#Training Education Franchises

[aristokids12345]

Unlocking the Potential of Abacus Training for Teachers

In the realm of education, where fostering cognitive development is paramount, abacus training stands as a time-tested method to enhance mathematical abilities and critical thinking skills among students. While traditionally viewed as a tool for students, integrating abacus training into teacher education programs can significantly enrich teaching methodologies and empower educators to better engage with their students' learning journey.

The Human Intelligence Behind Abacus Training

Enhanced Cognitive Skills: Abacus training stimulates the brain's right hemisphere, which is responsible for visual and spatial processing. This leads to improved calculation abilities, memory retention, and problem-solving skills among students.

Development of Concentration: Learning to manipulate the abacus requires focused attention and concentration. Teachers trained in abacus techniques can impart strategies to help students enhance their concentration levels, crucial for academic success.

Promotion of Mental Arithmetic: Abacus fosters mental arithmetic skills by encouraging students to perform calculations mentally. Teachers proficient in abacus techniques can teach mental math strategies effectively, boosting students' confidence and speed in calculations.

Integration of Multisensory Learning: Abacus Training for Teachers engages multiple senses - visual, tactile, and auditory - promoting holistic learning experiences. Educators trained in abacus techniques can leverage multisensory approaches to cater to diverse learning styles in the classroom.

Human Emotions in Abacus Training

Building Confidence: Mastering abacus techniques instills a sense of accomplishment and boosts self-esteem among students. Teachers trained in abacus methods can create a supportive learning environment where students feel encouraged to challenge themselves and overcome mathematical obstacles.

Fostering Patience and Perseverance: Learning the abacus requires patience and perseverance as students gradually master complex calculations. Educators trained in abacus techniques can model resilience and provide strategies to help students navigate challenges, fostering a growth mindset.

Cultivating Empathy: Understanding the struggles students face in learning mathematics can cultivate empathy among teachers. Abacus training equips educators with insights into students' cognitive processes, enabling them to tailor instructional strategies to individual needs.

Promoting Joy of Learning: Abacus training can make learning mathematics enjoyable and engaging. Teachers trained in abacus techniques can design interactive lessons that spark curiosity and enthusiasm for mathematical concepts, nurturing a lifelong love for learning.

Conclusion

Incorporating abacus training into teacher education programs enriches educators' pedagogical toolkit by enhancing cognitive skills, fostering emotional intelligence, and promoting innovative teaching strategies. As teachers become proficient in abacus techniques, they not only empower students with mathematical proficiency but also cultivate a classroom culture where learning is joyful, empathetic, and inclusive.

By harnessing the unique capabilities of abacus training, educators can unlock the full potential of their students and inspire a new generation of confident, resilient learners equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world.

[jessica-larson]

🌿 Holistic Harmony: Crafting Your Unique Chiropractic Journey

Embark on a transformative journey within the realms of chiropractic care, where wellness isn't just a practice but a unique masterpiece waiting to be sculpted. Dive into the creation of your perfect business plan, a beacon of guidance designed to elevate the distinct essence of your healing sanctuary.

Section 1: Unveiling Radiant Wellness Brilliance

Embark on a captivating exploration of wellness mastery, infusing dynamism and excellence into each healing session. Uncover the soul of your practice, delving into groundbreaking techniques, signature approaches, and unparalleled patient experiences that transform it into a sanctuary of extraordinary wellness.

Section 2: Orchestrating a Symphony of Healing Harmony

Collaborate with wellness virtuosos to compose a harmonious blend of healing practices, immersing yourself in the art of patient care, the poetry of holistic wellness, and the chiropractic philosophy defining your haven.

Section 3: Cultivating Wellness Partnerships Beyond Limits

Forge partnerships beyond limits, transmuting your practice into a revered wellness oasis. Unravel dynamic elements contributing to mastering every healing trend, showcasing unwavering dedication to your patients' well-being.

Section 4: Digital Elegance: Nurturing Your Wellness Community

In the digital age, wellness experiences transcend boundaries. Cultivate a digital elegance that reveres holistic healing, developing a robust online presence, crafting engaging content, and fostering a community where well-being weaves authentic connections.

Section 5: Healing Odyssey: Embracing Holistic Trends with Panache

Revel in the joy of curating wellness masterpieces, from tailored adjustments to personalized wellness plans. This is more than a chiropractic haven; it's an odyssey designed to make your practice stand out, bringing profound healing to the lives of those you serve.

Section 6: Operational Brilliance for a Healing Legacy

Step into a realm of operational brilliance, meticulously tailored for an enduring wellness legacy. Every detail, from the layout of your practice to the selection of cutting-edge therapies, aligns seamlessly with the unique chiropractic vision.

Conclusion: Ignite Your Wellness Legacy with Unmatched Panache

Visualize your practice ascending through collaborative wellness ingenuity. Craft a business plan that's not just dynamic and perfect but sets the stage for an extraordinary and healing legacy. 🌿✨

[indiafirstrobotics]

Jobs on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is already an extremely important factor in many areas of activity today, and their impact on the labor market will only grow in the coming years. Some of the new Jobs on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning include:

[iwannakisskissyoureyesagain]

uhhh even more percy jackson headcanons

- there’s always music playing in the apollo cabin. they have communal playlists, but there are times when one person gets to play dj, especially when it’s relatively empty

- everyone has to emotionally prepare for audial whiplash whenever kayla gets to play music because she puts every song she has ever liked in her entire life onto one playlist, so it can go from twenty one pilots to ethel cain to beabadoobee to fifth harmony in just fifteen minutes

- will is usually pretty lenient with who gets to play what and when (he has a few clean playlists for when there are little kids present), but on days when the infirmary is packed and he’s visibly on the verge of collapse, no one dares change it from whatever kasey musgraves song he just put on

- austin exclusively plays obscure 20+ minute-long jazz songs. austin no longer has access to the cabin 7 spotify account

- there are bi-monthly meetings with all the counselors and chiron and dionysus to discuss any problems, questions, quests, deaths, fights, complaints, and other issues

- chiron ended up helping train and appointing a few other apollo kids to take up shifts in the infirmary when will accidentally fell asleep in the middle of one of said meetings. will kept insisting it was fine and that he wasn’t overworked, but eventually gave in when nico kept having to nudge him awake and chiron had to send him back to the apollo cabin early so he could take a nap

- frank cried so hard when he saw barbie that he had to leave the theater for a minute

- drew and will went to the sweat tour together

- drew actually kind of hates that charlie xcx is only really getting properly noticed now because of brat, because she’s a huge charlie fan and has been here since “boom clap”

- ever since blood of olympus, percy is genuinely terrified of getting a nosebleed. the first time it happens is when he’s sick at college and annabeth has to coach him through a panic attack

- nico isn’t actually that invested in star wars, star trek, or any other sci-fi franchise that will obsesses over, but sits through it anyways for his boyfriend’s sake

- piper and shel dressed up as different versions of chappell roan for halloween. piper was lady liberty chappell and shel was “good luck, babe” bird chappell

- every chance they get, piper and leo meet up, get jack in the box, smoke weed, and catch up in whatever car piper stole from her dad, because it helps them both feel normal

- piper and will smoke together whenever she visits camp, usually while having a shit talk session

- sally, paul, and estelle visited percy and annabeth for family and friends weekend while they’re at school, of course, but tyson, ella, hazel, and frank, piper and leo, and nico, will, reyna, and thalia (and, by nature, the rest of the hunters) all made time to stop by at various points during family and friends

