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apricotbuncakes · 3 years

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🏳️‍⚧️ Luigi is Trans Masc 🏳️‍⚧️

Long Post!!!

Now that I have your attention, here are some reasons that I headcanon Luigi as trans, based off of my own experience as a trans masc person.

1) He ghosts hunts even when he has the option to say no.

Could this be a ‘I have to save my loved ones from danger’ or a ‘this is the right thing to do even though I’m scared’ situation? Yeah! But I’m trans and grasping for straws, so let me have this.

I put this as a reason for him being trans, because I believe he’s doing it because he’s a man and he’s ‘not supposed to be afraid’.

Luigi is assumed to be 24, and his character was first introduced in the 1980s, specifically 1983. Assuming he was 24 when the first game released, he would have been born in 1959 (feel free to check my math on that).

Although his character was introduced in the 80s where men tended to be more feminine and flamboyant, he was probably raised with the idea that men should be tough and strong, and should lead. Even if we throw release date and age aside, even if he was born in my generation, those stereotypes of men still exist and are taught within society. Even as those norms are being broken day after day, he would have still been exposed to the toxic masculinity.

Luigi, from what we’ve seen of his adventures, tends to be more scared and less ‘tough’ than what was expected of a man. From what we know of Luigi, we can safely assume that (if he was trans) he would be doing this not only for his family and friends, but to prove he was tough and strong, and that he was manly.

2) He dresses like his brother.

Yes, he is a plumber by trade, but he also ghosts hunts, and makes bank off of that. You think he would wear a different outfit when he ghost hunts simply because denim Isn’t meant for physical activity. Anyone who’s run in jeans knows that it isn’t exactly meant to be stretchy. It’s (supposed to be) designed to withstand the test of time. So why doesn’t Luigi change from plumbing cloths (specifically his denim overalls) to something more suited for the running he has to do in various places for ghost hunting? Because Mario wears overalls and a t-shirt.

From what I’ve seen on social media, other trans people follow the lead of those around them who match their gender identity/their presentation. I would do the same was well. I would look at what my dad wore, what my brother would wear, and what guys at school wore. I developed my style after what I had seen, so I could pass.

While you don’t have to pass to be trans (or even have the desire to), it’s a common theme amongst trans people to try and blend in with cis society. This can be for safety reasons, or just because they want to fit in with their peers.

Luigi clearly looks up to his brother, crying tears of joy whenever Mario is saved from King Boo. He congratulates him when he wins events. He supports him, because he looks up to him. They’re brothers after all!

It makes sense that Luigi would mirror Mario, since they are so close. Since Mario is most often seen wearing his overalls, Luigi follows suit, because it’s what he believes guys do. He’s following the example that Mario set for him.

3) Luigi’s view on gender expression.

Luigi has had a couple of instances where he is known to ignore typical gender stereotypes, specifically with dresses.

In the game super Mario Odyssey, Mario can be seen wear a wedding gown with a veil, and Luigi is only concerned that Mario didn’t tell him about the wedding. There was no wedding, and Luigi didn’t mock Mario when informed that his brother was wearing the gown for fun.

The second major instance is from the New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe website. The website tells us that only Toadette can use the Super crown. The last part of the Super Crown’s description says “Sorry Luigi- Only Toadette can use this item!”

While this could point to Luigi being trans fem instead of trans masc, I would like to point out that recently, it has become more accepted that men can dress feminine. Since this game was released in 2019, it’s completely possible that Luigi has caught onto this, and is becoming more accepted and accepting of his femininity as a man. This would also be plenty of time to unlearn harmful stereotypes from when he was younger, about what men can and can’t do. Although he still sticks with old habits, he’s learning more about how the world around him works, and how it’s changing day by day.

I believe that Luigi has a better understanding of gender and gender expression because he is trans. He’s learning to accept that he doesn’t have to be hyper masculine to be a valid guy.

4) How he got his mustache and flat chest (and… other stuff).

This section will be discussing the effects of hormones, surgeries, and genitalia. Please keep this in mind as you read.

This is more of an explanation for how certain things happened.

How did he grow a mustache? Testosterone. It was likely after helping his brother with his career, and winning sporting events he had a good amount of income to start Testosterone. Another option? Minoxidil. Minoxidil was tested to see if it could cure ulcers in the 50s. Through testing, The Upjohn Company discovered it opened blood vessels and allowed for blood to flow more smoothly. In the late 70s, it was FDA approved for patients to use if they suffer from high blood pressure. Through this, they discovered that minoxidil also has the side effect of hair growth. The FDA approved the product to be sold, and it was called Rogaine. Meaning Luigi would have had access to something to grow facial hair, even if testosterone wasn’t an option.

What about his flat chest?

Binding or Top surgery. Both were an option by the time Luigi was old enough. Laurence Michael Dillon was a trans person who was born in 1915 and died in 1962. While I do recommend you look at more of his story, what I want to focus on is the fact he had top surgery. While the surgery was still fairly early in it’s development, it was possible. Luigi, who wasn’t born until 1959 (as previously discussed) would have the option to get top surgery when he became an adult.

Another option would be binding, though I think this is less likely because of how binding restricts physical activity. Binding in any way makes it difficult to run or exert yourself in general. We see Luigi run a LOT in various games, and for decent amounts of time too. It’s less likely that he’s binding.

The last thing is his penis.

There was a huge joke going around about the bulge we saw in a promotion for Mario Tennis Aces. People were discussing how large it was, and Even Mattpat on Game Theory discussed the measurements to determine how large it was.

Why was it so noticeable? Well bottom surgery was also an option for him pretty early on. Surgeons (from what I’ve been told be social media) will ask how you’d like to look like. Even if he decided to not get bottom surgery, he could be wearing a packer.

A packer is anything you use to give the feeling and or appearance of a penis, specifically used by trans masc people who were not born with a penis. There are many different types of packers (including clean rolled up socks) that people may use. What’s most important to note though, is they have a high chance of moving around.

Even with harnesses or underwear specifically designed to keep a packer in place, they can still shift around in your pants, especially when you’re doing a lot of moving. From my experience, my packers tent to move forward rather than back. Wearing athletic shorts will also make that area more pronounced as the fabric is looser, so if Luigi was wearing a packer, we’d know.

5) He’s trans cause I say so.

Like I said in the beginning, it’s a head canon. I say he’s trans because it’s a cool idea. A Nintendo character that is trans, and isn’t being hidden, explained away, or made fun of (like Vivian from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door). I like the idea that Luigi is a proud trans guy, and we don’t know because it doesn’t matter. He’s a guy because he’s a guy. He doesn’t just ‘become’ a guy because he goes through surgeries or goes in hormones. He’s trans, and t doesn’t matter if we know or not, because his trans identity isn’t important to the story we’re playing, or our knowledge to know. We aren’t entitled to it.

He’s a guy who happens to be trans, and that’s that.

If there is any misinformation above, please let me know so I can correct it. This was meant to be a fun post about my head canon, but I did use real world examples t explain it, and if I got something wrong, I’d like to know. Thanks!

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vagarius · 4 years

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misukazu 21

(if you saw me fuck up the other one no you didnt)

EDIT I THINK THIS ONE GOT A LITTLE FUCKED UP TOO BUT IT’S... READABLE...

questions from this post, and answers originally written for this thread!!

If you had to change the pairing’s very first meeting, how would you change it? their canon first meeting is already so good SHDGFLJASHG but if i had to choose a different one that's still within the context of mankai... meeting as kids and losing touch and coming back together completely different at mankai

What song fits your pairing the most? uhhHHhhHHH i don't have a real answer but i do have a partial playlist for one of my misukazu aus and the only two songs in it are furaregai girl by sayuri and champagne's for celebrating by mayday parade and i feel like that says enough sldhgalsdhfalsh

What is your favorite AU/prompt idea/trope for your pairing? ALL MISUKAZU AUS ARE GOOD but. i really love any au where their first meeting is in the future and both are still kind of lost but they're Older and it's hard to let themselves fall into the easy trust they find in canon. i just think that'd be neat.

Do you prefer canon ideas or do you have your own headcanons for them? I'VE SAID THIS MANY TIMES BUT CANON MISUKAZU GIVES OFF MADE FOR EACH OTHER VIBES AND USUALLY I DON'T VIBE WITH THAT BUT THEY REALLY ARE WHAT THE OTHER NEEDS... AND I THINK EVEN IF THEY HAD TO PART THEY'D STILL BE ABLE TO BE BETTER PEOPLE BC THEY HAD MET

Favorite canon moment of them? THERE ARE SO MANY but the one that immediately comes to mind is misumi carrying drunk kazu to bed (latest bday line) because drunk kazu is so soft and it implies that misumi wanted to wish happy birthday to kazu pretty late... what did he want to give him...

Least favorite canon moment of them? hmm... there's not really one i can think of??? IM SORRY I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY I LOVE ALL THEIR CANON MOMENTS

Favorite headcanon trope/idea? (Your own or someone else’s) this is somehow both vague and very specific but i think misukazu gives off this vibe: He's beautiful. I can't tell him. or "Kazu is always beautiful~" Don't call me that, Kazu thinks. I'm not. so... insecurities i guess ????? AJSHAJJD

Favorite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics? THIS IS GOING TO SOUND SO CHEESY but i love how /real/ they allow themselves to be around each other. misukazu at their best is when one thinks "you're you. and i love that you" and the other knows this. i just. THEY VALIDATE THE OTHER SO MUCH CRIES

Least favorite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics? (Can be headcannon) this isn't a "least fav" so much as "it makes me sad" but if either of them showed any sign of not being interested anymore the other is more likely to give up then push anything. sort of like "it was bound to happen, so i'll enjoy now until they drop me" or EVEN WORSE they think the other would be better off without them and pushes them away. so yeah the fact i can see one of these happening makes me sad.

If they aren’t a canon pairing, how would you get them together? they give off "everyone knows we're dating but us" energy but at the same time i feel like they'd acknowledge there's something and just not define it bc a) they don't need to (misumi) or b) they're too nervous to (kazu). in other words i think one day they are holding hands and misumi says "kazu? is this dating?" and kazu holds his breath before asking "do you want it to be?"

If you had to take them and plunk them into another fandom, what fandom would that be? Why? i think theyd be hilarious in any sports animanga (kazu is manager tho bc noodle arms but maybe they bond when misumi walks him through some of his usual training menu one night - ahem. anyway) BUT ALSO horimiya au...

How hard is it write/draw your pairing? Scale of 1-10. AJDHAJDHSF I REALLY LOVE THEM SO IT COMES PRETTY EASILY... but sometimes you try to put them in tropes and realize they would Just Not Work Like That. idk where i'm going with this. but yeah. anyway 3 for sankaku.

Is there a pairing that you think rivals them? in terms of what i ship, i tend to ship kazu and misumi individually with a lot of dif charas AJDHAKD. but in terms of like... in-universe "rival" pairings: kazu side: tsuzukazu (maybe, lbr it would take them 273924 yrs to actually get together), kazu x someone from winter (i... have my reasons but they'd take longer than what this answer entails) misumi side: ... surprisingly none that i can think of ahdjahd

Which character of the pairing do you like more? (Would you ever pair yourself with them?) you know that tweet that's like "sometimes a ship is just your two favs"? yeah that's misukazu for me. but if i had to choose... misumi AJDHAJHDSF I HONESTLY WASNT THAT INTO YUME UNTIL THESE TWO CAME AROUND (NOT COUNTING 707)... but yeah if they wanted to hold me in their arms i wouldn't oppose

Which character of your pairing would be the one to break up with the other? Why? OOOOOH BOY well. i think it could be either of them. i don't think they'd break up for lack of love but too much love and wanting the other to be happy and thinking that the only way to give them that is to let them go. so i guess the question is which of them would be more likely to be selfish and hold on. thinking this way, i think misumi would be more likely to break-up, bc kazu has lots of friends who are better than him!! and misumi is more ready to leave if he thinks he needs to than kazu is. now im sad.

Are they relatable as characters or as a pairing? THE NUMBER OF TIMES I'VE BEEN CALLED KAZU KIN... in all seriousness kazu's struggles with speaking out and (shinobi spoilers) his uncertainty over his future hit real close to home... while i don't relate as much as misumi, his struggles always manage to tear my heart into pieces... ((oversharing alert) i guess what really separates me from misumi is his struggle with his desire to connect with family who has treated him poorly... whereas im more "lol fuck you") tldr i relate to kazu slightly more LOL

Did you once/ever dislike one/both of them? i never disliked them but i was NOT expecting either of them to shoot up so quickly into my favs list ahdjahdjf. also i started shipping them Immediately After reading summer main story so there's that

On an estimate, how many posts have you made about them? as of september 28th 2020 i make up 11/78 fics on ao3 in the romantic misukazu tag and 2/12 in the platonic one. i may have brainrot.

What made you decide to ship them? TBH I FINISHED THE MAIN STORY AND WENT "OH MY GOD... THAT'S MY SHIP" but now that i'm here i continue to ship them because they have the potential to bring out both the best and the worst in each other and i'm all about that

Favorite genre for them? (Angst, fluff, etc.) angst. i just. angst hurt/comfort all the way. im so sorry babies.

lol you thought there would just be 21 ANYWAY EXTRA 1: how do they spend breaks/vacation? they'd travel a lot when they're older!! kazunari loves to travel and misumi would follow kazunari anywhere (also, new triangles!!) so they go somewhere new whenever they have the time. however i think eventually one or both of their future careers will take them anywhere and everywhere anyway, so their "ideal vacation" might turn into an evening in, cuddling and catching up (as if they didn't already send play-by-play updates over the phone of whatever they did during the day)

EXTRA 2: first date? i don't they ever have an explicit first date, but if asked they'll cite the time they had a picnic in the park turned triangle hunt turned accidental dip in the duck pond. at least, kazunari will. misumi just tilts his head and wonders what you mean.

EXTRA 3: gifts? IM FEELING REALLY CHEESY SO I'M MAKING THIS ABOUT ANNIVERSARY GIFTS they both end up getting each other jewelry (although kazu was really really nervous bc he wasn't sure if misumi would wear it). kazu gets misumi a bracelet (with triangles, of course although misumi only wears it sometimes because he doesn't want to lose it) and misumi gets kazu a pair of triangle earrings "so we can match!" and kazunari combusts at the implications

EXTRA 4: sharing clothes THEY'RE ACTUALLY AROUND THE SAME SIZE (and tend to wear baggier stuff barring kazu's skinny jeans)... but they have completely different Styles so it's still really obvious when steal each other's stuff ahdjajdkaf. as cute as kazu would look in sumi's sweatshirt i think the much more likely scenario is kazu wrapping misumi in his jackets because this boy nEVER BRINGS HIS ANYWHERE anyway just. accidental shared wardrobe misukazu.

EXTRA 5: lake house au consider: kazunari living in a house on the shore of a lake for a summer for Art Purposes (and a little bit for Dealing With Life purposes but he's not gonna admit that) and meets his lake neighbor misumi who kazu thinks might be a ghost or spirit for a while but he actually just lives further down the lake and misumi unknowingly helps kazu with his Life Issues and maybe they fall in love

#a3 #misukazu #kazumisu #ikaruga misumi #miyoshi kazunari #a3!#act! addict! actors!#headcanons #ernb its me

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mylordshesacactus · 4 years

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Anyway for the record:

Fiona in this AU is a shepherd--small-time, private homesteader whose land isn’t really suitable for cash crops--and I honestly don’t think she owns a horse, as they’re expensive to keep and she doesn’t really have a use for one most of the time. I do think it’s possible she owns a donkey, as a shepherd living alone would have use for a versatile pack animal that’s hardier, smaller, and less expensive to feed than a horse. What she DOES have is a collie, because that’s literally non-negotiable for a sheep farmer.

May: Blood bay Arabian mare. It’s...this is not an inexpensive horse. It is not, like, easy, or realistic, or in many cases [checks notes] possible, to get an Arabian out here. May very obviously comes from SERIOUS money to manage it. But, and here’s the thing--while her little Arabian may stand out in a line of morgans and mustangs and quarter horses, it’s not an out of touch choice. That’s a completely appropriate desert horse--and Arabians are hardy, light on their feet, intelligent, they’ve got endurance for days. If you can get one, and you’re one of Robyn’s Girls TM--meaning you just tend to pop up wherever anyone needs help, whatever kind of help that is--so you need a dependable mount for a variety of situations? Nobody’s gonna judge you for your choice if you’ve got the money.

Joanna: Quarter horse gelding. Probably a bog-standard sorrel. Dependable, strong enough to carry a tall and powerful rider but this is a working horse so they’re also fairly small and compact. Smart, steady, and deceptively quick--they’ve got kind of a low, horizontal carriage naturally, which gives them a bit of a sleepy appearance, but if you’ve ever seen a quarter horse in a cutting competition their attitude is basically “that’s cute boss, you hold the reins if it makes you feel better; now sit back and shut up and let me do my job thanks I’m better at it than you are”. Quintessential cowboy horse, basically. May not be flashy but he does the job and he does it well.

Robyn: I actually think it’d be thematically appropriate if Robyn didn’t own a horse, honestly. She can grab one of the others and/or ride double if she needs to get somewhere in a hurry; I say thematically appropriate because if y’all recall I have Robyn running the Mantle tavern in this AU so she’s actually quite tethered to one place, and might not....need, to keep a third horse around the place. That, and in canon, she’s both a leader and a support fighter. Plus like....there’s symbolism, in the likelihood that a lot of the time Robyn’s first action upon arriving at a tense situation would be to dismount. Place herself on the level of everyone else. It means that most of the time, she wouldn’t be assessing a situation from the inherent position of power that is looking down at people from a horse--and, in a situation where the person she’s arguing with does stay mounted (cough Clover cough), it highlights the power imbalance and throws into relief the fact that the other person is consciously choosing not to dismount to match her.

Failing that, give the girl a good honest dun mustang, she deserves it.

