#Beyond compare 4 key

[weirdmageddon]

had a thought while i was driving yesterday. we know the thematic balance of light and dark in deltarune right? i was thinking kris themself as the human vessel, or “cage” as per the prophecy, may house a battleground between light and dark too.

the SOUL glows. back in chapter 2 spamton comments on how it burns his eyes, and in chapter 4 it’s a literal source of light that actively combats the darkness.

when kris acts by themself without the SOUL they seem a bit dark/scary. their quiet weirdo personality, they use knives, we know they played pranks, liked to freak out noelle, scream Curses Words. kris of their own volition or at least beyond the player’s influence seems to be in cahoots with the roaring knight and carol holiday. they are contributing to helping the knight: kris slashed their mother’s tires to get undyne on the scene and opens their own dark fountain in their living room. we don’t know what kris and carol are doing. the knight goes easy on kris compared to susie and ralsei. carol is also easy on kris. carol also has lots of heart pillows in her home so i think she knows about the SOUL. lots in dess’s closet too. (and “YOU are always welcome here” is in red?).

there is something dark about kris… i don’t think they’re evil either though. because you the player as the SOUL can be straight up scary and evil in the weird route and kris HATES you for it. think of it as more of a yin-yang tao thing.

maybe an in-universe explanation for the game mechanics of us controlling kris with the SOUL is to balance the darkness within kris. it’s just a thought. i don’t mean it as a serious theory or anything but it just kind of made me pause and consider why kris needs the SOUL in the first place? since light and dark being in balance is a key principle of the worldbuilding and prophecy. the contrast stood out to me

[raayllum]

What is Zym's Purpose?

Zym is one of both the most and least interesting characters in The Dragon Prince.

While he is the titular character, in the first three seasons he is mostly a frightened, occasionally helpful plot device, if not outright macguffin for the heroes to escort and protect. In arc 2, he's more along for the ride and his relationship with his mother gets more development, with him playing more of a role in season 4 and season 7, but beyond that Zym doesn't impact the plot too much more, and usually serves as a support / way to develop Ezran further.

This is understandable for a few reasons. In arc 1, Zym was barely a few weeks old, and in arc 2, he's often times facing problems that require different skills than the ones he has on hand. The fact that he couldn't communicate directly with anyone outside of Ezran and Zubeia also hampered his ability to develop. The fact he can now talk (and is voiced by Dante Basco) as of the end of S7, in addition to being the Last Archdragon and new King of the Dragons, have all greatly subsequently elevated his role and importance. It seems likely that arc 3 will be "The Dragon King: The Return of Aaravos" after all.

But... what exactly is Zym's role in TDP, from both an in-universe perspective (i.e. what Aaravos and/or others) expects of him, and from an overarching narrative lens?

Well... let's get into it.

Weird Narrative Setup Shenanigans

To begin, I'm going to start with what Aaravos thinks, or seems to think, of Zym, because there's weird narrative setup in arc 1 compared to arc 2 that I think retroactively make sense. What do I mean by weird? Well...

As Aaravos lays out in 3x07, Zym is of the utmost importance to 'their' plans:

VIREN: So what is the plan? AARAVOS: To fulfil your wishes, of course. [...] And this bright future will require us to conquer Xadia? VIREN: Yes. Yes, perhaps. AARAVOS: The key to achieving your noble aims for humanity is simple.

AARAVOS: Yes. You must take down the Dragon Queen, and capture the baby dragon. Then you will have the attention of all the world, and the power to do what you want.

It's... a little vague, but we know the draconic royal family at this point is Important, and that Zym is accordingly the hope of healing the rift between humans and Xadia, as Rayla says "it could change the world" in 1x06. So Aaravos and Viren assigning similar importance — whatever happens, or is done to Zym, having an impact on The World — isn't out of line.

(It does, however, represent how Aaravos has framed things to validation seeking Viren — "Then we will have to get [the Pentarchy's] 'attention'" in 2x09 with the smoke assassination scheme — but also Aaravos in 7x08 to the stars: "Are you watching?" Do I have your attention?)

Aaravos gets a little more specific in 3x09:

AARAVOS: When you capture the dragonling, I will show you how to take his power, how to imbue yourself with all his magic and potential, so that you will transcend the limits of your human form. Then none will dare stand against you.

Viren asks disturbingly few questions about this, and given that we don't get to see the spell come to fruition, we don't exactly know what he means. However, there are some things we can pull from:

In 3x07 (and again in 6x08) Aaravos is able to possess, control, and tether his energy to Pharos' body, speaking freely through and entirely controlling him. (He does the same with Sir Sparklepuff in 5x09 and with a smaller version of himself in S7, stating "this body is a Vessel".) While these possessions seem temporary, he implies that he can control Callum indefinitely post re-corruption in 7x09.

The spell he uses to consume Zym is channelled through the Staff of Ziard (which was also required to free Sir Sparklepuff, and has a quasar diamond in it) and has some interesting incantations, to say the least: "I swallow your heart, I swallow your mind, I swallow your power" (sometimes with one of these, such as in TOX, being switched out for "I swallow your soul").

We also see a similar idea of imbuing take place in 3x07 with the 'gift' hearts of cinder spell: Viren says he will inoculate his armies with great power, so that the dragons cannot strike them down with fire. So we have one spell already on hand, that Viren purposefully passed on, in making himself (temporarily) immune to enemy dragon fire. So whatever the endgame plan for Zym was, it'd make Viren even more powerful than that.

Moreover, given that Aaravos' first goal in the series was to get out of the prison, it is possible that the intention was to use Zym to combine with Viren, and make himself a new body. However, this runs into two potential problems:

If Aaravos' spirit could be distilled in that manner, Sir Sparklepuff + the quasar diamond could've been used from the start to give him a new body. The prison and locating his specific soul was therefore a necessary step still not covered in S3.

Regardless of the manner the quasar diamond is used for, and how much that person may want it to work (Claudia in 6x08), love is still a necessary ingredient for the spell with the diamond to function (as are the other physical properties).

Now, it is possible that Zym being an archdragon could override certain things (their bite can destroy a Startouch elf's mortal vessel after all, which is undeniably OP) and that Zym in particular is a Weird Archdragon (more on that later). "Transcending the limits of your human form" could very well mean becoming a suitable permanent body host for Aaravos in ways that possession just wouldn't suffice for.

But "then none will stand against you" makes me think otherwise, precisely because who is included in those 'none'? Aaravos has already heard the story of how Viren took down Avizandum, "the most powerful creature in the world" (even if Aaravos is definitely stroking Viren's ego with some of that one). Zubeia is in a coma and the other Archdragons are MIA; the Sunfire stronghold just fell; who is left to seriously stand against? Well...

But how does Zym + Viren (or Staff) = power to stand against the Cosmic Council? Well, it comes down to what I think Aaravos' endgame is with Zym, in some ways, which is:

A Weapon of Vengeance (In Theory)

Zym being a weapon is one of the first things we see the series refer to him as, and his duality—partially shared with dragons as a whole—between a weapon vs a child/baby, or a god vs a person, is present throughout.

AARAVOS: Avizandum was no person. Avizandum was the great King of all the dragons. (3x06)

HARROW: Thunder is the most powerful beast the world has ever seen. How can we hope to kill such a godly creature? (3x06)

This is brought home, of course, in 3x06. Viren and Harrow make a weapon of vengeance to kill an archdragon... and then create one anyway (in their heads) in orphaning his child. Viren then decides to go clean things up, of course, by destroying it... But this just leads to Xadia's revenge on Katolis, nor does Viren actually go through with it either.

But this dichotomy of weapon vs child continues. Claudia and Rayla remind us of it in 2x02, stating:

RAYLA: Whoa, what happened to 'it's not an egg, it's a powerful weapon?' CLAUDIA: Still true. One day it could bring death and destruction raining down on all of us. But for now, he's so widdle!

Now, this makes a lot of sense. Most TDP characters are informed by their respective dualities, and a good chunk of those dualities have to do with whether they will be dehumanized (Ezran as a child vs a king; Rayla as a person vs a monstrous elf) or dehumanize (Soren as a crownguard vs Viren's tool; dark magic use, etc) themselves or others. Zym's slots neatly into the first one, which is why I — admittedly — hadn't thought too much of it before. Zym might be the titular character, but he's hardly one of the more developed main characters and holds less plot importance in arc 2 than he did in arc 1, as Aaravos' prison replaces him as the prime macguffin.

But to be fair, this is TDP, where everything is on purpose, and oft more literally than we first expect. And, as of arc 3, we are going to see Zym be decidedly grown up, given how much bigger he'd gotten in just two years. How big is he going to be after another seven?

With the previous two sections in mind, I want to posit that Zym's primary narrative question in arc 3—and indeed, quietly building throughout the series—is whether or not he'll be a Weapon (of Vengeance).

Specifically, of Aaravos' vengeance.

This would explain the focus on Zym's duality, S7 continuing to highlight it further, re-contextualize Aaravos' plans for his pawns + what he was going to do to Zym, and why he believes the Dragon Prince was the Key to Something, if not something still.

So, what's up with that?

Soft Rewind: The Snags in the Plan

In season 6 and a little bit in season 7, we get an idea of how being timeblind works. It's still not exactly precise, and it seems that Kosmo's prophecy fills in the other blank. When in proximity, Aaravos can see how certain choices may turn out (i.e. "If you tell [Claudia] the truth, you will lose her"). When far away, much like the prophecy, he can 'see' certain fixed points: they will need Claudia soon; Callum will turn to dark magic again; and Ezran getting the Nova Blade is ultimately a win, even if it's not entirely clear why yet (more on that here).

We also know that these fixed points are not quite so fixed as Aaravos or others believe. Aaravos seemed very confident that Rayla would never bring herself to kill, but she very much proved otherwise; he wasn't prepared for Callum asking Runaan — another Moonshadow assassin — to kill him; Callum assumed the prophecy in S7 was about himself, but it was actually about Avizandum, a betrayal that Aaravos never saw coming either.

With all these things in mind, this is the following argument:

1) Aaravos knew ahead of time that he needed a Dragon Prince — heir to the Draconic Monarchy — to bring down the Cosmic Council and dismantle the Cosmic Order. Could be prophecy, could be timeblindness, but it was something he was waiting for (and we know storm dragons — possibly all Archdragons — only lay an egg every thousand years).

This will either end with A) Zym helping to bring down the unjust Cosmic Council, but not in the way Aaravos expected; B) Zym subverting his supposed destiny (also see point A); or C) referred to Sol Regem, whose actions incited Aaravos' anger and led him to "deliver their fear" of chaos and destruction.

2) Aaravos assumes, therefore, that Zym was that Dragon Prince when he was born, since he knows things he shouldn't even from trapped within his mirror (Rayla sparing Marcos; the Orphan Queen taking the Nova Blade to her grave post-imprisonment).

3) Aaravos believes accordingly that Zym is meant to be / will be forged into a Weapon of Vengeance. Whether this was grafting his essence/power onto Viren's body and/or staff of Ziard to make one to literally wield (just the tooth of an archdragon can kill a Startouch elf's mortal vessel, after all). We've seen the Staff of Ziard be directly compared to a weapon (sword) elsewhere, for example, with the staff taking the place of Harrow's sword in Viren's nightmares.

But of course, Aaravos planning to "torch Zym and Viren and/or Staff of Ziard to make a weapon" doesn't make complete sense (he'd still need the quasar diamond to get out) and might be unnecessary, given that a full grown Archdragon Zym on his own would function perfectly fine as a weapon.

