#She is just on her own in her silly [dojo] universe | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

em1e · 10 months

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baby fever | seeing shin w a little baby

⿻ mini series ft. you dating shinichiro and whatever chaos that comes from that !! ✕ cute fluff !! to make up for the heartbreak from the last one ♡ series m.list

shinichiro wants to be impressed, honestly, with how quickly his day can go downhill.

first, he woke up to mikey and emma arguing about who’d get to take the spiderman lunch box and who would get to take the batman one to the dojo with their grandpa (shinichiro was the deciding factor, and it turns out neither of them would get either – which could’ve been a mistake on his part, since the choice just made them whine and complain more at having to take brown bags).

then the clothes he threw in the dryer for his day with you weren’t completely dry, so he had to make the decision to wear slightly damp (and sour? was that smell coming from the clothes?) or be the disgusting human he knows he is deep down and wear the clothes he’s been wearing for the past week . . .

he goes for the latter, because surely he can just douse himself in cologne and that’ll get rid of any underlying smells the clothes have accumulated . . . right . . ?

there’s no time to dwell on it, because now he’s late picking you up!

you were going to kill him. he prays it’s a sweet, painless death as he knocks on your door.

and of course the universe is against him. he doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve this bad luck, but god. he might have to start repenting.

you pull the door open, and there’s a baby bouncing on your hip. you look tired, hair a mess and still in your pjs despite it being a little past the start of lunch, and the baby doesn’t look any better, crying despite your constant movement and shh’s that it’s okay.

“uh . . hi?” he offers, brows furrowing, “something you wanna tell me?”

“saw this one on the street, and thought ‘wow i’ve always wanted one of those’.” you joke humorlessly, opening the door wider so he can walk through, “my sister dropped her off because her stupid boyfriend got in trouble with the cops and her sitter canceled.”

“so no date?” he concludes, and the way you whirl around to glare at him has him holding his hands defensively, clicking his tongue, “i’ll take that as a no . . want me to take her for a sec? how long have you had her?”

you don’t hesitate to offer the baby to him, “since six this morning. she’s been fussy because her mom left.” you run a hand through your hair, clearly exhausted, but the second she’s in shinichiro’s arms, she quiets down. your eyes narrow, “how’d you do that?”

he moves to sit on the couch, and you scramble to sit beside him, passing the baby blanket he points to from her diaper bag and laying it gently over her.

“do what?” he asks, voice a thousand times softer with her in his arms, “mikey was a fusser when he was a baby, wouldn’t stop crying unless you held ‘im like this.”

it’s . . really fucking cute, admittedly, the way he gazes down at your niece and slowly rocks her to sleep. you would be upset at how easily she relaxes in his arms if it didn’t make your heart clench.

and you’re honestly too worn out to hold a grudge over something so silly.

your head finds itself on shinichiro’s shoulder, toying with a loose thread on the blanket.

“you wore that shirt yesterday.” you comment off-handedly, when your niece has been rocked to sleep and you’re ready to follow her down that same path if your eyes fighting to stay open is anything to go by.

“how do you know?” he asks, the hint of a smile teasing its way to his lips.

“grease stain from your bike,” you pause with a yawn, then continue while snuggling into his side, “saw ‘em when you drove me home from work.”

“and you didn’t tell me?” he sounds offended, but really, how does he expect you to take him seriously with the lilt in his voice like he’s still talking nonsense to your niece?

it’s soft; a side of him you’ve never seen, and it makes you ache at the prospect of having him all to yourself. your own family, your own house with a picket fence. so domestic.

“can’t wait for us to have our own.” you mumble in favor of answering his question, sleep edging its way into your voice.

“yeah?” you can still hear the way he’s smiling as he speaks, relaxing further into the couch for the impromptu nap. you only hum in response, and he knows then you’re too far gone to provide a real reply.

looking down at you, holding this baby in his arms . . . he thinks he can’t wait either.

#salmon rowe #sano shinichiro x reader #shinichiro x reader #shinichiro sano x reader #sano x reader #sano shinichiro #shinichiro sano #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers #x reader

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ressyfaerie · 3 years

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Hi ressy! I have a ficlet prompt for you <3 I'd love to read a bit about my OT3 Kai/Takao/Hiromi hanging out having ice cream (I headcanon ice cream to be the one thing that gets Kai to do almost *anything*). Takao and Kai always argue about the favorite flavor, while Hiromi just chuckles and goes for something disgusting (to both of them - neither like fruity flavors) to spite them both.

This is my last ask aaahhh so I’ve been thinking about it ALL DAY. Disclaimer: I have never shipped an OT3 but like lowkey highkey I’m living for this one? I sorta changed the prompt juuusstt a bit because my creativity got away from me, i added in some RESSYFAERIE FLARE so I hope I didn’t mess with your head cannons too much! Then it got a little bit… Uh-*sexy* so I’m plopping it into a read more. Anything in * are Hilary’s thoughts! Sorry I’m a ho-

The best time of the week was Friday.

Friday was ice cream day. Kai would meet Tyson and Hilary at the dojo taking a break from his studies. They would walk to the shop down the street and get their favourite flavours.

Would Kai ever admit how much he liked ice cream? No, but they knew. They knew him better than anyone.

They flooded the shop with their glowing demeanour, all smiling and happy to see each other after the long week apart. They stood back and studied the menu board.

Hilary wondered why they always checked the menu, they got the same thing every time. She generally stuck to fruity flavours as much as she loved chocolate. The boys didn’t like fruity flavours so it kept them from eating hers, she used this tactic for other things too, it saved her from Tyson stealing her food many times.

Tyson got vanilla like always, *just like his personality* Hilary thought.

He continued outside with his cone mentioning as he passed ‘it’s a bit busy in here!’.

Hilary looked at the menu, she wasn’t feeling very fruity today. She turned her head to Kai. He looked good, just got off of his last university class, he looked tired, but attractive.

“You look good today.” She tried to hide a smile when she complimented him.

“Thanks, you too.” He smiled on purpose, “You go first.” He gestured in front of him.

Hilary lightly brushed his hand with hers as a way of saying thanks, he liked little touches like that.

When she looked over the flavours she made a quick decision.

“Can I get the rocky road please?”

*Kai’s favourite- I shared some with him last week and I really liked it, and you know what? I deserve it.*

She got hers in a small cup with a spoon, she didn’t like cones that much, and neither did Kai; Tyson was the odd one out, always getting a cone and munching it down loudly.

Hilary got hers and left to meet Tyson outside, grinning at Kai as she left.

Kai was next and asked the worker for his favourite: rocky road.

“Oh I’m sorry! That was the last bit we had-”

“Oh different!” Tyson pointed out as soon as he saw the chocolate in the cup.

“Yeah! I really like chocolate actually, so I decided to change it up a bit.”

“Can I have some?” He moved his face closer to hers trying to sneak a bit off the small spoon in her hand.

“No! Back off you have your own!” She giggled playfully trying to push him away with her shoulder.

She had eaten so fast by the time Kai emerged from the shop she was almost finished.

Tyson frowned sensing the disappointed emotion in Kai.

“What the hell is that?” Tyson pointed to his cup with purple ice cream.

“Blackberry.”

“Yuck! I hate blackberry.” Tyson stuck his tongue out.

Kai shrugged and nodded towards the dojo.

“Should we head back?”

Tyson nodded and they walked as a duo with Hilary following behind, she stared into the bottom of the paper cup.

She had one small bite of ice cream left.

*I really want to eat it- But I should give it to Kai- but he has it every week!*

They got back to the dojo and the last bit was almost melted. They sat on the edge of the hardwood looking over the clearing. The pond was glistening in the hot summer weather.

She decided Kai wouldn’t want it anyways since it was melted, and shoved the rest on the tiny spoon and ate it. She kept the spoon in her mouth absorbing the last of the flavour and noticed both boys staring at her.

Tyson widened his eyes, “I can’t believe you stole Kai’s ice cream.”

She took the spoon out of her mouth, “I didn’t steal it! I didn’t know it was the last one!”

Tyson gave Kai a look, Kai grinned back flirtatiously, he directed his attention back to Hilary, “No you definitely stole my ice cream.” He sounded serious, but his face showed a silly expression.

