#the last unicorn: the lost journey

[moondustbooks]

February JOMP Day 6 - Red Books

[quitealotofsodapop]

I imagine the Jade Emperor is feeling very, Very Stupid for thinking Wukong's claims of needing those layers of immortality was just an excuse after he gets the report that Wukong gave birth to a healthy baby boy, literally named 'Little Heaven,' only to very nearly die in the process, something no immortal thought was even possible when they consider how many layers of stolen immortality Wukong had. Like, Wukong had the most outrageous claim that was proven true within his own throne room and by his own wife, and now he's in his personal infirmary (Queen Mother insisted after helping Wukong give birth, she gets very attached because of course she does, its MK) just barely hanging onto life. Needless to say, the trial is postponed. Macaque refuses to be separated from Wukong or their cub until Wukong wakes up, which means no mobilizing the army until Wukong is awake, especially since they've confirmed that the same restrained used to keep Wukong down all those centuries ago simply will not work with Macaque.

By all rights, that cub should have been an orphan, and it was only by the sheer audacity, stubborness, and thousands of years of work put through by his parents that he has both Wukong and Macaque to watch over him. Wukong had been right, something nobody outside of his family and friends can really comprehend.

referencing Wukong having the Century Stone Egg in the middle of Heavenly Court + Wukong getting KO'd by it.

The Jade Emperor is feeling Stupid with a capitial S.

The Queen Mother is furious with her husband for not believing Wukong's claim about his reasons for immortality, but also angry with herself for not recognising that the monkey had gone into labor in her own palace. Had she'd known centuries ago that Wukong had wanted to safely have a child, she may have been able to help him with his goal, and would have forgiven the theft of her divine Peaches far earlier.

Plus, the "Little Heaven" is the cutest little furball anyone in the palace has seen in centuries. And if the Queen Mother has been caught cooing over the little cub no bigger than her thumb, then thats her business.

Lao Tzu is monitoring and documenting *everything*; weights, movements, heart rates, blood samples, anything that could give him knowledge of Wukong and the baby's conditon, but also give insight to what he and Gold Star know about Stone Monkeys. It's like having a unicorn at a vets, he can't not be excited!

The Peach Maidens visit Wukong and the baby with prayers of health and of luck. They were the very few in Heaven that suspected their attendant brother had stolen the Peaches for reasons other than gluttony. They're all super bummed out to see him in his deep sleep, and help to change his bedding and apply medicines to give his mate and found family a break.

Macaque is a bit of a gloomy mess at this point. Jumping between a silent vigil over Wukong's sleeping body, or performing a whole shadow play for their newborn cub as a bedtime story. Xiaotian truly is a little piece of Heaven for him, and he understands fully why Wukong risked and sacrificed so much for the chance to meet them.

The reincarnation/noodle shop gang are extremely supportive during this time, finally having a chance to get to know Macaque outside of their less-than-ideal meeting. Tang keeps the shadow monkey busy by telling him stories (fact-checked by Wukong himself) of the Monkey King's journeys after the couple's last meeting. Sandy teaches him ways to relax during these rough times. And Pigsy hasn't let Mac go without a meal since he got there (how the pig got into the royal kitchen, they'll never know).

The Ao Longs are very solemn during this time too. They nearly lost Mei when her egg came early, and they're super protective of Wukong and his baby while the monkey is unconcious. Little Mei met Xiaotian for the first time a few days after he was born, and hasn't lost the enchanted look in her eyes since.

Redson acts out by head-butting any stranger that comes near Wukongs' room, including celestial guards, noblemen, servants, and even his own (unknowning) divine grandparents. He declares The Monkey King and the baby under his protection! Secretly though, he curls up to Wukong at times and whispers not to "go back to long-sleep again" since it would make his Mama and Uncle Mac sad. :(

Wukong finally wakes up after a couple of days, and is overjoyed to awaken to see him and his baby both alive and well. His "Little Heaven" truly is worth all those centuries of planning <3

[thehangerson]

doctor who nuwho masterlist

ive been meaning to post this on tumblr for a while and keep forgetting but a few years ago i made a nuwho / whoniverse watchlist including the spinoff shows in release order and now seems like the time to share it! i know ive seen theres a lot of new fans watching from 2005 on (from what im seeing mostly gomens fans. hi gomens fans) and a lot of ppl coming back to the show or rewatching in lieu of the new eps with david and catherine! so heres the list!

the full list masterdoc typed out for your copy-pasting pleasure is below the text break, but heres some links for those of you who are spreadsheet/doc fans.

google sheet checklist version

(the spreadsheet includes some tws and cws, which i update as i rewatch some things. if you have any i'm missing that you think should be included, please send me an ask or leave a comment and i'll add it!)

masterlist:

blue- Doctor Who, red- Doctor Who specials, green- Torchwood, purple- Sarah Jane Adventures, orange- Class

2005

01x01- Rose (03/26/2005)

01x02- The End of the World (4/02)

01x03- The Unquiet Dead (04/09)

01x04- Aliens of London (04/16)

01x05- World War Three (04/23)

01x06- Dalek (04/30)

01x07- The Long Game (05/07)

01x08- Father’s Day (05/14)

01x09- The Empty Child (05/21)

01x10- The Doctor Dances (05/28)

01x11- Boom Town (06/04)

01x12- Bad Wolf (06/11)

01x13- The Parting of the Ways (06/18)

The Christmas Invasion (12/25)

2006

02x01- New Earth (04/15/2006)

02x02- Tooth and Claw (04/22)

02x03- School Reunion (04/29)

02x04- The Girl in the Fireplace (05/06)

02x05- Rise of the Cybermen (05/13)

02x06- Age of Steel (05/20)

02x07- The Idiot’s Lantern (05/27)

02x08- Impossible Planet (06/03)

02x09- Satan Pit (06/10)

02x10- Love & Monsters (06/17)

02x11- Fear Her (06/24)

02x12- Army of Ghosts (07/01)

02x13-Doomsday (07/08)

01x01- Everything Changes (10/22)

01x02- Day One (10/22)

01x03- Ghost Machine (10/29)

01x04- Cyberwoman (11/05)

01x05- Small Worlds (11/12)

01x06- Countrycide (11/19)

01x07- Greeks Bearing Gifts (11/26)

01x08-They Keep Killing Suzie (12/03)

01x09-Random Shoes (12/10)

01x10- Out of Time (12/17)

01x11- Combat (12/24)

The Runaway Bride (12/25)

2007

01x12- Captain Jack Harkness (01/01/2007)

01x13- End of Days (01/01)

01x01- Invasion of the Bane (01/01)

03x01-Smith and Jones (03/31)

03x02- The Shakespeare Code (04/07)

03x03- Gridlock (04/14)

03x04- Daleks in Manhattan (04/21)

03x05- Evolution of the Daleks (04/28)

03x06- The Lazarus Experiment (05/05) 

03x07- 42 (05/19)

03x08- Human Nature (05/26)

03x09- The Family of Blood (06/02)

03x10- Blink (06/09)

03x11- Utopia (06/16)

03x12- The Sound of Drums (06/23)

03x13- Last of the Time Lords (06/30)

01x02- Revenge of the Slitheen Part 1 (09/24)

01x03- Revenge of the Slitheen Part 2 (10/01)

01x04- Eye of the Gorgon Part 1 (10/08)

01x05- Eye of the Gorgon Part 2 (10/15)

01x06- Warriors of Kudlak Part 1 (10/22)

01x07- Warriors of Kudlak Part 2 (10/29)

01x08- Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? Part 1 (11/05)

01x09- Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? Part 2 (11/12)

01x10- The Lost Boy Part 1 (11/12)

01x11- The Lost Boy Part 2 (11/19)

Voyage of the Damned (12/25)

2008

02x01- Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (01/16/2008)

02x02- Sleeper (01/23)

02x03- To the Last Man (01/30)

02x04- Meat (02/06)

02x05- Adam (02/13)

02x06- Reset (02/13)

02x07- Dead Man Walking (02/20)

02x08- A Day in the Death (02/27)

02x09- Something Borrowed (03/05)

02x10- From Out of the Rain (03/12)

02x11- Adrift (03/19)

02x12- Fragments (03/21)

02x13- Exit Wounds (04/04)

04x01- Partners in Crime (04/05)

04x02- The Fires of Pompeii (04/12)

04x03- Planet of the Ood (04/19)

04x04- The Sontaran Stratagem (04/26)

04x05- The Poison Sky (05/03)

04x06- The Doctor’s Daughter (05/10)

04x07- The Unicorn and the Wasp (05/17)

04x08- Silence in the Library (05/31)

04x09- Forest of the Dead (06/07)

04x10- Midnight (06/14)

04x11- Turn Left (06/21)

04x12- The Stolen Earth (06/28)

04x13- Journey’s End (07/05)

02x01- The Last Sontaran Part 1 (09/29)

02x02- The Last Sontaran Part 2 (09/29)

02x03- The Day of the Clown Part 1 (10/06)

02x04- The Day of the Clown Part 2 (10/13)

02x05- Secrets of the Stars Part 1 (10/20)

02x06- Secrets of the Stars Part 2 (10/27)

02x07- The Mark of the Berserker Part 1 (11/03)

02x08- The Mark of the Berserker Part 2 (11/10)

02x09- The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith Part 1 (11/170

02x10- The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith Part 2 (11/24)

02x11- Enemy of the Bane Part 1 (12/01)

02x12- Enemy of the Bane Part 2 (12/08)

The Next Doctor (12/25)

2009

Planet of the Dead (04/11/2009)

03x01- Day One (07/06)

03x02- Day Two (07/07)

03x03- Day Three (07/08)

03x04- Day Four (07/09)

03x05- Day Five (07/10)

03x01- Prisoner of the Judoon Part 1 (10/15)

03x02- Prisoner of the Judoon Part 2 (10/16)

03x03- The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 1 (10/22)

03x04- The Mad Woman in the Attic Part 2 (10/23)

03x05- The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part 1 (10/29)

03x06-The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith Part 2 (10/30)

03x07- The Eternity Trap Part 1 (11/05)

03x08- The Eternity Trap Part 2 (11/06)

03x09- Mona Lisa’s Revenge Part 1 (11/12)

03x10- Mona Lisa’s Revenge Part 2 (11/13)

04x16- The Waters of Mars (11/15)

03x11- The Gift Part 1 (11/19)

03x12- The Gift Part 2 (11/20)

The End of Time Part 1 (12/25)

2010

The End of Time Part 2 (01/01/2010)

05x01- The Eleventh Hour (04/03)

05x02- The Beast Below (04/10)

05x03- Victory of the Daleks (04/17)

05x04- The Time of Angels (04/24)

05x05- Flesh and Stone (05/01)

05x06- The Vampires of Venice (05/08)

05x07- Amy’s Choice (05/15)

05x08- The Hungry Earth (05/22)

05x09- Cold Blood (05/29)

05x10- Vincent and the Doctor (06/05)

05x11- The Lodger (06/12)

05x12- The Pandorica Opens (06/19)

05x13-The Big Bang (06/26)

04x01- The Nightmare Man Part 1 (10/11)

04x02- The Nightmare Man Part 2 (10/12)

04x03- The Vault of Secrets Part 1 (10/18)

04x04- The Vault of Secrets Part 2 (10/19)

04x05- Death of the Doctor Part 1 (10/25)

04x06- Death of the Doctor Part 2 (10/26)

04x07- The Empty Planet Part 1 (11/01)

04x08- The Empty Planet Part 2 (11/02)

04x09- Lost in Time Part 1 (11/08)

04x10- Lost in Time Part 2 (11/09)

04x11- Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith Part 1 (11/15)

04x12- Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith Part 2 (11/16)

A Christmas Carol (12/25)

2011

06x01- The Impossible Astronaut (04/23/2011)

06x02- Day of the Moon (04/30)

06x03- The Curse of the Black Spot (05/07)

06x04- The Doctor’s Wife (05/14)

06x05- The Rebel Flesh (05/21)

06x06- The Almost People (05/28)

06x07- A Good Man Goes to War (06/04)

04x01- The New World (07/08)

04x02- Rendition (07/15)

04x03- Dead of Night (07/22)

04x04- Escape to L.A. (07/29)

04x05- The Categories of Life (08/05)

04x06- The Middle Men (08/12)

04x07- Immortal Sins (08/19)

04x08- End of the Road (08/26)

06x08- Let’s Kill Hitler (08/27)

04x09- The Gathering (09/02)

06x09- Night Terrors (09/03)

04x10- The Blood Line (09/09)

06x10- The Girl Who Waited (09/10)

06x11- The God Complex (09/17)

06x12- Closing Time (09/24)

06x13- The Wedding of River Song (10/01)

05x01- Sky Part 1 (10/03)

05x02- Sky Part 2 (10/04)