- once he realized he could occasionally get away with sneaking out of olympus in the middle of the night, ganymede developed a habit of taking a walk down the beach at camp. he ran into dionysus one night and fully expected to have to fetch some fancy wine for him, or at least go back to get his chalice, unaware of his sobriety punishment, but did a total 180 when dionysus ended up being kind to him. instead, the two of them walked and talked about how much they both hate zeus, and it ended up becoming a therapy session for ganymede (think aimee’s first session in sex education)

- sally got annabeth one of those self defense keychains before she left for school

- apollo brings meg to camp every time he goes to visit his kids. on one visit, he took her, will, kayla, austin, and nico to build-a-bear. it was meg and nico’s first time going. nico was in total awe and meg cried and hugged apollo for a minute straight

- hazel prefers cartoons and animation over live-action movies and shows

- percy is really good at watercolor. rachel tries to teach him to paint and thinks he’s a prodigy until they move onto acrylics and she realizes he was just manipulating the water

- annabeth and sally both love watching the princess bride together. percy tries to watch it three separate times for their sake, like nico does with will’s sci-fi stuff, but ends up drooling on annabeth’s shoulder by the end of the movie each time

- percy desperately wanted a water bed for years when he was younger, but neither chiron nor sally would trust him with one. he eventually begged paul to get him one as a graduation present, and he put it in his cabin at camp. it lasted less than 24 hours before he popped it and woke up in the middle of the night on top of the deflated mattress, he himself completely dry but his floor absolutely soaked. dionysus made an announcement at breakfast the next morning that any mattress filled with anything except air was prohibited, and anyone else who flooded their cabin would get stable duties for a whole week

- will doesn’t like to use his plague powers very much after tsats, but he does like to give anyone who pisses him off mild-but-annoying congestion or a lingering headache

- nico and will like to do this thing to mess with people, where nico cracks will’s back or will cracks his knuckles and he lights up, usually in front of people who don’t actually know how will’s powers work

- austin is the exception to this rule; they do it in front of him because he hates the sound of people cracking their bones

- there was a point where everyone knew that will could glow except percy. he found out the hard way when he, annabeth, nico, and will were hanging out in the jackson-blofis apartment and the power went out, and nico cracked will’s spine and will started glowing. percy was so freaked out that he screamed and woke up the rest of the house

- sometimes frank eats fistfuls of shredded cheese, for the thrill

- very rarely, rachel talks in her sleep and says indiscernible bits of prophecies, both new and old. she has no idea she does it

- apollo hates leonard cohen

pt. 1

pt. 2

pt. 3

[bogleech]

Anywhere it comes up on the internet, the show Teenage Euthanasia is either unknown or despised thanks to its not very pretty art style, some grossout jokes and a few YouTube reviewers hating on it (Mr Enter strikes again) but I think it does fun creative things with its premise and setting, which are genuinely a unique combination; a horrible deadbeat mom tries to be a slightly better mom after coming back from the dead, in a Dystopian future Florida roughly only 20 years from now.

The gags they get out of that last detail are sometimes ingenious but also painfully believable. Kids still have to go to public school for instance but the teachers have to work long distance via holographic projection from prison-like cubicle farms, where they get electrocuted if they deviate from the curriculum. Because of this, becoming a teacher is also a punishment for crime.

All police are minors, specifically poorly educated teenage girls, so they can't be held as responsible, and also so are the now strictly state-assigned doctors, even surgeons, whose training is done through a day of internet videos. Anything can be an AI and people are technically owned by different brands.

Since they've never been shown traveling anywhere else it is never made clear if their entire world is like this, or just Florida, but they also haven't ruled out that Florida simply *expands* in the next two decades.

It is actually no longer referred to as a state within the show, but ominously as a "Franchise Territory," and they do not explain what exactly that is.

[m1ndbrand]

"all it took was..." — The new President

WARNINGS: Coriolanus Snow is it's own warning(Snow after the 10thGames, 2 years after to be precise); Mentions of death and corpse(small description, nothing big).

SUMMARY: The 12th Hunger Games winner unfortunately fortunately gets the attention of President Snow.

WORDS: 1.384

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the franchise The Hunger Games characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them. I do claim what I wrote and only that.

A/N: If you know the tragedy of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare some names will be recognizable...Also I'm sorry but this chapter won't be the continuation of their little...encounter— but I promise, it's going to happen!

TAG-LIST: @sorry-mrs-jacobs; @phoward89;

MASTERLIST

He was never someone who believed in the stars and whatever they might mean to some people.

It seemed completely idiotic and beneath someone from the level of education, you would get from the Capitol to have this belief that in his humble opinion, of course — was archaic and beneath him.

Fate and stories written on the stars were all but a way of fairy tales being made, a topic on some and even a very important one at that "merging" some characters together like the universe itself deemed them a pair, one in two.

Star-crossed lovers.

How he hated that idea, he couldn't believe he even fed it to—

Let's not dwell on that topic, he had better things to do, like arrange a new Games Maker for the 12th Hunger Games.

Doctor Volumnia Gaul is no more, some freak accident with one or more than one mutt; it wasn't clear, the body was far too mutilated to be recognised by anyone at all if not for the DNA tests and well...the place of the accident, a place only a few people were able to enter and of course Doctor Gaul was one of those people, him included in the small pool.

It was slightly weird however how the mulls were able to break free, the reporters debated it for the first days the case broke daylight, but the theory was quickly suppressed.

After all, mulls were still in being tested and we're highly volatile, their behaviour unstable and unpredictable. And of course, accidents happen.

But the world continues to go around and so shall the Capitol, he needed to find someone and fast. 

He should have looked more into it, the selection that is. But he had more important things in his place, strength the security in the several points of entry on all distractions, the training of the peacekeepers and the change of the uniform like he so petitioned for just to name a few.

The new and young president had more important things to worry about than some person who would probably be soon replaced if so needed.

The theme he chose ,he didn't even try to remember the man's name, was an advanced-looking arena; a sign of the year the Capitol got a new President. Coriolanus liked the idea. It painted his future reign as one that would lead them into the future, lead them into a better time.

It painted him as a good leader.

The reaping ceremony passed without a problem. Some students clearly didn't like something— their tribute lack of attributes to make them win or the idea of having to participate in such 'twisted games' as the rebel-like-youth liked to name his games. He honestly couldn't care less, blue-ice-like eyes looking straight at the screens with a fake polite smile when the camera twists at him, showing his all too polished self composed with a deep red suit and thick coat that made his figure even more imposing than it normally is.

He would soon return to his manor and actually work, the two hours of the opening ceremony put his work ethic behind schedule more than he liked to admit.

There was much to be done to make the Capitol and the Districts into the way he saw fit and Coriolanus shouldn't waste more time than he already has.

Not even a day later he would have the files of everyone who chose to review. For some reason the late president did this— the threat of the Rebels was still very much a problem and he was of course scared shitless by them so all 'useful' information was of course turned into two paper pages that it was his duty to read through.

Coriolanus was just about to skim through them all but the very first file caught his attention, District One female tribute.

Not the girl's image he didn't even look at it properly, he already saw every tribute face on the reaping ceremony... all looked underfed and clearly not fit for an entertaining games in terms of pure brutal strength, the mentors would need to sell them well to the Capitol. No it was her name. Her last name rang a bell.

A big warning bell was inside his head and it made his eyebrows furrow, hand picked up the two-page long file and flipped through the description of her family. Something was amiss, he could feel it in his bones. Something was wrong. 

