything, I already have all my desired things
Etc etc, ROE * the goals = the formula to everything.
Don't worry beloveds, I'll keep you all updated.
#48hc#law of assumption#manifestation#neville goddard#self concept#law of the universe#living in the end#master manifestor#self-concept#thaliaslibrary#loa motivation
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SPLATOON MAINS. wait what
yeah this is just cuz ive been getting my ass beat in turf war lately. "but didn't you say most of them kinda don't give a shit about video games" hush. listen to my splat facts boy
lupin: using a finnicky, mostly just for aesthetics gun -> using a finnicky, mostly just for aesthetics splatoon weapon. he tried so hard to master the tri-stringer. AND ONLY PARTIALLY FOR THE JOKE OF IT!! ended up with the dualie squelchers. dual wield baby. and he likes the color. he gets to be a LITTLE superficial here
jigen: made fun of people for using snipers in a baby game and then got that violent, evil rush of adrenaline sitting on top of the center of wahoo world and changed his tune a little. offended by the implication he’d need a zoom scope in, again, a baby game. now the goo tuber may look doofy as hell but its jigen so. watch out. he’s like built for this. uses the missiles with a downright evil vengence
fujiko: fast fire rate means big coverage and easy kills. aerospray rg. gotta have it in gold of course! besides, she works better getting much closer to the target in question, so the lack of range hardly hinders her like at all. this was like the easiest ever out of all of these i knew this one first!! she knows the stereotypes of aerospray users sucking! she does not give a shit! you can cry about her taking the ‘easy way out’ all you want she’s still getting that #1 overall splatter medal every damn time !
goemon: it’s too easy to say splatana. it’s too easy. no i'm. its too easy sorry no. in fact i don’t even want to imagine the shouting at the tv that would transpire when he sees that those things literally just go up and down. he loves his diagonal swipes. so let’s go with rollers. goemon (ironically, since he has the highest body count i'm sure) focuses more on paint coverage than actual splatting so. yeah. let’s say big swig just cuz its funny to imagine him running around with that big ass thing
zenigata: just kind of bashes buttons without a full strategy, so brush. any of them. this was also very very easy to determine! the important part is the aggressive swiping over and over and over again. long past the point of death. let’s just say the standard inkbrush, he got used to it quickly and the giant speakers of death fucking rock. you KNOW he loves that shit!!!
BONUS YATA!!!: slowly learning when to fold ‘em. brella. actually the sorella brella yknow with the tent that launches out? oh he LOVES that its having a whole wave push people down. and as we know just seeing the shit he puts up with he MUST have the patience of a saint, so he’s fine with the cooldown
#i didn't even actually help with the splatfest i wrote half of this a few days before it#went into the shop to test more weapons. finished it. and haven't touched the game since. oops!#lupin iii#lupin the third#lupin#jigen#fujiko#goemon#zenigata#yata
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Stephen’s interview at 2023 Skate America, published in World Figure Skating Magazine No. 99.
Stephen Gogolev
11th place men
I want to prove it to myself as well
WFSM: Reflecting on Skate America, how was it?
SG: It’s a disappointing result, but it’s a sport so sometimes there are bad times. I want to work harder in practice. The American audience gave me a boost; I think it gave me energy in terms of expression.
WFSM: This season’s free skate is choreographed by Benoît Richaud.
SG: He showed me several pieces of music; I chose three pieces from them that we joined together to create this program. It was very interesting to create a program with him that felt completely different from anything I had ever done before. I couldn’t get used to the music at first but it became fun while practising it, and I started to think I wanted to do my best to skate this free skate.
WFSM: What kind of preparation have you done for this season?
SG: Right now I’m training in California but this summer I went to Toronto and took part in the Canadian National Team Camp.¹ At the camp you skate your short and free in the style of a competition. It’s a way of getting feedback from the judges – there I got advice from the judges about spin positions, choreography, and step sequences.
WFSM: With Mr. Keegan Messing’s² retirement it’s time for a generational change for the Canadian men, isn’t it?
SG: Of course my goal is to become Canadian champion within a few years. But there are still competitions until then, and I want to do my best regardless of the competition.
WFSM: Have you met any of Canada’s retired star skaters?
SG: I see them on various occasions such as at the Canadian Championships. For example: recently when I went to Granite Club in Toronto I met Kurt Browning who congratulated me on my 3rd place finish at Autumn Classic International.
WFSM: Are medals an incentive?
SG: Of course, this is my first medal in senior international competition; I think it gave me confidence that I can do more.
WFSM: Are you currently a university student?
SG: I go to University of California Irvine. My major is political science. I decided on it because it was a field I was interested in.
WFSM: When do you think you are the happiest?
SG: I’m not sure. I think it’s probably when I’m busy. Of course I’m happy spending time with family or playing tennis, but I’m the type of person who feels fulfilled when I’m busy.
WFSM: Your goals for this season are?
SG: I want to fight so that I can properly show what I am capable of. I want to prove to myself that I can do it, prove that I can go beyond my limits. I think it will be good if I can gain experience in international competitions.³
WFSM: Do you enjoy competitions?
SG: I have come to enjoy them over the last few years. I can meet friends as well as new people. It’s nice to cheer on my friends.
(October 22, 2023 interview on the final day of Skate America)
Interview, text: Editorial department Text by World Figure Skating
Photo caption, top: FS “Time Lapse” (Choreographed by Richaud) © Nobuaki Tanaka / Shutterz
Photo caption, left: Born December 22, 2004 in Toronto. At the age of 13 he landed a variety of quads, winning the 2018 Junior Grand Prix Final. After that he went through a period of injury; presently he is training with Arutiunian. 13th place at the 2023 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
Notes:
High Performance Camp, held at the end of August in Mississauga, ON.
Keegan was named politely with the -san suffix.
This is stated as - he hopes to get more experience competing internationally. Literally translating to ‘pile up experience’.
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Despite how sad he looks in that photo Stephen answered the questions clearly. That’s good to see.
Stephen never goes in much detail about what is going on with him. But occasionally we get small amounts of info. Here we see that he is addressing his belief in himself. It's never been about a lack or loss of talent for him, he just needs to get his self-confidence back.
Kurt’s continued support of Stephen is invaluable. Kurt mentioned he’s known Stephen since he was 8 years old, before he moved to North America, and he hasn’t forgotten him since. You just have to love Kurt and all that he does for this sport.
Also it's nice to finally hear about what Stephen’s studying. It would be interesting to get his thoughts on current international affairs, but he would not share anything with strangers. I am wondering now what he plans to do after undergrad. Perhaps studying law? Public service, or public office? We got one answer, but more questions have now popped up. He’s a smart guy so I am sure he will succeed no matter what he plans to do.
This interview was over two pages which I have just stitched together in the image above. Here is a bonus image from 2023 Grand Prix de France which was shared as part of a collage from that event on another page. The caption states Stephen was 7th in the men's event. Photo credit: Manabu Takahashi/Shutterz
Thank you to World Figure Skating Magazine for interviewing Stephen. This was an insightful and considerate interview.
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Disclosure: The content of this interview went from English to Japanese and now back to English. I may have lost something in translation. Though I try to ensure the nuance of the conversation has been captured in the translation, I welcome any corrections. Please link back to this interview if you share it as I may edit it.
If you would like to purchase this magazine with international shipping you may do so through Amazon Japan, CD Japan, HMV & Books, or Honto.
Happy new year to you all, and may 2024 be a fantastic year for all of us.
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Journal Entry #59
Journal Entry #58 // STORY INDEX
Victor
We’ve been having an amazing summer.
Yeah, I know we’ve been neglecting our journal again, but in a way I feel like maybe we’re outgrowing it. We’ve been chronicling our life this way for over a year, and so much has changed for us in that time. So much has changed about us as well. We’re not the same people we were a year ago, and that’s a good thing.
I started this journal for fun because I wanted to do some travelling that wasn’t connected to a snowboarding competition, and I thought it'd be cool to document my adventures. I did get to go to Sulani, but in hindsight, now I see how unrealistic it was to think I’d be jetting frivolously all around the globe.
But, starting the journal wasn’t a wasted effort by any means. Looking back on it, it’s a reminder of how far Yuri and I have come, what we’ve learned and how we’ve grown as individuals and as a couple. I love us, and I'm proud of the progress we’ve made together.
It’s been interesting to share a part of our story with everyone, but I feel like we’re moving into a different stage of our life now. I don't know if we'll keep recording our journey like this in the future. We'll see.
Anyway, we're still doing it for now, so let me pick up where I left off back in June.
After Mom and Julian's wedding, Yuri and I had a few days together before he and his family returned to Japan. I had a great time showing them around, and I think Mr. and Mrs. Okamoto fell in love with Willow Creek a little bit, because they said they wanted to come back for a longer visit in the near future. Yuki's favourite thing was actually the amusement park in nearby Newcrest, and her parents really seemed to enjoy the scenic walking trails and the farmers market.
Before they left, Mr. Okamoto asked me if I'd like to stay with them when I returned to Mt. Komorebi instead of moving back into Uncle Kaz's house for what might end up being only a couple of months. My knee-jerk reaction was to say no, but I'm glad I managed to keep that to myself. The offer did make a lot of sense, after all. If Yuri and I both stayed with his parents, we wouldn't have to pay rent on top of our mortgage payment for the haunted house, and we could pack up the rest of our stuff so we'd be ready to leave whenever we reasonably could. I just didn't know how I'd feel, being in such close proximity to my in-laws for an extended period of time.
I told Mr. Okamoto I'd think about it and get back to him, and he seemed satisfied with that.
Grandpa Michael also hung around in Willow Creek for a while after the wedding. I said he could stay with me, but he declined, claiming the house would be too crowded with all Yuri's family members staying there too. I found that a little odd at first, until I discovered that he somehow managed to hook up with someone at the wedding and got invited to stay in her guest room for a few nights.
"She's a younger woman, and she’s hot," he told me confidentially. "Her name's Juliet. How about that?"
"Uh... how much younger are we talking?" I asked.
"She's sixty-six."
"Don't you think you're moving kinda fast? Like, sleeping over at her place after you literally just met her?"
"Listen," Grandpa Michael said. "At my age, you gotta move fast so you don't miss the good opportunities."
He's seventy-three. If he was in a contest for old people who move fast, he'd probably win a medal.
Still, he deserves to find happiness and have fun. It’s been seven years since my grandma passed away, and I’m pretty sure he’ll never stop loving her, but seven years is a long time to be alone if you’re used to being with somebody. If he feels like he's ready to get back into the dating scene, who am I to tell him not to?
When I met the aforementioned Juliet a couple days later, I totally understood the attraction. Although ‘hot’ wasn’t exactly the first word that sprang to mind, I could definitely see why Grandpa Michael would think so. She was elegant and confidently attractive in the way women are when they embrace aging with grace instead of engaging in a useless battle with it. I could easily imagine her being a knockout in her younger days. When she was my age, I bet she turned every head in every room she stepped into.
