#found a million and 1 mushrooms

[ca-d]

checked out of reality yesterday and went into the mountains

[eretzyisrael]

Israel’s Enemies Tell Five Big Lies

Following the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, antisemites mount a series of vicious attacks, threats and malicious lies against Jews and Israel

With no shame or sign of humanity, the enemies of Israel have doubled down on their insistence that Israel is an illegitimate state that must be destroyed and that the savage slaughter of 1,200 innocent Jews was justified—all based on five “Big Lies” about the Jewish state.

What are the facts?

The world for Jews and Israel will never be the same. Wellesley College students receive official messages saying Zionists (i.e. most Jewish students) are not welcome in the school’s dorms. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in a TV rant swears Hamas will repeat October 7 over and over until Israel is annihilated. West Bank Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi says “What Hitler did to you was a joke—we will drink your blood and eat your skull.”

While Hamas’s October 7 atrocity shattered the hope of many Palestinian supporters, causing them to rethink their positions, the event only ignited an explosion of hate from other of Israel’s enemies. Tens of thousands of demonstrators made clear they no longer support two states living side by side in peace. Rather they demand “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free . . . by any means necessary”—meaning, clearly, slaughter of civilians.

Power of Big Lies: Though Israel was the victim of a mass murder of innocent Jews, its enemies blame the Jewish state—not only for the Hamas massacre, but also for responding in defense. The reasons many blame Israel for the atrocity are based on five Big Lies. Big Lies were used by Nazi leader Goebbels, who noted that if he told an outrageous lie often enough, people would begin to believe it. Alternatively, if you use truth as a basis for your judgments, you may these facts useful:

Lie #1: Israel is a colonial state that stole Palestinian land. A colonizer is a foreign nation that conquers and exploits another nation. First, the Palestinians have never controlled any land in Palestine: They were also never a nation. Nothing was stolen. Second, Jews are the indigenous people of the land of Israel. They have lived there continuously for 3,000 years and had two commonwealths for over 1,000 years: They are not foreigners. No colonial state.

Lie #2: Israel commits genocide. Genocide is the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group by killing its members. Israel does not, nor has ever, targeted innocent Palestinian civilians for killing—no mass murders, no pogroms. All Palestinian civilian deaths have occurred as collateral damage while fighting terrorists who hide in residential or other public areas. Tellingly, the population in in and around Israel has mushroomed since Israel’s founding in 1948—from about 700,000 to seven million today: Zero genocide.

Lie #3: Israel practices apartheid. Apartheid is a system of legalized racial segregation in which one racial group is deprived of political and civil rights. Israel has no laws or policies separating or limiting the rights of any of its citizens—including two million Arab-Israeli citizens—nor any Palestinians outside Israel. Political and civil rights of all Palestinians outside Israel are controlled by their respective dictatorships, who allow virtually no freedoms, such as speech or the vote. No apartheid.

Lie #4: Israel is committing war crimes. War crimes include torture, hostage taking, acts of terrorism, rape and intentional targeting of civilians. While Hamas committed all these acts on October 7, Israel commits none. Though some media bristle at what they consider excessive civilian deaths during Israeli military efforts, in fact, Israel attacks only military structures and personnel—never civilian-only targets. Unfortunately, Hamas places its fighters in dense residential areas or in tunnels beneath them, endangering civilians. No Israeli war crimes.

Lie #5: Israel brutally oppresses the Palestinians daily. Oppression is the malicious exercise of power to discriminate against some groups. Because Israel completely exited Gaza in 2005, it has no power over of the daily lives of Gazans. However, because of Hamas’s continuous terror, especially efforts to kill Jews and destroy the Jewish state, Israel and Egypt have placed Gaza under a strict blockade to prevent terror attacks. Likewise, because of the Oslo Accords, Israel and the Palestinian Authority share governance of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Thus, Israel plays virtually no role governing Palestinians daily lives and only enters Palestinian-controlled areas when terrorists flee to and hide in them. No oppression.

Above all, Israel and the U.N. have made numerous offers of land for an independent Palestinian state. Unfortunately, the Palestinians have turned down five offers of land for peace since 1948, three of them over the last 23 years. Apparently, their dream of conquering Israel “from the land to the sea” is more important.

The bestiality of the October 7 massacre shocked us—beheadings, incineration, rape, torture, heartless executions, brutal kidnappings. Even worse, the gates have opened to unlimited Jew hatred on American streets and campuses—to condoning savagery with the excuse of Palestinian liberation . . . based on utter lies about the Jewish state. But Hamas and the haters should know that “Never Again,” means fighting and defeating evil forever.

[f9clementine]

prev ⋙ masterlist ⋙ 1 year anniversary special

enchanted to meet you ⋙ 25. whatever you want [the end]

⋙ two months later

prev ⋙ masterlist ⋙ 1 year anniversary special

The absolute joy I feel right now is incalculable. Thank you to every one who commented, liked, reblogged, and just read EtMY. You all have my heart more than you will ever know.

Hopefully you can tell by the last text I definitely have plans to further this SMAU with Hyunjin next (then maybe the rest of the coven 👀). I don't have a release date just yet but couldn't resist adding it.

I started EtMY because I was recently fired, unemployed, and just sick of my own head. I wanted to feel like I could create and finish something and not feel like a failure. As dumb as it sounds, this SMAU brought me so much joy not only to write, but to interact with a community that made me feel better and want to actually do something other than rot on my couch and feel sorry for myself.

So thank you! thank you thank you thank you thank you a million times and thank you a million more.

Tag list: @mal-lunar-28, @kpopsstuffs, @cassidymb121, @brooklynie, @owotalks,

@honey-pop, @hanniemylovelyquokka, @chlodavids, @abbiestearsricochet, @maexc,

@seungmyynie, @brinnalaine, @kalopsian-thoughts, @jiisungllvr, @asherthehimbo,

@pinxeajin, @vampcharxter, @jluvselandabs, @bettybeako, @borahae-reads,

@raehawthorne, @yongbbokkie, @skzhoes, @lauraliisa, @meloncremesoda,

@cutiespaghetti, @beaann, @thesassy-mia, @sclassstay, @twobluegoldfish,

@hopefulrascalstatesmantoad, @hyuneyeon, @hyunniethepooh, @thecararcticmonkeys, @sunnibearr,

@miserablywasted, @feybin, @inniescandy-01, @autumn-lv, @mushrooms-moon,

@mae-is-cute98, @bada-lee-ily, @amelee23, @caravm, @sunshinessky,

@skz-streamer, @realrintaro, @urmomma0324, @redstayrosie, 

Also I'm so sorry if I couldn't tag you in the last chapter! I just found out the tagging system changed 😭

[solarpunkbusiness]

"We train mushrooms to eat trash and create renewable, bio-based raw materials," Rodriguez told TechCrunch.

Mycoycle, which Rodriguez founded in 2018, is currently working to refine its process for recycling crumb rubber, the waste produced from old tires. It’s a massive potential market, with the U.S. producing about 280 million every year.

To continue its R&D and commercialization efforts, the company raised a $3.6 million seed extension, the company told TechCrunch exclusively. The round was led by Closed Loop Partners and included investments from the Illinois Invent Fund, the Telus Pollinator Fund for Good and U.S. Venture.

Mycocycle will bring in over $1 million in revenue this year, Rodriguez said. “We’ll be margin positive.” The crumb rubber processing part of the business is perhaps the most promising, she added.

[bluelocksource]

Nanase Nijirō’s trivia

☆ Weapons: Initiating movement to support teammates & Passing through Gaps.

☆ Character color: Cinderella White.

☆ Birthday: 1st January.

☆ Current age: 15 (1st year high schooler).

☆ Zodiac: Capricorn.

☆ Birthplace: Ibaraki Prefecture.

☆ Family structure: Father, mother, older brother, older sister, himself.

☆ Current height: 178 cm.

☆ Dominant foot: Right foot.

☆ Blood type: B.

☆ Motto: "One Kick, One Soul."

☆ Starts playing football: At age 5.

☆ Team before joining BLUE LOCK: Rei-in bō High School Soccer Club.

零院防 (rei-in bō) lit. means Zero Academy of Defense.

☆ Hobby: Karaoke with friends. "Singing 'Tamashii Revolution' with all my heart is the best!"

☆ Favorite food: "Mom's stamina fried rice."

☆ Food he dislike: Milk. “It smells funny.”

☆ What goes best with rice: "Natto! I’m the type who doesn’t mix it!"

☆ Favorite animal: Ladybug. "My last name is Nanase, so I feel a connection."

In Japan, ladybugs can be commonly referred to as "ナナホシテントウ" (nanahoshi tentō), which means "seven-spotted ladybug". The 'se' part of Nanase's name can be written as 'hoshi', thus the connection.

☆ Favorite season: Spring. "Because insects and animals start moving, I want to move too."

☆ Favorite football player: Shinji Okasaki.

☆ Favorite song: "Rewrite" by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION.

☆ Favorite manga: Slam Dunk. "The Sannoh match is always exciting!"

☆ Favorite movie: Princess Mononoke. "Yakul is too cute!"

☆ Favorite brand: UMBRO. "They have a cool logo."

☆ Frequently read magazine: World Soccer Digest and Soccer Magazine.

☆ Mushroom shoots vs Bamboo shoots: Mushroom. "I was nicknamed Mushroom because of my short bowl haircut."

☆ What makes him happy: Encouragement.

☆ What makes him upset: Criticism without explanation.

☆ What he thinks his strength is: His love for soccer.

☆ What he thinks his weakness is:  "I lose sight of my surroundings when I get too passionate."

☆ What made him cry recently: “When I was being seen off before heading to Blue Lock. I cried alone afterward.”

☆ Favorite/best subject: P.E. & Home Economics "I'm good at soldering."

☆ Weak/least favorite subject: Japanese, Math, Science, Social Studies "My grades are all 2s or 1s."

☆ Ideal type: Someone who can lead him.

☆ Number of chocolates received from previous Valentine: 1. "I have a childhood friend who always gives me chocolate, but it's just a courtesy chocolate, so it doesn't really count."

☆ At what age he experiences first love: 5 years old. "It was my kindergarten teacher."

☆ The first time he got confessed to: “In 2nd year of middle school, a girl I was close to confessed to me, but I was so surprised that I turned her down. Is there no such thing as friendship between boys and girls?”

☆ Fixation: Eyes. "I feel like I can tell what kind of person someone is by looking into their eyes."

☆ Average sleeping time: 8 hours.

☆ How he spend his holiday: “Soccer! Soccer! Soccer!!”

☆ When taking a bath, which part he washes first: His forehead.

☆ What he usually buy from the convenience store: Anpan "If I get a little hungry, this is the go-to."

☆ What will he do if he received 100 million yen: "I wouldn’t know, so I’d give it to my family."

☆ At what age he stops receiving presents from Santa: At 9 years old. "After I found out my dad was Santa, I said I didn’t want them anymore because it costs money."

☆ What was his last wish from Santa: UMBRO training gear.

☆ What will he do during his last day on Earth: Play soccer.

☆ Favorite historical figure: Toyotomi Hideyoshi. "He rose from being a farmer to ruling the country! I’ll warm the sandals too!"

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was Oda Nobunaga's sandal-bearer.

☆ If he hadn’t encountered soccer, what will he be doing: “American football. It’s so cool! It’s a clash of souls!”

☆ If he could only take one thing to a deserted island, what would it be: Shoes. "I think being barefoot would be the most inconvenient initially."

☆ If he had a time machine, would he go to the past or the future: The future! “I wonder what soccer will be like in the future. Are they playing matches with flying cleats? It sounds exciting!”

note: i want to apologize in advance for any mistake made in the translation!

source: Egoist Bible 2.

