#Core Founder statue

[sw5w]

The Senate Rotunda

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:26:47

[glow-in-the-dark-death]

Him (Them)

( So I decided 'fuck it' pitch pearl babyyy, I've seen other people do this ship and decided well why the hell not right. Anyways have fun!)

~

Phantom and his council were finally in the end processes to a peace treaty with Earth,

As years went on from what was once only the USA with their Ecto-Acts got worse. The GIW began opening in other countries without them truly realizing what they were allowing, until the Infinity Realms were at the point of declaring war on all of Earth itself.

The only reason that managed not to happen was because of Phantom finally being able to contact the Justice League and sit them down to have an actual conversation about everything that was going on.

That's where they were right now the world leaders, the 3 founders of the JL , and High King Phantom with his council arguing back and forth the peace treaty.

Phantom turned as one of the men stood up

" And just how are we supposed to truly trust you and yours to not take over or cause harm to our people?"

Others began chiming in, arguing that there was no true guarantee in what Phantom was saying.

Until a voice towards the back called out an idea

" Marriage! To truly unite our worlds in peace King Phantom must marry one of our own!"

Phantom subtly tensed the idea of a loveless marriage to a complete stranger made his core tremble with rage.

He glanced around seeing the looks of the people around him, he saw their greed for his power and status, their point for the marriage would be to control him or at least give them an advantage.

Phantom tuned out the arguing between the JL and the rest.

Thinking of what to say to get out of this situation without risking the treaty.

Snapping back to attention holding back a sharp smirk.

" Gentlemen if what you fear is the safety of your people then do not fret I have protected and saved your people and world since my creation, as for your request of a marriage to unify our world then I have wonderful news for I am already married to one of your people and even have children with him."

Phantom looked at the shocked faces around him, a couple grimacing or frowning at their missed opportunity to have control and access to him by one of their chosen.

A rather stupid man for what else could he be with what he said next.

" Then divorce him and marry someone that we find more suitable!"

Phantom's form distorted around him as he processed what he had just heard.

" Divorce? You wish for me to Divorce my husband, the one who I cherish above all else, the one I have shared my core the very being of myself with. The one who I gave my very being and soul to create our children. The one who is half my being, the one who if not for him we wouldn't be speaking at this moment because it was only his word that kept me from declaring war on your world."

"Make no mistake I do wish for peace between our worlds, many of my people are from this world and would like to continue to stay or visit especially for their loved ones, and I would like that for them without the danger of being hunted and torn apart."

"For if I wished war your planet would not stand a chance for what is a few million of your soldiers compared to my infinite soldiers that only would continue to grow as yours died."

"For him I fought and won against the previous tyrant King for daring to to cause him pain, the very King who only was defeated previously by the combined efforts of the strongest in the Infinite Realms, The very same King I defeated alone."

"So please do continue talking against my husband."

"..."

"What is his name?"

"Danny Fenton."

~

Just an Idea

[sunflowerwizard]

I've seen enough people mischaracterizing Early Access Wyll, so here's the best breakdown of his original character I can give.

I'll start this off by plainly summarizing Wyll's EA backstory, some of his core personality traits, then do a bit of analysis.

BACKSTORY

EA Wyll mentions being "born and bred in the upper city" into nobility. It's unspecified what exact level of influence his family occupied.

In datamined voice lines from EA (take with a grain of salt) Wyll refers to being from House Eltan specifically. Eltan was the Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate in the first Baldur's Gate Game, and the founder of the Flaming Fist. Forgotten Realms lore states that the Eltans are no longer in charge of the Fist and have somewhat diminished in power, but again. We don't know to exactly what level.

This also means that this iteration of Wyll was not Ulder Ravengard's son. While he still spoke about his father in EA, the descriptions and characterizations do not line up with Ulder at all. Additionally, he comments about "knowing of" Ravengard during the burning inn sequence, but otherwise makes no connection.

The most damning evidence of all that Wyll being a Ravengard was not originally intended, is Wyll wanting to be like his father and thus "going thieving in the wrong shadows".

Wyll gets caught stealing, presumably as a teenager, and his father uses latent connections within the Flaming Fist to get Wyll sent there. Effectively the fantasy equivalent of sending your unruly kid to boot camp.

Wyll mentions that he didn't adjust well to life as part of the Flaming Fist, was not a very good fighter, and was generally not well liked. The goblin at the windmill calling Wyll "Captain Failure" implies he might have been given higher status despite not earning it.

The way Wyll feels about goblins is a big change between EA and full release, and is explained as part of his backstory.

We didn't get the finer details, but we can assume Wyll in his time with the Fist bore witness to a group of goblins razing a village. Horrified and enraged, he tried fighting a goblin, was overwhelmed, and had his eye torn out.

This is when Mizora showed up and offered him a pact. Considering he was left for dead and probably going to bleed out, it's pretty understandable why he took the deal.

Mizora is not nearly as present in Early Access as she is in the current game. Karlach was not involved in Wyll's story at all, there's no devil transformation.

It's also more heavily insinuated there's a sexually coercive element of Wyll and Mizora's relationship, with him speaking to how every time he wanted to leave her, she found some way to pull him back.

Additionally, Wyll wants out of that contract. Unlike full release where Mizora is randomly captured in Act 2, she starts off kidnapped, and insists she'll let Wyll go if he frees her

It kind of ended up being a plot cul de sac, but Torturer Spike was the goblin that took Wyll's eye--which was a quest item you could pickpocket/loot off his body. Wyll had commentary on it and everything.

TL;DR: -Born to a noble family with Flaming Fist connections -Caught Stealing and sent to work for the Fist as punishment -Tried to fight back during a goblin attack and was gravely injured -Mizora offers a pact -Uses his pact to become a traveling monster hunter, presumably to make up for his past failure to protect people. Antagonistic towards goblins in particular -Ultimately wants out of the pact, but Mizora won't let him go -Wyll and Mizora get abducted by Mind Flayers -Mizora agrees to let Wyll go if he frees her from the cultists

PERSONALITY

This is a bit less concrete than changed story beats, but I can say this: a lot of Wyll's core traits stayed intact between EA and full release. He's still willing to put his life on the line for the Tiefling refugees, with a whole cut line about how the kids he's training deserve to have a carefree childhood. He wants to do good in the world, probably because he spent so much time in his youth feeling like a fuck up.

There's also a much clearer divide between "Wyll" and "The Blade of Frontiers". Notably, in EA he didn't introduce himself by name. Not even a "my friends call me Wyll" quip at Shadowheart like he has currently. During his old romance scene, he has a line about being used to being the hero, and not used to needing one. He's a symbol. An emblem of something bigger than himself. The fact he's so self-aggrandizing as The Blade makes it apparent he's not confident in himself as "just Wyll"

He's also decidedly more forward and flirty in EA, with no reservations about courtship. In fact, the main obstacle to your budding relationship is Mizora herself. Wyll's trauma from her treatment interrupts your first night together. Whether you have sex or just snuggle, Wyll has a line about how he doesn't want to start a relationship until he can "give himself completely" after being freed from his pact.

THOUGHTS & COMPARISONS

I'm also not entirely sure if I'd say EA Wyll is substantially angrier than current Wyll, so much as he had more opportunities to be angry during Early Access. I can understand why the goblin stuff was cut, because it did dip into "Let's make the one black guy fantasy racist" trope. However, it did very much feel like the narrative was pointing in bright, flashing colors that this is a trait Wyll would have to grapple with, learn, and grow from. The fact EA Wyll's most glaring character flaw was scrapped and didn't get much of a replacement in full release makes his story feel less realized.

While I appreciate the overtly sexual element of Wyll and Mizora's relationship was removed, I feel like the final version is somehow even more creepy. During Early Access she existed in the background as a vague villain you only experience via Wyll. And if you do his romance scene and see the way he panics at the mere memory of her, you get the impression of oh shit. This broad is bad news and I've gotta get my boy out of there. The same principle behind not showing the big scary monster too early in the horror movie. Once you've seen it, you can't let your mind fill in the blanks. Mizora went from this intimidating figure whose motives you couldn't fully ascertain, to a mean girl that thinks she's smarter than everyone else but is really just the bumbling lackey of a bigger fish. Who pulls Wyll around with an actual metaphysical leash like a dog. And you're meant to find this sexy.

My final point, and I've said this before: current Wyll's personality seemed more suited to being a scion of house Eltan, while EA Wyll seemed more suited to being Ulder Ravengard's dissapointment son. Current Wyll speaks and carries him like someone raised in nobility despite only being elevated to such status as a teenager. Perhaps this is cynical and maybe even a bit of a conspiracy theory, but I genuinely think he's only Ravengard's son to save on time and assets. Why give Wyll a whole unique family with its own story when we can just tie him in to the "rescue the grand duke" plot, regardless of how much sense it makes!

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #18

Operation: Birthday Takeback

Dev's birthday!! Look at him. For some reason, the fact that his drones are here in 2D is funny to me... He's a little cartoon guy. Hazel is very cute.

I have a note here that says Dev's birthday is separated from Founder's Day by 9 years, 7 months, 14 days. So, he's had Peri for 4.5 months?

-> That is not too shabby in a universe where it's rare [in the OG series] to keep godkids for a year. Nice job, Dev!

...... Do you think they'll bring back rule-free fairyversary muffins (There WAS a full movie about it), because I have a pretty good idea what he'd wish for. Smells like trouble...

Okay, let's go! ... Peri does not think his parents are cool. And Dev is SHOCKED they came over. Also, he has no idea what to do with this much attention. He's SO red.

Hm. Peri looks really unimpressed... Did he already give Dev every birthday wish he wants and now it'll be awkward when Hazel gives a gift, because what can she possibly give that Peri didn't?

-> Dev still seems delighted Hazel's here! I think her friendship is the best gift :)

-> I do not think Peri knows enough about Dev's interests to surprise him, especially since they weren't getting along in the Dimmsonian episode because Dev was frustrated Peri couldn't "make a better cupcake" and Peri was frustrated Dev couldn't figure out what flavor he wanted.

-> Peri gives me "by the book" learning vibes; he's frustrated Dev doesn't listen to him and is harder to work with than the theoretical child he had in mind, I think.

-> Okay yeah, Peri is having NONE of this. Okay, Mr. Jealous Clingy Boyfriend Vibes...

Aw, Cosmo is trying to cheer Dev up... Peri, you wanna... jump in, or...? No?

Also, I'm enjoying watching what at this moment in time seems to be a healthy friendship and/or romance develop. I'm all for tormenting children, but this is nice too.

Peri...

Also, Dev thinks Hazel is like, the coolest person ever. And Peri is SO jealous Dev would rather hang out with his human friend than with a magical fairy. That's hysterical.

Something something, Juandissimo spent 3 seasons getting fired and bounced around Fairy World because he couldn't stop crying over how much he loved and missed Remy and finally broke Da Rules to return his memories, something something, Peri came here for a good time and he is honestly feeling so attacked right now.

I don't know what I'm trying to say, but... u get it. Two spoiled bullies, two very different dynamics. It's not the kid; it's the willingness of the fairy to meet them where they are... and love unconditionally.

Local celebrity kid who spent his Spellementary School life getting fawned over never developed the social skills to make friends and doesn't know how to deal with people viewing him as a flawed three-dimensional person.

