#cause damn the animation is excellent

[forged-in-kaoss]

[sentientsky]

computer privileges REVOKED

aziracrow and song lyrics part 1/? // lizzy mcalpine

first part ended up being aziraphale centred for some reason but i'm not complaining

[kiarastromboli]

Teach me (Chris Sturniolo x y/n)

Part.2 Part.3

Masterlist.

Warning: Virgin reader, Smut content, don’t like it = don’t read it :)

Summary: Chris shows up in the middle of the night in your room, asking for answers to the exam you both are supposed to take in the following days, and things take an unexpected turn.

•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•

We are on a summer Tuesday evening, the air warm and heavy, the sound of cicadas outside, and the gentle breeze causing tree branches to brush against my window sill, absolute calm. The house was silent; it was already 11:25 PM, the only reason I wasn't asleep? I was busy revising for the upcoming major exam. Honestly, I didn't need to; I had the knowledge and even more, but I'm a perfectionist. Why settle for the minimum when you can achieve much more?

Anyway, I allowed myself to study a bit more tonight since I have no classes tomorrow. I had some music playing in the background, loud enough for me to hear but not too loud to distract me. Tonight, nothing could distract me!

*knock knock knock*

I jumped in surprise when I heard faint noises coming from the window at the other end of my room. I thought I was impossible to distract, but apparently, I was wrong.

I walked slowly towards the window; it was probably my cat scratching to come in. Well, I wasn't sure; what else could it be?

I pulled the curtain covering my window to open it and came face to face with Chris Sturniolo.

WAIT, WHAT? What is that rascal Chris doing at my window? Oh my god, if my parents hear him, I'm done for.

Let me give you a brief recap to better understand the situation and the reason for my current anxiety.

My name is Y/n, and honestly, there's not much to say about me. I'm a quiet girl, the complete opposite of what one would consider "cool" and "popular." I'm disciplined, polite, courteous, studious, discreet – in short, the perfect little girl who will have a good diploma, an excellent job in an excellent city, and an excellent family. I do what is expected of me without questioning, and I never, I repeat, NEVER go against the rules.

Chris, on the other hand, is Chris. If I were a boy, I would be absolutely the opposite of that guy. He plays on the high school lacrosse team with his brother. He's a real jerk – sorry, I don't want to sound vulgar, but he's a real jerk. He spends his time skipping classes to do who knows what with who knows who. He thinks he's "cool" and "popular" because all the girls run after him, but the truth is, he's just a good-looking guy with a devilish behavior. Back in elementary school, I had a crush on him; when he found out, he mocked me, and he never stopped, even now in high school. So, yes, he's an immature jerk.

What could Chris possibly be doing at my window in the middle of the night when my parents are at home? My father has always been strict about no boys in my room, and certainly not in the middle of the night?

"Are you going to let me in?" he said, looking up at me.

"Absolutely not! How do you know where I live? You can't stay here; you have to leave now!" I shouted in a panic, looking around to make sure no one saw him here.

"Let me in, and I'll answer all your little questions," he said with a smirk.

"Oh my god," I whispered to myself, bringing my hand to my forehead. "No, Chris, you don't understand; my parents are here. If they know there's a boy at my window—"

"Okay, if you don't let me in, I'll knock on the front door, pretending to be your boyfriend. It's up to you," he said, cutting me off before moving away from my window.

"NO! Okay, fine, come in," I sighed. "Damn, damn, damn," I muttered to myself as I moved away from the window to lock the door to my room.

"Your room is cool," he said, dropping onto my bed as if it were his own. "What's his name?" he added, picking up a stuffed animal lying on my bed.

"Get your filthy body off my clean bed, please," I snapped, grabbing my stuffed animal from his hands with a brisk motion.

"Relax; I just wanted to chat," he said, rolling his eyes before getting up to move towards me. "Nice pajamas," he said with a smirk, scanning my body with his eyes.

I blushed uncontrollably; I was wearing really short shorts and an equally short tank top. What? It's fine; I know what you're thinking. I'll stop you right there; it's summer, it's super hot, and I didn't anticipate Mr. Troublemaker's surprise visit.

"What do you want?" I asked timidly, stuttering and crossing my arms to hide my stomach. I hated having my body exposed in front of others; it made me feel vulnerable.

"I need your help for the exam coming up next week," he said, moving towards my desk. "And before you refuse to help me, I have an offer you can't refuse!" he said, turning to me, leaning against my desk this time.

"And did you have to come and ask for my help in the middle of the night, Chris, seriously?" I replied, annoyed.

"I stole the test papers from the teachers' lounge. If you help me, you can memorize all the answers by heart," he said, crossing his arms with a smug smile.

I laughed when he presented his "impossible to refuse" offer. What an idiot. "If you think that I, Y/n, will help you cheat on the most important exam of the year, you're way dumber than I thought."

"Oh yeah? You seemed pretty bothered by the bad grade you got in gym yesterday," he said, advancing towards me. "You know, I know the coach really well, well enough to be able to change your grade."

Damn, it was the only grade below average I had all year. It's true that it would be convenient to make it disappear. What? No, Y/n, you're crazy; this is Chris we're talking about, he's a manipulator, and you're falling into his trap. Oh my god, stop; I need to get him out of here.

"Why do you want me to help you? Find the answers yourself," I replied, giving him a dark look.

"Because I don't feel like it, and you love this kind of thing," he said, rolling his eyes. "Y/n, it's beneficial for both of us. Look, you ensure you get 100% on the exam, in addition to seeing your gym grade increase, and it will save me from repeating this year."

"Get out of my room, Chris; I'm not going to help you cheat. It's bad," I said, crossing my arms.

"Bad? Who do you think you are? Come on, we don't care; it's just an exam!" he said, laughing.

"You don't care, but I do," I said, pointing to the window he came in through.

He smiled arrogantly before licking his lips, looking at me. "You're more tenacious than I thought," he said, plunging his eyes into mine. "I like that."

I won't lie; his words made me a little nervous at the moment. Okay, I said he was a big jerk,

not that he was ugly!

"Oh, are you blushing because of me? Does what I say affect you?" he said, slowly approaching me.

"G-Get out of my room," I said weakly, stepping back.

"Why? You don't want me to leave your room, Y/n. Don't lie to me; I know you like me," he said confidently, continuing to advance towards me until my back hit the door of my room.

I swallowed hard as I felt my throat tighten due to the proximity between us. "You're insane. I would have to be crazy to like a guy like you," I said timidly, avoiding his gaze.

"I'm sure I can drive you crazy," he said, grabbing my chin to force me to look him in the eyes.

A wave of heat engulfed me; I slightly opened my mouth to get more air. My heartbeat accelerated; I must be all red now.

"Listen," he said, getting even closer to me. "If you help me with this exam," he said, placing his hand in the small of my back, "in addition to the things I've already offered you," he said, slowly lowering his hand to my hip, "I can also show you a few things you might like," he said softly, plunging his eyes into mine.

I cleared my throat. "What are you talking about?" I said all timid.

"Oh, come on, Y/n, you know exactly what I'm talking about; you're dying for it. Look at yourself," he said with an arrogant smile. "And if you want to know, I'm dying for it too," he whispered in my ear, making my knees weak.

"Stop lying, you don't give a damn about me. You're acting like an asshole with me; you only want the answers to this exam," I said, stuttering and trying not to be swayed by his sweet words.

"Y/n, I know where you live because I follow you after school every day to make sure nothing happens to you on the way," he said, moving his face a few centimeters away from mine. "I spend my time teasing you in the hope of getting closer to you," he added, running his hand over my cheek. "If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have even noticed the bad grades you're getting in PE," he said, rolling his eyes.

If these were lies, then he's a very good liar. Oh my god, my mother always warned me about bad boys like Chris, but I felt like fainting when his hand tightened a little more around my hip. "Chris—"

"You know what, screw this exam; I'll study it on my own. Let me kiss you, and I promise to leave your room and never bother you about this exam again," he said, almost sounding desperate. Wait, is he serious? Chris has a crush on me? I must be dreaming; it can't be possible.

"Chris, if this is a joke, it's really not funny," I said uncertainly, furrowing my brow when he moved his face closer to mine.

"I'm dead serious," he said, fixing his gaze on my lips.

My eyes were switching between his and his lips; I didn't know what to do. I was bewildered by the situation until Chris placed his soft lips on mine. My eyes instinctively closed to better savor the moment. I was kissing the most handsome guy in high school in my room, just like in the movies. His hand slid under my shorts to grab my buttock, making me sigh in surprise during our kiss. He seized the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth, dancing with mine. He started smiling against my lips when he heard a pathetic moan die in our kiss as he began to knead my buttocks.

"Chris," I said, separating our lips and pushing him by his chest.

"What?" he said with a confused look as I moved away from him.

"We're not going to do this," I told him, shaking my head. "My parents are here; you can't just barge into my room in the middle of the night and coerce me with sex to get the answers to this damn exam," I said, offended.

"Y/n, I don't care about the exam. I did all this to get closer to you!" he said, taking a step towards me.

I stepped back when he tried to grab my hand to hold it in his. "Okay, prove it," I said, crossing my arms. "You said you would leave me alone about this exam and leave my room if I let you kiss me," I added, heading to the window to open it again.

He opened his mouth to speak before changing his mind, shaking his head.

"Show me you're not a liar," I said, pointing to the window.

He sighed before moving towards the window. "I'm not a liar, Y/n," he said, furrowing his brow before starting to pass his legs through the window.

There, I was finally rid of him. I should feel relieved, right? So why does something deep inside me break seeing him leave?

Without thinking, before he had time to pass through my window entirely, I grabbed him by his T-shirt to kiss him again. I couldn't let him go like that. I don't know what was happening to me, but everything was screaming at me to throw myself on his lips and never leave them.

He straightened up before closing the window with one hand. His other hand came to caress my cheek.

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing; we headed towards my desk without paying attention. He grabbed the back of my thighs to make me sit on my desk just behind me. His lips left mine to move towards my neck, his arms tightened around my waist, and my thighs surrounded his.

"Do you still want me to leave your room now?" he said arrogantly.

"Shut up," I said, feeling my breath quicken when he started sucking on the skin of my neck between his lips. "Chris, you can't leave marks," I said, a little panicked.

"Why not? You're mine," he said authoritatively, raising his face in front of mine and grabbing my throat in his hand.

"First, I'm not yours, Chris, and second, my father will kill me if he sees hickies on my neck," I said, chuckling timidly at his reaction.

Without a word, he began kissing my neck again before slowly moving towards my chest, making me anxious. "What are you doing?" I asked, stuttering.

"I'm leaving my mark where I'm sure no one else will see it," he whispered before grabbing the fabric of my tank top to slightly uncover my breast and place his lips on it.

"Chris—" I said, jumping when he started sucking a hickey on that sensitive area.

I could feel shivers running through my entire body; my back arched, and my thighs instinctively tightened around his waist while a few silent moans escaped my lips.

"Are you always this sensitive, or am I the one making you feel this way?" he said, raising his head towards me with a big smile.

I started blushing uncontrollably when he said that; I didn't even have a response to his question. I had never done anything like this with a boy before.

"Did you lose your tongue?" he asked, tilting his head to the side before coming to fix a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I-I don't know," I said in an almost inaudible voice. "Is it wrong?" I asked, embarrassed.

"No, not at all," he said, frowning. "What do you mean by 'I don't know'?" he asked, confused.

"I—" I didn't know what to answer. A silence settled at that moment; he looked me in the eyes before realizing.

"You've never done anything with a boy?" he asked, surprised.

I simply shook my head from side to side, too embarrassed to say anything.

His arrogant smile covered his lips a few seconds later. "Do you want me to teach you?"

My eyes widened when I heard that. I hesitated for a moment before nodding timidly.

"Use words, princess," he said, stroking my waist to encourage me to speak.

"I want you to teach me how to do it," I said, feeling a wave of confidence in myself.

He smiled before kissing me again; this time our kiss was slow and gentle, as if to reassure me. His hands played with the hem of my tank top. "Can I take this off?" he asked calmly.

"Take yours off first," I asked directly. I didn't want to be the only one exposed for some reason. My statement made him chuckle, and he separated from my lips to remove his t-shirt.

I took a moment to observe him. Unconsciously, I started biting my lips, and Chris smiled at my reaction. "It's your turn now," he said, moving towards me again.

Once again, I hesitated for a moment, looking into his eyes. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to, you know," he said without breaking eye contact.

His words were enough to make me feel comfortable. I took my tank top off over my head without overthinking it. "But I want to," I said before covering my chest, feeling a wave of embarrassment engulf me.

Chris immediately grabbed my arms. "You don't need to hide from me, Y/n," I let him remove my arms from the way, and he directed his eyes to my chest, licking his lips. "You're beautiful," he said before pressing his lips against mine once again.

I felt more and more at ease with him. My hands, which were previously at the back of his neck, started to travel along his chest down to his waist, where he hastily seized my wrist. "Slow down, princess."

"What? Did I do it wrong? Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" I asked, panicking. He chuckled at my reaction.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong," he said, smiling. "We have all the time in the world, don't rush yourself," he whispered before kissing my neck again.

My hand found its place in his hair, and he gradually directed his kisses towards my chest, prompting me to throw my head back at the new sensation of his lips around my nipples.

One of his hands slipped between my thighs, making me jump and tilt my head forward at the proximity of his hand to my sensitive area.

He began to gently caress my pussy through my clothes, causing a silent moan to escape my lips.

I could feel my head starting to spin due to all this sudden stimulation; I couldn't help but squirm in all directions. "Can I take off your shorts?" he asked, looking up at me.

"Y-yes," I replied timidly before he slowly removed my shorts and resumed kissing me, this time moving down to my stomach, making me breathe harder.

He stopped kissing me when he reached the level of my white panties to examine them closely. "You're so wet that I can see the trace on your panties," he said with a smirk.

Embarrassment washed over me. "I'm sorry," I said softly, trying to close my thighs, but he grabbed them to force me to keep them open.

"Don't be," he said, bringing his head closer to my thighs. "I like it," he said, planting a kiss on my clothed pussy, making me shiver. "You're so sensitive; I bet I could make you come in less than 5 minutes with my tongue," he said, running his fingers between the fabric of my panties and my skin.

"Do you want me to do it?" he asked, looking up at me with a sly smile. I timidly nodded. "Say it," he said in a firm tone.

"What?" I asked, a bit embarrassed.

"If you want me to do it, you'll have to ask me, Y/n," he said arrogantly.