Coriolanus could almost feel the hunger tearing at his stomach, his small sweaty hand tightly gripping his equally moist cousin's hand as they received the news of his father's death.

His other small hand gripping the files of several names of supposed rebels that could be the reason behind his father's death. Blond hair falls against his sweaty forehead as at that time he didn't understand why he had to read the names of random men.

Brutus.

His hand grips the file on his hand, veins popping up as his eyes skim through the contents of the file, once and then twice. He didn't even sit down, reading in silence for 10 minutes over and over again to look out for another word, sentence, or anything more.

Only two people are still alive from her family— grandmother and little brother, Valeria Brutus and Menenius Brutus, then they got the last name from her grandfather. His hand moves the paper right and left, trying to see if her grandfather's first name was there. But it wasn't. It probably wasn't deemed to be useful information since he is dead. Putting the papers down he turns with a sigh to his window, chin rising as he looks to see all the perfectly arranged garden of pure white roses in the front of his mansion.

No this shouldn't matter. It didn't matter, not now. He got what he wanted he won, the victor. He was still standing with or without his father.

The nostalgic feeling of feeling hungry regrows once again and it makes him nauseous, sharp eyes turning to the face of the girl on the page. She looked like every other girl he reminds himself as he starts a little too long at her face. Eighteen, one more year and she should have been safe from the reaping.

A smile creeps on his lips. Amusement dancing in his eyes like he had just read a good enough joke.

He couldn't sleep.

Coriolanus hated to be in need of something even if it was just a simple pill to go to sleep. He was better than that, he could sleep alone thank you very much.

Couldn't he just get the information he wanted? He could, he had the resources, and he had the needs to if he so pleases, so why not?

No.

No, he wouldn't lose to this...whatever this is, curiosity, need— want to know. Closure.

Maybe that was it. Know the person or people that did this to him. To his family. The people that made him starve and struggle. Envy and step on people that he knew were living better than him, growing to bring them down so he could feel himself high above them all. Know the people that in a way, made him the way he is now.

Rising he presses the inside of his palms to his eyes.

For fucks sake— Shut the fuck up! 

His mouth was open. Eyes shot open and hands grabbing tightly the silk covers, knuckles turning white. Did he shout those words? Wasn't it all in his head? His hands were shaking, face was slightly flushed red from anger.

It's one of those episodes.

Rising he curses under his breath, feet carrying him to one of the small tables with some pills on them. Deep eyes thin as he tried to look into the colours of the various drugs that looked like they were thrown there and he picked a deep purple one in the midst of the rainbow and quickly gulped it down without water.

His attention is caught by the silver-like glow of the moonlight slipping through his windows, blue tired-looking eyes looking up at the sky, they find the stars instead of the moon that sings for attention. Wishing to catch a stray star amidst the ones that stay. Maybe he could catch it as it falls.

With those thoughts, sleep would soon catch him.

Previous

[historicity-was-already-taken]

Very cool study titled "Recommendations for Gaming and Play in Holocaust Memory and Education" just dropped on my linkedin feed, via study contributor Dr. Christine Beresniova.

Its opening paragraphs read:

Digital games are becoming increasingly significant within Holocaust memory and education as professional memory institutions continue to explore the affordances of integrating digital technologies. The so-called Holocaust gaming taboo which has burdened both the mainstream gaming industry and small indie studios seems to show signs of lifting. Scholars have pointed out that major FPS (first-person shooter) franchises such as Wolfenstein and Call of Duty have only teetered on representation of this past, often taking liberty with Nazi themes while placing the Holocaust within the margins or completely eliding the persecution of European Jewry altogether. At the other end of the spectrum, game designers working with small budget proposals had been “promptly pressured to abandon the project” due to the backlash in public discourse, often prompted by professional Holocaust organisations denouncing the very premise of Holocaust games. However, the rising prominence of indie studios such as Paintbucket Games responsible for the historical resistance sim Through the Darkest of Times (2020), as well as the recent Forced Abroad (2022) and The Darkest Files (forthcoming), and Prague-based studio Charles Games who have produced Attentat 1942 (2017); Liberation Svoboda 1945 (2021) and Train to Sachsenhausen (2022) mark the significant shift underway. Indeed, professional Holocaust memory institutions such as the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial and the Arolsen Archives are working in collaboration with game designers and developers to produce digital games on the subject. Furthermore, one designer, who faced public backlash for a game project designed as early as 2013, has since released The Light in the Darkness (Voices of the Forgotten, 2023) and is responsible for creating the first Holocaust Museum in Fortnite (Epic Games, 2023). This would not be the first Holocaust museum in a gaming environment, however. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum launched ‘Witnessing History: Kristallnacht, the 1938 Pogroms’ in Second Life (c. 2008). The proliferation of interest in the medium’s potential to offer new modes for engaging with the past raises critical questions regarding opportunities for digital Holocaust memory practice, while also bringing into sharp focus issues regarding player/user experience, contextualisation, accessibility, funding and digital obsolescence. This report serves as an important first step in this work.

You may read the full report here. I'll be reading it later today or tomorrow. Very excited engage with this new(ish) terrain of Holocaust memory construction!

[tarre-was-right]

ROUND ONE: MATCH-UP THREE

Remember, this is NOT about who would win in a fight. This is about who makes the best leader for Mandalore as a whole.

To be fair, I think we know who's going to win this one, lmao. That said! Go read the Tor propaganda, we got a silly amount of it. Actually we got an insane amount of propaganda for both of them overall.

Explanation post

Seeding

Propaganda below the cut! You can submit more on this post and I will reblog it back to here!

Bo-Katan Kryze

Anon: Bo-Katan propaganda: she babysat a Jedi child without the child dying or killing anyone and leading a planet is basically just babysitting a child on a big scale right

Anon: Bo-Katan spent like three years as a terrorist but she also spent 30 years rebelling against fascists so idk I'm willing to hear her out on this. Welcome back Princess Leia 👏

Anon: as Satine's sister, she would have received much the same early training and education in how to rule their Duchy on Kalevala, as she alluded to in her comments in The Mandalorian - while her involvement in Death Watch is perhaps not a mark in her favor, she did seemingly have many years of experience working as Pre Vizsla's lieutenant, and earned the trust of many of his followers who defected to follow her following Pre's death and Maul's claiming of the Darksaber and throne of Mandalore, forming the bulk of her fighting force during her efforts to reclaim that throne during the Siege of Mandalore - during the Rebels timeline, she has lost the throne once again due to an Imperial-backed coup, but seems to have been working to resist the Empire's rule; during this time, she is chosen to be the figurehead and rallying point of that apparently unsuccessful effort - finally, during the time of The Mandalorian, she has been rallying the surviving clans to reclaim the Darksaber as a stepping stone for reuniting their people; after her work with Din Djarin and the Armorer, she once again is selected by her people to be their leader as they work to rebuild their reclaimed home planet

Anon: Bo-Katan should be the Mando'alor because, while having done a LOT of shit, she tried her best to free Mandalore from the Empire and to give her people the safety they lost when the New Mandalorian Government fell - She worked to redeem herself, and she got back up every time she fell. She united the people of Mandalore from every aspect and kept the warrior traditions alive

@lightsaberwieldingdalek: Literally the only reason I can think of for bo katan to rule is that she’s stubborn. She doesn’t stop trying to get mandalorians organised and on their homeworld. Kinda a Robert the Bruce and a spider in a cave style parable, except instead of the English she’s trying to fight her own bad actions/behaviour towards others

Anon: Bo-Katan propaganda: you know that quote about "It's hard for a good man to be king?" Well considering she's a terrible person she'd actually be pretty good at ruling Mandalore.

