#Su-Won rant

[shinobicyrus]

This week, Supreme Court Justice Samuel "goes on expensive fishing trips with republican megadonors" Alito decided to use an official Supreme Court order to once again rail against same-sex marriage and the entire concept of safeguarding queer rights.

It was all in response to a case the Supreme Court declined to hear involving the dismissal of 3 potential jurors who claimed that they had been unfairly passed over (yes they're complaining about not being selected for jury duty) due to their religious beliefs. The case involved a woman who was suing her employer for sexual discrimination and retaliation after she started dating the ex-girlfriend of a male coworker. The 3 potential jurors that had not been selected had stated a belief to the court that homosexuality is a sin.

Rather than commenting on the obvious bias three potential jurors had against a party in the case, Alito instead spent five pages ranting about the sheer injustice that had been done to them. The case, he said, fully exemplified the "danger" that he'd predicted back in 2015, when the Supreme Court had legalized same sex marriage nationwide (in a slim 5-4 vote, I will remind):

"Namely, that Americans who do not hide their adherence to traditional religious beliefs about homo-sexual conduct will be labeled as bigots and treated as such by the government."

Again this was a case in which a court ultimately decided that maybe people who believed that homosexuals were sinful shouldn't sit on a case in which one of the parties was one such "sinner." That sounds pretty fair to me; they didn't call them bigots, or evil, or throw them in jail. The court just decided that maybe they weren't a good fit for that particular case. For that particular plaintiff.

But no, a Supreme Court Justice, someone who is supposed to be a scholar of law, turned it in his mind into a government assault against "people of good will."

Never forget how narrow that marriage equality decision had been. Never forget Alito and Thomas are still salty about it 9 years later and have stated in public multiple times they want to revisit this decision. Just like Roe, just like Miranda Rights, just like the Voting Rights Act - they will gut civil rights and established precedent on the altar of their Originalism and make us beholden to the tenets of their personal Gods.

And they're doing it in public too, so they can signal to everyone who thinks like them to keep trying, you have friends here. You have a sure chance of victory.

At the very least, the lesbian with mad game won her case.

[ladykailitha]

Steddie brain strikes again!

This time with Steve as a former Survivor style competition winner (he auditioned on a dare from Robin) who sued the production company for defamation of character when the show came out and it was edited to make Steve appear mean and bitchy, when the reality was that everyone else in the cast said that he was kind, helpful, and just a joy to be around. And won. (Steve didn’t know it at the time, but Tommy was the reason he got on the show and had been expecting King Steve from high school and instead got Kind Steve and forced the edits [he got fired after the lawsuit]).

Eddie is a rockstar (of course) and head of Corroded Coffin. The band sells out stadiums but likes to do inimate venues like bars and clubs because it gives them a chance to interact with the their fans.

Steve is one of these fans. And goes to a bar concert dressed as he always does. Tight blue jeans and a polo. And he gets to the front of the line to have Eddie (it’s rare to get a signature from the rest of the band, they hate it) sign a vinyl of his favorite record the band did and Eddie greets him cheerfully, asks for his name. Steve refuses to give it because people might not recognize him any more they sure the hell recognize the name. So he just tells him to address it to Eddie’s biggest fan. Eddie does so but senses that some thing is off and asks what wrong. That’s when Steve tell him that he was told he was a fake fan and couldn’t be there for Corroded Coffin. That he must have wandered off the street or something.

Eddie tells him that he doesn’t care what his fans look like as long as they enjoy their music. And tells him to enjoy the show. Steve nods.

After the signing, Eddie goes back to the green room and talks about the polo guy only for Jeff to tell him who Steve is and Eddie is gutted. And completely understands now why he was so reluctant to give out his name. Gareth then tells him that he was pretty sure that Steve left as he didn’t see anyone like that when he went to go grab something from the tour bus.

Eddie is pissed. He goes out on stage and starts one of his rants. He’s famous for them. About how forced conformity works the other way, too. Just because a fan doesn’t look like a metalhead doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy the music. Besides there was no way for them to know why the fan had dressed that way. He could have come straight from work. He could have a home life that makes it hard for him to dress that way, whatever that may look like. Or that could be what the fan likes to wear.

Most of the fans are feeling properly chastised. But there was an asshole close to the front that calls out “Yeah what are you going to do about it?”

“This!” and Eddie walks off the stage.

The crowd is shocked. Eddie Munson just walked away from a concert. Something that had never happened before. Jeff steps up to the mic and says “I’m with him. Free refunds for everyone but that dude. I have your picture on my phone, don’t even try it.”

Then Gareth and Brian look at each and nod. They walk off stage too.

Eddie’s not an ass, he knows he just cost the bar owner a shit ton of money so he goes and finds out how much he’d lose and then cuts him a $5000 check to cover any damage if the crowd riots and they pack up and leave.

The next day Robin comes over screaming about the show Steve was supposed to go to last night. And shows him the video and he turns to her and tells her it’s about him. And tells her what happened last night.

And of course Eddie reaches out and they fall in love.

[a-b-riddle]

Hi pookie! Hope you're doing well 💛

I came to say that I love your writing, the poly 141 piece is just so good and angsty in a way that makes me anxiously wait for the next parts. It's so satisfying to see a baddie reader who tries to prioritise herself, but also is a human and deals with emotions that results in not always the most reasonable actions. Love it!

But... While I found your blog through that piece, I found another COD masterpiece in your masterlist and I just have to give it the love it deserves.

You won my heart with Kyle & his Love because firstly there's too little fics about Gaz, our boy should get the recognition he deserves. Second it so good in showing d/s dynamics. I've seen too many pieces that reduce it to just sex and while I love reading smut (and the way you write it is also amazing), but seeing the boundaries and the whole talk about the using safe words is tier top.

So yeah, here's my ramble and I hope that maybe we'll get to see a little more of your thoughts about dom Gaz 💛 take care of yourself pookie!

I am SO glad you mentioned the lack of Gaz.

So I do mention later on why Kyle did what he did. I understand that someone people have preferences to the 141 with a specific character but it’s hella fucking sus to write about John, Simon, Johnny, Alejandro, Alex Keller, Valeria, Rudy, Roach, König (FUCKING GRAVES) but not Kyle motherfucking Garrick? Or having 141 poly but Kyle isn’t involved.

I mean…. Come on.

Anyway, end rant. I love Kyle’s redemption chapter. All of them have a pretty good arc I think.

[thoughtfulstudentsalad]

Why is it that only half of the crimson illness descendants get ill and the other half doesn't?

Is it the awareness of the existence of King Hiryuu that triggers it?

Yon-Hi tried to forget about King Hiryuu... but failed because she saw Yona.

She basically died after seeing Yona's hair, which reminded her of King Hiryuu, and triggered the illness. The dragon gods also decided to call her back after she thought of Hiryuu.

Her father was also called to heaven because the dragon gods wanted to call King Hiryuu back to heaven.

In Su-Won's case, Note that when Mei-nyan says, "You can't tell me King Hiryuu doesn't weigh on your mind", it triggers his headache.

This is the moment that made Su-Won for a split second actually get threatened like, "oh she's going to kill me one day." So his illness was clearly triggered by a growing awareness of King Hiryuu's existence.

Ironic thing is, according to this theory, if Su-Won had just vehemently kept denying that Yona was Hiryuu for the rest of his life (anti-gods, pro-people), and no proof of it ever showed up, it was ironically probably the best way for him to avoid ever dying early. Perhaps he would have never gotten sick.

So as for why he got the illness early... doesn't that imply that the Crimson Dragon King was on his mind for a very long time, and as such, the dragon gods have been seeking him much more earlier than other descendants?

I keep wondering, and I have wondered this before... what if growing up, whenever visiting the castle, he constantly had to hear Il's fanatical rants about Yona being King Hiryuu? I have theorized this before. I mean he hates even hearing the name, implying he's heard too much.

There is also the fact that Su-Won did like Yona's hair, although he never wanted to put two and two together (aka equate it with King Hiryuu's hair).

All I'm going to say is... the dragon gods really might be looking for Su-Won soon.

If the shrine collapses, it's going to be because the coffin budged/something happens to the corpse of the king.

Also remember this scene: "If you're reaching for something, go for the heavens"

This is also silly to consider, but what if this was foreshadowing?

The Crimson Dragon king became a man in defiance of the heavens.

It also sounds a lot like Su-Won, who defied the heavens and wanted the power of the people. But the dragon gods don't like that. They want King Hiryuu BACK in the heavens.

That's also probably why they made him sick earlier, maybe?

All I'll say is, Su-Won is about to be very aware of the Crimson Dragon King. I mean he's about to meet his corpse. I wonder if that's going to exacerbate the symptoms of his illness. I don't know what will happen, but I do think something is about to be disrupted.

[puella-1n-somn10]

⚔️Puella Magi Madoka Magica x Pokemon Sword/Shield: Hop and his Witch Form⚔️

Word count w/o intro: 11,703

Look, I know that the Traveler from Genshin won that poll, but...if I may be honest, I am not ready for what concept I had for them to completely topple apart all thanks to a single shred of lore being aimed at my head at mach speed. Trust me, fellas, I saw the roller coaster that is the Fontaine chapter; if shit is that crazy while we are halfway through the main story, then I dread the revelations that will befall us all when SNEZHNAYA rolls around-!

With all that being said...welcome back, ladies, gents, and those who have casted the dreaded concept of gender out of their lives! For those who are unaware, we are here today to witness what would happen if I were to take the worldbuilding of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and apply them to other media. Today's unfortunate guest for today is none other than the goat himself, Hop!

...Not funny? Ah, alright-

Yes, I am aware that Hop's reputation amongst the fanbase is...controversial at best. Generally speaking, I've noticed that the negative image of this character was formed by the fans prematurely judging him based on his initial lines of dialogue, passionate (which is often mischaracterized as cheerful) attitude, and, I shit you all not, animations (which is more of a fault caused by tight release schedules and the developers being rushed than that of the character himself). From these alone, he tends to be placed on tiers lower than the fucking Gen 6 rivals (no hate towards them, promise, I just wish they were fleshed out more)- which proves to me that not only are those types of Pokemon fans purely visual beings, but that media literacy is dead, rotting, and its tombstone has been Hyper Beamed to Hell and back-

BUT we're not here to rant now, aren't we? My...personal, burning distaste towards those who call him a Hau clone aside, we are here to dissect his character- in more literal ways than one! If I may be honest, this analysis post thinly disguised as a silly, crossover ficlet was created as a thought and writing exercise for myself, and it was quite fun, if I must admit! So I hope from the bottom of my heart that you guys find as much joy in Hop's pain and suffering as I did while writing it!

Just a few quick warnings, this post will contain mentions of child neglect and favoritism, implications of social ostracization and public shaming, and, I cannot stress this enough, mentions of self destruction/S-H/su-c-de. If any of these themes are too triggering, especially that last one, please, please click away! I am being serious here- take the utmost care, and be safe!

Of course, spoilers for Madoka Magica, Magia Record (Anime ver.), and Pokemon SWSH are right up ahead! If I may be honest, I haven't touched upon the DLCs yet, so spoilers regarding them will be minimal at most. There will also be shades of PostwickShipping (Hop <3 Gloria) present, so if that isn't your cup of tea, I sincerely apologize.

It would also be fitting to play some Decretum on the side, too, especially when we get to the despair bit- God damn, he and Sayaka need to be buddies.

-The Wish, Possible Powers, and Soul Gem-

"Before we ever started out on this journey… I remember watching Lee on the telly. He was like a bright star, so strong I could hardly bear to look right at him. But now, I can tell just how strong he really is… And what he's got that I haven't…"

Now, I could go the easy way and say that he'd wish to be as great as Leon- to become as strong as the champion and equally undefeatable, but, honestly, not only does this feel cheap, it feels so...unlike Hop as a character. He doesn't just want to defeat Leon- he wants to prove his worth and make his mark as a trainer. Hop, like the rest of Galar, idolizes his brother- so much so that he copied his strategies and every move; a mistake that had gotten him to lose the fight in the Circhester stadium even after facing off against so many trials and tribulations-

After all, as Bede said it in his own...brutish way, if people looked down on Hop, they will do the same to Leon - the man who Hop looks up to as not just an older sibling, but as a symbol- as an unshakable LEGEND, and not just as a human being -. So if the perception of the man who Hop saw as a hero was to shake all thanks to him...it'd be quite devastating, to say the least. It was this possibility that hit him the most- where his worth and identity came into question.

Hop may dislike losing - a sentiment that grows stronger every time you defeat him -, but what he fears even more is disappointing others; lowering his and his brother's worth in their eyes. He wanted to be number #1 because it was expected of him to do so, by himself, by the public, and, when you think about it, even by his family - whether consciously or not -...