For some reason I'm getting flashbacks to the end of "School of Crock" when Poof referred to his classmates as "his friends and Foop."

Okay, I thought Dev would freak out (/negative) over seeing boots since his dad literally unveiled a statue of him kissing his beloved boots while disregarding his son, but... he likes them! Despite that emotional blow, he is a Dimmadome to his core.

-> Dev getting his very first pair of little cowboy boots with tiny spurs 'fic, please.

-> Toddler Dev trying on his dad's or grandpa's boots 'fic, please.

Dev: Why didn't YOU think of getting me [rocket boots], pickle-brain Peri? Peri: Because my job is to grant you wishes! Not to read your mind!

Yikes... It's been a long few months for them.

Also, Cosmo and Wanda choose this moment not to overstep on the parenting relationship here and that's fantastic. Sorry, Peri- You're on your own for this one.

-> Wanda's totally willing to get Peri out of here if he needs it. So... she probably did notice Dev being snippy with him, but actively chose not to step in since Peri told her not to overstep in "Lost in Fairy World." Interesting.

Hm. I wonder if Peri has an animal form? I imagine he takes the form of tech or something that wouldn't catch Dale's eye. He probably sleeps in Dev's bedroom though (and/or "Hassle in the Castle"-esque pocket space).

-> Peri in his debut: /confidence oozing from every pore

-> Peri 4.5 months later: my crops are dying. I'm crops.

I love this family.

Though I feel like... it puts a weird level of stress or professionalism on Peri and Dev. I don't really have the words for it, but something something, maybe Peri's first assignment shouldn't have been so close to his parents because they are clearly struggling to let him speak or handle things himself. It's nice he can ask advice, but I feel like if they're around too often and Peri defers to them, that blurs lines and will be really confusing for Dev.

Who do you listen to if your fairy is telling you "Yes" and his parents - who have no technical authority over you but have ambiguous semi-authority in your fairy's mind - are telling you "No?" That's workplace tension waiting to happen.

And Peri is clearly trying to set his workplace boundaries - we saw that in "Lost in Fairy World" especially - but Cosmo and Wanda keep kinda undermining him and bringing family vibes into work, and he's also grown now, so... Yikes. I love them, but that's rough, buddy.

Forget that- Is that Vicky?

?? Vicky is still young? Or is this Vicky's daughter? MARK, what did you do? I know you literally have clones of her, sir.

I mean, I guess it's not out of the question she'd look the same years later- she had the same hair when she was 5 back in "The Switch Glitch" and she clearly likes that style, but I wasn't expecting it, especially since she's probably close to Dale's age and he's clearly beefed up (and I think gotten taller). Huh. Well, all righty.

The golden cowboy boots on display with the "In honor" plaque are not doing anything to disprove my tentative theory that Doug Dimmadome has passed on and that's why Dale is so clingy towards his boots.

Pfft, the "Icky Vicky" song is still a thing.

SLKJDF, I'm amazed they carried through with Vicky being the one to put Dale to work at the lemonade stand. I'm still confused as to whether she started it at age 9 or took over from someone else.

DEV DOESN'T KNOW HER???

Dale, you are a terrible dad. How can he be so bitter about his past and tell his son horror stories about Vicky, and/or not keep constant watch for her? I can't believe he hasn't sued her into oblivion.

-> It's because he doesn't tell Dev stories unless it's to gripe about how he needs to pull his weight because "My life was so hard when I was your age," isn't it?

I like how Dev is trying to lightly call to Peri for help without attracting attention or moving his lips. Geez, man- That's gotta be so stressful when you're trying to rely on someone new to help you and they don't show up. He didn't have him in the Hocus Poconos and he can't get him out here when he needs him. This is gonna be great on his trust issues, I'm sure.

Peri looking at his dad vs. Wanda looking at her sexy husband:

Dev will hang with his friends, but he's not putting down his stuff.

This next face he makes (without words) to signal "Hey, I'm doing my best" is so funny to me. He's like. "Yeah, I don't have to say anything; she knows what's going on here."

... I'm confused. What is up with Wanda and Cosmo right now? Why are they leaving notes to Dale that out Hazel as a godkid and them as fairies (who are disguised as humans)?

I get that they're not thinking ahead and are spelling out notes while they talk to each other, but surely they should know better than to leave evidence, especially after they saw Cookie get 10k years in prison for revealing the existence of Fairies and we know Hazel could be separated from them. Peri clearly knows this is a bad idea. Utterly incomprehensible to me.

"Icky Vicky" remix!!! Also, Dev handles rocket boots way better than Kevin Crocker did.

Dev "It's not a children's party; I'm a BIG KID!" Dimmadome - Dude, you just turned 10. I mean... That is double digits and you're just a little guy, so... good job.

I'm so glad I was right and that Dev isn't allowed to drink lemonade. That's hilarious. I'm obsessed. He wants it so much...

A.J., Poof, and Crocker sure changed a lot considering Vicky looks the same.

I love Dev covering Hazel's eyes so she doesn't see the partially naked money-covered mural of his dad.

The fact that this is even in the show is hilarious; it says so much to me. Dale "Obsessed with flaunting where I am now in life" & Dev "Instantly doing damage control so my BFF doesn't feel uncomfy or think I'm weird and ditch me" Dimmadome.

....... I said BFF, but I'm pretty sure Dev said Trev was his BFF in Episode 1 and now I'm wondering why we haven't seen them together at all. Hm. I'm gonna have to circle back to Episode 1 later; I might be misremembering.

Their names are Dev and Trev... Where is this silly duo? We're bein' ROBBED!

Peri's grown out of calling Wanda "Mama"- just "Mom." Good note for me in case I want to write something in line with New Wish's canon specifically, since I've always used "Mama" in 'fics even when he's older.

Peri watching his parents make innuendo jokes:

Oh, INSTANT panic on their end at the news of Vicky in the house. More so than with Crocker!

50 years of deep-seeded trauma... This would be a fantastic title card or redraw. Maybe I'll draw it someday.

Cannot believe Peri has been whiplashed back and forth by being snarked at, coddled, reminded of his Hocus Poconos trauma, and now he's facing Vicky trauma all within a couple episodes. It's been a long 4 months.

Peri @ Vicky: "She's REAL!? I thought I imagined her as a baby!!!" is he ok.

-> This is very funny to me because it plays into my headcanon of Poof growing up to forget most of his time with Timmy, including his name, and beating himself up about it.

I don't think Peri has gone one episode without going full panic mode over something. This kid's not lasting long as a godparent. Dev's gonna crack him like a nut and then Jorgen's going to wipe the floor with him.

omg, Dev needs his godparent to stand up for him against Vicky and Peri's having a MELTDOWN and hiding behind his mom. Um???

Holy cow, I've never seen him break like this, except maybe when he gained his fear of the dark in "Lights Out." That includes his many brushes with death and when Fairy Court unraveled his existence from the timeline.

-> I cannot believe I made a joke about how I wasn't sure how things could get more traumatizing for Peri than having to face the Hocus Poconos and yet here we are. Yeah, he's gonna put in his two weeks' notice like... tomorrow.

He ditched his godkid! Peri!!! You are a grown-up now! You can't do that!!

Okay, so Vicky is as tall as Cosmo and Wanda, so she can be an adult, sure. Also, Cosmo and Wanda finally getting the chance to stand up to her <3 I don't remember her tormenting them that much but maybe it's secondhand spooks.

-> Peri's meltdown continues in the background. That is some DEEP trauma.

Even if this was a non-Vicky person, would Peri be mentally equipped to deal with it? Because he's reacting badly for a guy whose memories are so wobbly, he can't remember if they were real. He's not there for Dev and he clearly has some issues to work out.

-> I think he needs more godparent training; he is NOT ready.

(Full moon!)

Ooh, Dev feels like his dad replaced him with Hazel... Dev out here like "Wait a sec, the reason my dad's not been around in 4.5 months is because apparently he's obsessed with you?" Oh boy... Those three expressions just tell it all (The horrified realization, the despair, the anger...)

omfg, Dev just found out Hazel "wished to become friends with him" ("I wish I knew why he acted so mean") and he feels like he's not good enough to be liked without a wish and everything was a lie, and he is CRASHING and screaming. Oh, geez louise. Terrible job, everyone!!! Everybody loses!!

I really like this night city skyline. It's so pretty. I love this decompression scene. Really good storytelling move and also nice to look at. I want to write with these vibes.

Man, Hazel's comforting herself and turning to Cosmo and Wanda for support (and making plans of how to make her evening better after getting yelled at).

I bet I know who's NOT about to turn to his fairy for support~

Dev: And where tf were you!?!?

"I was calling for you; why didn't you answer me? Why is no one ever there? Why does everyone else 'matter more' than me, even the people who are supposed to look out for me?"

Peri: D':

-> I like how the poof clouds still have words in them. Also, the scribbling scene is really well-done; Dev is losing his marbles.

Oh man... Thaaat's a big mess. Welcome home, child trauma show <3

Also, fanfic timeline notes under the cut:

[Contains a small timeline spoiler for Along the Cherry Lane, which is a 'fic I won't be starting for a long time. This is already in my Timmy's Timeline notes from the sideblog, though, so if you've already seen it, it's nothing new]

Wanda said it's been a "couple decades" since her encounters with Vicky. So... is Vicky like, 36?

I could've sworn Vicky and Dale were close to the same age; he has a teen body design in "Nectar of the Odds."

His age might've been adjusted though, or at least he may have started at a very young age. He told Dev in "Stanky Danky" that "when he was his age, he was working in a factory making lemonade every Saturday" and missed all the Saturday cartoons. This is Dev's 10th birthday, so maybe the thought here is "Dale started at age 9 or 10, then stopped at age 16 or 17."

If that's true, then yes, he's Vicky's age.

So. In that case, that screenshot of distraught Dev I put up in my "Battle of the Dimmsonian" post and captioned as "This is probably how Dale used to look at Vicky and then she kicked him down the stairs" is probably age-accurate too, and that's even worse.

Let's say it's been 2 decades and Dale was 16 then, now 36. That would mean he had Dev... Let's say around age 26 or 27.

-> That would jump us from 2002 [in my 'fics] to Dev being born around 2012, with New Wish taking place more or less around 2022. I think I'm okay with that- We saw in "Fearless" that the Enrichment Academy's most recent champion win was 2019 and they win every few years, so that makes perfect sense.

I think my 'fic Along the Cherry Lane ends with Tammy and Tommy close to age 10 in 2020? Let me see...

Riddle's Cloudlands AU notes: - Timmy parts ways with Cosmo and Wanda on October 15th, 2010 - Chloe parts ways with Cosmo and Wanda the night of March 20th, 2011. - Tammy is born September 2013 & Tommy February 2016 - Tammy and Tommy receive Cosmo and Wanda as godparents in 2023 (He's 8 or 9, she's 10 or 11)

Hmm... That's riding really close to Hazel's timeline. New Wish will probably be over by the time I'm done with my current longfics and ready for Along the Cherry Lane, so I won't worry about it for now, but it'll be nice to have these notes later in case I do want to try fitting this into my canon. We'll see if we get any hints about Tammy or Tommy in future episodes. I'd love to see Hazel meet Timmy with his kids, though I doubt we'll see that.

