#dinosaur party supplies

[bookmyballoons]

https://www.bookmyballoons.in/dinosaur-theme-birthday-decoration/

Jurassic Joy Dinosaur Birthday Decorations in Bangalore | Book My Balloons

Embark on a prehistoric adventure with Book My Balloons' Dinosaur theme birthday decoration in Bangalore. Roar with joy as our expert team brings the Jurassic era alive!

[em1e]

birthday parties | planning mikey's bday is a pain

⿻ mini series ft. you dating shinichiro and whatever chaos that comes from that !! ✕ fluff !! ♡ series m.list

a ten year old's birthday party should be easy to organize, right? 

wrong. 

you’re almost sure, no, positive, if the party you were planning was for emma, it’d be a thousand times simpler. she’s somehow so much easier to attend to than mikey. so much more understanding of when things can’t go her way. 

“we can’t rent the bounce house he wanted.” shinichiro groans as he plops himself down beside you on his bed, head falling into your lap while his phone sits loosely gripped in his hand. 

“can we just rent a different one?” your fingers find purchase in his hair, helping to ease any tensions that remain in his shoulders with your touch alone. 

“the only other one available for the day is a pink princess one. mikey would throw a fit if they pulled up with that.” 

“is there another company we can order from?” your fingers pause when his eyes flutter closed, not wanting him to just fall asleep there. 

“maybe one other one, but i don’t know if they have a dinosaur themed one like he wanted.” he nuzzles into your palm like a cat, wanting more than just the feel of your fingertips against his scalp. 

“he’ll be lucky to even have a bounce house at this rate.” you hum out, “are you sure we can’t just take him and his friends bowling or to that new movie theater and to the park after or something?” 

he opens one eye and gives you a look that tells you all you need - a simple have you met mikey said with his glance alone. 

“i can try asking again.” he says with a sigh, closing the eye when you return to brushing your fingers through his hair, “but i make no promises.” 

and to both of your amazements, he relents. 

shinichiro is excited as he relays the conversation back to you, “he said he was fine with whatever. manjiro sano, fine with us picking something to do with his friends for his birthday!” 

“so what’re we gonna do with them?” you ask with a small laugh, patting his thigh as he sort of . . . deflates at the question. 

“y’know . . . i haven’t really thought about that.” 

you only offer a giggle, head hitting his shoulder gently, “i might have an idea or two.” 

the weekend of mikey’s party rolled around, and the boy was practically buzzing with excitement. draken and baji were already at the house helping set up, having stayed the night before, and shinichiro gave them firm instructions on what to do with what - balloons, streamers, and other miscellaneous party supplies was set out in the backyard while you and emma helped prepare the snacks you’d gotten. 

one by one, other members of mikey’s group arrived - first mitsuya, who had to pry himself out of one of his little sisters arms because she wanted him to stay home and play with her so bad, then pah-chin, who holds a very big gift bag in his hands the second he’s walking past the foyer. following close behind him is kazutora, sliding out the backdoor with a laugh when baji jumps on his back and points in shinichiro’s direction to help set up tables. 

wakasa walks in with benkei, bags of chips and bottles of beer in their hands that have you raising an eyebrow and reminding them that this is a party for ten year-olds, to which  wakasa replies ‘you’re never too young to start drinking’. this earns him a smack from shinichiro, who’s come inside for a split second to have a break from the boys. the last to show is takeomi, a plastic bag in hand as his two siblings run past his legs to greet their friends. 

takeomi looks at everyone outside, raising an eyebrow when he realizes he’s the only one in a swimsuit. 

“did everyone else change already?” 

“hm?” you’re wiping your hands on a dishtowel when he sets the bag on the counter, “oh, no one else needs a swimsuit.” 

he tilts his head at the confession, and you gesture towards the dunking booth sitting pretty in the corner of the yard, filling with water. 

his brows raise as he processes the implication, “no . . .” 

you scrunch your nose, “yes . . . “ 

“you don’t want me to . . .”

“i actually need you to . . .”

“please.” he’s almost begging, pleading with you to have some amount of mercy on his soul. 

but you can only shake your head, click your tongue, and push a towel towards him, “sorry . . .” 

you’re not sorry. not in the least bit, actually, when takeomi climbs into the dunk tank with shinichiro’s help, only to be locked in soon after when your beloved boyfriend places the stepladder he used to boost takeomi into the tub in front of the door. if takeomi realizes he’s trapped, he voices no complaints, only pouting while he clambers to the seat, folding his arms over his chest while mikey makes a line with stray streamers to indicate how far back everyone needs to stand. 

amazingly, none of the kids can hit the small target to the left of takeomi. being athletically inclined seemed to stop at mikey’s feet, since the baseball he was throwing would only go a meter before dropping onto the grass. 

his friends follow in suit after him, taking turns, and the only one who comes close is draken, who is just excited to have thrown the ball the farthest out of the group, while emma gives him heart eyes from the sidelines. 

takeomi’s taunts are light-hearted, sticking his tongue out at each child as they try and fail to knock him off his pedestal, and it’s only when shinichiro grabs the ball that his teasing falters. 

“this is a kids party, no?” he gestures to mikey, who’s egging his brother on to throw the ball, “let the kids throw, this doesn’t seem very fair-” 

in one fell swoop, takeomi’s dunked into the water. he comes up sputtering, wiping water from his face and tossing a glare at your boyfriend, who only laughs at his friend. he looks like an angry cat, hissing at the prospect of being drenched to the bone. 

and instead of stopping there, instead of letting the kids go back to having their fun with their tosses, the other men seem to have found joy in seeing takeomi soaked and shivering despite the sun shining bright in the sky. 

you go inside to prepare the cake while wakasa and benkei take their own turns tossing, each man hitting the target spot, each time dropping takeomi from his seat, leaving him to come up heaving and glaring. this goes on only for a few minutes until the kids grow bored of just watching - they want to be the ones dunking him! they want to be directly part of the chaos. 

watching the three adults seemed to fill them with confidence, but . . . their tosses still fell just short of the target - even with the new amount of vigor coursing through their veins from seeing takeomi previously submerged. 

takeomi relaxes at this fact, easily going back to simple teases, blowing raspberries at the kids, until baji leans into mikey’s side and whispers something into his ear. the blond’s eyes light up at the idea, and he ushers everyone else into a small huddle to relay whatever plan baji’s put in his head. 

takeomi doesn’t even have time to question it before the group of ten year olds are rushing forward and slamming each of their hands on the target, effectively dropping takeomi, and retreating just before he comes out of the water with giggles leaving each of their lips. 

you peek your head out the door just in time to see takeomi trying to splash water over the top of the dunk booth while the kids almost tumble to the floor in fits of laughter. 

“time for cake!” you call out, before retreating back into the house to avoid being trampled by sugar-inclined kids. 

takeomi, you find out, did not realize he was locked in the booth, if the way he tries to push the door open is anything to go by. you watch from the window in the kitchen as he tries again. and again. and again, just for good measure, before he’s banging on the plastic surrounding him and shouting something at your boyfriend, wakasa, and benkei, who don’t bat an eye to him and come inside to sing to the birthday boy. 

bonus: 

takeomi is only let out of the tank when all the cake is gone and most of the other kids have left. 

he’s pruney and pouting, even though he was given one of the beers wakasa’s brought and promised leftover ice cream. 

the remaining kids, emma, mikey, draken, sanzu, and senju, all lay in the living room in a heaping pile. crashed from the busy day and the sugar slowly dissipating from their veins. you lean against shinichiro on the couch, feet in his lap while he nurses a beer in the hand not holding your thigh.

“we did good.” you hum out, almost as tired as the kids from all the running around and planning and watching. mikey’s come out of this with a good amount of stuff - legos and other miscellaneous toys you’re sure you or shinichiro will be cleaning up after. some cash, too, but he wouldn’t let you count how much. 

shinichiro squeezes your leg softly, giving you that dorky smile you adore with his eyes half-lidded. 

“we did.”

[popculturebuffet]

MGADD: The Gatekeeper Review: The Masterpiece Shelved by Disney's Cowardice and Transphobia (Comissioned by WeirdKev27

Hello world I have arrived... because Disney has done something so monumentally stupid and offensive, even for them. I genuinely wish I was talking about this episode under circumstances that weren't "Disney showed what it really thinks of queer people... again", but if it weren't for a brave animator mentioning it off hand and the episode leaking soon after, I wouldn't of been able to.

The short vision since i'm sure most of you reading this know what's going on but to recap: thursday night an animator on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Derrick Malik Johnson (Thank you The Mary Sue for recording the names), mentioned that an episode of the show was shelved due to "Which party won", while a poster on reddit, superootoro backed up the story. Both posts have since been deleted because the mouse clearly got upset this story got out.

Their also likely not pleased the episode ITSELF got out soon after thanks to disney fan Owlphibia. How they got it I don't know, and someone on the crew definitely supplied it.. and I applaud our anonymous hero. If a company isn't going to make something fully available for audiences to see, there is no shame in leaking it anyway. I felt that way when I thought Scooby Doo and Krypto Too was never getting released and reviewed it last year. and still want someone to escape Warner HQ with copies of Batgirl, Scoob: Holiday Haunt and Coyote Vs Acme.

We'll get into the episode shortly but needless to say it's focus on an openly trans character who outright states she's trans with a bigoted asshole who tries to move goalposts as the villian made it clear WHY Disney shelved the episode indefinitely, with Johnson claming they said it was due to who won the election. That said the presence of the beyonder, who disappears early into season 2 and the redditor saying the episode was meant for early season 2 makes it clear this is just an excuse: They shelved it, waited to see which way the country turned, then formally dumped it the second it was clear they MIGHT get heat from the new president over this rather than stand up for what's right.

Their response... does not help. Disney CLAIMS the episode was shelved not banned and their PROUD OF THE DISCUSSIONS IT BRINGS AND OF THIS SHOW WE JUST CANCELLED. NO FOR REAL. I doubt this will actually make it go away and making the tweets making accusations go away, thank alvis for screenshotting, just makes it more clear that no, they just wanted to shelve an episode that frankly and honestly talked about a trans child's struggles with no metaphors about brooklyn being trans: her transness is why the villain hates her and why the episode happens. It happens because a woman is a bigot, and Disney coudln't handle that. They can handle when the bigots an immortal definitely religious man but we don't say that or a super soldier from another dimension, where the subtext is blatant and what it's calling out is blatant, but Disney still has deniability. But when someone wants to tackle queerness openly and honestly.. they run.

It's a pattern for them. They cancelled owl house because its main romance is between two girls. They are oddly and throughly convinced that Lightyear failed not because it's a tonal mess that tries to squeeze buzz light year's cheesy good world building into a darker hard sci fi story that it doesn't fit in, but because two women kissed, and were so paranoid about that that they tried to make Inside Out 2 straight as possible by making the girl Riley has a blatant crush on older than her.. which.. it just makes it a crush guys. Thank god their so bad at this

And of course the piece de resitance before this: Firing openly queer black man and show runner for X-Men 97 Beau Demayo for both wanting his show to actually tackle prejudice instead of just rubber stamping it and being openly sexy on his socials when.. tha'ts his right, thent rying to frame him as an abuser, allegations that ONLY sprung up long after the show had already aired and only when they tried to bar him from showing up at an awards ceremony for an episode he fucking wrote.

Disney is not a good company on most days. They fuck up at least once a year from their implicit support of the don't say gay bill, to the owl house debacle to writing off a ton of shows for tax purposes. I love the CONTENT they fund, I love the card game ravensburger made with their properties, I love the creative stories many an animator has made. But I don't love them. Not anymore and probably not in the foreseable future. I love the stuff peopl ehave created under them but it's become clear Disney has become desperate, greedy and souless. While all companies struggle to be represnetive it's disney who shows their ass the most. Wether it's saying "first gay character evah come see" for characters who were there for a minute so it could be cut from china, banning pride flags, or not letting an alien we can all tell is gay just.. say she is when everything around Penny implied it. Let her fuck a duck disney christ.

