#Magic Mongo

[thearcadearchives1981]

The Sid and Marty Krofft Channel is coming very soon- to make Saturday morning- every morning!!!!

[its-to-the-death]

Battle of the Gingers Wave 1 Preliminary Round #22

Whoever gets the most votes moves onto the next round

[qqueenofhades]

I got political whiplash on Threads. First, everyone was screaming, “All is lost!” I came back an hour later, and everyone was screaming, “We Ride at Dawn!”

The right-wingers are in panic mode. Steven Miller was practically screaming on Feckless news. 🤣

I mean. The right-wingers' entire mentality, the fuel for the January 6 attempted coup, the recent SCOTUS President God-King Immunity ruling, and all the rest, is premised on the simple fact that the president is indeed, Almighty God King who serves for life and will never, ever willingly give up his power. So that's how I can guarantee that the GOP, because they are short-sighted fascist morons, did not plan for this. Their entire strategy was built around attacking Biden, because they hate him. Like, really hate him. He defeated Trump the first time and there was still a good chance that he could do it again. Trump got impeached the first time for trying to extort Zelenskyy for dirt on Biden, because he didn't want to face him. That's why they went after Hunter on largely bogus charges, tossed around the idea of impeaching Biden, actually (uselessly) impeached Mayorkas, etc.

And yet, because Biden (even if he was forced to do it) decided to step away and voluntarily give up his presidential power instead of wrecking American democracy to hold onto it, that has broken their little shriveled fascist brains. They literally can't comprehend it, and I can guarantee they're now shit scared about having to face Kamala, a brown woman, who is the epitome of everything their tiny evil brains hate. As noted by those bangin' fundraising numbers, there is also a lot of excitement around her. And suddenly, after MONTHS of "this election is a referendum on which old and mentally declining man you hate more," that has been removed as a factor. (Watch the media suddenly forget all about age and/or mental competency as a factor now that Biden is out. Does it apply to Trump, you ask? CRICKETS.)

Kamala is going to mop the f'n floor with Trump at the next presidential debate, and I guarantee that the GOP knows that too. Because yes, if Biden had another bad debate, or if he has a bad case of COVID that might end up giving him long-covid symptoms or keeping him off the trail for days or weeks, that would have been very, very hard to recover from. Now the GOP is the one stuck with an old, mentally baffled, virulently hated presidential candidate and the most pro-Russia, anti-woman, demonstrable-sellout whitebread VP pick imaginable, that they had to choose because Trump nearly got the last one killed and he wasn't interested in the job again, for some weird reason. And as we have pointed out before, this is the last-chance saloon for Trump in any number of ways, and he has been demonstrably overconfident the last few weeks as the media was consumed with discussion of Biden's stumbles rather than Trump's manifold unfitness, treason, felonies, and all the rest.

I don't agree with Biden on everything he has ever done in his long career in public service, but I will say that I don't think he would have actually done this if he wasn't eventually convinced, for whatever reason that might be, that it was the right decision. And my one big fear about him stepping down was that the party would instantly fracture, people would start flogging unrealistic Magical White Boy replacements, and otherwise insist on an "open mini-primary!" or some other fucking bullshit. Now, there are still a few idiots trying that, but by and large, the Democratic power apparatus has instantly thrown its weight behind Kamala. That doesn't excuse them for the weeks of wibbling Anonymous Sources self-sabotage beforehand, and I still vote that we destroy the billionaires at our next opportunity, but if we can stick with that and keep up those mongo fundraising numbers, we might indeed actually have a better chance than before, and that was what this was all about.

As I noted yesterday, Black women have been disproportionately influential in taking Trump down (think Leticia James, Fani Willis, etc) and there is undoubtedly a huge, HUGE amount of poetic justice if Kamala can be the one to stick the knife in his greasy orange gut once and for all. I can likewise guarantee the GOP is well aware of that, and the fact that while they can yell even louder and trot out the same old racist, sexist, misogynist fearmongering dirtbag attacks they used on HRC, that is a strategy with demonstrably diminishing returns (it sure as hell isn't going to help them win any more female or suburban or black voters or anyone else we always hear about how they're Making Inroads with). And we're not going to talk about how it's Obvious that America would never elect a black female president. Obama won two terms. Even with all that weight of frothing misogyny and DECADES of Republican smear machines, HRC won the popular vote and was ratfucked out of the Electoral College by the slimmest of margins, after a massive interference campaign by the Russians. It is fucking possible, we are going to do it, and the Republicans are so, SO FUCKING SCARED of having to live in an America run by a brown woman, that can only be for the good.

Kamala Harris 2024. Let's go.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

my personal pet peeves in HP is whole second book, and medicine. especially medicine

starting with the sewers that Salazar invented about half a millennium before the Muggles and beyond. but these things have almost no effect on the overall effect, but hospitals do. the school infirmary and St. Mungus. it feels like jkr came up with Saint Mongoose only for book 5, because before when students suffered serious injuries (Basilisk and cat hair for polyjuice, I mean you) they were treated at school. the students literally waited half a year for the mandrakes to ripen! but for some reason the teachers are transferred to Mungos (McGonagall did not stay at the school after 4 spells).

either these are plot holes or I don't understand something

Like with many things in HP, you can read it as a plot hole, or you can read it as Dumbledore's manipulations at it again (which is what I always do).

If we're talking specifically about year 2, we know Dumbledore knows what the Chamber is and what the monster is. He was a professor the first time around 50 years ago when Myrtle died. He knew it was Tom back then so it's not that he has no clue.

