#would improve the female bosses immensely

[arx-aru]

it's not that i don't enjoy being stabbed by tall milfs but

u don't have to be such a bitch about it.... i just wanted to introduce ur dead daughter to her (many)lesbian roommates in my pocket ): cant have shit in liurnia ...

#she lived #regretfully however i am quite shrimply the dead #alecto black knife ringleader #elden ring #miyazaki please teach ur ai to teabag #would improve the female bosses immensely #just saying

[itsagrimm]

The Hate

Karyn Faro X Brierly Ronan

This exists as the collective brainchild of spoiledyoghurt (AO3) and me as we were wondering why nobody wrote something about this terrible combination yet (hello this is a match made in Hoth???). Naturally, we took matters into our own cursed hands and created *eh* this.

CN smut, PIV sex, female receiving oral sex, mentions of cum, toxic working conditions, the fascistic empire is not a great place to have healthy dynamics and casual sex so be warned if you are in search of a romantic happy ending this won’t be it, Ronan gets manhandled by faro aka womanhandled, attempt of shaming, hate fucking, They use each other.

3.5 k words.

He was an impressive kind of irritation.

Like an itching wound one was not allowed to scratch.

Commodore Karyn Faro, commander of the ISD Chimera and second in command to grand admiral Thrawn, smiled as she fantasized about how she’d throw Brierly Ronan out of an air lock, shutting him up forever. Colonel Brierly Ronan had been sent to the Chimera as an observer and messenger for director Krennic. Shipments for the mysterious stardust project kept getting lost and Thrawn had wagered to solve this mystery in exchange for funding for the Tie Defender project. As stressful as that task was, Ronan made it worse. Instead of being helpful or at least not in the way, Ronan had made it his personal mission to annoy Faro or question the grand admiral’s ability every chance he got.

The one on the second floor would suffice, removed from any quarters, no witnesses, just peace after getting rid of this walking nuisance.

The thought immensely improved her mood.

Ronan pranced onto the bridge. His cape swinging dramatically around his wide shoulders.

Faro suppressed an eyeroll.

What a ridiculous cape.

He cleared his throat, obnoxious and loud just to draw attention to himself.

“Colonel Ronan.”, Thrawn’s deep unimpressed, melodic voice called over the bridge as if to calm a particularly stubborn child, “Join us. Have you brought the data I require?”

The Colonel stepped closer.

He was a colonel in name only. Not really part of any military hierarchy. Faro had checked after Ronan had tried to pull rank on her to get better accommodations on the Chimera. Just a lowly bureaucrat trying to boss her (and everyone else he could) around.

“Yes, of course. I have it on me.”, Ronan replied while joining Thrawn and Faro at the command console.

“Good. Pass it to the analytics team. We shall-”

“I will not.”

Thrawn turned his head and fixated this audacious little man with red eyes and an unmoving expression.

“Explain.”

“Everything concerning Stardust is confidential”, he declared, “I cannot pass this data to random unverified personnel.”

“The Chimera’s analytics team is hardly random nor unverified.”, The grand admiral countered, “Alas, commodore Faro shall suffice with analyzing the supplied data for any hints about pirate activity. Dismissed.”

Ronan looked like he was about to object and Faro felt a strange urge to step on his feet just to shut him up for once. Instead, her glare was warning enough that she was dangerously close to having him dragged off the bridge by the death troopers on duty should Ronan continue his insolence. Audibly, he closed his mouth and followed her to one of the adjacent rooms to read out the data card.

She stepped into the little room normally used by Thrawn to receive surprise holocalls in private. Except for a conference table, some chairs and a workstation it was bare and clinically professional as usual on imperial ships.

Faro sat behind the workstation and stretched out her arm, wordlessly demanding the data card from the man before her.

He just looked down at her, unmovable.

“I need the data to proceed” she said coldly with her hand still stretched out.

“Military etiquette has diminished apparently. Say please.”, he dragged every syllable as if he enjoyed talking down to her.

“Say ‘Thank you’ for being tolerated on my ship, instead. And now, give. me. the. data.”, there was a glacial steadiness in her voice surprising even herself.

With a red head and lips pressed into one thin white line Ronan passed her a single data card.

“Thank you.”, she said with a tone clearly communicating her distaste for his existence.

“You are welcome.”, he mirrored her before sitting down next to her and gawking at the terminal screen read out.

Faro tried to ignore him as much as possible while she started reading through the data. It was a cargo manifest from one of the lost ships.

Number after number.

Word after word.

Exhale after inhale of his breath on her skin.

Fero stiffened under the sensation.

She felt the heat of his body radiating unpleasantly on the side of her body close to him as he observed every step of her work.

He shifted, touching her knee and she couldn’t help but shiver from the sensation.

“Is it common practice to encroach and micromanage in the stardust project?”Faro huffed as if she just complained about the weather.

She was seething but she would not give Ronan the pleasure of showing that.

“Just doing some regular precautions. Am I stressing you out with it?”, he mumbled as if mentioning they ran out of caf, “I always heard competent bridge personnel are good at working under stress, right Faro?”

“Commodore Faro” she corrected, “And unlike you I actually earned my military title. Don’t test me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”, he chuckled cheerlessly, a mean little sound.

"Good.' Now move the kriff away from me.”

She did not even turn away from the screen as he skidded away. The heat of his body was gone, she felt cold without it as she tried to continue her reading. All those numbers and letters danced around as if mocking her like Ronan did.

She took a deep breath and straightened up in an attempt to concentrate.

“You know that Thrawn had blocked your promotion.”

That’s it.

She snapped her head around. The pathetic little man was sprawled out in the chair, looking at his hands and continuing with his offhand remarks.

“It’s true.” he murmured, “I checked it myself. Congrats on nearly leading the Task Force 231. How unfortunate that Thrawn blocked it.”

“Grand Admiral Thrawn”, Faro shot back, “It’s Grand Admiral Thrawn. And I don’t think it’s any of your business. Besides, he likely had his reasons.”

But did he? The thought of Thrawn blocking her promotion unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. She was so used to being able to rely on him, to count on him having her back.

“Pardon me, Faro but you are too old to be this naive of a woman.”

“Don’t-” she hissed, placing a finger on his lips in warning, “tell me what kind of woman I am.”

He stared at her. Big eyes and well-kept hair of a self-important bureaucrat melting under her punishing eyes. Before she could take her hand away Ronan opened his mouth and licked.

Slowly he raised his hands taking hers in and licked her now open hand, inserting more fingers into his mouth.

She was stunned. Was this really happening?

He looked at her in confusion.

“Did I misread this?” His voice was careful now, nearly humble.

She liked that. It stirred something hot and wet and powerful in her.

Faro took a good look at the man before her.

It was still Ronan, the little man who was too unjustifiably sure of himself.

But he was not in her command chain. And he was pretty, she had to admit.

The prettiest part about him to her was how he looked up to her, waiting for her command. Allowing her control, pushing away her doubts and begging her to shut him up.

And it has been so long.

“You have a strange way of flirting'', she said and patted his cheek with her saliva wet hand. ”We need to be quick.”

He nodded.

Faro looked around, assessing the room for her newfound needs.

It was as cold and uninviting as always.

Before she could make a choice where they could do it, as her mind still struggled with the image of Ronan this way, his hand touched her face.

It was gentle and nice, things she did not see him as.

“Would you like to kiss?” another of his surprisingly demure questions.

She weighed her options, considered her strategy before speaking “Yes, but not like this” as she moved in and clashed into his lips.

Faro tasted blood. His or hers did not matter. He answered her unloving kiss and pulled her closer onto his lap.

Yes, this was starting to go into a good direction.

The metallic taste in her mouth subsided as she leaned down and started working down his neck.

“No”, he protested weakly, “no marks.”

She stopped with a devilish grin.

He wanted to keep this a private matter too. Good.

Not wasting time she started undressing him, struggling with his ridiculous cape clasps while he reached for her and unbuttoned her tunic and pants.

Faro felt her breathing hitch before getting up and shaking off the last of her clothes.

He did the same.

As she turned, now nude, she took a look at him. Ronan had the body of someone working at a desk yet having a too stressful life to stay seated much.

Faro wasn’t one to judge others for their appearance. Her time in the military had shown too often how superficial that was and how much that did hide actual skill.

But she could not help herself but like what she saw.

“You should step out of that uniform more often, commodore.”, Ronan complimented with a grin.

“Don’t get used to the sight.”

“I could.”

“What you should do is sit down.”

“Gladly.”

He sat back down on the chair, his eyes full of expectation.

Faro stepped closer and grabbed him by the jaw. “Listen, Ronan. Is there anything you don’t want me to do?”

“No visible marks not covered by the uniform'', he repeated. 

“Anything else?”

“No. I like this demanding side of yours.”

Faro rolled with her eyes.

“Of course you do. Tell me to stop when you need a break or you want to stop.”

He chuckled.“As if you could-”

She grabbed him stronger by the jaw.

“Just remember that you can tell me to stop, got it?”

“Got it, Karyn.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Since when are we that familiar? It’s Commodore Faro for you.”

“Awww, okay Kar-”

She sat on his lap, immediately shutting him up with the surprise of it.

A sound strategy.

Instantly, she felt him getting hard under her and grabbed his arms with one hand before twisting them, rendering him unmovable. It felt great.

“Feels like you like this.”, she stated, her voice triumphant, “May I?”

“Yes, commodore.”

She smirked and raised her hips high enough to feel the hard tip of his penis between her legs before sinking down onto him.

It was a stretch.

Doing this excited her more than enough and she felt astonishingly wet. But Faro had skipped foreplay in order to save time and to not endure Ronan more than she had to. Just because she was ready to sit on his cock and command him into whatever she wanted him to, didn’t me she wanted to explore his personality more than necessary. And he was so pleasantly out of words under her.

A groan escaped her as she adjusted to his size. Carefully she started moving her hips, collecting information, assessing the situation before deciding on the battle strategy.

She let go of his arms and grabbed him by the hair instead.

Instantly, his hands roamed her body.

He felt good like that. Gasping for air as she rode him, moving along like she wanted to, exposing his throat for her. She traced his Adam's apple where she would have bit him as she rode him, enjoying the feeling of Ronan hitting the spot inside of her just right.

Faros' eyes wandered further down. Ronan's chest was heaving and covered with a slight film of sweat. Delicious. She bowed down, dragging her nails over it before biting into his breast.

He wailed in surprise before she could clasp her hand over his mouth and mute his sounds.

“Too much?”, she asked as she stilled in her movements.

He nodded, his eyes turning watery from the pain and pleasure.

The sight turned her on.

“You are doing so well for telling me, look at you doing so fine while I ride you.” Faro praised the man under her while enjoying the pretty glaze in Ronan's eyes. He was lost in her and she knew it. No boastfulness or rudeness, no questioning her or annoying her.

She had him in her hands. Literally - as she dragged her nails over his shoulders and seized his jaw once more. Maybe they should repeat this again sometime. He was so fuckable like that.

Ronan’s grip around her tightened and the look in his eyes became more and more desperate.

Disappointed, she felt her lips curve down.

“Are you about to cum?”

“Yes.”

She bit back a comment on her tongue about endurance and that they had barely started. Instead she just stopped moving.

“I cum first.”

Ronan’s eyes returned to their normal arrogant and intelligent gleam as he grounded himself after the ruined orgasm.

He sighed.

“You wanted it to be quick”, he complained.

Faro clicked with her tongue.

“Wrong, Ronan. I wanted it to be quick for me.”, she explained, staring down on him, “You appear to have little difficulty in the quick cumming department but I require actual work to get somewhere.”

He furrowed his brows at the borderline insult before sighing again.

“Alright.” he grabbed her and lifted her up from his lap. Faro jolted up in his arms from the unanticipated shift as Ronan rose and seated her on the conference table. Under no circumstances she would have believed Ronan to be capable of such a feat. But adaptability in changing situations due to an update in information was something she was used to. Now, she even appreciated it. Unceremoniously, Ronan sat back down again and pushed his chair closer before he was between her legs. Faro hummed in approval as his hand wandered up her legs to her knees and thighs before wandering inward and firmly pushing her legs open.

She complied willingly, leaning backwards and closing her eyes.

Instead of the expected fingers on her cunt she felt Ronans tongue slowly but meticulously lapping at her clit. Faro bit her lips. Yes, maybe Ronan was not as bad as she had fought. He surely had his qualities.

A slight moan escaped her mouth as he inserted two fingers and sped up in his movements.

Qualities indeed.

Sometimes it was good to be surprised by an enemy, Faro couldn’t help but think as the pressure in her lower abdomen started to build. Frantically she searched for something to hold onto except for the slippery glass table she was sprawled onto and found nothing but Ronans shoulder.

He groaned and she blinked. Her fingers were leaving deep red marks on his skin as he pushed her further and further towards release.

Before she could do anything to change that her body seized up, catching her off guard as she nearly cried out from the pleasure running through her veins. 

Ronan worked her through it, licking and sucking at her clit until she couldn’t bear the feeling of overstimulation anymore and pushed him away.

He leaned back on the conference room chair and waited for her to catch her breath again. As her breathing slowed she sat back up with her bare legs now half dangling off the table.

Their eyes met.

It was not as uncomfortable as she would have anticipated it to be. Instead she nodded to him for a job well done.

This was not romantic and she had no intention to treat it any other way than a satisfactory change of everyday routine.

She climbed off the table. Her legs felt weak yet steady enough to hold her as long as she gripped the table behind her for support.

“If you want…”, Ronan teased, “...we can stop anytime.”

“Shut up”, she hissed. She hated the return of smugness in his voice, “Get here and finish.”

He stood up from the damn chair.

He was taller than her. Faro looked up to him, seizing him up for his weaknesses and shamelessly gawking at the pretty little scratches she had left on him before turning around. Ronan stepped behind her. She felt his erection pressing against her ass and his breath now hot and welcome on her skin.

A moment later she felt him fumble and then press into her before gliding in, now without any difficulty. They moaned in unison before he started pounding into her. A good feeling, she had nearly forgotten as he hit a spot deep in her cunt that made her see the good kind of stars. Still weak from her previous orgasm, Faro bent over the table for support and concentrated on holding on as Ronan chased his own release now.

“Where?”, he asked flatly shortly after.

“Inside.” she whispered limply, “I have an implant.”

Lovely noises of Ronan gasping and groaning with the feeling of his cum in her cut marked the end of their little tryst.

Breathlessly, he bent over her before catching himself again and slipping out of her.

Faro gathered her strengths before standing up again.

In silence she contemplated what had happened.

They had fucked. In the most shameless and blunt meaning of the word. For a brief moment Faro considered the implications of their actions before shrugging them off. Ronan was likely still an unbearable man with a ridiculous uniform and annoying manners. But now at least Faro knew that Ronan had a few other abilities that did not require him to talk. It was an improvement. She gathered her clothes and started to get dressed again like Ronan. Wordlessly they finished before facing each other again.

Ronan returned quickly to his enraging set of behaviorisms.

“Faro. I trust it will not take too long for you to work through the data before you can report your findings.”

If he would have used his tone just moments before, she would have slapped him for that and now she knew he likely would have liked that. “It’s Commodore Faro and I don’t report to you. In fact you are on my ship so report back to me when you receive new data on the matter of the missing ships. Are we clear?”

Ronan gave her a challenging smile. “You know, your uniform is a bit disheveled, Commodore.”

She smiled back.

"Oh, I know. What are you gonna do about that?”

His smile froze.

If you think you can shame me for having sex and looking like it afterwards? You need to do better, asshole.

“It’s better if you leave, Ronan. The cleaning droid is about to start its work here.”

Quickly, he left the conference room, not sparing her a look.

Faro waited a few minutes. She took out the data card and secured her work materials before calling in a cleaning droid to the conference room.

To her surprise one was already scheduled for immediate cleaning duty. She checked the protocols, gasping in surprise.

Assigned by Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Faro felt embarrassment rising. Of course he would be able to tell after Ronan walked off the bridge. The admiral always found out things he was not supposed to know.

She sighed and braced herself for the far more taxing experience of having to face her commander than anything Ronan could have thrown at her.

With a swoosh the door to the bridge opened. Everything was as usual there. The calm work and familiar atmosphere reassured Faro. She was going to be fine. She just had to slip back to her cabin for a short-

“Commodore?”

One of the communications officers called her over.

Kriff, this was the worst moment. She really needed a shower.

