#whereas causing bulk

[mangomybeloved]

i hate to say it, like i love watcher, but my thoughts on them leaving youtube is this is too much too soon, like the bulk of their fans are probs younger/unable to afford another subscription fee, plus youtube has always been where they've been?? it's just so stark to go from this being the site you put your content on for years and then to go full cold turkey, no more posting on youtube ever

and i'll be honest, they don't have enough content to warrant a separate site/subscription all together. dropout is able to pull it off because they have the full rotation of shows and cast as well (dnd, game changer, etc), whereas for watcher, they only have a few couple really successful shows and those are primarily only focused on ryan and shane.

and tbh, i don't think they have a big enough audience to launch it either, like their marketing team could do better on advertising their shows! like, i haven't been keeping up with their recent shows cause either i don't see it on my youtube algorithm at all or i have to go out of my way to go see it.

and i don't know this just feels like a kick to the face to their fans, like even dropout has shorts on youtube and keeps up all their content on youtube like some episodes and the entirety of season one of fantasy high, and now i'm seeing in the comments, that their international fans outside of the usa won't even able to subscribe cause of how payment works which is :///, so yeah, watcher, it's been nice knowing ya, but i don't know how this move will turn out for you, i'm sorry to say

[futureperfectchanges]

The Woolly Socks: Part 2 - Dan

As Dan crept out of the bedroom he wondered if moving in with Chris had been a mistake. For the third night in a row he had woken up cold in the middle of the night with the covers pushed off the bed. He knew Chris didn't do it deliberately and it was just his boyfriend instinctively trying to keep his furry muscular body cool, but it had happened enough times now that it was no longer amusing to Dan whose slim toned physique struggled to stay warm. Dan had tried going back to sleep but wasn't able to get comfortable so decided to do some reading in the living room. Chris would be getting up soon for his gym session so he would try and get a bit more sleep after Chris had gone.

The couple's differing routines were another issue with the relationship. Chris had a group of gym buddies that would work out in the early in the morning, whereas Dan never went to the gym as he instead did training with his running club after work. Before moving in together they had often gone out of their way to spend time with each other, but now they seemed to have got into a domestic rut where they actually spent less time together.

As Dan moved into the living room he shivered a bit and couldn't help thinking about how their different preferences for the heating in the apartment was another issue. Even in the middle of winter Chris would often walk around with barely anything on, whereas Dan would always be wearing at least one thick jumper. Dan didn't mind getting to see so much of his boyfriend, and he liked having easy access to rub his hands through the hair on Chris's chest, but he had started to worry about how different their lives seemed to be. Dan worried that they just didn't have enough in common and moving in together had made that painfully clear.

Dan had picked up some clothes from the bedroom before leaving, but in the dark he hadn't been able to find his socks. As he walked barefoot on the cold floor he wondered if he could cope without socks, but he quickly decided that he'd have to go back for them, which was when he noticed the white socks on the floor by the laundry. Chris had mentioned the previous night that he had bought a pair of socks but had found them too hot. As Dan walked over to them they did seem a bit thicker than the thin socks that Chris normally bought. Dan wasn't complaining though as they seemed like they would be perfect for keeping his feet warm until Chris got up.

After putting the socks on Dan was surprised by how warm they were. He felt a warmth creeping up from his feet but was unaware that warmth was due to thick hairs growing in all over his legs. Dan also didn't notice as his legs, that had been toned from countless miles of running, started getting more defined as they thickened up with muscle. Instead Dan started to think about the effort he had been putting into leg day at the gym, in particular growing his calf muscles despite all his buddies saying that muscle was mostly defined by genetics.

The warmth Dan was feeling quickly travelled up into his chest. He didn't notice as hairs burst out all over his stomach and then across his chest, he also didn't notice as his flat chest quickly swelled up with muscle whilst his shoulders widened out and his arms expanded to match. Instead the burning he had felt in those areas made sense to Dan as he was in the middle of his winter bulk, and was really pushing himself each session. Chris had recently made some gains in the gym, but Dan had always had the slightly bigger body and he wanted to keep it that way.

Finally the warmth reached his face and caused his beard to grow out, but for Dan that made sense as he had been growing it out during his bulk. He had intended to trim it back down in the spring, but he had decided he liked the look and was considering keeping it. Dan had also noticed Chris had been rubbing his cheeks more than normal too so he didn't think Chris would have a problem if the beard stayed all year round.

Dan looked at the jumper that he was about to put on and then wondered why he had taken it from the bedroom. He had woken up due to the bedroom being too hot and had come out to the living room to cool down, so a jumper was the last thing he wanted to put on. Dan decided that even the socks he'd put on were too much, so he quickly slipped them off.

Instead Dan walked across to the fridge and enjoyed the cool breeze on his chest that came after he opened it. He decided to start getting breakfast ready as Chris would be getting up soon and they didn't want to be late for their buddies at the gym. It was chest day today which they both enjoyed, although Dan's favorite part of the day actually came in the evening when they would spend time massaging each others sore furry pecs and then snuggling up together on the couch.

Dan couldn't believe how lucky he had been when he met Chris. It seemed like he had met his soul mate and now they had moved in together everything was perfect.

[astrolovecosmos]

Pluto in Scorpio Predictions & Notes:

1983-1995

Millennials (bulk of Pluto in Scorpio) are the largest generation worldwide and 2nd largest in the U.S.

Due to all of the distrust and disillusionment this group has faced collectively they may be or continue to turn into controlling adults as they keep aging. Since this is on a collective level we will likely see this in SO MANY FORMS.

Technology may be the main force that is/will allow parents to have more control over the beliefs and ideas their children are exposed to.

On their way to being incredibly paranoid adults and this may intensify once they are elderly.

Their shift in power may be very Scorpio-like, slow and silent or quiet and then all of a sudden the reins will be in their hands. If there ever is a powershift it may be an eruption.

Pluto in Scorpio was the generation that made the taboo seen and accepted (sexuality, sex, mental health, vulnerability, intense or dark self-expression, magic/the occult). Many will hold onto these values closely and passionately as they age while another group may disown this, and claim they have "outgrown" such beliefs. (happens with every generation's core beliefs)

Scorpio has a connection to forbidden, secret, forgotten, or guarded information. I have hopes and fears regarding this association. Will this generation continue on their path to digging up hard-to-access information or manipulate it? Will they intensify gatekeeping or be a liberating force?

I have high hopes for this generation to continue valuing mental health as so many are afflicted intensely and openly. Multiple past generations have valued this to and made large movements and gains in mental health. I wonder how the group will leave a legacy in that area?

We've entered Pluto in Aquarius which focuses on community and the collective, Scorpio has complex associations with isolation and intimacy. Scorpio is a sign of personal connection not collective. They may suffer and struggle with some of the changes and themes to come whereas other generations are more in tune with what is going on or more adaptable to it. Pluto being in a fellow fixed sign will cause friction but also movement, intensity, challenges, and growth. Scorpio and Aquarius are two signs that work behind-the-scenes and they are both signals of shifting power.

May value privacy more so than other generations, they've been having their privacy threaten for a good portion of their lives already.

There are absolutely zodiac signs that are more "popular" or well-known than others. Signs even those who know little or almost nothing about astrology have probably heard of. Those signs are Scorpio, Gemini, and Leo. Due to Pluto in Scorpio's size and being in a famous sign I wonder how they will be known throughout history? The last Pluto in Scorpio generation was between 1738 and 1749. A generation that would eventually face the American and French Revolution during the prime to middle age portion of their lives.

Typically generations make their biggest cultural impact in their youth but the most tangible impacts in their prime and later years. As Pluto in Scorpio starts to get older and older the more they will be the ones forming our world.

There is nothing new about struggle and hardship, however Pluto in Scorpio was always labeled as the "doomsday" generation. The generation who would have intense struggles, that will bring massive transformations, and who's pain or challenges will likely be in the realm of emotions, manipulation, betrayal, intimacy, power, and control. Scorpio is associated with destruction and death, but also rebirth and empowerment.