[clash-of-the-wizards]

CLASH OF THE WIZARDS ROUND 1-B ROUND 12

THE GREEN MAGE (Everhood) VS LEIF (Bug Fables)

Propaganda under the cut!

PROPAGANDA

GREEN MAGE "THEY'RE SO SILLY! Green Mage *literally* has the word Mage in their name! They're just a silly lil guy(gender neutral) that just wants to have fun! They're also literal millions of years old. ALSO THEY PLAY DND! They're a DM for their own campaigns!!! They have BANGER fight music ( https://youtu.be/9nH8UZEHvXc?si=ntmGNQcgcTbFc2N_ in case you're interested) and, to loop back to my first point... THEY'RE SILLY!"

LEIF "they're bug. they're mushroom. they're ice magic and make puns about it. they're grandpa. they're play card games. they're amnesia and time shenanigans. they're family issues related to time shenanigans. they're found family member. they're trying to adopt every small animal in sight. they're eating poison just because they can. and even, they're autism"

"TOP TEN FUNGI TO CAST ICE MAGIC WITH. #6 will surprise you! He's a silly little moth guy with eight trillion counts of Identity Fuckery and he casts ICE WIZARD BLAST at like half the creatures in this game."

[annymation]

for the asks requests:

1: DARIO BACKSTORY NOW

2: I wanna hear abt bravo

3: Florian reaction to everything

4: SYMBOLISM. PLEASE. 🍽️

Oh I actually didn't expect for all of these to be asked all of the same time, as they're kinda long answers... Specially number 3. But I can work with that :)

I think you guys might really like what's down here:

1- What Did Dario Not Tell Them At The Campfire

So when asked if he had any bad experiences with the king, Dario just answered he'd rather not talk about it. The reason isn't because Magnifico did something to him directly, but rather indirectly. See, Dario's dad is the royal announcer and his mother is a singer, both jobs that require their voices, and they value their voices a lot, while Dario was born with a speech impediment.

One day, Dario overheard them talking in their room, and they said how they hoped when Dario turned 18 he'd wish for the king to give him a voice.

Now, to some that may seem like a good wish, "who wouldn't want to have a voice?" you may ask, thing is that most disabled people don't want to be changed, what they want is to be accepted. Obviously though I can't speak for the whole ASL community, however I did study the basics of sign language in college, and my teacher, who is deaf, taught us about deaf culture, and how you shouldn't assume someone WANTS to be like you, to be "Fixed".

Dario didn't want to change himself, but in that moment he felt like his parents saw him as someone broken and hoped the king could fix him...

So yeah I didn't have him explain all that because it's way too depressing even for me.

2- Where Did Bravo Come From

A more wholesome little story with our faaaaaaavorite evil duo! Yay!

So, Amaya often goes to the woods to get ingredients for her potions, mushrooms, herbs, animal parts, you name it. She goes alone, just wearing a hooded cloak so she's not recognized.

One day, during her foraging, she heard a sound coming from behind her:

"Miirrrau!"

It was a quiet, growly meow

And she kept hearing it over and over, like it was asking for help. Now although the queen has a heart as cold as ice, she felt moved by the tiny cries, so she followed them into the woods.

And here's what she found:

"Awwwwwwwn~" Her iced heart melted at the sight of what she thought was a little kitten "Are you lost, little one?"

"Miaurrr!" the kitten had a weirdly growly voice, but still high pitched like any kitten, he seemed to be scared and lost, looking for him mom

"Don't fret, you're safe now" she takes him and puts him in her basket full of mushrooms "I'll take you to your new home. Heh heh heh my love will have quite the surprise when he sees you"

So she goes back to the palace, Magnifico is busy changing some wishes when she arrives

"Daaaaarliiiiing~ Look what I found in the woods today!" She says showing him the kitten

Magnifico looks quite surprised, although he has seen Amaya do some REALLY messed up things, he never thought she'd use a whole kitten as a potion ingredient

"Hmmm... How nice dear, but uh- If you don't mind me asking- What kind of potion requires a kitten sacrifice?" He asks smiling, trying to be supportive of her weird hobbies

"SACRIFICE???" She holds the kitten close to her, looking very offended that her husband would imply that "I don't want to kill him! I want to keep him!"

"OOOOOH I see, I see. That makes more sense" The king says kinda relieved

(They have murdered and ruined the lives of millions, but they draw the line at killing a kitten)

"Well then, if that's your desire then he's all yours, my beldam. But don't expect me to take care of him as well" He said

And that basically went like one of those "Dad said he didn't want the dog" memes, because Magnifico really liked the cat and took care of him just as much as Amaya.

They named him "Bravo" because it's both what you say to cheer for someone after a performance, and their whole thing is that they're constantly acting to their people, and also means angry in Spanish, and the kitten often looked grumpy.

But as time went on, and Bravo grew... They noticed he just wouldn't stop growing. And soon enough they realized... That wasn't a cat, that was a lynx.

And thats how the situation went from good to GREAT!

Like, they just raised their own killing machine without even knowing it was a killing machine, they were beyond ecstatic, they were running around like "YES YES YEEEES!!!" ya feel me?

3- How Florian Reacts To Everything

Now, to answer this one, I'll tell you a story... About something that happened in the chapter "Into The Eye Of The Storm".

Something that happened from Magnifico's perspective... After he got struck by lightning.

So let me set the scene.

...

He felt excruciating pain he never imagine possible course through his body, and light was all he could see.

Until it wasn't.

Everything went black.

Magnifico shot his eyes open, and all he could see was a dark emptiness surrounding him, and feel water beneath his feet.

The king looked around completely lost, one moment he was in the storm with that star, and in the next he was here... His staff wasn't with him, he was powerless.

He hears a voice

"Huh... Took much longer than I would've liked, but oh well, looks like you finally got what you deserved."

Magnus gets startled by the voice coming from all around him, but tries to hide his fear by masking it with anger "Who's there?!" he demands to know

"Really? After just 25 years you've already forgotten my voice?" The youthful but voice says, bitterness dripping from his tone. Magnifico's eyes widen as he indeed starts to recognize the voice... The voice he celebrated he'd never would have to hear all those years ago. The figure starts to manifest itself in front of him as it says "But then again, you never were the type to listen much, were you, Mag?" Florian calls him by the nickname he used to affectionally call his older sibling.

Magnus sees his younger brother floating in front of him, but the expression on his face is one the king has never seen before. Florian was always happy, always kind and sympathetic, innocent, he was like the personification of sunshine itself. Now? Now his expression was so full of hatred, hiding behind a mocking smile, like Florian has been waiting for this a long time.

"See you grew a beard heh heh you look just like dad" The spirit jokes

Magnifico is staring at the apparition before him with wide eyes, his mind is racing, trying to make sense of any of this, how could he go from fighting with the star to thi-... Wait... He remembers something he read about wishing stars, they have the power to give people dreams... He must have been knocked out and the star is trying to play a trick on him... Yeah, that's gotta be it.

He smiles thinking he just figured this all out "Hahah guilt tripping? Really? Didn't think that was your style, Aster, I'm almost impresse-"

"You died." Florian just gives it to him straight.

Magnifico freezes.

"You flew too close to the sun brother, or rather, too close to the storm." The spirit explains, and starts to float circles around his older brother "And soon, your soul will completely leave this plane, and I will finally rest in peace knowing MY people are free from you." The spirit speaks almost spitting on Magnus face, emphasizing how the people of Rosas are his people, his kingdom that Magnus stole.

But the older brother is almost blocking out the sound of his voice, too busy processing that if what he's saying is true then... "Amaya... It can't end like this, I can't leave her no-"

"HAH! That's what you worry about? That wretched witch?!" Florian now has a mocking smile on his face, it's a smile Magnifico has never seen from his caring little brother in life... It doesn't even look like him anymore.

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HER THAT!" He yells, now starting to accept that yes, that is indeed his brother's ghost, and he's enraged to see him again.

"Pretty sure I get to call the woman who poisoned me whatever I want." Florian says nonchalantly

"Tsk not our fault you made it so easy" the older brother smirks, trying to come out on top of the situation "I mean, a random mystery woman shows up out of nowhere, and you just invites her to be the royal potion maker? What did you think was gonna happe-"

"I thought you'd finally be happy." Florian interrupts him with a serious expression, Magnus stops talking and stares at him confused, so Florian continues "When you first locked eyes with her, I saw a spark in you... A gleam of happiness you never shown in all the years we lived together... I knew you were in love with her... THATS why I let her stay." He explains with every word dripping with bitterness "I thought "Finally, my big brother won't be so lonely and angry all the time! Love will surely make him move on from the fact he wasn't meant to be king!"" Florian makes a slightly more high pitched and cheerful voice as if to mimic how he used to sound like when he was alive "Hahah It's quite the tragic comedy, ain't it? I helped in your union... Unaware I was digging my own grave."

"... And do you think I care? We would've ended up together regardless. And I would take the crown that is RIGHTFULLY MINE regardless of whatever you did!" Magnus exclaims. If he's really dead and this is just the limbo between the land of the living and the after life, then he might as well take this opportunity to let out everything he wanted to tell his little brat of a brother all those years "The throne was MY RIGHT! But he said "NoOooO son! You must learn magic! So you may grant their wishes" WELL what if I don't WANT to grant all their whiny little pleas, like I'm some kind of SERVANT?! I wanted to follow my own path! I dreamed of being a good king! But then YOU showed up!"

"Sorry for being born, I guess" Florian says sarcastically

"YEARS watching them give you everything I ever wanted... I was pushed aside like I was NOTHING." Magnus sounds more and more deranged as he begins to smile sadistically at his brother "WELL GUESS WHAT! Now I "grant" more wishes than YOU and all of those old fools EVER DID! The people ADORE ME! And no one even remembers you!" Magnus spats out like he just won this argument, Florian is raising one eyebrow, looking at him like this is quite pathetic. The older king walks closer to him with a grin "So, how does it feel huh? Knowing your legacy will forever be "Just King Magnifico's little brother that fell ill and died""

Florian looks at him serious for a moment, before smiling confident again "I never did it to be remembered, I did it because I wanted to make my people happy, and I can rest easy knowing I did just that... While you lived a meaningless life, trying soooo desperately to make everyone love you, hoping that would make it up for the years you were ignored... Did it work?" Magnus looks shocked by those words, he tries to respond but Florian doesn't let him "Of course it didn't, you'll never be satisfied. And now, as if making my people suffer all these years wasn't enough, you try to steal the magic of a star, but oh-oh that didn't work, it got you killed in the most foolish way possible!... Now it won't be long until people find out the truth, then NO ONE will "Adore you" nor "Remember you"." Florian smiles widely as he asks "So, how does it feel huh? Knowing your legacy will forever be... Nothing."

Magnus has no words... His brother had never spoken to him like that... No one has ever spoken to him like that.

Florian looks satisfied, but he already know that... Unfortunately, Magnus time hasn't come just yet

"*sigh* Karma really does work in mysterious ways... Looks like the witch comes to your rescue, Mag... Again." Florian says with his arms crossed.

Magnus doesn't understand what he's talking about "Wha-"

"When you get back, if you even remember any of this... Tell Amaya that I lied, her tea tasted terrible." He says with a cheeky grin while waving his brother goodbye.

Magnus feels him sink into the water beneath his feet. He screams and-

His eyes are shot open.

He gasps for air.

Amaya brought him back from the dead with her kiss.

...

So yeah, that's dead Florian, his personality is waaaay different when he was alive by the way, but I enjoyed writing someone that can spit some facts on Magnifico's face.