“I didn’t steal it!” She whined.

“You didn’t even give him any either, what a bad girlfriend.” Tyson teased and licked some of the vanilla of his cone.

Kai clicked his tongue while judging her silently.

“Fine! I’ll buy you more tomorrow.” Hilary slammed the empty paper cup and spoon beside her on the hardwood floor.

“Now she’s grumpy- What are we going to do about her Kai?” Tyson laughed off the slight threat.

“Well, we definitely can’t give her too much attention.” Kai looked away from her off into the distance in the complete opposite direction.

She hung her jaw in disbelief.

“I agree.” Tyson copied Kai’s glance.

“H- Hey!” Hilary complained, not that she wanted to be the center of attention, she just didn’t want to be ignored.

“Hey Kai, want some of my ice cream?” Tyson pointed the cone in his direction.

“Of course.” Kai grinned and locked eyes with Hilary.

He started from the bottom and licked all the way to the top still keeping eye contact.

Hilary’s jaw hung lower, and she blushed a bit.

“Hey there’s some on your lip Kai-” Tyson poked Kai’s cheek with his finger.

“Is there? Can you get it?”

Tyson giggled, “sure.” He gently kissed him, cleaning his face up perfectly.

Kai kept his eyes locked on Hilary, relishing in her jealousy.

When they first started doing- Whatever it was they were doing, they didn’t really have a label yet- Hilary had predicted many things, some were true and some were very, very wrong. One of the things she assumed was that Tyson would be the tease, and he was, but she wasn’t prepared for Kai.

Kai was the real tease in this relationship, and she loved it.

Tyson went back to licking his ice cream, and Kai- like always, upped his game.

He started licking it too, shooting side glances to Hilary, he stopped briefly to rub his forehead on Tyson’s.

“It’s a shame we're ostracizing Hilary, she would love this.” Kai’s eyes were slightly squinted as he gifted her another one of his looks.

Hilary pouted, giving him an angry glare.

“She stole your dessert, this is a punishment.”

“Such a shame, she’s usually-”

“Our dessert.” Tyson pointed out nonchalantly.

“You guys are driving me crazy!” Hilary pushed herself off the hardwood floor and launched herself towards them.

Kai tried to push her back and Tyson angled himself away trying desperately to protect his precious ice cream.

“Hey, hey! Guys watch my ice cream!” He groaned when Kai and Hilary fell in a pile behind him.

Kai had trapped Hilary with her back on the floor, he loomed over her, she blushed at the familiar sight.

“I’m sorry-” She apologized without making eye contact.

“It’s okay. I’m not really angry.” Kai leaned a bit closer.

“What’s going on here?” Tyson tried to sandwich himself between them but only managed to lay on his side closer to Hilary.

“You should get more flavours other than fruit- if you want.” Kai mentioned it while checking out Tyson beside her.

“Yeah Hilary, you can get chocolate flavours. It’s all ice cream.” Tyson brushed back her hair gently.

Hilary giggled, “I guess you’re right. I really like the chocolate ones-”

“What flavour was it again Kai? Chocolate…”

Kai thought for a moment.

Kai expertly let his body fall and kissed Hilary.

Kai grinned, admiring her blushing face.

“Rocky road.”

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medea10 · 3 years

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Medea’s Worst Year of All-Time Anime/Game Superlative

Nobody saw this year coming…except for maybe Barbara Walters! Who could have predicted that this year would bless us with Australia burning, the entire west coast of the U.S. set on fire, stupid people setting fires because they wanted to reveal a baby’s gender, murder hornets, Ruth Bader Ginsburg dying, an almost war with Iran, serial killer mascots arrested, policemen killing unarmed black folks for having a counterfit $20, policemen killing unarmed black folks for breaking up a fight, policemen killing black folks for holding sandwiches, policemen killing unarmed black folks for fucking sleeping, a wide variety of “Karens” coming out of the woodworks, the end of Bojack, the end of Steven Universe, the end of Empire, and a pandemic so huge it’s killed the economy, canceled fun, and given the U.S. president the dumb-fuck idea of injecting bleach to kill the virus!?

SERIOUSLY, WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED ALL OF THIS WAS GOING TO FALL IN OUR LAPS LIKE HOT COFFEE ON THE CROTCH?!

At least there was anime this year.

…

At least there was SOME anime this year.

…

Biden won the election and Vickeblanca came out with Black Catcher this year.

Hey internet, it’s Medea here to give you her trashy opinion on this years anime and games that she’s watched or played. Because for some reason, my loser-ass loves to do out-dated as fuck memes! I shouldn’t complain, this shit brings a lot of attention to my page every year when I do this. Yes, 2020 was a complete dumpster fire so large that Domestic Girlfriend is crying foul. Many of us had to go on lockdown and ended up binge-watching the entire 957+ episodes of One Piece. I did no such thing. I am one of those “essential workers” so I didn’t hunker down for 9 months straight. But when I was home, I was watching anime. Actually, I would have done that even without the pandemic. I’m an introvert and find the human race to be deplorable.

You all know how this goes. I go over the best this year had to offer me. I had to search really hard to find the good in this year, especially in the anime world. Many things had to be put on hiatus or were delayed to a later date. Just a reminder, I don’t discriminate in what year the anime or game came out. If something came out in the happier times of 2007, that anime or game counts! Let’s get at it!

First Fandom of 2020: Interspecies Reviewers

Did anyone expect a fan-favorite of 2020 was going to be a hentai? Did anyone have on their batshit 2020 bingo card that a hentai was going to grab everybody’s attention? At the beginning of the year, my mind was set on the Railgun sequel and Eizoken. It wasn’t until licensors, streaming sites, and TV stations in Japan dropped this series that I started to pay attention. And got immediately hooked! It’s about three men going to different brothels and reviewing their time with the ladies. And these ladies are of different species! So with every bang comes possible enlightenment, new kinks, or a night of having your dick sucked off more than humanly possible. This anime blew away all of my skepticism and first impressions right out the window. Maybe it’s because I’m a degenerate and am often curious about sexual content, but this was a guilty pleasure of mine this year.

Favorite Main Character of 2020: Moroha from Yashahime

I know the majority of this story is going to revolve around Towa and Setsuna, but can we please focus a little more energy on the spunky, quarter-demon girl?! I know they’re pitting Moroha as the comic relief, but I’m hopeful that she’s going to surprise us one day. We fans of InuYasha would spend the past decade and some change wondering what InuYasha and Kagome’s daughter would be like. This year, we got our answer with Moroha. She’s got this wild side to her, probably due to the fact that she’s spent her entire life on her own. And while she’s silly at times, she can get down to business in a pinch. She has her father’s sense of smell. She has a sword. She’s able to shoot sacred arrows much like her mother. And to top it all off, she has this special rouge that if she puts it on, she’s able to unleash that ¼ demon power inside her and become Beniyasha! Yeah, I know the power only lasts a minute, she’s only 14, give her a break! I will gladly go through another week scratching my head at the confusion this story gives me if I get to see one more second of Moroha and her crazy antics or her bad-ass slaying.

Favorite Villain of 2020: The Devil Believers from Black Clover

This was one hell of a year for Black Clover. It would have been an easy choice to pick the devil and possible super devil that appeared during the elf fight. But I’d like to give a nod to the filler arc villains. And you can’t blame this group for wanting the power of the devil. They’re literally the bottom-rung of the Clover Kingdom and ones with little to no power or mana. So I can agree with why they would want the power of the devil. For one thing, they’d have more power. And for another thing, they’d be able to exact revenge on those who have wronged them. On some occasions I agree with exacting revenge and when it comes to the nobles and some characters in Black Clover, some folks do deserve death. I mean, have you met the king of the Clover Kingdom? Plus, this town and many other poorer towns get looked over by the kingdom. Peasant uprise! Anyways, I thought these people were really crafty in their crimes. I mean, they were able to knock Asta out on his ass with specially made poisons. I was actually hooked to this story of Black Clover (despite it being a filler arc). I know we’ll never see them again as they have been exiled, but it did have me semi-rooting for them.

Favorite Video Game Character of 2020: Honey from Pokemon – Sword & Shield (Expansion Pass)

Sorry Raymond from Animal Crossing!

