#i did it; and compared to how i was faring this time last week...

[dawnthefluffyduck]

One minute til' midnight (more design-accurate sketches below)

Yeah y'all know the drill by now, this fine specimen from this wonderful story by @patchwork-crow-writes

[ravenclair]

In the Shadow of You | Hogwarts Legacy

☆ Summary | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

☆ Available on Wattpad

Chapter 4: Growing Pains

(Word count: 2,025)

The next few days passed rather uneventfully. 

You had attended the rest of your weekly classes, receiving a few more assignments on the way. In Defensive Against the Dark Arts, Professor Hecat had introduced that you would be learning nonverbal spell-casting, which you thought would come in handy.

You were still having those unsettlingly vivid nightmares, but, thankfully, no more attacks. 

You spent the first half of your weekend in the common room with Samantha, writing your essays for Professor Sharp and completing any other assignments you both had received. 

The second half was spent in the stands of the quidditch pitch, observing the Slytherin team as they prepared for the upcoming tryouts. You had finished reading Quidditch Through the Ages and wanted to see how it compared to the real deal. 

You were absolutely fascinated. 

Although you had been apprehensive, the sport had enamored you. Sebastian was right. You itched to be on a broom, to experience the excitement for yourself. Having memorized all the rules and techniques from your reading, you desperately wanted to put it into action and see how you fared.

Sebastian had been severely down-playing his abilities this summer. He was fantastic. After just one week of trials, you never would’ve guessed he had taken a whole year off. 

“Well, how are you feeling now?” Sebastian asked as you both walked back toward the castle. You had met him down on the pitch after practice, waiting as he put all of his gear away in the Slytherin quidditch tent. He was sweaty, his curly hair was damp, and he had slight impressions around his eyes from his goggles. 

You, however, had butterflies in your stomach. 

“I don’t say this often, but you were right,” you teased, “it does look like loads of fun.”

He pumped his fist in success and said, “Now, we’ve got to get you on a broom. Imelda said you could join us tomorrow after class.”

Your eyes widened. “You already asked her?”

“I knew you’d say yes,” Sebastian smirked. You gave him a playful shove, and he rubbed his arm in feigned pain. 

Once back in the Ravenclaw common room after dinner, you were surprised to find Everett Clopton waiting for you. 

“There you are,” he said excitedly. “I heard a rumor you’ve been observing Slytherin quidditch trials. Would you happen to be trying-out for Team Ravenclaw this week?”

Word travels fast, apparently. 

“I’m not sure yet,” you replied honestly, “but I am interested. Is there a spot available?”

Everett nodded. “For you, even if there wasn’t, we’d make one! Having Hogwarts’ Savior on the team has to be good luck.”

You tried not to cringe at the title. You’d heard it whispered as you passed through the halls, sat in class, studied in the library. You had hoped it would be left behind in fifth year, but alas.

“Andrew Larson is the captain this year, I’ll be sure to let him know you’re interested,” Everett concluded before saying his goodbyes. 

⋆｡°✩

The next day, you were back in Sharp’s Potions class. Garreth was sitting at your shared potion station, aggressively inking something onto a scroll. 

“Did you really wait until the last second to finish your essay?” you chuckled as you took your seat. 

Garreth, without looking up, responded, “I had more important things to worry about.”

“He spent the entire week sneaking out to the quidditch pitch to practice after the Slytherins left,” Natty said, shaking her head. “I’m sure the rest of his time was spent simply ignoring his schoolwork.”

“Essays without dry ink will not be permitted for submission, Mr. Weasley,” Professor Sharp said as he walked out of the supply room to go sit at his desk. Garreth winced. 

He eyed Sharp before whispering to you in a low voice, “Little does he know, I learned a drying charm this weekend.” 

You watched as Garreth pulled his wand from his robes and whispered an incantation you didn’t recognize. The parchment burst into flames.

You all stared in disbelief as the essay turned into ashes. Garreth was frozen with shock. 

“That’ll be ten points from Gryffindor,” was all Professor Sharp said.

Since it is too time consuming to brew yourselves, Professor Sharp instead gave a grueling lecture about Polyjuice Potion and its uses. He then demonstrated how one might brew the potion as the rest of the class observed and took notes. 

Once class was dismissed, you said your goodbyes to Garreth, Natty, and Samantha as they left. Ominis and Sebastian were caught up in conversation with Imelda, but Sebastian gave you a nod as they exited, heading to Charms. You lingered behind to finish up your notes as the rest of the class emptied. 

Suddenly, you felt it. It had been a week since that first attack, but you hadn’t forgotten that pain in your temples.

It was happening again. 

Your quill snapped in one hand as your other clutched your head. Your arm knocked your inkpot to the ground, and you heard it shatter distantly. You clenched your teeth to keep from crying out. 

It feels like…there’s something in my head… you thought, fighting to stay conscious. 

You felt a strong hand grip your shoulder. At some point, you had fallen from your stool and were hunched over, gripping the edge of the potions station and breathing deeply. 

Professor Sharp was next to you, watching with concern. 

“I…I’m so sorry, Professor,” you managed to say. “I’ll clean that up right away–”

“It’s alright, I’ll take care of it,” Sharp replied calmly. “Perhaps…you should pay a visit to Nurse Blainey.”

You nodded, slowly gathering yourself and the rest of your items. Professor Sharp, mercifully, didn’t ask any questions. You exited as quickly as you could muster and, ignoring his advice to go to the hospital wing, headed off to Charms.

⋆｡°✩

On the walk over, any lingering pain had vanished. You stopped in a girls’ lavatory to make sure you didn’t appear as distressed as you felt, before entering Professor Ronen’s class. 

“I was worried you weren’t going to make it,” Poppy said as you took your seat next to her right before class started. 

“Sorry, got held up taking notes after Potions,” you said, managing a smile. “You know how Sharp is.”

Poppy nodded knowingly. “Well, you’re just in time, we’re learning Aguamenti today.”

The water-making charm… your muddled brain recalled.

Professor Ronen introduced the charm briefly, demonstrated the wand movement, then summoned an empty glass cup in front of each of you. The task was to simply fill the glass with water using the incantation.

“Aguamenti,” Poppy chanted and waved her wand. Water poured calmly from the tip of her wand and filled her cup. “Oh, that’s quite clever!”

You glanced around the class as mutterings of the incantation filled the room. Sebastian and Ominis sat directly across the open floor from you, attempting to fill their own glasses. Natty sat with Nellie Oggspire to your left, demonstrating the proper wand movement again for Nellie. Natty’s glass was already full. Professor Ronen was making his way around the room, observing.

“Alright, I’ll give it a go,” you said to Poppy, who watched in polite expectation. 

You steeled your mind, focused. Banned all thoughts of the attack from earlier. 

“Aguam–” you began, but, before you even finished the incantation, your wand tip began to flicker with a faint blue hue. The glass in front of you shattered, the sound ringing through the classroom. 

All noise stopped abruptly as everyone’s eyes turned to you. You stared at the pile of glass, stunned. 

“Ah no worries, friend, these things can happen,” Professor Ronen assured as he made his way over to you. “Aguamenti is a delicate charm.”

He quickly cast Repario and the glass fixed itself, forming into a cup again. “I think we will stop there for today. Be sure to practice this charm, you will find it can prove to be very useful. Class dismissed!”

“It’s alright,” Poppy reassured as she gathered her things, “we can practice it together later this week!”

You just nodded, quiet, as your friend said her goodbyes and exited with the rest of the class. 

You looked up as other students passed in front of you and noticed Sebastian hadn’t stood yet either. He was staring at you, concerned, like he wanted to say something. 

Not wanting to face him at the moment, you stood to join the crowd and decided that maybe a trip to the hospital wing wasn’t such a bad idea after all. 

⋆｡°✩

“Everything appears to be in order,” Nurse Blainey thought aloud as she hovered her wand slowly down your body. “Just a headache, was it?”

You were sitting at the edge of a cot in the hospital wing, fidgeting with a loose thread on your robes. You had debated if coming here would be worth the help or only cause more trouble. Nurse Blainey tended to pry, and you weren’t sure how much you were ready to reveal. 

“Yes, more like a migraine. And some slight nausea,” you answered. “I…collapsed.”

Nurse Blainey thought for a moment, lowering her wand. “Have you been sleeping well?”

You hesitated for a second too long. She tilted her head expectantly. 

“I’ve been having a bit of trouble,” you finally admitted, “with…nightmares.”

She gave you a sympathetic look. “No surprise with the year you’ve had, dear. Wait here.”

The medwitch walked away for a moment, then returned with two vials: one yellow and one purple. “Essence of Dittany for the migraines, and this purple one is a lavender-based sleeping tonic. Take one spoonful every night before bed, and you should have a dreamless sleep. Come see me again if the problem persists.” 

You took both vials and thanked the nurse. As you stood to leave, there was a sudden commotion coming from the staircase. 

“...well this wouldn’t have happened if he had simply hit the Bludger back the way it came from, like a Beater is supposed to do!” Imelda’s annoyed voice rang out.

“She could’ve held back a bit. He’s only a second year!” Sebastian’s voice argued back.