Tor Vizsla

Anon: god. ugh. can't believe I'm writing this. but. - he was backed by a not-insignificant number of clans, including those of good reknown such as Clan Wren, apparently spurred by the common sentiment that Mereel's Supercommando Codex was an affront to their sense of honor by extending the definition of honorable professions for the warrior class to bounty hunting and mercenary work (which was an attempt to avert some of the expansionist tendencies of previous generations of Mandalorian warriors)

@lightsaberwieldingdalek: Okay so. Tor Visla. - This is a franchise called Star Wars. There has not been a generation without interplanetary conflict happening somewhere. Mandalore has an imperialist history which left it with a lot of people with grudges against it, and in living/near living memory their homeworld was bombed by the largest government around to the point of having to live in environment domes. The giant war across the galaxy at the moment has one side being almost completely fought by clones of a self-exiled prince of your people, they wear armor clearly based on your cultural touchstone armor and marked with your cultures symbols and speaking at least some of your language. - In that situation, you could see why someone would think its not a great idea to be led by an ardent pacifist and demilitarise to the point of making the people who refused to stop carrying weapons leave the planet. - Of course, what Tor decided to do with that set up is really terrible, he probably should have lead a militia group to kneecap anything that went for Mandalore if he decided Mandalore was weak and defenseless, not start bombing public works and being a domestic terrorist, but I'm just laying out the intentions/set up here. - Now. What he did and what he thought he was doing are different things, of course. - But you can sort of argue that what Tor's little terrorist group actually did kinda helped Mandalore. In an assbackwards, unintentional way, of course. And yet. - Mandalore was divided, and Satine Kryze was doing her best to improve standards of living, but her political views could mean causing more fractures and splits in the society. However. Give people an enemy, an opposing side, and make them so heinous and undefendable that only the most fanatic, the most violent and hateful, will join them, and everyone else will stop bickering over religio-cultural doctrine and band together against the violent fantatics who just bombed a school group. By being an opposition that no one but the people who were never going to help would join, Tor helped keep Mandalorian society together and strong. Like a supporting joint pushing against the wall. - And in the aftermath of the Empire, the experience with urban warfare and terrorist groups meant that Mandalore was more prepared to survive when they scattered across the galaxy to hide. - In conclusion. Tor Visla. Understandable starting point. Unforgivable follow through. Unmistakable impact.

Anon: "He will make Mandalore great again. And don't believe Jaster lie, he isn't a speciesist. He has a Java friend. With him, Mandalorian will do a raid on this weak core world everyday. The galaxy will be their playground and twi'lek girl will fall for them. Alcool will flow every night."

Anon: Tor would be good for gathering people for his cause, and he’d keep the dependent load small. He would also probably have easily accessible supplies (ie food, weapons, medicine, etc).

Anon: Propaganda for Tor Vizsla: Mandalorian

[doberbutts]

There's also the racist assumption that black people are somehow less intelligent and therefore are not pushed towards academic careers like a white child may be. Obviously this is not the case in every circumstance, but I have noticed that black teenagers, particularly those in poverty, are very heavily pushed towards sports (basketball and football especially) as that's seen as the most likely chance of their success. Education beyond that is an aside or overlooked entirely in favor of sport. It may not be that they even particularly enjoy or want to perform, but they were failed as a child so think their only option is to ruin their bodies + brains.

The system sucks.

We will be here all day if we continue to peel apart the baked-in nature of antiblackness in society, unfortunately.

Black kids are pushed into sports for a large mumber of reasons- if you're stupid but you're tall and broad you can at least play football. But a lot of football players who retire young go to college and even finish college- not that college-educated people are smarter than non-college-educated, but more the fact that despite the stereotype it's actually not true that football players are stupid (and maybe some of this "stupid" is a result of repeated concussions affecting memory and attention span..........)

If you're stupid but you're tall and can jump then at least you can play basketball. If you're stupid but can swing a bat then at least you can play baseball. If you can run you can do track. If you can kick you can do soccer. If you are small and agile you can do gymnastics. If you're good at tracking fast moving small objects you can do tennis. And so on and so on.

But all these people often do chase high education, so they're not "stupid".

Poverty's another large factor- and one that echoes through the careers. Many black football players come from poverty. They earn big money and start living the big money lifestyle. Over 80% declare bankrupcy after retiring because they don't know how to save the big money they earned. They go from struggling to keep themselves fed to having more money they've ever seen in their entire lives in a single paycheck. And they live like that for a while and then an injury unemploys them in a blink. Now there's no more money. If they didn't sign franchise deals or plan a back-up career, they're doomed to this. No one ever taught them how to plan for the future because they were so trained to struggle in the here-and-now that when they finally did have the means to plan, it wasn't even a thought.

And yet black kids are pushed to sports because they hear that you can make millions and that's more money than their whole extended family makes combined and wouldn't it be nice to not live in desperste poverty all the time by bringing home these huge paychecks and all you have to do is be really good at running around on a field with a ball in your hands?

[wrwnbabo]

"SOUND ON!

We were lucky to have our protagonist, Jerry, be voiced by award winning actor, Mr. Alfred Molina. You definitely know him from some of the roles hes played over the years in movies and tv shows like Frida, The Spider-Man franchise, Chocolat, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, An Education, Feud: Betty and Joan, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (throw me the idol!) and his new series, Three Pines.

When we asked Alfred to be our lead, we were kind of embarrassed. He's a Juilliard trained actor whos won awards on the biggest stages, and we asked him to make bird noises. But ill tell you this, he absolutely nailed it. Not only is Alfred a great actor, but he's a super nice human being and a joy to be around! So happy to have him as part of our "Flutter" family!

Here's some fun clips of Alfred in the recording booth that we wanted to share with the world!"

IG post from @fluttershortfilm

[sahsalart]

Star Wars: Pa’loa Skywalker

It has just occurred to me that I never posted any of the character reference sheets for any of my Star Wars OCs! I intend to do a complete rewrite of the sequel trilogy in novels/comics. Since Disney proves time and time again how much unoriginal and stupid bullshit they create for the franchise. With that said, I am taking inspiration and pulling from Legends and The Expanded Universe lore as well mixing in my own original work to, hopefully, do justice to the original story that George Lucas created. I’m still working on the storyline for each novels which will be followed accordingly as Episode 7, Episode 8, and Episode 9 as well as scouting to hire an actual author to write the novels! I wish to pour my blood, sweat, and tears into recreating the sequels for a franchise that I hold dear to my heart so I unfortunately will not write the entire novel series myself. I consider myself more of an artist than an author so help will be needed :)

We’ll start off with the main star of the show, Pa’loa Skywalker. She is the only child of Jedi Master and Galactic Hero, Luke Skywalker, and fellow Jedi Master, Saasa Raassiks. A half-Human, half-Togruta hybrid. Born three years after the Battle of Endor in 7 ABY on her mother’s home planet of Zullu, Pa’loa’s birth was one of celebration and joy as it meant a new start to not only the newly freed Galaxy, but a new hope for the rebirth of the Jedi. In the early stages of her life, Pa’loa’s parents discovered that their daughter had natural Force-sensitive abilities that matched the likes of her familial heritage thus she was trained from then on in order to control those gifts. Pa’loa was educated by her father, Luke, on her paternal grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, legacy as a renowned Jedi Knight in the Old Republic and his eventual fall to the Dark Side as the heinous Darth Vader in order to not repeat history. When Pa’loa hit an older age to begin formal Jedi training, Luke choose to take on his own daughter as his Padawan Apprentice with her Mother occasionally stepping in as well. Pa’loa is the firstborn and eldest of the Skywalker grandchildren, having 3 younger cousins by her Aunt Leia and Uncle Han.