"Chris," I said in a frustrated moan; I could see his smile widening, amused by the situation. He returned to plant another kiss on my still-clothed pussy. "I-I want you to make me come with your tongue," I said, almost inaudibly moaning.

"Anything you want, princess," he said satisfied before removing my panties. I lifted my hips to help him, and he placed a few kisses around my sensitive area before putting my legs over his shoulders and diving his head between my legs.

The upper part of my body leaned forward slightly at the sensation of his lips around my clit. Instinctively, my hand pressed into his long, wavy hair, and I couldn't control the soft moans that escaped me. "Y/n, quiet down; your parents will hear you," he said, chuckling against me before getting back to work.

His tongue applied pressure to my clit, driving me wild. One of his hands reached for my breasts to play with them, mainly to prevent me from squirming all over my desk, which kept creaking. He moved his tongue in circular motions, gradually increasing the speed. After a few seconds, I felt something new in my lower abdomen, as if it were knotting due to the pressure. My thighs started to tighten slightly around his face without me realizing it. When I lowered my eyes to look at him, I could see his beautiful blue eyes already fixed on me, admiring me as if I were his last meal.

My eyebrows furrowed when all this stimulation started to take over. "Chris," I struggled to say in a weak voice; it felt like I was about to faint. "Oh my—fucking god," I said, throwing my head back and covering my mouth with my hand.

Chris didn't stop; on the contrary, he accelerated his movements, and his grip on my breasts became much firmer. He started moaning between my legs, and the vibrations of his moans against my clit were enough to push me over the edge. My legs began to tremble. "Fuck—Chris," I said before reaching orgasm on his face.

He slowed down the movement of his tongue before completely stopping to let me ride out my orgasm. "I told you," he said, straightening up and using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, "less than 5 minutes."

I chuckled at his remark, "You never stop boasting, huh?" I said with a smile, and his hands came around my cheeks before placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Never," he said, smiling before I reconnected our lips, making him smile at my hungry kiss. "What do you want?" he asked, separating our lips.

"I want to pleasure you too," I replied, playing with his necklace. He licked his lips, looking into my eyes.

"Is that what you want?" he asked, pressing his pelvis against mine to make me feel his erection through his pants, and I nodded.

"Yes, that's what I want," I said with an innocent look.

He immediately reconnected our lips without waiting a second longer, then grabbed the back of my thighs to carry me to my bed.

He gently placed me at the edge of the bed before leaning forward to kiss me again. "If you want us to stop, let me know," I brought my hands to his belt to remove it while he looked at me with desire.

I lowered his pants and stared at his erect member. Suddenly, panic resurfaced. "You don't have to do this," he said, bringing his hand to my cheek.

I looked up to meet his reassuring gaze. "I don't know how to do it," I said timidly, "but I want to." I added, placing my hand on his thigh.

"Do what feels right, I'll guide you," he said, never taking his eyes off me, as I slid down his boxers to his ankles.

The apprehension and stress were still there, but it was too late; after all, I was already committed. I really wanted it; I was just terribly afraid of messing up. I stopped overthinking and took his member in my hand, giving him a look to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong. He nodded to indicate I should continue. I began hesitant strokes with my hand, eliciting a moan from his mouth.

His hand came to caress the top of my head, and I threw him a last uncertain glance before taking him into my mouth. He flinched and took a step back when I started, and I immediately looked up at him in panic. "Sorry," I apologized embarrassedly.

"No, don't be. It's okay; you just need to avoid letting your teeth touch it. It's not very pleasant," he explained in a reassuring voice before coming back towards me.

I nodded, and this time, I made sure my teeth didn't touch him. His hand returned to my hair. "Yeah, like that," he moaned, making my pussy clench at the tone of his voice. I continued my movements with closed eyes. "You can use your hand for what you can't fit in your mouth," he said weakly, and I did as he instructed. I could feel how much he was holding back from thrusting into my mouth to avoid rushing me, and the muffled sounds from his mouth sent an electric shock to my pussy.

"Fuck, you need to stop," he said, throwing his head back. I pulled away and looked up at him, confused.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, feeling lost.

"No, baby, you did a great job. It's just that I was about to come," he said, caressing my cheek and catching his breath.

"Oh," I said, chuckling. "Maybe you can come inside me?" I said without thinking, excited by the moment; I wanted more.

"Y/n," he said, diving his eyes into mine before I got up, grabbed the back of his neck, and kissed him again. "Is this really what you want?" he asked before reconnecting our lips.

"Please," I said pathetically, guided by my desires and excitement at that moment. My hands tangled in his hair, and his hands firmly gripped my hips.

"I don't have a condom, princess," he emphasized, smiling against my lips.

"I have..." I said timidly before heading to my bedside table to take out a new box of condoms.

A sly smile appeared, and I could already feel his remarks coming. So, before he had a chance to say anything, I cut him off, "I'm a virgin, not irresponsible, Chris," I said, rolling my eyes when I stood in front of him.

"I didn't say anything," he said, chuckling, before pushing me onto the bed and positioning himself above me to kiss me again. "Are you sure this is really what you want, Y/n?" he asked, directing his lips to my neck. "I don't want you to feel forced into anything. What we've done already is more than enough for now," he added.

"Jeez, Chris, stop talking," I said, chuckling, before grabbing his head between my hands to kiss him even more passionately than before.

"Are you that impatient?" he said, chuckling. "I need to stretch you a bit first, okay?" he said, directing his fingers towards my entrance. I simply nodded, and he pushed the first finger inside, prompting me to raise my head at the sensation. "Is it okay?"

"Yes, you can add another finger," I said, feeling my breath quicken. He inserted a second finger and began to move them in and out to stretch me.

"I wish your parents weren't here so I could hear you better, Y/n. You make beautiful sounds," he said, burying his head in my neck and curling his fingers inside me to stretch me further.

"Chris," I said, moaning and pulling slightly on his hair, "I need more."

"Do you think you're ready?" he asked, looking into my eyes. He had never looked at me like that before; his gaze was tender and caring.

"Yes," I replied, nodding. He grabbed a condom and opened it with his mouth. I could feel the pressure building, but I wasn't going to back down. I was going to do it; I was ready to do it.

He put on the condom and positioned himself at my entrance. "Tell me if you want me to stop, and I'll do it immediately," he said, and I nodded. "It might hurt a bit at the beginning if it's too much for you—"

"Chris, just do it," I said, cutting him off when I felt the stress overwhelm me.

He began to push slowly inside me, scrutinizing any sign of discomfort on my face. My eyebrows furrowed at the burning sensation when he started penetrating me. "Fuck," I said, glancing down to see what was happening between my legs before letting my head fall back on the pillow. He stopped halfway to make sure it wasn't too much for me. "Don't stop," I said, breathing quickly, and he resumed his advance until he touched the depth, prompting me to bury my head in his neck to muffle a moan.

"Are you okay?" he asked without moving from where he was.

"Yes, you can move," I said before he began to make slow thrusts. At first, it burned a little; it was uncomfortable, but with each subsequent movement, the pain transformed into pleasure.

"Oh my god, you're so tight, Y/n, fuckkk," he said, moaning against my lips. His thrusts gradually accelerated, and my hand gripped his bicep.

"It-feels good," I admitted, moaning softly and clenching my jaw.

"I've dreamt of this for so long; it's even better than in my dreams," he said, gripping onto my hips.

"You dreamed of this?" I asked him, confused, not knowing if he was being honest with what he was saying.

"Mhm," he simply hummed before lowering his free hand between our bodies to massage my clit. "You're mine now," he said in my ear, and my grip around his bicep tightened with the stimulation he was providing at that moment. His hip movements accelerated again, knotting my lower abdomen for the second time tonight. "Say it," he added in an authoritative tone.

"I'm yours, Chris," I said with the little strength I had left. My mind didn't know where to focus at that moment.

"Yes, and this pussy is mine too, Y/n," he said, moaning in my ear, driving me crazy. "I want you to cum again for me, princess," he said, accelerating his thrusts, yet still gentle and delicate.

My eyes rolled back, and my legs tightened around him. "Let go, princess," he said breathlessly. "Cum all over me." With his words, I threw my head back and started clenching around him. "Fuck, I can feel you clenching around me, baby," he said, burying his head in my neck, and I started to climax. I grabbed his hand, placing it over my mouth to muffle any noise, and shortly after, he climaxed too.

"Oh my god," I said before he let all his weight fall on me, moaning one last time.

"I never want to move from here," he said, smiling against my neck.

"You'll have to before my parents wake up," I said, chuckling. "It's already a miracle they didn't hear us," I said, running my hand through his hair.

He sat up and withdrew from me before tossing the condom into my trash bin. I sat up, covering myself with my blanket. "Will this happen again?" I asked him timidly, looking at him as he put on his boxers.

"Of course, it will, princess," he said, smiling, before sitting next to me and rubbing my thigh. "Can I stay a little longer?" he asked, locking his eyes with mine, and I nodded.

He settled next to me, pulling me close and gently running his hand over my curves. "Send me the exam tomorrow; I don't have class. I'll give you the answers," I told him, looking up at him.

"I thought this was bad, and good girls like you don't do these kinds of things," he said, chuckling and furrowing his brows.

"Good girls like me aren't supposed to sleep with bad boys like you," I replied, straddling him to be on top, and he sat up to kiss me.

"I told you I'd drive you crazy," he said, smiling against my lips.

Masterlist.

[ironunderstands]

Topaz appreciation post because she’s been rotating around my brain like a rotisserie chicken and I need y’all to get her like I do��

Genuinely, I believe her to be the most underrated limited 5 star in the game everything wise, because she is so damn interesting and nobody talks about it ever and it drives me nuts.

So, I’m going to make you understand why exactly I love her and what makes her so amazing in the first place.

Her lore 

Topaz’s lore is rather simple, at least compared to other characters in the game, but simple ≠ bad and her story serves her perfectly.

Long before Topaz was Topaz, she was a girl named Jelena, living in a desolate planet at the edge of the galaxy. The economy of this planet was based around mining and industry, which resulted in her home becoming more and more polluted as time went on. The wildlife almost completely disappeared, people had to wear masks to breathe, and it seemed like her planet was reaching a hopeless, dismal end.

Until the IPC came. They promised to fix everything, and heal her planet of its environment problems, in exchange for every person on the planet signing a contract of indentured servitude to the IPC. Seeing no other way out, Topaz’s home accepted, forever tying her and the rest of the planet to the IPC.

Topaz is was (and still is) incredibly talented and competent, excelling in science, economics, finances, math, etc. Her exceptional talents caused her mentor  and parental figure Dvorski, who works in the Strategic Investment Department to recommend her to Jade, one of his superiors. Presumably, this is how she started her climb up the corporate latter, eventually becoming the Topaz we know and love today. 

Throughout this, she maintained her friendly and headstrong attitude, and never abandoned her love for animals or the people in her life like Dvorski, a trait which will be important for later. 

So, I’ve established the basics, so what makes this interesting?

Topaz’s trauma and how it affects her character 

I feel like a lot of people ignore just how much trauma she really has, and how it affects the way she behaves in the present.

For starters, her love of animals. Sure, Numby is adorable and in general this is a rather fun trait for a character to have, it’s not something you would consider to be a sign of something darker. 

However, remember that Topaz’s planet almost lost all of the life on it, and she witnessed firsthand almost every creature she knew and loved either go extinct or become severely endangered. 

So, when you view her love for animals through this lense, it’s easy to see that she’s so attached to animals because Topaz almost lost them forever, and this trait manifests in a lot of the behavior she exhibits.

According to Topaz herself, her efficiency goes up 27% when Numby is with her, and it seems to be blatantly obvious that being around animals give her at the very least a peace of mind/sense of comfort. I mean in game she is Topaz and Numby for a reason, and her relationship with them is a core part of the way she behaves. When Topaz can’t ground herself, she has Numby to help her with that, which hurts even more considering she is likely going on these missions alone 90% of the time, meaning her literal only friend is a pet/animal. 

Considering Topaz’s biological parents never get mentioned, it’s not hard to assume she is orphaned or at the very least estranged from them, likely due to the disaster on her planet, leaving her only loved ones to be her pets and Dvorski. Losing one half of the only support system she has would be devastating for Topaz, which is likely why she brings Numby everywhere (also considering I don’t think she has mentioned him in the present, her pets might literally be the only things she has left). 

In her own home, Topaz collects a myriad of species from across the galaxy, as if to preserve them so at least even if they disappear on their home planets like hers did, they won’t go extinct entirely. 

Personally, I think her fixation around them cooperating and coexisting also reflects on how she feels about other people. If animals from completely different planets can get along, so can people. If she can convince creatures lacking in intellect work together, then she can do the same for ones that possess it, as ultimately Topaz is a massive people person, and believes what she’s doing is best for the galaxy. 

It’s almost like an experiment, with every little change to their ecosystems, every new organism added, every new abiotic feature taken or removed, Topaz can simulate what that might be like in reality. In a way she wants to take care of humans  like she does her pets, however instead of doing it through her own means, she uses the IPC and her power as a Stoneheart as a vector for that.

But why is she so confident? What makes Topaz wholeheartedly believe that what she’s doing really is the best for the galaxy, even if we know it isn’t perfect, even if only ~80% of the planets she works on are “saved”?

Well, like always, it’s her trauma again.

Imagine you’re living on a planet slowly dying due to its people’s greed and ignorance, in which everything you know and love is falling apart, and absolutely nothing can be done about it. But you don’t need to imagine this, I mean this is a situation we are all going through, as it’s already what’s happening to our planet right now, so perhaps instead picture what it might be like to live here in a few decades if nothing changes. How miserable that would be, how upset you would be at those in power, how disappointed you would be in humanity for doing Nothing when we had so much time and already knew the consequences almost a century in advance (seriously we have known about climate change since like the 50s). 

So you give up hope and accept your fate, accept that everything is going down in flames and the humanity, the planet you know and love is going to be snuffed out forever.

Only to get saved when an outside influence comes to your assistance. Sure, they make everyone sign a contract binding their lives to them, but you wouldn’t have a life to give had they not helped. Besides, you owe it to every other thing that shares your planet with you, every plant, every animal, every organism has been utterly wiped out by human greed, so it’s only fair to pay them back, right? 

I mean it’s your whole world at stake, so how could you say no? How could you deem their terms unreasonable if clearly your own people didn’t deserve the responsibility they had over their own lives? If their situations could only be fixed by giving it to others who could guide them? By giving it to the IPC? The Preservation ?