As for the AceOps:

Clover rides up on some big white stallion, a heavy warmblood cross; big English-style dressage type, totally unsuited for the region. (Disclaimer, I actually personally STRONGLY prefer English-style disciplines over Western and, for example, don’t personally like quarter horses at all, while I adore a good warmblood. We’re talking about tropes, here.) He’s probably bombproof, very well-trained and all, because Clover’s a boring-ass cop; but that steadiness in this case comes at the cost of him being reactive. This is a horse that doesn’t think back at his rider, in a setting where the gold standard is that sharp-eyed quarter-horse cutter. He doesn’t fit.

Harriet is the exact opposite extreme; she’s got a dark bay racing thoroughbred stud, profoundly unstable as racing thoroughbreds generally are, very much the epitome of “gosh I wish my motorcycle had an acute anxiety disorder and the ability to make bad life decisions”.

Vine gets a cremello saddlebred stallion because saddlebreds are bad and weird and I despise them. Their legs are bad, their tails are awful, they’re gaited and gaited horses are terrible, and I personally hate every moment I have to spend looking at them. Much like cops. No but like, literally--Saddlebreds are uncomfortable and awkward and do weird things with their limbs, which is Vine’s semblance, and their “official” riding style is a) viscerally bad on every conceivable level and b) blatantly the result of too many rich people with more money than sense and excessive time on their hands. The goal here is that the AceOps just don’t....work.

Also Saddle Seat is legitimately the worst thing horse people have ever invented and anyone who competes in it I am legally allowed to hunt for sport.

Elm: Halflinger stallion. On the surface, halflingers are refreshingly sensible--a good all-purpose breed, heavy enough for draft work but light enough to right, a good choice for a tall, broad rider like Elm. There’s nothing WRONG with halflingers--but the level of control the breed club has and their requirements to be accepted into the studbook are INSANE. Seriously, google that shit. So, a perfectly sensible-looking horse that’s still deeply Rich People Nonsense in origin.

Marrow on the other hand rides a dark bay Morgan gelding. Morgans are phenomenal horses that very much Fit with Western tropes. What is a morgan? Good question! Nobody knows. Morgans are the pit bull terriers of the horse world. There’s like, technically a studbook, but...it’s just sort of A Horse. A dependable, sensible, pretty-but-not-like-TOO-pretty, versatile horse of all work, can do pretty much anything; jack of all trades, master of none, but all in all just a good and useful horse with no pretentious bullshit attached.

I didn’t put too much thought into this YOU put too much thought into this, shut UP--

#y'all better appreciate my restraint here #do you see the number of mules in this post? it's ZERO #ZERO mules #I didn't put a SINGLE mule in my wild west AU #THAT is my level of dedication to putting symbolism first #there is not a SINGLE MULE in this lineup

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a-woman-apart · 4 years

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Separating the Boys from the Men

Yes, that title is click bait, and if you keep reading, you’ve been warned. I’ve got a lot to get off my chest, and it’s going to involve defending masculinity, femininity, and our right to BEHAVE LIKE CHILDREN FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES because in many ways, we already do.

Let’s get straight to the point. As Millennials, regardless of our age, financial status, or level of “success” (air quotes 100% intentional) we have been accused of being lazy, entitled, and way too enthusiastic about avocado toast. At the same time, we have been described as having enough power to decimate the napkin industry, the diamond industry, and the concept of traditional marriage. We have been accused of a collective “Peter Pan” syndrome, because we “refuse” to cut off papa’s apron strings and get off the proverbial mama’s teats.

Wonderful to know.

Let’s unpack the “lazy” bit. Supposedly, this is tied to the fact that we have access to higher education, we [often, not always] have parents who financially support or house us well into adulthood.

So now, my question is, Gen X (the entitled ones, ironically) and Salty Boomers, YOU DIDN’T?

What do you call that “inheritance” you received? What do you call that education your parents paid for that was less than 1/3 what we have to pay? For Boomers, how do you explain the lavish weddings, cheap [and apparently nuke proof] home appliances, and “nights out on the town” that you were able to afford by working at whatever passed for a McDonald’s back in the day? Working on a farm, at a grocery store, or in retail used to ACTUALLY provide a livable wage; for us, those are a “side hustle” and we still have to get a “big boy job” that usually requires an education that can put us over $100,000 in debt by age 30.

Hate to say it, but if you hadn’t made most of your income “during the War” or in the absolute economic boom that followed it, you wouldn’t survive 24 hours in our shoes before having an emotional collapse.

Despite the disastrous living conditions of the U.S. in the 21st Century, not much has changed in how men define their level of “manliness.”

Financial gains (stocks, bonds, portfolio, bank account)

Bro “gains” (a.k.a. “gym gains”, how “Gaston” they are, including whether they want to go for the Adonis, Apollo, or Brawny boi look, or just how far they can throw something or how “boyish” they look if strength isn’t an option and they suffer from femme-levels of body dysmorphia)

Body count (since we’re in a time of peace and not literally war, this is LITERALLY a modern term describing how many people you’ve slept with, and I have never heard an adult man, regardless of sexual orientation, who isn’t a little concerned about putting those notches in the bed post, and if not that, VERY concerned about his bedroom performance: it’s quality vs. quantity)

Kill death Ratio (I know this is a video game term now, but did you know that before video games, men in England used to regularly get on horseback, get a bunch of hounds together, and chase down tiny foxes and rabbits? FOR FUN?!?!? Did you know, that before modern sports ((including Esports)), men used to just fight to the death, regularly, even if an official war wasn’t going on? It was known as “dueling”, and in less socially developed societies, men still behave like this. So the next time you complain about “male rage” and how heartless it is to make live chickens fight, note that even though we’ve quelled male anger and hostility on some level, you will NEVER be able to take away man’s urge to destroy. Boys and men will always like knocking things over, building things from the rubble, and ruling shit. It’s what they do-- and we women can and do, too, but we have a LOT more risk-aversion and self-preservation, which is a blessing and a curse for our species-- but we just need to make sure humanity as a whole stays...chill)

So what, say ye, has changed about how WOMEN define themselves now vs. in the past. I would say that very little has changed, but the level of internalized misogyny, insecurity, and good-old fashioned denial has SKYROCKETED.

Let’s look at some terms of how the majority of women value themselves.

Financial Security (few women will admit to “wanting to be rich”, because that sounds kind of “Trump”, but plenty will talk about having minimum income requirements for their partner(s), wanting to retire at a young age so they can “travel the world”, wanting to eliminate their debts, etc. It’s different language but essentially it translates to: I want to work so hard or marry into so much wealth that I never want to worry about money after age 35. #Hustle)

Looks (it doesn’t matter if you want a Kardashian butt, you’re in the body positivity movement, or you just want to “dress like a bawse” women are just as obsessed with clothes, image, and body weight/shape/size as they ever were, it is just that now that we’ve “slain the patriarchy” we have more fashion options than ever before, because “boy clothes” are just as “in” as femme ones)

Ability to attract a partner (some women, like me, “chase”, but thanks to biology, most women, regardless of sexual orientation, seem to enjoy being pursued more than being Artemis-style hunters. This is evidenced by the fact that when the feminist owner of Bumble changed the rules of the dating website to where women had to start conversations with men rather than vice versa ((a move that had ostensibly zero effect on lesbian matching)) 72% of women that she later surveyed stated that they liked it better when men were approaching them rather than the other way around. I am sure Bumble’s female CEO was shook ((as was I)), especially because she made the change to empower women, and apparently 72% of women didn’t want the power because it meant they now had the power to face rejection, and it made them uncomfortable. Big yikes. So much for #EndPatriarchy and #ChivalryisDead ?)

Playing house (this is probably going to get me some unfollows, but I’ll take my chances. Women, regardless of sexual orientation, often seem to be REALLY into having babies or just “playing house.” There’s also men like this, too, “Family men” as they’re aptly called, men in love with fatherhood ((or just being called “daddy”, and that will never not be weird)). So many women who never want to pop out a baby describe being taken by an OVERWHELMING urge to fuck during their “fertile window” ((or is that just me?)) and seeing every baby alive as the cutest human being ever once we pass the tender age of 25. The biological clock is REAL, and I learned the hard way that being bisexual and having immense fear of pregnancy and childbirth didn’t spare me from the awful truth of my biology.

I really don’t want to keep making references to modern video games, but they seem to serve the dual purpose of being deeply satisfying and helping us to quell “problematic” urges, including that one to dominate and destroy the world. For a lot of women gamers, though, our choices ((on a broad scale, every #girlgamer is different)) deviate from men’s in some interesting ways.

#1: We still love The Sims Franchise way more than guys do

Not only do we love it, but while a lot of men (again, #notallmen) tend to build elaborate neighborhoods to extensively mod and destroy them in terrifying ways, I still see women gamers taking obscene amounts of time to design homes, raise happy little families, and cause TERRIFYING blood feuds by having Sims marry Sims from rival families ((I guess we’re more Shakespeare than we thought, eh ladies?))

#2: We make up most of mobile gaming

Most male gamers think mobile games “aren’t real” and I tend to agree, but a mobile game is invaluable for when I, a woman, have time to kill between the 3 jobs I hypothetically have and I and don’t want to whip out something like a Nintendo 2DS that is both unwieldly and attracts the eyes of every impoverished, thieving human being in a .5 mile radius. #RiskAversion. These games are often low-quality, mindless, and insanely easy, but that is WHY WE LIKE THEM. Our entire life is a job. #Hustle

#3 We also love farming sims and RPGs

While we-- and most male Millennials-- beg god to not have to birth calves, milk cows, or labor in the tomato fields under the hot sun, most of us have no objection to having our virtual avatars perform the same back-breaking tasks to the tune of cheerful chiptune music. Also, even though men definitely enjoy them, too, I have never met a woman gamer who didn’t enjoy a nice RPG; why do you think we’re such avid readers of fantasy/romance YA?

We want to be transported to a different world, and if you won’t take us there, we’re happy to go there virtually ((because we probably can’t afford travel; we’re still millennials)).

Ability to murder people who threaten our young or our partner(s) (Okay this one is a bit more complicated, but I’m just going to tell you a bit about female animals. DON’T MESS WITH THEIR BABIES IF YOU WANT TO LIVE. Human females, are, in that regard, just as savage, if not more so, than our male counterparts.

I’ve never heard of any woman ((outside of prison, maybe)) who killed another woman for “looking at her weird” or saying “your mama” too many times. I’ve heard plenty of women threaten literal murder because another woman ((or man, we’re #progressive)) came too close to her romantic/sexual partner, or another human being threatened harm on our kids or our “squad.”

I don’t know where the meme truly originated from, but “Don’t talk to me or my son ever again” is SUCH a Mom thing to say. So much misandry is wrapped up in the idea that men are predators, and that is true, but not in the excessively sexually deviant ways you think ((that’s only sometimes true)). They just like hunting things, including people, but if you give them a toy to play with ((I MEAN ACTUAL TOY OMG)) they seem alright. Let them go play with their cars, Xbox, [insert whatever] or something. They’re men, okay, they’re easily distracted/impressed/occupied.

Women, on the other hand, have seemed to be having an EXTREME amount of trouble curbing that baby-making urge, or the Excessive Nurturing Urge, that one that makes you ask your grown husband if he’s remembered to pack lunch for work or if he remembered to pack money for his playdate with his bros, because he’s gonna need money at Six Flags and you aren’t going to bring it to him because he should’ve remembered, you reminded him 30093390 times.

THAT’S NOT HIS FAULT. HE HAS MANAGED BY SOME MIRACLE TO STAY ALIVE FOR 33 YEARS. THAT’S YOU, SWEETIE. STOP BEING SUCH A MOM. GO BE A NURSE, DOCTOR, OR SOCIAL WORKER OR SOMETHING OMG.

In summary...

What separates the “men from the boys” or the “women from the girls” isn’t the era that we were born in to, our economic status, or whether we’ve been able to “conquer” our biology. That’s definitely not possible yet, chiefly because transhumanism involves a lengthy, ethics-guided process, and even if we all turn into cyborgs, the goal is to become BETTER humans, not LESS humane. Societal advancements have done more in terms of making us healthier, less destructive citizens of planet earth than raw technology ever can and ever will. Rapid technological advancement, when not combined with respect for morality, ethical standards of living for humans and all other life forms, almost always leads to human slavery, widespread abuse of animals, sex trafficking, and environmental destruction, because the “rules of supply and demand”, when not governed by strong international trade laws, dictate that consumers should be supplied with whatever they demand, because the suppliers can profit, and their right to profit should be defended at any cost.

So, in summary, I believe that “adulting” involves giving up on entitlement. What separates a truly childish human being-- regardless of their actual age-- from someone who is, in essence, “adulting” is experience, and how much those experiences serve to broaden that person’s perspective. It is an extremely childish, self-centered view, to think that you “deserve” anything for being “a good person” or, in the case of many a “woman child” or “man child” in media and in real life, just being “not so bad.”

Grown-ups are able and willing to do something that is known as “delaying gratification” which is the simple ability to delay a temporary pleasure for a long-term gain. Grown-ups are also able to perform true “cost-benefit analyses” to determine if a course of action, business deal, or even relationship is worth their time and effort. Finally, grown-ups are able and willing and able to make an informed choice and stick to it; in essence, we don’t try to “have our cake and eat it too” we understand that once we’ve eaten that cake, the cake is gone, but we also realize that if we are willing to work hard and make sacrifices, we can earn the ingredients to make ourselves another cake to eat, even if we might need a lot of help from other adults in getting those ingredients (we call this teamwork and cooperation).

Children, on the other hand (in literal and metaphorical terms), are very impatient. They get angry when things don’t go their way, and instead of taking the steps needed to improve their situation, they storm off and return home. It doesn’t matter if their home is with their parents, with their 3 roommates, or with their husband or wife, these people throw tantrums, refuse to communicate/cooperate, and stew in their displeasure until someone feels sorry for them and fixes their problem for them. They lack the ability to work through daily life problems and refuse to take any responsibility for how their actions or inaction contributed to their dilemma.

There is one difference with an actual human child or teen, though, is that they have an excuse. Their brains are still developing, and they haven’t had the chance to live through these situations yet; these are new challenges to them. Even if they do have a “bad attitude”, with help from peers and patients, principled adult mentors and teachers, these cantankerous kids can grow into well-adjusted, able adults. The high levels of neuroplasticity in their brains actually make it so that it is easier for them to accept large amounts of sensory data and to learn from processing and practicing using it.

An “adult child” is someone who, more often than not, has been coddled instead of challenged. These people have often faced no significant hardships in life. There is a reason why, even after we have recognized the immense downsides of authoritarian parenting and have demonstrated psychological harms of corporal punishment for kids, we still call “bad kids” and “irresponsible adults” spoiled.

Authoritarianism produces rigid, scared people who often struggle with critical thinking and self-esteem or end up being authoritarian parents themselves, but that last one is actually one of the less likely options. Children of authoritarian parents often develop Borderline Personality Disorder or become defiant against authority (shocker). Overly permissive or overly neglectful parenting, though, are parental styles most associated with producing narcissists, who often become authoritarian parents, because when their kids challenge them, they completely lack the patience or emotional capacity to deal with it and resort to “because I said so”, stonewalling and/or physical abuse as forms of “character-building.”

The reason why overly permissive parents spoil their kids is because kids actually do need discipline and guidance, and so these kinds of parents produce kids who are outwardly capable and confident but completely lack any of the life skills to justify it, and when they ask their parents for advice they are just met with a bunch of hippie mumbo jumbo or told to just avoid the conflict rather than resolve it. These kids grow into adults who are still sad little kids inside, because they never grew up, but now they’re sad little kids who are articulate and well-spoken and now can-- and often have no choice-- but to con their way through adult life because they’ve maxed out Charisma and they have almost no points in Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Dexterity.

The only parenting style worse than Authoritarian and Neglectful/Permissive is Mixed, in which a child grows up in a COMPLETELY unpredictable environment where the rules of the game change from day to day, and parents either give their children no attention at all, or they practically lock them up and throw away the key. Being raised like this is associated with the worse outcomes for the child throughout life.

So, why am I now talking about parenting styles? Because, for all that we love to trash Boomers and large swaths of Gen X on this page, we can’t forget where they came from, so we cannot allow them to forget WHO THEY MADE. It isn’t an accident that even though we live in the times of incredible economic hardship, WE are the generation (and Gen Z, to some extent) that got hooked on reality TV, video games, and social media in incredibly unhealthy ways. A lot of us 30+ millennials are growing out of it, and a lot of us have realized that it is an invaluable (and damn near unavoidable) way of marketing our products and talents. We’re often self-employed because that’s our only option in most cases.

The issue with Gen Z (who, while we called “Zoomers” now just all themselves “Doomers” and I think we should be a bit concerned about that) is that unlike us, they have no memory of “Before the Internet.” We remember dial up, we remember before that when you played outside untl the sun went down. They don’t have the privilege of being linked to that history.

Now, we have to be the Bigger Person. It’s our time to be Grown-Ups. Gen Z feels really fucking lost right now, and hearing us whine about our parents probably makes them pretty pissed off, when some of us older millennials are the parents, aunts/uncles, and older siblings to Gen Z kids. Even if we can’t be mentors, we have to lead by example, because we have a responsibility to these kids. A lot of them aren’t stupid, they see exactly what’s happening and they feel incredibly hopeless about it. Greta Thunberg is still 16 years old. She shouldn’t be out there doing that; I mean seriously, climate change is accelerating, but it isn’t even as bad as Al Gore said, it’s still reversible, but the fact that SHE FELT SHE HAD TO makes us shitty people. ALL OF US.

So you know, we all need to stop being hypocrites. We need to stop being entitled. We need to stop thinking this is about us. It isn’t. Not even close. We’re not important, even if our videos go viral or if we’re swimming in cash next to hot models by a huge swimming pool. America’s fucked up. I hate to sound Republican, but it’s because of our values. We suck at valuing what’s important, and if we don’t change that soon, it’s really going to suck to live in America.

It already does.