Beyond my initial impression of Juliet Picard, I was startled to realize I recognized her. She was the woman who'd been in charge of all the flowers for the wedding. Turns out she owns a florist shop called Hearts and Flowers, which happens to be down the street from Mom and Julian's clinic. Coincidentally, the flower shop also occupies the same building as the flat where Davian St-Jean, a friend of mine from high school, lives.
I used to say Willow Creek was the most boring place on Earth, that nothing ever happens there, but that's when I was viewing it through the eyes of a guy who thought events didn't have much meaning unless they were big and exciting and important to everyone. I was wrong about that. Sometimes the most seemingly insignificant thing carries the most weight.
A lot happens in Willow Creek. It's a town of connections, of opportunities small and large, the sort of place where a chance interaction could change the course of somebody's life in ways they might never have been able to imagine.
I mean, I was in Willow Creek when I met Yuri. Sitting alone in my sparsely -furnished unit at the Sage Estates apartment complex, scrolling through a forum for snowboarding enthusiasts, I had no idea I was going to see a photo of this impossibly cute Japanese boy doing a silly pose with his board. My impulsivity made me message him, and his curiosity made him message back. Prior to that day, if anyone had suggested I would meet my soulmate through a random encounter on the internet, I think I would've laughed out loud.
But now? Don't tell me stuff doesn't happen in Willow Creek. Dreams are born there, and nobody will ever convince me to change my mind about that again.
The day after Yuri and his family headed home, Grandpa Michael and I departed for Brindleton Bay. He returned his rented car, and then Juliet met us for breakfast and dropped us off at the bus station afterwards.
"I'll be back," he told her as we were about to board the bus, and I swear it was totally dramatic, like something out of a movie. He was dead serious, though, so I had to do my best not to laugh.
"I'll be looking forward to it," she said.
I reached into my bag and pulled out the keys to the house. "Here," I said, handing them to my grandpa. "Consider my place your place until Yuri and I come back. Feel free to use it any time."
He grinned at me, and for a split second I could've sworn I saw the face of a man half his age. "Thanks. I'm sure I'll enjoy that heated swimming pool, and your fabulous kitchen. I'll make myself at home."
"Go for it," I said. "Just don't use the red mug, and don't sleep in the basement bedroom."
Juliet raised an eyebrow. "What an odd thing to say."
"It's only odd if you don't know about the ghost," I told her.
"The ghost?"
"Victor's house is haunted," Grandpa Michael said cheerfully. "Cool, don't you think?"
"Really?" Juilet looked intrigued. "Well, I can't wait to see that."
"Victor, I presume I'm allowed to have houseguests?"
"Go for it," I said. "Far be it from me to cramp your style."
He winked at Juliet. "Heated swimming pool."
"Oh, lord..." she responded, but she was laughing. "I think I'll have to keep him, Victor. I wouldn't want to unleash him on anyone else."
"Consider me kept." Grandpa Michael put the keys into his own bag, and then gave me a thumbs up. "Just let me know when you're coming back. I'll make sure I'm there, so you can get in."
"Don't worry," I said. "Mom has the other set of keys. We'll be able to get in. I'll let her know you'll be coming and going, though. We don't want her to think somebody's trying to break into the place."
"Imagine explaining that to the police," he said, and the look on his face implied he'd very much enjoy stirring up a little trouble like that.
Mom says I'm just like Grandpa Michael. She's probably not wrong. Aside from sharing an almost obsessive passion for snow sports and being international competitors — he was a world champion slalom skiier back in the day — we have the same love for food, the same enjoyment of being with other people, the same sense of humour and, I think it's safe to say, the same impulse control issues.
I love him. I mean, I love my other grandparents too, but I think I have a deeper bond with Grandpa Michael than with the others. We get each other on a fundamental level.
We had a blast during the week I spent in Brindleton Bay with him. We passed a lot of our time at the local fitness center, and every morning we had tea and breakfast with his friends at a café in town. His friends are awesome, for the record. After the first day, I kind of forgot I was hanging out with guys in their seventies. One afternoon, we all played golf together, and on another day we went deep-sea fishing with one of the friends who owns a boat.
When we weren't socializing, we managed to get loads of yard work done, and we did plenty of cooking. Oh man... the cooking. It was so nice not to have to worry about ingredients and portion sizes and making sure everything had the right balance of protein and carbs. We cooked whatever we felt like having, and trust me, we had a lot of it. I'm pretty sure I've never eaten so much in a week in my entire life. With my belly full, I slept like a dead man every night, and it was absolutely satisfying.
On the evening before my flight back to Japan, Grandpa Michael and I were sitting on his back doorstep, drinking some fruit juice and staring out at the ocean. If I thought sunsets over the lake in Granite Falls were beautiful, let me tell you they've got nothing on sunsets over the ocean. The last time I'd seen anything like that, I'd been in Sulani, but somehow this was better. It wasn't that the sunset itself was any more gorgeous, but because I was seeing it with someone I care about and who I know cares about me.
"It's been a long time since I got to sit here and enjoy this with another person," my grandfather said, as if he were reading my thoughts.
"I'm glad I get to watch it with you."
"Me too," he said. "I hope you'll come back here more often, once you're all settled into your new home. Bring your husband too. He seems like a sweet little fellow."
I laughed at that, thinking about how Yuri would respond to being referred to as 'a sweet little fellow'. He'd probably love it, and I could picture him blushing.
"I will," I promised. "But I guess you'll be coming to Willow Creek more often now too, won’t you? So we'll have extra chances to see each other."
"Hmm..." Grandpa Michael leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him. "I never thought I'd find someone I wanted to be with after your grandmother. I didn't think I'd ever want to love anyone that way again, honestly, but I might have changed my mind."
"You think love at first sight is a thing?"
"No," he said. "You never want to say 'love' too quickly, but it's okay to think about it, and I've got a good feeling."
I smiled. "I'm really glad you met Juliet."
"So am I. She made me remember that being alive and living life aren't the same thing," he said. "You know, it's easy to give up on living when you feel like you've lost your reason to live. But, I think we forget that we've got more than one reason. There's more to live for than that one person or thing we lost."
I thought about Yuri. He'd been at his lowest point this past winter, and for a while I'd really been afraid that he'd given up on wanting to be alive, not just on living. Nothing I said or did seemed to matter, and it was scaring me more than anything else ever had. But then, just when I was wondering what would become of him, of us and the future we’d planned, his reminder to live came from the most unlikely source; his father.
If somebody asked me to guess who'd save Yuri in the end, I never would’ve predicted it’d be his dad. Their relationship was practically non-existent up until this year.
It’d taken some pretty horrible events to make them take the first tiny steps toward fixing their broken trust, but all the pain and suffering was worth it if Yuri and his dad learned how to communicate with each other. They’ve both found hope and renewed determination to make the most out of their time in the world, and I’m thankful.
Since March, their relationship has grown by leaps and bounds, and it's been truly amazing to observe. Yuri is happier than I've ever known him to be. He's looking forward, rather than being stuck in a bubble of self-pity and going nowhere. Even the smallest things seem to bring him joy now, and I can't even begin to describe how full my heart is over that.
I want this to last. I want him to be happy forever, and I don't even care if I'm not the catalyst. Seeing him happy makes me happy. The reason for it doesn't matter, as long as he's thriving.
Of course, I'm enough of a realist to get that it's not always going to be sunshine and strawberry milkshakes. Yuri's chronic illness will never go away, so it's inevitable that he'll have bad days or weeks. Plus, we're doubtless going to have to deal with difficult stuff that's completely unrelated to Yuri's health.
That having been said, I'm of the opinion that happiness is a state of being. Like, even if we're not constantly cheerful and we're navigating scary or unpleasant situations, we can still be happy. There's always something to be grateful for, always one more reason to keep on living, and that's what I want for Yuri. My wish for him is that he'll finally understand happiness is something he can choose for himself, and even if everything around him is dark and bitter, he can still find his own metaphorical sunshine and strawberry milkshakes on the inside.
When I shared that with Grandpa Michael, he told me he was proud of me and said I should be proud of myself too.
"You've grown up a lot since you've been away," he commented.
"Thanks. I've had a lot of people helping me."
"Other people can only get you so far. You have to want to do it."
"I don't know if I wanted to," I confessed. "Being an adult is hard. Part of me wishes I could just stay a kid forever, Know what I mean?"
"Believe it or not, I do," he said. "But you know what they say. You don't have to stop playing just because you're growing up."
With that in mind, I've made it my mission to get in as much playtime as possible this summer and to bring as many people along with me on my adventures as I can.
I made up my mind to stay with my in-laws when I got back to Mt. Komorebi, and I have no regrets. Yuri and I have been filling our days with all kinds of activities from long walks on the mountain trails, to visiting local museums and galleries, to picnic lunches by the lake near his parents' house. I returned in time for the Festival of Snow, and the whole family went to it together. We were out all day, and it was even more fun than last year.
A few weeks ago, Yuri and I took a weekend trip to Kyoto for shopping, sightseeing, and a classical music concert. Yuri convinced me to go back to the spa we went to on the day before we got married, and afterwards we bought dango from a street vendor and ate it in the little park where we had our wedding pictures taken.
We've been spending time with our friends as well, and it probably goes without saying that Sakura and I are training on the mountain as much as we’re reasonably able to. Last week, Yuri told me that he thought he was finally feeling strong enough to get back on his board, so I called Sakura and asked her if we could skip training for the day so I could take Yuri snowboarding. She sounded only too glad to oblige, and said she might come out to join us, if Yuri didn't mind. He said he didn't, so Sakura met us at the intermediate slope, and the three of us had one of the most wonderful mornings I've had in a long time.
Yuri was exhausted by the time we were done, but even more importantly, he was hungry. He practically begged me to take him to a local ramen house for his favourite meal of the moment, kake udon. That's a kind of mild noodle soup that can be served with different toppings like tofu, sliced fish or shrimp tempura. Yuri likes it with scallions and fish. He somehow talked me into buying him strawberry daifuku as well, and then he didn't even share them with me. Like... the nerve! When it became clear I wasn't going to get even a bite of one of his, I had to order my own. I pretended to protest, but I was secretly thrilled, if you really want to know.
Yuri's been doing so good with his eating that Dr. Kasongo thinks she might be able to remove his feeding tube by the end of the year. He officially finished the first phase of his nutrition rehabilitation therapy in mid-July, so that means no more food intelligence classes and no more weekly visits with the nutritionist and psychologist.
He's happy about not having to meet with the psychologist every single week, but he's nervous about not seeing the nutritionist as regularly. She's been like a safety net for him, I think. He had to be accountable to her, and now he's worried that he's not going to be able to do it without her encouraging, reminding, and occasionally scolding him about his food intake and eating choices. He's supposed to continue with his daily food diary, and at this point he's supposed to start planning his own weekly menu or at least contributing to the planning of a family menu. He has a short consultation with the nutritionist every two weeks, usually ten or fifteen minutes by video call, so he can go over his food diary and meal plans with her. It's nothing like his previous hour-long weekly in-person sessions, and he's stressed.
Everyone in the family is cheering him on, though. We all know he can do it.