The two Slytherins entered, dressed in their quidditch robes, carrying a young, unconscious boy between the two of them. 

It dawned on you then. You were supposed to be at quidditch practice with the Slytherin team.

“Merlin, I did not miss quidditch. My life was much more peaceful without it last year,” Nurse Blainey said as walked away from you to meet them. “Come on then, set him down just there!” 

You watched as the two Slytherins laid the boy on the cot closest to the entrance, and Nurse Blainey began asking Imelda what happened. Sebastian’s gaze, looking toward where Nurse Blainey had come from, met yours.

He gestured toward the doors and you both walked out of the hospital wing, standing by the unicorn fountain on the landing. 

“Is that boy alright?” you asked, breaking the silence.

“He should be fine, took a Bludger to the stomach during Beater drills,” Sebastian replied. “Knocked the wind right out of him. Imelda is pretty ruthless, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

You laughed. “I’m sorry I missed practice, it completely slipped my mind…it’s been a long day.”

“It seems so,” Sebastian replied. “What about you…why are you in the hospital wing? You seemed a little off today in Charms.”

“Oh, I shattered that glass on purpose,” you joked. Sebastian wasn’t laughing. You cleared your throat and continued. 

“I’ve had a bit of a migraine today, that’s all,” you said, bending the truth a little. He had enough on his plate, with school and quidditch and Anne. You didn’t want to add your mess on top of it. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”

Sebastian looked skeptical, but he wasn’t going to push. You didn’t like hiding the truth from him, but you weren’t even sure what the true problem was yet. No sense in worrying him about it now.

“But Nurse Blainey gave me some healing tonics, so I should be good as new by tomorrow. I’d still like to attend practice, if the offer stands,” you smiled at him, changing the subject. 

He smiled back and replied, “Careful what you wish for.”

[chocochococoffee]

thinking about louie, his superb survival abilities and how olimar would feel about them

outside of the whole problem of how many time his astronat suit would last, louie survives surprisingly well to PNF-404. in fact, if we count the whole suit troubles, his own situation would have to be more or less like olimar in the very first game, which means more or less a month before his breathable air wastes away and he ends up dying, and yet he manages to even fucking eat (how and where does he removes his suit to eat???). and not only that he also is able to get a hold of a titan dweevil and acts as his crown (p2), survive for *weeks* in a very inhospit area to then be eaten by a monster, be saved AND eat the food of the koppaites (p3) and manage to survive without being pikminified for longer?? than olimar, steal his dog, then get a hold of the most dangerous dog which is also a fucking horrible final boss moment (p4)

and all of this? probably hed even die at his own will.

olimar now? how would the most normalest man (hocotatean?) on earth PNF-404 would react to all of that information? in terms of luck, he always draws the short stick. compared to louie, who got a rescue team in the forms of hocotate freight and the rescue team on his tail the very same moment where they noticed he was in "trouble" in one way or another, olimar got 1. nothing, 3. late help and by chance and 2. he died before help happened to get a chance to exist. he fucking died

(if i were him id kill shachou)

i believe in pikmin 4 he would be fucking impressed on how well louie fared. wrangling pikmin, doing dandori, escaping even. he did it way better than olimar. compared to p2, where he was probably impressed in the same way but kinda more on a "sure thing louie king of bugs now lets get you to your nana" way.

now, if he was able to see all those timelines????

id be pissed at whatever god who wants him so much he doesnt even let him have the luck louie has

he would go and fight the plasma wraith mano a mano, right? to then lose horribly again

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Erin Reed at Erin In The Morning:

While elections have certainly been heating up in the United States over transgender issues, candidates desiring an early look into how such issues might fare may look no further than Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick. The candidate, who has served as premier of New Brunswick for the last six years, saw his party lose in a crushing defeat to the Liberals. The premier lost his own race as well. The candidate made waves as the first premier to implement anti-trans policies in schools, stating at the time that he would not back down, reportedly calling the idea “an election winner”. Blaine Higgs, in an interview with the Canadian Press, defended his record as the first Canadian premier to unilaterally implement anti-trans policies in schools, stating that he “would not change anything” and calling the idea an election winner. His revisions to what is collectively known as Policy 713 required that transgender youth under the age of 16 be forcibly outed to their parents. The policy also mandated that teachers misgender and deadname trans students if they did not have parental consent or were not out to their parents.

At the time, Helen Kennedy, executive director of the LGBTQ+ organization Egale Canada, said, "I think other provinces are obviously watching very closely to see what the potential fallout will be." On Tuesday, it became clear that the Progressive Conservative party, the right-leaning party in the province, faced a decisive defeat. In 2020, the party won 27 seats compared to the Liberals' 17, but this year, the Liberals secured 31 seats to the PCs' 16. Not only did Blaine Higgs' party lose power, but the premier also lost his own “safe” seat in Quispamsis, the most conservative district in 2020.

Higgs will be replaced as premier by Susan Holt, who will become the first woman to lead New Brunswick. Holt has indicated she will reverse Higgs' anti-trans forced outing policies in schools. Earlier this year, she participated in protests supporting transgender students, posting on her Twitter account, "Great to join the crowd today at the rally in support of trans youth. I was honoured to share our support for the protection of trans people in our province & country." Advocates for transgender people celebrated in New Brunswick and across Canada following Higgs's loss. Fae Johnstone, Canadian organizer and spokesperson for Queer Momentum, blamed his loss on his anti-trans policies, stating, “That single decision marked the beginning of the end. It sparked a revolt in his own caucus divided his party and mobilized parents, queer people, teachers and workers across the province against him.”

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs (PC) found out the hard way that attacking trans people is an election loser, as his party lost in this week’s provincial parliamentary elections.

[jokertrap-ran]

[Gakuen K] SCEPTER 4 Route: As a Member of the Blue Club (Scepter 4 END) Translation

*Translator’s note : MC’s name shall remain as my normal (水嶋ラン) *Gakuen K Masterlist / Gakuen K Mobile Masterlist *Spoiler FREE : Translations under cut! *T/N: You will get this scene if you've raised neither Fushimi nor Munakata's affection by the end of the Scepter 4 common route! And this marks the end of Scepter 4's route!! We've come... a long way... but we're not even halfway done with the game... (´･ω･`) Thanks for sticking with me! I'll be taking a short break off Gakuen K for a bit of a palette cleanser and then I'll be back with Munakata's route~

Munakata: Your punishment will come to an end today. You did well during this time, Fushimi-kun.

Fushimi: Okay. I’ll be taking my leave then.

Munakata: Now then, carrying on with the topic of the Student Council…

»» ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♔◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ««

Akiyama: You’re now a member of the Student Council? That’s… a pretty big promotion right off the bat.

Ran: You missed out on the part where I’m just an apprentice.

Akiyama: Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re now a part of the Student Council. You must be talented.

Ran: You think so? I didn’t particularly do anything to stand out though…

Akiyama: You have the potential, and that’s why Captain Munakata has acknowledged your skills.

Akiyama: Personally, I think you’re an admirable person.

Ran: No way, I’m really not all that you make me out to be.

Akiyama: I’m guessing you’ll be pretty busy juggling both Student Council work and the Blue Club’s activities, but remember to take care of your health.

Ran: Of course. You too.

Akiyama: Thank you, but I’ll be fine.

Ran: You’re a third-year, right? Doesn’t that mean you’re going to be taking entrance exams this year?

Akiyama: Yes, but I’m planning on entering the university our school’s affiliated with, so the entrance exams I’m taking are going to be relatively easier compared to others.

Ran: Wait, really?

Akiyama: Yes. I just have to get a grade that is enough to meet the cut-off point, so I don’t particularly need to study much.

Akiyama: What about you? How are your grades?

Ran: I was pretty average back in my old school…

Ran: But I still don’t know how I’ll fare academically in this school since I entered on a recommendation.

Akiyama: I see. Well, the mid-term exams start in two weeks. How confident are you?

Ran: Not at all…

Akiyama: *Chuckles* I see. I could teach you if you’d like.

Ran: Are you sure?

Akiyama: Yes. Although, I can only teach you things that I already know…

Ran: Thank you, regardless!

Akiyama: Oh, and there goes the bell.

Ran: Sorry for taking up so much of your precious lunchtime.

Akiyama: Don’t be, it was an enjoyable chat. See you after school.

»» ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♔◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ««

Ran: Oh, Akiyama-senpai! Sorry for bothering you, but I have something to ask.

Akiyama: Yes, what is it?

Ran: You don’t have to be so polite with me. You’re older than me, after all.

Akiyama: Ah, right. Sorry about that. That’s ri- Ah, no. Yeah.

Akiyama: Like this, yeah?

Ran: Yup. Sounds perfect.

»» ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♔◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ««

Ran: Akiyama-senpai? What’s with that mountain of books you have there?

Akiyama: The Captain asked me to help return these books to the library.

Ran: Looks like you’re going to have a hard time carrying that many books alone. Let me help.

Akiyama: Don’t worry about it. I’m going to use a trolley cart to move them.

Ran: I see…

Akiyama: Ah, why don’t we go together? You can help load them back onto the shelves.

»» ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♔◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ««

Ran: (He said that we should arrange them in order of the authors’ names…)

Ran: (I think Munakata-senpai’s amazing to be able to read books that are this hard… and so many of them, at that.)

Ran: (I mean, look at this one… It’s written in a foreign language. Just looking at it makes my head spin.)

Ran: Alright, this one’s the last one! But where does this belong to…?

Akiyama: On the shelf behind you, third from the top.

Ran: Oh, you’re right. Done and dusted!

Akiyama: I’m also done on my end. How about stopping by the store before we head back to the club room?

Ran: Sure thing.

Akiyama: Let me buy you something as thanks for your help.

Ran: Oh, you don’t have to.

Akiyama: But I want to. Plus, all this shelving has made me thirsty so it’ll be just as well.

Ran: Thank you. You even went and bought me a snack…

Akiyama: Don’t worry about it. You were of really great help back there. So this is just my way of thanking you.

Ran: (He’s so kind… I should also take a page out of his book.)

Ran: Come to think of it… you’re going to be graduating around the same time as now next year, right?

Akiyama: Yeah. I’ll be graduating if all goes well.

Ran: …Feels kinda sad that you’re going to be gone.

Akiyama: It’s way too early for that. I still have a year to go.

Ran: T-That’s true.

Ran: Let’s make lots of memories together so that we won’t feel as lonely when you graduate next year!

Akiyama: Yeah. Let’s make memorable memories with everyone.

Akiyama: …We should head to the club room soon. We still have other things to do after this.

Ran: Yeah, let’s go!

»» ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♔𝔉𝔦𝔫 ♔ .◦∘ ━━━━━━━ «« 

[tanenigiri]

We got a spin-off episode! And "spin-off" is very apt as it's all brand new scenes not found in the manga. As much as I wanted to see the manga's epilogue adapted, the show's had a pretty good track record in terms of adding new scenes and elevating the manga's plot. I'd even say it's one of its greatest strengths, so how does this attempt fare?

Here are some thoughts and ramblings on Our Dining Table's spin-off episode:

I'll start with my favorite part: A new bento box is 500% the best gift Yutaka could've ever thought of to celebrate the anniversary of them meeting up. Sorry to the matching Christmas scarves but this takes the cake. There've been a lot of posts made about how deliberate the choice of items are in this show and I look forward to reading about all of that with this bento box. I also have to mention the utter sweetness of Yutaka wanting to commemorate the date where he first ran into the Ueda brothers - that's definitely the mark of a year of character growth.

Ueda-san continues to be the best dad. Sure, he isn't as prominent here as in the finale, but he continues to read the room so well and know what to do before Yutaka and Minoru even realize it. Love the Minoru teasing at the beginning too - it reminds me of how he was when he was witnessing Minoru's blatant pining. (That tidbit about how Minoru being antsy reminding him of his wife was both really funny and really sweet.)

Glad to know that they've recognized that Tane is the one keeping this whole thing together. (Half-joking but really, how they've made this child not only relevant to the main dynamic but also his very own character is one of my favorite things about this series.)

Ok, I have to be honest: I wasn't feeling the conflict. It's not helped by the fact that the misunderstanding trope is a bit tired for me - one of my favorite things about the manga, actually, was how it generally avoided this and actually made it a point that being open about their issues was a prerequisite to them getting together - but I think my biggest issue with it was how it seemed inconsistent with the characters? Minoru especially, and I haven't been shy with my overall praise for how the show had not only expanded his character but elevated it from the manga because of how well they executed his plot. But him getting jealous over a text he doesn't know the full context of seems a bit much, even if you anchor it to his fear of Yutaka leaving him just like Nao and the rest of his friends did. And even then, that anchor wasn't really brought up, as how he acted over it seemed quite possessive instead of insecure. If anything, the insecurity came from Yutaka, which I do think is consistent with his character, but it's the sentiment I expected from Minoru instead?

I think the closest thing I can compare this to is the bonus Valentine episode of Cherry Magic (spoiler warning if you haven't watched it), where Kurosawa finds a Valentine's gift in Adachi's desk drawer and panics over who could've given it to him. He's seen to be pretty jealous of the mystery admirer and laments over how he's no longer the only one who's noticed Adachi's charm, only to find out that the gift he found was actually Adachi's gift to him. It's a similar misunderstanding situation, but I think what made this one work better for me (aside from how Cherry Magic is a comedy while Our Dining Table's tone is a lot more serious) was how it was very consistent with Kurosawa's character, as he's shown to be quite possessive and easily jealous over Adachi several times throughout the show.

I can't say the same thing for Minoru at all, as while as a boyfriend he definitely has the right to feel jealous over a potential threat to their relationship, this is the same person who, in last week's episode, told Yutaka that if there's anything bothering him, they should talk to each other, especially if it's about their relationship. Why wasn't he following his own advice until the very end of the episode? (The actual answer is to prolong the episode but still.)

I don't know, I feel like they could've executed it a lot better if they wanted to stick with this conflict. The misunderstanding could've come from how they communicated, as I think that would not only be consistent with the takeaway from the previous episode, but it would also be quite realistic as Yutaka has shown to not be the best with words. I'm not saying that how Minoru acted was invalid - he absolutely has the right to feel jealous about a misunderstanding, especially with how rocky his experience with relationships had been - but I think they could've showed this insecurity in a way that didn't make it seem like he was moping over Yutaka having friends who weren't him. (If anything, shouldn't he be happy that Yutaka now has other people he regularly talks to? He was quite literally traumatized from eating with other people.)

(And yes, I absolutely think that if Ohata just showed up and explained everything herself, the episode would've been much better lmao I'm gonna miss her character so much.)

Bit random but the balloons showing "bad day" tripped me up a bit because I was genuinely confused since there's only one 'D' in "Happy Birthday" until I realized that they used the same 'D' balloon for both shots lol.

Sorry if those bullet points were a doozy, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on if you agree or disagree. But like I said in my previous post, I'm glad that the show has things that I don't necessarily think highly of, as a 100% perfect show would be quite boring. I may have some gripes with it, but I still enjoyed the spin-off for what it was - and more Our Dining Table content is always welcome.

And honestly, despite these gripes, I'm still gonna rewatch this show so many times and never get sick of it because I think it's such a fantastic adaptation. They absolutely knocked it out of the park with it and I hope that the team gets their hands on other titles. (I would love a Koimonogatari adaptation but I would very much prefer new chapters instead lol.)

[mashitandsmashit]

AGT Season 19: Quarter-Finals 2

11: Brooke Bailey. Once again, Simon knows what he's talking about when it comes to singing...I was pretty much falling asleep during the first two thirds, and then when she finally hit those big notes near the end, I woke up! Shame most of it was so forgettable, because I can tell she's a solid vocalist...

10: Alex Sampson. I'll have to give this another watch, because I was talking to someone during this performance...But from what I could hear, the nerves were REALLY getting to him, and the song wasn't quite as memorable as the last one...Still, he's got a very unique style and one of the most perfect faces I've ever seen...Won't be too surprised if he makes the Top 5 tomorrow...

9: Biko's Manna. Very nice, very positive, they're adorable and have a nice harmony...Still, compared to most of the other acts tonight, I certainly wouldn't say this was a winning act...

8: Schumacher. Again, I can't help but wonder what Simon was expecting...As for me, they gave me EXACTLY what I expected and THEN some! Very inspirational! In fact, I think I'll go form a centaur with someone right now!

7: Legión. I guess I forgot about this act pretty quickly as the night went on, but I still think they deserve more credit than they got here...They're kinda like Malevo, but a bit more amateurish...Still, Malevo doesn't utilize this much fire! If nothing else, they'd make great backup dancers for Puss in Boots...

6: Ashlee Montague. Similar deal with her...I think the live aspect made this all the more intense over her audition, and she certainly followed the principle of “When in doubt, add fire!” Still, I suppose I can see Howie's point of repetition...The only question is, where was this point last year during half of the Ramadhani Brothers' performances...?

5: NiNi. Honestly, I think I could have used more in some parts, and less in others...It can kinda get all over the place...Still, her adorability is sure to draw in some votes...We'll just see how she fares tomorrow...

4: Sky Elements. This act does present a pretty big conundrum; When you can't perform live on the stage, there can be a real disconnect with the audience...This might prove to-

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG TO GIVE YOU A TWO-HOUR DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION!

-be a problem for them in the votes...Still, they have a good shot at making it tomorrow...But it's not a guarantee either...

3: Young-Min. Similar to Yu Hojin, he didn't quite impress Simon in the auditions, but turned it around in the lives! And I think he's quickly surpassing Yu as the best magician on the show since Shin Lim! I'd love to see him go bigger, but for now, he did his job!

2: Bboy Samuka. It's official: He's even better than Musa Motha! I guess it's appropriate that he was at the Olympics, because this was Olympic-standard!

1: AIRFOOTWORKS. Really, who cares who hit the GB first!? Isn't it enough that an amazing and deserving act has been sent into the Finals!? No...? We're just gonna keep going on about Simon ALMOST stealing Howie's GB for the second time...? I mean, at this point, NOTHING he does is gonna surprise me...As for this act, they followed the lead of their mentor by working in some slick video-mapping for the lives...Everything came together seamlessly, and I hereby declare this the best performance I've seen so far this season! I almost want to claim them as MY Golden Buzzer!