After all, just look at his home- do you see any pictures of Hop around? Left and right you find memorabilia and trophies belonging to Leon, but how much mementos of Hop can you find? Whether or not he was aware of it, Hop craved not just the glory of his brother, but also the validation and positive attention.

This was his path in life- no, this was his destiny, as he'd put it; to become as strong as his hero and receive that blazing torch after living in his shadow for so long. To live up to his splendor, to inspire others to get up and take a stance, and to make something out of himself. His brother was a hero- so it makes sense to imitate someone as amazing and strong as him.

So, after analyzing his character for a bit, his wish could go along the lines of wanting to be by his brother's side, or, more appropriately, to make an impact on the world and the lives of others like he did. After all, we are assuming that he made the contract a bit before his constant losses began to fuck with him; he had confidence in his abilities at least during the beginning, and was certain that he was going to emerge from the final battle victorious.

The powers resulting from this wish could go in a lot of different ways; after all, wishing to make an impact is quite abstract. It isn't like he wished for someone else to get healed or to win on a lottery; so trying to make powers based on that would be tricky. My best guess is that his powers are associated with memories and legacies, which, once more, also fits in really well with how he documented and tried to mimic Leon's strategies and actions.

Now, before we focus on his soul gem and witness it crumble along with his self-esteem, we're going to take a good look at his attire upon transformation into his Magical Boy form- an aspect that, regrettably, I've forgotten to cover back while I was analyzing Medic. Now, this part may be a little unclear to some upon first reviewing the designs present in PMMM, but a pattern is there- and one of the most common reasons behind a magi's design is the intent behind their wish and their desires before or after taking on the contract. In order to prove my point, I'm gonna list some examples:

Sayaka Miki is a knight in shining armor; she wanted to uphold the ideal of a magical girl and fight for what's right

Homura Akemi's outfit is rather...funerary, for lack of a better term; she made her wish as result of her losing Madoka, and had more or less doomed herself to watching the demise of her beloved over and over again

Nagisa's outfit looks like an everyday, ordinary outfit for someone her age; she craved a normal life where she was able to be just like the other kids around her- not having to worry about living in a dump and caring for an unstable parent

Iroha's design invokes the idea of a ranger or even a mercenary; she is dedicated to finding her sister at what cost, even if most of the evidence (or lack there-of) pointed towards Ui not existing in the first place

Being in the spotlight of someone else's life, looking up to his brother, and making said champion an example on how he should lead his life...I think a stereotypical, legendary hero might do it; the main protagonist of tales like Beowulf or even your everyday JRPGs. Hop often made references to him 'weaving his own legend', so this would make perfect sense!

Speaking of-

Regarding his soul gem's shape, simple- upon transformation, it would look just like a small flame placed on his solar plexus like a brooch or button. Comparisons to Leon's charizard aside, it is a simple and straightforward symbol representing his personality; passionate, competitive, hot-headed, and bright- but all flames are prone to dying out one way or another. Hop's association with fire is also presented to us in-canon in his second league card, with him pulling off Leon's signature pose as flames wildly danced around him.

This also brings the idea of him burning himself away to fit into his ideal of a champion to mind, or literally burning himself out. A raging fire ready to render all that is in its path into ash- including himself.

The emblem on the middle of its egg form is a little harder for me to interpret fully. I could go with the easy way and say that it's probably the same as its form upon his Puer Magi transformation, but we all know that my perfectionist ass would not just simply settle with that. The options on our hands are as follows;

The easy option, the Hop flower (symbolizing how becoming a professor is his true calling in life)

A coat of arms (royalty themes- also, a pun on Eternatus' eternamax form, coat of ARMS, heheh)

A spiral (symbol of futility, continuation, cycles, and a downward spiral)

A coat of arms WITH a spiral in the middle (look at the above two points)

A flag (him wishing to create his own legend, and how he was initially a foot ahead of us during the start of our journey together)

A windmill (...we'll get to that, but let's assume it's because of Postwick for now- I personally prefer this one)

A shield with two crossed swords (again, royalty and hero themes)

As for its color, here is where things get interesting; I already spoke about how most soul gems correspond with the eye color of their respective magi, since "eyes are the windows to a person's soul", so a brilliant gold would fit both with this unwritten rule and thematically. However, then I got thinking- Red is also an applicable color, right? It fits his personality, and would clash really well with the cool purples and blues...until I realized that not only is red already going to be present as a sort of secondary (if not primary) color to go along with the existing cool palette in mind, but the added gold highlights would embolden it and make sure this design really pops.

Besides, making red a central color for his magi outfit also adds in to the idea of him still mimicking Leon, whose associated colors are purple, gold, and, of course, the reds of his cape! We aren't completely sure as to how much control a magi has over the outfit they'll don upon transformation, but we do know that Madoka actually designed her own magical clothing, so some input from the magi themselves, whether consciously or not, does contribute to the matter. This would also make a cute little homage to his champion outfit in Pokemon Masters EX!

One last point before we get to the part you've all been waiting for, we have to look at his weapon; yes, his powers are probably associated with memories or even perception, but, according to my research, one's weapon doesn't necessarily have to be tied to the wish. As a matter of fact, aside from Mami's ribbons (symbolizing her being tied to the life of a magical girl and her capturing others in this web of malice whether consciously or not- a literal lifeline), most of the cast's weapons are unrelated to the wishes made, and, like the aforementioned outfits, are more tied to the magi's intents or even personalities;

Nagisa's is a trumpet that blows out bubbles. She wanted her mother to hear her, but she's only ever able to let out little squeaks; the dichotomy between her desire to be acknowledged and wanting to be a decent daughter to a horrible person like her mother.

Homura's is a shield; she wishes to protect Madoka, but a shield alone cannot deflect everything threatening her sweet rose. There's also the symbolism of her hiding behind a shield, both as Moemura (shy and reserved) and Cool Homu (covering her emotions with an aloof exterior); in both cases, she's hiding herself away from the world.

Sayaka's is a cutlass sword. Go figure.

I am not completely sure on Madoka's; she dislikes brutal fighting, so it would make sense for her to use a long-range weapon that she's able to use to snipe enemies from a safe-enough distance. I also heard that a bow and arrow have some sort of significance in Christian lore, but, to be frank, I am not completely sure about this; this section requires further study.

Again, I gotta thank @bluethepearldiver for saving my butt here and on the upcoming natures section! According to them, since I had already removed swords and shields from the equation in order to make space for both Gloria and Victor, a polearm type of weapon would fit him the most! In their own, brilliant words, it is "representing how unattainable his goal ultimately is", and, in my opinion, it is a mid-range weapon- when utilized correctly, Hop would be able to conquer battles that would require either long or short ranged attacks to clear! Also, personally, it brings the image of a sheep herder to mind.

As for the specific type of polearm, that one would require a lot more creativity, but, since Hop comes from Postwick, a weapon that originates from Europe would be fitting. After thinking about it, I believe his weapon is probably a Halberd, due to how it can pierce, chop, or slash depending on the situation. It would also symbolize poor, bright-eyed Hop constantly changing his strategies and teams in order to catch up to us- to finally match us in strength. Every time we met him, he would have different strategies, a different team, a different outlook- he tried every viable, effective strategy, tearing apart the aspects of himself that were deemed roadblocks, pushing himself until he was burning himself way too brightly for his own good, yet...

-Descent Into Despair-

He lost. He had lost yet again, hasn't he?

His grip on the pokeball was shaky. The eyes of the crowd fixated on him as the last of his pokemon fell to the ground. Frozen air filled his lungs; his eyes felt like they were turned to stone, as did the veins in his arms.

The whispers grew louder; the crowd's collective judgement was being passed from one attendant to another. His teeth were about to shatter from the pressure around him alone. Not even Melony's concerns were registered on his mind; all the words around him amalgamated into a brute cacophony that choked all the will and rationality out of him.

His heart was on fire. His lips were dried as he stared at the nothingness before him. It was so hard to continue standing up- fucking impossible to focus on anything but this blunder forged by his own hands- which he now sees as nothing but useless vestiges. His heart was a war drum in the midst of conflict; beating as though the drummer's life was on the line if they were to dare and drop the pace. How he wanted to gouge his own eyes out and rip those ears out...

"Pitiful."

What on Earth was he missing?

He tried to change his strategies, he really did. The sad look on his pokemon’s eyes broke him every time, but they just couldn’t be of good help…he had to be a better trainer.

That’s what good trainers do, right? They make sure their teams were optimal. After all, strategy came first; that was what he learned from all these battles that long moved his heart.

"Foolish."

Another loss.

He looked down at his final, fallen comrade, not taking his shaking hands into account. Was it the cold? The stress? The sheer disbelief of what was before him?

Or was it frustration? A poison seeping between his clenched teeth- ready to curse out himself and direct his anger to the world? Readying him to pound against the earth beneath him until his knuckles were mangled and bloody?

No...no, this can't be it. He had to push himself further- he had to be better. Not a single Pokemon of his would listen to someone as fragile as he was; he had to make an example out of himself if he had to be a strong leader- a hero to them...

"Hypocrite."

Wooloo...

You promised, didn't you?

He stifled his own sobs. Oh, how could you have done this to them, Hop? They were the closest thing you had to a childhood friend! They were right by your side to the very end! All you had to do was to keep their head up, tell them it wasn't their fault, and that you would still enter the league together if you both focused! All you had to do was stay strong-

But you couldn't. You just had to up and leave them; cast them to the dirt where you dragged his good name through.

In the end, he couldn't even uphold that.

"Pathetic."

Over and over...over and over, he had repeated this fruitless, pitiful endeavor- all to no avail.

Finding himself floating adrift, Hop feels as though his very existence was slowly slipping from his fingers; becoming one with the very void surrounding him. He couldn't even feel his limbs, much less his face.

No matter how much he had stretched himself so thin, it just wouldn't work. The evidence was there before him, for all of Galar to see- his true rival and his brother on that field together, the latter holding the other's hand and raising it up in the air...that no matter what he did, all the sacrifices he had made, it was all up there in the air like smoke. His dreams, hopes, and ambitions- gone with what shine in his eyes that were left.

Oh, little sheep...do you not realize that you have tangled yourself within this spider web- the very definition of insanity?

"Worthless."

He's tired.

With each loss, it got a lot harder for him to get up and walk away.

His legs were shaking, and not just due to the harsh winds around him. The winds were picking up their pace, but the eyes, the eyes, the eyes-

Why must you insist on further embarrassing yourself, young man? Can't you tell when it's the time for you to just drop everything and move on with something better for everyone else's sake?

You're just embarrassing yourself at this point- nothing more than a clown attracting disrespect and shame like flies to a rotting carcass much like yourself.

...

Yeah...

What if...it was him?

He couldn't take the watchful gazes of the crowded streets anymore. Oh, how he wanted to hide away in the corners of the world- render his own face into nothing but a crimson pulp just so their judgemental glares, mocking smiles, and whispers would finally leave him alone and hollow.

His heart was racing- his veins were on fire, and his arms were about to burst.

It was too much... Upon stumbling upon a silent, empty, dirty alleyway, he slumped onto his knees as he shook from both the cold and pressure of all the bottled up frustrations in him. At long last, the waterworks finally broke out. Only the night sky and howling winds were his current company; doing little to distract him from his pained heartbeats and dried up throat.

He couldn't hold on to his victories, no matter how feeble or small. It didn't matter what he did or how much he tried, all that he's tried holding on to will just slip away from his fingers, like the breaths of fresh, cold air escaping him; inhaling just enough as to not allow him to pass out on the spot, but it was only that much.

The sound of metal clanging on the ground escaped his ears. It was only when he was finally slumped on the ground that he had noticed the fading luminescence just before his reach. Even as his body shook from the mental strain and the cold, he still recognized the jewel that was on the dirtied ground. Hands shaking, he slowly picked up the once brilliant object...

Through jittering teeth, he just couldn't help but sob whilst instinctively smiling; the sound coming out like a sort of soft giggle...

Hahahah...oh, don't tell him- don't tell him he couldn't...

What a mockery- look at him, everyone! Not only had he failed the challenges before him, but, oh, this poor damn pest- he couldn't even look after his own damn soul gem! The very thing he had traded away what was left of his identity outside of the league for- and even then, with his wish, it only made sure that his mistakes would return to him in even stronger, more merciless manners. Was it due to him being unable to focus on both perfecting his strategies and his duties as a puer magi?

For all Hop cared at that moment, it was just another sign of his pathetic, useless existence. Worthlessness- no, he was way beneath that; he had failed. He had failed, he had failed, he had failed, he lost, he had motherfucking lost.

Answer yourself this, Hop- Do tell how you expected to come so far like this! How you have managed to shamble and shuffle through the league challenge like the worm you are, with nothing but another's achievements to your name- and you couldn't even take good care of that!