05x03- The Curse of Clyde Langer Part 1 (10/10)

05x04- The Curse of Clyde Langer Part 2 (10/11)

05x05- The Man Who Never Was Part 1 (10/17)

05x06- The Man Who Never Was Part 2 (10/18)

The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (12/25)

2012

07x01- Asylum of the Daleks (09/01/2012)

07x02- Dinosaurs of a Spaceship (09/08)

07x03- A Town Called Mercy (09/15)

07x04- The Power of Three (09/22)

07x05- The Angels Take Manhattan (09/29)

The Snowmen (12/25)

2013

07x06- The Bells of Saint John (03/30/2013)

07x07- The Rings of Akhaten (04/06)

07x08- Cold War (04/13)

07x09- Hide (04/20)

07x10- Journey to the Center of the TARDIS (04/27)

07x11- The Crimson Horror (05/04)

07x12- Nightmare in Silver (05/11)

07x13- The Name of the Doctor (05/18)

The Day of the Doctor (11/23)

The Time of the Doctor (12/25)

2014

08x01- Deep Breath (08/23/2014)

08x02- Into the Dalek (08/30)

08x03- Robot of Sherwood (09/06)

08x04- Listen (09/13)

08x05- Time Heist (09/20)

08x06- The Caretaker (09/27)

08x07- Kill the Moon (10/04)

08x08- Mummy on the Orient Express (10/11)

08x09- Flatline (10/18)

08x10- In the Forest of the Night (10/25)

08x11- Dark Water (11/01)

08x12- Death in Heaven (11/08)

Last Christmas (12/25)

2015

09x01- The Magician’s Apprentice (09/19/2015)

09x02- The Witch’s Familiar (09/26)

09x03- Under the Lake (10/03)

09x04- Before the Flood (10/10)

09x05- The Girl Who Died (10/17)

09x06- The Woman Who Lived (10/24)

09x07- The Zygon Invasion (10/31)

09x08- The Zygon Inversion (11/07)

09x09- Sleep No More (11/14)

09x10- Face the Raven (11/21)

09x11- Heaven Sent (11/28)

09x12- Hell Bent (12/05)

The Husbands of River Song (12/25)

2016

01x01- For Tonight We Might Die (10/22/2016)

01x02- The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo (10/22)

01x03- Nightvisiting (10/29)

01x04- Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart (11/05)

01x05- Brave-ish Heart (11/12)

01x06- Detained (11/19)

01x07- The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did (11/26)

01x08- The Lost (12/03)

The Return of Doctor Mysterio (12/25)

2017

10x01- The Pilot (04/15/2017)

10x02- Smile (04/22)

10x03- Thin Ice (04/29)

10x04- Knock Knock (05/06)

10x05- Oxygen (05/13)

10x06- Extremis (05/20)

10x07- The Pyramid at the End of the World (05/27)

10x08- The Lie of the Land (06/03)

10x09- Empress of Mars (06/10)

10x10- The Eaters of Light (06/17)

10x11- World Enough and Time (06/24)

10x12- The Doctor Falls (07/01)

Twice Upon a Time (12/25)

2018

11x01- The Woman Who Fell to Earth (10/07/2018)

11x02- The Ghost Monument (10/14)

11x03- Rosa (10/21)

11x04- Arachnids in the UK (10/28)

11x05- The Tsuranga Conundrum (11/04)

11x06- Demons of the Punjab (11/11)

11x07- Kerblam! (11/18)

11x08- The Witchfinders (11/25)

11x09- It Takes You Away (12/02)

11x10- The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (12/09)

2019

Resolution (01/01/2019)

2020

12x01- Spyfall, Part 1 (01/01/2020)

12x02- Spyfall, Part 2 (01/05)

12x03- Orphan 55 (01/12)

12x04- Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror (01/19)

12x05- Fugitive of the Judoon (01/26)

12x06- Praxeus (02/02)

12x07- Can You Hear Me? (02/09)

12x08- The Haunting of Villa Diodati (02/16)

12x09- Ascension of the Cybermen (02/23)

12x10- The Timeless Children (03/01)

2021

Revolution of the Daleks (01/01/2021)

13x01- The Halloween Apocalypse (10/31)

13x02- War of the Sontarans (11/7)

13x03- Once, Upon Time (11/14)

13x04- Village of the Angels (11/21)

13x05- Survivors of the Flux (11/28)

13x06- The Vanquishers (12/5)

2022

Eve of the Daleks(01/01/2022)

Legend of the Seal Devils(4/17)

The Power of the Doctor(10/23)

2023

The Star Beast(11/25/2023)

Wild Blue Yonder(12/2/2023)

The Giggle(12/9/2023)

The Church on Ruby Road(12/25/2023)

2024

TBA

[lobstermobster-95]

Down in the Wicked Depths Below

Woe to the man

The dark-eyed sailor

Ship’s adrift

And the sea’s his jailor

Drag him down

Down, down, down

Down in the wicked depths below

Woe to the man

The dark-eyed sailor

Ship’s adrift

And the sea’s his jailor

Drag him down

Down, down, down

Down in the wicked depths below

Lost at sea, the sailor cried

I will not die

The sea shall bow to me

“That was quite a display,” Finnegrin said as he rummaged through the piles of assorted junk on his desk. His gruff voice drowning out the singing voices of the crew on deck. “All that talk about how love makes you stronger, but the second you see that elf girl in pain, you completely lost yourself.”

Callum looked away.

The tidebound captain wasn’t wrong. Seeing Rayla like that – writhing and screaming in pain, skin turning blue as if she were already dead – it did something to him. Just like it always did something to him when he thought he’d lost her.

That spell had simultaneously caused a pain in Callum that was so deep that he couldn’t think or see straight. He’d forgotten any spells or tricks that could have helped him and instead did the only thing he could think of.

It had at least been a solid hit – something his younger self would be in awe of for several reasons. A lot of good it had done him though.

At that moment, Callum caught sight of Bait’s empty cage and for a terrible, brief second, thought perhaps the little guy had already been cast into the depths. However, Finnegrin stepped aside and revealed the glow toad had been crammed into another smaller cage.

“What are you doing?” Callum asked, feeling confident he already knew the answer.

“Oh, don’t worry. The cage is for his protection,” the captain replied with a smug smile. “This way, he lures us a leviathan but doesn’t get eaten.”

He crossed the room and stood before Callum, looking down at him with the black-hearted confidence of a man who had spilled more than his fair share of blood. “The one getting thrown into the sea serpent’s hungry mouth is your elf girl.”

He may as well have been strapped to an anchor and dropped into the sea for how quickly Callum became submerged in the crushing weight of dread and panic. He struggled against the chains that bound him to the post, but there was no give.

He couldn’t lose Rayla. Not again. Not ever again.

“No, no wait!” The words leapt from his tongue without his consent. “A dying breath, blood filled with hatred, and a unicorn horn. That’s the dark magic you want. Just…just let her go.”

They could deal with the ramifications. They would find a way to protect Domina Profundis, but Callum had to protect Rayla first.

A beat passed as Finnegrin paused in the doorway before he began to click his tongue in disappointment like a parent about to scold their child. “Oh, my poor lad,” he said. “That deal was no longer on the table.” He chuckled, pulling the door open and quickly disappearing through it, leaving Callum alone as he sunk even deeper into despair.

“No!” He called out to no avail. “No!”

Again he struggled and again the chains around his wrists did not budge.

Hot tears began cutting their way down his cheeks. This was really it. Rayla would die and a piece of him would die right alongside her. They had only just begun to truly mend their relationship. The last few weeks began replaying in Callum’s mind

Staying in his and Ez’s old, adjoining rooms had been his idea. After Umber Tor, he’d shed the last piece of the already-cracked and crumbling armor he’d built around his heart over the last two years. He’d opened himself back up to her, and it was wonderful. They’d often stayed up late during those nights, fretting over Ezran and the others or just talking like they used to.

Then they’d traveled to Lux Aurea, retracing the steps they’d taken together on that first world-changing journey. The route had been easier this time. There was no dragon egg to hide and protect, no duplicitous aid from Soren and Claudia, and no race to outrun an impending battle with Viren’s corrupted army.

And with the border open, the route itself had become more traveled, leading to amenities like the inn they’d stayed at. Seeing Rayla happy and at peace that night had filled Callum’s heart in a way it hadn’t been in two years. He’d wanted to kiss her again, to hold her and tell her he loved her.

Now he desperately wished he had.

He could hear shouts and thuds from above him and his heart began to pound. He didn’t have much time.

Looking around for something, anything he could use to free himself, Callum spotted it. The slug Finnegrin had offered as a dark magic conduit.

No. No he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

He’d sworn to himself that he would never do dark magic again. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t who he wanted to be. He’d vowed to write his own destiny.

…But what would that destiny look like without Rayla?

The question seared his heart like a brand because he knew the answer immediately. Without Rayla, he had no destiny. If he allowed her to die when there was something, anything , he could have done to save her, the anguish would fester in his body like a blight and consume him from the inside out.

He would do anything for her.

Anything.

Pulling against the chains one last time, Callum reached out and grabbed the slug.

~

The sunrise was beautiful, almost mockingly so after all that had happened the night before.

Callum sat at the base of the mast, feeling no modicum of triumph or elation at their victory. He felt like a liar, a sham. He was the first human mage to do primal magic and still he’d resorted to dark magic.

He thought he was better than this. But was he? Was he any better than Viren or Claudia if he would dirty his hands with the lives of innocent creatures if pushed far enough?

“So…” Came a voice through the fog. “Two primal sources? Now you’re just getting greedy, mister mage.”

Callum saw Rayla as she sat down next to him, felt the warmth of her living, breathing body, but he didn’t feel any less ashamed. If she knew what he’d done to save her, she’d be disgusted and furious, as she should be.

“Callum, are you okay?”

Was he? He let the question sink deep before nodding his head and letting his eyes finally unfocus from the abyss he’d been staring into.

“Yeah,” he said, pulling a smile up along with him. “Yeah, I’m okay. I am.”

He looked at Rayla as she smiled back at him, his heart feeling full and complete as she brought a hand up to his cheek.

“I’m glad,” she said softly.

She pulled him into a hug and Callum felt guilt wrap itself around him along with her arms. Below them, somewhere in the guts of the hull, two dark magic snakes now slithered and slunk because he’d brought them to life.

He’d broken his oath, and as Rayla sighed contentedly, holding Callum like she had when they’d first fallen in love, he knew that he would do it again in a heartbeat to save her.

And that’s what scared him more than anything.

[afeelgoodblog]

These are The Best News of Last Week

🎼 — Meet the Grammy of the Grammys 😊

1. Man gives $12,000 worth of classroom supplies to 150 middle school teachers

Bryan Tsiliacos has the goal of completing 30 acts of kindness before his 30th birthday, and he just completed his third on Wednesday.

2. Lab-grown meat cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time cleared a meat product grown from animal cells for human consumption.

UPSIDE Foods, a company that makes cell-cultured chicken by harvesting cells from live animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless-steel tanks, will be able to bring its products to market once it has been inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reduces emissions, reduces food and water consumption, greatly reduces the risk of foodborne illness, potentially cheaper for consumers, prevents the raising and killing of animals — this is a win all-around.

3. Police dog finds lost Michigan hunter, 80, who fell in river

An 80-year-old Michigan hunter who got lost and repeatedly fell into a river was rescued by canoe after a police dog tracked down the soaked man.

The man’s wife called Michigan State Police on Wednesday evening after her husband, failed to return home after three hours. State police said her concerns grew when she heard her husband shooting several shots, which meant he was lost, MLive.com reported. The hunter was unharmed, but cold and wet due to falling into the river three times, police said.

4. Researchers Rediscover the Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon, a Bird Lost to Science for 140 Years

The camera’s display was tiny, but there was no mistaking the creature it showed: the Black-naped Pheasant-Pigeon, a species that hasn’t been documented by scientists since it was first described in 1882.

“To find something that’s been gone for that long, that you’re thinking is almost extinct, and then to figure out that it’s not extinct, it feels like finding a unicorn or a Bigfoot,” says John C. Mittermeier, director of the lost birds program at American Bird Conservancy

5. Puppy Mill Rescue Dog Becomes ‘Helper Dog’ for Dogs Overcoming Trauma

Lolly was one of the over 500 under-socialized, scared dogs that the ASPCA rescued from neglectful conditions at an Iowa puppy mill in Nov. 2021, and now the canine is helping other pups.

Lolly’s journey from “nervous” puppy mill rescue to hero helper dog started last year after the ASPCA pulled Lolly from the Iowa breeding facility. Following her rescue, Lolly went to an emergency shelter operated by the ASPCA for initial exams and treatment.

