#she was so understanding about me having to verify her story first

[stil-lindigo]

HELP PALESTINIAN ARCHITECT EVACUATE HER FAMILY FROM GAZA

This is a verified fundraiser for a family of four to evacuate to Cairo. The fund's creator, Amal Abu Shammala, reached out to me personally to share this since she's failed to get her fund on Operation Olive Branch and Let's Talk Palestine's fundraising linktree.

As of right now, she has raised €2,397/ €42,000. You can see the breakdown of what the money will be used for in the fund description.

Please give generously!

[lukolabrainrot]

I am going to talk about some of my thoughts about why I believe N's behavior changed as the PR tour progressed. I am also going to talk about my thoughts on if L&N ever got "jiggy with it" 😂 I'll try to get to my thoughts on Toronto and Ireland tomorrow.

Before I start though, I want to mention that I am trying to come to my theories/opinions based off of things I have been able to observe, and verified information online. Obviously though, I don't actually know any of these people irl, so I am never going to understand the full story of what is going on between L/N. All of this is just my thoughts and theories on what is going on based on what has been put out to the public. There has been a lot of speculation online about everything, but I am going to try and not give that information too much weight when coming to my conclusions here. I am interested in hearing everyone's thoughts/opinions though, since this story has a lot of moving parts. Just wanted to put this disclaimer out before moving forward with more of my thoughts/theories.

Alright, on to the main course (this is going to be a LONG post btw)...

N on the PR Tour

I want to start off with the following that we know to be fact about N:

She is INCREDIBLY private about her personal life, especially her dating/romantic life (the same isn't/hasn't really been true about L). In fact, I don't believe N has ever publicly come out as being in a relationship with anyone since she entered the entertainment industry/been in the public eye (although I can't 100% confirm this, so please let me know if there are any articles/or something on her SM where she has publicly confirmed she was in a relationship at some point)

She is VERY online, and very careful about controlling her public narrative

She is a naturally touchy and affectionate person with people, but she seems to hold her true feelings a lot closer to her heart, and it seems to me, that she is kind of "on" in public (which is actually an important skillset to have as someone in the entertainment industry because you really need to know how to stay in control of your public narrative--your fans are your livelihood)

She LOVES photography/taking photos (it is one of her love languages I believe)

Now as I mentioned, L was always a lot more of an open book on the PR tour about his feelings for N (refer to my post here). N seemed to be a lot more reserved/gaurded during the tour when it first started in January, but everything shifted in like April when the world tour started. Below are my thoughts:

N started to become a LOT more obvious through her nonverbal cues about her genuine feelings for L as the tour unfolded. I will say that I believe PART of it probably had to do with getting a little "lost in the sauce" with the energy of the tour. However, I think the larger factor was that L & N were pushed together for many months (in close quarters), and were therefore forced to have conversations about their feelings for each other that I think they had been tiptoeing around for quite a while. From what we then saw from like the middle of Italy (I'm an Italy truther), there was more of a confidence, security, and contentment in how they interacted with each other that signaled to me feelings were shared and reciprocated.

Like I mentioned, she is a PR queen and very, very private about this part of her life. Therefore, why would she decide to be so obvious about her feelings on such a public stage when she knows people analyze everything? Well... I believe this is her way of publicly acknowledging their romantic feelings for each other without ACTUALLY publicly acknowledging anything more than "work besties" is going on with them. Which totally makes sense when you think about it because 1) The fandom would LOSE IT rn 2) That would put a LOT of public pressure on them, and I think these feelings they have shared with each other are very new (but had been brewing for a long time), and I don't think they are confident enough to go public. There is also, of course, the A of the whole situation, which L needs to figure out how he wants to move forward with that. TLDR, the situation is very messy, and I think there is a lot that L/N need to process in private regarding each other out of the public eye. I am pretty confident though that this tour put them in a situation to confront, clarify, and establish what their romantic feelings are for each other outside of the show (and they were reciprocated), and they are taking the space right now to explore that privately.    

Lastly, because I really like analyzing photos and N loves taking pictures, let's talk about those "boyfriend pics" of L she posted since the world tour started. Yes, she was promoting the show, but a lot of those pictures (especially recently) have a very specific vibe. She wants the world to see him the way she sees him. She loves that man, clear and simple. He shines around her, and she knows that. I think it’s also especially telling that she posted the most recent boyfriend pic of her last day of filming (which was the most obvious one in my opinion) now that A is publicly connected to L. It was a statement in my opinion, that regardless of all the drama unfolding, her and L have a really deep and meaningful connection that is special to her. I think it also served as a message that we don’t know the full story, which I think is a positive thing for us Lukola fans. Now I can’t predict the future with these two, but I am fairly certain we wouldn’t have been seeing the type of behavior we saw from them on the PR tour, and the types of photos she has been posting of him lately, if they weren’t confident in moving forward with their romantic relationship in the near future (especially since A has been in the picture for quite some time). I think these pics serve as another crumb that they are a little more than just work besties.

One last note, I think the reason our PR queen started slipping up and changing her answers to certain questions on the tour is because SHE WAS REALLY HAPPY WITH HIM. This can be a whole separate post at some point if people are interested, but I am almost certain from everything I have observed regarding N, that she is quite jaded when it comes to finding a romantic partner, and has been hurt in romantic relationships in the past.  I feel like L is the more sweet, hopeless romantic between the two. I think he allowed her to heal some of her relationship wounds. I think there is something about L and the experiences they’ve shared together that has reignited something within N to make her feel more hopeful about having a deep romantic connection while she can still be very independent and successful in her field. And I think it specifically has something to do with who L is when he is with her and how he treats her. I get the impression he has really altered the way she sees certain things related to romantic relationships. My whole point is that I think they both know what they have, and they know that if they can get on the same page, this relationship would get serious pretty quickly. Therefore, even though N is really private with this part of her life, for L, I think she would publicly acknowledge their relationship, but only when/if they are able to get to a point where they feel confident enough that their relationship would be able to withstand the pressures from the public. They just aren't there currently because of all the other confounding factors, but I don't think that necessarily signals where they will be in like 6 to 8 months imo...

Have L/N ever gotten freaky deaky irl?

From before the PR tour, I just don't have enough information to confidently say yes or no. A lot of people have different opinions on this, and some people think they casually dated near the end of filming season 3/sometime last year (but we don't have any proof of that). This is what I will say:

N still follows J (and vice versa I believe, please lmk if I'm wrong?), so I don't think there is any bad blood there. This makes me pretty certain that L/N never acted on any physical feelings for each other until after that relationship was completely over. I do think though that L/N have had a spark for a while (and tbh, I think L has kind of had a thing for N since they met, and his feelings for her have always been stronger). Therefore, this likely played a part in him emotionally distancing from his relationship with J when season 3 started filming, but at the end of the day, we will never know the specicifics of why they decided to part ways. My guess is that there were a lot of reasons that relationship did not end up working out considering how serious that relationship was.

Considering how WILD L/N's sexual chemistry is, it wouldn't surprise me if they hooked up at some point before the PR tour. But considering L was on Raya by February/March 2023 (from my understanding?), and the fact that N was SUPER busy last year and traveling a bunch, I just don't think there was any time for them to have anything more than something super casual/no commitment (if anything). Even if they did maybe hook up some, I don't think they really directly addressed the depth of their feelings for each other, which is why we saw all that behavior between them on the tour, because I don't think any clear boundaries had been put up and their feelings came flooding back.

Now I feel a lot more confident that somethingggg intimate happened at least once between them on the PR tour. Here are my theories:

I don't think things were great between them at the beginning of the tour (like January) because feelings I think started popping up again for these two during the reshoots in December 2023, and then the NYE kiss comes out, and N and L are feeling disconnected and aren't really on the same page about the tour.

I think they had some conversations in private, because by the VDay event, they seemed a lot more on the same page (and L was giving N those total heart eyes). The extra layer is that (I believe?) A accompanied L to the city the event was in (I think NYC?), but even though A was staying with him, L was STILL looking at N like THAT during the event (which I think speaks VOLUMES).

I think though there were a lot of things they still weren't talking about, and everything came to a head when they got to Italy, which is why the vibes were off at first and it seemed like there was tension between them. This also occurred soon after the Instyle stunt, so I feel like N probably had some feelingssss about that.

I have recently been converted to an Italy truther, so I believe that Italy was where L/N finally addressed/readressed some of their feelings for each other, and N was trying to get some clarity on WTH was going on with A, and making sure it wasn't going to mess anything up with the tour. But I think they "kissed and made up" 😉 and got back on the same page. Which is why there was the shift in Italy, and why we saw what we saw for the rest of the tour.

Not sure exactly what happened of course, but I get the feeling something physical happened after they started having some BIG conversations about each other that they had needed to have for a long time (and I think they continued to have these conversations with each other as the tour progressed). Let's also remember that these are two very non-confrontational people, so I feel like there must have been a LOT of pent up feelings/emotions for them to publicly show that they weren't super happy with each other/beefing during the beginning of Italy.

I also definitely think they physically acted on their feelings in Brazil (like they just had the "glow" imo 😂). And the eff me eyes, c'mon. Like Brazil continually reminded me of that New Girl quote "The stench of filth and lust is all over this room." It just seemed pretty obvious to me 😂 Especially considering the events that transpired right after that with A, and between L/N for the rest of the tour.

Lastly, I know a lot of people believe that L/N didn't physically act on their feelings because the tension would go away. However, I actually think it's a good sign that tension is still there, because I think it shows that there is a pretty deep connection between these two, and they are still feeling that pull/sexual energy after having sex. They kind of remind me of like two friends in a friend group who just admitted their true feelings for each other but aren't ready to go public, but are also having crazy good sex, so they are super obvious and can't really hide it when they are together LOL Regardless if they had ever physically acted on their feelings before the tour, I think these experiences (IF they did indeed occur), helped L/N get clarity if their strong feelings and attraction for each other went past the show and their characters. And I personally think they got that clarity 😉

Wowww okay that turned into an essay LOL, but I think the TLDR is that the situation seems very complicated right now, and I think there is a lot that L/N are needing to figure out in private. But I don't think that negates or invalidates what we saw between them on the PR tour, or that they were "faking" their feelings. Human beings are messy and imperfect, and that is okay. I think the part that still really confuses me is the whole A of the situation, because I just can't wrap my head around it. I would love to hear other people's opinions though on how she factors into all this, so if you have theories/questions you would like to add to that discussion, drop them in my asks. Because I have thoughtssss 😂

[fuck-customers]

I guess I didn't get the memo about today being Raging Bitch day because holy fuck these people were intense.

First, a Karen comes to my register and announces that she has a return.

As per store policy, I ask if she has her receipt, she does not. I tel her that without a receipt, we can only give her the lowest price in the last 90 days, as per store policy. But she is welcome to take her items and come back another time with her receipt.

Her: So how much would I get back from the lowest price?

I scan her items and tell her the price. I forgot the actual dollar amounts, but you get the idea.

Me: So the lowest price for this item is $19.99 and this one is $21.99 so you'll get $45.36 for your entire return.