This is the mindset Topaz grew up on and has known for her entire life. She has seen humanity utterly fail itself and is unwilling to allow that fate to befall others. She doesn’t trust other people to make the right decisions, she doesn’t think they know what’s best for them, because the people she was closest to, her very own people couldn’t do that, so how could she ever expect strangers to do the same? 

How could she ever give the leaders of these planets the benefit of the doubt, knowing that doing that for her own almost caused it to be wiped out completely? How could she see them as anything more than the selfish bastards who ruined everything? How could her heart not ache thinking there were people on the planets she helps who would be doomed to experience the fate that almost fell upon her had Topaz not stepped in. 

How could Topaz feel guilty over the planets that don’t succeed? The ones she can’t save? As after all, she thinks they were lost from the get go? Does it eat her up at night knowing she failed them? That she couldn’t prevent the folly of humanity this time, so the next planet she must work harder, be more stubborn, push back even more, so nobody ever experiences what she did instead?

I mean being an indentured servant hasn’t been that bad for her, she’s succeeded in every endeavor she’s set her mind to after all. Sure, she’s entirely alone, and sure, if the IPC no longer deems her or her people useful, they could cast them aside once again. 

But Topaz is smart, she climbed to the top of the latter, she’s been praised to hell and back, she’s known far and wide through the department for her efficiency and drive, surely she hasn’t done anything wrong?

Sure she’s heard whispers, rumors and projects of other departments, of the deep dark secrets of the company she owes her life too. Inwardly she wonders how those who follow the Preservation would even be willing to commit such atrocities, inwardly she hopes they are just rumors. The IPC saved her planet, so how could they destroy others? 

The Preservation’s power will protect all, will save them from their miserable existences. Nothing else matters in the process, no dissenter understands this as like Topaz does. She will save them, she will protect them, even if it means she is detested by everyone she encounters, it must be done. All for the Amber Lord.

I find it very compelling how despite the fact that Topaz has become a Stoneheart, she is still dressed in the fashion of an average IPC worker. As if she is an equal part of the puzzle as them. Equally useful, equally disposable, equally biased, equally ignorant, and equally foolish. 

I mean, how could she be anyway else?

Her future

Belabog was just as important for Topaz’s development as she was to it.

She was wrong. 

As stubborn as Topaz is, she is not arrogant, and when Bronya proved to her that the people of Belabog can and would fight for their future, Topaz did everything in her power to help them.

As that’s what she really cares about, people. 

I think Topaz the determination she has in Bronya and it shook her to her core. 

Because so far, the only way Topaz has seen real progress is from the hands of the IPC.

But Bronya doesn’t give into them, and she puts everything she has into saving her people. Moreover, Jarilo-VI follows the Preservation as well, but they don’t agree with the IPC’s method of it. 

Is the IPC wrong?

That is the question Topaz is faced with, what is the thing she has to grapple with once she leaves the planet. When they demote her for not getting the debt back immediately, does Topaz wonder why they were so concerned about that in the first place? Shouldn’t they be happy that a world blessed by their very own deity managed to pick itself up without their help? Isn’t that the point?

Does she think back to her previous projects, the planets she saved and the planets she failed, and wonder how it would have worked out without the IPCs involvement? 

Did Aventurine teasing her about “failing” the Jarilo-VI project confuse her, because they were still saved like Topaz wanted them to be in the first place? How could they ever be considered a failure?

She believes debts and payback are what holds planets together, but it only ever seemed to cause Belabog to fall apart.

This is the first time Topaz really is forced to reevaluate her priorities, to question if her methods are justifiable, if she’s really doing the right thing.

Belabog didn’t break her, it didn’t topple her worldview and turn everything on its head, but it did plant some seeds of doubt in her brain, seeds of doubt that will grow into a new mindset. 

HOYOVERSE IF YOU ARE LISTENING HOYOVERSE, GIVE HER THE MENTAL BREAKDOWN + PRIORITY REEVALUATION ARC SHE DESERVES!!! DO THAT AND MY LIFE IS YOURS PLEASE.

Like you don’t get it you don’t get it what do you mean they set all this up and they might not go anywhere with it. Please hoyo please please please let her break away from the IPC’s condition and warped perspective, please let her truly follow the Preservation, please make her turn away from them, please make her an emanator of Preservation after she does this. Topaz stoneheart form, Topaz emanator form. Please please please let her save the crew let her save her subordinates let her save the people she failed previously let her save Aventurine and Ratio let her save Numby let her save herself.

Her instability 

I have already somewhat touched on this in point #3, but Topaz just cannot exist in the state she is now permanently.

Like a radioactive element she’s going to slowly decay over time until she ends up in a more stable form, and who that will hurt in the process, and how long that will take, we will have to see.

Hypocrisy is not something that can exist for long within characters, as due to its inherent contradictions, it messes with the way they are characterized until they are eventually forced to either eliminate it themselves or have the story do it for them.

Topaz is a hypocrite, desiring to do good and help people, but she ends up hurting them in the process. 

However, she has only just begun to realize this, and as more and more of the IPC’s atrocities get revealed, it gets harder and harder for both the audience and her herself to justify her behavior as we witness the extent of their crimes.

So how has she remained this stable for so long?

Well, the IPC has done everything in their power to keep her that way. From a young age she was involved with them, as they not only saved her planet, but her only known parental figure worked in the Strategic Investment Department. Soon, he recommended her to Jade due to Topaz’s exceptional talent, and presumably the other Stoneheart quickly picked her up and took her under her wing, causing Jelena to rise fast within the ranks and become one herself.

The IPC has been Topaz’s only frame of reference for how things should be done, her only perspective on write and wrong for so long. The only hints she gets of other points of view are that of the people who destroyed her planet, her own people. Unintentional or not, Topaz has been made to feel her whole life like the IPC are heroes and the common people are foolish and greedy and evil, and only now has that worldview started to crumble piece by piece.

Sure, we have always known how terrible the IPC was, a perception that has only gotten more and more true over time. However, Topaz is not the audience, and in universe the IPC presents themselves in a very positive light.

Think of the Myriad Celestia trailer and how it portrays the IPC; that’s quite literally how they want to be viewed in game, how they market themselves to other people. If Topaz has only ever known them to be that great, shining, progressive company who vows to follow the Preservation and improve the universe, how could even begin to criticize them? After all, she had never known any other perspective. Even when she did fail in the past, Topaz viewed it as a strike on her own record and an unfortunate situation in general, not as a demonstration of the IPC’s misdeeds. 

The IPC is good, the IPC saves people, the IPC follows the Preservation, Topaz is a good person, Topaz does good things, Topaz helps people, Topaz saves people, there is nothing wrong, there won’t ever be anything wrong.

Until Belabog

They don’t want to cooperate with the IPC. To roll over and let themselves be gutted for all they are worth. 

Well that’s fine, that’s happened before, at least that’s how Topaz justifies it to herself. She thinks of their massive debt, it must be paid after all, otherwise how could the galaxy remain stable?

But the weapons the IPC gave Jarilo-VI were never used in its defense. The thing they owe the IPC for never ended up being valuable. Belabog stood on its own, without the help of IPC in its defense.

They saved themselves.

As if it couldn’t get worse, they did it with the power of the Preservation.

And it didn’t come from the IPC, it came from them.

The Interastral Peace Corporation, who claim to be followers of the Preservation, standing against people who really do have their blessing and being proved wrong.

Do you know how that would feel to Topaz.

She’s wrong, and she’s proven wrong by the very deity she claims to follow, she believes she follows.

So Topaz makes her choice.

Stick with the IPC’s plan, or stand with the people of Belabog 

And she stands with them.

Topaz’s character never changes. I hate when people act like she switched up on them and changed her whole worldview, but in reality that was the most in character thing Topaz has ever done in her entire life.

Because she cares about people, so when the opportunity presents itself, she will always stand with them. 

This is the first time Topaz goes against the IPC’s wishes, and it won’t be the last.

She made her choice, she demonstrated who and what she truly cares about, and that will only drive a wedge between her and the IPC further and further until she snaps.

I find it funny how Topaz is a fire type character, when the song core to Belabog’s themes is “Wildfire” 

However, maybe it isn’t just about them. I think it’s about the Preservation, about what the game in general is trying to tell its players.

How fighting for your right to exist will hurt, but it is not impossible, and that pain will be the only way to enact change.

Well, Topaz,

you made your choice

go fight against your fate 

Thank you so much for reading! I really enjoyed making this and I hope you at least understand why I think Topaz is such a compelling character. I need an arc centered on her in the future and if I don’t get one then trust me things will be dealt with. She will get her just desserts.

[housederiva]

Fantasic yes thank you @mt07131 It should be noted I am taking the hottest bubble bath of my entire life while I'm typing this and my skin is the color of Mr Krabs. (these are all cheeses that I have had before so my opinion of each is extremely biased)

We're starting with Neve. I know what you're thinking 'our dear detective has a food pyramid made solely out of the menu of a back alley chippy, obviously she's Kraft cheese or cheese whiz' and you are incorrect. Sit on the floor beside me while I take my bubble bath, we're going on a cheese discovery hand in soapy hand

Neve is specifically a combination of the two cheeses that are in these bad boys that you can find at Walmart for $15. With enough coffee and distractions you can live off these for an entire week. Each piece of cheese is about the size of a quarter, they're powdery, they don't melt well, and the only reason it's in your fridge is that someone brought it to the potluck and no one else ate any of it. We're ignoring the rest of the platter this is only about cheese.

Harding is a fried halloumi stick. It's squeaky cheese that is sooo good when it's melted and somehow still in stick form. The first time an only time I’ve had it was when I lived in the UK. A little cheeky Nandos with Harding? Come on now she's the one suggesting it. This woman eats ham and jam slams, she's eating cold hallumi (bad salty brick ew ew nasty), Taash's first complaint if they ever lived together that would be that they could hear her eating the leftovers right out of the fridge at 3am cause it's squeaking so damn loud while she's chewing

Bellara is the giant babybel. Pictures don't do it justice and the absolute glee of taking off the little jacket before you bite into it like a peach? Undescribable. There's not a doubt in my mind that this woman would collect the wax and leave it in a clump on her bookshelf where she would repeatedly tell you she's gonna do something with it. And yet it grows ever larger with every giant babybel. She's the small ones too but those are somehow worse because she just eats the entire bag of them the second she gets home (not that I do that every time or anything haha dont look in my trash rn)

Davrin is, without a doubt, apple smoked cheddar either from Wisconsin or Lancashire, there's no in between. Once this cheese is in your life you will be fundamentally changed as a person and you can never go back to the way you were. No other cheese holds the same richness and warmth as apple smoked cheddar (either from Wisconsin or Lancashire) It has like this sweetness from the milk in it that's balanced out with the smokiness of paprika. Davrin's bringing this to the cookout and you're going to thank him for putting it on your burger at least four times

Lucanis is Fulvi Pecorino Romano (yes it is Italian why do you ask) This is some of the most expensive cheese I've ever had which is perfect for the man who's offering to pay Harding 6,000 gold to stand around while he kills somebody and then asks if that's too low of an amount when she's speechless. This Romano is made from milk taken from a single herd of sheep that live just outside the city of Rome. It's got this a grainy, crumbly texture that I don't think I'll have anything like again. (I had it at a preview night for this movie I worked on for redacted, I think there was caviar there too it was insane)

Emmrich my sweet vegetarian (and vegan? idk) is Climax Blue cheese. It's plant-based blue cheese, streaked with a natural and flavorful blue-green veining. It is well-rounded, with a creamy, fudgy texture, and with fruity and earthy notes balanced by a warm peppery finish. It's made out of coconut milk instead of animal milk and it's got pumpkin seeds in it somehow. I'm not vegan but my best friend is and she brought me this one time from her work and I ate it all in about 20 minutes. Excellent with wine and those really thin tiny crackers, makes you feel the good kind of fancy

Taash is ghost pepper and fried onion cheddar cheese. Never been hurt by food the way I was hurt the second this touched my tongue. And the cool thing about it is it's also dairy free, and substitutes milk with hemp. The heat from the ghost peppers builds and mingles with the burst from the fried onions and each wheel is aged in a cheese specific cave before it's packaged. It also has that good glowy classic melty cheese flow when it gets hot. If you're like me and you are white people spicy smelling this alone will hurt you

[cutiepieloves131]

Rohini Moodboard

Rohini Sun

Rohini Moon

Rohini Ascendant

Arudha Lagna in Rohini

Rohini Stellium

Big Six in Rohini

Ascendant Lord in Rohini

Rohini Nakshatra in Atmakaraka/Rohini as Atmakaraka

Rohini in 1H/2H

Rohini - The Red One

Themes - Creativity, Fertility, Beauty, Growth, Sensuality, Nourishment, and Abundance

Planetary Ruler: Moon

Personality: Rohini natives are very compassionate, sweet, and playful possessing a child-like personality. (Marilyn Monroe Rohini Sun) They're protective people who love and care about the ones that hold dearly in their lives. Rohini's attracts massive attention, big crowds, roaming eyes, and this leads to jealousy from peers, outsiders, or family members. Another thing about them is that they are very multi talented they can be good at numerous things like singing, dancing, writing, etc. (Jimin Rohini Moon) These people are the it-factor and that's on period, children love them to be around them, and are destined to be excellent parents in the future. This is not said a lot in vedic astro observations, but they can be amazing leaders as leadership roles naturally gravitate towards them including musical groups. (Bang Chan Rohini Ascendant) Also they have a way with words and are good with comebacks these natives are so damn creative and provoking too they enjoy getting a rise out of people especially to those they hate. One thing you don't want to do is piss them off you'll regret it cause once they go off it'll be a scary sight to see, so if you know what's best for you leave these cinnamon rolls. I did my own research and it's said they attract obsessive people, possessive partners, lustful individuals, cheaters, married ones, and even stalkers. They have a very long lasting impression on people. Rohini's are powerfully magnetic attracting people, opportunities, jealousy, awards, attention, clothing, wealth, animals, children, and almost everything. Dr. Pai mentioned how Rohini people love the color pink, along with flowers, and red too as they represent The Red One. The yoni animal of this nakshatra is the Serpent, When you look into their eyes you're immediately put into a trance. Natives of the Serpent Yoni can be hypnotic, magnetic, and snake-like. Once they inflict venom you're hooked for life. Snakes are gifted swimmers. They just have this natural ability to move the body in water. The most dominating feature of a snake is his ability to get the attention of anyone and everyone, there is fear, anxiety, and fascination associated with the serpent. These individuals fascinates people by their ability and attract attention with their eyes. Rohini natives usually have beautiful eyes, they may not be stunning to look but some how you will fall for their eyes once gazed upon.