6. Angela Álvarez crowned best new artist at Latin Grammys — aged 95

Cuban American, who started recording career at 90 after decades of performing for family and friends, says ‘it’s never too late’.

The Cuban American musician’s crowning moment came after decades of writing songs but performing them only for friends and family — until, at the age of 90, she went to the Avalon, the historic Hollywood nightclub, and gave her first concert.

7. Lost dog hands itself in at Loughborough Police Station

A lost dog has been reunited with its owners after walking into a police station.

CCTV footage from Loughborough Police Station captured the moment the border collie arrived and took a seat in the waiting room. Leicestershire Police staff fetched some water and gave her a fuss before calling the number on her ID tag.

Good reminder to keep a collar on your dog.

. . .

That’s it for this week. If you liked this post you can support this newsletter with a small kofi donation:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Have a great week ahead :)

[orphanlavinia]

I’m heavily medicated

It feels as if I’ve been defeated.

I was so happy with five pills a day.

Feels like such a step backwards or several

My psych finally broke down and gave me benzodiazepines, I pick em up today

I can’t sleep my body is exhausted and my eyes are closing but this feeling in my legs is killing me at night.

It feels like hell

I have to kinda journal somewhere so I guess here it is almost nobody knows this account is mine.

Thank you internet.

Anyways I’ve spend these past few days locked in the bathroom binge smoking weed.

It all started really when I got diagnosed with did. I was in very serious denial and what my brain did out of boredom or god knows what is flood me with memories that I would have rather not remember.

Is it my brain or miss Steiner? We don’t know

The portrayal of this illness in TikTok and shit tends to be too cartoony and I didn’t relate with it at all until I found other lesser known people that talked about it.

And then there it was, symptoms that I have that are DID.

The blackouts, the feeling of not having control in my body.

The amnesia

All of them.

And then everything inside me got worse as I watch my life outside of me getting better and I cannot join in cuz the past pulls. Hard and cruel.

And I am so tired

I have so much work to do and I will

I am just so tired all the time

My neuropathic pain medication got switched and it has caused me a great deal of physical pain.

Also just fyi I am in clinical rest.

I do have to do some stuff do.

Everything is very hard I just want to be alone and not think and not be here maybe?

I’m leaving angel alone tho

He very much understands

But it’s still not cool

I am very frustrated, I feel like I am not going anywhere and the more I dig in my history even tho it answers why I get rabid, furious.

I was the kid, I was too young, I was modeled to be the perfect victim, I was too naive, too autistic, too mentally ill.

It is not fair that I have to carry the pain and the hurt that was given to me until this point. It isn’t fair that I’ve lost a decade or decades of my life because of everything that has been done to me.

And for them it was a fucking Tuesday man.

How’s that?

It’s not fair that I met angel and I felt like Molly in the last unicorn.

Why do you come to me now that I am all broken and used? Why did t you come earlier?

I feel broken, defective.

I keep making plans for a healthy sane woman or whatever I am

But no, I am sick and broken and don’t function like someone whole.

So I gave up, I’m trying to follow my clinical rest, sleep and rest, I haven’t dared doodle or go get some sun but I’m working on it, I am taking half a pharmacy, forcing myself to eat even if all food looks like fucking poison,

I am in extreme burnout, I am audhd, have a very serious depression, I have bpd, I have did….

I have more stuff cuz I’m just god’s favorite

But I guess this is a journey or acceptance and exploration.

I am having coffee cuz it makes me happy tho i shouldn’t.

I think I should stop writing here, see you next time, void.

[adventure-showdown]

What is the greatest Doctor Who story ever told?

Everything has been split into groups of 32 that I think are of similar levels of notoritiy, but likely not popularity. Seeding within the groups decides the matches. At the end of the round groups are paired up and mashed together to do it all again.

What that means right now is the order the matches below are listed in has no baring on what they'll be against in the next round

There will be 16 matches a day with Fridays off

Lastly, you can still submit propaganda for posts here

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Day 16

The Metaphysical Engine or What Quill Did vs Alien Avatar

The Last Oak Tree vs Dead Man Walking

Black Hunger vs Dream-Eaters

From Out of the Rain vs Detained

A Day in the Death vs Nightvisiting

Fragments vs Taphony of the Time Loop

Lost Library of Ukko vs The Custodians

Sirens of Ceres vs Children of Earth

K9 and Company vs Regeneration/Liberation/The Korven

Mutant Copper vs Reset

For Tonight We Might Die vs The Lost

Miracle Day vs The Cambridge Spy

Mind Snap/Angel of the North/Last Precinct/Hound of the Korven/Eclipse of the Korven vs Fear Itself

Exit Wounds vs Something Borrowed

Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart/Brave-ish Heart vs Oroborus

The Fall of the House of Gryffen vs The Curse of Anubis

previous and future days under the cut - unfortunately i've had to get rid of the links because there were too many and the post broke, however they are all tagged #round 2

Day 1

The Mind Robber vs Galaxy 4

The Moonbase vs The Daleks' Master Plan

The Evil of the Daleks vs The Space Museum

The Gunfighters vs The Macra Terror

The Dalek Invasion of Earth vs The Celestial Toymaker

The Reign of Terror vs The Daleks

The Rescue vs The Ice Warriors TIE

The Ark vs the Romans

The Tenth Planet vs The Web Planet

An Unearthly Child vs The War Machines

The Invsion vs The Keys of Marinus

The Underwater Menace vs The Aztecs

The Edge of Destruction vs The Massacre

The Sensorites vs The Seeds of Death

The Chase vs Marco Polo

Planet of Giants vs The Time Meddler

Day 2

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances vs Love and Monsters

Human Nature/The Family of Blood vs The End of the World

The Waters of Mars vs The End of Time

The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit vs Fires of Pompeii

Blink vs The Unquiet Dead

Boom Town vs Utopia

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday vs Father's Day

Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks vs Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways

Dalek vs New Earth

Rose vs Planet of the Ood

The Runaway Bride vs The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky

The Girl in the Fireplace vs Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead

Partners in Crime vs The Christmas Invasion

School Reunion vs The Stolen Earth/Journey's End

The Unicorn and the Wasp vs The Sound of Drums/Last of Time Lords

Tooth and Claw vs Midnight

Day 3

A Death in the Family vs The Eleven

Ship in a Bottle vs Blood of the Daleks

Albie's Angels vs Phobos

No More Lies vs UNIT Dating

Horror of Glam Rock vs Companion Piece

The Grey Man in the Mountain vs The Love Vampires

Human Resources vs The Widow's Assassin

The Company of Friends: Izzy's Story vs The Side of the Angels

Day of the Master vs The Crucible of Souls

1963: The Assassination Games vs The Red Lady

Stranded vs The Sonomancer TIE

The Doomsday Chronometer vs The Silver Turk

Absent Friends vs The Eighth Piece

Paradox of the Daleks vs Better Watch Out/Fairytale in Salzburg

Inside Every Warrior vs Robophobia

Stop the Clock vs To the Death

Day 4

The War Games vs The Abominable Snowmen

The Sea Devils vs The Time Warrior

The Time Monster vs Fury from the Deep

The Tomb of the Cybermen vs Terror of the Autons

The Three Doctors vs The Ambassadors of Death

The Highlanders vs The Power of the Daleks

Doctor Who and the Silurians vs Carnival of Monsters

The Faceless Ones vs The Daemons

The Enemy of the World vs The Monster of Peladon

The Mind of Evil vs Frontier in Space TIE

The Claws of Axos vs Inferno

Spearhead from Space vs The Ark in Space TIE

The Horns of Nimon vs The Seeds of Doom

Planet of the Spiders vs The Web of Fear

Colony in Space vs The Green Death

Invasion of the Dinosaurs vs The Curse of Peladon

Day 5

Vincent and the Doctor vs Closing Time

The Snowmen vs The Beast Below

The Doctor's Daughter vs The Rings of Akhaten

Vampires of Venice vs The Doctor's Wife

Gridlock vs A Town Called Mercy

The Wedding of River Song vs Amy's Choice

The Girl Who Waited vs Time of the Doctor

Hide vs Smith and Jones

The Eleventh Hour vs Curse of the Black Spot

A Christmas Carol vs The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone

A Good Man Goes to War vs Name of the Doctor

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship vs The God Complex

Day of the Doctor vs Asylum of the Daleks

The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood vs The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon

Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel vs 42

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS vs Turn Left

Day 6

The Lumiat vs A Spoonful of Masters

Nightshade vs Rhys and Ianto's Excellent Barbecue

Solitaire vs Paradise 5

Serenity vs The Last Post

No Place vs The Hollow King

Warfare vs Square One

The Cars that Ate London! vs Out of Time

Iterations of I vs A Full Life

I am the Master vs Forever Fallen

The Creeping Death vs Expiry Dating

Peshka vs The Forgotten Village

First Days of Phaidon vs The Scorchies

Gallifrey IV vs The Queen of Time

Wink vs Death and the Queen

Too Many Masters vs Peri and the Piscon Paradox

The Concrete Cage vs The Fifth Citadel

Day 7

City of Death vs The Creature From the Pit

The Key to Time vs The Ribos Operation

The Keeper of Traken vs The Masque of Mandragora

Image of the Fendahl vs The Brain of Morbius

The Horror of Fang Rock vs The Armageddon Factor

Terror of the Zygons vs Mawdryn Undead

The Sunmakers vs The Androids of Tara

The Sontaran Experiment vs The Pirate Planet

Genesis of the Daleks vs Destiny of the Daleks

Warriors' Gate vs The Invasion of Time

The Stones of Blood vs The Hand of Fear

The Leisure Hive vs State of Decay

Logopolis vs Robot

Full Circle vs The Face of Evil

The Deadly Assassin vs Pyramids of Mars

Meglos vs The Robots of Death

Day 8

Heaven Sent vs Cold War

Under the Lake/Before the Flood vs The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion

Flatline vs The Return of Doctor Mysterio

The Angels Take Manhattan vs Dark Water/Death in Heaven

The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar vs Empress of Mars

Smile vs Extremis

Hell Bent vs Knock Knock

The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People vs The Husbands of River Song

Mummy on the Orient Express vs The Power of Three

Twice Upon a Time vs Listen

Face the Raven vs The Eaters of Light

Robot of Sherwood vs The Pilot

The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang vs The Girl Who Died

The Pyramid at the End of the World vs Oxygen

Time Heist vs Deep Breath

The Lodger vs World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls

Day 9

The Bekdel Test vs The Blood Cell

Human Nature vs Doctor Who and Shada (fan novelisation)

The Book of the War vs The City of the Dead

The Adventuress of Henrietta Street vs The Stranger

Mad Dogs and Englishmen vs The Crooked World

Anachrophobia vs Alien Bodies

Harvest of Time vs Interference

The Blue Angel vs Vampire Science

Lungbarrow vs The Turing Test

Oh No It Isn't vs The Eleven Day Empire/The Shadow Play

Living Legend vs The Gallifrey Chronicles

Engines of War vs The Year of Intelligent Tigers

Scratchman vs The Scarlet Empress

Psychodrome vs Camera Obscura

This Town Will Never Let Us Go vs Unnatural History

The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 vs A Photograph to Remember

Day 10

The Caves of Androzani vs Warriors of the Deep

Revelation of the Daleks vs Paradise Towers

Snakedance vs The Mysterious Planet

The Visitation vs Ghost Light

Survival vs The King's Demons

Black Orchid vs Battlefield

Planet of Fire vs Frontios

Attack of the Cybermen vs Enlightenment

The Curse of Fenric vs Mindwarp

Terror of the Vervoids vs The Mark of the Rani

Kinda vs Trial of a Time Lord

The Two Doctors vs Earthshock

The Five Doctors vs The Ultimate Foe

Terminus vs Vengeance on Varos

Castrovalva vs Ressurection of the Daleks

Delta and the Bannermen vs Remembrance of the Daleks

Day 11

Whatever Happened to Sarah-Jane? vs Kerblam!

Flux vs The Caretaker

Eve of the Daleks vs Revolution of the Daleks

Praxeus vs Last Christmas

Village of the Angels vs Revenge of the Slitheen

The Ghost Monument vs War of the Sontarans

Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror vs Resolution

The Tsuranga Conundrum vs The Haunting of Villa Diodati

Demons of the Punjab vs Eye of the Gorgon

The Halloween Apocalypse vs Rosa

The Woman Who Fell to Earth vs Once, Upon TIme

Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children vs Spyfall

The Power of the Doctor vs Can You Hear Me?