4- Symbolism

I've wrote a whole lot in this, so I'll just end on a simple note:

I like the symbolism of Asha's family always being with her, from her wearing her mother's cloak and her ability to draw being what saved her, to her singing to inspire the people like her father, and playing her grandfather's mandolin, it really feels like even though they weren't THERE they were essential characters in her journey. And I'm proud of this little detail.

There's more juicy symbolism but now I'm exhausted from writing because MY GOSH Florian was intense, I really got into the mindset of a 20 year old that got murdered by the brother he once admired and I don't feel well. OOF. Imma take a break lmao

Thank you for the ask and

Thank You For Reading!

[lele-o-north]

Web Of Life

Last week I had the opportunity to watch Web of Life at the cinema. I was so mind-blown that I needed to take notes 🍄

Those who know me also know how interested I am on the relationship between soil organisms and plants. Specifically, I spent the last year of university checking the colonisation rate of mycorrhizal fungi on basil (Ocimum basilicum) roots 🌱 I am grateful I could observe these small but fascinating beings ❤️

This film has been a source of great inspiration thanks to Merlin Sheldrake’s glowing charisma and immense passion-transfer skills ✨The way his eyes sparkled while talking about the essentiality of fungi for world survival was enough to make my arms go full on goosebumps 😍 Last but not least, Björk (the singer, yes!) is also the narrator 🔥

These are 5 facts that hit me the hardest:

1. Fungal genes carry A LOT of information. They are the living proof that you don’t have to have a brain to solve problems (i) 🧠

2. They have been around for millions of years, and during the most catastrophic events of Earth’s history they THRIVED (ii)💥

3. Fungal mycelium connects entire ecosystems, and if we would spread the world hyphae network, its length would be about HALF OF THE WIDTH of the Milky Way Galaxy (iii) 🪐

4. Plastic has been around for a relatively short time compared to fungi. Yet, they have the ‘chemical arsenal’ capable of breaking down polymers (iv) ♻️

5. Every year, around 50 MILLION TONNES worth of fungal spores are released into the atmosphere (v) 🌫️ Enormous amounts of species of fungi dispersing spores into the air can affect atmospheric moisture levels, which consequently trigger rainfall able to support their own as well as entire ecosystems survival 😱

Pic 1 - Basil roots colonised by mycorrhizal fungi I observed in 2020 (microscope);

Pic 2 - Mushroom seen from below I found during a walk in the Northumberland National Park;

Pic 3 - Popped fungal spore.

References:

i - https://arnosvale.org.uk/fungi-whos-really-in-control/#:~:text=Mycelium%20can%20be%20thought%20of,to%20solve%20complex%20microscopic%20mazes.

ii - https://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/mycokids/how-old-are-fungi

iii - https://www.positive.news/environment/the-project-to-map-mycorrhizal-fungal-networks-and-why-it-matters/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CGlobally%2C%20the%20total%20length%20of,wonders%20of%20the%20living%20world.%E2%80%9D

iv - https://earth.org/plastic-eating-mushroom-of-the-amazon-and-ecuadors-development-dilemma/#:~:text=When%20Yale%20University%20students%20found,oxygen%2Dstarved%20environments%20like%20landfills.

v - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4624964/

[sirenjose]

Extra Notes about COA 5 Details

(Meant to include this with my COA 5 Analysis but forgot. Mostly just looking at the various posters and such references that appear somewhere in COA 5, primarily the pre-registration)

Moulin Rouge (which Golden Rose Theater has connections to) Aired in the 19th-20th century. Means "red windmill" (and we can see a small red windmill in the background of the poster).

Victoria Bicycle Factory - Nürnberg

1910 German poster for the Victoria Bicycle brand

1917 Russian Tobacco advertisement

The Saturday Evening Post

From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influential magazines within the American middle class, with fiction, non-fiction, cartoons and features that reached two million homes every week

Blackbird theater may be a reference to the "Blackbirds of 1928" or "Blackbird Revue", which ran for several months at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France.

"Tea Makes Everything Better" advertisement

May be a reference to the East Side of New York. Upper East Side is one of the wealthiest parts of the city

Cigarette ad

"vice" makes me think of the Pre-registration event referencing the scene where Robot Maria "bewitches the men of Metropolis". The words on the image comes from that scene: „Alle sieben Todsünden um ihretwillen-!" = “All seven deadly sins for her sake!"

Paramount Pictures was founded in 1914, and is currently the oldest running American studio and 5th oldest surviving film studio. It even had a theater built in Brooklyn, New York

Advertisement for Hawaii

The Lava Planet May reference a real thing, as a lava planet is a hypothetical type of planet mostly covered in hot lava. 1 candidate is K2-141b, which has hot lava on one side, but extreme cold on the other, with a magma ocean, rock vapor atmosphere, and supersonic winds

1 sign says "Museum", which may be a reference to COA 3 (to Pickman's art museum). The other I can't read, but the man is holding a pipe, so it could be another smoking related ad.

A few more pictures that can't be made out well or I haven't found references for yet 2nd picture has the word "Cup" 3rd picture has the word "Neo" 4th picture has one sign with the word "Colt" and the other sign seems to end in an "ee"

"A Trip to the Moon". A film inspired by Jules Verne's "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around the Moon". A group of scientists build a spaceship and are shot to the moon by a group of women, where they hit the man in the moon's eye.

They find a cave with giant mushrooms + soil fertile enough to let their umbrellas take root. An alien disappears when tapped with an umbrella. They're captured & taken to the moon's ruler + his lobster guard. They escape, return to Earth, land in the ocean, & picked up by a ship.

[girlactionfigure]

*ISRAEL REALTIME* - "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"

▪️IDF ATTACKS SYRIA… (enemy reports) IDF attacked air defense systems that were deployed to several outposts in recent days and also attacked weapons depots of the pro-Iranian militias that included air defense missiles and drones.

▪️SHIPPING AND THE HOUTHIS… report of another ship attack this morning off the coast of Yemen / Red Sea.  Egypt has so far lost $100 million in revenue generated by the Suez Canal as a result of the Houthi activity.  The U.S. has moved up the Eisenhower aircraft carrier battle group.  20 million barrels of oil PER DAY pass the Yemen coast on the way to Europe.  The Houthis have upped their threats, threatening the U.S., the aircraft carrier, and Israel with “weapons you have never seen” and “deep attacks”.

▪️IDF TAKES OUT HEZBOLLAH “LARGE ROCKET” DEPOT…  IDF attacked the "Burkan" rocket depot in ​​the village of Yaron in southern Lebanon yesterday. Smoke mushrooms rising from the ground as a result of the explosion of dozens of heavy rockets. The "Burkan" rockets carry a 250 kg warhead (3x normal rockets), have been fired into Israeli territory during the war.

▪️IDF EMPHASIZING DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION FOR LEBANON… we are not sure why the IDF Chief of Staff is emphasizing the diplomatic solution and not being intimidating… “Until there is an effective solution in place that ensures the security of our people” and “Until and unless a diplomatic solution is found and implemented: We will continue making the necessary preparations to remove the threat from our border.”  

▪️4 HERO SOLDIERS FELL.

▪️HAMAS TERRORIST KILLED WEARING TZITZIT… on an army-green beged.  ???

▪️ATTACK PLANS CAPTURED, INVASION PLAN FROM 2015… (Ch. 13) The fighters in Gaza captured Hamas documents in Khan Yunis, which prove that the terrorist organization had been preparing for the murderous attack for at least 8 years. Among the classified papers, which originated in 2015, swere found photos of the then Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and current Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

▪️ISRAEL POLITICS… (1) Boogie Ya’alon ordered by the court to pay NIS 88,000 to Netanyahu’s former attorney after falsely accusing him as part of a group receiving bribes as part of the ‘submarine affair’.  In a related point, the submarines and navy ships that were part of that accusation are now the ones protecting Israel in the Red Sea and from marine attacks from Gaza and Lebanon.

(2) The police leaked that they transferred to the prosecutor's office the “Younet Credit case” in which, among other things, the former finance minister Moshe Kahalon is suspected of fraud, breach of trust and reporting offenses.  This leak comes a week after his name was mentioned as an option to bring into the National Unity party as a senior leader for next elections. 

▪️CAPTURED HAMAS LEADER’S HOME INCLUDES NIS 5 MILLION… in cash.  The IDF appreciates the contribution.

▪️CYBER OFFENSE…  Iran suffers a cyber attack shutting down gas stations nationwide.

[segemarldoodles]

I beat Citizen Sleeper this morning, I finished every story-line and ended up taking the Lem and Mina ending, but I just wanted to talk about the Gardener ending.

Spoilers below, you should absolutely play it if you haven't.

I was a little upset that I couldn't unite Hunter and Killer, because I saved both of them and I was really hoping that I could combine them into a single fully sentient AI because I feel bad for them.

Then Navigator just fucks off into the datastream to look for other AIs, like 1) I wanted to put you in the Ambergris, and 2) I never get to talk to him again to see if he found anything.

Then I got to see the Gardener and get the seed, so the entire time I was doing the Hypha quest-line I was like "why can't I just tell Riko that an AI is running the greenway" until finally we grow the interface, and that ending got to me. This AI networked all the mushrooms on the greenway into a huge data cloud hive mind and it was offering me to leave broken and dying body and join its chorus of voices, and I chose to wade against the current, back to my robot body, slowly breaking down and failing, because I still had unfinished business. I knew I couldn't come back, but I had to tell Riko about everything, I had to help Lem and Mina get off the Eye, I still hadn't helped Sabine get out from under the thumb of the Yatagan. I couldn't just abandon all of the people I've met, just to drift off into the buzz of a million minds. I need it all to mean something. So I went back, squeezed Riko's hand, and woke up. It reminded me a lot of the ending of night in the woods where Mae says that she wants it to hurt because that means it meant something.

[neuronary]

well now ya GOTTA tell me about octupi!!!

okay so like. a lot of the reason i found human neuroscience so Boring is because everyone is always obsessed with like. 'oh this bit which is psychology' and blah blah blah and psychology is so Fluffy and Bland and 90% of the time people are just talking about like. magic mushrooms. like just do the fucking mushrooms, cowards.

ANYWAYS what i liked about neuroscience or like. why i wanted to study it is because i have a lot of people in my life with neurological conditions/stuff. my mum has epilepsy, as does my brother, one of my friends sustained a spinal cord injury a few years before i started university (don't go skydiving folks). one of my aunts passed due to MS. my grandfather suffers from alzheimers.

unlike the more psychology-oriented stuff, these conditions are like. physically observable degradations or interruptions of the nervous system. we, more or less, Know what's going on. we just don't know how to fix it.

(side note: on the off chance anyone except alyshara reads this, you can fuck right off before doing that whole 'social model of disability' thing. yes it is a useful model for SOME conditions. the conditions i am talking about are not among them. nothing is 'social' about convulsive seizures or chronic pain or dementia.)

what's going on, in the simplest of terms, is that the nervous system - be it the brain, the spinal cord, the synapses, whatever - is degrading. and we have to stop that happening. and then repair it.

so where the fuck do octopuses come in? well, i'm glad you asked.

octopuses have different nervous systems to us. very different. only about 1% of our nerve cells exist outside of our central nervous system (that is to say, our brain and spine). about two thirds of an octopus' nerve cells are in their limbs.

reflex reactions happen when our nerves bypass our brain to Get Shit Done Quicker, and for the most part that's very simple stuff. move hand away from flame. jerk leg back from sharp thing. etc.

octopus limbs can react like a reflex, the way our spinal cord would, but in a far more complex manner. grab the thing. change colour. change texture. etc. if it helps, think of them as slightly more advanced spinal cords. eight of them. now, there are whole debates to have if an octopus' limbs are effectively a hive mind connected to the central brain, if their limbs have consciousness. i don't really care to be honest. i don't think that's a productive scientific question.

what's really fucking cool about this? if an octopus loses a limb (each of which contains just under thirty eight million neurons) it just fucking. grows a new one. just regrows the whole fucking thing. and it works they can do that. we Can't. we just can't. our neurons don't regenerate, really. and certainly not to that extent. peripheral nerves? sure. that's mostly fine. it's tough, but we can do it. the cns? forget it.