“I am afraid the Commodore is tasked with an urgent task off the bridge'', Grand Admiral Thrawn's voice washed over her like summer rain. It was a lie. She had no tasks off bridge, she would have received a comm or a message on her holopad, “It will have to wait for a few moments.”

The chiss turned towards her, an unusually amused expression on his face. Apparently she could count on the Admiral no matter what Ronan said.

“Go.”

Gladly, she obeyed.

#karyn faro #brierly ronan #karyn faro x brierly ronan #thrawn treason #grand admiral thrawn #thrawn #karyn faro smut #star destroyer chimera #isd chimera #commodore faro #colonel ronan

[chibimyumi]

Hey I hope you're doing well!

Have you watched Furukawa Yuta's Mozart live stream? And if you have watched it could you you make a little review if you have time?

Thank you for answering

【Related post: "Mozart!" 2021 Live Stream】

Dear Anon,

Yes I did watch the Furuzart Live Stream! As said before, I am actually no big fan of "Mozart!" as a show, but I was ecstatic about Furukawa's reprise as Mozart because it'd be such a milestone for him. Last time in 2018 Furukawa underperformed according to himself and critics, so 2021 was his "redemption arc" for him, so to say. And boy he did!

In 2018 a main criticism about Furuzart was that his voice had no power, no volume, in 2018. Furukawa also admitted that as the musical prodigy W.A. Mozart himself, he could not afford to miss any note. One of Furukawa's weaknesses is his singing, so he underwent a new Spartan training back in 2018 just for this role. He even learnt playing the piano within a few weeks, just to do Mozart justice.

But in the end... well yes, he did hit all the notes... but he basically whispered most of his songs, and often he was so hyper focused on just singing the notes right, his emotional range varied between: "mildly nervously happy" to "extremely nervous". This time however, Furukawa shared in the press conference that for the first time he feels enjoyment in showing off his skills, rather than just anxiety.

This time round, Furukawa has improved his vocal range significantly, and singing high pitches comes with convincible ease now. The high transitions are smooth, and the belting/shouts are powerful! 

Mozart is a very child-like character. He is spontaneous, and has this tremendous talent and energy his human body fails to contain. In 2021, Furukawa really excellently managed to show how Mozart is just always bursting with unkempt passion, but has no outlet.

Mozart is employed by very high ranking people, so he always has to watch his manners. He however, is also strongly of the opinion that none of the nobles deserve his respect. It is amazing to see how Furuzart is always being in a state of: "I know I have to be polite, I will try a BIT, but you don't deserve any more than this much effort 👌" Honestly, this look of him wearing his locks with that... powdered situation on his head is the PERFECT representation of what Furuzart is. Even when sticking to the rules everything is just wrong.

When Mozart was fired for example, he had a small moment of: "dude, you're firing MOI? (ÒAÓ)" But then very quickly he realised that he was finally free, and his proclamation of freedom was the most genuine glee I've ever seen on stage.

Mozart's life is of course not a walk though the park, however... and very soon tragedy after tragedy strikes him. The moment the shit starts hitting the show though, Furukawa's Mozart is best described using just one word: "devastating".

During the special curtain call of the Final Performance, Director Koike Shuichiro was really emotional, and said that while in the spectators seats he was struck by how hyper detailed Furukawa’s acting was. Koike said: “It might be arrogant, but I think for once it is alright to say how proud I am of our work. I have always known Furukawa Yuta for his attention for detail, but today I learned just how precise, how detailed his acting can go. Now I’m a bit angry with him though. Why didn’t you show me this during the rehearsals?”

Furukawa has always had this incredible skill of devastating his audience with something so...complex, so subtle, and yet overwhelmingly heart-breaking to the audience. I think in Mozart we really see the full extent of Furukawa's skills. Especially because Mozart is so child-like, you just can’t help but feel like you want to protect him.

The “world of adults” was so bitter and unforgiving, and Furuzart really showed how he was trying so hard to compute everything... but was given no space to explore anything. (Honestly... isn’t that all of us right now?)

Though I still find “Mozart!” as a production flawed in many aspects, the piques are phenomenal piques. I think with the newly edited version of “Mozart!” 2021, the show is more coherent than before, however. I think “Mozart!” really is a coming-of-age-failed story. In Furukawa’s words:

The Grand Musicals written by Kunze and Levay are cultural markers in the Japanese theatre world, and they are known for the empowering female leads. Mozart however, I think is the only male lead among the Kunze & Levay productions? I feel tremendously honoured to be allowed this one role. Mozart is known only for his greatness, but this musical shows that no greatness is ever simple. Behind greatness is always just a human being. For me, I think the question this production asks is: “What is talent?” Is talent something that resides in the body, or the soul?   - Furukawa.

Other cast

Mozart is really 80% of the show; once he shows up, he hardly ever gets off stage again. This means that the side characters REALLY need to shine in order not to be forgotten.

Constanze - Mozart’s Wife

In 2018, the Constanzes were pretty badly received by the public. From left to right are Kinoshita Haruka, Hirano Aya and Ikuta Erika. Out of the three, only Hirano’s Constanze was what the show and TOHO’s reputation promised. Kinoshita and Ikuta were both described as: “they sing well, but they’re little girls trying on mommy’s high heels”, one of the harshest criticisms in public domains in Japan I have seen.

In 2021, Constanze was played by just Kinoshita, and I was very worried that the only reason she’d be there in the Imperial Theatre again was because she’s pretty.

Then I watched the show, and to my pleasant surprise there was significant improvement!! Kinoshita spoke and sang in a much lower and stable voice, she wasn’t forcing it, and she did have a little bit of zest this role demands. She is still not the power-house of a Constanze as Hirano and Sonim were in 2014, but Kinoshita was honestly not bad. I would still not have cast her myself, but that level of growth was incredibly enjoyable for me to watch.

During the Final Performance curtain call, Director Koike even stepped forward to say he was shocked to see how much better she had gotten.

Leopold Mozart - Mozart’s Father

Ichimura Masachika has played Mozart’s father for many years, and every time he manages to amaze me.

I think “Mozart!” does a great job at showing what fatherhood can entail: “everything awful to awesome.” Mozart’s father is unambiguously a loving father who is deeply invested in his children’s wellbeing and talents... but he is human nevertheless. He loves his son but also hurts him. Sometimes as a father he makes decisions he thinks is best for Wolfgang, but “the best” might not always be fun, “the best” might not be Wolfgang’s best, or “the best” might be “Wolfgang’s best” but not “Wolfgang in this world’s best.” Leopold is not a super big character, but I think in the glimpses we do get of him, he has portrayed the difficulty of parenthood, and the trickiness of “love and protection” better than many other portrayals of parents.

Nannerl Mozart - Mozart’s Sister

Nannerl was played by an absolute nightingale Kazune Miou, and she was just suchhhhhhh a blessing. What also does help I admit, is that she is not Hanafusa Mari. Kazune was amazing in her own right, but ESPECIALLY juxtaposed against Hanafusa, she was a blessing.

Kazune really manages the range between young girl to ripe adult woman very well, and this immense true love she has for her brother is just heart-warming to see. With Hanafusa it was just obvious that a 50 year old was trying to play an 18 year old who is actually 8 years on the inside. As rambled in detail in this post, my hatred for Hanafusa’s acting style is that she only has two modes: Whiny toddler girl, or whiny victim woman.

Kazune however, really managed to capture the many complexities of Nannerl’s character. How she is just unconditionally loving towards her brother, but also can’t help but be sad that the greater attention for “the miracle child” came at her expense.

Prince-Archbischop Colloredo - Mozart’s Boss.

Colloredo was played by Yamaguchi Yuichiro. Erm...... Yamaguchi is a great person, he is SOOO kind..........but everything about his singing and acting style just rubs me the wrong way... I always think his acting an unfortunate mix between a slapstick-comedy banana and a pompous opera ghost... ermmmm......... sorry, not for me.

Click here for the official PV.

And click here for the subtitled curtain call of the first day performance.

#Mozart #Mozart 2021 #musical #Furuzart #Furukawa yuta #Review #TOHO #TOHO please give us a DVD please.................. #Pretty please.......

[inkandpen22]

Beautiful Angel of Darkness (7/?)

Pairing: Spike x Female!Reader 

Warnings: Mild swearing 

Word Count: 1.8k

Part Summary: Y/N is starting to improve and live by Angel’s lifestyle. Then, someone pays her a visit. 

Masterlist

Six months later... 

Who would've thought working at the law firm as one of Angel's team members would be so fulfilling? Granted, it took a moment to get settled... more like a month. There was a withdrawal period, not pretty. Angel sort of locked me away in his basement for a few weeks. After that, I bounced right back and started fresh! Now, I'm Angel's assistant, much better than Harmony. I gave her the boot as soon as I got released from the basement cell. 

I step off the elevator to Wolfman & Hart with Angel's usual blood bag in a cup and my iced coffee. I drink my blood bag on the way here. 

I set everything down at my desk in front of the firm's sign. The normalcy of having a daily routine again is nice. When I was with Spike, I thought normalcy would bore me to death. I guess Angel was right, there is some humanity left in me. 

I knock on Angel's office door, blood cup in hand. When he announces for me to enter, I greet him warmly and immediately get into the day's agenda. 

"Morning Boss, we have a busy day ahead of us!" 

As per usual, he wears a crossed expression as he stands behind his desk shuffling through some papers. 

He sighs in frustration, "Y/N, have you seen the-" 

I place his mock coffee cup in his hand so I can grab the case file from under my arm. He glances between me and the file in amazement. 

"You left it on my desk when you were leaving last night," I explain with a light chuckle. 

"You're a lifesaver," he thanks as he eases down in his chair. 

"It's what I'm here for," I shrug and lean against his desk beside him. 

"Sorry for keeping you here late this week. I'm sure you much rather be home," he apologizes as he reviews the contents of the case. "I just... I don't know how to go about this." 

"Maybe a fresh pair of eyes?" I suggest, reaching for the file. 

Angel hesitates to hand it over. He doesn't like me working directly on cases. He believes I'm not ready for the gruesomeness of them and that the blood may trigger me to regress.

"Angel, I'll be fine!" I assure him confidently. 

Reluctantly, he hands over the papers and I begin to skim the crime scene photographs.  The police are involved, believing it to be a violent murder. However, Angel and the others are pinning it with a series of animal attacks the last few days. They suspect a werewolf. Angel wasn't wrong, these images are rather unsettling, but nothing I can't handle. 

"Based on the slashes on the neck, I would agree with you and say it's not cut wounds. There are no signs of forced entry either," I analyze. 

"But all of the damage..." He debates. 

"It's from the attack. If you were being attacked by a werewolf, you'd toss a lamp and vase at it, wouldn't you?" I reason. "The front door is in perfect condition, except for the blood, of course. I suspect the victim knew their attacker," I determine and hand the file back to Angel. 

He leans back in his chair, deep in thought. Humming, he considers my predictions. "That would certainly narrow down the suspect list." 

"Was she single?" I question. 

He frowns in confusion, "I think so, why?" 

"Check her calendar, see who her latest date was with," I suggest as I rise from my leaning position against his desk. 

"You got all of that from looking at one photo?" Angel remarks in astonishment. 

I glance over my shoulder as I head toward the door. "Told you shouldn't let me help sooner," I wink. 

_____________________________________

At noon sharp, Angel likes his second cup of O Neg. It sounds tedious, knowing exactly when my boss likes his blood. If someone told me months ago that I would be fetching Angel everything he needs, I would've killed them. Ironically, I've never felt never more human than when I'm at Wolfman & Hart. I feel like I have a life of my own, my existence. Before...Before Spike, I belonged to my family. Then, I belonged to Spike. Now, I belong to myself. Granted, Angel watches me like a hawk, but he's easing up. 

Angel and the others hold a team meeting at the same time I'm supposed to deliver his refreshment. More and more lately, Angel lets me sit in on the meeting.  It's usually so that I can act as a scribe while they talk, but I still appreciate the invite. 

Carrying my files, notepad, and Angel's drink, I back into his office door as I'm handless at the moment. Right when the door gives, I immediately announce his dinner plans with a major banker to discuss his Greed Demon issue. "Don't forget tonight, the meeting with Stuart Lawrence! You have to be at his residence in Brentwood at seven o'clock sharp and-" 

I stop dead in my tracks as my eyes flicker toward Angel's desk. Instead of just seeing Angel stressing over some papers, as usual, I see a bleach blonde vampire reading over his shoulder. 

The paper coffee cup falls from my hand and spills on the floor by my feet. The substance coats my left heel, staining it crimson. 

"Y/N..." Spike utters my name with his smooth accent. 

"Oh my God..." I whisper breathlessly in awe. 

Angel flies up from his chair and points to the door. "Y/N, get out of here!" 

"Never took you for the lawyer type," Spike smirks mischievously as he slithers toward me. "Gotta admit though, loving the working woman style." He gestures at my body up and down like I'm a mannequin in a store. 

Behind me, the other members of Angel's team enter for their meeting. 

"Lorne, take Y/N home!" Angel instructs. 

"Right away, Boss," Lorne complies.

"Take one step closer to her green goblin and I'll bite your head off!" Spike threatens sharply. 

"Spike, stop it!" Angel barks. 

"Oh come on, Angel," Spike dismisses as he closes in on me. His fingers comb through the ends of my hair. "It isn't like you to ruin a perfectly good reunion!" 

My body tenses under his touch, much to Spike's dismay. It wasn't long ago that his embrace was the only thing that kept me tied down to Earth. Now, it makes me shutter. 

"You shouldn't be here!" Angel growls as he rushes over to us and yanks Spike away from me. "She's been doing great without you!" 

"Have you forgotten? She was mine before she was yours," Spike chuckles wickedly. 

The English vampire turns to me again and caresses my cheek. His eyes continue to linger in my memories late at night staring at me intensely. 

"Did you really think I was going to let you go?" He mumbles to me and the words make my heartache. 

"Get away from her!" Angel hisses warningly, on the verge of throwing Spike through the top floor window.

Spike ignores Angel and continues to admire me. "Did you miss me, My Love?" 

Yes. 

I shake my head while I slip my hand over his to remove it from my cheek. "You hurt me. I can never forgive you for what you did." 

Spike's face falters immensely. "Y/N... Let me explain! I-" 

"No!" I stand my ground, something I never used to do when we were together. "You deceived me, used me, broke me!" I switch my gaze between Spike and Angel frantically until I find myself overwhelmed. "I... I can't do this... I'm sorry Angel, excuse me." 

Thus, I hurry out the door past my coworkers before anyone can stop me. Both Angel and Spike call for me, but I ignore each of them as I gather my things and disappear onto the elevator. 

________________________

After today's cluster of events, a long shower was much needed. I have no doubt Angel will be visiting me once the workday is over, just to check-in. I can't believe Spike is here in Los Angeles. It all felt like a dream or perhaps a nightmare. How dare he come here after half a year and expect me to act as though nothing happened. 

Immediately after my shower, I go to my kitchen to fix myself a cup of tea. I stick the kettle on the stovetop before I get dressed. At first, living alone startled me, but since then I've grown to prefer it. I like the peace. After long days at the office, time alone and space alone is what I need. 

"Y/N," a voice makes itself known. 

My hand flies up to my chest as I pant. "Spike! Jesus and Mary! What the actual fuck?!" 

"A vampire scared of the dark... how ironic," he teases with a smirk. 

"Get out!" I shout, pointing toward the door. "I'm not even dressed you feen!" I start to march back to my bedroom which makes Spike follow. What part of 'get out' doesn't he understand? 

"Oh come on, Love. It's not like I haven't seen anything before," he insinuates. 

"Get out!" I repeat. 

"No, not until you hear what I have to say!" He insists. 

"You love Buffy! Congrats! Now, go be with her!" I urge him away. 

Abruptly, Spike grabs my forearm and yanks me to a halt. His free hand flies up to my chin and forces me to meet him in the eye. I fight him off, prying at his arms, but nothing works. 

"I never loved her!" He barks at me. "Well... maybe a little once... but that was before I met you! That night I didn't cheat on you! I swear it! I went over to her house to kill her and when I got there she was crying! Her mother has been ill! That's why I couldn't come sooner... plus I... I..." 

"You what?" I growl in disdain. 

"I got a soul for you," he remarks calmly, nearly solemnly. 

I frown, how is that possible? 

"You what?" I question. 

"I went to the desert, got my soul back so I could be like Angel..." He explains. "To be like someone you'd want to be with," he adds. 