Her: That's UNACCEPTABLE! I paid $75 for that! You're STEALING from me!

Me: I'm sorry, but since you don't have your receipt, I have no way of verifying what you paid, and store policy says that without a receipt, you can only get back the lowest price in the last 90 days. But again, there is no time limit, so you're more than welcome to do the return later when you find your receipt.

Her, going Karen mode: NO! You're going to give me back what I paid. You're STEALING FROM ME!

Me: Ma'am, when you purchase something from a store, it does not go directly to the employee. I couldn't steal it from you if I wanted to.

This goes on for a minute or so of me telling a grown woman no and her throwing a temper tantrum, then I call up a manager and a lead arrives. The lead tells her nearly word-for-word what I told her and ends up in the same argument loop for 10 minutes or so, during which I ring up other customers. Lead eventually calls up store manager, who, shocker, tells the woman the exact same thing that I and the lead before her told her.

Eventually, after a combined total of around 30 minutes, she gets it through her stupid head that she's not going to get her way and leaves without doing the return, yelling weird vague threats that sound like a cartoon villain. She didn't say "you'll rue the day!" but it would fit better in the story if she did.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!

About 5-10 minutes later, she comes slinking back into the store. Guess who found her receipt? You'll never guess. Of course not a single apology was uttered or even an acknowledgement of how ridiculous she was acting was made. I processed her return with receipt and she was on her way. She didn't utter a single word the entire time. Just to make her feel like the asshole that she is, I was sickly sweet in my tone of voice and overly friendly just to emphasize what a bitch she was being. I felt bad for the kid that was with her, I'm not sure if he was her son, grandson, nephew, etc, but he seemed all too used to her being a Karen in stores. I sort of wish he had the guts to stand up to her and tell her to knock it off, but I can understand why he didn't.

Then I had several other smaller interactions that basically amounted to: stupid customer can't read ->customer is already in a bad mood ->takes it out on me->I'm not a pushover and I'm one of the best and most knowledgeable workers at this store and everyone knows it so I am unlikely to get fired unless I do something extreme, so I push back-> customer argues for several minutes and eventually either gives up or demands manager->manager can't do thing for them->argue->eventually accept fate and leave.

Posted by admin Rodney

[freelanceexorcist]

OK. I watched the first chapter of Ever Crisis First Soldier episode 2 and of course I have thoughts.

Cut for spoilers and length.

Sephiroth has officially become a sympathetic character. I mean, he always was, but there's no doubt about it being official now.

The way he's acting toward people, pushing them away? He's not being arrogant or sullen or a dick. He's a sad, traumatized kid with crappy self-esteem. He's in pain and grieving the loss of Glenn, Matt and Lucia's friendship. He's trying to convince himself that he's a soulless machine because machines don't have to feel what he's feeling. He's pushing everyone away because he doesn't want to make the choice he had to make between saving Rosen and saving himself and his friends. If you're cold, calculating and ruthless, such choices are a lot easier.

Except he's not any of those things or he wouldn't be acting the way he is. He wouldn't care, but he obviously does here. If you push everyone away and keep them at arms length, it doesn't hurt so much when they inevitably leave.

Except Angeal ain't havin' none of that. He's gonna make Sephiroth his bro if it kills both of them. The dynamic between these two so far is

And you know it works, too, and at least they get ten good years as friends after that.

So yes, the Sephiroth from Episode 1 is still there, but he's depressed and traumatized. If he returned to Midgar between episodes, he probably got a good dressing down from the top brass at Shinra and suffered who knows what at Hojo's hands. He's hurting and I think on some level Angeal knows that, which is why he's trying so hard to break through.

Now let's talk about Sephiroth's dream. I hope that was just a regular dream and not Jenova fucking with him because that would be a real kick in the nuts. I'm going to say it was an actual dream triggered by seeing Alissa "Definitely Not Jenova" Goldie and her uncanny resemblance to Lucrecia. And he was handed an empty bowl and told it was pumpkin soup because he doesn't know what pumpkin soup looks like. He just knows it would be good and that his mama would make him some if she could.

And speaking of Definitely Not Jenova. Nope, definitely not Jenova or Hojo mindfucking him. Not at all.

But since I'm a glass half full kinda gal when it comes to these things, I'm considering another angle. Yeah, purple and purplish pink are colors associated with Jenova, but those lights swirling around Alissa remind me of will o' the wisps or spook lights. Depending on which culture's folklore you're looking at, these can represent elemental spirits, the fae or demons (demons as in "spirit that never walked the earth in physical form" and not the Biblical nasties).

What if a forest spirit or similar entity took an interest in Sephiroth and wanted to get a closer look to see what makes him tick? Such an entity wouldn't really understand humans, so throwing Hojo in his face wouldn't strike it as being cruel or malicious. It was just curious to see how he would react.

Yeah, it's probably Jenova. "Those you hate, those you fear, those you love" after all. The other idea is worth considering, though.

Some odds and ends:

*i'm glad that the existence of female SOLDIER operatives has been confirmed. Not sure how I feel about them having to wear coochie cutters while the guys get real pants, though.

*I wonder how Sephiroth will get Masamune from its namesake. I'm going to be optimistic and say Mr. Epic Eyebrows will deem him worthy of receiving it, because that's how that seems to be shaping up at first glance. My prediction is that Masamune will pop up at times throughout the story to observe Sephiroth and test his mettle. He already knows Sephiroth is worthy, and these interactions will serve to verify that.

*Bachman's kind of a pain in the ass, isn't he? Sephiroth isn't your show pony, dude. He didn't even know you'd be tagging along.

*EC is really playing up how innocent and good these kids were back in the day. Angeal certainly had it helped along by his upbringing, but it took work for Sephiroth to maintain his goodness. He's the way he is despite his childhood, not because of it.

*I know I sound like a broken record but bog standard villains just don't get that kind of development. We're not supposed to see them sympathetically. At least not the ones for whom a redemption arc isn't in the works. We're supposed to cheer when they get what they have coming in a movie or on a show. We're supposed to feel accomplished when we beat them as the final boss in the game. We're not supposed to see their inevitable defeat as the heartbreaking last act of a tragic life.

*EC took pains to make the connection between the purehearted pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth and the Sephiroth at the Edge of Creation. It's looking more and more to me like EoC Sephiroth and the Sephiroth menacing the party are two different people. Or, more accurately, two versions of the same person from two different universes/timelines and one of them isn't answering to Jenova anymore (if he ever did in the first place).

*I mean come on. The symbolism. The white feathers (which pop up all over Rebirth, too). This:

*That's not there by accident or because it looks cool. It's a single white wing to contrast with Jenovaroth's single black wing and highlight the differences between the two. The battle theme that plays during the behemoth fight is called White Winged Angel, fercryin' out loud! I will die on this hill.

That's all for now. Thanks for sticking around to the end of this if you did.

[talokanda-forever]

Oh boy.

I intentionally avoided posting any thing about the allegations against Tenoch yesterday because I require time to process information. I needed time to give my brain a rest. This still feels a bit too soon. I will never be one to say Tenoch or anyone else would, "never do something like that." Because I have no idea. I'm hoping that the allegations aren't true. This post is my way of venting. It is in no way meant to persuade anyone else on what they should think or feel about this situation. And certainly not meant to be proof or evidence of why it happened or didn't happen. I don't know. None of us knows.

1. The framing of the dissemination of this information as "news." My biggest issue is that I've seen a lot of Twitter accounts pick up the same link that appears to be the outlet that first brought the Tweet by Maria Elena Rios to light (reforma.com). I don't know what journalistic standards this outlet follows, so I won't speculate. I did check to see if any well-established US outlets had Tweeted anything (Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, MSNBC), and as of roughly 30 min. ago they had not.

So far, all we really have are glorified Retweets, not a news story. There are A LOT of accounts with well designed pages that have all the hallmarks of looking like "official" news organizations, but they are not. It takes virtually no time or effort to Retweet something and start an avalanche. It's a trend that has bothered me for the last decade or so. Journalism requires independently verifying information you have received. It's going to multiple sources to corroborate the information. It's at the very least attempting to reach out to the involved parties to get their statements. It's reviewing public records and court filings to see what has been officially documented. And not to say that WON'T happen at some point, but it sure as hell isn't going to happen within 24 hours. It will take time and we STILL may never know the full story.

2. We should believe victims. ABSOLUTELY! In this particular instance and from this vantage point, Maria is only his accuser. It has not yet been established that she is his victim. I understand that she is a victim involving another individual, and thank goodness she survived that horific attack. However, as it pertains to Tenoch, I don't think interjecting alleged sexual assault in a Tweet focused on a different issue is enough to automatically leap to saying she was absolutely, 100%, without a doubt victimized by Tenoch. If it happened I would hope Maria would take legal action, given she was comfortable enough to make the accusation publicly under her name. Even then, she is not required to do so (which is why I say we may never know what did or didn't happen). I would imagine navigating the justice system in Mexico is no less stressful as navigating the justice system in the US. There are valid reasons for women not subjecting themselves to (potentially) years of legal struggles. But I also hope she wouldn't be so reckless as to throw out an allegation and not allow Tenoch to formally defend himself, assuming he denies these allegations. Once again, something that requires TIME.

3. To all those I have interacted with over the past few months on this site, know that I luv ya! I value our time together here. Regardless of what you've said or haven't said about this situation, that hasn't changed. I'm choosing to reserve judgement because that's how I am and how I will always be. I respect that everyone is not like me (thank God). Like many others, I will suspend posting here because, if for no other reason, I know how to read a fucking room. Let's all be kind and respectful to one another. To those folks who interact with me regularly, don't hesitate to DM me.

[imaginebetterfutures]

"After the sporting time, comes the legal time."

On Sunday it was reported that boxer Imane Khelif had hired a legal team, and that they were filing a complaint on her behalf. The letter begins with the line "Apres le temps sportif, vient le temps judiciaire." Which translates to "After the sporting time, comes the legal time."

The complaint was filed with the "the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor's office" and argues that the case "will determine who initiated this misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign but will also have to focus on those who fueled this digital lynching."

Some reporting I've seen says that Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan may join her on the case. I haven't been able to independently verify that.

I'm not a lawyer and I certainly am not familiar with defamation laws in France, so I don't have much to say about how likely it is that this case will go anywhere. (I know from personal experience that getting any kind of legal remedy for online harassment and threats can be very hard.)

But there is some historical precedent around cases like this! Here are two examples that came to mind for me immediately:

On episode two of my podcast Tested, we talked you about a newspaper article about Helen Stephens that accusing her of being “too fast” to be a woman. What we didn’t tell you, is that she actually sued Look Magazine over a related story, which used her picture and the headline “Is This A Man Or A Woman?” And she won! The court awarded her $4500, according to the papers, which is the equivalent of $98,179 today.

Here is the spread from Look Magazine that Stephens sued over, and won. Stephens is the one on the right, under the caption “Is This a Man Or a Woman?”