Due to her mixed-species ancestry, Pa’loa does not resemble your “typical looking” Human or Togruta. The most notable traits are her soft-pink colored skin, lighter pink facial markings, and Montrals and Lekku that she inherited from her Togruta mother. Dissimilar to Togrutas, she has visible human-like ears that function as her main source of hearing, and only having body hair in the form of eyebrows and eyelashes. Her Montrals and Lekku function a little differently from full Togrutas, such as they remain the same shape and markings from birth and do not grow as the individual ages, the same goes for her facial markings. Likewise, she can use her Montrals for passive echolocation to detect objects but in order to do so her ears must be covered or else it cannot function. She is able to subtly move her Montrals to convey messages and express emotions.

[jessica-larson]

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[itsybitsybatsyspider]

Hi!! I've got some questions for the dragon prince au because I absolutely adore it

Does Hiccup have the same ability as Ezran (talking to/communicating with animals) or something similar?

Also you said Toothless was a midnight dragon in your au would they be like night furies in the sense of being endangered or rare?

How/when does Hiccup lose his leg?

And if Jack is a mage in training, who's he training with?

@saturnniidae bestie, im SO GLAD YOU ASKED OH MY GOD! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I'VE BEEN WANTING TO RAMBLE ABOUT THIS!

In order:

Ooohhh that’s a good idea. I actually hadn’t thought of Hiccup being able to communicate with animals, but it would definitely be a fun thing to add! Maybe not to the same extent as Ezran’s abilities, but i think Hiccup would definitely be more in tune with animals and dragons than anyone else from Berk. Or at least, anyone who’s currently living in Berk >:)

Kinda! So i went through the different dragons listed to exist in Xadia and i was trying to find some kind of tie-in and similarities between the two universes. And the Midnight Dragon seemed to match Toothless’s description the best. They’re said to have pitch black scales, sensitive eyes, and are quite shy. Which i think Toothless matches quite well, minus the shyness, and being in another universe there can be some attributes that aren't One-for-One to the OG universe. Plus it's fun to mess around with concepts. And we haven’t seen a Midnight Dragon yet, in the show or otherwise, and since they’re said to be shy, it makes sense that they wouldn’t be out and about a whole lot. So i think they’re definitely a rare dragon to see. They also have a Moon Arcanum too, and that helps tie in with Toothless being a Night Fury :)

How does Hiccup lose his leg? No idea. Still working on that plot. There’s like several different scenarios im thinking of and i haven’t figured it out quite yet. But during the main part of the story he’ll have both legs. For now >:) (Also this takes place a few years before the events with Callum, Rayla, and Ezran. Jack is 17 and Hiccup is 18 and im currently working on incorporating the other characters from both franchises rn. TRUST ME I’VE BEEN THINKING! THEY HAVE NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN)

Who's Jack's mentor? Another great question that i haven’t decided on yet. I had the idea for Jack’s mentor to be Nightlight, but then i thought that if anything he’d be a Startouch elf and not a Skywing. And now i’ve been thinking ‘what if he was self-taught?’ Like he’d gather books and scrolls, and try to figure it out on his own. Maybe some help here and there from other elves, but it’s never been a formal education. Kind of similar to Callum in books 1 and 2. 

But yeah! This is what's been banging around in my head for two weeks so far. Thank you SO MUCH FOR THE ASK it is MUCH APPRECIATED!! Always love the chance to ramble about my au ideas and the thoughts behind them

If you got any other questions, feel free to send any more questions! I've be HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM!

[captainremmington-13]

Cold

A Bellova x Coriolanus One-Shot

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own The Hunger Games franchise, the images above, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or any of the characters in this fic other than Bellova, Drusilla, and Oliveria. I also do not condone the beliefs or actions of Coriolanus or Bellova.

Summary: Gym class gets heated in a multitude of ways. 

⚠️Warnings⚠️: swearing, violence, mentions of injury, allusions to sex, slut shaming, bullying(?)

A/n: This takes place one school years before TBOSAS occurs, (the equivalent of their junior year of high school). Also, I HIGHLY recommend you catch up on my series, A Lady Made of Snow, before reading this.

“Damn, Plinth, how are you so good at this?”

Sejanus laughed, releasing his hands from the metal bar and landing solidly on his feet. “I train at home when I have free time. Pa always said that a man’s strength is split between physicality and mentality.” 

Bellova rolled her eyes playfully. “I wouldn’t know, my father always said that brains are far more valuable than brawn.”

Sejanus walked over to the bench where she was sitting and picked up his gym towel, dabbing it across his forehead to rid it of sweat. “Your turn, Bellova.”

She sighed, tightening the neat ponytail that kept her long black hair out of her face. She would much rather be working on that history essay that was assigned this morning. But for now, she had to do as many pull-ups as she could in one minute while Sejanus held a timer.

At least she excelled in gym class. Professor Aggrippina Sickle consistently praised her for her skills. She was flexible, strong, and nimble, all the traits needed to make a quality athlete. Though she didn’t hate the physical education period, it wasn’t exactly her favorite. Sickle worked every student hard, pushing them to their limits. 

About ten pull-ups in, Bellova saw Coriolanus walk up to Sejanus, taking a seat next to him. This was quite unusual, it was usually Sejanus who initiated conversations, not the other way around.

Clearly, Coriolanus was up to no good.

As soon as the timer in Sejanus’s hand went off, Bellova let go of the bar and strode towards the two boys. Their gym clothes consisted of a loose tank top and shorts, which were mainly academy red with a hint of gold near the edges of the fabric. They weren’t very flattering, but Sejanus and Coriolanus still managed to look good.  If their lives had played out differently, she would’ve been quite flustered being so physically close to them.

The girl’s clothes were slightly better in Bellova’s opinion. The tank tops were similar to the boys’, but instead of shorts, they had skirts with built-in shorts underneath. 

The only thing Bellova didn’t like about them was the stares she got as soon as she walked out of the girl’s locker room. 

Bellova only stopped walking when she was inches from Coriolanus’s legs. “Get up, I was sitting here earlier.”

The blond rolled his eyes. “I’m not an Avox, you can’t just order me around.”

Instead of continuing to bicker, Bellova simply turned around and placed herself in between her two classmates.

Sejanus and Coriolanus exchanged glances, but didn’t attempt to shoo her away. They knew that if they did, they’d each walk away with painful bruises.

“I’m so fucking bored,” Bellova complained, inspecting her nails for any signs of damage. “I wish that Professor Sickle didn’t make us stay here until everyone is done with her drills. I could have gotten started on the history project, or that essay that was assigned this morning.”

“The essay should be easy,” Sejanus said. “Professor Click said it only needed to be two pages long.”

 Bellova shrugged. “True, but you know I love to go above and beyond.”

Sejanus looked up at the clock that hung just above the gymnasium doors. “Well, the period ends in two minutes, you won’t have to wait much longer.”