He softens his grip on my face. To my surprise, I don't pull away. I stare into his blue eyes with astonishment. How could he get back his soul? Is that why it took him so long to come and find me? For months I wondered if he would ever come... but he never did. When I finally started to get settled and moved on he shows up. Spike's hand falls from my face with a sigh.  

"Forget this. Never mind," he starts to back away. "Have a good life, Y/N." 

I stand frozen, speechless, and unsure what to do as Spike struts away toward the door. Thus again, he has disappeared from my life. 

________________

Masterlist 

Tags:  @currently-obsesed-with-spike @mx-pibbles @shy-ginger-in-the-graveyard

#Spike x Buffy #spike fanfic #spuffy #spike #btvs fanfic #btvs imagine #btvs imgaine #btvs #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #Angel x Buffy #buffy summers

[the-writing-dump-bin]

Whirlpool (pt3)

Hello! Here is part 3, I left it a little short because what I have to write next, I would get carried away and it would have been too long. This chapter is SFW but I am warning now, part 4 will be N*SF*W. Thanks for reading! (Chapter inspired by the song Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood)

"Welcome, Professor Kujo. My name is Aaron, I am excited to work with you." The blonde haired man greeted. "This is Jessica and Ethan, they are my student assistants."

The two students looked to be about the same age as you and Jotaro.

Jotaro shook Aaron's hand and introduced you. "This is Y/N. She's my assistant." You blushed and gave a small wave. "Hello."

Aaron smiled and greeted you as well. "Right this way, we'll get started." He took you on a small tour of the marine department and showed you where you all would be working the next two weeks.

The place was massive. Tanks and pools with ocean creatures surrounded you; you had to be careful not to fall in.

Aaron stopped at one of the tanks which housed a large sea turtle. "We found this guy with plastic wrapped around his neck on the beach a few months ago. We saved him and brought him here for rehabilitation. We plan on releasing him back into the ocean before you two leave."

Your heart ached for the turtle, but you were relieved it was going to be okay and live its long life. "We really need to find a way to clean the ocean." You muttered to yourself, thinking no one heard you.

Jotaro heard you.

Ridding the entire ocean of waste was an almost impossible task. He felt a warmth in his chest when he saw your genuine concern for the mammal.

---

One week came and went. You were having a lot of fun and learning quite a bit with the hands on work. This was definitely helping with your interest in working with animals.

Jotaro was extremely helpful. He showed you the different types of coral and how to even identify the genders of fish; which you still had a hard time doing. He was patient with you when it came to things you didn't understand.

Walking into the room, Aaron announced that today you all were heading to the beach. "We're going to study the creatures in the tide pools just off of the main beaches, away from the general public. Its also where we'll release Terrence next week before you two leave." He gave you a smile.

You had gotten really close with the turtle and worked with it almost every day, giving him the name 'Terrence'.

No clouds could be seen in the sky; a beautiful, clear day. Perfect for outdoor work.

With nothing covering the sun, the heat was immense. Good thing you had your bathing suit.

You pulled your shirt over your head and disguarded your pants, revealing the purchase you made. The suit you bought covered your chest, almost like a sports bra. The bottom half was cut like boy shorts. It wasn't anything to flaunt, you bought it to do work, not attract attention. Which seemed to be a lost cause with the other female assistant, Jessica. She was barely wearing anything in just her skimpy bikini.

The last few days, she had basically been hanging off of Jotaro; flirting whenever she had the chance.

Why would you care? He's a grown man, he could do want he wanted. But every time you seen her touch him, you felt a tinge of jealousy. And now here she was, showing damn near all her skin on the beach.

"A little under dressed for work, wouldn't you say?" Your tone came out a little snappy.

Jessica pulled her hair into a ponytail. "I dont know how they do it where you're from, but here it's acceptable." Her gaze drifted to the large man, posing as she tied her hair up.

You rolled your eyes and walked to one of the tide pools you came to observe.

Jotaro took one pool a few yards away from yours, examining a starfish he found. Or at least that's what he wanted everyone to think.

Really, his eyes were on you. The way you were looking in that black swimsuit made his heart race. He watched you pick up a seashell and look it over; your eyes so intent.

"Jotaro!" Jessica's sing-song voice chimed. "I'm finished on my pool, would it be okay if we shared this one?"

Jotaro never even looked at her. "I dont care." What he did notice, was a small crab scurrying across the sand towards you.

You were still examining your shell, unaware of the aggravated crustation.

Jotaro jumped up and rushed to your side as fast as he could, but he was too late.

"Owwww!" You shrieked. Jumping up, you noticed the crab, still pinched onto your bottom. "Get off, you son of a bitch!"

"Hold still."

You stopped flailing when Jotaro came up to you. He knelt down and pried tye crabs pinchers off your rear.

It felt like your heart had stopped when you felt your boss's fingers touch you on such a personal area, but you were thankful for his help. "Th-Thank you."

"You sat on its home." Jotaro informed, pointing to a patch of sand that was built up. "Are you okay?"

You nodded, unable to say anything.

A few hours passed and Aaron called it a day; sending everyone home early.

Jessica bounced up to Jotaro and asked if he wanted to join her for dinner, in which he declined with a hard 'no' and you and him went back to the hotel.

Jotaro walked you to your door. "Are you okay? That crab had a good grip on you."

Subconsciously, you rubbed where it had pinched you. "Still a little sore, but I'm fine, thanks."

"Would you like to get dinner?"

You blinked, taken with his question. When he rejected Jessica's offer, you figured he wasn't hungry. But back when it was just you and him, he was the one to offer dinner.

He asked you almost every night actually, if you wanted to eat with him. There were a couple times when you wanted to stay in, so he went by himself.

When you had taken too long to answer, Jotaro took it as you didn't want to and started towards his room.

"Wait! We...we can go eat."

---

"This seems bitter sweet." Ethan, the other student assistant said.

Carefully, you all transported the large tank the turtle was in to the beach; today he would be going back home.

"He improved so much. He belongs back in the wild." Aaron parked the truck and him and Jotaro carried the tank towards the water.

Setting it down, Jotaro shoved his arms in the water and picked him up. You were sad, but also happy the turtle recovered and was going back where he belonged. "Goodbye, Terrence." You gave him a small peck on his head.

Jotaro smiled at your kindness for the animal. He was impressed with your work the last two weeks and was proud of the dedication you shown. When your eyes met his, he nodded and made his way to the water.

Aaron stood between his students, each arm wrapped around their shoulders and watched Terrence make his way home.

You stood next to your boss, a tear falling down your cheek.

Jotaro's thumb wiped it away. "He'll be fine, thanks to you."

A chuckle escaped from your mouth. "Thanks to all of us, Jotaro. I merely just helped."

The sun almost touched the water; night taking the place of day.

"Professor Kujo, Y/N, thank you for your help. The work you two did was outstanding; you guys make a great team."

A team? You blushed. "Thank you, Aaron. This was a great trip and I learned a lot."

Aaron smiled, looking back at Ethan, who was returning from the truck with a bundle of logs. "I know your flight back home is tomorrow, but I hope you two would join us in a celebratory bon fire?"

You and Jotaro looked at each other, almost waiting to see who's answer would come first. It was Jotaro who spoke.

"That sounds fun. We'll stay for a few hours."

Jessica looked ecstatic that Jotaro was going to join them, having complained all day that he was leaving the next day.

---

Aaron and Ethan had provided beers and coolers for the event.

After a few drinks, everyone started to get a little loose and talk about their interests and some life stories.

You were having a great time, but you couldn't stop eyeing at how Jessica was putting herself out there next to your crush. Jotaro's face was nuetral, as always, but didn't move away from her.

You wish you didn't feel this way.

Getting up, you excused yourself and walked to the shoreline and out of sight behind large rocks. Stopping, you stared out at the water, the moon shining off of it.

You were in complete silence for fifteen minutes before you heard a familiar deep voice.

"What are you doing?"

You didn't want to tell him why you left, so you to just said "I just went for a walk."

He stopped at your side, looking out with you. "You did amazing on this trip. I'm really glad you came."

You smiled, bashfully shifting the sand with your bare foot. "I'm glad I did too. It was a great learning experience. Oh, that reminds me. You kept all the receipts from the places we ate at, right? Mr. Westin wants them for records on the corporate card use."

Jotaro inhaled sharply. He did keep the receipts, but they weren't from the corporate card. He hadn't used it the entire trip. Only using his own when the two of you went to dinner or when you guys went shopping. "Y-Yeah. Ive got them."

A chilly breeze from the ocean hit you and you shivered. You would have been better prepared for the night if you've known you'd be staying past sundown. Your shorts and cropped sweater wasn't keeping you warm.

Jotaro noticed your shiver. He gently grabbed your wrists, turning you to face him and pulled you closer, wrapping you in his jacket.

It felt like time stood still. Like the air was taken from your lungs. You could feel how hard his torso was, he smelt incredible. Wait, what was happening? "Sir?"

Both of you felt like your heads were in the clouds but feet planted to the ground. Your heart pounded so hard, you were sure Jotaro could feel it. Deep in the dark part of your mind, you wanted this mountain of a man, but always brushed it aside, knowing it was wrong to be in a relationship with your boss. But with him making the first move, you seen that it looked like he was having the same feelings.

Your hand rose slowly, tracing his neck. He did the same to you, except his other hand hooked a finger in the waistband of your shorts.

Goosebumps raised on your skin when his left hand rested on your waist.

You tried to catch your breath. Those beautiful eyes staring at you in new light.

It looked like Jotaro was coming closer to your face; gaze focused on your lips.

Finally, you came back to your senses. This was the work of the alcohol. It had to be. You didn't know what to do or how to feel, so you stepped back a little. Jotaro did the same.

"I, um... Maybe... Maybe we should just call it a night..." You couldn't look at him, feeling a little embarrassed.

Jotaro couldn't find words, he was feeling the same as you; his face turning a little red. He nodded with agreement.

The two of you returned to the others and said your goodbyes, thanking them for their generosity and help the last two weeks. Jotaro called a cab and him and you went back to the hotel.

#jotaro x reader #jotaro #jotaro kujo #my writing #writing #jojos bizarre adventure #jojo no kimyō na bōken #jojo no kimyou na bouken #jojo #whirlpool

[firstpuffin]

A summary of the Star Wars: Dark Forces series

-Notes= 

0.1 = I apologise about being late this week (not that anyone waits on me), I decided to go and get my own images for this article, only for it to take longer than I remembered. I was up until 4 AM playing Jedi Academy.

0.2 = I am fully aware and being open about that some of this piece is basically the same as in a previous article. I found that I was trying to put too much into the previous article and decided to write this one, reusing a few bits and pieces. Most of this is new though, so please give it a read.

I grew up playing Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast on the GameCube, the only game of the series that I had access to and I spent years craving the opportunity to play the sequel Jedi Academy. I played my favourite missions again and again; playing with and without cheats and played multi-player (against the computer) for hours at a time. I still remember convincing my friend to play with me, only for him to win using cheap exploits. He won, but I don’t think it was fun for either of us.

-above: multiplayer

   I was so obsessed that I would devour whatever information I could find on the next game, and I believe this was before Let’s Plays on YouTube were a big thing. I learned that you could design a character AND a lightsaber; could you tick ANY more of my boxes? I even downloaded a PC demo to, well let’s be honest here, fail at. It would be a long time before I started playing games on PC and that may be due to my experience with this demo. I knew enough about this game that I could call out a braggard at school; you know the type, that guy who has played everything you want to play and is cooler than you until you realise that he doesn’t know jack-all about what he’s talking about.

  When I finally started playing games on PC, I discovered that I had access to this series; in fact I think Jedi Academy was the deciding factor on why I started doing so. I found that the early games were too clumsy for a casual gamer like myself to play, although I was able to finish, and then cheat my way to different lightsabers and realistic dismemberment, that game from my childhood dreams. I love the series so much, and particularly the main character, that I have decided to take the time to write this. I intend for this to be a summary of the series rather than a review and is totally, one-hundred percent for fun; for me and hopefully those who read it.

  The first game was released in 1995 was a clone of Doom which had come out two years earlier, and the final game came out in 2003 so you can imagine the sort of thing that I am talking about.

-above: graphics from the first and final games of the series

Despite being called the “Jedi Knight” series, that title only appeared from the second game onwards, which makes sense considering the first game was, as I said, a Doom shoot-‘em-up clone; it was only in the second game that the protagonist begins down the path of the Force. Speaking of whom, the series follows the character Kyle Katarn, an ex-Imperial officer who was betrayed by the Empire over the circumstances of his father’s death and became a mercenary with ties to the Rebel Alliance. Katarn and his games are not currently canon (by which I mean an official part of the Star Wars story) thanks to 2016’s Rogue One, given that the very first mission of the very first game is to steal the Death Star’s plans. Before the new entries to the Star Wars universe plodded over and trampled down what was the Extended Universe and is now referred to as Legends, Katarn was popular enough to appear in literature, graphic novels, role playing games and the video game Lethal Alliance.

-above: Kyle Katarn in his first appearance

   Bringing my wayward thoughts back on track, the first game (Star Wars: Dark Forces) involved a very, boring Katarn shooting his way through his given mission of stopping the Empire’s Dark Trooper project, all of which is set to happen after the first movie. Thankfully Katarn improves as a character (personality-wise AND physically) as the series does. The game is separated into different missions, each with its own objective and usually on a different planet to the last. There isn’t much of a story outside of how the main goal is accomplished, with no real character dynamics or establishing of their backgrounds.

-above: the PlayStation cover for the game

The second game is called “Star Wars” with the subtitle “Jedi Knight” and… a second subtitle? I don’t get how this works but the game is known by the second subtitle “Dark Forces II” and I personally wouldn’t mind if the entire series was called Dark Forces which sounds badass; plus Dark Forces: Jedi Outcast is far less clumsy than Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast, but hey. Getting, again, back on track, Dark Forces II was released in 1997, two years after the first.

  The developers attempted to use live-action cutscenes to tell the story, bringing about an adorably quaint feeling through bad acting and even worse CGI. Katarn’s actor, Jason Court, was a major improvement on his design which would stick around for the rest of the series (in cases like this I always have to wonder what the actor thinks of the later representation of the character, if he cares at all).

-above: Jason Court as Kyle Katarn

  The story of Dark Forces II, set after the Battle of Endor, followed the pursuit of the Dark Jedi Jerec who is attempting to become the leader of a new Empire and who was revealed to be the killer of Kyle’s father. In a cutscene, Jerec kills Jedi Qu Rahn whose disembodied voice talks Kyle through the training needed to become a Jedi and who provides advice throughout the game, particularly before a boss fight. It is also Rahn’s green lightsaber that Kyle uses, and is his first out of three over the series. The rest of the story is pretty simple as Katarn chases down Jerec, all the way to a place called The Valley of the Jedi where a Force user can gain immense strength. The most interesting part of the story is how there are two endings: the Light side and the Dark side endings.

-above: Kyle with Qu Rahn’s lightsaber 

   The Light side ending is the canon (technically correct) ending where Katarn’s actions earn respect from one antagonist and whose yellow lightsaber becomes yours after Rahn’s is destroyed, and Katarn uses it to kill Jerec in the Valley. He eventually becomes a Jedi and trains with Luke Skywalker, although this isn’t established in-game. The Dark side ending has Katarn kill Jan Ors, the token love interest, and the voice of Qu Rahn stops talking completely, having abandoned you just as you did the Light side, and after killing Jerec, Kyle fulfils his goal for him, becoming the new Emperor with Jerec’s female companion alongside him, all the while retaining Qu Rahn’s green lightsaber.

-above left to right: The Light side and Dark side endings

  There was an expansion pack named “Mysteries of the Sith”, where the player got the chance to play as Mara Jade (who has quite a presence in Legends) and fight Kyle who fell to the Dark side. Set five years after Dark Forces II, Kyle has become a Jedi Master and is still using the yellow lightsaber he gained while fighting Jerec. During his time as a Jedi, and clearly after this game, Katarn builds his own lightsaber, putting aside the yellow one in favour of this new blue one with a much cooler hilt (although if you’ll entertain me, I’d like to say I’d prefer that he kept the yellow blade after changing the hilt as I feel that blue lightsabers kinda oversaturate the Star Wars universe; either establish blue as the colour of the Jedi or mix things up to keep it interesting, please).

  At some point before the third game, Jedi Outcast, Kyle’s fear of the Dark side is exacerbated by actually falling to it, and he separates himself from the Force and the Order, leaving his new lightsaber with Luke. During Jedi Outcast he returns to the Force when Jan Ors is kidnapped by Dark Jedi Desann (there are so many of these buggers), retrieving his lightsaber and relearning his powers. This game is a landmark in the series for the development of the unique and super-fun lightsaber combat system.