His current goal is to go sixty consecutive days without a single tube feeding. That, and his general overall health, are the criteria for having the tube removed. He looked like he was about to panic when the doctor told him that, and on the way home from his appointment he cried while telling me he didn't think he was ready to go sixty days in a row.
"It's okay," I said. "If you're not ready yet, that's not a bad thing. Just do the best you can."
"But, I'll be delaying our move even more if I can't do this," he said.
"No, you won't. We've got the date for your first appointment with Dr. Kim now, don't forget. We can move any time between now and then, and if you still have your tube when we move, I'm sure Dr. Kim can take it out just as easily as Dr. Kasongo could."
As a matter of fact, he'd received the email from Dr. Kim, the gastroenterologist at Willow Creek Regional Hospital, just the day before we last saw Dr. Kasongo. Yuri's initial appointment with Dr. Kim is scheduled for the twenty-second of October. While I wanted to leave Japan before autumn, I had to acknowledge there really was no rush, and if we didn't get to Willow Creek until mid-October, that would still be fine.
When we got back to Yuri's parents' house, we told them all about how it'd gone with Dr. Kasongo. Mr. and Mrs. Okamoto agreed that it was okay if Yuri didn't think he was ready to commit to the sixty-day home stretch yet, but they also said they were confident in his ability.
Yuki, who had overheard part of the conversation, later offered the helpful suggestion of making a sticker chart. "So every day you go without formula, you get to put a sticker on it, and at the end, you get a big reward!"
I thought she meant the 'big reward' was having his tube taken out, but Yuki had something else in mind. She conspired with her mother to create the most fantastic sticker chart I've ever seen. They drew it on poster board, and blocked it with six rows of ten squares each. Every tenth square had 'reward' written on it, and the sixtieth square boldly proclaimed 'BIG REWARD!!!' in alternating yellow and pink letters, Yuri's favourite colours. They bought an assortment of stickers for him to use on it, including ones with pink ice cream, seashells, glittery rainbow stars, cute baby animals, and — to his obvious delight — sparkly musical instruments, including violins.
"Look at this, Yuri. We have a plan," his mother said, as she went about hanging the chart on the wall in the kitchen. "Whenever you're ready to start counting your sixty days, let me know, and I'll give you the stickers."
To my surprise, it was less than a week later when he told her he was ready to begin.
Today is the ninth of August. We're on day eight of the first ten days today, and the full sixty days will bring us up to the first of October. We’ll be sure to keep you informed about how it’s going, but so far, so good.
We're tentatively planning our move for the middle of September, and I'm cautiously optimistic. Everyone who's watching this, please wish us luck.
There are people who say luck isn't really a thing, and that we can only get ahead by persistence and hard work, but I think it's a combination of the two. Like, I think it's true that our own efforts and our determination to succeed is the real driving force, but who would ever say no to a serendipitous stroke of luck? Even the hardest worker needs a helping hand now and then, and I'm not too proud to accept a well-meant wish for good fortune and success.
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hi guys!! i'm liv and this is my cocky, shittalking tennis queen, cha soeun! v v v excited to write with everyone (but also am an absolute noob at tennis. i literally know nothing about it. i had to chatgpt so many things so i apologize if anything is not the most accurate!!!) but anyways, u can find her condensed intro below - apologies if her characterization is still a little bit of a WIP because i tend to build my character as i plot & write, but anyways, please hit like if you'd like to plot!! i'm also good with dc or ims!
key info
cha soeun, twenty four (jan 11 2000)
national team tennis player
capricorn sun, capricorn moon, aries rising
entj
personality
label: the spitfire, the heel
alignment: lawful evil
positive: ambitious, undeviating, tactical, confident, resilient, ebullient
negative: cocky, irreverent, brash, volatile, impatient, fiery
neutral: unapologetic
inspirations: heavily inspired by novak djokovic. other inspirations include succession’s shiv roy, gossip girl’s blair waldorf, the seven husbands of evelyn hugo’s evelyn hugo
career
turned professional at 15
rose to prominence at 16 after defeating the world ranked 50 and made it to the finals of the miami open where she ultimately lost (and threw somewhat of a fit. she broke her racquet and smashed a ball into the crowd. you can watch it on youtube. probably included in one of her many ‘cha soeun's worst behaviours’ videos) - earned praise for her resilience, but also got shit on a lot for how “unprofessional” she acted
played tournaments regularly following that but failed to win any major titles, although she did walk away with a few runner-up medals & won some smaller competitons
was still enough to get her called up to the national team at 18 (though not without a warning to get her shit together. she behaved for like three matches)
won her first major tournament, australia open at 21
hit her career best at 23, winning 3 grand slams in a year
off the court, she has been scrutinzed a lot for her lack of sportsmanship and irreverent attitude to most things. very polarizing to the public; some of the criticism is valid, but others not so much
the kind to chat shit before a game to mess with her opponent’s head. the kind to play with a demoralizing style, forcing opponents to play more impatiently, hit harder and take more risks. will pull out of a tournament if she thinks she will lose (her most infamous excuse was having a sore throat. was spotted at a karaoke bar the next day - she was very heavily criticized for this, and even soeun admits it was shitty of her to do that)
undeniable that she’s very talented and very hardworking, considered one of asia’s top tennis players but she just has a horrible attitude that makes it hard for some people to support her
background
wont add much but crazy, uber competitive family. father is ceo of a fintech company, mother is a healthcare cfo (i’m thinking her dad is some cocky tech bro who you love to hate. el*n musk dupe??)
basically raised their kids on steroids - find something you’re good at and stick with it. be the best at it. anything less than #1 is not accepted
soeun got lucky at five and realized that she liked tennis! and she was pretty fucking good at it.
her younger sibling was not as fortunate and spent their whole lives trying to find something they were good at and ultimately failing. soeun holds them as a reminder of why she needs to always keep trying and always be the best because there's no way she'll let herself end up like her younger sibling.
anyways yeah she just kept training and playing tennis. signed away her childhood but the fame and glory and attention was always more fun anyways
trivia
shes messy but it’s not like she actively tries to be? when you’re raised in a crazy competitive family where shit talk is the normal way of life.. it’s just how you live life
she’s very much an entertainer. invited to a few variety shows, which she excels at because she’s just loud and bright and funny (but she’s not allowed to go on anything live. she’s a tad too unpredictable for that)
genuinely believes in herself. the cockiness isn’t an act, she is genuinely and truly believes that she is the greatest and she can do anything. she doesn’t think that she deserves all the gold just because she's cha soeun - but because she knows that she’s talented and she works her ass off.
on that note, she is very, very, very dedicated to her sport. incredibly hard worker. will stay till dawn. will practice till her fingers are calloused and bloody!!
potential plots
first love! shes bi so i would love something where your muse has trained with her all their lives and you broke up but now you’re friends and she’s forcing herself to laugh around you and everything thinks it’s SO cool that exes can be friends but truth is it hurts!!! alot!!!
enemies!! someone who thinks soeun should shut the fuck up or that she’s ruining the beautiful sport of tennis or the olympics in general
besties <3 or unlikely friends!!! a soft spoken sweet person to match soeun’s fiery nastiness
enemies to fwbs… on the contrary, two very similar hot-heads! always at each other’s throat, sexual tension, you know the likes
pr friendship. she’s lowkey a pr mess and her team wants to “clean her image up” before the olympics so they pair you two together! idk they can end up being friends or beefing whatever works
the only other person who stays as late as she does. doesn’t have to be a fellow tennis player but someone who understands the #grind. sharing late night protein shakes after practicing till 3am vibes??
other tennis players!!
we can brainstorm!! i’m just vomiting cause as everything with life, i have procrastinated writing this intro until the very last minute! hehe
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Quick Game reviews: January 2024
... Huh that banner looks pretty empty without a years worth of games on a lot of different platforms on it. I'll have to think of a better way to fill space
Anyway, let's be a bit better about being on top of this. Also, instead of just scrubbing google without mentioning where I got the screenshots from, I'm going to start putting link where I got the screenshots from underneath. If I didn't put it, it's art from that game's store page.
Most of these games were ones I picked up in bulk during the Steam winter sale, so there's a few weird ones.
Slay the Spire (Steam)
Opening up with a strong one. I'm very late to Slay the Spire; so late that I had believed that it was much older than it was because just everyone had referenced it so many times and I still hadn't touched it I didn't realize it's only like 5 years old.
It holds up very well! A Rogue-like card game the plays a lot like Dominion but vs enemies instead of other players, with RPG elements to top it off. Despite having "beaten" it, I keep going back to it and I'm having a great time. It helps having played dominion before, as you have moments playing this kind of game where you realize core aspects of it. For example, taking all of the best cards every time you can isn't a great idea, as the more cards you have the less chance you have at drawing any one of them. It's better to have cards that combo well together, or with relics you've acquired, than to have a bunch of good cards that don't. It's best to stick to a particular aspect of your character, like focusing on whether you want to play The Silent as a machine gun that can rapid fire shiv the enemy dozens of time in a turn, or a tanky poisoner who can last for a long time to build up poison stack. It's much more beneficial to pick one while you're gathering your materials, than it is to say "Well attacking a lot is a nice and passive poison is also nice" and doing neither well.
It was also interesting having gone back and played this after having played so many lazy game projects or cash grab games that just did this exact style of gameplay and didn't make it interesting. I had no idea I was literally just playing Slay the Spire, but not as good.
Highly recommend it! It's a very fun game, and a good time to just play a round or two while you're watching a video.
Mail Mole + 'Xpress Deliveries (Steam)
This is a game I 100%'d!
Mail Mole is a linear 3D platformer akin to Super Mario 3D world, but you play as mole who digs underground and can combo dashing with jumping and good timing you can really blast through levels. You collect carrots instead of coins, turnips instead of green stars or giant coins, and each level has it's own time goals for bronze, silver and gold medals.
It's pretty fun! The jumping takes a bit to get used to as your jump happens when you release the button instead when you press, and your momentum from your dash carries over but only for a set amount of time after a landing dash. Overall the controls are easy to understand. With some practice and an understanding of how comboing jumps and dashes works, the game can feel pretty satisfying, if a little bit floaty, as you fly from platform to platform attempting to not fling yourself off the ledge long enough to make it to the end and get the gold medal.
As far as content goes, there's 8 "worlds" each with 4 levels. Additionally each world has a vs bot mode where you race 3 npc bots to the end of a level for an additional power cell, the game's main progression collectible. There's a significant amount there, and with the extra 'Xpress Deliveries levels it's worth its weight. I ended up with 7 hours on the game, which for an indie platformer is pretty good.