“Good,” Bellova said, turning to Coriolanus to give him a snide look. “Both of you desperately need showers.” 

Coriolanus scowled back. “You have no concept of manners.”

“And you think you do?”

“Watch it,” Coriolanus spat. “Or I’ll-“

His threat was promptly cut off when he noticed a girl storming up to them. 

“Oliviera,” Bellova said, giving her a sickly sweet smile. “How can I help you?”

The girl in question glanced at Coriolanus, then Sejanus, and finally locked gazes with Bellova again.

“Whoring yourself out again, I see.”

Bellova looked shocked, which was a rare sight to behold. “Excuse me?” 

“First you fucked Felix, and now these two?” 

Coriolanus watched, speechless, as Bellova’s face turned pink. “What the hell are you talking about? I went to the gala with him at the end of the last school year, and that was it. We never even dated.”

“Oh, please,” Oliviera said smugly. “You obviously slept with him. I saw you get in his father’s limousine and head towards the Presidential Palace. Tell me, why did you do it?”

“You’re a fucking liar,” Bellova hissed. “I slept in my own bed that night, thank you very much. Coriolanus can vouch for me, he was there when my car arrived.”

Bellova shot Coriolanus a look, as if to say ‘back me up.’

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah I was.”

Bellova bit back a grin, trying to conceal her relief that he had actually helped her out. 

“Now that that’s settled,” she began, giving Oliviera a sharp glare. “Don’t ever ask about my personal life again. In fact, don’t even fucking speak to me, or I’ll ruin you and your family.” 

Oliviera’s pale, pointed face contorted into an expression of rage. She raised her right hand, ready to strike Bellova across the face.  

“Woah,” Sejanus said, instinctively placing an arm in front of Bellova. “Leave her alone, Oliviera. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“Sejanus, I can handle this,” Bellova snapped, standing up abruptly. 

“Bellova,” Coriolanus said, grabbing her wrist. “Don’t. You’ll get in trouble with Professor Sickle.”

Bellova pulled out of his grip, giving him a warning look. “Don’t get in my way, Coryo. Trust me, you’ll wanna stay out of th-“

Oliviera suddenly grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her forward, promptly cutting her off. 

Bellova screamed, causing every head in the room to turn to her. Oliviera harshly tugged on her ebony locks once more, and delivered a mediocre but effective punch to her cheek. 

“Get off of me!” Bellova cried, trying to push her assailant away. 

Sejanus was the first one to come to Bellova’s aid, freeing her from Oliviera’s iron grip. Coriolanus found himself standing up as well, grabbing Bellova by the shoulders gently and moving her several feet away from the other girl. 

She was deadly silent, which frightened Coriolanus slightly. He was worried that her rage was building up, and that he’d be the target when it finally boiled over. 

Professor Sickle was now rushing over to where Sejanus and Oliviera stood. She demanded an explanation from Oliviera, but she refused to speak. Instead, Sejanus told the professor what had happened, but left out all of the sensitive information. 

Bellova could hear Professor Sickle scolding Oliviera, and didn’t even try to bite back her grin. The bitch was going to get what she deserved.

Oliviera ordered to go to the dean’s office, so she headed out of the gymnasium, dragging her feet. Then, the professor approached Coriolanus and Bellova.

“Are you alright, Miss Reginelle?” she asked, gently moving Bellova’s hair out of the way to reveal the bruise forming on her cheek. “Oh dear, we need to get some ice on that. Mister Snow, can you take her to the nurse’s office while I dismiss the rest of the class?”

Coriolanus nodded, and beckoned for Bellova to follow him. She did so reluctantly, avoiding his gaze.

The walk to the school infirmary was…tense, to say the least. Bellova held a hand up to her cheek, covering the purple and blue mark on her face. As they passed by, several Academy students gave them strange looks. 

They weren’t used to seeing them within a foot of each other and not arguing.

Coriolanus pretended to ignore it, but it bothered him. He didn’t like feeling judged. He also hated rumors, as they were beyond his control. 

But he kept walking, keeping his gaze straightforward as he and Bellova approached their destination. He refused to let her or anyone else know he was perturbed by the attention they were receiving. 

Finally, Coriolanus spotted the infirmary doors. Politely opening them for Bellova, he followed behind her once she’d entered the room. 

“Miss Drusilla,” Coriolanus began, approaching the middle-aged woman dressed in white who was sitting behind a desk. “Bellova was attacked during gym class. She needs a cold press for her face, and perhaps some ointment to help with the swelling.” 

Bellova was quickly ushered into a plus chair by Miss Drusilla, and instructed to stay put until she returned with the ice. Coriolanus stood next to her, feeling quite awkward. What was there to say?

He cleared his throat. “I’m surprised that you didn’t really fight back.” 

Bellova sighed. “I wanted to pin the attack solely on Oliviera. I don’t want any blemishes on my academic record.” She gave him a wry smile. “That would give you a leg up, and I can’t have that, can I?”

He laughed. “Of course. You’d never give me the upper hand willingly.”

She gave him a cheeky grin that very nearly made him blush. “You know me so well.”

Coriolanus expression then turned more serious, his pink lips curling downwards slightly. “But seriously, that girl was out of her mind.”

“She’s a jealous bitch, always has been,” Bellova said. “She desperately wants to get laid, and thinks that I’m stealing boys away from her or something ridiculous like that.”

“Ah.” Coriolanus never quite understood the reasoning behind girls’ rampant jealousy. Wouldn’t it be simpler to just focus on themselves? He supposed he’d never really know.

Bellova sighed, turning her head away from Coriolanus. She thought back to what Oliviera had said right after claiming she’d had sex with Felix Ravinstill. 

She accused Bellova of sleeping with Coriolanus and Sejanus. And, even worse, she implied she’d fucked them both at the same time.

It was an absurd assumption, really. Everyone knew that Bellova had a less-than-healthy relationship with the Snow heir. They exchanged horrible insults, and went out of their way to provoke each other. There were some times, like now, where there was peace between them. But those moments were becoming rarer as time passed on.

It was obvious that she wasn’t extremely fond of Sejanus Plinth either. He was a nice boy, but he was district. If he hasn’t been born in District Two, she would have considered him a close friend. Bellova couldn’t be too closely associated with him, or people would talk.

Miss Drusilla returned with a small bag full of ice and a small jar. She placed the bag in Bellova’s hands. “Keep that on your face for about ten minutes, and then apply the ointment after.”

Bellova nodded, doing as she was told. “Thank you,” she said quietly. 

“Of course, dear.” The nurse then turned to Coriolanus. “You can head to your next class, Mister Snow.”

He nodded, and looked at the injured girl before him. “See you tomorrow.”

She didn’t reply, simply giving him a small nod, half of her face hidden by the ice. 

The bruise was painful, but the cold demeanor that Coriolanus gave her somehow hurt even more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the phone in Bellova’s room rang, she immediately picked it up. She assumed either Persephone or Lysistrata wanted to check in her. After all, they were there when the incident took place, but were on the opposite side do the gym when it occurred.

“Hey,” she said into the speaker, her tone casual and relaxed.

“Hello, this is Bellova, right?”

Her body tensed immediately. It was Coryo.

“How did you get my number?”

Bellova winced. She hasn’t meant to come off so aggrssively, but when she was caught off-guard, it happened naturally.

“Sejanus,” he answered simply. 

“Ah.”

Fuck, this was awkward. Bellova took a deep breath, and then spoke again. 

“Why exactly are you calling me?”