A lot of mixed opinions for most of these acts, but I guess it's a good sign when even the weakest of them has SOMETHING great in it...Overall, another solid night...I just hope the results will be more satisfying than last week...

Results Prediction:

10: Schumacher

9: Brooke Bailey

8: Legión

7: Biko's Manna

6: Ashlee Montague

5: Alex Sampson

4: NiNi

3: Sky Elements

2: Young-Min

1: Bboy Samuka

---

(After two hours of ANOTHER DNC...)

Well, I'm sad to see Ashlee, NiNi and Samuka go...Otherwise...pretty predictable results...It also looks like they're still trying to settle on a formula for these results shows...

Anyway, props to Mat Franco and his magic spinning wheel...(I hypothesize there was a magnet in it or something...? At least I don't KNOW the trick, which always helps!) And after that bit with Shin Lim, maybe we'll see HIM back at some point this season...?

Onto next week! Here's my most educated guess at the running-order...

1: Sabrina

2: Journeyy

3: Sam Huang

4: Menudo

5: Kelsey Jane

6: Learnmore Jonasi

7: The Reklaws

8: Maya Neelakantan

9: Dee Dee Simon

10: Jelly Boy the Clown

11: Reid Wilson

...My closest approximation of their odds...

11: Jelly Boy the Clown

10: Sabrina

9: Menudo

8: Sam Huang

7: Kelsey Jane

6: Journeyy

5: Dee Dee Simon

4: Maya Neelakantan

3: Learnmore Jonasi

2: Reid Wilson

1: The Reklaws

...And my ranking based on how much I'll be rooting for them...

11: Dee Dee Simon

10: Sam Huang

9: Menudo

8: Kelsey Jane

7: Journeyy

6: Sabrina

5: The Reklaws

4: Jelly Boy the Clown

3: Reid Wilson

2: Learnmore Jonasi

1: Maya Neelakantan

Nobody I'm straight-up rooting AGAINST...But only one act I'm THAT eager to see again...

[theorist-influencer-untitled]

12.17.24 Tuesday---Prayer for nana until her full recovery...

12:45 am

Still,have windblow...

I'm thinking of my own money and job and a bit spice like having a bf again.... I feel self-pity...

I'm not putting down anyone, I have the maturity but there are faces that I want and I think I'm in a way comfortable to be with...

I'm liking my cousin-white and I want Daniel Marsh but I don't know how to get him... I don't know I wanna tell something on my cousin....It is as well the sad part of my life. Aside from I want to gain friends and have an active life, a bit active life like I wanna travel and work to have my own money... I know it will be a long journey to have my own "Pet Store"...

I hope nana is ohkay at this very moment,it seems I feel her throat is having phlegm, soul connection,in a way....

6:51 am

Still,have windblow...

Drinking coffee, waiting for 7am for our prayer vow for nana...

Guess what? I got this last night at Pitxx ( terminal bus here,going to Cavite or terminal of bus going north bound as well )..

I got this shock-proof like my old pink case! It is a yehey! I'm so happy!

7:08 am

Still,have windblow...

Done,praying....The phone cases in Pitxx ( pronounced as Pitex ) are beautiful and shock-proof, fair pricing! I got mine for 150 pesoses, coz I got allowance fare of 300 from Uncle DD yesterday. The rest of my money is still my "final pay" and charity from friends and biological father, I hope I can still ask for assistance...

The powerbank as well are genuine in Pitxx....I want a powerbank but I'm still on a "thrift"... Waiting for a good timing....

They removed the "lawson" in Pitxx...

7:34 am

Still,have windblow...

Guess what angels???

Uncle Jun ordered a box of "armpit serum"!

This bag faded, just faded coz it got stock now a house bag... This is Puma!

This is genuine Puma but I guess it needs a leather spray.... I forgot to buy a leather spray...

8:39 am

Still,have windblow...

Hmm... I will go back again on nana this week??? Still,waiting for an update....Nana can't be here without setting-up the room of RV and with ac must be...

I hope my biological mother is genuine coz nana can't be here without setting-up everything but hope not if she still having her NGT... I hope I have money to transfer her into a solo room.

It is a bit pricey to be in a solo room than in ward but the safety and privacy is well-intact compared to ward...

We are not arrogant but life itself must be salty coz it was US in a way, way back... It is my private matter to hope and pray to keep the safety of privacy of our family matter, supposed to be...

If nana will be in a solo room, the relative who is taking care of it, can take a bath without any paranoia that probably someone will check on nana coming from the other patient's... It is just safety, the privacy and the freedom of our family to move without any interaction on other patient's visitor's or any non-related people to nana supposed to be... But I want a genuiene care and a heart of reviving everything to normal.

11:52 am

Still,have windblow...

Thanks, Ivan for the tinola...

Free lunchie today me and John...Yehey!

1:49 pm

Still,have windblow...

Plastics in a way... It is weird... Uncle Jun texted me that anytime nana will go home... Plastics2x

Really, nana is still on NGT, right?

Wait,Uncle Jun... Transfer to solo room angels... Can I ask for dollars angels?

This fakers INC I wanna kill Manalo's!!!Still, I wanna kil Manalo's! Die Manalo's!

Let my nana stay until she recover without NGT! This will be the saddest part of my life angels....Let my nana live and be salty! Can I have dollars angels???

Stop it Manalo'S lead on the mystery... Can I have dollars angels???

I'm asking for dollars!!! Can I have dollars to survive my nana....

Faith, Trust,Hope & Act & Giving!

4 pm

Still,have windblow...

I will feel jealous if my cousin's group will be on Mitch! Without my knowledge... I will feel jealous! It's been 17 years...

I will feel jealous coz Mitch, did you give me this simple battery?

7:14 pm

Still,have windblow...

Preparing our dinner... But this is a good snack or appetizer.... Yummy! War food and super tight...

7:27 pm

Still,have windblow...

This can be like that go with that italian dressing but will make it cucumber potato salad, I added ham and Danes Mayo ;) in a lil while...

War Food! Thrift and healthy... I wanted to be fit... Still,thinking of money and future... Still,bitterish!!!

7:45 pm

Still,have windblow...

Waiting for 8pm... And waiting for my potatoe to be smashed... I hate being 2nd choice...

7:52 pm

Still,have windblow...

Waiting for 8pm! 8pm!

Here it is my cucumber potatoe salad...

It is yummy when it is a bit cold...

8:23 pm

Still,have windblow...

Done,doing the 8pm prayer vow mainly for nana's full recovery in a lil while...

Life with John...

9:18 pm

Still,have windblow...

I feel bitterish... I'm thinking of my vanities and my future and my money and travel...

I really want to polish my teeth and my nose coz my face is sagging....I'm aging for nothing self-pity.

11:15 pm

Still,have windblow...

Again, NGT patient is best inside the hospital like on my nana's case... I hope I have the dollars to transfer her on solo room... If I'm only working until these days....

Again, this will be the saddest if the circle will back stab...

[eienoah]

May 24 - Kinkakuji

Today was an even shorter day compared to two days ago. We woke up kind of early. I think I can’t even remember all that well to be honest. I ended up taking a nap at around four till about eight thirty so I’m already forgetting some of the stuff we did today. Anyways, we visited Kinkakuji this morning on our first full bus expedition of the trip and probably our last. Taking a bus is actually a lot more convenient than trains in my opinion just because of the flat fare and how little people were actually on them. Anyways, we got to Kinkakuji relatively early but it still had plenty of people walking all around. There were so many tourists gathered to see it that the whole corridor for walking was pretty much full. The temple was cool but it felt almost more yellow than gold. I was talking to our guide who was explaining to me about how there was a different temple called Ginkakuji or the silver pavilion. I honestly would rather go see that just because I like places with less people and the sheer amount of tourists was crazy today. I stopped midway through the walk to buy a hello kitty charm and by the time I looked up everyone was gone. I had to essentially run through the place to catch up to everyone but it took a good ten minutes to find someone. Me and our guide got stuck talking to some foreigners about the ice cream vending machines but I think they thought I lived in Japan my whole life because they were asking me what Japan was like pre covid. After Kinkakuji was Daitokuji which was only a 20 minute walk away. It was complete opposites to Kinkakuji in the amount of people. I saw about 6 tourists throughout the whole thing and it was amazing. We got an explanation on some of the sekitei or rock gardens and got to sit and meditate for a while. It was amazing. I just wish I wasn’t coughing as much as I was today otherwise I would’ve had a better time. After we broke for the day the usual group headed to a place called The Burger which gave us all a little taste of home. I got an Oklahoma style burger which I’ve been craving for the past week. The whole restaurant was Texas/Vegas themed which was really funny to see in Japan but it was pretty good so I was super content. After getting back to the hotel via bus I promptly took a quick shower and passed out for one of the best naps I have taken in a long while and I’m about to go right back to bed now.