(now, to be fair, this depends enormously on the type of damage and/or degradation you're looking at. our bodies are incredible structures capable of amazing things. but for the most part, medical professionals have to spend years retraining our nerves to do what an octopus just entirely replaces from scratch in a matter of weeks.

imagine if we could figure out how to replicate that with us. imagine the lives we could change. imagine the pain we could relieve. imagine the world we could make.

so yeah. octopus neuroscience is pretty fucking cool.

[eretzyisrael]

With no shame or sign of humanity, the enemies of Israel have doubled down on their insistence that Israel is an illegitimate state that must be destroyed and that the savage slaughter of 1,200 innocent Jews was justified—all based on five “Big Lies” about the Jewish state.

They condone savagery based on utter lies

What are the facts?

The world for Jews and Israel will never be the same. Wellesley College students receive official messages saying Zionists (i.e. most Jewish students) are not welcome in the school’s dorms. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in a TV rant swears Hamas will repeat October 7 over and over until Israel is annihilated. West Bank Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi says “What Hitler did to you was a joke—we will drink your blood and eat your skull.”

While Hamas’s October 7 atrocity shattered the hope of many Palestinian supporters, causing them to rethink their positions, the event only ignited an explosion of hate from other of Israel’s enemies. Tens of thousands of demonstrators made clear they no longer support two states living side by side in peace. Rather they demand “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free . . . by any means necessary”—meaning, clearly, slaughter of civilians.

Power of Big Lies: Though Israel was the victim of a mass murder of innocent Jews, its enemies blame the Jewish state—not only for the Hamas massacre, but also for responding in defense. The reasons many blame Israel for the atrocity are based on five Big Lies. Big Lies were used by Nazi leader Goebbels, who noted that if he told an outrageous lie often enough, people would begin to believe it. Alternatively, if you use truth as a basis for your judgments, you may these facts useful:

Lie #1:  Israel is a colonial state that stole Palestinian land. A colonizer is a foreign nation that conquers and exploits another nation. First, the Palestinians have never controlled any land in Palestine: They were also never a nation. Nothing was stolen. Second, Jews are the indigenous people of the land of Israel. They have lived there continuously for 3,000 years and had two commonwealths for over 1,000 years: They are not foreigners. No colonial state.

Lie #2: Israel commits genocide. Genocide is the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group by killing its members. Israel does not, nor has ever, targeted innocent Palestinian civilians for killing—no mass murders, no pogroms. All Palestinian civilian deaths have occurred as collateral damage while fighting terrorists who hide in residential or other public areas. Tellingly, the population in in and around Israel has mushroomed since Israel’s founding in 1948—from about 700,000 to seven million today: Zero genocide.

Lie #3: Israel practices apartheid. Apartheid is a system of legalized racial segregation in which one racial group is deprived of political and civil rights. Israel has no laws or policies separating or limiting the rights of any of its citizens—including two million Arab-Israeli citizens—nor any Palestinians outside Israel. Political and civil rights of all Palestinians outside Israel are controlled by their respective dictatorships, who allow virtually no freedoms, such as speech or the vote. No apartheid.

Lie #4: Israel is committing war crimes. War crimes include torture, hostage taking, acts of terrorism, rape and intentional targeting of civilians. While Hamas committed all these acts on October 7, Israel commits none. Though some media bristle at what they consider excessive civilian deaths during Israeli military efforts, in fact, Israel attacks only military structures and personnel—never civilian-only targets. Unfortunately, Hamas places its fighters in dense residential areas or in tunnels beneath them, endangering civilians. No Israeli war crimes.

Lie #5: Israel brutally oppresses the Palestinians daily. Oppression is the malicious exercise of power to discriminate against some groups. Because Israel completely exited Gaza in 2005, it has no power over of the daily lives of Gazans. However, because of Hamas’s continuous terror, especially efforts to kill Jews and destroy the Jewish state, Israel and Egypt have placed Gaza under a strict blockade to prevent terror attacks. Likewise, because of the Oslo Accords, Israel and the Palestinian Authority share governance of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Thus, Israel plays virtually no role governing Palestinians daily lives and only enters Palestinian-controlled areas when terrorists flee to and hide in them. No oppression.

Above all, Israel and the U.N. have made numerous offers of land for an independent Palestinian state. Unfortunately, the Palestinians have turned down five offers of land for peace since 1948, three of them over the last 23 years. Apparently, their dream of conquering Israel “from the land to the sea” is more important.

The bestiality of the October 7 massacre shocked us—beheadings, incineration, rape, torture, heartless executions, brutal kidnappings. Even worse, the gates have opened to unlimited Jew hatred on American streets and campuses—to condoning savagery with the excuse of Palestinian liberation . . . based on utter lies about the Jewish state. But Hamas and the haters should know that “Never Again,” means fighting and defeating evil forever.

[soleilequinoxstories]

Storytime Precure Volume 1

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

Volume 1: A New Story Starts, Cure Joyful Is Born!

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

The night was as dark as a crow's feathers, but little nightlights shone above. A small house rested atop a hill, with the second-story window shining brightly. A young girl was winding down for the night, by reading a story.

As soon as the enchantress finished casting her curse, the masked knight burst through the window and threw the enchantress off her balance!

“Yes! Give her a piece of her own medicine, Blue Star!"

As usual, the maiden sat in her bed, nose buried in her book. She’d always loved to read fairytales, the lessons learned are what shaped her today. Her soft dark chocolate hair rested over her shoulder as she flipped through the pages.

"Through a long and painful battle, the enchantress was slain by the masked knight. The spell wore off and soon the prince woke up from his eternal slumber. The masked knight soon revealed herself to be the handmaiden who served him since childhood. They embraced passionately and left the castle to return home. The end."

After shutting the book, she sighed and fell into a swoon. Staring at the ceiling, with a bright smile on her face 

"That story never gets old! I mean, who comes up with the idea that a simple handmaiden is a KNIGHT?! That's incredible! More people need to know about the tale of Blue Star. I mean, she's a strong and incredible fighter and such a role model for others. Y’know, that’s my goal in life, to be a role model. Not just for my school, but for millions! I want to be someone who can make people happy with what I do. Small steps, Rina. Small steps."

Rina turned off her nightlight and soon ventured down to the land of dreams. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself lying on top of a mushroom house! As strange as it seemed, her pajamas had been replaced by a cute blue dress tied together with an apron. Her feet were covered up with striped socks and black Mary Janes. Her hair was tied in buns and resting on her head was a cute black headband.

'So...Alice in Wonderland for tonight. Works for me! Hold on...what's that sound?'

She overheard a fanfare-like noise in the distance. She stood up and saw a castle surrounded by colorful balloons, and fireworks bursting all around. She just had to investigate the noise, what could it be? so she began hopping over the mushroom houses, admiring the scenery around her. Bread and Butterflies flew over her head and animals walked along a checkered path towards the palace. She continued to hop along until she spotted a familiar boy. He donned an all-green suit accompanied by a matching hat with a red feather. His messy red hair and chocolate eyes gave away who he was.

‘Peter Pan? What’s he doing here, this is Wonderland!’

“Peter! Hey!”

He saw who was calling him and flew to meet the maiden’s eyes, wearing a mischievous grin.

“Little Dreamer! You’ve come back!”

“I have, now answer this for me. What’re you doing in Wonderland, and on that note. How do you know where Wonderland is?” Rina asked.

“Don’t worry about those small details, this is your dream after all!”

‘That still doesn’t answer my question…’

“But you came at the perfect moment! The Queen’s about to host an event at the palace and all are invited!”

“Everyone?”

“Everyone! Now, take my hand. We’ll be there in a jiffy!”

He extended his hand out to the maiden and she happily accepted. In a flash, she felt her feet leave the mushroom and sway in the air. It felt so refreshing to fly in the sky, the cool gentle breeze in her face, the clear and happy sky was hers to explore. And what’s more, is that she’s flying with Peter Pan himself! This dream is getting better and better by the second! The castle was becoming clearer the farther they flew.

“Well, we’re getting close...now’s my cue to let you off the pixie dust train. Thanks for riding, passenger! Enjoy the celebrations” The boy chuckled.

“W-Wait, hold on! Peter don’t-” 

She reached out desperately.

It was too late, Peter had already let go and flew off towards the plaza.

“Peter you didn’t teach me how to LAND!” She hollered. 

As if it was answering her prayers, her dress formed an umbrella-like shape and she floated down with relative ease. She landed right by the plaza entrance, how convenient! She walked past the gate and immediately saw so many classic faces. Puss n’ Boots was chatting with the Seven Dwarves, Rumpelstiltskin was selling golden fabrics to others and gingerbread men were being chased by baby wolves. Trumpets started to play and everyone’s attention shifted. A tall and elegant lady with golden hair and golden eyes walked out of the palace, her presence made everyone gaze in awe. She extended her hands as her voice rang out towards the plaza:

“My people, friends from all over the kingdom. Our land has been protected for more than 1,000 years under my protection but since the uprising of Pierrot, we had to take matters to the extreme. I had to send out my daughter to find aid, and she delivered marvelously. I will be forever grateful for those who sacrificed so much to help us when we were in need. Because of their bravery, we can live peacefully again. And with that, I am pleased to announce your heroes!”

She lifted her hands to the sky as 5 beams of light shone from the palace

Blue

Yellow

Pink

Red

Green

Then five girls flew from the palace and began to color the sky. Their movements were swift, yet synced up perfectly. At the end of the performance, they landed in front of the queen and posed for everyone. Applause erupted from the plaza, people whistled and shouted in joy for the five heroes. The young maiden was amazed, she had always envied them but in a positive way. They were what she wanted to be, a hero that everyone can recognize and trust, someone who can be seen as “special”, someone who’s recognized for what they stand for. Those are the goals the maiden wants to achieve.

“Everyone! Thank you so much for the warm welcome! It feels good to be standing here today!” The pink-haired leader exclaimed

Her enthusiasm ringing throughout the plaza

“We came out here today to commemorate your amazing work in rebuilding this kingdom after recent events. It’s incredible to see how all of you persisted and kept your heads up high and now, you’ve found the happy ending you’ve been looking for! It’s been quite a wild ride, but it was one we’ll never forget! Now, for the important stuff and I’ve never been all that good with words so, Beauty, you’re up!”

‘Important stuff? Wait, what does that mean? Did I miss something since the last time I came here?’ Rina pondered.

These questions continued to puzzle the poor maiden. Hopefully, the blue-haired hero, or Beauty could answer those questions.

“Thank you, as you all know we’ve defended your home from Pierrot and we’ve adored your progress in rebuilding your homes and helping each other out. But more specifically we want to shout on one specific individual who’s been the most persistent in these times.” Beauty stated

Murmuring and whispering arose from the crowd.

“Is it me?”

“No, it has to be ME! I’m the one who rebuilt those houses!”

“No no, I think they deserve the recognition.”

“WOAH! Hold your horses, everyone! Settle down!” The orange-haired hero exclaimed, causing a hush to instantly fall over the crowd.

“Much better! Anyway... We loved your community-building throughout this recovery process and you all deserve an equal amount of praise, but we wanted to shout out one person. They’ve probably been a part of this community for the longest time and you all probably know them well. They’ve shown nothing but kindness and are always willing to help everyone out. Our very own, Amano Rina!”