At a young age many in this generation had/has emotional wisdom. Their strengths as a group have been emotional acceptance and self-awareness, endurance and willpower, as a group they tend to be creative or artistic, have valued curiosity and depth, and are powered by passion and intensity.

This is also not taking into account any Neptune placement.

[bairdthereader]

Heartstopper Elders: Coach Singh

One thing I admire about a lot of Alice's work is that for every cruel, bigoted, neglectful, or just bewildered parent, there is often a contrasting adult figure to fill in the gaps.

Many of the teens in Heartstopper are wise beyond their years, keenly observant, and maturely even-tempered in a way that some critics say is unrealistic. (I'd argue that all of them have been through life experiences that made them that way, but that's a post for another day.) Despite this, they still sometimes need guidance and a safe place to land. Alice is brilliant in the changes they made to the show to bring minor comic characters to the fore who provide that counsel and safety. I'll start with Coach Singh for this post.

---

Priya Singh occupies a pivotal role in Nick's life. She's a uniquely placed outside observer who watches as the part of Nick’s life that (until Charlie) made up a lot of his identity and supplied the bulk of his friend group transforms into a space where Nick has to walk the knife’s edge between his old, false self and his emerging and evolving true self. Though she doesn't completely understand the impetus behind it at first, she sees Nick's relationship with his teammates deteriorate and knows that something has changed for Nick. And she has to have noticed that that change happened simultaneously with Charlie’s joining the team. 

When Nick enters Coach Singh's office after she walks in on him and Charlie, he's prepared to be chastised, and possibly assumes he'll be stripped of his captaincy. You can see it in his defensive, protective, and even resigned posture and facial expressions.

It’s interesting that in the comic Coach Singh makes Nick the captain during this conversation, whereas in the show Nick has already been rugby captain for a while at this point. This is a clever change, because it establishes that Nick and Coach Singh have a closer relationship than average, built on mutual respect (as would be necessitated by Nick's holding that position on the team) and it adds a layer of complexity to the strained relationship he now has with the rest of the team. He's responsible, in some ways, for the morale and cohesion of the team and yet now he can't see eye to eye with them. Knowing Nick, this conflict of loyalties would cause him a lot of guilt, especially because--no matter how many jokes are made about his status as rugby king--Nick is actually very good at rugby, works very hard at it, and clearly cares about the sport itself. (In the comic Coach Singh tells Nick she thinks he could pursue rugby after school.) So when this conversation starts, Nick is worried about the status of his captaincy, his relationship with Coach Singh, his relationship with Charlie, and his role in his team's struggles, not to mention his repeated attempts to come out to the few teammates he's starting to feel he can trust again. That's an awful lot for one person to carry.

Coach Singh handles the whole situation beautifully. She starts by reminding Nick, clearly and forcefully, why she made him captain in the first place. Though her delivery is brusque and could be interpreted as corrective, I think by starting the conversation here she's telling Nick that she knows Nick's positive qualities, especially the ability to bring people together, are still part of him, no matter what else is going on at the moment. She's communicating that she understands that the problems that have come up this term aren't, ultimately, his fault. Nick feels such a sense of responsibility that, though he knows he's in the right in this situation, he still feels guilty for the way things are going with the team, so Coach Singh's reassurance at this point is critical.

Then she quickly proceeds to emphatically put herself in his corner: "If any of the lads say anything out of line, you tell me immediately." Nick is very obviously surprised by this show of support and relieved that he's receiving it at all.

Coach Singh reinforces this support by sharing her own coming out story with Nick--making herself vulnerable so that he might feel more comfortable being vulnerable as well--and showing him that she really does understand what he's going through. She reassures him that he is under no obligation to come out, a reminder that Nick needs to hear often because he puts so much pressure on himself to tell people. She's also carefully signaling that Nick can trust her not to out him to the team.

So now, not only does Nick have someone he deeply respects and who is already a fierce, experienced fighter in this particular arena standing by him, supporting him, protecting him (and, by extension, Charlie), but he has a safe base at school, something he desperately needs. His relief at the end of this conversation is palpable. Nick received safety in a part of his life where he has not felt safe for quite a while.

It's worth noting that Charlie has a lot of important moments with Coach Singh as well. Knowing Charlie already from phys ed and his running accomplishments, and likely also as a past victim of bullying, her watchful gaze is naturally going to be on him as he ventures onto the rugby team. She knows that sport can be a rough place for queer people and clearly feels some concern. Her frown here isn't so much about Charlie's trouble getting the hang of a rugby play--she knows he can do it--but about the other boys' teasing reaction to his struggle.

She's always happy to see him, always encouraging him without condescending to him, and vocally praises him in front of his classmates (important!). She shows the other boys that Charlie is someone to be admired, even emulated.

Coach Singh shows Charlie repeatedly that she knows he's capable of anything he sets his mind to. She even manages to correct some of his negative self-talk that is rooted in his unconscious internalization of damaging gay stereotypes, a brilliant mini teaching moment that I think often gets missed.

She's clearly very disturbed and upset by his decision to leave the team, knowing on some level that his reasons for doing so must be very distressing but that he's unwilling to discuss it.

Then she welcomes him back with open arms (literally) when he asks to rejoin the team, knowing that this means Charlie is back in a place where he feels at least some of the confidence he needs to face this challenge again.

I mean, look at her face ⬆️ She may not be loud about it, but Coach Singh is a Charlie champion.

Bonus: Coach Singh will call. you. out.

[kevin-the-bruyne]

I don't know who started this first don't go out unless with khao recently cause I have seen him tagging along with satang to play or karaoke without khao being there at least 2 times. We really don't know who they are friends with cause why did I even think they were not still friends with ciize only for them to be at her exclusive bd party

And Khaotung plays football with Prem, I don't even know that he knew Prem was going to be there. These people have lives and I don't understand why fans need to be convinced that so much of the CP content is just straight up staged even when the intentions behind it might be genuine. does it ultimately even matter? like if you wanted every moment between them to be filled with genuine over the top gay emotions start following footballers not actors. what I do want to talk about is what I think might be happening to FK and it is by the way full delulu hat because I do NOT know how CP marketing operations go. I just have ADHD and match patterns I notice like that its always sunny meme.

but I've been obsessing a little with how first seems pretty subdued here whereas whenever this has come up before he sounds a lot more...whiny, more lovesick?? (how else to put it?). He says all the right things obviously and it could be just that these questions are so beaten to death that they are now practiced to death.

Except that they had an extremely flirtatious exchange over this Khaotung is moving on thing at the LOL EMFKJD interview.

I'm sorry that I not only have insane thoughts but also the desire to voice them - but I think First is codeswitching between his CP and solo events. This is unprecedented FK behavior but extremely common CP behavior in general. Obviously, even at solo events you can't just deny the existence of your partner lol but I think there's a general effort made to minimize the time spent talking about the other person. And lbr we've seen their Live House eps, this is not an effort either F or Kt have ever made before 😂 Anyway, this could mean absolutely jack other than that First was just tired during that ONE particular event. But I do find it interesting that FKs CP rankings keep going up. THK was obviously an enormous hit. And now First has bulked up to look like Adonis and we are suddenly discovering that he might be in Force Book and Pond Phuwin's tier of International brand model after all.

Khaotung is, unfortunately not, and is unlikely to be interested in striving for it (I think we should not underestimate how much this man loathes the gym). It's interesting to see them perhaps at a crossroads where they could potentially be professionally pulled into separate directions. Offgun handles this just fine, I'm really not worried about their ability to remain a pair or friends.

But it certainly seems to be a point that keeps coming up, Khaotung acting with other people. Which, if you come to think of it, is an insane thing to even bring up now when they are going into filming their next series??? First will see so much of Khaotung in the next few months and vice versa that they could emerge freshly divorced (then magically reunited of course EM trajectory). And as is typical we will barely see anything of either of them unless Joong hands Satang that mantle (which I trust him to, if I can divinate anything about this man its that he wants FK updates).

