#why would she send her kid to work in the factory

[angelinthefire]

Saw a gif set of Vi railing against the Council in season 1, and underneath someone had written "where was this energy in season 2?"

And it's like... you mean the energy of Vi yelling at the council for *not* sending enforcers to the undercity? The energy of Vi going to shut down a factory with a bunch of enforcers and admonishing Jayce for not wanting to continue after he killed a kid? That energy?

Vi has *never* had a clearly worked-out political perspective. And why would she? She's never been part of a political movement, and Vander explicitly discouraged her from fighting against the prevailing order of things. She has no actual experience of resistance through which to develop her ideas. Of course she's politically confused. Of course she focuses on dealing with what she sees as the most immediate threat (Silco, Jinx) instead of on the underlying system of oppression. She's not a mini-Vander; Vander spent time developing his politics with Silco; Vi spent all her time in prison not thinking big-picture, but thinking about her family. Vi is very much Just A Guy (gn), she's not freakin Che Guevara, and she's not a freakin Marvel character.

[unknown-cold]

The artist: ( @itshuansart )on Instagram and Twitter/X

I love this so much!! Best art that expresses Caitlyn's sadness and suffering, I really wish I had seen something like this on the show.

I can say that Caitlyn's character is one of the most misunderstood characters ever, that these people see Caitlyn as just an enforcer from Piltover made them not understand her, or rather they don't want to understand her character.

Because it's getting really suspicious, I feel like Caitlyn's hate is more than just a character who did bad things. There are characters who did worse things. Let's take Silco, one of the characters who did the worst things in the entire show, from trying to kill an entire family for control, to flooding his entire population with shimmer and turning some of them into monsters and making children work in dangerous factories, all of this and he didn't get half the hate that Caitlyn did. Silco is a true dictator who didn't care about anyone but himself and his interests and his intentions were always evil. Unlike Caitlyn, she tried in the end to fix her mistakes and admitted her mistakes too. And to everyone says she is evil or dictatorial because she used gas, is it a bad thing yes, but Caitlyn had no evil intentions in using gas, she used Gray to facilitate the capture of Silco's gangs and allies who were basically harming the people of Zaun even the kids as we saw in ep 2 in S2 when Chross's Goons was following Isha, and of course capturing Jinx as well, she did that because it was a less harmful solution than sending armies of enforcers and Noxus men to Zaun, and we saw because she stopped using Gray after she end her mission and failed to capture Jinx. If Caitlyn was really evil and dictatorial as some people claim, she would have used Gray again to exterminate the people of Zaun, but she didn't do that because that's not her personality that we knew in season 1, and most of the problems that happened were because of Ambessa, and her manipulation and constant incitement for Caitlyn to capture Jinx.

So yeah hating on Caitlyn is so hypocritical and completely unnecessary, seriously I can't believe there are still people who message me and reblog my blogs and not just me but other people saying that Caitlyn is an evil cop and you should stop talking about her and liking her, or you'll be just like her. Are these people crazy or stupid or what exactly!? What does my liking a fictional character have to do with you thinking that I'll be like her in real life!? These people really need to grow up and leave people alone, like if you don't like something and you see someone else like it there's no need to give them your opinion because they won't care and we who like the same thing won't care either so why bother us with your opinion, and then it's selfish of you to want other people to be like you and agree with you (especially when your style of criticism is rude and terrible)

So I always say the show is not black and white, and there isn't only one side good and another side bad. Arcane proves every day that this show is not for everyone and if you want to enjoy it you have to open your mind well and be open-minded, and most importantly put politics and real-life issues aside, and enjoy this fantasy world with flawed characters and good writing. (This show is not designed to solve political issues. At the end of the day it is a show based on a video game)

[viktorarcanedeservesbetter]

Alright here we go:

Silco is not the hero of Zaun that he’s sometimes portrayed as.

I think there needs to be a clear statement before I write all this next:

Yes I do think he truly loved Jinx and deeply cared for her, honestly.

What Vander did to him was wrong and he was 100% in the right to forever hate Vander for that. (And want revenge for it.)

He was 100% rightful to hate Piltover and also right that violence (some form of it) was necessary to make change-peaceful protesting and other forms were never going to work.

Now on to the rest (tackling my first three points first)

Jinx’s mental state and instability is largely due to him. Yeah he’s not mentally well himself, but Jinx has a lot of damage, she needed a lot of healing, and that was simply never going to happen with him in the picture (and it notably didn’t).

His hatred of Vander also lead to the violent death of Benzo, as well as him wanting to kill all his kids-is 100% wrong and also a point against him (I haven’t seen anyone argue against this lol but people do kind of push this aside when talking about the Vander of it all, so I thought I’d add it).

And finally: he was harmful to Zaun too. While the main group again Zaun (and the origins of all its issues) is in fact Piltover and the Council, them being The Worst does not make him Good. Case in point:

Shimmer production-he’s basically every textbook dictator. Keeping the masses highly addicted to a drug he and his people profit off of. Exploring kids for its production.

Everyone mentions Vander working with enforcers, but his deal was basically “I’ll keep everything handled here, come to me first” when dealing with major issues, while Silco kept enforcers (like Markus) on his payroll to ignore issues and also sell out his own people to avoid being taken himself.

The Firelights+Ekko’s people were also hiding from him. They weren’t just trying to keep safe from the Enforcers/Piltover, but also Silco and his people. Silco was happy to keep working against a group trying to keep their people safe (as well as send Markus to blame them for all the attacks) because they affected his profits and control.

Zaun would have barely fared better under his full control. He was not about to really give up shimmer factories-that’s his profit. If Zaun gains its independence, who is going to step in to really make sure shimmer is shut down? All he’s going to do is make sure it no longer gets to Piltover. He’s intelligent, he knows how to play the game to get what he wants.

He wants independence for Zaun, true, but in his version where he’s at the helm. It’s ultimately what leads him to his speech to Vander’s statue-he finally realizes what all his actions lead to and why Vander was like that in the end, and “anything undoing as a daughter” is him finally realizing: oh I fucked up. I, like you, found someone I care about, and now it’s all fucked upppp.

(Note this is not a compliment of Vander, just an observation)

TLDR: Silco is not the Good Guy simply because the Council is the Truest Bad Guy.

All this saying I loved watching his character arc and found him fun but sometimes seeing people ignore his flaws or what he also did to Zaun makes me itch idk

[arcane-ish]

Oil & Water, cupcake

I was rewatching the "Vi in front of the council" scene from season 1 of Arcane. And it's just super funny to me. So the setup is:

Caitlyn: Silco is the big baddie of the undercity. The only reason why you didn't know was because Marcus was lying to you. Jayce: is upset about the bridge attack. He wants to go after Jinx with violent force. Mel: That could trigger war, war is bad. Caitlyn: is worried about the casualties. Mel: wants to negotiate with Silco now that they know what he wants.

Vi is outraged that they want to negotiate with Silco and storms off.

She then has her big oil and water conversation with Caitlyn about how Piltover and Zaun are like Oil and Water and they can never work together just like Caitlyn and Vi can never work out, making Caitlyn cry.

... and then the first thing Vi does is NOT to go back to the undercity. Nope. After just rejecting Caitlyn's offer to come up with a new plan together, Vi goes to Jayce, a different Piltie.

1.) It just intensely amuses me that after like 3 sentences of Jayce Vi immediately recognized him a kindred spirit who she could easily rope into a violent revenge plan. Against the stated wishes of both their girlfriends.

2.) I wasn't really deep into CaitVi discourse in season 1, so I wonder, did we talk about how Vi's speech about oil and water is complete bullshit? And I don't mean that in a meta way, I mean this as: Vi is bullshitting Caitlyn? Yes, I get blabla, Vi is feeling down, she's pushing Cait away. But actually from what is going on on a pure action point of view, Vi is telling Cait Pilties and Zaunites can't work out and then immediately turns around and teams up with a different Piltie to fight fellow Zaunite Silco together?

Like the problem was never that Vi is disappointed that the council didn't help her or that she doesn't think the relationship with Cait can work out. The real "problem" is here that Vi thinks Cait is too kind hearted and cares too much about collateral damage. (which, you know, is deeply ironic considering season 2...)

In that sense, the Oil and Water convo has shades of Vi ditching Caitlyn at the brothel. Deciving and distracting Caitlyn so she can do her own thing.

Vi wants to go after Silco at all costs. Mel is worried that going down after him will trigger all out war. Cait is worried that innocents will get hurt. Vi cares about neither of those things. She is deeply upset at the thought that the council might try to negotiate with Silco.

So she goes after Jayce because Jayce wanted to do the same things as her "We've been talking about talking for weeks now. They're still cleaning the blood off the bridge. When do we say enough is enough?"

I think it's worth noting how masterfully Vi manipulates the shit out of Jayce here. Praising him for being smart, telling him he is a victim (aka insiutating that he's allowed to strike back), suggesting that Cait would want him to strike when we know that is a total lie. [note that I don't think that is a bad thing, like I love Vander and think he likely has his own way of using charisma and I love Silco of course]

Another interesting thing of the council scene of course is that it already shows shades of "Vi thinks Poweder and Jinx are two different people and she's okay with selling out Jinx". That's why she gives Jinx's name to the council. That's why she tells Cait in season 2 that it's okay to take the shot on Jinx.