I'm so.. tired of this. I've been at this for almost 6 years. I've been covering disney this whole time, starting with ducktales reviews and while I haven't been covering shows as they come out for a variety of reasons, I have kept a firm eye on them. And they just, keep fucking up. They dont' care about queer people. They haven't evolved AT ALL since this half assed tweet Alex Hirsch mocked back when twitter was relevant

And this should be spammed to them because my god. This is a fuckup of monumental proprtions. And it hits personally as I fear for my trans nephew in this colder, worse world we're entering. He may be 14 but he would've appricaited this and so would the many trans kids who just need someone to say: your okay you matter. That's what this episode was trying to do.. and it got shuttered.

The only good news is the pressure MIGHT get disney to actually release it. MIght being a strong word. Last i checked you could find the episode on internet archive, but I'd find it where youc an while you can as Disney is likely going to be doing everything to cover their ass

And that dear friends is one of the main reasons for covering this episode: Disney might try to bury it as deep as they can, so I want a full record of it. To show the content and context of it. The other is to judge the episode on it's own merits. I'll say right now: this is an excellent episode and it deserves to be released. But it's important to get into why: why this episode is good, why it deserved better and why this SHOW deserves better. Moon Girl was canceld recently and if anything this story draws more attention to somethign Disney likely thought they could do quietly and to the show from people who haven't watched it or may of given up after season 1. It's important to me as a critic and person to look at this work for what it is and not just what disney has done to it: a well done story that takes a side character and makes her a star, while also being bonkers in the conkers in a way that absolutely works. Join me under the cut won't you as I break down this tremendous episode.

The episode begins with the volleyball team at lunella's school gearing up for a regionals match. I'd honestly forgotten about these guys as their main spotlight episode for season 1, Goodnight Moon Girl was one I kinda half payed attention to as I wasn't a huge fan of the gimmick.

Looking back on the ep though it's easy to see why they gave the team's captain, Brooklyn, her own episode: she's funny, has an entirely relatable rivalrly with her sibling, and was open and welcoming to lunella. IT's easy to see why Lunella is now the team's eager hydration technician and casey is preparing the half time show. It also shows off the series tight continuity: They tend to bring back characters you wouldn't THINK come back, or if needing a side character using one of the casts established friends, with the volleyball team also playing a supporting role in the dance episode that chronologically comes after this. Brooklyn and co are pumped and ready for the other team whose team name I forgot but is mostly a threat thanks to their leader and her mom/coach greer.

Greer is played by Amy Sedaris and look the show had me at Amy Sedaris plays the main villian. I forgot just how good she is at being evil and her comedic energy nicely offsets just how.. nasty this person is.

While i'm not hiding that Greer turns out to be awful a touch I like is that the episode does for a second: Greer seems like a hypercompetivie hellicopter mom, but offers orange slices and is nice and cordial to everyone. It seems like it was just a bait and switch and given how the show goes, had this episode not been banned, you'd be expecting it to simply segue into some problem for Lunella that leads to her doing a science.

Instead the problem is entirely Greer and it starts simply because Brooklyn and her best friend Tai, who was previously established as non binary, something the episode makes sure to point out again later. They just joke and laugh reminscing about playing soccer together back before Brooklyn transitioned, with Brooklyn being happy she's not on the "boys team".

Unfortunately for her, Greer hears this. And just like that a switch flips: the animation is exagerated and it's clear this bitch is immediately nettled. It telegraphs a problem trans people in general face: that just saying your trans immediately makes some people target you. That just an offhand mention can lead to someone trying to make you miserable simply for being YOU. It's one of MANY reasons the targeting of trans kids disgusts me and i'ts something the show portrays chillingly well this sudden.. entitlement to decide who a person is based on their body. That because you can't get past it, this kid has to suffer. I"ve seen it, I hate it, and the show does it well and Sedaris does it very well, using her usual comedic energy to make a character whose utterly loathsome, yet in such a skincrawlingly real way. Greer is far from a subtle character.. but transphobes tend not to be. While her tactics are for the most part not over the top, her bigotry is portrayed as loud and hateful as we've seen from the right. (Not to give the democrats a pass given the sheer number who want to throw trans people under the buss for the party's systemic issues that caused the election loss, but the right are far more vitrolic and operatic about their transphobia, like Elon Musk deadnaming their daughter and making up a story about them being intrested in women's clothing.. only to get utterly wrecked by his daughter pointing out he was never around for her as a child. Given how fragile elon's ego is and how terminally online he is, zinging him on his own platform does way more damage than anything else could possibly do.

So Greer goes to tell coach Hrbek, Luna's reluctant science teacher and loveable jock, that Brooklyn was biologically a male. Not her terms but fuck her for that. I like how greer just tries to imply it.. she won't come out and SAY Brooklyn's trans: just because transphobes aren't subtle dosen't mean they don't try to do this doubletalk bullshit. Hrbek nosells it just blinking condescndingly and when she dosen't get it telling her bluntly yeah he knows and tells her in no uncertain terms Brooklyn is a girl and she's playing.

He then slips on an orange because life is not kind to this man: like he dosen't get injured a lot but he is stuck teaching a concept that while giving it his best, he's not good at and dosen't like teaching. And now after doing something genuinely heroic, standing up for a kids right to be who they are and telling off a bigot, and only likely not saying fuck off because a crowd's present, he gets hurt. Poor guy. True hero

With the only adult out of the room Greer tries every bullshit tactic in the book to get Brooklyn disqulaified and I love her reactions: no coach, player coach. Her pride flag pads are ones she got from the store. Her bottle.. has water. Greer tries every bullshit thing but you get the sense this isn't the first, and sadly probably isn't the last time, some asshole has tried to disqualify brooklyn based on her gender.

In the locker room getting ready the rest of the Squirrels have picked up on what's going on. Lunella is upset and want sto do something but can't, but it's telling both Brooklyn and Tai try and brush it off. Tai outright tells them not to mentoin their non binary or Greer might explode and Brooklyn shakes it off just.. used to it. And it's fucking sad that a child whose 14 at most, the same age as my nephew, just has to be.. used to it. That people will hate you and try to unperson you just for being what you are. It's part of why this episode being delissted is so frustrating: the message is told well and it's one trans kids need to hear. It's why representation matters: that little voice that says "you are not alone". As a bisexual seeing bi characters makes me happy as their not common even now. While we don't share a gender, Luz being bi on loud house and the show making sure that was clear felt nice. It felt good being seen. That kids after me won't have to struggle with these feelings and just see someone and go "That's me.. that's what I am" and it's so fucking terrible Disney coudlnt' see past their already overflowing wallets to understand that, that the only chance the episode has of release is because they fucked up.

Since greer can't rules lawyer or bully a child out of competttion she goes with plan b: a magical key. Yeah another good reason to cover this one and something that understandably won't get as much coverage? This episode is fucking bonkers. While greer is a well written villian.. she's also a TERF who bought a magical key at a yard sale. No really the beyonder recaps how she got the key. It's not the first villian whose done that on the show, and I do want to someday meet the villian who hosted that yard sale, so it still works in the shows mythology. It also hope the show has had some rediculous villians: Living hair , a symboite tha'ts an online troll, lady stitlman at home. The show is serious when it needs to be this episode included, even the living hair episode had a serious aseop on the racisim black women get about their hair and the internalized racisim that creates. But the show isn't afraid to get weird so while a karen with a magical key she what bought at a yard sale is defintely the weridest foe lunella's faced, it's still within the realm of posisblity for this show. And definitely the marvel universe as a whole. I mean spider-man's rogues include a nazi made of bees and a stegasaurs man, both of whom I hope lunella fights if we get a season 3.

So Greer locks them in the locker room which turns into an escape room/death trap where they have to find keys. Thankfully Brooklyn's awful little brother loves them, so they have an edge and she shoots down lunella just.. mcguivering their way out. It's also intresting to have a super villian fight.. where lunella ISN'T in costume. She's just her normal self, and still just as competent and the only reason she dosen't break things right away is that everyone involved , particularly their leader, assumes they have to play this game fair. And given how in most death games breaking the rules usually kills you it's an easy assumption.

Our heroes do solve the puzzles well, and we get a great joke with Kai whose excited by the lava... and one of their teamates shouts "no it can kill us stop that".

That's a suprising thing I found with the episode: it is REALLY funny. I forget how funny the show can be, and this ep might be it's funniest as Casey, Luna's bestie and sidekick, is forced to stall like a motherfucker as she gets the sense something is wrong.. I mean opening the locker room to find no one there is a good clue. And yes Casey dosen't figure out this is supervillian stuff till near the end but it's done resonably: she can probably get the hint Greer's done SOMETHING but assumes she just locked them in another room or tricked them or something. You know standard school setting vilian shenanigans. Not "This terf tiger mom happens to have a magic key she found at a yard sale. Casey HAS seem some shit at this point, I mean one of the episodes in this very season not long before this was suppposed to come out is her and lunella having to travel inside the dinosaur whose also one of their best friends. But usually the villians on this show wear a costume. Even the gentrifying assholes from season 1, while wearing suits still had super tech and a very obvious black and white motif Lunella should've seen as a red flag. Greer for all intensive puproses is just a bog standard transphobic karen. You just.. can't plan for "turns out she has a key from a super villian yard sale." It's like "a giant obese monster from another dimension who literally needs raitings to lives kidnaps you to star in his shows or else". It's certainly plausible given how weird the marvel universe, but no ones ever really prepared for Mojo that hasn't met the floating fat man. Who for those who aren't freebasing x-men regularly is entirley real. I made none of that up

He also made chibi clones of the x-men called the x-babies. Look it up.

Point is no matter how fucking weird a characters life is, they can still be surprised. So Casey instead decides to stall. Stall as if her life depended on it which.. it dosen't but a lot of other kids do. So she makes up a tradition where they have to do THE WAVE before a game. And I love both her hammy calls to do the wave and the mascots gradual exhaustion. Best gag of the episode.

Let him Rest. Eventuallyt he poor guy collapses, but luckily Devil comes in as Casey called him over and tells him to vamp. Vamp like he's never vamped before. Vamp as if, in her words "Your mariah carey opening for beyonce". And he does... and while he sounds about how you'd expect him singing to, like he's gargling the marbles he ate this morning, everyone loves it. Because it's a singing dinosaur.

This comedy is just... fantastic. The shows humor dosen't always land, but this is it at it's best: silly, over the top, yet grounded in the characters; Casey using her natural ambtion and improv skills and Devil using the voice Satan gave him to sing to a souled out crowd. It's good stuff and nicely helps with the tension of the a plot, with the two cutting back and forth, i'm just not doing that because I don't gotta.

Speaking of which we get a nice musical montage of our heroes bravely solving the puzzles. And they do, passing all sorts of shit to do, opening the final door.. only to find the game's reset.

And here it is: the episodes signature scene. Out of all the cut stuff from the episode, this is the bit i've seen the most on social media, the bit I saw before I even saw the full episode. The speech that helps make what Disney did SO much worse and helps tie this all together.

Brooklyn realizes the hard truth: because Greer dosen't consider her a girl, she has to quit the team as in Greer's warped eyes, her playing at all is against the rules. It's a metaphor that's blantat as it is heartbreakingly accurate: Society always keeps moving the goal posts for queer people. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try to fit in or just be accepted, there were always be people who will just not care and will keep trying to shove you back int he closet because what you are is inconveint to them. if it dosen't exist to THEM it dosen't and they will keep making your life harder to try to break you down, to try and get you to quit.