More Traits: Attractive, charismatic, wealthy, popular, imaginative, well-educated, food-lover, responsible, sophisticated, nature-loving, romantic, seductive, stubborn, friendly, artistic, sensual, indulgent, strong-willed, helpful to loved ones, short tempered, and sexual.

Element: Earth

[siremasterlawrence]

Multiplying Micheal

Michael:

Michael Lawrence Parker Patton is a guy I am apparently going to work with as he will be my submissive so he says, I agree to talk to him on Skype video call logging on to see his message ringing loud with a strong Yes Sir. As he waits for me he falls in to a light like a coma trance thinking back our first session on two weeks ago, he is on the telephone in a a happy blissful state sliding down the side of the kitchens sinks panel to cold floor of in a sleepy mode.He stares mindlessly ahead of him in a deep shock as he took my hand in hard glow of his imagination as I sit next to him and wrap my arms over him as he causing him to melt in a period of shock closing his eyes as he hit the wall.

“Oh Micheal! Do me a favor at the end of the staircase please turn off the lights.” I say to him as he stops counting.

“Yes Sir!” He says as loud click is heard a string is pulled and his lights shut off in his head.

“Excellent! Blank space!” I whisper into his ear while kissing him down his neck.

“I need you to envision the room fill up to the roof with golden light covering the room.

“I can see but how?” He says questioning his own sanity lesbians him alone in a white room and a mirror:

“The mirror is your focal point. “ I instruct.

“What are you looking for? What do you see?” He asks.

“Say something sir.” He pleads seeing his body naked.

“Hello! Yes don’t freak out! I am Steve nice to meet you.” The mirror image states.

“What the what? Who are you? Stay back”

He panics attempting to wake up.

“I am you! See? Just a better you “ Steve adds walking through the mirror.

“Not possible! “ he responds running away.

“You can’t escape! Let me out “ Steve states

“You are apparition “ he calls out.

“Poor you! Let me explain!” He places his own hands on his hip.”

“Master created me because you are dull”

“I am not dull! Boring maybe”

“Definitely “

“The husks is arriving “ a new personality is emerging.

“I suppose your Andy”

“Yes as ordered “

“Lovely”

“And Micheal?”

“He is fine just sulking”

“What’s wrong ?”

“It’s all bit much”

“He will be completely fine”

“Never mind him”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Excuse me Andy?”

“Your holding out on me”

“That’s sweet ass of yours”

“What about it sir? You want it first”

“Oh God! Take me”

“Those lips finally “

“Make me squirm “

The power of a new personality to is very dynamite in a sexually appetizing way shall we say because now all I want is to devour him whole and watch him squirm as his life is eaten whole in front of him such Is the truth about it all. His weakness is my pleasure making out in a state of fury before getting up front the bed on to my feet I walk out taking one last time to turn my to see him sleep and he wakes up in time grabbing me before I can exit the bed room. Smirking he slams me in to the wall it’s clear Clint has taken over a bit of mistake on my part of the programming he is a way bit too intense for me but still kind of hot as my back is on the wall and body presses again mine and we kiss.

“You don’t wait for orders?”

“Your bitch needs you now”

“He was crying for your touch”

“He is such a pussy “

“Yeah, but I am not “

“Awfully cocky”

“Hello! Have you seen me?”

“You love to embellish it too”

“Hey! If you have it then flaunt it”

“This dangerous”

“I am dangerous “

“Zip it”

“God! I want you “

“You infuriate me”

“You want to fuck me though. “

“Ugh! Yes!”

“I knew it”

“Use this bitch”

Grant is the jealous type of the all of the new personalities so damn needy holding on to me all the time as if I am so kind of support animal and I find it extremely funny because he is usually independent am thinking of me and himself. He found me closing the back doors into the backyard with the grass having yet to be cut he yanks the cord for the lawnmower cutting it all down to size and he works through the task with ease as he smiles at me winking my way. He stops halfway finished to wipe the sweat from his face placing one glove in his mouth and then over he puts them in his shirt back pocket then proceeds to open his shirt and throw it to the grass breaking in to sexy mid striptease.

“Master! Where are you ?”

“Right here bitch”

“You know who I am?”

“Johnny right?”

“Thank God!”

“How about Michael?”

“Don’t ask me about the pussy “

“He is a bitch “

“You don’t like it or him”

“I am hot”

“Full of yourself”

“Why not?”

“I am everything to him”

“Kneeling at my feet”

“Do you love me ?”

“More then everything “

“Kiss me my love”

“Master! What do you think?”

“Good Job…..”

“Alex”

“Sorry Alex”

“Too many of us”

“Yeah! It’s ok”

“Work of beauty”

“You think so?”

“Know so”

“I love you sir”

“I love you too”

“Do you mean it?”

“Boi?”

“You are my God”

“Then submit “

“I am kneeling “

“I love you “

“Prove it”

“You have been gone”

“Yeah boi”

“ALL NIGHT “

“Timing me”

“I am your protector “

“Ok ok”

“I am your servant”

“Submit “

“Let me serve you “

“Get up”

“Never sit in my chair”

“I missed you”

“Come over here “

“Kiss me”

“Make love to me”

“You are so hot”

“So handsome”

“You are perfect “

“Have a drink with me?”

“Another?”

“Better believe me”

“Ugh!”

“Oh come on”

“You want this “

“Oh really ?”

“Fuck with me”

“Nice polo shirt “

“You brought it “

“Remember “

“I do love it “

“You grabbed me”

“Your my babe”

“Lay on me “

“Hold me”

“Kiss me”

“Let’s fuck”

The end

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 51 Review - It's Hard Being The Big Sister

This is a nice transition from all the action-packed Terastal Course battles. While the battles were good, Horizons does an excellent job with more laid back episodes like this one. It’s nice to see the kids bond with their Pokemon; this episode focuses on Liko and Floragato.

It’s amusing how the kids are excited to do their homework for Jacq. Dot’s actually enjoying camping this time around! It’s nice to see them being able to take care of themselves from setting up their tents to cooking for themselves too. It seems that Roy’s in charge of cooking as shown in the last few minutes of the episode. Will the person in charge of cooking change or will it always be Roy?

I feel bad for Floragato. She normally gets a lot of Liko’s attention, but now that there are more Pokemon for Liko to take care of, she got relegated to being the older sister of Liko’s party. That means she won’t get as much attention from Liko as before. I mean, she did get jealous often when she was still a Sprigatito, but now as a Floragato, I do like that her jealousy hasn’t gone away. It’s still a part of her in a sense. While this is a nice source of conflict for Liko and Floragato, I didn’t like how Liko still didn’t figure out what was the cause of Floragato’s bad mood. It feels like Liko’s character progression of wanting to understand Pokemon’s feelings took two steps back. All she got from this episode was that Floragato was in a bad mood and then she wanted to see the flower pillar so that she can cheer up. She never realized that the lack of attention towards her partner Pokemon was the reason. This does feel like it’s going to be a set up for a future episode, though. I also like how Floragato’s Pokedex entry of having hardened fur depending on the mood is implemented here. It’s prickly when she’s upset or in battle mode, but when she’s calm, it’s soft.

If there is one thing I would’ve liked to see, it’s seeing Hatenna be utilized more. Hatenna can sense emotions, so it would’ve been great for her to be the voice of reason and help Liko understand why Floragato was so moody. Alas, she was only used as a source of tension. In fact, are we even getting a Hatenna-focused episode? Other than her debut episode and episode 38, Hatenna doesn’t get too much focus. I think that’s a bit of an issue I have with the kids’ non-partner Pokemon in that they don’t get too much focus while their partners have a plethora of characterization. Like, when was the last time Wattrel got focus? How about Tinkatink?

One of the worries I had for the third arc did come into play here: Terapagos getting lost. I did worry about it getting lost would be used as a source of conflict and this episode did just that. What I worry about even more is that I know it’s not going to end in this episode. Oh no, it’s going to be used as a conflict for future episodes. I can feel it and I am not going to like it.

Now that the nitpicks are done, let me talk about the things I liked in this episode. The first was Liko and Roy roasting Friede. They called him Professor “Actually-Doing-Research” Friede and Professor “Doing-His-Job-For-Once” Friede. Damn. They burned him so hard that he became a Pineco in this episode (Friede’s voice actor Taku Yashiro voices the Pineco in this episode as mentioned in the credits). It’s nice to see the kids being comfortable enough to take jabs at him. The second thing I liked was the debut of Toedscool. They’re so goofy. I also loved the bait of them being conflicts, but they weren’t. Toedscool are timid Pokemon, so I did feel like they wouldn’t attack Liko. I did like that Liko did understand that they want the vines to be cut and that’s how she found out that they’re the cause of the mysterious flower pillar as it’s just a way for them to remove their flaps. I think this was a fun way to introduce them. I loved the animation of how they were walking. They always did have goofy running animation in the games and I’m glad that it’s still funny in the anime.

Overall, this was a nice episode, but I think my gripes outweigh the positives—which isn’t bad. I just hope that Liko will understand what causes Floragato’s bad mood in a future episode and that it actually gets resolved one day and not in a haphazard way. What are your thoughts about this episode?

[verona2314]

Judgment of the Damned (translation) Chapter 17

Link Chapter 16

Summary:

In the realm of Limbo, where souls deemed too good for Hell but not virtuous enough for Heaven reside, Victoria finds herself thrust into an unprecedented mission. When a notorious sinner, Sir Pentious, achieves redemption and ascends to Heaven, it sends shockwaves through all realms. Tasked with unraveling this mystery, Victoria, a minor judge of souls, is sent to the infamous Hazbin Hotel in Hell. For the first time, an emissary from Limbo steps foot into the fiery depths, tasked with observing and judging the denizens of Hell for their potential for redemption. As Victoria navigates this unfamiliar territory, she captures the unrequired attention of the enigmatic Radio Demon, Alastor. Amidst the chaos of demonic antics and the pursuit of understanding redemption, Victoria must confront her own beliefs and judgments. As she delves deeper into the secrets of the Hazbin Hotel, Victoria uncovers hidden truths about sinners, redemption, and the ultimate fate of souls caught between damnation and salvation. With each soul she encounters, Victoria's journey becomes not only a quest for answers but a personal voyage of self-discovery in the heart of darkness.

Chapter 17: Confrontation

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

Thank you very much for reading and following this story. What has been your favorite chapter, scene, or dialogue?"

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

Henry LeMat, 1922. New Orleans.

That scent was familiar to him, but no less unpleasant for it. The sting it caused in his nose was habitual, but the grimaces of disgust no longer managed to distort his face, and, over the years, he had learned to contain the gag reflex. The buzzing of the flies no longer bothered him; it even seemed somewhat reassuring in the macabre scene.

Swinging monotonously from one of the trees in the swamp was a body in a considerable state of decomposition. It struck LeMat as curious that it still had quite a bit of skin considering the number of animals present in the area.

"Do you think it's suicide?" Sallow questioned him as he covered his face with a handkerchief.

"It's too early to tell. Besides, if it's Bertin, I doubt it very much," LeMat responded, furrowing his brow as he tried to spot a wallet among the unfortunate's dirty clothes. For a moment, he diverted his eyes to his new partner. Sallow was a young man of barely 23, in excellent physical shape and with great energy. He was easygoing and very friendly, unlike LeMat, who was known for being serious and calm. Despite being only 35 years old, many called him the old man because of the gray aura he seemed to emanate. Detective Sallow had black hair and pale white skin. His green eyes made him stand out even more. There was no doubt he had a memorable face. In contrast, LeMat had a fairly common appearance. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, and good but not comparable physical condition to his partner's youthfulness. The experienced detective truly couldn't understand what Sallow was doing there, trying not to vomit over a corpse, when he could be trying his luck as an actor.

"Why do you say that?" Sallow asked, trying to disguise a gag when LeMat used the tip of a pen to move what was left of the jacket away from the body, still trying his luck to find a wallet.

"Because that daddy's boy has too big an ego to commit suicide. He loves himself too much. Also, look, there are also traces of rope on his wrists. That already makes you question things."

Sallow merely nodded. LeMat felt a slight tingling in his back. There was something about this scene that didn't convince him. The ropes on the wrists, the absence of the wallet, the presence of skin even though the body was definitely not fresh. His eyes focused on those patches where the dermis was damaged, possibly by scavenger bites. LeMat couldn't understand why they caught his attention so much.

"The rest of the team has arrived," Sallow informed him.

"Good. Have them take photos of the scene, look for bullet casings, fingerprints, and carefully bring down the body," LeMat replied with his usual calm as he moved away from the body. He felt the need to light a cigarette again until he remembered the scolding he would receive from his wife at home upon smelling tobacco on his clothes. He struggled internally for a moment. The vice had won. He was about to take out the lighter when his companion interrupted him again.

"Look, your dear friend has arrived," Sallow said, pointing with his chin in the distance. LeMat immediately recognized the figure and couldn't help but roll his eyes. That boy again lurking around his scene. Didn't he have anything better to do than look for news? No, of course not. That was his source of income. Human morbidness. LeMat walked towards the boy, with a straight posture, always maintaining his calm.

"And here I was, just about to celebrate your absence," he greeted with a hint of irony. The boy simply smiled. He always smiled.

"Detective LeMat! I'm sorry to disappoint you with my presence, but the rumor of a new discovery reached my ears," the young man replied.

"As always, your anonymous source surprises me. Will you ever tell me who it is? I'm sure it must be some infiltrator," the detective replied, finally lighting his cigarette.

"I don't think your wife will appreciate you still smoking," the boy pointed out mockingly.

"Don't get involved in my affairs, Alastor," the detective warned.

"It was just a friendly piece of advice disguised as an observation. Isn't she expecting a child?" the radio broadcaster continued. "I imagine your wife must be sensitive to such… intense smells."

LeMat couldn't help but give an ironic smile. "And what would you know about marriage or pregnancy? You're just a kid. Don't think you're so wise at only 24 years old. Ugh, whatever. Just take what you need for your radio show and go."

The boy looked at him a little surprised before tilting his head "Are you really going to let me... gather information?"

LeMat simply shrugged as he took a deep drag on the cigarette "I don't like you meddling in my scene. But you have to make a living somehow. I heard your mother's health is delicate but that your radio show has been gaining popularity, and your situation has improved because of it. Look, Alastor. I don't wish you ill. But be careful. One of these days you're going to get into serious trouble, and I won't save your ass."