I think it's also worth noting just how many Zaunites Vi murderizes/helps murderize with the help of enforcers in the factory raid. Beyond just the kid.

And how many more people including children she likely helps send to Stilwater

after just complaining to Jayce how bad Stilwater is.

And after getting tons of Zaunites killed and arrested in her quest for revenge because she is mad that Silco "ruined" Powder, the first thing Vi wants to do is do more raid, kill and arrest even more people.

I want to shout this from the roottops: VI DOES NOT HAVE A SYSTEMIC VIEW ON OPPRESSION. Vi does not give a shit about the undercity people when it comes to pursing her own family goals.

I think it's interesting in the context of season 2, how these threads continue for Vi. Again similarity with Vi giving Jinx's name to the council in 1x08 versus saying she's in favor of killing Jinx at the beginning of season 2.

And how she's willing to carve a bloody path through the undercity with the help of enforcers just to hurt Silco and dismantle his shimmer production. (again at this point it was explicitly stated in the council scene that Silco's core goal is the Nation of Zaun, so Vi knows this and is apparently not impressed) So is her willing to take out the rest of the Chem Barons using the Grey really that different? The only difference is that Caitlyn makes her formally wear the uniform.

It's also interesting to read this in the context of the progression of Caitlyn and Vi's relationship. Like if you read Oil and Water not as a tragic breakup but as Vi lying to Caitlyn because she sees Caitlyn as being in the way of Vi's quest for revenge. Vi ditching Cait and feeling bad or not bad about it is a theme in season 1. It leads to Cait being kidnapped and Cait's mom being killed.

I can see how this leads to Vi's guilt. I don't really see the "family dinner scene" as necessarily "Vi is already deeply in love with Cait and so can't bear to see Jinx hurt her". But more as "Vi sees Cait as a relatively well meaning innocent who doesn't deserve this treatment and also Jinx is acting kind of unhinged".

Cait got Vi out of Stillwater, tagged along, Vi tried to ditch her, Cait saved her from being killed, Cait healed her, Cait got kidnapped by the Firelights, Cait tried to make things right via the council, Vi again tried to ditch Cait and started an ill fated revenge. And then Vi gets a front row seat for Cait's grief over her mom.

This is of course where in season 2 Cait starts showing obsessive and vengeful tendencies and a more prejudiced attitude towards Zaunites.

It's also interesting in how far the season 2 raids continue the threads of 1x08, on one hand Caitlyn still talking about avoiding additional bloodshed, but also it being a continuation of Vi's bloody "dismantle Shimmer" operation (that maybe ends up going too far/veering into the wrong direction).

So the question is when and Vi actually falls for Caitlyn. My personal take as a more casual/occasional CaitVi enjoying person who was never deep in the fandom.

I think Vi saw Caitlyn was hot but basically thought from the start that anything there was a bad idea. Plus she was distracted by her family goals.

I think Caitlyn had feelings very quickly, probably starting to blossom around the "I can tell you have a good heart".

I do think there's an element there of Vi seeing Caitlyn as this well meaning sheltered good thing, the one bright spot. Again especially since imo she's respulsed by Zaun and how much it has changed on her. And yes it's super frustrating that her not feeling attached to Zaun, not seeing the beauty in Zaun seems to include Ekko. Like she is clearly admiring the tree and everything, but her thirst for revenge against Silco is stronger. It seems to me like she still lumps Ekko in with the people who have changed on her and who she doesn't fully recognize and feel at home with.

I think there's some guilt there for having "dirtied up" Cait's life. (again once more: Vi doesn't have a systemic view enough to see Cait as inherently dirtly for being an oppressor of fully grasping that maybe Cait finds it easier to be optimistic and sweet and kind because she grew up cozily, imo she just sees a kindness that she's drawn to and maybe doesn't fully understand)

I'm curious if there was ever any thinking on Amanda's side that turning Cait dark would be an interesting challenge to Vi falling for Cait for her kindness but also Vi discounting/wanting to exclude Caitlyn from certain things maybe with the idea of "Cait is too kind for that, I should go behind her back".

For the record, I don't think that Vi's motivation is just "being pissy that Silco stole Powder or that Silco killed Vander and now rules in his stead". I do think she does on some level see the plight of the undercity, and her analysis/conclusion that Shimmer is at fault for everything just happens to be very shallow. (again repeat after me: VI DOES NOT HAVE A SYSTEMIC VIEW ON THE WORLD

Stop pretending she was an enlightened Marxist/leftist in season 1 when she spent a good chunk of season 1 being very much the opposite of that and blaming Silco while comparatively making excuses for Piltover)

[lorata]

I recall in your Rebellion AU that Emory was surprisingly ready to join the rebellion and Brutus even thinks on this after she dies. Why was Emory so willing to join when a lot of the other Twos were hesitant? Was she already radicalized before the QQ similar to Lyme and just waiting for an opportunity? If so, when did that happen?

Emory was sort of like ... born into class consciousness is the thing

Emory grew up poor in a mining town on its last legs. the mine land was community owned and the developers from the munitions companies were always coming around trying to get people to sell so they could close the mine and put up a factory instead, but everyone agreed they would never sell. the capitol gave them this land for the mine years ago. they would hold the line.

so she grew up steeped in loyalty to the capitol, of course, the capitol provides and we trust the capitol and also fear, if we don't obey then there are consequences, but also, maybe even more importantly, loyalty to the community and to each other. we look after each other when no one else does.

and then she won and saw the capriciousness of the capitol in favour of entertainment. and then she did her PR work in-district with blue-collar patriots and realized how many of these people were dirt-poor just like she was and how many of them trusted the capitol just like she had and they gave their children to the program so that people in town could sneer and call them monsters. she knows the numbers now, and quarry kids outnumber townies five to one at least. civilian kids sleep safe in two because uneducated, sometimes illiterate, parents send their kids to the death machine in their stead, and whether they do it without question or crying and praying the whole time it all washes out the same.

and even without the games they work and work and work and for what? to profess loyalty to people who laugh at them and call them unkind names at fancy parties? a government who forgets they exist except to bring them more weapons and more soldiers and more children for slaughter?

(never mind the other districts, it takes baby victor emory about 0.2 seconds to realize that she has more in common with miners in d12 or fishers in d4 than anyone in the capitol. would emory eventually have reached katniss' realization that the capitol citizens weren't her enemy either? i mean, maybe, but that's advanced and she died first)

[rebelliousstories]

Sins of the Father

Relationship: Luke Alvez x Reader

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Request: No

Warnings: Angst, Violence, Fluff

Word Count: 4,992

Main Masterlist: Here

Criminal Minds Masterlist: Here

Summary: When the victim of a crime shows up to a hospital, she only has one name on her lips as she dazes in and out; Luke.

John F. Kennedy said, “Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.”

Racing inside of a hospital in the blistering cold, there were medics and emergency room staff working desperately on a woman in a stretcher. A small boy who was crying out for his mom from the back of the ambulance. An oxygen mask covered her mouth but she kept trying to speak.

“Get the OR prepped now!” A nurse yelled, running alongside the gurney.

“Luke. Luke!” The woman pulled her mask off and fought with her nurse that was trying to put it back on. People moved out of their way as they ran down the hallways. As they were doing that, a small boy was being led by an EMT to the waiting area to wait with him. A woman in a suit, and a man in a polo showed up to the nurses station and showed their credentials before being pointed over at the waiting room.

“Buddy, I know that you’re scared, but I’m gonna wait right here till the police can show up and help you. Do you want a water?” The EMT tried to get the boy to open up, but he just curled in on himself.

“Excuse me,” the woman gained the attention of the older man, “we’re agents Prentiss and Alvez. May we speak with you for a moment?”

The man went to nod, but his eyes drifted back to the small child next to him. Luke stepped forward and crouched down in front of the small boy. The boy hesitantly looked towards the older man, and looked at him with recognition that the agent did not understand.

“Hey there. I’m Luke. Do you mind if I wait here with you?” He asked softly, waiting for the boy to acknowledge him. But the boy said nothing. The medic was ushered away by Emily, but Luke still sat on the floor in front of the boy to not crowd him in.

“You’re the one who treated the woman that was just admitted?” Emily asked, already going into business mode.

“Yeah. She was in rough shape when we found her and her son. I’ve seen so many things in my years, but if I never saw one of these guys victims again it would be too soon.” He shook his head as he dropped his eyes.

“Can you tell us where you found her? We know there was a 9-1-1 call that led you to an abandoned factory. Was there anything unusual about it?” She pressed. Her feyes flickered over to where her friend was still sitting near the boy.

“Um, she was bound with tape and rope. Her kid was holed up in a closet down the hall.” The man responded.

“This is very important, did you remove anything from her hands? Stamps, coins, even bugs that have been preserved?” Prentiss got her phone ready to make a call with whatever the EMT said.

“Cards. We gave the police a queen of hearts, jack of diamonds, and a uh… oh what was it,” he was thinking hard about what the other card was. “Oh, a king of clubs as well.”

“Thank you. You’ve been a big help.” She let the medic go and turned to where Luke was still trying to get through to the woman’s son.

“Ready and willing for you, my fair lady.” The cheery voice of one Miss Penelope Garcia chimed through the phone.