In Caster Semenya's memoir, she tells the following story about a strip club in Johannesburg using her image: “The owner of Teazers had come up with some clever advertising for his club. A giant billboard on a main highway in Johannesburg that featured a naked, blonde, White woman with the words “No Gender Testing Necessary” written across the bottom half of her body.” Caster’s team sued, and won R20,000 (about $1,000). Here's an image of that billboard if you want to see it.

Obviously these are not legal precedent that could be used in this case, but it's a reminder that this kind of case isn't new.

Two other thoughts on this:

This actually will not be the first case filed at this office coming out of this Olympic games. The very same office has opened a case to investigate harassment and death threats aimed at Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony. Jolly alleges that he has been facing death threats and harassment, largely stemming from his use of drag queens in a segment that some assumed was based on the Last Supper (Jolly says that the painting was not his inspiration).

I'll be very interested to see the line of argumentation that the lawyers use here. The harassment that Khelif and Lin endured was awful, and/but there's a tricky line to walk here I think. Will they argue that simply being called trans is bullying? I understand that for Khelif and Lin it amounts to misgendering them, which is a form of bullying. And it also strikes me that if not handled with care, that could be a precedent we might not want to set. It reminds me a bit of the cases in which people have won defamation claims for situations in which it was suggested that they were HIV positive. Because that suggestion is still so negative that it rises above the level of the usual bar for defamation in the United States.

If you want more about the history of sex testing, listen to Tested!

[sleepy-vix]

hiiiii i came here to talk about jane spring because i know that you have opinions and i have opinions too! yay!

so. i think that you are so right saying that people who make jane to be a villain are wrong. but i also think that sometimes trying really really hard isn't enough - sometimes it doesn't help. and that isn't the our fault, because sometimes trying is all that we can do. BUT in the same time i feel like my main issues with jane and julio aren't the things that are openly adressed in the books. it's not the things tori accuses them of. it's the fact that tori is so busy with helping charlie. how old is she, 17? she shouldn't be the one taking care of charlie. she shouldn't be the one trying to convince him to eat breakfest. she shouldn't be the one that oliver calls when charlie locks himself in the kitchen. i feel like that's the part that really makes me feel weird about jane and julio. why isn't oliver calling them? why isn't he calling his parents, the people who are supposed to care for charlie, the adults? why is he calling his teenage sister? because if i was in a situation like that i definitely would not be calling my sister.

i think that jane spring is a very well written realistic character and that's what most heartbreaking about her to me.

i think that people who call her abusive are crazy. like have we even read the same books????

anyway. i would love to hear more of your thoughts about her

bye

oooh okay this is a very interesting thing to point out. Thank you for sharing! i love talking about this :)

ok here i go-

Firstly, adressing the fact that Oliver called Tori when Charlie was in danger, i think that it is quite likely that Oliver would have thought of calling his parents first. I don't remember the events of solitaire word by word because i read it a while ago, so do correct me if i'm wrong, but this is what i think:

i think oliver spring trusts and loves his parents. now, i cant say for sure because obviously he doesnt get much screen time, but everytime we do see him (unless he's with charlie or tori) he seems to always be carried by his parents or staying very close to them. also, remember when oliver really wanted a dog but jane spring wouldnt let him? she was so nice about it. even though some people may think that she isnt the best mother to tori and charlie, it is very clear that she is a good mother to oliver.

so, i think it is reasonable to assume that he DID think of calling his parents first. However, they probably didn't pick up (which is not their fault- these things happen. how could they possibly have known?).

Or, another explanation is that he didn't want to bother his parents, because he was still young and he didn't really understand the urgency/weight of what was happening inside that kitchen (although i do acknowledge that he had a hunch that it was bad.)

Btw, I am the oldest child. I have a sister 2 years younger than me and i have another one 8 years younger than me. I think i am quite verified to about the spring sibling dynamics. If my youngest sister called me when i am out and said that she is worried about something weird that my other sister is doing, i wouldn't think that it is a reflection of how trustworthy or reliable my own parents are.

i personally always assumed that it was normal to trust your siblings more than your parents because your siblings are more understanding and also they don't have the power to punish you (is this not the case...?)

Also, about Tori having to constantly ask Charlie to eat and look out for him, that's honestly just an oldest sibling thing, imo. Of course Tori would try to always look out for Charlie, because she is older than him and cares about him and feels responsible for him.

Jane and Julio have to go to work. They may have to leave really early or come home late, and that's not their fault. I think that when they have time, they obviously do look out for charlie (duh because hes their kid lol), but the story mostly shows tori looking out for him because its tori and charlie's story.

Of course that manifested negatively and impacted Tori's mental health, but i wouldn't say that it is Jane or Julio's fault. Even if Jane and Julio spent every hour of the day looking after Charlie, i think Tori still would have worried to death over him.

Oh also, i do agree that Jane and Julio probably should have paid more attention to Tori and her mental health, but that only means that they are flawed parents. i do acknowledge that they are flawed, but then again, all parents are flawed (i know this doesnr make it right, but it does put things into perspective... imo)

i think my greatest irritation at the fandom is when they act like jane and julio played a big part in worsening tori and charlie's mental health 😭

i look forward to your reply! i typed this out on a long bus trip while half listening to my sister tell me a story so it may be a little messy, do correct me if im wrong abt anything

:D

[bright-tatters]

Tatters #34

“I can pay,” said Rosie le Way. “I can pay, just give me another week for my tenants to—”

“Your tenants did understand that rent is to be paid promptly, no?” Fortune was half inclined to leave the talking to Luc, who expressionlessly enjoyed that kind of thing. “I regret to say that a failure anywhere in this chain is a failure of the chain. And we can’t get on with broken…chains.” He let his gaze wander over the four-story yellow clapboard building. “This was not your first late payment.”

“They’re lousy tenants but they can pay, I promise you.”

“They can but they didn’t? A very sad lapse in executive function.” He’d read about that once, one of Marguerite’s rare but fascinating science-publication kicks. “Regardless, you knew the requirement and you didn’t meet it. You can evacuate your tenants now. Though…you should inform the mistress of the third floor that she and her son should report to Bygone Avenue tomorrow morning. I’m sure we can work this out.” He smiled. He knew the names and family connections of every tenant in this building and he was pretty sure he knew which one was faulty. Maybe a visit to his office would scare them into better tenancy. In their next home.

The other floors could carry some of their things out. Quarts would take care of them, however gracelessly. And Quarts in turn would notice that some wheels truly did need greasing around here.

“And you,” he said, “have half an hour to get your things out. I suggest you leave the furniture. You can always carry more into your next place if you keep your hands unburned.”

There was a fire to light, which was another thing Luc enjoyed. Fortune would never do anything so malicious.

In other days there wouldn't have been any warning. He had changed models.

The big picture was this: the margin on squeezing landlords and shopkeepers was razor-thin in all but the busiest economies. There was the mill manufactory, of course, which appropriately enough made furniture. But making money from legitimate enterprises was just so, so slow. Fortune could be patient, but operating expenses couldn’t be paid for out of patience.

There would surely be a police report about the destroyed building, and Fortune knew better than to lie about things the police could easily verify or disprove. He sure as hell wouldn’t tell the truth, but his silences…well, everybody knew what those meant.

He walked away before the fire started.

[nsk96]

So on my rotation, I'm working with another student. We have to do topic discussion together, except we're both expected to do our own work, and we're also expected to create handouts for our preceptors or the people teaching us. This whole time I've been feeling like shit that my topic discussion handouts are nowhere as good as hers and that I feel like I don't understand the topic enough by the deadlines. I've been struggling to keep up while she seems to have everything done on time and she even goes beyond sometimes.

I've been trying to give myself more grace with everything considered: 1) Oncology is my weakest topic, and much of my classmates, myself included, wouldn't have passed that class if it weren't for exam curves. I'm taking this rotation to help with gaps in my oncology knowledge, while the other student is taking this rotation because she's interested in the subject. 2) This is the only rotation so far that I've had to make handouts for every Topic Discussion. Previously, I was expected to just study up on the topic, make some notes, and then have an open discussion with my preceptors without needing to present anything. 3) Oncology is a whole new world to me. It's so different from the other fields. These oncology topics are heavy and would normally take me a week to do, but we have about two days to do them (realistically a few hours on each day. I've stayed awake just to get them done, not going to bed. I keep falling asleep while driving). And we have two topic discussions per week.

As frustrated as I am, it's been great working with her otherwise and I've been amazed by her capabilities and knowledge. She's also kind and really cool. I've learned a lot on this rotation so far and I'm getting better as well just...slowly af. I'm happy for her progress though, proud even to see a fellow anime fan do so great. I just feel like I'm constantly in her shadow, while our preceptors are impressed by her and I feel like I don't stand a chance now to get any recommendations for residency.

At the end of my first week, my preceptor (we both have a different main preceptor) was telling me to be more curious. We did a topic discussion with her the following week and she said to the other student, "it's good that you're curious". I want to think she meant it genuinely but looking at how she spoke to one of the residents later in the week, her statement is starting to feel like a stab at me idk. She kinda has mean-girl vibes like the type where you question if there's sarcasm in what she's saying. She's been nice, but we all know niceness ≠ kindness.

Then I found out this week that the student has been using chatGPT for topic discussion. It creates the handout format for her and "gives her ideas on what information to put on the handout". Her biggest task is to find the articles to support the info it gives her and verify the information with the guidelines. A great way to save some time on creating the handout, and using the saved time to actually learn the topic.

So, now I don't feel as bad, but I'm questioning if I should be tossing my moral stance on generative AI aside just to get where I want to be. I've refused to use chatGPT so far because we know all genAI feeds on other people's work without permission. I've even caught it using lines from one of my fan fictions. I don't even want to imagine what it has stolen from my original short stories and poems that I've posted online. I hate it so much but I feel like I don't have a choice if I want to keep up with her.

[gren-arlio]

Folks, one and all, Welcome to Episode 4 of (Waku) Puyo Extras, along with some fairly big announcements again.

(There's no real context for these images. They're basically title cards and the table of contents.)

Hello everyone, and welcome to the fourth installment of Waku Puyo Extras, the filler series before I start Arle's route where I post things about this game, what I can find, and maybe even another game sometimes if I really feel like it. The more lore, the better, eh? After getting verified into the English Puyo Puyo Community Discord, I've been speaking there while doing this sort of stuff.

I'll start off with a quick announcement, a time change, if you will.

Yes. I will translate Arle's route. WHEN though is a bit...in the air. I know I said in a week or so, but... School is starting soon, and obviously, I won't be having as much time as I usually do making this stuff, so I decided ahead of time to prepare.

It's basically certain that I won't be posting every week. Maybe sometimes, but there might be a post every 2 weeks, or longer if needed. School and home life is more important after all. Even in a rare case of me not posting for a while, I'll still be quietly working. In that scenario, I'll again mostly, if only, post on weekends. I don't want this stressing me out, after all.

There's a chance I may be taking a hiatus during that time. Even I need breaks sometimes, and I also want to make time for my friends, family, and my education.

Basically, expect my schedule to be fucked up from now on. Hope you'll understand. I'll try to keep a schedule though.

So with this, what're we covering today? Simple, really.

A new video. About the latter half since I've done the first half on Episode 1 of Extras.