  This combat system made use of the agility of the Jedi, leaping off of walls, somersaulting and wall running to get the upper hand in fights and the fights themselves can either really drag on, leaving the player with stiff hands, or end in a single strike, depending on a combination of skill and chance. This method of fighting earned the game a Lot of praise and is largely considered to be the best lightsaber combat system of all time and was expanded on in the next game, Jedi Academy, where dual wielding and double-ended lightsabers were added, each with their own styles.

-above: mid-way through the game you can choose a new style

  On top of this there were options to cheat, allowing the player to decapitate and dismember their opponents (or themselves should they lose in a fight) and thanks to these cheats, Jedi Academy gave players the opportunity to pick up dead opponent’s lightsabers and use them; this allows the player to switch between single, double and duel sided lightsabers depending on what enemies they face. It’s so incredibly cool that one has to wonder why it wasn’t a part of the game already, especially as they can be unlocked with a code in the console (I don’t understand this well enough to explain, but it's basically accessing what’s already in the game).

-above: a red lightsaber taken from dispatched enemy (not shown)

  By the end of Jedi Outcast, Kyle has returned to the order and is an instructor during the events of Jedi Academy, the final game in the series. As Jedi Academy did really well upon release, yet it followed so soon after Jedi Outcast that some apparently considered it to be little more than an expansion and I assume there was some amount of Dark Forces exhaustion which may be why no further games were made. There may be other reasons, but they are not important for the purposes of this piece.

  Dark Forces IV: Jedi Academy (see how it flows so much better when you don’t say “Jedi” twice?) no longer directly follows Kyle, but instead follows Jaden Korr, a character whose species, sex and overall appearance are designed by the character, although there does seem to be a canon design as the character is mentioned elsewhere. This could be considered disappointing, but neither species nor sex affects the story in any way so it is debatable whether or not this matters. I believe that I mentioned this in an earlier article but the customisation options are limited and, in some cases, kinda weird. Clothes are specific to species and sex, while not all races have both genders even if that has been established; for example you can only play as a female Twi'lek. I assume there is a reason for these choices, although the clothes limitation seems a bit odd and, should we ever be lucky enough to have this game remade, I’d hope that future editions expand on the options. (I’d like male Twi’leks and a Togruta species, plus outfits that aren’t limited to species).

-above: Togruta female Ahsoka Tano from the Clone Wars cartoon

  The same applies to the lightsaber customisation. The player is understandably limited to three types of lightsaber: a single blade, two blades or a double-ended saber, but the blade colours are limited and the hilt has to be chosen from a pre-made select few. With today’s technology it should be no problem to expand these options. I have rambled on a lot about customisation as I always find it to be a favourite part of any game, but I’ll get back on track now.

  The story of Jedi Academy follows Jaden Korr, fellow disciple Rosh Penin (an absolute tool) and their master Kyle Katarn. While Kyle is technically training these two, Jaden is usually alone in their missions. Rosh slides to the Dark side as Jaden uncovers a plot to steal Force energy from particularly powerful places (what the hell even is the Force anyway? I might write a thought piece about that sometime). We discover that the perpetrator is a character who Kyle let live from the last game and Jaden can lean into either the Light or Dark side for a different ending, just like Dark Forces II, but the Dark side ending (also non-canon) pits Jaden against Kyle in a final battle.

-above: failing the final battle against Kyle (I did this a lot)

I don’t know how to conclude what is meant to be a simple summary of a series and doing so is probably made harder by the fact that I’ve already written about it from the point of view of how it could be remade.

  The Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces series is an amazing product unfortunately limited by its time. Of course I wouldn’t want it delayed to be made later as the same people wouldn’t be working on it with the same goals and intent; it simply wouldn’t be the same series.

#first puffin #star wars #Dark forces #video games #star wars games #Jedi Knight #jedi academy #opinion

[bentenharuki]

Haikyuu Chapter 300 - the unexpected roll

So... in the end I had picked up to color so many panels from this chapter to do a roll was the only thing to do, as a collage wouldn’t have been enough to store all images.

My feelings towards the general flow of this match vs Nekoma hasn’t changed in the slightest tho.

It’s the most predictable game ever and it cannot end in any other way than with a win from Karasuno over a disjointed Nekoma, giving Kenma a reason and the emotion to fight from there onwards in a more passionate way (of course Furudate will reach all of it with some special and absolutely not realistic superpowers from Boku No Hero Karasuno... the main reason I am gonna hate this game for...)

But let’s taste some greatness before all goes downhill (and it will):

I loved already last time to catch Eikichi witnessing our overpowered Volley Lord *.*, so to see him again makes me happy.

He had been so nice to the Lord and his “little” social bluntness at the beloved National training Camp that I would love to say “ehi, man, SURE the Lord remembers you and your details!”... but it’s almost assured he doesn’t.

Lord Almighty of Volley only remembers the worthy players’ names. In fact at that camp he knew already the worthiest ones’ names before even meeting them (READ: SAKUSA... his fated partner forever. He reckoned him even before stepping into the gym... awwwwww! It’s DESTINY!).

But good job, Chigaya. You were still a first year among the crop of the National Youth Camp, so you’re talented enough maybe to have the Lord remember your name after you trained five days along him.

Let’s be hopeful ;)

Now, everybody, look at that perfect upper body and the wide shoulders of the Lord as he impacts the ball ^.^

So beautiful and THICK.

Gorgeous...

The little trick our immense Lord is attempting to pull off needs some registering yet...

And by the way, the man who inspired Lord Kags’ attempts here had some trouble in registering his own serve too, some months prior.

Did any ever doubt Kageyama could have NOT tried something Oikawa had done, after witnessing it?

You dream.

The Lord has one senpai to look up to, and it’s definitely not Sugawara, whose ability stands next to Kageyama as a grain of sand compared to Mount Everest.

Not that Oikawa can be either a match to the Lord, but at least Oikawa is DEFINITELY someone the Lord feels pushed and stimulated by, because he has enough talent on his own to constitute a worthy adversary for him (or a worthy model, which works better).

Look, this was chapter 144...

Guaranteed, Kageyama will serve Kai his demise, with his own SPINNING version of the former Oikawa’s bomb serve, just let him have a lil bit of time (this before Furudate will kill volley and probably make the Lord injured, just to give the abhorrent Orange Midget some miraculous spotlight).

Look how the Lord is replaying the action in his magnificent volley vision to adjust for next serves rounds...

He’s truly the prodigy of volley.

And sports prodigies, who do exist in real life of course, are my esthetic always, in the normal world, and in 2D world as well.

I wrote what I had to in the panels already... let me just say I can’t resist to the Akane + Alisa’s combo.

Considering beside Saeko, who’s super badass, the only female figures we used to have presented in Haikyuu are the extremely beautiful, but extremely boring and narcoleptic Kiyoko, and the utter failure of a human being Yachi (so unimpressive and basic I feel offended as a female to have her as a guest protagonist in a manga about my fav sport...), to have a lil kid so fired up and knowledgeable as Akane, and someone as beautiful, cheerful and curious as Alisa feels like the most needed breath of fresh air in  the female ranks of this project.

I expect Furudate to ruin them soon.

It can’t be helped... Furudate has a knack for ruining things I love, so he will also with Akane and Alisa for sure.

Look my baby Tanaka being all up to the fight like the mofo and wonderful guy he is!!!!!

Here you have a proud Tanaka supporter since the very start so any time he does these things I squeal. But of course... well... nobody is a match for THE ONE & ONLY.

Look how the Lord shows once more to the world what to be a prodigy means.

sigh... he excites me properly.

No kidding.

I colored the panels on a swimming pool border as I was tanning and my friends around me where asking me why I was sighing as I was holding the Apple pencil.

My bae’s just told them “She’s getting excited because she’s coloring Tobio Kageyama. My life is hard sometimes...”

*.* Sorry babe. I know. I can’t help it... but you be good and you will have your reward later ;)

Here I couldn’t erase the midget’s face so I... operated a lil change to his ugly mug. That still count as an improvement of his regular face.

Back to the panel, the excitement kitten Kenma shows up there IS FOR BOKU NO HERO KARASUNO.

All of this game which sets Kenma in overdrive ONLY has to do with the Annoying Orange.

Also the final panel... Kenma has only ONE target this game. Defeat Hinata like he is some videogame boss. The rest of Karasuno is just a side trouble for him.

(THIS pitiful plot is the reason for I will happily ditch Haikyuu as soon as the horrifying midget gets a spot only a fairy tale for brainless simpletons could pass for a good storyline in volley. I am sorry, but I won’t stomach that fictional midget no more than it’s strictly necessary, and the story of his Kenma’s molding most definitely is out of my spectrum of enjoyable reading).

Bonus: Yaku being so good.

Yaku is really good. I mean, he’s not darling Komori Motoya, but he is REALLY good.

Can I have a lil Nekomata on my shelf? You know for me Ukai is a treasure, but although he wants a type of game play which is not really my taste, Nekomata sensei’s love for the game is intoxicating to me. He’s so fair and so into volley... I cannot have but ENDLESS LOVE for him.

I also like the mood of open appreciation the two teams have for one another.

After all, they are playing one against the other since a year.

And now, see how the awkward, lovely Lord tries to be communicative with his teammates.

I always laugh at his attempts. He’s gotten better, but he still hilarious when he tries to convey his vision to others (actually, I long to see how he will do the same with the only one who can push his buttons exactly when he tries that communicative mode, and that’s my Tsukki... with Tanaka is easy, Lord... Tanaka is willing to cooperate but Tsukki... Tsukki will try to resist ;)).

Grade: C for the effort, Lord.

Well.

It’s canon.

Nobody is at Kageyama’s level, nor anybody can hope to get there (though we don’t know about Sakusa’s stats yet. So I hope HE CAN, to create the most perfect future combo ever...), but it always makes me shiver when the whole universe just acknowledges the fact.

From the Universe, of course one gotta part the only scrub who cannot figure in it.

I mean, I erased his repulsive face because he makes me puke, but it’s just as canon as the fact Kageyama is (by far) the BEST the way some fictional scrub midget will do his worst to have baseless hopes he could one day become nearly as good as the Volley Prodigy Lord.

I mean... sure Furudate can make the Orange Curse develop even more his not possible superpowers, but the fact is in REAL life, somebody like Hinata simply cannot exist on a volley court.

But be hopeful, Orange Scrub: certainly to praise your brainless army of simpletons supporters, Furudate will upgrade you in a minute with some skill real players (with talent, a thing you have not) use years to perfect and master.

Gosh.

How this makes my stomach convulse...

So, before Furudate taints this game with some Hinata upgrade and he makes the Lord have some “disgrace”, let’s keep enjoy for a while more a game sanitized from the Scrub... (whom I erased happily once more, but anyway he was useless in all these actions anyway so...)

Yaku and Kuroo’s resilience is amazing.

It happens sometimes in games to meet THAT kind of team, the one like Nekoma. So solid in their defensive stances you really get frustrated and agitated.

I am more for attacking than defending, but it’s a golden rule in volley there’s no game if you can’t defend well first.

And then Nekoma has Kenma... so it’s not like they only defend (more on this later).

Why didn’t you close the panel with the Lord’s FULL and perfect face, Furudate?

His perfect eyes... 

sigh.

You will pay for your sins, Furudate.

Even though you have done this well overdue panel where everyone just states the mere truth, singing the Lord’s choruses of praise, like it’s normal and logic it happens. 

Bonus: Daichi helping Kuroo getting up :) :) :)

Awww. They are so cute *.*

I REALLY like the face Kuroo has while he sings Lord Kageyama’s praise.

That is the face of a human acknowledging the miracles of Nature.

And prodigies ARE a Nature’s gift to humanity after all, whatever kind their talents are.

Also, I love how Nekomata says the other truth: when you witness talents, you should not be getting scared, or envious (like the scrub midget), or disheartened. 

You should be grateful and excited to confront yourself with that talent, because that’s the way you will progress.

That’s the way you will get pushed, inspired, confirmed in your sport love path.

Instead we have a “fandom” all keen at trashing and diminishing the purest source of volley in the manga, just because, like the “protagonist” they blindly feel connected to, they can’t get the blessing of talent, nor appreciate and celebrate its existence.

Well... Kuroo CAN.

With that beautiful face he makes here.

The clarity of admiration in his eyes... it’s exactly my same one, when Kageyama does volley THAT good.

Now it’s not like Lord Kags is the only talented setter on court though.

Of course, he is THE MOST TALENTED character in the manga BUT (what I used to love Haikyuu very much for, before the way Hinata became started to disgust me), he is not the only talented setter at all.

There are MANY other talents there, and SURE, kitten Kenma is one of the most interesting ones.

I DEARLY love Kenma.

I wrote about this already here:

https://bentenharuki.tumblr.com/post/171958285486/this-is-a-kenma-kozume-appreciation-post-see-i

And if I wouldn’t know once he gets involved, it means Hinata will come erasing all fun and believability in this game for me, I’d surely like to see what this image forecasts for the future...

But as I said, this game has to show the Orange Curse winning over Kenma so that Kenma gains a willpower and a fight insistence he currently lacks.

So there’s no way what lays ahead for this game is going to be appreciated by me, despite the amazing mind Kozume has which is for sure a source of great plays in nuce ahead.

Too bad Hinata exists, because I would have liked to follow the dynamic of the Lord facing the Mastermind Kitty, and see which ways a further confrontation with Kenma will increase Kageyama’s volley spectrum (he has already learnt from him the eye feint, after all).

But if I have to stand Hinata along this process...

NOPE.

Thank you.

I’d look from VERY afar at everything which is gonna happen, but no way I will come to stand more of the Orange Midget Scrub.

I am allergic to fictional mediocrity for mediocre readers, and I won’t let this space of mine being poisoned with Furudate’s foolishness aver Hinata any more.

See ya.

#haikyuu!! #chapter 300 #mine #roll #furudate haruichi #the lord #kageyama tobio #kozume kenma #kuroo tetsurou #nekomata #nekoma #karasuno #the annoying orange #hinata shouyou #haiba lev #oikawa tooru #yaku morisuke #tanaka ryuunosuke

[hella-queer-hero]

The Purpose Of A Business Is To Create A Customer Who Creates Customers

Each official whether fruitful or a starter, fantasies about turning into a motivation for other people. It is his method of working his treatment of the representatives and building up the association that drives him to the zenith. Business advancement is an immense idea followed by each business person to expand his overall revenue and the grins on his client's face  Custom Made Jewellery For a drawn out progression in the market portion the business visionary needs steadfast clients, devoted redemption and just about zero odds of grumble for his administrations

Development is an unavoidable piece of life and even your business can't escape from that. To extend your firm or your organization in a positive way you have to investigate each and every development openings accessible and you need to continue observing the opponent entering the market. Competition is another part, however conveying your best to individuals will be an advantage for your business improvement process.

Business Development can be a courageous procedure. Not every person has the enchantment wand of recruiting individuals for help at a prompt position. Be that as it may, some assistance consistently changes a circumstance either in a positive or in a negative way.

Let us look at the advantages and disadvantages of being a courageous designer.

You are the commander of your boat, AKA your developing realm. It tends to be a natural pecking order, adornments or an apparel line, or a masterful brand. The motivation lies all over the place. One thing you should recall that there is no skyline for the individuals who need to extend so as to serve and elevate individuals. Marked and well known organizations like McDonald's, Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Dolce, and Gabana, Reliance and so forth have developed from poverty to newfound wealth. This is certainly not a one or a one-year work. This will be you life and the endeavors of your subordinates too.(if you recruit them)

There would be scarcely any problems of documentations. You would need to advise the expense office need a made sure about and confirmed ledger and an appropriate spot to set up your endeavor. Remember the idea of security

Whatever you procure you would keep it. The money related advantages high or low would immediately go to your financial balance and you won't have to minimize your satisfaction.

Individuals consistently eye the ones who are flying noticeable all around. It would be the situation with the business improvement process. As you are beginning your firm, individuals would be curious and pose inquiries, however nobody would think about the system or the net revenue. At the point when you shoot out with a blast presenting your imaginative methods that is when individuals would acknowledge and get bulldozed.

There is a colloquialism that two hands are sufficient to support thousand hearts. An independent business visionary can satisfy his clients by getting limits his items or bringing great assortments of apparel or beverages for them to wear and taste. At the point when you convey the item to your client, you become a wellspring of steadfastness and fellowship for them. They would confide in you for giving them the best and as you would likewise be eager, you will attempt your best.

