#She’s making sure her legacy is garbage!!!

[cyarskj1899]

Hey@TeamPelosi please shut your old arse the fuck up. You push Biden out and now you have the audacity to blame Biden and Kamala. How dare you? Go talk to your white friends that fucking backstabbed the VP in the back. We Black women are pissed off and this ain’t it.

ALT

View on Twitter

This is why black ppl especially black womenfolk are done saving white ppl

[alastor-and-adam]

Welcome to Our Blog

Presented by Adam and Alastor

Art by @YoiteArt on Twitter/X

Adam: Naturally, I'll start. As the first man—the literal blueprint for perfection—it's only fitting that I set the tone.
Welcome to the greatest blog you'll ever read. Why? Because I'm on it. Obviously.

Alastor: Ahaha! Ever humble, my dear Adam. Greetings, esteemed readers! Alastor here, your ever-charming co-host and devoted husband. Together, my Husband Adam and I shall enlighten, entertain, and likely horrify you—in that order.

Adam: Speak for yourself, Babe.
I'm here to educate, inspire, and remind the masses just how lucky they are to bask in the glow of my existence.

Alastor: Ahem. While Adam waxes poetic about himself—as he does—allow me to reassure you: this blog isn't merely a shrine to his ego. No, no—we'll share a delightful blend of musings, stories, and most importantly, tales of our precious little ones: our sweet Evelyn, now a curious 14 months old... and our newest bundle of chaos, Eryx!

Evelyn: *blinking like a startled fawn at the sudden attention*

Eryx: *blinks innocently as he doesn’t know what’s going on*

Adam: Obviously, the perfection continues. It's genetic.

Alastor: Aaand there he goes again.
But before we delve into delightful tales of domestic bliss (and the occasional disaster), let's lay down some ground rules, shall we?

The Rules of Our Blog

1. No Minors Allowed.

Adam: This is Hell. Not daycare. If you’re under 18, get out.

Alastor: Quite right! Some topics may be unsuitable for impressionable young minds. And by some topics, I mean most topics.

2. Be Respectful.

Alastor: Discourse and debate are welcome—encouraged, even—but rudeness will not be tolerated. I do have a reputation to maintain, after all.

Adam: Translation: play nice, or Alastor might rip your spine out. Me? I’ll just make you regret existing.

3. No Spamming.

Adam: We don’t care about your scams, your sob stories, or your pyramid schemes. Post garbage, and you’ll be dealt with.

Alastor: And by “dealt with,” Adam means I’ll creatively banish you. Do try to avoid it; cleaning up the mess is such a bore.

4. Don’t Talk About the Fruit🍎

Adam: One time. ONE. DAMN. TIME.

Alastor: Ahaha! Oh, come now, Adam. You did doom humanity. That’s quite the legacy!

Adam: And you’ll doom yourself if you bring it up again. Moving on.

5. Evelyn is Off-Limits.

Alastor: Evelyn is our precious little treasure, and she’s absolutely not to be mocked, insulted, or criticized.

Adam: She’s my legacy—my perfection incarnate. If you so much as look at her wrong, I’ll make sure your afterlife becomes a personal nightmare.

Alastor: Wait don’t you have Cain, Abel and Seth?

Adam: *crosses his arms* I don’t want to talk about it…

6. Keep Your Soul to Yourself.

Alastor: While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I’m not here to make deals. I’ve got enough souls to keep me entertained for centuries.

Adam: And I’m not interested. I’ve already been cursed once, thanks.

7. Stay On Topic... Mostly.

Adam: If I’m giving you wisdom, listen. Don’t derail it with nonsense.

Alastor: Although, a bit of creative flair is welcome! I do enjoy a good story or clever quip. Just don’t bore us.

8. Eryx is off limits

Adam: No one messes with my baby boy and lives to see the next day!

Alastor: *slightly around by Adam’s protective nature*

9. Dark Humor is Fine—But Watch Yourself.

Adam: We’re not your therapists, and we don’t want to be. Keep it funny, not pathetic.

Alastor: Well said! Clever wit is appreciated, but tasteless drivel? Why, that’s just embarrassing—for you.

10. Have Fun—or Else.

Alastor: This blog is meant to entertain! If you’re not enjoying yourself, perhaps the problem isn’t us, but you.

Adam: And if you’re going to whine, I suggest you leave before I block you into oblivion.

Adam: There. Rules laid out. Can we get to the part where I talk about myself now?

Alastor: Ahaha! Oh, Adam, you never stop. But yes, dear readers, dive in and enjoy. And remember: everything here is done with love, mischief, and just a hint of malevolence.

Adam: Mostly from me. You’re welcome.

Alastor: Ahem. Of course. Welcome, and enjoy the show!

[pugwitharug]

Hello! I really want to make a last legacy request, my LL OC is chubby/fat but I'm not real good to explain how the m4 would react to MC being self conscious/uncomfortable in their body.

(ignore the fact that I've had this in my inbox since literally Christmas--)

(by god I will pull myself out of my writing burnout if it's the last thing I ever do--)

Don't you worry my sweet anon, I got you covered

Content Warning: Mentions of negative body image, no specifics on what their body actually looks like

GN Reader, oof this may be really out of character but we're gonna do it anyways, some hurt and lot of comfort, the one thing all the LIs know how to do is give you love

Felix Iskandar Escellun

Felix isn't one for vanity, but he is one for the gothic aesthetic, so you bet he has one of those huge standing mirrors with the most ornate gold-leafed steel frame next to his wardrobe

It's one of the many gorgeous things in his room (not including him heheheheheheh) and it's something you find yourself staring at a lot

You normally do your best to not look at the actual mirror part, but today, your eyes seem drawn towards your body. You're not wearing anything revealing, your fashion style is more conservative by Earth's standards, but you focus a lot on the parts of your body you hate

Your own eyes feel like claws, rending bleeding wounds through your skin. Voices crawl into the back of your head. Ugly. Disgusting. Unlovable. They're hard to block out

You wrap your arms around your stomach, tears stinging the back of your eyes, and you find yourself unable to tear away from the mirror. As gorgeous as the mirror is, in this moment, you want to smash it into pieces

It's now when Felix walks in and sees you shaking in front of the mirror, the tears now starting to roll down your cheeks. He rushes over to you and pulls his cloak off, throwing it over the mirror and pulling you out of your stupor

Once he's sure the mirror is fully covered, he hugs you tightly, rubbing small circles on your back. He whispers comforting words in your ear, refuting everything the voices in your head are saying as if he can hear them himself

It's sort of true, for him. There were times where he felt disgusted by his body, feeling like he's an imposter in a dead person's body. He knows what you're feeling, and he hates that you feel that way about yourself

If he could take all those feelings out, he would. But for now, he's here to help and tell you how much he loves you

Anisa Anka

Being with Anisa has taught you that she can be strong with her opinions about you. Specifically, all the good opinions she has about you

She knows about your self-image issues, and she doesn't blame you for having them!

.....okay, that sounds a little wrong. She doesn't think that you're being dumb or irrational for having those thoughts. Your feelings are valid, and she's here to help you with that

Case in point: the two of you are doing some shopping through the town. Anisa has a free day, and the two of you just wanted to walk around town and see if anything catches your eye

You walk past a fancy dress shop and stop at the window to gawk at the newest dress. It's a gorgeous baby blue color, with white trim and pleating. It's a dress that you would die to have

As you're imagining yourself wearing the dress, your eyes flick over to your reflection in the mirror, and your dreams slowly begin to shatter. Compared to the beauty that is Anisa and the gorgeous dress, how dare you stand next to them. How dare you think you belong in the same space as them

You look away from the window and start to walk away, heart heavy with regret. Anisa notices and gently grabs your wrist, asking what's wrong

There's nothing wrong, you say. You're just ready to move on

Of course, Anisa knows you better than that. She grabs both of your hands and squeezes them comfortingly, reassuring you that those thoughts in your head? Garbage. And you know where they belong? In the trash, out of your fantastic brain and gorgeous body

And by the gods, she's gonna see you in that dress, and she's gonna see you smile

Sage Lesath

Sage never really had body image issues, to be honest. All of the negative feelings he's had about himself are about his actual self, not about his physical body. That being said, he absolutely understand having those negative thoughts about yourself

One of the main ways those negative thoughts materialize in real life is that you always wear pajamas to go to sleep. Full pants and mostly long-sleeve shirts, only wearing short-sleeves if it's really hot. It's in large contrast to Sage's underwear-only sleep style

He's asked a couple times if you ever wanted to try something like a nightgown or wearing shorts, but you've always turned them down. Since it was clear you weren't comfortable with those ideas, he's left you and your sleepwear choices be