“Hey girl. Listen, the collector left a set of cards this time. I’m gonna have the Virginia P.D. send them over. But he only left three this time. He didn’t complete the set.” The older agent continued to stare in confusion at the duo in front of her while the clacking of keys filled the other line.

“Why wouldn’t he have completed the set? That’s like his whole thing.” Penelope was also staring confused now.

“I don’t know, but we do know that the three previous victims all had something that they hid and never claimed. Look into our Jane Doe and see if anyone matching her description has gone missing that has a child.” Emily instructed, noticing the smile passing over Luke’s face as the child looked at him again. He still had not said a word but he was responding.

“Oh she has a child? That is awful. Why do bad guys do bad things? Okay, I will see if anyone has gone missing in a tri-state region matching her description that has a child. Farewell fair g-woman!” And the line clicked off. Prentiss smiled but kept her distance from the to men in front of her and just watched them.

“Can you tell me your name bud? If I know your name, I could find out how to better help your mom.” Luke gently pried, finally moving to the chair next to the boy.

“Liam. My mom has a picture of you.” The boy admitted, turning his body fully to the man to his left.

“Okay Liam, what do you mean your mom has a picture of me? Like from the T.V. or computer?” He pried again, confusion forming deep in his face.

“No. In her necklace and in the frame in her drawer. She thinks that I don’t know, but I do.” Liam looked down at his feet as he kicked lightly.

“You’re very smart Liam. Do you know where she got those pictures?” Now, Luke was going away from the main objective.

“She’s had them forever,” he shrugged, “she doesn’t like talking about it with me. Mom just cries late at night. I think that’s why the man gave me this.”

“Gave you what, Liam?” He did not know how that little brain was able to comprehend and process everything that was happening; Luke’s brain was having a difficult time by himself.

“This.” Liam pulled down his shirt and showed something stapled to the inside. Luke helped him flip the edge over to reveal a card. Whipping a glove out of his pocket, Luke was grabbing the card, careful not to cause harm to the child. The name “Luke” stared back at him, which just added more confusion to his mind. The agent looked back to Emily who was calling to get an evidence kit to collect the card. Once the card was collected and sent off to the BAU, Luke continued to sit with Liam as he did not want to leave the boys side.

At the headquarters, Reid stared at the three cards that he currently had and thanked the agent that delivered him the fourth. There was a reason the unsub did not pair all for cards together like he should have. He was known as The Collector; he should have put them all together out of compulsion.

He placed all four cards on a board and just stared at them. This unsub paired the stamps together with years consecutively apart. Coins were in the same pattern, just with earlier years. And the bugs were the oldest but the dates on the back of the frames were earlier, but all together.

“Garcia got a name on our Jane Doe- what are you doing?” JJ asked, walking in to the round table room where Reid was staring at the pictures of items that were found at the scenes of the crime. He did not give her an answer but instead turned to his friend instead.

“I know why he’s choosing what he’s choosing to display. Who’s the latest?” Spencer jumped from thought to thought with surprising speed. Jennifer told him her name, and placed her photo where it needed to go on the board.

“Great. We need to get the team together.” He left to go track down his fellow teammates while JJ just stood there, trying to see what he saw in the pictures. In just a moment, JJ and Spencer stood with Rossi, Lewis, Simmons and Garcia while Alvez and Prentiss were on a conference call.

“I didn’t see it until the card came in, but please indulge me for a moment.” Spencer began, gaining the attention of those around him.

“So, when we’re young, what’s something that we can easily get to collect? Especially young boys?”

“Bugs.” Lewis offered.

“Exactly,” his hands were running wild as he spoke, “then when we’re old enough to make or get money, you usually collect by date. When you’re old enough to write, you might send letters and if you have the collecting tendency, you collect stamps. Finally, when you’re old enough to start playing cards, you might collect cards based off their patterns and designs.” After his explanation, Spencer was looking around and just hoping he had not lost them.

“So he’s telling the story of his life through the collectibles he leaves.” Rossi pointed out, feeling like there was more to be discovered.

“Exactly, but this is where it get’s interesting.” Reid pulled down the cards and laid them on the desk.

“On the front, all four of these cards look similar, however,” the cards were flipped, “on the back, only the two hearts match. The two kings don’t match each other or the hearts. They have completely different appearances.”

The team stood around as they thought about the explanation. It was not until a nurse came by that Luke’s attention was drawn away. He let Emily know that he was going to her, and left the team.

“She’s resting right now. There was some extensive damage but she should make a full recovery. You can go see her now.” The nurse led the way down the hall to where the woman lay in her hospital bed. Alvez thanked the nurse, and she went on her way. He looked in through the glass at the beaten woman inside and felt his throat close. Her voice still ran through his head everyday, even after all this time.

Luke walked inside the room, and let out a shaky breath at he watched her just lying there. She was staring off into nothingness and barely registered that there was another person in the room. With a clearing of his through, the agent brought her attention to him.

“Luke.” She whimpered, tears welling up at the mere sight of him.

“Hey reina.” He whispered, coming over to the side of the bed. She said nothing for a minute, before she finally burst out crying. The pain in her face flared up, yet she could not help but cry.

“I’m sorry, Luke. I’m so sorry.” Her words caused the man to hold her hand delicately as she continued to cry.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, sweetie. You did nothing to deserve this treatment.” Alvez tried to reassure her but she just kept shaking her head and crying.

“It is all my fault. I did this. This is my fault, Luke. I set him off.” Her breathing was starting to pick up and Luke knew he needed to act fast. He had enough of his friends from the army that developed panic attacks after what they saw to know when one was starting.

“You gotta calm down, reina. Breathe, you gotta breathe. Follow me. In and out. There you go. Try it again. Good job. Let’s try it again.” Luke led her through several exercises to help stave off the attack, and was glad to see her heart beat finally calming back down. Once she was able to catch her breath, the woman looked around, and was about to be sent into another tizzy.

“My son. Where’s my son? Where’s Liam?” Even though she tried to get up, the agent did not let her.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. Lay back down. Liam is with my coworker, Emily. They’re just outside in the waiting room.” He reassured her once more. She nodded as she settled back into her bed with Luke at her side.

“So, where are you working now,” came her ask. Her voice was small and weak than he had ever known.

“The Behavioral Analysis Unit at Quantico.” He answered, sitting down in the chair beside her bed.

“BAU, huh? Would have never thought you would go from the FTF to a desk job.” She teased, causing them both to chuckle.

“Hey, don’t wanna hear nothing. Little miss work from home author.” Alvez sent right back, making them chuckle again. But once they died down, the man turned solemn. “I’ve gotta ask some tough questions that I’d much rather not have Liam present for, if that’s okay?”

She nodded and let her self get comfortable in her bed first. Luke readjusted in his seat as well before he began.

“Do you know the man who did this to you?” He asked, watching the woman closely for any sign of discomfort.

“Yeah. My ex-boyfriend, Santiago.” Her eyes shifted away as she answered.

“Wait, Santi did this? I thought he was still in New York.” Luke could not catch a break on the confusion.

“He followed me here. When I broke up with you, Luke, I didn’t want to. But he said he would kill you and my parents if I didn’t. I couldn’t take that chance. He knows where all of you live.” She pleaded, looking back with tears in her eyes.

“It’s fine. You were only doing what you thought was right. Even though, I would have had someone investigate his threats for you. But sweetheart, that was five years ago. What have you been doing all this time? And why would he do this now?” Luke pressed, holding her hand in his own.

“I was taking care of my son. But I was tired of being controlled. I found out that your number hadn’t changed. I guess he found out cause one minute I’m packing Liam’s bag, and the next I’m tied down to a table in an abandoned building.” Her words tumbled out of her mouth uncontrollably.

“When we found Liam in the waiting room, he had a card stapled to his shirt. Now, that’s just his signature, right. Leaving something on his victims that is a collectible. But the cards weren’t collectible. They were all different except for the queen and jack. Two different kings that did not match. Does that have anything to do with Liam?” Luke noticed how she chewed her lip between her teeth and picked at her nails unconsciously. That was always her tell that she was hiding something. Now just what that something was the question. He called her name, and she looked him in the eyes. The woman was wishing that she had not done that.

“Who is Liam’s father?”

A knock at the window caused the pair to pull away and look to the source of the noise. Emily had arrived with Liam, who ran to his mother. Luke helped the young boy up, and followed the agent out of the room to discuss.

“This woman had the most rage shown to her, but not the son. Whoever this guy is, he is getting closer to his end game. But I can’t help feeling like we’re missing something.” Prentiss lamented, noticing how distant Luke was after her little speech.

“What is it?” She pried.

“I know who this guy is. We need protection detail stationed at her door until we catch him. He’ll come back and finish off the job.”

The two agents raced back to Quantico while on the phone with the team to fill them in. Inside the SUV, the air was so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife. Prentiss was not sure what was going on with Luke since they left the hospital, but he was silently staring out of the window. The man was lost in his thoughts as he thought about everything that had happened in the last decade.

When they made their way up the elevator to the sixth floor, Luke was silent through all of that. His next words would not come until he had barged his way into Garcia’s lair. The technical analyst let out a shriek as she was startled by the loud noise.