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kingjinxii · 4 years

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Ren’s Ryoma Rewatch: Episode 1

In Which I Fall in Love with Soft Tennis Goro Akechi

Introduction

So, I’ll be honest. Ryoma is the reason I started watching Stars Align in the first place, because he looks like one of my other favorite characters, Goro Akechi from Persona 5 (the similarities end at appearance). I basically came into the show already attached, and the more I think about him, the more I believe that understanding him could be key to understanding Toma and possibly Maki’s character arcs.

The setup of these posts are simple: I mark down anything I feel may be key to understanding Ryoma, along with bits of Toma and Maki’s characterization that may help. Explicit canon and information are marked in bold, whereas my own speculation and inferences are marked in italics.

I hope people can use these posts to help understand Ryoma and the Shinjo/Katsuragi family dynamics!

7:28 - Middle school team hasn't won a match in 4 years

9:22-9:36 - First Ryoma appearance

Ryoma seems to wake up later than Toma. Figures, considering he’s a college student.

Ryoma is closer to Maki than Toma is to Maki in the beginning. They're close enough that Ryoma knows Maki moved back while Toma doesn't.

Ryoma calls Maki just “Maki” with no honorific. This is called “yobisute”, and denotes that Maki is an incredibly close, almost familial friend. However, Maki is also younger than Ryoma, so while the no honorific thing is important, it’s common for older Japanese people to refer to younger people by their first name, especially if they’re kids.

Ryoma also knows Maki likes astronomy.

Flower motif - white lilies. In Japanese flower language, white lilies are associated with purity. They’re also associated with girls who love girls, but I doubt that’s a meaning they’re implying here lol

10:49 - Flashback to little Toma from Maki’s POV. It’s done in pastel tones. Lucky 4-leaf clover!

11:05 - Book was a surprise gift from Ryoma. It appears to be brand new, in a bookstore shopping bag. It seems like Ryoma knew clearly in advance that Maki was coming, if he knew to buy a “welcome back” gift, and what day Maki would be at school.

Maki addresses Ryoma by his first name with no honorific, whereas Toma is referred to by his last name, with no honorifc. Maki referring to Ryoma in this way would usually be highly disrespectful (since Ryoma is 5-7 years older than Maki), unless they are just that close. Considering what I said about Ryoma referring to Maki in the same way, it’s pretty safe to assume they’re basically like best friends. Maki deosn’t seem as close to Toma, despite them being the same age. Still, even though he refers to Toma by his last name, he still uses no honorific, so they’re still friends(ish), even if Maki isn’t as close to Toma.

The book is the Astronomical Almanac, a star calendar and map.

Toma doesn't answer when Yuta asks if Maki is a friend. Toma doesn’t consider Maki a friend at this point in the story? However, he does smile, so they must still be friendly. It’s probably just evident of how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other last.

13:30 - Astronomical Almanac appears again

13:50 - Toma refers to Maki by his last name with no honorific, mirroring Maki doing the same.

14:55-15:53 - Ryoma appearance, in Ryoma's room.

Ryoma's room: Lots of leafy houseplants, green and brown earth tones. People have established that Toma is usually associated with green. Looks like Ryoma is similar!

15:10 - Magazines on Ryoma's bed: Both about sports. The top one features a soft tennis team, the bottom one is explicitly a soft tennis magazine. Might belong to Toma, as they are next to him rather than near Ryoma.

Ryoma notes that Maki just transferred so he might not have many friends. He believes this is the original reason Toma wants to invite him to the soft tennis team

15:18 - Ryoma is surprised the soft tennis team maybe get disbanded, and seems conflicted, but has a lukewarm reaction.

Nature photography on his corkboard. Right to left, an orca, two forest scenes, a fox, and a giraffe. While the riverbank is an important location in the show, you don’t see really anyone associated with water. So the orca is an interesting choice.

15:22 - Ryoma is a club alumni, who went to nationals.

Ryoma appears to understand what his brother is thinking well, practically finishing his train of thought (of Toma thinking Ryoma would want him to keep the club alive) before he could.

Ryoma believes in whatever the team decides. He doesn't think he should have a say, whereas Toma expected him to be upset.

15:45 - Ryoma has an iPad. (lol)

Toma assumes Ryoma thinks lesser of him. He appears to have low self-esteem.

Ryoma doesn't appear to chase after Toma to explain himself.

16:00-16:36 - Ryoma appearance with his mom.

Ryoma has a smartphone. I can’t tell the model but I’m going to assume it’s an iPhone considering he has an iPad.

More flowers, different from the ones from the previous day (sunflowers). Sunflowers are associated with respect and passionate love. (Uh...I’m gonna say a yikes here folks). Interesting to note that while Ryoma’s room is full of lots of leafy plants, there are no flowering ones.

Prefers just coffee instead of eating breakfast. If he’s still an athlete, he really should be more worried about his health! [Insert “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” PSA here].

Is in college, has friends (plural).

16:18 - Shinjomom attempts to guilt him into staying for dinner. She doesn't even say anything outright, and Ryoma already knows what she’s attempting to say.

Dad is on a trip, and may travel a lot.

Mom says Toma is "nothing like [Ryoma]".

Ryoma shuts down after his initial attempt at argument.

Ryoma calls his mom "kaa-san." It’s a pretty generic way to just say “mom”, but I do want to note that technically the standard was to talk to your mom is to call her “okaa-san”, so dropping the “o-” may denote slight familiarity.

16:30 - Ryoma likes his coffee dark. Maybe black. Just a little characterization note here: stereotypically in Japan, liking sweet things and having a sweet tooth are associated with children and femininity. Since Ryoma likes his coffee dark, he prefers bitter things, so going by stereotypes (as this is a trope-filled anime), we can safely assume he’s a fairly masculine guy.

Mom has dark thoughts around Toma. It appears to be pretty common.

17:03 - Moon and Venus, with seagull. I did say that there’s basically no character associated with water, but pretty much everything in this shot (aside from Maki’s fingers) has some sort of water connection. The moon pulls the ocean tides, Venus was named after a goddess that was born from seafoam, and a seagull...is a seagull. They’re associated with the sea. It’s in their name. I know there was a meta post by someone else about this shot a while back, and I’ll hunt for it later.

Maki Kyobate. Not super important to Ryoma, but Maki’s old last name is useful to note anyways. Maki’s shit dad can, as such, be referred to as Kyobate-san. Could maybe tie into why Ryoma refers to Maki by his given name, rather than his last name, considering the last time Maki was around, he must have been going by Maki Kyobate.

The Shinjo family is well-off enough that they don’t need to worry about money. Toma can afford to buy Maki’s uniform and equipment.

19:13 - Maki forgot/didn't know Ryoma was an alum.

Toma knows Maki cares enough about Ryoma that that information could be used as leverage.

19:18-19:24 - Ryoma appearance, flashback featuring little Maki. Is this their first meeting? Also important to note that, unlike the flashback of Toma from earlier, this one is not done in pastel tones, and instead is done in the show’s usual coloring style.

Ryoma either practiced at a shrine or hung out there from time to time.

Ryoma was already in middle school and on the soft tennis team the last time Maki was around. Considering he’s a college student by now, that puts him at around 19-21 years old.

Ryoma has seen Maki injured.

Maki knew Ryoma had a racket, but didn't know Ryoma was a soft-tennis player. “He had a racket back in middle school. So that must have been a soft tennis racket?” I’m putting the dialogue here because there are some interesting implications going on just in that one line. Maki knows Ryoma had a racket, but he didn’t know it was a soft tennis racket. If Maki and Ryoma are as close as they appear to be, they must have talked and hung out a lot, so it’s odd that Ryoma never...mentioned that it was a soft tennis racket, and that he played soft tennis? Unless Maki just straight up forgot, but that seems really unlikely.

19:23 - Ryoma's racket was red. Again, Toma is associated with green. Maki is also associated with blue. Their tennis rackets match their colors. Ryoma’s, however, is red. His bedroom is very green though. I know all the rackets that are used in the show are based on real soft tennis rackets, so I may hunt down the model Ryoma is using in this image.

Maki seems to want to join now that he knows Ryoma was apart of the team and approved of him joining. Again, he’s incredibly close to Ryoma, and that fact that this is the first thing that gets him to actually consider soft tennis is telling.

Maki only joins after asking for money. Since we’ve already passed the summer tournament, I just want to note that Maki earned 40000 Japanese yen by joining the soft tennis team and winning at the summer tournament. That’s around 370 US dollars, 480 Canadian dollars, 280 English pounds, or 330 Euros! Some some fun trivia.

Toma assumes Maki accepts joining without him saying anything. Like, seriously, he doesn’t even wait for an answer.

Toma is incredibly persistent. He chased after Maki for several days, and continually sweetened the deal for joining. That boy really wants Maki on the team, even if it’s just because he wants to win and not necessarily because they’re close.

Maki’s first racket is blue. Again, they’re all based on real soft tennis rackets and I know there’s a post with Maki’s model somewhere.

22:15 - Maki’s shit dad shows up. Pretty much everyone knows this, just noting it for posterity.

Recap

What have I learned?

In order from mostly canon to mostly speculation:

Ryoma is a young college student, around 19-21 years old, and a formerly successful soft tennis player.

He’s explicitly said to be in college, and that he was an alum of the Shijo Minami boys’ soft tennis team, and ended up going to nationals.

However, currently it’s unknown whether he stuck with the sport or stopped after middle school. He has sports magazines on his bed that focus on soft tennis, but they may belong to Toma, considering they’re positioned next to him, rather than, for example, on Ryoma’s desk or shelves. In fact, Ryoma doesn’t appear to have any magazines on his shelves, nor does he have any photos of soft tennis on his corkboard. (Toma doesn’t take the magazines with him when he leaves, so they could be Ryoma’s. I think there’s evidence leaning both ways. Hell, they could just be sharing them.)

He also seems surprised that the soft tennis club is doing so poorly, and when Toma suggests recruiting Maki, Ryoma’s first thought is of the camaraderie the team provides, and not necessarily about Maki’s technique or physical talent. This possibly shows he doesn’t/didn’t necessarily take soft tennis as seriously as Toma does currently.

Ryoma and Maki were/are relatively close friends.

Ryoma and Maki both refer to each other using their given names without honorifics. Ryoma knew Maki was coming back to their city, and knew with enough time in advance that he was able to prepare a welcoming gift for Maki, the Astronomical Almanac, which Ryoma knew Maki was interested in.

Interestingly, Maki wasn’t aware that Ryoma was a soft tennis player, despite him basically being his team’s ace player. If there were truly as close as they appear to be, it’s interesting that it was...never brought up at all. This may tie into my theory that Ryoma isn’t as into soft tennis as he appeared to be. Maybe he just had natural talent, and he was more into it for the friends, rather than the sport itself.

Ryoma has seen Maki injured, and considering this was back when Maki Katsuragi was still Maki Kyobate, aka when his shit dad was still living with him, Ryoma may know a lot about Maki’s abuse. Ryoma may have even been the person Maki vented to about his dad, and he might still be, considering they seem to still be in close contact. It’s an interesting friendship for sure, considering the age gap.

Maki and Toma aren’t as close as Maki and Ryoma are (at least, not in this episode, as they do get closer relatively quickly). Maki only refers to Toma as “Shinjo” (no honorific), so while they may have been close as kids, they aren’t as close now.

Ryoma and Toma are set up as opposites and foils.

A foil is a character that “highlights someone else's trait, usually by contrast.”*

Toma, again, is associated with the color green, which is also the color of his racket. However, Ryoma’s racket, as mentioned before, is red. Red and green are opposites on a color wheel in basic color theory. Still, it may be a stretch to say that Ryoma’s color is definitively red, because Ryoma is also associated with green and earth tones in his room.

I was going to save this for when I rewatch Episode 3, but I feel it’s worth mentioning here. Ryoma’s room is filled with leafy plants. Toma’s room has plant life too, but his plants are cactuses, plants that don’t need a lot of water, whereas Ryoma’s would. Again, opposites.

The plants they own can also hint at how their mother feels about them. Ryoma’s plants require a lot of water, and he’s his mother’s favorite, whereas Toma’s plants are ones that flourish in a dry environment, and...explicitly, Shinjomom hates him.

There’s a bit more contrast though, both in how they appear to approach soft tennis and how they approach conflict and resistance.

I already discussed in depth above how Ryoma doesn’t seem to be as obsessed with soft tennis as Toma is, despite being a well-known star player, so let me focus on the other contrast.

There’s two scenes in this episode where Ryoma is met with friction and immediately backs down, or ignores what’s going on. The first is when Toma is angsting about the tennis club shutting down, and he assumes Ryoma thinks that he can’t save it. Toma runs out of the room, and while Ryoma calls after him, we don’t see him try to explain himself, or even get up out of his chair.

The second is when Shinjomom is asking him to stay for dinner, using her hatred for Toma as leverage. She starts off subtle in her distaste for Toma, but Ryoma seems to immediately know where her train of thought is going. He tries to reply gently, but is cut off by her snapping at him, and he just...shuts up.

It’s becoming more and more clear to me that, while Ryoma is a fairly gentle and kind person, he’s really non-confrontational.

This is in sharp contrast to Toma, who spends days trying to convince Maki to join the soft tennis club. Toma knows his club is going to get shut down, he thinks his brother doesn’t believe he can keep it alive, but he doesn’t want to give up. He’s going to get Maki and his sharp reflexes on his team if it kills him, and he won’t take no for an answer.

Maybe it just has to do with maturity. After all, Ryoma’s racket was red, a color associated with hot-bloodedness and strong emotion. Or maybe, it’s just like Shinjomom says, in that “[Toma] is nothing like [Ryoma]!”

Conclusion

Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, I think I covered a lot of ground of Ryoma’s characterization and role in this episode. Unsurprising since it is the first episode he was introduced, and surprising since...you know, it’s only been one episode. However, Ryoma doesn’t appear in most episodes in the series (he has appearances in episodes 1, 3, 9, 11, and 12, yes I did count), and this is the one where he appears the most, so I doubt most of my other recaps will be this long.

Still, I hope this was informative for some people, even if no one else is as obsessed with him as I am.

Is Stars Align and Ryoma my new special interest? Eh, maybe.

See you in the next recap!

#stars align #hoshiai no sora #星合の空 #ryoma shinjo #toma shinjo #maki katsuragi #ryoma rewatch #luxren.mp3

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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years

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🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 023 [Sports Festival?]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,750

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Are you gonna die today or make it out alive? You gotta conquer the monster in your head and then you’ll fly. Fly, phoenix, fly. It’s time for a new empire.” Solence, “Phoenix”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Aizawa-sensei, what are you doing here?!” The class chorused.

As soon as I saw him, I jumped from my seat and rushed to his side, lowering my voice. “Oi, Shuota. Are you okay to be here like this?”

“Woah, what a pro.”

“Aizawa-sensei, I’m glad you’re okay!”

I glared at Iida. “Does he fucking look okay to you, you twat?”

“H-How dare you refer to me as such a thing!”

“My well-being is irrelevant,” Aizawa commented dryly as he made his way to the podium at the front of the room, me close behind. “What’s more important is that your fight isn’t over yet.”

“Our fight?”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Not more bad guys!”

“The U.A. sports festival is about to start,” he announced.

I sweatdropped. Man, he really likes to be dramatic with these announcements, don’t he? What is this sports festival anyway?

“Why would you scare us like that?!” The class chorused again.

“Let’s go kick some ass!” Kirishima cheered.

“Is it really such a good idea to hold the sports festival so soon after the villains snuck in?” Punk questioned.

“They could attack once we’re all in the same place!”

“Apparently, the administration thinks this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled and our school is safer than ever,” Aizawa explained. “Plus, they’re beefing up security compared to past years. This event is a huge opportunity for all students at U.A. It’s not something we can cancel because of a few villains.”

“Umm, I’m sorry, but why not? It’s just the sports festival!” Mineta complained.

“Huh?” Izuku turned around in his seat. “Mineta, don’t you know how important this competition is?”

I don’t. For once, I’m hoping he goes on one of his ‘too much information’ muttering sprees because I’m feckin’ lost.

“Of course I do! I just don’t want to get murdered!”

I scoffed. “If you’re scared of getting killed, you’re in the wrong line of work, kid.”

“Why are you so mean to me?!”

“Because I hate you,”

“Ouch…” Sparky muttered.

“Our sports festival is one of the most-watched events in the entire world. In the past, everyone obsessed over the Olympic games, but then quirks started appearing. Now, the Olympics have been drastically reduced in terms of scale and viewership. For anyone that cares about competition, there’s only one tournament that matters – the U.A. sports festival.”

“That’s right,” Momo added. “And top heroes everywhere will be watching! This is where you get scouted!”

“Sure, unless you’re dead.”

God, this kid is annoying as fuck.

“She’s right!” Sparky grinned. “After graduating, a lot of people join pro agencies as a sidekick!”

A fucking sidekick, really? Isn’t that just a glorified coffee grabber? Fuck that shit.

“Yeah, but that’s as far as some people go. They miss their chance to go Indie and stay eternal sidekicks. Actually, that’s probably where you’re headed. You’re kinda dumb.” Punk deadpanned at him.

“Brutal,” I grinned at her. “I like your style.”

She smiled back.

“It’s true that joining a famous hero agency can garner you greater experience and popularity and that’s why the festival matters. If you wanna go pro one day, then this event could open a path for you. One chance a year, three chances a lifetime. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this festival. That means you better not slack off on your training.”

“Yes, sir!”

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

The bell for lunch finally rang.

“That villain stuff sucks, sure, but I’m pumped for these games!”

“If we put on a good show, we’re basically on the road to being pros!”

“Yeah! This is why I’m even here in the first place!”

“We get so few chances, we have to make the most of this.”

I tuned out the excited chatter of the others, scratching my cheek. I don’t really have any interest in going pro. The only reason I’m here, to begin with, is because of that stupid deal Nezu made with the commissioner. Sports have never really been my thing, either. I’m more of the type to sit on my ass munching on tacos, downing Dr. Pepper, and playing a racing game.