One night, you're both getting ready to sleep. He's taking off his clothes, you're putting yours on--or, at least, you're trying to. For some reason, you can't find your last clean pair of pajamas

Did you accidentally put it in the dirty laundry? You rifle through the dirty clothes, scrunching up your nose a little, but you can't find them

Were they shoved into the back of the closet? You get on your tiptoes and feel all against the wooden back, but you can't feel them

At this point, you start to get a little frantic. You need those pajamas. You can't just sleep without them. If you don't, you'll feel your body, Sage will feel your body. Your actual body, your actual skin. Oh, how disgusted he will be

Sage asks you what's wrong, and you try to collect yourself and explain that you can't find your pajamas, but you can't stop the tears from coming and your voice from breaking. Your arms instinctively wrap around yourself, trying to hide from his worried view

He reaches out and pulls you up against him, tucking your head into the crook of his neck. His soft hair tickles your nose as he whispers reassurances in your ear

He doesn't entirely understand how you can hate such a gorgeous and divine body like yours, but he's here for you nonetheless. Whatever you want him to do to make you comfortable, he will do it, and he will show you his love in his own way

Mainly through worship. He's a worshipper. We all know this

Rime Solano Varela

I'm gonna be honest, I don't think he really cares about your body like that. He cares about you, of course, but he doesn't give that much thought into what you look like. He's more interested in who you are as a person

Even so, he does understand wanting to feel comfortable in your own skin. He wears what he does because it gives the small sensation of being comfortable, and so he wants that for you too

One day, you're doing some spring cleaning around the house and are clearing out your shared closet. You're pulling out your clothes that you don't wear anymore to put in a donate pile to give it to people less fortunate than you

You're separating your Astraea-bought clothes from your Earth-bought clothes, not entirely sure if you can give away your Earth clothes, when your eyes catch one of the tags on your shirt. There's at least three letters on there, and most of them are X's

You look at all of your Earth shirts. All of them say the same thing. All of them have those damn X's and L's. No M's or S's in sight

Compared to Rime's clothes, which better fit his smaller body, yours look...grotesque. They clearly don't belong here. You clearly don't belong here

You grab all your clothes and throw them as far as you can in a fit of rage that fizzles out into sadness. You stand there, shaking, eyes welling up with tears, stuck where you are with the voices in the back of your head

Hearing the commotion, Rime comes in to check on you. Seeing the clothes strewn about, you standing still in the middle of the room, and knowing your struggles with your body image, it isn't hard for him to piece together what happened

He says your name as he walks over to you, and you don't even get to look over at him before he claps both his hands on your cheeks. As you're trying to recover from the shock, he starts talking

He really doesn't give a shit about what you look like, or what clothes you wear. They're insignificant. Literally just pieces of fabric. The only thing he cares about is you, and you need to start doing that too

His normally icy expression softens as he takes a deep breath, trying to switch gears a little. He just wants you to be comfortable in your own body, and he knows it's easier said than done, but he wants to help you

So let's not focus on what you have and go get something you like, okay? He doesn't know how much longer he can stand seeing you look at yourself like that

[roykleinberg]

Oh now you have me curious about your spicy takes! 👀

hooooo boy okay, some of this is about the franchise and some of this is about the fandom (which I love with all my heart okay please no one throw rocks at me lol)

90% of program/user ships give me the ick

continuing on the shipping train of thought, I don't actually find the Encom trio (Alan/Lora/Flynn) all that compelling as an ot3. and a lot of it is a personal pet peeve I've come across in a number of fandoms, but honestly most m/m/f ot3s feel like they're just a way for people to focus on the m/m dynamic while patting themselves on the back for "including" the female character instead of sidelining her completely........ even though said female character is rarely if ever a major contributor to the dynamic or a focus of whatever fanwork. but on a less meta side eye note I just find the perceived sexual component of Alan and Flynn's relationship to be the least compelling thing they could've had going on

and I know she's barely brought up in canon outside of Betrayal but uhm Jordan exists??? and perhaps it is an unpopular opinion but I would like to see more of her in things instead of relying on Lora to be the only human woman in the Tron universe

once again I might not be so harsh on Uprising if there was more to it, but taking it for what it is and how much of it exists -- a lot of the episodes were boring filler to me. also I don't like how they drew Tron

actually I don't like how Tron has been drawn in any rendered/animated media with the exception of maybe Kingdom Hearts

I don't think of Rinzler as a standalone character, and he's not at all interesting to me when removed from the fact that he is Tron with the serial numbers filed off. I feel like I've increasingly seen people portraying Rinzler as his own thing and it simply does not work for me. I think the whole point of his character / existence is that he doesn't have thoughts or feelings or any real personality of his own. he's a backflipping blank slate whose only real character moments are when Tron's overwritten personality peeks through

to that end I can't conceive of an ending where Tron or anyone around him would allow him to remain as Rinzler, and I can't imagine that Rinzler's capable of forming an autonomous opinion to not want to be Tron again

the fandom collective spends too much time talking about how hot the live action and animated men are and not enough time talking about how hot the Sirens are. or how hot Yori is especially in the deleted love scene. or how hot Paige is. or

Daft Punk (rightfully) gets a lot of hype for the Legacy soundtrack, but Wendy Carlos's soundtrack for 82 is unfairly slept on. love that those funky robots got to cameo, but we should be giving Carlos just as much credit for her work

for as much as it pains me to say it, I don't think Tron ever would've been a tentpole franchise for Disney even if they had treated it better. and it's mostly because of the sad fact that the general public has never been that into Tron. I see it tossed around a lot that Disney ditched Tron in favor of focusing on Star Wars and Marvel. A New Hope -- an original sci fi movie that had absolutely no brand recognition, so to speak -- made over $400 million in 1977. the original Tron made $50 million in 82. the first Iron Man movie -- which sure had comic fan recognition but was still a very early comic blockbuster -- in 2008 made over $500 million. Legacy made just over $400 million in 2010. and Disney advertised the shit out of Legacy, they didn't set it up to fail. yes it sucks that things like Uprising were dealt a bad hand (a garbage release schedule that lead to poor viewership that definitely killed the show), yes it sucks that capitalism impacts what art gets made, but the fact of the matter is that Tron has always had niche appeal, and niche appeal does not a successful franchise make. and while it'd be nice to live in the universe where Tron blew up, I look at what's become of Star Wars and Marvel and maybe I don't lament it all that much

[bluewithpurplepolkadots]

Okay so watching Monsters at Work and I gotta ask....

First Off: What the hell is going on with Johnny and Claire's kids genetics wise? Johnny has 2 eyes. Claire has 3 eyes yet their daughter is a cyclops? And don't get me started on their son...

Secondly: JOHNNY X CLAIRE???? Who's idea was this? Lmao

Honestly the only f/m Johnny ship I remember from MU fandom was (and I still follow this person even though they’ve moved on) from a really good artist who shipped him with Rosie Levin. The art was good and I was convinced. Sadly given the show and the fact he fired her: guess not!

(Also Sulley and Johnny were toxic college bfs in many corners.)

Eh overall it was kind of random but maybe the writers just spun a wheel for MU female characters for him to have kids with. I honestly don’t think it’s a big deal. Given his seriousness about legacy it makes sense to make him a father. Writers spin the wheel, it lands on Claire, done.

I do wonder how she’s taking her husband being arrested. Like: they should bring this up if a season three comes out. We don’t get to see a reaction. And their eldest child/daughter should probably get a say eventually too. Potential drama. I do have vague memories of Brock the jock bird being in a Claire ship but that’s about it. It’s because they’re the only characters they interact together with on any real level though in MU.

Monster genetics? I do recall Johnny looking like a stubby little thing in a portrait where he was a kid. That’s all I’ve got. Maybe they all have grandparents or great grandparents that can also account for their differences. Maybe Claire’s dad is a carbon copy of her son. Who knows. Mike has a blue clone running around. Duncan has a literal clone with facial hair. I think the basic idea with monster genetics is just to have fun with it.

Like I’m not sure but Tylor splitting the difference between his parents eye numbers probably doesn’t make sense either. His grandma gave him his blue colours but that’s probably it. You’d never think they were related otherwise. Monsters are very diverse. Recessive genes probably produce interesting characters when the right parents get together. Probably best not to think on it too hard.

Also adoption. Adoption can be a thing. Who knows. Maybe we can go dramatic soap opera and Johnny has a secret half brother who was a garbage parent himself and existed because Johnny’s father is a philandering bastard as is the wont of some CEOs. And so they adopted a kid who is actually his nephew and they’re hiding it from the kids and it’s going to be major drama in the future when it comes out. Skys the limit.