"...Useless..."

Hop shakily breathed out.

"Hah...if only I wasn't born so useless..."

His grip on both sides of his head grew tighter. As he gritted his teeth and his eyes twitched, one last thought flashed in his mind-

"There's...nowhere left for me..."

"Everyone else is moving on without someone...some pest like I am..."

With all the air that was left in his lungs, Hop roared into the night and unleashed all the grief in his heart. His anguished wail was interrupted by a sudden crash, and all that was left were the howling, autumnal winds...

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Word of the contestants' escalating behaviors grew amongst the people of Galar.

At first, it manifested as deepened anxieties; competitors being so overwhelmed by the upcoming events that it caused them to hyperventilate, shake uncontrollably in between sobs and unintelligible screams, or, at worst, completely melt down; faces reddened by tears as they were unable to remove themselves from the ground due to the paralyzing nervousness and hysteria. Initially, these incidents were brushed off as being related to the individuals' worries over the nature of the Gym Challenge, on top of the resulting trauma caused by the Darkest Day; even after the region was granted another chance at seeing the bright, blue skies, tensions were still at an all-time high, so, at the time, this appeared to have been the most rational conclusion.

It was when they've descended into thrashing bitterness and violence, however, that concern was finally demanded and raised- and, along with them, a whole basket of questions that craved all the answers in the world; anything to make sense of what was unraveling. Many a stadium had to close down - some even in the midst of these breakouts - for investigation purposes in order to get to the bottom of this anomaly.

Before long, rumors began to spread amongst the Galarian public- both on the streets and on social media; ranging from a contamination of sorts, to possible side effects of the Darkest Day that the current chairman was uninformed of. In the end, one by one, the majority of the gym leaders had to step forward admit that they knew as much as the rest did regarding the matter, but that did little to help stop the creation and spread of conspiracy theories, and they soon devolved into a competition of its own; on whose hypothesis is the most click-worthy and attention-grabbing.

Nothing was stacking up; everything had been tested - the water, the air, the soil, and especially the power spots -, the stadiums were inspected from top to bottom, and even the gym leaders were interviewed; it all came back negative.

The chairman himself had gone dark.

In the midst of the mass hysteria, right everyone's noses, the range of whatever was influencing these stadiums, the...being that has sending all these people into these frenzies...was growing.

Violent breakouts and missing persons reports spiked without ever showing a sign of slowing down. Nay, not even the gym leaders were spared- with Bea finally coming to her senses while Allister tried to subdue her and not hurt the rest around her, and Milo's herd of Wooloo going completely berserk and in complete panic not unlike the contestants and their own pokemon.

It was at its assumed worst when it had finally reached Postwick Town. Most of Galar had succumbed to what was engulfing it with its malice and twisted hopes, and, according to theorists, they doubted it would stop there. The people residing in the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra were given the order to lock down and cease all functions until further information's released, in the vain hopes of preventing the spread of its influence.

And then-

Silence.

Everything around them was completely dim, with nothing but small flickers of flame and their own eyes' adaptation to help traverse them through what became of the region; a dim, cold land with ashy skies overhead, overrun with scared wildlife and...monsters- beasts you have never seen the likes of before. Perhaps staying still while you're able to recognize Galar while you could would be the wisest choice; stray far enough, and the world around you will fade, shift, and turn, until you find yourself not outdoors anymore, but in a dingy, suffocating hallway filled with cracks and little to no light-

and, soon enough, you will realize that you are not alone.

To the most fortunate (or unlucky, depending on the perspective), the sight of the missing people was there for them to see; lined up for their next battles and subsequent executions. Days of being trapped, fought, beaten up, and isolated in pain did a number on their psyches, and that is without mentioning the existing effects that have already engulfed Galar; plunging them into insanity.

By the braver and most informed few, most of the missing people have currently been accounted for- most, had it not been for the unfortunate casualties resulting from...all that has been unfolding around them, whether they were still yet to be found, were done in by beasts swarming through these twisting tunnels, condemned by whatever's waiting for them at the center of this cursed maze, or...just couldn't take it anymore, is still up in the air. Those whose statuses have not yet been confirmed included the younger brother of the former champion himself- who, quite possibly, may have been one of the earliest victims, if the timeline was to serve them right-

Oh, but if only they knew better- that the bright-eyed, enthusiastic Hop was right back to where it all started; watching the competition from atop the stage, waiting for the next match to begin. The empty husk that was once "Hop" was silent; slumped to the back to his seat with his dull, milky eyes staring into the distance, as the crowds roared once the hero and his new challenger entered the fray.

Yes...yes! Cheer for him! ONLY HIM!

Shaking from the cold and the tension of her surroundings, Gloria's attention darted from the armored monstrosity to her unconscious rival amongst the masses. His colors all but completely desaturated- it was nothing short of a miracle seeing his body still somewhat intact, though his sunken face and sloughing skin - some even falling as soon as she grabbed on to him; revealing pale bone -...without thinking, the armored girl screamed.

Contrasting Gloria's priority shifting from grabbing on to Hop's corpse and make a break for it to taking down that thing who must have caused it, Leon was...silent. His heart sank as he fell on his knees- his eyes shook as he fixated on the monster before them. His blood ran ice cold; it was so hard to breathe without sobbing...

Gloria and the gym leaders who have finally located the arena - those who have and haven't contracted - deemed that being a monster- Hop's God damned murderer, but Leon knew better.

The gold hues that were pooling from what's assumed to be the monster's eyes were unmistakable.

His own little brother was right before him, waiting to fight him in the middle of this arena-

Just like how he had promised- like how he had always wished for...

-The Witch's Nature-

Ah, the most unpredictable section of this post- the one where yours truly is expected to agonize and sob over all the options before me. Character complexities are complex! Multiple reasons behind despair! Oh, how is your truly ever going to choose the perfect nature for a warlock that would not only encompass the magi's goals and history with only a few words, but one that would also feel fitting for a spooky being like a witch?!

Welp- once more, I have thank Blue for their brilliant input once more! They've decided that his nature would be Admiration, and, honestly, it's genius! It not only fits his overall character, goals, and what caused his sanity to go downhill with the brakes cut off, but it has the right amount of dissonance that the witches of PMMM are known for! Again, this has been your reminder to support them- c'mon, chop chop, that's an order.

Of course, nothing wrong with mentioning all the other, though scrapped, natures. Again, you're all free to reinterpret the warlock to your hearts' content, and if you do have any other suggestion that would fit, please let me know! I not only want to understand Hop's character better, but I do wish to improve my character-deciphering and writing skills. Once more, I encourage all sorts of fair criticism heading my way, and, with all that being said, here's the losers' club:

Reflective

Smitten

Idolizing/Idolization

Competitive (decided that this one might fit Nemona better if I ever got into ScaVio and made a witch for her. Later. Inshallah.)

Self-abandonment (look at the above, but with Bede instead)

Self-immolation

Guilty

To yearn/Yearning (again, Nemona)

-The Witch's Appearance-

"It's not enough! I've got to try harder! And harder and harder till no one's laughing!"

Alright, first thing's first, before we dive into ANYTHING, we need to touch upon Hop's self-image and how it transforms through the course of the game. From the beginning, he is just so confident in his abilities and goals; it wasn't just a desire, it's a goal- he will beat Leon! He will become champion! One day, he's going to be on that stage; he WILL fight Leon, and he WILL beat him- just we wait!

And 'wait' we didn't.

For all his talk about creating his own legend, of taking up the mantle, we have done nothing but drag his face through the dirt without failure.

The more we beat that poor fella up, the more...desperate he became, and it gets cranked up to 11 once Bede humiliated him; calling him a waste of space, and that all he is doing is tainting his brother's legacy by trying, so it would be best for all parties involved he should just stop that. If he just stopped trying at all. If he just gave up at once. He still tries to maintain the spirit of friendly competition between the main character and himself, but the constant humiliation has been getting to him, and the talons that are digging in to his mind are sharp.

It is then that we finally realize that the once-confident trainer who initially accompanied us is no more. This hatred towards himself only grew with time, and, even when he had reintegrated Wooloo/Dubwool into his team, his self-worth was still nigh-non existent; he dared not accompany us during even the post-game story, believing that he would just be slowing us all down, and how we would fare and be better without someone like him around.

In Hop's eyes, he was a burden; a waste of space, and, no matter how much he tried to fight it, those words would persistently repeat in his mind. His constant defeats didn't help, either, whether it was by our or any other trainer's hands-

Hell, it can be argued that Hop's earlier confidence and passion were nothing but "fronts"; he had always cheered Leon on and idealized (dare I say even worshiped) him to no end, but, aside from the promise that he would, one day, defeat his brother and become a champion, what other positive things did he say about himself? What other dreams did he hold? He owed so much of his own knowledge about Pokemon battles to Leon, after all. This can be seen in the third episode of Pokemon: Twilight Wings, if we choose to interpret Wooloo's actions as reflective of Hop's- trying to be something it is not, and, ultimately, causing it to stray far from "home".

He wanted to be the hero of his own story. That's all he wished for. Instead, we've shoved him into the sidelines- face first on the dirt, without even realizing our strengths.

History repeats once more- the tale of Leon and Sonia all over again.

The image of a knight, a warrior, a hero is definitely a strong base to start it all off. The ideal knight in shining armor, he who stands up for everything right- the unbeatable champion of the people. Not just a person to look up to, but a symbol- that's all he wanted to become; just like how he saw his brother.

When he realized that his current tactics didn't work, everything had to go out the window. We aren't saying this lightly- everything. His plans, his . He had to change everything about himself- until he realized that the problem weren't his teams or his plans...it was him. It has always been his fault- he was just weak, nothing more than a pathetic worm.

The armor is scraping every fiber of his being. No matter what, he still cannot attain the strength and glory of a champion- so he has to keep doing this; break and melt himself. It isn't right, it hurts, but he deserves that pain- he deserves the agony and so much worse for the sin of his existence.

But it's not enough. It's not enough, and it will never be enough. Flaming hot, red daggers will forever pierce through his flesh and skin; melting and reshaping him not necessarily just to fit his desired goal, but as punishment.

It doesn't matter, though. It doesn't change his sheer, fucking incompetence. He'd bash himself against the wall, turn his knuckles bloody, and have his howls of torment be drowned out by his observers' whispers and harsh judgements, but it doesn't change the fact that he deserved every second of it. He had to keep molding himself, he had to suffer, he had to pay for being such a pest to everyone's lives and for being so weak...

No matter how much he tried, it doesn't change the truth that he is no damn hero; he is here as a prisoner, present to repent for his crimes of his pathetic existence...

Oh, yeah. Futility is not just a present theme, but we are running to the HILLS with it.

Next up, we look at his actions- the "spice" and depth this brings to his warlock's design.

Let's retrace our steps a bit and look at Hop's character before and after the main story; as soon as we boot up the game for the first time, there we see Hop being so excited over his brother finally coming home- he was practically shaking and jumping by the news of it alone! He just couldn't wait to see him again, much less what he must have brought back with him- and, when he laid his eyes on the starters and chose his, he was over the moon and the sun; this was the beginning of his legacy! Ah, even his own mother said that he had to learn some patience.

Compare and contrast to his attitude in postgame- he's a lot more mellowed out, but that can be better described as him finally being burnt out. He had nowhere to go, no goal to attain, and not a single strength to his name. Bede and Marnie are training to become gym leaders, Leon's the new chairman of the Galar league, Sonia is on the way to become the new regional professor, but Hop? There was nothing left for him. There isn't anything he was able to do that others could do even better- all that was left for him was to rot in the fields, forgotten and cast away like the object of shame he was.

"I don't know how much I can really help... If I come along, I might just end up slowing the rest of you down..."

I've already established how the warlock might be imprisoned in a sense; all to symbolize how he must have felt during his downfall and the lengths he went through in order to become someone worthy of becoming champion- of sharing his brother's legacy, but we should also take how he first started off into account. We already have the pain, but where is the tragedy in it all? The downfall of his confidence? The fall of Hop, the once bright-eyed, confident, and proud young man? How could we symbolize the face that we have flicked his passion and convictions away with the push of our buttons?

Passion...glory...destruction...hotheadedness...Lee...Charizard...

"Fire- and lots of it!"

Yeah, this should not come off as a surprise - given how I have already mentioned it dozens of times already -, but, hey, if Ophelia has a lot of flames in her design to symbolize the tragic end of her family and her own hotheadedness, then I can't see why the same cannot be applicable to our uncrowned prince of Galar. Truth be told, I think the fire is burning at him to this day; as I already mentioned, he is in a constant state of melting down and reshaping himself to no end to fit an ideal that is so far away from him, and what better way to do so than by forcing himself to endure these flames to no end- not just to burn away all his mistakes, but to subject himself to what rage and disappointment he believes Leon must be feeling? You cannot ask for a more fitting punishment, no? Quite ironic as well, if you'd ask me.