Honey is the saucy wife of Mustard…I did not expect that to come out the way it did, but here we are! She has one hell of a team you can fight once a day. She looks out for her husband, the dojo, and the students of the dojo like they were her own children by providing food, drinks, and others. However that does come at a price as you do have to give up a sizable chunk of your watts that you collect in raid dens. I’m sure a bunch of MILF chasers were more than happy enough to give her all their hard-earned watts just so they can have their one-on-one moment on the beach with Honey.

What won me over was when that one guy from a rival dojo bad-mouthed her husband’s dojo and she…I think she kicked this guy’s ass herself. I don’t think she used any of her pokemon. Game Freak won’t show it, but we all know she kicked this guy’s ass to a point where he’s begging for mercy.

Honey, for the win!

Favorite Game of 2020: Animal Crossing New Horizons

This game was just Zen for me. I know the release of this game came with some controversy like Gamestop saying it’s an essential business and will remain open for people to get their copies of the game. Hell, I was one of those assholes in line waiting to get a copy on March 20th. Did I predict that a pandemic was going to rage out of control when I got a prepay copy of this for Christmas 2019? NO! I only predict political things, not deadly pandemics! The good news, we social distanced, didn’t catch the covid and got the game.

Anyways, this game has been a non-stop calming and fun ride. I can even forgive their botch-up of Bunny Day. They even have events for holidays I never thought they would ever touch. I mean, does anybody know when Museum Day is? Probably not until Animal Crossing had an event for it! I’ve been able to let my freak-flag fly with designing my island. And this goes way beyond New Leaf for the 3DS. I can make a sign post with the words “Fuck Trump” on it and post it in my yard. I can dig up trees and plant them elsewhere. I can poop in a toilet. I can craft furniture and put my own design on it. My furniture can have Tracey Sketchit’s beautiful mug on it. I can sit on Tracey Sketchit’s face. I am a sick fuck and I don’t care. I can give Raymond and Bob maid outfits. Magical time in my game! My hopes for next year…I don’t know, get the Festivale furniture, get Papi and Olivia to join my island, maybe visit Danny Trejo’s island, who knows, sky’s da limit!

Favorite Het Couple of 2020: Nasa and Tsukasa Yuzaki from Tonikawa

This is one of the most unorthodox marriages I’ve ever seen. But in this 90 Day Fiance world we’re living in, I shouldn’t pass judgement on these two getting married in episode one and not knowing much about each other. Nasa meets Tsukasa as he was about to be plowed by a truck. Tsukasa saves his life. Nasa says she’s beautiful. Tsukasa says she’ll be his girlfriend if they get married. He agrees. She disappears. Four years later, Tsukasa appears in front of Nasa’s front door with a marriage registration form. Congratulations buddy, you’ve got yourself a waifu! In some way, this felt like watching Yamato and Takeo from My Love Story. I was fascinated with them progressing through their relationship. The only difference is that Yamato and Takeo took the old-fashioned route. This couple did everything ass-backwards in terms of having a relationship. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Nasa and Tsukasa’s relationship during each episode. I find them cute.

Favorite Yuri Couple of 2020: Karin Asaka x Emma Verde from Love Live Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

AAAAAAAAAH! I’M IN IDOL HELL AGAIN! Yeah, no kidding! I came this close to putting Miu x Nicole from that abomination 22/7. But thank God for Love Live! There’s no telling if any of the girls from the Love Live franchise are confirmed to be lesbians. But fuck it, all of them attend all-girl schools, no males exist anywhere, and Sunshine gave us Kanan x Mari! Yeah, you know Kanan and Mari is canon as fuck, don’t at me. So naturally, I found more third-years to ship in the new Love Live series. Now I know I should have put up Ai x Rina or Ayumu x Yuu. Especially the latter due to recent events! But Emma x Karin is my OTP.

Now Emma is an exchange student from Switzerland and in coming to Nijigasaki, she first meets Karin and they became instant friends. When Emma said she wants to become an idol, Karin helped her quite a bit. Even though Karin had no interest in being an idol as her modeling career is starting up, Karin would occasionally help Emma out. And surprise, surprise, Karin ends up fascinated with the idol world and Emma helps her come to the light to be herself there. Okay, I’m totally reading this in some fragmented way, but I’m currently playing Love Live School Idol Festival All Stars and the app game has a lot more stuff involving stuff the anime has yet to talk about. Confirmed or not, Karin x Emma for the win!

Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2020: Eiji Okumura x Ash Lynx from Banana Fish

It took me a while to get here, but I finally made it to 2018’s overlooked gem. Forgive me for not being fully caught up, but from what I’m watching at the moment, I’m sticking to my guns and supporting the hell out of this. I mean, I could have mentioned The Titan’s Bride here…but fuck no, I ain’t goin’ down that mess! Ash has gone through a lot, I mean a helluva lot in his past. His cute boy looks have made him a target on the streets of New York, with mafia dons, and with prison inmates. But dude can kill if you mess with him. Then you have Eiji, who is just a literal example of a “pure cinnamon roll (until episode 8)”. These two are as opposite as you can possibly get. Ash is from New York and Eiji is from Japan. Ash likes hot dogs with everything on it. Eiji likes grilled fish and natto. Ash spent the majority of his life killing on the streets. Eiji was a track superstar. You get my meaning. But when we got these two together it’s quite adorable. Ash is really able to change when he’s around Eiji. Ash isn’t some heartless killer on the street about to kill a thug with prosthetic fingers. When he’s with Eiji, he’s a joker that can easily get scared of pumpkins. And even in later episodes, you got these two acting like a husband and wife.

Fandom That You Didn’t Expect to Get Into: Les Miserables – A Girl Named Cosette

Let me explain a little something. Les Mis! I have never seen the play, watched the movie, or read the novel prior to picking up this anime. Not a single one of those! And that’s a bit of a head-scratcher when you realize I was a bit of a musical theater nut in my teenage years. But one thing I do like is when Japan does an anime based on plays or historical events (like Romeo x Juliet or Rose of Versailles). The second I popped in Les Miserables the anime, I wanted to binge watch the whole 52 episode series. It is by no means a perfect adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Several key players end up surviving all the way up to the end of the story! But because this was my very first viewing of anything Les Mis, I took to the story of Cosette and was eager to see what was going to happen next in her tale. Unlike the movies and play, Cosette was the main focus of the story besides Jean Valjean and Javert. And thanks to watching the unfortunate stories of Cosette, Jean Valjean, the Thenadiers, Javert, Marius, and the rest, I thought it was time to watch the OTHER adaptations to Les Mis.

…

Russell Crowe sucks.

Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

Higurashi or When They Cry is one of my favorite fandoms of all time! So naturally when we heard that it was making a comeback, I was excited. It was also very odd that Higurashi was given this sequel or reboot. Ahem! There’s another franchise that needs a face-lift. Umineko still deserves a better treatment. Plus, now that this series was out of the faulty hands of Studio Deen, Higurashi will get the special care it deserves. Believe it or not, it wasn’t just the anime that made a comeback for me, but the manga as well. Since 2009, I’ve read several volumes (out of order) and would every now and then come back to read the story. Back to the anime, this reboot or sequel…you know what, I’m gonna call it a “rebooqual”! This rebooqual sucked me back to the town of Hinamizawa and all the murders. Every week, I find myself comparing the current episode to one from the 2006 version. But then the fourth episode of each arc seems to catch me off guard.

Where are they going with this story and these twist endings to our favorite arcs? I did not expect Rena to turn a simple attempted murder into the end of School Days! I didn’t expect Rika to die in the most disgusting fashion they could think of. Could someone kill Teppei fucking Hojo? I will pay ¥5000 for someone to do that job. So yeah, because I know how much of this plays out and who does what, I’m usually watching and reading while making wise-ass remarks. But I still have fun with it.

Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: Konosuba

In a year where I caught up with the popular Isekais like Shield Hero and Re:Zero, I found the wacky misadventures of Kazuma Satou to be amusing as all get-out. From the first 5 minutes, I found myself laughing at Kazuma’s misfortune. Seriously, how the fuck do you mistake a tractor for a car, have a heart attack, piss yourself, and fucking die in the first couple minutes to the series? You can only get away with this shit in gag animes! But it’s not just Kazuma’s dumbass, there’s a mage who only does explosions, but loses all her energy after one blow-up. Then there’s a busty, blonde who gets turned on by getting hurt and can’t strike anything with her sword. Anime’s biggest masochist or Cheryl Tunt incarnate, I haven’t decided which one to believe! Then you have this loud, crazy goddess chick named Aqua. She’s also useless about 86% of the time! Watching their unfortunate missions is all the crack that I need to get through this year. Seriously, Darkness is just all kinds of fucked up, but we love her.

Last Fandom of 2020: Yashahime

That’s right, the InuYasha sequel gets top spot here! Even though week after week I find myself asking more questions than when the episode started, I’m still hooked. If you’re like me, you watched and fell in love with the series InuYasha. So if they’re doing a sequel, you’re expecting to see all of your favorite characters from the prequel like InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Sesshomaru, Koga, Rin, and the rest. Actually, no! Quite the opposite! We’ve got Sesshomaru’s daughters, but no Sesshomaru. Rin is sleeping in a tree we think! We’ve got InuYasha and Kagome’s daughter, but they’re M.I.A. None of the girls even know a thing about their birth parents.

Now are these new characters a catch like the ones from the previous series? Some are! The three main girls, yes! Especially Moroha! I’ve already praised her name earlier in the superlative. Towa and Setsuna do take on some personality traits from their parents. Setsuna is definitely serious like Sesshomaru and Towa sometimes has a carefree yet loyal aura to her like Rin. I know I’m always skeptical when a series gives us a sequel featuring the offspring of the main characters. Especially when you’ve got some lame examples like Boruto and Eureka Seven AO (I might retract my diss on Boruto later)! As each week gives us a new episode, we’re unraveling new clues into a lot of things involving our old favorite characters, as well as the new ones. So I have high hopes for Yashahime for the time being!

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teefa85 · 4 years

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With some general planning and completely reworking the map from that old fangame (it’s a horrible mess of a place...but that’s cuz I was trying to railroad a few things with bridges and needed to fill a whole game on one island) I’ve managed to finally get the Southern Island Alliance planned out in this project! Long story short on WHY we have an original island chain...in trying to figure out a past for Lufia in the old crossover fics (as we don’t know what happened between Erim’s rebirth as her and her meeting the hero...since she’s been alive 16 years according to the story but didn’t meet him until 7 years later) this place happened to be where Erim descended. Originally, it was just Carinz, the Magic Island, but in refitting it for the Muse Universe the others were created.

So our islands are...Carinz the Magic Island...Coshen the Artisan’s Island...Soshen the Technological Island...and Ukutan the Warrior’s Island. Yes, their names came out of my silly head since they were made independent of the whole “Latin = Magic” thing from all those years ago. Still went with the thematicness for all places...

Starters: I have four islands. Made over a decade ago! It was only appropriate they get Alola’s Starters. In fact, that’s why Rutee and Teefa have Alolan Starters! Lufia’s mother is Teefa’s aunt and her father is Rutee’s uncle through the two’s mothers. So she gave a Litten to Rutee and a Popplio to Teefa, then took the Rowlett that Salah didn’t want for herself. NOTE...above story is based on the altered version of Lufia’s backstory from our childhood game, as we don’t 100% know how Erim returned besides the words of Daos, who might not know her actual story (as he doesn’t know Erim isn’t on his side till TLR) and is canonically trying to screw with Lufia’s mind.

Eevee: Each of the Royal Capitals care for Eevees and let them frolic in a garden alongside other local Pokemon. So while not in the wild, they can be caught by trainers who earned the trust of the breeders who raise Eevees.

Legendaries: More Alola flair with two legends. One is the story of four towers, erected by ancient evils on each of the islands. As the Demons within were threats to Human and Pokemon alike, the four Tapus descended to help them wage war and free the islands. Now, each of them resides on top of one of the towers to protect it. The other is a legend about a “creature of the stars” that descends once in a while to bless trainers. This being...Cosmog! In fact, Lily, youngest princess of Carinz currently has one that became a Lunala. This is the only place in the world that Cosmog has been known to appear in. As for the rest...Necrozma crashed onto the Vuono Mountain Range in Coshen and rests there, too wounded to do anything and waiting for a worthy person to grant it light again. Zeraora resides in the Levitus Cave on Carinz, taking in its power of Lightning. Shaymin has been known to appear before musicians in the Yyr Forest Clearing on Soshen, and Marshadow resides in the derelict palace Daothi on Ukutan.

Ultra Beast: Xurkitree has taken up residence in the Abandoned Magic Factory on Carinz. It’s close enough to Levitus Cave that it still can absorb some excess Lightning without having to fight for territory with Zeraora.

Fossils: As this is like Alola, I decided to make this a no-Fossil Region.

Other Interesting Facts: Each island, like Alola, has their own Oricorio Form. If I’m putting ‘mons in multiple Regions...I’m taking this ‘mon’s origins to its natural conclusion. Also, for some reason, Corsola (and therefore Mareanie) only gather at the southern points in each island...researchers haven’t figured it out yet.

We’ve also got an interesting open air market in Coshen’s capital, and a prestigious academy in the city of Angelus in Carinz. A famous dojo exists on Ukutan. Really...I had to say that since I needed to save that stuff somewhere!

Dunno when the next set will be. Need to improve two regions and actually get Elemen started!

#muse universe #gaia pokedex project

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loveinclined-archive · 6 years

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headcanons : silly stuff

RE: CASSANDRA-ISMS

when cassandra was nine, she was walking home with dulcie and keandra through one of the huge buildings where griffins nest, and a bunch of griffin eggs hatched…and all imprinted on cassandra. cassandra had no choice to but to care for the babies, with the mother griffin moving into the family’s front yard.

her mothers were not happy.

cassandra will sometimes speak in a singsong voice, just because she’s used to it, and it’s not really weird to her to do it- she’ll also do it to convey different emotions if she’s talking with someone who knows capellan enough to get it.

an amazing headcanon that sammun came up with is that a singsong voice is also cassandra’s like slurred voice- when she’s tired or drunk.

as the boys get older, cassandra isn’t as afraid to swear around them- by now, it’s nothing they haven’t heard before…but she’s always careful not to swear around the boys & splinter

however she still does not let the boys swear casually- if its out of anger, or surprise, she’ll let it slide, but other than that…she’ll make them go brush their teeth. this comes from her misunderstanding the concept of washing someone’s mouth with soap- she thinks the goal of it is to simply clean their mouth. donatello has the best dental hygiene bc of this

cassandra always has party poppers on her, without fail. she carries usually 2 or 3 in her bag or pocket, and it’s gotten the point where she’ll use them for the most mundane of things. just did the dishes? time to fucking party. mikey’s been cooking? party popper. donnie made something cool? that gets TWO party poppers.

the best time though is after a battle, when everyone’s tired and aching, and suddenly cassandra’s just. popping party poppers.

cassandra probably hasn’t been around a lot of animals/pets to be honest?? like her family didn’t have pets on capella, ioavis was exclusively populated by ioavians, she might have encountered these huge, lizard like beasts pyrrites used as horses on pyrrah, but she never got attached to them…

so mikey’s cats & of course, spike, are cassandra’s first experiences with pets! and tbh? cassandra loves cats. don’t even try to talk to her if there’s a cat in the room that she hasn’t encountered before, because she’s going to try to befriend it.

cassandra wouldn’t get a pet cat because she knows they unnerve splinter, and she feels like it’s fair because she’s pretty much the same way with dogs. it’s an unspoken rule- splinter wouldn’t introduce a dog into the family because she’s scared of dogs, cassandra won’t do that with cats.

anyway it should be noted that cassandra looks down on fortune-tellers/clairvoyants who pass off their visions as Fate and Unavoidable. she’s more lenient if the clairvoyant genuinely did not know that fate really…isn’t a thing (at the very least, to the rest of the galaxy). but on the whole, cassandra will be quick to “correct” them and will honestly talk down to them.