“Oh hello to you too. What can I do for you mister with the very scary look on his face that tells me something bad is about to happen?” Her voice trailed off as Alvez came to rest his hand on the bak of her chair and look over her shoulder to gaze at the screen.

“Garcia, pull up anything and everything you can on a Santiago Domingo from the Bronx. We went to the same high school. Send it over to the main screen.” Luke left as soon and as fast as he had entered which left the woman to scramble to get his information. Making his way into the round table room, Emily met him in there with determination.

“I got your text. What’s going on that you don’t want to fill the team in about yet? Is this about the latest victim in the hospital?” She wasted no time, and got right down to business.

“Yes,” he admitted with a deep sigh. “I wanted to tell you first before bringing the team up to speed.”

“Floor is yours.” She prompted.

Down in the bull pen, the rest of the agents watched through the blinds as the unit chief spoke with her agent. They were all trying to figure out who this guy was, but was not able to. However, no one missed the DMV photo that was pulled up on the big screen.

“What do you think they’re talking about in there?” Lewis pondered, sipping her coffee. She had lost track as to what number cup she was on for the day.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t look good.” JJ replied, popping a chip in her mouth as she was finally able to take a break to eat. A noise prompted the rest of the team to turn their heads to the resident genius who was still focusing on the cards that were collected from the scene.

“Your IQ is whining so much I want to give it some cheese. What do you have, Reid?” Rossi teased, prompting a few chuckles.

“The cards. The other mismatched king, the king of spades, that’s the one that had Luke’s name on it but why?” Spencer held a confused look on his face as he tried to piece the puzzle together.

“Maybe the unsub knows Luke and wanted to taunt him. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.” Simmons pointed out, but Reid only shook his head.

“It’s got to be more than that. The queen and jack are from the same suit, and the same deck. But only the kings are different in suit and deck, and they don’t match any other card that was recovered.” He continued his explanation.

“What’s your point?” Rossi asked.

“I’m not sure.” Reid concluded.

“Guys,” Emily stepped out and called their attention, “you’re gonna want to get in here.”

The team shuffled into the room, and all stood around the table while Luke was right in front of the screen. His face was solemn and defeated; a look that did not suit Luke Alvez very well.

“The man we’re looking for was my best friend in high school, Santiago Domingo. We called him Santi. He was a bit of an odd guy, but harmless for the most part. Came from a broken home and was a typical kleptomaniac. Anything he could get his hands on, he took.” Luke took a break and casted his eyes to the table. Having to dig up old memories was hard for him.

“Halfway through senior year there was a girl who transferred to our school. She had all the same classes as me so I got assigned one morning to help her around. I really liked this girl, I mean she was the total package. Smart, pretty, great sense of humor, wanted to help people, already had a job and another more permanent one set up after high school. Well, as time went on and she would hang around me and Santi, I ended up falling for her. I didn’t realize that Santi was in the same boat I was in.’

‘Prom came around and as much as I wanted to ask this girl out, Santi was asking me for advice on how to do it himself. So I helped him. He was the happiest I had ever seen him when she said yes. They made a really lovely couple. After high school, they stayed together. And I saw less and less of her, and anytime I did see her, she was always within arm length of Santi. Then the bruises came.”

Pictures flashed on the screen, and the whole team had to hold their breath. The woman’s face was covered with scrapes and marks. Her arms, chest, legs, hands, and feet were all in the same horrid condition. Garcia averted her eyes as they continued, but everyone else kept watching the slides.

“She reached out to me about twelve years ago, wanting to get out of the relationship but felt like she couldn’t. I got her to go to the police, testify against him in court, and got Santi put away for ten years. Two years later, we started dating once she felt like she could and we were happy. I planned on proposing to her, but before I could, she broke up with me. Left all of her stuff in our apartment, and was gone in the middle of the night. According to prison records, Santi only served four of his ten. Got out on good behavior. According to her, she had to break things off with me, otherwise he would have killed her parents, then me.” Luke concluded. The room was so silent, you could hear everyone’s breathing. No one said anything for a while. They just stood there and stayed silent.

“So how can we help find Santiago?” Emily asked, which pulled everyone else from their stupors.

“Garcia, where was he staying in town? If he’s doing all these murders, he’s got to be staying somewhere isolated that he can plan and execute everything.” Matt directed.

“Right, um. So Domingo’s last known address was…” her face dropped once the search result came back, “an apartment downtown. He’s been living on the same floor as Luke for the past six years.”

“No matter how stupid this guy may be, he’s not stupid enough to keep her, with a child on the same floor as Luke. He’s got to have another spot that he was holding them.” JJ countered, but it all slipped away for Alvez. Six years Santiago had known where he was and knew the routine.

“Look for anything registered in her name. That’s going to be where they’ve been living since leaving Luke.” As soon as Spencer said the magic words, Garcia had her fingers racing across her keys. Another ding.

“Okay so I’ve got an address, also downtown, but about five miles from the apartment. It’s a house registered in her name. They’ve been there for five years.” Penelope looked up at Luke, but he was just staring that table into the ground. If looks could kill, that table would be taking a world of abuse.

“So we go to his house. He was interrupted with her. He’ll wanna regroup before going with his next strike.” Luke made the move to leave the room to get ready but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

“Look, Luke. You are far too close to this case. Let us handle it. We need him alive, and with your relationship to the victim, you’ll be a liability.” Rossi gently spoke, as if hushing a cornered animal. The agent turned around and leveled his unit chief with a look. A look that said, “you signing off on this right now?”

“Go stay at the hospital with her until we catch Santiago. You’ll be better suited for that than this.” Emily did not miss the look of indignation that came across Alvez’ face. Even less so when it was paired with the stomping of boots as he stormed away.

Luke obeyed the order though. He drove silently to the hospital, wishing that he was out in the field taking down this guy. Once he was parked and the vehicle was shut off, he hit the steering wheel a couple times to let out his anger at the situation. Scrubbing his hands over his face, Alvez left the vehicle and made his way into the hospital. His team was out there taking down his childhood best friend without him. If anyone should be able to make that arrest, it should be Luke.

He kept thinking about this all the way to her room. And then his mind drifted to her son, Liam. The kid was just five years old and had almost lost his mom thanks to that man. Arriving at her room, Alvez noticed that the blinds were drawn and immediately had a bad feeling in his gut. Placing a hand on his firearm, he went into the room as quietly as possible.

“Thought I wouldn’t notice yo slipping right back into Mr. Perfect’s arms, huh?” It was Santiago. He had found her. Luke should not have been too shocked; Santiago needed to complete the collection.

“Please, don’t hurt us more than you have. Okay? Liam loves you. Don’t do this in front of him.” She was trying to shield her son, but with her condition and being in a hospital bed, that was very difficult.

“Don’t lie to me. I know he isn’t mine.” Santiago growled, waving around a knife.

“Santiago, put it down.” The man in question turned around, but his face relaxed to be almost jovial upon seeing the agent in the room.

“Well, look who we have here. Luke Alvez. Big bad FBI agent who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about where he comes from.” Domingo moved closer to the mother and son in the bed while moving his knife closer and closer. This prompted Luke to draw his gun, and kept it trained on the man in front of him.

“Santi, I don’t want to hurt you but I will. Let them go and drop the knife.” He pleaded, shifting his eyes to her in reassurance.

“Has she even told you,” came the question. When no response was given from anyone, Santiago burst out laughing in his spot. “Oh, she hasn’t. This is too perfect. You’re so clueless man.”

“Santi, please.” She begged, but cowered when the knife came closer to her and her son.

“No! Don’t you think he has the right to know? I mean, you wouldn’t be so heartless as to keep that from him would you?” He was teasing her, and still waving a knife around her son.

“Go on, tell him. You’ll feel better.” Santiago kept repeating the prompt over and over again, but she refused. Instead, she held her son close and waited for the nightmare to be over.

“Tell him!” He shouted, yanking Liam from his mom’s grasp. Both people cried out and tried to get to the other, but Santiago had other plans. With a knife held menacingly over the boys stomach, he prompted the woman again. This time much gentler. “Tell Luke.”

She looked at her son, who had tears coming down his face. He looked just as confused as the agent that she laid her eyes on next. Her vision was obscured by the tears that were pouring down her face as she tried to figure a way to get her son back.

“Luke, when I left to go to Santi, I was pregnant. I told him for years that Liam was his, but when he started growing proper hair, I couldn’t lie anymore. Liam is your son, Luke. I’m so sorry I hid that from you.” Her wails were overshadowed by Santiago’s whoops in delight.

“Doesn’t that feel so much better. How about you Luke? Feel any better knowing the truth?” Santiago teased again. The agent kept his gun and eyes hardened on the man but was quietly processing the information.

“Now where were we?” He raised his knife up as if to swing, and Luke did not think about it another second. Landing a bullet in the man’s shoulder, the agent swooped in and kicked the knife away from him as he grabbed the boy and hoisted him up. Santiago was writhing in agony on the ground, blood steadily pouring out, but Luke did not care. He set the young boy on the bed, and called it in.

In just a few minutes, his entire team was there. Luke kept himself busy for the time being with giving a statement, getting Santiago out of the room and filling his unit chief in. Thirty minutes later, he finally caught a long enough break to go back into the room where mother and son rested. Even though they were lying down, neither was too terribly tired. When she heard the door click, she waved the man over to sit on the chair beside them. Keeping a hand on the boy, she reached her other hand out to hold Luke’s.