[pettyrevenge-base]

Quit my job at an upscale steakhouse…but not before making sure all the customers knew what a prick the owner was.

This happened back in 2009, but I shared it in a comment on another sub yesterday and figured it belonged here too.  

I was waiting tables at an upscale steakhouse, and the company culture was absolute garbage. The owner, “Gary,” was constantly throwing tantrums and screaming at everyone, and we all HATED him. He’d line us all up before every shift just to berate us and yell how lucky we were that he’d hired us, because we were all shit at our jobs and no one else would ever have us. Stuff like that. The only reason anyone ever stuck around was because the money was good due to the high ticket prices and solid customer base, as well as the fact that there weren’t many other employment options for fine dining service in the area. 

In addition to being a massive prick, Gary was also a cheap bastard. There was this 6-foot tall dessert cooler in the kitchen that had a broken door, and he put off fixing it for months because he didn’t want to spend the money, so it was just sort of hanging on its hinge and you had to be really careful opening it. Inevitably, during the height of a Saturday night rush, it fell completely off and hit one of the servers, hard.  

So she’s laying there on the kitchen floor, bleeding from a serious-looking wound on her head, and Gary is standing over her and SCREAMING down at her: “Way to go - just BRILLIANT. What the FUCK am I supposed to do now? It’s the middle of the rush, you’ve got a full section, and no one’s going to be able to pick up your goddamn tables because everyone who works here is useless and incompetent! You should have been more careful!”  

I’d seen a lot of his shit, but this was the hard line, and I made a decision right then that I was out. So when I got home that night, I typed up a letter to Gary, telling him exactly why I was quitting and leaving no detail out when it came to his tantrums, his verbal abuse, and the hazards in the workplace that he wouldn’t address. I printed out 30 copies, went in early for my opening shift the following day (midafternoon - the place was only open for dinner) and hid them all over the restaurant where guests would find them: in the menus, under the napkins on the tables, in between paper towels in the restrooms, etc. Some were in really obscure places, so that they wouldn’t be found right away and would keep popping up randomly - surprise! - allowing my legacy to live on. Then, instead of working my shift, I left before the pre-shift lineup.  

Fast forward to a couple days later, when a coworker reached out and shared with me the beautiful details of Gary’s head almost exploding with rage when he found out about the letters. A couple tables read them and walked out before ordering. People in the dining room could hear him screaming from the kitchen. Apparently they were still finding letters weeks later, and every time one surfaced, the vein in Gary’s forehead would pop out and he’d disappear into his office and slam the door. It remains one of my proudest moments, and my only regret is that I couldn’t be a fly on the wall, watching this all unfold. 

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[lonesomedreamer]

Thoughts on “Sarek”

I understand that TNG had to walk, then run, on its own without leaning on the original show, and think it was the right decision to leave out references to TOS characters wherever possible. THAT SAID…the subject of this episode is a legacy character and the father of THEE franchise character! Instead of stuff that mostly just killed time, like Geordi and Wesley bickering, why not have Data (who has access to all the records) make a comment like “the Ambassador previously traveled aboard the original USS Enterprise for a diplomatic mission”? Or why not have Sarek, whose mental discipline is fading after all, remark that “my son was once the first officer of this ship” when being introduced to Riker? Sure, “real” Trekkies are going to know who Sarek is…but I just think this would’ve been helpful expository dialogue.

ESPECIALLY since Picard mentions having met Sarek previously while a lieutenant “at his son’s wedding.” (?!?) We’re never told which son—but why else would a junior Starfleet officer be present if it was not the son in Starfleet?

I hate, hate, hate that they gave Sarek a new wife. I hate it. She serves no purpose. Sure, she’s supportive/protective of Sarek, and she’s further proof that he has a weakness for humans and their culture…but remove her and the episode wouldn’t change at all. Besides, though people can heal/move on after losing a partner, imo Perrin’s very existence in this episode just serves to diminish the idea of Amanda being the great love of Sarek’s life.

I wish the emotional outbursts on board the Enterprise had been more varied, not just anger/aggression. Sarek was losing control of his emotions and was, supposedly, the telepathic cause of these outbursts…so is the only emotion he’s experiencing overwhelming rage? (The episode itself says no!)

There was some garbage about Vulcans “repressing” their emotions, but them having disciplined minds and controlling their emotions doesn’t mean those emotions are “repressed.” Maybe it’s a good thing there are so few Vulcans in TNG…

Hilarious that Sarek warns Picard about the dangers of mind-melds when he practically demanded that Kirk allow him perform one in Search for Spock despite there being video footage of Spock’s death.

This episode features truly incredible acting from Patrick Stewart while he’s sharing Sarek’s mind. But from a narrative perspective, it’s stuff I’d have rather heard from Sarek. This was Mark Lenard’s Trek swan song, come on!

Nevertheless, hearing “Sarek” (via Picard) moan “Amanda…Spock…Amanda…” made me gasp and almost brought me to tears. (Too bad they had to throw in something about him loving Perrin, too.)

And after all that, we never even saw the aliens that Sarek was so determined to negotiate with and bring into the Federation! What the heck!!!

This is one of those episodes that I don’t consider to be canon for me, personally, for a variety of reasons. I was so excited about it, but unfortunately, I don’t even think it was a very good episode. But hearing Sarek longingly mention his beloved and now-dead wife, plus that tantalizing, way-too-brief reminder that he loves his son almost made it worth it.

[fog-and-rust]

Hogwarts Legacy Incorrect Quotes Part 5 - Romance Edition (feat. my Hufflepuff!MC, Ellie)

Foreword: My ships are: Leander/Poppy (height difference & love for feral plants and animals), Garreth/Imelda (both are very passionate about their hobbies), MC/Amit (chaotic & calm). Plus, my MC, Leander and Garreth are the ginger trio, they deserve some love.

***

The boys: Me and my girl do not argue, she tells me to shut up and I do

***

Garreth: Bye Imelda! Bye Leander! Bye Ellie! Bye Poppy! Bye Imelda!

Poppy: You said ‘bye Imelda’ twice.

Garreth: I like Imelda.

***

Ellie: *about Garreth and Imelda*They make a cute couple, huh?

Leander: They certainly are standing next to each other.

***

Imelda: Love is weakness and an evolutionary mistake.

Ellie: You are literally making a Valentine’s day card for Garreth.

Imelda, pointing a quill toward Ellie: You’re on thin fucking ice.

***

Garreth: Did Imelda just tell me she loved me for the first time?

Ellie: Yeah, she did.

Garreth: And did I just do finger guns back?

Leander: Yeah, you did.

***

Imelda: Garreth and I are no longer friends.

The Squad: *gasps*

Garreth: Imelda sure has an odd way of telling you that we’re dating!

***

Ellie: Just be yourself.

Garreth: Really? Ellie, I have one day to win over Imelda’s parents.

Garreth: How long did it take for you guys to like me?

Leander: Couple of weeks.

Amit: Six months.

Poppy: Jury’s still out.

Garreth: See Ellie? ‘Just be yourself,’ what kind of garbage advice is that?!

***

Imelda: You know, Leander gives Poppy flowers every other day, I wish you'd do that too.

Garreth: Okay.

[Later]

Garreth: *gives Poppy flowers*

Poppy: ???

Garreth: I don't know, I'm confused as well.

***

Amit: What’s up with Leander? He’s been laying on the grass near Summoner's Court for like….an hour now?

Ellie: He’s just a little overwhelmed.

Amit: Why?

Garreth: Poppy smiled at him.

***

Leander: Cousin, remember when you said you weren’t going to interfere with my love life?

Ellie: No, that doesn’t sound like me at all.

***

Sebastian: So, are you two dating now?

Leander & Poppy: Yes.

Sebastian: Why?

Leander: I happen to find Poppy very appealing.

Sebastian: Yeah, I can understand that. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with Poppy.

***

[In Ravenclaw common room]

Amit: Come on. Nobody actually believes that Ellie is in love with me.

Samantha, to other students: Raise your hand if you think that the new fifth-year is helplessly in love with Amit.

[Everyone raises their hand]

Amit: Ellie, put your hand down. How did you even get here? Who helped you this time?

[Earlier]

Ravenclaw knocker: If I punch myself and it hurts, am I weak or strong?

Lucan: Strong.

Zenobia: Weak.

Ellie: You can't punch yourself or be hurt, you bronze bastard, it is I who'll punch you.

[The door opens]

Lucan: So, who is right?

Zenobia: I think the door is just done with her.

***

Ellie: Go on, give Leander a compliment.

Poppy: How do you expect me to do that?

Imelda: Just say something that you wish someone would say to you.