-> I also would not be opposed to kicking "Channel Chasers" out of New Wish's canon because it's not an episode I have attachment to and, well... we don't have flying cars or robot babysitters yet.

... If I were to keep everything, I feel like I'd rather take New Wish as canon and then put "Channel Chasers" after it (even if that violates the "20 years later" label) than commit to "Channel Chasers" and kick Hazel away. I was dreading worldbuilding a society that gained flying cars and robots within 20 years anyway, so I wouldn't be mad.

-> But I'll have to decide how much New Wish I want to incorporate into my canon, seeing as I usually prioritize the OG series in Cloudlands AU above spin-off media. Hmm.

Again, I won't be finishing this 'fic for a long time, so New Wish might be over by then and I'll have more information to work with.

Thanks for reading my liveblog!

[ospreyeamon]

some heads are not fit to wear the crown

Houses Ulgo and Rist’s assassination of Price Gaul and Queen Silara Panteer is one of those decisions where – though murder is wrong, though it triggered great strife – I absolutely understand why they did it. Ulgo and Rist removed what they viewed as dangerously incompetent leadership because they believed it was necessary to protect Alderaan.

The Galactic Republic agreed to sign the Treaty of Coruscant because they lost the Great Galactic War. The Imperial fleet had succeeded in occupying Coruscant’s skies, giving them the ability to launch an orbital bombardment at will, while the Republic lacked the means to dislodge them. Imperial troops had taken the Galactic Senate hostage and killed the Supreme Chancellor. Because the Empire had already been winning the war even before they seized the capital to use as a bargaining chip, the Sith Emperor was the one to set the terms of the frosty peace.

The Treaty of Coruscant was a shockingly good deal for the Republic under the circumstances (which is why many in the Empire were so resentful of it). The only territory the Empire demanded they cede which the Empire had not already occupied or was actively contesting was seven uninhabited star systems, when the Republic did not expect to be able to hold most of those fronts. The Empire had Republic representatives followed around by droids to monitor their adherence to the Treaty, but did not demand any Republic citizens be handed over to stand trial in the Empire for crimes real or invented. Crucially, Empire set no caps on the Republic’s ship building or military expenditure and extracted no economic reparations.

Those like Gaul Panteer, Leontyne Saresh and Elin Garza who publicly decried the Treaty, saying that the Republic should have kept fighting rather than accept peace with the Empire, were in denial about the political reality of the situation. At that time, the Republic had no prospect of being able to swing the tide of the war to put themselves in a stronger position in the peace negotiations. If the Republic had refused to ratify the Treaty the Empire could have levelled its capital, killing billions and decapitating institutions like the SIS headquartered on the planet. The only meaningful blow the Republic was dealt by the Treaty of Coruscant was to its pride.

Bouris Ulgo hated the Sith Empire, but he wasn’t an idiot. The Treaty of Coruscant, humiliating though it may have been, gave the Republic the perfect opportunity to rearm itself in the breathing space provided by the Cold War. The Republic was bigger than the Empire – bigger economy, bigger population – so given the opportunity they could out produce and out recruit the Empire. If the Republic was patient, then they could have their vengeance and victory.

But being protected by the Treaty of Coruscant long enough to rearm required remaining part of the Galactic Republic, because the Empire made the Treaty with the Republic. The moment Alderaan seceded, it was no longer protected by the Empire’s promise to withdraw, and the Imperial Military could launch a second invasion without breaking the Treaty. And why wouldn’t the Sith Empire invade Alderaan? What else did all their forces ordered to break off the attacks on Coruscant and other Republic worlds have to do? Gaul Panteer’s very loud and public removal Alderaan from the Republic must have looked like an open invitation for the Empire to come and conquer some beautiful new camping sites.

And for what? Was Gaul Panteer arrogant enough to believe Alderaan so important that he could manipulate the Republic into abandoning the Treaty of Coruscant? Was he so myopic that he imagined he could sit on Alderaan feeling self-righteous with no consequences he hadn’t considered in the heat of the moment? Did he think that he could leverage Alderaan’s status as a Core Founder to extract concessions from the Republic to undo the cessation and stop opposing the Treaty – is that what his secret negotiations with the Republic were about?

Declaring the secession was an act of short-sighted rage. Failing to walk it back was self-absorbed irresponsibly. He placed his people in the firing line of a second invasion without so much as a warning, let alone a consultation.

Gaul Panteer was Alderaan’s senator, not Alderaan’s head of state. He wasn’t the elected monarch, just the reigning Queen’s heir. The decision to take Alderaan out of the Republic never should have been his to make; the question should have been decided by Queen Silara and the aristocratic assembly at the Elysium (and, if Alderaan were actually a democracy during this period, a general referendum).

This raises the question of why Queen Silara didn’t countermand her son’s declaration of secession. Maybe Gaul inherited his lack of strategic acumen from Silara. Maybe she disagreed with the secession, but decided that it was more important to avoid undermining the son she had appointed senator than to keep Alderaan in the Republic; that risk of House Panteer losing face took precedence over the risk of the planet being invaded. Or maybe Queen Silara, who suddenly fell ill upon her son’s return from Coruscant, lost control over the situation because Gaul took advantage of her poor health to usurp her authority.

Whatever the reasons, House Panteer was not doing a good job of fulfilling one of the most ancient traditional functions of any monarchy: making sure your lands won’t be conquered by an external power. Alderaan’s other great noble houses were not doing a good job of encouraging House Panteer to take their job more seriously. Probably the Elysium was already bogged down in the gridlock which would later prevent them from electing Queen Silara’s successor.

Bouris Ulgo was the head of the Alderaani military, its planetary defence force. It was his job to protect Alderaan from invasion. Gaul Panteer had made that job impossible. House Rist, infamous as spies as well as assassins, agreed with his assessment. Possibly the Rists had gotten wind of the Imperial Diplomatic Services overtures to House Thul.

Bouris Ulgo was a soldier, who had killed many times before in defence of his homeworld. Everyone and their pet Thranta on Alderaan seems to know the Rists are assassins; the nobility tolerating a house of assassins among their number implies a tactic approval of the occasional convenient murder.

To protect Alderaan, Ulgo and Rist decided, Gaul and Silara Panteer had to die. Only by killing them could they instigate the election of a new monarch – a monarch who would return Alderaan to the safety of the Republic before the Empire could take advantage.

According to his lore entry, Bouris Ulgo didn’t return to Alderaan after the Treaty with any ambitions of becoming king. I suspect he came back to see to the wellbeing of his lands and his vassals as he hadn’t been able to after the Battle of Alderaan, to keep an experienced eye on the planet’s defences during Panteer’s foolishness, expecting to soon leave again to assist in the Republic’s preparations for the anticipated second war. While some sources say he intended to usurp House Panteer, if that were true it would have made far more sense from him to announce the imposition of martial law and declare himself king immediately after the Panteers’ assassination while loudly denouncing the murders as obviously the work of the Sith Empire, not wait until it was clear that the election of Queen Silara’s successor had ground to a holt because of the assembly’s bickering and House Thul had appeared, plainly planning on letting the Empire in by the back door.

To me, Bouris Ulgo is a deeply tragic figure because his assessment that he alone of the heads of the Great Houses cared more for the good of Alderaan than petty politics was correct. Unfortunately, he was a military man with a military mindset who lacked the skill at political manipulation to achieve his desired goal of returning Alderaan to the Republic, falling back to military tactics inappropriate to the problem he was attempting to fix out of desperation. It feels unfair that Ulgo should be saddled with blame for the civil war over Panteer, when Gaul Panteer’s decision to secede was the pivotal domino in the chain of events which resulted in Alderaan becoming the stage for an Imperial-Republic proxy war.

It really says something about House Panteer that in their planetary missions they accept both factions’ solicitations of alliance and can be swayed to either side. Organa or Thul, Republic or Empire, Jedi or Sith – one is as good as the other if vengeance on Bouris Ulgo will be reaped.

Gaul Panteer claimed such outrage that the Republic conceded to a frankly beneficial peace with the Sith Empire that he took Alderaan out of the Republic, drastically increasing the odds the Sith Empire would launch another attack on the planet. The surviving members of House Panteer claim such outrage that the heads of their house were assassinated because they put the planet in incredible danger that they are willing to support the Thul puppets of that same Sith Empire Gaul Panteer deemed it unacceptable to compromise with, even at the cost of billions of lives. House Panteer’s effective foreign policy is that the last attacker to have assaulted Castle Panteer is the devil who must be destroyed, regardless of the potential cost to Alderaan. Truly, some heads are not fit to wear the crown.

[bumbumzumzum1996]

IXXI Band History

2006: Acerbus (Ondskapt) and Nattdal (Dimhymn, Lifelover) spawn the idea of starting a ‘black n’ roll’ project aside of Acerbus’ band Ondskapt. Totalscorn from Zavorash, Avsky and Selin joins the line-up and the concept/name takes shape through a joint effort of this original line-up. During the summer of 2006 a first ‘s/t’ album is recorded at Studio Endarker, Norrköping, through the support of Total Holocaust Records of Southern Sweden. The album is brief and to the point, a rather straightforward materialization of the term ‘black n roll’. Reviews are fine, but the members all feel it’s just a teaser compared to the real capability of the line-up. By the time this album is released, a music video is all made and dropped in the net as a pro-bono deal.

2007: The line-up returns to Studio Endarker, recording their second album ‘Assorted Armament’. This time supported by German indie-label Sigilla Malae. During this recording session Selin leaves the line-up, basically on account of not being rehearsed enough, and Smoker is recruited for the drum-works with Hravn of Devil’s Whorehouse covering some parts of the album. ‘Assorted Armament’ becomes much more of a solid album, compared to the first release, and the band’s peculiar mixture of talents starts to color the final result more strongly. It’s no longer a question of ‘just’ black n roll, but a more advancing meddling in different direction only loosely tied together by the general standards of black metal. The album is widely acclaimed and accepted as something amongst the ‘best’ of current extreme Swedish bands, and not many months pass before a deal is inked with Candlelight Records.

2008: The band begins rehearsing seriously and recruits Talon as ‘third guitarist’ – at first thought to be a session-member, Talon gets the status of full membership for a brief while. In late May 2008 IXXI performs an underground gig at the H62-club in Stockholm, just days before returning to Studio Endarker for the recording of Elect Darkness – now under the wings of Candlelight Records. The studio-period of 2008 again causes changes to the line-up – as Talon is dropped from the line-up and Smoker quits by own volition, after both having done their part in the studio.

2009: After a pretty long wait, IXXI’s third effort Elect Darkness is finally released by Candlelight Records UK, March 16th. The band starts to rehearse for more live shows and a new drummer is requited. But internal struggles stops the band, and no live shows are planned or performed. After some months of silence Totalscorn suddenly quits the band for complete unknown reasons. Attempts to find a new singer are made, but they all fall short in comparison to Totalscorn. The band have some more rehearsals but nothing happens and the year of 2009 comes to an end.

2010: The band rehearse and tries out some new members, but problems with the line-up makes the band realise that IXXI never will be the same and the they decide to end all activities and put IXXI to the grave as of february the 17th.