[asharaks]

solas in datv, part two (mechanics & general notes)

during the bulk of the game, solas is an active presence in rook’s head: he comments on your choices and your quests, he has battle calls like any other companion, and when you’re doing something he doesn’t like, he lets you know about it. you can develop specific relationships with him which impact his behaviour, modulated primarily by a respect slider and a separate approval slider, but his responses at high approval/respect aren’t always intuitive due to his volatile mental state and the fact that he is a trickster god with potentially a lot riding on rook! 

things like agreeing with him consistently, taking on slavers and helping slaves, helping mages (but not tevinter magisters) and elves, as well as using diplomacy, persuasion, manipulation and/or cleverness to facilitate progress before turning to force consistently raise respect and approval in tandem; kissing ass will raise approval but quickly tank respect. it’s also possible to raise respect while losing approval, for example by attempting to manipulate solas himself, as he won’t appreciate being turned on by the person he sees as his tool but will always respect the attempt to get what you want through wile. 

however, solas is through all this still the trickster god of the evanuris, and with you foiling his plans while the veil stands and the blighted gods walk free, he wants to get the measure of you and understand you as either tool or tenuous ally as much as he wants to walk free. accordingly, every so often, he’ll profess an opinion or a demand that runs contrary to his ‘normal’ position; if you normally agree with him and don’t disagree now, or vice-versa, his respect for you will diminish, seeing you either as spineless or contrary to the point of losing sight of your own goal. this will cause him to treat rook more as a tool to be used than a potential player on the figurative board.  in conversation, he should read simultaneously arrogant and yet at times viscerally self-loathing, and there is essentially no position you can take on him that he will approve of. if rook is admiring towards him, he will interpret this as stupidity (since he believes himself, his arrogance and recklessness, responsible for breaking the world); however, he’ll also interpret disdain or distaste for him as stupidity (since he has always, in his view, done everything he’s done For The People, and that’s worth anything else). it is possible for rook to break through this self-indulgent self-recrimination and self-aggrandisement, however, by first earning respect and then pushing for him to get over himself focus on improvement in the present. whether he respects and likes rook is evident in his battle calls: with a good relationship, he’s encouraging when you’re doing well and expresses visceral fear and grief when your health is low, whereas a solas who doesn’t care for rook will be unimpressed with their prowess and impatient with their struggles. the tone is very much “get good”.

(previous - solas in datv, part one)

(next - solas in datv, part three)

[birdyboyfly]

Ted Lasso Severance AU Ideas

Ted Lasso

Closest character correlation with Mark, with some elements of Helly’s mental health decline

Department Head of Macrodata Refinement

His soon-to-be ex-wife Michelle died in a car accident about two years ago, he was offered a job at the London branch of Lumon a few weeks after the accident and he accepted it and moved himself and Henry out to Richmond

Decided to accept the job and get severed because he didn’t want to feel the anxiety and grief caused by Michelle’s passing, and because Beard and Jane could help him take care of Henry

Was a high school football coach that also taught history before he worked for Lumon, Michelle was an AP Lit teacher at the same high school, Ted still regularly gets messages and mail from former students of his and Michelle’s after moving to Richmond

Beard is Ted’s closest friend (they met in college) who moved to England with his girlfriend and now-wife Jane about a year before the accident

Both his innie and his outie struggle with anxiety

His innie suffers from much more severe generalized anxiety as well as suicidal ideation

His outie’s anxiety is much more focused around Henry and his role as a father

Roy Kent

Longest working member of MDR

Used to be a professional footballer but suffered a career-ending injury to his knee about five years ago, started working at Lumon after his girlfriend at the time, Keeley Jones, recommended it to him

Him and Keeley broke up after Keeley decided that she also wanted to get Severed because Roy was throwing a fit because he didn’t like the idea of not knowing if they saw each other at work or not

Gruff and grumpy, hates Jamie with a burning passion

At first just wants to keep his head down and work on the files, but once he’s swayed he’s an unstoppable revolutionary force (closest to Irving but without quite as much Kier-worshipping)

His innie hates Jamie but is also vaguely aware that his feelings for him may border on romantic and/or sexual, also has a crush on Keeley J. from Optics and Design

Jamie Tartt

Youngest member of MDR

Grew up in a poorer community that Lumon funneled a bunch of money into and essentially raised the kids with the intent to make them Severed Lumon workers

Cocky and a little stupid, brags about all of the perks and benefits that he’s won from completing files (kind of like Dylan)

Completely ok with breaking all of Lumon’s rules and regularly pushes the boundaries of every supervisor figure he has had

Has a crush on Keeley from Optics and Design and regularly bitches with Roy about who gets to flirt with her because they both have a crush on her

Constantly jokes about having sex with Roy to which Roy just responds with death threats

Nathan Shelley

Newest member of MDR

The son of the CEO of Lumon, Lloyd Shelley

His outie is cruel and confident, and doesn’t view innies as “people”, also resents his own innie because he feels that it is a manifestation of the “weak” parts of himself

His innie (Nate E.) is extremely timid and has low self-esteem and latches onto Ted pretty soon after arriving

Nathan is the outie, Nate is the innie, essentially Nate is Nate in season 1 and after his redemption arc in season 3, whereas Nathan is Nate during the bulk of season 3

Rebecca Welton

Manager of the Severed Floor at Lumon

Rupert is close with the CEO of Lumon, Lloyd Shelley, and after the divorce she wormed her way into the company and is attempting to burn it down from the inside

Trent Crimm

Principles and Practices Editor, works in the Optics and Design department

Writes most non-scriptural materials for the Severed floor, as well as edits materials sent in from the non-severed floor to make them acceptable for Severed employees

Took a job on the Severed floor at Lumon after he came out to his wife and got a divorce so he could focus entirely on being a father to his daughter, Primrose (Rosie)

His innie has a giant crush on Ted, and his outie also has taken a liking to Ted because he knows him through Beard because his outie helped Beard edit his book

Anyhow that's some of the basic character stuff I have down right now, I'll probably make another post later with some notes on Keeley, Jade, and Beard's roles as well as some general plot notes

[quetzalpapalotl]

Just wondering (totally not because you're the only i have to ask this that can answer without sladering idw prowl) If miko had met idw prowl, how'd you think that dynamic would go? Bonus if he replaced Bulk

Thanks for the ask!!! And honestly I don't want to be mean here, but can't think of this as anything but a bad idea. Whatever you think there's to get from this scenario, I can't see it.

To begin with, TFP and IDW1 are very different settings. TFP being a children's show is allowed to have a more straightforward good vs bad dichotomy, whereas in IDW1 while the Decepticons are still definitely in the wrong due to the whole colonialism and genocide thing, the Autobots at far murkier. The Optimus in TFP can be the ultimate good guy, but that just wouldn't fit for the gruesome setting of IDW1, so that Optimus is far more morally gray. IDW1 would need to be toned down to exist in TFP, otherwise he's gonna be letting Megatron kill the children in order to keep the omega keys, and honestly, he would have let them die long before because they are a liability. His methods would put him in conflict with Optimus way to early and he would be an antagonist force inside Team Prime which would radically affect the show.

But even if we turn down the dial on Prowl, he and Miko just wouldn't get along. He would want her to stay put and not cause trouble, Miko is trying to get away from controlling parents, she's all about having fun. Prowl does not care about enjoying himself, much less about anyone else doing it (I talk more about this here). Miko would hate having him as guardian, she likes Bulkhead because he's cool, big, strong, fun and kind and Prowl just isn't. The most she would get out of the dynamic would be to get under his skin (admittedly, it is always so fun to see Prowl annoyed), but she would just end up gravitating more towards Bumblebee who has a personality more to her liking.

I guess the tropes of children's cartoons would dictate that eventually Prowl learns to relax and comes to admit to have affection for Miko, but not only is it extremely hard to do that while keeping the pretense that this is supposed to be IDW1!Prowl, we already have Ratchet going through a similar arc, the redundancy is not worth it if it replaces the Miko and Bulkhead dynamic, which is more rewarding because they are made specifically to bounce off each other and is also my favorite guardian dynamic from the show.