This really won't be factual stuff, but me talking about Lagnus as a whole. (Madou Saturn, Puyo Chronicles, etc) Consider the 2nd parts of these to be...random trivia, games, etc. Spices things up. The manga section will be for next time...didn't have enough time.

With that, let's talk about what'll happen today.

Whole new video.

Thing is about this video, I did...half of it already. It's the first Extra episode actually, the one where Witch sees Schezo and blasts him and me with the ♡'s. The latter half is with the OTHER 2 protags, which is the part I'm properly translating.

(Also the song for the Battle Castle is actually alluding me to an annoying degree, I'm still trying to find the song.)

Timestamps:

Satan 1 (Rulue): (22:13)

Battle Castle Explanation (Rulue): (22:44)

Succubus Boss 1 (Rulue): (23:12)

Witch Trade (Rulue): 25:25)

Satan 2 (Arle): (26:03)

Battle Castle Explanation 2 (Arle): (26:32)

Succubus Boss 2 (Arle): (27:05)

Witch Trade 2 (30:15)

God, Witch acting normal is gonna be so uncanny to me now after like 6 months of working on Schezo Story. I'm used to her being a menace to society.

With that little remark, hope you enjoy.

Satan 1 (Rulue): (22:13)

Rulue:

What the!?

Minotauros:

Umo!? (God I still do not like this bozo)

Satan:

Well...there's the last tower.

Rulue:

Oh, Satan!? (Here I believe she says the one honorific with someone who's highly respected/they like. San? Kun? Don't fully know.)

Satan:

The magical item is in that tower.

Rulue:

Is that so?

Satan:

W-well, I think so...

Rulue:

...?

Satan:

No, hahaha...it must be in there! (Can also be interpreted as "Must've been the wind!")

Rulue:

If I can get my hands on that magical item, I'll finally be able to have magical powers...

Minotauros:

Master Rulue?

Rulue:

Darling Satan... ♡♡ (And thus, they return...)

I'll certainly come back with the magic item!

Satan:

Oh, you're motivated. Keep it up, and do your best.

Rulue:

Yes, Satan. ♡ (again an honorific here. I think San?)

Minotauros:

...

------

Battle Castle Explanation (Rulue): (22:44)

Succubus:

Welcome. Nice to meet you in such a place.

Rulue:

Oh...who are you? Are you the boss of this place?

Succubus:

I'm a Succubus. I guess I'm the boss of this place here.

I'm not trying to lure in people...I'm an usher.

Rulue:

Well...let me ask you this, what is this place?

Succubus:

Huh? You haven't heard? Eh, I'll explain.

This is a special attraction where many of the bosses you've fought wait.

The guys there are at least level 50, and at their very best, well over level 100.

If you're good, you'll make it halfway through, but if you're not confident, don't go.

Rulue

Heh...do you really think that'll stop me?

Succubus:

If you want to go in, be my guest. Do as you please. ♡ (With Succubus it feels much more normal because...she's a Succubus.)

Rulue:

(Who is this woman...?)

------

Succubus Boss 1 (Rulue): (23:12)

Rulue:

Oh? You're here this time?

Succubus:

Fufufu...♡ Yes, I'm surprised you made it this far.

Rulue:

Heh? Who do you think I am? It was easy.

Succubus:

Heh~ I really don't care... (Man she's different compared to her talks to Schezo.)

Rulue:

You don't care? What is there not to care for!?

Succubus:

Your face, your voice, the way you talk, everything!

Rulue:

Oh, now you've done it!

Now that you've said all that, you ready for this? It's far too late to apologize...

Succubus:

Hm...you seem rather ready.

Rulue:

Oh, you're unforgivable!

[Putting these here, I've translated Succubus loss quote too many times for my own good, and when Rulue gets to the chest at 22:10, it says Rulue got a book.]

-----

Witch Trade 1 (Rulue): (25:25)

Rulue:

Oh my goodness! All of that hassle for a book. (She can also say my god.)

And I got no clue how to use it! (...By reading it, genius. Granted it's Meteor but still.)

Minotauros:

Master Rulue...

Rulue:

Ugh! What do I do with this junk!?

Witch:

Hey!!

Rulue:

What do you want!?

Witch:

It's outrageous that you would try to destroy my grimoire!

Rulue:

"Your Grimoire," you must be joking! It's mine.

Witch:

What're you talking about? Aren't you unable to use magic? (Harsh, but true.)

It's like giving a pearl to a pig, so give it to me! (The Pearl to a Pig thing is something I'm a lil unsure about but yea.)

Rulue:

What the hell!

(Either way she gives it.)

Witch:

...Finally, I got my hands on the "Meteor Grimoire" I've been searching for.

...yes, in return, I'll give you the "Ultimate Queen's Secret Manual".

Rulue:

Huh...

Witch:

Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go.

Rulue:

I see. Even with that special manual, that girl wouldn't be able to use it.

That's her "Pearl's to Pigs".

Minotauros:

Good for you, Master Rulue.

------

Satan 2 (Arle): (26:03)

Arle:

W-what!?

Carbuncle:

Guu!?

Satan:

Oh...that's the final tower.

Arle:

Eh!?

Satan:

There's a great magical item in that tower.

Arle:

What? I thought you didn't know about any item.

Satan:

What's so funny? I was upset at the time...

Arle:

...This place is weird. You sure you're the owner?

Satan:

I'm for sure the owner of "Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Land."

Arle:

Then why...

Satan:

Well, I've been busy with a lot of things.

A person like me can't check every single attraction.

Arle:

You...I guess you really don't know anything about this, do you?

Satan:

N-no, that's...

Arle:

Guess I have no choice...Let's go, Carbuncle!

Carbuncle;

Guu!

-----

Battle Castle Explanation 2 (Arle): (26:32)

Arle:

Huh? What's a castle doing here... seems like a new attraction.

Let's go for now, shall we?

Carbuncle:

Gugu!

Succbus:

Welcome. Pleasure to meet you.

Arle:

Hello...who are you anyways?

Succubus:

Im a Succubus. (Hm...haha...) [I wasn't able to find the parentheses text out. Sorry.]

I'm not here to lure you in... I'm an usher.

Arle:

Hm...my goodness...

Succubus:

Why don't you go into this place without sounding so harsh?

Arle:

Well? Can I enter?

Succubus:

Yes, you can. ♡

Arle:

So, is this a new attraction?

Succubus:

Huh? You haven't heard? Well, let me make this easy for you.

[She then explains the same thing she told Rulue.]

Arle:

What? I didn't know enemies could get that strong...

-----

Succubus Boss 2 (Arle) (27:05)

Arle:

I met you outside...

Succubus:

Fufufu...well, we're finally here...

Arle:

Err...

If we're talking now, by any chance, are you the boss here?

Succubus:

Well, you're right, I am the boss here.

But don't talk to me like I'm just a boss, talk to me like I'm a queen.

Arle:

Queen?

(Her and Rulue share a lot in common...)

Succubus:

Did you say something?

Arle:

Uhh, it's nothing...

Succubus:

Then I'll make you my special servant.

You should be honored, I usually only take very good looking men. (THAT explains Schezo's Route...)

Arle:

A servant!? I don't want that!

Succubus:

Oh...you're a funny girl. You're missing out on a lot.

Arle:

Are you...is your head okay? I think you need to see a doctor...

Succubus:

Shut up!

I think people with your attitude need to be taught a lesson...prepare yourself!

Arle:

Ugh, what a mess!

[Once again at 30:05 it says "Arle got a book."]

-----

Witch Trade 2 (Arle): (30:15)

Arle:

That was fun, Carby!

Carbuncle;

Guu!

Arle;

...But I don't understand what this grimoire is for.

Witch:

Hey!

Arle:

Ah! Don't just appear like that randomly!

Witch:

Oh, sorry about that. (WITCH? The horrors beyond my comprehension? Apologizing? I'm too used to Schezo's Route...)

But I'd like to ask, may I have that grimoire that you have right now?

Arle:

W-Well...

(They give it.)

Witch:

Finally...I got my hands on the "Meteor Grimoire" I've been looking for.

...Yes, in return, I'll give you the "Jugem's Grimoire." (Idk what Jugem means...Probably just call it the Great Mage Grimoire.)

Arle:

Huh...

Witch:

Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go.

Arle:

I'll do my best to use "The Jugem Grimoire"!

Carbuncle:

Gugu!

------

And that's translations. I won't deny, I delayed them a good bit, but they're done. Expect Part 1 of Arle's Route within'...maybe a week or two depending on how long the first episode is. Might split it in half like Schezo's.

And with that...We're on Random Puyo Extras. Filler INSIDE of filler where I speak about a Random Puyo thing very unprofessionally.

Today, it'll be on Lagnus/Ragnus Bishasi.

So, my boy Lagnus. Top 3 character in Puyo/Madou IMO, and I'm just kinda here to talk about the man, and how different he is COMPILE vs SEGA Era Puyo, least personality wise. And since I don't want this to JUST walls of text...I'll throw in a few images.

Let's start with SEGA Era, shall we?

Let's begin with Puyo Sun, his first introduction.

(Concept art of Lagnus, along the Puyo Sun cast as a whole.)

In Sun, he's portrayed as a bit of a fool. He's trying to become stronger and all that, which power to him, powerscaling in Puyo seems mad fun, and you see him in Arle's route first killing a Puyo to transform into his teenage self. He then challenges Arle...only for his pants to fall down. This is why we wear belts.

You then see him in Schezo's route next, fresh off his loss against Arle. He notices Schezo is a Dark Mage, and rushes in to attack, only to fall down when Schezo dodges, reverting back to a kid, before throwing a temper tantrum...Not the best showcasing of the man. However, in the novels, it IS said that he only turns into a kid due to Satan being a bit of a jerk.

Minna De Puyo Puyo has a similar beat with SUN Lagnus. Here, he offers to help out Arle out with her journey, but unfortunately, guy is still a kid, so Arle assumes he's joking. Guy can't catch a break.

Oh. But Chronicles got you covered, right?

No. It doesn't.

He appears in Purplune Aqueduct, basically gaslighting himself into thinking he's The Great Hero, when it's Arle...and he's stupid pissy about it. He challenges Arle, loses, and runs into the final dungeon alone. Arle sees him again, is still annoyed with him, and beats him again, before joining your team.

I genuinely don't like how he's portrayed here at all, probably my least favorite version of him ever.

But COMPILE got you covered. For real this time.

(Concept Art of Lagnus and art showing the major characters...and Witch/Draco.)

In Madou Saturn, he's basically the 3rd protagonist of the game, next to Arle and Rulue. You start off the game playing as the man, who's kinda cracked, before he uses all of his power to slay Yoggus, the main antagonist, before he realizes that a portal opened up and that the Yogs (Main villain group) are in other dimensions, before the portal sucks him in. Thankfully, Satan saves the guy and traps him in a crystal to prevent the man from dying.

However, not all was lost. He's able to transfer his soul into Schezo's body, and be able to control it for a small period of time, though he does get removed due to the large amount of darkness in Schezo. It's the reason why Arle and Rulue were so confused when Schezo decided to help them sometimes. He even fights Satan with you in Schezo's body.