Invasion of the Bane vs Fugitive of the Judoon

It Takes You Away vs The Witchfinders

Arachnids in the UK vs Thin Ice

Day 12

Downtime vs Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor

Dalek Weetabix advert vs The Fallen

Divided Loyalties vs The Land of Happy Endings

Summoned by Shadows vs Space in Dimension Relative and Time

More than a Messiah vs Step Into the 80s/On Through the 80s

Famine Appeal vs The Devil of Winerborne

Unnatural Selection vs Lepidometry for Beginners

Ground Zero vs Merry Christmas Doctor Who

The Zero Imperative vs When to Die

Fear Itself vs 12 Doctors, 12 Stories

Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough vs The Room With All the Doors

The Terror Game vs Eye of the Beholder

Old Friends vs In Memory Alone

Wall's Sky Ray lollies advert vs Nothing at the End of the Lane

Something Borrowed vs The Flood

The World Shapers vs The Star Beast

Day 13

The Chimes of Midnight vs Minuet in Hell

The Holy Terror vs Spare Parts

The Happiness Patrol vs The Company of Friends: Benny's Story

Dragonfire vs The Company of Friends: Fitz's Story

Doctor Who and the Pirates vs Singularity

The Condemned vs The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

The Girl Who Never Was vs Neverland

Other Lives vs Caerdroia

Scherzo vs The Company of Friends: Mary's Story

Jubilee vs The TV Movie

The Harvest vs Seasons of Fear

Terror Firma vs Storm Warning

Zagreus vs Arrangements of War

Master vs The Natural History of Fear

The Marian Conspiracy vs The Apocalyse Element

Loups-Garoux vs The Kingmaker

Day 14

Death of the Doctor vs The Gift

Lost in Time vs The Mark of the Berserker

Small Worlds vs Secrets of the Stars

Sleeper vs Everything Changes

Countrycide vs To the Last Man

They Keep Killing Suzie vs Out of Time

Cyberwoman vs The Nightmare Man

Combat vs The Temptation of Sarah-Jane Smith

The Wedding of Sarah-Jane Smith vs The Empty Planet

Random Shoes vs Adam

Goodbye, Sarah-Jane Smith vs The Mad Woman in the Attic

Prisoner of the Judoon vs Ghost Machine

The Curse of Clyde Langer vs The Lost Boy

The Last Sontaran vs Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Sky vs The Day of the Clown

Mona Lisa's Revenge vs Captain Jack Harkness

Day 15

Time Crash vs Tardisodes

Dreamland vs Dr Who and the Daleks

Shada (webcast with 8) vs The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later

Ronald Rat Continuity Announcement vs Pond Life

P.S. vs The Shrink

The Daleks' Invasion of Earth 2150AD vs Doctorin' the TARDIS

Farewell, Sarah-Jane vs The Infinite Quest

Shada (1992 version with linking narration) vs An Adventure in Space and Time

Night of the Doctor vs The Doctor's Meditiation

Real Time vs Dimensions in Time

Clara and the TARDIS vs The Great Detective

Rain Gods vs Scream of the Shalka

Doctor in Distress vs Space Time

Night and the Doctor vs The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

Shada (2017 animated reconstruction) vs Born Again

Search Out Space vs The Curse of Fatal Death

[arvadthecursed]

not to continue being an emotional bitch on main but I was thinking about The Last Unicorn (the film, mostly, as it was Baby's First Hyperfixation) and how it is a film about growth and grief, at its very core, and that's why it resonates so strongly.

At the end, the unicorn says, "I have been mortal, and some part of me is mortal yet. I am full of tears and hunger and the fear of death, although I cannot weep, and I want nothing, and I cannot die. I am not like the others now, for no unicorn was ever born who could regret, but I do. I regret." And I wanna focus on those last lines.

There comes a time in all our lives, I think, where we experience that loss of innocence, and it feels like the first time it's happened in human history when it's happening to you.

This isn't a story I've told many people but I'll share it with you now. When I was 12, my grandmother, who I was extremely close to, died of cancer. It had spread to most of her body, including her lungs and brain. Her last days were spent in a hospital hooked up to a morphine drip.

The last time I saw her, it was in the hospital, and she was begging my father not to leave. We had to return to our home to pick up my mother for the impending funeral. And I just remember my grandmother crying out for my dad, telling him not to go, and I remember how utterly crushed I felt in that moment. Death was inevitable. I couldn't escape it, not when it was directly in front of me. At my grandmother's viewing, I could hardly look at her.

For years, I was severely thanatophobic. Death has always kind of hung over my life. My maternal grandmother, only a few months after I was born. My maternal grandfather, when we went to his apartment and found him dead. My grandmother's friend, who we found dead in his house. My grandmother herself.

That was over ten years ago. I've grown quite a bit, and I think working in a nursing home has given me a little more of a "unique" perspective, if you will. Death is just part of life. It happens. And sometimes, it is merciful.

But the grief remains. There are times I'm 12 again, and a scared little girl, watching my grandmother, who could hardly recognize anyone, cry for my dad not to go. I feel regret for not being able to look at her body at the viewing.

And even beyond death... I grieve the girl I lost to abusive boyfriends. I feel this lingering regret at the loss of my innocence, not that I could've stopped it. I think of the sweet little girl I was, and I want to cry for her, but I can't. All I can do is look to the future and try to grow and be better for her.

It's a human experience. We don't like to admit it, but grief is quintessentially human. When it happens to us, it feels like the first time it's happened in history.

And then we grow. We have to keep getting up, and going about our lives, and trying not to trip on our grief. It doesn't go away, but it tucks itself into a corner, where it'll catch us off guard when we least expect it. Then it goes back into hiding.

I think The Last Unicorn is a really beautiful example of all these ideas coming together. The unicorn must come to grips with the fact that she is not innocent anymore. She has grieved, she has loved, and she knows the bittersweetness of regret. Her journey is self discovery, but a tragic one, one that we all go through at one time or another. It's a film that still resonates deeply with me because the notion of grief and growth has always been present in my life.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Was just thinking about it quite a bit today.

[mymiraclebox]

Miracle Boxes - The Mage Generation

These are the first iteration of the Miracle Boxes, created by the Mage himself thousands of years ago. These consisted of twelve Miracle Boxes, each with ten kwamis, which the Mage entrusted to people during his travels around the world. Thanks to the use of the Panda Miraculous, the Mage lived much longer than most humans, making his travels across the world last several hundred years.

The Mage Box - Wandering Panda Crow Unicorn Rabbit Beaver Dove Horse Owl Parrot Scorpion

The Mage Box was the Miracle Box that the Mage personally looked after. He kept the Miraculouses of great power with him, along with ones that helped him in his travels around the world. The Mage would stay in different lands for decades at a time, and choose a close companion from these areas to become a Guardian of one of the boxes he carried. These Guardians were assigned to care for these kwamis, and to watch over a vast region.

The Successor Box - South Asia and West Asia Ladybug Black Cat Qilin Frog Bee Butterfly Fox Peacock Swan Turtle

This Miracle Box was the first the Mage trusted in the hands of another, which was his apprentice. He and apprentice left their home land (in what is now modern Tibet). They both headed south, with the apprentice heading west when they parted ways, while the Mage went east as he began his travels around the world.

The Island Box - Oceania and Southeast Asia Wolf Platypus Pterosaur Tuatara Binturong Blackbuck Coral Kangaroo Komodo Dragon Thylacine

This Miracle Box's Guardian was originally from what is now modern India, who was a traveling companion with the Mage as they went east together. When they parted ways the Mage went north, while she promised to take the Miracle Box south. This Guardian spent much of her time in Southeast Asia, and eventually headed down towards Australia and into the Pacific Islands.

The Coastal Box - East Asia and North Asia Dragon Cobra Dog Goat Monkey Mouse Ox Pig Rooster Tiger

The Mage entrusted this Box to a family who lived along the coast. The range this Guardian and Miracle Box looked after was along the coast of eastern Asia, but did stretch inland as well. The Mage spent a long time with this Guardian and their family, before deciding to pursue stories about a land that laid across the ocean.

The Northern Box - North America Thunderbird Bear Cougar Deer Goose Otter Rattlesnake Raven Salmon Woodpecker

The Mage didn't know what he'd find across the ocean, but he stumbled into a land much bigger than he imagined. His journeys started up in what is now Alaska, down through what would become Canada and the United State. Like many Miracle Boxes before the new Guardian had a vast region with many different cultures for them and their kwamis to look after.

The Central Box - Central America Firefly Raccoon Feathered Serpent Spider Axolotl Bison Coyote Eagle Falcon Shark

Of all of the Mage's travels, it was in Central America where he stayed the longest. This was because ended up adopting a daughter, who he went on many adventures with. The Mage entrusted the last Miracle Box with an Alpha Duo to her, who he stayed with to watch over, along with his grandchildren in time. He continued south shortly after his great-grandson became Guardian, knowing that he couldn't stay there forever.

The Southern Box - South America Grim Snail Crocodile Dolphin Isopod Jaguar Jellyfish Llama Locust Moth

The Mage struggled to bond with others as he headed into South America, pained with his extended life and the lost of love ones that comes from it. In time he befriended a lone traveler who lived a similar lifestyle than him, who he entrusted to become a Guardian. They parted ways when the Mage headed south across the ocean, where he encountered the frozen wasteland of Antarctica.

The Jungle Box - Southern Africa Dinosaur Penguin Elephant Gorilla Jackal Okapi Ray Rhinoceros Squirrel Zebra

The Mage did not remain within Antarctica for long, with the inhospitable environment and lack of human life. He headed north up into Madagascar, where he spent a considerable amount of time before he traveled to the mainland of Africa, which turned out to be much bigger than he had excepted when first traveling to the continent.

The Desert Box - Northern Africa Griffin Dragonfly Camel Chameleon Cheetah Giraffe Hippopotamus Hyena Ostrich Secretarybird

He did not select a guardian for this box for a long time, not until his arrival in ancient Egypt. This was the first place the Mage had truly settled in for many years, but he did eventually head east across the Sahara. The Mage's travels in Africa ended in what is now in Morocco, where he then headed up into the Iberian Peninsula.

The Peninsula Box - Europe Kelpie Aurochs Ant Crab Gecko Hedgehog Ibex Lion Mouflon Seahorse

Europe was yet another region that took the Mage a long time to select a Guardian for, and often retraced his paths in locations he had been in before during this search. In the end he trained up several potential Guardians, but only entrusted the box to one, leading to conflict for the box after he left.

The Arctic Box - Northern Europe and Northern Asia Phoenix Lynx Moose Narwhal Octopus Polar Bear Seal Sheep Stoat Wolverine

The Mage settled a lot more often as he journeyed northward, still very nomadic in where he would travel, but would often stay in settlements for long periods of time, especially during harsh winter months. The Mage loved the world and his travels, but he was tired, especially after living for so long. He entrusted this Miracle Box to a woman the kwamis loved to become their Guardian.

The Mountain Box - Central Asia and the Tibetan Plateau Yeti Red Panda Bat Elk Pangolin Quail Scarab Snow Leopard Tortoise Vulture

At the end of his centuries long journey, the Mage found himself rapidly approaching his homeland. When heading across the mountains he found a Guardian for the last Miracle Box with him. He did not spend long here as he did in other regions of the world, being so close to home. And after such a long journey the Mage for ready to rest.

---

The Mage's apprentice was long dead by the time he returned to his homeland, but he was able to meet those who were protecting the Successor Box in his apprentice's place. Satisfied with the system he had in place and the kwamis that lived across the world, the Mage decided that he was ready to rest after living for so many years.

Still he knew the greed of humanity, and decided that the two Soul Gems along with the Miraculouses of the Panda, Crow, and Unicorn should be hidden away. They were to be hidden away in the Mage Box, so the other seven kwamis he had once looked after he decided to spread across the world, to unite with other Miracle Boxes out there.

After this he hid away the powerful Miraculouses and the Soul Gems, before officially retiring to his homeland under the care of the Guardians of the Successor Box. While he never told a soul where his Miracle Box was hidden, he did entrust the current Guardians with the knowledge of the location of one Soul Gem, before he passed away of old age.

---

The True Generation of Miracle Boxes

The Order Generation of Miracle Boxes

[a-dip-in-the-source]

Okay so come with me on this journey I am going insane about Ronodin:

Okay so we know that Ronodin was raised in the unicorn royal family like they were his own son. He and Bracken were extremely close. We know that Ronodin was a radicalist about interacting with multiple types of magical creatures and mortals and that earned disapproval. We know that Bracken later emulates this behavior.

When Ronodin betrays his family and corrupts himself its out of love, he wants to avenge his family and thinks he has found the best way to do so without considering that he might be wrong. He is doing this with good intentions, Ronodin dresses up everything he does with good intentions, even when he helps murder people he says its for good intentions. Ronodin cannot fathom the idea that good intentions can't fix a problem or justify harm.