And that's not even getting into the effect replacing Bulkhead would have on Team Prime as a whole. Like, Bulkhead has the best interpersonal skills out of the Autobots (which is why he is the person Wheeljack comes back to despite his cool detached facade, Bulkhead gives him stability). I feel like fandom often overlooks Bulkhead's emotional skills because he is The Strong Guy, sometimes does some macho posturing and self-deprecats (and if I'm being less charitable, bc of fatphobia, racism and clasism). But look at these people, Optimus is very kind but also emotionally detached bc he's divinely mandated to be the best person at all times, Arcee has a whole arc about getting over the lone wolf traits she uses to protect herself, Ratchet is a cranky old man that refuses to admit he cares and while Bumblebee is very nice, lbr, the writers didn't quite know how to write around his speech impeding and Ralf gets better chemistry with Ratchet than his own guardian as a result. Bulkehad is basically the heart and if you replace him with someone like Prowl of all people, the harmony of Team Prime gets thrown off the windoe and the Autobots end up feeling way more hostile.

So yeah, they would just be antagonist towards each other at best, and ruin the whole show at worst.

[raayllum]

The Path Trilogy #1: Introduction and A Path Forward — Viren and Karim

So, Callum, Karim, and Viren all have a lot of parallels to each other, right?

Let's talk about 'em.

The basics:

Mage-brother-advisors to a sibling who is an actual monarch. For Callum and Karim, they get points for both being princes; for Viren and Karim, they get points for being usurpers (but more on that note later).

The mage is particularly important, as we know for Aaravos "mages were his prey" and while Karim hasn't fallen into his clutches yet, it is likely that he will, given there's little reason to make Karim a mage as opposed to just another warrior otherwise.

Karim and Viren's belief in destiny ("But destiny favours us, Pharos" / "Please, guide us. Direct us to our destiny") and pre-determination

Viren and Callum (and Finnegrin) all seeking out how to kill their enemies specifically (for Viren, it was Avizandum; for Callum, it's Aaravos).

Viren and Karim both enlist the help of shadowy, imprisoned elves to do their bidding in assassinating monarchs in order for them to take said thrones.

Callum and Karim have loyal partners who come back after perceived/actual abandonments, whereas Lissa does leave (and permanently leaves) Viren.

Karim and Viren both want to restore their people to a former glory, just with very different ideas of what that looks like.

If you've been taking note of the list above, you'll probably notice that Karim and Callum are both walking similar 'paths' to arc 1 (and arc 2) Viren in a variety of ways, but Karim tends to take Viren's political path and Callum tends to take Viren's personal path. That is going to be the bulk of the meta examination today, in addition to parallels (mostly juxtaposition) between Callum and Karim. If you are interested in more of Callum's parallels to Viren, I would recommend checking out these prior metas of mine (compilation here) + their foils tag.

Originally, I intended this meta to encompass all three dynamics of Viren-Karim, Viren-Callum, and Callum-Karim. However, the sections rapidly grew longer than expected (shocking, I know) and I hit the picture limit, so

we're dividing it up into three metas.

This is the First One, and I hope you enjoy!

With all of that out of the way, let's begin.

A Path Forward: Karim and Viren

So as indicated about, Karim and Viren are both very concerned with paths - and more than that, in some ways, they are concerned with strength and weakness.

K: She will forfeit, and they will see where strength truly lies. (4x09) V: If we are strong enough to make the right decisions, humans may finally return to Xadia. (1x06)

K: Humans in their weakness allowed evil to flourish. (5x04) V: But if we are led by a child king... S: He'll make bad choices? V: He will make weak choices. (1x06)

Now, this is unsurprising, in a lot of ways. Both Viren and Karim have a vested interest in becoming king of their respective peoples. Both believe wholeheartedly in symbols ("It's the symbolism, sister!" / "An empty throne is a beacon of weakness"), the aforemetioned belief in destiny, and a strong desire to return to times past. Viren and Karim both want to reclaim lands that were lost because of exile and dark magic, even if Viren is the one who doomed Karim's home in the first place, and Karim wishes for humans to leave (which was the root cause, in a lot of ways, of Viren's subsequent issues - however far removed by history).

These intense desires and beliefs instigate much of their political and general wrongdoings, being subsequently impatient when it appears that other people are not taking things as seriously / willing to wait.

V: Settle down? Can't you see the danger we're in? (2x01) K: [Clucks tongue] We don't have time! (4x08)

This is in direct contrast to the series' idea that things can, and often should, take time ("You say you want to make a difference, to really change things, but that's going to take decades of hard work [...] There's no monster you can slay to solve all your problems!" / "You and I will not live to see this new day?" "No... Nurturing the seed is the work of our lifetimes").

However, Karim and Viren are also fundamentally different people. Karim has watched the crown pass to both his sisters and primarily (it seems, for Khessa) been supportive. He doesn't seem to crave power for himself, even if he is politically minded, and he is focused on conserving something collectively that has directly recently been extremely under threat (his culture and his people's wellbeing). He's a mage but thus far has never shown any inclination towards dark magic (which we see in S5 very much isn't the case for all elves) and was Viren's preferred magical method even when having more access to primal magic. Karim is also friendlier and gets along well with Amaya, which we don't have any indication that Viren ever did.

Furthermore, Viren is far more efficient and can actually know how to be patient and how to try to achieve his own aims than Karim, who fails constantly and consistently. That being said, Karim does undeniably take on Viren's prior political plot line by becoming an

Usurper

and largely for the same reasons that Viren wanted the crown as well, fearing stagnated weakness or integration with their enemies. Both, also, largely following through similar steps of

1) Attempting to converse with their sibling monarch and being shut down regarding their concerns or ideas

2) Calling a political meeting in order to cement their goals that goes very wrong

3) Being arrested and punished for things going by the wayside

4) Only to return - wholly in Viren's case and somewhat in Karim's - victorious the following season after successful to unsuccessful exchanges/betrayals

Last but not least, as a closing (mostly unrelated) note but one I thought was cool enough to mention anyway, Viren and Karim both seek to use archdragons to aid in their takeover coups and world acclimation plans. While Viren wanted to harvest Zym and Zubeia in order to achieve ultimate power, Karim is less concerned with consumption (not a dark mage, after all) and more with collaboration, believing that Sol Regem could be a great and powerful ally.

This is, of course, ignoring the main other relationship in which they parallel one another, which is

Kim'Dael and Aaravos

Kim'Dael and Aaravos, in a lot of ways, have a few parallels beyond just "imprisoned elves who seek their freedom, and team up with power hungry mages," some of which are:

Being, seemingly, the last of their kind — Kim'Dael is the last of the blood drinkers, Aaravos is (possibly?) the last of the Startouch elves

Their own kind as well as the archdragons turned on them

They are both very comfortable and regularly use dark magic for their own ends

Have very specific monikers — the Midnight / Fallen Star and the Bloodmoon Huntress

There is also the layer of how Viren and Karim are useful/appealing to Aaravos and Kim'Dael, respectively, because of their history. Viren is a human mage, like so many of Aaravos' previous victims, and has the Staff of Ziard (one of if not the first thing Aaravos notes about him, and thus knows so much about Viren immediately, I might add), and Karim is tied to Aditi's bloodline, a requirement for Kim'Dael to, well, give a shit.

But the crux of it is how Viren goes to and uses Aaravos' power to achieve his own ends in becoming king and leading a war on Xadia. Time will only tell how effective an ally Kim'Dael will truly be to Karim (thus far it's been a deadly but unsuccessful fetch quest / hostage exchange), but she definitely has the potential, and I think it's likely S6 will see both her and Aaravos being freed from their confines.

I've said before, though, that there's little reason for Karim to be a mage, specifically, rather than just another (less talented) warrior like his sister, unless he is going to become Aaravos' prey by manipulation or proxy in future seasons, given that he preys on mages. However, we'll simply have to wait and see whether Karim will fall into Aaravos' clutches, willing or unwillingly, going into S6.