2011: The band is reactivated. And goes through some hard months and both Talon and Avsky is forced to leave. Some new material is being written by Acerbus and Nattdal in co-operation with Smoker. The band recruits Core as new bassist, Stigmata (ex-Lifelover as Non) as second guitarist. The band rehears for a while, with Acerbus as vocalist but struggle within the band leads to new line-up changes, as Stigmata is forced to leave and co-founder Nattdal (Lifelover as B) decided to leave the band in the end of July. In August the band recruits Outlaw as vocalist and a session guitarist, Acerbus takes place as guitarist again and the band performes their first live show in over 3 years, together with Lifelover as co-headliner in Stockholm, Sweden, August 26, 2011. IXXI performs some more shows at a mini tour with Lifelover where Nattdal sadly past away.

2012: IXXI signs a record deal with Osmose Productions for a new album and a re-release of Assorted Armament. In autumn IXXI enter the well known Sunlight Studio to record Skulls n Dust with Tomas Skogsberg. Coreperforms his last two shows with IXXI at the Black Flames of Blasphemy and Forlorn Fest.

2013: The new album is mastered by Sverker Widegren in Necromorbus Studio. At the end of the year Skull n Dust and the re-release of Assorted Armament are released.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

Nathan Thrall’s lengthy essay “A Day in the Life of Abed Salama” (The New York Review of Books) has been hailed as an extraordinary piece that breaks new ground, informing readers about the true reality on the ground in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. In reality, the 20,000-word document is a virulent anti-Zionist manifesto that relies on numerous errors, omissions, misrepresentation and misquotes to paint a one-sided image of Israel as a uniquely evil entity that seeks nothing more than the removal and domination of another people. While the personal tragedy of Abed Salama is meaningful, Thrall does not deliver anything new about the Israel-Palestine conflict. He has written similar essays in prior years, conducted little primary research, relied heavily on previously published books such as The Bride and Dowry by Avi Raz and One Palestine Complete by Tom Segev, and parroted tired lines from long used anti-Israel propaganda.

Thrall’s core thesis is that Zionism and the Jewish state from its early origins in the nineteenth century is an immoral expression of nationalism whose main goal has been to ethnically cleanse the true indigenous people of the Holy Land, the Palestinians. As discussed in more detail below, we learn (falsely) that Theodor Herzl was not only the founder of modern Zionism, but also the father of Arab ethnic cleansing. Thrall is certain that the only just solution to cure 140 years of the horrors of Zionism is to grant all Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Israeli citizenship so that Israel’s “ethno-nationalist domination” ends.

Thrall advocates for Palestinian rights and statehood while denying Jews similar rights. Thrall does not accept that the Jewish state was formed to allow Jews, indigenous to the region but exiled and subjected to conquest, to escape 2,000 years of expulsion, pogroms, discrimination and eventually genocide. Jewish sovereignty must be given up by 6.9 million Jews because the Palestinians do not have a state – and it’s only Israel’s fault and there is no other solution. He completely ignores Israel’s repeated attempts to end the conflict with offers of statehood with barely a sentence about the Clinton-era peace negotiations.

Thrall does not accept Israel’s status as a democracy within the borders of Israel, claiming that “In more the seventy-two years of statehood, there have only been six months when Israel did not place most of the native population under military rule while it confiscated their land and deprived those people of basic civil rights.” In this formulation, Jews are and were never part of the “native population” as only Arabs are granted such status, and Arab Israelis do not have “basic civil rights.” Both are grossly inaccurate.

In Thrall’s one-sided anti-Zionist narrative we never hear anything about Arab and Palestinian actions, who are only portrayed as innocent bystanders abused by the Jews. In this vision, no war was ever started by Arabs; there was no rejection of partition plans and peace proposals; the word terrorism and Hamas only appear once and only in the context of how pro-Israel lobbyists wrongly portray Palestinians. The Palestinians have never made mistakes and there is nothing they must do to gain statehood.

A key feature of Thrall’s work is the reliance on many dozens of quotes that substitute for historical analysis and supposedly evidence the nefarious intentions of Zionist and Jewish leaders from the Ottoman era through today. As will be shown below, many of the quotes are either outright falsified or taken egregiously out of context. There are no quotes provided from Arabs or Palestinians, as they do not have agency in Thrall’s distorted history of the conflict.

Delegitimization of Zionism

The key concept that Thrall weaves through the entire essay is the inherent illegitimacy of Zionism. Thrall begins by making the case that the original intention of Zionism was not, as commonly believed, to create a safe haven for Jews to escape anti-Semitism, but simply an expression of nationalism. By removing the purported justification for Zionism, which may cause the reader to sympathize with the idea and need for a Jewish state, and instead showing that it was nothing more than an expression of raw tribal ethnocentrism, then of course it follows that Israel as a Jewish state is immoral. All of Thrall’s main conclusions about Zionism are misrepresentations.

[kaibutsushidousha]

What do you think Clock Tower Headmaster Brishisan is like? Mage culture is terrible in a lot of aspects but aren't the Barthomeloi family the ones that handle the more day to day aspects of mage society while Brishisan focuses on potential threats to humanity with the Lore department.

Things still can go anywhere since the character is still just a bunch of vague mentions and all the indirect characterization that comes with being the Association's founder, but my current interpretation of Brishsan is very sympathetic.

Unreasonably long post.

1. Who? How? Why?

Their mentions are divided into instances of them caring a lot and instances of not caring. The latter is shown in the old mentions that they stay confined in the heart of the Clock Tower for years at a time, rarely ever making public appearances. The Lord system was also instituted by 11th-century Barthomeloi, with mention of Brishsan being involved aside from them taking the Lore department.

But the biggest "Brishsan doesn't care" statement is the fact that their department is in the Neutral Faction, and they're not even the head of it. While the Aristocratic and Democratic Factions have their whole ideological conflict going on, the Neutral Faction is defined by the thought of "this whole argument is silly, just leave me alone to keep doing my research". And by not being at the top of this faction, Brishsan is basically in the possible position to isolate themself from the Clock Tower politics.

All the Clock Tower nastiness seems to be things Brishsan is foreign and indifferent to. The cutthroat environment? Let Meluastea handle that for those who don't give a damn. The eugenics? Not here since the Brishsan family is still on its first head after 3000 years. The tradition elitism? Nope, we can entrust this overpowered artifact to the complete magecraft layman Dad Daybit just because he was the one lucky enough to find it.

That's all examples of the latter. Every time the text says "Brishsan doesn't care", it's all about the bad side of magecraft. Now let's talk about the good things. The former. What Brishsan cares a lot about.

A vital example of the former is the very fact the Mage's Association exists. The Age of Gods ended completely with the loss of True Ether, and no one had any way to predict Yumina would create a new Ether only 20 years later. Even then, Brishsan founded a school for arcane subjects. They wanted magecraft to be studied and remembered even after it lost its worth, presumably because they cared on a personal, emotional level about what Solomon brought to their life.

Aoko also supposes the Association was created with the intention of being the last bastion of hope for "the unknown". There's a core belief that some things are beyond human reach, and they need to stay that way. The Department of Lore applies this principle within magecraft itself, defining which artifacts and systems must remain beyond a regular mage's reach. This shows some level of care about the current state of mankind and its need to follow its natural course unconcerned by what's going on in the world of magecraft.

And their Lord of Lore status is also reflective of that. Goredolf says they're the Lord of Lore because a civilized mage from post-AD wouldn't be able to handle it. This suggests Brishsan took over only because no one else could. It was a sacrifice of interests. Instead of studying Solomon's magecraft like they built their school for, Brishsan chose to quarantine threats to humanity. That shows how much they care about mankind's natural course, even if that course is bound to bring about the (second) end of the magecraft they clearly love.

As I interpret Brishsan, their relationship with the inevitable end of Western Magecraft is completely colored by the fact that he already lost what he loved and had 20 years to cope with that loss before it unexpectedly returned. That's what makes them different from the AoM mages who only ever knew Ether and arcana as this diminishing resource they should rush to reach the end goal with while they still can.

Brishsan feels bound by nostalgia for the glory days of Solomon, but not in an evil and unhealthy way like Chitose. Brishsan encourages the natural flow of time while struggling to make it so the things they cared about won't be forgotten, solely through making others also care about it. Waver's speeches about how he still loves magecraft despite everything is probably a thing that would resonate a lot with them.

If I had to compare my perception of Brishsan's worldview to already existing TM characters, I'd say they have shades of Mahoyo's narrator talking about modernization, and believe it or not, Fujimaru Ritsuka.

My favorite thing FGO constantly does with Fujimaru is tell them caring is optional. In Shinjuku, the Singularity is so disconnected from reality that Fujimaru can simply leave and the destruction of the planet there will have no consequences for the real world, but Fujimaru chooses to stay and save the Singularity-exclusive planet. In every Lostbelt, Fujimaru takes every possible chance to save the natives despite being there to end their world. When faced with Cernunnos and Barghest, Fujimaru makes the objectively poor choice of fighting Barghest first because otherwise, Barghest would destroy her own hometown, which would collapse with or without her. That even becomes a recurring ideological debate in Nahui Mictlan, being the subject of Izcalli's rants and Tezcatlipoca's trials, and gets special contrast with the deinos because they're a society that doesn't make Fujimaru's choice to care.

Type-Moon's narrative is constantly pointing out that nothing is eternal. Everything you know is approaching its inevitable end and in this stream of constant ends, it's easy for things not to matter. When everything is doomed, things can only retain meaning if you make the choice to care about them. That's Fujimaru's answer to the Lostbelts. That's Hakuno's self-imposed responsibility to the will of the players they defeated. That's Shiki's death-tinted worldview. And that's what I believe to be Brishsan's philosophy on the preservation of magecraft.

With Solomon being a presumably big part of their character, and the closest parallel being Fujimaru, I want to imagine Brishsan is very similar to Romani in demeanor. The only piece of dialogue we have for them is Goredolf quoting their comments on ORT, and they did feel surprisingly casual about it there. Brishsan is also very bulliable in how much they suck at making names. Clock Tower is silly but acceptable, but then we have One Radiance Thing and the whole etymology behind Daybit Sem Void. I really Brishsan coining the most stupid names imaginable keeps being a thing in the future.

2. When? Where?

Now, the previous section is a pretty substantiated inference on their personality, but when we get to the question of their role, things get a lot more substantiated. And less directly about Brishsan.

So, Brishsan can get randomly their own thing any time now. We already know what the Department of Lore does, and it is something with some level of potential for an episodic light novel series. It feels like a series Higashide would want to write since he's the SCP fan, or that Meteo would start and never continue since he's the Foreigner guy. And there's always the possibility Brishsan will be relevant in the Foreigner Ordeal Call.

But there's one place Brishsan has a mostly guaranteed role. Brishsan is a Lord, and the Lord system was presumably created for the Dismantling War. A large-scale Clock Tower conflict over whether or not Fuyuki's Greater Grail should be dismantled. We know about it since Complete Material and are clear since Adventures that this is the end point of the El-Melloi series.

Now here's the tricky part. I said above that I envision Brishsan as a distinctly Romani-like good guy. But that doesn't mean I think they're designed to be an ally. They sorta feel too overpowered to have on Waver's side from the get-go, and the person who created the Mage's Association would want to preserve magecraft where that's an option.