I'm Bisexual. Mentioned it before in this article, and have never been shy about it. But it's also a side I struggle to explore sometimes. Growing up in a society that didn't even seem to have a word for what I was and already horribly awkward with women, I FEARED my bisexuality, convinced myself I wasn't. In hindsight.. I didn't want another thing on top of my autisim and anxiety for people to judge me for. Even now I don't try to date.. I mean part of it is i'm broke and have issues, but I realized as I wrote this article.. part of it is fear. Fear of rejection, fear of someone trying to change who I am, fear of getting beat up for being who I am.

And the fears I have I need to deal with, the reality I deal with.. is multipled twentyfold for any trans person. I have trans relatives. I won't get deep into details on the ground i'ts not my story to tell, but what they've faced is heartbreaking. What my nephew has had to put up with just for existing is fucking devistating. It's a bleak world that just wont' let them be who they are without a fight because the idiots who can't accept it have the power and some of those who have the power to stop it.. turn a blind eye. Again a good chunk of democrats were all too quick to try and throw trans people under the bus when Kamala didn't say hardly ANYTHING about trans rights. The knives come out easily and quickly and someone's personhood simply dosen't matter the second it makes your life harder. It's why these guys hate prounouns and trans people: They see just wanting to be who you are as entitlement, as a lot to ask.. when .. it's not. It's not hard at all to ask. It's not hard to treat someone with dignity.

In my case.. it was thanks to, ironically enough tv. It was the summer after high school, I was bored and had a lot of spare time so I watched a lot of the canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. And while degrassi is far from the most subtle show or free of mistakes, when it came to queer rep it had a solid track record, slowly evolving with the times. As such this is the first show I saw with actual trans representation: a character whose out as a trans man, adam torres, and has to deal with the metric ton of bullshit kids STILL face, while also having plenty of story outside it, from his friendship with best bud eli to his marveling at his brother Drew's poor life choices. Adam wasn't a token, wasn't just a prop for trans stories (Though this being an early 2010's teen drama he both had a TON of stories about being trans and perscuted against and was played by a cis actress. Again not exactly free of mistakes), he was a fleshed out human who just wanted to be who they were. It helped me see Trans people exist, and accept it easily.

And that's why this episode being pulled.. fucking bothers me. Because realizing she can't win, Brooklyn breaks down, blaming herself for what's simply truly isn't her fault. It's Tai who naturally steps forward, pointing out she CAN open up to them and that when Tai came out as nonbinary.. Brooklyn supported them. It's not selfish or being a burdern to let others help you.. and it's easy to support others. to lift them up and accept who they are and defned them against dickheads who say otherwise. The most heartbreaking part is the simplist as brooklyn laments

"How many doors do I have to break down before they stop locking them"? And given disney put one up themselvfes.. it's galling. Btu the message.. persisits: support is easy, and support matters and you are not alone. It's okay to let others carry you sometimes, and it's not a burdern or drama to vent about shit this frustrating.

The other message is an important one as the republicans no doubt prepare to lock more doors... sometimes... playing by the rules dosen't work. Bigots simply will make more to try and keep you from playing. Sometimes you just gotta say fuck it and say fuck them. Fight. Don't play civlity politics, don't play nice, tell them to fuck off.

So our heroes do smashing reality and reealizing things are fragile in this reality: it's held together only so much.. and thus they start breaking it.

Back outside Greer's key starts to glitch and Casey finally gets it.. as does Greer's daughter whose HORRIFIED at what her mom did. That she wanted a fair match. And so did greer.. but only by her rules. GIRL POWER.. no really she says that. I love they just make her a TERF outright and the way amy sedaris says it just shows how hollow that statment is when you won't accept ALL WOMEN.

Her daughter also isn't having this shit and steals the refs whistle, not letting this start till EVERYONE is here. Luckily it's time for the shows ocne an episode beautfully animated musical sequence. This time using all sorts of pride colors and some really nice looking sprites. I lespecailly love them taking the menus of an rpg battle system and breaking out of the frame with it. Really fun stuff and of course we get the shot almost everyone has used and I'm no exception. Brooklyn in front of a pride flag, using a trans flag volleyball to smash her way out.

So our heroes are free, and with the key obviously glitching the Ref, whose mostly just been.. done this whole episode, gets the picture and Brooklyn, not being stupid, uses those soccer skills she mentioned to smash the key while Greer's escorted the fuck out. I mean granted the ref should also.. call the police or shield or somebody as several woman were kidnapped, but given it was in front of a large crowd AND this is the cellphone age i'm sure someone did. But it's just as statsifying Greer is left making hollow threats to get the ref decertified as the door slams in her face. Now she's locked out and that door should neve ropen again.

So Brooklyn and head.. rival team girl... whatever her name was, shake hands. Also kev sugggested they end up going out and I like that. Mostly because i'm pretty sure greer would fucking melt and then all the children everywhere would sing.

So we end on Brooklyn spiking. We don't know who won or lost.. and it jus tdosen't matter. What matters is Brooklyn got to play the game.

The Gatekeeper is excellent. Strong contender for my best of the year list which fast approaches as my backlog

Piles up as usual.. i'll manage most of this. But this episode is fantatic and wether you've seen the show before or not, watch it. It's excellent, and I hope to god the pressure from it makes disney actually release it on disney + next batch. I'm still not 100% they will hence doing this.. but as long as we keep the pressure up it could happen. And who knows, we could even get a season 3. Why not shoot for the moon? Thanks for reading and just remember "I'm pulling for you we're all in this together"

[casualtf2fan]

TF2 Dream - Sun, Sep 17

I had a Dream last Night, as a Lost Child.

(I decided to write ✍️ this down before I forget, even though I'm still tired.)

So basically I was hanging out with the All Age Party 🥳 were all the Kids and Adult are Having Fun Hanging out with people.

I decided to take a Break from the Loud Party and went in the Gaint Bouncy Castle 🏰 there's some Bodyguard who we're making sure that everyone is playing Safety.

I went up to 1 of the Guards and ask if I can go through the Back so I can take a Break from the Party and he said that it's Blocked 🚫 of And had to go the other way.

So I went further in and crawled while making sure I don't bump into anyone who was playing Hockey in the different section of the Bounty House, after that I found the Zipper Door that you usually see in Bouncy Castles 🏰

So I opened the Zipper and Zip it back up behind me, so people who were jumping does not accidentally get hurt while they have Fun.

After that I went around the Fence and saw some kids and Teenagers hanging out Outside a School 🏫 Building and I decided to go to the Playground since it's a nice quiet 🤫 place.

I was about to chill 😎 Intel I saw a car behind me... I kinda got worried 😟 and decided to run into the School so I won't get kidnapped when there's multiple people around.

There was a few people sleeping on the Benches when I was speed walking Past them who are from the Party 🥳 from different Ages.

And then I saw an open door 🚪 full of students, I decided to look behind me. To make sure I did not jump into conclusions and panic for no reason. 🙃

it turns out I was right, and they were just bringing School Supplies. While the Students I walked past who we're sleeping 😅 on the Benches. Are know wide Awake and bringing more Boxes 📦 into the Classrooms.

And some of them were talking to each other, I sighed in relief 😌 and said "Oh thank goodness I thought I was gonna get Kidnapped."

And then the Kid I was near with accidentally missed heard me and Said "I'm not wasting it?" Who was sharpening all the Pencils ✏️ for the Class. And then I said "Oh u missed heard me, I said that I was worried 😟 that I was gonna get kidnapped."

And there like Oh... it was a miss understanding, we talked for a bit and I said that I think u and engineer will get along since you like Machine Stuff, and she’s like "Do u really think so?"

While I'm like "Heck Yeah! Go for it." after that I said goodbye 👋 to her and decided to visit the TF2 Base and say HI 👋 to Engineer & the others.

So I left the Classroom and went out of the School Building 🏫 and walked to the TF2 Base we're all the Blue & Red Teams we're chilling out having fun also killing each other and then come back from the respawn. I decided to watch them Secretly, by somehow climbing up to sit on a very tall Shelf 😅 with some trophys 🏆 and TF2 Items on it.

I over heard Engineer talking to a Demo about how proud 👏 of his Machine Gun he created and how 🤔 its has been past down to generations and how over time it improve.

While I was listening to their Conversation I kinda slowly 🐌 realized that I was Stuck...

And I couldn't climb down from a Very Tall Shelf...

I was sitting next to a Dinosaur Trophy 🏆 awkwardly watching to see how long will they finally notice me or if I should somehow get their intention or not.

While Demo parted ways from Engineer I kinda panic and wave 👋 my Hands at him to notice me, luckily he had sharp eyes 👀 and gasped in surprise 😮 seeing a scared Child Stuck on the Shelf, before he could help me or shout out.

He got shot in the head by a Blue Scout and used the Taunt Laugh and then he got Killed by a Red Spy wearing a Hat, he was about to laugh too but he saw me on the Shelf and Panic, and before he could help me too he also got killed but this time a Blue Sniper killed him while the Red Soldier was laughing beside him with a Female Voice. Turns out the Spy that got killed was her Brother while Sniper is a Gay Friend.

I was looking at them and was like Damb I guess I do have to grab their intent, so I proceed to grab the trophy and throw it at the Floor hoping not to accidentally hurt anyone...

I accidentally K.O a Female Scout who was hanging on top of Heavy's Head and flop down at the Floor like a Ragged Doll and disappeared to respawn.

Everyone who was partying and chilling and got confused and then looked up and saw me.

A Child on top of a Very Tall Dangerous Shelf, all of them Panic and tried to think of a way to help me like a Community, Blue Scout ran and said she's gonna look for a ladder 🪜 while Pyro was like "HOW THE F@CK DID THEY GET UP THERE?!?!"

The Red Medic was like "As a Father of 3 Children, i was wondering why my parenting instincts were acting up"

I decided to tell them that I can't get down and was scared of heights, the 2 Spys decided to work together by letting Blue Spy's climb on Red Spy's Back and trying to balance themselves before trying to grab me. Everyone was watching just in case they need to help or not.

The Blue Spy proceed to reach 💙 out to me while I looked at Red Spy's Eyes 👀 seeing the look of concern and worried, after watching 2 Adult Spy's trying to help me I became less scared 😱 and decided to try to get off of the Shelf but I accidentally went to the red spy.

His Eyes wide open and decided to let go of Blue Spy's Leg's and to grab me safely, while the other one fall down on the floor.

I was being held by red spy in relief while the Blue Spy got up quickly 💙 I got worried 😟 for his safety but he was perfectly fine.

I decided to hug them Both while they leaned in so I could hug 🫂 them and say "Thank You"

I basically hug 🫂 them while I'm still being held by red Spy in his Arms, everyone was happy.

After that my Dream Ended, it was very nice...

It showed how wonderful the TF2 Community is and my experiences playing the Game 🎮 in the Past. I usually play as Medic in TF2 and I'm not a Pro at it, but I still enjoyed playing as Him.

That's my Story, do u guys had any Dreams of any TF2 Characters?

I would like to hear about them if u decide to share in the Comments.

[seasaltmemories]

Top AMVs of 2024 - 30 - 21

A more in-depth breakdown of what I am doing can be found here, but if you just want to get to the main entries then:

30. Cuff It by uv catastrophe (fray-adjacent)

Audio: Cuff It by Beyoncé

Visuals: Reunion: The Sound of the Providence

There are two words that best sum up this vid: fun and flirty. The source material seems concerned with a grand adventure of some kind, but this vid is more focused on the journey and small bits in between the action set-pieces.