Lawful REQUIREMENTS FOR A DEVELOPING BUSINESS

Track achievement for your monetary record and records. Like inland incomes and worth included assessment

It would be treacherous in the event that we simply center around the positives of a business. We as a whole have dim and the light sides.

· Financial uncertainties ascend, as banks don't offer advances to new companies that without any problem. It is a thought that it may fall flat or the proprietor probably won't have the option to restore the sum.

· Single-gave payoff probably won't have the option to accumulate huge units of creation and that outcomes in low benefits. So purchasing the merchandise in discount would not be conceivable.

· If the proprietor crosses the rainbow connect out of nowhere then what will occur? Business can crumple because of these numerous variables and you should be prepared for anything. All things considered, you have decided to work for yourself so you should be dependable.

Another name for business is hazard. Whatever you produce or purchase is going to cost you. Some may lose their psyches and offer join or oil somebody's palms for additional fund yet in the event that they can't take care of, at that point it brings about a debacle. Along these lines, regardless of whether you have a little weight or long working hours simply remain solid. All things considered, Rome was not worked in a day.

You are never going to be a borrower on the off chance that you work easily and productively. All things considered, on the off chance that something occurs, and you have to recompense, and afterward don't spare a moment to shred a few bucks from your investment funds. You can likewise remove some additional costs. Concentrate on your office insides and consider how it can draw in more clients. Purchasing new furnishings, keeping specialized contraptions, having everything state-of-the-art is sufficient to catch eye for a normal crowd.

Regard must be earned. Keep in mind, a business is a piece of your life; it isn't your spirit. The essence is in the event that you lose your uprightness, at that point it won't return except if you endeavor hard for it. So don't undercut yourself for anything you need. Your loan bosses and banks will sit tight for the cash in the event that they trust you.

Building up a business will make you see lows and highs. It will cause you to endure and it will make you grin. Consistently you will gain some new useful knowledge and extraordinary. It would be your background.

SETTING UP A BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP-:-

THINGS TO MEMORIZE.

At the point when two individuals choose to cooperate there will undoubtedly be an agreement. It isn't about some bent relationship yet setting conditions to abstain from confronting issues in future. There are organization acts that are sanctioned under the demonstration of the year 1980, and both the gatherings are relied upon to tail it. It resembles an implicit understanding that you can't hurt him/her as you are attached to a solitary string.

A decisively archived organization before an outsider is commonly the most ideal choice. The outsider is a tactful legal counselor. He can assist you with revealing your issues and privileged insights and settle them without debates.

Both the gatherings sit with the attorney and put their ideal terms and understandings. The legal advisor thinks about their profundity and force and appropriately places them in the agreement. There would be no distinction if the accomplices were male and female. Terms would continue as before for the sexual orientations. By the by, if the lady needs to put t some security provisos only for the wellbeing of she then it is totally alright and legitimate. These things are not composed to place you in question however to make you mindful of the morals of the business world.

The gatherings are given some an ideal opportunity to include or substitute the provisions. It may happen that the fresher is teaming up just because and probably won't be clear about the terms. They can inquire as to whether they are still in question then after a given period they can put their pie in the sky conditions. Just thing is it should influence the venture.

One implicit arrangement about the business is that you are accomplices in all things. Everything implies completely everything. In the event that the business brings about misfortunes, at that point you will undoubtedly endure it. On the off chance that the overall revenues rise, at that point you will get adequate offer. On the off chance that your capital sharing isn't equivalent, at that point you need to pick an alternate game plan however at long last, it must be Equal.

WHAT CAN U EXPECT IN CLAUSES?

An understanding in organization brings about the accompanying focuses:-

- Capital methods both the accomplices ought to contribute monetarily, truly or with resources in the improvement of the association. That commitment will be taken into agreement. They can likewise concede to raising equivalent offers or some different speculations.

- Their offer in net revenues would be equivalent so the intrigue that they pay each year on the benefit deals ought to likewise be formally dressed. In the event that in the event that the contrary party has rendered abundance measure of capital, at that point he/she will undoubtedly get bigger offers on benefit. Whichever individual gets everyone's attention will undoubtedly get the prize.

- Their remaining task at hand ought to likewise be determined. On the off chance that one individual bears additional time to finish his work, at that point the remuneration ought to likewise be more. In any case, in the event that the work stays pending in the wake of investing more than the necessary energy, at that point it is taken as an invalidation on accomplice's duty. He is committed mindful of his error or is interrogated concerning his capability.

Dainty OR HUGE COMPANY STRUCTURES-WHAT CAN YOU DO.

Size of the organization has an imperative effect on its turn of events. It isn't that new businesses need more opportunity to eclipse, yet a perfect changed structure unquestionably acquires overall revenues. Its synchronization is all around kept up and the representatives can work as per the giving errands and timings. There is consistently a push to diminish the endeavors and increment the outcomes. They work with innovative supplies that diminish the working hours and make your errand simpler to perform. In the event that the organization is immense, at that point the contemplations are likewise enormous.

Assorted STRUCTURES OF ORGANIZATIONS.

Altogether there are six sorts of organization structures that ever business person centers around.

Pre-bureaucratic

Little and medium undertakings select this sort of structure. Here there isn't a lot of extension for procedure or an isolation of obligation. The work is partitioned by the timeframe and need and there is little degree for intensity. One individual is relied upon to play out numerous jobs, so these frequently brings about job disarray or in riotous calendars the work probably won't be done according to the desire and it leaves the representative depleted.

DOMINATIVE

The word itself gives you a thought of the structure. This is more confounded than the past one. It capacities on a uniform scale not leaving any choice for making botches. To some degree like the dictator Hitler, this anticipates that you should work easily anticipating an incredible outcome. The bit and etiquette of the organization is kept up at any expense and the representatives are relied upon to keep their work-principles high.

AUTHORITY AND LIABILITY

A blend of the definitive and the liberal, this network structure assumes a significant job in determining authority and settling on valuable choices. This sort of request is normally found in little and medium measured ventures

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How To Get Absolutely free Credits On IMVU

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For Honor - Review

Competitive multiplayer isn't usually my thing. When For Honor was initially announced, I couldn't have been more disinterested. Despite the enthusiastic presence of Jason VandenBerghe on stage, For Honor seemed like a terminally dumb and dull idea for a videogame. Vikings versus knights versus samurai is such a childish, macho premise that it couldn't help but turn me away.

Yet in the intervening time between then and now, my interest was piqued. I'd spent more time with Dark Souls you see, especially the third game and had found myself now engaged with the online component. The competitive side had initially been off-putting, a wrinkle in an otherwise stellar game but over time, through exposure I became enthralled. I got good at it. I sought out foes, for tense duels and long drawn out skirmishes.

So with a competitive side mustered in me, For Honor began to look different. I began to see the nuance in its combat, in its design. Those tense duels, encompassing dexterity and cunning, that had been the source of much joy for me in Dark Souls looked awfully familiar in my glimpses of For Honor.

Did it live up to my expectations? Most certainly. For Honor is exactly what's been marketed. A multiplayer focused medieval melee basher. You pick a faction for the over-arching meta game, with victories and losses contributing to their position on the map. Though no matter what faction you choose, the game allows you to pick any class. With your chosen hero you can enter a few games modes though the main ones are Dominion, a control the points affair and the duels, both 1v1 and 2v2 brawls.

And that's it pretty much. There's oodles of customisation, which is nice provided you're into tinkering with every inch of costume rather than the person underneath. Unlocks that offer minor tweaks to stats. But that's it, emphasis placed squarely on what For Honor does most and best; combat.

Boy does For Honor do combat well. The underlying system is deceptively simple. A rock, papers, scissors design in which you lock onto an opponent and are then choosing between three directional stances, determining from where you attack and from where you can block. There are numerous nuances to how this works in practice and complications are made by the draining of stamina, of combos and trick moves.  

Having that simple foundation however, gives For Honor's combat a clarity that makes it approachable and easy to follow even in the heat of the moment. It's telling that even as you improve, fundamentally, everything boils down to those stances. Great players are patient and seem almost inactive, favouring single attacks and saving their flurry of combos for just the right moment. Those who aim to button mash will find themselves swiftly defeated.

The presentation deserves praise here because whilst the visuals are pleasing, it's the animation that gives heft to every swing and also communicates important information. You can spot feints, the winding up before an attack. Keeping this information clear and consistent across twelve different characters, each with their own movesets and styles, is no small feat and the game couldn't possibly work as well as it does without such stellar end result.

Of the modes, Dominion puts you in a team with the objective of capturing points. It's not a novel mode by any stretch but it doesn't have to be, the combat remains the draw and For Honor does little to get in the way. There are environmental hazards, traps and ledges with players also able to perform drop attacks for an instant kill but these simply spice things up. Solid level design ensures that with open ground and tight funnels, it always places you in spaces that each require a different approach, with your class determining where exactly you want to be.

Here For Honor is a chaotic frenzy but exhilarating. Mad feats occur, with you impossibly holding off the entire enemy team whilst you await your teammates to respawn or rescuing a friend by booting an enemy off a ledge from behind. Really this mode will be best enjoyed with a group of friends, the moments produced in the chaos always better shared. There's plenty of appeal here but for some it might be too much mayhem.

As such For Honor is really at its best when its one on one and the duel mode is precisely that. Best of three out of five rounds, nothing but you and your opponent. A variety of maps come with their unique hazards but overall, this boils down to simply how much you've mastered the game. It's as thrilling as any competitive game can hope to be, relying on what's going on in the minds of the players as much as what's happening on screen. Second guessing each strike, trying to divine your enemy's approach whilst concealing yours.

In competitive videogames, with the most popular examples being shooters like Call of Duty, Ubisoft investing in something that's grounded in a slow pace, with little room for twitchy trigger finger, is a surprise. There's little concession made here, save for a robust practice suite. For Honor is unashamedly what it is, through and through.

And what if you're not competitive, is For Honor worth buying for the single player or co-operative options? Not really. Whilst the single player campaign is better than it has any right to be, its best moments offering unique set pieces and some tough bosses, it's not nearly robust enough to justify a purchase in its own right. You can play against bots with friends or strangers if you'd prefer, there's no need to take on other players but without the element of human surprise, I doubt For Honor would offer much longevity.

No, For Honor is what it has been marketed as. A competitive multiplayer game that sits somewhere between Dark Souls, Dynasty Warriors and Nidhogg. If there any complaints in that regard, it's the inconsistency of the matchmaking. Mostly it works as intended but those niggles do crop up, interruptions mid match or overly long periods stuck in a lobby, waiting for players despite the bustling population. Not a deal breaker but an unwelcome issue regardless.

The most pleasant surprise is the tone of the thing. For all the premise sounds like nothing more than an energy drink fueled teenage boy's fantasy, it is instead a bit more reserved. There's no gloating over mauled enemies or reveling in gory feats and in fact the main villain is vilified precisely because of their lust for violence. It isn't deep or insightful at all but neither is it the indulgent, sickeningly violent bluster it could so easily have been.

The single player has a pleasingly gender diverse cast too, with players even able to choose the main hero's gender in each campaign. Whilst certain classes in the multiplayer are locked into being male, so too are others locked into being female, with no chain mail bikinis or other nonsense to separate them. It's a daft idea, these historically disparate factions fighting it out but it's delivered with sincerity, aiming to be as welcoming and respectful as possible.

Another huge surprise is finding a fair number of players are not only friendly but also helpful. Several times I've had apologies for being kicked off a ledge, players genuinely ashamed to defeat you in a “cheap” fashion. I've had players offer me advice and I've seen competitors helping train each other. One struggling player confessed to me he could not figure out how to beat my class so I spent a few matches, offering him advice and practice till he could at last defeat me. 

It's not always like this, there's plenty of the usual online toxicity to go about but there is also an atmosphere of good sportsmanship, an interest in winning fairly or not at all. The pursuit of mastery is to be shared. I've no idea quite what has facilitated this spirit in the multiplayer but I am grateful to find it.

If you want something to sink your teeth into, to master and compete in, then For Honor is a multiplayer game like scarce few others. It's a niche I enjoy immensely but in spite of For Honor's best efforts, it's not going to be for everyone. 

But if you've been put off by the seemingly macho posturing of the premise or the imagined, lethally competitive community, you might be surprised as I was to find that's not really the case here. It won't be welcoming in every match but there is room for newcomers, more than might be expected of such a game. 

As For Honor's community evolves, I just hope that space for new players is not abandoned as the pro's take flight. If Ubisoft can also introduce some more complex modes that enhance the core combat, then it could become a very special game indeed.

For Honor is something I'll keep coming back to for those duels. Eager to learn a little more each time, improve by just a little bit. For me.

#for honor #ubisoft #video games #videogames #review #samurai #vikings #knight #medieval #fantasy #multiplayer #PC

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #46

honestly too lazy to muse over song lyrics so hey let’s get into it.