Academic connection

Learning about the burning and restoration of Kinkakuji had my expectations more gravitated towards a more slightly broken image in my head. In all reality the restoration was seamless and looked amazing. I would have never been able to tell the building had burned down had I not read about it. It was kind of astounding thinking of the context that the building had as a preface. It really did seem to draw people in with its lustrous golden figure which was a sight to behold on its own. I could see how it could even go to drive some crazy. Past that we see Daitokuji which is known for its sekitei and elements of zen buddhism. The sekitei were wonderful to see and the guide lady told us what each little garden was trying to express. My favorite was a piece that she completely skipped over which was a little rock fashioned almost in the shape of a bowl that was holding water. There were bugs that would occasionally pass by and land for a sip of water or something but it was interesting to say the least. The gardens felt incredibly peaceful especially in the time when everyone was just not speaking. There was also a little part of the tour where the guide was explaining what I think was a poem to us which expressed kanji in a way I have never seen before. Buddhist teachings really can be clever with their expressions.

[knwbetter]

day 7 of not talking to him: it's actually been a week, that's insane? i'm faring much better compared to the other days but guess what? i dreamt of him last night and he actually got me back to me in my dream and we were talking again and i felt giddy. only to find out that i was dreaming again. just when it starts to get better it's like i relapse again subconsciously. my dreams always betray me and it hurts like a mf. mom keeps asking me if i'm happy lately and i can't even say yes with my entire being bc some bastard broke my heart and trust. where did he get the guts to do that to me? was i really that easy and worth hurting?

i was rereading our chats again and there were definitely moments where he didn't reciprocate some of the things i said to him. i think he has an issue with being affectionate now that i'm looking at it and trying to analyze our conversations. he wasn't as sweet as i thought. like he can be but definitely not cutesy and affectionate. i think i was too blinded again by him. i wonder he thought of me the entire time i was falling for his trap? he literally lured me into his web. i feel like a fool, extremely stupid and helpless. my ego can't fucking take it. at the same time, i can't believe he took advantage of me by making an effort for me just to leave me hanging in the end. like what happened to the old you? he used to put in so much effort in talking to me, almost like he didn't sleep and now he can't even be bothered to talk to me. why the sudden change? what's more sus is that the change kind of began after i sent my picture. and after he said that he'd be star struck and that he already likes me for who i am. that i shouldn't stress too much about my appearance bc i'm already perfect. i guess his expectations were too high bc pulled away after that. or either was just playing with me from the beginning.

i was actually worried that he might have been doing this to other girls too but he said i was the first one. why do i feel like this isn't tho? now that i think about it it seems a bit too calculated but what do i know. after scouring his accounts i definitely became suspicious of him. he really broke my trust. i remember telling him too that i'd rather know him through him. i also remember him saying that he doesn't have anyone sus that he follows on tiktok but of course i didn't care about any of that bc i didn't bother to check his followings in the first place, scared in the back of mind that i see something i don't like. next time i should really do some research tho, i need to know everything as much as possible. i'm going to be spending the rest of my life potentially to this person after all.

i still keep thinking of him and i do miss him but there are definitely times where i gag and cringe thinking of how i behaved towards him. and how he was flirting with me but probably didn't mean it at all. how wrapped was i in his finger? how does he feel knowing i fell for his trap completely just to throw me to the side? did i get boring for him all of a sudden? it's crazy bc i showed my annoying and bad side to him yet he kept talking to me. was that the side that he liked? that's weird if so. also he was definitely the one to initiate first. i never ever initiated anything more than friendship. fucking weirdo. just to leave me in the end. how can he say things he doesn't mean? doesn't he know how fucked up that is? he really needs to fix his issues! it runs deeper than i thought. how could he say all that shit to me just to abandon me? did he not have any feelings in the first place? it's honestly so fucked up to me. i don't understand him. but that makes sense bc i don't know him at all. now i get why he doesn't have any friends, it all makes sense now. that's always not a good sign tbh. but i guess the good hearted person in me wanted to be there for him. i have a penchant for helping people like that. reminds me again of the line "you're not his therapist" like damn once i heard that it really clicked for me. i'm also not watching as much reels as before but it's probably bc i've been busy.

the effort i spent into looking and securing a job for the past week was insane, i did it all for him ngl. he lowkey gave me the strength bc i really wanted to see him in person somehow and now we're over. this might have been the push i needed but why did it have to be so messed up? i would've been good with something less painful. i randomly remember him asking me how i was doing and i said i'm okay. he replied "just okay?" and i still agreed. he then said "okay is better than bad so i'll accept it." bitch, as if i need your acceptance to be happy. i just pulled up our chats again and it was one of those times where he was being pushy about my pictures. he said as long it's me he'll be happy and that i have no clue. was that a tactic? pressuring me into showing him how i look like but with sweet and kind words. it's actually insane. how did i fall for that? i'll never cross my comfort again for a guy. i'll always follow my own pace, if he doesn't like it then he doesn't respect me and i have no need for someone like that. gotta have strong boundaries and communication the next time. also take it slow, fast is no good. that shit will die quickly. reminders to future self please!

lowkey i'm still waiting for him to text me back even if i see him differently now. will he even come back for me? he doesn't seem even the least bit interested anymore. when previously he used to bombard me with texts. can't believe i was stupid enough to trust him. i let down my walls for him and this is what i get. he basically confirmed what i was fearing. do i really want a guy like that? i told him my insecurities and other things i don't normally share. he was patient with my issues but maybe curiosity got the best of him instead of actually wanting to soothe me. i recall him offering to make me feel better whenever my anxiety kicks in. oh he has no idea how bad my anxiety is. i told you this for a reason for it isn't a light matter. i think he was caught off guard ngl. he can be sweet i'll tell you that, but he definitely has some self centered moments. sending me a revealing picture after i opened up about my anxiety? FUCKED UP. the emotional intelligence is nowhere to be seen. how he could think that would make me feel better is beyond me. once again highlighting why he has no friends + no meaningful relationships. i have a habit of psychoanalyzing people so he probably became like this bc of being bullied and moving when he was younger. i'm not sure if his relationship with his father was good either. definitely did not with his own twin which makes sense why he might be emotionally repressed or is unable to process his emotions properly. he might not have been used to receiving unconditional love and affection from his dad and twin. i have no idea about his mom, they seem close but no idea what their relationship was like growing up. these things are very important to know if you're into someone. their relationships with their family and their dynamic with each other can say a lot about a person. like things may be better now but the past can definitely mark and mold them to be the person they are today. i do remember asking him several times about his family but he didn't share the extent of their closeness with each other. i think he's mostly by himself. honestly i get why now, he's a bit weird. still absolutely immature, a lot of growing up to do mentally and emotionally. he still has some childlike qualities in him. i don't want to be with someone who behaves weird on the internet. that's a turn off and screams immaturity. idc if it's just for fun, it's not cool and mature. think really carefully before you speak and act is the advice i would give him.

[algeroth]

As time has gone on, a minor industry of academic detractors has emerged to argue that MBAs are generally less useful than their hefty price tags suggest, and might even be a cause for concern.

An early blow was delivered more than 20 years ago by Canadian management thinker, professor Henry Mintzberg, who has called MBA graduates “a menace to society”.

When he and a colleague tracked 19 Harvard Business School graduates to see how they had fared since being dubbed US business superstars in 1990, they found 10 had suffered serious setbacks, such as bankruptcy or the boot, and the records of another four were “questionable”. 

More troubling results emerged in bigger studies, such as a 2015 paper by Danny Miller of HEC Montreal business school and the University of Rhode Island’s Xiaowei Xu.

Xu and Miller, who has an MBA himself, had initially planned to study the effects of hubris on 444 US chief executives who had scored an admiring cover story in a top US business magazine between 1970 and 2008. But they discovered something far more interesting: the cover story CEOs with an MBA were noticeably worse at sustaining superior performance than the MBA-free ones.

MBA graduates were also more likely to expand their companies with acquisitions rather than organic growth, sacrificing earnings and cash flow in the process, yet their own pay rose at a faster rate than that of their counterparts who had outperformed them.

When the two researchers then did an even larger study of 5,000 CEOs, they confirmed that those with an MBA degree operated quite differently to the non-MBA bosses, spending less on R&D, say, and using accounting techniques to flatter their firm’s earnings. 

These ploys prompted a swift jump in profits, followed by a decline that led to a bigger fall in their company’s market value compared with outfits run by CEOs without an MBA — whose pay was again less impressive.

As the academics repeatedly cautioned, none of this proves an MBA causes these results. Self-serving short-termists might be more drawn to MBAs, and boards seeking quick profits might be keener to hire them. It’s also worth remembering Harvard MBA grads range from disgraced Enron boss, Jeffrey Skilling, to Wall Street superstar, Jamie Dimon.

Still, as Danny Miller said when I spoke to him last week, the research suggested chief executives with MBAs were often more short-term-oriented individuals whose companies “didn’t do quite as well as they did themselves”.

In other words, if demand for top MBAs has peaked, it might not be a tragedy at all.

[cascadedkiwi]

Losing Steam (Comfortember 2023)

Characters: Simon, Female OC Video Game: Detroit: Become Human Genre: Comfort Summary: I project onto a female OC. Simon helps. I have something to post. Word Count: 828

Prompt: 10. Sadness (It's me. I'm sad.)