“Was that true? What you said earlier.” He asked, begging for confirmation.

“Every word. He’s yours, Luke. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but he wouldn’t let me reach out to you once we knew for certain.” Liam sat up and faced the adults talking.

“Hey buddy. I’m your dad.” Luke choked out as tears came to his eyes. Without another word, Liam launched himself into his awaiting arms as Alvez cried. Bringing her into the fold, they all sat there crying and finally being together as a family.

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” Charles R. Swindoll

[webalothebruja]

My Favorite Teas

As an avid tea drinker, it is mad how I have not even broken into a third of my tea stash. Drinking tea for me started as a way to cope with my smoking problem. I smoked weed everyday, not only as a habit, but as an assistant to help me get a full night’s rest. After getting with my current boyfriend, who has been sober for over two years, I started to feel like maybe I was doing too much to just “go to sleep.” Turns out I am not addicted to smoking weed. I just happen to like having a little night routine.

Instead of rolling a blunt and sitting on the porch to smoke, I resorted to preparing myself a hot cup of tea and sitting on my porch. I like having ‘me time.’ I like to reflect on my day under the stars. Who doesn't? I’m afraid I'm coming off as quite the hippie.

Since my tea making journey I have found what I like and don't like. I can’t drink a cup of tea without some sugar and honey. It's a must! I have also found which flavors I'm fond of, which is what we will be going over today.

Spearmint by Tadin

This is my go-to tea. As a kid, I thought all tea tasted like chamomile or cough syrup.

This was the first tea I had tried outside of chamomile and cinnamon and wow. I feel like mint is sort of one of those flavors you can't go wrong with. Now I will say, I prefer peppermint over spearmint, but at the end of the day, they're all pretty much the same. Peppermint just happens to be a little stronger for me which I enjoy.

I prefer this one before bed mostly for flavor purposes. It doesn't tend to leave a funky taste in your mouth the next day. I was also drawn to this specific flavor due to its digestion benefits and hormonal balancing which I need badly. Something great about Tadin teas is that most of them do not contain caffeine. This makes many of their teas bedtime friendly!

Fun fact, apparently my Abuela used to work at the Tadin factory at one point which is why this is the first brand I had tried as an adult.

Bedtime by Yogi

This tea is amazing as a sleep aid. I believe one of my homies gave me one of these when I was talking to them about needing help sleeping through the night. For a long time I couldn't sleep due to drug use and living in a stressful environment. When I was a teenager, the only way I could get myself to sleep was if I cried beforehand.

One cup of this tea and I can confidently get a full 8 hours of sleep. Like no joke, I will not wake up. I’ll be drooling all over the place and everything. Of course, nowadays I only drink this if I really need to get some sleep. It is not an everyday thing.

Seven blossoms by Tadin

This is a great alternative if you cannot get your hands on the bedtime tea mentioned before. It pretty much has the same benefits as far as being a stress reliever and sleep aid. I think this one might be a little cheaper than the Yogi brand depending on where you purchase it. Both bedtime teas have strikingly different flavors. I would say this one may be more fragrant than the Bedtime tea by Yogi.

My pen pal sent me a sample of this. She knew about my sleep issues and would send me all kinds of tea. Love ya Dany!

Raspberry Zinger by Celestial Seasonings

My friend Faith was looking into teas about a year ago and stumbled her way upon this tea. I’m not exactly sure what made her want to drink this one in particular but she didnt like it and gave it to me and let me tell you. The flavor in this tea is amazing. I can honestly drink it like juice. This one is great for periods and cramps so I always drink this right before mine comes.

After visiting the Celestial Seasonings factory in Colorado this past week, I learned this tea brand is very environmentally friendly. Their packaging doesn't use plastic wrap to encase it, their tea bags use as little paper as possible and all together they reduce the contribution of 3.5 million pounds of waste annually. I’m not the most environmentally conscious gal out there but that's pretty impressive for a company in my opinion.

Cranberry Pomegranate by Stash

I came across this tea after delving through the tea my local donut shop had to offer. After researching this brand I found that they have collections of teas based on the seasons. I am working on being a casual tea drinker. I’d like to steer away from coffee at the office as much and try drinking tea in that sort of setting. Out of the autumn flavors I purchased, this one seemed to be the one I liked the most. It has the same palette as the Raspberry Zinger, but the difference in flavor is more apparent. I think this one outshines the rest in the pack because cinnamon and maple for me are very breakfast flavors. This one can be drunk at any time and I don’t feel like a breakfast mascot is going to burst through my front window.

Thank you for reading my rambling about tea. Comment down any tea suggestions you have!

[bluewithpurplepolkadots]

Saw the first three episodes of S2 of MAW recently! My thoughts:

-Positives-

While it’s early days so far? The world building is a hell of a lot stronger so far compared to season one.

Season one was kind of a mess in this department and yet also somehow too simplistic.

Season one had Tyler get over what would have been a culturally ingrained view of human kids being toxic WAY too fast and just weird aspects like the fact CEOs can just banish and unbanish who they want. There was then no further explanation or look into this frankly weird aspect.

We were also continually trapped at Monsters Inc: beyond I believe a single send up of a baseball game. It felt weak and small. It’s fine to stay in one place for a movie but for a tv series… ehhh.

Season two does a lot better in this area. We have monster society as a whole see comedy as… well a joke and not an exactly dignified practice compared to traditional scaring. We see Tyler’s home and his family together: including his grandma instead of them going one at a time to the factory to see Tyler.

We have them go to MU and they go to a fancy restaurant and a convention in these three episodes.

Even just having Val drive around Tyler on her scooter makes it feel like they’re in a real city. It feels wider. It’s a good choice: having those scenes where she drives him around.

Tyler just isn’t that funny and I’m glad his act is getting old.

I think in retrospect it was… a little off to me that season one seemed like it was going to have this wake up call for Tyler. For him realise he just wasn’t a good comedian. That the mifters would all be better at it than him at it and then it… just seemed to side step it with a doughnut joke that isn’t even that funny.

And it gets old for the kids here! Which I like!

Honestly a potential downside to the comedy idea is that it’s also just plain harder I think to be consistently funny as opposed to being scary. Jokes get old faster than heart palpitations do. If it didn’t have the ten times the energy advantage it probably wouldn’t be viable. And I like we got to see that Tyler is a good scarer at the convention. He has options. He doesn’t have to be a comedian honestly.

Also maybe they’re picking up that plot point again with regards certain Mift characters because Val seems to know the kids better. Are they setting her up to be a comedian? I could see it working out better for her. She can connect with kids better. Either Tyler becomes a scarer or a comedy assistant. Either works.

Query for myself: Hell one could argue maybe another issue is like. Monsters are talking to kids. When do they stop? Like at what age? Will this expose the monster world? Like Tyler’s heart to heart with a six year old was kind of funny because I wasn’t expecting it but like… bro. I have to wonder about the ramifications here. I’m wondering what the heck the CDA are doing. Like I think when a kid hits double figures it gets a bit dangerous.

Also will other monsters still scaring mean sometimes comedy doesn’t work as well on kids and vice versa? Or what? Maybe comedy means it’s actually scarier when a Fear Co employee has a turn because they don’t know what to expect. Who knows. I mean even if they don’t share kids. Kids have friends. They talk.

Val is well written here and feels like a real person. I didn’t dislike Val in season one but she does feel more of a real person here. She’s still wild and zany but she seems more… cohesive. It’s a little difficult to explain as this is more of a vague feeling I have about her than anything concrete. But I did think Val was fine in s1: I just like her much more here.

Negatives Less Duncan :( I miss that green asshole.

I mean I get why. Tyler is the main character and he isn’t at MIFT anymore. But he is still the best of the new characters. I have to be real here. Just.. have him go to the floor more to deliberately antagonise his bf Tyler? Come on.

Random:

Johnny was wearing what looked like a Hugh Hefner suit in that restaurant and I have no idea how to feel about that. Also I suspect he left that card on purpose.

From what I gather Rodger Rodgers is a popular character: but honestly haven’t really seen anything yet as to why that is. I don’t hate him but he’s just kind of… there with a random line about how his name sounds fake. Maybe he’ll shine later ?

I have been spoiled on the s2 finale in some regards: and I have to be real what I heard leaves me apprehensive because it sounds really off to me. But I’ll try to keep an open mind for now.

[beyondthebcundary]

Give us a summary of how Sakuya's backstory is!

Sorry, you asked for a summary....

but you've activated my Yap card.

The year is 1874 and on harsh unforgiving streets of London lived a little girl. It's a common story, an orphan in a time where there weren't enough orphanages to go around an no factory would have her, a girl with piercing pale blue eyes and hair like raven's feathers...stealing to eat, even if it meant pulling food from the trash, eating rats from sewers. Sleeping in refuse piles near the factory vents for a bit more warmth in winter, under bridges as far up the banks as possible to escape the rain and rising water. She had no one, and no one gave her a second glance. Even amongst the urchins on the streets she was an outlier, doing whatever it took. to live. Lying, cheating, stealing, manipulating....a type of drive that alienated her from other street kids as that pale gaze never once showed an expression of despair...or much of anything...Maybe it was that drive that lead her to the first person to change the course of her fate.