likewise, anyone who tries to pass off bad deeds as simply being “fate” will be regarded with scorn from cassandra. and those who try to write off their good deeds as their destiny will be assured that their deeds were of their own doing- they chose to be good.

i should probably talk more about this- in my lore, fate & destiny do not exist. of course, the concept of them exists but most of the universe knows it to be false. prophecies aren’t a thing, and if they are, they’re more of guidelines than “this will definitely happen.” if this conflicts with someone else’s lore, i’d love to talk about it and reach some kind of middle ground! but yes, fate does not exist in my lore.

cassandra has definitely taken the boys trick or treating before.

if we’re going off “hello, clairvoyant?” canon and not….canon canon, then splinter might have taken them once before? since they are like 6 years old in ‘hello, clairvoyant?’

paola paints ‘seams’ onto the boys so they look like they’re wearing costumes

it takes a few years, but cassandra Goes All Out for halloween. decorating the lair, watching halloween movies, etc.

she loves to dress up too tbqh. she’s been a witch, a knight, and a pirate before.

gosh but i can see paola dressing up as vivi from final fantasy and joining them.

all versions of cassandra need glasses- classic cassandra usually wears contacts, but keeps her old glasses on hand in case she needs them. hellion has either healed or eyes or hasn’t, but just refuses to wear glasses.

when she counts on her fingers she starts with pinky

she adores fruit, especially chocolate covered fruit. she also loves crunchy peanut butter. her family has caught her just eating peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon many times before. her favorite food ever is pop rocks, and is usually eating them at the worst possible moment.

cassandra has a habit of speaking without really meaning to, especially when she’s got a lot on her mind.

hope everyone likes pumpkin spice, bc that’s the only flavored food cassandra’s buying for all of fall. even those nasty pumpkin spice m&ms

the boys definitely played with cassandra’s hair a lot when they were younger- they were absolutely fascinated by it at first and honestly still are. sometimes the boys offer to brush her hair for her because they like playing with her hair

cassandra really likes picking people up. not like flirting but like physically picking them up and carrying them places. she likes showing off her strength and likes being close to ppl when she carries them.

cassandra’s always very affectionate but on holidays like national cuddle up day (january 6th), valentine’s day, national kissing day (july 6th), national hand holding day (today) give her and Excuse™ to be even more affectionate

i can totally see cassandra liking superman (last of his kind? very powerful but also a nerd? hmm…sounds familiar).

it takes a lot for her to get drunk, but once she is drunk…goodbye emotional barriers. she cries 500% more but usually it’s happy crying. and she’s vERY likely to blurt out a love confession when drunk.

cassandra is also extremely clingy when drunk and will lean on you or lay on you.

cassandra loves to sit in the tree in the dojo. sometimes she’ll sit in on the boys and splinter training and just sit up there watching them. cassandra likes being up high and swinging on stuff, so she probably sits on the tire swing a lot too.

cassandra cheats during family game night unless someone says “mom don’t use your clairvoyance.” in her mind, if you don’t remember that she’s clairvoyant, that’s on you.

cassandra would absolutely learn how to do card tricks to impress the boys- maybe even just on her own. cassandra’s that person who will pull out a deck of cards at a party and will do magic tricks to get out of having to actually have meaningful conversations with people

glow in the dark stars are something unique to earth, and cassandra is just in love with them, so she puts them all over the lair on the ceiling, in her bedroom, in paola’s cabin, and in her spaceship. glow in the dark stars everywhere.

cassandra makes sure all her kids know how to sew. leo got really good at it and can actually make some p decent looking stuff- he’s best at stuffed animals tho.

whether or not cassandra is weaker than her partner, if they’re sparring she’s still gonna throw them off by kissing them

everyone cassandra knows has, at some point, gotten some form of winter gear that she’s made from her for christmas or during the holiday season. it’s generally the first holiday you spend with the family, honestly. cassandra just wants to make sure everyone’s warm enough during the winter

cassandra absolutely taught the boys how to play their instruments. in addition, she taught raph how to play the trombone.

as the boys get older and start to push away cassandra’s affection (for the sake of being “cool” and “mature”) her heart breaks a little more every time they reject a hug or kiss on the cheek/forehead.

since cassandra herself struggles with being organized and neat, her rule is that the common area, kitchen, dojo and lab have to be clean. the boys’ rooms can be as messy as they like, but everywhere else has to be clean

gross thing cassandra will do to freak people out: put food that maybe shouldn’t be eaten raw in her mouth and cook it in her mouth, then stick her tongue out so people can see it. however, she can’t cook with her inclination- at least, not well.

cassandra smells like cinnamon & apples & campfires & (sometimes) sweat. she might smell like smoke if she’s just got home from work, but she usually takes showers right away after getting from responding to a fire.

since cassandra has both time blindness from her adhd, and also an incredible awareness of time as it moves due to being an augur, cassandra’s perception of time is really messed up. you will frequently hear her say “time isn’t real.”

#♥ ╎ and the universe said everything you need is within you. / headcanons : all.#♥ ╎ AND THE UNIVERSE SAID I LOVE YOU. / headcanons : isms.#long post //

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erhiem · 3 years

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Zack Snyder Excess is king with such a distinctive filmmaking style that you can watch one of his films from a mile away. His visuals rely on brightly contrasting colors, slo-mo fight sequences, and huge action set pieces, which are quite impressive regardless of the quality of the film. Another Major Component of the Snyder Movie needle drop, which he employs to make his big action sequences more impressive.

However, he does not usually use the original version of the song. Snyder really loves the cover. While this may have led to the low cost of re-licensing, they have become such a Snyder staple to the point that they define their work as much as their over-the-top script and chaotic cinematography. Whether a cover or an original recording, however, Zack Snyder’s musical choices are such an important tone-setting tool that they can really make or break his movies.

While there are some exceptions- man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hul (No, the Owl City song doesn’t count because it was written specifically for the film) – Snyder includes at least one needle drop per film where the song choice is as subtle as a hammer in the face.

Zack Snyder began developing this music trademark with his 2004 debut feature, morning of the dead, is a remake of George A Romero’s 1978 film of the same name in which a group of survivors roam an abandoned mall during the zombie apocalypse. Hoping to be saved, the group “befriends” another survivor, who is trapped in their gun shop in a parking lot, communicating with a whiteboard and a pair of binoculars.

During the montage of the characters’ daily routines, a cover of distraughtPerformed as “Down with the Sickness” Richard Cheese Plays on the soundtrack. Cheese is a lounge singer, so instead of the hard rock intensity of the original recording, Cheese’s version is relaxed and smooth. It’s happy, which is a term that is often applied to the heavy metal music of Not Disturbed. This needle drop is an example of Zack Snyder’s use of music to comedic effect. With shots of swarms of zombies in the parking lot, the song makes the terrifying situation feel normal, a part of the characters’ everyday lives, such as their conversation on the roof.

then came watchman, an adaptation of Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel by Snyder. This is when the filmmaker really started playing with the needle drops of both the cover and the original music, using the song to pack an emotional punch from start to finish. First, we have Nat King Cole While crooning “Unforgettable” the vigilante fought the comedian off an unidentified assailant. The melodious voice and romantic vibe of the song is contrasted with the intense violence on screen as blood slowly flies across the screen and bones ooze out from the skin.

Shortly thereafter, Snyder added Bob Dylanof “The Times Are A-Changing” with a spectacular opening sequence that establishes the context of the vigilante hero group known as the Watchmen and how this world exists in an alternate version of America. The song choice is quite literal as the history of Watchmen is shown changing before the eyes of the audience, but Dylan’s lyrics and unique voice still make it a perfect pairing; The conjunction creates a sense of nostalgia for an unknown past. It is such an impressive use of existing music to play with the atmosphere of the film.

But it crashed with Snyder’s decision to use Leonard Cohen“Hallelujah” on a graphic sex scene between Night Owl and Silk Specter. Cohen’s hoarse voice syncs with each thrust of Night Owl’s hips in the most uncomfortably way that removes any and all sexuality. Perhaps Jeff Buckley’s cover would have made more sense, as it is better for the intimacy, but also the sadness behind the moment. Snyder nearly hit a needle drop homerun but was actually out in the last minute.