Alternatively, Aaraovs might've seen in the future that Avizandum would die, leaving his son ripe to perpetuate the cycle ("you have set the wheels of history in motion and one day, my child will avenge me"), both are tangible.

And in many ways, that is what could've happened in 3x06. If Harrow and Viren had left the egg, Zym would've grown up mourning his father even more deeply than he already does. It is unlikely that Zubiea would've fallen into a deep slumber (Zym is enough to drag her out of it, literally and emotionally) and it is unknown whether she still would've sent assassins. Her child's murder, it seems, was the insult to injury she could not bear; however, given that Harrow and Viren sought out Avizandum just over Sarai, it's still possible. Regardless, Zym would've had every tangible reason to hate humans with very little reason to think otherwise (this is true of the princes, too, with Xadia, yet they don't... but bear with me).

So far, then, it seems our hypothesized "Aaravos' plans for Zym" are going off without a hitch. Even from the pearl and without his direct influence, Aaravos' Staff of Ziard dark magic wielding human favourite(s) are doing exactly what he'd want them to do. Or are they?

VIREN: His destiny will be the destruction of humanity. [...] Now, you may witness history as I end a dynasty by destroying that dragon's egg.

Let's call this Potential Snag #1, then, wherein Viren decides to go one step further than perhaps seen ahead of time, and wants to destroy/kill Zym outright before he can even hatch. It's very quasi-Cosmic Council of him — the belief in absolute destiny, the assumption of inclination towards others' being violent without question, wanting to / being willing to kill a child, period — and, through our current lens, would completely halt Aaravos' plans in its tracks.

But Viren, of course, doesn't.

In comes Potential Snag #2 with a steel chair, emphasis on potential, as well as whether it counts as Viren or Tiadrin or Viren-and-Tiadrin's snag.

After all, if Aaravos' plans need Zym to live, this checks off that requirement. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it's eventually indicated Aaravos saw this moment ahead of his first meeting with Viren, and therefore knew how to entice him — not all mages (Claudia, Callum) can be drawn in by a thirst for outright political power the way that Viren — "too curious, hungry for knowledge and power" — was hook line and sinker. The fact it doubles as "You won't hesitate to use an innocent creature/child to further your own ends and desire for agency/power" neatly bookends Aaravos' expectations and surprise when Viren rejects the blood of child ritual.

Either way, Viren decidedly doesn't kill Zym, puts the elves in coins for unknown personal reasons (perhaps to maintain as a threat, or soul fragments can be useful for future spells), and spirits him secretly back to Katolis. This, still, persists in not being an entirely a snag. Viren blatantly hoped to use the egg, hatched or otherwise, to be a weapon.

Then we get near-definitive Snag #3:

While it's plausible that the kids finding Zym was something Aaravos wanted — or canonically is something he's willing to work with — there's no doubt it would've been simpler if the egg had stayed in Katolis, ready for his mage-turned-warlord king Viren to utilize now that Harrow had been disposed of. If Aaravos' plans depend on the perpetuation of the cycle ("[the Mage Wars were] a violent, terrible cycle"), given how he uses dark magic and weaponizes grief to sometimes literal degrees as well as his various pawns, returning Zym does more harm than good to his plans and ideals. Viren (2x04), Rayla (3x09), and Callum (7x08) are thus far the only people to fundamentally surprise him: who's to the say the trio didn't do so from the start?

There's also one more major snag in mind but before we can talk about that, we have to talk about:

More of Zym's Weirdness (power-ups)

Zym is a weird little guy. Some of this, of course, is because Ezran is also a weird little guy (and more on Ezran and Zym in the next section), specifically when it comes to their telepathic link with one another. They can mutually see through each other's eyes, taste things (4x06), and communicate feelings/words. This is less weird, of course, because Ezran can do the latter with animals of all sorts, not just Zym. But the elevation of their bond is definitely weird, and deus ex machina's (not in a bad way) Zym's flight problem in 2x09.

Of Zym's abilities, we see a few that are typically normal. He can fly, the way thus far any dragon with wings can. He can generate lightning like his parents, with accordingly zappy kisses. But there are some things that have been odd about Zym from the beginning, such as:

The aforementioned psychic bond with Ezran since it's not just Ezran's weirdness.

His rainbow electricity, which neither of his parents seemingly have and we have not see any other dragon have anything similar towards.

This one is extra weird to me because often times the electricity he generates or channels will start off (or sometimes remain) blue, but then it switches to the rainbow lightning.

And last but not least, whatever the ever loving fuck THIS was??

Like, sure, sky magic could have something to do with sound and being able to travel fast as fuck... But like, even when we see Avizandum's comparative 'power up' in 2x06 when he was in his prime as the Dragon King, the closest we get is the eye glow, and even then it's pretty radically different.

I can't fathom personally why Zym would have powers his parents don't have, but it seems like beyond being the Dragon Prince turned Dragon King, and now the last Archdragon period, Zym is an outlier. Maybe it's because he was hatched with a primal stone or out of love or something, maybe it's some kind of prophecy or other special circumstances, but there is something Weird about Zym from both a Narrative standpoint (weirdness #1) and an Abilities standpoint (weirdness #2) that we probably only going to fully understand by the time we get to arc 3.

Maybe weirdness #2 is the reason for weirdness #1 if, as in the proposed theory, Aaravos had to wait around for Zym, and for Zym o be a weird little guy specifically, in order to be a proper Weapon.

Now let's talk about why Zym in arc 3 ultimately won't be.

The Last Snag: Ezran

Outside of season 3, the majority of Zym's screentime is devoted to his bond with Ezran. Callum and Rayla have their moments with him in S3 and a couple in S4, as does Soren in S6 (and Zym by proxy through Zubeia in S4/S5) but, while Zubeia might've been Zym's most important relationship emotionally, his relationship with Ezran is the most important for him in the show overall.

It is interesting, therefore, that S7 sets up a thread of conflict for them, specifically in Ezran growing to understand dragons as 1) weapons, if only in the vein of something he needs to defend against and 2) worth building weapons to combat.

AANYA: With these, we can build weapons to protect the human kingdoms, even from dragons. EZRAN: Thank you, Queen Aanya. This may be exactly what we need.

He's convinced, of course, that they won't have to use them... until they do indeed use them against Aaravos a few episodes later. Whether Ezran will ever use them personally against dragons remains to be seen (especially after the Archdragon sacrifice), but it seems inevitable that someone will in the future, whether it's a character we already know or a new antagonist of some kind. Ezran's actions will come back to hurt him and Zym and barring that, Zym's people — the other dragons of Xadia, many of whom are not nearly as powerful as the Archdragon(s) that torched Katolis in the first place.

The creation of the ruby fire weapons also cuts to the core of dragons within TDP: if they can inherently destroy, should they be treated inherently as weapons? Does their unique capacity for destruction mean other regulations or precautions be put in place? Or should we sit and hope on the grace of goodness that — thus far Sol Regem being the primary 'unprovoked' exception — dragons won't attack just because they can?

There's not yet a straight forward answer in general, but when it comes to Zym specifically, I think TDP has already given it to us:

Zym is not a weapon, or even primarily a king, because he is first and foremost Ezran's brother.

CALLUM: But I couldn't let the bad feelings stick, cause we were going to need each other. Because we're brothers. I still need you, Ezran.

DOMINA PROFUNDIS: Hold onto each other.

Ezran is the one who found Zym in the dungeons, and believed he should fetch his brother and decide what to do together; he's the one who dived after him in the water and taught him how to fly; Ez is instrumental in teaching Zym to become the dragon and person he was meant to be; and will continue to be.

Ezran is Zym's biggest remaining link to his family and his true self. While the two will likely have conflict, and even temporarily at odds, their connection is too strong to be entirely broken. They are twin souls, and Zym's bond with Ezran is, I think, ultimately what will mean not playing into Aaravos' hands, and choosing his own destiny... the same way that Ezran's other brother, Callum, will ultimately not be a weapon of Aaravos and forge his own path.

Zym may be a kind of chosen one, but he still has a choice so long as he has Ezran.

King of Kings / Closing Thoughts

Zym's full name — Azymondias — has always been of interest to me. It's a reference, after all, to one of my favourite poems in general and quite a well-known / famous one I got to study in undergrad: Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ozymandias:

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desart. Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" No thing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

It's a beautiful poem, inspired/written about Ramses II, about how nothing lasts forever and that the pursuit of immortal power is ultimately futile. Time chips away at everything till nothing more remains, and memory likewise does not last forever.

It was always something I was curious about in relation to TDP in terms of... why, and why use it for Zym in particular, and not another character? It could, like Finnegrin's Wake, be a reference to literary work in little more than name (and I do not miss reading James Joyce).

But the A-Ozymandias connection always felt more purposeful to me. Even in S1 or arc 1, it was so close to being involved in TDP's theming, since the show had multiple monarchs running around.

Arc 2, I think, then steadily paved the way forward towards creating a place for the poem to be more relevant. We see a greater emphasis on lost history; we see characters play out that chasing royal power / glory is futile (Viren, Karim) or that immortality (Viren, Kpp'Ar) is not worth the price; that the burden of near immortality is not necessarily one you should want; and I expect we'll see even more of those things in arc 3, particularly that pursuing power/knowledge > love is wrong.

But I don't believe Zym is Ozymandias, at least directly. I think it's the Cosmic Council and their unending time and unbending rigour. Presumably, their Cosmic Order was meant to last forever and did the opposite, collapsing in on itself within a few thousand years.

Because — as foretold or forged striving against the stars — Zym will be instrumental in upending the Cosmic Council. He is set to take a bigger role in arc 3 as the Dragon King, particularly now he can talk and make his own arguments, and in having conflict with his brother Ezran. Zym is set up to be a weapon — like a corrupted Callum; like an increasingly dangerous Claudia, who's become more of a dragon like him than ever — and instead to choose to be a symbol and bringer of hope and peace for all of Xadia, the stars included. Perhaps the Cosmic Council feared him, and they will again, but not for the reasons they expect. He'll be part of their downfall, but not in violence — in justice. Because he's not a weapon.

Instead, he will always be Azymondias, king of kings.

[Image of Zym in the intro's starry clouds, with his head in the bottom right curve of the circle.]

[umlewis]

From the Racetrack To Space: IWC Schaffhausen and the Polaris Program Give Lewis Hamilton Astronaut Flight Training

Schaffhausen/Qatar, 26th November 2024: In a compelling new short movie produced by IWC Schaffhausen, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver Lewis Hamilton embarks on a flight training for astronauts. The same training was used to prepare the crews of the Inspiration 4 and Polaris Dawn commercial human spaceflight missions. During the training day, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion and IWC brand ambassador was accompanied by students from Dibia DREAM, a non-profit organisation fostering STEM education. Their presence is also a reminder of Lewis Hamilton's own incredible career journey spanning more than three decades and sends an inspiring message: you can be anything you want in life – a pilot on the racetrack, in the air or even in space.

One of the most successful racing drivers of all time, Lewis Hamilton is a multifaceted personality whose interests and ambitions extend far beyond his sport. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion is deeply fascinated by space and human space exploration. He has visited renowned space training facilities and repeatedly expressed his desire to take part in a space mission in the future if it serves a purpose and contributes to the betterment of all humanity. IWC Schaffhausen now teamed up with the Polaris Program and its Philanthropy Director and instructor pilot, John "Slick" Baum, to offer Lewis Hamilton an opportunity to experience the flight training that is part of the organization's programme of preparing astronauts for space. The Polaris Program, which is supported by IWC, recently completed the first of three human spaceflight missions. During their five days in orbit, the Polaris Dawn crew wrote history by successfully performing the first commercial spacewalk.