That being said, the game isn't necessarily very challenging. Jumps are pretty straightforward, with some rare exceptions, and if you just want to "beat" the game you can do so without breaking much of a sweat. The real meat of it is trying to get everything and do well in the levels to get those medals, which also isn't an extreme task. 100%'ing it took 6.7 hours, and I was never really stuck on a single level more than 2-3 replays after the intial run through the level
Overall, I'd recommend it to fans of laid back 3D platformers; if you've play 3D land, suzy cube, or other cartoony 3D indie platformers, you'll be right at home here
screenshot from The Cutting Room Floor
Mario Party 3 (N64, Switch Online)
This was one of things that I, as a child, had decided I would do someday, and then each time I played it over the years I kept thinking, "Oh I never did Get S Rank Miracle star in the story mode on Hard Mode to see if you get anything" and then proceeded to not do play it. I finally changed that!
.... It wasn't worth it. While at the time Mario Party 3 had a lot of uniqueness and charm, nowadays it's simply just been outdone, and the sheer amount of minigames in modern Mario Parties just outclasses it. Additionally, getting those scores is hard as balls, getting all the minigames requires a substantial amount of luck, and in true Mario Party fashion you can just lose everything very suddenly and that's just on you.
Nostalgia carries the N64 Mario parties pretty hard, and in a world where Mario Party Superstars and Super Mario Party exists it just doesn't hold up. Also Mario Party 2 is better.
The Citadel
What a title I have a cursed history with. anyway.
I did end up playing this for not very long. I have a long history with Doom and similar fast paced mindless shooters (Boomer shooters? is that what the kids are calling it?), so when I saw this game on the store a few years ago I shoved it on my wishlist. I finally picked it up, and it's pretty tough from what I've played. But I just quickly lost interest; didn't feel as satisfying or punchy as Doom does and I had other games to play. I haven't played this enough for a great recommending opinion, but my first impression is that it's just fine.
Screenshot from promotional screenshots on the game's Steam page
Pseudoregalia (Steam)
Props to my boy Keewy for streaming this and making me think "Huh I could try that".
This game's incredibly good. But obviously not everyone's cup of tea. You play as a tall rabbit goat woman who fights with a big cross baton and platforms using a variety of skills you pick up along the way. It's very much focused solely on the skilled platforming aspect within rooms. Like if Celeste was a bit slower paced, 3D, and had progressive upgrades in an open environment. I guess that's probably not a sensible comparison; It's more like if Metroid Prime was solely melee, 3rd person, and focused on platforming. It's hard to describe in text, but a quick look at some gameplay and you'll get it.
A key aspect of this is it doesn't take any time to explain to you what's going on, how to play, or even where you're at. You start out basically only able to jump, and through some well paced rooms slowly get the idea of how to attack, and a couple of hallways later your path branches out to a number of different ways where you can go and explore. There is no map, so you'll have to make note of areas you've not been able to fully explore before moving onto another area and trying your hand at that. The major upgrades all tend to be very well done, often giving you non-standard movement options that give you different ways of approaching jump situations that don't necessarily have just the one solution.
Most of the game consists of hallways and big rooms with an N64/ PSX aesthetic, with blocky geometry but gothic-reminiscent architecture and texture. The music does a good job of complimenting these areas, making the time you spend attempting to chain wall kicks and dashing slides to get to the next platform feel like you're wandering surreal, oppressive hallways but with a sense of curiosity and freedom given by the game's abilities.
I'm not sure if that made a whole lot of sense. But I collected everything because it was just really fun! Take a look at a gameplay video, and if you like the look of the gameplay the game delivers very well on the whole experience
Screenshot from promotional screenshots on the game's Steam page
Lil Gator Game (Steam)
I 100%'d this one as well:
Another 3D platfomer, but this time a very open world setting. Basically a very small version of Breath of the Wild where your main actions are to attack, jump, float, and climb. You play as a little gator, whose acting a out a legend of zelda style adventure with cardboard monsters and animal friends as NPCS with quest givers in order to inspire your Sister, who used to play these games with you, to join in on the fun instead of focusing on her college work.
It's a very simple game; you're never really going to have moments where you don't know what to do or feel stuck, and you can't even take damage because "kids can't die in video games." Instead, it's solely about roaming around, finding all your friends and doing their quests (solving their problems) so they will go back to the main hub area and build up the adventure town for your game.
It's a very chill romp, and I'd recommend it to anyone who just wants to turn their brain off and jump around with a cute little game with an adorable story and aesthetic.
Screenshot is a screengrab from a frame of the trailer on the game's Steam page
HAZAMA_QUEEN (Steam)
Another 100 % (though it only took 45 minutes)
I'm not sure how this one ended up on my wishlist; I probably saw it during one of the steam sales that encourages you to go through your discovery queues and thought "sure why not."
This was interesting because it took a run or two to realize what the game actually wanted. It's not a doom style game where you try and shoot monsters and progress through the level; it's a fast-paced runner game where you MUST kill enemies and run to the level in time before your health meter runs out. This meter is of c0ourse only filled more when you shoot enemies, so it's a lot of balancing between making sure you kill what you need vs moving past it to actually finish the level.
Additionally at the end of each level you get a choice of 3 cards, which can give you different weapons and upgrades to help you go through future levels easier. These cards can be quite vague however, as the game was clearly originally made in Japanese and contains a number of references to streamers and culture that I didn't understand. Alternative weapons are half "this gun is more powerful probably" and half "what even is this thing", and the while the games aesthetic has some charm in clearly being a small passion project only one or two people worked on for fun, it doesn't really carry it very far and things are more weird than interesting. Like if I did get it it wouldn't add that much to the experience.
Overall, it's a fun, very short and fast-paced game. At $5 it's definitely not worth it, but I'd give it a try if it ever goes on sale for like a buck or lower.
Screenshot from promotional screenshots on the game's Steam page
Spidersaurs (Steam)
I didn't want to touch this game after I beat it lol.
The purely fictitious group of people, fans of mine, will know that me and Wayforward go back. Even before Shantae I was playing Mighty Flip Champs, and am generally a huge fan of their offerings outside of Shantae like the remake of Ducktales, Mighty Switch Force, and...
*squints at their catalogue*
Oh I guess I do mostly just like them for Shantae.
Anyway, on paper this game looks fun. I was never a huge fan of Contra because I get mad very easily, but this looked very campy and like it had enough unique charm to look past that. In reality, unfortunately, it plays like Contra with some hand drawn cartoony aesthetics that WayForward is known for, and doesn't really have tight enough level design or gameplay to make me want to go back anytime soon.
There's a number of levels, bosses, and even just enemies that just don't feel right; nothing's particularly satisfying to accomplish and it's very easy to get frustrated when you accidentally scroll the screen too far and now you can't go back or die off the bottom. Enemy placement can be infuriating, and in an effort to keep you moving there's an enemy that comes out of nowhere and attacks you if you sit still for too long. That got me more times than it should've while I was waiting for a weapon I didn't want to despawn, or waiting for an enemy to come out of its hole so I can shoot it.
The art's good. I'll give it that. WayForward continued its trend of quality visuals and the character design it's known for, but that can't carry a game. I'd give this one a pass.
Screenshot from promotional screenshots on the game's Steam page
Monster Girl Manager (Steam)
So I don't think I've played Darkest Dungeon, but I feel like it plays similar to this but without a few mechanics around bonding with your monster girls and swapping positions. THe general crux of it is that you summon randomly generated monster girls with their skills and abilities based off of the kind of creature they are and their personality (all defined in typical anime tropes, ie tsundere, yandere, etc) and try and build up their stats so you can progress through a 10 level section of the dungeon.
The dungeons themselves aren't too complex. Traversing the map takes energy and you run into events that can either help or harm you depending on your squad and enemies with aa variety of different attributes. Like Slay the Spire, you can run into a number of relics that improve your abilities and can try and get them to compliment your girls' playstyle to progress further. On paper, it's a pretty solid loop and I did find myself enjoying some of the dungeoneering and crazy combos.
In practice however, it's a lot of grinding. Whenever you start a 10 level section you begin with no relics, so you have to re-find stuff and build up again. This runs into trouble when you beat a boss easily, but then the next block is too hard for your girls' current stat, so you have to pass time improving them by managin their motivation and telling them to work jobs throughout the week that will lower their eneergy and motivation, but improve a specific stat, again dependent on the girl's type and personality.
Again, that doesn't sound too bad, however there are many limitations that just make this frustrating. Specifically, your girls only exist for a number of weeks (I think like 10 or something) before they fade away. New girls you summon are back at level one, so now you have to use your winnings from previous squad arrangements to upgrade your facilities and gear to help them level up *slightly* faster so you can get further with them. This puts an unnecessary amount of stress and grind time on top of an otherwise decent gameloop, and after my first squad got Ship of Theseus'd I was over it.
I would avoid this one; it's pretty grindy and not all that interesting past the initial premise, though it could be someone's cup of tea.
Also, to be clear, it's not lewd. Just very anime trope-y
Screenshot from promotional screenshots on the game's Steam page
Quake II (Steam)
Finishing up the list is the remasted version of Quake II that unexpectedly released halfway through last year. Quake II wasn't one that I played when I was a small'un, mostly limited to Doom, Doom II, and Chex Quest, but I did play the original Quake as well and saw my dad playing this in those years so I decided to give it a try.
The updated graphics and controls are refreshing; a lot of the time when revisiting this error you have to argue with the game to get it to play in a way that works for modern sensibilities, but this redo holds up very well. Something I didn't realize is this melds more with Half-life style gameplay than it does with the single-level action that Doom and Quake were known for. While the game is still broken into levels, each level has a number of interconnected sub areas that each have their own oibjectives, enemies, and secrets to find before you can finish and move onto the next, and they can get surprisingly long.
This is a classic and now can hold up to the test of time with this release; I very much recommend it!
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So how do I end shorter ones like this? DO I say my favorite game I played during this period?
I guess it would have to go to Pseudoregalia. While I thoroughly enjoyed and continue to play Slay the Spire, Pseudoregalia's satisfying gameplay, intriguing world, and well done level design stuck with me a lot harder than another well-done rogue-like did.
I also wanted to pick up Palworld, but have held off and will continue doing so for a bit while the dust settles and it continues to get updates, so that's why it's not on here.
#game reviews#slay the spire#quake ii#mail mole#Monster girl manager#spidersaurs#hazama_queen#lil gator game#mario party 3#the citadel#pseudoregalia
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akkayan, soundwin, moonlight chicken, msp 👀
WOO YEAH WOO this was so much fun! You chose my absolute faves I'm osifjewoifje
Akkayan!
When I started shipping them: okay I was lowkey shipping them from the beginning because. hello. romance show. but the scene that made me go 👀‼️ was that 'your pin tilts' scene because Akk's face was just so ajgkskfkdkdk I was like OH OKAY OKAY OKAYYY
My thoughts: um. Love them? Lights of my life, probably the ship I've written the most fics for as of today, actually they got me back into writing properly?? Also I want to dunk them like a basketball <3 and then send them to therapy
What makes me happy about them: they just! Their love for each other! And how they're both individually so fascinating and deeply compelling characters and together they're just. TOP TIER. Also the fact that their dynamic is just 'you should be addicted to shutting up' 'you want to kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid'. Also how Ayan spends so much time flirting but the MINUTE Akk does the tiniest thing he's like 😳 um. we should kiss. 😳 LIKE OKAY????? NERD? And like, the stupid dream kisses. Akk. C'mon babe. ALSO - (do not ask me about my faves please I will not shut up)
What makes me sad about them: the Trauma™. It's so. Like. It's so fascinating how it affects them + their relationship. Akk's trauma, yeah, but also Aye? It's just so... I've written multiple fics mentioning it but like it just makes me so!!!! Their relationship doesn't make logical sense but they make it work? And it just makes me want to cry
Things done in fanfic that annoys me: when either of them (normally Akk) are like, woobified?? Hashtag girl no....this guy literally almost committed arson he is NOT a soft boy or whatever!!!!!!! Yeah he's pathetic but he's not defenseless Y'KNOW??????