“Everyone, I’m gonna do my best!”

I raised a brow at Ochaco. The hell’s gotten into her? What’s with that aura?

She snapped her head to the side. “I said, I’m gonna do my best!”

I sweatdropped at her intense expression. Girl, calm thyself.

“You okay?” Kirishima asked in concern. “You kinda look like you’re losin’ it…”

I second that.

“And once more for the kids in the back! I say I’m gonna do my best!”

I sighed, stepping out of the classroom and toward the cafeteria. Everyone is getting so fired up for this shit, I really don’t get it. And I still don’t even know what the sports festival is. Like, are we gonna play some American football then a round of soccer? Oh god, what if they make us play golf? I refuse to acknowledge that boring shit as a sport.

I noticed Peppermint a few feet in front of me. Hmm, I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask him. Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I picked up my pace. “Oi, Peppermint.”

He paused, glaring over his shoulder at me. “My name is Shouto Todoroki.”

“That. Right,” I stopped beside him. “Tell me what the sports festival is.”

His eyes scanned my face, looking confused. “You were standing beside Aizawa-sensei when he explained it.”

“Okay, like I get that it’s this super important event to get scouted and everyone watches, whatever. But what is it? Are we gonna have a fucking tennis tournament? Shooting some hoops, maybe a game of HORSE? Just please don’t say golf. Table tennis is a better alternative. Not much movement there. Why the fuck are you laughing at me?”

He covered his mouth, shoulders shaking as his voice filled with amusement. “Sorry, I’m just surprised. You really don’t know?”

“Obviously fucking not if I’m here askin’ you,” I scowled. “Forget it, I’ll go find Izuku.” I turned to walk away, but his fingers gently wrapped around my wrist, stopping me in place.

“No, I… I’ll explain.” He looked away, quickly removing his hand. “The U.A. sports festival is an annual tournament for all students, divided by grade. Different events are chosen in which students must overcome in order to advance. The events are chosen at random and are different every year. Last year, the events were a scavenger hunt, capture the flag, and then a foam sword fighting match.”

“Che. ‘Sports’, my fucking ass.”

“I’m surprised that you don’t know about it. I thought everyone knew… Even if you don’t watch it, it’s hard to avoid because of how popular it is.”

A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek as he regarded me curiously.

“Young Jen!” Toshi stuck his head around the corner, holding up a lunchbox wrapped in a light blue cloth with white bunny heads.

I deadpanned. “Ain’t you too old to be carrying somethin’ like that?”

He waved his free hand, smile not faltering. “Come eat lunch with me~”

“Geez, you’re a glorified kid. Thanks for -” I stopped short when I saw the hostile look on Todoroki’s face as he stared at the ground. Without a word, he turned and continued down the hall. Is he fucking bi-polar or what?

“Young Jen?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m comin’,” With a sigh, I followed the large man down the hallway toward one of the teacher’s lounges.

“Head on to the lounge. I’m going to go get young Midoriya and I’ll be right there!” He patted my shoulder before taking off down the hall. I entered the lounge, plopping down onto the green sofa. Three cups sat on the table next to the boiling pot. Toshi returned a few minutes later with Izuku, who chose to sit on the stool across from us.

Toshi popped out of his muscle form and sat beside me, pouring hot water into the teapot. “I thought I’d let you both know that my time has been shortened to fifty minutes.”

“Only fifty minutes?” Izuku echoed in disbelief.

“Yeah, that’s about how long I can use my power now. I overdid it too many times. That Nomu was a real tough customer. He took a lot out of me. At this point, I can barely even look like All Might for an hour and a half.”

“I’m so sorry, I should’ve just…”

Toshi started laughing loudly, blood spurting from his mouth. He is so fucking lucky he turned his head away from me. “You don’t need to apologize for anything! Man, we are alike, you and me.” He poured the tea into the three cups, setting one in front of Izuku and one in front of me. “Have some tea,”

“Thanks…”

“I brought the two of you here to talk about the festival. The problem is that you,” he pointed to Izuku. “Can’t fully control One for All yet. And you,” he moved his finger to me. “Can’t fully control Infernal Blaze, either. So then, what do you two plan to do?”

What do I plan to do? When have I ever planned anything ahead before I did it.

Izuku was thoughtful for a moment. “Wait, I did once! When I landed a smash on that brain villain, there was no backlash at all!”

Wasn’t that just because of his absorption, though?

“Oh, that’s right, you did mention that. What was different about that smash?”

“Let’s see… we were facing real villains and I didn’t have much time to think, but maybe that’s part of it since I knew that this wasn’t just more training…” he clenched his fists. “This was the very first time… ever that I used my power against a person.”

“Hmm,” Toshi gripped his chin in thought. “Sounds like you succeeded at sub-consciously putting on the brakes so you wouldn’t kill anyone… Hey, that’s some kind of progress, at least. Tea’s getting cold.”

“Oh right, thank you.” Izuku picked up his cup but didn’t drink from it. Bitch, why pick it up?

Toshi glanced at me and I met his gaze with a blank expression. “I hate hot tea, bro.”

“Huh?!” He jumped up, blood spurting from his mouth. I jumped off the couch, lip curling up in disgust just as blood splattered where I had been sitting. “But… all those times I made you tea… you never said anything about hating it!”

“I was trying to be polite.” I scoffed, plopping onto the floor beside Izuku’s stool.

“Wait, is that why my plant died?!”

“No, I drank the tea after it cooled off.”

“Oh…”

“The plant died because your curry was too fucking spicy.”

“Young Jen!”

“What? I don’t like spicy shit.”

“You should’ve told me,” he sighed, slapping his hand to his forehead as he walked over to the window. He was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. “To be frank, I don’t have much time left as the symbol of peace. Soon, I’ll have to put that title to bed.”

“No way…”

“And some villains out there are starting to notice that. Someone has to step up and keep the people safe.” Izuku stood up at these words. Toshi turned around, holding his hand out. “I gave you my power for one reason – because you will be the hero that takes my place! Do you still feel the same way you did when we met? Do you still want to be a hero?”

“Yes!”

“Excellent! Time has come for you to prove it. This sports festival… it’s something that the pros, no… the entire country will be watching very closely! I want you to think of this sports festival as your debut! You are the fletching symbol of peace! The next All Might! Izuku Midoriya… I want you to introduce yourself to the world and proudly say, ‘I am here!'”

“But, All Might, that’s your catchphrase… besides, what can I do?”

“You know how the sports festival is set up, right?” He headed back to the couch, plopping down beside the blood.

“Well yeah, of course. Students are separated by class year and then the support, business, general studies, and hero courses all fight against each other in a bunch of preliminary trials. Whoever makes it through the initial games face off in the finals. It’s basically a big round-robin tournament.”

Hmm, so it’s basically every man for himself? Great, more effort.

“Right! Meaning you’ll have plenty of opportunities to sell yourself!”

“I guess…”

His lackluster response made Toshi fall back hard against the couch, tipping it over.

“I’m sorry! I mean, what you’re saying is absolutely correct, All Might!”

I stepped around the couch, raising a brow at him. “You dead, bro?”

Izuku started to mutter to himself and we exchanged a look. “But, honestly, it’s kind of hard to get excited about this after everything that just happened at the USJ. Plus I’ve already got the world’s greatest hero teaching me so the festival probably isn’t my only hope of getting scouted by an agency. And besides, I don’t know if I can stand out right now considering I did so horribly on the fitness tests and can’t control One for All very well.”

“Man, nobody is better at spouting word vomit than you, kid!” Toshi spoke up.

I scratched my cheek. “Maybe he’ll get lucky and one of the events will be talking circles around your opponent.”

“I doubt it,”

“Uh, hey, are you okay?” Izuku peered over the fallen couch.

“Some heroes always aim for the top while others happily settle. The difference between those two mindsets has a big impact on how far you go in the real world. I understand how you feel, and I may even be projecting a bit of myself onto you -”

There’s no ‘may’ to it, you definitely are, chief.

“However, I hope you haven’t forgotten the emotions you felt back on the beach during our training.”

“I haven’t!”

“Good,”

The bell rang to signal the end of lunch.

“Fuck, I didn’t get food!” I cried, kicking the wall.

“We should get back to class…” Izuku stood up, glancing at me.

“Go without me,” I muttered.

“A-Are you sure?”

I narrowed my eyes at him and he nodded, rushing out of the room. Toshi held his arm up and I sighed, moving to stand between the couch and the coffee table. I grabbed his hand, putting my foot on the bottom of the couch. In one swift movement, I got the couch upright with Toshi sitting atop it.

“Thank you,”

I grunted.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Look, I ain’t sayin’ you’re wrong or anything, but maybe ease up on the kid a bit? I know he’s your successor and has this all-powerful quirk, but… he’s still just a fifteen-year-old boy, ya know? You just put a shit ton of pressure on that kid, and he’s already a nervous wreck, to begin with.” I shrugged, heading for the door. “Just some food for thought,”

Instead of heading to class, I made a beeline for the deserted cafeteria.

Lunch-Rush held up a hand in greeting when he noticed me approaching. “Shouldn’t you be in class, Winchester-san?”

“Should be, but Toshi needed to speak with me so I missed lunch. I didn’t eat this morning either, so I’m fucking starving. I could eat a feckin’ cow right now.”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Have a seat,” I did as he asked, choosing the table closest to the front. He appeared a few minutes later, holding a tray high enough that I couldn’t see what was on it. “You really should stop skipping breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day and provides you with essential nutrients a student needs in order to fully take in the lessons that they are taught.”

“Even when I do eat, it’s usually just sugary cereal or leftovers from the night before. Not exactly a nutritious meal.” I commented, leaning back in the chair.

“Honestly, child…” he shook his head.

“I know, I know.” I grinned. “I’m just too awesome for words, Lunc – ow!”

He smacked the back of my head lightly, setting the tray down in front of me. “Hurry up and eat so you can get back to class and learn.”

“Lunch-Rush…” My eyes sparkled, filling with tears. “You made me tacos! I fucking love you, man!”

He chuckled as he headed back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

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ceasarslegion · 4 years

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Alright. I’ve been studying film history all day in preparation for an exam tomorrow, and I’m sick of it. Time to talk about movies the way I Want To Talk About Movies

Those of y’all who’ve been around for the entire scope of my run on this hellsite know that the one hyperfixation that has been a constant for me is Marvel. It’s always there, waiting, watching... My favourite team is the X-Men, my favourite heroes: Wolverine, Quicksilver, Spider-Man, and Iron Man... name a Marvel movie and I’ve definitely seen it at least twice, and that was just in cinemas. I dare say Marvel is my special interest (Endgame doesn’t exist though)

Except for one. I never saw Logan again after the premiere I attended with some high school friends (gap years are a normal thing outside of North America you guys like what are y’all on going to uni straight out I fucking hate the American dream) and I don’t want to.

It was the best Marvel movie I ever saw. Hands down. Absolutely incredible. And I don’t ever want to see it again, because it fucking destroyed me. And in my opinion, that’s what made it perfect.

Buckle up, y’all, we’re getting into deep lore

When you think of a superhero movie, what do you think of? Actually, let’s narrow that down. When you think of an X-Men movie, what do you think of? Probably something like this, if not this exact scene:

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Okay, let’s unpack: Apocalypse was by no metric the best team-up X-Men movie (I’d argue Days of Future Past for that title) but this scene kind of encapsulates the entire tone and storytelling style of the X-Men Cinematic Universe so far. And it’s just REALLY satisfying.

There’s danger. There’s so much danger. But it’s not really in the forefront of your mind, is it? The entire Xavier school’s about to blow up with every student, teacher, admin, and X-Man in it, and what do we get for playback but Pietro’s headphones playing Sweet Dreams from his walkman. We get spectacle as the entire world slows to a screeching halt to show how a mutant speedster as powerful as himself experiences the world. And we’ve already seen him in action in Days of Future Past, so we know he’s capable of saving everyone and absolutely will. That effectively eliminates all tension, because as the mansion explodes around him, it feels less like he’s running out of time and more like he’s moving along at a brisk pace. It feels like the explosion moves at his will, and we’re free to gawk at Pietro’s cocky antics once again.

Isn’t that what the X-Men movies are all about? An unapologetic embrace of how wacky and odd the comicverse is with a storytelling style to match? Danger feels far away, even the more serious plotlines like DoFP have this understanding that good always triumphs, the heroes are always good, and therefore the heroes will always triumph, no matter how great the adversity is. Jesus, even with Deadpool movies, you get this shit. I mean, remember the opening of Deadpool?

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God, what a brilliant opening. This song is my go-to drunk karaoke song because of this, and I am a tenor. I didn’t say I cared about vocal matching.

Clearly, there’s a lot of violent shit going on here. And we know that Wade Wilson plays by his own rules in the comicverse, so it makes sense that he’d play by his own rules in his movies. But still, with all the filthy, uncensored danger in these movies it’s all lighthearted superhero wackiness. They always triumph, even though Wade Wilson is a total schmuck. But he’s a lovable schmuck, so we let that go. Wade always wins. That’s the superhero formula, as much as he makes fun of it.

Logan, though? Logan didn’t do that. With those two scenes in mind, I now implore you to watch the opening scene of Logan:

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I... um. Holy shit. Directed by Martin Scorsese?? No, mans wouldn’t work on a Marvel movie if it made him a billionaire, that’s... just how it is. It feels like fucking whiplash.

Logan isn’t necessarily a hero from this opening. We’re no stranger to the Wolverine berserker rage from past movies, but it’s always been directed righteously before. Now it had him carry out an execution because they damaged his car. He’s not heroic, he’s... old, and slow, and really hasn’t aged well. The tone here is brutal, and gritty, and altogether bleak. It feels more like a mob film than a wacky X-Men movie. I remember being in the cinema just slack-jawed and wide-eyed because what the FUCK

And it didn’t end there, because this film just got darker, and darker, and DARKER as it went on. Charles Xavier died a terrible death after a stint with dementia that completely broke him as the powerful psychic he was, Logan is broken from all the trauma of his life piled onto itself and then even more being shoved on top of that. Mutants are pretty much being hunted for sport, because the X-Men LOST. They LOST. It’s a superhero movie where the heroes lost, and that is the ultimate broken rule you can pull within this genre. Infinty War only teased at it, and boy howdy, did they do it badly. I walked out of Infinity War to a chorus of scoffed “yeah they’re not dead they’re a money-maker”s. I walked out of Logan a shell of a man.

It doesn’t end well, either. Logan doesn’t win. He gets the mutant children across the border, but there’s this sense that if the world is hunting mutants down then he’s only bought them a little more time. The violence is hauntingly realistic within the confines of the XCU, the hope that you’d expect from a big blockbuster superhero movie just isn’t there because Logan’s lost it, and maybe he was right to lose it. Because otherwise he’d be kidding himself.

I don’t wanna see Logan again because it made me too sad and hopeless. And I think that made it brilliant. I think that made Logan something great that was uniquely its own. This is a genre known for hope and resilience, and it gave us none of that. You go in expecting it subconsciously, even when you’ve seen the trailers, and you at least expect him to win, right? Logan’s not gonna lose, he’s Wolverine. Everything about this film is what I think the superhero genre could really use more of. I really like the wacky, out-there, scripted formulaic adventures because I get enough bullshit in real life and it’s nice to just have the fun misadventures of Peter Parker scaling the Washington Monument in Spider-Man: Homecoming sometimes. But those don’t really stick with me the way Logan did, even though I only saw it once when I was 18.

I love how Iron Man 3 explored and normalized PTSD in mainstream media. I love the father-son relationship between Peter and Tony: two characters who both lost father-figures, and one who never wanted to become his abusive father. I love how Thor: Ragnarok felt like a norse mythology fanfiction comedy adventure in space. I love how Black Panther gave an unrepresented group a hero who’s not just a lackey, but a powerful king worth like 200 trillion dollars who protects his people through a cultural tradition. But Logan really felt like it challenged every established convention of the superhero genre and pulled a “no, you move” on it. A lot of people cite The Dark Knight to be the most brilliant superhero movie, but in my opinion, that spot belongs to Logan.

I’d call it cinematic art, but Martin Scorsese might put me on his hit list.

#!!!!!#i dont know how to tag this fkfbjdddj #this has been a Rant #logan #x-men #marvel #cinema #film #shut up dames

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wolfhednn · 4 years

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— skills analysis.

so i did one of these for sety, though i didn’t cover all of the available skills on him because i haven’t had the time to build all that hc yet. even though we know felix’s skill layout, i’d still like to take the time to lay out my ideas about his abilities or lack thereof in greater detail. essentially just putting down on paper the thoughts i’ve had for a while, for my own safekeeping. things get jumbled in my head sometimes y’know.

buckle in, this got really long.

sword ( boon. )

lance

axe

bow ( boon. )

gauntlet ( boon. )

reason ( bane. | budding talent. » boon. )

faith

authority ( bane. )

heavy armor

riding

flying

— sword. felix, obviously, loves swords. it’s interesting to consider how he takes so strongly to swords when the kingdom mostly specializes in lances. from dimitri’s supports, however, we know that everyone still receives sword training, and i’d argue that learning to wield a sword is the most basic weapon that everyone is taught before moving onto lances, or other weapons types as desired. we see evidence of this in felix’s remarks which point to dimitri still training with a sword despite the lance being his main weapon:

Hurry up and cage the wild boar. Look, he’s losing his grip. Even in his swordplay, he’s getting sloppy.

so the sword is kind of like weapons basics, much like learning basic piano even as a singer so that you can find your notes for yourself. though i believe felix received training in other weapons growing up, he always came back to the sword when others may have transitioned into favoring something else. give him a lance or axe and he’d know the form and some basic techniques ( see: blacksmith’s errand ), but he’s no expert.

in his favoritism for the sword, i think people have probably commented that he resembles kyphon, who was known for wielding a blade rather than faerghus’ usual lance as well.