The five heroes all extended their hands towards Rina. She stood in shock, overwhelmed by the outrageous applause. Everyone was clapping for her, cheering her on! She decided to run towards where the heroes were as everyone was chanting her name.

“Rina! Rina! Rina! Rina!”

Voices merged into one, all Rina could hear was her name and the excitement! All of a sudden, she saw her mother? Ebony hair and hazel eyes, chanting along with everyone. The images of teddy bears, fairies, and the kingdom started to fade from her vision as her mother appeared in front of her.

“Rina! Rina, wake up!”

She slowly lifted from her bed and rubbed her eyes. Amano Fuka, Rina’s mother, was dressed in her yukata with her hair tied up in a bun.

“Mmm, morning Mom. What… what time is it?”

“I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past 5 minutes. It’s already 8:14, you’ll be late for school.”

“Huh? I thought it was 7?”

Rina glanced at her alarm clock and saw the time. It was exactly 8:14. Her eyes shot up in shock, making her jump from her bed.

“CRAP! I’M GOING TO BE LATE!”

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

“I’m heading out! Bye Momma, bye Dad!” Rina shouted

As Rina shut the door, she hoisted her satchel up to her shoulders and headed to school. The sun was shining bright, basking Nanairogaoka in its warmth (and getting into Rina’s eyes). Her dark chocolate hair was swaying in the wind and her smile was so big that it could blind millions.

‘Another day, another fun week of school ahead of me! I don’t think there’s much on the agenda, but student elections are coming up! Aoki-san did such a good job as student vice president, surely she’ll run for student body president! Oh, why am I getting distracted? Gotta get to school!’

She kept running until she saw the entrance of the school. Students were walking and chatting in small groups, just as how it’s always been. Rina stopped to catch her breath and didn’t notice the blonde walking towards her.

“Sometimes I don’t know how you manage to get that much energy, but I guess it paid off in the end. Nice to see you again, Rina”

Rina looked up from her position and saw her closest friend, Yoshimoto Haruhi. Her buttery blonde hair and sky blue eyes could instantly be recognized by anyone, from the tone of her voice to her natural beauty. Rina straightened and immediately hugged Haruhi, both being overjoyed to be reunited over the weekend.

“Good to see you two, Haruhi!”

The bell rang followed by the noises of students chatting and rushing to their classes. It felt surreal to be back in the school, so much could happen within the span of one weekend. The two friends were nearing their homeroom when a familiar voice called out to them.

“Yo! Rina, Haruhi!”

Both turned their heads and saw the hot-headed 3rd year, Hino Akane, energetic as ever. She made her way towards the two and tackle-hugged them. All 3 of them fell on the pavement laughing.

“Aki, it’s good to see you too!” Rina exclaimed, in mid laughter. 

Akane helped the two up while blushing over the nickname. It wasn’t particularly common for Rina to use nicknames, but it meant she deeply cared for them when she did. Akane offered to walk the girls to class since her homeroom was only a staircase away from theirs. Both agreed and they all headed to room 2-1. Haruhi was the one leading the conversation, talking about how there’ll be new transfer students in the school increasing the diversity. Rina strongly encouraged the idea, but soon shifted the conversation about clubs. The sign-up posters seemed to start their spread across the school, so it’s about time they picked one. After walking down the halls, passing the other 2nd years, they came face to face with their homeroom. It was time they said goodbye to Akane. They hugged each other and soon departed to class. The classroom was already divided into friend groups; the girls in one corner, the guys in another but by the class’s doorway was a dark-haired boy looking over notes. Haruhi knocked on his desk with a mischievous smile. He looked up with stern eyes, but his mouth formed a comforting smile.

“Haruhi, a pleasure to see you here.”

“Oh please, Ryuu, the pleasure’s all mine. But...you should start waving that white flag.”

Ryuu scoffs at her claim, closing his notebook and standing to meet Haruhi at eye-level.

“Why would I have to surrender to you? Besides, I have nothing to admit defeat to!”

“Remember our bet last week?”

Haruhi glanced at Rina, the latter enraptured by her book. She turned back to face Ryuu, a confident glint in her eyes.

“Rina made it to school before the bell, which means YOU owe me some chocolate from the convenience store downtown.”

Instead of looking defeated, his face remains the same. Calm and collected, but with a sense of wit. Those were the main aspects of the Oshita family. Both Ryu’s and Haruhi’s families were well known across Nanairogaoka, both for their business and ranking. Both families have high reputations, but their fights suggest otherwise...

“It doesn’t affect me as much. I had a hunch your friend would make it. So for now, I suppose that’s a win for the Yoshimoto’s. Congratulations” Ryuu said, extending his hand to Haruhi

She took his hand and both shook firmly. Even if they were junior-high schoolers, their families’ future’s rested on their shoulders. They soon let go of each other’s grasp and started discussing the details. Ryuu planned to go to the convenience store after class today, so he’ll give Haruhi the chocolate tomorrow. After settling on an agreement, both returned to their respective seats, waiting for their teacher. Soon, Ms. Anzai walked into the classroom followed by another student. Braided hair drooped over her left shoulder and she wore a pink lotus hair clip. Her hands clasped together behind her back.

“Good morning class. I’m sure that you heard about the new students. Well, I’m pleased to announce that one of them will be joining our class! Now let’s all give a warm welcome to Ramya Bakshi.”

Ramya walked in front of the teacher’s desk and faced her new classmates. She was a bit nervous, her right hand was messing with her braid. She took a deep breath in and spoke out:

“Pleasure to meet you. I hope that we can have a great school year, so it’s nice to meet you all!” Ramya meekly announced.

She bowed in front of everyone. Rina stood up from her seat and extended a greeting to the new student.

“It’s nice to meet you Ramya, my name is Rina and I’ll gladly give you a tour around the school! I hope for a great school year as well!”

“T-thank you, Rina”

“Yes, thank you, Rina. That’s very sweet of you. Ramya, you can sit next to Ryuu and we’ll get started with today’s lesson.”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”

Ramya took her seat next to Ryuu and class began.

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

Now it was lunch hour! A time to socialize and regroup. Everyone was meeting up with friends from other classes and the schoolyard was riddled with middle-school students. Rina, Haruhi, and Ramya made their way to the sports field, bento boxes in hand when a voice called out to them:

“Hey! Over here! Could you lend a few hands?”

All three of them turned to see third years Midorikawa Nao and Aoki Reika, walking towards them with hundreds of fliers in their hands. Some were sticking out from the stacks and you could barely see their faces! Nao was the one who called out to them, as she was both waving and balancing the stack of papers under her arm. Rina and Haruhi beamed when they saw them, but Ramya’s expression remained the same.

“Aoki-san! Midori-san! How’ve you guys been?” Haruhi asked

“Could be better, but hey! What more can you do when you have fliers to post around the campus? We could use some extra hands on deck.” Nao replied, gesturing to the stacks of fliers. 

Haruhi grabbed half of Nao’s stack, looking at them with a smile on her face.“I could help out! Speaking of which, what’re these fliers for anyway? I don’t think we have any major events going on, especially since we’re only two weeks into the new semester and all.”

“Well, a lot of clubs are starting up, so the Student Council has started making these fliers for sign-ups. There isn’t a  lot right now, but hopefully, more will open up” Reika answered, with a determined look on her face. She was aiming for being Student Body President, after all, so she had to set a good example for the juniors.

“D-do you mind if I lent a hand? I-I may not know too much about the clubs, but I wouldn’t mind! I do want to make a good impression here, s-so helping out could be a start for me” Ramya chimed.

She then glanced at Rina, unable to read her by expression. Rina gave her a thumbs up, comforting Ramya. She took half of Reika’s stack and gave a meek smile. The third years smiled back and started to share the plan:

“Alright, so Haruhi and I will take the third floor & Reika will take the new student down here. We’ll group back on the second floor and then we can have lunch in the student council clubroom, sounds good?”

“Sounds good!” The three exclaimed, the determination ringing in their voices.

“Alright, let’s split!”

Reika and Ramya started to make their way to the school’s east side while Haruhi and Nao headed west. Rina trailed behind Nao to have a quick chat with Haruhi.

“You sure you don’t mind this? I mean, it’s only the second week.”

“Rina, I’m sure I don’t mind. Helping others is practically in my nature and I honestly enjoy it... by the way, I owe you a trip downtown. I promised we’d go last week, but my parents needed me. So after school, we can head down to the new boba tea shop, my treat.”

“R-really? Sweet! Do you think we can do a quick snack run on the way? I want to grab myself some chocobars for myself”

Haruhi smiled. “Yes Rina, we can. Anyways, go have your lunch! I’ll see you in class!”

“See you in class!”

Rina sprinted towards the courtyard, bento box and book in arms, and dashed out the school building. The courtyard was huge for the small campus, with an open area for sports. The field was usually crowded with first-year students gawking at the male sports teams, but it’s barren with still freshly painted running tracks. In the middle of the courtyard was a gazebo with a maroon red roof. This spot was often called “The Compass Checkpoint” due to the 4 bridges connecting it. Rina crossed the west bridge and was immediately greeted with shade, perfect for reading. She placed her bento down by a nearby bench and sat down, opening her book to reread it. This has been a natural habit of Rina’s, reading the same story and revisiting the world she’s grown up with and always loved.

*crack*

A branch suddenly snapped, making Rina jolt. She closed her book to see who it was. Her expression changed upon seeing a familiar face.

Magenta hair tied in buns, yellow bows for accessories, and a bright smile spread across her face. Hoshizora Miyuki, her older cousin, and a fellow transfer student.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?”

Rina dropped her book and hugged Miyuki, spinning with joy and delight! These two have been inseparable, always talking to each other over the phone and sharing pictures. The feelings always remain just as exciting as when they first met, nearly 13 years ago. They stopped spinning and continued the embrace.

“Miyu! Oh my gosh, it felt like FOREVER! I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, this weekend felt SO LONG!”, Rina laughed. 

“I know! Even after we last talked, I couldn’t stop thinking about you!”

“Same here! Guess we love each other that much, huh?”

Finally, they pulled away and sat down. They started talking about what they did over the weekend, any new stories they read, but eventually, the conversation shifted.

“I know this isn’t like me to ask, but how come I didn’t see you earlier today?”, Rina asked.

“I know being a third-year must be a lot since you’re supposed to set a good example for the juniors, but today you weren’t even by the gates like you usually are.”

“Oh, that? Yeah, this morning was especially long for me. Yayoi emailed me about helping with ideas for the Art Club, so I went to her house for breakfast. And after that, I had to help my teacher set up the class, which meant I could hang out in the class afterward.”

“So, you took a break before classes? That’s fair I suppose, besides it sounds like you worked up a storm!”

“Yep, that’s the life of a third-year! I’m 100% gonna take a nap after school, I deserve it!”

Miyuki began to stretch, which accidentally sent her bag tumbling to the ground. It fell with a loud thud and out flew a pink compact. It rolled by Rina’s feet and she picked it up.

“Uh, Miyu? You mind explaining why you have a compact in your bag?” Rina asked, pointing at the compact. As Rina was messing with the compact,  Miyuki immediately snatched it from her hands. Her face glowed bright red as she shoved it in her bag.

“Y-You didn’t know about my make-up addiction? This cute face isn’t natural! I thought I told you, whoops!”

The atmosphere quickly grew tense. Rina wasn’t used to seeing her cheerful cousin so embarrassed. Something seemed wrong, and Rina couldn’t ignore it: 

“Is everything ok? You know you can tell me anything, right? Besides, we’ve shared a bunch of weird secrets and I’ve never told a single soul, so you can trust me.” Rina said with a calm smile on her face. Miyuki took a deep breath but was still hesitant.