I think he doesn't know for certain who Tom is possessing at first or how, and he lets it play out to both:

Learn more about Voldy

Test & teach Harry

Additionally, even if petrification isn't serious enough to be sent to St Mongos (playing devil's advocate a little), I refuse to believe mandrake leaves can't be imported year-round. I mean, they are a common enough potion ingredient and are used in sleeping potions and healing potions. So there must be a supplier for potioners from where they buy the specific parts of the mandrake they need.

So, I think there was a wee bit of a coverup going on so Harry could be the one to figure it out and face Voldemort. Like in first year:

“No, it isn’t,” said Harry thoughtfully. “He’s a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don’t think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It’s almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could. ...” “Yeah, Dumbledore’s off his rocker, all right,” said Ron proudly.

(PS)

“You see what you expect to see, Severus,” said Dumbledore, without raising his eyes from a copy of Transfiguration Today. “Other teachers report that the boy is modest, likable, and reasonably talented. Personally, I find him an engaging child.” Dumbledore turned a page, and said, without looking up, “Keep an eye on Quirrell, won’t you?”

(DH)

Dumbledore is testing Harry in his first 3 years. The first time Dumbledore isn't fully in on what's going on at Hogwarts and isn't aware of all of it is 4th year (and even then I'm pretty certain he knew Moody was an imposter, but I digress).

In general, I think, 2nd year is just another example of Dumbledore endangering students and sacrificing their education (by hiring Lockhart) to teach Harry a lesson and test if Harry is truly a Horcrux, which he suspected before:

“Couldn’t you do something about it, Dumbledore?” “Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Scars can come in handy...”

(PS) - when talking to McGonagall about Harry's lightning scar.

“I guessed, fifteen years ago,” said Dumbledore, “when I saw the scar upon your forehead, what it might mean. I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort.” “You’ve told me this before, Professor,” said Harry bluntly. He did not care about being rude. He did not care about anything very much anymore. “Yes,” said Dumbledore apologetically. “Yes, but you see — it is necessary to start with your scar. For it became apparent, shortly after you rejoined the magical world, that I was correct, and that your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or else feeling powerful emotion.”

(OotP)

But second-year proved it to him:

“You can speak Parseltongue, Harry,” said Dumbledore calmly, “because Lord Voldemort — who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin — can speak Parseltongue. Unless I’m much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I’m sure. . . .”

(CoS)

It allowed him to test his Horcruxes theory (the diary) and also test Harry. It accomplished a lot of things Dumbledore needed anyway, so he probably thanked Lucius in his head as he let it all play out.

I mean, we see how little concern Dumbledore shows over Katie and Ron who got hurt by Draco trying to kill him:

“You gave me your word, Severus. And while we are talking about services you owe me, I thought you agreed to keep a close eye on our young Slytherin friend?” Snape looked angry, mutinous. Dumbledore sighed.

(DH) - this is all Dumbledore really says about Draco endangering students.

“You have had a busy time while I have been away,” Dumbledore said. “I believe you witnessed Katie’s accident.” “Yes, sir. How is she?” “Still very unwell, although she was relatively lucky. She appears to have brushed the necklace with the smallest possible amount of skin: There was a tiny hole in her glove. Had she put it on, had she even held it in her ungloved hand, she would have died, perhaps instantly.

(HBP) - even when talking to Harry he is incredibly cold about it.

And in book 2, the board of governors did get involved and removed Dumbledore from the school because they, quite reasonably, were concerned he wasn't dealing with the danger seriously. Like, I know it was Lucius Malfoy who engineered it and he's not supposed to be in the right, but he kinda accidentally was in this case. Dumbledore probably hid a lot of information from the board and was weird about the whole deal, I mean, Lucius can bribe to his heart's content but I don't think the board would remove Dumbledore so readily unless Dumbledore's behavior supported what Lucius was saying in some capacity.

We know Dumbledore is incredibly cold and calculated and we know it's not out of character for Dumbledore to endanger students if it advances his goals and doesn't hurt anyone too much by his standards. What's a few petrifications if it means he can be sure he can kill Voldemort and learn more about his connection to Harry?

(Regarding Hermione and the Polyjuice in year 2 is even easier. Because I don't believe Hermione told her parents and Hogwarts wouldn't tell muggles about what's going on at school, so it would be quite easy to hush down for the sake of the grander plan. Also, it protects her, Harry, and Ron since what they did is kinda illegal, so Dumbledore not sending Hermione to St Mongos protects them from punishment, which works well for them and him in this case)

[noneedforflowers]

No Need for Flowers Update 10/27/24 - Lore!

For my first update post, I decided it would make sense to share a little bit about the world of No Need for Flowers!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the edge of the earth lies a floating island inhabited by dragons called Mallow

Dragons wield incredible magic, capable of bending the universe to their will

But any dragons who use their magic for evil are sealed away by a priestess

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Recently, there have been rumors spreading about an evil necromancer who is planning to revive some sort of monster at the peak of the mountain. After hearing about this, a lone priestess sets out to stop them...

Choose from 3 different dragon priestesses:

1) Poly, the fire priestess!

As a priestess, Poly has always been held to high standards. Although, rather than focusing on her magic, she spends most of her time focused on napping.

2) Esther, the lightning priestess!

Esther always dreamed of one day being a hero who was admired by everybody, and it seemed like becoming a priestess could help her do just that. Unfortunately, she was rejected due to her lack of holy magic, but that didn't stop her… She decided to just be one anyway. She is actually quite well-known throughout Mallow, but not for the reasons she might think.