— lance & axe. briefly touched on above, but he knows the basics, lances more so than axes because the lance is pretty much faerghus’ thing. a lot of his experience with lance technique at least in recent years actually comes more from countless sparring matches against his friends who prefer them, especially sylvain, who, unlike dimitri and ingrid, doesn’t favor swords at all ( thanks azzie for confirming this! ) felix, who learns much better by doing and practical experience, has subconsciously picked up stuff about lances just from watching and fighting constantly around those who use them.

axes, though he doesn’t mention them ( as far as i’ve found, anyway ), he’s probably also been trained in, again going along with my hc that faerghus nobles get the basics in pretty much everything at a young age. however, he gravitated away from it pretty early due to its style — slow and heavy — being the exact opposite of how he prefers to fight. he finds them generally unwieldy, especially when he doesn’t like the bulkiness of wearing heavy plate that usually comes along with using them. that being said, he’s not bad at axes ( hence it not being a bane ) — it’s felix; the nature of his upbringing and genetics means he’s likely not going to suck at any physical weapon — but he’ll pass on them if there’s anything else to use.

— bow. felix’s bow boon comes straight off his instruction request to specialize towards sniper class:

As with the sword, I was trained in the bow from a young age. I have a good grasp of it, but there’s always room for improvement. Might be a good time to work on my aim.

again, i think part of this comes from my idea of faerghus nobles being trained in all weapons ( or maybe it’s just a fraldarius tradition? felix says it’s everyone, but considering his skewed view of kingdom attitudes, it’s reasonable to also take his words with a grain of salt ). but part of it i think also comes from hunting as a common noble pastime in the kingdom: felix talks about it, as well as dimitri when he mentions that rodrigue would frequently take him hunting. and the bow, of course, is the primary weapon used in hunting, hence his receiving training in it from childhood.

his talent in it, i think, comes from repeated practice and his passion for hunting, which as we know is one of his likes. right out of the box, felix wasn’t born with a natural gift for archery like he was the sword, but his love of hunting as a sport had him continuously training and refining his skill with a bow.

— gauntlet. this one’s pretty easy: it points to felix’s self-made fighting style that throws aside conventional chivalric combat expectations in favor of whatever needs to be done in order to win, even if it means resorting to “underhanded” tricks or cheap shots.

Knights ought to have some hunger. I’ve always thought so. They depend too much on their swords. Only when they’re wrested away do knights consider their hands and feet as weapons. That’s not how it was for warriors of old. They weren’t limited by their tools. Victory is what matters, not the method of achieving it. That’s the attitude to adopt.

i think the incorporation of hand-to-hand combat is actually something he first picked up from glenn, who, while knightly, wasn’t afraid to land a punch in the middle of a spar to stun his opponent or trip them to gain the upper hand. he constantly encouraged felix to be similarly adaptable in battle, to never get comfortable with the status quo, always be thinking on his feet.

over time, that, along with pieces of technique he picked up and continues to pick up from others over the years, got refined into what is now his own unique fighting style, tailored just for himself.

— reason. so i’ve thought a lot about this, and i’ve come to the conclusion that felix’s bane in reason is not because he’s bad at magic, but because he, as he tells us, has no interest in it. ( we’ve all had that one subject in school where we have a knack for it, but just... no interest LMAO. )

coming off of my headcanon that felix’s mother comes from a branch of house gloucester, this means that strong magic genetics are in his blood ( gloucester was the bishop of the ten elites ). rodrigue also has a high talent for magic ( he’s a holy knight, but in my experience with him as an NPC, he tends to favor his faith spells over using his lance, which has led me to headcanon that he’s actually stronger in magic than he is in physical weapons. bishop » holy knight instead of paladin » holy knight, if you will ).

combined, this means that i think both glenn and felix had a natural talent for magic — glenn 100% a dark knight — which becomes reflected when felix is convinced to actually put the effort into studying reason, thus revealing it to be a boon.

i think this is supported in-game in that, despite it being a boon for him, felix only ever learns two reason spells: thunder and thoron. unsurprisingly, they are both spells with high damage and crit potential, and give him range options. thoron supplements his swordplay nicely by giving him yet more range, thus opening up more opportunities for him to close the gap to his enemies and kill. seeing as he only picks up reason for the purpose of augmenting his swordmanship:

I have never been interested in magic, but I do recognize that a swordsman who understands it has an advantage over one who doesn’t. Help me hone my skills in reason, in addition to the sword.

it makes sense that he would stop after learning enough spells to accomplish his purpose for studying reason in the first place. he’s still not very interested in magic, but he does take to it surprisingly well.

— faith. felix is not particularly religious, but he’s not disdainful of religion either. however, both rodrigue and glenn, in my hc, had boons in faith magic and were very strong in it. felix’s lack of strength here i believe comes again from disinterest, as well as the fact that he’s probably just never tried it. he doesn’t really see a reason to. i don’t think he has the natural talent for it that glenn and especially his father do — that gift for it skipped him — but he’d be able to cast as well as the next person if he put work into it.

a worthwhile note to make here is that, whereas rodrigue’s faith spell list focuses on offensive magic ( his main spell in-game is aura, and i hc that if he were playable, the rest of his spell list would be similar: nosferatu, seraphim, abraxas ) and i hc that glenn’s faith spell list is similarly offensive-focused, felix’s in-game faith spell list is entirely restorative magic. aside from nosferatu, but pretty much everyone who learns a faith spell gets nosferatu.

felix gets heal, restore, and recover, which i intend to remain faithful ( heh ) to if i have felix take points in faith. and while at first glance this may seem contrary to his ‘ all fight all the time ’ nature, i think it actually subtly points to his underlying motivation for pursuing strength: being able to protect those he cares about. felix’s biggest motivator is being strong enough to make sure that he doesn’t lose anyone again like he did glenn, and killing enemies isn’t always going to cut it. as he grows to realize that ( hello dimitri and toa!sylvain development showing him that fighting something doesn’t always solve the problem ), he develops an appreciation for healing, too.

— authority. felix’s, for lack of a better phrase, one actual weakness that stems from a detriment in ability, at least where skills are concerned. as the game tells us through his personal skill, it comes from a lack of desire to work with others. he doesn’t like to be responsible for other people, doesn’t like to have to worry about other people, and doesn’t like to have to rely on other people. felix highly prizes his independence and his self-reliance. he believes he’s stronger when he’s on his own.

i think that felix is also just, for this reason, bad at leading people. ( see: birds of a feather. ) he doesn’t have the patience for it, and doesn’t have the patience for other people’s incompetence, doesn’t like to repeat himself or explain his thoughts and ideas. if people get him, great. if they don’t, he doesn’t really care.

interestingly, despite his glaring weaknesses in charisma and diplomacy ( which carry over into when he becomes duke, too — his people respect him as a leader because he naturally wants to do what’s best for the people under him; his policies are very domestically-focused and he’s going to fight hard for the interests of those counting on him, but not because he’s particularly good at raising morale or rallying public support ), felix isn’t bad at the strategic part of being a military leader. in fact, his ingrid support tells us he’s surprisingly good at military tactics for someone who has 0 interest in strategic planning:

Ingrid: Well, the conversation got quite lively. We all began breaking down the viability of your somewhat maniacal plan. And apparently, similar tactics have been used to turn the tides of historic battles. Felix: That may be an exaggeration. Successful armies must be able to handle unexpected situations. That starts with weapon mastery and creative tactics. Ingrid: If you didn't have so much battlefield experience, you wouldn't be capable of such unique strategies. Which is why we need people like you—people who think creatively—to lead the army.

this is further supported by the fact that, in his paired ending with dimitri, he takes a leading role as dimitri’s military adviser when he becomes king. felix is good at knowing what to do on the battlefield; he just doesn’t have any interest in being in charge of that stuff. as he says ( possibly the only time in canon we see felix being modest about his abilities ):

I don’t know the first thing about strategy. Just how to use a sword.

— heavy armor. touched on this a bit earlier in the axe section, but heavy armor isn’t felix’s thing because agility and mobility is. the most armor you’ll see him wear is a heart guard, though i do headcanon that in the post-war period as duke, he actually does wear a jack-of-plate to protect from any unforeseen attempts on his life.

the only exception to his aversion to heavy armor are shields, which he of course learns how to use in order to wield the aegis shield. in toa!verse, i plan to fluff shields as his narrative progression through the heavy armor ranks rather than through actually... wearing armor ( though i think he definitely sometimes trains rock lee style with weights in order to improve his speed ). hilariously, this goes somewhat out the window in the end when he does actually wield the aegis shield into battle because half the time, he just wears it slung over his back ( as seen in his in-game battle model ) rather than how a shield is supposed to be used. the aegis shield is mostly used for its pavise / aegis barriers anyway, and not as much to deflect actual attacks.

— riding. doesn’t mind it, but has never gravitated to it or had much interest. despite both rodrigue and glenn being mounted units ( rodrigue moreso; he’s better on a horse than he is on foot ), felix prefers being on foot, relying on solely his own skill and temperament, rather than having to account for what his mount might do at any given moment and protecting it as well. he has nothing particularly against horses; just, lukewarm.

— flying. much like riding, felix is equally ambivalent about pegasi and being on one. there are a couple differences here though: one is that i headcanon that heights make felix..... not afraid? but slightly uncomfortable. he doesn’t have a phobia of heights, but the inherent danger of being high up in the air, the possibility of death simply by nothing more than a fall, doesn’t sit well with him. it’s something he’d be able to get more comfortable with over time, though.

the other difference is that pegasus knighthood is inherent to his bloodline. the original fraldarius was a falcon knight, and i headcanon that kyphon was also a falcon knight ( take that, gender-locked fe classes! ). if not for his ambivalence about mounts — unlike many others who like to bond with their mounts and form deep friendships, i think that felix would probably always see his as animals of war: to be well-cared for, of course, but probably not like, deep bond or anything — and his discomfort with heights, flying might have been a strength through his bloodline alone, particularly with him having a major crest.

#. ⊰ ❛ ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs ᴛʜᴇ sɪʟᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʀᴀᴠᴇ ⊱ * meta — ✘#classic rai......#'this won't be that long!'#15 minutes later: oh no.#rai Goes Off about her boys again

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emmelfish · 6 years

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So, it looks like the roaring success of a wedding party added to Brandi’s reputation. You sure you don’t wanna roundhouse kick your BFF Dina there for smooching your firstborn son?

(John Burb – lover of drama, sitter of fences, gossip extraordinaire and never met a dirty joke he doesn’t like – glides by without a word but a mental note to regale his wife with all the sordid details.)

I still don’t know which of the two of them initiated that, but I guess this is what happens when you combine cute blond Fortune sims, one of whom has recently reached an... eligible age?... and our old friend ACR.

youtube

Darren had at least five of those six beers, so this doesn’t surprise me in the least. Dreamer, I’m cutting you off!

Time to celebrate the transition of the terrible twins, the perfect ending to this... interesting wedding.

Growing up next to a rain puddle, is it everything you ever dreamed of Skip Jr?

Sadly, it’s also time to say goodbye to the Mortimer Goth cosplay and the buzzcut...

... and hello to... this! I’m pretty sure given he’s Sloppy and Playful, SJ’ll be a Nature sim, so it’s not even like this is hobby-appropriate costuming (it’d be better for his sister, she’s bound to be Sports or Fitness with her personality points).

There’s something so ritualistic about the way they stand around cheering somebody aging, I love it. It’s even better in weddingwear.

I’m also a big fan of how different Skip Jr looks to his older brothers. And this genetic correctness! I’m not sure how we ever put up with the gender-reversed Brandi clone EAxis stuck in the vanilla game. THANK YOU @meetmetotheriver 💟

I’m excited that he grew up well, but scared of what kind of child he’ll be. Nowhere near as terrified as I am re: Suse though.

Darren finally told one dirty joke too many? And in front of A CHILD?! No wonder he and John Burb get along so well.

Beau: Hey I’m gonna be a teenager in like a day, I can take it.

We’ll be the judge of that.

Oh god, I don’t know if I even really want to do this, but here we go.

Yo Bran, when did you change into your afterparty gear? (Seriously, I had no idea she had that maternity formalwear lurking in her wardrobe.)

Susie: *stares at fire* Yes, yes, consume the souls of my nemeses...

Skip Jr: Uh, Mr Dad, I think you’re supposed to put her down.

Beau: This is gold.

Skip Jr: Seriously DreamerDaddy, I really think she’s meant to be on the floor...?

Skip Jr: I can’t watch.

(Legitimately though, at this point I was hiding from the screen and peeping through my fingers to take these screenshots. I love a good glitch, but this was beyond terrifying.)

OH MY GOD.

THEY’VE MERGED INTO SOME KIND OF MONSTER.

Oh thank heavens. I just had Darren do the ‘put Susie here’ action and while her arms did get stuck like this for a while, everything went back to normal and she was a child and not some warped giant baby. Good bloody lord! Darren, had you forgotten how to transition a toddler? Dirk’s not that old!

Hey Suse, you’d better not be hunting bugs just to set fire to them.

Susie: Well I won’t be setting fire to anything if my stupid jar stays this empty.

While I’m kind of loving Susie’s blazer and jeans, gotta get those twins into the colors they were in as tots. It’s my rule! (When feasible.)

Yeah we get it guys, you love each other because you’re both pretty awful. Had enough of this yet Beau?

Beau: Urgh. I’m disappearing into a place where I can control everything, thank you very much. This here dollhouse.

That sounds like a strangely familiar concept.

Ah, back to some semblance of a (relatively) normal life! Skip Jr’s already making good use of those Playful Grouchy traits by beating Beau to death with a pillow, and Susie’s slyly charming her way into an older brother’s affections just as she did with Dustin.

This loading screen will look rather different... imminently. Room for two more?

Oh yeah! Remember Dustin’s strange schoolfriend who marched brazenly into the Broke trailer and randomly picked up and snuggled the twins when they were but babes? Skip Jr clearly does, and now that he can articulate this experience, is telling Beau just how traumatic it was.

Back to plate-making, you! Yes I know you want a vacay, and you’ll get one when you sell several more of these. Also what’s that ‘get caught cheating’ fear? Why is cheating even crossing your mind? You literally just got married and it upped your chem with Daz by one whole bolt – three is the magic number, don’t mess with perfection!

With Susie being an active-grouchy sports lover, I got her a nice Goal of Paul to play with. Of course the first thing she does is stand in it and jeer her brother.

Skip Jr: Listen sis, this is your game not mine.

I’m fine with whatever happens as long as that ball doesn’t hit poor Darleen’s gravestone.

Susie: So what we got going here.

Beau: Well we have this whole saga, see. Shirley here has been struggling with her feelings towards Muriel for quite some time now –

Susie: So she sets fire to Muriel’s hair in a passionate fury and then these two ladies over here come and chop her good with samurai swords to avenge Muriel?

Beau: Uh, no –

Susie: ‘I curse the day Shirley was born!’ ‘As do I, we will demand blood for blood!’

Beau: *sighs* Not really what I was going for. How exactly are we related again?

Susie: This is great! Do you have any of those little green army men? Let’s have them explode the house in an act of WAR.

Oh hi! Tinkering Lady is COOL! Dirk finally bagged the elusive invite to go play with cars and trains and robots. I think he’s our first too.

I am going to aggressively marry her into one of the families at some point, I have to. Boho style, badass purple streak in her hair and pink eyes too? She has it all!

Brandi, that is not acceptable. You have a pottery badge for crying out loud.

Oh okay, you’re going into labor. I suppose that’s a fair excuse.

Even cool Tinkering Lady is running to see the miracle of life!

Darren: Oh, you’re having the babies, love? That’s nice.

THE MOTHERFUDGING VERTICAL RING GLITCH IS BACK AGAIN ON HIS SECOND FRIGGING MARRIAGE

Susie?

Susie: Astarte and Proserpine are busy avenging Muriel and fending off acts of terror, god, leave me alone.

Dirk looks like he’s singing a power ballad and I’m loving it. Meanwhile Beau is like, this ain’t my first rodeo.

Here we go... again. AGAIN.

The cramming into the doorway while Brandi gives birth in the narrowest place in the whole house is a treat tbh.

And here they are! We gots two gals. Not saying they’re not lovely, call me a picky sim breeder but I was expecting them to be... at least S3? The genetics in this game confuse me sometimes.

Speaking of genetics, look at this brown-eyed babe! Take your pick, they could be from Brandi’s dad or either or Darren’s parents. I’ve named them after surrealist artists (because I figured their parents’d be into that), so we have little Frida here...

... and mere seconds younger, her sister Remedios!

As per usual everybody cheers the firstborn twin and poor Remy doesn’t get a look-in. Even Susie dragged herself away from her macabre soap opera to say hi.

Susie: Who run the world? GIRLS! Who run the world?

Skip Jr: Bang bang!

Beau: No. I only have three Playful points. I refuse to engage in your nonsense.

And here are the twin ladies in their matching rubberbabybuggybumpers. Next up, we have our dearest Beau hitting teenhood! I’m gonna miss him as a kid.

#emmelfishuberhood

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ayellowbirds · 6 years

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Keshet Rewatches All of Scooby-Doo, Pt. 13: "Which Witch Is Which?"

("Scooby-Doo, Where Are You", Season 1 Episode 13)

AKA "That Voodoo You Don’t Do"

In a misty marsh, a strange, hunch-backed figure pushes a punt boat through the water, pausing to look behind him so the camera can see his face.

What a looker.

Not far away or long after, the gang are taking a shortcut on their fishing trip. They've gotten lost due to Fred’s terrible route-planning (seriously, I may need to start keeping track from here, i feel like the gang getting lost while on the road becomes a trope later on), and catch sight of a figure by the road, holding a lantern but apparently not visible enough to register as anything strange. While Scooby “fishes” in the back of the van by dipping a line tied to his tail into a bucket full of water, the Mystery Machine pulls to a stop so Shaggy can ask for directions.

Fleeing in terror from the “zombie”, the gang arrive in a community evidently named “Swamp’s End”, if the sign on the General Store is any indication, still quite badly lost.