Each member of the trio gets loving focus for a verse. Lots of attention is given to hitting all the sexual innuendos of the song, with my fave moment being the intense close ups of a hand tracing the outlines of a wall for a more innocent type of opening. The editing is similarly loose and relaxed while keeping the pacing engaging and energized. This is one of my favorite types of tribute because it is so easy just to see what individual moments and expressions the editor themselves loves. By the end, I was just as charmed with this polycule as I expect the fans are.

29. Pink Friday by FallChild42

Audio: Friday Night from The Yakuza 0 Soundtrack

Visuals: Revolutionary Girl Utena

I participated in an MMV exchange this summer, and there were so many cool and creative vids made for it, so beware this is just the first off the list. I know FallChild42/Dr. Dinosaur for his comedy vids and only heard a few stray comments about what he had planned for his giftee, so I didn’t know what to expect. But it certainly wasn’t for him to go all out for a motions graphics lyric video.

Utena and Yakuza are two series I love, but I never thought to cross them like this until he pulled it off. Suddenly I was like, “yes Utena deserves all the fun friday night parties, yes please.” The editing is both professional and slick, yet expressive and charming (especially with her little dance). A lot of the fun from exchanges is watching friends go the extra mile for each other. With such impressive tech work and clear joy and affection for his frequent collaborator/friend Ileia, it is difficult to walk away form this vid without a smile.

28. Bonnie & Clara by Camichan19

Audio: Runaway by Against the Current

Visuals: Princess Jellyfish

I came up in amv fandom from the side focused on making their paper dolls kiss (regardless if they interacted in canon or not), so I a sucker for just a good romance amv that knows what it is doing. And what do you know, Camichan19 is an expert in exactly that.

Pacing is one of those rarely spoken about, pretty vague elements of editing. You can use a metronome file or the waveform but when it comes down to choosing when and where to cut, especially on a scene by scene level, there’s only so much guidance anyone can give. Yet Camichan19 always seems like she knows exact the perfect place to make the cleanest cuts. Her smart and subtle scene selection in this vid specifically shines in how she is able to use Princess Jellyfish’s comedic moments for actually romantic development. This vid doesn’t make me laugh out loud, but it does make me smile in how it show that even these goofy slapstick moments do build something real and important between our two leads.

27. Transcend-Dandy Cha Cha Cha by Aqua Sky Productions

Audio: Transcendental Cha Cha Cha by Tom Cardy

Visuals: Space Dandy

Tom Cardy has been supplying a good portion of the amv community’s comedy audio for the past few years now. Honestly, you could make a panel purely of Tom Cardy amvs, and a part of me is worried the bubble is gonna burst before I can get my own ideas out. When his new album dropped with its own animated music video for this song, a part of me imagined it was some sort of challenge on his part to see how a inter-dimension dance party could get reinterpreted as anything else. But Aqua Sky Productions rose up to that challenge and knocked it out of the park. Of all the lyric sync I expected in this vid, I was not expecting the “french dandy” line to get something.

But most of all, I admire she was able to capture the over-the-top party attitude without simply recreating the original mv. In contrast to its existential horror, Aqua has most of the characters role with the punches as long as they have a place to rave. It’s more tongue-in-cheek in comparison to most dance vids, but the more lowkey humor makes it a fun party anyone feels like they could join.

26. MEDUSA by JAKEH (CW: Sexual Assault)

Audio: Follow You Into the Dark from Alan Wake II Soundtrack

Visuals: Heavenly Delusion + Multisource

I say this not to disparage any of the many dedicated coordinators we have in our community, but I feel like we’re still in the figuring out stage of grappling with amvs focused on more heavy and sensitive topics. Considering the public nature of much of the con circuit it is understandable to limit showings to all ages material, and I understand staff that does not feel equipped or does not want to engage with such topics for personal reasons. Still even in NFSW spaces, sexual assault tends to be the one line drawn (probably because going from horny hentai shenanigans to that and back is a hell of a tone whiplash). I like to emphasize that the con circuit is not the end all be all of amvs, and several people involved in the space (including myself) have taken the time to tackle the subject. However, it feels like many vids that want to seriously grapple with it are forced to live in the dark.

All this to say, if you care about grounded depictions of sexual violence, then MEDUSA is one of the best amvs tackling the subject around. Where it shines is not just communicating the literal events, but representing the feelings of our protagonist. After the drop we get gorgeous composition and composition filled with rage, grief, and profound bodily alienation. I don’t believe the most sensitive depictions are the ones that are the least explicit like some folks, but there is a lot more power and creative control for JAKEH by going this abstract route in a visual medium like amvs.

The ending itself also really gets at the reality of the subject for most victims. While our protagonist does get relief and release in the comfort and support of their loved one, there is also the harsh reality of having to live with the knowledge their assailant is likely simply living their life without any comparable consequences. It’s a harsh truth too many survivors have to face, but in the end, it is this vid’s unflinching stare head on at the subject that gives its dignity and weight.

25. Welcome to the Glam Dungeon🔥👄 by Abyssbreaking Studios

Audio: The Glam Kitchen 🔥👄 Sopita de coditos by Shiadanni

Visuals: Dungeon Meshi

Who’s hungry for a bite? This amv is not my first encounter with the glam kitchen, but I was nervous about the audio would translate for a vid, as most of the humor comes from the delivery of a dramatic Mexican diva.

The solution, make the delivery of the audio through the text part of the joke. While Kia doesn’t skimp out on adding jokes in through Marcille’s funniest moments, her subtitles are the star of the show. There legible and easy to read while having plenty of cute and charming flourishes (my fave is the custom Falin emoji). Overall it recreates the fun of many viral cooking videos, basking in the vibes and energy as the real work goes on in the background, in a way I didn’t imagine possible in the form of an amv. Kia’s enthusiasm and energy overall cooks up a tasty treat for us viewers.

24. a heart’s a heavy burden by Biotic

Audio: Medusa by Kailee Morgue

Visuals: Fruits Basket 2019

Rin is one of my faves of Fruits Basket and I’ve adored this particular song for years. The only way a vid with this combo could be more up my alley is if a creative editor like the BioticAMVS was the one to edit with it. Really no matter what source she works with, Biotic always adds her own unique compositions and visual flair to create amvs with very particular singular visions.

And as a fan of the sources, I really love the extra meaning created here. It is telling that the positive memories are layered in a mosaic-like haze, once good ones are shattered, broken, and ruined while the only thing Rin sees clearly is her own pain. Casting Tohru as “Medusa,” the figure that turns her to stone, is such an interesting choice that demonstrates just how much what it is that paralyzes her is something internal as much as her external circumstances. It is a nice treat for fans, but wrapped up in tight sync that can be enjoyed by anyone.

23. Curtain Call - by BanjoKazooie64Fan (James Blond)

Audio: When the Curtain Falls by Tessa Violet

Visuals: Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue is one of those intensely iconic pieces of art the imagery takes a life of its own. But rather than focus on stalkers and doppelgangers, James took the time to focus in on Perfect Blue lady’s quiet loneliness.

It is a unique and creative take on the source, as most Perfect Blue amvs aren’t all that character focused, (and even after watching the movie less than 3 years ago, she is still “Perfect Blue lady” in my head) but it is one that works wonders. By cutting out most of the thriller elements, it really emphasizes how even before the bodies started piling up, this was a young vulnerable woman getting eaten up by the industry with seemingly no support system at all. The scene of her fantasizing about talking with friends over near silence at 0:56 is so powerful in its dissonance, emphasizing how it really is a fantasy since it “breaks” most amv rules. I also like the cut of her staring blankly in the middle of directing the night club scene at 1:56. There is this running theme of almost watching life happen to other people around her, pulling so much depth and emotion I am not used to feeling about a character at all.

22. Retro Never Ends by Roseclipse AMV (Ophelia)

Audio: World on Wheels by Duckwrth

Visuals: Yu Yu Hakusho

Last year, a studio by the name AMV Clamp (since then renamed Roseclipse AMV) came on to the scene with killer taste in anime and a strong editing voice/style. They were my rookies of the year for 2023, with Ophelia being a particular prevalent member. I loved her mmv work last year, so when she participated in the summer mmv exchange I mentioned earlier, I was excited to see what she would pull together.

With its bright color palette and paper edge borders, Retro Never Ends oozes style. For a medium where ever inch of movement is costing you loads of time and effort, the vid is so energetic, lively, and slick. There are so many great standout motions, such as the flying animation at 0:31 and the Botan mask at 0:47, but a more subtle element I admire is how Ophelia is not afraid to play with the aspect ratio. At moments like 0:16 and 0:42, you can clear see the edges of the original manga panels. But the brisk pace and smart scene composition turns the negative space from a distraction and into another nice visual flourish. Frankly when it comes to amount of polished tech work per a frame, this vid might get you some of the best bang for your buck on this list.

21. First Measure by Xophilarus

Audio: Magik Mike - Shake If Off but Taylor Swift stays up WAY too late (Shake Off Those Notes), Shittyflute - Love Story, Tom Wallace's arrangement of Shake It Off.

Visuals: Hibike Euphorium

I don’t know when “Shake It Off” became the default Taylor Swift meme song, but I’ll never get tired of “nothing in my brain,” as a punchline. Xophilarus’ commitment to the bit here is to be admired. They are dedicated to syncing every off note, using ever zoom, speed ramp, or flourish to accentuate some truly awful musical moments.

And while for some folks, two and a half minutes of that might be more grating than entertaining, what really ties it together for me is the underlining story-line of these kids trying to put on a half decent performance. I’m not used to getting emotionally invested in comedy amvs, but it is funnier and more compelling to highlight these smiling cheerful faces thinking they absolutely nailed it while the crowd looks on in horror. While their eventual triumph is still tongue in cheek, I genuinely felt proud of them.

[hunterwritesstuff]

Can we get some shit post /crack headcanons of Joey? Not ship stuff just. Joey

I HAVE SO MANY YOU HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE

✏️ Joey hates summer. loves the fireworks, hates the heat.

✏️ he has ONE SINGLE SCAR. THIS IS FROM HIS BROTHER THROWING A FUCKING ROCK AT HIM AS A CHILD.

✏️ Joey doesn't believe in pancakes. he thinks having pancakes for breakfast is an affront to God. He like waffles more since it contains syrup better.

✏️ fucking hates oatmeal. he doesn't like how lumpy it feels :(

✏️ if he smells one of those fucking. gym ball things, he WILL DUCK FOR COVER. YOU KNOW, THE KIND USED FOR DODGEBALL.

✏️ he EXCLUSIVELY USES paper plates. he hates doing dishes.

✏️ Joey was a menace in high school, he used to hide in the lockers to scare people passing by.

✏️ He once had to sleep in his treehouse outside, this was because he had a cookie dough ball fight with his brother when he was ten.

✏️ He has an affinity for finding all of the plants he's fucking allergic to.

✏️ His emotions are shown through his smiles.

✏️ This is his "Henry don't leave me here smile"

✏️ someone help this poor man.

✏️ He has severe thalassophobia. He has no reason to have this fear. If you showed this man Subnautica, he would be sobbing within seconds.

✏️ He loves puzzles but is never allowed to do them. This is due to his habit of eating the pieces. you dumb whore. those are not potato chips.

✏️ He is not allowed to drink. He got drunk at a college party once and somehow ended up in a whole other state. nobody knows how this happened. He also ate a rock.

✏️ He does not like birds very much. One screamed at him in a pet store when he was six, and he holds a grudge against them to this day because of it.

✏️ He had a weed brownie once. That's how all the characters from the nightmare run cast came to be.

✏️ He's picky about his cough syrup. NEVER LET THIS MAN BE SICK AROUND YOU, IF YOU VALUE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH.