LeMat turned on his heels and headed to his car. He could only hope the team would take the photos and carry out the other diligences. He watched as Alastor surveyed the scene without showing a hint of disgust. LeMat couldn't help but think that perhaps the boy should have become a detective, but it was still not a profession he recommended. On the other hand, he was glad that Alastor's show was gaining fame. He felt a bit of sympathy for the radiohost, as he had lost his father at the young age of 18. A supposed hunting accident.

"LeMat! They found a ring in the victim's pocket," Sallow shouted in the distance. "It matches Bertin's."

Henry LeMat simply nodded. Finally, someone had had the balls to give that son of a bitch what he deserved. Then, right at that moment, the detective felt that strange sensation in his back again and thought again of the wounds on the skin... scavenger bites in general are irregular... So why did some seem smooth as if produced by something... sharp? He furrowed his brow. For some reason, those marks seemed familiar to him. He would have to check the photographs of past cases, but what it implied to find that same pattern made his stomach turn "Shit."

Victoria

Rosie's basement was spacious, with a light wooden floor, well-lit, and had a small area with two pairs of armchairs and a round table. It was likely that the Overlord also used this place as a meeting area for more private or serious business. Of all the places she could have been locked in, this one was quite pleasant… except for the company she had at the moment. The silence was oppressive, loaded with a palpable tension that Victoria could feel even at her fingertips.

Alastor was sitting across from her in one of the small seats with his arms crossed, in absolute silence. She could sense that he was annoyed with the situation, which was understandable, but in her opinion, it wasn't worth getting so irritated over. To distract herself, Victoria diverted her gaze to the replicas of paintings hanging on the wall. She recognized some of the most famous works of art history, reproduced with surprising precision. It was a detail that revealed Rosie's fine sensitivity.

"So, judge. Your week has been quite busy, hasn’t it?" said Alastor with a neutral expression.

Victoria turned her eyes to the radio demon, a bit surprised that he wanted to converse. She hadn’t had time to interact with him since the interview. The judge recalled the sensation of the Overlord’s hands on her shoulders while he spoke to her with unsettling sincerity. She decided to push the thought out of her mind before responding kindly.

"In part, yes," she replied."Thanks to your idea for the interview, I’ve been able to learn fascinating stories from various inhabitants of hell. For example, a sinner told me how he ended up here for a crime he claims he didn’t commit. He was abandoned to his fate at sixteen and fell into drugs. By nineteen, he was already condemned to death. Undoubtedly, child protection laws have progressed a lot in recent years."

"Oh, dear. Poor innocent soul," responded the radio demon sarcastically while crossing one leg over the other, making no attempt to hide his disdain.

"I’m not saying he’s innocent, Alastor," Victoria replied serenely, "nor that he doesn’t deserve to be here. One can sympathize with someone’s story, but that doesn’t stop me from being rigorous. His past and bad experiences will never justify him killing someone in a robbery. He is responsible for his actions. And in the end, he’s still a person. I’m not here to judge him for those acts; I’m here to determine if there are possibilities for redemption."

Victoria thought about the young man for a moment. He had been one of the many sinners who approached her after the interview to ask more about redemption. Some lost interest when they learned she couldn’t confirm or deny its existence, but others wanted to continue the conversation. Among them was that young man. Perhaps that was a positive sign, wasn’t it?

After that first wave of interested sinners, invitations soon followed. It was no surprise that several influential figures in hell wanted to forge some kind of connection with her. Victoria wasn’t offended by it, as it allowed her to delve into their world and, subtly, make them talk about themselves. Patiently, she unraveled the depths of their souls to, little by little, formulate more intimate questions and, hopefully, understand them better. Most of them were people who had made wrong choices. There were also plenty who simply had no interest in other people’s feelings or the pain they could cause. The minority, however, could be considered truly evil. Victoria knew what true evil looked like, as she had faced it head-on in her past.

"Of course, I suppose I forgot that you’re here to judge the already condemned monsters," said Alastor with a mocking laugh as he shrugged.

"I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of a 'monster'," Victoria responded with a thoughtful expression as she rested her elbow on the arm of the chair. "Sometimes, I think society labels them as such because it’s uncomfortable to think that someone capable of committing such vile and despicable acts is an ordinary human. Stripping them of their humanity makes them different from the average person and hides the fact that they are still members of the human species who walk normally, breathe the same air, were born like everyone else, and also cannot escape inevitable death. However, I can also understand it. It’s shocking to look into a person’s eyes and see absolute evil."

"Ah, humanity," said Alastor lightly, "always seeking ways to evade the uncomfortable, right? Well, it’s not very hard to understand, judge. No one wants to acknowledge that, at the end of the day, all humans are capable of doing evil under the right circumstances. Everyone likes to pretend they’re better than the rest, but the reality is, with the right media involvement, any of us can end up being called…monsters. Judged by public opinion before a process has even begun. But evasion is so pleasant and simple. That’s why you shouldn’t trust anyone, dear," he concluded with a hint of cynicism.

Victoria reflected on Alastor’s words. His logic was twisted, but it wasn’t devoid of some truth. Humanity was capable of great acts of kindness but also of unimaginable cruelty. The line separating the "good" from the "bad" was often blurry and largely depended on each individual’s perspective. But in the end, a crime is a crime.

"I understand your point. But assuming we all have an evil nature is simplistic. What makes us good is not the absolute absence of evil, but choosing good despite the circumstances. Though I agree that sometimes the notion of good is complex, and in certain cases, drastic measures must be taken that will be poorly judged…Believe me, I understand that," Victoria responded, finishing almost in a whisper. Her mind automatically went to that turning point and the emotions related to that moment. Despite the consequences, to this day she believed her decision had been the right one, the only way out. Many would think that the sacrifice she had to make was immeasurable. Even absurd. Drastic.

Victoria's gaze met Alastor's, and for an instant, it seemed as if a spark of understanding shone in his eyes. But the demon's expression quickly hardened, and an uncomfortable silence once again took over the basement. Victoria decided to get up from her seat to contemplate the paintings more closely. She walked slowly along the wall, feeling Alastor's gaze on her, but the radio demon did not speak. Victoria pondered breaking the silence when her eyes fixed on a particular painting. Her steps stopped abruptly, and her eyes focused on the work in front of her.

The dark theme made her hold her breath. The painting focused on the cruel and gruesome act, unlike Rubens' version. The range of whites and blacks applied in thick, barely diluted ochre patches contrasted drastically with the white and red of the victim. The blood dripping from the protagonist's fingers spoke of the excessive strength of his grip, penetrating his victim. The play of light and shadow added intensity. But the most mesmerizing aspect was the distorted gaze of the main actor in the painting.

Victoria was so absorbed that she didn't notice Alastor's presence, who had risen from his seat to join her in contemplation. Only when he was beside her did she notice.

"Art lover?" asked the radio demon.

"You could say so. Goya has always managed to capture my attention. But this particular painting is... impactful," she replied, pointing to the painting. "Saturn Devouring His Son."

"It seems you have a penchant for the macabre. The god Cronus tearing apart and devouring one of his children doesn’t seem noble, unlike your ideals, dear judge."

"It's not about that, Alastor," Victoria responded, looking at him intently before returning her attention to the artwork. "It's Cronus's eyes. That terrifying gaze of madness, chewing a nearly deformed mass, pierced by his own fingers. His son. There's no emptiness in that gaze, no absence of feelings. He is as terrified as we, the spectators, are. One could even feel the shame that invades him for his own aggression. Anxiety, panic, desperation, and terror. It's as if he understands his own macabre nature, but his voracious appetite, that longing for power, prevents him from stopping. It’s a beautiful work."

"Beautiful?" questioned the radio demon, incredulous. "Dear, I'm surprised that you, of all people, see beauty in this scene."

"Goya painted this during a period of great personal anguish. He was suffering from severe health problems, his political influence had diminished, and the socio-political context of the time left him with a pessimistic view of the future. This work doesn’t tell a story but shows a state of mind. In other words, Goya had the courage to bare his emotions and expose them to the world," Victoria explained, directing her full attention to Alastor, whose eyes didn’t stray from hers, as if he was completely absorbed in her words. "I believe the individuality of each being is irreplaceable. It's authentic. The authenticity of each one of us can never be replaced, and that’s why it’s unique and, therefore, something beautiful. However, exposing that authenticity requires being willing to show our vulnerability, to bare our soul, and that demands a lot of courage. Goya did that; he was willing to show his authenticity to the world through this work, and that’s why it’s beautiful."

"Authenticity, you say. A noble concept, without a doubt. But in this imperfect world, authenticity can be a double-edged sword," responded Alastor, taking a step towards her, leaning slightly in her direction. Victoria could smell the earthy scent emanating from his clothes. It reminded her of a forest soaked after incessant rains. "It can be liberating, but it can also be painful. How do you balance the need to be ourselves with the consequences that it may have?"

"Consequences? The fear of being ridiculed? Of being left aside? Of feeling that your essence, creations, art, ideals are worth nothing?" Victoria said without being intimidated by the radio demon's proximity. There was something new in his gaze that she couldn't decipher. "All our actions have consequences, Alastor. And only we can take responsibility for them. Vulnerability is a risk. That’s why it requires courage. That's why Goya’s work can manifest that real anguish. It’s not something he tried to emulate. He impregnated part of his essence in every brushstroke. That’s why I see beauty in his work."

"Beauty is subjective, dear judge," said Alastor, stepping a little closer. "What you call beauty, I see as a reminder of the cruelty and fragility of existence. But in that abyss, there’s also a strange fascination, don’t you think?"

Alastor's gaze was intense and penetrating, as if he was searching for something inside her. Victoria felt a shiver run down her spine at Alastor's proximity. His presence was both unsettling and captivating, like the painting they were observing. There was something about him that always challenged her and invited her to question her own beliefs. The radio demon had a depth of thought that called her to delve deeper, to continue speaking while her spirit felt joy in debating opposing but not exclusive thoughts. Each word from the radio demon allowed the judge to understand more about the nature of her interlocutor, and she could perceive a pain she already knew. However, the exchange wasn’t free, as he was also seeing beyond her facade, and that terrified her.

"Cruelty and fragility, two sides of the same coin," she said, slightly raising her chin. "Both within us, fighting to define who we are. In this painting, Goya, like many artistic works, invites us to contemplate that struggle, to face the darkness that resides in each of us. And in doing so, he gives us the opportunity to recognize our own humanity, with its lights and shadows."

"An interesting perspective, dear judge," continued Alastor, placing both arms behind his back. "But tell me, what happens when authenticity is corrupted, stained with blood and pain? Is it still beautiful then? When cruelty becomes the only truth... Is there beauty in that too?"

Victoria couldn't help but smile. For some reason, she felt as if Alastor was partly referring to himself. "Those questions are among the many that remain unanswered. For some, there’s no light left in their souls. There’s no hope."

"Hope," Alastor interrupted with a dry laugh, placing one of his hands on Victoria's shoulder. "A fleeting and hollow concept. It drives foolish decisions and clings like an insatiable parasite even when all logic shows the desired result is impossible. Dear Victoria, hope is a source of pain. What do you think happens when hope is extinguished? What remains then?

"Despair," Victoria replied without trying to deny the truth. "However, even in despair, there is a spark of rebellion, a longing for something better. Isn’t that why you desire to challenge the status quo? Aren’t we both looking for something better? Perhaps you see yourself as a lost cause, Alastor. But behind that mask of cynicism, I see someone who wants to have hope. Why do you seek power? Why do you enjoy the disappointment and failure of others? Is it a kind of confirmation of your fears? A way to excuse yourself from seeking a light? Are you waiting for something to prove you wrong?"

Alastor let out a laugh, his laughter echoing in the room like a sinister echo. His eyes shone with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, as if Victoria's words had awakened something within him.

"Ah, dear Victoria," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Always so insightful, so challenging. I like that about you. Perhaps too much. But you're wrong on one crucial point. I don’t seek power, nor do I enjoy the disappointment and failure of others for mere whim. It's more... a matter of entertainment. In this chaotic and twisted world, I find pleasure in the irony of situations, in the way people face their own illusions and disillusions."

"Don't try to fool me into believing that all your actions have the sole purpose of entertainment. I came here to understand the insides of as many sinners as possible, and that includes you," she said, unable to measure her words. It wasn't like her to let herself go, but she felt she was very close to discovering something profound about Alastor, an opportunity she wouldn't waste. From the beginning, Victoria knew that the radio demon would be a tough nut to crack. Every decision made by each person had a motive, a reason, even if it was unknown to the actor himself. Victoria knew that the subconscious was complex, dark, and mysterious. However, it was her duty to navigate those waters. For the first time in her existence, the core of a person was essential to her judgment.

Alastor looked at her with wide eyes. His pupils moved frantically, studying her face while the grip on her shoulder intensified slightly. Why was her heart pounding? Victoria pushed the thought aside. Her goal was within reach. She had to press on. She cursed herself for not having studied more about the radio demon's life. She thought that with a superficial reading of the file, she would be more than prepared. She had been arrogant. She would have to play blind. Her only tool at the moment was logic.

"Alastor," she whispered, calling more of the red demon's attention. "Your name is quite particular. Uncommon."

"Where is this going?" her interlocutor questioned, completely confused.

"A name can reveal a lot about a person," the judge continued in a gentle voice. "I'm sure your mother spent weeks searching for that name."

To Victoria's surprise, Alastor placed both hands on her shoulders, squeezing them firmly before pushing her against the wall. His pupils glowed intensely while his sclera turned completely black. The claws on his hands grew larger, slightly digging into her skin as the antlers on his head grew. It was a terrifying image. Victoria knew she had angered him, but despite the fear, she didn't look away.

"I recommend, Victoria, that you shut your intrusive mouth," Alastor said with a guttural and distorted voice. But the judge didn't want to stop. She had touched a nerve. She had to take the risk.

"Yes. She definitely must have spent a lot of time searching for a different name, something special for the son she longed to meet."

"Victoria," the radio demon warned her again. But she was determined. "I can imagine her smiling when she found your name. All that effort and dedication can only mean one thing."

"VICTORIA!" roared the radio demon, gripping the judge's cheeks tightly between his sharp claws.

A little more pressure and the tips of those claws would start to dig into her skin. Victoria breathed heavily, her legs beginning to tremble. She remembered Goya's painting and how Cronus clung so tightly to his son's torn body. But the judge's stubbornness was greater than her fear. As it always had been. Wasn't that stubbornness what led her to Limbo in the first place?