The conflict is supposed to split the upper echelon of the Clock Tower in two, and there are 12 Lords in total, so I expect them to start with even groups of 6. My current configuration is:

Dismantlement side

Waver: his presence here is literally the first thing about him.

McDonnel: established in Case Files as one of the good guys.

Inorai: same as above.

Riddel: hero(?) of another story.

Olga same as above (Daybit can still shoot Marisbury here just be sure).

Solonea or Jigmarie: we don't know shit about either to choose.

Preservation side

Bram: has main villain status due to personal stakes on Kayneth's situation (old man Ruffles can bite the bullet between 2009 and 2014)

Karmaglyph: Dark Waver.

Lorelei: established as a bad bitch who can't get her redemption arc before Tsuki 2.

Gaiuslink: mentioned as Lorelei's lapdog who totally won't get a betrayal arc haha *wink*.

Brishsan: explained above.

Solonea or Jigmarie: we don't know shit about either to choose.

That said, I don't think the Dismantling War will be the 3rd thing in the El-Melloi series. Case Files is 2003-4, Adventures is 2007, and Fate/strange Fake is 2009, but the Dismantling War is only 2014. I think 5 years is too big a gap for Sanda to leave unaddressed, so I expect a third El-Melloi series entry in 2011, and my copium is that this series will give the opportunity for Brishsan to be a full-on ally before taking the opposite in the ultimate conflict.

[sagnaevi]

WIZARDING WORLD / Suguru Geto

Name: Suguru Geto Age: 18 ( student ) / 30 ( adult wizard ) Birthday: February 3rd Astrological sign: Aquarius Nationality: Japanese Blood type: Muggle-born Occupation: Auror at M.A.C.U.S.A

>   An Auror is “a Dark wizard catcher”. They are an elite group of witches and wizards, loyal to the Ministry of Magic , whose mission is to fight against and capture the forces of the Dark Arts. Aurors are like a police force, and sometimes work as intelligence agents. They have the authority to arrest malefactors like Death Eaters, and at times have been given authority to use deadly force against Death Eaters in particular.

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

     “  Or perhaps in Slytherin,You’ll make your real friends,                            Those cunning folk use any means, To achieve their ends. . ”

>   Slytherin is one of the four Houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Salazar Slytherin. The emblematic animal of the house is a snake and its colours are green and silver. In establishing the house, Salazar instructed the Sorting Hat to pick students who had a few particular characteristics he most valued. Those characteristics include cunning, resourcefulness, leadership, and ambition. The founder highly valued and favoured pure-blood students and the Sorting Hat admitted that it can be a factor when being sorted. Students of any blood status can now be placed in the house. However, a Muggle-Born student from that house is considered to be quite rare.

Slytherin traits:  - Cunning - Ambitioun - Resourcefulness - Determination - Self-preservation - Pride

Wand:

   - Length: 14′ ¼ inches

   - Flexibility: Reasonably supple flexi

   - Wood: Fir wood 

>   The true match for a beech wand would be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands performed very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant. When properly matched, the beech wand was capable of a subtlety and artistry not seen in any other wood, hence its lustrous reputation.

  - Core: Dragon heartstring

>   Dragon heartstrings produced wands with the most magical power, and which were capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tended to learn more quickly than other types. While they could change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bonded strongly with the current owner. The dragon wand tended to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it would not incline that way of its own accord. It was also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.

Pet: Black cat named Yurei Boggart:  Dementors Amortentia: Coffee, fresh parchament, jasmine  Patronus: Black wolf

>   Those who conjure the wolf are normally very mysterious. There is always somthing new to learn about these individuals. While some who produce this patronus enjoy their own company compared to being around others, they are still always loyal to those closest to them. Those who wield a wolf patronus will protect friends and family with a feirce passion.While first impressions can lead one to believe the wolf patronus belongs to a strong silent type, they also have a playful side underneath. However, this is only displayed towards trusted individuals.

Animagus ( special skill ): A large, elegant black wolf with thin, violet gleaming eyes. His fur is long and silky. The black wolf is also resembled in his patronus as the animal tied to his spirit / soul.

[sw5w]

The Galactic Senate Building

STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:26:43

[summersunsetball]

Standing at the entrance to your hotel is a worker offering handouts to guests. You look down at the contents. A lot of it is information that went out through the website and the ball's social media pages, but it's nice and handy to have it all in one place.

As you wait in line to be checked in, you glance over the different sections of the handout, one of which is labeled "History of Summer Sunset."

Summer Sunset has been observed for as long as Lucis has been a kingdom. Presumably, its name carries a double meaning: a literal nod to the abundance of light during the summer, and a figurative farewell to or "sunsetting" of the season as fall approaches.

Under the Founder King, Somnus Lucis Caelum, Summer Sunset became a formalized period of celebration, during which Lucians would herald the coming change of seasons. Offerings and prayers were made to the Astrals to thank them for the warmth and light of the summer, as well as to pray for a plentiful fall harvest going into the chillier months. Offerings ranged from crops, to wine, to livestock, to hunting game.

Gradually, the celebration began to evolve and expand into both a religious and communal affair. Offerings were chiefly made to the Astrals, but small agricultural communities also began to share their bounties with each other. People would cook with their shared harvests and share the results of their handiwork. Presumably, the tradition of the farmer's market is rooted in this historical practice.

Over time, dance emerged as a tradition to celebrate the coming harvest in addition to farming and food. Traditional folk dances in community centers gradually evolved into large, jovial celebrations with live music, food, drink, singing, and dancing. Lucian nobility eventually co-opted this tradition, and it became the royal ball that is still hosted in the modern day. Historically, the royal ball has been rather exclusive based on social status, but today the ball is more open to guests of a wide variety of births and statuses. The tradition of folk dance is still kept alive in communities outside of the Crown City.

Different practices are more prevalent in different regions of Lucis. Depending on where you celebrate, Summer Sunset may look like a very different holiday, but its core values of transition, celebration, and prosperity are constant throughout the kingdom.

[onlyoccasionallyvisible]

Lyle working himself too hard and getting sick

A couple stories up, Lyle staggers like he's been punched, a hand coming up to catch himself against the metallic pillar he’s working at, his knees wobbling. From the ground floor, Rokk sees him absently raise his other hand to eventually rest his fingertips gently at his hairline.

“You okay up there?” The silence in response is long, but as his concern starts to build the quiet is broken by Lyle blowing a dismissive hiss of breath through his teeth.

“I thought you had a new years resolution to avoid being the ‘mom friend,’ Cos.” Lyle teases, turning on his heel and making his lean against the pillar look more casual; practiced poised instead of hunched. He oozes cool on command in a way that is almost comedic and has Rokk actively resisting rolling his eyes. The Earthling has been punching in a precise algorithm for the past hour, line by line with the dedication of a surgeon, and the slight sour edge to his tone betrays some actual frustration. And as Rokk observes him, at least as well as he can from the harsh angle and distance between them, his movements are smooth and purposeful once again. Clearly feeling the other’s stare, Lyle waves a dismissive hand in the direction of the Legion Founder before refocusing on his task once again. “I’ll be fine.” He insists over the beeping keypad. “Especially once this sprocking update is finally implemented and working.” 

The platform Lyle stands on is only a few feet wide and equal parts long, arched around the large main pillar that hosts the guiding mechanics of the room. There were easier computing hubs to code at throughout the room, but for some reason one of the smartest and most acrophobic members of their team insisted he had to be at the highest one for this specific adjustment. 

“I’m sure it’ll go exactly as planned” Rokk calls, flexing his fingers where he’s gently holding parts of the maintenance hub and technical core, one of many throughout Legion World, in temporary magnetic stasis while Lyle works.

“Tell that to Brainy. You should have heard about how much grief he was giving me about it.” He can practically hear Lyle frowning as his input pattern continues, and can’t help but smile to himself—the exact expression is too easy to imagine. “But I’d rather we lock it into place now and not wish we’d done it later.” 

 What, Brainy didn’t think the project was worthwhile? Imra’s question echoes, unobtrusively, through both of their heads as she observes the room’s multiple status levels from the main control panel located near the room’s entrance.

“Not for the time I put into it,” Lyle mutters, distracted. “Can’t tell you how often he’d come into the lab and complain that I was still digging through the same data. He only finally gave me some space after we go back from the T1045 comet mission. But at this point even I’m sick of it.”

Rokk frowns. “You told me you were going to pass on the T1045 mission.” They’d argued about it, actually. Right in one of the main hallways. Many Legionnaires had stopped to watch the show. The new recruits were still talking about it. “You know, since you volunteered for the Durla one right before it.”  

“...I was.�� 

“But?” 

“But.” Lyle makes the word sound like a full sentence, clearly trying to end the conversation. After a long, expectant silence his acquiescing scoff echoes around the metallic room and he clears his throat before he continues. “But, part of the instruments being used were based on my research from a few years ago. If something went wrong I wanted to be available. It’s really not a big deal, Cos, I was mostly observing.” 

“It’s a big deal, Lyle, if you’re over hours and over working.” 

The steady beeping of the lines of code stalls, and when it doesn’t resume he glances up and is greeted with Lyle’s bemused face peeking over the edge of the upper deck platform. “’Over hours’, Rokk?” Lyle wipes the back of his hand across his brow a couple times, grinning cheekily. “What, are you going to report me to the Legion Union?” The grin transforms into a wicked smirk. “You gunna ground me?”

Rokk works his jaw, then looks away. He’s not embarrassed, he’s not blushing, but there’s something about Lyle’s attitude that has always put him somewhere between ease and edge. “I’m just saying you have a bad habit of overdoing it.”

Lyle hums loud enough to make sure Rokk can hear it, accepting the observation easily. The rhythmic beeping of his inputting begins again. “Don’t we all?”

That, Rokk can’t deny.

From there, they fall into a content silence. The minutes stretch, punctuated by Lyle’s work and the slight creak of the metal machines weighing against Rokk’s abilities. Even Imra’s presence in their shared cerebral space becomes a gentle hum, quiet and comfortable. He lets out a long breath, pressing out the air from deep at the bottom of his lungs, and feels every muscle in his shoulders loosen, settling against the minute strain. 

“Lyle!” Imra’s cry is a knife, so harsh he can’t even tell if she screamed telekinetically or not. Rokk looks up in time to see the Earthling lilt at a harsh angle away from the maintenance board. Lyle’s hand reaches out in an attempt to stop the inevitable, but his grasping fingers are slow and disconnected, only wrapping around air. His staggering, weaving feet take him back, back away from safety and... and... eventually, horrifically, Lyle stumbles right off the edge of the platform. 

It’s really not that high. Even with Lyle’s fear of heights Rokk has seen him conquer leaps far taller without the use of his flight ring. The stealth focused Legionnaire was rather cat-like that way; twisting before he hit the ground and landing with far more grace than any one person should possess. 

But something in Rokk’s gut tells him no graceful save will come. No last minute twist and breathtaking recovery. And he’s right. Lyle falls. And falls. And falls.