“I just…wanted to check in with you. I assume the bruise will heal up soon?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “As long as I keep icing it and applying that ointment Drusilla gave me, it will be gone in a week or so.”

“Good,” Coriolanus said stiffly. “I also wanted to inform you that after you left the campus, I found out that Oliviera was suspended for two weeks as a consequence for her actions. When she returns, she’ll be closely supervised.”

Bellova rolled her eyes. “That doesn’t seem harsh enough. But if she fucks with me again, she’ll really get what was coming to her.”

Coriolanus’s laugh rang in her ear, and she found herself grinning like an idiot. Quickly forcing the smile to fade, she added, “I appreciate you backing me up earlier.” 

“Of course,” he replied. “It was the right thing to do.”

“Careful, Coryo,” she said teasingly. “It’s starting to sound like you care about me.” 

She could practically see him rolling his eyes. “Trust me, that’s not what I was trying to convey.” 

Bellova felt her fondness for him fade immediately. “Whatever. I need to go, I have homework to do and so do you.”

Coriolanus hummed. “Alright. I’ll leave you too it.”

“Bye.”

Bellova set the phone back on the receiver a bit too harshly, and collapsed backwards onto her mattress dramatically.

Just when she thought he was trying to be being nice to her, he metaphorically slammed the door in her face. 

But that was just how Coriolanus was. He’d show hints of affection and care, and then turned cold. She wasn’t sure why, but she suspected that he was afraid to be vulnerable. She sympathized with that, but the constant game of hot-and-cold was irritating.

Why couldn’t he at least try to be more consistently considerate?

‘Stop it,’ she chided herself. ‘It doesn’t fucking matter. He’s always been like this and that’ll never change. Now, we have homework to finish.’

With that, she pushed herself off of her bed and headed to her desk. She sat down on her plush chair and opened the drawer designated for writing materials. Retrieving several sheets of paper and a fountain pen, she took a deep breath and began to write, ignoring the throbbing on her cheek from the escapades that had occurred earlier. 

Strangely, the bruise didn’t feel like something to be ashamed of. It felt like a battle wound, something that showed she could handle herself. 

It further proved that she was strong, resilient, a true Reginelle through and through.

And nothing could take that away from her.

✧ ‧˚�� ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊❆ ‧

TAGLIST: @daenerysqueenofhearts, @squidscottjeans, @euphemiaamillais, @gracieroxzy, @effectwalker, @vxnilla-hxrddrugs, @mystargirl-interlude

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments! I’m so sorry this took FOREVER to write, my life has been rly busy this week :(( I apologize if the quality of this fic isn’t great, I kinda rushed the ending a little…

Also, let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! (I had to add some of y’all to a comment instead becuz tumblr won’t let me tag more people for some reason☹️)

[bltngames]

A Better Late Than Never Look at "Knuckles"

Note: I get pretty casual with spoilers as I go.

So after consuming 5 out of 6 episodes of the Knuckles show when it was new, and then waiting two weeks (I was busy with other things!) to watch the finale, I think I'm finally in a place where I can talk about how I felt about it.

From the earliest adopters, I'd heard that this show was trash. Some went so far as to call it one of the worst things in the Sonic franchise, period. 

It's not the worst thing in the Sonic franchise. I don't even necessarily think it's bad. But I would also struggle to call it good. It's... a little more nuanced than that.

The story brings us back to Knuckles the Echidna in the weeks following the end of the second Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Having helped in the defeat of Doctor Robotnik, Knuckles finds himself restless. He's a big mish-mash of different barbarian, viking, and warrior stereotypes, and he can no longer quench his thirst for combat, something that's starting to drive his friends crazy.

Knuckles convenes with the spirits of his ancestors (Pachacamac, played by Christopher Lloyd) and learns he must take on an understudy and train them in the ways of the warrior, much like his father did with him. However, we also learn that Knuckles is now the last of his kind (something the movies never elaborated on, I don't think) and thus his understudy has to be someone from outside his species. 

Pachacamac tells Knuckles to seek out Wade Whipple, the dopey deputy of Green Hills, Montana, and educate him in the ways of the ancient Echidna warriors. Wade recently lost a bowling tournament to a particularly snarky 8 year old girl scout, and so Knuckles and Wade go on a road trip to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada so that Wade can reclaim his title, conquer his battleground, and become a true warrior.

Right away, there's a lot wrong with the Knuckles series, and most of it happens in the first three episodes.

Though we should be used to it by now, how fast and loose the movies play with Sonic game lore is pretty annoying. In the years since that second Sonic movie, we've seen the release of the Super Mario Bros. movie, and while that's not exactly a perfect movie in itself, it is maybe one of the most faithful and respectful game adaptations ever released. 

The Knuckles series building a twisted Frankenstein of Sonic game lore now feels increasingly frustrating by comparison, especially as it rewrites the movie's own history in order to borrow from the more story-heavy games. The first Sonic movie shows us a whole tribe of Echidna warriors trying to capture a young toddler Sonic for unknown reasons. Though it's been almost two years since the last time I saw it, when Knuckles is introduced in the second movie, I don't think it's ever mentioned he's the last of his kind. We just know he's looking for Sonic for the same nebulous reasons the rest of his tribe were hunting him down in the first movie. The "Last Echidna" stuff comes from the games, and now it eventually gets mentioned in this series.

As a sidebar: I'm aware there's an off-hand piece of dialog in the Sonic 2 Movie Prequel comic that mentions Knuckles is the last Echidna, but that's a flimsy promo comic and none of it feels canon to me. That comic also has a cameo by the Chaotix and features way more Sonic environments than the movies ever will, making it feel disconnected to the actual movies.

Like it's fun, don't get me wrong, but it's also like when the Spider-man games based on the Sam Raimi movies would bring in characters from the comics, like Shocker or Mysterio. You KNEW if the movies ever dealt with those characters for real, they'd be completely different from what was in the games. The promo comic casually mentioning Knuckles is the last Echidna may as well have been nothing more than fluff for all anyone knew. 

In fact, it gets mentioned in the Knuckles series that The Owl Tribe -- the same creatures who we saw protecting Sonic in the first movie -- have apparently exterminated the entire Echidna race. It's only been, what, seven years? Eight years? So what's going on there? Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys?  The Echidnas apparently wanted to kill Sonic, and the Owls were willing to commit genocide to protect him, and this all seems like some pretty heavy stuff for a series that still refuses to define what this "power" everybody has actually is.

It feels extra obnoxious considering the proximity to the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, which is openly an adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2. There's more than a little Echidna lore that needs to be set up in order for parts of that game to make sense (if it ever did), and it's obvious they have little interest in carrying that forward in the movies, content instead to make up their own lore. And what we've seen of that so far doesn't necessarily seem to be better, it just seems to be different. Like they dug themselves into a hole and now have to dig back out in a different direction -- more damage control to cover for that first movie twisting up the source material.

Ultimately it ties back around to the fact that I don't think this is what Sonic fans were hoping for. There were a lot of directions to take a Knuckles solo project, and they made it into a road trip buddy comedy between two of the weakest characters. Movie Knuckles is a one-note Klingon stereotype and it feels like Idris Elba is sleepwalking through a lot of this chest thumping "heart of the warrior" stuff.

And Adam Pally as Wade Whipple was okay in small doses, but he wasn't exactly breaking new ground as the bumbling small town deputy. Putting these two guys in a box together is kind of a bad idea.