✏️ If he could play the sonic games from nowadays, his favorite character would unironically be Vector, as crocodiles are his favorite animal.

✏️ As a kid, he tried to exclusively eat cucumber sandwiches. Now, he has a firm disdain for them, as he feels he "ate his lifetime supply of those fuckers as a child, now I don't need to ever have one again.".

✏️ He's a slut for chocolate chip cookies. Henry tried tricking him with a raisin cookie by telling him it was a chocolate chip cookie. That is the first time Joey drew blood.

✏️ He would have eaten play-doh.

✏️ He likes squirrels. He thinks they sound funny.

✏️ His favorite dinosaur is the brachiosaurus. If you don't know it by name, it would be better known by the name given in Land Before Time, being Longnecks.

✏️ He's basically Henry's worst nightmare. Henry was raised catholic. Joey(outside of a work setting, obviously) will make sex jokes at the drop of a hat. can we get an F in the chat for Henry.

✏️ He fucks around with those artist dolls. He has no reason for this. He just likes doing it.

✏️ He wasn't well liked as a child. This was due to whenever he was invited to play house with the other kids, it would go the divorce route. Nobody liked Joey. Poor Joey.

✏️ He had to go to the hospital a lot as a child. He broke a lot of bones. He did this mostly to get out of school. He is not very smart.

✏️ He prefers pure chocolate to chocolate with nuts in it, since, "I prefer my chocolate without nuts, since it makes my teeth hurt when it has nuts in it.".

✏️ He has a knight helmet. He will wear it around the house.

✏️ To help him remember to do his nightly routine, he has his old teddy bear do it alongside him. If he can't find him to do it with him, he isn't doing it. What if he forgets a step?!

✏️ His first Norman jumpscare was when the lights went out due to a power outage. Joey just saw a disembodied hand hand him a candle. Joey passed out.

[magpiedminx]

A mom on a local group posted that her 8-year-old was having a birthday party and all his friends had bailed on him (illness, etc) do any of the moms in the group with kids that age group wanna come round for pizza, cake, and Disney movies they've probably seen 500 times already. I said I have no kids, but happy to draw his favourite animal for him. (I was expecting a dinosaur) .. she said he loves orange cats. Okay, orange cat it is! That's when I discovered that, along with my laptop charger, I'd forgotten 90% of my art supplies. It's a bit rough, but I got it done with 11% charge left!

[sleepyselkiesims]

Part 29

Ellis just could not believe this... person was really moving in with them.

From the second the party had ended and they're returned home, Alexa had held Ellis captive with endless small talk and complaints.

She just went on and on, with an unending supply of grievances and Ellis was so sick of it. No way could he handle this as a housemate!

According to Alexa, they wouldn't be sharing a home for long. She would share her home with her husband and her husband only! The other two would have to clear out.

That made Ellis truly recoil. It had never crossed his mind that he would ever be separated from his twin. They were bonded in a way no other Queen twin had been. To live apart was just... unthinkable.

Really in the end, it was up to Andre. And Ellis was pretty sure his twin wanted to stay together too. Alexa would just have to live with it.

Alexa was pretty sure he wouldn't. Andre cared about making her happy, so if she wanted Ellis and Tyrone out, they'd be out.

Now that got Ellis uncharacteristically mad. He could stick up for himself just fine, but this lady wanted to kick out a child?? Who had nothing but his brothers?? Who Andre loved more than anything??

Alexa reached her breaking point then. Andre loved her more than anything! And she absolutely could not live with Tyrone, or even her own future child!

That's when a certain fact about Alexa came to light, that Andre may have liked to know a while ago.

Andre felt his whole world shake, as he finally pieced it together. He loved Alexa, and he loved their future child. This was such an insurmountable problem, he wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle it. But she'd already moved in, and the wedding was coming up.

It wasn't Alexa's fault she was the way she was. In other world, she was quite fond of the kid, both Tyrone and her own. Maybe in this world, she could find it in her heart to at least tolerate them.

Nope, first thing she did once she moved in was pummel the living daylights out of the dear dinosaur. Her hatred for children seemed to be near insurmountable.

Tyrone walked in on the horrible sight, and the benevolent god expected tears and more shouting. But Tyrone seemed remarkably fine with the whole thing.

Decisions would have to be made. But for now, the only thing that could be done was decide who slept where. And Alexa and Andre still loved each other, and wanted to spend their first night together.

Poor Ellis got the short straw, as they took over his precious room, and left him struggling with an upper bunk.

Bonus

The sassy gay vibes got me

[pokefancar2525]

Emotional Shopping for Baby Stuff

Shopping Day! Here is a list of items you need for the baby emotionlings: diapers, baby food, milk formula, baby wipes, baby powder, baby shampoo, bubble bath soap, baby clothes, toys, crafts and arts and snacks.

Diaper stuff 🧷: if you run out of diapers, there are either more in the diaper bag or you buy some more at a store. You could get any colors and patterns the kids like; blue and teal for boys and pink and purple for girls and white for both. You should get a few packs of diapers, a couple packs of baby wipes and a couple of baby powders.

Baby food 🥝: Here is an assortment of baby food at the baby stuff aisle. Well, I don't think baby Disgust will agree for mushy peas or broccoli 🥦 because she will spit it out if she eats it, baby Anxiety and baby Envy would smear the puree like finger painting, baby Anger will throw his bowl of puree at you, on the floor and across the room, and even baby Ennui would prefer the prune puree instead of the other kinds.

Baby Formula 🍼: And also you could get some baby formula instead of cow's milk to pour into the bottles and add warm water in them. And please don't leave the bottles out because the formula will go bad and the babies will be sick if they drink the expired formula. Buy some baby bottles and sippy cups, too.

Baby toys 🧸🪀🖍️: baby Ennui loves to play the ones with batteries on them; but if the battery inside of a toy dies out, she'll get fussy and you have to buy those too. Baby Anxiety, baby Joy, and baby Envy loved finger painting and you can get some building blocks, LEGOs, shape blocks, and ABC blocks for the kiddos, including baby Anger who loves to crash and ram into the blocks and play with the LEGOs. Baby Disgust and baby Envy play with the dolls for tea parties, and baby Embarrassment, baby Fear, and baby Sadness love to snuggle with stuffed animals. Baby Anger loves playing with toy cars, toy dinosaurs, and toy planes while baby Embarrassment likes to play with toy trains. You would buy a bouncy ball as well.

Baby bath supplies 🫧🧼: don't forget to buy some more baby shampoo and bubble baths for the little emotionlings to take baths.

[bountyhaunter]

TIMING: Early august, before Daiyu got injured. PARTIES: @loftylockjaw & @bountyhaunter LOCATION: 12 Mudpuppy Point SUMMARY: Remember when Daiyu saved Wyatt's location for later use? She's come to collect. CONTENT: None

There was something very strange about a lamia living so close to her. Relatively close, of course, as the homes in the Pines were scattered and it wasn’t quite like they’d be invited to the same neighborhood barbecue, but still — Daiyu was able to simply start her trek from her own home and walk in the direction of the location pin she’d saved a while back. All in all it was a nice walk, deceptively peaceful as a breeze passed through the trees and the sun shone brightly. She almost found herself humming a song — almost.

It was a strange hunt, this one. The lamia she was after was a pretty funny guy, after all, and it sucked entirely that he’d made her laugh online. Still, the prize connected to his bounty was louder than whatever hesitation she felt, especially now that she'd lost the steady income the Good Neighbors had brought. It was easy, if you removed your heart: Wyatt the lamia would supply most of her rent for the month.

She was observing the other from her bushes, not a large fan of this battleground but not feeling too badly either. It seemed he had a well-stocked kitchen, so maybe she’d be able to get something more out of this — though that wasn’t her most pressing issue. The lamia was splayed out in the sun, reptilian skin baking in the rays. It was large. Really large. The bounty listing had failed to mention that. Daiyu had expected a large alligator, not a fucking dinosaur-esque creature. 

But a challenge was always met. It also felt a little less shitty to ambush someone in their home when they were in their literal, man-eating monster form. So she aimed her crossbow from her bush and shot one of her bolts towards the other, wanting to get his calf so she’d immobilize him. 

—

It was tummy time, now that the weather had swung in the direction he preferred—hot and humid, thanks to all the rainstorms lately. He was laying on his back on the dock attached to his property, tail flopped over the side and draped in the cool lakewater. His posture was similar to that of a dog’s, legs and arms half-folded and hovering in the air above him, the claws of his hands and feet flexing slowly like a cat making biscuits as he enjoyed the heat of the sun on his slightly softer underside. 

Then there was a weird noise, one he wasn’t familiar with. His head jerked to one side, but before he could make sense of anything, there was pain ripping through his leg. The lamia roared angrily, flipping himself quickly over and into the water. The splash was sizable, and Wyatt used the dock as cover as he tried to figure out where the fuck that had come from. His yellow eyes scanned the bushes lining the property, but he didn’t see anything. Relying on his heat vision instead, he quickly located the intruder. Rage boiled just beneath the surface but the lamia stayed where he was, waiting for them to move first and show themselves. They wouldn’t be able to outrun him once he started the chase.

—

Well, that was unfortunate. Daiyu watched as the alligatorian creature dropped into the water with a large splash. He fell out of her line of sight as ripples spread and though sure, she had hunted in water before, she wasn’t exactly thrilled about shooting her precious bolts into the water where they’d all sink. Never mind that aiming was made considerably harder when water played tricks on her eyes.

For a moment it seemed they were staring at each other, yellow eyes aimed at the bush she was in and she peering back through the branches. She was reminded of the crocodile in Peter Pan and wondered if that made her captain Hook — she wouldn’t mind a pirate ship of her own, in all truth. Even if it made her the villain. (Arguably the crocodile was a villain also, though.)

But she had no ship and so she inched forward after placing another bolt onto her bow. She moved to her full (not very impressive) height and took aim, head popping out of the branches as she shot her bolt, this time aiming for the space right between the two unnatural yellow eyes.

—

Holding still, Wyatt looked for all the world like a log in the lake. If you discounted the eyes, of course, which his attacker had not. He watched as they popped up out of the brush, and felt his throat constrict. Daiyu? Aw, man… He’d liked her, and she was a fuckin’ ranger? Of course she was. His life was nothing if not a cosmic goddamn joke. She stood, took aim, and fired again. The gator closed his eyes and dipped his head underwater, which meant the bolt missed his head, but instead buried itself painfully in his back. 

He thrashed, knocking against the legs of the dock as the water around him turned red. Fuck, fuck. Whatever that thing had been tipped with was enough to get through his tough natural armor, which he now realized he might rely too heavily on. He’d never been hunted by a ranger that ever had the upper hand before. With a loud hiss, the shifter scrambled toward the lake’s edge and out of the water on two legs, his nine foot stature somewhat diminished as he hunched over in pain. 

“Goddamn, woman! You eat lunch with a guy n’ repay him like this?!” he hollered, dropping onto all fours and letting out another agonized groan that sounded a bit like a roar. “The fuck did I do to you?!”

—

Her family was naturally predisposed to hunt lamia. It made sense, in a way. Cold blooded creatures going after cold blooded creatures. Never mind the way Daiyu had been convinced as a child that her family was cursed, too, just as those of lamia's were … and admittedly that belief had never truly faded. Her family's curse made it so that this was her method of income, which was much better than being cursed to be a big alligator who had to eat humans whole. Not even she, with her insatiable appetite, was curious about how humans tasted. 

This was the order of things: the bolt whizzing towards him, family traditions or curses making Wyatt and her opposing chess pieces. It ripped through its leathery hide and she felt the rush of satisfaction that came with hitting a target, even if she had failed to hit him properly. A lethal shot between the eyes would make all this easier and faster, but alas. 