has anyone ever called you sexy? jason did the first time he saw me in a bikini and i blushed like a bitch. do you like raisins? NO what is your favorite bug? butterflies what is your opinion on abortion? lmao do you REALLY want me to get into that one? what is your opinion on gay marriage? it's fine. what is your opinion on gay adoption? also fine, so long as you don't raise said child to think being gay is "normal," like A LOT of people seem to think. now before i get blown up with notes about how "i'm calling being gay bad," NO. normal and bad are two very different things. being gay is a mutation, thus is not normal. but is it bad? no. it irks me when people think that being gay is normal, bc it's not, and a gullible child should not be told differently. do you take pictures of yourself on a daily basis? absolutely not. would you rather freeze or burn to death?  burn, only because freezing would be agonizingly slow you've just died, and you're given the choice of reincarnation, being a spirit, or going to heaven/hell, wherever you belong.  i wanna go to heaven. have peace. you're in prison. would you think about trying to escape and running away?  no. i'd get caught.  they always do in the end. you're getting married! where’s your honeymoon? idk tbh. aside from any current relationships, what was your closest relationship ever? me and jason do you give good massages?  well. jason has a terrible back so i used to give him massages a lot and they always ended with us making out so lol. when’s the last time you went against your eating habits or religion (ex. eating beef when you’re muslim)?  never even if you are not christian or never celebrated christmas, do you think you will raise your (possible future) children to believe in santa clause? why or why not? absolutely!! it's all in good fun and it stimulates the imagination. jason never believed in santa and when i found out, i remember i felt really sad for him. when you have nightmares, do they normally have the same theme (ex. always being killed) or do they just relate to something going on in your life at the moment/random? sigh. they're always about jason rejecting me in one way or another. what type of clothing do you hate to see on (other) women? what type of clothing do you hate to see on (other) men?  i do NOT like skanky clothes, ex. shorts that literally show off your ass or shirts with an immense amount of cleavage. i can't stand baggy pants on men. do you believe america should legalize drugs? if you think they should legalize only some drugs, which drugs do you think they should legalize?  ... no??? what the fuck's next, legalizing murder bc it would deter murderers??? would you vote a homosexual president into office? why or why not? yes, because why not? what's your most embarrassing sex (or sexual) story? if you haven't had sex, talk about an embarrassing sex story you heard. i've told this before in an old survey: that time i'm pretty damn sure i was about to orgasm but instead i had a panic attack because i didn't understand what i was feeling lmao besides pornography, what is a website you frequent and don't want anyone to know? first let it be known that i don't watch porn. it's disgusting. two, the meerkat role-play site i take part in because i find rp embarrassing to the public eye. would you support marijuana legalization if it were taxed and distributed in a way similar to alcohol? nope what do you most want to improve upon in yourself? not allow my happiness to be dependent on others if you were throwing your significant other / best friend a themed party, what would the theme be? elephants! she loves them! how often do you get fountain drinks from a gas station? like, once a month? who is your favorite character in your favorite movie? hmmm... i'm honestly tied between the mad hatter and the cheshire cat! what'​​s your curre​nt boy situa​tion?​​ i'm single, but i just joined a dating site like... yesterday so i guess you could say i'm looking. it's honestly embarrassing to me personally to be on a dating site, but after a month's worth of thought, i decided i think that's what's best for me. gave you ever donat​ed blood​?​​ yes. have you ever been to seawo​rld? yep. what video game should everybody play at least once?  "silent hill 2." NO, not because it's my favorite game, but that damn message. it shows that you cannot run from your past and regrets; you instead have to face up to them. what is impossible to understand until it happens to you? mental illnesses what’s a weird thing you are scared of? WHALE SHARKS what is the most enjoyable exercise? biking how much time do you spend putting on makeup daily? i usually don't wear makeup. but if i do, gimme like five minutes have you ever worn faux eyelashes? nope what color is your flash-drive? pink when’s the next time you’ll change your hairstyle and will you color it? hairstyle will remain the same, gotta get the layers trimmed tho. i'm getting galaxy hair after my red fades!! has anyone ever called you fake and do you agree with them? no. do you make an effort to talk to all of your facebook friends, or are there certain people that you talk to the most? nope. i mean i'll "like" some of their statuses and whatnot, but i don't talk to most of them anymore. do you hate your weight? very much so. what kind of mood are you in atm? is someone else responsible for that mood? i'm anxious to do something, and no. who was the last person that asked to hang out with you? tell me the story of how you met that person, everything you remember. colleen asked to hang out a couple days back, spent the night two days. :D i met her in girl scouts, but i barely remember back then. we really bonded in middle school. if you knew that one of your friends was considering suicide, what would you say to them? it really depends on their situation.0 have you ever worn colored mascara? if not, would you ever think about trying it? and if you have, what is / was your favorite color to wear? ohhh, i haven't, but that'd be cool! who was the last person to pay you a compliment? my dentist. she liked my hair. what color is your purse/wallet? my purse is maroon and black. my wallet is red, black, and white. it's got a harley quinn design on it. before facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site, like bebo or myspace? i had myspace. which disney princess do you think is the most beautiful? why? uhhh... aesthetically... i guess belle, maybe? or jasmine? if i’m going to buy you a box of chocolates, which kind should I definitely NOT get? DO NOT GET ME THE KINDS WITH FILLING OTHER THAN CHOCOLATE ITSELF OMG if you met the celebrity that you most admire, what would be the first thing you’d say to him/her? "thank you for saving my life" when you’re going to be at home all day, do you bother to get out of your pajamas? nope. given the choice, would you rather drink juice or soda? soda. i'm aware that's terrible, lol. how many piercings do you have? are there any more that you want? i have two in each earlobe, my tragus, my cartilage, and my nose done. i want a labret lip piercing and the snake eyes tongue piercing, as well as more on my ears. do you play angry birds? no. i recently watched the movie with friends tho, and it's so cute! do you tend to get hungry late at night? YEAH has anyone ever cheated on their boyfriend/girlfriend with you? yeah. we didn't actually date, but it was serious flirting, and i consider that cheating. do you blow dry your hair? NO NO NO YOU NEVER WANT TO BLOW DRY MY HAIR. it's thick af and will literally take you 10+ minutes to get completely dry. if you’ve ever had and quit a job, did you actually call in and quit or put in your two weeks notice or did you just stop showing up? at my first job, i talked face-to-face with the manager and didn't show up after i quit. at my second job, i texted my boss and didn't show up after that. do you tend to baby or take care of the people you date, or do you tend to date alpha types that take care of you? ehhh, both? like i think it's in MOST females' nature to be motherly, and i was like that with my ex, but my ex definitely cared for me, too. how would you feel if the person you were interested in refused to perform oral sex on you? i wouldn't mind. i find oral gross, anyway. when you get upset do you have any physical reactions, like prickles in your spine or your knees going weak? my head gets this weird tingling sensation. do you ever “facebook stalk” or go through facebook albums of attractive boys/girls that you have mutual friends with (but haven’t met in person)? do you ever add them? nope. hypothetically speaking, if you ever give birth to a son, would you have him circumcised? yes, in interest of his health. which of your facebook friends posts the most annoying/irritating/enraging facebook posts? what do they post? oh my GOSH, a friend i met at the hospital, whom i won't name for her privacy. she's BEYOND pro-choice, bashes EVERYONE who disagrees with her, posts a billion rants a day, and is just... very shallow in what she shares. is there something that a person can do and watching them do it makes you quite a bit attracted to them for it (e.g., watching someone play guitar, watching a someone work on a car, etc.)? many things, yeah, like the two you listed, but more. what accent do you find most difficult to understand? southern, but only when it's VERY heavy. what movie never fails to make you cry? "the notebook" do you like 3d movies? sure have you ever practiced kissing on a stuffed animal? nope do you let music move your body, or do you hold back? i always hold back why is your favorite store your favorite? i find their clothes aesthetically pleasing can you handle the stress of working in food/customer service? NONONONONO what kind of place would you want to raise your children? idk, the same state i was raised in, i guess. would you let your child have a pet? depends on their age, really. if i think they're mature enough to care for it themselves, yes. do you enjoy talking to people over webcam? NO CAN YOU SAY AWKWARD would you rather die or eat another human being? die. how would you react if a doctor told you that you were infertile? i'd be... pretty devastated. i want kids, but at the same time, i'm so scared to have another life under my supervision. idk. do you like meatball subs? sure. have you been baptized in any religious tradition? yep. what is your favorite meal of the day? breakfast what season were you born in? winter what’s your favorite breed of dog? idk, i like akita inus, chow-chows, beagles... do you use twitter? nope are you a good babysitter?   not particularly.  i'm awkward with kids. how old will the last person you kissed be on his/her next birthday?   sigh.  he'll be 23 in two days. what’s the relationship with you and the last person you kissed?   we're nothing but strangers now. has anyone ever told you they were in love with you?   he was apparently full of shit.

#survey #quiz #questions #asks #answered

[danaaxlove]

After 2016’s Suicide Squad, audiences had mixed reactions to the Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey trailer, (or should I say Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey now that the title’s changed). Some people loved it. Some people hated it. As for me, I decided to spring up two pigtails, spray them pink and blue, dot a heart onto my cheekbone, and head out like a giddy six-year-old, excited to see Margot Robbie bring one of my favorite crazy characters back to the screen. Boy, was I in for a surprise. But before I jump into that, here’s a quick film production recap.

“Do you know what a harlequin is? A harlequin’s role is to serve. It’s nothing without a master. No one gives two shits who we are, beyond that.”

Birds of Prey was initially announced in May 2016, ahead of the release of Suicide Squad, with Warner Bros stating that it was a spinoff film focusing on Harley Quinn and a couple of other female DC Comics heroes and villains, such as Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. Margot Robbie spent three years working on Birds of Prey and continued to present it to Warner Bros. until the studio felt the project was at the point it could be made. After a bunch of tugging and pulling and scrapping and editing, Warner Bros. and DC Films finalized a deal in April 2018, with Cathy Yan set to direct, making her the first female Asian director to direct a superhero film. Robbie was also confirmed to be producing the film under her LuckyChap Entertainment banner, as part of a first look deal she has with the studio. With all of that preproduction information out of the way, you may be wondering what Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey is about.

“I’m the one they should be scared of! Not you, not Mr J! Because I’m Harley Fucking Quinn!”

Directed by Cathy Yan, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey portrays the return of Harley Quinn,

The squad.

(Margot Robbie), after her devastating breakup with the Joker. Upon the break-up, Harley is submerged in grief and struggles to move on with her life. However, the post-breakup blues are quickly subdued when Harley finds out that her breakup with the Joker places her as a red alert target for those she’s wronged during her time with Mr. J., especially narcissistic crime boss, Black Mask, (Ewan McGregor). And things only get more complicated when she crosses paths with pickpocketing kid, Cassandra Cain, (Ella Jay Basco), Huntress, (Mary-Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary, (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Renee Montoya, (Rosie Perez). Will Harley transcend this web of complications and prove to herself that she’s something more than just the Joker’s arm-candy? And does this cluster-bar of interesting characters coupled along with lessons learned from Suicide Squad guarantee this film being an A+ show? Dissection time!

“Here’s the deal, Quinn. You need me!”

That iconic smile.  😀

When I replay the events of the film while typing this article, the first factor that appears in my mind is story. I have mixed feelings about the story. On one hand, it’s fun, entertaining, and an action-packed frenzy, much like our lovely leading lady. But on the other, it’s just that and nothing deeper. It follows a typical action movie formula with no improvisational ingredients added to our bland elixir. There aren’t any unexpected, gruesome obstacles that raise the stakes for our main characters and causes our hearts to pound along with the raising tension of the film. And there aren’t any moments that elicit any empathy from us or leave us in awe. It’s predictable and quite linear—very A-to-B. Yan could’ve created an unpredictable storyline to match Harley’s unpredictable, quirky personality, (aside from the visually pleasing manic colors painting the film). But maybe she wanted to play it safe after Suicide Squad? So I don’t blame her. Nevertheless, this may also be a good thing for someone who knows exactly what they want. If you want to just want to kick back, relax, and have the film serve as a spoonful of entertainment rather than a syringe of seriousness—by all means, go ahead. Heck, the characters also added onto that entertainment factor.

“YOU KILLED MY SANDWICH!”

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn: flawless. Robbie is back in portraying the lovable,

Awaiting her breakfast sandwich.

makeup-caked psycho–and what a sweet goody bag treat it is. She completely satisfied my expectations in regards to how Harley would act in her own adventure, in real-life, etc. Robbie is perfect, and I hope she’ll return to whatever films Harley Quinn is needed in. Ewan McGregor as Blackface: entertaining and amusing. It was my first time seeing McGregor play a villain, and there wasn’t an awkward barrier that kept us from immersing ourselves into the film, like it sometimes happens with other actors. I’ve read from other reviews that some people considered McGregor to be too ‘cartoony,’ but I didn’t think that at all. Mary-Elizabeth Winstead was also fantabulous, (cute reference to the title. See what I did there? Har, har, har). But having said that, some of the characters could’ve still been improved. One big aspect of improvement that stuck out to me was the chemistry between the characters. Frankly, there could’ve been more of it. With Wonder Woman or Guardians of the Galaxy for example, (yes, I know I shouldn’t compare DC to Marvel), the characters were immensely entertaining by either being emotionally invested with each other and to the audience, bantering nonstop, etc. In Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, Harley’s personality obviously shines through, but a majority of the characters are just kinda there in the movie with Harley. It would’ve been nice if they had been more animated or vivacious in their personalities, (aside from McGregor and Winstead). You only feel the chemistry between the characters towards the end of the movie, leaving the viewer feel a bit cheated. And because of that, the various characters’ background stories get swept under the rug as cliched, rather than fulfilling their potential of being engrossing and enchanted with personality. But having described the areas the film could’ve improved in, it’s not that bad, especially when compared to other bombing reviews.

“Get ready, ladies.”

Move over, Lady and the Tramp. We’ve got a new pair of lovers.

I recall someone in IMDB’s reviews calling Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey “an Antifa film,” (I know—hilarious and dramatic). Another as being “a DC chick flick” and “Deadpool 2 knock-off.” But I completely disagree with those. Sure, it’s not what it could’ve been. But that doesn’t mean that it’s bad. I’m still glad that it was made. It’s fun, entertaining, and great for those looking for just that.

  Genre: Action/Crime

Rating: R.

Time: 1 Hour, 49 minutes

Final Verdict: B

PS: In case y’all were curious as to how my  “giddy six-year-old”  Harley Quinn fangirl looked like the day I went–here ya go! Enjoy the goodies, haha.

  Here's a little Valentine's treat for you guys! Dana's Film Review: Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (2020). Check it out! #harleyquinn #birdsofprey #harleyquinnbirdsofprey #margotrobbie #film #critic #filmcritic #huntress #blackmask After 2016’s Suicide Squad, audiences had mixed reactions to the Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey…

#action #birdsofprey #blackcanary #blackmask #cassandracain #cathyyan #crime #critic #ellajaybasco #ewanmcgregor #film #filmcritic #filmreview #fun #harleyquinn #harleyquinnbirdsofprey #huntress #joker #jurneesmollettbell #margotrobbie #maryelizabethwinstead #reneemontoya #review #rosieperez #suicidesquad

[timclymer]

Annual Forecast & Feng Shui Remedies for 2007: Yin Red Fire Pig Year – Rat Sign (Chinese Zodiac)

The Chinese Zodiac Astrology is ancient, interesting, accurate and loved by millions across the world. The Chinese Zodiac is based on cyclic concept of time: a cycle of 12 years, repeated again and again. The 12 Years are associated with 12 Celestial Animals: Rat (or Mouse on Mongoose), Ox (or Buffalo or Bull or Cow), Tiger, Rabbit (or Hare or Cat), Dragon, Snake (or Serpent), Horse, Goat ( or Sheep or Ram), Monkey, Rooster (or Hen or Cock or Chicken or Phoenix), Dog and Pig (or Boar or Hog). The animal names occasionally differ with the Oriental Country they originate. The Chinese Yearly Horoscopes are basically built around these 12 Animal Signs.

Your Chinese Astrological Zodiac Animal Sign is directly based on the Chinese Lunar Year of Birth that you were born. The Chinese New Year is mobile and could start anywhere between 21st January and 20th February, depending upon the year. If your Date of Birth falls into any of the following Chinese Lunar Years, then, because you are born in the Year of the Rat (or Mouse or Mongoose), you are symbolically identified by your Celestial Animal, the “Rat (or Mouse or Mongoose) ”:

From 31 Jan 1900 to 18 Feb 1901

From 18 Feb 1912 to 05 Feb 1913

From 05 Feb 1924 to 24 Jan 1925

From 24 Jan 1936 to 10 Feb 1937

From 10 Feb 1948 to 28 Jan 1949

From 28 Jan 1960 to 14 Feb 1961

From 15 Feb 1972 to 02 Feb 1973

From 02 Feb 1984 to 19 Feb 1985

From 19 Feb 1996 to 06 Feb 1997

In Chinese Hsia Calender, 2007 is the 4704th year and significantly, is also the fourth year of the New Feng Shui Land Luck Cyclic Period 8. The forthcoming new Chinese Lunar Year is from 18th February 2007 to 6th February 2008. The next Chinese New Year , the Yang Earth Rat will begin on 7th February 2008.

Enjoy the Annual Forecasts and learn about the suggested Feng Shui & Crystal Remedies that you may need for the coming “New Lunar Year 2007: Ding Hai, the Year of the Yin Red Fire Pig”:

CAREER

2007 is an year of recovery for you – an year filled with promising changes, good developments and new positions. If you are an employee, chances of a good promotion and a reasonable monetary increment are quite high. Some of you may even branch out into your own profession or business. Open minded approach towards new opportunities, strategic planning, sustained hard work and timely implementation will fetch you more rewards. Controlling your temper and becoming more flexible at work place should be your top priority, apart from staying motivated. Expect troubles in unexpected situations and practice perseverance. Avoid getting into squabbles or conflicts, however petty. Arguments could lead to very unpleasant scenes or even back-stabbing.

If you step on anyone’s toes this year, you will face a very nasty revenge. Display a Rooster figurine in your North West. If you have a male as your boss, consider yourself double lucky. If you are onto business, stop dreaming about mega projects as you will not be able to mobilize resources nor the time for implementing it. If you have projects at implementation stage, you may have to redraw timelines and be prepared with contingency plans. Only your adaptive abilities and business management techniques can rescue you from frequent emergencies. Prepare yourself well for a better 2008. Accept the workload that you have to do, but don’t get stressed out because of it. Carry a set of three Wou-Lou Coins with you. In the meanwhile, stay out of trouble with your business partners, team associates and office politics of the employees. Better be motivated, guided and protected by the Great Kuan Kung by placing his statue or photo in North West, lest you run out of steam quickly. Rats doing trading or in entertainment industry, beauty parlor, health accessories will do better.

MONEY

A rewarding year, as far as income is concerned. Some of you may attract windfall luck too. But do not get adventurous and get involved with risk-money. Read the fine prints deeply before signing up contracts and agreements. Stay away from illegal money transactions and unorthodox practices or else you could get into trouble with the long arms of the law. You could gain immensely from wearing the auspicious Sun Pendant, if possible in Crystal. Some of you would be spending lavishly because of shifting your home or office. Travel bills will shoot up. Plan your purchases. Do save money, as you would be needing it shortly.

HEALTH

Fatigue and lack of proper sleep due to workload will be a major concern. Indulge yourself with the crowds during the weekends (without overdoing it) and do some exercises when you find the time. Relax and unwind. Many of you will experience disorders related to stomach, intestines, digestive system, blood circulation and kidneys. It is high time to shift to quality food. Some could attract skin allergies. Beware of social diseases. The female of the species should take special care regarding rheumatism and gynecological ailments. If you are pregnant, be on your guard 24/7. Hanging a real, natural Chinese Wou-Lou near the head-board side of your bed would be of help in removing the sick energy. If you are a male born in the year 1948, you might suffer from accidents. If you were born in 1936, and if you have a medical history of heart disease, stroke or hypertension, this could be a critical year for you.