It was a particularly harsh year in the winter of her eighth year when she met him. A grizzled man with a harsh gaze that fell upon her. A scrawny urchin with a drive to live so intense that it bordered on mania, and in that drive he saw the making of a great hunter. A hunter of a world most never knew existed. He stole her from her life of struggles and her education was intense. From teaching her to read and write, to the physical that bordered on torture. By her sixteenth winter she awakened to a particular ability, and her training intensified. Her mentor was getting old, but was a master of his craft...and by her eighteenth winter it was time for her first hunt. With winter came longer nights, and her prey...a fledgling vampire.

Midday is when a vampire is most vulnerable, you see. The time they're in their deepest slumber...and with her budding ability it should be easy, but seeing a monster hidden in the façade of a human can make a young hunter hesitate. This was the final test, the do or die of all the training her mentor had given...and it was over in an instant. The best hunters always have a little bit of a screw loose...but she was even more different. She didn't slow time, she didn't set in traps. One quick, decisive strike to the fledgling's heart in its coffin without hesitation...and another to it's sire her mentor never even knew was in the area, let alone the same building. He saw what he thought was the perfect predator to hunt these apex beings...Cool, calm, and collected...he'd continue to send her after stronger and more deadly prey. By her nineteenth winter her successful hunts rivaled his. She followed every order, every command...a perfectly honed weapon, a perfect killing doll.

So excited was he to have the perfect weapon against the beasts that took everything from him he didn't see the signs. The thinning of the hunters in the city, more and more humans disappearing, he thought the work of a vampire lord...a powerful monster amongst monsters...another target to give to his perfect weapon, another briefing to give his doll of slaughter...finally someone who matched him in skill, they could take on the darkness of this world. Maybe even rid it of this infection once and for all. The rattling of a doorknob, he turns and...

Why was he bleeding. When did she appear.

"Mentor." Her voice was soft, and cold. Emotionless as the silver dagger in her hand was coated in his own blood. Three wounds appearing on his left breast. Each pinpointed, directly between each rib. "How cruel. You never told me your heart was on the right...all my anatomy diagrams didn't plan for that. You've ruined my perfect count. A good final lesson."

"Eveline...what...have you done?" Ragged breathing as his left lung filled with his own blood. Hand on his blades, even accounting for her ability to slow time he could compensate like with a vampire's extreme speed...if that was all her ability was. Another piercing pain into his shoulder, tendons slicing as arm goes limp. She kept this from him...an instantaneous strike. "The others...you-"

"Yes." Her answer curt, blunt. A split second. Another strike. Droplets freezing in the air as she delivered another and another, dismantling him with each stab. When the drops started their descent he crumpled to the ground. "Mentor...your manic hatred for vampires brought me some stimulation in this life...but your preaching of saving humanity? I cannot relate. I see no reason to eradicate one to protect the other. You speak of justice...and I'm not sure I understand? The strong prey upon the weak in nature all the time."

For the first time he saw her...no, saw it. Another monster...in the façade of a human. Not a vampire. He never even considered it, but the signs were all there. And he trained her. In his last dying gasps those piercing pale blue eyes unchanging. Eleven years training her and her expression didn't change.

"Predators don't fret when they hunt their prey, nor should they. Human, vampire...it doesn't matter."

Those were her last words before gathering up her mentor's tools of the trade. She would use her skills to play a different game, now. The vampires in London were sloppy, like she said predators don't fret over prey...they'd take anyone. So instead she'd hunt for them, find those they would miss, and hunt down the hunters that do notice...a fun new game of her own making.

The year is 1888 and she gets a client with...peculiar tastes. A vampire who didn't just eat blood but wanted flesh. Those victims brought news...but it was funny. These jobs made her feel something...peculiar, almost as peculiar as this client, and it continued to draw her interest.

But that's a different story, you just asked for a backstory summary so I'll end it there.

[iwasbored777]

so ur trolls posts got me to watch trolls world tour again. i remembered liking it but i couldnt remember why, but now i know for sure

I FCUKING LOVE TROLLS WORLD TOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALL THE INCREDIBLE WRITERS WERE SECRETLY ON TROLLS 2 !!!!!!’n

I CANT TBINK OF A SINGLE FLAW IN TROLLS WOULD TOUR!!!!!!!

i was NOT expecting a brilliantly written masterpiece about colonialism, but thats what i got, and its going in the greatest of all time hall of fame in my brain forever.

im not gonna sit here and regale you on the message of the movie. they only said fax, no printer, and its an important message to send kids. alot of the messages kids get about races and borders is “we are all the same 😚” but they came in with the “we are NOT the same and that is both good and bad, both exciting and dangerous so you need to be aware of dangerous ideas of “harmony”” and thats so real. kids need to understand differences are OK.

i love how they backed off the “chosen one” vibe poppy had in the first movie and talked about her flaws as a leader. while her stubborness was a good thing in the first movie to contrast branches pessimistic nature, it wouldnt have worked here, and i can see a cheap writer (like m*chael w*ldron) either insisting she gets away with her selfishness and carrying on with the happy ending anyway, or pretending that wasnt a character trait at all (because w*ldron doesnt watch the first movie and writes a sequel anyway)

my favorite scene is the bubble scene and the woods right after they leave funk where branch confronts poppy. do i even need to tell you why?

i just want to mention it because im pretty sure branch sings a cover of “girl crush” by little big town, which is a country band, and branch said he likes country music earlier and that slays. but when poppy comes in, what they sing is definitley not girl crush, and i cant tell if its giving “trolls can mix music” or im completley wrong and its a different song alltogether. but i cant tell if that song is homophobic or is super gay, so if im wrong thats prob for the best.

the only flaw i can think of is the country music, as a midwestern i can confidently say that was an affront to real blue grass country music. i guess born to die “works” but it didnt represent country as well as the other genres did. theres alot of controversy in the country music fandom with alot of singers who sound exactly the same and produced like its a factory line. but even if people still think miranda lambert and carrie underwood arent true country singers, their songs wouldve worked better than born to die. also the country trolls shouldve been on a self sufficient farm instead of the wild west. that wild western jazzy piano and country music isnt the same.

the only bad part about the movie is that it ended and barb ATE. SHE LEFT NO CRUMBS WITH THAT INTRO. send ask.

Lol I love your review. I love Trolls World Tour a lot too and all their other movies. Great stuff.

And yeah I love Poppy and how she can accomplish A LOT but she doesn't make it on her own, she needs character development and help from others just like everyone else. Characters are surprisingly realistic.

Barb really was goat, the best antagonist in the franchise. I love parallels between her and Poppy, how both had different intentions (Poppy wanted to help and Barb wanted to conquer) but Poppy's method was also wrong and both Poppy and Barb and everyone had to make compromises for all tribes to live in harmony because no one has to change their lifestyle for that to happen, all they have to do is accept that they're different and that's perfect. Just be yourself and let others be themselves.

That song in the end (Just Sing) slaps hard (and so does Can't Stop The Feeling btw).

P.S. Tiny Diamond fucking slays 🔥🔥🔥

[anniesuriya]

(DAVIKA HOORNE, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER) Oh, is that ANYA "ANNIE" SURIYA? I heard the THIRTY year old is RESOURCEFUL. But don’t let that pretty face fool you, they are also GUARDED. Makes sense seeing how they are a TECH in the THE SOCIETY gang. (lune, 30+, she/her, est)

I. FACTS

full name — anya suriya

nicknames — annie

age — thirty

gender/pronouns — cis female, she/her/hers

orientation — bisexual

birthday — nov. 16

zodiac — scorpio

birthplace — bangkok, thailand

ethnicity — 1/2 thai, 1/2 white (belgian, english, german)

languages spoken — english & thai

height — 5’9

hair color — brown

eye color — brown

scars — various light scars on her fingers from a lifetime of tinkering, a burn mark on her right hand from trying to make a birthday dinner for her mother & spilling hot oil, a scar on her left leg from a knife fight, small scar on her jawline from falling off of a bike as a kid

tattoos — dragon on her right forearm, a lotus on her left wrist

pet — a cat named chihiro. she's a huge dog person but found chihiro as a kitten and kept her despite usually not liking cats

gang — the society (tech)

II. PERSONALITY

positive — resourceful, kind-hearted, resilient, compassionate, charming, intelligent, self-assured, friendly

negative — guarded, guilt-ridden, cynical, indecisive, secretive, stubborn, self-destructive

likes — spicy food, dogs, her cat and her cat only lol, alone time, late nights, small thoughtful gestures, photography, rain, horror movies, vintage clothing, antihero characters, folklore and legends, abandoned places, whiskey sours dislikes — being controlled, flashy displays of wealth, over-consumerism, crowded or overstimulating environments, fakeness, flattery, winter, mice, bugs, seeing people in pain, expensive restaurants, clear liquor

fears — fear of losing her empathy, spiders, heights, being alone, hurting someone she cares about, never knowing who she truly is, not being in control

habits — smokes when stressed, carries a worn-out satchel with her at all times, always has snacks in her bag, constantly checks her phone, steps back from physical affection like hugs, often speaks in half-sentences, collects trinkets, always has a picture of her mother in a locket, counts change compulsively, eats street food at every opportunity

hobbies — biking, running, yoga, photography, cooking, volunteer work, community service, sketching, collecting old technology (flip phones, vintage radios, keyboards), urban exploration

III. ABOUT

Annie was born in Bangkok, raised in a cramped apartment by a mother who worked long hours to make ends meet. Her mother, who worked in a factory, always tried to shield Annie from their circumstances. But poverty had a way of creeping into their lives. It was ironic that they struggled since Annie's father was wealthy. Annie’s parents met while her father was working in Bangkok. Their relationship, however brief and ill-fated it was, resulted in the birth of a daughter. Once she was born, her father became increasingly detached, visiting sporadically and eventually just sending some money. He never really formed a real bond with his daughter.