He almost recovers from his use of “All Along the Watchtower” Jimi Hendrix Experience The film’s climax, but nothing can really help the movie come back after its “Hallelujah” scene.

However, that didn’t put Snyder down. He continued to layer the needle drop on top of the needle drop in his 2011 film sucker Punch, to the extent that it becomes excessive. Sure, it’s great for audiences to hear a song they know, but there comes a time when music becomes a crutch—as if Zack Snyder had enough faith in the story and its action to excite the audience. is not.

he keeps björk Singing “Army of Me” they have a mash-up Queenof “I Want It All” and “We’ll Rock You,” and he has not one, not two, but seven covers, with songs being re-done by Jefferson Airplane, artisans, puppet, the Beatles, and others. There are only nine songs in the soundtrack. The music gets distracting and clashes with the big set pieces sucker Punch, which includes a dragon-guarded castle and a snow-capped dojo.

The two most notable covers are performed by the film’s lead actress, Emily Browning: “Sweet Dreams (It’s Made Of)” by eurythmics and “Where Is My Mind” by pixies. Both Browning’s renditions are haunting versions of the original songs, and therefore better match the film’s overall tone. The use of “Where Is My Mind” is incredibly on the nose. Slow acoustic guitars and Browning’s sad voice play over a scene of her character, Babydoll, who is admitted to a mental institution. The words “where’s my mind” flow over a shot of him being brought to the hospital, dwarfed by two large guards in white. It provides a very literal explanation of the events at hand.

The cover of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” features a babydoll who enters her own version of her dream to escape her harsh reality. In this context, the slow-down version of the dance song feels right while the character floats through the various realities in which she is being used and abused by men in positions of power. Browning’s voice echoes the pain in Babydoll’s eyes as she tries to find a place where she can feel safe in her mind. The music then swells with the booming tone of an organ that echoes a brief moment of catharsis as it settles into a new time and place of its creation.

Sadly, when Snyder began making the superhero films known as the DC Extended Universe franchise, his directing style took an eighties as his complexion faded and needle drops were few and far between.

She’s Up To The “Snyder Cut”, Her Four Hour Version Justice League. There’s also one during Aquaman’s introduction when he gulps down a bottle of wine and runs down a sea wall in the middle of a storm as the waves crash around him. is confronted with the epic nature of the scene and its kinetic energy Nick CaveThe melancholy of “There’s an Empire”, it feels like Aquaman’s own inner soundtrack to his own loneliness. It’s an awkward visual and aural pairing, but it serves to establish the character as more than just muscle.

Interestingly, this is the scene in the original cut. Justice League features instead the White Stripes‘ “Icky thump,” which creates an entirely different tone. With fast drums and guitar riffs, the song’s energy better matches the chaos surrounding Aquaman, and instead of reflecting any of the protagonist’s interiority, it makes him more badass. With Zack Snyder’s musical changes, he is trying to give his characters more depth than in the original film. Although not ultimately successful, it’s fascinating to see how Snyder considers the outside music as important as the score in creating an emotional connection to his characters.

With his latest film, army of the deadOf course, Snyder goes back to his over-the-top roots with an absolutely ridiculous story about breeding zombies, massive set pieces, and an absolutely ridiculous tale about a needle drop who is the cherry on top of a wild ride. As credit begins to roll in and the future looks uncertain, Karounda‘ “Zombie” begins to play, and it cuts the bittersweet tension in half. Snyder again proves to be the king of literal interpretations. It’s eye-catching because it’s such a painfully obvious choice, but it’s also so on-brand that it’s impressive.

Of course, such a choice caused some controversy as the song is actually about the IRA bombings in Northern Ireland. It’s an extremely political tune that’s used as the punchline for the movie, Well, Zombies.

Just as Zack Snyder plays with color to create engaging visuals, he plays with existing music to shape the emotional impact of individual scenes and movies. While his use of needle drops is often silly and too obvious, they are part of Snyder’s allure as a filmmaker who isn’t afraid to take risks. As he continues to make films (a army of the dead An adaptation of the sequel and adaptation fountainhead working), one hopes Snyder stays true to what makes him stand out: a sense of humor and a degree of self-seriousness that can only be described as oddly charming.

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The post The Weird and Wild History of Zack Snyder Music Choices appeared first on Spicy Celebrity News.

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aj22writes · 7 years

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Alright, here it is...

...the first chapter of what I am tentatively calling Dueling Hearts.

There is a bit of episodic...ness(?) to this, but it is supposed to be taken in all at once overall, so details will be revealed over time. And nothing much happens in this chapter. And I should really post another one pretty much immediately. But I won’t.

Anyway, here’s...

Chapter One

Joanna Sieger

It was a Friday morning in Checker Township, Ohio, a suburb in the northeastern United States. Alongside a moderately-busy road, only a guard rail, and a thin bar of trampled grass, littered with faded, decaying paper wrappers, and dirty bottles separating its front lot from dusty asphalt, stood a building about the size of a corner mini mall, with big windows lining the front. They were textured, but still allowed plenty of light through.

Above the windows, with the tail end hanging above the single glass swinging door, was a wide light up sign that read “Wilson’s Dojo”, along with some phone numbers intended for interested parties. It was an unassuming building, its brick walls due for a spray down, and its once-white siding tinted sandy brown. It was an easy place for one to overlook, unaware of the amazing things that routinely went on inside.

Within the building, a young man stood across a broad blue mat from a smaller figure, while an elderly man in thick, horn-rimmed glasses watched, his arms crossed, his expression somewhere between amusement and true interest. The young man, whose frame was broad and full, with large and defined muscles, stood in a ready stance, his chest rising and falling quickly, sweat dotting his brow. His opponent was shorter, and of a slimmer build. You might not notice right away, because her hair was messy, and her clothing was unflattering and boyish, but his opponent was a girl about his age. She stood calmly with her hands hanging at her sides. She was barely paying her opponent any mind, despite the difference in size between them. After all, they had already clashed twice, and the girl wasn’t even winded.

“You bored?” The young man asked.

“Yeah, a little,” the girl replied, almost offhandedly. Which was a mistake, as it inspired her larger opponent to charge her. For the first time, she gave their sparring match her full attention, stepping back into a back stance that was precise, but also loose and relaxed, as if she was ready to change stances at a moment’s notice. Powerful muscles flexed beneath her skin, a testament to years of physical training. Her opponent swung a big, hammy fist at his smaller opponent’s head, his hand flying so fast that the eye could barely track it. The force of his blow was great enough that it actually stirred up the air along its trajectory. Yet the fit young woman, with barely any discernible effort, stepped back, leaned, and ducked slightly. Her opponent’s fist missed her head, and sailed above her shoulder.

Her counterattack was precise and practiced. Before her opponent could retract his arm, the smaller fighter wrapped her right arm around the large young man’s wrist, and thrust upward with her left palm, catching her opponent in the elbow. There was a loud pop, and the larger fighter staggered backward, gripping his right arm in his left hand and moaning. His opponent waited patiently as he checked that his arm still worked, and then, in a fit of anger, lashed out this time with his left fist. His strike was slower than the last, and sloppy. Avoiding it was again a simple matter. The girl did so without even needing to step back so far to be unable to reach her opponent’s torso. From inside her opponent’s guard, she gave her opponent’s celiac plexus a swift punch. The air flew from the larger fighter’s lungs, and he staggered back, toppling backward onto his butt.

“I don’t have time for this, Keith” the girl said, turning to leave, nodding to the elderly man as she did, but she stopped as she heard her opponent shuffle back to his feet.

“Screw you, Jo,” the broad-shouldered young man, Keith, exclaimed. “This place is shit. I came here to get stronger, but none of the stuff you’ve been having me do has made a difference. It doesn’t help that hardly anybody trains here.”

“You’d actually get results,” the girl, Jo, said harshly, “if you weren’t too stubborn to try anything that doesn’t make immediate sense to you. You seem to think that you can unlock the full potential of your Sol just by forcing it, but you can’t.”

She said it as if she’d made an indisputable point, so she was surprised when Keith chuckled. “You keep saying that, but I have proof that you’re wrong.” He held his right arm out straight, pointed at the floor, with his palm facing straight down. There was a clear look of strain on his face.