Poppy: Uhh… You are now unbanned from Free Chocolate Frog Day!

Leander, sobbing: Nobody’s ever said that to me before!

***

Amit: Due to personal reasons, I will be jumping from the Astronomy tower Ellie style but WITHOUT casting Levioso on myself.

Garreth: Did Ellie say 'I love you' and you said 'Thanks'?

Amit: THE REASONS ARE PERSONAL–

***

Poppy: I'm so happy, I could kiss you!

Leander: Um...Neat.

[Later]

Leander, lying face down on the desk in the library: I said "Neat," Amit. Who says neat these days? It's not neat to say neat but I said it anyways because I'm fucking stupid.

Amit, reading a book: Don't beat yourself up too much. Everyone gets nervous sometimes. Remember what I did when Ellie confessed her love for me?

Leander: Didn't you thank her?

Amit: *closes the book and looks at the ceiling* I thanked her.

***

Leander: *pretending to joke* So when are you going to go out with me?

Poppy: I don't know. When are you going to ask me to?

Ellie: And you just ran away?!

Leander: I didn't expect her to flirt back!

***

[In Hufflepuff common room]

Ellie: You don't need my blessing to go snog Leander. In fact, I was pretty sure you were already snogging him!

Poppy: Nope.

Ellie: In that case, as the archbishop of your finally awakened love life, I give you my blessing to immediately leave and rectify that as soon as possible! Go now, my child, and kiss my cousin right on the lips!!!

[Later]

Leander: Poppy kissed me!

Garreth: Bloody hell! Merlin's beard! Godric's heart!

Leander: It was unbelievable!

Garreth: Bloody hell! Merlin's beard! Godric's heart!

Amit: Okay, we wanna hear everything. Garreth, get the butterbeer. Leander, does this end well or do we need tissues?

Leander: Oh, it ended very well.

Garreth: Do not start without me! Do not start without me!

Amit: Okay, alright, let’s hear about the kiss. Was it a soft brush against your lips or was it like a, you know, “I gotta have you now” kind of thing?

Leander: Well, at first it was really intense, you know? And then, oh Merlin, and then we just sort of sunk into it.

Amit: Ohh... So, okay, did she stand on tiptoes? Or did you lean down?

Leander: First she pulled me down by my tie and then she climbed me like a tree.

Amit & Garreth: Ohhh.

[Meanwhile]

Poppy: And, uh, and then I kissed him.

Imelda: Tongue?

Poppy: Yeah.

Ellie: Cool.

***

[At the Summoner's Court]

Leander *after another fail*: I give up. I am so tired.

Garreth: Get the emergency supply!

Ellie: *goes to the Beasts class territory, carries Poppy and places her in front of Leander*

Poppy: *smiles*

Leander: AND I AM BACK BABY, LET’S GOOO!

***

Amit: How do I make a date really romantic?

Garreth: Be mysterious.

Amit: I can do that!

[later, when they go on a search of astronomy table in Hogwarts]

Ellie: So where are we going?

Amit: None of your business.

***

Ellie: The best way to gain someone's undying loyalty is by saving them from a perilous situation.

Leander: So you're just gonna wait until Amit is in danger and save him?

Ellie *thinking about goblin mine*: Of course not, I'm going to create a situation that puts him in danger and then I won't let him die.

Leander: ...

Leander: You're insane.

***

Ellie, holding a moonstone: Amit just gave this to me and said "I feel like you deserve the moon but all I can give you is a rock".

Poppy: If you don't marry him, I will.

***

Amit: So, what’s Ellie's type?

Leander: Brown eyes, kind, oblivious, good sense of humor, book lover.

Amit: Sounds kind of like me. Too bad we’re just friends.

Leander: Did I mention oblivious?

Amit: Yeah, why?

Leander: Okay, just making sure.

***

Garreth: Do you love Ellie?

Amit: Yeah, I do.

Garreth: Poppy! I told you I knew it! You owe me 10 galleons!

Poppy: We all love Ellie. You should've asked if he was IN love with her.

Amit: I thought that was implied.

Poppy: ...

Garreth: ...

Amit, looking straight at Poppy: Congrats, Garreth, you just won 10 galleons.

***

Garreth: Hey, Amit? Can I get some dating advice?

Amit: Just because I'm with Ellie doesn't mean I know how I did it.

***

Obligatory mention of Chomping Cabbages

[Before showing the Boggarth]

Professor Hecat: What’s your biggest fear?

Leander: That I’ll never be good enough for anyone.

Arthur: Everyone hates me and talks about me behind my back.

Ellie: Chinese Chomping Cabbages

Professor Hecat: ...

The rest of the class: ...

Ellie: BUT they can open doors.

[trials-of-apollo-my-beloved]

Not the Hunter Not the Weapon

A AoD/Apollo fic

Summary: The stars were gone and the sun rose to the next day.

“Hey, AoD?” 

YESEST THY LESTER? 

I didn’t used to think I’d ever be able to get over… well a lot of things really. Mainly the fact that I was dating an arrow. Wasn’t I one of the most attractive beings ever? Not to mention the most talented if I do say so myself? (I would say the most attractive, but I think Aphrodite would kill me if I were to do that: god or mortal.) 

Oh also the Shakesperian being continuously put through a wood chipper then regurgitated into my brain matter with his every word. I was hoping that would get endearing eventually. Luckily I was right. My imagery does still hold up just how endearing it felt initially though. 

There was a reason that one of the godly ground rules for dating was mind reading was off limits. Discounting ensuring the basic trust element of a healthy relationship, having someone sentient poking about your head was just never pleasant. 

“I was just wondering, if we don’t make it out of this…” I took a deep breath. The thought of me not surviving to live another millenia was already fast encroaching on me since I landed in that garbage bin in New York. Now that I had Meg, and Aod… with me? 

Well it was one thing to impassively consider my own demise as a simple possibility, another entirely to think that one of them would not make it out of this either. I was literally walking Meg up to her abuser in the place where most of her torment was conducted. There were no more lines I could allow to be crossed. 

In any other circumstances discounting the fate of possibly millions of people I would disavow the possibility. These circumstances were the rare exception. My own mortality honestly felt different from Meg and AoD’s. Not different in that my godly powers were now returning to me, but in how we could die. 

I wasn’t sure what exactly, but throughout all of my days as Lester Papadopoulos I’d never come to terms with the possibility of my death, at least not until Python became unavoidable. Perhaps it was my previous tangles with the fates, but there was something baser within me, something beyond even Delphi's purview that told me I would not a “mortal’s death”. 

There was no way Lester Papadopoulous would die in a car crash or a freak accident. I would go out either with irony like a greek hero or- or perhaps hero was just another word for hubris. 

The fates would not be so particular with my mortal friends. 

Meg going back to Nero’s Tower was practically an ironic death toll and I was wringing it. Yet, perhaps her insignificance to the greater narrative could spare Meg McCaffrey a tragic end? As the god of plague I was the reaper of children for many millennia. I had seen many children taken before their time, imposed upon many families tragedy. 

I used to see it as somewhat of a mercy to provide a poetic death. As if meaning could be inscribed to the lack of further meaning. 

My shoulders hunched. I took a deep breath. I had spoken to AoD so my boyfriend could help get me out of this proverbial funk where even the Jackson Five had failed. Yes I’d even pulled out the classics. 

AoD quivered in my hands and I averted my eyes. Perhaps, if by some stroke of the fates, Meg was not doomed. If there was anyone in the world who could combat the inevitably of space and time it would be Meg McCaffrey. 

Perhaps it was fortune that I was knocked from my golden throne atop the futures of mortals whose destinies had crashed and burned in blazing glories, like my sun chariot streaking across the sky. This way Meg would not have an Apollo above to find poetry in her death. She was insignificant to the wider narrative, but not to Apollo’s. 

I knew that as I was now I would never be writing any odes to the legacy of Meg McCaffrey. Some people can only be encapsulated by their mere existence. Something so tiny yet so large could not be encapsulated by words. 

THOU SPIRALIST. 

“Not a word,” I kept my voice low. It was late, though I had snuck out of my cabin to talk to AoD among the stars and my sisters watch, I still didn’t want to risk waking anyone up. “Also since when did you use punctuation?” 

SINCE WHEN WAS THY’S NAME BEEN DEBBIE?” 

I shifted in the patchy grass. My orange t-shirt, which clashed horribly with the scenic shade of the forest, caught on the tree I was resting on. The tag on the shirt scratched uncomfortably against my neck. 

“Well never, to my knowledge. Though who knows, I didn’t choose to be Lester either. So, ask my father.” 