3) ????

She's been missing for a while. Maybe you can find her on your way to stop the necromancer?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed reading a little bit about my dragon island. I'll be posting gameplay stuff next week, so look forward to that! ~ Mongo

[zahri-melitor]

Newish Comics:

The Nice House by the Sea #2: check in with Walter's House! They just got a dog!

The Flash #12: if I close my eyes to things like Si Spurrier clearly doesn't care about Bart's actual characterisation, this was very Flash and very metaphysical-love-powers-the-Speed-Force in the way its crowning issues tend to go. Solid cap to the opening run.

I would have liked, you know, if at some point someone had more explicitly acknowledged Linda has had post partum depression since Wade was born, but at least we got her to mention that her existing issues were amplified and exploited, not imposed out of nowhere. (Not that we always need comics to do PSAs but goddamnit this was an opportunity for a PSA about a serious issue reaching a target audience who probably don't get as many messages about checking in with and on friends/relatives who have recently given birth)

Green Arrow #15: please let Cissie and whoever Red Canary (Sienna) is go home. Why are they here, Williamson. It's fine, Roy's a good team commander, Ollie got to acknowledge his relationship with Lian, but oh god if you dumped Cissie and Sienna somewhere maybe you could use that space to give Mia and Emiko some actual characterisation???

(Also Ollie's at-least-triple-cross gets more complicated, why does anyone, ANYONE out there think OLIVER QUEEN is going to agree with Waller about heroes needing to be depowered???)

Zatanna: Bring Down the House #3: this remains fun, Zee finally casts some magic, and Constantine turns up to help out (by causing problems).

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #16: okay fine, Tim Seeley managed to wrap his Nightwing & Deadman story up with themes I like. Second story is straight 'why we have cops'.

Montoya story: hey Tot! Also, outing Renee, AGAIN, is how we're playing the intro into getting her back to the Question full time? Uhhhhhh.

Final story: never going to be mad about Karen and Mal hanging out being a couple and being superheroes.

Gotham City Sirens #4: oh thank goodness it's over. Good for Alexis just staying evil for evils sake.

The Warlord #65: this week in Skartaris Jennifer Morgan makes it very clear she's actually Homo Magi given how fast she picked up magic.

Love the aesthetic, honestly. Picks up Travis' costume notes.

On the downside because we're dealing with the past again, Mongo Ironhand is back. Hi, irritating dwarf. Because apparently DC and Marvel aren't being hugely litigious at this point in time, Mongo is still trying to become the Sorcerer Supreme of long long ago Skartaris.

Anyway Machiste tries to brain Mikola, Mikola and Mariah finally see each other again, and Travis is so annoyed he's missing out on some quality fighting between his various friends he convinces Jenny to take them both back in time to sort everyone out.

[princesssarisa]

"Faerie Tale Theatre" Role Association: Seasons 1 through 3

To honor Shelley Duvall in a silly yet fun way, I decided to finally do what I've been meaning to for some time: play a complete game of Role Association for the characters of Faerie Tale Theatre.

That is, describing the story using the names of the actors' more famous characters. @thealmightyemprex and I once did this together, long ago. I thought I would try doing it myself now, starting with the show's first few seasons.

The Tale of the Frog Prince

The Genie is turned into a frog, and only a kiss from Inga can break the spell. Odo is Inga’s father, while Debbie Dunham and Kramer are Genie’s parents. Brave Sir Robin narrates.

Rumpelstiltskin

Wendy Torrence is ordered to spin straw into gold for Lots-O’-Huggin Bear after her father Sarge lies that she can. Tattoo agrees to spin it for her, but at a price.

Rapunzel

Olive Oyle is hidden away in a tower by her abusive foster mother Gloria Swenson, until she meets and falls in love with Prince Lir. Cornelius narrates.

The Nightingale

Ned Kelly is the Emperor of China, who learns the value of friendship from Hillary Whitney and a bird with the voice of Wendy Torrence. Commander Adama is the Prime Minister, while Harold, Iroh, and Mr. Wing are other members of the court.

Sleeping Beauty

Rita the Cat is cursed to die by Ellen Griswold, but Grandmama Addams softens the curse to a 100-year sleep, from which Superman’s kiss will wake her. Father Mulcahy and “Hot Lips” Houlihan are Rita’s parents.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Dave Stohler lives in poverty with his mother Jessica Tate, until Blinkin gives him magic beans that grow into a beanstalk, which leads him to the castle of gigantic couple Ted and Edith.

Little Red Riding Hood

Emily Hobbs goes into the forest to visit Grandma Gilmore and encounters Alex DeLarge, who sets out to prey on them both. The Mayor of San Francisco and Ida Sessions are Emily’s parents.

Hansel and Gretel

T.J. and Savannah are the children of poor woodcutter Wimpy, who get lost in the woods and are nearly cooked and eaten by Mrs. Potiphar.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Addie Loggins intrudes into the house of papa Mongo, mama Alma Cox, and their son Paco. Dick Solomon and Rosie are Addie’s parents and Randall Peltzer is a forest ranger.

The Princess and the Pea

Stephen Waltham falls in love with Sally Bowles, but to test her worthiness, his mother Dr. Lesh has her sleep on twenty mattresses with a pea beneath them. Dr. Jack Bardofsky is a court jester and Chris Hargensen is a mean-girl princess.