Plus, as a warlock, he wants the people to cheer for him- only him! What better way is there to grab their attention and love than by becoming the brightest thing on the battlefield?! Yes, it's all worth it in the end, hearing the people of Galar scream just for him alone- oh, he couldn't be happier! That is all he desires! If we thought Oktavia craved attention, think again.

Speaking of lengths he went through to become someone he is not, let's talk about him changing his teams; this is his point of transformation as a character, where the cracks in his confidence begin to grow alongside his desperation. At this stage, Hop was willing to make any sacrifice necessary to meet that goal of his- if he fails, not only were his dreams on the line, but so was Leon's reputation. The only constant between these teams is the starter Leon gave him- with teary eyes and a regretful heart, he had damned the experiences and memories he shared with the 'mons he caught along the way, for all that mattered at that moment, all that was worth keeping, was the one thing that held any sort of direct connection to his future glory; the very gift his brother gave him. It should be worth it though, right? He's only becoming better, becoming stronger, becoming the best trainer he could be-

Isn't that right, Wooloo?

Oh, man, wooloo. What kind of Hop-centric design would this be if I didn't incorporate this cute little sheep in some form or another? If not the sheer GUILT he must be feeling? Since I already covered how the warlock would be forever unsatisfied with his form, let us talk about the promise he made with Wooloo, and how him breaking it must be haunting him. Just up and abandoning them, his lifelong partner pokemon must hate him for such a cowardly decision- it should hate him; he had backed out of such an important vow between them, and implied that it was their fault that he was unable to reach his goals. Ultimately, it is his guilt and self-hatred that got him here; whenever he wasn't melting down and reforging himself, he was always fighting for the audience's attention- a whole herd of sheep who constantly demand a spectacular show. It felt right for his first partner pokemon to judge him, after all- he must be condemned for his disloyalty...

Building upon the last point- since Wooloo, his very first pokemon, was also removed from the team, this would translate beautifully into him removing parts of himself to fit that perfect mold, and what better way than to add in sheep elements to his design? The warlock having hooves as dark as obsidian for feet? Broken horns that might be mistaken for parts of his armor? Heck, even the gnarly skeletal system resulting from us combining that of a human's and a sheep's? While I am not too sure about what exactly is going on underneath his helmet, I will just assume that at least its base form resembles a mutilated black sheep's face, because of, well, Hop seeing himself as the black sheep of the family. Combined with his halberd, which I am certain would carry on from his last form to this one, this would bring the idea of a twisted sheep herder of sorts, on top of the existing themes of sacrifice that are already associated with cattle in multiple religions.

Of course, we can't go wrong with referencing him copying Leon's tactics in battle and said worship! This, too, will be a source of pain to his warlock; not only does his armor resemble draconic scales (again, Charizard), but the base of his helmet would bear the shape of Leon's beard. This also ties in to the above point of him trying to reshape his form to that of the champion's in order to achieve prestige and victory by following in his hero's footsteps, but its ultimate purpose in the end is the further erasure his form and himself; all that made Hop 'Hop'. He is constantly slicing away at his being just to fit that mold....

Yes, he also gets to keep the cape; much like his halberd, I can't see why this element of his magical boy form would not get carried over here, as it also assists with establishing the theme and desire to be like a big shot like his brother. Its red coloring would also be of nice contrast to the ashen grey or deep darkness of his armor, although it is tattered and not as magnificent as it used to be in his eyes. The armor already boosts the idea of a hero, but, combined with all of the elements from above and Hop himself going down the slippery slope, this monster right here invokes the idea of a fallen hero; bright-eyed protagonists who have become jaded over the course of their journeys or have decided to outright give up on their ideals and goals- some even opting to join the opposing side of the narrative outright.

I should also mention his inability to look at Leon in the face and how he didn't want negative attention to be drawn towards him in spite of Hop's desire to face off against his brother- some eye trauma, maybe? Would the mementos of Leon in his barrier bring him pain? Or...would the warlock be unable to see past the "glory" of the champion and his dreams? How his mistakes are blinding him? Maybe what he saw was so bright, so brilliant, that it blinded him to everything else; turning his eyes into burning pools of blood resembling molten steel?

Now, we calculate his karmic potential, his emotional volatility, and how they contribute to his warlock's strength.

While I was first working on this post, I thought that maybe he would have cracked after he had lost against the gym leader of Circhester Stadium - Melony -; after all, he must have been devastated, with all these eyes watching him as his final pokemon fell, but then I remembered two key details-

His self-esteem did not get any better by the end of the game's main storyline. In fact, it was at its lowest during postgame- and he even brought a comically large shovel to dig wayyyyy deeper, courtesy of Sordward and Shielbert!

His karmic potential not only stems from him being the champion's little brother, but his role in stopping the second Darkest Day.

So, in a way, that loss would be considered to be more of a catalyst for his despair rather than the straw that broke the camel's back, not unlike Sayaka learning the truth behind the soul gems or Hitomi's confession to Kyosuke. He may have brought Dubwool back to his party, he may have appeared okay-ish after we've defeated him in the semi-finals, he may have helped us save the day, but his internal conflict didn't dissolve just like that- you cannot erase all these years of constant comparisons, long-standing dreams, horrible impostor syndrome, and such an inferiority complex just like that with the snap of one's fingers.

Truth be told, he was supposed to finally give in after said semi-finals, but, out of urgency, he held on just for a little while- for just enough time to assist us with finding Leon and stopping Rose's plans. Now that everything was said and done - now that everything was laid to rest -, the eyes just wouldn't stop staring at him, the whispers didn't cease, and Hop...he was tired- he was oh so tired. Falling on his shaky legs and the harsh thoughts in his heads still not slowing down, Hop had finally closed his eyes and gave out his final farewell...

Also, Sordward and Shielbert will die by my hands for making his self esteem go further down the toilet in postgame, I swear to Allah-

From all that, we can see that not only are legends, prophecies, and destinies HUGE themes for when it comes to the design of his barrier, but that his warlock is gonna be powerful. Now, I don't wanna be redundant by saying that he, too, would be as tough as Walpurgisnacht (we've already done that with Medic, though, after thinking about it, he'd be more comparable to Hyades Daybreak), but saving an entire region is, putting it lightly, a huge feat, and that's without us touching upon his supposed connection with the legendary pokemon, one of Galar's heroes of myth, Zacian. In between being tied to almost a hundred destinies (Madoka) and saving the entirety of France (Tart), putting an end to the apocalypse - The Darkest Day - has got to be up there.

I know this sounds like a sort of repetition on my end, but remember what Homura said back during episode 9; "from here on, for every person (one) has saved, (they) will curse another". So, while Medic got his powers thanks of a combination of his own karma and how he had fused 8 other souls into him, Hop's karma was all his. In short, by this logic, Galar is beyond fucked.

Oh, and, y'know, the whole deal with him being the champion's little brother and Gloria's childhood friend. With all that in mind, bro's warlock is not just stupidly powerful, but outright broken. Not at Ultimate!Kriemhild levels, but that's still not good news in of itself, isn't it?

In the end, whether he had completely given up after he had lost to Melony or during some time between the events of the main story and postgame is up to you and your interpretation of Hop as a character. For the sake of this segment alone, I will just go with the idea that, if he despairs before the climax of the main story, his warlock would be a formidable foe, but not yet a world-ending threat like either Walpurgisnacht or Crépuscule de La Reine.

For comparison's sake (and to paint a clearer picture), I'd say that he could be as powerful as Gisela, if not moreso. From the PSP games, we can see how resilient and tough that witch is - so much so that she is tied to both Mami's and Kyoko's backstories -, so surpassing her strength is still a commendable feat. Much like his depiction in the section above, the warlock would still be capable of cursing many stadiums at once and cause such intense panic in order to take the league challenge down with him by making the contestants to go completely berserk, and, if he so wishes, he could render an entire village into ash.

However, if you guys wouldn't mind, I'll still be running with the idea that, thanks to the player, Bede, Sordward, Shieldbert, his family, and Galar's corrupted celebrity culture, the entire region has yet another apocalyptic event to go through, and only Arceus could save them now- basically what happens during the above despair segment. Good job, everyone! Enjoy listening to Grass Skirt Chase while ya could! /j

Now that we got the basic picture of the warlock down, let's cut to the chase and dive in to his barrier. I've had a lot of fun with this one, so buckle up!

As I already mentioned in my previous Medic post, a witch's labyrinth is stated to be the "mental landscape of the magi before they turned into a witch". From analyzing the barriers of the Holy Quintet and the other existing witches from the original anime, I've already deduced that they must be tied to either core memories, coping mechanisms, or desires-

HOWEVER,

A more simplistic take on all that would be "a place that rubs salt on the magi's/witch's wounds"; makes more sense, no? Candeloro is forever alone in her little tea party, Charlotte is in a silent conversation with another doll- unable to speak about what's on her mind, and, for goodness' sake, Ophelia's barrier is underwater. It is just logical to see that a labyrinth is designed to keep the witch miserable; specifically made to remind them of their own shortcomings, mistakes, broken hopes and dreams, and all that they've lost by the act of contracting with an uncaring trickster like Kyubey.

Unsurprisingly, with this idea in mind, I think the barrier would be a twisted version of a stadium, lit up by raging fire. The audience is present; their eyes ever-staring at you as their yells echo throughout the arena. You just know that your actions and failures will be recorded for future generations to see, mock, and spit at- after all, you are now trapped in a legend that is yet to be completed! Yes, even the style of your surroundings looks like it could fit right in an old storybook or any of the murals present across the region. Not too far away from this labyrinth's center, you are able to find multiple cages housing the victims he had captured; fighters worthy enough for him to test his skills on or put on a spectacle for all the audience to see.

In the middle of the battlefield, in the shadow of a large statue behind him, lies the warlock; broken, battered, burnt, and practically melting, but his duty remains clear as daylight- bound to his punishment and his own selfish desires, it has become his goal to defeat you before the audience. It is his destiny to be bound to this stage, having to pay for the sin of his existence.

The trinkets of Leon - or a silhouette that resembles him - that surrounded him in his own house are also present; after all, they are tied to his motivation, admiration towards Lee, and his wish to become champion. Even until now, the warlock and his familiars take good care of them, though he despises the reflection cast by them.

I should also make a quiiiiiiick note Pokemon Masters EX; you see, upon activating a character's sync move, they are displayed in front of locations present in the canon of Pokemon known as their "mindscapes", and, fellas, upon finding out that said places are significant to each person's story and life one way or another, I've realized that I have stumbled upon a hail Mary for PMMM/Pokemon crossover fanatics out there, myself included. Of course, I wouldn't recommend using these mindscapes alone as a sort of easy way to make barriers, but they do act as nifty, optional blueprints or spices to make those labyrinths look more colorful or representative of these characters.

When it comes to Hop, his mindscape, unsurprisingly, depicts Postwick Town. The location doesn't change when he becomes a Neo Champion, with the only alterations made to the artwork is that it is now nighttime and the presence of small flickers of flames dancing around; burning as brightly as the stars above - one more point towards fire being a persistent theme here -. Perhaps if you've gained enough of an upper hand and luck in battle to grant you some time to look at the ground, you can see that there's specks of white paint that faded away with time; the surface still resembling that of a soccer field's to this day, not unlike the one in his backyard.

To reflect his mental state and emotions of worthlessness and futility prior to him crossing over the point of no return, well, here's where the fun and pain come in-

The halls of the labyrinth are...suffocating; as soon as you enter, you realize that the area is only wide enough for a single person to traverse through. It's so dark, too; only the oil lamps and unmaintained lanterns present provide any form of luminescence, and even then, you have to be careful; one small misstep, and it is you who will be up in flames.

You also get the sinking feeling that you are being watched through the cracks and holes of suffocating halls; a feeling exemplified by the sounds of rain and howling winds just outside. The oil lamps do nothing to alleviate the bone-biting cold around you- the warmth provided is minimal at best. Not too far away, peculiarly enough, you can hear what must sound like...a radio; the details of what is being said is unclear, but the language is actually understandable if you happen to know Arabic. Through static and compressed sounds, you can hear that the voice on the radio is...reciting a nasheed; one chanting about the light of honor, victory, and divine heroism in the face of adversity, with determination being a repeated theme peppered in. No matter which hallway you turn towards, you cannot seem to get any closer to the source of the sound.

As you make your way to the center of the barrier, in spite of the lack of windows present, you decide to be a little brave and take a peak through the torn cloth or any of the cracks on the wall; you find that not only are you not at all far away from the hallway you've already visited, but that you appear to be going down a spiral- but this can't be possible! It is like you've done nothing but repeating the same steps over and over, only for your determination and desires to bring you down...