So in stead the dinosaur-esque creature yelled in that very human voice, referencing the meal they'd shared at the strange sandwich club. “It's more about what you did to others, though I guess they're too dead and digested to talk to you about it now,” she retorted, loading another bolt on her crossbow, “People really want you dead for that.” This was a little bit like Jurassic Park, she figured. “Willing to pay a little penny for it. You should be more picky with your dinners, I guess.” 

—

What in the hell was she talking about? Sure, yeah, he ate people — but this seemed specific. Targeted. Someone had put a bounty on his head? He would have felt proud if not for the bolt buried in his back. 

… okay, no, he still managed to feel the pride as it acted as a slight balm against the pain.

Think, Barlow. Who did you eat that would have people bold enough — and in the know enough — to sic a hunter on you? Wyatt held out a clawed hand. “Hang on, hang on! Just… who's payin’ the reward, ah? I can pay you more to leave me be and get rid of that postin’.” That was… only kind of true. Depended on how much it was, really. He might have to do some back-to-back fights in order to pay it off all at once, but that was better than dying, right? Right. “I eat bad people, yanno.” Another half-truth. “I…” He was stalling, trying to remember past meals. The only one he could think of that might have the cajones for it and would know that he was the one that'd eaten someone they knew was… fuck. That idiot he let get away. The ones attacking Finn. Of course this was the penance the universe saw fit for helping fuckin’ Finn out. 

—

Though Daiyu knew it was easier to not argue with her hunting targets, she was very bad at not doing it. It was hard, to be cursed with a mouth that ran miles around most others. Maybe all the action movies with bad dialogue were to be blamed. 

But she was rendered speechless for a moment. Not because Wyatt was talking about only eating bad people – this was a classic thing shifters said when backed into a corner – but the thing he said about paying her the reward. What a strange offer. The bolt clicked in place and she straightened to her full height (which was usually unimpressive, but especially so compared to the lamia). 

Bounty hunting was straightforward and she liked it because of it. You hunted something. Delivered proof of success. Got your bag. Didn't look back. There was no need for trying to find the bad ones or the deserving ones, there was just the money. Money talked. Just like Wyatt talked. 

It was weak to admit that there was a part of her that was conflicted. It was not a permissible emotion, after all. But it was conflicting, when the person you were trying to murder was not only a target, but a really funny guy. And to Daiyu, being funny was a very important quality in others, as life needed embellishment and good distraction. She cocked her head slightly, looking like a confused dog. Confused, that was better than conflicted. “That's … confidential. But they're willing to blow a thousand green dollars on you,” she said, “Can you overbid 'em?” 

—

A thousand? Fuck's sake. He'd already eaten through most of his savings, but he had about half of that ready to go. And he needed to pay her more than that, otherwise why should she bother? He was already playing a shittier hand, having to ask her to wait to collect. It needed to be worth it.

“I'll double it if you give me some time to get it together,” Wyatt groaned, sinking to the ground, the throbbing pain from the foreign object lodged so close to his spine becoming too much to bear. “I'm good for it. Work in a fighting ring. Can take on more dangerous opponents, earn more money. Just need… some time.” He was quiet for a moment, the only sound his labored breathing. As much as he hated to ask for help… “I'll throw in an extra five hundred if you pull this thing out for me,” he offered, unsure if he'd have the strength to make it to Masami with this bolt still stuck where it was. 

—

If she were a better hunter or Volkov she'd not hesitate a moment longer and pull the trigger, making use of the immobilized state of the lamia and ending its life. But Daiyu wasn't a very good Volkov and no one could agree what made a good hunter anyway, so she disregarded it. At the end of the day, she was a bounty hunter. She'd just found a better bounty. 

And Wyatt said something mildly alarming. Fighting ring. She remembered the Grit Pit with great clarity, as well as the way she'd kicked up a mild storm there before storming out herself. If she were a good Volkov, she'd see the potential in this large beast, but she wasn't. She just felt distaste. Remembered twitchy Felix and her own complicated feelings. “I can do two thousand,” she said, lowering her crossbow. It seemed Wyatt was set on making weird requests. Asking your assaillant to help with the injury she gave you was … well, strange. Did he have no pride? Was he so destitute? Pathetic was a fitting word, if she was speaking in the language of her family. Another option was that he was just trying to lure her closer so he could sink those teeth in her flesh. If that was the case, Daiyu refused to be scared of a wounded dinosaur. “Alright man, deal.” She disarmed her crossbow and slipped the strap back over her body. As she trudged over, circling around the water and towards the creature. Once she arrived, a knife was in her hand — because she wasn't stupid enough to get killed by her own (former) target. The fingers not occupied by a weapon wrapped themselves around the bolt, “One, two —” She pulled it out before saying three. Like ripping off a band aid when the other least expected it, “Three. There ya go!”  

The bolt was tossed into the water, no glance spared at the wound. Daiyu was quick to back off, moving into the cover of the green. “I'll give you four weeks.” Seemed fair enough. “And I know where you live and work now, so don't get smart.” 

—

He hadn't considered the fact that she might not want to get close to him, concerned mostly about the fact that he couldn't reach the weapon in his back, and the way it was making his legs start to feel numb. All the same, he was still as she approached, noticing the knife in her hand and figuring it was fair. His mouth was full of them. 

Letting out a loud, long hiss of relief as she ripped the bolt out of his flesh, the lamia shuddered and felt the tingling in his limbs and figured it was a good thing. “Much obliged,” he grumbled, not making any attempts to move just yet. Blood seeped from the wound, trickling in small rivers between his scales down his back and sides. 

“Four weeks. Got it. You'll have your money. Come here to collect.” He watched her retreat, and it wasn’t until she was out of range completely that he finally lifted himself up off the ground and started to drag himself up the deck stairs. He needed to shift and get dressed, and get his ass to the doc, preferably before bleeding out. 

[maraa755]

Ch. 4, Monday

'My Marauders' Masterlist General Masterlist Read On Wattpad - Here!

Pairings: J.P., R.L., S.B. x OC Warnings: N/A Word Count: 2.2k

Calliope strolled up to her shared room, eager to recount the day's events to a hopefully awake Cassandra.

She opened the door lightly and crept into her room, spotting a fully awake Cassandra sitting on the floor, engrossed in what she believed was Muggle Studies homework. A sigh escaped Calliope's lips as she tossed two bread rolls and a few pieces of various vegetables, wrapped in a cloth, across to her friend.

"Ugh, Callie. No meat?" the blonde groaned jokingly, flexing her bicep muscles at Calliope. "You know I need to get my protein in! Quidditch practice 'morrow."

"You're fine," Calliope laughed faintly. "Be grateful, Oakes."

The witch slipped behind the room divider and changed into pajamas. "You just woke up?"

"Mhm. Quidditch practice has been kicking my ass. Last night didn't help. Now I've got assignments to catch up on," Cassandra lamented, her voice tinged with exhaustion.

"My poor baby," Cal said, feigning whatever empathy she could muster up.

"Shut up, Callie."

The witch threw her dirty clothes into the hamper beside their door and flopped down beside her roommate. "Want some help?" she asked, resting her head on the green-eyed girl's shoulder.

"But you don't take Muggle Studies?"

A laugh escaped her mouth. "Yeah, but you're forgetting I'm Muggle-born."

"Oh, right!"

Cass wasn't a pure-blood. She was a half-blood, with a muggle mother who had passed away when she was three. The subject weighed heavily on her heart, and aside from Calliope, not many people knew.

She grabbed her quill and prepared to write down the descriptions of the muggle devices on her paper. "So, a rad-eh-oh, what's up with it?"

"A radio is a device that works like a record player—you know, like the one we have in the common room—but you don't need a fancy little record to listen to a song."

"Ahh, inventive..." she quickly scribbled down her answer. "Oh! A car! I know that one!"

Calliope nodded. "Yeah, those are fairly common over here too."

After a few more minutes, they got through the blonde's entire sheet. With a sigh of relief and a giggle from Cal, she packed up her supplies. "Damn you, Muggles, for making me learn this."

"Blame bloody Professor Penrose," Cal agreed with a chuckle.

"Damn you, Penrose!"

The girls chatted about Cassandra's dreams while she was knocked out for several hours. The only dream she could recall involved being a dinosaur caretaker and specialist, where she promptly had her hand bitten off.

"So, what did you get up to, Miss Cal?"

Calliope groaned and launched into her day. "You know Alice? Frank's girl, the Gryffindor."

"Mhm, mhm." Cass listens.

"And Lily Potter."

"Of course."

She explained how she went to see James and recounted the events that happened, focusing on how Fortescue tried to belittle her behind her back in an attempt to make her ginger friend feel better.

"That fuckin' bitch!" Cassandra exclaimed, her voice laced with anger.

"I know!" Calliope replied.

"What did you do then?"

"Hugged James right in front of them," Calliope stated proudly.

"Guess his 'standards' disappeared pretty fast," Cass chuckled, playfully prodding Calliope's side with her elbow.

"Guess so! Didn't even spare a look at his precious 'Lily flower'," Calliope said with a smirk, mocking the nickname.

"The price of shit-talking," Cass shrugged. "She should've been watching her man instead."

"I feel kinda bad for Lily, though. I mean, I dunno. If that were you and I, you know we would've shit-talked too," Calliope admitted with a grin.

"Sure, but that's us, Callie. We're classy 'bout it," Cass chuckled.

"I don't know about that one..." Cal giggled lightly.

The girls continued chatting about the situation for a while longer, now lounging on their respective beds. Before heading to bed, Calliope realized she had forgotten to tell Cass about one more thing—the party.

"Wait, Cassie!"

"Huh?" Cass said, turning from one side to the other to face the girl across from her.

"I have to throw a party. In the Gryffindor common room," Calliope stated matter-of-factly.

"What the hell? Why?" Cass asked, clearly surprised.

"I lost hide 'n seek, remember?"

"That's your punishment? Damn, dude, good luck. You hate parties," the blonde said, starting to turn back to her original position.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Help me, please?"

"Cal! C'mon..."

Cassandra hesitated, her expression caught between amusement and reluctance as she considered Calliope's plea.

"Please, Cass. I'll make sure McLaggen is there!" Calliope pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation.

Cassandra sighed, torn between annoyance and affection for her friend. "Fine, but you owe me big time."

"Thanks, Cass! You're the best! G'night, love ya!"

"...Love you too," Cass muttered with a half-hearted smile, resigned to her fate of helping Cal with a party she wasn't thrilled about.

Morning came and the weekend was finally over. This meant the witch's classes commenced, and she had to attend detention. She had secretly hoped to get at least one detention with one of the boys, or hopefully all of them, but McGonagall knew better than to put them together.

Calliope rubbed her dreary eyes as she adjusted to the sunlight streaming in through her thin curtains.

She looked over towards her roommate's side, only to find strewn pillows and blankets covering the length of her bed. Has Cass already gotten up?

The girl, now slightly panicked at the thought of being late, looked at the clock in her room. It was quarter past seven. She wasn't late yet, but she only had about an hour to get down to breakfast and eat.

She quickly got ready for the day, gathering her books for today's classes: Potions with Slughorn, flying lessons with Hooch, Herbology with Sprout, and a passing period. It seemed like a simple enough day ahead.

Upon entering the Great Hall, she spotted Peter and Remus. Assuming Cassandra might be with her Quidditch friends elsewhere, and the two missing Marauders were likely still sleeping, she strolled over to join the boys.

"Morning," She smiles softly.

She received small greetings in return as she took the seat beside Remus.

"Where are the rest of the boys?" she asked, fixing her plate.