FLIGHT TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL FOR ASTRONAUTS

Fighter jet training has been at the heart of human spaceflight since the beginning. All early astronauts were fighter jet pilots, and experience in piloting a jet was an essential requirement for going to space. Flight training was also a key pillar in the preparation of the Inspiration 4 and Polaris Dawn crews for their missions. While the g-loads experienced in a jet or a rocket cannot be directly compared, as they affect the body in different ways, jet training still offers compelling benefits for astronauts. Most importantly, it allows the crew members to familiarise themselves with operating in a high-risk and high-consequence environment, similar to what they would experience during launch. While they are pressed down into their seats by several times their own body weight, they have to communicate with each other, go through extensive technical checklists, and monitor critical flight parameters – all while being mentally aware of their surroundings and prepared to act in case something unexpected should happen.

A COMPLETE SEQUENCE OF TRAINING MANOEUVRES

Lewis Hamilton's space training kicked off with an extensive briefing and inspection of the L-39 Albatros jet. John "Slick" Baum gave Hamilton a detailed overview of the manoeuvres they would fly and how they simulate different situations an astronaut experiences during a spaceflight. During their subsequent discovery flight lasting almost one hour, Hamilton and his instructor performed a series of manoeuvres. They practiced accelerations and decelerations to experience lateral g-forces, simulating the ascent of a rocket. They also practiced higher g-loads by banking or pitching the aircraft hard. A highlight was flying a parabola figure for a zero-g demonstration, during which Hamilton briefly experienced the feeling of weightlessness. A racing glove, which eventually began to float freely in the cockpit, was used as a zero-g indicator. In flight, the F1 pilot pulled a maximum of 7.5 g, which is more than astronauts typically experience on ascent. Hamilton wore a dedicated race suit featuring a "space mission" patch with his car number 44. He will wear the same suit during this weekend's race at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.

DIBIA DREAM STUDENTS SEND A POWERFUL MESSAGE

The training was also attended by a group of students from Dibia DREAM. This nonprofit organisation sparks social change through STEM education and recreational activities for underserved youth and has impacted the lives of 40,000 students across 32 states and twelve countries. The students spent the entire day engaging in a variety of activities related to space exploration. They also got a chance to meet with Hamilton and ask him questions prior to take-off. Their presence served as a powerful reminder of Hamilton's incredible journey, from his humble beginnings in karting at the age of eight to becoming one of the most acclaimed drivers in the history of motorsport. As the students cheered alongside the runway, they sent an uplifting message to youths around the world: you can be anything you want in life – whether it is a racing driver, a pilot, or even an astronaut.

[krispdreemurr]

hey! since you mentioned thinking about what kris thinks about the soul, i like to think that by the end of chapter 4 (in a normal route) they’ve come to a bit of an understanding with it/us? they obviously have their own agenda that they can’t let us interfere with, but it’s also implied that kris isn’t exactly happy with everything the knight and probably carol want them to do. i think by now kris trusts that the soul has their friends’ best interest at heart (pun not intended lol) even if they don’t agree with everything. i like to think that they came to this understanding around the diner scene, because kris is still reluctant to take asriels money but they couldn’t have had that scene with susie otherwise.

it’s tough because kris clearly has their own reasons for being in cahoots with the knight beyond just manipulation, and they still want to be free. but i think wanting to be free isn’t just a soul specific antagonism. idk though what do you think

i mean it's after the diner scene that they hit the soul with a hockey stick for several minutes,

like I'm not saying they've developed no understanding at all, but I think frankly they're not currently in a mental position where they can be super accommodating to it. like, remember, even if they don't like carol's plan, they're still very much continuing with it, and right now the soul is actively interfering with the plan and can't convey "i want to do this because I want to get you out of this situation" or anything. it's making their life actively harder in key ways and working against what they think they want.

plus, frankly, It Still Sucks. they would have liked to have the choice about whether to take that money, or, y'know, options like "running home to grab it of their own will and come back". they don't like having to hope that the things that come out of their mouth are what they wanted to say. they never want to hear someone ask disbelievingly why they don't know their own favorite food again. it's upsetting! they don't want to deal with that!!!

they're not in a position mentally where they're inclined to settle down and go "you know, when I really think about it, the soul isn't so bad compared to everything else". they're just constantly scared and upset and being thrown around by the soul and by the prophecy and by Carol, and they just want a fucking break. seperating one part of the Bad out and marking it as Fine Actually isn't something they have the mental bandwidth to do.

i think they've accepted it will help with some of the moments where their life is at risk. i think they're willing to throw us hints and stuff about themself instead of staying a total blank. but I don't think they've gone "yeah this is my friend" and I wouldn't ask that of them. fundamentally, the soul restricts them first and foremost, and I don't think they're ever going to accept that again now that they know they want to be free.

[cursedtrans]

Stars in Limbus Company

Spoilers for all of Limbus

Stars in Limbus are one of the first things mentioned, and one of the most significant things in the story. As mentioned in this post, stars themselves are extremely important and powerful entities in the Project Moon universe, so let's see if we can't extrapolate some meaning from them.

First off, let's go over the major revelation given at the end of Canto 7, because it helps clarify a lot of earlier moments and helps setup my main theory about everyone's favorite amnesiac protagonist.

For clarification, a nebula is defined as such by NASA. A nebula is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. Some nebulae (more than one nebula) come from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a dying star, such as a supernova. Other nebulae are regions where new stars are beginning to form. I think the words Sanson uses aren't just esoteric to seem fancy. I think he uses the words nebulae and sovereign because both describe the individual they're talking about succinctly.

Thanks to Demian's constant requests of Dante for their drawing of a sheep, we know this conversation is about them in particular. The plural wording does mean that Sanson's 'shining light' mission involves more than just them, so put a pin in that. For now, let's focus on Dante.

While Demian's wording merely implies Dante fell from the sky, Sanson's wording implies a lot of things about Dante's origins and their role. I believe Sanson is using the later definition, as it helps explain one of Dante's key features, their amnesia regarding everything within the city once their clock head is put on.

It's only when Dante repeats this specific phrase that they really lose themselves, though losing their original head seems to have done them no favors.

It's my belief that the 'Dante' we know is, in fact, a newborn star that is subsuming the original Dante's existence, and will eventually serve as a 'soverign' of the original star. That is to say, one that exercises supreme control originating from a nation. This would explain a lot of... peculiarities regarding them, and let's go over each thing it solves.

First off is Dante's uncanny ability to determine between Distortions, Abnormalities, and Other entities. We've seen it numerous times throughout the story, and it's something that Faust speculates is thanks to the Golden Boughs. However, I think it's also possible that this is a inherent ability to Dante.

The explanation for this is that Dante themselves is an entity outside the normal range of humanity, and thus can have senses beyond what is considered 'normal'. This is even supported by Child of the Galaxy, whose sight appears to extend to their pebbles and grants them a level of sight unheard of. It's possible Dante's sight works in a similar manner, even comparable to shrimp seeing far more colors than humans.

Furthermore is Dante's revival ability. As explained previously, rebirth is a major theme of Stars in the Project Moon universe, so Dante being able to bring back the dead sinners would fit right in with something like Child of the Galaxy converting people to pebbles or Blue Star's more esoteric 'rebirth'.

However, it's my belief that Dante themselves is a baby star, and for the reasoning behind that we'd need look no further than Chapter 4's Tearful Thing, and the origins behind it.

The Tearful Thing is fairly different from other Star entities we've seen before, but it's effects are undeniable alien and bizarre. It's tears' ability to 'revert humanity to a more primal state' is somewhat similar to the rebirth given by Child of the Galaxy, but the biggest factor towards it's status as an infant Star are it's origins and what Alfonso says about it being an infant.

The Tearful Thing was found by Stephanette in the Outskirts, and we likely get to see how it was specifically born. From a boy staring up at the sky and stars, and having a wish in mind.

This matches a lot of what we know from the stories in Lobotomy Corporation. The sanity draining effects Fragment of the Universe has are eerily similar to how one could describe the boy's effects before he disappears, and the rebirth effect matches with how Blue Star followers describe the entity itself.

Sinclair and Faust put it best in the cutscene directly following the one where we see the birth of the Tearful Thing.

The followers of Blue Star weren't as insane as one might think.

Dante themselves seems to follow the story we see with countless others. Dante gazes at the star in the distance, repeats their wish of 'following the star', and suddenly has amnesia and incredible powers.

Now, obviously this leads to the question of why Dante isn't a complete abomination like the Tearful Thing or Blue Star. The answer in my mind is a few different sources. First off, let's go over Alfonso's own words about the Tearful Thing.

This implies that the Tearful Thing is merely a child of the real entity they found in the Outskirts, and that it's grown up in the time between Stephanette and Alfonso.

In fact, I've believe we've seen numerous stages of this life-cycle in game, and I think Dante is one of the youngest entities we get to see. If they're not even the actual youngest. Let's go over another important character introduced in Limbus...Star Luminary.

Star Luminary is an entity far closer to the sights of the Tearful Thing and Blue Star, and it directly references the latter in it's text. It's 'Luminary' name also holds distinct meanings, all of which can apply to it. An object, such as a celestial body, that gives light. In astrology, one of the brightest celestial objects, such as the sun, moon, or bright planets. A person who inspires others or achieves eminence in a field.

The first definition seems to fit cleanly with it's first text box choice, where you successfully pass the check to say the orbs in it's hands are marbles. That being the following, and what I believe most in the Project Moon universe think about stars.

This reads to me as denying the actual truth of the situation, and shows off the ignorance of the City at large to the truth of the celestial bodies above them. Mere glowing lights in the night.

The second box I think shows off the origin points of the Stars, before they were created by humans. This is when you fail the former check, and thus do not have the lust or pride in oneself to successfully do it, and are thus convinced they are more than mere objects emitting light.

It's wording seems to show an immense knowledge of the stars. The origin of the Stars are the nebulae in the sky. Mere speckles of light floating in the dark. However, what makes them 'capital s' Stars is the thoughts and wishes that each person etches onto their heart, giving them power. Similar to how stereotypical fae gain power from names, the Stars seem to gain power from the wishes and hopes that each person holds in them, and are birthed from these very wishes.

It even directly references Blue Star, which seems to indicate Star Luminary is an advanced version of the Blue Star cultists from Ruina, who has now achieved even more of it's celestial power.

Next is when you agree with the Star Luminary, and this is where I think the final definition of Luminary comes into play. "A person who inspires others or achieves prominence or superiority."

This is where I think the first half of the Luminary definition comes into play. Star Luminary's words directly call out that you want to return to that place, and gives you a blue star in return. It's actively inspiring you to become a acolyte of Blue Star, and showing off it's Luminary abilities there.

This is where the other half comes into play, and where I think it can be neatly defined as a adolescent/teenaged star comes into play. It admits with sadness that it can no longer simply go back to the Blue Star anymore like the other acolytes of Blue Star, but is actively becoming a new star.

This admission of becoming a new Star in the sky is fairly unique, and neatly completes Stars in Project Moon. So let's go over the full life cycle of a Star.