SEEIST WHAT I MEANEST? THOU ART BEING A COMPLETE DEBBIE DOWNER. 

“Pff, sure I am. I am going to die.” The words left my lips like they were. Lester’s lips were not Apollo’s yet they were. I said that, yet I did not. 

EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE. 

I sighed and scratched my neck. The itch persisted and I relented to just lying down on the grass, The Arrow of Dadona held up to the stars to stay in my line of sight. 

I didn’t like to think that I was holding my best friend and potential life partner up to the sky. That was my father’s domain, not mine. A plain of clouds and suffocating air were one to fly too close. No, I was looking at the stars. The night was full of stars and space. 

When I was younger and tucking into bed I would ponder if this was actually truly the only time my sister and I were held up together. The sun was, after all, a star. It was a silly train of thought.

“You know, that’s not proper Doctors etiquette.” 

WHAT DOEST THOU MEAN? The arrow vibrated gently in palms, almost if he was attempting dulcet tones through vibrations alone. Not impossible, to his credit. Though, even if it was true and trees could talk, I doubted very much they could sing. 

“Us doctors don’t tell patients that everything will be fine, because they won't always be. It’s seen as lying. Not a problem I ever came across of course, but it’s common practice. You just tell the patient you’ll do their best for them.” 

The arrow huffed… well as well as an arrow could huff. 

SOUNDEST TO ME LIKEST AN EXCUSEST. LESTER OF THE DOCTORATE, I ASSURE THEE EVERYTHING SHALT END UP FINE. I WILL NOT ALLOW THOU TO DIE. 

I chuckled. “Strangely that does reassure me AoD. Though it really shouldn’t. You’ve been about as helpful with prophecies as the Grey Sisters.”

RUDE! 

“Yeah, maybe a little. Here, how about I do it my way. Arrow of Dadona,” I sat up and hoisted the arrow with me as if to look at it at its eye level, “I promise to do my best to keep thou- I mean you! Alive.” 

With that solemn bargain, and my doubts assuaged - at least enough to head to bed - the stars were gone and the sun had risen on the next day.

[foxboyclit]

outland blues

for day 8 of @flufftober, more legacy if the shattered fic! i hope you like this relationship as much as i do. okay, i'll see myself out for that one

read on ao3 here!

A storm had rolled in from the north, casting a brutal rainfall and howling winds over the Outlands. The small villages dotting the map had prepared to hunker down; denizens had been reinforcing the cottages days in advance. A pirate of the shattered sky was no different; with the conditions making piloting a transport impossible, scoping out a safe place to dock was advised. With the hard part over, all the crew of the Big Lawn had to do was shelter in place.

Some found the close quarters less bearable to others, Shiv having to be dragged into a video game tournament to avoid holes being shot into the walls. Even then, his manic energy bounced off the excitable Captain too well. The laughter and shouting carried throughout the ship, and Sybil was grateful her quarters were far from them.

It was there she’d decided to post up, using the storm as an excuse to take a rest day. 

All she needed was there; a mug of tea, a well-loved paperback, and BL, her beloved AI. 

Is the cabin’s climate to your liking, dear?

“Perfect as usual, Bee.” she smiled at the soft mechanical whirring of the ship, BL’s way of blushing. “After all this time you still get flustered over that name?”

No, incorporeals don’t get flustered. I don’t know what you could be talking about.

“Really? So you’d function normally if I did this?” she ghosted her fingertips across the pop-up screen, tantalizingly slow. There was a thin layer of static electricity transferred between them, and Sybil was sure that would do her in.  She laughed when the soft background music glitched out and the internal fans kicked up speed.

I’m cutting off the oxygen flow of this cabin.

“You’d miss me.” her grin only widened with smug satisfaction. She leaned back into the nest of pillows, cracking open her book. BL summoned a robotic manipulator from the ceiling to stroke her hair. 

What’re you reading there?

“Oh, this? She turned the book in her hand and glanced at the fading cover. “It’s what I lovingly call ‘garbage fiction.’ A pretty bounty hunter gets hacked by the renegade she’s chasing, and what a surprise, she’s secretly crushing on her target!”

Sounds cliche. I want in on this ‘garbage fiction’.

“If you insist”.

 She spent the rest of the night reading to BL, who swooned dramatically during the romantic scenes, which caused frequent breaks in laughter on Sybil’s end. It was just another reason the book was one of her favorites.

[ordinaryschmuck]

So, I watched The Flash

Mainly because certain people online were being REALLY annoying about it, and I had to check it out to see if it’s really as bad as people say. Or even AS GREAT as others said. And it’s...fun.

Yeah, that’s the best way to describe the movie. It’s not OUTSTANDING or even complete garbage. It’s just...a fun movie. And, call me crazy, but I think I KIND OF understand why James Gunn said it’s his favorite of the year.

Now, that doesn’t mean I see how it could have been a masterpiece of film making. There are a lot holding it back, the most egregious being the CGI. This film looks UGLY in a lot of scenes, some looking like they’re part of a video game. The worst of it is in the final battle, and I honestly can’t tell if the CW show might have looked better than this movie.

The worst of it is when they used CGI to resurrect dead actors and actresses for a cameo fest that just feels unnecessary. Like, I get the idea of showing the universes colliding, but if that’s the case, why not just...use current media? Like why not bring in the CW Flash in one of those universes? Or Robert Pattinson’s Batman instead of a fake Adam West? Or throw in Doom Patrol or the Titans. Just DON’T resurrect the guy who committed suicide because he didn’t feel like he could live past the legacy of being Superman. Seriously, James Gunn...WHY did you let that slide?

And, of course, there’s the psychotic elephant in the room with this movie starring Ezra Miller. After they went to play real life GTA in Hawaii, Miller might have hurt this movie’s chances due to the iffy it’d feel giving THAT actor residuals just to watch a dumb superhero movie. It’s kind of why I stuck to using...special means to watch this one because I didn’t feel comfortable in any other way. And I know, you should separate the art from the actor, but I agree with this idea that it’s a case-by-case and it only depends on how well you can do it. And...MAN it’s hard sometimes when you see Ezra Miller put a baby in a microwave, debate on how hard you have to punch someone to knock them out, and just...get REALLY violent during that final act. Sure, Ezra Miller does great in OTHER scenes but those bits make things kind of uncomfortable.

But with that said, there ARE some great scenes with Barry. BOTH in fact. Ezra does a great job of differentiating both Barry Allens and giving solid emotions for when its right. There’s this great scene with Barry and his mom that’s carried by the tragedy of EVERYTHING the character went through and what he needs to do, and I hate to say it because of how insane Miller is, but...They nailed the right emotions. And when interacting with this other Barry, they do this good job where I’m somehow convinced that there are two Ezra Millers on screen together, having a conversation, even though such a thing is literally impossible in real life.

And the journey both these characters go on and the lesson they come to learn honestly works and leads to some pretty powerful emotions where I’m willing to BRIEFLY shut my brain off and enjoy these characters for what they are.

Plus, they’re not the only standouts. Sasha Calle introduces us to a new Supergirl and, despite having a short screen time, offers an interesting character. And with how passionate about the role she had, I really hope Gunn brings her back for the DCU. She deserves it.

And Micheal Keaton really does try to give it his all as a returning Batman. Even though there were definite fight scenes that WEREN’T him, you can tell he had fun with some scenes.

Speaking of Batman...I think Brave and the Bold is in decent hands. The same guy who directed this is going to direct the DCU’s Batman movie and he definitely has a good vision of how to make Batman cool...I just hope he relies on less CGI to do so. And if he DOES feel obligated to use CGI, PLEASE make it better.

So, yeah. The Flash is a decent movie. It has some good acting, a fair story, some surprisingly effective emotional moments, occasionally fun action, and even the humor isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But why do I think it’s James Gunn’s favorite? Well, probably the same reason why I consider Spider-Man: Homecoming my favorite Spider-Man movie even though Spider-Verse is RIGHT THERE. Into and Across are better. I KNOW they’re better. But, I don’t know, I just have more fun with Homecoming. It’s sort of my comfort Spider-Man movie with how enjoyable it is to me. And that might be James Gunn’s logic when considering it his favorite. There are DEFINITELY better movies, but he had a lot more fun watching this one. Just because something’s your favorite, that doesn’t automatically make it the best.

Personally, I had fun watching this too. Maybe even watch it again one day. It’s not the worst movie in the world, it’s not the best, but if I’m in the mood for some dumb fun, I could see myself putting this on.

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Oh boy this won’t be fun.

*After that Harumi walk out of the room with the photos*

Okay, I got everything now to meet with the others and-.

???: You... you really are pathetic, you know that?