"Both are still asleep," Remus stated as he gently set his book down. "Suppose they should be getting up soon."

"Moony, I'll go wake 'em up," Peter squeaked out, earning an appreciative "thanks" from Remus.

Peter rushed up, quickly putting his napkin and utensils on his plate before hurrying off to wake the other boys.

"You know he's got himself a little girlfriend?" Remus spoke, a proud look on his face.

"Pete? Really?" Calliope said suspiciously. She wasn't questioning his looks—she found her friend to be a cute kid—but he wasn't the best with ladies. Besides Calliope, he found it extremely hard to converse with women.

"Mhm, a sixth-year student in Hufflepuff. It's actually quite cute," Remus replied with a smile.

"He let you all meet her?" Calliope asked.

"Absolutely not. He doesn't know we know. Sirius went through his journal thinking it was astronomy notes. James and I had to pry the damn diary from his hands," Remus explained, shaking her head incredulously.

A small laugh escaped both of them.

An idea flashed through Calliope's head. "Hey! Maybe I'll invite her to the party."

"That's a good idea, Calli," Remus smiled gently. "Perhaps we can help push their relationship farther? Break the ice a bit?"

Calliope responded with a nod and a smile.

Suddenly, the doors of the hall slammed open and three figures emerged: James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. Calliope and Remus exchanged a quick, amused glance. The tired men took their seats across from Remus and Cal, with Peter following suit. They lazily piled food onto their plates, grumbling small greetings.

"Tired?" Calliope asks teasingly.

"What does it look like?" James replied in an overly sassy tone, while Sirius nodded his head slowly in agreement.

She rolled her eyes at his attitude, and Remus put a comforting hand on her back, gently rubbing up and down.

"They yelled at me when I woke them up," Peter stated with a hint of indignation.

"Awh, Pete," Calliope said sympathetically, while the boy sitting next to her suppressed a small laugh.

"Don't baby him, Cal..." Sirius began, pulling his shirt up to reveal a large red mark across his torso. "He cast Glacius on our blankets. Fucking freezing."

The remaining teachers in the Great Hall regarded Sirius Black's actions with perplexed expressions, unaware of the circumstances that drove his behavior.

James shook his head and fixed a stern gaze on the blonde boy.

A sly smile crept onto Peter's lips as he glanced down at his shoes.

"Peter!" Calliope exclaimed with laughter.

The two lazy boys finished their food, their previous moods now subsided. Everyone prepared to depart for their first-period classes. Calliope was fortunate to have James, Remus, and Sirius in her advanced potions class, with James also joining her for flying lessons. However, she found herself alone in herbology.

They escorted Peter to his class before heading to Slughorn's room. Finding an empty potion station, they promptly took their places in front of each of the four small cauldrons.

"Wait, why are you and James in advanced potions?" Calliope questioned, aware of the boys' lackluster work ethic and doubts about whether they met the requirements for advanced potions. In her mind, there was no way they could have gotten in legitimately—unless they were copying off a certain scarred boy.

"Moony, of course!" Sirius exclaimed with a bright smile, while Remus rolled his eyes.

"Knew it," Cal thought to herself.

"Hey! Don't roll your eyes. We practically bribed you, Moony," James retorted.

Before Remus could retort, Slughorn walked in.

"Hello, class!" he greeted cheerfully, surveying the small group of students around him, no more than twelve in total. "Quite a small gathering today. That's alright though! More opportunity for each of you to shine, yes?"

He received no response, only a small cough from the farthest corner of the room. "Uhm," Slughorn cleared his throat, "Please fetch a book from the closet over there. Be responsible; these will be your books for the rest of the year."

Everyone made their way over to the closet, with everyone except James finding a perfectly suitable book.

James slammed his book down. "Come on! Mine is all torn apart. Switch with me, Pads," he practically demanded.

"Nah, mate. Should've been quicker," Sirius replied casually.

James examined the book further, declaring there was no name, just a literal bite mark on the opening page.

"Today, we will be reviewing simple potions that you've learned in the past and the instructions on how to make them!" Slughorn announces.

Everyone in the room exchanged puzzled glances with each other as Slughorn walked over to his desk, idly sitting in his chair and gazing out the window.

"Does he want us to go through our books?" Calliope asked, directing the question mostly to Remus.

"I'm not sure. He didn't say, did he?" Remus replied, equally unsure.

Before she could answer, Sirius interrupted, shouting towards Slughorn, "Professor! How would you like us to complete today's assignments?"

"Oh, uhm," he cleared his throat once again, "Just skim through your books and discuss your lessons amongst yourselves."

"Hear that? 'Talk amongst yourselves,' he said," James said, smiling.

"About the potions, Prongs," Remus states.

"Hush. That's not what I heard." Sirius adds.

"He's right, Rem. Might want to take a visit to Pomfrey; you're hearing things," Cal joked, agreeing with Sirius and James.

Remus shook his head lightly, taking out his book and skimming through the pages while also listening to the conversation.

"Hey, Jamie?" Calliope starts, staring at a certain redhead who is sitting in the corner alone.

Despite what she had heard the girl's friend say about her, Calliope felt pity seeing her sitting alone. She never wanted anyone to feel lonely. This was the same reason she had decided not to tell the boys about yesterday; Calliope wanted Lily and Alice to be on good terms with them.

"Hm?" James responded, his head resting lazily on his hand.

"How 'bout you go sit with Lily? You know she's all alone over there," Calliope suggested.

A sigh escaped his mouth as James looked back at the girl. "I'm done with Lily," he said firmly.

Gasps escaped from all of them, including Remus, who was flipping through various pages of his book.

"Prongs?! What a waste of so many years, mate!" Sirius practically shouted. "You could've been my wingman, but no. 'Lily Evans' this and 'Lily Evans' that!"

"Sirius, it's just not what I want anymore," James replied, his tone serious.

"James, really?" Calliope asked, gently putting a hand on his arm. "I'm happy for you if you're choosing to move on, but this is all very shocking."

"Yeah, really!" James confirmed. "Besides, this just means I have a chance of being with a woman who truly appreciates me." He looked up from his dusty, broken book and met Calliope's caring eyes. His gaze didn't falter until Sirius pulled on his sleeve.

"Prongs, does that mean you've got your eye on some bird?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"I mean, not necessarily," James admitted, avoiding making eye contact with Cal again.

"Mate, c'mon! We are looking for someone at Cal's party," Sirius urged enthusiastically.

"I want to just focus on myself, Pads," James replied.

"You haven't done that since first year," Remus remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I think that's a good idea, James," Calliope said warmly, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, darling," James replied with a soft smile, appreciating her support.

Remus and Sirius exchanged a confused look as potions continued swiftly. Soon, it was time for their second period: Flying.

"Yay," Calliope muttered sarcastically to herself.

Next

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[ask-karlachbear]

I'm a Virgo. I enjoy writing, reading and caring for animals. I'm currently studying to be a zoologist and help in animal conservation. I have a minor in Geology because I also like to learn about landscapes and evolution from dinosaurs to modern day. I'm not very good at expressing how I feel all the time and I'm a huge people pleaser. I'm kind of shy and have a hard time connecting with people especially if we don't have any friends or classes in common. I hate parties and I have pretty bad anxiety which can cause panic attacks where I cry and often last 15-20 mins because I'm terrible at dealing with them. Also might have ADHD but I'm not entirely sure.

But congrats on 100 followers!

Everypne will agree that @oakfathers-embrace would be your soulmate..

first of all because of your shared love for animals and nature, i bet he'd love to share his knowledge with you, give you little fun facts as you walk together, and showing you those secrets that only people who are in full connection with nature can know..

Since he's very attentive, he would learn very quickly of your hardship in expressing yourself, and he'd teach you tricks to make it easier for you to share your feelings, like using other means rather than words.. He would give you reality checks on people pleasing, sometimes even in the wrong moment, like when you are talking with someone, and you are definitely p.p., he'd just jump in and be like "my sun you dont need to try so hard to please them" RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER PERSON.. and im sure abt it cause mr nature here sometimes is so out of pocket.. anyways, he doesn't mind your shyness, actually he'd be pretty endeared by it.. he'd boost your confidence so much though, especially when it's just the two of you..

He's chill so he wont mind if you dont like partying, he'd actually enjoy quietness with you, if you want of course..

He'd learn your boundaries about anxiety, and he'd look for ways that can help you destress quickly and effectively.. but he'd also ask you about your triggers to make sure no one around you will make you uncomfortable.. one thing that he'd do to help you ground is sitting you in his lap, he'd rest your head on his chest and tell you to concentrate on the heartbeat.. he's just a teddy bear mhmh..

about the adhd he'd love to listen to you ramble about your hyperfixiations, and he'd support you in any of them, whether he's gotta buy 200 gp worth of art supplies or you gotta run every day at 5 am.. and ofc he'd help you find a healer to help you figure out if it's adhd or not, just so he can make sure he has proper accomodation for you..

like he will make sure you are treated as you deserve!!!!

(thank u so much<3)

[the-faramir]

Extinction Curse Session 2024/04/17 Part 1

As Midori knocked on the farmhouse door, she considered her frame of mind and demeanor. "Guys, should I be doing the talking? Is this a good idea?"

The rest of the team answered as one: "No."

Midori stepped back and Lysander, wearing his white porcelain mask to cover his skull face, stepped up to the door. A middle-aged human man came to answer. Lysander introduced the team. "Hello! We are the Circus of Wayward Wonders! We got rid of the dinosaurs accosting your farm. We were directed to your home as we were told that you may have enough fabric on hand to sew a new tent for us. You see, the old one burned down and we could really use a replacement."

The man answered, "Thank you for rescuing us. Fabric, you say? Did your circus tent burn down?"

"Coincidentally, yes," Lysander replied. "The xulgaths did."

"We didn't start the fire," Fizzarolli added.

Lysander started playing a repeating upbeat musical introduction on his lute in the key of G major and looked over at Midori as if to cue her.

"I'm not in the mood to sing." She stood, scowling with her arms crossed.

"Sure," the man replied as Lysander stopped playing, "we can get you what you need for a new tent. Come on in!"

The party entered the farmhouse to meet the rest of the Densirt family, a middle-aged woman who was the man's wife and a handful of children including two identical twin boys. Zookdar noticed that the twins wore matching painter's smocks with pockets full of paintbrushes and art supplies. "Oh, are you boys artists or something?"

"Yes, sir. We paint," they answered in unison.

The others discussed the details of the tent with Mr. and Mrs. Densirt, who said they could give the circus an even bigger tent with the canvas and other supplies on hand, but it would take a few days. The party was welcome to stay at the farmhouse and wait.

"Well, that sounds just fine," said Zookdar. "I tell you what. I'll go outside and butcher up enough steaks from those dinosaurs to feed us all! We'll leave you a supply and take the rest back to Willowside to help with the food shortage.

Zookdar went outside with Mr. Densirt to prepare triceratops steaks for dinner on the barbecue grill behind the farmhouse. Soon, they returned with a platter of large steaks.

At the dinner table, as the platter passed in front of a still-scowling Midori, she grabbed a 32-ounce ribeye with both hands. Growling and snarling, she tore into the meat without pausing to lift a fork or knife, muttering things such as "told you I'd kill you," and "devour your soul." The Densirt family watched, aghast.

Lysander implored her, "Stop! Stop! He's already dead!"

"Sorry, folks, she's had a rough couple of days," added Fizzarolli.

During dinner, the twins could not contain their curiosity about the circus, asking the party various questions. At one point, Zookdar asked them whether they had any talents that would be useful in a circus. "Yes, sir," they responded in unison.

The boy on the left continued, "My brother goes off to where he can't hear you talking."