As a child, Annie didn’t fully understand why her father was absent. There were times he would send presents. Letters. A call on her birthday. But they felt hollow. Like they were tokens of guilt, not true affection. She was seven, looking out the window, envisioning him pulling up in a taxi with his bags—there to stay. But as she got older, it became clear that he didn’t see her as a priority. She was a part of his past. Someone he could compartmentalize, forgetting about her whenever it suited him.

Annie's intelligence seemed to be her ticket out. But it wasn't like her mother had the money to send her to a private school. They were poor, and many people were forced to choose between what was right and survival. As a young teen, Annie got involved in petty crimes. She was a product of her circumstances—forced to navigate a world where survival often meant breaking the rules. Shoplifting and petty theft turned to breaking and entering and street racing. Her mother's initial denial gave way to frustration and worry. Annie knew her mother was stressed, but she didn't know how bad it truly was.

Unbeknownst to Annie, her mother was sick. She'd been hiding it for months, not wanting to burden Annie. But over time, she grew weaker. One day, as Annie returned home from school, she found her mother collapsed on the floor, body cold, skin pale and clammy. Annie tried to wake her up, shaking her mother frantically, calling her name. But it was too late.

Grief-stricken, Annie tracked down her father in New York. He accepted her with cold politeness but no real warmth. His new wife and two children—her half-siblings—saw her as a stranger. Through all of this, she joined The Society. She currently remains distant from her father and half-siblings. It's been over a decade that she's been in New York now. She's made friends. Dated around. A few years ago, a bad breakup sent her spiraling. It was a whirlwind romance that resulted in the faint pink lines of a positive pregnancy test.

Annie felt a rush of conflicting emotions: fear, disbelief…and a strange sense of excitement. Maybe it was a sign. Maybe her life could take a different path—a fresh start, a family of her own. But as the days went on, the weight of the situation began to settle in. The life she was living, the gang, the constant danger, the crime—none of it was a safe environment to bring a child into. And so Annie terminated her pregnancy, telling her ex after the fact. They ended things shortly thereafter.

Annie’s role in the gang has become an anchor to her identity—both a source of pride and deep regret. While she's incredibly skilled, part of her still clings to the belief that there’s something better for her out there. But each heist, each job, draws her deeper into a web of criminal activity that’s hard to escape.

IV. HEADCANONS.

She can pick a lock in under sixty seconds

Annie carries around hot sauce literally everywhere

She's a night owl and stays up until 5 am sometimes. As such, her sleep schedule is fucked and you can often find her rolling out of bed at noon

She hasn't been in a serious relationship since her ex. Queen of situationships, hookups, end endless tinder dates

more tba

[maytheoddshq]

Wiley Depot (she/her). District 6 Tribute. 26. Naomi Scott.

TW: Drugs

Wiley’s birthdays were never a celebrated affair.

  Nothing about her was. In fact, whenever anything slightly stressful happened regarding her, her father asked her mother if she was the result of an affair. She grew up avoiding needles and avoiding her parents, and as the years passed and she got older, they only took less interest in her. More in the morphling, which ate through their money.

  Once you’re out of eighth grade, we’ll get you working in the factories, Kid. pay your rent around here.

  Wiley liked school. Or maybe she just liked not being at home, with addicts slinking in and out. She didn’t mind the crowded desks, or the fact that she always wound up sharing a pencil with someone else. It was the coolest when teachers remembered her, told her she was getting smarter, stronger. You’ll be the fastest on the line, Wiley. Like she was worth something.

  She didn’t want to drop out of school. She didn’t want to work. She saw what happened to the kids who did. Lost fingers, crushed limbs. Too small for the loading and unloading they were doing.

  And so, for all of eighth grade, she acted a terror. She talked back, pushed kids out of desks, grumbled and groaned whenever they changed activities. And she felt bad for her teacher, Ms Royce, who was by all accounts a modern saint. But she had a plan, and it wasn’t going to fail. She’d be held back, have to take it again, get another year in school. Another year with Ms Royce, even. But it didn’t affect her grades, all it did was get her a note sent home, one she signed herself and returned. A threat to expel her, which would only get her in the factories sooner.

  So she had to change tactics, deciding instead to be huffy and short but not outright hostile to anyone. And when they took tests, she failed them to the very best of her ability. Make herself as unlikeable as possible, as stupid as possible. Get held back. And it was annoying, because some of the stuff they were learning was actually pretty interesting. Still, she persisted. and by the end of the year, she wasn’t passing anything.

  She got held back. She wasn’t allowed to graduate officially. You could take it again, the principal's office told her. Miracle words. She promised Ms Royce she’d do better next year, be nicer next year. She came home grinning, but her mother wouldn’t hear of it. Too stupid to pass it once? Why would we waste time sending you again? You’ll get a job and make some use of yourself there.

  We can’t have freeloaders. Her father agreed from across the room, before the both of them needled themselves again to sleep. If she’s even mine. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn’t allowed to attend graduation. Her parents wouldn’t have shown up anyway.

  Work was fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine. Her money went mostly to her parents, although she kept a small stash inside her pillow or in her socks. She was only fourteen, and she quickly learned she had to be fierce not to be bothered. Luckily, Wiley had plenty of practice with that. So she kept to her own, and others kept to themselves. And she kept nine of her fingers and all ten of her toes, so really, it wasn’t all that bad.

  The day she turned 18, she was unceremoniously dumped out of her home, with two backpacks full of items and sheer willpower keeping her afloat. Well, supposedly the day of her birthday. But they were actually off by a week, which perhaps made it funnier.

  Wiley didn’t have friends, but there was housing through work. And she didn’t make friends, but she defended her own space, defended people who didn’t mess with her bunk. It wasn’t much, but at least there were no more needles in the place. At least she kept her whole wages to herself. At least she was making enough not to take out tesserae. So really, it could’ve been a whole lot worse.

  She could’ve been reaped for the hunger games.

  That, luckily, never happened. She actually made it to 26 without the worst thing in panem happening to her. She even bought a little mini cupcake to celebrate, obscenely expensive with the shortages from eleven. But this was a once in a lifetime birthday. She was even happy enough to split it with her roommates and let them cheer her life-giving birthday. No more reapings. Until, a month or two later, The president announced she wasn’t free from reapings. She had one more. Everyone in the district did.

  Wiley had never considered herself particularly unlucky, she just found herself fading into the shuffle, lost in the systems of six. But the 136th reaping assured her she was very much unlucky, because after everything else, at twenty six, she was reaped for the games.

  You have got to be fucking kidding.

Positive: willful, self-sufficient, strong

Neg: callous, impulsive, loud

District token: Wiley doesn't have one

PENNED BY: RAINY

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Kyoko, keep an eye on that phone that the Cubs gave us, we have a feeling that something bad is going to happen soon...

*Back in the main office, Miaya is quickly typing and email addresses of every electronics company which after typing all of them she turns to Yasushi*

So are these all the electronic companies that we need to inform about?

Yeah it should be, you can send it to everyone now...

Good, thank you very much. Now time to send the mass email right now... *As then Miaya quickly types an email*

Well... that takes care of that, I really thought things would be difficult but looks like we got it done.

So we got 3 area places to shut down?

Indeed, the next one is the radio tower which shouldn't take too long, the air polluter, the Monokumas and the helmets production and then the main factory then we can get the briefcase.

Hopefully it goes smooth sailing from here on out...

Hope so and Remanat, you better be correct that none of this is a ploy or I will strike you.

I know I know, we won't do anything and I think the image that was sent should be proof that none of us are gonna turn back.

Plus Suke send a part of the password, so we should be fine.

I see... so that's been taken care of...

Well, at least we did that. Good work everyone.

Annnd done, looks like everyone has been inform and I even send all the money from this account to Future Foundation so now they should be cut off.

Nice, now time for us to get outta here and-!

*BUMP!*

Huh? What the hell...? What's going on...

???: Sadly for you, your time is up.

Wait... what's going on, what's happening...?!

Hey asshole what the hell is going on, I thought you say it was smooth sailing!

Whoa whoa, hang on a sec, I got nothing to do with this! I'm not sure what's going on but this isn't suppose to happen!

*pulls his sword out* Then you better explain yourself.

Whoa whoa, hey hey! Put the sword down for a sec! I really got nothing to do with this!

*steps in between them* Hold on, something isn't right - something happen, I'll inform Dam.

*As then Kyoko pulls out her phone*

Dam? Are you there, it's me - what's going on, we can't open the door right now.

DAM: I-I'm not sure, I'm trying to contact Suke but he's not responding...