While Scooby raids an open tin of beans (wouldn’t they be dry? I can’t imagine wet beans being left out for sale in a non-refrigerated environment), the gang speak to the store owner, a thickly-bearded fella by the name of Zeke. He tells them that the zombie was created by an old witch with “voodoo magic”. Zeke and his buddy Zeb Perkins first caught sight of her six months back, having gone into the swamp for some frog gigging.

Seen above: the landscaping concept for my fallback retirement plans. The witch chants above her fire, “Smoke of darkness, demon of evil, take the form of the living, and come forth from the flame!” and the logs and fire fade away, replaced by the zombie. He’s even already got his lantern!

While Zeke relates that the town is abandoned except for the two of them and that Zeb has been scared so bad he won’t go outdoors, Scooby’s inattentive eating wind up giving him a mouthful of jumping beans, leading to him bouncing around and hiccuping.

This was a popular bit in older cartoons, especially Hanna-Barbera ones, but it seems like nowadays, “jumping beans” aren’t really part of popular culture. It’s probably because the reason they “jump” is that they’re parasitized by a caterpillar, and novelty items powered by insect larvae are not as popular as @bogleech might hope.

While Fred, Velma, and Daphne clean up Zeke’s shop after Scooby’s bug-induced hopping fit, Scooby and Shaggy are tasked with checking on Zeb. They arrive to find his cabin showing sings of having been inhabited, but dusty and full of cobwebs—there’s no sign of Perkins himself.

Well, except for one.

Shaggy assumes that Zeb’s been shrunk, but Velma explains that it’s a “voodoo doll” made in his likeness. “Voodoo” is tossed around a lot in this episode, and that could be blamed on it being the mistaken assumptions of white people and pop culture about any folk magic practices, but pretty much everything observable about the swamp witch except her zombie servant is actually rooted in European and especially English and Germanic folk magic and superstitions.

Her “Halloween witch” looks draw on the typical mishegoss of stereotypes of feminine villainy that include a vaguely antisemitic hooked nose, and a hat style that i’ve ranted about before (and others have noted is linked to the beer-brewing traditions in Europe, along with things like the broom, solitary old women, and having cats around); the “voodoo doll” is in fact an English-style poppet and most of the connection to voodoo/vodou is based in racist propaganda. Even her hut looks more like something illustrated by Arthur Rackham or Ivan Bilibin.

The gang take a boat out into the swamp and catch sight of their targets, but lose them among the reeds and waters. Continuing further on, they find signs warning them to BEWARE and GO BACK, but press onward, and find the witch’s "shack”—complete with pin-pricked poppets in the likeness of Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy propped up against a mirror! .

Velma thinks it’s “phony baloney”, but Scooby can’t resist testing it out.

Ah, the loyalty of Man’s Best Friend. “Coincidentally”, Shaggy backs into a fork just as Scooby literally stabs his likeness in the back, and the witch appears in a puff of smoke. “So, you dared entered the swamp in spite of my warning signs!”

Daphne’s response?

Everyone else is stunned by her sick burn, but i notice in this moment that there’s a portrait of the witch up on the wall. What an oddly extra touch on the part of the villains! How long do you figure it took them to make it, or did they acquire it somewhere and tailor the witch disguise to match it?

Enraged, the witch casts a spell on Daphne, bidding the “smoke of evil, make her vanish!” and causing the redhead to disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving only her footprints behind on the rug where she was standing.

The bright pink rug that was not visible in any prior shots, in spite of Daphne’s full body and shoes on the bare wood floor being on-screen.

But Velma and Fred realize that the way Daphne’s footprints seem to slide backwards mean that there’s a trap door, and find it when investigating below the house. Following footprints further into the swamp in hopes of finding their friend, they catch sight of a derelict river boat and the zombie’s punt... which has an odd little extra.

The end of the punting pole is embellished with a metal tip that has clearly had more intent and care put into its design than the episode’s villains themselves (not to mention such things as bright pink rugs), with extra little indentations and rivets that are far from necessary to convey its role in the scheme.

The gang go to investigate the riverboat, unknowingly watched by the cackling witch and her undead minion, who begin to terrorize the foursome as they split up and search the boat.

While Shaggy and Scooby flee the zombie, Fred and Velma hear a muffled voice behind a wall with no clear entry, and try to find a secret entrance. Velma tries tugging on a lantern because “it’s always done that way in the movies”, but instead pulls it clean off the wall and tumbles backwards, knocking over an old bucket and sending a bar of soap flying at an emergency axe mounted on the wall—which was the actual trigger for the secret door.

Why is there always a secret door? It’s never just that the door is somewhere else and they happened to take a wrong turn, there’s never just a dead end.

Finding a grunting sheet-clad shape inside the secret room, Velma initially mistakes it for a ghost, but pulling away the sheet quickly reveals it’s Daphne... and a search of the room finds a very modern electrical winch, cutting torch, and set of power tools.

An aside for observation on characterization: i’ve joked a lot about Velma being not as skeptical as she makes herself seem, but i think the “credulity to skeptic” scale of the gang goes something like this:

Shaggy

Daphne

Scooby

Velma

Fred

I rated Scooby in the middle, though it varies in later series, because he actually seems to wind up noticing something isn’t supernatural faster than the others, either due to circumstance or canine senses. When he doesn’t, he usually reacts to a threat because the others are reacting to it, taking cues on what to fear based mostly on Shaggy. Much of the time, he seems innocent to what something could be except “big and angry”, and only really reacts with terror when one of his human friends says something.

Speaking of fear: the witch and zombie take advantage of being a team to terrorize both divisions of the gang at the same time, including the witch seeming to fly after them. But the discovery of a modern fan-powered airboat tucked into a passage in the riverboat also leads to the discovery that the flying witch is nothing more than a painted sheet thrown over a balloon, a cheaper trick than most Halloween decorations.

The airboat’s throttle gets stuck, and Scooby tosses down an improbably large anchor. The jarring stop brings up a lot of swampwater... and an entire armored bank car. Soon, the gang have improvised a rope-and-pulley system with some sturdy trees, and pull the truck to shore, finding sacks full of money with big old dollar signs drawn on, in case you were confused about what the enormous bags secured inside an armored bank car could possibly be.

Fred’s trap this time around is to leave some of those bags out in the open, where the witch and zombie—who the gang rightfully conclude have been hunting for this, using the metal-tipped pole to sound out the swamp floor for the metal roof of the car—can find them. Without breaking character, the gruesome twosome run up to the bags, cackling and mumbling with glee.

Of course, the bags are mostly filled with Scooby and Shaggy.

Kasem’s delivery on this line is magnificent, by the way. Leading the costumed crooks into a trap, the plan almost goes off without a hitch, but as usual, Scooby gets knocked along with the villains into a waiting wagon that rolls downhill towards the open back of the armored car. It’s only Shaggy demonstrating improbable line-casting skill that keeps Scooby from being trapped with the villains, as he uses a fishing pole to snag the bag Scooby is still wearing and pull him back uphill.

Jinkies, but Shaggy is strong. Why is this boy scared of anything? He could probably lift most of the villains of the week with one hand. I feel like there’s a lot to be said about the fact that Shaggy is a jock who doesn’t realize he is one, especially when we get into the episodes and movies where he actually competes in sports.

The gang meet up with a sheriff outside of the General Store, and it’s unsurprisingly revealed that the witch is Zeke, while the zombie is Zeb, explained as having hijacked the armored car in the first place, sinking it to find it later after the heat died down. The Scooby wiki notes that this episode seems to feature a rare example of a character from outside of the gang being reused: the Sheriff originates in the very first episode, as seen in this model sheet from a now-defunct Cartoon Network page, though the episode number doesn’t match up.

The episode ends with the gang musing on this having begun as a fishing trip, and Scooby is still dipping his tail-strung line into a bucket in the back of the Mystery Machine. “Give up,” says Fred, but less than a second later, Scooby pulls a hooked fish out of the water!

As Scooby defies the laws of physics and common sense once more, the gang share a laugh, and... fade to credits.

(like what i’m doing here? It’s not what pays the bills, so i’d really appreciate it if you could send me a bit at my paypal.me or via my ko-fi. Click here to see more entries in this series of posts, or here to go in chronological order)

#scooby doo #KRAOSD

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viyaniah · 7 years

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Sims 4 Cats and Dogs Flavor Legacy Challenge

Rules:

Your sim and pet must represent their generation. (hair/fur color, clothing,etc.)

You may play on whatever lifespan.

You may cheat to get the lot on gen 1 but you must reduce your money to 2,500

Tag your legacy posts as #c&dflavorlegacy

No cheating, unless if you are trying to get Triplets for Gen 8

You’re allowed to change the colors of your pet and paint them to make them match the generation but not their physical features.

You can choose whether to focus on the dog or the cat and play through that species’ offspring for the heirs of each next generation.

We suggest doing the Cat version for a more laid back play through, and the Dog version for a more challenging version.

Note that some generations will have more than one sim heir, and some generations require that you have both a dog and a cat but you must continue with the same species you were working with before.

-----------

Hi! I’m here with my first legacy challenge and I was thinking of making a simblr. I look forward for being around here on tumblr. I was happy to work on this project with @subtle-moodlet and our discord friend Mini. <3 Now if only i knew how to make a simblr...

Gen 1. Chocolate - “Saint of the Pets”

You are an animal loving loner who is obsessed with saving the animals around you. You open a clinic and get very engrossed with your work. One day, you go to the bar and on a one-night stand get pregnant. Being busy with the clinic, you don’t spend much time with your kid, and you never get married. You eventually spend so much time on this lot that you and your kid never go home.

Traits: Loner, Dog Lover, Cat Lover

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Career: Veterinarian

Goals:

Open a fully functional clinic

Adopt at least one pet

Have one kid from a one-night stand

Never get married

Complete friend of the animals aspiration

Max vet skill

If Cat:

Have their own room bigger than the owner’s child

Be fed food cooked from the cooking skill often

Have a high relationship with owner

Traits: Friendly, Glutton, Lazy

If Dog:

Must have their own room bigger than the Vanilla generation

Must have food cooked for them at least five times

Have a high relationship with owner

Traits: Friendly, Glutton, Couch Potato

Gen 2. Vanilla - “Active Yet Exciting”

You have always turned to sports because your parent never paid attention to you. You were never that focused on the clinic and decide to follow their dreams as a athlete. Unfortunately that doesn’t sit well your mommy/daddy...

Traits: Active, Ambitious, Dog/Cat Lover

Aspiration: Bodybuilder

Career: Athlete

Goals:

Develop a bad relationship with Mom/Dad after becoming a teen

Reach level 10 of the athlete career

Max athletic skill

Max dog training skill (if using a dog)

If Cat:

Have at least one kitten

Be played with at least once a day

Traits: Frisky, Curious, Talkative

If Dog:

Have at least one puppy

Be fully trained

Traits: Active, Adventurous, Smart

Gen 3. Strawberry - “Pristine And Purrfect”

You’ve always been a little judgmental of your parent, always getting dirty and being sporty. Then, you remember that your grandparent had opened a vet clinic! As soon as you turned into a young adult you immediately reopen the clinic to turn into your own.

Traits: Snob, Self-Assured, Dog/Cat Lover

Aspiration: Successful Lineage

Career: Veterinarian

Goals:

Reopen up the vet clinic and make it shiny and purrfect

Be in really good touch with your grandparent

Marry a jealous sim

If Cat:

Must always be dressed in the fanciest clothes as an Adult

When your owner is going to the clinic you must come with them

Traits: Spoiled, Fluffy, Talkative

If Dog:

Must always be dressed in the fanciest clothes as an Adult

When your owner is going to the clinic you must come with them

Traits: Independent, Stubborn, Vocal

Gen 4. Banana - “Sloppy And a Cat-astrophe”

You absolutely hated your parents style. Shiny and Perfect? No no! You don’t care when you make a mess, you’re in it for the food and that is that. You’ve always cared for the animals at the clinic. You love both types, but you’d much more prefer cats over dogs. You may or may not want a cat, and that’s fine. But you’re in love with fish.

Traits: Slob, Glutton, Cat Lover

Aspiration: Angling Ace

Career: Veterinarian

Goals:

Redecorate the whole clinic into a more Aquarian/fisherman style

Reach level 10 fishing skill

Live in Whiskerman’s Wharf

If Cat:

Be sent to prowl three times a week

Have a strong relationship with your owner

Traits: Spoiled, Friendly, Prowler

If Dog:

Be sent to hunt three times a week

Not get along well with a lot of animals in the world/your household

Traits: Smart, Hunter, Friendly

Gen 5. Pineapple - “Prickly On the Outside Yet Soft On the Inside.”

You were considered the love-hate one. Half of the people you met hated you, and half of the people you met loved you. You hated that. You were all soft and lovable, so you thought ‘Why don’t they like me?’ Oh well, at least you have your Animal to keep you company.

Traits: Hot-Headed, Good, Clumsy

Aspiration: Friend of the World

Career: Comedian

Goals:

Be hated by 5 sims

Be loved by 5 other sims

Keep the vet clinic running, keep it at a 4/5 star rating.

Always be there for your pet

Be kind to everyone!

If Cat:

Be great friends with your owner

Hate the people who hate your owner, why wouldn’t they like them?

Traits: Friendly, Lazy, (any)

If Dog:

Be great friends with your owner

Hate the people who hate your owner

Traits: Friendly, Couch Potato, (any)

Gen 6. Lemon and Lime - “Living On an Island Not-So-Alone”

Lemon and Lime have always been best friends and were high-school sweethearts. They never wanted anything extravagant, so they elope without a reception and but a plot on an island. Both Lemon and Lime have a strong relationship and deep love for nature and wildlife. Lime maintains the clinic and they both adopt many raccoons and foxes.

--Lemon--

Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Loner, Cat/Dog Lover

Aspiration: The Curator

Career: N/A

Goals:

Move to Deadgrass Isle

Complete My Sims collection

Be unemployed

Complete fishing skill

Have friend since being a child

Become high-school sweethearts

Elope without a reception

Adopt at least four raccoons and foxes

--Lime--

Traits: Loves the Outdoors, Outgoing, Loves The Opposite Pet from Lemon

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Career: Veterinarian

Goals:

Move to Deadgrass Isle

Run the clinic

Complete gardening skill

Complete Freelance Botanist

Become high-school sweethearts

Elope without a reception

Adopt at least four raccoons and foxes

If Cat:

Be a hunter and always be out on the lookout for My Sims Trophies

Go outside at least once a day

Get pregnant from a raccoon

Traits: Prowler, Free Spirit, Frisky

If Dog:

Be a hunter and always be out on the lookout for My Sims Trophies

Go outside at least once a day

Get pregnant from a fox

Traits: Adventurous, Hunter, Loyal

Gen 7. Peanut butter - "Everyone Likes You But You."

You were always the liked one, everyone's friend, but you were always insecure, you never felt like yourself. You decide you don't feel like your birth gender, and as a young adult you tell everyone. When they're reactions are mixed, you dive into your work on the vet clinic and decide to stay there for a while.

Traits: Noncommittal, Ambitious, Dog/Cat Lover

Aspiration: Soulmate

Career: Veterinarian

Goals:

Don't become disliked before you're a young adult

Switch gender as a young adult

Focus your life on the vet clinic, pet, and children

Have triplets

Never date for more than 2 sim weeks with the same person at once

Complete Soulmate Aspiration

Max veterinary skill

If Cat:

Be good friends with your owner

Go outside at least once a day

Traits: Talkative, Fluffy, Curious

If Dog:

Be good friends with your owner

Be taken on a walk every morning

Traits: Hairy, Vocal, Sleuth

Gen 8. Cookies and Cream - “Cookies and Cream Don’t Always Mix.”

As triplets, everyone expects you to get along. Well, this is not always the case. Two of you hate each other with a passion, and the last is always in between. Cookie and Cream always fight over which is the best species and which is the best instrument. Yet you still love to all jam together and work with each other to work on the veterinary clinic your parent loved so much.

--Cookies--

Traits: Hot-Headed, Loves the Outdoors, Dog Lover

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Career: Veterinarian

Goals:

Make Cream your enemy

Befriend And

Go for a jog every day (with dog)

Complete Snow Globe collection

Max Guitar Skill

--And--

Traits: Outgoing, Good, Music Lover

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Career: Entertainer - Music Branch

Goals:

Befriend Cookies and Cream, try (and fail) to make them friends

Max Piano Skill

Be friends with both animals

--Cream--

Traits: Loner, Unflirty, Cat Lover

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Career: N/A

Goals:

Be enemies with Cookies

Only befriend And, cat and one other person of your choosing

Max Violin Skill

Complete Feather collection

Cat For Cream:

Befriend Cream, have an OK relationship with And

Dislike Cookies and the dog

Traits: Prowler, Mischievous, Territorial

Dog For Cookies:

Befriend Cookies and And

Dislike Cream and the cat

Traits: Loyal, Active, Aggressive

(Note: For this gen you will have both animals. One of these sims needs to have a kid for the next generation.)

Gen 9. Bubblegum - “Pets? More Like Pests.”

You seemed like the lovable person. But in reality? No. You despised Pets and Kids. Actually, you despised everything. Literally the whole world. Nothing could make you happy. Well, other than your lover. Sadly, you had to take care of your parents pets because you had to inherit them. God dang it mom/dad!

Traits: Hates Children, Mean, Romantic

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Career: Criminal

Goals:

Inherit your parents pets

Find your loved one

Reach level 10 of the criminal career

Complete Public Enemy Aspiration

Your loved one must also have the mean trait but they’re less mean

Your loved one must take care of the vet clinic

Ignore your kids

If Cat:

Must take affection to your owners loved one (not the heir)

Hate the Bubblegum gen heir

Traits: Mischievous, Aloof, Frisky

If Dog:

Hate the Bubblegum gen heir

Like the heirs loved one only a tiny bit

Traits: Troublemaker, Jumpy, Independent

Gen 10. Pie - “Personality More Colorful Than the Flavors of the Pie.”