"It can only mean that... she loved you. Very much," she said almost in a whisper. "More than anything else. And by your reaction, I can see that you loved her too. So, Alastor... At some point in your life, you were capable of love. And that, is never completely lost."

Alastor's face was impossible to read, but Victoria could feel his breathing becoming more rapid and the pressure of his grip deepening. She closed her eyes, ready to face the consequences of her actions. She was perfectly aware that she had crossed a line, shaking a very delicate and sensitive fiber. The judge was aware that such a transgression was not free and that Alastor must be very angry with her for her audacity. She was exposing him mercilessly. Her body began to tremble involuntarily, expecting to feel some pain, but it never came.

On the contrary, against all odds, and to Victoria's absolute astonishment, Alastor sighed and pulled her towards him. He was hugging her, and in an almost imperceptible whisper, Alastor asked:

"What the hell are you doing to me, Victoria?"

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

TAGLIST!!

@slytherin4ever

@empressofashed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is an image of the Goya painting described in this chapter: Saturn Devouring His Son:

Next chapter

[landofzero-archive]

Absolute - The Pure Land 7

(Location: Michigan Townscape)

(10 minutes later. On the street near the scene of the fire.)

Jun: GODDAMN!

Damn it, I can’t see anything through the smoke and the crowd!You’re a bit taller than me, right, Ohiisan? Can you see anything~?

Hiyori: What do you mean by that? We’re not that different. What, do you have a complex over being shorter than me?

But it seems like no matter where you are in the world, people gather together when something happens. I guess that’s just human nature.

—Ah, Jun-kun, Jun-kun! Your Ohiisan just got a great idea!

You put on a flashy performance right here right now and catch all the onlookers’ attention while I rush onto the scene! How does that sound!?

Jun: There’s no “how does that sound!?”, you’re still being super reckless towards me!

Hiyori: So are you doing it? Or not?

Jun: Aah jeeze, fine I’ll do it okay!? I’ve trained for emergencies like this~!

Ibara: —Cough cough, please don’t cause a scene, alright?

I want to make it out of here before anyone notices, so it’ll be troublesome if you stand out.

Jun: Ibara!?

Hiyori: Are you okay? As expected, snakes really are stubborn animals!

Ibara: Um well…… Perhaps Uncle was making fun of me, but he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and threw me out the window while saying, “I’ll handle things from here.”

We were on the third floor, so I would’ve been seriously injured if I hadn’t used a tree as a cushion.

NEGI: “What about Uncle? Is he safe?”

Ibara: …… Yes. Probably. If they’re someone who could take his life with an attack of that intensity, then they would have already died many times over.

More importantly, as much as I would like to help Uncle, I don’t wish to bring harm to any of you—

I don’t want to also be picking chestnuts out of a fire. (1)

For now, let’s evacuate! Yes yes, don’t just stand around and get moving!

Jun: Haha. As soon as he got out, he started directing us.

Hiyori: But that’s exactly what makes him Ibara, isn’t it? What fine weather♪

It’s good that you’re safe. I truly mean it.

NEGI: “……  I’ll stay behind. I’m worried about Uncle.”

Ibara: I understand how you feel, but it’s no use. If I leave you in a dangerous situation, he’ll not only get angry at me later, but he’ll also kill me.

That’s much more dangerous and terrifying. Do you understand?

NEGI: “………

…… Yes. It’s a shame, but a ‘helpless little girl’ won’t be of any use here.”

Ibara: I suppose it’s about having the right person in the right place.

…… Even though I told you all to stay at the hotel, it seems His Highness Hiyori and Jun were searching for His Excellency on their own.

It looks like NEGI-shi was taking care of those troublesome people.

Jun: Jeez, how did you find out!?

Ibara: I was also searching around town for our missing persons, so naturally that kind of information would make its way back to me, right? Is your brain even working properly, Jun?

The tent village at Absolute that you guys were in is considered an untouchable area, so I don’t know what exactly you were doing, but—

………

Hiyori: ? Is something wrong, Ibara? You suddenly covered your mouth and stopped talking—Ah, did you get sick from inhaling the smoke?

Jun: That’s super bad! Wh-What should we do in this kind of situation? Mouth to mouth……!?

Ibara: …… Be quiet for a moment. I think I’ve connected the dots.

NEGI: “Wawa? The building is burning down and collapsing, I don’t know what you thought up but how about we talk while we evacuate?”

Ibara: Right. I spent a lot of time staring at a map of this town yesterday, so I’ve memorized all the escape routes. So, allow me to guide you.

Everyone, please follow me.

Jun: Yes. We’ll always follow Ibara~♪

Ibara: Thank you for that. I appreciate your trust.

Truly……

Anyway, I assumed His Excellency and the other one were somewhere inside a building or underground.

However, in summary, the underground is a large place so I thought it would be difficult to comb through it thoroughly.

Unlike my Uncle, Shaka-shi isn’t a professional criminal. His real job is being an idol, after all, so I’m sure he’s feeling very anxious by now—

There should be a number of security measures in place. In other words, the tent village at Absolute that no one can enter.

He’s also likely hidden underground where no one can see him.

Jun: A criminal? In hiding? What are you talking about? That Shaka-san guy was kidnapped by someone just like Nagi-senpai was……?

Hiyori: Hahaa, does Ibara suspect that Shaka-san is the “true culprit”?

The idea of the person who was thought to be the victim actually turning out to be the culprit has been a staple of mystery plots for a long time.

Ibara: When you think about it that way, a lot of things click into place. I think Your Intelligent Highness understands.

Hiyori: “If you don’t understand, you’re an idiot,” huh? You’re pretending to sweet talk me so you can stir the pot, huh, Ibara♪  

Ibara: Anyway! I’ll be rushing to the Absolute tent village!

Whether the reasoning is correct or not, we can’t just do nothing!

Jun: We’re coming too, y’know~? You’re not going to stop us, are you, Ibara?

Hiyori: We did a lot of interrogating at the tent village yesterday.

Since we know the area and have made some acquaintances, I think you’ll be able to search for Nagisa-kun more efficiently than if you were to go in alone, right?

Ibara: ………

…… There’s no other way. Now then, please come with me.

I’ll feel more secure if I’m there to monitor you, rather than letting you do whatever you want without my knowledge. Fine.

TL Notes:

A phrase based on the fable “The Monkey and The Cat” that essentially means taking a risk for someone else’s sake. While in other countries it generally has a negative connotation that someone else is profiting off of you putting yourself at risk, in Japan it can be seen in a positive light.

Previous | Directory | Next

[definesanity]

Sit Back, Relax, And Enjoy The Chaos

The battle raged as usual, although Baiser was having fun.

Oh, she's always having fun, but ticking off Sulfer was a fun past time.

The rage in her eyes was always so delicious...

But what came out of her mouth definitely made her think.

"It used to be easier, damn it!" Sulfer shouted, as she broke through the glass Baiser summoned in front of her. "If it wasn't for you, we'd be able to do things BETTER!"

Baiser paused. 'Is that so...'

"Fall back."

"Eh?" Leopard paused mid gunshot.

"Fall back." Baiser repeated herself. "That's an order."

Everyone looked confused, including Tres Magia, but they vanished into a portal.

A grin was on Baiser's face that made their skin crawl.

---------

They sat at the table, the grin now a smirk as Utena rested her hand on her hand.

"Any reason why we retreated?" Nemo asked, looking at her phone. "It's unlike you."

"I was just thinking: I want the Tres Magia to grow, and for us too, via battles and learning. So I thought, after Sulfer's comment, why not put it to the test?" Utena then clasped her hands together. "The idea is simple."

Everyone leaned in...

"We take a break."

...And they blinked. "Eh?"

"Think about it!" Utena became animated and excited, standing up and walking around the table. "They don't realise they have to think when fighting us, to use their abilites, to keep them in shape! By laying low, we allow them to realise and become more on edge, allowing us to reenter the picture with renewed vigor!"

She sat back down. "So! Thoughts?"

Everyone was in a thinking pose, sans Korisu, who was playing with her teddie bear, and Matama then spoke up. "What are we going to do? And for how long?"

"At least a month, and... I guess, just hang out? Go about our lives?"

"...Mm." Korisu nodded.

"We are in favour?" Utena asked. Hands raised. A smile. "Excellent."

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

Two days down. It seemed the confusion started...

But Utena doesn't know what to do.

She was wondering aimlessly, when she thought of something: She had Tanaka's phone number...

"Hello?"

"A-Ah, Tanaka, hello..."

"Utena." It was curt. "Why are you calling me?"

"Long story, s-sorry... but, I currently have nothing to do, everyone else is enjoying their time off, and..."

A sigh was heard. "I'll text you a place I know. Don't worry, I'll be there. Until then."

She then hung up, and left Utena to look at what was texted.

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

One hour later, and she and Tanaka sat down at a table in, of all places, a jazz bar with dart boards and pool tables. No one else was around them, thankfully, allowing them to quietly discuss what Utena did.

By the end of the story, Tanaka looked surprised, but also oddly... proud, looking?

"You must have quite the large amount of patience to see this out." she commented, drinking from what Utena recognised as Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Riesling. Zero alcohol, and an alternative to wine.

She was bored one night and needed something to do. Looking up drinks was what she chose to do.

Erstwhile, Utena simply had a Shirley Temple, a none-alcoholic cocktail. She gave a small drink of it, and answered back to the former villain. "It's been hard already, but I need to see it through... if not for my sake, then for those three."

"And after you have waited?"

"I'll make my reappearance and see if it has worked or not. Then, business as usual, heh..."

Tanaka took a slow sip of her wine, enjoying it and the jazz playing. "There's more to you just inviting me, isn't there?"

"Perception is a strong suit, huh...?" Utena rubbed the back of her neck. "Basically, I was thinking: If another force, like a monster or a Magical Girl or something like that starts to fight us, we need to make sure we can cooperate better. Sure we can work together, yeah, but actually functioning? It's something I want to test if it's possible..."

"...Starting with the one who caused you a lot of agnoy which you dealt back at me." the woman finished. She then sighed. "Fine. I'm in."

Utena gave her a thumbs up in lieu of a verbal reply.

---------

"Alley-OPP!"

Imitatio gave a yell as Magia Baiser launched her into the air, but she quickly held her greatsword to her chest, as requested, and fell back down.

"DON'T FUCK WITH THIS MAGICAL GIRL!" Baiser then delivered a swift kick to the Magical 'Girl's blade, launching her horizontally and quickly, and Imitatio then simply cut down the mannequin Schiavo Baiser had made just for the attack.

Halting her movement by sticking the sword into the ground, Imitatio then nodded back at Baiser.

This could work...!

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

[trashboatprince]

hi!! 2 or 5 for the horror movie asks?

I've answered 2, so let's go with 5! Underrated film(s)?

Hmmmm... well, I'll always say The Witch, cause I actually liked that movie. I'll always defend Repo!, but that seems to be getting more attention, so that's good. Oh, and The Apostle, I love that movie, but the only people I ever see talking about it are Michael Sheen fans (I mean, that's how I found it, and I'm so glad I did).

Day of the Dead never gets talked about, which is a bummer because it's excellent, and has Bub! We love that guy around here!

Does Willy's Wonderland count? I don't see people talking about it much anymore, mainly cause the real FNAF movie came out, but damn, it's an excellent Nic Cage horror film.

I'd also like to add the Resident Evil animated movies, everyone remembers the live action movies, but the animated ones are excellent if you love the games and the canon characters. Also, the most recent one had Chris and Jill undercover in a tour group and Chris' tourist outfit doesn't work well for a buff guy like him..

[animebw]

Seasonal Reflection: Spring 2023 Anime

Now that’s more fucking like it. I was feeling pretty down on anime after a disappointing winter season, but spring has come in like a freight train to remind us why this medium is so damn important (just in time for summer to let us down again because my god this new crop of shows is looking thiiiiiiiiiiin). Making the choice not to stick with shows I wasn’t enjoying just for the sake of completion was clearly the right call, because not only did that leave me with fewer bad shows sucking my my free time and motivation, it meant I was able to much more happily appreciate the bevy of excellent offerings that Spring 2023 had to offer. From an absolute top-tier run of rom-coms to a slew of entrancing fantasy series, I was never at a loss for things to enjoy. I’ve already shared by thoughts on Vinland Saga’s flawed but excellent second season (8/10) and the abysmal, overrated trash heap that was Oshi no Ko (3/10), as well as quick thoughts on all the series I ended up dropping. But if you want to know my thoughts on the other shows I watched to completion? Then read on, and see which spring offerings are worth checking out!

Uma Musume To the Top: 4/10

One of these days, I’ll be able to better articulate why this franchise leaves me so cold. What is it about Uma Musume that made fans go gaga for historical racehorses anthropomorphized as cute anime idol horsegirls that I’m not getting? Cause from where I’m sitting, the whole thing is just a bloated, overwrought exercise in hacky melodrama and shrink-wrapped moeblob pandering with the occasional actually pretty decent sports anime arc thrown in there. The whole thing just feels so cynical and calculating, from its lazily slapped-together premise that feels like three random popular anime genres shoved in a blender with no rhyme or reason to the obnoxious soap-opera histrionics that define its attempts at tugging your heartstrings. And while this 4-episode OVA certainly has the best, most exhilaration animation of the bunch- seriously- it is stunning how good the racing looks- it also makes the unforgivable mistake of having zero Gold Ship content. They got rid of the funniest character in the show and I will never forgive them for it.

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible: 4.5/10

I think 2023 is the year that something officially snapped in me. I have just entirely lost patience with middling rom-coms that exist for no other reason than to sell the fantasy of a perfect manic pixie dream girl who’ll love your totally bland forgettable self. I mean, not like I had much patience for them to begin with in the first place, but watching Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible felt like staring the futility of mindless wish fulfillment itself in the face. Does it have some good jokes? Yeah. Is the animation pleasing enough? Sure. But between the embarrassingly forced whimsy in the soundtrack and the treacly sweet presentation that tarts up this bargain-bin Takagi-san like some sweeping, romantic ideal, the inherent emptiness at the heart of the fantasy it’s selling just becomes impossible to ignore. Boys, I beg you: get higher standards for yourself and the shows you watch. You will not cure your loneliness by losing yourself in the illusion of a perfectly sweet, doting girlfriend who’ll never ask you to outgrow the things you hate about yourself. You deserve better than settling for endless self-indulgence at the hands of an industry that doesn’t believe you’re capable of more than that. Or just, you know, at least only watch anime of this kind that actually are good, compelling stories in their own right with more to say than “Gee, wouldn’t it be great if Kana Hanazawa was the only person in the whole world who I mattered to?” There’s even one of those later in this list! You don’t have to settle for mediocrity! Seriously!