...? *She turns to the voice and at the end of the hall it was Emina except younger...*

I mean honestly, for a Reserve Course girl like you; you think that exposing me like this is going to solve anything?

...

Do-Don't ignore me, do you really think this is going to solve anything? You... you think you get to do all this and ruin my legacy, you should just stay in your place and stay there you good for nothing delinquent!

In fact, given the fact how your daughter is nothing but shut-in proves who is the better mother and that clearly isn't you!

'Better'? Not sure why you think so but given what I've seen proves otherwise...

That's only because you don't push her to succussed or do anything; that's why that little brat of yours is the same type of loser as you are.

After all, given how my children were raise to be these perfect artist, if anything I'm preparing them to reach the top while you of course raising yours to be a failu-.

So that does that include wrapping your children's arm with piano wire which is counter-productive to an artist, nearly starving your children, nearly causing one of them to starve to death and develop some eating disorder and trapping one of those children into a room to the point he can't even stand in there without having some panic attack or attempting suicide?

You aren't a parent, far from it - your just some monster that wants to make them suffer and honestly I'm glad they got the hell away from you.

...!

Ho-How... How dare you say that to me, if anything I'm preparing them! You... You have no room to talk, it's not like your child is any better; she's going for something as worthless as therapy!

'Worthless'? Well clearly based on what your son had say, I think he might actually go to one after talking with his sister.

If anything, I only raise my own kid to not care for talent, to be a kid and just find her own future without me or my husband's own imput that she be happy in.

Sure... maybe we had some trouble with Nagi, she struggle finding out what she wanted to do and maybe there were ways we could be better but she was able to find something she finds join in doing.

But after seeing this garbage, I think I wasn't wrong; your a horrid human being that fail as a mother, your truly pathetic and if anyone is the loser - it's you.

Only because that husband of mine fail at raising him so you can't blame me for any of this and even then by the end your daughter is still nothing but a failure.

As always you still want to blame someone else, god your victim complex is annoying as hell.

Well hey, doesn't matter to me; given your dead, I think it's time we put this case to a close and move on.

I look forward to ruining that 'legacy' you were going on about, goodbye Emina Nijiue; I hope you rot in hell, good day...

*After that Harumi walk away leaving Emina behind which then cause her to disappear*

...

...

...

*As then Harumi arrive upstairs as going to Emina and Ayato's room*

Oh Haru, hey - the others are already inside, we were just waiting for you and Jiro.

So... did you get everything you need?

Yeah I think so, I took a photos of that room and got everything sorted out.

Now it's time we shut this case close, let's get inside!

[bllsbailey]

The Pulitzer Prize Was Just Awarded to a Publication That Pushed a Fake News Story

It’s almost as if the news media thinks if they troll us and Donald Trump, it makes them look better. Even more delusional, they might think these little awards constitute a win. It doesn’t. It’s insane narcissists awarding like-minded folk for manufacturing fake news. The Pulitzer is not what it used to be, as we’ve seen it being given to people who have outright lied to the masses to score political points.

ProPublica

won one regarding its coverage of abortion post-Dobbs, and it was a doozy. The story about Amber Thurman, who the liberal media alleges was killed by Republicans, turned out to be grade-A trash. Thurman was a Georgia resident. The state recently passed a law banning abortions after six weeks. That’s not what killed Thurman—it was a rare complication from the abortion pills she took (via National Review): 

… ProPublica reported on the tragic death of Amber Nicole Thurman. Thurman obtained chemical-abortion pills in North Carolina. After returning home to Georgia, she experienced a rare complication. She had not yet expelled all of the fetal tissue. She checked into Piedmont Henry Hospital to receive a dilation-and-curettage (D and C) procedure to remove the fetal remains. There were delays in her treatment, her condition deteriorated, and she tragically died.  ProPublica reports that a state committee deemed Thurman’s death “preventable” and argues that delays in Thurman’s care were caused by Georgia’s pro-life laws.  Unsurprisingly, the mainstream media opportunistically pounced on this tragic story. It was covered by the New York Times, Slate, Mother Jones, People, and numerous other mainstream media outlets. Countless politicians and elected officials got in on the act. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris mentioned the story on Twitter, stating that “Trump Abortion Bans prevent doctors from providing basic medical care.” Harris even plans to give a speech today in Georgia where she will tout her support for legal abortion and will likely blame Georgia’s pro-life laws for Thurman’s untimely death.  Thurman’s death is certainly tragic. However, there are aspects to her story that we simply do not know. ProPublica, which broke the story, indicates that an official state committee tasked with examining pregnancy-related deaths deemed Thurman’s death “preventable.” However, the full review of her patient case is not public. Furthermore, the ProPublica article contains no information from medical professionals directly involved with Thurman’s care. Communications staff from this hospital and the Georgia Department of Public Health also did not provide comments on Thurman’s case.  More importantly, as my Charlotte Lozier Institute colleague Dr. Christina Francis points out in her recent Atlanta Journal Constitution opinion piece, Georgia’s pro-life heartbeat act was not responsible for Thurman’s death. That is because the law allows physicians to intervene in cases of medical emergencies or if the preborn child has no detectable heartbeat. Both of these clearly applied in Thurman’s case. 

You’re not going to beat Trump or those mocking you by rewarding this garbage, legacy press. All you did here was re-confirm and validate the millions of people who flocked to other information streams. Burning the village down to save it didn’t help us in Vietnam, and it sure won’t help you here. But if you want to throw a tantrum and defy logic, facts, and accuracy because Trump is president and everyone can see through your lies now, then go right ahead. We’ll still be calling you fake news. 

And we’ll still own you. You people are too stupid to pivot. 

Trending on Townhall Videos

[lozchic3]

Since I'm still thinking about the character stories and final main quest, I think I'll talk about all of them post true final boss. "Which character story was the best one?" tl;dr: It's subjective and there's a lot of- It's Partitio, hands down.

I think I'll go on OCTOPATH order just for simplicity's sake.

Ochette, the Hunter - I think Ochette's story sits somewhere in the middle of my mind. There's elements where I could tell they weren't 100% sure where to take it. Ochette by the end is a large reflection of the Beastlings and their existence. They're a race that is the aftermath of D'arqest's cruelty and (according to Shirlutta) justified punishment. I find her lacking any darkness within her as an interesting story beat, especially after everything she had seen on her journey. The fact that the game gives you a sidequest where Shirlutta slowly comes to terms with the lose of his friend, through anger and grief, and from learning human culture and emotion feels like this missing wedge that should have been present in her story. But instead acts almost as this late game reflection before the hammer of her crosspath pt 2 with Castti. I think out of anything I would have liked for them to keep up the theme of environmentalism that was suddenly dropped by the end. But I don't think her story was bad overall.

Castti Florenz, the Apothecary - Start to finish this story hit the ground running. I don't think there was a moment where I questioned the twists and turns. It wasn't deep but the profound nature present is the themes of her story. A lot of the story segments glitch when Castti starts remembering something important. Those early hints that she's struggling with her memory really played strongly to her story and overall character.

But what really heightened her story was watching her sheer determination in action despite everything and how the story is presented. Even at the fact of all odds against her, even without her memories, she still was willing to give it her best no matter what. All of that hitting a crescendo with Trousseau really heightens it. The ending being such an intense, almost theatrical set piece is what really makes her story a memorable one from the bunch.

Throné Anguis, the Thief - As easy as it would be for me to dismiss her story entirely as being bad, the issue to me isn't even that it was visibly clear they wanted to re-write Primrose's story from the first game. The core issue is unlike Castti's story where the fun is her determination, I'm watching Throné consistently being faced with worse revelations in nearly every chapter. The height of which included things like abuse, implied sexual assault, and torture.

There was a point I actually wanted to quit because of that too. A good story with a darker theme has some hope underlining it all. The reason Primrose's story was interesting to me is her goal was ultimately to rebuild her family's legacy once it was over. It made her revenge thrilling despite it all. Throné didn't even know she wanted to be free until Pirro's death and because of that it feels odder as her story progresses. Every reveal after that just continues to feel jarring especially after Claude.

I think the only highlight is any interaction she had with Temenos. She acted as a good foil to the detective's nonchalant attitude, and I think that hurts the most for me. I really wish her story was better but instead I get this dark garbage for the sake of a darker story.

Osvald V. Vanstein, the Scholar - When I first saw this character had not 1 but 2 chapters in the demo, I dropped everything to bum rush through both chapters. Even better when I realized he has two chapters to start off cause both is part of a prison break. I think that's what hooked me about Osvald from the start. He's a man who was unjustly imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, specifically against his own family. And for years he has this budding rage over the man who gloated over his arrest. The twist of his daughter being alive and sparking new hope within him. The slow budding interest of his party from being completely disinterested to suddenly listening intently to them over anything.