The winds have gotten louder - clashing with the noise present in the halls -, and your legs feel so tired...

You cannot take it anymore. You finally deduce that, if you want to face off against the warlock right then and there, then you better take a nosedive; break through the halls and descend further and further until you reach the arena, and face off against a furious gladiator- angered and heartbroken by the prospect of you destroying these mementos. How could you?! Such an act is beyond heinous in his eyes! You are no honorable opponent like the rest of them- nay, he is here to strike you down, to restore and clear the champion's name...

To rub salt on his wound a little more, let's add in more references to the people who affected Hop's life- those who have sent him down a spiral, whether consciously or not.

At the end of some of these hallways, you can find shrines that are clearly meant for worship; moreso than the memorabilia that are already present. A large statue rests in the middle of it, surrounded by worn pictures depicting a silhouette of a man and damaged, worn-out books and scrolls. The scent of smoke is present, alongside ashes on the ground; the warlock or one of his familiars must have been near the shrine not too long ago.

Some parts of the halls, namely what items made of organic material like cloth, are clearly damaged- whether caused by burns, cuts, or, most strangely of all, moths. The bothersome nature of these little creatures not only represent Bede tearing apart at his self-worth, but also his reliance on Chairman Rose- such a depiction may symbolize his actions and words' effects on Hop's self-image and life, but it also acts as a subconscious, final "fuck you" to white-haired youth; at the end of the day, Bede is just an unwanted, insignificant insect who gravitates towards any source of light while causing great disaster to others, even at the detriment of his own life.

...but...isn't that what you have cursed yourself into, Hop? Having to prove yourself to someone who is so far away for all eternity? To mimic them? All for a part of their attention and approval- much less a sliver?

They have both locked themselves in a cycle of attempting to appease to someone in their lives at the detriment of their own health...

Upon his defeat, once the crowd cheers at his defeat, the walls will crumble, and the debris will crush and pierce the warlock - whether he was still alive or dead by then - as you finally get a look at the outside world... Rolling hills that span for miles greet your vision as the grey, rainy skies conceal the afternoon sunlight- but it still is brighter than the suffocating arena and its connected halls. Not too far away, you are able to spot a windmill, still going on for what seems like several vicious years, if its poor state was any sign. Ah, if not for the chaos around you, the flickering silhouettes of round sheep in the distance and the smell of grass and rain really makes it feel like you're right back home...back in Postwick...

To end all this on a high note, let's touch upon his witch's kiss/warlock's whisper/evil cutie mark. Thankfully, I got it as soon as I could; one of those old emblems that acted as tickets to a gladiator match depicting a simplified sheep's head! To add some freakiness, the sheep face is stripped to the bone on one half, and glaring right at the person looking at it on the other. A circle of hop flowers surround the disfigured head, and the emblem itself appears to be half-melting.

-Witch Card-

Sayf Al-Muharib. The Gladiator warlock, whose nature is admiration. The light of an old hero's glory - eternally out of his reach - had caused his sight to turn into searing, painful ichor; blinding him to all but his own failures and shortcomings. As penance for the sin of his existence and weakness, the warlock is in a constant state of breaking down, melting, and reforging himself whilst in preparation for his next battle in the hopes of searing away all the flaws in him - all that lead him to his incriminating mistakes - and achieve a perfect form. He is unable to recognize the being beneath his armor anymore, nor could he remember the vision he had prior to his entrancement.

The cries and cheers of his familiars herald another chance for the warlock to prove himself and absolve the legacy of his hero once and for all- but, no matter what, the crowd is never satisfied, and neither will he ever feel proud of himself for the victory. He will never be an inch closer to the light of legend he craves so badly. To emerge from the battlefield victorious, one must not lose sight of their promise in the midst of battle.

(His name is inspired by Sayf bin Omar/سيف بن عمر, a Muslim historian and compiler. It should also be of note that the reliability of Sayf's ahadeeth have been a point of controversy to this day. When translated, the warlock's full name means "The warrior's sword".)

(The fact that his first name literally means "sword" bears two meanings depending on the protagonist- if it's Gloria, then it reflects how he tags along with and respects her though he is seen as incomplete without her presence in the eyes of the rest; while if it's Victor, then it's the clash between their friendly rivalry and his growing respect towards him. Either way, it also symbolizes how the MC stole his spotlight and destiny, and how they broke him and his dream apart throughout their journey.)

(Also, Homura fits the criteria needed to defeat him, let's GOOOOOOO-)

-Familiars-

Batel (plural form: Abatil). The gladiator warlock's minion, whose duty is preservation. A scholar at heart, the warlock analyzes the actions of the hero of legend to learn from them for future endeavors. Prioritizing the opulence and safety of these treasures, these small followers of his are on constant lookout for anything that would posses a danger to these sacred masterpieces while archiving the feats of the champion for future re-readings.

Unfortunately, their master despises the reflection cast on the memorabilia; forever reminding him of what he will never become. He will hang his head down in their presence out of both respect and shame, lest the sight of the failure he had become shatter what was left of his original heart once more.

(Symbolizing Hop's knowledge of battling in general; jokes about type advantages aside, he was always analyzing Lee's battles and was eager to use his knowledge during battles. It's also one of the key reasons as to why he chose to become a professor in the end.)

(Yes, the warlock himself also does his job at chronicling the feats of Leon - even going as far as to imitate them to this day -, but not only are the Batels there to assist him (I mean, they are his familiars), but they also sort of symbolize how...exaggerated Leon's achievements can get, especially in the eyes of others- including Hop's.)

(Its name is a play on words in Arabic; "Batal/بطل" means "Hero", but "Batil/باطل" can either mean "of no good use" or "useless". Leon was the hero, his hero, his ideal- Hop, on the other hand, was just dead weight to him.)

(Another note to add is that Hop's uniform number is 189, which, when read in Japanese, can mean "Hiyaku"; leaping. While the warlock himself would be struggling to walk with these hooves of his and his mutilated form melting and meshing with the armor, I can also see that the Abatil's only way of moving around is through leaping, since they would probably have only one leg to stand on. Ah, I love the smell of symbolism in the morning.)

-

Al-Daja (plural form: Al-Dajij). The gladiator warlock's minion, whose duty is to uphold competition. Ever-so excited for the upcoming battle, the crowd will explode into applauds whenever a new victim enters the stadium and comes face-to-face with their master. Their never-ceasing cheers always demand for more, and, not wanting their wide, unblinking eyes to stare at all his faults and mistakes, the warlock complies.

The warlock will try and not show a sign of degradation to his opponent- he'll hold out until they sing songs of his glory and his story gets passed down from generation to generation. However, these minions will often times become so entranced with the relics and spectacle that they would forget the identity of their master altogether, and even start cheering for the new challenger once the warlock is thrown into a corner.

(Based on Hop's personal drive - to become as glorious and powerful as the unbeatable champion himself -, how the losses have been affecting him, and him not wanting what negative attention he garnered along the way to affect Leon directly. The audience can be quite the chatterboxes; all it takes is one small piece of gossip for everything to go out of control. Its name, ألضجة, means "The Noise".)

(They also symbolize how everyone else already act around him all thanks to his brother's legacy- looking down on him for every little mistake he makes, while each victory earns him another comparison to Leon. He doesn't want to disappoint them- not the crowds, not his friends, not his family, and not himself, so he carries on with his useless endeavor; constantly chasing after a dream that is so far from his reach. The fact that this familiar is prone to forgetting who they are serving exactly is indicative of Hop forgetting himself.)

-Inspirations-

In-canon:

Sacrificing aspects of himself just to come close to that aforementioned ideal; going as far as to remove his lifelong friend, Wooloo, from his team

Trophies and other memorabilia of his brother being found in their home- almost no mementos of Hop being found there

Corviknight, one of the 'mons he gigantamaxes upon the release of the DLCs (the other is his starter pokemon, which I will assume is Scorbunny)

The fact that he is evidently Arab/Muslim-coded, especially in the French translation of the games where his name is Nabil (fun fact, Raihan is also an already-Arab name)

The third episode of Pokemon: Twilight Wings

Dubwool being able to learn a fuck ton of self-destructive moves

The statue of the Hero of Galar in Wyndon (Motostoke in the anime)

Outside Influences:

The Sealed Vessel from Hollow Knight and their theme; actually, wanna bet that he is trapped in a similar manner as they were if we were to assume that his power is equal to Isabeau's? That he has been gathering power from the mass hysteria resulting from his influence over the stadiums?

How sheep, lambs, and goats are associated with sacrifice, slaughter, deceit, and rituals (to tie the aforementioned wooloo/dubwool and self-abandonment points mentioned earlier)

The golden calf

The fact that some gladiators were prisoners and had to fight and put on a spectacle in order to regain their freedom

nana825763's "My house walk-through"

That one segment from Valle Verde part 2 which starts at around the 3:58 mark

The Devil Within by Digital Daggers (not my dumb ass imagining an animatic in which Bede is this warlock's first victim)

Cause of my Death by Itoki Hana

Dolus Vel Pedica, Area Strigae, and Delusio Summa from the Madoka Magica PSP game

The concept of living armor, but with added body horror

-Closing Statements-

Phew! Well, thank GOD this didn't take as much time as Medic's warlock did! (unless if we count my sick days- then yeah, it took just as much) To say that this was a WILD ride would be the understatement of the century!

I wanted to nail the vibe the witches had before we, as the audience, learned the truth about their origins - that he must have been born out of competition and the impostor syndrome that comes with such high-stakes contests -, and the idea that he, Sayf, was vengeful not just towards the leagues and the people who had beaten Hop while he was down, but also towards himself. I am unsure of whether or not I've completely succeeded on that front, but, if you guys have better ideas and/or criticisms, please do let me know! I aim to improve my writing in general and my abilities to break down character motivations and symbolize their actions in more abstract manners.

Being Bede is suffering; his ass is getting haunted on one hand, and Leon is able to smell his fear from a mile away on the other. He's not fucking winning this, lads :'3

...With all that being said, there is one shred of information that I've been withholding until now- the final piece of the puzzle that, once we step back, paints a rather grim image of what would occur if we were to combine the worlds of Pokemon SWSH and PMMM...

Outside the league challenge, the story of SWSH tackles the eldritch origins of Dynamax/Gigantamax; that the very vessels that allowed the people of Galar to utilize it must come from the remains of the invading Pokemon, Eternatus. Its initial awakening from its 17,000 year slumber heralded the event known as the Darkest Day; in which it had absorbed so much of Galar's energy that it caused its form to change and a dark storm to envelope the region, causing the pokemon to dynamax/gigantamax and go berserk. With the emergence of said storm come what is now known as "Galar Particles"; other sources of energy that, after the defeat of this threat, were utilized by humans for generations to come; rebuilding Galar from the ground up to the region we know today.

Now, a theme that both medias apparently share here from this fact alone is "energy". In a sense, you could say that Eternatus itself acts very much like a living grief seed; absorbing "impurities" in order for its true form to "hatch" and release boundless amounts of concentrated energy that can be used in a useful manner later down the line.

So....what gives? Why is Eternatus such a key element to this concept if the focus of this post is Hop? What does that creature beyond out comprehension have to do with the one we currently have in our hands right now?

See, not only does Hop's karmic potential stem from his destiny to stop the second Darkest Day alongside the main character, but his brother was also tasked by Chairman Rose with capturing the beast and delivering it to him; this was planned out in order to solve Galar's energy crisis that was going to unfold in the next several years or so, and, though it was a hard decision, the Chairman believed that now was a better time than never. The future of Galar, in his eyes, relied on him...

Obviously, Rose's entire plan fell flat on its face, so it was up to us, our bestie, and a very gud boi an' gorl (Pokedex entries confirm Zacian is Zamazenta's older sister) to save an entire region's ass from a wicked, unfathomable threat once more, but what if things went a little differently in this timeline? Obviously, one of the heroes who was supposed to assist/had assisted Gloria fell into despair and became the next world-ending threat she's going to have to put down, but what if this wasn't the only deviation from the norm here?

After all, Rose wasn't the only one who had sought out the means to prevent and remedy a sort of entropy issue at any cost necessary...

[alxfsl]

Yona rant: At least we had SooHak

Ok, I need to admit that Yona - which at the beginning I was really into - started to loose me halfway and I'm definitely tired. It's been dragging too long with very very very little advances each chapter. The last chapter feels also a bit out of tune, with a kind of strange climax that is lost after the first couple of pages. I don't even like Su-Won as a character, not because I find him a villain, but because he is incoherently written. In the initial part of the series we were introduced to Su-Won as an incredible smart boy, always ahead of things, for whom Hak had such a deep admiration, affection, and respect, that he was fine for him to put his attraction and affection to Yona aside. After Su-Won murdered Il, we saw how for Hak coming to term with the actions of his friend is a much more difficult task than it is for Yona, and imho it is because Yona's infatuation with Su-Won was a more childish desire than the profound respect and bond between Su-Won and Hak.