The boy on the right picked up, "And my brother asks you for ideas of what I should draw."

The first boy finished, "And then he paints it for you!"

Zookdar asked if they could make a sign for the circus. The boy on the right went to a room on the other side of the house with his painting supplies, while the boy on the left stayed to talk to Zookdar. "What should he draw for you?"

Zookdar replied, "Draw a fat mustached cat with a monocle." Minutes later, the other twin returned with a painting just as requested. A few more examples of their painting prowess convinced Zookdar and the others of their talents.

"So, young gentlemen," Zookdar addressed the twins, "have you ever considered working at the circus? We certainly have a place for you if you want."

The twins excitedly agreed. "We are," one of them began.

"The Mystic Artists," the other finished.

Their mother, watching the interaction, gave her blessing. "We always knew their special talent would land them jobs one day. It warms my heart to know that they'll be in good company with a fine, upstanding group such as your circus. May they learn well and bring smiles to all who watch them across the land!

"Also," she continued as she grabbed a bag and emptied half of a roomful of art supplies onto the floor, "as an extra token of our appreciation, have this bag of holding."

Some days passed as the Densirts consulted with the party about the specifications of the replacement tent and worked on its construction. Finally, the tent—even bigger than the previous one—was ready! The Densirts presented the tent, and before they could finish speaking, Midori ran and dived into the cloth, wrapping herself up and cackling madly. "Ohhh, it has that new tent smell!" Some color returned to her fur.

The heroes loaded the tent and the remainder of the triceratops meat into their wagon and departed for Willowside once more, with Midori bouncing up and down happily in her seat the whole way.

The Mystic Artists image copyright © 2020 Paizo Inc.

[frankendykes-monster]

I've been eyeballing this set for 20 years:

Dino Research Compound (5987].

The Dino Research Compound is the pinnacle set for the third sub-theme of Adventurers, a pastiche of Indiana Jones. Adventurers is singled out fairly common now for being an example of how, had LEGO always had the opportunity to do licensed sets, they would have, and it gets worse with this sub-theme, Dino Island, getting Jurassic Park (1993) in on the mix.

Dino Island comes immediately after the Egypt and Jungle sub-themes of 1998 and 1999, coming to us in 2000, and sets itself apart by not taking place in a real world location nor concerning itself with the two factions, led by Johnny Thunder and Sam Sinister respectively, fighting over treasure hunting. I'm not sure how most Adventurers fans felt about this shift, but it's fine by me given how much it dials back on the colonialist concepts present at the forefront of the theme.

Dino Island sees the two parties trying to capture dinosaurs, but most of the sets in this sub-theme are stretched a bit thin to try and meet the new concept, as the majority of sets are vehicles with either no dinosaurs or a single Pteranodon or baby T-Rex present. The big multi-piece dinosaurs are saved for the most expensive sets, which is kind of a shame; you'd have to fork over a lot of money to get a T-Rex, but it's a practice that wouldn't stick around forever (see: LEGO Vikings presenting a smaller set with Fafnir so you could get a compromise if you couldn't afford the giant fort with Nidhogg).

This set specifically: we get the main compound, a bridge, a side build with a tree and some machinery, a plane, a jallopy, and a boat! Let's take these one at a time.

The research compound is three stories tall and uses what I'd call "dollhouse" LEGO construction, wherein instead of building up the structure in its entirety, you instead build each story individually and they connect with little clutch power. The bridge doesn't use any clutch power, as it's connected by loosely fitting anti-clip poles, on both sides. The side platform doesn't have a main feature to speak of.

There isn't a "cohesive" quality to the entire build, it's mostly just littered with play features:

There's a dinosaur pen on the first story of the compound that can open up to house the baby T-Rex.

There's a net tosser on the second story.

There's a fall-away floor trap on the second story.

The top of the compound can unfold to reveal a satellite dish (which, may be a historical anachronism given this takes place in the 1920's?)

There's a zip line connecting both main areas that can have some supplies run down.

The tree can be toppled over.

The boat can connect to the crane or a docking point.

The plane can drop a net.

There's a litany of tools lying around, on top of the three vehicles and four dinosaurs, and it didn't hit me until after I had finished assembling it; this is a play set designed for *multiple* children to ideally share. The sheer volume of stuff going on can't mean anything else, and given the original MSRP of $80 (which, regardless of all other economic factors, is a high call for a LEGO set) further leads me to this conclusion.

Talking about more specific features, this set coming out in 2000 isn't a huge shock to the senses after I've purchased and built many 2020's LEGO sets, but it is a strong sign of how much things are different. For one, despite its size, the set only has a little over 600 pieces. An equivalent sized set now would feature two to three times as much. Dino Island was released in the middle of The Lego Group's identity crisis as a company that spawned a huge volume of experimental ideas that mostly did nothing except make builds worse and spawn the most reviled LEGO themes (Znap, Scala, Galidor, Jack Stone, etc.). I was braced for this to be a "juniorized" set but was actually surprised at how satisfying the build was overall. It doesn't feature a raised base plate like the previous two largest Adventurers set, which I might add did suffer from rather homely looking builds.

The low piece count however does mean two things. For one, there is a lot of hollow space in this build. Most rooms in the compound don't have anything going on. The build also doesn't use much any advanced building techniques, it's very much of that classic LEGO design where you aren't doing much more novel than stacking bricks on top of each other. LEGO sets now are kind of insane; you connect bricks to the sides, tops, and bottoms of other bricks, they're there for really intense structural support that gives them the feeling of being impossible to meaningfully break if you dropped them. The Dino Research Compound, on the other hand, is coming apart given any amount of gravitational force. The two vehicles are decent enough, but special mention should go to the plane both for its color scheme and how it isn't built on an obnoxiously large plate, though I'm not sure if I've seen any actual planes have two completely separate pilot compartments.

Also of note is the inclusion of the "old" brown color which has since then become replaced by a shade of brown slightly lighter and more reddish. The roofing pieces with the rust prints, the green base plate with the rounded edge, and the Stegosaurus with dark orange legs (another discontinued color) are all set exclusives. I kept my eyes out for pieces from the experimental era, large and highly situational parts. Probably my favorite thing about LEGO now is how pieces can be repurposed for any number of designs, and seeing late 1990's sets like those from Rock Raiders make me cringe because of how highly specialized parts they include. The boat caught my eye, considering it's all one piece and not brickbuilt, but much to my surprise it's a piece still in use now. There's an oddball mix of what's brickbuilt and what's not however, such as the sextant being all one piece but the microscope is built from scratch.

You get the entire cast from Dino Island minus Sam Sinister's sister (name is eluding me right now). For dinosaurs, you get everything from this line sans the Triceratops. The baby T-Rex has a single connection on the bottom, and can be held by a minifigure comfortably. The Pteranodon is an odd one. It's feet are clamps but there's not much use for them, but it can be put onto any 2x2 stud surface, and it has two studs on top. The Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus both have four studs on top (perfectly for a minifigure to ride on) along with a 4x6 foot print. Though they're the titular characters, the dinosaurs are rather tiny compared to their actual size and should be considered accessories rather than the stars. The Stegosaurus reuses the tail from a LEGO crocodile, and the Tyrannosaurus reuses the arms from a LEGO dragon, firmly placing them into the LEGO animal family, which makes it a shame that none of these molds lived past 2001.

If there's anything else of note, for one, the front of the box opens up to give a peak at the pieces inside. The right side of the box includes a plastic insert to show off all the dinosaurs, and there's a cardboard divider as well. This and the set's construction make it easy to just disassemble the big chunks and comfortably put them back in for storage. The instructions also include some brief steps for alternate builds, at a very rare period when LEGO actually did that, though the alternative builds aren't anything special. The instructions also end on a brief summary of the species included, though since LEGO instructions are supposed to be language independent, there's not much they can do. Interesting to see lumbering tail-dragging dinosaurs in 2000 however. What seals the overall set for me is this set includes the same 2001 catalog I originally saw this in, it all comes around full circle...

[monk-princess]

The only way now to charge forward is to pay a visit to the past. We are eternally nostalgic. Heads hazy still from the dream of Gondwana, or Angara, we feel as if we are trespassing in an unfamiliar world, anthropological joke, mutants of modernity. We wanna go back to sleep, soon we will be united by the tectonic plates. Pangea Proxima.

The future smells of the long last past, with hidden notes of lycra, sequins. i see rainwater, glowsticks. tacky dance costumes evoke a sense of eternity, easily destructible but enduring time. I’m not sure why, but they are a symbol of the inevitable apocalypse.

We want the best of both worlds, the possibility of the future, the safety net of the past. As for the present, there is none, so if God hands me a strangely shaped thing with a bow on it i know it contains nothing but an explosion.

As we slowly lose our sense of time, our only grip on reality will be insanity. I suspect a rise in the symbols of emojis, cheap party costumes/supplies, pawprints, dinosaurs, disco balls, sun worship, satanism, gore.

A 1000 years ago: The most beautiful thing you can be is devoted.

Today: The most beautiful thing you can be is offline.

2024: The most beautiful thing you can be is donning a sequin balaclava, rhinestone encrusted gun, and a glowstick tiara.

Humans feel lost easily, we need guidance, and if not sourced from a God, then from the vast stretches of time which cradle us from either side - ahead of or behind us. I’m zeroing in on jurassic solutions, triangulating triassic treasures, we are all fossils, future fossils, let’s make glowstick tiaras together while we start a fire and sip rainwater

[wizaardvarksworkshop]

A delicate clink of a hammer gently tapping on metal rings out through the workshop. Hunched over a workbench, her pitted and scratched shell reflecting forgelight, is a tall, broad shouldered tortle. Her wizened eyes flick from her work to you, and she says "Alright I'll be just a moment, you take a load off there." She points to some well-made wooden benches with her brass walking stick. "And feel free to help yerself to some stew from Pot". A nearby cauldron, animated, waves a ladle at you. After a few minutes, the old tortle makes her way over. "Now," she says in a soft, curious voice, "what can this ol' shellmarm do for ya?"

This is my first scratch-built miniature - the soft-spoken, multi-talented tortle artificer Quzo. She started as a blacksmith, but has since dabbled in alchemy, homonculus design (hence, Pot, her cauldron assistant), gunpowder, and baking. She's not much of an adventurer these days, resting an old injury to her leg while her apprentices do more around the workshop. But, when required, her magical hammer is always in easy reach - to beat out a piece of enchanted metal or to beat on some bandits.

Any chance to learn a new skill will pique her interest, and despite needing to save for her eventual retirement, she often finds herself giving discounts to favourite adventuring parties if their requests pose an interesting challenge. Some plot hooks she might offer:

An ad on a local jobs board offers to "enchant a couple three suits of armour, you supply of course" for any adventurers willing to provide aid and protection on the maiden voyage of Flippershell, Quzo's prototype airship. Local adventurers are less willing after her last one caught the attention of a young red dragon, however.

Rumour among adventurers has it that, if you're short on coin and big on guts, offering to help the eccentric tortle with collecting ingredients for her potions can get you magic items at a healthy discount. The only concern is that one of her favoured ingredients is froghemoth spawn, which she needs to gently collect by hand. If you can keep that creature off her, she'd be much obliged.

To transmute this miniature, I started with a small plastic sea-turtle, and the limbs from a few other plastic dinosaurs. A nugget of purest Green Stuff helped mask the joins, as did the apron made from small strips of scrap pleather. The hammer and cane are both bits of braided wire (from a bottle of sparkling wine, I think), and the hammer's an old resistor, with some extra Green Stuff to flesh out the shape. This was my first time using such a strange kind of alchemical reagent, but I was impressed with the versatility of this "Green Stuff".