Suddenly, the air within the room became charged, literally sparking, and started moving seemingly for no reason. Static jumped off of Keith’s body, as he reached deep within himself and, with concentration, drew out a huge reservoir of energy. Static followed that energy as it flowed from the core of the young man’s body, down his right arm, and out passed his right palm. With a flash, a ball of reddish Sol energy, about the size of a soccer ball, took form there, arcs of electricity rolling off of it and striking the floor around Keith’s feet.

The elderly man became apprehensive, his stance becoming more guarded, but Jo barely reacted. She became suddenly more tense, her expression indicating greater investment in the situation, but she didn’t even turn back to face her opponent again.

“You see that,” Keith said, triumphantly. “All on my own, without help from any of your ‘learn about yourself to find your true power’ bullshit, I managed to learn how to make attacks from Sol energy! Before long, I’ll be able to create an aura, too. No thanks to you idiots.”

He shot his opponent an evil grin, and spat, “Hey, if you’re so fast, then dodge this why don’tcha.”

He straightened up, and kicked the ball of energy right at the back of his opponent’s head. It spun wildly, but it’s course stayed true. It flew with enough force to punch most of, if not all the way through a brick wall. Being hit by it would be devastating, but this time, his opponent didn’t dodge the attack. Instead, she spun so fast that Keith didn’t even see her body start to turn, and she reached out and caught the orb. It pushed her back, and she had to visibly strain, but in the end, the orb was stopped, held firm in the female fighter’s outstretched hand, which was itself wrapped in a burning aura of black and purple light. A few seconds later, the orb dissipated, and the light around Jo’s hand faded away.

“An aura like that one?” The elderly man asked Keith, his stance once again relaxed now that the danger had passed. He chuckled, and Keith fumed.

“Fuck you guys,” he spat, shooting them both dirty looks before storming out, followed by a pair if amused smirks. As the door swung shut behind him, Jo sighed heavily.

“Good riddance,” she said. “I mean, it was kinda nice having a sparring partner, but that guy was just awful. At everything.”

“You could have been a little nicer to him,” the elderly man replied.

“Maybe,” Jo replied, rubbing her right hand, which had been left raw by the ill-advised, yet dramatic, catch, “but come on, Wil, you know as well as I do that it wouldn’t have mattered. So I ran him off faster than I could have. Please don’t expect me to shed any tears.”

The elderly man, the Wilson of “Wilson’s Dojo”, shook his head and sighed, “You call him stubborn, but you, Joanna Sieger, are, in your own way, one of the most stubborn fifteen year olds that I’ve ever met. The way you insist on dealing with people, I’m surprised that you don’t get into even more trouble than you do.”

Jo laughed, “That’s not stubbornness, that’s charm.”

The two laughed again, and then Jo said, “Well, it was a good thing that I ran him off when I did. I’ve got somewhere to be. See ya later, Wil.”

Without another word, she moved swiftly out the door, and started down the side of the street at a jog. She was completely unfazed by the events that she’d just been a part of, because that’s just how things were for Joanna Sieger. Sure, she found most people to be insincere and annoying, and just not worth her time, and so she tended to be a little brash, or just plain rude, but most people could tell that she wasn’t a bad person.

And yet trouble seemed to follow her around, like something dangerous was creeping up on her, just out of sight. She'd learned to take it, but she had always wondered if she had bad karma or something. She did have a pretty short fuse, but she had that under control. Could the universe be testing her? It was a silly question, but one that she’d asked herself before, and that she asked herself again after the events of the day. Just like every other time that she’d asked herself the question, she didn’t come upon an answer.

From Wilson’s, Jo made her way home. The walk wasn’t a long one. Her house, a nice two-story with a barn roof, was only a few blocks from the dojo. It was only ten minutes away, by car, from where Jo’s closest friend lived, and likewise only twenty minutes away from her extended family. The area mall and towne center, and all of the recreational facilities situated around it, was only twenty minutes away by bus. The house had a large back yard, and Jo’s room was more than large enough to sleep in, and to store her things, which is really all that she used it for anyway.

Jo approached the house with the same kind of calm that she’d shown in her fight. She was nearly to the door when she heard voices from around behind the building. With a little half smile, she changed direction, walking to the front corner of the house. She jumped gracefully over the chest-high chain link fence, and moved to stand just in view of the spacious back yard. In the middle of the flat, grassy, rectangular space, a fit, middle-aged woman with a back-length ponytail of red-brown hair, and a pretty face, stood before a group of three children, sitting upon a pair of red sparring mats.

The woman was Jo’s mother, Shannon, and this was one of her rare Sol lessons, and training sessions. Rare only because her tutelage was so sought after that if she didn’t limit the number of classes that she offered, she would never have any time for anything else. She and her students wore workout clothing, but they all looked completely fresh. The lesson had only just started, and as far as Jo could tell, she had a new student today, which made it easy for Jo to guess what was coming next.

“Since a new student has joined the class,” Shannon was saying, “I think we should go over the basics. Starting with the definition of Sol. Can anyone tell me what Sol is?”

Two small hands shot into the air. Shannon nodded to one of the eager children, a little blond girl, and the girl stood up and spoke.

“Sol,” she explained, “is a power that all people have inside them. Some start out with a lot more of it, but anyone can train their Sol to get bigger and stronger and do really amazing things with it.”

“That’s right,” Shannon agreed, “but that’s not all. Someone who knows how to control the energy of their Sol can mix it with the life energy in their body to make both much greater for a short time. More life energy makes a person quicker to heal when they’re hurt, and more Sol energy can be used to augment a person’s body, making them stronger and faster, or it can be turned outward to attack. Some people can even make enough Sol energy to wrap their body up in it and become stronger still.”

“Aura,” the little girl said. Shannon nodded, and smiled.

“People who have a lot of Sol, who have trained themselves to use it well, compete in big fighting events to test themselves, and to learn more about Sol and its powers. An entire new kind of sport has been created where Sol wielders from anywhere, with powers of any kind, can face off one-on-one in fair matches without any real risk of hurting themselves. Matches like this are called Heart to Hearts.”

She looked to the other child who had raised their hand, a young boy with dark skin and curly black hair, “Can you tell us about the history of Sol? About where it came from?”

The boy replied, “Sol appeared thirty years ago. But I don’t remember where it came from.”

“That’s alright,” Shannon told him. “Sol did appear thirty years ago, but that wasn’t the first time that people had Sol. Thousands of years ago, people had Sols as strong as the ones that people have today. The people of the time called it different things, like magic, and chi, and it’s the reason why history tells stories of humans who could do miraculous things. Then, suddenly, Sol disappeared from most people, and even the people who still had it didn’t have as much. For a long time, historians didn’t know about Sol, and so they thought that ancient stories of magic and miracles weren’t true. Now they know better.”

“And you found Sol,” the third student, a brown-haired boy with freckles, blurted. Shannon laughed, but she caught herself after only a moment.

“That’s almost right,” Shannon told him, blushing as she usually did when someone sparked a conversation with her about herself. “When Sol suddenly returned thirty years ago, I was one of the first people to learn about it, and learn how to make it stronger. I’ve never been very strong in terms of my body, so I used the principles and ideas of martial arts to make my Sol stronger, so that it could make my body strong, and I came up with a whole bunch of techniques that others can use to do the same thing, too. People with the right Types of Sol anyway.”

Upon hearing that, Jo, who had watched the entire exchange, lost interest. A smile of contentment was replaced by a slight frown. She felt like she’d been slapped in the face, but she shook off the sensation, and walked back around in front of the house, swung the front door open, and stepped inside. Fuming almost imperceptibly, she climbed the stairs and took a single shallow corner to her room. She changed out of her exercise clothes. She had somewhere to be, and even though her match with Keith hadn’t pushed her too much, it had worked up a sweat. She tossed her loose black tank and sweats aside, and stepped into a pair of dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and an old, faded black overshirt with tattering along the edges.

She turned to look at herself in the tall mirror on the back of her door. Her clothes were nothing special. The kind of thing that she wore every day. Her dark brown hair was even messier than usual, casting a shadow over her equally-dark brown eyes. She seemed so unassuming, so much so that one could hardly even tell for sure what gender she was, and that was the way that Jo preferred it. She would show off when it was appropriate, but in day to day situations, she preferred to be as nondescript as possible.