LOVE

Quality in personal relationships and new found friendships will bring joy and content. Activism in social circles will give you more strength and support. There will be many occasions to celebrate, including the addition of a new member to the family. Enjoy without over-burning yourself. As the “Flower of Romance” rules your Animal Sign, singles will be flooded with proposals. Pick and choose the ideal partner. If you are married, make sure of the harmonious equation with your spouse and avoid flirting with others. Use your head rather than your heart. If you were born in the year 1960, guard against triangular love. Spend quality time at home and wriggle out of arguments and conflicts there. Consider yourself as blessed, if you are part of a joint family. Installing the icon of a Rooster in the South West of your bedroom would also help.

STUDIES

Keep away from swaying emotions and love affairs, especially if you were born in 1984, as your Peach Blossom luck is quite strong and could drastically affect your morals and marks. To balance your chakras and emotions, wear a Black Tourmalene Crystal Pendant around your neck. If you were born in 1996, you could either change school or enroll into several after-school classes. Accept the parental wisdom with surrender. Group studies would do wonders this year.

Birthstone : Emerald Good Relationships with : Rat, Dragon, Monkey, for 2007 Conflicts with : Horse, Rabbit, Goat, for 2007 Polarity Force : More Yin Lucky Numbers : 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 14, 41, 45, 51 & 54 Zodiac Protector : QuanYin or Avalokiteshwara (Sanskrit)

A NOTE ABOUT REMEDIES:

The above analysis has suggested some remedies / cures for reducing the impact of negative energy and has recommended certain enhancers for increasing and improving upon the beneficial energy of the year. For the remedies / enhancers to be effective, they should be cleansed, energised, blessed and programmed not only for the particular individual / family but also for the specific purpose / problem. They should also be placed in the indicated location, to derive the maximum benefit. Any or all of these remedies can be reused for the forthcoming new years, but they may have to be repositioned according to the specific new year.

Source by Janarrdhana Guptha

from Home Solutions Forev https://homesolutionsforev.com/annual-forecast-feng-shui-remedies-for-2007-yin-red-fire-pig-year-rat-sign-chinese-zodiac/ via Home Solutions on WordPress from Home Solutions FOREV https://homesolutionsforev.tumblr.com/post/188838255110 via Tim Clymer on Wordpress

#Home Solutions FOREV

[homesolutionsforev]

Annual Forecast & Feng Shui Remedies for 2007: Yin Red Fire Pig Year – Rat Sign (Chinese Zodiac)

The Chinese Zodiac Astrology is ancient, interesting, accurate and loved by millions across the world. The Chinese Zodiac is based on cyclic concept of time: a cycle of 12 years, repeated again and again. The 12 Years are associated with 12 Celestial Animals: Rat (or Mouse on Mongoose), Ox (or Buffalo or Bull or Cow), Tiger, Rabbit (or Hare or Cat), Dragon, Snake (or Serpent), Horse, Goat ( or Sheep or Ram), Monkey, Rooster (or Hen or Cock or Chicken or Phoenix), Dog and Pig (or Boar or Hog). The animal names occasionally differ with the Oriental Country they originate. The Chinese Yearly Horoscopes are basically built around these 12 Animal Signs.

Your Chinese Astrological Zodiac Animal Sign is directly based on the Chinese Lunar Year of Birth that you were born. The Chinese New Year is mobile and could start anywhere between 21st January and 20th February, depending upon the year. If your Date of Birth falls into any of the following Chinese Lunar Years, then, because you are born in the Year of the Rat (or Mouse or Mongoose), you are symbolically identified by your Celestial Animal, the "Rat (or Mouse or Mongoose) ":

From 31 Jan 1900 to 18 Feb 1901

From 18 Feb 1912 to 05 Feb 1913

From 05 Feb 1924 to 24 Jan 1925

From 24 Jan 1936 to 10 Feb 1937

From 10 Feb 1948 to 28 Jan 1949

From 28 Jan 1960 to 14 Feb 1961

From 15 Feb 1972 to 02 Feb 1973

From 02 Feb 1984 to 19 Feb 1985

From 19 Feb 1996 to 06 Feb 1997

In Chinese Hsia Calender, 2007 is the 4704th year and significantly, is also the fourth year of the New Feng Shui Land Luck Cyclic Period 8. The forthcoming new Chinese Lunar Year is from 18th February 2007 to 6th February 2008. The next Chinese New Year , the Yang Earth Rat will begin on 7th February 2008.

Enjoy the Annual Forecasts and learn about the suggested Feng Shui & Crystal Remedies that you may need for the coming "New Lunar Year 2007: Ding Hai, the Year of the Yin Red Fire Pig":

CAREER

2007 is an year of recovery for you – an year filled with promising changes, good developments and new positions. If you are an employee, chances of a good promotion and a reasonable monetary increment are quite high. Some of you may even branch out into your own profession or business. Open minded approach towards new opportunities, strategic planning, sustained hard work and timely implementation will fetch you more rewards. Controlling your temper and becoming more flexible at work place should be your top priority, apart from staying motivated. Expect troubles in unexpected situations and practice perseverance. Avoid getting into squabbles or conflicts, however petty. Arguments could lead to very unpleasant scenes or even back-stabbing.

If you step on anyone's toes this year, you will face a very nasty revenge. Display a Rooster figurine in your North West. If you have a male as your boss, consider yourself double lucky. If you are onto business, stop dreaming about mega projects as you will not be able to mobilize resources nor the time for implementing it. If you have projects at implementation stage, you may have to redraw timelines and be prepared with contingency plans. Only your adaptive abilities and business management techniques can rescue you from frequent emergencies. Prepare yourself well for a better 2008. Accept the workload that you have to do, but don't get stressed out because of it. Carry a set of three Wou-Lou Coins with you. In the meanwhile, stay out of trouble with your business partners, team associates and office politics of the employees. Better be motivated, guided and protected by the Great Kuan Kung by placing his statue or photo in North West, lest you run out of steam quickly. Rats doing trading or in entertainment industry, beauty parlor, health accessories will do better.

MONEY

A rewarding year, as far as income is concerned. Some of you may attract windfall luck too. But do not get adventurous and get involved with risk-money. Read the fine prints deeply before signing up contracts and agreements. Stay away from illegal money transactions and unorthodox practices or else you could get into trouble with the long arms of the law. You could gain immensely from wearing the auspicious Sun Pendant, if possible in Crystal. Some of you would be spending lavishly because of shifting your home or office. Travel bills will shoot up. Plan your purchases. Do save money, as you would be needing it shortly.

HEALTH

Fatigue and lack of proper sleep due to workload will be a major concern. Indulge yourself with the crowds during the weekends (without overdoing it) and do some exercises when you find the time. Relax and unwind. Many of you will experience disorders related to stomach, intestines, digestive system, blood circulation and kidneys. It is high time to shift to quality food. Some could attract skin allergies. Beware of social diseases. The female of the species should take special care regarding rheumatism and gynecological ailments. If you are pregnant, be on your guard 24/7. Hanging a real, natural Chinese Wou-Lou near the head-board side of your bed would be of help in removing the sick energy. If you are a male born in the year 1948, you might suffer from accidents. If you were born in 1936, and if you have a medical history of heart disease, stroke or hypertension, this could be a critical year for you.

LOVE

Quality in personal relationships and new found friendships will bring joy and content. Activism in social circles will give you more strength and support. There will be many occasions to celebrate, including the addition of a new member to the family. Enjoy without over-burning yourself. As the "Flower of Romance" rules your Animal Sign, singles will be flooded with proposals. Pick and choose the ideal partner. If you are married, make sure of the harmonious equation with your spouse and avoid flirting with others. Use your head rather than your heart. If you were born in the year 1960, guard against triangular love. Spend quality time at home and wriggle out of arguments and conflicts there. Consider yourself as blessed, if you are part of a joint family. Installing the icon of a Rooster in the South West of your bedroom would also help.

STUDIES

Keep away from swaying emotions and love affairs, especially if you were born in 1984, as your Peach Blossom luck is quite strong and could drastically affect your morals and marks. To balance your chakras and emotions, wear a Black Tourmalene Crystal Pendant around your neck. If you were born in 1996, you could either change school or enroll into several after-school classes. Accept the parental wisdom with surrender. Group studies would do wonders this year.

Birthstone : Emerald Good Relationships with : Rat, Dragon, Monkey, for 2007 Conflicts with : Horse, Rabbit, Goat, for 2007 Polarity Force : More Yin Lucky Numbers : 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 14, 41, 45, 51 & 54 Zodiac Protector : QuanYin or Avalokiteshwara (Sanskrit)

A NOTE ABOUT REMEDIES:

The above analysis has suggested some remedies / cures for reducing the impact of negative energy and has recommended certain enhancers for increasing and improving upon the beneficial energy of the year. For the remedies / enhancers to be effective, they should be cleansed, energised, blessed and programmed not only for the particular individual / family but also for the specific purpose / problem. They should also be placed in the indicated location, to derive the maximum benefit. Any or all of these remedies can be reused for the forthcoming new years, but they may have to be repositioned according to the specific new year.

Source by Janarrdhana Guptha

from Home Solutions Forev https://homesolutionsforev.com/annual-forecast-feng-shui-remedies-for-2007-yin-red-fire-pig-year-rat-sign-chinese-zodiac/ via Home Solutions on WordPress

#Home Solutions Forev

[writingguide003-blog]

TV's writers' rooms have a mother of a problem

New Post has been published on https://writingguideto.com/must-see/tvs-writers-rooms-have-a-mother-of-a-problem/

TV's writers' rooms have a mother of a problem

(CNN)This is part one of a two-part series. You can read part two here.

It was April, she was spending 10 to 12 hours a day working on a production for a comedy pilot, and the baby she was carrying was due in the first week of May.

“I was real knocked up,” she says, with the kind of comedic edge to her voice that implies she’s someone who knows how to deliver a perfectly timed punchline.

When she interviewed for the job, she wore an oversized dress that covered the fact that her body was in the process of growing another human being.

On her first day on set, this came as news to her boss, whose annoyance, unlike the writer’s bump, couldn’t be concealed.

“You didn’t tell us you were pregnant,” she says her female boss told her.

“Did I have to?” she asked defiantly.

If they had asked during her interview, and used that information in a decision to not hire her, it would have been illegal.

“Uh, I guess it’s fine,” the woman said.

From then on, anytime she was condescendingly told that she could go home for the day because production was dragging, she declined — out of determination to make a point to them and, on some level, prove to herself that she could be 40 weeks pregnant and keep up with the grind. And she did.

“I was always trying extra, extra hard beyond my exhaustion to prove that I could be pregnant and I could do this,” she recalls.

The culture and patterns of behavior that make it difficult — and, at times, downright humiliating — to be an expectant, new and working mother are not unique to the entertainment industry. Women everywhere face challenges in their quest to concurrently pursue professional paths and grow their families.

But as Hollywood continues to find its way through its reckoning with sexual harassment and gender discrimination, some female television writers who are mothers feel struggles they contend with have gotten lost in the conversation.

In interviews with CNN, multiple female television writers with children or expecting children shared stories of how they felt the need to hide their pregnancies to get a job, ostracized while nursing or felt they lost opportunities.All this is happening in a field already filled with tight deadlines, long hours and immense pressure. Those who asked to remain anonymous did so because of concerns it may negatively affect their career prospects.

At a time in the industry when women are still fighting for an equal number of seats at the writers’ room table, the additional obstacles facing those who choose to be mothers are only making it harder for women as a whole to tell their stories on screen.

They know they are not alone in their experiences and hope their calls for change leads to a better reality for all women.

A seat at the table

In order to get hired for a TV show, writers go through a staffing process that includes having an in-person meeting with a showrunner, the men or women who steer the production of a series and have final say on major storyline decisions. Landing that meeting is a struggle in and of itself for the majority of female writers. The most recent stats from Writer’s Guild of America (WGA), the union that represents 20,000 film and TV writers, states that women make up just 29% of television writers.

Once in the room with a chance to get a job, women with or expecting children face a choice about how much to disclose to potential employers, because they feel their answer could count against them.

“I know so many women that go into interviews and take off their wedding rings and purposefully do not talk about children,” one upper-level writer of nearly 20 years experience in the industry tells CNN. “If you’re pregnant, you bundle up with multiple layers so no one can tell you’re pregnant.”

When and how to disclose your pregnancy to an employer is a decision unique to every woman in any industry and extends to women at all levels of their career.

Liz Tigelaar, the former showrunner for “Casual” who will soon be heading up Hulu’s adaptation of the novel “Little Fires Everywhere,” was in the very early stages of pregnancy when she went out for her job with the streaming service. She too struggled with her decision on how to broach the topic of her pregnancy. “I didn’t want to not disclose I was pregnant,” she says. “But at the same time, I was so early-pregnant that I didn’t know if it was going to kind of stick, and I didn’t want to obviously not get the job because I was pregnant. There was kind of a lot of angst with that, I guess.”

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna has seen this distress extend to members of production, too.

“Just yesterday I had somebody come and tell me that she’s pregnant and we talked about how to make that work with her work responsibilities, and she was very emotional because she assumed that she would be fired — and that would never, ever happen,” she says. “This show as a whole is very sympathetic to what mothers have to deal with.”

Federal law prohibits employers from basing hiring decisions on whether a prospective employee has children or is expecting a child. But there are ways those looking to hire TV writers find out more about writers’ personal lives— like asking instead, “What is your child care situation?” one writer says.

“What they really want to hear is, ‘I don’t have kids,'” the upper-level writer who asked to remain anonymous says. “But the second thing they want to hear is I have full-time child care coverage so that they can work as long as they want.”

Even in cases where having kids would be beneficial to the show itself — if the series was centered on a family, for example — being a parent isn’t always considered a positive.

The comedy writer recalls thinking it’d be safe to mention she was a mom of two in her interview with a male showrunner who was looking to staff a comedy series about a family. As their conversation went on, her children became a punchline.

“At least five times during the meeting he made jokes about ‘you and all your kids,'” she remembers. “I know that it would never be appropriate to ask, but I think part of the reason I wasn’t hired was because I was a mom. Because it kept coming up in the meeting as a joke, and the joke was, ‘You won’t be able to handle this because you have too many kids.'”

If asked to join the show, writers commit to a contract to work for a given number of weeks, the length of which depends on the length of the season itself.

The temporary nature of the work means if a woman who just had a baby wants to take unpaid parentalleave for, say, the eight weeks guaranteed to them by the agreement signed between the WGA and studios last year, they could miss work on nearly half of a show’s season if the writers’ room was scheduled to be operating for 20 weeks, roughly the average length for a limited series.

Many of the women CNN spoke with understand that for a hiring showrunner, the prospect of losing one of the roughly dozen people that make up an average show writing team means one less creative brain working on stories.

But, they add, that doesn’t make the discrimination right.

“The very nature of [our work] makes it very hard to accommodate people sort of not being there for large chunks of time,” says one mid-level writer who’s worked for broadcast, cable and new media dramas. “But, also, like, that’s called life. How are we going to repopulate the earth?”

‘Am I going to get paid?’

In 2017, the WGA inked a new deal with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), that provided protections for those who wish to take parental leave for the first time. The guild’s parental leave policy, which extends to men and women, essentially states that a person cannot be fired for taking eight weeks to be with a new biological, foster or adopted child. The WGA’s thinking was that fighting for a broader policy — one that extended to all parents — was that it would benefit even those who do not physically give birth.

The agreement between WGA and the body representing studios sets a baseline for the benefits and rights extended to TV writers. The decision whether or not to extend any additional benefits ultimately lies with the studio.

Some women do receive paid maternity leave from studios. Others do not.

One solution to this inconsistent approach to maternity leave would be for studios to extend their internal maternity leave policies — the ones that give benefits to full-time employees of the studio — to the women who help write the shows that keep their business running.

“The execs, they get great maternity and paternity leave. Nobody’s like, ‘Am I going to get paid? Are they going to take my money?” says one TV writer. “But I mean, I think it’s representative of like the rest of America, where the people who actually make things and do things are not the people who own the things and they don’t make as much money and they’re not as valued and they don’t have as much leverage or say.”

There are some concerns, of course, that such an agreement could spur more discrimination against hiring pregnant women or women of child-bearing age.