Mila sighed, pushing away her laptop. The time ticking away past 11pm seemed to scold her, like a displeased Amanda scraping away at her self-worth with just that face. Another minute ticked by. She watched the number change on the digital screen. Her phone sat to the side, beckoning with its appeal of mindless videos and addictive stories written by people more disciplined and motivated than she could ever hope to be in this moment. 

She thought of the characters she loved to read about. Characters created by others who had burrowed themselves into her brain and made comfy little nests in the grooves. She thought of the characters she herself had created - the past Mila, the Mila who had stories spilling out of her ears for lack of space in her overcrowded mind. Those original characters whom she had engaged with for years. Original characters whose tales fought tooth and nail with each other to be penned and typed and read and recorded in the physical world. 

She sunk into herself as she thought of how, in years gone by, the challenge of penning thousands of words each day for weeks on end was a source of excitement, something she was known for. Something she proudly and seriously informed those around her she would be dedicating herself to for these 30 days and so to expect to see less of her until then. She thought of how, even further back in her life, writing came as naturally as blinking. Poems were her go-to for self-expression, and no media she liked was safe from her creative liberty. 

“I really do wish you wouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” came a gentle voice.

Mila lifted her gaze to see Simon, care and consideration personified, crouched next to her. Eye to eye, making himself smaller as if addressing a child. She couldn’t help but appreciate it, even as her chest tightened. 

“You’re not a failure if you miss a day,” he said, “accidentally or on purpose.”

Mila tugged at one end of her durag, tangling the satin around her fingers. “It’s not like I don’t have ideas… it’s just the execution.”

“You’re also comparing yourself again.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t the android’s first rodeo with Mila and her writing.

She looked up at the laptop screen, the insertion point blinking at the end of an unfinished sentence. The words above made sense enough but… 

“Better something than nothing,” Simon said, reaching and pulling the laptop closer. “The priority is consistency, right?”

“I’d like to produce quality, too, if I can…”

“You do. And you will. It's ok if it's not the highest tonight. It’s a challenge, remember? How did you fare yesterday?”

Mila huffed a laugh. “I got like a ten-sentence something right before midnight.”

“And the day before?” 

She perked up. “I actually really like that one! I didn’t realize it was as long as it was until I checked the word count.”

“Did you like it just because of the length?”

“No, it’s actually a pretty cute story that popped into my head out of nowhere. It actually reminded me of how I used to write back in the day. Like I was watching the scene play out in my head and just recording what I was observing.”

Simon nodded with a smile. “And if I remember correctly, that was another ‘last minute’ session, right?”

She thought back. “Wow, you’re actually right. You remember better than me!” And it wasn’t just because he had a literal computer for a brain.

“So, while tonight may turn out to be another salad toss of sentences just to keep the streak up, tomorrow could end up being another observation session. But the only way you’ll know is…” he trailed off expectantly.

“If I type another word,” she finished, looking back at the time again. A minute ticked by but her heart felt lighter, as if the digits were smiling at her. 

“You have to allow yourself to experience all the kinds of writing sessions you’ll have. Not just the good ones.” Simon stood, having retrieved her water bottle from the floor. He opened it and held it out to her, resting the cover on the laptop below the keyboard.

She took a drink, turning to skim the last complete sentence she had typed.

The challenge became how far away she could shove her inner critic - that little voice insisting that things had to make perfect sense tonight before she posted. Who decided those standards, anyway? Tonight she would record whatever came to mind and however it landed on the page, it would live. She was allowed to do worse just as much as she was allowed to do better. It was all ultimately for no one but Mila, at the end of each day. 

Of course, she had to leave herself time to actually post what she wrote before midnight, but with this renewed vigor, it was game on.

[footsteps-of-the-furies]

Falsification of Memory

First things first — it is a very good book, an easy read, and a markedly different fare from the Anglophonic sci-fi novels I usually read. It is dated, of course, which is normal for a book written almost sixty years ago, but less so than plenty of other books in that genre from the 60s and 70s, and even 80s. The book and the introduction make a very curious point — did J.K Rowling read this book before getting an idea for the Harry Potter universe? And as preposterous as it might seem — there is something to be said about using and treating magic as just a part of normal human behavior and experience, as long as we treat it not as something abnormal but as a diversity that makes our world colorful and interesting.

But that is not my point today —

I read this book about fifteen years ago. I liked it and decided last week to re-read it because I needed something pleasant and easy to read — since the few previous books I read were really demanding intellectually. Of course, I didn't remember many details of this book, but I had the gist of the plot. Except when I read this book again — nothing I read matched what I remember. The premise was familiar, but all the particulars were not. Not even close to what was in my memory. And that book has a very particular storyline, something quite out of the ordinary and something that I would expect to remember. And there was nothing, not even one correct recollection…

How much can we rely on our memories? Time after time, I let myself be caught unaware when comparing what I remember to reality. And I can catch others — especially family — when they remember or reminisce about something that I know happened in a different way. And here it is not my memory that is wrong, my remembering can be corroborated by others. We have our memories, developed and stored for a recall that, for the most part, can be wrong. And we cherish our memories or build some understanding of the world or of ourselves from what we remember of the past. That makes it so difficult to admit that what we remember can be false. And in most cases — we will never face reality but stick to comfortable but imaginary recollections of the past.

[icedwatersupremacy]

Although Arthur mostly did work on the farm, sometimes he’d be sent on errands into the Henford village. On his way, he’d always stop by Beatrice’s house, and they’d complete the errands together. She had a lot of spare time on her hands until her governess would show up in the autumn, so she was going to be willing to help.

The errands, originally supposed to take no longer than an hour, would last well into the afternoon, as long as Arthur brought Beatrice. His parents never seemed to notice that he was missing, as the food he would buy was never needed until the evening, and all the other work kept them busy. This gave the pair time to be in the village centre together.

There was a plethora of things to do, from reminiscing about their days at the schoolhouse and attempting to truly leave that chapter of their lives behind, to talking, the latter of which was much simpler. Yet they would still stop at the schoolhouse regularly, even if just to look at it. The conversations they had, usually whilst cloud gazing, tended to be more serious than their usual gossip. The subject regularly shifted to their ideal futures. Beatrice, as was consistently apparent, had thought about it for a while, compared to Arthur, who would avoid giving much of an answer at all.

“I think I want to be married to a wealthy man, who could always provide for me. Maybe he could afford servants, and I wouldn’t have to worry about poisoning him. That way, I could spend my days with you, and when you’re not there, I can practise the violin,” she rambled on, smiling wistfully. She could see it now, a house in the middle of countryside, yet within walking distance of Arthur’s farm. “What about you?” “I don’t know, maybe a wife, maybe kids, hopefully not much work. Does that sound alright?” “Oh, Arthur, How ordinary of you! I can’t disagree, though. That seems to be everyone’s ambition, doesn’t it?” “Well, maybe no one wants to work?” Beatrice laughed. “I believe you’re right.”

By the time that Beatrice and Arthur were ready to return to their homes, they were both drawn, from a mixture of being out in the sun all day and constantly walking about the place. Still, their relationship fared better because of the errands — at least, that’s what they presumed. It was understood between them that if there were no errands, they’d be spending nearly no time together, because of Arthur’s work. Both him and Beatrice felt it was unfair that he had to sacrifice his entire day, week, and so forth to his work, no matter how much he enjoyed doing it. His parents often argued that it was just the way things were, not just for farmers, but everyone with a job. He was simply living in the real world, so they said.

[mistresspotterhead]

The American Ymbryne- Chap. 1

Alma Peregrine x fem!reader

Warnings: Yelling, slamming hands on a table, being outed (kind of)

Words: 1,900 on the dot

A/N: Wow, this took a lil bit. Alma doesn’t appear until the very end of this chapter, but she’ll be in the next one a lot. Everyone has been so kind, and that has helped a lot <3. Also: Miss Saker indicates the type of bird you are, not your given name. I hope you guys like this. 😊😊😊

Tags: @itsonlydana @evil-feather @merci-bitch @multimilfs @escapetodreamworld @gay-and-sad-tm @multifandomfix @romanottsmaximoff @n0thing-is-real-exe​ @theaudreymere 

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In a strange way, Cairnholm reminded you of the Chicago loop you and your wards had just fled from. They were both very dreary, cold, and, from what you could tell from those on the ferry, the people would rather be anywhere else. 

“M-miss Saker? I’m cold.” The bundle of talking coats shivered next to you. 

“I know, Astrid. We’re almost there, though.” You sighed and looked out toward the slowly approaching coastline. Your surviving children, Elina, Alexander, Leonard, and, of course, Astrid, all huddled closer to you. You stared at Cairnholm for a while longer, until the ferryman’s voice suddenly called out.

“Alright everyone, ‘ere we are! The… lovely… Cairnholm!” He steered the small ferry over to the somehow smaller docks, and you led your children out.

“Is everyone here? Astrid, Leo, Elina, Alex?” David, Beth-Anne, Lisa, Frankie, June, Stefanie, Josef, Alice, Rosie, Reggie. You suppressed the urge to call out their names as well. 