Pinocchio

Pee-Wee Herman is a puppet carved by Saul Bloom and brought to life by Maria Portokalos. Kramer and Rocko are two con artists who lead him astray, and Waternoose turns him into a donkey.

Thumbelina

Two-inch tall Princess Leia is stolen from her mother Berta and nearly forced to marry first Castor Oyle, then the Penguin, before finding true love with Tommy Ross.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Cora Crawley is taken in by seven dwarfs after fleeing from Julia, who wants to kill her because Nicholas Medina claims that Cora is more beautiful than she is. Eventually Julia poisons her, but in the end, she revives and marries Frederic.

Beauty and the Beast

Janet Weiss becomes the prisoner of Count Dracula and eventually learns to love him. Chief Hubbard is her father, while Morticia Addams and Helen Henny are her sisters.

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers

John Cage isn’t afraid of anything, so he spends three nights in Count Dooku’s haunted castle with the promise of marriage to Dooku’s daughter Max. Bob Cratchit is an innkeeper, Stu Pickles is a clergyman, and Frank Zappa is a hunchbacked servant.

[doe-earth-n]

The final chapters of the Season 2 arc & other Information regarding Earth N

There are six chapters remaining for the Season 2 arc. Then, I'll be starting the Season 3 arc as well as the side story "Beginning of a New Life".

Beginning of a New Life - set during the Season 3 arc; Richie and Tori settle in together; an old enemy is involved when Ming kidnaps Richie, prompting Duncan, Tori and a visiting Amanda to enlist help from the Defenders of the Earth, with a visiting April, to save Richie.

Now for the upcoming six chapters for the last chapters of the Season 2 arc:

Will They, Won't They? - Set during “The Vampire”; During a trip to the beach, there are implications of romantic relationships between Richie and Tori, as well as Rick and Jedda; Tori's surfing skills are also introduced to the series.

Suspended Sabotage - Set during “Warmonger”; When Rick is missing and LJ acts weird, Tori and Richie work together to get to the bottom of what is going on.

High Ground - Set during “Pharaoh's Daughter”; The Defenders get a glimpse of Immortal activity when Richie gets swayed by a female Immortal and she challenges Tori to a duel to rescue him.

Clouded Issues - Set after “Legacy” and before “Prodigal Son”; Tori checks in with Amanda and is informed about the death of her teacher Rebecca, then Tori and Richie realize they have to return to MacLeod upon the fact the issue is something the Defenders can't help them with.

Framed - Episode: “Prodigal Son”; Richie is framed for a set of murders by an Immortal who is after Duncan MacLeod, and Tori helps Duncan clear Richie's name; Tori and Richie meet Duncan's neighbor in France, Maurice.

Game of Peril - Episode: “Counterfeit”; Tori and Richie join forces when Duncan comes across a woman who is a Dead Ringer for Tessa, and they befriend Joe while dealing with a very much alive Horton.

It's going to be fun to get this going as well as starting on the Season 3 arc. I think things are going to be intense once we reach Season 4 and Season 5. "The Magic Within" is currently in the works as well, as chapter 5 is in the works. I'll wait to resume When Worlds and Dangers Collide when I reach the Season 5 arc, since that's when the story is set after all, the story is set after DoE ends. As for "Facing the Past", I can still work on that since it doesn't mess with the canon of the other stories.

Plus, Connor MacLeod makes cameos through two of the three M rated stories. He is the original Highlander after all as he was the main character in the 1986 Highlander movie as Duncan MacLeod is the main character in the 1992 Highlander series.

The DoE finale is as follows: the Necklace of Oros story arc is the last huge story arc, followed by "The Adoption of Kshin" which would be the finale in the 65 episode series. Then we have the arc in the Season 4 arc which is the finale not only to the Year Long Tour, but also the DoE finale that I dubbed "Love in Dangerous Times". Zorelda kidnaps Tori's fiance Richie and challenges Tori to a duel for his freedom. Amanda, Methos and Duncan join forces with the Defenders to help out with Mongo while Tori duels with Zorelda.

[thehyperrequiem]

Right Hand Man Quadrilogy (Shrek Parody) Cast

Right Hand Man 1 - “Once upon a time, in a far away swamp, there lived an stickfigure named Right Hand Man (Puffballsunited) whose precious solitude is suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying cartoon characters. They were all banished from their kingdom by the evil Queen Chrysalis (Kathleen Barr). Determined to save their home--not to mention his--Right Hand Man cuts a deal with Chrysalis and sets out to rescue Prince William Zeppeli (Joe Ochman) to be Chrysalis's groom. Rescuing the Prince may be small compared to his deep, dark secret.”

Right Hand Man 2 - “After returning from their honeymoon and showing home movies to their friends, Right Hand Man and Reginald Copperbottom learn that his parents have heard that he has married his true love and wish to invite him to their kingdom, called Far Far Away. The catch is: Reginald’s parents are unaware of the curse that struck their son and have assumed he married Pomegranate Cookie, not a cybenetic stickfigure with horrible hygiene and a talking autobot pal.”

Right Hand Man the Third - “When Hop Pop suddenly croaks, Right Hand Man (Puffballsunited) learns he will have to rule the land of Far, Far Away, unless he can find a suitable heir to the throne. The most-promising candidate is Reginald Copperbottom's (Puffballsunited) cousin Giorno (Phillip Reich), a teenage slacker in a medieval high-school. Right Hand Man and his trusted companions, Bumblebee (Bumper Robinson) and Samuel Rodriguez (Philip Anthony-Rodriguez), set out to bring Giorno back but find their mission is a bigger challenge than they expected.”