My Home Hero: 4.5/10

I feel bad for this show, because it’s one of those cases where it’s obvious you’re getting a vastly inferior version of the story. The concept of a cat-and-mouse thriller where the protagonists are just a normal family of everyday middle-class busybodies trying to outwit a yakuza conspiracy after killing one of their goons is a pretty unique one, and the writing goes a long way to sell out on the fact that these are just an ordinary middle-aged couple thrust into a hectic situation and doing their best with the limited skills at their disposal. Even if the writing can be overly convenient at times with how much they’re able to plan ahead, there’s some good stuff here. Unfortunately, it was adapted to anime by Tezuko Productions, one of the most bafflingly incompetent studios to still get reliable work. So the animation falls apart any time it has to depict anything more complex than characters talking and walking, the art direction is uniformly ugly and stilted, and the horrendously conceived score tries so hard to sound epic and edgy that it turns every potentially gut-wrenching moment into a laughingstock of poorly executed melodrama. If you’ve got any interest in this story at all, just go straight for the manga and forget this turd exists.

Yuri is My Job: 5.5/10

Something to know about me: I hate cringe. And if there’s one type of cringe I can’t stand above all others, it’s watching performers mess up on stage and ruin the show for the audience. As a former theater kid, nothing makes we want to curl up in a ball and die more than a stage play going off the rails and the actors being left lost and adrift while the audience stares and murmurs in worry. I say all this to tell you that I watched Yuri is My Job- a show that is primarily focused on watching actors almost fail in live performance over and over again in the messiest. most emotionally charged ways possible- and I almost managed to make myself like it. What can I say, I’m a sucker for subversive yuri deconstructions that explore the liminal space between ambiguous Class S-style stock yuri tropes and real feelings of lesbian love. Especially when they’re willing to let their characters be this messy and difficult. But man, there were times I had to watch this show with my hands over my eyes from sheer concentrated cringe. Do not let the yuri fool you into thinking this is just another soft and sweet gay girl romance, this shit gets rough. But as long as you have a stronger stomach than me for this kind of thing- and if you don’t ask too many questions about what these girls’ lives are like when they’re not play-acting for customers in a yuri schoolgirl cafe because we never fucking leave this location- you might find something really worthwhile here.

Otaku Elf: 5.5/10

Every season, there’s one anime that sneaks under the radar at first but slowly accrues more and more good will over time, establishing itself as an underappreciated gem for anyone smart enough to go looking for it. And this season, that show was Otaku Elf, an inconsistent but enjoyable blend of chill slice-of-life antics- centered on a young shrine maiden looking after the titular shut-in elf who serves as her temple’s local deity- and bite-sized history lessons about the life and culture of people in Japan’s Edo period. It’s got some surprisingly warm and nuanced character writing for its two leads, and their relationship as they push and pull from different perspectives on life leads to a handful of emotional moments I’d genuinely consider magical. Sadly, the further the show strays outside that central relationship, the less interesting it gets, with most of the side characters- the maiden’s perfectly angelic younger sister, other elves enshrined as deities as their caretakers- coming off as half-baked in comparison. It’s a bit of a crap shoot whether any given episode will pluck at your heartstrings or bore you to tears depending on what it chooses to focus on. But when it’s good, it’s really good, and it’s worth a look for anyone who enjoys historical trivia mixed in with their comfort viewing.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2: 6/10

In retrospect, I’m really glad I went back and re-evaluated my opinion on Magus Bride season 1 before this new entry came out. Not just because it helped me realize how much I’d underappreciated one of the most captivating fantasy anime of the modern era, but because it drives home that this second season’s sluggish pace is, in fact, an issue. Magus Bride has always been a very slow and ruminative series, trickling through moments like streams through a mud-clogged riverbed en route to its big character moments. But even by those generous standards, this has been sloooooooooooow going. Lots of table setting, lots of new characters with new conflicts, lots of buildup for multiple different plotlines that don’t always feel meaningfully connected and will require a damn good payoff to make this slow start worth it. Luckily we’ve got a second cours coming in the fall, so there’s still plenty of time to turn Chise’s experience at magic college into another worthwhile entry in this powerful series. Until then, I’ll hang tight to the things this series still does well- its primordial depiction of magic, a wonderful soundtrack, the complexities of Chise and Elias’ relationship, Chise’s continued journey toward understanding and cultivating her self-worth- in hopes the end result will be just as magical as what came before.

Birdie Wing Season 2: 6/10

Is there a point where a series who’s primary appeal is how brazenly over-the-top it goes starts to run out of steam? Believe it or not, being stupid and bonkers is an art unto itself, and it takes real talent to sustain. For every Akiba Maid War that constantly ups the ante until it blows its stack with an absolute barn-burner finale, there are countless Highschool of the Deads that slowly dribble away their incredible manic energy over time, leaving nothing behind but the same tired anime cliches as always. And as much as I enjoyed seeing the rollicking madness of Birdie Wing come to close, I can’t deny that I felt my interest starting to slip as this second and final season went on. It just doesn’t do enough to surpass the bar it set with the insane high-stakes golf mafia death matches in the first season. Which I acknowledge is a high bar to clear, but for all the hilariously overdramatic soap opera twists and sudden power-ups that dominate the matches in this season, it never quite manages to measure up to that wonderful madcap energy that made its first season such a lightning-bolt success. Or, I dunno, maybe they shouldn’t have split up the main goddamn couple for basically the entire season. Especially when the same studio was already doing another, much better handled lesbian separation arc over in G-Witch. Seriously, Sunrise, anything you want to get off your chest? I feel like you might have some issues.

Ranking of Kings: Treasure Chest of Courage: 7.5/10

It feels like we’re heading into a very bizarre trend in side story “season 2″s lately. First Ranking of Kings, Horimiya next season, and the Quintessential Quintuplets somewhere down the line, so many shows are spending entire seasons on side content going through stuff from the source material they either skipped over or rushed through. And I can’t help but worry that sets a bad precedent for anime adaptations; we seriously do not need to legitimize shows hacking their source material to pieces for the sake of modern broadcast standards any more than they already are. On the other hand, though... man, it’s hard to complain when the end result does such a great job living up to its source. The Treasure Chest of Courage is every bit as whimsical, emotional, and gorgeously animated as the first season of Ranking of Kings, all the same heart and imagination in bite-sized pieces exploring the finer details in ways that make you appreciate the base story even more. It even fixes a few of my big issues with the main show’s back half and sets things up for an apparent proper season 2 sometime in the future! We’ll see if Horimiya and Quints can keep up those high standards, but for now, this is an exceptional interquel that’s bound to make you fall in love with one of anime’s best modern fantasy yarns all over again.

The Dangers in My Heart: 7.5/10

If you started watching The Dangers in My Heart only to drop it after the very first scene, I can’t blame you. The prospect of putting up with a school-shooter level misanthropic loner of a protagonist gleefully fantasizing about brutalizing his crush was almost enough to make me nope out right away. But thank god I kept watching, because once you get past that horrifically unrepresentative opening scene, it quickly becomes clear that The Dangers in My Heart is actually a genuinely wonderful little rom-com that fully understands just how much edgelord middle school nonsense is just insecure kids trying to figure out their place in the world. So few rom-coms like this really get the precise blend of hormones, awkwardness, insecurity, and cringe that defines so many middle school foibles, let alone one that understands the interiority of its female characters well enough to make them feel more fleshed out than trophy wives. But this show nails that early adolescent hellscape without ever coming off exploitative of it (well, almost; there are some obnoxious fanservice moments that really didn’t need to exist, thankfully few and far between). And really, who else but the director of the similarly true-to-life Teasing Master Takagi-san could pull that off so well? Just make it through that opening scene and you’ll very quickly find yourself falling for these idiots just like I did.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999: 8/10

God, it’s so fucking good to have shoujo rom-coms again. We went through such a drought period where the genre basically faded into nonexistence save for the Fruits Basket remake, but it feels like they’re finally coming back into fashion. And what better way to remind the world how marvelous the world of shoujo romance can be than another collaboration between the studio and director that graced us with the masterpiece My Love Story back in 2015... with another show called My Love Story? You couldn’t ask for a more surefire winning formula, and sure enough My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 is a delight from start to finish. It’s nominally about failgirl extraordinaire Akane meeting the socially awkward and emotionally distant hot boy Yamada through the RPG they play together, but the game stuff is actually a pretty small part of it. At heart, this show is about the messiness of young adulthood, and the ways people fumble through the highs and lows of coming of age as they develop into fully concrete people. And it captures that chaos with all the sharp, creative direction, thoughtful character writing, and feel-good romantic fireworks you should expect from this creative team. It’s a gut-busting, feel-good, achingly sincere gem of a show, and I recommend it to everyone in need of a little more whimsy in your life.

Skip and Loafer: 8.5/10

It’s absolutely insane to me that the Skip and Loafer manga is published in the same seinen magazine as Vinland Saga, because this is one of the most authentically shoujo teen coming-of-age delights we’ve had in a long time. Small-town girl Mitsumi moves to the big city to excel at a prestigious high school and make her dreams of rebuilding her hometown come true, only to have her perfect plans derailed by the chaos of growing up, from friends to crushes to high school curveballs. It’s so rare for a story to capture adolescence this authentically, the moments both big and small that define our paths toward maturity as we begin to figure out who we want to be. Watching Skip and Loafer made me reflect on my own high school experiences, good and bad alike, and be grateful for all the steps I took that brought me to where I am today. And any show that can get me so introspective about myself is a show worth celebrating. Plus it’s got the legendary Tomoyo Kurosawa in the leading role, and it’s got a prominent adult trans side character (Nao-chan is perfect and needs more screentime in season 2 or I riot), and the OP makes my cheeks hurt from smiling too hard... yeah, PA works has once again knocked it out of the park. Somebody stop them, they’re growing too powerful!

Heavenly Delusion: 8.5/10

To summarize Heavenly Delusion in a single sentence is, I’m afraid, impossible. I could say it’s a post-apocalyptic mystery thriller that feels like the love child of Shinsekai Yori and The Promised Neverland, but that doesn’t quite do it justice. I could say it’s a dizzying double-track story that does a better job than pretty much any other series as letting you pick up clues on your own, but that’s doesn’t tell you enough either. I could say it’s host to one of the most staggering, masterpiece anime productions ever put to television with no shortage of the greatest singular episodes and individual cuts I’ve ever seen, but even that falls short. I could even say it’s a deeply flawed, intensely problematic series that’s trying to unpack so many different ideas about gender and sexuality with no guardrails to keep it from hurtling off track, but even that leaves out so much. Ultimately, though, the only way I can describe Heavenly Delusion is that it is Heavenly Fucking Delusion, and it’s one of the single most mesmerizing anime I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch. It’s a tour-de-force capital-E Event the likes of which we so rarely get nowadays, and if you think you can stomach the dark places it goes in its exploration of humanity’s corrosion and reconstruction, then you absolutely owe it to yourself to give it a watch. Just be aware there’s a content warning for an incredibly upsetting scene of sexual assault near the end, and I mean that seriously. I like to think I’m pretty desensitized and even I felt kind of sick and unclean by the time that scene was over. Watch at your own discretion.

Insomniacs After School: 8.5/10

So fun fact: this is the rare series where I’ve actually read the manga before the anime was even announced! One of my Discord friends introduced me to Insomniacs After School, and despite my normal aversion to manga, I fell helplessly, recklessly head over heels in love with it. And if this adaptation made you feel any inch of that magic, then you owe it to yourself to check out the manga right away. Not just because there’s more story to cover beyond the anime’s admittedly pretty perfect stopping point, but because Lidenfilms’ workmanlike production is only able to capture, like 70% of what makes this series so special. And this stirring tale of two insomniacs learning to navigate the trauma of their sleepless nights together deserves to be experienced at its full, unblemished power. It’s an absolutely wonderful slow-burn romance that captures the nuances of teenage friend groups and coming of age like so few series I’ve consumed, and its portrayal of Nakami and Magari’s growing companionship under the night sky is sure to melt your heart into a sugary-sweet puddle. It’ll make you learn for your lost youth more palpably than any other show you’re likely to watch this year. And even in a season already jammed to the gills with exemplary rom-coms that really, truly get what it means to be a teenager or young adult, this slightly subpar take on the material still stands head and shoulders above them all.

Mobile Suit Gundam: the Witch from Mercury Season 2: 9/10

Be honest: did any other show even have a shot? For all the wonderfully realistic rom-coms and ambitious seinen mindfucks this season gave us, there was only ever one true contender to the throne. And I’m thrilled to say that after a fantastic first season putting all the pieces in perfect order, Gundam: Witch From Mercury stuck the landing with a riveting second season that smashed the game board and  sent everything spiraling out of control in the best way possible. It’s like Ichiro Ookuchi took all the right lessons from his work on Code Geass- a seamless blend of high school melodrama and gut-wrenching mecha warfare, dizzying plotting that leaves you gasping for breath at the end of every episode, a sheer unrivaled confidence in the chaos of love and war- and refined them to a razor’s edge, delivering a never-ending roller coaster of jaw-dropping battles, explosive emotional payoffs, stunning twists that all make sense in retrospect, tears, laughter, hard choices, flawed characters overcoming their weaknesses, and a true coronation of Suletta and Miroine as one of the all-time great anime yuri couples. At times you can’t help but wish for more time to explore the many worldbuilding details and side characters that fall by the wayside as the chaos takes hold; two cours just isn’t enough to do justice to all the complex, interconnecting ideas this series is juggling. But the fact it works as well as it does, and bring it all home for such a satisfying finale, is proof of just how damn miraculous this series has been from start to finish. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect introduction to this storied franchise, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what this creative team will come up with next. And if you somehow haven’t gotten around to watching it yet? Fix that as soon as possible. You won’t regret it for a second.

[dubiousduskwight]

Day 17: Sally

Within a bell the weather had turned, and when the blizzard descended the Fellows had scattered.

After the excitement of Matthieu’s shot, a few had balked at the prospect of chasing down a wounded karakul, lest they find themselves someplace unexpected like a wolf’s den. Those who could teleport back to the city had done so, offering their goodbyes. A few others, those without the ability to turn themselves into aether as a casual matter, averred and said they would see the others back at the Gates of Judgment, and keep a few spaces open at the coal hearth for them.