“Yes, Miss Saker,” they called in long-suffering voices- you were very adamant about attendance. It was good to see something was normal.

“All right then. Leo, can you see where the loop is? And Alex, are there any other peculiars near?” Ah yes, your diviners. It was very lucky for all of you that they were two of those that survived the wight’s invasion of your loop. 

Your Chicago loop near the Art Institute was one of the last surviving loops in America maintained by an Ymbryne, along with your South Side, McKinley Park, and St. Louis loops, though the latter was run mainly by its older wards and reset once a week.

As of a fortnight ago, though, the Art Institute loop was the only one you had. McKinley Park was attacked by Wights and Hollows in December, with South Side following close in early January. Samuel, the sole survivor of McKinley Park, was what Syndrygasti call a Librarian. He could see hollows and alerted you to them when you were traveling to St. Louis for reset. The problem with this, though, was that Sammy was only five years old, and so frequently got distracted.

It wasn’t hard to understand- Illinois in 1975 was very colorful. Sammy was gone now, though, as were all most all of your children. Speaking of… 

“There aren’t any other peculiars on the island, Miss Saker- at least not in this time,” Alex said, startling you out of your thoughts.

“Thank you, dear. How are you faring, Leo? Have you located the loop? I don’t like being out in the open for this long.” For emphasis, Elina gave a giant, chattering shiver that was surely exaggerated.

“Indeed, but it is on the other side of the island, and the night is fast approaching.” 

You looked over and scowled at the sun; if you couldn’t get rest, then why was it allowed to?

“Well then. It looks like we’ll have to go into town.” Immediately, protests arose.

“Aw, no!”

“Come on, Miss Saker! We can make camp out here!”

“Because that sounds comfortable,” Leo deadpanned to Astrid.

“Well, it’s better than town! There probably isn’t even a hotel!”

“Actually, Astrid, that’s where you’re wrong.” Astrid looked shocked at the suggestion that she could ever be incorrect at something. “There is a hotel. It’s called the….” You took out the crumpled guidebook the ferryman had given to each tourist. “Preist Hole. What kind of hotel is called the Priest Hole?” You muttered that last part to yourself. “Anyway, off we go. Come along, single file now.”

Your ducklings dutifully arranged themselves from youngest to oldest, seven-year-old Elina closest to you and sixteen-year-old Leo at the back.

You hoped that the food was at least good.

Nope. Everything on the Preist Hole’s menu was covered with vinegar. You wondered if that was a Welsh thing or a Cairnholm thing. Maybe the owner just liked vinegar. Next to you, Elina was grimacing with every bite. On a whim, you decided to flag the bartender down.

“Hey, Kev, was it?” He grinned widely at you. You gave him a small smile in return.

“Yes, ma’am, that’s me. What can I do for you ‘n yer bunch today?” 

“I was just wondering if you had some fries- sorry, chips- with less vinegar. My youngest is still picky.”

“Hmm. Well, I’ll talk to Arnie ‘n see what he can whip up fer ye. He’s the cook, ye see.”

“Thank you so much, sir.” You attempted a bigger smile, but it still felt forced.

“Naw, it ain’t a problem, really. ‘N please, call me Kev. Sir sounds like I’m fifty- ‘n I’ve still got twenty years ‘fore that,” he chuckled.

“Well then, you must call me y/n.”

“Of course, ma’am- y/n, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s alright, Kev.” This time, your smile was a small bit genuine- his hesitancy was endearing.

“Yeh. Well, um, I’d better talk teh Arnie now. I’ve kinda been lingering here for a while.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to keep you from work, anyway.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t object if yeh did,” Kev concluded, winking before walking away.

Once he was out of earshot, Astrid started chittering.

“Ooh, was that flirting I saw, Miss Saker?” You rolled your eyes, and Alex guffawed into his water.

“Miss Saker? Flirt with a guy? I think Elina would drink an entire bottle of vinegar before that happened.” You turned your head sharply in his direction, but not before Astrid snapped back at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You jerk your head toward her now.

“Well, Miss Saker isn’t really the type to, ah, dabble in the male gene pool.” It was like you were watching tennis, really, with all this head-turning.

“That doesn’t make any-”

“ENOUGH!” You stood up, placing your hands on the bar. “This is not a discussion we are having, especially not here and now. Alex, I told you that information in confidence, and I am severely disappointed that you have betrayed that. Astrid, whether or not I am flirting with someone, and really my love life in general, is none of your concern. Do you both understand?”

They nodded, Alex looking especially ashamed of himself.

“Sorry, Miss Saker. It just slipped out.”

You sighed and ignored all the stares you and your wards were getting because of your outburst. 

“Alright, Alex. Just… you can’t share things that people tell you privately.”

“Yes, Miss Saker.” He was quiet after that, poking at his food.

It bothered you that he had shared that information, though it didn’t seem as if the other wards had understood. Of course, Leo was the only one you would expect to, as he was sixteen, but he had been sheltered in your loop his entire life. All of your wards had, really.

Just as you were beginning to sink into your past again, Kev came out with Elina’s new plate of fr- chips.

“Here ye are, little lady. I hope you like these better.” He smiled at Elina, tugging a small one out in return. You both watched expectantly as she took a tentative bite. And another. And another. Until the plate was almost gone, and she was rubbing her stomach in contentment.

“Well, that was fast.”

“It was good, Miss Saker. I wasn’t going to let it cool.” You laughed at the disapproving look on her face.

“Alright, alright. I suppose you have a good point.” You turned to Kev. “Thank you again, sir, for-”

“Kev.”

“...right. Thank you for doing this. How much will it cost?” You were ruffled at his interruption, but he didn’t notice. He pretended to think for a moment.

“Hmm… how much will makin’ a little girl ‘n her mam happy cost? I dunno.” He smiled at you. “It’s on the house. I can see that ye haven’t had such a good day, so….”

“Really? Are you sure? I mean, I have the money….”

“I’m completely sure. It’s good te make someone happy once in a while.”

“Well, I truly do thank you. It also seems that we’ll need a room, if that’s alright?”

“Sure. Room four was just recently vacated. It’s right up here.” He led you up the stairs, the kids trailing behind.

The room was small for five people, but it seemed like a mansion to the children, who only had their old, overcrowded loop to compare it to. There were four rickety beds, though they did seem to be clean, and a barren nightstand next to each of them. 

“Ah… I forgot that this only had four beds. I can get ye another room, or-”

“No, no, this is fine. Thank you for your help, Kev.” You subtly ushered him toward the door.

“Oh- well, if ye need anythi-”

“Yes, of course. Ta, then! Have a nice day!” You shut the door, leaving him very confused.

Alex was wheezing on the floor behind you.

“That… that was absolutely amazing Miss Saker! You are an absolute icon!” 

What in Abaton does that mean? You never could understand the new slang terms that the 1970s held. 

Elina yawned, setting off all the other children and alerting you to their needs.

“Alright then, time for bed.” Immediately, they were completely awake.

“I’m not tired at all, Miss Saker, therefore I shan’t be able to fall asleep.” 

“The fact that your accent is coming out very strongly tells me that you are indeed tired, Leo.” You crossed your arms. “Bed. now.” Your wards slouched, and grudgingly picked out a bed each.

“Miss Saker, where will you sleep tonight?” Astrid asked as you were tucking her covers in.

“On the floor, of course. Now, did you remember to take off your gloves?”

“But it won’t be comfortable! The floor is so hard and cold and dirty and-”

“Your gloves, Astrid.” She was very talkative, even late at night, though you had come to enjoy it. Sometimes.

She took off the gloves that helped control her peculiarity and was about to start chattering again when Elina suddenly spoke up from her bed in the corner.

“I could make you a nest with a spare blanket, Miss Saker?” You gave her one of your very rare genuine smiles.

“That would be lovely, Elina.”

“Wait- how did she know you were going to sleep in bird form?” Alex asked, finally catching on. You smiled again at Elina and kissed her on the forehead.

“She’s made me a little nest before when I fall asleep in my study while in bird form.”

“And that happens often?”

“Surprisingly so. Now, snuggle in and no more talking.” As the children said their goodnights, you finally transformed into your bird form; a stunning saker falcon. You jumped lightly onto Elina’s bed, careful not to hurt her with your razor-sharp talons or accidentally hit her with your wing (which had happened on more than one occasion). 

Though you nestled into the warm bunch of blankets right away, you didn’t fall asleep until much later, and even then, you were restless all night. 

---

Little did you know, in the old manor that you would trek to the next day, a group of peculiars and one very curious ymbryne had observed all of this. Alma LeFay Peregrine set her watch and gave the children a reassuring smile while she pondered what this meant and why her stomach had fluttered when you gave that dazzling smile.

[mashitandsmashit]

AGT Season 18: Finals

(As the clock ticks closer to 7PM) Oh boy, here it comes! Finals night!

(Sees clips from "The Voice") ...This isn't AGT...

(Waits another excruciating hour for the show...)

Alright! For real now! Let the Finals begin!

11: Mzansi Youth Choir. Uhhh...What happened? These kids sounded so good before, now they sound like they all have something in their throat! Maybe the song choice was a little safe for them or something...Whatever it is, it's making me regret them taking the well-deserved spot from Warrior Squad!