Misc Notes:

There's a lot to be said about how Viren is the kind of person who would create Karim, a character who is much like Viren in many ways and largely emboldened by the trauma he and his people have suffered at Viren's hands. I think it's one of the show's best "show not tell" examples of how the cycle perpetuates itself unless it is actively stopped, and how tradition and being constantly stuck on the past can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help, and why Janai's line very much mirrors Harrow's dying philosophy, one that is extremely in contrast to both their mage advisors: I make history. History does not make me. Even if they grew up as radically different people — Viren from a disadvantaged background, Karim as a pious prince; Viren a dark mage, and Karim a primal one; Viren, relatively safe growing up in Katolis with a long standing cold war versus Karim having his culture recently and brutally ripped away from him — one of the worst and best things the Cycle does is create similarity through suffering and trauma response(s).

The parallels between Janai and Harrow go steeper, too, with Harrow's statement of "I'd rather die a king than live as a coward" (which Viren mistakes as pride rather than accountability) and Janai's assertion that she wants to be queen when Karim tries to make her back down. Likewise, we see Karim and Viren justify the actions they take in a similar manner to most of the other mages in the show when it comes to escalating/restoring to violence:

V: I had no choice! K: What choice did I have? You pushed me to this, sister!

There is also, of course, the theme of exchange running throughout both mages once we get to S5. Viren wanted to exchange a soldier's life for Harrow, thinking in exact scales and numbers rather than in the horrific humanity lurking underneath, whereas Karim treated his sister's life as a bargaining chip in exchange for the Sun Seed, and thereby control of his people's future. However, where Viren always sees himself as an active participant in his guilt/decisions, and therefore focuses on self-martyrdom as a justification, Karim still looks externally for signs and gifts to be given, tying back to how he uses his religion and fear of the new to justify his own decisions, making himself more passive but no less dangerous as a result.

One of the biggest differences between Karim and Viren is, perhaps, their choice of partner. Lissa ultimately left Viren after he was further corrupted by dark magic in order to save Soren, meaning that whatever he did was not something she could morally justify/accept or feel comfortable with, even if it successfully saved their son's life. Meanwhile, although Miyana appears to abandon Karim (and more on their dynamic here), he remains fairly faithful in her love for him ("Miyana, I knew you'd come!") until 5x08 and overjoyed when she does end up returning to him, even before the reveal she's brought gifts.

M: Whatever appearances might have been, my loyalty never wavered. K: Your loyalty? M: My love.

Last but not least, we have the interplay with the concepts of truth and blindness running throughout the series.

Viren has always had eye symbolism — pouring literal darkness into his eyes in order to try to see the mirror; Aaravos overtaking and turning one of his eyes white in S3; Viren, upon waking resurrection, having clear eyes — which makes sense, if you want to reaffirm a character is short sighted or not seeing things clearly. It seems Karim assuming that healing Sol Regem's blindness will fix their problems, even when the sun king reaffirmed the opposite. In this way he borrows more from Claudia, perhaps, banking on the idea that fixing physical means fixing the emotional, and that it will give him everything he wants with none of the repercussions or hangups.

Where Viren finally sees the truth, Karim is blinding himself in order to try to heal Sol Regem (and unsurprisingly gets a cut across his eye/eyebrow, courtesy of Amaya) along the way.

Conclusion:

As discussed in the meta above, where Viren progresses past his arc 1 well, arc, Karim largely steps in to fill his political shoes, demonstrating how history and the cycle repeats itself and the dangers of such attitudes and choices. We don't know whether Karim's quest for power and control will end as disastrously or deadly as Viren's, but his army turning into a monstrous one seems likely, given Pharos' lingering Aaravos induced corruption and subsequent involvement. If you are interested in even more Karim and Viren parallels, check out this post for ones that didn't make it into / weren't relevant to this meta (the "cutting your palm open with a knife" is a particular favourite of mine).

Now that we've looked at how Karim is unknowingly walking Viren's political path, the next upcoming meta — The Path Trilogy #2: In the Name of Love, I Would Do Anything For You — will explore how Callum is mostly unknowingly walking Viren's personal path. The final Path meta will focus on additional parallels between Callum and Karim.

Now at the end, as always — thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I'll see you in the next one!

[blade-liger-4ever]

Hi Blade it is I again sorry for the bother

I was wondering if the Bots were to discover their own Predacon, say in Scrapheap, except the ice around her pod isn't melted until few chaps, the Bots would notice the decrease of Energon and would point fingers at each other for the shortage, say what would the bots reaction and our main four humans who are Jack, Miko, Raf and Sierra be like? (My OC will find the Predacon first due to wandering the base on her own and follow a trail of metal scales).

The Predacon in my story is half Dragon, Half Gargoyle and half spider.

Except while interacting with my OC(named Edelgard) it wasn't attacking her but was observing curiously and was about to reach her hand towards the Draconian Gargoyle Spider until she was shot, and the reason why she was reaching out was because they were three arrow tips stuck in one of her hinges.

Also, what would the reaction of the bots if say one of their closest friends turned out to be a Quintesson in disguise but is actually might be half human with a history with MECH who lost one of their own who was like family and sworn to have blood for blood as she will hunt them down to kill them and even anyone associated with them(the bots will see the footage of an old place of Operation of MECH through fixed video feeds).

And while they debate the humans learn of the Quintessons and will laugh at how the bots got invaded by those their size, but will shut up upon learning the serious stuff.

Optimus is close to said half Quintesson(human hybrid born because of the Protoform) will be in turmoil but remembers his closest friend dream of a united Cybertron with all different races coexisting together and will say his piece as in "Were we so different in our war?"

The ones with the strongest reaction will be Optimus, Ratchet, Bulkhead and Ironhide since they have fought the Quintessons war.

Whereas Bee and Cee have the mildest ones due to being born to the Golden age whereas Bee was born in the War and serve as a scout and messenger to Sentinel Prime.

As for Ratchet he is on board the idea of not helping a Quint as a reminder of what they did to the innocent civilians and Medical Evacuation that tried to help only to be destroyed by them, as he would hear and witness such tragedy before him, but due to Optimus' words his reminded of his purpose as a medic and that is to help anyone even a once nightmarish enemy,while Bulk and Iron were doubting either to help or not involve at all.

What do you think Optimus will say to them about helping their friend as they finally discovered her other half and heritage? (who is a Lunarian Princess now is crowned a queen due to Artemis dying and handing her her legacy) that is the daughter of Artemis Meissa who was created by her father Quintess Prime, not to mention having a romantic past with one of OP's closest friends and brother like Megatron was to him named Razer Edge who never told him this secret and so many more, not to mention Artemis being the leader of the Quints and was there the day Cybertron was invaded, but some presumed dead and permanently deactivated after Razer killing her when in reality it was a magic spell that gives a temporary death to save Razer from being accused a traitor to his people and to not start a new war, as she couldn't prevent the one she has caused due to not stopping the Judges and acting sooner but found redemption on earth by giving up her life to one she considered her own child and her hope to redeem the Quintessons into what they truly are).

Also, what will be the reaction of the other members of team Prime of the half Quint now Autobot friend(Starscream because I will redeem him in my story, Wheeljack, Windblade, Smokescreen, Ultra Magnus, Moonracer, Lancer, Greenlight, Flareup, Jazz, Jetfire, Prowl)?

And what about the Cons particularly Megatron since the Quints are the reason why he was cast to the darkness of the mines after being assigned to them, and his reaction to Optimus allowing such a reminder of his past be part of his team, as he will say "Have you forgotten what her people done to ours?!", As for Airachnid she might take interest in having her as a trophy due to the rarity of her kind and how it fills her slot of having a human plus some extra with it.

I will wait for your answer and sorry again for making this a habit of asking you, but ypur advices were quite sound and helpful that I couldn't just help it, also the scolding bit of OP I love it! It perfectly captured his entire feelings on the situation.

Take care and may Allah bless you.