Later on in his villainy (and GOD I wish we got to see the aftermath of what happened when Ronodin destroyed that mushroom and the spear, what must've it felt to so thoroughly destroy yourself in the name of your family only to realize that you doomed them. Was it the exile or the feeling that /he could still fix this if he kept going/ that drove him to side with the demons?) Ronodin seems incapable of not including the term family, of getting close. He claims Seth as a brother in order to replace the one he lost, he's pouring resources into corrupting Bracken so they can have something in common again, when he infiltrates the Giants he does so by trying to establish a relationship with the Queen. Hell his proposal to Kendra might have been his last ditch effort to finally have some kind of connection once he realized that having the fairy crown wasn't fixing him. He's craving that validation, that sense of belonging. He could have it if he wanted, if he admitted to what he actually wants but he cannot accept redemption or apologizing because he still is incapable of understanding that he might've been wrong to take action on his own.

Bracken is hunting him down. He treats this like its his own burden to bear, he let Ronodin down by not being there to help. After Ronodin -was exiled/corrupted/died/left- Bracken leaves the Fairy Realm to investigate mortal societies and see what Ronodin saw that made him choose to do what he did. When they fight Bracken seems incapable of actually finishing him off, Ronodin also refuses to actually put an end to this. Ronodin had Bracken literally as close to the void as the two of them could physically bear and he tries to say that he needs more to corrupt him???

In short I'll finish this analysis by saying this: I was shown the most insane little jesterman imaginable who could've been the cornerstone to a story about themes of family and siblings and betrayal and instead of finishing his arc in a meaningful way that mirrors Seth and Kendra Ronodin gets deus ex machina'd away by actual god after everyone completely bypasses their narrative character flaws (except Kendra by the way!!! Because she is literally just standing there doing NOTHING WRONG) by dipping in some magic water because fuck actually using meaningful imagery to communicate what we wanna say these characters need to get ACTUALLY BAPTISED.

[moondustbooks]

Roses are red, Books can be too, Let's pick one up And read it through.

[shannaraisles]

The Warden's Witch, Part 3 - @euryalex

For the indomitable @euryalex, who requested a look at what the dark ritual from Dragon Age: Origins might look like with her transplanted OC Tara and Wyll Ravengard from Baldur's Gate 3. It was fun to write! Came out longer than expected, but it was a joy - thank you so much for your faith in me, lovely!

The Warden’s Witch, Part 3

“That idiot boy will not even speak to me without Cecilia present. One would think he would have developed more sense after our long journey, but, alas.”

Morrigan’s sigh was more genuine than anything Tara believed she had ever heard from her sister before. She frowned, looking over at the other woman, slumped in a chair by the leaping fire. The Grimoire - their mother’s legacy, stolen from her by their friends - lay in her own lap, the open pages mocking her with the ritual they had only one night to complete if their friends were to survive. 

If Wyll was to survive.

She knew he would be the first among the Wardens to snatch up the sword and sacrifice his own life for the sake of the land. He was so irritatingly noble, so utterly unaware of his worth beyond the service he could perform for his land, his king, his people. So oblivious to the fact that more than his heart would stop in those terrible moments when he obeyed his Warden’s Oath to perfection. 

“Perhaps you should have spent more time befriending him, and less time taunting him,” she suggested to her sister, her tone perhaps a little more arch than she really should have allowed it to be.

“I refuse to change myself for the sake of anyone, much less a man whose seed is all I require,” Morrigan retorted with a scowl. “But all hope is not yet lost. You have a pet Warden who may yet be more amenable to our desire.”

“Wyll is not a pet.” Tara’s eyes narrowed at the other woman, mildly disgusted by Morrigan’s insistence on not seeing anyone around her as deserving of basic respect unless they had earned it through personal connection with herself. “And I will not trick him, if that is what you are thinking.”

“All you have to do is seduce him,” Morrigan pointed out. “We can prime you in here, and then you can go and finally have your romantic evening with your doe-eyed prince. He need never know the reason, and they can all live out their lives believing themselves to be the precious golden unicorns that all Wardens secretly wish to be.”

“I won’t lie to him, Morrigan.”

The older woman’s brow rose above an unamused smirk. 

“Then you will have to be very convincing, little sister,” she said, “or this night may well be his last.”

Tara’s scowl matched her sister’s for a long moment, her dark eyes drifting back to the open grimoire on her lap. Could she do this? Flemeth’s magic seemed costly; someone would have to pay a hefty price for this to be a success, but ... what if that price was simply the burden of motherhood? It wasn’t the child she particularly wanted; it was Wyll’s continued existence beyond the battle tomorrow. It was a price worth paying. 

She murmured the words, slender fingers drawing the runes in the air, gathering her mana to her to prime her womb. No matter the strength of the taint that affected his seed, she would conceive tonight. If Wyll allowed it.

Would he understand how important it was to her that he survive? That he stay by her side?

Of course he wouldn’t. She had never told him.

With a snap of leather and parchment, she rose, tossing the now-closed grimoire onto the bed behind her. She didn’t bother acknowledging Morrigan’s knowing stare on her back as she left the room, letting the heavy door bang closed behind her. Her decision was made. All that mattered how was his. 

Arl Eamon’s keep here at Redcliffe was strangely silent in these few hours before the forced march they would soon undertake. Outside the thick walls, an army was encamped, restless men and women trying to snatch a few hours of sleep before they would have to be up and moving, to chase down the darkspawn army and deliver Denerim from certain destruction. Yet here, along the carpeted stone hallways, Tara could have sworn she was the only living being in the entire castle. There was not even any sound of Cecilia and Leliana as she passed their door, though the two of them were incapable of sharing a space without filling it with chatter and warmth. But not tonight. Not when they all knew that death was waiting for them to the north. 

She raised her hand to Wyll’s door, and hesitated, seeing the dirt under her fingernails, the grime of their own forced march that had culminated today in a vicious fight still coating her skin with gritty unpleasantness. Was there time to bathe? Or ... no.

It was only a matter of minutes to seek out a servant, and barely a half hour more when Wyll received a knock on his door, along with a request to admit Tara, a pair of servants with a finely-carved wooden bath tub, and a swift parade of other servants, human and elf alike, bearing great steaming kettles of hot water to fill it with.

“What is this?” He offered up a half-laugh, one hand gesturing to the sudden bustle filling his room.

Tara levelled a particular look on him, one she knew had a tendency to make him just a little bit nervous. 

“Wyll. We both know you are not going to sleep tonight,” she pointed out. “The least you can do is relax in a tub and be clean.”

“And what about you?” he countered, gesturing now to the grimy fingers that had prompted this little act of kindness in the first place.

“I’m not the Grey Warden facing a fight with an Archdemon,” she said, and in her tone was all the gravity of the situation without ever needing to state it outright.

Wyll’s forced smile dropped, the weight of expectation and sacrifice showing plainly on his face as he rubbed a hand over his brow, half-turning away from the quiet exodus of servants and the secure thump of the door being closed firmly in their wake. 

“You knew about it?” he asked, a trace of bitterness in his voice she had never heard aimed at herself before. “Did everyone know but us?”

She bit her lip, glancing toward the closed door as though momentarily contemplating the coward’s way out of this conversation. But no. She had come to him, here and now, for a specific reason. She refused to avoid that outcome just because talking about how to get there was awkward. 

“Morrigan and I know,” she admitted, her voice low enough to complement the crackle and pop of the logs on the fire. “But only because it is detailed in Mo- Flemeth’s grimoire. I highly doubt the others know anything of it. Well, apart from Leliana - those two share everything.”

This had the desired effect - though his face betrayed the stress of the unexpected revelation, he still managed to conjure a brief smile at the reference to just how inseparable their indomitable leader and the bard had become over the past months. A thought that lead to another thought made her own lips twitch into a soft smile; the thought of how close she and Wyll had become since their first unplanned meeting by the demon’s cairn in the Korcari Wilds. She had been curious enough to stop her escape from the Wilds to investigate; he, desperate enough to join forces with an apostate witch. Who would have thought that, all these months later, this Warden and his witch would be instrumental to the defence of not only Ferelden, but the whole world? A hefty burden for even the widest of shoulders. Heftier still, to be placed on the shoulders of such young people who had all found each other by happenstance and luck. 

“Tara, I ...” Wyll hesitated, letting out a low huff of breath as he, too, looked away from her. “This burden belongs to the Wardens. I would not blame you if you chose to leave tonight. You have more to live for than a battle we may not win.”

For the briefest moment, she was shocked. No, she was hurt. It shone in her dark eyes, piercing him with rebuke for even suggesting that she might take this opportunity to abandon him. 

“How dare you say that to me?” she said, each word sharp with retort. “I have stood at your side since Ostagar, and not once have I strayed. Not even in that pestilential Gauntlet. I let you - all of you - see my deepest fears and regrets, and I still stayed. You have no right to ask me to leave you now.”

“But you do not have to fight this fight,” he protested. “You can leave, escape - you can live.”

“I can live, knowing that I turned my back on you when you most needed me?” Tara’s laugh was harsh in the face of his nobility. “How magnanimous of you, my dear Warden.”

“No, you don’t understand, I -” 

He sighed, passing a hand over his handsome face once again, his knee bumping the steaming tub as he flailed for the words he wanted to say. She gave him the time to find those words. They had always had a comfortable silence between them, even when heated words had been spoken. If he needed that silence now, then she would happily give it to him. 

“I made a vow,” he said quietly. “When I Joined the Grey Wardens, I made a solemn oath. True, I did not know what that last line truly meant until Riordan explained it to us tonight, but ... don’t you see? It changes nothing. If I must die so that Alistair and Cecilia may live, then so be it.”

“I know.”

Her own words dropped into the silence like a stone into a pool, leaving ripples of the words that were unspoken to spill from them in the stillness as Warden and witch gazed into each other’s eyes. Those unspoken words crackled between them, arching like lightning across the space between man and woman, linking them and yet not once had either one ever moved to complete that bond they both felt. 

“What if none of you had to die with the Archdemon?”

The shock in his eyes was almost a palpable blow to her gut; his surprise, his ... Hope. She had given him hope, and suddenly she could see exactly how close to accepting his own death Wyll Ravengard was. He had given up all claim to his own life the moment that damned Orlesian Warden had told the Ferelden group the truth of their vow. In death, sacrifice ... But the sacrifice was not that of the archdemon whose death it spoke of. No, that sacrifice was the death of the Warden who struck the blow. Riordan should not have told them, Tara mused unexpectedly. All he had done was ensure an argument at the critical moment as the three young Wardens tried to be the one to die for their friends. At least she could offer them all hope.

“What?”

The word fell from his lips like a startled bird from a branch, falling part way only to be lifted up again on his breath as he leaned forward, eagerly. 

“Tara ... what do you mean?” His hands reached for hers, eyes boring into her own. Needing to see the truth as she explained herself. “Tell me. If you know a way to save us, please ... tell me.”

She gazed up at him, feeling the tingle of the magic cast upon herself still within her womb, ready to guarantee a life planted in her this night and in so doing, save four others in the moment of their sacrifice.

“Do you trust me?” she asked softly. “Not the magic, not Flemeth, not the Wilds ... do you trust me?”

For what felt like a small age, there was silence. Nothing but the sound of the logs in the hearth and the ebb and flow of their breath to break the stillness that had fallen around them. Nothing but the press of his fingers twining with hers, the piercing certainty of his eyes holding her own captive, unable to look away. Nothing but him, even as he considered her.

“Tara.” Her name was barely a ghost on his breath, but oh, how it ached. “Trust is not the word for what I feel for you.”

“Then what word is it?” she asked, unwilling to be left in the dark. Even if he chose to die, even if he went out there tomorrow and gave up everything ... she had to know. She would never be able to live without knowing. 

His answer came without words. A sudden surge of motion, his hands leaving hers to plunger fingertips into her hair, cradle her jaw in his palms, and his lips were brushing her own in a breathless, tender query ... asking to be allowed to go further, to share with her the kiss on the very tip of his tongue that could say so much more than words ever would. She heard herself sob - in relief or in demand, she could not have said - and pressed herself closer to him, closing the last distance, stealing away the question and answering it with passion and sweetness and all the unspoken longing in her heart. 

He growled as her nails scraped over his scalp, the sound reverberating through her, sending a spiralling spear of unadulterated desire trembling through every limb. Her lips parted, asking him inside, demanding something deeper, closer, something more than the kiss that had already stolen her breath and set her heart pounding. As his hands shifted, one falling to her waist to pull her hard against him, she squeaked; a girlish, innocent sound that made him grin into their kiss and draw her ever tighter to him, consuming her even as she sought to match his eagerness with her own. 

Wait ... hadn’t they been talking about something? Wasn’t it important? Whatever it was flew from her mind as his lips tore from hers to trace a possessive line of slick heat from her mouth to her jaw to the sensitive curve of her neck, a tug of his fingers in her hair guiding her head back to allow him more access even as she arched against him. Her voice, unmuffled now, seemed loud in the quiet of the room, unable to quiet herself in this sudden onslaught of all desires fulfilled. She gasped, almost shocked when his fingers found their way inside her scanty robe, only just keeping herself from crying out at the blissful wonder of his bare skin against her own ... yet that very shock was enough to remind her that not all of this tingle was wholly because of him.