The right Type, Jo thought. Her frown hadn’t left her face, and it deepened at the remembered words. A familiar feeling crept into Jo’s chest, a dark feeling made of pain and anger, buried deep and unaddressed. A feeling that would continue to go unaddressed, as Jo buried it again, and forced a smile back onto her face. She had things to do. As casually as ever, she made her way back outside, and set out from home once again. Unaddressed feelings aside, she had a lot to be excited for, and she intended to be ready. To do that, though, she had to gather her friends. So she set out toward a nearby park to find her best friend, Tucker.

Onward to Chapter Two

#dueling hearts #joanna sieger #chapter 1x01 #aj22writes

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barbarashershey · 7 years

Text

Two Newcomers Make Waves in Ayckbourn Play

February 20, 1991 By ALEX WITCHEL (x)

It couldn't have happened any better for Gillian Anderson if Schwab's Drug Store were still in business. A 1990 graduate of the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, the young actress moved to New York six months ago, found an apartment in Greenwich Village and, when she wasn't auditioning, worked as a waitress at Dojo, a Japanese health food restaurant on St. Mark's Place. She made barely enough money to cover her rent, and the only theater she saw was a performance of "Lettice and Lovage" with Maggie Smith, where she says she practically got a nosebleed in the back of the balcony.

When Mary Louise Parker dropped out of "Absent Friends" because of illness, Ms. Anderson's agent sent her to audition for the part of Evelyn, a sullen young mother in Alan Ayckbourn's black comedy about a group of friends who console an acquaintance on the death of his fiancee. (The play runs through March 17 at the Manhattan Theater Club.) Ms. Anderson's first reading warranted a callback "to make sure it wasn't a fluke," said the director, Lynne Meadow, and when the second reading went well, the actress was hired on the spot. It was her first job in the theater, and the rest of the cast had started rehearsals a week earlier. A Veteran Colleague

Now, in this dreariest of theater seasons, Ms. Anderson is one of two actresses, both in the same play and both new to New York, whose performances are causing some excitement. And if Ms. Anderson is the Pauper of professional experience, Brenda Blethyn is the Princess. A 16-year veteran of London's National Theater, she has won a SWET Award -- the British equivalent of a Tony -- for best supporting actress in "Steaming," and nominations for best actress in both "Benefactors" and "The Beaux' Stratagem." She has paid dues on top of dues, touring England in everything from "A Doll's House" to "Troilus and Cressida," playing catch-up for the 10 years she spent working as a secretary before getting up the nerve to audition for drama school. It was Mr. Ayckbourn himself who recommended Ms. Blethyn for "Absent Friends." Ms. Meadow had never heard of her.

Ms. Blethyn plays Diane, a warm-hearted housewife who gave up her own goals for a husband who cheats on her. Speaking of her casting choice in a telephone interview last week, Ms. Meadow said, "It's hard to be articulate about what I needed for the role." The director has long been a champion of Mr. Ayckbourn's plays and has arranged for Manhattan Theater Club to produce one each season for the next five years. "I was looking for someone who could handle Ayckbourn's very light comedy as well as his depths. I spoke with Michael Blakemore, who had directed Brenda in 'Benefactors,' and he said she would be fabulous. So I called her and we started to talk about the character.

"Brenda said, 'Poor Diane, you don't know whether to laugh or cry,' " Ms. Meadow recalled. "I said 'Both' and she said 'Yes.' That was it. It was a crazy instinct, like it was meant to be."

Ms. Blethyn was telling the story one morning last week as she and Ms. Anderson had coffee in the dressing room they share. "Lynne called me her 'mail-order bride,' " Ms. Blethyn said. "It was wonderful of her to take the chance, sight unseen. Even though Alan recommended me, there was no guarantee it would work. Then it looked like I wouldn't be able to come at all because my mother, who is 86, was very sick. But her doctors told me to get on with my life, that she would be fine in a nursing home." She laughs. "She'll be bragging now to the old people about my being here. She's thrilled to bits."

So is Ms. Blethyn. "It's like a dream, really, to come here and be appreciated. Quite wonderful, isn't it, Gillian?" she asked blithely. The British Rubs Off

Ms. Anderson, who was giving her first interview, was pale and looked a bit queasy. When she spoke it was with a vaguely British accent, which comes partly from having lived in London until she was 10 -- her father attended the London Film School, then stayed on -- and partly, she said, from being around Ms. Blethyn. She spoke about herself haltingly, with much of the deadpan quality that her character has in the play.

"When Lynne had my resume in her hand and said, 'Is this all you've done?' I didn't know what she meant," Ms. Anderson said. "I thought I had done a lot. But once I was hired, a big fear of mine was letting Lynne down. She was taking a big risk, and I didn't want her to find out she'd made a mistake."

Ms. Meadow said: "I didn't realize we would find someone quite this green. But it is one of those great stories, where someone is cast purely on ability. Gillian's background is improvisational and she took those instincts and put them into the highly technical style Alan Ayckbourn writes in, which is not free-flowing at all. It has to be played the way it's written, so our work was extremely specific, concrete."

Her approach with Ms. Blethyn was different. "Her instrument is so finely tuned, she's open to try anything," Ms. Meadow said. "Because she's done Ayckbourn before she understands that the life and humor of the piece is based on reaction. Ayckbourn writes people, not gags. If you create the people the way he painted them, if you paint authentically, they are completely universal kinds of people and the humor becomes more than British humor. But you have to trust him. If you try to comment on what he's already done it doesn't work." An American Who Understands

Ms. Blethyn added: "It's hard enough to do Ayckbourn in England. It's so easy to go only for the comedy, which is the biggest mistake with him. Lynne is doing a wonderful job as an American doing a British play."

The youngest of nine children, Ms. Blethyn was raised in Ramsgate in Kent, southeast of London. Her father was a mechanical engineer, her mother worked "doing kitchen stuff."

"We were not well off at all," she says. "Being an actress in America was my dream from childhood. But I became a secretary because I thought, 'No one is interested in me; don't be silly.' Then I was into my 20's and I thought 'If I don't try now, I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it.' So I auditioned for drama school at Guilford and, touch wood" -- she turned to find some -- "I've never been out of work since."

She started in 1974 with the Bubble Theater, a summer touring company. Then she did "a lunchtime show at the Open Space Theater in London, which was really a shop window."

After one performance, Annie Robinson, the casting director from the National Theatre, came backstage and introduced herself. "I promptly spilled a cup of coffee on her," Ms. Blethyn recalled, "and she said: 'Quite all right. Would you like to work at the National?' When I told my mom, she said, 'If you do your acting all day long, when do you earn your money?' " 'A Great Deal of Faith'

It's a funny story, but staying employed is every actor's concern. Ms. Anderson says: "There is a slight fear this will be my first and last job for a while, but that's in every actor's mind as long as they live. I tend to have a great deal of faith that wherever my life goes, its the best thing for me."

Ms. Blethyn's attitude is less mellow, probably because she has been around longer. "My constant fear is whether another job will come along. But I also wonder if I will be as good as I was in the last job and not cheat the audience. That I won't turn out the same old thing, which is ultimately not satisfying to me or the audience. And also to retain the respect people have in me. If I'd come here and not done well I'd be mortified to have let the Manhattan Theater Club down. That would be even greater than my own disappointment" -- she starts to laugh -- "but that just might be my working-class background coming out."

Ms. Anderson is quick to compliment her. "It's so wonderful to watch you and Lynne work together," she said to Ms. Blethyn. "The silent understandings they have about the character, and the way they can verbalize what's missing, what they need. The thought-instinct process is so precise." She sighs. "That's one thing that only experience gives you. For me it takes quite a lot longer to come up with what's happening."

"As long as you come up with it, dear," Ms. Blethyn said without missing a beat. And they both laughed.

Photo: Gillian Anderson and Brenda Blethyn on the set of "Absent Friends," a black comedy by Alan Ayckbourn at the Manhattan Theater Club.

(Jack Manning/The New York Times)

#i can't believe i found this #gillian anderson #ga text

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