Right Hand Man Forever After - “Long-settled into married life and fully domesticated, Right Hand Man (Puffballsunited) begins too long for the days when he felt like a real toppat. Duped into signing a contract with devious (Poptropica) Rumpelstiltskin, he finds himself in an alternate version of Far Far Away, where Toppats are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin rules, and he and Reginald have never met. Right Hand Man must find a way out of the contract to restore his world and reclaim his true love.”

(In loving memory of Steve Hardwell, you’ll always be our All-Star)

Right Hand Man (Henry Stickmin) as Shrek

Bumblebee (Transformers Animated) as Donkey

William Zeppeli (Jjba Part 1) as Princess Fiona (Human)

Reginald Copperbottom (Henry Stickmin) as Princess Fiona (Ogre)

Queen Chrysalis (My little Pony) as Lord Farquaad

Blitzwing (Transformers Animated) as The Dragon

Ched (Centaurworld) as Gingy

Sana Hudson (Balan Wonderworld) as The Muffin Man

Newton (Littlebigplanet) as The Magic Mirror

Cioccolata (Jjba part 5) as Thelonius (With Secco as extra)

Licorice Cookie (Cookie Run) as Monsieur Hood

Percy (Thomas the Tank Engine) as Pinocchio

Octavian (Poptropica) as The Big Bad Wolf

Oliver, Jorge, and Mya (Poptropica) as The three little pigs

Gordon, James, and Henry (Thomas the Tank Engine) as The Three Blind Mice

Various Characters as the Fairytale creatures, knights and townsfolk

Tea Knight Cookie (Cookie Run) as King Harold (Human)

Eclair Cookie (Cookie Run) as Queen Lillian

Dark Enchantress Cookie (Cookie Run) as The Fairy Godmother

Pomegranate Cookie (Cookie Run) as Prince Charming

Waterbaby (Centaurworld) as Doris the Ugly Stepsister

Samuel Rodriguez (Metal Gear Rising) as Puss in Boots

Speedwagon (Jjba Part 1) as Shrek (Human)

Cheetor (Beast Wars) as Donkey (Horse)

Spike (My little pony) as Pinocchio (Human)

Cuckoo (Balan Wonderworld) as Mongo

Hop Pop (Amphibia) as King Harold (Frog)

The Lost n Found Botbots (Transformers Botbots) as The Dronkeys

Wildberry Cookie (Cookie Run) as Simon Cowell

Giorno (Jjba Part 5) as Artie

Merlin (Thomas the Tank Engine) as Merlin

Espresso Cookie (Cookie Run) as Snow White

Crunchy Chip Cookie (Cookie Run) as Cinderella

Moonlight Cookie (Cookie Run) as Sleeping Beauty

Elder Custard Cookie (Cookie Run) as Rapunzel

Pirate Cookie (Cookie Run) as Captain Hook

Bowser (Mario) as The Cyclops

Various Minor antagonists (Jjba) as The Trees

Gretchen Grimlock (Poptropica) as Evil Queen

Jasper (Steven Universe) as Mabel the Ugly Stepsister

Red Velvet Cookie (Cookie Run) as Lancelot

Various Bad Guys as The Villains

Captain Caviar Cookie (Cookie Run) as The Ship Captain

Fancy Pants (Fancy Pants), Orange Stickfigure (Alan Beckman), and Hat Girl (A Hat in Time) as Fergus, Farkle, and Felicia

Rumpelstiltskin (Poptropica) as Rumpelstiltskin

Cookatiel (Mario) as Fifi

Soundwave (Transformers) as Pied Piper

The Toppat Clan (Henry Stickmin) as The Ogres

The Wall Staff (Henry Stickmin) as The Witches

[samasmith23]

How Magnificent Ms. Marvel deconstructs the "Chosen One" archetype

One element of the Destined arc from Saladin Ahmed's run on Magnificent Ms. Marvel that I find interesting is that it actively subverts orientalist and imperialist tropes present in sci-fi "chosen one saves alien planet" narratives.

Specifically, the whole idea of a human being whisked away to rescue an entire alien civilization from their own despotic dictator was heavily popularized by the comic-strip/serial show Flash Gordon, which was infamous for its usage of racist Yellow Peril tropes. Like not only was the main antagonist of Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, an overtly Yellow-Face Fu-Manchu caricature, but even the name of the planet he ruled, "Mongo," sounds awfully similar to the real-life Asian country of Mongolia. And this is made even more uncomfortable by the fact that Flash Gordon himself is the stereotypically glorified blonde-haired blue-eyed white male, and both the strip and serials portray him as liberating and conquering the planet Mongo from the obviously Asian-coded villain.

So yeah, there are definitely some imperialist and orientalist trappings within the "human saves alien planet" narrative. However, while the Destined arc of Magnificent Ms. Marvel is clearly modeled after this archetypal narrative, there are plenty of ways in which it both subverts and deconstructs this type of plot IMO. Immediately right off the bat one of the key methods in which Destined avoids the same White Savior trapping as Flash Gordon does is through the fact that although the protagonist Kamala Khan is an American, she's simultaneously a brown Muslim Girl who comes from a first-generation Pakistani immigrant family. So that alone already subverts the traditional "chosen one/savior" archetype by having the main character be a woman of color instead of a white man. Plus the author of Magnificent Ms. Marvel, Saladin Ahmed, is a Lebanese-American Muslim, whereas Flash Gordon's creator, the late Alex Raymond, was a white man.