My wishlist: for akkayan?? Send them to therapy. Also they both live long happy lives and are menaces to each other and their friends forever 🥰
Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: OOOOF okay hmm. For Aye it'd be fascinating to explore his dynamic with Thua more, maybe? For Akk..... therapy. Akk/TLC. Akk/hydration. I dunno
My happily ever after for them: they go to uni and Aye becomes either a teacher or a lawyer, Akk becomes a teacher and they live near the beach and get a dog and kiss each other stupid all the time <3333
this got long HELP
Soundwin!
When I started shipping them: I watched MSP just before ep 12 was released so I knew about soundwin beforehand, but my 'OH NO I'M GOING TO THINK ABOUT THEM FOREVER' moment was the medal kiss scene. Like. C'mon. WIN'S HESITATION? SOUND'S LOOK AFTER???? HELLO HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE LAUGH LOVE IN THESE CONDITIONS
My thoughts: I want to put them in a blender and shake violently. They're both so so stupid and silly and they're perfect for each other bc they're not. That makes perfect sense shush.
What makes me happy about them: they just! Their love for each other! And
What makes me sad about them: my mafia au - (I am taken out back and shot)
Things done in fanfic that annoys me: nothing really tbh, so far the soundwin fics I've read I enjoyed a lot.
My wishlist: I'm scared of putting anything on here because the os2 eps are coming out soon and I'm like ASIDFJSEIPFJ but just more them bickering and being silly and in love. Also specifically I want more soundwin smiling softly around each other <33333
Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: honestly they're both so insane about each other I don't really ship them with anyone else?
My happily ever after for them: inhales cat dad soundwin and they live in a little apartment and also they have a daughter named Fon and they make stupid posts online and Chinzhilla comes over all the time and th-
Moonlight Chicken!
Favorite character: even without my bias of actors, my favorite character is probably Leng?
Least favourite character: there isn't any character I dislike per se in this series, love all of them sm
5 favourite ships (canon or non canon): heartliming, alanwen, alangaipa, praewleng, jimbeam (I don't ship all of these as much as I find them fascinating dynamics tbh)
Character I find most attractive: OH MAN. Probably Praew sorry besties but she has my WHOLE heart I love her
Character I would marry: Gaipa. No further questions your honor.
Character I would be best friends with: OH 100% Leng my bff my bestie my beloved. He's so silly (read: weird) I'd love to be friends with him. Oh, or Alan, which is two very different characters, but like I'm friends with enough Alan-like people irl that I think we'd get along great
A random thought: I haven't stopped thinking about how and why Heart learned sign language. It keeps me up at night fr
An unpopular opinion: I dunno, I quite like MLC's canon. Maybe that I kind of like the inclusion of Heart's usage of his voice? It's definitely a controversial thing with valid reason, but my personal view of it is that (without going on a tangent) it's in line with the characters and I loved it.
My canon OTP: um. Heartliming. Uncontested.
My non-canon OTP: none? Don't ship anything outside of canon for MLC
Most badass character: my bias says Heart because buddy got into an overseas uni despite being homeschooled (?? tutored? what happened there?) for like. multiple years? But also Gaipa. That's the correct answer
Most epic villain: see old post: there are no Villains™ in MLC and actually all the characters are villains. Anyway if I had to choose a 'villain' to the main narrative of jimwen? Alan. 100% most pathetic man in the room tried to square up with Jim which would literally have ended so badly for him. Love him
Pairing I am not a fan of: ....none? All their dynamics are so fascinating tbh.
Character I feel like the writers screwed up: the writers did a wonderful job with this show for real, I have no major complaints about any of the characters. Maybe Li Ming - he sort of... fell flat near the end? Dunno. But yeah tbh none
Favorite friendship: GAIPA AND LENG. I WILL. CRY ABOUT THEM. THREAT.
Character I most identify with: OH man uhhhhhh Gaipa? I'm like a mix between Gaipa and Alan I think. Alangaipa love child.
Character I wish I could be: Can my answer be Praew. My answer is Praew.
My School President!
Favorite character: I cannot choose one how dare you make me - Tiw.
Least favourite character: homophobic teacher, to no one's surprise
5 favourite ships (canon or non canon): tinngun, soundwin, patjorn, tiwpor, yonook
Character I find most attractive: uhhh none tbh they're all cute and silly WAIT NO ACTUALLY. GUN'S MOM
Character I would marry: also Gun's mom <333
Character I would be best friends with: Tiw we have very similar energy
A random thought: we don't mention enough how unaware of his surroundings Tinn is. Bestie didn't know who Gun was despite being in the same class. He will zone out at any given moment to think about Gun. I love him
An unpopular opinion: none because I don't know what unpopular means
My canon OTP: STOP THIS IS SO RUDE tinngun ily guys but soundwin has my whole heart
My non-canon OTP: patjorn I think they're perfect for each other (ridiculous)
Most badass character: mmmm most of the main cast is like. sad sopping wet cats. Maybe Tinn's dad?
Most epic villain: again there aren't any villains per se but definitely Sound. bro had the world's fastest redemption arc love him
Pairing I am not a fan of: gunsound THANK YOU P'AU
Character I feel like the writers screwed up: uhhhh....none tbh
Favorite friendship: tiwtinn!!! also all of chinzhilla but tiwtinn supremacy
Character I most identify with: a mix of Tinn and Tiw
Character I wish I could be: also Tiw!!
#ask answered#kali beloved#distant screaming screams into the void#akkayan#msp#soundwin#mlc#they're all so <333333
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I ran a half marathon!!!
And I ran it sooooo much faster than I thought would’ve ever been possible. Turns out following a training plan is like weirdly super effective? But y’all this pace is literally faster than I’ve ever ran a 5k. I’m still not really sure what happened. My last training run the week before was 10.5 miles and it literally took me longer? And I was trying to follow the whole your training runs should be a slow comfortable pace and then your race time should be faster but I didn’t think I was actually being successful with that. I had a rough goal of 2.5 hours but based on how my training runs were going I thought there was no way I’d hit that. My last two long runs were at like 12.5 min a mile and even in my shorter 5 mile right before I was at like 11:40, but I didn’t think I’d be able to keep that up for that long.
But a deload week and a really good nights sleep are apparently powerful things. I was practically vibrating with energy at the end of the week. The like stress nervous energy of trying to buy a pony and also a new relationship were not helping either. Although maybe all that anxious energy helped me run fast 😂 I just went at a nice fun pace and I was surprised at how long that pace stayed fun. I had a good happy time through mile 8 were I clearly got way too excited, and then I started to slow down and really feel it towards the end when I remembered how long those last three miles really are. My watch doesn’t light up very well so I can’t see it most of the time, so I had no idea how fast I was going for most of the race. I did glance at it at one point under an over pass just pass mile ten and saw that my current pace was like 9:40 and that it had be 1:45 and I remover thinking that that couldn’t possible be right and that something must have been wrong with it 😅
I guess my competitive nature also must have really kicked in at some points because I was really into passing people. I’m also still kind of shocked by how many people I passed? And how few people passed me. I was a little sad because I passed this one girl at like mile 12 and then she passed me back like a mile later and I really wanted to keep up with her but just could not. That last mile was definitely really hard a major struggle, but the rest of it was actually pretty pleasant. I honestly expected most of the second half to suck really bad so I’m so pleasantly surprised by how fun most of it was. People love to talk about the race atmosphere and I also assumed they just meant like the handful of spectators cheering which were kind of, but what surprised me was how awesome and motivating it was to run with so many other people. And that it was pretty fun to chase them.
The only downside to being so much faster than anticipated was that the boy was going to meet me at the finish line but I finished way, way, way too early for that. I also did not feel super great after the race, and my stomach has been kind of mad me all day. But legs don’t feel too bad (yet.) and me and the boy got brunch which is what one really wants anyway. And the medal is purple which is the clear dream.
I also managed to finish 24/54 for females and 11/21 in my age group so I’m feeling pretty impressed with myself for being top half for my very half marathons.
Juries still out on if I’ll ever do another one. After my last two miserable long training runs I went to the race with a very firm one and done attitude, but then it was actually pretty fun so….. guess we’ll see what fits in with the rest of my sport and fitness goals
#I ran a half marathon!#and I didn’t die#I even had fun#it was pretty ice at the start so not dying is an accomplishment#one poor girl fell right at the beginning and was limping after#race report#half marathon
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I posted 1,041 times in 2022
That's 880 more posts than 2021!
54 posts created (5%)
987 posts reblogged (95%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@cyrusstarchaser
@sastheforestspirit
@skajador
@carmypen
@parad0xymoron
I tagged 886 of my posts in 2022
Only 15% of my posts had no tags
#kamen rider ooo - 297 posts
#kamen rider build - 43 posts
#kamen rider w - 27 posts
#art - 25 posts
#kameme rider - 17 posts
#lol - 17 posts
#zexal - 17 posts
#ace attorney - 10 posts
#personalchaos - 9 posts
#kamen rider ooo 10th core medal resurrection - 8 posts
Longest Tag: 133 characters
#what if we didnt ask if these monsters are human but made it clear the only monster is the person who wont acknowledge their humanity
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Tiger & Bunny S2 really made the right choice in giving all the men a few more levels in himbo
27 notes - Posted April 12, 2022
#4
Thoughts on the OOO movie, starting with things I liked (obviously spoilers):
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I actually really enjoyed the Goda plot. "Eiji gets possessed by a Greed" is a fun premise, it was great getting to watch Shu's amazing acting (being just off enough to be uncomfortable before the reveal), and I liked what characterization we got of Goda even if it wasn't much. He felt like a kid playing Kamen Rider and I would have loved to see more of him.
Goda is voiced by goddamn Vector from YGO Zexal. With lefty Ankh being voiced by Astral, it's too funny.
Similarly, the midpoint around the Goda reveal and people dealing with it was imo quite good.
When Ankh said "Goda" for the first time and did that little spin, made the whole movie worth it.
Ankh's character development was shown in lots of ways, most obviously him actually crying(!) but also things like stopping "Eiji" from breaking Uva's Core.
Ankh!Eiji and Tajador Eternity were hot.
Even if the scenarios weren't great, it was fun to see all the characters reacting to them. Just seeing everyone again was great ❤️
Things I didn't like:
They seriously just went full palpatine on the King/Greed plot huh.
Why the hell would the Greed be willing to work with the old King. And they just killed off the Greed before they did anything interesting.