So Rokk crosses the room in seconds flat, using his Legion ring to propel his strides, extending his arms and managing to catch the other Legionnaire just before he hits the ground. The momentum makes him stumble, but the Braalian quickly rights himself, hauling the Lyle's deadweight up at the knees and shoulders. The machines around them, no longer held stagnant, buzz to life in speedy rotation. In his arms, Lyle disappears and reappears in a jittering wave, like a bioluminescent tide is crashing over him again and again. Rokk feels the fluxing ability vibrate against every place where their bodies press.

"Lyle? Lyle!" There’s no response. Lyle’s head remains listed back, still but tense. Expression pinched. His skin has taken on an ashy hue, grey at the edges except across the high line of his cheekbones where he’s flushed an alarming red. Sweat is matting his bangs to his forehead. His breath comes in short, desperate pants that end in a horrific wheeze. But before Rokk can really, truly assess how his friend looks, he disappears again in invisible, patchy waves. Even his ability looks stitched together at the seams, bare-thread and worn. Like a injured animal desperately flailing in one last feeble attempt to defend itself. Panic sets in before Rokk can even recognize it, sour in his cheeks and jaw. He only has to look up at Imra and catch her gaze before she's off, flying out the door to get help. 

Sinking to his knees, he tries to lay out the prone Earthling. Freeing one hand, Rokk tugs off Lyle's headband so he can press the full expanse of his palm against his friend’s forehead. It sears. The iconic piece of fabric falls to the floor, sopping with sweat. "Come on, come on..." He moves his hand from Lyle's forehead to his unnaturally warm cheek, patting it. Lyle's eyelids flutter. "That's it, wake up Kid." Brown eyes open halfway, pupils blown wide in the artificial light. They list over in Rokk’s direction then roll back as Lyle goes limp once again. “No, no, no don’t—“

There's movement at the doorway and Rokk turns as best he can with the burden in his arms, hoping it's Imra already returned with the medical team, a healer, anyone.

Instead, Brainiac 5 walks in, eyebrows locked in a cynical arch poised for debate. He’s lazily brandishing a hovering holopanel with one hand like a baton. “Norg if you’re quite through with this diversion I need you to assist with my—“

But then. But then his gaze, sweeping across the room with abject boredom drags down to Rokk's arms. To who is in Rokk's arms. To who is in Rokk's arms sprawled out and silent and unmoving and disappearing unsteadily like a sparking, dying electronic. And the Coluan stops. He stares long, hard and unrelenting and it's like the whole room takes a collective short, panicked breath: once, twice, thrice.

Brainy's free hand tenses and flexes sharply. The lock of Brainy's teeth as his jaw snaps shut is audible, defining, even from so far away. Then he's crossing the room in sharp, long strides.

Rokk swallows. "He passed out." Brainy comes to crouch across from him, a green hand going to Lyle's neck. But as he watches those green fingers gently press against Lyle’s pulse, the other boy again disappears — only this time he stays invisible for a few seconds. Rokk tries to not think about what might have happened if his powers started malfunctioning mid-fall. And then they both watch as the invisibility starts to crawl up Brainy’s arm, freezing only as it reaches his upper arm like a computer virus hitting a firewall. They stare at the phenomenon, silent. Shocked. 

“What should we—“

“Don’t move.” The holopanel Brainy had been carrying multiplies, taking on the purple hue of the Coluan’s personal programming, and each shift to hover over their prone friend. He uses his free, visible hand starts typing into the one closest to him rapidly. That bright green gaze darts, but never strays far from where they know Lyle lays.

Slowly, finally, Brainy’s arm fades back into view and it’s only when it’s fully revealed once more that Lyle appears again. During his disappearance his nose has begun bleeding in thick, dark clots that run down his chin and collect at the collar of his uniform. Brainy clicks his tongue, frown lines deepening in his brow. But he continues to press against Lyle’s pulse, fluttering like a hovering hummingbird -- Rokk can feel the soft yet frantic magnetic pulses of it against his skin. Can feel the unnatural heat radiating off of him in oppressive waves.

The Braalian remembers waking up in a cold hospital in the wake of the outpost wreckage. He remembers looking, desperately, seeking the shape of Garth and Imra at his bedside and finding only Lyle. Lyle sitting and looking so very small in the vast space of the room around them. Lyle with a busted lip, a bruised face and hollow eyes. Lyle who didn't say a word yet so perfectly, tragically, explained everything he needed to know. Lyle who met his grasping, gripping hand with such equal sorrow that their fingers bruised and shook together. Rokk adjusts his hold on the other Legionnaire. Tighter. “He was inputting the data on Level 3, then he just... fell.″ Brainy eyes him, then looks up, assessing the small platform above them. The maintenance pad blinks innocently. 

"I'm going to kill him." Brainy states, cold, intentional. Together they watch the temperature reading on his nearby med screen climb and climb and climb. None of them are from Earth, but by now they both know the readings start bad and only get worse: 102, 102.5, 103, onwards. A small, tinny alarm starts buzzing from the assessment tech; Warning, Danger, Emergency. The Coluan’s mouth becomes a thin, tight line. "We need to get him to the medbay immediately."

"Are we really okay to move him?”

“I’d prefer to wait for a transporter, but it appears that the longer you hold him the more he’s injuring himself so no, we will not wait.” Brainy gestures down Lyle’s prone form between them, and together they watch him flicker out of view once again. They watch the invisibility make it’s way up, up, now to the curve of the Coluan’s shoulder. Then their gaze mutually shifts to Rokk’s own arms: each of point where Lyle’s body presses against him fades from view in a staggering, jittering, patchy crawl. He tastes ozone on his tongue. It is only then that Brainy removes his fingers from Lyle’s pulse, gesturing the once again visible arm between them pointedly. “For some reason that I cannot gather it seems that during this abnormality his body is trying to make anyone touching him invisible as well. And since that’s not how his powers are supposed to work, even in a healthy state, his body can’t physically handle it.”

Lyle coming back into view gives Rokk an excuse to turn his gaze down. He can feel Brainy’s calculating eyes on him but he refuses to look, although that action in and of itself might have sealed his guilt. After all, he was the one that Lyle pitched the idea of training his abilities to. It was at the beginning of that long, empty, yawning year that followed after the Outpost disaster. When they’d both been desperate for any form of achievable evolution they could find against the massive mountain of their mutual grief. He’d supported Lyle. Encouraged him. And now here he is, holding Lyle’s head up so yet another nosebleed can run it’s course under Brainy’s gaze that feels more accusatory by the minute.

"Cos?"

Relief is like a rope being snipped. He sags slightly, and Brainy’s hand snaps up to clutch at his shoulder and keep him upright. "Yeah— Yeah, Kid, it's me. You with us?"

Lyle doesn’t open his eyes but turns towards Rokk’s voice, a distant frown twitching across his features like each muscle had to reconnect with his brain. Under long lashes, the dark circles are now apparent against the harsh pallor of his face. Grife, how long have those been there? How had he not seen them the minute that his friend had walked in the door to start this upgrade?

"Cos, I was...” Lyle swallows a few times, then tries again: “I must’ve… Did you see what line of code I was on?"

"Lyle Norg," Brainy snaps, leaning into the space between them and digging his fingers into where he holds onto Rokk. "Shut up or so help me--"

"Oh," the corner of Lyle's mouth lists up instantly, features relaxing. "Hi Brainy."

Rokk has a front row seat to watching Brainy go through several stages of grief; his jaw works, grinding his teeth, clearly debating if he should just throttle their prone friend to save himself the stress.

"Don't 'hi' me, Norg." The Coluan finally lets go of him to take Lyle’s bloody chin in his hand, directing it back towards himself, teeth bared in what should be a sneer if it were any other situation. If it were anyone other than Lyle. “You’ve deliberately harmed yourself.”

Lyle peeks his eyes open, the brown hazy and distant behind long lashes but he still clearly tries to get his gaze to focus on Brainy’s features hovering inches into his space. Rokk watches his pupils contract and expand several times to no avail. After a long, contemplative pause, he swallows then croaks miserably: “Had a deadline.”

Brainy abandons his data fully to grasp Lyle’s face between his palms, using his thumbs to smear some of the blood away. “Your own, it appears! You fell over 20 feet!” When the other boy only hums in response, Brainy visibly bristles, leaning in again with fury. “If Cosmic Boy hadn’t saved your nass your head could be smashed across the floor. You would have died the most anticlimactic death and for what! To prove a point?”

Lyle closes his eyes against the scolding, whining in the back of his throat. But then he sighs with a sad rattle at the end of it. “…Hands feel nice.”

Brainy immediately snatches the appendages away as if scalded, shocked. A soft, disappointed sound calls out from Lyle’s parted lips, and Rokk responds almost instinctively in the Coluan’s place, cupping Lyle’s cheek in his hand and feeling the searing feverish heat against his own skin through his uniform. He uses that hand to gently draw Lyle’s head back in to tuck against his chest, adjusting him into an easier hold before he slowly, carefully, stands. 

When he looks back at Brainy, the Coluan is staring at his hands, at where the other Legionnaire's blood now stains his fingers in various patches. 

“Shall we?” Rokk grunts, and Brainy flinches as if out of a dream. Then stiffly, he nods, standing and briskly setting the pace out the door towards the medical wing.

"Let’s be quick about it. Our Earthling is very fragile by nature." Brainy states over his shoulder, tone all business as he marches ahead of them. His dirty hands are clenched into fists. They tremble ever so slightly between the gentle swing of his hurried stride. Rokk thinks about them all charging into battle as a unit: The Legion of Superheroes. All their variety of might and powers combined against the threats of the universe. And how this one kid from Earth whose only ability is disappearing is somehow always right alongside them. Charging head on. Rokk thinks about the battlefield and about Brainiac 5, casting his forcefield wide, covering Lyle as best he can.

"Don't remind me." Lyle mutters, sourly. His eyes open, briefly, before he groans and hides his face against Rokk’s collarbone. "Oh no. Are you princess carrying me down the main hallway right now? Grife, I'm never living this down."

"You have more important retributions from this than your ego to worry about.” Brainy doesn’t look back at them, shoulders stiff. “I am locking you out of the lab for a month. A month, Norg. I'm cybercoding it down to your DNA so you can't even come 10 feet from the door."

Lyle smiles against Rokk's collar. Rokk can feel it, just like he feels the other slip into unconsciousness again, his sweaty scalding brow resting where Rokk's uniform ends on his neck. 

[reasoningdaily]

Collected Writings Of: John Henrik Clarke - FREE Download on Z-Library

John Henrik Clarke papers 1937-1996

Consisting mainly of correspondence, lecture notes, course outlines, writings, research material, organizational records and printed matter, the John Henrik Clarke papers are a unique archive for the study and interpretation of African and African-American history during the second half of the 20th century. As a sergeant-major in a segregated unit in Kelly Field, Texas, during World War II, Clarke helped train African-American enlisted men for mess and other maintenance duties. The collection partially records the lives of these men, changes in their personal and military status, and disciplinary procedures against them.

Biographical/historical information

Born in 1915, the oldest son of an Alabama sharecropper family, John Henrik Clarke was a self-trained historian who edited and wrote over thirty books, and was a leading figure in the development of African heritage and black studies programs nationwide.