When Arle finally meets the guy fairly late into the game, he's turned to a child due to his curse, before telling Schezo that he had to keep controlling him for his own good, annoying Schezo. He starts to tell Arle and Co. about what went down in his world.

(This happens after, but it's always fun to throw in.)

After tons of trials and tribulations, they finally reach Yoggus, and...win the first time around, and Lagnus gets his Reactor Blade back, turning him back into his teenage self, and he fights Yoggus as his full power with Arle and Rulue, and slay Yoggus.

As the place they fought in begins to collapse, Arle and Rulue run off, and Lagnus and Satan...stay behind. Least for a bit with Satan. At that moment, Arle wonders where Lagnus is, and Satan breaks the news: He went back to his own world.

However, what went on was slightly different. Lagnus decides to stay in the collapsing area, saying he'll go back home, as he thinks he was one of the main causes for the problem, and risks being sent to another dimension just for a chance to get home. Satan says otherwise though, as not only did he remove the curse, but indeed was helping Lagnus, pulling things behind the scenes, like deliberately putting important things in obvious spaces.

Satan did this...mostly because we wanted to show the people of his world a reason to defend it. That and he was bored. After that, he gives Lagnus the Azorecrack, a pendant that allows him to transfer between his and Arle's world, saying he was intentionally hiding it. Lagnus, quietly cursing Satan, thanks him, and says he'll be back another day.

With the plot synopsis of SATURN for Lagnus, it shows that not only is he fairly smart and has a strong sense of justice, but he's pragmatic to boot, never going too far with everything, besides the start of the game. He develops a good friendship with Arle and even Rulue, and Schezo kinda hates the guy. He even develops a small acquaintanceship with Satan, thanking him for a lot but also cursing him for not stopping everything. In a game like Saturn, where a lot of characters are hit or miss, Lagnus stands out as probably the best written one out there...until Chronicles kinda messed him up badly.

With this little image, I think I did the man a tad bit of justice.

That'll be all. Thanks for reading.

[imthediamondintherough]

@0lympian-c0uncil

Lore Chthonic Order

Character stuffs!

(Sorry for the ping if it shocked you)

Tartarus relationships

Tartarus has a mostly ok relationship with many other Greek deities... By this I mean most of them fear him or at least have a verifiable wariness of him. (Understandable he is a primordial)

I can't reveal all his relationships but I can tell you the important ones.

As far as things go with his son... Anthony, They are improving. Sometimes they may act like siblings rather than father and son but at least they don't go out of their way to cause problems.

*Zeus, the notepad use it.*

Terrified of Demeter "a little bit". And by default her Daughter.

Respects Hera for tolerating Zeus. Sometimes teams up with Ares to yell at Zeus about his affairs...

Zeus is wisely and uncharacteristically quiet and behaves well for a few decades. Then does his own thing... This cycle repeats.

Everyone will probably hate me for this but Tartarus relationship with Gaea is a bit strained.

Initially Tartarus loved her (and he probably still does) but she more or less had a affinity for Ouranos. Not wrong. earth loved the sky; Tartarus probably thought it was ironic at best (don't hate him. he doesn't know what soap operas are and to be fair at that time they didn't exist..) He respected Gaea's decision and contemplated sending a gift and then sort of moved on.

He tried at least.

Flash forward some years a few of Gaea's children are thrown down. Ok Tartarus really didn't like the new complaining voices but he couldn't be bothered to get rid of them. He let Nyx make some new friends-- anything to get them to stop whining about how things weren't great with Ouranos.

Tartarus didn't give any fucks about what was happening above ground. And for a little while was out of the loop of info so he was understandably confused when gaea (haha former crush) came sobbing to him about how her grandchildren had been disrespectful! killing their own father and whatnot and how she just wanted her family to be happy but they couldn't stay peaceful to save their lives. So she'd start from scratch. But she really wanted his help. Yeah Tartarus actually fell for it and agreed.

It was good. It was fine. at first.

Gaea's last relationship didn't go well so it's understandable she'd keep her new partner at arms length. Tartarus could understand that. Tartarus was extremely patient with Gaea but her behavior drastically altered when she realized her exact position in Tartarus's mind.

If you're confused think Morticia and Gomez from the Addams family. But morticia is more manipulative (in subtle ways)

At some point it occurred to her that Tartarus had assimilated Kronos her son. Well she figured Tartarus couldn't be too bright given his location and his seemingly despondent disposition; this meant he could be fairly simple to seduce. Gaea is almost successful. Yes they have kids together but she didn't get any of the pieces of Kronos from Tartarus. Mostly because Tartarus's apathy interfered and he couldn't be bothered to play search and find

After Typhoon was sired Gaea decided the relationship was over since even she hadn't gotten what she wanted she did still get something to her advantage. Tartarus immediately fell into a depression from heartbreak and didn't recover for a few centuries. Rhea spent a lot of her time trying to get him to snap out of it. That was probably the best since her own children didn't appear to need her...

Although Gaea seperated, (since she felt it was time to explore her existence without a male) she did appreciate and thank Tartarus's kindness. Tartarus being classified as gloomy and depressing lived up to that description by making his apathy more obvious. On occasion more damned souls were carted there for imprisonment and Tartarus could care less.

At some point thirty years prior the start of the story he decided to learn why humans were so interesting to the other deities.

Yeah I know it's not accurate to the myth but I'm really imaginative and kinda self centered and it's mythology! Should be fine.

If there is a goddess or deity you wish to know about, I'm pretty sure my ask box is still open.

Any complaints let me know and I'll do my best not to be a dick about it and fix it.

Happy New Year's

[call-boy]

This one girl was in with her bearded dragon that may have already been dead so i ran out to the lobby with the Doppler to do a life check the second she came in and she was like can you please not do that in the lobby? And I was like ok… you said your pet may be dead?? But follow me to a room immediately and then did the life check in the room. It was 100% dead and definitely died like either during the 1.5 hour drive she had to the hospital bc we’re the only exotic animal hospital in many miles that’s open full hours but also actually decent that’s open on Saturdays smh… she was heartbroken and was so emotional and not realizing how her energy was coming off at first but was totally understandable considering the situation until I started talking to her more and getting more info about the dragon, she got so much kinder and explained that it was her first ever pet and she’s just processing the mourning and loss of life for the first time, so was really empathetic to her especially bc she got it to a double digit age as a first time pet and first time reptile owner which is massively impressive tbh she really did try to find out what was wrong with it for months too and we didn’t have medical records from the other vets so we can’t verify what she did and didn’t do tbh. Story she told us was that she was taking her to a local vet near her that said they’d see exotics but clearly should not have been offering those services which is honestly so common in exotic animal medicine tbh she found a vet that was highly recommend on instagram but was 3 hours away, we know the doctor who owns it and she’s apparently that bitch, like she writes many of the reptile books that exotic veterinarians use for their own cases world wide, they did blood work and X-rays and the owner said they assumed it was fecal impaction/blockage situation, maybe even potentially a foreign object that the dragon swallowed? It was dead on arrival our first time meeting it so we asked if she wanted to do a necropsy for peace of mind/answers. And she said yes. When we cut that thing open… it had an enormous mass that had the dragon’s entire uterus, a kidney, and a large portion of the GI tract all fused and morphed into one disgusting ass vascular mess???? My doctor wants to send it out for biopsy, it’s obvi cancer at the bare minimum, but origins has to be uterine mass or renal mass… I’m personally leaning towards renal mass just bc it’s ovaries were completely normal?? Where like if this was a funky reproductive tract you’d likely see more potential reproductive issues like egg laying, follicles trapped in the abdomen? Idk it was bizarre but also was glad to tell the owner liek even if she had taken this thing to surgery yesterday, let alone a few months ago the size of this mass and the amount of organs it had fused to would have killed her just to even remove. My doctor was literally like if I had opened this during surgery and saw this I would have sewn her abdomen right back up and opted for euthanasia. All around sad situation but I was glad I was still able to give that owner like a good experience and some answers tbh I was like when you get through the mourning process plz get another exotic pet bc you clearly loved and cared for this dragon so so so well and we would love to see you back

[raptorsaurusmelain]

Let me show you... Youtube -chapter 17

I went to the dentist today and my mouth is still hurting for the descaling. Send help.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Once they had everything they went back to the dorm. The delivery would only be on Sunday so they had a tranquil night. Victoria read the books Trein gave her to help Yuu with their studies. It was interesting to see the story about both worlds and that they still did not have any world wars. The nearest thing they had was the Briar Valley against human war.

She was intrigued by how they achieved peace, she didn’t get there in the game. (we won’t spoil anymore here ;) )

She closed the old dusty book. Maybe she should write all her questions on paper and do a thorough review with Trein. [Not a bad idea. It would be better to learn about the situation with other words to see if I understood correctly.]

She spent her night writing down her questions. She knew from the game that Yuu would be struggling with the classes. At the same time what do you expect from being paired with Grim ? He was cute of course, but a little disorganized. And didn’t listen to classes very well. He was… Quite a bad student to tell the truth. His notes were mostly drawings of fishes and words here and there. She shouldn’t say anything about his notes, hers were a mix between words and little schemas about what the teacher spoke. Her notes were unreadable and she was ashamed of it. Some people tried to understand her notes, but even her best friend preferred to read anyone else's notes. And start talking to me about her thesis notes. It was just a pure drawing of circles and arrows in every direction.

She sighed while brushing her teeth. She should set up an example, she should do her best to show them that rigorous work could bring them everywhere. Even archmages, like Grim wanted.

She lay down in her bed. Tomorrow would be a great day of showing love to Yuu and Grim.

When they had breakfast, she announced her plan for the day : first they would need to repair the roof in case of rain. For the moment they were lucky but from the weather cast Victoria saw on the TV, it won’t last long. Even if NRC had fairies to control the weather you never know what could happen. -*Cough* fairy gala *cough*-. 

To avoid having Yuu and Grim on the roof, she told them they could watch what they wanted on the TV.

Victoria filled multiple buckets with tiles to pull up to the roof and lay a tarp to avoid dirtying her clothes. she delicately took off the old broken tiles and put the new ones, one by one. She stopped for the morning when she finished doing a quarter of the roof.

When she got down, Yuu and Grim surprised her by doing some tuna sandwiches with the tuna they bought the day before. She thanked them and give them their second job of the day : receive the old tiles and put them in the trash pile.

Victoria watched them from the roof doing their best. They were very cute, lifting the bucket like they could. [My babies are so cuuuute].

She continued her hard work and called it a day when half of the roof was done. [I need a bath and make dinner].

She looked at Yuu and Grim. “Play and do your homework, I am going to take a bath for an hour.”

It was a much needed self care after all.

They had hot dog spaghetti that night and Victoria verified their homework. Even if Yuu wasn’t going to school at the moment, Victoria served as the link between the teacher and the Child. She brought the homework, the teacher corrected it and gave it back with new homework.

But when Yuu began to struggle in math, Victoria watched with more attention the homework. The functions given were unnecessarily hard for their year. [What the hell ? What’s happening ?]