You’ve always been neglected by your parents. It really impacted your life and mental health. You couldn’t take it, the only thing good in your life was the pets in your household and your imagination. You loved to paint and draw, it became your one passion. When you were a young adult you immediately moved out and adopted so many pets to help you function. As you grew older, you became unstable. You had to sell the vet clinic because you just couldn’t handle it.

Traits: Insane, Creative, Dog/Cat Lover

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire

Career: N/A

Goals:

Max painting skill

Fill household with dogs and/or cats

Never marry

Never have kids

Never go outside

If Cat:

Have max relationship with owner

Be there for your owner when they need it

Traits: your choice

If Dog:

Have max relationship with owner

Be there for your owner when they need it

Traits: your choice

Looking forward to seeing posts from people who will play it <3

#c&dflavorlegacy #sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 challenge

134 notes · View notes

frontproofmedia · 3 years

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Angelo Leo vs. Stephen Fulton Jr. Virtual Press Conference Quotes

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Published: January 14, 2021

NEW YORK - WBO Junior Featherweight World Champion Angelo Leo and unbeaten rising star Stephen “Cool Boy” Fulton Jr. previewed their long-awaited championship showdown during a virtual press conference Wednesday as they prepare to battle live on SHOWTIME Saturday, January 23 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The first SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast of 2021 begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a co-main event pitting two more undefeated 122-pound boxers against each other as Ra’eese Aleem and Victor Pasillas face off in a 12-round bout for the interim WBA title. In the telecast opener, rising prospect Rolando Romero squares off against Justin Pauldo in a 12-round lightweight bout for Romero’s interim WBA title. The combined ring record of the six fighters on the card is a remarkable 96 wins with just one loss. The event is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions. Leo and Fulton were originally scheduled to meet on SHOWTIME for the vacant title in August, before Fulton received a positive COVID-19 test. Leo went on to defeat Tramaine Williams by unanimous decision to capture the title and will now make his first defense against the unbeaten Fulton. Here is what the press conference participants had to say Wednesday: ANGELO LEO “This is going to be a great fight. I know Fulton is coming to fight and I’m coming to fight too. We have two contrasting styles. I see it sort of as an East Coast vs. West Coast thing, so it’s going to be fireworks. This is going to be one of the best fights of the year and I can’t wait for you all to see it. “I’m not surprised at all that Vegas has Fulton as the slight favorite. I know that he has a lot of supporters. I’ve been an underdog before. I’ve been in these shoes before, so it’s no surprise to me. It just gives me more fuel for the fire. I’m not at all offended that he’s the favorite. This is boxing and Fulton is a good fighter, but I’m looking to prove on January 23 that I’m where I belong and that I’m world champion for a reason. “I’m known for throwing a lot of body punches and for my pressure. That’s no secret. I feel like people haven’t seen all of me yet. I have a lot to prove. I still have a lot of looks to show and come January 23, I think Stephen Fulton will bring that all out of me. I think it’s important, in every fight, to go to the body. Like they say, go to the body and the head will fall, but if he wants to move around and put pressure, I have a remedy for all that. “Floyd [Mayweather] has been in my ear, solidifying the game plan with me. He’s been telling me exactly what I need to do to win this fight. I saw him quickly on Monday. It was brief but he just stopped in to say hello and see how I was doing. “Being champion is something that I always wanted to be so now that I have the belt, I have the confidence I need. But I don’t take my foot off the gas just because I’m champion. They say that once you’re champion, it’s actually harder. As bad as you want it, now everybody else wants it just as bad as you do. My mentality is the same now that I’m world champion and I’m gunning for more world championships. I’m not the hunted. I’m still hunting. “I’m going to show Stephen that it’s different when you get in the ring. There’s a lot more factors that play out. Not just pressure. Not just body work. There are a lot of things I have up my sleeve that a lot of people haven’t seen yet and I’m going to showcase all my skills on January 23. “Johnny Tapia is the pride and joy of Albuquerque. He’s one of the greatest fighters from that city and to be mentioned with his name is an honor. Johnny Tapia was a good person, very charismatic and he showed everybody love. “This fight is great for boxing. You have two undefeated fighters, both in their prime - what more do you want from two fighters in this boxing era? This is the marquee fight right here. This is the fight fans want to see. “With this performance I want to let everybody know that I’m here to stay. I think a lot of people are doubting me just because I fought Tramaine Williams and they say he just had three days’ notice. But he was getting ready for a fight as well. I have a lot of doubters that I want to prove wrong and in this fight, I think I’ll have the opportunity to.” STEPHEN FULTON “January 23 is going to be fireworks. Leo is the champion and has that spark and fire. We’re both coming hungry and prepared to make this a great fight. This fight is actually a bit underrated because we’re smaller guys, but we’re both in the top five of this division. Leo and I both have something to prove and I’m ready to get it on. “I don’t think the layoff will affect me at all. I think it makes me even more ready. I can’t wait to get in the ring and get back to doing what I love. “My game plan remains the same as if I was fighting him in August. We’re always ready to make adjustments, but I believe I’m much better than if I had fought in August. From losing that opportunity and now coming back, it’s made me better physically, mentally and emotionally. “Going through the experience of having the fight against Leo cancelled just changed my mindset. I felt like I lost everything. It made me train even harder. I took that rage and anxiety and used it every day in training. I’m just ready to fight. “To me, it means everything to be a world champion from Philadelphia. This is what I’ve been working for my whole career. To my city, it would show people from my neighborhood that there’s a way out. But I don’t feel any pressure because of it. This sport teaches us the discipline to perform in moments like this. The pressure is just a part of my job. “My streak of taking fighters’ ‘0’ is going to continue on January 23. Fighters have their thing that they’re known for: Gervonta Davis knocks people out, Chris Colbert shows off his flashy skills, and I take fighters’ ‘0’s. Come fight night, we’ll both be prepared and ready. I’m ready to put on a show and I believe Leo will be ready to do the same. “I’m one of the guys leading the new era of Philadelphia boxing, but I can’t get ahead of myself. I just have to stay smart, calm and do my job. It’s all about doing what I came there to do. “I am that next wave and I’m just ready to stamp it by getting this belt. I’m going to solidify what everyone already knew about me. I have the superstar quality in me and I’ll show it in this fight. “Leo’s performance against Williams was what I expected. I knew he was going to come forward and be a dog, but I don’t think Williams expected it. He’s a good fighter, he earned his way here, and now we just have to fight.” LEONARD ELLERBE, CEO of Mayweather Promotions “In this main event we have a highly anticipated fight that the fans have been waiting for since it was first announced. This is a meaningful fight for the 122-pound division. This is one of the hottest divisions in boxing, with a number of fighters that you can mix and match to make numerous great matchups. “Angelo Leo is coming off a tremendous victory to win this title against Tramaine Williams. That was his coming out party. He was really impressive and made a big statement. When it comes to Fulton, you know he doesn’t lack confidence. He’s young, undefeated, talented and he feels like this will be his easiest payday to date. He believes he’s going to walk through Leo. “This main event has two young undefeated fighters facing each other in their primes. That’s what makes a great fight. It’s also interesting that Fulton is actually a slight betting favorite, despite Leo being the champion. “We open the telecast with Mayweather Promotions’ own Rolando Romero. ‘Rolly’ is coming off a less than impressive performance when he won the interim title, so he’ll be looking to make a big statement for fans. This is going to be a great card from top to bottom and we can’t wait.” TOM BROWN, President of TGB Promotions “You won’t find many young fighters that have been against as much impressive competition as Stephen Fulton has. Seven of his victories out of his 18 wins are over undefeated fighters. It’s very impressive. He’s coming to grab what he believes is his and what should have been his back in August. “The co-feature is the fight I’m really excited about with Ra’eese Aleem and Victor Pasillas. This is a very important matchup with very legitimate contenders. A 50-50 fight between two undefeated prospects in the hot 122-pound division. Both fighters have made it clear that they want the elite of the division and they are willing to put it all on the line January 23 to make that happen. The winner of this fight will be in the driver’s seat for any of the 122-pound champions. “In the opener, they say styles make fights and Justin Pauldo has a style that could really give Rolando Romero some fits. He’s got a great jab and he’s in great shape and down in Houston training with Ronnie Shields. He’s coming to win. Out of the six featured fights we have only one loss between them, so we are going to see some ‘0’s go on January 23. We’re looking forward to it.”

(Featured Photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime)

#HF #Angelo Leo #Stephen Fulton #Showtime Boxing #Mayweather Promotions

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volatileuniverse-blog · 7 years

Text

TRAILBLAZER - THE SCORCHING SPEEDSTER EPISODE 2: THE ZERO TO HERO SCHEME

LATER AT THE PERCEPTION CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT…

“HE GOT AWAY!?” The police chief thunders at TrailBlazer with a mild Italian accent. They are both standing in The Chief’s office in front of his large desk with scatted papers on it.

The chief is wearing a police outfit, only decorated with a lot of small different colored ribbons. On the left side of his chest, there is a name tag with “Giuseppe” plated on it. His hair is full and styled to the right with hints of grey on both sides. His eyes are green and sharp with crow’s feet and light bags underneath. His nose is large and pointed and his lips are thin and pink with a light, full, beard that’s starting to grey. “HOW DO YOU LOSE SOMETHING THAT BIG?”

“I couldn’t see, I burned out my contacts.” TrailBlazer counters.

“Why do you even wear them when you’re just going to use your heat vision?!” Giuseppe exclaims.

“I didn’t know that was going to happen!” TrailBlazer argues. “It just happened.”

“Why the hell are you using powers that you have no control over, then!?” Giuseppe asks.

“It’s a high-stress reflex! I’m not going to just shoot beams from my eyes from sneezing.” He answers.

“Ok,” Giuseppe says lowering his tone. “Aside from you being a blind beam of heat, how did you lose him when he was right in front of you?”

“He psyched me out.” TrailBlazer starts. “He looked at me and I just…”

“Why?” Giuseppe questions, throwing his hands out.

“I have arachnophobia…”

“GOT DAMNIT!” Giuseppe bursts while turning and swiping his hand, violently, across the table, sweeping papers along with his distinguished chief hat. TrailBlazer's eyes expand before Giuseppe quickly turns back around. “You mean to tell me you let a huge ass spider man get away because of a fucking phobia?” Giuseppe blurts, slightly turning red. “Well, look at you! You just think you’re special, huh? You think you can go through life just avoiding things you’re afraid of?”

“If possible.” TrailBlazer answers shortly after.

“If any of my officers were afraid of doing a drug bust because ‘there might be rats in there’ I’ll smoke their ass so fast they’ll think they’re chopped fucking ham!”

“Do you know how hard it is for me to just look at a spider?”

“And there it is!” Giuseppe shouts. “You didn’t catch Tyrantula because you couldn’t look at him. Well, now I can’t look at you.”

“That’s harsh, chief.” TrailBlazer adds with a straight face.

“You’re useless, TrailBlazer.” Giuseppe retorts.

“Hold on a sec.” TrailBlazer squints. “I’ve brought damn near seven Malformed into custody by myself. How does not catching one man knock me down to zero?”

“Because you’re on my team, and on my team, it’s either ‘do’ or ‘don’t expect a damn pat on the back for failing’.” Giuseppe states.

“Could have fooled me.” Says under his voice.

“What?” Giuseppe questions, raising one eyebrow.

“I said ‘I’m seeing a lot of blame being thrown around but no solutions’.”

“You want a solution?” Giuseppe answers with anger before walking behind his desk. “Alright, I got a solution for your ass.” He says digging into his drawer, TrailBlazer’s eyes widening. Giuseppe places a portable radio transceiver on his table as TrailBlazer softly exhales. “Take this radio. If anything remotely looks like a spider, call it in.” He states. “I’m putting together a special task force that uses this radio’s frequency,” Giuseppe explains. “I was going to lead the investigation myself but why do that when you have all the super powers.”

“See?” TrailBlazer starts, taking the radio. “Solutions.”

“Now get the hell out of my office.” Giuseppe orders.

“Ok, gladly.” TrailBlazer complies, starting to walk for the door.

“And if that radio breaks, it’s coming out of your paycheck.” Giuseppe adds as TrailBlazer turns around, mouth agape. “Get the hell out of my office before I fasten your black ass to a chair.” Giuseppe threatens as TrailBlazer exhales before turning around and heading out. TrailBlazer closes Giuseppe’s door and heads down the hallway towards the exit to the back of the station. He presses the door open walking out onto the parking lot, cool breezes blowing by.

“How you doing, Boopie?” A woman’s, playful, voice sounds off behind him. TrailBlazer turns around to see a woman smiling and sitting on the roof of the station, swinging her legs.

The woman’s skin is a pure white. She’s wearing a pitch black, full body unitard with an inverted heart-shaped cleavage window. Over her tights, she’s wearing a neck-high, pure red, corset, with thin vertical black trim, that pushes up her bust. On her lower body, she sports a white, small pouched, utility belt that wraps around her small pair of matching red, spandex short-shorts. Her red heeled boots are knee-high and she has a pair of red gloves with white trim around the opening, on her hands. Her face is round, her nose is small and pointed and her lips are thin and a distracting red to match the rest of her outfit. She’s also wearing a black domino mask over her eyes and has very shiny, wavy, brown hair that hangs down to her butt.

“Hey, Queen,” TrailBlazer says in a low tone. “I’m alright.”

”I don’t believe you,” She starts. “You’re not as red as you usually are when you see me.” She explains before extending her hand between her legs for TrailBlazer to take. “Come up here and tell me what’s the matter, baby.” She offers, softly. TrailBlazer sighs before running up the side of the precinct and taking Queen’s hand. She pulls him up with ease and places him on her lap. TrailBlazer’s eyes lower as he scoots off her lap, sitting next to her. “Aww.” She says in disappointment.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of that spider guy running around town causing trouble.” TrailBlazer starts.

“Oh no, not spiders! You have arachnophobia.” She states, worried.

“Yeah, and I can count on three hands how many fucks The Chief gives. And now I’m on a man-hunt to find that ugly bastard.”

“Giuseppe?”

“What? No! Tyrantula.” TrailBlazer corrects with a confused look on his face. “That fucker pinned me and I blasted him right in the face with my heat vision but it burned my contacts in the process so I couldn’t see anymore.”

“Aww, not your contacts, again.” Queen tells, sincerely.

“Yep…” TrailBlazer says.

“Well, I don’t think it’s fair that you have to find something you’re afraid of so I’m going to help you find him.” She insists, determined.

“But I thought you didn’t want to be my partner.” TrailBlazer tells, puzzled.

“This isn’t about being your partner, it’s about me making sure you don’t face your fears alone.” She clarifies.

“I appreciate it but I can’t have you help me on this one.” He rejects as she looks at him with animosity.

“Why not? Is there a ho that’s going to help you ‘on this one’?” Queen questions, squinting.

“What? No!” TrailBlazer assures. “If I find thi-”

“Good.” She states with a straight face as he stares back at her with a slight squint for a short bit.

“…If I find this guy,” He slowly continues. “I’ll have to call it in.” He explains. “Which means if you’re there when Giuseppe’s new task force comes in, I’m going to have to take you in too.”

“I’m sure you didn’t give your boss your cell phone number to contact this ‘ho force’.” Queen says, certain.

“No.” He answers

“Good, because you haven’t given me your number, yet.” She states. “So what are you using to call them in?” She asks before TrailBlazer digs into his utility belt. He pulls out the transceiver, closing the pouch.

“This.” He shows her as she places both her hands on her cheeks flabbergasted.

“Ooo! Can I see it?!” She asks

“No…” He denies.

“Aww come on, I’m not going to break it.” Queen prods, smiling.

“I never said you were and now it’s a definite ‘no’.” He states placing back into his belt.

“Fine.” Queen, submits, crossing her arms, pouting. “Well, now we’re never going to find Tyrantula.” She adds.

“How is using my radio going to help us find Tyrantula?” TrailBlazer quizzes as Queen grins.

“What do tarantulas eat?” Queen questions.

“I don’t know, little black boys?” TrailBlazer shrugs.

“No, that’s racist. Try again.” She insists.

“Radios?” TrailBlazer answers, unsure.

“No, that’s techist.” She corrects.

“Queen!” TrailBlazer chastises.

“Tarantulas eat bugs.” She finally educates.

“What are you getting at?” TrailBlazer asks.

“If tarantulas eat bugs then high chance Tyrantula’s tap-dancing in the Keenston Forest where all the bugs are.” She clarifies, smiling wide.

“Tap dancing?” TrailBlazer questions, squinting.

“Yeah, so all we have to do is lure him out and I know just how to do it.” She tells with a mischievous smile, standing up.

“How?” TrailBlazer asks, standing up as well.

“First, I’ll need your walkie talkie.” She states holding her hand out.

“For what?” TrailBlazer queries, skeptical, as Queen lets out a loud groan.

“Do you want to catch Tyrantula or not?” She crosses her arms, holding one hand out.

“Fine!” TrailBlazer succumbs, digging back into his utility belt. He holds the radio over her hand then reluctantly drops it into her hand.

“Thank-ie kindly!” She appreciates. Without hesitation, she throws the tech onto the ground and stomps it under her boot. TrailBlazer freaks out, placing his hands on his head.

“WHAT THE FUCK, QUEEN!?” He bursts.

“Shhh… shhhh.” She says, placing her gloved finger to his thick lips. “That’s the first step.” She tells removing her finger. “Now your boss won’t get mad for not calling him.”

“Yeah, but that shit comes out of my paycheck!” He illuminates, pissed, as she realizes.

“Oh… I’m sorry.” She apologizes as she turns her back to him, stepping backwards into his arms. “So what are you going to do to me for breaking your toy, TrailBlazer? She seductively asks, kicking away pieces of the transceiver. “Are you going to break me?” She asks as she presses her butt into him.

“What? No! I’m mad at you. Let’s just go.” He states as she giggles with glee.

“Aww, okay. But take me home first?” She asks.

“You mean to that abandoned hospital you said I’m not allowed to go inside of? What for?” TrailBlazer asks.