She couldn’t do this, not without his full and knowing consent. 

“Wyll ...” 

His lips caught hers, stilling her words. 

“Mmm ... no, Wyll, wait, I ... I need to ...” 

With an effort she felt sure she should be commended for when she looked back on it in future days, Tara laid her hands on his chest and pushed hard, forcing him back from her pliant form, insisting that the intoxicating kisses stop, if only for a few moments more. Hands falling to rest at her hips, he stared at her, torn between hurt and confusion.

“Wh-what?” he asked, breathless himself as they both fought for control of themselves. “Did I do something ... something wrong?”

“N-no!”

She rushed to reassure him, fingers soft on his cheeks even as she sought to keep just a little distance. He was too good, too handsome, too wonderful ... too much to hold at bay if she did not get this out before they fell upon one another again. 

“No,” she said again, gentler this time, swaying into him, seeking to comfort that heat with the warmth of herself. “You did nothing wrong. But I need to talk to you. I need you to know something, before we can do this.”

“So tell me.”

He drew her back with him, settling them both on the bed, hip to hip and hand to hand, reluctant to release her from his grasp as though afraid she might disappear the moment he no longer had her beneath his touch. He was so warm, so trusting. Would he still be so, when he knew what she had come to tell him?

“Wyll ...” She sighed his name, leaning into him for a long moment before gathering together the remnants of her wits to try and form some palatable presentation of what she had to say. “There’s a way - Morrigan and I, we found a way to save you. All four of you. From the ... the sacrifice when the Archdemon dies tomorrow.”

His hands tightened on hers, the only betrayal of the sudden tumult of his emotions. He did not want to die, she knew that for a fact. But he could not see how it could be avoided without resorting to some forbidden magic. And perhaps Flemeth’s spell would be considered forbidden, but Tara felt sure it was not blood magic. It was older than any declaration against blood magic, from a time when magic was just magic, with nothing laid against the act itself. From a time when the intention of the caster made the magic evil, not the magic itself. It did not make her maleficarum, and it would not make him an accomplice to a crime against the Chantry. Yet it would make him, and Cecilia, and Alistair, the focus of a good deal of scrutiny from their fellow Wardens, should their reinforcements ever arrive in full. 

“How can that be?” Wyll’s question was justified. The point of a Warden’s Joining was to make them fit for this absorption of a dark soul, to the point of their own destruction. The circumventing of it was ... unorthodox.

“Your Joining masks your soul from the very essence of the old god corrupted by the taint,” she said, hoping she could explain better than Morrigan’s pitiful attempt to explain to her earlier in the day. “When the Archdemon dies, that soul seeks a new vessel. If ... if an unborn babe was to be close enough at that moment, a babe no more than a few days old in the womb, then that soulless vessel would draw the old god’s soul to it, and the mere act of being absorbed into a truly soulless vessel would cleanse the taint from it.”

He stared at her. She could see his mind struggling to grasp what she was telling him, what she was suggesting. It was unthinkable, yes ... but it was also plausible, understandable. It made sense. She saw the second thought flicker through his mind, too, already smiling even as he opened his mouth to address it.

“So ... are you ...”

“No,” she said, cutting him off before he could hurt both of them by voicing that uncertain suspicion aloud. “And neither is Morrigan. But ...” Tara drew in a slow breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say. “Wyll, if you are willing, we could lie together tonight and plant that seed. And you and your fellows would not be tied to the fate of the Archdemon tomorrow.”

“And you would bear an old god?” he asked, horror now in his tone. “That could kill you!”

She shook her head swiftly.

“Only the soul of the old god,” she clarified. “I don’t know how powerful a mage that may make the child, but they will be a child, a mortal life created from the death of something truly immortal. And- and who better to raise that child than a witch and Warden?”

She had surprised him again, she could tell. His throat worked as he swallowed, and not for the first time, she wondered how often in his life he had been used and discarded with no thought for the future. 

“You would allow me to be a part of the child’s life?” he asked, his voice low, the hope hidden so deeply within that she only heard it because she knew it was there.

“I would slap you silly if you chose not to be,” she informed him smartly. “Wyll, I don’t ... I don’t really care about becoming a mother. I want to save you.”

He let out a mirthless laugh.

“But in doing that,” he said, “you are giving up your freedom, to be a mother to a very precious child.”

It was her turn to fall silent, to hold his gaze and hope beyond hope that he knew her well enough to read truth in her eyes as she stared at him. Her hands softened in his grasp, her whole body softened toward him. Did he truly not know how very previous he was to her?

“For you, I would give up everything,” she said, her voice quiet yet firm. “And I would thank whoever took it that you are kept safe and whole.”

“But why?” He truly did not seem to be able to grasp what could possibly motivate her to make such a sacrifice for him.

Tara’s smile was bittersweet as she shook her head. Was it really so hard to believe that she could feel this way about him?

“Because I love you, you oblivious heap of horse droppings.”

The childish insult did its work, breaking the tension of the moment, delivering first Wyll, and then her, into fits of irrepressible giggles that only grew out of control, urged on by the tension and fear and impossibility of the situation they found themselves in. They dropped back onto the bed together, still laughing, still clinging to one another, until finally the laughter faded away, leaving only the words between them. 

“As charming as that declaration was,” Wyll said, the smile still playing about his lips as he rolled to face her, “this oblivious heap of horse droppings loves you in return. Not because you can save me, though I am deeply grateful for that ... I love you for your strength, your stubbornness, the kindness you think I don’t see, the softness you only show when you think no one is looking. I love you for your eyes, your mouth, your hair. I love you, Tara.” His hand dropped to her belly, to the womb awaiting a seed to save not one, but four lives. “And I will love our child, no matter what soul they bear.”

Her mouth fell open, her turn to be shocked by his acceptance of her offer so casually and meaningfully given. 

“You-you don’t think it’s a sin?” she asked, knowing the Chantry would condemn this if they knew of it. “You don’t think it makes me evil, even to have suggested it?”

Wyll sighed, shuffling closer to her, tucking her into his chest as his fingers rose to stroke her hair.

“I learned today that the great heroic order I Joined of my own free will was created to send men like me to our deaths without our full knowledge until the moment it becomes necessary to know,” he said, and now she realised what that edge to his tension was. He was angry with the deception that had brought him to this point in time. “That my noble sacrifice is expected of me. That it would not be my choice to die for others if I were the one to strike the blow.”

He leaned down, lips touching a soft kiss to her mouth as he stroked a tender touch from her hair to her jaw to her shoulder. 

“Tara,” he breathed, “I don’t want to die. I want to live ... with you, for you. Forget the Wardens. I will do my duty tomorrow, and then we can disappear. No one need ever find us, unless we wish it.”

“We can escape, just the two of us,” she whispered, almost laughing when he tapped on her belly once again. “The three of us.”

His mouth quirked into a half-grin as he leaned down to her once more, hands sure, lips hungry, eyes filled with love. 

“Let’s just make sure that there is a three of us first,” he murmured, muffling himself against her lips as he drew her to him, tender love mingling with lustful desire finally given a voice. “I intend to be very thorough.”

Her giggle was swallowed by his kiss as she melted into him, forgetting the impending battle, the doom cloud hanging over the castle, the army encamped in the valley beyond, the darkspawn spreading their corruption across the land. In a matter of days, it would be over.

And they would be free.

[book--brackets]

Future Competitions

In light of recent requests and submissions, once this competition is over, we'll be starting back up again with a whole new set of books! If you'd like to submit a title, check my pinned post and the list below to make sure your submission is eligible. I can no longer add to this list. Any further titles are being kept privately by me, but there are there, I promise! I am now tagging asks with the titles submitted.

A to Z Mysteries

Abhorsen

A Dog's Life

Adventure (Blyton)

Adventures of the Bailey School Kids

Adventurers Wanted

Alcatraz VS the Evil Librarians

Alex Rider

All-of-a-Kind Family

The American Girl Books

Amulet

Anne of Green Gables

Animal Ark

Animorphs

Applewhites

The Babysitter's Club

The Bartimaeus Trilogy

Beacon Street Girls

Beatrice Bailey

The Belgariad

Bella Sara

Betsy-Tacy

Black Beauty

The Black Stallion

The Blackwell Pages

Books of Bayern

The Borrowers

Bridge to Terabithia

The Boxcar Children

Captain Underpants

Casson Family

The Cat Club

Catwings

Charlotte's Web

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

The Chronicles of Dragon

The Chronicles of Prydain

The Circle of Magic

Clementine

The Clique

The Cloak Society

Cobble Street Cousins

The Cooper Kids Adventures

Coraline

Damar (McKinley)

The Dark Hills Divide

The Dark Is Rising

Dear America

Dear Canada

Deltora Quest

The Divide (Kay)

Dork Diaries

Dragonbreath

The Dragonfly Pool

Dragonhaven

Dragon Rider

Dragon Slayer's Academy

Earthsea Cycle

East (Pattou)

Echo (Ryan)

Edgar & Ellen

Emily (Montgomery)

Emily Windsnap

The Enchanted Castle

Encyclopedia Brown

Esperanza Rising

The Ever Afters

The Faerie Realm

Fablehaven

Fairyland (Valente)

The Faraway Tree

Ferngully

First Light (Stead)

Five Children and It

Flat Stanley

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Gallagher Girls

Geronimo Stilton

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The Giver

Goddess Girls

Goosebumps

Graceling

The Great Brain

The Greenglass House

Gunnerkrigg Court

Half Upon a Time

The Hardy Boys

Hatchet

Heist Society

Help, I'm Trapped...

His Dark Materials

Holes

How to Train Your Dragon

The Hunger Games

Igraine the Brave

The Immortals Quartet

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

Ingo (Dunmore)

The Inheritance Cycle

Inkheart

Iron Hearted Violet

Island of the Aunts

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Ivy & Bean

Journey to the River Sea

Julie of the Wolves

Junie B. Jones

The Kane Chronicles

The Kid Who Ran for President

Kiki Strike

Killer Unicorns

Kingdom Keepers

The Last Apprentice

The Letter for the King

La Quête d’Ewilan (in French)

Legend (Lu)

Les Chevaliers d’Émeraude (in French)

Leven Thumps

Liesl & Po

Little House on the Prairie

A Little Princess

Little Women

Lockwood & Co.

The Lost Conspiracy

Macdonald Hall

The Magic Thief

Magic Treehouse

The Magisterium

Magnus Chase

Malory Towers

Matt Cruse

Maximum Ride

Melissa (Gino)

Merlin (Barron)

Michael Vey

Miri and Molly

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The Missing (Haddix)

Mister Max

The Mistmantle Chronicles

Misty (Henry)

Molly Moon

The Moorchild

Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

The Music of Dolphins

My Secret Unicorn

My Side of the Mountain

My Teacher Is an Alien

Nancy Drew

Nevermoor

The Neverending Story

Nimona

The Ogre Downstairs

Out of My Mind

The Penderwicks

Pendragon

Peter and the Starcatchers

The Phantom Stallion

The Phantom Tollbooth

Pillage (Skye)

Pippi Longstocking

Pixie Tricks

Poison (Zinn)

Pony Pals

Princess Academy

Protector of the Small

Rainbow Magic

Rain Reign

Ramona

Regarding the...

The Roman Mysteries

Rose (Webb)

Rowan of Rin

The Royal Diaries

Running Out of Time

Sammy Keyes

Savvy

School of Fear

The Search for Wondla

The Secret Garden

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Secret Series

Septimus Heap

A Series of Unfortunate Events

The Seventh Tower

Shadow Children (Haddix)

Silver Brumby

Silverwing

Skullduggery Pleasant

Song of the Lioness

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Stardust

Stargirl

The Strictest School in the World

Swallows and Amazons

Sweet Valley High

The Swiss Family Robinson

A Tale Dark & Grimm

The Tale of Despereaux

Tales of Alderley

Tales of Magic

Ten Kids, No Pets

The Thief Lord

Tiffany Aching

Tillerman Cycle

Time Hunters

The Trumpet of the Swan

Tuck Everlasting

Tuesday McGillycuddy

The Two Princesses of Bamarre

Uglies

Un Lun Dun

Undertow

Unicorn Chronicles

Upon a Marigold

Upside-Down Magic

The Vengekeep Prophecies

The View from Saturday

The War That Saved My Life

Wayside School

The Westing Game

When You Reach Me

Where the Red Fern Grows

Wildwood Chronicles

Windsingers

Wings & Co.