“Well, this is a compact and it’s funny that I brought it with me. But, it’s not for makeup. I...I don’t know how else to explain it, but...”

“Miyuki, it’s ok. I’ll understand, I promise.”

She held her cousin’s hands and met each other’s eye level,

“If you say so...well, I’m a magical girl”

There was a brief moment of silence between the two, Rina let go of Miyuki’s hands and stared blankly at her

“I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Miyuki sighed. “I said I’m a magical girl. Y’know those rumors going around, they’re true. All of them. And, I’m one of them, Cure Happy actually!”

“Cure...Ha- Wait, like THE Cure Happy everyone keeps talking about?! THAT CURE HAPPY?!” Rina exclaimed

Her face conformed from calm and collected to bug-eyed confusion. She sat up from the bench and stared in disbelief.

“Y-You’re joking. Y-you have to be! There’s NO way! IT’S NOT POSSIBLE! All this time that I’ve been collecting magical girl toys and now you’re telling me you are one?!”

She started pacing around the gazebo in utter confusion. Her words started to become indistinguishable... Miyuki tried her best to explain but Rina wasn’t paying attention. 

‘I knew this would be weird, but I wasn’t expecting this!’

“R-Rina! Calm down! People are gonna notice!”

Miyuki quickly stood up and held her cousin close. Rina started to calm down, as she accepted this embrace. Both locked eyes and smiled,

“Everything ok?”

“Y-yeah, I guess. But you have to clear things up for me, how come you didn’t tell me? I’m your cousin after all.”

Miyuki let go, yet kept her eyes locked with Rina’s,

“That’s the thing, I couldn’t tell you. I had to keep it a secret, which sucked, but it was to protect you and everyone I care about. If you knew, then you’d be in so much danger than you are now! ”

“I-I feel honored, really I do! But, this seems so sudden and I still have questions-”

“L-LOOK!” Miyuki shouted, pointing to the now moving book

Rina’s book began moving on its own and flew above them! Suddenly, a squirrel popped out and hit his head on the roof! It fell in between the two of them and landed with a loud thud, the book landing on top of its head. Rina screamed in horror. Miyuki was trying to calm her down but it was hopeless. The fairy slowly stood up, lifting the book from its head, and looked at the pair. Its eyes glistened when it saw Miyuki.

“Cure Happy! It really is you! The Queen wasn’t lying about your buns~chi.”

Rina looked at Miyuki with extreme concern.

“M-Miyu? Why is there a talking squirrel in front of us and HOW DOES IT KNOW YOU?!”

“I-I don’t know! I haven’t seen any fairies in a while.!”

The fairy spoke out to the pair, not shifting its field of vision

“Happy, there isn’t much time to explain. You have to come back to Märchenland, the queen needs to see you right away~chi!”

Miyuki quickly stopped the fairy, “W-wait! Why do I have to go back? Is there something wrong? Is Pierrot back?”

Questions began to flood Rina’s head. Why is there a talking fairy? What is Märchenland? Who is this Queen? What is happening? All she wanted was answers and she wanted them now!

“There’s isn’t much time~chi! Grab my hand! I’m taking you to the palace!”

“WAIT!”

All eyes were now on Rina. She rose and looked at both Miyuki and the fairy, her eyes showing worry and assertion. She grabbed hold of Miyuki’s hand and spoke with authority in her voice:

“You told me a secret I never learned and to just leave me behind? No way, I'm going with you. Besides, isn’t two better than 1?” Rina said confidently. 

‘Rina…’

“Right, let’s go!” Miyuki’s face returned to her normal cheerful grin. 

The fairy looked at Rina for a moment but returned its attention to the book. It tapped the book and the words started glowing. It looked at the girls and gave a small nod, grabbing Miyuki’s hand and leaping high in the air. The book sucked all three of them in, closing as soon as Rina’s shoe was sucked in. There it was, on the gazebo floor, leaving no evidence behind.

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

The three flew through a colorful tunnel, safely contained in a bubble. Bright lights flashed before their eyes, blinding them. The end of the tunnel was getting clearer the further they traveled. Outside was a tall castle with colorful balloons surrounding it. All seemed clear to Rina when she saw the palace.

‘Wait...that’s the castle from my dreams! Hold on, it’s real?!’ Rina pondered. None of this made any sense to her. 

The questions started to rack up in her brain like a witch’s cauldron. The bubble started picking up speed, as the ground got closer and closer.

“Hold on~chi! The bubble is gonna pop any second~chi!”

The fairy exclaimed, standing close to the girls. They reached the ground and the bubble popped, causing the trio to roll in front of the palace. They sat in a triangle shape, looking at each other in silence. Miyuki couldn’t help herself and started giggling, soon everyone caught them! Sure, it was for a dumb reason, but it was a funny one at most. As the laughter died down, Rina helped Miyuki up which incidentally made a gateway for the fairy. It started running, yelling at the two

“Hurry up~chi! The queen needs to see you!”

“H-HOLD ON! WAIT FOR US!” Miyuki grabbed Rina’s hand and followed the fairy to the palace. The place looked so vibrant and colorful, but Rina noticed someone by the castle. And then, they vanished.

‘Weird…’

The palace gates opened up. They were greeted by tall pillars draped in gold embroidery. A small child with bright blond hair and wearing a white dress came into view, gazing longingly at the stained glass windows. It loomed over the throne and seemed the size of two giraffes. The glass depicted five heroines grasping at a clock each donning colors of the rainbow.

Blue

Yellow

Pink

Red

Green

‘This has to be a joke, right? I mean, that stained glass has five heroes, my dream had five heroes. There’s NO way this is just a coincidence!’ Rina thought to herself. 

More puzzle pieces have fallen into place, yet she still couldn’t quite put this puzzle together.

“Your Majesty! I brought Cure Happy, just as you asked! She decided to bring someone with her, I hope that isn’t troublesome for you.” He shouted to the child.

The child turned and saw the trio and her eyes lit up with delight. She hopped off the throne and ran towards her old friend.

“MIIIIYUUUUUUKIIIIIIII!”

 She latched on to her, causing them both to tumble to the floor. As their eyes met, Miyuki’s face lit up. 

“Candy! It’s so nice to see you again!”

“I missed you so much~kuru! It’s been too long~kuru!”

Rina knelt beside Miyuki. Even if she had just learned about the secret, it was really cute to see her hugging a small child who she held dear. Miyuki lifted her back from the floor, Candy still hugging close, and introduced the two to each other.

“Rina, this is Candy. She’s the one who made me a magical girl and is the queen of Märchenland. Candy, this is my cousin Rina. A fellow story lover and one of my dearest friends.”

Candy looked at Rina and gave a bright smile.

“Rina. Welcome to Märchenland! It’s very nice to meet you~kuru!”

“It’s very nice to meet you too, your Majesty. Or is Candy better? Regardless, it’s very nice to meet a good friend of Miyu’s!”

Familiar voices rang throughout different corners of the halls, making it difficult to track each one down

“Man, has this place gotten bigger since our last visit here, or is it just me?”

“It might have. I don’t seem to recognize some things, but t-that could be my memory not serving me right.”

Out of the corner of Rina’s eye, she spotted several familiar faces.

Her seniors were exploring the palace and they were all together? Noticing them, Nao broke out into a run, the others trailing behind her. Miyuki saw them and broke into a smile.

“Everyone! You’re here! Boy, am I glad to see all of you!” 

“Guess the Smile team is back together! Wait... why’s Rina here?” Akane asked, a bit confused.

Miyuki explained what happened only moments earlier.“I-I hope you guys don’t mind! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!” Rina chimed in, looking slightly flustered. A question suddenly popped into Miyuki’s mind.

“Hold on, how did you guys get here? The last thing I remember is that you could only get here with a storybook. This isn’t making any sense…”

“That’s what we thought too, but I guess some rules changed since we last visited.” Nao exclaimed, sharing her story. She was looking at a recipe book before Home Economics class started, then she got sucked in and landed in the kitchen. One by one, everyone shared their tales.

Reika was looking over the student council schedule and landed in the conference room. Akane was studying and found herself in the Royal Library and Yayoi was drawing scenery and landed in the Royal Garden. None of this was making any sense! The logic seemed to be all over the place! Everyone started to talk over each other to try to make sense of it, but Candy spoke out.

“Hold on~kuru! Let me explain, please~kuru!”

Everyone stopped talking and turned their attention to the queen. Candy let go of Miyuki and stood to face everyone.

“After you defeated Pierrot and I became queen, we began making some changes- like unlocking parts of the Royal Library~kuru. No matter where I was, all the books here have a connection to Earth. So it made everything a lot easier! Everything has been normal, but recently Pop gave me a report from one of the villagers. He said that someone was trapped in some sort of dark jelly which can only be removed using light. We managed to free them, but there was a message left behind~kuru”

“What did that message say?”

Rina asked, invested in this new situation.

“Uh…’Darkness will shadow over Märchenland again, Pierrot will be reborn!’”

Everyone looked at each other with fear, Yayoi huddled close to Akane

“T-that’s s-scary!”

Akane began to rub her to help comfort the yellow-haired maiden. Candy nodded in agreement.

“It really is~kuru! So that’s why I had to take action and asked Pachi to head to Earth. I knew that the locks were unlocked, so that’s why everyone else landed in the palace~kuru.” 

“That makes sense, but that thing could still be out there! We gotta deal with this now!” Akane exclaimed, pounding her fist against her palm.

“But, where do we even start? We don’t seem to have enough evidence to track its behaviors” Reika asked.

“What we do know is that it’s just a blob of...something. All we gotta do is find the core, break it and the problem’s solved.” Nao suggested, putting her hand on Reika’s shoulders. All of a sudden, the ground started shaking. Everyone clung to each other for support, but as the shaking grew more violent, the balance was lost. A dark goo-like substance collided with the stained glass, cracking the center and shattering glass everywhere. It lunged towards the queen, morphing itself into a cage. The cage sprouted created wings and flew out of the palace. Tears rolled down the queen’s face, her hand reaching out to her friends.

“PRECURE!!!! SAVE MEEEEEEEE~KURUUUUUU!” Candy screamed.

Her voice growing softer as each moment passed. The palace was covered in shattered glass, the once beautiful windows were no more. Everyone quickly rose and followed behind the cage but it was far from their reach.

“CANDYYYYYYYY!!!!” Miyuki cried out, reaching towards the newly grey sky.

She let her hand drop as she looked at everyone with determination

“Everyone, we have to save Candy!”

“Right!”

Small balls of light formed and out popped their compacts. All five looked at each other and 5 rays of light shone in their positions. Rina and Pachi both shielded their eyes from the intense light. Their eyes fluttered open and saw the Smile team in place of the five third years. It felt so surreal...to think that those rumors were true! Happy looked over at Rina and smiled, which comforted her a bit. Then, all five heroes flew out of the palace and towards the cage.

“I’m sure the Precure will fix this, I know they will~chi!” Pachi told Rina.

“But, what if they need help? I’m not going to let my friends get hurt, not now!”

She raced towards the doors, but Pachi blocked her way out, “Are you crazy?! You could get hurt, this isn’t something to take lightly~chi! That’s the Precure’s job~chi!”

“But don’t you want to save the queen too?” Rina exclaimed.

Her words rang in Pachi’s heart. He’s always been loyal to the queen and his home, so why was this any different? Pachi eventually gave in and hopped into Rina’s arm. She looked at the fairy with a comforting smile and as they ran out of the palace. The goo had split into two entities, the cage holding Candy and a giant cat. It began swatting its paw at Peace and March, while Sunny, Happy, and Beauty were trying to unlock the cage. It was a disaster, Peace and March were knocked straight down, so Happy went down to defend them. Beauty closed her eyes and concentrated all her energy. A bow of ice formed in her hand as she aimed it at the lock.