Total disregard for character development--mainly erasing Eiji achieving a will to live, but also making Goto straight (I half kid)
Eiji's death didn't even feel good narratively? Like I already knew I hated the choice to kill him off, but they didn't even try to sell me on it, it was just unsatisfying.
NO ONE ADDRESSED THAT ANKH IS STILL POSSESSING SHINGO. THIS IS A PROBLEM. This was literally what the entire conflict between Ankh and the others was about at the end of OOO, and they just, shoved him back in there? And didn't address that Ankh would still have only Greed senses, be unable to feel satisfaction in his Greed body, etc? No problem was solved here?
All in all, it was like watching the actors act out a semi-decent fanfic, and since I'm used to OOO movies being bad, this one doesn't feel much worse. I just hope the actors got what they wanted out of it and are satisfied with this ending for their roles.
29 notes - Posted March 24, 2022
#3
I'm in loved with every version of Eiji
See the full post
29 notes - Posted April 20, 2022
#2
Denji Chainsawman and Eiji OOO are at two different ends of an "ability to desire was fucked up by extreme trauma and they get roped into some supernatural bs to deal with it" scale. And Iruma Demonschool is in the middle.
36 notes - Posted October 23, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
Oh you know 💁🏻
44 notes - Posted June 23, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
#tumblr2022#year in review#my 2022 tumblr year in review#your tumblr year in review#Omg my OOO tag ratio is embarrassing
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2 with arankita for the ask game !! :)
happy birthday to me, come celebrate !!
2. or a favorite ship? have 5 top headcanons for them
oooh i haven’t thought abt them very much this is exciting lets think abt this ok
(for someone who has not thought abt them very much, this get very long. cont under the cut lmfao)
kita, when they graduate, makes a photo album for aran. he gives it to him after their graduation ceremony, telling him to open it when he gets home. it’s filled with photos from their three years of knowing each other: photos of each generation of the inarizaki volleyball team they played with, photos of just the two of them on dates, photos of all of aran’s closest friends, photos of things that remind kita of him just in general. it’s meticulously organized by date and subject, and it’s pretty obvious that he’s been working on this for all three years that they’ve known each other. at the very end of the photo album is a little note, folded neatly and paperclipped to kita’s favorite photo of aran himself. the note is kita’s love confession.
aran isn’t a particularly handy guy to have around a rice farm, if kita’s being completely honest. but he tries his best! he always listens when kita talks about how things are going on the rice farm, what the weather is like and what that means for the rice, how best to take care of it, new methods of growing that kita is trying out, how business is going, etc etc. still, though, when he tries to help with the actual farming part, he’s kind of useless. kita, after a few hours of aran struggling with some tool (idk what rice farmers do tbh just run with me ok), finally tells aran to just go inside and make tea or something while he works. (aran would be offended, if kita hadn’t said it with a kiss and so much fondness in his voice. but as it is, he can’t be offended at all.)
they try to go on a triple lunch date with sunaosa and sakuatsu one time and it’s a complete mess. they go to a restaurant and get kicked out because osamu and atsumu started fighting and people thought it was a staged fight for tik tok in an attempt to make the restaurant look bad because suna was filming. they end up walking around an open air market and sakusa gets in an argument with a vendor abt the prices they’re selling honey for. atsumu has to physically pull him away before it escalates too far. they try to get ice cream from one of the other vendors, but atsumu accidentally knocks the ice cream off of aran’s cone in an attempt to steal a lick and he gets all sticky and kita refuses to hold his hand the rest of the day. they finally find themselves back at the train station and agree never to do this again. (they do it again the next weekend. and the one after that. and the one after that, too. they’re some of the overall shared favorite dates they’ve been on.)
this is really just canon but kita is, like, the proudest boyfriend ever. for real. aran makes it to the olympics and kita has every volleyball match playing live and recorded on the DVR. aran’s medal is hung up in a place of honor in their living room. kita only really uses social media for business reasons, and even then, it’s just, like, facebook promotions and stuff, but his one exception is when he uses the official business account to promote the volleyball games in the olympics. no other sport, not the olympics themselves, literally just the volleyball games. his business partners are rather confused by this. kita does not care.
i think kita likes jpop. aran makes fun of him a lot for this. (when he’s at away games or they can’t be together in person for extended periods of time for whatever reason, aran listens to a jpop playlist that kita made him. it makes him miss his boyfriend a little less.)
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17 Questions 17 People
Thanks for the tag @fandomxpreferences !!
Nickname: Em, Emi (only maybe one person calls me Emi tho)
Sign: Scorpio
Height: 5’4, 5’5 somewhere in there
Last thing I googled: Who played Cat Adams in Criminal Minds? (It ended up being who I thought it was lol)
Song stuck in my head: Con La Brisa (Wakanda Forever soundtrack), Complex (Xana), and Bite Your Kiss (Diamante)
# of followers: 11
Amount of sleep: Really depends on the night, but usually 6-8 hours
Lucky number: Usually 10 or 11
Dream job: Paediatric nurse
Wearing: Grey sweatpants, dark red tank top, and grey slippers (of course, they’re the fluffy ones)
Movies/books that summarize me: This is really tough, I read a lot and watch waaay too many movies so narrowing it will be tough.
Book/play would probably have to be Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, it has an actual love triangle and I am convinced that Viola (the main character) is also bi like me. Plus it’s a super chaotic comedy, and I am a walking mess of a human being.
Movie might have to be Free Guy. My life is super repetitive right now and it is really hard to do something other than studying. And I also want Chris Evans to make a random cameo in my life
Favourite song: I can’t pick! I have too many! Top 5 would be Complex (Xana), Before it Rains (Juliet Simms), Flowers Need Rain (Preston Pablo), Out Yonder (Elle King), and Livin’ for the Weekend (Fitz and the Tantrums)
Favourite instrument: I love the sound of violins, but you can never go wrong with drums or piano
Aesthetic: I bounce around a lot, I really just dress depending on my mood or whatever fits the music I am listening to when I get ready. Sometimes I go for an athletic look, others I have a light academia/book nerd vibe, and I can also dress like I’m going to try and kick your ass (the key word being ‘try’)
Fav author: Hmmmm…Rick Riordan for nostalgia reasons, but also Kerri Maniscalco, James Patterson, Dan Brown for the Robert Langdon character/series, and Marissa Mayer for both the Lunar Chronicles and Supernova trilogy
Random fun fact(s): The tips of my ears and cheeks turn bright red and get really warm when I’m tired, I’ve never been in a romantic relationship with a partner of either sex or another gender because I am VERY oblivious to all of that, I have won six medals for badminton (1 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze), and I hate hate hate celery.
No pressure tags (literally going to be some people I followed maybe the odd one that follows me back): @sebsxphia @nobody7102 @lilpunkrock @cllsgnphoenix @callsign-dragonbaron @blathannabeaga @blushweddinggowns
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Reading Log 1
Mel Fell
Author/Illustrator: Corey R. Tabor
Format: Print
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: February 2, 2021
Target Audience: Children ages 4–8
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Physical Structure: 8in x 10in, 40 pages
Story: A young kingfisher decides one day that she will try to fly. She dives from her family's branch at the top of a tree, and the book follows her journey down past all of the tree's other inhabitants and into the water, where she catches a fish and flies back up to her family.
Assessment:
The illustrations of this book mimic the structure and plot of the story. As opposed to most books, which open to the right, this book opens to the bottom, meaning that instead of having a left/right spread, each spread is a top page/bottom page. This allows the character Mel to dive from the top of the book to the bottom of the book, displaying her fall in a more dynamic way than if the book followed a conventional structure. Once she dives into the water, there is a single left/right page spread that instructs the reader to turn the book the other way. Now, for the second half of the book, Mel is flying up through the illustrations instead of falling down. The author uses minimal rhyming ("Mel fell"), repetition ("She fell and fell"), and onomatopoeia ("Splash!") throughout the story. The tension builds from the moment she dives off her branch, climaxing when she lands in the water. It seems as though maybe she has failed! That wasn't what was supposed to happen! But then the reader realizes that this was exactly what she meant to do, when she catches the fish and flies right back up to the top of the tree. This book also includes an author's note which clarifies that Mel is a kingfisher, a type of bird that fishes in this manner. With regards to the recommended age range, I actually think that this book would be suitable for younger children and that 8-year-olds might be slightly too old. I think that this is a book that I would read to my Pre-K 3 students, but I definitely wouldn't choose it for my third graders.
Quality: This book would be classified as a storybook, though it can also be considered mildly informational, as it does represent truths of nature. It breaks tradition by using an unfamiliar page structure, which allows the illustrations to support the text most effectively. The story of Mel and her fall also shows children that they shouldn't take everything at face value. It at first seems as though Mel did not mean to fall, that she is failing. By the time the book turns (literally), it becomes clear that this was her intent all along: to dive, not fall. This story encourages perseverance as well as questioning things we are shown.
Potential Use: This book lends itself very well to a story time setting. The unique structure and layout of the pages make it visually interesting to young children listening to it read aloud, and the bright illustrations will likely capture their attention as well. Additionally, the book is not very text-dense, which can cause younger readers/listeners to lose interest and their attention to wander. The author's use of fewer words in this book makes it more likely to hold young children's attention for the duration of the story.
Appeal: This book's appeal comes from its beautiful colored-pencil-and-acrylic illustrations as well as its interesting story and structure, and its effective storytelling with the use of limited text. This book is engaging and fun for children and adults alike, not just another typical storybook.
Outside In
Author: Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Cindy Derby
Format: Print
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: April 14, 2020
Target Audience: Children ages 4–7
Awards: Caldecott Medal, Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration
Physical Structure: 8.60in x 10.20in, 40 pages
Theme: This book doesn't exactly follow the typical story structure of beginning-middle-end; it's more of a lyrical observation of humans' relationship with nature. The book talks about how humans used to be one with the outside before becoming separated from it; how we get glimpses of nature through the windows; and how nature (day and night) dictates our lives even as we remain distanced. The book ends by saying, "Outside waits...and we answer," implying a return to our past appreciation of nature.
Assessment:
The artwork in this book shows a deep appreciation for nature and everything in it, which mirrors the love for the outdoors that is expressed by the book's text. The illustrations were created in a loose watercolor style, with imperfect and dripping edges, which reflects the imperfect nature of the outdoors as well as the way things seen from a distance bleed into each other. Illustrations of objects that seem blurred together create an illusion of distance, reflecting the text's assertion that humans have distanced themselves from nature or "outside." I also notice that the inside is often depicted as dull, gray, or even black in the illustrations, while outside is bright, colorful, full of life. This aspect of the artwork really drives home the point that the author is trying to make, that the outside holds so much beauty and wonder that we really are missing it when we stay inside all the time.
The text in this book is minimal and lyrical. The author occasionally uses rhyme, both slant and perfect ("there is a time to rest/and a time to start fresh;" "a tiny snail on kale"), and the book reads like a poem in terms of its flow. The lines are short and spread across the pages instead of grouped together like paragraphs. The main literary device used in this book is personification of "Outside." Outside speaks to us, sends signs, taps on our roofs, and more in the pages of this book, and this is enforced by symbolism. Birds, sunlight, trees, butterflies, and other creatures and phenomena all represent Outside at different points in the story.