He was a co-founder of the Harlem Quarterly (1949-1951) and an associate editor of the journal Freedomways. During the 1960s, he served as director of the African Heritage unit of the anti-poverty program Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (HARYOU-ACT), and as special consultant and coordinator of the Columbia University-WCBS television series "Black Heritage."

He joined the Department of Black and Puerto-Rican Studies at Hunter College in 1969. The founding president of the African Heritage Studies Association, he was a consultant to many projects, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition "Harlem On My Mind" and the Portal Press Springboards series, "The Negro in American History." He was awarded the Phelps-Stokes Fund's Aggrey Medal in 1994 for his role "as a public philosopher and relentless critic of injustice and inequality." John Henrik Clarke died in 1998.

Scope and arrangement

Consisting mainly of correspondence, lecture notes, course outlines, writings, research material, organizational records and printed matter, the John Henrik Clarke papers are a unique archive for the study and interpretation of African and African-American history during the second half of the 20th century. As a sergeant-major in a segregated unit in Kelly Field, Texas, during World War II, Clarke helped train African-American enlisted men for mess and other maintenance duties.

The collection partially records the lives of these men, changes in their personal and military status, and disciplinary procedures against them.|||The author's voluminous correspondence is both personal and professional. Significant correspondents include Julian Mayfield, J.C. de Graft-Johnson, Adelaide Cromwell, Basil Davidson, Cheikh Anta Diop, Hoyt Fuller, Richard B. Moore, John G. Jackson, Ezekiel Mphahlele, Alice Walker, Elliott Skinner, E.U. Essien-Udom, Robert E. Lee, Calvin and Eleanor Sinnette, Alioune Diop and the editors of Presence Africaine, and L.H. Ofosu-Appiah of the Encyclopedia Africana project.

The bulk of the correspondence is arranged chronologically.|||Curriculum material in the collection ranges from African history outlines developed in the 1960s for the HARYOU-ACT Heritage program and the Timbuctoo Learning Center, to core black studies courses at Hunter College, Cornell University, the New School for Social Research and Rider College in New Jersey.

The lecture notes (1954-1979) are supplemented by conference material and other printed matter. The HARYOU-ACT series consists of academic and administrative files of the Heritage program, which was administered by the Community Action Institute, HARYOU's central training and orientation department.|||

The Editing and publishing series consists of correspondence, manuscripts, reviews, research material and printed matter for the following books and publishing projects: "Malcolm X, the Man and His Times," "William Styron's Nat Turner: Ten Black Writers Respond," "The Black Revolution, USA," "Anthology of American Negro Short Stories," "Harlem, USA," "Marcus Garvey and the Vision of Africa," the Columbia University-WCBS-TV series "Black Heritage," and the magazine Freedomways. The Garvey files include substantive correspondence with Amy Jacques Garvey.

The Freedomways material relates in part to special issues edited by Clarke on Harlem, the Caribbean and the life of W.E.B. DuBois. Unfinished projects range from "A Treasury of American Negro Humor" (1957) to "Tales of Harlem" (1969) and a life of Patrice Lumumba. Clarke's own writings in this collection consist of early drafts of "Africa Without Tears," a book of travel writing; "Journey to the Fair," an early novel of hobo life; a compilation of short stories, and several files of articles and essays.

The bulk of the author's writings are part of a posthumous addition to the collection.|||The main organizations represented in the collection are the African Heritage Studies Association, founded in 1968 when black scholars walked out of the African Studies Association and the Universal Ethiopian Student Association, a Harlem-based nationalist group opposed to the 1930s Italian invasion of Ethiopia. Other files relate to the African Heritage Exposition of 1959, the American Society for African Culture, 1959-1963, the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, 1960, the Afro-American Scholars Council, 1972-1979, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 1970-1990.

Also included are correspondence and writings by Shaleak ben Yehuda of the Original Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem, a community of African-American Jews facing deportation from Israel in the 1970s, and correspondence and publications related to Jacob Carruthers and his Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations.|||

The collection is also the site of a number of outstanding unpublished manuscripts by authors like Yosef Ben-Yochannan, Frank Chapman, Jr., Lionel Hutchinson, Edward S. Lewis, Charles Seifert and John G. Jackson.

There are also transcripts and other material from various African and Caribbean conferences. Also included are consultancy files for the exhibition "Harlem On My Mind," the Carver Federal Savings bank, and printed matter on Kwame Nkrumah, black nationalism, the 1978 Jonestown massacre in Guyana, as well as other subjects.

The John Henrik Clarke papers are arranged in fourteen series:

Personal Papers

World War II

Correspondence

Lecture Notes

Course Outlines

HARYOU-ACT

Editing and Publishing

Writings

Organizations

Consultancy

Subject Files

Other Authors

Oversized Documents

Restricted File

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift, Dr. John Henrik Clarke, 10/1994 and 1999.

[sparklycitrus]

Giant Wall of Text, about Mo Dao Zu Shi

So....my small trek into Link Click got me into Chinese animation, and of course I stepped into the black hole that is Mo Dao Zu Shi (or Founder of Diabolism, or The Untamed, or more weird names. You know, if it were up to me I'd call the show something like Rise of the Necromancer, because, my dudes, that's what Wei Ying is, a necromancer. We already have a perfectly good word in English and 'diabolism' ain't it). And...yeah...I am so stuck haha. I have a lot of thoughts. But first, let me talk about the animation, because that's my foot into this particular door.

The animation, what can I say? It's absolutely stunning. Beautiful. Completely captured my attention since episode 1. The voice acting is top notch. I thought Link Click's VA work is already great, this one is better. China doesn't have as much of a robust animation department compared to Japan, and even less so with voice acting, so I am very pleasantly surprised. The music, oh my god, drove the whole show for me. Especially the flute/guqin parts. It made everything more vibrant and the fight scenes much more intense. Seriously, whoever did the music accompaniment and sound editing deserves a raise/promotion. I would recommend this show on these three things alone, if only to have something gorgeous and very enjoyable to watch.

But of course, a show's not just those things, right?

(Seriously giant wall of text of my thoughts, and spoilers ahead)

So, in general, I really like the show. I found the characters amazing and the plot very enticing. The side story with Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan and Xue Yang is one of the most tragic things I've seen in a while, with just the perfect amount of love and loss. (I'm actually listening to the audio drama right now and, yeah, those chapters definitely broke my heart.) The main storyline, and I mean the past one with Sunshot and not the less depressing current one, is great, especially the part about Jiang Cheng's golden core. That reveal was so sad and...wonderful haha. I was like "I knew there was something fishy about that whole mountain hermit restoration bit!" Jiang Cheng really made it out terribly in, uh, everything, huh? (That boy was broken after the Lotus Pier saga, and ain't quite right ever since imo.)

However, I do have some complains about...plot structure haha. It's the writer in me, really. So, first of all, the whole thing with names in this story. Look, all the main characters already have two names (just ancient Chinese tradition things?) They also have a title relating to the place they're from, another one for their status, and some locally acquired nicknames. So that's at least 4 different names for each character that they use interchangeably throughout. It would be one thing if there're only like a handful of characters, but no, there's a giant cast that span two generations with a 15-year time jump. Yeah...many times I had to go back to the first episode to figure out who was who and how they're related, and I actually speak Chinese! I imagine there's a handy-dandy flow chart for non-Chinese speakers? It feels so unnecessary. Second, the plot really could use some restructuring. There were times I was like "why the hell are they doing what they're currently doing??" that I imagine were unexplained due to time constraints. Many times I was watching them chase the demonic hand and I was like, why the hell do we care??? (Like, if they actually said it belonged to Nie Mingjue from the get go I would be more invested, but then I guess you couldn't have the "surprise it's Nie Mingjue motherfucker!" at the end.) A lot of times I feel like there's a lack of proper setup and foreshadowing. I would like to get some hint of what comes next, not just watch people go from one plot point to the other for very arbitrary reasons. I feel like season 2 actually did an okay job with build up and conclusion, but being so short probably helped.

I watched the show in Chinese, with Chinese subtitles, but I did switch to English a bit with difficult, ancient Chinese phrases, and I have to say the official English translation is, uh, just okay? It's not great, because it's missing a ton of nuance and mood. You know how you read some beautiful paragraph in a book and it gives you this "feel" of the story? Well, the English translation doesn't do that at all. Chinese, especially ancient Chinese in this kind of setting, is all about using various metaphors and phrases with hidden meanings. That's the beauty of it. But this show's translation just tells you the meaning right away and I find that kind of lacking. I'm sure if you don't speak Chinese it's perfectly fine, but since I do, the comparison is a bit glaring. (I've only experienced the official Tencent version. Maybe fansubs would actually fare better.)

But I guess those are very minor and specific complaints. Again, overall I recommend this animation, and I have not stopped at that, ever since I learned that there's also the manhua, the live action, the audio drama, and of course the original novel. However, because of censorship I will only recommend the animation and the audio drama for now. I will 100% talk about why in another entry, because this entry has gotten a bit crazy long.

[uenodivision]

Classified Police Record

Only authorized personnel are allowed to view this document. If you are one of the many who have not been granted access, which the writer of this document sincerely hopes you are not, then you are hereby ordered by the Commissioner General of the NPA (National Police Agency) to close this file immediately and never try to view it with your eyes again. Failure to adhere to this order will result in not only a hefty fine and incarceration but also possible expulsion of your rights and privileges as a citizen of the great and powerful country of Japan. This right has been bestowed upon those allowed by Lady Otome Tohoten, Head of the great state of Chuohku, the current leader of the Party of Words, and the current Prime Minister of Japan.

You have been warned.

Members

In the past, the Yozakura gang consisted of a few core members and a few unnamed followers. One of the fallbacks of the former gang was that despite their impressive numbers, at its core, the group was very unorganized. In truth, they were little more than an undisciplined mob, making use of their numbers. It made apprehension very difficult. And though most would disagree, it was only due to their overconfidence in fighting against the Katen family that led to their defeat and arrest.

It would appear that the current gang has learned from the former's mistakes. And although the structure may seem the same at first glance, the gang appears to be far more orderly than they were the first time around. The group still consists of a few core members with underlings, but recently, the gang's numbers have somehow swelled, far outnumbering the previous following the gang had in the past. And instead of appearing out in the open, some of these underlings prefer to work from the shadows, using their skills at subterfuge and cyberwarfare to make the Yozakura even more deadly than it was in the past.

In the past, the core members of the Yozakura were all classmates of the founder and current leader of the gang, Aranai Norikoru. As she and her gang traveled across Japan, the wayward woman established relationships, both good and bad, with different people. It has to be said that the young woman had a natural charm and ability to draw people near her. This may be why she was able to form her gang in the first place.

Her new gang has attracted people from all walks of life, all of which she has friendly relationships with. It has to be said that these members all have something that the former core members did not, making the gang a lot more infamous and a lot more dangerous. Caution must be taken.