Stars can be formed in Project Moon in two ways. Either by wishing upon the lights in the sky like the unnamed boy or Dante, or becoming a follower like Blue Star acolytes or even Fragment of the Universe. The former costs the memories of the individual, while the latter costs your sanity and former ideals. From there, a young star advances in their abilities by becoming more and more powerful. We see this directly through Star Luminary and even the supposed power of the original Tearful Thing. Along the way, one naturally makes a choice. Either they are subsumed into the original Star, or become a new one. We see this with Blue Star's acolytes and Star Luminary. The Blue Star acolytes seen in Ruina and read about in Lobotomy Corporation all end up becoming a part of Blue Star, likely growing it's power through their wishes and desires, or more pragmatically (and unlikely, given Luminary's wording) being born in their image like the Blue Star cultists claim. Luminary, however, outgrew the ability to be subsumed, and is thus destined to become a new star.

This brings me all the way back to Demian and Sanson's conversation about Dante. Unpin that note about the plurality of nebulae, because here's where it comes into play for Sanson.

Sanson's main goal here seems to be to round up every acolyte and get them to their original Stars, while preventing the sane individuals from undergoing the life cycle of a Star. This appears very noble, as the subsuming presence of Stars and their cults seems like a major threat that even the Head could be scared of, considering how much they discourage exploring the Outskirts.

However.

This means essentially feeding Dante to an eldritch abomination, and I don' think anyone particularly wants that. Additionally, I've yet to analyze Demian's whole place in this, and I believe he has his own selfish goals and motivations for all of this messing about with Stars and Mirror Worlds.

But that analysis of Demian will have to wait for another day.

(thanks to @lu-is-not-ok for inspiring abno analysis, and by proxy getting me to analyze Star Luminary's text.)

[berrymoos]

♡.°୭̥ ୨୧ ٭ sew up your skull, take your time

feat: cg. derek morgan && rg. elle greenaway [criminal minds]

ꨄ. SYNOPSIS . bad days aren't new, but they're never pleasant—with a little help, elle can get over it

ꨄ. CW(S) . hurt / comfort!! nothing supes serious X3

ꨄ. A/N . happy 3rd @regressuary fill yippiiiiee !! there was sposed to be a prompt but the fic strayed suuuuper away from it so there isn't one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ dis was sposed to be out yesterday but it got rlly long & rlly late so i saved the rest 4 2day ʕ≧ᴥ≦ʔ guys this boy exceeds 1200 words im so serious, i tried to end it but the end wouldn't come. may or may not have smth else out for a proper 4th fill today buuuut no promises teehee >//< [cross–posted on ao3!]

it's always the small things that do it in.

elle can take a lot—that much she knows and that much has been proven again and again since proving her worth to the BAU, since proving her worth to the FBI. an ankle sprained is nothing compared to the stink of the dead. a broken arm doesn't matter when an auction is dangled above a child's head. a bullet to the chest pales in the face of a kidnapped woman.

elle can take a lot. she knows this. she has lived it and she has died learning it. bad days in the office are irrelevant splotches in a painted picture; ages better than bad days on the field. she can take it—it's nothing.

so what if she woke up late and burned the sleeve of her shirt while ironing it so she had to change and wasted ten minutes hunting down her misplaced keys and realized she forgot her badge halfway into the drive thus needed to turn back around to retrieve it and got to work an entire twenty–five minutes late and bunchered the profile for their scumbag of the day in front of policemen who stood atop their high–horses the entirety of the case and watched the son of a bitch walk away from potential charges due to a lack of physical evidence?

she can take it.

it's nothing.

it is always the small things that do it in.

sitting at her desk, massaging away the dull throb knawing her temples (querido dios, can these lights be any goddamn brighter?) elle squints at her cursive handwriting tangling itself into numerous knots of jesus knows what, presses the tip of her fountain pen to the blinding paper white, and jolts back to life when a murky puddle of ink bubbles across previous words. she wrinkles her nose against the sudden chemical smell of aniline dye and swallows the mysterious lump that clogs her throat.

a moment passes in which elle doesn't believe her eyes. she stares at the voided blotch, blinks a few times, then sighs. white–out can fix it. her work isn't lost—it never began its tumultuous journey in the first place, what with all of maybe four words eliminated by the spill. white–out can fix it.

again, elle sighs. her bottom lip wobbles. then, they form a thin line. white–out can fix it.

a small bottle clinks upon the desk and slides into view as though on cue. derek leans against it, smiling something playful.

white–out can fix it.

white–out can fix it.

"i'm telling ya," he teases, "fountain pens suck."

in a better world, on a better day, derek is funny. in a better world, on a better day, elle retorts sharply in the goodness of banter and continues her file with a brownie point tossed to the white–colored help.

in a better world, on a better day, elle would not care about any such shortcoming—the harsh reality is that “better day” is not today.

what is once a string of elegance contorts itself beyond a rope of incoherence and instead into abstract art with no rhyme. sentences no longer make sense; are they still sentences? words are fuzzy. hazy. wobbly. inky.

derek says something, then something more, sprinkled with a bit of other, but in one ear and out of the other they go. water splatters onto the paper—only then do the quiet bees in her brain evolve into enraged wasps and the icky squid in the pit of her tummy breaches containment. think of something, anything to say back, to give a half–hearted attempt to pretend she heard him, but the lump springs back and a strangled whine of a completely different context arises, instead.

"dee–dee!"

in a blur of shoulder–length hair, striped brown–and–white fabric, and an uncoordinated batch of limbs, elle all but lunges from her chair, crashes into his chest on uncooperative legs. distantly, she recognizes she is far from the only agent in the room, but after caring about one thing one minute, another thing the next, then a cluster of many more things after that all day . . . she doesn't have the brainpower to do it anymore.

derek's strength encompasses her smaller stature. there's a part of her that squares her shoulders and cocks her chin against unsubs who are bigger than she is—never again will she be afraid of any man, not with her wit and most definitely not with her guns—but dee–dee isn't an unsub because dee–dee is safe, so she burrows herself farther into his arms and allows the scent of fabric softener and woody cologne to embrace her, too. smothered against his chest, his voice is much, much clearer:

"woah, hey, baby, it's alright. i'm right here."

dee–dee is warm and dee–dee is nice and dee–dee is safe. they shift a small bit here and a tiny bit there, but elle is too far away to truly recognize it. face hidden against his heartbeat, there are no more bright lights to burn her eyes.

"elle?"

elle's fingers, curled in her friend's shirt, tighten around the red fabric. "no," she whines. "no."

dee–dee doesn't speak for a second, but he finds his voice before it gets too quiet. too quiet? when did everyone leave? "no, hey—" he chuckles. "—you don't gotta move, i promise, i just wanna know: code white?"

no, elle's gut says this time, we are at work. never at work.

elle's body can't even attempt to forge the lie. instinctively, she brings the sleeve of her jacket to her teeth for nibbling—she's (very) partial to her binkie, but cotton has to suffice—and bobs her head up and down after a blink of pondering, wiping some of her tears on his shirt by accident. suddenly, her waterline glistens again just as her expression falls timid. she dares turns her gaze up to him, but all she finds is concern. "’m sowry. in– in t’ouble?"

"trouble?" her friend scoffs and laughs at the same time; her tummy flips the icky squid right on its head. "okay. clearly, you don't know me. when was the last time you were ever in trouble by me, huh?"

elle scrunches her nose, furrows her brows, bites down harder on her brown sleeve—

"sweetness, you are thinkin’ way too hard."

"uh—" her voice squeaks despite herself, a faint pink dusting her wet cheeks. "—dunno. neb– never?"

"see?" dee–dee nudges her not–too–harshly. "and you ain't got nothin’ to apologize for, either, not a single thing. it happens."

"not– no’ at work," elle protests; shame looms like a shadow over her shoulders, pushing her back into her previous hunched position. code whites should be at home, or in private, or, or—

brown, feather–light fingers brush her cheeks, clearing the rest of her tears and anchoring her to reality. "it happens when it happens, babygirl," dee–dee says and, oh, his tone is like the soothing balm she so desperately needed. she hiccups, turning her ear to his heartbeat. ba–doom. ba–doom. ba–doom."there's a reason we have a code."

because it happens too often, the icky squid murmurs. dee–dee's heartbeat is louder, so she listens to that, instead. ba–doom. ba–doom. ba–doom.

"now—" her other cheek on display, dee–dee wipes away those tears, too. "—what's got you so bent up, huh? don't like it when you're all sad ’nd stuff, pretty girl."

woke up late burned my shirt lost my keys left my badge showed up late scolded by hotch messed up profile policemen were stupid scumbag is free—

the headache comes back. elle squeezes her eyes shut. ba–doom. ba–doom. ba–doom.

"pen's mean," comes her warbled declaration from the warmth of his chest, muffled around her sleeve. her eyes burn, her head pulses, but at least her icky squid has begun to swim away. dee–dee is there and dee–dee gets it. "messed . . . m–messed up w–work."

he knows there's more to it, elle recognizes. however, the act of caring has eluded her once more.

graciously, dee–dee doesn't pry. "oh, i saw, sweetheart," is his response, tender and tranquil in its nature. gentle is his hand when it smooths out the bunched–up muscles in her shoulders and twirls a short curl around a finger; elle's breath skips under the brief contact. "am i gonna have to beat up the pen ’cause it made you sad?"

revenge is the sweetest music to her ears. she snivels, peeks from her hiding spot to stare dejectedly at the roundtable—oh; they moved. not the people. "mhm," elle huffs as she flicks a lone pen with her free hand. it spins twice, rolls across the wood, and falls with a faint clack. that particular one is not the offender, but even the smallest of vengeance is rejuvenating. "pen's a dummy."

"that pen is a dummy," dee–dee agrees, solemnly nodding his head; his laughter is like a big cat, purring not–so–loudly but purring all the same. elle looks toward dee–dee's face, full of love, patience, generosity . . .

. . . and then he reaches across the table, nabs a pen sitting unassumingly in its holder among others, and flings it onto the other side of the room. "that one was extra stupid."

the otherwise quiet room splits with elle's giggle. watery, weak, but there all the same. wiggling a bit out of her friend's hug, she, too, nabs a pen and throws it over the roundtable. "’nd dat one . . ." her body sinks back into dee–dee's chest, chews thoughtfully at her sleeve. ". . . doesn't w’ite good."

dee–dee chucks a pen at the wall. "that one doesn't have any ink in it. why we keep it, i have no idea."

elle tosses a pen into the air and watches it plummet before her feet. "dat one's too big."

a pen flies dangerously close to the tv. "that one's too small."

soon, every pen ever deposited into the cup finds its new place upon the floor, rolling about in search of shelter while elle and derek laugh themselves raw at the silliness of it all.

dee–dee is warm, dee–dee is nice, and dee–dee scared her icky squid away.

(and the reason elle grins from ear to ear when she finds a brand new pack of ballpoint pens sitting on her desk the next day? well—

Ballpoint pens are better! ;-)

–DeeDee

—that's between her and derek.)

[kurorosanime]

25 Years Later: "Conjurer ✕ Smile ✕ Beasts Beware"

This episode was weird in a lot of ways.

Just to start it off, I do not like this episode. The episode was the debut for three key staff of 1999, and I don’t know which one would be to blame, but I just don’t like it (to emphasize, I'm not saying 'these guys ruined 1999', it's just... you'll get it). 

There is of course Ryouta Yamaguchi, whose first instance of script/screenplay is for this episode. This could partially be the reason why the episode adapts so much- nearly three chapters of manga material (going from the arrival at the marshlands right to the end of the first phase) while prior episodes had only adapted one chapter of material.

Yoshizou Tsuda is debuting here as the episode director, and I don’t have much of note to say beyond randomly clicking on one of the anime he worked on and seeing a review by ThatAnimeSnob listed under it (if you know, you know, if you don't, don't look that guy up).