The book's target age is listed as 4–7 years old. While I do think that this is a book for younger children, and not necessarily those over the age of 9, I think that children under 5 or 6 might have trouble remaining invested. As noted earlier, the book does not follow a story arc and is more observational and lyrical than a typical storybook. I think that this may lead to low interest in children of ages 4 and below.
Quality: This book is very visually engaging, and each time I open it, I notice more details in the artwork. The text and the illustrations work together to create a cohesive and beautiful picture of the book's main commentary: that the world we've built creates a barrier between us and the beauty of the outdoors, but that it will be there waiting for us when we are ready to appreciate it.
Potential Use: I think this book could be great for some groups for story time, but it is a bit slow. It does, however, have gorgeous illustrations that I think children of all ages would appreciate.
Appeal: The appeal of this book is in its beautiful message and illustrations. I think that adults reading this story with kids will love the subject matter and use it to encourage outdoor play, and that the children listening or following along will enjoy the dynamic images and beautiful colors of the artwork.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper
Format: Print
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Publication Date: February 2, 2021
Target Audience: Children ages 8–12
Awards: Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, Sibert Informational Book Medal
Physical Structure: 9.25in x 11in, 32 pages
Story: As the title indicates, this book tells the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre that occurred in 1921. It starts off by establishing what Black Wall Street was (an affluent Black neighborhood in Oklahoma) and explaining that this was strange for the time period. When a young Black man gets accused of harassing a young white woman, the neighborhood anticipates an attempt by white people to lynch the accused man. As a result, a fight breaks out outside the jail during which two Black men and ten white men died. In retaliation, a mob of white men formed and destroyed Black Wall Street, looting and burning businesses, setting houses on fire, and attacking the residents. Up to 300 Black people were killed, hundreds were injured, and thousands were left homeless. Some residents stayed to rebuild, but many never returned to Tulsa.
Assessment:
Unspeakable is advertised as being for children aged 8–12, and I think that's a very accurate assessment. This book seems directed towards students in upper elementary and middle school, as the content is very dark and the subject matter is heavy. When I was first reading this book, I was thinking about the illustrations and what they added to the story. I honestly felt like the story could stand on its own and that the artwork added a bit of depth but was perhaps not necessary. By the end of the book, however, I was profoundly moved by the illustrations of the community coming together to rebuild and memorialize what happened to their neighborhood and those they lost. Looking back at the illustrations, I'm struck by how the artist centers individuals as opposed to large crowds, which start to show up in the artwork towards the end of the book.
The author's use of repetition ("Once upon a time in") helps to drive the narrative, but it also brings to mind fairy tales. This is in stark contrast with the content of the book, which is far from a fairy tale and, obviously, does not end happily ever after. The flow of the text also seemed reminiscent of poetry to me. There are line breaks and couplets on some pages, which is different from a typical paragraph and sentence structure. It encourages the reader to sit with the words longer and think about what is being said.
Quality: The Tulsa Race Massacre is a hugely important event in our history that is often overlooked or even erased in the education system. I personally didn't learn about it until a few years ago. Unspeakable is therefore an enormously meaningful work and is a story that every student should read or hear before they reach the end of elementary school. Weatherford very tactfully and respectfully tells the story of this dark time in US history, and this book deserves to be recognized and celebrated.
At the back of this book, there is a spread dedicated to an author's note and an illustrator's note. In addition to giving further details about the event, Weatherford and Cooper also explain what went into creating the book and why the topic is of such significance to them personally. This is notable to me in that it is important to have Black people telling these and their own stories. Including personal information and backstory, while of course not mandatory, humanizes the author and illustrator and allows them to be seen as part of the community that was affected by this horrible event.
Potential Use: This book could be used in upper elementary classes as either an educational readaloud or assigned reading outside of class. Students would benefit from hearing an event from history told in a narrative format, and it is important that everyone learn about this moment in history.
Appeal: Thinking about this from a teacher's perspective, I think that the appeal of this book to teachers is its educational value. For children both in and outside of school, the appeal of this book is that it makes history accessible. It brings facts to life by telling the narrative of what happened as opposed to listing facts and statistics, which is sometimes the only exposure children have to history.
Hello Lighthouse
Author/Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Format: Print
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: April 10, 2018
Target Audience: Children ages 4–8
Awards: Caldecott Medal
Physical Structure: 7in x 12in, 48 pages
Story: This story is about the keeper of a lighthouse going about his daily routine and job. His wife arrives and lives with him in the lighthouse, where he continues his tasks and she takes care of him when he gets sick. Eventually, she gets pregnant and has a baby.
Soon, the keeper gets word that he will no longer be needed in the lighthouse, as it is getting a new light, and the system will be automated, removing the need for a keeper. He and his family move out of the lighthouse, to a home where they can still see it in the distance. Throughout the book, waves and storms and fog and icebergs and whales and more say hello to the lighthouse on their way past.
Assessment:
The illustrations of this book support the text directly, especially on pages with the "Hello!....Hello!....Hello!" motif. The lighthouse is depicted with its beam reaching out towards the greeting entity, whether that is a ship, the waves, or the Northern Lights. Oftentimes, the text is integrated into the illustrations, weaving like a spiral staircase or meandering across the sky on the wind. The text and illustrations are almost always working together to convey the story's full message, and it never feels overwhelming or forced. The artwork also shows the effects of light and time of day on water very well. The water is not the same color from one page to the next, which creates an interesting effect and makes the reader think about why that may be.
The author uses repetition often, specifically of the word "hello," when various objects or people are greeting the lighthouse. She also repeats a lot of the keeper's routine, such as "He tends the light and writes in the logbook." This shows the repetitiveness of the keeper's job, but it is almost always paired with something new at the end, such as "...and sets the table for two," which indicates that the keeper is not bored or upset by the routine, but rather delights in it.
With regards to the recommended audience age for this book (4–8), I agree wholeheartedly. I think that this book has engaging enough illustrations and a story that is paced well for children throughout this age range. Additionally, I think children may notice different things not only at different ages but also each time they read it, and there is always something new to appreciate about this book.
Quality: The story of Hello Lighthouse is interesting and unique; I can't think of another book that gives details of working as a lighthouse keeper (which I didn't even think about until now), and the artwork within these pages elevates the story further. Illustrations are embedded within one another, in circles that are reminiscent of portholes, pairing with the art style to give the pages a nautical feel. The story moving from "hello" to "goodbye" gives the reader closure, and it shows children that something ending is not always a bad thing. The end of this story has somewhat of a bittersweet tone, but it is clear that the keeper and his family are content with their new adventure.
Potential Use: I think this book would be a good fit for a story time readaloud. The artwork is captivating and detailed enough that children would be able to point out things they notice that may not be mentioned in the text, and the story has good pacing and almost ebbs and flows in a way that matches the fluidity of the illustrations. It's a warm-and-fuzzy tale that I think would comfort young readers.
Appeal: The colorful and crisp illustrations are great for younger children, and the sweet narrative makes it a great bedtime story or story time book. Children and adults will all be able to find something to appreciate in these pages.
The Undefeated
Author: Kwame Alexander
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson
Format: Print
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Target Audience: Children ages 6–9
Awards: Caldecott Medal, Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text
Physical Structure: 11.1in x 10.6in, 40 pages
Theme: This book is not a story, but an illustrated poem about the innumerable injustices that have occurred against Black people in US history. It's about those who overcame the obstacles and those who couldn't.
Assessment:
This poem touches on important themes and utilizes many literary devices to convey its message. The author uses anaphora ("This is for the...") throughout the book for emphasis as well as repetition ("This is for the unspeakable"). The poem also references famous works by Black people ("We Real Cool" and "The Weary Blues") and directly names famous Black historical figures ("the Wilma Rudolphs/the Muhammad Alis...").
The illustrations are what really bring this poem to life. Often, the artwork depicts the real people, whether named on the page or not, who represent the values (undefeated, unforgettable, unflappable) of the text on the page. There are a few spreads that specifically stood out to me. The first actually has no illustration. The spread is blank except for the words "And the ones who didn't." (referring to all the Black people in history who have died because of their skin color). The second depicts men lined up next to each other, lying down, filling the whole spread, which I immediately recognized to be an adaptation of a famous diagram of a slave ship from the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The words on this spread read "This is for the unspeakable." Two pages later, with the same words, is a spread that includes a depiction of a memorial set up in remembrance of innocent Black people who were killed by law enforcement.
The recommended age range for this book is 6–9, but I would argue that it should go up to at least age 12, and perhaps even to 14. I think that the older a child is, the more deeply they can appreciate the content of this book.
Quality: The Undefeated identifies famous Black historical figures while also highlighting pieces of Black history that have often been erased or ignored in retellings of American history. In the back of the book, the author includes an afterword that explains his personal reasons for writing this poem as well as a breakdown of each page and the people depicted in the illustrations. Not only is this a powerful piece of literature, but it is also an educational tool.
Potential Use: This book would be great for an upper elementary or middle school history or literature class. It could be used as a readaloud or assigned as homework or even summer reading. Even just the information in the back matter would be beneficial for all students to read or at least learn about. This book is an educational resource that has many uses.
Appeal: Not only is this a powerful poem and piece of literature, but each illustration contains a number of recognizable historical figures. Children reading this book will be excited to learn about Serena Williams, Jesse Owens, Michael Jordan, and more. For teachers, this book can be used in a number of ways, from teaching about Black soldiers in the Civil War to launching a biography project.