And for the first three episodes, it is. Wade and Knuckles have absolutely zero chemistry together. Most shows would have a little hint that these two guys like each other, but it's more that Knuckles wants to train Wade for selfish reasons (satisfying his ancestors) and Wade is kind of a dumb puppy who does what everyone else tells him to, sight unseen. 

We also get new B-tier villains for our B-tier show, who swagger in like they missed the audition for their gig on Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (no shade meant towards my sentai fans in the audience). They're GUN Agents, either current or former, and have apparently been selling weapons tech to a genuinely dangerous killer only known as "The Buyer."

Actually, another small sidebar: it was kind of strange to see Knuckles rated "PG" (for some mild swearing), but Paramount+ constantly inundate me with advertisements for Dora the Explorer, Minecraft, and The Loud House. This is actually my first, real, honest exposure to The Loud House, both in its cartoon and live action form. It feels like a show made for the whitest children on earth and if I have to see that little girl with the shrimp bowl fart again I'm going to throw my TV into the street.

Anyway, Knuckles: for the most part, the villains only really exist to remind us that this ties to the Sonic the Hedgehog movie universe while also providing goons for our heroes to fight. 

If I'm being real, I was actually a little confused by the presence of the GUN Agents. The Knuckles show is kind of bad at establishing whether they still work for GUN or not. We do get a scene where they go rogue, but it's never clear if they're just overachievers who get results, or if they are actual card-carrying bad guys who are breaking off for a solo career. I just figured they were here as a flimsy setup for the third Sonic movie.

Mostly, though, it's a lot of fluff. Knuckles or Wade gets into trouble, and they accidentally stumble out of one bad situation into another, over and over, for a good 90 minutes. Very few jokes land, it doesn't feel very funny, it's a confusing mixture of new lore and stuff borrowed from the games, and it feels like the show is a mess that's constantly spinning its wheels. 

Wade, now branded as a fugitive for being seen fighting GUN Agents (again: current or former?), accidentally and conveniently finds himself at his mother's doorstep seeking asylum. On the jewish holiday of Shabbat. Now, I'm not jewish, but it seems like Shabbat can happen on literally any Friday, yet the Knuckles series treats it like an annual holiday like Christmas or Halloween. Regardless, it seems like Wade happens to catch his mother on a Shabbat where she's already preparing a big meal, since Wade's older sister, an FBI agent, also happens to be in town. Which is also weirdly convenient. Wade, feeling like he can't disappoint his mom, sits down and they have a meal together, only to be assaulted by bounty hunters looking to claim the price on Wade's head.

This episode starts a kind of turning point for the Knuckles series. Over an hour into this three hour ordeal, and it finally provides some threads of character development for Wade Whipple. We learn his estranged father is a legendary bowling champion, who will also just so happen to be at the big bowling tournament Knuckles is ushering him towards. Knuckles has a cozy moment with Wade's mother, and we learn more about how much she hates Wade's father for breaking up their family.

The fourth episode finds Wade facing down yet another bounty hunter. Earlier I mentioned Wade lost a bowling tournament to an 8 year old girl -- specifically, he lost a placement match for a bowling team known as The Renegades. The captain of The Renegades is a man known as Jack Sinclair, and when he rejects Wade's entry into the team, he casually mentions a bounty hunter gig he runs on the side. Now, Jack's back to claim the $100k bounty, and Knuckles has decided that it's time for Wade to solve this problem on his own.

Ultimately, this means Wade is forced to convene with Knuckles' ancient ancestors for himself, leading to, of all things, a rock opera in a spectral bowling alley where we learn more of Knuckles' origin. If the Shabbat dinner episode finally budged the needle a little bit, this rock opera episode is the kick in the pants this series should have opened with.

We get Wade in a Knuckles costume, a puppet of Knuckles' dying father that's definitely a reference to Archie's controversial Sonic writer Ken Penders, dancers in owl costumes, and a genuinely impressive prop of a "Fire Demon" (Iblis from Sonic 2006) operated by an entire squad of bodysuit actors. It's a lot of fun and I even found myself starting to laugh at the jokes! It only took, what, two hours?

As the rock opera explains, after Knuckles watched all of his friends and family get slaughtered by the owl tribe, Knuckles wandered the galaxy, hopeless. Knowing he was the only one who could protect the master emerald, he challenged this fire demon to claim the power of The Flames of Disaster. The demon nearly killed Knuckles, but by keeping the warrior's spirit in his heart, he summoned the strength to defeat Iblis once and for all and claim The Flames of Disaster as his own. Thus, Wade learns that a warrior's true strength comes from within, giving him the push needed to have a final showdown with Jack Sinclair. 

And then something else weird happens: the final two episodes of the show turn into something completely different. 

In my opinion, the more the Knuckles show gets away from Knuckles himself, the better it gets. Even though I thought the rock opera origin story was great, the less we have to worry about their jumbled up lore, the better. And these last two episodes of Knuckles get about as far away from the Echidna as they can get, turning into a late 2000's sports comedy in the vein of something like "Balls of Fury", "Hot Rod" or "Blades of Glory." Except here, the stand-in sport of choice is bowling.  

It's actually pretty funny how much the previous four episodes just stop mattering entirely. Like, the bounty on Wade vanishes. Being a wanted criminal (former or current) has no bearing on his ability to attend the bowling tournament despite apparently being national news not even 48 hours earlier. It's never mentioned or brought up again. 

Knuckles almost exits the show entirely. He spends most of the final two episodes relaxing in a hotel room, leaving Wade to carry almost literally everything else by himself. We get introduced to Cary Elwes as Wade's father Pistol Pete, who summons the same level of ham and cheese we last got from him in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. 

And... It works. It's not the greatest thing on earth, but compared to where this show started, once the bowling tournament kicks off, it's literally the best part of the whole series. The jokes get even funnier. We get all these different themed bowling teams, everybody in special costumes, with dumb names like "Ball Busters" and "Split for Brains." The editing gets really energetic and creative, too, with lots of flashy split screen cuts set to music. 

It feels like somebody had been sitting on a decade-old bowling comedy script and dusted it off for these last two episodes. It stops being the Knuckles show and starts being the Wade Whipple show, and is surprisingly better for it. 

But then, that's not entirely true. It's still the Knuckles show, and almost begrudgingly, they have to make up a reason for Knuckles to have a big fight at the end. It's almost funny how blatant it is -- there's so much focus on Wade's showdown with his Dad that when they cut back to Knuckles it feels kind of forced. Like they realized Wade is getting all of the pathos and character development but they still needed to show Knuckles doing something, anything, so here's a big robot that needs punching. 

It's not terrible, and Wade eventually joins him, tying into his overall journey of believing in himself and becoming "a warrior", but it does feel kind of tacked on regardless. There's this general vibe of the show getting lost in the bowling tournament and then going "Oh, right. That guy."

Listen, I'm not here to evangelize this show. It's kind of an inconsistent mess. It's jammed full of obnoxious needle drop musical interludes, there's tons of REALLY blatant product placement, and just like with the previous two Sonic movies, whenever it makes direct references to game lore, it feels more pandering (and increasingly sloppy) than anything else. It takes its sweet time expanding on both its title character and his poorly chosen side kick. A lot of it made me cringe more than laugh. 

But it does eventually hit a stride and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the back half of it. You can really see the show start to find its footing once you hit that Shabbat episode, and by the end of the rock opera, Knuckles had finally won me over... by getting further and further away from Knuckles himself. 

And... that's not really a great endorsement, now is it.