Also, if you can and want we can discuss in Discord my account name is Inestar9794

Dang girl, you've got questions! XD

To be honest though, I'm usually so drained during the day, I may have to ask you to slow down on asking for my advice; I don't mind helping, but I get so tired that my off-time from work is basically my vacation. I appreciate you coming to me for help, but there's only so much I can do.

That's a really intriguing idea you have for your OC Predacon. I like it. I personally think that Ratchet and then Arcee would be the first ones to start pointing fingers and getting peeved at reduced energon storage. They'd likely think it was Bulkhead snitching some first (I mean, his "fat" has to come from somewhere), but he swears up and down it's not him, and Optimus backs him up for his reliability. Jack and/or Sierra would probably guess, maybe even between themselves, that Bee is the culprit; after all, he's a "growing boy", so who's to say he's not nabbing some when no one's looking? Miko is Team Bulkhead Defense, so she'd be furious at 'Cee and Ratchet for their lack of trust toward him. Actually, she'd really lose trust in them; that's an interesting thought, now that I consider it. Anyway, Raf would probably try putting on his detective cap and try to get to the bottom of it, with Bee helping until he gets accused by Ratchet, or maybe even Bulkhead if he misinterprets what the scout's doing near the storage room.

As for reacting to the Predacon herself, they'd all be shocked, but Optimus would take the first step in accepting her, and the others would (grudgingly, in Ratchet and Arcee's cases) follow suit.

That's also a fascinating idea for a half Quintesson, though I confess I'm not the biggest fan of using them in a story. That said, I'll try my best here.

I think of the cast Starscream might have the biggest problem with her, but he'd keep his mouth shut on the matter since he's worked his tailpipe off to earn their trust, and him having a solidly stated opinion on the matter one way or the other could get him kicked out (as far as he knows.) So, he'd be very uncomfortable, borderline suspicious/hostile toward her, but keeping a lid on it.

Wheeljack would probably be a little touchy on the reveal, but I think he'd be neutral and leaning toward acceptance. He's the type of guy who only holds grudges on a personal matter, and if he's Arcee's age, he's not gonna be confrontational on the matter. Touchy about letting her go at his stuff, yes, but he won't kick her to the curb.

Oh, speaking of, Bulkhead would probably be "let's ditch her". I mean, keep in mind, he's usually the one advocating for an enemy's death faster than the rest. So, while he wouldn't be saying "kill her" about your OC, he's definitely gonna avoid her like the plague and throw out ideas for how they can conceivably leave her behind. That'd also be a nice source of friction between him and Wheeljack: Bulkhead being offended and shocked that Wheeljack doesn't hold it against her, and Wheeljack pointing out the ways she's helped them and the fact that you can't help how you're born, even if he himself isn't thrilled by her heritage.

Ratchet I can see going full on abandoning her. He's seen the worst of what the Quintessons did, and is reacting out of pain, grief, and rage from the war. He'll probably come around sooner than Bulk, but he's gonna have to have some arguments with Optimus in order to hash out his personal feelings and keep them from getting in the way of his friendship with her. Remember, he's a healer first and foremost, so while he'll struggle, he'll come around and double down on his protective instincts in the end.

Optimus will probably have numerous flashbacks, then just hug her (in private) and reassure her that the sins of her people don't hang over her head. He'd likely try pointing this out to the rest of the 'Bots, perhaps even pointing out that while one half of her lineage has caused so much wanton destruction, death, and misery, she has proven to be the exact opposite. Again, the sins of her people don't pass down to her as anything other than "I want to right this wrong and I will."

This will likely influence Ironhide and Bulk to stand down, though I feel Ironhide would be less callous about it. He's rough, but not Spark-less. If anything, he'd probably complain and beat up the training room for a week, then talk with Optimus for like a solid day. He'd listen to Optimus' points, grumble, then go on to re-accept her, though it actually becomes a more genuine friendship than before (he's a softie under that plating, but don't let him know I said that.)

I think, like Bee and 'Cee, Moonracer, Windblade, Lancer, Greenlight, Flare-Up, and Smokescreen would have the least strong reaction. They'd all murmur about it for about a night, then shrug it off and just accept her. Personally, and I admit to some bias being here, but I think Smokescreen would be the quickest to say "it's alright. You couldn't help it, and even being half Quint, you're too good to be bad. I trust you, and you've shown you're a true friend and teammate. That's all that really matters, and I know for a fact that you won't betray us for anything."

Ultra Magnus, Jetfire, Prowl, and Jazz would probably be doing a verbal Mexican standoff. Magnus and Jetfire I can see being the ones thinking "we should consider this a breach of security and figure out how to make sure she's trustworthy", while Prowl and Jazz would be telling them to knock it off. I think they'd have similar feelings as Optimus on the subject (also I say Prowl is chill with it because while his bio says he's stiff, I still miss the kinda normal version of him from G1 - and no, I don't ship him with Jazz. I can just see them agreeing on the topic and wanting everyone else to just accept their friend again.)

Megatron would be fuming over this perceived "betrayal" from his old friend "again", and weaponize it to 1 boost troop morale, and 2 continue painting Optimus as the enemy. Knock Out would rub this in the 'Bots' faces, while Shockwave and Soundwave would be utterly unfazed (though Soundwave may be a little more angry now.) That is a perfect reaction from Airachnid (and terrifying), and if he's still alive, Breakdown would be appalled and furious. Whether or not he's still conflicted about the factions, I feel he'd see a Quintesson ally of the Autobots a step too far. Dreadwing would have a similar reaction, though more controlled, and Skyquake would just use this as fuel for his zeal in following Megatron (should they also still be alive here.)

Thanks for coming to me. I hope you find this helpful!

[darkmaga-returns]

China has its strategic reasons for using Thorium. It’s basically dirt in its own backyard whereas Uranium, while still cheap as chips, might need to be imported at some point. But it’s so bountiful everywhere from Australia to Canada to Kazakhstan to Namibia I don’t take uranium scarcity as a serious concern. But the molten salt part… that’s where it gets interesting.

The Safety Case for MSRs

Anyhow. This tantalizing success is just the beginning of the hard work of the commercial molten salt reactor. It’s over time that corrosion and the thorny issue of neutron-poison buildup rears its ugly head. Again, as Nick Touran reminds us, “we're still decommissioning the MSRE to this day, though it shut down in 1969. The leftover fuel salt is offgassing UF₆ and all sorts of nasties.” To find out more, listen to Nick’s latest episode on MSRs on Decouple.

But if we (or you know… the Chinese) DO crack it, the potential could be incredible. There’s a reason why there are dozens of MSR startups all over the world (although none of them have ever split an atom yet).

The bulk of the world’s reactors work with solid fuel under very high pressure. This necessitates the construction of a huge containment dome to keep everything inside in the case of an accident. The molten salt reactor works at atmospheric pressure, and in an accident condition, the salt “freezes” in place.

There can of course still be nuclear accidents, but not the kind of widespread contamination that causes disproportionate panic. Could this pave the way for smaller, lighter, cheaper reactors to be licensed?

[scotianostra]

October 2nd 1721 saw the little known Battle of Coille Bhan.

This was more of a skirmish in real terms, but history recall it as a battle, to me the numbers involved make it less so. The way I look at it is that this was also an attempt by the Government of the, still quite new, Union, to impose some sort of rule to the Highland Clans, in this instance it can also go down as leading from an often overlooked Jacobite uprising in 1719, called The “Little Rising“.

The background was that government forces had failed to take the lands of Mackenzie of Seaforth. The taxes being collected by Mackenzie's factor, Donald Murchison were being sent to Mackenzie himself who was living in exile in France for his part in the '15 Jacobite uprising, after which his lands were forfeited to the crown. It was decided that a second attempt should be made to seize Mackenzie of Seaforth's estates.

This time 160 soldiers of Colonel Kirk's regiment left under the command of a Captain McNeil, who unlike their predecessors who had been ambushed in Glen Affric, McNeil took a longer but easier route from Inverness to Dingwall then onto Strath-Garve and Loch Carron.Mackenzie's force were led by Colonel Donald Murchison who had led the ambush at Glen Affric, and I bloody wish my spell check didn't keep trying to make me say Africa instead of Affric!!!