Furthermore, what also helps the Ms. Marvel arc is that even though the alien civilization of Saffa which Kamala and her parents visit is clearly modeled after Arabic and Middle Eastern cultures, it avoids the orientalist trappings since this coding reads much closer to Kamala's own Muslim identity and the story even draws direct parallels between the two. While of course Pakastini and Arabic cultures are not the same and bear distinctions between each other, there is still some overlap between them especially through shared Islamic traditions, which is a huge deviation and contrast from the clearly all-American Flash Gordon versus the obviously Yellow-Peril inspired Ming the Merciless.

Lastly, in an interesting twist it's actually not the theocratic dictator which Kamala saves the planet Saffa from, but rather from the invading hordes of a rival alien empire who were mentioned in the the "Destined One" legend that the Saffans' believed Kamala was a part of. And the Saffan dictator, Maliq Zeer, who was previously built up in the narrative as the traditional final boss ends up putting aside his own evil agendas in order to prevent his planet's annihilation.

Plus, the entire story is focused on deconstructing the chosen one trope by examining how various other characters view Kamala as a hero, as well as her own struggles with this sort of glorification whilst still trying to protect others simply because its the right thing to do.

And while I've seen some people argue that the Saffan's "magic = Islam" which therefore "intrinsically roots violence in their beliefs and has such messed up connotations," it's outright stated or heavily implied in the Destined arc that that Maliq Zeer and his priest's version of the "Destined One" legend was a perversion of the planet's normal belief system to amass their own political power, which said dictator is willing to put aside when the Beast Legions from the legend return in the arc's climax. Heck, even the aforementioned "call for prayer" that Cheb Hura (Maliq Zeer's son and the leader of a band of rebel freedom fighters) mentioned previously was coded as something positive rather than negative since it was banned by the theocratic dictator.

So overall, I personally felt that while Saladin Ahmed’s Destined arc was playing with the “human saves alien civilization” narrative that was typical in old sci-fi serials like Flash Gordon, he simultaneously avoids a lot of the problematic white-savior and imperialist/orientalist tropes which also predominated those older stories due to Kamala’s own status as a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, the subverting of the tropes found in these kinds of narratives, as well as the overall framing around the Arab-coded alien civilization.

[dominionsweep]

DOMINION SMP SEXYMAN BRACKET: ROUND 1, MATCH 3

Originally I said something like "you did this (no, seriously, you voted on this -- these are the candidates chosen from the preliminary rounds)!" for this bit. That's less accurate than it was before, but it's still kind of accurate, so: you did this. Now you must do it again. Choose.

(Remember: Consider your personal qualifications for a Tumblr or MCYTblr sexyman when voting, not just who you like more/who's more popular!)

KNOW YOUR CANDIDATES:

the Oracle

Origin: N/A (is an NPC, and also is the living manifestation of someone’s extreme magical prowess)

Accidentally stole someone’s body and is technically still running around with it. A mythical entity with little to no hint on what morality they follow, nor what they are capable of (outside being able to watch almost every place in space and time, making them the closest thing Dominion has to a god).

Cursed Fixxitt into becoming a genie for stealing diamonds from an exorcism, and told Nukeri to jump into the Void in order to find his friends (technically the latter one did work out, it just took him four months to wake up again).

Was voiced by Scott SMajor once

Mongo

Origin: Merling

Normally a wandering trader, currently the king of the ocean! Is a fish. Is beloved by pretty much everyone on the server but tends to be a bit wary of the others.

Enjoys the finer things in life such as making cool mixtapes and having as much money as possible. Built a prismarine farm. Got his ocean stolen by Fix and then decided it looked cooler that way, so he never actually asked for it back.

Half of Season 2's local HOA, called POOPA, and is mainly using that power to get people to buy beetroots in order to bribe their way out of getting written up for violations, which somehow has not ended up reflecting badly on him in the slightest.

[jeeperso]

D&D Quotes Without Context

Revenge of CHAOTICA! edition, Episode 1

After years of tinkering, Mary Jane Peaceblossom has finally finished reconstructing a Spelljamming helm! Now, Captain William Thunderchild and Amber take their teenage dragon ward Melfina on a maiden flight! Joined by the newly awakened Moonpaw, sent to monitor the flight for problems, because Dingo said they could go fork themselves.

"Alright so we all know the plan right?" "YES! Absolutely! Completely-understand-the-plan-and-ready-to-follow-through. Fiver?" "That was a test. There is no plan. You failed."

Fiver begins scanning the yard for the biggest guy. GM: There is a frost giant. OOC: Okay next biggest? GM: Hill giant. They are playing cards. Kind of hard to kick them in the junk when we can't actually reach said junk. Robbins: "His-junk-is-bigger-than-me."

OOC: I was gonna grab and throw him at the frost giant's junk.

Robbins: "Better-than-prison-rations...Still-needs-mustard." Fiver: "Not the first time I've been given that critique. Apparently I taste 'gamey.' Don't ask how I know this."

"Lemme-go! I-know-my-rights! I-demand-trial-by-puppet!"

Thunderchild's original suggestion of "William Thunderchild's Mutha-Fucking-Pimp-Hand" was veto'd.

Moonpaw, all you know is a half elf reeking of weed bought you from a pet shop yesterday and as of two hours ago you have higher brain functions.

"I am so going to use my new brainpower to plot your demise."

Thunderchild: "Fair enough, we can't all be the Sisko." MJ: "Praise be his name."

Suddenly, the whole ship lurches, as if going to full speed and even beyond. Melfina cries out “WHATS GOING ON?” Thunderchild: "I'll let you know as soon as I figure that out."