It was fun watching Osvald go from cold, calculating prisoner to warm father who wants to ensure his daughter and friend's future are safe. Harvey also was a fun villain to bounce off him as his descent went from lauding over his self accomplishments to straight madness as he chewed into the carpet. I think even with the world building present, it's definitely top 3 favorite stories among the characters.

Partitio Yellowill, the Merchant - This stole the show for me. I think Partitio's chapters were always going to be a step above Tressa's from the first game. If only because the fun of Tressa's story was watching someone learn the art of the trade. So I was always curious to see what the next step above that would be. What I got was someone whose first chapter was a combined retelling of the gold rush era AND a worker's rebellion. HOT DOG! The Scent of Commerce quests prove how much knowledge Partitio has and his kindheartedness that he sees value not by a person's worth, but that everyone is important.

But at it's core, the strongest element of his story is how every chapter was a new theatrical set piece going forward. Chapter 2 having a full industrial complex and scaffolding to walk over really made me realize a core importance of the game really shines when it plays around with the environments. But his final chapter is where my jaw dropped. A speech by Roque Brilliante THE SELF PROCLAIMED CAPITALIST lauding over the "hard work endured before climbing to the top" while walking over a bridge to another building. I had to put my controller down to hear the full speech and I was so drawn by every, slimy ounce of it. That moment is where I realized a lot of the game's moments is really sold when it does these kind of set pieces. It brings life to the world and truly reveals the kind of stakes at hand in these moments. It's hands down why this is my favorite story among the batch. I really hope going forward Team Amano learned from this and expands more on story telling like this going forward.

Agnea Bristarni, the Dancer - I sincerely wasn't sure how to feel about Agnea's story after her first chapter. It wasn't a bad starting chapter. But my initial impression was that her story would fall similarly to Tressa's. Instead what I ended up getting wasn't a story about a newcomer serious about becoming a star. But a starlet showing off what her deceased mother had taught her, and watching her rival realize slowly what she had lost along the way. I think Dolcinaea from chapter 3 onward was a great antagonist. But the fact that it was not "entertainment for the sake of hope", it's "entertainment is needed even in the worst of times to keep us going" is something I feel is both needed as a message today and something that gets lost a lot of times. I think with that in mind, I did enjoy Agnea fulfilling her dream and showering hope and smiles to everyone.

Temenos Mistral, the Cleric - This is the character from the demo I started with, thought I was going to stick with, and then didn't once I jumped into the main game. The issue was simply mechanic wise he doesn't fire off strong. But his story from start to finish is a fun murder mystery throughout. I think my core issue with it isn't that it's clear the final main quest answers the true mastermind. But rather the mystery of his ability and small tidbits of his life are still missing by the end.

I think sans those unsolved mysteries, his story wasn't really a murder mystery at it's core. It was slowly watching someone accept grief and slowly unravel a mask they've put up for so long. Temenos Mistral at his core is a very somber cleric, who lost a father figure and friends I think he would consider brothers. All to a vile manipulator who didn't see him as a threat until the end. I think those elements and his crosspaths and interactions with Throné were one of the best in the game. But I do wish they expanded more with him.

Hikari Ku, the Warrior - I feel like I should start off as saying my demo impressions of Hikari were way off the mark. I kept thinking it would be the most on the nose Romance of the Three Kingdom retellings. Instead I got the most brutally on point depiction of war, classism, and how even hopeful ideals cannot change people if they've lived deeply with grief, prejudice and barely rest from a war-torn world. The only muddy part of his story is knowing A LOT of things didn't fire off until the very last chapter which ends up being a boss rush with barely a chance to save inbetween. And the fact that technically the conclusion isn't even within his own story but the final main quest.

I think that in itself was done purposely considering even Olberic in OT1's story tied deeply into the true final boss as well. Still I think a lot about the depictions of war present in Ku. How many people were effected or the fact the game doesn't shy away of calling an onslaught against the lower class as a brutal killing and Civil War. I really hope going into the next installment of the series they don't shy away from themes like this.

Journey for the Dawn - A mess overall. I think the issue is that this is from a series that hinged before on finishing whatever character story you want, and then tackling the true final boss as an option. The option was there for this quest. But from start to finish it existed to tie up loose ends present in all character stories and crosspaths. I think if I had glimpses of this anti-8 faction outside of Ori and Harvey I would have been sold more about it.

That said, I think this main quest's strongest points were it's finalization of things hinted at from different character stories. Ori being the self proclaimed "hound to Kazan's eagle" was such a fun reveal. This is again heightened by how the set design quality of scattering all her journal pages about worked favorably here. It showed a full arc of the way her life has been, her hatred of how Ku torn so many nations, her desire to keep appeasing her brother, and suddenly her hesitancy when she realizes Partitio is sincere. It fires off beautifully where the Sacred Flames' memory shows her hesitation and makes her small appearance in the epilogue somber yet happy ending. I can't help but to wish that she's found peace past her brother's death.

Even though I suspected Mindt early on, her reveal and twist of knife towards Temenos really sold her as an antagonist. It also left the final piece of "is Temenos holding in all of his grief?" in my mind. I kept thinking consistently in my playthrough how it almost feels like someone wants Temenos to purposely suffer. And the confirmation being "yes and it's someone closest to him" I think not only makes it worse, but really shows that Temenos' doubt hindered him from ever suspecting the closest person in his life. What was Temenos if not a very trusting and faithful clergyman underneath it all? So of course the leader of a heretical order bent on world destruction really makes a good counter to Temenos' MO. If anything the game really didn't want to answer if she was immortal or not.

Oboro also rounded off the final mystery of Ku and generally how many were effected by the end. I would not have expected Kazan of any foul play initially. His involvement with Mugen felt like a formality than anything. But seeing how his machinations fired off, even how he made sure to keep Ori away from Arcanette and even Claude for too long really showed this deep sense of caring. His despair isn't from not accepting the world. It's from how he's lived and the immense grief of living a life he feels can never change. Knowing that despite it all, he still considering Hikari's dream and still thought of it as he snuffed out the Sacred Flame really sets him as such a profound antagonist. So of course him flinging himself into Vide's flame, his final words being a challenge to the dawn everyone seeks really sets him a part from the rest in my mind.

And I think that's what really makes the journey overall. This challenge of ideals being ultimately tested by destruction incarnate.

But I think if Team Amano was to do something like this again, I'd want more inklings of a group like this in action. If only because Tanzy's reveal ends up being a tragi-comedy instead of the kind of tragedy for what it should be. And Petrichor just existed for the sake of being the anti-thesis to Ochette's core value. The epilogue at least finalizes the kind of victory earned from a battle that felt like the odds were stacked against the travelers.

Overall I feel there's no wrong answer for what is the best story of the bunch. If anything Octopath Traveler 2 as a sequel outshines 1 in ways I didn't think was possible. And it's because of that I'm excited to see what the next installment of this series will do.

[bunbeeplays]

The Lemon Legacy: Generation 1, Chapter 126 - The Last Straw

Jaden has gone home, and now things are too… quiet.

The band breaking up offers a world of opportunity for Ophelia's next career move… She's just not sure what that move should be.

Maybe getting back on stage for a bit will help.

Ophelia does a surprise performance at The Lemon Drop during Happy Hour, which the crowd adores. Fans might be disappointed The Main Squeeze is no more but seeing Ophelia's still performing is a good sign to them.

Any sense of calm Ophelia feels is instantly sucked out of her when she gets home and sees the Huffs arguing in front of her house. Jaden looks like he's been crying and has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

She has a feeling Calvin's anger isn't meant for just Anna.

Anna: Sweetheart, I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding-

Calvin: Don't try to make excuses for them, Anna! They've blatantly disrespected us and tried to poison our son's mind. Your coddling certainly isn't helping! We're raising a man, not a pathetic mama's boy!

Anna had tried to reason with Calvin, but there was no reasoning with him right now.

She knows she's more affectionate to Jaden, but she wasn't trying to do anything wrong. She loves her son, and she doesn't want to see him miserable… Which he definitely is right now.

Calvin: I'm the head of this house. What I say goes. You'd do well to remember your place and not let your emotions sway you.

Anna is silent, as is expected of her. She feels so conflicted. The Lemons were different than them, but they were good people. Right?

Jaden timidly blubbers something that sounds like an apology and to please PLEASE not be mad but Calvin doesn't want to hear it.

Calvin: Enough of your whining, young man. You should have thought about that before you let them give you that garbage.

Ophelia's heard enough.