Wait, he isn't responding?

DAM: No he isn't, I'm trying to message him or contact him but nothing, he isn't responding. He sent an alert signal and the others are confuse as well - I...I think his personality got overwritten!

Ov-Overwritten, then who-.

Wait... what...?! Suke...!

MIKADO: Seems you finally caught on, good for you - now it's time for payback for what you did...

I knew it... Mikado Sannoji, seems you had something to do with this, didn't you? Why did you do this...?

MIKADO: Simple, given that you decided to not give us the Neo World Program, we decided to get revenge on you all for ruining our plans.

Wait are you being serious?! But your a member of Void, aren't you? You have nothing to do with this!

EMMA: Then maybe you all should of not gotten in the way for us trying to revive Master Utsuro, this is simple revenge.

Are you fucking kidding me, so you guys are getting back at us for stopping you from reviving your shitty god?

EMMA: HO-HOW DARE YOU INSULT MASTER UTSURO!!! THAT'S IT, I'M GOING TO HAVE YOU ALL DIE!!

MIKADO: My my, you upset Miss. Magorobi. The thing was that she was going to spare you but now you wish yourself an early death, well time to activate it...

*PSSST!*

*As then the room got filled with some smoke*

Wh-What did you just do?!

MIKADO: I tapped into the security system and decided to activate some poison which in a few minutes, you all will be dead! See you then!

[dadjokestop]

Looking for some actually funny jokes for adults to lighten the mood? You’ve hit the jackpot! Whether you’re at a gathering, a party, or just need to break the ice, these jokes are guaranteed to get some good laughs (and maybe a few eye rolls). Let’s dive into a collection of jokes that are just the right blend of clever, cheeky, and downright hilarious! Why Adult Jokes Are a Great Choice Adult humor has a way of addressing life's quirks with wit and wisdom. It’s relatable, often a little risqué, and perfect for those moments when you want to share a laugh without the kids around. So, get ready to enjoy some actually funny jokes for adults that will surely spark some fun conversations! 20 Actually Funny Jokes for Adults I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised! Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! What’s the difference between a well-dressed man on a unicycle and a poorly dressed man on a bike? Attire! I would tell you a construction joke, but I’m still working on it. Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts! My therapist said time heals all wounds. So I stabbed her. Now we wait! Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut? He just needed a little space! I’m reading a book on anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down! Why did the coffee file a police report? It got mugged! I used to play piano by ear. Now I use my hands! What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? Frostbite! I asked the librarian if the library had books on paranoia. She whispered, “They’re right behind you!” Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! I wanted to lose weight, so I went to the beach. I just couldn’t find my motivation—turns out it was buried under my towel! What did one ocean say to the other ocean? Nothing, they just waved! I told my computer I needed a break. Now it won’t stop sending me beach wallpapers! I’m on a whiskey diet. I’ve lost three days already! What do you call a factory that makes good products? A satisfactory! I had a neck brace fitted years ago and I’ve never looked back since! I just found out I’m colorblind. The news came out of the purple! Wrap-Up: Share the Laughter These actually funny jokes for adults are perfect for spicing up your conversations and adding some laughter to your day. Whether you’re telling them to friends, sharing them on social media, or just enjoying a good laugh alone, these jokes are sure to tickle your funny bone. Go ahead, spread the joy and keep the laughter rolling!

[the-firebird69]

Several of the kit cars are just of old old old cars and we're not gonna do that the Shelby Cobra is not the GT40. We're gonna make balls. An updated version someone made a prototype of we're gonna copy it and yeah they can't do anything about it but they chortle but Geez these guys are stupid. You can hardly get anything work at all. We are going to go ahead and begin production of the Shelby Cobra Koop in the Ford GT40 they're the same company and at saline they have several cars we're going to make and factory 5 has several cars that are fairly nice. In this perfect chassis for them. There are a couple of oddball companies we acquired and Hera wants to make her car. And he wants to make his 2 Bradley and his is the Cena and he has another name for it and it's close enough and they want to compete and it'll be rough they're close in design is is a little bit more modern but hers is a really really tough rugged design that's the way she does it and it's a little bit like the GT40. We're going ahead with these ideas and the two kids will finally be happy there is another company that's coming into our possession.

2006 Johnny Pag Motorcycle Lineup | Motorcyclist (motorcyclistonline.com)

And there's smoked and you can see it in the video but the motorcycle company is now in our possession and they haven't made motorcycles for about 18 years roughly they're pretty good bikes and they have three a small Honda rebel type bike medium sized cruiser with 300 CC and it's light and but it looks nice and a chopper which is kind of medium sized and a lot of people can ride them almost anybody if you're 130 pounds these are the bikes for you if you're 200 pounds they're perfect 250 it's pretty good if you're a £300 you don't want one. There's hardly anybody who weighs that much let the frame can take it and the engine can move you and we're going to make the dual three 100 2 and that can handle it in the frame sturdy we make them well. We will probably make a smaller one and some bigger ones but right now we're going to start making the bike and sending them and people are going to order the kit and they'll want the ones that the frame is made and we will have to send you what we got. And at factory five racing they would send the whole car assembled and that's what we're gonna do they're expecting a homemade complete frame and car and what you're gonna get is a little bit better because you can get parts for it and if we use AGM chassis we use GM parts for the whole thing practically it's not a bad deal we use Corvette aftermarket and radio Corvette parts for most of them. When we start to send them separate and not assembled we will change it but we have tons and we're going to do it from now on and we're going to piggyback.

Thor Freya Don't order just yet we have not started this project and if we start the project it will be a delay before we're ready but not too long we're getting ready now. There are people who are trying to invade the Midwest still they tried five times with very big groups and BJA is losing people to it probably half a percent last night and it's kind of idiocy but it keeps doing it and the group's getting bigger and pretty soon they're going to knock themselves out too they're only at about 7.4 percent off island and last night they took a big hit that's why they're at that point we expect more tonight and more activity with a pseudo empire they'll probably drop a percent and Trump will drop another percent and he will be possibly below 2% off island and start to feel the pain hopefully these in that case he is a nut case.

..

Olympus

[dianight]

Okay let me elaborate

The past two nights I've had the same dream sequence. More or less.

The first one was me working at this abandoned(?) factory or massive warehouse. Like at the start I was not sure what was I even supposed to do but random spooky creatures and other kinds of monsters kept showing up and I would just get rid of them one way or another.

All the other people were doing random work like building shit or cleaning up or moving things and I was just patrolling around. Like at some point I was in some changing room/showers and some black spirit shows up and I'm just like "can you not? Do I have to shoot you?" and it just goes away. For others I would actually shoot them or even beat them up.

It felt very much like Otherside Picnic in a way, except less horror and more inflicting violence or intimidating weird creatures.

I was up for a really long time while everyone else was doing their thing so eventually I got in bed on like a platform overlooking the main room. No one seemed to mind because they had seen me deal with all the paranormal stuff and understandably I was quite exhausted.

Some supervisor or something comes in for a briefing and starts talking shit about me sleeping on the job, at which point all the others start protesting because I've been up all night and there's no danger now.

It was around that point that I woke up and it's the reason yesterday I was reminiscing about my old job. It's always the middle managers starting shit and all the upper ones who are out of touch with what's going on. Anyway.

Tonight was like the same setup but on a different location. I was hired(?) as security on this mountain/forest to make sure a bunch of kids (university students?) didn't get hurt. My "boss" was this dragon lady/goddess/spirit who lived on a shrine/mansion on the forest. Not sure about how the kids knew her but I was not asking questions.

So most of it is just some third person perspective (I was flying over them) section where they are doing shit around the forest (test of courage???), then drinking and playing games. Gensokyo stuff I imagine.

For the most part I stayed out of it but I was making sure no one got lost and checking on the dragon lady and her assistant (shrine maiden?). She was doing laundry and cleaning around while the kids played and I talked to her for a bit. At some point she goes into her room to write some message on a scroll. Some sort of code?

More kids playing and then it gets so late that everyone starts falling asleep. I make sure they are all fine in one of the rooms of the mansion(?) and the dragon lady is there yawning too. She asks me to princess carry her to bed and I'm happy to do so. Turns out she's ultra heavy (dragon huh) but eventually I manage to get her to bed. As I'm about to go out I see her assistant at the door and ask her to come outside with me.

She asks me if I don't ever sleep and my answer was "only when there's no danger" (what a set up! Turns out I realized she was a traitor because the code started with a "turtle" and turtles are not mountain animals (<-don't even know what logic this is))

Turns out she was some impostor that wanted to kill the dragon lady and the message she was sending I intercepted somehow (I didn't even know) and she was waiting this whole time but I knew and was going to spare her.

The "fight" was me taking her movement and crushing it (the concept of it, whatever that means) and she couldn't do shit after that. At this point the dragon lady is up and asks me why I didn't tell her, getting (playfully) upset that I don't trust her strength. As I'm answering that I didn't want to bother her when I was hired to work for her she starts sexually harassing me (it's ok I liked it) and eventually I send the impostor away (literally she goes "poof" and disappears) and I get into bed with the dragon lady.

Unfortunaly we just sleep because it's been a long night and when I wake up I'm craving some dragon dick due to all the teasing, hence the initial post.

Feeling much like Marcille this morning.