Anyway the Colonel marched his men up a mountain pass called Mam Attadale, a "gallant" relative, named Kenneth Murchison volunteered to attempt an ambush with a small party of 13 at Coille Bhan (White Wood), while the bulk of the party should remain where they were.

Captain McNeil with 18 men of his government force advanced on Kenneth Murchison's position. They received fire in which several of the government troops were wounded and one was killed. McNeil persisted in attacking his enemy and eventually he defeated them and Kenneth Murchison's men withdrew, as they were unable to resist any further, there is no mention of the Jacobite's losses.

The long and short of it is, although Captain McNeil had defeated this advance force, he soon heard of the larger group of Mackenzies waiting at Attadale under the command of Donald Murchison, unwilling to take on these men, who also held the high ground McNeil, himself wounded retreated and high-tailed it back to Inverness.

Kenneth Murchison quickly rejoined Colonel Donald on Mam Attadale, with the cheering intelligence that one salvo of thirteen guns had repelled the hundred and sixty red-coats. No further attempts were made on Mackenzie of Seaforth's lands.

This episode confirmed the view in the south that the Jacobite clans equated with banditry and disorder, but Donald Murchison was also a bold man, reading on, in the History of The Mackenzies he appeared in Edinburgh two years later with £200 in back rents, looking for someone to take it over to France, he was not so stupid as to make himself conspicuous and is said to have been wearing "the garb of a lowlander", he did however spend two weeks in the capital, and although he was a wanted man went unmolested during this time.

Mackenzie of Seaforth, also known as William dubh MacKenzie or Black MacKenzie, like may other Jacobites during earlier uprisings, was later pardoned and returned returned to Scotland in 1726, he died in 1740.

During the '45 uprising, such was the split across The Highlands one of his sons fought on the Hanoverian side in the campaign, whereas a large part of the Clan Mackenzie followed the chief's cousin George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie chose to fight for the Jacobite cause.

The pics shows moorland and Lochcarron, the expanse of land that Clan MacKenzie enjoyed as their own, and their clan crest with the motto Luceo Non Uro (I shine, not burn). MacCoinneach the Gaelic name for the clan means son of the fair bright one.

[total-television-productions-act]

and now it's time to catch up on some art

a LOT a lot of nextgen info under the cut

these two are two of meg's villains, and the oldest of the originals in her rotation. Cherry (she/her) is The Electric Eel's daughter, currently employed at some tech store. In her spare time, she likes rigging explosives and infecting the devices she's paid to fix with ransomware. Xera is Xera (she/it), one of Battyman's many kids, a bat who likes to cause a little havoc and own shiny objects.

Biff (he/him), Derby (she/they) and Rascal (she/her) are the Gangkids. Biff is Mooch's, Derby is Spinny's, and Rascal was adopted by Sandy and Dyna. Together, the three of them like robbing convenience stores, mostly; they aren't above robbing banks, but usually they do that with the help of a more experienced member. they also like robbing people on the street, particularly the rich-looking ones. they ALSO also like picking on Lewis.

getting more specific, Biff is the Gangkid leader, primary muscle, and gunman should they need one. He's a year older than Lewis, but has bullied him since they were in school together (Biff got held back a year.) Derby is only a little older than Meg, serves as getaway driver, and also likes to do a LOT of diner stickups (it's so she can get free milkshakes). Rascal is Calliope's age, and is a little child prodigy who sees the other two as her big siblings. she likes mixing chemicals together, one day she'll be Cad's intern.

Castor (he/him) and Pollux (she/her) are Veronica's twin nephew and niece, who make weird little inventions just like the people they grew up around did.

Pollux is pretty low-key for a villain, she likes being an asshole more than she likes world domination; she sells drugs on the side and has something or other going on with Lewis. Castor is the real scientific prodigy, that said, he mostly puts his knowledge to the side in favor of tagging along with the Gangkids and doing things the old-fashioned way.

Scout (he/him), who i drew REALLY poorly in this picture, somehow managed to come out of his upbringing really well-adjusted. He's a creature that followed Cad to the lab one day and never left, so Cad took him on as a "son." He has no desire for world domination, but a little streak of villainy. Meg is still his bestie, she'll manage to pull him out of the criminal racket eventually.

-----

something to know about my nextgen is that i keep flipping in between when it should take place. the characters above are all aged to the time where Meg is about to graduate high school, as compliant with a fic i wrote.

but i ALSO keep fluctuating with the bulk of the nextgen taking place when Meg is WAY younger, like... pre-teen younger. these two characters are scaled to that age, instead:

Wonderbot (it/its) is a robot Simon made, an attempt to create a match for Wonderpup, and an attempt to get Underdog off his back for good. This worked somewhat, but unfortunately backfired massively in the fact that he now has his OWN kid to deal with. Wonderbot itself is an AI+DNA hybrid ripped from Wonderpup, sort-of crafted to be 11 (when her dna was obtained) whereas Meg is about 12. It's a very efficient robot, more than Underbot was, and does its job well... but due to its tie to Meg, has a desire buried deep in its mind that this isn't the life it should be living.

Reggie (he/him) is a guy i made up after listening to "Mairzy Dotes" one too many times and thinking about vegetable lambs. He's the same age as Meg and has a DISASTROUS crush on her. Being a vegetable lamb, Reggie is half-plant and has a kind of control over plants. Desperate for attention, both from Meg and the adults around him, he does a lot of destruction and crime. he's.... sort of a tobey mccallister to Meg's wordgirl </3

[youcouldstartacult]

it's interesting though that this time doing the voice he is still in the writing phase of the album whereas i think with the show he already had the bulk of it done beforehand I wonder if he is going to write in london and then record in LA and honestly i'm not mad at that cause i feel like with the voice and him being involved with song selection he might draw some inspiration from songs/genres he doesn't usually listen to

oooh that’s interesting

yeah, i could definitely see that happening. especially if he’s spending time with bublè, hopefully he inspires him to use more of his vocal range bc it is there!!!!! i would love a feeling good esque moment

you can hear it a lot in new york state of mind, champagne lovers and nothing

[rigelmejo]

Oh also, to hype up this app Smart Books even more (apparently its on app store as Parallel translations of books. Which. Yeah thats literally what it is and it's great:

So in this app, it shows book statistics. Which I'm always fascinated by. Here's my current stats for Guardian:

It shows how fast I'm reading in words per minute, how often I'm looking up words (caveat here that I keep clicking some words I know reading wise for pinyin pronunciation), shows my progress (4% is pathetic but also impressive considering I restarted today and the book is over 100 chapters). It shows how long I have read total and I'm happy to say the timer does NOT count when you minimize the app or switch to other apps with it still open, making the time read quite accurate (and really calling out my ADHD for taking a break from reading every 5-20 minutes ToT). And it shows estimated time to finish the book. Which is a feature I love in any reading app. And I have to say, personally? I am VERY motivated to see the estimated time go DOWN. So when I see it, it motivates me to kick up my reading speed, and remember fucking words so I don't slow down to look them up again. I like motivation, so I love the estimated reading time. And a fun fact about Guardian, the audiobook is around 55 hours if I remember correctly. So the closer I get to seeing that estimated remaining time go down to 55 hours, the closer I'm getting to spoken reading speed! I've already improved a lot as when I started reading it estimated 98 hours, now after a bit of reading its estimating 72 hours. Huge improvement. (And yes, if you load a Chinese novel in this app you'll be hit by the reality a fuck ton of Chinese web novels are from 20 hours for SHORT SHORT ones to 100+ hours to read... for a fast reader). For comparison, I'm also reading 坏小孩 which is only 124k words compared to Guardian at 304k words... and 坏孩子 is estimating ill finish reading it in 28 hours (I think it's audiobook is 20 hours so that's at spoken reading speed).