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Ekko, Sevika, and Viktor headcanons for dealing with a s/o who has to deal with painful periods cramps? If this is too uncomfortable to quit then I understand
featuring: ekko + viktor + sevika & reader is still gender neutral
content: fluff, cuddling
ekko is PREPARED
the first time he saw you struggling with cramps, he just understood, didn't question, immediately helped you with it
he kinda sees it at the same level as you helping him with his injuries bcs cramps get THAT BAD
there's tea, hot compress, snacks, blankets, what else
will not let you lift a finger even when the pain subsides, just tells you to lie down lol
it's 3 am, and you want jericho's? he's running, he's sprinting, he's zooming on that firelight board
if there's something he has to take care of, he'll make sure to come back immediately
you're treated like royalty ✨ deal with it
at the end of the day he'd just cuddle, especially if you make grabby hands at him, he's soft. he turns into a human hot compress
will give you massages, roll a glass jar filled with warm water on your stomach and make sure you're comfy
viktor is so clueless it's cute
but not like in a insensitive way bcs he is TRYING
he's kinda like ekko but STRUGGLING
he is that guy standing on the snack/pad aisle for an hour trying to figure out which one you wanted
this man is a pioneer of science but with you he's just a klutz now
voted most likely to burn himself while trying to fill a hot compress
lowkey panics when you start moaning and crying into a pillow
someone help him
makes sure you have everything you need, pillows and blankets and all
comes back with a crap-ton of snacks because he didn't know which one you wanted
reads to you because you told him that his voice is soothing
you'll end up just cuddling, trying different brands of chocolate while watching some dumb opera
it definitely helps distract you from the pain for a lil while
now onto my favorite skrunkly doo: sevika ✨
sevika is an EXPERT
she has a medal for this, a certificate even
when you were complaining about the cramps, she was lowkey like my time has come
internally happy that she can help/comfort you since she's not normally that affectionate
literally lets you lay down on top of her on your stomach, if that makes you feel better
FOREHEAD KISSES ✨
gives you a massage and runs you a warm bath
ignores silco for you LMAO
sevika checking on you every now and then by pushing away hair from your face and asking you if you're alright
my HEART
also stands too long in front of the snack aisle and glaring at people to mind their business
thanks for the request! i had fun writing this lol
#arcane#sevika#sevika x reader#sevika x you#viktor x reader#viktor x you#ekko x reader#ekko x you#ekko#ekko arcane#ekko imagines#ekko imagine#viktor arcane#viktor#viktor imagines#viktor imagine#sevika imagines#sevika imagine#sevika arcane#arcane imagines#arcane imagine#arcane fanfic#arcane x you#arcane headcanons#arcane x reader#sevika headcanons#viktor headcanons#ekko headcanons
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Big brain moment for me: is realizing one of the main reasons Mike dislikes Max is because she's (subconsciously) a constant reminder that he isn't straight.
Dustin and Lucas are immediately into Max . And Mike questions this (since they don’t even know her). Mike"awesome??!you haven't even spoken a word to her! " Dustin (already crushing): " Hey! I don't have to . I mean LOOK at her."
*MIKE LOOKING HELLA CONFUSED XD
Troy (the homophobic bully, talking about el): "her head's shaved . She doesn't even LOOK like a girl."
(Not to mention all the people who also thought she looked like a boy and specifically thought she was Will- aka hopper, benny, and the diner customer).
We also know Dustin is remarking about Max’s physical appearance in that ep1 scene since this videogame-scene also occurs in s2e1 (the same ep Max is introduced) . This videogame- scene has lucas and Dustin fight over princess Daphne -and Lucas mentions how “princess daphne” is his. Foreshadowing the ending of the love triangle between the 2 boys (in relation to Max) .
What’s interesting is that historically dragon’s lair (was a nototriously difficult game)- and they used princess daphne’s attractiveness to convince straight-boys to continue playing the difficult game and waste their money .This is because, if the player finished the game- they would save and also marry princess daphne.
But what’s interesting is - Dustin plays it, and it’s implied Lucas has played the game the most (and even finished the game to get Daphne). However, we never see Will or Mike play the game or get sucked into Daphne’s ...appeal. In fact (right after this) Mike instead puts his arm around Will and suggests they get the top score in dig dug TOGETHER (and beat madmax’s top score instead). Not to mention in s1 Mike wrote a whole d&d story for Will-inspired by star wars/the events of s1 and replaced princess Leia with a king (aka Will). The king has a medal ceremony for the heroes since they k*lled the 7 headed monster for him ( Will: ”it was a 7. The demogorgan it got me″). Mike is not into princesses (he literally replaced a women crushed upon by nerdy/star wars fan boys) and replaced her with a king. connecting it even more to his lack of interest in the princess videogame/girls in general (and interest in Will) .
* These little details in ep 1 show how Mike isn’t like Dustin or Lucas. He doesn’t understand Lucas/dustin’s immediate attraction to daphne or Max in ep 1 (based on their feminine looks). Some people may claim he was attracted to El in Nancy’s dress/his grandma’s wig but i think this had more to do with the fact at that time El looked like the blonde popular girl jennifer hayes (who Lucas/Dustin were into). And so the idea of a girl who liked him (who looked like the most popular girl in school- who his friends were into )was appealing to his ego. Lucas (to Mike, referring to el while she is in her wig,dress, and makeup): “you’re just blind. Blind cause a girl isn’t grossed out by you.” Mike in s1 even later specified he preferred her without the wig/makeup. He says in the wig/dress she’s “pretty” but when El removes all of it she asks “Still pretty?” And he says YEAH! pretty. REALLY pretty.” And sorry his compliment to her at the snowball seemed pretty rehearsed/forced. Just like how he refers to her fem look in s3 as “cool” (like how Hopper says El’s new punk look is “cool”). In s3 we even have Lucas dress like the karate kid (cause max has a crush on him), nancy dresses based on 'new age' music (jonathan likes), so why does max imply El dresses in baggy male clothes for mike ? Saying about picking clothes " chose stuff that feels like you...not mike." Maybe cause mike prefers her dressing in a more masculine way?
Anyways, back on topic. s2e1 shows Mike doesn’t understand his friends immediate attraction to Max and Daphne’s feminine appearances and this ties back to Mike’s animosity to Max in the following s2 eps.
Later mike yells at max "hate you? How can I hate you? i don't even KNOW you!" (Mirroring what Mike said earlier to the smitten Dustin -when Dustin remarked on how he doesn’t really have to know her to think she’s awesome because he found her physically attractive). Mike says this comment to Max- when in canon Mike knew both el and Max for the exact same amount of time -a week . So somewhere in his subconscious he realizes crushing on el (who he ‘doesn't even know’) based on her then "boyish" look /will like appearance (after only knowing her a week) means something. Cause his straight friends (at least initially) are into Max for her more feminine appearance (after also only knowing her for a week) .And Dustin and Lucas were never into the boyish looking El (in s1- like they were with max in s2). So yeah every time Mike sees her - he's reminded that (in canon) he unlike his friends has never crushed on a single girl (except one who resembled a boy/ his male bff). Which (at least subconsciously) agitates him to think about. Max in response to him saying he doesn't hate her. Max: but you don't want me in your party! Mike: correct! Max: why not? Mike: CAUSE YOU’RE ANNOYING!To mike- max's very presence is a constant reminder he's not straight. Her presence makes him at least subconsciously start to think about things- he'd rather not. Like why he was attracted to the boyish looking el (who resembled Will) but not max, princess daphne, or any girl prior?
In s1 we know Mike knows what "gay" , 'fairy', and 'queer' is- all words he heard as insults towards Will . And eventually Mike snaps and attacks Troy for a specific hom*phobic comment making fun of Will being dead. Where Troy says, “Will’s in fairy land now. flying around with ALL THE OTHER FAIRIES. All happy and GAY!” . He attacks Troy in the school gym for subconsciously reminding him he’s gay -same place he yells at Max for doing the same thing. EL EVEN attacks both Max and Troy in the gym using her powers! (cough next time Mike saw Troy he literally flew from where Will ‘died’. (aka like ‘all the other fairies’. Troy even told Hopper Mike “flew” . That is another Mike is gay hint ) . So he probably doesn't even want to fathom the possibility he may be gay or in love with his male best friend (when taught it's something 'bad' by his peers and 80s society as a whole ). Especially when he sees how people already malign Will over such rumors.
So to Mike - Max is the personification of the thing he lacks - the ability to be attracted to girls-the innate ability to be what most deem 'normal'. The ability to be like his friends. And he sadly resents her for this.
Then in s3 max encourages el to dump him ( and says to Mike it's not just a break). And constantly points out how mileven just isn't that great- she yells at Mike about how he doesn't trust el nor respects her ability to make decisions. And tells el that he lied to her. And she also points out to Mike- how el was the one who decided to spy on him (and disrespect his privacy/boundaries). And even worse for Mike's straight facade with El (max gives El a feminine makeover in s3). Something he’s not genuinely attracted to.
To Mike(at least subconsciously)- she is a constant reminder that he’s not straight (in s2). And in s3, she points how the flaws of his comp het relationship with el .Which infuriates him .
So when Mike starts to accept his queerness- I suspect their relationship will improve.
Heck The fact MAX & Will also have a lot in common (but he’s only attracted to Will- a boy and not Max) could be another subconscious reminder he’s not straight (Which causes an additional layer of resentment).For max & Will: Both are poor, their bio dads both abandoned them leaving them with their respective mothers, both like horror films, comics and videogames, both are the youngest of 2 siblings. And both use bats in anger when emulating their ab*sers ,and both are heavily associated with rainbows (Max literally has a rainbow shirt collection/ Will's rainbow ship and the many other rainbow refs). Both also yell at Mike about how sh*tty they think the mileven relationship is in s3. Both have posters relating to beach films (Will has jaws /Max has endless summer).Costume designers said his s1's vest was supposed to be in homage to Marty mcfly (from back to the future). They gave Max Marty mcfly's skateboard in s2.And on Halloween she even dresses up as a movie-character who as a child dressed up as a clown on Halloween (Will’s fear/ what triggered him on Halloween) and whose surname is Myers (Byers?)
I also think Mike was a bit jealous and initially thought Will was into her too. But I think the prior reasons I just discussed was actually the main reason for the animosity.
UPDATE
*this annon pointed out a detail that pretty much just verified my first assumption.To mike- max's very presence is a constant reminder he's not straight-similar to troy doing the same thing (albeit for very diff reasons ). Her presence (and his inability to have a crush on her-like Lucas &Dustin do) makes him at least subconsciously start to think about things- he'd rather not. Like why was he attracted to the boyish looking el (who resembled Will)? And who he barely spoke to, and in his own words he “didn’t even know’ cause he only knew her for a week? But NOT max (who he knew for the same amount of time),and who Lucas/dustin have immediate attraction to/ think is “awesome” without talking to her (because of their feminine looks) .To Mike - Max is the personification of the thing he lacks - the ability to be attracted to girls-the innate ability to be what most deem 'normal'. The ability to be like his friends
We see this by the use of one word....
Having Max in s2 mention how Mike thought El was “awesome” . Is just icing on the cake- showing she’s a reminder to Mike he isn’t straight (and his romantic feelings for El aren’t genuine). She literally threw Mike’s words back at him-where Mike was judging his friends for thinking Max was “awesome” because of her looks-not words.When Mike did the same to El.
Lucas even says the ‘no/yes’ line next to Mike’s heart sign (which has a rainbow propelling a heart on it). In s3 (when dating el) he removed this sign. But symbolically we see it follow him everywhere -via El’s room having a drawing with a rainbow propelling a heart on it- with Mike’s name on it. Which is shown when he’s kissing El- showing no matter how hard he tries to act straight-he can’t escape his rainbow/ queerness.
In fact,in s3, when Max points out the flaws in m*leven she is wearing rainbow shirts (illustrating that she -like the rainbow-sign & drawing is a constant reminder to Mike that he’s not straight -which follows him everywhere). Similar to Troy who (in his rainbow shirt) interrupts Lucas claiming Mike has a crush on El- only to announce Will is gay/ and to only target Mike with such remarks after this .
Not to mention this whole -Max reminding him he’s not straight and can’t like girls in s2-3 just ties in to my theory Mike was projecting when telling Will “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls.”-here. And the whole theory Mike is emulating his parent’s loveless marriage with El-mentioned it here.
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