“I can give you something there that might help your vision problem.” She explains as TrailBlazer’s eyebrow raises.

“Queen, that’s never helped my vision before.” He says with emphases making her giggle again.

“Not that, silly… that’s for later. I have been working on something there that’ll help your vision.” She explains before jumping into his arms. “Carry me?” She asks, looking up at him with her big brown eyes as he sighs out of inevitable affection.

“Alright.” He says looking down at her with a grin. “Just hold on tight, okay?”

“YAY!” She cheers. “Kisses?” She asks, batting her eyes and making him chuckle a bit.

“Come here, girl.” He orders as he leans down but soon stops. “Just one, okay?” He adds as she nods with agreement. TrailBlazer gently presses his soft lips to hers, holding her firmly in his arms. She moans a bit as they detach their lips from one another. Holding his queen, firmly, TrailBlazer hops off the roof and lands without struggle. “WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” She cheers as TrailBlazer takes off down the road, leaving a trail of dust.

#my ocs #writing #original characters #romantic #romance #trailblazer #queenofhearts #volatile universe

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pkansa · 6 years

Text

As I mentioned in our preview article the day the watch launched, I felt more drawn to the 40mm variants of the Shinola Canfield Sport. While the 45mm might be the more technically interesting with the extra date-related complications, it’s the compactness of the smaller sibling that does it for me. We recently spent some time with a 40mm Shinola Canfield Sport, and now it’s time to share our thoughts.

Now, don’t worry – the Shinola Canfield Sport is not about to turn me into one of the chronograph faithful. I still don’t have a particularly good use case for a chronograph, but I do like what Detroit-based Shinola is doing, both in terms of the products they’re making and the place they’ve decided to call home. Obviously, the Shinola Canfield Sport is powered by a quartz chronograph movement, and makes some interesting design choices. In that the registers are not what one would consider on the centerline. This is odd because the upper two have chrome rings, which lean it towards a panda-eye style of layout, but a break from the aesthetics you might expect there.

Internally for team WWR, this caused some consternation. Now, for me, who’s (again) not much for chronographs, I liked the dials being above the centerline, as it sets the watch apart a bit. That, along with the third sub-dial that doesn’t have the ring (and tries to blend in more) makes for a clever look. And for me, with the Shinola Canfield Sport, it’s all about the looks.

Here, the slate blue dial is spot on. And hey, look at that, they even managed to have a color-matched date wheel in there. Even the ceramic insert in the fixed bezel carries the same hue (albeit in a much shinier finish). Paired as this one was to a cognac strap, it carried a casual feel. Swap something darker, say a grey or black, onto those wire-style lugs (another detail I like on the Shinola watches) and you could certainly have something that’s a bit dressier.

With a price of $850, this iteration of the Shinola Canfield Sport is on the more affordable end of the range (which tops out at $1,100 for the 45mm on a steel bracelet). Still a premium pile of coin for a Ronda-powered quartz chronograph, for sure, but if you’re a fan of the Shinola aesthetic (and story, of course), then you’ll probably be ok with that. That is to say, it’s in line with the pricing tiers we’ve seen established for the brand. And frankly, if you like it and can afford it, then who cares what anyone else may think? You do you, and all that. For me, I’d opt for a three-hander or a GMT (as we saw in the Filson pair-up), but I wouldn’t mind seeing this shade of blue pop up other places in the catalog, that’s for sure. shinola.com

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Shinola Canfield Sport

Price: $850

Who’s it for? You’re on the hunt for a compact quartz chronograph

Would I wear it? Sure, but not with any sort of regularity

What I would change: Scrap the chrome rings on the upper sub-dials

The best thing about it: The through-and-through blue

Tech Specs from Shinola

CASE BACK PLATE: Signature Iconic Case Back Plate with Laser-Etched Serial Number

CASE SIZE: 40mm

CASE THICKNESS: 13mm

MOVEMENT: Argonite 5040.D

MOVEMENT TYPE: Chronograph

DIAL COLOR DETAIL: Midnight blue

STRAP TYPE: Leather Strap

STRAP LENGTH: 115mm x 75mm

STRAP WIDTH: 20mm

STRAP COLOR DETAIL: Dark cognac

CASE MATERIAL: Stainless Steel

CASE PLATING: Stainless Steel

CASE FINISH: Polished

TOP RING PLATING: Stainless Steel with deep blue ceramic insert

TOP RING FINISH: Polished

CROWN PLATING: Stainless Steel

CROWN FINISH: Polished

CROWN CONSTRUCTION: Push-down

BUCKLE SIZE: 18mm

BUCKLE PLATING: Stainless Steel

DEPTH RATING: 5 ATM

CRYSTAL: Double Curve Sapphire

BATTERY LIFE: EOL Technology

WARRANTY: Click here to view warranty information on page 18

Hands-on with the @Shinola Canfield Sport #chronograph #under$1000 #builtindetroit As I mentioned in our preview article the day the watch launched, I felt more drawn to the 40mm variants of the Shinola Canfield Sport.

#Canfield #Chronograph #Detroit #Quartz #Shinola

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therainroguefanfiction · 4 years

Text

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 030 [Scavenger Hunt]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,494

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“So we’ll keep on starting the fire, thinking we’ll smoke out the liars. We don’t give up when we’re tired, that isn’t the way that I’m wired. Someday, we’re gonna rule the world.” Zayde Wolf, “Rule the World (Generdyn Remix)”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Hey, kid!” Shimatsu grinned as I approached. “You were awesome in the cavalry battle!”

“Thanks,” I smiled softly. “Can I get three?”

“Coming right up!”

I glanced around at the spectators, chatting excitedly about the first two events of the sports fest. Several pro heroes were stationed around the stadium, keeping an eye out on the off chance some villain was dumb enough to try attacking. I spotted the chick from earlier, making a face at one of the food stall guys to get free food while the Woodsman scolded her for doing so.

Heroes… what does that word even mean, really? From what I remember from the TV shows and movies back home, the definition of a hero is someone that saves or helps others without ulterior motives and without personal gain. But in this world, being a hero is a job, one that young people across the globe aspire to have. People want to go pro for the fame, the fortune, and the power… If you have the title of hero, you can basically do whatever you want if Endeavor is anything to go by.

I wonder… why did my mother become a hero? Surely she got paid a lot more being a villain, so it couldn’t have been about money. She was already famous as an assassin, too. Was it the power she wanted? That doesn’t make sense, either. The world of villains makes it ten times easier to gain power because there are no rules or laws. What was her reasoning for changing her life? Did she have a dream? A goal she could only accomplish as a hero? I wish… I wish I could ask her.

“Kid?”

I snapped my attention back to the old man.

He wasn’t smiling, his brow furrowed. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

I took the box from his hand, staring down at the individually wrapped tacos. “Nah, I don’t think I am. But… I will be. So don’t worry.” I grinned at him. “Thanks for the food, Ojin.”

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

“Get those foam fingers in the air, it’s almost time for the last round! But before that, good news for everyone that didn’t make the finals – since this is a sports festival, we’ve prepared some super fun side games everyone can participate in! We even brought in cheerleaders from America to get your blood pumping! Hold up…”

“What are they doing…”

“Looks like class 1-A is going full-on fanservice!!”

The fuck is that cockatiel going on about now? I glanced around, my eyes landing on my female classmates. Uhh, why the fuck are they cosplaying as cheerleaders? Ain’t our class getting enough attention already? Sparky and Mineta look awfully happy about this… I swear if they are responsible.

“What?! You tricked us?!” Momo cried, glaring at the two boys. “You’re gonna regret this!!” Fucking called it. I sighed, approaching Momo as she sunk to her knees. “Why is that I always end up falling for that little pervert’s stupid schemes? I even used my quirk to make these outfits…”

I scratched my cheek. “Haven’t you learned not to believe anything those two dopes say? You’re too naive, Momo, and they keep exploiting that.”

“Ugh!” Punk threw her pom-poms down, face completely red. “I hate those guys!”

“Well, we go have a little time before the finals start and I kinda like these uniforms, so~” Invisigirl started frantically waving her pom-poms and I could hear the smile in her voice. “How about we just roll with it?!”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Wow, Toru, you’ve got skills.”

Momo glanced up at me with a defeated expression. “I tried looking for you to let you know. I was worried that you might get into trouble for not participating, but now I’m glad I wasn’t able to…”

“I would’ve happily gotten in trouble,” I deadpanned. “I would die before wearing that shit.”

“R-Right…”

I smiled, patting her on the head. “Thanks for lookin’ out, though, Momo.”

She smiled back, nodding her head.

I turned toward the two boys, who were too busy watching Toru as she jumped around to notice my advancing toward them. I grabbed both of them by the back of the neck and slammed their faces together. They cried out in pain, wiggling in my grasp, but my hands started to heat up and they stilled, not wanting to get burnt. I smiled brightly, my voice low. “The next time you fuckers mess with the girls, I’ll give you a taste of pure hell, mkay?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!” They cried as I threw them to the side, scurrying away with their tails between their legs. Fuckin’ idiots. I felt a tug on the back of my shirt and I turned around, raising a brow at Punk.

She shifted, her face still red in embarrassment. “Thanks for that.”

I hummed. “No problem. Sorry about that day in the locker room, I was kind of a dick to you.”

She smiled, “It’s no big deal. Water under the bridge.”

I scratched my cheek, a bead of sweat rolling down my cheek. “So, uh, what’s your name again?”

She sweatdropped. “You’re just like Bakugo, jeez. Kyoka Jirou.”

We shook hands, exchanging a grin. Huh, maybe this socializing shit ain’t as bad as I thought it was.

“Have fun competing in these side games, everyone! After they’re over, the twenty students from the top five teams will be duking it out one-on-one in a tournament-style fighting competition! I promise you’re not going to want to miss these match-ups!”

You’ve got to be kidding me. First, we gotta run around like chickens with our heads cut off, then we gotta work together and socialize, now we gotta beat the shit out of each other? Maybe I shouldn’t have dissed the idea of playing a game of golf…

“Ah, yeah! Finally getting a chance to show what we’re made of!” Kiri grinned brightly. “I watch these finals every year and now I’m actually in them!”

“So wait, is it always a tournament?” Alien asked curiously, bringing her finger to her chin.

“The final’s always a one-on-one competition, but they switch it up every time.” Flex Tape answered. “Last year, it was a foam sword-fighting match.”

I started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Kiri asked in confusion.

“I just… I pictured hitting Bakugo with a foam sword on the head…”

He paused, lifting his head as he imagined it. Then he started to laugh with me.

“Come closer and draw lots to see who you’re up again!” Midnight announced. “And then enjoy the pleasure of the recreation games before we start. The twenty finalists have the option of participating in these activities or sitting out to prepare for battle. I’m sure you all want to conserve your stamina. I’ll start with the first-place team.”

“Um, excuse me…” Tail raised his hand in the air, looking sad. “Sorry, but I’m withdrawing.”

“Ojirou, no way…”

“But this is a rare chance for you to get scouted!”

“It just wouldn’t be right,” he responded. “I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until the very end of it. I… think it was that guy’s quirk.”

I scratched my cheek thoughtfully, closing my eyes. Who was he partners with again? I don’t even remember seeing him once during the battle.

“I know this is a great opportunity,” he continued. “I wish I could take advantage of it but my conscious won’t let me.”

“Just think about this,” Izuku spoke softly.

“I have, okay?!” Ojirou’s brow furrowed as he held up his fist. “Everyone gave their all in round two, but I was just someone’s puppet. No way. I don’t want to advance if I don’t even know how I got here. It wouldn’t fair.”

“You’re making way too much of this!” Toru said cheerfully. “Just kill it in the finals and prove you should be here!”

“Yeah, what she said!” Alien added. “I didn’t do much in the battle, either.”

“That’s not it!” He covered his face with his hand. “I’m talking about my pride here. I refuse to give that up!”

Ah, men and their pride.

“Also… why are all the girls except for Winchester dressed like cheerleaders?”

“Because Mineta and Sparky are perverted dipshits,” I answered.

“Right…”

“Nirengeki Shoda from class 1-B,” A short boy with soft blue hair stepped forward. “I think I should withdraw for the exact same reason. Regardless of how strong I am, this isn’t how I wanted to get here! It would go against the values of the festival to advance without earning my spot!”

“Listen to these guys, they’re so manly!” Kirishima cried, making me sweatdrop and pat his back.

“Well now, here’s another weird turn of events.”

“We’ll have to see what Midnight has to say about all this, she’s the one in charge.”

Because letting the R-Rated hero be in charge sounds like a banger of a plan. What could possibly go wrong.

“This sort of talk is incredibly naive, my dear boys. That turns me on!”

“What the fuck, man.” I groaned, smacking my forehead. Thinking of Midnight being turned on is the last fucking thing I want burned into my skull.

“Shoda! Ojirou! You’re both withdrawn! Now, let’s see… We’ll move four students from the sixth place cavalry team so we have enough contestants.”

The orange-haired girl from class B spoke up. “We were frozen most of the time. Honestly, we barely did anything in the cavalry battle. Isn’t that right, girls?” She looked at the three standing on either side of her, who nodded in agreement. “You should choose from the group that kept fighting the whole time – team Tetsutetsu.”

“Kendo!” The silverette spoke up, surprise lacing his voice.

She smiled. “I’m not doing this as a favor. It’s just fair.”

“Seriously, you guys… thank you!!”

“And so, Tetsutetsu, Shiozaki, Honenuki, and Reggian have advanced to the finals. Take a look at the bracket, my dears! These are your opponents!”

Let’s see, I’m fighting some bitch named Regina Reggian? The fuck kinda name is that, fam? That’s almost as bad as Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu…

“Hey, you’re Winchester, right?”

I glanced over my shoulder to see the black-haired guy with the air chain. “Depends on who’s askin’.”

“I’m your opponent,” he grinned. “The names Regina Reggian, but you can just call me Red.”

“Isn’t Regina a chick’s name?”

He sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his head. “Ah, well, my creator thought it would be funny. Pretty sure they hate me.”

“Right…” This bitch is definitely nuts.

“Listen up!” He pointed his finger in my face, pink eyes flashing as he grinned. “I’m gonna beat your ass like Jotarou beat Dio!”

“I don’t know who either of those people are, bro.”

“Whack.”

“Okay! Let’s press pause for a momentary interlude! Before the battles begin, it’s time for some pulse-pounding side games! First, how about a scavenger hunt?!”

Cards were handed out to those wanting to participate.

I flipped mine over and my eye twitched. Where the fuck am I supposed to find this shit? I glanced around the field, eyes stopping on Bakugo who was leaning against the wall looking pissed off at the world. Oh… Well, then.

I grinned as I approached him. “Oi, Bakuhoe. I need you for somethin’.”

“Huh? What for – What the fuck are you doing, bitch?!”

I ignored his protests as I threw my arm around his upper thighs and hoisted him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Fuck, you’re heavier than I thought. Go on a diet.”

“Fuck you!” He smacked the back of my head. “Put me down or I’ll kill you!”

“Quit squirming, you fuck.” I scowled, coming to a stop in front of Midnight and dropping him onto his ass, holding out my card that read ‘犬 Dog’.

“I’m not a fucking dog!!” Bakugo screamed.

I scoffed. “You sure fucking yap like one, chihuahua.”

“Die!!”

Midnight smacked the top of my head with her whip. “Denied!”

“Che, that ain’t fair, Midnight!” I scowled. “Where the fuck am I supposed to find a dog, huh? Am I fucking game to you?” I pointed at Bakugo’s face. “This is the closest fucking thing to a dog in this stadium! I demand a different card.”

“Denied!”

“Son of a -”

Bakugo shoved his hands in his pockets, glaring at the side of my head. “Instead of doing this stupid shit, you should be getting ready for your match! I won’t fucking forgive you if you lose to anyone but me!”

“Yeah, yeah, whateva.” I sighed, deeply, turning and walking away from them. I was a few feet away when I heard a high-pitched voice.

“Hey! Miss!”

I glanced up at the stands, seeing a young boy about nine or ten leaning over the railing and waving frantically. “Uhh…”

“Catch me, ‘kay?”

“Wait, what, OI -!” He jumped over the railing, making the nearby spectators cry out and try to grab him. His aim was pretty on point, not gonna lie. His body slammed against mine and I lost my balance, falling back onto my ass with him in my lap. “What the fuck were you thinkin’, huh? You coulda got seriously hurt, kid!”

He grinned brightly, showing off a gap where he was missing a top tooth. “I had faith that you’d catch me, big sis!”

Sis? What, is he a fan of James Charles or somethin’? “You shouldn’t be down here, your parents are gonna be mad.”

“Mom’s at work and dad left us when I was three.”

I sweatdropped. “Who brought you here, then?”

“My big brother! But he’s too busy getting rejected by Mt. Lady!” He giggled.

“For fuck’s sake,” I slapped my forehead. He giggled again and I narrowed my eyes. “Do not repeat anything I say. Clear?”

“Kay~” He grinned. “You need a dog for the scavenger hunt, right?”

“Yeah.”

His body started to shift in my arms, getting a bit smaller as his skin and clothes were replaced by fur. The boy was now a dog, his legs and belly white while the rest of him was a soft orange. Now, I’m not a dog person at all, but he’s pretty fucking adorable. What is that, a corgi?

He licked my cheek, making my eye twitch in annoyance. “Sorry, I can only talk to people I’ve licked!”

“…alrighty then.” I returned to Midnight, holding the kid up like I was holding Simba.

She raised a brow but didn’t question where I had gotten him from. “Approved!”

“Dope.” I brought him back to my chest. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Riku Reigen!”

“Alright, Riku. Let’s find that idiot brother of yours.”

He tilted his doggy head to the side, ears flicking. “But what about the other events, big sis? You’re gonna miss them!”

I shrugged. “I was only doing it because it was easy and I had nothing else to do. Plus, I’m in the finals so I don’t have to participate.”

“Okay, if you’re sure!” He barked happily. “Let’s go~!”

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

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