Victoria did her best to teach Yuu about integrals from the very beginning, trying to make the class interesting. Yuu then said something very worrying. “I prefer your way to explain it, I understood it better.”

Victoria didn’t like that. It was a teacher’s job to make sure the class understood the class materials.

The morning after, Yuu woke up and while having breakfast decided to tell Victoria that they were ready to go to class again.

Victoria nagged them about the way Yuu was packing their books. “You should be more carefuuul, they are going to be torn like this !”.

Yuu answered. “They are just books, everything is going to be alright !”

Victoria’s eyes widened and placated her hands around the side of the bag. “How DARE you ? They are living beings too !”

Yuu and Grim laughed at Victoria’s seriousness. [So I am funny after all !] Thought a very satisfied Victoria.

When they were at school, Crowley interrupted Victoria in her mindless swiping. “I bid you good morning Victoria ! I saw that the repairs of the dorm have started!”

Victoria was very suspicious. “Hello Sir… I began mending the roof, I only did half of it.”

Crowley was impressed. “Half of it in a day ? Good gracious, you are really determined !”

Victoria was jaded. “I am determined to have a roof that is not leaking, yes.”

Crowley felt a little bit uneasy with this comment. “Where did you learn about repairing a roof ? It must have been strenuous.”

Victoria inhaled and exhaled loudly. “Youtube.”

Crowley blinked. “I have a sense that it will be your answer to all the questions we have.”

And he was right.

Tag : @hipsterteller @boba-tea-fish

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

2. "The male is a deficient life form. The world would be better off if women didn't need men to reproduce."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Nature does not concern herself with ethical propositions. As a scientist, my interest is *strictly dispassionate*."

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - There's nothing *dispassionate* about the way he talks about the insect.

2. "Tell me more about these traps."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Well..." He points at the cage of mesh and wiring on the ground. "They may not *look* impressive, but Lena designed them quite cleverly, so I'm sure they'll do the trick."

"Lena designed the traps?"

"How do the traps work?"

"What are you using as bait?"

"Let me ask you about something else."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Yes," he says with some pride.

SUGGESTION [Medium: Success] - More than some. He admires this about her.

2. "How do the traps work?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Simple -- attracted by the locusts, the phasmid crawls down the funnel, and, having eaten its fill, can't get back out."

"At least, that's the intention. The net isn't a perfect solution, but we didn't want to use anything that might damage the specimen's delicate exoskeleton."

3. "What are you using as bait?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Locusts." He gestures toward the trap. "Nearly all *known* phasmids are herbivores, of course, but we've hypothesized that the Insulindian phasmid might occasionally prey on other insects."

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Easy: Success] - Inside the traps, a number of locusts crawl and tumble over one another in a tiny, chittering swarm.

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - A meat-eating stick insect? Does it pretend to be the reeds as part of it's ambush behaviour? This seems unlikely.

4. "A carnivorous stick insect? Seems unlikely."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Thank you for your opinion. We have also included plant material in the traps -- to satiate your *scepticism*."

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - Not a big fan of scepticism, this one.

5. "What will you do if these traps don't work?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "They'll *work*, I assure you. The predatory hypothesis -- using locusts as bait -- accounts for the failure of previous efforts by other teams, which used plants. We have given this some thought."

INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - The traps do seem to be deftly and thoughtfully constructed. It's clear the cryptozoologist's wife knows what she's doing.

6. "Let me ask you about something else."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Yes. What?"

3. "Lena seems pretty eager for you to return."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "And I'm eager to return to her, I assure you -- but I can't leave before we've finished with these traps."

"My wife understands that just as well as anyone." He looks south -- where Lena would be.

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "COME ON, MORELL. WE'VE BEEN SOAKING OUT HERE FOR DAYS. IT'S TIME TO GO BACK."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "AND LEAVE THE TRAPS? ABSOLUTELY NOT!" he yells in response. "I won't let Lena down..."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "COME ON, SHE WANTS US BACK. I'M SOAKED UP TO MY NUTS OVER HERE. WE'LL BOTH CATCH REED CRABS IF WE DON'T DRY OUT SOON."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Won't *let Lena down*? Sounds like the cryptozoologist's wife shares a *special connection* to the phasmid somehow...

"I didn't know the phasmid was so important to Lena."

"C'mon. You're doing this for yourself, not her."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Of course it's important to her, she's *seen* it. A verified sighting, on record, one of only four this century and it's hers."

"Really? She's *sighted* the phasmid? She didn't tell me that."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Yes. That's... how we first came to know one another, in fact. But that's *her* story to tell, not mine." He coughs, then continues...

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - Needless to say, you *must* ask her about the mysterious phasmid.

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Suffice to say, it's long been our dream to find proof of the Insulindian phasmid *together*. I can't abandon course now." Another cough, into his fist this time.

"Maybe you could go back to the Whirling, warm up, come back to check the traps *later*?"

"You should just give up on this bug hunt."

"Okay. I understand. I don't give up on things either."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "No, no, no. The traps need to be monitored on a regular schedule. What would we do if the phasmid were to *starve* while we were sipping tea at the hostel?"

VOLITION [Trivial: Success] - He's dead set on this.

INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - Hmm... I could go for some trap-setting.

4. "What if we checked the traps for you?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "I didn't expect you to take such an interest in our work here, officer." He looks at you with obvious surprise.

"Cryptozoology and detective work are very similar."

"Chaos is my method. I am its scion."

"I'm *all in* with this cryptid shit. I'm hooked."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Yes, indeed! Both require a great deal of research, attention to detail, and, above all, *persistence*."

"Where are these traps?"

"What do I do if there's a phasmid in one of the traps?"

"What if I encounter the phasmid in the wild?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "There are four in total. One is to the south, on this little peninsula -- by the boat houses there." He points south. "It's very near."

"Another we set in Land's End, to the northeast. It's behind a small sand dune there, on your way to the old radio tower. After the church."

"The third is set near the canal, where you crossed. By a concrete slab. A big thicket of reeds going up the slope, and among them..." He gestures to the trap in front of him.

"You should check at least one of those before returning to *this* one, since I just set it. This one's more of a *technicality*, but still... better safe and stupid than sorry."

KIM KITSURAGI - "That seems like a lot. Do we really have time for this... extracurricular venture?"

"The pursuit of knowledge is its own justification."

"What? Aren't you having *fun*?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Even relative to examining a week-old corpse, I'm not sure mucking about in the reeds qualifies as *fun*... but have it your way, detective..."

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - If you think it's important -- you *have* been right before.

2. "What do I do if there's a phasmid in one of the traps?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Bring it to me at once. Just make sure the trap is closed tight."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - He's not comfortable with the possibility that you'll claim the find -- but he's lying about this even to himself.

3. "What if I encounter the phasmid in the wild?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "That's *highly* unlikely, officer. But, in the event you do..." He takes out a small white spray can. "I'll spray you with a pheromone mixture I developed."

"It's made of musk and research chemicals. The pheromones *should* attract the insect to you, or at least prevent it from bolting at the sight of you. It's quite potent, will last you about a week."

"Lay it on me."

"Lay it on me -- thick." (Present your arm pit.)

"I don't want this, thank you very much."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - He douses you with the odd-smelling spray -- a double helping as you present your other arm pit -- and then gives you a satisfied nod.

+5 XP

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - This is the smell of dying reeds, of longing crumbling into the water.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant wrinkles his nose. "I hope you're not buying this. He dispenses it without letting you touch the canister, so it would be precious, like holy water..."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "It *is* precious. A single dose cost me 50 reál to develop. Not that I expect *you* to understand self-financing one's own research." He looks at the lieutenant with disdain, then puts the spray back in his pocket.

3. "I'm ready. Let's get to it." (Conclude.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "Right. Which means you two can pack up and go back to the Whirling."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Whatever he thinks about this detour, it's clear that these men are exhausted and in need of assistance.

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "FINALLY! Someone's talking sense!"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Thank you for your help. Gary and I will start breaking down camp. If you have any more questions, now's the time to ask! We'll be gone once you get to it."

New task: Inspect the traps

RHETORIC [Easy: Success] - If it's more cryptid-related business you want to discuss, you'll have time for that later too.

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - But what if the information is vital -- on *the hunt*...

REACTION SPEED [Easy: Success] - What about his eager-to-leave friend Gary there? Talk to him too, perhaps.

3. "How did you become a *cryptozoologist*?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "I've just always liked animals, and puzzles. Searching for cryptids is a bit of both."

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - He seems reluctant to talk about himself, but he'll open up -- if you prod a little.

"So you're living your childhood dream out here."

"Why not just be a zoologist? Real animals are puzzling too."

"Have you ever discovered a cryptid?"

"Thanks for explaining that. Now, about something else." (Conclude.)

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "It's not child's play just because I have to traipse through the mud every so often." His eyes narrow.

2. "Why not just be a zoologist? Real animals are puzzling too."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "*Real*..." He scoffs at the concept. "I know you think one is a respectable profession while the other is superstition, everyone does!"

"I don't. It's a profession, just like any other."

"Honestly -- being a cryptozoologist trumps most of the garbage I've seen people do."

"Cryptozoology does seem like a lot of wishful thinking."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Hmh," a hum and a nod. "My methods do not differ from other scientists, I simply draw upon a wider variety of evidence, and I have more hope that something truly surprising might happen."

"And has anything 'truly surprising' ever happened to you?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "I have yet to *catch* a cryptid, if that's what you're getting at, but I have come close. Close enough to keep trying."

3. "What kinds of evidence do you use?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Everything from forgotten regional lore to newspaper accounts like the one that brought us here to look for the phasmid. I keep a very open mind."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - He's interested in things that people believe that scientists don't.

"You think other scientists don't listen to ordinary people enough?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Most *establishment* scientists only care about reputation and remuneration, not *real* research, and certainly not the truth. They're a cowardly lot, and both *the field* and basement archives can be dangerous places."

4. "So you have never discovered a cryptid?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "No. Very few cryptids are ever discovered -- and not for a lack of trying. To stay hidden is a cryptid's primary quality. It's even in the *name* cryptid."

"So how many cryptids have been found?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Of the list of cryptids kept by the Cryptozoological Society of Chemnie, which is four thousand and eighty two items long, about two thousand have been confirmed as hoaxes."

"Two are categorized as 'confirmed discoveries'. The rest are in differing stages of discovery, refutation, and data collection."

"Only *two* have proven to be real?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Yes -- the Shautauquan forest pygmy who turned out to be an extinct species of primate; and a cave salamander from Yugo-Graad, who is... honestly quite unremarkable. It's in a zoo somewhere..."

"We cryptozoologists are brutally honest with ourselves, more so even than the public. Most cryptids are hoaxes or they are never found. That does not mean we should stop searching."

"Two out of four thousand is not even *one* percent!"

(Nod approvingly.) "Then the Insulindian phasmid will be the *third*."

"I don't even know what to say. That's a small number of discoveries."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Indeed." He does not smile, just looks you in the eye. It's a forceful gaze. "If our expedition is successful, every paper in the world will report on it. From Revachol to Doushantou -- it will be a zoological miracle."