The first key staff debut here is Tomoaki Sakiyama under Animation Direction, likely a Supervisor from studio ‘Anime R’, who had a few staff involved in this episode. We also see Studio Robin on Finishing, who were seen in the similarly iffy episodes 2 and 4. Speaking of that though, the storyboarder for this episode, Yukihiro Matsushita, did one episode prior to this, that being… episode 4. 

In short, I think you can already guess I feel this episode looks kind of bad and is paced kind of bad. Where prior episodes felt like they were making cohesive points and reaching natural episodic conclusions, this feels like that “1:1 adaptation” mindset taking root for a short while. It certainly isn’t faithful- a few added scenes, some altered interactions, one minor character is replaced with a slightly more significant character from the arc (Pokkle, for those who might have forgotten his name), but the content feels dry here.

Consider prior episodes, how much they would change as if feeding to another idea, and I don’t see that in this episode. I don’t like saying ‘this episode is bad’, but I really just didn’t like watching it, which is a shame because this episode has quite a few moments I like. There’s Hisoka’s massacre which is amped up to make Hisoka seem more like a showman, treating the whole thing like he is a magician putting on an act. Killua’s characterization is carried on from the prior two episodes, and this is the episode with Hisoka’s horrifying laugh, so why does it all feel so wrong?

I honestly can’t answer that question without diving into the realm of comparisons to other shows, though if I were to compare- this feels like the 1998 Pilot OVA for Hunter x Hunter. It adapts a more ‘standard amount’ of chapters, but doesn’t feel like it’s drawing towards anything other than having a fun setpiece- and it is fun, despite lackluster animation and art, but it’s lacking the moments that have been defining 1999 up until now. Where the prior episode splurged on original character interactions, foreshadowing, and building off of short backstories into entire episode b-plots, this just goes by the numbers with a few cute changes.

Bit of a downer ending, huh?

I promise next time will be a bit more interesting. Trust me, just for a little bit.

[adarssuggestionbox]

what is Uruk childcare?

Adar- @palatablepain I am thrilled you are interested in the future! *I personally think of children as our future* Perhaps you ask because you are considering the idea of adopting an uruk child? Whatever your reason for asking may be, I'm very pleased to educate you on the most important things. I consider myself the first expert on this matter.

The first thing one ought to know is that depending on the uruk, one can live regularly about 50 years. This is a life span that might be average but it is usually not due to natural causes. My children have endured much strife and have died young either by force or by accident due to living situations. This is quickly changing. When able to grow properly they can have the potential to live for a very long time due to the left overs of our elvish heritage.

While my children may not have the capacity to live quite as long as me, they age slowly compared to most. As sad as it is we were bred for terrible things that require a strong youthful body in order to endure hard physical labor. I simply am the exception as I am one of the first to have gone through the transformation.

*My heart aches as I speak.... but I'm able to tap that down quickly in order to continue*

birth to 3 years of age in human equivalency

🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼🍼

Children are born in sets of 2 to 3. It is rare that children are born without siblings. This is due to our origins. We were bred to work as I mentioned before. So uruk women were built to produce more offspring to complete labor...

But I will not focus on that, as it is a very heart sinking thought. *I pause to gather myself*

Instead, I shall use my son Glûg as an example! *My frown soon brightens as I motion to my son who stands by my side*

Glûg- ...... *He stares dead pan and unimpressed with my antics but it goes completely over my head.* 🤦‍♂️🙄😒🫤😐😑

-Really... Must he drag me into these discussions...- *He thinks to himself*

Adar- As I was saying, When my son was born we made sure he attached to his mother like any other babe. As one ought to already know breastfeeding is essential.

Glûg- *he is already speeding away in the opposite direction of us the moment I mention how we kept him breastfed.*

Adar- during these years we carry them with us everywhere. Primarily on our backs. Due to certain conditions we have endured in the past the safest place a baby could be was physically on one person. This was key to the little one's survival. It has permanently been ingrained in us to constantly monitor the youngest ones amongst us as they are easy targets of danger.

We also are quite communal. We all are looking after each other's children. I said before that children are our future, so we must look after them together to ensure our survival as a race too. I also value the young generation greatly. Children are a gift and must be treated as such. In this current age I have tried my hardest to instill this mentality with all my adult children as much as I possibly can.

Parental responsibilities include pûring to soothe the baby, and grooming. Uruk have barbed tongues much like large cats. So we often groom childrens hair this way. This development was made due to our lack of accessible hygiene resources in the early days. We were built to self clean.

Ages 4 to 6

🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸

This age range is my favorite. Young uruk children at this age are wild and rambunctious! They like to run and get into loads of trouble like all children do. They are rowdy like warg cubs and often like to play fight with claws and teeth. Glûg in particular liked to curl up in a ball then roll around in a tussle with his brothers and sisters. *I begin to chuckle.*

This is also the age range that uruk children start eating other foods beyond breast milk. I personally think it is a great idea to mix other foods and continue breastfeeding during this age range. Though Glûg was very fussy about eating things beyond breast milk. That boy is still picky. *I sigh rubbing my temples*

Children are still carried on parents backs to this age. Adults continue to heavily monitor children in this age range as well. Grooming is also still a big parental responsibility. Uruk children often do not start to develop proper speech until age 7 due to our mixed animal-like genes.

So it is up to parents and adults to teach children how to communicate via pûrring, trîlling, hissing, growling, grunting, and snorting. Each sound can mean something different depending on the context. I might also add it was safer to communicate non-verbally in the early days due to our environment. This has been passed down through every generation that it has become apart of our genes and culture permanently.

A child's first trîl and pûr are a kin to their first words and is something we get extremely excited about.

I remember Glûg's first pûr *a jolly look draws up on my face* He was sitting by the sand pit in our camp, scribbling in it with sticks. Then suddenly a little lizard scurried up his arm, then sat up on his shoulder and flipped its tongue against his cheek. It made him so happy he began pûrring.

My newest son @koyaildoesstuff , has learned to trîl recently too! It happened due to a lovely family bonding moment between him, Glûg, and I. We helped each other through something rough that day. I won't forget the feeling in my heart when I hear his first trîl. The little one tried so hard to pûr but it came out as a trîl. But it made me happy all the same that Glûg and I could make an impact on his life.

*I smile waving my hand* But I digress, I'm becoming distracted. *I chuckle again*

Where was I.... *I pause to think* Oh yes!

Ages 7 to 9

💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬💬

this is the age range that speech is learned. Children pick it up at different speeds. Glûg was pretty young for an uruk when he started to pickup language skills. Then again I kept him in my sight and constantly worked with him every moment I had. When his mother passed away, I gladly took him under my personal care.

Teaching him vocabulary of both Black speech and common was surprisingly easy. Though this is usually not the case for other uruk children. They typically need lots of consistent help and structure to learn speech. However, things relating to math and science is something most of my little ones seem to grasp quite early on in this age range. Memory for them is also sharp.

Adults are responsible for teaching them nature survival skills at this age. During the summer in particular children help prepare for winter. Adults help guide the children by getting them involved in community processes like basket weaving for winter storage and they also are taught how to forage. Overall they are encouraged to be helpful hands to those around them. We are a communal culture. We survive by helping each other. Children must learn this at a young age.

In fact we are teaching our children these concepts at this moment in Mordor! That is why my posts have gone slow as of late. There is much to be done during the summer season.

Ages 10 to 15

⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️

Speech is usually fully developed by this time and children have a lot more responsibility. They are often charged with helping to look after the little ones and given more complex tasks in the community.

Parental responsibilities do not change too much either. We still help groom them, teach them our ways and emphasize community engagement.

Ages 16 to 19

👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨👨

This is the age range that we consider young adulthood. By now they should have a healthy basis of how life works. They also are expected to fully participate alongside the adults in the community.

-------------------------

I think this covers most of the basics about uruk child care and child development. I personally believe it is very hard to talk about one of those subjects without mentioning the other. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about raising an uruk child. I'd be happy to answer any questions you pose!

[freezerbnuuy]

Act 6:9- The Curse is Come Upon Me - Part 2 (Page 2)

LORE | CHARACTERS | ABOUT / WARNINGS | CHAPTERS

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CONTENT WARNING: kidnapping, violence, fire, death. Heavy chapter. These are warnings for the whole chapter this time due to it being darker. This page has no warnings.

SPOILER WARNING: Block the #divided sims 4 story spoilers tag if you don't want to be spoiled.

Katlego

"Surely this would take an immense amount of power to conjure at all, let alone sustain."

"The story mentions a key to the magical world as well as an anchor of some sort," she says. "What constitutes a key and an anchor in this context is beyond my understanding, but I wonder if I, myself, would be an anchor for this world."

"You're one person. Even someone as accomplished as you - I don't know if it's possible. Don't you question this at all?"

The smile that rises slowly across her face convinces me that she's already made up her mind about this. Sometimes I wonder if childhood fantasies should stay right where they are - in one's childhood. I understand that it's tempting to revisit them in middle age, desperate for a return to simpler times - but I don't know what she hopes to get out of this. Even if it is theoretically possible, how do you maintain an open connection to another world?

"Anyhow, you ought to visit Owen. He's currently resting in bed, but I know he would be more than happy to see you."

Is anyone in here, I wonder? I knock the door a few times until I finally hear a mumbled response. Is he okay?

"It's me, Katlego."

I hear a slurred sound of excitement, and what I think might be a call to come in. There's a strong stench of chemicals in here that almost burns my nose. What kind of alchemist doesn't open a window now and again? Owen stirs and mumbles to himself a little.

"Oh! It is you," he says, through slurred speech. His eyes are only just open, and look rather bloodshot.

"Are you sure you're up to talking?" 

"Oh - Of course. Anything for you, Kat." He tries to adjust himself into a more comfortable position, almost face-down on his pillow - it doesn't look very comfortable from my perspective. "I think I've overworked myself a little - tending to the vegetables, Áine teaching me the Ignis spell... but I've been here quite a while. I've been resting up enough to pay my wife a visit later."

He tries to sit up, and I assist him as best as I can. He seems to brighten a little when he looks at me.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Kat- truly."

"I can't say I'm here for any good reason...it's a long story, but I had to flee again. I...indirectly killed a witchfinder without intention." 

"That's nothing compared to what other people have done," Owen replies. "You know what happened to Volpe, don't you?"

I don't say anything. He almost says it with a comical smugness, but I still can't feel sympathy for Lord Volpe whatsoever.

"You know, I think you'd be perfectly suited to-"

"The school?  Yes! Áine mentioned. A chance to meet other Mischief casters would benefit both myself and the students. I would welcome the opportunity gladly."

Owen looks a little awkward about something.

"I have to admit, Katlego, I am not paying a social call - the main reason I'm going back is to stop her from having Áine's daughter use healing magic on the patients. You remember what happened to me, don't you? I don't want anything like that happening to Róisín. She wouldn't get the same chances as I did."

"You don't think it's safer for her to be in the mansion?"

"Not at all," he replies, a little stern. "Not for her."

After some lighter discussion and something to eat and drink, Owen seems a little more lively. In spite of his more dishevelled appearance, and in spite of the lack of luxuries he's been used to his entire life, he seems far happier to be here than amongst his riches.

Áine enters to check on him, passing his cane to him from the other side of the room.

"So do you know anything about why Lydia has my daughter working for her?" 