During the series we see how somehow the decisions taken by Su-Won were part of a greater vision and that Su-Won is a smart ruler and strategies, with a well-defined moral clarity (although questionable, but this is another story). Not only I found the friendship between Hak and Su-Won hinted here and there but never truly explored, I am also very disappointed by the fact that Su-Won passed from being this good smart ruler to a helpless ill guy that offers himself to death. Without even mentioning how stupid is for him to say now that he wants Yona to rule in his place. Sincerely, he could have married her and killed Il in a more subtle way so not to be discovered, considering we were to believe he was a sort of gifted child. He kept rejecting both destiny and magical myths, despite he being the descendant of the Crimson Dragon King, and now he is going full prophecy. What a mess and a waste of a good character.

The only good thing? As others have remarked, the last chapter gives us a super gay-vibe SooHak, which led me thinking how fantastic would have been to discover that the 3 kids' friendship wasn't a love triangle centered around Yona being the desired love of the two men, but a messy trio of relationships and feelings were friendship, love, and attraction a much more fluid than the heteronormative ones.

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina... I need to rant 😠 lmfao

As a life-long Chiefs fan and KC native all I can say is this T*ylor shit is fucking annoying. I know you talk to a LOT of people in the fandom, so you may not remember, but I'm a fellow Sw*ftie hater (maybe that's too harsh but idgaf) and I didn't think it was possible to get more annoyed with this woman than I've been since I stopped being a fan in 2018. Boy, was I WRONG. I'm a die-hard Chiefs fan. I loved my team even when we sucked and couldn't make it to the playoffs (before Patrick Mahomes), so to see EVERYONE make the game on Sunday about her is beyond frustrating. People (Sw*fties) are seriously saying she's the only reason we won. Like we haven't won multiple AFC championships and two Super Bowls in the past three years. Maybe I'm just taking it too seriously, but when our boys played a kick ass game on Sunday after such a shitty season opener (that we lost), it was so nice to see that we're getting our mojo back but I literally can't look at any post, tweet, article, tv segment, etc that doesn't make the game about her.

God, please don't let her be around for the rest of the season 🙏🏻

Also, I'm not saying they're not hooking up, but this is 100% for PR. I've personally never seen them pan to a celebrity so many times during the game. I've never seen "candid" photos of Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, or any of the other popular Chiefs' players leaving Arrowhead Stadium after a game like we just got with Travis & T*ylor, or "candid" photos & videos of any of the popular players driving through the city, which is so sus. And then what really sealed the deal for me was that T*ylor announced earlier today that her concert film will be shown internationally. She was also named as an entertainer of the year for entertainment weekly and is on the cover. Not to mention, she has a new re-recording coming out in a month and continues to announce new versions of the 1989 re-recording. "Someone" must not be happy enough that she's already broke records with the Speak Now sales, is selling the most number of albums overall, but she must be aiming to break those Speak Now records with the 1989 re-recording sales bc she's releasing new versions quite often. I mean, how greedy can one person be. Like you haven't sold enough albums? You don't have enough publicity? You don't have enough money? It's just gross to me.

Also, I personally just found her reactions over the top for someone who isn't even a fan, especially whatever that head shake thing is at the end. But maybe that's just because I find everything she does annoying and cringe.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxmAHqjrACL/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Plus, the stats around Travis and the Chiefs have skyrocketed. So they're absolutely getting a lot out of this as well as the NFL like someone mentioned earlier.

I'll attach an article but here are some numbers:

Travis' jersey sales went up almost 400%

Stubhub ticket sales for Chiefs' home games increased threefold in just 24 hrs

Travis gained 325k new ig followers - more than he gained after winning the last Super Bowl

Sunday's Chiefs' game was the most watched NFL game on any network last week

It was also the most watched game among girls and women 12 to 49 yrs old

https://www.axios.com/2023/09/26/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-merch-sales-up-chiefs-kansas-city

And yes, I know I know a lot about her for someone who doesn't like her. But she's inescapable even when I have muted everything related to her... And now she's taking over my everything related to my favorite football team and my city 🤢 Where's Pete Davidson when you need him? 😂

Ok, sorry for that rant. I know I probably sound ridiculous, but I prefer my life T*ylor free just like I prefer my life Ol*via free, and I thought you might understand 😂 Anyways, feel free not to post if you don't want to discuss her anymore.

I hope you're having a good night, Gina. Lots of love.

She really is a horrendous actress. Everything she did at that game was so embarrassingly fake. But clearly people want to believe it because it’s everywhere.

That’s bananas how much his stats already went up and just shows why it’s worth it to do this kind of nonsense, even to someone who’s already really famous.

I’m not interested in football at all, but I’m so sorry she’s contaminating your safe space. 😩

[misschimotosuwa-blog]

Don't spoil it for me people, I just wanna rant as someone who doesn't know yet. WHY?!?! OMG. YOU COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL. BEING KING WITH YONA BY YOUR SIDE AND HAK AS YOUR RIGHT HAND MAN. BUT NO. YOU DECIDE REVENGE IS MORE IMPORTANT AND HURT THE PEOPLE YOU CHERISH MOST IN THE WORLD?!?! WHY SU-WON. WHY.

[midnightbrightside]

You know what I like?

I like the idea of Kristoph at first tryna cover his tracks by being friends with Phoenix

But then he starts realizing that he’s kind of gay he sort of has a secret crush on Nick.

Meanwhile Phoenix is sad and alone cause Miles is missing he clings to Kristoph

Kristoph is kind of Hot so I can see like, Phoenix starting to try and replace Miles by crushing on Kris because Kris is helping him and he’s all he’s got so Nick starts falling for them

(of course he’s sus but at the moment Phoenix’s need for affection out ways his detective instinct)

And Kristoph starts to like the feeling of being clung to and receiving affection, and so he kind of goes from seeing him as an adversary to a prize to be/he’s already won

He wants to keep Phoenix in this pathetic state so he can cling to him and have Phoenix all to himself

I don’t know if my insane ramblings make sense but the point is

I know a lot of people like the mutual secret hatred angle

But how about an angle where they both have this infatuation* + lust with each other but it’s not love or anything

* a desire for intimacy and a relationship with someone

It’s like fake relationship, Phoenix wants to pretend it’s real and is deluding himself into thinking it’s real

While Kris is dealing with his unhealthy obsession with Phoenix as he deluded himself into thinking that this is the way things should be and that he is entitled to Phoenix’s love because he “won the game”

🙃 anyway that’s my Krisnix rambling how’s your week going?

opened my inbox for the first time in weeks HELLO. ppl should rant about krisnix more often it's good for the soul 👁👁

oughhhhh yes i love it when the men are miserable. also i think it's so good when there's a bit of genuine feelings in krisnix. where phoenix is in desparate need of an ally and kristoph is there for him. where kristoph prides himself in being calm, collected, and logical in a way that phoenix casually destroys without even trying and he is fascinated by it.

phoenix's love is desparate and built on kristoph's lies. kristoph's love is obsessive and selfish.

[kdramacrybaby]

Marry My Husband (2024)

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Revenge, Time travel

Synopsis: Kang Ji-won is terminally ill with cancer, and tries to find comfort in her best friend (Jeong Su-min) and husband (Park Min-hwan). But in the end, she discovers that the two are having an affair, and are planning to spend the insurance money from her death to build a new life together. While confronting them, she takes a fall and passes away - only to wake up again, now 10 years in the past, and with a chance to do it all over again. Can her fate be changed? And why does her manager, Yoo Ji-hyuk, suddenly show such an interest in her life?

Episode info: 16 episodes / Runtime around 70 minutes

Lead cast: Park Min-young (Kang Ji-won), Na In-woo (Yoo Ji-hyuk), Lee Yi-kyung (Park Min-hwan), Song Ha-yoon (Jeong Su-min)

Link to watch: You can watch on Amazon Prime and Dramacool

Drama rec masterlist | Drama rant thread (beware of spoilers)

This created quite the buzz when it first came out, and I've been wanting to watch it for a while because it seemed to many people loved it a lot.

And while I did like most of the drama, there were also some things that I did not - that being mainly the romance, which is obviously quite a large part of the overall drama.

To be fair to the drama, I'll start with the things that I liked about it.

The revenge plot was overall interesting. I'm not usually much for time-travel, but I think they handled it as well as they could have with this drama. Did all their rules make sense? Not all the time, at least to me, but I didn't bother me that much. I'm always up for watching some cold-blooded karma being served (go watch The Glory, if you're also into that).

I loved how the women really came together to love and support each other through this drama. While there was of course the conflict between Ji-won and Su-min (as well as another plot point down the line I can't discuss because of spoilers), all other scenes between the female characters were so supporting and uplifting. This really saved the drama so much for me.

While Park Min-young is, as always, absolutely fabulous as a female lead in a romance, I really do think Song Ha-yoon stole the show this time. I've only seen her in Fight For My Way, as the sweetest human being, so this was definitely a new look. But man, she did crazy so well. Definitely one of the better antagonists I've seen in a drama like this - there were so many layers to her character and while she was absolutely vile, I also felt so sorry for her in the end.

Now for the things that bothered me:

The romance didn't do it for me this time, I'm sorry to say it. The chemistry just didn't hit right. And while I would usually also complain about him being her boss and all that (which I don't like either), it wasn't that. They mostly said and did all the right green-flag things, but it wasn't it for me. There are some other things I can't really discuss without spoiling, so I'll just say that I don't always agree with how they do things and why. Communication isn't really their strong point here (not when it actually matters anyway).

Useless love triangle drama as always. While Ji-won deserves the world, I don't need to always have several men in love with the female lead. Gets tiresome after a while.

Do we really need to still be doing the "take your glasses off" for the magic transformation into a better looking person? Both male and female lead got the treatment this time, so at least it wasn't just the woman. But why can't glasses be part of a glow-up? Contacts aren't always the answer.

They bring in a character near the end, and I really felt like it was too much (and without proper setup for it to work like they wanted). The drama would have been better without adding something else just for the heck of it, right as we're getting to the last half of the story.

So yeah, overall, it wasn't a bad drama. I was entertained while watching, and though I was frustrated at times, there were also things I really did like. Still, I can't give this more than three stars. Mostly because I was a little disappointed after all the hype I saw.

[phillipcole]

Post-AGT Appearance 1284: The Kelly Clarkson Show January 10

Demon Dress would have reached $201 million domestic on the Thursday before Christmas (ninth for the year total). It would have reached $320 million international through last weekend. It would still be running because the theme song (which I would have had no involvement with) would have been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and 2 Emmy awards. The Ranting Old Man album would have been nominated for best spoken word album. Man of my Dreams would have been 24th for the year on the pop charts and dropped to 16th weekly last weekend. Canadian Wildfires would have dropped out of the top 100 pop but still in the top 100 country.

Mike Pence would have dropped out of the Presidential race on the Friday before Christmas, causing havoc in the polls. Doug Bergum would still be in the race and almost neck and neck with Trump in Iowa polls. In New Hampshire though Trump would still be far ahead of Haley and Desantis. The Colbert people would have insisted that the agreement remain. Phillip will go into a coma after Trump wins the primary and the Colbert people will decide when to pull the plug.

Since Trump would have won Georgia in 2020 those 2 ladies would not have sued Rudy Giuliani so he would be free to defend Trump in his court case in New York. The other 2 trials would (for starting an insurrection and treason with the documents) would be on schedule.

I would have been in Canada negotiating future movies until just before Christmas, then rejoined my wife in Trinidad December 26. We would have returned home before New Year's Eve. My agent would have negotiated for us to renew our wedding vows on The Kelly Clarkson Show today (with Bishop Guido Sarducci presiding) however her uncle died of heart failure Sunday night at 80 and she would have flown to Trinidad instead while I alone went to New York.

So Clarkson would have a different schedule than planned, open the show in the usual way instead of the wedding vows and introduce me after the first commercial break.

Clarkson: Welcome back. Our first guest today is a comedian, writer, philosopher, singer, entertainer, director, producer, genius et cetera et cetera et cetera. He has a hit song, a hit album, a hit movie still playing and another coming out Friday, and a whole lot to talk about. Please welcome back to the show Phil Cole.

(I walk out to the tune of Woman in the Demon Dress from the movie).

Clarkson: Phil, how are you?

PBC: I...I can't tell a lie. I don't feel very well and I might start crying at any moment.

Clarkson: Yes, Phil, even though you are a comedian, among other things, you have some sad and serious things to talk about today. Is that right?

PBC: Yes.