10: 82nd Airborne Chorus. While THIS choir sounded better overall, I've been afraid of them doing a slow ballad from the beginning, and the final result was just bland and forgettable...Although that part where that lady was supposed to belt out a solo, only for her voice to crack and sound AWFUL certainly makes a case for this act to fall dead last...But the rest of it was just okay...At least last week's song was upbeat and had some fun choreography...But hey, salute your military and whatnot...That alone will surely get them into the Top 5...

9: Lavender Darcangelo. Rough night for singers...With one exception, and I'll get to her later...Lavender was at least able to hit a FEW good notes here and there (mostly the big ones), but otherwise her voice sounded off as well...Also, an obvious (and overdone) song-choice...At least she puts on a good show with the colors and petals of her namesake all over the place...

8: Anna DeGuzman. I honestly wish they'd stop making it about her gender...Beyond that, she's been passable across the board...She's got a decent personality, but aside from that, nothing I haven't seen before...The two highlights for me were the same notes of "Portugal. The Man" playing on loop in the background, and that little girl in the audience who noticed that she was on TV and tried to tell her mom...

7: Chibi Unity. Sadly, this was pretty safe compared to their previous performance, right down to playing the same band as last time...It just all lacked the punch they had before...But to be fair, with how little time they had to prepare this (ESPECIALLY after that one guy's injury last time), they probably had to scramble a bit...

6: Avantgardey. Once again, fun and creative, I loved the mansion set with them bobbing their heads in the picture frames, along with the ABBA song...They have definitely proven to be this year's dark horse act...I will admit though, it IS starting to feel just a little samey...Still, they ARE fun to watch, and I'm glad they won that wildcard vote so that we could see them one more time...

5: Ahren Belisle. While the jokes themselves still slayed (ESPECIALLY himself), the many technical difficulties DID make it a little hard to watch...It's not really his fault, mind you, but he actually looked kinda disappointed afterward, even as the judges were heaping praise on him...Despite everything, I think he still has a pretty fair shot at winning this (but granted, so do several others...)

4: Putri Ariani. I have just not been jumping on the Putri hype-train this season...But I have to admit, her singing really was perfectly on-point tonight, cliched song choice notwithstanding...I have been dismissing her as the potential winner this season, mainly because she hasn't really had anything new to offer the champion line-up...But maybe it's time I accept how popular she is online, and actually consider the very real possibility that she MIGHT win this...The only thing is, after seeing quite a few strong singers from foreign countries with huge online fanbases not faring NEARLY as well in the votes as I expected (Sheldon Riley, Daneliya Tuleshova, Peter Rosalita, Sara James, Roland Abante and Gabriel Henrique), there's ALSO the very real possibility that Putri's final result won't quite live up to the massive hype she's getting online...We'll just have to see for ourselves tomorrow...

3: Adrian Stoica and Hurricane. I'm telling you, these two are like a modern-day Laurel and Hardy (with a little Charlie Chaplin thrown in for good measure)! Adrian has trained the next big thing in animal acting, and this is one dog show I will gladly pay to see!

2: Ramadhani Brothers. Well, I'd definitely say they upped the ante here! The ladders, the bridge, and of course the dumbbell (again, not the brother doing the heavy head-lifting...) I never expected to say this, but this acrobatic act might have a legitimate shot at winning!

1: Murmuration. Once again, effective music, excellent precision, uniquely mesmerizing moves, and it all came together at the end with some audience participation and an uplifting message! I REALLY don't want to see Howie take another one, but let's be real here...He picked a pretty damn good dance act!

This one's gonna be hard to call...I'm not gonna pretend like I have ANY idea who will be crowned the winner tomorrow...But at the very least, some of the acts have a better case to make for themselves based on tonight than others...

I actually went ahead and voted for all three dance acts, both of the funny men with dogs, and the head-balancing act...So let it say something that I'm giving so much support for more than half the acts tonight...

As for how America will vote...Again, I have no real idea...But I can at least guess...

11: Chibi Unity

10: Mzansi Youth Choir

9: Lavender Darcangelo

8: Anna DeGuzman

7: Avantgardey

6: Adrian Stoica and Hurricane

5: 82nd Airborne Chorus

4: Ahren Belisle

3: Murmuration

2: Ramadhani Brothers

1: Putri Ariani

Welp...See you tomorrow for a bunch of guest performers and MAYYAS!!! (Let's see if my prediction of them performing with all three dance acts comes true...)

Oh yeah, and they'll announce a winner and stuff...

---

Well...That...certainly didn't go how I imagined...

Let's start with the performances...82nd started things off with a traditional military salute (kinda like starting sporting events with the National Anthem, or school days with the Pledge of Allegiance).

Avantgardey then gave us an amazing video package displaying their ability to perform with any act, even keeping up perfectly with Murmuration (since they're both equally precise in their choreography).

Lavender had a nice performance with Diane Warren, rocking a lovely dress, while Warren rocked that hat and jacket about as well as Michael Jackson could...

And then Anna did some of her shuffling for a few seconds, and Murmuration performed as backup dancers to the backup dancers to the poor man's Usher...

Ahren gave an epic prank using Simon's AI voice! If he ain't winnin' this, he can at least go out laughing like only he could!

Those weird little troll guys kept it brief, but I can't help but feel that I've heard those voices somewhere...Like an aging boyband trying to recapture the magic of their youth...

They sure made a solid plug for Super Nintendo World! If I ever get a chance to go to Universal Studios, I'll be sure to prioritize that alongside finally seeing the Harry Potter park! I just hope they add more to it than just Mario stuff...(And if I was a kid and someone told me outside a theme park that I could do and eat anything I want and be as naughty as I want, the first thing I'd do is check the back to make sure they aren't turning kids into donkeys...)

Like Murmuration, Mzansi was relegated to back-up performers for an R&B singer, but unlike Derulo, Jon Batiste is actually talented and can sing without lip-syncing...

Adrian and Hurricane gave us an amusing little video with the chef lady, and Putri's voice was nicely complimented by Leona Lewis' backup...

And then yet ANOTHER backup performance by Ramadhani and Chibi Unity with the infamous Joker/Morbius actor's band...I just hope he didn't prepare for this method performance by sending the judges sex toys in the mail...

And finally, Mayyas pretty much schooled all of the contestants this year with their literal FIRE performance! I guess they really DIDN'T need backup from the dance groups following on their heels this year...In fact, that one performance should be enough to win them the game a second year in a row without even competing!

But as it is, the winner this year couldn't be more different! So let's get to the results...

While I was a LITTLE shocked that neither Ahren nor 82nd made the Top 5, the REAL shock was the two REAL dark horses this year beating out three acts that seemed like REAL potential winners...REAL!

I suppose the main thing that kept Putri, Ramadhani or Murmuration from winning was that the people voting for a winner were too divided...While meanwhile tons of the voters also voted for acts as SECONDARY or even TERTIARY choices...

I'd say Anna came in second for pretty much the same reason why Dutin Tavella, Shin Lim and Mat Franco won previous seasons...Close-up magicians have amassed a lot of dedicated supporters...And while most of them probably don't INTEND to give them the win, they vote for them out of sheer support...

The thing is, when you don't have a Kodi Lee, or a Darci Lynne or whatnot that unites the vast majority of voters, the votes become a free-for-all, and the winner could very well end up being someone who NOBODY intended to actually win, but they liked them enough to give them those supporting votes...

Which brings us to our winner, Adrian Stoica and Hurricane! Not since Shin Lim have I been so floored by an AGT winner...Most people online and even the judges were shocked at these results! Some comments online were positive, others not so much...I, personally, gladly accept with open arms!

It may not be a show worthy of Vegas for $100+, but they do deserve SOME kind of venue, and they'll get that as they join the AGT all-star show...And I honestly wouldn't mind a movie starring Hurricane (maybe with Adrian as her owner that she runs away from and goes looking for her).

They've been one of my favorite acts from the beginning, and while you could DEFINITELY say some of the acts deserved it more...well...That's the nature of the show! Very rarely does the best act actually win...(In fact, probably the only official seasons where the best act DID win were Seasons 2, 8 and 17...)

Putri, Murmuration and the others will be fine...In fact, the two I named at the very least will most likely have much bigger careers ahead of them that will overshadow Adrian and Hurricane...But the main thing that the act had over them in this competition is that they took the genre to the next level, enough to overshadow the previous dog act that won...Whereas Putri and Murmuration were like Kodi Lee and Mayyas respectively, but with a little less of that exciting novelty that gave those other two the win in their respective seasons...

Nah...I'm happy! I'll gladly take this over a FOURTH magician winning this show! I honestly never want to see a magician win again...Still, I do not consider myself "woke", but I'd be happy with more female representation in the champion line-up (particularly ones that are old enough to drink). And I encourage Anna to continue working on her craft...And DEFINITELY don't stop that masterful shuffling!

Anyway, congrats to Adrian and Hurricane! An unexpected winner, indeed, but not undeserved (at least to me...)

I'll be back later to give my final thoughts on this season, and what to look forward to in the future (besides having to endure more of Mel B.)