"I'm as in the dark as you are, Áine. I don't know how she got so desperate or what happened to her apprentices." He growls to himself. "She can't play with the life of a teenager like this. As wondrous as lunar magic is, she's in no place to be risking her life like that - nor do I want Lydia to risk losing her job as well. All I ask is you let me be the one to talk to her about it."

"I understand, Owen - I do not think I could bite my tongue. I'd like to return with you, so I can apologise to Róisín - but it's a case of who will look after the school-"

"Áine, forget the school for a moment. We need to ensure the safety of your daughter."

"I can look after it." 

"It'll be a good way to get to know the students whilst you're gone, won't it?"

That's the first time I've seen an expression of approval on Owen's face. "I don't see why not. I'm sure the students would love to have you."

"That said, I don't want you to put yourself out just for me, Katlego - not after having to run for your life a second time."

"Then it's settled. I'll stay here and teach the students. The ones that don't practice Mischief magic I'm sure would love to learn a little herbalism or history. Then you two can go back to Finchwick. Sounds good to me."

I don't know if I'd be as good a teacher as Áine is, but I'm sure I can give it a try. 

[spectralpixelsredone]

The Dire Straits of Remnant

Vale: Vale is in ruins following Salem and Cinder’s pursuit of the Relic of Choice, as depicted in the RWBY Volume 9 Bonus Ending Animatic. The kingdom, once a beacon of hope with Beacon Academy at its heart, was devastated after the Fall of Beacon in Volume 3 and further destroyed by Salem’s subsequent attack. Many characters from Vale are either dead, missing, or scattered, with no clear indication of survivors like Glynda Goodwitch or others who might still be organizing resistance. The loss of Beacon Academy and the city’s infrastructure has left Vale defenseless against the Grimm, making recovery unlikely without significant external aid.

Atlas: Atlas was destroyed due to a combination of factors: Team RWBY’s idealism, Ironwood’s paranoia and authoritarian decisions, and Salem’s strategic manipulation. In Volume 8, Cinder’s attack, enabled by Salem, led to Atlas crashing into Mantle, obliterating the kingdom. While many citizens were evacuated to Vacuo using the Relic of Creation, the loss of Atlas Academy, the Schnee Dust Company, and the kingdom’s military infrastructure has left Remnant without its most technologically advanced stronghold. Salem secured the Relics of Creation and Knowledge, further tipping the scales in her favor. Ironwood and Watts perished in the fall, leaving Atlas a symbol of hubris and failure.

Mantle: Mantle, already neglected and economically disadvantaged compared to Atlas, was crushed when Atlas fell onto it in Volume 8’s “The Final Word.” The city, located on the continent of Solitas, was decimated, with thousands evacuated to Vacuo beforehand via the Relic of Creation’s pathway. However, those who remained faced certain destruction. Mantle’s downfall underscores the social and economic disparities that fueled unrest, with figures like Robyn Hill unable to prevent the catastrophe. The loss of Mantle further weakens Remnant’s defenses, as it was a key industrial hub.

Mistral: Mistral is in disarray following the events of Volume 5 and beyond. The betrayal of Headmaster Leonardo Lionheart, who facilitated the deaths of most of Mistral’s Huntsmen at the hands of Hazel and Tyrian, has left the kingdom critically underprotected. Haven Academy, meant to be a safe haven, was compromised, and the kingdom’s vast territory, riddled with a black market and criminal underworld, lacks the centralized strength to resist Grimm incursions. While Mistral’s standard military remains, it’s insufficient against Salem’s forces, and the kingdom teeters on the brink of collapse, with no significant recovery efforts noted post-Volume 9.

Menagerie: Menagerie’s status remains ambiguous, as it has been largely sidelined in the narrative since Volumes 4-5. As a Faunus homeland, it lacks the military or economic power of the main kingdoms and relies on militias rather than trained Huntsmen. There’s no evidence Salem prioritizes Menagerie, likely viewing it as insignificant due to its limited resources and lack of a Relic. However, its isolation might offer temporary safety, as seen in RWBY Volume 9: Beyond, which focuses on Vacuo without mentioning Menagerie’s involvement. The Faunus population, led by figures like Ghira Belladonna, may be organizing, but their plans and capacity to contribute to Remnant’s defense remain unclear.

Overall Outlook: With Vale and Atlas/Mantle destroyed, Mistral crippled, and Menagerie’s role uncertain, Vacuo stands as Remnant’s last major stronghold, as emphasized in Volume 9 and RWBY Volume 9: Beyond. The world has mobilized in Vacuo to face Salem, with Teams CFVY and SSSN active, and Amity Colosseum retrofitted as a battleship, suggesting a significant time has passed for preparations. However, Salem’s possession of two Relics and her intent to summon the Brother Gods—potentially to destroy Remnant—places the world in dire straits. Ruby’s Silver Eyes and the remaining Relics offer hope, but the gods’ unpredictable nature and Salem’s strategic advantage make the outcome uncertain. Viz Media’s acquisition of the RWBY IP offers potential for a Volume 10 to resolve these threads, but for now, Remnant’s future hangs by a thread

[danwhobrowses]

Well Critters the year is almost up, at least for me here in England. Aside from the general pensiveness and reflection of the past year, it also means I'm about to (technically) complete my first full year of following the CR episodes as they came out; a year full of twists, turns, uprisings, downfalls, and just so much going on - only for the campaign to now be nearing its end.

We knew the end was coming sure, but since December's 4SD announced itself as the last of the campaign the number of episodes remaining has grown more finite, likely to be around 1-4 more episodes, and confronting the end is very different to acknowledging it ending. Admittedly in the confronting part I've become a liiiiittle bit of a mess, loaded with panic and worry beyond my own control; I sometimes tell myself that I'm being silly, they're fictional characters, the story's likely already recorded its end, and I never had any control or influence on the story to begin with, but as expected such attempts are both hollow and in vain. It's been a while since I was this invested in a story, or fandom for that matter, and the fact that most key and decisive moments will be determined by dice rolls continuously does nothing to soothe my nerves, or my uncertainties towards how it'll end - after all, the hardest battle has yet to be fought, the biggest decisions yet to be made, and Ludinus Da'leth is way WAY too calm about being trapped in a Force Cage for my liking.

I wonder if the fear and dread was the same for those watching the end of the previous two campaigns? If it was more or less than it is now by comparison? In hindsight, while the final stage so far feels more grounded compared to the more spectacular, massive miniature, larger-than-life endgame battles against Vecna and Lucien's Neo-Somnovem phases, it feels like the stakes are riskier for Bells Hells, on a low Level 15 with no cleric, dismal openings for additional support, and little wiggle room to get creative, especially since killing Ludinus - who continues to be touted as the 'strongest mage of our time' and could get even stronger depending on which way Matt goes with him - alone potentially won't end the overarching conflict, though he should still die nonetheless. At the very least I want the Hells (as we have for VM and the Nein) to all be free to live happily, be it settling down, embarking on new adventures, or just being the best they can be - and doing so with the people that mean the most to them - and at the very most I want them to make the best and kindest decision for the world as a whole, which I hope they get the chance and take the opportunity to do so.

It's still difficult to ready myself for it ending mind you, since I could have very easily spent another year with these idiots and still not be fully ready to say goodbye to them. On that however, I know not everyone shares my sentiment; some are truly ready for the campaign to be over and for C4 for explode (pun intended) onto the scene with brand new characters that in a few years time we'll also likely be unready to say goodbye to, and that's fine. But for all that can and will be said about Campaign 3 - positively and critically - it has very much delighted, disheveled, and deranged me for most of the year, usually at my desk of work, so trying to brace myself for the climax has, and continues to be, a lot of mental effort. Keeping myself positive and hopeful in these situations is tough especially when on the verge of a big battle; sometimes the negative thoughts creep in, Youtube videos full of pessimists and clickbait titles appearing unwantedly on my recommendations don't help, nor does the memory of what happened the last time the Hells were in a major boss battle at the tail end of their time on Ruidus, but when the campaign does end I want it to be looked upon fondly, and a lot of that does hinge on its conclusion. Obviously, I trust the group and Matt's storytelling, but that is only to an extent; defeating Ludinus is something I know Bells Hells are capable of doing - so long as the dice gods play ball and Matt doesn't inexplicably overbuff Ludinus to the nth degree like he did with Otohan - but the Predathos decision remains the root and focal point of the campaign's criticisms for good reason, often overshadowing and playing obstacle to character growth and direction. There is a satisfying and spectacular conclusion in there, but navigating it - even for a group that embraces 'when given two options, we pick option 3' more times than not - let alone achieving it is a very delicate path of fine margins, one that can indeed make or break the campaign - and a lot of my worries lie there, that and approaching/confronting an entity so voracious and eager to escape that it makes the gods terrified enough to deliberate breaking down the Divine Gate.

Without talking more to death about the god stuff and Predathos thing like we the fandom have already done aplenty, there's not much else I can say except that I'm worried but also trying to be hopeful. The campaign ending in tragedy or a pyrrhic victory is possible but it's not an outcome I personally desire or want to entertain. You could perhaps aptly translate that to my general feelings towards the new year too; having wants and wishes, hopes and hesitancies, fears and fandom, just currently a bit more compressed here than it is for the full year - and given our recent run of the years playing dystopia simulator, I'm more hopeful in one than the other right now - and perhaps it would do good to start the year with something to smile about. Right now, it's just that it's happening; it's happening, it's soon, and it's very apparent how close we are to finishing, which means I'm panicking and rambling, and panicking, and of course, rambling. I don't know what emotions will January send me through, but I do hope with all my being that they'll be positive ones.

So whether or not you reached the end of this, I wish you all a Happy New Year and, much like the end of Campaign 3, I hope it's a good one.

[g0dspeeed]

1, 4, 5, 8, and 15 for Cappie and Nik for the ship asks please <3

Thank you! I was hoping someone would ask about them 😍 From this Ask Game

OTP: Respite

Cappie De La Costa x Nikolai

1. What made you first ship them?

Pairing Cappie with Nikolai just "made sense". After coupling Cappie with Eli Palmer in Far Cry 5, to have her with a personality that was more charismatic and outgoing was new territory. I view Nikolai as someone she could go toe to toe with, another bullshitter, another who was as dangerous as he was charming. Also, not to minimize the other COD characters, but I could see her flippant disrespect towards the military complex and its loyal soldiers as a point of steadfast contention. It often comes up as Cappie enjoys stirring the pot, and more deeply, isn't afraid to voice her disdain for corrupt government bodies.

True, Nikolai has his loyalties to the 141 and their cause, and yes, Cappie is ultimately an ally, but I think their moral gray areas and shadiness are more fitting for one another than it would be for anyone else on the task force.

For real though, I wanna pair her with Ghost but I honestly think he would scare TF out of her. And I'm in the boat that says Ghost is awkward and quiet, which I head cannon Eli Palmer to be, too... So I gave her Nikto as a situationship because that mask and hot mess of a personality is less scary? IDK

4. Where/How do they live? (Together/Separate)

Due to their roles, they are often separate, tending to be in different parts of the world at any given point.

However, they do make a point to reconnect. Maybe it's only once a month. Maybe it's a week tucked away somewhere remote, phones on silent and in bed all day. Maybe they seek each other out on base, make up a reason to spend time with one another ("comparing notes", "talking business", "I'm translating for her, Price").

Nikolai has a key to her house in Amsterdam. She knows the code to his hangar. You know, "just in case", whatever that means...

5. Biggest in-universe supporter of the ship?

I want to say Laswell, only because the relationship motivates Cappie to better cooperate with the task force. As Cappie's handler at the CIA, Laswell deals with a lot of kicking and screaming from the smuggler. Manipulative, sure, but if a romantic interest keeps Cappie leaning on the side of the "good guys", Laswell will take it.