Ophelia: Do you mind explaining why you're verbally abusing your wife and child on my doorstep, Calvin?

Calvin hasn't personally interacted with Ophelia much but he never did like her. Now he has more than enough reason not to… At least in his eyes.

Calvin: You've got a lot of nerve calling me abusive. We trusted you with our son and you went behind our backs to groom him to become some kind of pervert? You should be ashamed.

Grooming? What in the woohoock is he talking about?

Ophelia: What? We've done nothing to-

Calvin: Don't lie to me! I found that makeup set in his bag! I told you he was to have NOTHING to do with that crap and you went ahead and FORCED it on him.

Anna tries to ignore the ache in her heart. She must submit to her husband's will.

Anna stands idly by as Calvin calls Ophelia every buzzword in the book.

Deep down, she knows how the makeup kit got in Jaden's bag. Acknowledging that, though, would open up another can of worms she's just not ready to process. Calvin clearly isn't close to being ready, either.

Jaden tried and tried to say he was sorry for stealing the makeup, but his dad just didn't seem to believe him, and now he's yelling at Miss Lia. He didn't want her to get in trouble, but he never got to play with stuff like that, it was so tempting. He wishes it would all stop.

Ophelia: We didn't force anything on him! Maybe if you just let him be himself, he wouldn't feel like he has to hide what he really wants from you.

Calvin: I think I know my own son.

Ophelia: You clearly don't if you're really not seeing what's happening here.

Anna can't handle the yelling, or her baby's sobs. She can't rile up her husband further by comforting Jaden, so she steps away.

Anna stares out into the horizon and hopes Calvin will tire himself out soon.

Ophelia: If anyone's forcing anything on him, it's YOU!

Calvin: I'm raising my son right.

Ophelia: Look at him! Can't you see how miserable your made-up restrictions are making him?

Calvin: It doesn't matter if he's happy. It matters if he grows up not to be a freak.

Xander picked a good time to see what the noise was about.

Xander: Wow, how loving. The Watcher must be so proud.

Calvin ignores the quip.

Calvin: I see you're just as brainwashed as your loudmouth wife.

Xander: Keep my wife's name out of your mouth. And pull your head out of your plumbob so you can see how insane you're being.

Calvin: I'm done with you people disrespecting my family and pushing your woke-

Xander: Stop calling everything you're too dumb to understand woke!

Xander: Does constantly demeaning a defenseless child make you feel more like a man? You're pathetic.

Calvin: Forcing makeup on a little boy is worse than pathetic.

Xander: What are you talking about?

Calvin: I'll give it to you, you people are good at playing dumb.

Calvin: Clearly allowing Jaden to have friends outside the church was a mistake. Anna told me to give you a chance and I foolishly listened. Jaden is never going to be around you groomers again.

Xander: You can't be serious.

Calvin: Say goodbye to these heathens, Jaden. We'll sign you up for the church peewee football team or something, you can make some friends who know men are men.

Wait, Jaden doesn't get to see Gemma anymore? Oh, he should have never taken that makeup kit! He ruined everything!

Jaden tries to plead with his dad, as best a toddler can, but it falls upon deaf ears.

Well, not Anna's. It's taking ever ounce of restraint she has to not stop this, but it's not like Calvin would listen to her anyway. This is a nightmare she's powerless to stop.

As Calvin tells his family they're leaving, Ophelia has one parting message.

Ophelia: I hope someday you realize the damage you're doing to your child. You don't deserve to be a parent.

Calvin says nothing in response, but that's the first thing she's said that… got to him.

The Huffs make their leave. After holding up a strong front, Ophelia's an absolute wreck. What are they going to say to Gemma? She'll be devastated. And what'll happen to Jaden?

The makeup kit sits by their feet. They try to block out Jaden's wails as Xander comforts his wife.

[cartoonicle]

Journey to the past

‘Chance encounter’ on their way back home from School Brandon and Mariana couldn’t be happier as they walk through their kingdom being greeted by so many people who cherished the young Prince and Princess feeling so lucky to love in a beautiful and kind home.

During their walk the two decided to play Brandon likes to play with his doll while Mariana wanted to start chasing him; while playing Brandon trips and drops his doll by accident fortunately a pretty old couple happened to come by the handsome overly dressed old wrinkly man helps Brandon up while the beautifully dressed old lady hands him back his doll. Brandon was so thankful towards the elderly couple but Mariana was skeptical worried that they might not be the type of people they are acting to be scared that ‘Pretty’ humans like them will start hurting her brother’s feelings.

But after a moment Mariana let’s her guard after Brandon convinces her that these two cute elderly people cannot be bad. Brandon and Mariana compliment the man’s cape and woman’s cute bows and without another word the man takes the cape off his shoulders and puts it on Brandon’s while the Woman plucks the ribbons from her dress and gives them to Mariana saying “It’s a gift from us to you!”

The twins go back to the Castle and instead of being greeted with kindness all the employees of past Pastel Royalty looked at the Prince and Princess in pure horror as if they were a pair of space aliens. The staff say things like “Does Jack know?!” Or “What is Jack going to do?”

Brandon and Mariana are confused on why everyone was staring at them like that with shocked expressions until they realized that it wasn’t them the Pastel staff were scared of it was the Ribbons and the Cape.

‘Truth comes out’

Eventually they asked who Jesse and Helena was nobody could really answer it except someone who has only heard about them but knows very few information. Lorena tells the twins that she heard Jesse and Helena from her father about an old couple who bullied Leelathae her mother, their grandmother because she looked different they thought she was ugly. This shocks Brandon and Mariana.

Brandon is in complete denial and thought that it was a big misunderstanding because they were so nice to him even though he looks like his mom and grandma.

Mariana tells her brother that people are evil like that and they were just pretending. She knew she shouldn’t have trusted them! But she also questioned what did they have against her grandmother? What did they do to her?

‘What happened?’

It didn’t take long for them to find out who Helena and Jesse were, and it hurt even worse for them when they found out that they were their great grandparents.

Brandon was wondering how could someone be so cruel while Mariana wanted nothing to do with them anymore.

In a fit of anger and disgust Mariana takes the presents they got from their great grandparents and throw them away in the nearest garbage can and storms off looking for what mattered to them most of all.

Brandon is upset too and he couldn’t believe that Helena and Jesse would just up and leave their beloved son like that, “Didn’t they love him?”

‘This Damn Legacy is a Curse’

Mariana: Grandpa! Where’s the Alchemy of Beauty?

Jack: Why do you want it?

Mariana: So I can destroy it!

Jack: oh okay!

Mariana burns that damned beauty alchemy, she always thought beauty was a curse for her, she hated looking beautiful, she hated singing, she hated growing weeds from her bed and she hates glowing; she always wanted to be like her mom and look like her mom always wondering why Brandon looks like mom and Grandma and she didn’t, but now she found the reason why she looks like human that attracts attention, it’s a curse to her.

In that moment she lost her sparkle.

Mariana: You care about this thing more than your own son! Well here’s what I think of you ‘Precious’ Beauty Alchemy.

She wants to make sure they never hurt her brother the way they hurt Grandma.

(Fun fact: Brandon may look like a scary possum warlock but everyone knows that it’s Mariana they should be afraid)

‘Reconcile’

Brandon still refuses to believe Helena and Jesse are still the same awful people they used to be if they were, why did they come back? And the smiles they showed towards him and his sister didn’t look fake they looked overjoyed to meet them. He begs Mariana to come with him and find Jesse and Helena, she angrily agrees but only because she can’t trust them alone with her brother.

Eventually they do find their Great Grandparents again, this time they knew that Brandon and Mariana found out who they really were and frowned.

Brandon: Was there a reason why you came back?

Jesse: (Nods sad fully) Yes.

Mariana: (Angrily) Was it for the stupid Beauty Alchemy?

Helena: (Nods tearfully) No!

Brandon: (Tearfully) Then it’s because you’re sorry and you want to get to know us?

Helena and Jesse start crying.

Helena: I’m sorry… I was just so angry… so stupid… but I-… I never-

Brandon: (Hugs Helena) It’s in the past now!

Mariana in awestruck that Brandon was glowing like she usually did and Jesse was shocked to see his wife glow again.

Brandon: Can I call you two Meemaw and Peepaw

Helena: (Chuckled) sure!

Mariana: (Still angry with Jesse and Helena) By the way I burned that stupid Alchemy of Yours!

Jesse: (nods in sadness but understandingly) That’s just fine.

After so many years going without seeing their son, their grandkids, they became sad and closed off from the world but when they heard that they had great grandchildren they knew they had to come back after finally learning that outer beauty never mattered. Love and Family Mattered.

Links to Helpful Sketch Bases