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - The hair on your arms stands up... electricity. Sounds like reeds hissing.

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - He has clearly done his math on this. There is no surprising him -- or swaying his opinion.

5. "Thanks for explaining that. Now, about something else." (Conclude.)

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Yes?"

4. "Let's talk about *specific* cryptids."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - He eyes you sceptically. "All right -- what cryptids, precisely? I usually discuss these things with *specialists*, so I don't know what..."

RHETORIC [Easy: Success] - *...we would have to discuss?* he wants to say, but decides against it since you've offered to help.

SUGGESTION [Trivial: Success] - You need to ask him about specific cryptids -- cryptids you've heard about from Lena, or his friend Gary. He won't *just* talk.

"Which cryptid did you *almost* catch? You said before, that you almost caught one."

"I know all about the kind green ape! Look, I even have a kind green ape pen!" (Take out the pen)

"I know about the most dangerous cryptid -- the Gnome of Geroma."

"I know the biggest cryptid -- the Giant of Koko Nur."

"I know about *Cryobacter katlensis*."

"Just tell me about a cool cryptid. Any cryptid."

"Enough tales then. Let's change the subject."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "A willow person. It's a long story, one non-specialists would find rather dull."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Willow people? Not at *all*.

"What are willow people?"

"Let's talk about a different cryptid."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "They're not people, really -- some argue that they're not even animals, as they seem to have evolved directly from trees." He says it in a self-explanatory, every day manner.

"They're very, very thin, almost flat, in fact, and can camouflage themselves easily, wrapping themselves around trees and blending in with the tree bark. In that way, they're not too dissimilar from the phasmid we are looking for here."

"Wait, so I may have seen these willow people without knowing it?"

"How did you almost catch a willow person?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "You probably have!"

2. "How did you almost catch a willow person?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Gary and I painted an entire grove's worth of trees in slow-drying paint. It was a bright lavender colour. I was hoping one of the willow people would get paint on it and not be able to camouflage itself."

"After waiting in hiding for hours, I saw a figure slip from one of the trees, a lavender shadow dashing through the grove..."

"And then?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "I chased it with a net -- not very elegant, but you can't be elegant in the field -- and, well, it was faster than me!"

KIM KITSURAGI - "A lavender shadow..." He smirks.

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "I know you think we were snacking on funny mushrooms. It's easier to mock someone than to admit that the world might be more interesting than you've imagined."

"Furthermore," he raises his finger. "I am not saying it was a *confirmed* sighting. I am painfully aware of what goes into verifying such things. There is a serious possibility that I saw a squirrel, or a trick of the light. I am my own harshest critic."

"And Lena's sighting of the Phasmid. Is that..."

"Let's talk about a different cryptid."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Confirmed," he replies quickly. "It's 100% verified and meets all the standards of an authentic cryptid sighting."

2. "I know all about the kind green ape! Look, I even have a kind green ape pen!" (Take out the pen)

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "I see you've been talking about cryptids with Lena," he smiles. "The kind green ape is one of her favourites."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - A warm wave passes him. Of course the *kind* green ape is her favourite, he thinks.

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "We travelled to South Safre to look for it once. Gary and I got stuck in a rainstorm, though, and had to spend most of our time there in a little village."

"The search was fabulously unsuccessful -- but the people were very nice. I'm glad they didn't understand what Gary was saying about them…"

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "WHAT? SOUTH SAFRE?! THEY'RE JUST ON A DIFFERENT RUNG OF THE LADDER, MORELL! I HAD NO *PROBLEM* WITH THEM!"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "REALLY? You kept complaining how dirty everything is, but we digress..."

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "THEY'RE A *NASCENT CULTURE*. I just didn't feel comfortable, and... Let's change the topic, okay? Talk about your critters or whatever..." He mumbles something.

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] - Yes. Back to cryptozoology. You don't want to sow disagreement between friends.

3. "I know about the most dangerous cryptid -- the Gnome of Geroma."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "*Formerly* the most dangerous, yes... But do you know the most dangerous *living* cryptid?"

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - He does not want to make it feel like you knowing it is some big deal.

"Living? No."

"I can try to guess."

"That must be the evil apes dukin' it out on the giant ball."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "The what?"

"The evil apes. I suspect I may be one myself."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Oh, you're just talking about *humans*. Well, yes, we are quite dangerous, but we're hardly cryptids." He corrects his hat and says -- as if it's the most sensible thing in the world...

"The most dangerous cryptid is a carnivorous ruminant, known colloquially as the *dread moose*."

"The... dread moose?"

"Get outta here!"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "No. I will not *get* out of anywhere." He lashes immediately. "The dread moose is a widely reported cryptid from Arda. It subsists entirely on flesh, and has even been known to dig up fresh graves in search of sustenance."

"Hold on... Does it also attack people?"

"Okay. What does the dread moose look like?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Human remains *have* been found deep in the forest, torn apart, then trampled into the mulch by large hooves. Infer from *that* what you will."

"Okay. What does the dread moose look like?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Just like an ordinary Ardan moose."

"Then how can you tell if it's the ordinary or the dread kind?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "You can't! That's what makes it so dreadful... and hard to identify."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - A moose that looks like any other moose... What's going on here? He's kidding right?

"I'm not completely sure about this *dread moose*…"

"I am 100% behind the dread moose. I *utterly* believe it exists."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "The bodies found in the forest are just one piece of physical evidence. There's more..."

"What's the other evidence?"

"I think I've heard enough about the dread moose. Let's pick another one."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "The recent surge in the moose population. As hidden carnivores, the dread moose are effectively removing competition for both themselves and their evolutionary cousins."

"But why would it need to hide its carnivorous nature?"

"What exactly is the relationship between carnivorous moose and regular moose?"

"Are there any reliable eyewitness accounts of a moose killing other animals for food?" (Conclude.)

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Moose are already being hunted for sport. Can you imagine what would happen if they came to be viewed as predators?"

2. "What exactly is the relationship between carnivorous moose and regular moose?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "The carnivorous moose are a very young species, the result of a genetic mutation that fared well in the process of natural selection."

"It makes sense that such a majestic animal with natural weapons -- antlers -- would come to rule the forest. The only strange thing is that it took so long."

INLAND EMPIRE [Formidable: Success] - He sees in the dread moose something perversely beautiful and just.

3. "Are there any reliable eyewitness accounts of a moose killing other animals for food?" (Conclude.)

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "One slaughterhouse at the outskirts of the woods in Vaasa reported that its staff kept seeing moose in the distance."

"The moose would just stare at the building, as though they were waiting for something. Its eyes bloodshot and full of cruelty."

"That does sound suspicious."

"I'm not sure I'm buying it."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "And that's not all! Some of the slaughterhouse apprentices went hiking by a nearby creek and saw a moose nibbling on an unidentified carcass!"

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Easy: Success] - This isn't something unique. Various species of deer have been known to scavenge when plant food is scarce.

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Anyway..." He settles down. "There is *more* than enough evidence to justify a thorough *search* for the dread moose. Let's close the subject, before it turns into an argument."

+5 XP

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - Here is a man who has had more than his fair share of heated arguments -- and would, surprising as it may seem, prefer not to have any more.

6. "I know the biggest cryptid -- the Giant of Koko Nur."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "That's impressive, I guess." He does not seem that impressed. "But have you *seen* it with your own eyes?"

(Lie.) "Yes."

(Truth.) "No."

"Have *you* seen it?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Of course you haven't." He seems satisfied.

"Have *you* seen it?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "I haven't had a chance to travel to *Koko Nur*, no. And I likely never will. The Samarskilt desert region has been embroiled in a small civil war for the last eight years."

"I fear this mindless barbarism may have wiped out the elusive creature entirely. Sightings of *towering luminosities* have grown rare recently. While they once used to be constant…"

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Yes. Sightings of *mirages* are constant. A mirage is a constant phenomenon that people have no time to *report* when a war is going on.

RHETORIC [Easy: Success] - It remains unclear what this has got to do with *you seeing it*, as he was inquiring before. He was just being defensive.

5. "I know about *Cryobacter katlensis*."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Oh, everyone knows about that one, thanks to professor Mijanou being the talk of the town for a time..." He coughs in his fist.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] - A bit of jealousy there. He'd want that glory, truth be told. Even if he'd have to inject *himself* with bacteria to get it.

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Although -- probably because her life ended as a result of her work in Katla -- no one remembers her contributions to the search for the Nnong Okk."

"The Nnong Okk?"

"Better not to go into the Nnong Okk."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "A flightless *cursor owl* found in the Semenine isles. Its long legs permit the Nnong Okk to run faster than any other avian, perhaps any other *animal*, who knows?"

"When it's not hunting its prey in this manner, the Okk hangs from tree branches, like a bat, waiting to dive on hapless prey below, on the jungle floor."

"Mijanou liked *extreme* animals, you see. One of the few figures of the academic establishment I respect. Really a shame she disappeared."

"When did she disappear?"

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "Oh, decades ago. In the Thirties. I didn't know her personally, of course. A chasm of academic pretension still stood before us, even though she had unusual courage for someone from the other side."

6. "Just tell me about a cool cryptid. Any cryptid."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "No offence, officer, but I'm not much of a *pedagogue* -- I don't know what I would've done if Lena hadn't persuaded me to go back to field research. You should ask her, if you want interesting stories."

"Me -- I'm not a people person, unless you haven't noticed. And I don't make a good lecturer. My strength lies in field work and *persistence*." He brushes an errant strand of hair from his eye.

7. "Enough tales then. Let's change the subject."

MORELL, THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST - "By all means..." He coughs and wipes his mouth.

5. "I'll get going." [Leave.]

Still not enough.

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "Hello! I'm Gary. Very generous of you to help us out, officer."

"Yellow Man!" He turns toward Kim. "I mean… officer."

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant raises his eyebrows slightly and takes out his notebook.

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Yellow Man? Interesting. This is something to ask him about, after a little probing first...

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I'm just waiting for my friend Morell to finish up with his insect traps," he quickly changes the subject, "so we can return to civilization."

"Not a lover of the great outdoors?"

"Yeah, I'm more of a city boy too."

[Leave.]

GARY, THE CRYPTOFASCIST - "I like nature, just not this bloody coast. It's mostly drunks and degenerates that come here."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - Degenerates? This man respects authority too much to see the truth inscribed upon thine own visage. Pretend thou art a paragon of virtue.