“Precure! Beauty Blizzard Arrow!”

Sunny barely dodged the attack, but it seemed to do the trick. The young queen started falling towards the ground and the cage reformed back to a blob. Sunny caught Candy just before hitting the ground. She flew to where Rina and Pachi were and placed her down.

“Take care of her, we’ll settle this soon!” Sunny assured them, flying back into the battle. 

The trio ran behind the palace, as they were watching closely. The goo soon melted on the cat as it grew in size, its claws and teeth sharpening and its eyes glowed a vicious red. It seemed too powerful to the table.

“Everyone, it’s time for Princess Mode!”

The group nodded and they began to glow. The lights vanished and the heroes were in Princess Mode. All of them charged the behemoth cat with their attack

“Precure Royale Rainbow Burst!”

A bright phoenix targeted the cat but it shifted into a mirror, bouncing the attack back. The Cures flung backward, reverting to their original outfits, and hit the ground with loud thuds. The debris cleared and everyone was covered in dirt and bruises, Rina dashing towards the group.

“Rina~chi!” Pachi called out but to no avail. 

Rina was already on the battlefield in disarray. She went around nudging the fallen heroes, hoping they would wake up.

“Come on,...please, wake up! Please!” She meekly said.

The tears were building up in her eyes. When she got to Miyuki, she fell to her knees crying. It pained her to see her cousin and friends hurt and in this state. Her tears fell on Miyuki’s face, repeating herself.

“Please….wake up...please...I just want to help...please.”

Soon the goo began to advance towards the unaware Rina, shapeshifting into a raging horse. Her voice rose to a wail:

“JUST LET ME SAVE YOUUUU!”

A bright blue light shone from Rina’s position, blinding the giant horse. Pachi and Candy stared at the light in awe. Pachi looked at the young queen, unsure of what she thought, but she gave a reassuring nod. He gave a determined smile and ran straight to the light.

All Rina could see was light. She wasn’t sure where she was or how she got here. She was met face to face with Pachi, his face brimming with joy! She jumped when she saw him.

“P-PACHI?! H-how did you get here?! W-Where am I?!”

“She was right, the queen was right all along~chi!”

“What do mean Candy was right? I’m so confused!”

A small ball of light appeared between the two, revealing a small blue book and calligraphy pen. Rina grabbed the two items. 

“What are these things?”

“It’s your Storybook and MagiPen! You’re one of the legendary Precure~chi!”

“Wait, hold on! I’m still confused-”

“The queen will explain later! Now, just say ‘Precure! Story Start!’ and write ‘Once Upon a Time’ in the Storybook~chi!”

“I still don���t understand what’s happening, but if it’ll save everyone I’ll do it!”

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

The Storybook opened up and the decals glowed.

“Ready?”

“Precure! Story Start!”

“Go!”

The MagiPen started lighting up with power. It ejected from the book, Rina snatching it in midair and wrote:

“Once Upon a Time”

“Go go! Let’s go, Joyful!”

With the pen in her hand, Rina began to play around. Drawing hearts around her feet and arms, arm cuffs, pale blue garter thigh highs and white Mary Janes materialized. Waving her pen like a wand, her dress began to gradually materialize. A light blue checkered uniform with lap over sleeves and a golden winged emblem were created! Her hair began to glow, as it changed to a navy blue. It twisted around, creating 2 cute cat ear pigtails, the tips fading to a prominent blue. She tapped her hair, ears and neck creating a choker, winged earring and a frilly headband with a bow on her left. Finally, she drew a light blue streak across her bang, as her eyes also shifted to that similar hue. She placed the MagiPen back in its slot, as it appeared on her skirt seconds later

A shining light shone from above, as the now transformed Rina landed with such precision. Tiny blue flame spark were made when she met the ground

“The glowing ray of positivity! With a bright smile! Cure Joyful!”

She exclaimed, giving her final pose!

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

“Cure Joyful is here~chi! The Precure have returned to Märchenland~chi!”

Pachi was dancing happily, while Cure Joyful stared dumbfounded at her new form. She poked and messed with herself.

“W-what the?! W-what happened to my clothes?! Why is my hair-”

A loud neigh erupted, sending tremors through the ground. The giant horse charged at Joyful and Pachi. Without thinking, she grabbed Pachi and started running, except she was...in the...sky. It was a murky color like paint water. There weren’t any balloons in sight and no cheery melody playing in the distance. She started flailing around like a wild chicken, while Pachi was trying to calm her down

“I-I’M FLYING! THIS ISN’T NORMAL, THIS DEFINITELY ISN’T NORMAL!”

“C-CALM DOWN~CHI! YOU’RE ONLY GOING TO STAY HERE THE MOR-”

Gravity already wasn’t serving in Joyful’s favor, as she was falling from the murky sky. Pachi clung to her arm, falling with the frightened hero. Her body collided with the giant horse, creating a giant crater in the ground. Both were dizzy from the fall but the horse started to rise, causing both to slide off its back. Their faces met the ground as the horse prepared to smash them, but Joyful immediately rolled away. She grabbed Pachi and threw him back to the young queen, instructing him to stay. Joyful ventured back to the battlefield.

“Alright, time to saddle up!”

‘God, that was terrible. Never say that again.’

The horse began lunging towards Cure Joyful, to which she dodged gracefully. The vigorous wind in her face, her whole body dancing an unknown rhythm, this battle was her stage and she was the main act! The hooves increased their speed and power, but she spun in the air and charged straight for the incoming attack!

*crack*

The horse began to fall to the ground and shapeshifted into a griffin before impact. It increased in size as it charged Joyful into the sky. She was sent tumbling like a wingless fairy but soon regained her balance. A shiny gem appeared under her feet, which gave her enough momentum to sucker punch the griffin.

‘Not bad, me! Not bad at all!’

After the griffin regained its balance, it started viciously swiping at Joyful. She dodged with grace, giving her room to aim for its paw. Joyful looped around the griffin’s head, making it dizzy enough so she could charge-punch its paw. It roared in pain, its crying becoming more distorted as it reverted to a miserable blob of goo. Joyful was panting from how much energy she used. She couldn’t keep up fighting forever!

“There has to be some way to get rid of this thing. But, I don’t want to end up like my friends...”

She sent a barrage of punches to the blob, which either absorbed the attack or flung her back. It felt like a never-ending cycle, one she wanted to get out of quickly.

“Uh, Pachi? I could use some help right about now!”

Suddenly, she felt something. It was a shining red orb with cracks in it. Could this be the blob’s center?

‘No way…’

“Pachi! I found the core of this thing!”

Pachi started to jump with enthusiasm.

“That’s great! Now use your special to shatter it~chi!”

“Hold on, my what now?”

“Your special attack! You have to use your Storybook and MagiPen for that~chi!”

“Still a little lost, but let’s give it a shot!”

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

The MagiPen ejected out of the book, Joyful catching it with a swift motion. She drew the emblem in the Storybook, as a bright blue aura appeared in front of her. She placed the now non-lighted pen back in the slot and grabbed the aura with her hands

“Precure!”

As the energy was charging, her hair began to glow a bright blue. Locking her target, she pulled her arms back, ready to charge

“Joyful Raindance!!”

Joyful blasted the aura creating a meteor shower, striking the blob in every corner. The glass ball shattered into pieces, as the blob melted away, till nothing remained. Sparkles decorated the scene.

Cure Joyful looked back and winked exclaiming, 

“And that’s the end!”

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

The sky changed back to its bright blue hue, the clouds returned to a pearly white. The two fairies began happy-dancing as they chanted at Joyful’s success.

“She did it~kuru! She did it~kuru!”

“She really did~chi! I was rooting for her all the way~chi!”

Joyful slowly drifted down to the ground and landed on her knees. She needed a breather from that fighting.

“Who...who knew that...fighting could take up...all that energy...I’m taking a 5-hour nap after this! Mark my words!”

She fell onto the newly green grass and stared up to the sky. She did all of that, she fought a giant blob, in heels more or less, and saved a kingdom she dreamt about. Now that’s what we call a fresh start! She extended her hand out at the sky, trying to grab the soft and fluffy clouds but something fell in her hand.

‘Huh? What’s this?’

Joyful brought the object close to her face, it was a small blue and yellow lollipop with a ruby red ribbon on the base. She could feel the grooves of the thing in her thumb, it felt both relaxing and strange. Joyful got up and looked to the side, her friends were all ok, chatting with each other. She got up and ran towards them, brimming with joy. Without thinking, she jump-hugged her cousin, crying tears of joy that she was ok. Miyuki didn’t know who this new girl was or why she was hugging her but went along with it. Joyful let go and locked eyes with Miyuki, it was that moment when the pieces fell together. Those light blue eyes still held that childish youth, it couldn’t be...

“R-Rina?”

“Miyu! I’m so glad you’re all safe! Don’t scare me like that again!”

Joyful hugged Miyuki back, whilst the others giggled at them.

“Guess we have another Precure sister, huh?”

Yayoi exclaimed, looking at the two cousins

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

“So, these are Toppers? And they have the same function as a ‘Cure Decor’ if I’m even saying that right...”

Rina asked, holding the small item. Everyone was sitting in a circle talking about what happened and what’s to happen in the future. Candy started to explain everything that happened after the Pierrot incident

“Right~kuru. Pop and I made them together since we put the Cure Decors away~kuru. But, when I last checked they all vanished~kuru!”

“Bet that blob had something to do with it!” Akane exclaimed, she was already fuming even after the fight. Yayoi piped in with an idea: “I-I mean, it does seem possible. But, w-why would a blob serve as a distraction, if that meant that-”

“A new evil is coming!” Nao interjected, continuing the thought. Everyone looked at each other with dread in their eyes. Pachi soon cut the silence and changed the topic

“But that means that Apple is ‘the next generation’, in a sense~chi.”

“That’s right~kuru! But that means the other cures need to be found, so Rina has to play ‘Hide-N-Seek’ to find them and the rest of the Toppers. And it means training for you~kuru.”

“T-training? I thought this was it for me~chi?”

“Pachi, you need to think about this. I know you’ve been passionate about the Precure, so why not let you help the new team~kuru?”

“R-really? Y-you mean it? T-then I won’t let you down~chi!”

“That’s incredible! We can get started tomorrow. But, I need you to be more cautious. We don’t know what to expect with this new evil, but we need help and now~kuru!”

Rina looked at Candy with determination and swore a promise to her:

“Right, I promise I won’t let you down, Candy!”

Akane gave Rina a thumbs up with a bright smile.

“Welcome to the Precure life, sister!”

Everyone started to giggle and it soon turned to laughter. The tension and stress seemed to fade away, as everyone started smiling and thriving again.

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

Everyone was bidding farewells to Candy and Pachi. After, everyone entered a giant book, returning to Earth. Miyuki and Candy exchanged one last hug, before looking at Rina and taking her hand.

“Ready to head back?”

“Y-yeah! I’m ready”

Rina exclaimed, she quickly gave Pachi a small smile, comforting the fairy. Both fairies waved goodbye to the cousins before entering the book, returning home. The bright light cleared and the school bell rang in the distance. It was time for them to start their afternoon classes. The two started collecting their things and walked out of the gazebo, heading to their next classes. Rina took a moment and reached for the sky, thinking about what new challenges she’ll face along the way and what new adventures were in store

‘Even if I’m not exactly Blue Star, I’ll still fight for everyone’s happy endings! Mark the world of my words, cause here comes Storytime Precure!’