WGA’s current agreement with AMPTP expires at the end of April 2020, but individual studios — or all of them — could improve maternity leave policies for television writers at any time. Writers can also negotiate better terms and conditions into their contracts.

“We’d sign that yesterday,” Kathy Christovich, assistant general counsel for WGA-West, tells CNN in reference to a paid leave policy.

AMPTP spokesperson Jarryd Gonzales told CNN in a statement: “When we negotiate a collective bargaining agreement, we take into consideration the proposals and the costs associated with them, and during the last round of negotiations, the WGA had greater priorities it wanted to address than paid parental leave.”

‘The way it is

To avoid having to be absent from their jobs — and without paychecks — for any length of time, some female writers attempt to time pregnancy so they can deliver between writing seasons. The children born during that time are often lovingly referred to as “hiatus babies.”

Those who deliver in-season or while on staff face pressure to return quickly — sometimes from bosses, sometimes out of fear of being penalized down the line, several women said.

“I think it’s the fear of, ‘Will I be known as that woman that took a bunch of time off to have her kid?'” one mid-level writer working on a cable show tells CNN. “I think it’s so hard to be a woman in this industry that you don’t want — as harsh as [it] sounds — that reputation of not being able to fulfill your job duties.”

The writer says she once had a pregnant female showrunner return to work just two or three weeks after she delivered her baby. “It’s just the way it is, you know?” she says.

TV writers’ rooms operate something like submarines, units that are cut off from the outside world for ten hours a day and only emerge occasionally from the waters of creativity. In some cases, even cell phones are prohibited in the room. When you leave the room, it’s understood that the conversation and brainstorming will continue without you and it’s on you to catch up. It’s also very obvious when someone leaves the room.

The work environment presents a number of challenges to expecting and new mothers in particular, who have to find time for numerous medical appointments and, if they are choosing to breast feed once their baby has arrived, breaks to pump.

Four women described being in writers’ rooms where jokes or pointed comments about perceived excessive time out of the writers’ room were made at a mother’s expense, either directly to her or when she was not present.

Former “NCIS: New Orleans” showrunner Brad Kern was removed from his post and demoted to consulting producer after comments he made about a mother’s nursing — and his overall conduct in the writers’ room — became the subject of HR investigations at CBS.

CNN spoke with two sources close to the show who confirmed reports that Kern allegedly made crude comments about a nursing mother — including asking her if pumping breast milk was like milking a cow — and targeted bullying, harassing and retaliatory behavior toward working mothers.

“Why would any company want to employ someone who’s been exposed for being abusive to women?” one of the sources said. “When you align yourself with a person like that, you give other men the green light to continue their misogyny and abuse. For female employees who complain and for those who suffer in silence, this sends a very clear message that there will be no justice. This paves the way for even more workplace harassment.”

“The 2016 allegations concerning Mr. Kern were acted upon immediately with a thorough investigation and subsequent disciplinary action to address behavior and management issues,” CBS said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter in June.

The company hired outside counsel to conduct a third investigation.

CBS’s handling of the situation drew criticism upon news that the studio renewed his overall deal with the company for two years, amid the new investigation.

Kern tells CNN in a statement that the review being conducted by independent counsel is being “undertaken to ensure that prior investigations by CBS were comprehensive and thorough.”

“I am confident they were,” he says. “Beyond that, it would be inappropriate for me to address specific allegations while an independent review is ongoing.”

Kern is currently suspended, as the independent investigation is ongoing.

His case was mentioned in a recent report in the New Yorker that touched on CBS’s alleged pattern of inconsistent enforcement of its HR policies.

One writer says the “absolute power” given to showrunners is also part of the problem. So much of how employees are treated — and, by extension, how working parents are treated — is dependent on the tone set by the showrunners.

“I think I have been very lucky, but I think even that speaks to one of the problems, which is whether you are able to live your life or not, shouldn’t be dependent on which show you happen to end up on,” says a writer, who did not work with Kern. “It’s problematic that the quality of your life [is] so completely in the balance of someone else’s hands”

Adds another writer: “I guarantee that at every studio you’ll find some shows that have the Shonda Rhimes model…where people can work reasonable hours and bring their children in to have play dates, and down the hall, you’ll find a showrunner that works writers 12 hours a day without breaks.”

A person connected to the “NCIS” franchise recalls late showrunner Gary Glasberg being very “supportive of family culture” on set. At Christmas, he’d throw a lunch on set with shrimp and lobster and encourage families to attend. Santa Claus would even make a cameo.

Glasberg, also the showrunner of the mothership series, briefly steered the ship at “NCIS: New Orleans” after one showrunner’s departure.

The culture on that set shifted when Kern took over, the source says.

In the two years that Kern was in place, the source estimates about a dozen writers and editors either departed the show or were fired.

“These companies are completely empowering their showrunners and they’re getting absolutely no oversight,” the source says. “There’s no reason that the supportive environment shouldn’t have continued.”

Brosh McKenna is hopeful that discussions about misbehavior will lead to action.

“Hollywood has generally not done a great job of controlling a**holes,” she says, not referring to any person specifically. “I think [that’s] something that the whole business is trying to deal with. I hope that all the publicity about it has been causing some people to really examine their behavior.”

In part two, female showrunners who are leading by example and how better treatment of writers who are moms could positively affect what we see on screen.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/

[japanesestudies172]

Aggretsuko: An Adorable yet Brutally Realistic Insight into Japan’s Work Culture

In current times, it is not uncommon for Japanese company employees to be in a constant state of fatigue, especially due to working long hours and following the strict rules that certain companies tend to enforce.

(Photo Credit: The Japan Times)

The current work culture of Japan originated from the aftermath of World War II, wherein the Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida decided that rebuilding Japan’s economy was his biggest priority. He recruited major corporations to provide their employees with lifelong job security in return for the worker’s loyalty and devotion. Because of the prime minister’s actions, Japan’s economy continued to grow exponentially, and the people were able to experience several years of nationwide prosperity. However, despite the massive success of Yoshida’s efforts, within a decade of enforcement, Japanese company employees began committing acts of suicide or suffering from strokes or heart failure. All the aforementioned cases were due to the immense amounts of stress and lack of sleep, which originated from their desire to impress their bosses by showing loyalty through working overtime. Fast forward to current day Japan, and the Japanese company workers struggle to balance work with their private lives (Weller, 2017).

(Photo Credit: Netflix)

Seeing a need and an opportunity to create new relatable characters not only for children but also for adults, Sanrio, one of the most successful marketing brands in the world, decided to take on the difficult task of portraying Japanese company employees in their everyday hardships and struggles. The result of Sanrio’s endeavors was the anime series, Aggretsuko, which aired worldwide on April 2018 and gained massive popularity among adults who seemed to sympathize with the protagonist’s relatable problems.

(Photo Credit: Netflix)

Aggressive Retsuko, or Aggretsuko in short, features Retsuko, an anthropomorphic red panda who works in the accounting department of a Japanese trading firm. Amidst the constant frustration from her misogynistic superiors and obnoxious co-workers, Retsuko attempts to escape her job and find her own happiness, however, most of her attempts seem to go nowhere as none of them actually work. As her failures pile up, she is faced with the reality that life is just hard and there is no easy way out. In order to release all her frustrations, Retsuko visits a karaoke bar every night to sing death metal.  After experiencing this daily grind for a few years, she learns to make meaningful relationships and soon realizes that she is not alone in her struggles as the characters she encounters all have their own personal problems as well (Okwodu, 2018).

Despite the adorable features of Sanrio’s anthropomorphic characters, the show surprisingly takes its characters seriously, carefully developing these characters and molding them to become more humane in the eyes of the viewers. Moreover, it is praiseworthy to note that the animators placed certain details in Retsuko’s daily life that coincide with the daily lives of Japanese company employees. These details help in educating the viewers on what goes on in a Japanese company worker’s life.

(Photo Credit: Sanrio)

Retsuko’s daily routine starts with her waking up at 7:00 am. She gets ready for work and leaves her house in casual clothes. Then, she takes the subway to work. Once she reaches the office, there are a locker rooms for workers to change into their work clothes. In the case of Retsuko and the other female employees, they wear blue skirt suits with a simple white blouse underneath, and they are also required to wear nude sheer tights with black court shoes. After she is finished changing, she enters her workspace before 9am, the official time her work starts. Her lunchbreak starts at 12:00 pm until 1:00 pm.

(Photo Credit: Netflix)

Although her company’s working hours are only until 6pm, she is often bombarded with work from her higher-ups, which force her to work overtime and stay late at night. Despite her leaving work late, she never fails to visit the karaoke bar where she sings death metal to release all the stress and complaints, which have piled up from a hard day’s work. Retsuko is a heavy drinker. She often goes to izakayas, a type of informal Japanese pub,  or participate in nomikais, a drinking party usually with co-workers, but aside from drinking and heavy metal, she soon finds other ways to destress such as going out with friends and attending yoga class.

(Photo Credit: Netflix)

(Photo Credit: Sanrio) 

Retsuko’s relationship with her close colleagues are generally pleasant, as they try to offer her aid whenever Retsuko’s superiors or lazy co-workers would use their seniority as an excuse to ask her to do their office work for them. However, Retsuko’s Sekininkan, or sense of responsibility, is too strong to allow her to allocate some of the burden to her colleagues. Rather than confronting her superiors and her peers, she would rather avoid confrontation as she believes it would worsen her current situation and may lead to her losing her stable job.

Meanwhile, a regular workweek for a typical Japanese company worker is from Monday to Friday, starting from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. Still, it is important to note that in some companies, flex work hours have become popular. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of workers take their lunch break at 12:00 noon until 1:00 pm sharp (Export.gov, 2017).

 The typical attire that male office workers are expected to wear is the regular dark suit with a collared shirt and black shoes. On the other hand, women are expected to wear a blouse underneath their skirt suits and are required to wear nude tights with court shoes. However, depending on the company, there are some employers who give their employees some leeway and allow them to wear casual clothing in the workplace.

Everyday Japanese salarymen strive to achieve punctuality in their designated workplace. Luckily for them, Japan provides these workers with ample opportunities to arrive at work on time, especially through the country’s advanced private and public transport offered to the citizens. However, despite being offered the access to fast and easy transport, these citizens refrain from using certain transportation as the cost of each transportation differs greatly.

As most people are aware, Japan is often praised for its rail transport. Intricately designed and easily accessible, Japan’s rail transport is known to be the most commonly utilized mode of transport for Japanese workers. According to the data gathered from the Japanese company employees who were interviewed, a majority of employees have stated that they take the train to work, as it is the fastest and most convenient form of transport.

Though depending on where the workers live, some workers tend to take either the bicycle or the bus to the nearest train station, then after arriving to the station nearest to their office, they either walk or take another bus ride to their destination. Most employees do not own their own car as the car tax in Japan is rather high. On the other hand, taxis are used only as a last resort as the taxi fare tends to increase at an alarming rate.  

Concerning stress and overwork, the interviewees all agreed that the main cause of stress is when a deadline is fast approaching. There are times when they must work late at night to finish gathering data or to finish a presentation to present to clients. Though in most cases, the burden is shared by everyone as they try to help each other in finishing the work required. Apparently, the stress mainly comes from the problem of arriving at home late. When employees leave work late, then they will have less time to rest at home, or less hours of sleep. Coming home late is especially problematic for those who are married and currently have children. Fathers must take care of the child while the mother is preparing dinner. However due to working overtime, the inability to spend time with family adds to the stress accumulated by these workers.

Regarding the activities the office workers engage in after work, some employees stated it was normal for them to return home immediately after work to spend time with their family members. These employees made it clear that family was their priority after their work has ended. Meanwhile, the employees who were single had more time to prioritize themselves as they do not have to factor in child rearing. Moreover, they had more opportunities to improve relations with fellow employees by participating in nomikais after work. Although employees who are single have more time to themselves, these employees often eat out at night in order to save time cooking their dinner.

(Photo Credit: Konami Sports Club)

(Photo Credit: Starbucks)

During the weekends, most workers try to engage in activities that they are often unable to engage in during the weekdays. However, after analyzing the interviewees’ responses, the activities engaged by the employees are dependent on several factors such as gender or personal preferences. For example, women tend to meet-up with their friends in a local café or stop by yoga centers to meditate. Women, in general, are far more likely than men to destress through socialization.

(Photo Credit: The Japan Times)

(Photo Credit: Gold’s Gym Japan)

On the other hand, men seem to enjoy spending time maintaining their physical fitness. A large number of the male interviewees gave the response of working out in the gym or playing certain sports such as soccer with friends and family.  

Lastly, interviewees from both genders seem to agree that there are certain activities which are preferred by a certain gender group. However, the effectiveness of these activities in destressing an individual is dependent on personal preference. The activities stated above are not always practiced regularly, as there are certain times when an individual would prefer to laze around at home, go on a vacation, or spend some time alone.

Although the animators of Aggretsuko could not encompass the lives of each and every Japanese company employee into the whole series,  it can be said that they were successful in making an accurate depiction of the general work culture that is currently seen in Japanese work place. In addition to this, Sanrio uses Aggretsuko as a tool to educate the viewers about the issue that continues to plague Japan since the 1970s, the issue known as Karoshi.

(Photo Credit: Forbes News)

Karoshi, which is directly translated to English as “death by overwork”, is defined as a fatal condition where in the living rhythm of a human being collapses due to excessive fatigue. Workers die mainly by heart attack or stroke, which can be attributed to long working hours and accumulated stress. Conversely, Karo-jisatsu is a combination of physical and psychological ailments, such as failure to meet employer’s expectations, or work-related psychological stress, which results in suicide due to overwork (Asagari et al., 2016).

(Photo Credit: Medium.com)

According to McCurry, a journalist for The Guardian, statistics have shown that one in five employees were at risk of Karoshi, and sadly, more than 2,000 Japanese workers have killed themselves due to work-related stress in the year 2016. Between December 2015 and January 2016, 22.7% of companies have confessed that some of their employees have logged more than 80 hours of overtime each month. Compared to other developed countries like the US or Britain, Japanese employees work significantly longer hours and only use 8.8 days of their annual leave in a year, which is less than half their allowance. As the death count continues to grow, the pressure on Japanese authorities to address crisis increases as well. After the death of Matsuri Takashi, a victim of Karo-jisatsu who had been working more than 100 hours of overtime in the few months before, a national debate was sparked. This debate forced Shinzō Abe, Japan’s prime minister, to deal with the aspect of Japanese work culture that forces employees to work long hours to show their loyalty and dedication for the company, especially when long hours do not necessarily equate to productivity (2017).

(Photo Credit: Netflix)

All in all, Aggretsuko tries to teach its viewers the importance of engaging in play despite the many frustrations and difficulties encountered in life. In Retsuko’s case, by going to karaoke every night with her friends, she is able to relieve the stress and frustration that piled up during the day. Having time to oneself and being able to do certain activities that help us feel that life is worth living is essential in keeping the mind and body healthy. On a different note, according to one of the interviewees, the Japanese government acted 3 years ago to prevent the serious issue of Karoshi by implementing a bill that limits overtime work and requires workers to occasionally take a few weeks of vacation. The strict work culture that had once prevailed is now undergoing a necessary change in order to ensure the workers a more stable and pleasant work environment.

Bibliography

Asagari, Behrooz, et al. “Karoshi and Karou-jisatsu in Japan: causes, statistics                  and prevention mechanisms.”Asia Pacific Business & Economics                          Perspectives, vol. 4, no. 2, 2016,  http://www.apbersociety.org/                              Asia_Pacific_Business_and_ Economics _Research_Society/Journal                  _files/AsGarPick.pdf.

“Japan – Local Time, Business Hours, & Holidays.” Export.gov, 25 September                  2017, https://www.export. gov/article?id=Japan-local-time.

McCurry, Justin. “Japanese woman ‘dies from overwork’ after logging 159 hours                of overtime in a month.” The Guardian, 5 Oct. 2017,https://www.the                      guardian.com/world/2017/oct/05 /japanese-woman-dies-overwork-159-                hours-overtime. 

Okwodu, Janelle. “Aggretsuko on Netflix: Adorable Anime, or Subversive                          Millennial Messaging?” VOGUE, 1 May 2018, https://www.vogue                          .com/article/aggretsuko-netflix-sanrio-millennial-workplace. 

Weller, Chris. “Japan is facing a ‘death by overwork’ — here’s what it’s all                          about.” Business Insider, 18 October 2017, http://www.business                            insider.com/what-is-karoshi-japanese-word-for-death-by-overwork-                      2017-10.