And Guardian word statistics:

This fun word statistics area lists the words by order of how often they appear, so its great for if you want to pre-study vocabulary for a book. Or if you want to review common words in it. Or if you're curious how MANY fucking unique words are in a book. Fun fact, 坏小孩 has around 8000 unique words, compared to Guardian's 16,740 unique words. Despite this, I find 坏小孩 harder cause apparently of my lexicon of Chinese words I know how to read, it's mostly words priest uses. And the 坏小孩 author uses a word I am not familiar with about every 20 words ;-; to be fair, Guardian leans heavier into case investigatkom stories/supernatural which is the bulk of Other novels I've read too. Whereas 坏小孩 has many more every day words for card games, school, building descriptions, orphanages, which I do not read about as much.

Anyway my point is: this app is free and pretty dang useful if you're trying to read a language you're learning. It generates parallel texts!

[laserswordtraining]

Potions. Pandemic. and a Crinkle Tube.

The wizarding world is facing a magical core pandemic, and the St Mungoes potions staff is out of commission! But don’t worry, Tom and Severus are creating, and Harry and Ron are testing to bring the solution to viability.  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A mini fic for @apocalypsewallflower based off of a prompt they gave at one point or another. <3 surprise!happy new year bud =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There was an intense upswing of new potions since Severus Snape and Tom Riddle partnered together, testing things as simple as a gentler sleeping draught to something as extreme as a temporary life shield. However, in the last week, it was like a new plague had been found, which stuttered out wixens’ magic cursing them in a way that could only be slowed down by transforming them into animals, whether or not they’d ever attempted an animagus transformation. 

When the news came out, there was no surety what had caused it- had it started with a batch of potions gone sour? Had there been an ancient artifact uncovered? An old relic combined with a potion? 

At first, it had been only a handful of people, and had been pure luck to discover that the failure of the magical core was stalled by being turned into an animal. When this information was announced, Harry and Ron immediately looked at each other, the right men for the job. 

Within minutes, Severus and Tom were responsible for creating a potion that would counter the effects of the curse and return the wixen to their human forms when fully addressed. 

However, while they began dissecting the virus, working out a solution, it had soon become a pandemic. To prevent further spread, every witch and wizard wore bubblehead charms, relying on floo calls rather than even contact through paper. There had been a wild theory that the owls had been spreading it. 

Down in their, now very secure, lab in the Time room at the department of mysteries, they were able to be healthy and sick again as needed in order to test out the recovery potion, controlling how things would reset. Unfortunately for the rest of the population, they were reliant simply on remaining in animal form, or risking the flicker of their magic, too weak to perform an alohomora. 

Harry and Ron had finished testing 3 different attempts at a potion, and were waiting on the next batch, having flooed along the results to Severus. It was more than either of them had dreamed up doing, but the world was at a halt with almost a majority of people sick, or left as animals in order to restrict further magical damage. 

So far, Tom and Severus had contained the new virus and twisted it, but for the first few solutions, Ron kept having accidental magic when he returned to his human form. They’d sped up time to see the recovery time, but it only worsened, his magical core rocky. 

Currently, the time room had another hour before it reset, forcing Ron back to health and his human form, so Harry was left taking notes. He kept up with the numbers of the virus’ spread in order to return them to Severus and Tom, so once the potion was in order they would be able to brew it in bulk, and hire on other potions services to reach more people. Two people could not replace the St Mungo's potions brewing team, no matter how good Snape and Riddle were. 

The door to the room blinked a bright blue, someone had entered the decontamination chamber, rune magic was unaffected by the virus whereas any witch or wizard could catch it. Last time he’d come, Tom had declared they figured it latched onto people of pureblood at a higher rate than otherwise, but that did not mean that muggleborns were safe. 

The door was shoved open, and Tom Riddle came through with a briefcase of potion vials. 

He opened it and summarized each one to Harry, saying what failures to look for, which would prove they were on the right track. Each vial focused on another variable, changes getting smaller and combined as they went. 

Harry would say he couldn’t imagine doing the same thing a hundred times in a row, but he had been stuck in the time room with Ron for….Tom said eight days. It was fine, everyone else was quarantined too, but at least he and Ron had their mental facilities intact for a controlled period of time. 

“Okay, Weasley, where is he? Let’s test this now, it should be fast acting and if we do, we’re able to isolate the trigger and finish the next brew for St Mungoes.” 

Harry pointed Tom down the hall, “Oh he’s down in the tube.” He listened to Tom’s shoes clack down the tile floor and waited for the scoff. 

It came and Harry was pleased. 

Ron was shuffling about back and forth in a children’s crawling tube, it wrinkled under his paws and skidded over the floor when he heard Tom approaching. In his jack-russel-terrier form, Ron barked delightfully at Tom, and then ran back into the colorful tent material, making it roll to the side as he went. 

Tom walked back with a faster pace, scowling at Harry. “We don’t have time for jokes.” 

Harry smiled, “We are in the Time Room, but don’t worry, if we’re in a rush I can start my turn of it all, you’ll just have to stay until Ron’s back with us.”

Tom gave a curt nod, agreeing to watch over Harry while he tested the potion. 

“Erm, I’m a little friendly in my form, so don’t be nervous if I get close, okay?” Harry warned. 

Tom watched as the Time Room enacted the virus within Harry. It was only for a moment, but he saw Harry gasp for breath and his fingers twitch at his chest, his magical core at risk. 

Tom took out the first vial, and Harry transformed. He collapsed onto the floor, long and winding. Harry was a snake, the same length as his own body, and now his eyes were angular and focused. There was one mark on his underbelly as Tom watched Harry curl up around the table leg, it was a scar marking him in the shape of a lightning bolt. 

Already, Harry’s magic was settled. The virus didn’t affect animals in the same way, and it was thanks to the Time Room that they could perform these experiments and not truly risk Harry and Ron’s magical cores. 

There was a distinct moment where Tom’s heart rose to his throat, only shortly forgetting his mission, where he wanted to know if he could speak to this snake despite it being an animagus. 

Harry’s tongue flickered, reminding Tom of the potions vial in his hand. He held it up and knelt down next to Harry, getting level with the beautiful snake. 

He took the dropper and gave the snake the appropriate amount for a human of Harry’s size. His fangs were gorgeous as his mouth hung open, and Tom found himself watching Harry’s green eyes rapidly closing at him. 

“I need to find the shaded enclosure and the heated pad,” Harry hissed. 

Tom blinked in both surprise and confusion, following Harry as he slithered onto the chair, and slowly down to the floor. Always trust an animal’s instincts. 

He had said he would stay and monitor their health, should the potion go oddly, but the health trackers that glowed along the wall were showing that Harry’s magical core had dropped when the room commanded it, and the potion was not yet raising it back in power. 

So, he followed the snake. 

“Brown eyes first,” said the animagus. 

Tom hesitated, snakes had always called him two legs or magic one, to be identified by something so specific was complimentary, he’d learnt in his years of speaking with snakes. 

Harry hissed urgently at him, baring his fangs, so Tom listened, and he crawled into the now abandoned polyester tunnel. He hissed back to Harry, “This isn’t what I had planned on doing today.” 

“Lay, let me feel your warmth.” 

Again, Tom blushed, Harry would never be so forward or daring with him in his human form, and Tom would never act so foolish when Harry did that enough for the both of them. But perhaps, this would stay private, he didn’t know if animagi remembered what they went through. It seemed, according to the magical virus, that their bodies didn’t. 

Tom lay down in the tunnel facing up at the bright blue, red, green and yellow stripes that circled and swirled around the tunnel, dimming the light that entered. He felt Harry start to slide up onto him, completely covering Tom’s chest, and burying his head in the crest of Tom’s neck. 

“So what now?” Tom asked. 

“We nest and monitor, yes?” Harry hissed, his tongue bumping against his skin. 

Tom looked over at the wall, and smoothed his hand down Harry’s scales, watching the monitor keeping track of his magical core. It might be a while, but he’d be content in taking this time if it were to continue his and Severus’ great work in healing the greater part of the wizarding world. 

Who knew what else would come of it?