“M-Miyuki! Wait up!”

She ran towards Miyuki, catching up to her and sparking up a conversation. It was a brand new story that was about to begin. Starting today, another chapter opened in Rina’s life.

╳°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°╳

Preview of the next chapter: 

Who’s this new kid in school?

I don’t know, but he’s so dreamy!

Hold on, is that-

PACHI?!

Next time on Storytime! Precure: Sudden Heartthrob! Cure Royal Takes the Stage! 

We’ll soar high for a happy ending!

Art made by myself (@soleil.equinox), @squid.arts on Instagram and @JustAMelonPan (they don’t have any socials) respectively!

[chef-mordo]

The First King of the Monsters (Part One)

“The demolition of Tokyo”

[This Series is heavily inspired by Trollmans’ “FOLLY OF MAN” series on DeviantArt, so be sure to follow him if you enjoyed my work] On March 1, 1954 the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test was conducted at Bikini Atoll. The first of many thermonuclear weapon tests, it was the largest and most powerful nuclear weapon tested by the US government at the time, a massive mushroom cloud 40 kilometers high rose above the now blazing landscape with a shockwave so large that it shook the land and sea…

Some time afterwards, a spike in radiation was picked up under ten miles off of the northern coast of Palau. When investigations were launched, the wreckage of several burned fishing vessels were found. An additional unusual trail of radiation was discovered leading North. This worried many world powers at the time as it indicated the presence of some unique, powerful source of radiation not yet known to man. The greatest fears of mankind would soon become true. Subsequently, over the following months, several ships in the Pacific Ocean were reported missing. This prompted President Dwight D. Eisenhower to send out the investigative “Monarch Task Force” research team to study the spike in radiation and missing vessels. Eventually, on the night of August 13, 1954, a distress signal from the fishing vessel Eiko Maru was received by the Japanese Coast Guard. Another ship, the Bingo Maru, was sent to investigate the wreckage and rescue any survivors. However, neither ship returned. The following evening, a raft washed ashore on Odo Island. The sole survivor from the wreckage Masaji Yamada told the locals of a bright beam of light consuming the ship. He later reported to Monarch officials that he saw a massive, reptilian shape crest the water before it dove back down into the depths of the sea. 

The following morning, the Monarch research team along with JCG officials arrived on Odo island to interview locals and investigate the wreckage. As the boat neared the island, the sea seemed to turn red. Upon arrival, the island had seemed to be shut down; according to locals, an exorcism was performed on the island the previous night after a violent storm had apparently partially destroyed the island. A local elder reported that the island’s ocean deity had been angered and would come to feed off of the islanders. The island mythology states that women had been sacrificed in the past to appease “Gojira” who was stated to be the “King of the Monsters”. A gargantuan footprint was discovered irradiating nuclear energy. Massive aggressive mutated trilobites were additionally found on the shore of the island. Dubbed “Shokkirasu” after insectoid flesh-eating demons from the island’s mythology. The village alarm was later set off, followed by an ear-splitting shrieking roar. A hulking, seemingly saurian figure of titanic proportions rose from the sea on the northwestern side of the island. Japanese paleontologist, Doctor Kyohei Yamane managed to take a photo of the beast raising its ugly head over the hill before it turned to terrorize the town. While many attempted to hide on the island, a few locals managed to escape back on the ships that Monarch and the JCG had taken.

The photo would later be presented to an emergency meeting at the National Diet Building in Tokyo. Doctor Yamane would propose that this creature was awoken by nuclear testing in the South Pacific Ocean and had been the cause of sunken ships throughout the past few months. It had been decided to release this information to the public and in addition, JMSDF forces had been sent to locate and dispatch the creature, now referred to as “Godzilla”. Following this, a fleet of battleships and submarines had been sent into the red, now boiling waters of Tokyo Bay armed with hundreds of depth charges. Eventually, the monster had been located and surrounded by a massive line of explosives. As millions of litres of water shot up into the air, the beast emerged unfazed as it rose onto the shore of Tokyo’s Shinagawa ward. It tore through buildings and ended the lives of at least a thousand. Turning from the rubble, the beast then broke through the aquatic barricade, destroying massive cruisers with little effort.

The following morning another summit was called and it was decided that a line of electrical towers would be built along Tokyo’s coastline. This would send 50,000 volts of electricity into the monster, hopefully ending its life. An emergency evacuation of Tokyo was also called in case that the plan failed. Additionally, due to the previous failed efforts, the USAF had sent 5 “Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress” aircrafts filled with Mark 65 explosives to arrive the following day. 

Later that night the primordial horror once again rose from the red, boiling sea. With another air-splitting roar, it crawled onto the shore and tore through the electric fence. Following a bombardment from ground units, it bent over and began to flood Tokyo with a red mist. Seemingly irritated by the constant firing of missiles towards the creature, it’s dorsal plates began to turn from a light pink to a glowing light blue. It faced up towards the sky and shrieked before activating its atomic breath and setting the coastline aflame…

I hope y’all enjoyed the first story-based entry for “GODZILLA: Age of Monsters”. Only one more post for this first chapter focusing on Godzilla’s initial demolition of Tokyo (Alongside a drawing!). Feel free to share any thoughts, questions, praise, or criticisms of my work. As always, likes, comments, and reposts are welcome! The next few posts will be posted at 10:00 AM (CDT) within the following days.

Tune in for more updates and future posts. Peace and love! ✌️🏽

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough - chugging through Baldur’s Gate

Mild spoilers below the cut

A million side quests in my journal, slowly chugging through them all… Act 3 is huge and the random little quests all over the place are kind of… like… look it’s a huge amount of content, it’s amazing, but I do prefer act 1, where yes we had less things, but those less things were all integrated better and flowed together. That being said, what’s neat about act 3 is that there’s so many little surprises here and there that I’m finding things I didn’t manage to spoil for myself: like the identity of the Stone Lord, and finding Ethel again.

So first of all… I seem to be having a RANDOM BLOODSTAIN CURSE???

A little while ago I found a large random bloodstain on the ground in town and I was trying to figure out what happened. I assumed maybe it tied back in with the murder trail I was following. When that didn’t seem to be it, I thought maybe I had missed an important event, so I backtracked through my save files and pinpointed when the bloodstain appeared. I still don’t know what happened here though. So I found the spot… in one of my save files in between me talking to the book seller in Sorcerous Sundries, and me going through the portal up to Rolan’s tower, a non-interacting NPC (a refugee) about a block away was standing over the bloodstain with one missing hit point. There’s nothing there in the area that should have caused that. There’s no event, no fight, no interaction, no dangerous thing, it’s so weird.

Then more recently, the very first night I went to sleep in my brand new room at the Elfsong, I woke up to a massive bloodstain all over one of the beds!! Before bed - nothing. Morning - massive bloodstain. What in the heck is going on?

Gale can now summon a deva courtesy of the amazing books in Ramezith’s vault. I like having it out the same time as Wyll’s cambian: my devil dude and his angel pal. Or maybe they hate each other. They were both summoned here while they were trying to eat their lunch and now they’re wordlessly glaring at each other, like two siblings who don’t get along. I love it.

I love all the cats in this game, someone on the dev team loves cats - but also remember to sometimes try interacting with them without using “speak with animals”. I tried petting Malta without it and got kind of a funny narration where they said the cat was pretending to act like they didn’t care, and failing. I have read online that if Baelen isn’t with Derryth in act 3 - either because you didn’t save him from the bibberbang field, or because you gave him the noblestalk mushroom and Derryth left him - you are able to get Derryth to take Malta to live with her??? Between this and finding the letter in her house about how much Derryth wished she married this other guy, I’m feeling pretty sad about saving him, wish instead I had either left him in the bibberbang field or gave Derryth a push to finally leave him. Oh well.

Got to the infamous squiddy romance. Nope, not for me in the end. I mean obviously I TRIED it, just to SEE, of COURSE I did, and got the achievement of shame lmao, but in my actual save game I am not having that. First of all: vanilla and garlic? Uff no thanks. It’s interesting, isn’t it, how the game has described the specific smells of a few different characters (Astarion, Raphael, Mizora, now this), and how every description includes some unpleasant undertone. (well maybe not Mizora who just sounds all around unpleasant lol) But second of all…. My specific tav just is not buying any of this. I’ve been very very wary ever since the big reveal, and this whole little side event just feels to me like more Emperor manipulation bullshit. Oh let’s go to my old room because there’s some equipment there that can help you. Oh wait would you look at that… it’s my old doggy’s collar. And a recipe for my favourite soup. And a present from my mommy. See look at all these things, look at how much humanity I have, oh yeah I guess there’s a weapon and some armor there too. Phew what a great chat, now we trust each other COMPLETELY, right? Oh hey btw I’m totally sexually attracted to you - see just another way we can be intimate, right? What great sex! You trust me completely now right? Ok back to business.

No thanks, not for my tav.

You have the option to ask the Emperor to change back into the old Guardian form… it was nice to see mine one last time, he’s so pretty! If you go this route, the next morning is pretty hilarious. You wake up next to the untransformed mindflayer Emperor with an “ew gross what did I do” face, I took screenshots, I was laughing so hard.

The face of regret.

I tried going to get Minsc last night but I wasn’t expecting how big the counting house was going to be… I’m leaving it for now and I’ll take a crack at it later. Instead I went and found the hag support group. KLED. Augh Kled, what a sweetheart, why is no one talking about him and why is there no fan art??? I gave Mayrina the wand to resurrect her husband’s corpse way back in act 1 and now I’m wondering if that was a mistake as well… she’s still dragging the body around with her, and poor old Kled says Mayrina is too kind and too pretty for the likes of him. AUGH BABE. I wonder, after I fight Ethel and finish the quest, if Mayrina and Kled might have a chance? Mayrina mentioned that lately she feels like she doesn’t see that little spark of what used to be her husband there in the corpse anymore… I think eventually she’s going to move on and hopefully appreciate this lovely lovely guy who’s there for her without any expectation and things will be great and amazing. Yep, that’s what I’m going with.

I really like the personality the game has put into the “monster” races, the goblins, the bugbears, the hobgoblins. I love how they’re more than just “rarg ebbil”, they’re fun to talk to, they have their own cultures, it makes me sad to kill them quite honestly because under different circumstances I think we could have had fun hanging out.

I love Kled, big and handsome and kind, and the fact that I don’t seem to be able to find a single thing with him on AO3 is a crime and you should all be ashamed.

I've been thinking a lot about post-Cazador Astarion. He's changed so much. Like. Yes ok he's still kind of a loveable bastard, he's still grumbling at me when I give beggars money, wouldn't want it any other way, but he's so honest now, he can be sweet, he can be soft. His pre-spawn backstory is not currently fleshed out. I know there were development ideas that he used to be a corrupt magistrate, and I am honestly ok with that, in fact perhaps I even prefer it. But the actual canon is a blank slate and I find myself wondering about Astarion's softness and honesty, if this is his old personality that Cazador couldn't torture away, growing back like the first hints of green after a forest fire... or if this is something totally new for him, not just healing from Cazador, but that all of the suffering he's overcome and this adventure he's been somewhat unwillingly dragged through have made him a better person than he ever was. Either possibility is neat, I think. I like to think about it. Man I really... I mean I've had this game so thoroughly spoiled for me, and yet I still find things that surprise me - I was really unprepared for act 3 Astarion and what a beautiful personality he has. Man I am so proud of him. My Star. Makes me wanna cry. This game.

Patch 6 still hasn’t been released for Mac… *whine* come on Larian, I want all my fancy kisses before I get to the end of the game…

EDIT: omg I think it was literally JUST RELEASED??? Aaah when’s my next work break, I wanna check it out…