Winnie the Pooh

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Worst Witch

You Be the Jury

[keithtreason]

29 songs - so many sources of footage

Tattoo | The Dragon Prince Promare Raya and the Last Dragon Arcane Nimona Demon Slayer How to Train Your Dragon Pokémon: Twilight Wings Naruto How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Weathering with You Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Cha Cha Cha | Jujutsu Kaisen Chainsaw Man

Unicorn | The Rising of the Shield Hero Tower of God Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia Beyond the Boundary The Case Study of Vanitas One-Punch Man Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Due Vite | BlackWolfsspirit Liz and the Blue Bird Your Name A Silent Voice Weathering with You

Queen of the Kings | Balto The Lion King Raya and the Last Dragon The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Corpse Bride Kung Fu Panda Lady and the Tramp The Rescuers Down Under Tarzan Brave Wolfwalkers Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Oliver & Company Onward Turning Red

Heart of Steel | The Bad Guys Zootopia Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Gorillaz (Silent Running, Cracker Island) Because of You | Fellerya An Extremely Goofy Movie Raya and the Last Dragon Spirit Untamed Sing Tangled Hazbin Hotel - Addict

Bridges | The Legend of Korra Nimona Arcane Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Dragon Age: Absolution Revolutionary Girl Utena Wolfwalkers Over the Moon Vinland Saga Mulan Princess Tutu

Promise | Aleu the Husky Ice Age: Continental Drift The Lion King Kung Fu Panda 2 Wolfwalkers Bolt Balto Cool World Raya and the Last Dragon Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole Kung Fu panda Tarzan Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Wolf Children Pokémon Journeys: The Series Oliver & Company The Croods: A New Age

My Sister’s Crown | Cirera Pocahontas Mulan Aladdin Anastasia The Hunchback of Notre Dame Atlantis: The Lost Empire Beauty and the Beast The Little Mermaid Hercules

Stay | zuckarr Destiny of the Shrine Maiden No.6 Terror in Resonance Devilman Crybaby Sasaki to Miyano Tales of Zestiria the X Violet Evergarden Tsurune Seraph of the End Free!

Mama ŠČ! | Freak Kitchen The Aristocats Mulan The Emperor’s New Groove Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Nimona The Super Mario Bros.

Who The Hell Is Edgar? | The Hunchback of Notre Dame We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story Black Tulip (1988) Anastasia The Little Mermaid Rock and Rule Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas The Pagemaster The BFG (1989) The Princess and the Pea (2002) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs FernGully: The Last Rainforest The Black Cauldron

Evidemment | K/DA Frozen 2 How to Train Your Dragon Raya and the Last Dragon Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - More Fighters Kiriko - Overwatch 2 Animated Short Komi Can’t Communicate Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel III. spring song Chainsaw Man My Little Pony: The Movie Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken The Mitchells vs. the Machines Encanto Demon Slayer Lilo and Stitch Turning Red Appleseed Helluva Boss Big Hero 6 Wishing Dead - Rainimator KonoSuba Fire Force Nikki and the God of Dreams | A New Nikki Story JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Genshin Impact

Eaea | The Prince of Egypt The Hunchback of Notre Dame La Reine Soleil Zarafa

Soarele și Luna | Centaurworld Primal (2019) Corpse Bride Mune: Guardian of the Moon Wakfu Kirikou and the Sorceress The Dragon Prince The Princess and the frog The Prince of Egypt Birdboy: The Forgotten Children Sahara

Solo | Blueangelj Rosario + Vampire K-On! Sk8 the Infinity Golden Time My Little Monster Uta no Prince-Sama Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card Bungo Stray Dogs Sasaki and Miyano Clannad Given the Movie Given: Uragawa no Sonzai

Watergun | MovieEdyt Ferdinand Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole How to Train Your Dragon 2 Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Raya and the Last Dragon The Lion King Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio Ice Age Luca White Fang (2018) Disney’s Dinosaur

Carpe Diem | btloov Bambi The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride The Fox and the Hound Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure Oliver & Company The Aristocats The Lion King Bambi II

Duje | Encanto The Lion King Bambi 2 The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure

Ai Coração | Gepardzia Animash 101 Dalmatians My Little Pony: The Movie Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Bolt Isle of Dogs Tarzan Zootopia The Lion King Scarborough Fair Don't Starve Together: Disconnected [WX-78 Animated Short] How to Train Your Dragon 2 Beauty and the Beast My Little Pony: A New Generation The Boxtrolls The Road to El Dorado Puss in Boots

Samo mi se spava | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse How to Train Your Dragon 2 How to Train Your Dragon Trollhunters Wizards (Tales of Arcadia) Atlantis: The Lost Empire Rise of the Guardians Mune: Guardian of the Moon Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

Blood & Glitter | Persona 5 Launch Trailer Seraph of the End No. 6 Persona 5: The Animation

Echo | Star Wars: Visions (Screecher's Reach, The Spy Dancer, The Village Bride, Lop & Ochō) The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Wolfwalkers Amphibia Assassination Classroom The Owl House Infinity Train Monkie Kid Arcane Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Kaguya-sama: Love Is War—The First Kiss That Never Ends Nimona Tear Along the Dotted Line Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio Centaurworld Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Breaking My Heart | Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Miraculous Ladybug Roadside Romeo Arcane Laputa: Castle in the Sky Princess Mononoke Kiki’s Delivery Service The Wind Rises She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Helluva Boss The Bad Guys Beastars Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole Naruto Wolfwalkers Violet Evergarden

What They Say | Ranking of Kings Spirited Away The Ancient Magus’ Bride The Legend of Korra To Your Eternity Mushishi A Silent Voice Hotarubi no Mori e Hunter x Hunter Heaven Official’s Blessing Banana Fish Violet Evergarden Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Bungo Stray Dogs

Like An Animal | Toy Story Cars Bolt Zambezia Turbo

We Are One | Zootopia Tangled Rio Brother Bear The Aristocats Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure Oliver & Company Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The Lion King The Fox and the Hound Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked An Extremely Goofy Movie Aladdin Beauty and the beast Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Tell Me More | The Cat Returns From Up On Poppy Hill Kiki’s Delivery Service Howl’s Moving Castle Spirited Away The Secret World of Arrietty When Marnie Was There Whisper of the Heart My Neighbor Totoro Ocean Waves The Wind Rises Tales from Earthsea Princess Mononoke Ponyo Porco Rosso Laputa: Castle in the Sky Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

[presidentdisastraofgallifrey]

Rating Every Nu Who Episode: Season 4

Voyage of the Damned: 5/10 didn't care much for it, though there were a couple of funny moments.

Partners in Crime: 10/10 DONNA!!!!! Also the adipose are cute and funny and horrifying and although the implication is MEANT to be that they took advantage of there being so many fat people in existence, I choose to read it as taking advantage of the predatory weight loss industry. Also Ten and Donna are the perfect Doctor and companion pair. They are chaos twins.

The Fires of Pompeii: 8/10 it was interesting and funny and I love the ending with "save someone, just someone" bit.

Planet of the Ood: 9/10 despite the weird hair loss poisoning which I'm not sure can cause one to change species. But every other part was so perfect and heart-wrenching I'm not even taking points off.

The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky: 7/10 the sontarans are a lot of fun and I liked the cars turning against people, but the young genius guy and his private school felt sort of random and out of place.

The Doctor's Daughter: 8/10 while not the most exciting episode ever, the Doctor's complex family feelings were great and the idea of war spreading so fast that whole lifetimes pass in days was beautiful.

The Unicorn and the Wasp: 9/10 yes it's one of the silliest premises since the revival and yes it feels just like an Agatha Christie book and yes it's sweet and charming and tragic and I love it.

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead: 10/10 RIVER!!! This was a GREAT introduction for a fellow time traveler married to him. And also a very creepy premise. And also a very sweet solution when you expect greed to be the cause, or some villain, but it was just a little girl who wanted to save everyone. Note, however: people do so say however many were saved, the show tried too hard to be clever here.

Midnight: 3/10 nothing wrong with it and I know it's a very popular episode, but I don't care as much for plots that take place in a closed space (that felt very spaceshipy) with a mystery threat, and it wasn't fun to me how quickly everyone turned on each other even though I'm not saying it's unrealistic.

Turn Left: 10/10 genuinely one of my favorite episodes. (1) I love in-show AUs, (2) Donna is the most ordinary and most extraordinary person in the universe, and (3) I actually liked Rose a lot more here.

The Stolen Earth/Journey's End: 10/10 I love everything about it, but especially the coming together of all the Doctor's friends. It was fantastic. Also the tragedy of Donna's leaving was beautiful.

The Next Doctor: 8/10 it was charming and funny and I loved the confusion of "well he COULD be me, this happens every few years."

The End of Time: 6/10 thought the Time Lord plot was clever and enjoyed Wilf as a proper companion. The Master's plot to make everyone him was unusually nonsensical, though, and I hate everything about his over-the-top vibes.

Waters of Mars: 0/10 because scary water zombies. I literally only watched it once. It lost its last point because I like the rest of the plot but can't watch it again.

Bonus Character Rating:

Ten: 10/10 he's great and sad and silly but trying so hard to live life.

Donna: 10/10 she's just such a Person. She's normal and abrasive and unapologetic and utterly perfectly complimentary for him.

Wilf: 10/10 perfect grandpa

[ahiddenpath]

Japan Trip 2023

I just returned from a two week trip to Japan! I'll be slowly releasing material about it- where I went, my experience, what I purchased, etc. For now, here are the broad strokes beneath the cut!

Itinerary

First we went to Tokyo and stayed in Toyosu, which is close to Odaiba. After that, we moved to a hotel near Shibuya, after which we moved to a hotel in Osaka. From Osaka, we commuted to Kyoto twice and Nara once.

I want to start by saying that I have never been on a vacation like this. It was physically demanding!

Highlights:

-Team Labs Planets in Toyosu

Team Labs is basically... A group sensory experience? I don't want to spoil it in case anyone wants to go, but basically, you and a bunch of strangers enter a series of rooms with sensory stuff going on. People of all ages are encouraged to play, truly play and engage. My husband and I were giggling the whole time. I've never done anything like it, and genuinely, it's making me want to have a serious deep think about what it means to engage and play, and how our senses are connected to that.

-Doing shrine activities that I have researched at Sensou ji

Shrines have featured in several of my fanfics, so I was so pumped to A.) Know what was going on, B.) Have a general idea of what to do, and C.) GET TO DO IT MYSELF!!! I showed my husband how to purify your mouth and hands with the sacred water. We both pulled our fortunes, and because we both got bad fortunes, we tied them to the rack and bowed and clapped our hands to dispel it (not sure if that last part is necessary, I just copied a Japanese person). The line to pray was long, and I was fretting over praying correctly... And then someone got tired of waiting and CHUCKED THEIR OFFERING MONEY OVER THE CROWD and into the giant offering bin. My husband said, "I maybe wouldn't worry so much," lol! I also bought some shrine charms!!!!!

-Wandering Odaiba

I was upset because our plane to Japan was delayed five hours, meaning I lost time in Odaiba... But I still hit some highlights! I really wanted to see the gazebo and Akemi Bridge, for example. I also saw the Rainbow Bridge, the Statue of Liberty replica, Fuji Station, Diver City, Aqua City, and Tokyo Big Site. I really wanted to check out the apartments where the Chosen live, like Odaiba Kaihin Koen, but there just wasn't time. I didn't really get a sense of the layout of the place, either :/

-Diver City and Gundam Base

I'm not particularly a Gundam fan, but the 1:1 Gundam outside of Diver City on Odaiba???? As if it existing wasn't cool enough, it LIGHTS UP does a SHOW??? According to Google, "It undergoes a transformation four times a day (at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm) into 'destroy mode'; light shows take place on the half-hour between 7pm and 9.30pm"

THE NIGHT SHOW WAS AMAZING! It plays music and projects visuals from Gundam Unicorn onto Diver City, all while the Gundam lights up and physically shifts between its two forms. And it does it all autonomously!

For scale, I am 5'8". I did not go up to its ankle.

-Tokyo Disney Sea

My husband and I love theme parks, and so does Japan! We were in Japan for two weeks, so we opted to only visit one park, the one that cannot be found anywhere else: Tokyo Disney Sea. This park is themed around exploration, and has rides found nowhere else, like Journey to the Center of the Earth and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It also has a truly kickass Little Mermaid section for wee kiddos.

I admit that, because we knew we may never come back, we did the bougie thing of paying to skip lines to experience the most popular rides. Our crowd level was 2/5, and still, the park was JAM PACKED. There were waits of 180 minutes for some rides, so this was the only way to see most (but still not all!) of what we hoped to see. If you're ever planning to go but don't have much time to dedicate to it, I would keep that in mind.