"We-need-your-ship. And-your-clothes." "Jokes on you: I don't wear any."

Thunderchild: "First rule of spelljammer crashes, be sure to establish that it's the other guys fault."

Fiver: "Don't mind her she has a thing about Paladins." Katt: "APAB." Moonpaw: "I don't speak whatever that is."

"Does your ship even still work?" "It didn't before."

"Although something that wont explode would be preferable." The viewing crystal explodes.

Thunderchild: "OOH I HAVEN'T HELPED WITH A PRISON BREAK IN AGES!"

Fiver: "I want to know how much they need to be filled in." Moonpaw: "All of it. Me, especially."

"Oh it's Helmut. This may be trouble. I hope he's still not sore about the Jock strap incident."

“Hands where we can see them!” "What do I do if I don't have hands?"

"KATT DON'T BE STUPID. IF YOU DIE HOW YOU GONNA EXPLAIN IT TO YOUR GODDESS GIRLFRIEND YOU GOT KILLED BY TWO MOOKS IN A JAIL?" “Hey! We’re not mooks! We’re at least elite henchpersons!” "And it's adorable you think that makes a difference." “We get health insurance and Chaotica doesn’t kill us if we displease her!”

"Cells-cells-cells-toilet-cells-game-room-cells-Oh Bridge."

"You can outrun anyone. If my life has a meaning, that is the meaning."

You follow her voice to a room bare save a table laden with charts and a green glowing dodecahedron surrounded by black metal chains. Thunderchild: "Well that is something." Fiver: "That looks nice and ominous."

"And a soul cage, who the hell uses such a twisted thing?" "The Empress CHAOTICA. Mongospace sucks."

“It feels like the same magic Auntie MJ cast before.” thunder rumbles horses whinny tortle noises "Whered-the-tortle-come-from?" "No, not you, not again!" "Why is there a gnome with a sheet of tin?"

You look out the port. Good news, you’ve moved. Bad news. There’s a plain of ice outside. "ICEBERG-AHEAD!" Worse news: you’re already on the ground. "ICEBERG-BENEATH!"

"He's-here." “Oh, yeeeeeeessss, I am!”

"Alright-we're-exiting. Just. Wait. How-cold-is-it-out-there?" "Mongo, so YES."

"I'd like to run instead of dying while only five hours old."

"Block Beta for life. All 10 seconds left of it."

The rhythmic thudding stops. From right outside the helm door you hear, in a monotone voice. “Open the door and come peacefully. Please resist. So we may BURN YOUR HEARTS IN A FIRE!” "Not by the hairs on our chinny-chin-chins!" "What she said." "I'm kind of partial to living."

"Also I would like to lodge a formal complaint with your staff violating the rules of the Genosa convention by attacking a medic. I am a cleric of El Araihah and am afforded special protections. Also they singed my good suit. And my good toupee." "Now-its-only-a-half-pee."

"Oh wait till we get to the TORCHAAA you'll hate that. They stick very tiny lobsters in your ears and they snip off pieces of your brain. It's actually worse than it sounds if you can imagine."

Janus: *deep sigh* "MJ, Mary. I asked you to do one thing, and that was 'Make sure Thunderchild doesn't get everyone killed with that crate.' What did you do? And what are our options for a rescue mission?" Heidi: "I can strap some explosives to an Apparatus of Kwalish." Janus: "Will that get us to the Astral Sea?" Heidi: "One way or the other probably."

[bamboomusiclist]

5/14 おはようございます。Natural Four / Heaven Right Here on Earth cu5004 等更新しました。

Rosemary Clooney / Rosie Sings Bing cj60 Rosemary Clooney / Ring Around Rosie Cl1006 Kenny Burrell / Weaver of Dreams Cl1703 Art Pepper / Gettin' Together m3573 Ahmad Jamal / Happy Moods lps-662 Henry Mancini / The Best Of Mancini LSP-2693 Artie Butler / Have You Met Miss Jones sp3007 Paulinho Da Costa / Agora 2310-785 Gene Harris / In A Special Way Bn-la634g Mongo Santamaria / Feelin' Alright Sd8252 Lesette Wilson / Now That I've Got Your Attention HF-9708 Paulo Moura / Gafieira Etc & Tal BR4005 Mtume / Kiss This World Goodbye JE3525 Main Ingredient / Afrodisiac LSP-4834 Lamont Dozier / Peddlin' Music On The Side BS3039 YMO / Yellow Magic Orchestra ALR-6020 Natural Four / Heaven Right Here on Earth cu5004 Pleasure / Future Now F-9578

~bamboo music~

info@bamboo-music.net  

530-0028 大阪市北区万歳町3-41 シロノビル104号

06-6363-2700

[hollowed-theory-hall]

do you have any theories or headcanons about luna's mom and what she was researching and how she died?

Well, Luna tells us what she did, so I don't need to headcanon it:

my mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine

(OotP, 863)

So, Luna's mom, whose name is Pandora, experimented with spells. Specifically spells of her own making, one of which has gone badly and killed her.

So, what she did was create spells on her own the way we see Snape doing. We know spell creation is complicated and incredibly dangerous. Therefore, Luna is likely right in calling her mother extraordinary for creating spells. Most wizards would never bother, and the only ones we see inventing new magic are extraordinary wizards like Snape, Dumbledore, and Voldemort.

Now, this specific spell that killed Luna's mom was witnessed by Luna since she can see Thestrals. So my guess/headcanon is that it's a spell that wasn't supposed to go wrong.