Clarkson: First of all, this was not supposed to be a sad visit. Tell us why things are different.

PBC: Well, we were planning to start the show a little differently. My wife was supposed to be with me and I was...we were supposed to renew our wedding vows right here on the show.

Clarkson: With Bishop Guido Sarducci, who we will speak to later in the program.

PBC: Yes.

Clarkson: Yes, now your wife is award winning fashion designer Sharon Cox of Shacocouture, and she was going to do a live fashion show at the end of the program. but that didn't happen today.

PBC: No, our marriage is fine and we want to put away those awful rumors. The tabloids abhor a happy marriage. however her uncle in Trinidad passed away Sunday night, so she had to go there for the funeral.

Clarkson: We will reschedule her visit, and the fashion show, as soon as we can. Tell us about this man.

PBC: Well, he literally is the salt of the Earth, too literally. He was a devout Christian all his life.

Clarkson: Was he a clergyman?

PBC: No, um he could preach a few knockout sermons. So can I, but uh, being a preacher means preaching 50 sermons a year every year for life. That's a different kind of calling, a very special calling.

Clarkson: Yes.

PBC: So people like him just...lived a holy Christian life every day and preached and counseled and encouraged people in the faith. Now this man was so holy.

Clarkson: What's his name, by the way?

PBC: Oh uh, Wreford Hector. That's W R E F O R D H E C T O R if you want to send a card or something to Trinidad and Tobago. So, he was so holy that, many times over the years he...when he felt his holiness ebbing, or the family (a big family full of preachers) getting worse spiritually, he would go into the woods and fast, pray and meditate, for weeks sometimes.

Clarkson: 40 days?

PBC: I don't think he ever counted. It's not for publicity. His family wasn't always happy about it. He helped raise my wife for a good portion of her childhood...and uh...he just came back and went back to work. He was a self-employed carpenter. Anyway, even though he was 79 with medical problems he did it again in the fall and when he came back this time he got sick.

Clarkson: What type of illness?

PBC: He got covid, among other things. You see I'm still wearing a Shaco mask. It's real and it's still a killer. He got over the covid, but by then they diagnosed dementia. Then he had a stroke and finally they call it heart failure that finished him off. So she's there.

Clarkson: But the marriage is fine.

PBC: Yes, I'll be flying down there tomorrow LORD willing. Then we go back to our busy schedules. She does 8 fashion shows a year on one continent or another and I'm always doing something, mostly in Canada lately.

Clarkson: Yes, in your second segment we'll be talking about business projects, but you have one very serious matter to talk to us about first right?

PBC: Yes, some of you know I am the leader of Phillip and Cole's Variety Team. Last year the Ranting 109-Year-Old Man passed away at 106 and my colleague Phillip the Boston intellectual is very ill and possibly doomed.

Clarkson: He's a one man team, folks, if you don't know, but more than that, right?

PBC: Yes, these characters represent various aspects of my personality, so I lost 14% of myself when the Ranting Old Man passed.

Clarkson: So briefly, what is different?

PBC: He grew up into a perfect world that slowly got worse and he could comment on it from that perspective. I grew up into a world that keeps getting worse.

Clarkson: I see, and you fear that things will get a lot worse soon.

PBC: Yes, Phillip is sick and will go into a coma if Trump wins the New Hampshire primary. If he becomes President again we might all be killed.

Clarkson: Wow!

PBC: So I ask, I beg, the people of New Hampshire to vote against him.

Clarkson: Who should they vote for?

PBC: The closest rival in New Hampshire is Nikki Haley. In other states that might be someone else, but I think she is the best candidate on the GOP side this year.

Clarkson: And for the Democrats, one minute...

PBC: The Biden administration is a disaster. That's not my fault. Dean Phillips is the best candidate on the primary ballots.

Clarkson: Who will you be voting for?

PBC: I'm a Libertarian. I hope we choose a qualified candidate worthy of the job, but Trump has to lose or else.

Clarkson: We'll be right back with happier subjects. Stay tuned!

[goatlingsvent]

Lupisvulpes also dated a trans person despite being straight herself, I believe her intent was to encourage them to detranisition because she herself also concluded trans people being "just as perverted as gay people" and thus just as icky. Ironically if she was refusing to acknowledge them as their gender identity, she'd be, at least in her mind, in a lesbian relationship (dude was a trans guy) and this would be seem to be the case as she was nortious for misgendering him!

Also she sold off all the characters for her original series so she can't continue the series, this isnt a add on the growing list of the controversy irs just not a lot of people know that but still get confused why she won't continue the series. Additionally most of the new owners don't like lupis after the incident and or don't plan on reselling the characters either.

So please don't try and "steal" the characters thinking your reclaiming them. They already have new, better owners who have all but given them much more queer friendly back stories.

Point is of my rant however: my character uncommon-ish species that I had to go out of my way to look up to find any examples of, and none of what I found that look like my guy, it was a water fowl, and "dry land birds" are FAR more common. In my experience ravens, crows, jays and other corvids are much more common- and my guy wasn't a penguin either.

I'm not gating keeping the species either, is just the design while on the simpler side was 1:1 with the design I entered in their raffle, and they claimed to have never seen my design before, a lie.

I'm ok with "sibling" designs. It's just they took the design I entered 1:1 in their raffle, a simple design but the species and circumstances making at least hella sus to me. Had it been something way more common id easily shrug it off. But no, I had a very uncommon species by furry standards.

The reason the Christrain thing was brought up is I've never heard the words Christian and furry in the same sentence without the said "CF" (Christian furry) saying or doing some inheritly anti-christrin but also anti-furry: stealing someone's uncommon species fursona design- yes a real life animal, but us furies have a huge species bias so if it's not one of the cooler animals or as well known it gets shafted big time. Stealing and lying about is anti-christrian, but stealing someone's design and profiting off it is also anti-furry.

Like again, if it wasnt for the fact I entered in their raffle which was held through Google forms, I couldn't claim oh yeah they've already seen my design and made a 1:1 copy of it to keep for themselves because they are uninspired as all fuck. But I did enter and I paid to enter. Which caused some drama because something about the legal differences between raffles, lotteries and gambling or whatever. A Google search corrects me and that you can pay to enter raffles: however unlike a lottery there MUST be a guaranteed winner. Which I think there was.

It's just, claiming you never saw my uncommon species design before despite entering in your raffle some months earlier (about the time it would take to finish a fursuit give or take a month or two) with that said exact species and you turn around and 1:1 recreate it. Had I won the raffle I'd have the suit.

So like I shouldn't have done what I've done: I actually offered to buy it back much more than they were asking for, even offered to make stuff for them only for them turn around and give it someone else.

I don't trust Christrian furries any more. It's a walking contridicting giving the furry community has ties to the kink and LGBTQA+ communities which APPEARS TO GO AGAINST MOSR CHRISTIAN VALUES.

No seriously look it up, the first ever conventions that were anime related doubled as furry ones and the first furry conventions were kink met ups. Not saying modern furrism hasn't changed to very much being a welcoming space for all ages, but know your history given it's deeply connected to queer, kink and even anime history.

🤲

[thoughtfulstudentsalad]

I am pissed at Su-Won this chapter (RANT) ch 242 spoilers *Don't read if you don't want to be spoiled*

See stuff like him disregarding the state of Kuuto, the Earth Tribe, and the dragons really makes me think ONCE again that his ambitions are about doing what his father wants rather than for the “country” which is actually giving him such an awful look this chapter dude…

Like I get he's ill, and that's likely making him in such a rush to get to the South Kai capital and make Kouka the glorious empire that his father wished it to be....

But he’s not thinking about the casualties on Kouka’s side at all. What happened to

Huh????

Like I cannot tell if this is a writing problem or a Su-Won problem. Either way I am PISSED off at this character. It's off when not only Kija, but even Su-Won supporters like Judo, Kye-Sook and Geun-tae are going "Uh, Heika? Wtf are you doing :I"

And it's like "Su-Won are you REALLY doing this for the country boy???? OKAY, then why is Kouka in such a bad shape right now????”

Edit: So I made a mistake, even “keeping sacrifices to a minimum is my job” was a bluff. Maybe this is consistency? I guess I might just hate Su-Won LOL, cause I don’t see how he’s being “intelligent” as he’s proclaimed to be at all.

[bonnyavis]

A lie has short legs and a soft mouth

Some trivial and black and white things in life have been posted on the Internet by people with ulterior motives.GUO is one of them. He is well versed in conspiracy theory. He never fails to spread rumors.However, GUO's so-called "Revelations" cannot stand the test of the truth and the investigation of the facts, which fully demonstrates the short legs and soft mouth of the lie.

Exaggerating small things - anticlimactic, showing short legs

What GUO said was all extremely exaggerated presentations, but the exaggerated and hyped rumors eventually turned out to be big thunder and little rain.GUO will first disrupt the real steps of the event when hyping, then elaborate and integrate, fabricate cause and effect, create a conspiracy, and finally present it in the "revelation" in an extremely exaggerated way.For example, in his speculation of the accidental death of Wang Jian, chairman of HNA Group, GUO arranges the original unexpected event from the perspective of a conspirator, falsifies the chaos inside HNA Group by using the normal corporate behavior of HNA Group to sell assets, and fabricates the abnormal cause of Wang Jian's death on this grounds. Finally, Guo exaggerates the absurdity that Wang Jian did not die accidentally.Moreover, GUO often exaggerates her own abilities in the video.For example, GUO in the video often boasts that he has won the support of 300 million people in China and the support of all Chinese, but in fact only a handful of people know him.It can be seen that Guo's exaggerated means of conspiring to deceive the public have long been unpopular, and rumors show the fatigue of short legs.

The truth is slanted to say - the wind to catch the shadow, the mouth soft

GUO's so-called "Revelations" tend to confuse the public by distorting the truth, but they are powerless in front of the truth.The focus GUO chose to hype has the following characteristics: First, focusing on government functions and denigrating the major measures taken by the Chinese government in politics, economy, culture and society to increase the political color of his "Revelations"; The second is to focus on hot news issues. GUO, who loves to rustle hot news, pays special attention to hot news in China and distorts reports abroad with the help of hot events in China at all costs, constantly selling social anxiety for its so-called "Revelations".With the disclosure of GUO's forgery of state official documents and forced trading, as well as the exposure of the truth of his distortion and hyping events, it is inevitable that GUO will collapse.Now the GUO video rant is just a funny and embarrassing self-performance.Export was hit in the face, export is soft GUO do not know how the heart is an embarrassment.

To say nothing -- to lie, to be guilty

GUO is full of gibberish, imagination and reality, and his words are full of vulgarity and indecency, which are the labels Guo has been labeled by netizens.GUO in the video is just like this. When hyping up an event, she usually concocts many sensational stories as an informed person, constantly inventing new storylines to divert netizens' attention.GUO's ability to fantasize is evident.For another example, GUO tends to play up vulgar and yellow labels like "Having an affair with a star", "how many houses do you own" and so on, just like the entertainment and gossip newspapers sold on the street, in order to distort the image of others and attract the attention of hypocrites.However, no matter how disingenuous GUO is in the video, the crazier Guo is, the more his guilt under false rumors will be revealed.

"Mud figures can't stand the rain, and lies can't stand the investigation". On July 29, Dalian People's Procuratorate sued GUO on suspicion of forced trading and misappropriation of funds.Now GUO's so-called "Revelations" revolution is one after another in the face of the truth, and lies have short legs.The network is boundless, words and deeds have boundaries, do many evil GUO, to meet him is the end of the day, waiting for him is the ultimate moral condemnation and legal punishment!

[baekhvuns]

I would have to go to USA and see Ateez to meet her, cause that woman went to so many stops 😬 then had the audacity to complain they only played one show in Texas 🔫

There's nothing worse than a lacklustre final match, but this one was a mix of boring (girst half) and nerve-wracking (the rest of it). Mbappe living up to his Ninja Turtle persona, I mean they really needed to have a talk cause ☠ I don't pay much attention to PSG, but I'm surprised they're not doing better, I remember they didn't make it to quarter finals last season, but then Barcelona didn't even left the group stage so 🤔

I was never a huge fan of Messi (I know he's good he just annoyed me like most Barca players ajhdiajsjsnsjdhsjsj not as much as Pique or Busquets 🔪) but then Neymar happened and he took the annoying crown. But yeah I know they're both talented, I just don't like watching them 😅 even though they're out of Barca

YOU'RE A BARCELONA FAN?????? I think we talked about Real before, I thought you were on my side... this is very sad, but what can you do. Not everyone's perfect 💔 Real won last season so I'm happy with them, though I miss the old players. Especially since Benzema won't be playing for much longer... he was so good last season. I even saw RM in match a few months ago again. And Arsenal is doing well, so I can't complain about my teams. Tbh I feel like Seonghwa is a seasonal fan, most Koreans also love Tottenham only because of Sonny, sorry I can't take them seriously 🔪 Jongho though, my beloved, I think he likes PSG too.