[theholidayslingerlikebadperfume]

I need to know what you think about the whole Joe thing because at this point I'm genuinely so confused as to what's going on

i hesitate to even answer this at all, anon, because I'm honestly in the same boat as you.

all i can honestly say is something about this situation doesn't feel right to me. i don't really wanna say too much because i dont want to fan the joe is a beard bullshit but the whole "differences in personality" thing... almost that exact same wording was used during the coverage of the harris x swift break-up. im not gunna look it up but if you research the people article for it, you can see what im talking about.

we also know that as soon as midnights, her most accurate album to date, she wrote sweet nothing about her relationship with Joe. Its a really hard pill for me to swallow that after seven years of music about how supportive and how understanding he is of her career, the thing that broke them apart was "differences in personality."

but then there is haim, gigi, blake and ryan, austin unfollowing him off instagram. why? why would they do that right now, in the middle of her tour being made about this fucking break up, when they absolutely KNOW that people will be reading into those actions. however, there is also the possibility that none of those people were actually following on insta to begin with because he doesnt actually post on there. i have no way of verifying that they actually recently unfollowed him but the words of the same fans who believed he deleted the cat photo of his insta when it was just a story in the first place.

all i can say for certain is the pap pictures are planned easter eggs about a work related project. she knows we expect speak now so it would be the perfect time to throw another curveball at us. i can also see taylor deciding to have some fun with the media coverage of her tour, especially if she is announcing a film soon in which she tackles fame and the media specifically in it, when she told us in lavender haze the way she protects her relationship is by ignoring the media. like, she could be showing us how much of a mastermind she actually is. like, im getting so much deja vu from 1989 era and the fact that she used the same wording as calvin harris break up, that makes me so suspicious. i still think she's planning on coming out this summer so im not sure if this could somehow be related to that?

i keep going back to the coverage of this relationship, the media narrative she crafted of this man who supports her superstardom and just wants to be in her presence and nothing else, and how it's a complete 180 from everything she has let us know up to this point. like, the fact that in the span of 2 weeks, we have had swifties take the narrative from "they broke up" to "he cheated on her" also just makes me feel like super gross about the situation.

like i am just not a fan of all the drama about taylor's personal life all of a fucking sudden now that we think she's single as a fandom. like, wow, and like she spent so much of their relationship shading the people who called it fake or disgenuine, that i just... i dont know. nothing about how this is playing out makes any sense to me.

taylor hid the relationship for almost a year, you don't think she would have waited until the tour was over to release this news??? and then we got the pic of joe, which like, thats the first pap pic ive ever seen of him alone i think and that also makes me question why we're seeing him right after taylor. like, she was so happy right up until tour, it kind of makes me think something dramatic did happen because why did they all unfollow him?

i just don't really know what the fuck is going on. I dont really believe any of what they say is the reason they broke up, i guess. if they did break up, it sure as shit isnt even close to what the media is running with imho.

and then im like idk this whole thing just doesnt make sense and that's really all i have to say about it.

[leefi]

The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere Readthrough | Part 4: 34-64

Part 1: 1-14 | Part 2: 14-22 | Part 3: 22-34 | Part 4: 34-64 | Part 5: 64-80 | Part 6: 81-90 | Part 7: 90-100 | Part 8: 100-127 (caught up here)

When I had been young, I hadn't understood happiness, when older people spoke of it. I'd spent so much time under some manner of stress or in some kind of pain, and without the support someone at my age - and in my circumstances - really needed, that I could only conceive of it as the inverse of the context I was experiencing. As an idyllic world in which strife, misfortune, and even boredom just didn't exist, and I could do the things I liked all the time. Where the default emotion I felt would be joy, no matter what. But I'd been mistaken. I'd come to understand, in the years since that day the beach, that happiness isn't joy at all. It isn't even peace; the absence of suffering. What happiness is, is strength. The strength to do the things you don't like, but still be content.

utsushikome my sopping wet cat... she is so sad and miserable...

oh my GAWDDDDDDD FANG IS SO CUTEEEEEEE I LOVE THEMMMM!!! 💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

Su’s encounter with the beaked creature felt like a similar vibe to a prosognostic event? as if seeing that “swapped” her or hijacked her conscience…not saying it IS a prosognostic event because it obviously wasn’t human and she didn’t get injured but like…the vibe was there

Ezekiel’s tragic backstory is that he was hit and run over by every minority prior to the events of the story

Fang casting nonverbally after the gunshot impressed Su. It impressed me too they’re so smart. But it also makes me wonder if they could have obfuscated something? Not having the certain component down needed to detect the smoke from the gun was convenient too, but the others just brushed over it. This isn't to say I think they're guilty of Bardiya's murder, or anything that's happened so far. But then why would they potentially do that? My answer is: for fun :)

I don’t think I fully understand what happened with Lilith…the soul transplanted into her overrode/mixed with her own? So she’s similar to Susu? That’s what she meant by them all being murderers?

Literally everything so far seems to implicate Theo/Linos but that seems wayyy too obvious. All the way down to the fact that Theo chan was walking around with the first two victims (Nef and Bardiya). But the insurmountable amount of evidence that points towards him kind of convinces me it *isn't* him. His father is potentially more culpable, but his infuriating refusal to be straightforward about anything also seems to be a ruse for something else entirely, not the murders themselves. And even if Linos is the murderer, he needs accomplices. He couldn’t have lugged Nef up there himself.

Honestly Theo kind of feels like an instrument. I don’t think he’s guilty at all but maybe his hand is being forced. Could that be what he wanted to talk to Su about for dinner? She was the only one he could trust with that kind of information because of their relationship and her mutual connection to the order?

Or maybe he just wanted to gossip after dinner. teehee

Hmmm the new serpent depicted on the mural has dark brown eyes like Bardiya's corpse. Was Bardiya's eye color described before? Did I think he had blue eyes? Also worth nothing that Theo chan volunteered to go into the kitchen first, then Bardiya followed. Not vice-versa.

I feel like somebody smarter than me should be keeping track of who uses “god” and who uses “gods”

Think about it. Right now, there's no way to verify that a 'rest of the world' even exists. We cannot interact with it in any capacity, and the same is true in reverse. All that anchors us to it are the concepts of 'we are from that place' and 'it is possible to return to it', which exist purely within the realm of our own minds."

Ran rubbed her brow. "The last thing I wanted for this conversation was for it to get into philosophy." She crossed her arms half-way. "Doesn't this fall apart when you consider that the logic bridges were connecting us to the real world just fine, until a few hours ago?"

"A logic bridge is a device that feeds information to the brain," [Balthazar] said. "Nothing more than that. There's no assurance that what it's showing you is based on reality beyond your article of faith in how the system works."

Awwwuu?

Ok but Lilith had been using her logic bridge nonstop…also the terrorist attack

An isolate world…Would be a lot easier to bend time in terms of wacky physics science if they’re somewhere sequestered from the rest of reality. We can’t even really confirm if they’re actually at the bottom of the ocean on that specific plane, just take other peoples’ words for it. Maybe they are orbiting a black hole (i like black holes :))

Ughhhh I feel like there’s a political motive at work and a separate religious one. I can’t imagine there being a singular culprit. It feels like there are multiple bad actors, and some are following a plan, while others are taking advantage of the environment and acting opportunistically.

"I've spent a lot of time dwelling on the subject for the past couple of days, and I think it's because I'm being punished."

"Punished?" I asked. "For what?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. I think it's because I believed it was possible for people to be saved by love, and that led me to overstep myself."

bal is so so so so similar to luka its actually physically paining me to read. youre so much like my specialest boy in the whole worldddd please don’t be evil

Confirmed Bal knows about the loops but that doesn’t really explain one specific part of his demeanor…could also potentially be someone Shiko knows from childhood? But then, wouldn't Ran know him too...? And didn't Su take all of Shiko's memories? Hmmm. Weird that she has a reaction to him every time, that annoyance. Why does he (and presumably, previously her) have loop memories, but no one else does? Could it be that anyone else in the group remembers what’s going on too?

Zeno speaks to Su as if she should be in on something. I wonder if she’s got the same thing going on with her as Bal (in his frame of reference)

I wonder if Bal could actually be a distant relative of Shiko…he’s related to a friend of Zeno’s who passed recently. And Su treats him like an annoying cousin she can’t stand, so that would check out too.

Can I say something weird. I think someone(s) absorbed souls (not necessarily Shiko/Su's though I considered it! Seemed too obvious though — maybe for Nef’s murder tho?) are overriding and killing or suiciding. That seems so copout for a murder mystery story though. It’d be super unsatisfying and I don't think Lurina would actually do something like that. But Bardiya’s death made me think 1) something was on the other side of the wall and held his face there or 2) it was a fight for control of his body which led to a suicide. I don't have anything to base this off of beyond Su's own experience with losing consciousness/memory though

The possession reveal with su and ran was absolutely insane. at this point i really do see su fully as a victim of circumstance. clearly the su we know now is inhabiting utsushikome of fusai/shiko, but who was su before the consciousness transfer? what’s their name?

young!ran is so cruel to new su…but clearly at this point (10 years later? 20?) shes developed a begrudging attachment to this new su. But they’re still going through with this mission. what a sad and terrifying position for them both to be in…

Also worth noting that shiko was clearly better off than su (“it’s a name befitting aristocracy”/something about her agreeing to the procedure because she wouldn’t need to use credits for something iirc)

Going back to Bal im inclined to believe what he said about Ophelia and Linos probably being trustworthy. Ophelia’s religious beliefs makes her motive too clear and Linos just feels like the biggest red herring. Also got a laugh over him saying Ran was the only person not misrepresenting herself in some way.

If nobody is left alive at the end of these loops, who is the one triggering the loop back? Could imply it’s a (super)natural phenomena? What about that machine downstairs that de-aged Anna? Could it be causing the loop? But what would’ve triggered it? 🤔💭Gay sex

One more thing re: a detail when they were in Bardiya's room. Ophelia's clock was the only one working, while everyone else's had been stopped. This obviously directly implicates Bal, but also seems too obvious? As if someone was trying to frame him, or it was actually him, and he had another reason for turning the clocks. Could even have been Ophelia herself in an attempt to frame Bal, but there’s been nothing to connect her to any of the murdered so far beyond a potentially religious motive.

oh i never acknowledged the boys' group never boarding reveal but like. i felt like there isn't really much to say. you just kind of read that and go ok. great. we don't have time to unpack all that right now

My bonkers off the wall assumption (it truly is stupid but i need to think out loud for a second) is that the boys have already been replaced/body snatched by members of the order or a nefarious other party (Theo exempt bc of Linos?). Theo compromises them, Bardiya’s bodysnatcher follows him in to kill him, there’s a fight for control of the body and Bardiya briefly wins and commits suicide before he can lose control again. Or Bard is never in control, and Theo is forced to kill him in self defense…but then he would’ve said something????

Bardiya’s room was uncharacteristically dirty, Seth is covered in dirt when they see him for some reason, he and Ezekiel are in cahoots about something, but there’s no other indication that the boys have been acting strangely. Then again, Su had successfully managed to begin impersonating Shiko almost immediately - well enough to fool her family, but not Ran’s discerning eye. But the class is close…I feel like someone would have picked something weird up.

Interesting to me, again, Bal’s comment about everyone but Ran misrepresenting themselves in some way, when she’s also the one who seems to have gone through the least amount of distinction treatment…(not saying it’s related at all, just an interesting parallel to me)

TL;DR: No, I don’t actually think the boys were bodysnatched or that Bard’s death was a suicide/Theo was forced to act…my theory right now was there was something inhuman on the other side of the barrier that was able to hold his head there when it went down and back up.

I guess the point I was trying to make with Bard is if we can really trust that everyone is who they claim to be? Is Su as special of a case as she thinks?