Skelly, in a world with Rory in it, I hope it's her.

8. Who makes the bigger romantic gestures?

Nikolai does, but it was a learning process.

Nikolai has a lot of money--A lot of money. And he is interested in someone who does not give a single shit about it.

What worked in easily impressing women in the past (international travel, piloting his own helicopter, boundless access to the finer things in life) only succeeds in making Cappie roll her eyes. Cappie has her own money and her own resources. His military background is uninspiring. She would rather die than ask anyone let alone Nikolai for anything beyond her basic needs.

Nikolai learned very quickly that buying things like fancy gifts was not the route to Cappie's heart. Time was. That's why reconnecting was so important because time is worth its weight in gold to her. To her, a "big romantic gesture" is sitting in the corner booth at a family-owned restaurant and hearing stories about his mom. It's sitting in bed with pajamas and messy hair, blowing the steam off the coffee he made her while talking about cooking dinner together. It's taking shots of tequila at the dive bar while they compare war stories and times they evaded the law, all pink cheeks, and lingering touches under the table.

A big romantic gesture is Nikolai slowing down and being authentic with someone who craves who he really is like sunlight.

15. What's something they love to do together?

Eat. Both Nikolai and Cappie are well travelled. They come from different backgrounds, but they share an appreciation for local cuisine and culture. I'd like to think that when they're in each other's orbit, they find that one hole-in-the-wall in town, the place where the locals go, no tourists. Maybe one of them "knows a guy", can order something off menu, stay late even after the kitchen closes.

And if they're lucky enough to spare the time, Nikolai will cook for her. Something hearty and warm, like his love for her.

[peachdues]

Hey peach!! I was thinking about going to law school soon, and i wanted to know if you know anything about it!! I remember you saying something about being a lawyer (at least i think it was you 😭) and i wanted to know what law school is like!!

Hi friend! I have a series of asks where I’ve talked about law school and my experience with it that I’ll link below. The short and sweet version — I had a very different experience from most people (namely, the illness/death of my mother, among other personal tragedies), so I have a very different view of law school compared to my peers. That said, I wouldn’t change a thing about those three years (apart from the obvious lol).

Post 1

Post 2

Post 3

Post 4

Beyond that, I think knowing what you’re getting into is the key to success in law school. You’re going to get an ego check first semester, and that’s a good thing! Law school literally rewires your brain and how you analyze everything. Just be patient with yourself!

[auberge13]

These two moments are taken from the conversations Jon has with each of his parents before joining the Legion of Superheroes. There is one particularly interesting difference between how Lois and Clark each view the decision.

(Lois Lane 2019 issue #4 and Superman 2018 issue #16)

"doesn't leave you much of a choice, does it?" vs. "I am jealous of... the choices in front of you"

Now, if you're like me, this is the kind of thing that makes you very excited about characterization and storytelling so let's get into it.

Clark is a character who never really felt like being good was a choice that needed to be made. He was raised to be good by Ma and Pa and he is so inherently good that he can't imagine being anything else, let alone choosing to be anything else. Meanwhile, Lois intimately understands that being good is a choice that you have to make over and over again, even when it's hard. Doing good the way she does is constantly challenged, particularly by her father. Her choice to do good costs her that relationship with him, and she isn't able to fully reconcile with him before his death, which is explored intimately in this book (read Lois Lane).

As my friend @fae-morrigan put it while we were discussing this, "I feel you could easily read it in a way where Clark is jealous that Jon's been shown he could be Other Than Good and make an informed choice about Being Good. Where Lois knows that choosing to be good often comes at the expense of other good things (in her case, her relationship with her father)"

There's a key moment in the issue after the above screenshot that really showcases this.

(Lois Lane 2019 issue #5)

It's important to acknowledge that there is no part of Clark that would choose not to be Superman. They're the same guy. Clark would do good anyway in whatever capacity he could, he just happens to have a really large capacity. When he says he is jealous of the choices in front of Jon, it is less about doing or not doing good, but rather about how he's going to do it.

(Superman 2024 issue #1)

My friend @ultfreakme explained this really well. "comparing LOSH to college works like that because Jon's going to college (learning to be a hero), but he gets to pick from a million different majors and fuck around for a bit with a support system to fall back on if he fails. Clark went from high school (regular dude) and straight into a job (being a hero) with no ability to like....try something different."

So that's what we can learn about Lois and Clark from this, but what about Jon? The comics do a really cool thing where they break up Jon's complex thoughts about this choice into multiple conversations with different people. With Lois, Jon expresses the sense of obligation he feels. With Damian, he's able to share his hesitance, even telling him that he doesn't think he wants to accept the invitation at first. Finally, with Clark and Imra, he's able to feel his excitement about this new step in his life. It is all very college! I felt all of these things before I left too! But beyond that, this is also a great example of the way Jon will compartmentalize his issues and limit his vulnerability depending on who he's talking to. He has a tendency to minimize his own feelings in order to make other people more comfortable, which you can really see in the different things he's willing to express with each person.

Anyway, I think there's more to be said here and I'd love to hear what other people think about these moments, but I'll call it here. Moral of the story, read Lois Lane 2019 and then create something for the Jon Kent Week Mama's boy prompt- the Jon and Lois in that book are top tier. Also, if you've gotten this far you clearly like this kind of analysis so here's my post about why they aged up Jon. When I posted it Tumblr had put me in jail and turned me into a robot (wow Absolute Power is so immersive!) so it didn't show up in the tag. Sorry for the plug but I'm a little bitter about it lol.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil's business leaders and Geography & Statistics Institute's retail data tell conflicting stories

Top retail executives warn of weak demand despite official data showing growth

The first-quarter earnings season for Brazilian retailers came to a close on Thursday (15), coinciding with the release of March retail sales data. With numbers already in hand, many industry executives were left with the impression that there are two parallel realities: the one experienced by retail chains and the one reflected in data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

According to the latest figures, sales volume in the restricted retail (which excludes vehicles and construction material) rose 0.8% in March compared to February, marking the strongest result for the month since official records began in 2000.

Across the first quarter, key segments posted notable year-over-year gains in sales volume: furniture and home appliances increased 5.8%, apparel and footwear rose 4%, and pharmaceuticals climbed 3.6%. Toward the bottom of the list were supermarkets and big-box stores, food, beverages, and tobacco—with a modest increase of 0.3%.

Despite this, top executives from the country’s largest retailers—some of its largest employers—have once again described a “challenging” consumption environment post-January, reviving a term worn thin by the pandemic and the post-2021 interest rate surge. Beyond the direct impact of the Selic policy interest rate on financial expenses, companies point to a broader slowdown in consumption across different regions.

Continue reading.

[albertonykus]

Doraemon Movies Ranked by Shizuka's Roles in Them

I've written before about how Shizuka seems underutilized in many of the Doraemon movies, but not all of the movies are made equal. To get a sense of which films portray her the best, I've ranked them based on her characterization and narrative role in each one.

Obligatory disclaimer that this is not derived from any type of standardized rubric or quantitative analysis, only my personal judgment and impressions of the franchise. In addition, this list is distinct from how I'd rank the movies based on my opinion of their overall quality and entertainment value. In general, increased focus on Shizuka (or any of the other main characters) is almost always a positive for me, but there are certainly Doraemon movies that I think are good yet don't feature her prominently, or ones that I don't enjoy as much even though they manage to portray her well.

Full ranking below the break. I've also linked to my reviews of each individual film to provide further context. May contain movie spoilers!

1. Nobita's Three Visionary Swordsmen (1994)

In many ways, this is Shizuka's movie. She has an active role for much of her screentime, undergoes the most personal journey, and is the one who finishes off the main villain. Furthermore, she gets moments to show that she's clever, works hard, and values kindness. Her key role is all the more remarkable considering that she doesn't "properly" join the main plot until nearly halfway through the movie.

Reinforcing her position as the central character is the fact that in the beginning of the movie, Nobita imagines himself as a hero who hides his true identity from his friends, but during the actual adventure, it's Shizuka who maintains a secret identity. It's a fun way to play with audience preconceptions.

2. Nobita and the Steel Troops (1986) 3. Nobita and the New Steel Troops (2011)

Shizuka is a major player in this story as well. Here, her foremost traits on display are her compassion and willingness to forgive, but that's not all. It's her knowledge of Doraemon's gadgets that provides a solution to the main conflict, and as I've previously written, it's also one of the few times that her kind nature is actually tested. Her precocious declaration that "Doing things that don't always make sense is being human" may be one of her best-known lines in the franchise, and for good reason.

None of the Doraemon movie remakes change Shizuka's roles enough to be given vastly different rankings from their original counterparts in my opinion, but if I were to compare the two different versions of Steel Troops, Shizuka's goodwill arguably shines even more in the original, considering that she was still determined to save Riruru after the robot made an attempt on her life (a scene cut from the remake)!

4. Nobita's Little Star Wars 2021 (2022) 5. Nobita's Little Star Wars (1985)

This story has one of the few "Shizuka gets kidnapped" subplots that I can actually tolerate, and a major reason why is that she is very actively involved with the rest of the narrative. From the moment that she's drawn into the main conflict, she does everything she can to help, despite admitting to having doubts and fears of her own. Her determination even ends up inspiring Suneo's own acts of bravery, and speaking of which, this is among the few Doraemon stories to showcase the dynamic between the two of them.

Comparing the remake and the original in this case is difficult, because beyond the scenes that they share, the two versions highlight different aspects of Shizuka's character. The remake heightens her positive qualities even more (the addition of her forcibly stopping Papi from turning himself in to the antagonists feels very in-character), but seeing her being a little self-centered during the movie-making subplot at the beginning of the original is kind of fun, too.

6. Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (1983)

Once again, Shizuka's kindness towards another character becomes an overarching subplot that is critical to saving the day. Furthermore, though this was the first Doraemon movie to use the "Shizuka gets kidnapped" plot point, it's an interesting version of it in that she volunteers to be captured as part of her plan to locate the main villain's hideout.

And what's her reaction to an unreasoning AI threatening to rain nuclear destruction on the world?

(Using a panel from the manga here because available English fansubs don't translate this line properly. It is in the movie though!)

7. New Nobita's Great Demon (2014) 8. Nobita and the Haunts of Evil (1982)

Although this story doesn't focus on Shizuka as much as the last few, she has a very important part in it, given that her realization about how the prophecy of the dog kingdom can be fulfilled is the key to the heroes' victory. Also, she beats up a gorilla and has fun doing it.

Her role is essentially unchanged across both versions of the movie, but I'm ranking the remake higher just for being a better-made film overall. In addition, she is careful to avoid actually hurting the gorilla in the remake, which seems like something she would do.

9. Nobita's Chronicle of the Moon Exploration (2019)

This is another movie in which Shizuka is not the focal character, but really comes in clutch at the end when the others need her. In general, giving her free rein to Doraemon's gadgets (as also occurs during key moments in Three Visionary Swordsmen and Steel Troops) is a good way to ensure that the day gets saved.

10. Nobita's Dorabian Nights (1991)

I give this movie a lot of flack for how nonsensical its story is and how excessively cruel it is to Shizuka. (Being trafficked as a slave due to her friends' thoughtless actions? What the hell?!) However, I have to admit that Shizuka herself is written quite well. She stays remarkably composed and sticks to her principles in the face of calamity, even when her prospects of rescue seem vanishingly remote. She is also resourceful enough to come up with a fairly credible escape plan, though it doesn't work out. She gets out of a hostage situation on her own during the climax, so that's something.