-Seeing Kabukicho and having the best alcohol of my life at Golden Gai

Kabukicho is the main setting of LAD (Like a Dragon), a popular video game series about the Yakuza. And I saw it with my own two eyeballs! We arrived at about 7 PM, way before the nightlife crowd, but that does mean I was able to peek around in peace and have table space at the microscopic bars in Golden Gai. I had the best alcoholic drink of my life, a dessert umeshu, at the Blue Dragon.

One thing to note about Kabukicho, if you ever plan to go. It's a red light district. Sex workers and barkers for sex workers line the streets (don't take your kids here!!!!). Automated messages play in English, warning tourists not to trust touts. Touts are apparently different from barkers. Barkers stand outside of their venue and say stuff like, "Come in and meet our girls," etc. Touts promise you free drinks and will half physically pull you into their establishment. There have been cases of them drugging those "free" drinks and then charging their victim thousands of dollars.

Kabukicho was the only place in Japan where I was nervous, safety wise. Just keep walking if someone tries to get you to go somewhere.

-Nakano Broadway

Nakano Broadway is a giant ass nerd mall in Nakano, a special ward west of Shinjuku, that is mostly owned or rented by Mandarake. Mandarake is a chain of second hand stores for nerd shit (anime merch, collectibles, vintage toys, ball jointed dolls, idol merch, etc). I found most of my digimon stuff here. There are a ton of Mandarakes spread throughout Japan, but the others that I visited were mostly too crowded, packed, and hot for me to browse.

Nakano was like a dream. Most of the stores I wanted to visit were several train rides apart, and each station had several flights of stairs and little to no AC. Nakano had dozens of cool stores in THE SAME WELL AIR CONDITIONED BUILDING, with two bathrooms per floor. The opportunity to hang out for hours in a single comfortable place was enough to make me cry in gratitude. I'm not kidding. This is not hyperbole.

Now, as a warning, it helps to be able to read Japanese in these stores. Most directional signs in Japan are written in Japanese and English, but store directories and labels often are Japanese only. My husband can read well and speak decently, so he was able to navigate stores and read the organizational labels on the jam packed shelves.

Nakano Broadway is also a main setting for Digimon Cyber Sleuth!

-Konansou Ryokan at Kawaguchi

So we wanted to book a ryokan, or traditional inn, at Hakone, home of some of the most luxurious inns around. Unfortunately, you need to book those at least three months in advance to get a room, so we ended up in Kawaguchi, a popular getaway for Tokyo folks located near Mt. Fuji, which is called Fuji-san in Japan.

This is easily the most luxurious thing I have experienced in my entire life.

The room was a gorgeous suite with a HUGE outdoor bath facing Mt. Fuji. It had a genkan and an entry with sliding doors to the living area, bedroom, and bath area. The floors were tatami, and guests were provided with yukatas and a lounge set. The dinner was indescribably fancy, and was delivered straight to our room.

Our only regret is that we only spared one night for the ryokan. The time passed like blinking. I truly hope to stay in a ryokan again someday!

Also, Kawaguchi was my favorite area of Japan that we visited, for its beauty and relative calm, crowd wise. I am not a city person, so that tracks.

-Dotonbori

Look, Dotonbori was crowded AF, especially on Sunday. But it's a delight to the senses at night. LOOK AT THIS STUFF, ISN'T IT NEAT?!

Absolutely try to look up "walk with me" videos in Dotonbori at night. The signs! The lights! The competing street performers! The FOOD!

-Osaka Aquarium

I met two whale sharks! WHALE SHARK!!!! WHALE!!!! SHARK!!!!!

-Todai-ji Daibutsuden (Hall of the Giant Buddha) and Nara Deer in Nara

Nara was a daytrip for us, about 40 min away from Osaka in practice, but functionally longer, at least for us, lol. Okay so like- The giant Buddha? It was. GIANT. Like... house size. Like... utterly jaw dropping.

And the Nara deer were so cute! They were EVERYWHERE! They will bow if you show them a deer cracker/senbei. Just be careful and only offer it to a deer that is alone, and don't let them see the senbei before you are ready to interact with them. The deer can be aggressive, especially in colder months.

Interacting with them was truly some Disney princess shit, it's incredible. I also enjoyed walking around Nara a lot, it feels much more friendly to me than the cities. Also, this is where the most locals talked to me of their own volition, even though we were only there for a few hours. Like literally, in those few hours, more people approached me than almost two weeks combined in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.

-Ikebana classes at Kinse Inn in Kyoto

Yes, I took an ikebana class. Yes, it was mostly for Puits d'Amour. I had an absolutely lovely time, I enjoyed the hell out of it. The lessons were given by an American living with her Japanese husband, whose aunt welcomed her into her ikebana school. Learning her story and meeting her family was awesome, and I also loved hearing about how her husband re-opened the gorgeous inn (seriously, it's beautiful, check out the website) after it sat in disuse for a generation between her husband's grandparents and her husband.

I truly cannot express how much this experience meant to me. I am going to try ikebana at home, too! Check out this freestyle arrangement I made!

Is it good? No idea! Do I love it? YES!

-The entire final day in Kyoto (Fushimi Inari, Gion/Sannenzaka, Kiyomizu-dera)

OKAY RAPID FIRE!

Fushimi Inari is a Shinto Shrine! It features hundreds of red gates going up a hill (mountain?). It's some straight up Ghibli shit! It's magical! The way the trees surround and embrace the gates is stunning, I wish I had good pictures, but they are full of tourists (it was crowded). Definitely look it up on YT if you're interested! I've never seen anything like it and never will again! I also hung my ema, or wishing plaque, with the wishes of hundreds of other visitors, which is something I dreamed of doing. It was shaped like a fox head!

The Gion/Sannenzaka shopping area was gorgeous omg!!!

And of course, the famous Kiyomizu-dera shrine among the trees is beyond compare! I also had a group of young Japanese ladies in kimonos ask me to take their picture, which was so fun!!!! People rarely talked to me in Japan- I always forget how uncommonly friendly Americans are- so this made me so happy!

-The Food

Japan has incredible food! The ramen, okonomiyaki, and taiyaki were my faves. I also really enjoyed MOS Burger, it was way better than any fast food I've had in the states, which annoys me so much lol! It was piping hot and was made with real gouda cheese, not the gross yellow American cheese that tastes like plastic that all the fast food places use here. And the ryokan meal was an experience like no other.

The bad part is that I could barely eat in Japan, as I'll expand on below.

Rough Spots:

-The heat

Tokyo gets hot, and a lot of the old buildings simply don't have adequate AC. In fact, as I understand, central heating and cooling are kind of an American thing? Add the immense crowds and high lighting in stores, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Normally, in late September/early October, temps are historically in the low 70sF. It was 80-90F all but one day of this trip, with high humidity and sun. The good news: no rain and no typhoons (my BIL went a few weeks before us and lost a day and a half to a typhoon!). The bad news...

I have never sweat like that in my life. It rolled off my body and onto the pavement. On the 90F day, I took THREE showers, because I could tell my husband and I stank. I promise, this isn't normal for us, lol! I nearly fainted a few times, especially on the Akihabara day.

It's just, everywhere we went, we usually had to go to several train stations, all with a few flights of stairs and a lot of walking involved. We were walking at a brisk pace all day for two weeks, from 9 AM to 9 PM ish, in the blistering heat, with no real AC relief (except for Osaka. For some reason, the AC seemed to work better in Osaka? Maybe it's just comparatively less crowded than Tokyo?). And like- god almighty, standing on those packed trains with your face in some stranger's armpit, with a stranger's face in YOUR armpit...!

Most days, we were only able to eat one meal, and even then, we were forcing ourselves to do it because... You know... Humans need food. I would be shocked if I didn't shed weight this trip. Something about being that hot made us unable to eat.

-The crowds

I have a low stimulus threshold, and the press of all three cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto), but Tokyo most of all, was absolutely bonkers unbelievable holy shit. If you make a wrong move, which is common for tourists in the subways, you're going to cause a collision. There were whole areas of Tokyo where I could not see any of the stuff I came to see. I saw people smushed against windows in trains, with their palms adhered to the glass.

It was an actual nightmare. I don't know how else to say it.

-The laundry fiasco

We had a two week trip. We took a week's worth of clothing each and chose a hotel with a washer/dryer for the mid point of the trip. Most Japanese people, as I understand, hang dry their clothing. The washer/dryer in the hotel was a combo unit that could not fit a whole load. We were also forced to use their auto detergent, and as I've mentioned, we were sweating like pigs in hell.

And the dryer didn't dry the clothes.

My husband spent FIVE HOURS trying to get space in the four machines to rerun our clothes. Some of our things were dried FIVE TIMES and STILL CAME OUT WET, and the detergent wasn't strong enough to handle our western sweat glands in "hey you might actually die" mode.

There's no nice way to put this: our clothes did not get cleaned, and we spent an entire evening on this. Worse yet, we did our clothes the day before shipping off our luggage to the next hotel, meaning we did not have extra nights to air them out.

My advice for anyone visiting Japan is to find a hotel with a nearby laundromat. The ones we passed had impressive-looking machines with separate washers and dryers, not that tiny combo disgrace.

I don't want to talk about this any more, lol!

-Akihabara

Akihabara is a nerd area of Tokyo, with a high concentration of anime/video games/ball jointed doll/entertainment merchandise. Anime characters line the buildings, anime music plays everywhere. This was one of the places I was most excited for. I brought my backpack to carry my inevitable purchases.

I bought four items, and three of those were from the spacious Volks doll store. Most of the stores were so packed with people and merchandise that I could not see a damned thing. The crowds, heat, humidity, lack of AC, and the harsh display lighting made the stores indescribably hot. This was the day I nearly passed out a few times. I ended up almost crying on the street by about 5 PM.

I should tell you that I loved the Radio Kaikan building, which had a ton of great stores in it, was big enough to almost accommodate the crowds, at least comparatively, and had proper AC somehow. I also liked the Eorzea Final Fantasy XIV cafe, although I needed my earplugs because of how loud it was.

Everything else? An actual level of hell. Denden town in Osaka was similar, but had proper AC and was large enough to actually see what you are shopping for. I am not exaggerating, you cannot turn around in the aisles at most Akihabara stores, and they are packed solid with shoppers.

-Japan hours

Don't ask me why, but most businesses in Japan don't open until 11 AM. Like literally, I'd be looking for coffee and have trouble finding it before that time. Even breakfast opens late??? Japanese stores are also off on random days, and often restaurants close in between meals, meaning if you don't eat at noon, you might not be able to find a full meal until 6 PM (although you can always get a snack at a conbini). We had to schedule our days around certain closures, etc.

This is fantastic for people who work with customers in Japan, everyone should have adequate time off. But damn it's hard to deal with as an American on a tight vacation schedule. In the states, most businesses are open every day from like 6 AM to 10 PM, or 10 AM to 8 PM at least. We missed out on a few things because of this.

-Other Tourists

Japan attracts a ton of tourists, and as I've mentioned, its cities are DENSE. Think of common obnoxious tourists. Now multiply their numbers by 1,000 at least. Now cram them into an already crowded local population.

It's bad. Real bad. I got bodily shoved aside so many times that I finally cracked and began shoving back. It was always tourists, at least judging by the languages they spoke.

-That one creep with the camera

So. There are a few signs in public transit showing a man sticking a phone under a lady's skirt saying basically, "Do not take unwanted photos."

So yeah. I saw a guy doing that. Absolutely repulsive. This isn't a Japan specific thing, of course, but they apparently know it's an issue.

-My own anxiety about fitting in at Japan

So, part of my problem with the heat is that I dressed, to the best of my ability, according to Japanese sensibilities, as informed by interviews with Japanese people I found on YT. And they were correct: Japanese women rarely show their legs, and even less so their bust and tush areas. They wear long sleeves and pants in 90F weather. Maxi dresses and long jumpers are also in. Anything flowy, long, and oversized.

Do you see where I'm taking this? My dumb ass didn't bring short sleeved shirts or shorts. I tried to buy them at Uniqlo and H&M. They were not in stock. Not a single pair of shorts. I was forced to buy what I suspect are men's lounge shorts from the clearance section, they literally had ONE pair. I did manage to find a t-shirt, too. I wore those shorts more times than I care to admit.

So yeah, maybe only 10% of ladies wear shorts on a hot day, and a lot of them are foreigners, but do you know what is nice? Not fainting from the heat.

Also, there are a lot of behaviors that are considered okay in America and not okay in Japan. I watched a ton of videos and really stressed out over behaving as properly as I could. And guess what? Within a day, I saw people speaking Japanese do all of those forbidden things, like drinking and eating while walking, talking on the train, and so on.

If you do go, try to be respectful and informed, but please don't feel anxiety/fear over it. Just say "sumimasen" if you think you made a mistake, the locals will get it.

I have so much more to say about the trip, but that is all the brain juice I have right now! Take care!