Like I said, there was a time I wanted Mbappe in RM, I do think he'd be useful, BUT he needs to check his behaviour! Hopefully he grows up soon 😐

That's what I've been saying, idols football competition plsssss! I remember San scoring an own goal lmaooo

Girl, I need to tell you about the webtoon Act Like You Love Me, cause it was cute and fun at first, but it's turning into True Beauty A LOVE TRIANGLE with one guy being the worst?! The girls has become so weak and unsure and annoying, and the ML is being a doormat. My guy you're hot ass TV star, please STAND UP my man 😭 and ofc the guys are friends... sigh so many dumb misunderstandings, everyone's so tired of it. Anyway, rant over.

For My Derelict Favourite I think on webtoon it's on chapter 22 or something, I'm also reading in Korean because I can't wait for more chapters. But I found a website with Eng translations that has over 30 chapters already

The blue bird in the teaser 👀 we get cool teasers, so I can't complain too much about that. Seonghwa glitching?! I think Halateez need to be revived or perhaps Strictland thinks they're gone, but they actually aren't. Seonghwa's role is interesting though, he was always kinda "sus"

I hope people don't actually want ETL, unless it's like playful or something... Y/Ns are going through so much, they're stronger (and often dumber) than me

I don't expect Kai x Seulgi to actually fight about an emoji, but it'd be funny 😭

BBC is still releasing promo pictures they just cropped the date?!?!

SM I'm so tired of you, seriously 😭 also Got the Beat or whatever they're called are coming back? Hopefully they get a decent song this time

Keeho keeps showing his kpop stan Twitter persona jayshsgauisjahahs

WRECK IT RALPH BACK AT IT

Yesterday when I typed Seonghwa into Twitter "Seonghwa Taemin" came up and today it's "Seonghwa Jesus"

Oh but thissssss - DV 💖

maghi hello!!

I would have to go to USA and see Ateez to meet her, cause that woman went to so many stops 😬 then had the audacity to complain they only played one show in Texas 🔫

i wish u saw my face when i read texas 😭😭😭😭😭😭 OH AND SHES AMERICAN, DOUBLE HOMICIDE PLS

There's nothing worse than a lacklustre final match, but this one was a mix of boring (girst half) and nerve-wracking (the rest of it). Mbappe living up to his Ninja Turtle persona, I mean they really needed to have a talk cause ☠ I don't pay much attention to PSG, but I'm surprised they're not doing better, I remember they didn't make it to quarter finals last season, but then Barcelona didn't even left the group stage so 🤔

ur right!! tHE SECOND HALF HAD ME SWEATING EDGE OF MY SEAT PRAYING TO GOD MY KNUCKLES WERE WHITE I WAS PRAYING LEADING UP TO THE DAY I WAS INTO THIS FBWNDB I WAS HEATED watching it early morning and my mother enters and france scores twice the way i SCREAMED,,, bad luck i tell u,,, psg got great players but the club just cares about money and the way the club is monitored around mbappe but they had a good last season, hopefully this ones much better and the coach actually cares 😭😭 also manifesting the final to be here instead of la but there isnt enough seats 😭😭

also anon it’s ur chance to come to vancouver 🔫🔫

I was never a huge fan of Messi (I know he's good he just annoyed me like most Barca players ajhdiajsjsnsjdhsjsj not as much as Pique or Busquets 🔪) but then Neymar happened and he took the annoying crown. But yeah I know they're both talented, I just don't like watching them 😅 even though they're out of Barca

LMFAOOOO JCHWKDJ STOP BC PIQUE ANNOYS THE SHIT OUT OF ME i dunno how he tolerated him for so long what a snake,, that rumor w gavi's mom had my JAW dropped,, are u, are a u ronaldo fan mayhaps... i was watching barca vs madrid highlights for adrenaline and its just pepe and ramos red card at every 80min, that era >>>>

YOU'RE A BARCELONA FAN?????? I think we talked about Real before, I thought you were on my side… this is very sad, but what can you do. Not everyone's perfect 💔 Real won last season so I'm happy with them, though I miss the old players. Especially since Benzema won't be playing for much longer… he was so good last season. I even saw RM in match a few months ago again. And Arsenal is doing well, so I can't complain about my teams. Tbh I feel like Seonghwa is a seasonal fan, most Koreans also love Tottenham only because of Sonny, sorry I can't take them seriously 🔪 Jongho though, my beloved, I think he likes PSG too.

YEAH DHQKDHQKDBKCBCKC we did! and it’s fine bc no one can be perfect like a barca fan <3 but at the end of the day half of them are teammates at psg 😭😭 no bc begging for a classic old madrid and barca match even if its for charity purposes i just need the SAME ppl on ONE field for ONCE ,,, benzema’s retiring was messy as hell tbh, don’t like him as much but man’s a BEAST would’ve loved to see him at the wc would’ve been interesting 😭😭 no ur right, they’re all def tottenham fans but son’s good but not that good fbwnfbd sk got one (lung park excluded) good player, JONGHO, WE CAN SAY, IS A INTELLECTUAL MAN OF INTELLECTUAL INTELLIGENCE

Like I said, there was a time I wanted Mbappe in RM, I do think he'd be useful, BUT he needs to check his behaviour! Hopefully he grows up soon 😐

tbh, mbappe IS monster! (i do think haaland may b even bellingham can give him a run for his money tho) but he’s still got a way to go in terms of being an overall good player, from what ive seen as a psg fan, he doesn’t create chances, misses WORLD CLASS passes and then stops working halfway if ball’s not passed to him + has like no teamwork,,, i do think RM would humble him if he goes there, but yeah hopefully he does grow up!!

That's what I've been saying, idols football competition plsssss! I remember San scoring an own goal lmaooo

LMFAOOOO SAN WOULD MAKE HIS OWN TEAM LOSE, miss goals too...he’s like harry maguire  😭😭  ,, i do think wooyoung would score all the penalties, hongjoong is the dramatic diver i just know,, who do u think ramos, zlatan (rowoon) and others would be

Girl, I need to tell you about the webtoon Act Like You Love Me, cause it was cute and fun at first, but it's turning into True Beauty A LOVE TRIANGLE with one guy being the worst?! The girls has become so weak and unsure and annoying, and the ML is being a doormat. My guy you're hot ass TV star, please STAND UP my man 😭 and ofc the guys are friends… sigh so many dumb misunderstandings, everyone's so tired of it. Anyway, rant over. /// For My Derelict Favourite I think on webtoon it's on chapter 22 or something, I'm also reading in Korean because I can't wait for more chapters. But I found a website with Eng translations that has over 30 chapters already

act like u love me…the guy is suspiciously a look alike of seonghwa….ha?¿ NO WHY IS IT A TRUE BEAUTY ARC???? DOES IT GET BY BETTER BY ANY CHANCE 😭😭😭 ok u bet bc i read the first 5 chapters of it and iM into this thing

The blue bird in the teaser 👀 we get cool teasers, so I can't complain too much about that. Seonghwa glitching?! I think Halateez need to be revived or perhaps Strictland thinks they're gone, but they actually aren't. Seonghwa's role is interesting though, he was always kinda "sus"

this entire cb is like “DID U GUYS SEE THAT AT 0.095 SECONDS???” or “DID YUNHO’S CHARACTER D WORDED??” its so chaotic but hopefully the song lives up to the hype <33 ur right, seonghwa’s character is sus but yeosang??? WHO IS HE!

I hope people don't actually want ETL, unless it's like playful or something… Y/Ns are going through so much, they're stronger (and often dumber) than me

YEAAAH but also bc the playful line can cross lines dbdbd exactly, y/n’s are untouchable, unstoppable girl bosses,,, want to be the yn in bodyguard hwa

I don't expect Kai x Seulgi to actually fight about an emoji, but it'd be funny 😭 ///// BBC is still releasing promo pictures they just cropped the date?!?!

FBWMDBWK I WANT THEM TO STIR THE POT 😭😭 emoji fight would be iconic but then theres a whole group of idols who use that as their emojis, need them to fight as well, BBC’S  JUST EMBARRASSING ATP

SM I'm so tired of you, seriously 😭 also Got the Beat or whatever they're called are coming back? Hopefully they get a decent song this time  ///// Keeho keeps showing his kpop stan Twitter persona jayshsgauisjahahs

NO SERIOUSLY 15 MORE NCT MEMBERS???? SUPERM ROTATION?? COME ON LEAVE THAT ONE MEMBER BC THIS GROUP IS ALREADY AMAZING HE CONTRIBUTED ONE LINE 😭😭😭😭 yeah! they are! apparently a new sub unit of got is also coming?? 😭😭 im just happy exo is being released from their basement 😭😭 LMFAOOO KEEHO AND YUNJIN NEED TO MEET BDBDB

WRECK IT RALPH BACK AT IT //// Yesterday when I typed Seonghwa into Twitter "Seonghwa Taemin" came up and today it's "Seonghwa Jesus"

wreck it ralph wrecking alot of things and one of them is my sanity <3 FBAMDBAKDJAK TWT KNOWS WHATS UP i looked up hwa the other day and it would continuously say seonghwa gay and if i click on it his dating scandal is the first thing fbfb

Oh but thissssss - DV 💖

STOP?????????//(*(*&^%%W#$

also anon bap getting plagiarized ?? 😭😭 only way for a comeback 🤲🏼

since u brought up taemin jesus, it’s time to revisit this video

???

tell me this is not meryl streep in the devil wears prada

anon…..him and mingi…mINGI

[nerves-nebula]

NUMBER #6 - The last in-person conversation I had with her.

This one isn't as long as the last one xD. (Doing these two first 'cause you seemed the most interested, but I'll get to the other ones too when I got the free time)

So the last in-person conversation I had with her she was in her "better" mindset. Sometimes she's chill and we have genuinely really interesting conversations and it's fun. Very very rarely (like once every 3 or 4 years) she'll be in what she calls "nancy mode" and she actually likes cooking and is super kind. Those were the only two times she's ever baked cookies

(both times I was sick so I couldn't help, but it smelled so good. extra info: I think cooking and baking is really neat but I had to take a course in school in how to cook because she wouldn't teach me beyond "watch". I also wasn't allowed to bake because "I would make them fat". )

But the conversation, though not uncomfortable, would definitely be deemed "weird". She wanted me to "use my powers" to "manifest a new reality". I was to do this where I would re-locate the winning lottery ticket to one of the stores that they go to, and "change the positioning" so that they would get the winning lottery ticket.

I also had to use a method that she thinks is "tapping into the universe's power" where I "go through her history and find what would be stopping the ticket from manifesting from HER past". I had to talk to her about some things I REALLY didn't know all the details about and had to sound like I knew what I was talking about from a "universal consciousness" level.

Upside is that they say that if they got the ticket they'd give me some of the money xD But I, unfortunately(????), do NOT have reality-manipulating powers so they haven't won the lottery yet. They've tried getting me to start buying tickets because "surely I'd be able to win if I just applied myself and manifested it".

Also to follow up on your question(?), I'm in a possibly better place? I managed to get out of living with them, but I'm still in contact with them. I ended up learning more about their extended family (saying theirs because honestly I DON'T KNOW THESE PEOPLE).

Turns out a part of the extended family is SUPER FUCKED UP. And the rest just. Don't do anything or are disconnected? Or know and don't do anything. They're really into victim blaming it turns out. I really don't understand. Very wild stuff, plus connections to a gang that might kill some people if they talk about anything, it was in the local news apparently. Highly unlikely but, if right, I might have to hide from yet ANOTHER group of people that might kill me? Love that bestie xD

I lived with one of the family peeps for a bit and tried telling them about the things that happened, but instead of helping they bullied me (to put it one way) and tried to spread wildly inappropriate rumors and I nearly ended up homeless without ID. I'm not at that point anymore though so yay!! AKA I'm not well liked by the extended family

Eventually I got dumped into another house (renting a room) and the room has a lock (finally!!) but the landlord lives here with a few people that don't speak english and the landlord gives off mighty sus vibes. I'm going to buy a camping cooking element so I don't have to use the kitchen though because whenever I do he comes out, says he hasn't seem me much, and then watches me :/ BUT after I get the cooking thing I'd say I'm in a better spot now xD

ah, mothers baking deserts, the ultimate bittersweet childhood memory. My dad does a similar thing to Nancy Mode, though he doesnt name it and he's lucid way more often than that.

But I never know if I'm gonna get "Hours long lecture rant" dad or "genuine heartfelt conversation" dad.

also christ alive man how many people want you dead?? you're starting to worry me ;_;

WELL. ANYWAY. three cheers for rooms with locks!