At the same time, she avoids coming across as unrealistically perfect, because the movie also gives her a few moments to be flawed: she can be short-tempered (snapping at Nobita for inviting her over for "kids' stuff"), and even a bit careless sometimes (remembering the wrong date for her camping trip)!

11. Nobita's Sky Utopia (2023)

Speaking of flaws, this next entry is one of the few movies to highlight Shizuka's. Here, it zeroes in on the fact that she can be stubborn, which many viewers might not have picked up on, but is very much a consistent part of her character. (Just consider how she insists on taking daily baths, no matter where she is and how inconvenient it might be.) As mentioned in my review, the film doesn't do as much with Shizuka's stubbornness as I would have liked it to, but the fact that it was put in the spotlight at all is still noteworthy. Not to mention, the scene where Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo own up to their flaws is one of the best in the movie.

That being said, the fact that this is enough to nearly qualify in the top 10 film depictions of the third most important character in a franchise with over 40 movies... is a little sad, isn't it?

12. Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds (1992)

Although it doesn't achieve much, Shizuka does get a good character moment here when she's the only one of her friends to come up with a cogent, calmly stated argument (with minimal preparation, no less) in attempt to persuade the sky people not to follow through with their plan to flood the Earth.

She is also shown to be a good artist—check out her freehand design of this castle.

13. Nobita's Diary on the Creation of the World (1995)

Due to time constraints, a substantial portion of Shizuka's activities in this one happens offscreen, but what little we get to see shows that she apparently accomplished a lot! On top of that, she formulates a plan that helps Doraemon and Nobita subdue a giant centipede, and her artistic and note-taking skills come in handy for putting together their school report.

14. Nobita and the Birth of Japan (2016) 15. Nobita and the Birth of Japan (1989)

The opening act of this story is interesting for the insight it provides into each of the main characters. It probably isn't much of a surprise to see Nobita or Gian wanting to run from home, but why might a rule-abiding, responsible kid like Shizuka consider doing so? Well, like many other children who get branded as "well-behaved", it turns out she feels a fair bit of pressure from parental expectations.

She doesn't have much to do in the story after that, but to be fair, no one really does in the original movie. Everyone gets to contribute more in the remake, giving it a higher ranking by default, though Shizuka arguably still lacks a real standout moment to shine.

16. Nobita's New Dinosaur (2020)

Shizuka's most prominent moment in this one is probably the scene where she gives a motivational speech to Nobita. It's not much, but it's pretty sweet, actually. Otherwise, she does enough to maintain an active presence even when the spotlight isn't on her.

17. Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum (2013)

Another entry in which Shizuka doesn't get a whole lot of focus, but is involved enough to feel present. She defeats a petrifying Gorgon Head statue and locates a secret passageway. Also, seeing her get to laugh along with her friends is cute.

18. Nobita's Space Heroes (2015)

This is a hard movie to rank, because Shizuka contributes quite a lot during the action sequences and even takes down one of the major villains by herself. However... this is offset by how much the film seems to water down her characterization. Like I mentioned in my review, it's odd and inconsistent with her previous depictions that she would feel embarrassed about using her gadget-augmented strength. And at one point, she out of everyone in the group even admits to having forgotten about Nobita (who had last been seen in a life-threatening situation)!

As @filmfactors discussed in their own musings on Shizuka's characterization, there's also something lackluster about the fact that she's given water powers simply because she likes bathing (to the point where she's given a line to lampshade this). It's not so much that hydrokinesis doesn't work for Shizuka as a superpower—I actually think it'd be very appropriate for her to receive a power that would seem to require substantial mental and technical skill to use, and at the same time has immense destructive potential if not properly controlled. (Even though I know very little about X-Men, this is also why @cosmicmaskman's casting of Shizuka as Jean Grey feels very fitting to me.) I just would have preferred if it had been connected more to her actual skills and personality.

19. The Records of Nobita, Spaceblazer (1981) 20. The New Record of Nobita's Spaceblazer (2009)

This is an unusual story in that Shizuka isn't in much of it (and neither are Gian and Suneo, for that matter), which prevents me from ranking it higher. She does at least have a moderately prominent role during the screentime she has, acting as a mediator among her friends and convincing Gian and Suneo to help out during a crucial moment.

I place the original movie higher than the remake because I think it's generally better executed, but Shizuka's role is pretty much the same in both. As a bonus, the original includes one of the few times that she is shown playing baseball with the others.

21. Nobita's Earth Symphony (2024)

As said in my review, for a story about music, this movie met my bare minimum expectations for Shizuka's level of participation. She actively contributes throughout the narrative and her established experience with musical instruments is acknowledged. Even so, more could have been done with her. A gag where she volunteered to play the violin only to be stopped by the rest of the group would have been so easy!

22. Nobita and the Animal Planet (1990)

Although not much attention is drawn to her, Shizuka has a decent presence in this one. She's shown to be supportive of Nobita when Gian and Suneo make fun of him (but isn't above teasing him a little herself), figures out the explanation behind the animals' creation myth, and gets to help out in small ways here and there (at least as much as Gian and Suneo do).

23. Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King (2000)

Shizuka doesn't do very much here, but she contributes at least one thing of narrative importance. Her getting angry at Prince Tio is one of the main events that leads him to rethink his behavior and inspires his character development. She also pieces together what the villain's plan is (earning her a compliment from the villain), and seeing her play the prince in Snow White is a fun moment if nothing else.

24. Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020)

Given that this movie is about Shizuka and Nobita's wedding, she naturally has a major role in it. Yet half the time she feels more like a prop for Nobita's character development. Doing nothing but wait for a whole year after he mysteriously disappears from their wedding ceremony? Standing around while her friends desperately fight some older bullies, instead of trying to get help?

She does get a few moments to be an actual character though: she stands up to the aforementioned bullies (though understandably can't do much about them), and she proves to be perceptive, as at the end of the movie she figures out based on very few context clues that adult Nobita had gotten help from Doraemon.

25. Nobita and the Spiral City (1997)

Being kind pays off once more for Shizuka, as it leads a secondary antagonist to act in her (and her friends') favor at a critical juncture. Although important, neither this concept nor Shizuka herself are given nearly as much time or focus as they were in previous stories that used similar plot points, such as Castle of the Undersea Devil or Steel Troops.

26. Nobita and the Galaxy Super-express (1996)

Here, Shizuka makes the valuable discovery that the alien antagonists are vulnerable to soap solution. Like I commented in my review, this mainly seems like a contrived way to justify showing her in a bath scene though, so... ugh.

27. Nobita's Dinosaur (2006) 28. Nobita's Dinosaur (1980)

There isn't much in the way of practical contributions from Shizuka (nor from Gian and Suneo) in this earliest of the Doraemon long stories. Still, she has enough screentime to establish her general personality. She's nicer to Nobita than Gian and Suneo are, but at the same time doesn't always have much faith in him either. She worries about not being able to finish her homework when Doraemon suggests turning their journey to the Cretaceous into a camping trip, and she puts herself at risk to try and save a baby sauropod from a Tyrannosaurus rex.

The remake gives pretty much everyone a characterization boost, so it gets a higher ranking than the original from me. Perhaps the most noteworthy addition for Shizuka is her argument with Suneo over whether they should hand Piisuke over to the dinosaur poachers.

29. Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth (1993)

There's very little for Shizuka to do in this one, but seeing her being a bit competitive and accepting a bet from Gian and Suneo is at least an interesting character moment. (The manga did it better though.)

30. Nobita's Treasure Island (2018)

I already spent too many words dissecting Shizuka's subplot in my review of this movie, but to summarize: for the amount of screentime she gets, it really doesn't do her many favors. She barely contributes to resolving the main conflict in any meaningful way, nor is there much insight into her character that you normally wouldn't get. The friendship she strikes up with Sarah is cute, I suppose. If only it mattered more to the story.

31. The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West (1988)

The main thing Shizuka does in this movie is play the part of Tang Sanzang. Unfortunately, playing the part of Tang Sanzang also means not doing very much other than getting captured by monsters.

32. Nobita and the Knights on Dinosaurs (1987)

We're running out of notable movie roles for Shizuka at this point in the list, but there are a few character moments here at least. She plays her violin for the first time in a Doraemon movie, gets praised by Gian for being smart, and spots the approaching bolide that will cause the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (though no one listens to her). There's an odd scene that implies she is jealous when Nobita crushes on Roo the dinosauroid girl.

33. Nobita and the Winged Braves (2001)

This would have been the perfect story for the filmmakers to remember that Shizuka has a pet bird, which they do. Her pet even ends up in the bird dimension alongside the main characters. The movie then proceeds to do... absolutely nothing interesting with this concept. Considering that the relationship between humans and birds is a major theme here, it would have been a great opportunity to use Shizuka and her canary to make some form of commentary on this topic, but no.

To add insult to injury, Shizuka doesn't participate in the big race that occurs halfway through the movie, and gets sidelined during the climax.

34. Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey (2004)

Shizuka, uh... drives a truck in this one. I guess that's something.

35. Nobita's Great Adventure in the South Seas (1998)

She helps fight the villain's bioengineered monsters during the climax, but that's about it.

36. Nobita Drifts in the Universe (1999)

Along with Gian and Suneo, she helps hold off enemy forces during the climax, but this occurs almost entirely offscreen. She also gets some surface-level bonding with Freya the alien fairy so the latter can feel guilty about betraying the heroes later.

37. Nobita and the Windmasters (2003)

This movie does many things very well, but giving Shizuka meaningful focus is not one of them. She gets a couple of cute scenes here and there, and helps rescue Fuuko, which amounts to nothing because Fuuko gets recaptured almost immediately afterward.

38. Nobita's Great Adventure in the Antarctic Kachi Kochi (2017)

Outside of some general participation in group scenes, Shizuka is nearly a background character here.

39. Nobita in the Robot Kingdom (2002)

Another one in which Shizuka is largely relegated to the background. What's sad is that if the film had followed the manga's version of events (as discussed in my review), it almost certainly would have placed in the top 10 of this ranking.

40. Nobita and the Island of Miracles (2012)

Could the filmmakers really think of nothing else for Shizuka to do during the climax other than using the ethically dubious Cheerleader Gloves?

They did try to give her a good moment in this movie by having her sharply rebuke Nobita for panicking over not having access to Nobita's gadgets. I guess it's meant to show her staying resolute and level-headed during a crisis, but as I commented in my review, this didn't really work for me as it feels very uncalled for in the context of the story.

41. Nobita and the Green Giant Legend (2008)

I can barely remember anything Shizuka did in this movie. In fairness, that's also true for everyone else besides Nobita.

42. Nobita's Great Battle of the Mermaid King (2010)

The most focus that Shizuka gets here is another excessively cruel subplot about her getting kidnapped and held hostage, which doesn't even do much for the narrative besides extend the runtime of the movie. The brief moment in which she body-slams one of the villain's minions during the final battle doesn't quite make up for it.

43. Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld (1984) 44. Nobita's New Great Adventure into the Underworld (2007)

Shizuka's role in this story is mostly limited to being on the wrong end of a running "joke" about her underwear being repeatedly exposed. Any minor contributions that she does get to make could have been given to other characters or written out with little impact on the overall story.

Astoundingly, the remake manages to make the panty shot "jokes" even worse.

45. Stand by Me Doraemon (2014)

A movie about Shizuka being gaslit, emotionally manipulated, and treated as a trophy. No, thank you.