1. "The Leader"

Full Name: Aranai Norikoru

Aliases:

Ride or Die

"The HBIC" (Head Bi*ch in Charge)

"The Deviant"

Aneki/Senpai - Kanra

Jack***/Dip**** - Sumire

Age: 19

Position: Leader

Affiliation(s):

Sakurai Clan

Ueno's Underground

"New" Yozakura

Profession:

High-School Student

Part-Time Courier

Weapon(s):

Spiky Red Javelin

Aluminum Baseball Bat

Hypnosis Mic

Skills and Abilities:

Expert Two-Wheeled Driver

Expert Melee Fighter

Skilled Mechanic

Natural Charisma

Adaptability

"Sherlock Scan"

Crimes:

Various Traffic Violations

Public Intoxication

Assault with a Deadly Weapon

Resisting Arrest

Intimidation

Disturbing the Peace

Contempt of Court

Theft

Vandalism

Status: Incarcerated Escaped

Bio: The founder and ringleader of both the former and the current Yozakura gang. Since the age of 15, she has been a cause of worry and irritation, not only for her parents and the Ueno City Police Department but also for the city of Ueno, itself. It's believed that the reason for her deviancy was due to a bad home life. Many thought that she might have given up her wicked ways after she dropped her gang's flags and disbanded the Yozakura two years ago.

But this has proven to be false, as she has once again raised up the flags of Yozakura, this time with new members. And to make matters worse, the crimes she and her group have committed have gone from 'bad' to 'worse'. It's unknown what caused her to descend back into her wicked ways, but one thing is for certain: with the new addition of her Hypnosis Microphone, as well as the addition of some new members, Japan will never be the same again...

"You want to arrest us? You want to arrest me?! Burahaha!! Some friendly advice: save your dreaming for when you sleep, boyo!" - Aranai "Ride or Die" Norikoru

2. "The Lancer"

Full Name: Sumire Shinomiya

Aliases:

Diabla

Venefica

"The Demon"

"Ms. V-Card" - Aranai

Age: 17

Position: Right-Hand Woman

Affiliation(s):

CodeX

Scorpion Den

Player One Studios

"New" Yozakura

Profession:

Anarchist

Hacker

Video Game Designer

Weapon:

Modified Aluminum Baseball Bat

Hypnosis Microphone

Skills and Abilities:

Genius-Level Intelligence

Hacking Prowess

Combat Skills

Adaptability

Engineering Expertise

Chemicals Expert

Crimes:

Joyriding

First-Degree Murder

Terrorism

Conspiracy

Forgery

Numerous Computer Crimes

Accessory

Contempt of Court

Racketeering

Stalking

Status: Incarcerated Escaped

Bio: The right-hand woman of the "New" Yozakura, Sumire Shinomiya has been under surveillance by the Tokyo Police for a very long time now. It's heavily believed that she is affiliated with the terrorist group, Scorpion Den, which is responsible for numerous bombings and terroristic acts against many prominent people of Japan. She has been arrested on countless acts, but each time, she either manages to escape incarceration, or her bond is paid for her by her only known family member, Miho Kobayashi, one of the CEOs of Shinagawa's E.L. Medical Co.

She has also been noticed in the company of Aranai Norikoru, the current leader of Yozakura. Recent signs show that the two have a good friendship with one another, built on years of trust. This is no surprise as the two have known each other for several years. It is also believed that Shinomiya helped to orchestrate the escape of Norikoru's former gang a few years ago. Though Norikoru is the leader and is highly dangerous, caution should also be taken with Shinomiya. It is believed if an opportunity comes to arrest both, Shinomiya should be the primary target.

"How did I let you talk me into this, Aranai? ...Fine, fine. I'll help, but don't bother me after this. I've got important work to do. ...And no, it doesn't involve Jiro, so shut it!" - Sumire "Diabla" Shinomiya

3. "The Heart"

Full Name: Kureha Koizumi

Aliases:

Eclipse

"Ms. Moonlight"

"WGG" (Weird Goth Girl) - Aranai

Neko-chan

Aneki/Senpai - Kanra

Age: 19

Position: Mediator/Propagandist

Affiliation(s):

Femme Fatale

The Artists' Guild

"New" Yozakura

Profession:

Artist

Part-Time Barista

College Student

Weapon:

Pocket Knife

Hypnosis Microphone

Skills and Abilities:

Skilled Artist

Expert Melee Fighter

Calming Presence

Photographic Memory

Adaptability

Crimes:

Bribery

Accessory

Theft

Smuggling

Vandalism

Voluntary Manslaughter

Racketeering

Spreading Propaganda

Status: Incarcerated Escaped

Bio: Out of all of the entries on this list, this young woman is perhaps the most shocking. Though her life up until the age of 15 is currently unknown, the woman known as Kureha Koizumi seems to be the most moralistic woman out of the Bōsōzoku group, Yozakura. Though it has been shown that she is on good relations with the other members of the gang, she did not seem to have any reason to follow them into the criminal lifestyle.

Despite that, her skills as an artist have helped to bolster Yozakura's reputation. She is a skilled propagandist, using her works of art to get more people interested in the Bōsōzoku lifestyle. This has proven to be very difficult to counteract because we live in such a technological world where art can be posted on the Internet on various websites. Many efforts to try to fight this have all proven ineffective.

Besides this, Koizumi also seems to be something of a mediator in the group, helping to establish relationships with people both inside and outside of the group. This comes as something of a surprise considering her quiet and shy nature. Despite that, it has been reported that she has a calming presence about her that helps to quell any ongoing hostilities. As with the other members, caution should have to be utilized when attempting to apprehend her.

"All right, I've finished designing everyone's masks. I tried to match them exactly as you all wanted. Let me know if they need changing." - Kureha "Eclipse" Koizumi

4. "The Brains"

Name: Kaoru Shinozaki

Aliases:

Arachne

Delphi

8Cloud

"The Smart Girl"

Onee-san - Kanra

Age: 21

Position: Strategist

Affiliation(s):

Wicked Requiem

Edogawa's Underground

"New" Yozakura

Profession:

Hacker

Inventor

E-Gamer

Weapon:

Hypnosis Microphone

Skills and Abilities:

Genius-Level Intelligence

Hacking Prowess

Skilled Inventor

Sleep Deprivation Expert

Engineering Expertise

Proficient Fighting Skills

Crimes:

Joyriding

Terrorism

Conspiracy

Forgery

Numerous Computer Crimes

Accessory

Racketeering

Smuggling

Status: Incarcerated Escaped

Bio: This next entry should come as no real surprise. Since the tragic death of her family at the age of 13, the woman known as Kaoru Shinozaki has been engaged in a wide variety of computer crimes, most of which have been aimed at the government, or organizations allied with it. Her most well-known crime would have to be when she somehow managed to hack into the Prime Minister's very own computer. That feat alone managed to secure her a spot on Japan's Most Wanted List.

As stated, her interactions with the Bōsōzoku group, Yozakura, come as no real surprise. Despite being the oldest of the group, she functions as the gang's strategist, inventor, and computer specialist, a role that she also shares with the gang's right-hand woman, Sumire Shinomiya. Also, recent surveillance has shown that though the two work together, interactions between her and Shinomiya are considered 'unfriendly', at best, and 'hostile' at worst. It is only due to the other members of the group that the two manage to coexist. Perhaps this could be exploited to form a division between the group. As with all of the core members, caution should be utilized when attempting to apprehend her.

"Computer? Check. Coffee? Check. Ready and willing to start some shit? Check. ...Alright ladies, it's show time." - Kanra "Aranche" Shinozaki

5. "The Brawn"

Name: Kanra Akemi

Aliases:

D.Vil

"The Pink-Haired Menace"

"Bloody Kanra"

"The Strong Girl"

Imouto/Little Sis - Aranai/Kaoru

Age: 16

Position: Bodyguard/Support

Affiliation(s):

Wicked Requiem

Edogawa's Underground

"New" Yozakura

Profession:

High-School Student

Weapon:

Fists

Hypnosis Microphone

Skills and Abilities:

Abnormal Strength

Expert Fighting Skills

Very High Metabolism

Expert Pâtissière

Adaptability

Crimes:

Assault

Disturbing the Peace

Numerous Counts of Vandalism/Property Damage

Probation Violation

Joyriding

Resisting Arrest

Accessory

Racketeering

Status: Incarcerated Escaped

Bio: The final core member of the Yozakura Bōsōzoku gang, as well as the youngest. However, do not be deceived in thinking that her age and stature makes her any less of a threat. In truth, those traits and others are usually the first things that novice police officers notice about her, and make the mistake of thinking that she is just a harmless little girl. They wind up learning the hard way that one should not judge a threat based solely on appearances alone. In fact, it wouldn't be so far-fetched to say that this little girl is perhaps the most dangerous member of the Yozakura gang.

Unlike the other members, almost no information has been found on the woman known as Kanra Akemi. Up until two years ago, no one even knew she existed. That is until she was adopted by Edogawa's Yuriko Kuromiya. She is also affiliated with Shinozaki Kaoru, as the two are adopted sisters, which may explain why she is part of the Yozakura. Perhaps managing to separate the two would help in breaking up the gang.

As stated, despite her age and size, Akemi is a dangerous threat when provoked. Extreme caution should be used when it comes to apprehending her. And there should be no less than at least 200-300 officers present when you go.

"That was a fun time we all had! ...Can we get something to eat now, though? I'm starving and in the mood for something sweet. Like strawberry shortcake! …Can we rob a bakery next time?!" - Kanra "D.Vil" Akemi

Affiliates

Thanks to Norikoru's charisma, combined with Koizumi's propaganda and Shinomiya's connections, there has been a large influx of people joining the Yozakura gang. At first, the number was small, but it has steadily been growing, week by week, day by day. It is now believed that the numbers have reached double digits. This is not a complete list of those we believe are affiliated with Yozakura. It will be updated as more information becomes available. This list includes, but is not limited to:

Lana Alarie

Kanade Alarie

Nadya Kuromiya

Meari Miracle

Aika Yumi

Criss Hiromi

Nikki Yoshie

Sanyu Inouye

Tasuku Kawanoe

Taria Chinen

[ourunmei]

Amora Selkis(b. 1979/1980)was a pure-blood wizard and the youngest child of Anson and Mellie Selkis. Amora was raised to strongly believe in the importance of blood purity. She thought it was an outdated idea but kept that thinking to herself.

Name: Amora Selkis

Nicknames: N/A

Blood status: Pure-blood

Nationality: British

Species: Human

Gender: Female (she/her)

Hair Color: light Brown with Gray

Eye Color: Green

Wand: Cypress wood, Dragon core, 12 1/2'' inches

House: Slytherin

Family Members: Anson Selkis (Father), Mellie Selkis (Mothet), Atticus Selkis (Brother)

The House of Selkis: was a pure-blood wizard family, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They were considered "Guard dogs" of the twenty-eight. They are a family of dark wizards who's tradition lied in that the founder(Hector Selkis) of their family turned himself into an immortal large white wolf who shows up every 3rd full moon. The Selkis family would bring their children at the age of 10 to be bit by the wolf. The bite would give the children a small amount of Hector Selkis's powers causing the children to be naturals at the dark arts. Some children could possible get sick and die if they were too weak. Every bite would heal into a mark that looks like a tattoo.

I'll do the biography later

Trivia

- Amora doesn't believe in blood purity but puts the facade that she does

- One of the nicer Slytherins at hogwarts

- Doesn't go out of her way to be nice but she aims to be pleasant enough

- Friends with Harry potter

- Harry has a few moments of not trusting her but she always follows though

- she is very loyal (like a dog 💀)