Like, it was a spell she already worked on, a fun charm she wanted to show her 9-year-old daughter, one she succeeded in casting before. I believe this because it doesn't make sense for a mother to endanger their child by experimenting with spells with them in the room. So I believe she thought the spell was ready when she showed it to Luna — but something went wrong, and she ended up dead. I have no idea what the spell could've been, though.

All I know is that Luna says:

“Yes, it was rather horrible,” said Luna conversationally.

(OotP, 863)

That'll likely be true regardless of what spell it was, but this line always gave me the impression that her death wasn't clean, like with the Killing curse, but rather more gruesome. Also, now that I'm reading this, combined with the fact Luna can see Thestrals, it seems she died instantly. There probably wasn't a period in a ward in St. Mongos, she just died the moment the spell failed.

Alternatively, It's possible a spell failed and then she had a period in St. Mongos until her death and that's when Luna saw her die, sitting by her bedside. That would mean the spell was still very experimental when it killed Pandora since she wasn't practicing it with Luna around. I like the first option better though.

For more general headcanons:

1. I usually place Pandora from a not famous or well-known magical family, like she's pure-blood but not sacred 28. Which one doesn't matter all that much.

2. She was in Ravenclaw like Xenophilius and Luna.

3. A few spells that we are familiar with from the books were invented by her (I don't have specific ones, but I like to think that at least one of them was invented by her).

4. I like to think Luna's mom was the artistic one (pretty canon since her father isn't implied to paint from what I remember). Like, we know Luna draws and makes jewelry and furniture herself, so basically I think her mom did too and that's who Luna got it from. I headcanon that before Luna was born she painted magical creatures (both real and imagined) on Luna's bedroom walls.

5. I think Xenophilius was less of a flat-earther before Pandora died. I mentioned here how I think he and Luna lost a lot of their faith in the ministry that hid something regarding Pandora's death or the ministry didn't sanction some of her spells for use post-mortemly. This distrust in the ministry pushed their opinions farther from the mainstream of the Wizarding World.

6. Harry describes Luna as more groomed in the photograph with her mother. As I mentioned, I think Xenophilius wasn't as absent-minded and unkept as we see him before Pandora's death, but Pandora was always the more preset and focused of the two of them. She probably often reminded him of things they scheduled that slipped his mind.

[theimportanceofbeingaloof]

5 questions with Nii Ayikwei Parkes

Why do you write?

This is an odd question for me, because I don't think I've ever not told stories. I think writing is a vital part of my conversation with the world, it's one of the ways I make sense of things. So, perhaps I write so I can be less foolish.

Azúcar has elements of magical realism, for example, the fictional island of Fumaz and the Soñada family tree bring to mind Márquez’s creation of the Macondo and the Buendía family in 100 Years of Solitude. Have you been inspired by the genre? How has it informed your own storytelling?

I have an aversion to the name of 'magical realism', but I have absolutely been inspired by the work of Vargas Llosa, Garcia Márquez, Fuentes - as well as African writers such as Mongo Beti and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, whose work leans on satire. Reading Latin American fiction in translation, the way they owned and moulded the Spanish language to their cultural experience of the world, pointed me to greater possibilities in my use of the English language, which I had been taught to use in very rigid ways. Azúcar is partly a thank you note for those language lessons.

A large part of your writing focuses on women and girls not only your experiences, but the collective feminine experience, which you describe with empathy even while writing about a time when, as you say in Azúcar, “a woman hid her true powers”. Would you agree the feminine experience is a significant aspect of your work, and if so, how have you come to think about it with such a heightened sensitivity?

The odd thing is everyone's first experience of the world is through women, but I never really thought about women's experience as distinct until I read So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ at the age of 12 or 13. I mean, that's the power of privilege; when you have it, you can't see the world as anything but complete. Once I began to see from the additional perspective that reading that book gave me (a West African woman's perspective), I couldn't experience the world without that filter. The time I had always spent in the company of women and girls suddenly became revelatory. My mother was a midwife so we had women coming to our home for advice all the time, and I just soaked it all in with the fervent commitment of a seasoned eavesdropper. I think the accumulated experience of over three decades of listening is what gives the sense of the feminine experience in my work. However, I would argue that it is not significant; it is as it should be, but we have largely learned to read without expecting it, so it stands out when it is simply present.

A lot of your poetry, for example, your collections The Makings of You and The Geez, cover a family history that moves from the Caribbean to Sierra Leone, and your own life between London and Ghana. Is it hard to write about this cultural experience while engaging a wider audience who may not have a similar background?

I really don't obsess over the journey of the audience; I trust that if I render any story with true honesty and vulnerability, then a human audience will be engaged (in ways that I can't predict). Ultimately, how similar are backgrounds? We receive stories according to our interior landscape, and those can differ wildly even amongst people who have grown up in the same exterior circumstances - cases in point would be the adult versus child experience of the same war, or the masculine versus feminine experience of the same space.

Charlie Parker or Charles Mingus? Robert Johnson or Lead Belly?

Oooh, the first option isn't even fair - completely different expressive outlets, but both genius. Robert Johnson over Lead Belly though, just because I like when a story has gaps, leaving space for my imagination to inhabit. I think Lead Belly is a more accomplished storyteller, but Johnson makes you feel an incredible range of emotions and his guitar technique is stunning.

__________________

Buy a Copy of Azúcar from Peepal Tree Press

Thank you to Lila Bovenzi for her help with the questions.