The remaining half-dozen, Matthieu among them, had set out to follow the blood in the snow. Aubineaux had seemed driven, and the rest seemed curious. In a typical hunt, they either caught their prey in the first shot, or they missed and it escaped. Matthieu had been curious in turn, and asked how many, exactly, they had caught in the past. Gaspardieux was cheerful in admitting to nothing, and Alort far less so. Ophoix insisted that he’d caught at least three bateleur, and the largest was stuffed over the mantle of his home; some teasing resulted, as others were sure the third of those had managed to fly away. Constant refused to elaborate, saying it didn’t matter.

None of them bothered to ask Aubineaux. They knew the number was high, though he kept few trophies at home. But even Matthieu had received dishes of spiced mutton from the tailor’s spouse in the past when she’d had “too much to serve at home.” All agreed she was an excellent chef, and all had wondered at what quantity was too much.

“You’ll want to keep the horns, of course,” he had said, walking a yalm or two ahead of the group at a brisk pace. “A catch with horns like that, that’s worth keeping on the mantel. Damned fine first catch.” Stopping at once in the snow, he glanced down at the bloody tracks. “Do you have a butcher? If not, my Fleurelle can do her best.” “I’d like that,” Matthieu raised his voice in reply to Aubineaux. “He’s animated,” he muttered to Constant beside him in passing. “Compared to before. I never see him speak this much in the shop.” “Only once there’s a catch,” Constant replied. “Then he’s all cheer.”

Perhaps he could serve the dish to Edda, Matthieu thought.. Whether she’d frown in disapproval at his taking up arms and catching his own food, or clasp her hands in delight at the accomplishment, he couldn’t yet say, but he certainly hoped for the former. “But perhaps we should gather it quickly? The snow’s picking up.”

All save Aubineaux glanced to the sky. It wasn’t often that the cloudwatchers were wrong, but sometimes the aetherial currents would have their way and there was no accounting for it. The wind had picked up around them, causing all to hug their arms to their coats as it tried to cut through thick wool and leather and chill them, and the snow was falling with increasing intensity. Matthieu could still see his boots pressing into the snow.

“It won’t be long, promise you that,” said Aubineaux. He alone kept his eyes forward, snow piling on his shoulders and falling into his hair without being brushed away. “A shot like that, it should have tired or bled out. Truss it up, carry it back to Whitebrim, and warm up while the weather clears.” His spirits kept up those of the others, and they chatted amiably among themselves, never noticing that they had to raise their voices more and more above the wind. When a quarter-bell had passed, Aubineaux stopped them in their tracks. “There we have it.“ He gestured to a tipped-over ball of black fleece in the snow, where the trail of blood, now only a faint set of light markings hidden among falling snow, ended. “Alort, Ophoix, help me trust this. We’ll have to work fast. You just stay back, Mr. Buison. We need to be quick about this.”

Keeping his arms close to his chest, Matthieu stood still in the snow, shifting weight from one leg to another to keep his blood moving while the three hunters procured rope from their supplies and prepped the karakul to be carried. “I should have thought to bring a fire shard.”

“I’ve a spare.” Gaspardieux offered a small, softly glowing reddish-amber rock to Matthieu, who accepted it with a grateful nod. The warmth in his gloves was a small thing, but a relief. “This doesn’t happen often, to be sure, but it’s good to be prepared.” “Better still to head back now, I think,” he said, waving his hand to Aubineaux, who rose with the trussed karakul slung over his shoulder. Their view was shrinking by the moment as clouds descended further and the wind whipped snow in greater and greater speeds. Gaspardieux held up another shard in his hand, where the glow cut through some of the fog. “Follow along, if you please,” he called out, and turned northwards. “We’ve done this before, don’t worry.” His brow beetled together as he looked out the sky. “Although this is a bit worse weather than the last times.”

“How much worse?” asked Matthieu, holding up his own shard for added visibility.

“A fair bit.” Gaspardieux looked between Matthieu and Aubineaux’s group. “I’ll hang back a step to create a line. You stick with Constant. Once we get to the main road we should be fine, just keep heading north.”

Taking a few steps back, Matthieu was surprised by how quickly the carpenter fell out of sight, save for the glow of the shard in his hand. Rather than keep it upright for the entire journey, he chose to hang the shard on the back of his coat, where they could see it easily, checked for Constant at his side, and headed north.

Without easily estimating time, the trek was drudgery, one foot lifting heavily in front of the other to make a deep impression in the snow as he marched forward. Wind buffeted Matthieu’s face and left his cheeks and nose chattering and red until he pulled his scarf up over his mouth. Surely he would see the copse of trees where they’d waited by now, he thought, or the road up to Whitebrim Front.

“How do we know it won’t be snowed over?” he asked of Constant. “The road, I mean.”

He had no reply. Looking to his right, he could see Constant was no longer there. When had he lost sight of the man? Stopping in his tracks, he looked around in the haze of wind. Behind him, he couldn’t see Gaspardieux’s shard, though the warmth on his back confirmed his own was still present. Otherwise, around him there was nothing, only snow and wind.

It occurred to him that the Fellows who had taken their leave and teleported away early were the sensible ones, and that he had been very foolish to rush out into the snow with the others for the sake of a mutton dinner and a pair of horns. All of this was unnecessary; he could close his eyes, gather his aether, and in a flash be back in the Firmament, sheltered and safe. The others would have done the same by now, if their prize weren’t keeping them in place. And they would have abandoned the karakul as well with the weather this bad. It was a shame about the loss, but there would be other hunts.

He was certain of this. And he was certain that all of them were able to teleport themselves, and that the shard on his back was unnecessary.

Without pulling down his scarf, he cupped his hands to his mouth and started calling out the names of the Fellows into the storm, hoping to hear a cry or see the glow of Gaspardieux’s shard. He shouted until he could feel himself going hoarse, and his eyes stung from the wind and ice.

For a moment, there was a lull in the wind, and his voice carried cleanly. He heard someone, but he couldn’t place who. Then there was the crack of someone’s rifle, and a shriek. It was the only sound he could focus on, and he ran towards it, half-stumbling through the snow in broad, leaping steps until he felt nearly out of breath.

When it seemed he might faint, he willed himself to continue, until at last he came upon the group, standing in a scattered semi-circle. There, the body of a wyrmling had freshly fallen into the snow. Both the azure of its scales and the blood from a bullet hole helped it stand out.

[eldritchsurveys]

1242.

When are you at your happiest? >> When I'm in a cuddle pile with Can Calah and King Crimson.

Do you find that you’re attracted to people who aren’t “right” for you? >> I'm not attracted to anyone on this plane of reality. I am dying to know what it feels like.

Is there anything you wish you did today? >> Actually, I did more than I expected to. I maybe could have done the dishes in my bus bin but I am okay with the fact that I still haven't summoned the energy for it.

Why haven’t you done it? . What were you doing before you started this survey? >> Well, I was looking for a survey to take, which lately always seems to take more time than I would like. Before that, I was watching an episode of Chernobyl.

Is there any exotic animal you’d like to have as a pet? If so, what is it? >> There is not.

Can you honestly say that you love yourself? >> I can honestly say that.

How many people have you kissed? >> Simultaneously too many and not enough.

How many of those people are you still friends with? >> I don't know any of the people we've kissed anymore, save for Sparrow.

Do you just feel awkward when you dance? >> I don't, I feel... ecstatic. When I get in the groove, in the moment... it's transcendent to me. But only if it's nonstructured, freeform dance. If I have to start thinking about steps or moves or whatever, the mood becomes way different. When was the last time you felt absolutely happy? >> Probably at some point during a really intense moment with Can Calah.

Where did you go, the last time you left your house? >> I just went for a walk.

Name someone that you love: >> Can Calah.

Is there something that you’re looking forward to right now? If so, what? >> Whenever Sparrow's financial aid refund comes in so we can actually buy groceries. God, what a charmed life, huh. What caused you to cry, the last time you did? >> Loneliness, but specifically the feeling of desperately needing support and knowing it just doesn't exist for me.

Do you think you spend too much time feeling upset? >> I don't spend too much time feeling upset, I spend as much time as the feeling requires. The world does an excellent job of being judgmental towards emotions and trying to hurry them along, but I'm not interested in that anymore. I will be in agony regardless, but I'll be in less of it if I stop trying to run away from it.

Is there anywhere you would rather be right now? If so, where? >> Always. Just somewhere that's not here.

Do you like your singing voice? >> Eh, I haven't seriously practiced singing since high school and HRT permanently changed my range (or at least the expression of my range), so my singing voice is rusty at best. I still enjoy singing, though, so that doesn't really matter. No one said I had to be good at it to have a good time. (A lot of people say that, actually, or at least imply it. They're wrong, though.) Do you think that you’ve ever actually been IN love with someone? >> I, personally, have not. Previous body pilots... I don't know. The body's memories are unclear on that front. If so, do you still feel the same way about them? .

Have you ever done a psychedelic drug? If not, would you ever consider it? >> I haven't done a proper psychedelic. I am interested, but because of my previous drug-use trauma it'd need to be in a very supportive setting, with at least one experienced trip sitter or guide or whatever around.

What’s something that makes you feel uncomfortable? >> Seatbelts.

Are you bisexual? >> I am xenosexual. Human gender doesn't factor into my potential for attraction.

Are you a good speller? >> Very.

Are most silences awkward for you? >> Hardly any silences are awkward for me, unless the other person is clearly uncomfortable in a way that my hypervigilant nervous system picks up on. Then I'm just annoyed at their discomfort, lol. Can't we just vibe?

Do you sing and dance? >> Damn skippy. Have you ever been to an amusement park? >> I have.

Name someone you wish you had never met: .

Why? . Do you have any “nerdy” hobbies? If so, name some: >> I don't feel like trying to figure out what makes a hobby "nerdy". Name a word that you just really do not like: >> "Wholesome". Ew.

Why don’t you like it? >> I don't know. I'm okay with just having random word aversions that I can't explain. It might be connected to my distaste for mawkishness, and people tend to use "wholesome" in such a fashion. Do you still seriously make pinky promises? >> I don't recall if I've ever made any. Did you ever see the movie Good Burger when it came out? >> I still haven't seen it. I doubt I ever will.

Do you and your friends have a lot of inside jokes? .

What’s your favorite aspect of your life? >> I love being strange and unusual. That part never stops being great, even when it sometimes contributes to my feelings of alienation.

Do people tell you that you should smile more? >> Fortunately, I don't remember the last time I heard this stupid ass sentiment.

Do you prefer summer to winter? >> I do. I don't have anything against winter, but my body/nervous system sure does.

Do you use swear words? >> I do.

If so, do you have a favorite one? >> I like funny combinations of words, like "fucknugget" or "shitass". It's just silly :B

What’s something you find utterly disgusting? >> I don't even want to think about the things I find disgusting, that's how disgusting I find them. Are you easily angered? >> I am not, but I am easily irritated.

What’s something someone could do to really piss you off? >> Be dismissive or mocking towards me when I'm being vulnerable. I'll fucking kill you <3

Do you spend a lot of time just thinking/daydreaming? >> I do spend more time thinking than I'd sometimes like to (ruminating, more like), but not nearly enough time daydreaming.

Name a song you’ve really been digging lately: >> I got into Rotting Christ recently. Good shit.

Are you a virgin? If yes, are you waiting until marriage? >> I am not.

Who has the nicest singing voice, that you know personally? .

Say something nice about someone you really don’t care for: .

Do you think you’re pleasant to be around most of the time? >> I think that it takes a particular sort of person to find me pleasant to be around. (I don't think this is a bad thing. I like that about myself, that I'm singular in a way that only certain people would appreciate, despite how much rejection is involved.)

What are you gonna do now that you’re done with this survey? >> See what's going on on tumblr, I guess. Maybe another survey a bit later? Haven't been doing these much lately, too much going on with me that makes me just want to zone out and play FFXIV for 6 hours straight.

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Shrek 2

So I haven't seen this movie in years and having just rewatched it, I can safely say, this movie invented comedy. Hands down.

Seriously though, what can be said about Shrek 2 that hasn't already been said? It's iconic, in every sense of the word, maybe even more of a meme factory than the original Shrek was. And yet even aside from being one of the funniest animated movies ever made (more on that in a bit), it's also just a really good and compelling story that hits all the right spots and really continues building on this world and these characters in an excellent way.

We kick off right after the first movie, with Shrek and Fiona freshly married and heading to Far Far Away to meet Fiona's parents. Throw in some family tension, the deviously delighful (milf) that is Fairy Godmother and her little bitch boy of a son Prince Charming, the ever debonaire Puss in Boots, and you have a movie that's an all time hood classic.

The jokes in this are so raw and so damn funny. Like the union bit and the police brutality joke? This damn movie was ahead of its time oh my god. Even outside of the humor though, the story itself is really good and does a great job helping you connect even more with the characters than the first movie did. Shrek especially, I feel like this one develops him even more, and you get to see just what lengths he'd go to for Fiona. It's honestly really sweet (and human Shrek is jacked wtf).

The rest of the cast is also great. Fiona may not get as much screentime here, but she's still a lot of fun. Donkey is a bit less annoying here than he was in the first movie, and the new additions like Puss in Boots are superb, there's a reason they gave that crazy lil cat his own franchise ya'll.

You also get a pretty interesting redemption arc for Fiona's dad, King Harold, who I just realized is the frog prince??? Like am I stupid or something for never knowing that before now??? Damn. Fairy Godmother is a FANTASTIC villain who gets to headline what may be one of the most epic climaxes in any animated ever (seriously, the I Need a Hero scene is pure HYPE). Speaking of music, the soundtrack is great just like the last movie's, with I Need a Hero being the highlight because oh my god ya'll, she slays it.

The animation definately got a bit more tuned up for this one too. The character models are much stronger and less... plasticy, I suppose is the right word, and the way they move is much more natural and fluid. The world itself is also given a lot more personality. I love how Far Far Away is basically just LA. That's such a fun little inside joke I never got as a kid.

As a whole, Shrek 2 is a fantastic movie. There's this trend we're gonna notice with Dreamworks trilogies where the first movie is great, the second movie is the best thing ever, and the third movie is either still really great (HTTYD3 and Kung Fu Panda 3) or the most confusing, what the fuck happened here thing ever (Shrek the Third). But we'll get to those when we get to those. Just... pray for me ya'll. Cause I gotta watch Shark Tale next. Lord have mercy on my soul.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Verdict: Get some dental insurance

Previous Review (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas)

Next Review (Shark Tale)